#i said this was an underrated funny scene and i meant it

[godmerlin]

Merlin 1x06 A Remedy to Cure All Ills

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: Three Is Company

Frodo calling it “Our Birthday” is making me feel things. Oh would you look at the time, it’s Crying About Bilbo and Frodo O’Clock again TT~TT

It’s honestly such a mood that Frodo says to himself “I’m following Bilbo!” so he doesn’t have to think about “I’m carrying a thing of great evil into danger and unseen ends”. Me too, Frodo. Me too.

“And see that Sam Gamgee does not talk. If he does, I really shall turn him into a toad.” 🤣

“Bilbo went to find a treasure, there and back again; but I go to lose one, and not return, as far as I can see.” OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE TIME—

Also “and not to return” is so heartbreaking, especially knowing that by the time he gets to Mordor Frodo is fully expecting to die at the end of his journey TT^TT

“It may be your task to find the Cracks of Doom.” JUST DROP THAT FORESHADOWING RIGHT THERE LIKE IT’S NOTHING, HUH, TOLKIEN??

Also teehee crack

Yes I am a twelve year old boy on the inside, moving on

The local shade towards the Sackville-Bagginses is HYSTERICAL

“Ah yes Merry is looking out for a house for me in Buckland.” INSTANCE #2 OF MERRY BEING ORGANIZATIONALLY GOATED

I’m honestly very impressed by how neatly Tolkien crafted Frodo’s backstory and interwove it into the story. The idea that he’s going back to Buckland where he grew up really does seem credible! None of the hobbits would suspect a thing! I almost have to wonder which came first in Tolkien’s mind, Frodo’s backstory or the fact that he’d need a good excuse to go East. It’s so well-crafted and it makes my writer brain happy.

F in the chat for Folco Boffin; we know your name and nothing else about you

Frodo draining the last of the wine like “lol at least the Sackville-Bagginses won’t get THIS!” is very funny to me

I have said it before, I’ll say it again, Frodo looking in the mirror and going “geez I’ve gotten fat” will NEVER NOT BE FUNNY

“Frodo did not offer [Lobelia] any tea.” I hereby name you Frodo Sassville-Baggins.

Aww, the Gaffer agreed to Sam going to Crickhollow to work for Frodo!

If only he knew just how far he was really going

“…though it did not console him for the prospect of having Lobelia as a neighbour.” o7 for the Gaffer, everybody

And they had tea by themselves and left the dishes for Lobelia 🤣 FRODO SASSVILLE-BAGGINS

“‘Coming, sir!’ came the answer from far within, followed soon by Sam himself, wiping his mouth. He had been saying farewell to the beer-barrel in the cellar.” LOL

Also I can’t blame him, knowing what he’s walking into

“He waved his hand, then turned and (following Bilbo, if he had known it) hurried after Peregrin down the garden-path.” OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE—

Frodo, whining: "My bag is so heavy" Sam, lying: "I could carry more, sir!" Pippin: "Oh no you don't, let him suffer"

Honestly the dynamic of this trio is super underrated LOL

I'm honestly not sure whether "well, we all like walking in the dark" is meant to be sarcastic or genuine—the way it's repeated later on makes me think it's genuine, but I can't be sure—so just to be safe I'm bringing the Frodo Sassville-Baggins score up to 2.5

I'm taking the time to read the walking bits slowly now, and honestly, the way Tolkien describes the countryside of the Shire is so beautiful. I want to go there, and I want to walk there, and I want to see what the hobbits are seeing. Every little piece of nature and topography elicits an emotion; from the enclosed safety of Hobbiton, cradled in its cozy little valley, to the great fir tree standing guard over the hobbits as they sleep, to the road winding endlessly on before them, promising still more work and beautiful scenery and adventures to come. Is this slow reading? Yes. But I love it so much.

Frodo wakes up and the first thing he does is grumble to himself about his back and neck. He really is an old man. I love him.

Honestly this entire scene is comedy gold

Frodo: "Wake up, hobbits! It's a beautiful morning." Pippin, a literal teenager: "What's so beautiful about it?" ROFLOL

Pippin, literally out in the middle of nowhere: "Sam, draw a bath!"

And for that, Frodo steals his blankets and makes him roll over. Frodo Sassville-Baggins score: 3.5

Pippin: "Water! Where's the water?" Frodo: "I don't keep water in my pockets!" SASSVILLE-BAGGINS SCORE: 4.5

And then he makes Pippin come get the water with him, since he wants it so badly. I love Exasperated Older Sibling Frodo and I wish we got to see so much more of it.

Pippin, after Frodo randomly bursts into poetry: "Wow, was that Bilbo's poetry, or yours? It's kind of a downer."

I'm so glad they kept the "it's dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door" line in the movies, because it really is so good.

Sam's canonically good hearing returns!

Frodo suggesting they prank Gandalf for being late is honestly so cute lol

Twice in this chapter we get the eucatastrophe of Frodo just barely not putting on the Ring, right at the last second. The first time, the Black Rider just walks off on his own, and the second time the Elves show up and scare him off. I will praise Frodo's virtues 'till Spring turns into Winter, but I think this is clear evidence right from the beginning that Frodo was not, and could not, be saved from the temptation of the Ring by any virtue of his own. He is saved; he does not save himself. All of which is honestly very Christian of Tolkien.

Pippin, to Frodo: "All right, keep your secrets!"

I love the walking song. I might do a revised recording of it, if you guys will tolerate my singing voice again X-D

Can we just acknowledge how bad*ss it is that Frodo sneaks up and spies on a Black Rider, just out of curiosity?? Like, I know this is more a feat of stupidity than it is of courage, but given everything we know about them by the end of the book, that is honestly WICKED cool.

Sam, having to be dragged back by his arms: "ELVES! ELVES!"

GILDOR!!

GILDOR MY UNDERRATED BESTIE

I can't wait to draw Gildor. He's gonna be so PRETTY

"But we have no need of other company, and hobbits are so dull" is so funny tho

The Elves, with all the love in their hearts: "You can't sit with us, you're boring!"

FINROD MY MAN

I have not read the Silmarillion, but I know enough about it to know that Finrod is the G.O.A.T.

The Elves: "You're being followed by Black Riders?? Okay you're coming with us now"

Frodo speaking the High-elven tongue like a NERD

I love him

And Gildor immediately like "LOL y'all watch your language, the babies can understand us!" I love him dearly

....Okay wait I have a thought about the hobbits walking with the elves until they nearly fall asleep on their feet. A thought about soldiers and Tolkien's experience in war. Wait. I'm gonna have to make a post about this.

Eyyyy it's the Turin constellation!

Something about the Elven hall did indeed become a core memory for young Lady Glasses. I spent quite a few years building a fantasy world that would capture that sense of mysticism and wonder. Just like Sam and Pippin, I never really remembered the details, but the emotion stuck with me, and it enchanted my imagination.

The Elves bringing out a Thanksgiving feast and saying "sorry we don't have better food" is like going over to your friend's immaculately cleaned house and them saying "sorry for the mess"

Frodo speaking the Elves' language and charming them all is so cute

Sam falling asleep at Frodo's feet as he talks to Gildor is SO CUTE

“At last Frodo asked the question that was nearest to his heart: ‘Tell me, Gildor, have ever you seen Bilbo since he left us?’” OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT—

"My faithful Sam" UGH THE FEELS

Gildor: "But it is said: 'Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.'" Frodo: "And it is also said, 'Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.'" HAHAHA GETTIM FRODO

SASSVILLE-BAGGINS SCORE: 5.5

Gildor saying "you don't need to understand the Black Riders, just stay away from them" is honestly very Christian of Tolkien too. The best spiritual warfare advice I've ever heard is "don't try to understand demons; just get as close to your Protector".

Anyway Gildor complimenting Frodo is very cute and that is all

[aliasrocket]

I wanted to say something for an anonymous comment about feeling less embarrassed of having feelings for Rocket. I must say I totally understand that.

A month ago, when GOTG VOL 3 was released, I went to see it at the cinema with my mother, I spent the whole movie very excited for Rocket, but right in that scene where he is on the verge of death and he meets Lylla again, SOMETHING INSIDE IT CHANGED ABOUT ME, because when they were hugging I realized I was JEALOUS, and in my mind I thought "OH NO, IT'S HAPPENING TO ME AGAIN", because I always fall for characters that might be unconventional or weird to other people , then I start looking for fics and I realize that there are not many for the same reason, or there are many where it is more platonic and I think "IT IS NOT ENOUGH" And it's more complicated for me because my first language is not English and in my language there is NOTHING. So meeting people who write Rocket the way I imagined really makes me very happy. I'm even thinking about writing some one shots myself but it's hard, I've never written NSFW and I find it kind of funny that I want to start with Rocket.

Oh my god this was absolutely sweet.

Yes!! Everyone IT IS OKAY TO LIKE UNCONVENTIONAL CHARACTERS. LITERALLY, IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL!! JUST BE YOU!!!

And I’m really sorry there isn’t much fics in your language, but on the bright side I’m really happy that you’re at least able to read and write in english even if it isn’t your first language!

