#i thought this was gonna be a short review 😭 why do i keep doing this to myself

[curestardust]

Dust Watched: Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King

Genres: Shounen (VERY), Fantasy (Magic) // 1 movie (2h) // S01 (x)

As I don’t keep up with anime news very much, I’ve lived under the assumption that this movie was a continuation of the main series. It isn’t. My disappointment was immeasurable and my day was ruined... Okay, not really, but the first 5-10 minutes of this movie gave me whiplash.

✧  story  ✧

Now I’m not sure if this is considered canon as a freshly minted booklet/manga was made alongside the movie, explaining the plot and characters. The story takes place after the (VERY LONG) Elf Arc but before the Spade Kingdom Arc. Now, considering that the whole lead-up to the latter is the Magic Knights training to become stronger because they are too weak to take on the Dark Triad, I’m going to file this away as an AU because the cast is way too OP in this movie.

This movie is the most Shounen thing I’ve seen in ages. It’s literally 2 hours of non-stop battle sequences with barely any downtime and... it’s great! If you like that thing (and if you’re a Shounen fan then you most likely do). It’s basically an arc without the filler. 

The plot itself is paper thin on the surface. The former Wizard King, Conrad, breaks Julius’ seal that was keeping him imprisoned. Then using the Sword of the Wizard King, Elsdocia, he revives 3 former Wizard Kings who held very similiar ideals to him: in order for an equal society to be born the current one needed to be completely destroyed because it was rotten to its core. I’ll further go into these characters in the next section but yeah, that’s about it. Four incredibly powerful Wizards are trying to destroy the Clover Kingdom and our main characters try to do everything in their power to stop them.

Also, the fight choreography! Probably the best parts of the original season were the fights against the powerful villains, however those fights often only included 3 or max 4 characters using their magic together. In this movie, the scale is MUCH bigger. It was a lot of fun!

✧  characters  ✧

A few mentions on the already existing cast: Asta and Yuno probably interacted more in this movie than in the last 50 episodes of the original season, the side characters didn’t get much screentime but the ones they did were used very well and highlighted the most important part of their personalities and/or skills.

An absolute highlight of the movie was definitely the treatment of the female characters. Probably some of the best I’ve seen from any Shounen in recent memory (this includes the original season!). Noelle finally wasn’t used for fanservice nor was her entire arc framed around Asta. I do think her reaction to what happens to her was pretty mid but the character focus was like a revolving door so nobody really got any meaningful focus (besides Asta) so that’s more of an overall complaint I have not specific to Noelle. Nero’s new "job” was great, that science lady who showed up for like 5 minutes was great, and the obvious GOAT that cannot go unmentioned, Mereoleona, was insaneeee here. I cannot put into words how much I loved her chemistry with a certain other female character.

But that directly leads me into probably my biggest complaint with the movie, the villains. The way the 4 of them want to go about creating their equal society is portrayed as crazy, and while it’s definitely extreme, everything they say is true! In fact it’s SO true that their argument, the fact that the Wizard Kings have no power and that basically nothing has changed with the class divide and the treatment of people with weak magic powers through GENERATIONS was one of the thing I complained about in my review of the original season!

And that’s why I’m deeply disappointed that their backstories were not shown or explained *in the movie*. That booklet/manga they gave out with the release of the movie? It’s in THERE. But that makes absolutely no difference to me, and most people who’ll only watch this movie who will not understand where the villains are coming from. Because it’s such a great exploration of the world itself and proper worldbuilding has always been a weak point of Black Clover. I do understand that the flow of the movie might’ve been broken if we had flashbacks but then do what every Shounen does: make the characters drop exposition in the middle of combat. The things they say gives us a glimpse into their personalities but not where they’re coming from that they’d literally agree to come back from the dead to carry out this plan.

