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life-rewritten · 4 years ago

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GIFTS OF BL! AKA CHRISTMAS GOODIES FOR BL FANS WHO LOVE ANGST, PASSION AND CHEMISTRY.

Merry Christmas BL Fans. I've been trying to be a bit more festive on here, and so I've decided to write out a gift box for every BL fans full of Christmas goodies and suggestions you might want to see based on different tropes, genres and plots in case you haven't caught up with them. Or just my opinions and ranks of some of my favourite BLS that are incredible for each category. So Yes I am a weird person who views suggestions as presents. Finding a new show with all the things I love that remind me of certain other shows that I already love is like a gift to me, I love binge-watching shows that make me happy, excited and is an emotional journey, for me the gift is falling in love with many other plotlines and finding a new passion that inspires or makes me happy just at the thought of the show. That's a great gift. So if you're like me here is the first Gift Box: Merry Christmas :) let me know what you think about these shows, are there other's you've seen? Add them to the box so we can all find new shows to love. Enjoy:

GIFT OF BL! The passionate, angsty and chemistry lovers.

Ahh yes, it's those type of shows, those shows where you find your self obsessed and crying over the incredible and crazy love story between two hot-headed people who are meant to be together but for some reason instead, they hate each other. I mean are we surprised? Haters to lovers always have this incredible sizzling fire on fire chemistry that is explosive at worst but also delicious to consume at best. They are the ride or dies, they're the fighters, they're the shouters, but they're always meant to be together. And not all angsty couples have to be haters to lovers, some on this list aren't, they're drawn to each other, by some inexplicable thing. This soulmate connection isn't as warm/ soft as you want it to be, but it's more firey and loud, it's in your face, and it makes you jealous because once they fall in love and learn about each other, it's unconditional and so effective. These kinds of couples form bonds where they need each other? At some path in their life, the other person is their person, to help them grow, to help them learn, to accept their flaws, to love themselves, to heal, to trust etc. This kind of bond all the time leads to something so beautiful and also an exciting experience worth always rewatching time and time again. And suppose you're like me and you love depth. In that case, these couples and plots normally have so much subtext and depth in their stories; people feel turned off at first by their surface interactions because the characters usually are incredibly flawed but actually you get to see a journey with them as they grow and become better. That's something I enjoy with all these shows, we learn so much about them, they feel real, flawed, messy but also just so exciting to analyse and question as well. By the end of the show, you're either emotionally exhausted in a right way about the love they have, or you're crying so hard because they found each other and became the best versions of themselves through it all.

Sorry, these type of shows are my favourite to discuss. And if you're like me, then I hope this list is a gift box for you to explore and find new loves in case you haven't watched some of these. Or nostalgia just to remember shows like these that touched you and made you so happy. Let's discuss about it.

Tharn and Type

Haha if no one knows me, you won't understand how obsessed I am with this show. For me, this show for both seasons is everything I want and more. Which is weird because this show can be viewed as an uncomfortable experience; toxicity, questioning about some moral issues, non-consensual confusion etc. The righteous me feels weird every time I have to recommend this show to people because it's very polarising. So I'll start first by saying the trigger warnings: there are conversations about r*pe, and non-consent in this show, questions about abuse and predatory behaviours in the show. If this really triggers you, this isn't a gift for you, and I get it.

But whilst on the surface this show seems like another toxic version of what makes BL hard to watch, with those tropes, I think people tend to misjudge this couple's story a lot. There are issues with the writer, and it depends again what your stance is on it. But for Me the reason why Tharn and Type are on here is because it's a ride, I think it's an incredibly written show, with fantastic acting despite the novelty of the actors, an amazing director and production despite the small budget and an amazing plot despite the first few episodes confusion/discomfort. This story is incredible, with a lot of layers. If you are someone who loves layers, psychological conversations about nature vs nurture, if you are someone who enjoys plot twists, and character arcs and development this show is for you. This couple will take your breath away; this couple will break your heart and repatch it over and over again with their longing, chemistry and love.

At the end of the day, Tharn and Type is a love story at the core, about two flawed people who find a love that gives: healing, comfort and strength. Some people don't see it like that but the way these two love each other, the journey they go through with each other even in the sequel is still amazing to watch and enjoy if you get it. It's why there are so many essays and analysis derived from this show; it's not us being Mame warriors as people would call it, it's us seeing what the story is showing, bringing out the forgotten details to light, making sure people understand the message of the show.

All people see in this show is fighting and then passion, but that's not what this show is about, it has angst the characters are authentic and flawed as humans are. Still, at the core, it has love, sweetness and a soulmate connection that makes you question everything about love and also want something like it ( I know CRAZY). It's like weird for me to say I want to find my Tharn to my Type, but somehow it makes sense, I really adore these twos love, and for some people, it's not like that, and that's okay. But for some others, this show is a gift, and if you're like me who always feels conflicted about some stories in BL lacking passion, chemistry, structured plots, with twists that make you have to rewatch time and time again, then this show is for you. It gives you everything you want in both seasons. But only if you are open-minded enough to see it.

Why it's a gift: The passion, the angst, the haters to lovers, the chemistry, the naturalness of the actors, the soft sweet moments that make you envious, the plot oh the plot, the excitement and conflicting feelings, the questions it brings, the discussion it gets, the love story at the core. It's everything for people like me For others: Others will love the chemistry and the passion between the two actors, may not see the message and view it as a guilty pleasure and may be triggered by many conversations in the show. But all in all, if you stick with this show, it'll always end up being a good show no matter what you feel about it. In terms of representation: I've seen a lot of LGBTQ who have appreciated Tharn and Type because of it's the courage to tackle specific topics on tv, some have praised the naturalness and focus on a character like Type who is incredibly flawed but incredibly understood because of his circumstance, a real character who makes mistakes, is stubborn, rude and angry but grows and learns to accept himself as he falls for Tharn.

Why R U

Another absolute incredible gift. Except warning, not the show haha. I honestly believe with my whole heart that this show would have been everything in 2020 had it been directed by better people, edited better and COVID didn't happen. This is why this show is like such a pain to me because I love this show so much, this show made me move on from my obsession with the previous s and found a new show like it which I wasn't expecting. And yet I still advise people not to watch the show.

The gift box here is to watch this show as an edit. So here is a present for you if you haven't seen this show, watch this (1-hour summary) modification of one of the couples in the show, and it'll make you so emotional. And then you can decide if you want to watch this show fully. The reason why I can't recommend the show to people is that I was not too fond of the cringe humour, the loud sound effects, the cuts in the story and the lack of attention to the other side characters.

But for Fighter and Tutor, I would die for this show. This show brought a gift to BL, and that's Saint and Zee as a couple. It's incredible. They are electric to watch on the screen, and they made me fall for this couple even more. But honestly, the reason why I love these twos story is again the plot; It's funny because again like the previous show, this show had a lot of subtexts and hidden depth others didn't understand, people again assumed from on the surface tit was a show about fighting and lust but it wasn't. It tackled the same conversations; internalised homophobia and how it affects you and shapes your actions, it showed a hater to lovers story where two people found comfort, strength and hope with each other. It had two flawed and exciting characters that you couldn't help but fall for. If I loved Tharn and Type previously, I've never wanted a love story the way I want what Fighter and Tutor have.

I mean it's incredible, the way Fighter shows up for Tutor in this show, their effect on each other as they fall in love, they're each other's catalyst to growth and hope, whether it's Fighter learning to fight for what he wants and choose his path for himself, confront his father and become less suffocated from the life he thought he had to live or to overcome his internalised homophobia that was slowly killing him, or it's Tutor learning to trust in life again, and growing strong and finding someone to lean on when he thought he had no one, or him finding his strength also to fight for what he wants, to become vulnerable and let people in, to hope for a new path and happiness. This show broke me. Honestly, these two are a gift for people who love passionate stories.

There is a plot there's so many hints and subtext to their love story, how they've both loved each other secretly for so long. Still, because of fear and homophobia they didn't act on it and turned it to hate for a while, how once they accept their feelings and become brave they know they're each other's forever, they're so pulled and obsessed with each other. And Tutor! Tutor is an incredible lead, he's sassy, he's confident, he doesn't take nothing from others, he doesn't let himself be in a toxic situation, he's powerful and incredible, and I loved watching him on screen. And Fighter may be annoying on the outside, but he's soft, melty, vulnerable and such a great boyfriend when he accepts what he feels for Tutor. Their love is incredible. It's unbelievable, so if you haven't seen this show click on the link and cry and fall in love.

Link Here Enjoy

Why it's a gift: It's a show you will fall in love with for these two, there's another couple you'll also fall in love with for different reasons, but for Fighter and Tutor their chemistry, angst and passion is so exciting to see. The way they fall for each other is also incredible; this show never fails to have moments that tug at heart and make you envious of what these two have, again this show has a completely rounded plot for these two, it's a romantic comedy, their edit is like watching a great movie and being affected. The show is also packed full of amazing actors, music and scenes that you won't want to forget. If you love skinship, SaintZee are kings of showing passion on the screen, mostly also unscripted, they became Fighter and Tutor entirely, and you can see their love ooze from them, and their longing drives you insane. But that's what an extraordinary, passionate story does. It makes you lose your minds at how great these two are, how breathtaking they can be and how much their love makes your heart melt and also race because it's like fireworks, explosive and beautiful and worth the view.

For others: This show may seem generic since it's set in a university and it's engineering (I'm afraid I have to disagree when people say stuff like this), the actual show directing is weird, it's cringy, and you may be turned off and distracted from these two's plot because it's not put together properly. There are moments that you may not clock on like the past flashbacks and what they are trying to tell you about these twos dynamic: so many people didn't get that they loved each other from the first time they saw each other but refused to accept it especially Fighter who pretended to hate Tutor because it was the only way to avoid what he was feeling for a while. There is a very long version of a beach vacation that seems like there's no plot. Still, it's just showcasing how in love these two are, and how much they realise what they have with each other, how much all their pent up attraction is finally exploding and showing at the surface i.e. they can't get enough of each other. It makes it all the more painful later when they have to break up because they literally can't part with each other, they need the other's touch, presence and more to feel safe and comfortable. If you love skinship; the beach scenes are the best moments for you, you will scream at how natural these two are. But you may just think that's all they have. In terms of representation: There are conversations about accepting who you are, and internalised homophobia is a big obstacle for Fighter and Tutor they learn to accept themselves as they fall in love. Fighter is incredible standing up to his father later and fighting for Tutor. It's just a great BL that people can watch as a romantic story and get lost in for a while, it's romantic, passionate and it doesn't feel uncomfortable or unnatural, there's a plot, and it has a happy ending. A perfect show to get away from stresses and reality for a while. That's why I love it.

Mood Indigo

Enough of the happy love stories that have happy endings; Suppose you love painful soulmate bittersweet endings with angst and passion. Mood Indigo is for you. Oh My When I say my heart broke so much because of this show, I mean it. My heart was damaged, I felt sad, but instead of feeling defeated as I do with other BLs with unhappy endings, this was so incredible? It was tasteful, the angst is there, but it's not like the typical haters to lovers angst. It's more dramatic in a different way; it's also touching, and again, the chemistry of the main characters is incredible and will make you scream.

You're rooting for them to make it, you're hoping they choose each other and yet you oddly understand despite being upset at how it ends. This a prequel to another series called the Novelist, you can watch both these two, and it would be a great time. The actors are incredible as with Japanese shows, the storyline is exciting, and as a writer, it's touching, and there are moments where it makes you want to cry. It doesn't feel as depressing as you think it would be (if you've watched the sequel) it feels oddly healing and real. If you like couples with immense longing, and passion for each other, with more self-discovering and deep conversations about themselves, this show is for you. Skinship and love are also more tasteful, and it doesn't feel lustful or crass. It feels like watching art, that's all I can say. And it does have a semi-happy ending depending on whose perspective you watch from; I've watched from both, I've cried at the Novelist because of both, I've also squealed at seeing one of the characters get healing and closure. I've smiled, but I've also watched another beautiful connection to grow. What these two have is special despite how they ended.

Why it's a gift? Realism and a lot of reflections and questions. If you like deep stuff this is for you, add a spice of chemistry and passion, and it's so beautifully done. Not all love stories need a happy ending, but there are some bonds worth finding and making and Kido and Kijima is one of those. Also if you're not a fan of happy fantasy endings and closures, this is for you, this is very real, bittersweet and it hit the right notes. It's worth watching and deciding how you feel about it.

For others: The story does feel slow as with a lot of Japanese BLs, sometimes you may miss out on the deep meanings and reflections the show brings so it may feel more moody and gloomy for no reason. If you love happy endings, then this may not be for you. You may end up disliking the actions of Kido or Kijima and may end up not understanding why people root for them and cared about their relationship.

In terms of representation: This tackles again you guessed it internalised homophobia, (IH) it's the biggest thing BLs like to tackle, this is more realistic and deep. It's very practical about life, and it's just a great show; cast, production and story that showcases an LGBTQ relationship.

History Trapped

Crime and mystery with a side of Passion, Angst and Haters to lovers?? You have History Trapped. This is just incredible. I remember judging at first because I was hesitant about how good it could be. But No, I loved History Trapped. I think it's one of the Best BLs out there, that does what it says it will do, it has an exciting plotline that you can follow and immerse your self in, but the love story is also at the core. I love all the actors in this show, and their chemistry is ridiculous, many scenes left me smiling and grinning from ear to ear. I love how the story is an angsty love between a cop and a gangster-like it's so funny to see how their two groups react to the love they have. I love the revelations and plot twists in the show, we have an exciting plot trying to uncover the mystery of the death between two people both connected different ways to our main couple. It's so good because it's just a nice story overall. The plot is good. The acting is good. The love story is good. And like every hater to lovers, the character reveals, and arc is deep and interesting to unfold. I also think the side couple is good in this show, also passionate and interesting to watch. Also 20 EPISODES?? Damn, worth it, worth it all.

Why it's a gift A unique BL not set in highschool. Angsty, dramatic haters to lovers that is incredibly beautiful and enjoyable on screen. Their chemistry and passion are addicting to watch, and the actors are great. The plot for the main couple is well written, fleshed out and exciting to follow. It is a ride of emotions, and it'll make you obsessed. For others: I really don't know why people would dislike it. Maybe the low budget but I think it makes up for it with the plot and characters. I do think the side couple's story is not as fleshed out as the main but they're a good side couple that is nice to see on the screen. Maybe the ending? It's not the sweet fantasy happy ending you expect, and from this writer, I think it's a pattern so no shock, but it's not depressing or defeating. It's okay.

In terms of representation: I won't say this is like a serious story focused on LGBTQ and issues, but I think that's why I like it as with my other shows, the focus is on the plot, the mystery and the characters, once they fall in love that's it, there's no deep questions or denial about what they are, and I love that. (Not sure about side couple there may have been some questioning) and it's a story with an LGBTQ couple falling in love and choosing each other despite being from being different worlds and opinions on what's moral/righteous. That's why I love it.

I told sunset about you.

Oh, Hi, ITSAY. It seems like I can't forget you or move on from this show. Haha. I've written long paragraphs about the other shows, but I feel like for ITSAY I don't have even to explain it just watch it. It's worth everything, the production is exquisite, the acting incredible, plot: deep and outstanding, the passion, chemistry, longing and ANGST: Out of this world. Remarkably for a 5 episode show, this show's couple broke me, made me cry for hours and made me addicted and obsessed with them. They were perfect for each other, friends to haters to friends to lovers again. They were fireworks, explosions, and more. And this show was art. Everything was tasteful; everything had meaning; everything had a purpose. This show was the definition of meta, and it made me so happy to analyse. Five hours will go by with this show; it's a gift honestly the best thing I can recommend to you. You will scream and shout and cry and feel jealous, angry, crazy and then you'll feel elated. No other way to put it. Go watch this show if you haven't.

Why it's a gift: Acting: Outstanding Directing: Outstanding Plot: Outstanding Meta: Outstanding Everything: Outstanding

For others: This show may feel draggy to some who don't like over dramatics, a lot of crying, a lot of moping, a lot of angst, but it's done by incredible actors who do them well. The ending of the show feels incomplete because after all the drama, angst, even if it's a happy ending which is great, it felt weird, rushed and empty. Like it was missing something so that might be a bit anti-climatic for you. Still think the show is worth it.

In terms of representation: Again we have IH, but this time we focus on a coming of age storyline and view how people deal with the influx of feelings, how it makes you lose your self, find your self, and know your worth. The characters all grow after being flawed, they find themselves and learn and question their sexuality for a lot of people it's relatable, there are potent discussions in the show about this and meaningful moments and scenes that make it worth it and perfect for LGBTQ +

Many more gifts I can't explain:

Where your eyes linger: Korean, ANGSTY, Short and incredible. Will leave you feeling a lot of emotions. Worth the 80 minutes trust me: bodyguard and spoilt kid story. Longinggggg and repressed attraction it hurts.

Together with me: Not the next chapter, I would avoid the next chapter. But the first together with me? Worth it. Angsty friends to lovers, questioning of IH, and CHEMISTRY, actors who are incredible in real life and also on-screen with each other. A bond worth seeing. You can catch them also on Manner of Death which I also would recommend: same thing Angst, Drama, Chemistry, Passion, Murder, Mystery. Gah MaxTul are incredible.

Friendzone 2: Skinship for days. Chemistry for days. A messy story that you need to look at the subtext for days. Very interesting to analyse incredibly real and flawed characters who you get to see grow. Watch both Friendzone 1 and 2; you may end up hating the couples because it's messy; cheating, uncomfortable moralities, etc., but it's a ride I would never forget.

Night Flight: Oooo a movie, gloomy, moody, realistic and also artistic. Will make you cry for days but worth it—incredible acting, a deep storyline that will break you but also make you feel something. Passion in a very different way from the others, it's not about skinship but about the love these two find as they realise they are each other's key to freedom one way or another. The angst is crazy, the situation is scary, but it takes your breath away and touches your heart differently. I would recommend hundreds of times over and over again. It's everything to me honestly, and I don't like bittersweet endings. Trigger: questionable scene r*pe and bullying and mentions of su*cide.

Theory of Love: Angst, Angst, Angst! Pain and tears all in one but guess what it's a happy ending. Haha fooled you; based on a great book Flipped, about the pain of unrequited love turning requited, flawed 3D characters you'll hate then cry for then love. An incredible OST! And the chemistry that keeps you on your toes. Worth it too. Lots of crying and shouting.

Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi: Angst for days, love in the subtext, censored but worth it, acting is incredible, a great plot that's not just focused on the romance, fantasy and all things nice, drama and pain, crying and deep, extraordinary characters, 3D villains, will change your opinion on a lot of BLs, incredible directing, production and cast. Worth it. This is an actual gift for a BL fan like read the book. I'll link the translation here as a gift, read the manhua, watch the anime/donghua, listen to the non censored audio drama (my fave). This is an incredible experience. It's a true gift and will talk about it when more I write my gift box for anime and fantasy fans.

Link For Book here - Have a great time with this it’ll make you obsessed

So this Christmas period whenever you want an alone time, rewatch these shows, cry and scream at these shows if you love this type of shows. Obsess and find your self lost in these shows, analyse and ponder on the meaning of these shows. And distract your self with joy and happiness at these shows. I hope these shows also end up feeling like a gift to you. Angsty, passionate couples are just great to see; they require so much depth to their characters, natural actors who aren't uncomfortable with showing passion on-screen and are devoted to their craft, and incredible plotlines that make you question and learn things about your self. Maybe I'm being dramatic, and it's not that deep, but these shows were worth it, and I hope you find one or you rewatch one that makes you happy this Christmas. Feel free to discuss with me about these shows, what did you like about them, what are your opinions, which are your favourite, what other shows will you suggest let me know!

Other Recommendations

GIFTS OF BL FOR FANS WHO LOVE DISCUSSIONS OF REPRESENTATION

#thai bl #bl series #bl drama #tharntype #december #christmas #japanese bl #korean bl #why r u the series #fightertutor #i told sunset about you #itsay

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frye7 · 4 years ago

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So I binge watched Fate the winx saga today and I must say I quite liked it.

Here is what I think.

(I wrote SPOILER and put some * in some points so if you don't want to read just go down after the second set of *)

I agree with everyone who said that if they were going to do a remake, they could have kept some things the same. For example, the whole whitewashing thing was totally unnecessary and uncalled for, and I get why a lot of people are angry for it.

That said, I really liked how Musa came out. As for Terra, is still unclear if they want to keep her as a replacement for Flora or if for some unknown reason she actually is her cousin and is there instead of her and we will see Flora in the future or not. And Terra is such a sweetheart, you can't hate her. So I get it they are not their original selves, but they don't need to feel all this hatred from the fandom, as the actresses don't. As for Tecna, who knows, maybe we'll see her in the future as well.

Personally I have never liked Riven and in the show that hasn't changed, but I think they did him justice.

I think Sky was okay too, and I am as frustrated as you all are about the absence of Brandon, Timmy and Helia, especially Brandon, I loved their brotp in the original. But who knows, maybe they'll be added in the future as well.

Now for the Winx.

I really really really liked how they did Bloom. I think she is the one they kept the most similar to the original character between them. Hot headed, stubborn, determined, not too caring about the rules and a bit too trusting sometimes, but not too much.

(SPOILER

*****

I don't believe for a minute she is either a Ravenclaw nor a Slytherin, thank you very much)

*****

Stella, well. I think she is the most out of character between them. The first few episodes I was really shocked by how she was behaving with her roommates. Then she improved but I wish they had given her more screen time.

(SPOILER

*****

The fact that they completely erased her first meeting with Bloom and, like, everything about their friendship almost made me close the app more than once. I mean, their friendship is one of my favorite things about the original Winx club and not seeing it at all here really did upset me. And yes I liked the friendship Bloom has with Aisha instead, but it simply is not the same and I don't think it will ever be, so THEY BETTER FIX IN THE NEXT SEASON.

Also I didn't really like how rushed her change of heart was. I mean she did the right thing in the end, but for me it was strange to see her going from almost getting Bloom killed in one episode and then helping her discover the truth about herself breaking Faragonda knows how many rules in the process (even if that had never been a problem for our Stella) without even having a proper conversation with her. She calls her a "pain in the ass" and then basically says "but she needs answers and is our friend" and just like that they are all friends again.

Honestly I would have liked to see more scenes of our fairies just chilling together and doing nothing but bond and get to know each others. Hope they'll fix this too in the next season.)

*****

Musa, well, I really liked her and her powers. I know I know that they have nothing to do with music, but they fit her well. And yes, whitewashing her was wrong and unnecessary, and we all agree on it. That said, I really liked the job her actress did and I hope fans won't throw on her all their hatred for decisions she had nothing to do about.

Terra is the same, I liked her, she is a sweetheart but can stand up for herself when she wants to. And I think the same things I said about Musa and the fans and their hatred.

Surprisingly, I really liked Aisha as well. I say surprisingly because I couldn't stand her in the original series, but that could only be me. Anyway, she is a good person and a very good friend, and that's it. She cares for her roommates and help them when they need it.

SPOILER

*****

Okay maybe at the end we all didn't like when she snitched them at the headmistress, but could you blame her? None of them knew the truth, yet Bloom wanted to free a potential threat, putting in danger the entire school when she could have waited A DAY and the headmistress would have talked to her and told her everything (or, at least, what said headmistress thought was the truth).

So yeah I didn't like her in that moment either, but I could hardly blame her, so..

*****

As for Beatrix, her presence was neutral to me, meaning that I didn't particularly like or dislike her. Sometimes she was a bit too dramatic but honestly who wasn't?

She is NOT a fusion of the Trix by the way, she has nothing to do with them at all in fact.

SPOILER

*****

About that, since they mentioned the blood witches, do you think that this could mean that we'll see the witches on the show too? I seriously hope so, I mean, in the original show there couldn't be Winx without Trix. And since the girls of the Winx club have just now became a group, maybe the Trix we'll be there to contrast them in the future. Also the Dragon Flame is mentioned at the end of the first season as well, and the Trix were after that, so... I don't know, one can only hope.

*****

Overall the plot was good, but I wish there were more episodes to develope it. Some things are still unclear, but I think that's normal for a first season of any series, especially one with such a few episodes to start with.

