#it makes the last 60% feel incredible no matter what

[mohelconvention]

I think for an anime to be truly great, the first 40% or so must cause true, deep suffering. Stemming from it just not being good

[what-gs-watching]

"You can be beautiful or you can be ugly, but you can’t be plain."

Soooo I’m pretty sure I died over Christmas; my entire family got a stomach bug that was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced, and now I have a head cold and I’ve lost my voice and I’m convinced this is some weird limbo and I’ll never be healthy again.

BUT! Before all of that, my dad and I got to indulge in our favorite holiday tradition: going to the movies. He and I have been sneaking off in the afternoon once everyone falls into a Christmas coma to see something for like, fifteen years. That man hates holidays because my mom goes insane trying to make them perfect and he just wants to escape and I appreciate that he allows me to go with him. 

This year, I was especially excited - the first time I saw the trailer for A Complete Unknown in September, I called him immediately screaming about it. Bob Dylan’s music was a huge part of my childhood, another thing that my stoic father shared with me, and could not wait to see it with him. Honestly, I’d been vibrating out of my skin about it, shrieking at the tv every time the commercial would come on.

Gang. It was so worth it. What a beautiful fucking movie.

Wherein, 19 year old Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet) heads to New York City in 1961, befriends Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger (Ed Norton), breaks into the folk scene, falls in love, has insane on and off stage chemistry with Joan Baez, writes songs that define a generation, puts the Newport Folk Festival on the damn map, learns he doesn’t really love fame, and then eventually goes electric. 

I do realize this movie isn’t going to be for everyone - it’s specific. Like, were you alive then and you’re wanting to relive that time and the way Dylan’s music made you feel? Perfect, you’ll dig it. Or, are you a super weirdo like me that WISHES you were alive during that time and just deeply loves the 60’s aesthetic and longs for what you think was a simpler era but it really was not, and you just want to romanticize the whole thing and feel wistful about it? Amazing, get your ass to the theater. 

One thing I appreciated about this movie was that it wasn’t really shoving anything down your throat, what was happening wasn’t overly explained, there were no ridiculous voice-overs or forced understanding, and honestly, Dylan was fairly mysterious. It didn’t feel like it was from his point of view, you’re not going to come out of this feeling like you finally GET him. He’s still this weird mythical genius, just doing what he’s driven to do. He never explains himself and he never wants to. So is this really a biopic? Or are we just seeing a snapshot in time, take it or leave it? I don’t think it matters; it’s wonderful, either way.

Also, like, DAMN, Chalamet. He was fucking incredible. Dylan is a hard guy to portray, he’s always been kind of aloof, withdrawn, he’s never seemed like this larger than life personality and to pull off that demeanor in a way that’s still endearing to the audience is NOT easy. He really encapsulated Dylan’s confusing charm, it was pitch perfect. And I had to laugh to myself a bit - last year’s Christmas movie was Wonka, also starring Chalamet. What a hilarious dichotomy from one year to the next. 

I’m going to be watching all of the award shows just for this. Give this dude all the flowers. 

As much of a fan of his music as I am, I never did a deep google dive on him and so I really enjoyed seeing his relationship with Joan Baez unfold. The scenes of them performing together were honestly beautiful, their voices blending and complimenting each other. Her song “Diamonds and Rust” unsurprisingly was also a large part of my musical upbringing and to learn she’d written it about their relationship - fuck. I listened to it again after we left the theater and it was devastating in an entirely new way.

Here’s the thing. I absolutely cried big fat tears a few times sitting there. It’s not a sad movie in any way, shape or form. But when he performs “The Times They Are A-Changin’” at the festival, just him and his guitar and his harmonica, and the crowd starts singing along with him, having never heard it before, I sobbed, smiling. 

When I was a senior in high school, my dad - who notoriously never put effort into gifts for us kids, relying on my mom to know what to buy - sat down and  made me a bunch of mix CDs of the songs he’d always been sharing with me. One of them was his 12 essential Bob Dylan tracks. The rest of that year, I lived in those tracks. The agenda pad I used for that school year was littered with Dylan lyrics, it’s my basement even now, “don’t criticize what you can’t understand” scrawled all over it.

So I was 17 again, sitting there, or 8 or 21 or any of the ages I’ve been where Dylan has kept me company. “It Ain’t Me Babe” is deeply ingrained in my mind as part of the dumpster fire that was the relationship I had with the first boy I ever fell truly in love with, and watching his long-time girlfriend Sylvie (Elle Fanning) witness him singing that with Joan Baez was like a punch to the gut. 

I’m not 100% sure what I’m driving at with all of this, but what I can tell you is: A Complete Unknown is beautiful. If you have any connection to Dylan’s music, it’ll light your soul on fire. If you don’t, it’ll still immerse you in a time or place you really should visit. It’s fascinating and visceral and glimmering, and it just might change you, a little bit.

HOW does it FEEL?

[jokeroutsubs]

📝[ENG Translation] Joker Out exclusively for Style.

Before their performance at Sziget, Joker Out spoke exclusively to Style.Over.Net about what this means to them and when we can expect new music.

Article written by Meta Vrazic, published on 22.08.2024 on the Style.Over. Net website.

Translation by @kurooscoffee, review by a member of JokerOutSubs, proofread by @flowerlotus8

What do Tom Odell, Sam Smith, Bebe Rexha, and Kylie Minogue have in common?

All of these music giants shared the stage last week with the Slovenian band Joker Out at one of the biggest European festivals, Sziget.

Before their performance, they spoke exclusively to Style.Over.Net about what this means to them and when we can expect new music.

Photo: Vita Orehek

You're performing at Sziget, which means you're sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in the music industry. What does this mean for you?

Bojan: For us, this is a dream come true. Today (editor's note: on the day of the concert), we'll reach or even surpass our hidden hopes and dreams that every band starting out at 15 years old has.

Kris: I'd like to add that, in my opinion, it doesn't matter that much who is on stage before or after me. I focus more on which other performers have played on this stage at this time. In 2018, I listened to one of my favourite bands, The Kooks, at this exact time at Sziget. Lewis Capaldi also had his first performance at this time, and yesterday, Tom Odell got this slot. To me, it's an incredible achievement that we can compare ourselves with such names, especially in our region.

So you would equate yourselves with these artists? Do you see yourselves as equals?

Bojan: Yes, we're on par with Lewis Capaldi (laughs). No, we don't see ourselves as equals, but I would emphasise that this festival has 60 stages and over a thousand performers. So, being on the main stage at such a time is quite an amazing feeling.

Photo: Vita Orehek

In a recent interview, you mentioned differences between Slovenian and European stages. So, I have to ask – do you have a shower here?

Jure: Yes, I saw a shower. We'll definitely shower after the show since we're heading straight into a van and back to the studio.

