#i wanna finish the audio drama and reading it some time

[queseraphita]

When i think about Jiang Sect and their main family like a business, I get this very vivid "treat each other like family" or "you're part of the family" relationship with Wei Wuxian has to the main family. I truly understand how precarious his status becomes in the Jiang sect becomes. Like an indentured servitude contract that continues gaining debt interest solely to keep you there indefinitely

[karasukarei]

Wind Breaker Drama CD vol. 2 - Oedo-style Fuurin Tale (Part 1)

(t/n: I originally translated this is "Oedo-style Fuurin Story", but I think "Tale" sounds more cool)

Translation masterpost here!

Do note that the audio track for this currently isn't publicly available online. This is also longer than the first drama CD, so I might need a bit more time to finish this (and probably a few more parts...)

Note: As with the beach story, I took some liberties with translations this time to make it read more smoothly. As always, if there’s any mistakes, feel free to let me know!

Special thanks to @orewing!

Shorthand because some names are really long:

Sakura – Sakura

Nirei – Nirei

Suo – Suo

Sugishita – Sugi

Kiryuu – Kiryuu

Tsugeura – Tsuge

Hiiragi – Hiiragi

Umemiya – Ume

Scene 0 – 0:06~0:27

Nirei the narrator: It is the Bakumatsu period. In a town in Edo. At the entrance to this town, there’s a noticeboard. It’s a noticeboard erected by the strong. This is the beginning of the story of the samurai who took on the role of protecting this town in Edo. (t/n: For reference, the Bakumatsu is the time period when the Shinsengumi were active. Edo was the old name for Tokyo during the Bakumatsu)

Scene 1 – 0:28~1:49

*insert sound of wind chimes prettily sounding as the wind blows*

Sakura: Is this the town that the Fuurin-gumi is said to be in…? It does seem peaceful. I guess oden will do… (t/n: couldn’t really catch this last phrase) *stomach rumbles sadly* I’m so hungry…

Sakura: *sniffs air like a dog* This smell… Is it from that dango shop?! *swallows hungrily* The yakidango looks really tasty… *counts coins* It’s not enough… *stomach growls sadly*

Umemiya 💙: Hey! You over there! (t/n: OMG IT’S UMEMIYAAAAAAA)

Sakura: *sighs very sadly*

Umemiya: Heeey! The guy with half white hair!

Sakura: Huh? Me? (t/n: he sounds like a lost kitten here lmao)

Umemiya: Yes you! Do you wanna eat dango together? (t/n: I’LL EAT WITH YOU)

Sakura: Huh?

Umemiya: You’re hungry aren’t you? Hehe, your stomach was rumbling so loudly I could hear it from here.

Sakura: *blushing very loudly* Hrnghk-!!! I-It’s none of your business!

Umemiya: What’s with that? It’ll be my treat!

Sakura: *blushing even more loudly* *chokes on his words* There’s no reason to give me a treat out of nowhere!

Umemiya: If you want a reason, there is one. Rather than eating dango alone, it’s much more delicious if you eat it with someone else!

Sakura: What’s with that reason? Just leave me alone-

Umemiya: Huuh? But then-

 *Sakura’s stomach demands not to be left alone*

Umemiya: Nah? (t/n: with the same energy as “gotcha”)

Sakura: Kuuu- *blushes so hard he’s about to catch on fire*

Scene 2 – 1:50~2:55

Sakura: Mmm delicious!!! 

Umemiya: Right?? The dango here is one of my favourites. And Sakura, is it? You said you came from out of town? What did you come to this town for?

Sakura: Since you’re from this town you should at least know their name right? The notorious samurai group Fuurin-gumi. The group is filled with ruffians, but I came here to become the top of the Fuurin-gumi. (t/n: you’re gonna regret saying this Sakura)

Umemiya: Ohhh… You sure do have confidence in your strength.

Sakura: Till now, I’ve been storming dojos across various towns to hone my fist. *eats hungrily* (t/n: He’s referring to dojoyaburi / dojo breaking, when you go pick a fight with another dojo to show who’s superior. The losing dojo often loses both prestige and standing, and its students often leave for the winning school.)

Umemiya: You…

Sakura: *with a mouth full of dango* At any rate, you too-

Umemiya: Isn’t that great?! The top!

Sakura: Eh?

Umemiya: I see, the top, haha! *smacks Sakura very happily on the back* Yes, I see!

Sakura: That hurts! And don’t hit me when I’m eating dango, that’s dangerous. (t/n: people literally die every year from choking on dango)

Umemiya: Hahahaha, my bad my bad. 

Sakura: What a weirdo…

Scene 3 – 2:56~5:16

*insert sound of wind chimes prettily sounding as the wind blows*

Sakura: Yosh. *getting ready to leave*

Umemiya: What. you’re already leaving?

Sakura: Yup, I’ve already eaten the dango. *takes a few steps and walks*

Umemiya: Hm? What is it?

Sakura: *blushing enough to be heard through the speaker* I don’t think we’ll meet again, but… thanks for the food.

Umemiya: Uoh! It was fun eating dango with you too! Till we meet again!

Sakura: *grumbling under his breath as he walks away* I already said we likely won’t meet again, why’d he still say “till we meet again”... And anyway, what kind of person buys dango for a person they don’t even know?! And why am I so mad about it?! (t/n: he sounds like a really grumpy old man here www) *sighs* Someone like him… is probably from a different kind of world from me…

*Sakura walks some more*

Sakura: I heard that the barracks for Fuurin-gumi is supposed to be around here… is it that?

Nirei: E-excuse me, is this the barracks for Fuurin-gumi…?

Sugi: *grunts*

Nirei: It is right, it’s obvious! It’s nicely written here right?

Sugi: *more grunting*

Nirei: U-um, could you perhaps be from Sugishita-san from Tamonshuu’s First Squad?

Sugi: *gasps of suspicion* You, could you be-!?

Nirei: Heeeeeee!!! I’m sorry I swear I’m not a suspicious figure!! I am Nirei, and I’d like to join-

Sugi: Coming to join Fuurin-gumi, you sure have some guts! *draws sword*

Nirei: A-ah, I’m begging you please don’t cut me down!!

Sakura: Oi! Stop it!

Nirei: Eh?

Sugi: Huh?

Sakura: If you can draw your sword at a guy like him, then Fuurin-gumi really is as the rumours say- it’s where all the messed up people gather. Oi, you.

Nirei: Y-Yes!

Sakura: You stand down. I’ll be this guy’s opponent. *gets ready to draw sword*

Sugi: Are you this guy’s friend?

Nirei: You… Why are you saving me?

Sakura: Friend? Save? Don’t get me wrong. I’m just interested in strong people. *draws sword*

Nirei: Wh-what do I do?!

Tsuge: Oiii Sugishita-kun, it’s time to switch shifts! What’re you doing?

Nirei: Uwah! Fuurin-gumi member!

Tsuge: I don’t know what’s going on, but you guys look real macho. (t/n: unfortunately Tsuge speaks with some sort of dialect and I cannot figure out the last part of this sentence. If you know what he’s saying, do feel free to let me know!

[phil-lesterfan]

yaoi scholar….. pls i finished the untamed and word of honor what should my next drama be 👀 (happy endings only pls)

also i wanna know your fav bls. if you’ve the time!!

hallo! i didn't mean to let this sit for so long, but i've been using my phone more and don't like answering asks there. i don't actually know many cdramas, but i've got other dramas to rec, if that's alright!

(C/K/J)DRAMAS/LAKORNS:

sotus & sotus s (thai)*

history3: trapped (taiwanese)

seven days (japanese)*

manner of death (thai)*

restart after coming back home (japanese)*

together with me (thai)

long time no see (korean)

semantic error (korean)*

you can watch 2moons2 for the full story, but honestly, the original 2moons mingkit cut is everything to me (thai)*

*based off novel/manga/manhwa

20 of my fav bls under the cut :)

initially, i was going to call it my "top 10", but it's not my top ten, it's just favs that i really love or think you (sara) would also enjoy. so it's just 20 "random" favs. if you (general) want, i can upload the 200+ long list and even include "reviews" of my favourites, but i'll only do that upon request. also here's my blanket rec for mxtx's works. svsss is my fav. i'm very easy. thank you <3

20 OF MY FAV BLS:

sotus is very dear to my heart. i watched it right before i went to university, so it really set that mood for me lol it's not a perfect story, the audio is shit at some parts, and the acting was sometimes stiff, but when the show hit, my fucking god did it HIT. of course i roped all my friends into watching it. it was based on a novel, but the novel didn't particularly stand out to me (sorry). there's also a manga now (3 vols) but i'm just loyal to the show, y'know? it also has a sequel, and that one made one of my friend cry (i actually had to pause the show lol), but for me, the first season is what's rly stellar. (lakorn / rewatches: 4? 5? a lot?)

sasaki and miyano by syou harusono is such an easy read, with lovely art, cute characters, and the softest, sweetest romance. it makes me feel like i've been hit by a car, then the car backed up and drove over me again. sasaki is the light of my life (and also if i looked like him, i'd never shut up. and i project just a little bit too bc oh he just like me fr), and everyday i think about making him my pfp. i owe syou harusono my life. i want to say more about this bc it rly is my fav manga perhaps of all time but that also means i can't say more about it LOL (manga / rereads: 6)

the cat proposed (bakeneko katatte sourou) by hayane dento is quite possibly the best manga i've ever read. the writing is so beautiful, and it's a really relatable and inspiring story for me. plus it's got catboys. *motions to my dnp catboy pfp* but in all seriousness, it's a genuinely great story that squeezes my heart and leaves me in tears (manga / rereads: 5)

doukyuusei is a certified bl classic. i've not read the entire manga series, but i've got the anime film saved to my laptop. that was another thing i roped all my friends into watching, and yes, everyone was gagged (animanga / rewatches: 4?)

koimonogatari by tagura tohru is incomplete, and the "love" part isn't there yet, but my fucking god. i think i just picked it up for funsies at the bookstore, but man was i unprepared. it's not a fun read by any means, nor is it easy, it's actually pretty brutal, but it's a good story, so i felt i should include it. (it is one of my faves) (manga / rereads: none bc i will kill myself.)

summer of you (kimi wa natsu no naka) by furuya nagisa changed me. it was one of those manga that was in my to read list for a really long time, but i just never did it. when i finally did, i totally regret putting it off. i think i cried. it has a sequel (summer with you), and that was good too, but that first one just really got me (manga / rereads: 1)

fools by yeongha has an art style i will forever be jealous of. the original, that is. i'm sure the remastered version is great, and probably the one i should read, but i'm just way too attached to the original and the art is (in my opinion) way better. the story is fun and sweet, and i read it at another formative time in my life. *jazz hands* (manhwa / rereads: 3)

my darling signed in by dimang and new lung. if there's one thing about me, i'm gonna read a video game catfish story. this manhwa is so fucking ridiculous, but i love it. it actually gets pretty dark, which took me by surprise the first time i read it, but it's not between the main cp, if you're worried about that (manhwa / rereads: 3)

dasadanan by herb mandu also has just lovely art. i can just stare at it for ages bc i'm so obsessed. also there's side gl, and i love those two girls so damn much. the story is very easy to read, fluffy, and it's just good feelings all around. it also has some really silly extras. (manhwa / rereads: 4)

history3: trapped is so... it is also dear to me. the main couple is funny and cute; however, it's the side couple that really gets to me. they're so ridiculous and fun, and the actor for zhao zi is an acrobat? does acrobatic dance? i'm not sure exactly, but they wanted to showcase that so he'd just be doing some random gymnast shit for no reason and it's so funny. and jack was made in a lab for me, so. y'know. (drama / rewatches: 2, about to be 3)

glasses cloth and playlist by gwak jonpil was recommended to me by a friend i believe, and i'm so glad i read it. it's another easy read and also very ridiculous, but when i say something is "ridiculous", that's usually a huge compliment. i LOLed at, like, every other panel. the main cp is so damn ridiculous, and i adore them. (manhwa / rereads: 1)

starting with a lie by liang azha has the softest art i've ever seen. that manhua is like a warm hug, if a warm hug also had you gritting your teeth and clenching your fists because GODDAMN JUST GET TOGETHER FOR REAL ALREADY! i love it. oh, but i don't like qiu tian. sorry. (manhua / rereads: 2)

how to survive as a villain by yi yi yi yi is... look, i'm sure it has flaws, right? every story has flaws, but wherever they are, i did not see them. i mean, it's a little bit ridiculous at times, but again, "ridiculous", and the mc was transmigrated into a once-good now-trashy harem novel. and he's also smart but oblivious. bound to be a little bit silly. but also this novel ripped out my heart and stomped on it. and i thought it wouldn't happen with the manhua, but i cried then too. what the hell. i really enjoyed this story, and i think it's what got me into transmigration stories in general :P (danmei / rereads: 2)

