#inside out 2 was really fun though i actually recommend it a lot

[emocatkeith]

[jester089]

Jax Ass kicker here, it was definitely funny to see your thoughts on the purple menace and thanks for entertaining it! I’d like HC’s of them but only and ONLY if your up for it. I’m happy as is. Thanks! LOL ^_^

A well deserved A%# kicking (Part 2)

Can do! I'll read requests more thoroughly so I don't gloss over a vital thing like that again. Sorry again! Enjoy.

Caine

You being willing to fight back against Jax didn't really affect Caine as Jax never messed with him. Though Caine appreciates you helping out the others. It's strange but since Jax arrived Caine has seen an abnormal rise in abstraction. And Caine just can't put his finger on why? But then you showed up and it dropped back to the usual. *shrugs*

Gangle

Out of everyone Gangle needs it the most. She's made out of ribbon so she's easily hurt AND can't fight back! Have you ever tried to hit someone with a ribbon? It's impossible. AND HER MASKS ARE BREAKABLE! Yeah she needs some help. Your like a much needed Jax repellent that Gangle has been hoping for since she got here. But every time you protect her she feels bad cause she can't really do anything for you. But she'll try and be a bit more talkative/affectionate as you seem to like that. Do be warned each time he's stopped Jax gets more and more aggressive. So the only real way to have Gangle be safe is to either A. Always be with her. Or B. Get rid of Jax somehow. But that isn't going to happen so I recommend setting up a bed in your room for Gangle.

Zooble

Jax doesn't pick on Zooble a lot. He doesn't do her any favors sure, but I feel like their similar ages might make her less of a target? It's either that or because her reactions are never much fun to him. Well whatever the case, Zooble doesn't need much help. She can handle herself in an argument and in a fight. She could pop one arm off and have double the range making her able to hit the person with a full strength punch from afar. Still though everyone gets caught at a bad time eventually. And if you stepped in between her and Jax when something went wrong or Jax was being especially awful she would be grateful. She wouldn't show it until you two were alone but she does appreciate it. And she'll make sure you know that. Later.

Kinger

Kinger has been in the circus a while. He's the oldest in actual age and the one who's been there the longest. So he's definitely met a few Jax type people in his time and has learned how to avoid them. So more likely then not he wont need your help to often. But everyone needs help eventually. I can see Jax coating the outer layer of one of Kinger's pillow fortresses while he's inside with like cement to trap him. So when you save him he, like a true royal blushes then gives you his child's hand in marriage. But he doesn't have a child. So he'll have to do! (Don't expect anything fancier then a ring pop as a ring and a white sheet as a wedding gown.)

Ragatha

Ragatha honestly needs the help. Not because she's weak or anything. But because she's so worried about making sure the others are ok that she just lets herself be a punching bag if it means the others are ok. She's to much of a people pleaser and she suffers because of it. You two are a good mix of brain and brawn. She keeps everyone in the best state of mind she can manage. And you keep everyone as physically ok as you can manage. You make a good combo but you two can be a little overbearing so make sure, to make sure the persons ok with it. She's got a lot on her mind at all times so she wont always notice you helping her out, especially if it didn't happen in front of her or she was in the middle of something. But when she does realize she'll always thank you for it.

Jax

Two Jax's?! And your protecting one from the other?!? Error code 116832//: To many Jax's. Restart in 30 seconds. :\\ (That was a joke but like, it's a digital world. Technically it could glitch and their could be multiple of a character. I mean did you see that flower at the start of the pilot? It's clearly not a super well held together place.) (So, naturally my mind went straight to the thought being sandwiched in between two Ragatha's having the life squeezed out of me x2 in a super tight but incredibly loving hug. And naturally I'm going to write about that. Eventually. I'm pretty swamped rn.)

Pomni

From her first day here she's known that Jax was bad news. But she doesn't really avoid him, I mean she was there when he admitted to having keys to everywhere. So if he wants to find you their isn't just you can do. Until you arrive she hangs around him and is secretly hoping that he'll like having her around and take it easy on her. That of course doesn't work and by the time you arrive/realize how bad Jax is she's hanging on a thread. More likely then not your going to be taller then her. So if you see her clearly uncomfortable, with Jax or someone else if you just pick her up and walk away she'll be both embarrassed and thankful. She isn't the best at putting her foot down and stopping something she isn't comfortable with so your might end up having to be kind of an a%$#hole for her sake. (Ok I think I did your request right. If I didn't, again. Message me. Sorry but I'm not doing this for a third time. Your just gonna have to live with the two I did make. Even if it turned out wrong I hope you enjoyed.)

xoxo, Jester

[myloveforhergoeson]

ash's june 2024 reading round up

find all the books and fics i read this month under the cut with a link to the synopsis and my reviews/ratings attached :)

this is just for fun! i'm not a professional, i just like to read <3

booklist:!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry (18+!)

• big emily henry fan here, i've read most of her other books and i just picked up her new one. this one, in comparison to the other ones i've read, was in my opinion, just kind of middle ground. it wasn't as amazing as i was expecting and it wasn't bad, i just don't think this was the book for me. about a literary agent, nora, and her rival - a brooding editor for a major company she works with, charlie - both being displaced from their big city life and finding themselves in the same small town for the summer. they keep bumping into one another in sunshine falls after a less than fortuitous business meeting in NYC a few years ago and one thing leads to another. turns out charlie isn't actually as bad as she had thought! perhaps i'm just unread in the small town romance genre, but again, this one wasn't really for me. i didn't feel like charlie and nora really had all that much chemistry. i was actually more interested in their lives separate from each other than how they meshed together oddly enough. a lot of henry's books center around family - more specifically familial grief after the death of a parent - and this book was no exception. the detailed descriptions of nora's past, dealing with the death of her mother and needing to step up to take care of her younger sister, hit really close to home for me as an older sister. learning about the course of her life come to a grinding halt and the two of them learning to pick up the pieces together was beautifully done and had major implications for the turning point of charlie and nora's story. nora and libby were the highlight of this book for me - i loved every single scene between them and i almost wish it was just about these two. charlie on the other hand, is a local of this small town and has a sordid past with many of the individuals there. i didn't like his character all that much personally, he felt kind of flat in general to me, but i did think his interactions with the other local characters was very interesting and i liked that nora had a bit of a puzzle to put together as she stayed in sunshine falls. though she accidentally went out with his cousin - yikes! overall, two very detailed stories coming together to form one that i almost wish were two separate books. romance plot in this one didn't really do it for me and that's okay! i still had a good time reading it :)

i'd recommend beach read or happy place by the same author in place of this one.

• rating 3/5 times i wondered why anyone would want to live in a small town over the city...

2. My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine (18+)

• yeah i know. guys i know. but what can i say. i'm a simple girl with simple taste and i love vampires. this book wasn't groundbreaking of course but it was soooo fucking funny. loved very moment of it! like what do you mean our fmc cassie just moves in with a random guy who has a wonderful apartment and he's super hot and sexy and he talks and dresses like he's from a different time and he tells you there's a part of your apartment you can never go and he sleeps all day and is out all night and she's just okay with it 😭 girl what if he killed you 😭 anyway. mmc fredrick j. fitzwilliam they can never make me hate you. being alive for almost 400 years is tough, especially when you need someone to teach you the modern ways of life after being asleep for the last century! every time the two of them went everywhere and did something i was like rolling in my seat with laughter. trying to pay for coffee at a hipster coffee shop where the drink names don't actually tell you what's inside? where the sizes are named after planetary phenomenons? where he pulls out a velvet sack of coins and tries to pay with dabloons? god guys it was so funny i can't even begin to put my thoughts of this down on paper. they go to a party so he studies pop culture all night and memorizes taylor swift's entire Wikipedia page???? normally i hate t swift being brought up randomly in modern romance novels (happens way too much IMO) but i'm willing to look past it this time. WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE STOPPED A KIDNAPPING USING TIKTOK LIKE???? say what you will about my sense of humor but never in a million years did i guess how this book was ending. fucking hilarious and so entertaining and cassie and fredrick are very cute together. honestly the romance was like b plot for me i just thought he was too silly and wanted to know all about what weird shit fredrick was doing that day. again, not the most enlightening or literary force of nature i've ever read but i did have a very very good time. boo me if you want but i'm right <3

•rating: 4/5 times i wished cassie and fredrick wrote more notes to each other

fic list:

i read a lot i'll try to get them all im so sorry if i missed any but i've read, rb'd, and loved them all!!!

assorted works of @partiallypearl:

just another wide-eyed girl, who's desperately in love with you

keep going to the sunrise (put the car in cruise control)

'cause i can't turn to you when it all falls apart

when you love someone that's all you can do

cargan blurb

running to your heart

no notes literally every single one of these was perfect and i'm so lucky to have the privilege of reading them :) james and elisa have been on my mind so much lately, but i also really loved your other works with rhuben and logan and macie. when you love someone that's all you can do is a work of art i wish i could frame it and put it in a museum <3

• assorted works of @icegirl2772

Take a Shot in the Dark

Better than Neil (a GIFT?? for me???)

We Do (But Friends Don't)

my friend... i love your writing so much!! the new chapter if take a shot in the dark is just wonderful, can't wait to reread and leave my comment hehe. better than neil (along with being such a surprise!!) had so much love and care put into it, each section bouncing off of one another was just genius and reading it made me feel so giddy. james and kaelyn are like handmade to be perfect for each other and that story did so well of highlighting that. and we do (but friends don't) !! don't even have words. i love kaelyn and james so much and this fic makes it so clear how they care for each other and want to be cautious of that while still having fun together :) so much raw trust and honesty on display, it's just an incredible (and spicy!) read :) <3

• assorted works of @ceruleanmusings:

• .3

.4

.5

Mason - Band Dynamics

Big Time Confession

.6

.7

Big Time Double Date

desolation pt 1

desolation pt 2

endearment

omg i don't even have words for this incredible selection of works from this month. all of the mickames blurbs were so adorable, confession literally brought me to tears, double date was just hilarious, and endearment made me smile!!! i love how those all balanced out with the emotion and power tucked into both parts of desolation; the switch up really shows how hard relationships can be, even if they seem easy!, and how two people try and get past even the toughest of times together. loved the openness of difficult conversation and how james and mickey managed that together. it felt so true to real life and literally had my stomach wrenching at points. i was so worried for them, and i'm so happy they're working it out! <3 and i always love reading more about the mason band! i love them!! :))

• assorted works of @selangkir

• the girl time rush au

• jucy (no, not that one) story

ohhh my god again and again and again i read girl time rush. literally like twice a month but this month especially i wanted to highlight it bc it served as inspiration for my own little story hehe <3 stories from the perspective of james just kill me i love him so much and i feel like all three parts of girl time rush encapsulate that perfectly. from dealing with a job he didn't really want, to working behind the scenes, to a tumultuous situationship(? kind of. i don't really know what that word means but it feels appropriate) with dak zevon. god every time i read it i love it even more. and the jucy story... such a wonderful switch up of the real story and how it would affect the characters if things went differently! it was so cute, i loved it so much. can't wait to add it to my reread list <3333

• @cant-get-enough-btr-forever 's story Big Time Battle of the Bands

ahh!! i loved this story so much; the only bad thing was having to wait for the chapters to upload and not getting to read it all at once! i know i said this over and over but it truly read like a big time rush episode - you did such a wonderful job of taking the wackiness from the real show and molding it into something if your own. the battle of the bands was such a fun idea and i loved all of the girls and how they mirrored btr! jessica my beloved... it had it all: action, romance, comedy, i couldn't ask for more!!!!

