#neuro rambles

[chacharoni]

end of 2024 ramblings

I haven't really made a proper post here in ages, so here's me rambling about things I really enjoyed in 2024, primarily animations but also some other media and ttthings.

Asks/comments regarding this post are very welcome, thank you and I hope you enjoy reading!

Sailor Moon

Starting off with this, as of this year (2024) I have finally watched the whole show (and I'm slowly reading the manga too). I will be talking about some spoilers so do skip the Sailor Moon section if you don't want to read them.

My only real exposure to the Sailor Moon series prior to this year, was trying to watch it on TV as a kid, but to no avail as it aired in ungodly early hours of the morning… and I suppose all the art and memes that I would later stumble upon online from time to time. So my thoughts prior to watching it summed up to 'Sailor Moon is a classic and its cultural impact is tremendous' and 'it also has lesbians I guess?'.

Needless to say Sailor Moon is, similtaneously way more and way less than I expected.

There's so much that can be said about the anime adaptation and its differences from the manga. I'm personally of two hearts on the matter, I don't like how the manga's stories were dismissed for not having a broader appeal, but I enjoyed the extra content of the anime more often than not.

While the anime expands on the manga in a very repetitive manner by sticking to a 'monster of the week' format, causing plotlines to stay flat for too long or even rolling back on plot progress made on occasion, it manages to flesh out a lot of characters way more than their manga counterparts.

A side effect of that also being that some characters get stories that conflict the manga canon to an unrecognizable degree, but that's usually not a bad thing.

Examples of positive change (in my very honest opinion) are evil twink Zoisite and Koan's survival and redemption arc. I loved these two characters a lot so I was glad to see them stick around for as long as they did. Sure Zoi could have done without the hints of homophobia baked into his character and Koan should REALLY REALLY NOT have been de-gothifyed around the end of her story relevance, but no point crying over 30 year old spilt milk I guess…

My overall watch experience through season 1 and up until the end of season 2 was mostly curiocity satisfied. 'This show is history and that's why I should watch it' was my main drive. Despite the fun parts, the first two seasons did get somewhat boring and I wasn't very font of either plotline.

(My knowledge of the manga also rans out by the end of with these two arcs so I have little to comment on the differences between the two versions past this.)

Nothing really prepared me for the director change that happens for Season 3. A difference that can be felt from the very first animated frames of this arc and especially in the world shaking impact the 'sailor moon lesbians' have on the story, through the character conflict they bring on the table.

I love Sailor Moon season 3 more than anything I've watched this year (and I watched a LOT of really great shows).

Nothing quite made me feel like a child watching my favourite show on TV impatient to see my favourite character show up again like this season managed to.

Haruka Tenou is the best Sailor Moon character and this is a fact, not just my poor little guy honest opinion. I'm incredibly happy to have been blessed with a director that was aware of this fact too and did all in his power to let her shine as much as she did.

Haruka and Michiru's presence in the show brings intrigue and investment in the plot that was sorely lacking in the seasons prior. They're also a vast improvement to the rom-com aspects of the show, with how they make the rest of the sailors soldiers question their sexuality.

So yeah… I really loved this season, it only kinda disappointed me at the very end because it gets vague and anti-climatic. From research I did, that seems to have been the fault of studio execs, so I'm more mad in behalf of the director than anything.

Sailor Moon s3 walked and fell on its face so Utena could run basically.

I don't really have many more thoughts on Sailor Moon. Season 4 was well directed, but I hardly cared about Chibiusa and her horse bf. It had no Haruka, like at all, so that was a massive downgrade. It was still better than s1 and s2 though.

Season 5 was the other Good One imo, what it does with the guardian lore is pretty cool and Seiya was a fun character. Also Haruka comes back for this one and she's still great despite the different directors, so this is my second favourite season.

Anyway, I'm kinda scared to start reading arc three in the manga because I heard they're quite different. I hope I like manga!Haruka too…

Wakfu Season 4

Hrm, we're back here huh.

So Wakfu season 4 was good, great, amazing and then also bad in very predictable ways.

I have been actively holding myself from commenting on it before. Specifically because I think some of the frustration I have vented about this show before was a tad vitriolic and I'm not happy with it anymore.