a shoulder to cry on by dongmul. okay. OKAY. this is not a "happy" story to most. also the ending without the extras/epilogue is bittersweet to ambiguous. the issue here is that I LOVE ENDINGS LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!! this story is so damn good and i like the art a lot and god, some of the quotes? every time i reach certain scenes i have to pause and stare at the wall because no fucking way. it's just too good. i should go ahead and warn that the couple doesn't have the healthiest of dynamics and their relationship starts bc one of them lies and accuses the other of sexual harassment, so. i'm just letting you know now. but i let myself have toxic yaoi. as a treat. tbh to me it's not that bad, but i know everyone has different intensity levels, so. (manhwa / rereads: 3)

never understand by bbong is an... interesting read. arguably more toxic yaoi, and everyone at times can be kind of awful and annoying, but i think that's fun. sorry. i vividly remember reading this for the first time. for some reason. also, as with a good amount of manhwa that i read in my more formative years, i like this art style. (manhwa / rereads: 1)

semantic error by j soori and angy kim is a lot more graphic and hardcore (sex-wise) than the kdrama, which makes sense, but like... DAMN! my toxic trait is that every three panels i pause and go "hey does anyone else think these guys look like jaedo?" and the sniper that's supposed to shoot me any time i bring up rps lets me live because i'm objectively right. the characters are so damn infuriating, but i like watching car crashes, so it's alright. plus the art is good and, well, i never said i don't ship jaedo. *glass next to me explodes after a bullet cuts through it* whatever! (rereads: none bc it ended not that long ago. but i'll probably reread it soon)

no.6 by asano atsuko and here comes all the haters being like, "oh, that's not bl!" "that's more than bl!" "[some more dumb shit i don't care about]!" suck my pussy. i don't care. i loooove the novels and hope we get a printed official english translation. people are right to say the romance isn't the focus, but it's there, and honestly, i love plotty shit. i've heard it's supposed to be the "happy version" of banana fish or whatever the fuck, but damn if that's not a fucked up version of happy. i sobbed my fucking eyes out (novel & animanga / rereads: 2)

snow fairy by serizawa tomo. i'm not gonna lie, i don't remember this story, but on my big list it has a heart next to it, and i feel like i cried when i read it. i've said i've cried about like half of these, and i cry when i see something cute or when i think about my blorbo or when a song is pretty, so that means nothing. but this one really got to me! i think it was just a simple story with lovely art. it aches, maybe. actually, i've just found my initial review, which reads: "im so miserable....." (rereads: none, but i'd like to reread it asap)

bj alex by mingwa. insert loud and disappointed "ooh" from the crowd bc really, phil-lesterfan? i thought you were a scholar? with taste? LOOK. i know this is a basic manhwa, and i couldn't give a rat's ass about the side cp, but ahn jiwon somehow became pookie. it is agonising, though, 'cause like i said, i don't care about the side cp, but oh my fucking god, it feels like everyone else only cares about them. shoot me. also the side cp is into bdsm, but you can skip over their shit honestly. (rereads: 2)

aien catharsis by oshima kamome was another manga that'd been in my tbr list for ages. i really like how the story feels. aaaaand i just reread it and ah. i see why it affected me. (if you can guess what line stuck out to me, lmk, i'd love to hear it heh) it's historical fiction and has lovely art. tw for sexual assault, but it's not between the cp and it's also not shown. (manga / rereads: 2)

like i said, i have a lot more favs, so if anyone wants the full list, just ask. or if you don't want the full list, i can give rec lists for certain genres or just manga or just danmei, etc, etc. i know i'm in batman hell right now (ah. western yaoi....), but i've been fujoshing since i was like... ten. okay this is of course way longer than it should be. hope u enjoy if you read any of these ^_^ <3

[variousqueerthings]

Hi!

I’m currently watching Doctor Who (2005) for the first time. Just finished season 4.

And I just read your post from last October (?), where you state that you dislike the character River Song. And even though this might sound a bit mean, I was so happy to read that I’m not alone in my strange aversion against this character from the very moment she appeared in the Library episode. Similar to you I just don’t like the fact, that one of the companions is getting this kind of super special treatment, especially when it is interwoven with a romance and even marriage.

Now I’m a bit apprehensive to start with season 5, because I know River Song will be a huge part of the plot... Is it possible to skip her episodes or would I get problems to follow the overarching story line, when doing so?

Something else I noticed and wanted to ask about is the fact that River Song only appeared in the TV series up to and including season 9 (according to the tardis wiki). I know there are many other kinds of media she appears in after 2015. But I’m curious if they indeed dropped the character in the TV show in some way after a couple of seasons?

So far I enjoyed Doctor Who immensely. It is a fun watch, a great opportunity to get lost in strange worlds and, on a more personal level, a nice way to relax after a busy workday. So I just don’t want to ruin this experience for myself, because I have to follow a character/ or a character construct I really don’t like.

And please don’t worry about giving away future plot points. At this point it is better for my enjoyment of the story to know what will happen, at least in regards to River Song.

SoooOOOoooooeeew hello first of all hello hi! welcome to Doctor Who! (I say, if you've seen s1-4/specials you're firmly In It!)

I want to disclaim to begin with, I know a lot of people do like River Song, and would rec seeing her narrative to understand her whole... Deal. I'm personally not a fan of that narrative, but I'll give you a rundown of it below and if you decide you wanna give it a looksee, or a partial watch, there are suggestions for some episodes including her below as well

to allay your fears that she's overpowering/unavoidable, she's kind of shockingly not, considering what M*ffat seemed to want from her. you can pretty much excise her episodes from the plot and miss almost nothing (and I let you know what you do miss below)

the seasons she's in the most are s5+6. she's only in two episodes in s7 and one more in s9 (with none in s8), which ironically does make it feel even odder to me that she's presented the way she is in s4. I know in the audio dramas she does meet other Doctors but in main canon on the show she meets 10 once, 11 a few times, and 12 once. compared to characters like the Master, Jack, even Rose and Clara according to M*ffat's own canon (these are episodes you will see, so you'll know what I mean at that point) she just doesn't compute for me as this "Most Important" thing that M*ffat tries to pull, in which her "specialness" feels incredibly linked to amatornormative monogamy (and generally M*ffat's penchant for introducing women as mysteries first, and characters second). Also in s5+6 especially she's presented as this uncomfortably "femme fatale" type character with dialogue that makes me want to claw my face off

I do have a watchlist that's for when I next go into this era that does skip the River Song episodes (that being said, I actually quite like her last episode. I have a theory that Peter Capaldi is such a grounding presence that over-the-top narrative and terrible dialogue is made emotionally resonant to me)

SO, first things first, I'll give you a rundown of her arc, and then a watchlist of how I intend to enjoy s5-7 moving forwards that you can totally follow

River Song canon (in brief): River Song is the child of Amy Pond (fifth/sixth season companion) and her husband Rory (also companion in those two seasons). Because she is conceived in the Tardis, she has some regeneration energy innate to her (I wasn't a fan of that personally). Before she is born a space cult that's obsessed with the Doctor for truly overblown reasons that are never fully delved into, but can be summed up as "Gallifrey is un-destroyed and the Doctor has the ability to bring it back into the Universe by using a passcode that's his name, and so this cult has formed in order to stop the Doctor discovering this fact and uttering his name," kidnaps Amy, replaces her with a flesh double who has Amy's memories, erases her knowing she's pregnant and then have her wake up in her real body at the moment of giving birth (if this all feels violating af, yes it is and it's never addressed)

then the Doctor and Rory go to rescue her, but in the moment they succeed, they discover that the baby Amy is holding is also a flesh double and the evil cult took her daughter/River from her and... *sigh please know I am only saying this because it's how they describe it on the show* "raise her to be the perfect psychopath" whose only wish is to kill the Doctor (all this training or whatever happens offscreen), but then the Doctor almost dies while saving her life and she gives up her regenerations to save him and the obsession turns into love, and so in summary her following the Doctor around is still centred around being groomed to be obsessed with the ground the Doctor walks on (okay can you tell I really really don't like this)

there is no examination of River's trauma in all of this, and only one moment related to Amy being angry she couldn't raise her child. There's also this creepy overtone of "The Doctor can't see you ageing because then he'll get bored of you" considering she was raised to have her whole selfhood revolve around him throughout her entire childhood

the final thing about River Song is that she was held in a top-security prison for awhile because she did end up killing the Doctor due to being "programmed" to, but the Doctor knows ahead of time that this will happen and so manages to change things so he doesn't die

SO that is River Song's arc in s5+6. now let's completely avoid it -- it's surprisingly easy:

s5

ep 1. The Eleventh Hour (introduction episode)

ep 2. The Beast Below

[then come episodes Time Of Angels + Flesh & Stone. a double episode in which Amy meets the Angels and also River Song. the important thing here is that the main "mystery" are cracks in space and time that erase you from having ever existed. the other important thing here is that at the end of the episode Amy is about to get married and kisses the Doctor/tries to sleep with him the night before her wedding, and the Doctor Very Much Does Not Want This, which leads into the next story-]

ep 5. The Vampires Of Venice

ep 6. Amy's Choice

[NOW WE ARRIVE AT THE FIRST SNAG -- if you want the rest of this season's mystery, you should simply watch the rest of the season. This will include River Song in the final two episodes being involved in that mystery, but if you'd rather jump to where I personally think things get interesting again, or gauge if you're up for it, here's the short rundown of salient points:

Rory is swallowed by the cracks in time and Amy forgets his existence (but the Doctor doesn't)

Rory is brought back as an auton/living plastic out of Amy's subconscious memory of him and accidentally shoots Amy due to programming while they're in Roman-era Britain

Amy is then put into a stasis chamber for 2000 years until she can be brought back out and revived using modern technology, and auton-Rory guards that stasis chamber for 2000 years

the cracks in time came from the Tardis exploding, which is making the universe implode, but they fix that

the Doctor closes the cracks in space/time and everything is reset, including Amy's parents returning from non-existence, and Amy and Rory get married -- to be clear, we never see Amy's parents again, nor are they mentioned in the future, so this catharsis is kind of irrelevant

There is a very famous episode in this called "Vincent and the Doctor." it's about Vincent van Gogh. the only thing you need to know going in is that during this point in the timeline Amy doesn't know that Rory used to exist, otherwise it's a solid standalone episode]

S6

ep 3. The Curse Of The Black Spot (to note, I always think this episode makes more sense directly after Amy's Choice as a "they're not married yet, but they're solving their relationship issues now," because s5 never has them adequately deal with their relationship issues, but s6 is solid on that front, but that's just me)

ep 4. The Doctor's Wife

ep 9. Night Terrors (to note, this episode takes place right after they discover that River is their daughter who was stolen from them. notice how this just... never comes up)

ep 10. The Girl Who Waited

ep 11. The God Complex (to note, this is the perfect final episode for the Ponds, but I will rec two more that come next season)

Season six can genuinely just be watched as these five episodes and it's quite an enjoyable season. The only thing that hints properly at a connective tissue related to River Song is that Amy in the first two both is-and-isn't-pregnant (because Amy is a flesh-double in the first two episodes) according to the Tardis scanner, and she sometimes sees a mysterious woman with an eye-patch. this is her briefly slightly waking up while captured

neither of these are relevant to the episodes they appear in

s7

QUICK NOTE: in the first episode of this season the Doctor discovers a strange woman who has been turned into a Dalek, called Oswin. He never sees the face of this woman, but we do, and it's someone who returns again in another lifetime, under the name of "Clara Oswald" -- I do not recommend this first episode, it is Very Very bad)

4. The Power Of Three (to note, this could form a good coda for the Pond narrative and it's a fun episode, but it's not necessary to end their story if you're happy with The God Complex finishing things)

[you can watch episode 5 "The Angels Take Manhatten" if you want (I mean, you can watch anything you want). it's the official canon departure of the Ponds. it's not great, but it's not the worst episode. River Song is there, but it's not so egregious in terms of writing. if you don't want to watch it: they go back in time, there are angels, they send Rory and Amy back in time and the Doctor can't follow them there because of squiggly wuiggly logic, and so they are left to "live to death" -- Amy writes the Doctor a goodbye note in which she says she and Rory have had a very happy life together]

we have now gone past the River Song narrative for the most part, although she turns up in a genuinely not bad cameo in the s7 finale that interacts a little bit with the library episode -- do note that at this point she and the Doctor are *sigh* married I guess. I have mixed feelings about the s7 finale episodes, but it's not because of her character, and I think the latter half of s7 is worth watching for you to form your own opinion of all of it

She appears again in the Christmas special of s9, which I quite enjoyed. I think also Alex Kingston has way better chemistry with Capaldi, and I sometimes think the show knew this too, because they literally at one point had her describing Eleven/Matt Smith as looking like a 14 yr old, which is... such an odd way to describe the seeming "love of your life" or whatever

so that's it for River Song. Hope this all made sense, let me know if you have any other questions

I have a separate list I'm developing like this for Clara's era, but she might be more your cup of tea, so I'll let you engage with her for yourself to gauge. Can always reach out if you're not quite vibing with her, or if you really really are, I'd love to know your thoughts!

