#like also would be soo interested in if the solution is to genuinely try to set boundaries or to leave!

[doghartzy]

actually real last post. how long do you think before mack does get sick of it all and requests a trade. either because of the losing or the false hometown or the daddy issues. or all of the above. like i hope he stays with the sharks forever partially so i can see what kind of monstrous metastasis his relationship with his dad grows into but also partially because i really do enjoy watching the sharks. but realistically how many years could YOU make it with your helicopter dad hovering over your shoulder at every moment before you start to realize that this is actually really fucking you up as a person and the only real option is to get out.

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

10/22/2023 – 10/28/2023

Sunday

Once again, it’s Manga Sunday: I think I’m going to check out of MamaYuyu at this stage – what drew me into the first chapter was the interesting emotional connection between Corleo and Mamama, but now it seems like the story is moving into a regular shounen battle manga structure with Mamama nowhere to be seen… And I really couldn’t care less about the power system of this world either… And Corleo’s internal motivations are so vague and generically “I wanna be a hero”, which was succinct and fine enough for the first chapter but now I don’t feel it propelling the story in any way other than giving him a reason to fight, which is like every other generic reactive shounen protagonist… I’ll probably check back in when the series ends, but as of now my general opinion is that it should’ve been an oneshot.

Y’know what. I’m genuinely invested in the Handsome Must Die final fight. It’s just high campy fun, with Ban’s tragic backstory and Inukai’s enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-ally turn. I’m sure the final chapter next week will be pretty explosive…also wow Ban-kun…your skills…

Undead Unluck: UWOOAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ANDYYYYYYYYYYYYY also I love seeing Fuuko’s strategic mind at work, trying desperately to think of a solution with all of her members’ powers at her disposal…and once again I think about how amazing Undead Unluck would be as a video game.

It definitely feels like Ichinose is finally reaching its emotional core and wrapping all the twists up in preparation for the ending… I find the light bit of intergenerational trauma theming interesting, I can appreciate that it was a more nuanced relationship than the typical “my dad was mean to me” situation. But even then, it feels slightly surface-level, since Taizan 5 always likes to move things along briskly. I feel a little robbed of a real conversation between the parents, but I do like that Sachie is stepping up. But even then (again), I would’ve liked a bit more insight and depth to this final (?) confrontation beyond flashbacks to show Kakeru’s motivations and then Sachie being like “hey stop that, we actually are proud of you” and Kakeru relenting. Will we get a satisfying conversation between Sota and Kakeru next week? I can only hope.

Oshi no Ko: Gotta say, Kana is super cute in that costume with the panda bow. I’m enjoying the detail of Ruby having stars in both of her eyes when she embodies Ai, though I’m not sure how professional the director’s shooting strategy is lol.

Man, Dandadan always has the most fantastic spreads. I’m looking forward to seeing what supernatural power-up Rin will get, probably something like an idol? Or specifically, an idol duo sort of situation, to fulfil her promise to Mai? That’d be cute.

Marriagetoxin: I think Ureshino and Himin-chu should just date instead. Internally I’m bracing myself for another like five chapters of action that I won’t care about that’ll end with Himin-chu feeling fond of Gero for realises before we move on to the next girl. Also what in the hell is this marriage ceremony. This mangaka can definitely make some stupid over the top creepy gimmick villains, but it’s hard to take it seriously when they’re also trying to write genuine romances between well-rounded characters. Ugh…you know what…maybe I should just drop this series now and check back in at the end to see if Gero and Kinosaki get together…yeah I’m gonna do that.

I’m starting to come around a bit on shady eyepatch investor guy (Magilumiere). I always love a suit jacket over the shoulders look… AND YES HE SERVED AS A CONDUIT FOR EVERYONE’S FORMAL WEAR LOOKS AHHHHH OH MY GOD NIKO???? I SCREAMED OUT LOUD WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE A LITTLE ARISTOCRATIC BOY AHHH Thank you Eyepatch Man. I accept you wholeheartedly now. I don’t care enough to learn your name though lol

The Akane-banashi chapter was fun, I always relish being able to see my favourite character, Karashi.

AGHHHH the little orange on Tayutan’s chibi in Cipher Academy is sooooooo cute and YESS THERE IT IS THE RETURN OF HARSHLY SHADED TRAUMA CREATOR TAYUTAN WOOO I fear that she’ll lose this battle though…we’ve had it too good for too long… Awww DDR and taiko games, that’s so cute… AND BYU’S ONE POINT LESSON  BEING UPSIDE DOWN SDKLFSDF I really really really love how Cipher Academy plays with its pages and isn’t afraid to get silly with it. I know there was that kerfuffle about how “untranslatable” Cipher Academy is and how that’s apparently a bad thing, but I actually really enjoy seeing the original Japanese wordplay in these sorts of Code Battles, and I don’t think having to leave it in is a failure on the translator’s part. I don’t need or even necessarily want translated media to be scrubbed completely bare of its original context, after all. Kubinashi is definitely nasty for starting off with that word, though. Interesting, so that’s Tayutan’s weakness… I’m getting more scared for her. I love the chain link imagery, it’s so fitting for shiritori.  AGHHHHHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ANOTHER WIN FOR TAYUTAN WOOOOOOOOOOOO and in such a dramatic fashion… I’m starting to think Tayutan will just never ever lose, which is completely fine by me because I love her. There’s something so cool about a character who has to restrain herself in order to not hurt others…uwagh. Tayutan the character of all time.

Because my library deadline was rapidly descending and I couldn’t renew it, I finally continued reading Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters on my quest to find a contemporary adult fiction novel I enjoy (the quest being named, succinctly, Am I The Idiot Or Does Adult Fiction Just Suck). And because this is the first time this has been brought up in a Week in Review, I’ll go a bit into my weird book tastes:

For some reason I hate reading 99.9% of adult fiction, and most of the ones I do like are classics I had to read for my English degree. I probably have less than twenty adult fiction books in my entire book collection (totalling 148 books, not including digital), and the thing is that I really enjoy the idea of buying books and I would like to do it without having to shamefully walk into the kid’s or manga section. (And also I’d like to read a good book that still allows sex and swearing lol). But I don’t know man, I look up popular books and books that seem up my alley and every time I read them I just get so bored by the story progression or lack thereof or the writing style or the dialogue that I can’t relate to at all. I try following BookTubers and reading their recommendations, but it drives me a little bonkers crazy because most of them share the exact same milquetoast opinions and they’re all mood readers who love thought provoking books about exploring the human condition and they all love the same Booker Prize or Women’s Prize or whatever other prize winning book du jour, and absolutely none of them share my tastes, which makes me feel a little bit like an alien freak with no one to talk to or get recommendations from…  

I’m being a bit dramatic. It hasn’t all been terrible – some contemporary adult fiction I’ve enjoyed are Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (which I own) and Dark Matter by Michelle Paver (which I greatly enjoyed, but the ending made me so sad that I know I’ll never want to reread it, and therefore I won’t buy it). And I’ve generally enjoyed the non-fiction books I’ve read, so I could always buy one of those if I really love it. But nevertheless, I embark on my lonely quest every time I try an adult fiction novel…

Detransition, Baby is fine. I dropped it lol. The messy dynamics between the main trio is an intriguing premise, but I don’t like all the off-topic tangents that are just saying things at me and the dialogue feels so stiff and unnatural. And to be fair, I’ve been around normies sometimes and they actually do talk like that, it just freaks me out because it sounds fake and so unlike how I talk with my friends, and I can’t get invested in characters who seem fake to me. So this one is going to be a pass, just like all the other novels I’ve tried whose premises were “explore the human condition with these messy characters who say a lot of things but nothing really happens.” I should really learn my lesson by now.

Monday

Finally back on the House marathon train. This episode had a fun set-up, being the one where a guy takes people hostage in order to get a diagnosis. I always like the episodes where the challenge isn’t necessarily the diagnosis itself but the situation around the patient. There are some fun parallels between House’s obsession with the patient’s obsession and how it endangers others, and also a solid kick to Thirteen’s apathy towards her own life. Solid episode all around.

