#isn't really as boring and as bland as people constantly make him out to be. i'm tired of people coming for my boy sups

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

When people say that a character is "boring", "wooden" and "lacking in character" and that character has been quite charming and memorable for a lot of people for many years, if not decades. Lol

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

Animaniacs VS Crunch: WHY are they insane-y?

Despite being the creator (in-universe) of the main trio of Animaniacs, Lon Borax himself is a relatively obscure, and more often than not, absent character.

In "The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special", it's revealed that before he drew the Warner siblings, he created Buddy (again, only in-universe).

Buddy (both in-universe and out) was seen as a boring character, suggesting that Lon Borax himself perhaps wasn't the most creative person. In that case, isn't it strange that he went from creating a character as unremarkable and bland as Buddy to characters as boisterous and bizarre as the Warners? Especially, as it turns out, in such a short amount of time:

"Congratulations, Borax, you’ve discovered a cure for insomnia. That’s the most boring cartoon I’ve ever seen. Do you realize we have to show this cartoon to the front office tomorrow?"

This was Weed Memlo's response to the Buddy cartoon. When Lon tried to defend himself, claiming that is wasn't "that bad", Weed was having none of it:

"No! It’s worse! Fix it! Add more characters! Poof it up! Stay up all night if you have to! I want funny! If you need me, I’ll be at the smokehouse."

Weed Memlo (a director at WB) demanded that Lon work overnight, all the while he would be lounging around at a restaurant. Now, if you know even the slightest bit about how to make a cartoon, you'll know that it takes time...ALOT of time. As in, it takes over half a year to make just one episode of most cartoons, amount of time. So you'll also know that, even if he wasn't starting from scratch, expecting Lon to create new characters and heavily modify an existing cartoon in just one night is absurd.

link

What Animaniacs is depicting here is an overt example of an animator being forced to partake in crunch culture. And how did this affect Lon? Well, in his own words:

"I worked all night on that cartoon. I was exhausted, and then...and then I remember it was exactly 2:43 a.m. on the morning of February 30th, I-I started drawing these weird characters!"

What seems to be heavily implied here is that the stress and exhaustion he experienced due to crunch drove Lon mad, and that's why the Warners are as insane as they are.

As we know, the Warners go on to appear in more Buddy cartoons, then get their own shorts to star in (even if they didn't make any sense), but end up locked in the water tower once the studio didn't want to deal with them anymore. After a few brief escapes or instances of the studio temporarily letting them out (either to loan them out to other studios to make more money or to have them star in war propaganda short films), they escape in 1993 and end up starring in their own TV show.

But Lon Borax?

He went nuts.

Yeah he doesn't get better, they just put him in a home.

This is all portrayed comedically, but unfortunately crunch culture actually does have harmful affects on animators and people who work in the video game industry in the real world. 100-hour weeks, cases of sickness and depression, just really awful stuff. However, I don't think this was the writers necessarily making light of crunch, quite the opposite.

Weed Memlo got so fed up with the Warners he quit directing their cartoons. They constantly annoyed everyone who worked at the studio. Pulling pants down, scaring their crushes, playful teasing, stuff like that. They never did anything too harmful, in fact sometimes people just ran away screaming before they even did anything. This was their response to Wakko simply asking "Can we eat with you?":

Still, the studio certainly wasn't peaceful with them around. Most of the human actors were clearly bothered by them (although toons like Bugs and Daffy seemed to be more lenient to the Warners). It wouldn't have been like that if the Warners were sane. Sure they're kids (toon kids on top of that) so they probably still would've ran around and misbehaved here and there regardless, but not to the extent that they're known for.

The Warners made people afraid of going to work, and probably stalled if not halted production of a lot of what the studio was working on (Plotz even says "The Warners had single-handed brought this studio to a screeching halt.") The studio would've saved themselves a lot of trouble if they had given Lon more time, prioritised their worker over money.

But they didn't.

Watching this episode, it feels like writers were trying to get that message across. That the studio deserved to have to deal with Warners; that they were the consequences for partaking in crunch culture. The Warners had been serving large doses of karma for almost a full season at that point, only this time, their "special friend" wasn't just one person.

It was the corrupt industry that birthed them in the first place.

[doubleddenden]

Damn the more I hear about Velma the worst it gets. This saddens me because I've been watching Scooby since before I could talk :(

Mainly what I'm seeing is that someone has contempt for the series + their own ideas for their own incredibly generic show and rather than make something unique, they're just insulting an established series.

My biggest gripes so far:

1. How tf do you got a Scooby Doo show without Scooby Doo? Is he too kiddy for your generic ugly adult cartoon?

2. Shaggy- oh sorry, NORVILLE. Look, I have no problem with the race thing- my literal main issue is that he's called SHAGGY for a reason. How hard is it to give him thick hair? On top of that they make him an actual druggie- let's pretend there's not some subtle racism behind making the perceived 'stoner' of the group black- it's boring. Yes yes we know the gang is a bunch of stoners, but isn't it funnier when it's just IMPLIED? Isn't it funnier that a man just REALLY FUCKING LOVES DOG TREATS and is willing to risk his life on a regular basis for god damn DOG TREATS? Instead they just turn him into yet another Seth Rogan tier predictable disappointment

3. The overall mischaracterization from what I'm seeing just... sucks, and again, I think part of that comes from a contempt for the series. You don't have to make the characters assholes to make them likeable! I know Rick and Morty and Seth McFarland have poisoned the well for a lot of people but you really don't!

Across the franchise there's plenty of fun ways to interpret the characters:

Fred: himbo that loves his friends, dad friend barely holding it together, obsessed with traps- take your pick, none of these are spoiled boring asshole rich kid.

Daphne: if you're opposed to damsel in distress, how about the cool martial artist fashionista made prevalent in the What's New Scooby Doo series or the live action movies? What about being a good reporter? Hell, even her goofy dorky self in Be Cool Scooby Doo is better than the stereotypical snooty popular girl. Props at least for keeping the red hair.

"Norville" is not a self friend zoning beta male and he's not really obsessed with drugs. Literally the man across DECADES of this franchise is ridiculously talented. Ventriloquism, improv acting, gymnast and athlete- seriously, why do you think they have him and the dog constantly running away from monsters and leading them into traps? The man was literally so good at that that he became a COACH. for MONSTERS. Let's also not forget that he was a race car driver! And had a hot girlfriend! In fact, fuck this friend zoned beta male shit- Shaggy literally pulls more girls (and men I think) in the entire franchise than the others COMBINED. If anything he should have dense harem protagonist energy. I'm talking more than Velma, dude also pulled her LITTLE SISTER- and she was okay with it because she knows he's a good guy(mind the AUs)! Pulled a girl that was kinda a monster fucker for him specifically when he was a werewolf, an actual fucking alien, several foreign girls of various nationalities, several average girls, a crazy but hot redneck girl that tried to SCHWOOSCH his bones after seeing the red shirt ONCE, pretty sure he did something good for Daphne to hang out with him for so long with just a bunch of dogs and a random kid they picked up, very sure actual monsters fell for him- and he's a nerd! He and his beloved best friend the talking dog are massive nerds! I reckon people still latch onto that and think he's the stereotypical nerd but no, no, Shaggy has so much going for him! Not to mention- not to mention! Animal lover! Doy! How do you miss that? He's always paired with the animals! The man is a collective family friend of the entire Doo clan! Every time there's a guest appearance with a non human entity, he's hanging out with them!

Velma... alright look. I'm about to say something real controversial. Real controversial. You ready? She is kinda boring and bland. She's smart and a good investigator, but really? This is who you base the show on? Recently she was allowed to be bisexual- that's great! She's well read, well informed, and if you want to skip the bitchy "its me or the dog" persona from Mystery Inc or the snooty geek from Be Cool, you could fall back to the quiet but cute and thoughtful personality she had in A Pup Named Scooby Doo. If not, she's just boring. I feel like most of the hype for her comes from memes or the people that think they're unique for finding her more attractive than Daphne (you're not btw). Like what does she do that the others cannot do? I'm pretty sure Daphne can do her job but without the min max on intelligence and some points in kicking ass. In fact, why are Fred and Daphne the assholes when Velma in TWO separate series has been the judgey bitch and overall asshole? If anything she should would fit the perfect "beta incel self perceived victim that's actually just a massive douche" trope!

And Scooby. First off fuck the writers for not including my boi. Second, you really couldn't make an adult comedy of a talking dog? If Scooby said fuck- scuze me, 'ruck'- I'd cry laughing! If Scooby was the druggie and Shaggy was normal, that'd be hilarious! Literally if they took every negative trait they forced onto the others and put it onto Scooby, you'd literally have a prime adult cartoon character right there. He's a gag character! Utilize it! I know in the recent series he's been pushed to the side for the others, but he's literally a comedic gold mine waiting to happen! Make him an arsonist! Make him have questionable opinions! It'd be hilarious because he's a literal dog that can't speak understandably half the time!

Look, if you want to make an "adult scooby doo" then I guess I can't stop you. Velma ain't how you do it though.

Btw before anyone jumps on me to defend the new show, the creator of the series supports JKR soooo

[imperiuswrecked]

Sometimes I find it deeply and darkly hilarious about the moment magneto must have found that twins are his children. Like he must have thought -shit!!! They can't be mine, they won't likely accept me!!! Even he knows somewhere deep down, he majorly majorly screwed up and they won't accept him as their father. And I don't think he has majorly tried to repair relations from his side, he actually killed pietro!!?!! And when pietro was actually right and wanted to save wanda!

Like how can he expect their love when he was the one who abused his power to terrorize them in brotherhood Era. Even though he didn't know that wanda and pietro were his kids, he did, however deeply hurt them. I mean, the relationship between them was going to dysfunctional from start. Maybe that is why editorial is not showing magda as alive, and marya connected with twins- they both would have killed magneto several times over.

I can't believe people (and marvel editors) who want to see wanda as pure daddy's girl. Like atleast, show the growth how they patched up their relation, they could even start with the convo that how their children have been raised by other people-it can be a good introspective and bonding topic. And we need more pietro Lorna moments again, I feel she is at the moment more supportive than wanda. Poor Pietro is always the villain in Wanda's story. He also should be at x men related teams- I feel he gets more good character arc there.

Marvel doesn't do complex families well, I've said this before and will probably engrave it on my headstone. Marvel literally erases everything that makes people interested in the characters to have this generic take that's so bland and boring.

I don't think Erik ever really expected their acceptance or forgiveness, because the highlight of the issue where he reveals his connection to them isn't "I'm your father" it's "I'm Luna's grandfather"

Vision and the Scarlet Witch (1982) #4

Which again to me speaks volumes about how broken Erik's relationship between himself and his children are before he even knew them for who they were. And personally I feel that Erik tries harder to foster a relationship with his grandkids than his actual children because he's grandkids are still young enough for him to shape himself in their minds/lives but also they are a generation removed from him, there's space there for him to attempt an actual relationship without the constant reminder of his past, especially the loss of his first daughter.

