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jadeddangel · 1 year ago

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Hellooo may I request Husk with a reader whose appearance in Hell is that of a cute little mouse? She is shy and the kind of person to put things as nicely as posible, so she finds it hard to stand up for herself. Basically the "opposites attract" trope, if you are so kind! Thank youuu <3

OMG I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!! AHHHH I SIMP FOR HUSK SO BAD

Warnings: talk of gambling, alcoholism, addiction , Trauma and suggestive themes

If you aren't over the age of 18 or of legal age please don't interact, having said that, Enjoy!!

A game of cat and mouse

The sky was dark red and black when you woke up.. there weren't any clouds, and aside from a red hue everywhere, the only thing that stood out was a giant clock in the middle of well wherever you were. Standing up, you brushed yourself off with your paws, wait... paws? You froze looking down at your hands, I mean, they looked normal-ish. I mean, you still had skin, but it was Grey and had fur running down the back of your hands, arms, legs, and shoulders. You had black claws, and you were staring to get overstimulated at all the sounds going on.. you went to put your hands over where your ears were when you were alive and let out a scream of sheer panic. You were scared there were so many things going on, and now you were missing ears?! You paused after a moment, realizing that it was ridiculous. How did you not have ears and be able to hear? And so you finally took a deep breath and went into an alley way as you were pretty much feeling yourself up.

You felt all over your body coming into contact with the large ears on your head and the long fuzzy tail you had. "OK, it's ok. Deep breathes. We'll figure this out it's not a big deal, right? I mean, this is probably just a dumb dumb dream .." You spoke to yourself

You lied. It had been 2 months since you got here now, and no matter what you've done to try and "wake up," nothing was working. And that's why you were standing here in front of the not so popular hazbin hotel. The outside of the large building looked mediocre, at best, and you were being modest. Taking a deep breath of the polluted air you knocked on the front door carefully, the echo of the loud knock spooking you nearly out of your fur. You could hear running towards the door before a brief pause and a blonde demon opened the door. "Hello there, little demon!! Welcome to the hazbin Hotel! Please come in come in!" Charlie greeted as she maneuvered around you, putting a hand on your back and leading you inside the doors closing behind you. You frantically tried to adapt to the new surroundings the princess of hell had forced you into. What you immediately spotted was a couch, a large stair case, a few people, and a bar? I mean, you had heard this was a place for rehab pretty much, not just a standard hotel. Charlie nudged you towards the couch. "Let me introduce you to everyone!! Ok, so we have angel dust, " charlie blabbered out as Angel looked up from his phone and gave you a brief head nod "alastor, our facilities manager, vaggie, my girlfriend and our general manager!! Oh, oh ! And here we have Kiki, razzle and dazzle, they work to protect the hotel!! That's nifty!" Charlie pointed to everyone excitedly, most of them barely even looking at you before the girl she addressed as nifty ran at you with a giant needle." Rat! There's a rat in the hotel!!" Nifty yelled. With a shriek, you jumped onto the coffee table. "I'm not a rat. I'm not a rat!!" You were nearly crying. You were embarrassed about everything feeling like a big deal, and then on top of the panic of being in a new place, it felt like your head was bursting. You had closed your eyes, and the next thing you knew, there was someone picking you up off the table after they had noticed you panic. It was angel dust.. he was holding you high above nifty's reach though he didn't need to cause you saw this.. cat person? Holding nifty up by the collar of her dress.. he seemed tired.. and grouchy . Angel finally set you down "sorry 'bout that cutie, nifty can be a bit much at first," angel said, crouching a bit so he was face to face with you instead of face to tits . You nodded a bit. "Thank you, angel dust," you said quietly, "it's alright, cutie, it's no problem to me, my friends call me Angie btw," Angel said sweetly

And just like that, your stay at the hazbin Hotel began. It was starting to calm down after a few months. You had grown close with angel, the two of you often hanging out at the bar. The cat's name that you had learned was husker, but he preferred husk. Then it all started, late night drinks and talks with husk though you did most of the talking or it wad just quiet. You both talked about so many things, what foods you liked, what drinks you preferred. And even though you were opposites, you were both crazy attached to each other.