But it's been years since then. I've changed and grown a lot (for the better I'm hoping) and Wakfu and its primary author also have undergone changes of their own, so no harm in going back in and talking about the new season, right?

Wakfu season 4 starts a new leaf for the direction of the show. The brotherhood of the forgotten is promptly send their way in the first episode so we can dive in the new story at hand.

I will be honest I expected nothing at all going into this, negative, positive or otherwise, which is why I was quite pleasantly surprised at first.

The first few episodes are pretty good, the general direction of the show is very solid, telling the story at hand in a more competent manner than the unfortunate s3 had prior.

The new characters introduced are very intriguing, especially the Eliatrope goddess and Torross. The animation is incredible, which is to be expected frankly, Wakfu always had good animation, but its no lie this season went a bit harder than usual. Nora's journey and the Eliatrope Goddess backstory sequence are still in my mind months later.

While I've never really been in love with the main characters, I did like the changes made to them and their dynamics in contrast to the slog that was s3.

The direction of the story also managed to keep me invested in them, at least up to the point where it seemed the big bad was going to get pummeled not with an 'EPIC BATTLE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS' but simple sticks and stones for a change.

But sadly as soon as that possibility faded from the horizon, so did my attention.

A glaring problem with this season for me is that a few too many of the plot threads laid out have been left aside for a later one/different potential stories. Because of this some characters just go in directions that I don't particularly feel made for a compelling continuation or exit from their established stories.

I'm not really happy with what the mechasm was dragged in to contribute to the narrative at all. I was super stoked to see it but it was massive a let down it just gets reduced to a power source to replace the eliacube…. The eliasphere…… My god, this just fucking sucks, ESPECIALLY so if that's supposed to be the point, why go out of the way to glorify Qilby's actions this time around, come the fuck on.

(The showdown between them was pretty cool though and it was incredibly funny Qilby had that one sexist line towards the mechasm around the end, what the fuck is wrong with him?? good god)

Aspargone was way way better characterized this season, her 'gaslight, gatekeep, feed the orphans' shtick is funny as hell. I was just not pleased she didn't get to have proper closure with Ruel. I don't think their story needs to drag on further than this season and I kinda hope it doesn't.

Torross was cool but does not feel like he was dealt with in any meaningful way. I understand he has to stay alive because he needs to exist and show up across the games that are set in the past or future of the story in s4, but I find that a flimsy excuse for the underwhelming finale.

Yugo doesn't seem to have learned anything meaningful from him, just has potential to reflect upon what happened in a future story and that just doesn't feel like a satisfying ending to all this. (Oropo bringing some arguement in the narrative against Yugo acquiring more power doesn't matter to me. There has not been one instance of Oropo trying to fix things that was good or benefited anyone at all and he's also boring as hell and I don't give a shit what he has to say.)

I'm also somewhat annoyed that Torross's backstory is as vague as it is cause it's quite interesting and I wanted to know more about what sort of place his planet used to be. Why does it only seem to have hosted three gods etc etc.

Nora's demise was another let down. She was the character I was most invested in and I was really hoping she would be added to the main cast.

Like, finally we get an eliatrope who's actually grown on me, her design was made to cater to me specifically and she has A LOT of potential character development she could undergo laid out and… She just gets canned end of the season?

I will only reconsider my frustration over this if she comes back in the future somehow, sheesh. :v

Eliatrope is the character I was most pleased with (while not my fave, I think she's the most well-rounded). It's very cool how she has an air of uncanniness to her that never quite leaves no matter how much of wet puppy she acts at times. I don't believe her side of the story is all there is to it and again, while I'm not happy it was left for another arc, I hope whatever we get about the gods' lore lives up to the unease she's build up.

Pinpin is the character I have the most mixed feelings about. He's back to be the amicable doofus he used to be, which is great and he's now kinda(?) better taking in that he's a grown man with a wife and three kids.

His character development is not unwelcome, same as Yugo's, I'm glad they're not being little dipshits anymore, but I feel like that change has come out of left field a bit.

We never get to see what drove either character to mellow out of the negative growth they've undergone in the OVAs and S3. And yeah it's good Pinpin finally got around to telling Eva, his wife that he has three kids with, that he loves her for the first time in their relationship, but holy shit that sucks so fucking much. I feel so bad for Eva.

