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sherrymagic · 4 months ago

Note

For the QL asks: 5, 18 & 20. Thank you! 💜💜

thank you so much Jane for these, had a lot of fun (especially with number 18, was hoping someone would ask for that one aaaaa) 🩷

5. Who is the Asian ql villain you most love to hate?

one of the very few villains that i actually hate, and i love to hate him because he makes sense, he feels like he's well written, nuanced in his story villain nature, and that's what makes the hate so strong and real. i can see what he's doing and why and he still manages to surprise me with his behavior while still totally seeing where it's coming from, so i can hate him for the reasons i love to hate on a character for. also Mek is hot and funny which helps with the love part of this hdbsnsm

18. You get to pick a side character from two different qls to put in a show as a main pairing--who are you choosing and what kind of story is it?

had at least 4 options here but i'll keep the others in case anyone else asks for this question and i choose to go with a gl crackship that's totally not based on the way my souls craves for a CiizeEarn pairing in a lesbian romcom

SOOOO i would love for Charoen to finally get rid of Ton's obnoxious presence and go to a college fair where surprise suprise there's this girl that she initially mistakes for her friend's sister Alpha because they look so much alike (always hated the doppelganger trope but this is different because i say so) but quickly realizes it's not her. Charoen wants to choose a practical major or maybe religious/esoteric related one with the thought of following up her own family's footsteps but finds it hard to leave the art stand being somewhat enchanted by Fai's presence. the two of them end up talking at the end of the fair and Charoen expresses interest in the art major despite never taking it into proper consideration before. time goes by and she doesn't really see Fai again but she keeps often resurfacing in her mind until she starts college herself and despoite going for some other faculty she still chose the same university just because she wanted to geta chance to see her again. they actually do meet again and Fai is very busy with third year stuff and always tired but still manages to give her her support every time they meet. Charoen ends up signing up for some art related club that Fai is hosting at university, they spend more and more time together for some project related to decorating the uni or making a mural or something, the point is whatever this club is doing should lead to the gl version of the Elu (Skam France) paint scene. for reference, this is what i'm talking about:

lesbians making out covered in paint, can you imagine that?? no clear idea about the conflict but canon 23.5 told us Charoen is in the bi/pan spectrum while Fai so far had no indication reguarding not being straight, so there could be either family drama or gay crisis involved. all i know it's romcom shaped with some angsty but not too heavy parts, girls being pretty criers, fights on empty streets at night, almost breakup, and super happy ending. meaningful cameos of 23.5 and We Are characters are well accepted in this imaginary show.

20. We are retelling your favorite Asian ql from the POV of a side character--who is taking over the story and what do they have to say about the mains?

this one is hard because i don't even know which one my fave would be? the one i would ove the most to be retold in another character's perspective would be Only Friends but i wouldn't call that one a fave of mine lmao. so of the ones within my faves list... Not Me would be interesting from my favorite bitch boy Todd's pov, for the way the show was built i've always felt like they could have showed and say more about him. a ToddBlack past romance that the main characters from the original show never knew about would also fit. the novel isn't really helping with forming an idea here because reading that one revealed that the show surprisingly did a lot of things better queer erasure aside so... i'm leaving this at that bsdsnskd

— Asian QL Ask Game ♡

#ask games #this got so long I'M SORRY #i'm just not very sane about my ciizeearn dreams or todd from not me

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feuqueerfire · 2 years ago

Text

Ghost Host, Ghost House Live Blogging

Vibie Gen Youtube

The final new show before my 3 week rewatch journey, hope it’s good! It’s got ghosts and I’ve seen such good clips of the main couple in the show and a few outside show.

Ep 1 (Nov 28/29)

1-1

So Kevin is a ghost story teller on like IG and I know from spoilers that the family is actually dead and ghosts but seems like the audience and Kevin doesn’t know yet. I guess the daughter is like apathetic towards everything because of it while the rest of the family tries to appear normal for Kevin.

1-2

So the ghosts in this can touch, hold, and carry objects, ooh

As expected, I love the girl. She’s apathetic, she’s kinda mean, she doesn’t care BUT she stops the brother from accidentally giving away they’re ghosts by telling him to go through the proper entrance. She seems the most bitter about being dead but playing alive, so I hope they dive into her character later (is she the one that’s part of the small side gl?)

1-3

lol Pluem trying to communicate with Kevin in English is cute, as is Kevin teasing him cheekily

Kevin continuously giving this family a heart attack with every mention of a ghost

The ghosts can’t leave the house.

nevermind, they can

Also, the Aunt keeps calling or is at least translated as calling Kevin her cousin but he’s her sister’s son, so in English, nephew is more apt

1-4

Territory Restriction: they can leave because at least one of them (?) thought of Kevin before dying and now that he’s arrived, they’re free to leave the home?

The mix of paranormal and merit point science and afterlife bureaucracy is fun

pls Kevin gleefully tryna summon ghosts and disturb the peace while the Aunt’s family holds the ghost family back right behind him. he’s a menace fr

So the aunt’s family died of a car crash (dunno how long ago) near the swamp, which is the highest shrine for the area

Lots of setting up of the lore and backstory but interesting to me nonetheless.

Ep 2 (Nov 29)

2-1

This family was a whole mess before their death, oof

aww, is she tryna see the girl she likes?

2-2

ooaaahhh i remember seeing gifs and clips of this scene with Kevin on the couch and Pluem gardening outside and splashing water on the glass. cute >.<

the earring?

Pluem and Kevin are cute hehe it’s teasing and friendly right now, I can’t wait to see it turn romantic

2-3

Wasn’t expecting Pluem or Kevin to get wind of the family being ghosts so quickly for some reason but we’re almost 25% through the series, so it makes sense

heh, as expected Kevin saved Pluem as Handsome Gardener on his phone

2-4

Interestingly, this ghost hunting crew is just like an over-the-top version of Kevin but we’re supposed to feel vastly differently toward them I think?

I think it’s so cute that Pluem nervously asks the family “is there anything you wanna tell me?” aww like he’s so afraid of ghosts but still came to help the family

Ep 3 (Nov 30)

3-1

The twin ghosts thing is cool

3-2

Oooaahhh I’ve seen clips of this “Do you have a boyfriend?” convo at dinner and it’s so cute >.<

Pluem being scared of the aunt’s family now is interesting, wish we’d gotten to see how they told him at the end of ep 2

3-3

Pluem’s father passed away and his sister is hospitalized after a car crash? And they don’t know who the other party involved in the crash is? I guess it’s the aunt’s family and they all passed away?

3-4

Woah, the ghosts can do telekinesis? We haven’t been seeing much of their powers since they’re hiding it from Kevin

Home Alone vibes as the family teams up to scare the robbers away

:000 Kevin found out the family is all ghosts? Or maybe he saw the ghost that See-Foon thinks is in Kevin’s room? (Cute that he called and ran to Pluem though)

Also, they’ve mentioned Pluem’s need for multiple jobs and having not as much money several times now

Ep 4 (Nov 30/Dec 1)

4-1

lol I thought they’d at least talk a bit about what Kevin saw or discovered for him to be so freaked out

Kevin and Pluem so cute and awkward in Pluem’s room, aw

lol Pluem dying over Kevin’s bare legs

pleaseeeee Kevin teasing and pushing Pluem about getting naked but then getting nervous when Kevin actually does something about it lol I love that they seem to take turns being bold and teasing but then get shy/nervous about it too (Fave scene)

ahhh

big fan of the neck sniffing and hand sniffing tbh i love sniff kisses

4-2

these bitches never stop teasing each other i’m losing my mind why is kevin teasingly moving away every time pluem tries to kiss ahhh cuteeee

Kevin choosing “you” and “I” (eng words) as the pronouns they use with each other omgggg deliberately choosing language

Rosa and Lise so cute and kinda sad that they have to defend themselves preemptively despite not doing anything wrong (Fave scene)

lmfao Pluem’s last job?! going to funerals and pretending to be someone’s friend?

4-3

Sign language appearance and even which specific term the person prefers to refer to their disability (I’m assuming/hoping it’s accurate according to deaf/HoH Thai people)

lots of heart to hearts about Kevin’s dead friend Jack and Pluem’s parents. also, Kevin tells Pluem about the aunt’s family being ghosts

4-4

Kevin hearing about the family’s death and stuff finally

as expected, Aunt’s family and Pluem’s father passed away from the same accident

omg Pluem trying to summon his father with the candles and mirror, then being upset and demanding at the shrine is so good. the ending with the car in the lake, though I don’t think it’s his dad’s gray truck. Pluem being mad and upset that the Aunt’s family are the ones who killed his dad (or so he thinks, I’m expected some other explanation) but also being mad that they could come back to see Kevin while his father isn’t back, meaning perhaps he wasn’t thinking of Pluem and his sister in the end.

Okay, as a lover of formalities and honorifics and titles, I also liked them being deliberate and specific on what to use (this type of thing shows up with younger semes sometimes like in Lovely Writer or LeonPob Don’t Say No, although this case isn’t the same as those; we also got it in terms of formality when it came to Sangwoo going from sunbae to hyung). Them choosing ‘I’ and ‘you’ pronouns instead of “Phi” and “name” oof it incorporates Kevin’s background as well.

I’m nervous to continue on though ngl because people were iffy about 1) apparently a stupid breakup, 2) side GL being short and sad and 3) the logic or reasoning for things being meh. I’m not certain about any of these because I’ve remained mostly spoiler-free but oof

Behind the scenes l EP4 Watched the behind for this ep and it’s so cute! Boy and Tod are endearing and funny together and by themselves and there’s not really any awkwardness between them.

Fave episode, really fucking good.

Ep 5 (Dec 1/2)

5-1

ooh, a little sex positivity PSA in the midst of “...did Pluem ditch Kevin after getting into his pants”

So Pluem’s father and Aunt Jeab’s family both passed away a month before the start of the show

Dang, Pluem and Kevin’s breakup(?) scene was sad, Pluem grieving his father and also bitter that the people he thinks killed his father are back but his dad isn’t while Kevin also lost his family and he also has someone (Jack) he wishes he could see as a ghost. Pluem not considering how Kevin is going through similar things vs Kevin saying things that just sound unkind even though he doesn’t mean them that way rip Neither of them is really wrong (though I admire Kevin’s resiliency in trying to keep the relationship and it’s one of the times in BL where I don’t get grossed out by ‘refusal to breakup’ because it wasn’t even that really) - (Fave scene but in a way of the writing choices, not for cute or giddiness)

5-2

dang, Pluem cruel in his grief to his sister too T.T At least they made up quickly because I don’t think I could’ve taken angry siblings on top of all that

The “Last Day” stuff is still kinda confusing to me but that’s not till later ig

5-3

Pluem putting a mosquito coil (haven’t seen those in so long) near Kevin

dang, kevin giving up seeing his ghost friend to let pluem see his ghost father

oof, a no show

pluem’s father in the past doing the “taking sadness away” gesture same as the “taking anxiety gesture” kevin did

the realization of pluem that his father chose to not come back and his lesson from his father when he was young and his mom passed away all coming back to make sense of what’s going on is sad but in a nice way (though I’m side-eyeing the father’s advice though, especially to a very young child Pluem who mother recently passed away but maybe it comes across better in Thai?)

damn, girl hundreds?! see-nam only has a few hundred points left cuz she waited for the girl at school every day (+ the 6000 points used for the ritual)

5-4

girl, Jake?!?!

I guess Jake was hidden from Kevin the whole time because he wasn’t on his own turf but See-Foon could see him because ghosts can see each other. Damn, mans has been taking care of Kevin this whole time and has seen him fall in love and give up a chance to see him to Pluem and it’s really his time to go.

our first taste of the disappearing ghost

also i just realized See-foon didn’t see Jake in the dreams, he learned about his existence by finding him lol

damn, this ep is just sad event after sad event but I quite enjoyed it.

love to see Pluem lash out and be unreasonable in his grief tbh. Does it make sense to break up with and ignore Kevin because Kevin's family came back as ghosts from the same car crash that his dad died and didn't reappear in? No because Kevin had nothing to do with it but I liked that it was overwhelming and upsetting and caused him to lash out at Kevin and his sister. I do want Pluem to sincerely apologize next ep though. I wonder if this was the stupid/avoidable break up someone mentioned because then I’m fine with that, I understood why it happened

About Jake, I was like hmm I slightly suspected that the ghost in Kevin's room is Jake but the reveal and disappearing is done in such a short time that it doesn't hit as hard but I'm fine with it since it's like the first taste of a disappearing ghost (agh I guess See-nam gonna disappear next ep? TT) and the general story of Jake was sad enough even though we didn't delve super deep into it

Ep 6 (Dec 3)

6-1

Linguistics: wait okay from what i noticed/read in notes of a post, in ep 5 Kevin was still using I/you pronouns but Pluem stopped and used gu/meung with him once or twice instead. So now, Pluem used ter again (they used rao/ter before the I/you decision) and Kevin was like “Don’t you speak rudely to me like you did?” using meung

At least Pluem apologized (and even tried doing it in English for Kevin)

6-2

Aww, See-nam and her dad apologizing to each other in general and father-daughter bonding

Having them use I/you pronouns is good for realizing how differently this is used in Thai vs English. Like I’ve heard them say “Khun/Ter/Meung” in lieu of a name many times but saying “You” makes it concretely settle in my head that, in these case, they use these pronouns in a way that we would use a name in English.

