#maybe my feelings will change as i finish the series but as of vol 1 i totally wanna collect the series ;0;

[lumchan]

listen i know that sanctuary came out in like. 1995 and is now out of print but i think someone should give me the series for free bc $95 for one volume of manga is insane 

[veliseraptor]

July Reading Recap

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. I can see why people said this one had Adrian Tchaikovsky vibes because in terms of the worldbuilding and the alien species involved it absolutely did. I was not super enamored of the part of the plot that wasn't on the Tines' world (which was...an important part of the plot), but my investment in the politics of the Tines and the worldbuilding around them made up for it. I'm curious about the apparent sequel and whether it's worth reading - does anybody know?

Thousand Autumns: vol. 5 by Meng Xi Shi. I have finished Thousand Autumns and my verdict on it mostly hasn't changed from what it's been throughout: enjoyable but not really fully clicking for me. I liked it! But I didn't love it, and I don't know that it'll stick with me the way other books have, or compel me to do a reread.

A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon. Maybe I just don't have a sense of humor, but I felt like this book was trying too hard to be funny/clever and it landed wrong for me. It was interesting, certainly! And I learned some new things from it, and probably will go on to read the author's other book (about women in Ancient Rome), but this one tonally was not a winner, for me personally.

Ballad of Sword and Wine: vol. 1 by Tang Jiu Qing. Rereading this one (Qiang Jin Jiu, they're really going off in their own direction title translation-wise there) with the official published translation even though I am also binding it, because I can, I guess. And I still deeply appreciate how unhinged Shen Zechuan is, but in, like, mostly a way where it's not obvious to most people until they've known him for a little while. Also the sheer amount of politics, which I'm following better on this second readthrough. I think it'll be rewarding to reread.

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan. One of two Jewish fantasy books I read this month, just by chance (I wasn't intending on a theme, they'd both been on my to-read list for a while). I liked it a lot! I thought it was going to be a stand alone and feel a little funny about it being a series (I'm always looking for more stand alones), but I am also looking forward to more of it.

The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession by David Grann. I've really enjoyed the other David Grann books I've read/listened to (The Lost City of Z, Killers of the Flower Moon) but found myself fairly underwhelmed by most of the essays here. It's not that they weren't good (they were) or interesting (most of them were), it just didn't feel like they were that good or that interesting. Maybe I just like his full-length books better.

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland. It was fine? Not as good as I'd hoped. I called the twist which was satisfying for me personally. I don't know if I'm going to be reading the sequel. Most of the POV characters I liked fairly well, which is the main thing this book had going for it, but one of them bored me to tears and that inflected my enjoyment of the book as a whole.

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez. This book earned its five stars by making me cry in the last 20%. Overall a beautiful book, though, relatively quiet; I wasn't sure about it early on but then it hit a turn that really got me. Makes me want to read his other book. The summary on the back really does not do the book justice but I don't actually know how I would explain it better, and I recognize that makes it a difficult recommendation.

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb. This one was really good and a lot of fun. Very Jewish, too, which was enjoyable and not something I run into all that often in fantasy books. Just...very charming, entertaining, a joy to read.

I'm currently reading Godkiller by Hannah Kaner though I should be reading Edenville since I have it checked out from the library (I'll get to it!). I keep meaning to get back to reading more nonfiction (or realistic fiction) and then getting distracted. My plan for upcoming books, though, includes The Ratline, To Shape a Dragon's Breath, and (after years of having it sit on my shelf) Beauty Is a Wound. We'll see how on task I stay or if I end up wandering off to other stuff.

I'm currently looking for horror and mystery/thriller recommendations, though, so if anyone has any of those I will take them.

[eternal-echoes]

Hi 👋 , totally random ask here, I just want to talk about kiyoka for a minute with someone bc apparently few people read the novels . I recently finished reading vol 6 (Spoilers) , I know I'm late .

And I was stunned , I never expected kiyoka to leave the military, it was of course foreshadowed that he stayed bc of godos dad but it came as shock to me at the end . The thing is I can't really imagine him in any other career , and I'm looking forward to what direction he will choose . I guess not knowing that much about him is a good thing bc that means that the story will focus on his growth as well , at least I hope it does , and we will hopefully see what he is like as a person , bc until this point his character was interwoven with his cold and strict military persona , that obviously doesn't fit him. Whenever we got a glimpse of him outside his profession, something happened and he had to be the commander again . I just wanted your opinion, what career path do you think he will choose , something regarding his powers or something entirely new ? Sorry for my rumbling , have a nice day ❤️

***My Happy Marriage light novel spoilers ahead***

Yeah, Kiyoka changing careers is something really hard for me to imagine, too. It never actually sunk into me that he was considering different career before the event about Godou's dad. I just feel like from the very beginning of the series, Kiyoka had always has this calling to be a military commander.

From Volume 1:

From Volume 5:

Everything about Kiyoka seem to stem from being a military commander. From his coldness and kindness, despite how contradictory those traits are, are both due to him being tasked with a duty to protect the citizens of Imperial City. The wanting to protect is due to his kindness and the coldness part is due to the nature of being in the military. So to me, the military officer is the career perfectly cut out for him. He's not the kind of person who brags about his supernatural ability but at the same time, because he knows he's the best person capable for the military commanding officer so he'll do it to make sure the job is well done, to prevent as much death as possible. He's so single-minded focus on this career that he'd skip lunch and stay overnight at his office and even rejected a marriage proposal from someone who could have been an alright fit for him because he didn't want any distractions to come to his work.

I think the reason for the change is because he met Miyo. Because he wants a future with her, he wants to fulfill his dreams that he had planned before he joined the military. Like being with Miyo encouraged him to be fully himself including pursuing what he truly desire as a dream job. I think because being in the military makes him a cold and callous person, and he doesn't like being that person, especially not when he's with Miyo, so he wants to distance himself from that cold and callous persona.

From Volume 4:

I don't know what career he was considering before he became a military officer. I agree with you and hope that the next volumes will focus on his growth as well since it has been focused on Miyo lately. She is the main protagonist and I've been imagining that the "My" part of My Happy Marriage is from her POV but it is Kiyoka's happy marriage as well. Even though he gives up his military career he will still be assigned missions to fight Grotesqueries since he's a gift-user so that "military" part of him will never really go away.

The only profession I can think of is him teaching other people how to use their gifts. Maybe a military trainer rather than an military commander. Even that's still hard for me to imagine. But Godou did mention that gifts are occurring less often in people nowadays as Grotesqueries show up less and less so maybe there won't be as much need for military trainers as much.

I guess we'll just have to see. Volume 7 comes out on August 20 so we won't have to wait that long.

And you're welcome to vent long posts in my inbox any time, Anon. The My Happy Marriage fandom seem small compare to others so I appreciate any discourse about it.

[gothark]

Books I've read in July 2024

And what I thought about them:

The Husky And His White Cat Shizun Vol 1 - I looked at a problematic person and said 'yes, you. i will keep you' no joke though I breezed through this one, so invested like wdym????

5 Stars

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club - literally based on 'what if everyone was a stereotype' and I really wanted the characters to be more than that? and they were, but all that got added was that they were all fucking mean

DNF

The Sky Blues - really didn't like it at the beginning but I didn't want to DNF another book right away so I continued and I think I liked it more at the end? Might just have taken me hostage instead though. Cheesy.

3.75 Stars

Tadek and the Princess - Follow up Novella to 'A Taste of Gold and Iron' and it made me bawl my eyes out. i was ugly sobbing, such a good exploration of grief and not allowing yourself to feel that grief. chefs kiss.

5 Stars

The Lightning-Struck Heart - I just couldn't get into this one. Maybe me and T.J. Klune just don't mix but this kind of humor goes from kinda funny to really fucking annoying in like 4 chapters.

DNF

Reforged - I just got over A Taste of Gold and Iron and this punted me right back into it, very similar feel but also different? I dunno how to explain it but if you liked one of these you will probably like the other one too. This just missed that slight spark to make it amazing.

4.75 Stars

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories - Jesus fucking Christ. Like. WHAT. I hated this, this is legit the worst book I've ever read. If you like stories that sexualise the abuse of women at the hands of men in literally every single story this is the book for you. Maybe I'm just stupid but none of these stories gave women any agency, everything was just done TO them. Hard no. Gross.

0.25 Stars

She Who Became The Sun - Holy Shit. My beloved. Actually just my favorite fucking book ever. Like Shelley??? Hello??? How did you write this masterwork? Still can't decide if Zhu or Ouyang is my beloved (it's Ouyang) Pls, everyone read this. i'm keeping the second book in the series for dark times.

5 Stars

The Past Is Red - It was fine? I didn't like the guy, whatever his name was, i didn't like the rift between the silly names for things and the at times really horrific things going on?? the reveal at the end felt kind of cheap and unbelievable.

2.25 Stars

MADK Vol 1 - Insane? like... wtf did I just read? homoerotic cannibalism the manga. i was intrigued though and the art is really pretty??? (help)

4 Stars

MADK Vol 2 - i have no clue what's going on anymore, i'm just here for the ride. things are happening and my last brainvell has left the chat

4 Stars

The Fragile Threads of Power - CONFLICTED. I liked it? the world is really interesting? the problem was the 50 different pov's and that i really like some of those characters and really disliked others. i was also a little confused at the beginning because this was the first book i read in this universe (which you totally can do, everything you might be missing gets explained)

4.25 Stars

Herald of the Witch's Mark - i thought this was the last book in the series but it wasn't and i was lowkey so glad to be finished with the series because we have a serious love/hate relationship going on. i'm also just not the biggest fae person I've realised. oopsies.

3 Stars

Red Rising - my god, this is so good. completely changes it's vibe like halfway into the book and i'm all for it??? darrow is fucking insane, batshit crazy. this man will lead me to an early grave and I will THANK HIM FOR IT. he is my favorite frat bro who does murder in space. right after she who became the sun in my fave book rankings.

5 Stars

The Lightning Thief - I read the first five books once as a child and man this just hit such a good nostalgia spot, it also has none of the bad taste that harry potter does and this was just such a nice and easy read. like a nice rainy day in a warm blanket. would recommend.

5 Stars

The Extraordinaries - I actually started reading this at the end of 2023 and that should basically say everything. So technically this is my first TJ Klune, not Lightning-Struck Heart but I gave up on it after. Microwaving a cricket to make it radioactive to gain super powers was just too much. also the main character? felt kind of offensive if he was supposed to be a character with autism because no way in hell would any real person actually be like this

DNF

A Darker Shade of Magic - We have the problem here, I like the world but the pov characters are the ones I did not like in Threads of Power (lila) i'm sorry, i just don't vibe with her personally overall a good book though?

