#i hope i made sense but i was really rambling lol regardless the point is that ily & u made my day infinitely better

[xythlia]

Hi Nikita! I just wanted to say I think you’re a good person. I was thinking about that one anon that messaged you saying that they don’t have that many followers, or get that much interactions on their posts. You were willing to check out their blog/writing, and I think that that was super cool of you.

Other people may have written them off as “complaining” or “begging for interaction,” but you didn’t 🥺 I get where the anon was coming from, since I’ve noticed blogs that started up around the same time as mine (September) are hitting 500-1,000 followers milestones, and I have less than 50. Granted, I understand it’s because with my blog, I don’t take requests, and I tend to write quite slowly, and maybe there are other reasons too, so I get why people wouldn’t really be that interested in my blog.

It’s refreshing that we have writers like you who are chill and just are overall a great person. You deserve all the compliments! Have a great day/afternoon/night 💕

wait anon I wanna give u a hug im tearing up over here ur so kind & sweet to say that omg

I get the frustration tho seeing other blogs having different experiences. I guess because I try to keep in mind how I felt especially when I first started posting I wanna help others not feel that way as much it was rough just getting the nerve to actually post anything at all bc I was so anxious that I was just a lurker account for like a year. its also hard feeling like the thing u put a lot of love and time into isn't being perceived the way u wish it would be but it's good to remember everything you create has value just because it came from you, it made you feel happy, and it was fulfilling.

but I personally think ppl who call others begging for attention or cringe when they vent their frustrations are just mean, it's not cute energy esp when we're all in the same sewer screaming about anime cock & balls anyway. wanting attention or to be liked is something everybody wants, to me it's entirely neutral & not something anyone should be embarrassed for feeling but it is embarrassing when ppl act like they're above it/better than others who openly express it because well, that's just not the truth

Its also one of the best feelings of all time when u find something on here that's like holy fuck this came from ur brain?? you made this?? I'd probably explode if I didn't get annoying as hell in ppls tags on their stuff I like every single day, it's one of the best parts of my night going thru fandom tags on here it's like being a little kid at the library for the first time

this got long but it's really special that u sent this & it really made me smile you deserve to have the absolute best day/night anon & in my head I'm sharing my chai cookies with you <3

[thecartoonrambler]

Why Wander is such an important character

Very long post below!

Ill be rambling about Wander over Yonder, specifically, WANDER!!

The show in itself is already amazing, the episodes are short and fun, each character is oozing with personality and fun interactions and there are always ways in which it is all connected. Further on the animation of the show and overall look is absolutely adorable!

For me personally, Wander is simply such an important character and not for few reasons.

I love that Wander's silly happy go lucky personality is so addictive. He's a happy person, who gets happy by helping others in need, even to points where he gets himself in trouble (every episode LOL) But regardless i think they are such an important character traits to have (Happiness, altruism, Optimism).

In today's depressing and violent world, where everyone just fights with each other, a character like Wander can be a sense of hope or inspiration!

Of course, many main characters have these traits as well, but i think a key difference between Wander and many other optimist protagonists lies in their EXPERIENCE IN LIFE!

These other protags are innocent, naive optimists, because they haven't experienced "the real world" yet. And while it makes sense to have characters like these (as an allegory to growing up), they get really tiring and repetitive really quickly. They also commonly showcase optimism and naivety to go hand in hand. And its why a lot if people commonly believe that "realsim" is inherently "pessimistic" (it isn't btw. Theres good and bad in life, denying theres good, is denying reality)

Its extremely refreshing to have a main character like Wander, actually be hinted at being millennias old, repeatedly converting villains to good throughout the eons, out of a sense of duty (and perhaps also Pacifist revenge for his childhood, where its hinted that his entire planet was destroyed and he was the only survivor.)

not only is this also something that one learns, the more one watches (keeping the viewer intrigued) but the fact that so much about Wander's life and past is a mystery is what makes him a fascinating character. At first glance hes just some helpful guy, and the more you learn about him, the more you more you think "who is this guy?" Not in a negative way, but in a complete curiosity. Is it possible he's as old as the universe himself? If so does he know it? Who is he? What actually happened in his past? How did he live before his hat? Was there a time he wasn't as helpful? What caused him to change? Who is he? But at the same time, the viewer doesn't NEED to know. Theres no stress to, no hurry to uncover a mystery. Its like "mystery but it's actually completely low-key". I like that. (Im the kind to get into conspiracy theories or get crazy over plot holes, so the show managing this is insane)

Traits like these, especially in contrast to their personality being so so happy, child-like, goofy, charitable, it makes for an extremely interesting and fascinating character, that one doesn't commonly see in media! Which is really awesome! Someone that's seen so much horrors, lived through civil wars, yet tries to help a skeleton get together with a butch lesbian??

Its awesome!

Other that just that alone, he's helped me out personally! He in many ways reminds me of myself as a kid, i too was altruistic, always trying to help, struggled to say no, was positive and happy go-lucky and adventurous (well, as all kids i suppose), recently rediscovering the show made me realise how much i missed those personality traits in myself. That i had hidden them away, due to people making fun of me of being "too naive" and "too childish". Eventually Making me not talk to people really, and develop really bad self esteem. Rediscovering this show, and specifically how these "childish" traits can be seen in a very positive charming light, helped me realise that being scared of "coming off wierd", "coming off as toxic positivity" will always be worse than not being positive.... At all.

Ive heard from other people too that this show has helped them through tough times, and allowed them to reconnect with more positive thought patterns. Which is why i think characters like Wander are insanely important for media!!

Too much is too depressing all the time! We can create media (ESPECIALLY ADULT MEDIA) that isnt depressed. Positivity and happiness are not a crime! And im so glad a character like Wander exists to exhibit that!

[nono-bunny]

Here's something to consider: Do you think Bryke were kicked out of Netflix's LA ATLA because they were toxic during the whole set? I saw an article on Instagram saying they were fired because they were unproductive, hard to deal with, and were rude most of the time. I sincerely BELIEVE that this is what happened to cause them to leave, because of how you heard all of Mike's jerk ramblings on things (Zutara) and how he and Bryan were praised for the show. I'm thinking Bryke couldn't handle the criticism and Netflix wanted something different to the story but still wanted to keep the story of Avatar intact. Which makes you think...what could make Bryke so adamant about not wanting to change anything? Was it scenes, moments...relationships? Ever since the trailer came out, everything looks fantastic. So WHAT could be so different that made Bryke act like the way they did?

Something to think about. ;)

Thank you for the ask, some interesting points here!

So first of all, I haven't really been active on Instagram since they killed the chronological feed a couple of years ago, so I obviously have no clue what the article you're talking about is and how true it is, but. Yeah, I'd believe that lol, wouldn't be in any way out of character for what I've heard of them and for the rep they've built up over the years

As much as the guests on the podcast are constantly talking about how good at managing the show they were, you also get a very real sense of how rigid they actually are in terms of listening to other people's ideas when they go against their initial ones, even if they would make the show better. Something that really stood out to me is how many times other people are credited for all of the best parts of the show- Zuko's arc being great had nothing to do with them, Iroh's personality was different from what they initially wanted, Toph being a blind girl rather than a huge dudebro (I don't remember if he was also blind or not but like. Regardless they weren't the ones to come up with the Toph we know and love at all)... All of these are things that they've basically admitted to be changes proposed by other people, which they initially resisted. Like!!! They legitimately cannot take the credit for the show's best parts, because they're shit writers- but they have a massive ego because they've been constantly getting praise for shit they didn't do for years. Genuinely they sound like nightmares to work with!!! The cavalier way they dismiss people all the fucking time whenever they disagree with them is just. Really weird for show creators imo, and the way they keep milking the franchise even though they've long since run out of any good ideas- or, really, the ability to execute them in a way that works... Those two fuckers barely worked on anything else worth remembering/noting, so they just keep coming back to the thing that worked once and wondering why they can't get it to work again- and the answer is that they were never the reason why it worked, and they refuse to accept that

As much as I love the original show, it's also incredibly flawed and imo needed many many changes to be deserving of the perfect image it seems to have, and like? I'm genuinely hoping that the changes Netflix make are along those lines rather than like... Sensationalizing it with gratuitous violence or whatever. Zutara would be great, obviously, but... Yeah mostly I just don't want Kataang, and like. I'm being 100% serious when I say that I'm gonna wait for other people to watch the show first so I know if it happens or not, because if it does- I'm just not gonna bother with it.

[justsomerandomplanet]

pls bestow upon us ur gems of wisdom (ur take on jjk ending and such)

I'm gonna start this with an upfront statement since this will be a long post and i don't think anyone wants to read most of the things i will say/I do not want to be misunderstood;

I like the jjk ending enough that it satisfies me, but still leaves me feeling a bit disappointed. Overall, as a series, I rate it a 17 out of 20 Sukuna fingers.

That being said, jjk is an extremely important manga to me on a personal level that will probably be formative for me moving forward. Regardless of the (valid) critiques on jjk, everything I will be saying in this post will end up being subjective, personal opinions that may be a bit biased.

And to akutami, thank you for making this manga and all your hard work; I look forward to whatever they have planned next!

[ read more to hear my more rambly thoughts of the story now ]

I think the last five chapters or so of jjk could have benefited from being 2-3 chapters longer, simply because it feels like a lot was packed into them.

In fact, jjk would probably benefit from having roughly an added 20 chapters or so in total, sprinkled between different story arcs here and there to really explore the lore, plot, and characters more. However, in real time, that would mean an added half a year for the work to be ongoing (more or less), and the reality of the situation is that I simply don't think akutami has the desire to do that. I am not going to claim akutami doesn't like the story they made, but I do think the exertion of weekly manga has clearly taken a toll on them in some way.