So yeah, I think this season was way way better than last one. Not enough that I'm wholly in love with it, but I think some of the ways it failed for me won't be present for a future season.

The 'brotherhood of the tofu' in my opinion should be left behind to tell different stories about different characters in this universe, cause they're not particularly compelling, and especially Eva/Pinpin and their kids really feel like screentime that would be better used on other characters.

They could work better as assisting characters, you know? It might help a lot with their screentime quality if what development they get is more purposeful and measured.

Overall this season really felt like it was setting up for a future one to its own detriment. More focus should have been placed in making this a great season that can stand on its own two feet and be watched individually, than a season that is leaking plots left and right in favor of the transmedia narrative.

A good balance between those two has not been reached yet, but it feels closer in this season than it was before… I really hope if and whenever a new show or season comes out, I'll be pleasantly surprised once again.

Vocaloids, figures and other escapades

So I've ventured back into Vocaloid recently and it's been quite interesting to see how the fandom around them has changed since I was last here. Main reason for my return is that I've gotten into collecting figures, specifically Mikus, insane how there's like a bazillion of them btw, and that got me curious about Vocaloids again.

While the fandom is still going strong, it is, at least in terms of global marketing, wholly under Miku's chokehold. A fact that I don't like so much frankly, it would be nice if more vocaloids, none-crypton vocaloids, got their time in the spotlight too. But anyway...!

Here's my most favorite figure I got this year!

I bought her secondhand earlier this year. She was super cheap cause her standing leg was slightly damaged and coming off where it connected to her leotard. Gluing her back was a bit of a challenge but I pulled through and now she looks good as new!

I really like her outfit and expression here and I think its of her best figures for its price range… It's just good, I love it a lot.

Also, Vocaloid unrelated, by I have nowhere else to put this, please look at this tiny ass Haruka keychain I got……

She's so tiny I had to leave her hanging on my pinboard, I'm scared that if I put her on my keys with the rest of my keychains she'll be obliterated within a couple of days. And if anything happens to her I'll kill everyone in this room etc etc.

I really wish Haruka got more figures, esp of her civilian outfits. All her figures that I actually like are sadly garage kits that I have no way of getting….

Merch aside, I did my first cosplay in over 10-15 (idr?) years for comic con! And it was not a poorly thought out closet cosplay this time (I did still replace some parts of it with clothes I had I thought better fit what the outfit is supposed to look like a bit better). I've been slowly gathering this outfit for a year or so and finally I was able to go as Kenshi Yonezu's Sand Planet Miku. I had already decided the cosplay would be a Miku and his music was the reason I first got into vocaloids so... it was only fitting I would start with this one, it's one of my most favourite of his Miku designs.

Cosplaying was something I enjoyed way more than I expected to and I might try to get my hand on more costumes in the future (I have my eyes on Haruka in her mustard suit as a possible next one, but only time will tell if I actually do that one)

Despite how fun it is however, the public interactions that cosplaying encourages are a bit of a strain on my social anxiety, no matter how pleasant they have been so far. I don't plan to stop because of this but fingers crossed I'll get better about it in the future.

Anyway to close the vocaloid segment here's some bangers that came out this year that I really love:

Monitoring by Deco*27

I'll be honest I'm a bit lukewarm on some of Deco's songs, even if it's incredible how he uses Miku and I'm amazed how far he's come as a producer. Him swapping out of using Gumi for Miku and then even re-releasing Mozaik Role with Miku is an affront to me specifically and I will never forgive him for that.

That being said he really ate with this one, fantastic song, I love the MV so much.

Donut Hole by Hachi

We are SO BACK!! Not a new song by any stretch of the imagination, but the MV for it sure is new and also the first vocaloid related post we have gotten from Kenshi Yonezu in years. I'm kinda livid about it also, I love the new designs for the girls and how chainsawman-esque it is! I'm also pretty sure that's SF-A2 Miki as the villain and Kaai Yuki as the child character which just really makes me happy...

I don't know if this means more of his old songs have the potential to receive an animated MV, I hope it does, but if not I'm super happy we got this one at least.

Awoo by Van de Shop

This song was an entry for the Project Voltage event that happened late last year/start of this (2023-2024) and I love everything about it. The art is insanely beautiful, it's ghost pokemon themed (based), very catchy and it really makes me nostalgic of my early days in the fanbase.