Nam’s gone?! She didn’t even meet the girl?!?! Fuckkasdfja;skldfja;sdf

bro flashbacks? so we fr not getting a bittersweet ending (Nam and her meeting and confessing and saying goodbyes) but just fucking sadness bc Nam used up so many points while waiting for the girl at school only to disappear before meeting her one last time

1 minute of See-Nam and Prim flashback but they were so cute T.T (Fave scene)

6-3

aw lol, Foon going through kittens to see which ones Nam reincarnated as

Damn, exchanging points for Last Day already - See-Fon got 4 hours left

6-4

Oof, See-Foon also gone (aside: did he say goodbye to his parents already or what?)

askldf Prim was waiting for See-Nam to come visit her at the hospital?!?!?! fuckkk

No joke, I’m boutta become a supervillain wtff I was expecting like one last sad meeting with confessions or heartfelt conversation between See-Nam and Prim but See-Nam really used up so many of her points with the Pluem’s dad summoning + going to wait for Prim at school that she used it all up?! and Prim was actually waiting for her to show up at the hospital?!?! So they just never fucking meet I’m gonna flip a table. Also, we got both kid ghosts disappearing in the same ep.

Although, them both disappearing 3/4 of the way through in quick succession makes me nervous that they’ll somehow be brought back to life or smth at the end idk but I hope that doesn’t happen.

Ep 7 (Dec 3)

7-1

please they’re so cute, this stupid fake interview and Kevin being like “off you’re not giving any time for others’ compliments” and Pluem saying “I’m afraid they won’t give me any hehe” cutee

aw shit, Kevin boutta go back to murica soon isn’t he

I think this is the second time when Kevin has looked at Pluem for help and he’s stepped in to explain Kevin’s thought process to the family (can’t remember the first time but it was last ep and this time it’s about the aunt and uncle to the beach honeymoon)

7-2

It was already beautiful but then the aunt and uncle turned young before disappearing and that’s so T.T

bro, why isn’t Kevin answering? The reason he’s not agreeing to be Pluem’s bf is for sure not because of Jake but because he’s going back to America soon, right? so correct himmmm

7-3

wait dang it really is Kevin unable to forget Jake?

Damn, did Jake and Kevin also use you/I pronouns? Pluem was the one who asked, so he just struck upon the same thing as Kevin and Jake ig

aw, cute sad conversation that they had before Jake died that basically predicted Jake becoming a ghost and looking over him till Kevin finds someone else

fr Kevin’s ghost hunting origin story

I had a pretty bad interview yesterday, so seeing Pluem be shit at his job is making me wanna off myself. nervousssss

lmfaooooo not Pluem’s adlibs for the ad that are actually for Kevin

wtf, is Kevin jealous? over a shoulder clap from Pluem’s costar? bffr Pluem was fighting against a ghost and yuo can’t handle this?

7-4

oh dang, death by awkwardness

oof, Kevin leaving for America without saying goodbye or patching up things or letting Pluem know, fuck

I wish they just said things and didn’t do this.

Ep 8 (Dec 3)

8-1

Pluem trying to repeatedly call Kevin, then going by Aunt Jeab’s house a week later only to find it empty and dusty and sitting there as he realizes Kevin’s simply not here... then getting the notification of Kevin going live on IG again and sitting in his home in the states talking about his experience in Thailand while Pluem sits alone in the empty house

girl, Kevin only talking to Pluem indirectly through the IG live rip

dang, if I were Pluem I’d just lose my mind if that happened to me tbh

8-2

is it 3 days? weeks? months? years? I wish they’d translated it because in first part they translated 7 days

dang, Kevin’s mom’s having twins? See-nam See-foon reincarnation era

you’re gonna miss each other while walking by like this?! goddamn Don’t Say No special ep flashbacks

ooh, Pluem let out a smile seeing Kevin. I don’t even know what I want the reaction to be; ideally, it’d be an angsty and apologetic and hurting and confusing reunion but considering we’ve got like 35 mins left, maybe going the happy route with little depth is a good idea

8-3

I don’t even know how I feel about Pluem’s eagerness like have some bitterness in your heartttt. I want Kevin to be apologizing and begging, not Pluem to be making moves as if Kevin didn’t rip his heart out without notice

The making out is too noisy and slightly gross to me but I can’t skip because I’m mesmerized by their hands and fingers as they run over each other’s bodies or open buttons; their beautiful, slender, ring-adorned hands

I like the filming of this - feels like we’re on a swing or a boat because of the dolano-dolano vibe

8-4

I’m losing my mind because they’re so fucking cute, this pillow talk with the teasing and flirting and agh idek

bro, I slapped my forehead like 10 times during the whole bed talking scene because they were sooo cute throughout it fml (Fave scene)

listennn in english, it’s “did you miss me the same way I missed you?” but in Thai, you don’t change the pronoun, so he said it as “did you miss I the same way I missed you” and literally said I ahhh so fun

goddamn the can rings

one last nod at the people who passed away. so grateful they never came back once they left, don’t want the ghosts returning

they’re so fucking cute for no reason

Idek how I feel about the last 1.5 eps because in terms of writing, I have some qualms but like Kevin and Pluem are so cute that I can’t even think critically.

Biggest Pulls for this show:

- Pluem and Kevin, bro they were soooooo fucking cute just unbelievable I was cheesing throughout so many of their interactions. they really felt like people who liked each other and also just bounced off each other so well. They had great off-camera chemistry as well.

- The linguistics, specifically usage of first and second person pronouns for Kevin and Pluem. I love the deliberate choice of using you/I so much and they use it throughout except !! Pluem used ‘meung’ when he got angry at the roof in ep 5 and was very rude and, in the next ep, when he used ‘ter’ during his apology, Kevin pointed it out and was like oh? you’re not speaking rudely to me anymore?

- The ghost stuff was intriguing and I’m glad they didn’t somehow make them come back or anything. I wish we got some more background in terms of how things actually worked and some more lore building but I’m still generally okay with the way it went, combining the comedy and sadness

- I wish we had more of the GL rip

All in all, despite not liking certain choices or wishing for more in other aspects, I enjoyed watching it and am so glad to have watched Pluem and Kevin, they were adorable.

Rating: 6.5/10

Tiktoks

Ep 4 Pluem distracted by Kevin’s legs (we must stay focused brothers)

Ep 6 See-Nam and Prim

Trailer Reaction: Boy tearing up at the trailer and Tod’s eyes widening and them getting shy at the NC scenes lol

Director’s Cuts

1: an extended version of ep 4 NC scene

#ep by ep commentary #ghost host ghost house

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piepeloe · 1 year ago

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I've actually wondered this as well. And I've wondered if it's because he's sort of the 'Platonic ideal' of a Jedi. Meaning not the ideal, perfect Jedi, but more the standard model?

Under a cut because it gets long and is (somewhat?) negative of Filoni's SW

Ben Kenobi is the first Jedi we ever met and if GL had only ever made 1 SW movie, he'd have been the only one. And well, Filoni is more into Mandalore and 'non-traditional' Jedi.

I'm only mentioning this because the stories Obi-Wan gets in TCW involve a love interest, set around Mandalore. About the least Jedi things you can imagine. The Lawless was a great episode, but involved (again) someone in armor waving around a lightsaber.

The Rako Hardeen arc is interesting but Obi-Wan isn't even himself 95% of the time and is once again, in armor, playing a bounty hunter.

For a while I wondered if Filoni actually really liked the character, because why else keep putting him on Mandalore, in armor, etc. Those are his favorite things, after all. But yeah, the complete lack of interaction with Ahsoka, when she does interact with plenty of other Jedi, senators, troopers, civilians,... But not a single ep just her and Obi-Wan. I think Filoni just doesn't know what to do with him.

He has apparently mentioned he has a backstory for Obi-Wan's time on Mandalore? The relationships between him, Bo-Katan, Pre Viszla,... I know some people would love that but I'd prefer more stories of Obi-Wan as a Jedi. We're getting a S2 of Tales of the Jedi, not written by Filoni, so fingers crossed.

As for the Ahsoka series, having Obi-Wan show up wouldn't have made sense for what he was doing. Which maybe means what he was doing didn't make much sense, but YMMV.

She was worried that Anakin being her master might make her evil too, but he was her master for like, 2 years? And she had loads of other teachers beside him. Also, Anakin didn't turn out like Obi-Wan so why would she turn out like Anakin. Obi-Wan being in her vision or showing up as a Force Ghost would just be reminders of those things.

But again, I feel like Obi-Wan's too much a Jedi for Filoni's tastes. It's easier to diss the (PT) Jedi when the only true representative is a droid that keeps quoting protocol. It'd be harder if freaking Obi-Wan Kenobi showed up.

Real question here: does Dave Filoni not like Obi Wan or something?

I mean as fans there’s probably no way we’d ever actually know, but I feel like he has to not care about him as much as Anakin and Ahsoka at the very least.

He got the worst storylines in TCW and the most shallow character development (which he didn’t even really need imo, at least not in the way it was presented, but that’s a whole separate post). And there’s also his relationship with Ahsoka not ever being taken seriously even though realistically it should’ve been way deeper than it was.

Maybe I’m reading into things way too much, but every time Dave Filoni has been behind a portrayal of Obi Wan, it just always comes off like he’s being sidelined or his importance is being downplayed. Anyone who has read Obi Wan’s canon novels or just has a decent understanding of him as a character knows there’s way more to him than the canon shows let you see. Not to mention that there is a lot of TCW which is just blatantly out of character but, again, that’s a completely different (and very, very long post).

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gffa · 4 years ago

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Hello there! I was recently in a discussion with someone who thinks the Jedi were kinda bad and I was saying I mean I don’t think so, but ok. They tried to convince me with Barriss and how what she said was correct and I’m kind of confused because I kinda feel she’s right but she also isn’t. Uh, could you help explain it, cuz I’m a little lost?

Hi! Barriss is something of a complicated topic, because I don’t think her story should be divorced from that it’s a really bad look to write the character with a whole lot of Muslim parallels as a bomber and thus it’s hard to take the story seriously on a meta level, because I’m too busy going, “Guys, what the fuck, that’s real bad over there.” and whether she has a point or not often gets overshadowed by that. And it’s hard to set that aside (and I’m unsure if one should even try) where I think the intention of Barriss’ story is meant to make us think about the Jedi’s role in the Republic and in the GAR, but I’m not sure it’s meant to provide concrete answers. What Barriss says: “I have come to realize what many in the Republic have come to realize… that the Jedi are responsible for this war! That we've so lost our way that we've become villains in this conflict! That we are the ones who should be put on trial! All of us! And my attack on the temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become: An army fighting for the dark side, fallen from the light that we once held so dear. This Republic is failing! It’s only a matter of time.” There are elements of truth here, the Republic is failing, that the people have lost faith in the Jedi and they are now seen as villains, that the war was a tool used by the dark side to gain control over the galaxy. The problem is that she also has fallen herself, that she’s willing to murder innocent people in that bombing, willing to let other people take the fall for her, and that cannot come without being part of the dark side. And the dark side lies. The dark side is not an accurate narrator. The problem with Barriss’ words is that we’re not given any better options for the Jedi and it blames a group of people for their own lack of feasible choices. Is their involvement in the war part of what leads to their own destruction? Yes, of course it is. Does that make it suddenly their own fault that Palpatine literally drafted them into the war (according to supplementary books + GL word of god commentary)? Does it make the point of how, if they hadn’t joined the war, it would be people like Tarkin running the show, and that Tarkin’s introduction into the show was literally meant to show that? Barriss’ accusations have grains of truth in them, but they ignore that there’s never been any offer of an alternate path for them that has ever held any water, especially given what we see of how the Senate treats people who say “no” to them--they get blacklisted and are unable to help anyone anymore and things get worse. It happens with Padme in the supplementary novels after her actions in TPM, it happens to Mandalore in TCW’s main storyline, etc. The Jedi are in a position where, if they say no, there’s a very likely chance that they’ll be put in an even shittier position and there won’t be anyone to lead the war in a more gentle direction, if possible. That’s the problem that Barriss is leaving out--does the Jedi’s involvement in the war lead to bad things? Yes! But their non-involvement would have been worse. And to say that they were responsible for this war, when Sheev Palpatine is RIGHT THERE or when Obi-Wan himself points out, “If the people of the galaxy stood up for what was right, this war would have been over long ago.”, is tunnel-visioned at best. The Jedi didn’t start the war, nor are they the ones keeping it going, that’s all Palpatine right there. The Jedi stepping away doesn’t mean Palpatine or Dooku will stop fighting, that the clones will suddenly stop fighting, that the droid army will suddenly stop fighting. Barriss’ words treat the Jedi as if they have obvious better options, they treat the Jedi as if they’re the only player in this game, when they’re not. Did the Jedi make mistakes? Of course, as well as there’s an impossible to answer question of, “When would have been the right time for them to walk away from everything?” And what does that even look like? Do they go rogue vigilantes in a galaxy that already fears them/doesn’t understand them? Do they just sit on their asses on the sidelines? Is there any galaxy in which Palpatine would have let several thousand one-man-walking-army nuclear weapons just sit by and not specifically target them? Knowing that they would have the power to stop him, if he didn’t back them into a corner and tie their hands? He’s not going to just leave them alone. They don’t have the numbers to fight the war themselves, that was made clear over and over and over, so, they can’t become a third faction (in the Republic GAR vs Separatists), they can’t sit it out, do they join the Separatists? Do they just fuck off into the depths of the Unknown Region? Like, what’s the play here? Especially when the Separatists are out there poisoning entire planets, enslaving entire peoples, murdering and torturing their way across the galaxy, and the Jedi are just supposed to go, “Well, fighting in this war was making us feel sad and have to deal with darkness, so you guys are on your own now.”? You can say, “The Jedi made mistakes, being part of the war.” and that’s not wrong, but the problem with judging the Jedi for it is that it often ignores that there were other players on the board with far more political power, that they were not given as much power as we want to think they were, and there weren’t really better options for them personally that wouldn’t have fucked over a lot of people who needed help. Like, should the Jedi have stayed out of the fight when Ryloth’s people were being used as human shields? Should they have stayed out of the fight when the people of Kiros were taken to be slaves? Should they have stayed out of the fight when Mon Calamari was being occupied and its people enslaved as well? That’s the question that never seems to get answered in Barriss’ accusations. And if you have to bomb a bunch of innocent people, without apparently having ever actually stood up and talked to anyone about this first, maybe you’re lost in the dark side and not seeing things all that clearly. (Which is still setting aside that using Barriss for this story was fucking awful.) The Jedi aren’t perfect, I think it’s fair to question their role in the war and the path they took, but ultimately I have yet to find any workable solutions that wouldn’t have left people to get fucked over by the war, that’s where I’ve landed on the subject and I think what the actual worldbuilding of the movies + TV shows actually evidences. As Yoda says, when asked if he’s sure about their actions and whether they’re on the right path: “Hmm, the right path, no. The only path, yes.” That’s it, that’s the summation for the Jedi’s involvement in the war for me. The right path, no. The only path, yes.