Nevertheless, I actually really enjoyed where we ended. JJK was never about "everyone dies and it sucks, despair!!!". In comparison to other stories I've read, JJK has always felt hopeful. Of course, there are plot points I Wish was explored, like:

Megumi's Domain Expansion - Never got to see it fully realise. A shame, really, since it would show his growth as a character. I understand why this never really happened, but considering the level of build up we did have of his character...a shame!

Yuuji's Domain Expansion Name - Not important enough in the grand scheme of things, but it is kinda disappointing. However, leaving it unnamed suits him, a boy who had no specific CT initially with a nameless domain (as far as we know)

New Shadow School clan lore - Kinda have a gripe about this simply because we didn't explore this early on. A very vague thing to leave for the last few chapters

Sukuna's Afterlife - As an endpoint, I like it! However, because we didn't get a lot of exploration on the backstory of Sukuna, Uraume, and that woman (his mother?), it leaves a sense of confusion. I don't really need a whole backstory for Sukuna cause as a character, he can stand without it, but because we've never really seen their whole dynamics really explored, it leaves me feeling disappointed we know so little.

The state of jujutsu society - It's very vague in that we aren't really sure what's happening now. We already know the higher ups and those behind the large political plays are out of the picture, and it seems the three big clans are on the verge of collapse, but the characters seem to still be conducting themselves in the old system. It ended how I did want it, in that the entire old system of jujutsu society is dismantled (aka the old guys are dead lol), and yet its not explored enough for there to be a clear picture (how does the reformation look like? how do we build a system that prevents what happened? we're still using tengen's foundations, how are you sure it would be beneficial? etcetc).

Heian - this is just a me thing but PLEASEEE I NEED HEIAN ARC

I could list down more and more points here, that range from personal disappointments to actual parts that actively hindered the story, but I'm really not here to talk about that. I want to take this time to appreciate the parts I really like, namely gojo's end and yuuji's character.

I speak this genuinely, but Gojo's death and character as a whole is one of the things I have always found to be good and consistent in this entire series. That last conversation he had with Yuuji really clarified how I've always seen Gojo. He is a teacher.

What really always bothered me about the Gojo revival theories (as much as they were fun) always boiled down to one question: "Why?" In the grand narrative of it all, what purpose would Gojo have coming back really? As per the theory, he would lose his powers upon the revival, and then what? Lead the students?

I understand his dream was to reset jujutsu society, and for that, he became a teacher. But more than that, with that last conversation, it shows that gojo wanted his students to reach their full potential more than anything. The world revolved around Gojo Satoru's birth, and he wanted the world to break from that ("Haven't we had enough Gojo Satoru?"). He trusted in his students that they could do it, and that it was okay for him to let them do it on their own. The idea this is self hatred talking feels weird because to me, its a realisation that Gojo believes in reform without himself in the picture. That he doesn't need to be "The Strongest" for the sake of others, but for himself to be like the rest, Gojo Satoru.

A teacher doesn't need to be the lead, for the students to be dependent on them; a teacher is someone that shows the path to where their students can reach their potential, and it is for the student to grab onto it.

The fact that we saw the strongests, Gojo and Sukuna, go in the complete opposite directions of what was initially thought makes this feel even more good. Gojo, who had his youth taken away from him and was entitled "the strongest" by destiny, went south because he was satisfied with what was his life and the dreams he left behind for others to pick up; Sukuna, who lived by his own values in a life purely for hedonistic pleasure and isolation and defied his destiny as a twin, went north because he realised such a life was not the only way you could live in. It is the marks we leave behind that decide whether it is worth staying as who we were (south), or to change and find a new path (north).

As for Yuuji, I love that he's still just Yuuji. His conversation with Sukuna, his empathy towards Megumi, his philosophy about life and the value of life, I love Yuuji so much because he is a boy who was born out of an experiment, who was lonely in childhood save for a grandfather who was there to guide him, who was forced in a situation that was unforgiving and cruel, in a world that did not reward kindness, and yet still chose a path of mercy and understanding.

It's easy to like characters that go off the rails, that do things for the sake of pleasure for themselves, and its Very easy to think it's boring for a character to be kind. But knowing that even in the path of hopeless despair, Yuuji still chose kindness, because that was the way he saw the value of life. And it was a realistic kindness, understanding that total optimism is impossible but still wanting to choose the harder, more unforgiving path because it is kindness that made him who he was. I love that, so much.

I could go off more on other things, but these were mainly my thoughts of the JJK ending! The things I've said here may be a bit of an over analysis, and could be interpreted differently in a different lens, but what I wanted to get out of this is that I genuinely love JJK. With the way things ended, there could be a part two of JJK and I wouldn't be surprised at all, but with where things are at, I like it!

Anyway, sorry for the rambles on that, I just had many thoughts on it

[beebundt]

fwiw that rude commenter is a transphobe, a post a few down on their blog is real blatant (and in that vein I think their comment was less a judgement of your anatomy and more saying Charlie is 'too' muscular/angular)

It's rude and out of pocket REGARDLESS but I also think you're a little hard on yourself! You even said, you hadn't illustrated exactly what you were after with her, and you hadn't intended for a collection of doodles you happened to still like to blow up. You're entirely right that we should all be drawing more than conventionally attractive people, but idk. It's a process and you're a great artist who's working toward it! Don't feel like you have to answer this btw I mostly wanted to let you know that commenter was a double idiot and started rambling. Hope you have a lovely day!!

oh absolutely! i have a feeling you're right abt what they meant considering i saw the transphobic comment they made a couple posts down on their blog lmao but i wanted to add that part anyway. and i appreciate your words a ton, but dw im not hurt or upset! i get a lot of weird comments all the time, i just wanted to use that one as a platform to bounce off of a thought ive been having lately. i wouldn't post a negative remark like that unless i wanted to use it for something. the actual comment was mostly irrelevant to the point i wanted to make, which is also not meant to be super serious, just a thought soup to stir around

and i mean my interpretation of my art as purely objective, i think its important to think critically about yourself and in general. from an objective standpoint, i dont believe the way shes drawn is too out of the norm and is fairly tame (disregarding her ox/bull parts lol), thats basically what i was aiming for with that section. i constantly get stuck in a rut without improving by much because im usually just drawing to doodle after a school day and not rlly with any purpose. i tend to keep drawing the same things out of habit and it gets stale really quickly. so i know my faults and im rlly looking forward to getting better!

also rq, what you said about how we need to draw more than conventionally attractive people- while i do agree with that, in my post i was more saying its important for people to be more open-minded about how they view gender expression and attractiveness in general, myself included! i dont think how i drew charlie was very revolutionary, but ive seen so many tags speaking otherwise. which is either reflective of how small the bubble is for whats acceptable or maybe i have a skewed perception of things? for example if having a bush or something is gender envy we need to look at ourselves. bush is so normal to me. (which i dont if thats what even drew ppl to it BUT. just as an example). would those same people say the same if i drew a very fat woman with a beard, unibrow, etc.? i have no idea. but i have had my eyes opened so many times before its incredible. little things ive never thought about before through new perspective. so thats why i want to encourage it too. i hope that makes sense. thank you so much i hope you have an equally lovely day!! 🫶🫶

[bat-eclecticwolfbouquet-love]

Bnha didn't do it for me on the whole "Hero-Villain" tropes anymore. It doesn't feel like its groundbreaking ideas are getting written well like how there's no such thing as a defined Hero or Villain, there is just the nature of things. Everything is so Black and White

I think James Gunn's work, Peacemaker actually has amazing ideas on the whole Hero-Villain tropes, everyone had an absolute blast with it, great character developments and also amazing comedy too

The best thing about the entire series is that how they treat comic superheroes in it is exactly how one would expect Superheroes would be treated in a Modern world, like how Aquaman is getting dissed on Twitter lol, Aquaman even said when he made it as the ending's cameo that people gotta stop with the dumb rumours, yes he doesn't fuck fish AND ofc John Cena too, dang he's one hell of character

Also I guess at some point, the entire "Teenage Heroes" trope got stale since it all feels unrealistic and how no one is talking about the gravity of bringing kids into Heroism so early. They missed out on a lot of chances with "Real Horror" with the Modern Heroes World in Bnha, cuz there are bad things in good things and vice versa

It's sad how no one is talking about the societal treatment towards others and how there are always the Villains cuz mostly everyone didn't have the awareness of how badly they treat others who are considered "freaks of society".

The lack of education on certain social aspects is appalling, they ignore the social issues with Quirks in general and didn't educate children on how to treat others kindly regardless of Quirks, you can see that with Bakugo, since it was his huge characteristic everyone knows for. Honestly this part feels extremely realistic cuz it's an actual real life thing but I don't think it was improved and just left it as is. We see the consequences and never solutions to fix

Yeah to me it feels like hero don't face any consequences and the whole 'saving villains things ' was quickly discarded. I'm not saying all should be forgiven but it was made clear they became what they are because of tragedy, especially Shigaraki. I believe nothing is black and white. It's shades of gray, (I think Tokyo ghoul did this really well).

And yeah the whole kids being heroes and put through the things they've dealt with, like the Pro heroes seemed to step aside and let it happen which is weird. Let's be honest the young students were leading the way against AFO and Shigaraki. I know this was there story (Izuku Bakugou Shouto Shigaraki) these were the main characters but that doesn't mean we gotta like how they get there.

I also think the story got darker then people expected.

