#i was literally screaming when they did the evil twin trope

[acolyte-shitposts]

The Acolyte is so much funnier to watch as a borderline camp cop comedy show, like idk wtf is going on but i am obsessed with the vibe.

[kristencsummerlin]

X + Y

X: A character you enjoy making suffer?

Depends on the fic. For my Hellsing/BlackButler one I was gonna make my OC Shirley suffer mainly through combat. Because she has healing potions although she herself can't regenerate and the potion causes you to feel the pain one would have throughout the time of the healing possess all at once. So she's weak and in pain during and after combat and while quickly healing with the potion. Besides her it would of been one of her "students." She's the whole whiny vampire trope. She's one of those "doesn't want to be a vampire" type of vampires so she's emo and kind of bitchy due to partly starving herself. I gave her and Shirley dark background stories. I don't really want to hurt a canon character. Maybe Integra's Uncle because fuck him.

For Nicktoons it's Timmy and Tootie. They canonly are supposed to have a hard life. So I gave them a more dark Fae folklore like background that fits with their characters and the show. The idea is to continue the Nicktoons so I don't know if anyone wants me to spoil it here. lol I don't know, making Timmy and Tootie suffer a little has made them almost my faves. Almost because I don't really fave anyone in Nicktoons yet.

For Soul Eater it would be Soul I guess. I don't hate him and I don't really make him suffer. Not like the other characters from the other fics. My idea is for Maka to start dating a guy and Soul to be jealous and upset about it. So in a way they're suffering. The only other person would be Ox. I headcanon that Liz partly hates him due to his arrogant nature and bad haircut. Because those are the reasons I don't like him (Plus his odd obsession with Kim who I hate so fucking much!) So Liz talks shit about Ox all the time.

Y: A character you want to protect?

For my Hellsing/Black Butler it's Integra, Astra (I don't remember if it's his real name or my sister's head canon name for "Ciel" being it was revealed that Ciel is his twin brother's name and not his), Soma, and Alois. Astra and Alois have suffered a shit ton so they need saving. Soma is a ruby chocolate chip cookie. And Integra is like Queen so everyone worship her.

For Nicktoons it's funny enough the main villains. Because all of them want love and friendship in some shape or form. Like I can't hate any of them. Same with the Evil and or Anti Nicktoons. Because I have them be anti-heroes. Which A Glitch in Time has saved me because I for the longest time was trying to figure out why Dan, a 24 year old was working and or hanging around a bunch of teenagers and the novel came in when I needed it the most. THANK YOU A GLITCH IN TIME!!! So yeah protect the evil babies. LOL

For Soul Eater it's Crona, Tsubaki, and Patty. Patty is like an fox pup she's playful on a level no one can understand. Crona because they need all the love their world has gone out of it's way to not give. Crona is literally my dad's favorite character. Like he was watching the show with me and stopped watching it in protest because he thought the show did Crona dirty. Still bitter about it. When I told him the anime treated Crona better than the manga, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HIS FACE! And then Tsubaki because she's sweat. Although I like to think of her like the Wonder Woman of the group. Something about her screams it.

[rowanaelinn]

Okay, so my plan was to write you something from the lucky one universe for your birthday, but getting Covid has derailed my plans just a bit, so here’s my alternative. This is going to be an essay that basically outlines every single thing I love about Illicit Affairs, and why it’s probably my favorite Rowaelin fic of all time.

I knew this fic was going to be good right from the first chapter, the prologue of sorts. The chemistry between them was immediate, and I was so so so frustrated when I found out he was married that I wanted to scream. But… I knew something obviously was going to change cause there’s no way you can deny their connection. And low and behold it did! This is kinda evil of me, but I’m glad she’s dead. Not in the sense that Rowan is now mourning her cause f that, you have a perfectly wonderful woman with you now sir you do not need to be stuck in the past 🙄, but I’ll get to that later.

Also f chaol too, he sucks. But, I’m glad she got rid of him and ended back with Rowan 😁😁😁. As his stud he too 😏. Guilty pleasure trope there, an age gap, only if there’s absolutely no chance of abuse of power or anything. Only healthy relationships, which you have portrayed perfectly!!! I love the way you write them, because even though rowan is twelve years older than her and even though he’s her professor, you have complete trust in him to do the right thing. He’s not a creep or an asshole, and because of that it makes the relationship hot instead of problematic.

Speaking of hot… 🥵 this fic makes me want to combust. Literally I think the smut in this is the hottest smut I’ve ever read. Rowan could step on me and I would thank him. From the moment they almost kissed in the beginning, to when they did kiss in chapter eight, to the bathroom hookup to all the hookups at his house and then chapter twenty three (before they got interrupted of course). Literally, it’s just so so impeccably good and spicy and I don’t even know how else to describe it. I’m obsessed.

Also, I love the way you included Celaena as Aelin’s twin. Now, im not a fan of when people in the fandom try and separate her as two different people in canon, and act like she’s completely apart with two different mates, etc. But this is fanfic and I’m so intrigued by your set up, it provided such an interesting background to explore grief and mourning and moving on from that kind of loss. And it was so unique compared to other fics I’ve seen, not to discount any, but I just love the way you’ve handled those topics. It’s set in the background of a forbidden romance, but it’s so much deeper than that.

And omg I can’t forget about Helia! She’s so adorable, and I love her relationship with Aelin. It’s so realistic, and I love the concern and care Aelin and Rowan have toward making sure she’s comfortable with their relationship and not too confused. Rowan is an excellent father, and Aelin is coming into her own as a mom. ❤️❤️❤️

All I can really say beyond this right now is just thank you. Thank you so much for sharing this fic with us, and please try not to break our hearts too much 😭 (otherwise I’ll never forgive you 😊😂).

Happy birthday!!!!🎊����🎁🎈🎂

oh my god morgan it’s 7am and i’m crying😭😭

YOUR FAVOURITE ROWAELIN FIC OF ALL TIME?? THIS IS MY HONOR

I adore every single point you’ve made, and I am so glad you noticed every single little detail I slipped in between the lines to make that fic better 🥺

HELIA IS EVERYONE’S BELOVED AS SHE SHOULD!!! I’m going to do like SJM did for KOA and promise that only one character is 100% sure to survive and it’s Helia, I could never hurt my girl

Thank you so so so much for this Morgan, I reread it at least 6 times before answering and I think I’ll reread it many times more🥺❤️❤️

[prbni]

Dramione Headcanons/Prompts

(Note:Might update the post and tags according to the requirement)

A 15 y/o Scorpius Malfoy accidentally stumbles upon a pensive of his father, that contains the memories of a certain witch he had feelings for before he met Scorp's mother. Seeing the loneliness and despair that has fallen upon his father after the death of his mother Astoria, Scorpius decides to use the prohibited Time-Turner to change the courses of the past.

But this meant two things: he'd never be able to experience the love and warmth of his mother and....he probably would cease to exist.

"This is madness Scorp!" Albus shouted angrily. " Uncle Ron and Auntie Mione are happily married. They have loved each other for ages. And this also means,Rose wouldn't exist as well. Do you really intend to do this over the one-sided crush that your father had on Auntie Mione once upon a time?!"

Basically, Albus trying to convince him in all possible ways that this is a bad idea.

Cue to Ron and Hermione arguing at the backyard of Harry-Ginny's house. They even forgot to cast Silencing Charm. Hence,everyone including the kids heard their argument.

"Oh,stop behaving like you're the only one who has been compromising in this marriage!!! Did I tell you to give up your position in the Ministry of Magic? No!" Ron yelled. " Why are you even bringing this up?! I never said it was your fault or anything!"Hermione tried to reason. "BECAUSE I'M TIRED. TIRED OF EVERYONE PRETENDING LIKE YOU HAVE DONE ME A FAVOR BY MARRYING ME WHEN IT IS THE OPPOSITE!!!" "Wh-what do you mean?"Hermione asked meekly. Ron scoffed. "Your parents are gone,Hermione. If we didn't take you into the Burrow, you wouldn't have anywhere to go. You needed us. You needed me." Hermione looked like she was trying to process the words that Ron just said. Or maybe, she was just trying to convince herself that Ron is capable of saying something like this. It's just Ron being in a foul mood. He definitely doesn't mean it."Ron let's talk about this tomorrow, okay?" Hermione tried to calm herself down. "Harry and Ginny are probably waiting for us in the dining table."