Oh and I LOVED the last episode, I literally SCREAMED at one point.

So please, before you judge it or decide to sabotate it or to hate it on principle, please at least watch a few episodes first.

I think there is a lot of hatred for this series just because it's not the copy of the original, and I get it. I get it okay? I get that it feels like they only kept the name of the series we all loved as children as still like now just to have us watch this new product.

They did so many changes it may not seem the same thing at all with the original, and for some aspects it's not, but IT WORKS. Heck, in some points I even thought that it felt more real, and then I realized that was probably the purpose of those many changes (not all of them, let's be clear, I'm NOT talking about the whitewashing)

I'm Italian and I grew up with those fairies and I still keep them close to my heart, so I was in the front line for having doubts about this show. And yet, I watched it out of curiosity and I'm happy I did it.

It is not perfect, it is not the best show I have ever seen and I wish they had done some things differently (like the whitewashing, the change in some characters, and all of that), but it is good, and I like it.

I'll definitely watch it again and also wait for the second season with much more positive attitude than when I was waiting for this season to come out.

#fate the winx saga #winx club #netflix

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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix to Watch Right Now

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South Korea is one of the world’s biggest exporters of popular culture. From K-pop to K-dramas, Parasite to BTS, the East Asian country knows how to reach an international audience. Korean TV, especially K-dramas, have long been of interest to western markets, but it’s no longer just the Korean diaspora or romance drama fans underserved by western markets checking out K-dramas, international watchers of Korean dramas have become much more “mainstream” in the last few years, especially with Netflix’s increased focus and investment in the region.

Why Are Squid Game’s English-Language Actors So Bad?

By Kayti Burt

Squid Game’s Most Heartbreaking Hour is Also Its Best

By Kayti Burt

Netflix has played a major role in this expansion of Korean TV into the global market. The streamer has not only scooped up an impressive backlog of Korean originals as a global distributor, but, since 2016, has been investing in the Korean TV industry at the production level. At the beginning of 2021, Netflix released an official statement announcing the leasing of two production facilities outside of Seoul, citing the move as “another important example of our continued commitment to investing in Korea’s creative ecosystem.” According to the release, from 2015 to 2020, Netflix invested over 700 million dollars in Korean content. The company also has multi-year content partnerships with CJ ENM/Studio Dragon and JTBC.

Suffice to say, Netflix has a solid Korean TV section, filled with some of the best K-dramas around, both new and old. If you’re new to the world of Korean TV or if you’re simply looking for your next watch, why not try out one of the following…

Crash Landing On You (2019)

The absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who made an emergency landing in North Korea because of a paragliding accident and a North Korean special officer who falls in love with her and who is hiding and protecting her.

If you’re at all tapped into the K-drama scene, then you have at least heard of Crash Landing on You if not binged it multiple times. An original production from Netflix, Crash Landing On You pairs rom-com and character drama elements with an exploration of the cultural pain inherent in the separation between North and South Korea. With charismatic and vulnerable performances from veteran K-drama leads Son Ye-jin as South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri and Hyun Bin as North Korean soldier Ri Jeong-hyeok; some gorgeous production values; and a memorably melodramatic soundtrack, Crash Landing On You is a whirlwind action-romance that was one of the best shows of 2020, full stop.

Kingdom (2019-present)

In a kingdom defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious plague spreads to turn the infected into monsters. The crown prince, framed for treason and desperate to save his people, sets out on a journey to unveil what evil lurks in the dark.

If you prefer your TV more horror-driven, Korean TV has some notable shows for you. One of the most internationally popular is Kingdom, a historical zombie drama about a 17th century crown prince who has to fight against a mysterious plague of flesh-eating zombies that threatens to overtake his kingdom. Most K-dramas are structured to tell their entire story in one season, but Kingdom has already had two seasons with a third predicted to be on the way, as well as a one-off special that just premiered on Netflix called Kingdom: Ashin of the North. If you’re looking to get into a longer-running K-drama that favors horror over romance, this could be the one for you.

Squid Game (2021)

45.6 billion won. 456 contestants stake their lives on childhood games.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably already heard of Squid Game, which is on track to become Netflix’s most popular series ever. The Korean social thriller tells the story of a group of 456 desperate contestants who agree to compete in a deadly competition for the chance to win the kind of money that could change their lives forever. Socially relevant and compulsively watchable, Squid Game takes a familiar premise and makes it new again with compelling characters, exquisite visual style, and cultural specificity.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha (2021)

When things go awry in the city, a dentist decides to go back to her quiet seaside hometown for a fresh start. There, she finds herself at odds with the village go-to handyman who’s always up to help and fix what’s broken—perhaps even matters of the heart.

If you’re looking for something a little chiller after the horrors of Squid Game, try Hometown Cha Cha Cha, which is basically a Hallmark Christmas movie in series form (which is to say a cozy romance). The series, which is currently “airing” weekly on Netflix, sees a big city dentist named Hye-jin decide to open an office in the small seaside town of Gongjin, where she once visited with her family as a child. It all happens on a bit of a whim, with Hye-jin not fully prepared for the transition to rural life in a town where everyone knows everyone’s business. Enter Du-sik, the town’s darling jack-of-all-trades, who helps the townspeople by doing any and every job they might need. The two couldn’t be more different, but fate seems to have brought them together. You probably have an idea of what happens next…

When the Camellia Blooms (2019)

Dong-baek (Kong Hyo-jin) is the owner of a small-town bar called Camellia. Her ordinary life turns topsy-turvy when three men enter her life — a good guy, a bad guy, and a miserly guy. What kind of stories will unfold in this sleepy town full of colorful characters?

If you’re looking for another K-drama set outside of Seoul, When the Camellia Blooms is the story of a single mom Dong-baek, who moves to the fictional town of Ongsan where she opens a bar called Camellia. When local police officer Yong-sik declares his love for Dong-baek, she is initially not interested, but the two become closer the more time they spend together. Thrown in a solid supporting cast and a serial killer subplot and you’ve got yourself one of the most popular K-dramas in recent years.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

Desperate to escape from his emotional baggage and the heavy responsibility he’s had all his life, a psychiatric ward worker begins to heal with help from the unexpected—a woman who writes fairy tales but doesn’t believe in them.

There’s still a taboo around addressing mental illness in Korea, which is one of the many reasons why this 2020 drama about Gang-tae, a young man who is a caregiver at a psychiatric hospital, and Moon-young, a children’s author living with antisocial personality disorder, made such a splash. While the romance at its center is great, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay really shines in its exploration of Gang-tae’s relationship with his brother, Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum. In a press conference promoting the show (via Metro Style), Sang-tae actor Oh Jung-se said of the character: “If you meet someone like Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum, on the street, I think it would be nice if people could think ‘I would like to be with that person’ instead of ‘I would like to help that person.’”

Boys Over Flowers (2009)

Unassuming high school girl Jan-di stands up to — and eventually falls for — a spoiled rich kid who belongs to the school’s most powerful clique.

A K-drama classic, Boys Over Flowers follows working class student Geum Jan-di as she arrives at the elite Shinhwa High School on scholarship, only to meet and be unimpressed by a group of privileged boys known collectively as F4 who rule the school. The drama follows Jan-di as she goes from bullying target of F4 leader Jun-pyo to the object of his obsession. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers set-up, and one that while cliche, is still worth a watch over a decade later, especially if you’re interested in checking out one of the most iconic K-dramas of all time.

Itaewon Class (2020)

On the vibrant streets of Itaewon, something is about to shake up the local food scene. Going up against the most powerful conglomerate in the industry, underdog Park Sae-ro-yi and his band of determined misfits seek to take over Itaewon and turn their ambitious dreams into reality.

Korean TV knows how to melodrama, and this story of revenge and romance set in Seoul’s popular Itaewon area leans into intense catharsis. Itaewon Class follows Park Sae-Ro-Yi, the owner of an up-and-coming Itaewon restaurant called DanBam that becomes a refuge for a group of social outcasts. Together, they work to take down the same business mogul responsible for the death of Sae-Ro-Yi’s father years earlier. Itaewon Class was extremely popular both in South Korea and internationally, and featured the first transgender character in a mainstream K-drama. Added bonus: the Itaewon Class soundtrack includes an original song from BTS’ V.

Mr Sunshine (2018)

In 1905, a Korean American U.S. marine officer returns to his homeland on a diplomatic assignment. Coping with his painful past in Korea as an orphaned servant boy, he finds himself in a complicated relationship with an aristocrat’s daughter.

If you’re into historically-driven period drama, then check out the beautifully-shot Mr. Sunshine. The K-drama is set in the late 19th and early 20th century in Hanseong, the city that would become Seoul and follows activists fighting for Korea’s independence. The story follows Go Ae-shin, an orphaned noblewoman who trains to be a sniper in the Righteous Army, the civilian militia that fought against the occupying Japanese forces, and Eugene Choi, a man who escaped slavery in Korea to become a U.S. marine, only to return to his homeland where he falls in love with Ae-shin. The series uses real-life history, including Shinmiyangyo, the Spanish-American War, the assassination of Empress Myeongseong, the Russo-Japanese War, Gojong’s forced abdication, and the Battle of Namdaemun as a backdrop for its epic story.

Signal (2016)

A cold-case profiler in 2015 and a detective in 1989 work together to solve a series of related murders spanning three decades using a special walkie-talkie to communicate with each other.

This premise has been used a lot—from 2000 Dennis Quaid/Jim Caviezel thriller Frequency to the 2016 CW TV adaptation of the same name—and for good reason. An analog device allows two people to communicate across time, and they must work to solve a murder together. It not only makes for compelling character drama, as two people become closer but are separated by years, but also is a fresh twist on the serial killer narrative. In K-drama Signal, the analog device is a walkie-talkie, and the characters on either temporal side of it are contemporary criminal profiler Park Hae-young and 1989-based Detective Cha Soo-hyun. If you’re looking for a good crime thriller, Signal could be it.

Hospital Playlist (2020-present)

Friends since undergrad school, five doctors remain close and share a love for music while working at the same hospital.

Like Kingdom, Hospital Playlist is the rare K-drama that tells its story across multiple seasons. The hospital drama just finished airing its second season weekly on Netflix, continuing its story about a group of doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since medical school. A true ensemble drama, Hospital Playlist is perfect for fans of Grey’s Anatomy but feels unique in its centering of a friend-group with a such a long history.

Vincenzo (2021)

Bringing his mafia past back with him to South Korea, Song Joong-ki stars as notorious Italian lawyer Vincenzo who isn’t afraid to lend his bloodstained hands to beat the untouchable conglomerates in their own game.

If you just watched the dramatic opening of Vincenzo, set in Italy days after the death of a mafia boss, you might think you’re in for a self-serious organized crime drama. But the Netflix K-drama quickly shifts into a story much more tonally complex. Part romance, part drama, part action thriller, Vincenzo has something for everyone. It follows Vincenzo (Space Sweepers‘ Song Joong-ki), a Korean lawyer raised by an Italian mafia family who must flee the country following his father’s death. As part of his plan of escape, Vincenzo travels to Korea to recover a stash of hidden gold under an old apartment building set for demolition by a corrupt corporation called the Babel Group. Because of this dilemma, Vincenzo becomes unlikely allies with the group of eccentric citizens who live in the building, as well as with a passionate and moral lawyer who has a vendetta against the Babel Group for his own reasons.

The “Reply” Series (2012-2016)

Take a nostalgic trip back to the late 1980s through the lives of five families and their five teenage kids living in a small neighborhood in Seoul.

The Reply series is one of the most popular cable dramas in Korean TV history. It launched in 2012 with Reply 1997 before continuing with Reply 1994 in 2013 and Reply 1988 in 2015. The ambitiously-structured series follows a group of friends and their kids, telling the story in present-day in addition to flashbacks. Featuring a fun soundtrack, as well as some incredibly performances, the Reply series is well worth a watch for anyone who loves character drama with a nostalgic twist.

Prison Playbook (2017)

With only days before his major league baseball debut, pitcher Kim Je-hyeok unexpectedly lands himself behind bars. He must learn to navigate his new world with its own rules if he wants to survive.

Prison Playbook is much more slow-paced than many of the selections on the list, but this character drama is worth the dedication. Though it’s often touted as a “black comedy,” it’s much more tonally light than that suggests, despite the subject matter. The story follows baseball pitcher Kim Je Hyeok, who is incarcerated days before his major league debut for assaulting the attempted rapist of his sister. It follows his life within prison, along with the lives of some of the other inmates and guards, including his old best friend, Lt. Lee Joon Ho, who is a correctors officer. Created by Lee Woo-jung, who also made the aforementioned Reply series, Prison Playbook is one of the most popular K-dramas in Korean cable history ever.

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Sweet Home (2020)

As humans turn into savage monsters, one troubled teenager and his neighbors fight to survive and to hold onto their humanity.

It’s been well-documented that Song Kang is a K-drama darling. The actor has appeared in many a romantic K-drama, including Netflix’s Nevertheless and Love Alarm. Sweet Home, however, is his rare horror appearance, and it’s well worth a watch just to see Song in a completely different context. Of course, this apocalyptic horror story has other qualities too, and holds the honor of being the first Korean series to enter the U.S. Netflix Top Ten. Based on a Naver (aka Korean Google) webcomic of the same name, Sweet Home follows Cha Hyun-soo (Song), a high school student who moves into an apartment building after the deaths of his parents, only to discover that the building also happens to be the home of a species of monsters set on world domination.

Nevertheless (2021)

Like a butterfly hopelessly attracted to a flower, this art student can’t seem to resist the mysterious young man who captures her attention. But the more they get romantically involved, the sooner she will have to decide—will getting close be worth it, when he doesn’t believe in relationships?

Speaking of Song Kang… Nevertheless is the latest K-drama to star the 27-year-old actor. The romantic drama stars Han So-hee as Yoo Na-bi, university art student who no longer believes in love following discovering her boyfriend has been cheating on her. When she meets Song’s Park Jae-eon, she is immediately intrigued. Though the two share an immediate attraction, they resist entering into a relationship due to their respective uncertainties about love. Based on a popular webcomic of the same name, Nevertheless feels unique in its treatment of modern dating life in Korea, depicting some of the more realistic, often internal struggles of what its like to date in your 20s.

My Mister (2018)

In a world that is less than kind, a young woman and a middle-aged man develop a sense of kinship as they find warmth and comfort in one another.

If you’re in the mood to cry, try My Mister, a drama about a financially-disadvantaged young woman just trying to stay afloat as she takes care of her sick grandmother amid mounting debt and a much more financially-privileged middle-aged man who is also being crushed by the weight of his life. The two work together, and form a (mostly) platonic relationship that helps both of them heal. Understated and deeply emotional at the same time, My Mister will subvert so many K-drama expectations in clever ways.

Memories of the Alhambra (2018)

While looking for the cryptic creator of an innovative augmented-reality game, an investment firm executive meets a woman who runs a hostel in Spain.

If you’re looking for another K-drama starring Crash Landing on You‘s Hyun Bin (and of course you are), then look no further than Memories of the Alhambra, a 2018 K-drama with an absolutely batshit (read: amazing) premise. Hyun stars as Yoo Jin-woo, a CEO who travels to Spain in search of the creator of an AR game set in the Spanish medieval fortress Alhambra. Once there, Jin-woo is pulled into a reality-bending mystery with life-or-death stakes and some unpredictable twists that I don’t want to spoil for you.

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

A gifted writer who’s the youngest editor-in-chief ever at his publishing company gets enmeshed in the life of a former copywriter desperate for a job.

Ostensibly based on the TV series Younger, Romance is a Bonus Book is a rom-com set in the publishing industry world. It follows single mom Kang Dan Yi as she struggles to reenter the workforce following her divorce. When he lies about her background to get a job, her life becomes tangled up with childhood friend and publishing phenom Cha Eun Ho.

I began watching this series to see how it compared to the U.S. version of the show, of which I am a fan. Honestly, these two series have only the most superficial details of their plots in common, which is par for the course in many adaptations. Romance is a Bonus Book is much more romance-centric than Younger, which balances the love life of its central protagonist with the many other relationships and concerns she has in her life. But that isn’t a bad thing. They are two very different shows with their own interests and strengths, but if you’re a fan of both rom-coms and the publishing industry, then both Romance is a Bonus Book and Younger are worth a watch.

Black (2017)

A man possessed by death. A woman who can see death. The earthly and the afterworld collide dangerously.

One character is possessed by the Grim Reaper. The other can see deadly spirits. Only Korean can turn this premise into a heartbreaking romance, as the two work together to save people marked for death. If you’re looking for a spooky season watch, you can’t go wrong with Black, which is a delightful (and, honestly, pretty complex) hodgepodge of Korean horror all wrapped up in a rom-com package.

What is your favorite K-drama on Netflix? And what upcoming Netflix K-dramas are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below?

The post The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix to Watch Right Now appeared first on Den of Geek.

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emybain · 4 years ago

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Quarantine: Renegades Edition

so please don’t take this seriously. i honestly don’t remember writing half of it, but it be like that. this is simply a glimpse into the lives of Nova and Adrian during a global pandemic, aka snippets of the few months they’re in quarantine together. also, happy birthday to my girl nova. there’s a bonus/crack scene at the end that was inspired by tiktok, as well. i regret nothing (other than this poorly written fic)

ao3

“They’re saying this thing could spread into June, July, maybe even August,” Adrian said, relaxing back into the leather couch, pulling the laptop with him. Nova adjusted against him, pulling the blanket over her legs just a little higher as the AC powered on.

“That’s if people keep being dumbasses,” Danna replied from behind the screen, leaning forward to rest her head in her palm. “It’s our job as citizens to prevent the spread of this disease. Why can’t people get that through their thick heads?”

Nova and Adrian were on a video call with the rest of their friends, who were all also quarantined in their homes. Nova had her own apartment, but at the very start of this outbreak—a new disease that was rapidly spreading around the world—she decided that quarantining by herself for an unknown amount of time wouldn’t be good for her mental health, so she packed up clothing and other essentials and headed over to the Everhart-Westwood residence. Not to mention that a mansion was vastly better than a one room apartment. Oh yeah, and she supposed being stuck with her boyfriend every day wasn’t so bad.

“They’re being ignorant,” Nova chipped in. “People think that they’re immune, or that this virus is being blown out of proportion.”

“When they get sick, I’ll laugh.” Ruby popped a cracker in her mouth before the camera became blurry as she moved. She appeared to have shifted from lying on her back to her stomach from a spot on her bed. There was minimal background noise from her end, which was suspicious since she shared a room with two teenage boys. They must’ve been off playing video games, probably who Max was laughing with from his room upstairs.

Narcissa poked her head out from behind a lengthy book from her place on Danna’s bed in the background of Danna’s screen.. Like Nova, she lived by herself, and would rather be with her significant other than be alone. “This isn’t the first time a pandemic has spread throughout the world. There was the European Virus fifty years ago, coronavirus back in the 21st century, the Spanish Flu in the 20th century, and so on and so forth.” She waved a hand in the air. “Hopefully, people will come to their senses. History always repeats itself, no matter how hard we may try to prevent it.”

“Thanks for the optimistic input, babe.” Danna rolled her eyes and cast a glance back at her girlfriend.

“It’s what I do,” Narcissa replied, returning her attention back to her book, but there was a smile on her face.

“Well, maybe when things start to calm down a bit, we can all hang out. A picnic or in cars or something.” Oscar shrugged. “Six feet apart, of course. I’m not about to catch something from you nasty people.

“Did you just suggest a picnic?” Ruby snorted. “You might want to check your temperature. I think you’re getting sick.”

“You seem to forget all about the many picnics we’ve had.”

Ruby stuck her tongue out in response, then straightened a little and turned her head to the side. “What?” she yelled. After a moment, she turned back to the screen and groaned. “Ugh, I have to go. Mom’s making me bake with her again. Maybe this time we’ll try something besides bread or cookies.” She waved at them before she vanished from the meeting.

At that moment, the front door clicked and opened, revealing Hugh and Simon, both carrying multiple grocery bags.

“My dads just got home from the store. We should probably go help.” Adrian sat up, leaving Nova to fall a little in his direction as she had been leaning on him.

“Hi Adrian’s Dads!” Oscar yelled, though they were already out of the room when he did so. Nonetheless, they both shouted back their greetings from the kitchen.

“I should probably go, too. There’s this show I started bingeing and I finished the fifth season last night. I’m dying to know what happens after that cliffhanger.” Danna leaned back in her chair.

“Oh, is it that one you were telling me about?” Nova raised her eyebrows. “Based off of that movie series?”

“Yes! And watch it so I can rant to you about it! I’m so pissed off at the main characters. They’re just...so stupid.”

With that, the remaining five waved and said their goodbyes. Adrian set the laptop down on the coffee table in front of them, and they both stood up. Nova stretched, her muscles tired from sitting for nearly an hour.

In the kitchen, Hugh was unloading the bags while Simon busied himself with spraying the items with cleaner and wiping them down with a paper towel. A couple of weeks into quarantine and Nova and Adrian knew what to do. They got to work putting stuff away, with Nova on pantry duty and Adrian at the fridge.

Although Nova hadn’t been out in public since the world went into quarantine, she could tell that the grocery stores and other places were beginning to recover from the initial shock of the pandemic. With each trip to the store, Adrian’s parents came back with more and more food and supplies. Hugh had even decided to buy a fridge to store out in the garage for extra food that didn’t fit inside. She found that to be a bit ridiculous, but it seemed to make him happy. What was it with men and having fridges out in their garages?

“Is Max upstairs?” Simon asked, pushing a milk jug toward Adrian.

“Yeah. I think he’s playing video games.” Adrian shot Nova a look, and she repressed a smile; they both knew what was about to come.

“Has he done any schoolwork since we left two hours ago? Or at least left his room?”

“I think he left to use the bathroom about forty five minutes ago,” Nova said. She glanced at the knock-off brand of her favorite crackers in her hand and sighed, placing it on a shelf. The off-brand wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t the same. It was the type of product that you had to buy name brand, as the imitations were just a waste of money. Alas, with the pandemic, she knew it was a fight to get the good products before anyone else.

“He’ll get it done, Pops,” Adrian reassured. “He’s been doing fine the last couple of weeks. Just going at his own pace, is all.”

“I know.” A sigh escaped Simon’s mouth. “And I’m glad that he’s able to be a kid now, but being a kid includes doing your homework.”

Nova thought of the classes she was taking at a local university. She was doing her best to keep up with her online work, but as the weeks dragged on, she was losing motivation. “This quarantine is probably nothing for Max, remember? I’m sure he does his work whenever he wants to because he actually enjoys doing it.” She shrugged. “Better than sitting around surrounded by glass walls.”

“You’re probably right,” Hugh added, washing his hands once the last of the groceries were out of the bags. “I’m not too worried about him, just as long as I get to see his face once a day.” He chuckled at his own words. Simon offered a smile in support.

Once all the groceries were stored away, Nova and Adrian headed downstairs, taking the laptop with them.

__________

Adrian stood from his seat, where he had previously already been on edge.

“Nova, where are you going?” The glare he received was enough to scare off anyone else. He had seen this side of her before, though, and was unfazed. “It’s almost midnight,” he added, only increasing the glare.

“Anywhere but here.” Her eyes turned to Hugh, who crossed his arms in response. The two were arguing. Again. It was something that was new to their quarantine, having only surfaced about a week ago. They liked to argue over literally anything, from who got to have control over the remote to whether or not Nova should be a part of their daily “family walks” to the current state of the government and the involvement of the Renegades, who were no longer in charge but were still heavily tied into politics. Hell, even the weather wasn’t safe from their growing agitation with one another. Today, everything had been going fine, for once, until Hugh just had to bring up a curfew, as Nova liked to leave the house at odd hours.

“This house is a fucking nightmare.” She gripped the keys to her motorcycle in her hand and turned to the door. From beside him, Adrian heard Max mutter something about irony under his breath. He too, despite entering the years of being a disagreeable teenager, was sick of the fighting.

“Language, young lady,” Hugh said, warning laced in his tone.

“Once again, you’re not my dad,” Nova gritted out. She opened the front door, revealing the darkness outside. “And you never will be.”

