#it's not that good but i've watched it like 4 times

[northopalshore]

Groom & Briede

Union persona chart

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In the union persona chart, the groom (5129) & Briede (19029) asteroid represents what the male & female counterpart will be doing when you first hear or meet your significant other. If you are a woman or resonate with that energy, Briede will represent what you will be doing when you first hear of them & if you are a man or the masculine counterpart it's groom. In this post it applies to both the Briede & Groom asteroid i.e you & your partner.

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Northopalshore's Union Masterlist | Masterlist

Note : retrogrades usually means there it takes a while for you to notice them or vice versa, but it also means hearing of them or meeting through a third party like someone or something else introduced you. In some cases you could be taking a break while doing something else when you meet them.

Aries (°1,°13,°25) | in the 1st house

You could be alone when you first hear or meet them. Being independent, doing your own thing. You could be leading something, being in charge of something. If you meet at work you may be their supervisor or superior. You could be starting something new when you first meet or you could also be working out.

Taurus (°2,°14,°26) | in the 2nd house

You could be purchasing something, expecting to pay for something. Paying for a service, an item, a place. You could also be working or earning money when you meet them. Could be related to a bank like my mother's example. (She was working at a bank lol) Could be related to food, shops or beauty events as well. Meeting at a drug store, while eating, while at a concert, or while buying a house. You could also connect through a "trusted" source or they may have a good reputation (if concerning a service).

Gemini (°3,°15,°27) | in the 3rd house

Being on social media. Hearing rumors or gossip about them, reading something online that could lead to them ; forums, dating apps, or just social media that requires people actively to talk or type. You could text them or something. You could also connect through other sites or friends or links (like being recommended by whatever that you're watching/reading especially if it's in retrograde). You will be talking, laughing, joking around and sharing your opinions or just entertaining people. Could also be related to cars or movement. You could also be picking up a skill when you hear about or meet them.

Cancer (°4,°16,°28) | in the 4th house

You're likely at home or at a restaurant in some cases, somewhere you can rest indoors or when you're not actively doing something. You'll likely be in your comfort zone physically. Like laying on your sofa or bed scrolling away (sounds like a dream but I've seen it manifest a couple times, see my friend's example here). You could be going home too like going back to your hometown, or visiting your mother too. You could be emotionally invested in something, like an activity.

Leo (°5,°17,°29) | in the 5th house

You could be entertaining people. Having fun, not really doing something serious. Could be related to singing or acting, watching a movie. You could be performing for some kind of act or leisure activity. You could be watching a movie or going to a carnival, a club, or some sort of event. Partying, having fun, being around children or taking care of children.

Virgo (°6,°18) | in the 6th house

You could be running errands when you meet. You could be working, getting used to a routine adding something to your daily schedule. Adding a hobby, a necessity, or a way to pass the time. It could be related to health, especially if aspected with Chiron. You could be resting too, or just got back from work related activities. You could meet for "official" reasons.

₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑

Libra (°7,°19) | in the 7th house

You could be selling something, advocating for something, representing a group or a company for work related ventures (usually either related to brands, beauty, fashion, law & high-end products). You could be making a brand deal or connecting to different people at the time you meet.

For ex: Ex US president Barack Obama has Groom in Aries (°7 Libra) in the first house & Briede in Sagittarius (°10 Capricorn) in the 9th house. He met his wife Michelle when she became his advisor at a law firm where she was working.

Scorpio (°8,°20) | in the 8th house

You could be doing something you've never done before, or something risky, you could be purchasing or providing some sort of service where you'll get paid in the end. You could be doing something dangerous, or renewing something like a license,or an insurance plan. You could be doing something rather risky or unknown to you. Could also be related to the occult or engaging in some sort of controversy. You could be serving something, serving time (in prison) perhaps for some.

Sagittarius (°9,°21) | in the 9th house

You could be teaching something, guiding something, showing the ropes to someone or even giving advice when you first meet them. You could have a higher position or are older than them, so you may act as a booster or stepping stone for them in a way when you meet. You could be seeking help too or maybe they are the ones asking for your thoughts/opinion.

Capricorn (°10,°22) | in the 10th house

You could be focused on something. Maybe you're working, or stressed too but it more than likely will manifest as being serious. Something may require a lot of your attention when you first meet them or you may be thinking of ways to change your life. It could definitely be related to giving or receiving advice based on experience. You may also be doing research on something treated what you're doing as a "job" or literally working. Whatever it is it may take up quite a portion from your day/night. Could be related to a service to or their work. Meeting at a professional setting, going into something with professional intentions when you suddenly meet them.

Aquarius (°11,°23) | in the 11th house

You could hear about them through a friend, being introduced through someone who knows them and just so happened to have run into you. Meeting or hearing of them while with a friend. Usually shows up as looking for something or researching something. You could be browsing the internet as well. Meeting through mutual connections, whether directly or indirectly.

Pisces (°12,°24) | in the 12th house

You may be away on a trip when you first meet them. You could be at a point in your life where you may find yourself rather directionless & in some cases unemployed. You could be going through a difficult period. You could hear about them at church or while visiting a religious place. Online or while doing something mindlessly. You could also be curious about something or looking for something. It could be related to spirituality, or the occult as well. You could also be resting, or it's a slow day for you.

₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑

Thank you for reading, hope it helps ♡

@northopalshore

@northopalshore union 2025 all rights reserved.

[brucebocchi]

Ranking 2024 anime, Pt. 5: #10-1

hey, this post is also available on my ko-fi, so please check it out and consider tipping/donating as i do this for free and am currently between jobs. you can find part 1 of the list here, part 2 here, part 3 here, and part 4 here. all of my seasonal reviews are on my ko-fi and under my anime reviews tag, mixed in with my occasional musings. thanks!

And we are in the home stretch! I didn't want to split up my top 10 like last year, so it took a couple days to get it all together. Thanks for your patience.

​As you may have noticed, some of these reviews are longer than others. I've reviewed most of these shows before, so I didn't want to be too redundant while talking about shows I've already reviewed. You can, of course, go back and read my initial reviews in my previous seasonal roundups.

Also, I just wanted to quickly shout out a few shows that I haven't watched much or any of, but would likely have placed well in these rankings, namely Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, YATAGARASU, the Spice and Wolf remake, Orb: On the Movements of Earth, Sound! Euphonium's third season, and the late Akira Toriyama's SAND LAND and Dragon Ball DAIMA. I only have so much time in a day, week, month, and year, but those series have been on my radar and I do intend to pick them up sooner or later.

But for now, let's focus on what I did watch. Off we go:

10. Blue Box

This is a slightly biased placement on my end because I picked up the manga this year and quickly fell in love with it, and I’m just happy that it got a faithful, well-made anime adaptation. If you have an issue with that, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: This whole list is biased. It’s MY list, after all.

After an uneven summer output between My Dear Friend Nokotan and Suicide Squad Isekai, WIT Studio is in full form adapting Kouji Miura’s gorgeous high school sports romance. Rising first-year badminton player Taiki has a huge crush on his basketball star senpai Chinatsu, who practices in the same high school gym he does. He’s happy enough to keep a friendly distance as they improve at their respective sports, but that distance is closed significantly when her parents go abroad for work and she ends up moving in under the same roof as him. The spirit of competition is in the air, and is that a whiff of romance I smell as well?

The reason I felt the need to call out my own bias at the start is because Blue Box’s debut cour is, on balance, probably just “pretty good,” but I was just so overjoyed that this anime even exists that I was willing to overlook the early story’s growing pains. Taiki, of course, is the POV character for most of the first cour, and most of the romantic tension we see so far is entirely from his end as he swoons and huffs and goes into cardiac arrest over any and every gesture Chinatsu throws his way. You know, teenage boy stuff. There have been criticisms that Chinatsu doesn’t get much interiority for a bit and that she’s a bit of an enigma in terms of her role in the central “romance,” such that it is so far, which is a valid criticism of a lot of shonen romance stories. I’m generally of the mind that these things are more potent when the object of the protagonist’s affection is treated as more than a puzzle for him to solve, but I think Blue Box does a fine job of establishing what Chinatsu means to Taiki before we do indeed begin to get a feel for how she operates and what she might think of him. If you found that part a little maddening early on, trust me when I say it’s worth sticking it out.

Regardless, the character writing is what made Blue Box such a hit in Weekly Shonen Jump. Taiki is a flat-out good kid, if a little naive, and his boundless determination to achieve and exceed his goals in both badminton and romance makes him easy to root for. Chinatsu is fairly taciturn, as mentioned, but that’s by design; she’s a notoriously difficult person to read, as even her friends and teammates note that they can rarely decipher what she’s thinking. She’s still an effortlessly charming character, and it’s not hard to figure out why Taiki’s got it so bad for her. The real highlight of the series, though, is Taiki’s classmate and longtime friend, Hina, a rhythmic gymnast and an absolute troll. She is an absolute delight in every scene she’s in, whether she’s knocking Taiki’s knees out from under him, focusing on rehearsing her next routine, or prying into Taiki’s love life and realizing that, oops, she really cares about him too. Hina is wonderful and I just want the best for her.