4 Stars

Shadow and Bone - man it just took too long to get to the reveal, once again i didn't really vibe with any of the characters (except for mal) and i want to punt the Darkling to the dark side of the moon

3.75 Stars

The Sea of Monsters - what can I say? i'm a sucker for greek mythology so this is just really my thing and it's just such a nice break to take between other books, also the twist at the end? i love that shit lol

5 Stars

Firefly Lane - so this book was basically taking the blueprint for the life of the typical midwest, american white women (maybe a little extra shitty life) and it's this book. it feels like going down a check list. young girls getting sexually assaulted? check. young girls getting with older men? getting pregnant when it wasn't planned? having a miscarriage? getting married to the guy who liked your best friend before he liked you? surprise twins? (being a bad mom lol) but that works for some people, just not really some gay guy who thinks marriage and children are kind of icky (personally, for me) also the parts where it was heavily implied that the one women was only unhappy because she had her dream job but no husband or children??? so ew. the ending got me though because cancer runs in the family. oh also just way too fucking long. needs to be like 40% shorter, so boring for so much of the time

3.5 Stars

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2024 #42

hello and good morning! progress on my thesis moves at roughly the pace I set out for myself, maybe even a little bit faster which is exciting. yesterday I dropped by barnes & noble and picked up yet more books to add to my tbr. it will never get shorter no matter how speedily I read

Finished:

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, audiobook narrate by Natalie Naudus rereading this was an absolute delight. i'm really looking forward to talking about it with my friends!

Blue Box, Vol. 4 by Kouji Miura, translated by Christine Dashiell

Fool's Quest by Robin Hob, audiobook narrated by Elliot Hill the fucking Gender that is present in this book between Bee, Ash, Spark, the Fool, and Amber.....excited for when I feel ready to take on the last book

My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 1 by Shinichi Fukude, translated by Taylor Engel rey got my DM reaction but the male protagonist of this manga has major egg energy. unfortunately i find the art style extremely un-sexy so I'm having a hard time getting into it (maybe i'll check out the anime?)

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 4 written by Kanehito Yamada, art by Tsukasa Abe, translated by Misa 'Japanese Ammo'

Fadeout by Joseph Hansen, audiobook narrated by Keith Szarabajka i think i was recced this forever ago when looking for non-cop mystery novels. this follows a gay insurance investigator for its sleuth. still a maybe on if i'll check out more of the series

The Wicken + The Divine, Vol. 5-6: Imperial Phase Part 1 & 2 written by Kieron Gillen, art by Jamie McKelvie

The Family Outing by Jessi Hempel, audiobook narrated by the author read for november queer lit book club. oh, i cried!

another sunset by rozecrest on ao3

to hold me like water by rozecrest on ao3 fanfic reading! yay!

Fer-De-Lance by Rex Stout, audiobook narrated by Michael Prichard there is a bit too much casual/implicit misogyny for me to really want to keep on with this series, but it was a fun enough mystery on its own with an eccentric homebody detective

Started/Ongoing:

Magic's Promise by Mereces Lackey, audiobook narrated by Gregory St. John reading to keep up with shelved by genre! big status quo change from the end of the magic's pawn. i'm really liking the storyline with the bard-gifted young man at Vanyel's father's court

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett, audiobook narrated by Thomas Judd if anything bad happens to steve i'm going to kill everyone in this book and then myself.

[nyx-b-log]

phew it's been a busy week! in between life stuff, prepping for an exam on sunday and finishing all these books, i feel like i've been in go mode all week!

i started and finished the house in the cerulean sea by tj klune, about a inspector for state-run orphanages for magical children who gets sent on an assignment to an orphanage with the antichrist and learns what found family means. t only took me a few days to read, it's incredibly easy to sit with and just read for long periods of time, which i think i needed after some dense sci-fi. it's a bit heavy handed in its message in places (the word groupthink was also used at one point), but if you can look past that this is a perfectly pleasant way to spend an afternoon or two. not mind-blowing, but it brought a smile to my face.

worth mentioning is the accusations that the (white) author was using (specifically canadian) residential schools for his own gain. honestly, without knowing that going into it, i'm pretty sure i would never have made the connection (though that might be on me) and i'd bought the book before i found out about this. there's a (positive) discussion of it in this reddit thread (which i'm not linking because i necessarily agree with op, simply that it's comprehensive) and (a negative) one in this one and it's worth looking into on your own before deciding to read the book.

i also finished left-handed booksellers of london which was fine? i enjoyed it enough that i'm interested in reading book two, but i *despise* susan as a character asdfghjkl she spends the entire book going 'what? what?' and doesn't really grow from this. she had so much potential (a shaven headed punk girl in the 80s!) but fell very flat for me. cos of that the romance between her and merlin also felt like an afterthought. the world is great tho, and every time a new character or thing came up i was always interested to see what it was. as a YA book, it was enjoyable. the audiobook performance was occasionally annoying (which maybe contributed to my dislike of susan), but on the whole it's pretty good. she does accents well.

for manga, i read watashi no tadashii oniichan vol 1 again, the manga about a woman looking for her older brother and falling in love with the cute insomniac she works with, but properly this time. still loved it, the building of relationships and reveals is great and i'm really looking forward to finishing the series.

i also read ao haru ride vol 1, which is a classic but i've never actually picked it up before now. it's about a girl who falls in love with a boy in middle school, but then there's a misunderstanding and he moves away, only for them to reunite in high school. it explores their new relationship and how they've changed as people in the intervening years. i *loved* this, i devoured it in one sitting and am very, very sad i don't have the rest of the series. the writing is fantastic, the characters are already amazing, would recommend if you're into character-driven stories and/or romance and haven't picked it up yet.

in terms of stuff i've started, i'm about a third of the way through the traitor baru cormorant and oh my god??? this is amazing???? it's a political fantasy about a girl whose island nation gets colonised by the neighbouring empire and how she's planning to dismantle it from the inside. it's such an angry book, but in the best possible way. deals pretty heavily with colonialism and homophobia (especially in the beginning), with references to sexual assault, so bear that in mind before picking it up, but the writing is exquisite, and it's so cleverly written. also accounting, lots of accounting.

for audiobook i was planning to listen to a guide to imperial china but it wasn't available, so i went with skulduggery pleasant playing with fire (book 2 in the series) which is a nice comforting read. a character will turn up and i'll get hit with a blast of nostalgia, like oh it's you! and i'm enjoying it just like i did the first one.

that's it for me, i'll check in again next week! have a good week everybody!

[beardog]

2023 highlights: books

to combat the miasma that is seasonal affective disorder and at-times-overwhelming depression, i'm trying to remember all the good stuff this year and write it down so i can appreciate it all. i decided to start with books.

this is mostly for personal journaling/record keeping purposes, but maybe someone'll find this entertaining. this is all really embarrassing, but i'm making this public because i'm just an embarrassing person i guess

when i first started training at the library, one of my coworkers asked what kind of books i liked to read. embarrassed, i told her "i mainly just read graphic novels..."

and i'll never forget what she said to me in response: "graphic novels are novels."

when i worked at that location again as a sub 3 years later (beginning of this year), she nor anyone else i had met remembered that i trained there (i was basically there for only a hot minute and my hair was longer i think is the thing). but that memory will always stick with me. whatever preconceived notions i had about the library started to change when i started working at one. that's why when i'm working the booth at pride i make it a point to shout out, "you don't have to be literate to use the library!" ("i'm illiterate and i work at one!!" i joke afterwards) there's no judgment here. even if you don't read books or comics, there are still movies and games and music and so much more

even so, i still feel a bit embarrassed that i'm a library worker who doesn't read (it's compounded w the general insecurity i have being the least educated person in my workplace, as well as how slowly my brain works - but this is all just a "me" issue lol). reading is a huge struggle for me. i don't have difficulty with the act of reading words on a page, but it is so so hard for me to finish books. even when it's something i'm interested in!! i haven't figured out exactly what type of writing captures and maintains my interest, so to me, it feels very random the things i wind up reading. that being said, i feel like i've completed more books than i have in the past like... 5, 10 years? so i'm proud of that. hopefully, i can read more next year

not in any particular order, here are some books that i read or listened to. no full reviews or summaries; just some notes

small joys by elvin james mensah: i think i read this one in like, may? june? it had an unassuming cover but it caught my eye and then the story just really resonated with me. the books i'm listing aren't necessarily recommendations, but this one i adore. i related to the main character so much, loved this depiction of found family and friendships and relationships that can't be categorized. it was just so full of life and love and pain. it's this dude's first work, and hopefully i'll dig whatever he puts out next, because his writing was so good here.

how i killed pluto and why it had it coming by mike brown: i listened to this one on libby like a month or so ago. fucking loved it. i've never been one of those people who believes pluto should still be classified as a planet, but i've never delved into the how's and why's of it until now. it's also an incredibly personal account of mike brown's life during this time period as well, and it's written with a lot of love and consideration.

i'm in love with the villainess, vols 1 - 3 (still reading 4) by inori: i must have started this near the beginning of the year. probably. or maybe spring?? anyways. light novels are meant to be easy to read, but still, the fact that i got through 3 of these (and halfway through the fourth) is something i think i can be proud of. i love the manga, i love the anime, but the source material is so good.

fruits basket another, vols 1-4 by natsuki takaya: was in a real fruits basket mood this summer because of the new anime adaptation. this lil sequel series was cute and definitely written for the fans. with all the drama and trauma from the og series, it's nice to see how good and wholesome the next generation is. they made a point to not really show the parents at all which is good because i can't fucking stand shigure (what's nice is that his son doesn't seem to like him either lol). fruits basket, my forever problematic fave that it is, has some elements i will never accept and he's one of 'em lmao

that's as much as i can remember. there were certainly manga series i've been keeping up with on dynasty. but anything else idk! still proud that i read this much

[queenk00k]

red wine lips part 4 // rafe cameron

warnings: you know the drill, it’s smut baby.

word count: 1.6k

READ PART 1 HERE

READ PART 2 HERE

READ PART 3 HERE

author’s note: this is the final part of the red wine lips series! thank you so much to everyone who has read, supported and loved this series with me. look out for plenty more rafe content to come.

For two months now, you and Rafe have been enjoying each other’s company in more ways than one. Never one to waste any time, but certainly one to avoid discussing anything remotely serious, you were quick to fall into a rhythm with your best friend/fuck buddy/whatever else he may be. After the incidents at the winery and the tennis club, there was an unspoken agreement between you and the self-professed Kook King that you’ll continue to hang out as friends and sneak off whenever possible to let out that pent up sexual frustration you knew too well.

And, since Rafe seemed to constantly want to get his dick wet, there was rarely an outing or event that went without a sneaky quickie in a hidden corner or locked bathroom.

