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endless-ineffabilities · 8 months ago

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chemical override (2)

Ewan Mitchell x actress!reader

a/n : aaand I just couldn't let this storyline go. Typical. Best to read part one before this one :)

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The reader and Ewan have gotten a lot closer since the press tour for season two, but neither one has made a move. The reader is spotted with another costar, giving rise to rumours of romance.

The press tour came and went like a fever dream. From Paris to New York to London, everyone had been highly anticipating your upcoming show.

Albeit you had a minor role, it all seemed like everything you could ever wish for.

A blossoming career. Lifelong friends made from your peers. The overwhelming support from audiences.

Only two episodes have since been released to the public, and already your character has become a fan-favourite.

Sadly, you and Ewan only had that one press day together, after which you were paired with other cast members. That didn't stop the onslaught of comments under your interviews with him, fans stating how good you looked together. Speculating whether there was something going on between you two.

You are good friends, but that's all.

He calls you often, mostly in the evenings after you're both finished with work. He sticks close to you during premiere after-parties. Now and again, you would catch him looking at you from across the room.

But... well... that's all there is to that.

Maybe he's just being nice. Maybe he only sees you as a good friend, and this is just how he is. With his effortless charm and cheeky remarks that can be mistaken as flirting, you think that maybe you're reading too much into it all.

"Ewan likes you, you know," Phia looks at you over her shoulder, as she does her makeup in front of your dresser.

The cast is having a private get-together in Fabien's apartment for a night, and yourself and Phia decide to prep together, her own place only being five minutes away from yours.

"He's just being nice," you shake your head at her observation, as you sift through your closet looking for a top.

"He's not that nice to everyone," Phia laughs. "Trust me, that lad fancies you and it's plain as day. Ask anyone, I mean, Tom even pointed it out the other day."

"And Ewan was there with you guys?"

"Uh-huh," Phia swivels her chair around, all done, nodding at you, "Poor sod just about turned red as a beet."

"What did he say?" you ask, not even bothering to hide your curiosity. Phia's got your back, after all.

"Well..." Phia glanced away, weighing just how much she is at liberty to say. Ewan's her friend just as much as you are, and she doesn't know how deep she can meddle in this.

"How bad is it?"

"Nothing bad, promise," Phia walks over, then takes over the task of sorting through your closet, "He likes you. A lot. But it seems like he's apprehensive about jumping into a relationship right now."

You plop down on your bed in a huff, "I guess that makes sense."

"Chin up, darling," Phia turns around, arms folded behind her, concealing her chosen top for you. "You're both rising stars, with great careers ahead of you. If you're going to commit to each other, you're gonna have to do it right."

You smile, because you can't help it, the high from landing your dream career not yet subsiding.

"And," Phia continues, "even if he's too chicken to make a move, that doesn't mean you can't torture him with this." She grins, presenting a green satin top, the material weightless and shimmering.

"This? Are you sure?" It was definitely revealing, and it would have your back exposed, only tied together by two strings.

"Ewan loves green," she hands it to you, and you hold it up with concern etched in your features.

"I guess I could wear this," you mumble.

"Oh, you will wear it," Phia smirks, pushing you over to your bathroom so you can get changed.

Already wearing your trusty pair of bootcut jeans, you shimmy into the slinky top, calling out to Phia so she can assist with securing the strings at your back.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," she beams at you in your bathroom mirror. "Ewan is going to melt at the sight of you, doll."

"Huh," you say, checking yourself out in the reflection. "Okay then, I think we're ready - "

Your phone rings, cutting you off. Phia beats you to it, and her face is scandalous when she raises your phone up like it's precious evidence.

Ewan's name flashes bright on the screen.

"Oh, look who it is!" Phia practically sings, "Lover boy."

"Give me that," you demand, reaching for your phone, but Phia quickly sidesteps you and presses the screen to answer the call.

You gasp, and the both of you struggle to keep down an incoming fit of giggles. Phia then clicks on the speaker mode, and Ewan can be heard saying your name, his tone a bit confused.

"Are you there?" Ewan asks.

"Yeah, I'm here," you take the phone, waving to Phia so she doesn't make a fuss.

"Hmm," he says. "I hope I'll be seeing you tonight. The party won't be as good without you."

"Well, Phia and I just finished getting ready," you glance at her, and she makes a kissy face at you.

"Hello, Mr. Whipped," she playfully cuts in with this greeting, effectively letting Ewan know he's on speaker.

You hear Ewan snort on the other end, before he says, "Hello to you too, Phi."

"We should be heading out in 15 minutes, and we'll be there on time," you let him know.

"Okay, I suppose I'll see you guys there," he replies.

"Okay." A beat of silence passes, and Phia just shrugs at you.

"I, uh - " he finally speaks up again, but hesitates.

"Yeah?"

He clears his throat, having decided on saying, "Nevermind. See you soon, darling."

The line cuts off. You slowly let your hand fall to the side, sighing at how it abruptly ended. Shaking off your worries, you look at Phia once more, and she already has her line all prepared. "See you soon, darling," she recites in a low voice, imitating Ewan.

"Oh, shush," you shove her playfully, and she shoves you right back.

"I can't wait to see you, darling," she continues teasing you, laughing, and you can't help but blush and smile, finding her endearing.

"Well, let's go," she says, picking up her things, "your darling boy of Derby awaits."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

Fabien greets you at the door with that perfect smile of his, arms outstretched to pull you and Phia into a hug.

"Welcome, welcome," he greets, leading you into his apartment, where most of the cast is already assembled, including Ewan.

You happily exchange pleasantries with everyone. Chatting with Emma and Olivia. Profusely thanking Matt when he gushes over your outfit. Catching up with Harry and Bethany. All the while sensing that Ewan watches you from somewhere in the room.

You're eventually directed by Tom to the corner table where Ewan and Phia share a loveseat, drinks in hand.

"I'll get you a drink," Tom kindly declares, heading to the kitchen.

"Thanks, Tom," you say. You sit next to Phia, leaving her between yourself and Ewan. You finally say to him, "Hey, you. How are you doing? Got here early?"

Ewan's jaw clenches and loosens, and you catch his eyes quickly drift down to rake over your figure. When he meets your eyes again, his pupils are considerably dilated.

The boy just shamelessly checked you out.

"Ewan," you hear Phia say, elbowing Ewan from beside him. "She just asked you a question, be polite." She wags her eyebrows at you, mouthing the words lover boy.

Ewan hears that, astute as he is, and it snaps him out of whatever haze he seemed to be stuck in.

He shakes his head at himself, offering a smile to you. "I got here just before you guys," he answers. His voice lowers when he adds, "You look really good, darling."

You smile in return. "Thanks. So do you."

Phia beams at the exchange, then makes some excuse of having to catch up with the others. The look she gives you before sliding off the seat reveals that she just wanted to give her two lovebirds some privacy.

"So," Ewan inches closer to you, his arm outstretched on the back of the seat, "how did the script turn out?"

"It was better than expected," you say. He refers to a script you told him about a week ago, for a potential project which will shoot in Atlanta in the fall. "I'm supposed to meet with the director pretty soon to discuss it further, but I think it might be the right fit."

"That's amazing," he expresses sincerely. "Rian Johnson's a brilliant director and they would be lucky to have you as their lead."

"Thanks, Ewan! Yeah, I'm really excited for it, it's a lot different from House of the Dragon, but I'm all in for the challenge, you know."

"Is it a drama film, or thriller, or - "

"Oh, it's a rom-com, actually."

"Oh," he nods, leaning back a little, like that needed a bit of processing. "And you'll have a romantic co-lead..."

"That's right, and - " you confirm.

He smirks, like he just thought of something amusing. "Well, maybe I could - "

But you finish your statement then, " - I think Jacob Elordi has just been selected as my partner in the film."

His face scrunches in apparent distaste, "Has he now?"

"Mhmm." You note the switches in his expression, how his face fell when you mentioned your upcoming co-star. He can't have something against Jacob; they already did a film together and it seemed like it went well on set.

That thing nags at you, that little spring of vanity and desire creating warmth in your stomach. That Ewan might be jealous.

Which is ridiculous, given your shared line of work. Besides, you were not together. What could he possibly be jealous over?

"You've worked with him, right? What's he like?" you continue the topic, keeping watch for the minutiae of his reactions.

"He's... he's a good actor, I guess. Dedicated and all that. Pleasant on set." His answer is curt, not giving away any details, tone flat like he's disinterested.

"Riiight," you nod slowly, smiling impishly at him to get him to lighten up, "I'm sure he'll be just as pleasant on our set then. Good to know."

He catches the look you're giving him, causing the corner of his lips to pull in a soft crooked smile. "Hmm, be that as it may... I think I'll do a much better job as your love interest, don't you?"

"Oh, will you now?" you lean forward, and he does the same.

"Yeah, didn't you hear?" he whispers conspiratorially, like there's a secret to be shared. "According to the internet, we have a lot of chemistry. Practically oozing with it, based on some comments I read."

"You've been lurking on comments? You? The last crusader against all social media?" you joke, fully knowing that he keeps a few shadow accounts just to keep up with how his work is being received by the public.

"Sure," he shrugs his shouders dramatically, " that, and also to stalk your page, of course."

"Oh, of course," you quip, "I wouldn't expect anything less."

You share another laugh, feeling light all over, and even lighter when his fingertips brush against your arm for a few seconds. Goosebumps erupt on your skin, and you sneakily rub your arms to cover the effect he had on you.

Tom reappears from the side, handing you a drink as promised, "What are you kids giggling about over here?"

"Nothing," you share, "just that Ewan is planning to join Instagram."

"A damn miracle, that!" Tom exclaims, lightly punching Ewan in the shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah," Ewan looks at you warmly, playing along, "you can be in charge of keeping my account running."

"Tough job. All those fan messages I'll have to answer."

"Yeah, you'll have to quit your day job," Tom adds jokingly. "It was fun while it lasted. The industry will miss you."

You feel a pressure by your shoulders, and notice that it's Ewan's arm snug behind you on the seat. In the midst of conversation, he must have drawn even closer. You glance down briefly and see his knees touching yours.

You nervously take a huge gulp of your drink. There is no hiding the effect he has on you now.

"Don't you two look cute?" Tom comments, then he stands right in front of the loveseat and puts his phone up. Before you can say anything, a clicking sound makes it clear that he has taken a photo of you and Ewan.

"Awww, I ship it," Tom gushes afterward as he looks at the photo. He then reaches over and passes his phone to you.

The image betrays what the both of you are probably struggling to hide - it's there, clear as day. The attraction, the tension, the chemistry. Ewan practically has his arm around you, looking at you intensely with the inscrutable spark in his eyes. His teeth lightly clamping down on his lip in desire.

There's a subtle scrunch between your eyebrows as you return Ewan's look, a result of trying to maintain composure when he is so close. But your posture is relaxed, almost cozying right up against him, showing just how comfortable you feel around him.

As Tom just said, you ship it.

If only.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

Two weeks after the party at Fabien's, the main cast members of House of the Dragon are engaged in an additional round of promo work. Season two is at its peak, and the media is just clamoring to get more from the cast.

Some are booked for photoshoots, others for interviews.

While a minor character in the show, they also wanted you to take part in engaging with the press, but you are already busy with your upcoming film with Jacob. You're currently out in LA, doing rehearsals in preparation for the actual shoot.

Ewan is yet again lounging in a hotel suite, about to do an interview with Vanity Fair.

He sends you a text, in response to your complaint about a difficult scene.

You had shared, It's a pretty dramatic scene. What if I can't cry on command?

He easily texts back, You can do it, darling. Trust me, you're one of the most talented young actors I know.

- Thanks, Ewan. Good luck with your interview!

- Thank you, good luck with rehearsal. I miss --

Ewan pauses typing. I miss you, he aches to send. He does miss you so much. Why can't he just commit to it?

He ends up sending, I'll see you soon, in its place.

He knows he wants to do everything with you. Take you out on dates. Sweep you off your feet. Travel to wherever you will be filming just to see you. Confess how much he wants you.

Why can't he? It's terrifying to him, being with someone, in danger of falling in love - truly falling in love - with a fellow actor, and that relationship exposed to much public scrutiny.

He's always been a private person, so will he be able to handle all of that? Acting is his first love, and he's devoted to the craft. If he succumbs to his desire for you, will that cause him to go off track?

What if the relationship is not well-received? He is aware of how passionate fans can be. What if they cruelly decide to make you the object of their ire as a result? He can't possibly put you through that.

But... but fuck it.

The Aemond in him turns proud and defiant. Why can't he? Why shouldn't he?

He types another message in a second, then clicks send.

And I miss you.

His publicist walks over to him, giving him a few last-minute instructions. In a few minutes, the room is all composed and the interview is ready to begin.

The line of questioning has almost become routine-like for him, a far cry from when he first started giving shorter interviews for previous projects.

The answers flow from him smoothly, stemming from his care for Aemond and the show.

Near the end of the interview, he is asked about the remaining normalcy of his life. Surely it has all changed ever since he landed the show?

"Well, I try to go back to my hometown as much as possible. Just, you know, spending time where I grew up really helps maintain a sense of normal, for me," he responds. "It keeps my feet planted on the ground, that is, when I'm not on dragonback flying high up in the clouds."