This is why he viewed Luna as a fresh new step on his path towards redemption, at least in his grandkids eyes, and why marvel constantly cutting Luna out of the narrative only harms the family dynamic. Even Pietro thinks it's all a trick, that's his first thought when Erik reveals their connection, because of their tumultuous past with the Brotherhood. There could be so much interpersonal introspection and character dynamics if Marvel would JUST LET SOMEONE COMPETENT WRITE THEM.

Instead all we get is some half assed "Lorna and Wanda are his daddy's girls and pietro is the screw up" found family bullshit. Found family does not work with them. Their blood/biological connection was the only tie holding them together because of their past. There's no way the in character writing would any of them have anything to do with Erik if they weren't his bio kids.

We were actually discussing this in the Magnet Family discord the other week how close Pietro is with Lorna, and how good their dynamic is and how it differs from Wanda's. Also how the three of them never actually get good on panel time together. I definitely agree that Pietro is better off on the X-Men adjacent teams than on the Avengers.

[witheredoffherwitch]

some hatred towards alysmond is coming from people with weird moral indignation i'm afraid. how do i know? cause in 9 out of 10 aemond×oc fics reader is soft, submissive, boring as hell and aemond is possessive, jealous and control freak. certain people will never like alys cause they can't relate to her. she is cunning, knows how to survive and make the best of it, and she is immediately labelled as dangerous seductive famme fatale. i don't care what they say, i knew for many years that really strong women don't put down those who clearly are confident and smart because they don't feel threatened by them. even if that's about the fictional character but you see those people can't tell a difference between real person and fictional character as they proved when telling olivia they hate her cause she plays a cunt and insulting gayle looks just because they expected eva green of katie mcgrath so they can get the confirmation she seduced him with her looks. sorry to disappoint you but even maesters noticed aemond in harrenhall didn't choose some younger ladies to bed but alys. they can't understand aemond fell in love because she was smart, witty, resourceful? maybe to him looks didn't matter but i dunno, something like personality? but they don't know what personality is so what to discuss here? now having oc with no personality bland as fuck is sign of genius. you know you can't write smart character with personality because then people won't self insert. they only can self insert into complete idiots. good to know they are impressed by someone nameless and faceless and personalityless. fools can only identify with fools.

not gonna lie helaemonds have a part of trashing alys cause they can't get over their disappointment she would be casted when they were sure alys would be cut cause her powers went to helaena. i have ss of their comments or posts so if they piss me off i would public it. they also can't comprehend why aemond would leave capital to begin with he was to fuck helaena during the war. huge bunch of helaemonds openly admitted they don't care about aemond, all they care about is helaena being with someone better than aegon. they don't understand aemond and his motives, they constantly trash aegon as worse than daemon and viserys combined so best to ignore them, their brains don't work anymore.

alys suffers from both teams cause both teams need a punching bag. tb does want every woman to uphold the patriarchy to just call them karens and they will be hugely disappointed because alys doesn't support the patriarchy so this argument works only with alicent and even helaena. tg is full of people with parasocial relationships with ewan and aemond as if any of them would ever have sex with them. they are jealous alys gets to have sex with him and they have to self insert into bland copy paste oc.

i feel really sorry for these writers who think writing alys as bad bitch will make their uninteresting self insert bland oc great or more shippable with aemond. how they are stuck in their black white thinking of the world when they write alys as smart, ambitious=bad bitch and oc naive, innocent, soft, submissive=great girlfriend material. it must be so boring to feel threatened by fictional character who isn't brainless like most of their ocs. so they need to cope by writing blushing virgin for aemond and that's how they convince themselves they'll find their aemond is real life. imagine how sad their life is!

Hi nonnie 🤗

This ask has been sitting in my inbox pile for ages; but fear not, I have finally unearthed it 😭

And honestly, there's not much to add - your words ring true and I couldn't agree more. Keep spilling that pipin' hot tea!

[del-stars]

People need to understand that just because Regulus ended up betraying Voldemort, that does not excuse his actions and the fact that he was a racist piece of shit. He betrayed Voldemort because Voldemort wasn’t holding up to his end of the bargain. In fact, if anything, Voldemort betrayed Regulus first. Just because Regulus got upset and decided to do his little teenage wizard angst arc does not excuse the fact that he was a racist, f@cist, pure blood supremacist who does not deserve redemption.

this is so funny to me because i am.... not a regulus defense blog? i don't really post often about regulus (outside of my wip, which is an au and thus has nothing to do with anything you've just said). i think there's a anti regulus/jegulus anon who's been blindly sending hate as you clearly haven't scrolled through my blog but as i've been sick in bed for three days now and am thus bored out of my mind, let's write an essay :)

re: regulus being a DE, i quite literally do not disagree with you. regulus, to me, is at his most compelling when we consider all aspects of his canon storyline, including the fact that he worshipped voldemort. i find it really bland when he gets given sirius' storyline or is reduced to "my parents forced me to do this" because we know (again, canonically) that they didn't. it's interesting to have a character who made mistakes, and (considering my self-proclaimed bias in favor of all things sirius black) it's really just boring to remove all nuance from his and sirius' stories to just make them essentially identical.

in regard to voldemort betraying regulus first, i'm actually laughing because i have a big rant about this that i saved in my drafts last night wherein i, once again, do not disagree with you. the tl;dr of that was regulus probably felt betrayed upon discovering that voldemort was a half-blood (looove to imagine this was what he meant by 'your secret') who had disrespected what he considered his personal property. regulus, who had been forced to be #2 his entire life, was operating under someone he considered fundamentally less than, which he deemed unacceptable. again, we will literally never know the truth on this, because we're given such little detail in canon, so people can go whichever way they want.

but, in his defense, he was sixteen. apologies to all my sixteen year old followers, but your brain is quite literally not formed. you're in no place to make informed decisions about anything. and, if you've lived an incredibly sheltered life in which you've constantly seen someone physically abused and belittled, and then you're told "as long as you don't act like him, you won't end up like that," you're probably ripe for manipulation and radicalisation. regulus was heralded as the perfect son for being in slytherin and being a pureblood supremacist, and he knew the danger of disobeying his parents. so, yeah, he probably took it a little too far.

does this mean regulus was right in what he did? well, no. did he do the right thing in the end? maybe/kinda. did he die a misguided, sheltered child, and thus we have no real perception of the choices he would've made were he an informed human being? yes.

i think calling him a racist/f@cist is a very.... interesting choice, but i'll save that essay for another day. i don't think those terms are things we should be throwing around in fandom.

to conclude, i offer one sage piece of advice: touch grass. take an internet break. go for a walk. he isn't real. he's made-up. all of this is. you don't need to interact with it if you don't want to. scroll. block the tag. again, i hold some relatively controversial regulus opinions myself, but i happily scroll on when i see things i don't agree with. policing the marauders fandom is a slippery slope. you can think regulus stans are annoying/incorrect, but you cannot tell them to stop theorising on a character, because that is what this fandom is built on. if we stop encouraging one another to brainstorm about new characters, this fandom is going to become a very boring place to be.

[a-goumang-ripoff]

A (Hopefully) Small Rant on the Fengs Fight

So I got a small amount of inspiration to rant a bit more on Nine Sols even though I am like. Dead fucking tired.

So, the Fengs, Nuwa and Fuxi, to be entirely honest I really just feel bad for their fight. I've been seeing quite a bit of people disliking their fight for a variety of reasonings and I kinda think it's because of the placement of the fight. Entirely shoving story stuff out of the way, I feel like the fight would fare quite a bit better in the first half of the game, or at least more towards the middle, if it was tuned down a bit. I think the fight is pretty cool and decently impressive, but it has to put up with, what I consider, to be the 3 best bosses in the game placed around it.

Lady Ethereal starts off the second half of the game with a fight which is, to me, the most visually impressive fight in the game just in the moveset alone. She is my personal favorite, but I know she tends to be in the second/third place range for most people. Ji is. Well, Ji. It's a cool fight to watch and so satisfying to get down, it really gets you into a sort of flow state with how much you can memorize is moveset and perfectly counter everything he has. And Eigong is so mechanically impressive and her moveset is so cool and so fitting of a final boss in a parry game. They easily blow every other boss out of the water together

From what I know, Lady Ethereal MUST be done before fighting Ji or the Fengs. Ji can be done either before or after, though I think with grotto of scriptures having a full room that you see in Goumang's area, the game kinda nudges you towards them over the Fengs. Then after them, you are hit with Eigong, which is an especially insane fight compared to any of the ones beforehand. And the Fengs kind of just awkwardly sit in-between. They have a LOT to live up to, having to keep up with the surrounding bosses, and they definitely fall behind. Fuxi is slow and predictable; not a bad thing, but without outside gimmicks, it makes him bland and boring on his own. With Nuwa in the fray, the fight definitely picks up and I do have a lot more fun with it, but it kind of lacks a lot of that visual impressiveness of Lady Ethereal, it lacks the same smoothness Ji has, and it's not like Fuxi gets any less predictable or simple even with Nuwa's tricks.

I think it is a good fight and I had quite a bit of fun with it, but with how slow and predictable of a moveset Fuxi has, I feel like they should show up before the bosses pick their pace up, maybe like right after Jiequan or right before, if you tuned back Nuwa's abilities of course. I think it would give them a better light shined on them that isn't overshadowed by everyone else. Alternatively, speeding up Fuxi or complexifying his moveset (and reworking Nuwa to work with Fuxi better, she more interrupts him to let off her own thing and it throws an odd pause into the fight. I guess you could say it makes sense for Nuwa's personality, but I feel like part of the point of her and Fuxi's presence is the fact that they pair so well) could greatly improve the fight at where it's at now.

I honestly think that their fight strongly outdoes a lot of those early fights, Goumang's fight definitely isn't for me, but I will still criticize it for its strong lack of synergy between the two servants, they do their own thing and it's hoped that the AI makes it synergize, but it's quite evident they're separate fighters and it made the fight often create uncomfortable scenarios that don't feel like they have a proper solution. Yanlao's fight has like a grand total of two attacks you see constantly, one you see rarely, and an environmental hazard. And Kuafu's.. uh, I forgot the dude's name, but that fight is obviously just a tutorial boss, so it kinda gets a pass (but I think it could have been done a bit better rather than just making it a nothing fight). You throw a slightly tuned down Fengs fight in there and I feel like people would be losing their minds (exaggerating a bit).