You recall sneaking up to Topper’s roof during one of his parties, Rafe bending you over the railing that looked over the backyard, answering Rafe’s “wanna fuck u now” texts with a coy smile and raised eyebrow and, more recently, the memory of Rafe pressing you up against the wall in a changing room as you decided on your dress for Midsummers.

What you can’t seem to remember, however, is when your feelings for Rafe extended beyond how much you liked the feeling of his body flush against yours, lips attached to your neck.

Maybe it was when you started talking with one another for longer after having sex instead of just leaving, or maybe that one time when he lifted up your chin with his index finger to kiss you (the cool metal of his ring a stark contrast against your flushed skin), or when seeing him flirting with a Touron made your blood boil.

You’ve found yourself completely and hopelessly falling for Rafe Cameron.

It’s a few hours before the start of Midsummers, a night you’ve been looking forward to for the last few weeks, and yet you can’t seem to get yourself out of bed. You’ve mostly got a handle on your anxiety but on days like this you’re brought right back to square one. It’s a tough job to keep up with Rafe and your extended group of friends and show your face at every event on the Figure 8 social calendar, and right now you can’t think of anything worse than spending hours around other people.

Your stomach twisting in knots, you look at your pale pink tulle gown hanging on your bedroom door (something different, at Rafe’s request) and sigh. Rafe was going to disappointed but there was no way you were going to force yourself to do something you’re completely uncomfortable with.

You roll onto your side and pick up your phone, choosing to ignore the dozen or so text messages from Claire (“where are you? I thought we were pre-gaming? This champagne won’t drink itself!”) and scroll until you find Rafe’s number.

He answers on the second ring. “Y/N, hey! Are you on your way to Topper’s? I don’t want to start without you,” he says.

You gulp before answering him. “Hey Rafe, look, I’m really sorry but I’m not coming to Midsummers-”

“Why not? What’s wrong?”

“I just feel like garbage, I really don’t feel up to partying tonight,” you say.

“Do you need me to come over?” Rafe asks, sounding concerned.

You brush him off. “No, no, it’s okay. You guys go and have fun, I’ll see you later.”

There’s a long pause before Rafe replies. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

“Yeah Rafe, it’s fine. Bye!”

“Bye. Feel better.”

He hangs up and you’re left to stare at your ceiling, feeling deflated, before closing your eyes and falling back asleep.

--

Not long after, a soft knock on your bedroom door wakes you up. Assuming it’s your mum coming to convince you to come, you don’t bother to raise your head off your plush pillow as you begrudgingly say “come in.”

Rafe Cameron was the last person you expected to walk through your door, much less dressed in grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt instead of his baby blue suit and bowtie.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” he says, smiling fondly. “Feeling a bit better?”

“What are you doing here Rafe?”

He walks across your room and takes a seat gingerly on the edge of your bed, placing his hand on your leg.

“You felt like shit and I wanted to make you feel better. Here I am.”

You’re touched by his sweetness and find yourself at a loss for words.

“Can I get in?”

You nod and Rafe pulls off his t-shirt, before getting into your bed and wrapping his muscled arm around you, pulling you into his chest.

“C’mere,” he says and you snuggle into him, feeling both content and confused.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble against Rafe’s chest.

“For what?”

“I know you wanted to show me off tonight, and we had that plan to sneak off to the locker room-”

Rafe chuckles. “I don’t care about that. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You’re my best friend first and foremost, Y/N. I gotta look out for you.”

You breathe in shakily. “I know but….you’re not my boyfriend, Rafe. I would have understood if you went to Midsummers and got with Olivia or whoever.”

There’s a painfully long silence and you’re terrified of Rafe’s response.

“I’d like to be,” he finally says quietly.

You lift your head up, heart racing, not entirely sure what you just heard.

“What?”

Rafe looks down at you. “I’d like to be your boyfriend, if you’d let me.”

You grin.

“Of course, Rafe. Of course I’ll ‘let you be my boyfriend.’”

Rafe smiles sweetly and kisses you on the forehead, then the tip of your nose, before finally brushing his lips against yours.

You hum with contentment and shift your position so you’re facing him, your elbows braced on either side of his head as you continue to kiss, his tongue slipping in your mouth as you move together.

Rafe’s hand rests on your waist as the other sneaks up your t-shirt, cupping your right breast and running his thumb over your quickly hardened nipple.

The pace is slow and languid, syrupy sweet and completely different to what you’re used to. There’s no hasty pushing clothes aside or feverish kisses, the two of you are almost lazy, taking your time and taking it all in.

Soon enough, you’re lifting your arms above your head as Rafe slowly pulls your t-shirt over your head and he’s blinking up at you like you’re the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen, his eyes glazed over with complete adoration.

You’re suddenly acutely aware of the fact that this is the first time Rafe has actually seen you naked like this, and you cross your arms over your stomach instinctively. Rafe shakes his head and pulls your arms down, kissing you passionately.

“You’re beautiful,” he says and you smile into the kiss.

Rafe plays with your nipple with one hand as he finds your clit with the other, pressing gently into your heat as you whimper, the rolling pleasure almost becoming too much as he slips his finger inside.

You whimper, rocking against him, asking him for more and moaning louder as he adds another finger, and then another, before he’s slowly pumping three fingers inside your hot centre and you’re cumming around his fingers with a shudder.

There’s a pause as you catch your breath, and you smirk as you feel how hard he is beneath you.  

“Feel good babe?” Rafe asks you.

You nod.

“You’re severely overdressed,” you say, rolling off Rafe to give him the space to pull off his sweatpants, his underwear coming with it and his hard cock springing out, a bead of pre-cum glimmering at the tip.

You move to get into position on the bed, lifting your ass up, before Rafe tuts and moves you onto your back.

“I want to look at your pretty face,” he says, pumping his cock with some lube he found in your bedside table.

You nod, almost nervous, as Rafe lines up the head of his cock with your entrance. He pushes into you slowly and you feel your walls tighten around his length.

As if he feels your slight nervousness, Rafe kisses you on the forehead once more and asks “are you okay? We can stop.”

“I’m more than okay,” you reply and you grab his ass with both of your hands, pulling him deeper inside you.

Rafe groans and rocks into you, picking up his pace as you both move together, enjoying this new closeness you’d not experienced with one another before. You make sure to pull your new boyfriend in for a deep kiss intermittently, and he makes a point of staring deeply into your eyes as he whimpers.

After some minutes of him pumping his cock inside you, Rafe’s movements start to sputter and become irregular and you can tell he’s close to finishing.

“Baby, I’m going to cum,” he says and you simply wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace as he moans one final time, pushing his cock into you and spilling his cum inside you.

You can’t quite put your finger on why but this time feels so unbelievably different, and better, than all of the other times.

Rafe stays inside you for a few moments, and then presses his slightly sweaty forehead to yours, his eyes fluttering closed.

“You’re incredible,” he says, and you feel happier in that moment than any other time in your life.

taglist: 

@letsgofullkook​ @stargazingstarkey​ @harrysbbby​ @socialwriter​ @thatjohnd​ @ssjiara​ @jjsmentalpolaroids​ @bailspogue​ @jjtheangel​ @rafecameron​​ @obx-direction-sos​​ @pixelated-pogues​​ @jjmbanks​​ @ims0golden​​  @drewstarkey​​ @teenwaywardasgardian​​ @tembo-ndoto​​ @prejudic3​​ @starkeymarkey​​ @snkkat​​ @drewxxrudy​​ @pogue-writings​​ @pookie-cleary​​ @jjmaybcnks​​ @shawnssongs​​ @obxjj​​ @drewswannabegirl​​ @curlybrownhairedboys​​ @the-moon-looks-old-and-gray​​ @peach97​​ @k-k0129​​ @broken-jj​​ @annedub​​ @starlightstarkey​​ @starrystarkey93​​ @jiaraendgame​​ @sarahcxmeron​​ @overly-b​​ @erraaxh​​ @pink-meringues​​ @rollinsstuff​​ @microwaved-timmies​​ @iamaunicorn4704​​ @a-golden-sunflower-vol-6​​ @ptersparkers​ @jjmaybankx​ @sortagaysortahigh​​ @honeyycheek​​ @downbytheouterbanks​​ @milamaybank​​ @dpaccione​​ @hbooth0411​ @girlsru1eboysdroo1​​  @moldisgoodforyou​​ @surfalldaybaby​​ @outrbanks​ @outerbongs​ @famousstarsandkelly​ @yuxsh06​ @outerbanksbro @httpstarkey​ @sunnypogue​ @sweetlysilent​ @outerbanksbro​

[meimae]

Look at me, not being on time for my April Immersion Overview as is the usual. (・w・;

First, little blog updates to get out of the way:

I reached 100 followers! Got an influx of people checking out my 1 year update post, and got plenty of nice compliments on my data collection.

For those of you wondering just why I keep up with so much data, it's mostly because it can get really hard to notice how much you're improving in a language especially with something like immersion learning that for people who don't get it feels like a waste of time or a time sink.

Graphs showing consistency, improvement in reading speed, increasing vocabulary counts, and generally just seeing numbers grow turns language learning more fun and motivating for me, and if as a bonus, it encourages someone to try immersion learning then that would be cool!

With that said, whether you're here as a fellow language learner, graphs enthusiast (笑), or just want some Japanese media recommendations, ようこそ! 

Also, made a tiny DP change - it’s チト from 少女週末旅行. Pretty sure it’s the first manga series I ever finished in Japanese (not the first one I started since ちはやふる is still ongoing), and I always felt a bit of a ☆connection☆ with  her - between her book-loving personality and being a no-nonsense kind of person, there was no way for me not to enjoy her character. Great beginner anime/manga if you’re not into most beginner recommendations.

-☆-

April has been a pretty good immersion month, as I was able to dip my toes in a variety of media. A bit competitive, too! The club I joined has been pulling all the stops to get to the Top 20 Immersion Leaderboard in it’s first month. I was able to snag the 9th spot among a bunch of people of different comprehension levels (the majority being N1+ since they’re able to comprehend much more and in turn stand longer immersion hours). Lots of tiny complaints though of potential “whitenoising” content (”listening” and “reading” but not comprehending very well just to get a large number to post), but really what can you do? People lie all the time on the internet. Besides, it’s internet points that doesn’t do anything beyond being a little shiny I guess.

Enough about that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details you came here for!

ANIME

フルーツバスケット

Might need to rewatch this one. Felt like I didn’t connect with the characters the way the rest of its fandom has. I’m kinda sad about it, since I normally love Slice of Life and Fantasy, and I know this is one of my friend’s diehard shows.