"Why? Can't face the truth?" Ron sneered. "If you were sensible enough Ronald, we'd be having this conversation at our own home,with a Silencing Charm on and without children listening to this," Hermione retorted while hinting towards Albus and Scorpius behind them,who were looking warily back and forth between the older duo. It took a while before Ron realised what she meant and grudgingly complied to go inside the house.

Scorpius gave Albus a if-this-is-what-you-mean-by-them-being-a-happy-couple look.

"Well,older couples fight. My parents fight as well. Uncle Ron is a bit aggressive,you know. But they have been like this for years.Also we don't know what actually happened between them.See,Aunty Mione didn't even fight him back," defended Albus."She didn't fight back because she knew we were listening,Al. And I don't know but this sounded more like defamation than argument." Albus sighed loudly,aware that there's no point in arguing. "So, you're still keen on getting Mr.Malfoy and Auntie Granger together in the past?" he asked instead.

"I think now I'm even more keen on getting them together,"Scorpius replied with a slight grin.

Yule Ball AU: Draco is awed when Hermione descends downstairs.

His expressions form into a scowl when he witnesses Ron and Hermione's encounter,and it pisses him off to no end when he sees her crying.

"Pathetic shite really. Ruined the whole festive mood" he mutters to himself. Even all the purring and cooing of Pansy Parkinson beside him couldn't fix his mood."Well that's what she gets for gushing over Weaselby of all possible blokes. Even Longbottom or Potter would know better than making her cry at the Ball. Seems like Weasley lacks in everything,even courting manners. But well,what do I care?"

"Enough to disturb others' sleep through your late night self-indulgent altercations" a voice drawled in beside his bed.

"Seriously,mate. Try to sleep or let others sleep. This was a long,tiring day and we have a tournament ahead,"Theo grumbled from under the covers while Draco shot a glare at this direction.

Another Time Travel fic. This time it's Hermione and Draco going back to time for their own purposes but getting entangled in the middle as they decide to help each other out before returning to the original timeline.

"Be wise before you hold my hand,Granger" Draco said. "I'm not just offering you for a dance. I'm offering you for a lifetime with me. Once you accept this, you're never returning to Weasley."

If Hermione didn't know better what Draco looks like and sounds like when he's joking,she'd almost think this was just one of his attempts at flirting. But one look at his eyes and the intonation of his words sent her shivers.

"That's not how time traveling works,Malfoy. We aren't supposed to end up together. That's not why we're here,"she explained.

"It's okay,Granger. You can just tell me you don't want this,"he chuckled bitterly. "For if you did, you wouldn't care what happens and what's supposed to happen. You'd just join me without excuses."

"I'm not making excuses,Draco. I'm a mother as well. If I mess here in this timeline, they'd be gone there in the future,"seethed Hermione.

One of the common tropes here: Compulsory Marriage under Marriage Law post-war. Here, Hermione is literally fighting with the Ministry to prevent her marriage with Draco. While Draco reluctantly agreed to the marriage since this was the only way to save himself from landing into Azkaban, Hermione had a huge outburst.

"Minister,are you seriously telling me I have to marry this git?" Hermione scoffed in disbelief. "Now now Granger. That's not the way to refer to your future husband," Draco drawled in. She almost forgot Kingsley called both of them to talk about their compatibility in terms of marriage. "Quite rich coming from someone that called me filthy mudblood the entire time he'd known me".That seemed to shut Draco up. The Minister in the question coughed a bit to grab their attention. "Hermione, I'm sorry,okay? I tried talking with the other ministers about this. But nobody including myself seem to come up with a solution better than this." "Granger, don't act like this is a punishment only for you. If choices or circumstances were any better, I'd rather do a dirty dance with goblins of the Gringotts than showing up here and talk about the prospect of marriage....or whatever this is," Draco said in an annoyed tone."Serves you right for all the horrid things you were part of," Hermione replied to him and then turned to Shacklebolt, " I understand why and how this is a punishment to him. But this is a punishment to me as well. And what am I being punished for?"she almost cried out. Draco visibly flinched a bit. "Ever since I stepped into the Wizarding World, almost everyone has taken a knack of making a point to me that I'll never be good enough to belong here. So, I studied.I learnt as much as possible,more than anyone else and tried to dedicate myself to whatever it takes to make a perfect witch. Then, Voldemort returned. Second Wizarding War came along. Everyone talks about what or who has been lost who has made sacrifices but does anyone know I had to take it to myself to wipe out my parents' memories of me and drive them away because the Wizarding World cannot provide them with protection?!"Her eyes were glistened and voice became hoarse. "Hermione,you have to know I'm sorry and thankful-" "No,Minister. I'm not holding anyone accountable for what became of my parents. That's completely my own doing.What I'm trying to understand is after everything I've seen and been through, why am I to be hitched against my own volition to this rotten scum of a Deatheater?!" "Ex.Death. Eater,"Draco said in a dangerously low voice. "You have all the reasons to hate me,Granger. But don't carelessly throw around words like you know me. Despite all the hatred and animosity over the years, I tried to warn you during the Triwizard tournament. I didn't want you to end up at the Manor and I definitely didn't want this!"he shrieked pointing at her forearm where that eight-lettered word was curved in forever. "I didn't want this either," he said in a softer tone,pointing at his own forearm and own scar this time. "So,you see. I'm not the good guy that you'd want as your husband. But I'm not as evil as you expect me to be either." Draco's eyes held nothing but honesty and sincerity which took Hermione aback. "Have you said your piece?" she asked with a renewed vigor to which Draco nodded.

"I'd submit my wand and all magical articles to your office tomorrow,Minister. And return to the Muggle world for good. I shall take your leave now." With that she stomped out of the room without even sparing the other two wizards a glance or letting them speak.

Draco's boggart wasn't his father's disappointment in him. Heck it wasn't even the Dark Lord himself. His boggart was a certain Muggleborn witch crying and writhing in pain on the stone cold floor of the Manor,her screams ringing through the Manor walls tortured by his own aunt while he stands there like a coward, doing nothing,not even looking at her.

After being able to successfully able to restore her parents' memories using the Memory Charm,ever-so-curious Hermione Granger tries it on herself. What she didn't expect was an overwhelming rush of memories consisting of a certain very familiar blonde with very unfamiliar moments between them. Shock,surprise,sadness and anger crashed down on her altogether. Did anyone else know? Had he obliviated himself as well?

She knew accepting a dare from Weasley Twins meant trouble. Yet,when they called her a scaredy cat for trying to back down from the bet,she lunged into it. Even if that meant she had to stalk Draco Malfoy the annoying ferret for a week while disillusioning herself. What she didn't realise was that the thing that started as a dare would become habit while being thrust into a totally different perspective of what the-boy-who-made-her-school-life-hell really was.

She was tired of being called ‘boring’ and ‘no fun’. The one time she decided to pull on a prank was on someone no one would expect. Draco Malfoy. So,when an accident happens while concucting the Love Potion and the cauldron explodes,Hermione falls in love with her forever nemesis. Or should I say, pretends to fall in love with him.Draco Malfoy was already having a hard time accomplishing the task he was assigned with. A bushy headed witch being all sappy and clingy was the last thing he needed at the moment.

[recentanimenews]

From Bakeneko to Bakemonogatari: The Secret History of Catgirls

It’s a question society has asked for ages: what came first, the cat or the girl?

The catgirl is one of the most resilient images in anime today. However, even the term “catgirl” is a little vague. Close your eyes and try to imagine what that word actually means. Did you think of a girl, but with cat ears? Did she have a tail? Does she have a verbal tic? Was she — by some mystical, scientific, or by some other supernatural occurrence — able to transform into an actual cat? If you said yes or no to any of those questions, are we still talking about the same kind of “catgirl”?

The answer is no one really knows. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying to investigate the origins of this immensely popular character type. Does such a thing as "the first catgirl" truly even exist?