#barriss offee #jedi order #meta #Anonymous

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yurimother · 5 years ago

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Interview: Shilin Huang, Creator of Amongst Us and Carciphona

Shilin Huang ( @okolnir )is a Canadian freelance artist and comic creator, known for her long-running series Carciphona. She has a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Western Ontario. Carciphona is a long-form fantasy story set in a world where demon-magic is forbidden. The series follows a young sorceress named Veloce, and the mythical assassin assigned to kill her, Blackbird.

Shilin’s newest book, Amongst Us, based on the webcomic of the same name, is an alternate universe comic that reimagines Veloce and Blackbird as musicians and girlfriends in the modern world. You can support the physical release for Amongst Us book 1 on Kickstarter today.

The first book of Amongst Us is coming soon. How do you feel about the release?

Eager and relieved!! I had worked for so long to make the web format viable for print format, as well doing all the extra drawings that were necessary--like covers--that I had to keep under wraps, it felt great to know that that part is finally done and I can release my child into the wild. I was very worried too before the launch of the Kickstarter, because though I am the one who made this story, I am not quite a slice-of-life type of person myself, and it was hard for me to see value in this mundane, not-plot-driven kind of story as a printed book. But I was very lucky to have that worry dispelled!

What drew you towards creating comics and artwork? Was it a dream of yours?

I’ve been drawing since before elementary school because I enjoyed it, and somewhere along the way, I wanted to create my own characters, and then I wanted stories for them. It was always just me doing what I felt like doing, more so than something that I aspired towards achieving consciously. If I had to analyze the allure myself, maybe it was because people and the world are so interesting, I’ve always loved thinking about their nature and circumstances, and art/storytelling was the best way for me to explore and share those thoughts.

Could you briefly walk us through your creative process for making a page of Carciphona or an episode of Amongst Us?

Carciphona is a long, plot-driven story, and so the scale of preparation required before the page eclipses the actual drawing of the page itself. [A] small moment has some larger impact in the plot, character development, and accuracy of world-building. So I usually spend about half a year or more writing out an entire volume, read it over many times over the course of the years, before I do the same thing with sketching the entire volume on the computer, rearranging pages and panels and entire scenes for best delivery, before I finally commit to drawing out each page in detail on the computer.

Where Carciphona is like an elaborate set course where I chop up and measure ingredients and time their cooking with a careful game plan so everything can be served as they should, Amongst Us is more like an omelette that I’m making to taste. There is still planning and writing ahead of time, but each episode is much more self-contained, and I do more of the planning of the episode within the episode itself, adding and taking away details as I see fit before I feel like it reads naturally enough for me to fine line, colour, and paint.

You talk about being a self-taught artist, how did you learn to create artwork? What are some of your favorite educational resources?

While I did come across many tutorials, they were mostly short ones here and there made by my peers, so I don’t have any favourites in my mind that I can share ): . I learned by just looking at the art of my peers at the time and drawing a lot myself, thinking about what I could learn from each time I see something great, and what I could try next time to make the next drawing look better to me. When I had just started drawing digitally, the internet was quite new, drawing tablets expensive and uncommon, with no social media to share art or find resources. Over time, I did try to learn more properly by doing studies and seeking out professional tutorials, but I found that I hated it and decided that I’d rather learn and make mistakes at my own pace and be happy than to commit to effective and efficient learning and make myself dislike drawing.

Amongst Us is, of course, an Alternate Universe comic featuring characters from Carciphona. What inspired you to put your characters into a GL slice of life work?

Back in 2006, when I started drawing Carciphona, I had no plans of this frenemies dynamic for the two main characters, Blackbird and Veloce, and when the thought had occurred to me as I continue to tweak the story, canon GL relationships were still rare and rarely accepted. I was even told on many occasions by readers that they hope the two do not end up with some couples dynamic, or they will no longer be interested in the story. Ultimately, Carciphona was a fantasy story about an entire world, and I wasn’t going to risk the story’s reception over a small detail like whether or not Blackbird and Veloce sleep together, so I just played with the ideas of their relationship on the side, in paintings of many different AUs. Eventually, all that did was make me become so attached to the idea that I decided to say, screw it, I need someplace where they could be together, and I’m drawing an AU for real.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your work? Both Amongst Us and Carciphona.

I love a lot of things, feelings, aesthetics, and I eat up all of that and take it back out in the form of my stories. The inspiration is everywhere, from beautiful imagery I witness in pictures and in real life, to [the] lives of people that I hear about or experience firsthand, to the ethics and structures of professions from mechanics to medicine… In feelings, knowledge, and perspective, there’s an infinite amount of things that makes me think, and that thinking is what creates AU and Carciphona, whether or not that line of inspiration can be clearly drawn back to the root of the thought.

What are some of your biggest challenges or fears creating Amongst Us? Was there any realization or advice that helped you overcome those difficulties?

My biggest fear is always in relatability because it’s a difference between me and the reader that I do not and cannot have a solution for because it involves another person. In such a relatable genre as slice of life/comedy/romance, where the readers have more experience and therefore more varied but stronger expectations of a version of life that is relatable to them, I know that even if somehow I become a master writer, I still would not be able [to] say whether I could story that others would get or would be interested in, especially because I am aware I am an oddball when it comes to how I think, how I live, and what I value. What helped me the most was simply seeing that there were readers who did enjoy the stories for what it was, and reminding myself that I’m telling the stories to find those who might enjoy it, not to avoid those who might not. It’s a different perspective, rather than a solution, so the worry constantly resurfaces, but I hope it becomes easier over time as I am proven wrong more often!

Amongst Us readers have gotten to see Veloce and Blackbird as an established couple, and now we are witnessing flashbacks to how they first met. Where do you hope to take the series in the future?

I intend to tell both of these timelines concurrently, so as the couple timeline ended at episode 20, I intend to end the flashback at around episode 40, and then switch again at episode 60, and so on. While this kills the momentum for each arc, I made AU so that I can have the cake and eat it too--I want both their back story and a happy ending at the same time without having to wait 10-20 years for it, like I do with Carciphona’s plot haha!

What is one dream or aspiration you would like to accomplish? Even if it is unrealistic.

My only dream right now is just to finish both Carciphona and AU before my time’s up! Funny how unrealistic is specified, it made me realize that I rarely consider unrealistic dreams/aspirations as worth thinking about as they are unlikely to happen when there are so many other things I want to do that are actually possible. Most of my unrealistic dreams actually revolve around music, a profession I had left behind with an aching heart. I dream to play a concerto with an orchestra someday, or even learn to conduct, but for now, drawing my dreams out feels enjoyable and fulfilling enough a compromise!

What advice do you have for people wanting to create artwork and comics?

The true challenge these days I feel like is rarely in the work itself; there are so many readily available free resources that anyone who is capable of working hard and thinking critically will sooner or later be able to master skills they acquire to some degree. What is truly challenging is finding, and then accepting, what paths work for you. Someone might find great joy in working in a studio with a group on something big, while someone else might only enjoy drawing what they feel. Both, in this current climate, will be compelled to adhere to the standards of drawing what others want to see in order to gain recognition and financial stability, one will thrive, one will not.

I think the most important thing to keep in mind is understanding what you want out of drawing/creating, and why. Understanding yourself is often not as straight-forward as it may seem, everyone has different circumstances that subtly motivates them to sometimes misdirect energy and misinterpret what it is they truly want. Some people need to be understood, some people want an excuse to execute, and some people want fame, money, recognition, validation. Whatever it is, and all valid, understanding and accepting your own motivations to create can tremendously help you find the path forward that is suitable for you, not anyone else, even if it might mean following an impractical path that no one else recommends.

Finally, after the release of the first Amongst Us book, what is next for you? Anything special your fans can look forward to?

My game plan through the decades has always been to just keep going. I did choose long-form projects such as the comics that I draw, and the best thing I can do is to just keep it up and reach those exciting points of the story that I’ve always worked towards, no matter how uneventful that may make my work routine sound. However, I do have a little side thing with a(nother) recurring theme that I’ve been doing here and there for fun whenever I had time, people who keep up with my social media art posts may have noticed. If I ever accumulate enough material, maybe there will be some bonus snacks for my readers on the horizon!

Read Carciphona and Amongst Us online now and be sure to support the physical release on Amongst Us book 1 on Kickstarter today. Also, be sure to follow Shilin on Twitter @Okolnir.

#yuri #news #essay #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #gay #shilin #girls love #gl #wlw #essays #interview #art #artist #comics #indie #carciphona #amongst us

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ill337erate · 3 years ago

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OK SO HERE’S MY CURRENT LIST OF LGBT MANGA THAT I READ THIS YEAR (+ spiciness indicator for sexy scenes)

EDIT: I will be adding recommendations to this list as I encounter them! Today I am adding Raiatea!

My absolute favorites:

I Hear The Sunspot - this BL has a romance that I really enjoy. A lot of characters are involved in the deaf/hard of hearing communities which is really unique and interesting; I really enjoy manga where I feel like I’ve been immersed not just in the characters’ relationships, but in the world they inhabit. No presence of LGBT community as of yet, so it is a little bit “yaoi-ish” in that way, where a M/M couple just kinda. Exists. But I love this to bits and Taichi is just a delight to watch. A goofball with a heart of gold. The more intimate moments between Taichi and Kouhei never fail to make me turn into goo. I think the fact that the author didn’t realize she was writing a story for a BL magazine until late into the first volume (YEA H) is actually part of what made this so great. Nothing TOO spicy (yet) but they try 🤣

Love Me For Who I Am (FukaBoku) - the artstyle is misleadingly moe/loli, so I recommend giving it a try for at least a few chapters even if the art style is off-putting to you. A very thoughtful story about several LGBT youths with a nonbinary lead finding their identities and learning to respect each other, all of which more or less revolve around this maid café that employs AMAB individuals as waiters/waitresses. There’s a really scary gender dysphoria scene later in the series that haunts me but worry not as the ending is happy and hopeful. Mogu is wonderful and Tetsu is SUCH a good boy. There’s a lot of wholesome moments with the friend group! One could easily imagine a sequel about Mogu and Tetsu or several spin off series based on any of the major side characters, still a lot of untapped potential here despite the satisfying ending. Nothing TOO spicy.

Our Dreams at Dusk - this one is probably the artsiest and easily the most acclaimed of my recommendations, and is written by an x-gender mangaka! (X-gender being the term used for nonbinary people in Japan). I need to reread this one to refresh my memory to be honest but similar to FukaBoku it features a diverse cast of LGBT people, with a gay teen lead. Really good, maybe a bit heavy? But it ends well and had a lot of realism. It isn’t my favorite and I do have a few small nitpicks. But I can’t overstate the value of this as a manga that’s not trying to be yaoi/BL or yuri/GL, and actually talks about realistic LGBT experiences. Nothing spicy!

The Boy Was A Bride - adorable and flawless. This is a bit of an educational manga (both about the LGBT community at large and the situation of LGBT, specifically teans people in Japan) but it’s so wholesome and cute that I think I will read it again and again. An autobiographical manga by a trans woman about her transition and her relationship with the person who would become her husband! Nothing spicy!

