#might be an unpopular opinion but i love every single side character so much

[ineffable-romantics]

It's 10000°F in SoCal right now and I need a fun distraction lmao

Send me an ask with the name of any character from Good Omens s1 or s2, no matter how minor, and I'll answer with a highly specific personal headcanon about them

[caram3lla]

I just couldnt merge the two series so I made separate ones. To be fair, I haven’t really read 4koa so my opinion may be misguided but whatever (and I also haven’t watched 7ds in a while also, so…) PLEASE hear me out anyway😭🙏

I don’t have much to say about favorite character, I’m literally in love with Howzer and I’ve never loved a character as much as him. for Chion, he’s just an asshole and that’s enough for me. He has a lot of potential as a character and I’m really excited for him in the series, I would not be his friend IRL though because he would literally be the worst person to be around. And you know what, everyone can hate him but I will always appreciate him😚💖Gilthunder, Diane and Donny are runner ups for fav character!

To be honest, I don’t TOTALLY dislike Ban but…idk. I don’t like him very much, but not only for the very obvious Elaine related reasons. Something he did at the beginning of 7ds kinda stuck with me, when he tried to kill Meliodas to get Elaine back. I guess it’s supposed to be, like, heartbreaking that he wants his woman back so bad he’d kill his best friend???? Mid battle???? Like girl this is not about you rn😭 Idk if my friend tried to kill me to get her boyfriend back, I think I’d have to kill her idk that’s just me😭 and I’m really sorry to the Ban fans because I know he’s a good character and I get that he becomes a better friend later, that scene just stuck with me though

I feel like this might not be a super unpopular opinion but I didn’t really like Escanor at first. Ig I just didn’t really care about him. I like his night time self, he’s very sweet and dorky. The thing I like about SUPER confident and cocky characters is them getting taken down a notch, which he was, twice, so it’s fine. For Tristan, I’m so sorry but I really didn’t care for him at all😭 Before I read most of the scenes with him in it, I thought he was SOOOO bland and boring. Like, he was just nice, and loved, and that’s it. He seems like a character that thinks everything is his fault, which isnt a problem with him or his character, I just don’t really like characters like that. I like that he looks more like Elizabeth, I think that’s nice. Anyway I like him now and I think he’s more complex than I thought before!

I dislike Guinevere for the obvious reasons that everyone hates her for so I don’t have much to say😭I guess to cover the least favorite ship category, I don’t like her and Lancelot together and that one scene was super weird. I like her design tbh, she’s super cute, but yeah…

I honestly don’t dislike Veronica, I just like her design more than her herself😭She’s super caring and sweet, and loyal, just very abrasive sometimes. When she interacts with people and her family especially, you can tell that she really cares, even if she’s kinda mean. Anyway I love da bob and her dress, it’s very cute😌 on the flip side, I like Tioreh herself WAY more than her design. I honestly cannot pin down what I don’t like about her design, I just really really don’t like it😭 I’m sorryyyyyy

For the fav ships, I don’t have too much explaining to do (I’m gonna keep saying that and I’m lying every single time). For Gilthunder x Howzer, I just really love the friends to lovers trope. Although a One-sided! Howzer x Gilthunder is probably more realistic. Anyway I love their friendship as it is :) To be honest I never liked rivals to lovers until this Chion x Donny phase I have going on right now, I have no explanation for this I just think they’re cute.

Elizabeth is super sweet, and honestly I don’t mind her voice, she is such a caring friend. Jade is just like, the most normal character I think ever so I would be his friends irl, probably😭

I would NOT be friends with Gowther, I feel like he would expose me so often, and like, one of my biggest fears is that someone is reading my mind, so he’s literally my nightmare, and I don’t wanna know him😭

Anyway I’m done yapping now, thank you for reading this if your at this point lol

[snarky-magpie]

Hi! ❤️🧡💖 pls!

Hi! And thanks for asking. Okay wow, I didn't expect anyone to actually ask me stuff, so I guess let's see how many followers this is gonna cost me. ❤️Which character do you think is the most egregiously mischaracterized by the fandom? I mean, all of them? Lol. I weep from joy when I find a fic with good Marauders characterization, but if I had to choose one, then Sirius. Going by his personality only, the man is supposed to be stoic, intelligent, capable, resilient, very low maintenance (doesn't get lower than surviving on rats, also how hilarious is the symbolism?). He can sometimes act rashly, especially when his loved ones are in danger, and he has trouble following authority, that's true, but somehow, the fandom twisted it into Sirius being a silly, over-the-top, ridiculous dramatic diva who can't fix himself a snack without James or Remus' assistance. And don't let me start about his looks. He's tall, people. Once again, in case someone in the back hasn't heard me. He's tall. 🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with? Ooof this one is gonna make people hate me, but: The theory that Sirius and James became animagi because they cared about Remus. They might've wanted to help out a little, sure, but in SWM, we clearly see that Sirius doesn't spare much concern about Remus' struggles with being a werewolf. (I wish it was a full moon. - You might.) For Sirius, running around with a werewolf is primarily a distraction, a source of excitement. Plus, there's the prank. Enough said. So I think that James and Sirius mostly saw becoming animagi as a challenge. They did it to see if they could manage it, and especially if they could get away with such a feat under Dumbledore's nose, not because they just sympathized with their poor friend so much. In short, they mostly became animagi for the thrill of it and nothing else. Side note: I've wanted to get this one off my chest for so long, so thanks for asking that! 💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series? That it matters. Canon matters. Yes, the author sucks, and yes, the white hetero cis utopia can stand being diversified, but that doesn't mean completely erasing everyone's personality and replacing them OCs. And if you hate canon so much you have to change every single thing about it, maybe you should consider being a fan of material you enjoy?

[sycamorre]

Hmm! Ranna, Celeste, and Lehala.

— Give me a character —

Thank ye c:

Ranna —

How I feel about this character

If Ranna only has one fan, I am that fan and always will be. If Ranna has no fans, then I am dead. I have adored Ranna from the get-go. I still remember that she was one of the first portraits I did when I changed art software and my feelings have not changed.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Oriana. Now and forever. Everyone knows and I will never shut up about it. Ranna makes Ori melt.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

While I adore the bard banter that Ranna and Oliver had at every opportunity, I think what I really love is the friendship Ranna made with Riven. As well as how that friendship persists even beyond the campaign, with her visiting Aerenth to help occasionally. I think some of the scenes I got to read showed such a sweet, softer side of Ranna and just how insightful Riv could be, so they play off each other well!

My unpopular opinion about this character

Listen I just want more okay. I miss her.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I AM FOREVER ANGRY WITH MYSELF FOR NOT GIVING INTO THE TEMPTATION TO MAKE ORI MORE FORWARD WITH HER FEELINGS DURING THE CAMPAIGN!

Celeste ( @soartfullydone ) —

How I feel about this character

Girl what is your deal let me analyze you.

But for real, I love Celeste, even though I'm sure I've only gotten to scratch the surface of what's going on there. I crave so much more. Give me more. I need more!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ...Though I mean, we did just run into a very powerful elven murderer that would be a great scheming partner... Since you know, Mr. Topar is (unfortunately) married already. Is her patron single?

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I'm still of the opinion that Celeste and Ledo might end up being such a neat dynamic. Similar backgrounds from noble houses but with very, very different paths... They're gonna have their ups and downs and I'm ready for it.

Bonus: I would give anything to see how Celeste and Topar would interact one-on-one if we ever get to meet him face to face. Also Celeste and Fenston should get together for tea now and then.

My unpopular opinion about this character

None. Nothing. No notes. Just that I want to see her interject with witty snippets more.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

*slams hands on desk* I am so, so ready for Ledo and Celeste to have a sit-down and talk about what went on with the Hells and what Celeste's deal is. This is my plea.

Lehala ( @zacksfairest )—

How I feel about this character

LOVE HER LOVE HER LOVE HER! I will scream my love to the heavens! But for real, I LOVE her and I'm so excited we're getting to see snippets of her backstory come out now!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

All this warrior needs is her sword and her clan!

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Lehala and Cook? Beautiful. Wonderful. Our front lining girls watching each others backs and kicking ass. What a team. Also Lehala and Char with their archery practices and joint custody over Ridi are slowly getting high up there, too!

My unpopular opinion about this character

All I want is a promise that now we're gonna get more stories of her clan and history now that the seal's been broken and we got the first taste of it!