• assorted works of @raging-violets:

• Around the World and Back

such a wonderful story (inspired by a wonderful song!) that put forth the trouble with touring, what happens when it comes to an end, and the toughness of a goodbye. kendall and riley have such a wonderful dynamic that was put on full display with this one! their promise to keep talking when they can (because talking is what they do best!!) was so adorable and i love that they managed to get through their tough time together :)

i believe that's everything but if i missed something IM SO SORRY!

<3333

[pinbones]

Free Grump crochet pattern!

Ravelry link

Pattern is also under the cut, but there are fewer photos due to Tumblr limits.

My grumpus base pattern is finally done! It's up on Ravelry as a free download in the link above. This pattern was actually fun to create, so I might make more in future.

Included:

- the base Grump (unchanged, it will create the basic Filbo Fiddlepie body type)

- a few different tooth patterns and advice for your own dental config

- extra details: 2 sizes of horns and a fluffy tail

- lil strabby (can change colour for white strabby, razzby, or black razzby)

With a few edits (such as torso and limb length), this pattern can create many different sizes and shapes of Grumpus.

If anyone makes one using this pattern, I'd love to see it!

PATTERN BELOW:

Note: Your DK yarn can be switched out for larger or smaller yarn, and this will change the size of the resulting Grumpus. Make sure to use a slightly smaller hook than the yarn label recommends for the best amigurumi gauge. I used DK and a 3.5mm hook.

Note: This contains instructions of how to make level-jawed Grumpuses, suitable for level or underbite Grumps. A little tucking can make a small overbite possible, but if your Grumpus has a significant overbite, their face would require a different shape.

Note: This pattern will create a Grump with a basic Filbo Fiddlepie body type. See the 'optional' section at the bottom for edits. If you want a drastically altered Grump, this is possible to make with a few edits, but I recommend practicing by making a basic one first following the instructions before you consider large changes in order to reduce errors.

You will need to know:

- how to make single crochets and slip stitches in the round

- how to increase and decrease

- how to attach parts

- how to add simple embroidery (optional)

Some parts are fiddly. This is not a pattern for absolute beginners, but should be possible for most crocheters.

You will need DK yarn in the following:

- in your chosen fur colour (less than one ball)

- in dark grey or another inner mouth colour (way less than one ball)

- in white (way less than one ball)

- in black (small amount)

- in your chosen nose colour (small amount)

Optional yarn:

- chosen claw colour, probably same as nose (small amount)

- chosen horn colour, probably same as nose (way less than one ball)

- red for the Strabby (small amount)

- green for the Strabby (small amount)

You will also need:

A 3.5mm hook

Stuffing/polyfill (I draw from a pillow that ripped)

Scissors

A darning needle

If you have them, pins help a lot

MOUTH DISC (dark grey, black, or another inner mouth colour)

1. Put 8sc into a magic ring (or chain 2 and put 8sc into the second chain from the hook) [8 stitches]

2. 1inc x8 [16]

3. (1sc, 1inc) x8 [24]

4. (2sc, 1inc) x8 [32]

5. (3sc, 1inc) x8 [40]. Finish off, you don't need a long tail because it will be tucked inside. Fold in half with the last stitch at one edge and put aside for later.

(Note: The wrong side of the piece should face inside the Grump, so it should be the outside of the angle, but it doesn't really matter.)

BODY (your chosen fur colour)

1. Put 6sc into a magic ring (or chain 2 and put 6sc into the second chain from the hook) [6 stitches]

2. 1inc x6 [12]

3. (1sc, 1inc) x6 [18]

4. (2sc, 1inc) x6 [24]

5. (3sc, 1inc) x6 [30]

6. (4sc, 1inc) x6 [36]

7. (5sc, 1inc) x6 [42]

8-14. Sc around (7 rounds) [42]

15. Put your hook through the next stitch of the body and up into the final stitch of the mouth piece. Slip stitch (not too tightly) across for a total of 20 stitches. Now half of the mouth disc should be attached to the body. Leaving half of the mouth disc unworked, sc around the remaining 22 body stitches. [42]

16. Sc across only the remaining 20 mouth stitches. Rejoin on the body and sc across the remaining 22 body stitches. The whole mouth should now be inside the Grumpus, though it will look odd at this point. [42]

17. In the back loop only, sc across the next 20 stitches (across the lip). In both loops, sc across the remaining 22 stitches. [42]

18-32. Sc around (15 rounds). [42]

Stuff as you go. Ensure there is stuffing in the head.

33. (5sc, 1dec) x6 [36]

34. (4sc, 1dec) x6 [30]

35. (3sc, 1dec) x6 [24]

36. (2sc, 1dec) x6 [18]

37. (1sc, 1dec) x6 [12]

38. When stuffed, 6dec to finish.

Cut yarn, sew through the 6 outer loops and cinch the hole shut, and hide the yarn end.

ARMS (make 2 in your chosen fur colour)

1. Put 6sc into a magic ring (or chain 2 and put 6sc into the second chain from the hook) [6 stitches]

2. 1inc x6 [12]

3-4. Sc around (2 rounds) [12]

5. (1sc, 1dec) x4 [8]

6-18. Sc around (13 rounds) [8]

Stuff, then flatten the end and sc across both sides of it. Finish off and leave a tail for sewing. Attach the arms flat at the sides, 2 rounds below the mouth level.

LEGS (make 2 in your chosen fur colour)

1. Put 6sc into a magic ring (or chain 2 and put 6sc into the second chain from the hook) [6 stitches]

2. 1inc x6 [12]

3. Sc around [12]

4. 4dec, 4sc [8]

5-18. Sc around (14 rounds) [8]

Slip stitch into the next stitch and finish off. Stuff, then attach just below the hips.

EYES (make 2 in white)

1. 7sc into a magic ring [7]

2. 7inc [14]

Slip stitch and finish off. Attach to the face high and wide, about 4-5 stitches between them. See images.

PUPILS (make 2 in black OR embroider on pupils)

1. 3sc into a magic ring [3]

Slip stitch into the first sc and finish off. Attach to the eyes so that the Grump is looking slightly inwards.

(Optional: You can make eyelids by adding embroidered lines in fur colour over the very top of the eyes.)

ROUNDED NOSE (your chosen nose colour)

(Alternatively, there is an oval nose pattern below.)

1. 6sc into a magic ring [6]

Slip stitch into the first stitch and finish off. Attach.

OVAL NOSE (your chosen nose colour)

Chain 4.

(2sc, 3sc in the end chain), repeat along the other edge of the chain. [8]

Slip stitch and finish off. Attach between and below the eyes.

TEETH (white)

Ok, here's where things really get personalised. Pretty much every Grumpus has their own unique tooth size configuration, and you likely an idea in mind or a reference to work from. Therefore, I'm going to give you several tooth patterns and you can make your own dental configuration.

Canon Grumpuses have 4 teeth on top and 3 below, unless they have missing teeth like Shelda. The outer pairs of teeth often show the greatest size differences but not always.

For my Grump, I've chosen to leave out the outer top teeth for a cleaner look. However many teeth your Grump has is up to you.

TIP: pin your teeth in place and move them around to find the best spacing and configurations before sewing them on.

SMALL TEETH

These will make good tiny teeth. These are typical top middle teeth and the typical bottom middle tooth.

1. 3sc into a magic ring [3]

2. 2sc, leave the last stitch unworked. [3 total]

Finish off. Use the end of the crochet hook to push the centre outwards into a triangle shape.

PLAIN TEETH

These are for those medium-sized unremarkable teeth. (See Filbo's bottom teeth or Wiggle's top middle teeth.)

1. 5sc into a magic ring [5]

2. 5sc [5]

3. (Optional to make them bigger -- 5sc [5])

Finish off.

LARGE WIDE TEETH

These are Fizzlebean style outer bottom teeth.

1. 8sc into a magic ring [8]

2. sc, 1dec, 2sc, 1dec, sc [6]

3. 6sc [6]

Finish off and squeeze to flatten a little.

FANGS/TUSKS

These are Wambus/Chandlo style sharper chompers. Top or bottom outer teeth.

1. 3sc into a magic ring [3]

2. 3sc [3]

3. 1inc, 2sc [4]

4. (Optional to make them bigger -- 1inc, 3sc [5])

Finish off.

Create as many of whatever kind you please and get creative. After the teeth are sewn into their desired places, you've completed the base Grumpus!

Thank Grump!

FURTHER PERSONALISATION

- Look below for extra piece patterns.

- You can add/remove rounds of the body to give your plush a longer or shorter body.

- You can alter the body to flare out at different points by adding increase or decrease rows at the shoulders, hips, belly, wherever.

- The arms typically reach to just below the hips and the legs are typically a similar length, this can be altered by adding/removing sc rounds.

- Using colour changes, try adding splotches or stripes. Or, try variegated yarn.

- If you use acrylic yarn, you can use a wire brush or a stiff plastic hairbrush to brush the fur of the Grump until fluffy. This takes a bit of elbow grease and can cause yarn breakages, so do with caution, and do this to seperate pieces before any sewing or detail work.

- You can use another colour to embroider evenly spaced claws onto the limbs of your Grump. Small lines will do, but 3-wrap French knots can produce good 3D claws.

SIMPLE TAIL (your chosen fur colour)

You don't need to stuff this. Add the tufts to the end before stuffing if you want to stuff it anyways.

1. 6sc into a magic ring [6]

2. (1sc, 1inc) x3 [9]

3. 9sc [9]

4. (1sc, 1dec) x3 [6]

5-17. Sc around (13 rounds) [6]

Finish off with a tail for sewing on. Attach on the lower back/the butt in the desired spot.

Note: add or remove sc rounds to make a longer/shorter tail.

(Optional) To add tufts of fluff to the end, cut a few small bits of yarn (fur colour or another colour) and use your hook to pull it under and out. Pull the ends through the loop and pull tight. You only need a dozen or fewer scraps to do this. Then trim the fluff until it looks as desired.

SHORT HORNS (make 2 in any colour)

1. 3sc into a magic ring [3]

2. 2sc, 1inc [4]

3. 3sc, 1inc [5]

4. 4sc, 1inc [6]

5. 5sc, 1inc [7]

6. 6sc, 1inc [8]

7. 7sc, 1inc [9]

8. 9sc [9]

Slip stitch and finish off. Stuff a little. Position as desired on head.

