#it has this vibe to it that i like ... a realistic slice of life esque downer story with a happy ending

[lv-iceprince]

I love all the work you put into the aesthetics of your posts! I've been binge reading your ships, they're so entertaining and make me smile! I was wondering, as someone who loves making moodboards myself, what's your process? How do you choose what aesthetic you want for each post and how do you make them so nice?

Ah hey!!!

Honestly thank you so much, this is so sweet I swear to God! It really is so special to know that some of it lands and that people find enjoyment from what I do 💖

~~ Now I hope this makes sense, I'll keep it way more general than usual because I chronically overthink moodboards and aesthetic but in terms of inspiration and choosing an aesthetic. For ships, it is fully dependent on the requests. What I mean is that despite most people leaving the colour and theme up to me, I just base it on them. Maybe certain personality traits they have remind me of someone I know, or of an emotion or a colour. Like a random example, if someone tells me they are more of an intellectually bright, studious person who gets along with people fine but they are a homebody. A couple of ways you can do it is go with warm cozy colours that can be associated with certain aesthetics like light academia or boyfriend. Or in the case they really emphasised their intellect there is definitely an angle where you can go with rich royal colours, think dark blue or dark green, that whole academic ravenclaw or slytherin vibe.

That's just an example but a general philosophical, psychological tip is that humans love things to be about themselves. And while I would definitely try to pay attention to the person who wants a ship or a moodboard you can low-key cheat (I don't do this really but this is a handy tip if you're worried about the person not vibing with the aesthetic). You realistically just need to pick the most general traits the person has and run with it. They're a bright person with a happy cheery nature try the literally sunshine aesthetic or cute summer childhood fun. When you branch out even if it's a guess most people like it a lot.

For non ship posts like headcanons or fics you can be a lot more creative. Like the most sexiest thing you can do is use aesthetic to highlight the themes of your fic or headcanon. Think movie tropes but going that extra mile. In ways this is harder but since writing is another thing going to an audience like a y/n situation imagine what your reader would associate with an idol, not what you think. You are making a convincing love interest and the aesthetic can be abstract but also add things that are universal. I'll give a visual for this one.

Quick scenario: I happened to drink an iced americano and I realised Jungwon from Enhypen is hot. No one knows why I find him hot or to what degree but if I wanted to write something based on my americano daydreams I want people to see the version of Jungwon I crave which could look like this.

Low-key coffee, literally espresso, wanting him now, needy, energetic, treating the bed as a place for fun activities... yeah and some very modern slice of life esque bathroom graffiti. The connection? Most people know what these images mean or what they hint at.

This is already long but the last thing that is a part of my process besides thinking about different ways to visually captivate someone. Idk I'm still experimenting but something that i like is having different shapes and textures in your images, because people are into that but they also follow gifs. So I randomly pop idol gifs into it so people can be captivated looking at a pretty idol. Ooh and this isn't any answers or secrets this is general but what I've noticed with other moodboard people is bringing in symbols, or having a somewhat messy aesthetic especially with the size and shape of the image. You will feel it when some images need space before headers and dividers. The shape and borders will always add that bit more depth.

Yeah so again thank you so much for your kind words! I hope this gave a bit of insight so yeah short version part of my process is focusing on people outside of you, thinking about how they see certain images, making the themes specific even if people don't understand it all that well they will still like it and shapes shapes shapes and spacing. Experiment more with the format rather than the images 💖💖

Whoever you are anonnie love ya heaps and thanks for picking my brain about aesthetics and moodboards 😘

[itsavgbltpta]

Should You Watch Skip & Loafer?

(English title: Skip & Loafer)

(Japanese title: Skip to Loafer - or Sukippu to Roofaa)

A Brief Summary

Mitsumi comes from a super small town, but she has big ambitions.  Her plan is to attend school in the big city (Tokyo) in order to become a government official and make things better for her very small hometown.  She’s so dedicated to this goal, that she doesn’t realize other people may not have the same kind of mindset and would rather loaf around.  Enter Sousuke, a fellow classmate she meets after getting lost on the way to her first day of school in the maze that is Tokyo.  Sousuke likes to take things at his own pace (slow) and not get himself deeply involved into anything or with anyone.

The pair are almost complete opposites, but they become friends anyhow and learn a bit more about the world and themselves throughout their freshman year in high school.

So, should you watch the anime?  

Definitely yes, unless you absolutely can’t stand slice of life anime.