Also, on a more negative note, maybe this is just me, but it was the first time I started to question a boss' attacks in this game. Most of the time the context just leads into the concept, y'know? Ji teleports around and throws a barrage of various almost supernatural moves at you? Yeah they're mysterious and an oracle and stuff, that makes sense. Lady Ethereal has the most insane stuff she throws at you? Yeah it's a dream, of course she does all that. Yanlao's crane has a fucking laser? A bit of a stretch but I just fought an ancient living weapon earlier so I'll allow it. But Nuwa's instrument.. summoning snakes? and throwing stuff at you? and summoning AoE fields? I'm really not sure where this is coming from-

All we've really gotten from them is they're rich and they're actors, so why does Nuwa have an instrument that just summons that stuff? It might just be a lost in translation sort of thing, I know they're named after characters in a myth and that myth had them making special instruments or something of the sort? I didn't really look deep into it, I did a quick google search and skimmed, but that would be my guess. Still though, it's the only time I've questioned that stuff in the entire game.

Anyway, I do think that the Fengs is honestly a good fight, coming from someone who has no hit them (it was hell). It just has some moderate flaws and is surrounded by fights that blow them out of the water. I would like to state, while I was talking about putting them earlier in the game, I obviously don't think that's a great idea, they have a lot of significance tied to them specifically in the story and it would certainly ruin the flow of the writing, it was more to state a point on the level of skill demanded of them and the comparative impressiveness of the fight.

Also while writing this I got a cool idea that I think would make the fight really cool. I mentioned the way Fuxi and Nuwa don't really work with each other earlier, I think a great idea could be making the fight mostly scripted. It would be a dangerous idea, easy to fuck up or make irritating to fight over and over, but I feel like it fits them as actors to have their fight and moves be scripted, it could also allow Nuwa and Fuxi to have a synergy that I don't think a boss can really have otherwise without becoming one boss with two hitboxes. I also think it could allow Nuwa to actually play music, she just kinda blasts single notes from what I can tell whenever she does an ability, I think scripting the fight could allow her to actually play full music while having it key into certain abilities (I think it can be done without scripting it too, but I love the idea of the two bosses known to be actors and put on shows having a scripted, almost rehearsed fight).

[some-pers0n]

It makes me really happy that you enjoy villains for being villans becuase in the wof fandom I feel that often ppl hate characters like they are irl ppl or. Have the hots for them and erase all that made them interesting to have them just be poor uwu babies. For example. I like arctic, becuase I like that his abusive behavior is reflective of how diamond behaves(the snowflake thig v the whiteout thing is So Cool), and how darkstalker has some of his traits also, its Neat. But. You will just find 'ooouagh I hate him he's my least favorite character becuase he is villan and Villan Suck Morally Impure' or 'rich bad boy js hot' iughhhfhghfhf

I think the most hated characters should be the badly written ones, not the villans? They are despicable but that's the point idk

WOWZA!! That's really nice of you to say that!! Thank ye, anon. Very sweet of you!

But, yeah, you do bring up a good point. I love villains for who they are. Antagonists and generally characters that aren't good people. They're fascinating to think about and generally appeal to me a lot. It stings a lot in the WoF fandom especially, since you have characters constantly ragged on for being evil and unlikable (that's the point you door-knob) or stripping them of what makes them evil to make excuses for why they like them.

It's fine to like villains and bad guys! It's completely okay! You don't have to turn around and act like Darkstalker was some tragic anti-hero because you relate to him having daddy issues and whatever. Same with how a person isn't automatically evil or supportive of their actions when they say that they like Darkstalker or another villain.

The only time I dislike characters is when they're boring. I hate Webs and Cottonmouth because they're wasted potential and bore me. A character should be entertaining in some regard, whether it be that they're relatable and we find ourselves in them, or perhaps they're simply enjoyable to watch do their thing. Webs and Cottonmouth seek out to fill certain roles, but fall flat and end up irritating me with how bland they are.

Those are the characters I feel deserve more hate than the villains who are just...fulfilling the role they were created to do? I dunno. I'm a chronic villain enjoyer so I just think these things.

[cvbullshit]

Now that Yandere Dev is dead in the water and his game is as deep in the sand as he is.. I, a random person on the internet, vote that we as a community take the concept of Yandere Simulator and make it into something better!

Because the concept IS decent, just the execution needs work... A lot of work.

Everyone should have their own ideas for it so Imma say my vague concept that I probably won't ever bring up again.

For my new take on the concept, for one, almost all the main characters are actually going to be adults. It's stated that they already are but that's bullshit that Yandere Dev clearly used to justify some in game bullshit, they're in fucking high school, maybe one could be 18, but not fucking all of them.

Second, I might replace Ayano with some demonic or otherworldly being that's not exactly in love with Taro but heavily obsessive and interested in him, possessive even. Because honestly, while the point of the story IS a Yandere school girl, that topic has been milked to absolute death and is prone to get boring as hell. Plus, it's my idea to rewrite the story, I can take it as far as I damn want!

If Ayano is a demonic being in this, possibly Taro could be in this occult team/club/gang/cult so that way Ayano has REASON to be interested and connected to him.

Taro, in this rewrite, is a complex person. He's a nice guy, lives alone with and takes care of his 13 year old sister after his dad ditched them and he kiiiinnnda murdered his mom for the cult he's in and because he just disliked her. Yeah, Taro ain't no goodie two shoes bland mf now! He may be nice, treats his sister well, and partly believes he's a good person but he's in a cult, is willing to murder people who he thinks deserves it or anyone who threatens to find out about his crimes, and he supports cannibalism, under the right circumstances though. He still comes off as, and kinda is, a nice guy who wants to help people in any way he can, real protective of his friends and whom he dubs as innocent. He's got the mentality of wanting to see half the world burn and half the world blossom, he wants all those he thinks are bad or beyond helping to suffer while he wants the ones he believes are innocent to live happy and healthy lives.

Him and Ayano's dynamic is something I'm still thinking about honestly, as while rewriting the other characters is somehow easy, rewriting Ayano is just a pain for me somehow, it's hard to really rewrite anything about her and I don't know why. I may keep her emotionless thing going on though, not sure.

For Taro's sister, she's a slightly bratty newly teen, is very attached to her brother as he's the only family she has left but isn't overly affectionate with him, if anything, she's the most bratty with him. She doesn't expect too much from him and doesn't believe she can pout or whine to get her way but slightly does so to be petty and because Taro doesn't really react negatively to it... Yet. She has no idea what happened to her mom, just views her as missing, and has no idea Taro is in a cult. To her, she's got a normal life, despite her mom going missing and viewing her dad as the biggest jackass alive.

Taro and Osana's relationship and meeting is pretty different in this, Osana won't be Taro's childhood friend, I'll be giving that to someone else, instead Osana is a girl living in an apartment building, cooped up in her apartment and barely interacting with the outside world. After a stalking and obsessive situation she was the victim of, leading to the death of her cat, she swore she'd never trust the world again. Her apartment is a mess as she has no friends, she cut off her family, and she has no one to even talk to, she could technically be counted as a slob but at least she keeps herself clean. She hates the world and especially has issues with men.

When she meets with Taro for the first time, she wants absolutely nothing to do with him, constantly is mean to him, insults him, ect. Taro would've not dealt with her after their first interaction but learns what a state she's in from the apartment building owner and vows to try to help her and be kind to her. Why? Because he feels bad for her... And because he accidentally ran over a cat so he feels the need to feel better about himself, using the excuse of trying to prove to the world or some higher force that he can still be a good person. So...

I will leave it there! My ramblings went off the rails and this is only a concept that I have no idea I'll even touch on again.

[k7l4d4]

K Reviews and Rants: Miraculous Ladybug Season 5! Episode 9

Hello everyone! I'm dropping this a bit early, since I have work today.

Honestly, in retrospect, this episode kinda best represents the kind of hypocritical double standards MLB can get up to. As always, whenever Ladybug does something creepy, overly insistent, or boundary pushing, it gets treated like a joke, yet when Chat does it, it's presented as tragic that the person he likes isn't giving him a chance. Even leaving to the side this episode bringing the show's obsession with treating romance as the be-all end-all to life (which feels pretty insensitive to any aromantics in the audience) to the forefront, the episode has Alya, who has consistently been a person who, even after learning Marinette's secret, a near-rabid LadyNoir shipper, acting as a low-level obstacle by turning her stance on Ladybug get with Chat Noir on a dime. It's not healthy to treat romantic feelings like that; they aren't something that can be controlled, or reasoned with, or that you can just decide to no longer love someone or not. And the show treating love as this thing that can only ever happen between two people at any given moment is... unpleasant.

Now, enough of my rambling, onto the review! As always, please forgive my profanity.

Episode 9: Elation 

Okay, somehow Ladybug pulls out an entire table, complete with a cloth covering, chairs, and snacks. On the top of a roof. WHAT!? Okay just... no, this isn't any kind of funny. It's just weird and out of place. 

I'm honestly creeped out by how forward Ladybug is being. She's actively trying to keep Chat around, despite the fact that he is literally starting to time out of his transformation, and insistently trying to kiss him. Like, this is uncomfortable on so many levels to watch. 

I'm just exhausted, and it's not even five minutes in. It's just cringe-inducing role reversal between Ladybug and Chat Noir's usual dynamics, but whereas Chat, as annoying as he could be at his worst, limited himself largely to just flirting, Ladybug is actively trying to forcibly kiss him... and somehow doesn't seem to get the problem with that. Just... this show in general seems to have a severe issue with informing kids that you have to willingly and knowingly consent to be in a relationship, and that rejecting someone's advances SHOULD BE THE END OF IT. What makes this fiasco all the more infuriating is that Weredad was literally an entire episode dedicated to shutting down the idea of Chat liking Marinette. 

Okay, the thing I find the most annoying about this current set-up is that they aren't actually addressing anything INTERESTING about this change in dynamics. They just have Chat play it off as a joke or a test, and Ladybug moping. It's just boring drama. 

And now we get Marinette complaining about Chat Noir shutting her down... and we get Alya, one of the people who has ROUTINELY called out Ladybug for "not giving Chat Noir a chance" despite him constantly pushing Ladybug's boundaries, saying that her old behavior of keeping Chat at arms length and wanting to be just friends was perfectly within her right to do so. Yet her wanting to move on from Adrien is treated by both Alya and Tikki like some dumb joke. Wow, I am amazed (sarcasm). 

Okay, and now we get Marinette going "wait a minute, what if he's turning me down because he doesn't love me (Ladybug) anymore!?" Wow, it's almost as if he's a person with his own emotions and not obligated to return how Marinette feels... just like how she wasn't obligated to return how he felt back when he was being the ultimate flirt. It's just so... bland. Like, they aren't making Marinette be DUMB, but they are making her come off as oblivious that she can't see these very obvious reasons for things.

Oh, and one really annoying thing that's coming through to me is that Marinette doesn't seem to grasp that she's coming off as obsessive and massively pushing Chat's boundaries even further than he has ever pushed HERS. 