[nobleriver]

tag 9 people you wanna get to know better!

tagged by: @spacewives-in-spacetime in this post (who already knows I'm wordy as crap so all of this is your fault)

three ships: OTP: Doctorriver (from Doctor Who, all incarnations), BatCat (Batman/Catwoman), SasuSaku (Sasuke/Sakura from Naruto/Boruto)

I am a huge romantic. Romance, to some capacity, is required in almost every story I read or watch. As a result, I have a lot of couples I like. But shipping is another level of interest. So I decided to go with these three because I spent the most money on them lol. I've bought comics, audio dramas, books, and boxsets. And for those wondering why I didn't put Klaus/Caroline from TVD...they broke my heart that's why. :(

last song: Over the Love by Florence and the Machine

last movie: Avatar 2

currently reading: *takes a deep breath*

Ariadne: The Novel. Literally just finished this morning, so my frustration is still fresh. I absolutely adore the story of Ariadne and Bacchus. I almost wrote a novel based on them when I was 19 but I decided not to continue. But because I am so familiar and fascinated by them, I should not have bought this book. The book itself is fine. It was just a mismatch of expectations.

Yes, in the Greco-Roman myths, there is a running theme that some individuals are heroes to men but dogs to women. And there are few variations to Ariadne's story, so one never knows which direction the author will go. But there is more to Ariadne than being a perpetual victim to all the men in her life. At least, to me, there is. This is why, if I have doubts, I usually check the middle of a book before I buy it. I checked this time too, and I thought I was safe, but it was actually the last pages that ruined it for me.

I wanted to read the liberation and empowerment of Ariadne, her conversion from the naive, discarded princess to the triumphant Libera, the ascendant goddess whose name literally means free; the woman who latched hold of a once in a lifetime opportunity and carved a place for herself in the halls of Olympia after her lover, Theseus, abandoned her to starve to death on the shores of Naxos; the Libera who watched, enthroned, as her would-be killer suffered a series of mishaps and fell from grace in the eyes of gods and man.

And were all those mishaps accidents? Or curses? And if so, by whom? Her? Bacchus? Another deity? Is Ariadne foolish or cunning, haughty or generous, vengeful or forgiving? There are so many routes her story can go. However, this book does not take the route of the empowered Libera. It has a negative character arc, which - again - is fine, just not for me. Unless it's about the protagonist turning into the villain in which case it's 100% for me.

Other books I'm currently reading because I do not read one book at a time: Francine Rivers's The Lady's Mine; Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None; Tom Baker's Scratchman; James Patterson and Emily Raymond's The Girl in the Castle; and Jacqueline Rayner's Legends of Camelot.

And don't get me started on the endless list of ongoing manga/manhua I read monthly.

currently watching: Nothing really. I've been meaning to watch the latest season of You. And I've rewatched a couple Doctor Who eps for research (fanfic) purposes. But I don't really watch tv anymore, at least I don't regularly follow any tv shows like I used to.

currently consuming: electrolyte water as prescribed

currently craving: Food. I'm hungry but I don't want to cook. But guess who promised to cook today? Me.

@iceinherheart-kissonherlips @livingdeadblondequeen @expelliarmus @wibblyowzah @whogirl42 @benoitblanc @nostalgia-tblr @watson-emma @clarabosswald

[unethicallypleistocene]

so many ones i wanna ask, but i’ll go with: 1, 5, 10 and 29!

Thank you thank you! Excellent choices, my friend!

1. What do you really need right now?

To work on my fic! I’m incredibly susceptible to research rabbit holes to the point where I’ll never get around to actually writing anything. I might end up making it a one-shot just to give myself a buffer before going full plot-planning mode, but I’m already having a ton of fun with it. For reference: I spent two hours yesterday reading Exeter Book and Nowell Codex translations just to find a quote to use as a title. There was a surprising abundance of dick jokes in the limerick bits.

5. Something that makes you ridiculously happy?

I’m still hyperfixating on X-Men, and they have me in a blood choke. Excuse me while I go rotate First Class in my brain microwave for the 100th time.

10. Books on your reading list?

I still haven’t finished the first book in the Cadfael Chronicles, which is insane because I’ve been listening to one of the audio dramas and it’s incredibly fun. The series feels so specifically catered to my interests. I also want to finish God Loves, Man Kills, but I have a big list of X-Men comics I’ve been planning to read to catch up on the 60 years I’ve missed. If anyone has some relatively isolated comic stories they recommend, I’d love to know!

29. A dream you wish to make true?

In the literal sense, Captain Picard interrupted my dream the other night to eloquently insult me, and I wouldn’t mind if he felt the need to do so in the real world as well. In the metaphorical sense- every summer I more keenly feel the need to time travel and experience a pre-industrial landscape and climate. I would really love to go to a beach and have the ocean not feel like bathwater.

[thegongoozlerreacts]

Welcome Home Website (Part 3)

ok so i know its been forever since my last post but i was busy with real life stuff but im back now !!! hopefully i will be able to finish this today because i wanna continue playing arcadekitten games before i get busy LOL

anyways spoilers under the cut

so last i left off was the media page which i finished so now its time to look at the news

bug

oh also new drawings

oh also !!! MINI JULIE AND FRANK

so cute i love these two

you cannot click on the little speech bubbles above them

i tried to open the image but it only opens the drawing of Frank and Julie singing?? it seems i cannot access the speech bubbles which oof

alright time to read the actual news update

ok so before that i wanted to open all the secrets i found in part 1 and 2 and !!! while i was going back i remembered about how you can click 'you' on The Neighborhood page so i did it just for funsies

THERES ANOTHER DRAWING HERE !!

opens up a tab also called 'You' lol

more Wally audio

very interesting his voice kinda glitches out on 'cant' when he says 'its ok if you cant'

and that effect of another voice on his continues until he says 'i will talk to you'

hmm is it just glitchy audio or does it mean something more ????? like, i remember in the guestbook before the update when there was blank parts, there was hidden text from Wally and 'W a L L y' and i remember hearing from someone that that might mean there's two different entities one is actually Wally and the other is pretending to be or like possessing him or smth

is the deeper voice in this audio just a glitch effect or some more evidence to that theory?? probably just a glitch effect but still LOL

ok now onto the actual news LOL

"We have definitive proof that Welcome Home is real, we can finally hear them." hmmm thats sus

oh its just about the audio recordings LMAOAOAOO

also the exhibition!!!! im so excited to look into that

aww theyre closing the guestbook :(( well thats alright i'll check out the new stuff on the last page when i get there

"I believe closing the guest book was a good idea anyhow. There are. There are images I don’t remember uploading to decorate your messages. I don’t know how they got there." oho?? do they mean the little drawings by Wally? fascinating

"But! Please excuse those pesky bugs, dear neighbor! What is a beautiful home without a pest or two?" feels like a little hint towards the bugs all over the site which... too late for me LOL

"Don’t forget to wave up high!" this. what does this mean. its definitely connected to that so below image right? definitely

oh and there's one more update under the big one

fascinating the ringing ??? what ringing ??

well thats all for the News page, time to check out the bug video

so its Howdy talking about his family drama (!! gossip) to Barnaby while wally is just chilling i guess with a drink

right so all the similarities between the bug videos are 1) the tabs are all called answer 2) the audio is of two of the characters having a conversation with each other 3) the camera is focused on a random object thats related to the context of their location 4) they all end and glitch out on Wally's name being said 5) they all end with one of the other neighbors asking Wally a question

the fact that they all end with a question being asked (to Wally) and then the tabs all being titled 'answer' mean something maybe its him trying to answer? or trying to remember his answer? because all the questions are something like 'what do you think Wally?' like,, all questions about his opinion/feelings/thoughts on something yk

its significant im sure, just not sure what the answer is

im still bothered that i cant open the speech bubbles above Frank and Julie but i'll let go of it for now and move onto the next page! which is the stickers page !!!!

so first off the 'i' in 'stickers' in the text is interesting, not sure what it means or if its even supposed to be a clue LOL could just be the font (but that doesnt make sense because its not consistent with the other i's)

oh also the bug and the flower(?) drawing

so the flower leads to another tab called 'i'

!!!!!! LOOK AT THIS LOOK AT THEM THEYRE SO FUCKING CUTE GRAAHHHHHH

i love the stickers

banners from before the update, can no longer click on the Barnaby gif

OMG SEASONAL BANNERS !! BARNABY AND WALLY FOR WINTER, FRANK AND EDDIE FOR SPRING, JULIE AND SALLY FOR SUMMER AND HOWDY AND POPPY FOR AUTUMN !!! I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT

theyre all so cute also just look at Frank and Eddie theyre in love!!!! i ship them !!!!

anyways thats all for the sticker page, so time to check out the secrets

HELP ME THE BUG VIDEO IS JUST JULIE TRYING TO PROVE SO HARD THAT SHE'S FUNNY AND BARNABY IS LIKE 'sure jan' IM CACKLING

i love them !! thats not the dynamic i expected for them but it works really well

continuing the trend of Wally being asked for his opinion on something

now onto the audio

BRO WHEN THE DRAWING ANIMATION CAME ON I GOT SCARED LMAOAOAO

so those are definitely Wally's eyes

i think its interesting that the pupils were drawn in different ways

the right eye had its pupil drawn with a big circle and then spirals inward to fill it

while the left eye started with a smaller spiral that grows bigger

very interesting

time for the audio

its Wally explaining how to draw an eye,,, which is a clue a clue !!!! because in a past audio he said 'thats what an eye looks like' which means !!!!!!!! this comes before that!!

going back through the audios and actually i think on 'Help' Wally's voice has a small glitch when he says 'hear' but i may just be hearing things lol

so there's definitely an order to the audios, i think the first one is the one where he says 'welcome home! hahaha'

wait backing up. i do not remember the 'Will' audio being that. did i listen to that??? well i have now and what the fuck does that mean

is the 'You' audio after the 'a' audio? it feels like it but probably not

ok thats all for the stickers page !!

and for this post lol im gonna give my laptop a break before it overheats and explodes

but i am so excited to get to merchandise then the actual exhibition!! so hyped !! that will be later though, byebye !!

[moemoemammon]

MC is Sick?!

(Feat. GN!MC and the Demon Bros)

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Lucifer

A little late to notice that you’re sick. He’s been so busy lately that he can’t watch you as carefully as he’d like to, so he apologizes for not catching on sooner.

But now that it’s been brought to his attention, Lucifer is all over it. You’re excused from your classes and sent to your room for bedrest while he tends to everything else. He’s rarely the one to bring you your medicine or meals, to his dismay, but his busy schedule just won’t allow it. 

If he were able he’d let you stay in his room until you felt better. But for the time being, he’ll have to squeeze in little visits to your room, where he’ll pop in and sit on the edge of your bed, pressing his hand against your forehead and letting it linger on your cheek.

He’ll often come to your room with a record for you to listen to, and he loves talking about the history of the music and the life of the composure. His boring talks put you right to sleep.

“This piece is one of my favorites. The composer went into an illness induced madness when he created the sheet music, and wouldn't eat or sleep for two weeks until it’d been completed. Why, I often listen to it when- Ah, have you fallen asleep?"

Mammon

The first to notice the change in your health. You don’t look so good.. Are you okay? MC?!

Good luck trying to get any rest, because your first man is gonna be popping in and out of your room every five minutes. He’s constantly checking in on you, making sure you’re not too hot or too cold, that you’ve got something to drink, that you ate the soup he left-

Actually, Mammon’s not that bad of a caretaker! He’s a little too attentive, but he clearly knows what he’s doing. Also insists on being the only one that takes care of you until you’re better.

Polices everything you do. You wanna get out of bed? Nope, wait for Mammon. You’re bored? He’ll bring you something to do. Know what, he’s just gonna move into your room for the time being-

“Who told ya to go and get sick? Makin' me worry like this... I'm gonna make sure ya get better in no time, so you'd better be grateful, ya hear? I don't do this for just anybody..."

Levi

No way... You’re sick?! But you guys had plans to watch Magical Ruri Hana together...

Yeah, he’s not the best at caretaking despite watching Cells at Work, but he does know the basics! It kills him to leave his room so frequently, so.. why don’t you just stay in his room? He’ll take care of you there, and the healing waves of Ruri-chan will wash over you and get rid of your illness!

He definitely can’t be your primary caregiver, unless you want to be sick forever. Anime doesn't really imitate real life. Who would've thought?

 But he’s as attentive as he can be, at least! He brings you new DVDs to watch, manga to read, and delicious stacks to try whenever he can! Even if this is all he can do, he wants to make sure you know he’s thinking about you. May or may not also be spam texting you and keeping you awake-

“I brought the audio drama for you to listen to! It's from the TSL live series, where they act out the scenes! You won't have to worry about reading or watching anything, so you can listen to it to sleep. Oh, but I want to hear your opinion on everything! And then you- huh? When will you be able to sleep? Uh..."