So, you won't have a chance to walk around Sziget? When did you even arrive?

Jure: We left Hamburg at 7 AM, arrived at 11 AM, had a coffee, did a soundcheck, now we're talking to the media, then it's the concert, and back. It's pretty packed.

Photo: Vita Orehek

You've already performed for various audiences in many countries. Which audience is more demanding, Slovenian or international?

Bojan: Slovenian, for sure, because it's our home crowd. Other artists we've talked to also say that the home audience is always more demanding.

In Slovenia, we're omnipresent, both musically and in the media, so there are certain expectations. Some might even come to our shows hoping our performace would suck, so they can justify not liking us. Meanwhile, in other countries, they don't understand what we're saying, so they come just to let loose, dance, and have a good time.

International audiences sing incredibly well. If you closed your eyes during the concert and just listened, you'd think you were in Slovenia.

Kris: I'd add that someone willing to listen to music in another language is by default more open-minded and less demanding.

What's tougher: Sziget or Eurovision?

Jure: Eurovision, because we had no experience, and the pressure was much greater. We prepared for it for six months, whereas for a concert, you have a day or maybe even just a few hours.

Bojan: At Eurovision, it doesn't matter how good you are or what kind of performance you have. If you mess up in those three minutes, you're done. There are so many people there who don't care about your story or how precise you are—if you make a mistake, it's over. Whereas at a concert, you're there to have fun, and even mistakes are welcome as they make the experience more enjoyable.

Photo: Vita Orehek

How do you prepare for concerts? Do you have any special rituals?

Bojan: Not really. About 30 minutes before the concert, we completely calm down, practice a little, and then we all shout our motto together.

We've all heard stories about stars with very specific backstage food and drink requests. Do you have any special requests? What must be there for you?

Jure: Ginger shots, sour candies, vitamin water, towels...

Bojan: A mirror! It sounds bizarre, but there's often no mirror backstage, and before you go on stage, you can't check that everything's in place. So now we've specifically added a mirror to our list.

Is there even any stage fright still present before the concerts?

All: Yes, definitely.

Kris: Sometimes it happens about 20 minutes before the performance, depending on the day you're having.

Photo: Vita Orehek

And who's the most nervous?

Jure: Lately, it's been Bojan.

You now have songs in three different languages. What does this mean for your target audience? What is your target audience like, actually?

Bojan: We aim to have a good time. To play and enjoy ourselves, this music comes from us – and we haven't changed much during this time. Of course, we always try to find something new and different, depending on where the wind takes us.

I mainly think that you don't need to take this too seriously. If everyone checks their playlist and looks at the music they listen to, it's probably not all the same and monotonous. Why shouldn't it be the same for performers?

Have you ever felt that you aren't taken seriously because of the “boyband” label?

Bojan: We get this most often precisely in Slovenia. When we did interviews abroad, serious journalists approached us with a great deal of respect. They often even came to our concerts before the interview and expressed their enthusiasm and respect—you can feel that they take you seriously. Still, this doesn't bother us in Slovenia either, because, in reality, we are a “boyband.”

Photo: Vita Orehek

Do you ever get tired of any of your songs?

Kris: I always enjoy all our songs, but during a one-month tour in Europe, we involved the audience during the song 'Umazane misli'. And sometimes, while waiting for the audience, it drags on and gets a bit boring.

Bojan: Well, I had a great time even during those moments.

Of course, we need to check in on how the new album is coming along. When will it see the light of day?

Bojan: The album is expected to be “on time,” and you can expect it at the end of October. So far, things are moving well; we occasionally hit a “bump” that throws us off rhythm, but we're satisfied. We're doing well and holding up great.

[theresattrpgforthat]

do you have any recommendations for games with interesting superpower mechanics? bonus points for a clear love of superhero comics as a genre

THEME: Superpowers

Oh gosh do I have some recommendations for you. I have likely spoken about pretty much all of these games before, but I feel very strongly about them and I can’t help myself from talking about them again!

Exceptionals, by Bramble Wolf Games.

Exceptionals is a game inspired by X-Men about and for the spaces and communities marginalized peoples make for themselves. Play as a Geno, one of little less than 0.5% percent of the population that has gone through a mysterious process called Claremont-Simonson mutation, as you try to navigate a world that won’t make room for you. Exceptionals is a game about what the mutant metaphor means to you and the different lenses through which we view it. Punch back and build something of worth together in this narrative tag-driven tabletop role playing game.

What Exceptionals does differently than the other games mentioned here is that it ties all of your character abilities to descriptive words or phrases. You’re not just heavily armoured, you have bone spikes and you’re exceptionally good at resisting extreme temperatures. Your powers can just as easily be things that slow you down and get in your way as they can be handy weapons or powerful resources. Not only that, but your character is also defined by their role in the community. Are you excellent at socializing and often called on to provide a distraction? Or are you good at noticing details, and therefore asked to investigate local mysteries? Each answer gives you a tag you can use to improve your chances of success.

If you have some experience with Fate, you might find Exceptionals to feel pretty familiar, with the biggest difference being in the dice used. The system itself uses 2d10, with modifiers applied through tags, the environment around you, and social bonds. Your bonds are crucial to improving your chances, and that is why Exceptionals champions community. If you want a game that cares deeply about the media it’s drawing from, then I recommend Exceptionals.

Spectaculars, by Scratchpad Publishing.

Spectaculars is a tabletop roleplaying game where players create their own comic book universe, craft heroes and villains to populate that universe, and then play through full-length campaigns to tell incredible stories of heroism and villainy in a world of their own creation.

Spectaculars has different decks of superpowers depending on the kind of genre you’d like to play in, but you can also mix and match if you’d like. Your superpower options are dealt to you randomly, with five basic superpowers always available if you don’t like the options you’ve been given. You get five unique cards, out of which you can choose up to three. I really like this because it prevents analysis paralysis, while still giving you a good number of unique options!

Your superpower ability is usually tied to a percentile - 80 being your best power, 70 being the second best, and 60 being the tertiary (should you choose to take all three). Rolling under that number means you succeed, and you can also roll advantage or disadvantage dice to determine extra details - like whether your move sets up another superhero really well. Each superpower could have up to two different effects, using situational limitations or time tokens to debuff anything that is extraordinarily powerful.

So for example, the Corrosion power gives you the ability to reroll any advantage dice you roll once, as long as you are trying to corrode non-living matter. However for Light Manipulation, you can make whatever light effect you evoke last for longer if you put two time tokens on your card, and you can allow yourself to use your power and do something else at the end of the round by adding four time tokens to the card. At the beginning of your turn every round, you get to remove a time token. This is a great game for folks who love tactile play, as the tokens, dice and power cards give you a lot to handle.

If you want a more in-depth review of Spectaculars, you can check out this summary by Deeper in the Game.