Boku ga Otto ni Deau made - this one hasn’t been translated officially yet. It’s a manga adaptation of an autobiographical essay written by Ryosuke Nanasaki, Japanese gay activist who owns a company that helps LGBT people organize Buddhist wedding ceremonies (even though they can’t legally get married in Japan… yet!) I would recommend reading the essay if you can read Japanese (or if you find a full translation, PLEASE tell me). The characters are so prettyyyyy in this art style, I can’t 😭 CONTAINS SPICINESS

How do We Relationship? - I tried, lord KNOWS I have tried to find a wlw romance manga that I enjoyed. I have had very little luck (I’m not super patient so if the characters feel in any way off in the beginning or if things feel shallow I drop what I’m reading/watching like a hot potato… could not get into the Bloom Into You anime because of that damn kiss. ANYWAY). This one finally hit the spot! The art style is SO GOOD, the main’s love interest is spunky and fun, and it just feels very true to life. The weakest point is the main character who I honestly find to be a bit of a bore but let me tell you, everything else vastly makes up for her lukewarm presence. I don’t even necessarily enjoy this because of the relationship, it’s just a good college slice of life story. CONTAINS SPICINESS

Harukaze no Étranger (and the one-shot prequel, Umibe no Étranger) (manga, although Umibe has a movie. Still recommend the manga more) - I’ve been thinking about this series and I think my main take away is the atmosphere. The feeling of having a life in a place, surrounded by loved ones. What I love isn’t the sequence of events so much as the feeling that time is passing… seasons are changing, years are passing by, household dynamics are shifting as circumstances change… people make mistakes, argue, make up. It’s a slice of life about a gay novelist reconnecting with his parents while bringing his boyfriend along. Their relationship feels so real, and the art style is absolutely beautiful to me. The mains are definitely adults in Harukaze despite how young they look. My one complaint is that, despite the perfection of basically everything else, Mio says he’s not gay. Like. Dude. Come on. At some point in your life you will have come across some mention of bisexuality. Right??? It doesn’t bother me too much because everything else is so realistic, but that is precisely why this is jarring. I choose to interpret it as Mio just being ignorant lol he clearly is into his boyfriend and is also into girls. Also, Fumi, Shun’s new younger brother, is adorable. CONTAINS SPICINESS

Umareru Seibetsu wo Machigaeta! (I was born the wrong sex!) - This is another autobiographical manga! It follow a Japanese trans woman as she travels to Thailand for SRS with Dr Suporn. Besides being very informative, the manga is HILARIOUS, which is a feat considering how honest it is about the pain and struggles of recovery. I have to note that this is already the second story I read where the spouse of a trans woman doesn’t accompany her to Thailand for SRS (the first one being The Bride Was A Boy). Japanese couples…….. what are you doing!!!! Doesn’t contain spiciness per se but it IS about genital surgery, so, yeah. The more anatomical illustrations are very simple schematics, nothing graphic.

Blue Flag: Listen. I know what you think. High school romance? Love triangles? Don’t make the same mistake I did and avoid it for those reasons. Blue Flag fucking SLAPS. The first thing that struck me was the wonderful, crisp art style that molds itself to perfectly captures the mood of the scene. The facial expressions are flawless. And then it just kept getting better and better. The characterization is so clear and strong, and several scenes blew me away. This manga delves into some interesting discussions about interpersonal relationships and how gender affects them. I won’t spoil anything because going in clueless is the best way to go but I will say the story really rewards reading into the little things; it’s one of those series that gains new meanings on re-read. (Currently in the process of re-reading it myself!) Nothing spicy!

I Think My Son Is Gay: This one is just pure and wholesome. This series feels like a warm hug. It’s about a mother observing her eldest son being super transparently gay by accident, thinking about his struggles, and wishing him happiness just the way he is. The younger brother is an absolute king and we stan. This one was written by a gay mangaka who eventually had to came out to his own mom because he was publishing this manga. Nothing spicy!

Runner ups:

Our Dining Table - incredibly cute and fluffy and wholesome BL, I just needed MORE. The story doesn’t branch out into other characters and barely changes setting, and I kinda need that for a story to feel truly great. Does not contain spiciness!

What Did You Eat Yesterday - I haven’t finished this but it’s fun. More of a recipe book than a manga?? The food looks so good and makes me ashamed of my eating habits. Anyway the leads are two middle-aged-ish gay men. I don’t know if it contains spiciness but a few chapters in and it hasn’t. Doesn’t seem like it would.

Don’t Call Me Dirty - BL again. I really like the main character and the gaggle of children that impart harsh truths makes me laugh. The resolution is very, like,,, naïvely idealistic. Serious societal issues just get fixed because someone cared. Buuut other than that it’s cute I guess. CONTAINS SPICINESS

My Husband’s Brother - Manga by a gay author about a man meeting his deceased brother’s husband for the first time. I like this one a lot, actually. It just hasn’t yet had that SPARK for me, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. Very much a bara artstyle which is neat! I want to read more manga with art similar to this, would love some recommendations. Does not contain spiciness!

Raiatea - I’m definitely going to read more works by this mangaka, Tetsuzou Okadaya. This one of the first times I’ve seen work by a Japanese author that captures a different cultural experience so convincingly. It’s in part about a man from the titular Raiatea, an island in French Polynesia. I can’t say if this is an accurate portrayal, but it definitely doesn’t feel “Japan-washed” the way portrayals of other cultures in media from over there usually feel. An extension of that is that the world feels so real, and the people feel truly rooted in it, with multifaceted lives and experiences. CONTAINS SPICYNESS.

Things with LGBT content that I didn’t read/watch this year but love:

Yuri on Ice! - it was so funny rewatching Yuri on Ice! a couple of years ago because I remembered all the back and forth in the western fanbase about whether or not Yuuri and Victor were in a relationship. I went into the rewatch fully expecting to feel disappointed by the “ambiguity.” Good lord it could not be more obvious that they’re a couple 🤣 I have a lot of affection for this series, it’s so clearly a passion project and the characters are so loveable. I became interested in ice skating as a sport because of it! Does not contain spiciness but there is that one nude scene lol. And one character in particular behaves very suggestively, for laughs.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (anime) - So I’m cheating and including based on subtext only. But if you’re like me and the gay subtext is everything, this will shake you. It’s an incredible story about a man’s life as a rakugo artist and the new generation that is by him as he grows old. Please please watch it. There is a manga which I have only started, but I hear that the anime adaptation surpasses the original. Does not contain spiciness although iirc some of the rakugo that is partially performed in passing might be erotic in nature.

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness - Autobiographical manga. I loved this . I read the next 3 volumes the author has written thus far (My Solo Exchange Diary 1 and 2 and My Alcoholic Escape From Reality) and honestly, it was painful for me to get through. Girl has serious issues and I just want her to be ok. It’s surreal reading people write comments like “I loved this! Can’t wait for the next one!” like did you not notice she is in a self-destructive downward spiral. You can literally see the art becoming simpler in her worst moments as she describes her terrible state of mind. You are allowed to enjoy the manga but at least try to sound like you care about the person baring her life and soul in these volumes, geez. CONTAINS SPICINESS

Wandering Son (anime) - I am currently watching the anime and loving how delicate it is. The story of a trans girl and trans boy discovering themselves in a middle school setting. I binge-read the manga years ago and felt the same shock and disappointment as everyone else did about Takatsuki’s ending. A goddamn tragedy. Like, HOW. Everything else was so well-done up until that point. The manga suffers quite a bit from same-face syndrome which is helped immensely by the colors in the anime. These two reasons are why, despite not having finished the anime yet, I still feel fairly confident recommending the anime over the manga—the anime only covers a middle portion of the manga which thankfully leaves out the horrible and, frankly, puzzling ending of one of the main characters. Does not contain spiciness!

Stars Align (anime) - The fact that this series was cut short will haunt me to my grave. I need a proper continuation. I need a resolution. This is here because one of the characters is having a gender identity/sexuality self-discovery moment which is cut SHORT because the anime ended abruptly HALFWAY THROUGH. This show is heavy and I can’t recommend it unless you don’t mind that there’s no proper conclusion to anything. I still love it though 😭 Does not contain spiciness! (But big trigger warning for abuse)

#donnerwords

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peppersonironi · 4 years ago

Note

12, 21, 19

(Is this late? Oops. Sorry!)

12: Favourite character to write about this year

Stephanie Brown, easy. She's my spirit animal, so I might be doing a touch of projecting, but I honestly don't care. She's just pure chaos in the best way. Some of my favourite lines that I've written are for her. Such as:

"What's up bitches? I brought donuts!"

"My waffles await!"

"FEAR ME!"

"Welcome to Steph’s Glitter Bomb Palace, Where Snitches get Stitches™! So don’t tell Bruce or I’ll sic Jason on you."

She's also the character I've gotten the most comments on. People really seen to enjoy how I write her!

A close second would be Duke Thomas. Bliss, a fic I wrote for the 2020 Duke Week, was one of my favourites! Or maybe Damian? His dialogue just comes easy to me.

21: Most memorable comment/review

the batfamily exist:

everyone: is,,is that allowed?

On Code Orange (Batfam/Young Justice Crossover)

*Or*

I have wanted to read a DCU/MCU crossover for a VERY long time. This story is such a delight. Your characterisation (and for me an introduction to The Signal) was fascinating in the extreme. I loved the game playing and the fact that I could watch (open-mouthed) as Bruce Wayne enjoyed childlike fun with his children and Alfred(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) was the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake. I look forward to your updates in a way that you wouldn't believe.

On Batfam/Avengers Crossover

19: Any new fics to start next year

Oh boy. So many. You know what? Here's a list. It'll be good to get these ideas out. Plus, you guys can tell me what you'd rather see first!

Gen/just Batfam

Crack fic based off this piece of dialogue (came from a convo between my sister and I): Tim reached forward and poked Duke's face. "You're right!" He exclaimed. "You really *do* squish like a block of wood!" Duke Centric.

Based on THIS Incorrect Quotes. Talia moves into the Manor because she's sick of Ra's. Featuring a bunch of good mom!Talia.

Based off THIS Incorrect Quotes. Jason runs for President as Red Hood. I have so many ideas! This'll be really fun.

Loosely based on THIS post. It explores Jason and Cassandra's relationship, and how it evolves.

Duke Thomas Big Bang Fic (can't say much, but it'll be great!)

Platonic (need to be certain you understand that. There were some misconceptions w/ my Discord server) Slow Burn between Tim and Damian. At the beginning the absolutely despise each other. But over time they realise their own insecurities, and how they don't actually hate the other. And by the end they fully admit and embrace their being brothers.

Reverse Robins with Damian as the oldest (I made THIS post talking about it a while back. But I've highly revised it.)

Reverse Robins with Duke as the oldest (I wrote THIS fic, but I think I want to change this into a series!)

Cassandra as Batman. Stephanie as Catwoman. Carrie Kelley as Robin.

5 Times Bette Kane was the mastermind behind the batkids' pranks without Bruce's knowledge, and 1 Time her brilliance was brought to light.

5 Times Duke thought that he couldn't possibly get any more siblings and 1 Time he met the cousins (AKA: Duke meets the extended family)

Birdflash

Birdflash in the JL/JLU universe (based off that one hexagon by @novaviis ! Super fun!). The league is inviting potential members to the Watchtower one day. Except Wally wasn't there during the choosing of said members. So he's completely shocked when his husband Nightwing shows up. They have to act like they don't know each other, which basically involves Dick flirting his butt off with Wally, Wally trying desperately to remain professional, Bruce digging in the corner, the rest of the League in varying degrees of disapproval and confusion (at least a couple have seen Wally's wedding ring. So that adds a while 'nother layer).

Young Justice soulmate au. Dick, and eventually everyone else, knows that Wally is his soulmate. Wally is oblivious. Lots of pining and angst in this one. Slow burn to an extent (depends on how long I make it). But definitely a happy fluffy ending in sight!

Batfam Meets Young Justice

THIS fic.

Duke gets yeeted into the YJ universe, and promptly passes out. He wakes up in the Watchtower, and breaks out of the confinement the Team has set up for him. Pulls shenanigans (some unwittingly) and used his powers. The Team and JL are confused, and panicking. Because this guy keeps muttering things about the Batfam. And he has a bat on his chest.

The Team break into some ancient temple after getting info on a new Supervillian plot. They find purple clothed woman draped across a throne. She talks, and they panic, as she knows all their secret identities. The only one who isn't, is Tim. He looks bored. Alternatively: Steph needs Tim's credit card to take his sister out on a date, and absolutely refuses to text.

While the Team is on a mission to stop Lady Shiva, a dimensional portal opens up and spits out a strange Robin (Damian) and what seemed to be a female Batman (Cass as Black Bat). This new dynamic due promptly defeats Lady Shiva and all the goons. The Team is freaked out, and 'apprehends' the dimensional anomalies, bringing them back to the Watchtower. Where the due promptly break and and start chaos. Featuring "Toxic" by Britney Spears. I will not explain why.

The Watchtower gets a sudden emergency message from the Batcave. They accept, to find a stranger calling himself Signal panicking about Robin being missing. They all look at Tim, who ignores them, and says that he doesn't know where Robin is. Some naming shenanigans occur.

(Not sure if this fits here, oh well) Set in Season One, Bruce is tired of Clark's attitude towards Superboy, and adopts the clone himself. Not sure how far this'll go, but at least goes through Dick's time as Robin. (Based on THIS Tumblr post)

(Also iffy on placement) a continuation of one (not sure which? Probably Damian as older) Reverse Robins fics. It's a retelling of Season One of YJ, with Dick as Robin. Nightwing (Damian) feels protective of his brother, and so takes on the role Black Canary had in the show, training the Team. But as time goes on, he ends up being more of a big brother to the group. Cameos from the rest of the Batfam as well! And an Identity Reveal (including finding out Dick and Dami are brothers) at the end!

Batfam Meets the Justice League

Cass takes over being Batman for a bit, because Bruce was an idiot and broke his leg. This happens to line up with when the Justice League reach out to the Dark Knight, in order to extend an invitation to the league. They eventually meet Bruce as Batman, and are confused as to why he is so tall. And male.

Joyfire

Lian accidentally reveals her three parents' relationship by calling Bruce 'grandpa' over dinner.

Museum Heist

THIS fic

Operation: Seduce Nightwing. Based on a post for an ATLA ot3, Wally and Artemis realise silumaneously “Hey, we kinda have the hots for Dick” and decide together to see if he likes them back. Which involves a heck ton of over the top flirting, and shenanigans. The Team is sighing on the sidelines at their idiocy. Dick is internally combusting and thinking “Do they like me back? I’’m not sure.”

5 times Dick and Wally fought over being the middle spoon, and one time Artemis had had enough.