Satan

The most knowledgeable when it comes to taking care of human illnesses, but he still fumbles a little. Insists on making an accurate diagnosis of your symptoms, and that takes way longer than the actual treatement,

But once he’s deduced what’s going on, Satan goes all in. You might feel like a guinea pig because of all the weird methods he’s trying on you (may or may not have read a medieval medicine book first), so uhhhhh be patient with him. Now hold still while he puts this onion in your sock-

Not as attentive as the others, but very thorough when he tends to you. And despite all the unorthodox healing methods, you actually recover quickly, by some miracle.

In the quieter moments when all you need is rest, Satan will sit by and quietly read to you until you lull off to sleep, brushing the hair from your face before he leaves.

“Hm... I was sure St. John's Wart would do the trick, but your fever hasn't broken at all? Maybe I ought to try minced garlic and honey next? Or maybe..- Eh? Just normal medicine is fine?"

Asmo

SICK?! No no, this won’t do at all! Asmo doesn’t want to see his darling MC looking so pale and unsightly! It’s off to bed with you now. No, not his bed he loves you but you’ve gotta understand-

Gentle affection is one of Asmo’s selling points, but that doesn’t mean the king of aftercare knows how to treat illnesses. He does however make you extremely comfortable. I’m talking extra fluffy pillows, cold and hot packs where you need them most, careful sponge baths (if you’ll let him), and everything else he can offer to make sure you’re okay.

May or may not show up in a hazmat suit, but don’t worry. The mask is clear so you get a view of his beautiful face! And when he isn’t around to take care of you, he sends pictures of himself to speed up the healing process.

Most likely to ask for help in your care. He tends to forget that you need more than affection and selfies to help you recover-

“Make sure you get better quickly, okay? I'll keep gracing your with my gorgeous face, and that ought to heal you in no time! Oh, maybe an herbal bath will help, too? I'll join you~!"

Beel

Extremely worried the moment you sneeze twice in a row. And when that escalates into a full blown cold, he immediately takes you to your room and cocoons you in every spare blanket he can find.

His care is sloppy, but full of affection. Your bed is a fluffy mess of soft blankets and pillows, and he lingers in your room nearly all day. And naturally, Beel knows you need to eat in order to heal.

You’re never without any food. This man will bring you an entire rotisserie chicken and a quart of orange juice for breakfast do not underestimate him. And if you can’t stomach anything, he’s try for things that’re easier to eat. like soups and broths. Also insists on feeding you himself.

Might also need some help in caring for you. He has good intentions and he’s being as careful with you as can be, but it can’t help to have another set of hands on the job. He wants to make sure you get the best care he can offer.

“Mm... you're not eating a lot today. Hm? You're full? But you only had a shadow hog roast, three sandwiches, and a gallon of juice. Are you sure that's enough? ...Well, maybe you're right. I'll eat what you can't finish, then. Hm? You're worried I'll get sick? It's fine. A human cold wont affect me."

Belphie

He knew something was up when you didn’t get out of bed that morning. Sleeping until 2pm is HIS thing, got it? Just kidding-

Tries not to show it, but this man is so worried that he can’t even sleep. BELPHEGOR, the Avatar of Sloth, is suffering from insomnia. 

He isn’t really the best at taking care of other people, but he knows that plenty of rest can only do you good. Belphie climbs into your bed and resigns himself to staying there until you heal. Somehow, having him around makes your sleep even deeper, so you always wake up feeling a little more rested than before.

Not so great at remembering when to bring you medicine and stuff, so the help of the others is a given. But despite that, you find yourself comfortable in every position you shift into. Belphie knows a thing or two about resting peacefully, so he’s got an eye for helping you with that.

“Are you feeling a little better today? ...Good. You were tossing and turning in your sleep, so I got you that ice pack. It look like your fever finally broke, so that means I can rest easy now.. goodnight......"

[owari-no-homo]

Owari no Seraph Drama CD: Mezase! Debyuu e no Michi!! (Track 1)

This and Kakuse! Kurorekishi!! (Track 2) were the only OnS Drama CDs I couldn't find translations for, so I decided to do it myself!

Here's the link to Track 2.

And here's the link to the audio, please listen along while you read: https://soundcloud.com/namanari/sets/owari-no-seraph-seraph-of-the-end-drama-cd-set-2

(note: * means I am unsure of the translation for whatever reason, and *** means I have no idea what the hell they're saying and just took my best guess)

Owari no Seraph - Drama CD, Track 1: Shoot for It! The Road to Debut!! 

This is the story of young high school stars risking their lives in the competitive world of show business.

Shinoa: One, two, three, four! Yoichi-san, can you lift those legs higher? Yuu-san, your rhythm is way behind! Kimizuki-san, you’ve got a very unnatural smile, eh? All right, all finished!

Yuu: This is tough!

Yoichi: I can’t move at all.

Kimizuki: I need a little break.

Shinoa: If you guys are struggling* this much with the basic dance, you still have a long way to go. 

Yuu: Wait a sec, Shinoa!

Shinoa: What is it?

Yuu: Finish up this lesson already and let me debut! No matter how you look at it, this is all just a waste of time!

Shinoa: Oh? That’s quite an airheaded thing to say, Yuu-san. You’ve barely been keeping up with the lessons at training school, so obviously making your debut would be impossible, don’t you think?

Yuu: Wha-

Shinoa: As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so the basics are-

Yuu: WHATEVER! There are plenty of people who became stars even though they couldn't dance, making a living off their own compositions, right?!*** Oh, I get it—this is workplace negligence!

Shinoa: I see. So that’s what you think. Then, is everyone else of the same opinion? 

Yuu: Of course they are! Right? I mean, even Yoichi is here because he wants to make his debut!

Yoichi: Eh? Me? Um, well, I would love to make my debut, but… but it’s not possible for me yet. Just now, I couldn’t do the dance at all…

Shinoa: That’s a difference of opinion, hm? 

Yuu: What am I supposed to do about that wimpy attitude?!

Kimizuki: You know, you can’t even follow the rhythm. The one furthest behind is you! Stop acting like our representative! I’ve already decided to debut once my song, dance, and acting are all flawless. 

Yuu: Excuse me? You’re saying you didn’t feel anything from my dancing? 

Kimizuki: Nothing! First, you need to practice properly-

Yuu: Shut up! My dancing will silence the words of unsophisticated amateurs!

Kimizuki: You’re the amateur, godammit! Or is that also too hard for you to understand?

Yoichi: Now, now, you two-

Yuu & Kimizuki: SHUT UP!

Yoichi: Ehhh?

Shinoa: The same old pattern, huh?

Yuu: Oi, you wanna go, bastard? 

Kimizuki: Yeah, bring it on. 

Yoichi: C’mon, stop fighting already!

Yuu: We’re not gonna stop, Yoichi!

Kimizuki: Yeah, let’s settle this. 

Yuu: Hah, that’s my line!

Yoichi: Aaaah! The speakers!

Kimizuki: That all you got?*

Yoichi: Aaah, the monitor! Hey, Shinoa-san…! (unintelligible), please stop them!

Shinoa: Ehh, what a pain in the- ahem. I mean, don’t hurt yourselves, you guys! It’s okay, someone will be here to stop you any minute now.

Yoichi: Huh?

Guren: I get called in for a special course and see this... what the hell. Shinoa! What happened here?

Shinoa: Yuu-san and Kimizuki-san are fighting like an old married couple as per usual. Incidentally, they’ve broken some equipment today. Ah. Doesn't this count as working together?*

Yuu: Ohoho, Guren! You came at just the right time.

Guren: Huh?

Yuu: Recommend me to be the number one young star in the agency, ‘cause I'm so awesome at it and should be allowed to make my debut early!*

Kimizuki: If anyone's gonna get recommended, it should obviously be me... right?

Yuu: Tch! Ah- ouch!

Guren: Shinoa… do your job properly. 

Shinoa: I get paid to give lessons~. Watching over and protecting office equipment… it’s difficult for a cute, weak girl like me.

Guren: You come from a family of celebrities, hailed as a genius since you were a child actress... that's not what I call cute.

Shinoa: Even though I’m this adorable~?

Guren: Jeez, are these guys going to be okay?

Shinoa: Ignoring me, hm? Well, I think they have potential.* But whether or not they'll be able to make their debuts... It depends on the instructor who gives them lessons, don't you think?

Guren: Really? Fine then. In that case, let’s get started on my lesson!

Yuu: All right! I’ll show you my talent! 

Guren: I was a Spartan star, you know.* I won’t go easy on you like Shinoa! Before the lesson, strength training! Lateral Workout: One Hundred Pushups! Begin! Until you can get your dance lesson perfect, we'll keep repeating this hundreds of times!

Guren: Theatrical Performance: Emotional Expression! … What the hell is that?! You’re not doing it at all! 

Guren: Finally, voice training! Diaphragmatic Breathing: Vocalization Regimen! … All right, that’s enough for today.

Shinoa: Your efforts are much appreciated.

Guren: By the way, I’ll be adding more to tomorrow’s schedule.

Yuu: Seriously?! It’s already mixed up as it is without adding stuff…*

Guren: See ya! Go to sleep early tonight, tomorrow’s gonna be tough. We’ll continue like this till you can make your debut. 

Yoichi: N-No way!

Guren: Ah. By the way, Yuuichirou and Kimizuki. I'll deduct the cost of the equipment you broke from your salary.

Shinoa: Students in training school don’t get a salary.

Guren: Oh, that’s right. Heh, in that case, if you ever manage to make your debut for Demon King*, you won’t get paid for about a year, how ‘bout that? 

Yuu: Eh-?

Guren: And if you fail the debut or revolt against the agency, I'll just ship you off in a cattle boat!*

Yuu: C-Cattle boat…

Shinoa: I can’t believe he’s teaching so many lessons… Finally living up to expectations*… maybe.

Yoichi: R-Really? ‘Cause somehow I expected this to be fun, but…

Shinoa: But it’s just…

Kimizuki: Just what?

Shinoa: Harassment, right? 

Yuu: Definitely…

Yoichi: This is going to continue tomorrow? I might collapse…

Kimizuki: If you slack off, you’ll be fired.

Yuu: Damn it… isn’t there any way to debut faster? Damn! Just because stupid Guren’s a little bit popular! Aarrghh! What should I do to make my debut?!

Kimizuki: Like I know. If I did, I would have done it first. 

Yoichi: Me too…

Shinoa: Yoichi-san, Kimizuki-san, you two would also like to make your debut somehow, huh?

Kimizuki: Of course.

Shinoa: If you’re that desperate, I know of a way to do it~

Yuu: Ooh, really?! What is it? Spit it out, Shinoa!

Kimizuki: I would rather debut and start making a name for myself in an unorthodox manner* than continue to be harassed like this.

Yoichi: Me too! I’m ready- ack!

Shinoa: This is something of a cheat, but recently there is the technique of becoming famous by posting your own performances onto the Internet. Therefore, if you can post an enlightening, attention-grabbing video, you might just get closer to your debut.* 

Yoichi: A recent technique to become famous, huh?

Kimizuki: But unsigned people have to put in a considerable amount of effort to get attention, no matter what they shoot.

Yoichi: True… then for nobodies like us, it’s impossible after all?

Shinoa: Such crybabies~. Why don't you take an example from your slightly overconfident senpai?

Yuu: What’s the point of being overconfident like Guren? 

Shinoa: Who knows, it might be a good idea to involve already-famous celebrities~*

Yoichi: Maybe if we knew someone famous…*

Kimizuki: Newbies like us don’t have celebrity acquaintances, and even if we did, the chances of them cooperating with us are slim...

Yuu: Oh…? Oh! What about him?

Yoichi: Who?

Yuu: Our overconfident senpai!

Kimizuki: No way, you don't mean…

Yuu: He’s popular right now, isn’t he? Guren!

Kimizuki: Are you serious?! There’s no way he would cooperate with us!

Yuu: Huh? Who said anything about cooperation? The point is to get them involved, right?

Yoichi & Kimizuki: Σ(●ꉺ▱ꉺ●)？？？

———

Yuu: Yoichi! Is the camera good to go? 

Yoichi: Y-Yeah, there’s plenty of memory and battery, but…

Yuu: Kimizuki! How’s the lighting?

Kimizuki: It’s fine. 

Shinoa: By the way, Yuu-san. Why are we doing a wake-up surprise prank? 

Yuu: Guren, the most popular young actor right now, waking up from sleep... that's definitely what everyone wants to see, right? And when they watch the video, they'll see more hot young stars around him! With all the attention this is going to get, we'll become popular in no time!*

Shinoa: Um… I'll refrain from making any statements regarding the probability of success. ‘Cause it sounds interesting.