Characters this likable will need the voices to match, and I am over the moon about this show’s casting. Shouya Chiba is tremendous as Taiki, in a far cry from his Epic Based Stoic Chad role as Ayanokoji in Classroom of the Elite. Every line read for Taiki sounds exactly as gung-ho about sports and devastatingly down bad for his crush as you’d expect of a hormonal 15 year old. Reina Ueda is terrific as the soft-spoken Chinatsu, but I’m looking forward to hearing the always-delightful Xanthe Huynh (Haru in Persona 5, Marianne in Fire Emblem Three Houses) take on the role in the dub just as much. Akari Kitou channels much of the same gremlin energy she did for KamiKatsu to portray Hina’s mischief, and I look forward to hearing her nail Hina’s excellent upcoming character moments. And although it’s a secondary role, the casting I was most excited to hear was Chiaki Kobayashi (Mash in Mashle, Stark in Frieren) as Taiki’s teammate Kyo. Kobayashi’s languid tsukkomi affect was exactly what I had in mind whenever Kyo would put Taiki’s lovelorn antics into stark relief in the manga. It’s like he was born for the part.

This show looks tremendous, perfectly adapting both the soft, doe-eyed character designs from the manga as well as the lower-detail gags. The pastel color palette and gorgeous lighting effects are exactly what I was hoping for while reading the manga.  If I have any complaint, though, it’s mostly that I want to see more of the sports action. The granular details of the badminton matches and basketball games are hardly the focus of the story, but the action panels are usually the best part of Miura’s art in the manga. Shot-for-shot, it certainly does hew close to the manga presentation, but it’s mostly a racquet swing or close-up jump shot followed by an onlooker’s reaction. I’d have liked a bit more follow through. The CGI used for background competitors can get a little distracting after a while, too, but it’s easy to forget about.

Blue Box is continuing into 2025, and I’m waiting for every new episode with bated breath. If you liked the first cour enough but still have doubts, trust me when I say it just keeps getting better. I look forward to coming back to the second half of this season in another year for my victory lap.

9. Girls Band Cry

This is one of the most inventive girls-band anime out there, certainly the most so since that one from 2022 that I swore I wouldn’t bring up by name. Gorgeous 3D-CG animation, stirring original music, and a compelling cast of characters combine to make Girls Band Cry even more than the sum of its parts.

More than anything, I think what makes Girls Band Cry a terrific showbiz series is that it depicts the uncomfortable reality that a lot of artists are just flat-out unpleasant people and often don’t mesh well with one another. Protagonist Nina is messy, stubborn, and angry at the world and her parents and will not hesitate to make it your problem. She butts heads with her friends and bandmates at any provocation, but stubbornness is a major driving factor in the plot: Each of the five members of Togenashi Togeari has something they’re trying to move on from with their music, and while they each have an opinion on how to get there, they do come to realize, after a lot of silly yelling matches, that they want to do so together.

As a vehicle to push Girls Band Cry and Togenashi Togeari as a real-world multimedia experience, this show is a success. It’s a terrific-looking show in ways we rarely see outside of Studio Orange productions (and allegedly Love Live! Sunshine!!, which director Kazuo Sakai also had a hand in); the 3D computer-generated character models and animations are terrifically expressive and lively, and creative visual effects add a compelling sense of synaesthesia to Nina's emotional highs and lows. The voice cast, all pseudonymous contest winners, are also the real-life band members, and they fully nail both elements of their roles. TogeToge’s music in the show is terrific, and as an already-existing Gorillaz-esque virtual band, I’m excited to dig into their back catalog.

Girls Band Cry finally got an official English translation, so there’s no longer any excuse to sleep on this one. It’s funny, it’s heartfelt, and above all else, it fucking rocks. Don’t let this one fade away just because you might’ve missed it when it aired.

8. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, second cour

When I ranked the first cour of Frieren as the best anime of 2023, I wrote:

The debut season of Frieren will continue into 2024, and if the quality remains a constant, it could very well be one of the best anime of next year too. It has remained as MyAnimeList’s top-rated anime ever for its entire run, warding off the legion of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood fans. Frieren deserves it.

A year later, it is still MAL’s top-rated anime, and by a healthy margin. Another 12 episodes aired to kick off 2024, and it was indeed one of the best anime of this year as well. I stand firm in my convictions that not only is it one of the best anime of the decade so far, it’s one of the best anime I’ve ever seen.

I really shot my wad by praising Frieren so profusely midway through its run, to the point where I still don’t really feel the need to add much more here. The second cour mostly focuses on the First Class Mage exam arc, allowing us to learn more about the present state of magic in the modern day and adding some much-needed depth to the cast. It continues to strike a lovely balance between the quieter moments and bonkers action sequences, as well as the more serious moments with laugh-out-loud goofiness. It may be a lesser arc in this story, but it would be a standout in so many others.

If I haven’t been clear enough, I remain over the moon about Frieren. The second cour looks and sounds just as incredible as the first, and this show’s success should serve as a reminder to the industry that investment in quality pays off. Madhouse knows they have a banger on their hands, and if the next season can maintain this level of production value for the major arc that is still to come, Frieren may very well earn GOAT status. Even if another season somehow never materializes, I’ll still be talking about this season in five years when it comes time to talk about the best of the decade. Watch this goddamn show.

7. A Sign of Affection

For all the romance anime and manga I consume, I’ve shamefully been lacking on the shoujo/josei front. I really gotta fix that. If reading more shoujo was what spurred Yukinobu Tatsu to make DanDaDan, then who knows what it might do for me? A Sign of Affection isn’t my first shoujo, strictly speaking, but it does feel like one of the first I’ve seen of the good old-fashioned flowery romance type.

What a gorgeous show. A Sign of Affection looks terrific, sounds terrific, and above all feels terrific. This is just a lovely, fluffy romance with low stakes and easy payoff; just two pretty people getting to know each other and learning to overcome their differences. It’s low on gimmicks and plot contrivances, and for as much as I like romcoms and romance stories with a unique bent, I love a good straightforward romance just as much sometimes. Everyone looks beautiful and likes each other and Jesus Christ look at the lips on these boys. There’s even a double-date to Costco, and what better depiction of marital bliss could there be?

I’m still pleasantly surprised at how this show handles the main character’s disability. Protagonist Yuki’s congenital deafness isn’t a single-note character quirk or a plot device to make her seem helpless; it simply is. It’s a part of her life that serves as the lens through which all of the people in her life see and treat her, and it leads to the only thing that resembles a major conflict in the show. Itsuomi, the main romantic interest, doesn’t baby her or walk all over her; he instead gently tests her boundaries while learning to accommodate her in a way to ensure her comfort. Her childhood friend Oushi, on the other hand, is very jealous of this development because he seems to feel entitled to her just because he did the bare minimum to accommodate her. The circumstances aren’t common, of course, but it’s a good lesson for a shoujo to have: Don’t settle.

My praise for A Sign of Affection mostly boils down to “it’s just really nice,” but it does “just really nice” so goddamn well. It’s fluffy, it’s comfy, it’s cozy, all of those adjectives that would set off my fight-or-flight response if I heard them from someone else, but I was enthralled by this show week in and week out. I can’t believe I neglected to start reading the manga, and I’m gonna have to get on that ASAP because I can’t wait for another season.

6. The Apothecary Diaries, second cour

I found myself more intrigued at The Apothecary Diaries at the end of 2023 than most other shows I’d watched that year. I grew more and more invested in the idiosyncratic Maomao as she investigated mysterious ailments and navigated imperial palace politics, all the while being a lovable little shit. 

Before I’d realized it, though, the 2024 half of its run knew it had its hooks in me and took me for a ride. What looked at first like a series of one-off puzzles quickly began entangling into a much larger mystery, rapidly gaining momentum until exploding into a massive emotional payoff. So many of the small details in what you assume are episodic mystery-of-the-week mini-stories become relevant in unexpected ways and draw you in ever further. I adore this kind of lowkey long-term storytelling, and for it to be part of such an appealing package is basically catnip for me.

For as gorgeous as The Apothecary Diaries can be visually, sonically, and sometimes even emotionally, it’s worth mentioning that this show is also hilarious a lot of the time. Maomao is on permanent goblin mode whenever she isn’t carrying out official business, and any time the palace officials have to rein her in is a delight. The push-and-pull between her and Jinshi is endlessly entertaining to the point where I can wait forever for that payoff if I have to.

I neglected to read the Apothecary Diaries manga after the first season went off the air (though I nearly bought all of it sight unseen), and with the second about to drop, I guess I’m holding off for another six months. Can’t say I mind, though. I’m along for the ride and I want this show to keep surprising me for as long as it can. This is easily one of the best anime of the 2020s so far and I’m gonna be there front row center for every new episode.

5. Bang Brave Bang Bravern

People say “peak fiction” too goddamn often these days. Not that it was a meaningful term to begin with, but it’s been memed to hell and back and is mostly just thrown out ironically to mock garbage writing. To be honest, I’m not above it myself, but I prefer to ascribe it, even jokingly, to stuff that can only truly come from a brilliant and/or deranged mind. Preferably both. Peak fiction, to me, is the intersection where talent meets insanity, no matter the degree of either.

Bang Brave Bang Bravern is peak fiction.