I love this song a lot and this producer is nuts for using Meiko this well, I'm honestly impressed.

Intergalactic Bound by Yunosuke & CircusP

This one I'm a bit ambivalent about, I don't quite like the commercial-ness it emits but... It's a pretty good song and I really love the MV and the designs Miku has here, especially the last one. It's a very fitting song to celebrate the 10th Miku Expo and since I did attend that, this song is very special to me...

Now for Some Youtube recs!

I'll have to plug in Toaster first and his insane ability to make an incredible amount of Let's Plays. Thanks to his channel I've been able to get to experience a lot of games I don't really have the time to go through myself. He's doing whole series runs of games like Castlevania, Silent Hill, Panzer Dragoon, Zone of the Enders and many, MANY more.

His Up Late With 'X' videos are also very insightful reviews of the series he talks about in them and I really recommend them.

Also if you're like me and you like to watch all the videos on a channel you've just found and you loved, I wish you godspeed cause I have been defeated in this game for the first time OTL....

Ben G Thomas is a paleontology channel that covers a variety of discoveries from dinosaurs, to sharks, to worms, to weird fucked up shrimps both old and historic ones and recent ones. I have learned a lot from this channel so it's very dear to me, and I'm glad to slowly be brainwashed to actually remember the names of species etc.

Also one of this channel's segments, 7daysofscience, that covers more broad weekly science news was recently moved to its own channel, so check that out too if you're interested!

Ok, now I started following a CJ th X while ago because their videos are very very entertaining and they post banger after banger not gonna lie. 'Noface is an Incel' honestly improved the way I viewed that character, sure its been a really long time since I saw that movie but I don't think I had really ever considered this angle. Another I really like is the more recent 'How Jordan Peterson's Suits Taught Me Fashion', this video has a lot of interesting things to say about the social aspects of gender and I'm honestly very here for it.

And that's all, I'm glad I got to the end of writing all this and if you read up to here, thank you for sticking along!

[vanmarkus]

i just need everyone to know that when you see posts about the new Zach Quinto show and how gay those doctors are for each other, we're being a 100% real, they are both canonically gay, this is actually happening

[aquakat-draws]

⚠️TW FOR VERY VERY VERY BAD LANGUAGE⚠️

I swear Neuro is one of the best characters I have ever made I love them so much. Everyone love Neuro right now

They're basically Joe's main hallucination (they them character woohoo!!!)

[hypmicdaydreams]

is anyone still in the mood for a hypmic imagines blog these days lol

[petrichorvoices]

self schizophrenia love being schizophrenic proud of like, neurotype. neurotype for self schizophrenia like autism is. wish more people saw schizophrenia good thing okay thing neurotype not need cure, self schizophrenia not need to cure self's schizophrenia, proud of schizophrenia self proud of neurotype is good good is good happy

[buf309]

Unnamed MTNN story - the basic plot

Neuro and the Demon Emperor were born from a twin set of eggs. Neuro hatched first, thus, was the older one.

Why a twin? Because I need someone with equal power to kick his ass. I haven’t found a satisfying name for The Emperor yet. “Tic” as in “neurotic” is too lame. Need to search for some brain illness in the future.

Neurodegenerative? Degenera? Degen?

For now, just call him Emp for short.

They look quite alike, same coloring, same build, same power level, same sadist personality, etc. but Neuro is more cunning and adventurous, while Emp is more serious and traditional-ish (he believes in “Fate” like all other demons in Hell).

With his power and birth-right, after they killed off the previous Demon Emperor, Neuro would have become one, but he hated the responsibilities, so he gleefully stomped those demons who suggested that into the ground then left, travelled around to search for mysteries (his food source). Emp is very respectful toward Neuro, often let him do whatever the hell he like. That’s why he told Yako that he didn’t look up to anyone in Hell and everyone else had to bow down to him when he passed by.

Neuro eats the negative energy people emit when they try to cover their crime. Emp eats the positive energy of someone who is happy and hopeful. So, when Hell ran out of positive energy, became the dark hole of misery it is today, Emp went into deep sleep, hibernated until things changed for the better, left everything in Neuro’s hand.

