#it's why I tend to prefer watching political comedy alone

[thequeenofsastiel]

I was just rewatching some Last Week Tonight videos from when there wasn't an audience and remembered wistfully just how much I preferred no audience, despite how little I enjoyed the reason for the lack of one, and was wondering if others felt the same.

[voxiiferous]

That makes sense he supposes, he tends to initiate a lot of their encounters. If he sees Alastor, he's going to poke the bear... or the tentacle as the case may be. It's fun, it's a distraction, no politics or business or Valentino and his changeable moods. "You've gotta be kidding. He'd give the win to me? That's fantastic. It's gotta be harder now than it was." The city connects all the way back to him-- televisions in display windows, phones in every pocket, street lamps. And Alastor must hate it.

He taps out an old song, one of the romantic swing songs of the age. "Just like a dance; dip, spin, a bit of footwork just to keep everyone watching." For a moment, the visual changes from a fight to a dance proper, a look of joy at a properly executed lift. Through his speakers, the big band sounds, echoing and tinny like a memory, before he stops it. Fuck that's embarrassing. He makes a sound like clearing his throat.

No, no this is safe conversation. Well, he amends in the safety of his own mind, it's not. None of this is safe. But safer? Something like that. He lifts a hand to his chest and laughs. "So generous letting me stay alive, profit off all my hard work." He lifts an eye. "Valentino's the martian? Why? You were created here-- how do you even know about Mars or the specific nomenclature for pop cultural aliens from there?"

"You're not wrong, but it would make him a Hell of a lot easier to quantify he he claimed anything other than a few souls and the airwaves." In truth, Vox had given up hope of Alastor actually claiming the deserved title decades ago, and counted it towards the Radio Demon's many and varied eccentricities. Inconvenient, but that's a given with Alastor. It makes him more unpredictable which he suspects is exactly what he wants.

He lets out a groan, letting his head come back, and leaning it against a hand propped on the armrest. "He'd better." He laughs at the idea of Alastor's reaction to the music-- Astor was probably right, he'd be surprised if he didn't have a role to play in it, as the face of the new and improved in Hell, music and all. "It's good to know that you, at least have better taste than him."

He lifts an eye, grimacing at the thought. "No, no I'll let the shadow stay that alone. I don't need that stress, mild curiosity of what they'd be like aside." He follows Astor with his eye, tapping his foot for a moment, not bored just... filling time, doing something with his body. "I always preferred coffee." He admits. "I never understood the appeal of tea-- if not that, what do you like?"

Vox lets out a displeased hum. While it came after him time, he had, in fact, watched it, one of the weird nights when it had been he and Velvette, Dia, and Hellaina, all just exhausted and draped on the couch, pinned under Vark. "Please don't insult me like that. He's the loveable buffoon type, I'd make for a much better Velma."The comedy of a Scooby Doo trap for Astor isn't lost on him however, especially when it's the two of them. "You have it backward. I'd be the man in the mask-- getting away with it if it weren't for the fact..." he shrugs, arms spread wide. "I did get away with it."

"But that's actually a good idea. Much more modern, and less likely to end with my booby-trapping my own apartment against me."

"Now isn't that just adorable? I didn't know Alastor had a soft bone in his body, but I guess you're special."

He shakes his head, and points at the kitchen. "Just because you can eat something doesn't make it food. No one in their right mind should eat a Voot Floop, but here we are. Do you have any idea how many chemicals are in them? Some of those weird health foods? The 'marshmallow' isn't food." And now, it's a matter of pride, he's dying on this hill, digging his heels in. "You wouldn't, you absolute menace."

[chipsfics]

Part 1 - Introduction/Invitation

Part one of my currently-unnamed Inanimate Insanity fanfiction :)! Feat. Tissues and Yinyang. Some shipping but not a whole lot ;)

Rated: PG (A few heavy themes)

Hope you enjoy and much more to come !! :D

~~~~

Unlike Tissues, Yinyang knew he was going to be eliminated. Yin did, at least. He figured after a certain amount of time, the viewers just saw him as... Annoying. He had used up his entertainment value- Inanimate Insanity had packaged and squeezed dry his "quirks" of any and all comedy until they were just problems again. He was sure his other half knew elimination was at least a possibility- He was probably too preoccupied with his own thoughts, which sometimes blended together with Yin's. A lot of... "Everyone here hates me," and "I hate everyone here." Seemed like the situation was stressing them both out.

Weeks later, After they were all freed from the closet, Yinyang watched the episode where he was eliminated. Yinyang cried, not because he lost, but something kind of got tangled in his brain watching the way he acted. He was grinding his teeth watching the playback, Yang holding back tears and Yin letting them flow freely. If only, if only, if only. Needless to say, he didn't really remember a lot about what happened cooped up in that tiny closet. He mostly hid in the corner and tried not to grind his teeth down to his gums. Tissues, on the other hand, barely knew what was going on. One place to another, off a plane, rushing from iceberg to dodgeball court, grass field to bleachers- Next thing he knew he sneezed himself through a portal and ended up cooped up in a closet. Once the dizzy feeling cleared and he ended up face down, alone, in an empty closet with a locked door- One thing was abundantly clear: He lost. As usual. When another contestant stepped through the portal, the relief he felt was overwhelming- and as the closet filled up with eliminated contestants, the sense of relief he felt was replaced by self loathing and shame- Everyone else pretty much all hated him. As usual.

When they finally got a breath of fresh air, space to move around, personal rooms and even a breakfast juice bar- After everyone who came in contact with him was thoroughly sprayed down by Soap, nobody hated him anymore. They just didn't talk to him. Although, when he walked in the hallway, Soap would follow a safe distance behind him and clean where he last stepped with disinfectant. That didn't really help his self-esteem.

One quiet afternoon, everyone was still trying to settle into their new (but much nicer) living situations, Tissues got paired with the roommate who hated him the most. One Trophy horseplay, who was the one who stomped his face in more than a couple times while stuck in the closet. Of course, due to the technological advancements of melife, Mephone brought him back immediately after he got the death notification- bzz-ding, Tissues died again, to Trophy's frustration. Living with Trophy, he tried to keep all of his stuff in one corner- And he was kind of being shoved over by Trophy's ever-growing collection of sports equipment. Apparently he had nowhere to put it except for cluttering up their shared bedroom. He didn't have much things anyway- and he spent most of his time in the front game room. Tissues, Yinyang, and a few wanderers in and out every day in that same room, that same dinky game system, the same 4 outdated platforming games. He didn't remember the names of those old things, and he wasn't great at them anyway- It'd surprise you, but he didn't have the best hand-eye-coordination. 

Yinyang was also bad at them. He'd argue and curse and throw the controller and tug at the wires, Tissues would follow slowly behind him in co-op play. It was fun to play with someone who had the same skill level as he did, and it seemed like Yinyang had mellowed out a little from his appearance on the show- Having a bit more freedom and alone time seemed to make Yang calm down and Yin become cheerier and more friendly. If Tissues could say one Inanimate Insanity contestant was his friend- It was Yinyang. They had something big and terrifying in common- They were both freaks. The unlovable tend to find a way to love each other.

~~~~

Yaaaawn. Tissues stretched and looked at the clock- 11:30, about 3 hours earlier than when he usually woke up. He wiped the drool off his face, got up and feverishly brushed his teeth. He realized the breakfast bar was still open for another 30 minutes- More like 25 now that he'd dragged himself out of bed. OJ wasn't the world's most attentive hotel owner, but the breakfast bar seemed like something he was passionate about. There were rumors that he refilled the cereal dispensers by himself and doesn't let anyone else do it. Soap always threw a fit when someone else did the chores for her, although she seemed to have a quiet respect for OJ's breakfast bar. Tissues took the elevator down- He didn't trust himself to go down the stairs because of his vertigo. Lo and behold, someone else bumped into his hand reaching for the down arrow. It was Yinyang! 

"O-oh, go ahead, you first," Tissues said bashfully. 

"No, you first!" Yin chirped. "I assume we're both going down?" 

"Yeah, I'm gonna try and catch the last wave of breakfast, guyse. I'm not usually up this... SNIFF. Early," Tissues said, and jammed his finger into the down button, which started to glow a faint yellow.

"Wait, is the free breakfast thing still open?" Yinyang said, "The one where you can make waffles with the little do-it-yourself waffle iron?" 

"Is that what that is? I thought it was just a weird smoothie dispenser. I thought the stuff that came out of it tasted like waffle batter," He sniffed.

Yinyang laughed. Tissues would have been peeved, but it didn't seem like Yinyang was laughing AT him. That, or just the fact that his laugh was crisp and clear as a ringing bell. Tissues didn't think he heard him genuinely laugh a whole ton of times. It was nice. 

As they waited for the elevator to come up, Tissues noticed one of Yinyang's eyes blinking and drooping. Yang's side seemed to be sleepier than Yin's- His body lagging to one side until he had to jerk back into a standing position. Was it possible for one half to fall asleep and the other half to stay awake? DING. Tissues' train of thoughts was interrupted by the elevator door sliding open. They stepped in, and for the entire ride down Tissues fought as hard as he could not to sneeze- In a closed place like an elevator, that could be very annoying. More annoying than usual. The elevator ride was mostly silent and awkward- It seemed that Yang almost tried to fight on what button to press, but he was too tired and hungry to cause any trouble this early. It was a Saturday after all, the slowest days in the hotel, and once they made it downstairs to the breakfast bar, there didn't seem to be many contestants looking for something to eat so late. Tissues grabbed a paper plate and put a blueberry muffin on it, and got a small paper cup of orange juice. He noticed Yin and Yang were having some sort of quiet argument about what to get for a drink. Tissues couldn't help but overhear-

"Coffee." Yang spoke in a harsh whisper. "Not today, Water." Yin replied. "Coffee." "Juice, then." "Ok, Fine." "Apple juice." "I want orange." "Not today. Apple Juice feels more..." "Pure?" "Yeah." "Bull." "Let's just get our food, I'm too tired to argue." "..." "..." "Me too." 

Tissues seemed distracted, until Yinyang moved down the line and bumped him further down. He looked away, face flushed, and moved to the couch, flicking on the TV- He felt like he had just intruded on Yinyang's privacy, but Yinyang didn't seem to care. He'd grabbed apple juice and a pastry of some kind, filled with cream cheese. Yinyang and Tissues ate together, Tissues sitting on the carpet and Yinyang on the couch close by, both staring at the gameshow program that was playing on TV- something that aired often, it was starting to get old. That and the fact that the episodes are hard to tell apart. Same host every time, same backdrop, same formula. Because of this, Tissues' mind couldn't help but wander, and so did his eyes. Yinyang was focused intently on the tv, one hand, Yin's, tapping the sides of the paper cup and the other, Yang's, lifting the pastry to his mouth and taking a bite. They seemed to have figured out a good way to eat without arguing. 

"So," Tissues said, breaking the silence.