I gushed about this show after the winter season, and I almost don’t want to say anything further about it, mostly for two reasons: Firstly, because I don’t really want to give the game away any more than I already did back in April, and secondly, because I think it may have permanently burrowed into a specific part of my brain and then melted it. All I’m left with is “this show fucking rocks, dudes rock, you need to see it, it’s peak, don't ask questions, just watch it.”

Indeed, Bravern is the Dudes Rock anime of the year, and an essential piece of Dudes Rock media. It’s Top Gun with aliens and a giant talking robot. And the robot wants to fuck his pilot. This show is loud, horny, stupid, and self-aware, combined just so into a cocktail of legitimate brilliance that is, for better or worse, unlike anything I’ve seen before or since. Nearly every single episode had me clawing at my hair and shrieking “WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING,” and that is the highest praise I can give just about anything.

I might be overselling it just a touch, but Bravern is just as earnest as it is utterly wild. It’s an intentionally hilarious show, but it means everything it does and says. It’s a love letter to mecha anime and tokusatsu, and with its top staff sporting Gundam and Macross bona fides, that love oozes into every aspect. The mechs, both manmade and alien, all look tremendous, the music is a throwback to the goofy bombast you’d find in series like this as far back as the Showa era, and the ensemble cast outside of our silly leads are just as gung-ho and serious about Saving The World as you’d find in just about any other mech show. Anything that can be this goofy with a completely straight face is going to hook me in.

All in all, Bang Brave Bang Bravern is hypercompetent lunacy with heart. Call it weaponized genre awareness if you must, but it knows exactly what it’s about, grabs you by the collar, and takes you for a ride, all while doing badass tokusatsu poses and calling out special moves with silly names. This is legitimately what fiction is all about. 

Also, if you don’t like Lulu just because she screeches a lot, you’re a weakling. Gaga-pi, motherfucker.

4. The Dangers in My Heart, season 2

This was a series whose first season was conspicuously absent from my 2023 rankings, but I caught up shortly after finishing that list in order to catch up to the second season. I’d watched a glut of slice-of-life romances in 2023 and figured I could afford to miss this one. I’m overjoyed at how wrong I was.

To paraphrase the second season’s exceptional OP, The Dangers in My Heart is indescribably beautiful. As I said with A Sign of Affection, I love me a straightforward anime romance, and this middle school slice-of-life is just that: Underdeveloped edgelord boy ends up making unlikely friends with, and falling for, the cheery popular girl in his class. This is easy wish-fulfillment on paper, but that’s hiding the trick: Kyotaro isn’t gonna get anything he wants by keeping his quills out for anyone who comes near, and he has some growing up to do if he’s ever gonna get what he wants.

Season 2 picks up right where the first left off, with Kyotaro’s arm still broken from his family trip and Anna feeling guilty because she thinks her distraction was what led to the injury. Right out of the gate, we see the care these two have developed for one another: Anna wants to help while he can’t do his own schoolwork, while Kyo is quick to try to cheer her up when she no longer feels like she’s able to. Already we’re seeing Kyotaro’s character development coming to light: The Dangers in My Heart isn’t a story about a Nice Guy getting the girl just by being there; it’s a story of self-improvement, of trying to become the type of person whom your crush would want to fall in love with. For a story about and ostensibly marketed to early teenagers, that’s a good lesson to have, and I absolutely devour stories like that.

As can be the case with plenty of adolescents, most of the conflict here is internal. Kyotaro spent the early part of his middle school education keeping a safe distance from everyone in order to avoid getting hurt, and as you can imagine, that did a number on his self esteem. Though he’s mostly kicked the chuunibyo mindset, Kyo still prefers to keep his distance, less because he doesn’t want to get hurt, but now because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone else. Specifically Anna. So much of this story is about him learning to be okay with letting people in and not just falling in love, but making friends and becoming somebody whom people just want to be around. It’s a chuuni rehabilitation story. You love to see it.

With all due respect to mangaka Norio Sakurai, the biggest surprise that came from reading the manga was how much better the anime looks than its source material. The anime looks tremendous in its own right, but compared to Sakurai’s doodly, occasionally messy style, the love put into the show stands in stark relief. Characters, backgrounds, and lighting are all soft, squishy, and warm, almost like the entire thing was run through the filter through which only a 13-year-old in love can see, even as a little edgelord. Little flourishes in the environment and music highlight the minute but consequential motes of progression in Kyo and Anna’s relationship. The OP ended up shaking out as my favorite of the year, even with 2024 being bookended by Creepy Nuts bangers. It’s that special to me.

And just like that, The Dangers in My Heart went from “eh probably not for me” to “yeah this is one of the best anime of the decade so far.” It’s a simple slice-of-life romance on paper, almost literally so in the manga, but this is a transformative adaptation. There’s much more of the story to tell, and I wouldn’t complain about more, but as it stands after two seasons, The Dangers in My Heart is damn near perfect as it is.

3. Oshi no Ko, season 2

Another year, another season, another top-four finish for one of the best manga adaptations I’ve ever seen. 

The anime adaptation of Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari’s showbiz-revenge manga made shockwaves last year following its thunderous feature-length premiere, and its source material made even more waves due to some questionable plot developments that fortunately went nowhere. Doga Kobo was undeterred by any negative attention brought to the brand, though, and pressed forward into the next arc with a level of swagger you rarely see brought into an anime’s sequel season.

The 2.5D stage play arc in Oshi no Ko’s manga wasn’t my favorite, but it was one that you could tell just from reading it would translate well to the screen. Even then, I wasn’t prepared for just how hard Doga Kobo would go in adapting it. Character animation is sumptuously fluid, color used to amazing effect, and personal expression bursts forth into impressionistic abstraction to such a degree that it made manga artist Yokoyari cry. Everyone looks and sounds incredible beyond any way I could’ve imagined from reading the manga, which, at the risk of sounding defensive, is still very good as a whole.

This being a story largely about the music industry, the music remains as on-point as ever. It’s too soon to tell if the second season’s OP/ED pairing tops the instantly-iconic “Idol” and “Mephisto” from the first, but these are no slouches. This season’s OP, “Fatale,” is a whiplash-inducing banger by Tatsuya Kitani and idol Kento Nakajima, performing under the collaborative name of GEMN (itself a relevant name to the show; twins without the i/Ai, DO YOU GET IT???) with visuals that might actually top those of Idol. The new ED, “Burning,” is Hitsujibungaku at their fuzzy, 90s-style alt-rock best, and it takes on a brand new meaning by the end of the season. Of course, there’s also the story-relevant music; while the bulk of the season focuses on the stage play, the last few episodes give us a glimpse into the pop music process, with the season capping off with an in-universe music video that, while not sonically my exact cup of tea, features 90 seconds of some of the best-looking dance animation I’ve ever seen in my life. That’s a flex if I’ve ever seen one.

And just like the first season, the second capped off with an announcement that Oshi no Ko will indeed be returning for another season. At this rate, and with the anime’s success, they will adapt the entire work, which will raise some eyebrows. I’m not going to litigate the manga’s later controversial developments nor its widely-panned ending, but if Doga Koba was able to handle everything that came before those things with such aplomb, I have faith that it will at least be done well.

2. DanDaDan

I want to preface this by saying that I agonized over whether this or the final entry is my anime of the year. I’m comfortable with what I chose, but if I’m being realistic, DanDaDan is basically 1b. This is a masterpiece already.

Although the source material was a bit of a cult hit until this year, DanDaDan came with a considerable amount of hype. If you were even peripherally familiar, it wasn’t hard to see why: Yukinobu Tatsu’s art is absurdly detailed in almost every panel, character designs are easily recognizable (one of the leads dressing similarly to a Persona 3 character was fortuitous for the anime to drop in the same year as Reload), and so many bizarre things happen in the plot that relaying them to anybody who wasn’t already familiar would make their brain briefly touch the void. Above all, though, Science SARU was tabbed to animate it, and any project by them is immediately worth your attention.

Sure enough, DanDaDan made an instantaneous splash, its first episode adapting the manga’s bombastic, twisty 63-page opening chapter nearly beat for beat. I’m not gonna “don’t look it up, just go in blind” this one, but almost too much happens for me to properly detail it all without just writing a complete synopsis. It boils down to “lonely nerd boy believes in aliens, angry kogal believes in yokai, it turns out both are real and now they have to deal with it.” It’s silly, it’s wild, it’s action packed, and if you can stomach the sexually-compromising alien abduction of the girl, you’re along for the ride.

I’m not gonna harp too much on that last point. It does stink that the female lead, Momo, is stripped to her underwear for the sake of alien sexual “research,” but said aliens get their comeuppance before anything happens to her. It’s still not great, and it’s not the last time female characters are portrayed in their underwear, but I do promise it’s for story reasons, it takes a backseat to the onscreen action and is pretty clearly not done for the sake of fanservice. I know such things can be beyond the pale for some people, but if you think you can compartmentalize that, I recommend you watch the first episode with that caveat in mind and decide from there. You may be pleasantly surprised.

DanDaDan is effectively two stories at once; on one side, we have Momo and the boy, Okarun (a nickname Momo devised for him to preserve her own sanity), gaining wacky supernatural powers in order to fight back these occult threats and regain what was stolen from Okarun from his first encounter with the unexpected (IYKYK). Because these threats can come out of nowhere, their daily high school lives can completely pop off without warning. On the other side, we have quieter slice-of-life tension as Momo and Okarun get to know (and frequently misunderstand) each other and realize they are completely and hopelessly head-over-heels for one another.