Of course, with the lack of any insight into their pasts, who they were teamed up against didn’t really matter but as I read their backstories on the wiki, I thought the final team ups could’ve also been tweaked so they were essentially fighting their “past selves” . I won’t go into detail about their backstories, I linked the wiki if you want to read it but I would’ve went with Princia vs Noelle, Edward vs Yuno, and Jester vs... I dunno. But he is perfectly gremlin shaped and loved him for that. Actually, by the end of the movie I grew to like all of them. But, as I keep repeating, putting more of their backstories into the movie itself would’ve made them even better.

✧  art  ✧

I was initially really scared because the movie starts off with some mad ugly CGI establishing shots but thankfully that was pretty much the only time they stuck out like a sore thumb (not a good first impression though!). For the rest of the movie, there’s so many angle changes that the CGI wasn’t noticable anymore. Princia’s soldiers were probably the weakest part of the whole movie visually but everything else around it was so high quality that I’ll give that a pass.

The animation in this movie absolutely blew me away. Especially with the length! 2 hours long and not a single drop in quality??? It was insane, BIIIIG props to the animation and art department, for real.

This movie also fixes what I mainly complained about with the original season which was that the colours were very washed out making the battles much less exciting to look at. Not here, though! A beautiful and, most importantly, vibrant colour pallette makes the fight scenes POP like they should’ve in the original.

✧  sound ✧

Probably the only part of the movie I found quite disappointing. Most of the OST felt like some Disney knock-off ‘badass fight music’ and whenever something good came on I realized that they were just the OP’s from the original season.

But holy hell, did the VA’s put on a PERFORMANCE. They were fantastic, and especially seeing how much Asta’s VA improved was a treat.

✧  overview ✧

I took off a point for the lackluster villain backstories and honestly, as much as I like bombastic Shounen fight scenes, there was so little breathing room in this movie that I kind of zoned out a few times. 

My Rating: 8/10

[prettygirlstothefloor]

Cowboy Carter Review

sorry if i write a lot. i like to yap lol

Ameriican Requiem- i'm a huge sucker for a sitar so i was gripped in from the beginning. i grew up on country music (mainly 90s/early 2000s) and so when she showed up at the CMAs and performed with the chicks it was a childhood dream. but as a person who liked country music around the time 9/11 happened, it's only become even more racist since. the way they treated her that night even though she was one of, if not THE, best performer of the night was so upsetting to watch. even as the best artist on the planet, at the top of her game, she's always going to work a million times harder than any of her peers. i'm so proud of her being able to make a song like to this to put her thoughts out on the whole night that night.

Blackbiird- obviously everyone has heard this song before. i was unaware of the actual backstory to the song since i don't follow the beatles too much (i like george harrison but that's about it lol). i was not aware that the song the song was written for black women during the civil rights movement. i assumed the song was mainly written by john lennon who to my knowledge was kind of a grifter when it came to his activism. having this song come right after ameriican requiem is so poetic.

16 Carriages- shockingly i was able to avoid hearing this song in full until tonight. i tend to only do one single per release and so texas hold em was the one. this song is so heartbreaking because i think about all the kids in the entertainment industry who can probably relate to this song all too well

Protector- these songs she makes for her kids... i'm gonna need her to stop. not because they're bad but i straight up can't listen to blue and probably this song because i want a mom like this 😭

My Rose- i hate that this is an interlude. it's so beautiful and not to be dramatic should've been 10 hours long

Smoke Hour • Willie Nelson- idk what to say about this one lol

Texas Hold 'Em- i love this song. the only problem i have with it is it sounds too clean. like the production sounds too clean. maybe it sounds better on the radio where the quality is lower than streaming but its definitely a song that needs to be played not so isolated.

Bodyguard- there's something in this song. she channeled carole king for this on or something. it's so good instantly a top 20 if not top 10 song of hers through her whole discography.

Dolly P- once again idk what to say about this one its too short to say anything

Jolene- i mean i think the same way about her version as i do about dolly's version. why are we getting mad at these women when we should be getting mad at the men?? take away that beyonce is beyonce for a second. if she was a normal lady and this girl was unaware her man was taken, isn't that more on him than anyone? he's letting it happen.