"Yes?" Yin said politely. 

"Can i sit next to you guyse?" Tissues asked. Yinyang looked a bit puzzled.

"Sure. Why not?" Yinyang said, "Just try not to get any of your germs on me." Yang grumbled. Yin pinched his arm. "Don't be rude," Yang growled, but once Tissues got up and hopped up onto the couch cushion next to him, Yang seemed to have forgotten about it. Tissues was so short he had to put in a lot of effort to get onto the couch- It was almost comical. Because of that, he preferred to sit on the ground. People seemed to prefer him down there anyway. It was kind of nice, up there, though, and honestly the only thing he felt different was... More comfortable, and taller. It was nice. He hadn't even noticed the TV program changing from the game show to an ad break- some kind of infomercial on chairs. 

"Sooo.... Do you want to go and check out the pool today? I've heard that there's like, complimentary towels. I haven't actually been there yet," Tissues said.

"Are you... asking us to hang out with you?" Yinyang said curiously. 

"Well sure," Tissues smiled. "We're friends, right?"

"Umm..." Yinyang's face flushed a bright red. "Of course!" Yin chimed. 

"Whatever." Yang added, clenching his jaw and slightly baring his sharp teeth.

"I just didn't wanna show up alone. Can you swim?" He asked. Yinyang looked away.

"Not really," He said, embarrassed. "It takes a lot of coordination, and Yin hates listening." Yang said aggresively. Yin glared at his other half. 

"Ohhh thats cool. I can't either," Tissues replied. "I was just planning on sitting by the side. Maybe putting my feet in- Its just nice to have like... uhh. SNIFF. Change of scenery... I like the chlorine smell." 

"Well that sounds nice!" Yinyang said. "But we need to go back to our room first, Right?" Yang sounded like he was directing the question less towards Tissues and more towards Yin. 

