#it’s going to be so ethereal and campy i just know

[gothluke]

my favorite album of all time ✅

blue & sparkly promo ✅

luke acknowledging the mother allegations ✅

pride month show ✅

wfttwtaf getting the recognition she deserves ✅

✨ manifesting the most girly pop campy outfit to complete the sequence of good events ✨

[sunniedesi]

In Defense of Future Diary...

TW: lots of yapping.

Making a small essay for Future Diary is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while. Since my entire blog is dedicated to the series, it only feels right to put something like this out into the ether. However, I’m never sure of the topics that I want to discuss the most. Do I write a defense for the show? My reasons for loving it so much? Its relevance and importance for anime culture? An analysis of Yuno’s character? There’s so much I feel you could say, but I never find the right words to express my feelings coherently. Today, I’ll make the attempt, though. I’ll go over all of the aforementioned questions here, mostly focusing on my personal opinions and feelings regarding the show. I don’t have much experience writing essays or analyses of media, so sorry in advance if my yapping is all over the place.

To begin, I should probably address the elephant in the room: Future Diary, despite its popularity and almost cult-classic status, has turned into a show people love to hate. You see it everywhere, when it comes to reviews, comments, opinion pieces, you name it, if it has Future Diary on the title, people will let you know all the gripes they have with the show. And while I tend to feel defensive or even saddened when I see so much hatred directed at my favorite show… I don’t necessarily blame anyone for feeling that way. I don’t want to be one of those people who pretends to hold the intellectual high-ground, acting as if everyone else is media-illiterate and I’m the one who truly gets the meaning of the series. At the end of the day, it’s just an anime, it’s not that deep. Everyone’s gonna like what they like; we all have different tastes and interests, so it’s only natural we all hold such different opinions about the show, especially given its campy, gory and almost edgy nature. Future Diary is definitely a product of early 2000’s trends, which some people (me lol) appreciate, and others certainly don’t.

That being said, while I respect people disliking the show for personal reasons, there are certain criticisms I see thrown its way that are not necessarily warranted. These issues can be boiled down to the following categories: “plot-holes,” a weak protagonist and toxic pairings. I’ll delve into all of these in a second, but I must say, the amount of times I’ve seen these specific points parroted over and over again makes me believe that many of the people making these arguments are piggybacking off of one another. It’s almost like they’re following a trend, repeating how the protagonist “sucks ass” and that the plot makes zero sense, without showing any examples as to how. 

It’s really common to find shallow arguments like those in comments sections and forums, but since I don’t want to feel like I’m barking up a tree in writing this essay, I decided to look for a source that encapsulated all of the common criticisms, while also backing them up with examples. Now, there are many good video essays out there on Future Diary, my personal favorite is by The Hot Box. But as far as critical pieces go, the one I found that goes the most in-depth is by the creator NezumiVA, titled: Mirai Nikki is Garbage, and Here’s Why. I’ll be referencing the video as I go along, but please note that while I disagree with many of this creator’s arguments, I don’t intend this to be a personal attack. As I said earlier, we’re all entitled to our different tastes and opinions, I can respect them disliking the series while having my own criticisms to give regarding the video. Just a little disclaimer so my intentions aren’t misconstrued here. 

With that out of the way, let’s take a deeper look into the main three arguments I mentioned before:

“The plot-holes eat up the show”

If you’ve been in the fandom for a while, you know that this is probably one of the most common criticisms levied towards Future Diary, and perhaps the one that holds the most weight. Or at least it would be, if it weren’t for the fact that “plot-holes” aren’t exactly the issue people are pointing at here. To explain, I believe people who dish out this claim all have different understandings of the definition of “plot-hole,” so to clarify: a plot-hole is an inconsistency, a contradiction in the narrative. For example, Yuno’s diary is all about Yukki, if she were to have diary entries not about him, that could be considered a plot-hole, as it contradicts the original narrative. A smaller detail being unexplained or overlooked for the sake of pacing is not a plot-hole. A flaw, yes, but as long as it doesn’t contradict what’s already been established in the story, it’s not a plot-hole. 

On one hand, it is true that there are certain Deus Ex Machina moments that aren’t properly explained in the show (heck, the god of this universe is called that for a reason), such as: how does 5th acquire all of his booby traps? Or where did 9th pull that motorcycle from? Why are characters so quick to forgive/forget certain events? These are smaller details that aren’t properly justified on-screen for the sake of pacing and making the show more interesting. You could possibly count this more as a case of poor characterization, particularly with 5th’s character having a lot of knowledge despite his age or Hinata quickly accepting the coin toss challenge despite having an advantage. Given the show only has 26 episodes, it’s only natural that detailed explanations for smaller details are omitted to make the show flow quicker and be more entertaining. While this may bother some people, I don’t find it to be such a big deal, or at least not a reason to dogpile on the show, when many other animes with shorter runtime fall victim to poor characterization as well. 

Many deem the plot nonsensical for missing these smaller explanations, but again, I find that exaggerated as they’re much, much trivial details that the majority of people don’t think of or focus on when watching the show. The video I referenced touches on the plot being illogical several times, not necessarily mentioning plot-holes per se, but complaining that many of the justifications behind certain plot points are unrealistic or contrived, though let’s be real here… since when is anime realistic? Future Diary, I would argue, does a good job of balancing very unrealistic scenarios with some realistic characters (like Yukki, but we’ll get into that later), which is what makes it interesting to watch. After all, what’s the fun in watching a fantasy show if it’s completely grounded in reality? Not to mention that many of the points brought up in the video aren’t contrived, especially if you were paying attention to the show. For example, the scene of Yuno meditating to figure out Reisuke’s plan. This wasn’t a Deus Ex Machina moment, it was foreshadowing of the fact she has her first-world memories locked away, and the meditation was her trying to access those memories. Same thing with Bacchus having an overpowered diary, it isn’t for the sake of it, he literally designed it to be that way, because he was the one who presented the idea of the diaries to Deus in the first place.

I’m getting a little side-tracked here, but you get the point. Ultimately, the worst sin a show can commit is being boring, and while Future Diary has its flaws in pacing and characterization, it contributes in keeping the viewers hooked to the action, packing its small run of 26 episodes with quite a bit of entertainment. Moreover, a lot of people overreact to these so-called “plot-holes”, yet they also fail to pay attention as to why things happen as they do in the show. Many of these criticisms can be summed up as either: trivial details that are omitted since they have little relevance to the plot and/or people not paying attention to what’s going on. 

Moving on, let’s tackle another very, very popular argument:

“Yukiteru is a total pushover (to put it nicely).” 

This is, without a doubt, the most common criticism I’ve seen people have of the show. I’m not sure if this is because people are used to the upbeat, overpowered protagonist trope in anime, but people don’t realize that Yukki being frustrating, awkward and terrified is an important part of the show’s storytelling, not to mention relatively unique. Very rarely do we see a realistic portrayal of a teenage protagonist in anime, and it is important for the show since it serves as a contrast to the other characters, all dark, callous and obsessed with the goal of becoming a God. Yukki is the only character not interested in any of this at the beginning. All he wanted was to escape reality with his phone and imaginary friends, and he's now thrusted into this terrible and hopeless situation. How exactly is a young boy expected to react under these circumstances? 

Teenagers are naive, dumb, selfish, all characteristics portrayed in Yukiteru, and these characteristics are put under scrutiny by every one of the diary owners, constantly telling him to grow a pair and stop using Yuno. This is easier said than done when you’re used to avoiding every little bit of responsibility in your life, and a girl who’s self-reportedly “crazy good at killing people” suddenly thrusts into your life ready to do all the work for you. Yukki is indeed a very flawed character, but that isn’t an accident, it is an intentional addition. It’s what makes him interesting; it pushes conflict into the show, and most importantly, drives home one of the main lessons of the show with Yukki’s development: fear doesn’t mean you’re not brave, it’s having that fear and pushing forward that makes you brave. A little corny, I know, but a valuable lesson for the Survival Game. 

Every character has an incentive for becoming God, and they’re utterly consumed by it to the point of insanity. Even a character like 4th, who was originally concerned with the goal of bringing order and justice rather than more carnage to the game gets carried away when a proper incentive for God’s seat comes into play: saving his son. In a Survival Game where we're surrounded by the most cunning and twisted of characters, killers, terrorists, people in corrupt positions of power, Yukki stands out like a sore thumb for retaining his humanity throughout it all, unwilling to get his hands dirty, rather willing to see hope in everyone else. It comes across as naive and all-too trusting. This is especially true for his father, but considering how little people he has to rely on, plus his childish hopes of seeing his family back together, his forgiveness towards him makes sense. And the same can be said for Yuno, the one constant he’s got all throughout the game. Despite the abuse and manipulation, she’s ultimately got his best interests at heart, but I’m getting ahead of myself with this point.

Eventually, the circumstances that Yukki goes through (namely his parents’ death) put that humanity, kindness and mercy, the staples of his personality, to test. It’s a testament to how desperate situations can corrupt even the most innocent of individuals. Yukiteru goes from a hopeful individual to a callous killer, no different from Yuno and equally as selfish. Similarly enough, we know thanks to her third-world-self that Yuno was originally a normal, happy girl with the hopes of finally having a loving family taking care of her. All of this, to then be tortured by the people who were supposed to bring that peaceful family life to her. 

Yukki being a weakling may be frustrating to some, it is certainly brought up many times during the video essay, but it’s an important factor that drives the plot and many of Future Diary’s lessons about growth and accountability. Besides, the anime certainly wouldn’t be as interesting to watch if every character was just an OP know-it-all like Akise. Which no hate to him, but the show wouldn’t be the same if every character were like him.

And speaking of Akise, I’ll take the opportunity to mention a point in the video essay that bothered me a bit. The creator says the show is “queerbaiting” with his character, because Akise’s attraction towards Yukki is forced, but I don’t see exactly how this is queerbaiting. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t queerbaiting when a character is insinuated to be gay, yet it’s kept ambiguous enough to never address it? The show straight-up explains the reason behind Akise’s attraction to Yukki. His love is forced because it was created by Deus to further his investigation about Yukki and Yuno. Akise himself is a fabrication of Deus. It is literally explained in episode 23. You can’t bait the audience into believing a character is gay if you explicitly tell the audience the character is gay lol.

But that’s one of the smaller issues I had with the video’s criticisms. My biggest gripes were actually the following: at the beginning of the essay, this creator talks about how many of the plot points in the show are contrived and illogical, but at the same time, they dislike the characters having tragic backstories that explain how they went on to become twisted individuals. Isn’t it a little contradictory that you complain about a character acting unnatural, yet when the explanation for their behavior comes up, you completely disregard it? They go as far as to say Esuno hates women and is misogynistic for his portrayal of female psychosis, and the use of SA as a tragic backstory being distasteful. Because, according to this creator, people who have been victimized never go on to become terrible people themselves, and that this is a “problematic stereotype.” 

To say that this worldview is incredibly simplistic and naive is putting it mildly. Being a victim doesn’t exempt you from the capability of hurting others, and in fact, the opposite is often true. Hurt people hurt people, that is another main theme in Future Diary, and one of the things I love about it so much. It doesn’t make its characters victims of terrible situations for the sake of pitying them, but to portray their natural descent into madness from being corrupted by a cruel and unrelenting world. Yuno, Yukki, Minene, Tsubaki, these characters all started out as normal until life turned them into the nihilistic monsters they became. They’re morally gray, an example of what you can become when your ethics and moral worldview is tested by society so many times, it ultimately turns you into a societal outcast. Which only makes it funnier that one of the questions asked in the video is “are we supposed to like these characters?” Yes and no, that’s the fun of writing morally gray characters.

I often see these takes with people who fail to understand that the portrayal of something in media ≠ endorsement. It’s the crux of people who lack media literacy, the failure to understand morally gray or just straight up evil characters as protagonists. The media itself isn’t telling you to repeat their actions, it is an exploration of how these actions manifest in the first place, a cautionary tale, if you will. I know that having evil or twisted protagonists isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but to accuse the story or the author of malicious intent would be completely missing the point of the story’s purpose. Not to mention, that it is important for stories like this to exist, to put us in the shoes of those who enact harm, to understand why they do it and keep us from becoming like them.

The show doesn’t justify any of their actions, in fact, it often shows them for what they are: twisted and morally corrupt; it is on the characters themselves to bear the burdens of these actions. A clear example of this is the confrontation that Yukki has with his friends nearing the end of episode 22. It is probably one of my favorite scenes in the entire show: Yukki being forced to face all of his demons at once, realizing just how much damage he has caused, damage that he later has to mend in his final confrontation with Yuno to finally put an end to everyone’s suffering. It is dense, crude, and it is certainly necessary for both him and Yuno. 

Funnily enough, this youtuber goes on to say the following about Yuno’s background: “I really don’t care what her (back)story pans out to look like… her actions are still not excusable.” Which is true, just because someone was abused doesn’t justify them perpetuating the same abuse later. However, they then crush their own point by claiming that Yuno’s obsessions started all because of “a passing conversation.” I guess they weren’t lying when they said that they didn’t care about Yuno’s backstory… because chalking up her obsession as solely a result of that scene is completely disregarding her background. That conversation in the classroom did start Yuno’s fixation towards Yukki, but it is not the root of her obsessive tendencies. Yuno herself believes it to be, but this is an idea that is squandered by Yukki in his final confrontations with her. Moreover, if you paid attention to her backstory, you would understand it is all due to her childhood neglect. And similarly, Yukki’s attraction towards Yuno stems from this as well.

This brings me to the final criticism:

“Yuno and Yukki’s relationship is problematic, toxic and makes no sense.”

There is no denying that Yuno and Yukki start out as an incredibly toxic and troublesome pairing, using each other for their own selfish wants instead of working with each other. This is the Achilles heel in their dynamic, and it is often the cause of their troubles. Yuno acts impulsive, unstable and manipulative towards Yukki due to her insecurities and debilitating obsession, while Yukki pushes all responsibility to Yuno due to his own lack of a spine. They hurt each time and time again, yet they can’t help but be with each other. And this is because, in a twisted way, they compliment each other. 