Also, yeah, in my experience, besides sighing the whole goddamn movie (except for the first 10 mins, I will give myself that,) I remember leaving the theatre in a sigh and going on ao3 like “ah shit, here we go again” bc this is the 1982838th time I’ve visited ao3 for some really obscure ship or an x reader fic for a very underrated character.

And about that Rocket smut, I understand how can it be daunting and I’d really love to help you!

Ykw, let me make a quick guide for anyone who’s scared of writing Rocket smut!! But for those of you who wouldn’t wanna read some real ugly/stupid stuff, don’t press the ‘keep reading’ line, haha.

a quick (and definitely unhinged) guide to writing Rocket smut XD

OBVIOUS NSFW WARNING!!! It gets ugly guys please THIS IS YOUR WARNING I’M NOT JOKING!!

If you’re uncomfortable with heavy nsfw please turn away now!!

written by aliasrocket (89P13 on ao3 hehe)

Suitable for any smut involving Rocket! (Looking at you guys, roquill shippers. Don’t worry, I welcome all ships on my blog <3)

This is supposed to be a writing smut guide specifically meant for Rocket so I’m not gonna go into the basics of writing smut, but if you’re a total beginner, here’s some pointers to help :

the genitals, legs, muscles, brain : main places that tend to be the most stimulated, exhausted or absolutely wiped. That being said, you can use these as a starting point for describing the feelings the characters or the reader may feel in the moment.

besides the main thing, you could try to set the mood by maybe mentioning how the moans sounded like, (screams, squeals, cries etc.) and other things the characters were doing to ground them in the moment, like gripping the sheets, gripping the other person’s shoulder or hips, etc.

Okay, so, about Rocket in particular …

Yeah, of course writing smut about a fucking Raccoon isn’t going to be fucking easy. But don’t worry, as someone who has studied all 3 gotg films and slowed down quite possibly every single Rocket clip in existence (enough to know Rocket … is genuinely CANONICALLY is very particular/skilled with his fingers, he knows where he’s putting them and knows EXACTLY which buttons to press on any tech, so … definitely good at using his fingers if you catch my drift) I think I might have gotten the hang of it to help some of you guys out.

So first off, when I write Rocket smut I always imagine he’s his comic height instead of his mcu height (don’t search it up, you’re just gonna be depressed about it trust me) so all you have to know is that if he pressed you up against a wall his head would be around your shoulder blade area. For missionary, he’s probably around your collarbone.

Rocket canonically has sharp and absolutely grown out nails. No, they’re not retractible. I’ve done research on this, but if you’d like to write him fingering someone, Rocket can have his nails trimmed.

It would hurt if Rocket bit you. Like, it would fucking bleed. So I’m sorry to say to those biting kink girlies (those are me hi) but Rocket can only afford to give you or someone else some nibbles on the skin unless you guys want some serious bloodplay on your hands. This is because he has protruding fangs on both his upper and lower row of teeth, his lower ones more prominent than the top.

Rocket can, however, eat you out. Don’t wanna get too into depth with this but basically his tongue can stick out his muzzle pretty well and his nose makes for a good clit-stimulator HAHAHAH

!!! : (this is going to be a description of the average raccoon penis so skip this if you don’t wanna know about this because you can DEFINITELY write Rocket smut without having to know this so please be free) I had to research this for a very specific request (pls ily shameless anon/pos) and I almost cried out of the loss of my sanity but anyway, raccoons have a baculum bone which is basically a bone in their penis that helps with copulation, its average length is about 4 inches but can be longer if you catch my drift. The genital itself is a like a rod with a ‘spiky’ end (it’s not actually spiky but it looks that way) compared to human genitalia, kind of like a cat’s but much longer and it is a very dark shade of brown or just plain black. Feel free to use any of these for a possible description if ever you need it, though I never really talk about it in fics, especially the whole ‘spiky’ thing. That being said, Rocket should not have an issue with size, as the the average human male genitalia is about five inches, meaning he can hit anyone’s g-spot just fine.

I might add more points if I have any more but this is all I got right now. I really hope this somehow encouraged you to write that nsfw fic you wanted, and just know everyone’s got interests, it’s fine if not a lot of people irl are into Rocket that way, because that’s literally what the internet is for!

[bahamutgames]

ENCHANTED AFTERTHOUGHTS

Game: Enchanted Arms (January 12, 2006)

Console: Xbox 360

Rough day so far. Trying to unwind a little bit by taking care of some non-work related stuff. So I figure this is the perfect time to talk about Enchanted Arms! I beat this game on the first of September, but even 5 days later I can't stop thinking about it. There's something really special about this game and I want to be the one to tell YOU why you should check it out... Although maybe not cause I'll be talking about some spoilers I guess. Oops.

As always, this isn't a review yadda yadda ect ect. I'm just spilling my thoughts about how I felt from playing through it. Not meant to be a guide for if you should play, it's just me talking about video games. Always try ANYTHING and EVERYTHING I talk about here if it interests you at all.

SOME ENCHANTED ARMS SPOILERS AHEAD, IF YOU EVEN CARE U_U

Opening

I'm not 100% sure how I found out about this game. It was on youtube I believe. Either a video for underrated or bad RPGs I genuinely cannot recall lol. But I remember thinking it actually looked really cool! And last year I managed to find a copy for under $10 on ebay and decided, hey why the heck not? And gave it a shot. I made slow progress on it through August but FINALLY managed to wrap it up in September. Like I said earlier, I haven't stopped thinking about it since. It's a janky little game but I think it's a special game too.

Stuff I liked

So, first and foremost. This is an XBOX 360 JRPG. Which is a very odd era for turnbased RPGs to exist in just in general. They tend to be kinda janky and feel a little cheap in some ways? But this just makes them extremely charming in my opinion. They're so few and far in between on 7th generation consoles but ESPECIALLY 360. So I find them all to be extremely charming in spite of their flaws. And this applies to Enchanted Arms as well. All the weirdness and jank just kinda makes it more endearing.

You play as Atsuma, a hot blooded anime-protagonist type guy (who is also an honorary edgy badboy made in a lab! You love to see it.) As he goes on a quest to save his 2 best friends who vanished after a powerful devil golems is freed. He meets new friends and discovers a lot about himself while finding a way to save the world. Kinda basic stuff but the story does manage to do some VERY interesting things. It has a big moral on relying on others, not doing things alone, sticking to what you believe in no matter what, but also some tougher stuff like when helping others just becomes about helping yourself, ect ect. It's a lot of themes I really love and love seeing tackled and I think Enchanted Arms really does a good job with a lot of the ideas! I really loved seeing how the 4 main teammates grow and come to really trust each other. And I thought the whole finale and concept of Infinity was SUPER cool. Infinity was such a freaky and interesting final boss. And while I won't spoil it completely, the way you kill him was very cool.

The characters are certainly a high point in my opinion. Again, I LOVE Atsuma. I'm a huge sucker for protagonists and he has pretty much everything I love. Stupid? Check. Edgy badboy made in a lab? Check. Happy-go-lucky? Check. Has to do some soul searching through the game? Check. Evil fucked up arm that does crazy shit he can't explain? Check check check! But the other characters are good too! I liked Karin is a little annoying but generally I'd say her mean attitude is funny more than it is off putting. Plus the cooking scene was very good. Raigar is cool and I used him a TON during the game. And Yuki is hilarious, she may have been one of the funniest next to Atsuma. And they all have great chemistry, I loved how they tease each other but also help and comfort each other. It's a small party but I think focusing on just 4 teammates really helped the game out in the long run!

Even other things like just the world concept. The lore behind the golem wars is cool, I like the different city concepts and how they're based on real world locations. And even small world building details like how everyone hates Atsuma at school, to the point where there's an afterschool club for hating on him. Or how everyone loves Toya. There's neat concepts like a girl in another city who knows Atsuma, but you don't really know her unless you actually read the tie in comic. There's small world building stuff like that, which you'd expect from an RPG probably. But still! It's neat!

Outside of just the story, the gameplay is really interesting. The overworld is pretty standard walking around dungeons type stuff. But in combat is where it gets really interesting. It's turnbased, but rather than being just regular turnbased combat, it has strategy elements infused into it. So you actually move your characters around a grid, and your attacks only attack certain tiles on the enemy grid (if you've ever played Ikenfell, it's VERY similar to that!) So fights require a little bit more strategy and thinking than just mashing through them. Even basic enemy encounters can topple you if you're not playing smart. While this can make some encounters a total pain, believe me, ultimately I think it benefits the game more than hurts it.

And its not just the combat itself that's unique. The way stats work and characters upgrade is pretty interesting. You have all the usual stats and level ups you'd expect. But where most of your stat increases come from is actually a skill currency you get from battles that you can spend on upgrading stats or learning new moves. It's interesting! And allows you to customize your team how you see fit to match your playstyle! Which is nice! There's some other stuff like friendship points, combos, and overdrive attacks. But I'll be perfectly honest, I never got a grasp on what these were lol. But I think they all play into eachother and helping you build meter for super powerful EX attacks?