“Nova, what he’s asking isn’t completely unreasonable.” Simon ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You’re in our home for who knows how long, so as parents, you’re now our responsibility. Even when you’re not under our roof, you’re our responsibility. We just want you to be safe.”

“If you don’t want to follow our simple rules, then why are you even here? We’re paying for an apartment not two miles north from here, and you’re not even there. Instead you’re here, wasting our time and resources.” Even though the words weren’t directed at him, Adrian felt a chill go down his spine.

Nova’s mouth opened, and she stared at Hugh blankly. Adrian could’ve sworn he saw her eyes welling up. “I’m here because I didn’t want to be alone. I’ve been alone my entire goddamn life, and I didn’t know if I could handle doing it again.” She swallowed, hand turning on the screen door. “But it’s not like I expect you to understand.” And then she was out the door.

Adrian rushed forward, eyeing his dad coldly. “Seriously?”

“She’s out of line!” Hugh defended, although Adrian could see the regret in his features.

Choosing not to answer him, Adrian shook his head and went outside. Nova was at the end of the driveway, sitting on her motorcycle and looking down at the ground. Adrian approached her slowly, making sure his steps were loud so that she knew he was there.

“I don’t walk to talk about it.” She hid her face even more from him when he bent down. “You’re welcome to come with me, but I don’t want you to get in trouble for breaking curfew.” Her voice soured at the word.

“I understand why you’re mad, but don’t avoid me because of it.” He lightly nudged her chin with his knuckles.

“He’s just so...so…” she lifted her head up, running a hand through her hair in frustration as she tried to find the right words

“Stubborn? Controlling? Self righteous?”

“Yes.” She let out a laugh, though it was void of humor. “It’s just...who does he think he is? I’m an adult. Even if he was my father, he can’t control what I can and cannot do.”

“You seem to forget that I’ve had to live with him for years,” Adrian said dryly. He reached for her hand and laced their fingers together. “I’m an adult, too, but that doesn’t matter because he pays the bills.”

Nova gave him a long look. “You really need your own place.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“But you get what I mean.” She looked down at their hands, turning them around to examine the back of his. “I’m not his kid. It’s different with you because you’re his son.”

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to keep you safe.” Her grip on him tightened, just slightly. Even though it had been a few years since the events surrounding the supernova, Nova still had trouble believing that her former enemies actually cared about her. It was hard to trust them when it had been ingrained in her from a young age that they were the bad guys.

“I can take care of myself fine. I’ve been out in the middle of the night so many times I’ve lost count. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.”

Adrian sighed and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. There wouldn’t be any reasoning with her, at least not tonight. He had to let her cool down and return to the subject when she had a clearer mind. “At least come back inside? We can go play video games downstairs, or watch a movie, or do anything you want. I’m sure once you and Hugh are both calmed down, you can reach a compromise.”

“But I don’t want a fucking com-”

“Or he’ll see things your way,” he tacked on quickly. Right. When she got like this, it had to be her way. It was funny, how she resented Hugh at times for his stubbornness, when she was equally as stubborn if not more so. This quarantine was really getting to all of them. Adrian couldn’t wait for the day life could go back to normal.

“Adrian? Nova?” Adrian turned his head around to see Max, who was squinting at them through the dark, despite the outside lights being on.

“What’s up, Max?” Nova shifted her body on the bike to face the teen.

“Pops wants to know if you’re coming inside soon. He needs to set the alarm so he and Dad can go to bed.” Max paused, eyeing the bike. “Unless you’re going for a ride, then he’ll leave it off.”

Adrian waited for Nova to answer, as it was up to her. Nova ran her free hand over the bike, then sighed.

“We’ll be in right behind you. I was just...checking some things on her.” All three knew she was lying, but Nova was still learning how to express her emotions in front of others. Even in front of Max, someone she got along with as well as she did with Adrian.

“Alright.” Max turned to leave, then glanced back at her. “You know, things are rough right now, and I know it isn’t easy for everyone to be in isolation for so long, but,” he shrugged, “at least we’re together. I was able to make it in a quarantine for ten years with no one but myself and the doctors for company, so this is easy for me, but I know I’m probably the only person on this planet who thinks that way.” He let out a soft laugh. “I guess I’m just trying to say that I’m glad you’re here, and that I’m glad our family is quarantining together.” The smile he shot her was genuine. He turned back around and walked back to the house, where Adrian could see the outlines of his dads watching at the door.

“Huh.” Adrian watched his brother go inside. “Just when you think he’s starting to learn how to be a proper kid-”

“-he goes and spouts shit like that?” Nova finished, shaking her head. Adrian could see the small smile on her face through the curls hiding her features.

“Yeah.” Adrian squeezed her hand. “C’mon, let’s go back inside.”

“Okay.”

__________

Nova placed the mixing bowl in the sink and turned on the faucet. She reached into a drawer and grabbed a towel, placing it under the running water. The kitchen was a mess, although she had seen it in worse states. At least the ingredients were all stored away so that she could get started on wiping down the counters. Hugh and Simon were at headquarters for the day, as their presence was required for something Nova didn’t care enough to know about, and they figured it would be best to work from there instead of coming home. And, according to Simon, them being out in public and at headquarters would be good for publicity. It had been a while since they stepped into work, seeing as even the Renegades had to obey social distancing orders.

Point being, they were out of the house, so Nova could do whatever she wanted without questions being asked. And she had grown to appreciate baking during quarantine, among her long list of new and revisited hobbies. The Everhart-Westwoods always, to Nova’s surprise, had sweet tooths, so they never minded that Nova made a mess of their kitchen; it was just when Hugh or Simon entered the kitchen and started asking a bunch of questions that got on Nova’s nerves. Today, she could bake in peace.

Or so she thought.

“Mm. Smells good in here.” She looked up at her boyfriend, who just entered the room. He peeked at the oven. “Cupcakes?”

“Muffins,” Nova corrected, setting the used towel next to the sink. There was dried paint on his forehead, as well as on his hands. She had to shake her head. How was it possible to get so dirty? Well, she should speak for herself and her flour-covered apron.

“Oh, well, same thing.” He shrugged and grabbed a water glass from a cabinet.

Nova blinked and reached for the remote, which was sitting beside her, and paused the show she was watching on the kitchen’s small TV. “No. No not really.”

Adrian chuckled and nudged her lightly as he passed her to the fridge. “Yeah, kind of. The only difference is cupcakes have frosting.”

Nova scoffed. “The only difference? They’re two completely different things. That’s like saying ice cream and gelato are the same.”

Adrian turned to face her, leaning against the fridge. He took a sip of his water. “Ice cream and gelato are the same. One’s just claimed by the Italians.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Those aren’t the same, either, dumbass. Ice cream, clearly from its name, has more cream than gelato. And gelato’s more dense than ice cream. Those are just two differences.” She crossed her arms. “There are more.”

“And? What does that have to do with muffins and cupcakes?”

“Because they’re not the same.” Nova had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. And Adrian claimed he was a smart person. Yeah, maybe smart compared to sloths. “Muffins are considered a bread. Cupcakes are...well...cake. Two completely different recipes. You can’t just slap some frosting on a blueberry muffin and say it’s a cupcake. Maybe it looks like one, but the flavor and textures are way off.”

“They both are made the exact same way, babe. No difference.” With the way he was smirking, Nova had the thought that he could just be messing with her.

“Don’t ‘babe’ me.” She glared at him. “Fine. If you won’t believe me, the baker, then you don’t have to eat any of my muffins. Not cupcakes.”

He groaned and reached for her, but she dove out of his reach. “Nova, don’t be like this. I’m sorry. They’re not the same, okay? Happy?”

“Not until you’re honest.” She checked the timer above the oven. “I’m going downstairs for a minute.” Pointing a finger at him, she added, “Don’t mess with them. I’ll know.”

“Admitting defeat?” he called at her back.

“Hell no,” she tossed over her shoulder. “This conversation is far from over, buddy.”

She definitely heard him mutter rudely how he knew, but chose to ignore it. After all, she was the bigger person in the relationship.

__________

Adrian turned into a parking spot and turned off the car. He glanced over at Nova, who was giving him a very pointed look.

“The park? What did you plan? A picnic?” That was, in fact, the plan, but only part of it.

Leaning over, he planted a gentle kiss on her lips. It only softened the look a little. “You’ll see, nosey.” He unbuckled himself and opened the driver door. “Now, come on.”

She rolled her eyes, but got out as well. Seeing her in a pair of cutoff shorts and a simple t-shirt was refreshing, as she had been wearing sweats for the past two months, ever since the world was sent into quarantine. She and Adrian both had been dawning the same three pairs of pants and shirts for weeks now. But, this was the first time they both actually got out of the house, save for their daily walks or motorcycle/car rides, so it was only fitting to get dressed up for the occasion. And by dressed up he meant ditching the sweatpants.

Also, it was Nova’s birthday. Adrian hated that she was being forced to spend it unceremoniously, when so many of her birthdays had gone practically unnoticed growing up with the Anarchists, so he took it upon himself as her boyfriend to do what he could for her. And that meant having a socially distanced picnic in the park with their friends, who they hadn’t seen in person in months.

They walked down the sidewalk hand in hand, going into the grass whenever a biker or runner passed by them to maintain distance. Adrian almost wanted to pull his mask out from his pocket, but knew he was probably fine. Besides, if he put his mask on, Nova would follow, and he knew how much she hated wearing them, for obvious reasons. They were outside, and there were hardly any people in the park.

“You’re an idiot, Adrian Everhart,” Nova said once they could see their friends, but there was a smile on her face. They were all spread out on blankets, making a circle, and in the center sat an unoccupied blanket piled with food and gifts.

“Hey, I can’t take all the credit.” He squeezed her hand, grinning down at her.

“It’s about time you two showed up,” Oscar said, checking his watch. “We’ve been here for hours. We’re starving.” He stood and went to the middle to start making a plate. Adrian made a face at his back. He had specifically asked that they wait for Nova until they started eating in the group chat, so he guessed Oscar was holding his word. He waited, after all.

“Twenty minutes,” Danna corrected from her spot beside Narcissa. She looked at them and rolled her eyes. “Happy Birthday, Nova.”

Everyone chorused in their ‘Happy Birthdays’ and Nova thanked them as she and Adrian sat down on the one remaining blanket. “You guys didn’t have to go and do this for me.” She turned her gaze specifically toward Adrian. He raised his hands in defense.

“Blame Oscar for putting the idea in my head. All he ever talks about when we video call is how bored he is.”

“That’s true.” Nova shook her head in amusement. “This is very sweet, but don’t expect me to cry or anything.”

“You cried on your seventeenth birthday, and that’s enough for us,” Ruby teased.

“That was literally two years ago.” Nova ran a hand over her face. “It meant nothing.”

“Mhm,” was Ruby’s response, but Adrian could tell she wasn’t convinced. None of them were, obviously.

Nova peered at the food pile. “Is that Mediterranean pizza I see?”

“Yeah, and it’s all yours,” Oscar clarified, passing a plate he made for Ruby to her before sitting down himself. “I still don’t understand how you like that. There’s not even meat on it!”

“There’s also cannoli’s.” Adrian stood to go make them both plates. He knew that cannoli’s were one of the few desserts she liked, probably because they weren’t that heavy. “Do you want one or two?”

She pondered the question for a moment, then smiled at him. “Two.”

When he returned with their food, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“What was that for?” He handed her plate over.

“For being you, and for giving me the best birthdays ever.” She shifted her body to lean against him. “How’d you know I wanted to see everyone for my birthday, anyway?”

“Because I know you.” He kissed her forehead. “Happy Birthday, Nova.”

__________

Bonus crack scene:

“I would like to thank everyone for joining me today,” Nova said, swirling the water in the wine glass she snatched from the cabinet. Since Hugh wouldn’t let her drink actual wine, this was the next best thing. She cleared her throat. “I took it upon myself to observe the members of this household over the course of a week and rate everyone on their performances.” She pointed to the pyramid of papers set up on the wall, held there by type. There were pictures of everyone in the household behind a white sheet of paper. Starting at the bottom on the left side was the worst member, and the one at the top was the best. Why she decided to do this, she had little clue, but she figured it would be an entertaining activity to spice up everyone’s day.

“Is that what this is? I thought it was something actually serious.” Hugh leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. There was a smile on his lips.

“It is serious.” She pointed her glass at him. The fast movement caused a bit of water to slosh over the side. “It has come to my attention that there are people in this household who have some improvement to work on if they want to move up next week.”

“If I’m not at the top, I’m breaking up with you,” Adrian joked, adjusting the glasses on his face. She narrowed her eyes at the camera he was pointing at her.

“I do not accept bribes.” Tearing off the first piece of paper, she began. There was a snicker, probably Max. “Hugh.” He immediately started protesting, but Nova silenced him. “No, no, no. You’re mean to me. Always looking to post up or some shit.”

“Language,” he warned, though his tone was light.

“Not to mention you don’t let me express my true self by cussing,” she added sharply. “Also, you tried to kill me three years ago and I’m sorry, but I just can’t forgive my haters like that. Try better next week, okay?”

“Hold on, wait a second.” Hugh held up a hand. “First of all, young lady, if you want to bring up the past, it goes both ways, but we’ve both changed for the be-”

“No comments at this time,” Nova interrupted. She ripped off the next sheet of paper. “Next up is Nova.” Laughter broke out in the room. Even she couldn’t help from smiling. “Not gonna lie, I held out hope for this one, but she’s got a lot of issues, if you know what I mean. Always picking an argument, refuses to participate in family activities, and is kind of just there. Doesn’t really do much of anything. The only reasons she’s above Hugh is because, for one, she’s far more attractive, and she bakes stuff for everyone.

“Adrian-”

“Oh, come on!”

“-you refused to cuddle with me yesterday and watch guilty pleasure movies because you said you were busy. You argued with me the other day on the validity of the Star Wars prequels and sequels.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “And you’re filming me without my consent. Other than those things, though,” she shrugged, “pretty cool boyfriend. You didn’t say anything when I stole one of your sweatshirts the other day, so that gets you some points.”

“Wait, the gray-”

“Max is next.” She tossed the white paper to the ground. “You never say anything mean to me, unlike some members in this household, but that could also be because you spend all day on video games. Because of that, I’m afraid you can’t be higher.”

“Hey, I’ll settle for third.” Max shrugged, grinning.

“And that’s why I like you!” She nodded firmly. “In second place, we have Simon. Who doesn’t like Simon? You always have something nice to say, and on occasion, you’ll back me up in an argument because you’re an intellectual. I always enjoy our deep conversations, too. Truly a wonderful person.”

“Thank you, Nova. I enjoy our talks, as well.” Simon chuckled. He looked pretty pleased to be on top.

“And that leaves us with,” she ripped off the last paper at the top, causing the room to erupt in laughter and clapping, “Obi Wan Kenobi. Truly an iconic and handsome man. Every time I watch Star Wars, he brings up my serotonin levels. Not just because he’s cute, but because he can land some sick burns.”

It was easy to say that, thanks to Adrian’s video, Nova started a trend all over the world.

#nova artino #adrian everhart #danna bell #oscar silva #ruby tucker #narcissa cronin #max everhart #hugh everhart #simon westwood #renegades #archenemies #supernova #supernova spoilers #my writing

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godhasforsnakenme · 1 year ago

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For September, films included The Nun II, A Million Miles Away, Insidious: The Red Door, The Darkness (2016) & You Should Have Left (2020). And then the series that I watched were: Virgin River, Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury, and s3 of the iCarly Revival (okay, but can I get a film as the series ending??? That was done back in the day instead of leaving us in a cliffhanger & actually wrapping the plot points up) – oh and like I went & managed to rewatch all three seasons of Pokémon Journeys + the ten epsiodes of To be a Pokémon Master, just bc I wanted to since I'm gonna miss our duo <3 (I have a lot of time during my mornings, cartoons are all I watch bc of the <30min each episode takes [have I mentioned the sleeping Pikachu plush I got during May from Target?])

As for October, which was quite productive, these are the ones I checked off my watch list – although I feel like I could've done more halloween classics, I can always watch those whenever :)

In no particular order: Lupin S3, The Road to El Dorado, Reptile, Nowhere, Spykids: Armageddon, Saw X, End of the Road, The Fall of the House of Usher, Five Nights at Freddy's, Cabinet of Curiosities, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Haunted Mansion (Owen Wilson, my beloved), Hocus Pocus 1&2, Ahsoka (waited until all the episodes were out to watch it because dear lord I can't do this waiting around thing sometimes and this just needed a full day dedicated to it), Haunted (collection series on n*tflix), Ghost Hunters & GHI (selected epsiodes that are favorites of mine), Session 9 (2001), & The Invisible Man (2020).

About half way through the month I found myself binge watching Avatar: The Last Airbender (couldn't remember if I'd already done that this year or not, so I said might as well [also reporting in to say that I still cried at the Tale of Iroh, scared of the day that I don't ngk]; took me 3 nights and that's only because I wanted to pause between each book lmao)

Picked up rewatching Psych again, and I decided I'm pacing myself with each season, so it's my "I've had the day off and have finished the chores, so time to watch something while we eat lunch" series :)

Bluey – if I had a nickle for every time a blue dog managed to entertain me & heal a part of my soul (aka the inner child), I'd only have 2 nickles, but it's weird that it happened twice, no? (Sleepytime is my favorite, followed by Camping [I'm a sucker for visuals of space], all the episodes with Rusty & when Pat [Lucky's dad] makes an appearance; honestly the whole series is adorable and so amazing) – just have s3 to watch now, plus the epsiodes that for whatever reason aren't on d*sney+

And then, of course, the long awaited S2 of Loki – I think I'm liking this season more than the last; Loki & Mobius have had more screen time together, plus Oroboros as a new character, and just how it seems to focus on the one thing with Loki not leaving the TVA (cue the way he found the way to control his time slips); just one more episode to go 😭😭😭 [it feels like good omens really with the silly 6 epsiode seasons; speaking of which, I've listed to the audio book version w/ David & Michael and it was just so lovely to listen to them <3 ]

January's brain rot was mostly Obikin, plus whatever else my brain has decided to completely blank on (it was a long month okay?)

February would like to add on Longmire & Miraculous to the mix, along with the yearly switching from football to baseball mode

#dania rambles about shit #wow that was long #okay but like we have our clown wigs on for lokius becoming canon right? let's go clowns let's go LMAO #for September I don’t believe that's all I watched just the ones I remember because the original draft I had saved went missing #also like I cried a lot a different points of bluey and maybe it's just because I miss being worry free of things #but I also laugh a lot which serves its purpose of being a kids show first and foremost #had a lot of freetime in october because the weathers been in and out for rain and such #but yeah this is it #promise to do november and december separately because jfc I also feel like I forget a bunch of stuff plus want to dive more into detail #on what I thought about each show and film #also its a bit of a whiplash going from one genre to another lmao #back on the topic of loki #holy shit we got the jet ski back story and then just single dad don mentioning he's a single dad every time he can to loki was hilarious #like sir???#also loki adjusting his hair and collar before going to him #I've only had O.B. for one season but if anything happened to him I'd kill everyone in the room and then myself #s2 of shows being both great and managing to kill the fandom is great #that being said I'm scared of this final episode oh boy #stfu because if they split up I'm gonna cry and sob and I'm gonna be a child of divorce again aren't I?#and what caused us to consume so much media in the form of video and fanfic? tHE VOICES *scratching noises as I pace around the house*

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jeonggukkiepabo · 5 years ago

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LONELY CHRISTMAS [MIN YOONGI] | FAMILY GATHERINGS

SUMMARY: Christmas has always been your second favorite holiday of the year, especially since you and your boyfriend Yoongi were literally inseperatable. Well, usually you were. But BTS gets more and more famous - world tours, award shows and other idol priorities making it almost impossible to spend this year’s Christmas with your second family.

WARNINGS: so much fluff, but also the dirty kind of smut. fingering, oral (male and female receiving), choking, spitting, raw sex (i dont need to say anything, do i?), switch!yoongi, switch!reader, fighting for dominance, Yoongi being meow meow but also rawr.

QUOTES USED: 2. “That’s the eggnog talking. I’m cutting you off.” 4. “Don’t be such a Scrooge.” 6. “It’s snowing.” 7. “Open it.” 9. “I’m just happy you’re here.” 24. “Is this the part where we kiss?” 31. “Help me decorate.”

Now; Merry (early) Christmas, celebrate well & enjoy this filthy ride to hell.

Also, a big thanks to @holyfluffly, who spent her precious time reading through this & checking for any mistakes. ♥

Since December started to come around – and you finally decided that it was time to stop binging on your favorite Halloween movies -, your house changed from spoopy graveyard to Rudolph’s shed. Fairy lights and beautiful garlands were hung up everywhere and once you plugged all your Christmas lights in, your house was lighter than “Son Goku in his final form”. At least that’s what Jungkook used to describe it when he first stepped into your winter wonderland. It was a tradition your boys always teased you with, but it was a tradition you brought with you from your home country that you wouldn’t want to miss. Your mother used to hang up lights everywhere, different Christmas shapes (you once had this weird reindeer light that looked more like a stabbed donkey, but… well) on every window and your balcony while she said “No matter how far apart we are, your light shines on me” – and 2 years after her death, was your most favorite thing to do once the calendar hit December. That, and ordering a shit ton of products from the LUSH and Bath and Body Works Christmas range. Jimin really loved the welcoming smell of cotton candy and gingerbread men, but Jin would sneeze when you sprayed all their pillows with the Snow Fairy body spray.

Usually, it was Taehyung’s favorite task to pick out a Christmas tree with you, decorating it with the entire family (that obviously consisted of all his band mates, their dogs and you), but this time it was just you, Tannie and Holly walking around the tree field and picking a random one, much smaller than what you’d usually get. There won’t be any presents underneath it anyway. Decorating wasn’t any fun, your Christmas playlist wasn’t helping, the smell of cotton candy wasn’t sweet enough. You made way too many Christmas cookies that wouldn’t be eaten. Your favorite pair of fuzzy socks had a huge hole in them and, oh well, your boyfriend wouldn’t be there for this year’s Christmas.

“Don’t be such a Scrooge, Y/N! It’s festive season!”, Jungkook yelled from somewhere behind Yoongi, energetic as always. “I wouldn’t be a Scrooge if my boyfriend and my friends would be here, celebrating the fest of love with me.” You mumbled quietly, a heavy sigh leaving your chest. It was currently the 17th of December, the first snow has fallen over Seoul, your fireplace crackling softly in the background. Yet, you were freezing. “Jagi, come on. It’s just another day of the year, we’ll be fine. We have New Year’s together, what’s the deal?” Your boyfriend didn’t care that much about festive traditions, hating the thought of Valentine’s Day or Halloween, not even speaking about the stress he always has around the Christmas season. For them, worldwide superstars, it was just another workday.

“You’re just happy you don’t need to wear one of our Christmas sweaters, huh?”, you scolded him, knowing his hate for the scratchy sweaters with the ugly patterns that you always made him and the boys wear for photos and your Christmas dinner at home. “Yeah, I won’t even start talking about those Rudolph ears you bought for our photo last year…”, Yoongi smirked. “I loved those!”, you vaguely heard the voice of Jimin in the background, Taehyung agreeing him on that. “I still wear those whenever I wash my face, thank you Y/N!” Sighing, you wished you were right there, with your loud and energetic boys, instead you were suffering on your own, the pout never leaving your lips.

“Boys, you’ve got 10 Minutes left!”, their tour manager interrupted your sulking, Yoongi nodding at him. “We’ll be right there.” He smiles at your pout, sticking out his bottom lip as well. “I’ll call you after the show, okay? Will you be still awake?” BTS was currently on world tour, playing somewhere in Europe and the time differences made it rougher than ever to talk to your boyfriend every day. You shrug, shivering under the thought of another sleepless night without your love, without the sounds of Taehyung and Jungkook fighting over some videogame and without the thought of Jin’s delicious breakfast to wake up to. “I guess I will, see you later, Yoongs. Bye Tae, bye Jungkook, bye Jiminie!”, you wave to the boys you considered family before smiling sadly at Yoongi. “Good luck, I’m sure you guys will rock that country! I love you.” “I love you too, Jagi. I’ll text you before I’m going to call you, okay? Try and rest.” “Bye, Noona!” Then the screen went black, all you could see was your own sad appearance in one of Yoongi’s oversized Hoodies.