Black Hanekawa as she appears in Nekomonogatari

What We Talk About When We Talk About Catgirls

Broadly speaking, characters with animal ears are described as kemonomimi, which literally means animal ears. What about catgirl etymology? As expected, characters with cat ears are described as nekomimi, aka cat ears. The term nekomusume (cat girl or daughter, literally) has also been used, which is also notably the name of the character Neko-Musume from Shigeru Mizuki’s popular 1960s supernatural manga GeGeGe no Kitarō. Ralph F. McCarthy, the first to translate Kitarō in a bilingual edition published by Kodansha in 2002, localized this name as “Catchick.” This is all to say, the invented euphemism “catgirl” is just one of many used to describe the same thing: a cat-like girl who may or may not claw your eyes out with a mischievous smirk.

Mizuki's Neko-Musume is based on the bakeneko, an evil cat spirit who is sometimes able to change between human and feline form. Folklorist Matthew Meyer describes bakeneko as beginning their lives as regular house cats, but later accumulating more human-like traits as they mature. In many stories, they are depicted as lapping up the blood of murder victims, thereby granting them supernatural powers. Of course, they aren’t to be mistaken with nekomata — twin-tailed cat spirits, like Yōkai Watch’s Jibanyan. Much like the rest of Mizuki’s yōkai characters inspired by Japan’s supernatural folklore, Mizuki’s bakeneko are the byproduct of creative license. Neko-Musume doesn’t have cat ears like we might expect them today, but technically she fits the bill for a supernatural entity. Like modern-day big-eyed catgirls, your mileage may vary.

Detail from Utagawa Kuniyoshi's nekozuka print

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, a woodblock artist born in 1798, is well-known for his many cat-centric prints. One of his most renowned projects was a series of prints depicting the 1827 kabuki drama, Traveling Alone to the Fifty-three Stations. In 1852, Kuniyoshi printed a depiction of actor Onoe Kikugorō III as one of the play’s most memorable characters, the nekozuka, a cat monster living in Okazaki assuming the form of a human woman. Kuniyoshi draws this specter with two very noticeable cat ears — a statement that this is a suspicious supernatural entity. This same motif reoccurs in other Kuniyoshi works, noticeably a woodblock triptych depicting the same actor as a cat creature. Again, those notorious ears appear.

Onoe Kikugorō III illustrated by artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Is Kuniyoshi’s flair for fantastic flourish the missing link? The secret origin of all catgirls who ever dared meow in the modern age? Well, it’s a little more complicated than that.

Will the Real Catgirls Please Stand Up?

The bakeneko is but just one entry in Japanese folklore’s long love affair with cats. In contemporary media, the concept of a cat-influenced woman is seen in many horror films. In an entry on bakeneko for The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films, scholar Michael Crandol writes: "Bakeneko tales were the single most popular subject of Japanese horror films from the dawn of cinema through the 1960s, with more than sixty such pictures released by 1970.” With films as early as 1938’s The Ghost Cat and The Mysterious Shamisen, to post-war modern classics like 1968’s Kuroneko, the bakeneko sub-genre in Japanese horror is a testament to its ubiquity. Not to mention the allure of mysterious intrigue.

Kaneto Shindo's Kuroneko asks the universal question: will my cat eat me when I die?

From this perspective, the origins of catgirls seem quite hairy. In fact, looking solely through the lens of the traditional bakeneko narrative is extremely limiting. Surely they all aren’t evil women possessed by vengeful spirits? So what else?

In May 2019, independent cartoonist Keiichi Tanaka posted a thread on Twitter asking about the possible origins of the catgirl design proper:

猫耳の元祖って『綿の国星』？ 人間の顔で頭の上に猫の耳、このデザインってそれ以前にあった？

— はぁとふる倍国土 (@keiichisennsei) May 16, 2019

Among the replies included Osamu Tezuka’s character Hecate, a shape-shifting young witch who transforms into a half-humanoid, half-cat creature from the 1950s manga Princess Knight. Others mention Kuniyoshi’s cat-eared nekozuka woodblock prints, alongside the introduction of the classic Playboy Bunny costume in Japan. At first, it seems like Yumiko Ōshima’s manga Star of Cottonland may be the point of origin, but perhaps it’s not so easy to pin down. Did Tezuka, like so many innovations in early anime and manga, do it first? Are catgirls perhaps an underappreciated relic of the Edō period? What about classic '80s shōjo manga?

Feline magic in Tezuka's Princess Knight

Like many great debates in art history, the conclusion is ambiguous. Some might say Kuniyoshi unintentionally invented “catgirls” in the 19th century. Others may say Tezuka refined the concept, but Ōshima popularized the idea of cat ears on cute girls. If we examine catgirls strictly through the lens of anime and manga, the ambiguity and debate regarding "origins" become less of a fuzzy headache. Rather, we can re-frame the question: What works possibly helped catgirls bloom into the anime and manga-centric phenomenon we know and love today?

Chibi Neko, a cat who believes she is a girl

Ōshima’s Star of Cottonland was serialized in shōjo magazine LaLa from 1978 to 1987. The protagonist, Chibi Neko, is a kitten who views herself as a little girl. Because of this, the story is illustrated from her perspective and depicts her as human, with the caveat of having cat ears. In her 1995 book, Phänomen Manga: Comic-Kultur in Japan, scholar Jaqueline Berndt points to Ōshima being the possible originator of this now massively popular trope. In 1984, Star of Cottonland was adapted into OVA by Mushi Production, the animation studio famously known for adapting many of Tezuka’s major works.

Meanwhile, another OVA debuted in 1984: Bagi, the Monster of Mighty Nature. This was an original production written by Tezuka himself in response to gene recombination research approval by the Japanese government. Most famously, it featured an anthropomorphic feline woman named Bagi, who is undeniably more cat than girl. Bagi attempts to gain vengeance on humanity while simultaneously forging a troubled relationship with the action-hero male protagonist. While the Star of Cottonland OVA saw a limited home release, Bagi was broadcasted via the Nippon Television Network as a TV special.

Twin cyberpunk catgirls from Masamune's Dominion

Star of Cottonland and Bagi couldn’t be more thematically different, nonetheless, they both depend on catgirls for their worldbuilding. Masamune Shirow’s 1985 science-fiction manga, Dominion, follows a similar trend with its portrayal of android catgirls in a gritty cyberpunk setting. Adapted into a 1988 OVA series, Dominion: Tank Police features two puma twins, Anna and Uni, catgirls created as sentient love dolls. With their wild hair and overtly sexualized design, they undoubtedly have more in common with Tezuka’s violent Bagi than Ōshima’s initial cat-eared girls. They are, for lack of a better word, an otaku’s modern catgirl with their feral bloodthirst intact.

A Catgirl for All Seasons

A feature from Kadokawa’s Davinci News’ anime department titled "We Investigated ‘Why Are Nekomimi Girls So Cute’” draws attention to the 2013 Fall anime season. Namely, ear and tail-equipped characters from Outbreak Company and Nekomonogatari. What’s the appeal of animal-eared girls, where did they come from, and why are they so seemingly trendy now? Again, Kuniyoshi’s fearsome kabuki portraits are mentioned, however with an important caveat: Kuniyoshi's cat ears were meant to strike fear, not inspire charm. The same could be said for the post-war boom in bakeneko films and their scream queen actresses. The article’s author even suggests that the prominence of the Playboy Bunny outfit, with its appeal to the uppercrust of society and cute tail, might’ve also added to a flourishing nekomimi cosplay craze. At some point, the strangeness of the concept became secondary to cute novelty.

Koyomi confronts the Sawari Neko possessing Hanekawa

This observation points out an important contemporary trend: ornamental catgirls, aka eyecandy, verus catgirls with a narrative purpose. Peak catgirl is somehow balancing both acts. Characters like Bakemonogatari’s Tsubasa Hanekawa — a high schooler who is possessed by the Sawari Neko spirit — unintentionally create the night-prowling, cat-eared alter-ego named “Black Hanekawa.” Black Hanekawa may perhaps be the modern mash-up of bakeneko tradition and otaku catgirl-ness we've long awaited. She speaks in cat-puns, obviously not human, and is most importantly a fearsome supernatural nuance. But on the flip-side, Black Hanekawa is everything we expect from the otaku’s catgirl: ears on top of her head, an eccentric personality, and a desire to exaggerate those feline quirks whenever possible for cuteness' sake.