And then, something that kinda surprised me about this game. It has a small monster collection aspect to it? As you progress you can find golems to fight in the overworld who will join your team if you beat them, as well as golems you can buy from shops to join you. Golems act as additional teammates who all have their own unique attacks with unique tile layouts they can hit. You can also upgrade them with their skillpoints uniquely. So while they don't learn new skills, they can still be useful and serve to help fill holes in your team composition. For example, I got HUGE use out of the first golem you get in the story, Taigalion, because they can power up 2 teammates without having to waste those teammates turns. Or Eternity, a later game golem, who could use Gravity on some bosses to help me cheese the fights. It's neat!

Outside of all that? I'd say the highlights are the graphics and especially the music! The graphics aren't AMAZING but sometimes I think they can look REALLY good. Particularly in the environments! The Ice Castle, the Marsh, the Woods, even just the overworld field all look INCREDIBLE in my opinion! And relistening to the OST now, it's SO good! I forgot how many good songs were in this. Towards Reconstruction, Day at the Academy, and Reborn are all good ones. And the final boss theme was so haunting. And there's more I could praise about the visuals like the cool menu designs, that equipment shows up on your character (which is always a plus) and how cool all the different golems can look! But I think it might be time to move on!

Stuff I didn't like

Yeah it's not perfect. Starting with smaller stuff, there's a bit to be desired on the characters. Reading the manga that came with the game made me really wish they had opted for a more anime look for the humans than the slightly more realistic approach the game has.

And while I DO like the outfits of the main 4 teammates for the most part. I think Raigar's outfit is a little weird. And Makoto (we'll get to him) and Toya, Atsuma's 2 best friends, are just totally dripless. Toya mostly just cause of his rat tail, a better hair cut to fix it. But Makoto. He wears clogs what more do I gotta say?

Okay I'll go into it really quick cause Makoto is kind of a mess. He's a huge homophobic stereotype, I think having a gay teammates RULES! And having him be in love with another team mate is great. But now like this. He's the one with the blonde hair + exposed midriff on the right on the bottom image if you wanna go peek. But he's like, almost a sexual harasser in some ways and he's ABSOLUTELY played as like "ew gross he's GAY zomg 0_o" Even having a stereotype gay voice and GENUINELY saying "YAAAAAAAAAAAS" super high pitched during some of his attacks which is... So nuts that anyone thought this was a good idea. Spoilers but he returns later in the game with a new disguise that's supposed to be straight but has his chest fully exposed revealing a big scar. You failed this so hard, FromSoftware. Like. How? How did you fuck this up?

ANYWAY! outside of that there's some smaller gripes like the voice acting being not super great. Again a lot of the human designs are kinda meh. Stuff like that. But I think I really need to wrap this up by complaining about some serious gameplay issues I have.

So first off, the golems are totally underused. Once I got 4 teammates I VERY rarely found myself ever pulling out my golems again. Which is a shame cause that's such a big mechanic. While I don't totally mind I think being able to upgrade and customize the golems further would have made me care about them in the second act of the game. But even if I were still using them by that point, I doubt I would have been able to OBTAIN much more. I tried to get every golem I found in the overworld. But partway through the game the fights just become such bullshit. ALWAYS letting the golems go first, then wipe your team with instakill attacks. It's so stupid. So a lot of the golems got left behind in my playthrough anyway.

Then there's the gravity status. This becomes less of an issue later when Karin learns a status ailment curing move. But Gravity is a status ailment that means you can no longer move on the grid. EVER AGAIN. Unless you can cure yourself, status ailments never go away. Meaning if someone gets hit by gravity, even an enemy, they are STUCK until they die. Which is great cause it lets you cheese some fights if you get a boss stuck where they can't hit you. But if that happens to you? You're done! Game over!

But where this game really struggles is with balancing. Some fights are INSANELY easy. Letting you breeze through them with no issues. While some fights are insane slogs that take FOREVER to finish. Some big examples are 1-on-1 fights, which usually devolve into whoever goes first (which is ALWAYS the enemy in these cases) winning so you just have to spam health items. But there are more specific cases of weird balancing too. Such as the Warlord of Earth who randomly deals INSANE damage and takes minimal damage themselves. Dragging the fight out FOREVER. Or the first of 8 (YES 8) final boss phases which can only be hit by Atsuma but also instakills Atsuma? So I had to go grind in the fucking casino for HOURS just to build up the money to buy him enough skill points to raise his health high enough to survive that stupid instakill attack (I did 3000 but people were suggesting 7000 hp. It takes FOREVER to do the casino grind by the way. I won't describe it here but good lord.) And it'll always be just for stupid little reasons that you get totally knee capped during a fight like this. It's frustrating. You wanna save your money for weapons and skills but ultimately you kinda need to spend tons of money on items just to be able to survive tons of bullshit.

Now I will say, for all the bullshit with balancing and just roadblocking you with bullshit. Enchanted Arms does a good job at making sure the enemies play the same game as you. Which is something a lot of games struggle to do. Enemies are all susceptible to status ailments, even most bosses. Enemies ALSO have to manage how many attacks they can do before they must recharge like you do. They're susceptible to the same weaknesses you are. Which is nice. Again a lot of games don't do that. But Enchanted Arms does which makes the game just that tiny bit easier thankfully.

I have some other complaints, like, it's an expensive ass game to clear. Requiring TONS of money to buy everything you need, which leads me to believe the casino is required in a weird way which sucks. Or how there's a weakness system but it kind of makes no sense? (If you're weak to something, it means they're also weak to YOU so it's kind of pointless imo). Or the insane amount of tutorials the game tries to give you which ALL devolve into "go here, press A. Done." It's actually more insane than a Mario & Luigi game lmao. But I think we're done here.

Final Thoughts

As I kept writing more and more things to praise and criticize just kept popping into my brain! There's just SO much to say about Enchanted Arms. I'm kind of shocked. There were times I genuinely wanted to snap the disc in half. But now that all is said and done. I really can't help but look back on the adventure fondly. I still feel like I have more to say. I feel like this game is weirdly influential but no one realizes it cause no one played it. I feel like it's such a good game and deserves more attention (IT WAS REMOVED FROM THE XBOX STORE BOOOOO BRING IT BACK) but at the same time it is a clunky game with a lot of short comings. But I still liked it a lot! I'dunno! It's a game that gave me a lot to think about and I think I'll be thinking about it for a long time coming.

At this point I've played 4 Xbox 360 JRPGs. Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Enchanted Arms, and Tales of Vesperia (which I played the Definitive Version but still it started as a 360 game lol) and honestly excluding Lost Odyssey which I hated despite popular opinion. They've all been VERY good. Even Lost Odyssey had high points when it wanted to. So I'm honestly kind of tempted to try and track down and play every 360 JRPG I can get my hands on. Again, it's just a fascinating era for a genre I love. We'll see!

===

Thank you for reading! This one feels SO messy but my brain is so filled with this game that I really had to write about it and get it out of my head aha. I appreciate you even just skimming through or even just scrolling all the way to the bottom. Look, if you clicked the link, I appreciate it, okay?

I'm having a rough day at the moment, but honestly I'm so fed up and used to "the bullshit" as it were that I'm genuinely struggling to build up the emotions needed to be upset about the constant downpour of nonstop bullshit that keeps happening to me. So I'll just take that as a good sign and just try to ignore it. What happened can be fixed for a fee but like, GOD DAMN why do I ALWAYS have to do such massive clean ups for things just arbitrarily happening to me.

ANYWAY sorry to vent on gaming tumblr. I'm just a little heated like the Hot Blooded Atsuma! Am I right fellow Enchanters? (That's what we Enchanted Arms fans call ourselves.) Well, anyway. As always, you're welcome to follow me on twitter where I talk more about games I'm currently playing and thinking about!

That's all I got for you today! Go out and play a hidden gem!

[lnkedmyheart]

Hi :)

Can you recommend some bsd angst fics? ( angst is my shit and I wanna suffer lol )

I have a few so under the cut. A couple would be more popular but the rest are imo pretty underrated.

Akai by itotypes

"All is fair in love and war, right?"

Obviously. I personally find it a lot more fun angst than suffering angst though. Includes Dazai with a walking stick.

Yellow roses (400 yen) by the_most_happy

Dazai Osamu is not dead. Oh, he tried. But when he jumped off the Port Mafia building, he didn't consider that a certain annoying Slug was going to risk everything to save him. Thanks to his old partner, Dazai is given the chance to start a new life as a civilian: he has an apartment in Tokyo, a tiny flower shop crammed with plants and pots, and a mind filled with ghosts. His life is tranquil. His mission is finished. Until the day when, for the first time in five years, Chuuya walks into his flower shop with a job.

This is a angsty post canon beast au but this doesn't include Chuuya's meltdown cause Dazai doesn't die. Includes Dazai with a walking stick.