And we get yet another repeat of "blab our secret identities if we got together then Monarch would find out," but they never expand on HOW THAT WOULD EVEN WORK. And if I ever see anyone unironically point to Chat Blanc and Ephemeral, I would throw a fucking shoe at them because those episodes made it very fucking clear how contrived Gabriel "figuring it out" really is. He somehow failed to pick up on the truth FOR MONTHS in both throw-away timelines, and only figured it out based on a wild guess because of overhearing Adrien/catching Ladybug on video. Because it's not as if Ladybug is a nice person and would agree to pass along a gift for a girl's crush, or that anyone other than Chat Noir would use fancy pet names like "my lady." 

And now we get the strawmanning of Marinette deflecting the already shoddy argument of "revealing their identities, leading to Hawkmoth figuring out who they are!" by getting mad at Nino and Alya blowing their secrets to one another... when as Alya pointed out, that's literally all her fault since she gave them their Miraculouses while they were directly in front of one another, at the exact same time. 

And now we get the "Marinette's lying to herself" point. Sigh, the level of deligitimization of romance going on in what's supposed to be a love story is honestly disgusting to me. 

Is Alya supportive of Marinette moving on, or isn't she? Is Alya respectful of Marinette's right to reject (or not reject) Chat Noir's advances, or isn't she? Are Marinette's feelings for Chat Noir real, or aren't they? It just can't seem to make up its mind and just clings to whatever stance makes the most drama. 

And now Marinette's just having a meltdown. Honestly, this is probably the most interesting part of the entire season to date, in that it's Marinette finally losing her cool over how her "love" for Adrien is functionally dead in the water and how she's basically been making a fool of herself for the majority of the school year all in the name of impressing a guy who hasn't shown any interest in her in nearly the entire time. 

Okay, Adrien just showed up to the bakery and he's acting super awkward. I would find it adorable to see him visibly out of his depth and having no clue what he's doing if it weren't tied to more Love Square BS.

Uuuhhh... I am honestly just... tired of how this show treats teenage crushes between awkward kids as if they are gonna be together forever. 

It's one thing if it's just the teens themselves, but the adults too? They should honestly know better. Okay, I'm honestly mostly annoyed at just how incessantly Alya is trying to push Marinette in Adrien's direction. It honestly looks more like she cares more about getting them together than about how Marinette feels and what she wants. To note, I don't blame this on her, but on the writers, since if they think THIS is being a good friend, I pity whoever they claim are their best buds. 

Because let's be honest, even though the writing is very strongly portraying Marinette as a Strawman against HERSELF, her position is honestly the most moral (however loose and twisted a definition of the word you use) in that so far, everyone who should be in her corner is ignoring her agency and pushing her to do something she (currently) does not want to do. 

She had me at "for once, we aren't talking about Adrien" and then lost me at "we are talking about Chat Noir." If this narrative of ignoring what she wants and feels and trivializing her desire to stop pursuing Adrien in favor of Chat Noir hadn't been pushed as an inaffective case of denial on her part, seeing her shut down Alya honestly acting like a bad friend and just having actual turmoil in their friendship would be interesting, but because it's all about this stupid Love Square BS, it's just irritating. 

And the stupidest part of all this is that I'm still not even five minutes into the episode. 

I will say this, seeing Marinette's downward spiral into paranoia, self-loathing, and just a flatout inability to cope with being a superhero could be interesting... if they weren't trying to make it all about the Love Square. 

Adrien getting ambushed by someone who wants a photo "with the Alliance guy" does a surprisingly good job at pointing out that the so-called "freedom" of Alliance supplanting his responsibilities as a model is just a facade. It's almost entertaining.

What really makes this whole thing with both Alya AND Tikki treating Marinette's crush on Chat as if she's lying to herself so obnoxious to me is that the battle against Safari with Marinette becoming Lady Noir kinda strongly implied that her feelings ARE real... and now this episode has her having to convince herself that this is true. It's kinda pathetic how inconsistent the writers are. 

I'm honestly kinda banging my head against the wall at how Marinette doesn't seem to realize she's acting around Chat EXACTLY how she acts around Adrien; i.e. a flailing, awkward, motor-mouthed MESS with limited self-control and non-existent self-confidence. 

Okay, just got it started again and WOW, they are seriously doing the "awkward whistling while up on a balcony" scene. Oof... it just looks so awkward. 

EEeeeyyuupp... Marinette's inability to talk to her crush (THAT ONLY EVER SEEMS TO APPLY TO ADRIEN/CHAT NOIR) is back again. Ugh, they seriously can't come up with any new material, can they? 

Honestly, what's throwing me off the most with this is that they are having Chat be so awkward and dodging addressing his apparent attraction to Marinette... which doesn't make much sense to me given his track record for being blatant to the point of being pushy when it comes to Ladybug. Why in the world is he so awkward HERE, with Marinette? 

Okay, awkwardness sorta passes a bit with Chat providing a cheesy pickup line... but I will (grudgingly) give the writers credit, since this comes off as the most heartfelt and genuine moment in all of S5 I've seen so far. 

And Marinette goes and says "she thinks of Chat like a fan." They SERIOUSLY cannot keep her from self-sabotaging herself, even for a second, can they? Okay, they recovered it. Still cringe-inducing. But the fact that they set this up as being doomed to fail, despite this honestly being the BEST romantic representation the show has had ALL THIS TIME, is infuriating. 

And now we FINALLY get Alya having a moment of self-reflection over how she's treating Marinette's feelings... now how are they gonna fuck this up?

Okay, and we get TIKKI being the one to ruin things by claiming that Marinette's feelings for Chat Noir having "caused negative feelings between her and Alya!" Like... Tikki. THOSE NEGATIVE FEELINGS WERE PURELY BECAUSE YOU AND ALYA WERE IGNORING AND DISMISSING THE VALIDITY OF HER FEELINGS, WTF ARE YOU ON ABOUT!? 

And I honestly just "love" how Tikki claims that romance between the holders of Creation and Destruction has the risk of causing the end of the world... when we literally have ONE OF HER PAST WIELDERS CONTRADICTING THIS!! As much as I fucking utterly HATE the revisions they made to Joan of Arc's history, SHE AND DARK GRIMALKIN NEVER PUT THE WORLD AT RISK JUST BY GETTING TOGETHER!! And Tikki KNOWS that Adrien and Chat Noir are the same person, SO BY THAT LOGIC SHE SHOULD BE DISCOURAGING BOTH OF MARINETTE'S CRUSHES!! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT DOES THIS PISS ME OFF!!! 

And here comes the Ice Cream Crybaby. Ughh... I'm just gonna tune out this idiot, since nothing he says is anything more than a bad joke about shipping. Okay, them acting as if Andre going "Chat Noir is supposed to love Ladybug, and Marinette is supposed to be in love with Adrien Agreste" and having them be rattled honestly annoys me. It's just more feelings invalidation. 

Nope, nope. N-O-P-E. This all just absolute BULLSHIT. I don't mind Chat Noir learning that Marinette used to crush on Adrien, and literally EVERYONE knows Chat Noir is obsessed with Ladybug, but why the absolute FUCK are they treating Andre telling them this as if it's some big reveal that they never knew about!? Like, yeah, in this context, CHAT has a reason to be upset because he now has a reason to think that the girl he now has a crush on wouldn't love him if she learned the truth, but why in the world is MARINETTE acting as if her crush on Adrien is this big secret OR that Chat's crush on Ladybug was a big secret!? This episode ITSELF had it pointed out that Chat was head over heels for Ladybug, and that idiotic two-parter Truth and Lies had it revealed to Marinette that her "crush" on Adrien is WELL KNOWN TO ALL OF PARIS!!! Dear LORD is all of this obnoxious. I just... can't deal with this crap. I'm just gonna try and tune this out, for real, because this pisses me off way too much to be healthy. 

And the forced drama BS just keeps on coming. I knew, I just KNEW, that Marinette describing herself as a fan would come back to bite her in the ass, because now Chat thinks he's taking advantage of her, not building a real relationship, meaning the ONE possible bright spot in this BS season has just been shot in the foot. FUCK ALL THIS NOISE.

And we get another fucking meltdown from Marinette, and unlike the prior one, this one is just obnoxious because it's entirely forced by the writing insisting that she HAS to be pursuing a relationship to be happy instead of, you know, HAVING FRIENDS, HOBBIES, AND A FAMILY THAT LOVES HER!!! 

Because all this BS? It's just the show artificially creating drama FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME!! All to shoot in the foot a ship they were never gonna let get off the ground in the first place, and I FUCKING HATE IT!! 

And of FUCKING COURSE they make it be Chat Noir forcing Marinette into a kiss in a panic be the thing that stops the Akumatization, BECAUSE WHY FUCKING NOT!? 

And WHY THE ABSOLUTE FUCK ARE THEY ACTING AS IF IT'S THE FACT THAT MARINETTE IS PURSUING CHAT NOIR THE REASON SHE WAS ALMOST AKUMATIZED!? Seriously, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST CLOSE CALL SHE HAS HAD!!! It is not possible, NOR HEALTHY, to be lacking in negativity every second of every fucking DAY, and I just GAAHHH!!! I can't even put into words how much this nonsense both disgusts and angers me. I'm just... I'm just gonna stop typing, and wait until we get past the Akuma before I add any other thoughts, I just can't DEAL with this. 

Alright, I'm wrong, one last moment. Seriously, it has been who knows how many moments since Andre last saw Chat Noir and Marinette, WHY THE FUCK IS HE GETTING UPSET NOW OF ALL TIMES!? He wasn't even fazed to see them when they showed up asking for Ice Cream, SO WHY IS HE UPSET!? Was he spying on them and saw them kiss somehow!? Because that's the only thing I can think of that would make this manchild flip out like that. 

OH DO NOT EVEN GIVE ME THAT "LOVING CHAT NOIR WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA!!" BS!!! WHAT HAPPENED HAD NOTHING TO FUCKING DO WITH YOUR CRUSH AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE WRITERS FORCING DRAMA FOR THE SAKE OF IT!!! 

Marinette IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT AT ALL!!! Andre has been set off by FUCKING PICTURES in the past, and I'm just fucking SICK of this forced drama nonsense. SICK OF IT!!!

Huh, we get ANOTHER Akuma that's actually incapable of retrieving the Miraculous. Who knew an Akuma that's a giant Ice Cream Golem without actual hands and whose limbs are too big to even remove the Miraculouses to start with was a bad idea? /s 

Okay, never mind, apparently he can reach his human limbs through the ice cream. 

I would be more impressed by Alya learning to let Marinette make her own choices regarding her feelings if it weren't coming off the heels of her attempting to FORCE MARINETTE TO LET ADRIEN KISS HER IN A PRIOR EPISODE, among many other things. It's a sharp case of "too little too late." 