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I would LOVE more than anything for Ledo and Lehala to get to have a chill talk about their past buddies and the idea of family/found family. Lehala can talk about her clan while Ledo shares stories of her old crewmates. The battle stories they could share along with it... I want this so much >:

[dramallamas]

The (unserious) notes of Beyond Evil, Episode 2!

Previous Episode || Next Episode

bro this body really dragged everyone out there. all our side characters are here.

"there's mud everywhere" my guy youre in a field what do you expect

"could it be a pervert obsessed with feet?" that doesnt narrow down the list that much in this day and age...

Lee Dongsik was sexy in his 20s 30s and 40s not every man can pull that off. Lee Dongsik the man you are

oh and he's here too (Juwon)

Dongsik is also a little shit and i love him for that.

“Do you like me that much?” Houston I’m deceased.

HE DIDNT SAY NO

Man we get flirting in Episode Two damn we get fed well as a community.

“Isnt she your sister, Lee Yuyeon?” LIARRRR

“The recording room isn’t your bedroom.” As in both of theirs? Because I have read the fics 👀

How warm is the recording room is my question. Because if its like my bedroom then shits freezing

I have said this once and will say it again lee Dongsik is a sexy mf

��I got lured?” Juwons face pls he is so confused.

THE SCORE AND SOUNDS GOD PROPS TO THE MUSIC PPL

Juwons disgust is so amusing.

Bro it must suck to be talked about when you are right here.

Part of me is curious as to how Dongsik went from Lee Dohyun Dongsik to Shin Hakyun Dongsik. Like we get hints in flashbacks but not much more.

We act like Juwon had this sudden shift in how he reacts to Dongsik after his Busan trip but it was there the whole time just a lot more subtle.

Juwon looking at dirt is me looking at Jinmuk. Fricken gross.

“Touch it (my phone) again and your fingers will…” shit man

Also unpopular opinion incoming: not the biggest fan of minjeong. Shes tragic and interesting enough but she is also the type of person I would avoid being friends with

We dont give Jeongje enough credit for him standing up to his mother passive aggressively.

THE FIRST RAIN SCENE ITS HERE

All good things happen in the rain in this show and I stand by that.

This one melts my heart (and Juwon’s too)

He just stares at Dongsik smiling… perhaps he cant be all that bad hey Juwon.

HAN KIHWAN GTF OUT OF HERE

Also juwon can I have that jumper pls? At least tell me where u got it (that blue one he wore with the stripes on his arm).

Juwon in casual clothing is smth we dont see enough of especially at the start of the show

Juwon proving he is just as insane as Dongsik in this scene but also just as driven about solving what really happened. Two sides of the same coin.

Also we do not give the camera ppl enough credit either the way they shoot the scenes is incredible and rlly captures both the character and their thoughts/feelings as well as their situation and vibes of the scene.

“I don’t like solving riddles” juwon aint that ur job…?

Tiny hc: jeongje learnt some english words and slips them into his conversations to add fuel to his lie of ‘studying in america’

“There isnt a single cop in the country wjk would prioritise such a case.” Jeongje says to Juwon, who is prioritising such a case.

Juwon nearly losing his cool is so interesting and important to me.

Juwon doesnt fuck with people telling him to stay quiet thats for sure.

Ok so Dongsiks mum sees Dongsiks dad frozen to death and calls him 동식(이?) 아버지 (Dongsiks dad). like imagine u mother calls ur dad "(your name)'s dad!" is this a thing in korea or a script choice?

Tfw you hear the tragic backstory of ur suspect/future bf

part of me thinks dongsiks limp/leg injury might be psychosomatic, at least a little bit.

jihwas contact name for dongsik being 똥식 is so funny. (동 is how its supposed to be 똥, pronounced only slightly differently means shit/poop)

Underrated friendship Jaeyi and Jihoon moment.

God I hate clubs sm (I have been and ended up stressed depressed and just on the verge of tears by the end of it and I was dead sober)

Dongsik is in protective dad mode and he stands for womens rights (and probably womens wrongs) and i love that.

I am aware that this episode 2 notes is mostly just me loving Dongsik.

Everyone beind done with minjeon is also me.

"Dongsik I wasnt cheating on you..." girl youre giving Juwon the wrong ideas. also dongsik would deserve better than you anyway

Juwon rn "this girl is insane... idk what i expected because this is manyang but she rlly is and I am not dealing with it"

Juwon not being a physical touch person and valuing personal space a lot and Dongsik being an exception is everything to me.

also underrated duo moment of Juwon and Jihoon

Honestly Juwon Jaeyi Jihoon friendship trio should be a thing in fics

Actually Dongsik isnt that much shorter than Juwon... huh...

The shot where they are both looking down... I should use that as my laptop wallpaper tbh

Minjeongs death sequence gives me the chills every time.

Them talking about the death body and Jinmuk being in the shade in the background with Jaeyi... means smth but im not smart enough yet.

Dongsiks case wall for Yuyeon in his basement genuinely makes me cry knowing the truth about it

'hey bitch 😏' is the energy we have rn

Bro cannot control his emotions well around Dongsik

“Let me give you a thorough tour of our jurisdiction” is Dongsik code for, ‘follow me I need to show you something’

I remember this scene being the netflix preview (the one where juwon states that he wants to move to manyang) for beyond evil and I remember thinking… what a shit scene to preview to convince ppl to watch the show. However… I think otherwise because…

“Just what about me interests you so much? I don’t think it’s that I’m a cop. Perhaps that I’m a suspect?”

“Let me ask you. Just what about me interests you so much? You obviously seem to be dying to know what I was up to at Foreign Affairs.”

THAT PART IS CONVINCING ASF HELLO

And then… pain.

Juwon hesitating and genuinely looking torn deciding what to do. Does he call it in or… what? Comfort Dongsik? Probably considered how he reacts upon hearing Dongsik start to cry before realising why. His entire face screams “I’m so sorry…”

And Dongsik oh my god. Even though we know he put them there I think this is the first time he properly grieved it, even if only a little.

He probably did it to bust the case back open again so he and the vicitims can get justice.

And fin. See you next ep!

[isleofair]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by @nicoroni (and I am also tagging them back 💙) (Trust us, it works. )

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

12 as of a couple of days ago! 🥰 2 are from last year and 10 are my progress so far in the 2023 - Year of the OTP Challenge (my beloved 💖)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

212,706 (that's about a Moby Dick's worth of words! 😦)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Tiger & Bunny, and just FireSky as a pairing, at that! (Who knows if I'll ever branch out... for now I'm very happy in my little corner of the fanfic world 🥰)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The best cure for free fall (3,295 words) Kudos: 87

Stereoscopy (The Hero's Shoulders) (72,000 words) Kudos: 74

Three Dates (8,854 words) Kudos: 40

Snowdrift (3,050 words) Kudos: 37

Love, Counted along the Fibonacci Sequence (7,123 words) Kudos: 28

(These numbers may not look like much, and perhaps they are not, but considering I write a side ship in a small fandom, I am honestly incredibly grateful for literally every single one of these 🙏💕)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I probably respond too much to comments, if anything 😅 I cherish them immensely, so I tend to get a little carried away, and I try to answer every single thing that people say in them 🥺💙

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh. Uhm. I only really do happy endings, so... let me think.

Technically, the story that leaves the most angst still on the table by the end is Stereoscopy (The Hero's Shoulders), because there are some not-totally-solved things left in the background.

The one where the angst lingers closest to the end as a feeling, though, possibly enough to leave a tiny taste-memory of it in your mouth, might be To a Steadfast Heart, or possibly Second Song.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, gosh. I suppose it depends on how you define happiest...

The most triumphant and satisfying ending I've done plot-wise, in my opinion, is hands-down Intertidal's.