The interviewer promptly laughs at his last remark, then asks, "What's next for you? Your fans are just eagerly awaiting your next project. Maybe a film like your new costar? Everyone is excited for her film with Jacob Elordi."

Ewan can't hide the way he perks up at the mention of you, never mind how Jacob is included too. "Ah, yes, well there are some things down the line for me. More than anything, I want to choose a project that I am passionate about, with a story and a character that is rich and complex. Whichever that is, I guess you'll find out soon!"

"Yes, yes, we will!"

"And about her project, I mean, I'm just so proud of her. We've become really close and I think she's a fantastic actress and person. She's going to smash it in this film, that's for sure."

The interviewer nods enthusiastically, smirking as he adds, "Apparently a bit of romance on the cards for her as well!"

"You mean in the movie?" Ewan replies, half-smiling in confusion. But he spies his publicist gesturing to the interviewer from behind the camera, a signal that private affairs are off-limits.

After a final question, the interview wraps up.

His publicist grumbles to him afterward, as they prepare to leave the room. "It was clear that no private questions are allowed. Sorry about that, Ewan."

"It's alright, that was... well, what was he on about? Did he mean romance between the two of us?"

"I believe he's talking about Jacob and her. They were spotted out in LA today. The interviewer probably just wanted you to spill some dirt on your costar."

Ewan frowns, "What do mean they were spotted?"

His publicist appears surprised at his question, and his obvious interest. "They've been papped walking arm in arm in LA. Seemed pretty close, not that it's any of that interviewer's business."

As they walk out of the hotel, Ewan can't help but do an immediate Google search of your name, and sure enough, the headlines about your walk with Jacob are abound.

He can't pinpoint how he feels as he sees the photos, the statuesque Jacob with his arm around you as you beam up at him. He notices that his grip on his phone has tightened, so he turns it off quickly and shoves it in his pocket.

Whatever this is, and how it makes him feel, he doesn't like it. He doesn't like it one bit.

His phone vibrates from his pocket, but he ignores it.

So he doesn't yet see your reply.

I miss you too.

💌 next chapter

Ewaaaan! Make a move, my guy!

As much as we'd like to see them make declarations of love or get into the passion quick, I wanted to make it as realistic as possible. How would two young actors begin dating? Reader, kudos to you for keeping it cool as a cucumber thus far - it's up to Ewan to make the big move.

Part three may be the last. What'll they be? Just friends? PR relationship? Notorious fling? Or new celebrity power couple?

MASSIVE thanks for all the lovely feedback for part one! 💙

Update: if you wish to be tagged in part three, let me know in the comments 💌

#ewan mitchell x reader #ewan mitchell #ewan mitchell imagine #aemond targaryen #house of the dragon #hotd #chemical override #aemond targaryen x reader

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pinksmonkey · 6 months ago

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Posting my Ultimate Byler Evidence/Analysis List here directly because it probably makes it more convenient and I should have done this a while ago. XD

There is so much proof for Byler being endgame in S5 of Stranger Things. They are so cute together, and so much in the show has been building up to their relationship. I just wanted to share some of my favourite Byler analyses, because they are so cool, detailed, and in-depth. I love reading about all the hints, symbolism, and subtext for Byler, it's amazing how much thought must have been put into all these things. Why go through all the effort of adding these details if they aren't actually going anywhere with them? Mike is so queercoded, and they are truly in love with each other.

🫥 Just gonna leave some good Byler analyses here 🤐

Most of the links go to written Tumblr posts, and a couple of them are Reddit posts. So it's a lot of reading. If you prefer watching videos over reading, I highlighted my Byler YouTube playlist in green so it's easy to find.

And apologies for any of the links that aren't working, I know some of the posts have been deleted now sadly, but there's no way I'm re-numbering all these so I'm just leaving them in. My fellow Bylers, please stop deleting your amazing posts. ;-;

So anyway, here is the list of some of my favourite Byler evidence/analyses of all time (not in any particular order):

1. Mike's Season 4 Monologue To El

2. Camera Roll Byler Proof Part 3

3. Mike's Monologue and Milkvan

4. Mostly Byler Post Index

5. Dawson's Creek Parallel

6. "My Experience With Stranger Things"

7. What Ollie Learned From Film School

8. Byler Music Analysis

9. Why Don't The Duffers Discuss This?

10. ST Theories Masterpost

11. If Byler Isn't Endgame Then Someone Screwed Up

12. Byler Crumbs From The Cast and Crew

13. Favourite Combination of Endgame Byler Proof

14. I Doubt Byler Then I Remember This

15. The Fact That We Have This Interview

16. You Know Your Ship is Endgame When

17. Mostly Byler Post Index 2

18. Losing Hope Of Byler Endgame?

19. Why I Think Byler is Endgame

20. So Many Thoughts on This

21. Mike's Wall Art

22. Painting Miscommunication Leading to Mike's Monologue Coded

23. Yes, That Scene Did Foreshadow Mike's Monologue as Disingenuous

24. Mike's Monologue Didn't Sit Right With Me

25. Blue And Yellow Pen

26. That Tweet Is So Sweet

27. Heart Eyes, Literally

28. "My Process of Realizing Byler is Real"

29. Looking at Will, Not El

30. High School Musical Parallel

31. Said It Before and I'll Say It Again

32. Delusional Milkdud?

33. ST Writers Twitter Analysis 1

34. ST Writers Twitter Analysis 2

35. For When You Are Doubting Byler

36. Is Mike Bi or Gay?

37. Fully Convinced

38. The Ultimate Byler Playlist (my Byler YouTube playlist)

39. 100% Confident

40. Mike in S4 and S2

41. Mike Is Angry With Himself

42. It's Been A Year, Mike

43. Rink-O-Mania Remodel

44. The Development Of Will And Mike's Relationship

45. Mike's Lies

46. El Was Holding So Much In

47. Flickergate + Lettergate

48. Did Mike Ever Like El Romantically?

49. Mike Is Stupid

50. Byler Won't Write Itself

51. What's The Alternative Explanation?

52. Comparing Mileven and Byler

53. It Was Always About Them

54. Mike Is Not Ok

55. He Has A Love Interest

56. Will's Happy Ending

57. Trying To Be Normal

58. It's Not That Milevens Are Homophobic

59. Byler Is Reality

60. A Proper Look At El's Shrine To Mike

61. Mileven Through The Seasons

62. Suspicious

63. I Can't Doubt Byler

64. D&D Soulmates

65. Let's Talk Phones

66. Not Delusional

67. What Do They Want?

68. The Main Character

69. Mike's Mental Health

70. So Close

71. This Look Confirms Byler Isn't One Sided

72. Mileven Is Bones

73. They Don't Care About Mileven?

74. The Airport Hug Will Always Be Famous

75. The Monologue Mystery, Why Did They Lose?

76. The Cabin Scene

77. Why Couldn't Mike Say It For 2 Seasons?

78. He Was Trying To Find Will

79. Mike The Surfer Boy

80. Mike Definitely Shows Attraction To Girls

81. The Cast Knows

82. Mileven Loses On All Fronts

83. The Bouquet

84. 53 Minutes And 5 Seconds

85. Pink Panther

86. El And Choice

87. Will's Spotify Playlist

88. He'll Come Crawling Back To You, Begging For Forgiveness

89. Mike's Character Arc Prediction

90. It's The Same Look

91. Will's Truly Happy Ending

92. That's The Same Look, Right?

93. You're The Heart

94. Mike And El's Relationship In S4 Was Really Weird

95. Fireworks Parallel

96. Mileven Has Been Built Up For 4 Seasons

97. Not Stupid: The Fate of Mileven and Byler

98. This Suddenly Makes So Much Sense

99. Metaphors In Filmmaking

And unfortunately Tumblr will only let me add 100 links per post, so when I've posted part 2 of this list, I'll link it here: Part 2

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deafeningdestinyaster · 27 days ago

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Mike Wheeler : Unarmoured Knight (long ass post)

The fact that I find Mike struggles with is his limitations to meet the expectations or mostly the expectations that he has set for himself. As a GA what we can find is that objectively speaking Mike has got everything that a normal child needs. A fully functional 2 parents, siblings, financially well stable and good friends. The thing is that this might be something that he himself might be completely aware of. This might be something that make you feel that your problems are significantly trivial compared to others (in his case he's friends).

But the normal picture doesn't go much far as it has its own issues. Mostly a perpetual need to prove yourself and for Mike to be in the armour of a good friend, a leader and a boyfriend..For first 2 seasons Mike had a more central character and this kinda reflects how we personally finds him.. which is a really good friend, best friend. But from season 3 onwards we are shown find him not meeting his par. Thing is Mike was never actually given a chance to go through his emotions one by one but rather rushed through.

'Will came back' doesn't necessarily just erase the sadness or hopelessness that you have gone through be it an adult or a child of 12. Will's arrival was also accompanied by the disappearance of El whom he has taken as a friend. Be it romantic or not he does find something in her that made their connection special. Like Will, she made him feel needed. He was always 'protective over Will' but I think more than him Mike was the one more dependent over Will. Will is often portrayed as sensitive child but that never stops him being honest or to call over Mike's BS. He is indeed a voice of reason for Mike and Mike knows that himself.

Back to El, rather than a friend he/she wants him to be a boyfriend to her which tbh is rushed in this series. I don't think a relationship that's made when your super-straight friend and sister prompted into when you were just 12 is really a good one. He was kinda pushed into this role based on his own guilt for not looking for her enough in S2 and also societal expectations.

Unlike Will for whom Joyce and Jon are completely supportive to be himself, Mike is set up with a family who just tries to fits in with all that society demands which is kinda evident in Karen's wardrobe over the series unlike Joyce.

So Mike wants to be a good boyfriend. He tries to have quality time with El ignoring his friends, tries to win her over thru presents, gives up on anything that associates to be childish cos he def loves her.. but what he fails to realise is the fact that he was also losing someone who has been consistent throughout his life, someone who has never changed. His best friend.

And Will made this super clear. This was something that he couldn't forgive himself for and which is why, yeah.. But in case of El he doesn't find he has done anything wrong. In fact he was just begrudgingly following her dad's order. Now, he wants to get back with her, why? Cos it makes him crazy? Thing with Mike and El is that they never reciprocate what the other wants. For El it was a physical confirmation of love be it letters or even a kiss. For Mike, he wanted someone who makes him feel needed and to sometimes lean on him emotionally. To make him, be himself. But sadly, they don't trust each other with their fears or inner turmoils. They both tried. But El doesn't need to lean on Mike for his romantic love but rather to show that she's capable on her own. Even during Mike's monologue what pushed El was not his love confession but rather him prompting she must do it cos she can. But there's someone who makes him feel needed, whom he doesn't treat weak or as a mistake.

What I really feel is that Mike didn't realise that his definition of a best friend is something that's quite parallel to a lover. Mike is needed by Will in a way that makes Will accept himself for being who he is and not like a monster. And Mike needs Will cos he's friendship is something that makes him grounded and can't live without..

Most of these are covered by y'all..just my take on it

#mike wheeler #mike wheeler analysis #stranger things #stranger things theory #me being me #byler #byler analysis #byler brainrot #will byers #el hopper

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bridgertonnteas · 7 months ago

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I have gotten a lot of anons about Bridgeton season 3 & the Polin "deleted scenes", so let me make things clear!

I said it again & again there aren't many deleted scenes, it was only one scene in the end of ep8 a lot of people telling me that on reddit someone is saying that 2 long deleted sex scenes were cut, but that isn't true at all & the same person is saying that people who got early screenings of 1-6 episodes had extra scenes, but again that's false

There wasn't any other mirror scene in ep7 & There wasn't any angry sex scene in ep7 either. There was however a different version of when Colin argued with Pen in the streets at night, instead of him just making her get into the carriage, he gets inside as well & makes her go home

By the way in the version that we got of that scene, he just doesn't leave her in a carriage. I have seen some people misunderstanding it, but he has been following her with another carriage and left after the carriage she took with his own carriage still following her, it was his way of protecting her from afar, the other version might be clearer, but both have the same outcome

As for ep8, there was a montage at the end that was mostly Polin making out/kissing fully clothed, & few seconds of them doing more like him going down on her, him kissing her neck and smiling playfully at their reflection in the mirror, them doing it in bed & her riding him at the end ( the few seconds we got of that was from that montage). In those scenes of them doing more during the montage; she was either wearing a nightgown or a robe, she was never naked in those scenes & he was shirtless or covered from the waist down, but the state of their undress was never like ep5 first-time scene

Nicola didn't have other scenes of her being naked or almost naked, that only happened in ep5 & the furniture-breaking scene was the first time scene in ep5, both Nicola & Luke confirmed that and even posted a picture of it, so why doubt what they said!