"Oh. Well that's ok. I'm here all day," Tissues said, pulling his mouth into a goofy half-smile. Yinyang finished off his apple juice and got up, silently turned and smiled towards Tissues, and walked away. Tissues wondered what he was thinking about. 

~~~~

[sz-amare]

7. My Top 15 Anime List

I have watched a lot of anime in the past four years, but one thing that gives me great enjoyment is ranking my top anime. Here I will rank my top 15 favorite anime, along with some honorable mentions that couldn’t make it. However, I won’t be going too in-depth on the analyses; I just want to give you a general idea of why the particular anime is where it is on my list. In general, I rank my anime depending on a combination of factors: 1) how brilliant I find the anime to be written, 2) if the themes resonate with me, 3) if it is categorized in my favorite genres, and 4) my general enjoyment level. Anyway, to the list.

 Number 15

One Punch Man

When I first watched One Punch Man, it seemed nothing more than a mindless comedy anime. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed it and laughed a lot, but I found it to be forgettable. But one day, I heard that the genre of One Punch Man was seinen, which made no sense to me. It had no dark and mature themes, and as I mentioned, it was nothing more than a senseless comedy. But then one day, on a whim, I watched One Punch Man again. And I REALLY enjoyed it. I still laughed a lot, but something felt different to me this time. I actually felt like I had a deep connection with each of the characters. The story seemed to be more structured and enjoyable this time, and finally, I could actually see the themes that One Punch Man was trying to explore. It made sudden sense to me that One Punch Man is indeed a seinen and that it had a lot more to it than on the surface. Of course, the difference in experience is because of my new understanding of anime and the experience I gained.

Number 14

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple is probably one of the most unknown, underappreciated, and underrated anime on this list. Someone recommended it to me, and I had never heard of it, so I assumed it was a mediocre anime. But when I watched it, I had so much fun which I hadn’t felt in many months. It is a training shōnen anime where the main character tries to learn martial arts. That is all I want to say for now because I don’t want to spoil anything, so go watch it. I highly recommend it.

Number 13

A Place Further than the Universe

I don’t see many people talking much about A Place Further than the Universe. But, I must say, it is absolutely phenomenal. It is, hands down, the most inspiring anime in existence. The basic premise is a high school girl wanting to do something significant in her high school life. I won’t say anymore because, again, I don’t want to spoil this anime, and I recommend you check it out if you need inspiration in your life. Let me just say that it is now an aspiring goal of mine to visit Antarctica.

Number 12

Plastic Memories

I made a whole analysis on the previous post so go check it out. But for a quick recap, the life lesson I learned from Plastic Memories has permanently changed my behavior for the better. I found it to be the saddest anime I have ever watched.

 Number 11

Steins; Gate

Once again, I have already made an analysis on Steins; Gate, but this time I only covered the first episode. I also ranked Steins; Gate a 10/10 so that must mean that the rest of this list must contain masterpieces. But to be honest, that is not really the case. You see, to me, even if I consider something a masterpiece, the enjoyment factor plays the most significant role in ranking high on my list. For example, I found Death Note to be brilliant, but I really struggled to enjoy it and therefore, it is not ranked that highly. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Steins; Gate, but I just enjoyed the rest of these anime way more. Anyway, if you want to see why I loved Steins; Gate so much and why I find it so brilliant, check out blog post 4.

Number 10

Berserk (Manga)

Almost everything I found In Berserk is brilliant (except its adaptations, that’s gas station toilet). Guts is a 10/10 protagonist, Griffith is a 10/10 antagonist, the cast is a 10/10, the story is a 10/10, AND THE ART!!! Holy shit!!! I can actually picture an entire museum dedicated to each panel of Berserk.

 Again, the only reason this anime is not any higher is simply because I enjoyed the others on this list so much more. However, I am yet to review any analyses on it so there is a possibility that it will bump-up several places higher when I truly understand the brilliance behind it. Great read though!

Number 9

Haikyuu

I LOVE Haikyuu. Each season gets progressively better and better. It has a lot of controversy around it because of its fan base and because it’s a sports anime. But to be honest, I find Haikyuu to be a better shōnen than My Hero Academia, Black Clover, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and most other modern shōnen anime. It has its amazing moments, its cast is amazing, the character development is amazing, the themes are amazing, and the antagonists are amazing. I am not bluffing when I say that the antagonists in a Volleyball anime are better than the antagonists in many shōnen anime (I’m going to develop haters before I can even develop fans). I plan on making an essay on what most shōnen strive for yet fail to achieve, and Haikyuu somehow delivers.

Number 8

Oregairu

Best romance. Hands down. Oregairu, or SNAFU, or My Teen Rom-Com is Not What I Expected (yes, so many titles) is a masterpiece in its own right. If you are a guy and you watched Oregairu, don’t act like you didn’t imitate Hachiman a couple times. He is a beautiful protagonist, which most of us guys relate to. His inner monologues result in us treating them as gospel. The sub-text is confusing as fuck, but end up making sense in all sorts of ways once decoded. Yukino is best girl, but man I love Yuigahama almost just as much. The general enjoyment I got out of Oregairu is so far through the roof that I once forced myself to stop watching it so that I could savor the show a little more. It is a little difficult to get into at first, but you will most likely end up enjoying it.

Number 7

Re Zero

This is the most recent addition to the list. I often don’t add anything new to my list; I just switch the places between some of them. But ever since season 2, Re Zero jumped significantly in rank. It is the best anime of 2020 (including sequels), and I enjoyed each episode to the max. I was considering adding Re Zero to my top 10 since the first half of the second season finished, but I was a bit hesitant because I am easily affected by recency bias. But my love for Re Zero would just not die down: my love for it grows after each episode airs. It is the only anime on this list that I watched weekly other than One Piece. I actually prefer watching a series I love weekly rather than binging it all, except for One Piece, pacing is constipation (slow and painful). Other than the vast enjoyment I got out of Re Zero, the main reason it made it to this list is because of the light novel comparisons I watch. Aninews is my favorite source. He compares the episode to the light novels, mentioning what was left out and further describing the emotions and thoughts of the characters. He tends to release the “Cut Content” videos a week after the episode airs, but the content and quality are incomparable. I found the videos to be so amazing I am basically just as excited for the weekly videos as the Re Zero episodes themselves. If you love Re Zero, the Cut Content series is a must watch.

The fantastic details and emotions the light novels are able to portray are stunning. I decided to read the light novels recently, but the only issue is that I am very short on time. But for each novel I complete, I will release a post on it.

Number 6

Mob Psycho

Although I said I found Haikyuu to be better than most modern shōnen, Mob Psycho is hands down the king. Its quality far surpasses all modern shōnen and a lot of older generation shōnen too. Funny thing is, I believe Mob Psycho’s primary genre is slice of life, not shōnen. I also believe it to be the best take on an overpowered protagonist. One of my favorite things is that Mob, who is the strongest esper we have seen, seems to be so weak. That is exactly how he should be portrayed; he is still a child with mental challenges that he is constantly trying to overcome. The themes that Mob Psycho explores are some of my favorites. The animation is a bit weird at first, but after watching it, you suddenly realize how brilliant it is.

(Honorable Mentions)

Attack on Titan

I am going to get a lot of hate for not including this in my top 5, let alone my top 15. Attack on Titan is still releasing episodes, so that opinion may change soon but let me be clear about one thing: Attack on Titan is a masterpiece. It is absolute greatness. The hype and enjoyment I get out of Attack on Titan are out of this world. But, a) the enjoyment feels a bit short-lived for me personally. It is a fantastic week after airing, but I tend to forget about it the next. b) Attack on Titan is simply not my type of show. Again, I do love Attack on Titan. Again, it is a masterpiece. And again, it may bump up a bit after a few episodes release, but as of now, Attack on Titan isn’t in my top 15.

(Honorable Mentions)

No Game No Life

Similar to One Punch Man, I thought No Game No Life was an anime for senseless fun and enjoyment. But then I watched the movie. The movie is canon to the light novels, but it is irrelevant to the plot and only contributes to the understanding of the world. However, since I watched that movie, I felt the world of No Game No Life to be more realistic. Of course, a world where games resolve all sorts of conflicts like war is ridiculous. But after watching the movie, that ridiculousness somehow turned to reality. The world of No Game No Life became fascinating to me, and what seemed like dumb games began to turn into political machinations.

(Honorable Mention)

Magi & Yona of the Dawn

All I have to say about these two anime is that they seemed to be very fascinating premises and concepts, but the anime sadly stops for both. I am considering reading the manga for both of them sometime soon, so this list may change once I do.

Number 5

Hunter x Hunter

If you like shōnen, I don’t see why you would hate Hiatus x Hai—I mean Hunter x Hunter. The only thing it slightly lacks is a strong main cast, which many people like anyway. Otherwise, absolute perfection. They have most of the best villains in all of anime: Hisoka, Chrollo, Meruem… How can you not love Meruem? And the way he parallels with Gon but in the opposite direction: just perfection. The arcs are hard to rank because they are all perfection in their own right. The best power system in anime is nothing short but perfection. If it weren’t for the Hiatus, it would be ranked fourth. I doubt it would scratch my top three.

Number 4

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

I know I kept saying perfection when talking about Hunter x Hunter, but I actually believe that Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the perfect series (Note: I am not saying that no one can love it and that it has to be your #1; obviously there are preferences. I’m merely saying that it perfectly crafts what it is trying to portray). The only two arguments you can bring is that the beginning is weak. But if you watch the 03 version, there are no issues whatsoever, in my eyes. Keep in mind, when I say it is the best, I mean from a narrative standpoint. Yes, the animation isn’t the greatest, and the gags are kind of bad, but from a general narrative standpoint, it is the best writing I have ever seen. The plot was brilliant and well-crafted. The world is beautifully bound by their power system: alchemy. The philosophical discussions and themes it explores always have you thinking. The characters are very likable and are all top tier characters. The mysteries keep you in a cycle of confusion and excitement. Since I love science and chemistry, alchemy was so fascinating to me. This show is definitely well-deserving of the number one rank in My Anime List.

Number 3

Kill la Kill

After listing a lot of the best anime/manga with the best stories and narratives, I can see why someone would be upset that I brought up Kill la Kill. This one is certainly the odd one out. However, remember me mentioning that the enjoyment factor is the biggest decision maker in my list placement? Kill la Kill gave me the most enjoyment out of all the anime on this list, even more significant than the obvious #1. I didn’t find anything to be all that brilliant in Kill la Kill, and I can completely understand if someone hated this particular show. But there was something about Kill la Kill that made me feel nostalgic in a weird way. It also gave me one of the weirdest yet most immense feeling of satisfaction I have ever felt. I love Kill la Kill.

Number 2

Konosuba

           Okay yeah, this one is also the odd one out, but it is a little more acceptable. I find Konosuba to be the best comedy anime of all time. Not necessarily because it is the funniest anime (I think it is the funniest but comedy is subjective), but instead because, unlike most comedies, like Nichijo, the characters in Konosuba are absolutely brilliant. Kazuma is one of my favorite characters of all time, Megumi is best girl, but I still love both Darkness and Aqua. Their interactions are absolutely entertaining on both a comedic scale and a general enjoyment scale. Their assholeish-type relationship reflects my relationship with my friends (we are complete assholes to each other, but we also love one another).

Not only that but from the comedy focused anime that I have watched, the plot in this one is actually delightful. The Konosuba movie is my favorite movie of all time, right after A Silent Voice.

Number 1

One Piece