The way this show treats the fact that they are superheroes and having secret identities as this overwhelming obstacle against being a couple is exhaustively stupid. 

And like, AGAIN, the "we love each other as friends" resolution is so much a case of "too little too late" I just roll my eyes. 

Okay, how did Hawkmoth know where Ladybug and Chat Noir were hiding?? 

You know, the stupidest fucking part of all this, Andre's obsession with Ladybug and Chat Noir being a couple, is the fact that THEY WERE NEVER A COUPLE TO BEGIN WITH. Making him going "what matters is that you are happy" bit ring hollow, because the actual status of their "relationship" has never stopped his nonsense in the past. 

Show of hands, who thinks that Gabriel learning that Chat Noir is "in love with Marinette" will amount to all of fucking nothing? (Raises hand) 

And now they are having Chat write off Marinette's feelings as "idolization." Which, yeah, is partially because of Marinette's fumbles right from the very beginning of this episode... but that honestly more accurately describes Marinette's feelings FOR ADRIEN than it does for CN. 

Huh. Chat Noir managed to make me find a joke of his funny. ...Please check outside your window to make sure the sky isn't on fire and raining cats and dogs. And we get the ending being Plagg (accidentally) encouraging Adrien to keep pursuing Marinette on the basis of "she could fall for me again!" Instead of doing the emotionally healthy thing and try to move on.

[yandereocs]

Have you watched Hazbin Hotel yet on Amazon Prime? It is amazing! ^_^ I really love the songs! Seriously, the best ones so far are Loser, Baby (Huskerdust ftw!) and the Hell is Forever Reprise from episode 6!

* I did watch Hazbin Hotel!! Before I get into my opinion, I do want to say that I did watch the pilot when it came out and I watch Helluva Boss as the episodes come out. So I'm familiar with this universe. And also I hate Vivziepop

* This show, in my opinion, was not good 😭

* I mean, it was entertaining, kinda. It did it's job at making me and my sister want to keep watching and it got a few small laughs from us, but the excessive swearing really ruined a lot of potentially funny moments. But for a show that was in development THAT long, it was not as good as it could have been

* There's so much potential but a lot of things just don't turn out the way I think Viv wanted it to come out. Pacing is a huge issue since there's only eight episodes (although that might not be Viv's fault, but I'm not too sure), the characters feel so...flat? Honestly I don't even really like their designs all that much. Alastor is not really all that cool (he constantly talks about how strong he is but never really shows it??) and the songs kinda suck

* There are some good songs. My favorite is Poison, and Loser, Baby is also pretty good. You Didn't Know, More Than Anything and Hell's Greatest Dad are on my playlist. But all the other songs are just kinda...okay. Like, they're catchy but also there's just like at least one part of the song that makes me not enjoy it all that much. But, I'm aware that music is very subjective so obviously other people are going to feel differently

* I literally did not care for any of the characters other than like. Angel Dust and maybe Charlie. Everyone else just feels so lame, you know? Sir Pentious SUCKS man I HATE him. Husk is pretty chill and cool, but other than that I'm not too invested in him. Vaggie's twist did absolutely nothing to make me like her more and also her relationship with Charlie is so unbelievably boring. Nifty isn't all that funny in my opinion and Lucifer's design really bugs me

* There's so much potential for the characters and their stories but right now, they have fallen flat. Which is extremely disappointing. Because I want to see these characters grow and change and be people I can root for. But right now they just feel so bland, and like they have no depth. But I will watch season two whenever that comes out (assuming there will be one)

* I'm not gonna judge anyone who likes the show or the characters or whatever. But it was not a good show in my opinion. It can be, but it's not there yet

[moodooivy]

Ranking Sanscest ships

To celebrate the fact that it's almost Valentine's Day I have decided I wanted to rank all Sanscest ships (I won't be including ships like Erosion x Ceno, Paperjam x Fresh, Fallacy x Encre, Mad Sci ships, Passive ships, Shattered ships, Empireverse ships, etc. I'll also leave out genderbends because then there would be way too much). I'll try not to be bias and just put every Swap Sans ship at the top, but if I like it and think it's good, it's going near the top... Or well. Bottom... Keep in mind this is all my opinion, which is constantly changing. This might not be in the best order but I tried. Also, when I say bad I just mean I dislike it. I don't think any ship is necessarily "bad". All ships are good... Except for the first five. I do think they're pretty bad... Anyway! (Ok not anyway. Real quick I jut wanna warn you that I dislike a lot of popular ships. Please don't yell at me if your favorite is near the top. Or at least not at the bottom)

111: And the worst ship in my opinion is.......; Dussic/Classic x Dust! Dussic is just bad. Very bad. It's boring, it's weird, it doesn't make sense, it's gross, and that's all I'mma say. I wont give an explanation to every ship but if I have something to say I'll say it.

110: Classic x Nightmare Lazymare is bad. You're going to see a lot of Classic ships, Dream ships, and Ink ships near the bottom. This ship definitely stems from Classic harems. Aka the worst part of this fandom (To me. Ship whatever you want. Just keep all your harems away from me unless it's a Blue harem or Fluttershy harem. We'll talk with a Dust harem).

109: Classic x Horror

108: Classic x Error Ah yes. Lazyglitch. Error in love with the original anomaly. The most generic cookie cutter Sans out there. He's a real catch. I mean I guess it would make sense Error wouldn't want to destroy his AU since it's the original but. Still.

107: Cross x Dream Cream. One of, if not THE most popular ship in the family. Also one of the worst. Why? Because it's generic and bland. People try too hard to make it look cute. It looks cute but it really isn't.

106: Classic x Ink

105: Dream x Dust Drust is boring. I don't like it when people ship Dream with the Bad Sanses if you couldn't tell. I know a lot of people who do this with him, I'm not gonna name names, I don't want to shame anyone because they can do what they want, but it's still annoying.

104: Fell x Ink

103: Dream x Horror

102: Fresh x Nightmare

101: Fresh x Dream Dreamfresh. I dunno. Maybe Dream can make Fresh feel something?

100: Dream x Fell

99: Alter x Gans

98: Black x Blue

97: Blue x Razz

96: Fell x Razz

95: Dream x Nightmare People often forget that Dream and corrupted Nightmare are not related. This isn't incest. That being said this still isn't good.

94: Dust x Reaper

93: Error x Reaper

92: Error x Outer

91: Error x Horror This ship is absolutely adorable. I see Horror as being the only Bad Sans (Besides maybe Nightmare) Error will stand and allow to touch him because he likes to cuddle with the big ol' teddy bear mass that is Horror. It's only so low because it's not that good.

90: Hate x Nightmare

89: Cross x Epic

88: Color x Delta

87: Blue x Delta

86: Bill x Blue

85: 404 x Bill

84: Alter x Blue

83: Color x Killer

82: Killer x Outer

81: Outer x Science

80: Lust x Nightmare

79: Fell x Science

78: Fresh x Horror

77: Error x Lust

76: Blue x Hate

75: Melon x Sugar

74: Fell x Fresh

73: Nightmare x Reaper

72: Cross x Ink

71: Dream x Ink I really don't ship Dream with anyone. I just can't see him falling in love with anyone. But if he were to love anyone I think it would be Ink because they're both kinda guardians (But then he'd loose interest when he finds out Ink's intent). I list more Dream ships below but they're only there because I like them more.

70: Dream x Geno I ship the CQ bros with the Stars.

69: Ink x Reaper Well well well...

68: Geno x Ink

67: Geno x Nightmare

66: Fresh x Science

65: Dream x Error

64: Dream x Killer ZeFanatic. I blame you for why I like this and think it's kinda hot.

63: Killer x Nightmare This ship is so annoying... But there's so much hilarious potential! Squee! It's kinda good! (I'm honestly hooked on the idea of a fem Killer singing Poisonous Love from Rio 2)

62: Dream x Outer

61: Fell x Nightmare

60: Classic x Lust

59: Fresh x Lust I once saw this adorable comic of these two and ever since I did I fell in love with this ship.

58: Horror x Lust Horrorlust is too overrated for me to enjoy it. I also just don't think it's that good.

57: Cross x Error They would fight over literally. Everything.

56: Ccino x Dream

55: Dance x Lust They'll probably dance together. I think this is the best ship with Lust because Dance is a realistic and healthy partner for him in my opinion.

54: Classic x Fell

53: Geno x Reaper Before anyone threatens my family for putting Afterdeath so low in this ranking, I just don't like the tsundere dynamic. When it comes to tsunderes there is a very fine line before it's clear said tsundere is not a tsundere and is just not into the other person. There is only one ship in my opinion that nails the "Tsundere x Flirt" dynamic.

52: Ccino x Hate

51: Cross x Killer Just like Afterdeath, too many tsundere stuff. But at least it's not all just 'Tsundere. Thas it.'.

50: Ink x Lust

49: Farm x Horror Same situation as Horrorlust.

48: Epic x Fresh

47: Fatal x Lavender

46: Ink x Killer Killer simps for Nightmare. Ink simps for Dream. You get it~

45: Error x Fresh I used to hate this ship. But I've decided to open my mind and have decided it's not that bad actually.

44: Squid x Octopus- I mean Ink x Nightmare

43: Nightmare x Science Bookworms lol.

42: Blue x Science

41: Error x Ink I keep going back and forth on whether I think this ship is good or not. I think "hey it's kinda cute", but than I look at an Errink pic and want to throw up. I have finally decided on my opinion. It's good. As long as people don't take it seriously. It's not 'good good' so don't try to make it dramatic but it's cute so make some silly art. Even better if it's a poly with Fresh or Blue.

40: Blue x Melon

39: Blue x Classic

38: Blue x Outer

37: Blue x Gans

36: Blue x Farm

35: Blue x Lavender

34: Dust x Lust

33: Cross x Dust

32: Blue x Fresh

31: 404 x Blue

30: Dust x Razz

29: Horror x Nightmare They so silly and cute.

28: Blue x Geno

27: Lust x Science This ships makes me think of Rarijack but if it was actually good.

26: Error x Fell

25: Dust x Fell

24: Horror x Killer They'd get into so much shenanigans. I like to imagine Horror would want to eat Killer becaus he's small but not too small.

23: Error x Nightmare

22: Ccino x Nightmare

21: Dust x Horror

20: Dust x Nightmare

19: Fell x Lust

18: Ccino x Killer Cat lovers. Lol.

17: Blue x Ink As long as you don't make Ink shorter this is adorable.

16: Asylum x Blue

15: Blue x Fell

14: Cross x Nightmare Better than Cream. So much drama potential.

13: Blue x Dream

12: Blue x Reaper

11: Blue x Lust Lust would give Blue so many cute nicknames. He would be so sweet to his baby Blue.

10: Blue x Ccino This is definitely the most wholesome ship of all time.