On one hand, we have a social outcast, ignored by everyone including his family, visibly alone and afraid of being hurt by others, but still seeing the best in people. Then on the other hand, we have a popular girl from a prominent family, visibly perfect, but in reality just as alone due to abuse she experiences at home, making her view people as fundamentally cruel. On the outside they’re opposites, but deep down, they’re both lonely, and terrified of said loneliness. It is only when they meet, when Yukki shows her the kindness she was missing for years and when Yuno gives him the support he had always craved, that they fulfill each other’s needs. By becoming acquainted with Yuno and the Survival Game, Yukki becomes increasingly darker, eventually maturing at the end of the show, while Yukki awakens Yuno’s empathy and pulls her back from the darkness, as we see when she falters to hurt third-world Yuno and her parents. 

Their complementary personalities are even referenced by their diaries, which only work seamlessly if paired. They balance each other out perfectly, bringing out the best of each other, but only after learning to push back on their worst characteristics, which is also true for real-life relationships. In truth, just like these two, people are flawed, traumatized and generally toxic to one another. There’s no such thing as people or relationships that start out perfect from the get-go, they need to learn to grow together. 

In that sense, this is what makes the ending of the show so powerful to me. Yukki isn’t set on killing Yuno or becoming God anymore. He’s finally taking responsibility, coming to terms with the awful deeds he’s done, and the fact that he can’t undo them. Instead, he wants to help Yuno come to terms with her own demons, finally giving back to her what she needs and not something for his own benefit. Similarly, Yuno realizes just how off the deep-end she’s gone when she meets her past self, acknowledging that she’s lost her original goal, and that repeating the cycle of hurt won’t fix her already broken spirit. That world isn’t for her, and so she finally ends the hurt, giving her and Yukki the peace they need. 

Many people don’t like Redial because they see it as an undeserved Happy Ending for two awful individuals, but the way I like to see it is as a form of redemption. Both characters, in the end, do what they have to do to restore order in the world. Yukki pays for his sins in the void, finally a God but at the cost of mourning what could’ve been. First-World Yuno ends the suffering she’s putting herself through so her new self can thrive, almost akin to breaking free from her past traumas to finally heal. The new self regains those memories, not to sulk, but to build from them, going back with Yukki to start a new world that isn’t characterized by their original hurt. In a way, it's a story about how the most downtrodden of individuals can find solace in love, break from their past and learn to heal together. For me, it’s cathartic and fulfilling to watch.

To finish this lengthy post, I feel it’s appropriate to mention the importance of Future Diary’s characters, and more specifically, Yuno. The video describes her writing as shallow and contrived, but I’ve already addressed that in the previous paragraphs. Many people love chalking her up to “cRaZy YaNdErE gUrL™ 🤪​,” but she’s so, so much more than that. Her character actually has a lot of depth if you pay attention to her story: she’s a girl, an orphan who went on to be neglected by her foster father and abused by her foster mother, resulting in complex trauma, insecurities and fear of abandonment that she tries to hide and overcompensate for in her overly aggressive tendencies. Her obsession in avoiding the loss of the only person she has becomes her demise, as she lives in a loop of torment all for the sake of not being alone again, a cycle of hurt only she has the power of breaking if she finds the strength to do it. Whether it was intentional or not, Yuno portrays a lot of the issues people with mental illness, such as BPD, struggle with. 

Now, claiming that Yuno is a perfect, one-to-one representation of BPD would be reducing this disorder to a caricature, there’s obviously so much more to BPD than what you see in this portrayal. But, I feel like out of the huge list of characters that fall under the “yandere” or crazy girl trope, she’s probably one of the best written ones in anime. I know she’s often dubbed the “yandere queen,” but seriously, it’s rare to see media committing to this trope and properly characterizing it. I would go as far as to say she’s the best character I’ve seen written in this genre, only sharing that spot with another character from a certain game (but given that the mere mention of its name is enough to ensue controversy, I’ll abstain from talking about it here 🙄​). A big portion of characters within this trope are quite two-dimensional, without clear motives for their obsessions, or having their issues played up for laughs (I’m looking at you, Anna Nishikinomiya). Heck, many of the characters associated with the trope aren’t actual yanderes, like is the case for Shion Sonozaki or Lucy from Elfen Lied. 

Yuno’s character is rich and interesting to watch, she isn’t just some “crazy girl” for the sake of it. She’s a product of tragedy, only motivated by the hope of finally having Yukki alleviate all of her insecurities and sorrows. I’ve always found the “yandere” trope interesting since it delves into the lengths people are capable of going over an obsession, and how these form to begin with. Given how complex, sensitive and even personal this topic can be, it’s important to have characters like this be properly written, and I’m glad that Yuno set a standard for this back in her day, even if many people don’t take her character seriously. 

I think it’s important to close up this post repeating the sentiment I had at the beginning. My purpose in writing this defense isn’t so much to force people into liking the show, and even opinions I disagree with like the ones in NezumiVA’s video are valid in their own right, as everyone has different perspectives in interpreting media. This is simply my take as someone who’s been a fan of the show for a really long time, since I don’t see many in-depth essays for Future Diary out there. It is a show that has stuck with me for its lessons on learning to be brave, healing from the past and selfless love. As silly as it may sound talking about an anime, it’s something that I can always look back to and smile, laugh or cry along with. Despite people’s conflicting views and endless criticisms, it will never fail to have a special place in my heart. Given how much time I’ve dedicated to this series, it’s only fair I dedicated a little bit of that time explaining my love for it too. And if you made it this far down the post, I would also like to thank you for dedicating a little bit of your time to my shower thoughts as well!

[bunnakit]

which upcoming shows are you most excited about this year?

UGH SO MANY, WE'RE BEING FED SO WELL so like, idk if all of these will come out this year. we know how things are, sometimes shit doesn't happen, but for recent announcements i'm most excited for...

SPARE ME YOUR MERCY 🌸

the scream i scrumpt when i saw sammon post about this on twitter. i absolutely cannot wait and i might wait until it's out to read the novel just because like with pit babe and the sign, i like going into things with no preconceived notions. but i just know it's gonna be TASTY.

MY GOLDEN BLOOD 🌸

oh i cannot wait to see joss carrying gawin like a fair maiden. my soul will ascend. i'm already obsessed with this and i hope its campy and emotional and everything we all want.

WANDEE GOODDAY 🌸

i finally get my beloved great sapol back. i think his smile will cure me. i do still live in fear of the behind the scenes shot of the clock and what p'yokee said about it tho. a lot of fear.

PROJECT VAMPIRE 🌸

between us was my first bl and i've missed bounprem ever since. boun looks fucking ethereal as a vampire and i like that this seems like it's going to take a darker route? i'm really interested in seeing how they do in that kind of environment - plus we get boss too!

PLUTO 🌸

i just know this is going to fuck me up and i can't wait. gorgeous gorgeous girls can have a little angsty twin fuckery as a treat. the plot is intriguing and namtan and film? oh i am so so gay.

[yekkiz]

it’s that time of year again… 🎄🎅🎉🎊 no. the highlights of your 2023 media consumption of course! just like last year, i want to know your top 5 films, books, tv shows, songs/albums, pop culture moments if that’s your thing, and as a bonus: any favourite personal moment/achievement in the last year? new to you, new in release, either works! can’t wait to see your response and wishing you a happy new year! 😁🩷

HEY!!! I'm adding media I've loved this year wether it was released this year or not if thats ok but most of these did in fact release during 2023

long paragraph..,,

top 5 films

Beau is afraid - absolute favorite 2023 movie, Ari Aster will never fail to get into the depths of my brain in such beautiful and traumatising ways...it was truly a ride - watched it twice in the span of a week because the itch inside couldn't stop itching god it was so good, it felt like a dream and a nightmare and god knows how bad i love things that feel like dreams and nightmares, the mystery of what it means to "dream"

Talk to me - YES!!!! great horror!!!!! BEST montage scene of the year (yes. that scene with Le Monde song) great great great rhythm it felt like 2000s horror. simple main plot doesn't always mean its gonna be predictable or boring, LOVE a good "not so original" idea when its greatly made and this is the perfect example! classic horror is so back

Infinity pool - insane. loved every second of this. original premise, critic message, GREAT cast, sick visuals...Mia Goth the actress that you are

M3GAN - camp! not much else to say really. watched it a couple times during the year it's just become a personal comfort movie i just love that doll shes everything to me

Pearl - yeah I watched this way too late.........for an A24 horror enjoyer.... sorry father for i have sinned. Rewired my brain chemistry, changed my life forever, did irreversible damage on my psyche etc. Beautiful splendind wonderful i CAN'T wait for maxxxine

top ¿? shows

haven't watched many remarkable shows but there we go with my little ranking...

Severance - incredible visuals, incredible storyline, amazing concept overall, can't wait for season 2

Better Call Saul - this show is all I breathe and Im genuinely worried that I won't be able to like a show as much as I like bcs - fav show i've ever watched, genuinely

La Mesías - best 2023 spanish show.............i love shows i love media i love art. when i watch things like this i feel so honored i'm able to witness such things for so little payment like. this isnt worth a suscription i feel like i owe more for letting me see such thing. i feel like im a voyeur when i encounter media that's so carefully made, with so much taste and eye for detail...like i shouldn't be allowed to watch through my laptop screen in my bedroom . just wow if you have the chance and find a sub version i can't recommend it enough

that was my top 2023, other shows ive watched...just rewatched the office, currently rewatching breaking bad, I think you should leave...

top 5 albums/songs

Desire, I want to turn into you - Caroline Polachek - so ethereal, so dreamy, feels like a movie and like when you fall in love and start noticing things you usually never paid attention to - the beauty of your hometown, your lover's hands or how their smile folds in certain ways when they see you, even how you perceive yourself differently

fav track - either I believe or butterfly net

Fanfare - Dorian Electra - from one extreme to the other..complete chaos and noise and I'm soooooo seated for it! such a complete album with 0 skips, always gonna love a fame themed record that talks about things that aren't relatable at all and gotta love the pop culture moments aswell, they're always so campy yet manage to be deep at times i love an unserious but self aware king what can i say!

fav track - wanna be a star

American Gurl - Kilo Kish - oh i love love this album i love the sound of it, the videogame vibe...every single song is so addictive I'll be minding my business and a random song from this album will pop into my head

fav track - no apology!

Preacher's Daughter - Ethel Cain - well this was certainly something it literally felt like a horror movie and of course I'm so here for it. terrifying, disgusting, sent shivers down my spine the first time I heard it on full length...and still does when I do. such a great album and def one of the best ones ive ever heard, top 5 for sure

fav track - family tree

Ultraviolence - Lana del Rey - yeah i'm 10 years late and thank god I am bc only god knows the irreversible damage this would have done to teenager me

fav track - florida kilos

2023 personal highlights

started the year doing a really nice trip that somehow helped me clear thoughts about my future

I got accepted into the masters degree I wanted which also gave me the chance to meet so many cool people and make so many good friends <3

I've been able to draw soooooooo much - my arm is doing sooo much better

got a tattoo I really wanted! got that flash design in my mind for a while and it's finally on me

this year was so hard for me and my family and it was such a challenge. I'm so proud we could manage through it all, and hopefully this year is easier on us

thanks so much for the ask Imo! sorry I wrote a lot and half of it it's just nonsense though!! I wish you a happy new year <333

[hermioneismyrealname]

YAhoo!

NOW THIS WAS THE VAMPIRE SERIES I WAS WAITING FOR!!

WHY? AH cause its bounprem and i like their vibe. Yes. i said vibe. Do I have something to say about the trailer. HELL YES!!

First.

Cat dads in one frame. Woo. Next.

Do not touch broken glass. I dont care about symbolism. If glass broken, do not touch. Its a trap. Plus what if there was poison on it? I do have a theory that it is laced and it makes their victims willing and pliant to vampire charms. Is this far fetched? HA! yeah. *sips tea*. Following this, was

Into the BDSM already? Really? Right off the bat? (pun very much intended). Also even though he is chained up, he still towers over Prem's character. I like it. Nice touch. But then, this ethereal atmosphere was well...

*spits out tea*

AAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHH

sorry

sorry

Im ok

...

no im not

HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I cant. sighs

NEXT!

These two. Cant wait for Santa to be a little shit who just straight up torments everyone. It will be refreshing from the brooding nuance.

NO SPARKLES IN SUNLIGHT. yes i was worried about this.

this was the moment, where i smiled. I smiled for one reason. Only one reason. I would be reveling in others' suffering.

This was the moment I realized there would be a musical instrument.

This was the moment there would be a guitar.

Im betting my sanity on it. I know its not much but im betting something. At least some singing. OH WAIT. PIANO!! AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA. Either way, people will be suffering. Eheheheh

Now. In all honest, I am looking forward to this. More so that Golden Blood. This has the dark brooding academia that I adore. It's close to my heart. The trailer gives a hint for heartbreak and an unhappy ending and at this time, I think the industry could use a not happy ending. There isnt a real need for sunshine and glorious ending all the time. I hope that the plot lands and that the writing doesnt go south with the too many characters too many powers thing. One thing to give the vampires unique powers, its another to never have it utilized.

Prem and Boun look to have really matured in their acting and it'll be a joy to see them on screen again. Yes, this is a BL but I am hoping for a campy comedy trope. I feel like i will laugh regardless of the scene because that is just who i am. They could be acting their ass off and doing a phenomenal job and I would be wondering about the wallpaper they used. The amount of candles lit in this trailer was a fire hazard but hey, thats just something I do.

Is there a sudden rise in vampire bls? Yes.

Is it deserved? Hah. Probably not.

Have I been waiting for this since Between Us ended? Definitely.

Will I be watching this? Meh. We'll see. I dont like to get my hopes up because until a date is confirmed, I can live with this trailer and feasting on it.