If you're going more by something like "how much pink glitter and marshmallows is the final scene conjuring in my brain", though, it might be Love, Counted along the Fibonacci Sequence, or maybe An Honest Mistake, or Asterism (I write a lot of pink-glitter-and-marshmallows endings, sorry.)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

The haters would have to know little old me exists for me to get hate, lol. But more seriously, no, I get nothing but sweetness and I'm so grateful 💖💖💖

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Welll... I never quite mean to, but sometimes the story (and characters) ends up asking for it/needing it, and I'm so bad at saying no 😅

As for what kind... the kind that can have a 10k, E-rated chapter solely dedicated to the characters having sex, without me ever having to pick a word for "dick", lol (No, there's no trashy euphemisms, either; it's just me, my deep embarrassment, Keith Goodman's Very Polite POV, and synecdoche, my beloved, against the world 😂)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I haven't, and I don't think I'm terribly interested in trying (never say never, of course, but for now I can't think of any that I'd want to write). AUs and/or fusions, on the other hand, are very interesting and I'm farily sure at some point I'll end up writing one.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Again, they'd have to notice the fic to steal it 😅 (Of course, it might have happened without my knowledge, but I don't see why anyone would steal unpopular fics. And besides, it would have to either be posted on a website I don't look at, or modified to be other characters, because "my" ship tag on ao3 is far too small to hide anything in there, lol)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. (I'd make a joke about them being translated from the Italian in my head to the English on the page, but I think them up in English in the first place, so it wouldn't really apply 😅)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I've "co-written" a lot of concepts/headcanons in chats and I always have an absolute blast doing that! (I'm not entirely sure I could ever co-write a fic, honestly, because I'm a bit of a control freak about my creations, and I'd probably get insufferable during the process)

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

The only one I write, lol: FireSky!!! ❤️💜 AKA Keith Goodman/Nathan Seymour, or Sky High/Fire Emblem from Tiger & Bunny (... their hero names ship name looks like a pretty crazy crossover, lol)

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Ooof. I only have two real wips on my hands; the one I have more doubts about ever finishing is the one I was trying to write for the September leg of the 2023 YOTP Challenge (for which I ended up writing a different story altogether). It has very unconvincing logistics, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fix that to my satisfaction.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Mmmh. I've gotten a fair bit of compliments about my characterization, so that's one, I suppose. I've also been very good so far at only writing one fic at once and actually finishing almost all of them (which is not nothing!) I also really like my metaphors/similes/analogies/symbolism a lot, especially in dream sequences, but I don't know if that's objectively a strength or just something I do well (mostly) only to my personal satisfaction.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I used to be good at not having run-on sentences, but I've gotten so much worse about it lately?!? I really need to check myself on that. And I think I'm not very good at coming up with complex plots (one initial premise to kick things off, and then following the flow from there? Doable. Several significant events actually shaping the story from more than one side? SAVE ME.)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Well, if the characters were speaking another language for some reason I suppose I might, but I'm only fluent in two languages, so unless I could find someone who could help me, I would probably try to avoid the issue altogether somehow.

I also think it's not an easy thing to handle, because if the reader is not supposed to understand, a few words and phrases here and there, that maybe get explained/translated in-story at the moment or later, are okay; but huge chunks that the reader can't understand would just be annoying, and if they're supposed to understand, you need to fit a translation in along with the foreign dialogue, and it might not always be easy to do so in an efficient / not cumbersome manner.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Mh. If we want to be really precise about this, I think somewhere in my parents' house is a tiny notebook with a lilac (or possibly pale pink) cover, where a strange, short scene set after the Season 1 finale of Smallville is written in pencil. But that was a one-off thing.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Stereoscopy (The Hero's Shoulders) will always and forever be my baby; it's the one I poured the most time and soul and effort into, and the one that I consider, in a way, the definitive fic I could write for that pairing.

I do feel like I have to mention Intertidal, as well, though: it's by far my favorite of the rest my fics, and I think it has a lot to offer.

This was a lot of fun! 😃 My dear fellow writers, if you see this and you want to do it, too, I am officially tagging you! 💚

[sapphire-weapon]

It's a very unpopular opinion, I know, but I've almost finished Damnation and they just... ALMOST had it with Ada. I for some reason assumed she was a main character because of how people talk about the film, but she's actually in very little. It feels like they were just on verge of fleshing her out really well and showing us more of her personality, but then caved for the sake of sensuality. It came off super sexist and wasteful imo. Though, objectively, I always tend to get too hopeful about Ada content. I keep forgetting that she is just a side character and Capcom are very, very unlikely to invest much into her. Maybe I'm just pissed off about overly sexualised female characters *shrugs*. Her fight scene was bloody incredible though.

Leon's a depressed sack of shit, but his characterisation is very interesting at the least. I think it really highlights the toll his life is having on him, though he absolutely sucked in any scenes where Ada is involved. She isn't interested, not in that way and it's given me a good laugh. "You wish", or whatever she said. Loved her for that. Sasha and JD were amazing, I really liked them. 😅

Damnation is the least sexualized that Ada actually is outside of Umbrella Chronicles, which is why people praise her depiction in it so highly, I think. Compared to the rest of the series, Damnation feels downright respectful to me. We may not see more of her personality per se, but getting to see Ada actually doing her job independently of Leon felt like a Big Deal. It gave me a glimmer of hope that they might actually start to do something more with her.

Of course, that never happened, but still.

Shout out to Damnation for having the single best exchange of dialogue between Leon and Ada in the entire series, though:

Leon: What are you doing...? Ada: I'm working. Don't worry about it. Leon: Oh, I'm worried.

It's literally the only moment ever that the two of them actually seemed to like... actually be friends? Like, I got the feeling in that moment that the two of them genuinely liked each other and weren't just a poorly-written "star-crossed lovers" trope.

In fact, his interactions with Ada are some of the times he's at his best in this movie imo, because every time he's in a scene with Ada, he's doing something that's actually relevant to the plot.

So it does kind of surprise me that you came away from this movie feeling that Ada's disinterested in him. Even outside of that exchange, she goes out of her way to see him (and jeopardizes her mission in the process) so that she can ask in not so many words "When are you going to invite me to sit on your dick again?" with the emphasis on the "again" part.

I did love Sasha and JD, too, though. I loved them so much that I wish that Damnation hadn't been a movie but rather a game with Sasha as the playable protagonist. I was surprised at how compelling of a story they gave him tbh because backstory motivations in general for RE are kinda meeehhhh LMAO

[cinnamonconi]

Is this breaking the rules? No cc he IS A real character!

KOU for the character meme~!

Watch me drop all this character lore and creation process in a single ask-

First impression

Since Kousei is my little gremlin, I'm sharing what I had in mind while creating him. You can say it's like a beta version of the final product:

I was actually going to give him a more antagonistic side. He was going to be merciless in duels, always trying to toy with his enemies to have them test new features related to the duel interface.

Like he'd be this secret boss that you encounter on your way to the final boss in the WDC arc, since he was based on the Mad Scientist trope. That being said, he was also going to use some of the duel candidates to improve the Photon Mode for Kaito to use under Faker's orders.

But he became a softie and that's canon now-

Impression now

He's a soft and caring lil guy!! He might look like he's ready to mess with anyone, but he actually loves and cares deeply for the people in his inner circle. Sure, he teases everyone around him, and usually his jokes can throw others off, but it's actually easy to get along with him.

I think that contrast between his looks and how he tends to joke around vs his caring side and willing to put others before himself, makes it easier to mischaracterize him. I think it's easy to miss his soft side.

Favorite moment

The day I started shipping him with Chris.

I made this short comic of Kousei and Chris dueling, and how he picks on V, because Dyson Sphere is so big for no reason at all. You have this massive monster that who knows how hard it is to emulate in the duel interface-

It was that comic and how silly and flirty Kousei was towards Chris that ended up with me shipping those two-

Idea for a story

Oh boy let's not touch this one. I have way too many ideas and AUs that I can't keep up with all of them!!

One of the biggest ones I have rn is the brainrot of Idol AU, where Kousei is a top idol and Chris is a closet fan of his.

IV is also an idol here! Chris and Kousei actually met at IV's dressing room, because Chris would come and pick him up every now and then. However, IV wasn't there at the time and Kousei decided to be silly and give Chris a bit of fanservice in IV's behalf... Only to find later that he's IV's brother.

That's how it all starts-

Unpopular opinion

I should share more lore of him, actually. Like I draw and think about him often, but I don't share my thoughts much. It's the fear of being too cringy about it hasdjkask

Favorite relationship

VKou, of course!! I don't even know where to start and I feel like I could talk about them all day!! But if I could sum this one up in a few words, it'd be that I love the contrast in personalities, but how good it works. The chemistry they have is so good, because it's the differences between them that complement each other. And, on a personal level, they have more in common that what it can be seen on a surface level.