I've always felt the a hero or villain is perspective. A person can be a great hero then go home and abuse their family. A person whose a villain may be doing bad deeds to help their family or those they love because the system fucked them over. So to those they are the hero and the hero is the bad guy.

Society changes people and shows the world what it thinks is correct. Shigarakis life was horrible he deserves someone to save him but he's committed crimes that can't be swept under the rug yet he only did them cause he was groomed and lied to and abused but all the Society sees is he is bad. Heroes aren't suppose to kill but there ate heroes who enjoy the brutality of beating or killing villains. But their heroes so it's OK.

You made some great points and I really enjoyed reading this.

IM SORRY I RAMBLED. SO MANY THOUGHTS. I HOPE IT MAKES SENSE. I COULD GO ON AND ON. THIS IS NOT SPELL CHECKED.

[arvandus]

‼️JJK SEASON 2 SPOILERS WARNING ‼️

So normally I view shipping as kind of a fun silly thing to do when part of a fandom. Like yeah it’s be cute if these two characters ended up together but obviously that relationship isn’t the focus of the story and the creator focuses on the progression of the plot and conflict with the protagonist and antagonist, etc. So I’ve never really had an otp before, just a handful of ships that I’m like “yeah that makes sense and it’d be cute and stuff but I wouldn’t harass other fans and content creators about it”.

But…

SatoSugu is on a whole different level. For the first time you can’t convince me that Satoru and Suguru weren’t romantically involved with one another… I mean, the two are literally soulmates. Yin and Yang. One cannot exist without the other. Darkness in the light and light in the darkness. The betta fish in the outro for season two representing their tragic fate is perfect. Satoru follows the path of the black, sickly betta fish (representing Suguru and his struggle with depression) with concern, while Suguru barely acknowledges the white, healthy betta fish (representing Satoru and his constant upward progress). Male betta fish cannot be kept in the same tank because they are bred to be fighters (both of their powerful family lineage and high expectations placed upon them) and eventually one will kill the other (and we know how that went).

Fate of the Stars by Tally Hall plays in my head whenever I think of them. I feel it’s fitting and kinda sounds like an auditory version of Gojo’s Infinity, but also Geto’s descent into madness. Anyway I felt I needed to ramble bc I can’t explain this to anyone irl without going insane bc I love them so much. Like I got a really nice gojo figurine and there’s a matching Geto one coming out next year and I gotta get it obviously so they can be together on my shelf all happy.

(*´꒳`*)

Oh boy anon, I am so with you. I don't think their relationship will ever be given an explicitly canon romantic label (they never are sadly), but this is honestly the closest we'll get to it. Regardless, we all know that the history is there, the dichotomy, the light vs. dark and yin vs. yang. It's a story about tragedy, about love lost (whether romantic or not, although bruh... *gestures wildly*).

It's all the little details that went into their relationship to each other that really stand out for me. Like in the latest episode when Getou requests something sweet because he knows that Gojo will have some of whatever he gets. Like, not only does that tell us that they share food regularly (or more like gojo takes it lol), but that Getou is constantly considering Gojo's desires when it comes to his own decision making. He knows him better than anyone, and vice versa. It's what makes Getou's downfall so hard to take. Getou always requires purpose to everything, he's all about rules. He's incredibly disciplined. So to have someone who seems so incredibly rock solid turn around and make the decisions he made... It must have gutted Gojo. Because Gojo can understand it even though he doesn't want to, and it holds a mirror up to his own darkness, his own potential for violence. And with his ability, that would be catastrophic. So now Gojo is forced to step into Getou's shoes against Getou who used to be his rock. ASDF;ALSJFA I could go on forever about it.

For me, I find angsty pleasure in the tragedy of perhaps they weren't official; perhaps they never reached a point where they could explicitly express their feelings for each other before everything went south. But they were both aware of it, and its that energy that follows them everywhere until Getou's end, and it continues to follow Gojo even now. It's about regret, and loss, and loving even though we shouldn't anymore, because we can't erase their memory. It's about mourning what could-have-been, it's about hope and how it leads us astray, and it's about repercussions and consequences. It's all very human, tragic, and beautiful.

[yupzzin]

- This is a bit of thread of me rambling about Kai no Kiseki's soundtrack

I heard some bits when the OST mini released and some RIPs from the game and i was quite suprised by the event themes and other tracks by Koguchi/Sonoda which it gave me a bit of hope to be at least better than Kuro 2's music.

After the stream of me hearing the soundtrack as a whole, there's not a doubt in my mind that's very easily one of the best soundtrack since CS4. That's not a high bar for some people but since CS3, i couldnt feel the energy in some of the members in the soundteam had anymore. It feels like Unisuga and bit on Sonoda as well didnt feel like the need to put as much effort as before.

Talking about Sonoda, you could geniuely feel the burnout in some of his songs. Of course there's a track that goes above of his standards (Spiral of Time) but nothing like 2015 Sonoda, it's hard to blame since staying with soundteam for that long, while writing music ever year can be very tiring. With that out of the way, Sonoda's work in Kai might be one of my favorites since YS8/TX era, but it kinda sucks that he is stuck doing Grim Garten dungeon/ambient tracks but still amazing regardless. It's nice to see how much of his tracks and especially the boss theme in Grim Garten is pretty much favorite from his, i'm really excited to hear his music in Tokyo Xanadu 2.

Now, it's time for Koguchi.

Koguchi's evolution in terms of instrumentation and melody was really cool to hear in YS X but i feel like he wasnt given enough chance to have more variety and chances to write a boss theme/dungeon theme. Most of his tracks were used quite poorly especially how song was longer than the actual small battles it played.

But with Kai, it's different case. His event themes are on par on Unisuga's levels for me, enhancing the enjoyment of certain scenes and the piano oriented tracks that he is asked to, is nothing but unbelievable in how much he has grown across the years. The battle themes are step up, the tense theme like ''Farewell my Dear'' is breathtaking, the new versions of Edith and Old Town theme are immaculate, the ''Battle Junction'' is the definitely my favorite rock track of him in Falcom already, surpassing the final boss track 2 of YS X, Kevin's theme makes me a bit sad there's not a motif but it's still a treat to hear, the Title Theme surpassing my expectations after Kuro 2's title theme. The only thing for me is him caring to do some of the motifs that Sonoda does or uses the motif of the songs he made.

Now to Singa.

I'm going straight to the point, i expected worse for him after his Kuro 2 and YS X work. Comical instrumentation choices in most of his songs especially in his event themes/dungeon/especially boss themes. It's funny but cool to see he was asked to do more piano/jazz oriented tracks with sometimes ADD (SAX player) more than the usual, which he is asked to do rock tracks when his main focus and talent is around those two things i mentioned? It doesn't make a bit of sense, regardless some uncessary placements in some of his tracks like why change the sewer track/night theme track of Kuro 1 since it was already perfect with setting of Calvard itself, but in this point especifically, i don't blame Singa on this one. The ''Longlai'' theme and the piano track with the Ending's motif is nothing short of spectacle of hear, really love the touch that made the Ending song give more of a punch. I really wished i like some of the boss themes more, the Shizuna vs Rean boss theme is really good composition wise but it needs a live guitar quite badly. ''Boss Theme 4'' feels like a YS X leftover that went into Trails, and again it needs more power so a live guitar like Sekiguchi/Yoshida but ''Boss Theme 8'' is pretty much what i've wanted...a live guitar LOL, really like Yoshida's work on this one, way better compared ''Arrogant Desire''. The piano track in Van Act 3 is incredible and makes me 95% that he composed ''Lapis''. Overall, as always i think he could've done a bit better but miles better than his Kuro 2's work with the same amount of it as well.

Now with Unisuga.

I don't know what to feel after not hearing his music in recent Falcom's soundtracks for a while and honestly it makes me a bit sad because i wish all the 3 soundteam composers would work together to make a soundtrack that good again like 2013-16 era. It would actually be the dream, but going to the recent days.

I'm still 50/50 on this but i still think ''Event 2'' is Unisuga for me, it reminds a bit ''In the Darkness of Ignorance'' but it's still very 50/50 since Koguchi has the same equips of Unisuga.

The dungeon on Van's Act 2 is makes me think it's Unisuga as well but it's still a bit far fetch to me until i hear the friedlander violin in 0:47. But going through the big one ''Final Boss 2'' is just WOW, it's absolutely crazy to think that, this is a reject song from Cold Steel 3, the percussion and orchestral choices makes me think of it until i hear the vocals which is a first from him, from what i believe. It's crazy to think that is at least top 3 for me, it just shows how much talented Unisuga is, and how much his music is deeply missed.

Lastly, Jindo!

After the last 4 jindo tracks in YS X, it made me wish he was given more tracks considering how it was nothing but spectular but sad with how the placement of his tracks were. But right after the game is out, it was confirmed that Jindo did the YS 35th album so it makes sense of him less tracks than the normal.

I was quite suprised to hear and see later with how Jindo we had in Kai, making the most original compositions he had since Cold Steel 3. This is my honest opnion but i really hate how ''Warrior of Valhalla'' was overused in the Dengeki Stream, it kinda made me think this is okay for Jindo standards, not to mean it's bad or anything. I like the ''Rise of the Grendel motif'' in 0:19, ''And then, to the space - Sky'' is the beatiful, i missed Nagano's violin so much. The second half of the song is cinema, the strings working together with Nagano is so so GOOD!

But for me my favorite from his is ''Boss theme 2'', really big fan of the energy and the synth work around 0:43 until the chorus, it makes me think he was having the fun of his life writing it. The ''Sunshine Coastline'' in 2:02 puts a smile on my face, i'm so glad Jindo is still doing music for Falcom, his orchestral work on ''Boss Theme 3'' makes me believe this is ''Zero Break Battle'' and ''Rivalry of the Seven'' son.