I looked forward to watching Skip & Loafer every week as it gave me a warm, squishy dose of wholesome goodness.  It’s just so gosh-dang nice.  My heart could barely handle the genuine feelings in some episodes.

Skip & Loafer is also a funny show, but funny in a friendly way.  It’s not slapstick violence, but instead shows off how goofy things can be when high school kids interact with each other.  But to be fair, the show has its serious moments too.  High school isn’t all laughs, after all.  Each of the characters have darker bits to them, as do all people.  The way the show explores how the characters grow is… well, I used the word before, but honestly, “wholesome” is the best description for Skip & Loafer.  Because even when some darker moments happen, things end up okay in the end.

While I mentioned this is slice-of-life-esque, there is a hint of romance throughout as well.  But romance isn’t the main focus, it’s just part of the high school experience - which is what the focus of Skip & Loafer really is.  Kids figuring themselves out a little at a time with some bonus shenanigans thrown in.  You know, your classic school festivals and sports day fun.  Throw in the whole “country hick in the big city discovering new things” vibe, and you’ve got yourself this anime.

And I mean that in the best way.  Though my high school days are long past, so maybe my opinion is slightly tinted by nostalgia’s rosy color.

The art design and animation add to the wholesome feeling the show gives off.  The character design is pretty simple, but they do a lot with faces and expressions.  I love some of the derpy faces Mitsumi makes, and the little blush marks characters get when embarrassed or nervous are very cute.  While I don’t know much about fashion, the clothes Mitsumi and her friends wear seem fairly realistic to what you could find normal Japanese teenagers wearing today.  I do enjoy extreme and weird outfits, but in a slice-of-life style anime, regular fashion is a nice touch.

The plot is mostly about the day to day life and ambitions of high school students.  We learn a bit about the group and how their childhood experiences (such as being a child star, being made fun of, etc) have shaped them, but also how they can still keep changing.  Like I said, freaking wholesome.

Besides Mitsumi and Sousuke’s developing friendship, you’ll get to peek into the lives of some of Mitsumi’s other friends and family, such as:

A tsundere classmate who wants Sousuke’s attention and has the same bangs as Misato from Evangelion (Mika).

A blonde bombshell super-model type that wants friends who don’t care about her looks or fame (Yuzuki).

A classic nerdy introverted girl with twin braids and glasses who thinks good looking people are jerks (Makoto).

The ultimate bestie from back home that is the most supportive person on earth (Fumi).

The epitome of OCD and the type who would probably plan out every bathroom break on a trip (Takamine).

A passionately dedicated drama club student who will do anything for the sake of their art (Kanechika).

And a cool aunt with a bit of an adam’s apple that helps out with good fashion tips and a place for Mitsumi to stay in Tokyo (Nao).

**Disclaimer here that I am not trans, but in my opinion, I think Nao’s inclusion in the story was very tastefully done.  Pronouns were used correctly, and no big deal was ever made of Mitsumi’s aunt formerly being an uncle.  She mentions it to her friends once when they are going to stay they night in case it bothers anyone.  But it doesn’t.  And I really like that.**

Plus even more friends and family!  There are quite a few minor characters that still make a big impact, and some I’d like to know more about.  As Skip & Loafer was a manga before it was an anime, I assume we do get more, so yay!  But even if you just watch the anime only, the story ends at a good stopping point. 

Where does it rate on my personal scale?

S: I will buy it at full price (unless it’s released by Aniplex USA, because fuck their pricing).

->A: I will buy it on sale sometime down the line.

B: I had fun watching it, but don’t need to own it.

C: It’s not my cup of tea, but wasn’t awful.

D: Dropped it.

X: Finished it out of spite, but did not enjoy it.

Skip & Loafer ranks at a solid A.  It was one of my favorite shows of the season and I would like to have the chance to watch it again even if streaming services die.  I’m also tempted to check out the manga to get more of my wholesome fix.