Watched episodes 2 and 3 of Kusuriya, and I’m starting to lose the faith a little bit. And by that I mean I think that maybe Kusuriya’s structure just doesn’t lend itself well to anime…at least, for the first few mysteries that have very little action. But in general Maomao tends to solve mysteries with just a little bit of looking around and thinking, and the mysteries themselves don’t require too much set-up either, so in anime form it feels like 20 minutes of stasis. There’s a lot of exposition that needs to be done too, and I think they should’ve used that Narrator they established in episode 1 instead of having the characters awkwardly talk at each other about things they already know. Of course, I’m still going to watch it, but if I were to separate out the scores for the manga and anime, the manga would be a 10/10 while the anime is about a 7/10 so far. I’m hoping things will pick up when we get to the Garden Party, but for now I’ll just enjoy seeing Maomao and Jinshi in full color and with voices and accept that it’ll be a somewhat clunky adaptation. But it’s fun getting to see Maomao be a little kitty cat poison freak.

Kakegurui is another series where I don’t really get what’s going on anymore but I stay to see what happens anyway (plus the art is gorgeous). Yumeko as a protagonist feels a little one-note, and it’s funny that it even carries into her backstory, so we basically didn’t get any new insight to her character in chapter 105 other than external information about her family. In terms of characters I’m actually invested in, I hope we can get back to Mary soon, since she actually has to struggle and claw her way to what she wants.

Koko wa Ima Kara Rinri desu 38: This is a manga I picked up on recommendation from a classmate, and it’s been decently enjoyable so I’ve stuck with it. I do enjoy the “teacher helps a class of students” structure (Assassin Classroom being a favourite), and I appreciate that this manga hasn’t shied away from real things that teens deal with like sex and gender. This chapter was wholly uneventful, though.

I don’t know if I would call Scary Campus College University “good”, per se…but it’s definitely entertaining. This beauty contest is really…well, it’s absurdist fun. I liked that bit when the other beauty contest winners were given some pathos beyond being over-confident, and I like that Chigarashi eked out a victory by herself…even if it was because of a stupid ridiculous rap LMAO. Feels very Sakura vs Saki rap battle in Zombieland Saga. With Fujimiya being the crux/final boss and all of the exorcists in play in this Cultural Festival arc, it feels like the manga might be wrapping up as a whole soon.

Sousou no Frieren 115: Frieren is a bit of a weird series for me. It’s so universally praised and emotionally affecting for a lot of people, but I don’t feel all that strongly about it. To be honest, most of my investment is from seeing the shy blossoming romance between Stark and Fern, and I shamefully admit that I kind of don’t feel anything about Frieren’s wistfulness for her past with Himmel. I care even less so about the action scenes, so this current arc is doing absolutely nothing for me. I’m going to force myself to watch the anime since everyone’s raving about it, but I don’t know if I’ll enjoy it. And it’s like, I’m down for some quiet fantasy stories, but this one just doesn’t grab me.

I’m really happy to get another chapter of Yuria-sensei no Akai Ito. This manga has just been so refreshingly messy and human, and I love the complex web of atypical relationships that this manga has woven. In the first place, it’s so rare to get a protagonist like Yuria, and her age and practical personality shines through amongst all the chaos she has to deal with. This Christmas chapter was super cute, and a glimpse into the non-nuclear queer-adjacent living situation that these people could have together…not to mention how all the characters feel so layered and real. This was the kind of ambiguous messiness I wanted from Detransition, Baby, to be honest. And I just found out this got a live action show, which is so fitting for this manga, so I’m looking forward to watching that and I hope they do the story justice. (Although I’m a bit tentative… Because the thing about Japanese live action adaptations (that I’ve seen, anyway) is that they tend to be a little too…clean and perfectly choreographed to a science. To the point where there’s this veneer of fakeness to it. And I want MESS. And hnrghn I’m looking at the preview images and already I feel like the actress for Yuria is too young and neat and why is her hair so perfectly shiny and straight, I was imagining like Evelyn Wang from EEAAO’s levels of frizz…I’m going to be disappointed, aren’t I).

Two new chapters of the Kusuriya manga, what a treat. We get a nice denouement for the hunting arc and some more progression between Maomao and Jinshi, with rumblings of perhaps some political conflict ahead. Possibly three high ranking consorts being pregnant at the same time is such a juicy plot thread…I really look forward to seeing how Maomao protects Gyokuyou and how the babies will change the political landscape.

I had meant to leave Kusuriya for last in my manga binge, but I missed that Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru had a new chapter. Absolutely nothing happened though, which is a little baffling but whatever.

Yeah okay I had to quell my curiosity so I watched the first episode of the Yuria-sensei live action and yeah. It’s just as I thought. Everything’s just too neat, too polished, too rehearsed for any real emotion to come through… The camerawork is uninspired, the lighting is so whatever, the acting is a tad overacted… It’s crazy to me that even the hospital and the movers and Yuria’s home are just. Pristine. There’s just zero verisimilitude to be seen, which stings more when the manga is so uniquely real. Goro’s mom’s actor is spot on, though. I don’t know, maybe an anime would do it justice…but I don’t even know if anime production companies would go for a story like this, and also I feel like the scratchiness of the manga’s art doesn’t lend itself well to animation. But that sort of roughness does lend itself well to live action, which is why I wish the live action was good and had good actors who could actually emotionally fill out the roles…it’d be such a rich piece… basically I want this to be shot and directed by anyone who actually has a creative vision and isn’t beholden to just making a beautiful pristine product.

Tuesday

Watched two more generally uneventful House episodes with my friend. The House/Cuddy plotline is soooo boring and juvenile to both of us, but we liked the Foreman/Thirteen plotline.

I finally continued reading Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy, and god it’s just so good. The change of scenery from the previous books is a welcome change, and the book kicks off right in the midst of the action as Sammy and Marissa travel to Hollywood to see Sammy’s mother. Seeing Sammy and Lana finally interact is so rewarding, and their relationship is so nuanced and layered – Sammy’s constantly wrestling with her own anger and sadness and empathy towards this mother that she doesn’t even recognize anymore. And reading this as an adult, I can also see Lana’s sadness in her single minded ambition in this horrible industry. I love that the Sammy Keyes books aren’t afraid to delve into complicated subject matter, despite being kid’s books. And wow, our first murder case of the series, and it’s looking like Lana is involved somehow…all of the set-up is just pitch perfect.

Wow Marissa’s getting some real standout moments in this one, which works because Sammy is so frazzled about her mother being involved in the case. But Marissa’s emotional maturity is great to see. The tension is just racketed up tenfold throughout this whole book in comparison to the ones before, since Sammy has a big personal stake in the mystery and she’s a fish out of water and it’s a murder. Wendelin van Draanen is definitely good at creating a cascade of chaos.

Wednesday

Finished Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy and wowwww. So many good misdirects but also clues being dropped all along the way…and a very dramatic intense ending that Sammy takes charge of…and also themes about the pain of seeing your mother as her own person and letting go…genuine emotional moments between Sammy and Lana…everything just works so well. This is definitely my favourite book of the series so far. And oh no now I’m a third of the way through…it’s so hard to stop myself from ploughing through the whole series.

Thursday

Couldn’t help myself and started the next Sammy Keyes book, Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes, but I’ll probably stop here for a bit because it’s not as electric as Hollywood Mummy was. Having a baby dumped on her is chaotic in a stressful way, and it just feels like everything is going wrong for Sammy. I like that at least Officer Borsch has grown enough to see Sammy as more than a juvenile delinquent though, and can get her the help she needs.

New Skip to Loafer chapter! Makoto saying she has a crush on a senpai makes me a little sad, since I’m a Makoto/Yuzuki shipper… also we got a glimpse of Sousuke’s somewhat complicated home life huh… Overall just a solid chapter.

Friday

I couldn’t wait until Anime Saturday so I watched episode 4 of Undead Unluck and I cried. Everything is just so perfect, I love the quick cuts both for comedy and for drama, Yuuki Aoi killed it as Gina, the comedy was great, the action was great, the lighting and color grading was amazing, I even love the sound editing and sound design, I love the video-gamey sound effects and also the general sound editing of the fight and the sci-fi elements and the UNCHANGE cut-in, fuck that was insanely stylish, and I love Gina and Andy’s kiss in her final moments… This is what makes Undead Unluck so refreshing, and what hooked me onto the series in the first place. Introducing a girl who’s a romantic rival for the main girl is so common in shounen manga, but they would never let her actually get close to the main guy, let alone share an actual intimate moment or a kiss, since they’re so set on preserving the ‘purity’ of the main couple’s relationship. But to get this moment of real connection and tragedy in Undead Unluck was so amazing, and I was shocked that Gina actually died when they’d endeared her to us so much. Undead Unluck truly doesn’t pull its punches, and I just love it so so so much. I think what was always holding the manga back a little was its art, which is lovable but still a bit rough around the edges, so seeing it translated so beautifully and even elevated so highly in the anime with just perfect production on every aspect of animation makes me so happy. If they can keep this up, it’ll be an easy 10/10 for me, and another entry into the Starlight Time Machine Awards.