MASKS, by Brendan Conway, at Magpie Games.

Halcyon City has had more than its fair share of superheroes, superteams, supervillains, and everything in between.

Your team of young supers must forge your own path amidst the pressures of a world full of people telling you what to do and who to be, and kick some butt along the way!

Masks: A New Generation is a superhero tabletop roleplaying game full of action, youthful angst, and dazzling bravery. Take on the roles of members of the latest generation of superheroes, young adults trying to figure out who they are and what kind of heroes they want to be.

I am remiss if I don’t talk about MASKS, the first game I would turn to if I wanted to replicate Young Justice, Teen Titans, or anything from the Spiderverse series. This game is often cited as one of the definitive examples of what a Powered by the Apocalypse game can do, and for good reason. The superhero powers are present as picklists tied to each playbook, while what separates the playbooks is the inherent struggle of the character. Are they trying to hide their mundane identity? Are they struggling with feeling like a freak? Do they have a legacy to live up to?

I think these thematic elements show a deep love for the superhero genre, and I also love that the chances of success aren’t tied to what your abilities are, but rather your reasons for using them. If you are trying to protect someone, you’re rolling Savior, but if you’re trying to do damage, you roll Danger. In either situation you could be using your powers, but it’s intent that matters - and then you describe how you want to do it in order to give us an idea of what success or failure would look like.

FASERIP, by Gurbintroll Games.

FASERIP is a neo-clone game of super heroes, based on a classic 1980s role-playing game. The game contains a flexible yet streamlined super power system, and a completely new character generation system which keeps the fun and unpredictability of the original game’s random character generation but tempers it with an emphasis on balance and player choice.

This is a retro-clone from another superhero game that has since gone out of print - I think perhaps Marvel Super Heroes? Unfortunately I’m not familiar with the source material, but I can tell you that this version is free!

FASERIP is pretty granular in your ability level, ranking characters and difficulty levels from Zero to Infinite. Your superpowers in this game have a few important factors - source (how you got the power), rank (how effective it is), and boosts (how flexible your abilities are. Powers are determined randomly in FASERIP, with roll tables used to determine what kinds of powers you get and how many boosts you get. If you’re a fan of older rules systems and random power generation, I recommend checking out FASERIP.

Those of Us Who Know Better, by C.J. Linton.

Those of Us Who Know Better is a tabletop roleplaying game about transgender superheroes whose powers come at a price. Civilians by day, in community every other Thursday evening, and heroes by night, the players use their powers to problem solve and offer protection and support around town. These powers must be used sparingly, however, because every use of a superpower demands a specific and costly remuneration.

For some reason or other, your characters are under a contract that gives them powers. How that contract came to be and how it functions is up to you, but the result is this: every time you activate your superpower, you must pay a price. If you do not pay this price, your character is immediately subjected to intense physical pain.

The book has a short list of some common superpowers, such as flight, fire manipulation, and super senses. It also has a short list of consequences - with options such as get an animal to bite you, run for five minutes, and take a shot of alcohol. The book has some basic guidelines for what to consider when creating your own powers and prices, so I think the world is your oyster with a game like this.

[glitteredbubbles]

I am suffering from a horrible case of writer’s block so here’s an excerpt from my incredibly sad WIP fic where Neil goes to military school/Harvard and becomes a doctor while Todd becomes a poet:

(TW: homophobic language)

As they go on and on in their idle adult-talk, Todd feels something deep within him yearn for the idea of more time with Neil. It had been a recurring theme throughout his poetry, fruitlessly wishing he had more time with the ghosts of his past since he knew that god didn��t like him enough to get it right more than once. If he had more time with Neil, if he had never been caught acting and shipped off to military school, Todd can only imagine what they would have become.

But then again, what chance did they have anyway? If they ever did end up speaking, if Neil ever did end up liking Todd the way he hopelessly wished for, maybe it would have resulted in a few drunken nights fooling around, flushed cheeks and bitten-back gasps falling away into the obscurity of night. But what then? People like them – or him, at least – weren’t allowed to exist past closed doors, and the allowance for them behind those barriers wasn’t fairing much better anyway.

Todd had wanted to attend the marches, heard all about Harvey Milk across the country making history. But what difference would it make? Harvey was already dead for the crime of being himself, gunned down in his own office while the murderer got away with only 7 years in prison. The world would always showcase its unflinching dedication to wiping out people like him no matter how much progress he thought was made, and he was beginning to come to terms with that fact.

Making a career out of something already highly unpopular in the 60s and 70s like poetry was hard enough, the last thing he needed was to be labeled the faggot poet who always wrote about his fumbling hookups or the one boy from his youth that got away.

But here was that boy in front of him now, his brows knit together in worry the same way he had looked at Todd countless times when he’d been on the verge of losing his lunch just from saying a few sentences in front of the Poets.

“You okay?” he asks casually, as if talking now wasn’t gutting countless fond memories out of Todd.

Todd nods his head robotically, rubbing an absent hand on his neck as he does so. “Yeah, sore throat ‘s all,” he murmurs back, hoping that will be explanation enough for his pained expression and sparse words.

Thankfully, Neil seems to accept what he says at face value, nodding his head and breaking his gaze away to look at the TV once again. Right, Todd was supposed to be pretending that he cared about inane shit like sports for this to feel more natural, for the charged and heady air between them to be more digestible and dismissible.

[mirkwood]

What do you think will happen to Adar?

God I wish I could give you a good answer but quite honestly I have no idea.

After the last ep and with this scene that I have described as "right person right time" I think the chances of him surviving are higher. They would NOT show us galadriel witnessing that if it was not important for Adar's fate.

Besides this, I feel like we're literally 60/40 chances w him living or dying. Unfortunately I don't think he'd ever accept the chance of redemption bc he loves his children too much. And at the same time we KNOW that no matter what he does, the orcs will be sauron's slaves again so literally WHAT ARE WE DOING RN.

One of my concerns if he survives is what they are going to do with him moving forward. Like a redemption arc would make sense so he can continue being in s3 but again, idk if he would accept it (he can't betray his children like that but then again. Who tf knows what he's gonna do)

Here's an incredible post that digs deeper into his possible fate and that I agree with.

++ Another possible way this could go is (and this is all the idea of @sauronism w her big brain) that sauron will keep adar as prisoner and thrall and use him for his purposes. I wouldn't put it past him to do that, he wants Adar to suffer and I think that's the best way to do so.

But again I have NO IDEA BC THEY HAVE CONFUSED ME SO MUCH 😭😭😭 here's hoping he lives and he gets to be in s3 amen

[whumprecs]

you’ve prob done this but umbrella academy whump/angst recs?? all ur others are so good!

Sorry about the delay! So I am a huge Five fan, so most of them are slanted that way, though I think Diego sneaks in there a few times -but also they're almost all Family Fics.