Daughter- her voice in this song is insanity. the control she has is unmatched truly.

Spaghettii- the beat omgggg. i know this would hit so hard in a mashup with "my house" i'm obsessed.

Alliigator Tears- just from hearing snippets of the country music that's on the radio nowadays, i think this might be one of the few songs from this album that they will eat up. i'm not saying that as a diss at all. i love this song alot especially after a second listen.

Smoke Hour II- i guess i can add on here a random tid bit. i made a country playlist in preperation for the album to come out. i made it on valentine's day. tell me why i named it KNTRY. i didn't even know the "radio station" she has on the album was called that lol.

Just for Fun- i don't listen to lana del rey anymore. i had a small time during last year where i did but then she got real messy again and signed that letter thanking joe biden. that being said this song sounds identical to "norman fucking rockwell". which is a compliment because both are good songs. keep jack antonoff away from beyonce though. that's the good thing about beyonce is she doesn't sound like everyone else which he makes everyone do (yes i am a fan of him but i'm critical of his production lol)

II Most Wanted- i'm sorry i've never been a fan of miley cyrus (except for the song she did for black mirror and that one EP she put out). i want to like this song because i like aspects of the song but it being a miley cyrus song with a beyonce feature is not want i want.

Levii's Jeans- this is also a collab i'm not a fan of. i actually enjoy post malone but i would've liked to see them in a more upbeat song.

Flamenco- idk how to take this song. it's stunning as usual. my thoughts on the lyrics though is she's kinda talking to fans maybe like the OG like destiny's child fans who have started to leave because she's starting to experiment more with her sound and they miss her old sound. i would love to know her take on this song in particular. because i know so many artists who decide to change their sound throughout each release are terrified of losing fans because they're so stuck on a certain sound.

The Linda Martell Show- another one i can't say much on since it's an interlude

Ya Ya- now.... remember what i said about bodyguard??? easily top 10. idk where on my ranking but it's there. the interpolation of "these boots were made for walking" and "good vibrations". there's something about that old soul rock sound that gets me every single time. i know that it doesn't sound anything alike but "freedom" has that same vibe, where it takes alot from old 60s blues soul rock. this is gonna hit so good on tour!

Oh Louisiana- i will say i really like this interlude. second favorite out of the ones with actual music

Desert Eagle- another song she chose to make extremely short when it should've been hours long... come on B

Riiverdance- its a fun and cute song. i think the beat is good but i think i like it more on my first listen.

II Hands II Heaven- i'm hoping this will finally click for me. im seeing everyone really love this song but idk whats not clicking for me. i'll definitely keep listening to it though maybe someday.

Tyrant- someone said this is the thique of cowboy carter and yeah i can definitely hear it. it's a sexy song and it's a fun song. definitely like it alot more after a second listen

Sweet • Honey • Buckiin'- her sampling "i fall to pieces" in this song is so special to me. i do want someone to take this "honey" and add it to the end of pure/honey though i wonder if it would sound any good. i think sweet and buckiin are the best songs out of the three of these.

Amen- i love how this really rounds out the album, calling back to the first song. it feels and is a very emotional song. don't know if i'll go back to it only because i think it could make me cry lol

overall, i think it's a solid album. if we're comparing the acts, which idk how you can because they're two distinctly different sounds, i would probably still go with renaissance but there's still so many solid songs on this album that are now some of my top faves. usually i rate out of 10 but it feels too low tbh, so i'm rating it out of 100. it will definitely grow on me just like renaissance did. 89/100.