Other relationships I love for him are him and Kaito (I love their friendship. I should write/draw them more often) and him with Gauche and Droite.

When he hangs around Gauche they share a single braincell and it's hilarious, while he's more calm around Droite. You bet those 3 like to go karaoke on friday nights-

Favorite headcanon (actually canon bc he's my gremlin)

His photographic memory has to be one of my favourite things. The fact that this single trait is the reason he gets involved in the story of zexal, having read so many research papers that he can replicate all the data from them.

Only a few know this, as he tries to keep it secret!

[princesssarisa]

For the character ask: Elphaba and Glinda (Wicked)

Well, I'm not deeply familiar with this show, just casually familiar, but here goes. Musical only, because I haven't read the book.

Elphaba

Favorite thing about them: I admire her for standing up against injustice and fighting to free others from oppression, even if it means being labeled a "wicked witch" by all of Oz and risking her life. Beyond that, I like how relatable she is, both in her anger and in her vulnerability and yearning for love, to anyone who feels different or cast out. For a wide array of reasons – race, neurodivergence, sexuality, gender identity, political stance – countless people identify with her and feel validated because she exists. This makes her a valuable character for much the same reason as her spiritual sister (and sound-alike) Elsa from Frozen. It's probably the main reason why the trend of "famous villain reimagined as an outcast hero or heroine" has become so popular throughout the last two decades – a trend that as far as I know, Elphaba single-handedly started.

Least favorite thing about them: I hate the catfight scene with Glinda after Nessarose's death, although I blame Glinda more for it – at least Elphaba's anger is righteous and not jealousy-based. Morally, though, the worst thing she does is imprison Dorothy.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I often feel like an outsider.

*I'm outraged by social injustice and do what I can to help the marginalized.

*I have a temper that I try to control, though fortunately mine doesn't cause magical mishaps.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm not brave enough to become the most hated and feared outlaw in my country in the name of fighting for justice.

*I don't pretend not to care what others think of me.

*I don't have green skin.

Favorite line: The lyrics to "The Wizard and I," "Defying Gravity," and "No Good Deed."

brOTP: In-universe, Glinda. In crossover-land, I'd also love to see her meet Elsa from Frozen and Angelina Jolie's Maleficent (both of whom arguably owe their existence to her), and maybe Enjolras from Les Misérables, since he's a fellow revolutionary – there's a funny fan comic that shows them getting drunk together at a slumber party for musical characters.

OTP: Fiyero. (Yes, I know that for some fans it's sacrilege not to ship her with Glinda, but I just like her better with Fiyero romantically, and besides, if we don't believe she really loves him, then the emotional power of "No Good Deed" and the sweet part of the bittersweet ending both fall flat.)

nOTP: The Wizard, even if he weren't her father.

Random headcanon: Someday she'll learn that the Wizard was her real father, and she'll be shaken by the revelation, but ultimately it will matter less to her than it does to him. He was just a sperm donor.

Unpopular opinion: Two of them.

(1) I think some fans – and maybe the libretto itself – view her too much as a "morally ambiguous" character. "She's neither a good guy nor a bad guy," they say, "there are two sides to every story." But IMHO, the real morally ambiguous figure in this show is Glinda. Elphaba is never perfect, it's true, but she's a straightforward sympathetic heroine until the 11th hour, when she only temporarily turns "bad" because she's emotionally broken. For the most part, she is a good guy.

(2) She's not a lesbian, she's bisexual. While she might have some unspoken feelings beyond friendship for Glinda, she truly is in love with Fiyero (see OTP above).

Song I associate with them: All her solos, but especially the iconic "Defying Gravity":

Favorite pictures of them:

Idina Menzel:

Eden Espinosa:

Rachel Tucker:

Dee Roscioli:

Jackie Burns:

Willemijn Verkaik (also the Dutch voice and German singing voice of Elsa in Frozen, reinforcing the Elphaba/Elsa spiritual kinship):

Mary Kate Morrissey:

Cynthia Erivo in the film:

Glinda

Favorite thing about them: Her sheer three-dimensionality and growth as a character. Of course she's not the purely good, fairy-like Glinda from The Wizard of Oz, but neither is she the shallow, bubble-headed "mean girl" she seems to be at first. She's probably the most complex character in the musical. I think she's very comparable to the King in The King and I, her relationship with Elphaba corresponding to his with Anna. Like him, she's funny and she sometimes seems like a silly, spoiled jerk, but she has real warmth, cleverness, and sympathetic qualities too, and is torn between a flawed status quo and risky changes, as well as between her conscience and her ego, while navigating a position of power. This is rare for a female character, especially an unabashedly girly one.

Least favorite thing about them: That she turns against Elphaba and tries to get her captured by the Wizard, taking advantage of her sister's death to do it no less, just because she's angry that Fiyero left her for Elphaba. Yes, she regrets it and they have their heartwarming reconciliation in the end, but it's still very bad.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I like pastel colors like pink and pale blue.

*I'm not always brave enough to stand up for what I know is right.

*I can be very lively and exuberant about things I enjoy.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I've always been an "odd one out," not part of the popular crowd.

*I don't tend to be cutesy or flirty.

*I can't imagine myself becoming a political leader.

Favorite line: Most of her solo lines from "Thank Goodness," showing her inner conflict under her happy facade.

brOTP: Elphaba.

OTP: None. I know this is unpopular among fans who ship her with Elphaba, but I ship her first and foremost with personal growth.

nOTP: Fiyero or the Wizard.

Random headcanon: Someday she'll meet Elphaba and Fiyero again. I don't know the details, but it will be an exciting sequel, and even if they part again in the end, she at least won't need to live the rest of her life thinking they died because of her.

Unpopular opinion: I can't agree when I see people write about what a wonderful friend to Elphaba she is, how she's the best person in Elphaba's life, or how she's actually wiser than Elphaba because she knows that to achieve anything socio-politically you need to be liked. While of course she's more sympathetic than she seems at first, she's still deeply flawed both as a person and as a friend – that's part of the point – and while it's true that she, not Elphaba, is the one who frees Oz from the Wizard's rule in the end, she never would have done it without being "changed for good" by Elphaba.

Song I associate with them: All her songs, but especially "Popular":

Favorite pictures of them:

Kristin Chenoweth:

Megan Hilty:

Kendra Kassebaum

Gina Beck

Erin Mackey:

Sophie Evans:

Brittney Johnson (the first black Glinda):

Ariana Grande in the film:

[not-wholly-unheroic]

For your salty asks, 7. 13 (Hook). And 14!!

It could be applied to any version you want to answer about :]

7. Is there anything in your fandom that you used to like but can’t stand now?

Not much that I can really think of. I may have had a few slight changes of opinion but most of what I liked when I first got into the fandom still holds true today. On the flip side, I CAN think of something I used to hate but now don’t mind so much—Tink. When I first got into the fandom, the way the fandom absolutely adores Tink (think of all the Disney merch!) drove me up a wall. I hated that I was weird for liking Hook because “he’s the villain” but Tink got a pass for trying to murder Wendy because, “Oh, she’s a pretty, sassy little fairy.” 🙄 My brain immediately went, “No, she’s a jealous, murderous, mean-spirited, foul-mouthed girly girl. You guys just like her because you’re shallow.” (Can you tell that I was the nerdy tomboy who didn’t like the perfect little cheerleader type? 😬) As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to mind less…mostly because I stopped caring if people thought I was weird or didn’t think I was as pretty as someone else…but also because I’ve tried to flesh out Tink a bit more and learned to see her (and those cheerleaders) as a more fully developed character rather than a caricature. (I think the Disney Fairies franchise may have also helped. Admittedly, that Tink is much softer than original Tink, but it does help give her a more developed personality.)

13. Unpopular opinion about Hook?

Hmm…maybe not an unpopular opinion but definitely an uncommon one… So many people want to make Hook into this womanizing dude who leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he goes. (I’m thinking especially of how the Spielberg film has him surround himself with prostitutes.) Yes, Hook is supposed to be attractive but he’s also supposed to be a gentleman who is concerned with good form. He’s not the kind of person who would sleep with just anyone or take advantage of them simply because he could. I think the author of Disney’s Twisted Tales Straight on Till Morning put it best when one of the pirates is speaking to a concerned Wendy Darling and says something along the lines of, “Oh, he might slit your throat, but the rest of you is safe.”