LONG HORNS (make 2 in any colour)

1. 3sc into a magic ring [3]

2. 2sc, 1inc [4]

3. 3sc, 1inc [5]

4. 4sc, 1inc [6]

5. 5sc, 1inc [7]

6. 7sc [7]

7. 6sc, 1inc [8]

8. 8sc [8]

9. 8sc [8]

10. 7sc, 1inc [9]

11. 9sc [9]

12. 9sc [9]

Slip stitch and finish off. Stuff and position as desired on head.

LIL STRABBY (begin in red, or pink for a Razzby)

1. 4sc into a magic ring [4]

2. (1sc, 1inc) x2 [6]

3. (2sc, 1inc) x2 [8]

4. 8sc [8]

Change colour to green

5. (1dec, picot) x4

Slip stitch and cut the yarn. Embroider two tiny eyes with black and white yarn. Tuck all ends inside.

This can be sewn to the Grump's paws, in its mouth, kept loose, or whatever you please.

Woohoo! Grump done!

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group F Round 4: A Place Further than the Universe vs Megalo Box

#F1: A Place Further than the Universe (Sora yori mo Tooi Basho)

High school girls go to Antarctica

#F4: Megalo Box

Young boxer in futuristic Japan fights in tournament

Details and poll under the cut!

#F1: A Place Further than the Universe (Sora yori mo Tooi Basho)

Summary:

Filled with an overwhelming sense of wonder for the world around her, Mari Tamaki has always dreamt of what lies beyond the reaches of the universe. However, despite harboring such large aspirations on the inside, her fear of the unknown and anxiety over her own possible limitations have always held her back from chasing them. But now, in her second year of high school, Mari is more determined than ever to not let any more of her youth go to waste. Still, her fear continues to prevent her from taking that ambitious step forward—that is, until she has a chance encounter with a girl who has grand dreams of her own.

Spurred by her mother's disappearance, Shirase Kobuchizawa has been working hard to fund her trip to Antarctica. Despite facing doubt and ridicule from virtually everyone, Shirase is determined to embark on this expedition to search for her mother in a place further than the universe itself. Inspired by Shirase's resolve, Mari jumps at the chance to join her. Soon, their efforts attract the attention of the bubbly Hinata Miyake, who is eager to stand out, and Yuzuki Shiraishi, a polite girl from a high class background. Together, they set sail toward the frozen south.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho follows the captivating journey of four spirited girls, all in search of something great.

Propaganda 1:

This show literally changed my life I’m not even kidding. It’s messages about living your life to the fullest and finding, creating, and maintaining important friendships in your life literally got me to pick myself up and actually start living my life. All of its main characters are all incredibly memorable, and they all bounce off of each other very well. It’s fun and cute as hell, but also a really powerful story about dealing with grief and moving on. The final three episodes of the show are an emotional gut-punch, but they leave you with a sense of bittersweet fulfillment and a drive to get out in the world and have your own adventure.

Propaganda 2:

Let’s start with the fact that this is Madhouse doing a (relatively) grounded coming of age story about high school girls - the show looks gorgeous, of course. The music’s solid as well. (I still regularly listen to the ending.) But what really shines is the writing and characterization.

The pacing on this is perfect. For a show that spends half its runtime getting to Antarctica, you never feel like the time should be allotted differently or that you’re missing out on hijinks. Episode 12 is a particular standout, with tension building up until it explodes, and then goes still for the true emotional climax of the show. The four main girls all feel like believable teens, and seeing their relationship develop over the course of the series and watching them come into their own is well-done. The way it handles Shirase and her emotions, and how this complicates her relationships with them all is a particular standout. This may not be eligible in that it’s one of those anime people who watch A LOT of anime will recommend highly—it was on Crunchyroll and IGN’s best anime of the 2010s lists and on several “best of” lists for 2018. But it never quite took off the way it truly deserves, so I’m submitting it. It’s getting an English dub soon, though, and I really hope that gives it a resurgence of popularity. The girls are alright.

(Admin: Propaganda has been edited slightly to remove spoilers)

Trigger Warnings: Death via freezing

#F4: Megalo Box

Summary:

Follows the story of a young man that only goes by his ring name “Junk Dog”, set in the late 21st century. People live in a large metropolis, those without citizenship forced in slums called the Restricted Area. Junk Dog fights in fixed matches in the Restricted Area in a sport called Megalo Box, which is boxing augmented by metal exoskeletons.

One day, Junk Dog almost crashes into the CEO of the Shirato Company on his motorcycle, and he tries to pick a fight with her guard, Yuri. Yuri ends up fighting Junk Dog in a match, beating him and challenging him to fight him in a tournament called Megalonia. Forging an ID and taking the name Joe with help from his coach, the young fighter only has 3 months to win enough matches to rank high enough to get into the tournament and face Yuri. Not just for his pride, but also because of threats from the mafia, who wants money from Joe and his coach that they don’t have.

Propaganda:

Megalo Box is a series that got some recognition during the Crunchyroll Awards. It even aired on Adult swim’s late night anime block, even gaining a second season. But it seems like after the initial season, all interest of the show evaporated. It’s rarely talked about in fandom spaces or in anime video essays.

Which is a shame! It's a solid watch. The music is stellar. The characters are enjoyable, even if the plot of the main character Joe being a massive underdog that claws his way through a boxing tournament is a little predictable. But to be fair, this show was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the boxing manga Ashita no Joe.

Still, the anime keeps things fresh. It has added political commentary about class and race dynamics. Joe is brown-skinned, looks mixed, and is an undocumented citizen in the city he lives in. He has to fight in illegal fixed Megalo Box matches in the slums in order to make ends meet. Even that provides little protection, as he and his coach Ganbu get threatened by the mob for more money that they can’t produce. It also touches upon how children are abandoned and abused by the system with Sachio.

Joe is the ultimate underdog story. He ends up going by “Gearless Joe” because he fights his matches without wearing any Gear—aka the metal exoskeletons use in Megalo Box. He’s essentially boxing old-school style against others an unfair advantage with tools that augment their punches and movements. Joe did this in the first place because he was too poor to buy a new Gear, his old one falling apart, so he felt he was better off training and using his natural body in matches.

The second season also explores Joe's struggles with depression and drug addiction as he trains another Megalo Boxer, which is interesting and adds another layer to him.

Plus, the show also has racial diversity in the side characters. The English dub cast voice actors of the same ethnicities for Pepe, Chief, and Maria. Also, Kaiji Tang voices Joe, the lead.

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore.

The anime is about boxing, so characters get beaten up quite a bit (even in fantastical ways). However, there’s also some other violence threats (like Joe’s coach Nanbu getting his eye cut and threatened to earn money by the mafia). Also, a kid named Sachio joins the group to help Joe and gets beaten by thugs and threatened a few times through the series.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form with your revisions, and I’ll consider adapting those changes.

New: Starting round 5, screenshots will be included in the poll post. You can submit screenshots through the form linked above, or through here, via ask or dm.

Guidelines in submitting screenshots:

No NSFW or spoilery images.

Pick some good images please. Don’t send any blurry or pixelated ones.

You may send up to 9 screenshots, but not all may be used.

[toyota-supra]

Hi Rosie! Tell us about a videogame you wish was more well-known

Hi WinWin ^^ I've talked about it here before but I think a lot about Robot Alchemic Drive (RAD) for the PlayStation 2... I didn't play a lot of it because it was pretty difficult but basically it's this game where you play as a teenager heir of a giant robot defense company and you need to control the robot from outside to defeat aliens

so instead of a regular mecha game, you have to position yourself somewhere both safe for you and somewhere where you can see your robot well enough to command it, and then you have to use the robot by moving the arms and legs and weapons independently, much like you would with an actual remote controller instead of being inside a cockpit.

it's really fun in concept and I adore its idea so much that I really hope I'll play it more. but I never see anyone talk about it! even in the realm of mecha games, the PS2 already has plenty of stuff like the Armored Core 3 trilogy, Front Mission 4 and 5, and even Steambot Chronicles that gets more attention (though this is probably deserved)

Robot Alchemic Drive is just one of those games that I recommend for everyone that is able to play it, just on the basis of "even if you wouldn't like this, you deserve to find out how it feels in your hands at least once" which is a sentiment I don't see expressed a lot in video game discussion (I also say this a lot about Ridge Racer Type 4 to be fair)

[hello-there-world]

thought about Vanessa/Vanny in These Gilded Haunted Halls. specifically her family and thus her connection to the plot.

so. to start out: her father...and her father's twin sibling.

Wallace "Wally" Warren was the first nightguard at the '87 Freddy's Location when it opened during the summer. they were the (somewhat) adoptive kid of Shawn Ralph Scottson, and had gotten the job as the nightguard after he recommended it to them.

of course...there's a few other things about them:

they lied about their age when getting the nightguard position, stating they were 18, when they were 15. Ralph didn't even know they had done that.

the entire reason they were Ralph's (somewhat) adopted child was because they were kicked out by their bio parents for, what i can best describe as, Being Queer In The 80s reasons.

the Night 1 Fnaf 2 phone call was recorded earlier than the others, and was actually the phone call recorded for Wally.

Wally is the soul inside of Mangle, and one of the victims of The '87 Massacre.

so...If I Had A Nickel For Every Time William Intended To Kill Four Children, But Ended Up Killing A Fifth Kid, Who Was A Teenager, Because The Opportunity Presented Itself, I'd Have Two Nickels. Which Isn't A Lot, But It's Weird That It Happened Twice.

the long story short was that William wildly miscalculated the time. he forgot that Wally would be coming in for their shift that night. and they walked into a bloodbath.

and William wasn't going to leave a witness.

Ralph was devastated, understandably, when he came in the next morning. he effectively lost a child.

and, of course, so was Bill, their twin brother.

Bill is Vanny's dad. he never really got over Wally's death. held a grudge against Fazbear Entertainment 'til the day he died. he always felt they never did enough.

so...there's all that! Vanny is the niece of one of William's victims.

and a fun fact! had Wally lived, Bill probably would've sent Vanessa to live with them when she was little (she has a few half-siblings, but they lived with their moms. Bill had been given Vanny soon after she was born, and he never really wanted to deal with her. he also was NOT a good father).

Whoo! Poor everyone. Fuck Bill, though. Assuming he's anything like his game counterpart, fuck the manipulative bastard.

But that's interesting for sure...

[ladyloveandjustice]

Winter 2023 Anime Overview: Two More Anime!

I already did a massive review of The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, check it out here! Highly rec'd show.

So here are the reviews of the other two shows I watched last season! (I also watched BOFURI season 2 but it's experiencing delays because of COVID and isn't finished yet. Also, I'm not caught up. Basically it's a fun relaxing show, though). Now onto the reviews!

Ippon Again!