This is a bit of a hot-take but ''The Legend of VII'' is bit weaker than i expected, again it's the same case of ''Warriors of Valhalla'', it's still a good track but it makes sense it's Unused, probably made around Hajimari, i love the ''Class VII'' motif though.

Now for the Final Dungeon's theme, it's really good. Way better than Kuro 2's final dungeon honestly, the intro sets the tone and the build up doesnt feel repetitive, i just wished the chorus was a bit better but still amazing overall, ''la revue'' is incredible, Nagano's violin is special and shines with Jindo's compostion so perfectly, makes me think of YS 8 ending song..

Overall it's not better than the 2010-15 era, not even close but i can geniuely feel the attempt of making a soundtrack memorable to the listener and that i can appreciate it. I would rank higher than Hajimari for me.

If you read all the way through the here, thank you.

I never did this before but i got the itch of writing something about Falcom music and it's something i'm always passionate to talk about it.

[yourqueenb]

Zoey didn’t deserve to be humiliated at the bacchanalia.

MC should’ve went to help Zoey as soon as she found out about the human sacrifice.

Zoey had a right to be mad at her for not doing so.

Zoey was cool with messing with Poppy as long as MC was the one taking heat.

all can and should coexist. The problem is that people on this site take shit to the extreme and either try to justify what Poppy did to Zoey by saying she’s manipulative and she deserved it… or they view any small criticism against Zoey as unjustified and malicious. And I can mildly understand the latter because it’s easy to get defensive when you consider how badly this fandom treats Black characters (and people). But those that know how to think critically shouldn’t be lumped in with the people on the opposite side of the spectrum.

That said though, I think the biggest factor in how Zoey’s actions and MC’s treatment of her are perceived is, once again, her terrible writing. They basically wrote her as if she was just idling in limbo until MC came along and she could finally have a purpose. That purpose being pushing MC into Poppy’s crosshairs and giving her clothes (or as you said, serving only as a plot device). I always see posts about how terrible of a friend MC is, how she takes advantage of Zoey, and how she’s worse than Poppy which is bs, but that’s a whole other conversation… But all of that ignores how Zoey was pretty much written to either not care, be cool with it, or sometimes actively encourage it. There are only so many ways people are going to receive a character like that if they refuse to read between the lines because the writers never actually meant for her to be more.

And that’s why if development should go to anyone in book 2, it should be Zoey. Poppy doesn’t need a redemption arc or a “villain origin story” because she’s not some witch in a fairytale. She’s classist and racist. And most people don’t have big reasons for that other than simply just being raised that way. Sometimes people really are just mean to be mean, so I think her characterization is more than sufficient and realistic. And the fact that PB does try to give bigoted women sob stories/excuses for being the way that they are is one of their biggest issues imo because there really is no good reason for being that way, nor should we be forced to care.

It's OK to like a character and call them out on their Bs... I love Zoey I just thought that one story arch was a bit annoying... Obviously I could write a post bashing Poppy coz Poppy is evil and toxic here but I'm pretty sure people have done that... I think she's over rated and doesn't have a great villian origin story, she's just a bitch for being a bitches sake... I hope she stays evil tho if they water her down that will be lame, keep her evil and give her depth.

They really need to put more into Zoeys character as well, shes just a plot device atm, they don't even let you romance her properly. She has so much potential and I feel like the writers should see her as more than Mc's stylist/assistant.

[freakygirlie]

Hi. Itk here. Believe me, don't, doesn't matter. Thought I'd drop (after you summoned ha) by given the chaos and try to enlighten the ones who choose to believe me, as much as I'm capable of.

The first thing I wanna say is: stop trying to figure out their relationship. You most likely never will. Fans are stuck on both extremes, when the actuality of it is far more in the middle (perhaps even up or down and all around ha). It's complex and strange and not at all "normal" (as normal as they could be, anyways).

It's not as simple as "oh they're just a closeted couple who engage in bearding and have kids and behind closed doors they're just a regular, old married couple and a big, happy rainbow family".

Doesn't sound like itk info, believe me, I get that but observing the fandom I'd say it almost is because most fans simply hang on extreme simplistic ideas of what their relationship is.

Second thing I'd like to say and unfortunately seems like it's not at all obvious but: do not believe anything they share publicly. Not saying they're lying compulsively, but they are public figures and they have a lot at stake to just casually drop the actual truth of any given situation.

Just don't. The same salt you have regarding itks, have towards them. It'd do you some good...Believe me. Unless you are involved in the entertainment or political life, you cannot even begin to fathom what it's really like, the level of manipulation, falsehood and well, overall deviation of it. It's quite disturbing tbh. So just always take whatever's said and shown with a good amount of salt. With public people hardly anything is accidental or casual.

I think the most prominent question now is...Why? Why would they do something like that? Regardless if you have the ingenuity to believe the little scene they made or not...Still, the question lingers.

With my level of "in the knowness" I cannot for sure say the real reason, yet from the pieces I've collected so far, seems to be a multiple gain scheme. It was a high risk, they were well aware, and it paid out in the way they were expecting, minus small bumps here and there. But overall it seemed to have worked in their favor. How in the hell, one would ask?

Believe me, I used my best sneaky capabilities to find out exactly why but they were smart enough to keep this one locked tight, minus a few loose lips. And from those all I've heard was that "whatever the purpose was, it worked out".

As weird as it may sound to the innocent mind, it's actually not at all, given that even leaked nudes are not at all leaked or accidental, and those tend to (at least in the past) get immense amount of backlash. It's not the first time famous folks fake a fight, surely won't be the last.

A lot goes into public image, it's not black and white as "well but it looked bad on Jensen", "it looked bad on the prequel", etc. You'd be surprised as how little this truly matters given the level of manipulation they are able to pull on the public. And well, even with them...It happens all the time. Both made mistakes far worse than just "not telling my bestie about my new project" and fans would eventually let that go and put them back on the pedestal.

So just remember, always: not in the industry? then don't judge anything because you simply do not understand how it works.

Another piece of itk information I can give besides "this was planned and it worked" is: they are fine. From what I've heard they are not fighting over it or going through anything more dramatic than what they usually have been going through ever since they met haha.

So just sit back and chill out. Breathe, read fanfiction and remember that we will never truly get answers, because even what comes out of their mouths are most of the time carefully thought out and directed to have a specific meaning and effect (why do you think Jared mumbles and rambles so much?).

Another interesting piece of itk: you know how they always say they never fight? Even though that sounds insanely hard to believe even if they were just friends because who knows someone for that long and is constantly together and never fights? Unlikely, right? Yes, as obvious as that was. But unfortunately a lot of you seem to believe that, given the level of shock you had for this little twitter feud (as fake as it was). Yeah. They fight. A lot.

They fight as much as individuals in their situation would. Like I said, not at all what most people absentmindedly seem to think it is. They go through a lot. Way more than anyone who isn't in a similar situation would understand. It's messy, although they try their best to make it simpler in the ways they can.

On top of being in a very complex situation, they both have strong personalities and one of them is quite hard to "pin down". So altercations happen a lot, but they know how to deal, and they are exceptionally good at making sure that doesn't interfere in their work (oh well, at least not any work that doesn't benefit from intense emotional exchanges, anyways 😉...chemistry isn't something random, you know? haha).

I find it quite...interesting (to put it nicely) that a lot of hats easily believe they are a couple that lies constantly about almost every aspect of their lives, yet, they cannot believe they would fake a social media narrative. It makes no sense whatsoever.

It'd do you all good to be a little less tendentious and look at them as, you know...Humans? They are not what they seem to be, just as you guys also take in different versions of yourselves in different situations, they do too. And don't be so hopelessly naive to actually believe they see fans as "hashtag family". This is their work. And as grateful as they are for supporters, they certainly do not consider them family. To the point of never lying and trusting you with their life.

I'm sure they love their fans, but come on, saying they would never lie because that's mean to fans is just beyond naive. They've been doing it all along and oh, another interesting info? They don't think they're doing anything wrong.

Yeah, sounds weird, you'd think they'd feel guilty. But again, unless you were media trained, you'd never get it.

From years now if there's one consistent info I've gotten was this: they don't feel obligated to tell you anything. They believe they are doing "what they are supposed to do, the right thing for everyone involved".

So. Yeah. And hell, they are right about not being obligated to say anything about anything, I guess.

Well, I hope that was helpful or at least entertaining. It's hard to share info without accidentally making it obvious who I am for the lurkers (sure you guys were well aware that they lurk around the fandom). But it's safe because as long as I don't provide evidence, I'm fine. Just walking a thin line between sharing and not sharing something too specific that would be easy fir them to know who has that info and although they can't do anything against itks, they can manage to cut us off somehow and I enjoy having access lol, so that'd be a bummer.

Anyways, take itks and J2 themselves with a ton of salt haha! You are lovely, btw, you seem very kind and I enjoy your blog very much! much love!

itk anon everything you said was <333 and i agree with like almost all of it. very nice analysis and ask thank you ! i don't always believe everything j2 put out but the whole stunt being a false narrative just seems wrong so idk what to make of it. regardless i myself can sometimes get carried away in my star-struck love of j2. and i am a tinhat so well :) and now they look to be really good and taking a break from here was well worth it <3

''You are lovely, btw, you seem very kind and I enjoy your blog very much! much love!'' i love u so much hope u have a great day !