[gunsatthaphan]

GMMTV 2024 part 1 - review

another year, another lineup, another post that no one asked for dhkgdf

But here are my thoughts on the announced shows from today (in order of announcement, BLs are marked with a 🏳️‍🌈, personal favorites are marked with a 🌟):

My Precious The Series: This project has been lingering around for 4 years now since it was announced and I'm tired lmao why are they making this into a series now??? I have many questions. I never had any desire to watch the movie, it seems like a generic coming of age drama oozing with unnecessary nostalgia so it's a pass for me. .

Ploy's Yearbook (🌟): I like this one!!!! It's giving I'm Tee Me Too but with a female ensemble cast, all of which are fantastic and also the rest of the cast is very promising and we're in for a lot of new ships - I was hoping Earth and the other 30yr olds would finally be free of the blue shorts but maybe this the last one 🤡 but anyway yes I will definitely be tuning into that one 👍🏻 .

We Are (🏳️‍🌈): I'm just gonna go ahead and assume this is the WabiSabi show because it looks terrible. Like how lazy do you have to be to just throw a bunch of BL side- and 1 mainstream couple into the same show with the most basic plot you can think of like what a joke?? WinnySatang are another side couple in this so either they're getting their actual debut show in part 2 or this has all been a scam lol. I expected a lot more, same goes for AouBoom and MarcPawin, who I was hoping would maybe get a comeback show. Also PondPhuwin going from NLMG to this is.... a choice. Don't wanna judge too fast but the trailer made it seem like no effort went into this at all. Hoping for a better end result. .

The Trainee (🏳️‍🌈): Oh look!!! It's OffGun show number 6 lmao rip. I'm not gonna comment on this matter again, I guess they'll just be around forever and that's that lmao. But anyway I'm a little confused by this show, the premise seems fun but?? I have questions lol. I'm excited to see View and Piploy though and I'll just keep an open mind. .

Only Boo (🏳️‍🌈): How did we go from Only Friends to Only Boo lmao what a downgrade. I wanted an all-newbie BL and I'm excited to finally see some new faces but I guess I fooled myself into anticipating a setting that's not highschool lmao. This is another show that I'm clearly too old for but it's also the MSP of 2024 and that ended up being nicer than expected so maybe this will be the same. We shall see. .

Pluto (🏳️‍🌈 🌟): I'm 😭😭😭 This was such a huge surprise I'm still shook lmao. Namtan and Film is not only a couple I never expected in 432 years lmao but also a very strong combination in terms of acting and I'm SO into it. They're revisiting a plot about a disability which is still something I'm dreading about Last Twilight so I guess it comes down to the director again. Let's hope they do it justice. Also the twin story could be tricky, I'm getting some Not Me vibes plot-wise but regardless the trailer looks super interesting to me, also Ciize and Kapook?? YES please. I'm so hyped for this!!!! 🥺 .

On Sale (🌟): Ghostbusters but make it TayNew? I love it lol this looks so fun, I'm very intrigued. I wasn't a huge fan of New before but he climbed up the ladder with The Warp Effect real fast because he undeniably excels at playing awkward goofy characters and this looks like another chance for him to showcase that lol. Him and Tay have always worked better as a comedic duo for me so I'm actually excited that this will be more of a bromance situation lol. Also Mook and Jan are excellent additions so I will be watching this for sure!! .

Ossan's Love Thailand (🏳️‍🌈, remake): I have very mixed feelings about this, I have not seen the original show but from what I've gathered, this does not seem fitting for EarthMix, also is it really necessary to remake another Japanese BL? But this is coming from someone who's not exactly a JBL connoisseur so I guess I'm biased. It seems that after MLC they became enthusiastic about the idea of casting EM in more mature roles which I endorse very much but aren't the people in the OG literally 40 💀 idk I'm curious to see what they make of it and also if we will ever get to see a trailer because we all know how that went with Cherry Magic lol. oh well. .