Ippon Again! follows Michi, who plans to quit judo after middle school, but then the very girl she lost against in her last tournament gets her back in the game! From there, a scrappy high school girls judo team goes for the gold!

 It always feels like a miracle when we actually get a sports anime focused on girls that takes them seriously as athletes and doesn’t sexualize them to hell and back, and Ippon Again is one of those miracles. It’s an all around really solid sports anime with lovable characters. It does an especially good job fleshing out the rival team members just as much as our protagonists and making you really root for both of them- and the amount of attention paid to the opponents can make the matches feel genuinely unpredictable.

The show doesn’t really explain a lot of the judo terms, but they’re easy enough to pick up from context. It’s clear the show doesn’t have all the resources in the world from its reliance on freeze frames, but it has smart directing that knows how to cut corners to keep it looking good, and they do whip out some nice looking fluid animation for big moments like the fight in episode four and the fights in the final episodes. I did find the characters a bit hard to distinguish in the early going due to the show’s muted palette and character designs, but I recognized them all eventually.

Like most sports anime, it’s really gay but all the gayness is relegated to subtext (Michi likes to constantly mention she wants to get a boyfriend to the point where it feels almost like a parody, but it’s pointed out she’s never going to look for one because she cares about judo more). I do like the handsome lady that acts as team coach. Another thing I really appreciate is that there are heavier characters on the opposing teams at times, but no disparaging comments are made about their weight- in fact, it’s noted as an advantage.

Overall, it’s a good series that I’d recommend to any sports anime fan, especially ones hungry for sports anime that respects its female characters and pays attention to all the competitors!

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

Kobayashi is a huge fan of the villainess character in an otome game, Liesalotte. The villainess is in love with the prince, but she’s such a tsundere that her feelings never get across to him! (When it comes to love, she lies a lot. Do you get it.). Tragically, Lieselotte’s inability to communicate her feelings leads her to die in almost every ending of the game. Kobayashi decides to sit down with her friend, Endo, and they do some live commentary on the game as they play it. Then they discover that the prince inside the game can actually hear their commentary! These game fans are determined to use this new found power to give their fave villainess the happy ending she deserves, and so they slowly start to change the plot of the game…

This is a clever twist on the villainess isekai genre and it’s pretty fun at times! (The prince's confusion over "tsun de rais" is great).

However, the production is noticeably struggling. I read a chunk of the manga alongside this out of curiosity, and the contrast between the two made this especially apparent. The animation is barely hanging in there and is much less expressive than the manga’s art, and the story suffers from skipping over a lot of moments that flesh out the characters in the manga in order to fit into the twelve episode runtime. Unlike with Magirevo, almost everything the anime omits is pretty necessary to help the characters feel fully rounded- for instance, one character realistically get angry that a parent lied to her in the manga, but the anime has to cut that for time, so she just seems to roll with it and feels less like a person with reasonable emotions as a result. The manga's story is just much better paced than the anime, and it looks really good and gets both the comedy and badass moments across a lot better.

There’s also a few sexist, heteronormative or just plain offputting moments/lines and moments in the anime aren’t in the manga (and it’s not just a matter of translation, because the art reflects it in one case).

All that said, the anime does complete the story while the manga is still ongoing. So if you want to know the end (and don't read light novels, since if you can't tell from the title, it is a light novel adaptation!), the anime's still a decent option.

As for the story itself, it’s pretty tropey but cute. I wish the commentary angle was implemented more, and I feel the show could have benefited from being willing to delve into the experience of fandom and the contrast between the two worlds a little more too. It’s worth noting that in-story games’ original love interests for the teenaged "heroine character" include a teacher and a pre-teen kid, though in the storyline of the actual show they both get with age-appropriate love interests.

 I was also pretty annoyed that a very combat-capable female character who is  initially put off by her love interests constant declarations he’ll protect her suddenly (and conveniently!) reveals that she hated physical fighting all along and wants him to be stronger and bleh. She’s given an in-story reason for this, but it feels very contrived to place her in an  “appropriate” feminine role. But then she still physically fights in the finale anyway?? (and so does Liesalotte) (and there’s a minor girl character that explicitly wants to be a knight who physically protects her fragile mage boyfriend even if the anime skips over most of that plotline) so…I guess that mollifies things a bit?? But why did it need to be there?

(It’s even weirder in the manga btw, because there’s a moment the anime skips over where she actually tells him to stop saying he’ll protect her and that they should protect each other and he agrees, which was a very sweet and good resolution! But then they go and undo it!)

All my caveats aside, the ending of the anime was just so completely ridiculous  and full of fannish wish fulfillment I couldn’t help but be endeared. You have an absolutely bizarre reinterpretation of Adam and Eve, a flip on the premise that brings everyone together in a fun way, a scenery chewing villain who’s dealt with in an unintentionally funny way, and it’s just a feast of pure cheese.

If you want to watch something goofy and earnest and fun and don’t mind a clunky production and slightly rushed story , you could do a lot worse than this show. And hey, if the anime’s too threadbare for you, the manga’s getting published in English and it has great art! So you can always give that a look.

[brionysea]

Hi :) Who are your top 5 st characters?

i've never been so excited about the opportunity to create a numbered list in my life

i feel the need to clarify some things before i answer, the first of which is that i'm really bad at having favourite anythings. if you put a dog in front of me, i'll go "oh my god, dogs are my favourite!" if you put a cat in front of me, i'll go "oh my god, cats are my favourite!" if you put a bunny in front of me, i'll go "oh my god, bunnies-!"

you get the picture. animals, shows, films, music... favourites generally just aren't a thing for me. i have to lie whenever anyone asks me what my favourite colour is because i just don't have one

HOWEVER. there is ONE character in stranger things that i would actually class as my "favourite" the way other people mean it. so after #1, this is really gonna be more of a "characters i like" list than a "favourite characters" list (because i really wanna make a list right now), and there's not really anything i can do about that. i'm gonna try to pick the characters i like the most, though, which is about as close as we can get. and the order is gonna be more of the order they pop into my head than a scale of preference

am i being overly pedantic about this? probably

now, onto the list!

#1 mike wheeler

shocking, i know

funny story about this: when i first started acting insane about this character on the internet it wasn't because i liked him more than the others or anything, it was because i realised he was just like... one of the most cognitively and tactically competent characters on the show, which i found really intriguing. and then i realised he had a lot of potential and wanted to see where they were going with it. this is still a lot of what i think about when it comes to mike, because i just find the possibilities so interesting, but i've definitely developed an emotional attachment to him too

like, i get angry on his behalf when other characters start personally attacking him for things that aren't even his fault or refuse to grant him the same sympathy that everyone else gets. that doesn't happen to me a lot. getting angry when people wrong me is how i personally define self love, so like. yeah. i like mike. a lot. i want him to stop being depressed so bad and his arc is so complex and so fascinating and this blog is basically dedicated to figuring out what the hell is going on inside his head at this point

#2 joyce byers

this woman has never been wrong about anything in her life. she's so smart, so charming, so funny. she'd go to hell and back for her family. her flat arc of initially trusting her instincts, briefly doubting her own judgement for like one episode (fuck you, will's dad), and then reverting right back to the state that she's pretty much stayed in ever since, is so satisfying to watch

#3 robin buckley

we have to open on another storytime here: i cannot stand season 3. like, yeah, the overtly annoying heteronormativity (and amatonormativity but nobody talks about that part) and sexism is the point, but my god i cannot sit through it on a rewatch. and i know that because last time i tried watching the show all the way through, i ended up skipping most of this one for the sake of my sanity

EXCEPT for the scenes robin was in

that's truly a glowing recommendation from me. the fact that she single-handedly kept me from just turning off my most loathed season says it all

she's a lot of fun in season 4 too, although her characterisation kind of changes out of nowhere? idk if there's an actual reason for that, but i like to headcanon that it's because she finally has someone she can be herself around (steve), which gave her some level of security to loosen up and stop being so guarded and snippy all the time

she's entertaining, she's smart (which is apparently a big thing for me), she's likable and incredibly easy to root for, she inexplicably survived the "relatable new character who's killed off in the same season they're introduced" curse, and she hasn't been around long enough to get stale, even with the sudden personality shift that a lot of characters have been subject to at one point or another cough season 3 hopper cough

#4 max mayfield

i don't really know what to say for this one. i just like max. she's consistently good in every season she appears, when she's frustrating it's in an intentional, understandable way that makes sense for her character without making her unlikable, her individual relationships with the party are all so fun and engaging to watch, and she's the centrepiece of possibly the best scene in the show (which made me cry)

#5 steve harrington

honestly, this one's self explanatory. we all love steve. you don't need me to tell you why we love steve

i have a lot of issues with the way he's written in canon, like how obstinate they're being that he's worthless without a love interest instead of just leaning into the much more interesting direction of his friendships with robin and the kids, but the fact that i'm willing to fight them over custody of his storylines just goes to show how well they got me to care in the first place

anyway. this is the enjoying things post, so i'm gonna stop complaining now

he completely won over an audience that mostly hated him after season 1 like it was the easiest thing in the world, which is honestly just really impressive. he's so much fun to watch, he's got a cool spiked bat, his best friends are a 15 year old and a lesbian he used to have a crush on, he's working cringefail job after cringefail job because he has no idea what to do with his life (relatable). what more could you ask for?

thanks so much for the ask, anon! hopefully you don't mind that i answered it in essay format, apparently i just had a lot to say :)

[multi-lefaiye]

hi hi multi! I was wondering if I could get a ramble about some of your favourite dating sims? the stream the other day was v fun ^-^

oh hi hi hello logan!!! :D yeah sure!!! i love talking about dating sims ASDFJKL; i just think they're neat <3

so i think i'll talk about like. a few dating sims i love, some things i like about them, and then my favorite route(s).

fair warning, some of these games have some triggering content! i'll try not to go into detail, and i probably won't go into specifics, but still! fair warning.

1 - star days

okay so the one i was playing on stream was called star days, made by the artist pacthesis! she doesn't make games anymore and unfortunately has taken her games off the internet, but i have this one and my other favorite of hers saved <3

star days is about a group of people from different universes coming together to journey to a mythical place called The Constellations, with the intent of resurrecting people they've loved and lost.

it's less about the romance and more about the grief counseling. like the dating is fun but everyone's MOVING ON!!!

all the characters (except cil) are endearing to me in their own ways, but my favorite endings:

platonic ending - the main characters all find reasons to live and move on and remain best friends, going on adventures together and exploring other universes and beyond.

quoto - quoto is just the perfect man- idk i just think he's super sweet?? like the themes around his storyline are a lot about the importance (or lack thereof) in appearances and i think that's just neat.

vanni - MOVING ON AFTER A TRAGEDY AND FINDING REASONS TO LIVE AFTER LOSING IT ALL... MWAH MWAH.

--

2 - number days

so this is another pacthesis game! actually the last one she completed in full before leaving the internet for a while.