I'm going to leave off the NSFW/non-con ones I know of, just in case. If you are interested, feel free to send another anon ask (or message if you would prefer) and I'll send links.

i'm walking backward into my own myth by eluvion  Five is in 1963. He’s in 2019. He’s in 2002. Time is falling apart, and Five is in every piece. Five is a disease, and time is coughing up a lung.

Or; Five Hargreeves breaks time.

I kept running (for a soft place to fall) by chromaticality He'd hoped they had given up. Really, he should have known better. The Handler thinks he's the solution to all her problems. Five thinks he'd like to turn the whole place into a slaughterhouse. But with Allison and Luther caught in the crossfire, Five has to cooperate with the Commission's plans until he can figure out a way to get everyone home.

No Time, No Time, Dear Brother O’ Mine by I_Logophile

At Gimbel Brothers department store, Five’s injury is a bit more serious than a simple bullet graze. Not that it matters to him.

That is, until the police show up while he’s trying to leave, and Five finds himself remembering things he’d rather forget. -- There’s something going on with his brother. That much is very clear to Diego.

Why else is Five at a crime scene? Why else is he attacking the people trying to help him? Why else is he going around ranting about time?

There’s something going on with his brother. And Diego is going to find out what.

He just has to get Five some medical attention first.

the walls kept tumbling down by Ingu It started small.

There was a nagging ache in his chest, phantom pain from where the bullets had pierced his flesh, in the overwritten timeline that never will be.

(the one where rewinding time doesn't miraculously resolve mortal gunshot wounds)

Here, Beneath My Lungs by beastboy12

After they get back from the 60's, Five starts investigating a string of suspicious murders while distancing himself from a family he's convinced he's already lost. So, naturally, Klaus and Diego join him. "Holy shit, Five," Diego says, rushing forward. "What the hell happened to you?" Five is off-balanced by the sight of Diego. Shouldn’t he be at the other address? What is he doing here? Klaus appears on the other side of Diego and lets out a laugh that sounds almost frantic. "Oh, thank God you can see him, too.” “Why are you here?” Five says. Diego scoffs. “Yeah, no, the one covered in blood doesn’t get to ask questions.”

Series

Part 1 of Five is an emotionally stunted yogurt lid

The Longest Roads Lead to Home by assaily (twistedskys) Five raised his glass to the rafters. “I’m home,” he said simply. “I’d like to take the time to enjoy that, y’know.”

Diego watched him pour another drink, suddenly understanding him. He’d been gone a long time, lost in a really terrible place that probably never felt like home unless he could somehow forget he was the last soul on Earth. ‘Home’ meant a lot to him.

When Five’s glass was ready again, Diego raised his own, still half-full. “To being home,” he said.

That earned him a smile, a real one that managed to soothe the crease in Five’s brow and make him look so incredibly young in its sincerity, and so incredibly old in its deep gratitude. He raised his glass and clinked it against Diego’s. “To finally being home.”

~-~

Or; Five gets kidnapped and it goes wrong (for the kidnapper).

heart heart head by morimaru

a series of hurt/comfort snippets featuring Five.

Blink by Lady_Origami When Five blinks, sometimes he's back in the world of ash and embers. It's hard to remember how to breathe when that happens. In which Klaus tries to play the role of supportive brother with Ben's help, and Five struggles more than he lets on.

Can you hug me as I go? by maddienole What if the FBI captured Five instead of Vanya?

2x7 canon divergence.

Simple by sharkneto Diego runs into Five at the park. He’s just here to catch a mugger. Why does Five always complicate things?

Lend a Hand by sharkneto If Luther’s being honest, he’s not sure how they’re going to get out of this one. Effectively trapped and powers negated, the Umbrella Academy is in a dire position.

Luther really needs to stop underestimating the lengths Five is willing to go to save his family.

Howling at the Moon by assaily (twistedskys) Five is now a permanent resident of the Hotel Oblivion. The rooms are crap, service is even worse, and he's pretty sure his family left him here. But at least they're safe, right?

A pre-season 3 AU of season 3, Hotel-as-a-prison concept from the comics.

lie awake, sleep awake by morimaru Number Five does not get sick. He refuses to be sick. His body obeys. Right up until it doesn't. (- this one is literally my favorite of all of these rec's, I have lost count how many times I've read it)

and all the kids cried out by morimaru The one where Five is sick, the Handler is clingy and hard to get rid of even after death, and Klaus has a ghost-busting side-gig that is a lot less exciting than it sounds.

Guilt Trip by I_Logophile In typical Five Hargreeves fashion, a drug ring bust with his family turns into a rescue mission, which turns into a complete and utter shitshow. Because, of course, things had to go sideways— No, scratch that. Things didn't just go sideways, things went upside down, backward, and inside out. And then got blown up. Literally.

In the aftermath of the whole fiasco, Five is left reeling, floundering, drowning in guilt.

Because how could he have done that?

How could he have attacked his family?

spoiled by morimaru Number Five is a survivor. He fought his whole life: he fought their father, the apocalypse, the commission, then – the apocalypse, again. Having made that fateful jump back to 2019, he unwillingly left his old body with all of its scars behind. Physical ones, at least. It’s funny, in a way, that the hardest thing for him to fight ends up being food.

The Dangers of Vigilanteing by aceofwhump Diego gets injured during one of his vigilante acts and is forced to go back to the one place he swore he'd never return: The Umbrella Academy

Also, the best way I've found to get to the fics I want in this fandom is to troll through favorites of the authors of my favorite fics. Most fandoms that doesn't seem to work, but this one it does. Happy reading, and again - sorry about the delay!

[stopisa]

₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊secret snowflake gift for @rinneverse₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊

a/n: posting the secret snowflake gift i did in a mutual server. wishing all my followers and mutuals a wonderful and blessed new year c: enjoy!

iwaizumi hajime x gn!reader (sfw, mildly suggestive at the end)

‘what the fuck do I do?'

he’d been bouncing his leg up and down for the last 15 minutes contemplating how he would approach this situation. 

it’s New Year's Eve, and international student iwaizumi hajime is a nervous wreck. he had been invited to a small get-together by a friend from his sports injury class last semester. his friend knew about the crush he’d had on you for the last 5 months and thought it would be a great opportunity to get you guys just a little closer. hajime kept shifting his eyes to his watch and then to the acquaintances on the other side of the room, absorbed in their respective conversations. 

“hey,” the greeting snaps him out of thought and his eyes meet yours. 

“is this seat free?” you ask. he quickly nods, hurrying over. you sit down on the small couch, sitting closer to him to make sure others have room to sit. your knees touch and his face only gets warmer; the sweater he wears feels incredibly uncomfortable.  

he clears his throat, “y-you look great tonight.” he offers a small smile at the end of his compliment.