Kimizuki: Okay, that's great and all, but it's three in the morning! Won't he get mad? We're supposed to be asleep.

Yoichi: L-Let’s not do it! He’s definitely going to be mad! 

Shinoa: Worst case scenario, he kills us. 

Yoichi: EHHH?!?!

Yuu: C’mon, even Guren understands TV etiquette.* Besides, senpai or not, I don’t care. For the sake of my debut, I’ll use him.

Kimizuki: Where does that useless confidence come from? 

Yuu: Who knew that this duplicate key to Guren's room, which I borrowed from the agency manager, would come in handy at a place like this~?

Yoichi: D-Did you really borrow that…? Yuu-kun!!

Yuu: We’re in. 

Kimizuki: This… is trespassing, right? 

Yuu: There’s someone inside, so it’s okay!

Yoichi: That doesn’t make it okay!!!

Yuu: Good morning! Ah- Yoichi, Kimizuki, c’mere, c’mere!

Yoichi: S-So much space!*

Yuu: As expected of such a big seller! If I get popular, I’ll have a room like this too!

Kimizuki: With this, we’ve cooperated on my debut.

Yuu: Ooh. First, before we barge in and do the wake-up surprise on Guren, let's look for something he wouldn't want to be seen with.

Yoichi: Why are we doing that? 

Yuu: For the views, the views!*** A diary, or, uhh... an action figure collection*, you know! If we can get our hands on something that Guren doesn't want exposed...

Kimizuki: It would be easier to get him to cooperate with us, huh?

Yoichi: That is totally blackmail.

Kimizuki: Oi! I found something.

Yuu: Oh? Lemme see.

Shinoa: I’m interested as well.

Yuu: Let’s check inside for his weakness~

Yoichi: Sure enough, it’s blackmail!? But my debut is on the line!

Yuu: What is this? I can’t tell!

Shinoa: It looks like… a lockable diary?

Yuu: Is he a girl?

Yoichi: I-I wonder where the key is?

Yuu: You’re getting into this too, huh, Yoichi?

Yoichi: N-No way!

Shinoa: If he’s hiding something important, the contents have got to be the truth!

Yuu: Mm, all right. Let’s find out the truth! … Ah, it’s pitch black. I don’t hear anything… he must be dead asleep. For now, let’s search for the keys! 

Kimizuki: Right!

Shinoa: Right!

Yuu: I’ll check the bookshelf.

Kimizuki: Then I’ll get the closet. 

Yoichi: I’ll be looking around the living room.***

Shinoa: Hm? Oh my~

Guren: You lot… what are you doing in my room? 

Yuu: Ah, umm… Good morning!! Here is Ichinose Guren-san, after his surprise wake-up!!!*

Guren: Huh? 

Shinoa: He’s completely rolling with it.

Yuu: I know this is sudden, but I'm asking Guren's fans all over the country to spread the word that he sleeps without pants on!!*** 

Guren: Hehehe… pulling this kind of shit… did you really think I’d let you guys get away with it?*

Yoichi: He’s mad!!

Kimizuki: Naturally.

Yuu: No, no, no, no… saying something like that in front of your fans… it’s not very professional!* Mkay, let’s try again!

Kimizuki: Stop! Don’t provoke him any further!

Yoichi: Yeah! Let’s just run already!

Guren: You’ll remember this. 

Yuu: Oh! I understand. We’ve got to say something nice about Guren, don’t we?* Everyone, please… don’t forget about Guren! Also, I am Hyakuya Yuuichirou!

Yoichi: Ahh, that’s not what he meant!!

Kimizuki: Idiot!

Guren: The careers* of you three…

Kimizuki: Three? Huh- where’s Shinoa?

Shinoa: Good luck~!

Yoichi: She’s already that far away?!

Kimizuki: We’re leaving too!

Yoichi: W-What about Yuu-kun?

Kimizuki: Leave him! He’s a goner!***

Yuu: Operation Wake-Up Surprise on Ichinose Guren… was a huge success!!!

Guren: It was a huge failure, you idiot!!

———

(Track 2 link again)

[shijiujun]

Bear with me I have... I think 3 more recs to go before the year ends! Hahaha in the meantime yes I know I’ve done some passing recs (残次品 Imperfection, 一级律师 The Lawyer & 鲜满宫堂 Palace Full of Delicacies) but I’ll leave those to maybe end of Jan hahahaha lest y’all get sick and tired of my posts! If you don’t wanna see these anymore feel free to block the ‘min’s why you should read’ tag!

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary:

16 year old Chen Xing is the last exorcist in the world with any sort of powers after a time when exorcists were at their peaks came to pass, all exorcists turning back into regular mortals. Guided by his now-deceased shifu, the novel starts with him trying to find his Protector, a partner that all exorcists are fated to have, and is led to the prison of this army camp where his supposed Protector is held captive, about to die. 

He saves an unkempt and weak Xiang Shu, who then turns on him the moment he’s free, unwilling to be this ‘Protector’ that Chen Xing is talking about, and leaves. Chen Xing thinks this is the last of it, but he meets Xiang Shu again by chance in another town, and Xiang Shu saves him from zombie corpses. 

They head into Chang An together as they are on the way as Chen Xing tries to convince Xiang Shu to be his ‘Protector’ in his mission to restore magic and keep demons/evil from people, but Chen Xing only has four years left to complete his mission before he’s fated to die at the age of 20, as prophesized by his shifu. They are also supposed to look for the Dinghai Pearl, which is supposed to bring the bearer great powers and help them in their task.

Xiang Shu turns out to be the Great Chanyu and leader of the Tiele tribe, and after a misunderstanding with the current emperor, he heads back to his tribe with his loyal soldiers/followers and also Chen Xing, where they have to solve the mystery of the dead moving zombie corpses, people being revived from the dead by an unknown mysterious force, and also political strife as Chen Xing and Xiang Shu figure out their feelings for each other as well. 

Set in historical China where the Hans (Chinese) and the Hus are at war and constantly fighting for territory from each other. Chen Xing would be considered a Han, while Xiang Shu is a Hu.

*Also features time-travel and second chances in the latter half of the book! There’s a tad bit of spoilers below as well, so do skip if you wanna avoid them!

Read:

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) | Novel Translations | Upcoming Donghua | Manhua | Audio Drama

Characters:

1. 陈星 Chen Xing - A young, wide-eyed 16 year old teen who has the powers of a Heart Lamp, which is a light emitted from his palm that can purify evil spirits/energy. When he was younger, his family was slaughtered due to sabotage from the Yuwen family, not that he knows about it until much later.

Look on the printed novels:

He’s the last exorcist with powers when the novel starts, and he fails to get Xiang Shu to become his Protector, but while he carries hope that his mission will be completed, he does not force Xiang Shu to become his Protector after the man rejects him twice, even though he knows he only has four years left to live. Because of his Heart Lamp, Chen Xing also has great luck and no matter what danger he falls into, there’s always a path of escape to safety laid out for him.

Younger look in the manhua:

He heads into Chang An city with Xiang Shu and Feng Qian Jun, and then split because he thinks he can find his old friend who’s from the Yuwen family, a boy who was his childhood friend and moved away shortly before the Chen family was massacred. He does not know that this boy, now a man, was complicit in the deaths of his family members and is thus not eager to see Chen Xing. Instead, when Chen Xing is escorted to the Yuwen manor by Xiang Shu, he’s crestfallen to see that the man is not at all happy to see him. Later he finds out that Xiang Shu is the Great Chanyu and has considerable status in the palace, and is also single. Once news of Xiang Shu’s return spreads, Chen Xing’s supposed childhood friend becomes one of the potential suitors looking to marry Xiang Shu.

Chen Xing is brought to the Tiele tribe shortly after hell breaks loose, and there he’s met with hostility also by the tribe, of which members are wary at seeing a Han, and also Xiang Shu’s sworn brother, who also has the hots for Xiang Shu. At that moment, Chen Xing realizes that he does not belong anywhere, has no real friends, no family, and is fated to die alone in four years time.

Of course he has feelings for Xiang Shu as the days pass, even though Xiang Shu displays his concern for him in brash ways. He tries to flee and fulfil his mission on his own, but Xiang Shu chases after him every single time, pissed off that Chen Xing keeps leaving him behind. Chen Xing, however, cannot reciprocate his feelings knowing that he’s about to die eventually.

2. 项述 Xiang Shu - Leader of the Tiele tribe and the Great Chanyu, wields considerable military might and commands respect amongst several neighbouring tribes as well. He’s reluctant to be Chen Xing’s Protector despite seeing his powers, because he has a duty first and foremost to his people in these chaotic, uncertain times, especially when war is imminent anytime. He’s also pissed off that Chen Xing keeps trying to impose this role of ‘Protector’ on him without asking him if he wants to be in the first place, and when Chen Xing realizes this, he stops asking Xiang Shu, and is determined to finish his mission without a Protector. 

Him as a Chanyu/Leader of Tiele tribe look from the printed novel art:

A great warrior who is looked up to by his tribe members, his past is also shrouded in mystery as he begins to find out just who his mother was, and how he himself contributes to Chen Xing’s mission. He’s unable to leave Chen Xing alone, always following after him. He always seems to be angry and annoyed at Chen Xing, and in the beginning Chen Xing thinks that Xiang Shu hates him because of the way Xiang Shu interacts with him. 

Him in Han-style outfit in the manhua:

Xiang Shu finds out early on that Chen Xing doesn’t have much longer to live, and is conflicted about it. When they finally find the Dinghai Pearl, he sacrifices himself so Chen Xing can obtain it, confessing to Chen Xing at the very last moment. This is before realizing that the Dinghai Pearl can help Chen Xing to time travel, and after the calamitous current timeline leading to Xiang Shu’s sacrifice, Chen Xing then goes back in time and this time, befriends Xiang Shu properly as he’s given a chance for a do-over to complete his mission.

3. 冯千均 Feng Qian Jun - A swordsman claiming to be an assassin that Chen Xing meets by chance after he’s duped by Xiang Shu in the beginning, and they travel together as they’re headed in the same direction towards Chang An city. Ends up being a good older bro to Chen Xing and also a helpful ally for Xiang Shu later.

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Chen Xing picks up a dog after Xiang Shu betrays him in the beginning, after he saves him from deathrow in prison, and in a fit of anger, names the dog Xiang Shu as well, and when he meets human Xiang Shu again, the man keeps glaring at him whenever Chen Xing calls for dog Xiang Shu

Xiang Shu treats Chen Xing very differently, and even though he wasn’t sure that he liked Chen Xing, he trusted him, much to the displeasure of other Hus, and some of the other tribes’ members - He’s not so good at being nice on the surface to Chen Xing given their first impression (and he’s still unhappy about how Chen Xing decided to force the role of the Protector on him, also doesn’t have the energy or time to care about Chen Xing’s mission fully considering the trouble his tribe is in), but he does care about Chen Xing and his safety, always finding ways to choose to follow Chen Xing rather than stay to further defend his tribe in times of crisis

The novel also depicts Chen Xing’s loneliness and optimism very well - He keeps the secret of his soon-to-come death to himself, not wanting to make anyone sad when the time comes, and he’s quite open-minded about his death, but at times when he sees the warmth and communal ties of the Tiele tribe, it hurts him to realize that he doesn’t have anyone and doesn’t belong anywhere

I also like Xiang Shu’s ‘Hu’ look a lot! With the braids and furs and everything!

Chen Xing finds other exorcists (legendary ones that are supposed to be dead apparently) and also exorcist wannabes, who do not have the power but are eager to learn, having heard of the legend of exorcists from before, and they manage to set up an exorcists’ headquarters of sorts to train more exorcists, which also fulfils Chen Xing’s mission partially

Everyone wants to get into Xiang Shu’s pants. Everyone, I swear

[rigelmejo]

Things I’d like to do, in order of me doing them versus no time yet lol. Bold - i plan to genuinely freaking commit to doing it even if other things come up. italic - i really want to be able to do these, if i don’t have time now i’ll try to do them later on.

Currently doing:

finish reading hanshe (currently doing, on chapter 52 out of 155 haha rip me)

finish reading guardian english translation (currently doing, also dang my reading speed got slow lately lol)

finish listening to chinese spoonfed audio (on like 12 or 15 out of like 39. i’d like to finish it so i can say i’ve done it, and at least have some exposure to everything it’s got to offer word/sentence wise once)

exercise 5 times a week. 50 crunches, 70 pushups, 15 minutes cardio at least. until the end of the month (i tried this last week then bam twisted my ankle lol - someone tried this to get fit and it worked and you know me i Love proving to myself if things work and i also Love simply things i can remember that are flexible. i have been switching between jogging or HIIT that’s mainly muscle building, depending on how i feel... gonna count it all as long as i do something consistently 5 times a week. maybe next month i’ll do that kpop dance challenge i found that looked cool but for now i just wanna do something i know i can stick to because its simple and flexible)

finish reading Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide (i almost forgot ToT but unless i’m giving up japanese again lol... well... we’ll see... either way i am in the process of doing this and there isn’t really a good stopping spot so i should just finish reading it)

Also just general watching chinese shows, reading chinese (so hanshe OR whatever i feel like). I’ve been pretty consistent about that and it helps even if i jump around to different materials so i don’t have to really list anything specific.