Also glad no one is dying their hair. Enough hair damage already in this industry.

And now I await the damnation of anticipation.

[teafiend]

Oh, this was an unexpectedly nostalgic - and fun - show. I did not expect to go in and get a refresher course in “Pop Buddhism for Idiots”, nor the campy and breezy story. Neither did I anticipate the hilarity of watching Won Mi Ho (aka Lee Da Hee) run around screaming as demons chased after her in all her perfectly made up and fashioned stunning self, not one hair out of place.

It was funny, “unserious” and wacky. Just the kind of show I needed after a few heartbreaking and sobering crime/law procedural dramas.

It was far from perfect and made me laugh even when not intended, but as long as it did, I could care less whether it was fully intentioned or not. Not being a major fan of CGI or long action scenes, the less said about those on my part, the better. Overall, however, I think those aspects are acceptable for a show of this caliber.

Oh, I certainly did not expect another hot priest. Though this one is a bit too young to drool over, he is nonetheless extremely good looking and cute.

Kim Nam Gil, well, what else is there to say. ❤️‍🔥

The world-building is a somewhat interesting mish-mash of Korean shamanism, Catholic aesthetics, and “pop Buddhism”. Relatively predictable story/plot, but still had spots of surprising twists (mostly with regards to the Baeks), and moments of poignancy which I deeply appreciated.

It has been quite a while since I watched any show with an explicit world-building based on “folk Buddhism”, and that has been one of the main nostalgic factor. As was the affecting visage of Won Mi Ho in that ethereal white dress. She truly looked like “a fairy who has descended onto earth” and reminded me a lot of Joey Wang in her heyday of the “A Chinese Ghost Story”. I did not know exactly how Van felt but I was bowled over.

I know of Lee Da Hee from “I Hear Your Voice”, and always have a soft spot for her after her memorable role in that favourite of favourites. She was extremely entertaining here, with fantastic performances in many spots. She has truly grown more luminous the last time I watched her onscreen.

I completely enjoyed Won Mi Ho as a character, and given my obsession with “The Guest” and Kang Gil Young, just could not help but compare the two - in terms of stylistic/aesthetics choices between the shows - but not in any negative way. As much as I have enjoyed the more realistic, raw and gritty stylistic choices in TG (for KGY), I found myself marveling over the near flawlessness of Won Mi Ho here.

It was so entertaining to gawk at her clothes, the cars, the perfectly made up face, stylised hair etc. Won Mi Ho was fabulous in her chaebol-heir glory. (And few could carry the fashion choices like Lee Da Hee did in the show. What a body and posture ⭐️😍🤩). Also amazing as the selfless Saviour! (One dressed to the nines in couture fashion and high heels, what’s not to love? ⭐️😍🤩)

And I like her character a lot too. Lovely, adorable and easy to love!

The “almost-romance” (though it was basically full-blown romance in my estimation) was also extremely nostalgic and wonderfully moving. I am a sucker for romances of the chaste and yearning type, and they delivered here. 🥹 Roughly knowing how the ending was from lurking on socmed, I was prepared for the ending and was not too disappointed. Still, my poor babies. 😭

A show not to be taken too seriously, nor to have too high expectations of, it was overall an entertaining ride, and truly, I could not ask for more. Love it!

*Recalling the scene during the final showdown between Van and Gungtan when they were having their final “talk”, of Van’s words (paraphrased), “The only way to escape the Law of Causality is to cease to exist” made me chuckle/laugh a few times after the fact. That is basically one of the major pillars of Buddhist teachings, and he announced it as if he discovered that principle. It might be weird, but I found that assertion out of Van’s mouth hilarious.

*Won Jeong’s retelling of the parable of Angulimala was a very nice touch in the show, because I have always found that story illuminating and bittersweet, and it was indeed an important story of redemption and atonement in Buddhist lore. “Good job, show/writers!”

Edited on Sept 23, 2023:

*Read a comment describing this show as a hot mess, and won’t say I disagree, but I have enjoyed the mess, so I suppose there’s that. Especially since it felt true to what is simply a ‘fun webtoon’. There is literally little emotional core or narrative gravity to this show (or much of the original webtoon, I am arrogantly assuming) except a mix-and-match of tropes/lores, which veered from attempting to be angsty/dark to the cheesy and campy. So, I can see where the mess is. That said, the narrative was consistent and coherent, and the performers made me laugh, so I will give it credit where it is due, little as it was.

[whysojiminimnida]

A Dark Night of the Seoul, or: Are We Bulletproof, Really?

This is supposed to be campy, chaotic satire with no smut. That's it. Please don't hurt me. Or yell at me. It's hopefully a little bit fun. And the prompt is: You are at a closed gathering of 6-10 people (first-person author included). Two people are reanimated corpses. The necromancer is in the building. Who’s the necromancer?

Possibly nobody would have noticed if Jungkook hadn’t shown up with a bullet wound in his neck. For that matter the bullet could have entered his chest and nobody would have thought anything of it. Jeon Jungkook was always running around with a tear in the enormous black t-shirts that were ubiquitous for the most famous frontman in Korea. Even a head wound would have been covered by the black bucket hat that made him both completely unrecognizable and instantly identifiable to tens of millions of people worldwide. But you can’t really hide a bullet wound to the carotid, kids. Or the pallor that goes with losing your entire blood supply – although to be fair Korean pop idols were often nearly translucent in their pursuit of the ivory ideal. And when your best bro/roommate/dance partner/whatever he is shows up still cracking his neck into a more normal but still not life-affirming position, well. “It is literally three in the morning, where even have you two been?” Min Yoongi asked. The young rapper, composer, producer and creative genius wasn’t out of line. The group had been scheduled for a ten PM call time for the weekend, and given that camera crew and support staff were manning a control room only meters away, it was unusual for the normally considerate pop stars to be five hours late. As the only American – and single journalist – allowed in the building, this weekend was a rare opportunity for me to get an inside glimpse of the group’s “private” life. Lateness on the part of two members was unheard of, and my interview should have been over hours ago.

“Oh. Um,” Jungkook started, his slight lisp a clear sign of his well-publicized social anxiety. Or blood loss.

“We uh, there was a thing,” he nodded at Jimin, his partner in dance, life (as nearly as I could tell) and hijinks of various types. Most of which made it into the gossip columns and trended worldwide on social media.

Park Jimin, all 5’5” of him despite his official height of 5’8”, took a staccato series of breaths, his neck cracking in at least four places at once. His head was almost lined up correctly. Almost.

“A thing. That happened,” elaborated Jimin. The diminutive, ethereal blond man smiled his usual lady-killer smile, but it looked just a little… off. About twenty degrees off. “You know, it’s so weird, I don’t really remember very much. We haven’t left the building since yesterday… we were in your studio, Jungkook-ah, weren’t we?” he asked, a little dazed. “Well, we left from there to get here, but I’m pretty sure someone else was in there for a minute earlier… about seven? What time is it now?” Jungkook asked. I looked around the room. All seven members of the Bulletproof Boy Scouts were present and accounted for. I had arrived just prior to call time, so if the two men were correct, anyone could have been there at 7:00. I had to ask. “Listen, guys,” I said, stumbling a bit over my terrible Korean. “Are you aware that you both look a little bit, uh… dead?” “Come to think of it you kinda do,” Yoongi pointed out. “Not that it’s weird or anything but Jungkook, you don’t look exactly bulletproof at the moment. And Jimin’s head is on wrong.” Kim Taehyung, the soft-voiced baritone, model and occasional saxophonist, spoke up. “I saw Jiminie at dinner but I didn’t see you, Kook-ah. That was at, what, six? So whatever went down was at at least seven or so. Jimin, do you remember going back to Koo’s studio after we ate?” Jimin nodded awkwardly as his neck slid slightly closer to the center of his shoulders. “Yeah. Yeah, I left with Hobi-hyung but then Joon-hyung called so I didn’t go straight back.” Jung Hoseok, called Hobi by his friends and J-Hope by the rest of the world, nodded sagely. His usual hyperactive demeanor had been slowed a bit by a little soju and more than one beer since ten, and I got the feeling he wasn’t happy about being awake. He poked Namjoon in his rather large arm. “Joon-ah, didn’t you say that you couldn’t get Jiminie or Jungkookie to answer their phones?” Namjoon narrowed his amber eyes and looked his subordinates up and down. As group leader, Kim Namjoon had the most serious job, and he hadn’t asked for it. BTS had been built around Kim’s high speed rap and lyricist credentials. His intense work ethic and high intelligence had saddled him with leadership at a young age, and he was treated with deference by all the members – even his hyungs, the three members older than himself.

In Korean culture that was another departure from standard operating procedure, and part of why I was here. My piece, “Bulletproof”, was to be an in-depth look at the personal relationships and creative processes that led this band of young men to the top of the music industry both in Korea and in the rest of the world. “Neither of you answered,” Namjoon said, eyeing the younger men. “You’re late. We were supposed to be in this room when the building closed at ten. You both look like something, somewhere went awry to say the least. Out with it. Where were you, and what exactly were you doing?” he asked sternly.

“We were … dancing”, said Jungkook.

“We were… singing – and dancing,” said Jimin at the same time. “You were together, dancing in a recording studio that is half the size of your closet,” Namjoon said flatly. “I don’t buy it. And since I couldn’t reach you and Kook-ah never answers a text, I did drag myself to your studio at eight and I didn’t hear anything. You didn’t answer the door. Check your phones.” Jungkook pulled a blood-smeared Samsung out of his cargo pocket. Rusty flecks hit the floor as he brushed it off on his pants, which only succeeded in making the whole scene look bloodier. “Huh. Looks like you tried to call and texted about six times, hyung. Why didn’t you just use the code and come in? You know I can’t hear when I’m wearing my headphones.” “Uh, A., I forgot the code or you changed it again because I tried, and two, you have blackout paint on the door window now so I couldn’t see if the lights were on. To be honest I just assumed you guys went clubbing so I came upstairs.” “Getting to the point,” Yoongi piped in, “you’ve got a bullet wound, you’re absolutely destroying the rug, and Jimin-ah’s neck looks very broken from here. I think we’re owed some sort of explanation.” “The obvious explanation is that they’re dead,” said Jin.

Kim Seokjin was a gorgeous, tall actor, scouted on the street and given voice and dance lessons. He was also wealthy before the band and would have been wealthy regardless, so he didn’t take the “idol thing” as a life or death situation. He called himself “World Wide Handsome” and shouted and laughed more than he spoke. He also played keyboards, and had a clear tenor and a terrible affection for bad jokes. If Namjoon was the father figure of the group, Seokjin was its babysitter. “Pretty sure we’re not dead, though, since we’re here and everything,” Jimin said, standing on tiptoe to poke his finger into Jungkook’s neck. “I mean look at this, I can put my whole finger in there and he’s just talking… think I can reach his vocal cords before it heals over?” “Jagiya, stop!” Jungkook giggled, slapping at Jimin’s hand. “That tickles, you know I hate to be tickled.” “Quit being such a baby, baby. I just wanna see if I can find the bullet or poke through the other side.” “Just because I’m the youngest does not make me a baby, I am twenty-five years old and a grown ass man, Jimin-ssi. Aish, quit it quit it!” Jungkook protested, stamping his feet but not really making any attempt to get away.

I was starting to understand why their editors always put that weird baby cooing noise over the pair’s interactions. I didn’t know why they weren’t dead but my article was getting more interesting by the minute. I decided to move things along, because Hobi appeared asleep, as did Taehyung, and Yoongi just looked supremely bored. Nobody seemed terribly concerned about taking vital signs. And in the event that there was a lone gunman on the loose inside Hybe Records’ Seoul headquarters, I thought maybe we should know. “Look, not to overstep, obviously I’m just an observer here, but should we call the police, or security, or someone in the company? Your managers maybe? Do you guys have, like, a doctor around? Is there maybe a lone gunman on the loose?” I asked. “Looks to me like they might need a priest more than a doctor,” Yoongi snarked, slugging soju straight from the bottle. “I mean, look at them. They’re breathing, I’ve been counting, so not technically dead but definitely, like, not in great shape.” Jimin strode over and flopped next to Yoongi on the couch. “You make a good point. Kookie, call somebody.” Jungkook fiddled with his phone and… “Don’t call me, Jungkook-ah, I’m literally right here,” groused Namjoon. “It says Emergency,” Jungkook turned his phone around. Sure enough the Korean equivalent of 911 was the nickname on the display. Namjoon answered his own phone. “Jungkook?” “Yeah, hyung, right here. We have an emergency.” “What’s the emergency, Jungkook-ah?” “Jimin-ah won’t quit poking me in the neck and I’m out of banana milk. You guys didn’t buy me any again.” Namjoon hung up his phone and arched an eyebrow in my direction. “I seriously can only hope for a lone gunman situation at this point,” he said. “See this? This right here is my life. I’m over it. I live in Done World. Tiny Dancer over there is such a fairy he needs the applause of children to keep him alive. This one has perfect pitch, can literally do anything he wants on the first try, but we had to buy his high school diploma. That one’s ridiculously smiley when he's awake, that one’s a wiseass and has more production credits than I do, that one plays the saxophone and tweets pictures of his vape at four in the morning, that one is… okay, Jin’s cool, we’ll let it go, but…do you see where I’m going with this?” “They’re not dead,” grinned Hobi from the loveseat, his head lolling upside down off the side. The dancer/rapper’s flexibility was truly impressive. “They’re probably zombies. Check and see if they’re zombies, Taehyung-ah. See if they’ll eat your brains.” “Why me?” “Because if they eat your brain we’re only down a vaping baritone and we lose your Sammy Davis Jr. midnight playlist,” Hobi snarked. “Cold,” said Taehyung, blowing a cloud of cookie-scented vapor into the air. “Jiminie, honey, tell him he’s a cold bastard.” “You’re a cold bastard,” Jimin grinned. “I mean you’re not wrong but you didn’t have to say it out loud.” “Lone gunman? Dead guys? Possible zombies? Maybe a necromancer in the building?” I cut in. “We get really good supplements,” offered Jimin. Jungkook had slouched himself between Jimin and Yoongi and was oozing a little blood onto Jimin’s Gucci trousers, resting his head on the smaller man’s lap. Jimin was idly carding his fingers through the singer’s hair. Neither of them looked very concerned about being dead, or worried about who might have wanted to make them that way. “Pretty sure we’re not zombies, are we, Jimin-ah?” Jungkook sighed happily, wiggling his feet as Yoongi pushed his legs off and moved to the floor. “Be polite. Call me hyung,” Jimin crooned, petting Jungkook’s head. “Of course we’re not zombies. Don’t listen to her, she’s American, she thinks we all eat puppies.” “We don’t eat puppies, do we? JIN-HYUNG!! Do you feed us puppies?!” Jungkook sat up halfway, bumping his head against Jimin’s chin. “Oh oh oh, sorry, ow! Dangshin! Your chin hurt my head!” he yelped, settling his head back into his bro or whatever’s lap. The young billionaire stared at me, doe eyes