“thank you so much, i didn’t think much of it before leaving but it seemed to match good enough.” you glanced over at his outfit, which looked simple yet styled so well. the dark colors contrasted well with his piercing green eyes. “i can say the same for you too.”

the well-received compliment ends up shaking off the anxiety for hajime and conversation flows freely between you two. topics like school, hobbies, and friends are brought up with jokes and playful jabs mixed in. each word that leaves your mouth has him only falling harder for you. ‘shit,’ he thinks to himself. ‘they’re so fucking perfect…’  

“do you wanna get a drink?” you ask, hoping to get away from the noise around you. he nods, stands up, and offers his hand to you. warmth brushes your face, and you take his hand and stand up too. 

in the quiet sanctuary of the kitchen, you both enjoy the ridiculously sweet concoctions the host made for everyone to enjoy. you both give each other glances here and there whilst people-watching.

the noise in the apartment increases as the tv volume is raised, shifting your attention the clock reads “11:58 pm”. the time runs and people begin to count down 60 seconds. hajime's hand slowly grabs at the one by your side. startled you quickly face him, he looks nervous but adorable. 

“i…i like you, like a lot.”

you hear the start of ‘10…9…8…’

“and i didn’t know how to tell you, because you’re amazing and--” he knew he was rambling but it didn’t matter anymore.

‘5…4…3’

the smile on your face grows.

“just kiss me, dumbass.”

hajime blinks, and before he can say ‘huh’ you lean in, taking his lips into yours. from surprised to relaxed, his eyes flutter shut and his hands go to your waist, holding you lightly and enjoying the kiss as you both hear cheers and the noise of fireworks going off in the background. 

you pull away and giggle, “happy new year, Hajime.” 

still stunned, he can’t seem to find his words for a few seconds, “This is going to be such a good year...” 

laughing at his comment and dazed expression you take his hand and pull him with you, walking towards the bathroom down the hall. he follows you and looks around nervously but no one notices you two as they are all engrossed with the festivities of music and dancing. the bathroom door is shut and locked and you both look at each other, basking in the silence and tension. 

this time, Hajime is the first to make a move, grabbing your face and kissing you with the passion you’ve heard so much about. tongues dance and hands roam over each other, feeling bold you kiss down his neck and move lower, kneeling on the floor until you reach the waistband of his denim pants, teasing the button with your index finger.

his stunning eyes meet with yours from above, hooded with lust, you give him a wink, “If you let me, I can make the start of your year so much better.”

thx for reading and here's to 2024 <3

[ninesnowfang]

Ramble about Bravely Default's offensive spells and why they're bad and how Bravely Second made it amazing

first of all i'm gonna mention that i will default to BD for bravely default and BS for bravely second in this, BD2 isn't gonna be mentioned much if at all. I will also note that this is mostly stated for boss encounters since regular encounters are so easy it barely matters what you use, any sort of AoE spammed enough will clear the encounter, This will also talk about Hard mode being the played difficulty (normal and especially casual mode you can literally run whatever and it'll work) BD has probably the worst magic in any "final fantasy" style RPG i've ever played, it's very strong SUPER early on (aka once you get it) and no further than the first optional asterisk holder it's already becoming so weak comparitively to the sheer damage output that thief and its massive agility stat lets you do, this is partially because of bosses not having many elemental weaknesses to exploit and also because rods don't give magic attack via proficiency, a Brawler and a Black Mage will get the exact same amount of magic attack from the same rod which holds back magic starting late Florem or early Eisen. It's also held back by Spell Fencer taking away what COULD be its niche, having elemental variety to exploit any and all weaknesses if a boss DOES have them (mostly crystal bosses). By the time you get Hunter especially there's no longer much reason to use magic at all offensively thanks to hawkeye taking away the one issue physical attacks could have, that being the chance of missing or whiffing to many hits, doubly so once you get the strongest class in the game aka Ninja. Lastly the amount of JP needed as well as magical damage support being incredibly scarce as the game goes on compared to physical support (merchant's crit boost, quick, agility boosting equipment and ofc spellblade) just makes it an awful feel to use it compared to mowing down enemies with pyhsical damage. Then comes BS and your literal first asterisk you get is wizard with the glorious Spellcraft ability, Spellcraft lets you change your spells with different properties, need a priority spell that does 1.5x its original damage/heal? level 2 of the class which you reasonably get before the bella/cu fight where you really want those lightning darts, enemy magic defense too high? at level 4 you get spellcraft: hammer which deals PHYSICAL damage based on your magic attack, it can also crit for double damage, the same spellcraft level also gives you mist which keeps the spell on the side you cast it on for a few turns, this can be used with healing spells or even REVIVES, the next spellcraft tier includes wall, a counter that casts the spell after getting hit by a physical attack and blast which turns the spell used into an AoE and boosts the effect of it. So yeah Wizards give you a massive utility boost right out of the start with any caster you get… and it somehow also has the highest intelligence stat in the game + the now SCALING magic attack rods which lets you use magic offensively throughout the game… especially with the last spellcraft tier where you get spellcraft: Rain, changing the spell to be cast four times with no effect boost besides that.

This works with meteor and every hit does capped out damage and with the right setup you can do this 14 times per full brave turn, that is 56 capped damage hits which no boss in the game can survive. But it costs a ton of MP so unless there's a simple way to take care of that you really won't be able to spam it...

thankfully MP free in a pinch + ghost status turns these frail glass canons into a zero risk maximum reward team setup that obliterates the entire game and you can get that setup going at around 60% of the game being complete. Now how does physical stack up to that? well, magic is far easier to use in BS but physical builds have a lot of neat new tools too, fencer in particular is such a good class that it's worth using as a sortof hybrid tank and DPS or main DPS. thanks to spellcraft on Supportive magic like keeping up buffs every turn, immediately rebuffing someone with dart after they were just revived it doesn't really matter what kind of build you go for, hell use both magic and physical in the same team it's ABSOLUTELY viable in this game because Bravely Second is probably the most free "just go nuts it'll work somehow" class based RPG i've ever played and that's likely going to stay that way

On that note just to have it mentioned, BD2 also has good class balance as long as you ignore beast tamer and freelancer overshadowing the other classes as main jobs due to sheer stats, the game also has a good mix of phys and magic balance so it's another sorta "just use whatever lol" game, but not to the degree of BS

[bugtransport]

I've seen this one person who, on account of knowing a fair bit of Japanese, has actually seen old-timey serial toku from the late 50's-early 60's like Gekko Kamen, & not only always praises them, but holds more conventional showa toku like Rider & Zubat against them! & I think that's genuinely really fascinating & thought provoking! Makes you wonder how much perspective is lost on us because of the language barrier stopping us from watching those shows, it also brings to mind how when we measure stuff like art, we only do so relative to what WE know!