9: Blue x Dust Probably the most popular ship that I enjoy. So many '"I Can make him better""I can make him worse"' vibes. Also I just ship Blue with the Bad Sanses so hard.

8: Blue x Killer Lol Killer such a flirt and would tease Blue so much.

7: Blue x Horror Horrorberry is very cute. Blue would make Horror so many tacos.

6: Fresh x Ink Paperfresh this, Errink that. When are people gon wake up and realize the truly perfect artsy couple. They so silly! It's kind of like Horrorkiller where I can imagine them getting into different high jinks. I especially love the idea of them bothering Error together. Ink gets scary dog privilege because Fresh lol.

5: Blue x Fatal Fatalberry is very good. Enough said.

4: Dust x Killer I LOVE KILLERDUST SO DAMN MUCH SQUEEEE!!! Dust is such a tsundere and Kills is such a flirt. I know I criticized other ships for this dynamic but... Hush. This is the only one that makes it really work. There's so much potential for this pair. This is the highest non Swap pair lol.

3: Blue x Cross Crossberry will always be the cutest ship ever. Cuter than the below pairs even. I love their dynamic so much. Blue would so fangirl over Cross's hotness constantly. He such a bottom lol.

2: Blue x Nightmare Nightberry. I. Love. This. SHIP!!! SO MUCH!!! It's so cuuute! And kinda hot honestly-

1: And the best ship in my opinion is...; Blue x Error Errorberry is and will always be my favorite ship. They are beauty and the beast, opposites attract, they were made for each other. I love this ship (Except when people make Error shorter than Blue. Don't like that. Bleh. Blue must be the shortest).

Feel free to disagree with me and tell me your opinions. I'd be very interested to hear what you guys think. There's way too many ships for me to tag so I won't even bother.

[asathorin]

Not enjoying A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality :(

For the record, I'm somewhere around 25 episodes into the donghua. I don't know anything about the webnovel; this post is about the donghua.

First off, the writing is weird. The beginning was ok, Han Li gets put in classic main character situations and does main character stuff. It was predictable but enough to get me a little hooked. It however continues being predictable later on and the story is simply linear and uninteresting - often boring. This isn't even the biggest problem - which is the straight up weird and problematic stuff like after Han Li saves her from being raped Chen sexually assaults him??? Hello??? Worst of all, why isn't this painted as a horrible thing to do??? (Fine, I'm exaggerating my own surprise, but that's only because I'm desensitised to Chinese shows doing this by now.) Also when him and that woman (forget her name) are trapped with the monster which they manage to defeat together which magically coerces them - both shown to be unwilling and only into it because of the magic - into having sex??? YES I'VE SEEN THIS STUFF BEFORE TOO BUT IT DOESN'T GET ANY LESS MESSED UP EACH TIME IT HAPPENS! These might be the worst cases but there's also lowkey ableist subtext, hugs without asking consent... the list goes on, and I'm not even far through this donghua.

Not only is the story boring - the characters are too. Characters other than Han Li don't get much of personalities or development, and the few character traits they are shown to have are vague and shallow. They rarely get scenes just by themselves, and when they do, it's not because it's necessary or expected for the plot, or it's used very simply to show their very vague and shallow (and often singular) character trait. There's lots of characters but each only gets their little bit of screentime when Han Li is around - partially due to the linear structure of the story. In particular, the female characters feel poorly written - there aren't that many of them but in addition to my previous complaints about characters in general, they either have no personality or an unrealistic one, they don't have agency and constantly require saving by Han Li (not to mention I think it's clear enought that this is turning out to be a harem donghua, which I just dislike).

Han Li himself is also boring. He has strengths - such as his gardening skills, quick wits and generic carefulness. He's shown to be humble, and also shown to be uninterested in anything romantic or sexual - this is often shown as a positive trait in Chinese media, particularly the latter (which is weird in its own right but I'm not getting into that now... headcanon they're all aspec though). Han Li isn't shown to have any weaknesses, and while he isn't amazing at everything, he's shown to have a large variety of strengths and ultimately he feels very much like a Mary Sue. He doesn't have a personality and everything revolves around him trying to get stronger. He does a lot of helping of other people along the way, making him a moral and agreeable character without any other outstanding traits. He doesn't have particularly strong emotional attachments to anyone, which is fair because it's the natural result of his characterisation, but with the blandness of everything else he's a very boring character. He's a nice guy who's very clever and wants to get more powerful - and that's it.

The animation is alright, mouth movement and occasionally generic movement feels off though. Plus a lot of faces look really similar and facial expressions aren't great - not even with Han Li. The rest of it is fine but nothing mindblowing. The aesthetics and visual designs don't stand out in any way from any other cultivation setting.

The worldbuilding is simple, a very generic cultivation genre world and magic system, but it means with all the above there's really nothing exciting going on with this show.

The two cardinal sins of this show is that it's boring and problematic, and unfortunately both of those are unforgiveable. Maybe watching an animated show simultaneously with your third watch of Arcane isn't the best idea.

[spaceflower07]

✨My 2P interpretations✨

Things Alfred is bad at/isnt: cooking, fashion, healthcare, being introverted, common sense, english and literature in general, bored by history museums, close combat

Allen: good at cooking, fashionable, doctor, introvert, street smart, bad at STEM subjects, technologically illiterate, long range combat

Allen's personality would be a mirror of Yao's. Smart, serious, introverted, and is amazing at cooking. He is also adept at sewing and fashion, and excels at close combat rather than long range like guns. He takes health and cleanliness seriously, keeping his space tidy while ensuring he himself has good health. With that, he became a doctor. He is terrible at STEM subjects so some would wonder how he managed to become a doctor. He specializes in pharmeceuticals specifically, such as drugs, but is knowledgeable on other fields like nutrition as well. Though, while he seems tough and arrogant, he makes no secret of his love for adorable things, like furry animals. He has a plethora plushies he keeps on his bed. Unlike Alfred, he believes in superstitions and luck, subscribing to the theory of fate and destiny, believing nothing could change them. He thinks superheroes are bland, especially the ones Alfred favors, and is more interested in vaillains and anti-heroes. Being morally grey, doing things that Alfred would never do out of moral obligation, he has no problem playing the bad guy. Of course, as long as its just playing. After all, Allen is still a doctor and cares for the lives of people. He thinks children are annoying and is rather sensitive to loudness. He's rough and tough, but considerably more graceful and elegant than Alfred. He detests pop music, and likes either rock or classical. While Allen is more traditional, he doesnt view sex as a meaningful thing like Alfred does. Basically he doesn't bother saving himself for marriage and completely willing to flirt with any man in a 5 foot mile radius. Alfred is self conscious about his body, while Allen takes pride in it. He doesn't like his personality instead, but it's only a fleeting insecurity and Allen doesn't care enough to actually change, as he likes himself as he is most of the time. Allen was capable and responsible, often looking after James and picking up after him. Allen is actually pretty fond of Alfred and thinks of him as a brother. Alfred feels a little undermined by Allen since they are the same age and the same person, but Allen seems so much more older than him mentally. Allen acts like a big brother to Alfred, always looking out for him and making sure no one takes advantage of him. Allen doesn't really like Oliver and is openly cold to him. Allen also has to constantly bail his brother out of jail since James gets into fights a lot, Allen is older so he always drags James out by the ear. Allen went to raves, but he enjoyed more quiet parties as well. He also likes gossip a lot, as opposed to Alfred who doesn't participate in such things. He can be angry and sassy a lot, with sarcasm being his main language.

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Things Ivan is bad at/isn't: technologically illiterate espeically with mechanic things, possessive, clean and tidy, smells like vanilla, lowkey an alcoholic, hated and feared, quick to anger and sarcastic, skilled at languages/literature/history/arts, sometimes surprises Alfred with spontaneous gifts, awkward with people

Viktor: skilled at machinery and engineering, plans every little detail of his life, gets jealous but is lowkey about it, workaholic to the point he neglects his space and thus he cant cook or clean, loved and adored, unwilling leader, very patient and always considers others, bad at languages or anything artistic, never does anything spontaneous, good at socializing (just chooses not to)

Viktor's personality mirrors Ludwig. He's serious with a strong sense of justice and strict adherence for rules. He always considers and helps other people, catering a lot of his life to helping others (buys snacks for other people on the way to work, makes sure to never wear a certain color around a certain person, he has everyone's allergies memorized). He never smiles and it is difficult for him to do so, but he does it when alone with his cats. Like Ludwig, he hates violence or disruption to work of any kind and always stops it in an orderly manner. He sometimes clashes with Allen's destructive personality, but ultimately he understands that Allen has a good reason to be angry. He's a pathalogical people pleaser, he does what he's told even if he doesn't want to, which prompts Allen into speaking up for him. People often go to him for help about a lot of things, and he tries to say no, but ultimately helps them anyway. He is a tough, too-serious, and efficient man who always abides by the rules and is "weak to" them. He often has difficulty leaving his commanding, serious mode and relaxing, only doing so when he's in the privacy of his home. Viktor is also awkward when talking to women, though acts as a father figure to younger nations (those who look like they're in grade school and younger) and thus can speak with younger girls without trouble. He's been working his whole life to support his younger sister after their elder sister left them, so he doesn't know how to cook or clean as the only thing he does is work, so his space is quite untidy and Allen nearly had a heart attack when he visited for the first time. While he seems serious, he is very fair and patient and also enjoys romantic novels. Like Ludwig, he has a lot of experience with dealing with people and a lot of people rely on him almost like babies. Everyone adores Viktor and thinks he is very responsible and cool.

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Things Francis is: extroverted, good at fashion, hates dirt, good at baking, loves wine, loves getting drunk and pubs, loves singing, loves nudity, loves anything about love, artistic and wise

Louis: introverted, not fashionable at all, terrible at cooking, doesn't touch alcohol in order to stay sober to take care of drunken Oliver, can sing but doesn't want to, never reveals more than 5% of skin, pessimissitic, terrible at art and socially inept

Louis is not a flirt at all, and is a man of few words and expressions. He has a deadpanned expression mostly, and is the tamest of the Allies. He likes peace and quiet. He's quite beautiful actually, just like his 1p, but has terrible fashion sense in the way that he wears the ugliest button-ups/sweaters and dresses like an old grandpa. He is very shy about showing skin, going far to make sure that at least  85% percent of his skin is covered. He's quite a doting parent, and can be a bit overbearing towards James (the way Lukas is with Emil). Rarely ever smiles. Has a lack of flair and enjoys the more simple type of life, he doesn't understand the need of dressing up or being extravagant. Terrible with people, very awkward. He's an incredibly diligent worker and doesn't stop working until he's finished his work properly. Deep down, he's actually quite playful but it's rarely shown because he gets embarrassed easily, saying he'd rather be seen as stoic than a party animal. Louis isn't confrontational or argumentative, and often times is too shy to say anything. He is terrible at anything that has to do with clothes (sewing, fashion, you name it) He has the unhealthy habit of smoking, but stops whenever James and Allen are around. Louis has a hard time communicating, doesn't mean he doesn't want to though. He's just shy. He appreciates Oliver for talking to him even though he himself doesn't talk much, and for always including him even though he denies the invitation. He's called "the pretty one" of the Allies. He's also bad at art, but he's good at writing, and enjoys attending musicals and plays.