Even the showrunner & writer of the show addressed that in a recent interview that was released after part2 was released

In the early script draft, there was indeed a scene that wasn't filmed as far as I know of Polin in bed talking about his journals & her editing them, but again as far as I know it was never filmed. if it was filmed then it never made the cut

There were different takes on the epilogue, but all of them had a similar outcome

And by the way, deleted scenes or different takes of some scenes someone either shondaland or the main show account one day, or someone from the cast & crew could post them in the future, but who knows. It's possible, but at the same time don't get your hopes up

That's all I wanted to say because there's a lot of misinformation around and some people sadly built their idea & image of this season based on fake spoilers and got disappointed when those spoilers didn't come true and I think they should let go of those fake spoilers already & rewatch the season & part2 with a clearer mind because it's rather obvious how those fake spoilers are clouding how they think about the season!....

#bridgerton #polin #penelope featherington #penelope bridgerton #colin bridgerton #bridgerton season 3 part2 #bridgerton season 3 #bridgerton s3

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cosmerelists · 10 months ago

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Cosmere Characters in the Hunger Games

As requested by @sweetteaanddragons :)

I haven't read or watched Hunger Games, but I've picked up enough through cultural osmosis...I hope. They're kids in an arena fighting to the death, right? And it's a media circus? And there are 12 districts? And they're poor? I think I got it! Anyway, let's stick Cosmere characters in that arena and see how they do!

By the way, for the most part I'm imagining these characters in their own separate hunger games, not all together, just because I didn't want to imagine all of my blorbos killing each other.

1. Kaladin

After a kid who looks just like Tien literally dies in Kaladin's arms (note: all of the kids look exactly like Tien so far as Kaladin is concerned), Kaladin realizes that the Hunger Games are about kids dying, not about kids surviving. He decides that he has to save everyone, and quickly builds a coalition with the other tributes. They all die anyway and Kaladin wins.

He's not happy about it.

2. Shallan

Sadly, Shallan dies while trying unsuccessfully to convince a stick to become fire. Technically, I think this means the stick wins, but they give the award to some kid instead, for some reason.

3. Adolin

Adolin was doing really well until FOUR other tributes all decided to gang up on him. Even then, he fought like an uncaged tiger and very nearly survived. Nearly. (Hey, uh, most characters die in Hunger Games, right?)

4. Vin

Vin slices through the competition like a vengeful god. Emphasis on vengeful. And god. She barely even lets herself get distracted by the weird love triangle between that guy who wants to make the world better and the one who wants to burn it all down. She's too busy, like, killing everyone.

5. Zane

Zane thinks it's pretty swell to be in this killing arena killing people. What isn't swell is that Vin isn't into him, even AFTER their romantic killing spree. What gives? Anyway. Vin kills him.

6. Elend

Elend has a lot of thoughts about the sociological implications of the games. He does not have a lot of thoughts about how to sharpen a stick into a crude spear and ram it through someone's chest. (Is that what happens in the Hunger Games?) Regardless, I don't think he makes it long... Sorry, Elend.

7. Spook

Spook is a wraith. No one ever sees him coming. Or sees him at all. He keeps receiving supplies and weapons from a mysterious benefactor. At one point he starts wearing a handkerchief over his eyes and killing people by sound alone. I don't really see him winning, tbh (sorry Spook), but he is definitely a crowd favorite who makes it super far.

8. Szeth

"To kill innocent children for the amusement of distant viewers blackens my soul with a stain that shall never be removed. Oh, how I hate this. Oh, how I hate this senseless, senseless killing," Szeth thinks to himself as he constructs an unnecessarily elaborate death trap that kills his opponents horribly. "No one suffers like me," Szeth thinks, over all of the screaming.

9. Renarin

Hey remember when Renarin killed a Thunderclast mostly off-screen? Plus he has future sight. If they've got their powers in this game, then Radiant Renarin is probably taking it all. If not, well...let's not go there.

10. Vivenna

After her sister is sent as a tribute in Vivenna's place, Vivenna enters the Hunger Games anyway, determined to somehow put a stop to them. For example, she takes all the food she can find and hides it in one place so that it will be safe for everyone. She figures out how to predict supply drops to ensure that she always gets to them first. While convinced that she is the Hunger Games Breaker, she is actually the season's most notorious villain and eventually everyone bands together to kill her. Sorry, Vivenna.

11. Kelsier

Kelsier wins the hearts of viewers everywhere, mostly due to his determination to keep smiling no matter what horrors he must survive. He's, like, really good at killing people also. The Survivor, people call him. But when he is shockingly cut down and killed, his death galvanizes a rebellion against, uh, President Snow? Is that the big bad? Anyway. There's a religion about him now.

12. Ann

Oh, Ann. So excited to shoot guns. (Do they have guns?) So excited to shoot bows and arrows maybe. But she can't shoot worth a damn. She has a splendid time and hits no one. And, well, she does not win.

13. Cord

Frankly, Cord wants to win and bring glory and money (?) back home to her people, who desperately need it. I'm assuming the districts get stuff if their person wins. Cord is in it to win it. And she's awfully good with that bow and arrow...

14. Lift

Man, I don't want Lift to be in the Hunger Games! Lift thinks killing is lazy and boring! Sure, she'd be great at hiding in trees and getting food, but I definitely do not see Lift actually being able to kill anyone. Is that allowed? Will she be disqualified?

15. Tress

Tress looks at the Death Arena Whose Purpose Is Death and says, "But is anyone gonna Make Friends about it" and doesn't wait for an answer. Somehow, by the end, basically everyone IS friends. Except for that one person who really did want to kill. But she and Tress went off together and only Tress returned. So.

Basically, Tress's influence ruins the Hunger Games that year. Nobody wants the Friendship Games.

#Cosmere #Cosmerelists #Kaladin #Adolin #Shallan #Vin #Elend #Spook #Zane #Lift #Tress #Vivenna #Kelsier #Szeth #Ann #Renarin #Cord

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landofanimes · 21 days ago

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My 2024 Anime Watchlist

Anime (and related media) I watched last year

Sailor Moon Cosmos (2023)

After 10 years Crystal finally comes to an end! The 2-part movie is cool, it gives us an epic streak of final battles in the second part, things feel very grand and it brings emotion. The ending is oh so lovely. Also I was happy to see some things animated for the first time! That said…Most of it goes by too fast, specially in the first movie. Too many beloved characters have limited screentime, which really brings the arc down. I know these are problems from the manga too, but damn…This solidified to me that in the manga/crystal version of events, Dream Arc is more enjoyable. That’s not the case in the 90s anime, which butchered a good chunk of the Dream Arc but has the characters around much longer in Stars (yes I know screentime in a movie is obviously shorter, but still). I think in the end the musicals brings us a good balance of Stars. If only they had included the Sailor Quartet in those myus, they would feel complete. But anyway… this was it. Could Crystal have been better? Yes. Should it have been longer? Yep. But overall? I really enjoyed the whole thing through and I’m happy it was made! Just really wish the last two arcs were seasons instead of movies, but oh well...What a decade!

I watched subbed and dubbed. Brazilian dubs are usually great but a couple choices sadly kinda killed this one, just like in Eternal (somehow I thought this time it was worse but I think it's just that in Eternal I was happy to see it dubbed, since Crystal wasn't). Unless they redub it, I'll stick to the subs.

Kaleido Star (2003-04)

Sora is a Japanese girls who finally gets to live her dream of working as a trapeze artist on Kaleido Stage, a famous american circus. Every spectacle means new challenges and lots of hard work. But some people want to see her (and even the whole circus) failing...

I used to watch this as a kid! Finally sat down to watch the whole thing, and it’s a great show. It has cool characters and it’s very entertaining to see them training and performing new shows at the circus. True, season 2 has some annoying characters, so season 1 is better...Except for the final arc, cause personally I found the end of season 2 much stronger than season 1 - it was a great way to end the show (I could see people prefering the s1 ending, it just didn't hit me as hard). There are also a couple of OVAs that take place after the ending. The first one is so-so, but the second is pretty cool and it works nice as a second ending/epilogue.

Watched it dubbed (except for the 2nd OVA since there is no dub)

Yu Yu Hakusho Stage Plays (2019, 2020)

Picking up from last year's Yu Yu maraton, I've watched the stage plays! First one is really just the beginning: Yusuke dies, comes back as a spiritual detective, and we get the Three Youkai mini arc. We also see Kurama and Hiei's first meeting, like in Two Shots. The second play covers both the 4 Beasts castle and Yukina's rescue (they basically skip the training). Since Kurama and Hiei are not much in the second half, their actors get to play a side character each.

Sadly I don’t think these were very good. Sure, visuals are cool, the characters are well done, and they have their moments, but overall these plays were not it, imo. The bit where they play the opening song with a fighting montage is great though, very entertaining.

Rurouni Kenshin (1996-98)

Another from my childhood I hadn't seen in full! First two arcs are good, specially the second one (plus you can notice there’s some filler in the first, but it’s ok). Third part diverges from the manga and is mostly anime original stuff - and noticeably much weaker. If I ever rewatch it I'll stick to the first 2.

Watched it dubbed.

The Apothecary Diaries (2023-)

I had been hearing about it and decided to catch up in January. What a Good series! I was impressed. Maomao is a great character, the court intrigue is a thrill and I’m looking forward for a better understanding between her and Jinshi, and yes, rooting for actual romance. The series got drama, mystery and comedy, it’s great. Happy for the upcoming second season!

Subs cause the dub only came later.

7th Time Loop Season 1 (2024)

Rishe is stuck in a 5 year time loop that starts at the annulment of her engagement with the prince. No matter what profession and life she lives, it always ends during a war. 5 years into her 6th life she swordfights Emperor Arnold, from the neighbouring country, who is responsible for the war - and is killed by him. In her 7th loop, she soon meets Prince Arnold (not yet emperor) and he unexpectedely is smitten with her and proposes. After working hard in her previous lives, she is determined to finally relax and hopefully find out more about how the war starts, so she accepts. As his fiancée she soon notices Arnold is not completly cold as she expected, wondering what makes him go down that path.

I believe I saw some posts here and then I saw a clip of Rishe dealing with poison and so I decided to watch. I loved it! It was not quite what I was expecting, but rather better. Rishe is a delight and the whole mystery surrounding Arnold’s past and future, which lead them to the war seen in the previous loops, is very intriguing. I’m also captured by Rishe’s past jobs (merchant, harbalist, knight, etc), they’ve made her very resourceful. I really like the court day to day stuff and the drama, and the way she navigates all that. The dynamic of her knowing certain people from past loops but them not knowing her is always intriguing – and we get to know a little more about her this way too. And of course, I love her growing romance with Arnold!

I watched a bunch of dubbed episodes but then I caught up and the subs come faster, so.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (2023-)

This one seemed to be a fan favorite of the season and well, I can see why…While 7TL and tAD are more my vibe, I can’t overlook Frieren. The way it presents grief, time, connection, and the mortality of people through the eyes of this seemly apathic elf is very touching. It made me cry a few times! It also has cool action. And of course, I can’t resist a good medieval fantasy setting. I’m not versed in rpg but even I can recognize some basic elements, it’s pretty cool.

Watched it dubbed!

From Studio Ghibli

Only Yesterday (1991) - This one is pretty slow, contemplative. It’s also a little boring imo... I can see its value, but it’s not really for me. Subs cause there is no dub.

The Cat Returns (2002) - I didn’t intend to watch this one but changed my mind at some point. It’s pretty fun! Not sure what I expected but it wasn’t this haha I quite liked it!! Subs cause there is no dub.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) - This is a pretty long one, and the different artstyle threw me off at first, I thought I might not like it... I finally got to watch it though, and not only it is not boring, but it is visually very pretty. It could have ranked high but I didn’t vibe with the ending, so. I could see it being other people’s favorite though. Watched it dubbed.

Earwig and the Witch (2020) - This one’s got a bad reputation but I thought it was fine. Like sure, this 3D animation did not capture that Ghibli charm, but the character design does seem on point and I thought it had an interesting setting. Overall I liked it, even though the ending is rather anticlimactic. Things shift abruptly and are over soon after, leaving some stuff unresolved too (I imagine there would be a sequel). It was still entertaining though. Watched it dubbed.

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

I think this was the first time I watched a Ghibli movie in cinemas! It’s a good film. Not among my Ghibli favorites, but it would rank in the upper half. I'm sure it's other people’s favorite. I think the relationship with the stepmom could have been better developed, but it's still cool. The crazy, whimsical world kinda reminded me of Spirited Away at times. It's got that Miyazaki balance of weird and wonder, with a rather unique mythology and intriguing characters.

I wanted to watch it dub but there were limited screenings and the day I went had only subs.

Buddy Daddies (2023)

A duo of assassins with very different backgrounds and personalities are sent to kill a criminal. The mission is accomplished, they just didn't expect him to have a little daughter. Now they have to figure out how to take care of a child.

I heard good things about this one - and I loved it! I wish it had been longer, I believe it could easily fill 20 something episodes, but oh well… The trio is very endearing, their dynamics are great.

Subs cause no dub.

Yona of the Dawn Season 1 (2014-15)

Princess Yona has to flee her castle with her chidlhood friend/bodyguard Hak after her beloved cousin, Soo-Won murders her father, the king. While searching for the four legendary dragon warriors to help them reclaim the kingdom, Yona finds out her people have been suffering for years, and feels it is her duty to help them.