If you read a couple of my previous posts or recognized my profile picture, you probably knew that One Piece is my favorite anime of all time. My love for One Piece is so extensive that I would rather forget all my experiences with anime than forget my experience with One Piece. One Piece inspired me and changed my life. Not in the typical way where I learned a life lesson from the story like Plastic Memories, but simply because I found the writing to be so brilliant. So it was more that Eiichiro Oda, the author of One Piece, inspired me. The characters are the best I have ever seen, the villains are well crafted, the world-building is literally the best in all of fiction, the build-up is fascinating, the questions from the mysteries somehow keep piling over, the symbolism fleshes out aspects of the anime even more, the backstories make characters more relatable and understandable, the general dynamic flow of the world feels like reality, the themes it explores are great learning experiences, the originality never ends, the hype moments keep you energetic for more, the foreshadowing is so phenomenal to the extent where it shouldn’t exist, and the general planning of the story makes it obvious how amazing of an author Eiichiro Oda is.

This series has been airing weekly for nearly 22 years now, the manga for 25. How in the world is Oda able to create this monster of a story, planning certain elements a decade or two in advance? This is brilliance. This is beauty in writing. And I want nothing more than to create a masterpiece of my own.

Final Notes

Emotional, I know. I believe my list here is a bit diverse in terms of genre: shōnen, seinen, romance, comedy, sports, slice-of-life, and mystery. I think it’s a great thing to widen your horizons a bit by exploring various types of genres. Anyway, there are many anime I haven’t watched that could easily replace and dethrone some of the anime on this list. I plan on watching and reading Hajime no Ippo, Gintama, Vagabond, Oyasumi Pun Pun, I”s, etc. I heard these anime/manga are considered the best for their respective genres by many people, and I will probably finish reading and watching these anime/manga in about six months. So I will make a top 15 anime list once again around that time.

If you have any questions or you want to discuss something, feel free to ask in the “Ask Me Anything” tab on my Tumblr page.

[honeylikewords]

b , d , t with Santi please

Yes! Absolutely!

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?):

I actually made a whole big, long, goofy post (with screencaps and citations!) about why I think the film actually frames Santi as a paternal figure who cares about children and longs to be a father himself, so, yes! I do fully believe that Santi does want to be a father and have kids!

I’m a little biased, but I do really think that part of Santi craves and is missing in his life is a sense of purpose and belonging in a group; he tries to fill the gap a family would hold in his life by reuniting his old teammates, only to realize that what he’s looking for can’t be supplied by these men and their jobs, the old life they used to live.

I imagine Santi is, whether secretly or not-so-subtly, rather jealous of Frankie for having a wife and kid. He has dark, unkind moments when he thinks to himself that, of the two of them, he, himself, deserves to be the one married, deserves to be holding his own little one in his arms, and doesn’t understand why Frankie gets to enjoy that where he doesn’t. Santi is quick to shake these thoughts off, though, fully aware that such a thing is ridiculous to think; the world is wide enough for both men to be married and become fathers in their own times, and that his loneliness need not manifest itself as bitter jealousy over his friend’s happiness. 

Of course, that jealousy was at its worst when he was still single and living alone in Colombia, wracked with frustration over his job and the course of his life, the stress of feeling like he’d failed in all his endeavors and was growing too old to find a new meaning, a new course. 

Once he moved back to the U.S., though, and fell in love with his current beloved, the anxiety over his potential for starting a family began to ebb. He’d found someone who truly loved him, who wanted him around, and who shared his hopes for the future: a love to last all their lives and a family of their own.

Still, I think Santi is sometimes plagued with worries about his past, and whether it will affect the prosperity of his future; what if there are stragglers of the Lorea empire hunting him down? What if his PTSD influences him so drastically that he’s a bad father? What if his shot knees mean he can’t bend down and pick up his child as they run to him? 

He airs these anxieties to his lover over time, and each time, she takes him in her arms and reassures him that he will be a good, loving, gentle father. She’s seen him with other children. She’s seen him at his best. She’s seen him at his worst. And he remains steadfast, kind, and stable, even when rash fears and haywire anxieties grip him. She knows he’ll be the best father a child could ask for, and will always be improving upon himself, working to be even better.

Over time, and after many repeated conversations about it, and constant reassurance that it’ll be alright, Santi starts to believe that it’s possible; someday, he’ll be a father, and, if he’s lucky, it will be with the woman he’s lucky enough to currently call his girlfriend.

And while they may not be planning on having one any time soon, Santi still finds himself wandering through the baby clothes section when out at the local Target, and can’t help but imagine a tiny little person with his sweetheart’s eyes and his curls wearing the adorable little “crabby in the morning” t-shirt (with, of course, the printed illustration of a crab) he sees hanging on the rack.

He may just sneak it into the cart to buy and save for a hopeful later date.

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?):

Santi is often very laid-back about dates, but in his own way; he likes to always be the one paying (it’s never worth it for his beloved to try and haggle with him to split the bill or let her pay; he is insistent that he cover it, always), and while he’s fine with the occasional visit to a dive bar to see live music or get some beers, he’s grown away from finding activities like that fun and has shifted into some pretty “tame” date ideas being the ones that excite him most.

He gets thrilled at the idea of going to the museum (if he’s told there’s a geology exhibit on, he’ll be there in a heartbeat) for an evening, or taking a visit to the theatre to see a show, though he’s not going to sit for a musical. He prefers standard plays, not musical theatre. 

He likes going to the movies well enough, but he’s not really into action films or war movies, surprising as that may be; show him a good, like, period drama set in the 60′s to 80′s and he’s all over it. He loves business dramas and the occasional gangster movie, but he likes them to be more low-key and thrilling, with the tension building slowly and the threats being subdued, waiting for the moment to strike.

He’s also a sucker for comedies from the 80′s, and has a particular affinity for This Is Spinal Tap. 

Oftentimes, he likes to stay home and cook dinner with or for his sweetheart, taking care to make a new dish that will excite, or one he knows is a special treat for her. He loves to make rich, chocolate and fruit-based desserts, too; one of his favorites is a dark chocolate mousse with pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top. He loves feeding it to her bite by bite and watching her smile at the flavors and at his sweet gesture, and when she’s full, he’ll lean in for a delicate, chocolate-tinged kiss.

Santi is also very, very fond of using his hands to touch and to hold her, so he’s not opposed to spending the evening in and giving her a massage as part of the date, or cuddling on the couch and working her shoulders while they catch up on shows he’s been unable to watch while at work. He likes The Office, but sometimes it’s just too easy to watch, you know?, so he’s gotten interested in more witty or fast-paced shows like The West Wing, Arrested Development, and, a surprise favorite from across the pond, Detectorists. 

Nothing makes him happier than having his girl lay her head against his chest as they rest on the couch, comfortable in one another’s arms, and feeling her drift off to sleep on him. He loves knowing that she trusts him that much, and feels that safe with him. Plus, if she’s asleep, he can put on his secret indulgence show: America’s Next Top Model. 

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?):

Santi has tons of interesting stories about the work he did while on his tours around the world, but he actually gets more excited to talk about history; stuff he wasn’t present for but has read about, researched, taken a personal interest in. He loves tactical history and watches an embarrassing number of historical documentaries, so if he gets asked anything to do with that, he’ll be chattering for hours.

He also likes having conversations with his girlfriend about music, particularly band history or about how he doesn’t like a lot of modern music (and then she immediately pelts him with comments about him being a “crotchety old man” and shakes a fist, croaking in her best old man voice a surly “darn you kids and your hippity-hoppity musics!”, which Santi rolls his eyes at), but he also loves to hear her opinions about music. Especially if she has wildly different tastes from himself; he loves walking in and hearing her listening to one of those medieval covers of a popular song, or coming into the kitchen to find her working on something with a theremin album blaring in the background. 

They also talk a lot about political issues; it just seems to come up often, and they’re both very passionate about trying to do what’s best for their communities and for their countries. They tend to have very similar stances about their beliefs, but can come to disagreements about how to put those selfsame beliefs into practice and policy. Thankfully, they’re both very willing to listen to one another, especially Santi, who genuinely takes pleasure in watching his beloved talk energetically about what she feels is just and right.

It’s also common for them to relay various stories from their day jobs, particularly if they or a coworker did something embarrassing. Santi got a job as a school counselor back in the U.S., so he loves to tell his beloved all about the teacher’s lounge drama.

“And so Gillian-- you know, the semester-long sub they got to fill in for Becky, who had to go on maternity leave?-- yeah, her, so SHE gets caught stealing bottles of glue from the supply closet and it’s not even for, like, huffing the fumes; she’s some kind of scrapbooking maniac, apparently? That’s not even the weirdest part--”

Honestly, though? They love to talk to each other about anything. 

Santi considers his partner his best friend (followed closely by Frankie, but, ya know, the missus takes precedence) and he wouldn’t have gotten into a relationship with her if he didn’t like talking to her, or didn’t find their conversations stimulating. She makes him laugh, challenges his thoughts, introduces him to things he’d never have found on his own, and just... is pleasant to be around.

And, sometimes, at the end of the day, that’s all you need: someone who is pleasant to be around, and it doesn’t have to matter what you’re talking about, so long as you’re together. 

Santi knows he’s lucky enough to have just that in her.

Thanks for asking about Santi; I just adore him!

Send Prompts From This List!

[sadwetmoomin]

ok so im tired

The problem isn’t ‘not enough people of color or women are making enough good films and TV shows.’ The problem is whenever someone ACTUALLY gets recognized, white, cis men think that their own identity and the ‘integrity’ of award shows are being compromised to appeal to diversity. I remember watching Ramy Youssef accepting his Golden Globe for his performance in his own show, Ramy. Now, the show itself is incredible; as someone who’s trying to maintain faith and culture (though not Muslim), I found a lot of the things in Ramy’s reality really interesting and relatable. I felt like this was a story that many people have experienced, and making it a comedy makes our own lives more enjoyable. Furthermore, it addresses real issues in a way that exposes how ingrained they are in our everyday lives, and how (as a latina and child of immigrants) I had to grow up with all these preconceptions about myself and the people around me. However, when he was making his acceptance speech, a person walked up to the screen and talked over him, saying, “He only won because he’s Muslim. The academy loves to pick people because they’re diverse, and it’s unfair how political they are.” Yet, how can this statement be true when most of the nominated people were white? If the Academy truly rigged elections to pick people based on diversity alone, the whole audience would be different shades of brown, correct?

And why does the meaning of the award change depending on whose hand holds it? Without seeing the show itself, how can a person decide the merit a person deserves? Not only does it discredit the hard work a person did to fulfill an artistic vision, but it implies that the main difference between a white man’s work and anyone else’s is that a white man always deserves to be nominated. According to this ideology, a white man will always produce quality work that deserves every award it is teased with; everyone else is only there to piss off Republicans.

Listen, a lot of movies were good this year; i recognize that. But what I don’t understand is that in an industry where creativity is encouraged, a formula has developed that systematically puts some movies at a higher value than others. In a sense, there’s an elitism that only recognizes movies that appeal to a certain demographic and doesn’t venture too far from the center and actually pushes boundaries. Some actors aren’t getting nominated based on their actual performance; they’re getting nominated because, well...they’re That Actor. They are always supposed to get nominated because that’s What this Actor does.

And this reality sucks! How the hell am I supposed to say “women and people of color aren’t recognized enough” when the first argument I receive is, “what? men can’t make good movies?!” What, in fact, can I say that won’t make me feel trapped or won’t let people ignore me like they’ve been encouraged to do? And how can I say “The awards that aren’t segregated by gender but are still given to us are so few that we can’t even change the pattern?” Without someone saying “Well, you won that year!”? How can I communicate my point for people to actually understand that one award in more than 75 years isn’t nearly enough to solve a deep-rooted issue like this one? And how the hell am I supposed to actually create knowing in the back of my mind that if I don’t get recognized, people will automatically shrug it off with, “Well I guess women/POC didn’t make any good movies this year!”