narrow, lips in a full on pout. Jimin toyed with Jungkook’s eyebrow ring and ran his fingers over the larger man’s tattooed arm. I just raised my own eyebrow and stared back. This was gonna be the best article ever written. “We do not eat puppies. We eat beef and chicken and pork but not puppies,” Jin sighed patiently, brushing through his (very shiny) hair. “You are the maknae, the baby I raised on my back, so trust me when I tell you that I have never fed you puppies.” “Do you feel like eating people sometimes, though?” asked Hobi from his upside down vantage point. “Like, right now, do you feel like you could really go for some brains?” “Sometimes I want to lick Jimi-OWWWWWHYTHATHURT- No-oooo..” said Jungkook, rubbing his arm. “Definitely a hard no on brains, obviously, “ Jimin said mildly. “So, we're not zombies. Can we not talk about disordered eating patterns, in the name of mental health awareness? I’ve been healthy for three years and I’d like to keep it that way.” “We have to eat to keep up our strength so we can perform and bring joy to people all over the world,” Jungkook said in one breath. “Remember Jiminie, if you don’t eat then I don’t eat with you so let’s all work hard together to be the best group we can be right Namjoon-hyung?” I was understanding Namjoon’s position better already.

“Uh, yeah. Absolutely, that is so right, Kook-ah, and thank you for bringing it up,” said Namjoon. “I think we can all agree that as Cultural Ambassadors for Youth, mental health is very important during these unprecedented times. Certainly we’re not just pop stars, we’re also human, and we need to love ourselves and speak ourselves, and that includes taking care of our minds as well as our spiritual and physical health. For example, I worked on a gospel album in 2018 as part of my spiritual journey.” “You identify as atheist,” said Taehyung. “And you did it unsanctioned and under an alias.” “We all work under aliases when we’re not with the group,” agreed Yoongi. “Like I record under Agust-D and my BTS name is SUGA and I produce under either Agust-D or my own name. Taehyung-ah is ‘V’ to the public. Namjoon-ah’s been Rap Monster and RapMon and RM and named his dog Monie after himself, the egomaniac.” “I was not going by Baby J,” Jimin spat. “That was a terrible idea. My name is J-I-M-I-N, Jimin, and I will use it proudly.” “Well since none of us can do anything else out loud,” Yoongi snorted. “That's dumb, hyung. Jiminie’s super loud. Whenever I get in bed and he’s already sleeping he snores louder than bombs,” said Jungkook. “So like I have to fall asleep first or I can’t sleep in there at all.” “You do know you own a house in Itaewon, an apartment in Gangwon and another apartment in Hannam in my building, right?” asked Namjoon. “And Jimin just bought an apartment of his own.” “I know! It’s such a pain in the ass to call Uber every night I had to buy three cars and a motorcycle. His new apartment door code is my birthday so I always know I can get in.” “I have a dog named Yeontan, but he goes by Tannie like BangTan,” offered Taehyung. “Rrrrrraaaaapp-MONSTAAAA!!!” crowed Jungkook as Jimin laughed and the not-zombies fell onto each other in a giggling heap. Jimin’s head looked pretty normal, now, and I didn’t see a hole in Jungkook’s neck anymore. Both of them were flushed pink now, as though their bodies were pumping life back into them. My watch said 6:13 AM. “Okay but is there or is there not a gun-toting lunatic in the building, and were you or were you not both dead, and if so does that mean there is a necromancer running around re-animating corpses?” I asked. The K-pop idol system has a lot to answer for, in my opinion. “It’s a fair question and I think you both should be adults and answer the nice journalist,” said Namjoon. “I’d like to know that answer for myself. We still don’t have your whereabouts accounted for from dinner until you showed up here and to be fair, you’re grown men, but we have contractual obligations. You were late. You could be on Twitter or in Dispatch by now if you went out and did dumb Jikook things. And no stupid stories. We’ve already had one Twitter scandal just in the last week and I sat in meetings all day on my birthday to deal with you two, so I think you owe us an explanation.” Both Jungkook and Jimin sat up and crossed their legs. Jungkook’s bucket hat was still on the floor, so he brushed his hair off his forehead and suddenly looked five years older and a decade smarter. Jimin just licked his lips and squared his shoulders, his perfect dancer alignment on full display as I was faced with Interview Bangtan for the first time all night. Jungkook looked at Jimin, and Jimin nodded for him to speak. “First, it’s a pleasure getting to work with so many great artists and people like yourself. We as a group appreciate you and our ARMY so much. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you. First question?” Jungkook said. The idol duality, it exists. “Yes, and it’s for you, Jungkook, and for Jimin,” who nodded once. “Is there someone here who hurt you or tried to kill you? Are you – and by extension, the rest of us – safe right now?” “Someone in this room did hurt me. And Jimin-hyung,” Jungkook began as Jimin’s eyes widened slightly. All the members were now fully awake and were leaned forward in varying attentive poses. Any trace of sleepiness or a buzz

was gone as if I’d never seen it. Jimin took the moment, patted Jungkook’s hand, and spoke. “We’re all perfectly safe, so you know,” Jimin said reassuringly. The blond was often touted as one of the most articulate members of the group, the best under public pressure, and suddenly I could see why. He was cool as ice with a warm, engaging smile. I believed him. “Okay, thank you,” I said. “But, to Jimin again, if we’re safe, who tried to kill you?” “Oh, nobody tried to kill anyone,” Jimin grinned, as though the whole thing was a slightly unbelievable joke. “Yeah because when we kill each other, we do it right the first time,” Jungkook added sincerely, nodding, doe eyes on missile lock with mine. “Um, what?” Namjoon and Yoongi asked in unison. “Right, right,” Jimin laughed. “Silly Jungkookie. He’s such a jokester.” “I don’t joke about that. You told me we don’t joke about that,” Jungkook said, looking like walking betrayal. “You said that the first time I killed you and.. oh.” “The first time,” I said, gesturing for the singer to continue. Jungkook’s well-known anxiety disorder chose that moment to make itself evident and he moved tight against Jimin, shrinking his body down to pick at Jimin’s pants leg as he chewed his lip. I chose to use the moment. “It’s clear that you two share a very special bond, one that’s been talked about for a long time in a lot of circles. But it sounds like maybe there’s a little more to it than just being bandmates and roommates and friends. Would either of you care to elaborate on that?” I asked gently. “W-we all have close and special friendships,” said Jungkook. “Jimin and I, we’re just really close, right. We like all the same things and we're both night people, I'm not really sure what we do. He’s me, I’m him, that’s our thing. We copyrighted it. We click.” “But.. you kill each other.” Jimin laughed softly, unobtrusively putting Jungkook back together. I’d often noticed the caretaking that seemed to go on but I’d just assumed they were a closeted gay couple – which wasn’t unfair. But neither did it appear to be the whole story.

I dove in. “What I mean is, you’re not dangerous, you obviously care very deeply for each other and for your bandmates. Nobody has anything to fear from either of you, I’m sure of that. But still… you actually kill each other.” “Only on weekends,” said Jungkook, more confidently. “Sometimes we get caught up in the moment and things happen during the week, and we did get less careful with COVID and being so isolated without our audience. But usually, that is to say almost always, we limit that to weekends only or times when we don’t have a schedule. In case it takes longer to heal.” Namjoon cleared his throat, but didn’t look particularly worried about this apparently new information. He cut in smoothly, arranging his hands over one knee. “So… you’re superheroes?” “No, Namjoon-hyung, if I was a superhero I would clearly be Spider Man. I feel like we went over that when we watched the Avengers movies.” Jimin cleared his throat quietly and looked at me straight on. “Actually, we’re both necromancers.” “You are.” I was dumbfounded. “Both of you.”

“Yes,” Jimin went on, as though we were talking about new choreography or the next single. “We figured it out when Jungkook collapsed on stage in Chile during the Wings tour. His heart actually went into arrhythmia, and he died for a little. But I realized, hey, I could bring him back, so I did. That’s why I stayed with him that time, and why I’m his emergency medical contact to this day. You guys want to make everything about ships, when sure there’s that but also, it’s because no matter what happens to him I can bring him back. It comes in handy when he gets on my nerves.” “Yeah but yeah but then I practiced one time and found out I can do it too,” Jungkook said happily. “But I found out because I watched Jimin-ssi do it a couple times and it didn’t really look that hard, not any harder than singing or dancing or playing the drums or bungee jumping and I can do all those things. So I killed him one time real quick and then I brought him mostly back and he helped me get him the rest of the way and since then we just like to keep our skills sharp. Being good at things takes practice and hard work, I’m not good at everything because I’m lazy. Just work hard and you can do it too,” he finished, with a proud smile and a pat on the shoulder from his killing buddy. “So… you were late because you killed each other and brought each other back… for practice,” said Yoongi. “Seems impolite.” “Hyung,” laughed Jimin. “Have you seen this guy when he’s recording? He’s impossible. Comes up with runs no human can do and gets mad when we don’t harmonize perfectly in one take. Not all of us have his perfect pitch, you know. Sometimes I simply need to kill him in order not to, you know, kill him.” “Don’t call me the Golden Maknae for nothing,” Jungkook grinned. “But hyung for real pulled a .22 and shot me point blank in the neck. Ruined my favorite recording chair, the one Jin-hyung got me for my birthday just two weeks ago. So he resurrected me and I broke his fool neck for him for ruining my good chair.” “Hyung will get you another chair,” said Jin calmly. “It’s not like we can’t afford to replace a chair. There was no reason to be late.” “I wanted to finish the take.” “What, after you killed and necromanced each other?” asked Hobi. “I’d maybe take a ten-minute break anyway.” “We did. We had to talk out our feelings and express our truths to each other, and also make out,” Jungkook agreed. “Sounds gay from here,” snarked Yoongi. My job was done.

[thatgothicfairy]

Welcome

Hey there, click below if you want to know more about this blog

My name is Alys & I’m a goth living in Silesia. I’m 29 and use she/her pronouns.

I have 2 cats (Nimue and Sabrina) which I post under my #Kitties tag. I also will blog about my crafting stuff under #Crafting Posting & any posts about myself under #Personal

I’m a goff goff, so that means my favorite genres are goth rock, post punk, darkwave, ethereal, new wave, synthpop, some ebm

My faves are Fields of the Nephilim, The Mission, Siouxsie, Sad Lovers & Giants, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Sisters of Mercy, the Eden House, Switchblade Symphony, Dead Can Dance, Automelodi, Fragrance., Drab Majesty, Rendez Vous.. and lots more. I share stuff under #Music so feel free to browse that tag.

I love gothic campy stuff, especially the late 90s 2000s era like Blade, Underworld, Van Helsing, Buffy

I’m a bi ace woman so I’m not going to play nice with any rad fems (TERFs), biphobes, and acephobes. Also not a safe space for conservatives, transphobes, homophobes, racists, antisemites, nazis.

I’m not a baby bat anymore so I don’t have the energy to battle you on your misconceptions about the subculture. People coming in bad faith or with really bad takes are just gonna get blocked.

[justanotherpersonsuniverse]

@ether-solrac here with another sort of semi-joke/semi-serious AU idea. An AU were Lila becomes the Ladybug weilder and Chloé is the Cat.

Ok so it begins with Fu actually taking a step back and letting Tikki and Plagg go out and choose weilders of their own. The thing is they both prefer weilders that they can guide and redeem rather than the "best fit." Tikki sees Lila in desperate need of compassion and order in a life that never let her settle down, while Plagg sees Chloé who's seen nothing but strict rules and toxic images and is in desperate need a of a new chaotic and free point of view.

For Lila she kind of calms down in her civilian life and most of her desire for attention and reputation just kind of sticks to the hero side, creating a sort of overly charismatic and showy hero. Shed never admit it but she draws a lot of inspiration from the overly campy 80s style of superhero where it's like all flashing white teeth and bravado. Think Metro Man from Megamind.

Meanwhile the whole performance and responsibilities as a hero just kind of leaves her more tired and quiet as a civilian, she's subconsciously given up on making a big deal about herself and just wants to get through the day until she's a hero again. This has the unintended effect of catching Marinettes attention who tends to have a big heart when it comes to the class. She sees what looks like a tired deperesed girl her age and makes it her mission to cheer her up, often bringing pastries and coffee from her parent's bakery.

This pretty much leaves Lila a confused blushing mess becuase "what the hell? I barely even introduced myself and this girl is already super nice to me?" She kind of finds herself again through Marinette's kind prodding and kind of forces herself to figure just who she is a as a person.

Also a funny side thing, Marinette can't stand the ladybug hero. Since she's not a hero in this AU (at least not at the start) she helps Alya with her blog and as such she's gotten to meet the heroes quite a few times. Oddly enough she's friends with the chat hero but she can't stand the ego of the ladybug hero and finds her to be really fake and obnoxious. It isn't until Lila starts getting closer to Marinette that she starts to dial it back a bit and finds confidence in her real self since thats the personality that made a genuine friend (and what she hopes could possibly be more).