I was honestly surprised to see this series is already TEN years old. I remember people talking about it but I didn't remember it had been this long? Maybe I heard of it afterwards? Maybe not…Anyway. This series is great. I didn’t expect it to be so good. It’s an epic (east asian) medieval fantasy! It’s got drama, adventure, action, and I’m looking forward to the romantic plot development with Hak. It’s cool to see Yona growing from sheltered princess to a warrior. I’m honestly shocked they never made a second season, like, wtf. Fortunately they’ve started selling the manga in here, and I’ve been following it! Good stuff. I wish I could watch the plays, but specially the musical. Oh, I'm saving the OVAs for when I reach the respective manga chapters.

Subs cause no dub

Snow White with the Red Hair Seasons 1-2 (2015-16)

This one is also medieval fantasy, has plenty of drama, and while it does have action and adventure, it’s not so much in the epic side - it’s more…mundane? I mean sure, it’s got court intrigues, swordfights, and there’s a kidnapping at one point and whatnot… But the vibes are more on the quieter, lovelier side? I mean, there isn't an epic quest. But it’s cool to see Shirayuki’s journey in becoming a great herbalist while Zen trains in his princely duties and how they both fight to be together despite the obstacle of their different status (something which worries Zen's older brother and other influential people). Their friends also form a cool cast. Wish there were more seasons, but the ones we got are good. I’m not even mad at the misleading title cause the only reason I remembered its existence and watched it was because years ago I saw there was a Snow White anime. Alas, this has basically nothing to do with Snow White, but it’s so good I don’t even care.

Subs cause no dub

Spy x Family - Code: White (2023)

Yes it’s filler but it’s fun! Plus it's not like Spy x Family plot moves fast anyway... So here we got a little winter family trip in search of a recipe (for the Mission!!!) turned into a crazy kidnapping and rescue as Loid and Yor separately go after Anya…it’s action-packed, whacky and fun! It’s Spy x Family!!! There are also a couple of cute Twiyor/family moments, which I love, of course. It’s a good pastime. Bring me season 3!

Watched it dubbed at the cinema!

A Sign of Affection Season 1 (2024)

A lovely show! It’s about the daily life of a deaf college-age girl, and her new romance with a guy who loves to travel, and how her world expands when meeting him and other people in college. I think most school settings stories I see are in high school or middle school so this is a nice change.

Watched it dubbed

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (2022-23)

People talked so much about this one I had to give it a go. The only Gundam series I had contact with before was Gundam Wing (watched some assorted episodes as a kid), so I thought that would be the first one I watched in full, but I still haven't done it, oops. And now I’ve seen Gundam Witch! Intriguing developments and characters! Deals with some serious issues, which apparently is an usual Gundam thing. It has some cool dynamics and the queer romance is cute, it has a good arc. The show is not quite my jam, so not a favorite, but it’s a good show, felt solid.

Watched it dubbed

My Happy Marriage (2023-)

Miyo lives in a Cinderella situation until she is engaged to Kyoka, a rich guy with a bad reputation… In a society where powerful families have superpowers, she’s got none, so her family wants to get rid of her…The poor thing lives with no affection and the guy is desensitized to previous fiancées chasing his status, but then he sees that’s not the case and is decided to treat her well AND to stand up to her family. Oh, and it’s got an historical setting. Also Kyoka is part of the special forces which fight evil spirits or something. He controls elements. I gotta say I was not expecting that kind of action in a Cinderella-esque story, ha! It was a good addition.

It's kinda tough to see Miyo so meek, but it's key to see she is not magically cured after the engagement, she still struggles from the abuse of her family, but with help, little by little she gains more confidence, which is lovely to see. She also finds her own way of helping Kyoka herself, the end of the season really makes it stronger. I don't think it's gonna be a favorite of mine, but it IS good. Season 2 incoming!

Watched it dubbed

My Happy Marriage Movie aka As Long as We Both Shall Live (2023)

The movie is basically a compressed version of what we see in season 1. As such, it is definitely inferior to the animated version, but it’s okay... Like, it has its moments but overall it really doesn't hit the same, specially the ending. I would say it has all the important bits of the first half of the season, but a lot of the second half is lost (Hazuki, you were missed, girl!).

Shaman King: Flowers Season 1 (2024)

I was entertained, I wanted to see more of the kids and their dynamics (and more of their parents), and I wish they would continue it…But I don't know, it's got some odd choices. Granted, it's a short season, if it had been longer it might have been more charming/intriguing. For example, Ren's son is the last to join so we don't see a lot of him, which is a shame. I also thought it was going to be a complete story but turns out the Flowers manga was continued in Super Star, and the season we got was really just Flowers…Also I still think it would have been a better investment to use the money to improve on the Shaman King remake, but anyway. I wonder if they will ever continue it.

Watched it dubbed

Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Season 3 (2024)

This was about the same level as season 2 I guess. Though back then they let the fights begin in one episode and end on the next, while here they kinda kept it in the same episode, which made them feel shorter :/ Like, it was cool but still not even close to the original series. It has its moments, but parts of it are too quick, there’s a lack of stronger soundtracks to enhance the scenes, etc. The original content was interesting enough, but we had so little time it would have been better to use it on canon events... or at least parts of it.

I would watch more if they made it but it seems they’re going to stop this version in this arc – and I get it, like I said, its really not as good as it should/could be. I’m glad they finished it though, it would have been a bummer to see the arc only halfway done. I hope we don’t have to wait too many years until a new saint seiya anime…also I wonder what it will be.

Watched it dubbed

Delicious in Dungeon (2024-)

Everybody couldn’t shut up about it so I had to watch it XD yes, yes, it’s good! Well made rpg-esque medieval fantasy setting. It’s got plenty of comedy, and the story is pretty different from the usual stuff… It wasn’t until things started to get serious that it really got me though, like halfway through the season. From what I’ve heard, it should be done by season 2. I'll be there to watch it!

Watched it dubbed

Sailor Moon: Musical Festival Chronicle (2022)

Finally could watch this one, yay!!! Story-wise it's not really impressive, but then again this one is more of a celebration of myu history than anything else. Cool to see the old numbers back, lovely to see Satomi’s guest appearance and, of course, the BANDAI MYU team, hooray!!!! Oh and we could see more of Riona’s Mamoru too! Since The Super Live full recording was never released, we don’t have much of that, so this is nice.

I honestly thought this would be the end of the myu/moon renaissance, but after the announcement of the long run of the new Super Live in London, I'm not so sure! But alright, let's not get ahead of ourselves...

Ranma ½ (2024-)

Ranma’s return!!!! Its been rather fun to follow Ranma and Akane’s shenanigans again. I’m glad I watched the full og anime a few years ago!!! I hope they get to adapt the manga until the end this time (I’ve never read it myself). Waiting for season 2!!!

Watched it dub (I’m so happy Netflix got the cast back!!!)

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murfpersonalblog · 2 months ago

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IWTV S2 Musings - Romania BTS deets!

I was just going thru fire-gift's post sharing the Paris Apartment BTS pics here on Tumblr; and I had no idea there was a whole IWTV Writers Room Twitter account posting set pics!

Yup, I broke down the details about Točník Castle here, but THIS is really cool:

Daciana's FLOOR PLANS!!

Ok, this is me being highly unnecessary; I'm geeking out, y'all! 😅

Daciana's bedroom just dropped?! (No coffin room though?):

(That's in the western chambers (bedroom/ložnice) of the northern wing of the royal palace at Tocnik.)

I recognize those corner fireplaces anywhere--

Cuz my main question about them was if AMC built their own custom fireplace, since there isn't one in the IRL chapel/audience/main hall.

So I think this confirms that they definitely built Daciana's fireplace on purpose. So I just wanna know if it's more accurate to Romanian Renaissance fireplaces, cuz it doesn't match the Czech ones at Tocnik.

I CAN'T READ THE LABELS, AMC--hi-res images pretty please? 🥹

And omg stfu--

Cezare's FLOOR PLANS, TOO!?

I CANNOT TELL which rooms these are in. 😭😩

I was right that they also used Tocnik Castle for Cezare's ruins. My initial suspicion was that it was filmed in the stables.

But now I'm sliiiightly more convinced that it was filmed in the kitchen, mostly cuz of this round thing in the corner:

Esp the alignment of the arches:

So yeah, that was delicious food this Thanksgiving season.

But chile, now it's time for DESSERT! 👀

Daciana's Costume! 👏

I decided to google if the goat Carol Cutshall had dropped anything about Daciana's clothes, and YUP, mama pulled through!!! 💪👑

(Back in frikkin AUGUST--omfg I'm missing out. 🤦 I just hate Instagram, ick.)

I wasn't surprised that Cutshall initially wanted Daciana to wear red & black--the most prominent colors in traditional Romanian clothes.

And yeah, you can see how Daciana was gonna have a much fancier version of the traditional Romanian dress--I frikkin LOVE it (that shawl is so nice).

I didn't even think the Revenant would ever get any shine--bless! 😂 So does this mean her Revenant "child" was a local farmer/peasant--not just rando soldiers Daciana yanked as they patrolled the woods? (How old was the Revenant even?)

Anyways, back to Daciana! 😅

So yeah, alas, they scrapped the red/black palette, and decided to give her more "ghostly cool greys and blues;" while still keeping traditional Romanian elements in her new outfit.

My main question was if this costume was culturally accurate, or more Renaissance leaning (my suspicion still); or just a fanciful hodgepodge of whatever they felt like doing. Sadly, nothing from these pics is giving me anything definitive.

The embroidery designs are interesting, but I know nothing about what style/period that could be nodding to. I'm glad we have it though!

And here's another surprise:

Emilia & the Romanian refugees' clothes!

I was (very slowly) working on a whole post researching the rest of the Romanian clothes, only to now get these amazing BTS deets!

I can't even tell who most of these outfits belong to, cuz everyone in Emilia's factory was wearing overcoats. But I DO recognize the fur stole/wrap from this lady:

And obvs the tiny clothes are from the kids singing about (Daci)Anna.

But again, I can't tell, cuz everything was so dang DARK, and the kids were wearing coats. *sigh*

Results? Just vibing! 😅

I'm just pleased as punch to have even this much; thank you, AMC!

#interview with the vampire #iwtv tvc metas #europe #fashion history #read a dang history book #the vampire daciana

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carmenilla · 2 months ago

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hey im still wondering about the snowball scene, because during my first watch i thought mike is upset about el not being able to go to the snowball but she surprised him something like that, but now bylers are saying its because of will that he's dancing with a girl (tho i really like the sound of that) i am still not sold, do you have anything to say about this? thanks for reading bye

i'd say it's sort of a mix of both. the thing is, mike doesn't begin to be mopey until will goes to dance with the girl, and sort of looks like he instantly regrets it after encouraging will to do it. it then cuts to a shot of lucas + max dancing as well as will + the girl dancing, then back to dustin and mike (both are looking Not Happy, with dustin it's because max is dancing with lucas and with mike...?)

i think it could be read as platonic - will is the one who sticks by mike's side & that way neither of them are left alone (especially since the entirety of season 2 they are a pair) and now will's off dancing with some girl that he convinced him to dance with, so mike's all alone.

i would say he is upset about will dancing with the girl and because el's not here with him - with neither of them there with him, he's alone. he's sad because he's alone.

it's actually not exactly clear whether or not mike knew el was going to go to the dance, so i'm going to look at this from both perspectives:

let's say he didn't know she was coming, which is what i thought on like all my watch-throughs of this episode. mike begins feeling sad after will specifically goes to dance with the girl, and we see specific focus on mike when will does this. this can be read platonic or romantic, but either way, will leaving him is where i think mike starts to realize, oh shit i'm alone. this contrasts when dustin leaves to go find a girl to dance with, mike just makes a confused/disgusted face like he often does when it comes to the concept of flirting with girls or going after girls or things like that. (bit suspicious, but i digress). so now he's sad and alone, which starts after his friend who he is normally paired with is off with someone else. maybe he's longing for el, maybe he's wishing his friends hadn't abandoned him (and wishing he hadn't encouraged will to dance with the girl), we're not exactly sure. he does lighten up when el comes - he's not alone anymore, and now he gets to dance with the girl who he's somewhat romantically entwined with.

basically, he starts moping when will leaves him, and starts feeling better when el comes. depending on how you view mike's character, that can be interpreted in many ways.

if mike did know el was coming, well. i don't think i have to speak on how downright suspicious that is. why would he be moping if he knew el was coming? bit gay

i do think that he didn't know, and that situation is more open to interpretation, but i personally believe that he wasn't sad specifically because el wasn't there, he was sad because he's alone. obviously if el was there he wouldn't be alone anymore, so he probably thought that at some point and wished she was, but i feel like if he was sad specifically because el wasn't there he would be staring longingly at the door wishing that el would come through instead of staring blankly at the dance floor (or sadly at will, as we see earlier in the scene right after he goes to dance with the girl). he's sad because he's alone, and since he didn't expect el to come anyways, he's probably sad because the friend who would stick by his side is off on the dance floor (which is pretty much the reason why he is alone in this scene).

do my ramblings make any sense? i sorta just word vomit incoherent thoughts out lmao. basically what i think is that will leaving his side is what essentially causes mike to be alone at the dance, and mike is either sad because he's alone (and him being alone is mostly caused by will leaving his side since usually they're a pair and mike probably didn't expect dustin or lucas to just sit there awkwardly with him) OR he's sad directly because of will. i don't think he's sitting there being sad about specifically el or it would be more obvious and we would see him staring longingly at the door or something - instead all we have is of him making a sad/confused expression at will when he goes to dance.

so either mike is upset because of will specifically or because he's alone and probably didn't expect to be, which is mostly caused by will - i doubt he thought will was going to end up dancing with a girl, so he probably didn't expect to be alone. not because he was longing for el the whole time - take that as you will

that's just my interpretation tho lmao, hope this made sense

#ask #mike wheeler #mike wheeler analysis #byler analysis #incoherent rambling moment

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numberonetacostan · 30 days ago

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Ooooo interesting!! I always thought that was how it was going to go! Though I don’t really need a monologue but you could make one if you would like ^^

Also, for the actual ask. In your version of S3 Ep 14 “Spring on Breakfast” What would her and Yin-Yang do in each of the five rooms? What would their conversations be and what would both of them say when they see Microphone in the “Balanced Breakfast” room? Would Taco do anything in the rooms at all? Or would she let Yang do all the work and they get in an argument because of it? Would Taco have a break down over Microphone being here? Would she hear Microphones voice like how Nickel and Balloon heard Suitcase’s voice? What would she do about the Bear that she and Yin-Yang got attacked with? Would Yin-Yang go on without her? Or would they try to save her when she fell?