In this reality, a Gerwig film will never come CLOSE to a Scorsese film. Or a Tarantino film. And, mind you, I’m not saying that these two men don’t deserve their nominations; OUATIH was a good movie, and I’m sure the Irishman was good (listen, I’ll be honest - i’m not sitting through a 4hr movie about Old People who Used to be Interesting). What I am saying is, Greta Gerwig had a truly interesting take on an old classic and made something important of it. And while she did all that, she made a stunningly beautiful film with a star-studded cast that truly made Little Women something incredible. Every single March sister had an assigned “fate” for women at the time, and throughout the film, Gerwig’s writing demonstrated that we’re still in this reality today! And film analysis aside, her creativity shone, and Little Women was intelligent, well-spoken, INTERESTING...I finally felt like there was a movie that had packed all my frustration growing up in a patriarchal world, even exploring a male character trying to live outside that world that didn’t suit him, and made that frustration art. Not seeing Gerwig receiving proper credit for directing this movie into perfection was disheartening, to say the least.

Furthermore (and this point will be shorter), there’s also a prejudice around actors usually known for comedies. In short, the elitism goes even deeper to exclusively prefer drama actors over comedic ones. Ironically, however, the dramatic performances by these comedians tend to shine, exposing these people as truly talented actors with a versatile and noteworthy range. Of course, this brings me to mention Uncut Gems, which deserved a seat at the table, and it makes me mention Adam Sandler, who truly SHONE. Furthermore, Awkwafina (and The Farewell in general) was incredible, and the story she told was powerful and amazing. Though Hustlers was not my favorite movie, Jennifer Lopez was AMAZING...yet these aren’t ‘serious’ actors, right? They haven’t done whatever the fuck these other people have done!!!

We have to start recognizing newer directors, newer writers, newer actors, newer stories that haven’t been explored before or invent a new category on Netflix or whatever. Not to be Virginia Woolf on main, but there is a certain beauty of ordinary life, of ordinary women, of ordinary people of color, of ordinary people from the LGBT+ community, that doesn’t have to be fetishized or insulted in order to be of worth to male audiences. Women don’t have to beat up, people of color don’t have to be criminals, men don’t have to be war heroes or powerful bosses or manly at all! What are we supposed to learn from art and culture if we are only exposed to the same points of view over and over again? What makes a tired world war story (albeit a different world war this time) - in which the SAME people are considered infallible heroes (even though in WWI no one truly was the good guy but that’s another point) - something new and truly nuanced about our society or the way the writers think or tell stories? I can’t critique any of these old, white, male directors or writers or actors because not wanting to watch their films or whatever makes ME the idiot for “not knowing what culture is”! If their names are the only things giving them merit, then they can do no wrong, and I am in the wrong for preferring someone else’s movie.

tl;dr Movies are a form of art, and everyone is encouraged to indulge in said art and make something wonderful. Yet, if we are going to applaud certain pieces of art over others, then we have to break down these nonexistent barriers that define what “valuable art” consists of. We can’t change the definition of good art based on whoever holds the award, and we can’t hold good art to the same standard of people who no longer know what the world of art looks like. Give people a chance to actually CREATE; and see how beautiful films can actually be.

[theeeveetamer]

Personally I'm so down for cute family shit. Maybe seeing the Forrest/Kiragi/etc sibling dynamic?

I’m such a sucker for cute family Leokumis

Relevant Tags: Omegaverse, Alpha!Leo, Omega!Takumi, Alpha!Kiragi, Omega!Forrest, Mama Bear Takumi, mentioned sexual harassment

AO3 Link for the interested: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15954623/chapters/39561847

He wasn’t really sure what he’d been expecting when he arrived at the school. Maybe something about their youngest son goofing off in class, or interrupting the teacher, or heck even getting caught cutting last period. What he didn’t expect was to see his son’s blonde hair and clothes stained with mud, or the beginnings of a black eye marring his tanned skin.

“Kiragi! Gods, what happened to you?”

His son was sitting in one of the chairs in the school’s office, arms crossed and fuming. Takumi knelt down in front of him and pulled his chin up so he could get a better look at the bruise forming around his left eye. There was also a bit of blood on his lip and it was slightly swollen.

“Papa! Stop, I’m fine!” He swatted the hand away testily.

Takumi sighed. He didn’t seem too hurt at least, aside from the split lip and black eye. And his irritable attitude. But he’d been a bit of a pain ever since he presented as an Alpha, and what fourteen year old boy wasn’t?

“What happened?” He turned to the principal. It wasn’t a question, he was far too furious to be polite. His baby was bloodied and hurt and he demanded answers.

“We would prefer to wait until your mate arrives.”

“You’re making Leo leave work for whatever this is?” He growled deep in his throat. “What, you think I’m not capable of handling my son because I’m not an Alpha?”

The man shuffled uncomfortably under his indignant glare. He probably wasn’t used to taking the full brunt of a mother’s fury; The school explicitly tried to deal with Alpha or Beta parents first, and tended to leave Omegas out of the equation. It was such a ridiculous policy; He didn’t even work, and Leo couldn’t leave his job for every little incident. Hell, he and Leo had fought tooth and nail to get them to call him at all for situations like this.

“No, of course not but–”

“I got in a fight, papa.” Kiragi interrupted quickly, probably to stop the brewing storm. Once he got started, there was no stopping him, really.

“Well I can see that kiddo!” He turned back around toward his son, exasperated. “What was the fight about?”

The principal felt the need to intervene once again, clearing his throat and standing a little straighter.

“Your son attacked another student.”

He glanced quickly between Kiragi and the principal, and tried to keep his voice under control.

“Why did you do that?”

“He was harassing Forrest, papa! They cornered him in the bathroom and tried flipping up his dress!”

His eyes softened, and all of his rage immediately melted away.

“Be that as it may, we do not find this kind of behavior acceptable and–”

Aaaaand then it was back again. Tenfold.

“Wait… You’re punishing Kiragi for defending his brother? What about the boys harassing my son? Why aren’t they here?”

“Kiragi was the one who instigated the fight.”

“And the people who harassed my son? Where are they?”

“We’ll be dealing with them separately.”

“You mean you’ll be going easy on them! What, because Forrest is an Omega it’s okay if he gets assaulted on school grounds?! So what if he likes dressing like a girl, that doesn’t mean people get to treat him like shit!”

He was vibrating with rage, fists balled up at his sides and face flushed as he continued his tirade. The principal looked incredibly uncomfortable as he continued laying into him, spitting out every curse word and insult under the sun. He was a good deal taller than Takumi, but he was so angry that he couldn’t appreciate the comedy in a short little Omega like him craning his neck to yell directly in this Alpha’s face.

“–I have half a mind to-!”

He barely noticed the arrival of his mate in his righteous anger.

“Takumi! Takumi, love, what are you doing?” Leo all but ran into the room and grabbed him by the shoulders. He gently pulled him away from the man.

“Some boys assaulted Forrest, and Kiragi is getting punished for it!”

“Now that’s not–” The principal tried to defend himself, but Takumi interrupted him.

“Shut up!” He snarled. “I have had just about enough of Alphas like you! This is the third time Forrest has been harassed and your spineless administration has done nothing!”

“Shhh,” Leo leaned in close and nipped the back of his neck gently. The Omega whined in protest, but he did calm down marginally. “Takumi, why don’t you take Kiragi home, okay? I’ll handle things from here.”

“You don’t need to handle this for me.”

“I know you’re more than capable, love… But you really should get Kiragi’s eye treated before it starts swelling too much.”

“Fine.” He finally acquiesced. “But I’m taking Forrest home too. Gods forbid the school encounter another incident involving our children today. Come on Kiragi, we’re going.”

He nearly marched down the hall to Forrest’s classroom to grab him himself, but the woman manning the desk had the good sense to just call him to the office over the intercom.

There were a few minutes of impatient foot tapping – and him not-so-subtly trying to listen through the door – until Forrest arrived.

“Papa, what’s going on?” Their eldest son asked uncertainty as he came down the hall with his backpack.

“Nothing, baby. We’re going home early. Do you have all of your stuff?”

He nodded and Takumi marched out to the car, grumbling to himself about “how Leo was going to go too easy on that spineless principal”.

It was a very short, very tense drive home. He could see Kiragi twiddling his thumbs in the back through the rear view mirror. Forrest must have realized what had transpired, because he was also quiet as a mouse and staring intently down at his lap.

They’d just pulled into the driveway when he finally spoke up.

“Papa? Is Kiragi in trouble for fighting?”

“What? What gave you that idea?”

“You just seem really upset about it, is all… Look, it’s not his fault.”

“Don’t worry baby, I’m not mad at him. I’m proud of him, actually.” He turned around to face them as best he could from the front seat of the car. “In fact, why don’t we all go do something fun tomorrow? Whatever you guys want, you’ve earned it.”

Their faces lit up; Kiragi nodded eagerly and Forrest just beamed at him from the back seat. “Alright, papa!”

They both grabbed their backpacks and ran inside. Or, Kiragi ran. Forrest did his best to keep up, but he still wasn’t too used to wearing heels around.

Takumi took the moment alone by himself to cool down. As angry as he was at the school, he didn’t want to let it affect his children.

Takumi paused outside of the bathroom when he finally entered the house. Forrest was dabbing at Kiragi’s eye with some disinfectant and an ice pack, and Takumi couldn’t help eavesdropping on their conversation.

“You know you didn’t have to get in a fight over it.”

“Of course I did! That guy can’t go around harassing my brother like that!”

“But you got hurt! Because of me!”

“You should see what I did to him!”

Takumi smiled as their eldest son laughed himself silly over the joke. He could just see Kiragi’s goofy little smile in his mind’s eye. Once the injuries were all taken care of they all settled into the living room and more or less went about their usual post-school routine.

Leo arrived home about a half an hour later. Kiragi had fallen asleep beside him watching TV and Forrest had just finished explaining to him what exactly had happened at school. It was more or less what Kiragi had already told him with a few added details.

As soon as his mate walked through the door though he excused himself went to their bedroom. They shut the door behind them, so the kids wouldn’t hear unless they came snooping. Leo dropped down onto the bed and sighed.

“I cannot believe they pulled me out of work for this.”

“Is your boss that upset? I told them that they didn’t have to call you over this…”

“It’ll be fine. And it’s probably a good thing they did call me, I thought you were going to bite that man’s head off! If I were any later I think they would have been calling security on you!”

“Can you blame me? Forrest has been getting harassed for weeks and the only person getting in trouble for it is Kiragi.”

“Maybe we should stop letting him dress like that when he goes to school.”

“Leo,” He said sternly. “Don’t even start.”

“It’s just a suggestion! He keeps getting teased! He’s sixteen, kids are cruel. Do you remember the kind of shit I used to say to you when we were in high school?”

“Yes, you were an asshole. But that doesn’t mean our son should have to change! He likes wearing dresses and doing his hair and makeup, so what?”

“He already has to deal with being an Omega, do you want another target on his back?”

“Are you saying that there’s something wrong with being an Omega?”

“Love… You know that’s not what I meant. Life is already hard for him, why should he make it harder for himself?”

“I just…” He sighed. “I just want our son to be himself. If that means I have to scream at the school administration until I’m blue in the face then so be it. Besides, if they aren’t flipping his skirt up in the bathroom then it’ll be something else. Maybe that really cute Alpha from his history class will corner him right before they go home for the weekend, make him think he’s going to ask him out on a date like he wanted, but then just ask how much it is for a blowjob right in front of his very protective older brother.”

“Hey, I only did that on a dare! And don’t act so innocent, we both know you were actually blowing Alphas in the bathroom”

“Not for money! I wasn’t a damn prostitute! And you’re lucky Ryoma didn’t kill you for that one! Though that split lip did look good on you.”

Leo pulled him down onto his lap and kissed him.

“I cannot believe you still agreed to go on a date with me after that.”

“Neither can I, frankly.” He rested his forehead against Leo’s neck and sighed. “So, what’s going to happen to Kiragi?”

“Two days suspension. It was originally going to be a week, but I guess you scared him.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “Hunting season is coming up. Maybe I’ll take Kiragi out with the bows?”

“You’re rewarding him?”

“Of course! You think Mama punished Ryoma for kicking your ass?”

“I… Had been hoping something like that had occurred.”

Takumi just laughed. “Nope, she took us all out to dinner after that one!”

He nuzzled the side of Leo’s neck. There were a million things that still needed done, but he allowed his Alpha a few minutes to hold him and unwind from the day. He waited until the tension in his mate’s shoulders relaxed a bit before he spoke again.