If you refuse to listen I’ll say it twice, love of my life by olympiansally

There’s Atsushi, Dazai’s star pupil. There’s Fyodor, arguably Dazai’s soulmate, a single mind in two bodies. There’s Kunikida, Dazai’s partner. There’s Oda, the reason Dazai wants to live. And then there’s Chuuya. If he asked Dazai to define him, to name his purpose, Chuuya already knows what he would hear. Chuuya is his dog, Chuuya is a slug, Chuuya is a chibi. And sure, maybe he is. But none of that is enough. Or, Chuuya can’t figure out what he means to Dazai exactly, but if he would only listen, he would realize that Dazai has been telling him all along.

This isn't exactly angsty but it's funny angsty cause Chuuya is oblivious as fuck in this and keeps jumping through hoops the whole time. Bro is literally living the brojob nightmare.

I Said It Was A Dream (and he agreed) by Hum My Name (My_Kind_of_Crazy)

The plan: Dazai Osamu leaves the mafia after Odasaku’s death, but he doesn’t leave behind his rage. Fuelled by the need to avenge his friend, he creates a painstaking plan to tear down the Port Mafia— to create a false haven for mafia members while, behind the scenes, he collects information meant to expose the organization for the criminal terror it is. The dilemma: Dazai doesn’t plan on Chuuya finding him. Chuuya believes Dazai’s simply hiding from the mafia, starting fresh with a harmless job in a local bar. They have their closure and move on— until Chuuya seeks him out again. Eventually, their emotions for one another can no longer be ignored. But Dazai’s desperation to take down the mafia means he can’t become distracted by his feelings for Chuuya Maybe, he can use this connection with Chuuya to his benefit. Maybe, he can have everything he wants, so long as Chuuya never finds out.

This is a canon divergence angst fic where Dazai decides to destroy the PM.

Release series by afinepricklypear

After countless days (months?) fighting against hundreds of fictional murderers in Poe’s book and using the time alone to reflect, Chuuya is released. (Alt: How Chuuya got out of the book Ranpo trapped him in towards the end of Season 3)

This was really fun for me as someone who enjoys angst, a lot of it is pre sb though.

Confessions of a lie by afinepricklypear

For three months, Chuuya has been missing and, during that time, Dazai has fallen further into an obsessive search for him. Until late one rainy night, an oddly familiar looking woman knocks on Dazai’s door.

This is a really odd entry ngl, I adore the angst and it's deliberately ooc. It's from 2020 so there is a lot of canon skk context missing but idk I found it an unexpectedly nice read. There are discussions of SA and coercion, some pre stormbringer characterization issues but if you go into this as a canon divergence au concept it's very enjoyable. Also the author is very explicit about this being a brainworm that they needed to write cause it wouldn't leave them alone.

Retrace by Kuranoa.

Chuuya dreams every night, and in those dreams, he dies the most horrendous deaths, over and over. He wakes up in a cold sweat, afraid and disoriented. Dazai always assures him that they are nothing but nightmares. In this world, Fyodor has successfully obtained The Book. In this world, Dazai has witnessed Chuuya’s death 18,263 times.

I genuinely don't remember much from this fic but I do remember finding this good enough to be one of the first fics I bookmarked.

[beevean]

And onto Rush Adventure now:

-Tbh at first i wasnt sold on the materials grinding for ships but later liked how it gives you a reason to improve your scores on the levels so you can get more. Idk i usually dont care abt scores but w the external motivation? Yea

-Same w the misions, good way to have lil extra stuff to do (that said why did they block the sound mode songs behind misions. Game pls my internet makes opening youtube an odyssey and now this too? Cruelty 😔)

-Oh and also the ship minigames! Its fun to have a map you can explore, and the races w Jhonny for the chaos emeralds are way better than the Surely Existing special levels (also srry if i got his name wrong lmao)

-Onto the soundtrack; its more broad compared to rush, and each song does matches well the enviroment. I like the tropical coastal vibes of the main town n training level, and oh man. Sky babylon and deep core my beloveds who literally got engraved in my neurons so hard i was struggling reading hours later bc the darn tunes kept playing in the background of my skull. Well scratch that all the tunes keep playing on the bg of my skull rn, what kind of eldritch curse is this). So yes good ost 👍

-Overall the aesthetic n vibes are also more broad with that tropical relax overtone, its quite nice. The difficulty is also way more forgiving (i mean i played on easy but that's the mode the game came in) and the tutorials with the controls are helpful (yes i struggled with the jump dash in the previous game how can you tell)

- The story is also more calm and silly goofy but in a good way (can def see what ppl mean by the diff eras in sonic writing there). I also liked Whisker being the main but kinda dumb villain for funnies vs the eggmans being a bigger threat)

-I liked the scene in the coral cave where Blaze appears bc my mind was half "haha i knew we were in Blaze's world, neat" and " weeee hi Blaze, game of the year :D"

-Marine was also neat, liked her silly dynamic of cheerful kid who is a bit too full of herself and is kind of a brat abt it, and how she later learns to admit her own limits :) And the koala villagers were neat too i like their designs :)

Overall thank you for letting me ramble into your ask box abt these games, its been fun :D

lmao yeah it's a nice incentive! I think the only other game that gives you a reward with higher ranks is Unwiished (another Dimps game), where the higher the rank the more medals you get.

also sonic 🤝 hector:having to earn their crafting materials

The missions are a good way to extend the gameplay, but IIRC some of the Sol Emerald missions were brutal... I have flashes of the Blizzard Peak mission.

The waterbike was genuinely really fun and I hated that it was considered the "worst" vehicle for travel :( I don't like the submarine, let me travel the world on my tiny waterbike while the best music plays :( also yeah the Special Stages with Johnny are original! Certainly more than Half Pipe 50.0

SRA'S OST was composed by veterans Tomoya Ohtani and Mariko Nanba while trying to recreate Naganuma's style. Definitely unique and underrated. Sky Babylon used to be my favorite too! But there are so many tracks that IMO deserve more love, like Haunted Ship, Blizzard Peaks, the boss theme and Whiskers & Johnny <3

Funny to think SRA came out one year after '06, widely criticized at the time for being too melodramatic :P Whiskers is also a nice case of Eggman being the twist villain for once! Although the credits of the "bad" ending spoil him and Nega, lol. Not that Whiskers looks mysterious himself... eh you get it.

Marine seems to have been reevaluated recently, like many things from the 2000s. I remember that back then no one could stand her and her Aussie accent lmao, precisely because she was an annoying brat. She is still mildly underrated, but I think the modern fandom generally "forgave" her because they understood that she was meant to be a foil for Tails, who is more insecure.

(two fun facts: in some countries, SRA initially got a 12+ rating because Marine says "bugger", which is pretty mild for Aussie slang but is much stronger for American standards. Also, Marine is Australian because in original she speaks in Kansai-ben, and I guess that was a way to recreate the cultural connotations! That and koalas :P)

You're welcome, you're free to rant at any time <3

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday the super sexy Scottish actress  Michelle Gomez.

Michelle was born as Michelle May Romney Marsham Antonia Gomez in Ayr in 1966, and grew up in Glasgow. Her dad is of Portuguese descent and is from  Montserrat, her mum ran a model agency’ She is one of four children; two older brothers, one of whom is called Derek, and a twin brother who died in.2004.

When she was seven, her parents took her to see Cole Porter’s musical take on the Shrew, Kiss Me, Kate at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow and she was mesmerised by the character Kate, she described it as

“ I was electrified and, of course, I thought they were talking to me. Even then I had an ego running riot. And I loved Kate’s energy, her fieriness. Even at that age, I identified; I thought: ‘Yup, I’m one of her, she’s one of me.”

Michelle attended Shawlands Academy and the junior section of The Scottish Academy of Music and Dance from the age of twelve before going to the adult Academy.

Her first major role was in Irvine Welsh's  Acid House , that’s my pal Gary McCormack with her in the first pic, she went on to make small screen appearances in The Bill and Taggart (two different roles in each) before the very funny and underrated Book Club on channel Four.

Other TV appearances have been in Rebus, Murder in Suburbia and Carrie & Barry before her big break as staff liaison officer Sue White in the Channel 4 comedy Green Wing.

For me Michelle’s best work has been as “Missy” in Dr Who, where she regularly steals scenes. Before the first female Doctor, she was the first female “Master”, one of the Doctors recurring arch enemies.

As well as her roles on this side of the Atlantic Michelle has appeared in Highlander: The Raven the American supernatural television series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, featuring in all 36 episodes, the show got rave reviews but I have not watched it myself, not being a fan of the supernatural horror genre. It was cancelled in July 2020 due to the covid pandemic, I wouldn’t write off it being picked up again in the future, some sources are erroneously saying a series 5 is due soon. 

Michelle has been on our screens in The Flight Attendant, series based on the 2018 novel of the same name, it’s on HBO Max in the States, I must admit I’ve not got round to watching it as yet, the show was originally meant to be a mini-series, but a second series was commissioned and it was shown in April this year. It’s not known whether there will be a third series as yet.

Fans of Michelle and the Superhero genre will be pleased that they return to HBO Max in December.