Surprise, motherfucker: DanDaDan is a romcom.

Yukinobu Tatsu, formerly an assistant on the first saga of Chainsaw Man, long struggled to get his own work serialized. At his editor’s urging, he read something like a hundred manga for inspiration, including several shoujo romance series. That research shows through in DanDaDan; although the bonkers action sequences and off-the-wall monster designs are what draw in readers and viewers alike, what’s kept this many people along for the ride is the beating heart just barely under the surface in the form of the romantic tension between Momo and Okarun. It’s easy to write this off as some “lonely nerd gets the cute gyaru just by being a Nice Guy” wish fulfillment, but that’s not really the case here; Okarun was a weird little twerp right from the jump. Similarly to Kyotaro in the aforementioned Dangers in My Heart, Okarun believes early on that he’s nowhere near Momo’s league, completely unaware that she quickly grows to actually like having him around, so he puts in the effort to become a more well-rounded person so that he can be confident enough to be seen next to her. He also just wants Momo to think he’s cool, and she thinks that’s adorable. And she’s right! These two are cute as fuck together.

So you come for the wild action and stay for the tremendous character dynamics. It should go without saying that Science SARU nailed all of the above, but I’m gonna say it anyway. Reading the Manga+ comments on each chapter as I read through the manga, readers were begging a top-flight battle shonen studio like MAPPA or WIT to pick up the series, and I think these fans got more than they bargained for. Masaaki Yuasa hasn’t been in charge of a series at the studio since Eizouken, or anything they’ve put out since Inu-Oh, but his influence is all over their recent works, including last year’s fellow top-three series, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. It’s beyond impressive how, much like Scott Pilgrim, this series manages to maintain the source material’s art style while still looking very much like a Science SARU anime. Everyone is bouncy and malleable as their moods dictate, line weights are wildly varied, and action animation is kinetic and unpredictable. Each fight with an alien or cryptid is awash in eye-searing color or eerie greyscale. The music is a boatload of fun as well; even putting aside the Creepy Nuts OP (banger after banger after banger from those dudes) and Zutomayo ED, regular proceedings are punctuated by a wildly varied score, from funk to folk to an insane chase scene set to an electronic mashup of the “William Tell Overture” and the can-can. Everything about DanDaDan keeps you guessing.

I was looking forward to DanDaDan enough that I went to the theatrical premiere of the first three episodes and was sufficiently blown away. If you’ve seen the show, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that it looks and sounds incredible in a cinema setting. I left the theater positively buzzing, telling anyone who’d listen that they had no idea what was coming, but even knowing the entire story, I wasn’t prepared for more of what was to come. The literal next episode after what I’d already seen in the theater had one of the most bonkers action setpieces I’ve seen since Gurren Lagann, and just four episodes later an unbelievable emotional gut punch, prior knowledge of the manga be damned. Every single aspect of DanDaDan as an anime was given the same level of love and care that Tatsu put into his own work. It’s one thing for an anime adaptation to be faithful to its source material, and another entirely for it to elevate and transform it. DanDaDan is somehow both.

If there’s anything that held this back from being the anime of the year, it’s that this season kind of just… ends. With the 12-episode runtime that was given to the debut season, DanDaDan ends its first run right after the beginning of the manga’s next arc, which feels bizarre. There’s no resolution, but there’s no real cliffhanger here either. Which I kind of get, the story is driven by a constant forward momentum, but a little warning that the season was ending would’ve been nice. It’s only a six month break until the show comes back, but judged on its own, the way this season ended left me feeling a bit cold and the season itself feeling incomplete. Even shows that have year-long breaks between cours rather than seasons tend to put some kind of cap on each individual run, but DanDaDan just kinda left the toilet unflushed, and next to it a Post-It note promising to come back later. For something this lovingly crafted, that seems like a bizarre oversight.

That was hardly enough to temper my enjoyment though. Anything this well-made is deserving of the attention and success it’s attained, but to have this story, with these characters and this level of bonkers action made this well, is just an embarrassment of riches. And God help me, I’m shamelessly greedy. July can’t come fast enough. I need all of it.

1. Delicious in Dungeon

At the end of its run midway through the year, I declared Dungeon Meshi the best anime of the year up to that point and that I’d be impressed if anything would manage to overtake it. Though the other two entries in my top three made extremely strong cases, nothing else quite hit the spot and nourished the soul quite like Dungeon Meshi.

Barely a year removed from one of 2022’s best anime, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Studio Trigger kicked off 2024 with another Netflix original, this time with its first proper manga adaptation since the studio split from Gainax a decade prior. It seemed an odd fit at first to have a studio known for wacky, hyperkinetic action productions like Kill la Kill and Promare to adapt this quirky fantasy dungeon manga, but hey, they also did Little Witch Academia. It turned out to be an odd fit, but in the best way: Dungeon Meshi is pretty offbeat as it is, so for it to get picked up by one of the more oddball prestige studios ended up making a tasty stew.

I struggled to elaborate on what makes this show so good after each of its cours, and six months later I remain a little lost for words. It’s an exceptional story adapted exceptionally well. Between the characters, the story, the setting, the emotional stakes, the comedy, the highs and lows, they nailed it all. Trigger just gets it. Even when characters go off-model for the sake of an intentional animation quirk, it still has that inimitable Trigger charm to it. It sounds just as good as it looks, too: The orchestral score highlights the quieter, sillier moments just as well as the tenser action setpieces, the foley work behind the dungeon’s bizarre and varied flora and fauna is immaculate, and the cast is perfect in both Japanese and English (I rarely ever say so but seriously, shout out to the dub).

I’m just as sick of saying “this show speaks for itself” when I have trouble finding the words as you probably are of reading it, but I have little else to add here. I’ve written plenty already. Just go watch it. This is already one of my favorite manga ever, and by the time the series wraps up at the end of its second season, it will easily end up as one of my favorite anime ever.

[angel-dustspo]

Hi there! I recently came across your blog and was truly inspired with your dedication to making the best version of yourself so I decided to make my own daily log too!

I've only done it for 2 days so far but I was wondering...what do you do instead of going on your phone😭? Rn it's holidays for me so my screen time has been really bad and I'm looking for ways to improve it. 🙏

Hiii, thank you so so so much for your kind words, they mean so much to me!!! I'm so glad I was able to inspire you and make you wish to become better everyday, that's the whole point of my blog and I'm so glad I get to help people through it!!

I always say in my posts that my screen time isn't high, but by screen time I only mean how much time I spend on social media. Scrolling is out of the question and I don't do that at all anymore, so it's just chatting what I log on here. But that's not all, because my screen time is high every day too. I use my phone for so many more reasons, and I also end up spending most of my free time on it, it's just that I don't use it for scrolling or wasting my time (mostly, not always). I post on here, I do my school work or research, I watch a movie or a youtube video and all sorts of things like that, and the screen time could add up to 5-7 hours on a school day and like 10 on holidays. Nobody has it all figured out, so please don't pressure yourself into completely not using your phone because it's not going to end well.

To be honest, I don't even know what I do besides using my phone hahah. My main hobby is my blog and that takes a lot of my time usually, but I also do my Duolingo and watch inspiring videos and anything like that, so I'm probably always using it (for doing something productive or helpful).

When I don't use my phone, I mostly do school work bcs I'm in my final year and I have to study a lot for my exams. My favourite hobby is reading, and when I don't have homework to do I can read up to 200 pages a day (like 3-4 hours), but I also love listening to music, painting, playing video games (which I actually do everyday haha), baking and cooking. I also spend a lot of my time doing sport and walking and just that alone can take me multiple hours of a day.

Other ideas are journaling or scrapbooking, cleaning your room, redecorating, writing posts on here, learning an instrument/a language, researching, learning how to crochet, going shopping or thrifting, picking up a type of exercise classes or a sport, hanging out with friends, and again learning how to cook for yourself is such a game changer and everybody should practice that.

I hope you got some new ideas about spending your time now and that I was able to help you! Good luck on your self improvement journey, I know you got this and I'm so extremely proud of you!!!! <333

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

Oh! I dont usually see Grim dislike/hate. Can I ask why you don't like him? I think there's def room for improvement for him, but I cant find it in me to truely hate him since he reminds me of a character I really like. (Puppycat from Bee and Puppycat)

He's just such wasted potential.

Look I'm into flawed characters, but I don't like stagnant asshole characters that are in the majority of a media. Grim has barely improved since the start of the game.

He's rude, obnoxious, continues to actively cause you problems and throws you under the bus quite often (I mean look at the most recent Crewels SSR card– he tries to blame you for his mistakes and yet still gets you in trouble).

In every event he's the same. Be annoying, make a few dumb/rude remarks abt the culture, "I'm hungrryyy". I think in one event I've counted him talking abt food abt 35 times? Like I don't mind the trope of "monster creature loves food" but that's all he is and doesn't have half the endearing traits. He never shuts up about himself. He's so boring/generic. How is Morgana better than him

He still seldom shows affection for you. Like you barely get to semi bond when talking about his past. This was the only main scene we had to get attached to him before book 6. Seriously throughout every book he's just been overly cocky, rude, annoying, and suddenly you care only about him and not the fact that several people were kidnapped and the school was trashed and that the world is ending.