One more Houseki no Kuni chapter before we head into hiatus again. The quiet but stirring emotions that Ichikawa conveys in their artwork is so moving, even if I don’t remember all the granular plot details that got us to this point. Once Houseki no Kuni ends, I’ll have to go through and reread the whole thing.

Two more chapters of Gakuen Babysitters, which are just like cotton candy in that they are sweet but ultimately lacking in substance. Seeing Kotaro interact with a bird was cute, but the rest was just whatever.

A pretty action packed chapter of To You The Immortal. I don’t really know how I feel about this future arc, but I suppose we have to follow Immo to the very ends of time so the adventure still has a ways to go. This is another manga where I binge-read the whole thing and fell in love with it, but now that I’m reading it only when it updates, it’s hard for me to remember everything that happened. (And I hear the anime was…clunky). So I’ll have to reread this when it ends.

Kemono Jihen chapter 64: A pretty fun fight! I’m not really one for fighting tournaments though, so this arc hasn’t really grabbed me. But hey… Inugami/Mihai ship fodder… I’ll take it.

Saturday

Spent the day making soup with my friend and then rewatching Over the Garden Wall for peak autumnal vibes. I love the different vignettes we see every episode, the music is just absolute perfection, and I love the unique voice acting. OTGW just really knew what it wanted to do and didn’t overstay its welcome. Also Greg is soooooo cute.

The new Kusuriya episode had a welcome style change from the previous three episodes, with a looser style of animation that added a lot of character to the more mundane scenes like eating or feeding. There were some clunky bits, like when Maomao waved goodbye at Xiaolan, but overall I really enjoyed the experimentation here. The slap and the overall confrontation between Maomao and Lihua’s lady in waiting was fantastic, and I also liked the subtlety of Lihua’s embarrassment when Maomao tells her about the secret technique. Some other little moments I liked were the brothel ladies playing with Maomao’s hair, and Lihua petting her head when she was asleep. Also the return of the narrator! I thought the pacing throughout was just perfect. Judging by the preview, the next episode will seemingly be a return to form, but at least the Lihua arc was a knockout.

A pretty chill slice of life SpyFam episode today. The segment about macarons with the Damian/Anya moment was cute, but I physically could not make myself care about the Franky and cat segment. Even reading that chapter in the manga for the first time was such a slog because of how much of a foregone conclusion it was, and I didn’t find the comedy good enough to justify it. I hope maybe someday we’ll get a Franky arc with real stakes, because his position as an informant can actually be pretty perilous and ripe for drama, but I digress. But! Next week we start the cruise ship arc! Which is my favourite arc! So I’m looking forward to that!

[basil-except-writing]

Good Ending/Reunion AU

(daddy issuesn't AU)

Chapter 8 (part one)

Guys I'm normal I swear

AU by: @future--ghost

Name and Help by: @iheardasimplesong

(Soo uhhh how ya doin?)

Despite the amount of panic going through Dark Choco, he did his best to keep his composure. He stared at the sword that had controlled him for most of his life. The infamous Strawberry Jam Sword and the cookie who used to wield it. More like it used to wield him, he was more or less a vessel for the sword. So many cookies crumbled because of his loss on control over the curse. He felt sick just looking at it. The gem ingrained in the part where the blade and the grip meet. It glowed a much brighter red that Dark Choco knew all too well. "Dark Choco. You can tell me." His father reached out to him. "Just tell me what you know about this strange sword, okay?" His father had his hand on his shoulder. "It's cursed." He said "What? Are you pulling on my leg, why would you use a CURSED sword?" Dark Cacao scoffed. "Why do you think I tried to kill you. What would be the point, I have self-control. If it were my choice I wouldn't have tried to kill you." Dark Choco elaborated. "You did something to anger that curse or what made the curse. It wants you to suffer." His father stared at him in disbelief. "... So why did you do it, why did you take a cursed sword?..." His father all of a sudden became sorrowful. Dark Cacao understood something big must've driven his son to do that. "You taught me that power was everything, and so I sought out for a powerful sword so I could help the kingdom." He stared at the table then looked a little to the side of the room his father wasn't on. "And possibly get some sort of attention or care from my father." He muttered under his breath. "I... I'm so sorry Dark Choco..." His father tried to do his best to comfort his son but to no avail. "You happy now? Just hide that stupid sword so no one can find it." Dark Choco was irritated. "I will but I'd like you to assist in it as well, you know what will be the most effective way to hide it." Dark Cacao started to walk towards the door. "Dark Choco...? Is that you?" A voice that he knew all too well. Sure enough the sword was glowing a bright red color. "I knew you'd come back! Your old man has been so depressing! Let's go have some fun, maybe put him out of his misery?" They teased. "Dark Choco what are you waiting for?" Dark Cacao was at the door turned to face his son. "If it's that dangerous I want to get rid of it." His father looked slightly determined. "It's already started to talk, I think I have a better solution though. I suggest we take the gem out of the Strawberry Jam Sword so it can be studied or propmtly destroyed." He said. "Hiding it in a place where no cookie could find it though would probably have an interesting outcome." He concluded. "Dark Choco, I hope you know I'm not going to tell you which option I'm choosing. I swear to the witches that if I see you in possession of another cursed item I will kill you." Dark Cacao was giving off a threatening feeling to desuade Dark Choco from trying to change his mind. "I'll be right back, dont you dare leave." His father walked away with the Strawberry Jam Sword in hand and left the Grapejam Chocoblade in the room. "what" He thought to himself. "what on earthbread just happened?" Dark Choco was extremely disoriented. His father just questioned him on several different horrendous moments in his life, then pulled out one of the things he finally thought he escaped from, only to leave and threaten him. Dark Choco was genuinely considering just disappearing without a trace, he could move to a place his father wouldn't go on his own will and a place with little importance to the Cookies of Darkness. He considered his options, there was the option of obeying his father's orders, but he despised his father and following his orders would just be a pain. There was also the option of just sneaking out of the Citadel, deceiving his father would be a good course of action, if he made it look like he had climbed through the window and ran on the roof until he reached the outskirts of the kingdom it would leave a golden opportunity to sneak through the Citadel without suspicion.

I WANNA TRY SOMETHING NEW SOOO

You guys decide what he'll do since I'm torn between it.

Will Dark Choco:

Stay and see what happens

or

just straight up leave like nothing happened

[flyinglotus777]

Netflix’s Squid Game

SPOILER ALERT! If you are interested in watching the series, I HIGHLY suggest you do so. This article will be an overall synopsis and my review of the show. For an in-depth analysis of the symbolism of the show and ending, scroll down to the fourth to last paragraph.

The Netflix show, “Squid Game,” written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk is a phenomenal Korean drama centered around our victor, Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae. Contestants were recruited to play in a life or death competition due to their lack of luck, financial knowledge, and influx of impending debt they have accumulated throughout their lives. We first meet Gi-hun as he is down on his luck. Living with his elderly, overworked mother (which in countries outside of the United States is not strange nor uncommon) Gi-hun was a friend to gambling, but that toxic love caused him to be in debt to a gang of (what seemed to be) loan sharks. When luck finally strikes him on the race track, life simultaneously decides to take an excrement on his reality. His debt seekers catch him on his hot streak and involuntarily sign him up to be a participant in the Squid Game.

Similar to many other of the 456 participants, they all shared a common denominator of being in situations it seemed only money could fix. Upon arrival the contestants were asked to voluntarily sign wavers in order to participate in the game, while unknowingly risking their lives, for the opportunity to win 456 billion won (which would be roughly over $3.5 million in US currency). The challenges were mostly based on nostalgic childhood games, both based in the United States and South Korea.