No doubt we will also see her return to Dr Who someday, I certainly hope so. Gomez has been married to actor Jack Davenport since 1st May 2000 they have a son together. Of him she said 

“Jack wasn't my type at all. I thought he was too young and too posh and I told him that. Plus, I couldn't deal with his dodgy bowl-cut. But he wore me down”

Of herself Michelle is very modest one saying 

“Lots of actresses disappear by the time they're my age. So far, I've bucked the trend. I haven't got sucked into that 26-episode run of something like Casualty. Thankfully, my face has stopped that happening. It's not something you want to see every week on TV! I'm theatrical saffron in that way - just a light sprinkling of me here and there...”

Of her ambitions Michelle says it is to play Mama Rose in Gypsy on stage on Broadway. 

“That would be checking every box in my career if I got to play that. That is my biggest ambition! Oh my, I would ROCK THAT! I need to learn how to sing first, but that is just a technicality.”

Happy Birthday Michelle and good luck with getting on stage in Gypsy.

[thatgordongirl]

You Don’t Scare Me / Attack of the Mutant Reviews

You Can’t Scare Me is often counted among the weaker Goosebumps books - I think the points are very valid. The cover art, though stunning, is wildly misleading when the mud monsters appear literally in the last ten pages and is briefly mentioned throughout. The idea of scaring Courtney seems to eliminate all the scariness of the book overall, because you know that it’s all fake. It’s like the cop out sibling scare at the start of other, far scarier, books.

However, I found the character dynamics cartoonish and pretty funny. Eddie’s bitter “bok bok” when he gets called a chicken genuinely cracked me up and I didn’t expect to laugh at this book. He’s so jealous and spiteful that it’s funny and he keeps failing at scaring Courtney from his own fears. Though she also deserves a bit of scaring for the condescending way she is. 