ラブライブ! School Idol Project S2

A filler anime to watch tbh. Nice and easy enough to follow for beginners. Pretty good songs. With regards to it being a show about music and moe, I still 100% prefer K-On! if I’m going to be honest, but for a show about non-toxic idols, it’s good!

魔法少女まどか☆マギカ

First read this as English translated manga when I was 13 or something. Mistakes were made. Let’s all just agree to throw キュウベえ into a pit of fire and never talk about it again. Great ending and a show that really reworked the magical girl genre. But seriously, I was traumatized by マミ’s death then and now, help.

四月は君の嘘

Already knew what was going to happen even before watching this so I didn’t ugly cry like I was expecting. Still got that awful sinking feeling though. 10/10 would recommend for a good cry. Also, I’m planning to read the manga, might enjoy that more, because I’ve always liked it more than anime actually. *shocked pikachu face*

ホリミヤ

Watched before I even finished the manga which felt like a mistake at first until I realized that it perfectly stops where I stopped reading. Nice and comfy anime, the kind I would have loved as a teen. Fun animation too, making parts very dramatic even though it wasn’t really that deep of an issue even in the manga. Just teens feeling feelings. Still salty that we lose bad boy styled 宮村, but I get why it had to happen.

AUDIOBOOKS

氷菓

Second re-listen. I understand it fine, but it’s very easy to drift off when you can’t catch all the words so I had to replay often. Will have to mine more from the anime/book.

君の名は

I mined from the anime, and was really pleased to be able to follow all 6 hours of this audiobook perfectly fine. Will need to read the book, because I realized just how seamless reading it would be after listening to it with hardly any issue.

BOOKS

キッチェン

Completed! Read my thoughts about it and see my stats on this post.

君の膵臓を食べたい

Still trudging on with this one. It’s not a bad story, it’s pretty well written actually, I just made the mistake of watching both the anime and live adaptation first, so I know exactly what’s going to happen and it’s killing my motivation to keep reading. I guess reading the book first before watching the movie still applies in any language with me. Really need to 頑張れ and finish so I can move on. 

三日間の幸福

Started reading towards the end of the month, mostly because I realized that every chapter is only 5000-15000 characters long, and I was able to read up to 40k in a day with Island most days. Only two chapters read so far though because I got distracted by manga, but it’s shaping up to be a really good plot and potentially a really sad one, too, so I’m interested.

DRAMA

花ざかりの君たちへ イケメンパラダイス

Heard this was a classic so I gave it a try. Loved 生田 斗真’s character in this one the most especially all his internal dialogue acted out. Also, 小栗 旬 in anything is bound to be a good watch. Simple and fun watch. They dragged the ending so much though lmao 

ごくせん

Look, I see 松本 潤, I click. Definitely the kind of show you should watch for some great life advice. Planning to watch the 2nd and 3rd seasons even if there is a terrible lack of 松本 潤, because I love my strong female protagonists, and man, ヤンクミ is such a great character. Need to read the manga, too, if I can find it.

極主夫道

Oof, this was kind of hard. The yakuza talk was throwing me off, but the rest of it was enjoyable. Not really plot heavy as I thought it was going to be. The comedy side of it was fun and predictable after the first few episodes. Overall, pretty good slice of life, family story with a twist.

MANGA

Read a bunch of manga this month, mostly because I am struggling to find the next vn to read.

おやすみプンプン

Read a couple of volumes (6-7). This manga is so good, but it’s so depressing I need to stop to take a breather every once in a while. Please don’t leave any spoilers. The club has been reacting to me reading this, and it has mostly been a lot of crying emotes. It’s both been enjoyable to see and really worrying. 笑

チェンソーマン

Club recommendation. Only read the 1st volume so far. I really need to get into more 少年 anime/manga. That’s currently my 苦手 genre which is awful because literally all the top anime/manga is 少年 help. I just can’t enjoy it much still even though it’s comprehensible to me.

ちはやふる 中学生編

Read Vol. 1, chill read to me at this point after reading 45 volumes of the regular manga. Look, it’s my favorite 幼馴染 manga in baby format, of course I’m going to read this! 太一 has been a flake way before season 3 confirmed. Don’t come at me たいちはや stans bc I also like his character.

約束のネバーランド

Volume 7. I’m taking my sweet time with this one, because I heard the anime for season 2 sucked, so I’m avoiding it like the plague. This is 少年 how am I enjoying this and not everything else what.

ヲタクに恋は難しい

Enjoyed the anime hated the movie why did they make it a musical that sucked (ps i normally love musicals hated this one) 

The オタク jargon is kinda hard to read suprisingly but I do enjoy this ship very much. It’s a lighthearted take to otaku culture which is great because seriously it’s scary out there.

ツバサ -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-

It’s my childhood ship, obviously I will read this again (read in English several years ago). Still as plot twisty as I remember it being (now at a bonus hard level reading it in Japanese 笑). Really enjoyed reading this one (I finished it this May).

-☆-

I’m starting to really dislike furigana in manga. It was a great help as a beginner, but now it’s like training wheels that you can’t take off. I feel like the gains I’m getting from manga is much lower than it was when I first started which makes me both proud of how far I’ve come, but also sad because I love manga. Sad that I might have to start choose VNs over it, because it’s not going to challenge me as much going forward. I mean it didn’t stop me from reading a lot of it this month, but you get the picture.

VISUAL NOVELS

ISLAND

Completed! See my stats and read my long spoiler filled post here.

ファタモルガーナの館

Picked up this VN and finished two doors (15 hours) before stopping. On the fence about it, because it has been kind of predictable so far, and I don’t particularly enjoy the horror genre. That said, this is more psychological than anything, so it’s probably not that that’s putting me off. The language is not exactly difficult, too - maybe some oddly specific words because it is after all historical fiction (which is one of my favorite genres, btw), and 敬語 is definitely interesting to read for once after encountering so many お嬢様 characters in anime/drama so far. 

I think maybe it’s the conversations that are kind of dull - dots (silence) every few clicks that keeps breaking the flow of reading. Probably judging it really harshly too early, because it’s rated so high everywhere, and I just have high expectations. Definitely not dropping it yet though, just taking a break and testing a couple of other VNs before I settle with whatever I end up choosing. It is, after all, going to be another 50+ hour read, and I just don’t want to not enjoy the process, because having fun with the process is a huge part of immersion learning.

Let me know if you’ve read Fata and if I should continue! 

-☆-

That’s it for this month!

If you have any suggestions on what to watch and read next, please send me a reply, especially for VNs because I’m struggling over here.

[theydontknowaboutusimagines]

Sunflower -  Harry Styles AU Series (Volume 11)

The year is 1977 and it’s officially summertime. Y/N is spending it with her family at the Malibu Breeze Hotel, where she meets, aspiring musician, Harry Styles. The two clash in the beginning, but soon realize they may just need each other in the end. Find out just how life changing one summer can be in Sunflower, a Harry Styles AU.          

Vol. 1 Vol. 2 Vol. 3 Vol. 4. Vol. 5 Vol. 6 Vol. 7   Vol. 8   Vol. 9  Vol. 10 

**

I made it to Harry’s bungalow just in the nick of time before it started pouring rain.

“How is it raining right now?” I laughed. “It was just fine.”

“That’s the beach for it,” Harry laughed. “I guess we can just do our session here.”

“Sounds good,” I nodded, placing my guitar case on the floor.

“Want anything to drink?” He asked. “Beer, water, soda?”

“I’ll take a water,” I told him.

“Do you ever… you know drink? Let loose?” He asked.

I blushed, suddenly feeling a bit self conscious, “I… When you have a sister like mine and see all the shit she gets herself into, it’s kinda hard to bring that upon myself,” I sighed.

“I get it,” he said. “Makes sense. Also, I hope you know that you don’t have to do that shit just because everyone else does. Sometimes I wish I didn’t fall into the trap either.”

“Then why do you?” I asked.

“I feel like it’s expected of me,” he shrugged. “But also when I’m going through shit, it’s just easier to chill the fuck out and now distract myself from it, at least for a little bit.”

“I get it, makes sense,” I giggled.

“Did you just mock me?” He gasped.

“I mean… yeah,” I shrugged.

“Oh, you’re going to get it,” he smirked, walking over to me.

I thought he was going to kiss me since he was leaning in and reaching his hands towards my hips, however, he had other plans. Next thing I know he’s tickling my sides causing me to let out a screech. I try maneuvering out of his grasp, but he’s strategically placed himself to where it wasn’t a simple getaway. I kept laughing as I tried pushing him off and soon he no longer was tickling me, but staring at me.

His gaze moved from my lips to my eyes and back. We’ve kissed before and each time I felt shivers down my spine and butterflies in my stomach. I didn’t know if those were a fluke or if it was the real deal. He brought his hand up to my cheek, caressing the skin with his thumb, before closing the distance between us by pressing his lips against mine.

**

An hour had passed before we actually started working on a new song, you know the whole reason I was there in the first place. I didn’t really have a plan going into the writing process, but I started randomly strumming along on my guitar. I hummed a melody to match the guitar when I heard Harry sigh.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s nothing,” he sighed.

“It’s obviously something,” I told him.

“I can’t write for shit these last few days,” he said. “I sit down and have an idea, but then nothing comes out.”

“You can’t force the words to come out,” I said. “Songwriting is about being in the moment and capturing how you feel in the words. If you’re trying to force an idea to come to light, you’re going to be left with shit.”

“But I don’t have time to wait for the perfect moment. I gotta get these songs written so the band can rehearse them before the gig,” he shook his head.

“Did you ever think maybe that’s part of the problem?” I asked. “You’re worrying so much about impressing some record label guy that you’ve lost sight of the music?”

“Excuse me?” He asked.

“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” I started. “What I mean is, I get that this gig is fucking huge and will change all of our lives one way or the another. But despite all that, if we put too much thought into impressing this guy in a suit, you’re going to drive yourself crazy.”

“I get what you’re saying, Y/N, I do, but I have to put pressure on myself because this is the first time I’ve gotten this close to getting my dream,” he sighed. “And of course, the songs are shit and I can’t come up with anything.”

“When you sit down to write, what are you thinking about?” I asked.

“That I need to write a damn good song,” he stated. “I write down all the hot topics and sounds that’ll get us signed.”

“Okay, now, what did you think about when you used to sit down and write, before this whole arrangement with the record label?” I asked.

Harry paused before giving me an answer, “I don’t know, I guess I just sat down and wrote when and what I felt like.”

“Exactly,” I pointed out. “You’re too in your head with this shit. You’re trying to write the perfect song that you think the guy wants to hear. Let’s say you wrote a song that the record label loved and knew it would be a hit, but you hated it. Not at first, but the more you played it or they suggested you change a few things. Do you want to make the music they want to hear, or music that you want to play?”