About 5 years after Neuro returned to the Above World from his three-year absence, the Demon Emperor wakes up from his hibernation. He calls for Neuro but can’t find him anywhere. When Emp finds out that Neuro moved to human world and has not returned since then, he goes after Neuro to take him back to Hell, because that world is too poisonous for a demon to live in, even if that demon is as powerful as his brother. Moreover, Emp believes that his brother’s rightful place is by his side in Hell, any otherwise options are simply not acceptable.

Move to the detectives, Neuro has almost become fully human, perhaps 70% already. He still stronger than a regular human but dangerously weakened. Yako is 24 years old, beautiful, well-known and very successful. She has her friends, family, her cases, and most importantly, her partner. Life can’t be happier and better in her opinion.

Neuro senses Emp’s arrival. He’s concerned about what could happen but doesn’t say anything.

When Emp crashes into their office, he sees Neuro’s condition, he is not happy. He asks Neuro to return to Hell for his health, Emp doesn’t want Neuro to become human, he wants his brother back. Neuro refuses, his goal, The Ultimate Mystery, has still not appeared yet. Emp doubts that is the reason he wants to stay in this world. He senses an extremely strong bond between Neuro and Yako, so he assumes that Yako has found a way to capture and tie his brother to her.

Emp tries to drain all of Yako’s positive energy so that she will become just a shell of her former self. Of course, Neuro will never let that happen to anyone, who’s under his protection, right in front of his eyes, let alone his dear partner. It’s a territorial thing, not that Neuro has become soft because he is almost a human already, really…

They fight. Neuro, to protect his right to stay in the Above World and his partner; Emp, to kill Yako and free Neuro from her clutch.

Soon, Neuro loses, badly injured. He is simply too weak for a fresh demon just come out of Hell.

Emp is about to take Neuro back to Hell, Yako interferes with Akane’s help and whichever side characters (I feel like drawing when I get to that part) back her up. They manage to distract Emp enough for Yako to take Neuro back from his grasp. Then, Emp squads them away like flies. He’s extremely pissed off. Emp kicks Yako away from Neuro and repairs to kill her for good this time.

But, to everyone’s surprise that he could still move, Neuro takes that hit for Yako. With no energy left to put it back together, his body breaks into dust. He simply smirks at her, whispers a half-heart insult: “What with that ugly face, top-slug? I… just need to shut my eyes… for a bit…” then collapses.

Two desperate screams can be heard that moment. One is inhuman and enraged, the other is in denial and heart-broken.

-----------------

Not sure what will happen next yet, just some random ideas.

Ultimate Mystery perhaps is Love. To be specific, the negative energy cause by repressing your love for someone you can’t have or the regret of losing that love without confessing (like in HAL case, Neuro acted like he was sugar-high after eating Hal’s mystery). That’s what Neuro has always been searching for but doesn’t have a clue what it actually is, because love is an alien concept to him.

Maybe? At least, a certain analysis on NeuYako livejournal forum believes so, and, personally, it makes a lot of senses to me. Need to reread it soon.

OK. So, Neuro gets the Ultimate Mystery mentioned above from Yako, and is revived (?) or evolved (?) like a Pokémon. Fight back and triumph over Emp. Teach Emp a lesson about not pushing his beak into places where he’s not wanted.

-----------------

PROBLEM:

- After that, Neuro won’t need to eat mysteries to survive anymore, he would stay a demon, or turn into a human, or become what? An angel? (if the theory that demon = fallen angel is true). Oh well, I like that theory so I may just take that ball and run with it. Or a… bird dragon? Hmm… Cool!

- Majin = evil person = a person without a heart. Then, if he gained a heart (aka love), he would simply become a person?

Ending… What ending?... Hmmm… Ok, clearly, Emp has to return to Hell. The two love-birds (pun intent) live happily ever after?

To be honest, there are many people think that Neuro will out-live Yako by centuries. But, to consider the difference in living environment, especially that human world is poisonous to Neuro’s health, I’m sure he will die far sooner than Yako if he keeps on staying there without coming back to Hell in between. In canon, the story happens during the span of more or less one year, live-or-dead battles aside, his health worsens considerably by the end. Becoming human or not, his condition’s going to detoriate as time passes and there’s nothing they can do to stop it. So… no, I don’t think they will ever get their happy-ever-after ending like in fairy tale.