Now I knew due to the explanation in the introduction of episode one that if any player were to lose, they would die. So during the first challenge of red light green light, when players were bulletly penalized for losing I was not surprised. After the game, the players decided to rally together and quit playing. The influence of the cash prize split the decision down the middle, leaving the old man, player 1, to be the final decision. To my surprise he actually chose to decline, freeing all of the players. During the voting, many players screamed at each other as to why they would choose to stay in the hell hole as other players responded that the outside world was not any better if not the same as the harsh environment they were already in. This reality struck many contestants as they returned back to their reality of debt, dependents, and for some bounty hunts, thus resulting in them returning to the game.

During the whole season, I was trying to find the purpose of these games. We knew why the participants felt motivated to play, but I wondered what was the purpose of having them fight for their lives in the first place. When the PlayStation faced soldiers forced the doctor (player 111) to dissect the bodies for organs to sell at the black market, at first I thought that it was what the original game maker wanted which I thought was genius. Soon to learn that it was actually a violation to a code of equality that was placed inside the arena applying to all of those who existed, soldiers and participants alike. Which struck me as odd due to the soldiers being able to tote guns and wear masks based on their own hierarchy and the participants being collectively isolated and given numbers as if it was a remake of the Stanford Prison experiment. Nonetheless many soldiers faced the same fate as the players, and my pondering would meet the solution come the finale.

Let’s discuss players. I only favored Gi-hun because he was the protagonist, but throughout the story he grew on me as his big heart prevailed through the madness. I knew Choo Sang-woo, the embezzling business man and hometown friend of Gi-hun played by Park Hae-soo, was a psychopath when I saw him in a fully filled bathtub with his suit on. Running from the police, in debt or not, that’s just as much of a red flag for serial killer tendencies as sleeping with socks on or having too thin and highly arched eyebrows. The episode that he crossed Ali, the father of one from Pakistan with the missing fingers, made me hate Sang-woo for the rest of the series. I was infuriated and frustrated with Ali for being that naïve to believe that they could escape the round as a duo, but understood his perspective since up until that point Sang-woo was a dependable, trusted ally to Ali. However after that episode I didn’t care who won, I was just ready for Sang-woo to die.

Kang Sae-byeok, the skeptical and beautiful warrior from North Korea played by Jung Ho-yeon, deserves her own paragraph. Along with her beauty, her presence and demeanor was so bad ass. She was thrifty and intelligent, as her talent being pick pocketing. I was waiting for her to just be so bad ass. As the punk disguised to be gangster, Jang Deok-su, pushed her around which seemed to be normal behavior between the two, I was ready for Sae-byeok to twist his arm, send a plunging round house kick to his nuts, and cut his snake tattoo right off of his face. Although her exterior was tough, her heart was made of malleable gold which we got to see as she opened up to her female companion during the marble challenge and sobbed from her loss afterwards. Although she was not the killer bad ass queen I had wanted her to be, I still call her a warrior because of her resiliency throughout life’s and the game’s many obstacles and her drive to provide her younger brother with a better life.

Thankfully Deok-su got what he deserved as Han Mi-nyeo poetically decided to take both of their lives during the glass challenge. “You said we would be together till the end,” she said before diving into her inevitable death with her short lived lover. Mi-nyeo was incredibly annoying as I would often pinch the inside corners of my eyes and scratch my eyebrows when she would appear. However that crazy bitch served justice, and I love her for that.

I was highly disappointed by the demise of the detective Hwang Jun-ho, played by the handsome Wi Ha-joon. I was rooting for detective Jun-ho, as I’m sure we all were, on his pursuit to find his brother. I was not surprised that his brother was Front Man, as I had suspected that his brother must’ve died or been apart of the game making due to his absence in real life and the current game. After discovering his brother was the victor of his year, to me it only made sense that he would be apart of the game enforcement. As we saw from Gi-hun, a normal life is impossible to live after experiencing something so traumatic as a series of death ridden children games. However I was saddened and surprised that detective Jun-ho was unsuccessful in closing down the whole operation. I mean the man was close to performing forced, aristocratic fellatio in the name of serving and protecting the law. I truly thought because he had gotten so far and was so close to exposing the operation that the only choice he had was to be successful. At last he was shot and killed by his own blood, the one he had been looking for; providing us with a cinematic and heart jerking ending to detective Jun-ho.

Lastly lets discuss the old man, player 001 named O Yeong-su, whom I also nicknamed Poppy during the series. Deceivingly innocent and weak, I genuinely liked Yeong-su throughout the game play. I thoroughly enjoyed his relationship with Gi-hun and saw him as a valuable player in most instances. I believe he was one of the main reasons that Gi-hun continued to lead with his heart. Gi-hun claimed that Yeong-su was the reason he returned to the games and later found out that Yeong-su was the reason there were games in the first place. The climatic episode of the marble challenge was when their relationship had been defined as “gganbu” (which is a term for trusted, close friends in Korean, as explained in the series), thus Yeong-su establishing a special place in Gi-hun’s heart. During the challenge, Yeong-su begins to have an episode of what we all assumed to be dementia as the arena they are playing in is designed like his old neighborhood and he abandons the game to take a trip down memory lane. Gi-hun screams in frustration at the old man to play with him only to end up losing in their even and odd game and resulting in deceit, tricking the old man to let him be the victor. Now if I was Gi-hun, I would’ve convinced Yeong-su to let me hold his marbles for safe keeping and let him have a fun time reminiscing on his life while he ran down the clock. Then when it was time, I would’ve turned in all 20 marbles just as Sang-woo did and went about my business. It would’ve only been right for the old man to forfeit as he was already on his death bed, or so we innocently thought. Before I get into the ending, I want to talk about the last match between Sang-woo and Gi-hun.

Finally, the last game to see who would be victorious in a highly anticipated game of Squid between Gi-hun and Sang-woo. It seemed as if it were a battle between good vs evil; Gi-hun representing a more benevolent side as he would often optimistically look to help other competitors and extend the kindness he had been shown versus Sang-woo who represented a more vindictive and ruthless side, determined to hurt anyone in order to receive his highly coveted and long awaited prize in an arena that erased any foundation of morals or ethics as soon as the light turned red. Luck was on Gi-hun’s side as he had the opportunity to play offense. With a cunning mind and a vengeance for Sae-byeok’s death, Gi-hun delivered a can of whoop ass to his opponent. As the saying goes, the good shall always prevail. Perhaps his heart was too pure as Gi-hun halted from crossing the finish line and offered Sang-woo a chance to live, thus forfeiting the prize money. Needless to say, I applauded when Sang-woo committed suicide as it was the only right thing to do in his position.

A year passed by and Gi-hun seemed worse than before. Physically his style was bummy wealthy, a look pioneered by Bill Gates, but mentally he was in shambles. How could you blame him? Gi-hun discovered that the responsible party for these horrendous events was none other than his ggangbu, old man Yeong-su. The biggest, jaw dropping plot twist of the entire series. As they were joined on Christmas Eve and Yeong-su on his death bed, they placed one final bet on an assumed to be drunken, homeless man who sat on the streets as it snowed and waited for help to arrive. Yeong-su explained how he actually wanted to help people and give his money to people who needed it, but wanted to do it in an “entertaining way.” As Gi-hun flared with outrage towards the old man for finding amusement in killing people, the old man rebutted using horse races as an example of people’s amusement. Yeong-su also said he participated in the games because it was more fun to play than to be a spectator, which I had noticed him treating the competition as if it were adult summer camp. I had just assumed since he was old, he didn’t care if he had died or not.

I think most people will think that this show was a metaphor about how money and rich people are evil. However I think it can be seen as commentary on society as a whole, not just the wealthy. Yeong-su says on his death bed that it’s a test of humanity, and asks Gi-hun if he still has faith in humanity after what he has experienced. Although money was the luring motivator to win the game, people still chose to return to the competition to escape their problems. Sure, money was apart of their problems as all of the players (excluding Yeong-su) were in debt, but that was due to choices that they had made. Whether it had been through embezzling, gambling, lack of luck, or financial ignorance, it was the people who had gotten themselves into those situations. Money doesn’t have a personal vendetta against anyone nor does it have an inherent quality of good or evil. Money is a neutral energy used to be exchanged for goods and services. It’s people who designate that energy to their humane or inhumane desires.