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Things Arthur is: introverted, punk, anger issues, petty, good at writing, enjoys tea, believes in mythical creatures, likes mythology and folklore, electric guitar, sarcastic, secretly sincere

Oliver: extroverted, sweet, incapable of anger, bad with words, loves sweet things and thinks tea is bitter, scared of the mythical, thinks folklore is boring and would rather focus on real things, loves rock music too, brutally honest, two-faced

Oliver's personality is comparable to Finland. Oliver is described to be sweet yet extremely talkative, and often thinks up jokes to lighten up atmospheres. He has eccentric ideas and loves to try new things while Arthur despises doing anything new. He loves to practice knife throwing, but Louis forced him to use darts instead because knives were too dangerous. Arthur is good with words, but Oliver is known to trip over his words and have trouble speaking properly when he's nervous, uncomfortable or too concentrated. Oliver is kind to everyone, a sweet person in general, and is quick to forgive while Arthur can hold grudges for years. He still holds grudges against Francis for something that happened when they were children, which was decades ago. Oliver is also an excellent cook, and is humble unlike the arrogant Arthur. He's the mom friend (while Louis often comes off as a weathered father figure to the younger nations) Arthur is tough fibred but is actually a softie and can have cute interests, while Oliver seems soft and sweet but his interests are hardcore. Heavy rock metal, impressive knife skills. Unlike Arthur, he isn't easily provoked and it actually takes a lot to get him upset. He loves sunny days, unlike Arthur who prefers rainy. Despite Oliver being kind hearted and gentle with a cute face, he is actually quite dark-spirited: when asked what kind of room he wanted, Oliver replied that he wanted a jet black room filled with skulls and chains, horrifying the others. He has a sweet child-like appearance, but is noted to possess strength and resilience on par with Arthur. Oliver is actually a nagging and confrontational person, even though he considers himself shy. He is not good at sewing and embroidery, he finds it boring and is way too hyperactive to practice such a hobby. His most beloved hobby is baking (because you have to move around and it involves following instructions) and he is actually quite obsessed with it. He is also skilled in arts unlike Arthur, who failed to recreate a fancy vase. He and Arthur do have the same taste in music, so they get along well. People often label him as one of the tamer Allies, but he's actually quite eccentric with an off-the-wall personality. He has the tendency to wander off so he gets lost quite easily, leaving an exasperated Louis to go and find him.

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Matthew: typically quiet, would like to be noticed more, enjoys winter and its sports, likes bears and sweet things, very protective and attached to his brother, diligent worker. Wise and emotionally smart, he learned sarcasm from Arthur. He doesn't trust people easily and is on guard.

James: introverted, hates the spotlight, hates winter and likes green forests more, he likes cuter animals like lambs and beavers rather than bears, isn't as close to his brother as Matthew, a lazy procrastinator who often gets into physical fights. Wise and emotionally smart, typically quiet and he learned sarcasm from Allen. He doesn't trust people easily and is on guard.

James is often seen with a face of silent disdain, but is actually very nice. He has a soft spot for cute things, and he and Allen share a love for animals. James has a bunny instead of a bear. Like Louis and Matthew, he hates confrontation. He's a socially awkward man that tries to hide behind his brother or blend into the background so nobody will notice him, but it never works. People find him intimidating, though he is completely unaware that he can come off as scary to other people. He appeared shocked when a child started to cry, saying that James looked angry and Allen had to explain to the mother that James just naturally looked like that. He loves nature, so it's hard to track him down because he's often in the forest. He's great with his hands and he actually built all of his furniture himself, he's great at woodwork and can make anything out of it. He built most of his toys when he was young. He plays hockey but isn't as invested in it as his 1p. He enjoys hiking, but finds it boring to go alone so he calls Allen to go with him. He's similar to Louis, like how Matthew is similar to Francis. He's mellow and non confrontational, and relies on either Allen or Oliver to speak up for him. Loathes small talk, and never initiates conversation of any kind. He doesn't have the sme sweet, cheerful relationship with his brother that Alfred and Matthew do; Allen nags him a lot and can be overbearing, so they're likely to get in arguments. Despite this, he is extremely loyal to his brother, and has grudges against people who Allen has a grudge against too. James is very grumpy, but he greatly admires Louis and absentmindedly imitates his mannerisms. They're very similar, though Louis is softer and more mellow than the grumpy canadian. He has a soft spot for Matthew and takes time out of his day to train him, and is more than happy to assist Allen taste test his cooking recipes when asked. Despite his anti-social nature, he is also quite the curious person and sometimes goes to festivals or gatherings just to see what it would be like. Other times, Allen drags him out. James' favorite dish is pancakes, and has a huge smile on his face when he eats it. Like Viktor, he can't cook or clean, but not because he's too busy to do so--rather, he's just lazy. Growing up with Allen, his brother did all the cooking and cleaning as he insisted James didn't do it correctly, so now he doesn't know hot do it and relies on his brother to be able to eat, otherwise he just starves. He makes use of weaponized incompetence, this bastard.

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Klaus is safe to say one of the cinnamon rolls in the 2P world. He's quiet and behaved, but is very sweet and polite. He talks only when spoken to, and his self esteem is extremely low. He has a big space bubble, but will let certain people past it. He's very polite to mortal humans. Klaus is very shy and at times can be a nervous wreck. Klaus mostly spends his days inside the house either cleaning, watching TV, baking, taking care of the dogs, etc. He rarely ever goes out.  Klaus actually does get along well with Lutz, his younger brother always tries to get him into going outside, but he desperately tries to resist. He has a similar personality to 1p!Japan. Stoic but very polite and kind of a pushover. His main hobby is playing the flute, but is shy about it. He plays only in front of Lutz. However, like Kiku, he used to be a bloodthirsty war manic, committing atrocious crimes, but has since calmed down considerably and is deeply apologetic for it.

Luciano is a lot more feisty and fiercer than Feliciano. As opposed to Feliciano's abandonment issues from HRE, Luciano has trust issues. He's suave and flirty, similar to Ivan's sensual ways. He is very fond of Lutz but the latter is high maintenance. He always gets himself into trouble, the only reason he's still alive is Luciano coming in to rescue him all the time. He's a bossy and mischievous person who wants things to be in his control. Luciano is sassy and smug, but he's a nice person overall. He's a smug big brother figure to children. Has a similar personality to Kaeya. He bullied and made fun of Klaus a lot when he was a kid, which was bold of him since Luciano was the size of a chihuahua while Klaus was a looming 5"6. He's nice in general and is smug like Ivan, he's polite to Klaus nowadays. He's unpredictable and actually very useful in battle because of his impressive knife skills, he's the commander of the Axis Powers. Kuro and Lutz usually follow his orders with no objections since they know how strategic and sly their boss is. Flavio dotes him constantly like a mother hen. Luciano appreciates it but is a huge tsundere about it. Luciano is socially aware.

Kuro is nice. He has basically the same personality as Kiku except he's more stingier and grumpier. He overanalyzes things and is a perfectionist control freak. He loves cats just like Kiku, and is very affectionate towards them. He hates going outside. He is also protective of himself and his personal space but unlike Kiku who gets shy and flustered, he will angrily glare at someone but if they don't get the hint. He is secretly a huge softie. Actually likes Lutz, they get along well. Tolerates Luciano. Hates Oliver cause he cares so little about everything. Kuro doesn't like Xiao, and is cold to him. He is blunt and straightforward, does not like people who are constantly distracted and doesn't get to the point. Is not openly an otaku, will reject the idea of it. But he has stacks of mangas and anime everywhere in his room. Unlike his 1P he loathes hentai with every fiber of his being, cringing whenever he sees it and has the unquenchable desire to burn it. Loves cute things just like his 1P but isn't open about it, he will quietly fangirl in his mind. He is very opinionated and it is hard to sway or change his mind, but he usually keeps quiet unless he knows for a fact that his opinion is better. Unlike Kiku he enjoys being with his family, though he doesn't engage in any of the fun, he likes watching them.

Xiao is lazy and laidback, unlike the diligent and serious Yao. He is insecure about his appearance and makes up for it with aggressiveness, but is mostly all-talk no bark, as even though he is good at fighting he is too fearful to. He's not tough and would often take cover behind Viktor, allowing the rest of the group to fight for him. He is fine being in debt to others (he's been piling it up since he was a kid), unlike Yao who detests the feeling of owing someone and would do things himself just to avoid it. Yao is also quite opinionated, in contrast to Xiao, who doesn't really hold any strong opinions and just goes with the flow. He doesn't care if people don't respect him (as he never had respect for himself in the first place). He's kind of pathetic that way. He wears his hair up while Yao wears his down, and he is more shabby and aggressive to contrast Yao's gracefulness. He also acts like a child while Yao acts like a parent. He is very brutally honest, and people have to watch for his mouth often. He likes doing drugs, while Yao despises them. His contrast to Yao also shows in his relationship with Allen, who is similar to Yao.

Lutz is that one incredibly extroverted, outgoing himbo man who likes to flirt with others but never succeeds. He's outgoing, he's fun, he's everything Ludwig isn't. People like him for his friendliness, but they don't respect him, while Ludwig is held in very high regard by others. He's relatively successful, so he's able to afford a house that his brother lives in the basement off, but he does the minimal effort for it. He's the butt if most people's jokes, and it's hurtful but he tries not to let it bother him. To make up for the lack of respect he receives, he tries his best to be friendly to everyone, which works...a bit. That's why he sticks to Luciano, who respects him for the effort he does put in and recognizes his potential. Luciano, who's used to people being rude or serious to him, also enjoys Lutz's carefree attitude and is able to relax around him. Lutz also likes that he's able to take the backseat when he's Luciano and not get any shit for it. He's merely the brawn. While Ludwig is calm, rational and takes the lead in stressful situations, Lutz cannot process anything in those situations and needs to be told what to do. He likes dogs too, something he and Ludwig actually share.

[kepnerandavery]

So last year I read the Smythe-Smith and Rokesby series by Julia Quinn, and I wanted to write a little (spoiler-free) review of sorts for people that are thinking of reading them to occupy them until the release of the next season of Bridgerton.

First of all, I wanna mention that like with all of the Bridgerton books, you don't have to read these books in order or read the all preceding books in either of these series to understand what’s going on in whichever book you choose to read. All of the characters, their connection to each other, and the important events that took place in the previous books that affects the story are mentioned in each book.