“I want to be on a stage playing music for the rest of my life,” he whispered. “I’m not good at anything else and nothing makes me feel like being on that stage does.”

“But will you still feel that way if you’re not making the music you really want to make? Do you want to go into this being a version of yourself that’s not real?” I whispered.

Harry runs his hand through his hair, avoiding the question.

“How about this… tonight we work on one song,” I suggested. “We don’t worry about the record label, or what they want. We don’t worry about what the hit songs on the radio sound like. We just… write about whatever we’re feeling and we let the music do the talking.”

“Not every song is going to be a hit, but every song needs to be real,” I added.

“Okay,” he whispered. “Let’s do this.”

**

A few nights had passed and it was time to introduce our new song to the band Harry and I had written. I loved the song and it wasn’t even completely finished yet. Lyrics wise, it was, but it still needed the music to be finished. That’s where the band came in. I knew Harry was nervous to introduce the song because they hadn’t been fans of the ones he gave them before, so it was going to be a big deal.

We  had spent the majority of the night working on the song. There were times we had a little banter going back and forth, mostly a little harmless flirting, but in the end we wrote a song you were both proud of. I stood with my guitar over my shoulder as I waited for Harry to hand the copies of the song to everyone else.

No one said anything at first, skimming over the lyrics. Even though I knew it was a great song, I felt nervous as well the longer they went on without saying anything.

“Is anyone going to fucking say anything?” Harry mumbled, running his hands through his hair.

“Let’s do a run through,” Mitch suggested.

“I agree,” I nodded. “It’ll be better to get a feel for it.”

“Okay, then let’s take it from the top,” Harry said.

I looked around, waiting for everyone to take their cue, as we started playing the first few notes of the song.

“Walk in your rainbow paradise,” Harry sang. “Strawberry lipstick state of mind. I get so lost inside your eyes, would you believe it?”

“You don’t have to say you love me, You don’t have to say nothing, you don’t have to say your mine,” he continued.

“Honey, (ah-ah-ah) I’d walk through for you, just let me adore you, oh, honey…” I sang along with him.

I wasn’t sure if the rest of the band was paying attention, but if they were they clearly would see that Harry and I were staring at each other as we sang the song. Yes, in a way the song was about us, but also just in general meeting someone for the first time and wanting to be with them in any way.

At the end of the song, we waited to hear any feedback from the rest of the band.

“So, thoughts?” I asked.

“Ding ding ding, we have a winner,” Jasper smirked.

Harry looked over at me and smiled, “Well, then I guess we better keep it up.”

“Guess, we do,” I smiled.

**

Later that night, the band had packed up, leaving Harry and I by ourselves. We were heading back towards Bungalow Valley and the hotel. It was late, dawn would be in less than a few hours, but I didn’t feel tired at all. Rehearsals went amazing and I was on cloud nine. I didn’t want to go back yet.

“How do you think tonight went?” I asked.

“You were right,” he said. “I needed to let loose and write what I wanted to play. The band loved it and it sounded fucking amazing tonight.”

“See,” I smirked, hitting my shoulder against his. “I told you.”

He rolled his eyes with a laugh, shaking his head, “Would you uh… want to stop by my place for a bit?” He asked.

“I-” I whispered.

“No, it’s okay. It’s late, sorry,” he said, walking ahead.

“No, wait, it’s fine,” I said. “I’m not ready to go home just yet.”

“Really?” his voice, squealed a little.

“Really,” I smiled.

“O-okay, um, yeah, okay, let’s uh… go then,” he coughed.

I giggled, looking at him. “You okay there?”

“I’m good, chill, perfect,” he answered.

“Riiight,” I laughed. “Come on, it’s cold out.”

Harry followed behind to his place, opening the door once we got there. I walked inside, setting my guitar down. I sat down, rubbing my arms to get warm.

“Uh, here,” he said, bringing over a blanket from his bed.

“Thanks,” I smiled.

He nodded, grabbing two beers before walking back over and sitting next to me.

“Here’s to writing a damn good song,” he said, holding out his beer towards mine.

“And to writing a few more,” I added before clinking  my bottle with his.

Harry smiled, taking a swig of his beer. We sat in silence for a few minutes as I sipped mine. I wasn’t a huge fan of beer, but I didn’t mind it. After a moment, Harry placed his bottle on the table, turning to look at me. He reached out for my hand, taking it in his and lacing our fingers together.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what?” I asked.

“For helping me, be me,” he shrugged.

“All I did was tell you not to worry about anyone else,” I laughed.

“I know, but it’s what I needed to hear,” he said.

“Well, you’re welcome,” I smiled.

He laughed, shaking his head.

“What now?” I laughed.

“I-I don’t know. I can’t explain it.. What I feel when I’m around you,” he whispered. “I’ve never felt this way before. It’s weird, but I don’t want it to ever go away.”

“I know what you mean,” I told him.

He pushed a loose strand of hair out of my face as he looked into my eyes, “What would you say if I told you I was going to kiss you right now,” he asked.

“I’d say you don’t have to ask,” I whispered.

His lips tugged into a smile as he leaned in to press his lips against mine.

[latveriansnailmail]

Favorite Movies as of 2021

Subject to updating because surely I’ve missed a few. This is not supposed to be a list of meritorious films but rather just a list of movies I genuinely enjoy. It runs from Shakespeare to Bill & Ted with heavy doses of 80s fantasy, superhero schlock, and pretty much anything with Kurt Russell in it. Enjoy.

1- Harvey No contest, my favorite of all time.

2- Big Trouble in Little China It’s always a great joy to introduce a new viewer to this film.

3- Flash Gordon (1980) In which they totally lean into the camp and low budget.

4- The Thing I watch this annually upon the first major snowfall.

5- Titus (Taymor) One winter break Titus would be on one of the movie channels each day when I woke up, so I watched it daily for a month and it didn’t get old.

6- Death to Smoochy “Are you alright?” “I’m a little fucked up in general so it’s hard to gauge.”

7- Blade Runner (The Final Cut) So there’s this dude Deckard and he hunts robots but it turns out HE’S a robot, oh so very clever, little film

8- Tombstone I recently learned that Kurt Russell directed this film in all but name.

9- The Dark Crystal Immersive fantasy, though I’m sure it appears plain, drab, and simple now after the Netflix prequel.

10- Somewhere in Time I’m a romantic, I guess. Thus all the John Carpenter movies.

11- Grosse Pointe Blank So good, I used to think I liked John Cusack.

12- The Producers (musical) You heard me. Wilder and Mostel were great but the musical version had decades to mill over and expand the premise.

13- To Be or Not To Be (Brooks) Surprisingly suspenseful.

14- The 13th Warrior Saw it again recently and it holds up. Horror, only it happens to viking warriors who would rather chop the horror down than run.

15- The Mighty Thor I mean, Black Panther is objectively the best of the lot but subjectively this is my personal favorite superhero flick. I must have seen it a half a dozen times at least.

16- Lost Boys A billion Chinese can’t be wrong.

17- Die Hard A Christmas tradition. As a postman, it’s cathartic for me to watch Christmas get blown up a little before all the hugging and sentiment.

18- The Blues Brothers Deadpan hilarity cut with performances by legends of blues and soul.

19- The Sting The best heist film. It keeps you guessing until the very end and no twist feels arbitrary or leaves a hole.

20- Interview with the Vampire Fun fact, I looked like Pitt’s Louis when I was a young man in the goth scene.

21- Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure “Be excellent to each other!” “Party on, dudes!” *air guitar*

22- The Seventh Seal See? This list has its high points.

23- Revolutionary Girl Utena Note: Read the entire manga, watch the entire anime series, and read Adolescence of Utena BEFORE watching this or you’ll be left confused. Dazzled but confused.

24- The Nightmare Before Christmas So good I got the tarot deck.

25- The Last Unicorn It’s still a damn shame they never made that live action remake. Christopher Lee was set to reprise King Haggard.

26- Chasing Amy Honestly changed my life.

27- Excalibur It’s weird though how they’re always in armor. Wedding? Armor. Dinner? Armor. Deathbed? Armor.

28- Ginger Snaps A cut above any other werewolf movie I’ve seen.

29- Top Secret! My sense of humor distilled.

30- Clash of the Titans (Harryhousen) Yeah it’s dry but then there’s the monsters.

31- Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life People are not wearing enough hats.

32- Shadow of the Vampire Nosferatu nearly made this list but it’s hard to pinpoint a definitive cut. Try instead this film about the making of Nosferatu with an actual vampire as the vampire.

33- Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Look, we as a culture had the unfortunate experience of Twilight. This is the same premise but actually good.

34- The Last Supper This film challenged and changed me as a young man more so than any other work of art.

35- The Princess Bride The perfect film, but I’ve seen it so much it’s down at 35 now.

36- Blazing Saddles What can I as a white guy say? Just watch the movie.

37- Streets of Fire Always suspicious to me how Final Fight premiered within a year of this movie.

38- Gremlins More Christmas havok. Yum?

39- The Beastmaster Forgotten and underappreciated.

40- Ladyhawke A thing of beauty.

41- Willow C’mon. It’s Willow. I have nothing to justify here.

42- Speed Racer I know you heard it’s bad but hear me out: it is the strongest narrative I’ve ever seen on film and it’s exactly the way you played with your toy cars when you were little.

43- Angelheart You’re supposed to know that de Niro is Lucifer. The rest is mystery and the final reveal set up a trope that’s been done into the ground nowadays.

44- The Hunger More atmosphere than plot, but hey, vampire Bowie!

45- Zoolander My partner’s favorite.

46- Faust (Murnau) You will be shocked to see what was possible to achieve in film in 1926.

47- A Muppet Christmas Carol but a cut that includes the fiance’s song This finishes out my traditional Christmas films.

48- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Y’know, I’ve got two Branagh films on here and neither are what you would expect given his catalog. The other one’s Thor for crying out loud.

49- Highlander I noticed in recent editions of Vampire: the Masquerade that it’s still possible in that game to hide a katana in a trenchcoat. This movie is why.

50- The Name of the Rose One of only a few instances where I prefer the film to the book. That book loooooong.

51- Robocop (1987) Of all the damn science fiction, why must we be in Robocop?

52- The Prophecy Now we’re getting into films I demoted since the last time I updated this list. This film’s a slow burn unless you get turned up for angels and Christopher Walken like I do.

53- The Warriors Would be higher if the opening wasn’t so slow.

54- Legend Tim Curry kills it as Darkness.

55- Black Panther Objectively the best superhero movie and the Academy backs me on that one.

56- Wonder Woman I do wish they’d trot out Vandal Savage as a Wonder Woman villain.

57- Captain America: The Winter Soldier Just rewatched this one earlier! It is heavily marked by the height of the War on Terror.