ANYWAY the premise around this one is that a group of people who visit a new amusement park that opens one day and end up mysteriously trapped inside, with no one else around. they each receive mysterious text messages from an unknown number saying this: "your time here will run out when your number reaches zero." and from that moment on, their phones display a number between 0 and 100.

it's SUCH an interesting game to me with really cool storylines imo!!! like it's definitely aged a little poorly, but i think it's a fascinating narrative. even romance aside, i love the characters and i genuinely can't pick a favorite.

this is also the other pacthesis game i have archived so we can play this on stream as well :3c

in terms of favorite routes.... i think my favorite one is arlo's route. it makes me so so sad and it's so so sweet and it really hammers homes these themes of like... loneliness and self love and acceptance. it's good shit. also arlo's just a cutie, even if he's kind of a weirdo <3

the platonic ending here is also a delight!!! though i don't remember all the details about it except that it made me cry the first time i got it <3

--

3 - mystic messenger

ohhh i could say so much about this game. it definitely has a lot of issues, especially in its writing (and especially in its portrayal of mental health and specifically more stigmatized disorders), but god i was fixated on this game for YEARS. i've played it so many times.

mystic messenger is a dating sim that follows real-time, each run taking place over the course of 11 days. the basic premise is that the player ends up joining a secret charity organization called the RFA, and as they work with this group they slowly start to uncover more and more of its secrets.

one thing i love about mysmes is that, like.... to get the full picture, you do have to do every character's route. every character's storyline reveals a little more of the story, to the point that i actually have a recommended order i give people for doing the routes if they play this X3 it also has a ton of different endings to explore!

the only downside is that uh. it's a time commitment. if you don't keep up with the game you can get a *real* nasty ending. and this game also gets dark as FUCK at times, like the player can die and so can most of the love interests-

anyway i love all the characters in this game for the most part, so it's hard to pick a favorite! 707 is a huge comfort character for me, though, and his route means so much to me. it really hits home with me personally in so many ways.

even though i always tell people to do his route last ASDFJKL;

--

4 - mechat

ok i just wanna give an honorary mention to mechat b/c that's the one i'm playing right now- fair warning, though, this game is SIGNIFICANTLY more nsfw than the other two here!!!! like. holy fuck. do not check this out if you're a minor or otherwise not interested in spicy content. (though i think the adult content can be turned off in settings.)

mechat is fun because it's like... fictional tinder. you can match with as many characters as you'd like and explore their storylines. not all of them are fun, but they're all interesting imo.

my favorite so far is shion b/c he's a beautiful man with long red hair who has several warrants out for his arrest and takes you on a date to do arson together. what a guy <3

i also love the sheer confidence this game has in never explaining the supernatural elements. like yeah some of these characters are regular ass people. some of them are demons. some are aliens. some are cryptids. deal with it.

another thing that's interesting to me about mechat is that some characters have counterparts with alternate designs and names--the storylines don't change, but you can swap 'em out if you don't like their faces i guess.

--

5 - monster prom series

so i have yet to play these games by myself but i've played all of them with friends and my partner and just??? so fun??? i love it. they're so fun and interesting and delightful. these games have a special place in my heart, both for the sheer silliness and wacky hijinks and the memorable characters! also the queerness all throughout them.

i also do love that in the first game there's a storyline centering around one of the potential love interests being aroace and talking about like. boundaries and consent and becoming really good friends with them rather than dating them or seducing them. i've heard some complaints about how this storyline is handled, but tbh i think it's fun <3

i have a hard time picking favorites in this series, but i love calculester so so much <333 and milo <3333333 and moss mann <3333

--

anyway yeah these are some of my favorite dating sims!! there are some i may be forgetting but ye i love these <3

[protography0]

"Enter Leave The Backrooms"

Pictogram/Exit Sign for "The Backrooms" webseries by Kane Pixels. Made in GIMP. I reused some pictograms that I made for my The Oldest View mockup signs.

This one took about 2-2,5 hours. Mostly because some part of me is now having *expectations* about what end results I can get (and also changes its mind constantly). Also because I have decided to try and not just make the stick figures stand out by recoloring the 'gaps' but actually making them transparent.

Modeling the threshold would have been more exciting if my brain didn't first insist I make it inside the doorframe, but I like how it turned out in the end. Also making the Lifeform(/Bacteria) truly was a lot of fun.

Overall, there is still stuff I could improve upon, but for the time being I quite like how this turned out.

I also think I know where I originally might have gotten the idea from to make these signs - years ago, I owned a book called "Film In 5 Seconds" which did storytelling with pictograms in a very effective way. (So this is hardly the first time someone has tried something similar to what I am doing rn, though they are not using the 'exit sign' format for example.) I really recommend the book, it is a lot of fun to look through.

Obligatory sidenote - GIMP is absolutely not the best program to make vectors and pictograms. If anyone wants to seriously get into that kind of art, I have read that Inkscape is supposedly far better suited (like GIMP, it is also free).

[rosewinterborn]

My app timer went off and TUMBLR ATE MY REPLY so I'm trying again

Luminary: I'm pretty solidly in the bookstagram/cosplay section of instagram and about 2 weeks ago this song as suddenly everywhere. I think it may have a connection to acotar somehow but idk, i think it slaps by itself

Together As One: its in 4/4, so the same way you do an awkward middle school slow dance. Except that you're also trying to ignore the fact that 60 people are staring at you 👍

Conquerer: most of my epicore playlist seems to be pretty desaturated, i think that's why i like James Paget so much (the colors for his songs are much sharper and clearer). There's also kind of a lot of yellow so I'm not sure if its from album covers or i just have a Type

So Down: the thing that gets me about this song in particular is the way the scream "I'm trying" at the end, because thats just what the inside of my head sounds like during a depressive episode (this is somehow preferable to the apathy inspired by a decade of lexapro. I'm. Not sure how.)

Leave the City: i like the bridge of this one. If i did mantras or inspirational quote tattoos this would be on my list (right after the First Ideal from the stormlight archives). Based on the rest of that album (Trench, my favorite of theirs, though i haven't listened to anything newer) i don't think leaving the city is a metaphor for suicide, i think its a metaphor for overcoming depression. (If you have a couple hours to kill i do recommend poking around the videos and lore for Trench, i thought it was pretty neat)

Just a Man: (😭 sorry.) I picked this one up from instagram also, i am super not a musical person (though i believe this one is the odyssey so maybe I'll check it out at some point?) Its kind of an earworm and suits my current dnd character really well.

The Fall: this is one of the few half alive songs i *do* like. Acquired via penumbra podcast fan playlist for one self-destructive martian private eye whom i adore. (Also those are exactly the lines i chose it for so...points for me? I'm not sure i like this game though)

For The Sky: noooooo i didn't know that, that was supposed to be the *fun* one 😭 i think that one stuck because it came out to a similar (blue-grey) color to you? The organ from heavensward really makes that album overcast in my brain

I am...also not a fan of the chocobo music? I think maybe if it didn't play everytime one of my friends ferried me via chocobo i would be more neutral toward it but i really loved the arr ambient music and then i get on a chocobo an BAM. TRUMPETS. THE WHOLE TIME.

That said, i didn't actually know that travel music was a distinct thing in video games. Thats neat.

So uh. You're welcome? I think? 😬 if i find anything less sad i will send it your way to try and balance out the [gestures wildly at list]

@rosewinterborn spotify finally works and the ask box is too lame to actually report back on the songs you sent me in a way that doesn't look horrible

also since I'm linking the actual songs, this is a huge wall, so, uh, putting it all under a read more

Pretty good! I do not know this! We are on different parts of IG! The only things IG shows me are cats and frogs. I think this goes onto my atmosphere playlist!

erin how do you dance to this

I don't get sand/pale yellow vibes from this tbh. It started out pretty dark yellow for me and then became a dark green-red. If I had to assign a colour to it.

TIME FOR THE ASSOCIATION SONGS. I wonder how offended I'll be

I was about to say this song is way too upbeat, but then I read the lyrics. Not bad! I give it... 7.2/10.

This had some potential if it picked up speed after the first verse. Unfortunately it did not, and overall I'm not actually sure what the message is. It seems suicide focused. I think? Maybe?

Hah. Lol. Lmao even. I listened to this and read the lyrics and went "I know exactly who would like this." GUESS WHO.

Excellent pick.

Not exactly my speed for daily listening, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Lyrics are a big oof. 8.3/10.

I think this is not one of the few half-alive songs I like. Some nice bits in the lyrics though. "Once you say it out loud, it can't be undone." "I don't feel safe at all. I can't trust the fall."

This is from the game introduced to me by Them. Two of your "Oh, I better not" picks are directly connected to your observations about my Mental Illness™ tagging. Honestly, it's impressive. And hilarious, in a really morbid, ridiculous kind of way.

The actual track though is kind of eh. This reminds me that I submitted the chocobo theme from XIV to a music competition's category about open-world travel songs and it got last place. :(

ANYWAY, that's all of them. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy seeing how I am perceived. Sort of. It's an interesting peek behind the curtain. Sort of.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

So I (finally!) bought a pair of really good noise cancelling headphones, and it has changed my life! It's the fanciest thing I've bought in years, so to recoup some of the cost, I’ve researched & written a little essay based on my experiences with extreme noise sensitivity.

Hypersensitivity to sound is something I’ve dealt with all of my life, but I only recently found out it's medically known a Hyperacusis. (Please note this is a separate condition from Misophonia.) If you consistently struggle to cope with noise, the info below could be helpful! I’m including a link to my ko-fi, and I will be answering questions in the notes.

(skip to the bottom to read fun facts about my tax return and/or street organs vendettas!)

DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional, this is based solely on my experiences as a patient, and on what I have read and been told by professionals. Please notify me if you have corrections or concerns about accuracy!

BACKGROUND: Sensitivity to sound is a common type of sensory issue. While anyone can experience such issues (most people, for example, might be bothered by loud music in a crowded restaurant), some people are more sensitive than others, to the point it becomes a quality-of-life aka a medical issue.

If you consistently struggle with environmental stimuli that other people aren’t bothered by (background noises, bright lights, certain textures and tastes, etc), to the point it causes daily discomfort or limits the environments you can be in, I recommend reading about Sensory Processing Disorder.

SPD and sound sensitivity are both super common in autistic folks (like me!), but allistic (non-autistic) people can experience them too. Weep, ye prisoners of mortal coil, for none are safe, nothing sacred, not in this thy most accursed tomb of human flesh!

Anyway.