The Rokesby series

1. Because of Miss Bridgerton (6/10)

This book is based on a famous trope that a lot of people enjoy. The characters are compatible and the story is somewhat romantic. Is it a masterpiece? No. Do I regret reading it? Also, No. It just isn't the kind of story that you can immerse yourself in because it wasn't a deeply romantic story, but it was still pretty enjoyable.

2. The Girl With The Make-Believe Husband (10/10)

Omg. I can not say enough good things about this book. This book has everything. Romance, humour, suspense, you name it, it's there. The characters are flawed and beautifully written. The male protagonist is like Michael Stirling on steroids. The story is so endearing, and it's also the first story that takes place in a setting that's drastically different from every other book written by Julia Quinn (that I have read so far). The subject matter is a bit heavy, but it's honestly my favourite historical romance book. I highly recommend this one.

3. The Other Miss Bridgerton (8/10)

This one is kinda tricky. I didn't love it but I really liked it. It has the most easy-going/witty male protagonist out of the four books. He cracked me up on several occasions. All of the boys in this series are very gentlemanly, and he is no different. This story also takes place in a setting that isn't typically seen in Julia Quinn's other books, so that was pretty refreshing as well.

4. First Comes Scandal (5/10)

Okay. I know that a lot of people love this book and it's male protagonist. But this story was so bland to me. It lacked direction and meaning. The characters weren't necessarily bad, but their dynamic didn't resonate with me. I expected so much more from this book, and it could've been so much more. For me, the first half of the book was a lot more readable than the second half.

The Smythe-Smith quartet

1. Just Like Heaven (7/10)

This is a classic love story. It wasn't anything grand or deep. But it was still romantic and pretty cute. I liked the story, and the two main characters were well suited for each other and the main protagonist was pretty unique and respectful, so that was a big plus. All in all it's worth reading.

2. A Night Like This (6/10)

Okay, this book was kind of a hit and miss for me. I liked the male protagonist cause he was pretty sassy, but the dynamic between him and the female protagonist was more erotic than romantic lol. I wasn't bored while reading it because the story was well paced. But this book was missing some little nuances that could've made it better.

3. The Sum of All Kisses (9/10)

This is the best book in this series. The male protagonist is a gem of a human being. He's so sarcastic and quirky. The story between the couple is so different and beautiful. It's sort of a different spin on another famous trope, so it was unlike any other historical romance I've read. It's a great read.

4. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (4/10)

I'm being brutally honest here. If you have anything, and I mean anything better to do, do not read this book. It's a colossal waste of time. I was constantly feeling bad for the female lead of this book the entire time I was reading this. There are some moments in the book that didn't anger/bore me to death, but it took so much energy to finish this.

PS: These are my opinions and you don't have to agree with me at all :)

[omegas-spaghettios]

Ranking MCU Captain America figures

Before I begin, I want to clarify this is about my enjoyment of these characters and NOT who i think are the best morality or power wise. I specify because I think my first two entries will upset some people and I want to say, this list is NOT in order of how much I agree with these characters' values. I have a heavy favoritism towards theme and character interaction and that is where a lot of my enjoyment from media comes from. So, let's begin.

6. Captain America: CW, IW, and Endgame

I'm separating Steve into two because around CW he starts making decisions that really frustrate me.

Now I do think there is a lot to like still! His conviction to his morals during the Accords and continuing arc about government distrust is great, his stand against Thanos in IW is amazing, he is a lot of fun to watch during the New York part of the time heist, and lifting Mjolnir was legit my best theater moment ever and i will NEVER forget it.

However, in CW he starts making some awful decisions. In CW, he kisses Sharon like, days after Peggy's funeral. While on it's own it's already kinda creepy, Endgame retroactively makes this even worse. It goes on to also have grave consequence because he and Sam asked Sharon to break the law for them and never followed through to help her, which was pretty awful of them. At least Sam tries to make it right in TFATWS, but since Steve left that wrong on Sharon never gets reconciled from him.

I also think that his decision to keep Bucky and Howard's history a secret from Tony was really, really stupid. While I side with him during the fight, the fact that Steve "doesn't like when his teammates withhold information" Rogers didn't tell Tony this then walked into a Winter Soldier facility with Bucky and Tony during the most strained time of their relationship was just begging for that conflict.

He is barely in IW and while his stand against Thanos is a great moment, his decision to not let Vision kill himself is very frustrating. "We don't trade lives" then he goes to Wakanda to let thousands of soldiers die while they try and get the stone out, really dude?

I don't think going back in time in Endgame was inherently a bad ending but things he does to make it happen really frustrates me. He shows no signs of mourning Bucky or Sam at all. And then for the sake of surprise for the audience, he never tells Sam what he's doing and that is so awful. Sam dedicates 4 years of his life helping Steve with a good portion of it being on the run. Sam was with Steve more during the present than ANYONE else. Then Steve just leaves without telling him and shows back up to drop a ton of responsibility on Sam that he didn't ask for. Now Sam is an amazing Cap but it's frustrating to see that a lot of TFATWS is fallout of Steve's bad decisions in these three movies.

5. Captain America: John Walker

Now hold on, I hate this man. I think he does some awful things, so why is he above anyone else? Just because he isn't frustrating to me, he fits thematically and has good interactions with others in TFATWS.

His character really adds to the themes and discussions of white privilege, Supremacy, as well as how the US military treats their soldiers like shit, and I think he is an interesting character to watch as he starts out edging the line of evil and by the end of episode 4 crosses it. While I think Bucky was overall a bit too chummy with him in 6, I think it was all mostly in character for them. Sam and Bucky were up against 6 super soldiers and Batroc in a highly crowded city with lots of important people, it makes sense to me that they take his help in this scenario. They also never leave him alone which indicates distrust.

I also really like the moment where he drops the shield to help the truck. He is a shitty person but he is shown as a person who at least wants to do good, even though any challenge to that he goes off the rails. It is such a black and white scenario, help the truck of innocents, and I like that he does it. It also adds to the hatred of him as a person because it shows he clearly knows better but chooses to ignore it, which makes him even more despicable.

I think it is very important that a man like him bore the title of Captain America because it reminds us all that yes, it is very easy that a man like him represents America as it is and that we need to do better than him.

I like watching him and that's why he's above CW on Steve because he isn't making aggravatingly out of character decisions all of the time and he works very well within the themes of the show.

With me loving him in the context of TFATWS, in later appearances he does have a lot of potential to drop to last pretty easily, but as of now when he just is in that show, I appreciate his character a lot.

4. Red Guardian

I kinda like this character and idk how to feel about it

He doesn't fit Black Widow very much so he is kinda low but I mean, he's just kinda fun. His story about Captain America and the USSR is pretty non-related to the others and rather undeveloped which is frustrating, and he does very little plot significant things. He leads Nat and Yelena to Melina and that's about it. He distracts Taskmaster for a while but he kinda is just getting tossed around until Melina shows up. He isn't very important.

But I do like what I see and do hope we see more of him. They never pretend he's a great person and I do appreciate that he gets called on it constantly. His knuckles having Karl Marx on them kills me and overall he's pretty humorous and fun to watch. He also has a few great moments thematically that I love. When he comforts Yelena after the dinner scene and sings her favorite song as a kid? So heartwarming. When he took Taskmaster's shield when fleeing the Red Room I laughed at his ridiculousness but it lead to a pretty great moment, when he throws the shield through the windshield without hesitation to save Melina. It's a great moment to show how he's letting go of his past and obsessions to be there for his family.

I hope we see more of him, his overall lack of importance and stereotypical behavior kinda holds him back but I see so much potential in him.

3. Agent Carter

As of today she has been in exactly one 30 minute episode, but what I see I really like. Her laughter of surprise when she takes the tesseract is really endearing, her sword and muscles and height make my wlw heart patter, and I do like the difference in her relationship with Steve in this universe, where they both are of incredible capabilities but neither are given any respect for how they were born. We get that in TFA too but I really like that it is a constant theme in this iteration while in TFA it gets dropped a bit after Steve receives the serum.

There is very little of her so I can't really put her higher yet, but given more time she very well may rise up on this list but she had an excellent first showing.

2. Pre-CW Captain America: Steve Rogers

This man is a joy.

He is such an endearing scrappy little guy in the beginning of TFA and I love his commitment to doing the right thing. He still very much acts like a guy who just gained 120 pounds of muscle during that movie and it's endearing. The way he grows into his own skin in TWS is amazing as we see him really step in to what he can accomplish physically as well as his authority and leadership.

His Whedonisms in the first two Avengers films kinda bug me, they treat him like an old man when he isn't. Biologically he's like, early 30's at most here. He grew up as a fighter in Brooklyn then served in the military, he wouldn't care if his teammates swear, but overall it's tolerable.

I LOVE this man's commitment to transparency. He struggles when allies are not transparent and he shows nothing but transparency and I love that that is a constant for him (which is why I separate him from CW on)

Everyone loves this guy and over 90% of criticisms I see for him come after AoU, and that's for good reason, this guy is so loveable.

1. Captain America: Sam Wilson

He's so good, guys

I want to talk about Sam before the suit because he is amazing before it. He runs counseling for veterans, a profession very becoming of a superhero and it speaks to his incredible empathy and compassion that is on full display. I also think the fact that he dedicated 2 years to finding Bucky is not appreciated enough. Sure he was following Steve but he still spent 2 years trying to find Bucky, a person who tried to murder him. Yet he understands it isn't Bucky's fault and tries to help him anyway. I also really like that he is the first to speak out against the Accords. He doesn't wait for Steve or anyone else, he sees red flags and he is out and I really, really love that about him.

Then I love how long it takes for him to choose to become Cap and how much he contemplates it. He has to contemplate the legacy of Steve, if he wants to wear the symbol of this country, the pressures of being a black man as Cap, the legacy that John added to it, the pressures from Bucky and the pressures from Isaiah, and also his own legacy he carved for himself as the Falcon. It's a huge decision with a lot of weight and so many people pressuring him but he takes his time and chooses what is right for him, and I really love that about him. These other characters are all Caps from near the start but he transitions into one after years of knowing him as the Falcon and I love that he doesn't take this decision lightly.

Also as Cap he's just really cool. His decisions to not take the serum as well as try like hell to get Karli to step down speak to his humility and compassion. And while many describe his speech as bland it's still uniquely him. Yes the speech doesn't solve any problems but that isn't what he's doing, he's asking America and the world to get to actually solving them and that is an aspect of him we don't see much since Steve's propaganda days, his direct relation to the public.

Also his suit and wings are just awesome, I argue his action is the most fun to watch out of any of these characters.

Anyway yeah that's the list, I know people won't agree with me so let's try and keep discussion civil, alright?