That being said, most if not everyone went in expecting a scary book, and it doesn’t deliver. It’s disappointing viewing it from that perspective because of the lack of thrill factor. But I think the character dynamics are funny and some of their attempts to scare Courtney really tickle me, so I think it delivers as a book, just not a Goosebumps book. Not massively high on the favourites list but I still thought it was decent considering what I’d heard about it. 

~~~

Attack of the Mutant has a pretty bad rap; The two part episode was over stretched, bad acting even for the Goosebumps series, with the only upside being Adam West’s appearance. The video game adapted based on the book apparently isn’t very good either, but I haven’t played it so take that with a grain of salt. Needless to say, I went in trying to find an underrated classic. 

We’ll start positive - Two scenes managed to get a chuckle out of me. Skipper’s sister Mitzi (Interesting name choices in this book, I quite like it, though Skipper’s real name is Bradley) puts her hands in the freezer just to put them on his back and scare him. Second scene was The Galloping Gazelle making a big deal about this laser thing killing Skipper only for it to be turned off when he accidentally falls in front of it. 

Those were the only positives I could find. This book is like crappy wish fulfillment, with Skipper getting into the comic book world - which I imagine a lot of people have dreamed of - and doing absolutely nothing of value. Skipper and his friend, Wilson, have nothing in common and their conversations feel like a friendship where their parents know each other and they don’t have anyone else to grow apart from each other. They’re awkward and boring to read. 

The comic book/superhero aspect isn’t even interesting because most of the book is Skipper waltzing around the Masked Mutant’s headquarters with fake out jumpscares and…Libby. Who’s incredibly uninteresting to the point that the twist ending that she’s the Masked Mutant meant almost nothing to me. The ‘friend is secretly the monster’ was already done in Werewolf of Fever Swamp, and I feel like it’s more engaging than this one. The only character I found remotely entertaining was The Galloping Gazelle, and he just left?? So that whole section could just be cut out entirely??

Overall, Attack of the Mutant is underwhelming and pretty disappointing considering the uniqueness of the superhero genre in a Goosebumps book. None of the characters are particularly likeable, it didn’t have humour to make up for the lack of scare factor. 

[woggle-bugger-me]

Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Oz

(Content warnings for mentions of racism) So... March Laumer. Truly one of the writers of all time.

Laumer's a bit infamous in some circles for writing Oz books that're aimed at adults. They're not that dark for modern, post-Wicked Years standards (none of the ones I read had any explicit sex or swearing) they're more like if you got a normal Oz book and added a sprinkle of what-the-hell stuff to it. Someone online once described them as like Baum's Oz, but without the innocence, which I think is pretty accurate (although Baum's books had their dark moments). That being said, Laumer wrote a lot of his books throughout the 80s, so it makes sense that they'd be controversial at the time.

Anyway, here's my review of "Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Oz" by March Laumer. I'm not going to give an in-depth plot summary of it cos I assume most people that're gonna read this either 1) have already read it or 2) don't actually care about the plot and just want to read about the weird stuff, but basically it's about Aunt Em getting possessed by the spirit of the Witch of the East, and Uncle Henry teaming up with a kid called Zippiochoggolak (or 'Zip') to save the day.

The writing

I actually like how Laumer handled some characters, mainly Aunt Em and Uncle Henry themselves. Em and Henry are underrated characters imo, so it's nice to have a book that focuses on them.

Some of the characters are handled weirdly, though. One of the reasons why some people dislike Laumer is because his versions of Oz characters are usually OOC. He doesn't give them whole new personalities like some writers do, but the characters are usually a bit "off". For example, characters will talk to each other about politics and other serious topics, which obviously didn't happen a huge amount in Baum's books, unless you count a scene in The Road to Oz where the Tin woodman bonds with the Shaggy Man over their shared hatred of money. Some characters have a slightly meaner or sarcastic edge to them.

The child characters are portrayed as being less sympathetic in this book, and I get the impression that Laumer didn't really like kids much. There's a sharp contrast between Baum, who was good at writing child characters, and Laumer, who wasn't. It makes me wonder why Laumer didn't just focus on the adult characters seeing as he clearly found them easier to relate to?

The plot itself is unfortunately really boring around the middle. I found myself skim-reading several chapters. Laumer's books are all pretty short, but reading this felt like it took years (that might be because I was tired, but still).That being said, Laumer sneaks little bits of dark comedy into it, and there were a few funny moments.

Also, I didn't care about Zippiochoggolak. I admit I'm biased since when people make OCs for Oz stories, I often find it hard to connect with them, but I didn't find Zip interesting at all. It doesn't help that he's shipped with Dorothy, which I just found weird.

Anyway, onto the weird parts of the book!

The weird stuff

Laumer establishes early on that Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are siblings-in-law. I'm not sure if this counts as incest or not since they're only related through marriage, but it's still a bit uncomfortable to read about. That being said, they were living in an isolated rural area during the Victorian period, so it's not that strange from a historical perspective.

Later on, Dorothy discusses her family with Zip, and talks about how she'd "like to see more tolerance in Oz". They then talk about how Christians try and convert people because they want everyone to be like them (Laumer's words, not mine).

Dorothy then says that Ozites are also racist, and that no one would want anyone who isn't a white Christian to come to Oz?? I assume this is meant to be a response to some of the later (mostly Thompson) Oz books, which have some really horrible racist moments. Dorothy and Zip obviously agree that this is bad, but then Dorothy comes out with this:

“Of course,” the Princess hastened to amend, “we would probably want to exclude deviants and unmarried mothers. I guess we wouldn’t want just everybody to think they could come here—no matter how harmless they might be.”

Just in case anyone gets the wrong end of the stick, I think this is just Laumer's dark sense of humour.

The book's ending is pretty dark. A character from Baum's books is accidentally killed and the other characters have survivors guilt. They where only a minor character in Baum's books, but still.

Final thoughts

Who is this book actually for? Oz purists won't enjoy it because it's too adult and people who want a dark Oz parody won't enjoy it because there's not enough adult stuff to keep them entertained. I don't want to put people off reading it, but at the same time I can't recommend it.

That being said, I am going to read at least one other March Laumer book, mostly so I can compare them. Maybe I'll write another review?

[scatterpatter]

Listen. We all have priorities.

[dimdiamond]

Rambling about how seriously underrated The adventures of Tintin (comics, cartoon series, live action and animated movies etc) is for @backtomyfirstfandom

When Herge said that Tintin is for ages 7-77 he REALLY MEANT IT! Honestly I have seen few media that have the ability to capture the attention and love of the general audience without losing their own identify for the sake of the target group. Someone could claim that most cartoons that are for all the family do that but let me remind you that they're still considered for children, their target group is still children and the elements that are put for the adults to enjoy are subtle so that children would not be affected. Same with the cartoons aimed for teens although in them you can see the adult themes more strongly than the others. Do children enjoy them? Yes but tell me how many parents would let their elementary kid to watch more mature cartoons or at least for older children or teens.

This doesn't happen to Tintin. Sure it's marketed for the children but you don't need more than few minutes to realize that "wait, this guy is in the middle of some serious business". The adult themes are strong in the stories but are shown in a way that even the younger audience can understand them in a degree. They're not an inside joke for your parent only to understand neither something that you'll understand when you grow up. No, the themes are approached with sincerity to its core. When you watch Haddock crying about his situation in his drank state you don't focus to a general theme of the plot or to the cheap laugh. You focus to the character and the general plot and that's something that all the viewers can do no matter the age. And when you reconsider what you just saw or when you see in later stories how is this character presented everything clicks on and you realize the theme of trying to be better and move on. It's not shouted in a teaching manner for the younger nor implied for the older. It's just showed in the whole concept of the story.

Maybe that happens thanks to the fast pace and the narrative being plot driven (although this is the first impression, in my opinion the stories are partly character driven but that's a whole other discussion). You don't have time to sit and think a lot of things, a mystery needs to be solved, an adventure awaits Tintin and his friends and you can't resist following them. And while you live this crazy adventure alongside them you notice them, their relationships and feelings, their fears and struggles in a simple but still honest way, a way that can be understood by both children and adults.

I can't help but compare Tintin with other comics and cartoons targeted for children and be pleasantly surprised how it approaches the more serious themes and plotlines and the more light, funny scenes in a way that completes the other rather than diminishing. The joke about the "goat" and the "hairdresser" doesn't diminish the seriousness and the suspense of the whole moon case, their fear and agony for what will happen.

Actually the way comedy and suspense are handled plays a big role in the general audience's enjoyment. Comedy is usually undermined in importance but it's meaning is significant and necessary for any piece of media. So when you have the running gags like Thompson and Thomson's shenanigans or Calculus' hearing problems constantly providing you the laugh you NEED it really shows how comedy helps with the intense plot because, let's be honest, there were light stories as well as heavy storylines in the whole continuity of the series.

Another thing that may explain why Tintin is enjoyable and still is for any age is the way it treats its audience. It doesn't treat the readers or viewers as "stupid" that have to either explain every little thing or make you feel like one for not getting what's happening immediately (something that happens to mystery focused media very often). It treats them straight forward, what it needs to be shown is shown and the messages are clear.

Does that have to do with lack of depth? Not in the slightest. I think what many new stories suffer from is the rule "must be complicated to be taken seriously", which is foolish to say the least. To be something complex and deep doesn't mean to be difficult to understand and follow. In the contrary, I have noticed the more simpler some things are communicated the more possible is to be remembered and reviewed. For example, in my first watch of the 2011 movie, I had almost no idea what Tintin is about exactly so it was like an introduction to me to this world. And then I rewatched this movie. Again. And again. And everytime I noticed something new, something that didn't get my attention although it was right there. And the movie itself is simple but not shallow. And that's why it's enjoyable without losing any meaning and instead gains more and more. The same with the rest Tintin media.

It's the world, in which Tintin lives, itself that gives a freedom and at the same time relatability in the audience's imagination (the world seems like our own but extraordinary things can happen) and then it's the characters themselves that win you over and want to revisit them and watch what they will do this time. It's the theme of friendship and faith and loyalty and kindness and the effort to be better and the thirst for adventure that makes you stay in this world and care for the characters in it.

"The adventures of Tintin" is honest and kind at the same time and that's what makes it a classic. Even if it's marketed for children it's made for everyone. It can be childish at times but that's what makes it honest and real and it can be mature but not for the sake of being mature. It stays true to itself and only for that shouldn't be underated.

[bravecows]

Ep 13 of Extraordinary Attorney Woo felt like cringey filler, but I enjoyed Ep 14 more than I expected. I could kinda see what they were going for -- let's take the characters out of their ordinary lives and give them a big character or relationship moment, a change to the status quo. I don't really AGREE with the direction they took -- there are so many existing storylines and relationships I would've preferred the show to develop instead, from Young-woo's relationships with both birth parents to the rivalry between the Hanbada and Taesan CEOs -- but I kinda get what they were aiming for.

There were a couple of major missteps with regard to Young-woo. The Ep 13 scene where she meets Jun-ho's sister was clearly meant to be funny but, because we're on Young-woo's side and inhabit her POV, it ends up being hard to watch. I was reflecting on this scene as compared to the scenes where Young-woo takes Hairy Boss's advice to open doors for Jun-ho etc and thinking about why those worked and the in-laws scene doesn't. They start on the same premise of "Young-woo applies advice to a social challenge to amusing effect", but the big difference is with the courtship scenes the only witness is Jun-ho who we know adores Young-woo and tries his best to understand her -- he's as sympathetic to her perspective as we can be. Watching the in-laws judge and be baffled by Young-woo's best attempts to please them is very different.