Meanwhile with Chloé, Plagg is just the worst best influence on Chloé. Their entire dynamic is just "aren't you tired of being nice, don't you just want to go ape shit?" and then she does. Cat chloe gives zero fucks and is probably one of the most feral cats so far. She has awakened her inner Yang and she very much wants to punch stuff. Instead of her mentality being about using her hero persona to impress her mother, her thoughts are basically that if no one knows she's Chloé, then she can act anyway she wants.

As much as I love Chlolix, I think it'd be interesting if Chloé goes for Alya and uses her hero persona as her gay outlet (maybe her mother is homophobic or her father can't support her becuase of politics etc) so when she sees Alya becoming a textbook Louis Lane she absolutely goes for it. She kind of takes on this sort of Shego like confidence and swagger where she knows what she wants and that's this cute redhead. this kind of leaves Alya more focused on the cat hero.

As for Chloé's civilian life it's a slow battle overcoming her mother's image if perfection and becoming the person she wants to be. Little by little she kind of transitions into more of a Ryka/ Chloé Couffaine personality. She doesn't stop being "mean" as Chloé but it's kind of gone from bully to aggressive protector. Kind of just sticking up for the members of the class that are a little too nice and would probably get taken advantage of.

Ok that's all I got. Kind of basic but I felt like sharing.

———-

OH DAMN

[alirhi]

I don't read comic books. I've tried, but I have yet to find one with an art style I don't hate. I was the shoujo manga kid. I like ethereal beauty in the art I consume. Yuki Kaori is a goddess to me.

Because I don't read comics, most of the MCU's deviations from their source material has been lost on me, and I didn't care. I'd like to think, for the most part at least, that I still wouldn't care, as long as the movies/shows were entertaining to me. That's really my only criteria when it comes to movies - that I'm entertained.

I've tried to sit back and let the way they've depicted Loki just roll off my back. I've tried. Because I don't read comic books so I have no idea what they're working with from that angle... But Loki isn't a comic book character. He wasn't made up on the spot by some random artist. He's an actual deity. He's real. And what they've done to him is fucking insulting.

I have loved Loki all of my life. I've felt his energy, his presence in the world, and I love him. Before I understood the concept of religion, of worship, I loved him. I craved even the tiniest acknowledgement of his existence from any corner of the world. When they dropped his name in The Mask, I cheered. When they named a fallen angel after him in Dogma, I laughed and clapped. Every reference, every tiny indication that he hasn't been forgotten and abandoned, brought me such immense joy.

Naturally, I was over the moon when Thor came out in 2011. I was so happy to see Loki depicted on screen, truly depicted, not just mentioned or used as a vague reference, that I cried. I didn't even care that they didn't use his powers except the occasional illusion, because he was there! He was on screen, played by one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen, and finally, there was a chance for the rest of the world to see Loki as I always had: beautiful, chaotic, and misunderstood.

Every movie, I forgave his lack of magic use because I was happy to see him, to watch him evolve... and, yes, to watch Tom Hiddleston kick some ass. XD The capoeira (a fighting style I've been in love with since Only the Strong came out in the 90s) and the knife flipping, I just... UNF. There is no denying Tom's sex appeal, alright? XD I'm only human. Ahem. Anyway...

I also let it slide because I figured maybe Loki just wasn't that powerful, or inherently magical, in the Marvel universe. Maybe in a world of superheroes from all walks of life, the Norse gods aren't so special. Like I said, I've never read the comics.

They showed that their Loki was at least still cunning, still crafty and slippery, and I loved that. He escaped at the end of The Dark World, and I knew Ragnarok was coming, because that's how it goes. Loki and his son Fenrir escape from their prisons, and kick off Ragnarok.

Then Ragnarok in the MCU was turned into a campy buddy comedy that Loki was barely involved in, and my favorite two of his children were turned into... his older adoptive sister and her pet? What? But the movie was funny and entertaining in its own right, so I let it slide.

And then they killed Loki. And I ran out of forgiveness for this franchise. I ran out of excuses to make for their transgressions. And every episode of this series only makes me more angry. They show a tiny glimpse of Loki's potential, just a taste, just enough to let us know he can do so much more... and then they drop it and go back to playing his pain for laughs.

Marvel is treating their version of Loki the way the Norse gods treated the real Loki, and I am so done. The only reason I'm still watching is because I have friends here on tumblr who watch every week and then post about it immediately. It's the same reason I bothered to start watching at all. I hate this show. Episode 3 gave me a glimmer of hope, but 4 immediately killed it. No pun intended. I can't escape the chatter, so I might as well watch and form my own opinions before I read everyone else's.

The MCU used to be a little moment of joy that kept me going because my life pretty much fucking sucks. Ever since IW, it's just been more pain I don't really feel like dealing with. It's not entertaining anymore. It's just... there.

[for-i-am-dying-of-such-love]

you know, where I'm headed, there'll be trouble...

...Ok, but can we talk about Sins of the Past?...

I’m not usually a fan of pilot episodes. Even the ones for my very favourite tv shows. They don’t tend to age well, hardly ever look like the shows they will become, and often suffer - like many First Seasons - from a laundry list of Unfortunate Things: actors still unsteady on their character’s legs, inconsistencies in plot and pacing and motivation, secondary characters that are too one-dimensional, low-budget wardrobe and set design. It takes time for a show to settle into itself and then a little more for it to evolve. So, it can be tough to revisit pilot episodes - awkward and maybe a little cringey.

Surprisingly, though, that’s not really the case with Sins of the Past. I say ‘surprisingly’ because the first episode of Xena Warrior Princess automatically starts out at a disadvantage. It’s a mid-90s, syndicated, genre television show, so it already contains a lot of elements that are fundamentally at odds with our modern sensibilities regarding visual storytelling. Coupled with the fact that it’s the first episode too? Well, you’d expect that it would feel dated and silly and trivial, but it doesn’t!

It’s actually kind of a joy!

Don’t get me wrong, the episode isn’t perfect. The visual aesthetics feel very late last-century, and the social mores of the mid-90s means there’s a woeful lack of kissing between Xena and Gabrielle (yes, even this early in the series, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO SEE IT TOO, DON’T BE COY), but the storytelling holds up remarkably well. And, as far as first episodes go, it does a brilliant job of laying the groundwork for what the show will ultimately become: the Greatest Love Story Ever Told. Not just on tv. Ever.

Yeah, I said what I said.

On the surface it sets up the series’ two most obvious narrative arcs. Xena’s journey towards forgiveness, redemption and self-love. Gabrielle’s daring first steps into a world of adventure, heartache and self-discovery. But nestled in there too - the interstitial tissue connecting the two - is the show’s third, and arguably most fulfilling (and surprising?) storyline: the slow and magical weaving together of Xena and Gabrielle themselves. Their lives; their journeys; their hearts. And, ohmygod, it’s so fucking amazing and epic and lovely and the Greatest Love Story Ever Told.

So, let’s talk about where it all began. Let’s talk about SotP. Only, where to begin?!? There are so many moments worthy of exuberant and detailed praise. I have prepared a list:

Like this moment here. This glorious moment of first meeting...

Source: xenagabrielleforever

When Xena first lays eyes on Gabrielle. And she’s immediately struck by the sight of this farm girl - brave and foolish - who throws herself at Draco’s men in exchange for the safety of her fellow villagers. And I swear in that moment you can hear the rusty hinges on Xena’s heart creak slowly to life in knowing anticipation, as Gabrielle unwittingly takes a chisel to Xena’s defenses.

Or here. When Xena lets herself be distracted...

Source: hyxenagabrielle

The Warrior Princess. Confident and sure and untouchable. Completely disarmed by some young thing in some podunk village somewhere. Completely at the mercy of soft green eyes and youthful round cheeks and strawberry-blonde hair. Mesmerized by the tickling sensation of recognition as it cascades across her body when their eyes finally meet and hold.

Or, this gift of a scene. When Gabrielle wants so desperately to tag along with Xena.

Source: jadedownthedrain

And the entire time she might as well have a neon sign hanging above her head that flashes ‘Only Gay in the Village!!!’. Not that Xena isn’t immediately aware of this fact. She knows precisely everything she needs to know about this girl sitting in front of her. She knows it deep in her marrow. A long forgotten instinct dancing and swirling to life in the sleepy valley nestled between her lungs.

And here, just a few heartbeats later. When Xena pretends to act as if she doesn’t actually want Gabrielle to tag along.

Source: xenagabrielleforever

Only she does. Desperately. Except, she doesn’t know what to do with that feeling. So she drapes it in casual indifference and accessorizes it with empty threats, all the while secretly hoping that this inscrutable farm girl understands, is up for the challenge, feels the undercurrent too. And Gabrielle does. She tastes it on the air. Her blood is buzzing with anticipation. Make her mad? Of course, that is exactly what Gabrielle wants. No, not the ire, but the feel of the thrum that will course through Xena’s veins when her heart is set to pounding and her chest to heaving. Gabrielle wants to wield the mallet. Wants to see the fire in Xena’s eyes directed squarely at her. Wants to know the intensity of Xena’s scrutiny. She wants all these things very much. Even if she doesn’t quite know it yet.

Then of course there is this scene. When Xena is raw and vulnerable and exposed…

Source: xenagabrielleforever

And Gabrielle just steps from the shadows, like sunlight slicing through a storm cloud. Like her heart is saying: ‘I’ve been whisperin’ to you through the ether, listenin’ to your cry.’ And goddamnit, if they haven’t finally found each other again. This is a fucking homecoming! Of course I wanna talk about it!!!

But then there’s this. These two fools are already in love, can’t you see?!?

Source: hyxenagabrielle

But they’ve always been in love and they’ll always be in love. It’s muscle memory, the way one holds the other’s gaze. The smile that forms on their lips. The warmth that colours their cheeks. The pull, the pull, the pull. The inevitable surrender. The glorious fall. And somewhere back at the beginning of time and somewhere in the future when it all ends and here in this moment they just fucking know: ‘You were whisperin’ through the ether, letting me know you’re mine.’

All these moments. All these things. All of it, I want to talk about all of it. And maybe one day I’ll have more to say. But, right now I want to talk about Gabrielle’s prognostication skills.

Source: xenagabrielleforever

I’m being serious, though. I know this scene was played for laughs - Gabrielle says ‘do her’ and everyone giggles like a fifth-grader. It’s just an off-hand comment that Gabrielle tosses out there to get herself out of a tricky situation. Just a bit of inconsequential fun. Only it’s not inconsequential at all, it’s fucking prophetic.

And I’m not just talking about the fact that one day Gabrielle will actually get close enough to Xena to ‘do her’ - yes, that kind of do her, and ohmygod, just...

<ASIDE:> THIS BEAUTIFUL ASSHOLE SHOW KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS WOULD BE BY USING THAT LINE, THE SHOW FUCKING KNEW AND IT WENT THERE ANYWAY. GLEEFULLY. LIZ FRIEDMAN, WAS THIS ONE OF YOUR SCRIPT NOTES? LIZ? LIZ! LISTEN LIZ, IT’S OKAY, YOU CAN TELL ME. BECAUSE IT WAS A CHOICE, AND BOY WAS IT. A. CHOICE. SO, FAM, DON’T LET ANYONE TRY TO TELL YOU THAT THE SUBTEXT WASN’T THERE FROM THE BEGINNING. IT WAS THERE AND IT WAS DELIBERATE, AND YOU CAN FIGHT ME ON IT. </ASIDE>

No, I’m talking about the fact that this silly little throw-away scene both perfectly distills the essence of Gabrielle’s character - clever and unstoppable and pure-of-heart - and encapsulates the show’s most tender truth. And that is this: Gabrielle, the unsuspecting and innocent farm girl from Poteidaia will do the one thing that certainly no man - though handsome and strong and commanding - and, arguably no one ever, has been capable of doing. She’ll slip past Xena’s defenses and completely disarm her. Not physically, of course, but emotionally. And not to do harm, but to love unreservedly. Through all the changing seasons of their lives. For all of time. And the fact that this very poignant and romantic and fundamental truth is draped in humour and accessorized with innuendo makes it all the more perfect for a show that, on its surface, is campy and sexy and ridiculous, but at its core is tender and earnest and profound.

But, ohmygod, is it ever a wild ride. And Gabrielle, sweetie... you precious baby gay, giddy the fuck up.

Source: hyxenagabrielle

UP NEXT: Chariots of War

[steve0discusses]

The Live Action Fullmetal Alchemist Movie Part 6: Let’s Kill Hughes

Hey guys, I’ve been having some issues with the blog not...updating my drafts. So in case you’re wondering, that’s where I disappeared to. Give a round of applause to the support team for finding a solution until it gets fixed but as of right now I’m on like a private window with my extensions turned off and writing this from both tumblr and a LibreOffice document. Hello ads, nice to see you back.

Last we left off, we were a hop and skip away to lab 5. In the anime, this was a sequence where there was a bunch of fighting with suits of armor, and they kept that in this movie, but...not the people you think would be fighting are going to be fighting.

Listen I’m not like super knowledgeable about the world of Matte painting, but I like that they’ve unintentionally made this world building where whoever is in charge of making these red bricks basically owns everyone’s nuts. Everything is made out of the same red bricks. Like I know this is a show about homunculi ruling the world but I feel like the red brick guy is hellllllla more egregious. Freakin Monsanto over here.

I assume they had a 3d model and was like “we can just keep using it” and damn, they sure did. And inside of this brick building is, unsurprisingly a lot more red brick (although I think this is partially, if not entirely, an actual real life set.)

This next part is...such a lesson in pacing. Not necessarily a lesson to follow, but definitely a lesson to learn from maybe their non-example.