You and Angel were having some small talk at the bar just laughing with each other. "And then! Hahaha ha and then Val has the guts to ask me to redo the scene!!" Angel laughed out. You both had been talking about funny stories and about things when you were alive . Angel finished off his drink before winking at husk. "Oh husker~, you wanna do me a favor and poor me another drink kitty?~" Angel asked with a smirk. You could hear husk grumble under his breath about something. Husk then turned to you. "Want another soda? I know you're not much of a drinker, so I asked Charlie to get us some, " husk said, leaning against the bar counter slightly. You gave him a happy nod before handing him your cup, soon husk left, and Angel smirked at you .oooooo you and Kitty got somethin' goin' on, don't ya' ?" Angel teased poking your shoulder a bit. Your cheeks turned a darker Grey at his words "w-what?.. me and husk what? No way psht- that's ridiculous. Why do you think he likes me?" You were embarrassed, but God, you were curious. Did Angel know something you didn't. "Mm, I'll tell you if you tell me what made you die , deal?" Angel held his hand out a bit.. you took a moment questioning if it was worth it before shaking his hand. "Deal.."

You took a deep breath "Alright uhm it was my boyfriend's fault.. you see, I had this really bad habit of falling for people that really didn't care about me.. they just wanted a body or something they thought they could gain.." You spoke quietly before clearing your throat."I was beaten to death.. I thought I was just going to sleep, but uhm, he had caused internal bleeding and..." You zoned out a bit."That's why I'm a mouse.. I'm just viewed as prey and a good pet for some person that thinks their god. " You ranted a bit

Angel looked guilty about making the deal, having heard that.. "Oh, cutie.. I'm sorry.. uhm, I don't know if husk likes you, deary, " Angel said softly while rubbing your back . You sighed a nodded a bit; husk returned back to the main bar and handed you your glass full of soda gently careful not to spill any before carelessly handing angel his drink ,husk put his hand over yours when you went to grab your drink " are you alright mouse? You don't seem well.. cmon, let's take you to your room.." husk said softly as he walked around the bar and helped you off the high chair before grabbing your drink and helping you walk up to your room. Husk sat you down on your bed, trying to get you to relax a bit. He rubbed over your shoulders, trying his best to soothe you from your emotional anguish that was written on your face. "It's gonna be ok, just relax," husk said quietly while rubbing your shoulders. Husk looked down at you, worried. "I heard what you and Angel were talking about.. I'm so sorry you had to go through that" husk was rubbing along the edges of your ears to help calm you, "Now uhm I now I suck at stuff like this but it looks like you need one " husk said opening his arms a bit. You pulled husk close and cuddled into him, relaxing at the smell of sandalwood and rum. Husk wrapped you up his wings, holding you close. "Thank you, husk.. " you said softly, husk smiled ever so slightly as he rubbed your arms and back carefully "yknow I heard everything even about a certain crush you have. " Husk chuckled a bit. You blushed a bit and went to pull away from the hug, but husk kept you close to his chest "let me finish.. I really like you too little mouse and I'd really like to stay with you for as long as I can.." husk finished finally letting go a bit so that you could pull away if you so pleased. But you could never.. husk made you feel safe made you feel whole.. and nothing could change that.. You had a big smile on your face as you pulled him closer "I really like you too husk.." you muttered. Husk smiled a bit more "so how about we just stay here for a bit and just hang out mk?and if I may be so bold I'd like to ask you to be my girlfriend " husk rubbed your back in soothing circles. You squeaked happily (blame the mouse part) as you nodded like crazy.

Everything is perfect

#x reader #hazbin hotel #husker x reader #husk x reader #hazbin hotel husk #fluff #hazbin fluff #jaded works🪶#husk x reader fluff #x reader fluff

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edelfie · 5 months ago

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#𝓣𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘! seven evil exes.

in a cruel twist of fate, you appear to be living a trashy 2010s movie plot. your life seems like a bad knockoff of scott pilgrim vs. the universe, but it really wasn’t your intention! if you knew your exes would near-unanimously turn out to be selfish, narcissistic assholes, you wouldn’t have dated them at all…maybe. hey, what can you say? you stayed so long for a reason (and it wasn’t their mediocre personality).

or, a collection of all your exes, affectionately nicknamed the “seven evil exes” by tendou.

the pseudo-playboy, miya atsumu!

atsumu miya is as charming as he is finicky—which is to say, quite. you met him at an upscale bar in tokyo in the months leading up to the olympics. you don’t keep up with sports drama, much less volleyball drama, so how were you to know he was being flamed by the internet for breaking up with his on-and-off nepo baby influencer girlfriend, lia handa, just a few weeks prior?

even if you knew, it wouldn’t have changed anything. they were broken up now, and atsumu is so handsome and wild and vibrant. you both knew what it was going in—a few months of blissful provocations, and you’ll awake to your bed cold, number blocked, and a rumor of lia handa’s engagement. you knew he was no good, so why does it sting still?