And for japanese? I would really like to try one of my games in japanese this summer but that is Highly dependent on how prepared i feel. i’d like to try maybe though, just because like... even if i never learn as much as i’d like, a big goal had always been just to play my favorite games the way they were originally written. if i can follow enough to just see a lets play and look up words i want to understand, follow the grammar, catch some line differences between the original and localization, i will already be so happy. even though more in depth understanding will be a long way away from now.

Going to do soon:

listen-read method guardian (because i literally have avenuex’s wonderful audiobook that PERFECTLY matches the webnovel chapters - i plan to listen-read with just the eng translation tho)

read guardian chinese print version (while i may push this off a while... it would be appropriate to read in august as an anniversary of watching guardian drama lol... i also kind of think the closer i do this to the listening-reading method, the more i will comprehend and easier it will be and more details i’ll get out of the sections that are unique to my print novel version... after hanshe i would love to put this as my actively-reading chinese novel)

read His Evening Star (<3 <3 asap! like as soon as Guardian eng translation read, i’m starting this)

read Silent Reading english translation

continue doing Nukemarines LLJ memrise decks (i made some progress, and wanted to go back after reading Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide... again IF i do this is highly relevant on if i can keep managing some time for japanese study we’ll SEE lol ;-;)

Going to do eventually...:

listen-read method Silent Reading (at least TRY, although i already know the chapters and audiobook-episodes do NOT end in the same place so like... its valid if i try and give up... I would just love to do this because i WANT to listen to the audiobook... and if its too annoying trying to sync audio to text when i know the audio varies off from the text half the time, then i might just try to listen to the audiobook ON its own)

listen to DeFrancis Chinese Readers Audio (i can look at the book, optional, if i��d like... i should USE the books since i bought them lol. Emphasis on trying to shadowing the dialogues because so much is basics i should be able to speak decently. I’m thinking this would be a good replacement for ‘background listening’ for when i finish chinese spoonfed audio. Also i really want to utilize these textbooks since i bought them ToT)

read 2ha

read Can Ci Pin!

read Tian Ya Ke (extensive reading like guardian, the eng translation then the chinese chapters... reading might go faster this way then with constant word lookup in Pleco, tho i can of course read in Pleco instead if I want)

read Qi Ye (same thing as above - read the eng translation, and then the chinese version either extensive or in Pleco with word lookup)

read yuwu

read the new priest novels E Danglars translated!

FINISH tamendegushi (the chinese novel i keep reading HALF of then giving up)

FINISH tamendegushi COMIC (i literally own the manhua print but when will i finish reading ToT)

Possibly Listen-Read to MoDaoZuShi, SVSSS (both have audiobooks now. A plus of mdzs is i have never read it so it would be a surprise. A plut of svsss is i’ve l-r method 8 chapters before and the audiobook matches VERY in line with the chapter endings so its super easy to follow along)

read DaoMuBiJi books (a long endeavor... currently mostly just reading the english translations, i’m on book 3. But I was reading the chinese version too which i could switch to if i want a reading material in Pleco or just extensive reading... but reading it in chinese is not a priority yet...)

[theradioghost]

I don't know if you're still doing podcast recs, but if you are, I really like dramas, horror, sci-fi, honestly anything that gives you the feels (especially if it has lgbtq+ rep). I am not much of a comedy person though unfortunately. The only podcast I finished was tma and I really loved it.

The recommendations are always on tap here, whenever my askbox is open! You might wanna check out:

Archive 81, for a found-footage horror about mysterious archives of tapes full of encounters with otherworldly horror, dark rituals, cults, and a long-suffering archivist with the same name as the show creator who plays him, which despite all that could not possibly be more different from TMA and yet easily matches it as one of the best horror stories I have ever enjoyed. The sound design on this show is basically unparalleled – where TMA has fairly minimalist sound design, A81 goes all out. Quite a few lgbtqa+ folk also.

I Am In Eskew, for a surreal, Lynchian horror about the city of Eskew, where it’s always raining and the streets are never the same twice, as narrated by a man who is trapped there and the woman hired to find him. Take the most viscerally disturbing episodes of TMA as a baseline for how intense this show is, then imagine the Spiral built a city and invited all the other fears over for a party. Also right up there as one of my favorite horror things ever, and recently ended, so you can listen to the whole thing right now.

Within The Wires, for a found-footage scifi dystopia, telling stories from an alternate-history world. Three of the four seasons focus on lgbtqa+ leads, and the first season, a set of instructional meditation tapes provided to a prisoner in a shadowy government institution, is still some of my absolute favorite creative use of medium and framing device ever.

Kane and Feels, for a surreal noir-flavored urban fantasy/horror hybrid, about a magically-inclined academic (and sarcastic little bastard man) named Lucifer Kane and his demon-punching partner with a heart of gold, Brutus Feels. They share a flat in London, they bicker like an old married couple, and they fight supernatural evil. This show WILL confuse the hell out of you and you will enjoy every second of it.

Alice Isn’t Dead, for a weird Americana horror story about a long-distance truck driver, criss-crossing the US in search of her missing wife. Along the way she discovers that both of them have been drawn into a dangerous secret war that seethes in the empty and abandoned expanses of America, and that inhuman hunters have begun to follow her. Also finished! And as the title kind of gives away, the lesbians do not die!

Janus Descending, for a sci-fi horror miniseries about two scientists sent to survey the remains of a dead alien civilization on a distant planet, only to learn all too well why the original inhabitants have disappeared. You hear one character’s story in chronological order and the other in reverse, with their perspectives alternating, which is done in an incredibly clever way so that even technically knowing what will happen it still holds you in suspense right to the end. Also, it made me cry, a lot.

SAYER, for a sci-fi horror with a touch of dark comedy, and probably the single best use of the “evil AI” trope I have ever seen. Tells the story of employees of tech corporation Aerolith Dynamics living on Earth’s artificial second moon, Typhon, in the form of messages from their AI overseer SAYER. The first season is great, the second season is okay, and the third and fourth seasons are fucking amazing.

Tides, for a really interesting sci-fi about a lone biologist trapped on an alien world shaped by deadly tidal forces. It’s different from just about any other sci-fi I know, focusing more on the main character’s interactions with and observations of this strange new world, where she’s very aware that she is the alien invader. (Also I don’t think any of the characters are straight.)

Station to Station, for a thrilling sci-fi mystery where a group of scientists and spies on a research ship (the ocean kind) discover that the time-warping anomaly they’re studying might be causing people to vanish from existence. Corporate espionage and high-stakes heartbreak abound. (And once again I’m not sure anyone is straight.)

The Strange Case of Starship Iris, for Being Gay And Doing Crime IN SPACE! Or, decades after a war with an alien species leaves humanity decimated and under the control of totalitarian leaders, the lone survivor of a research mission joins up with a ragtag crew of rebels and smugglers to figure out why the very government she worked for tried to kill her, and to stop them from inciting a second war. 100% lgbtqa+ found family in space heist action and it’s glorious in every way.

Unwell, for the horror-ish Midwestern gothic story of a young woman who returns to her hometown to help her estranged mother after an injury, and discovers that there is something just a little bit wrong, not just with her mother, but with her mother’s house, and with the whole town. Subtle and creepy. The protagonist is a biracial lesbian, one of the other major characters is nonbinary, the cast in general is super diverse.

The Blood Crow Stories, for an lgbtqa+ focused horror anthology! The four seasons so far have been the stories of an ancient evil stalking the passengers of a WWI-era utopian cruise ship, a dark Western mystery about a group of allies trying to stop the mysterious killer known only as the Savior, a 911 operator in a cyberpunk dystopia who starts getting terrifying phone calls from demons, and strange and deadly goings-on at a film studio in the golden age of Hollywood. Everyone is Very Gay and anyone can die, especially in season 1.

The Tower, for a melancholy experimental miniseries about a young woman who decides she’s going to climb the mysterious Tower, from which no one has ever returned. Quite short and very, very good.

Palimpsest, for a creepy, heartbreakingly sad and yet incredibly beautiful anthology series. Season one is the story of a woman who suspects her new home is haunted, season two is a turn-of-the-century urban fantasy about a girl who falls in love with the imprisoned fae princess she’s been hired to care for, and season three is about a WWII codebreaker who begins seeing ghosts on the streets of London during the Blitz.

Mabel, for a part-horror, part-love story, the kind of faerie tale where you feel obliged to spell it with an E because these are the kind of faeries that are utterly inhuman, and beautiful, and dangerous. Anna, the new caretaker for an elderly woman, leaves messages for her client’s mysteriously absent granddaughter Mabel. An old house in Ireland has a life and desires of its own, few of them friendly. Two women fall in love and set out for vengeance against the King Under The Hill. Creepy, strange, and gorgeously poetic.

Ars Paradoxica, for a sci-fi time travel Cold War espionage thriller. Physicist Dr. Sally Grissom accidentally invents time travel, landing herself – and her invention – in the middle of a classified government experiment during WWII. As the course of history utterly changes around them, she and what friends she can find in this new time must struggle with the ethics of what they’ve done, and the choices they’ll have to make. An aroace protagonist, Black secret agents, time-traveling Latina assassins, Jewish lesbian mathematicians, two men of color whose love changes the course of time itself, this show says a big fuck you to the idea that there’s anything hard about having a diverse cast in a period piece and it will break your heart, multiple times. Also finished!

The Far Meridian, for a genre-bending, poetic, at-times-heartwarming-at-times-heartbreaking story about an agoraphobic woman named Peri who decides to begin a search for her long-missing brother Ace after the lighthouse in which she lives begins mysteriously transporting to different places every day. I can never forget an early review that described this show as “the audio equivalent of a Van Gogh painting.” Suffice to say it is beautiful, and fantastically written and put together.

What’s the Frequency?, for a Surrealist noir horror mystery set in mid-20th-century LA. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I can really explain what goes on in this show, but it features a detective named Walter “Troubles” Mix and his partner Whitney searching for a missing writer. Meanwhile, the only thing that seems to be playing on the radio is that writer’s show Love, Honor, and Decay, which also seems to be driving people to murder. Fantastically weird, deliciously creepy.

Directive, for a short sci-fi miniseries about a man hired to spend a very, very long trip through space alone, which doesn’t seem all that sad until suddenly it hits you with Every Feel You’ve Ever Had, seriously I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say anything more but listen to this and then never feel the same way about Tuesdays again.

Wolf 359, for honestly one of the best podcasts out there, containing all of the drama and feels, seriously this show ended over two years ago and I still cry literal tears thinking about it sometimes. It has definite comedic leanings, especially in the first season which reads a bit more like a wacky office comedy set in space, but it takes a sharp turn towards high stakes, action, and feelings and that roller coaster never stops. Take four clashing personalities alone on a constantly-malfunctioning space station eight light years from earth, add some mysterious transmissions from the depths of space, toss in some seriously Jonah-Magnus-level manipulative evil bosses, and get ready to cry.

or, may I suggest Midnight Radio? It’s a lesbian-romance-slash-ghost-story completed miniseries about a late-night 1950s radio host in a small town who begins receiving mysterious letters from one of her listeners, and I have been assured by many people and occasionally their all-caps tweets that it provides ample Feelings! (also I wrote it.)

[dannyphantom-rewrite]

What's "how to get to cracker barrel" ?

What's "how to get to cracker barrel" ?

Oh now that, that one isn't Actually a wip. It's a short story I finished ages ago that later ended up being inspiration for one of the plotlines in an anthology style audio drama podcast I want to make some day. There's 4 main characters:

The Mckellen sisters Jamie and Lady who aren't Actually sisters but pass rather well for twins since one of them is actually a changeling, Natalie Anderson, photographer and lady's GF, and Gavin Walker, a mage still haunted by the death of his fiance, Caleb Adams, mostly due to the fact that his fucking ghost won't leave him alone.

Art by @unded-bun (click image for higher quality)

I'm leaving out a lot of details, but I'd be happy to fill in the gaps if anyone asks.

I'll Also throw the story itself under a read more here, bc I'm still super proud of it even though it's a few years old now.

A small hotel on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia. There is a Sonic Drive-in across the busy street. Bright neon lights in the window state, “Open 24/7!” A Greyhound bus is idling in the parking lot. A man, Gavin Walker, climbs off and crosses over to the hotel. He walks easily, but not confidently. Approaching the hotel’s entrance, he spots a cat eating from a plastic bowl in front of the door. The feline is small, and feral. He is black, with white paws. He does not pay Gavin any mind as he enters, only continuing to crunch on dry cat food.