Jun-ho speculating that Young-woo dumped him because they didn't get to see any dolphins also just doesn't work. Jun-ho's kind of a himbo tbh -- the person who said he's the sexy secretary trope is absolutely right -- but he is meant to be emotionally and socially intelligent. (One of the most attractive aspects of their dynamic is that flipping of the classic trope of "male genius does hard brain stuff and offends people, female love interest provides emotional support and social skills".) This misreading of Young-woo feels really off-base for him and the respect he's always had for her. If he's able to misread Young-woo this badly, it makes it hard to root for their relationship.

I've been fairly relaxed up till now about how they've been developing the romance, because to me it's not the main point of the show, but the show's refusal to let Jun-ho and Young-woo finish important conversations is starting to grate. It seems really unnecessary to rely on an inability to communicate for conflict because there are so many genuine challenges their relationship could face. Like, Young-woo could've had a whole conversation with Jun-ho about what "officially dating" vs "going on dates" means and still ended up disagreeing with him. (Also, she was the one who proposed that they go on a few dates before becoming an official couple -- how come she suddenly doesn't understand what being an official couple means or why that difference might matter to Jun-ho?) She could've told Jun-ho that she overheard what his sister said and that's made her think they shouldn't be together, and you still have a really tough conflict to work through. I'd have serious reservations about dating someone whose sister said things like that about me, wouldn't you?

That said, I thought the breakup scene was very effective -- Young-woo getting an insight into their case and abandoning the relationship conversation to hare off after a promising legal argument is classic Young-woo. You don't blame her, and yet you see how legitimately hurtful it is for Jun-ho to get dumped in that way.

My favourite, underrated scene in Ep 14 is the one where Young-woo interrupts Attorney Jung's meeting with his ex-wife to question him about the case and he takes her through the reason their strategy is lacking. It's just such a nice little example of supervision. Young-woo is a genius but she's still a junior lawyer who needs guidance. And it's also an example of something this show does well imo -- it sets up an argument and a counter-argument at the same time, and shows the validity of both. Argument: Jung Myeong-seok has wasted his life, destroyed his health and devastated what could've been a good marriage by overfocusing on work. Counter-argument: But it is meaningful work and a meaningful life; he is a great lawyer; he will leave a legacy of excellent lawyers he has trained. Young-woo says it herself: it's all been worth it, she says. You're amazing. She's not quite right. But she's not wrong, either ...

(Despite talking about legacies, I don't actually think Attorney Jung will die. Less because I trust the show or have much familiarity with kdrama tropes, and more because I refuse to accept such a possibility!!)

Like everyone else, I wasn't enthused about the Su-yeon/Min-woo development, but I have to say, their dynamic is really attractive. Min-woo is a dickhead who needs way more rehabilitation, but the banter is great and the scene on the balcony was charming and hilarious. Would watch a whole drama about them; definitely feel you'd need a whole 16 episodes to make Min-woo into a remotely tolerable human being. (That said, I didn't read him as being on the brink of making ableist comments when he was getting drunk with Su-yeon and Jun-ho. I thought he was about to say that their relationship would've become problematic because of Young-woo's parentage, before he remembered that's a secret and pulled back from the revelation.)

ETA: Also vaguely surprised by the show's Buddhist agenda! I'm assuming I'm either missing some cultural nuance and/or writer-nim is a practising Buddhist ...

[ofdemonsandangels]

A Small Rant about Puck: One of My Favorite Characters in All of Berserk

I think I’m in the small minority of Berserk fans who have Puck as a favorite character. Hell, I’m a part of the small minority that actually likes Puck. A lot of people say he fell off after the Conviction arc (I actually think he started to be downgraded after the Lost Children chapters) and that after that, he’s pretty much a useless character who’s been relegated to cringey comic relief. And that’s 100% true. I still love Puck, don’t get me wrong, but my love for him comes from his character in the Black Swordsman arc and the Lost Children chapters. And maybe a little bit through the Binding Chain chapters and the Birth Ceremony chapters. His character is dead to me after that.

For me, the appeal of Puck was his cheerful and witty interactions with Guts. He initially was a character meant to represent the readers. His comments about Guts are what we, the readers, want to tell him to his face. Puck is stubborn and patient in dealing with our favorite emo dog boy. He’ll call him out on his bullshit while also being pretty understanding of the underlying trauma that he has. Puck was the small light in Guts’ darkness for a while. Their relationship is greatly underrated and I think a lot of people don’t realize how important Puck was during Guts’ post-Eclipse life. He represents the little joys in life that come after trauma or grief. Also Puck’s humor during the Black Swordsman and Conviction arcs was actually funny. I don’t know how Miura did it, but I was chuckling to myself at almost every moment of comic relief.

And then, there’s post-Conviction arc Puck. That’s when his character died for me. Miura has this thing where he starts off so strong in his writing and then losing that momentum soon after. Puck was relegated to pure comic relief, and shoved off into a duo with Ivalera (who I loathe btw). Chestnut Puck started to appear more than regular Puck, and with that, Puck became annoying very quickly. And I hate that I feel that way! The charm of his initial character was how he contrasted so well with Guts. I genuinely enjoyed all of his scenes, and that small conversation that he had with Guts. Even Rickert pointed it out in his conversation with him:

I’ll probably talk about this later but I firmly believe that Puck’s character was ruined by the formation of Guts’ new group (or as we call them in the GriffGuts server I’m in, the “rpg group”). His role in the story was severely lessened and like I said before, he was relegated to solely comic relief. Puck’s character was just fantastic when he was alone with Guts and I wish that Miura had chosen to go forward in furthering development between the two. I mourn the old Puck and reject the new one. 

[reihimura]

rei & touya’s relationship is so criminally underrated by canon and fanon imo. people have have pointed out how they look similar, especially when experiencing severe distress or melancholy (which they do look very similar, making their situation(s) all the more sadder), but i also feel a lot of people fail to mention how they are almost… mirror each other, in a sense.

the reason endvr abandoned training touya was because he “inherited rei’s weak constitution”, because he was too much like his mother - not only with the intolerance to heat, but perhaps in personality as well. they have similar reactions when under stress, usually lashing out verbally or sometimes physically. they’re both usually soft-spoken individuals, but also aren’t afraid to speak their minds when need be. they aren’t afraid of getting hurt if it means they deflect or reflect attention from themselves and others (i.e. rei stepping into one of shouto’s training sessions because it was getting too violent, and results in rei getting endvr’s attenttion in a slap. in contrast, touya trained everyday despite the massive amounts of pain it causes to get endvr’s attention.)

they were both the “firsts” in the todoroki family. rei was the first one to take on the todoroki surname as endvr’s wife, and touya was the firstborn todoroki child.

their actions also feel like parallels to each other. they’ve both harmed, or attempted to harm, shouto - but this harm was more-so meant for endvr; these attacks were an extension of the ideals endvr forced onto his family - that only one could be good enough for him.

they both separated from the family in nearly the same amount of time, due to mental breakdowns. they both spent a decade, if not more, away from the family, and then somewhat returned at, once again, nearly the same time. in canon time, it’s only been a year or so since rei and shouto reunited, and perhaps months after touya finally made his grand reveal. it’s kind of funny that this has happened twice - rei leaves, touya leaves. rei returns, touya returns.

and maybe it’s because these two are so similar and so seemingly (and perhaps unknowingly) connected that they don’t know how to help each other, much less themselves. the scene where rei tries to reach out to younger touya really showcases this imo: she almost got through to him, when she asked what he wanted to be. not what endvr wanted him to be; what he, touya, wants.

yet, she loses him when she brings endvr back into the equation - and you can’t fault her for this. her world so quickly and abruptly changed to focus on her husbands rather than her own, when he made her family agree to marry him. the forced marriage and abuse rei suffered from her husband caused her to focus on what she can do for endvr, to focus on him rather than herself. she has to have his children, care for said children, and pay special attention towards the “golden child”. endvr tells rei she needs to “take care of touya”, but not for touya’s sake, for endvr’s sake. because that’s the kind of household endvr has built for years and years. and that’s what causes rei and touya’s interaction to fall apart; because these characters don’t know how to separate themselves from their abuser. it’s a survival tactic; to focus on the needs of the abuser rather than the needs of the victims (including yourself). and neither rei, nor touya, nor any other member of the todofam are at fault for that aside from endvr.

but now, in canon, things are different. rei and touya have been physically separated from endvr for over a decade now, and in terms of mentally/emotionally separating themselves from their abuser, they’ve still got a ways to go. touya’s main goal revolves around killing his father, even if that means touya will die too. rei’s main goal is to bring touya back, and she even encourages endvr to help. while the whole situation regarding what the todofam actually wants to do with touya is still vague, we can see that endvr still has a strong influence over rei and touya.

maybe rei believes endvr can save touya because she couldn’t all those years ago. maybe touya believes he can’t go back to his family and should perish along with endvr instead because, in touya’s mind, he is his father’s ugly, failed creation. something-that-could’ve-been-turned-monster. he’s a reflection of the abuse endvr put both touya and his family through. he even sees himself as his father to an extent, as he’s called his own flames “endvr’s fire”.

they both feel like they can’t do anything for each other because of endvr, when in actuality, i think that rei and touya have always needed each other, and now they need each other more than ever. they had gotten close, back then, with rei asking touya what he wanted to do.

these two characters have so much in common, and their arcs play off of each other’s so well. they can teach each other that they’re not their abuser, and that they’re not what their abuser thinks of them. they are their own person, and it’s time for them to figure out what they truly want going forward.

touya is not his father’s failed creation, he is not weak due to having an intolerance to fire - he’s just touya.

rei is not the hospitalized wife of the #1 hero, she is not a failure of a mother - she’s just rei.

i think the two of them can help each other, and the rest of the family, find healing. they’re so similar, and they should understand each other so well.

basically there’s so much to rei & touya’s relationship that can be explored and analyzed, yet canon (and fanon) seemingly fail to realize this due to the focus on endvr and how He feels rather than… literally anyone else lmao.

there’s still so much about rei & touya’s relationship that we don’t know. but touya does still call rei “mom”, and refers to his father only by name. after all these years, after their brief falling-out before rei was hospitalized, touya still calls her “mother”. that means something.

there’s so much there for rei & touya’s relationship. and it’s a shame that canon and fanon don’t do much with it, or they take what’s been giving to us thus-far at face-value. their relationship has all the seeds planted to make it one that’s complex, caring, healing, and understanding. i just wish canon would actually let it grow instead of focusing on endvr for the millionth time /:

[jokenotfunny]

I have two questions. Do you think writing fanfiction is the same as reading it? I ask because, I've been thinking about writing a fanfiction for a certain fandom that barely has any fics, but I'm hesitant because I'm very insecure about my writing style, and I just think that if I write it it will take the fun out of it because I would already know how it goes. And I'm also not confident in the way I portray personalities, sometimes I feel as if I'm not doing justice to the characters I write, which brings me to my second question, Do you have any tips for writing about existing characters and how to portray their personalities accurately?

That's really all I have to ask. I don't want to go on too long because I tend to ramble lol.

(Btw I'm in love with your fics and I'm super excited for the summer camp fic and I'm in love with the platonic eddie fic (I feel like platonic fics are way too underrated) )

hi ! honestly, i don’t really think writing fanfiction is the same thing as reading, because of exactly what you said about already knowing what’s going to happen!