sorry it was incredibly funny receiving this ask because i feel like this is the experience that anyone who tries to talk to me about western media has when they inevitably run into the brick fucking wall that is the fact that i just apparently did not go through US Kids to Adolescents Media Bootcamp and have the world's spottiest baseline of what you're supposed to know. i mean like yeah sure i've never seen shit like titanic that's an easy one to miss but i just learned who king arthur was last year. i've been boycotting disney since i had a concept of what a company was. i just straight up didn't watch live tv after 2nd grade. my friend had to explain what danny phantom was to me this past weekend. all the shakespeare i know (2) was taught to me against my will.

anyway where was i. i typed up something first but it got way too long. i do think it is interesting to think about how we're only able to comprehend and analyze media through the lens of our experiences in life up to that point but [gesturing above] i am Dumb Ass Rocks and i think that's why whenever i make certain statements about media i feel the need to put in a disclaimer that gives at least some idea of where i'm coming from so people don't expect me to know things i simply don't? it's something that i've had to become very aware of through the years and i think a lot a lot a lot of miscommunication is due to the fact that people are assuming that other people around them have the same understanding or background information or reading of something. i think if you want to talk language barriers there's a point to be brought up too about how translation is an artform and a really beautiful one; you're essentially being a middleman for understanding between the author and the reader but because they're relying on the translator to decode and recode the meaning in their own words, we've now got an additional person in the mix having to balance THEIR knowledge base, so i am wrENCHING MYSELF AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD I'M GOING OFF TRACK AGAIN-

i think it's good enough to just find enjoyment in the things that you find enjoyment in! unless you're looking to do serious (i.e. academic style) analysis i'm anti-completionist and think everyone should simply leave if they're not enjoying something. doesn't matter how late in the game. i'll watch a whole show and not the final episode if it sucks. i watched bojack horseman thrice but there's one episode i simply won't watch because i started it and hated it. i just watched as much of the show as i cared to and enjoyed it! and in that same vein if you aren't able to access a part of a series/genre/what have you due to time/language/cost/bald/other constraints in my Humble Onion you can just take the enjoyment out of the parts you're able to access. no use dreaming about the things that could be when you have perfectly good shows right there!

[sjofn-lofnsdottr]

I am feeling particularly talkative about my dumb dudes today apparently.

This next guy isn't done with the MSQ yet, unlike the previous three I've word vomited about. I made him because I was struggling to understand the appeal of the male viera. It felt like 99% of them looked the same, had the same uwu vibe (no offense to the uwu viera men out there), and were just sort of ... meh. Perhaps, I thought to myself, if I made one, and stared at his stupid face long enough, I would Understand.

He started out as a bunny version of Dusk, because I wound up making bunny versions of Dusk, Mercuriel and Errol in the character creator and bunny Dusk seemed friendliest.

I named him Bjalla, and Bjalla made it very clear immediately that no. No, he was not Bunny Dusk.

And get the fuck off his lawn, while he's at it.

He is level 16 or so in that shot, not quite done with the Limsa intro MSQ. And he is already So Done With Everyone's Nonsense. No matter, I thought. I'm going to make this Bunny Dusk thing work. I'll give him tiny glasses, Dusk always wears tiny glasses, it's part of what makes him so Dusk.

And then I had to accept I had accidentally made a crabby grandpa rabbit. He isn't like so many viera I run into, who are young in body AND spirit (some of them claim to be in their 20 or 30s! Nonsense!). This man has Seen Some Shit before any of you bastards were even born.

Fine, I decided. Fine, if he's going to be a Real Boy, I should refresh on the whole viera lore thing. Really ponder it. And holy shit, I'd always thought it was intensely weird and clearly in the service of trying to explain why there were only ladies in battle thongs representing the race, but it is nigh impossible for me to conceive of a male viera that doesn't have a shitton of trauma as a result of where he came from (unless, of course, he was born outside of that culture to begin with, then he has a chance!).

Bjalla was part of that culture for a long time. He was a master, who had apprentices. HIS master had told him that he needed to make a decision one day: treat all his apprentices like his sons, or none of them. Taking after the man who taught him, Bjalla treated his apprentices like family. This made it incredibly hard when he would lose one, and one day he just ... couldn't do it any more, and walked away from it, breaking the Green Word.

He didn't love learning he apparently Has a Destiny 60+ years later, to be honest. But better than making some kid protagonist do it, he supposes.

Bjalla is old, he is an old man compared to everyone around him, even if you convert his age to hyur-years. "Oh, I'm basically in my 20s," you'll hear Viera players say. Bjalla is in his sixties, by the same metric. He sneers at the old man jokes lobbed Thancred's way. Thancred is a child.

He still has a strong urge to dad people, though, even idiot teenagers who are early in their character development and deserve to be pushed into the ocean.

Or idiot dragoons pretending the whole thing Bjalla saw him do in the dragoon questline is solved now and has absolutely no bearing on their future adventures together.

Old men with PTSD are safe from being dadded, though. They get commiseration instead. Only in spirit, though, Bjalla doesn't like talking about himself much unprovoked. And he has a very high bar for what counts as 'provoked.' Bjalla is an extrovert compared to most feral forest hermits, but he is still an ex-feral forest hermit.

Given the backstory I gave him, the Vault was especially upsetting for him. Not only because of the flashbacks - I love how young he looks here, right back to losing his last apprentice, the one that broke him - but because of what followed.

I've always found the scene where you go to Edmont afterwards so much sadder than the Actual Event. But sending my grandpa rabbit, who has known this exact kind of loss, to go see him made it even worse. He felt fatherly towards Haurchefant too - of course he did - and he's upset about such a kind, capable man's life being cut short, especially to protect him, of all people. But he's even more upset that this fellow father is going through pretty much the worst thing a father can experience.

Losing Ysayle later, another basically-kid in his eyes, who had so much potential in the life she should've gotten ahead of her, was not any better, of course. And later, after the Resistance encampment is decimated by Zenos and company, getting to commiserate with Conrad about all the young lives snuffed out ahead of their time, while these two tired old men are still standing, and how unfair it is ... it was a lot. It resonated with me more than it had on previous runthroughs.

Stuff hits different when you're in a grandpa rabbit mindset, I guess is what I'm saying here.

It's not all sad, of course, FFXIV at its core is a hopeful game, and I enjoy that he's got joy in his life too. He has a whole-ass found family he loves very much, for example.

And a girlfriend that is too young for him but since she's coded as old he hasn't really noticed.

As you likely noticed, his MSQ class is warrior, although I'm also pretty fond of him being a black mage too, of all things. He works through shit by setting his problems on fire sometimes, I guess. He also will frequently be a dragoon or bard, as I think he primarily used those weapons Back in the Forest Times and he doesn't want to get rusty.