There's a desk on the left side of the lobby. The receptionist smiles kindly as he checks in. Her eyes are tired. Gavin gives her a knowing nod, and travels deeper into the building. There is a sign marked, “Out Of Order.” on the elevator. This is a good thing. Gavin takes the stairs, of which there are three flights. This is also a good thing, because three is a good number. He enters the hallway, which is old, and worn. The walls bear chipped yellow paint, and the floor, faded red carpet. Gavin continues down the hall after checking the time on his phone. It is exactly 11:59PM. He turns the device off and begins to count the seconds. At sixty he has stopped in front of the elevator. The fluorescent light above him flickers. The elevator does not have an out of order sign on it. It is the same elevator as before. Gavin enters.

He presses the button for the first floor. In the lobby the check in desk is now on the opposite side of the room. The lights are off, the receptionist is gone. It is daytime outside now. The bus is gone and the Sonic is closed. The road is vacant. There is a cat outside. She is white, with black paws. She looks up at Gavin as he approaches. They lock eyes, and he kneels in front of her.

“Hello, cat.” He says.

“Hello, Mage.” Says the cat.

She flicks her tail, “What is it you seek?”

“Direction.”

She nods and stands, before making for the road. The Sonic across the street is closed, but it was never empty. A Sonic is not a sit down restaurant. Customers are expected to pull into a parking spot and order over an intercom, and then a waitress delivers their meal directly to their car. Gavin’s pretty sure places like Sonic were more common in the 1950’s, and he knows that drive in diners are a dying breed now a days. The thought gives him a strange sense of nostalgia for something he’d never actually experienced, and he shudders involuntarily.

The cat sits down in the parking spot furthest from the building. She watches as he presses the the button on the intercom, listens, ears swiveling, as they are greeted with static. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Gavin can see something moving within the darkened restaurant. An outline of a figure, only vaguely humanoid. The thing moves like a deranged ape, long, long arms dangling to the floor and dragging it forward. Its back is hunched, legs short and stumpy. Gavin can not see its face, and he does not wish to. The intercom crackles to life.

“WhAt can aH’ do fER ya’lL?” Drawls The Thing in the Sonic. It’s got a southern accent thicker than congeling visera, and the pitch of it’s voice fluctuates wildly. Gavin glances uncertainly at the cat, and she nods.

“I’m looking for Direction.”

“Ahhhhhh……” groans The Thing, “WEll, watch’ Yer goNna wanna dO is hEad doWn the road, bout maybeEEee…..foUr, five miLeS, an’ yer gOnna wanna look fer’ weEl, watch yer gonna wanna fiNd is soMeTHing’ idEaliZed, ya knOw? Like uh, somethin’ kinDa romanticized, an’ a liTtlE faKe in sOme senSe but reAlLy true in anOther, ya follow?”

“Yeah.” said Gavin, even though he did not follow at all.

“Yep,” Continued The Thing, “n’ yer gOnna wanna gEt yourself sOme rasPberRy lemONade when ya get theRe, It’s some gOod shit, lemme tell ya.”

“Alright, I’ll uh, I’ll do that.”

“Good, GoOd, That’s Good. Y'all have a niIiiccceee daaaaaay nooooow.” And then the intercom crackled once more, and returned to spewing static. Gavin released the button and looked around for the cat, hoping, maybe, for some more guidance, but she had long since abandoned him. He started walking down the road, away from the Sonic Drive-In, and The Thing inside, and hopefully towards where he needed to be.

Gavin started to think as he walked, which was not something he liked to do often. He much prefered to act in the moment without much consideration for the consequences of those actions until they themselves became the moment. Gavin did not like to think because he often thought much too deeply, and it sometimes scared him. Gavin thought about a lot of different things in quick succession, he thought about the missing greyhound bus, and The Thing in the Sonic, and wondered if the disappearance of one had to do anything with the appearance of the other. It probably did. He thought about what The Thing had told him to do, and why he was doing it. He thought about why he’d come here in the first place, to this inverted little section of Georgia. And he thought about Liminal Spaces, about busted elevators and darkened hotel hallways and empty stairwells. The air shifted suddenly as a pickup truck speed past him, it had a faded confederate flag on the back window.

Liminal Spaces, simply put, were the areas between one place and another. The small spots in the middle of point A and point B where reality seems to be altered in such a way that the change is almost imperceptible, and yet, it is still enough to leave you feeling so impossibly strange.

Liminal Spaces can also be doorways, if one knows how to properly open them.

Gavin isn’t sure how long he’s been walking down this empty stretch of road, but it’s been long enough that he can no longer see the Sonic Drive-in behind him. It’s not even a dot in the distance now, just gone, as though it were never there to begin with. He keeps going. He walks until his feet hurt, and his legs ache, and keeps going even after that. At some point he sticks his thumb out towards the road, tired enough to risk hitch-hiking, but no cars have gone by since the pickup truck. And at some point he takes a moment to rest. He sits down on the shoulder, and just breathes for a while. And then when he stands again, he sees the Cracker Barrel just down the road. Exhausted as he is, he knows it isn’t possible for him to not have seen it earlier. Gavin decides it’s best not to dwell on that, though, because this is exactly the kind of place where Cracker Barrels can just pop into existence. (Although, as he enters the restaurant, he remains somewhat annoyed that it couldn’t have decided to do it a little sooner.)

The front of the Cracker Barrel is a store selling all manner of things. There's a back corner full of vintage candy, a small section of organic make-ups, and another full of knick-knacks like salt and pepper shakers, and dreamcatchers, as well as the usual crap that tourists like to buy, T-shirts and mugs and what not. Gavin has never actually been in a “regular” Cracker Barrel, so he’s not sure if this is a completely normal thing, but he’s certain that a “regular” Cracker Barrel would not also be selling such wares as bottled crocodile tears and Unicorn meat slim jims. There aren’t a lot of people in the store, and yet Gavin finds it impossible to get a good look at any of them. The people look normal, but they move like extras in the background of a film. The only person in the room with any notable features is the waitress standing by the back. She’s short, and her hair and eyebrows have been dyed a vibrant blue. As Gavin follows her into the seating area he can't help but stare at her hair, and he finds himself thinking that it can’t possibly be dye, it’s too bright, somehow. She smiles at him as he sits, and her teeth are a just little too sharp.

Once he’s seated, she says, “Can I start you off with a drink?” Her voice has a pleasant, lilting tone to it.

Gavin thinks back to The Thing in the Sonic, “A Raspberry Lemonade? If that’s something you have here?”

She nods, and goes off to get him one. Gavin leans back in his chair and takes in his surroundings, trying to relax. The decor in the Cracker Barrel has a sort of vintage, rustic feel to it, there’s things like black and white photos, and old advertisements on the walls. All the furniture looks antique. There are quite a few other customers present. Most of them look like the same nondescript folk from the front, but a few stand out. There’s a woman in the back corner, she’s dressed in black furs and her head is an ember eyed wolf skull. She’s sitting across from a man with the skull of a stag upon his shoulders, the antlers adorned with ivy. There’s something resembling a giant moth sitting two tables away, slowly crunching its way through a Caesar salad. Occasionally, there’s a figure leaning against the kitchen doors, they look as though they’re made up of television static. Gavin’s eyes start to hurt from trying to look at them, so he turns his attention to the menu instead. The waitress returns with his Raspberry Lemonade, and he orders the Country Fried Shrimp.

Gavin takes a sip of his drink and finds that he agrees with the Thing in the sonic. It’s definitely some good shit.

“Funny seeing you around here, Gav.”

Gavin looks up from his drink, almost spills it in surprise.

“Is this seat taken?”

Gavin manages to shake his head.

Caleb Adams pulls out the chair across from him and sits. Gavin stares at him. He’s wearing a T-shirt that reads, “NORMAL HOROSCOPES: Making your day a little more magic whether you like it or not.” Gavin’s not sure if it’s supposed to be advertising for a psychic’s shop or if it’s some strange indie band he’s never heard of. Knowing Caleb, it’s probably the latter.

He finally manages to speak, “You’re dead.”

“Yeah?” Caleb leans an elbow on the table, and props his head up in his hand, his smile never wavers, “And?”

“And- and I don’t know, Fuck, I don’t know.”

The waitress briefly interrupts his existential crisis by depositing his Country Fried Shrimp on the table. Gavin looks down at it and tries to focus on the smell of greasy seafood instead of the dead man sitting across from him.

“You seem confused.” Caleb’s voice sounds uncharacteristically sympathetic.

Gavin nods.

He sighs, frowning “Eat your lunch, and then we’ll talk.”

Gavin eats what he can, but it’s a large portion, and he’s somehow not that hungry. He takes a final bite, and pushes the plate across the table, silently offering Caleb the rest of the shrimp.

The barest hint of a smile returns to his face, “Thanks, but no.” And then he’s frowning again, “Why’re you here, Gav?”

“I just went where I was told to-”

He shakes his head, “No. I don’t mean the friggin’ Cracker Barrel, I mean Here.”

And Gavin doesn’t really know what to tell him. That he’s here because he felt lost and desperate? That he didn’t know what to do anymore? That it doesn’t matter anyway because he’s fine, everything's fine and he’s just tired?

But he doesn’t tell Caleb any of that, he just says, “I miss you.” And he can’t keep his voice from cracking.

“I know you do.” Caleb places a hand over his, “But this is damn near one of the dumbest things you’ve ever done. You knew this place wouldn’t be safe for you.”

He feels numb, “I didn’t really care.”

“Gavin,” Caleb grips his hand now, “Look at me, please. I mean, really look at me.”

So he does, he looks up at him, and finally, meets his eyes.

They have not changed. Death has not reduced the amount of compassion behind them, nor faded the sea blue color. Gavin stares. Eyes are supposed to be a window into someone's soul, a way to truly see into them, and Gavin just stares because Caleb’s eyes are still capable of conveying so much, and he can feel tears running down his face…..

“It’s time to go home, Gav, okay?” He gestures to the window, and the Greyhound bus has pulled up, “Your ride's here.”

And Gavin knows has to force himself to look away and loosen his grip, and he can’t bring himself to.

“It’s alright.” He says, “It’s going to be alright. I’ll take care of the bill, Please just let go.”

And Gavin finally, Finally manages to tear himself away.

He does not feel anything but relief as he leaves, as he boards the bus and settles into a seat. He leans back, and watches through the window as the world shifts and shimmers and is suddenly dark and starry once more. As the Greyhound pulls out of the Sonic parking lot, Gavin closes his eyes, and slowly falls into the comfort of a deep, dreamless sleep.

[demoiselledefortune]

Hmmmm, for the meme: 7 9 11 21 31 and 52

so many! Thank you anon :D

7- Which Adaptations Have You Consumed

I started watching the donghua (when it was still on going). Caught up with what was up of the manhua at the time (which was not much), then settled to read the novels (which was still being translated at the time). I finished following the novel translation to its ending; and watched the second season of the donghua.

I tried the audio drama but I really don’t deal well with purely auditory media and I couldn’t get into it :/

I’ve avoided CQL because by now I know I often don’t like liveaction adaptation of media that I’m already in the fandom of/have read fanfics for (also avoided the Good Omens TV shows for ex).

I wanna catch up to the manhua again some day, but I might just as well wait for it to be finished.

9- A Fanon You Dislike

Hmm I don’t like when fanfics have Wei Wuxian or Jiang Cheng referring to each others as brothers (even wrote a piece of meta about it and why). I’m not sure if that counts as fanon though.

I don’t like when Nie Huaisang is made to be physically badass. I think he’s awesome because he managed to accomplish his vengeance without needing to become competent in physical combat!

11- Tags You Mostly Filter On Ao3 For 

I have yet to make use of that functionality! But i tend to avoid ABO and a lot of modern AU (i’ll still read them if i really like the characters/pairings or the premise grabs me somehow, but i read much less of them in comparison to canon/canon a/u)

21- A Fanon You Like

I like the fanon (more strongly implied in CQL I think?) that Jiang Yanli could not cultivate much because of some chronic illness.

I also like fanons positing that Jiang Cheng had charge of Jin Ling half the time because he made such a fuss about it. I don’t actually like when he gets him too easily/full time; but some sort of time sharing arrangement is what seems to make most sense given what we see in canon.

52- Favourite MDZS Related Blog

Oh, I’m not sure. @clockworkspider is pretty cool but they stopped posting all that much. Maybe @fluffyrabbitofdoom nowadays.

[heart-eye-harrington]

hold me closer, tiny dancer

Summary: based on the Elton John song

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: one (1) curse word

Author’s Note: hello! this is my first mulit-part writing and I am so excited! I’ve wanted to write this idea for so long and am happy with it so far! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Hope you’re staying safe and sane, sending love♡

⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★

Quiet towns were inhabited by two different types of people; those who were content with the quiet, who bought houses in a cul-de-sac, settled down, and found comfort in routine patterns of life, and those who despise it, counting down the days to when they could get the hell out, when they could run away to somewhere they felt would be exciting. People bought their tickets out in a variety of ways, some worked dead-end jobs to save up money, others poured their efforts into talents or skills that would ensure them good cash once they were gone.