Days went by, you didn’t have the chance to talk very much to Yoongi because of yours and their working schedule, they were currently in the States to record another hit song with some famous American singer that would explode on the Charts the second it comes out. Sure, you loved your boy’s music, you could listen to them sing and rap for hours, they worked hard and deserved all their success – but you didn’t wonder that all of them weren’t in a relationship. Tour life was hard, not only for their girlfriends but for them, too. A simple picture from across the world with a random girl could ruin relationships, just because of a misunderstanding. When you and Yoongi started dating a couple of years ago, Jin had a long-distance relationship – which already sucks for ‘normal’ human beings, but for worldwide superstars? A catastrophe because you couldn’t just come home to your significant other. It was over for them after a few months because she met a nice guy from her apartment complex, because he was there while Jin wasn’t. It was sad, especially for the Maknaes, because they needed affection, they needed their experience, they needed love. Instead, they had to have One Night Stands, making sure that those girls wouldn’t talk about their “night with BTS”. Truth be told it was too much work to find a girl to get laid, so they’d simply refuse, giving into their frustration and suffer from loneliness.

With Yoongi, things were easy. He didn’t get jealous whenever you hung out with other guys, but he also didn’t give you any reason to be jealous as well. People always describe him as “cold”, “depressed” or “weird guy that’s always quiet”, but once he warmed up to you, he was even funnier than Jin, his dry humor and loving gestures winning over your heart immediately. He was a family person, loving to be in a cozy home surrounded by his bandmates and you, even if he’d never say that out loud, all of them knew it. Yoongi was a loving person, whether he was showing it or not.

The 20th December rolled around quicker than you thought, last minute presents were bought, the house completely decorated and one Christmas movie after the other was playing on TV – but you were still sulking. “You didn’t even help me decorate! I had to do all of that by myself!”, you switched your phone camera so you could show Jimin how beautiful the living room looked, smiling at his little pout. “Noona!”, he whined, “Don’t be angry, okay? I promise you I’ll decorate for New Year’s all by myself.” “Don’t worry, Jiminie, it’s not your fault you can’t be here. Where’s Hobi? I’m watching his favorite Christmas movie, but I can’t get in the mood without my sunshine.” Jimin looks around, his lips twitching, but he remained quiet. “Jimin?” “He’s… uhhhh… He’s doing stuff with Yoongi and Tae?” You raise an eyebrow at him, taking another sip of the creamy eggnog you ordered online because it was nowhere to be found in Seoul. “Are you lying, Jiminie?” “No, but… Oh, Jungkook calls for me, bye Noona!” Sighing, you dropped your phone aside, head tilting towards the window while a soft smile appeared on your lips. It’s snowing.

On the 24th December, the boys had their last official concert of the year – in Australia. A 13-hour flight away, plus the two-hour time difference that made your heart sink, because whenever you were ready to call Yoongi, he was already too tired because of the concert and travel exhaustion. As one of the idol’s girlfriend, it was basically your job to watch their performances, you streamed all of them, no matter what time it was in your time zone, but it wasn’t as good as it would be when you were there. You loved going to their concerts, not standing backstage to watch the show, no. You preferred going into the crowd, singing and dancing along with ARMYs from around the world and watching your family from down there, enjoying their glow and sensual performances from a fan’s perspective. But today, it was just you and your laptop, watching the stream in your bed, a cup of your favorite tea beside you, Tannie on your lap and Holly somewhere besides you under the blanket, asleep like always. A smile was plastered on your face as you saw that all of them were wearing those “stupid Rudolph ears” – even if Yoongi looked grumpier than ever. You were fascinated as always – how could those cute little boys turn into Korean gods within two seconds? Of course, the Maknaes were the center of attention, fans chanting for them, dancing and screaming – you couldn’t deny the fact that they looked great, but exhaustion was plastered on all of their faces. Your eyes were plastered on the smol bean that caught your heart and as if he knew, he smiled into the camera, giving it a finger heart.

The 25th December was rough, you didn’t even want to get out of bed, staying under the covers for several hours after waking up. There was no reason so get up if there wasn’t anyone to give presents to. You didn’t use your phone, watching The Nightmare before Christmas again because if you acted like it was still Halloween, you wouldn’t be as sad that you were alone on your second favorite holiday of the year. It was around 12pm when the two dogs came into your room, whimpering because you didn’t take them out yet. “Ugh, fine, fine. Let me grab my shoes and we’ll go out”, you mumbled groggily while heaving your tired body out of bed. Pulling your slippers over your cold toes as you tied your hair out of your face. You didn’t plan to go out for too long, so you didn’t even try to make yourself look good. Humming the movie’s soundtrack, you made your way downstairs, surprised by the warm scent of cinnamon and vanilla that filled the house. “Huh, did I leave my candles on?” With furrowed eyebrows you check the living room, not wanting to burn the entire house down on Christmas, but you stood still in shock when you realized why it smelled just the way it did.

Jimin and Jin were busy in the kitchen, baking cookies and cooking up your Christmas dinner. Jungkook and Taehyung were building a giant gingerbread house while Namjoon sat besides them, frustrated over his own ruined house laying in broken pieces. Hobi placing all of the presents underneath the Christmas tree while Yoongi sat on the couch, Holly on his lap and a loving smile on his face as he saw you in your sleepy state with a frown on your face. “Merry Christmas, babe.”

Suddenly, seven pairs of eyes were on you, smiles beaming across the entire room and seconds later you were caught in a warm, cozy group hug. “Surprise, Noona!”, Jungkook beamed as he pressed a kiss on your cheek, receiving a flip against his forehead from Yoongi. “Lips away, you can kiss Taehyung, not my girl.” Taehyung’s cheeks burned a bright red, Jungkook looked away while biting his lips and Jimin just smirked but pressed you tight against his body. “We’re glad to be back.” Jin groaned, pulling you out of the hug. “Let that poor girl alone, she needs to collect her thoughts first. Look at her”, he pointed towards your face, shock still written across it as you looked into each of your boys’ faces. “You… I mean, how… You were… Australia?” Your boyfriend laughed, now pulling you into a tight hug while burying his nose in your hair, inhaling the familiar scent that always calmed him down. “We’re here, that’s all that matters.” “We took the first plane back home, but we’ve been waiting for you to get up since 9AM, what did you do? It’s Christmas, usually you’d set an alarm at 6AM to run and check your presents”, Hobi pouted, pointing towards the tree.

“I didn’t have a reason to be up, so I watched The Nightmare before Christmas. But now, I’m just happy you’re here”, you smiled fondly at all of them, “Open your presents. Especially you, Babe. Open it!” You clap your hands excitedly, jumping up and down as you hand them their presents: a big, soft blanket for Jimin, so he can roll himself up in it and be cozy the entire holidays. A new Japanese knife for Jin, because Namjoon broke his favorite knife when he tried to cut through a book – don’t ask, nobody knows why he did that. Namjoon got a new KAWs figure he didn’t have the chance to buy yet while Hoseok got a new Palm Angels hoodie. Taehyung and Jungkook got some games for their PlayStation and a set of new controllers, because… well, Jungkook tends to destroy them when he’s in a rage. Yoongi’s present was hard to find because he basically has everything he wants and you weren’t too familiar with all those high end music technologies that you could give him, so you decided on a spa weekend over the holidays, just the two of you in a fancy wellness resort. Exactly what he needed after that tour. “Y/N, you must be poor by now! I should have gotten you a gift card or something”, Taehyung pouted, “You spent way too much on our presents!” You smiled, shaking your head and pressed a soft kiss on his cheeks. “Everything for my family. You’re all that I have left.”

The day went by way too fast; a fabulous Christmas buffet was set up by Jin, eggnog and wine handpicked by the youngest Maknae and Christmas movies of Jimin’s choice made up for all the days you spent sulking in your room. “I love you guys so much. I can’t believe you surprised me like that! Ugh, I really thought I had to spend Christmas with just the dogs.” You placed your head on Yoongi’s shoulder, cuddling deeper into the soft material of his hoodie while he rubbed your shoulder. “That’s the eggnog talking, love. You’re the anchor of our little family, we couldn’t be apart from you over the holidays, Jungkook would’ve driven us crazy and Namjoon would set the hotel on fire while trying to light a Christmas candle”, Yoongi mumbled. “A Christmas wonder! Yoongi confessed his feelings! Tweet that, Namjoon!”, Hoseok yelled while earning a slap on the back of his head from Jimin. “Don’t scare him, he’s like a deer right now, if we just ignore it, maybe he’ll say something nice about us too!” Yoongi just rolled his eyes, pulling you closer toward his small frame while mumbling “Idiots”.

It was past midnight, your tummies filled with delicious snacks and desserts, brain fogged because of the amount of alcohol all of you drank that day – and you were just happy to finally be in bed with your boyfriend again. “You know how lonely the nights were without you? Not just you, but also the boys. I even missed Jungkook’s animal imitations”, you sighed, “I missed breakfast, without Jin all I ate was toast and cucumbers. I’m lucky to be part of your family.” Yoongi smiled, a precious, rare smile that showed all his love for you.

“I had time to think on tour, you know. It’s rough, you not being there with me, I saw all those places, cities and famous buildings, but didn’t have you to share those moments with. I had dinner with Taehyung right in front of the Eiffel Tower, I shared a Pizza in Venice with Jungkook, had beer with Hoseok in Berlin, but I wish I had all those moments with you, love. So, I’m bad at this stuff, you know that. The entire world knows that, but you also know that I love you. And I wish you could be the person by my side on tour, on every tour. I wish you could be my +1 at events, dinner parties or during award shows. I even talked to our management, because an ‘official girlfriend’ is dangerous for all of us. But I didn’t want the world to meet you as my girlfriend, Y/N. I want them to finally meet you as my wife, the woman that won’t ever leave my side. This is probably trashy and I could use better opportunities for that, but… Y/N, my love, my flower, my angel, would you marry me?” Yoongi, the smooth guy he was, pulled out a simple yet beautiful rosé gold ring – without a box – from the pocket of his sweats, sitting in front of you on your bed, crossed legs and a nervous smile on his face. You couldn’t hide the pout on your face, lips quivering and tears dwelling in your eyes while you looked at the beautiful man in front of you, the beautiful ring in his hands and outside, snowflakes fall from the sky. Everything was perfect. “Yoongi… Yes! Fuck, of course!”, you jumped into his lap, not caring about the pling your engagement ring made when it fell to the floor, because right now, your fiancé was more important. You showered his face in kisses, not caring the slightest about the grumpy noises he made – even if they were fake, because he was just as happy as you were. His smile was beautiful, something you didn’t see that much because he seldom smiled so brightly even his bottom teeth were showing. “Is that the part where we kiss?”

You didn’t hesitate to press your lips onto his, soft and loving, sweet and tender. “Min Yoongi, is that the part where you turn into the sweet little kitten your fandom thinks you are?” Smirking, Yoongi growls at you, showing you his teeth once more. “Oh baby, I’m going to show you that nothing on my body is little.” His lips were back on yours, his hands buried in your hair as he made his way between your legs, almost crushing you with the comfortable weight of his body on yours. Whatever loving, sweet innocent kiss you shared before, this one was completely different. It gave way to heated passion as you both continue the lustful, erotic exchange. Yoongi’s shaking but skilled hands started to peel off your ugly Christmas sweater and the rest of your clothes, falling to the floor forgotten, before he gently bites along your jaw and the nape of your neck, leaving a trail of love bites on the way down there. Your moans fill the room that still smells like cinnamon and cotton candy, combined with Yoongi’s musky scent and the sweet scent of a heated make-out session. With his lips still attached to your soft skin, you take the opportunity to catch him off guard and flip both your bodies into a new position; you now straddling his slim waist. Yoongi’s lips widened in shock, then turned into a bright smirk. “Someone’s feisty.” You just smile at him sweetly, cutting off his words as you wrap your hands around his beautiful throat, leaning your face towards his ear. “I wouldn’t speak like that in such a position, Babe.”

Yoongi’s voice hitched, “Y/N”, he whined. The same hand that restricted his airways comes up to slightly slap his scruffed cheek, but it had still enough force to leave a sting that reminded him not to speak up anymore. “Aren’t you going to be a good boy? Or should I call you a good little kitten? Would you like that?” He shakes his head quickly, baring his teeth once more. “Shut that, love. You won’t be able to tame a lion. I’m not a small kitten.” He knows he could switch positions any time, hell, you knew that too. But you also knew that he enjoyed that position too much to change anything now. Shaking your head in displeasure, you crawl down the bed to be at eye level with his beautiful cock. The cock that had you limping almost every night, that never fails to give you pleasure, that already sends tingles to your core. Your hands were cold against the prominent vine that ran from his shaft to his leaking tip, red and sensitive as you licked your finger to circle around it. Tiny moans – mewls – left his mouth, causing you to giggle. You knew it. His balls were tight, full and hurting. He was away for so long, having almost no time to pleasure himself. You cooed, the other hand coming up to gently play with them, rolling them around as you kept applying pressure to his tip. Yoongi’s groans got louder and louder once your mouth was finally working its magic on him, his hands buried inside the loose strands of your hair, trying to shove you down deeper. Much to your displeasure.

You hissed, letting go of his length as you crawled up to sit on his toned chest. Smiling, you slid your fingers through your soaked folds, holding them in front of his sweaty face. “Suck.” Oh, and how he sucks. His tongue working circles around your digit, collecting your sweet juices as he hums happily. “You’re my toy. A fucking toy, do you understand that? You don’t get to make rules here, Yoongi. If I want to suck your cock, I’ll do it how I want, not how you want it. Or did I miss something?” You made sure his eyes never left yours, fingers still inside his mouth – and you just decided to shove them down a bit deeper, making him gag around them just like he wants you to gag around his cock. “I asked you something, pretty babe. Mind answering?” Yoongi hums again, not able to speak with your fingers down his throat, but it was good enough of a try for you. It wasn’t every day you got the chance to dominate Min Yoongi, you were sure to getting everything out of it. You pulled your now wet digits out of his mouth, wiping away his spit somewhere in his mint colored hair, as you turned around to sit on his face, just like he loves you to do. By now, his only problem was holding back his load, eating your pussy wouldn’t help with that though. “Now, are you going to cum for me, precious? While devouring my pussy? I bet you’d like that, huh?” Yoongi hums again, his hands already on your ass to spread your cheeks, allowing him to dive deep into your pussy, drinking your juices, slurping them down like a fine, ripe wine. Teasingly, you continued to jerk him off, enjoying the tension in his body, his concentration on your pussy rather than his own orgasm. “Mh, wait. I changed my mind. Hold it, you don’t have my permission just yet”, you laughed as you squeezed his balls – but he wasn’t able to control it or hold it back. His cock twitched uncontrollably, one small rope of cum leaving the tip. “Ugh, look at that”, you sighed while shaking your head, sitting down deeper on his face – your ass now flat against his forehead as his tongue, the oh so famous rapper tongue, worked its wonders.

If Yoongi was frustrated, he didn’t show it. He knew better. Even though it was his first real orgasm in weeks, his first ruined orgasm in weeks, he stood up the man he was and continued what he was here for. Pleasuring his fiancé. Just before your orgasm arrived, you crawled down again, collecting the small puddle of cum with your tongue and fed it to your soon to be husband. You let him taste himself, he swallowed greedily. “Such a good boy”, you purr while wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Now, I hope you know who you belong to.” Yoongi just nods, licking his lips to still taste you. “Tell me who you belong to, Yoongi”, you command.

“You, babe. Only you. I belong to you”, Yoongi moans out as you started to grind against his smooth thigh, picking up your desired pace as you used him to satisfy your own desire. His hands were on your hips, guiding you and helping you to speed up, but just before your orgasm reached his peak, just one little rock of your hips missing, he turned you around, leaving you with a ruined orgasm as well. “Fucking son of a bi-“, your frustration interrupted by Yoongi’s teeth biting into your nipple, his hand smacking your other tit. “Oh, that’s not a nice word, baby”, he pouts while pinching both of your erect buds with a bit too much force. A sharp stinging sensation radiating through your body. “Fuck, Yoongi”, you moaned, desperate for release. “Now, now”, he tzed as he looked down at your trembling body. “Sucks to be played with, huh?” Elegant fingers started to rub circles into your swollen nub, your body rising from the mattress just to be pushed back by your fiancé. “Still”, he orders, plunging two of his long, delicate fingers into your dripping hole. Yet, you needed more. “Yoongi”, you whined. “Are you going to be a good girl now? Instead of a fucking brat?” “Yes!”, you cried out, tears running down your cheeks, hoping he’d just do something. “Good, because bad girls disgust me”, he spoke through clenched teeth as he pulled out his fingers and shoved his cock inside you within seconds. “Fuck fuck fuck, yes!”

“Shut up! Or do you want the boys to come in and join you, huh? You want our little Maknae see how stuffed you are?” Yoongi always knew about your affection for Jungkook, the way his doe eyes always make your heart jump, leaving it impossible to deny whatever he wanted from you while addressing you as his ‘favorite Noona’. You were weak for him, but you wouldn’t want him to see you in such a situation. Shaking your head in shame, you pout as you dig your heels into his ass to get him to move faster. “Make me cum, please. I love you”, you whine, word for word leaving your lips as he thrusts deep and powerful into your clenching hole. Just before another beg could leave your lips, Yoongi’s index finger slipped past them, your chin securely trapped between his thumb and middle finger. His other hand slowly found its place on your neck. “Look at you”, he smiles. “Such a good girl, knowing how to beg like a big girl.” You whimper again, squeezing around him as he slowed his pace with a devilish smirk. Your lips played with the tip of his finger while the thumb of his other hand came down to circle your clit painfully slow, spitting onto it and watching his finger mixing it with your arousal. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head, both of your hands gripping the wrist that was choking you. “Tighter, please”, you gasped out, enjoying the feeling of almost no air coming to your lungs. Oh, how Yoongi loved to see you struggle for air, just as much as you loved to be on the receiving end. “You gonna come for me, angel?”, he growled as he tightened his grip, already feeling his own orgasm approaching. “Going to cum around my thick cock, huh?” You nod, already seeing spots in your vision, your orgasm shooting through your body just like a firework as soon as Yoongi released you, allowing the blood to shoot back into your head. You couldn’t control your body anymore, gushing against him as you rode out your high with closed eyes. That alone triggered Yoongi’s orgasm, a loud scream leaving his lips as he finally released inside you. “Fuck, you squirted all over me”, he groaned while looking at the mess you made, his stomach glistering in your juices. “I don’t care, I want to snuggle my Grinch now”, you pouted with grabby hands, smiling happily as Yoongi obeyed.

“I think we lost the ring somewhere between our clothes”, Yoongi mumbles with his sleepy voice, “I hope Taehyung won’t find it, he was the one that chose it – ‘If Y/N says no, I’ll wear that one happily’.” Suddenly you’re wide awake, knees on the floor and digging through your clothes to find the symbol of your love. “Got it!”, you yelled as you threw it to Yoongi, holding your left hand in front of his face. “You’ve got the honor, babe.” Smiling, he slid the ring over your finger. The black diamonds sparkling in the dim light of your room, the rosé gold complimenting your skin tone perfectly, just like the man in front of you does. Your fiancé, soon to be husband, the love of your life. “Merry Christmas, love.”

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untapanimedraw · 4 years ago

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Ok, lets talk the Winter 2021 anime season

Dear god, there are so many shows airing. A ton of sequels, and a decent amount of new shows. I think I’ll actually break down what I’m interested in watching into two parts, sequels and new. Lets get started.

Watching:

Sequels

Jujutsu Kaisen - This is technically a continuation rather than a sequel, but the spirit is the same. This was my choice for favorite anime of the season fall 2020 so this continuation has me pretty hyped.

Black Clover - Still continuing. The manga had a 6 month time skip and the anime did some anime only stories with the author’s direction to cover that time period and now it’s caught up to that time skip. Shit is about to go down and I am stoked.

Attack On Titan: Final Season - So this started airing in December which makes for a strange airing schedule, but it’s technically continuing from the fall season into the winter season. Anyway, it is fucking fantastic and this week’s episode left us on a major cliff-hanger for 2 weeks.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S2P1 - Ok, so first... HOLY FUCK I’M SO EXCITED FOR THIS SEASON, IT’S GOING TO BE AMAZING. Second, yes this is part 1. Thanks to covid there are some longer running seasons that are being split up to accommodate the production schedule. So this part 1 is airing in winter, then in the spring the 4-koma comedy re-telling is airing, and then in summer part 2 of this season 2 will air. it’s annoying, but 3 continuous season of slime is a welcome thing.

Re:Zero S2P2 - Alright, so this is the second half of summer 2020′s season 2 part 1. I have high expectations considering what we’ve already been given.

Dr. Stone: Stone Wars (S2) - HOLY FUCK I’M SO FUCKING EXCITED FOR THIS SHOW, I LOVED THE FIRST SEASON AND AM READING THE MANGA AND OMG I CANNOT WAIT FOR MORE.

The Promised Neverland S2 - More of the promised neverland. I’ve heard that this season will go even harder than the first season and Emma will prove even more why she’s best girl, so bring it on.

The Quintessential Quintuplets S2 - A second season of a decent harem show? Bring it on.

Log Horizon S3 - So I didn’t watch this when the first 2 seasons aired years ago, 6 I think actually. That said it’s always been on my PTW list and when I heard season 3 was going to air I decided that now was the time to catch up; and wow am I glad I did. I binged the first 2 seasons over the last 3 weeks and I am so fucking invested now. I cannot wait for this next season.

Higurashi GOU - this is continuing from last season and I’ll keep watching it, though I’m still not quite sure how to evaluate it.

Yuru Camp S2 - WOOHOO!!!!! This was the chillest of chill shows that aired winter 2018 and I absolutely loved it. I’m so excited for this next season for more camping and adorable girls being chill.

World Trigger S2 - So I was under the impression that there were already 2 seasons of this show, I watched most of it I think but it’s been so long I don’t really remember much. But this is being called season 2... so either this is retconning the previous season 2 or that was really just 1 big season despite the notation on some websites. Also a S3 has already been announced so I need to hurry up and rewatch this before the new season airs. But with 73 episodes that might take a bit of time.

Armor Shop for Ladies and Gentlemen S2 - This is a sequel to the short anime of the same name. If you like it, you like it.

New

Cells at Work S2 - Ok, technically this is a sequel, but I’m including it here because of something cool that’s happening with the next title.

Cells at Work: Black - Why yes, this is a different Cells at Work title. This is based on the spin-off manga of the same title that gender swaps the cells from the main series and covers their work inside an extremely unhealthy body. This is going to be a grittier, bloodier, and bleaker show than the main one and in a fun airing scheduling event, they will be airing back to back. I’m quite excited for the both of these.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation - OMG I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS GETTING AN ADAPTATION! SADLY IT’S A SPLIT COUR SO THIS IS THE FIRST HALF OF SEASON 1 AND THE SECOND HALF WILL AIR LATER PROBABLY IN THE SUMMER. BUT THAT’S OK BECAUSE EVERYTHING I HAVE SEEN ABOUT THIS SO FAR TELLS ME THIS WILL BE A PRETTY DAMN FAITHFUL ADAPTATION AND IT IS GOING TO BE FANTASTIC.

Horimiya - I’ve heard many good things about this romance show and am looking forward to it.

Redo of Healer - Ok, here we go. This is going to be the outrage anime of the season. That is, if it is actually watched by people. It’s also getting 3 different levels of censoring so uh, I’ll have to check for the proper versions when it airs.

So I’m a Spider, So What? - Ok, so funny story. I’d been hearing about this manga for a while so I decided to dive into it a few months back. As I read it, I thought it was pretty funny but I wondered if the anime adaptation would be great for a comedy manga about a reincarnated girl into a spider’s body. Then about 3 weeks ago, I realized I was reading the comedy spin-off instead of the main story. That said I’m still quite excited to see this adapted and I’ll get the manga after then anime is done.