[kyojuuros]

I'm the one who wrote you the anon message regarding my feelings with the manga feeling like a 'rush job' despite being fine with the conclusion. Thanks for your response. I'm going to be brutally honest and say everything after chapter 106 (the War for Paradis arc), IMHO, should've gone differently in certain ways. For starters, it was WAY too long (33 chapters) and could've used more breathing room by splitting it into two and then start with a completely NEW arc that would've been DEVOTED....

to addressing ALL the plot points and possibly leading to a more satisfactory conclusion. Eren's character arc was fine but, IMHO, needed better build up, a long with a better conclusion with more focus on him in the REAL world, his REAL persona, and not the hard-ass act and Path shenanigans. The manga has a dark setting and it's suppose to be sad/tragic/depressing/heart wrenching but I don't like a terrible terms he left with friends, Hange and Levi. I'm sorry but there's really no excuse.

I bolded the part that really stood out to me because I feel exactly the same way. I don’t think making his thoughts and feelings a total mystery while completely turning him into someone who feels totally different from the pre-basement portion of the series was a good move, like, AT ALL. It’d be like if Star Wars was presented in chronological order (and let’s say you don’t know who Darth Vader is when you start) and saw Anakin and Padme get married, and then ~time skip~ to him attacking Padme and Obi-wan and becoming Darth Vader... and only seeing his descent to the dark side just before he sacrifices himself for Luke.

People who’ve followed me for a long time know I used to be a lot more involved in the meta community and I was always theorizing and making long-ass posts about character arcs and relationships and predictions on what I think is going to happen. It was a lot of fun and even if I wasn’t always correct, I was never so far off that it actually made me upset (or if I was, it was warranted and even comical... I used to think the Beast Titan wasn’t a shifter and that there was an underground tunnel that lead outside the walls lol). I think the last extensive meta/prediction I had written was after chapter 112 had published, and once I realized that I apparently had no fundamental understanding of Eren at all anymore I completely stopped trying. It wasn’t fun anymore. I didn’t appreciate that I could no longer understand my favorite character (of all time, at the time). 

But then I think back and I’m like, no... I did understand Eren. I understood him just fine before the time skip and that’s why everything after Marley frustrated me to no end because it was like he’d been ripped away from me and replaced with a fraud. I couldn’t even cry about his death because I’d become so emotionally removed from him by that point that it didn’t even matter to me anymore (and this is coming from someone who would cry about him a lot just listening to song lyrics or getting lost in thought or rambling with friends). It continues to frustrate me because I still love him as a character, and I don’t need to defend him (there is nothing defendable) but I wish I could feel confident in at least explaining his actions properly. I don’t mind that he became the antagonist, I just hate that I continue to feel like I can’t understand why.

I think that, had Isayama just told his story chronologically, and kept us privy to Eren’s POV, that we would have understood better. Seeing him descend into the darker side of himself would have made much more sense if we had actually witnessed it in real time. Giving us a random flashback here and there, barely getting his thoughts at all, and having the most underwhelming info dump in the final chapter (that STILL didn’t even clear things up properly, it just added MORE damn questions) was terrible for his character and the overall narrative. A character that used to give me so much hope (and I was in a very dark headspace when I stumbled upon snk) became a character that just made me feel disappointed.

Rambling over Eren aside, I also agree that the final arc should have been chopped up into 2 or more arcs (I generally treat the rumbling as its own arc at this point anyway). We should have gotten more from Historia. Levi should have interacted more with the 104th. We should have been able to see Hange blossom into their own as a confident commander (and not get killed just to make Armin commander for 5 minutes???). Armin and Annie’s feelings toward each other should have been explored more. Eren developing romantic feelings for Mikasa should have been explored more. Mikasa and the entire Azumabito/Hizuru subplot should have actually amounted to... literally anything. Ymir having a connection to Mikasa should have been explored much more (especially with the revelation that this was the most likely cause of the headache’s Mikasa has had since the 2nd chapter). I’m sure there’s plenty of other things I could think about that needed addressing, tbh. 

The story feels concluded but incomplete, if that makes sense. The themes were wrapped up and are easy to pinpoint and that’s good and all, but for a story that’s very character driven to not have properly built up/wrapped up certain arcs, relationships and character-centric plot points just makes it feel hollow. So I understand why a lot of people are very frustrated and upset and ready to put the story on the shelf never to be touched again.

I’m trying to give Isayama some grace since he admitted the scope of the story was beyond his ability as an author. I just wish that instead of barreling forward with a narrative that he knew he couldn’t execute properly, he would have reconsidered the trajectory of the plot altogether and written something that he knew he could feel confident in. I can think of many ways the story could have gone post-basement that would have been both more interesting and probably more satisfying, regardless if the ending was dark, bittersweet or happy.

It’s a story I’ll read and watch again, many times, I’m sure. I’m still looking forward to part 2 of the final season. I still want to make content for it. I still want to buy and display merchandise of it. I still love these characters and the world Isayama created. I appreciate and treasure all of the joy SnK has brought me over the years. I just... disagree heavily with his narrative choices in the final arc. I’d like to think that MAPPA will somehow execute it a little better (there are things WIT did that I liked better, though they did I things I also liked less, lol), but I’m not going to get high hopes just to get let down again. 

.... It appears I have pent up my frustrations a bit in an effort to maintain a positive presence. LOL

[lliaq]

mhm man do I have conflicting feelings about Vol 2 (this is prob gonna be kinda rambly and all over the place but I have Thoughts™ and I need to put them down)

okay first of all I gotta commend Sadie, like she absolutely killed it this season. Definitely one of the highlights. Caleb too. That attic scene- oof. I was just straight up bawling. Max and Lucas were never my favorites (didn’t dislike them either, they were just sorta in the middle for me), but they really felt like the heart of the show more than anything or anyone this season. Which is ironic given Will’s whole speech about Mike being the heart like-the fuck where? 

I just- do not like Mike. At all. idk what it is, if it’s the acting, writing, or both, but he feels so incredibly unsympathetic as a character. He was also one of those middle characters for me at first, but unlike Max and Lucas he’s just been dropping down season by season and I literally can’t stand him now. Slow clap for that A+ character assassination. He only exists as Eleven’s bf now, and doesn’t seem to care about any of his friends, or anyone, really. And don’t even get me started on how they used Will’s feelings and sexuality “storyline” to further Mileven. there’s already a hundred posts about that, so I’m just not gonna even go there.

Another slow clap for the incredible Queerbaiting (listen idec that much if Byler becomes canon or not, but they 100% used Will’s sexuality and the potential of Byler to hype up the show and string queer audiences along(during Pride month, no less), it is textbook queerbaiting)

Mileven is also one of those ships that I don’t care about. Might have to do with my dislike for Mike, but something about it just doesn’t click for me. And boy did I feel that lack of investment during Mike’s monologue. Made the entire scene just completely fall flat for me. But where I was mostly ambivalent about them in S3, I’m actively rooting for them to break up now lol. Eleven, girl, get out of there.

Like, genuinely, her character feels like it’s stuck. Or like going in circles. I think she’d have more room to grow without Mike. idk I’m too tired to be big brain about this rn

Anyways, moving on. Dustin felt a little sidelined this season. Like what even was his arc? Being Eddie’s friend (just for Eddie to die)? Wow, great. Amazing. But y’know, same thing with Jonathan and Will. Maybe they just have too many characters at this point. 

Couldn’t care less about Jonathan and Nancy as a couple. I’m not a big shipper (regardless of canon status), so if a relationship isn’t actually interesting...I just won’t care. They’re boring to me, that’s all I really have to say. I’m not fully on board the potential Steve/Nancy train, if they’re even going there in S5. Def felt like that’s what they were setting up. I’ve seen some people say that them getting back together would undo their character growth and I don’t know if I agree with that either, like... if they got back together, it would literally be because they spent time apart, growing as individuals. What they had before wasn’t working, but they’re not those people anymore, that’s the whole point. It would only be regression if they got back together and went back to being exactly like they were in S1/2.

I mean, in an ideal world I would hope for Ronance, and Steve ending up either with someone else or single, but...I’m not gonna hold my breath for that, lol. After all, they gave us copy-paste lesbians. Great representation, pack it up everybody. You know what, I’ll give that one another slow clap.  I’m always down for more wlw rep, but that was half-assed at best. More like quarter-assed. 

Steve also felt, idk, sidelined in the sense that he just went back to pining about Nancy and that was really all there is. Idk honestly it felt like a lot of characters were just kind of there, this season. Like, they participated in the plot....and that was it. And some barely even did that. Again, might be an overcrowding issue.

I’m sorta meh about the Russia plot. Murray is ok, I guess, but the over the top kind of comedy they use him for isn’t my cup of tea, so he’ll never be my favorite. I’m pretty ambivalent about Jopper as well. It’s one of those ships where I’m like I’m fine if it happens, and I’m fine if it doesn’t. I will say that my perception of Hopper still hasn’t fully recovered from whatever the fuck they did with his character in S3, but it’s getting there, I guess?

Joyce...went to get her man. Good for her, I guess. idk, don’t really have much to say.