Very few straddled the line in between wanting to stay and wanting to leave. They could see the charm in the tight-knit community and small buzz in the streets, but something deep within yearns for more. 

One breath of life in the stagnant air was art. Being able to create something new, express oneself in more than words. While it wasn’t something the entire community took notice of, it was all a small subset clung to. Like dandelions growing in the cracks of the sidewalk, breathing new life into the existing set solidarity. It wasn’t easy, but life would find a way. 

The small theatre in Hawkins was never as crowded as Hawk Cinema, meaning the owner welcomed any performers with open arms; the Hawkins High drama department, starting bands, amateur comedians and dancers from the local dance studio.

The owner was a kind old man, Mr. Dave, who knew how much the space meant to people. He allowed the aspiring artists in almost every day, and most took full advantage of it. His only condition, he was allowed to check in every once in a while to observe. 

⋆★⋆★⋆★

The shopkeeper’s bell chimes through the small lobby, causing Mr. Dave to lift his gaze from the day’s newspaper. A grin spreads to his ever rosy cheeks when his gaze falls upon you and the duffle bag resting on your shoulder.

“Good morning sweetheart.”

“Good morning Mr. Dave. How are you today?” his cheery expression only grew with your words. You adored him and always made an effort to strike up conversation, the least you could do for everything he did for you and the community.

“Doing alright, how bout yourself?”

“I’m fine, thank you. Is there?-” he laughs, cutting you off before you could finish. He knew how shy you were about dancing in front of other people. He was honored to be the only exception

“No sweetie, no one else is here. Go in there and dance your heart out.” You flash him a smile full of appreciation, and with a quick nod, you enter the auditorium. 

He was telling the truth, it's nothing but you and the stage. A familiar warmth and excitement wash through your body, tingling with anticipation. You felt your muscles cry for joy. Your body craved ballet like it did a warm fudge brownie, and your craving was about to be satisfied. Not wanting to wait a second longer, you rush to the stage, eager to start.

Placing the duffle bag on the worn wooden stage, using your now freed hands to take off your jeans and sweatshirt, revealing the leotard underneath. You place the discarded fabric into your bag, exchanging them for your pointe shoes and cassette player. 

You knew Mr. Dave wouldn’t mind if you used the audio system, but there was something so intimate about having the music to yourself. It was just you, the singer, and the stage. You were free to move however you wished. 

You place the headphones over your ears and clip the player to the waistband of your stockings. Clicking play, a soothing voice begins singing. You stand, take a deep breath, and move.

The music is soft at first, allowing you to slowly warm-up. Small, precise movements allow your muscles to awaken, but when they do, they want more. As the music grows and swells, so do your movements. Arms move to create stronger lines and spins get tighter and faster. As your mixtape goes on, the music slows again. Feeling warmed up enough, you go into full pointe. The moment you fully extend and place all your weight on your toes, you fall.

Hitting the floor with a soft thud, you mentally curse yourself. You knew these shoes were dead, but wanted to milk them for any life they had left before shelling out more money on a new pair. You had a spare, but that didn’t mean you wanted to use them yet. A groan rumbles through your chest as you sit up, drawn from your thoughts by movement in the dark auditorium. 

“Sorry Mr. Dave, I hope the noise didn’t scare you. I’m alright,” you call to the shadow. When it doesn’t respond, instead continuing its journey to the stage, unease slowly adjusts its grip on your heart. The feeling isn’t long-lived, as the shadow makes its way into the lights illuminating the stage. 

He wears a concerned and embarrassed expression on his undeniably beautiful face. He rakes a hand through this mop of wavy brown hair, which you can instantly read as a nervous habit disguised as an attempt to keep cool. 

“You sure you’re ok?” his voice is sweet, making you feel a sense of comfort around the stranger. You reach to your shoes and begin untying the laces.

“Yeah, thanks.” your gaze stays trained on your handiwork, feeling a sudden shyness under his watchful eyes.

“You were amazing. I’ve never seen someone move like that. It was like I could hear the music you were dancing to without even needing to listen” There’s a sense of wonder in his voice, its tone soft yet true.

“…. I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner, I-I just couldn’t bring myself to interrupt.”  you blush at his words, standing to put your shoes away and stealing a look at him. His hands are dug into his pockets, eyes trained on the ground near your feet. You allow a smirk to grace your face at the nervous energy you both emitted. 

“I’ve never seen you here before. Are you a performer?” you look up to him as you dig through your bag. 

“Oh God no. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body. My friend Robin’s in a band and they’re practicing today. She wanted me to watch them, something about L.A.” your ears perk up.

“L.A.? What are they gonna do out there?” 

“Beats me, but she’s wanted out of this shithole for as long as I can remember.” you nod, zipping up your bag after getting the new shoes, ribbon, and sewing kit. Looking up to him, you pat the space on the stage next to you. He takes the invitation with a small smile and sits. 

“What’s all this?” his words are full of curiosity, a door to a world he had never seen opening before him. You giggle at his tone. 

“I have to break in a new pair. Pointe shoes are basically an extension of your body, so you have to fully customize them.” You place the ribbon on the side of the new slipper, taking out the needle and thread, and expertly sew the ribbon and attach it to the shoe. All he can do is watch in awe and the speed and grace in even your sewing skills. It’s evident that you could do this in your sleep. You’re done both shoes in record time, and hold one out to him. After the expected quizzical look he shoots you, you place it in his hand. 

“Feel how hard it is near the toes?” His fingers move across the smooth satin before gently pressing on the toe area, afraid to break the seemingly delicate footwear. Upon pressing down, he’s surprised to feel how hard the area is.

“It’s to support your foot when you go up on your toes. My old pair were used to death so they got flimsy. That’s why I fell, no support.” You hold out your old shoe, urging him to feel the difference. It is softer, and he’s surprised you didn’t break an ankle.

“So, we have to break these new ones in. Wanna bang?” He looks at you with wide eyes, the conversation taking an unexpected turn. Looking from the shoe in your hands and up to him, you instantly realize your mistake, nervous laughter filling the air. 

“Easy tiger, it’s not what you think. Banging is when you bang the shoe against something hard to make it a bit more malleable. Like this.” You grip the arch of the slipper and slam the toes against the stage, a loud bang echoes throughout the theatre. You watch as the tension in his shoulder releases, replaced with a goofy grin. He holds the shoe just as you did and taps the ground. You laugh, urging him to go harder. Hesitantly he follows your advice, the bang echoing just as yours did. 

“Yeah! You got it!” Before you know it the two of you are wailing the shoes against the stage, the cacophony mixing with your shared laughter. For a second you forget you’re strangers, embracing the oddity of the situation. The moment is short-lived, as a voice edges through the noise.

“What the hell is going on in here?” The question doesn’t come from a place of anger, but of pure confusion. You and the stranger stop the pounding and laughter, embarrassment trapping it in your throat. You look up to see a girl with short dirty blonde hair followed closely by two guys; one with a buzz cut, the other a mess of curls. The boy beside you sits up, clearing his throat.

“He-hey Robin! What’s up?”

“I think I asked you first, dingus.” she chuckled, shaking her head. She leaves him alone for mere hours and he’s already finding his way into another story. 

“We’re banging,” he replied effortlessly. The smile playing his lips gone the instant the words left his mouth, realizing the band was just as clueless to the meaning of that phrase as he was mere minutes ago. The realization came at your expense as he felt you awkwardly shift beside him.

“Her shoes, we’re banging her shoes” he sheepishly taps the toe against the hard wood of the stage to demonstrate. The trio in the audience do their best to calm the giggles brought about at the scene before them. 

An awkward heat fills your entire being. You hated sitting here in front of strangers as they laughed at you. You knew it was of no fault to the boy beside you, whose name you assume is Steve after hearing Robin call at him. Eyes locked with the worn stage, you raise your gaze just enough to see the pointe shoe hanging loosely in Steve’s hand. As if scared your motions will activate another horror, you slowly reach for it. He almost jerks away, sadness etched in his features at how his blundering could change your joyous demeanor so quickly. He lets you take your shoe back, relaxing when you give his hand a reassuring squeeze, silently telling him it’s ok. 

“I should probably get out of your hair” your words don’t seem to be aimed at anyone in particular, head ducked down. 

“Wait. We were laughing at him, not you. You don’t have to leave just yet, it’s gonna take a bit for us to get our gear in here.” Guilt was evident in Robin’s words as she attempted to fix the awkward first impression. Her bandmates behind her reflect her remorse.

“No, no it’s ok. I have to get back to the studio anyway. But, thank you. I appreciate it.” The band nods and makes their way out of the theatre to get their equipment. You surry behind the curtain on the side of the stage to put your sweatshirt and blue jeans back on. Walking back into the light of the stage, you see Steve still standing there, a sheepish look on his face. 

“Sorry about that.” was all he could muster, the motion causing your heart to flutter. 

“Steve, it’s fine” you giggle, doing your best to convince him. 

“Wait, how do you know my name?” 

“Your friend Robin said it.”

“Now I feel like a dickhead not knowing yours”

“No one said it.” You both laugh at the small back and forth. After a moment you give him your name, and he gives a warm smile in return. 

“Well, y/n, will I see you again?” joy washes over you like the hot sun. It’s a feeling you could get used to. 

“Yeah, you will. I’m here almost every day.” You stare into his eyes. They’re some of the prettiest you’ve ever seen, the stage lights twinkle in the mix of hazel and honey, or maybe they were always like that. Either way, you could get used to getting lost in them. You blink, snapping out of your trance. 

“I’ll...see you around” You sheepishly turn, hoping he didn’t notice the blush rising to your cheeks. Maybe if you hadn’t been so worried about yours, you would have noticed the pink creeping onto his face as well.

[everything-laito]

Hi there! I'm very new to the Dialovers fandom, and I was wondering: in your opinion, do you think Diabolik Lovers would have worked better (in terms of storytelling) as a straight up horror? Or do you think it works just fine, or better, as it is?

Hello anon! Welcome to the fandom! Hopefully you’re enjoying your stay in Diahell far!

Now, to answer your question, Dialovers is technically a horror game! To be honest, I don’t know how you’d think that it’s not, especially in regards to the first game. It’s more psychological. And those situations are terrifying (Especially Laito’s and Kanato’s route imo).

It’s official genres are: “drama, harem, mystery, horror, romance”

I wish they’d go back to the darker roots in HDB, because I thought they did a great job with the psychological horror in the first game. I haven’t finished the entire second game yet but I do know it gets less horror-ish. I know Dark Fate definitely has more darker themes; however, I don’t know about Lost Eden and Chaos Lineage too much to make an opinion on those games.

My opinion is that I wish they kept the darker themes; sure all the games are still dark given the dub-con situations and backgrounds and all that. But I did like how the first game didn’t end in a good ending (usually). I just like how it’s technical “good” endings weren’t.... that lovey dovey like usual otome games are.

And I’m not a gushy romantic person! I’m a huge fan of horror, that’s why I’m drawn to Dialovers a lot. It reinvents a lot of what constitutes as “horror” but also gives fanservice to people into S&M stuff (aka also reinvents the romance genre). That’s why it has a pretty diverse audience: people who are here for the darker themes of storytelling, or people who are here for the ravishment fantasies, or both!

I do like how it’s just a completely different niche of horror. And a completely different niche of “romance”! I like how the first game didn’t really have happy endings. It’s a very interesting mix, and that’s why I think it messes perfectly. It’s some great stomach-knotting content whether you’re into the ravishment fantasy part or not!

I can’t tell you how many times I was like “ohhhhhh shIT thats FUCKED UP!” playing Laito’s and Kanato’s routes in HDB especially.

If you (or someone else reading this) are coming from the anime.... that adaptation is so watered down in comparison to its source material; so it’s definitely not that “psychological horror”-y. If you wanna get more into DL, I definitely recommend listening to the Do-S drama CDs or reading the manga to get a taste of what the anime was trying to do (and failed). The manga’s not the best in regards to the horror aspect but it’s a better adaptation of the first game than the first season anime was.

The best option is playing the games. Which you can get the first two games on the PPSSPP emulator for your computer for free. Or just buy the grand edition on switch (or the other games for the ps Vita)

I have almost all of Laito’s manga scanlations, drama cd audio/translations and game translations collected! Just click the hyperlinked words :) @/dialovers-translations just about has every drama cd and game translated in general if you’re looking for non-Laito things!

Hopefully that answered your question and hope I could be of help! If you have any more questions about my opinion or just any other things (like resources provided etc) please don’t be afraid to reach out! My ask box is always open (*´꒳`*)

-Corn