Anyway! That's Bjalla, who is right at the end of 5.5 and I'll probably finish EW on him during the lull between 6.55 and 7.0, if not sooner.

He is not in a rush.

[chaserainbows]

Week 1

(i was gonna make some halloween puns here originally but with the boopocalypse there was enough going on already)

the season begins with a mini challenge to warm up our legends and if you don't know what the pit crew is it's basically a bunch of buff dudes that are paid to stand there in their underwear

if fearghas wasn't competing he could fit right in with them because his body is tea

akari l. puts her assigned partner (barry?) in her signature survivalcore bad bitch style and wins the mini challenge receiving A Modest Amount Of Money as her prize (realistically those mini challenge related advantages never matter)

as for the actual challenge of the episode we have Her ms. talent show the challenge where everyone has 1 minute to do whatever the hell they want on stage

last time sidney won this challenge and did the exact same type of performance as lynn and since then the world has not been the same

agni gives us CULTURE by performing to an iconic song from jalur we love a legend representing their home region

akari l. goes for a bold move and challenges herself to sew a runway-ready outfit in 60 seconds she works FAST

akari y. is doing a lot apparently because i dunno what variety means but in my fantasy she's reenacting the 300 legendary fights she had in her lifetime

anabel does a gaggy reveal from her emerald outfit to her modern era outfit by going through an ultra wormhole she gives fashion AND storytelling

diantha proves her acting chops by reading an iconic monologue from one of her many plays she will make you feel things

fearghas is doing something i don't really know what velcro means but apparently he took the pit crew suggestion to heart and now he's stripping on stage

grusha will not repeat his salsa dance number from last time because oof ouchie his bones but this time he shows a new artistic side to himself and paints a portrait of ponchik

iris stands there and serves face

lynn proves her new status as a dancing diva and does an iconic dance number with no flames this time so she doesn't incur sidney's wrath again

may reinforces her status as one of the top 3 horny bisexuals of the amanoverse puts on her feathers and lace and GOES TO TOWN

and saundra i refuse to believe that she's not singing live i KNOW she's giving an iconic performance to one of her original songs

the top performers of this challenge are lynn akari y. may anabel fearghas and saundra

the music siblings are DEVOURING they're showing how it's done

lynn redeems her previous talent show flop and proves why she's a winner and akari y. did a whole lot of things but she did them incredibly well

agni and iris also did great which is especially impressive for iris considering she did basically nothing we love a queen of peak efficiency

akari l. does a good job as well her talent show was very ambitious but she definitely didn't bomb or anything

and the clear bottom 2 of this episode are grusha (because the judges didn't appreciate ponchik's immaculate beauty) and diantha (because the judges didn't appreciate her acting serve)

since there's so many good performances the runway will be the tiebreaker

the category is trains (as in long trailing pieces of fabric not literal trains) and the clear standouts are akari y. saundra and fearghas

THE MUSIC SIBLINGS BRING IT AGAIN i know saundra had a jaw dropping look for this episode

akari y. is kind of a beast she's been acing every single aspect of this challenge

meanwhile diantha's look was fine but since everyone did at least good that basically means she's guaranteed to be in the bottom

BUT WAIT

for this first episode no one's going home (this twist happened last time too so it's not that shocking)

the best performances of the week are lynn anabel fearghas saundra may and akari y.

anabel fashion queen with her quick change performance and you KNOW may slayed her burlesque number

the bar for this episode was so high that iris is safe despite doing great in the challenge and runway

the top 2 is decided and akari y. will face off against lynn for the win

NO PRESSURE IT'S JUST THE CURRENT WINNER WHO'S UNDEFEATED IN LIPSYNCS

not the rupaul song

i actually kinda like this one but we legally have to pick something else

there we go i've been obsessed with this song

they both do great but surprisingly akari y. seems to be outperforming lynn there's NOTHING that can stop her from collecting her win

actually it might be that lynn's holding back because she literally already won a season so she wants to give her competitors a chance

AKARI Y. IS OUR WINNER AND ALSO LITERALLY THE FIRST PERSON IN THE STORY OF EVER TO DEFEAT LYNN IN A LIPSYNC

imagine starting off the season by breaking world records that's a queen right there

meanwhile in untucked

may and grusha are getting to know each other which is one hell of an unexpected duo given that may's all about cheerfulness and grusha is GRUSHA but she relates to his constant sense of existential dread by telling him about team aqua trying to kill her

may getting this event is probably the funniest outcome because someone DID try to drown her in the ocean so she's not exaggerating this is a real story

grusha is the king of post-episode conversations

akari l. confides with him that she's salty about technically being bottom 3 (but safe in practice) after a perfectly good performance and he agrees because the judges did NOT appreciate ponchik's beauty

the ranking for this episode goes as follows

akari y. slayed every single aspect of this episode she did not hold back

out of the top performers may was the closest to breaking into top 2 and fearghas was the closest to being called safe but all 4 of them did about the same level so it's not a big difference

if this episode has eliminations the bottom 2 would've been grusha and diantha but that did not happen so they get to slay next episode

[moonmoonthecrabking]

like i can live with surf’s up existing. it’s a bop, but also it suggests that maybe some parts of the musical world still exist inside of them. that, even though their clothes can be normal and their hair can get wet, being a part of the movie changed them in some inescapable way. they now are compelled to express themselves differently, in particular mack, who used to view what’s now an instinct of hers as weird and unnatural. maybe there’s some sequel idea in there. or maybe it’s just a lingering side effect, one number to get it out of their systems. the background dancers make less sense but i’m willing to believe mack’s grandfather put something together. maybe that was his way of convincing aunt antoinette to let mack stay with him, who knows

what i find really weird is teen beach 2. bc the first two numbers are realistic in how they’re diegetic. and then the third number is lela and tanner and it makes perfect sense. then there’s twist that frown upside down. i can suspend my disbelief for this one with “maybe there’s some force field around lela and tanner while they’re So 60s”. i would like to know how exactly mack feels about this other than “don’t fight the song”. bc it’s probably a little weird, especially if her last time breaking into a new song was surf’s up.

but then there’s silver screen. with props and back up dancers. and sure maybe they paid people off or asked people. but it’s incredibly quick they are in high school and have you seen those sets. and mack and brady break into song. to which i ask have they been doing this the past three months? is it just because lela and tanner are back, even though they’re modern now?

and none of that matters because the ending erases all of mack and brady’s character development

[gae-blog]

I haven't beaten every boss in Shadow of the Erdtree yet, but I'm at the end and my thoughts on the game have solidified (no spoilers on bosses or story content, just general gameplay and design)

SotE feels like one step forward and one step back compared to the base game. The dlc improves upon many of the good elements of the original while failing to address, and compounding upon, the issues that ruined the last third of the base game for me.