Eddie though- man. Boy. He’s like the definition of deserved better. My man thought 86 was going to be his year and then it all went to complete and utter shit. I can’t say I’m surprised they killed him. He’s the Barb/Bob/Alexei of this season, with the exception that he was probably more of a fan favorite than any of the other 3. The thing about his death is just... it seems so pointless. I know they painted it as this whole Hero moment, he decided to fight instead of run, yadda yadda. But really he died in a “sacrificial” act that was ultimately meaningless and didn’t accomplish anything, he died being hated by an entire town, and I assume they left his body in the Upside Down bc he was officially “missing” still, so...he didn’t even get a burial.  He’s like one of the very few characters that went through actual character growth this season , and he died for it. Good one. (here, I’ll toss in another slow clap) I did feel the lack of reactions was odd at first, but then I thought about it a bit and remembered that the timeframe of this season is pretty short. Idk how long exactly, but I’m pretty sure it’s a week or less, and he spent a decent amount of that time in hiding. So most of the others spent like a couple hours total with him, maybe. I’d have expected something from Lucas, though. Mike apparently doesn’t care about anyone other than El, so that tracks lol. But the only one we’ve seen affected at all was Dustin (and Eddie’s uncle). So, it was still a little lackluster.

Anyways, yeah idk. Visually, the show is still stunning (even if the CGI was actually not that great in a lot of shots, imho), and there were some standout moments. I loved the one-take shootout (I’m a sucker for long one-takes, DD hallway fights my beloveds), and of course the entire Running Up That Hill Sequence, which might be my favorite scene in the entire show. But some of these writing choices really soured it for me.

This very much feels like a case of It could have been great, the potential was there, but they didn’t stick the landing.

[cloveroctobers]

LEVEL 1 — Perception

A/n: to make things easier due to my hectic work schedule...I’m deciding on writing blurbs or short fics for right now, to get content out in a timely manner. I’m open to writing pairings but I notice those don’t get that much attention but I’m attempting to do so anyways...at least at the start of this series which is absolutely inspired by we’re not really strangers. I love the game, it’s very personal and intense so if you have the chance, get it if you’re open to connecting with the people you care about in a passionate way. I’ve also decided to make the characters a little bit older...college wise/around the actors ages based on these questions lol even tho these teens are already dramatic + have a lot going on.

Synopsis: a interviewer that Spencer is very familiar with, Rochelle Mosley has resurfaced to complete her senior year project at Claremont as a journalist. Rochelle is all about going big and never going home, so the first person on her list is one of the guy’s that intrigued her the most not so long ago. So she reached out to Thee Spencer James and to put the word out to anyone else that might be interested. And here we are!

::: S. James + O. Baker ::: All to me

Rochelle is seen running her finger over her pearly whites, making sure they’re squeaky clean after eating her brunch which consisted of a poached egg, an açaí bowl, served with lemon water. She already spent twenty minutes brushing her teeth and whitening them last night to prepare for this moment. She knew this idea would guarantee her nothing but a A+. She had friends from the film department around helping her with the equipment and due to this Panasonic it made things chaotic opposed to having this interview face to face.

Rochelle knew that she could have at least met with Spencer for his half but decided to do what he was comfortable with. She wouldn’t push any boundaries...yet. Regardless it would have to be a video call since Olivia attended MassArt and appeared that she would not be coming back to California any time soon, according to her insta stories that is.

Nonetheless Rochelle knew how to negotiate so here she was working on their terms. With a sigh, she straightened out her posture, fixed the waves in her hair, reapplied some matte lipstick—again, glanced around her to make sure she liked her set up and eyed her friends to make sure they were doing what they were getting paid for, and plastered on a commercial smile as she connected the video call waiting on her two guests.

It only took a minute for Spencer’s face to pop in.

“Spencer!” Rochelle greeted which he replied with slight raised brows and a smile at her volume, “so glad you can be here and punctual at that.”

Spencer answered, “well you know, if I agreed to be something I don’t want to waste anybody’s time ya know?”

“Always the wise one aren’t you?” Rochelle commented before continuing on, “how are things? How is UCLA?”

“I really like it here, uh. I’m almost done with my sophomore year, but with the way things are looking right now? Might have to switch to remote this spring semester...we’re all basically on standby at the moment. It’s crazy times but we gon’ get through it, I know it.” Spencer chatted with ease.

Rochelle was multitasking looking to the side at her phone to keep track of time. Olivia Baker was five minutes late now, which was slowly working Rochelle’s nerves. The girl had her number and although they didn’t talk much through texts or through anything really, it was common courtesy to let someone know if you were going to be late or couldn’t make it.

“Yes! We have to keep a optimistic attitude as best as we can. I hope you’re being safe out there?” Rochelle met Spencer’s eyes, after silently debating if she should send Miss. Olivia a text.

Spencer dipped his head, “absolutely. And yourself?”

“Oh yes, honey. This thing is ruining lives unexpectedly but it’s insane to me that people believe this isn’t real. It’s the denial for me. Especially here in California! Then when they catch it, it’s suddenly a different tune. Sure the numbers might be a little questionable but not too much is a lie. Read the facts, do the research. But—

Olivia showed up. Eight minutes later...

Rochelle forced a smile, “Olivia Baker! How nice of you to join us.”

“I know, I know. I’m super late and I’m sure you don’t want to hear the excuses so let’s just dive right into this social experiment project thing you have going on. Sorry by the way.” Olivia rambled which Spencer chuckled at.

Olivia paused, “hey, Spencer.”

“Hey, Liv.”

Rochelle picked up on the chemistry or tension or whatever you want to name it. It was all still there and oh so fresh. She knew this would be good and knew they had to be the first on her list. Sure Rochelle maybe a year or two older than these two but she also had friends that were younger and gossipers like her so she always had the inside scoop when she needed it. So yes, she knew all about spelivia.

“How’s Boston?” Rochelle asked politely, breaking the two’s stare contest.

Olivia inhaled, “it’s better than California, that’s for sure. It feels like I’m getting a fresh new start and it’s just what I needed.”

“Yeah i see you’re at your best there. You seem to be thriving.”

“well yeah, because it’s new. Sometimes you need to get away, I mean I’ve been in California for eighteen years of my life. I always knew I wanted to be somewhere else...don’t get me wrong, California is still very much my home.”

Nice save there, Olivia.

Rochelle clasped her hands together with a wide smile after a small silence filled the air after Olivia’s statement.

“Moving right along, I’ve sent the both of you a series of questions that you both should have received correct?”

Spencer pulled the padded envelope from the side and waved it in front of camera. Rochelle smiled at how organized this guy was and shifted her glance to Olivia who widened her doe brown eyes.

“Ah, yeah I’ve got that. It should be around here somewhere? Hopefully. If it’s not then it’s definitely in the car.” Olivia pointed.

Rochelle sighed, “very well. Please proceed on retrieving the envelope, it’s crucial to this interview.”

Olivia scooted back from the desk and held up a finger as she disappeared from the screen. Rochelle turned back to the brown boy who was toying with the tan object.

“Have you read any of the questions, Spencer James?”

“I really haven’t had the time to, no.”

“Great!” Rochelle quipped, “this will make this experience truly authentic.”

Spencer thought about what was said, wondering where this would get him. He understood what Rochelle informed him in the email and she answered all of his questions. He knew this wouldn’t strictly be about him and Olivia since he invited his friends along for the ride as well.

“Please open the envelope as we wait on Olivia. BUT only read the first question on the first card, we don’t want you to get too far ahead of yourself since that wouldn’t be fair to Olivia.” Rochelle instructed while Spencer took a small inhale before doing so.

Spencer read over the card, his eyes flying over the words as he read them pretty quickly. He hummed at that which Rochelle began to question him on but Olivia announced her presence.

“I’ve got it!” She let out in a sang-song voice.

“Olivia, please open the envelope but only read your first card’s question. Spencer has already done so while we were waiting for you,” Rochelle instructed before turning back to the sophomore, “Spencer, whenever you’re ready please read the question and answer.”

How would the person closest to you describe you in three words?

Olivia halted as she pulled out her own card as Spencer showed the card while reading it from the side.

“I’d think they would say I’m...compassionate, hardworking, and...loving?” Spencer announced, taking his time on thinking that over.

It was Rochelle’s turn to hum as she asked, “Do you agree with his choices, Olivia?”

Olivia was confused. “W-what?”

“Would you say Spencer is: compassionate, hardworking, and loving?”

Olivia quickly recovered, “we don’t know if Spencer is referring to me on that question.”

“Spencer, when answering this question who are you saying is the closet person to you?”

“I—uh—I consider a handful of people that are close to me.” Spencer expressed, “but I’d be lying if I didn’t say Olivia isn’t the first person that came to mind. Even though there’s a shift right now in our...relationship due to the distance—among other things...we’re still the closest and that speaks for itself.”

Rochelle gave a smug smile as she looked at Olivia who opened and closed her mouth. Before Rochelle could encourage Olivia to read her question, she already went forth after clearing her throat a few times.

What reality show do you think I’m most likely to binge watch? Explain.

Olivia peered up at Spencer.

“Oh? I’m supposed to answer this about her now? Aight. Lemme see...i don’t know you seem to find a lot of free time to watch things...maybe it’s a film major thing? Months ago you were watching ‘I love New York, then you told me you and Simone were watching ‘Love is Blind’ or—

“It was actually ‘married at first sight’.” Olivia cut in.

Spencer widened his eyes and pointed at the screen with a small laugh, “that makes sense.”

“Why?” Rochelle wanted to know.

Spencer’s answer was firm, “that’s not our business to tell.”

Rochelle scribbled a quick note on that, ruling these two out on that question to ask later. She made sure to circle Simone’s name and put a question mark next to it.

“To answer your previous question,” Spencer redirected the interview back, “since a lot of these were love reality shows...I know that’s not the only genre you watch and you listen to a lot of podcasts. So I’m gonna say this show called, ‘alone.’”

Olivia blinked.

Rochelle waved her hands as she signaled for one of her friends to find the show on the laptop they were on, “have you watched this show, Spencer? And please elaborate on why you chose this show for Olivia?”