14. Unpopular opinion about the fandom?

Everyone needs to stop with the *GASP* “What if Pan is actually evil?!” trope and stop acting like they’re the first person to come up with it. It’s not a new hot take. It’s in literally almost every single retelling these days. You’re not being edgy or creative with Dark!Pan. You’re just looking for a lazy way to make Hook the hero without him having to work for redemption and face the evils he has done. I love Hook (hence, this blog…) but he isn’t canonically a good person. Does he have some good qualities? Yes. Is he a redeemable, “not wholly unheroic” villain? Absolutely. But he’s no angel. And that’s okay. People want so badly to make either Hook or Peter completely evil and the other one completely noble and good. It does make things simpler that way, but it doesn’t make for good writing and it isn’t the way Barrie intended the characters to be. Both are complex and sometimes fall into the morally gray territory. Peter does both heroic things (saving Tiger Lily) and not so heroic things (breathing quickly because he believes it will make grown-ups die). Hook is both a gentleman (for goodness’ sake, y’all writing Hook as a pedophile need to STOP) AND a pirate, an Eton boy obsessed with good form and a man who is totally okay with killing a child. The difference here is that Peter, while he doesn’t get a complete pass, gets some leniency as a child. Barrie makes it pretty clear that Peter isn’t just physically stuck as a child but is also mentally a child. Kids say some harsh things but they don’t always know the full extent of the consequences of their actions. Hook is the villain merely because he knows better and chooses to lower himself to Pan’s level of childishness. So yeah, more nuance and less black and white thinking in the fandom would be great.

[penny-nichols]

what’s your opinion on every global studios characters and what do you like about each of them, except manella or whatever the f hes called bc i hate him with every single cell in my entire body. i know penny is your fav (and good for her, she deserves more love) but what about the others?

OK OK OK GET READY Penny: OK admittedly my obsession with her started with "haha she looks like me" and then I was like "also she's obsessed with a piece of fictional media. Me" and she just seems like a good person you know? Like some people in ace attorney are like... innocent but still shitty people but she's one of the good ones and I like that :) also she's not like, a creepy fan which it could've been so easy to make her into. But no, she's just Autistic Rep (which admittedly was so unintentional but I'm autistic and I claim her so) and she keeps in touch with Maya post games and I just genuinely think that she'd be a cool person to hang out with. Obviously she's not as exaggerated as other ace attorney characters but she's still charming in her own way! Will Powers: As soon as I saw his SECOND SPRITE I was like "I love this man" (it was one of his embarrassed ones) like. He looks like a big ol threatening guy but he's just a teddy bear and I love him. He does no wrong. Also if you don't think he would give the best hugs, you're dead wrong Oldbag: OK I'm not sure if this is a popular or unpopular opinion or something but I feel like, just like Larry, post game one she got unfortunately Flanderized. Like how Larry is just some guy who really cares about his girlfriends in game one and then in later games gets turned into a guy flirting with everything that even vaguely resembles a woman, Oldbag gets turned into... her but everything likeable about her is removed. Like, don't get me wrong she was still into younger guys in game one. She was still kinda a pain to deal with in game one. But there's that moment when she gives you the photo of Manuel... and there's some genuine heart behind that. It's even more apparent in the anime. I'm just saying that if they had leaned into that side of her more, she could've been a really great character. Sal: Fuck you, eat dirt Sal Manella. Like, besides all the normal reasons to hate him he's ALSO the one time Ace Attorney really makes fun of a fat person? Like there's quips about Maya from Phoenix but those are quips from characters, not the game itself saying that it's a joke, you know? Like how he has a slobbering sprite and is obsessed with food.... Normally the few fat characters they have aren't really shamed for their weight? I mean sometimes it's commented on (like with Grossburg and that line when Phoenix is Lying to Maya about how he looked and he said he looked really sickly... all skin and bones) and don't get me wrong, the fat characters aren't necessarily treated WELL by the story (Grossburg and the main joke about him in 3-1 for example, or Jean Armstrong) but Sal is just a fucking incel creep. ...I kinda went off on a long rant about fatphobia here but the point is that I could probably make a better director character and that wouldn't change much Dee Vasquez: Pretty lady.... Honestly she's the first sympathetic Ace Attorney killer (one of the only ones in fact now that I think about it, especially in the original trilogy. The only other one that might even be vaguely on her level is Godot I guess???) and I'm not saying all her actions are RIGHT per say (especially trying to kill Phoenix and Maya) but like... she's smart. She's capable. She had a reason to kill and it's actually decent (he attacked her first with intent to kill, she was completely justified). Honestly. Girlboss. Dahlia Hawthorne could learn a thing or two. Cody: A LITTLE GUY. Like, I love the way he acts like a kid most of the time (kids CAN be annoying) and then can go off on a fully articulated rant about like. The nature of Justice or capitalism or whatever (I forget exactly what his specific lines are about, forgive me). I think he's a very important part of the case, I think he's just a little guy, I think he deserves an extra birthday present this year and both Ice Cream AND cake I wish he returned honestly. Even as a cameo. He DOES have a camera give HIM some photographic evidence to present in later cases. Honestly he deserves to be protected. (pt 1 hit char limit)

[trainsinanime]

For the ask game: 13, 15, 17, 19

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

I’ve said this before: The Gorilla is not “Adrien’s only parent”. The Gorilla is the jailer who physically enforces the limits on Adrien’s freedom that Gabriel has set. That’s his job, and it’s one he actually does most of the time. In Gorizilla, Adrien and Marinette are trying to dodge him (and Adrien’s fans) long before he turns into an Akuma. In Origins, Adrien tries to dodge him when he wants to go to school.

Yes, the Gorilla is often bad at his job, and sometimes will let himself be bribed into being even worse at it. And yes, he has genuine affection for Adrien, more so than anyone else living in the Agreste mansion (Nathalie stans: Fight me). And I could imagine that someone else in the same role might be worse for Adrien. But still, when Adrien is running towards his freedom, the Gorilla is the person he is running from.

I don’t think he is irredeemable, far from it, and I’m perfectly okay with stories where Adrien decides to forgive him. I just think the fandom needs to acknowledge that there is something to forgive here in the first place.

15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

I’m still trying to sort my thoughts enough for a long-form post, but basically, I think the strict format hurts the show. There is only ever the one villain; there is only one plot; there is only one kind of threat. If you compare it to other shows in a vaguely similar conceptual space like The Owl House or Buffy the Vampire Slayer (what is Miraculous if not Buffy but happy), you can quickly see where it leaves a lot of development on the table because of those structural deficiencies.

Having multiple enemies in succession means the bad guys can have meaningful victories over the heroes, keeping the threat level up. At the same time, the heroes can make significant progress at times. Miraculous Ladybug just doesn’t have that, and the one time they did have a serious victory for the bad guy (exposing the other heroes), they couldn’t do anything with that.

The show also generally doesn’t have B-plots; at least no B-plots with any substance to them. The time spent on B-plots is instead given to the CGI battles, and to be fair, those can be a lot of fun. But that means there is really no opportunity to develop side characters better because there is no time; even the main plot often feels more like we’re watching a summary than a well-told story.

It also doesn’t help that the show is so strict about secret identities and amnesia for akuma victims and the like. Marinette can’t talk about superhero stuff with Alya (for most of the show anyway) and Chat Noir can’t talk about superhero stuff with Nino, which means those two don’t get any development. And Marinette can’t really reason with an Akuma victim, nor talk about personal stuff while in costume, so in the end the CGI battles are fun, but usually irrelevant when it comes to characterisation and plot developments.

The show seems to address some of these issues, especially with Rena knowing, but still, it’s far from ideal.

It’s a weird thing where it sort of balances out in the end; the show doesn’t seem to have the the time to develop any overarching story well, but it doesn’t have a good overarching story to begin, so it evens out. And they have given me enough bits for the minor characters so that I love all of them.

I’m a bit hesitant to post all this stuff because it makes the show sound horrible, which it is not. I genuinely love it and enjoy watching it. I just think that it could have been so much better if it had chosen a different format.

Not sure if this is unpopular, but it is a thing we’re not really talking about.