SOUND SENSITIVITY or HYPERACUSIS: Noise issues are particularly difficult to navigate in a world that is increasingly...noisy. The relatively new phenomenon of constant overhead music in restaurants, grocery stores, shopping malls etc—all of this means that public spaces are increasingly inaccessible to people with auditory issues.*

As a kid, nothing quite triggered sensory overload/meltdowns for me like the constant exposure to noise I couldn’t control—the background chatter of other kids in the lunchroom, the constant noise in public spaces, being trapped in the car with the radio on.... I had so many fights with my siblings about the car radio, and who got to choose the music.**

But it’s not just loud sounds that are the problem. As an adult who lives alone and works from home***, I’m lucky enough to be able to avoid loud environments most of the time. This does wonders for my general levels of anxiety and discomfort. But even in a mostly controlled environment, I still experience problems. Because part of sound sensitivity is that even normal or quiet sounds can feel loud and intrusive. Here are some “normal” sounds that can cause me discomfort (ranging from annoyance to outright pain, depending on the day):

refrigerator/AC/ceiling lights humming

dishwasher/washing machine noises

ceiling fan making that damn ceiling fan noise

faint sounds of traffic

riding in a car

other people having a normal conversation in the background

someone talking to me in a perfectly normal inside voice

Unfortunately, even in a “controlled” environment, many triggering noises can’t be controlled. And many parts of life can’t be lived in a controlled environment. This presents...some incredibly freaking annoying problems. Luckily there are solutions!

Sorta.

There are sorta some solutions.

They are imperfect, but they help.

TREATMENT: And now I have something rather shame-faced to admit. In all the years of managing my symptoms, it never once occurred to me to see a hearing specialist for my issues with sound. I wasn’t even aware that treatment options exist, because none of my other doctors mentioned it. Instead, I’ve spent years finding my own coping mechanisms and tools, with help from therapists and psychiatrists, but without ever consulting an audiologist/ENT. It was only while researching this post that I found out that was even an option, holy shit.

So it turns out I am going to be making an appointment with my local ENT practice. shit.

Apparently treatment options include sound/acoustic therapy, systematic desensitization/exposure therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, sound machines, and other options that I had no idea even existed, goddammit.

MANAGEMENT: In the meantime, here are my current coping mechanisms. I’ve relied rather heavily on hearing protection, which is very useful when used in moderation. Unfortunately, it can cause its own problems: it’s important not to overuse hearing protection, because in the long-term this can increase your sensitivity. So again: a useful tool, but be careful not to overdo it.

With that in mind, here are some of the coping strategies I’ve used over the last decade to manage my symptoms. This is not a perfect system and you should contact your local ENT clinic for better, long-term solutions, but in the meantime here are some tips I use to just get myself through the damn day:

Regularly spending time in a quiet controlled environment, to allow my nervous system to decompress.

Wearing earplugs, (I use two different grade, depending on the level of noise prevention I need), and always carrying an extra pair in case I need them unexpectedly. I bought a 50 pack for $7 and put spares in all my bags and jacket pockets.

(I mostly use Mack’s Ultra Soft, but there are so many types and materials and brands, including foam, silicone, wax, custom moldable etc. Even if you have trouble wearing things in your ears, you might be able to find something comfortable.)

Similarly: hearing protection earmuffs, the kind used in gun ranges and on construction sites. I bought mine online for $10. they look like normal wireless headphones, so I've never gotten comments when wearing mine in public (other than “cool heaphones” bc i added skull glitter stickers).

Sometimes I wear the earmuffs on top of earplugs, when life is just too damn LOUD.

Listening to music w/ earbuds or headphones is a great way to balance out background noises, especially if you can find soothing playlists that help you concentrate. Also useful to put in just one earbud when you need to pay attention in class/at work.

Pro tip: if your hair is long enough you can wear wireless earbuds without anyone knowing.

White noise, rain noises, ocean noises etc can be helpful! Some people like whale songs although personally this activates my primal fear response

Active noise cancelling headphones: the reason I wrote this post to begin with—I finally bought a pair! As in, a really good pair! As in, a depressingly expensive pair with noise cancelling technology that actually WORKS, holy shit. I probably need to wear them a little less at home (bc overprotection causes problems in the longterm) but they have absolutely transformed my ability to go out in public and i never ever want to take these suckers off again please take a power screwdriver and nail these to my head, bury me in the sweet sweet shroud of silence. holy canoli and cream puffs I want to marry form a civil partnership with these headphones. Plus they have a bunch of features, like being able to control the level of noise cancellation, so I can hold a conversation or be aware of some ambient noise for safety reasons.

Oh, and also they play music I guess?

Sorry sorry I promise this post wasn’t supposed to be me shilling for Big Electronics. I’m just excited, I’m an excited flabby little ball of expired flubber. ANC headphones aren’t a perfect solution, and I still sometimes wear earplugs underneath, and I will always be uncomfortable some of the time, but for me it’s been a big step.

Unfortunately the cost of good quality ANC technology means this isn’t an option for everyone, and the (much cheaper) gunshot protection earmuffs I mentioned earlier still provide an impressive amount of protection and bang-for-your buck (maybe even an equal amount of protection, if you can find ones that fit well). But if noise consistently prevents you from enjoying public space and life in general, and you’ve already tried earmuffs & earplugs and find they don’t offer enough comfort/convenience/protection, and if you’re in a position to save up for a one time non-necessity purchase of $150+, noise cancelling headphones are an option to be aware of. (Please always check the return policy so you can try before you buy. I ended up buying and returning 2 pairs before finding what worked best for me. And please look for a retailer that offers an extended warranty. You want those motherforkers to last).

There are cheaper options available, including some under $50. The ones I tried didn't work as well as my hearing protection earmuffs, but some people report good experiences, so that is something to consider. it's always good to know your options! Passive noise canceling is another affordable alternative.

Medication: A final tool in my toolbox, which for me personally has helped as much as every other method combined. Like, a lot, it’s helped a lot. It turns out some anti-anxiety medications can also help sensory issues. There’s not much research on this, and I only discovered it firsthand when a medication my doctor prescribed for anxiety ended up significantly helping my sensory issues. I no longer need medication for anxiety, but my psychiatrist still prescribes that same medication off-label for my sensory stuff. Ask your psychiatrist to research your options (they will probably have to do some digging to find relevant research, but you deserve to know all your options, even the obscure ones). Fyi, the medication I use is in the benzodiazepines class, but there are other options for those concerned about dependency or side effects.

(I'm also told anti-anxiety supplements may be helpful, though I haven't tried this yet. If you're on prescription meds, always talk to your doctor about contraindications before taking anything over-the-counter.)

So there you have it, my main coping strategies for sound sensitivity! They are not a replacement for medical treatment (except that last one which is in fact...medical treatment), but I find them helpful and I hope some of you will too! I’ve struggled for a long time, and I’m very pleased to have reached the point where I can just do things in public. Eating out in loud restaurants? I can do that now, and even enjoy it, holy shit! I can comfortably travel in cars for hours at a time, and walk around shopping malls and grocery stores with overhead music, and, and —and just exist. It is so so freeing, to feel like maybe, after everything, you are actually allowed to just exist in a world that wasn’t really designed for you.

Again, be careful not to overuse hearing protection—the goal is to allow you to be less uncomfortable and to function better, but if you find you are becoming more sensitive to noise, it is time to dial it back a notch. Or maybe consider listening to music (at a reasonable volume) to block out background noise instead.

*(This also includes people with hearing loss and related issues, btw. While that’s not my area of knowledge, I would welcome it if any of my HoH followers want to share their experiences.)

**A sign of sensory issues that parents often miss is when a child complains about music being too loud—but has no problem listening to their own music at high volume. This is because music that is already familiar to the listener (and that the listener enjoys) is much easier for the brain to process, since it knows what pattern of sounds to expect. Loud music that they get to control can be soothing for people with sound issues, especially when it blocks out background noise and sensations. This is why repetitively playing the same songs can be a helpful form of stimming.

***(working on this blog, actually. since it’s my only source of income, my 2020 income tax return literally lists my occupation as ‘Tumblr Blogger.’ Oddly, my parent didn’t feel this achievement was worth including in the holiday family newsletter.)

bonus fun fact: Charles Babbage aka “father of the computer” may have been autistic and hypersensitive to sound. He definitely had a huge problem with public noise pollution, and spent his later year waging a war on street musicians (and organ grinders in particular).

(bc like, yeah. screw organ grinders.)

Sometimes when I’m out in public and the overhead music is particularly unbearable, I’ll take a moment to look up to the sky and scream out: “HE TRIED TO WARN US! THE FATHER OF COMPUTERS TRIED TO WARN US!!! we should have listened, sweet heaven we should have listened!”

except i don’t scream it, i say it very quietly under my breath

(i have issues with noise)

so yeah that is my short essay. and here is the ko-fi goal

k ciao i gotta go pick out glitter stickers for my headphones

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group F Round 2: #F1 vs #F2

#F1: High school girls go to Antarctica

#F2: 90s maid girls with guns

Details and poll under the cut!

#F1: A Place Further than the Universe (Sora yori mo Tooi Basho)

Summary:

Filled with an overwhelming sense of wonder for the world around her, Mari Tamaki has always dreamt of what lies beyond the reaches of the universe. However, despite harboring such large aspirations on the inside, her fear of the unknown and anxiety over her own possible limitations have always held her back from chasing them. But now, in her second year of high school, Mari is more determined than ever to not let any more of her youth go to waste. Still, her fear continues to prevent her from taking that ambitious step forward—that is, until she has a chance encounter with a girl who has grand dreams of her own. Spurred by her mother's disappearance, Shirase Kobuchizawa has been working hard to fund her trip to Antarctica. Despite facing doubt and ridicule from virtually everyone, Shirase is determined to embark on this expedition to search for her mother in a place further than the universe itself. Inspired by Shirase's resolve, Mari jumps at the chance to join her. Soon, their efforts attract the attention of the bubbly Hinata Miyake, who is eager to stand out, and Yuzuki Shiraishi, a polite girl from a high class background. Together, they set sail toward the frozen south. Sora yori mo Tooi Basho follows the captivating journey of four spirited girls, all in search of something great.

Propaganda 1:

This show literally changed my life I’m not even kidding. It’s messages about living your life to the fullest and finding, creating, and maintaining important friendships in your life literally got me to pick myself up and actually start living my life. All of its main characters are all incredibly memorable, and they all bounce off of each other very well. It’s fun and cute as hell, but also a really powerful story about dealing with grief and moving on. The final three episodes of the show are an emotional gut-punch, but they leave you with a sense of bittersweet fulfillment and a drive to get out in the world and have your own adventure.

Propaganda 2:

Let’s start with the fact that this is Madhouse doing a (relatively) grounded coming of age story about high school girls - the show looks gorgeous, of course. The music’s solid as well. (I still regularly listen to the ending.) But what really shines is the writing and characterization.

The pacing on this is perfect. For a show that spends half its runtime getting to Antarctica, you never feel like the time should be allotted differently or that you’re missing out on hijinks. Episode 12 is a particular standout, with tension building up until it explodes, and then goes still for the true emotional climax of the show. The four main girls all feel like believable teens, and seeing their relationship develop over the course of the series and watching them come into their own is well-done. The way it handles Shirase and her emotions, and how this complicates her relationships with them all is a particular standout. This may not be eligible in that it’s one of those anime people who watch A LOT of anime will recommend highly—it was on Crunchyroll and IGN’s best anime of the 2010s lists and on several “best of” lists for 2018. But it never quite took off the way it truly deserves, so I’m submitting it. It’s getting an English dub soon, though, and I really hope that gives it a resurgence of popularity. The girls are alright.