“i heard you’re back together, and if that’s true—you’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissing you”

the wild card, oikawa tooru!

of all your exes, oikawa tooru may be the only one you don’t have problems with. unlike atsumu, who failed to mention your apparent open-relationship, you and oikawa both knew from the start that it was only short, blissful fun. having met him while you both were in brazil (you on vacation, him competing), you came to an agreement—one month, no strings attached, and absolutely no feelings.

after all, neither of you were successful yet, and neither of you were willing to budge on your dreams to be with the other. so as he dropped you off at the airport, he gave you a teary kiss and sent you away, never to meet again. so now that he’s an olympian, and you’re moving up in the world, the brunet flirt decides the time is now to shoot his shot again. and who are you to deny him?

“who’s the cute boy with the white jacket and the thick accent? like…maybe it’s all in my head, but i bet we’d have really good bed chem.”

the introverted entrepreneur, kozume kenma!

you were, quiet literally, at your lowest. it was during that time when you met kozume kenma—a friend of a friend, lev. while you began as acquaintances, you had made your intentions of pursuing him obvious from the start. it was only a matter of time until you were moving in with him and making nightly appearances in his videos and streams.

you can’t pinpoint an exact reason where it all went wrong. perhaps it was when you realized how empty you felt, or when you convinced yourself you needed to be alone to fulfill your dreams. either way, years later, you attempt to self-soothe by saying your lifestyles—you, really—were incompatible. it doesn’t ease the aching in your chest as you read another comment from a fan pleading you to get back together. how is it that you felt nothing then, yet everything now?

“don’t smile because it happened, baby, cry because it’s over”

the not-boyfriend, sugawara koushi!

after a slew of failed relationships and bad press, you desperately needed someone to “soften” your public image. it just so happened that sugawara koushi was just that person. a humble elementary school teacher, with a kind face and funny, affable personality, and no problematic past. surely there was no way you could mess this up right? and you won’t! you’ll successfully date for roughly 7 months before calling it quits shortly before the launch of your album��to focus on your career, of course.

if it were truly that easy, he wouldn’t be on this list now would he? except for once, it really isn’t a burden on your own conscious. for sugawara, he knew faking a relationship with his childhood best friend would be hard. what he didn’t know was that you’d leave him feeling like this. so as he watches you flirt with other guys, he can’t help but wonder if he’s on your mind. and as he goes to sleep in a cold bed once again, he has to wonder just what you’re getting up to—and who you’re getting under.

“i know you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed. we had sex, i met your best friends—then a bird flies by and you forget.”

the girl, so confusing, alisa haiba!

as far as the world is concerned, you and alisa haiba are friends and occasional coworkers. to your devoted super fans, however, there is a strong conviction that there is…something between the two of you. the gentle petting, sweet nicknames, and romantic gestures left many speculating. despite being labeled overzealous conspiracy theorists, they hold strong in their convictions of your secret relationship.

unfortunately, they will never receive an answer either way—you had long blocked alisa years ago. the details of it are murky, even to you, but one thing you know for certain—alisa haiba, for all the millions she’s worth, is a coward. so afraid of herself that she kicked you out of your shared apartment, stole your clothes, and ruined your life in one fell swoop. if you were to see her again, you may have to be restrained one way or another.

“it’s slim pickings, if i can’t have the one i love i guess it’s you that i’ll be kissing, just to get my fixings.”

the ordinary ghost, akaashi keiji!

the man across from you reminds you of someone. maybe it’s because of the blue hue of his eyes, or his introverted, soft-spoken demeanor. your brain scrambles to figure out just who he is, but that’s the thing—he’s a nobody. he is not someone back from the dead to haunt you, nor is he some clout chaser feeding off you for his 15 minutes of fame. he’s just…a guy. and you are so into that.

akaashi keiji, you learn, is a humble manga editor. he has many interests, including games, volleyball, and…you. but not you, as in the rising pop star, but you the stranger he met in a coffee shop. when is the last time you have been truly desired for who you are? there’s a thumping in your chest, a dangerous thing for a woman like you. you know it’ll only be a matter of time before he finds out—the fame, the controversy, the relationship you are already in. but you don’t seem to care that much, you just want to chase this feeling, and you’ll be damned if you have to let go.