ฅ(*ΦωΦ*)ฅ

  The modern catgirl’s sensibility is to be a girl first, cat second. While hints of this archetype is seen in Shirow’s 1980s catgirl love androids, early 2000s series like Di Gi Charat and Tokyo Mew Mew have only further pushed this specific everyday flavor of catgirl agenda. Especially considering the infectious prevalence of mascot characters like Dejiko, a chibified catgirl with lucky cat bells on character goods stores across Akihabara. It’s no wonder they’ve effectively lost all their unncanniness. But besides the cultural context — there’s no real reason why cat ears just can’t be cute in themselves.

Dejiko and company promoting a GAMERS character goods store in Akihabara

Nowadays, you don’t have to look very hard to find a cat-eared character. Series like Re:Zero famously feature characters like Felix, whose cat-like qualities are part of the lore. Nintendo series like Fire Emblem have even newly added a “beast” race of animal-eared characters. Not to mention the massive popularity of franchises like Strike Witches and Kemono Friends in recent years, catgirls undoubtedly draw massively passionate fanbases. No matter where they came from, catgirls in all shapes and sizes, clawed, and de-clawed, have never stopped turning heads. The nyapocalypse is here to stay, fur-real.

Do you have a favorite catgirl of all time? Let us knyaow in the comments below!

  Blake P. is a weekly columnist for Crunchyroll Features. He thinks Cats (the musical) deserves a proper anime adaptation. His twitter is @_dispossessed. His bylines include Fanbyte, VRV, Unwinnable, and more.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[mtvswatches]

Jane the Virgin 2x20 – Chapter Forty-Two

Click here for previous recaps!

Stray thoughts

1) I guess I should’ve figured the season finale would revolve around the wedding, but for some reason, I thought they would get married before that. What is it with TV shows and season finale weddings?

2) Jane is looking forward to spending Mother’s Day in the traditional Villanueva way – binge-watching telenovelas and bingeing ice-cream. But Petra sends her an invitation to start a new tradition, I guess. She’s organized a brunch so that they all get to spend Mother’s Day together and Rafael doesn’t need to split his time between the two households. Xiomara and Alba tell Jane to say no, but she just can’t break Petra’s heart.

3) They’re planning a crossover for Rogelio’s telenovela, and it seems epic…

Rogelio and Fernando are basically having a pissing contest to see who’s the biggest star, and Michael will inevitably get caught in the crossfire.

4) Anezka’s plan seems to be working perfectly…

Jane has to clear everything up with the school’s authorities, and she’s told she won’t be accepted back as a TA the next semester. Jane sets out to discover who is behind the fake email account and to prove that drama does not follow her around. Good luck with that.

5)  So, the narrator just said…

As my grandmother used to say: “Ay, not this guy.”

…and I’m here trying to figure out if this is a clue as to who the narrator is. It has to be. But I can’t remember any characters saying this before. Could it be Alba’s line and hence the narrator would be Jane? Or is it Xiomara’s and the narrator is Mateo? Or could it be something Jane will say at some point and it’s her grandson doing the narration?

6) Jane realizes Anezka is behind the fake email account because of her awkward grammar, and I’m kind of glad she discovered it quickly because I thought we were headed towards a “Jane thinks Petra tried to ruin her career and they fall out AGAIN and everyone fights during Mother’s Day.”

7) Jane tells Petra all about Anezka’s involvement in the fake email thing, and Petra agrees to talk to her to clear everything up… but they did get into a little thing regarding the Mother’s Day brunch, so they still might get into a fight. And I’m guessing Anezka will bring up the “Petra is not a hands-on mom” comment and make Petra explode.

8) Rogelio is still sleeping with his writer. She didn’t invite him to her birthday party because she assumed he wouldn’t get along with her “intellectual” friends and Rogelio begs her to give him a chance to bond with them, while recruiting Jane to give him an intellectual side. This should end well.

And the irony here is just *chef’s kiss*

9) As predicted, Anezka blurted out that Jane said Petra is not a good mother, which is not exactly what Jane said but it was subtly implied…

10) Well, Derek is blackmailing Rafael into selling him the Fairwick for a dollar. And yes, I’m still not interested in this storyline.

11) Rogelio channeling Michael Scott in a time-traveling soap opera? Michael Scott would love it!

12) When talking to Jane, Rogelio realized that even though Michael was grateful for the job he’d given him as head of security, he didn’t find it motivating. So, thanks to Michael’s expertise as a police officer, Rogelio promoted him to technical advisor, and Michael seems super excited about it. Rogelio is simply the best.

13) Petra confronts Jane about the “bad mom” comment, and it all spirals out of control, until both out of spite for Jane and a sense of kinship towards Anezka, Petra tells Jane Anezka didn’t place the ad.

14) Poor Anezka…

15) Well, Michael is taking his new job a little bit too seriously and I guess that’s not going to last long.

16) Rogelio asks Jane to show up at the dinner party to coach him through the conversation in person, and Xiomara encourages her to go. She seems to be handling Rogelio being in a new relationship quite well. I wonder if she’ll break down at some point.

17) Or she’ll make a terrible mistake, which is the Xiomara style…

18) Rogelio’s attempt to look smart fails miserably but he ends up admitting to his lady that he did the whole thing to impress her friends because he actually likes her. She admits that it was stupid, but it was also very sweet, and they seem to become closer because of it.

19) Jane admits to Rogelio that she wanted to be supportive and help him out but it made her feel uncomfortable and that while she’s always on his side, she needs a little bit more time to be totally on board with being around her dad’s new girlfriend. It’s a very sweet moment.

20) Dina! The lady writer is called Dina!

21) Hm. Rafael just opened up to Jane and told her everything about his brother, and she literally went inside and blurted it all out to Michael. This lady can’t keep a secret! You see what I mean? That’s not what a good person would do!

22) Rogelio made a video to celebrate Jane’s motherhood, and it’s very sweet, but I’m guessing it will make Petra feel like crap? Rogelio is simply the best, though!

23) Aww, Anezka is now trying to toast to Petra and she’s so sweet.

24) Narrator is dropping a lot of hints in this episode…

And while we’re sharing about our moms, can I just say I have the greatest, most supportive, bestest mother, ever? Love you, mamma, so much.

25) Even though it ended up being a tolerably pleasant event, Jane just can’t hold it any longer and starts screaming at Anezka and calling her a liar. And again, this makes me dislike her? Yes, she was right, but was it really the moment to do that? Did she really have to rip her head off just when they were about to leave and they had survived the whole afternoon? And of course, this happened as a result…

26) After they release her from the hospital, Anezka admits that she did in fact post the ad and naively tells Petra to stop lying for her. She’s trying to make amends, but this only allows Jane to get back on her high horse and judge Petra. I don’t know, am I the only one who slightly dislikes Jane…?

27) Michael seems to have an epiphany as regards Derek’s alibi and calls his former partner (I think?) to ask her to let him join the case again.

28) Anezka is pretending to be Petra? Did they really have to turn her into the evil twin? So this means that she has been playing the naive, childish role to manipulate everyone around her. I guess I should’ve seen it coming considering how many times they referred to the Evil Twin Trope in this episode. But I honestly thought they would try to subvert the trope? 

29) Yep, mistakes were made.

30) Petra tells Rafael he was an idiot to tell Jane about the whole blackmail thing, and I agree with her. Why did he tell Jane when Jane is marrying Michael, an ex-cop? And why didn’t he tell Petra, who is his business partner? Oh, of course, plot reasons.

31) Muter is back, I guess. This doesn’t make this storyline any more interesting.

32) So I’m guessing the season finale will be split between the wedding and Michael getting caught in this crime ring thing, right? Eh, that doesn’t sound too exciting to me. We’ll see.

33) Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!

[jellybeanbeing]

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir *UPDATED*

Synopsis:

Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion--even at the cost of his humanity.

REVIEW WITH SPOILERS!

So I read A Reaper at the Gates again and I have new thoughts.

This re-read for me was surprisingly pleasant. I wasn’t planning on reading this but I had a sudden urge to read it so I just picked it up and it was really good. And don’t get me wrong, if you read my other review for this book, you will know that I loved it the first time around, but this time I just noticed a lot of different things that captured my attention and made the story even more complex and better. But I will be honest and say the true reason that I picked up this book again was because of Helene and Avitas. I just really love those two and their slow burn romance. I was really looking forward to it and it was just as I remembered if not, better. Anyways, onto the review!