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

Apart from “restructure the entire show completely and rewrite every single episode”, you mean? 😁

I think we could cut Lila, and instead give more time to Chloé. People keep acting like “Zoé is supposed to replace Chloé”, and no, obviously not; Lila is. People also keep saying “the writers hate Chloé”, and again, no, obviously not; if they hate anyone, they hate Lila.

Lila’s job in the show is to be the Cordelia Chase character; the antagonist for the non-superhero side of Marinette’s life. This is the role that Chloé previously had, until Marinette realised partly through season 1 that being the bigger person in that relationship is both easy and fun. But Lila isn’t a good replacement, because Lila has absolutely no character, no depth; she’s either conspiring to make Marinette’s life harder, or, more commonly, she’s functionally completely absent. The writers seem to have no clue what to do with her.

So either expand her role, or remove her. I’m leaning towards removal because Chloé could probably be a better antagonist; she has all the motivation and backstory, and the writers seem to genuinely enjoy making her the center of attention.

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

Honestly I am at a point where either the salt has died down, or I’ve managed to block it well enough, that I am basically very happy with the fandom. There are certainly a lot of hot takes I don’t enjoy, but my impression is that these are mostly the results of young people trying critical analysis for the first time, and I don’t want to be too harsh on that.

So… the thing that tends to disappoint me the most is really at the other end of the scale: I think the fandom is way too serious at times. The show is blatantly silly and cracky in every aspect, from its world building right up. Marinette may seem over-the-top, but in the context of the show, she seems to have about an average level of chill. Every single episode, if written as a fanfic, would be pure crack. The fandom is by no means a joyless place, far from it! But I think it could embrace the sheer insanity that is the world of Miraculous Ladybug even more. If you write a fanfic, and the Eiffel tower remains completely stationary the entire time, what are you really doing? 😁

[wheredemdokis]

[tastebreaker review] Law School (no spoilers)

Sometimes, I wish I could have a shrine for all the cerebral media that I consumed, because it definitely is my favourite archetype. Death Note was a masterpiece that I hungrily binged in one day - similarly with Psycho Pass (though I haven't watched the second season due to most of the reviews I have read). This extend well into non-anime media for me - State of Play (with Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams) remains one of my favourite movies, Inception and, well, honestly anything by Christopher Nolan, and I have recently began watching The Matrix as well.

And so, the thirst for real mystery and brain games was quenched when I started watching Law School, with Kim Myung-min, Kim Beom and Ryu Hye-young, directed by Kim Suk-yoon. Needless to say, throughout the whole trip, I was hooked, counting down days until the next episode came... but towards the end - an unpopular opinion - I was actually quite disappointed.

And so, before you start your cross-examination, allow me to present my findings first.

- How did I start watching this?

My friend and I were looking around for something to binge on Netflix and forget about COVID-19. This series popped up, and the moment I read the title, my sapiosexual senses were tingled.

- And how was it?

Very good!... until the ending came. ;w;

- Genres & overarching themes?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological

Overarching themes: murder mystery, law vs justice, intelligence (as in, the characters are all really smart hahah)

- Plot: 4/5

It could have been a high four, near five if it wasn't for the ending, frankly. The first episode started out with Professor Seo Byung-ju of Hankuk Law School dead, and the spotlight shines on Professor Yang Jong-hoon (the man in the poster above), the first suspect. But was it really him? From then, the mystery unfolds as our favourite study group (who shall be very well elaborated on later in this review) launches itself into investigation for true justice.

The series started out extremely strong in my opinion, with its first few episodes filled with twists and sub-plots that were waiting to get wrapped up. Every episode just leaves you gripping on the sides of your seat in suspense. It really makes you doubt every single person that appeared on-screen and watch out for anything that happens - the show uses the Chekhov's Gun trope really well. As the knots become unravelled, we gain more depth into the characters. However, as we near the end - about two-three episodes for me - the show started to lose its thrust, falling into a comfortable stereotype that made things rather frustrating.

One of the major advantages of Law School, in my opinion, is its ability to twist and turn everything. It prompts the viewers to realize that when the case is really examined in a whole different angle, with more and more evidence coming to light, everything changes. The use of different suspects' stories being told in each episode is a pleasure to watch - the viewers feel like an omniscient judge, overseeing the motives and evidence to draw out a conclusion for themselves on who might be the murderer. The series prompts the viewers to think, which is a trend I really like. It's also interesting to question why characters do certain things they do. Professor Yang Jong-hoon (my favourite character!), for example, is a very... chaotic (haha) character, who keeps on surprising people with his actions - yet, his actions are all elaborate executions of his strategy, a whole plan that he has concocted which accounted for multiple steps ahead, thanks to his extremely sharp vision of what could happen. Thus, it is extremely satisfying when everything falls into place as Yangcrates (a nickname he earned due to his Socratic teaching) explains everything that led up to a particular tense moment where the truth was unveiled.

Yet... this very trope had its downfall near the end. The murderer was so heavily shadowed on in the beginning that the viewers would have expected the murderer to be someone else completely unexpected, a mastermind that pulled the strings behind all the proceedings. Yet, the murderer and the mastermind behind the murder were someone so... I dare say, unimpressive. I mean, this particular 'mastermind' behind the murder fell into so many traps! The murderer was definitely my major disappointment - the villain was a weak character, an unsatisfying antagonist that the intelligent heroes, once having figured who he/she is, didn't even break a sweat to bring to light. The last, final twist that was supposed to be the most glamorous of them all, completely knocking the viewers off their feet, fell completely flat.

Secondly, whilst having a lot of sub-plots still remains a favourite trope of mine as I'd expect everything to wrap up nicely near the end... well, it didn't. Whilst most sub-plots were hastily answered, there was one particular sub-plot which was just left completely unaddressed (for those who have watched it, it's about J****s), and unless they're hinting at a second season where this would be further elaborated on, this was a dead-end sub-plot, a plot with no elaboration or continuation whatsoever.

Overall, the plot was breathtaking in the beginning. It lost momentum very near the end, and wrapped everything up with an anticlimactic last episode.

- Characters: 4.7/5

Definitely the strongest set of characters I've seen in a Korean drama, frankly. All characters were so well utilised, each having their own quirks and flaws which were delightful to watch. Everyone was so, so intelligent, that they honestly were the main fuel to the series, our main stars.

Allow me to first start off with my favourite character, Professor Yang Jong-hoon. Stoic, yet with an extremely savage side that he does not hesitate to show to anyone of any ranks or social standings, Yangcrates carefully plots everything, always thinks, questions, and then thinks even more. Intelligence-wise, this man is most definitely the smartest on-screen persona I've seen in the Korean drama franchise - able to see miles ahead and figure out all the answers down to their root, he is someone that definitely earns all the respect he has, from both his students and viewers alike. Personality-wise, this man is equally interesting as he is smart. With a cold exterior, Yangcrates does not take any bullshit (cue a particularly funny water spitting scene), and does not hold back harsh words to point it out. Yet, underneath this cold exterior is a burning desire to find the absolute truth, which would in turn bring justice to ones who have been wronged (refer to a particular lecture-like speech he made in episode 10), and a passion for teaching his students. He secretly cares for his students a lot, and expresses it in his own way.

Next, our favourite study group - a group of capable, enticing individuals. Firstly, we have Han Joon-hwi, a complex character that always pursues justice and fairness. His intelligence shines through with the way he, firstly, is able to take advantage of his sharp understanding of law into the case, and his careful processing of the evidence he gathers during investigation. Whilst he always keeps a cold head when needed, he has an equally warm heart, genuinely caring for wronged and innocent people. His expressions were all extremely raw and did not feel fake at all - really, props to his actor. More on this later.

Then, we have the two girls - Kang Sol A and Kang Sol B. Don't be fooled by their names - they are very much polar opposites. Whilst Kang Sol A is excitable and wears her heart on her sleeve (sometimes a bit too much), Kang Sol B always keeps a cool head, sometimes taking it to the extreme. I do admit that if I had to pick out of the two, though I love both of them very, very much, I'd probably lean a bit more towards Kang Sol A - even though she definitely gets on my nerves sometimes because of her overload of emotions that could be disruptive, she has her frequent bouts of creativity and "a-ha!" moments that display her underrated intelligence (I'm always soft for underdogs that are underestimated by everyone, only to turn the table on them later). She is also an extremely loyal friend and a very generous individual that isn't afraid to place herself in danger just to help others - overall, a very warm person. Kang Sol B, on the other hand - perhaps due to her family environment - does not really taking other people's emotions into consideration, though I really, really admire her for her intelligence, her ability to always keep a calm head (making her the blue counterpart to Kang Sol A's red), as well as her straightforwardness which has proven many times to be necessary to push the case forward. She does have a soft spot, though - a very adorable one at that. These two make an extremely adorable pair of friends.