My Golden Blood (🏳️‍🌈🌟): Well well well. what do we have here. This is for sure the biggest surprise since Be My Favorite lmao I can't believe Gawin is bringing yet another retired BL actor back from the dead and this time it's supernatural kjdhgd. The vampire genre is something I never thought GMMTV would take on but like?? I'm excited?? I'm so happy to see my boy Gawin in another main role and Joss is such an interesting partner but he fits the genre very well imo lol. Also Neo and Mond?? I'm so ready. Hoping for a release around Halloween next year for obvious reasons lol ✌🏻 .

Kidnap (?): Another show another confusion lmao this looks like Double Savage 2.0 to me, Ohm is caught in another mafia situation but this time not with his brother but with someone who's either a bro or a 💖 bro 💖 lmao but this smells like bromance to me. Ohm would never. And besides that I'm not really intrigued. next. .

Summer Night: This is kinda strange because everything about this seems like a BL but... it's not? the first 30 seconds had me convinced PhuwinDunk were gonna be the new thing on the block lmao but yeah apparently not. If I squint my eyes I would think this is Hidden Agenda 2 but with more girls lol and tbh I expected another JD series but regardless the plot seems a bit generic to me so I'm on the fence about it for now. .

Wandee Goodday (🏳️‍🌈): This looks like the Walmart version of Only Friends tbh but guess what I'm on board lmao. It's AllThis Entertainment's new project which means no Eclipse Season 2 (thank god). Great and Inn are a pair I did not see coming and tbh I did not expect Great to even take on a BL role to begin with but I'm intrigued! The director has been moving on a vast spectrum of different genres lately and this is another one that's completely different from their previous works. But I'm excited. It looks kinky and violent. perfect. .

Highschool Frenemy: All I'm seeing is people beating each other up and calling each other friends afterwards so yeah. not my thing. next. .

My Love Mix-Up (🏳️‍🌈, remake): I'm not a huge fan of this, not just because I didn't like the original but because I was hoping to see GemFourth in a different setting. I'm confident they can do it justice though and deliver a good outcome, especially regarding the comedy, but other than that this isn't going on my watchlist for now. .

conclusion: this was a wild rollercoaster lol, every trailer was a stressful game of Het, Gay or Bromance lmao - The majority of this lineup was not to my liking but then again I appreciated the variety because from puppy love highschool romance to gay vampires is a spectrum you really can't complain about lmao. My 2 highlights for now are Pluto and My Golden Blood simply because they're both a massive surprise that they kept very well hidden lol, I'm also intrigued by Wandee Goodday and Ploy's Yearbook because those have great ensemble casts.

One thing I'm missing from the BL lineup though is a genuine romance, something that's deep and genuine and more mature. What they announced seems fun but for the most part either silly or drowned out by 32 couples at the same time lol. so I really hope we will get something a little more serious that also talks about lgbt issues in part 2; Something like Be My Favorite would be nice, maybe minus the supernatural element.

I did not expect them to announce 15 series already, considering this is only part 1 so who knows what part 2 will bring. I'm expecting FK to make an appearance as well as PerthChimon since they are the only 2 couples that have not shown up, also possibly JoongDunk because I can't imagine they would separate them just yet. Looking forward to December! ✌🏻

Don't hesitate to drop your thoughts below! 🧡

xxx

[silverutahraptor]

Fic Writer Review

Tagged by @syusukerambles. Thank you, this looks like a lot of fun! ❤️

1. How many fics on AO3?

24

2. Total AO3 wordcount?

53,230

Huh. That’s quite a lot considering I started out just writing drabbles.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Naruto (21)

91 Days (2)

The Silmarillion (1)

4. Top Five by Kudos?

- A Handful of Wisdom

- in screaming color

- a million dreams (are keeping me awake)

- don't trust them, brother (oh, but look at me now)

- fall in love with your rival they said (it'll be great they said)      

Everything but the fourth one are TobiIzu. I see a trend there XD

5. Do you respond to comments, why/why not?

I do! At the very least to say thanks, and it can be lot of fun to go back and forth in the comment section. There have been a few comments where I’ve been stumped for an answer—where someone completely went off on a tangent and/or commented something that imo didn’t have anything to do with my fic.

6. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Some of my drabbles end in an angsty/dark way, but for full fics it’s either all the love in all the world or heart to heart—which end in a similar way, actually ;)

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've written? 

Not yet : D Because I think my Pacific Rim AU isn’t a crossover but a fusion/AU?

I have plans for a series of crossovers that are basically just oneshots of me yeeting Izuna into fandoms of my choice though. It’s gonna be FUN! ... There’s also a kinda crazy Harry Potter crossover oneshot in my WIPs somewhere.

8. Have you received hate on a fic?

Not yet (hopefully not ever). Though recently I’ve got a few comments that were literally just “when are you updating/the chapters are so short” which tbh borders on hate for me.

9. Do you write smut?

Not yet XD I would like to try though. Working on that...

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No!

11. Ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

12. Ever co-written a fic before?

The Pacific Rim AU, Ghost of Me (Ghost of You), is cowritten with the amazing @good-grievance.

13. All time favourite ship?

...TobiIzu if we’re talking about Naruto Founders.

14. What's a WIP you want to finish, but don't think you ever will?

...Hopefully I’ll finish all of them? XD I have a few early WIPs/plot bunnies that got kinda integrated in new WIPs or existing fics, so I think I won’t write those anymore. We’ll see.

15. What are your writing strengths?

 Uhhhh I think I’m pretty good at writing Izuna? Doing heartbreaking twists at the ending.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue and also long paragraphs. I think I took the whole “new character/new action happening = new paragraph” rule too serious and now I can’t for the life of me write long paragraphs anymore...

17. What are your thoughts of writing dialogue in other languages?

Haven’t done it before. I like it but only if there are translations somewhere, otherwise it bothers me a bit.

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Hm. Probably Lord of the Rings back in my teenagers, along with Tokio Hotel RPF. The first fic I published on AO3 was for Naruto Founders!

19. Favourite fic you've ever written?

... Don’t ask me to choose one of them 😭

Tagging (only if you want to, no pressure ❤️) @silent-silver-slip @good-grievance @writhingbeneathyou @mira--mira @phlebaswrites @bumpkin-spice @tuliharja @madmothmadame @nighthunterdeath @awintersrose @matcha-bear @loekas

Also anyone who wants to do this—y’all know my brain keeps forgetting people...

[softmichii]

hey everyone

im gonna use tumblr for the first time in literal years to talk about the books ill be reading / have been reading and keep track of them. ive always read books when i would be in a dark place in my life but recently ive been reading for fun! i honestly prefer the reading with a healthy mindset rather than a toxic one. but anyways i wanna talk about this book called

normal people

rating: 4/5 stars

my thoughts: my cousin told me a month ago or so that she would reccomend me this book. i asked her why and she told me it was quite a fun read. it took me a while to get to it but once i did get to read it i was shocked to have finished it in such a short amount of time

the book is a story about the love between marianne and connell. at first i was quite shocked by their sudden friends with benefits type of deal but then they began to learn from each other and boy do these people have ISSUES 😭

throughout the story i would really emphasize with the characters and get angry at the scenarios they would be in. i was feeling for these characters in a way i haven’t felt in a long while. i was enjoying my time with the plot but there’s a personal critique i have of it.

the way these two don’t communicate bothers me to my coreeee. i think the author intended to do this and boy did it work because i would get so frustrated when they would separate over things that could have been solved if you just TALKED.

sometimes i just wanted to lock those two up and tell them to speak. but i understand why that couldn’t be. these two were suffering with changes from high school to college , being “together” and growing up somewhere they weren’t familiar with. plus their personal lives were sort of messed up in one way or another.

overall, i enjoyed the book. i thought it was a good read to have and it started my love for book reading again. i won’t forget about it

ps: sorry for my crappy “review” this is mostly for me. imma post another one after this and begin my journey of reading for leisure again 🤍