Starting off with Elias, I know I said I didn’t like his chapters the first time around, but I’ve grown to really love them and appreciate them and his character. But his chapters still weren’t my favorite. Anyways, I found that his chapters were the most emotional and heart wrenching because Elias, this dude who loves so much, has to learn not to love anymore. We can see his slow progression into his detachment to the human world and it is so sad to read. I also really liked that with his chapters, we the readers got to see the true complexity that is this novel. The story is essential set up in the beginning as good vs evil, but with the stories of the jinn, we see that all sides have done their damage so the big question is put out there: who’s right and who’s wrong? And I absolutely love this because it strays away from the black and white of things and shows the true realities of war and the world.

Laia kind of annoyed me this time around. I love her with all of my heart but, she kept doing things she was told not to do, and it bothered me. I was so frustrated with her because I felt like she kept playing hero at the wrong times. She kept trying to save every one person she saw suffering, and I know her reasoning for it (because she wants to save just one life if she can or something like that) but THINK OF THE BIGGER PICTURE. Yeah, she can save that one child, but she can also save thousands of others if she just kept going instead of stopping for every one person. And don’t get me started with how easily this girl gets distracted. When she found out that Cook was her mom and they were reunited, she literally stopped and said that what happened between them was more important than their mission TO SAVE THE ENTIRE EMPIRE. HELLO? MORE IMPORTANT? *sighs heavily* I will say though, that I love that Laia makes mistakes. It makes sense for her character because all the others are more experienced than she is, with all the killing and other stuff. It also makes her more real.

Helene Aquilla is my girl. I love her so much. I just love seeing her growth, though it is heartbreaking. Her chapters were (again) my favorite, and I think that really has to do with the amount of different characters in her chapters. She is really the only character in this book who interacts with more than four people throughout the entire book. Through Helene’s chapters, we the readers can really grasp at how serious and more complex the war is. Also the “villains” were most present in Helene’s chapters and boy, are they written so well. I’ll get to that later. I guess all I really have to say for Helene though, is that I just loved her and her chapters. There’s nothing more to say.

Now for all three of these characters—Elias, Laia, and Helene—the one absolute thing that bothered me was that they didn’t seem to use their brains or common sense.

For Elias, he kept fucking around when Shaeva was trying to teach him his role as Soul Catcher and she even told him that she didn’t know if she would have enough time but still he kept skipping out and not learning. And what did that result in? Shaeva dying and then Elias barely having clue on how to pass on the ghosts all because he didn’t fucking listen.

For Laia, she kept passing over the minuscule details that later turned out to be crucial. In the beginning, she notices that the town where she’s trying to free Mamie, is empty and she’s like, that’s no concern of mine. WELL IT TURNS OUT THAT THAT WAS CRUCIAL BECAUSE YA GOT CAUGHT. She also kept assuming things that were later on not true, like when she thought she was the ghost and was so certain of it but it turned out that Cook was the ghost.

For Helene, she used her brains at bit more like with the figuring out the ships and what not, but she kept playing into the Commandant’s hands unintentionally, even when she was warned so many times not to. I think she just kept thinking about being one step ahead of Keris that she literally played into her hands and was like, ARE YOU SERIOUS? And let’s be honest, Avitas was a real big help in helping Helene try to take down Keris.

Now for the “villains” (The Commandant, The Nightbringer, and Marcus), I personally really liked how well they were written. The complexity and human qualities they have make them such interesting characters.

First off, Marcus: What he became at Blackcliff and after that was truly disgusting. He deserved to die, but I can’t help but feel sad for him. In Elias’s last chapter, there’s a line that explains this perfectly: “I take their darkness—that which Blackcliff found within them and nurtured—and Mauth consumes it...When I look back at the twins, they are boys once more, untainted by the world.” It’s so real and it’s sad. I will admit that I cried at his death scene and the last scene where he is with his brother. After Zak’s death, we see the more human side of him leaking through and it gave his character more complexity than just being this stagnant jackass.

For The Nightbringer, we see in his own two chapters why he wants to bring the jinn back. With his character’s POV and the jinn’s story, it really shifts the image of his character from being just evil into this morally grey character. He’s doing what he’s doing because he wants his family back and they were betrayed. He wants vengeance. I really love this because it gives reason behind his doings. It doesn’t make him out to be this bad guy, just to be the bad guy.

And for Keris, I am the most intrigued by her. I find the meaning behind her tattoo so fascinating and so well done. I read that part again and my jaw was completely dropped. Slowly, we’re uncovering the secrets of her past and it’s so good. I am wanting more, especially with that cliffhanger at the end where the Wisp is actually Keris’s mom. There are so many unanswered questions and I want them now. She did get on my nerves though. So much.

The romances in this book weren’t very heavy but it was a good amount. Laia and Elias’s relationship was meh, for me if I’m being honest here. The one thing loved though was how they kept referring to each other as friends or that they just really cared for each other. I was like, yeah, yeah, shut up, y’all love each other.

But Helene and Avitas? My favorite! Slow burn and hate to love romances are my absolute favorite tropes and that’s what this couple is. I love the slow build up of their attraction for each other and the subtle flirting that happens. It’s so darn cute and I’m shipping this so hard.

I cannot wait for when Elias finally tells Laia what he said in the caravan before he left: “You are temple, you are my priest, you are my prayer, you are my release.” I AM READY TO CRY WHEN IT HAPPENS.

Also, I cannot, I repeat, CANNOT wait for when Avitas finally says “Helene” instead of Blood Shrike. I WILL SCREAM FROM THE ROOFTOPS WHEN IT HAPPENS. He’s been so close to saying it and I just can’t wait. God, these romances kill me.

One last thing before I wrap everything up. The one thing that really had me thinking was, does Blackcliff Academy not train their students in things other than combat? Because Elias, top student of Blackcliff Academy, seemed to lack in skills like strategy and stuff like that. And whenever he mentioned about going into Mask-mode, it was to always fight and be emotionless. And if the answer is yes, Blackcliff does teach things other than combat, then why and how the hell did Elias become the top student? IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE. Also, does Laia have a last name? Where is Spiro Teluman? That man literally up and left. What are the rankings for the soldiers? (Auxes, centurions, masks, all that jazz). Okay, that’s it. 4/5 stars!

Definitely go check out my other Reaper review!

[makeste]

KHR 070: Kufufufufufufufufufufufu

When we last left off, this happened to Birds.

It was beautiful and cathartic. BUT IT’S IN THE PAST NOW.

Today we will be properly introduced to everyone’s favorite leather-clad miniboss, Lancia! Also, Tsuna meets Mukuro for the first time. Only he doesn’t know it’s Mukuro. Shenanigans!!

Anyway, did you know that the twins actually had names? I didn’t. And I’ve read this chapter like six or seven times by this point, so I have no idea why. It’s really weird, too, because they’re actually really cute names.

Like, I would name a pair of goldfish that. But not the monsters from Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Kyoko is all, “Hey, Doctor Shamal!” while Hana has a more reasonably skeptical look on her face. Meanwhile, neither of them seems to notice that the mummy from The Mummy franchise is lying there twitching on the ground behind them.

Shamal takes this opportunity for some completely nonsensical flirting.

It’s debatable whether he actually says this just to send them running off all the more quickly. I go back and forth an awful lot when it comes to Shamal. I have very strong feelings about him being an extremely half-assed mentor figure to the very young and impressionable Hayato for a short while, before abruptly running off and leaving my poor child sad and hurt and confused, all because he couldn’t be bothered to explain the concept of, “Please be more careful about trying not to die.” And when I say “very strong feelings”, I mean, “This guy can fuck right off.” That plus the incredibly annoying shounen pervert trope really puts me off the guy.

But even so, sometimes he can be useful.

There’s no denying the dude is a badass, on the few occasions he actually decides to be.

Also, this attitude…

…I feel is something Gokudera actively tries to emulate later on during his own badass moments.

For better or worse, he really does look up to Shamal even now. It’s a little frustrating, but what can you do.

Anyway, lest we forget, Lambo and I-Pin were also being badasses.

Lambo’s flirting is way more gentlemanly and respectful than Shamal’s. Nana raised this boy right.

THERE ARE OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS BESIDES FIGHTING!

Besides, it means I-Pin gets the fight all to herself which is amazing!

YEEEEEEESSSS

MY FAVORITE THING IS HOW BIG HER SMILE IS THERE AT THE VERY END. SHE IS SMILING SO BIG!!