I thought he would have a huge change of heart after book 6 and his moment of him crying— which honestly didn't move me cause he didn't do anything for us to get attached to in canon. You really have to make up your own headcanons and theories to really make him "good". He's also your buddy but it seems he aknowedges as much as the rest of the cast

He didn't even have a change of heart as he immediately went back to being him. Sure there was that scene in book 7 where he says he's gonna protect you and calls out for you but it's like... cool you had several years to develop and we have maybe 4 scenes of you being an actual character and not some plot device/instigator.

The other thing too is how he is in school. He wants so badly to be a good mage and be the best in NRC but doesn't actively do anything to achieve that. He continues to never study and slack off (which fucks Yuu over cause they're 1/2 a student).

By all means, I'm not saying he can't be annoyed at what being a mage entails or a hypocrite (flaws are important). But he's been one for years and hasn't changed a bit. He still has shown very little improvement for someone who claims to sorta care about his "henchhuman" he certainly continues to impact their grades and school life. (Plus consider yuu not being from this world and all the extra effort they have to put in for a -C, its implied in the book). I wouldn't be surprised if he hurt Yuus pockets a lot too with his selfish appetite.

The main issue I have with him overall is the lack of consequences for him. He almost set everyone on fire? OK. He apparently scratched yuu very bad and that's that. No scene where you confront him about it or the rocks that he eats that you continuously warn him about. You can argue book 6 was the punishment but it didn't seem like it. He'll cause so many issues and get a slap on the wrist for it.

I think the best thing to do right now is to have Yuu snap at him so he improves. Fuck up their friendship. Make him realize he has been bad and actually have him change. A dramatic friend breakup. It would be the only way for Grim to change quickly rn with how long it's been

Have Yuu become a full student and watch him fall apart as Yuu doesn't need to rely on him and they're able to get their As in peace as Grim gets his Fs. Let them get angry. Seriously I'm so mentally ill over the concept of Yuu in general esp in game Yuu and all the ways to make them foils to characters or have them be angst fuel.

I want to like Grim. I love found family. But he just doesn't deserve that currently. He just sucks.

Do do understand why people like him. But I'm not one of them with the state he's in. I'm sorry I don't feel bad at all.

[aishangotome]

[Gilbert] Love's Cleaning Time - Part 4

Part 3

Gilbert: What's wrong, little rabbit?

I take Gilbert's hand, which was resting on my cheek, and held it in mine.

Emma: Even so, thank you very much.

Gilbert: ......

Gilbert: You're not listening to me at all, are you?

Emma: This is my thanks after having listened to you.

Gilbert: You're forgiving my evil deeds.

Emma: …… It may be an outrageous thing to say, but……

Emma: The important thing is, "how do I perceive it now", isn't it?

I let go of his cold hand and pick up the report that Gilbert was holding. The detailed contents might be frightening to some people.

(Even I wouldn't have been able to accept this so readily in the past.)

Emma: If Michael hadn't been there at that time, I would have been attacked by bandits.

Emma: At best, I would have only had my books stolen, but at worst, I could have died.

Emma: Whatever the circumstances, Gil saved me.

Emma: Whether that was out of malice or good will …… it's up to me to decide.

Gilbert: .....

Emma: More than anything, I've come to like Gil now.

Emma: It might be difficult for me to see it as malice like I used to.

(Gilbert occasionally warns me like this so that I can keep a normal perspective.)

(…… I think he's a fair person.)

Gilbert: Haha, you poor thing.

Gilbert: But…… I'm glad you don't hate me.

(……!)

Gilbert gently brushed my hand away and stood up.

Gilbert: Let's stop chatting for now.

Gilbert: Emma, you can throw that away.

Emma: Even though it was kept so carefully?

Gilbert: Yeah, I don't need it anymore.

Gilbert: The poor little rabbit is now being directly monitored by the villain.

(That's true, too.)

(...)

(Even if I become his fiancée, I won't be able to understand everything about Gilbert's heart.)

(But…… I feel like I understand what he's thinking at this moment.)

Emma: Gil.

I put the report on the shelf and hug Gilbert with enough force to bump into him.

Gilbert: What is it?

Emma: Just to be clear, I'm not forgiving you for everything.

Emma: I sometimes can't understand Gil's evil deeds…… At those times, I'll properly object to them.

Gilbert: Oh, really?

Emma: Have you forgotten? I'm watching you so that you don't do anything bad to Rhodolite.

Emma: I'm not the only one being watched by Gil.

(I will discern my own good and evil without being swayed by Gilbert.)

(That's…… because I think that's what Gilbert expects of me the most.)

Emma: So, don't worry.

Emma: Even if I love you, I'm not that blind.

His blood-colored eyes wavered slightly––and then gently softened.

Gilbert: …… You're too much.

Gilbert: You see right through everything.

His cold hand caressed my cheek again, and his lips were sealed by the shadow that fell.

Gilbert: I was finally getting in the mood to restart cleaning.

Emma: ……Nn……Gil?

The villain didn't stop pecking at my lips, and he sensually stroked my back from my waist.

Gilbert: I don't care anymore.

Emma: ……!……The cleaning……

Gilbert: You want me to do it properly?

Emma: No……

(If he touches me like this……I don't care anymore either.)

Emma: Can we do it……tomorrow……?

The breath that escaped my lips was hot, and my body was already pleading for the cleaning to end.

Gilbert: Hahaha, you're a bad girl too, aren't you?

Emma: ……But Gil, you were the one who asked for it first.

Gilbert: Yeah, but……

Gilbert: It's your responsibility for responding to it.

-

I catch my breath as it bounces on the jet-black sheets.

Gilbert, who has me pinned down, continues to caress my skin with tantalizingly gentle touches, having taken all my clothes off.

His fingertips, which avoided touching the places I wanted to be touched and only moved around the surrounding areas, had a clear malice to them.

(...It's embarrassing to say it directly...)

Emma: Come to think of it……

Emma: Is Michael still in Rhodolite?

Gilbert: Yeah, he is.

Emma: Why…… Ah

His fingers graze the peaks of my chest, and the ache deep in my stomach intensifies.

Gilbert: Oh no, who said you were the only one I had Michael keep an eye on?

Gilbert: Actually, I asked him to watch someone else too.

(Someone else……)

(……Could it be––)

Gilbert: Haha, little rabbit. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?

Emma: Eh……?

Gilbert: Thinking about another man while I'm right here in front of you.

Emma: ……The only thing I did on purpose was bring up Michael.

(I thought if I made him jealous, he might touch me more properly.)

Gilbert: Is that so? But it doesn't matter.

Gilbert: Why can you smile so gently while thinking about another man?

(I……was smiling.)

(But that's because––……)

Emma: ...Ah! Ah, nn—

Suddenly, the fingers that had been so gentle strongly stimulated a sensitive spot.

Emma: Haa... Wait... Aaa...Nn...

My body seemed to be more sensitive than usual, and honey immediately flowed between my legs.

Gilbert: That's terrible. I'm hurt.

Overwhelmed by a pleasure beyond imagination––

Just before I lost consciousness, the hand full of malice finally let go.

Gilbert: So, what exactly was that smile of yours about?

Gilbert: Depending on your answer……you understand, right?

He flicked my nipple with his finger, and a gasp escaped my lips.

Emma: Tha—Nn...That's not...true...

I force my ragged breathing to calm down and capture Gilbert's face in my blurred vision.

Emma: ...Gil is...

Emma: I just...thought you were a worrywart...

(He's extremely soft on people he's let his guard down around once.)

(...Though that sweetness can sometimes turn into malice––)

Gilbert: It can't be helped. Because in this world...

Gilbert: There are so many things that need to be cleaned up.

.

.

.

FIN

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[bonewaryreblogs]

I know it's very soon after my last post, but I think I've mostly got a working timeline

There are more specifics I could get into, but I tried to limit the info in this particular timeline to what's super important and identifiable. Like, I have a whole other post I could make about the Justice Society of America and how it led to the creation of the Justice League, or how Amity Park was founded and by whom, but trying to put it all here would be too cumbersome.

My main sources for general info is whatever I can find on the DC Fandom Wiki, as well as my experiences watching various DCAU media growing up and my favorite Batman show, The Batman from 2004 (good god, I didn't realize it was that old). I tried to fit Young Justice in here too, but it actually conflicts with the first two timelines more than I thought it would, so I might just use it for story ideas for after Danny gets adopted. The Wayne Family Adventures webtoon mostly just supplied the template for how I want them to end up by the time Danny enters the picture, leaving the "how did we get here" up to me, which this timeline hopes to solve.

Also, I couldn't find a good source for it, but supposedly Danny Phantom might have taken place in 2014? Which would've been the future for when it came out in 2004. I considered going with that, but ultimately I decided that DP happens in 2004, taking Danny about a year to establish himself before he gets adopted by 2005.

A big part of why I made this timeline in the first place was to make sure I know how old everyone is when things happen, which is why I put their ages everywhere.

1920s - Martha Clark and Jonathan Kent are born sometime in this decade.

1939 - Alfred Pennyworth is born.