The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter - Hella ecchi, actually pretty fun manga. I’m looking forward to this adaptation.

Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a started town - Hopefully this will be as fun as the manga was. Here’s a better synopsis than the Livechart one - Lloyd is the weakest person in his remote village but his dream is to become a soldier in the big city. So he moves to the city and strives to make his dream come true. However in a twist, it turns out that the remote village Lloyd came from is the retirement town for all the world’s strongest heroes and they are all massively overpowered, so when he gets to the city he’s stupidly OP but it doesn’t quite click for him. Shenanigans ensue. It’s fun and I’m looking forward to this adaptation.

Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki - This is supposed to be not quite as good a romance as Horimiya this season, but still decent. If that is the comedy romance this is the drama romance show and hopefully it’ll be good.

Kemono Jihen - Mystery, supernatural, Yokai. I’m intrigued in this show and hope it’s decent.

Otherside Picnic - Shoujo Ai, Sci-Fi, I’m sold.

Hortensia SAGA - This is based on a game, but I’ve heard that the story and scope are actually quite good and the PV actually looks quite good so I’m definitely gonna check this one out.

SK8 the Infinity - Ok, so my first impression of this was nah, I’ll pass. But then I saw the PV and saw it was being animated by BONES and my impression changed to Ok I have to at least give it a couple episodes.

2.43 Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team - So this is supposed to be Haikyuu except lots more drama and less gameplay. It will really have to pull me in in order to get me to not think boring Haikyuu when I watch it. I’ll give it a couple episodes.

Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist- - Doctor heals people from Yokai or something like that. The tags look interesting as do the character designs. I’ll check it out.

Back Arrow - Fantasy setting but BOOM... Mecha! That premise at least demands a couple episodes of my attention.

Heaven’s Design Team - Here’s my chill comedy SOL show of the season. The premise is Heaven has a design team that creates/created all the animals. I’m very excited to see the shenanigans.

Gekidol - Idols and stage acting. After watching the new Love Live last season I’m in the mood for some idol stuff. But most interesting to me is the next show on this list.

Alice in Deadly School - It’s not currently known whether this will be a full series or an OVA or some other thing, but this is an anime of the stage play that is being put on in Gekidol. The same VAs in Gekidol that play the characters in this play are voicing the characters for this anime production. And I just think this whole setup is neat and am very interested to see it play out (pun fully intended).

Idoly Pride - This seems to be a more straight-forward idol show which I’m going to check out.

Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san - Girl doesn’t quite cut it to do the thing she and her friend came to do, but she found that she can cook so uses her cooking for support her friends. SOL, lets go.

Wave!! Surfing Yappe!! - Surfing show, the animation will make or break this show so we will see how it turns out.

Wow, that is a lot of shows, lets add them up.

13 sequels and continuations

22 new shows

35 total. I kinda hope some of these suck cause HOT DAMN, that’s a lot of shows.

#anime #winter 2021

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winetae · 4 years ago

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:: modern loneliness

⇨ prompt : android!hoseok x reader. 2205 words. drabble with a possible follow-up. it’s been 38 days since you’ve last seen and interacted with a living, breathing person and you’re slowly going insane.

[Week 1 of lock down.]

At first, you’re optimistic.

Working from home comes with its own set of non-negligeable perks. Notably, no more commute time! No more squeezing in between sweaty men on the subway during rush hour just to get home. The new arrangement means that you’re no longer obliged to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to blow-dry your hair or meticulously put on makeup while stuffing a bagel into your mouth because you’re short on time.

On Day 1 of quarantine, you roll out of bed and don’t even bother to change out of your pajamas. It’s quite the sight. Not that you care whether or not your hair looks like a bird’s nest or if there’s a small hole in your shirt. You’d gladly take your flannel pants and old university sweatshirt with the coffee stain by the collar over the rigid pencil skirt and stupid obligatory heels they force you to wear to the office. Ironing? You don’t know her.

That’s not to say there aren't any inconveniences but as of now, the pros outweigh the cons. For one, you’re now allowed to add as much sugar into your coffee without susciting your coworkers’ judgement. You can blast angry rap songs while finishing your reports and no one will stop you. The list goes on.

With all this newfound time on your hands, you have no more valid reasons to procrastinate. You start off by cleaning out the kitchen cabinets you’d been meaning to re-organize for months. Then you rearrange your wardrobe, dust off the top shelves of your bookcase that you usually skip over because no one can see them, and water the potted plants you’d been neglecting.

It feels great to be so productive. Your friends tell you via FaceConnect that your productivity streak won’t last long, but you’re quick to shake off their doubts.

“I’m a new me!” You insist when Mia’s laughter echoes around your empty apartment. “My life is back on track. I feel like a proper adult now that I’m not struggling so much to get everything done.”

“Sure,” she humors you. “Just don’t get upset when I tell you I told you so.”

[Day 8 of lockdown.]

Now that your apartment is cleaner than it’s ever been, you need to find other means of entertainment. According to the internet, now is the ideal time to learn a new language or acquire a new hobby, like crocheting or playing the guitar. But while it might be technically possible to learn a language, you’re definitely not an overachiever. You’re aware of your own limits.

Today you try your hand at baking. To some it might not seem like a big deal. But for someone like you who solely uses the kitchen to boil ramyeon packets and chop the occasional vegetable, today’s venture into the world of cooking is the equivalent of a quantum leap.

The molten lava cakes that come out of the oven 15 minutes later don’t look like the picture advertised in the online recipe. They don’t taste like how you’d expected, either.

You try not to be too disappointed with your failed attempt. After all, it’s only your first try. Dry cakes aren’t that bad in comparison to the horrors that could have occurred. At least nothing is burnt and your oven is still intact. You’ll try again tomorrow with hopefully a little more success.

[Day 16 of lockdown.]

It turns out that baking is not for you. After numerous trials and errors you learn a few days later that you have no vacation to be a baker. You end up abandoning all attempts to acquire a new hobby and instead look for new ways to pass the time.

Thankfully, your home server is offering free VOD for a limited amount of time, so you’re not short on distractions. You consume around half a dozen cult movies, the kind people always reference and quote without actually watching, before you finally begin crossing TV series off your to-watch list.

You yawn. It’s 9 PM on a Saturday night and you’ve just finished binging the entire season of Tiger King. It’s the third show you’ve watched from start to finish since quarantine began and now you’re wondering whether you should start a fourth.

“Well, it’s not like I have anything better to do,” you say before a grimace crosses your face. “Oh great... Now I’m talking to myself.”

That can’t be a good sign, you think to yourself. How long has it been since you’ve last talked to someone? You used to call your parents every day but when there’s nothing new to report, the conversations become repetitive and dull.

You should call Mia. Just to see how she’s doing.

[Day 24 of lockdown.]

YOUR WEEKLY BASKET FROM FOODCONNECT HAS ARRIVED. ALL PURCHASES WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR MONTHLY EXPENSES CARD. REMINDER THAT DUE TO THE EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, CONNECT CARDS ARE ALLOWED A 5000 EXCESS OVER FIXED LIMIT. TOTAL EXCESS HAS NOT YET BEEN REACHED.

[Day 38 of lockdown.]

You’re browsing BH, hoping to restock your vitamins. Lately you’ve been feeling tired and mentally drained, despite your workload not being what it used to be. Why you’re so exhausted is a mystery you’ve yet to solve. In all logic, your energy level should be at an all time high now that you’re working less and spending all your free time lounging on the couch surfing the internet.

According to the national health guideline, you’re supposed to be exercising an hour a day minimum in order for your body to remain in good condition. Your BODYCONNECT watch monitor beeps every hour to remind you that you haven’t completed the suggested activity.

Ugh.

You press the button on the side of the watch to turn the reminder off. It’s the fifth time you’ve had to silence it today but you can’t bring yourself to work up a sweat right this minute. You keep telling yourself that you’ll exercise later but like all things lately, later ends up being never.

Come to think of it, this isn’t the first time you’ve caught yourself slacking off. Where did all your motivation during week 1 of lockdown go? You don’t even have the strength to do ten jumping jacks anymore; it’s like your bones belong to a person three times your age - feeble and brittle and threatening to break at a moment’s notice.

LOW ON SEROTONIN? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED. Flash promo over in 00:32:43! Limited offer while supplies last.

A bright yellow advertisement flashes on the top right corner of your screen. Intrigued, you follow the link without expecting much. The last thing you expect is to be brought directly to BH LAB’s homepage.

“Um… I don’t think I have the budget for this…” You mutter under your breath and prepare to exit out of the page.

Androids are usually employed by the government but the ones for sale to the general public are known to be exorbitantly expensive.

A message reads: EXCLUSIVE 1 HOUR PROMO, 40% OFF YOUR FIRST PURCHASE. Click here for more details. Offer valid for new customers only.

You pause and decide to click on the link. Looking around won’t hurt anyone, right? It’s not like you’ve decided to buy anything yet.

The seven Dwellers available for sale are just as good looking as you expected them to be. Their unnaturally good looks and vibrant green eyes are what makes them easy to pick out from the crowd.

You skim through each Dweller’s description. It seems that apart from the physical differences like their facial features and build, they each have their own specialty and characteristics. One of the best-selling models boasts the cooking ability of a 5-star chef, which you admit sounds very tempting since your skills with a knife are pathetic enough to make Gordon Ramsey cry.

Another best-selling model specializes in...sex. You blink, your cheeks warming as you read over the model’s description (the “thick, vibrating cock that guarantees an orgasm every time!” comment makes you choke on your saliva). You can understand straight away why this particular model would be so popular. All of the models are pretty, but this one’s face doesn’t look like it’s from this world. Confinement would make anyone horny, and when promised a godly sex bot equipped with a vibrating dick, well…

Too bad you’re too tired these days to even think about having “mind-blowing sex for 5 hours straight.” Having such intense intercourse would probably make you pass out on the Dweller’s artificial cock, and there’s no way in hell you would want someone from CONNECT to intervene after receiving distressed signals from your body monitor. That would just be embarrassing.

You’re about to exit out of the page, curiosity sated, when the last model catches your eye.

SEROTONIN BOOSTER. Low on energy? Feeling sad or depressed? Need a companion?

This model is perfect for you! Model JHS is equipped with emotion sensors. They will fulfill your every need even when you’re not able to vocalize them. Stressed? They specialize in massages and are proficient in: Swedish massages, Aromatherapy, Shiatsu massages, Reflexology, among others.

Personality : This model is energetic. They are very active and therefore requires a minimum 6 hours to recharge. They are extremely tactile and will easily engage in skinship such as hugs or holding hands. They are talkative and will hold passionate conversations with you about almost any subject.

Likes : cleaning, working out

Dislikes : horror movies, strong smells

When reading the description, it feels they’re talking about a person rather than an android. You’re surprised to see that the Dwellers are programmed to have a certain personality that caters to specific needs because the only androids you’ve ever come across before are the government ones, and they’ve always been stoic and devoid of any distinguishing characteristic.

It would be nice, you think, to have a companion. Someone you could talk to for real instead of through a pixelated hologram. As much as you enjoy your time alone, each passing day locked in your apartment makes you realize how much you long for a hug. You miss holding someone in your arms, feeling their heartbeat against your cheek and the rise and fall of their chest as they squeeze you back.

Model JHS looks like he could fill that vacancy. Their smile is blinding, like they’re physically radiating sunshine through their expression alone. You don’t doubt their capacity to bring positive energy into your life.

Before you can think twice about it you’re adding the model to your shopping cart. The site asks you if you want to pay more in order to customize them. For an additional fee, you’re able to tweak the Dweller’s personality or modify their physical attributes to your liking. You skip over the option. For one, you don’t have the funds to afford a vibrating dick enhancement and two, you’re more than satisfied with your Dweller as they are.

It’s not until you finish supplying all your information including your Connect Card details and shipping address that you realize what a monumental purchase you’re about to make and how empty your account will be by the end of it.

You stare at the price listed at the bottom of the screen and weigh your options. Even with the 40% reduction, it’s not a negligible sum. You could buy several models of the new Birkin bag you’d been saving up for with this money.

Why purchase designer bags when you can’t even go out and use them? a voice argues. And - uh. Fair point.

In any case, you’d have to stop shopping, eating out all the time and going on frivolous trips overseas. Not that you really have a choice, given the circumstances.

You look at the laptop screen again. Are you seriously so touch-deprived that you’re willing to fork over that much money for a live-at-home android? Really?

Fuck it.

You click on [VALIDATE PAYMENT] before rationality has time to kick in and you change your mind again. Just as the screen changes and the new page loads, you feel your heart leap to your throat but it’s too late to back out now.

PROCESSING ORDER …

...

CONGRATULATIONS!

YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ORDERED (1) DWELLER - JHS MODEL. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASE.

(!) Your order is eligible for Instant Shipping (delivered to your door in 24 hours or less).

(!!) Due to exception circumstances, your order might encounter delays. We are taking multiple steps to ensure the safety and hygiene of all products and shipments. For more information click here.

(!) All BH products are covered by a limited two-year warranty. Please refer to warranty details regarding your product in the Dweller E-HandBook, free for download here. Please register your product after purchase in order to qualify for future claims, returns, and support.

You expel the breath you’d been holding. Your father will throw a fit once he finds out you’ve blown all your money on a bot. The criticism is warranted.

What are you even supposed to say to defend yourself? You’ve bought a Dweller on a whim while browsing for Vitamin C supplements.

Quarantine is really making you lose your goddamn mind, huh.

#blurb.txt #idk what to think of this tbh so i guess i'm just testing the waters?? if it's not too weird i'll write the rest #i really hesitated btwn jimin and hoseok dflkdjf it was a hard decision #drabble named after that lauv song

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kyvir · 5 years ago

Text

Sincerely Yours

Sarada loves her job, and lost an opportunity because the President gave it to his son, Boruto. Why did Boruto take it? Because he heard there was a feisty manager on the team. Watch them fight, argue, tease, flirt, “accidentally” fall in love, and deny it to the bitter end.

Rating: M Pairing: BoruSara

Collaboration with @kairi-chan!

Chapter Two

After finishing university, Boruto has plans to take a nice, long vacation. After six years of intense studies, he just wanted to take it easy for a while. It was all planned out, after a week of relaxing home life he would begin a luxurious tropical vacation. The beach was within his reach, lots of sun, warm ocean water and clear blue skies.

As if he was so lucky.

Four days.

Four days was all he had before his father dropped a bomb on him.

Boruto was laid out on his living room floor on his side, snacking on chips instead of working out like he should have been. Instead of doing something productive or… healthy, he was binge-watching four seasons of comedic thriller and stuffing his face with anything he wouldn’t normally even have in his house.

He was living the life.

It wasn’t even noon yet but that didn’t stop him from having a few beers either. Needless to say, he was in no position to face any family members whenever his front door opened.

“Dad!” Boruto screeched and jumped into a sitting position. Too many jump-scares had left him on edge and he wasn’t expecting the intrusion.

He wasn’t dressed. His spot on the floor was a mess. He was a mess. There was no way he could hide the beer bottles he hadn’t bothered to carry to the garbage yet.

“Boruto, we need to talk,” Naruto said as he closed the door behind himself and started walking towards him.

“This… this isn’t what it looks like.” He quickly said in his defense, scrambling to his feet to gather his trash in a hurry.

Naruto shook his head, smiling fondly at his son. “Relax, I’m not here to ruin your celebrating. You deserve it, Boruto.”

His father’s kind words or his sweet smile did not settle the younger Uzumaki. Not another word fell from his lips until after he’d cleaned his mess completely and then joined Naruto on the couch. For his dad to visit without notice, it had to be something important.

“So… what is it?” Boruto asked while trying to mask his concern.

Not my vacation.

“You’re not going to like it, but just let me explain.”

Fuck, it’s my vacation.

Boruto didn’t speak, he just waited and listened to his father explain his company’s current predicament—or lack of a marketing director. It brought about a long conversation with Naruto pitching the position to his son as professionally as any director would—and Boruto explaining his own reasoning for not wanting to accept.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle the job, it was that he didn’t want that job.

He had not spent the last six years working towards his dreams for him to just push them aside and settle.

He wasn’t settling for anything.

However, after listening to his father’s reasoning throughout the course of an hour, Boruto relented. Because Naruto really needed him for this and it wouldn’t be forever.

What luck it was to learn that the young woman Naruto spoke so highly of, Sarada, happened to be the same woman he bumped into at Ninbucks. Oh, she was beautiful in all the right ways and those legs… he hadn’t minded cleaning the coffee off of them one bit. The instant he learned her name, he knew she was the one. She had a sophisticated look about her that only intrigued him more.

He didn’t give his last name because he knew it would bring about some questions and she was smart, so she’s probably figured it out pretty easily. It had been much more amusing to see her accusing him of following her. She was a spitfire and Boruto likes that a lot.

She spilled her coffee again.

It seems Sarada really hadn’t expected him to be her new boss and truthfully didn’t appear happy at all. Boruto never said anything though and it was less than a minute later that his father called him into the office. It was a lot to take in, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

He knew of his father’s plans for Sarada, so Boruto proposed her promotion and pay raise. It was only right, the girl deserved something.

How much fun would he have seeing how dedicated she was to her job?

A lot.

Oh, she was definitely a strong-willed woman, prideful too. She was also cautious and thorough, even under pressure. Sarada knew how to act appropriately in any circumstance and that was important. She didn’t cave.

His first day had been interesting, to say the least, and it definitely left him feeling a lot lighter about his new position.

The morning of day number two on the job, when things were set to be as real for Boruto as they would get, he brought in some things for his office and stopped for coffee and a bagel before going in.

Wanting to get settled, Boruto arrived nearly an hour early to prepare himself for the day. His father had been pulling a lot of slack since losing the previous marketing director and he’d poured everything into Boruto without remorse.

He might’ve had two hours of sleep, but he was in a relatively good mood. After organizing his desk and getting his computer up and running, he started going over the remaining spreadsheets he hadn’t gotten to because of passing out. Finally, he enjoyed his bagel and coffee. Ninbucks was truly a lifesaver.

Soon, it was time for everyone else to start piling in and Boruto was sipping the last of his coffee. There was plenty of work to do for them all, but the employees were good. Enough that they impressed Boruto, even if things could be a little unethical at times. Learning more about them was important, they were a team and understanding one another was something that had to be done. He hadn’t chatted with Inojin and Chocho yet.

That needed to change, so he called the team into his office, along with Sarada of course. She would be the one reporting to him for them and herself and he would relay most things through her, but he wanted them to know who he was.

The three of them walked into his office, and Inojin closed the door. Boruto sat behind his desk and looked at the three of them. Chocho was the first to enter, dressed as fabulous as her personality appeared. The air of confidence she carried made Boruto feel some form of pride, having her along with Sarada was sure to be a blessing.

Inojin was a wonderful graphic artist who seemed quiet at first glance. Boruto wasn’t sure what to think about him from just looking at him, but he was well aware of his skills. Truly an asset to the team.

And then there was Sarada.

Dressed as impeccably as the day before—and in another skirt—Sarada appeared absolutely perfect. Not a hair on her head was out of place and she looked completely in her element. Boruto feared he would get lost in those gorgeous black eyes if he stared more than a few seconds, so he forced his gaze aside and stood to greet them properly.

“Good morning. Inojin, Chocho, I wanted to formally introduce myself,” He said, extending his hand first to Chocho for a quick shake and then Inojin. With a smile, he then turned his eyes back to Sarada. “We already met.”

Sarada nodded her head, forcing to keep the smirk on her lips at bay. “Indeed we have.” She turned to the two other people in the room and smiled at them before turning back to face Boruto. “Thank you for the opportunity again, we all look forward to working with you and have you lead our team.”

“I’m sure we’ll do great work together. I don’t want to give anyone any trouble, as I know you three are responsible and capable of doing your work efficiently. All I ask is that you continue to do your best and show me that you love your work. Because if you don’t, we don’t need you.”

Inojin pulled a face at the last line, “Excuse me? I don’t think I heard that right.”

Sarada gave him a pointed stare, but Inojin did not give his attitude up. He threw his hands up in the air and gave Sarada a questioning look. “Did you hear that right?”

Taking a deep breath in, Sarada turned back to face Boruto, no smile this time. “Fully understood. We expect no less of the same from you.”

Chocho snickered. The room’s aura went from light and encouraging to claws and attitude out. The guy behind the desk looked like an angel but by the looks of his own smirk, he surely wasn’t. “Work just got a lot more interesting,” she side-eyed Sarada, who had no trace of emotions on her face, but swore she could see the fire in her onyx eyes.

“Is that all? We need to get back to work,” Sarada said.

“Actually, you can take a seat. Chocho, Inojin, you may get back to work.” Boruto waved at them with a grin and then gestures to the seat across from his desk for Sarada.

She sat down and straightened out her skirt, waiting for him to settle into his seat. Oh, she was quite a sight. Boruto could have looked at her all day, he couldn’t decide what he liked about her the most.

Everything.

“So,” he smoothed down his tie as he sat back in his seat and smiled at her. “You seem to be close to your coworkers. I take it they’re not upset with your promotion?”

A tight smile set on her lips. “Of course not. They expected something like this to happen. They’re both amazing colleagues.” The little party the two set up that night for her was something she didn’t dare mention to Boruto.

“You know how important leadership is. I expect great things from you. Can you truly handle those two and keep them and yourself on top of everything? I want you to prove to me how great you are.”

How dare he question her capabilities. Her smile widened. “Without a doubt.” She leaned into him, and added smugly, “I hope you can keep me, and yourself on top of everything as well, Boruto.”

That was a challenge Boruto was happy to accept. He couldn’t stop grinning as he leaned back in his seat, blue eyes never leaving her. “That won’t be a problem. Doubt me if you want, but I’m more than qualified for the position.”

I highly doubt it, she thought. But grinned at him nonetheless. “I’m sure you are.” The time the three of them spent stalking him instead of working yesterday could have said otherwise. He had good grades and did top his batch. Looks like the gap year story was a wrong assumption. But 6-years? He slacked and probably took fewer units to have it easier than the rest…

“If you ever need my help, though, just ping me.” Her words were sweet, as was her tone, but she was more than sure he would be running to her for help on a daily. He had to. Even the previous marketing director was dependent on her, and she was twice Sarada’s age and had much more experience. Boruto would be eating out of the palm of her hand in no time.

“Oh yes. You’ll be of great use to me, Sarada.” Boruto toned down his smile, hard as it was and forced his attention to his computer. He had to get her out of there, she excited him a little too much. “Thank you for your time.”

She stood up and thanked him as well before leaving his office and closing his door with a soft click, though not before he got a good, long look at her backside.

Yeah. Every inch of her was perfection.

When lunchtime came around, Boruto didn’t realize it. He was too invested in going over Sarada’s last two dozen reports. Oh, she was detailed and good. So good, it didn’t make sense how proud he was of her, but he couldn’t help how he felt. Somehow, he was actually enjoying himself but then a knock on his door pulled him away from her flawless work.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and a guy with a spiky pony-tail came in. “Yo. Welcome to the Ramen business, Boruto.”

“Shikadai!” Boruto beamed, standing up quickly to shake hands with a familiar face. “It’s been a while, still getting along well here?”

Shikadai grinned. “Yeah, moved here a year back. So far, it’s been pretty easy in Supply. The Marketing and Sales team here is actually pretty decent, you know? Well, it was. Now you’re here, I’m not so sure,” he snickered.

“Fuck you—I mean, whatever.” Boruto scoffed, glad his slip up had been around someone he knew outside of this place. “Did you come by just to drag me down?”

Shikadai laughed. “Yeah, that was a bonus, but no,” he lifted a lunch box. “Came by to ask you if you wanted to have lunch? Do you bring it, or do you need to buy it? I can show you where most of the guys get lunch around here if ever.”

“I didn’t bring anything today. Crazy night last night.” Boruto rolled his eyes when his words sounded as if he did something more interesting than work. “I guess I’ll join you. Gotta eat, right?”

Laughing, Boruto walked around his desk to leave with Shikadai. The small restaurant that was frequented by most employees wasn’t far and the selection wasn’t grand, but it was satisfying. It was a nice, calm day with other employees coming by as they sat down together to eat.