Set in Season 3 (but ignores some canon), Bart is kidnapped by some mad scientist obsessed with the Speed Force. The Team mobilizes, and gets Bart back from the evil base. But when they get there, they find Wally West freed from the Speed Force. He and Artemis reunite, and everyone is happy. They prepare to leave. Then the Pick-up Squad arrive in the bioship, and Dick gets out. Everyone is expecting Dick to give Wally a hug, because hey, he's his best friend! What they weren't expecting was him to run forward and pull the speedster into a passionate kiss. They go back to the Watchtower, and some more stuff happens.

Soulmate AU where the first thing your soulmate says to you after they fall in love with you is tattooed on your body.

Post Season Two Get Together. Starts with Artemis living with Dick as opposed to Will. Might be Slow Burn? (They come pretty close to kissing) Eventually Wally comes back. Arty and Wally are back together. They both live in the same house as Dick, for convenience. Then some more Slow Burn happens. Maybe some Birdflash moments. Arty tells Wally she kinda had a thing for Dick. Wally admits the same. Maybe a touch more Slow Burn. They Eventually get together.

Batlantern

AU where Bruce met Hal back when he first came back to Gotham. Fic goes through how their relationship evolves over the years (up until current time, when Damian is 13). I'm considering a relationship reveal with the Justice League.

Hal's interactions with Bruce's kids.

Green Lantern Corp acting protective of Hal when Bruce comes to Oa. This was an ask that I got, and I'm holding off on writing it till I get as much into on the GL's as possible, as all I know if their characterization comes from that animated series, and Guy Gardener's (Hilarious!) parts on Young Justice.

Marvel

Like 3 different versions of the Peter Parker Field Trip to Stark Tower Trope.

2-part Crossover with the Batfam (they exist in the same universe), where the Avengers go to a Wayne Gala, and interact with the family. The second chapter involves them heading out the next night to try and contact Batman.

THIS fic.

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unohanadaydreams · 3 years ago

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So, it’s time for some more re-read updates bc I’m incapable of not dumping my thots kthx.

The thing is, seeing this entire scene play out makes me even more depression that this was never taken full circle in terms of Rukia and Ichigo’s connection to Kaien being revealed to them.

Like, you’re telling me glutton for punishment Rukia Kuchiki wouldn’t have felt even MORE guilt after finding out Kaien was related to Ichigo? That she robbed one of the most important people in her life of having KAIEN to help him?

And her confronting Ichigo with that and telling him abit about Kaien and he’s just like ‘I can tell you learned a lot from him, he sounds just like you’ and she just can not handle that and breaks down because holy shit? She really has passed on the heart Kaien gave her to Ichigo and she’s kept his memory alive all this time. His heart is in her and it’s made it’s way to Ichigo THROUGH her.

Like 😔 where was Rukia’s final catharsis moment and taking Ichigo to the Shibas, alive. Where was her not leaving this time, not carrying the blood of a teacher but the shoulder of a student. She isn’t the reason a Shiba is dead now. She’s the reason one is alive.

You think Gin and Luppi had a lot of meaningful conversations about uuuuh…..hot bods. Like part of me thinks Luppi is one of the only Arrancar who could stand Gin and also that Gin does not mean this bc he saw those tentacles on Rangiku.

Personally I think Gin encouraging Luppi to attack the human world to ‘assert his new rank’ or whatever is an awfully good way to off some strong Arrancar from Aizen’s army especially since he would KNOW about sealing procedures among captains/lieutenants.

Gin’s happy ending is you dying, Ulquiorra, isn’t that nice? 💕

I love how he contradicts himself instantly. Why are you treating your brother’s wounds if he’s just a box and you only cared about the data? Why did you single out the guy who killed him?

Science men in Bleach are positively PHOBIC to looking like they have meaningful connections.

Szayelaporro “I’m too mature to care about things that aren’t me, myself, and my science” Granz stfu

This confuses me. Like, WHERE is that good score counting towards??? Sure as fuck not the kido corps. Like, this further lends to my theory that lots of students are getting offed for not being strong enough in the academy because going back to the rukongai isn’t an option.

No way this academy is getting full classes of new students every single year and yet they only have a handful of thousands in the gotei 13. Especially considering that for, presumably, the original run of Bleach, it was canon that soul society was THE ONLY soul society, for all human dead. Which is honestly less confusing than every country having their own bc like…..borders and shit have changed so many times just in the past 1000 years, how do you even go about deciding which humans go to which soul society (and like are there multiple versions of Hueco Mundo? Of Hell? It’s too much)

This scene hits, but it would be even more devastating with a fade in and out of that month they spent together just saying Kubo it’s okay to give us content of two women talking about not Ichigo.

Also, I love that Rukia still finds a way to think about Kaien’s lesson and apply it to herself in a negative way. Like you can not get a bad grade in dying, ma’am. You’re doing your best.

Also Orihime seeing Rukia almost die is ❤️ very angst much horror thank you.

This entire line of thought was so unnecessary and held up exactly 0 percent. It wasn’t even needed for Ichigo to go after Aizen bc like…..he already took Orihime???? Why make him a little bit more mad about her reputation?

You can not tell me that Aizen, who has been playing 4D chess for hundreds of years, was like ‘yeah it’ll be very convincing that this teenage girl decided to jump to my ship after I had numerous people she loved almost killed and my goal is definitely to have Soul Society not help Ichigo and co under that premise. I’m not planning anything, Soul Society and definitely not moving up the war love u xoxoxo.’

Yamamoto could have just straight up said ‘I’m not sacrificing my soldiers for one human girl but gl with Aizen bitch.’ Because that’s what it really comes down to. Yamamoto is trying to fake out Aizen and seem on lockdown/like he’s waiting until Winter—the whole Orihime Is Traitor thing makes very little sense in that regard.

I will say that Hueco Mundo arc really upped the casual violence and body horror in Bleach as a whole so yet another win for this arc.

Also I love how Grimmjow is one of the villains in Bleach that even the most ‘problematic characters haters’ will simp for when this is his baseline when it comes to just annoyance. He is so hot he transcends dumb fandom discourse. This man is causally annoyed so he’s slowly and purposefully breaking Lollys leg so she fully understands before he does it. The ultimate vindictive bitch.

I know that she probably is freaked out about her leg coming back because it’s a bat shit amount of power involved in doing that, but I think she’s infinitely more horrified that Orihime not only healed her, but does so without a word, almost devoid of emotion.

She freely cusses Grimmjow out, tries to barter with him, tries to persuade him, and generally feels comfortable running her mouth because she knows violence is happening regardless. She is afraid and doesn’t want it to happen but she knows the song and dance.

But she hits Orihime with a lot of fear behind it, barely able to say more than get away. And despite that, plus the beating (AND BROKEN FUCKING PINKIE just hanging there bent) Orihime was given, Lolly is given her leg back. And she says nothing. She doesn’t ask for anything. Or want anything.

And in a place with a violent ridden caste system, I imagine that would be a lot. How do you reconcile your everyday life and how you treat everyone around you and how they treat you when you’re faced with a person who doesn’t adhere to those rules. How do you face the realization that some human girl can give you back a leg and bring back your only friend and do it not because you deserve it, but because you’re alive and need help and that’s all the reason needed. Kindness can be a curse. Cornered dogs bite and then ache for the hand upon their head again.

Renji does this twice in this arc so far, this being the first time. This man is like ‘I may not be the strongest but I can take second degree burns and falling buildings like a fucking champ and that’s about to be your problem’. You can’t tell me he doesn’t play chicken with Ikkaku by standing way too close to fireworks after they’re lit and seeing who’s less fucked up after. Sake of course included.

Also Szayelaporro and Uryu are like rival theater kids in this fight trying to bang out the best one liner and pose. Too bad Uryu wasted time trying to run away instead of pulling out his sewing kit to outdo Szayelaporro’s costume change.

Actually, I’m Frankenstein, not Frankenstein’s monster :/

#I don’t shut up and you just have to accept that about me #bleach live blog #mars livespeaks

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polandspringz · 4 years ago

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im limiting these questions to gL fics bc i havent read any of ur other fandoms so. B, K, M, W, X, Y please

Thank you for the ask! I’ll try and think of stuff I haven’t necessarily told you since I tell you all my gen:LOCK ideas nowadays, lol.

B- Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

With a sci-fi fandom, it’s kind of hard to base any scenario or event on personal experience, but there is probably some dialogue in one of my many fics that might be introspective. I did write a story for my gL OC, Yolanda, which isn’t published on AO3 but is floating around somewhere on my blog, and I know that one was very heavy on my own thoughts and feelings.

K- What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

In terms of gen:LOCK, probably “(The) Chase” from my most recent series? It’s probably subjective on the angst scale, but between that and “Skinwalker” it took a lot for me to write something that felt not only horrible for the characters involved but conveyed that suspense and almost horror? My original idea for “(The) Chase” had a lot more emphasis on Chase having the realization at the end that no one was coming to save him, with a scene of him in darkness after being taken into the Union’s hands, but I forgot to write that it got scrapped.

M- Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

You already know these because I’ve mentioned them before but, I have a prompt sitting in my inbox for a fic focused on the gL team I’m saving for after I read Storm Warning, a drabble planned for Weller’s final thoughts as the explosion in ep 6 happens, and that Weller & Yaz Reunion fic. I’ve thought about writing more with my OC since I’m getting more comfortable doing that for other fandoms, but she exists in the Alive!Weller AU/gL advances to having two teams at the Anvil so Episode 6 and beyond doesn’t happen, which makes it a bit difficult writing for her nowadays.

W- Do you like more general prompts, or more specific ones?

I actually like vague prompts? I guess that falls under the general category? Everything comes back to my OC but a long time ago I was taking prompts for an ask meme of first sentences of the story and the only fic I ever wrote with her was one of those and it was... a mess. I find prompts that force where things must go in the narrative restricting because usually I’ll read something and immediately think of the opening. (That’s part of why I was so good at standardized tests! I could read the prompt and BOOM- my essay intro was in my head already.) I prefer prompts that are like one word and just can be interpreted in multiple ways.

X- A character you enjoy making suffer.

I know I write angst but genuinely I don’t like making any character suffer? When I write angst my focus is always on the comfort that is soon to come. Even with Sinclair in “Skinwalker”, I’m honestly hoping whatever trauma he endured through the Union he gets some help for when he meets with the team.

...

scribbles a new fic idea in my notebook

Y- A character you want to protect.

Caliban. I feel like we’ve just scratched the surface in the show with him having part of Weller’s brain and have not explored how sentient he really is. When writing some of “Boil for Several Years, Then Steep” and even further back when I wrote my (now very canon divergent) “Programmed for Sympathy (Not Empathy)” I feel that there is a lot of potential with his character and as much as I would love to write another angst fic I hope nothing bad happens to Weller 2.0.

#ask meme #gen lock #genlock #gen:lock #writing #ask poland #my writing

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ruwithmeguys · 6 years ago

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The chances of an eighth season of Arrow is high, but beyond that… I think the chances have dropped for more than 8 but I could be wrong.

Why I think it’s ending after S8 (and why it may not):

Both Stephen and Emily have stated they want to write and direct but haven’t, despite the chances. They may want to work on new things after next year.

Though he’s agreed to an eighth season, Stephen has made several comments the last 12 months indicating his acceptance of the end and how Oliver really only has one true goal left to accomplish.

The show doesn’t just feel like it’s hitting a new milestone: it feels like it’s preparing us for something (unless it’s just a shocking SL and I’m very wrong)

The interest in superhero tv shows is starting to dwindle because of the sheer number of options available. This however, is open to change. Especially after the last avengers movie hits the cinemas. They may turn to shows like Arrow as an alternative.

Unless the show comes up with a brand new focus to pit Oliver against, beyond his own darkness, then… what? What’s the story?

Indications that John may become the GL means he’s available for other shows after Arrow ends.

Where Oliver goes, Felicity goes. The indications that Oliver will eventually step back from the hood keep ramping up.

They are leading the show towards the future: it’s an obvious passing of the baton.

They are limited in terms of comic origin as there’s only so much story they can pilfer from the comics before DC stop them.

They will need an intense, captivating original story to keep Stephen/Emily and the audience on board past S8 and where they go, the audience go.

We know Arrow won’t live past 10 seasons anyway.

Why I want Arrow to end after 8 seasons:

Too many new characters – unless the show axes at least two of the regulars, we’re never truly going to get the depth we deserve in the scenes focused on our mains… HOWEVER. You can also argue that they don’t need more depth because we basically know them inside out. Another reason right there.

Run its course - Arrow is that show. It isn’t even that good to be honest – the script is either amaze-balls or ridiculous and illogical, the action sequences take up too much space at times and continuity is a huge issue – however we love it as if it were made of gold. Despite our complaints, we watch it because it gave us something that most shows don’t. It gave us a love story for the ages that wasn’t supposed to exist and demanded acceptance of it. It dared so it has our respect.

However, Stephen said something recently. He said, all that remains of Oliver’s story is to leave a legacy. He doesn’t have to die for it to happen, but it has to happen. There two ways for this to be possible: have a baby with Felicity and become a legend. He’ll do both, huzzah! But, barring the immediate concerns of this story, there isn’t a whole lot of character building left to accomplish (suck it Barry/Kara) for Oliver. It’s all outside material. His sister is an issue too, but after this season, focus on him for her story won’t be required. I’m here for Oliver, then Felicity. Just them and in that order.

Thea’s story is done folks, save the peripheral. Whatever happens next for her doesn’t have to be on screen, though I will be stunned if she doesn’t come back for the finale of the series. I have no wish to see more of it, unless it’s Roy inclusive. Why? Because so much of her story kind of… IT BLEW, OKAY? I was bored to tears with her after season 4 and only season 2 and 3 interested me for her character and Roy was entwined in that.

Building a legacy doesn’t mean characters just… disappear - and they don’t have to. So regardless of the end, Felicity will be out there. So will Oliver.