I really love your AU and would like to see more of it ^^

Hiya Mushy!!!!^^ Welcome back, and thank you for sending in another question about my taco in iii au!!! X]!!!!

I'm not the best at reading hints or implications, so I wasn't sure if I was missing something!! Thanks for clarifying!!!^^ You can always feel free to ask for stuff tho, even if I can't guarantee a good or quick delivery!

Spring on the Breakfast time!!! I am once again typing this as I rewatch the episode, so hopefully I won't miss anything!!!! So, each of the five rooms!!! The first room, the don't press the button room, I suppose Taco would have to fight the bear, at least a little bit. With all her cracks, she is rather fragile at this point, however, so she's probably just throw something at it while Yang does most of the fighting. Maybe shoot it with her Space Shooter? She'd be quite annoyed at him for pressing the button!! They do not get along during this episode. She isn't keen on participating, but is forcibly beamed up into the box and wants to leave asap, so she at least follows Yang through the puzzles.

The try not to fall room isn't much of anything. We don't see Yang and Silver walk through it, so I'm supposing that means Yang didn't have any trouble. Tao wouldn't either, so they'd just walk on through. Yang might ask to use Taco's Space Shooter though, to which she would give a definitive and immediate NO.

The loser room is awful for Taco. They still make it there last, and get the season 1 variant of the room. She's surrounded by the images of almost all the people who she's ruined her relationships with because of her lies. People who she's watched go on without her living in a nice, warm hotel while she's alone outside in the cold. Yang would again complain that there's two Papers and that the puzzle makes no sense, and would tell Taco to make herself useful for a change (re: her history of adamantly doing nothing during challenges)!! And Taco, sort of would. Mostly because she'd be looking at all the pictures sadly!!! I can not emphasize enough that she is having a terrible time.

The feather room!!! Yang throws the poor girl to get the springs down initially, like he does with Silver, and could grab them out of her shell to go put on the scale. He is chaos, after all. When Taco gets up, she'd see Mic staring off into the distance. She would stare and stutter and be rather shocked, but after a moment start moving towards the fake Mic babbling the starts of apologies, and walk right on to a pit trap. Honestly, I think for her it would be worse for Mic to be completely ignoring her, like how Pickle ignored her letters, so the Mic toy wouldn't even turn to look at her as she's doing this. Yang would turn around and see Taco gone, and be pretty confused to see Microphone there. They... never really talked in season 2, yeah? Different teams and all. He'd try to talk to Mic and get her attention, and push the toy over when it doesn't respond to him. Overall he'd be slightly annoyed that Taco fell and left him to do the rest of the challenge but not give much of a shit about Mic being there.

She does have a breakdown after the challenge!! I think she'd do her best to hold it in while she's in the little cage for everyone who fell in, but once she can leave she heads to her safe little hut and has a good cry. Balloon finds her there too!!! He just had his big fight with Nickel, he's feeling pretty down too. I think they should have a good cry together!!! Taco wouldn't want to talk to Balloon much about what happened- she's still keeping the fact that she and Mic worked together a secret- but she would receive hugs!! And as Balloon's closest friend left, I think he'd vent to her about what happened!!! After asking her if she was up to it <3!!!

I'm so very glad you like my au so much!!!! I don't have any more planned posts about it for the moment, but I'm always always happy to get questions and/or suggestions for it!!!! Specific questions like what you send actually make it a whole lot easier for me to brainstorm stuff and type it down^^ :)

#sorry to reply later than usual #yesterday was a busy day for me :) thank you for your patience!!!#taco in iii au #taco ii #yinyang ii #ii taco #ii yinyang

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room-surprise · 10 months ago

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Dungeon Meshi Anime Review, Season 2, Episode 14 review

This is technically the second cour of Dungeon Meshi, with a new opening and ending so we've made it to season 2, baby!

Happy Kabru day! I think Trigger did a great job with this so I don't have a lot to talk about.

Spoilers below!

The new OP is really nicely animated and very sweet, but I don't really like it. I think the song isn't as good as the first OP and the visuals just don't really excite or interest me the way the first OP did. It's cute though! I think it would have made a great ending...

The ending is wonderful like before, with more beautiful illustrations. Are these also by Kui? Will we get Kui illustrations for every ending? That would be so fantastic! I like this song better than the new OP song...

What the hell are Fleki and Lycion laughing at in the ending. Just pointing and laughing at a water fountain...

There my darling lad Kabru goes, killing again! Good for him.

Animated very nicely, conveys just how fast and lethal Kabru is against human opponents. I hope that anime onlies are now worrying about Laios and his party! That's what they should be worrying about!

Love that they managed to capture Kui's insanely wonderful fight choreography, Kabru switching targets last second after doing a fake-out, and then stealing one person's sword to use it to kill two other people... He's so slick, and Trigger captured it so well.

Sadly no improvements (extra clarity) was added to any of the talking scenes in this ep that start to explain Kabru and his party's motivations. I didn't expect them to change anything though, so it's still as good as it was in the manga, which is still pretty damn good... But would have been nice to have someone tighten up the dialog and make it flow more like human conversation.

Characters sitting around and talking about stuff that isn't monster biology or cooking is probably Kui's greatest weak points as an author, and I don't blame her at all, but it's the one blind spot she could use a liiiiiiittle extra help with. At least in the first half of the manga. Towards the end she gets way better at it. Practice does that to you!

EDIT: Trigger made Holm eat meat!!! He's a religious vegetarian!!!! Oops.

SO.... english dub issues.

The cast is still generally great and the dub script is generally superior to the Japanese subtitles, though it seems like the Japanese subs might be getting better? Or this episode was unusually bad in English so the Japanese subs seemed better.

Kabru's voice in English...

The thing about Kabru's character is that he changes how he talks and acts depending on who he's talking to. The Japanese version does this relatively well.

It's mostly about the pitch of Kabru's voice and how sweet his tone is. He's trying to make himself sound non-threatening, polite, and friendly. And then when he's not doing that, he sounds more stern and mature, talking in a deeper pitch without being so self-effacing.

The English version... is struggling a bit with this.

In the other episodes it sounded alright, but in this episode Kabru's voice actor, for whatever reason, seemed to be mumbling/slurring his words, not enunciating, and cutting off and shortening his words, shoulda, woulda, kinda, and talking in a more "relaxed" and informal manner

This isn't inherently a problem, but since nobody else in the anime so far talks like this, what does this style of speaking signify? Why is Kabru talking like this for this entire episode?

Is it because Kabru's from the West? Do all the people in the West talk that way? Will the elves talk like that?

Since they didn't match Zon and Leed's way of speaking to each other I doubt they'll follow through with this...

If it's meant to make Kabru sound "tough", why does Kabru do it the entire episode and not just with the corpse retrievers? Why does he keep talking that way while talking to his friends?

Even if sounding "tough" is what he's trying to accomplish, Kabru wasn't really being tough in those scenes, he was being tricky and conniving... And then with his friends he was being curious and solving a mystery.

It's not the worst performance I've ever heard, but it's a change/addition with no basis in the original version, so as with Leed and Zon, I'm left wondering "why are you doing this? What are you trying to tell us about the characters?"

I'll have to go back and listen to Kabru's earlier appearances to see if he sounds the same in those, but I really don't remember him talking this way before...

Kabruuuuuu

#dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #dunmeshi #spoilers #dungeon meshi anime #delicious in dungeon anime #review #kabru

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gothicbarbie · 24 days ago

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Top 25 BL Series of 2024

It's that time of year once again, and I will be ranking my favorite BL's from 2024. Nothing I watched this year was God Tier imo sadly, but there were some great series. Overall though I think I was a bit disappointed with 2024 series compared to previous years. Hoping that 2025 is better for me.

Also just a reminder, nothing that started in 2024 but is still airing will be on this list, they will be on the 2025 list. And if a 2024 series is missing from here it means that I haven't checked it out yet, or I tried 1 episode and it didn't grab me. It might show up on a later list.

TOP TIER 10/10

1.Unknown the Series (Taiwan) - Of all the shows I watched this year I think that this one was the one that grabbed me the most. I actually paid to watch episodes so you know how much I was drawn to it! The chemistry with the main two was so good and I loved the plot so much. I am a bit over step brother type stories at this point, but this one was just so well done. The tension and the chemistry was just insane.

2. The Sign (Thailand) - Like with Unknown ^ this series also really grabbed me and had me waiting for eps week to week, especially in the beginning. I became OBSESSED with BillyBabe and rewatched the eps like 3 times after they aired, that's how into the show I was at the start. It did fall off a bit for me at the end, but the premise and production value of the series was just so good. I def. think it's one of Thailand's Top BL series ever! Gimme more BillyBabe PLEASE!

3. Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Korea) - Def. my favorite Korean series this year, it was great. There were definitely frustrating moments and episodes but overall I really enjoyed this from start to finish. I just love shows that have tension and angst and drama but also happy endings and the main pairing had a sort of sweetness but also sexiness to them that I just really loved watching.

4. Love in the Big City (Korea) - This series/movie was SO GOOD but I don't really view it as a "BL" in some ways because to me it just felt like a really well done film? I think because it wasn't just about a ship, and it had so many other storylines going on and it was so well rounded. I love that we got to see the story of this man and the different relationships he experienced in his life. The bitter ending sorta left me unsatisfied, (tho I think it was hopeful), and that's why it's not even higher on my list, but everything about this was fantastic.

5. I Hear the Sunspot (Japan) - One of Japan's best series this year imo. It was really great. I really love that we got a deaf character and I also loved the plot and seeing how the main two came together. They had a really subtle sweetness to them that I really enjoyed. It was just a nice (mostly easy) show to watch.

GREAT 9/10

6.Pit Babe (Thailand) - Overall I had some issues with the plot of this, but for the most part it was a very fun and unique series. The main pairing had SO MUCH DAMN CHEMISTRY goodness and their plot was really fun to watch. The side pair was nice too. Babe as a character was just so interesting, I love characters like him that have such a tough exterior until someone can break through. The acting by everyone in this was great and I liked the ABO elements as well. Too bad it sounds like they might remove the element in season 2, but it also wasn't as implied as it should have been, minus a few comments here and there from the characters.

7. Love for Love's Sake (Korea) - Another great series from this year with a super fun plot and cute romance. I wish I had more to say about it but because I binged it SO quickly it's a little tough to remember exactly what it entailed. Definitely one I will need to rewatch soon.

8. Time of Fever (Korean) - This was super short and I binged it so fast but I do remember really loving it. Just wish it was longer. The kiss scenes were great too.

9. Love in the Air Koi (Japan) - Really loved this series, it was such a fun series. A great adaptation of the OG series and a bit more cohesive/concise. I was so pleasantly surprised by the kissing scenes too! Shoma is just so beautiful!

10. Living with Him (Japan) - A very cute series with a sweet plot and nothing too dark or serious. The chemistry between the main two was great.

11. Perfect Propose (Japan) - IMO this was a darker version of the series above lol. I get them a bit mixed up, but this one started off a bit racier and imo had a few more issues. But it was still fun to watch.

Good 8/10

12.Twins the Series (Thailand) - This series was kinda dumb at some points but there is something refreshing about sports BL's sometimes, and I absolutely loved the main pairing in this one. Not sure why but I really enjoyed watching the build up of their story and the overall plot of the show also kept me entertained.

13. Playboyy the Series (Thailand) - This series was MESSY AF. But it was also just a total blast to watch. I was always interested in the plot even if there was so much going on and if some things were dumb/didn't make a lot of sense. It was def. the raciest BL we got this year, and I am def. curious to see what will happen next season.

14. Rebound The Series (Thailand) - Another sports BL. It wasn't super exciting and I skimmed a little bit but overall I enjoyed watching it and I liked the chemistry with the main duo here as well.