Leading to the next point of the wealthy and how they are seen to be evil due to having wealth. Although I do believe that there are some wealthy people who act as villains, money didn’t create the villain inside of them. Those people were going to behave maliciously whether they have money or not. The VIPs, who were spectating the finale of challenges, were tied to a bank devoted to the wealthy and gambled on the competitors who played (and most likely helped subsidize the events). We place judgement on them, but as Yeong-su said, people gamble on horse races. Although people are not animals and by my knowledge I don’t believe most or any horses die during these races, it is still the principle of watching an entity being tortured for amusement, which is not only confined to the wealthy population. When the concept of killing and tormenting living breathing beings for amusement is normalized within society, the lines begin to blur on who is okay to perform and who is not. Take the audience of this show for example, we all watched a show where hundreds of people were mercilessly killed for the desire of winning a cash prize for our own amusement, thus making “Squid Game” the number one show on Netflix at the moment. Although the show is fictional and brilliantly written, this Hunger Games concept is not new. We come in contact again and again with the idea of people who are disadvantaged given an opportunity to better their lives through inhumane means, including risking their own lives or actively sacrificing the life of another, and being spectators on the edge of our seats who can’t seem to look away. It is no different than a Roman gladiator match in a grand colosseum, which in modern day would be a MMA fight at the MGM hotel. We blame it on the rich who are ridiculed for creating these events, but at the end of the day it is the people, rich,poor, and everyone in between, who continue to still go along with it and to some extent desire it. Which makes me question, what does that say about humanity, and do I actually have faith in us? Although Gi-hun went through hell and back, he still remained pure of heart and used his wealth to enhance his life and those around him; proving that wealthy people can still be benevolent and desire righteous good. Similar to Gi-hun, the optimist in me wants to believe that there are still people in this world with good hearts, but I guess we just have to wait until the time comes to see.

Ultimately the show was phenomenal, and definitely sparked a desire inside of me to watch more Korean dramas. I don’t think the show will have a second season. Simply because I think the story line would be better cut off there, thus leaving the audience always wanting more. However if season 2 ever comes out, I’m ready for Gi-hun to take a Liam Neeson approach to ending the Squid Game and hopefully with a beard. Thank you for reading my article. I know it was incredibly lengthy. I have just finished the season after a 2 day binge watch, and have a lot of emotions and thoughts ruminating in my brain. Let me know what you think of the show and what you think of the article. Did anyone else notice the paintings of the games on the walls of the dormitory?

God bless.

[ask-hunterxhunter]

Have you ever wonder what each of the main four would be like as yandere? Sorry, I’m just soo curious.😋

Gon

No onethat has met Gon would ever think he can become a yandere… Him? A yandere?Impossible. He’s such a dear person and has a certain innocence that appears tohave remained even when he got older. Besides, he has morals. Certainly this alsoprevents him from developing this sort of sick obsession as well, right? And ifhe ever did, he would realize this issue and seek a way of healthy dealing withit, right?

 Wrong in all accounts.                    

 Regardlessof how you two met (if he approached you after a brief meeting and wanted tobecome your friend, you just crossed paths, so on) or for how long you’ve beenfriends, you feel you can trust him with all your heart. It’s not so different fromhow it tends to be with other people Gon has befriended. After all, he is akind man, he is gentle and sweet. Heck, even if you didn’t want to befriend himwhen you two met, he has that special way of getting in someone’s heart. In theend, you’re glad you’re friends!

 And becauseof this, chances are you won’t realize what is going on until it is too late.

 Gon’sfeelings for you will start innocently enough and even he might notnotice them at first. He just knows that he enjoys being with you! You’re niceand fun! Yes, of course, he likes you, I mean, you’re friends… So, it’s alsonatural that he starts to feel bad when you’re not there… It’s natural that heworries… He… He needs you. Of course he doesn’t like the way that personlooked at you, it was outright staring! There are many dangerous peoplein the world, he knows, he met quite a few. He is just being a good friend and lookingout for you! There is nothing wrong with that…

 He justdoesn’t want to fail with you like once failed with Kite.

 Gon’sbehaviour starts to change in response to his feelings increasing… It is slow,it is insidious, but a few signals start to pile up. The way he places his arm aroundyour shoulders. The way he stares at people who are a little too friendly withyou. It doesn’t get to the point of being suffocating, but there is somethingthat just feels wrong about his presence… And you don’t want to considerthis, even feeling ashamed of such impressions. For crying out loud, this is Gon!Your friend! You shouldn’t feel like this about him, ever!

 Actually,yes. Yes, you should.

 His feelingsbecome so intense that he can’t be unaware of them forever (not that itwould’ve been of much help anyway). He may just see you laughing with someoneelse… And then he thinks how you could get involved with someone someday. How youcan leave him someday. And the mere thought is more than he can bear.

 And theidea of losing you in one way leads to another. Regardless of what happened afterwards,Gon never forgot when he failed to help Kite. And it was one of those things aperson may never fully get over. No matter in what way, the idea of losing youincites more than mere fear in him. He… He can’t take it… No. No. NO!You can’t leave him, you just can’t!

 Speakingof Kite, if you get hurt, this will likely be also the moment when he goes overthe edge (if he hasn’t already).

 If you’realready together, that’s when things go overboard. If he hasn’t realized hisfeelings yet, that’s the moment when it hits him: This must be love, right? Thedesire to be with you all times, to protect you from all harm and to be theonly one to see your smile… Isn’t this what people call love? The moment thethought crosses his mind, he realizes that this is what he is feeling. And you…You must love him as well, right? You’ve spent so many good times together, surelyyou love him. And if you don’t, you can. Someday.

 How Gondecides to deal with this depends on how things are between the two of you atthe moment. He may just go ahead and confess, or he may jump straight to the next“solution” (extreme likely to happen if you got injured somehow, which, in theworld of Hunter is easy to happen). Even your reaction to his confession is, inthe end, unimportant. You accepting Gon and starting to date him, no matter evenwhen, won’t soothe his obsession or make things easier. The only thing itwill do will be giving you a window to his actual mental state. The uncertaintyyou felt before was your instinct reacting and if you date Gon, his obsessionwill slowly become more obvious until it finally reaches a crucial point.

 He won’t everbe violent, but there will always be something in the sweetness of his voice.In how “protective” he acts… He doesn’t outright forbid you from seeing yourold friends, but he seems to prefer to be there when you meet them… He neverseems to ask for more than you’re willing to do/give, he is never abusive, but…There is still something that makes you unsure. Things being said underneaththe spoken words and done underneath the acts. It’s almost imperceptible and whileit can last, eventually, you can’t fool yourself by saying this is normal.Or that you’re completely comfortable in this relationship.

 And by thistime, it is too late.

 It has always been too late, ever since Gon fell in love with you.

 His senseof protection regarding those he cares about is very high and, while this tendsto be a great thing in a friend, it is another matter when obsession is addedto the mix. Because he wants to keep you safe… And with him. It’s a dangerousworld, after all.

 So, if hehas to throw you in a cage to keep you safe, well, so be it.

 Well, ofcourse it won’t be a cage. That would be too cruel! He has a nice little house,all prepared, just for you. Why he is doing this? Silly, because he loves you.And you don’t have to cry, he will take good care of you, he promises! He cangive you anything you want, so you won’t ever wish for anything! Food, clothes.He’ll even give you books and games, so you won’t be bored when he is not athome! See, he can make you happy! And keep you safe! All you have to do is staywith him.

 Everygood quality can become a negative if twisted enough and this is the case withGon. Everything about him becomes a nightmare: His innocence blinds himto how what he is doing is messed up. His protectiveness becomes a cage beyondthe house he put you in. His sweetness is poisonous.

 And oneof the worst things of all? Gon won’t ever realize that he’s become a monster.

 Killua

WhileKillua is a tsundere and might prefer to have a certain degree of control overhis emotions, it doesn’t mean they are lacking in intensity. But still, (andhis training to be a “perfect assassin” might come in play here as well), hewill be able to keep his feelings hidden for a while, even though he will becomeaware of them very early on. And while there is nothing wrong with an intenselove, it is a serious problem when it crosses the line.