but ! i alao don’t think that meansthat the fun is taken out of it. me for example, with my sev x platonic! eddie fic. even though i already know what’s going to happen, sometimes i just like to go back and read each chapter just for the fun of it.

their may even be times when you go back and read it, and think “wow, i thought / said that? i’m so funny 🌚” jkjk i’ve never done that 🫣

and about your hesitation for writing for a fandom with few fics, i say go for it! you never know if there are others looking for fics for that fandom, and only having a few to work with.

about you being insecure about your writing style, i completely understand. i was as well! my advice for that one may be to think of how you like to read others works and what about those writing styles makes you comfortable enough to read it.

and, before i continue, if you feel comfortable, you could send another anon, clearing up what you meant in the terms of your writing style specifically and what you don’t feel too comfortable about, or just message me privately!

but to continue, i think that if you have issues with your writing style, when writing for existing characters personalities accurately, i think that the type of pov you use is important.

for example :

1st person : “i , me , our , we” that’s telling the story from the reader’s perspective, as if they were the narrator. writing from that p.o.v can make it difficult to let the readers know how other characters are feeling/thinking, other than it being a guess because the reader doesn’t actually know. kind of like the show, euphoria and how rue isn’t a reliable narrator because all the information she gives the audience is based on things that she’s observed herself, but she doesn’t actually know what’s going on in other character’s heads.

2nd person and 3rd person : “you , your” & “she, her, him, he , they” that’s telling the story as the narrator, who in majority of cases, knows everything about everyone (because it’s the author) and what’s going on, beyond the characters knowledge. with 3rd person, i think it would be better to use when talking about the other characters, such as letting the audience know that character’s inner thoughts, without having them have to broadcast it out loud for it to be known. leaving it to be just between , that character, and the readers, which could possibly be used later on for build-up and/or suspense.

now, more on the sense of using imagery and being able to portray existing character’s thoughts and personalities (because i feel like the two go hand-in-hand), i would say go back and reread or rewatch certain scenes with those characters and note the types of things they do.

such as : body language , actions they take as they speak , or little things they do or say while talking

like constant “um’s” or just little bouts of hesitancy, or even urgency, where instead, the character tries to fit everything they say into one sentence but it comes out as a jumbled mess.

that would be portraying personality, also, instead of just saying something like “he/she/they said” after a dialogue, try adding an action to it as well !

like : “if i knew this was gonna happen, i would’ve never came here!” she whimpered, pressing her head into her knees, digging her hands into her hair, as she rocked back and forth on the ground.

or

“what about this…?” he spoke up, but trailed off, as everyone looked at him. “could..could this work?” his voice wavered at the sudden attention.

or things like

waving their hands as they speak , person a pacing back and forth, person b getting annoyed at person a’s pacing, cutting other characters off in the middle of their own sentences (not in a rude way, but in a “if i don’t get this out right now, it won’t make sense later.” type of way.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and lastly, you don’t ever have to worry about rambling in asks or anons for this blog, because as you can see i always have too much to say 😭

also like i said earlier on, if you feel comfortable you can message me privately or just send another anon , clarifying what you meant in regards to writing style, because i’d really like to try and help you :) !

and, yay !! i’m so happy to hear that you like my fics that much !

so now just for you, i’m going to push through the stress of not knowing what to do for future chapters that are currently irrelevant to what i’m writing right now, and finish this damn chapter 2 of my summer camp horror story and my season 3 chapter of my eddie x platonic! experiment! reader ! 🥱

and sorry i took so long to respond i literally spent hours typing and erasing what i was saying because it was such a good question and there were so many different ways to go about it 😭

[jodibodie]

I Have Some Feelings

To start let me just emphasize how much I love and adore this show and always will. This was my covid show. Both of my kids loved “Lucifer” and always said I should watch so at the start of covid I binged it and when I say binged, I mean all 4 seasons in a few days and have rewatched so many times I’ve lost count. I think it is timeless, engrossing, original and all around amazing. The writing and the cast were all excellent. The writing was smart and consistently strong and that is so rare.  Funny, sad, poignant, it hit all the notes with very few plot holes or missteps. There is not one episode in the entire series that was not engaging. Even if I didn’t like an episode, it was still well done. What a rarity.

The cast is scary good. Completely underrated. Just all phenomenally talented.  I don’t remember the last time a cast was this strong.  From the core group to both reoccurring and guest stars, the cast was just fantastic.  

Tom Ellis, no words.  The man deserves to choose whatever he wants to do acting wise. He should have people breaking down his door. He can truly do it all and do it all well. He took a character that if portrayed by a lesser actor could have come off as a complete asshole and made him one of the most sympathetic and loveable characters in recent history. Ellis made a crime solving devil, a promiscuous man-child that occasionally breaks into song and the evidence room into a beloved character that has become an icon.  

Lauren German, WOW.  She is just so damn good. She can break your heart one second and have you laughing the next. She makes Chloe real, and people don’t realize how hard that is. Chloe is smart, kind, tough and gorgeous but she’s also an insecure dork.  She’s us and German just brings it.  

DB Woodside I’ve loved since “Buffy”.  He is a phenomenal actor and who knew he could bring the laughs so well? His expressions were classic. Clueless angel indeed. Amenadiel could have been very one-dimensional but because of Woodside’s talent he became fully fleshed out and full bodied.  

I have no doubt Lesley-Ann Brandt has a huge career in front of her.  She took a character that very well could have been hated, a demon and made her into one of the most human characters on the show. Kudos to her for taking a tough role and making it her own.  

Kevin Alejandro is another actor I’ve loved for a long time.  He also took a character who if we’re going to be honest here did so many unlikeable things that he should have been truly despised but because of Kevin’s portrayal he was beloved. Great actor and a terrific director.

Rachael Harris IMO is the downlow MVP.  She was literally the rock and again, with a lesser actress the role could have been a throwaway. The normal human, the sounding board but Harris imbued her with so much more.  Her spit takes, sarcasm and her obvious compassion was what made Dr. Linda an unforgettable character. Once again just perfect casting.  

Aimee Garcia was a great addition. She made Ella a fan fav and put so much heart, joy and sincerity into Ella never once did you doubt that she would prevail no matter what was thrown at her.  Garcia was just fantastic, and I want her skin care regime.  

Scarlett Estevez pulled off the one thing I thought almost impossible.  She took the role of a young child and made it so I didn’t want to cringe. She portrayed Trixie so beautifully from day one that she was a true pleasure to watch.  Even though Trixie was super precocious Estevez never made her obnoxious. I loved Trixie and I have never said that about any child character in an adult show.  She was wonderful and has an amazing career in front of her.

That said, I’ve got some feelings now that I’ve seen the finale and have had some time to digest it all.  I love that Chloe and Lucifer had eternity and I agree that they had to be separated for Chloe’s lifetime. Didn’t like it but it’s the logical path. She’s human, he’s not. The ageing thing alone necessitated them not being together long term on earth and that’s just to start the list. They had to had to be apart for the short term to get their eternity but the duality of Lucifer's ending and Amenadiel's didn't sit right. Amenadiel as God got to have it all. His calling, his family etc. while Lucifer had to give up everything.  I also don’t buy the “If he came up from hell, he could never leave them again” defense.  I call bullshit.  Amenadiel managed, plus, missing out on the day to day is a huge sacrifice and by Lucifer missing out on the day-to-day Rory could still have had the hatred she needed to drive the story.  Popping in for birthdays, graduations, weddings, etc., the big stuff does not a father make.  Not being there for skinned knees, first heartbreaks, and all the little things a daughter needs her dad for can build up tons of resentment.  Boom, absentee father, just like his dad was. That provides all the millennial angel angst you could ask for. I have a daughter; it doesn’t take much.

The Trixie issue was huge for me. Can Chloe see her in Heaven? Will she be able to travel to Heaven and visit Trixie, Penelope, Dan, her father?  Chloe hesitated leaving Heaven in 5x16 because she couldn’t bear saying good-bye to her dad again. It seems as if Chloe sacrificed everything for Rory including Trixie. I want to preface this by saying. I liked Rory and loved the actress. I didn’t however like how it was as if she were their only child.  When Lucifer spoke of family Trixie was not mentioned. Their family day, the same thing. She didn’t need to be there, I get that the explanation regarding Rory would have been way too much to get into but just a mention of her, how awesome it would have been to share this day with her would have worked. It seemed as if Lucifer went from, “I would do anything to protect that little Urchin” to “Trixie who”. Trixie was a character that we watched grow up and she meant something to us. I hate to say this, but the writers did Trixie and the viewers dirty in this regard.

This show was built around a few premises.  Free will, honesty, redemption, sacrifice and family, both blood and made. The ending completely negated almost all of these.  Chloe and their entire family were made into the one thing Lucifer abhorred the most which are liars. Their daughter was brought up surrounded by lies. What did they tell Trixie?  The poor kid just lost her dad, and she was pissed at Lucifer when he went back to hell the first time. Did she grow up hating him because as far as she knew Lucifer left her mom again without saying good-bye and this time it was even worse because Chloe was pregnant.  I get that the actress who plays Trixie had limited availability but seriously. A quick good-bye.

“Hey Urchin, you won’t understand why for a long time, but I have to leave. You know I never lie so I can’t explain why but know that I love you and your mom and one day I hope you can forgive me.”  

A 30 second scene would have worked.

As all the characters learned throughout the series, omission of the truth is just a form of lying and there are always repercussions i.e., Chloe and Father Kinley, Dan shooting Lucifer, Maze finding out about Lilith and even Ella not being told. As far as free will, both Chloe and Lucifer had their free will taken from them in the end. By Rory forcing them to abide by her wishes, their free will was forfeited. It was a huge manipulation on Rory’s part and considering how much Lucifer hated manipulations it just didn’t sit right.

Parents making huge sacrifices I get. Chloe and Lucifer sacrificed everything for their child. Unfortunately for me this sacrifice, the way it was written seemed contrived to pull out maximum and IMO unjustified angst. I love angst.  Hell, this is my favorite show.  I thrive on the angst. But as I wrote earlier, all the anger, angst and hatred towards Lucifer could have been achieved without having Lucifer completely out of the picture. I have two kids and my husband, and I have made huge life altering sacrifices for them as many parents do but being there for the day-to-day little things was what made the difference in their lives and cemented the close relationships we have with them.

“Yeah, dad you were great. Showing up for the fun stuff, always swooping in for the big finish to play the hero then ditching us when things got tough. When Grandma was dying where were you?  Nice that you showed up for the funeral but the six months leading up to it…we needed you and once again you weren’t there. When T got sick, when Jen broke my heart, blah, blah, blah…”

Even the whole Chloe dying scenario. They could have written it that rage Rory traveled minutes before Lucifer got there. Have him pop in right after Rory comes back. There were so many ways to achieve the end game they wanted other than the way they went. It seemed contrived and as if they took the easy way out to get where they needed to go. The Rory rage that was the catalyst for her traveling back in time and Lucifer finding his calling could still have been accomplished without the whole Lucifer disappearing storyline.

Now that I’ve finished my diatribe there’s a couple of additional things I would like to say.  Lucifer is and always will be one of my favorite shows of all time. There are not enough words to describe the comfort and enjoyment this show has brought me. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the producers, cast and crew. You truly created something special.

To the fandom. Please do not let a polarizing conclusion rip apart the fandom. The only other fandom I was a part of tore itself apart so badly that the FBI got involved.  Hence why I waited for 15 years to dip my toe in again. Everyone invested in this show has the right to their feelings.  Debate is fine, baiting and bullying are not. The Lucifer fandom like the show is very special. Without the fandom we wouldn’t have gotten any conclusion so don’t let opposing viewpoints tarnish what has been a magical journey.