My favourite student of the study group must be Seo Ji-ho. I'd say he's a less intimidating version of Kang Sol B hahah - cool and composed, Ji-ho is a reliable member who always pursues logic and reason first. He is also driven to achieve his goal and, like Joon-hwi, utilizes his deep understanding about law very well to solve his own case, his sub-plot. Though his sub-plot eventually was wrapped up as an open ending, it was a nice sub-plot to watch. Not to mention his dynamic with Joon-hwi is very adorable as well - the two really balance each other out.

Other students also have their own quirks and flaws, but for the sake of this review's length, I won't elaborate them as much - but I will say they are all a delight to watch, adding their own personal elements to the overall study group. I will definitely miss this set of characters so, so much. ;-;

- Acting: 4.4/5

Frankly, perhaps because of some K-drama series I have watched, I had a problem with acting in some K-drama series - the actors and actresses did not feel genuine, and they either overacted, pushing their expressions to the extreme, or underacted, simply being way too... stiff (some of my personal favourite actors and actresses so far are Kim Seon-ho, whose theatrical experiences probably really helped with his very natural acting, Jo Jung-seok, and Kim Hye-yoon, an actress who impressed me with both of her most popular series - hope to see her versatility shine through with more diverse roles though). This series, however, is a definite favourite of mine in terms of acting. Firstly, Kim Myung-min is a veteran actor that deserves so much respect - he basically morphed into Yangcrates. I absolutely loved the way he delivered his dialogues - very long ones! - without even so much as taking a breath in between - it was smooth and the flow was excellent.

Kim Beom also became one of my favourite actors after this series - the way he handled his role was so good, his expressions, actions, everything. I noticed that he's very good with his eyes, if that's the right way to put it - he is very good at displaying emotions with them, all emotions ranging from sadness to adoration (towards a particular someone *wink*). It's a top-notch skill, really, and I'm glad to have seen him on-screen. Similarly, Ryu Hye-young impressed me so, so much that I shall add her to my list of favourite actresses as well - I can't spoil, but she is really able at... altering her vibes, yes. She seems to have studied her character really carefully too, being able to bring all Sol A's quirks to real life. Other actors and actresses were amazing, but for me, these three definitely shone.

- Doki moments?

Ah. Definitely some between Sol A and Joon-hwi, as a lot of other people have commented. From the way they tease each other to the way he cares about her every little thing, the way he stares at her, the way his whole demeanor just changes around her and the way she unknowingly influences him so much - they do balance each other out really well, Joonhwi being the cool to Sol A's warm. I do find myself thinking Sol B and Ji-ho would be rather compatible as well (also, them being study rivals in high school? My rivals-to-lovers side is ready).

- Enjoyment: 4/5

Again, could have been higher if it wasn't for the ending! But yes, overall, a whole trip worth embarking on.

- Overall: 4.2/5

Really, could have been higher... but yes, still an excellent show. I just hope they could have had more episodes to really wrap everything up nicely and maybe throw us one final, absolutely ground-breaking twist.

- Watch it or neh?

Yes, please do watch it! And let me know how it goes, too. ;3

[emoprincey]

ooooh janus for the ask game!!!!

Thanks for the ask!!

First impression: Ok so I first watched the entirety of Sanders Sides in about a week earlier this year. I remember there were a solid two or three days where I thought Janus was completely unsympathetic, I even wrote the first 600 words of a u!Janus fic which I never continued. Obviously my opinion changed very quickly

Impression now: How can someone be so hot and yet so wrong??? The man thinks a philosopher's personal opinions don't impact their work! If I met him irl I wouldn't be able to stand him, but I do love him as a character, he's very fun to write and cosplay and draw

Favourite moment: Honestly I just love every moment Janus is onscreen. He's so sassy and also just such a dork. I really like all his interactions with Virgil, especially the end of the Halloween episode, but my absolute FAVOURITE bits are in the 5 year anniversary video "I do love the consistency of his makeup"/"It was a song about lies! And I wasn't there for it >:("

Idea for a story: It genuinely took me so long to think of something even though Janus is probably the character I write most skdhdhf

Anyway here's something I thought of while I was having a nap this afternoon

Janus is some kind of celebrity, he's a singer and actor and just generally very famous. There isn't a single person on earth who doesn't know his name... apart from one Logan Sanders

They meet at a library or something, probably both looking at the philosophy section. Janus immediately thinks that Logan is cute and starts flirting with him. Logan isn't really interested until Janus makes a comment about the book he's picked out and they end up having a full-on debate in the middle of the library. At which point Logan realises that Janus is hot and smart and he might be kind of interested

They run into each other a few more times at the library before they end up going on a date. Once Janus figures out that Logan doesn't have a clue who he is, he decides not to tell him because he quite likes not having to talk about his work

Also you should know that I'm picturing this as a comedy movie where Janus has to do increasingly wild things to stop Logan finding out

They have go for dinner and there's a billboard about Janus' latest film right behind Logan, and Janus has to keep him from turning around for the entire date

Logan finds out Janus is famous when his friends ask to see a picture of the guy he's dating, and when he shows them they're all like how did you not know who he is??? Do you live under a rock????

He's a little annoyed that Janus wasn't honest with him, but things work out in the end

Unpopular opinion: Janus hasn't actually been accepted yet!!! Thomas says he accepts him, and I think he's really trying to, but he doesn't seem to fully understand what Janus is doing and still views deceit as a negative thing. He literally says that Janus existing means he's "not perfect"

I think this is something that will be explored over the next few episodes, and I hope he does get fully accepted soon!!

Favourite relationship: Anxceit is my absolute favourite ship. There's a lot of angst there, but they cared (and still care!!!) about each other so much. And I love them as a platonic friendship for the same reasons

Also special mention for Loceit, also one of my favourites, I think they should drink wine together and debate and make out 😌

Favourite headcanon: I've said this so many times but I'll say it again, Janus and Virgil used to be best friends before Virgil left!!!! They had some kind of big argument that they're both still hurt by, but I think they miss each other

I'd love to do more of these, so if anyone wants to send asks of other characters, go ahead!!

[lazyliars]

Tubbo for the character breakdown? :D

How I feel about this character

c!TUBBO MY BELOVED.

The Sidekick. The Yes-man. The Pawn. The Child Soldier. The President. The Government. The Revolutionary. The Fool. The Scientist. The Husband. The Best-friend. The Leader. The Follower. The Underestimated.

Tubbo is a man with many titles, and as the situation calls for it, he can wear any of them comfortably.

Tubbo is defined, more than a lot of characters, by those titles, and by who calls him by which ones. The roles that he has played over his tenure on the server have left a more dramatic impact on both how he is perceived by others, and his own self-image.

He’s Tommy’s Sidekick and Best-friend - but he’s also Ranboo’s Husband, and Snowchester’s Leader, and A Scientist with Jack Manifold, and an (ex) President to Techno, and a Pawn to Dream.

What's interesting is that this relationship with titles is one he shares with Technoblade, and it's a unique way in which they foil each other. None of either of their other foils really share this dynamic, and to add to it, they both propagate this in each other. The difference is in how they deal with, feel about, and utilize it.

Techno is “The Blade” and “The Blood God,” and he hates it. He feels used, objectified, and reduced to a weapon by these titles. At the same time however, the actions he ends up taking only reinforces the way the average people perceive him – violence, blood and anarchy. The reputation Techno has aqquired often overshadows the person who might prefer to be seen as.

Tubbo on the other hand, tends to slip into the these titles without much resistance. He accepts them, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. He's happy to be Tommy's sidekick; He takes on the role of President of L'manberg; He accepts Dream's metaphor for himself as a Pawn. But to his advantage, his flexibility within these roles and the ability to put them on and take them off as he pleases gives him a uniquely wide arsenal of social tools.

There is so much more to say about c!Tubbo but If I keep going I could be here for hours...

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I am an enjoyer of his marriage with Ranboo, although I wouldn't call myself a shipper really.