58- Blade The ancestor of all modern superhero movies and a solid vampire flick to boot.

59- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Nostalgic for me? Maybe, but I hold that this is the first comic film worth a damn because they stuck with the comics when they wrote it.

60- Captain America: the First Avenger This movie is a real test of character. If someone doesn’t like Cap it’s because they think goodness is unrealistic.

61- Four Rooms Really just rooms 3 and 4.

62- Reservoir Dogs Hey, two Tim Roth films in a row!

63- Event Horizon Do you see?

64- What Dreams May Come Kind of an emotional ringer, especially after William’s death.

65- Monty Python and the Holy Grail Have I watched it into the ground? Yes. Is it still hilarious? Yes, and it gets funnier the more you study Arthurian myth.

66- Pulp Fiction I’m kinda over this now.

67- The Crow People who liked the comic passionately disagree with me but I still like this one.

68- Akira Still.

69- Ghost in the Shell Still, though the farther you get from 13 the less titties you need in your art.

70- Beetlejuice Why not? Let's just tack this on there.

Honorable Mentions:

Fight Club A suburb film but one I grew out of, as should everyone. If you meet a man who’s passionate about Fight Club, run!

American Psycho Ditto. I grew out of this but it’s still excellent.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape A horrible caricature of my brother’s life. I don’t get along with my brother any more.

Rocky Horror Picture Show Not actually a good film if you watch it straight with no commentary. Still, it’s a cornerstone of queer culture.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 Of all the superhero films, this is the one that resonated with me the most. I was in a weird place at the time. It still resonates with me now because I’m a foster dad.

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: October 2020

It’s the spooky month! I tried to make it as spooky as possible, given my limited tolerance for spook.

……….FILM……….

Jennifer’s Body (2009) Fantastic. I was too averse to horror when it was released but seeing so many articles about how great it is, I braved a viewing. And again, it’s fantastic! It’s a fun blend of genres and I think would benefit from a few viewings. If you liked this, go read My Best Friend’s Exorcism. Or if you read that book, you should go back and watch this.

Goosebumps (2015) You know it was...pretty good! Better than I expected. Like a solid B. Though I read a bunch of the books as a kid so nostalgia hit pretty hard with this one. Probably a good Halloween flick for an all ages viewing? Also super fun that the Slappy doll was a real puppet. Great touch.

……….TELEVISION……….

The Bachelorette (Episode 16.01 to 16.02) I was really stoked to see a more mature series with a more mature lead but it turns out the sort of person who goes on the bachelor when they’re in their 20s isn’t that different when they’re in their 40s. Not that there’s anything wrong with this, but I think it just makes me feel a little sad. I don’t want to feel sad when I’m watching the Bachelorette!

Mad Men (Episode 6.04 to 6.12) Oof it really feels like we’re hitting the home stretch with this series. Don is barely working, the agency is chaos, and everyone in the office seems to trying to escape the black hole of work. Very keen to see how this series wraps up.

……….READING……….

The Dance of Intimacy: A Woman's Guide to Courageous Acts of Change in Key Relationships by Harriet Lerner (Complete) My therapist recommended this to me and it was a good read. I mean it’s dated in its voice, but the takeaway isn’t nearly as gendered as the title would have you believe.

ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times by Andrew MacLean (Complete) I think this is pre-Head Lopper (MacLean’s other major comic work) and it’s all great. A nice, concise story with as much violence and saturated colour as you’d hope to get out of a comic.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 3 & 4 by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, Jacob Chabot, and Rico Renzi (Complete) Just a really great series. An eternally optimistic superhero who resists violence at every turn is such a breath of fresh air in the world of capes. The book is funny, offers some deep cuts into the Marvel universe, and is a great balance of slice-of-life and big fantastical conflicts.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 & 2 by Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill, and more (Complete) Really great! It sometimes reads like it’s being edgy to be edgy, but the overall vibe is fun. Also I can’t tell if the book’s depiction of asian characters is appropriate for the era it’s set in, but the book doesn’t shy away from being wildly racist (which, again, feels like it’s trying to be edgy). Who knows.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Volume 8 by Kevin Eastman, Ben Bates, Dustin Weaver, Bill Sienkiewicz, Damien Couceiro, and so many more (Complete) It’s been a while since I’ve dipped into this series and it’s still such a fun dive into nostalgia. The ongoing story kept me hooked but I admit the Bebop and Rocksteady miniseries just didn’t work at all for me. I expected it to be more...fun? Maybe I need to read it again but the time travel stuff never really seemed to make sense and I didn’t quite get enough of the consequences. Clearly I had set a high bar for this one chunk of a much bigger story. Still absolutely worth checking out (back at volume 1) if you dig the turtles.

……….AUDIO……….

Kev & Cag’s Batshit Hallowe’en (Spotify Playlist) This is my go-to every October and it never disappoints. My buds have good taste. Oh here’s the link if you want to plan ahead for next year!

……….GAMING……….

Super Mario 3D All Stars (Nintendo) I’ve finished the core of Super Mario Sunshine and...it was good! The criticism of some of its flaws haven’t aged well and I still found it to be the least enjoyable Mario experience, but now that I’ve begun Super Mario Galaxy it all feels like a misstep instead of a full fumble.

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) Our adventures continue! The more in-depth breakdown is over here on Reddit and it continues to be a good time. The adventurers are currently dealing with a group of giants who are daming the main river and flooding the island!

D&D Homebrew Adventure (Menace of Merlin) We didn’t play much this month due to some moving stuff BUT the adventurers are still infiltrating Merlin’s base of operations. They saved a Naga named Lady and have returned to make a second attempt at stopping the mad mage.

And that’s it! As always, let me know if you have anything to recommend and stay safe out there.

Happy Saturday.

[littlemissinkdrinker]

Weekly Update

Well, this week has been interesting. I decided I needed to change things up because I was getting stuck so, I didn't follow my own plans at all. Anyway, onto the weekly round-up:

Books I finished:

-We Unleashed the Merciless Storm : I finally finished this book. It was so tedious. I eventually had to reward myself for every 25 pages read to get myself to finish it. I didn't like Carmen's pov, the plot stayed mostly the same pacing and didn't really evolve overall from the first book which really made it feel like it was being drawn out - the "twist" with who the spy for Mateo was.....didn't really pan out for me as it was very very obvious who it was from the get go. Overall, this book fell very flat.

- "Jyunengo ni Agatta Anohi no Ame" : a cute BL manga oneshot. I loved this one, was so short and sweet. Two boys that had a tryst in highschool meet up ten years later and confess their still-burning-torches for each other? It was a lovely reading reward while reading WUMS.

-"その顔見たら、我慢はできない" (or "I can't stand it when I see that face") : Again, another BL manga oneshot. I also really enjoyed this one - short but not lacking. I loved the teasing dynamic between Matsukawa and Yuuki, one of my favorite tropes is when the "younger" teases the "elder" or "senpai" in the relationship. This was another one that helped me finish WUMS.

-D. Gray-man Vol. 1 : One of my favorite manga series from highschool, I decided I wanted to pick it up again; reread and then catch up on the series. So I started with volume one and was reminded why I love this series: interesting lore and world, with fun characters, and gothic victorian era alternate universe with a beautiful art style.

-Ultimate X-Men (2001), Vol. 1 and Vol. 2: I've also started reading some comic series via OverDrive through my local library. I kinda just picked an random X-Men series. This one has been interesting....it has modern reimaginings of the X-Men and I adore most of them (Wolverine's hair is a bit weird but I love Nightcrawler and Storm). But the writing is stale, the characterizations are weak, and I really really really hate Jean and Xavier in general and there is a lot of focus on these two in the series.

Books I started:

-D. Gray-man Vol. 2 and Ultimate X-Men (2001) Vol. 3. I'm trying to limit how fast I go through these, just because I do have other things to read. So I'm trying to only read 2 X-Men and 1 D. Gray-man volumes per couple of days.

-Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

Books I have in my "reading stack":

-The Pink Triangle: I started this but I haven't been sitting at positions at work that made it easy to read a physical book. Maybe I will start reading it at home once I've moved into said place next week.

Additionally, I just got The Thief and Cemetery Boys digital loans from the library so I gotta focus on those this upcoming week when I'm not sending emails and moving into my new place.

[mirrorfalls]

The Alchemist When He’s Full of Metal, Vol. 27

(Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5, Vol. 6, Vol. 7, Vol. 8, Vol. 9, Vol. 10, Vol. 11, Vol. 12, Vol. 13, Vol. 14, Vol. 15, Vol. 16, Vol. 17, Vol. 18, Vol. 19, Vol. 20, Vol. 21, Vol. 22, Vol. 23, Vol. 24, Vol. 25, Vol. 26)

And lo, there shall be an ending.

A double-triple-deluxe ending. It’s never an easy prospect, giving everyone something to do in your Grand Finale, but the genre pretty much demands it - even when the finesse needed to juggle dozens of protagonists and deuteragonists in the same room have crushed countless otherwise-talented writers. On the low end of the scale, of course, we have our pick of any Big Two kill-a-hundred-C-listers-cripple-a-couple-more crisis crossover (which, adding insult to injury, never actually end anything apart from the fans’ patience), and on the high end...

... on the high end, this is a pretty good candidate.*

I suppose I’m cheating, since this particular Final Battle started anywhere from one to six volumes beforehand, during which everyone from the Armstrongs to the Curtises to the Xingese to Scar to Marcoh to Yoki got to contribute something. But this is where the not-my-our victory theme truly congeals. Here, a lesser writer would’ve decided everyone else has already done their part and relegated them to cheerleading while Ed pastes the Dwarf solo; here, Arakawa makes damn sure that you know Ed owes it all to the sacrifices of unambiguous friends....

... and supposed foes.

Now, in case you think I’m getting too gushy: I still think the Dwarf in itself is an underwhelming Big Bad, and its actual “death” scene is visually impressive but emotionally not too different from setting the week’s trash out on the curb. I’m also not too unsympathetic to those who came away from this scene deciding Truth is the real Big Bad of the series**, or that the true moral is closer to “Equivalent Exchange rules all... but there’s still a guy at the top who gets to rule on what Equivalent is.”

A point made all too clear by what comes after.

Don’t get me wrong - I love that Arakawa doesn’t let the Epic War story get the last word over the small, all-too-human quest the Elrics started out on. And Ed’s giving up all his powers (and implicitly at least 75% of his combat ability) is still refreshingly unique among Shonen protagonists, even counting those whose powers are literally lethal curses. But I really could’ve done without Truth suddenly deciding to like and approve of the kid like some kind of auxiliary sensei. Even if it’s not a cheat - and I don’t think the manga ever denies that every single Gate Exchange only happened because Truth let it happen - it drains quite a bit of ambiguity and hardship from a scene that could only have benefited from both.