 He willprobably already know you for a while before a deeper interest is born (maybehe met you while travelling with Gon, maybe you crossed paths somewhere andbecame friends, etc). Whether or not he will confess right away will depend on certaincircumstances: It might happen if you’re travelling together (or at least seeingeach other often), if his emotions take a longer time to become more disturbing,so on. You might even notice it (or at least in some level) soon if you’re perceptiveenough. The way he blushes, the way he compliments you and tries to act as ifit’s nothing…

 His love is likely to start pure and perhaps might even remain genuine as hedescents into yandere-ism (which can be a rare occurrence when dealing with yanderes),but this doesn’t imply control over the darker impulses… Oh, he may tryat first, remind himself of his own family and how those thoughts are not healthy…

 Thingswill seem normal for a while, regardless if you become a couple or not. It’sfun to be with him, he is a nice guy… But meanwhile, Killua’s natural feelings ofcare and protectiveness are slowly gaining more obsessive undertones. Heworries about you being hurt. About Illumi finding out about you (whateverhappens then, he doubts it would be good). About his parents using you… And whilenormally Killua would indeed worry about such things, the problem hereis, again, his state of mind.

 The problemhere is the darkness consuming his heart.

 Thoughtsof (over) protectiveness return, along with others that are quite dark. As hisfeelings cross the lines towards obsession, his mind somehow follows. Many ofthose impulses will soon appear to be fairly logical and, as unpleasant as theycan be, a necessary evil in order to keep you safe. And with him.

 Becausein the end, that’s all that matters to Killua. And while a part of him mightrealize how unhealthy this is, he won’t be able to fight it, even if he tries.

 Once hereaches a certain point, nothing else matters. Whether you’re in a relationshipor not (with him or not), whether you notice the small signals ofobsession in his behaviour (like with Gon, you might feel bad for thinking heis becoming unsettling or even be hesitant to draw a line), there is little tobe done. In the end, if you don’t find some excuse to go away for a long, longtime (and if this might not work since Killua would have no issue with followingyou – once he falls in love, he falls hard), you’re all but already caged.

 He willfind a way to keep you with him. If he has to threaten your family, so be it.If he has to destroy your previous life, so be it. If he has to place a goddamncollar around your neck, so be it. On this point, let it be noted that Killuawon’t need a house to keep you in, preferring to… “Persuade” you to travel withhim and Alluka. It will be easy to “convince” you with some veiled threats towardsyour family or anyone you care about. It’s not something he likes to do, but ifit means keeping you with him… Once you realize you two are meant for eachother, it will be alright.

 If you’re hoping this means you’ll have a chance of escaping someday, you’re mistaken. Thereis a reason why Killua was picked to be the Zolcyk heir instead of Illumi and,in certain areas, he is as good as his brother. He has means of keeping youwith him, without needing to resort to a physical chain (though he won’t beagainst it, should you prove it necessary). Even when you think you have a chance,he will be there. His reactions may vary from treating your attempt like agame, as if you’re just some adorable little kitty, to being upset or evenangered. He loves you. He is just doing what is best for you.

You maycry. You may beg. You may point out how he’s hurting you and how this can’t becalled “love” anymore… But by this time, Killua will believe that you’re justnervous and doesn’t know any better. It isn’t just a matter of keeping yousafe: He knows everything about you, what you like, what you hate. He understandsyou better than anyone else, you are perfect for each other and he won’t letanyone hurt you.

 He justwishes you would understand this…

 But you will.You will have time… And he will do whatever he can in order to keep you safefrom anyone, including yourself. Even if you cry now, there will come a daywhen you’ll understand and realize how much he loves you. And that you actuallylove him as well. He knows you do.

 Those arethings Killua will be telling himself a lot. Even in the chance a part of himstill recognizes he is being cruel to you, he won’t be able to stop himself anymore,his feelings far too strong for him to fight against.

 It seemsthat he is more of a Zoldyck that he ever wished to be…

 Kurapika

Among the“main four”, Kurapika is easily one of the best when it comes down to keep hisfeelings hidden, for the most part. As such, if you don’t spend a long timewith him or aren’t incredibly perceptive, you might not notice when he startsto fall in love with you. Sadly, this also means you might have trouble seeinghim becoming a yandere towards you, while with some other characters, there mightbe at least some subtle signs…

 BecauseKurapika takes time allowing people to get close to him, the development of hisinterest and eventual change into yandere might take a while and you might not evenknow that he is in love with you when he takes some drastic action tokeep you with him. Even being already together will do little to prevent hislove from crossing a line (the most it will do will buy you a little extratime), but once it does, you’re in serious trouble.

 One ofthe “main roots” of this development (if we can use such terms) is in his desire to protect you and his trauma of losing his clan. He knows you can takecare of yourself, but the fear of seeing you hurt is still present (like withmost yanderes, seeing you seriously hurt might be what sets him off) and while,in any other scenario, he would find a way to deal with it healthily, this isn’tthe case here.

 In hismind, he needs to keep you safe, no matter what. He can’t bear to lose someonehe cares about again, let alone someone he loves.

 Asmentioned, you might not even know he was even in love with you until he callsyou over and confesses… Or better saying it, reveals how obsessed he is. And ifyou’re dating him already, what you’ll see when he “decides to take better careof you” is how twisted he can be. In a way or another, there is nothing you cando at this point. You just need to look in his eyes to know it… Even if you trybegging or fighting, Kurapika will merely look upset for a moment before makingsure you understand you won’t be leaving, you can’t change hismind and, most important, you can’t win against him.

 Please, don’tcry. It’s for your own good. He loves you, he won’t do anything to hurtyou! He is just doing this so no one will harm you, try to understand.

 Due tohis work, he might prefer to find a way to keep you with him rather thanleaving you in a house somewhere (and he has quite a few means to make sure youwon’t leave, trust me), to the point others will easily assume you’re eitherpartners or a real couple, working together. Those comments often make thecorners of Kurapika’s lips twitch in an almost smile (this pleases his greatly,because, in a way, he thinks this is not that much of a stretch. Why, in a way,it’s actually true, isn’t it?) while you always feel like you could puke as youwant to scream how he is keeping you against his will.

 Not that thiswould help. You could say that to the Zodiac, to Cheadle, hell, even to Leorio,Gon and Killua and still, somehow, Kurapika would find a way to twistthe situation and nothing would be done. And although he sincerely believes heloves you and is doing what is best, this doesn’t mean he won’t find a way topunish you if you test his patience too much. If you keep this up, he may haveto come up with a more drastic way to ensure you behave.

 Remember,this isn’t the Kurapika you know: This is someone lost to obsession.

 When you’re“working”, Kurapika keeps his “professional” stance, but you always notice hissmall glances, the way he brushes his hand against yours at times… He may evenkiss your cheek at times. To bystanders, those small gestures always seem caringand gentle. To you, they feel like being brushed with needles. They are remindersthat you’re his and for you to not try anything funny (even Kurapika’s intentionsare not like that… Well… Not completely).

Thingsdon’t get better when you’re alone.

 Whilemany yanderes cross the line way into sexual abuse, it’s hard to say if itwould be the case with Kurapika (well, any of the main four) or at what levelof obsession, he would need to be for that to happen (if it did, Kurapika would completelybelieve this is love, that he is merely showing you how much he loves you and helpingyou to settle in your new life together). However, even if he doesn’t everreach that point, it doesn’t mean things are that much better or that he leavesyou alone: He insists you sleep in the same bed as him, he frequently holds youclose… And those displays of affection are absolutely sickening for how wrongthey feel.

 You can begand cry as much as you want, it won’t change anything. It breaks his heart, butKurapika rationalizes how this is for your own good. Oh, dear, he knows this isnot ideal, but once he gets rid of the Spiders (and anyone who might be athreat to your relationship), everything will be better, he promises. Like Killua,Kurapika might retain enough sanity to be aware of how his actions are hurting you,but at the same time, he will be at that point when he can’t fight against it…Or merely doesn’t care anymore, telling himself this is just for now and,eventually, you’ll come to accept him and love him back.

 He willkeep you safe, no matter what.

 Leorio

When youthink of Leorio, the Leorio everyone knows, that kind man who cares so much forhis friends, whom you can trust to always help them and think about the man hebecomes when he turns into a yandere, it’s like comparing two people whosedifferences are frightening and whose similarities make the time you have tospend together all the more painful.

 It doesn’teven matter how you crossed paths, if he fell in love as soon as he met you or aftera while, if you two are in a relationship or not, though with the former, youmay have a few indications… Not that they will make much of a difference. First,because they will be very subtle. Leorio is not the type who’ll go into ajealous fit over nothing or be controlling. Second, because he’ll do his bestto apologize if he realizes he upset you or was irrational. Of course, norelationship is perfect, but in any case, you won’t have any reason to think youmight be dating/friends with a dangerous person.