I think their dynamic as two people who value kindness, but who also possess the capacity to be surprisingly ruthless, makes them an unusually dangerous and honestly, somewhat thematically opposed pair.

Tubbo is one of the people on the server who has the longest and most consistent relationship with what Ranboo would consider “sides” which automatically sets him up as a foil. Before even L'manberg, it was Tommy and Tubbo vs. Dream, and Tubbo has always held that loyalty close to his heart, and likely wont be cutting that off anytime soon. As a consequence of this, he naturally adds Ranboo to the list of people “on his side,” quietly, but surely.

Ranboo's somewhat correct, somewhat misidentification of “sides” as the root of all conflict on the server, in contrast to Tubbo, drives him to be more individualistic, “choosing people over sides.” And accordingly, it would be a stretch to call him a member of Snowchester, despite how deeply entrenched he's become in it's founder's life. At the same time, it's clear that Tubbo is one of, if not the most important person to Ranboo out of everyone on the server, and he's willing to do anything to protect him.

All in all, Ranboo and Tubbo end up being an odd couple for a multitude of reasons, who, despite some very core differences in personal philosophy, both end up caring for each other ferociously.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I would love to be contrarian here, but I just can't. Clingy Duo 4 LYFE!

Tommy and Tubbo's friendship, from the start of their time on the server to the current day, has been one “thing” that I continually return to, and that the story over all returns to. They are the emotional anchor of the server in a lot of ways – both a representation of it's innocent, idyllic past, and it's forward march into a darker future. Whenever the narrative wants to make a story beat feel strong and impactful, they'll often end it by echoing the scene on the bench that started everything, whether or not it's Tubbo and Tommy specifically; their Bond resonates so strongly throughout the DNA of the story that their Bench has become a Symbolic Archetype all in itself, and is something that no longer even requires the two of them present to recall it's power as a representation of Attachments, Loyalty and Platonic Love.

TLDR; Clingy Duo is the glue that keeps the core of the story together, and intentionally or not, most important friendships will end up either paralleling or foiling them by the sheer fact of how impactful their relationship is to the greater narrative.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don't know how unpopular or not this opinion might be, but I do consider Tubbo to be a darker character than a lot of the content for him I see produced.

One way this expressed: he's incredibly pessimistic. He's a person who lives his life hyper aware of how easy it is to die, and with a full acceptance that, if a worst case scenario should arrive on his doorstep, he would die without hesitation, if he had to.

That isn't to say he isn't invested in preventing that, far from it – but there is an undercurrent of absolute certainty that he is living on borrowed time.

One interesting development on this is how he's expressed this – during the Disc Finale, Tubbo has already accepted his own death. He tells Tommy that he's “done enough” and that he should let him die so that Tommy can have his disc back. He tries to get Tommy to resign, to not fight Dream in the end because he can tell that they've already lost and he doesn't want him to have to die too or suffer more.

Contrast this to Snowchester now – as we've learned that the Nukes have dead-mans switch; a suicide button, that only Tubbo knew about. It's a far more proactive expression of this mentality, a final ace up his sleeve, so to speak, so that if an unwinnable situation should occur again, he can turn it from a loss into sick kind of pyrrhic victory.

It's important to note that Tubbo has not yet projected or pressed this mentality onto others; this is self destruction only, and I do think that says something about him, although it's less positive and more tragic.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

VILLAIN ARC. VILLAIN ARC. VILLAIN ARC.

Okay, as a specific example, there is sooooo much missed potential for Egg!Tubbo (and Egg!Tommy) and I will die on this hill.

Imagine, in a world where Tommy isn't immune: Tubbo gets trapped and infected by the egg, as it offers to grant him the one thing he wants most in the world.

The vines grow around Snowchester, seeping into the cracks in it's walls and then hardening into a scaly form, creating a shell around his home. The ambient radiation causes the egg to grow faster in this area, and form odd spikes that loom outwards from the heart of the town, like blades pointed at anything that gets too close.

Tommy realizes too late what's happened, and when he tries again and again to convince Tubbo to just come with him, please come with him to Church Prime, he’s sure that they can find a way--

--he ends up letting Tubbo lead him, and follows him down to the depths of the egg.

When the doors behind them are covered in thick vines, and the humidity of the room increases, and every breath feels like it draws in clouds of dust, it’s already too late to run.

Tubbo stays with Tommy for the two weeks it takes for his will to break and the egg to infiltrate his mind; it's offers of wealth and vengeance and rebuilding L'manberg and resurrecting Wilbur and making people love him and making him powerful and giving him the whole world--

--all rejected, until finally, in the sickening red haze of Tommy's mind, a single scene; a clear blue red sky, the sun high and bright, a warm breeze blowing in, a bench, the sound of good music, and there--

Tubbo moves and the vines around him creak, having been undisturbed for days. He places his hand on the mass of crimson where Tommy is trapped waiting.

--Tommy grins and rushes forwards, all of the weight in his heart, all of the dread and responsibility and fear and anger and hurt and pain, all of it suddenly gone on the breeze as he takes his place next to Tubbo on the bench.

The Eggpire grows. The vines begin to appear in more vulnerable places – peoples secret rooms, near their pets, wherever they keep their most sentimental objects.

Tommy loves causing harmless mischief, and the feeling of being accepted, of being cared for? It's perfect. Nothing can touch him now, where everything is simple and easy and just the way it should be.

Tubbo knows. It's not a deep feeling, it's not a secret part of himself still in there, still fighting. He knows, and when he sees Bad staring him down, piercing through him, he knows that Bad knows too.

There is no kinship for them. There can't be. That would be too close to rebellion against The Crimson. That would be too close to comfort.

But Tubbo knows quietly. He's not a follower by nature, but he'll follow now, simply because he's seen the most logical way to attain what he wants.

And he and Tommy will make a kinder, safer world then the one the Crimson is eating now.

[remuscore]

Character breakdown: Roman?

I've been ready for this one since I was 12 years old.

How I feel about this character: I. ADORE. Roman. As a tiny little tween, I wanted to have the confidence of Roman so bad. I wanted to be proud of myself, my creations, and be a total badass all the time. Now I am that because of Roman, and he isn't. I don't know why, but I think about that with Remus and just... anyways lol seeing Roman's mental health take a hit and quickly go down hill for almost 5 years now makes me keep watching this show just to see how Roman is feeling this time around. I love him and his character arc is killing me.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: I have already talked about it a little, but Logan and Virgil. Instead of talking about them separately, I actually want to talk about them together. Virgil and Logan have one thing in common and it's that at first, they did not get along with Roman. Roman liked them both and had such a shit way of showing it because this dumbass didn't understand that you have to become friends with someone first before you can playfully be mean to them lmao. Also I just love when hopeless romantic characters fantasize about the most basic and boring man to ever exist I think it is adorable.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I know I already talked about Virgil in a romantic since, but I'm gonna talk about them in a friend since too because this relationship is actually everything. They grew SO MUCH together. They used to not stand each other, but then Virgil came out and said how much it hurt and Roman did everything he could to do better. Roman never expected and demanded forgiveness but look at them!! They're best friends now!! Virgil feels comfortable being vulnerable around Roman and Roman respects Virgil's boundaries and sticks by his side instead of turning against him at every turn. I love them...….

My unpopular opinion with this character: Roman and Remus share their responsibilities. All of them. Roman can shove ideas and thoughts into Thomas' head in intrusive and impulsive ways the same way that Remus can (look at the "You guys can shapeshift" scene and pretty much all of Moving On). Roman and Remus share Daydream Mode, they can shapeshift their entire form clothes and everything, and they can effect Thomas' entire mood from self-esteem alone. It's not "Roman has this and Remus has that." They are Creativity. They have the same responsibilities.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I want Closure with Roman and Janus. Janus has manipulated Roman time and time again and in Redux, Roman was spiraling and Janus' presence was making everything worse. Give me a minute, this might sound like the rants of a crazy man for a moment. The nod. The nod from Janus when Roman said he thought he was Thomas' hero. He had lost all trust in Janus after all he had done to him the last few times they interacted and he thought Janus was lying to him again. He thought he was confirming Roman's thoughts that Thomas didn't need him like that anymore. That they did see him as the enemy now. And Patton saying he was loved? Roman thought that was just another lie. I NEED Janus to confront the fact that he had single handedly made Roman think he was the problem.