“Hey, Shikadai!” A girl with pigtails greeted him, a warm smile on her face.

“Ah, Namida.” Shikadai returned the smile and then turned to Boruto, “This is Boruto, the new Marketing Director. Boruto, Namida. She works in Finance.”

Boruto waved, not wanting to talk as he had food in his mouth.

Namida greeted him but turned quickly to Shikadai. “Just wanted to check if you were going later? I haven’t confirmed yet, but the Ninpub usually fills up quickly, and Inojin wanted to set the headcount for the reservation.”

“Oh right, for Sarada, right? Yeah, I’ll be there. I’ll text him.”

“Great!” Namida waved at them before leaving.

“What’s this for Sarada?” Boruto asked as the girl walked away, barely taking the time to swallow his mouthful.

“Ah, something Chocho and Inojin put together for her promotion,” Shikadai took a sip of his water and then continued. “Didn’t you get an invitation? It’s happening after work at the bar nearby.”

“Must have missed the memo.” Boruto shrugged, but he was a little wounded he hadn’t been invited. Why, he didn’t know. “What time is this happening?”

“Uuuhh,” Shikadai pulled out his phone to read the email. “Seven. I expect Sarada to come a little later, though. We have a meeting ending a little late beforehand. Will you walk with us?”

“Oh, I may be a little late myself. I’ll just see you guys there.” Boruto smiled and then took another bite of his sandwich.

Being uninvited was a little unsettling, but he was new and Sarada wasn’t exactly very happy with him right now so he could understand it on some level. That didn’t mean he was willing to miss out on seeing her outside of work. He went back to his office wondering what she’d be wearing, how she would act. Maybe she would be completely different.

Boruto couldn’t wait to find out.

He left the office at six, went home for dinner and a shower, dressing more casually in jeans and a pink button-down shirt. He was excited to go out for drinks, unable to remember the last time he did so. For a while, he debated on asking some friends to go out with him but in the end, he just decided to go alone.

Half an hour after seven, Boruto walked into Ninpub with a smile on his face. The place wasn’t huge, but it was modern and stylish. He’d never been before, but he was happy to check it out. Of course, he was more excited about seeing the newly promoted beauty.

She wasn’t there.

Not yet.

Unfortunate as it was, it also left room for opportunity. Boruto didn’t let the chance to bump into them pass him by. Chocho seemed easiest, so he approached her with a warm and genuine smile.

“Miss Akimichi.” He waved. “What a coincidence.”

Chocho was holding on to two cocktails, which nearly spilled when she stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh my god,” she muttered under her breath, but quickly smiled and gave a high pitched, “Hiiii! I didn’t know you… would… be here!” She shook her head, probably realized that sounded stupid. “I mean, you’re changed and all. Do you live nearby?”

“Not far.” He chuckled while mentally fearing he’d come too soon. Damn his impatience. “What are you guys up to tonight?”

She lifted the drinks in her hands. “Getting a few drinks…” She looked at the table where Inojin, Namida, Wasabi and Denki watched the whole exchange with wide, fearful eyes. Shit. How could she not invite him to sit with them? They’re all from the same company! “Would you want to join us?”

Please say no. Please say no. Please. Say. No.

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t be weird since I’m your boss?” Boruto didn’t want to impose, but he planned to anyway.

“Nooo,” her voice was far too high and squeaky for her liking. “Not at all.” She led the way to the table, and handed Namida her drink. She took a seat next to Inojin, who was glaring at her. All she could do was grin and ask her colleagues, “So, does anyone here not know Boruto? He’s the new Marketing Director.”

Thank god for Denki, being the kind soul he was, extended his hand for a shake. “Denki. I’m in IT. Nice to meet you, can I get you a drink? I was just about to go to the bar.”

“That’s nice of you, please.” Boruto nodded with a smile. He hadn’t stopped smiling, but he wanted to know where Sarada was. “Have you all been here long?”

Wasabi spoke up, after introducing herself. “Namida and I just got here. Denki, too. She put her drink down and grinned, “Where did you work before here, Boruto? I don’t think I’ve read the memo about you arriving yet. Might have missed it.”

“I’m straight out of university, actually.” He told her honestly.

Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh wow, you don’t say! Amazing. You took up marketing, then? Where did you go?”

“Amongst some other things, yes.” Boruto nodded. “I went to Konoha U.”

Inojin coughed. “No way!” He really didn’t bother hiding how he felt. “Oh my god. Shikadai graduated from there. You know him? He works over at Supply Chain.”

“Oh, is that why you were having lunch together earlier?” Namida asked.

“Had lunch together?” Chocho looked at Namida, eyes narrowing.

Denki came back and handed Boruto a beer, before sitting back down. “What did I miss?” He asked.

Before Boruto could even say a word, quick footsteps came behind him and announced, “Oh my god, guys! Look who’s here!” Sarada was holding on to another man’s arm, clearly excited about his presence. “Back from the field!”

Boruto’s light mood evaporated and he was sure his nose scrunched at the unwanted sight. Who the fuck is this guy? This was outrageous. She wasn’t supposed to have a boyfriend. If she did, she needed to pretend otherwise. He was definitely a pretty boy, it made Boruto nauseous just looking at him.

“Kaguraaaa!” Namida squealed and walked over to give him a hug. It wasn’t soon until everyone was gravitating towards the guy like he was some hero or something.

Sarada was still wearing the same skirt, but she had a different top on. It was tiny, and whenever she raised her arms, it showed some of her flat belly. She hadn’t noticed he was there yet, still excited and explaining that Kagura was back from his field assignment and would be working in the office more often now.

She stopped when her gaze landed on Boruto, eyes meeting. He would not allow her to believe he cared about her showing off her stupid boyfriend. Not on his life. So, he smiled brightly at her and ignored her guest completely.

“Hey, Sarada.”

Her mouth opened and closed. She looked at Chocho and Inojin for a split second before she went back to look at Boruto. “Hey, what’re you doing here? I mean…” she swallowed. “I didn’t know you were going to be here!”

“Hey, Boruto!” Shikadai patted his shoulder and dragged the guest over to meet him. “This is Kagura. He’s in Sales. Kagura, this is the new Marketing Director I told you about.”

“Oh yeah, nice to meet you!” Kagura extended his hand for a shake.

“Kagura,” The name, Boruto recognized. He’d learned a lot about his father’s employees, but he didn’t want to know this guy. Still, nobody else would know that. Not with the way Boruto greeted him so warmly, shaking his hand enthusiastically. “I’ve heard a lot about you. You do remarkable work. Thank you.”

Kagura blushed lightly at the compliment, and his smile grew wider. “You’re too kind. Just doing my job, is all. So happy to be back in the office, too. I missed working with everyone here.”

“Oh, I can only imagine. It will be a nice change for you for a while.” He had a sip of his beer and kept his eyes on his enemy. The guy was so… princely. It was sickening. “It’s great to meet such wonderful, hard-working people.”

“Likewise,” Kagura agreed and then looked around. “But hey, are we going to stand around here or take some shots for Sarada’s promotion?”

Wasabi, Namida, Denki, and Shikadai cheered. The latter went over to the bar, and the rest followed. Sarada was talking to Inojin and Chocho, their voices far too soft for anyone to hear.

“Sarada, you coming?” Kagura called her.

“Coming!” She grinned, and then looked back at Inojin and Chocho, who smiled apologetically at her.

Everyone took a shot glass and raised it towards Sarada. Chocho said, “Cheers to her promotion and success!”

“Cheers!” Everyone said before downing the golden liquid, everyone reaching for their own chasers afterward.

“Hey, Sarada,” Shikadai smirked and pointed his thumb at Boruto, “Bet you ten that he can beat you with five shots, straight.”

What the— No way Boruto would ever stoop so low. “Without a doubt.”

Kagura grinned, “Raise it to a twenty! My money’s on Sarada.”

Boruto almost scowled. Nobody asked pretty boy for his two cents, but he didn’t care. Boruto would not lose to her. “Your loss.” He huffed, ready to go.

The bartender placed down ten shots and some lemon slices and salt for them. Sarada placed some salt on the back of her left hand before taking her place behind the shots.

“No hard feelings, boss,” she teased. “No coming in late tomorrow, too.”

“Practice what you preach, baby,” Boruto smirked, eager to put her in her place.

Her cheeks flushed by the tiniest bit before holding on to the first glass.

“Ready!” The bartender smiled. “Set… go!”

They both knocked back the shots seamlessly but Boruto was intent not to lose. Even if he knew he would regret this—and he knew—he had to win. He downed each one as quickly as he possibly could, feeling a burn build in his chest that clenched and worried him. He couldn’t let anything come back up, that would be worse than losing. It was strong, but luckily for him, he was faster, even if only just enough.

When he slammed his last glass down, Boruto grabbed a lemon slice and sucked it harshly, praying to rid the bitter, burning taste from his tongue. He glanced at his competition now that it was over, and just in time to see her lowering her final shot glass. Then she raised that hand to her lips, peeked out a tongue Boruto would like to taste and feel, and licked the salt from her hand.

Shit. He felt that.

Pulling the lemon from his mouth, Boruto licked his lips reflexively while staring slightly in awe at her. “So close.” He murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips. “But not close enough.”

Sarada couldn’t believe it. He finished before she did. Clearing her throat, she looked away and congratulated him. “Nice one. I guess Shikadai makes money tonight.”

Everyone behind them was cheering, and Kagura handed a twenty over to Shikadai, who took it with a smirk on his face. “Thanks, dude,” He smiled at Boruto. “Your lunch is on me tomorrow. If you make it to work tomorrow, that is.”

“Oh, I’ll be there. Before anybody else. Watch.” Oh goodness, that was way too much too fast. Boruto could already feel the intoxication and it felt as if it was intensifying by the second. “You better not forget either. I already know what I want to eat.”

In just a few moments, Boruto and Sarada both were really feeling the effects of all those shots and they’d been ushered onto a couch. They were close, though Boruto would have liked to be closer. She smelled as good as she looked and that was really saying something. Boruto liked her a lot. He just found her appealing.

“I kicked your ass.” He grumbled, eyes closing as he sat with a spinning sensation happening all over his body. He liked it.

Sarada sat down and removed her glasses, massaging her forehead, pretending she didn’t hear a thing. Her own world was spinning and she didn’t want to hear him gloat on. “Okay, you did.” She relented. “Congratulations.”

Boruto laughed and opened his eyes to look at her, she was definitely feeling as drunk as he was. He still hadn’t learned anything different about her—besides the fact that she could drink.

“Yeah, congratulations. On your promotion that is.” It wasn’t easy to gather his words and he was vaguely aware that his speech had slowed considerably, but he went on. “You’re good. You deserved it. Just be happy.” The spinning was worse now and Boruto closed his eyes again, needing to collect himself. He wasn’t a drinker, he should have known better.

“I’m trying,” she muttered, and then leaned towards his direction on the couch.

Boruto unconsciously moved towards her as well. “I think you’re drunk, Sarada.” He grinned, knowing it was really himself who was drunk.

“I’m not drunk,” she grunted. “You’re drunk.”

“Ha!” Boruto snorted his whole body jerking and causing him to lean even further towards the girl. Until they were touching. He didn’t want to move.

Sarada shook her head, making her lean on him more. “I’m not… drunk. Who’s drunk? You’re... drunk.” Her cheek on his shoulder felt so good. “I’m… not… drunk…” she kept muttering, her eyes were closed and it looked like she was about to fall asleep.

Boruto didn’t want her to move. She was painfully adorable and soft and he wanted to keep her. But, they were in a bar and what would happen if she actually fell asleep?

Maybe he would get to carry her.

No no.

“Sarada. If you’re late in the morning, I’ll never let you hear the end of it.” He would just get her fired up and then she’s sober up a little.

“I won’t be laaaate!” She whined and attempted to get up. “I’m fiiiine!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Boruto chided her while wrapping an arm around her slim waist to keep her pinned next to him. “Stay here.”

“Nooo,” she whined some more but didn’t make a move to leave. Instead, she nuzzled up her cheek on his shoulder and made herself comfortable. “I can walk. I’m… fine.” Her breath was slowing down again. Sarada being drunk didn’t seem like the sleeping type, but apparently, she was.

Boruto smiled drunkenly at her cute face, knowing she was drifting off. Maybe she just needed a short nap and that was fine. As long as she stayed here where she was. This was crazy, how someone could so easily pull him in. While he hated it, because he did, Boruto also found that he almost craved it at the same time. Nobody else was like this. He just couldn’t exactly let her know that he wanted her as much as he did.

#borusara #borusara fanfiction #boruto uzumaki #sarada uchiha #boruto and sarada #borusara office au #humor/romance #double tsundere #Sincerely Yours #Kairi-chan #ss-tyytyy #multi chapter

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in-madhouses · 5 years ago

Note

i dont mean to bother you but can you link me to the epilogue of your fic ‘they’ll hang us in the louvre” i absolutely have adored reading and im happy i stumbled across your blogs and fics and i cant wait to read more!

HELLO! NO BOTHER AT ALL. Life has just gotten in the way a little and I’ve been absolutely trash about updating. But here’s the epilogue for louvre for those who are actually still out there reading things I post 😭😭😭

“So what can you tell us about the Marauders film coming out in a couple of weeks?” The excited host asks with a little glint in his eye, as though he’s asking something he already knows the answer to.

“I.. I can tell you what I don’t know, which is everything,” Aahna deflects instead with a bit of a blush staining her cheeks.

Niall forces to keep a straight face at the sight of her on the screen, slightly squirmish but totally acing it.

Despite being high key in the interview spotlight (on and off) for well over two years by now, he can never get over the fact that Aahna confident to the point of arrogance Deakins doesn’t do very well with interviews.

For all intents and purposes, she does just fine. She carries her confidence like a shield and her charm simply radiates onto the screen. But after being intimately acquainted with her and her idiosyncrasies for a better part of a year, her slight awkwardness is evident. Especially when it’s on red couches and with interviewers that she binge watches on a regular.

“You have to know something!” Graham presses on.

“They didn’t exactly… I mean, at this point I know more about how nuclear reactors work than I do about the Marauders movie,” Aahna says casually.

“Are you saying you haven’t watched it or that you’re surprisingly well educated about nuclear reactors?”

“Both?” She laughs.

And Niall knows she’s not lying, she’d looked it up the week before and spent her night explaining to him it how it worked in detail.

The flamboyant host presses on, “Do you even know if you’re in it at all?”

“I don’t… I… I’m not sure,” she stutters a little before chuckling.

The petite host all but practically screeches at that, “You’re not sure?”

“Is it because they don’t trust you to keep things off social media?”

“Pretty much,” Aahna nods, her grin wide and bashful at the same time, “I wasn’t exactly given a script. Everyone on the principal cast knew what was going on, they literally jumped straight into filming after the last season but I was only given the scenes that I was in, and mid-way through production, so I could be a ghost, a memory, a spell-induced hallucination, I’m possibly not even in the movie at all.”

Niall smiles to no one in particular, somewhat proud how well she’s fending despite the multitude of complicated factors surrounding the interview;

a) the possibility of letting too much about the movie slip and therefore violating her NDA, his NDA, and everyone’s NDA basically because she only knows as much as she knows because they’d told her,

b) the possibility of not talking about the movie enough which would cause the audience to be less excited about the boys being on the show in the following week,

c) the fact that she’s not actually on The Graham Norton Show to promote the Marauders movie but the new season of her own show, and of course,

d) the possibility of deflecting everything far too much and then having to maneuver questions about their relationship status which was a newly hot topic of much speculation.

Despite them not even trying to be sneaky about things after the completion of Marauders: The Final Chapter, the internet stayed unsuspectingly calm.

Apart from that one grainy low quality images of them having dinner surfacing on a fan blog, they’ve actually managed to evade the full force of rumours and speculation with Aahna busy with season two of her show and Niall preoccupied piecing together the parts for his own expansion of title from just ‘actor’ to ‘actor slash screenwriter slash director.’

It only unexpectedly comes to a head when Aahna tweets one of the March Madness bracket charts comparing the fictional men on television by replacing every name with Remus Lupin.

Twitter, as it does, promptly loses its shit over it.

@itsAahna

Fixed the chart for you 🙃 @BBCOne

@BBCOne

Wow what were even doing before you came along? @itsAahna

@itsAahna

Sleeping on Remus Lupin, clearly @BBCOne

@drowningg-in-deniall

can @itsAahna and @NiallOfficial just get together already i want peace 😭

@mishchiefnmayhem

OTPOTPOTPOTPOTP #drowningindeniall

@moooony

I WILL REVOLT #wandsattheready #drowningindeniall @MaraudersMovie

@padsnprongs

I mean we all know #jily is endgame in the movie but i want to see @itsAahna and @NiallOfficial IRL #drowningindeniall

@NikkiSwiftCeleb

If this doesn’t change your opinion on the “friendship” between @itsAahna and @NiallOfficial nothing will.

@PerezHilton

Can we say we called it first? @itsAahna and @NiallOfficial

@EW

@MaraudersMovie exclusive. The cast weigh in on the new fave will they won’t they couple and THAT tweet >> bit.ly/Jh8e3rd4

Niall was back in Ireland when it happens, but his Twitter blows up with fans asking if they really are dating. Oddly, none of the guys or any of the Marauders’ cast members pester him about it. Probably because they think that Aahna’s contractually obligated to keep the conversation on the upcoming Marauders movie, but keeping their sexual relationship turned actual relationship a secret for months on end is surprisingly easy when your friends aren’t being complete nosy fucks.

The only person who truly suspected anything had Caroline, and even then, she’d only thought they were having hate sex to fix all their problems. (Not like she was wrong.) But when they decided to come clean when they wrapped filming with a round of drinks, they find out that there’d been a betting pool going on in regards to their relationship instead.

“I had a tenner riding on this,” Louis says, swaying a little after his umpteenth shot, “I still can’t believe the two of you didn’t get together before the movie wrapped!”

Niall and Aahna share a look at that, but before either of them can let the cat out of the bag, Louis then goes off on how no one but Harry expected them all to become friends and how this lead to them all losing money to Harry and they telepathically decide against telling their friends. (Seems only fair, since their friends were all proving to be complete pricks.)

Which only brings things to their current conundrum of having to promote a movie whilst making use of their fan favourite characters’ practically non-existent romance while some fans were emotionally invested in the actors’ very secret but very real romance.

He smiles at the thought. Because he likes to tell people that he was in love once, back in Ireland. But he didn’t really fall in love, fall in love. Not really. It was more of a familiarity. Like one day something that was there all along that just… became love. And it’s entirely the opposite of what happened with Aahna. Before he was even fully aware of what was happening, she was just… all over his life. Everywhere. Like someone poured her over every inch of him and she just seeped into the very fabric of his life and he can’t wash her out no matter how much bleach he used.

The on screen conversation shifts to the other guests for a bit focusing on the projects they qere involved in, but when the host with the big red couch says he has some tweets to pull out circling back to her, Niall could see the subtle signs of panic creep in on her face.

“Lips were obviously sealed quite tightly when you got cast for the backdoor pilot on Marauders, but an incident got leaked to the press didn’t it?”

“Wait, is this the video?” Aahna asks realisation dawned upon her.

“These were the tweets following that video that most people seem to have forgotten about.”

“Something that you won’t let happen, obviously,” Aahna comments good humouredly, mentally bracing herself for whatever the Graham Norton team has managed to dig up on the interwebs.

“Obviously,” the host announces as they move their attention to the screen on set, “Now these tweets are, I believe, the immediate aftermath of the video hitting the internet.”

@NiallOfficial

4 yrs on a top rated tv show only to end up sharing scentime with someone who got famous lookng gd in thr underwear

@NiallOfficial

that’s not me throwing shade at modesl that’s me throwing shade at @itsAahna

@NiallOfficial

it’s really not my fault that @itsAahna finds memorising lines harder than slupring tequila off her girlfriend’s belly button

@itsAahna

are YOU slurping tequila off of your girlfriend’s belly button right now? @NiallOfficial

@itsAahna

lol kidding (what girlfriend) 😂 @NiallOfficial

@NiallOfficial

at least i’m not about to send in a sex tape to @DailyMirror to distract people from how i cant act atall

@itsAahna

if you wanted to make a sex tape all you had to do was ask @NiallOfficial

“And this went on for like a whole hour at 3 in the morning,” Graham titters excitedly as he continues scrolling through the seemingly endless barrage of tweets.

“They do say that the best relationships start from heated online arguments,” Aahna shrugs, a smile dangling coyly on the edge of her lips.

Niall’s heart skips a whole beat at that.

But luckily, no one on the red couch seemed to have given it as much thought and they glide by the whole topic unsuspectingly.

“I mean, at one point you weren’t even typing words!” The host exclaims, still scrolling through tweets.

“No, you have to say it really fast, it’s… it’s a joke on the Irish accent, I was making fun of his accent,” Aahna admits, looking a little pink in the cheeks in embarrassment and nerves.

She then does an (in his opinion, piss poor) impression of his Irish accent.

Niall can’t help it though, his smile is still so wide, he’s at risk of his face splitting in half.

“You might as well have insulted potatoes,” Graham responds, rather aghast at her impersonation.

“Or Guinness, the Irishman is rather fond of his Guinness,” Ines chimes in.

The rest of the interview goes on with attention bouncing back and forth between the guests and before he notices it, the musical guest comes on and the credits are rolling. He does his best to pretend to be upset when she breezes into his apartment like it’s hers the next day (although to be honest, it’s all hers really; his apartment, his mind, his soul, his heart).

“That’s your best impersonation of me?” He tuts, faking being insulted so hard he wonders how he was ever employed as an actor.

She, in turn, does a very poor job of not smiling as she sets down boxes of takeaway in his kitchen, “Seeing as that was the dumbest I’ve ever looked on telly, I think it was pretty on.”

He grins, “You were great.”

“I can see why you need glasses,” she raises a brow at his direction.

Niall merely shakes his head at that. It’s a quarter past four and the gang should be at his place in about an hour because everyone unanimously decided that he needed to host a party to celebrate his script selling and the studio wanting him to direct and she’s doing the dishes because ‘only losers eat out of takeaway boxes at a party’ and he can’t stop staring.

She looks up and finds him sort of looking at her weird.

“What?”

You, he thinks, I’m looking at you. I’m always looking at you.

“You know this is probably what Sierra meant,” he points out, a little breathless over absolutely nothing, “About distractions.”

She links her hands behind his neck, feigning ignorance, “No idea what you mean.”

And then he’s kissing her against the overflowing sink and she’s laughing, and he thinks it tastes better than anything in his whole atmosphere.

And honestly, Niall is pretty sure he could live off of that feeling for the rest of his life.

@Harry_Styles

I don’t mean to alarm anyone but I think @itsAahna and @NiallOfficial are legitimately dating.

@AinsWills

BETRAYAL!! DECEPTION!! OUTRAGE!! @itsAahna @NiallOfficial

@LeeyumPain

Pics or it didn’t happen @Harry_Styles

@itsAahna

DELETE. NOW. @Harry_Styles

@Louis_Tomlinson

SSSADFGDSASDFGDSADFSF

@Louis_Tomlinson

#DROWNINGINDENIALL @itsAahna @NiallOfficial

@Louis_Tomlinson

#AAHNAANDNIALLERSITTINGONATREE @itsAahna @NiallOfficial

@itsAahna

Stop yelling or I s2g I’m coming over there and choking you @Louis_Tomlinson

@Louis_Tomlinson

Kinky. I take it @NiallOfficial likes it rough?

@NiallOfficial

@Louis_Tomlinson keep your kinks to yourself. yes this is me kinkshaming you

@itsAahna

There are children on the interwebs!! @Louis_Tomlinson @NiallOfficial

@Louis_Tomlinson

Kinkshaming is my kink @NiallOfficial 😉

@Louis_Tomlinson

Kids, kinkshaming is bad

@NiallOfficial

jokes on you kinkshaming kinkshames is my kink @Louis_Tomlinson

@AinsWills

Caaaaan we bring it back to the betrayal bit @NiallOfficial

@C_Davies

Yes. In case you’re all wondering, the @MaraudersMovie cast has a betting pool on @itsAahna and @NiallOfficial

@C_Davies

And I want my money back @Harry_Styles

@itsAahna

Et tu @C_Davies? Et tu??