 If onlyyou knew…

 And whileit’s obvious he’ll act soon if you’re not with him, don’t think that already beingin a relationship with him will prevent this, either.

 As Leorio’sfeelings increase in intensity (and not in a good way), he starts to struggleto control certain impulses, at least at first, before his mind starts torationalize them, to the point they feel completely natural. He can’t help but toworry about you, especially if you’re involved in a dangerous job or when he hasto leave you due to his work. Even if he knows you can take care of yourself (makeno mistake, he is aware of your strength), he can’t help it. No more than hecan help how much he wants to be with you always…

 And if you’renot together, the idea of you being with someone else starts to burn him… Yes,he thought it was alright, that as long as you’re happy, that’s all thatmatters, but… It’s not so. It’s not okay. His entire being seems to be on firewhen he thinks about it and he closes his fists so hard that his nails cut hispalms.

 Well,that’s how love it, right? He loves you and when you love someone, you want tobe with them and make sure they are happy. It’s only natural… And you’re such agreat person, so many cruel things could happen to you… But you don’t have toworry. You don’t have to ever be sad. He can take care of you! He loves you somuch, surely he can make you happy!

 And, asmentioned, even if you’re already in a relationship with him, it won’t matter inthe end. Feelings of this nature are not going to be hidden for long, not withLeorio. But by the time you’re forced to face them, it will be too late.

Don’tbother protesting: Leorio will make sure you understand you’re his. As much ashe wants your acceptance, it’s something that he knows he will have with time.

 Leoriomight be contrary to threatening your loved ones, but it doesn’t mean he won’tdo so, should he consider it necessary (after all, the pain of those we careabout is always efficient to ensure “cooperation”)… Of course, he actually has other resources available you wouldn’t expect before resorting to this. And hewill make sure you have no loopholes, no opportunities, no chances of ever leavinghim, so even when you’re out in public, you’re still under his control.

 Not thathe would ever allow you to go anywhere without him.

 As caringas Leorio can be, crying won’t help you. It will break his heart to see yourtears, no doubt, but he considers them a necessary evil. They’ll only make himhold you close, whispering sickening words of comfort and of how much he lovesyou. Arguing that this isn’t love will only make him twist your words. He doeslove you and someday you’ll understand this. Trying to fight back willupset him and also be of little result. Leorio might not seem the most powerfulman around, but you’ll be surprised if you try to use force (and depending onhow he uses against you as a means to control you, you might decide it’s notworth the risk).

 Escaping?Impossible.

 Perhaps,one of the worst things, is how Leorio somehow keeps being his usual selfenough for you to remember who he is (or you thought he was), what you likedabout him and the good times you had together. The way he acts as if this is anormal relationship doesn’t help it.

 But atthe same time, you can’t fool yourself. You don’t need to push much to see thatglint in his eyes, hinting to what he believes to be love (and might be, butcertainly not the healthy kind) and every time he holds you close, as gentle ashe is, you feel as if you’re being hurt. Even if you cry that he is abusingyou, Leorio will just ask how he’s abusing you. Come now, dear, has he ever hurtyou or forced himself upon you? All he is doing is to make sure you’re safe.

 As soonas you accept your new life, you’ll see how happy you can be! After all, you’lllearn to love him in time.

 It’s notlike you have much of a choice, now, is there?

[toooldforfandom-liveblogs]

Gravity Falls S02E18 - Weirdmageddon Part I

I really like that name for the end of the world. I'm not sure what to expect from this one since this is literally new territory for everyone. My one hope is that Mabel gets forgiven easily but there has to be some drama, either for the twins or the Stans (since that relationship really needs some mending, and the end of the world seems to be a good place for that kind of thing.) I think that's all so let's do this!

If this is the first shot of the episode, things are going to get _weird_.

Wait. Wait. What.

Okay, had to go back and check Bill's summoning circle.

I completely forgot about this but I guess he needs all the symbols for something beyond summoning everything weird into this dimension? But why? Uhm.

Anyway, back in Dreamscaperers I wrote:

Glasses = The ones Stan found in the room with the magic carpet? Question Mark = Soos Ice - Fish with food? > Pine = Dipper Star with an eye  Hand = Whoever wrote the journals considering the symbol on their covers? Llama/Alpaca? Shooting star = Mabel Heart with stitches

Fish with food ended up being Stan's fez. I _think_ Heart with Stitches could be Robbie. Hand is obviously Ford. I'm still not sure about Glasses (they really look like Stan's glasses but... how would that work?) and Star (maaaaybe Gideon? The star appears in the ending cypher in S02E14.) The alpaca/llama and the ice are a complete mystery. Considering everyone of importance is in there already, maybe Wendy is one of those two?

Symbols aside, does this mean that Mabel is going to be missing until who knows when? That's a bit disappointing.

Imagine being able to choose any physical form at all and choosing to keep being a dorito.

Before I paused I was convinced this guy was some weird Nigel Thornberry cameo.

So, Bill has 10 friends, which is exactly the number of symbols in the summoning circle. Huh. Interesting.

Maybe it means nothing but their appearance feels so sudden that I feel they have to be important somehow.

Immersion ruined, the Northwests would never lower themselves and go "downtown"

What a trianglist, she had no problems with Mabel.

I imagine Wendy can't wait to go to college a thousand miles away from her family.

Death, Famine, War, Conquest and Capitalism.

That's horrifying. But he's a dick. What a moral dilemma. Nah, he really deserves it.

Why steal Durland? Huh. Maybe he's also one of the symbols? Or Bill is just being Bill.

Oh, oh, I know what they do!

What an intro, I'm 100% sold.

What can our protagonists do? I guess Ford has a plan, maybe the symbols are for unsummoning Bill and that's why he's collecting them so they can't do whatever ritual they need to do. Maybe Ford and Stan will be in a similar situation that made them fight 30 years ago, but this time they actually communicate and win? Mabel is out so I hope they rescue her (or she rescues herself) before too much plot happens.

I _love_ how much of an effect the changed OP had on me.

After watching 37 episodes with the same opening song any changes are immediately noticeable and it feels _wrong_. What a great way to show how everything is changing for the worse thanks to Bill.

It does make me wonder how Gravity Falls is going to recover though. It looks _bad_, bad enough that in any other show I wouldn't be surprised by a time-machine or a literal genie undoing everything bad that happened. I doubt that'll happen here, since the town itself is so used to the "weird" but if someone dies all bets are off.

YESSSS, Dipper doesn't blame her! I'm sure there'll be some self-blame later on but I'm so glad his first reaction was to be worried.

Why is Soos unaffected? Is it related to his presence in the summoning circle? Looking for unaltered people may be a good way to find who are the missing symbols.

Soos deserved more episodes, what a hero

Has there been any positive romantic relationship in Gravity Falls?

Wendy and Dipper was an unrequited mess, Mabel and all her crushes were all disasters of some kind or another, the less said about Wendy and Robbie the better, and Tambry and Robbie is the result of the twins messing with their minds without their consent. Oh, and Gideon and his murderous crush on Mabel.

I love that tiny shiny dodrio.

I didn't need to know that Bill's hat was meat and bones.

What? No! Warnings later, explanations how to defeat a demon now!

This is the first time he calls Dipper by his symbol, right? He also called Ford "six fingers." The writers really wanted everyone on the same page here about making the relation between the symbols and the characters.

...I refuse to believe that the eye piece meant nothing with how much it has been shown!

Weirdmageddon sounds much better.

Wow. He has been wandering around for three days, probably having to scavenge for food and water. These kids are really going to need a therapist after summer break is over.

For some reason I find that guy more disturbing that most of the weirdness in this episode so far. He just sounds very predator-y.

...oh Dipper, those nachos are three days old at best. So young, so ignorant of the consequences of gastroenteritis.

...of course. I'm glad she's okay. She's been shown as a very badass so it would have been a shame if she was down without a fight.

But, but, rabies.

Can't wait for the weirdmaggeddon to be over and then immediately after everyone dying of infectious diseases.

So, how many post-weirdmageddon dipper/wendy fics did this scene inspire?

Robbie is conspicuously missing from that list

nevermind. Would have been an amazing selfie though, can't fault him for that

Aw. This got me a bit teary-eyed. They really can do anything if they are together.