1940 - James “Jim” Corrigan (30) “died” and became the Spectre with Aztar, the Vengeance of God. The Justice Society of America is formed, though they are sometimes called the All-Star Squadron when working with those not formally inducted as members of the JSA (including those with and without superpowers).

1952 - The Kents (~30s) are told they cannot have children biologically. Shortly thereafter, they find the Kryptonian baby Kal-El, rename him Clark Kent after Martha’s maiden name, and adopt him as their own son.

1957 - Alfred (18) joins the British military.

1960 - Bruce Wayne is born. Vlad Masters is born.

1961 - Jack Fenton is born. (Google says his birthday is October 2, 1971, but that would make him like 10 when the Ghost Portal Prototype fails, so I’m just gonna set it back an extra decade lol)

1963 - Maddison Elliot is born. (Google says her birthday is March 16, 1973, so same deal as Jack)

1964 - After many misadventures in England, Alfred (25) takes over as the Wayne Family’s butler from his late father. (Bruce 4)

1968 - 8 year old Bruce’s parents are killed. (Alfred 29)

1970 - After 2 years of flailing, Bruce (10) decides to travel the world and learn martial arts, among other things.

1971 - Barbra Gordon is born.

1974 - Dick Greyson is born.

1977 - Jason Todd is born. Superman (25) debuts in Metropolis, inspiring Bruce (17) to change his plans to become a superhero rather than a crime boss. Obviously there were other superheroes around at this time, but none gripped Bruce like Superman did. He will never, ever admit this.

1978 - Superman (26) is quickly inducted into the Justice Society of America.

1980 - Stephanie Brown is born. Cassandra Cain is born. Bruce (20) returns to Gotham and starts his career as Batman. He begins cutting through red tape to regain control of Wayne Enterprises. Meanwhile, Vlad (20), Jack (19), and Maddie (17) are all at the University of Wisconsin and build the prototype Ghost Portal, which fails catastrophically, causing several important chain reactions; Vlad is blasted with Lazarus Water, the Ghost Zone comes into existence, Vlad falls ill, Amity Park’s Lazarus Pit dries up, Pariah enters the Ghost Zone and declares himself Ghost King, etc.

1981 - Tim Drake is born. Disenchanted with the JSA, Superman (29) starts figuring out how to create his own, international superhero team.

1982 - Bruce (22) adopts Dick Greyson (8) after his parents die publicly.

1983 - Vlad (23) discovers he has “ghost powers” and starts figuring out how to use them. Dick (9) discovers Bruce’s (23) secret and Bruce begins training him.

1984 - Bruce (24) finally lets Dick (10) join him on the streets as Robin. Batman and Superman (32) meet for the first time (which plays out similar to how they meet in “The Batman”).

1985 - Bruce takes over Wayne Enterprises just in time for his 25th birthday. With the company secured, Bruce no longer has to prove himself as responsible and plays up his image as a playboy philanthropist to throw off rumors that ditzy but well-meaning Brucie Wayne couldn’t possibly be the dark and brooding Batman.

1986 - Superman (34) approaches Bruce (26) with his plan for the Justice League, hoping Wayne Enterprise would agree to be the “secret” benefactor. Bruce says he’ll think about it. Barbra Gordon (15) takes the name Batgirl for the first time. (Alfred 47, Bruce 26, Dick 12)

1988 - Jasmine Fenton is born. Cass (8) kills someone for the first time, is horrified, and runs away from her assassin father.

1989 - Duke Thomas is born.

1990 - Daniel Fenton is born.

1991 - Jason Todd (14) tries to steal the Batmobile’s tires after his father is sentenced to prison time, putting him on Batman’s radar. (Alfred 52, Bruce 31, Dick 17, Barbra 20)

1992 - Dick (18) decides to strike out on his own as Nightwing. Jason Todd (15) catches the eye of Talia Al Ghul. Shortly after, Jason’s (step-)mom dies of a drug overdose while his father is still in prison so Bruce adopts him, making Jason the second Robin.

1993 - With Nightwing (19) established and able to take over many of Batman’s (33) responsibilities in Gotham, Bruce asks Clark Kent (41) if he’s still interested in his Justice League idea, which he’s now had 7 more years to refine. Global threats had become more common (which threatened Gotham vicariously and he wasn’t confidant he could take them on by himself) and the JSA had become too entangled with the USA government for anyone’s liking. Now was prime pickings for upcoming talent that had grown up with the idea of superheroes as a necessary force in the world that could see the limitations of government funded (and therefore government controlled) superhero teams.

1994 - Stephanie Brown (14) became Spoiler to “spoil” her father’s criminal career as Cluemaster. After his capture and imprisonment, Bruce (34) “convinced” Spoiler to “retire”, though Barbra (23) kept in contact, as did Dick (21) and Jason (17) to a lesser extent. Steph continued to train on her own, planning to rejoin the hero scene when she was a bit older. The Justice League debuts, led by Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, along with half a dozen other members, though their ranks would quickly expand.

1995 - Jason dies at 18. Talia Al Ghul seduces the grieving Bruce (35) to get Jason’s body, accidentally-on-purpose getting pregnant along the way. Jason had unfortunately been dead for a few months by then; however, he was too angry and stubborn for his spirit to move on, which allowed him to be revived via Lazarus Pit. He still came back pretty zombified, though, so Talia used magic to help restore the connection between his mind/soul and his body, and had him train with the League of Assassins to keep him sharp. Part of Bruce’s grief spiral was to throw himself into Justice League work. (Alfred 56, Dick 21, Barbra 24)

1996 - Bruce (36) is spiraling from his loss when Tim Drake (15) basically forces himself onto Batman as the third Robin.

1997 - Cassandra Cain (17) arrives in Gotham, trying to keep a low profile but couldn’t help but save Commissioner Gordon from her assassin father, putting her on Batman’s (37) radar. After Barbra (26) is paralyzed and forced to retire as Batgirl, she asked Bruce to offer Cass the title in her stead, taking on the role of “man in the chair” with the name Oracle. Barbra also pressures pretty much everyone to train with Steph (17), since she can’t anymore.

1998 - Jason (21) returns to Gotham as the Red Hood. (Alfred 59, Bruce 38, Dick 24, Barbra 27, Tim 17, Cass 18)

1999 - Cass (19) takes on the name Black Bat, giving the title Batgirl to Steph (19) as she (re)makes her superhero debut.

2000 - Settling into more of an anti-hero role after getting rid of (most of) his hatred for Bruce for not avenging him, Jason (23) has turned his sights on Crime Alley, doing whatever he feels is necessary to make it safer for the families (but especially the kids) that are forced to live there. He unknowingly is fulfilling Bruce’s original plan of becoming a crime boss and dissecting Gotham’s crime problem from the inside out. (Alfred 61, Bruce 40, Dick 26, Barbra 29, Tim 19, Cass 20, Steph 20)

2001 - I’m going to modify his story, but Duke Thomas (12) ends up on Bruce’s radar.

2004 - Danny Fenton (14) has an accident that gives him “ghost powers”. (Vlad 44, Jack 43, Maddie 41, Jazz 16)

2005 - Damian Wayne (10) becomes the fourth Robin, pushing Tim (24) to move out and become Red Robin instead. (Alfred 66, Bruce 45, Dick 31, Barbra 34, Cass 25, Jason 28, Steph 25, Duke 16, Danny 15, Jazz 17)

-

Damian’s first, big, world-ending crisis is barely a month or two after his arrival, when Cris Allen enlists the Batclan to help him fight Pariah Dark and they join Danny Phantom’s resistance.

I haven’t quite decided what will happen next but Batman figures out Danny isn’t fully dead like the rest of the inhabitants of the Ghost Zone and looks into it after Pariah is defeated. From here, I want it to take less than a year for Danny to be in Bruce’s custody. Duke (at 16) is recruited around the same time as Danny (still 15), so both of them begin training together. I’m sure Bruce wouldn’t mind pulling some strings to get Jazz (17) into a college in Gotham, potentially getting her to study under Barbra/Oracle.

[inkzee]

Does Rags shoot Jax's middle finger off?

And if so, since he only has 4, will he have enough to make the bomb strapped to his chest detonate at the end? 🤔

Also......................... Croquet Night or Dead Girl Walking? 🤔🤔🤔

Oh I like this ask❤️~

First of thank you for the ask, and I can tell you've watched the movie, least (Within making this Au I've watched it about like 5 times for planning the fic no joke)

But I'm not going to use the movie for the ending. He's going to keep his fingers, but I'm giving the a good old bullet in the heart to where her slowly bleeds out. Because that's what he deserves.

Also, compared to the movie, the musical dialog at the end of the second act seems more Ragatha and Jax coded to me for some reason. Plus I have drawings planned for "Dead Girl Walking Reprised" and "I Am Damaged" so I'm sticking with it.

So in short, Jax is gonna go boom but the musical version.

Oh and ummm......

Croquet Night ALLLL THE WAY. (sorry to all the Dead Girl Walking and out there but um... kinda not cannon in this AU)

And IK there are gonna be people asking "What is Croquet Night?" and my sweet, sweet children wait and see~

[moonlit-rose-garden]

Moving on

Nick Valentine x reader

Word count: 1,655

This takes place about 2 years after the events of Fallout 4 and 1 year after finishing Nick's Eddie Winter quest line. The sole survivor (you) have been living predominantly in Diamond City, helping Nick with his cases.