“i know you want my touch for life, if you love me right then who knows? i might let you make me juno.”

the amateur rockstar, semi eita!

you loved semi eita once. it was when you were sixteen and high on endorphins, blood rushing to your face every time he glanced in your direction. you confessed during your graduation, and by uni you were officially an item. the two of you had amazing synergy, both in your relationship and work ethic—with his instrumental mastery and your vocals, you could’ve taken on the world.

you loathe semi with all your being. it started with small, petty disputes over the future of your little garage band. you wanted to feel more grown-up than your dingy two man team. semi vehemently disagreed and opposed all others getting involved. the tension was so strained it became hard to tell whether the two of you held any love for each other, despite never saying otherwise.

that was, until you caught semi with his pants down and fondling one of the maybe 3 groupies you had, in the backseat of your car nonetheless. that was the day semi eita died in your mind, and so you do not look at the billboards the plaster his face or answer prying questions about your previous relationship. you don’t say things like how he was your first boyfriend, the man you believed you’d marry, the one you still sometimes dream of. instead, you smile curtly and decline to answer.

“and you’ve lost all common sense, what a coincidence”

BLIND ITEMS! —

## during their brief fling, the newly gold-medaled athlete and the controversial singer had a very public blowout at an izakaya because the athelte’s brother was being too friendly with the singer. now that the two are separated, the fly on the wall wonders if that friendliness will amount to anything. [revealed: miya atsumu, Y/N L/N]

## according to close sources of this home-born, now foreign olympian, he was not pleased about the news surrounding another olympian in his sport dating and old flame of his. apparently, he was hoping to woo her over once more at the 2021 olympics, but her relationship stopped him in his tracks. now that the games are over and she was suddenly broken up with in favor of his on-and-off influencer ex, the foreign olympian is furious. [revealed: oikawa tooru, miya atsumu, Y/N L/N, lia handa]

## the alliterate youtuber and ceo has turned down many offers from other creators to appear on dating shows such as “love or host”. fans believe this is because he has sworn off public dating, if not dating entirely, after the breakup between him and his anonymous girlfriend three years ago. [revealed: kozume kenma]

## the close circle of the rising pop girl have been seen cohabitating with a total normie, leading some to speculate if he is a friend or significant other of the star. [revealed: Y/N L/N]

## word of mouth says the half-russian model is in a queer relationship with her coworker. after briefly starring on the same show together, the two were spotted cuddling on a couch at the after party. [revealed: alisa haiba, jenna moreau]

## the editor of this famous manga and close friend of the mangaka is looking towards writing their own work within the next year.

## the faux-rockstar and his guitarist seem to be covertly flirting through songs and social media posts. whether it is genuine or just promotional for their upcoming album remains to be seen. [revealed: semi eita, kanna matsumoto]

jujuondatbeat. a love square between two olympians, lia, and some girl is not what i expected in my 2021 bingo card — nesayah. “some girl” put some respect on my queens name bro — jujuondatbeat. i think i’d die before i ever did that, sorry <3

cowsallover. am i the only one who wants to know who the editor is ??

junebuggg. it’s been 3 years (5 since they started dating) and the people NEED a kodzuken gf reveal! — devilishtears. orrrr you could leave him alone and mind your business ! they’re exes for a reason babes

sera_pent. PLEASE tell me it’s a pr relationship like i CANNOT cope with my husband semi being taken </3

elmosupremecy. miya atsumu when i catch you…

NOTES! —

As a college student and avid learner, education has always been a huge pillar of my life. That's why I take great personal interest in promoting this fundraiser. Ola is a graduate student from Al-Azhar University in Gaza. Before October 7th, she had graduated from her school with a Bachelors in Mathematics, a grade of distinction, and first class honors. She then began work as a seventh grade math teacher and took great pride in her work. However, in the midst of war, Ola has reached out to ask for support for her students, her family, and herself. Even sharing her story is enough, so please take some time out of your day to donate here or share Ola's story online and in person.

In a similar vein, I've started my own higher education. Thus, I can't promise any fast or consistent updates. I am blessed enough to have a flexible, light schedule this semester though, so I am hoping to write as much as I can for you guys! I'm a bit disappointed since I won't be able to take any English or Creative Writing classes in college unless I want to shell out the extra money and time wkwkwk, but I suppose it's for the best so that I don't get burnt out or overworked.