Diggle. This is a big one for me. He’s been changing since Oliver and Felicity left 3.23, since he killed Andy. But we haven’t seen the Dig we know and love since 5.23. That’s 32 episodes. For me, if what was broken isn’t fixed by 7.22, then I truly won’t care what occurs for him in the future, beyond simple curiosity. There’s been too much damage. There’s changing into a different person and then there’s being likeable. One episode is all I’m asking. Believe it or not, I’m actually enjoying his progression, but it’s progression that falls away from the man we dearly miss. Since the chances of him becoming the green lantern has risen… I have to say, I’m not surprised at the idea that John could leave his family behind both literally and figuratively. He’s done it before. He’s doing it now, but it has less impact if his ties are loose and not taut. I need them tightening. 13 episodes are left on S7. He needs to take steps. So either Dig becomes the green lantern… or he dies. If either occurs next year, then S8 will most likely be the end anyway. OTA are the main fixture: they know it, they’ve said it. Once one of them leaves, it’s a ticking clock.

The longer the show lasts, the more time they have to screw up.

I can’t stand another crossover where Oliver is verbally battered for existing.

Too many birds give me hives.

Dinah has become the new boring and siren, the cordelia: I can live without both.

Curits is such a poor example of a human being, it makes me rage, which is unhealthy

Rene is finally interesting to me again, even if I don’t trust him because he’s a fickle sod… which means I never will. So, I can’t like his storyline.

I’m so done with watching Felicity be friendless and treated with disrespect by people that she has to refer to as heroes whether they’ve earned the title or not, I feel like writing fiction where she kills them all and Oliver just stands there in approval.

The longer Arrow lasts, the longer Flash lasts and… NO.

The longer Arrow lasts, the longer Supergirl lasts and… NO.

Since they aren’t doing a thorough Constantine Drakon villain – an enemy with the potential to be amazing since he very literally crucifies the green arrow – I really do miss the big villain. I miss Malcolm: he was twisted but he was effective. You were supposed to hate him. I miss Slade: he’s still my favourite villain. Adrian was the best but they took too long introducing him so he falls short of the tension pedestal for me. Despite being sucktastic, Diaz presents a decent conundrum: he’s supposed to be an arsehole that won’t die so he’s a constant threat. We don’t have to like him. So I desperately need Stan to return. I need that creepy/psychotic enemy that throws everyone for a loop. Without it, I’m not sure about the show’s moral integrity goes to that isn’t about revisiting old ghosts since it’s based on good Vs evil etc. I need to wait and see where they go with this: it could become an organisation or an idea (vigilantes for the people: who watches the watchman type thing) instead of a person and I’ve given up hope on a woman villain who doesn’t irk me. I don’t need 1950’s cheese ball KC: it’s not effective.

Felicity. Now… I love what they’ve done with her character, even in S6 for the most part! However, this whole idea that her wearing a mask would undermine the meaning is pathetic. You had a street kid and a lawyer wearing one after less than a few months of training, but sure: Felicity wearing one would destroy the significance. Now, in one part, this elevates her character: she is the character that all others must work off at least once. It makes her too important to loose: Oliver, Barry, LL, Siren, Ray etc. On the other hand, it limits her capacity and keeps her boxed in which is why S7 has been such a relief to may of us. But I would have loved to have seen this woman suit up: at least she’d be convincing. Any chance of us seeing it happen now are slim to none which is a shame because, to me, her potential is limitless. What we would have given to have everyone else react to her kicking ass and taking names in a mask, with a moniker, and a headset/vice that details the logistics of buildings, sends out Trojans etc. She’d be a nightmare.

I think one more full season (20 to 22 episodes) on top of the 13 remaining, is enough to close Oliver’s legacy if done right which… is a stretch to hope for.

With so many superhero movies in play, if gone on long enough, Arrow will no doubt attempt to copy them as they have done in the past to ill effect.

Another year of rude anons/haters making claims, demanding I do as they tell me, being ridiculous and being constantly wrong in my inbox would be a welcome subtraction in my life.

…And why I want it to live forever:

This show was the show that made me aware of social media. It’s also the show that I needed at a dark time in my life: I was jobless, friendless and things were happening with my family that were less than desirable: it was a grand distraction that borderlined obsession. Or passion. Hm.

Despite certain plotlines, illogical character progression, overused devices, and faulty scripts; it truly is a one in a million show. Very different from all other shows.

The actors can ACT… for the most part.

The CGI effects are good.

It’s angsty x 10

The love story is worth the angst

There’s always more story to tell with good characters!

Once Oliver achieves the status he deserves, I want to see him revel in it.

…A 10 episode season 9 that focuses on olicity alone because I want it so bad?

The chance to bring back Tommy somehow

The wonderful people I talk to online daily JUST because of this show

The genuine friends I’ve made JUST because of this show.

The fanfiction that will continue longer if the show does

The posts and metas I don’t want to live without

The asks in my inbox that I enjoy answering and the anons I enjoy engaging with

TUMBLR – (with the smut please)

If the show has a chance of lasting past season 8, then what I want to see is a season that focuses ONLY on Oliver… and I’d have it elsewhere. I’d have the government involved. Felicity too. Dig. Just them three (it won’t happen).

The chance to see Curtis crash and burn

The chance to see Dinah crash and burn

The chance to see Rene crash and burn

The chance to see siren… go away somewhere

Felicity in a mask

An actual 9pm slot that’s used to it’s fullest extent

A crossover that focuses on what could have been on another earth and you KNOW they’d have Felicity be the vigilante, with Oliver as the guy who loves her despite her violent escapades. OR another life where they’re regular people that fall into an elaborate conspiracy or something.

There currently isn’t another show that can fill the void that Arrow will create when it ends.

A crossover where Oliver/Felicity kiss no one but each other… please.

A crossover- nay, an ENTIRE SEASON, where Oliver is praised for alllll his hard work and sacrifice.

An episode that marks Felicity, truly, as irreplaceable, necessary and needed for every other character to shine.

An episode arc that allows Felicity to be the one that defeats the bad guy.

You know… YOU KNOW that at some point they’ll deliberately have DC and marvel intersect.

Unfortunately, the cons currently outweigh the pro’s. And if so, if S8 is the last, then that’s an AMAZING run time for a show that was supposed to be only 5 seasons. And the story had enough meat in it for me to be happy for it……… though when that occurs, I’ll probably need to book time off to recover because oh my god I can’t even imagine.

The idea, if true, is a sad one. But again, if true, it won’t be till 2020. We have some time.

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expshared · 6 years ago

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Fall 2017 had some of my favorite anime from the year as a whole—draws big ol' hearts around Girls’ Last Tour and Land of the Lustrous—so how did Fall 2018 compare?!? this is clickbait.

Starting with the leftovers from Summer, Golden Kamuy manages to be strong and intriguing despite being a project wholly mismanaged by studio Geno, who simply don’t have the staff give this show what it needs. I dream of a Golden Kamuy given to us by a Madhouse or a Bones. That said, I love Golden Kamuy very much, it is so unlike anything else in anime. Historical edutainment, cooking show, slapstick comedy, grotesque body horror...the sum of its parts is so strong that the horrible CGI bears almost don’t even matter. The season ends on such sequel bait that I’m just dying for more, oh god please.

You guys like sports anime???!? Run with the Wind sold me on its premise by virtue of taking place in college, which is just different enough to be interesting. I didn’t realize this one was a 2-cour, and when I did its glacial pace made a lot more sense. I do love a good underdog story, and no one in this club is looking to become an Olympian, that’s for sure. There’s something to be said about doing something just for the sport and community of it, and I like that a lot. Speaking of sports anime that are about coming together as a community and not so much about being The Best at This Sport Ever, Anima Yell was a delightful show about cute girls learning how to cheerlead!. It’s not inspired by any means, but it’s cute, fun, lively, and super enjoyable to watch. I was afraid there would be many opportunities for upskirts and raunchy gags, but Anima Yell is wholesome and just really invested in getting you to enjoy cheering on other people. GO FIGHT WIN! Tsurune is, unlike Anima Yell, just not fun to watch. It’s dreary, moody, and I ask myself wondering why anyone in this show has any friends at all. If this were my first sports anime, maybe I’d be more tolerant, but its biggest sin is that it’s just so boring. If it weren’t Kyoani, I’d have dropped it at episode 2.

Iroduku: The World in Colors was an incredibly pretty time travel story about opening yourself up to the world and the people in it after trauma. I felt it dragged a little in the middle, and some episodes felt just plain compulsory (gotta have an episode per club member!! unfortunately all club members are not equally interesting) but the last three episodes were clinchers. It came together to be quite a nice little package, if you don’t mind a little bit of melodrama. I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to recommend this one, but I would put it nicely on the shelf with comp titles like Angel Beats and After the Rain where it could hold its own.

The worst thing I watched this season was Girl in the Twilight, which was like a really bad episode of Black Mirror that just wouldn’t end. The plot involved some very convoluted alternate world hopping with cassette players of all things, but it also gave us Evil Amazon, Westworld: Japan, and a canon gay couple I Guess. While I wanted to like it for its sheer chuzpuh, unfortunately, everything about this show was Bad. Bad CGI. Bad character design. And worst of all: a Bad ending that never bothered to tie up any of its loose threads. Bangin’ OP though?

Oh my god you guys, watch Bloom Into You. I read a lot of GL manga and Bloom Into You is generally agreed upon as being one of the best: more of a character piece than a romance, uninterested in the noncommittal will-they-won’t-they agonizing of its peers, committed to saying something about the world and its characters more than just being fluff. As a manga reader, I had highish hopes—I’m quite fond of studio Troyca—and you know what, I actually felt I had a more enjoyable time watching this than I did reading it. I found it an incredibly sensitive and inclusive watch (ace, aro, bi, and lesbian characters??? In ONE SHOW??), and was, many times, struck by how true to LGBT experiences it was. A lot of GL manga either take place in a world where there are no bigots or in a world that erases the sexuality of women altogether (there’s a reason why “pure yuri” exists) or else exist in a “fanservice bubble”, but Bloom Into You is none of the above. GL anime are incredibly scarce and so few of them nail the actual, terrifying, honest-to-god experience of growing up and realizing you’re not experiencing romance or youth like other people are. I really, really hope the success of this show starts a trend of further adapting GL manga, because there are some excellent ones out there for the picking. My only complaint about this adaptation is that it ended too soon.

SSSS Gridman was the strongest directorial effort this season—a love letter to kaiju and the tokusatsu genre, a show about playing with toys and fantasy and escapism, bloated with so many references to mecha anime and old school Ultraman and a dozen other unrelated properties that the showrunners loved to buy toys of when they were kids. This is a show that rewards repeat viewings, as the first couple of episodes are hidden behind 5 layers of foreshadowing, red herrings, and referential Easter eggs. The bait and switch is delicious, and even though I felt like a lot of it went over my head because I am not in the know about all the extremely specific references this show was making, the journey is worth it. The scale feels huge, the reveals are all great, and the characters are engaging. Akane Shinjou is one of my favorite villains because she is also technically the protagonist, and also she is an emotionally messy kaiju fucker who lives in garbage and that’s delightful.

My favorite this season was a dark horse: the never-to-be-imitated-again Zombieland Saga. The incredibly vague descriptions and trailers that were put out before its release did not gear me up for the first episode. This was on purpose. The first episode had me so fucking floored I couldn’t believe I could still be surprised by anime. Even after a picked my jaw up off the floor and resigned myself to the fact that I’d been tricked into watching an idol anime, and I liked it, the show didn’t stop surprising me. It understood physical comedy in way that never got tired, but didn’t sacrifice any heart (hehe). I learned more about the idol industry than any other idol anime I’ve ever watched combined. There’s also something very tongue-in-cheek about having your idol anime--a genre done to death-- star zombies. It was a constantly surprising delight to watch, and I loved every episode more.

#chitchat paddywhack #animoose and mango #lost post /#boy i hope that read more is working

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joeborrelli · 6 years ago

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A friend asked me: Hello there, friendly neighborhood Joe!I am wishing to know your thoughts on the subject of the DC's Joker as currently presenting in the continuities, namely the yesteryear revelations of SPOILER There actually being 3 Jokers.Please to be sharing your wisdoms!