It was raining outside. Almost no one was in the streets of the Great Green Jewel due to it. A off day, you could say. Most people were able to stay home and relax.

Days like this made (Y-n) almost forget that just outside the walls was a wasteland full of creatures itching to kill.

(Y-n) sat at an old metal desk with her head in her arms, listening to the radio playing. Nick walked in from outside, water dripping off the brim of his hat. He quickly shed his wet coat and hat and then began to make his way to his desk.

Stopping at the desk where (Y-n) sat, Nick revealed a bowl he brought in with him. “You've been working too hard. You need to eat.“ He said as he set the bowl in front of her and took a seat in the chair facing the front of the desk.

(Y-n) slowly raised her head to look at Nick, some of her hair falling in front of her face. His fingers twitched, wanting to reach over and tuck her hair behind her ear. He opted for smoking instead. (Y-n) watched as he tried lighting a cigarette a few times before succeeding. He sat back in the chair with his sleeves rolled up, relaxed for once.

“I think this is the most relaxed I've ever seen you, Nick.“ (Y-n) smiled as she grabbed the bowl of noodles and began to eat. “Thanks.“ Nick waved her off. “It's no problem.“ (Y-n) chuckles to herself. “This reminds me of late nights at the law office I used to work at. Someone would bring takeout, and we'd all sit and work. Or we'd just talk.“

Nick was quiet for a moment. “We used to do the same at the police department when we worked late.“ “Too bad we never got to meet back then. We'd have been great friends, I think.“ They both laughed lightly.

“Look at the two of us. Still stuck in a world long gone.“ Nick chuckled. (Y-n) thought about it for a moment. She pushed the noodles aside and propped her head up with her hand. “Honestly... I think I've moved on.. I mean, it still hurts to think about, and I will always miss Nate. But, I think it's getting better.“

Nick stared at her, his yellow eyes fixated on her face. “I never thought I'd say this. But me too. For so long, I held on to the feelings of a life I never physically lived. After everything with Eddie and a year to think about it...“ He leaned forward on the desk.“well I guess I should thank you.“ He finished. (Y-n) smiled warmly at Nick. “I'm glad we found each other. I couldn't have done any of this without you.“ She reached out over the desk, taking his free hand. “Thank you for taking care of me, Nick. You're a good man”

Nick stared at his hand in hers. It made him comfortable and warm. A feeling he hadn't felt for a long time. He glanced away and laughed. “Well that's what I'm here for. Detective Nick Valentine at your service.“ (Y-n) took her hand way. Immediately missing the feeling of his. She gazed at her hand.

It made her feel a bit guilty. Sure, it had been around 80 years since Nate passed, only 2 to her, but she still loved him. She'd always love him, but he's gone. She can't hold onto a ghost forever.. (Y-n) looked up and caught Nick staring at her with an unreadable expression. He quickly looks away quickly, pretending to read a file sitting on the desk.

(Y-n) looked way. She had a good guess why he was staring. They were both adults. She wasn't going to pretend that she didn't notice the things he did for her and how often he'd watch her. She was sure he had noticed how she smiled at him and how her hand would linger on his arm longer than it had to.

“Nick, do you still think of her?“ (Y-n) asked softly. Nick paused for a moment. “I do. But it's like you and Nate. She's long gone. Besides, she was never mine to begin with.“ He looks at (Y-n) with a small smile. “You helped me move on. Move on from that old life and start living my own." (Y-n) smiled. “I'm glad.“

The room was silent for a long while, and only the sound of the rain and the radio could be heard. Occasionally, the sound of papers shuffling would interrupt the comfortable silence.

“Oh, I should get back before it's too late. I still need to feed Dogmeat!“ (Y-n) said as she stood. Nick followed and put his coat and hat on. Then handed (Y-n) her coat and hat. “Thanks. Are you coming with?“ He nodded. “Yeah, I'll walk you home. “

The air outside was cold, and the rain came down in a drizzle. Nick, seeing (Y-n) shake in the cold, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Though he didn't add any warmth, the gesture made a blush creep up (Y-n) neck.

Slowly, she snaked an arm around his waist. (Y-n) looked at Nick in her peripheral vision. This talk helped her come to a decision about something she had been agonizing over for the past year. She loved Nick, and she was sure that, to some extent, he cared for her, too. But in what way? Looking forward again, (Y-n) tried to fight the anxious feeling bubbling up and the blush that came with it.

Nick felt conflicted. He liked the way she held onto him. He liked her company, he liked her. Nick knew he loved (Y-n). His mind felt scrambled and loud despite the quiet environment. The only sound was the rain and their shoes landing in puddles. He looked down, focused on the ground before them as they walked.

“Well, this is me...“ (Y-n) said as she let go of Nick and slid out of his hold. She pressed her lips in a line and awkwardly searched her pockets for her key. Nick watched her with a small smile. She was always so beautiful to him. But he never even dared entertaining the thought of romance. Not with how he looked, with what he was.

(Y-n) unlocked the door and pushed it open. “I'll see you tomorrow, Nick. Get some-” Before she could finish her sentence, a crack of thunder sounded with lighting not too far behind, and the rain started pouring. Taking one look at the sky and rain (Y-n) ushered Nick into her home. She slammed the door and locked it, letting out a sigh.

They both took off their wet coats and hats, hanging them on the coat hanger near the door. “Come on in! Just leave your shoes at the door.“ (Y-n) said, walking further into the house. Nick took a moment to look around. He realised the last time he'd been here was when (Y-n) first bought it. Almost a year ago. “I like what you've done with the place. Cozy. Tell me, how is it you're only now inviting me over?“ He said as he followed her into a little living room area.

“Well, I guess I never thought about it. I feel like I spend more time at the detective agency than in any of my homes.“ (Y-n) smiled and took a seat on a couch. She gestured for Nick to do the same, which he did.

A moment of silence passed between them. A false silence. Their heads both buzzing and loud. Nick thought he was fine working with her and admiring from a far, but now sitting with (Y-n) after coming getting off work... It almost felt like they were a couple. He hated himself for feeling this way. For how flustered he was.

Nick looked over at (Y-n). Her hands were clenched together in her lap, and she had this strange look on her face. “Hey, you alright?“ She glanced at him with an uneasy smile “Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just got something on my mind.“ Nick turned to face her fully. “What's troubling you? Maybe I can help.“

(Y-n) was silent for a short moment. “You're good to me, Nick. Thank you.“ Nick watched her intently. She looked at him in his glowing eyes. Maybe the storm happened for a reason. It gave her a chance to come clean and tell him how she really feels. “I care about you. A lot.“ (Y-n) looked away. “Sorry if this is weird. I just feel like I've got to say something.“

Putting a hand on her back, Nick inched closer to her. “It's alright. Just. Just tell me what it is.“ Nick had a feeling where it was going but pushed it away. He felt foolish for even entertaining the idea. (Y-n) took a deep breath and looked at Nick again, slightly leaning towards him.

“Do you care about me? The way I care about you?“ Nick was speechless. He just stared at her with a blank face. “I love you, Nick. And I have for a while..“ (Y-n) gazed at him with hopeful, loving eyes. Slowly, he raised a hand to her cheek and caressed her face. (Y-n) leaned into his gentle touch.

“This all feels like a dream...“ Nick whispered. He leaned forward and captured (Y-n) into a hug. “I do... I love you, too..“

They pulled apart, and (Y-n) held Nick's face gently. She inched closer before closing the gap between them, her warm lips meeting his cool ones.

(Y-n) quickly pulled away “I-I I'm sorry! I-I should have asked!“ Nick just grabbed her face, pulling her back towards him and kissing her, a bit harder this time. (Y-n) smiled into the kiss and threw her arms around his neck.

She knew that, finally, happy days were just around the corner.

I'm sorry if he's super out of character! It's been so incredibly long since I played this game! I hope it was still a good read. I do feel like the ending is missing something, though.

[justwater4meeeeeeeeee]

hiii water!!

i just wanted to tell you a ginormous thank you for being my best role model <3 i was going to say that you're my biggest role model, but you're literally the opposite of that! i had this desire to binge a few nights ago, but i thought, what would water do? i watched some of your daily steps videos from tiktok, and omg my hunger disappeared faster than ever. it was actually insane how just how fast i snapped myself back into the good mindset.

so thank you for posting your tidbits of life and your motivating thoughts about 4n4!! seeing your posts about wieiads, steps, and daily thoughts helped me get out of a horrible binge cycle that lasted from august until december. i've been binge-free for the last 4 days, and even though that's a short amount of time in the long run, it's weird how i feel that i'm a completely new and different person. i'm thinking back to when i would binge everyday, and i just think it's insane that i was doing that, like that past version of myself wasn't me at all. idk if that makes sense tho

anyways that's my big thank you for being my role model! i'm also a ballet dancer so i find it really cool that you're so disciplined in your mind & your body, and i strive to be like you (not in a creepy way) <3

sending a giant bundle of hugs and love from norcal :) wishing you safety from the fires <33

I love you so much. I am speechless (and I always have something to say) your kind words mean the world to me, thank you so much for letting me know all this and it doesn’t matter that is only 4 days, it takes a lot of willpower to get out of the binge cycle, the hardest step is done, so so so proud of you<3

[pleasantartisanhottea]

======

Pick 5 TV Shows you like before reading the questions.