(Admin: Propaganda has been edited slightly to remove spoilers)

Trigger Warnings: Death via freezing

#F2: Akiba Maid War (Akiba Meido Sensou)

Summary:

The innocent Nagomi Wahira has always admired the cute girls serving at maid cafes. Hoping to fulfill her dream of becoming one, she moves to Akihabara to work at the maid cafe Ton Tokoton.

Nagomi’s first day seems completely normal—until she has to run an “errand” at a rival maid cafe along with her fellow recruit, the mature Ranko Mannen. There, things quickly go south, and Nagomi soon gets her first taste of Akihabara’s violent maid wars. As she watches Ranko calmly battle her way through a horde of gun- and knife-wielding maids, Nagomi realizes that maid cafes are drastically unlike what she had envisioned.

While struggling to reconcile her expectations with the harsh reality she finds herself in, Nagomi searches for the enjoyment she once saw in the lives of maids.

Propaganda:

It was animated by P.A. Works! As far as I know, they also worked on Buddy Daddies, Angel Beats, Ya Boy Kongming, etc. Cygames also contributed to this anime!! The story is creative as well. Who would’ve thought of a cute maid mafia anime? Keep in mind, this is a P. A. Works ORIGINAL. They went SO crazy on this anime. There’s also 12 episodes, which means that you can binge it all on one day and still be satisfied :D The OP and ED are also catchy, creative and unskippable. Despite its dark themes, it can sometimes get a little more “lighthearted” and silly, even in the most violent scenes ;P

Trigger Warnings: Flashing Lights, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore.

Just like what I explained, it’s violent. A lot of guns. And a lot of blood. Yes, they kill fellow maids in like every episode ever lol. Also, since Akiba is known to have flashy street signs, like every city ever…. And the guns, of course…that’s why I put the Flashing Lights warning.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how they’re presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[igotanidea]

The Raven's daughter: Morpheus x Matthew's daughter part 7

previously: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6 (catching up is highly recommended)

Part 7

A kickass party

-Well, sure as hell it took you long enough- Kat greeted her friends, fairly annoyed – do you wish to tell me what kept you.

- Not really, but you’re not gonna let me of lightly, are you.

- Not a chance.

- Great. Because that’s exactly what I need – relieving the most terrible day of my life – y/n entered the cafeteria and started to study the menu for the day. Nothing particularly interesting and she was wondering if maybe she should skip the meal, but the rumbling in her belly had different plans.

- Oh come, on, y/n. Spill the bean – Kat had already made an order and now was dragging her friend towards one of the tables.

- I got suspended.

- what? – Kat snarked – the golden child got punished? Oh God! What did you do you rebel?

- I called the classes off. Nearly anyone showed up so there was no point in conducting it. Or at least it seemed like that at the point. Clearly a mistake from my part – y/n sighed

- How long?

- Three days. Gadling will be assigned to my students until next week, can you imagine that?

- Well, he is hot, so maybe you could use that as an excuse to ….

- Kat!

- What? You can’t stay single forever, you know. You are not getting younger and skinnier, girl. And speaking of boys, I’m actually pretty glad you got so much time on your hands now.

- Yeah, thanks for lifting my spirits, my friend. What’s your idea than?

- A party!

- A party? – y/n looked at her confused – are you serious.

- No. I’m not. You are making up for both of us. Thus, you have to let go of all the tension, so … party. And before you say no….

-Im down for it.

- …. Let me tell you why…... Wait? You’re actually saying yes?  Who are you and what did you do to my friend?

- It’s like in this Avril song, you know all my life I’ve been good but now….

- That’s what I’m talking about! – Kat threw a fist in the air – my girl! So, the plan…

- You’ve already made a plan?

- Obviously. I know damn well that only facts speak to you, so I just in case I prepared my case for presentation.

- Not only facts.

- Of course not – Kat nodded in agreement – you are miss imagination after all. So imagine how much fun we are going to have. Oh, and we have a third musketeer coming. – she waved a hand towards another women who was just entering the cafeteria. – Sarah!

- Morning ladies, how’s your day so far? – the elegant redhead approached them and put her designer bag on the chair.

y/n rolled her eyes. She definitely wasn’t going to repeat the story.

-Someone’s in the mood – Sarah stated

- Don’t mind her. y/n had quite an eventful forenoon. However, I did my magic to convince her to participate in our ladies’ night.

- Magic, indeed, than. – Sarah smiled.

-Oh, come on, I’m not a bore – y/n exclaimed – just ….  mature. And I can’t believe you were involved in this shenanigans, Sarah.

-To be honest, I was plan B. Kat was going to win you with arguments, and I planned on attacking with threats.

-I’m glad it didn’t come to that

- So do I. Anyhow, since I’m the only one with the car, I’m going to pick you both up at 8 sharp. Be ready.

***

Growing up, y/n was never a party animal. Well, even as a grown-up woman she never aspired for that. On one hand she watched a lot of girls who felt at a club like at home, with their fancy dresses, looking hot and feminine and wondered if she could ever be like that, on the other always believed herself to not be good enough. Being self-conscious with her body and general outlook dolling up was always out of her reach. Supposedly she was afraid to make a fool out of herself. No one really noticed that though, because if anything she knew perfectly how to cover up. And what’s more, y/n was never jealous. It was more like a guilt inside her that she is not a picture of a perfect women, whatever that may mean. And that was also the reason why she struggled with relationships as her friend nicely mentioned.

However, making a promise to Kat and Sarah she made effort to get ready. Trying to balance her own comfort and the specifics of a club she picked up a blue sleeveless trouser suit. Nothing to extravagant or defiant yet still party-like. Hair down, luckily it was best to just leave them natural. Just a quick glance in the mirror just to avoid any second thoughts and she was ready to go.

Sarah and Kat were right on time and without any further delay the girls reached the destination point.

-This was a mistake – y/n stated the very second they reached the entrance.

-Oh, come on, girl, you can’t back out now. Besides, it’s only gonna get better, you’ll see.

-Ladies, less talking, more partying – Sarah grabbed her friends and dragged them both inside.

There were so many people. Like the club was just completely full, despite the fact that it was middle of the week. This seemed abstract to y/n, who was always mature to quote her own words.

-I don’t feel good – she stated again as the crowd surrounded her pulling her towards the dance floor. – I’m gonna….  I think I’m gonna grab us some drinks, if that’s ok with you two.

-I could use a beverage – Sarah said – but you’re not going alone. We’re in this together and besides it’s better to watch each other backs, you never know what can happen.

- Sarah’s right – Kat chimed in as the girls elbowed their way through the crowd– I’ve heard enough stories about roofies to make me not want to be a part of one. Bartender! – she yelled – three shots of vodka, por favor.

-Since when do you speak Spanish?

- Since I’m trying to complete my Spanish outlook. Don’t you think it suits me? – Kat turned around. With her curly dark hair, red lipstick and tight dress she did in fact look Spain-like. As for Sarah she choose a mini skirt and strapless shirt and her hair was straightened and shiny.

- Yeah, it does – y/n took a sip of her drink suddenly feeling heavy underdressed.

- Oh no, no, no. – Kat pointed a finger towards her friend – no long face. I can read your mind, I know what you are thinking right now.

- Really? Please, enlighten me.

- You think yourself to not fit in this place. You believe you are a duff, don’t you?

- Wow. That was painful, Kat, seriously. And completely unnecessary – Sarah smacked the brunette.

-What? I’m just telling that’s how y/n feels, I never say that’s true.

-You can be such an idiot, Kat – Sarah rolled her eyes – come on, y/n let’s hit the dancefloor. This will cheer you up.

- Yeah, I’m gonna stay here for a while if you don’t mind. But you go, go have fun – I’ll join you in a minute, I promise.

When Kat and Sarah started dancing it was captivating. Their moves were intoxicating and capturing the attention of everyone around them – both man and woman. y/n was both jealous of her friends’ sex appeal and proud to be with them and sad that she herself would probably never get to be like that.

-Have you seen that red head? Man, she is hot – y/n heard a man across the bar, clearly talking about Sarah

-You don’t stand a chance man – the other one laughed – I think you might as well take your chances with her friend. You know, the one in blue, right there – he pointed a finger towards y/n. – She’s watching us right now. Poor thing, with that look she will be alone for the rest of her life. Nobody would want to touch her with that look.

Once again  y/n felt sick to her stomach. Hearing something like that was brutal and her first instinct was to flee the club, get back to her house and lay down on the bed with some good book. However, doing something like that would be like handing the argument to her tormentors. Y/n finished her drink, put the glass on the counter with a loud bang, and joined her dancing friends. Loosing herself in the music and the movement she completely forgot where she was, until she felt a hand sneaking on her waist and a strong arm pulling her outside the building into the dark alley. A little overwhelmed and light headed she had no power to oppose to whoever it was.

-Let go off me – she finally yelled as the cool air brought her back to reality.

-That one’s feisty – a man laughed – she’s gonna be a good starter before we hook up with her friends. – this was one of the group who was laughing at her at the bar, the girl now recognized him clearly.

- Trust me, you don’t want to do this – she spoke calming herself, even though her hands were shaking a little bit.

-And why is that, little one? What exactly is stopping me? I’m a man and you are a woman, you have no say in what I’m about to do.

-Honestly, I have no idea in what century you’re living, but it’s 2022. Women are actually equal to men, it not… better and definitely smarter – she smirked

- Careful, doll. Me and my friend may have quite a different opinion on that – he spated as three other man started to surround their prey.

- Once again  - you don’t want to do this.

-Oh, we do – with one step the man was right in front of the girl, grabbing her wrist, while the other squeezed her waist.

-Damn it, don’t say I didn’t warn you all. 

Y/n was quick to turn around and kicking the man behind in the groins causing him to fall to the ground. Then she quickly moved towards the one grabbing her arm, using the other to punch him straight into the nose. As for the other two -  one got a kick from a half turn which left him mazed and the other, who was bold enough to come directly at her trying to use some hand movement was knocked off his feet when y/n popped a squat and made a single leg movement. With all her punched and kick all of the men was soon lying on the ground lifeless. Even though she was safe now, the girl was shaking a bit, all of the emotions now getting out.

-y/n! – Sarah and Kat flounced off the club looking for her, terror on their faces visible when they noticed some unconscious men on the ground – what happened? Are you ok?  

-Yes! – y/n started laughing frantically – Honestly I’ve never been better.

-But… but what happened? Did you do this? – Kat pointed at the surroundings.

-Not to brag, but yes, this was my doing.

-How? I didn’t know you know how to fight

- I watch a lot of Cobra Kai, you know. After some time you learn some useful movement – y/n grinned. – Anyway I think I have enough for one night, I’m heading home. But you were right, this was fun.