@Harry_Styles

None of that 👆 was a ‘yes, we’re dating’ @C_Davies

@itsAahna

I’m blocking all of yous. @Harry_Styles @Louis_Tomlinson @LeeyumPain @C_Davies @AinsWills

@NiallOfficial

Yes, we’re dating 🙃

@itsAahna

BLOCKEDDDD @NiallOfficial 😡😡😡

@zaynmalik retweeted @AinsWils

BETRAYAL!! DECEPTION!! OUTRAGE!! @itsAahna @NiallOfficial

@itsAahna

Okay internet (and former friends) You win this one.

@Louis_Tomlinson

I want my tenner back @Harry_Styles

#anon #answered #fic: louvre #this one's shtty and rushed and i'm sorry #but that you for having an interest in my little fics nonnie #💖💖💖

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stillinmyroom · 5 years ago

Text

How finally watching Hunter x Hunter (2011) helped my anxiety

Being completely absorbed in a long series is a weird period of time for me. I start thinking about the show all the time: when I wake up, before I go to bed, and even when out with friends sometimes all I want to do is get home and see what happens in the next episode. This is normal, I mean come on, that’s really how you know that the show you’re watching is some good shit. Eventually though, my life starts to revolve around the show. I begin to squeeze in an episode whenever I have time, maybe I even start showing up late to things because I just had to watch one more episode. We’ve all been there before, whether it be a Netflix series, an anime, Game of Thrones, or whatever, I am sure almost everyone growing up in this age has at least been obsessed with one series. Some people may say that being addicted to a show hurt their productivity or time management, and I can relate to that, however, I also believe that being hooked to a series can be very therapeutic. This is exactly how binging Hunter x Hunter during my first year of college felt; it was almost like therapy.

Don’t get me wrong I had some amazing times during my first year of college, but there were also very stressful times throughout the year and this led to my anxiety getting worse. Getting sucked into a captivating anime or show has always helped me with anxiety and such, because it really allows me to distract myself and calm down. Therefore, I watched a solid amount of series throughout the year, but most of them were on the shorter side with only a couple of seasons and usually no more than 40 episodes or so. This is because for the past couple of years I have preferred watching shorter anime and T.V. shows, because I realized this would allow me to consume more content with a larger variety of shows and also not get bored of them as quickly. For this reason I held out on watching Hunter x Hunter for a long time, but then one weekend I was flying to Seattle to visit family, so I decided to download the first 20 episodes off Netflix for the flights. That was when I realized how stupid I was for waiting this long to start an anime that I can only describe as “fucking amazing.” From the beginning, I was immediately sucked into the exciting world of hunters, and as I approached the final quarter of my first year, watching Hunter x Hunter became a therapeutic experience for me. As my first year was coming to a close, there was stress over final grades, a weekly existential crisis, staying up at 3 a.m. and wondering if my friends actually like me, you know, all the usual things. So whenever I was feeling stressed out or just needed a break, I would let myself get lost in the world of Hunter x Hunter for 23 minutes at a time, but this usually ended up becoming an hour or two because it was borderline impossible to stop watching. Everything about the show was absolutely incredible to me: the character development, the world expansion, the fights, and basically just everything else. It got to the point where I would be in class or at a dining hall with friends just counting down the time until I got back to my room so I could find out what happens in the next episode, and that’s how I knew that this series was something special. However, that’s also when I realized that Hunter x Hunter was subtly helping to curb my anxiety. Usually when I was in class, or anywhere for that manner, I would be constantly thinking about the assignments I needed to get done and stressing over balancing school, a social life, and everything else, but now for some reason I was slightly more relaxed. I kind of just knew that everything would end up turning out okay. I realize that sounds pretty fucking stupid and doesn’t really make sense, but it’s true. Hunter x Hunter was addicting to the point where I was always wanting to watch the next episode, but because I was so absorbed by the show I also felt more at ease during the time I was watching it. Anxiety and stress weren’t completely eating me up to the point where I had to curl up in bed and mindlessly browse YouTube in order to give myself a break. Instead, I felt kinda free for the first time in a while, and I realized that I had to finish my assignments on time so I could watch that next episode of Hunter x Hunter without stressing over the tasks I should be doing instead.

College is a lot of fun, there were lots of parties and lots of new friends, but it’s not always the “best time of your life” like Hollywood makes it out to be in movies and Television. With all of the fun comes the struggles of: greater stress, figuring out what you want to do in life, and just trying to fully understand yourself. For the first two quarters of college I felt pretty lost, and being surrounded by people who appeared to know exactly what they were doing and what they wanted made that even worse for me. And even though I still don’t really know what I’m doing in this whole life thing, I think I definitely started to feel more comfortable about not exactly knowing what I’m doing and just trying my best to learn more about myself each day and the things that are important to me. Art has always been an important teacher for me that has allowed me to learn more about myself, and Hunter x Hunter made it possible for me to close out my first year of college with some confidence and excitement for the next three years of my journey. While I loved every aspect of this beautiful anime, I think the part of the show that I will hold closest to me is Ging’s final words to Gon, “You Should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want.”

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konekoryuugamine · 5 years ago

Text

Chaos Critic’s Top 10 Disliked Anime

Oh man I am going to get SO much flack for this one . . . I know, I know" so many anime are out there, and so many are like this, and yadda yadda - Look, I wanna do this, I wanna help people steer clear of these shows, and if someone likes these shows, more power to ya, but I don't like them, this is only opinion, and I prefer that no one calls me a liar or a jerk for saying something about an anime that is all speculation and varied per person. Anyways, I don't own these animes, and please read and enjoy, no flames, thanks a bunch. Let me say this now: not all anime rock. I have been an avid anime watcher since I was in the 5th grade, and when I realized anime were released every year, in the hundreds, I was flipping over in cartwheels. Vampires, dragons, wizards, ninjas, rock and roll - all of those in my favorite animation style that is pretty much SO flipping awesome in so many ways - made me so happy. I ended up binging anime on Toonami, (still do), and joined several anime sites to get the latest anime dishes and series that I could muster up enough free time to watch. My parents grew concerned about me watching so much of it to the point where I would have been addicted, but then I ended up telling them it was where my heart laid, and they accepted, it with somewhat unwilling protectiveness. After all these years of watching anime and reading manga, I ended up developing tastes that ranged from very horroreqsue anime with suspense and mystery to ridiculous comedy with great puns on words. 'Bakemonogatari', everyone.

However, with these tastes and genres came some of the weird and strangest animes I have ever seen, and am currently watching. Does this mean I think all 'weird' anime are bad? Heck no - 'Bobobo-Bobobobo', "Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt" and "FLCL" are some of my favorites, although I consider Bobobo a guilty pleasure. I did run into some strange and bad anime, however, and it made me wonder whether or not getting into anime at all was a good or bad idea. It even made me think that these were the animes that gave other great ones bad wraps - hence the stereotype of Japanese anime always being about ten-year-old girls and tentacles. No idea why, honestly. The more I do think about it, however, I do feel there are some pretty bad anime out there on the internet, and if you ask any anime fan, they will list some anime that are bad, their favorites, and even one they watch when they choose to. Many a conversation I had often resulted in me talking about the ones I liked more than the ones I hated, to my relief. But otherwise, I feel these anime I'm about to list carry their ideas a bit too far, go too far with anime as a format, or are just overhyped and bad as heck . . . just because an anime is weird, strange, badly dubbed or whatever else does not mean I have to hate it. I have my reasons. So, without fault, here's my top ten anime I dislike more than others. Keep in mind that these are the anime I dislike for certain reasons, and if someone out there does like these, and calls me out for hating them, then I accept it. Just because I hate something doesn't mean you can make me like it.

And here they are. NUMBER 10: " Lil' Pri" I thought this series would be cute to watch for a while, and I decided to watch a few episodes. I ended up binging the whole series and started thinking too much about it. Then I realized it wasn't really that good. Ringo Yukimori, a young girl who enjoys Snow White's stories, literally bumps into two other girls at a concert for a super famous singer named Wish. The other girls, Leila Takashiro and Natsuki Sasahara, also enjoy the stories of Princess Kaguya and Cinderella. The suddenly then run into three adorable talking animals, Sei, Dai and Ryoku, (a bird, a squirrel and a dragon), who are looking for their princesses in the human world. The main idea behind this series is that the three girls turn into older versions of themselves with the embedded spirits of Snow White, Cinderella, and Princess Kaguya to help bring human happiness, "happiness tones", to Fairyland and save it. Humans' happiness and believe in the fairytales has dwindled, decreasing the happiness tones. So, the girls agree to help retrieve those, and along the way, they figure out Wish is the Queen's 'long-lost' son, who can turn into a rabbit . . . Yeah see where I'm going here? The anime is, for all intents and purposes, as straightforward as a magical girl series can get. There are no hidden meanings to Ringo, Leila or Natsuki, and their names pretty much are dead giveaways to what stories they enjoy most. Prince Chris, a.k.a. Wish, is immediately given focus at the beginning of the series, and there are no real surprises until the last few episodes of the series when the girls give up their magic, hint-hint, and leave Fairyland after retrieving all the happiness tones. Let me tell you, that can get kind of boring . . . The main problem I have with this series overall is how bland it is and how it seems to take ideas from several other little girls' magical shows, such as Ojamajo Do-re-mi or Pretty Cure. The concepts of having normal girls become heroes to save other lands, rescue royalty and adapt to their situation are something I've heard before and seen more excellently done, in other shows. The fact the girls also become idols onstage is an interesting quirk, but it reminds me too much of the Witchlings' maid outfit changes from the fourth season of Ojamajo.

It doesn’t help the CGI in the anime comes off as awkward, leaving the concert scenes clunky and hard to watch. Their movements are stiff, and their voices are not exactly the best. They do get better in vocals as the series progresses, but everything else stays the same. When I also state how bland the series is, I'm also referring to Ringo, Leila, and Natsuki, reluctantly. The audience is told and can understand the heroines well enough to the point where we wish they had more depth. They all love Wish, they love fairytales, Ringo loves apples and has seven brothers, Leila is half Italian, Natsuki loves sports - we get it. The problem is that they have no other depth than being cardboard cutouts of anime heroines. We are never given any character conflicts, they never have issues that expand over the series, they never really get the kind of development other series like Sailor Moon receive for magical girl heroines. I know I may get flack for mentioning that, but I have seen development of Usagi Tsukino in both the manga and the new anime adaption of the series. The girls don't really receive any development here, aside from the minor mentioning of growing up and accepting happiness as it comes rather than forcing it on others. The reason this one ranks so low on my list is because I do still enjoy the cuter designs of the characters, and give it points for trying to come up with a good driving plot that does bring to mind the idea of growing up and being happy. It’s a cookie cutter style idol show but it has heart to it. It tries to overstep its bounds, but never gets the chance to. At the same time, I also think Show By Rock!! and Zombieland Saga did the “idol concept with a twist” take much better, what with one being a Sanrio based product that combines an isekai with an idol show, and an idol show about zombie girls that satirizes the entire idol industry. NUMBER 9: " Full Metal Alchemist" I am going to get SO much flack for this one . . . Before someone eats my liver, let me say I love the series as a whole, but compared to Brotherhood, this series has become something that both baffles me and makes me confused. The series revolves around Edward and Alphonse Elric, who try to bring their mother back from the dead using the practice of alchemy. Strictly taboo, and stricken with grief, they decide to bring her back and return to their happiness. However, something goes horribly wrong and Alphonse's body is taken as compensation for their mother, who doesn't truly return. Ed sacrifices his arm and leg to save his brother and bring him back in a suit of armor. After the incident, in the anime, Ed decides to join the military of Risembool and hunt down the Philosopher's Stone, which is implied heavily to be something that can work real miracles. I enjoyed watching the series, and I empathized with both Edward and Alphonse. They lost everything, tried to get it back, and lost more in return. Their tackling of the philosophy of equivalent exchange and getting something for nothing is truly moving, and the deep symbolization of The Philosopher's Stone being hope and realization is something that I know I will never see duplication of. Then . . . I saw the ending episodes of the first series. And I got mad. I expected an epic climax, much like what happened in "Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood". I wanted Ed to get his limbs back, Al to get his body back, Ed to marry Winrey, Hoenheim to die and accept his flaws, for the Philosopher stone to dissolve, and for Scar to repent himself . . . Instead, we got something that felt rushed, confusing and strange to me. Something that throws the entire series out of whack because of it. The leader of the Homunculi, who had been chasing Ed and Al all over the place until they reached Liore again, were being led by Dante. The old lady who taught Izumi, their teacher. The old lady who was killed by Greed in episode 33. Who had an assistant who had that strange alchemic tablet. Dante, as it turns out, was a lover of Hoenheim, much to everyone's shock, and when Hoenheim and she gave up their souls for the stone, they created something that they could use to swap their bodies and minds, intelligence included, into other beings, sort of like the plot of "Quantum Leap" without the randomness and depth. She was jilted because Hoenheim left her, (reasonably succumbing to his guilt over killing so many people to make the stone), and she decided to make and use the Homunculi to chase down HIS sons and make a new stone. In other words, she ended up wanting to make another stone, and her real motives for why are never explained, although her anger over Hoenheim leaving her for another woman, then using HIS KIDS to make a new stone, is petty in terms of evil levels. She toyed with the Elrics, taunted them throughout the series, and ended up controlling things to make a new Philosopher's stone. That part, however, is hard for me to buy. Dante being the villain behind everything, including the making of the second Philosopher's stone, and bringing back Rose for no other reason than to use her as a 'figurehead' then possess her, is hard for me to take in. This would mean she'd have to have tabs on the Elrics at all times, be involved in the Risembool military, use more than one person at one point or another, display that she knew about the war and probably was the one who started it in the first place. There were no indications to me that Dante was the villain all along through the series, as the Homunculi were given more screen time than her, her assistant and later body double Lyra was shown twice and was bland as other minor characters, and things don't connect well for me to buy it logically. If she was the one behind everything, and she was supposed to have been fake-killed by Greed, then when did she successfully possess Lyra? How long has she kept tabs on the Elrics? Was she involved somehow in Trisha's illness, that kickstarted the entire flipping hunt for the Philosopher's Stone? If she was also involved, why drag Rose into the battle to just tick off Edward? And furthermore, if Hoenheim knew if she was behind everything, and knew he'd be killed otherwise, then why didn't he just come right out and explain everything to the brothers when they first got involved with the Homunculi? Was he just afraid of dying? Of killing others?

The more confusing thing is how this ending was created. Anime depends on the manga in most cases to flesh out the story. If the manga is over several volumes, like One Piece or Bleach, episodes will be released and designated in arcs and storylines. If the manga is ahead of the anime, then the writing process for the episodes can be ad-libbed thanks to the story that’s already present.

When the manga halts or goes on hiatus, the anime must do something to fill in the extra space while the mangaka continues their work. Hence “filler arcs”. Like the extra few filler arcs in Bleach that involve the new captain or the Bounts, or the filler arcs in Naruto that everyone wishes didn’t exist. They exist to not only extend the anime’s lifespan but to try and flesh out the worlds of these series to make them feel more alive.

In this case, this was a filler ending for the Full Metal Alchemist anime series. The manga had gone on hiatus and they had nothing to conclude the show with, so they had to deal with what they had. I wanted to like it, but after looking at everything, I just find that nothing fits. Either way, the ending of the original anime just befuddled me with an antagonist who was barely connected to the story to me, and the threads that bound her fingers to her puppets were about as thin as fishing line to me. . . . Not to mention I'm still wondering how the anime connected itself to the 'parallel-world' of 'Germany' and how Edward was stuck there through the movie "Conqueror of Shamballa", but that movie did try to tie up the original anime series with a bow.

Of course, this leads me to say why I dislike it so much: because Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood exists. It’s an amendment to the series that aims to follow every detail of the manga. We see more progressive action and character development from start to finish, and we see an expansive world that was never given to us in the original anime. Fans of the show were rewarded with Ed and Al getting what they wished for, intense and awesome animation, and a marriage proposal that is adorable no matter which way you put it.

However, I will say the first 10 to 13 episodes of the original anime are far better introductory episodes than the first few episodes of Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. We see the Elrics grow and reach their respective early goals quick, and we actually get to know Alexander and Nina before Shou Tucker fucks things up. We also get deeper motivation for Ed’s reasons to become a State Alchemist.

If I did have to recommend this series to people who’d never seen it, I’d say go watch the first 10 episodes of the first FMA series, then watch Brotherhood in its entirety. Get the context and emotional development first, then come back in for what else is in store. And now I'm gonna put on this football helmet while I wait for the hate mail. NUMBER 8: " Ghost Hound" This one is a special case of bad to me. There was a point where I got hooked on the anime "Serial Experiments Lain" and I got into the idea that many anime were deeper than they seemed. Lain was a dimensional protagonist who I felt much in common with, and developed a sense of what I wanted to know about ESP. I decided to get into shows involving the subject, and later developed a taste in supernatural shows and law dramas. Or anything that often touted lighter themes of horror. I found this anime on accident one day when I was looking up scary anime. And after finding out it was done by Production I.G. and Shirow Masamune, I was ecstatic. I was disappointed when I watched it. The entire story revolves around a boy named Taro, who was kidnapped with his younger sister Mizuka on September 22nd, 1996. His sister died, but he survived the horrific situation. Since then, he's been seeing a therapist and has horrible PTSD-induced nightmares involving the situation. He also develops the ability to astral project himself into The Unseen World, which is the space between the living and the dead, and he uses his ability to better himself and his friends Makoto and Masayuki, who have also suffered similar traumatic childhood situations. They are led on this journey by their psychologist, who has his own agenda on the matter, but wants to help solve the supernatural insanity in the boys’ lives due to his own interactions with The Unseen World. On its own, this idea is rather interesting, and you feel it can be done well over the course of 13 episodes, with an added OVA of how the entire conflict is resolved with death being a part of life, how having a power means it comes with greater responsibility and how everyone has issues they must come to terms with. And in the case of Masamune’s anime, delve deeper into the human understanding and structure of the conscious and unconscious mind. However, the anime takes a rather . . . interesting, turn in its story. And when I say interesting, I mean something that may or may not work, depending on who you ask. When the boys get together and go after the one who kidnapped Taro and his sister, they come across Miyako Komagusu, who has spiritual powers thanks to her miko line. She chooses to help them and Taro soon becomes fixated on Miyako due to her appearance, which is eerily similar to his sister.