“No I haven’t. I only saw the trailer for it randomly when I was on YouTube watching lebron’s greatest moments clips.” Spencer replied earning a snort from Olivia and a eye-roll from Rochelle, “I picked that show because Liv feels that way, always. Like she’s never been seen before, truly seen. And this show tests these guys to survive on their own in the wilderness, putting not only their bodies but their minds through a lot. It’s mainly about survival that much I gained from the trailer. Liv’s always been a loner for as long as I’ve known her and feels that’s how she knows how to survive by doing it all on her own when she doesn’t have to. I see that and I understood that from my first day at Beverly.”

...

[lyrebirdswrites]

How did you distinguish between comp het and genuine attraction, if that's something you ever experienced before/while IDing as lesbian? - sincerely, a questioning sapphic! 💛

Hi anon! I have experienced comp het before, and I’m happy to talk about how it felt for me vs the actual crushes I’ve had ^^ I’ll whack it under a read more because my answer involves a lot of rambling about my personal experience.

A quick note that comp het can be different for everyone and I am certainly not the word of god on the subject. Also, I’m asexual, so sexual attraction did not factor into comp het for me, and I previously thought I was bi so I was already comfortable with the idea of me being attracted to girls. That might not line up with your situation, but hopefully my experiences can give you some insight regardless.

Anyway. There was this guy I really liked back when I was in high school.

When I was ‘crushing’ on him, it was pretty cerebral. I was always asking myself questions, trying to figure out how much I liked him and whether I could really see us together. I remember thinking to myself, “well, he’s not exactly conventionally attractive - but that’s okay, that doesn’t bother me, I would never be so shallow as to not date someone just because they’re not the most drop dead gorgeous person in town” (the issue had nothing to do with how attractive he actually was; rather, the problem was that I wasn’t attracted to him and I didn’t know it). I’d ask myself, “do I feel butterflies when I think about him?” And lo and behold, the butterflies would spontaneously appear! So I’d have to assume, “well, there they are, there’s your answer.” When I wondered, “can I see myself with him” the answer was a firm yes - but it was the kind of yes that was firm in order to push down tiny doubts, so nebulous and vague it was difficult to even know they were there at all. Not the kind of yes that was organically certain.

Typing it out like that makes it seem pretty obvious that whatever I thought I was feeling, I probably wasn’t feeling it after all. But what made it confusing was that I honestly, genuinely, really liked this guy. He was one of my best friends and one of my favourite people on the planet. He had a good heart, he was confident, he was intelligent and articulate, we could talk about anything. I cared about him very deeply, and that wasn’t fake. So when I started hearing from my friends that he might like me that way, and when I started noticing things in his behaviour that indicated he might want to be more than friends, it made me wonder - this care I have for him, is that love? Maybe it is. I like him a lot. I like spending time around him. I like that he likes me. If I like him so much, then I want to go out with him, right? It’s called compulsory heterosexuality, but at no point did I feel consciously compelled or pressured - when he asked me out, it was my choice to say yes, and in all that thinking I’d done I came to the conclusion that this was something I wanted. I felt all the warm fuzzies I was supposed to feel right afterward; I rang my best friend the moment I got home and we had a big long squeal about it together.

Except very quickly I figured out that this was not something I wanted at all, because once the initial warm fuzzies wore off and I was actually dating him, the gulf between what was expected of me and what I felt turned out to be massive. The main thing I remember from that relationship is that it felt stifling. Not because he was doing anything wrong or coming on too strong, but because I had fundamentally misinterpreted my own feelings. A hug from him or a hand on my shoulder became something I had to grit my teeth and endure instead of something I enjoyed, practically overnight. Physically, I did not want him near me, because the new meaning behind his gestures made me feel like my personal space was constantly being invaded, like I had to get away. Needless to say, that relationship did not last very long. He was very gracious and understanding, but I felt really guilty about the whole thing. 0/10 would not recommend sorting out comp het by actually dating a guy.

I have had crushes on girls since then, and to me it feels very different. I think the biggest difference is that when I’m experiencing comp het, I wonder if I’m feeling something and then the feelings may or may not manifest; when I’m experiencing a genuine crush, the feelings come first, and then I identify them, however long it takes to do so. That’s not to say that I don’t question whether I have a crush - but I’m not responding to the thought that a relationship might be on the table, I’m figuring out an emotion that already exists, if that makes sense. The angst involved is less do i really like him tho and more does she like me back. I’m not up late at night imagining what it would be like to be in a relationship and trying to figure out if I’d be comfortable with that in the first place; I’m either thinking oh wouldn’t it be nice, or I’m going to bed early because it means tomorrow will come quicker and I can see her again lol. My thoughts about the crush are less self-focused, because I’m too busy focusing on how lovely she is. I ask myself less, and try to prove it to myself less, because it just is.

I do remember that after the whole situation with the boy from high school, I stumbled upon this big long google doc about comp het. If you haven’t read it, I’d recommend doing so - it was helpful for me at the time.

Hopefully this was helpful, anon! I wish you all the best while you’re figuring things out, and whatever answer you settle on, I hope it’s an answer that feels comfortable to you <3

[calpalsworld]

Not "autistic anon," but also autistic, (being called maybe ableist made me want to put this out there before go to bed) i thought Zane was depicted that way purposefully by the writers. He has stereotypical traits like taking things literally, and has an actual humor switch. The writers have done things with Zane before like have him lose bodily autonomy (during that one Wu's teas short) and did something with his voice be it making him unable to be understood or talking too loud and the forced pirate voice by Jay. (what you're doing isn't too different from that, right?) I thought it was just a little iffy to distort his body and memory bc that could be interpreted as something not that I'm sure what exactly, it's some kind of disability. I dunno. I'm not good with putting this to words. I hope this makes sense.

Sorry I went to bed but now I’m awake 😭

Also I ended up totally spilling all my thoughts here rather than only specifically replying to you please forgive me context: my scary zane concept design, & my ninjago rewrite i refer to a lot 

Im a little confused but I think I get what you're saying? You're saying the Ninjago writers absolutely DON'T write Zane well (you listed examples of this) and you don't want me to fall into the same trap?

I had the opposite logic earlier. I thought: If Ninjago writers made Zane have stereotypical autisitic traits while also being a dehumanized robot, I may as well embrace it, say he is autistic blatantly, while also making him do funny/cool non-human robot things, so its clear as possible the two aspects of his character are literal and separate and not a metaphor for each other. But you're right! I do have a choice and I dont have to embrace things! :)

Like there were a couple ways I was gonna reject the original, for example, I never wanted Zane to have a funny switch, and I hated how other characters could fuck with Zane and he didn't even care 😬. I want to change that stuff. So youre right, if I am changing shit like that, it would be counterproductive for ME to GIVE him MORE traits along that theme. 😬😬😬 I should try to feel less obligated to portray Zane like he originally is. I still like the concept of "scary zane" (for reasons i explain below the cut) but I might tone it down a bit like with the claws and weird proportions and shit. I’d def make him look more skeletal and undead. That was my original intention, but i didnt execute it as good as I could have.... idk if anyone could tell thats what he was supposed to be like...my bad! But rn I dont wanna redesign him I wanna draw other stuff like normal alive Zane. Sorry LMAO 😳. Like I said in some earlier asks I think, I think Im gonna focus rn on how I should portray season 1 normal not dead Zane so thank you and feel free to share any other Zane thoughts ^_^ SOME OTHER THOUGHTS:

Also I Wanna Argue Some Stuff But I Understand its a Weak Argument Since All of This Context was Just In My Brain (so don't take this as an argument, just as me rambling): I don't want messed up things to happen to Zane and for it to just be ignored. I think if Zane is going to have fucked up things happen to him, as all characters must, its best for it to happen during a season where he actually addresses his feelings about being a robot (learning to accept that he will always be himself, regardless if hes "human" or the "original" or whatever. (thats how I always interpreted his emotions)). But I wouldn't have the other Ninja be very phased by Zane's looks because the whole point is they already love who he is (seasons 1-3 were about getting to know Zane) and now Zane himself just has to learn the physical, robot part of him is okay. Its about person-hood rather than humanity. Because the season focuses around Zane's soul, and because he lost his original body, I feel like I could mess around with his current, temporary body and have fun and make it scary. Because that body should be irrelevant. I understand it possibly being upsetting for an autistic character to be designed like this, but other people I talked to see it the opposite way. They find it comforting for him to look so different but still be himself and be so loved. SO IM ABSOLUTELY NOT saying its wrong to be bothered or to hate it or to feel any way. Just that I personally think it would be cool for Zane to be portrayed with a little spice lol, so thats why I like scary Zane for season 4.

Another Thing I Wannna Say But Is REALLY Hypocritical: (this isnt directed at anyone I just REALLY want to say this) I know I say "this is Zane but scary, he looks like fnaf" so he's obviously dehumanized, but I always felt like "scary" is more of an objective fact. Its an instinct. But what's "not human" is subjective. I think there is a problem with saying anything different from "average" human is dehumanized because that could extend to real people. Lol I know its bad for me to compare FNAF-ass Zane to real people, but I mean he could be real. People can have exposed teeth, and people can be shaped weird. And when someone first sees a person who looks like that they'll probably think "woah those features are scary" by instinct. And that surprise doesn't make someone ableist obviously. But bring that person’s humanity into question is NOT an instinct, and is fucked to shit. This is kinda a bad point for me to make since its about the fictional FNAF Zane I drew, and I am NOT implying ANYONE was thinking like this. [especially not the original asker anon who I am totally forgetting about at this point OOPS]. But I just thought it was an opinion of mine I couldn't go without mentioning when talking about dehumanization and disabilities.