15. This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Thailand) - This was a fun series to watch, I really shipped the side pairing more than the main pairing and I found the overall plot a bit boring, but it still held my interest.

16. My Love Mix Up (Thailand) - Loved to hear they were adapting this show cuz I liked the OG version. This one didn't hit the spot for me as much but it was still a nice series. And of course loved the main duo. Can never go wrong with GeminiForth in my eyes, their chemistry is just so natural.

17. Takara's No Vidro (Japan) - This was a great little series from Japan. The main pairs chemistry was good and I really liked the progression of their story. Super easy watch.

18. Love is Better the Second Time Around (Japan) - This was actually a great series and prob. should have been higher on my list cuz it was very well done, but I guess I just wasn't as invested in the chemistry of the main couple as other people were, But, I still really enjoyed it.

DECENT 7/10

19. Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (Taiwan) - Nice to see more representation for deaf characters this year! This was another show I enjoyed but I did skim some bits/had some issues. Overall, good series tho.

20. Last Twilight (Thailand) - I know everyone LOVED this series and I can understand why, but for me, it wasn't my favorite. I like JimmySea but dont love them, and I think it started better than it ended. It was just a bit too sad in parts for me but it was a well one series.

21. We Are the Series (Thailand) - Wanted to love this series but I found myself a bit bored with it overall. Of course I loved joongdunk and all the pairs but it was a bit dumb for my taste.

22. 4 Minutes (Thailand) - Another series I wanted to love, but didn't. Probably my own fault for not paying as much attention to it as I should have, I think I missed a lot of what was going on. I found a lot of stuff a bit boring… But the main pairs chemistry was fantastic!

23. Smells Like Green Spirit (Japan) - I loved the premise of this series because we rarely get to see trans/questioning characters on TV like this and I really liked the way they did it for the most part. I had a few issues of course, and overall the series felt a bit wacky at times and there were some yucky moments, but I still thought it was good.

24. Anti Reset (Taiwan) - Very weird premise and I don't usually like silly plots like this one, but I had a good time watching this series. It wasn't anything amazing, but it was fun.

25. Jack and Joker (Thailand) -YinWar are AMAZING and they did a great job in this series. I loved the characters they played and the couples storyline. But as a whole this series bored me a bit, I just don't really care for the mafia type plots on shows. But I think it was a great show.

HONORARY MENTIONS:

These shows missed the top 25 this year and I didn't think they were strong enough to highlight, but I will still rank them because I did enjoy them in parts.

His Man 3 (Korea-Reality) - As a reality series I didn't include this on the list, but it's def. worth the watch. I enjoy this series more than #27 personally. I like all the different dates they have the men go on and how they all mingle with each other etc.

The Boyfriend (Japan-Reality) - So glad Japan sort of did their own version of His Man, but this series fell flat for me. I didn't ship the main couple at all, so that might have been part of it, but I think overall the series was pretty boring. I hated the commentary too. I think the men should go on more dates etc. But, it was a fun show to watch and binge quickly.

Wandee Goodday (Thailand) - Didn't love this one the way other people did. I think the first few eps were interesting but after that it fell really flat for me. I liked the main pair but didn't love them. Overall I just think it could have been better and sexier and the promos made it look way more exciting than it ended up being imo. It was a tad cheesy, actually.

Cosmetic Play Lover (Japan) - Also binged this series quickly so I don't remember all the details. I found the plot a bit boring but I liked the main pairing. Nothing outstanding but enjoyable.

My Stand In (Thailand) - Another sort of weird premise, but I think it worked and I enjoyed watching the plot play out. But overall it was just a bit too toxic for me. I couldn't really get past the abuse, even if the scenes between the main pair were hot.

City boy Log (Korea) - Not exactly a BL and I wasn't super happy with where some of the plots went, but overall I still enjoy the series. The chemistry with the main duo is just TOO GOOD!

Bad Guy My Boss (Thailand) - Super toxic premise but I just had so much fun watching it. I love the main couple and was intrigued to see how they got together. After the first few eps the show started feeling super repetitive and boring and I kinda lost interest, but regardless, I enjoyed skimming through it.

Cherry Magic (Thailand) - Wish I could have loved this series but it just didn't really do it for me. It was okay, and at times I preferred some things to the OG version but it just didn't really have the same charm for me.

Eccentric Romance (Korea/Thai) - These mix series don't really work for me because it just feels forced, but this was a fun little dumb series that I enjoyed lol.

7 Days Before Valentine (Thailand) - Very strange series I thought I was gonna hate but I found myself kinda liking more and more as it went on. Interesting premise and I loved the "main" pairing even though we didn't get a lot of progress for them.

Two worlds (Thailand) - Premise isn't really my thing at all and I skimmed a lot but MAXNAT ARE SO GOOD. I loved their plot and their chemistry.

Love Sea (Thailand) - Loved FortPeat and their chemistry in this but overall I found the plot a little boring. And Peat's character is always such a baby in every series, I'm not a fan of the writing for him.

Cooking Crush (Thailand) - Similar situation here. I like the main duo's chemistry and overall this was a cute series, but cooking shows aren't really my thing. But I still had fun with it.

The Only1 (Taiwan) - This series had good and bad moments for me. I felt overall it was just way too slow. I did like the main pairing and their chemistry but wanted it to move faster.

Night Dream (Korea) - This series was short and I watched it really fast so I don't really remember a lot about it but I think I liked it lol.

+++ Fragile (Korea) - Didn't know where to put this series because its not really BL, but I felt it was worth mentioning because we did get a BL kiss in the final episode and will potentially get a seasons dedicated to the character. I think the series was really fun and worth checking out.

Non-Asian BL series that I enjoyed in 2024:

Rkyter (Norway) - So good and definitely worth checking out! Sadly season 2 didn't deliver so I didn't bother with it but I have hopes we will get more potentially. This isn't technically a BL but the BL ship is good.

Prisma (Italy) - Another great series with a great BL pairing, sadly was cancelled but regardless, still worth checking out.

These series I just didn't love. Maybe I enjoyed the plot, or the ship, but not both. Or I liked it at first, but it kinda lost my interest in the end. Regardless, they were all enjoyable for different reasons and still worth checking out. FYI these are in no particular order:

Happy of the End (Japan) 25 Ji, Akasaka De (Japan) Deep Night (Thailand) Sunset x Vibes (Thailand) Kidnap the Series (Thailand) For Him (Thailand) I Saw You in My Dream (Thailand) OMG Vampire (Thailand) Gray Shelter (Korean) First Note of Love (Taiwan)

Can't say there were any series I HATED but I just found a lot of them boring. I skimmed through most of these series below and don't have a really good opinion on them. But I found a few enjoyable things about them, like the main pairing, or some nice kiss scenes etc. Some of the Korean ones were good, just way too short for me to get invested in. Overall these just weren't my favs that I watched this year and were forgettable to me.

Thailand: Battle of the Writers Memory in the Letter Knock Knock Boys OMG Vampire Only Boo The Trainee Summer Night Series To Be Continued

China: My Intimate Relationship with my Teacher (China)

Taiwan: VIP Only

Vietnam: Vian the Series

Japan: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru My Strawberry Film I Become the Main Role of a BL Drama Sugar Dog Life Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro Ka

Korea: Boys Be Brave Blue Complex Match Play Blossom Campus My Damn Business Seoulblues Blue Boys Bad guy

Older Series that sadly can't make the 2024 list but that I watched in 2024 include: -Oxygen the Series (Didn't love but I liked the pairings) -I Will Knock You (Had some fun bits but felt a bit too platonic for me and toxic in the beginning) -Unforgotten Night (Great first ep imo and then went nowhere. Promo made it look way better than it actually was) -What Zabb Man (Super boring and unforgettable)

FAILURES OF 2024:]

Jazz for Two (Korea) - The one was just a mess. Started with SO MUCH POTENTIAL but starting from ep 3 it went downhill so quickly. It’s not often that Korea gets it wrong imo but this one was so disappointing. The two couples had great chemistry but storyline wise were just so badly done. Both of the “bad boys” in those ships were just straight up abusive and mean? Literally the bully character kicked him in the stomach and face, tried to SA the main character… and both were so homophobic after getting kissed. There were hardly any nice/sweet moments, and the ones that were there felt super rushed. -Addicted Heroin (Thailand) - Just couldn't get into this at all, and I found it really boring and the main duo had zero chemistry. Not to mention it was very platonic feeling imo. -B x J Forever (Filo) - Completely ruined the main pairing and the season 2 plot was such a dud! -Love is like a Cat (Thai) - What were you thinking Mew? This one was just sad (as in bad) and weird lol)

Here's to things hopefully looking up in 2025!

And stay tuned for my top BL pairings from 2024!

Oh, and here are all previous lists since TUMBLR is not saving my tags.

2023: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/737844075622023168/top-30-bls-of-2023

2022: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705139242020618240/my-top-20-bl-series-of-2022

2021: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705227666795741184/my-top-15-bl-series-of-2021

2020: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705674738528354304/my-top-15-bls-of-2020

2019 and earlier: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705678223200174080/my-top-bls-of-2019-and-earlier

#bl series #bl drama #bl kiss #boys love #kbl #jbl #top bls #bls im watching #unknown the series #the sign the series #let free the curse of taekwondo #love in the big city #i hear the sunspot #pit babe #love for love's sake #love in the air koi #time of fever #playboyy the series #the sign

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cursedtrashmuppet · 1 year ago

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OFMD season 2 fixit:

spoilers below

Ok new theory/idea: The last episode was a more mature version of Stede's dream sequence at the beginning of the show. But it's still a dream sequence. Hear me out!

Stede is the hero, they run to each other on the beach, they kiss and reunite, it's beautiful and mostly uncomplicated. But more everything is more nuanced because Stede has a more nuanced view of the world, piracy, the other characters etc. They ultimately prevail but it Izzy still dies like in Stede's first dream. But this time, Stede is sad, not happy, because his feelings for Izzy had changed by this point. But Izzy is still an obstacle, he's the reminder of blackbeard and Ed's old life, so he still needs to go in a shallow narrative sense, for what he represents.

By Stede's admission, he thinks Izzy was blackbeard's mentor etc. (It's unclear in that training scene whether Stede was being honest about what Ed had explicitly said, or if he's interpreting or just trying to flatter Izzy into training him.) So, in the end, Izzy dies, sadly, but there's resolution for Ed in the end. And dream-izzy says what Stede believes: Izzy drove Ed to darkness, but he is loved by everyone around him and that he's essentially giving Ed permission to stop being Blackbeard. From Stede's perspective this makes perfect sense. From an audience perspective, it's not as complicated as it should be, but it's not wrong, exactly, just doesn't factor in things Stede doesn't really know or didn't see happen.

Cut to - Funeral, zheng says Stede is useful, wedding, we own an inn, boom: Happily ever after. Buuuuuut, it's actually still a dream! He's unconscious after the attack on the Republic. There, I fixed it! Now they can rewrite the episode and make it better or the whole of season 3!

Wishful thinking, I know. But I'd like to believe it.

#ofmd s2 spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd season 2 #izzy hands

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infiniteeight8 · 13 days ago

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Which ship has been your longest fixation? Like the longest you have made and/or consumed content? I was just thinking about this ship I was obsessed since 2018 and how at the start of 2024 just stopped to caring about it. And it isn't like I dislike it now I still think it's excellent but I just don't engage with their content which there's barely any sadly it's a dead fandom.

Oops, almost forgot to answer this! Sorry, anon, it got a little lost among prompts. LOL.

So this is an interesting question, because I'm what we used to call a fannish butterfly back in the day. I'm usually into a fandom for 1-2 years before moving on, and when I move on I almost never come back to the fandom at all. However, there are a few exceptions, each of which is unique in its own way.

Gibbs/DiNozzo (NCIS). I almost don't want to put it on the list because staying as long as I did was a huge mistake, but the fandom I was active in for the longest continuous period was early, early, early NCIS. Season 1-3 (or 4 maybe). I was trying really hard to stay solely because I felt like being a fannish butterfly was a bad thing. That was an awful mistake, it was really unfunny for at least a year or more at the end there. Would not recommend. Move on when it feels natural, folks. I don't read for these two anymore at all. 3 or 4 years total.

Fraser/RayK (due South). I never wrote for this fandom (unless you count a crossover ficlet), but I read for it voraciously. I got into it a couple years after the show ended (somewhere in the early 2000s), which means I was lucky enough to completely miss the Ray Wars. I am very thankful for that. I still occasionally got back and read fic for these two. Not often, but enough that an argument could be made that I've been in the fandom casually for around 20 years and counting.

Garak/Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space 9). Another fandom that I never wrote for and which I didn't get into until the canon was long over. But just like due South, I still occasionally come back and read fic for them. Probably a little less time than due South, call it 15 years or so and counting.

Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf). This one is hilarious for two reasons: (1) I've never seen the show. I tried, and could not get past the first episode or two. While the show was on Netflix, I did skip through very episode to find all of Peter's scenes and I watched those. So I've seen the Peter Hale supercut of Teen Wolf. LOL. The Steter I love is the Steter I came to know through fic, and that's what I write. I make extensive use of the wiki when needed for writing. 😄 (2) Once upon a time, I asked Tumblr to recommend me a fandom because I wasn't finding one naturally. An anon recommended Steter. Teen Wolf was on the air at the time, and I took a quick look at the fandom and didn't think it was for me. Laugh at me now. LOL. Literal years later I was desperate for something to read, remembered that anon, checked out Steter fic, and the rest is history.

I read Steter for literal years before I wrote my first work for them. I didn't think I ever would. But the muse came knocking and I posted my first fic in January 2020. Been writing for them ever since, although mostly ficlets. I'd guess I started reading somewhere between 2015 and 2020. So maybe as much as 9 years.

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fallloverfic · 1 year ago

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TGCF donghua Season 2, Episode 7 thoughts

More screaming about TGCF. As usual, very good ep. Spoilers for the show and the book below.

T-T Hua Cheng is so mean to E-Ming/himself.

Mu Qing is so happy he made his dice T-T And Feng Xin stole them!!!!

The crocodile monsters are really neat looking. I'm wondering why the creative team didn't just stick with designing monsters instead of what they did in that one episode.

Splash war alkdjaldkjalj This episode is for the FengQing lovers, truly. They're the best/worst. Love them.

Meanwhile Hualian:

Hua Cheng to Xie Lian: Whenever you need me, baby, call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me

Xie Lian being the typical "dude you didn't specify it had to be swords and being weird about it is stupid" is my jam. I love him.

Xie Lian to Lang Qianqiu: "I have always been like this." -gazes into the distance sadly- "You just didn't know."

This makes me T-T T-T T-T I just love like the central message about how much of our perceptions of people we know informs what we "know" about them. And how it's very easy to let other people draw their own conclusions, and how dangerous that can be. And how people will blame the gap between their perceived reality and reality on the subject of their perceptions, and how dangerous that is.

Xie Lian to Lang Qianqiu: "Don't make an inviolable monument to me in your heart without my consent. -camera focuses on San Lang- I am not the person you imagined. And in the end, it's your own disappointment."

T-T Central message hereeee. Hua Cheng this gonna bite you in the butt next ep.

Sorry, distracted by how Lang Qianqiu's hair crown looks like a cat.

(I'm sure I'm not the first to point that out but here I am pointing it out cause :3).

Hua Cheng stepping forward to stand next to Xie Lian -heart eyes- It takes very little to make me Emotional about them okay???

Lang Qianqiu to Xie Lian: "If you want to force me into self-destruction like you, I absolutely won't! No matter how you treat me, I will never become like you!"

Xie Lian: -terrifying laughter-

Hua Cheng: -not pleased with this-

Qianqiu doll!!! He's so cute!!!

SCREAMS

HE'S HERE!!!!! XD My beloved awful man is HERE XD

Demon Hualian is so cute tho

Wonderful episode :3 Can't wait to see more of favorite awful man and how disastrous Hua Cheng's decision will be.

Subs weren't as noticeably bad this week (some awkward phrasing in places but mostly nothing egregious). Though why Qi Rong is the "Green Immor" is anyone's guess. Wouldn't be as terrible if they didn't repeat it so much.

Other episode thoughts for season 2 (didn't start till episode 3):

S02E03

S02E04

S02E05

S02E06

S02E07 (you are here)

S02E08

S02E09

S02E10

S02E11

S02E12

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fategoflatass · 1 year ago

Text

My Fall 2023 Watchlist & Opinions

Welcome to the comeback of my reviews that no one expected! But hey, I think this would be a nice practice for me to develop my writing skills and my critical thinking (?).

Take in consideration this post will be long because #unemployed, so everything will be under the cut.

Ready or not (I sure am not), here I go!

Atarashii Joushi wa Dotennen

Comedy, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆¾

After an atrocious experience with an abusive boss, Momose decides to switch workplaces. Used to such a toxic environment, he never expected his new superior to be so goofy!

The most wholesome show you'll find this season, and one of the most I've seen in general!

The work environment is pretty much paradise, each and every character being the living representation of the sweetest and most tender cotton candy you'll be able to find.

While the comedy mostly relies on Shirosaki's sillyness, it never gets old. Alongside the laughs, you'll find yourself aww-ing to many, many scenes.

Also, the series is conscious of the way people takes it (no, this is not a BL) and dedicates some scenes to it by giving different double meaning scenarios (they're all wholesome, no need to worry about that). Just a heads up, in case you're not into this kind of thing.

Want to know more? There's a canonical bisexual character in it! And here I was thinking that we didn't exist for Japan.

Totally recommend for those gloomy days, or even when you just need to shut off your brain.

Dr. STONE: NEW WORLD Part 2

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆☆

No summary due to spoilers.

I don't think there's much I can say about this one? I mean, unless I want to spoil someone, and I'm not a spoiler kind of person so...

For those curious about my experience, I'm enjoying myself very much! I decided to give it a try since my best friend loves it, and I liked it so much I quickly got up to date with it.

Now, do I understand every single thing they talk about? Hell nah, do you know how many times I failed chemistry and physics?!

But besides that, this show is a pretty wild and fun ride. And not only the previous parts, but also this one! Again, don't feel like making spoilers but the quality hasn't lacked not even a little bit. The characters are still as charismatic and funny as they've always been, and the plot keeps getting more and more interesting as it progresses.

Only thing I can say without explicitly spoiling anything: one of these days, Gen will end up messing with the wrong people. Can't tell you what tells me that, but he's messy enough for me to be unable to think otherwise.

Hametsu no Oukoku

Action, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆

Once benerated due to their wisdom, witches are now being hunted down by humans who accuse them of impeding the progress of civilization. Adonis, a human raised by a witch, swears revenge against those who took his mentor from him.

CW: instances of extreme violence, forced non-sexual public partial nudity

Yes, I watched this one. Yes, it's an edgy one. No, it's not fun.

As someone who's always down to anything that has to do with fantasy, magic and supernatural beings, as well as being able to enjoy the trashiest things in life, I had some hope in the plot. Not in the way that it might be actually good, but in the way that it could be so bad I could get some laughs out of it. Sadly, this series takes itself quite seriously.

Which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't because it isn't even that good. The characters are plain, the episodes feel longer than they should, and there are times where you can see it go all over the top.

A pet peeve I have is when certain abilities/powers have ridiculous names, and this show does that to a tee by giving them some of the dumbest/edgiest (not exclusionary) names I've seen in a while.

"Do they even have to do with what each witch's magic is supposed to be?" I ask to the void in utter confusion.

"Absolutely not, but doesn't it sound rad?!" an easily impressed twelve-year-old exclaims from the grades.

Anyway, wouldn't recommend this show to anyone unless you're looking for an edgy power fantasy where characters die in gruesome ways not even five minutes after being introduced, magic type and all.

Also, can someone explain to me what does it mean to have "Natural Law" magic?

Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon

Action, Comedy, Fantasy // ☆☆¼

After three years of becoming a total shut-in, Komari wakes up to find out she's the newest Commander in the Mulnite Imperial Army! Although she's descendant of a pretty powerful vampire family, she's rather inept when it comes to magic, even finding blood disgusting. Will her, alonside her maid, be able to make her path to success, or is failure awaiting for her around the corner?

Damn, this one took its sweet time to take off, only to crash and burn because the method was so cliché and overused.

The first three to four episodes are boring and not interesting at all, characters are bland as a wet piece of cardboard and the comedy excels at falling flat.

(Mild spoilers ahead, because I couldn't care less about this one)

And now you mean to tell me your seemlingly powerless main character is actually OP, only that under hypnosis? I didn't need to be a hound to be able to smell that crap from miles away, now did I?

But let's leave that aside to talk about Vil, A.K.A Male Gaze 101. I understand why she's attached to the protagonist, don't get me wrong, but did she need to sexually harass the protagonist or...? Also, how could I forget about the time where she almost forced Komari to pee herself in front of her!

Bro, if I were to know this was an omorashi hentai wannabe I wouldn't have given it a chance.

Anyways, if you're into any of the things I've mentioned previously, then enjoy yourself. This anime's definitely not for me.

Kamierabi

Action, Drama, Psychological, Supernatural // ☆½

A group of high schoolers see themselves forced to fight each other to death for the coveted title of God. Who will emerge victorious and claim their godly throne?

You have no right to ask that in the summary when you spoil the results in the first minutes of the first episode.

Let's be honest, if anyone is talking about this series is because Yoko Taro's name served as free promo. But did you know he's credited, not for the story, but for the concept of it? Big yikes, huh?

If you are a three-episode-rule kind of person, I assure you won't be needing that for this anime. One episode is enough torture, trust me.

The first minute is there to make sure you understand this story is different, is mature. There are no friendships, no love interests, only tons of suffering and betrayals. You know, what people back in 2011 probably went for when Mirai Nikki first aired.

Characters are not only boring as hell, but their designs are nothing to die for, heavely based on their assigned colors because you'll be forgetting their names the minute after they get introduced.

Fun fact: If you pay enough attention, you'll be able to see their phone cases' designs. Not only they look ugly, but they also spoil their so secretive abilities!

Speaking of character design, did you know the one in charge of it didn't even bother to create background character's templates? They all look like gray extraterrestrial things trying to pass as human beings, their never changing facial expressions being the cherry on top. This might be one edgy way of showing they don't matter to the main story, but it just feels super lazy. Also, this... artistic choice is just another spoiler, since everyone who has some sort of relevance has an established design. But oh well.

Fun fact: Every single one of these NPCs are gray, expect for a couple of them in episode six who are red and blue. One of them is the bad guy, can you guess who?

In summary, this show is utter trash. Wouldn't recommend unless you're as messed up as I am and like to watch crappy productions.

Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri

Drama, Mystery // ☆☆☆¾

When police office Totomaru is assigned to a serial killer case, he turns to Kamonohashi Ron for help—a once considered genius who, after a fatal mistake, got himself expelled from the top detective training academy and was forbidden to become one.

This is your classic detective show with the more normal character having to learn how to deal with the more eccentric one who's always really good at deducing. And I love it.

Yeah, it might be a copycat of other series with the same dynamics (like many other mystery anime), but they're all still dear to my heart. I just love them, man!

Every case they've introduced until now have been interesting and fun. It's been entertainting trying to think by myself what happened, who might be the culprit, how did they do it and why. As always, it's especially cool when you get close enough or, even better, when you were in the right. Serotonin kicks like those are always appreciated.

The dynamic between the protagonists is also really fun, Ron's shenanigans never getting old. Totomaru might not be having the time of his life, but I sure am!

If you're a fan of these kind of shows, then I totally recommend! If you're tired of the same scheme over and over again, maybe not so much. Would be nice if you'd give it a try, though!

Kanojo mo Kanojo Season 2

Comedy, Ecchi, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆¼

After their hot springs trip, Naoya continues his relationships with both Saki and Nagisa. Alongside Milika and Shino, they embark on a summer vacation full of romance with a fireworks festival, camping, and Okinawa. Chaos ensured.

There are not many series that touch upon polyamory which saddens me to a fault. The closest to this concept would be harem series, but a polyamorous relationship should never be a competition to see which whom does your "shared partner" choose to spend the rest of their life with.

While KanoKano isn't the best representation of this type of relationships (Saki often feeling like she's competing against Nagisa), it's not a bad series? Or, at least, not that bad. Rather decent, actually.

It's not boring, although it isn't the most entertaining series either. If I had to decide between KanoKano and any other series that touches upon polyamory (even if they do it with the tip of a stick, miles apart of the concept), I would probably go for Hamefura's canonical (albeit not in the way I would like it to be) Katarina fan club.

I just feel something's... wrong, you know. I get Naoya loves them both and that, in theory, both of them understand that, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable when Saki mentions this supposed competition the girls have (and the way they treat polyamory as "two timing" when that would imply it wasn't consensual?).

Besides that, it's a decent series to watch whenever you're bored. Not a masterpiece, but is not like it's trying to be one.

UPDATE: Rating has been lowered to ☆ as of 11/10/23. Visit the reblog section for more.

Kimi no Koto ga Dai Dai Dai Dai Daisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo

Comedy, Romance // ☆☆☆☆

Rentarou has been rejected a total of 100 times throught his entire life. Is when he visits a shrine and prays for better luck when he meets the God of Love. He reveals to Rentarou that he'll get to date 100 women in the foreseeable future. The catch is, once he meets them they must happily love each other. Otherwise, they'll die. What will be of Rentarou and his 100 girlfriends during high school?

He has arrived. The man, the legend. The harem protagonist of all harem protagonists.

Rentarou Aijou has arrived, and he's here to make you and your wife part of his loveable and excessively numerous family.

As I mentioned when talking about KanoKano, I've been looking for series that touch upon polyamory. And if you're like me, then you've just hit the jackpot!

While I'm conscious 100Kano is a parody of harem series and was never meant to be taken seriously, the way none of these girls are competing for the protagonist's exclusive love is refreshing. They're actually a pretty big family, always supportive of each other and down to give each other a hand or two (or twenty, if needed). They'll do anything they can to make their boyfriend the happiest man alive, and so will he with them.