THE ONLY THING THAT COULD POSSIBLY MAKE THIS BETTER IS IF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER ALSO GOT IN ON THIS

I LIVE FOR THE LITTLE THINGS. LIKE GOKUDERA HAYATO SHATTERING ALL OF THIS MAN’S RIBS

ONE HIT K.O. YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST FOLKS, GOKUDERA HAYATO SINGLE-HANDEDLY DISPATCHED THE WORST CHARACTER IN THE ENTIRE SERIES.

Eh, in this series that doesn’t really hold true, actually. Aside from this one guy. Which is why he’s the worst.

Tsuna then super-belatedly realizes that there were only supposed to be three people and instead the count is up to at least seven so far! Reborn then explains that these guys broke out of prison along with Mukuro.

“There’s no way the rest could have joined Mukuro.” Um, okay. I’ll just let Tsuna take this one.

Hold up. Can we just take a moment to appreciate Reborn’s face:

No words.

Tsuna now feels the need to ask if anyone else will be showing up, because for all we know there are like twelve more of these guys, since Reborn apparently likes to sit on this kind of information until it has become laughably irrelevant.

And in fact Bianchi’s spider-senses do detect someone hiding nearby! Who could it be?

IT’S THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD HOSTAGE

Tsuna is incredibly relieved to see him and immediately starts running over! But Fuuta stops him!

Oh shit I smell an angsty anime plot twist coming on.

MY SHADOW’S THE ONLY ONE THAT WALKS BESIDE ME

WOW HE JUST FUCKING LEFT. SAYONARA TO YOU TOO THEN.

Tsuna runs after him because ???!! What else is he supposed to do!

Gokudera shouts that it’s dangerous, but before he and Yamamoto can actually do anything, they are suddenly confronted by the one thing no one ever expects: a fucking steel beam being hurled at them by a pair of sentient leather pants.

Man I knew the mafia was weird but damn.

So meanwhile Tsuna is running through the woods getting himself lost and then ALL OF A SUDDEN he runs into THIS FUCKING GUY

Mukuro responds with the most over-the-top show of wide-eyed innocence that you’ve ever seen in your life. Like, if he’d had a teddy bear handy I’m sure he would have been clutching it and staring up at Tsuna with big chibi eyes.

DON’T TRUST HIM TSUNA EVERYTHING HE’S SAYING IS ENDING WITH TILDES

But surely the future Vongola Decimo with his famed Hyper Intuition will—

ლ(ಠ_ಠლ)

JEEPERS MISTER YOU’RE REALLY STRONG

Look at Tsuna just eating this up, as though he’s not actually a thirteen-year-old child with messy hair who barely clears 100 lbs. Let’s not forget how he immediately screamed upon first coming into contact with Mukuro, before proceeding to say “EHHH!?!” like six times. Yeah, you really fit the profile of a rescue guy, Tsuna. It’s only natural that Mukuro would think of you as such, and not suspicious at all.

Yeah that Hyper Intuition is completely out to lunch, huh.

Mukuro asks Tsuna if he’s come with some really strong friends, and I’m struck speechless by his answer.

“Your friends must be so strong!” “Ah no they suck.”

WOW. 

WOW, TSUNA. 

NEVER MIND THAT THEY’RE YOUR TWO BEST FRIENDS, AND THE #2 AND #3 STRONGEST MIDDLE SCHOOLERS (AND THIS BEING NAMIMORI, EVERYONE KNOWS MIDDLE SCHOOLERS ARE THE STRONGEST!!), AND THEY BOTH SACRIFICED THEMSELVES TO SAVE YOUR SORRY ASS MERE HOURS AGO. I GUESS THAT’S STILL JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO QUALIFY THEM AS “REALLY STRONG”, HUH? WHO EVEN NEEDS THOSE GUYS ANYWAY WHEN YOU’RE OUT TALKING TO YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND OVER HERE!!!

Also note how he’s just completely forgotten about Fuuta now, when he was frantically chasing after him not 60 seconds ago. Is Mukuro’s smiley face tilde energy really this powerful. This is scary.

Since Tsuna is just volunteering all kinds of information with barely any prompting, Mukuro continues to cross-examine him, especially about that baby!

Oh now you can’t mention the details, huh.

Finally Tsuna gets tired of telling Mukuro EVERY GOD DAMN THING and asks about Hibari. (Not Fuuta, though. Fuck that kid.) Mukuro is all, “oh yeah I’ve got him locked up in my basement” and Tsuna asks him where but Mukuro suddenly gets VERY VERY CREEPY

What’s wrong kid never seen a Sharingan before

[skeptical Thor voice] Has it, though…?

So finally Tsuna realizes that he maybe shouldn’t be out here talking to this mysterious smiling boy with an evil red kanji eye who’s apparently fucking obsessed with finding out what Reborn is capable of, and runs off. Despite having brazenly told Mukuro two pages ago that he was here to rescue him.

Basically everything about this encounter is a colossal embarrassment of a failure on Tsuna’s part. I know Bob Ross said mistakes are just happy little accidents but jesus. OH WELL.

On the other hand, Mukuro had Tsuna [gestures with hands] right there and just let him escape, so. I guess one could argue that he wasn’t trying to capture him at the time. But:

[lets the Vongola Tenth escape] “Let’s get the Vongola Tenth Boss.”

Mukuro then points out how Tsuna is a fucking idiot, before letting loose with a kufufu. Then, feeling that wasn’t quite enough, he lets out another ku, followed by eleven fucking fus.

Look at all of those damn fus.

Mukuro then explains he let Tsuna go in order to “allow the Arcobaleno to show his hand first.” Which is astoundingly overconfident considering that he’s a freaking Arcobaleno, and Mukuro is a fifteen year old kid who just got out of prison and whose strongest ability doesn’t even fucking work unless he manages to cut you with his trident first which, GOOD FUCKING LUCK DOING THAT TO REBORN. BUT OKAY, MUKURO. WE’RE ABOUT TO CUT AWAY FROM YOUR SCENE NOW SO I’LL STOP MAKING FUN OF YOUR STUPID EVIL PLAN FOR THE TIME BEING.

Finally we cut back to the attacking leather pants, which actually belong to Lancia, a male stripper currently in the employment of the Kokuyou gang.

However, before I can continue with the stripper jokes, Gokudera interrupts my train of thought by suddenly being struck by a plot-related ailment at the most inconvenient time possible.

“Because I’m about to keel over lol.”

Okay now back to Magic Mike over here. Just imagine that “Low” by Flo Rida and T-Pain is playing in the background. Here, I’ll help: 

Okay let’s do this.

DID SOMEONE CALL FOR THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW

I SHOULD WARN YOU I HAVE A CONCEALED WEAPON 

ENOUGH TEASING NOW TIME FOR SOME PLEASING

Meh I have to cut this short because action and plot are happening I guess!!

Okay so Gokudera, Bianchi, and Yamamoto are momentarily freaking out because they think Lancia is the final boss, rather than the miniboss he actually is. Bianchi, apparently the ONLY ONE who remembers Fuuta exists and cares about him at all, asks “Mukuro” what he’s done with him, to which Lancia basically replies, “idk who that is.”

Gokudera than collapses from his plot-related ailment!

This is actually really funny if you still have “Low” cued up in the background though.

So Yamamoto is all, “I’LL BE YOUR OPPONENT.” But Lancia doesn’t even respond to him other than by launching his giant fucking ball and chain again.

Finally a miniboss that doesn’t fuck around! Hey Ken and M.M., you could both learn a thing or two.

AND IT GETS RESULTS

Ouch.

I know this looks bad, but despite that I just have to take this moment to once again say: YOU COULD HAVE DODGED IT IF YOU WEREN’T WEARING FUCKING FLIP FLOPS

Then there’s a panel of Gokudera being concerned about Yamamoto, so you know I’ve gotta put that in here.

Everyone looks pretty worried, actually. NOT OUR LOVER / BROTHER-IN-LAW / SON

And then we cut to Tsuna, who’s still fucking lost somehow.

Literally just follow the sounds of screaming and explosions and crashing trees, dude.

And then Reborn finally decides to actually do something.

And that’s when you know it’s getting fucking serious, folks.