Violet Evergarden

Doctor Who (Four, Nine, and Ten)

Merlin

Justice League & Justice League Unlimited

The Hollow

=======

Who is your favorite character in 2?

Honestly, it's a toss-up between Four and Nine. They're my favorite Doctors! Abrasive with a core of kindness and staunch morals that they're forced to question and put to the test! Four's encounter with the Daleks and questioning if he should wipe them out entirely and ultimately choosing mercy... Nine saying he'd rather be a coward than a killer... They're my beloveds, I adore them!

How long have you watched 1?

Oh, man. It's been ages since I've watched Violet Evergarden! It's such a gorgeous show, but it really drains me emotionally. I end up crying every watch-through. It's been a few years, but it remains one of my favorite shows! So, I haven't continually watched it, just sporadically rewatched it twice or thrice, but I've been a fan for a good few years now.

How did you become interested in 3?

Hmmm... I think it just popped up in my Netflix recommendations? I stayed because Gwen was a sweetheart, and because I adored Lancelot. Colin Morgan as Merlin also did a fantastic job carrying the emotion of the show! I really sort of fell off watching it around season 5 though, the angst was simply too much for me. I watched the finale one time and one time only, and proceeded to swear off ever watching it again.

Who is your favorite actor in 4?

Kevin Conroy as the voice actor of Batman! He's just so good at humanizing the Big Bad Bat, and making him not only a sympathetic character, but a funny, kind, and emotionally gripping one. I really wish I could've met him at a convention...

Which show do you prefer 1, 2, or 5?

Oh, OUCH. Violet Evergarden versus Doctor Who versus The Hollow? MAN. Asking the hard questions! Hmmm... I'll have to go with Violet Evergarden -- the music, art, and plotline just destroy me emotionally every time. Violet's story and recovery will always be one of the first things I think of when I have to come up with a favorite show!

Which show have you seen more episodes of 1 or 3?

Merlin, for sure. Violet Evergarden isn't that long of a show, and I haven't seen any of the additional content for it, while Merlin is at a solid 5 seasons!

How would you kill off your favorite character in 5?

Why would you do this to me?! Mira, my beloved, I'm so sorry... This is a difficult question, even taking out that she's my favorite character, because Mira can communicate with and get along well with animals, which instinctively come to her aid, and is able to breathe underwater and swim with superhuman strength and proficiency... I suppose I'd drop her from high in the sky into a burning, abandoned forest? She can't fly, the water wouldn't cushion her fall, and no animals would help. I think that the panic of the sitaution would likely curb her survival skills, and there's not a lot she can do about the fire -- she's a good swimmer, not a waterbender. For a slower death, I think I'd plop her in an unsolvable maze on her own. The isolation would get to her faster than the difficulty of the puzzles would, I think - Mira likes people, and would struggle without any friends.

Would a 3/4 crossover work?

Merlin and JL & JLU... I think it could work? Only in a fanfiction sense, though. I doubt the two canonical universes could fuse without fundamentally breaking one or both of their genres and themes. Even in a fanfiction universe things would get messy though, what with Morgaine le Fay being the mother of Mordred and half-sister of King Arthur, and Merlin himself being a mythical figure. Combine that with the modern era v. medieval era culture clash, various superpowered figures running around and causing chaos, and the identity issues that'd pop up... You could throw them together, but no one would be happy about it! Although it would be interesting to see Diana and season 1 Morgana interact, and to try and give Merlin a non-Uther-supporting, actually present mentor in Clark, Bruce, or J'onn. (They're the ideal mentors for him among the core Justice League, I think! Shayera would get along better with Arthur, John would be stand-offish and a little put off by all these mythical figures around him, I think, and Diana would much prefer to befriend Morgana and maybe behead Uther posthaste.) Kilgharrah and Gaius move aside! Merlin has new mentors!

Pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple.

The show is episodic, and the only people Violet consistently interacts with are people I'm hesitant to ship her with -- her employers, mostly! Her fellow coworkers don't get much chance to shine, either, from what I remember...

I think that Hodgins and the mail boy, Benedict would be a cute couple - Benedict loves annoying Hodgins and Hodgins puts up with it and tries to help Benedict despite everything. I really adored the relationship between Violet and Leon, and Violet and Iris -- the former because they were so similar, and the latter because they were so different. Both of them grew because of Violet and helped her grow, and I also just really adore their character dynamics. I don't know if these are unlikely couples though, only strangely okay ones.

Overall, which show has the better cast, 3 or 5?

AUGH! Merlin v. The Hollow?! Why did I do this to myself! I think... ultimately, I'm going to say The Hollow. They were better at consistency in characterization, and when their characterizations did radically shift, there were good reasons for it. Merlin's cast had many beautiful characters, but their development tended to shift and change radically for reasons that just didn't hold up to scrutiny for me, or which I felt disrespected the characters (Lancelot du Lac still haunts me in a BAD WAY, I am SHAKING MY FIST AT THE SKY --).

Which has the better theme music, 2 or 4?

... I'm going to say Doctor Who. JL & JLU weren't very soundtrack-centric, while I still listen to Doomsday, The Rueful Fate of Donna Noble, Rose's Theme, and Martha's Theme when I need a good cry. Doctor Who also has more iconic sounds associated with it, like the materialization sound of the TARDIS, and the theme song sticks more in my brain than JL & JLU's does.

====

For the game, tag at least 5:

@captainofthenautilus @aro-aizawa @eurydicees @hamletkin @handageddon @earhartsease

TV Show Meme

Redoing this original meme from 2012.

======

Pick 5 TV Shows you like before reading the questions.

1. The Apothecary Diaries 2. Dungeon Meshi 3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 4. Star Trek: Lower Decks 5. Doctor Who Series 14 (Ncuti Gatwa's first season)

=======

Who is your favorite character in 2?

Chilchuck Timms. I don't know why, but I can relate to the "half-foot" standing and the whole "eternally-stressed old man" vibes

How long have you watched 1?

Started probably mid-December while my shoulder was hurting.

How did you become interested in 3?

I blame @the-haven-of-fiction for having me look at the pretty Chef-Captain.

Who is your favorite actor in 4?

Jack Quaid as Brad Boimler. His Boimler screams are magical. Which show do you prefer 1, 2, or 5?

Ugh. Unfair. I can't really choose right now but-- fine. The Apothecary Diaries is a current fave.

Which show have you seen more episodes of 1 or 3?

As ST: SNW has more seasons than The Apothecary Diaries-- then the former. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

Mariner. I'm very much like Mariner right now-- don't want to get promoted. How would you kill off your favorite character in 5?

Hahahah. He gets himself killed every other season or so anyway-- but I'd like him to suffocate, sneeze, then regenerate into the next Doctor. Would a 3/4 crossover work?

IT. ACTUALLY. HAPPENED. LAST. SEASON.

Pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple

Lishu and Basen. Oops. Spoilers.

Overall, which show has the better cast, 3 or 5?

I'm going to change the usual answer and say ST: SNW for a change. Which has the better theme music, 2 or 4?

I'd say Dungeon Meshi. It's just refreshing to watch anime and hear that epic first opening again, I guess.

====

For the game, tag at least 5:

@witchy-self-shipper @turniptitaness @the-haven-of-fiction @izhunny @ladyoftheteaandblood @skinnyscottishbloke (oops i went beyond five -- and honestly anyone else who wants to play can join in~)

[yekokataa]

holy shit that rogue fbi agent came back and shot mulder's dad in the head right before he was going to disclose government secrets to mulder

[pidgydraws]

🩹 let him rest 🩹

[nebulaeyedfish]

My Mother said I never should / play with faeries in the wood

Watched Gem's s9 the other day. Etho is washed up pass it on.

Tags: @imflyingfish @raise-me-up-take-me-up @swanofstorie

See pinned for commissions

[onesnoopyaday]

Snoopy #4

5/10/2024

[ducktracy]

reminder that if you're not watching Crayon Shin-chan then you are living a hollow and empty life. this is not edited. this ripped straight from the movie (Movie 8: Jungle That Invites the Storm, highly recommend for fellow Masaaki Yuasa lovers)

if you need further convincing: these monkeys run an animation sweatshop

[necrotic-nephilim]

Hey there, are you ok?

hey! thank you for checking up on me, this was really sweet!

i SWEAR i did not die. i just got a bit busy doing SladeRobin Week (which i will finish so help me god-) as well as things in my real life. i'm still trying to find the balance of like. fandom creation and working. i am very lucky to have the living situation that i do rn, but it is the sort of schedule where i do have to be ready to watch a baby at really any given point so. it's a tricky balance right now, but i'm going to be active here again! maybe not as many asks answered a day as before, but i want to try to answer like, a few a day and whatnot.

i also think i got briefly overwhelmed, in that i got more asks faster than i answered them. which is the opposite of a problem and something i'm very lucky for! but it did make it difficult for me to keep up and know what to answer next. (this is *not* a discouragement to sending asks! i love them all and pls send as many as you want! i just am a little slow sometimes so i appreciate the patience! <3)

so! i'm back and i'm good, ty for asking! we are back to the regularly scheduled programming <3