From an aesthetic and "exploration" point of view, the dlc is a noticeable improvement. The environments feel more varied and memorable, the bosses' designs are some of the best Fromsoft has put out, and, even though you'll still be spending a lot of time exploring caves and catacombs, much more effort has clearly gone into making those environments distinct and fun.

I have plenty of complaints with the dlc, such as the copy and paste field bosses (which I will rant about if prompted), but most of my problems center around the fact that I do not the boss fights very much. They feel difficult for the sake of being difficult, like Fromsoft bought into their reputation for hard games and so felt the need to "up the ante" with every single fight. They suffer from all the flaws that I disliked about Elden Ring's later bosses, but where those was limited to the last couple fights, ever major boss in the dlc seems to suffer from them now. To list some of the things I do not like about SotE's bosses:

The camera is the worst it's ever been in any souls game. This is (hopefully) not intentional difficulty, but it means that a lot of bosses are as much a fight to see what's going on as it is to dodge attacks, which isn't helped by:

Attacks that favour flashiness and spectacle over visual clarity, making them extremely difficult to parse

Bosses do incredibly high damage, meaning you'll often get two-shot even with 60 vigor and appropriate Scadutree Blessings (which are their own can of worms)

All bosses have extremely high poise. Malenia was... Malenia, but at least once you learned her moveset, you could create openings by being aggressive and staggering her. That is not the case in the dlc

Very small punish windows, even after (extremely) long combos, with only enough time to heal or do 1-2 attack before the start of another combo

Sometimes bosses will end their combos on the other side of the arena, so by the time you run into range they've already started their next attack

50/50 fast-slow mixups and optional combo follow-ups

Every boss seems to be wearing heelys and have perfect tracking without corresponding animations, meaning that they will skate forward to hit you no matter where you stand, trivializing positioning

It feels like every boss was designed with hit trading in mind if you want to beat them in any reasonable amount of time

All of this culminates to make bosses feel like an ordeal (and not in the good way). When I beat a boss, I didn't feel like it was because I had mastered their moveset, I felt like I just got lucky. If you made me fight Genichiro, or any Sekiro boss, I'm confident I could beat them first try, because I know those fights and I have them figured out. If you asked me to do the same for any SotE boss, I don't think I could.

I don't feel qualified to call this objectively bad boss design, and a lot of people seem to be enjoying the bosses, but I can say that I do not like the direction that Fromsoft is going in. Comparing any fight in the dlc to something like Gael's fight feels like a night and day difference in boss philosophy. I think that Fromsoft is running up against the limitations of their own fight design, and they need to either take a step back and return to their roots, or they need to give the player more defensive options in order to keep up with the bosses (AKA make Sekiro 2 you cowards).

I did ultimately enjoy the dlc despite how much I've complained, but it's only reaffirmed the opinion I had when I finished the base game: I really hope Fromsoft's next game isn't another open world souls, because if it's going to have all the same flaws as Elden Ring and SotE then I can't really bring myself to be excited about it.

[kuschelkissen]

Ok. Ok, so... I need to "gush" a bit. This will be a long post, so I'll put it under a cut.

Background: I'm from Germany. In the early 2000s, we had this big anime-themed fanpage called Animexx. I mean, we still have that page, it's just gotten really quiet over there with the rise of Social Media.

Anyway.

That page had/has everything. You could submit fanart, fanfic, doujinshi/fancomics, cosplay photography, you could roleplay, write weblogs, there was a forum, etc, etc. It still feels a bit of a dream, but I loved this page because you could find EVERYTHING there.

That cool cosplayer you saw on the convention? If you went on Animexx, you'd probably find them and could tag them in the photo you took of them (this is still the thing I missed the most when I was more active in cosplay...).

I sometimes look back at my old fanart and fanfic over there and read the nice comments I got.

I think their downfall was mostly the many, many rules regarding fanart quality, cosplay quality, and last but not least, the whims of unfair mods ... but that's a topic for a different post.

SO ANYWAY.

They had - still have - a section for fanarts called "Aikos Lieblinge" - Aiko's favourites (Aiko being one of the mascots of that page). I think they rotate each week? I'm not 100% sure, but it's always 6 pictures that get chosen? Tbh I don't really know how it works, I know you can suggest a fanart for it, and I assume the 6 pictures with the most suggestions get chosen.

Back then, it was a big deal. If you were among Aiko's favourites, you'd get pages after pages of comments. 60-100 comments on your picture were pretty common, really good pictures got even more.

I always looked at that longingly, I usually got maybe 2-6 comments, and the most I got were my very old One Piece fanarts where I actually managed to get around 20, and even 40 comments on one.

SO. ANYWAY.

It finally happened. I've been on this page for 20 years (joined in May 2004 and have never really left, though been inactive every now and then through the years), and today I opened the fanart front page to see...

My Heizuha picture on there! 🥺 I made it! I made it into Aiko's favourites!!

I try not to listen to the tiny voice in my head that keeps grumbling "well, NOW it doesn't matter anymore, it's not like there's still a whole lot of people active over there!", because even though that may be true... this stupid moment just has lifted my mood SO MUCH??

I KNOW it is useless. I'm not gonna get an influx of new followers over there, and a whole bunch of people commenting on my picture(s). But just knowing what it used to be... knowing that there were at least SOME people thinking my stupid little drawing was good enough to be suggested for this...

It makes me incredibly happy ='//)

[kaisita]

The skull trumpet video was so weird to watch. Like, the subject matter is cool, and the web sleuthing aspect of it is cool as well, but when it turned to "I needed to stalk this dead woman and all of her relatives just to let her know that I found her because of a gif she made back on 1999 and even after learning of her passing I'm going to keep harassing the person who answered, even though I have their address and I was about to send someone to their house, without thinking about the possibility of that being an invasion of privacy" it just weirded me out. No amount of "self awareness" and admitting that what you did is actual stalking makes that behavior okay. Even less so fantasizing about you receiving an autograph and being so cool because you brought obscure internet culture to a woman that would be probably in her 60's that posted some random ass gifs 30 years ago. Like imagine doing some random beep booping on the internet and then being chased down like that, your name and your loved ones' info being put out and blasted on YouTube for clout and the "privilege of unearthing info that no one else has ever gotten before". Maybe the reason it was never released is because you'd have to do intensive research on someone who wasn't a public figure, and that MAYBE IDK is stalking. If the people you tried to reach didn't answer, why did you feel it would be a good idea to text them again and again, call them, have someone else call them again, email them multiple times, search up everyone related and with a similar last name, LOOK UP THEIR ADDRESS and even THINK going to their home for DOOT SKELETON. And then the audacity to make half of the video about how hard you worked to get all this information, and oh Lord incredible you, you unearthed the personal info of someone else for a meme.

I don't think anyone's life is better after learning where doot skeleton came from.