So not a stand-out chapter, but it establishes Mukuro’s character a bit more, and sets up the extra-long fight scene coming up next time! We’ll finally get to see that Dying Will Bullet action! Which, if you think about it, really makes it stripper vs stripper. Just another day in our shounen mafia manga.

[aros001]

First time read through light novel vol. 3. Random thoughts.

The Six Witches had made the world scream, but this witch wiped them out in one fell swoop, ushering in a calamity that destroyed half the world.

A hero had sealed her flesh within a crystal, where she continued to sleep, even then, in some corner of the world.

I'd say Satella is like this world's Voldemort with how much people hesitate to even talk about her, but honestly she seems like she'd slap the back of his bald head and call him a bitch. Honestly, she's the character I'm looking forward to getting to know more about than the rest of the cast, even Emilia, whom I've heard gets a lot of her development after where the anime left off. Given how plenty of "witch" stories go in fiction and even Ram telling Subaru that the country naturally has a bias against the witch because of its connection to the dragon that helped seal her, I could totally see this being a situation where Satella was just trying to stop evil (the Six Witches) and ended up being persecuted and called a monster by history. ...But I wouldn't be opposed to her just being f**king evil. I love me a good villain.

I already liked Rem and Beatrice from the anime, but while I never disliked Emilia and Ram, I am finding myself a lot more into those two through these books than I was before. I can't quite put my finger on what's different. I suppose knowing where things go helps a bit but the narration and going at my own pace gives me better focus on their interactions and relationships with Subaru. I don't think I got as good a feel for Emilia's character in the anime and while I still don't know a lot about her, I do think she has a bit more reaction here. She can get angry, pout, and does seem to genuinely enjoy Subaru's company, where maybe she felt a little too one-note sometimes in the anime? I don't know. And Ram is just the best. I live for her attitude and she does give off a bit of a big sister vibe when she's with Subaru. Like Roswaal noted in the first loop in his and her private chat, Ram does seem actually fond of Subaru. Not in a romantic way. She just seems to have fun with him, especially with all her little jabs and slight bullying.

“My specialty is ice, but it’s actually fire mana. Fire relates mainly to temperature, so cooling that which is hot is classified as part of fire, apparently.”

I'm apparently a f**king nerd because I love getting rules for a world's made-up systems like magic and this is a pretty unique style compared to what I'm used to. The elements are not constrained just to what something literally is but rather how it relates to something. Ice is water but what forms ice is temperature. Water is more related to healing.

The right hand went for his heart; the other caressed Subaru’s cheek like it was fond of him.

Again, I'm really looking forward to knowing what the deal is with Subaru and Satella (assuming the hands are hers), especially since he comments that the hand on his cheek brought a sense of warmth and relief (while the other was squeezing his heart). Consciously or not, he's feeling some kind of connection to her.

I'm a big fan of superhero stories, and while there's nothing better than seeing the hero win after a hard fought battle, there is one trope I really like, where what defines a hero isn't just the battles they win but what they do when faced with a battle they can't. Credit to Subaru, he knew he had little to no chance of beating the shaman and its hordes. He was terrified, drained, badly injured, and even crying for his parents...and he still fought anyway. I think the narration implies that's part of what impressed Rem too when they were working to save the kids; Subaru doing everything he can to help in spite of his uselessness.

For some reason, when her fingers gently grazed his mind, Subaru wanted to weep. The wave of strange emotion washing over him suggested that he had always been waiting for her to do so.

He had an instinctive desire for the wriggling shadow to embrace him, to swallow him whole—and then it stopped. Something had stopped it.

Subaru’s mind realized that there was another shadow, its white fingers embracing him from behind.

Two shadows? I'm under the impression one of them is Satella but I'm curious who the other is? Given Rem was holding Subaru's hand when he woke up I'd think it was her but the narration talks about the shadow coming from behind him, nothing to do with his hands.

She had short blue hair. Her face was more the “lovely” than “pretty” type. At first, he thought she showed little emotion on her face, but she was coming around on that bit by bit. He wasn’t afraid of her. He wasn’t afraid of her at all.

There was a Rem who had made Subaru loop more than once, but here was a Rem happy from the bottom of her heart that he had come back alive. It was all by chance.

There was the Rem who ran amok for her sister’s sake, the Rem who acted rashly to protect Subaru, the Rem who ran off before switching to Berserker Mode so that she wouldn’t cause friendly fire—

One suggestion I've seen before about why Subaru might not ever be able to return Rem's feelings in full, beyond his own love for Emilia, is because he'll always have those past memories of Rem torturing him. That no matter how much he grows to like her their relationship will always be held back because he subconsciously still associates that horrible experience with her. I'll have to see how if the books ever bring that up, because while I can buy that being a thing, Subaru seems to view the Rem that tortured him and the Rem he knows as two different people, acknowledging how mixed up she is. His feelings for Emilia are definitely stronger, given that she's been his rock and oasis throughout all his lives and horrible experiences; the one consistently good thing he could always count on. But I'm not sure how much he holds it against other people. Only the three thugs and Elsa have been consistently awful to him.

Also, I'm don't know what's funnier: that they tied Emilia to a chair to keep her from going after Subaru, or that it was Beatrice's idea and Puck helped her with it?

Roswaal and Ram is going to be interesting going forward, especially because I'm not sure yet whether to trust him. Roswaal is a very fun character and has helped Subaru a few times...but he's definitely shady. And that comment that the hornless beasts obey whoever cut off their horns...so does that apply to demons like the twins as well? I'm not saying Roswaal had anything to do with Ram losing her horn, it easily could be just a situation he took advantage of.

I always found the source of Rem's guilt complex really interesting because it's such an extreme reaction but it also feels oddly realistic. She felt happy, just for a moment, about something terrible and spent the next several years of her life feeling so guilty over it that she gave up practically everything about herself to try and make up for it. There's no doubt in my mind that the sisters love each other and that's probably why it hit her so hard. If Ram was just some pompous bitch who didn't deserve any of her strength and skill it'd be one thing, but Ram did take care of Rem and Rem did admire and love her, thus why she feels like such scum being momentarily happy about one of the worst things possible happening to her beloved sister, just so she'd never have to live in her shadow again. You spend enough time obsessing and beating yourself up over something like that, of course you develop a complex. I don't blame Ram for not trying to straighten Rem out sooner either. She was also just a kid when it happened and while she told Subaru the loss of her horn doesn't bother her anymore (or at least doesn't bother her as much as it did), then that implies it was a major blow to her back then. I don't think she ever took it out on Rem, more likely that she was just depressed or felt empty/incomplete and Rem picking up the slack and always helping out probably made that time a little easier to deal with. By the time Ram is old enough to realize the complex her sister's developed Rem's too far down the spiral for her to simply be talked out of it. The only adult figure left in their lives who could have stopped all of this was Roswaal and he's made pretty clear he has no problem using Ram as a way to keep Rem loyal. I don't know his character well enough yet to say where his morality lies, but he doesn't strike me as the type of guy to sit a young Rem down and try to talk her through her guilt; not when it can be used in purpose of his great goal, something to do with when a dragon (assumedly the one from the Witch of Envy story) dies.

I've only seen the anime once so I can totally believe I probably missed all the parallels this arc draws between Subaru and Rem and I love them.

And seeing him struggle so hard to produce results in spite of inferior ability reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Both of them working themselves frantically, bottling up their feelings as their thoughts are running so fast that they're about ready to crack from all the pressure and guilt they're placing on themselves. When Subaru is attacked by the dogs upon pushing Rem out of the way she flashes back to when Ram got her horn cut off saving her, practically doubling her guilt complex. My favorite comes at the end after Subaru and Rem's talk. While she's not in his lap, her crying and letting her emotions flow while he gently strokes her hair is a great callback to when he was crying in Emilia's lap. While it's not exactly a dignified way you'd want to look in front of the person you love, making you seem a lot like a child, for Subaru and Rem's own mental health it was definitely what they needed. At the very least, in Rem's case, while he didn't hear the full story because he didn't want her to tell him, he'd heard enough to piece together her breakdown was over feelings of guilt and inferiority towards her sister. With poor Subaru, he can't tell Emilia the real reason for his breakdown. As far as her perspective goes, Subaru was so frantic and pushing himself way too hard simply because he was afraid of having to leave them, which technically is true, but she'll never know how real it is to him the possibility that he might just lose everything or how many times he's already gone through that.