(watch Hughes die under the cut)

And what’s interesting is that there were a lot of good lines in this upcoming segment. There were a lot of good moments—bu there’s just so many. Maybe too many. You gotta prune your script occasionally, it’s like a tomato plant.

Like I’ve been doing a stress garden to cope with quarantine and Covid and 3+ months of life endangering wildfires, and I learned that you gotta prune the sucker vines off your tomatoes, although sucker vines can also make tomatoes. It sucks to do because I love tomatoes, and I want as many tomatoes as possible, but when you prune the plant, you get bigger better tomatoes that are more worthwhile than the suckers that can infect your plant and make it really sick.

Sorry that made me sound like 5000 years old with that gardening analogy. If you need me to solve your small town murder mysteries, I’m ready.

So it’s like...kind of tragic that it came together as kind of nonsensical when you can tell that it’s so close to being something better.

Like we have some reason up to this point to believe that Ed would have a freak out here...but like...a sobbing on the floor screaming at the walls type of freak out? Was there enough time devoted to this blow up, or did he walk into this room and immediately start screaming? Because he sure did walk immediately into this room and start screeching like a broken bird.

Like last recap, which was about 2 minutes ago in screentime, was this fun and quirky montage with Hughes. Now we’re sobbing into this rusty factory.

And I know what’s going on because I’ve seen the anime, but if you haven’t seen it—would this emotional break down make any sense? We were told by Dr Marcoh, “check out lab 5,” but we were only going to this factory on kind of a wish and a prayer. I really wonder if people who don’t know this show could follow past this point.

And then while we’re still adjusting to “yo, Ed just took it from a 2 to a 10 like immediately” Al is like “Hey I noticed no one is paying attention to me, and I have to lay a wicked fart:”

and then both brother’s just have a freak out. Gotta all be freaking out in this random ass Unity asset that was probably also used for some college grad’s first battle royale.

Pacing is just everything. And what’s SO HARD about Full Metal Alchemist is that there really is a lot of content to cover, there’s a lot of emotions to go through, and when you only have about 7 minutes to cover what was about 3-4 episodes, if I remember correctly, it’s kind of a zany mess.

And if you were going into this movie hoping they wouldn’t illustrate Al as a large idiot baby, then you share the sentiments of most people who saw this movie. Al is like...kind of reduced to a whiny big baby and is...not cute. Like Al is low key kind of menacing throughout this movie, not just because he has this CGI armor thing going on, but also because Al is...so impressionable and unhinged.

Something that I didn’t appreciate enough when I watched the anime was just how important Barry the Chopper was for Al’s logical character development.

Yo...These bangs…

...I’ve realized that every show I recap here just has the worst hair styles. I honestly never thought much about hair at all until I watched like 200 hours of Yugioh and all of this movie and also 6 seasons of Once Upon a Time which featured some LOOKS (but only recapped like 3 episodes, sorry if I got some of y’all excited. That was when we had no reason to cap everything because the capping community for Once was very alive and very exciting.)

By hitting him with a wrench (Al does not feel pain, ps, so he doesn’t need to be hunched over like this) Winry reminds Al that Ed would not risk his life for a fake brother (which may be a line from the anime or the manga but I don’t remember) and crying just...a lot.

Like it felt as if she had to shoot all of this out of order. Same with Ed’s freak out here. Movie’s aren’t really shot in succession and it’s up to the director to make it feel coherent and logical...this felt scattered, like the actors really didn’t know what was happening in the scenes leading up to it so they just cranked it to 11.

And then I guess Ed was either so insulted that Al punched him or was so upset that Al made Winry cry (again, this movie really tries to sell the EdxWinry ship and from me that’s a really big compliment), that Ed just started laying punches to extend a fight scene that was kind over before it started.

But symbolically there is a lot nice things going on here, Ed only uses his fleshy hand so he bleeds all over Al, hurting himself as much he’s hurting his brother. Implying more than just this fight, but suggesting that their whole journey of trying to find this sorcerer’s stone is just going to hurt both of them in their quest to save the other.

And then Al says something along the line of “it hurts!” to infer that he’s got this broken heart which is when they both finally just freakin stop.

Such a shame the pacing, which was a mix of too quick, and too many tomatoes, kind of made it hella blindsiding.

Again this was so many episodes of FMA and they stuffed it into so few minutes, it’s wild.

Especially since Ed is like...he’s cast as an adult! He’s an adult! At no point in the movie so far have they called him a kid, and they’re not pretending that he is one. But like...he acts like such a child because in the original, he was one. And, while this movie steps so far away from the source material, if should have committed and either stepped completely away or committed completely. Of course “should” is one of those things where we’ll just never know. A wish into the ether of hindsight being 20/20.

But lets get to the thing that you all came here for. This is where this movie gets BONKERS:

So Hughes actually draws out a pentagram between the different places in Armestrias, including Ishvaal, leading us to think that he’s figured out the whole dealio of turning the country into an alchemy circle. But, for some reason only helps him find the real lab 5.

It didn’t...that’s a different thing.

And it has been a long time since I’ve seen the ending of this movie—and maybe it was so offhand that I forgot if they actually do bring up turning the country into an alchemy circle--watch me eat my words, it could happen—but yo, we are finally killing Hughes—but we’re over halfway through this movie. And you may wonder...so uh...what...then what could possibly happen? There’s too much anime left!

Now I’m glad they kept this scene really close to the anime, although I haven’t watched the anime in a hot minute. It’s kind of an iconic scene so you don’t forget.

Like I do genuinely enjoy the campy parts where they were bringing up some of my favorite nostalgia of the original.

and then when you are like “ah, this is exactly the same as the anime. I can relax and watch as all my expectations are fully realized.” This twist happens.

YAH.

It’s a change!

So in the anime we had a really fun arc where we were trying to save Lieutenant Ross for being framed for killing Hughes. It’s probably my favorite part of Full Metal Alchemist, actually, it was so clever and a really thrilling chase. It was also like...half of season one.

Anyway, they cut it. They reduced half a season into 7 minutes. I know that, because each of these recaps is about 15 minutes of the movie.

You may look at this recap and be like “wait...this all happened in 15 minutes??” because yeah, this all happened in 15 minutes.

The same squad of people we see in every single scene of soldiers comes up to arrest Ed, which is weird, because I thought this band of soldiers was the military under Cl. Mustang’s command so like…shouldn’t they be arresting themselves? Mustang was over the command of more than 2 people. If we are suspicious of Mustang’s buddies then everyone in this movie would be in trouble.

And that’s when I realized that these guys were just unnamed soldiers and not a part of Mustang’s band. They only had like this many extras and just hoped we wouldn’t keep track of who is who, but I KNOW I’ve seen these guys this whole time. There are only like 6 people in this army. I see you movie magic—I see what you’re trying to do.

Anyway, Ed gets thrown into an old timey opera house that occasionally gets to be used for Middle School graduations. Or maybe also a mortuary where they charge you for funerals.

Like I know it’s supposed to be the capital building but like...this looks so weird when it’s live action. I remember the anime had this kinda feel to it but in live action it’s like…

...this is a weird ass capital building…Why do they have curtains like a Granny Holiday Inn in Reno, Nevada?

Thankfully, Hawkeye is here to explain to Ed what just happened because we, the movie viewers, were kind of surprised by that plot twist.

Like there were many ways you can condense half a season into 15 minutes, and I dunno if I would have just changed the murderer. It is a solution you can do. You can just point blame on Mustang and skip that whole Ross segment but like….

…then why write the movie?

Obviously, they had to make the movie, it had already been funded, people were really excited about the idea, and I do not envy the people that had to hack and slash with the Full Metal Alchemist script, but it is interesting what they decided was important to the original content, and what was unimportant. All that stuff that showed how Mustang was brilliant and two steps ahead of everyone else? Unimportant. All that stuff we had that showed how Mustang cares a lot about protecting other people and also cares about Ed and Al? Unimportant.

It really changes the dynamic, and it’s kind of fascinating to go into this cold because it’s been like...a year for me since I’ve watched it...and just see how different everything is without all those supporting characters that when I watched the anime I just assumed were mostly useless (Though fun). Turns out they all had a pretty significant part of making me care about Ed, about Mustang, about Al, about all my main characters.

FMA is very character driven, and this movie is mostly just...plot driven.  There’s kind of a great debate in literature about plot driven vs character driven. Movies and TV tend to be very plot driven, because they are very expensive to make, so they follow pre-formatted plot beats like “Save the Cat” or “The Heroes Journey” and other ones (there’s several to choose from).

They’ve made a fine science out of at what point a TV show should introduce the main, at what point they should suffer doubt, at what point they should shun their hero’s journey, etc etc. They know it down to the page number of the scripts they are writing. I know this, because it’s readily available on the internet and people fight about it all the time. This is why a show may suffer developing a character—because they just don’t have time and they just don’t have the resources to do something out of the box. Movies doubly so, because every minute of film can cost thousands of dollars.

What’s interesting about this is that FMA, the original FMA, does follow these beats. It was a manga sold by a huge publisher so it had to follow those beats. But, it has managed to do it while still being character driven. Yo, that’s so hard to do. This story was already written to be hyper condensed and structured when it was made into a Manga, and then it was condensed again for an anime, and then it was condensed yet again for this movie. It’s like a game of telephone, and at one end you have a very character driven story, and then at the other, it’s just totally plot.

Like it’s just a really huge risk to take. This was really, really risky.

PS did you miss Shou? Did you think we’d be done with Shou Tucker? No. Because this movie is gonna end at some point and rather than introduce other people...we’re just gonna stick with Shou and only have one miniboss.

(It has a freakin radiator in it?)

So then this next part happens and it’s low key hilarious.

The whole time.

Mustang and Hawkeye knew what lab 5 was this entire time but Ed just never asked for some reason despite working with those two for what is inferred to be YEARS since his childhood.

Hey PS, did you miss that brick building? Because it’s back.

Anyway, Mustang decides to take this underground where we can recycle the tech crew posing as extras that we used in the shot above us. Would not be surprised if a few of these are someone’s husband or wife on set.

Usually when I watch a movie I don’t get this feeling so much. But this movie...the latter half is like...EMPTY.

...this is going to be all movies made during Covid, I just realized…

Mustang is stopped by an angry Lieutenant Ross, and then we get this series of events.

And when you’re like “...Sorry?” Mustang’s like “I can make it weirder.”

And he just, without any warning or anything, lights Lieutenant Ross on fire. Multiple times, and it’s pretty intense and everyone who’s holding a gun just watches it happen is like…

...well I guess it’s too late to just shoot the guy...

…and like do you seriously not carry around a fire extinguisher when you are trying to manhunt Mustang? This is the one guy you want to wear fireproof clothes around. You have the technology. You at least have the technology for buckets of water. Like no one want to throw a blanket on her?

Just want to...watch? I guess?

Mustang just looks like a nut from this series of events instead of a genius--which is what I think they were originally going for. The pacing does that, youknow? Pacing.

And, out of the corpse pile stands Envy.

Envy has a pretty good look, I appreciated his whole look and that unlike the anime where you only find out Envy is a guy because someone told you on a forum somewhere and you were like “wait WHAT?” the movie is live action so you won’t make that mistake and embarrass yourself online.

Ed has only ever seen Lust once, and she walked in from off screen, stabbed a guy, and walked off. He’s just like...having a time because he’s done zero research into homunculi, and really, at no point in this movie are we going to give him time to figure it out.

Also, there’s this shot where Lust and Gluttony just walk in from behind them in the tunnel and it’s like…

….so no one noticed these two just hanging out back there?

It’s so freakin funny. This movie is gold. I love it.

Now If you just got here, this is a link to read all these recaps in chrono order:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/fma/chrono

Have a good one, and stay safe! 2021 has been...weird nuts...and it’s still January somehow??? Weird times. Overall, please stay safe, it’s weird out there.

Also, if you’re like “I don’t remember this scene actually” here’s the original Hughes dies scene that inspired the movie (since the movie definitely was like “we’re only going inspired for this one nerds, get mad”)--some shots were inspired cut for cut.

And obvi this is on Youtube so it’ll probably get taken down eventually, but that’s why it’s flipped.

[onestowatch]

Boy Willows Drops Dreamy Music Video for "Fila" [Q&A]

Boy Willows, aka Landon Fleischman, makes music that offers a deep amalgamation of incandescent alt-pop, jubilant jazz, and psychedelic-tinged folk. Impeccably paired with sensory lyricism and passionate vocals, he delivers a hypnotic and singular resonance.

The LA-via-Maryland artist recently shared his new single "Fila" with Dylan Minnette of Wallows. On "Fila," Boy Willows stretches out to embrace relatable themes of vulnerability and healing both inwardly and outwardly without feeling overbearingly serious. "Fila" serves as a therapy session between two friends as they cope with being alone in different ways. Nestled in a warm and gentle soundscape, the sonic components are woven with nostalgia, charm, and a bit of whimsy. We caught up with Willows for a quick Q&A about the track and the equally nostalgic and whimsical music video directed by Boy Willows, shot by Seannie Bryan (Madeline Kenney, Skullcrusher) and edited by Jordan Pories.

Ones to Watch: This song, although short and sweet, seems to have a lot of complexity to it. It sounds like throughout the single, the main characters are grappling with feelings of loneliness and figuring out how to cope. What is this song about to you, and how did this song come to be?

Boy Willows: I think both verses deal with the thoughts that bubble up when you feel useless, small, or alone, but what I love about the song is there's a twinge of hope. My goal with Fila was to spur myself into believing that I could create my own reality of acceptance and momentum. I had been feeling isolated a while before the pandemic hit - on the perimeter looking in on other people's social circles or relationships or success. My hope was that by acknowledging these truths in a song, I could start to take up my own space, make my own club of acceptance per se.

What was the creative process like for the single? What made you want to go for this very ethereal sound, and were you inspired by anything in particular?

I worked on this super grand, minute-long glitchy harmony thing and pitched it down an octave (oooo). It was so soothing and slow and big, I started producing around it, and I felt like I was in a dream where I could say anything I wanted, no matter how heavy or light.