Shame about Mabel being inside Bill's floating lair completely out of their reach.

What a raw deal, last game I played with twins on it they l– actually, never mind, spoilers. But it was really cool, believe me.

It looks like the mission briefing for a stealth game so, in my case, I'd try to avoid the lights, fail miserably a thousand times and then rage quit. Hopefully Dipper is better at stealth.

Making the world weird?

Wouldn't they know what's going to happen? Since there seems to be only one timeline? Actually, nevermind, I'm too sober to analyze the time travel mechanics of gravity falls.

Time Baby was the most powerful entity in the show so far! Stakes have been raised.

RIP Bodacious T, we never go to know you.

Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015

Two months being a villain and he still hasn't learned to avoid monologuing.

Don't worry, Gideon. It took Steven Universe 6 years to grow a neck, you'll get one someday.

Huh. So Bill manipulated him by using his obsession for Mabel. That's a nice way to explain why it came back after so many episodes without mentioning it too much.

Ugh.

She's a genuine action movie heroine trapped in a cartoon

I have no idea how Wendy manages to get more and more badass this season.

Right!? Right!? Wow.

Holy shit, this really is Fury Road.

that's deep, man

Ah, that explains it. Nothing more dangerous than a philosophy major.

Hatoful Boyfriend, 2014

My mind is exploding right now. I wasn't ready for anime Dipper and Wendy. What are the monkey and kid in the backseat referencing?

Lady Gag– nah, I refuse to use the same joke three times in the same liveblog.

* screams in terror too *

What a shame that we couldn't see the birth of the legend of Soos.

I can't believe Dipper is using the "Power of Understanding" to talk Gideon down.

This is really good. I almost want to joke and say "but it wasn't worth the Wendy/Dipper episodes" but it actually does make them work in retrospect. It's probably the largest source of character growth for Dipper during the show and here's the payoff.

I mean, yes.

WHAT

HOW DARE YOU

GAME IS OVER, AND I WON

NOW IT'S TIME TO START THE FUN

I ALWAYS LOVE CORRUPTING LIVES

NOW LET'S SEE WHICH PINES SURVIVES

well, that's nice.

---

I wasn't sure what to expect from this "Part 1", I thought it was going to be mostly setup. And it had a bit of that, just to show how screwed Gravity Falls (the town) is, but after that it was all action and it was all good.

I think getting Ford out of the way early was a good idea, it removes the possibility of a quick solution. Now Dipper has to figure things on his own. He still needed Wendy to remind him of what he and Mabel are capable of but that's a friend offering help, not "the mentor" giving him the answer to the problem. On the other hand, while Stan hasn't appeared after the goat, he hasn't been captured yet (he's important enough to deserve an on-screen capture, unless it's going to be revealed as a demoralizing surprise?) so I think he'll appear soon since he's just a guy, without any special knowledge about Bill.

Soos really deserves his own show. "The Legend of Soos" Or give Wendy her own show with Soos as the mysterious stranger that appears from time to time to help. Because wow, Wendy is lost in this show, she should be the protagonist of something.

But the star of the show was Dipper talking Gideon down. I _really_ didn't expect that. This is not a show where the protagonists defeat their villains by talking to them (with some exceptions) so I thought they'd defeat him in some other, more violent, way. And the way he uses the "Power of Understanding" to do it (go read Scott Pilgrim)! While Dipper never got to that extreme, he "gets" it and that's just * chef kiss *

I can't wait for the next episode, especially because this one ended in a cliffhanger, so until next time!

[gimmedatingadvice]

Hi luv, I hope you’re having a wonderful day/night !!

I wanted to ask do some advice because I just need some outside perspective! So I’ve been dating my bf for 18 months (+1 year of friendship) and we’re both 19. Basically all of this starts back on 10/21/20 he was feeling bad and had decided to go get tested for covid, and he came out positive. That same day after getting his results he called me and let me know,during that phone call he somewhat tried to hint that I gave it to him bc I live in my college dorms while he lives off campus. That same day (like 15 min after hanging up with him) his dad calls me and was extremely disrespectful and blamed me for him getting covid. Well that same day after being humiliated by my bfs dad I told my bf about it and told him what happened and that I didn’t want to ever speak w/ his dad bc I wasn’t going to be treated like that by anyone (like my own parents have never humiliated and make me feel so bad). My bf said he was going to be neutral in the situation but then proceeded to defend his dad (-.-) and said that I need to be more understanding about the situation. So fast forward 2 day (the day I get my test results) and I came back negative for covid and I just had to self quarentine just in case, well then I let him know about my results he was soo salty and he literally said “k cool”. I let it slide because I didn’t want to argue about it, so throughout my self quarentine we had gotten into a pretty bad argument (#1) about the whole father situation + some built up tension about how I wasn’t being “myself” because I wasn’t in the honeymoon phase. Well that night he got mad and was wanted a break, I told him okay and told him to take as long as he needs but that I wasn’t going to wait more that a month, he said that was fine. Well the next day I wake up and he had posted stuff online in regard to our argument and how that he doesn’t have anyone in his side and stuff (he always does this after arguments he starts it I just ignore it) WELLL after that post I saw that he had posted a conversation he had started with one of his female friends that she was giving him advice and stuff I was like wow because I just don’t like the vibe she gives off. (I don’t have a problem with him having female friends, but it just bothers me that I was pressured to drop all of my guy friends... but that’s a different story for another day). Anyways after seeing that I was kinda upset but still gave him space he texted me in the afternoon that day that he wanted to tak, we talked it over and he had decided that we should stay together. So the next day went by smoothly but on the 3rd day he asked me that was wrong and stuff, and I told him that I was upended about the whole starting a convo w/ the girl and that I was upset that he still hadn’t apologized to his really rude and petty behavior of those two days. We he got v defensive and agitated that I told him why I was wrong and so told me to figure out what I want and if I still wanted to be in our relationship and that I had like 4 days to figure it out. WELLLL I based on his behavior those days prior I was considering breaking up with him but decided against it bc we were under a lot of stress. The next day (4) I get a text from him saying that he wanted a response by the end if the night bc it wasn’t fair for him to keep him waiting... so I told him that we could try to work it out. After that we were doing alright ans slowly trying to fix out mistakes and make sure we corrected our wrongs. Well towards November we’re back to we’re we were before, but I noticed that would just run out of conversation and I know that I personally will do things to avoid talking to him. Lately I’ve just stopped feeling any feelings in regards to him, I do love him but find it hard to incite any emotion.

Hi!! Aww, thank you! I hope you’re having a wonderful day/night too, but if you aren’t because of this concern you have about your relationship with your partner, I really hope I can give you some help to put your mind at rest!

So based on what you sent me, I’m afraid your boyfriend was being rude and disrespectful to you before. I’m sorry that happened to you. You said you were both taking time and effort to work it out though, which is great and I’m glad that you’re both doing your best! But, I see that the problem you have now is that although you love your boyfriend, it sounds like you’re losing interest in him. Maybe the relationship has burnt out.

You may think that you need to break up with him since you’re not into it anymore and that could be what you need to do, but if you genuinely care a lot about him and you both really want to make the relationship work, it’s usually possible to get through the difficulties and make it work. So, don’t make any hasty decisions.

Now, ask yourself what kind of relationship you want (what do you need to feel loved, what love means to you, etc.). You should be completely honest with yourself. Think about why exactly you’re feeling this way. Maybe it’s because your boyfriend isn’t meeting some of the expectations that you have of him. Maybe it’s because you aren’t compatible with him. Oh and trust your gut feelings too.

You should also have an honest and kind discussion about it with your boyfriend (preferably in person). It’s important for him to also know what’s going on. Let him know what’s bothering you and be very clear about it, so that there will be no misunderstandings. But also remember to be prepared for how he might react. For instance, if he doesn’t feel the same way as you do, he’ll be hurt. And it feels terrible to hurt someone, but you have to remember that this is a better option for him and you; it’s better to be truthful. That way, you can both come up with a solution that would suit both of you. You can either work on this together or end it.

You are both still young, so you’re both still learning and growing up. You can both stay in the relationship by learning and growing together. Or you both might decide not to stay in this relationship. And that’s sad, of course, but that’s okay too. Not all relationships last.

Also, if you did all that you can to work on this relationship and you’re satisfied about that, but you’re still unhappy and you feel like you’re in this relationship just because you have to, you should consider breaking up.