And then you’ve got Mustang’s equivalent to the above:

Okay, so Mustang never willingly entered the Gate - it’s fair enough he’d get his eyes back with less fuss, and on top of that he doesn’t actually get to be Fuehrer. I’ve no complaints on that front, but I wish a bit more space had been devoted to the Ishvalans beyond “Bad Army Men out, Good Army Men make everything okay for you oppressed peons now!” In particular, it feels off for Scar’s final scene to be with the uniforms that wreaked so much havoc on his people; I’m not saying he should’ve turned his backs on them entirely, but tell me it wouldn’t have been more heartwarming to see him rejoining the other Ishvalan refugees, or even Mei and Yoki.

Speaking of heartwarming... okay, I don’t have the time or space to go into all of the different epilogue-threads, but I’d just like to highlight this one in particular, because more than any of the others it lands just the right amount of hope.

Selim is, in the final analysis, a Nina who was saved - an innocent child, involved in repulsive alchemy experiments through no fault of his own, now untangled from it all and allowed to live as freely as he can. And through him, Arakawa raises a question I’d been wondering a while now: why should Homunculi be so feared and hated on sight, to the point where Mustang and friends spend multiple chapters acting like the Fuehrer being a Homunculus should in itself be a career-ending scandal? Oh, the seven Sins have the whole stigma from the Dwarf, fair enough, but they can’t have been the only Homunculi in existence, else the secrecy of their existence would preclude Amestris even having a term for it; and hell, when the chips were down, one of those seven turned around and gave its life to do the right thing.

They can learn. They can change. They can love. Not for certain - but then, a child should never be a promise, only potential. Potential to go higher than the last generation ever dreamed - or lower than it ever dreaded.

And that, ladies and gents, was Fullmetal Alchemist.

Is it good? Definitely.

Is it great? In many parts, yes.

Is it the epitome of everything the Internet says it is? No - at least, not at the stage I read it.

I can say this without hesitation: if this had been my first or second or even fifth Shonen, devoured anytime during my school years, I’d almost certainly be a full-on stan today. It’s a machine with many, many excellent parts - maybe too many to build a properly excellent whole. You’ve got all the talent and ingredients for a first-rate fighting fantasy, or globetrotting political thriller, or horror-fable about the follies of playing God, or goofy-ass romcom, or heartbreaking war drama, or a half-dozen other storytypes. Perhaps a more seasoned author could’ve mined the strongest benefits of each while keeping them all in line; as-is, they compete with each other as much as they complement. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen a perfectly poignant moment cut apart by an ill-timed joke, or how many many potentially interesting plot/character moments were either let down by insufficient worldbuilding or left dangling altogether.

(I’m told that 108 is some sort of sacred number in Japan, so I presume Arakawa had the total length mapped out before she even started the series, But as any author can tell you, no outline survives contact with reality; some characters might have been better off folded into others, some plot-threads trimmed altogether. I, for one, still can’t quite figure out why the heroes needed four chimeras turned to their side.)

At my current age, I suppose my eyes are a little too jaded, a little too impatient with (or worse, eager to point out) shortcomings big and small and subjective alike. But make no mistake: I don’t regret finally finishing this little epic, and if half my mutuals’ accounts are to be believed, it's just the start of the real fun to be had with the series.

Hi-ho, to AO3!

*The midpoints that come most immediately to (my) mind are Harry Potter, Gravity Falls, and Samurai Jack. Which stands atop which is an exercise for the individual reader.

**Y’know, there is still plenty of time for Arakawa to roll out a sequel series where our heroes fight actual God instead of a wannabe. ‘til then, let’s content ourselves with this.

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu

Prince of Stage vol. 9 - Interview Translation with the new Karasuno cast!

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Part 1: The First Years Hinata Shouyou: Daigo Kotarou Kageyama Tobio: Akana Ryuunosuke Tsukishima Kei: Yamamoto Ryousuke Yamaguchi Tadashi: Oribe Yoshinari

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Full interview translation and more photos under the Read More! Please do not repost my translations or scans.

Please give us a highlight or something to watch out for in the upcoming play. Daigo: The atmosphere and activity that’s in Engeki Haikyuu is really distinctive, and I think it inspires a very unique feeling when you watch it.  This production is going to have few scenes with matches and instead portray more of the main character’s shared emotions.  We’ve changed everyone in the Karasuno cast, and we’re all challenging ourselves at something new!  Right now in this moment, I feel a burning desire to not lose to the previous productions.  I have a hunch that the outcome will be a spirited production.  Please look forward to it as you wait! Akana: Even though it’s a play, it does have the flavor of a live concert.  With the footage, the music, and the acting... it’s a production that has really a lot of realism.  I would rather people come with the same excitement as if they were going to see a concert rather than a play, and then I think they’ll be able to enjoy it even more.  When it comes to the production, I think there are parts that will leave you pondering after you’ve seen it, but I hope that when you finish watching Engeki Haikyuu that you leave feeling refreshed.  Maybe if you can feel like, “Tomorrow I’ll work hard!”  It’s a show that can cheer your up and leave you feeling brighter, and I think that’s something that a lot of other productions don’t have.   Yamamoto: When it comes to enthusiasm, the previous cast have definitely passed that on to us... in that respect nothing’s really changed.  With Worry-san as our director and our chief, we’re gradually taking in new ideas, and trying a lot of new methods that haven’t been used in Engeki Haikyuu before, so I think it’s going to turn out completely different from the previous shows.  And with that difference, I hope we can show off our new “Karasuno colors.”   Oribe: I was able to watch the previous show, but it’s like everyone else has said, we’re going to be a completely different Karasuno from before.  And I really want the audience to see us already.  Rather than a specific highlight, I feel like I want people to really pay attention to all of it.  We want to surpass what the previous Karasuno cast have created, in a sense.  To have inherited something that has this three-year history, it means that we’re the ones who have to keep it going.  So everyone is working together so that we can continue the legacy of those three years.  It’s a promise we have within our team, and I’d like to be able to convey that to the audience.  

Please tell us something about how you relate to your characters. Oribe: Well Ryousuke-kun and I are like the actual characters. (laughs) Daigo: I do wonder if you’re just normally like that or if you’re being in character, as Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, I mean. Oribe: Isn’t it fine if just being normal matches being in character? Akana: …..I think if you were really like them, people might dislike you? Everyone: Hahahah! (laughs) Daigo: But doesn’t Yamaguchi feel the same way?  Maybe. Akana: But he doesn’t hate being that way really? Daigo: But Ryousuke-kun might dislike Yoshi.... Yamamoto: ….I mean if I did, I can't really say so. Oribe: Hey!  At least deny it?!   Daigo: I don’t actually have a lot in common with my character...  I think just about everything is different.   Akana: You aren’t really alike, huh. Daigo: But maybe we’re a little alike in our enthusiasm?  Or at least I’d like us to be.  As an actor, I can really respect how much he loves just that one thing.   Akana: I’ve been told that my face is like Kageyama’s, also my aura.  Or the shape of my head.   Daigo: Your personalities aren’t that similar at all though.   Akana: Some of our circumstances are a bit similar.  If I’m trying to manage a group, people usually hate me at first. (laughs)  But fundamentally our personalities aren’t the same.  I can’t love something to the degree that I’d be that much of an idiot. Yamamoto: For me, I also have bad eyesight.   Daigo: Oh that’s very true. (laughs) Yamamoto: And I’m also very smart, and have blond hair. Akana: Hang on, no you don’t! (laughs) Oribe: You’re also very tall! Daigo: And you can jump really high.  It’s actually really amazing.  He’s exactly like Tsukishima that way.  

If you could pick a favorite character within the series, who would it be? Daigo: Kiyoko-san!  Because I always love the cute girls in anime...  I’m kidding.  In all seriousness, I love Hinata Shouyou.  He’s so bright and energetic, and I love that about him. Akana: For me, it’s Oikawa Tooru.  I mean, he’s popular, right?  Girls are screaming kyaa kyaa for him during matches, so he’s basically like a star.  I kind of want to live my life like that. Yamamoto: My favorite character is... well I kind of end up focusing on my own character as I read? Daigo: Yeah.  That’s really true! Yamamoto: So because of that my favorite character ends up being the character I play.  In the end, my favorite is Tsukishima.  When I’m reading the manga, I get excited whenever Tsukishima does anything.  If I could try playing a different character, it would be Kageyama I think.   Oribe: In all honesty, I didn’t have any favorite characters when I first read Haikyuu.  But when it was decided that I would play Yamaguchi, it’s exactly like Ryousuke-kun said, I started being really aware of Yamaguchi while reading, and in the end Yamaguchi became my favorite character.  If I could try playing a different character, I’d also pick Kageyama.  Kageyama and Yamaguchi are complete opposites and their personalities are completely different.  So I get kind of curious as to, “If I played him, how would I do it?” and stuff.   Akana: ...ohhhhh. Yamamoto: It really doesn’t matter to you, does it? (laughs) Daigo: That was suuuch a displeased response! (laughs) Akana: No no!  I’m actually really happy.  The fact that other people think of my character and go, “I wanna try playing him too.”   Everyone: ….hmmmmm. Akana: Okay, good job everyone! Everyone: (laughs)

Please tell us a story from your rehearsals. Akana: Everyone’s getting to be really good at volleyball now.  Because everyone keeps playing during breaks so our breaks aren’t even breaks. (laughs)   Daigo: Kou-kun is always moving around so much at rehearsals, but even for like 10-min breaks he’s still practicing volleyball.  It’s to the degree where I kind of wonder if he might be an idiot! (laughs)   Kanegae: Hey, I can hear you!  Who are you calling an idiot?!   Everyone: Hahahah! (laughs) Daigo: No but really, he'll always stay super late for more volleyball practice.  He’s getting better than everyone else, so I think he’s pretty amazing. Akana: I mean his athleticism was outstanding to begin with. Yamamoto: And he’s got that shaved head. Kanegae: Hey!  Who are you calling bald?! Daigo: He didn’t actually say ‘bald.’ (laughs)

What were your first impressions of each other, and your impressions of each other now? Daigo: My first impression of Nosuke (Akana) was basically, I thought he was crazy. Akana: Hang on a second... how many times have we had this conversation? Daigo: I mean I’ll say it however many times.  It was my first impression after all.  Because we met during our costume fittings.  Nosuke went first and I went in after he did, and he just went, “Ah!  I forgot to wear underwear!”   Oribe: Ehh?! Yamamoto: Why were you going commando?! Akana: Well, I can’t sleep with underwear on.  And that day was in winter and it was cold, so I had on thermal leggings, and I’d put on my pajama pants over those to sleep.  And leggings feel pretty snug on the body so they’re basically the same as underwear anyway.  That’s why I thought I had them on, and the next morning I took off just my pajama pants and put on regular pants instead over the leggings.   Yamamoto: Do you call them leggings?  Aren’t they long johns?   Akana: Eh?!  Don’t people call them leggings?   Daigo: Yeah, if you’d said long-johns I’d know better what you were talking about.  I don’t know about leggings.   Akana: People from Nara say leggings* though...  Ah, well, then, I was wearing long johns. (laughs)  So then when it was time for costume fittings and I had to strip, I had to say, “I’m... not wearing any underwear...”  