-Wait, y/n you can’t walk alone at night. I’m gonna give you a lift, so ….

Before she could finish her sentence, a tall, broody man came from the shadows.

-I’ll be taking care of miss y/n, now – he spoke in dark yet silky voice.

- And who may you be, sir – Kat defensive attitude got the best of her.

- Hold the fire, Kat – y/n reassured her – he’s a … an acquaintance. I’m gonna go with him, I think I’ll be safe.

- You think? – Sarah hissed – that’s not enough for me. I’m not letting my friend get into any more trouble.

-I know how to defense myself, remember? – y/n didn’t bother mentioning that her little karate trick would be nothing against the Lord of the Dreams. – I’m gonna be fine, I promise. I got backup – she nodded as a certain Raven flew from the sky and sat right on the girls arm.

-Fine. But call me as soon as you get home. This is all weird like hell. – Kat and Sarah turned around, got into the car and drove away while y/n turned towards her visitor.

- Hello Dream, what brings you to the Waking, now?  

@marvelsmylife

@wickedly-grim

@mind-of-a-girl

@thereeallink

@lisacarolined

@boofy1998

@endlessdreamqueen

@mikariell95

@shadowluna25

@sippysthoughts

@kaoriloveskeiff

@venomsvl

[fairytheo]

enhypen as your boyfriend.

boyfriend!enhypen x gen!reader. fluff. 1.9k. curse words. mention of bugs, food. not requested.

🐈 ⸝⸝ HEESEUNG ˙𐃷˙

super-duper caring !!

he’s so whipped for you — he smiles just by thinking about you

also very giggly around you

LOVES lending you his beanies

(aka. you stealing them..)

+ you steal his earrings as well ! not that he minds

absolutely adores singing for you / he loves singing you to sleep :D

hold up, is being heeseung’s s/o just being his personal ramen cook 🤨🤨

he aaalwaays bugs you to play games with him (especially wii and nintendo switch lmao)

either that or you’re playing animal crossing while eating takeout at your dinner table

you’re the only person in the world who he’ll ever do aegyo for. 

he secretly enjoys it, but shhh you didn’t hear that from me

i think he likes calling you names like cutie, cutiepie or just a shorter version of your name <3 (if there is one !)

booping your nose is on his everyday to do list ☝️

lowkey therapist & boyfriend in one ngl

WAIT he loves making playlists for you two,, 

“y/n! i made another playlist, do you wanna listen to it? i made it while thinking of you.” <//3 

the type to write cheesy lyrics about you, then later cringes at his own writing bUT then leaves it like that because you like it !

you have his cover of lauv’s “i’m so tired” either set as your alarm or play it on loop everyday 

(random but for some reason i can picture him giving you a cassette with his cover on it just for the vintage vibes)

🐈 ⸝⸝ JAY ˙𐃷˙

the mom-and-boyfriend in one ;] 

f a s h i o n  c o u p l e 

you are literally fashion icons. no disagreements. 

you have matching clothes or accessories ! even if it’s really subtle, the gesture behind it is super adorable <//3

cooking pt. 2 :D but this time there’s a gorden ramsay in your relationship

i can just SEE how you both two impersonate gorden ramsay while cooking which makes everything 10 times funnier !! checks every 5 seconds if the food is ready tho because he doesn’t wanna risk anything

never cleans up afterwards, either you do or no one does

since you’re both fashion icons your social media followers are going 📈📈📈

literally couple goals.

he loves taking pictures of you,, but also wants you to take pictures of him 

jay gets flustered easily so please make him flustered with sudden compliments, hugs, kisses, etc. !!

he’s also the only member i can really see calling you babe

confident but shy about pda at the same time ??? he’s both LOL 

you always tease him with his RAS moments and randomly quote them when you’re in the middle of a conversation with him lmao

random and idk if this fits here, but he likes making your lunch — leaves you encouraging notes too <3

last but not least: jokingly gets angry at you when he wants something from you, and you do the same thing back ♡

🐈 ⸝⸝ JAKE ˙𐃷˙

sweetest and softest boyfriend to ever exist. i’m so soft for him JSHSHS

definitely calls you sweetie and darling. 100%. fight me if you think otherwise. 

shows you pics of layla everyday (it’s become routine for him >_<)

a tiny bit cliché BUT lends you his jacket whenever you’re cold (even when you’re inside !!)

random thought: jake puts his hands in your hoodie pockets...

💔💔💔

it’s his personal goal to peck your cheek and forehead at least twice a day — gets pouty if he wasn’t able to do that ))):::

talks in english a lot because you love his accent !!

if you’re an english speaker, you’ll have conversations in english all. the. time.

if you’re not an english speaker, no worries, he’ll teach you !

+ reads you bedtime stories in english (jake’s australian accent >>>) 

dreams of travelling with you to australia <33  

if there’s a bug in the house you better know that jake will NOT be removing them and runs out of the house

WILL stay over at one of the other member’s houses untill that bug is REMOVED . 

so if you’re afraid of bugs as well,,, i’m sorry bae, but it’ll be your task to remove these little... creatures 😐

ngl you have more photos of layla than of him on your phone lol

(spams you with her pictures and captions them with “y/n!!! look!!! layla with a flower!!!! layla with a butterfly!!!!” it’s just so sweet aaa)

we need some “””drama””” so you make jokes about him being a “🥶💸🔥💪” boy a lot in your relationship LMAO

🐈 ⸝⸝ SUNGHOON ˙𐃷˙

ice skating dates.

this has been mentioned in other headcanons a lot already but i just HAD to include it,,

convinces you to eat ice cream after your date LOL even if it IS winter

btw. fashion couple nr. 2 !!! 

MIRROR SELCAS

MIRROR SELCAS 

ugh the visuals and the power you two hold,,,, i can’t,,,,,

has better clothes than you ngl so you share clothes lmao

it started with him lending you his sweatpants, but then you didn’t want to return them forgot to return them and BOOM 💥 here we are

extremely awkward and shy at first — don’t worry though, he becomes much more chaotic in the later phases of your relationship

he teases you SO MUCH. LIKE. SO MUCH.

always has small smile (smirk?) on his face when he’s about to make a cocky remark (so beware)

you tease him back just twice as hard which 1.) results in him in becoming flustered 2.) fails LOL

off-topic but he’d love a s/o that has a similar style to him ??? a more elegant, classy, dark style perhaps

when he’s away / busy he’ll send you some selcas and captions them with “how r u doing??” “did you eat yet?” “cheer up :P” 

kinda shy about pda but likes showing off too ???

i mean,, men... 🙄🙄 /lh

whenever someone mentions your name near him, he’ll just try to hide his smile while biting his lip (yk what i’m talking about???) and you’ll see his dimples and the affectionate look in his eyes and just AAAAA

the type of boyfriend that calls you love~

🐈 ⸝⸝ SUNOO ˙𐃷˙

skin care routines with sunoo 24/7 🤝

he does your hair (if your hair is long enough to do different hairstyles with it ofc !!) 

send you daily weekly skin care products he thinks you two should try out / that’d be good for your skin <3

spa nights every friday at 9pm — he only lets you in if you wear a stylish pyjama LOL

you buy him peach items because they just remind you so much of him (｡•́︿•̀｡)

SELCA TIME !!! his phone is always ready !!! (apart from his storage maybe?)

PARTICIPATES IN SELCA DAYS OF YOUR FAVOURITE IDOLS AAA

loves to go on walks w u

does A LOT of aegyo,, 

and i know that you knew that this point will be in this headcanon.

for eg. instead of saying goodnight or bye he’ll just do aegyo for you not that anyone minds tbh

stages of sunoo flirting (?):

a — tries to compliment you (it sounds more like a flirty remark tbh)

b — realizes then blushes

c — cringes and runs away LMAO

playfully acts jealous, so you know it’s a joke but deep down he’s actually jealous

you two match each others vibes a lot — if one is sad, the other is sad as well

+ tells you your posture is bad when you sit like a banana or tells you to go to sleep early and when you don’t listen to him, he’ll show you an article that proves that (abc) and (xyz) is bad for you and says “i told you so.” 💀

🐈 ⸝⸝ JUNGWON ˙𐃷˙

impresses you by doing kicks (does the kick cap challenge on tiktok and/or you play kick it by nct 127 for the funzies) 

poking his dimple is a MUST . 😩😩

though gets super shy when you kiss him and also if you buy him gifts !!

cheers you up whenever you feel down or are upset

compliments you a ton ))): will randomly come up to you and tell you that your fit is cute or that you look brighter today,,, little does he know it's because of him ;]

HUGS!HUGS!HUGS

poking his dimple comes first, then hugging

the other members tease you two everytime you’re over LOL it’s like there are two koalas clinging onto each other

our yang garden gained another sheep +1

you two randomly play sheep,,,, like,,, everyday ???? sheep cosplays 👍

idk why ig it’s just fun to imitate sheep and go “mmmeEeEeeEhh” to annoy others

talking of that, even THOUGH he is a responsible leader he will not hesitate to do stupid shit with you

“hey how about we ring on that house there and yell “sheep for sale!” do you think they’ll open the door?”

“i don’t know... let’s find out!” 🤝

let’s just say that this didn’t end well..

also kinda bullies you (in a loving way ofc !!) pand teases you nonstop

either calls you asshole or love aHA

in conclusion: a very unpredictable relationship,, would 10/10 recommend.

very random but i feel like his love language is acts of service

🐈 ⸝⸝ NI-KI ˙𐃷˙

oh look it’s our tsundere 😼

can’t go a day without dancing so you two have vibing sessions at 2am everyday ft. the others telling you to go to bed

you’re the only one that can make him soft lol

if you’re older than him, you would definitely take care of him like your own baby !! 

if you are the same age as him or younger it’d be awkward for him at first, because he isn’t used to taking care of someone younger, so he’d treat you as if you were his best friend at the beginning

you love to watch him dance !! it’s so satisfying,, LITERAL asmr.

pranks you 24/7. boy has NO mercy. will not care if the others will scold him later. he will do the prank smoothly (?) — doesn’t care about the consequences LMAO

probably sets your alarm to someone screaming or a cringy aegyo song <//3

wants to film dance covers with you !! you don’t have to be the best dancer either !! as long as you have fun ^__^ 

the other members find you really cute but are also vERY TIRED OF YOU,, two energized teens in a relationship was not a good idea ☝️

likes to randomly hold your hand and swing it around 

probably distant at the beginning of the relationship because a.) he doesn’t want to pressure you/make things awkward b.) he doesn’t really know what to do either ???

(if you’re not japanese or don’t know how to speak japanese) he’ll definitely teach you some japanese phrases and words !! introduce you to his culture as well :DD and he really wants to know more about your culture too <3

teaches you phrases like “sunoo is a dumbass” for the funzies LOL

randomly makes micheal jackson impressions,,, it’s hilarious LMFAO