“So I mean, you said you were a substitute, but Ram has no substitute for you, does she? I mean, if you weren’t there for her, can you imagine the state she’d be in?”

I love that line. It's a great callback, as while Rem will never know it, Subaru himself has seen how deeply Ram loves her and the state she'd be in if Rem died. But if I'm remembering correctly how the later arcs go, it's another nice parallel between Subaru and Rem. In this case, him being so lost in his devotion to Emilia that he doesn't consider her side of things, but I'll talk more about that if and when it does come up in the story.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Re_Zero/comments/gmek8z/novels_first_time_read_through_light_novel_vol_3/

[eddiebrock]

harry potter!!!!

YOU ARE THE BEST, THANK U

Top 5 favourite characters: Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Lily (Evans) Potter, Sirius Black, Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall (that’s six but fuck it)Other characters you like: Dorcas freaking Meadowes (who is actually a favorite but since she’s literally only mentioned once I felt weird putting her in the Top 5 but I want all of u to know that I would die for Doe), James FREAKING Potter, Hagrid, Luna Lovegood, Remus Lupin, Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, Narcissa Malfoy, Alice Longbottom, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and the Weasley TwinsLeast favourite characters: Umbridge, Snape, fucking Vernon & Petunia, Dudley, Otps: JILY, Hinny, Tedromeda!!!!!!!, Newt/Tina, Dorcas/Reginald (the rarest of all rarepairs lmao), Fralice, Jacob/QueenieNotps: please don’t send me any anon hate for this lmao i can’t deal, Dra*mione, Dra*rry, Wolf*star (I HAVE MY REASONS), SNILY, apparently snamione and snarry are a thing???? so that’s fucking gross, Regulus/Sirius, CarrowcestFavourite friendships: Ron and Harry, Harry and Hermione, Ginny and Hermione!!!!!!!!!!, Luna and Ginny, James and Sirius, Lily and Remus, Newt and Jacob, Dorcas and Mary, Dorcas and Alice, Ginny and Neville, Neville and Luna, Kingsley and Remus, and like way 2 many more

Favourite family: The Potters and the Weasleys!!!Favourite episodes moment: ‘Humph,’ snorted Professor McGonagall. ‘It’s high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she’s got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have – particularly after what happened at the Ministry.’Favourite season/book/movie: I think the third book was probably my favorite book, but Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 my favorite movie (despite some stupid shit that happened)Favourite quotes: i have way, way, WAY too many favorite quotes to list them all, so i’m just gonna put down my favorite under-appreciated quote because i’ve never seen anyone talk about it, but in the cursed child when draco is like “mY sOn Is MiSsInG” and ginny fucking potter gets up in his face and screams “SO IS MINE” and i just???? ugh, man. S O    I S    M I N E. ginny is the bestBest musical moment: Dumbledore’s Farewell & S T A T U E S are two of the most powerful music moments in the entire franchise, sue me, and the only reason i say statues and not Courtyard Apocalypse is because of the absolute masterful cinematography that went along with the song Statues and how the sound was really MADE for that moment, i will fight everyone on thisMoment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: returning back to statues scene because honestly, ‘Hogwarts is threatened!’ shouted Professor McGonagall. ‘Man the boundaries, protect us, do your duty to our school!’ gets me EVERY TIMEWhen it really disappointed you: not a single canonical bisexual Saddest moment: “Does it hurt?“ The childish question had escaped Harry’s lips before he could stop it. “Dying? Not at all,” said Sirius. “Quicker and easier than falling asleep.” / harry listening to his own parents die during the cursed child Most well done character death: fuck dude, definitely fred’s because till my dying fucking day i will never forget the phrase “the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face”Favourite guest star: Dorcas Meadowes counts as a guest star because she’s only mentioned one (1) time and I literally named my dog after herFavourite cast member: Emma Watson (but also Daniel Radcliffe)Character you wish was still alive: Sirius Black One thing you hope really happens: I want Seraphina Piquery to get 100000x more screentime, she is a badass bitch and I could really use some woc American presidentst in my life, also make her BISEXUALMost shocking twist: honestly, snape killing dumbledore. like i know that’s a big joke now like SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE, but man, i remember reading it and just about shitting myself because i could not fucking believe it. also the whole “the elder wanda ctually belonged to draco but then i disarmed draco so it belonged to me but voldemort thought it belonged to snape so,” was WILDWhen did you start watching/reading?: a little over 10 yrs ago or somethingBest animal/creature: B O W T R U C K L E SFavourite location: godric’s hollow, and it’s because of the way it was staged for the cursed child (i talk more about it later on in this massive meme answer lol)Trope you wish they would stop using: it’s not a trope but i’m gonna harp on this again, there is not a single canon bisexual One thing this show/book/film does better than others: fucks up my entire world in less than a second. but in all seriousness, this whole franchise has such a way of touching that piece of nostalgia, and family and love and all these wonderful things that make me and many others feel so warm and safe. it has such an important and underlying positive message to it and i really just don’t think anything else in the world has touched so many people in such a massive and important way like harry potter has. plus, according to an actual scientific study, people who have read harry potter tend to be better human beings, so there’s that, tooFunniest moments: “There’s no need to call me sir, professor.” / “Have a biscuit, Potter.”Couple you would like to see: Newt and Tina!!! Seraphina and another woman!!!!!!Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: Imogen Poots!!!!!!!!!! but that has a 0% chance of happening, so Maisie Williams and Natalie DormerFavourite outfit: seraphina’s crazy cool outfits and hermione’s sweater in the woods in deathly hallows pt. 1 (but in the books, hermione’s perriwinkle yule ball gown)Favourite item: the invisibility cloak for sure, but also harry’s glassesDo you own anything related to this show/book/film?: the sheer audacity of this question…….. the ability to even list it all is……….. unfathomableWhat house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: GRYFFINDORMost boring plotline: the entire lavender/ron stint Most laughably bad moment: voldemort trying to hug draco lolBest flashback/flashfoward if any: it’s not really a flashback, but in the cursed child, when they go back in time to the night james and lily died, i can’t remember if the script talked about this but on stage, lily (WHO WAS APPROPRIATELY AGED) took baby harry in a stroller out of the house and there were pumpkins and all sorts of cute halloween decorations all around, and it was peaceful and quiet and when they got out the door she was cooing and talking to harry and making all these cute funny faces at him, and i literally could not keep it together. shortly thereafter, when harry’s gone back in time too, on stage they’re all standing there as voldemort walks off the stage and harry’s forced to listen to his parents die. i’ve never wept so much in my entire life. it was so good. Most layered character: i think narcissa malfoy, probably, if not albus dumbledore, who isn’t the most popular character around but face it, the guy’s got layersMost one dimensional character: umbridge, her only dimension is Evil and i’m ok with it staying that wayScariest moment: fucking basiliskGrossest moment: fucking aragogBest looking male: percival graves probably lmao colin farrell is fine as fuckBest looking female: obviously hermione grangerWho you’re crushing on (if any): i always have a crush on ginny and hermioneFavourite cast moment: that time when they’re wrapping up the final movie, and they’re watching this memories video while they were all still in costume, and emma started crying and daniel hugged her and it was just the cutest thing i’ve ever seen and i still cry, also all of them crying and hugging jk rowling at the premiere of dhp2Favourite transportation: definitely broomsticksMost beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): deathly hallows part 2 where they’re putting up the protective spells over hogwarts, and it’s got all the colours in that enormous shield and it just brings tears to my eyesUnanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: WHY ARE JAMES AND LILY PORTRAYED BY REASONABLY PARENTAL-AGED PEOPLE??? THEY DIED WHEN THEY WERE 21 AND EVERYONE DESERVESTO KNOW HOW FUCKING SAD THAT IS, also what the fuck happened to the real percival graves??? is he dead??? do i get to see colin farrell come back as a good guy at any point????Best promo: i will never forget the day that the audio from the SDCC trailer for deathly hallows part 1 came out, and all you could hear was kingsley shacklebolt saying “the ministry has fallen. the minister of magic is dead. they are coming.” and i just remember sitting at my old desk and whispering “oh my god!!!!! oh my god!!!!!!” and playing the audio over and over again and that was like. magicalAt what point did you fall in love with this show/book: “Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”