Soon, the whole kidnapping element is thrown out the window, same with the title of the anime being only Makoto's astral-projection form, and comes in with a religious sect underneath Makoto's family and the fact his grandmother tries to make Miyako the new head after her father is hospitalized. And it's later revealed that the Ogami Religious Cult has ties to an underground group of illegal drugs, medical enhancements, MUTANTS, and child kidnappings . . . At this point, I was saying "why?" On the one hand, it's a dark turn for an anime that started out with ESP, traumatic incidents, and they do save Miyako from the group of psychos. Whether or not the group remained standing was unclear to me, and the more I thought about how deep this went, the further I ended up in mental spirals of how logic had to be invoked. On the other hand, it's a mish-mash of every cliche involving some evil mastermind group I can think of: the bad guy actually did this to such and such, who became the main guy's best friend, and now they want the girl who the main character has a connection with, and they all have supernatural powers, and they get others who betrayed the bad guys to help them. This overlay of genres, and the fact the ESP is forgotten at about halfway through the anime for my liking, (along with there not even being MUCH of the supposed 'ghost hound'), there is also a stunning issue I had with the design of the characters not fitting the backgrounds. Whereas the designs were simple, the backgrounds were overly lush, too detailed, too mesmerizing. Not like in "Over the Garden Wall", but still. All in all, 'Ghost Hound' is a mixed bag to me. It does provide some good food for thought and an interesting storyline, but the second half ruins the story and eliminates the ESP the story was embedded into. NUMBER 7: " School Days" I am aware this will be on others' hate lists, but hear me out . . . yeah, it's that bad in the anime form. "School Days" is based on a visual novel game of the same name by Overflow, and has quickly garnered a reputation. The series involves this character, Makoto, as he makes his way into high school and develops a crush on adorable and shy Kotonoha. At the same time, depending on which way the player goes, he'll also fall for his best friend, his best friend's cousin, the other girls IN his class - well, you get where I'm going with this. But before I get to the anime, let me explain a bit more about the game itself. It incorporated motion and sound into the visual touch, making it look like you were playing an interactive anime, which wasn't that bad of an idea. There were also numerous cut scenes, (including graphic content might I add), that depicted the characters, and something that made the series very popular online: the death scenes. What made this game unique from others is that it included graphic and detailed executions of main characters in several gorey fashions, along with some of the worst bad ends that can ever be imagined when it comes to one main character screwing over someone else. One death scene in particular involved Kotonoha committing suicide from a tall building in front of Makoto and Sekai, and you can HEAR THE CRUNK AND BUBBLE OF HER BODY AS SHE HITS THE PAVEMENT. THAT ALONE TELLS YOU WHAT IS AT STAKE IN THIS GAME IF YOU SCREW UP. But, because of how varied the main character's answers can get, and how many cut scenes are available at the time of the first go-around, someone will have to play the game multiple times before a Good ending is unlocked, like the super-rare harem-esque relationship between Makoto, Satonaka and Kotonoha. (Apparently, it's impossible to get because of how many things you can say, but I digress). Now, to explain how the game became an anime . . . and I really don't want to . . . The anime adapts the storyline of the game, following Makoto in high school, and he tries to get Kotonoha to fall for him, and Sekai tries to help him, then she falls for him. In short, it's a typical anime that depicts a three-way love triangle. Until about the fourth or fifth episode. After he gets Kotonoha as a girlfriend, he dates Sekai, with the knowledge of everyone, and LIES about breaking up with Kotonoha, AND HAS SEX WITH SEKAI, for the purpose of making things better with Kotonoha. He then goes around and sleeps with OTHER GIRLS IN HIS CLASS and AVOIDS KOTONOHA to keep up this whole thing. That is called "sleeping around" and "being a jerk". The reasons why people list this anime on their worst list is mostly because of the annoying voices, or because of the stilted and bland colors in the background, but to me and numerous others, it's because of Makoto Ito being a two-timing jerk who also has sex with numerous girls while still having one intimate girlfriend. No, what also cements it for me, are the last three episodes: Sekai announces she's pregnant to the class, Makoto is reasonably cut off from his friends, Kotonoha, who had been RAPED, is devastated, and Makoto blames Sekai for ruining his life when he was JUST as much at fault in the first place. He goes out with Kotonoha, and right as he gets home, Sekai, reasonably ticked off, stabs him brutally with a butcher knife, and Kotonoha kills her and affirms she was lying about her pregnancy, then takes Makoto's head and sails off. This was about the only way I could have expected this entire mess to conclude. Someone had to die, Makoto had to be given his karmic payback for sleeping with so many women, and for cheating and leaving Kotonoha to be raped and blaming Sekai for everything when he had his own faults, and Kotonoha had to take revenge or grow a backbone because of how everything bad happened to her for some reason. In other words, the conclusion is more satisfying to me than the show itself, and that actually saved it a few places on my list. Watching it from start to finish is terrible, and the way you know about Makoto's sleeping around makes you want to slap some sense into him. Or stab him with a knife, but I digress. NUMBER 6: " Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan" AND now we get to something that's both bad and comedic. And for once I'm not talking about Spongebob. "Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan" is an anime that combines hentai and comedy, and as for the brand of humor, it relies on what is known as the continuous running gag. To understand what I mean, let me give you a few examples of continuous anime running gags: Team Rocket blasting off in every episode of "Pokemon" and doing some kind of farfetched scheme to capture Pikachu, how Joey Wheeler is also denoted as being immature or a punk, and as of more recent anime I've seen, how Tsukune is subjected to being fought over by Moka and the other girls. The reason I'm bringing this up is that these are the gags I've seen being used in shows that quickly got stale . . . and were still being used as the show went along. 'Pokemon' is still the biggest offender of this since Pokemon Co. got a hold of the dubbing and anime creations in both Japan and America. The gag of Team Rocket blasting off is okay for a season or so, but seeing them just get pounded again and again makes me feel sorry for them, and makes me want to slap them and say "Stop blowing yourselves up all the time!", thinking they'd learn. But hey, I can dream can't I? The issue with that is the issue with this anime completely. "Bokotatsu-Tenshi Dokuro-Chan", or "Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan" is an anime that focuses on a boy named Sakura Kusanabe, who is a normal boy going to school and having a crush on his classmate. Apparently, 20 years into the future, he invents a machine that prevents the aging process on women after the age of 13, making them . . . physically younger. They literally call this in the anime a "pedophile's dream world". So, God, in the future, sends an angel, Dokuro, to go and assassinate him so he can't make this crazy machine . . . if you are laughing right now, I was too. The plot is ridiculous, as par for how it's supposed to be a comedy, but the manner of ridiculous ends there and it becomes more mindbogglingly annoying with each passing episode. Dokuro, when she gets to Sakura, decides to live with him and convince him to not build the machine, and in the process, does so with her rambunctious energy, super-human strength, her annoying voice, and often times, KILLS HIM WITH HER KANABO CLUB CALLED EXCALIBOLT. That is the gist of the entire show. He tries to impress a girl, he 'insults' the over-sensitive Dokuro, she kills him, she brings him back to life. He tries to make some friends, she gets offended, she kills him, she brings him back to life. And so on and so forth. For about thirteen episodes. I ended up watching the series with my younger sister when I was about 15, and I couldn't help but laugh ad how dumb it was. And because I knew I couldn't change the videos because of my younger sister saying "Show me more, show me more! I wanna see him die again!" . . . I felt a part of my soul die. (I also learned never to show my sister that kind of anime again . . . until she watched "Attack on Titan"). so, Anyways! The entire anime, dub or sub, is annoying, high pitched, and the characters are all flat as boards. Dokuro's entire character is her crush on Sakura and the fact she wants to help him while never learning she accidentally causes his deaths. Sakura is a perverted young boy who is trying to get by, and ends up falling for Dokuro in a stereotypical fashion. There's also other angel characters, such as one who uses a . . . cattle prod, and she has ram horns . . . and one who is a . . . transvestite punk goblin? To be honest, I never bothered to remember their names because I forgot about them after another two episodes. Same with Dokuro's sister. The only reason I remember her was because the show made her look hot for a 7-year-old, and she used a wet towel as a weapon. And everyone in the school thought she was hot. . . . I'm gonna stop on this one now before I get angry again and say that this anime isn't very good, but it does do a good job in setting up something that is both hilarious in context and causing some of the better memes in AMV Hell 3. NUMBER 5: " Sonic X" From contrived and humorous to awkward and strange. I first watched this show, much like others, on the Fox Box, (among other anime that were terribly dubbed by 4Kids). It was . . . strange, to see a talking hedgehog with blue quills run about with a two-tailed yellow kitsune, and on Earth no less. I had to change the channel every few seconds or so because I felt so strange watching them. I ended up feeling the same thing when I was watching 'Sonic Underground'. I know now that the feeling was 'awkwardness'. The story follows Sonic and his friends from the planet Mobius as they get transported to Earth because of some unintended calculations from Sonic screwing with Dr. Eggman's machine. Because they don't how it happened, and they don't know how to go back, they have to adjust on Earth, and they do just that. In the process, Sonic befriends a human, Chris, whose father is a scientist. And the wacky adventures are supposed to continue from there . . . I'll go ahead and say this now: combining humans in a world of anthropomorphic animals has to either be done well or not at all. I'm cool with anthropomorphism being talking animals, like Bubbie from 'Flapjack', or like Fred the horse or Beatrice from 'Over the Garden Wall'. I also don't mind if they have only the humanistic approach, and cannot talk, like the animals from 'Wicked'. But if it's full anthropomorphism, like Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry, then it has to make sense as to why they are there and how they can fit in with the environment. It comes down to three basic things: environment, history and art style. If the environment is okay, and the history of there being anthropomorphism is established, and the art style is in turn okay, then it is okay in the long run. This is why I enjoy "The Looney Tunes Show". The environment is more modern and bent to match reality, the history of the characters is established early on and build on episode by episode, (and there's the references that add to it with Looney Tunes jokes from previous shorts from the 60's), and there are confirmed humans in the show who don't notice the anthropomorphism, and the art style blends it all together in a clean swipe of hilarity and animation brilliance. This is also why I enjoy the movie "Cats Don't Dance": it takes anthropomorphism of animals and turns it into a metaphor for racism in 1940's Hollywood. It combined a relative environment of a historical timepiece, added the necessary elements of anthropomorphism with its own rich metamorphic history and the art style made all of it look like it was a classic cartoon. If the environment works, and the history is laid down, and the art style manages to work it together, then anthropomorphism in shows is alright and well done in my book. But, (and I do have to be honest when I say this), if even one of these is never touched on, or brought too much into focus, then questions will be raised and things can be turned awkward. This is what I feel happened when I watched 'Sonic X'. The environment was Earth and all humans, with no mentions of Sonic being real before, and then out of the blue Sonic and his friends fall to Earth, "like Magic". The art style made it harder for me to watch because of how cartoonish Sonic and his friends looked compared to the humans and Eggman. It also could have been because every line looked SO SMOOTH, and there were no detailed areas or specifics, but I could have been wrong. To me, this series started off awkward, and continued to get more awkward with the introduction of Shadow, Eggman's schemes and the later part of season one. The conclusion of season one was, and I'll say it lightly, okay. Chris saying goodbye to Sonic and his friends at the expense of never seeing them again was heartfelt, and he did act reasonably when it came to seeing them leave. (Although the CGI could have been better for their transition back). THEN . . . season two happened . . . then season two happened . . . Just like how I feel with "Sword Art Online", I feel season two of 'Sonic X' is weaker than the first. Chris coming back because he longed for Sonic all these years and building a machine to send him to Mobius, and he happens to turn into a kid again because of the time differences on planets? Sure, I'll buy that, albeit it sounds like Sonic 06 to me. And Cosmo being the key of life for an evil overlord, and later performs a sacrifice of herself to save everyone and Tails is left in the Friend Zone? Cliche, painful to watch, predictable and overall weaker than the previous season. I don't want to spend too much on this season either because the plot and Chris made it weaker than when we witnessed Sonic and his friends adapting to Earth and humanity. Introducing an annoying character again and adding a character who becomes the key for hope is something I feel has been done better before. I hate feeling this way because I watch "Sonic Boom" now, but I feel that one is better than this . . . I hate to feel that way, but I do. NUMBER 4: " Eiken" Stop me if you've heard this before: a new male student to a school, desperate to make friends, ends up tripping and falling, literally, for a busty babe who is perfect. Then he has to do something insane, meet her friends, and tries to hook up with her only to be shut down as lucky, a pervert or a complete loser. If you answered me with "That's the opening plotline for Rosario+Vampire", then you're close. I also would have accepted "Stop talking, that sounds like every hentai anime out there", but fair enough. This is also, word for word, the opening scenes of the OVA series "Eiken". THIS one is BAD. Originally an 18 volume manga series, "Eiken" involves a boy named Densuke Mifune, who transfers to Zashono Academy at the start of a new year. He accidentally gropes one of the school's most attractive girls, Chiharu Shinonome, and gets drafted into the Eiken Club, which is run by her friend, the lively and flirtatious Kirika Misono. He is then subjugated to being tortured by the club members while he tries to get Chiharu to like him. . . . there is a catch to this one aside from being stereotypically harem/hentai anime. "Eiken" has become infamous in the anime community for having female characters possess pronounced, er . . . "tracts of land". Yeah, I said it. The entire manga and two-episode OVA series follow hentai taken to ridiculous extremes, involving large boobs. I don't know how the joke came about, or how people come to know about this, (probably in the same manner that people know about Boku no Pico), but dang it, I hate that I know about this one. The only reason this isn't my number one pick is that I found other clips on AMV Hell about it, and decided to check it out. Now, I bet you're wondering: why would a straight-laced, highly intelligent young woman like myself watch a two-episode OVA involving girls with 'humorously' large breasts and a perverted boy who day-dreams of bondaging his crush in measuring tape? I'll let Alucard get channeled here for that reason. Ally? (Alucard: Fuck you, that's how.) Thanks, ya fuck-mothering vampire. Aside from hitting all the earmarks of cliche and hentai moments in the book, the OVA adds to it by adding as much fanservice as physically and mentally possible, such as the bananas, the table dresses, the bondage day-dreams, etc. If someone wanted to make a hentai porn, those already exist. This is trying too hard to be something like porn without being it. And kind of doing it poorly. The games of the academy also are involved in some kind of rigging, which is contrived and makes no sense whatsoever, and Chiharu is involved with the bad guy, who is also cliche and makes no sense, and the entire resolution is easily predictable. It's dull, and only served to make me angry when I watched the OVA to see what the frick it was about. I really do regret it. I cannot stress how much hatred and pity I have for those who read this and actually enjoy it. If you do, more power to you; but just remember something. THEY GAVE A 10-YEAR OLD BOOBS THE SIZE OF BASKETBALLS. NUMBER 3: " Black Butler II" Before ANYONE says anything, YES I consider the second season of "Black Butler" to be another anime entirely. Makes separating the two much easier. For the record, nothing is wrong with "Black Butler". The series is wonderful, the pacing is perfect, the storylines between the manga and the show differ greatly, but either way the conclusions are perfect, the artstyle and metaphoric coloring is syched, the voicing acting is awesome - shall I go on? So, when I finish the first season and see the second one, I decide to watch it. I really, really, REALLY wish I hadn't. The first season was, in all definitions of the words, "a work of art". The second season too it, and decimated every last loose end that was tied up in the first season finale. Why am I being so hard on this series? For a couple of reasons. First of all, the plot. The second series picks up with a new young blond gentleman, Alois Trancy, who has recently been found by his family after a kidnapping incident. Because of his trauma, he's become a bit of a jerk and often harms others. At his side is a handsome and elegant butler, Claude, who looks eerily closer to Sebastian than I can stand. They take the mansion over, and Alois goes about his merry way to be happy, albeit in the worst of ways, by torturing his female maid Hannah and the triplet servants. If this is starting to sound like a warped Ciel Phantomhive to you, then you are feeling the exact same thing I felt when I first watched it. Of course, the first episode delves right into these two firsthand, how Alois is a bit of a prick, (the fact he wears booty shorts), and how he is not above hurting others to get what he wants.

Something I don't remember Ciel ever wanting to do or exhibit. So, in episode one, a strange man with a large suitcase comes to the door and Alois lets him in. The man is later revealed to be Sebastian Michaelis, who was searching for something. In the suitcase is Ciel Phantomhive's soulless body, and Sebastian leaves the mansion with a tea box, holding a familiar blue ring. Alois is ticked, Claude is pissed and Ciel comes back from the dead. The reason for this is pretty much left obvious for the viewers through flashbacks: in the first series finale, Sebastian was about to take Ciel's soul, when a contrived demon spider, Claude, swiped his delectable soul away from the raven demon. Sebastian, reasonably ticked off, went after him and gave him his soul back, but now Ciel's memories of the previous season are gone, he has lost his revenge sought, and doesn't remember how he helped to save London. There's a reason I hate this anime. Claude stealing Ciel's soul and him having amnesia are just more contrivances that serve nothing more than to force the plot of there being another demon-master team for Sebastian and Ciel to go up against. Rather than build up to something in the previous season, everything in this one is left readily explained, and it just hurts to see how everything goes swiftly to dog poop. The second reason, the behavior of Claude and Alois Trancy. I've seen several worst anime character lists over the web, and Alois Trancy often dominates because of his smarmy attitude, his devastating contrasts to Ciel and how he harms others and begs to be saved by Claude at every instant notion of danger.

And, I can see why. Alois was, without a doubt, raised in a hellish environment, and all he had to look forward to was his 'brother', who is actually a saving grace for the anime and the blond. However, the severe deaths and mass village murders that took place because of his brother's pact with Hannah the Demon just wrecked everything for him. If the writers wanted to make Alois more relatable, like Ciel, then more emotional touching could have been done. Instead, Alois is often shown not regretting his actions, causing trouble and damage at every beck and call, and like in one episode, begs for help from Claude. I can tell he's supposed to be a contrast to Ciel, but it's too far. Especially when you count in how he also has three servants and Claude. As for Claude, he's not off the hook either. His mannerisms are more unique than Sebastian, but aside from that, he's the same dandy as Sebastian. All he does differently is be more cold-hearted and go back on his bargain made with Sebastian in the second episode. And to explain that in further detail, he and Sebastian ended up making a blood pact using roses and their own blood to see who would get Ciel Phantomhive's soul: a who would win kind of scenario with a yaoi prize going to the winner. Claude was the one who suggested it, and he was the jerk who broke it. Sebastian even pointed this OUT, and still, Claude wanted Ciel's soul. Not . . . to mention when Ciel and Alois' souls combined, he acted a bit . . . creepy around Ciel. (Dude kisses his leg . . . pedophilia there.) Three, the introduction of Hannah and her role in the story. Hannah is literally the Deus-ex-machina in this story, and I will not lie when I say I genuinely believe it. The maid, Hannah, later in the episodes, is revealed to be a demoness, (whom Sebastian never noticed before, even when Clyde used her as a sword sheath), and was never brought into full use as a demoness and user of magic until the final three episodes. She is given a very cliche and bland personality at first, which gives way to how she was putting on a facade to get close to Alois, because she felt what his brother felt when he made the pact with her. As much as I feel Hannah is a saving grace of the anime, I have to ding some points off because of how she exposites her role in Alois' past to him, in Ciel's body no less, and ends up performing a final act, that should not be possible, until she dies with Clyde and Alois. She could have been a better part of the story if she was given more of a stronger personality when Alois was being cruel, without going too sappy. Not much else about her makes me want to hate her as much as hug her. She does has a reason to be near Alois, she does care about him unlike Clyde, and does win him over in the end. But in all cases, she was a little bit of a good thing in a large bad thing. And as for the fourth reason, the flipping ending of the second series. Oh . . . MY GOD . . . Here's what happens as a recap, and stay with me here.

Ciel and Alois' souls are combined so he can be used by Claude as a last-ditch effort to win over Sebastian, and Sebastian gets reasonably ticked. Claude acts creepy, Ciel and Alois fight over Ciel's body and a maze is conjured that is fixed by Alois to let Claude win and take Ciel's soul away. Sebastian and Claude fight in the maze, Grell is there for no reason, Hannah is trying to talk to Alois who is in control, and Ciel's will takes over and changes the maze again. Alois finds out Claude lied and did want Ciel's soul, and Alois is ticked. The butlers complete the maze, and see Hannah over a passed out Ciel/Alois, and now with a new mark on him. The butlers are then escorted by Hannah to a demonic isle where they fight, and Alois' final contract with Hannah is revealed: he decided if Ciel's soul was so valuable, then he didn't want anyone to have or love it. So he wished that Ciel was a demon. Ciel Phantomhive becomes a demon, and his last command to Sebastian before this happened was to follow his order and help him. . . . The slap mark on my forehead is red. Alois, being jealous of Ciel, wished him into a demonic being, and now Sebastian, who ended up with a happy ending in the first series, is now stuck with Ciel for all eternity. And as a bonus punishment, Ciel is immortal and has to retreat with Sebastian to the demon world and never return. I was so angry when I watched this episode that I threw my phone across the room in a rage. Thank god for the Otterbox, or else it surely would have broken. There are several problems I have here with this ending, one of the most obvious being how Hannah could get Alois to get another contract in when he was already in one with Clyde, and how Ciel's body could handle THREE contract pressures at once and not feel any kind of soul degeneration, or something by then. But no, the largest problem is how and why the writers turned Ciel into a demon. The point of 'Black Butler" was to become associated with the concept of revenge and learn that it is not often what others are searching for. It's to be accepted that people will do bad things, and often get away with it. It doesn't mean taking revenge is the best option. While it is fulfilling, oftentimes it's not. Here, the concept of revenge is taken to the extreme with Alois turning Ciel into a demon because he was jealous. There's nothing in the lines of retribution here, aside from the fact he sacrificed his life to save Ciel's and Sebastian's. All that he did he did for petty jealousy. Ciel never did anything wrong in this series, so it was as if Alois was the torturer and Ciel was the poor dude strung along on the wall. The revenge within this series was also manipulated and forced between Ciel and Alois, compared to how Ciel had to sleuth out who to kill in the first series. Forced elements are never good. They always end badly. And this series is just proof of it. Having Hannah use her power to turn Ciel into a demon is also a stretch, as it is never implied she could do something like that before. I blame it more on the writers going "This is a good idea' and inserting it into the anime for kicks. . . . or to create a 'hint-hint-yaoi-hint-hint' product to establish a new fanbase. BUT, that just about sums up this one: contrived, bad characters, and ruining the first season of what made it good. And now I will put on a helmet . . . because the second one is going to make SO many people angry at me . . . NUMBER 2: " Sword Art Online" I can feel the fury from much hate-mail coming my direction, but let me explain my piece before someone goes all out and eats my liver. I like sci-fi tech stories in anime. .Hack//Sign is one of my favorite anime, and it still stays as one of the better examples of video games in anime, next to "No Game No Life" and "Log Horizon". It takes gaming into another level and gives you a video game world you want to participate in, and characters you want to root for. Yet this anime is where I draw the line when it comes to intense immersion. Aside from the stunning artwork and the stellar designs of the characters and worlds, I don't know much else I can commend about this anime, aside from the fact that it was also a fanfiction that became a thing. (Remind you of anything?) Now, back to what I was saying. SAO follows a boy, Kazuto Kirigata, or as he goes in the game(s) "Kirito". In the first arc of the anime and stories, he gets stuck in a game called "Sword Art Online", along with about a thousand other players. The mastermind behind it, one of the creators of the game, got them stuck there, and to leave, the players have to reach level 100 of the entire game and defeat him. And they can’t be forcefully removed from the game system due to it being hooked to their nervous system. Sure, it's a good idea, and sure I thought it was okay, but a part of me instantly disliked this idea because the same instance occurred in '.Hack//Sign', except the main character was the only one stuck in the game, it was psychological aspects with less action and the main character was a male avatar with a female body in the real world. I just thought it was a rip-off of the series, and when I decided to watch the rest . . . I had to nope out. About two to three episodes into the series, the players of SAO start to think the beta-testers for the game are beating everyone else easily because they know the mechanics and grinding points. So they try to force beta-testers to help them get information about the game and everything that entails it. And of course, no good comes from it because someone has to be the sacrificial lamb. This also spawns the term “beaters”, beta-testers who are ‘cheating’ in the game because of their foreknowledge.

Kirito then gets the idea that since he was a beta-tester for the game, and knows the details of the game and knows everyone hates his ass now, he can beat the game himself. So, he gives a shortwinded diatribe about being “The Guy” and goes it alone. This is given the fact he also seems to have no motivational aspects for this, nor does he TRY to reach out to other members of the SAO player communities that are stuck in the game, but the other players treat him and other beta-testers of the game as jackwagons. Beta-testers of games are beta-testers for a reason; they OK a game and game-play for little to no money, or much, and most of the time are good gamers. And the nicest people. I should know; I know a dude who beta-tested Destiny. Here, they're treated like jack-wagons, and Kirito just enforces the whole idea by acting like a jackwagon and walking away from other players to continue the game because why not. Aside from that, Kirito's personality is one of disinterest and expressionless pity. He wants to get out, but he continues alone until he meets Asuna, who for all intents and purposes, is the BEST character in Part I. Their relationship is easily one of the better things in this anime, albeit ham-fisted and later turned to sludge in the second and third parts, but still. Seeing them happy was a GOOD thing midway through this anime of darkness. It did give Kirito and Asuna something to fight for, but it never really fleshed either of them out for me. Skewer me later, I have a LOT more to point out. AS the show progresses, the plot becomes more and more linear, it never forks, Asuna is later RAPED IN THE SECOND PART, IN GRAPHIC DETAIL, and Kirito's flat sister comes into play as well. My disinterest in the characters and hatred of the second villain of the anime was enough to make me switch to something else. I'll be finishing this anime up for a full in-depth analysis later, but for now, I'll go ahead and say my piece here and leave it at that. I know people like this anime, and it makes me happy to see they like something collectively. I may not like it, like how I may not like One Piece as much as I used to, but for people to come together about an anime is okay. It's just I don't like this anime, and I don't mind others liking it. The pacing of the story measures out for almost an eternity, Kirito's ambitions and goals and behaviors are never really justified, the second part's villain made NO flipping sense, Asuna was degraded as a character and as an archetype, Kirito is in desperate need of development, reasons are needed for how they can be so OP in many parts, and I want some more answers on how his sister came into the picture. And . . . for the love of god . . . I want a redo on this anime's second half. . . . and I think most people do as well. . . . I don't think I can continue this part until I can get the FINAL and WORST anime I have ever seen out of my system. And believe me when I say . . . it's BAD. NUMBER 1: " Pupa" This anime. This . . . anime . . . I found this anime after scrolling around on Crunchyroll for something to watch in the Summer of 2014. I was interested in the genre and cover of the anime and decided to give it a try. . . . I want to erase it from my brain. Utsutsu Hasegawa and his little sister, Yume, are exposed to a rare and monstrous virus called 'Pupa'. Yume becomes a vicious man-eating monster, while Utsutsu gains regenerative powers. They are then approached, almost as if by magic, by a researcher who wants to contain Yume and Utsutsu and use them as guinea pigs for research. Utsutsu allows it, saying he'll do anything for his sister, and decides to become his sister's food source so she can assume a normal life. While the concept is golden and has the potential for deeper symbolic meaning, like how it used the teddy bears as the shattering of Yume's humanity and innocence, and how Utsutsu's relationship with his sister was put to the ultimate test, it becomes . . . hard to watch. In more ways than one.

The anime episodes are 4 minutes long each, leaving the entire series at a binge-able time of 1 hour. There’s not much to do with that much time, and it can’t be a fast-paced comedy like Hetalia. It’s a horror series. Horror series need to work quickly but have context and depth, or else the deeper meaning is lost. Since this is also animation, it means the drawings and backgrounds need to be visually appealing or eyecatching so the viewer can keep watching without problem.

Artistically speaking, the characters are well designed, but in animation terms, their movements are as bad as an early Studio Deen production.

And that’s where the praise ends.

There is an episode of the anime, each being five minutes long, of Yume just eating her brother, and saying "Utsutsu" over, and over, AND OVER again . . . If you get the idea of where I am going with this, then you know exactly WHY I do not like this anime. The concept itself is the driving force for the anime, and after that, NOTHING HAPPENS. Yume is kidnapped and experimented on, like Utsutsu, but he saves her and still decides to be her food source. She feeds on him, they love each other, they live normal lives, yadda yadda. Nothing. Conventional. Or concrete. Happens. Characters are introduced, but they come and go and are never touched on again unless the plot calls for them to make an appearance. Utsutsu and Yume's mother is cold and sees Yume as a monster, which may or may not be her delusions given how she was also abused by the kids' father, who is ALSO never developed outside of being a wife-beater, and both are who I consider to be the worst parents of all time. Yume and Utsutsu, for all purposes of the anime, are the most developed and touched on characters. But, they never do much outside of adapting to their own hellish nightmare. Never do they ask Maria the scientist for a cure, never do they try to escape or move along with their lives. They just get stuck in their nightmare, forever to be mad. I hate it when animes like this come around. It introduces an interesting scenario, only to forget plot and context in favor of showing more and more grotesque imagery and disturbing content. I know it's rated M, but in all honesty, the incest insinuations and the fact that no one helps these kids out of this problem is enough to make me mad. I will say it has beautiful designs.

I will say it had an interesting idea. I will not say it's a good anime. And, now you know why. Well, there you have it. Those are the top ten anime I personally dislike, and in a few cases, hate to the core. But, just because I hate these anime doesn't mean that others can't enjoy them. That's the power of the internet and personal opinion. Now . . . I'm gonna go back to writing MLP reviews . . . I've been getting rusty, and I feel like I'm gonna get so much flack for these . . .

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