^^^ I think you (anon) understand what I mean and might’ve said the exact same thing as me if you were writing a long ass response? I think this because you started to bring physical disabilities up and you said it was "a little iffy." ^_^ So we agree, but I don't see Zane's relation to real life disabilities as "a little iffy" I see it more like "complicated"? IF THAT DIFFERENCE EVEN MAKES ANY SENSE?????? I feel like a lot of things about Zane are really just complicated and need the right context, rather than the concepts necessarily being wrong -- NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT! THATS THE WHOLE REASON I DO THIS STUPID REWRITE! XD thats why a lot of my rewrite SO FAR has been the same concepts and plot beats, but different dialogue n specifics and such. I like a lot of concepts in Ninjago but I dont think they were presented correctly.....! :( So I guess all we can do is wait and see if I make Zane offensive or not....???

Also something about the memory part - yeah i agree i was surprised no one thought that was weird to make jokes out of his memory issues..... BUT I am like 100% firm on making his memory take longer to come back because I think its stupid how quick Zane was able to recover from literally dying. Like its just dumb to me. Hate it. (also bc memory & soul mechanics is ummm kinda important in my rewrite.... for reasons). Another memory thing btw, I was going to make his original amnesia come from hitting his head in an attack against the Skulkin when they stole his dads corpse, rather than his dad fucking choosing to make him forget. (its a sweet & iconic scene, but Um, WHY?!!!?!?!?!?) He has to follow data recovery instructions he finds in his dads diary. I think in that context it makes moments of memory loss somewhat different for Zane's character? Instead of loss of autonomy associated with disability, its a literal violent loss of autonomy associated with being traumatized by physical force. Idk how to phrase it exactly but I think that makes some vibes different?

Sorry, I think I got really distracted, and I don't know if I responded well to your points. Because uhhhh I think I agree with your stance actually? If I understand correctly? Fuck Ninjago writers for making the robot lose autonomy (a stereotypical robot theme) while also making him seem clearly autistic (NOT A HAPPY THEME FOR AUTISTIC PEOPLE) and not addressing it. And also auuugh Zane with a weird body is a difficult topic - kinda sussy pretty iffy.

Lol anyway idk if this made any sense and I REALLY rambled on you. but this was nice 👉👈 more Zane criticism pls love you and i love zane. i hope u dont feel mad at me because then it would be weird that im saying that lol. if you do feel mad at me tho you can send another ask (ILL TRY TO JUST LISTEN NOT RAMBLE NEXT TIME) but assuming ur chill rn, love you thnx

Take this page, don’t mind cole’s ass.

[fantastic-rambles]

You made great points as to why a final Adam/Langa race would happen. It makes a lot of sense narratively, but I do hope they’ll choose a more subversive path in which he does forfeit/quit whether that be during Tadashi/Langa or Adam/Langa. I still hope for Tadashi/Adam to occur since they’ve also built him up as an equal. They’ve made a point that in other races Adam has purposely stayed behind to match the speed of other races, regardless of whether they start together, if he was interested by them. But Tadashi matched Adam’s time exactly in the qualifying rounds. And considering how much Adam has insulted Tadashi about being beneath him, I’d find them going head to head pretty satisfying. Makes me want to see a race where both are going all out since we’ve never seen either of them particularly intense about winning. Adam because of his persona and wanting to mess with his opponent and Tadashi because of his reserved nature. Either way I’m sure it’ll be good.

And I hope that Reki is more secure in himself when facing Adam like you mentioned. If he doesn’t want to go against him again, what do you think would happen? I’ve seen ppl say Reki will probably agree for Langa’s sake and the opportunity to skate, but what if he holds his ground about not enjoying skating with Adam? Do you think it’s possible that could be what causes Langa to forfeit/quit. (That would make Adam so mad lol). It’s probably not likely since they’re our main protagonists, but I think it would a cool demonstration of their character growths. Reki because he wouldn’t skate if it’s not going to be fun for him and Langa because it goes back to the original broken promise + prioritizes the relationship that makes him happiest about skating in the first place. Also, they can get away from what could be considered unnecessary, dangerous behavior that show condemns (when Manager Oka tells Reki that he’s enjoying pain because he’s unhappy with himself). Obviously skating is good for Langa and Reki, but the illegal and dangerous races at S could be framed as self-destructive. Especially when you consider all the injuries and strife surrounding it. I think if the characters were to come to this conclusion at some point (with or without quitting yet) it may make sense plot wise since the whole political scandal/jail thing makes me nervous about S continuing. Considering that Tadashi is the main man in charge of keeping cops away and he currently wants to end Adam’s time there, I wouldn’t be shocked if a confrontation with the law happened there like it almost did that one ep when the race got interrupted.

Oh and don’t worry about rambling at all! I love any long analysis on Sk8. Plus, I can get like that too and definitely edited this to make it more understandable lol.

Yeah, I would love Adam/Tadashi, but I feel like Adam/Langa is more likely. (And technically, Tadashi beat Adam by 2 seconds, though Adam also wasn’t taking it seriously then.) Though I do feel like Langa is probably at a level that Adam finally can skate all-out against him, if it comes down to the two of them.

When Adam insults Tadashi, I feel like it’s coming from all those years of resentment/lost trust (again, not an excuse for Adam’s behavior, but an analysis of it), and I also feel like Tadashi feels that he deserves them (and he himself sincerely believes that he’s below Adam). It’s obvious to me that Tadashi feels guilty for contributing to making Adam what he is today/for not standing up for or supporting him when Adam was younger, and he has been trying to make up for it by obeying Adam completely, no matter what he personally thinks. Because he couldn’t voice his opinion when Adam’s board was being burned, which was probably one of the most painful/significant experiences Adam has ever had, he feels that he doesn’t have the right to voice his opinion now: all he can do is try to pull Adam away from the self-destructive path that he’s on by betting his ability to skate on a race. In terms of skill, yeah, they’re equal, but in their interpersonal dynamics, there’s a huge gulf, which I think would make it very difficult for Tadashi to “save” Adam because Adam has lost all of his respect for Tadashi or his opinions.

I don’t think that Reki will end up not skating against Adam. But if he did, I don’t think that’s enough for Langa to refuse as well. My scenario for Langa forfeiting is that Reki gets wrecked against Adam, which outrages Langa and/or makes him have to choose between going to the hospital with Reki or staying to skate with Adam, and he chooses Reki over Adam. To me, Reki’s growth would come from the parallels between the two times that he skates against Adam: in the first, he’s completely crushed by the difference in ability and runs away, and in the (theoretical) second, he accepts that he will never be a star skater, but he can still enjoy skating even if he doesn’t win.

And I frankly was really pissed by Reki trying to force Langa to promise not to skate against Adam. Yes, he has a reason for it and he’s worried about Langa, but what about Langa’s own feelings? It’s obvious that Langa has fun taking on challenges, and Adam is the ultimate challenge, not just for him, but also for everyone else. If we want to talk about it in terms of relationships, which it seems most of the fandom does, I saw that as a possessive partner trying to forbid their partner from going out and having fun with their friends. Would Adam be a terrible “friend” to hang out with? Absolutely. But if Langa enjoys spending time with him, what gives Reki the authority to forbid him from doing so? So if I’m being entirely honest, my opinion of Reki plummeted after Episode 5 and just kept going downhill until the most recent episode. xD

I don’t think that “S” itself was particularly dangerous initially, other than for Shadow. Most of the skaters that we see seem to play fair and engage in contests of pure skill, even though it’s always been an “anything goes” sort of thing. Of course, it could be because the best skaters won’t get thrown off by petty tricks so it’s not worth trying them, but in the end, the result is the same. It’s only when Adam reappeared on the scene (from other people’s reactions, it seems clear that he’s been missing for a while since nobody could capture his interest) with his Langa-obsession that he started to contribute his own brand of madness, but that’s limited only to him. Unless someone is skating against Adam or Shadow (or that gang in the prelims), the majority of races are just normal races on a challenging track. Yes, they’re illegal (though it boggles my mind as to why: can’t Adam just buy it and turn it into “private property” so that he can do whatever he wants on it?) (though I guess it’s understandable since buying it would be a matter of public record and he’s keeping his skating life and public life separate) (but then can’t he get someone else to buy it for him?), but part of the attraction of skating is developing new things (like when Reki is gushing about ollies) and figuring out how to “skate anywhere,” so challenging locations like an abandoned mine and factory are places that people can do that. Like taking a turn with what Miya/Reki did by riding the board sideways, and improving on it by instead using a Caspar Slide. Or the various ways Langa goes through the factory (dropping down a broken beam, skating down the railing, using Joe’s momentum on the other beam to push himself forward, etc.). I think that Adam must have chosen that place for a variety of reasons, but one would have been its ability to promote improvisation/the evolution of skating in the hopes that he could find someone who would excite him. Which is why he’s so disappointed by Cherry’s “overcalculated”/boring skating.

After Adam gets arrested, though, I think that “S” will shut down simply because it’s Adam’s influence that’s kept the police away for so long. Tadashi takes care of the logistics, but that’s because that’s what Adam’s told him to do. But I don’t think Tadashi will betray him just to get it closed. (I also don’t think he phoned it in the first time, as I’ve seen other people speculate. I do think that the explanation is as it was presented: the prosecutor was suspicious about an area that was taken out of the patrol route, so she used her authority to override Adam’s bribes.) We’re talking about someone who will go to jail for a crime he didn’t commit to protect his boss. He’s not going to call down the police and risk them getting caught up in the net and in trouble.