There're no favoritisms whatsoever. Such concept as "the first one to arrive gets to win" does not exist in his agenda. In Rentarou (and every single one of his girlfriends)'s mind, everyone wins because everyone is his favorite.

An excellent series to watch by yourself or with your pals in case you're looking for something silly and easy to digest.

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Drama, Mystery // ☆☆☆☆¼

CW: infant death, classism, self-harm, kidnapping

Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she’s sold as a lowly servant to the emperor’s palace. When rumours about imperial heirs falling ill surfaces, she puts her knowledge in medicinal herbs and poison to good use and finds a cure. It's then when she catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. The series follows Maomao as she solves numerous mysteries.

I can't explain just how excited I was for this one. As I said before, I love mysteries, but I also really like historical series. So when you mix both genres, you get characters who try to solve various cases with only the means they had yesterday.

Besides the art being drop dead gorgeous (alongside every single lady who makes an appearance in the story), the story is engaging and so much fun. The episodes are already a bit shorter than usual (albeit not for much, it's just me being petty), but the way everything develops makes it feel like they last no more than five minutes.

And Maomao—God Maomao! She's one of the best female main characters I've seen as of recently. She's not lacking personality—she actually has way too much, and I love that. She's so clever and capable at what she does, I bet it'd be so much fun to just stare at her as she picks different herbs or just stays still for hours, trapped in her thoughts.

I'm a sucker for good relationship dynamics and the one between Maomao and Jinshi is just *chef's kiss* exquisit. The way he's constantly trying to seduce her and she just stares at him in apathy or disgust (bonus for when she brushes off the places where he'd placed his hand on) are golden. I also love how what started as teasing and doubt about the other's true intentions morphs into genuine interest and maybe, just maybe, a tiny itty crush.

A pretty strong contestant for anime of the year, in my opinion.

Megumi no Daigo: Kyuukoku no Orange

Action, Drama // ☆☆☆½

The series follows three young firefighters who share the same goal—becoming members of the special rescue corps known as "Orange". We'll follow them from their early training days to the day they face the crisis that'll push Japan at the brink of collapsing.

I don't know about you, but I've never seen a series focused on firefighters. Yes, I know about Promare and Fire Force, but those aren't "real" firefighters, if you know what I mean.

Where's their daily life at the station, their training—just everything that comes with being one of them? I don't want flashy fight scenes against angsty twinks, I want to see people getting rescued from collapsed buildings and cats getting saved from trees.

Along with interesting characters and tense situations, all these making it difficult for you to not empatize with, Megumi no Daigo is here to bring us a peek on how the real deal is—with both the good, the bad and the ugly.

This anime is confirmed to be the prequel to a movie released in the 90's, so there's even more content in case you're interested!

Migi to Dali

Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆

Twin brothers Migi and Dali pretend to be the Sonoyama's adoptive son, Hitori, in order to find out the truth behind their mother's death.

CW: (prepare your bingo cards) *inhales* forced non-sexual infantilization, forced partial nudity, forced non-sexual pet play, bullying, implied murder, classism, forced eating, non-sexual groping, surveillance, invasion of privacy, kidnapping and imprisonment. ~95% of these happen to a minor, so yeah.

While the main focus of the first two episodes was the comedy (it's still present in the rest of the series, just not as much), I didn't find it especially hilarious? It does give off Sakamoto vibes at times, but it never makes me laugh as much as the author's previous work did.

The mystery is still there, thought, and that's what keeps me coming back. The suspense surronding the twins' mother's passing is engaging, you genuinely want to find out what happened there and how the place where they've moved and its habitants are involved in the case.

Now, as I mentioned before this anime is disturbing and thus can be highly triggering for some. So please beware before giving it a chance.

Overtake!

Drama, Sports // ☆☆☆¾

Kouya is a professional photographer who, due to past circumstances, gave up his passion for taking pictures of people. But his fate changes the day he meets Komaki Motors, a family-run shop that regularly competes in F4 along with their only racer, Haruka.

CW: implied death (car accident)

Sports anime of the season, let's go! This time, about car racing. Never watched an anime like this one before, although I know Initial D is out there. I just haven't watched it... yet.

To be honest, I didn't expect to connect with the characters to this level. I got hooked to the story from day one and has been like that ever since.

The story is fun, the races will have you at the edge of your seat while cheering for your favorite team.

Because yes, I think the rival team can also be cheered on! Maybe their main face might not be the bestest guy, but Toshiki does deserve everything in this world and so much more.

And when it comes to the drama, it never comes out as over the top. Every single reason for them thinking, responding or acting the way they do makes total sense given their past ciscumstances.

Speaking of the characters, everyone here has enough personality to be separated from the rest: Haruka's overachieving and at times harsh demeanor makes a good contrast with Koutaro's more calm and playful behavior. And while Satsuki's charismatic, conceited and women-loving persona might be a pain for many, Toshiki serves as a good companion with his serious and ambitions being. And I could mention the adults, but I think you catch my vibe.

I so recommend this one!

Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu Season 2

Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆½

We follow Sei, an office worker in her twenties who was suddenly summoned to another world as a "Saint". Taking advantage of her natural love of plants, she started working at a medicinal plant research institute. We also get to meet Albert Hawke, with whom she's more than friends but less than lovers.

Season two arrived and I have yet to rewatch the first one, although I think it might be a little too late for that.

Don't go into it expecting a wonderful series because it is not (or, at least, it isn't for me). It's a pretty neat feel good series, but definitely nothing out of the ordinary. Just nice people living their lives.

Sei and Albert's relationship is as wholesome as always, I appreciate them taking their time and not rushing into making things official. It feels, I don't know... adult.

There's literally not much I can say about this one other than I would recommend for those who are looking for a nice and relaxing shoujo.

Shangri-La Frontier

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆¾

Rakuro is a "crap-game hunter"—a strong aficionado to clearing buggy and just straight up bad titles that aren't even compatible with the now more frequently used VR technology. The game he's chosen to tackle next is the widely aclaimed "Shangri-La Frontier" that counts with thirty million players and counting. Little did he know this decision would change his fate alongside with many other players he meets along the way!

I can barely count the times I had this much fun while watching a series, and I can count even less the occasions where a gaming-inspired anime made me feel this great!

I've found myself dumbfounded so many times at just how detailed Shangri-La Frontier is. It's obvious there was research behind it, the author's a straight up legend for dedicating so much time and passion to something others would've easily disregarded as another basic, boring ass medieval-inspired MMORPG.

The level of character customization (you can even modify their origins like ‼), the many monsters you find along the way, and tons of easter eggs that players have yet to find in their entirety! It's my first time saying this when it comes to gaming-centered anime, but holy hell I wished this game existed IRL!

And honestly, I identify with Rakuro a bit too much when it comes to enjoying crap. In his case, are bad games. In mine, bad anime. I would love to have a chat with him and share our experiences and disgraces that come with this harsh hobby.

SHY

Action, Drama // ☆☆☆½

When we needed them the most, they appeared! As we were on the brink of World War Three, individuals with superpowers appeared all around the planet with the only mission to mantain peace. They would eventually become symbols of their nations, their presence being enough to lower the crime rates. Teru, most known as Shy, is Japan's heroine. When a mysterious and menacing association called Amalareiks surfaces, Shy must join forces with her fellow superheroes to stop their plans, all while dealing with her shyness and, overall, her teenage life.

CW: violence, death, self hatred, intrusive thoughts

Would it be cool to call it the more mature version of Boku no Hero Academia?

I had the manga for this series on my pending list for a while and when I saw an anime adaptation was coming out, not gonna lie, I got quite excited.

Now, I have to admit it's not one of my favorite series this season. It might be the pacing that sometimes gives me the feeling the episodes are, although just a little bit, longer than they actually are.

I love the concept and how it's executed, I really like the characters and the setting in which they're established. The drama they all have feels realistic and you can easily empathise with them. In my case, Teru's constant conflict with herself hit a little bit too close to home.

I would recommend it to those who're looking for a more mature series while also wanting to watch shounen-esque scenarios.

Sousou no Frieren

Adventure, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆☆☆½

The adventure's over. The Demon King has successfully been defeated and thus Frieren and her fellow adventurers make their way back home. Now a highly regarded mage, she goes back to her slow-paced life only to realize years later, while attending Himmel's funeral, how short human's life expectancy is when compared with her own near inmortality. Frieren then makes the decision to begin a new adventure in the search of new absurd spells and friends alongside whom she expects to understand what life means to them and just how impactful can be what she perceives as nothing more than an instant.

CW: death, grief, mild violence

Oh Lord, this one's painful. I've no idea how they managed to do it, but they got me attached to the hero's party so quickly and so deeply this crap had already scarred me on episode one.

This story's gorgeous, I don't think I have to explain myself on that. Besides the more than stunning art, animation and music that acompannies us during the entirety of Frieren's self-discovery adventure, the slow pace and quiet moments are quite the delight.

The characters we meet along the way are also fantastic, written with such love, thought and care behind you'll fall for them in no time.

I truly don't want to talk much about it since I think this is an experience that one must live for themselves, but trust me when I tell you this is something you'll never forget.

SPY×FAMILY Season 2

Action, Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural // ☆☆☆☆

The same as season one, only that now the family's heading on a cruise ship expedition!

I don't think there's much I can say about this one? The second season's been giving the same vibes I got from the first one, so a wholesome, found family-centered comedic slice of life about three persons who don't know each other at all and do their best so that situation never changes.

Anya keeps on being the chaotic menace she has been from day one, Yor is still one of the best mothers ever alongside a woman I would never dare look for a fight against, and Loid keeps on repeating his more than iconic mantra as he unsuspectingly falls asleep while dreaming about certain woman surrounded by a zillion flowers.

But, you know, anything for the mission.

When it comes to the upcoming arc, I'm excited for seeing Yor at work! Been dying to get anything like this, and I'm so glad my prayers have been heard.

Undead Unluck

Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Supernatural // ☆☆☆¾

All Fuuko wants is a passionate romance like the one in her favorite shoujo manga. Sadly, her Unluck ability deems this dream impossible. But that anguish will have to wait because Andy, someone with the Undead ability, takes her as his test subject to see if, thanks to her misfortune, he can finally rest in peace. It seems peace has never been an option, though, because certain secret organization has begun chasing after them.

CW: not-quite-concenting groping

If I took my sweet time to start watching this series was mainly because, for some hell of a reason, it gave me big Mashle vibes. Don't ask, I just thought the comedy would be similar. And since my humble opinion on Harry Potter 2.0 is that it has its humour stuck up its ass, you might understand I gave an olympic jump over Undead Unluck.

But then I decided to give it a chance and man, Mashle would never!

Not the funniest series I've watched, but I appreciate the multiple laughs it gave me.

Now, what I do not appreciate are the various groping scenes. If Fuuko were to consent all of those, then cool. Who am I to judge whatever two consenting adults (Fuuko's 20+, right?) do with their lives and bodies? The thing is, not every groping is consented by her, especially at the beggining. So yeah, beware of that.

Putting that aside, the characters are pretty cool and so much fun to see fighting or just interacting with each other. The ability system the series has is rather interesting, would love to learn more about it.

Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou

Comedy, Fantasy, Romance // ☆☆☆½

We've heard this story before: girl reincarnates into her favorite otome game and, since she knows her way down every route, she gets to win over her favorite bachelor. Only that, this time, it might not be as predictable. After all, who knows what's truly inside Rae Taylor's mind? Claire François for sure doesn't, especially now that she's going after her—the game's villainess!

CW: discussions of homophobia, classism, rae can be creepy at times

In the words of @arataka-reigen, “This anime is like if Maria from Hamefura was the one who got isekai'd and then fell in love with OG Katarina”. Couldn't say it better, pal.

While this series is not one of my favorites this season, the characters not going right down my alley and the pacing not being the best, I truly appreciate the cafeteria scene. I've never seen such a discussion over diverse sexualities adn homophobia in an anime before, and I can only clap to that.

And not only that, but it seems like it's going down a rather... interesting path. I mean, the whole classism that's present during the series, the "commoner" students' complains, the game's title being "Revolution"... I smell something nice.

Yuzuki-san Chi no Yon Kyoudai

Comedy, Drama, Slice of life // ☆☆☆¾

From the day the Yuzuki brothers lost both their parents, Hayato never stopped taking care of his little siblings, making sure all their needs are met and nothing's lacking. They share tears, laughter, and a specially unbreakeable bond.

I've no idea what might be the reason, but all these stories about family (whether related by blood or not being quite irrelevant) alongside the others where they include and/or center around pets are my weakness.

The four brothers feel like actual humans beings, their dramatic and joyful moments in life will definitely take you for a ride althought, admitely, it might not be the most intense one.

Hayato would do literally anything for his family and, honestly, same. Both Mikoto, Minato, and Gakuto are downright adorable and would love to pinch every single one of those cheeks like there's no tomorrow.

If a cutsie family-center slice of life it's what you're looking for, look no further. But if what you want is a drama in general, then I would recommend Frieren first.

If you reached the end, thank you so much for reading! I literally stayed up til 2 AM to finish writing this (and I didn't even include the titles I dropped), so yeah. Highly appreciate!

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