Well, more reasons for Emp to drag Neuro’s ass back to Hell then…

If he has become almost a human, could he still be able to stand Hell’s environment when he came home? Are demon cells automatically revived whenever they contact with poisonous air in Hell?

Basically, human world = the ocean; mysteries = fishes; and Neuro = a seabird who try to live underwater hunting for fishes?

[atomra]

i love that despite Neuro committing horrible crimes every chapter, he is still the protagonist alongside Yako. Him refusing to kill people actually makes him so much worse too. Like... his torture is genuinely scary, but he needs people alive more then he needs them dead.

Best bird demon, 10/10, love a man that is downright sadistic and refuses to let petty criminals get the last laugh. Love that he's the good guy, need more of him forever.

ALSO love that he isn't ever magically fixed of being evil. No, the man is a fucking demon and he stays a demon.

[atlantis-just-drowned]

My favourite hobby is to walk around, look at random people going on with their lives, approach them and tap their shoulders to say: "Did you know? You're autistic."

[gottagetshiver]

What’s the term for when a guy you’ve been talking to (he sends you a sexual meme once every 8-10 business days and when you send one back, he almost exclusively replies with just a single emoji and nothing more) for the last year and a half (other than the 9 month chunk of that where he ghosted you before randomly sliding back into your insta DMs at 4am one day) that you’ve never met in person (you scheduled something once last March and then he cancelled last minute and never asked to reschedule) rematches with you on tinder as of today? Is that a situationship? Or have I discovered a new level of dating hell?

[sevi007]

Read the entirety of "Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro" by Yusei Matsui (author of "Assassination Classroom") in the span of a few days and I absolutely loved it. It's weird, it's DARK to the point of being really f*cked up sometimes, but there is also fun and hilarity in it, and a kind of warmth that was also in "Classroom". I think, mostly the warmth comes because this is also a story about potential. About people finding the field they love, where they excel in, and then going all out until they can incredible things. It's about growth and learning and understanding.

To deliver that in the midst of an overall rather daark plot is really an achievment in my eyes!

Also this bastard man is just hilarious

[skyloftian-nutcase]

I spent entirely too long getting confused about increased anion gap metabolic acidosis good grief. Just sign me up for med school already 🥲😩

On to neuro weeeeeeee

[334iwatchshit]

"do you want revenge?"

"...i'm undecided"

can you believe they kissed after that

[wakaposting]

every day I hope and pray that we get an honest to God afterlife meeting scene as the ending of the manga. it would hurt me so bad. no I don't want to see waka die even typing that hurts me deeply. But please...please....God i need them to meet again.... I need proof that they'll be together again.... clawing and begging

[aqukana]

if you told me my casual hobby of watching vtubers would transcend from what already is a niche hobby into being fully invested in the dynamic of an unhinged A.I anime girl, her turtle creator dad and silly fox girl mom, i wouldn't have questioned it.

[ampasmen]

New AU concepts alert:

A ninjago phantom thieves au. Where there are no ninjas and no power and villains, but there still a bad guy just like a burglar, thug, mafia etc. But there's phantom thieves comes to save the day and possible steal some magical treasure. This story focus on the phantom thief and their organization (there's no way its a solo one) to retrieve many legendary treasure, legend say that the treasure holds many power that can grant the holder a various power and the theif decide that they need to study it, before it's to late taken by the many criminal to use it on their own will and drain the powers. Secret identity, a double life between a normal citizen and a phantom thieves and a secret they need to hide from their own friends and family.

The character itself ofcourse there's the main ninjas and the other elemental masters, skylor, pixal, harumi, morro, other side characters too like benthomaar, Akita, Vania, Scott, Echo and even seliel. They are the phantom thieves, well most of them are, the rest are more like a part time sort of thieves, also none of them know their identity other than their phantom thief alter ego, outside than that they didn't know eachothers which is a fun thing to explore how they will worked out together as they all have double identity to be kept secrets. What's their motive being a thieves? It's a secret, also for the ship is a secret ;). Would make this into a fanfiction and post it on ao3

If you guys are interested with the au you guys can ask me more about it ^^

[petrichorvoices]

Which tends to work better for communication cards: having multiple phrases on one card but no images, or one/two phrase/s per card with an image alongside it?

We'll be using them for daily life, which includes university.