*Akana actually uses a slang word for thermal leggings that’s borrowed from Korean, which is partly why Ryousuke doesn’t really know why he’s saying that instead of the more standard word: 股引.  This is difficult to translate exactly because English doesn’t have a very slangy word for leggings or thermals and certainly not one that we borrow from another language.  Leggings was the best I could do because in all fairness, guys don’t really wear them.  

Daigo: That was before we became friends so it wasn’t something you could really joke about, but you laughed a lot. (laughs)  So that was us at first, but lately I’ve found some things I can even respect about him.  Nosuke’s really really good at dancing.  And he’s really quick to memorize choreography, and then he takes the initiative to teach people who can’t do it yet.  He’ll even suggest like, “Maybe it would be better if you tried it this way,” and so I thought he was really dependable.  I respect that a lot about him. Daigo: Actually, Yoshi and I went to the same high school.  And we used to hang out a lot privately. Oribe: It’s pretty funny.  When we were in school we used to just hang out normally as friends, but now we’re working together.  It feels a little off.   Daigo: It’s not like that anymore, but at first it did feel really strange.  

Please give one final message to people who will be going to see the show. Oribe: I want everyone who’s going to come see Engeki Haikyuu to be able to feel the passion and enthusiasm of the show in person.  I think there are a lot of different ways they can enjoy the show, thanks to our teamwork, and so please look forward to the tour!   Yamamoto: Worry-san said to us, “Let’s make this next productiong while keeping in mind the keywords, ‘connect,’ and ‘entrust.’”  This production is something that’s been entrusted to us by the previous cast, and we have to connect with that in order to continue, it’s important to understand that.  While being mindful, we as the new Karasuno generation will make a new wind blow, this is our starting point, but first we have to take that first step.  I hope we can really burst onto the scene together.  We’ll be working really hard! Akana: Since we’ve had some time at rehearsals now, I can say with 120% certainty that it’s going to be a fun show.  There’s no way it won’t be with this cast.  I’m sure there are fans that are uneasy because of the completely new cast, but I think if they just make their way to the theater to see us even once with all of their expectations, the rest of their time will be spent just enjoying the show.  Please wait for us! Daigo: I want people to feel extra motivated and invigorated because of watching Engeki Haikyuu.  I want to work hard and do my best together with everyone who comes to see the show.  I have this image where the audience can be motivated because of us and that we also work harder for them, and I’m going to work extra hard at the thought of seeing everyone’s smiling faces.  I want to make a show where we all encourage and empower each other.  

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Translated by @nimbus-cloud Please do not repost my translations!  To me, this includes screenshots of bits and pieces taken out of context, especially if they don’t link back to me.

If you appreciate the work I do for this blog and want to support my translation efforts, please consider donating a ko-fi!  (x)

If you’d like to buy the magazine that features the original interview, you can find it on Amazon JP: (x)

Parts 2 and 3 with the second and third-years will follow!

[to-be-a-dreamer]

How to Predict the Villan in an MCU Movie

So I’ve been watching every movie in the MCU for the first time and was discussing it on discord with some friends (because yay social distancing). 

Anyway, we were discussing how the colors of the infinity stones don’t really make sense. Like, the reality stone should have been white, or a light color, space should have been dark purple or blue, etc. Then I suggested that maybe it was just to set the tone. Like, the reality stone was red, which feels like something menacing and dark, as well as foreshadowing all the bloodshed that occurs in Thor: The Dark World. 

Which led to this thought in my brain: 

You can predict the villain with almost 100% accuracy based on their color scheme. Heroes have primary colors and villains have secondary colors.

Hear me out. I know it sounds ridiculous, but there are rules/exceptions, which I will address as we go along. 

Iron Man (2008) The Iron Man suits are red and yellow/gold, which are primary colors. Iron Monger was blue in the comics, but this is where the first rule comes in.  Rule #1: If a character is introduced with storytelling elements that show that they are very obviously a bad guy, they may have primary colors.  Obadiah Shane is introduced as the typical “Number Two to a very powerful person who dies and doesn’t become CEO because the powerful person has a playboy son who doesn’t deserve it in Number Two’s mind” guy. He’s got the fake-somber look at Howard’s Stark’s death and is quite literally in Tony’s shadow while giving him a not-so-subtle evil glare.

The Incredible Hulk (2008) This is a fun one because Hulk is Green, which is a secondary color, but it’s symbolic in a couple ways. (This is one of those exceptions) 1) Banner sees the Hulk as a disease, a monster. To him, Hulk IS the villain of his story. It’s also a hint towards the real villain. 2) The actual villain is Abomination, who is basically just a large Hulk and also green. 

Iron Man 2 (2010) The main villain is Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, who’s big entrance is in an orange jumpsuit. You could argue that Justin Hammer is the bad guy, but we know him from Iron Man 1.

Thor (2011) Thor gets red and Loki gets green. Enough said. I know it could be argued that Loki is a good guy, but I’m talking about just this movie. You see Loki in an all-green outfit, you know he’s going to do a bad. (Also, Hawkeye is introduced in this movie. His color scheme in the comic books is purple, but he’s on the “other side” in Thor, so it checks out.)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Cap’s suit is red and blue. I know Red Skull is, well, red, but this goes back to rule number one. Very obviously a villain. He’s a Nazi. Even the Joker doesn’t like working with the Nazis.

Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) Loki’s the villain again, and Thanos, who is purple, is behind it. We also introduce Black Widow here and her colors are RED and black. ALSO ALSO, who is the only Avenger who gets mind-controlled? Hawkeye, who is purple in the comics, black the entire time he’s with Loki, and gets maroon (dark red) accents once he’s back with the Avengers.

Iron Man 3 (2013) Killian’s power makes orangey fire.

Thor: The Dark World (2013) Kurse has a mostly black and white thing going on, but he does get some red here and there. But... Rule 1. The red looks like blood smears...

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) We get introduced to Falcon! Who’s main color besides silver is red.  Also, I think Pierce falls under Rule 1.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Oh boy, this should be a fun one Okay: Star-Lord is red, he’s the main character, we’re supposed to like him, we’re supposed to root for him, cut and dry. Rocket is introduced with an orange outfit, Groot is greenish, and Gamora is Green. But they’re all introduced as Peter’s foes. They all become friends later on, but we’re supposed to be rooting for Peter right now. (Also Gamora’s hair is redish) Drax is grayish with red. Once they become a real team and wear matching outfits THEY. WEAR. RED. Yondu is blue, which may be a nod to the fact that he’s not really a bad guy. Ronan is blue, but this is where Rule Two comes into play! Rule #2: If a character truly believes they’re the good guys, they may have primary colors. (Based on self-awareness.) Ronan was finishing a 1,000 year war, upholding the traditions of his people, and avenging his family. Think’s he’s the good guy. Nebula being blue could be a nod to her loyalty shift later on in the story. I probably missed some, but let’s move on.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Scarlett Witch has red, Quicksilver has blue, Vision is red, blue, AND yellow. All of the primary colors. Ultron is red, but Rule #2: Ultron was fighting for his idea of peace. 

Ant-Man (2015) 

Ant-Man and Wasp suits are both red. Darren Cross mostly falls under Rule 1, but I think he was wearing a green tie.

Captain America: Civil War (2016) So, Zemo’s an interesting one. In the comics, he’s got a purple thing going on, but the MCU movie has him mostly wearing black. Maybe he had a Rule 1 kind of entrance, but I don’t really remember. Black Panther is also weird because his aesthetic is purple, but he’s kind of trying to kill Bucky in this movie so.... Maybe misdirect? Maybe? Spiderman is red and blue, nothing new there. Doctor Strange (2016) Doctor Strange is red and blue. (The Eye of Afamotto is green, but I think it represents how it could cause evil if in the wrong hands, as well as the choice Stephen has to make to consciously do something good with such a powerful item. Kaecillius is a combination of Rules one and two. We are directly told he’s a villain and there’s no doubt with the way he is introduced. He’s also doing what he’s doing in order to learn more about the mystic arts and all that good stuff. Aaaaand Dormammu is purple. Yeah, ‘nuff said.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Ego’s outfit has greenish undertones, especially when he reveals he killed Peter’s mother. He also sees nothing wrong with his actions and is allowed to have touches of primary colors, but everything has touches of green here and there. (Again with the Yondu is blue thing.) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Vulture is green! I know that’s short, but there’s not much else to it.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Guess what? Hela has a green color scheme.

Black Panther (2018) Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Okay, yeah, Black Panther is one of the exceptions to this rule. You could say that since T’Chaka and Erik are both the Black Panther and make mistakes for the greater good, it’s a symbol of the mistakes past Black Panthers have made. And T’Challa has to overcome those mistakes with the same name? They also both believe they’re doing the right thing? I dunno, Black Panther is just an exception movie since everything in it is just SO colorful.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Yeah, Thanos is Purple. That’s about it. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Ghost is white with red eyes but mostly falls under rule one. (I think the energy blast that created her was orange, but don’t quote me on that.) Captain Marvel (2019) Despite the fact that I can never decide if I like this movie or not, this one is the most fun with this theory.  The Kree uniforms are green while the Skrulls are blue, which gives you a hint that the Kree are actually the bad guys.  And when Carol changes her uniform SHE CHANGES IT TO RED, BLUE, AND YELLOW/GOLD. Avengers: Endgame (2019) Oh, this one’s really hard no it isn’t, Thanos is still purple. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) So, Mysterio’s costume is red and blue because he’s trying to look heroic. BUT his magic smoke stuff is green. This is the first movie I watched after figuring this out and I immediately did not trust Mysterio. (I’m a sheltered preacher’s kid and these movies are my only experience with Marvel.)

This mostly works with the MCU, but a few other series as well.

One my friend brought up was the Grinch. He’s green, obviously. But! He does start out as the villain and only becomes a good guy when his heart grows. What color is his heart? RED.

Only Harry Potter house with a reputation for being evil? SLYTHERIN. Only Hogwarts house who’s color ISN’T a primary color? SLYTHERIN.

So.... yeah, don’t trust characters who’s outfits are mostly secondary colors.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk: An Introduction to Color Theory in Modern Film