Okay. Here we go. First off, I AM going to read it because I do consume most any Joker/Harley Quinn content, even if it's mostly a guilty pleasure these days. When I was an edgelord and I liked him it was fine, but when EVERYONE became an edgelord and I saw how corny edgelords were, I was like NOOOOOPE. I also recognize that I'm going to write a lot of text on something that doesn't really bother me all that much and that matters of taste are purely subjective and the internet is already loaded with hot takes because WHATEVER I AM RIGHT AND ANYONE WHO DISAGREES IS WRONG WRONG WROOOONNNGG (But seriously, comics are all about selective continuity, so play with the ideas however you want and I actually like fun-griping about this stuff so long as it remains fun. Anyway....) Second, I DO NOT CARE for the work of Geoff Johns. I never got why he was so heavily praised because he writes like he's writing the narration for movie trailers. I can almost hear that Inception BWOOOMP sound with every bit of dialogue he writes. ALSO he headed the ship when DC was going their Before Watchmen bullshit and trying to tie Alan Moore's Watchmen thing to their regular DCU, which both narratively doesn't work (Moore always said that people took the wrong lessons from Watchmen) and is a slap in the face to Moore's wishes. Finally, ugh, IT WERE THREE JOKERS ALL THE TIME The whole twist comes from Batman sitting in some God-throne and asking the universe deep questions. The big one he asks is what's Joker's real name. Even ignoring the fact that the whole mystic space setup is way more Green Lantern than Batman (Johns did do some pretty good work on his GL run) then its also weird that Batman doesn't already know. I have always sort of assumed that part of their shared mania is that they're pretty much aware of the backstory of each other's lives. Paul Dini wrote once that Batman and his crew don't particularly care about what made Joker the way he is, only the damage that he causes now. (see attached image) But the big thing that rubs me the wrong way about the whole thing is that it feels like they're replacing the pillars of narrative that support the whole Batman universe. It's an old trick and it's one that just instinctively rubs me the wrong way. When Scott Snyder did his run on Batman, he introduced both the Court of Owls - which Bruce's father's SECRET SON was involved with - and James Gordon's psychopath son. While these narratives fit Snyder's general emphasis on Gothic Horror narratives, they also require that the Batman universe STRETCH to accomodate them. Put simply, how can they keep such major parts of a character's life so hidden? Why are they so behind the scenes that they suddenly pop up with no warning and become THE NEXT BIG THING BATMAN HAS TO DEAL WITH. Put simply, I can believe in a world of bat-ninjas effortlessly ziplining across the city more easily than I can believe in a secret brother because the former has been established over time as the way the Batman world works, while the latter is just a big shock value dramatic twist. And I can also believe in a singular twisted crime genius with a love/hate relationship to Batman, rather than three separate mad psychopaths playing a cup and ball game with Batman. Plus, honestly, it kind of screws with the dynamic between the two. Joker and Batman have had hundreds of fights, hundreds of conversations, hundreds of arguments, and hundreds of tragedies between them. They have real emotional baggage between them, and that makes their relationship appealing. Suddenly I have to figure out which Joker shot Barbara Gordon in Killing Joke and which Joker Batman saved in Last Laugh and which Joker cried in Harley's lap in Brian Azzarello's hot mess cash grab of a Joker comic? Honestly, the whole idea sounds like something a fan fiction writer would come up with. I tend to share my take on the Joker with David Brothers: ===>> My idea about this is that the Joker got stuck in his own gimmick. At first, he’d do something crazy to get someone off his back. It was so outlandish and insane that he had to keep it up, or else people would know he was soft. And when you’ve made a living out of being the hardest man around… you can’t afford that. So, he’s trapped. He can never escape, because escaping means it’s game over. At the same time, Batman is the only one who can save him. The Joker does all this stuff to get Batman’s attention to be put back into jail and away from a place where he has to keep up the facade. I kind of like a pathetic Joker. It isn’t something I’d like to see always, but it’s a very human and believeable take. As far as silent moll Harley Quinn goes… wow! I didn’t think I’d dig the take, but it worked out really, really well. In a way, she was one of the most threatening people in the book, and I think it’s because she never spoke. She’s that Stand By Your Man girl. She’s there for support, and sometimes support means machinegunning a dozen people and skinning a man alive. It’s a little scary, and the silence means we get no insight into her character. We just know she likes luxury and stands by the Joker, no matter what. I’m such a stan for Harley, though. Like I said, nothing I want to see constantly, but a fun little peek into an alternate take. Frank Miller’s not-funny Joker in ASBAR was another one I liked, because it made super murderous Joker into something inhuman, interesting, and actually kind of scary, if more than a little overwrought. I’d love it if Genocidal Kills a Thousand People a Day Joker retired forever. It’s by far my least favorite Joker, and the least original take on the character I can think of. I like a Joker that goes deeper than just “Waheyhey CRAZY! BY THE WAY I JUST KILLED A MILLION PEOPLE BATMAN WHATCHA GONNA DO HUH?” At that point, Batman should just take one for the team and give Joker accidentally beat Joker until nothing’s left but a puddle of blood. That Joker isn’t doing anything but hurting Batman as a character. Someone break his neck or toss him down a deep hole or just shoot him in the face, seriously. And let the Riddler take his place. ===>> There. I wrote it. David, you owe me a beer.

#the joker #joker #dc comics #comic books #superhero #batman #stuff I wrote

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missmeikakuna · 5 years ago

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(GL/Yuri) Shoujo Heroine... and Friends Chapter 16

Sahana tries to make up with Toyomi, and Masami struggles with her feelings for someone she’s incredibly mad at. Please comment your thoughts and like this chapter if you, well, like it.

Rated: T

Fandom: Original story

Relationship type: F/F with some F/M

Description:

Sahana is friendly, innocent and optimistic, making her the perfect shoujo anime heroine… except she’s not the main character of this story.

When school prince Toyomi asks her out, she starts hanging out with him and leaves her friends behind. Prim and proper Masami and tomboyish slob Kunie don’t seem to have much in common outside of their friendship with Sahana, but they try to make the best out of a lonely situation. So why is the god of love and marriage watching them, red string of fate at the ready? CONTENT WARNING: Some homophobic language and bullying.

Chapter 16: She’s so stubborn!

Wrappers kept piling up on Kunie’s desk. Masami didn’t scold her. She didn’t say anything.

She was busy chatting with Sahana. Toyomi sat alone. He spent the lunch break writing a poem.

‘Am I selfish?’ Sahana asked through the table where her face was planted.

Masami hesitated. ‘You were a little before.’ Sahana looked up and Masami held her hands up in surrender. ‘But I forgive you! I get what it’s like to want to spend all your time with your crush.’

Perhaps that was an unwise thing to say. After all, it brought a glimmer to Sahana’s eye and a grin to her face.

‘Ooh, when did you have a crush?’

‘Anyway, I think you should try and talk things out with Toyomi. I don’t think he’s worth breaking up with.’

‘But what if he doesn’t forgive me? I was so harsh to him. He’s probably better off with one of his fangirls.’

Masami raised an eyebrow. ‘You really think someone like Dooru is more suited to him?’

Sahana scrunched her nose and tucked her lips in like a lemon sucker. ‘...Maybe…’

‘Be honest.’

‘But I’ve never had a fight with a boyfriend before. I haven’t even had a boyfriend before.’

‘You could give him a present.’

‘But what if he thinks I’m trying to buy him back?’

‘Then make him something.’

After a few seconds of thinking, Sahana ripped a page from one of her exercise books and began to write a poem. Without even realising, she had left Masami alone again.

Masami gave Kunie a mix of a glare and a loving gaze. When Kunie noticed eyes on her, Masami looked away, only to look again once Kunie’s head was back down.

Finally, Sahana spoke. ‘You didn’t tell me you had a crush on someone.’

Masami coughed. ‘Had. Past tense.’

‘Was it someone I knew?’ Masami’s gulp gave Sahana the answer she desired. ‘Who?’

‘Look, I don’t really want to talk about it. It was a stupid crush and it’s only a matter of time…. It was only a matter of time before I got over… that person.’

Sahana frowned. ‘I see.’

During cooking club activities, Masami gave her batter a limp stir, her mind stirring much faster. Sahana looked at her with concern but didn’t know what to say.

She knew what to say even less when Masami began stirring the batter at almost superhuman speed. Murder wasn’t in her eyes, per se, but at least jaywalking, maybe even vandalism. She got faster and faster and that vandalism in her eyes was quickly upgraded to physical assault. The only thing Sahana knew was that she should step away.

Fumie, however, moved past her initial fear and put a hand on Masami’s shoulder. ‘I heard you and Kunie had a big fight. Want to talk about it?’

At first, Masami considered shaking her head and saying that everything was fine, but Fumie’s gentle hand on her shoulder pushed her into nodding. Fumie asked the teacher if the two could speak alone for a moment and the teacher allowed it.

Sahana looked at her watch and left for the theatre club. Fumie led Masami to a spot by the stairs, where they sat down.

Fumie didn’t have to even ask anything before Masami exploded with anger. ‘Who does Kunie think she is, calling Sahana selfish like that? And why’d she get so angry at her in the first place? Talk about a chip on your shoulder. Sahana’s been so nice to us but I guess that’s not good enough for Kunie. Urgh, she’s the worst! What did I even see in her?’

Immediately, Masami covered her mouth. Fumie held onto the cross around her neck. Masami waved her hands about like an interpretive dancer at 1.75 playback speed. ‘I didn’t mean that! That was, uh, just an inside joke between Kunie and I! I’m not gay or anything like that.’

Fumie closed her eyes and sighed. ‘Masami, tell me the truth.’

The stairs got wet with tears as Masami whimpered, ‘I love her. I’m sure you don’t want to hear that, and you probably think I’m disgusting and wrong, but please… just let me cry over this.’

‘You think I could stop you?’ Fumie wrapped her arms around Masami’s shoulders and patted her head. ‘It’s okay. Cry. Keep going until the tears stop and it no longer hurts.’

‘What… happened… to… me? This isn’t… fair! What… made me so gross?’

‘You’re not gross. You’re just a regular human being who’s going through something. God has a plan for us and I doubt his plan for you involves you being sad forever. You can get through this.’

‘And of course, of all the girls I had to fall for, it just had to be her! She’s so stubborn! She hasn’t tried to make peace at all when it’s her fault this fight happened in the first place! I have to get over her. I wonder if there’s a way to get over someone in a day.’

‘I think you should talk to her.’

Masami leaned back until she was out of Fumie’s grasp. ‘Huh? Didn’t you hear me?’

‘I’m not saying you have to go out with her. You know my thoughts on that. But if you’re supposed to be such good friends, this little spat shouldn’t be enough to completely end your friendship. I think you need to let go of your own stubbornness.’

‘But she started it!’

‘That’s exactly what a stubborn person would say.’

Masami sniffled and wiped her eyes. ‘I… guess you’re right.’

‘And if she pushes you away and your friendship ends, I’ll be there if you need some support. I can bake you some cookies if you want.’

Masami chuckled. ‘Thanks.’

Fumie gave her one last hug before standing up. ‘Come on, let’s go back. Sahana’s not there to make weird food, so you’re our last hope.’

Meanwhile, in the theatre auditorium, Kunie kept forgetting her lines. Even the cues for her to speak slipped her mind. Dooru tapped her feet each time until it became too much for her.

‘Ukiwa, do something! Kunie needs a big talking-to!’

The shout woke Ukiwa up. ‘Ah, yes, Kunie, come with me.’ She took the student outside of the theatre.

‘So, uh, is everything okay?’ Kunie said nothing. ‘You’re not exactly giving me much to work with here.’

Kunie held her arm in and rubbed up and down it. ‘There’s nothing to work with. Sorry for messing up.’

‘You sure?’ Ukiwa asked. Kunie nodded. ‘Okay.’ As Ukiwa turned around and headed back inside, Kunie managed to muster up her courage.

‘I’m in love with a girl.’

Ukiwa turned back and clapped her hands together. ‘Really? Tell me the deats! That’s what the kids say, right?’ Kunie stepped backwards. ‘Sorry. So, is that what you’ve been worrying about?’ A nod from Kunie. ‘I wouldn’t worry too much. It’s getting more and more accepted these days. Does the girl like you back?’

‘I think she likes a different girl.’

‘Oh, well, there’s plenty of fish in the sea, even for lesbians.’

‘Don’t tell anyone, okay?’

‘Your secret’s safe with me,’ Ukiwa said before opening the door.

The next morning, Ukiwa was actually at homeroom on time. When Kunie walked through the door, the teacher scanned the room for the girl Kunie might like. When she saw her student’s heartbroken face and followed the eye line, she gasped.

‘Oh, so that’s the girl you like, Kunie!’ Everyone turned their heads. ‘Oops.’

Tears floated in the air as Kunie whipped around and ran out of the classroom. That afternoon, the theatre club heard the news.

She had quit the club.

#lesbian #yuri #anime #fiction #romance #writing #LGBT #lgbt romance #Breaking Stereotypes #original fiction #drama #comedy #parody #Shoujo Heroine... and Friends

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pod7 · 8 years ago

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Fall Anime* 2016 Lightning Review

*Just the shows I watched of course

Shows Included: 3-gatsu no Lion, All Out!!, Bernard-jou Iwaku, Bishoujo Yuugi Unit Crane Game Girls Galaxy, Cheating Craft, DAYS, Drifters, Fune wo Amu, Getsuyoubi no Tawawa, Kaijuu Girls: Ultra Kaijuu Gijinka Keikaku, Keijo!!!!!!!!, Kiitarou Shounen no Youkai Enikki, Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku, Nanbaka, Nazotokine, Nobunaga no Shinobi, Occultic;Nine, Okusama ga Seitokaichou!+!, Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan, Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume, Sousei no Onmyouji, Soushin Shoujo Matoi, Stella no Mahou, Teekyuu 8, Tiger Mask W, To Be Hero, Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari, Watashi ga Motete Dousunda, WWW. Working!!

A really mixed bag this season, though a much better season than the summer!

3-gatsu no Lion As expected of SHAFT, a great character driven coming-of-age story that is practically flawless. I really enjoy any time the three sisters are on screen, but I also appreciate the appearances that his step-sister has made. She’s just sympathetic enough that you feel bad for feeling bad for her, but she’s also cruel enough to make you tense up the moment she comes on screen. The one thing I don’t like about this show is the thing it seems to get the most hype for, which is it’s intro song. I just don’t feel like it fits the attitude of the show. Otherwise though, yet another home run from SHAFT. Series continues! Highest recommendation

All Out!! This isn’t the best show, I wouldn’t even say it’s better than DAYS, but it was enjoyable enough. If the retired pro player turned coach hadn’t of shown up, I might have dropped it, truth be told. Once he shows up the, the season really picked up. The show is continuing, so hopefully that upward trend is here to stay. Series continues!