“So, I really scared the principal that much?” Something about a six foot tall, snobby Alpha being intimidated by him was entertaining.

“He was positively terrified of you, love. Can’t say I blame him either, how long were you yelling at him before I showed up?”

“Oh I don’t know, a minute or two? I can’t believe they called you! I can handle disciplining my own child without your help!”

“You don’t need to tell me that, dear. I’m fully aware of what you’re capable of.” His tone became more serious, and Leo squeezed him tight. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He found Leo’s hand with his own and squeezed once.

“Lucky for you, I’m not going anywhere.”

They heard a shout from down the hall. Kiragi had apparently woken up from his nap, and now he and Forrest were loudly bickering over him drooling on one of Forrest’s hand-embroidered pillows.

He chuckled to himself and stood up.

“One of us should probably go tell Kiragi the bad news.”

“Mm, in a minute, love. Do you really want to walk into that?” Leo wrapped his arms around his waist pulled back down onto the bed with him. “Besides, it’s been awhile since we’ve had a moment like this.”

He settled back down on Leo’s lap and sighed.

“Fine, but you’re responsible for burying the bodies if they kill each other.”

Leo kissed along his neck and pushed the collar of his shirt aside so he could nibble at his bond scar.

“Not a problem, love. We can always make more.”

He laughed in spite of himself.

“I hate you.”

“I love you, too.”

[minahraven]

Current Ask Statuses

TBD – To Be Done

IP – In Progress

RtP – Ready To Post

 alicemad-hatter said:

Can I request a Bom scenario where after the group disbanded she came home upset and y/n (preferably female) cheered her up with food and loving sex - TBD

Anonymous said:

Amber x girl reader smut where she admits all of her kinks to you and you have kinky sex (dirty talk, spanking...) - IP

Anonymous said:

Hi! Can I request a Jimin fluff where he is like the outcast of the school and he's always alone, and one day you see him sitting alone at lunchtime, and you go sit by himself bc you don't like how he's always alone, and treated by others, and you want to be his friends. And then, you are always together, and Jimin starts developing feelings for you. And then you could add some smut, but it's up to you. - IP

Anonymous said:

Can I request something where the reader has been long time friends with Jimin ❤️❤️😭😭 but then one day one thing leads to another from him being jealous o(≧▽≦)o and ends up semi smutty???? - IP

nvmphadora-tonks said:

Hello darling! Could I request a BTS ship please? I have an about me page on my blog with information, but if you want any more let me know! Thank you so much, have a wonderful week! - RtP

 before-i--fall-in-love said:

Hey there!! I was wondering if I could get a written ship with BTS? I'm very cuddly, loving, motherly in nature. Really nice a friendly to everyone including strangers, good with kids (and animals!!), polite around adults. In my spare time I dance and work-out, as well as watching movie (horror, animation and romantic comedy movies) and cooking. I love cuddling and skinship in general. I really want to get married :D I spend a lot of time with my family. Thank you so much and have a nice day 💗  - RtP

 chanitnim said:

Can I have a ship with BTS, please? I’m very carefree, open and happy in general. I’m the type to say ok to anything with no regrets 😂 I tend to be easy to read and be able to get over lost/sadness faster than others. Friend say I’m bubbly, funny and reliable. Observing people is one of my favorite thing. Arts, languages and a long nice walk are LOVE ❤️Just no bugs. I’m very forgetful and pretty laid-back myself. I get scare easily but horror movies are my fav! Thank you! - RtP

 chana-ninja said:

Hi~. Can I get a ship with BTS please?? I’m caring and honest. I always keep my word. Others may see me as either a sweet or a quiet one but actually I’m kind of a dork 😬unconscious humming song when in a good mood, bad at lying and pretty clumsy tho. I’m not really girly but love sweets (let’s say all kind of food😆)animal and flowers. I'm adventurous, love nature, prefer walking to driving, like drawing and enjoy listening to music. I'm a fan of Horror movies. Thank you❤️ - RtP

 channynipa said:

Hi! I would love to request a written ship w/BTS,pls? I'm the eldest of 4,making me reliable & a good leader. I'm very caring,affectionate,kind & strong both physically & mentally. I get competitive & fearless sometimes. I'm a good listener so as a good adviser. I'm not the type to open my worries to others fast & likely to say it's fine. In fact,I just need someone who will face me and tell me to be honest w/them. I have so much love to share w/everyone,especially my family & people I care. (1)

 channynipa said:

Everyone can be my friends! I'm good w/children,they make me super happy😍 My friends say I'm funny,very friendly & warm. I LIKE flowers,animals,coffee & LOVE cuddling,skinship and watching movie (horror movies are my fav). I enjoy theme park & advanturous things. I really like listening to music & going for a walk at night. I don't really like changes,hate heat & worst w/directions. I'm always there for my sis. Smile's always on my face & I hope everyone can smile,too :) TYSM! & take your time❤ - RtP

 thebreathbeforethekiss said:

Hi! May I get a ship with bts? I'm 1,68 m with long dark hair and even darker eyes, almost black. #1 thing about me is that I'm a mix of introvert and extrovert. I tend to take care of others before I take care of myself. I'm a perfectionist but not to an extreme. I believe that life is easier when you share your positivity to others. All in for skinship. My hobbies; relaxing, daydreaming, listening to music and playing video games (i get pretty competitive when it comes to games) Thanks <3 - RtP

 sorry-ionlydrinkmilk said:

Hello :) Could I pretty please get a written BTS ship? I'm actually kind, friendly, down to earth and also clumsy. I well have the mind of 19+ lol I cannot live without talking and really love taking care of others. Good adviser. Yet, there is a time I need someone to hear me pour out about anything and give me courage. My goal is to have a big family. Love running, dancing and advanturous things even though I'd rather choose to lay down all day lol Thank you so much for your effort. - RtP

Anonymous said:

Hi!! i'd like to request a drabble from the drabble challenge if thats alright :) number 88 with V when he's confessing his feelings for you and wont let you finish your sentence because he keeps on apologising? thank you!!  - RtP (How have I not posted this yet?! This was the first drabble request I had and I….UGH. I am awful, I am soooo sorry!!)

Anonymous said:

I was wondering if could request a react of BTS or Amber seeing their male partner lifting something heavy. (I.E. weights at gym, a heavy box while moving etc.) – IP (This one’s tricky because I did it and then I realised I was an idiot and did it from a female perspective, so I need to redo it from a male one)

Anonymous said:

Helloo!! Could you please possibly do a BTS reaction to their s/o never tried masturbating before cause they're too scared? – IP (just needs gifs!

Anonymous said:

Can you do a bts reaction to their girlfriend trying to lift them up to carry them to bed when she sees them sleeping on the couch but she's too weak to carry them all the way over so she accidentally drops them? – IP (You would not believe the time I’ve had with this one. I don’t know why it fights me! But, it will be done within a day or two. I swear it.)

[ambitioux-blog]

IN-DEPTH CHARACTER SHEET

CREDIT TO SIR ENDESR AT THIS WRITING FORUM.

Reblog or repost. DO NOT remove credit.

TAGGED BY: @melligine

TAGGING: i think most people i follow have already been tagged so??? whoever wants to do this!!! if you see this you’re tagged!!

FULL NAME: Gaila Covenbane MEANING: Gaila means “joyful” while Covenbane is self-explanatory! NICKNAME: None, but she wouldn’t mind one! MEANING: N/A AGE: 20 BIRTHDAY:  August 24th ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo GENDER: Female ALLERGIES: None! SEXUAL PREFERENCE: Asexual/Aromantic(?) Definitely asexual, but the romantic part is a little... complicated. Aesthetically speaking, she’s attracted to all genders, but can’t envision herself with a lover--or rather, she’s never tried to. I actually have no idea if she’s romantically inclined or not. She would have to be put in a situation where romance could occur for me to figure that out, but for the time being, I’ll just say she’s not very interested in that sort of thing. THEME SONG(S): Persona 5 - Butterfly Kiss

APPEARANCE HAIR COLOR: Dark brown HAIR STYLE AND LENGTH: Short and messy bob-cut. She rarely has the time or desire to fix up her hair, so it’s very unkempt. EYES COLOR: Purple HEIGHT: 5′4 WEIGHT: 130lb OUTFIT/CLOTHING STYLE: Loose, comfortable clothes that are too big for her body and typically in shades of reds and greens. Things she can just grab and throw on without a second thought. Unless it’s a special occasion (for example, when she gets a request), in which case she can be seen in something more like this. DISTINGUISHING MARKS (SCARS, MOLES): She has many little scars scattered all across her body from when she was a child and was just learning to control her magic, as her body was incapable of healing itself when plants would sprout. SELF CARE (MAKE UP): Doesn’t wear any makeup unless it’s a special occasion. FIRST IMPRESSION ON PEOPLE: Very energetic and enthusiastic. Will treat you like you’ve been friends for years right off the bat. Tends to quickly make people uncomfortable with her humor and blunt way of speaking. SKIN COLOR: Pale from being cooped up in her room so often. Sunburns easily. BODY TYPE/BUILD: Slightly chubby, especially in her stomach and thighs.  DEFAULT EXPRESSION: She’s rarely ever seen not smiling. POSTURE: Upright due to excitement when she’s received a request and is travelling. More relaxed and slouched when in the comfort of her room or walking around Tilaren. PIERCINGS: N/A DESCRIBE THEIR VOICE: Loud and cheerful. Hardly ever hushed or calm, even when she’s feeling calm.

RELATIONSHIPS MOM: Dahlia Covenbane HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: She never met her mother. DAD: Martel Boneblossom HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: She and her father got along extremely well since her father was just as positive as she is. SIBLINGS: N/A HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: N/A CHILDREN: N/A HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: N/A PAST LOVER(S): N/A CURRENT LOVER: N/A REACTION TO MEETING SOMEONE NEW: She treats everyone exactly the same no matter how long she’s known them, so there’s no exception with meeting someone new. She treats them like a friend immediately. ABILITY TO WORK WITH OTHERS: She works very well with others if they can endure her morbid sense of humor and disregard for her own safety. LEAST FAVORITE TYPE OF PERSON: Doesn’t have any PARENTAL TYPE (PROTECTIVE, ETC): If she ever had kids, they could expect to be constantly supported and surrounded by positivity 24/7. She would never get mad at them for bad behavior and definitely wouldn’t punish them, but they could expect a little lecture on why what they did was wrong and maybe a disappointed expression if it was bad enough. Nothing serious, but just enough to let them know that they shouldn’t do it again. She’s protective, but not to an extreme degree. She’s only really protective if they’re in imminent danger or being bullied.

PERSONALITY …WHEN YOU FIRST MEET THEM: Kind, joyful, energetic, enthusiastic. …AS YOU KNOW THEM BETTER (AND THEY LIKE YOU): The same as above, but if you’re as positive and optimistic as she is, she tends to amp it all up out of a sense of kinship. …AS YOU KNOW THEM BETTER(AND THEY DISLIKE YOU): It’s incredibly difficult to get Gaila to dislike you, but if you manage to do something so awful, so atrocious that she decides she doesn’t like you, she wouldn’t act that different around you. Save for the thinly veiled threats you would receive if you came around her. Best to just avoid her all together if she dislikes you really. FAVORITE COLOR: Green and maroon FAVORITE FOOD: Tea sandwiches and coffee FAVORITE ANIMAL: Dolphins, scorpions, and lizards FAVORITE ELEMENT: Water LEAST FAVORITE COLOR: Doesn’t have any LEAST FAVORITE FOOD: Anything sour or spicy LEAST FAVORITE ANIMAL: Possums. It’s not exactly accurate to say she dislikes them, so much as she just wants to avoid them. A possum hissed at her once and while it didn’t scare her, she thought the noise was hideous and she doesn’t want to hear it again HOBBIES: Experimenting, taking care of plants, collecting stamps and postcards from other places USUAL MOOD: Happy and content DRINK/SMOKE/DRUGS: None of the above DARK VERSION OF SELF: The only thing that could make her any darker is if she actually killed people LIGHT VERSION OF SELF: The only thing that could make her any lighter is if she sat on rooftops and sprinkled flowers atop unsuspecting passers HOW SERIOUS ARE THEY: Not at all. CLASS IN AN RPG: Mage of course! BELIEVE IN GHOSTS: Absolutely (IN)DEPENDENT: Independent. VULNERABILITY: It’s hard to shake her, but her parents are a sore subject OPINION ON SWEARING: She doesn’t care if other people swear, although she doesn’t swear herself. DAREDEVIL VS CAUTIOUS: Daredevil to the point of outright recklessness. She fears very little. MUSIC TYPE: She likes jazz the most, especially if it’s upbeat and on the louder side. MOVIE TYPE: Comedies, thrillers, and mystery movies are her favorites.  BOOK TYPE: Informative books, especially if they involve history or plants. COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE: Anywhere from 50F to 70F. You would think she would have a preference for heat since she grows plants, but she can grow plants without heat, so she would prefer to stay cool. SLEEPING PATTERN: She rarely ever sleeps. The most sleep she gets on average is between 2-4 hours. Takes brief power naps throughout the day if she had a particularly bad nights sleep, but other than that, she tends to get by on coffee and her own natural energy. CLEANLINESS/NEATNESS: This one is tricky, because her room is clean and neat to her in the sense that she knows where everything is and everything is organized exactly as she likes it, but to an outsider, it looks like a tornado just hit her room. DESIRED PET: She wants a lizard. Preferably a chameleon or iguana. HOW DO THEY PASS TIME: She typically spends all her time experimenting in her room BIGGEST SECRET: Her father’s corpse is literally in a fridge in her bedroom  HERO/WHO THEY LOOK UP TO: Her parents WHAT ANIMAL WOULD THEY BE: A hamster FEARS: Please click this I am actually in tears I can’t believe I actually wasted my time on this I even made the account just for this and everything please COMFORTS: She rarely ever needs comfort, but finds that when she’s had a particularly long day, growing flowers from various parts of her body and watching them as she does is very therapeutic. Alternatively, she finds aromatherapy relaxing.