[herotheshiro]

this is gonna be the third time i blog abt this manga ever but haru no noroi (the 1st 2 times i talked abt this manga were not on this blog though, they were on my main blog which i doubt any of you know and i will not be sharing it sorry. although i am most active on this blog these days lol so maybe i should just say ‘fuck it’ and reblog those posts here so i can collect all my reviews in one place). i reread it again yesterday bc i was suddenly reminded of it and this time around i focused more on the dynamics of natsumi/tougo and haru ... for example, the messed up fact that tougo just did not love haru the same way she loved him ... i mean i think it was supposed to be a mirror of what happened with natsumi and haru’s biological parents and the implication that maybe haru would do the same thing that their mom did (i.e., eventually leave the dad and also her children behind bc there wasn’t truly any love bw the dad and mom), esp since tougo did not seem to ever be developing an interest in her. but that’s still really sad esp with the later development of haru realizing that tougo liked natsumi and thus she couldn’t grab hold of him for herself, and then the later stuff with natsumi and her stepmom where natsumi was like ‘maybe ... we could become a family fr despite starting our relationship kind of distant? but no ... i can’t stay in this house anymore. my dad doesn’t approve of me’ (also just thinking abt the dad all of a sudden. while this author does write strong female characters, the men are usually fuckers with toxic masculinity traits ... like when natsumi was like ‘i’ll tell my dad i’m moving out and also dating tougo. you [stepmom] and my lil bro should go hide somewhere else in the meantime’... that’s messed up)

i think the natsumi liking tougo development was not particularly strong/obvious ... like i know them hanging out together is due to tougo’s suggestion and she’s also trying to mourn haru but honestly not too sure why she felt so strongly abt him later. i guess it’s bc they hung out together a ton over a series of months and also the ‘oh they have a crush on me. i never thought of them like that but now that that concept of us potentially being together is in my mind ...’ and also natsumi was like ‘oh tougo is the only one who knows everything abt me, stuff that not even my family and friends know’ and you know what i just answered my own question. anyway the confession scene in the hospital: i didn’t have chills or anything reading it this time bc it’s like the 3rd time i’ve read it now but i still felt something when tougo was like ‘being with you exposes my desire. natsumi, i like you, i want you’ ...... (yes i looked it up and directly quoted that from the manga. it hit me so hard the first time i ever read the scene)

again, i like this manga bc i like the similar conflicts tougo and natsumi had about leaving their toxic families/environments and forging into the future on their own terms. and also how natsumi, previously always being the unwanted one, is finally wanted and desired... (this isn’t meant to be read as a ‘oh haha romance is super important!’ but just the concept of being valued when you haven’t been before) this reread, i was a lil like ‘oh uh... right. hm’ abt the “love triangle” happening where haru basically was sadly never really an option (i guess. i mean natsumi had so much emotional turmoil over her during her first relationship runthough with tougo that you could argue that she was indeed a major part of the triangle). i read through my 2 previous reviews before writing this and it’s interesting to see the different things i focused on during those 2 reads ... the 1st time around was me just consuming the story at face-value, the 2nd time around was me focusing on natsumi and tougo as individuals that eventually come to support each other. this 3rd time i feel like i was focusing on the story again (mainly bc it’s been a long time since my last read) and the romantic relationship ... i mean when someone dies, i feel like eventually the person left behind CAN and sometimes maybe should move on to date other ppl so that’s not where i have the issue but idk. it just feels sad here bc tougo didn’t really care that much abt haru... not that he was like ‘OK I’M IMMEDIATELY MOVING ON TO NATSUMI FUCK HARU’ but it just feels bad to read ... tougo is also kind of an asshole in general but that’s another thing. and then natsumi in the end being like ‘yeah part of the reason i’m moving out is bc ppl are definitely going to talk bad abt me bc i went and am dating my dead sister’s lover and i don’t want my fam to have shit talked abt them too’ which is sad (wow i am just saying ‘sad’ so many times). i mean i appreciate that the ending isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and they’re also like ‘yeah living with you is prob not gonna be a walk in the park/will be irritating, but this is the choice i want to make’ but also a part of me is like ‘damn .....’

there wasn’t really any point to this review/write-up. i just wanted to talk abt it bc the actual reason why i got reminded of it was bc my sibling was telling me abt a book they read where the mc, a woman, found out that her husband was actually having an affair with her brother (both husband and brother are dead so she was never able to confront them abt it or anything) and i thought of haru no noroi. which was why i was thinking a lot abt the relationship dynamics this time around, but i also want to say the aspects of this story that i like and thus why i like this manga despite the kind of weird social things going on with natsumi and tougo’s relationship. i mean it’s not really problematic since there’s no actual cheating going on but it still can rub ppl the wrong way a little... it did occur to me the weirdness of natsumi/tougo before but this time i focused more on it so... interesting readthrough this time around. 

EDIT: ok i just looked at the dates of my last 2 reviews and i literally read the manga for the first time and then reread it literally a month apart. and this next 3rd read is literally over 2 years later. jesus no wonder i had a different experience this time around bc i legit did have to focus more on remembering what the story actually was