Bernard-jou Iwaku I’m not much of a book nerd, so a lot of this was lost on me, but there were still some great laughs to be had. If you’re into science fiction and novels in general they have a lot of interesting factoids about books and you could probably pick up some good recommendations from it. 7/10

Bishoujo Yuugi Unit Crane Game Girls Galaxy The series got a budget this time around, so it was actually pretty well animated (for flash), and they were able to have a lot more detail as well. I loved the inclusion of Dark Cherry, they were great foils to CRANE GAMU. It was more of a nonsense comedy this season, as opposed to “crane game tips as brought to you by an idol anime” that the first season had. Ended on a pretty wild note with Kyouko and Rei seemingly becoming a couple out of nowhere, though in hindsight they make a great pair. 8/10

Cheating Craft A really weird show, like, it would be hard to even explain what it is without being incredibly vague. The characters were great, especially the home room teacher. One of several shows this season that had some surprise GL in it. 6/10

DAYS I still think that the coach from this team would have been fired already, for letting someone that inexperienced play in such important matches. I also feel like the show contradicted itself quite a bit; they said that all the starters are starters because they are out for themselves, but they were willing to play with a no-experience player AS A STARTER. Maybe it’s just a sports thing I don’t understand, but every time someone said “it’s not your fault” I was audibly saying “no, it really was!” Ubukata was great, but I feel bad for Tsukushi’s childhood friend basically getting zero screen time after the first episode. I would have liked for Tsukushi’s mom to have been more of a factor in the show as well. For a sports anime, it was good, but there were a lot of things I had problems with. 7/10

Drifters It’s a cool concept, of course, but I worry about the execution of it all. This great nation of Orte that some of the characters wish to protect was founded by Adolf Hitler, who is supposedly a Drifter, which makes him a good guy by default, since that’s what the protagonists are. If I need to spell out why that’s fishy at best, then you need to go back to school or at least watch the History channel once in a while. I also would have liked to have seen at some point in this season some kind of selection process for why someone ends up a Drifter and why someone ends up as an End. If the Black King isn’t Merlin, I will be incredibly shocked, because he’s the only historical figure I can think of that would also be excusable as such an all powerful deity type figure that can give other people powers, as well as using alchemy. I love the harsh art style, it fits the attitude of the show quite well. As a history nerd, I think it would be really funny if Teddy Roosevelt showed up with the Rough RIders to go ham on the Ends, but will just have to see what the next season holds. 8/10

Fune wo Amu I had originally thought this would be a much different series. After the first episode I actually looked it up to see if it was going to be something I’d actually be able to watch three episodes of without falling asleep. The synopsis I read was pretty misleading, though it may have been for the live action adaptation that came out before; it basically said that the protagonist would be tasked with defining “love”, and through that he would complete this dictionary and learn to live life to the fullest and so on. Unfortunately, for the animated adaptation at least, that’s pretty much a lie. He realizes he has feelings for his landlord’s grand-daughter, and then four episodes later they’ve been married for over a decade, her as a successful chef, and he on the cusp of completing the dictionary. It felt like they cut out an entire third (or even half) of the story just to fit it into 12 episodes, which was really disappointing to me. It wasn’t bad, but I felt like it could have made it’s point about seeing things through and the importance of words a lot clearer with just a few more episodes. 7/10

Getsuyoubi no Tawawa I’m kind of surprised that this show didn’t get a lot of shit, to be frank. It’s everything people love to guffaw about when it comes to anime; a large-chested girl who is too young for the guy she is talking to in most cases and is doing everything but dragging him to a love hotel. I’m not even sure what this would be categorized as; I wouldn’t call it a romcom, because there weren’t really any gags or jokes to it, and if you just call it a romance then people expect drama when there wasn’t any of that either. So... if you want to see a well-endowed girl flirt with nameless, faceless men for 12 episodes, this is the one for you. 6/10

Kaijuu Girls: Ultra Kaijuu Gijinka Keikaku There isn’t really much to say about this show other than if you like kaijuu and chibi/SD characters, you’ll probably like this show. If it had been more than a five minute show, I think it would have become boring, because they don’t really end up doing that much over the course of the season. Just a short, silly comedy about girls learning to use powers, basically. 7/10

Keijo!!!!!!!! I really want to compare this to Valkyrie Drive, because it was good, but... it was just a little too much. If they had dialed back the ecchi during the times they weren’t in a match, I think it would have had a greater comedic impact when it came to the action. Instead towards the end it was like “wow they are laying it on thick this episode.” Still, I salute them for just going all out with it. I usually complain about “boring sports” anime needing to rely on silly gimmicks for their characters to make the show more interesting, but Keijo already had it’s silly gimmick in place, so the super moves/abilities weren’t far as far fetched as say, a mahjong player that does better because there is a full moon out that night. The foley artists should be commended specifically for this show, they did an incredible job. 8/10

Kiitarou Shounen no Youkai Enikki This show came and went by in a flash. I didn’t even realize it had ended until I started writing this; it didn’t have a very definitive finale I guess. if you’re into Japanese folklore/yokai/bakemono/etc, but also are okay with those characters used in a comedic setting, you should give this show a shot. 7/10

Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku I don’t really know how to feel about this at this point. The character design bothered me a lot in the beginning, and by the time I got used to it, other problems sprang forth. It was another one of those “subversion of the genre” mahou shoujo series, which has become a genre on it’s own at this point because so many people are doing it. Out of all the girls, Swim Swim’s arc was the best, though I wish they had explained why she had her super OP power (since most of the others depended on what they wanted to do or their personality, seemingly.) It was also interesting that in the end they kept their powers, even though they broke their communicators from Fav, which was a nice change of pace. 7/10

Nanbaka This was a very strange show. At first I thought it was going to be like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure because of the aesthetic, but instead it was just a fun gag show about a larger than life prison. Of course the highlight of the show for me was once again, Yuu Kobayashi as the warden, stealing the spotlight in a fairly minor role. I think I enjoyed it more as a comedy, because towards the end it gets pretty serious with some action mixed in too, and it just felt kind of like “Okay let’s get back to the gags now.” Overall though a pretty entertaining show. 8/10

Nazotokine An OL who works as secretary to the CEO of a major company finds excitement in her every day life, but suddenly gets sucked into a weird dimension where she is tasked with solving puzzles in order to go back to her normal life. Unfortunately, many of the puzzles involved Japanese words I didn’t know, so I was basically just watching for the performances (thought the two or three that didn’t I was able to solve.) A good premise, I think it could have been fleshed out a lot more. It seems like the kind of thing that was based off of a mobile game or even just a series of puzzle books. I just thought it was funny that this and Tiger Mask W aired in the same season because in TMW they show New Japan Pro Wrestling all the time, and in Nazotokine during one episode they go to an All Japan Pro Wrestling show. Would like to see more but I doubt it will happen. 8/10

Nobunaga no Shinobi A nice, short gag comedy about a little ninja girl who is super effective with her work but kind of a ditz otherwise. A cute show that can be surprisingly bloody, but most of the time it’s just goofball type humor. Series continues!

Occultic;Nine The first third and last third of this season were okay, but the middle part was really boring and a lot of the side stuff going on felt unnecessary. Spending so much time on the little girl practicing black magic and the guy using astral projection just to have a way to explain how time passes for you as a scandium ghost was a little much. The cast wasn’t particularly relatable either. I did like the reveal of the person who was going around “deleting” the ghosts, though, and the FBI with psychometry was really great (would have preferred to see the story from her perspective honestly.) It felt like someone who wrote a Persona teamed up with a studio that wants to be SHAFT. 5/10

Okusama ga Seitokaichou!+! Wasn’t a fan of this season as much as the last one. It felt like they had a meeting and said “Okay, the framing is established with season one, so now we can just go all out with erotica!” The problem was is that, they can only go so far, so showing what is basically the same thing over and over with just different characters makes it lose any ecchi power it may have had originally. 6/10

Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan An absolute joy of a show. I would not mind if I was still writing about this show in these season wrap-up reviews this time next year, it’s that good. Nendou-kun has grown on me a lot as the show has gone on, and Teruhashi has become my favorite character I think. 10/10

Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume I started to have the same problem with this show that I did with Saki (the mahjong anime), wherein they feel like the characters or action aren’t strong enough, so they have to give the players these goofy gimmicks that are beyond ridiculous. I really could not stand the green-haired yandere chick in this show, and was incredibly happened when that mini-arc ended. The beginning third of the show, I can understand people being perturbed at the lack of sport in this sport anime in favor of so much ~moe, but I think the episodes after the practice match arc are a great example of the show at it’s best, with a great balance of moe and sport. It’s not for everyone, but it has a fun, memorable cast. Reminded me quite a lot of KanaMemo, actually. 8/10

Sousei no Onmyouji Well, I would say the ride was fun, but it really wasn’t for the most part. The first arc of the show was pretty good, then they had a lovebirds arc which was horrendously stupid, and then it got into more action again and it was fine for a while but then you could tell the original writer started stalling at a certain point and it was really obnoxious how so little of what was going on week to week felt like it mattered in the grand scheme of things. It was like the series couldn’t decided to be a supernatural action show or a romcom, and you can’t really half-ass doing both when you have a masterpiece like Katanagatari out there. It had promise, but just took way too long to deliver, if it ever will. Dropped

Soushin Shoujo Matoi I don’t know if I’ve just watched too much anime by now or what, but I felt like I had seen this show a hundred times already. Nothing felt new or refreshing. It’s a very pretty show, at least, so I watched it all the way through, but I don’t think I’ll remember the name of this show next week, let alone next year. 7/10

Stella no Mahou I was a little worried about this show at the beginning because of how babyish the protagonist was, but she matures pretty quickly, and the remnants of her babyness become part of her charm. This felt like if you mixed Yuru Yuri and Wakaba Girl together, which is a pretty good combo. It also reminded me a bit of Saekano, even down to the girl in charge of music getting the least screen time. I would like to see another season of this but I think it would need to move about more into a more serious mood, like maybe they decide to debut at Comiket for real this time and put everything they have into a new game. 9/10

Teekyuu 8 I always love Teekyuu content, if you’ve followed me for a while then you know that quite well. 10/10

Tiger Mask W What knowledge I DON’T have from never having seen the previous Tiger Mask anime, the knowledge I have of him as an IRL pro wrestler and the current Japanese wrestling scene and attitude has made up for anything I would have otherwise missed. If nobody noticed, Monopoly is meant to be the WWE, and New Japan’s partnership with this series is a pretty clear showing on how they feel about WWE’s current move to basically create pro-wrestling colonies on other continents. There’s a lot of other BTS politics involved, but it’s interesting to see it as fodder for what amounts to a kids’ show. The main problem I have with the series so far is the inconsistency in violence and how much is tolerated. One of Tiger’s early foes causes him to bleed profusely and beats the piss out of him, but he says his match with Tiger the Dark was his hardest yet and he was barely even scratched. Also, a guy with a sword shows up in one episode, which is just bad, since he can never realistically use it (even in a cartoon setting.) Series continues!

To Be Hero I haven’t read anything about the behind-the-scenes of this series, but it would not surprise me in the least if it was a jab at One Punch Man. The dialogue is the star of the show here, with every character getting at least one really great monologue. The ending was actually pretty touching for a show about a guy that got superpowers from taking a dump. 8/10

Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari This show was great, but towards the end, it felt kind of forced. It had a great thing going, and then it was like they thought, “Wait, Poco is still a tanuki?! Crap, what are we going to do?” I think this would have been better served about a guy reconciling with his decision to go to Tokyo, and having a son he didn’t know about to deal with in the process. Maybe Souta left for Tokyo for the same reason, but while he was there, he dated a foreigner, and they broke up, which lead to him getting into a rut at his job, and then finally moving back home to take care of his father’s effects post-mortem, where he finds his dad had taken in the child his girlfriend never told him about. SOMETHING like that. There was also a great missed opportunity I think with Nakaji and Rinko. One of Nakaji’s problems in the season is that his parents are hounding him about getting married, so what if he hadn’t been even looking because he was having an affair with Rinko? It honestly felt like that’s where they were going with it to me. She tells him he should stop smoking, and he eats her cooking despite knowing it’s bad, and then when she tells him she’s pregnant, it just honestly felt like that scene was written out as her telling him it’s his, and he’s the first to know she’s pregnant. It was also kind of disappointing that Udon didn’t really have all that much to do with the show, despite being in the title. Kana Hanazawa’s character is about as big of a red herring as you can get in this kind of show, as well. It’s cute and genuinely funny, but could have been much better and poignant in another world. 8/10

Watashi ga Motete Dousunda I imagine the manga won’t end the same way the show did (assuming the manga continues from there), but I think the writers of the show ended it the best way they could. Say what you will about the comedy based around liking gay fiction (admittedly exploitative fiction) making you a weirdo, but I feel like when it came to Nishina, they treated her respectfully, even showing her as a true rival, an equal, amongst the other suitors that Kae genuinely considered. That in itself should be celebrated. Yuu Kobayashi is easily top 3 seiyuu for me, so any show that she is the focal point is always one that I will enjoy all the way through. 9/10

WWW. Working!! I had a pretty big falling out with the main Working!! series, but there were several things that I did enjoy about it. I’m happy to say that those things are present in this spinoff as well, not only that, but I feel like WWW does it even better. In the main series, several of the characters were a pain in the ass with no payoff, but in WWW, they wrap up everything nicely in one season, without any characters feeling annoying or worthless. My favorite, as per usual, was one of the characters with the least amount of screen time, Kisaki. Of course, the manager was my fav character from the main series, and since they share many traits, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. It almost felt like this was a reboot in retrospect, considering how similar some of the characters are to the main series cast; they were just written better this time around. 9/10

#fall anime 2016 #anime review #anime #review #lightning review

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