What are your thoughts on girls that wear Fila?

Haha, in short, they're cool. This song is truly a peek into all the thoughts that were swirling around my brain, making me feel alone - and one of those thoughts was about aging. I wish this wasn't the truth, but I was feeling fear about getting older. I wrote that line about Filas and didn't think much of it or even really understand why I wrote it until a couple nights ago. It's definitely a light-hearted observation about youth culture, but I think I wanted to poke fun at it cuz I felt like I wasn't a part of it for the first time - and that frightened me. It's insane that even that line was born out of the fear of being left out, but I'm pretty sure that's the true true.

I loved not only the sonic atmosphere you created, but also the story of you told through the lyrics. Do you have a favorite verse from this track or one that speaks to you? What is your approach when it comes to songwriting?

I just love how much the endings of each verse stick out - "I just feel like I don't deserve this life." It's a line you could interpret so many different ways, and each way would be true. When I'm working on a song, it starts with the music. I picture where it takes me, how fast I'm moving, if I feel cool or angry or defeated, and if I'm lucky, a phrase will fall out of my mouth that feels true, even if it doesn't make sense at first.

I think the music video does a great job of visualizing the lightheartedness of "Fila." What was the creative process like, and what was it like working with your team on the video?

There's this fucking incredible animated video called Satiemania from 1978 made by this Croatian animator, Zdenko Gašparović. In it, there's a delectable section where it's just different shoes walking in an impossibly groovy way. I wanted that tone of animation mixed with the camaraderie and fuckit-energy of The Pharcyde's "Drop" music video. I brought those ideas to my genius creative friend/ shaman, Jordan Pories, and we got to work, exploring the world of the song, trying to amplify and showcase everything in a dreamy, slow way. Seannie Bryan is a recent friend of mine and a killer DP. She captured the dreamy light perfectly. We rolled up to the spot at 6am. It was 90 degrees, and we knocked it out in an hour and a half, only stopping once because I was going to throw up from spinning.

Dylan Minette's voice perfectly compliments the laid back yet introspective vibe of the song, and it looked like y'all had a lot of fun doing the music video. What was working with him like, and how did he get involved with this single?

He and I go way back. We used to be in rival boy scout gangs. No, I do lighting for Wallows, and we met through that. One day on the tour bus, I was showing him some new tunes, one of which was "Fila." It was 35 seconds, and he said it needed to be longer, so I said, "hop on in." He added his verse, and we were OFF TO THE RACES. He's got a really strong creative compass and just knows what he likes. We finished the song in a couple days - fucking painless, dare I say, very enjoyable bordering on a lot of fun.

Tell me about Desert Mike. I feel like although rattlesnakes do deserve some love and I agree that the war between them and human beings is senseless, I'm not exactly in a rush to give them a pat on the head...Ok, but for real, tell me about this clip at the end. Is it an easter egg for a future single? In your last single, "i love it when you talk," you intercut the clips of you with film footage from the 80s and 90s. Is Desert Mike a Boy Willows creation or a relic from the past?

SHEESH, am I paying you?? because if not, then I SHOULD. The Boy Willows canon is a long, meandering labyrinth of characters that doesn't conform to traditional standards of "time" or "being funny" or "good. Desert Mike exists in all Boy Willows worlds, though, this much I can say. In the ILIWYT video, Desert Mike easily could have made a feature, and now I want to know who you've been talking to...your ability to connect the dots is...suspicious.

Has the pandemic effected you or inspired you as an artist? If so, how?

Really hot take comin at ya, I think the pandemic is not good. Bad even! I lost my job, so financially, I've been very inspired to survive haha. This isn't the sexiest answer, but the truth for me is, I put everything into my music but am also looking for a job - sometimes balancing those two things is really fucking hard. Instead of feeling inspired to write about my difficulties, I just want to solve them. So I'm really looking forward to landing a part-time gig as a call representative for Spirit Airlines, so I can get back to making my music.

Once the world comes to a state of a new normal, what's the first thing you want to do?

I'd love to travel somewhere new with my friends. A friend of mine is living in New Zealand working on an alpaca farm. You bet your ass I'm flying there at the first chance.

Alternate fun idea: Get a table at a restaurant, deep in the back, as far inside as possible. Order one appetizer every 30 minutes and stay there for a minimum of nine hours, just being so loungey and just snacking hard, mozzarella sticks flying every which way, napping in marinara sauce.

When shows and concerts are back, who do you want to see, and who do you want to tour or play with?

When touring comes back, I would LOVE to tour with Jadu Heart, Far Caspian, Sure Sure, to name a few. I just want to crowd surf for a month straight honestly. Give a ton of sweaty hugs. I want to see Toro y Moi, Thumpasaurus, Squirrel Flower.

Who have you been listening to throughout the pandemic? Are there any Ones To Watch?

A lot of Tribe Called Quest for long drives. I'll put "Check The Rhime" on repeat. I just discovered this dude named Shuttle his song "Boy" is fucking groooovy. I'm an OG KT Tunstall stan too - I've been bumping her 2013 album "Invisible Empire" like a mad man. Kevin Morby for the campy vibes, Rufus for the stank, Lomelda for the love, Van Morrison because if I get married, my first dance will be to "Crazy Love," and I like to daydream about that when I drive. Last but most important, The Prince of Egypt soundtrack.

Oh also, I've been listening to a lot of Anna Burch, Far Caspian, Bea1991, a compilation of geese wearing hats, Mei, Shuttle and this new artist you HAVE to listen to - he's a little out there but give him a try, Drake.

[patricksmusicblog]

Princess Nokia- Everything Is Beautiful/Everything Sucks(Album Reviews)

Everything Is Beautiful and Everything Sucks are the third and fourth album released by NY rapper Princess Nokia. Princess Nokia is one of my favorite promising young artist out right now, I first got wind of her through her second LP 1992 Deluxe one of my favorites of 2017(the past decade really), so my anticipation for her new music was palpable. Given her eclecticism  I didn’t know what to expect from her, but I must say I’m very happy with what she ended up releasing.

Everything Is Beautiful and Everything Sucks are two different half's of the same whole. Everything is beautiful is more of an introspective, reflective look at Princess Nokia’s life growing up. The effervescent/soulful “Green Eggs and Ham” sets the tone for that as she waxes nostalgic about the good elements of her childhood despite going through serious rough patches. The ethereal “Wash & Set” further romanticizes her childhood as she speaks to not wanting to deal with the stress of rent and college debt and everything that comes young adulthood.  A clear highlight “Suger Honey Iced Tea” has a great upbeat jazzy sound, a quality hook and Nokia lyrically brushing off her detractors. “Soul Food y Adobo” is a smooth record about appreciating the food she came up eating and everything that surrounded it, parties, gatherings traditions etc. While 1992 Deluxe tapped into different elements of Nokia’s life, interest and personality, in most ways Everything Is Beautiful is her  most personal statement both speaking to the culture that made her and how it affects her and where she is now. If you’re just getting into Princess Nokia EIB actually seems like a great place to start.

Transversely Everything Sucks is darker and more irreverent. This is where more of the eccentric songs lay. The appropriately titled “Harley Quinn” finds Princess Nokia coming with a more aggressive sound and lyrics. Then there’s the rowdy “Crazy House” that has some ghoulish EDM production, it’s a bit campy and will be hit or miss as will “Welcome to the Circus”. “Gross” however is a legitimate banger has a great beat and rhymes from Princess Nokia.  “I like Him” is a catchy tune that finds Nokia taking agency of her body and sex life.  Still, my favorite on ES is “ Balenciaga” the track has a great woozy but hard hitting beat and flows about dressing for herself verse dressing for others attention. Despite some of the goofier moments on this side of the project “Just a Kid” ends this album with some of the darkest moments as she speaks on most of the negative elements of her childhood in an raw and honest way.

Princess Nokia is something of free spirit,delving into different aspects of her life, culture and environment and detailing both her thoughts and where she fits in that world. She also has this range as a vocalist and performer to be able to embody whatever emotion she’s trying get across, it’s great. She’s very fluid stylistically. All these elements present themselves on both these projects.  I enjoy both projects I think Everything Is Beautiful is the better of the two though there are essential Princess Nokia tracks on Everything Sucks as well. So if you’re looking for some hip-hop to get into I’d recommend giving this a listen.

Everything is Beautiful Rating: 8.5/10

Everything Sucks Rating 7.5/10

By: Patrick Griffin II

[chevalierene]

The PRxPRince Experience

It’s been nearly five months so it’s high time I finally wrote up my review ^^; In April of this year I had the pleasure to see Machida Nanoka’s directorial debut show, PRxPRince. This show was also the first solo lead for Snow Troupe’s Towaki Sea (Hitoko). As this was the first bow hall show I have seen the theatre is much smaller than the Grand Theatres with no balcony and holds a little over 500 people. 

The intimacy of the show is doubled with the cast of 30 people who all get to shine during the show. There are enough additional scenes for everyone in the cast to play important roles and it also showcases a lot of the younger actresses as well. 

All bias aside, PRxPRince is a fantastic show and is possibly my favorite Takarazuka show that I have seen yet. With the combined powers of Machida sensei’s writing and Hitoko’s sensual charm onstage they somehow created a show that is both very fun and extremely lethal. Before the show premiered just from the interviews it was evident that Machida sensei knew exactly what she was doing. She had been a fan of Takarazuka for a number of years and it shows in the final result. 

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

The show opens with the three ministers of Pecchieno, the Genovia-like country in which the story takes place, who are trying to figure out a way to get the country out of financial difficulties. Caspar (Kanou Yuuri) and Elias (Ichika Ao) have very different views on how to go about this dilemma with Caspar being very old-fashioned and Elias being a Millennial and very social media savvy. Damian (Yume Maoto) is kind of the moderator between them and the one who ends up suggesting the ultimate way to solve the country’s issues (which will be revealed later on). 

The next scene is a PR campaign video that introduces Victor (Hitoko), the oldest prince of Pecchieno as well as his two younger brothers, Valentin (Aya Ouka) and Valtteri (Ayami Sera). The opening song “Welcome to Pecchieno” is one of the catchiest songs in the show and gets reprised later on, inevitably becoming an earworm for anyone who hears it. What should be noted about the opening is that Victor’s glasses are removed before the start of the PR campaign video so Hitoko’s blue contact lenses and smooth blonde hair are on full display. And it is truly devastating! (Sidenote: I had no idea that the intro song actually introduces the rest of the cast who come onstage briefly until my last time seeing the show because I had my opera glasses focused on Hitoko for the other 6).

The next time we see Victor he is dressed in a parka, tennis shoes, a lab coat, and has large round glasses and messy hair. Victor is the leader of a group of scientists whose goal it is to find a solution to the polluting problems from the neighboring country (though this plotline might have changed since the director’s talk cause there was probably something I missed but I tried my best to follow along with the laboratory scenes). Elle (Jun Hana) is one of the scientists who really likes Victor and Victor really likes her. They are very adorable and awkward together. They are also both incredibly intelligent. Elle is seen as very smart but also fierce and is not one you want to mess with (she does Karate poses).

During another PR campaign tactic the princes are literally being mobbed by fangirls (listed as Fangirl 1-6 in the program) in order to promote tourism. At one point during a struggle Victor’s glasses fall off and he falls to the ground. He then emits a very unsumire moan. Suddenly, the lights change to a vivid bright green and music starts. Victor lifts up his head but his entire demeanor has changed. It is revealed during this song that this is in fact Christopher and he is searching for his goddess. The awkward prince Victor is replaced by Christopher, a very handsome, cocky, and aggressive version who makes every girl around him fall to the ground in delight. This reveal was so secret during the press for PRxPRince before I saw the show that I knew that Hitoko would be both extremely kawaii and extremely ikemen but I didn’t realize that Victor would change into a completely different person!

Through a flashback scene told by Alice (Sahana Mako), the family’s nurse, it is revealed that because Victor was just TOO BEAUTIFUL and maids had to flee the room because they just couldn’t handle it, a hypnotist is brought in to put a spell on Victor that allows his ikemen side to stay hidden when he has the glasses on. However, the side effect is that when the glasses get removed his ikemen side is so extra and over the top that he is literally a completely different person. In the show there are two songs that feature Victor and his Shadow which is the other side of him. The Shadow (Houka Haruna) is distant for the first song and represents Christopher behind him in the background. The second song is started by Christopher and the Shadow comes out wearing glasses. In the middle of the song the Shadow puts the glasses on Christopher. When he turns around he is once again Victor. The glasses are then removed completely and they have a duet dance together. The transitions from one to the other are incredible and it shows off Hitoko’s acting skills in the best possible way. It isn’t just the glasses that make the change. As Victor, Hitoko speaks and sings in a higher register that is closer to her natural speaking voice, she stutters more, her posture is often bent forward, has more outbursts and exclamations and is also portrayed as very sensitive. As Christopher, Hitoko is in full dangerous otokoyaku-killing mode; her speaking and singing voice is deeper, her posture is straight, she is more confident, aggressive, and controlling. Christopher also speaks in a very old-fashioned way and gives off an air as otherworldly in many ways. Another neat thing is that Victor addresses himself as “Boku” and addresses Elle as “Elle-san”. Christopher uses “Ore” when referring to himself and just says “Elle”. 

Elle faces a crisis at one point when Christopher tries to make a move and she slaps him. She immediately panics when she thinks that she has hurt Victor though and tries to figure out what happened to her sweet awkward boyfriend. Her and Victor sing a duet towards the audience in separate rooms. The song is later reprised after Victor admits that he likes Elle and they sing it to each other in a very tender moment. Jun Hana has a very Disney princess vibe to her which is exemplified whenever she’s around Hitoko who has an equally Disney prince vibe. They are characters who could literally be in a shoujo manga. While Jun Hana does not have the strongest singing voice per se, she makes it work here. 