HOW DO THEY REACT TO… DANGER: With confidence. Depending on the situation, she can either act exactly the same in the face of danger, or frighteningly composed. The latter is reserved for when she wants to intimidate someone. SOMEONE THEY HATE WHO HAS A CRUSH ON THEM: Oh boy. She would be so confused. She wouldn’t comprehend someone having a crush on her even if they were on friendly terms, let alone if she hated them. It wouldn’t make any sense and she wouldn’t hesitate to bluntly ask them why they liked her when she couldn’t stand them.  PROPOSAL TO MARRY: Same as above. Just complete confusion. DEATH OF LOVED ONE: Denial is her go-to emotion when it comes to the death of loved ones. She refuses to acknowledge it and convinces herself she can bring them back from the dead. DIFFICULT GAME/MATH/ETC: She remains joyful regardless of the difficulty. In fact, she sees it as a challenge and it only serves to boost her happiness. INJURY: She accidentally injures herself all the time and never makes a big deal out of it whether it’s serious or not. There’s usually a spell that can fix the problem, so she’ll preform it on herself then carry on with her day. SOMETHING IRRESISTIBLY CUTE: It depends! If it’s an animal, she can’t resist petting it. Keep in mind that Gaila’s definition of ‘cute’ can range from fluffy kittens to poisonous scorpions. If it’s a person, she just expresses her fondness with extra enthusiasm.

HISTORY BIOGRAPHY: Here

FIRST APPEARANCE: She first appeared in Gralice at the age of 15 and immediately demanded to be given residence there because her mother was a renowned mage in the kingdom before her death.

KNOWLEDGE LANGUAGES: English.. and...????????? I don’t know what the languages in Frucitaion are, but she would know most, if not all of them for travelling purposes. SCHOOLING LEVEL: Most of her schooling growing up came from the books she read and whatever various knowledge her father knew since they didn’t stay in one place for long. She started attending High School after her father died and just barely managed to graduate. Not because she was a bad student, but because her focus was typically elsewhere. FAVORITE SUBJECT(S): Botany, Health, and Chemistry INTERESTED CAREERS: Her current career of answering requests is what she always wanted, however, she wants to improve the image people have of her so that requests will be less rare. EXPERTISE: Botany and Health CHEMISTRY: A+ MATH: A LANGUAGE: A GEOGRAPHY: D POLITICS/LAW: D COOKING: C- MECHANICS: B BOTANY (FLOWERS): A+ MYTHOLOGY: B DRAMATICS (ACTING,SINGING): F

READING LEVEL: College sophomore HOW GOOD ARE THEY AT PLANNING AHEAD: If she actually put her mind to it, she would be a fantastic planner, but she doesn’t try. In other words, she’s terrible at planning ahead. She does everything on impulse.

ROMANCE DO THEY TAKE INITIATIVE: She wouldn’t initiate much of anything with a s/o. Maybe she would grab their hand, but that’s it. HOW DO THEY ACT(SHY,ETC): It’s difficult for me to imagine her in a romantic setting, but I suppose she would act mostly the same, but more awkward and cautious because it would be new to her. GENTLEMAN/LADYLIKE VS KLUTZY: She would be klutzy and unsure of herself. GO SLOW VS JUMP INTO:  She would take things slowly. She wouldn’t be in any hurry when it comes to romance. PROTECTIVE: She would be just as protective of a lover as she would be with her children. Not to an extreme degree. Even less so with a s/o if she knew they could handle themselves. ACT LIKE FRIENDS OR LOVERS: Best friends.  WHAT KIND OF PRESENTS DO THEY BUY: She would buy little trinkets she saw in a window while taking a walk or make them things herself--especially flower bouquets.  TYPE OF KISSER: Small pecks on the lips. Nothing aggressive or passionate. Just quick little smooches. DO THEY WANT KIDS: Not currently. She wouldn’t mind adopting some kids in the future though. DO THEY WANT TO MARRY: Not currently. MAKE GOOD OR BAD DECISIONS: Both. ARE THEY ROMANTIC: Not really. Not in the beginning of a relationship at least. Maybe over time, she would learn how to be a little romantic, but she would probably never do something extravagant. HOW ARE THEY IN BED: Asleep. Probably snuggling up to her s/o’s side or sprawled out and taking up three-fourths of the bed. There is no in between. GET JEALOUS EASY: Not even a little. MARRY FOR MONEY: Never. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THEIR DREAM DATE: She doesn’t have a dream date. OPINION ON SEX: Not interested in any way shape or form.

[possessedscholar]

Riza, Vanda, and Magnus

Riza:

Full Name: Riza FellkirkGender and Sexuality: Agender, Pan Pronouns: They/themEthnicity/Species: NephilimBirthplace and Birthdate: The capital of their world’s demonic realm (unnamed at the moment), birthdate unthought of.Guilty Pleasures: Romance Novels, the more overly-saccharine the better. Also, he’s the one that helps Arche come up with her horrible pickup linesPhobias: Spiders, also whatever the phobia for dying alone is.What They Would Be Famous For: They’ve made a sarcastic quip to all 72 Goetic Demons with no consequences (this is a big deal as their job requires Riza to be polite and most certainly not sarcastic to said 72 demons.) They were too much in awe at Riza’s mastery of the forces of sass to do anything.What They Would Get Arrested For: One day, they’re gonna finally meet the one demon that is both their superior and one they cannot sass off to consequence free (Zel). Insubordination charges will follow shortly, even if everyone agrees Riza’s comment was called for. Nothing will really come of it cause Arche’s got the whole “Screw the rules I made them!” thing, but the arrest was still there.OC You Ship Them With: Vanda, Rebecca, and Arche.OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Zel.Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Romance novels. For non-guilty pleasures, Comedy. Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: when characters don’t communicate things properly for no damn reason.Talents and/or Powers: The sardonic forces of sass and sarcasm bend to their will! Also they’re damn good at potion making and alchemyWhy Someone Might Love Them: Once you get to know them, Riza’s a wonderful friend who’s like the mom friend but not overbearing (usually, anyways.). And once you date them, they’re a total f**king sweetheart, man.Why Someone Might Hate Them: They’re not usually the most expressive in most situations, and the extreme levels of sardonic humor and sarcasm aren’t for everyone. Also, they’re pretty arrogant regarding their status as a master alchemist and apothecary. Actually, they’re pretty arrogant regarding most of the things they’re the best at. Also kind of condescending in the politeness they give others.How They Change: They probably learn to stop being so arrogant, replace the condescending politeness with real politeness. Also tone down the sarcasm from time to time, and maybe stop acting like showing an emotion in public will kill them.Why You Love Them: Because they’re a pretty cool guy who’d make a pretty good friend, jerk moments aside.

Vanda:

Full Name: Vandaliam Argentum Mercuria AurosGender and Sexuality: Female, BiPronouns: She/HerEthnicity/Species: Elven DullahanBirthplace and Birthdate: Evershade (Elven commerce city), birthdate unthought of.Guilty Pleasures: She’s quite enjoys looking at the booty, though she’d prefer people not know she looks at the booty (Think the phrase “I hate to see you go but I love to watch you leave)Phobias: Gold unnerves her. Being a Dullahan may grant immense power, but it comes with a fear of gold for whatever odd reason (it’s probably the fact that gold is to a Dullahan what silver is to most demons in this world)What They Would Be Famous For: They’re Elven Nobility and a Dullahan. She’d be pretty well known about by even non-Elven Nobility. And what they know says “No gold, and don’t offend her because she could END YOU.”What They Would Get Arrested For: Finally following through on that “She could END YOU” thing. Or at least it would if she didn’t know better than to challenge the offending noble to a duel first.OC You Ship Them With: Riza, Rebecca, and Arche.OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Onisa.Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Murder mysteryLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: killing animals for cheap drama.Talents and/or Powers: All the kickass powers that come with being a Dullahan.Why Someone Might Love Them: Always upholds a promise (or at least lets you know she’ll try) and is very honest, which is great when you need an honest opinion. Plus, she gives great advice on many things, actually uses her political influence to help people, and unlike Arche her flirting isn't near as over the top. Also, someone upsets you? Welp time to go defend your honor nope nothing you say’s gonna stop her.Why Someone Might Hate Them: She’s... not as good at hiding the fact that she’s ogling the booty as she thinks she is. And that honesty does bring it’s fair share of enemies at times (it tends to translate into being poor at keeping secrets). And her tendency to be swayed in politics through pressure doesn’t make her many allies.How They Change: Learning to stand for themselves in the Elven Courts, for one. Also getting better at secrets (both keeping and learning of them), because political people love them some secrets.Why You Love Them: Her honesty is nice, plus it’s nice to think about a political figure that isn’t an asshole.

Magnus:

Full Name: Magnus Bronzehide McFlexington, A.V.S.C (Stands for “A Very Serious Character)Gender and Sexuality: Male, AcePronouns: He/HimEthnicity/Species: Bronze DragonbornBirthplace and Birthdate: Unknown and Unknown.Guilty Pleasures: He feels no guilt.Phobias: He fears only the possibility that one of the gods that lives only because he knows about will cease to exist when he dies.What They Would Be Famous For: They’re a Dragonborn Cleric that preaches the concept of religion and why you should follow one. He’d be known for that if nothing else.What They Would Get Arrested For: Preaching too loudly in a public space, and getting into a fight with someone heckling himOC You Ship Them With: None.OC Most Likely To Murder Them: No OCs, but someone might.Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Religious Texts, though he appreciates all writing in generalLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: None. He appreciates all writing, flaws and all.Talents and/or Powers: Somehow worshiping the concept of religion itself (and to a lesser extent all the gods ever) grants them a wide multitude of powers and nobody knows how (general consensus is that it’s because he doesn’t know it should work like that, and the Gods have decided to humor him).Also, he somehow has all knowledge relating to all gods that have existed, currently exist, will exist, and could exist. And because some ancient gods died out with the passing of their last followers (this being a world where some gods exist only because people know about them), he kind of single-handedly revived them.Why Someone Might Love Them: Not as serious as you’d think. In fact, he’s quite good at comedy. Also, he tends to have a calming presence to him, despite being like, 8 foot tall and covered in bronze scales.Why Someone Might Hate Them: His preaching gets a bit much at times. Also, the whole “All Gods are important” thing pisses of more than a few staunchly alligned fellows.How They Change: Dunno, I’ll get back to you on that one.Why You Love Them: Giant cleric dude who’s main method of attacking is to throw one of his very large, very heavy religious books at you while shouting “RELIGION!” at the top of his lungs. In other words, the most ridiculous character I have. What’s not to love?

[literarybex]

A Year in Reading: Some Analytical Surprises

A while back Amanda Nelson over at @bookriot shared a spreadsheet she made in order to track her reading.  Now, I am not an analytical person, but I decided to try it out.  See if I could learn anything interesting about my own reading habits that I maybe didn’t already know.  

In 2016 I tracked every book I read, started but never finished, listened to on audiobook; marked down the date finished, if the author was a man or a woman, their nationality, POC, genre, etc.

Things I already knew: 

1) I read a lot of books from the US.  Understandable as I live in the USA, I am from the USA, I read English and the majority of books from the USA are written in English.

1a) The second most common nationality is the UK.  Also because of the ‘written in English’ thing, and because I’m a bit of an anglophile - did my semester abroad in Canterbury, generally love 19th century British literature, British period pieces and comedy, etc.  

I also reread the entire Harry Potter series the beginning of last year.

2) I prefer to read women.

I don’t have anything against male authors, and, obviously read them too, but I tend to gravitate toward women authors, especially in specific genres: romance, mystery, scifi.  Often because there tend to be sex scenes in genre fiction and, as a woman, I find men write terrible sex scenes.  Women do too, but with far less frequency.

3) I get through non-fiction easier when I’m listening to the book.  I don’t retain as much as when I physically read a book, but I actually finish non-fiction on audiobook way more often than reading.  Even if it’s something I’m interested in, like nature writing, or a memoir, I almost never finish the book.  I am currently half-way through two nature books: one on narwhals, another on octopuses - two of my favorite sea creatures, two very well written and researched books, but I’m still stalled.  I get busy reading fiction and don’t think to pick up the non-fiction again.

Things I didn’t know/surprised me:

1) The female to male author ratio is more unbalanced than I imagined.  Of the forty, or so, books I started reading in 2016 31 were written by women and only 8 were written by men.

Now, seven of these books are J.K. Rowling, but still that reduces the first number to only 25.  That’s still a huge difference.

2) The male to female protagonist ratio is a lot closer than I imagined.  I always thought I gravitated toward female protagonists, but last year I read 11 books with a male protagonist; 17 with a female protagonist; 10 that had protagonists of both genders; and 1 other (robot).

This really surprised me.  Especially since many of the books I listened to were women comedy writers/actors/tvwriters’ memoirs.  Despite the 9 women’s memoirs/personal essays I either listened to, or read (exception: I Am Malala), the m/f ratio is still really close. 

3) I read a lot of New Books.  In the past I have been known for rereading books.  As a teenager my sisters used to marvel, asking me how I could read a book when I already know what happens.  It was never about finding out what happened, it was about revisiting old friends, seeing new details I maybe missed the last time through (I’m a fast reader, sometimes I skim), and really appreciating the writing (see, I’ve always been meant to be a writer).  I reread Little Women so many times I started skipping to my favorite parts.  In the 8th grade I read The Westing Game about seven times in a row.  I’d finish the book, flip it over, and begin again.

But this past year I read 31 new books compared to the 9 re-reads.  One reread was for the Library book club: I Am Malala, the other was The Secret of Chimneys the great Agatha Christie - geo-political mystery romance that I reread after watching the TV adaptation of the novel into a Miss Marple mystery and the wild liberties the writers took.  The rest were Harry Potter.

4) I don’t love Book Club as much as I thought I would.  My degree is in English: I love talking about books; it’s in my people’s DNA.  But almost every book I read for the local book club I just hated.  And I hated the discussion.

Before you start telling me it’s a point of view thing, that isn’t it, entirely.  I have discussed many books I didn’t like with friends and in literature courses and wound up leaving the discussion with a better understanding of the novel, what I didn’t like about it, and what I’d misjudged.  But the discussions of the books I haven’t liked at book club are the ones I’ve left feeling even more vindicated in my profound dislike.

Ok, it is a point of view thing.  I notice specific things when I am reading.  I look for certain elements.  I break down and analyze a novel while I am reading it.  I process information in a specific way.  A way that is different from, it seems, most of the people who attend this specific book club.  The things I find I really hate about the books I’ve read with them: they all love.  And the other way around: the things they hate, I often like.

4a) But I like the @vaginalfantasy Book Club very much - this is how I know it’s just that one book club I’m not interested in.  I like the way Felicia runs VF - she does a good job of keeping them on track.

4b) I think I need to start my own book club.  Who’s in?

5) I only read 7 POC authors last year.  Like male/female authors it isn’t something I think about when I choose a book.  I choose what book to read based on my interest level in the story/content.  Of the seven books I chose only three of them on my own, without anyone suggesting it to me.  That’s startling.

1.Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling, 2. Suck it, Wonder Woman by Olivia Munn, and 3. You Can’t Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson were all books I sought out on my own.  But the others were either recommended to me by friends, or read only because of a book club.  4. The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan was for VF book club.  My friend Amy recommended 5. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes.  My friend Cooper mailed me the book his sister wrote: 6. to the strangers, from far away by Bailey Tamayo.  The only borderline exception is 7. I Am Malala: it was a reread.  The first time I read it, it was my choice, this time it was because of Book Club.

5a) They’re all women.

6) I have no interest in tracking the number of pages I read.

7) I LEFT OUT A BOOK!

While writing this post I was scrolling through my Bookstagram for a picture I might use in this post only to discover nowhere on any of my lists in 2016 did I include Emily Carroll’s brilliant graphic novel Through the Woods.

I read this back in March and it was amazing.  The art is wonderful, and the stories are delightfully spooky.  It was a real delight to read.  I would recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially if you like things a little dark.  You yearn for the cautionary tales of Victorian children’s stories.  You hate what Disney has done to Grimm and Perrault and Andersen.  You just love Joan Aiken’s children’s books The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Black Hearts in Battersea, and Nightbirds on Nantucket.  Or you’re a huge fan of Edward Gorey, then you’ll like this GN.  It’s a damn good book.

8) I LEFT OUT TWO BOOKS!

I never do this, guys, I’m serious.  My lists on Tumblr are of every book I read that year, I swear.  No matter how bad, how short, what genre it is, I swear I’ve included every book.  Maybe I was more thorough back when I was writing an essay about every book I read?  I don’t know how I missed not one, but two books.

Forgive Me My Salt is a book of poems by Oregonian spoken-word poet Brenna Twohy.  It is her first book, I believe, and you can find her performing many of the included poems on YouTube.

I don’t often go in for poetry all that much, but @brennatwohy speaks to me.  Our experiences are not the same, but I understand her greatest themes: anxiety, stress, shitty boyfriends, first dates, loss, love, rising again.  Her poetry is beautiful and interesting and I just love her commentary.  She makes me feel less alone.

[dlamp-dictator]

Allen’s Anime Update

Well, since my Rambling on Person 5 I’ve gotten a few new follows. So, hello new followers! I’m Allen X and this is my blog where I talk about... whatever I feel like. I mostly do three things on this blog, write essays on whatever topic I feel is important at that moment called Allen’s Ramblings, and do (sort of) monthly post discussing whatever video games I’m playing and anime I’m watching and my opinions on them called the Video Game Update and Anime Update respectively. I tag the video game posts with the fandom tags for the sake of getting advice or opinions about the game. I don’t tag the Anime Update since... talking about anime on tumblr can lead to a lynching in certain fandoms, and I don’t need to get trolling from the anime community. 

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy my blog. 

So, with my to-do list (mostly) complete, it’s time for me to work on the anime update. Sadly, I can’t record it since I have family visiting and the house for Memorial Day weekend and things gets... loud to say the least with all these folks here. But anyway, update time. But before I go onto current anime, let’s talk about some shows I’ve been meaning to talk about for awhile now.

I cannot believe I forgot to mention this series in the last anime update. So, last month I finished watching the first season of Ninja Girl and Samurai Master on crunchyrool. It’s another retelling of the Warring States period in Japan (basically Samurai Warriors time). There’s been a handful of anime that have done this, but what makes this show different from the others is that it stars a cute ninja girl named Chidori, who’s an airhead, a ditz, and an absolute monster on the battlefield. Most of the show focuses on her adventures as a ninja under Nobunaga and her trying to earn the respect of his generals despite being a young girl. It’s very lighthearted and comedic. Chidori is absolute adorable and the supporting cast has been great in showing off her airhead tendencies as well as their own. And I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite portrayals of Nobunaga yet, making him out as the only sane man among his wacky and scatterbrained generals. It’s only four minutes per episode, so I’d recommend giving it a look if you have the time. You’ll be hook on Chidori’s cuteness after episode 1, I can promise you that. And while I’m talking about alternate interpretations of Nobunaga...

Yes, I finally finished watching Sengoku Collection and good lord this series is good. Right off the bat I recommend you guys watch Episode 1, 17, 18, and 21. Episode 1 so you get the context, episode 17 and 18 because they’re the best stand-alone episodes to watch out of all the series, and episode 21 because of how random it is. This show has been a bit of an emotional ride for me. Episodes 17 and 18 nearly had me in tears, and the last episode was just so heartwarming. I don’t even have a favorite character, they were all so good... okay, leaning toward Nobunaga and Keiji, it’s still a tough choice. 

Anyway, this is an older show on Crunchyroll, so I recommend giving it a look, or at least watching the episodes I recommended. You don’t have to worry about having membership or anything to keep up with it.

And with that, I’m done with talking about past shows, onto the update for real now.

I’m so glad I decided to get Anime Strike for this show. Armed Girl’s Machiavellism has definitely been worth the fifteen bucks it’ll cost me to watch this show. Like I said in the last update, this show has great action, great comedy, a great cast, it’s just.. great.... but I should probably go into detail. The fact that every episode has had a decent fight sequence has already sold me. I also like how everyone’s fighting style is different. Nomura uses hand-to-hand martial arts. Rin uses traditional samurai swordplay, Mary uses fencing, Satori uses a mishmash of styles to keep opponents guessing, Wabari uses her pet bear and ninja tools along with her swordplay, and Inaba... I dunno yet, probably Iai based on the opening. I also like the fact that Nomura is still mostly gunning for Rin in terms of affection. Mary is head-over-heels for him too, but he’s mostly going for Rin, something I appreciate.

Something else I should mention is just how good the pacing of this show it. It hasn’t felt like it’s slow down at all. It’s a bit formulaic in structure, but that’s fine. Most of the show has been one episode to show off the new girl, and one episode to defeat them before moving on to the next girl. It’s only recently broken than order with a bit of a cooldown episode, but things look to be picking up in the next one.

For those of you with Anime Strike I recommend giving this one a shot.

It took almost six episodes, but the slow burn that was Re:Creators is just about over. God, this took way too long. I’m not against slow pacing or long times of build-up for a high payoff, but 6 episodes of politics, discussions, and set-up was pushing it. I didn’t mind the politics, I didn’t mind the discussions about art and creation and encouragement to write/draw, but dammit I came here to watch magical girls battle mechas and LN protagonist duel video game bosses, not... 6 episodes of talking. It really says something when the Battle Harem has better pacing than what people are saying is a contender for 2017′s anime of the year. 

As of now I can’t say if the payoff is worth it, but I won’t knock it... yet. I’m hoping for something big, and with the latest episode, something big is bound to happen... or it’s more talking and I become sad.

And... I’m taking a break from Twin Angels Break for awhile. It’s... a monster-of-the-week show, and for those new to my Update, I personally prefer to marathon shows like that since they tend to get very predictable and unpleasant for me to keep up with weekly. Not to say the show isn’t look good, it is, but... this style of narrative is just something I can’t watch weekly. That and episode 4 was just... touching topics and subjects I didn’t feel comfortable watching. I’m not going to go into detail for fear of me reading things wrong, but... I was not impressed by what they were showing and I’ll leave it at that.

So yeah, taking a break from this, watching something else until I can marathon it. So with that said...

It looks like someone heard that I loved watching cute girls that beat the shit out of people with martial arts. So, Crunchyroll has Kenka Bancho Otome -Girl Beats Boys-, a show about Hinako Nakayama, an orphan and martial arts master that joins an all-boy school of delinquents and pretty boys at the behest of her long-lost twin brother, Hikaru Onigashima. There she must defeat all the leaders of each delinquent gang, learn their backstories, win their hearts, and take on the king of the school, her older brother Houou Onigashima. Yeah, this is an anime based off an otome game, but it’s got a cute girl beating up people, so I’m down with it. Hinako is a pretty tough girl despite how cute she acts. And it looks like every character also has a specific fighting style as well. It’s interesting how good all these Batte Harems are this year. 

These are only about 8 minutes per episode, so it’s not too taxing on me time-wise. I recommend this one so far if you like male harems or cute girls punching people.  

Lastly, we have Sword Oratoria, a spin-off/retelling of the Danmachi series from the perspective of Ais Wallenstein, the OP Sword Princess. I’d go into more detail about the premise, but I don’t really feel like discuss the backstory of Danmachi, just know that medieval times and video game mechanics combine in this world, and everything’ll start piecing together after that. I was interested in this anime at first to learn a bit more about Ais since she was such a mysterious figure in the original Danmachi series. I had three main questions: Why is Ais interested in Bell? What is her role and relation to her familia? And how exactly did she get as strong as she is now? So far this anime hasn’t been answering any of those questions, but I hear the actual light novel does... I’m tempted to get it, but I only plan on getting Magical Girl Raising Project in terms of light novels. 

It’s a good show so far in terms of action and a few plots developing, but... it’s more of what Bell didn’t see rather than what Ais saw, and that annoys me a little.

And that’s it for the update, I know I was hyping up how there’d be another anime I’d catch up with in my queues, but this is already getting long enough. I’ll just talk about those anime as time goes on. Anyway, see you guys later. Feel free to message and ask me about things.