Victor’s brothers, Valentin and Valterri are also rather amusing to watch. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed watching Aya’s performance as Valentin. She was VERY extra. Valentin is a true narcissist and has long flowing locks. He also tends to play with the ends of his hair and is the MOST dramatic person I have ever seen. He pines after a girl he once knew called Diana and throughout the show tries to pursue a girl of the same name played by Seina Nozomi who he’s convinced is the same one he once loved. Valterri is the youngest brother and is obsessed with working out. He’s very impulsive and doesn’t really think things through which gets him in trouble later on (Victor and Valentin silently scold him at one point which is funny since both of them are using big gestures on the side of the stage while other characters are talking). He is also head over heels in love with Marie (Irodori Michiru), the sister of the rival country’s ruler, Queen Lily (Ai Sumire). Ayami Sera did a really good job at playing the bratty younger brother who just wants to have fun. This was probably her biggest role to date so far too so she got to show off her singing as well. 

Speaking of Ai Sumire I need to talk about her because she was one of the most phenomenal parts of this show! She is portrayed as a campy villain with a very extra evil laugh. But DANG the girl has the most powerful voice and even gets the only vocal song in the finale! Catch me singing “IKEMEN! I-KE-MEN!” constantly. Lily is almost always surrounded by her posse made up of Rose (Shouno Chio) who is more or less her secretary who always carries an iPad with her to let Queen Lily know about the latest thing that their neighboring country is up to and Garrett (Kiraha Reo) who is Lily’s erm...really hot boytoy/bodyguard? What was quite surprising for me the first time I saw it was that Garrett does not speak AT ALL in the show. He whispers behind his hands to Lily but other than that he is completely silent and yet, the way that Kiraha (Kari) presents herself onstage even without saying a word is mesmerizing to watch. She just emits the most brooding otokoyaku energy that is mostly reserved for kuroenbis in revues. Garrett smokes, casually checks his watch, and performs a tango with Lily and I cannot stop LOOKING AT HIM ONSTAGE! Even when other characters are talking onstage if Garrett is there (save for when Victor is present) my eyes would float over to him just to watch him stare into the ether and make the slowest and most deliberate of gestures. 

Of course, no true royal comedy would happen without the king and queen themselves. King Anselm (Souno Haruto) and Queen Beatrice (Maisaki Rin) are the parents of the V3 (the campaign name for the three hot princes). King Anselm is very attached to everything he owns especially his expensive collection of various artifacts. Queen Beatrice is just trying to have a nice time and wants everyone to be happy again. They are also IMMENSELY in love and get very lovey-dovey in front of their boys who are all grossed out by their displays of affection. Given that the two actresses are also classmates they play off of each other really well and have a very nice relationship that is enhanced through that. They play an important role to the story and Maisaki Rin (Hime) even gets a moment of adlibbing. 

One of the great things about PRxPRince was actually the amount of adlibs that were included with each performance. There are several moments in the script where adlibs occur for each performance, similar in the way of the adlibs in shows like Lupin III and Bakumatsu Taiyouden occur. Even though you can tell these adlibs are planned out somewhat in advance it’s nice to see the actresses work with things that are also on the spot sometimes since not everything is completely planned out. Some were funnier than others but that’s all part of the fun of the show and just finding a good balance with the audience. Personally I loved the adlibs even though I couldn’t understand some of them sometimes. Other things that were adlibbed were little gestures here and there that the characters would do that were different with each performance. One of my favorites was watching Kari scold Michiru at one point and one performance Kari leaned over Michiru so much that Michiru’s tiara had bounced back onto her head as she came up. The adlibs definitely made each performance I saw unique and lots of fun especially when the show was in the middle of Japan’s naming for the new era and suddenly 平成 (Heisei) and 令和 (Reiwa) adlibs were added to the mix. 

As the ministers figure out the next part in the V3 PR campaign Damian suggests that they host a ball in order to find eligible matches for the princes. A lot of stuff goes down in Act 2 during the ball including Marie showing off her pet bug to literally everyone within range, Elle finding said bug and actually communicating with it, Garrett and Rose playing musical instruments, Valentin doing a slow baywatch walk, and Victor expressing his true feelings towards Elle. At the very end of the show Victor and Elle actually go into the audience to do high-touches with those lucky to be on the aisle seats (alas, I was not one of them). One of the best moments was from the final performance when Top Stars Nozomi Fuuto and Maya Kiho were in the audience and I was able to see Hitoko shake both of their hands in a very sincere gesture since she was so happy both of them could make it to the show. 

I talked a bit about the music before but OH MY GOD this show’s music is incredible! It’s very catchy and pleasing to the ear. A lot of the songs are slightly reminiscent of older Takarazuka shows but are also not too old-fashioned sounding. A lot of brass and strings are used in the songs which is very enjoyable. The finale takes it one step further though and incorporates electric guitar. 

Yes, I am going to spend an entire paragraph just on the finale because it deserves to be talked about. After the happy ending of the show intense rock music is played as the curtain rises to three figures: Ai Sumire, Kari, and Shouno Chio. A rock version of “Lily’s Song” is played and it is THE BEST THING EVER! After my first viewing I always looked forward to the finale because it starts off super strong and doesn’t disappoint. Ai Sumire is the only one who gets to sing in the finale which is appropriate considering her voice is amazing and is one of the best singers in Yukigumi imo (Daikiho aside, of course). After the villainous trio have their number Hitoko sneakily walks onstage to stand on a platform. She is dressed in a dark blue coat with gold trim and a silk wine red shirt on beneath it. Her blonde wig stays on for the entire time. An instrumental rendition of “Two souls” is played as she descends the stairs, dancing fluidly and gracefully like a swan and takes front and center. The “fuu!” that emits from her lips is enough to make the audience shatter into 1000 pieces. They have fallen under their prince’s spell with the lure of Hitoko’s sanpakugan (this was so effective I was unable to watch this part of the finale with the opera glasses because it was THAT powerful). The rest of the otokoyaku join her shortly afterwards in a dance which evolves into an instrumental “Diana” as Hitoko takes off to change into her next costume while Ayana leads. After the otokoyaku dance they scatter and the musumeyaku all appear in lovely pink dresses. Hitoko has changed into a Prince Charming white military uniform and dances in the center, surrounded by beautiful women, which honestly, the dream. A shift in the music starts and one by one the ladies leave the stage until there is one remaining. But even SHE isn’t the goddess that our prince seeks. Jun Hana makes her way onto a small platform in a gold ball gown similar in style to Belle’s from Beauty and the Beast. When Hitoko turns around and sees her it’s like a wave of happiness rolls through them both and they have a classic waltz set to an instrumental version of “Someday My Prince Will Come” from Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is canonically one of the purest moments in the entire show even though the entire time I watched it I prayed that Hitoko would not trip over Jun Hana’s massive ballgown. The only mishap I saw was on the first day when while twirling Jun Hana to the side she slipped ever so slightly but managed to catch herself gracefully. After their intimate dance they exit together and the curtain call rolls. 

This show brought together so many hearts and it was so refreshing to see Yukigumi do a comedy bow hall since it has not been done since the early 2000s. I love this show more than I have loved any Takarazuka show and I feel blessed that I was able to see it live as many times as I did and to be able to share this wonderful experience with others. 

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2010: 80 - 76

80. Birgit  - “Et uus saaks alguse” Estonia 2013

It is easy to write Birgit’s superhigh ranking off as my pro-Estonia bias, but I actually did NOT like “Et uus saaks alguse” until the semifinal aired. 🤭 You see, 2013 was the first year I followed preselections and i was SMITTEN by the quirky Lõhmus song Birgit beat in EL. You may have heard of “Päästke Noored Hinged”, and if you haven’t educate yourself now and return here once you’re finished. Ready? Okay, let’s continue~

Anyway, Birgit is just... so adorable? So charismatic? Such a soothing, likable presence? Her magical voice and hypnotic swaying was the exact medicine to treat my Paia ptsd. Before I knew it, I was humming the chorus without thinking about it twice, singing a self-made Dutch translation in the shower on a daily basis. In the end, Birgit won me over, which I think you’ll agree, is a stronger phrasing of words than “I fell in love”. A true example of an underrated gem who deserves more love and attention.

After the contest, Birgit gave birth to a healthy son, continued to live a happy life with her family, occasionally cropping up in Eesti Laul as a juror or in a hilarious collab with Tanja. This ending to her arc pleases me almost as much as “Et uus saaks alguse” did, because if there’s any europerson (besides Valentina Monetta and Ieva Zasimauskaite) that I wish all the happiness in the world, it is Birgit Õigemeel. 

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79. IVAN - “Help you fly” Belarus - 2016

If I can fly, then you can flyyyyYYYyyyYYYoyoyoohoyojojkoghkooo

With 330+ of read updates under your belt, it should hardly be a surprise to you that I LOVED “Help you fly” the second I heard it, because is there anything as timeless, as ethereal, as enjoyably dated as 80s electronic ska? NO I DON’T THINK SO. TAAAAAAAAKE OOOOOOOOOOON MEEEEEEEEEEEE  However, I don’t think anybody expected IVAN to reveal his true Crazy Person Colours in the months after his selection. 😍 The first inkling came when IVAN insisted “Help you fly”s uplifting message would only be done justice if he did it starkers AND flanked by REAL WOLVES. When the EBU was like “um no wtf you crazy man”, being, you know, the sane boring people we know them to be, IVAN resorted to high-tech CGI to get his ~artistic vision across~

Lol I often joke about the insanity found at Eurovision but IVAN might be insane for real, which... is really damn’ fucking awesome because it turned “Help you fly” in one of the best acid trips of all time, while also remaining a good song on top of that, and also ironic because “leave all the madness behind” is one of the few audible lines. 😂 So let us bask in the glory of this:

and this:

and this

It is often said that the line between genius and insanity is fairly blurred and IVAN is masterfully... avoiding that line by going all in. "Help you fly” is absolutely BONKERS and frankly, I can’t help being impressed. Of course, it is exactly like “Telemóveis” in that whatever underlying message it had has completely flown over the heads of the gobsmacked audience, and arguably IVAN himself <3 Every time an entry dismantles our expectations with mind-blowing awesomeness, it’s a blessing. Thank you IVAN for blessing us <3

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78. The Shin & Mariko - “Three minutes to Earth” Georgia 2014

MORE BONKERS ENTRIES <3 God, I remember EVERYONE losing their damn’ marbles when “Three minutes to Earth” was announced. NOBODY could make any sense of it whatsoever <3 It’s like... a bizarre amalgamation of different world music traditions without any discernible melody <3 A jam session not from this fucking planet. Of course, this made the vast bulk of the fandom HATE it,  However...  I was always intrigued and soon fell in love with its disarming avant garde hopelessness <3

Appreciation which bloomed into genuine deep affection once I realized “Three minutes to Earth” is a song about... ALIEN ABDUCTION <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 

TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ALIENS!!!!!!!!! 

Which is... really fucking CLEVER, wtf? 

Like, if we assume, hypothetically, that a friendly alien race were find the Voyager and decipher how to use the golden records, a song such as “Three minutes to Earth” could very well be their interpretation of our music, abducting and indoctrinating a few random Georgians to share their message of peace and cooperation, with millions of people worldwide. That.. is conceptually the most ridiculous sentence I’ve ever written on this blog, and worse, I believe every word of it. PISS AND LIGHT EVERYWHEEEEEERE. 

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77. Hera Björk - “Je ne sais quoi” Iceland 2010

When in doubt, always bring the agressive euroschlager, and man, Hera Björk is such a force of camp nature. She provided more fire and buzz than the fucking volcano whose name nobody can pronounce (from memory, the name is “Eyjafjallajökull” ^_^) The Eyjafjallajökull mught have held all of the European airports into a chokehold, but in Eurovision it was HERA who ruled (for a brief moment).  

also take a moment to ponder on the fact she looks like Lady Tremaine’s cat. 

I mean, “Je ne sais quoi” has ~that special something, something just can’t explain~ just kidding, I can and I shall: "Je ne sais quoi” is shamelessly camp, with a cheesy francophone hook, pinging its status as homo-friendly eurotrash to all the gay people EUROVISION FANS that love shameless campy schlager. 

What I like the most however are the explicit references to aggressive love-making. “WHEN I SEE YOU FACE I WANNA FOLLOW MY EMOTIONS” Is this song about Hera getting the d this song is about Hera getting the d isn’t it. (“d” being dick or dildo, you pick the option that wets ur humourwhistle the most.) Well, I am happy! Obese people deserve all the happiness in life. Then again, I am saying this as a man big enough to have a cleavage, so maybe that opinion is a bit bias- OKAY MOVING ON.

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76. Maraaya - “Here for you” Slovenia 2015

Okay, I will be first to admit that “Here for you” slapped SO MUCH MORE in studio version. Arguably the best song Slovenia have ever sent to Eurovision? Definitely the best between Sebi and Cvet z Juga. And the yes, the live didn’t *entirely* live up to the hype... However, a slightly less good “Here for you” is still fucking awesome? LEGIT CHARTABLE SONG THAT ISN’T BORING <3 AIR VIOLIN REALNESS <3

However, you all know that I LIVE for the small moments of incompetence and weirdness, and Marjetka provides two big ones BY HERSELF: There’s of course the hilarity of the headphones & lace dress, but what I’m getting at is the chronic headbobbing: seriously, is this a tic:

This reminds me of 1968 BorisBubbles fave Claes-Göran Hederström and his incessant lip-licking. 

(Most lubricated lips in the herstory of Eurovision 😍) 

Of course, Marjetka’s persistent headbobbing also had a hilarious impact on her voice, giving her a stuttering vibrato, as she were cycling over a cobblestone road while singing this song. 😍

After doing Eurovision and showcasing their talent to everyone in Europe, Maraaya went back to Slovenia, becoming their Sven Lõhmus and loyally delivering a slew of trashy semi-chartable shitsongs into EMA every year since, winning with none of them. 😍