If I ever stop updating this fic before it's complete for, lets say about a month, feel free to yell at me through DMs or asks and I'll bust my butt to get something out! I work best under pressure LOL. Also plsss nobody mention how Kenma’s spam was made two years in the future 😭 I was tired and wanted to get it over with, tryst it will be fixed tho.

BUMPIN’ THAT? + MASTERLIST + ZERO

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colourstreakgryffin · 1 year ago

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Academy AU! Muzan (pretty sure he's a politician there lmao) crushing on physics teacher s/o in Kimetsu Academy? Thought it be kinda cute lmao

Aaah. We’re going on a Kimetsu Academy roll, aren’t we? Yes, Muzan is a evil politician that wants to rule Japan! Let’s see if I can figure out how to apply Muzan into the Kimetsu Academy

Kibutsuji Muzan

Muzan is constantly trying to overthrow Ubuyashiki Kagaya and his wife, Amane by sending in specific of his workers to behave as undercover information-gatherers. Sometimes, he has to go to the Kimetsu Academy himself in his own disguise when his subjects fail

Muzan just can’t stop gazing at you afterwards he first meets you when you introduce him to the school, excited and polite whilst knowledgeably explaining everything. Under his teacher persona, you helped him get accustom to the Kimetsu Academy. His eyes were forming love hearts whilst watching you as you pointed out his apparent classroom

Muzan starts to almost neglect his own position as a politician in favour of teaching some brats on a subject he barely knows so he can idolise you in the teacher’s lounge room. He doesn’t even care about anything but getting to know you

Muzan has been carefully adding you into his “rule Japan” plan from the very beginning and is all ready to throw his secretaries in the garbage for you. He isn’t going to tell you about his secret, just of yet as he needs to make you fall in love with him back

Muzan wants to impress you, the best he can so he starts to study your signature subject, Physics in his private time. Your enthusiasm over Physics is adorable to him and he simply loves watching you rant over the material you must teach your students. You’re just so innocent

Muzan is so favouritistic towards you. He hates literally everybody else in the entire Academy, other than you. Where he treats you like a queen, following you with lovestruck eyes whilst you just viewed him as a nice friend and a fellow Physics enthusiast

Muzan, thanks to his position as a Politician, has quite a lot of funds to his name and anytime you tell him that you need something, he has it delivered to your door in a few hours at the most. Rather you actually become his partner or not, he will continue to spoil you and spoil you rotten in hopes you will accept him one day

Muzan just wants you to be his so bad that it hurts, you’re a mediocre but significant teacher a the Kimetsu Academy and he is a high-level, all-powered politician. Anytime he wants something, he gets it. No matter what may happen, he will have you one way or another and he doesn’t mind tearing down the whole Academy to make sure you become his spouse

“Oh… so it’s like this? Back at my off— my school, we had a special system. This strict system isn’t something I’m use to. Will you keep helping me to grow accustom to this style? It’s just… really weird for me”

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brucebocchi · 10 months ago

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Winter 2024 anime, Pt. 2: Mixed reactions, the bench, and the gems

hey y'all, this is also up on my ko-fi! it's free to read both here and there, but i'm struggling financially rn so i could appreciate if you'd throw a few bucks my way if you liked it! part 1 can be found here.

And we're back for part 2! Here's all the new stuff I finished this season, and one more I'll get back to later. As with before, these are sorted alphabetically within each category and are not ranked as of yet.

Also as before, the OP for each series is linked in the title. Check them all out if the header images aren't giving you the right feel for each show, but also check them out because most of them were actually pretty damn good this season.

[Solo Leveling OP voice] LET'S GET IT!

Mixed Bags:

Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!

Your standard, quasi-harem “easily flustered Regular Guy wins over hot girls just by being really nice” shonen romcom. I really don’t have much to say about this one other than if you’ve seen My Dress-Up Darling, you’ve basically seen this already. The only thing that really sets it apart is the setting.

Tsubasa (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki, in a FAR cry from his turn as Mahito in Jujutsu Kaisen) is a straight-laced Tokyoite whose family situation lands him in a small city in the frozen boonies of Hokkaido. While looking for the bus to his new house, he runs into a gyaru in the snowy wild, the underdressed, hilariously-proportioned Minami, and they hit it off. It turns out they go to the same school, there are other cute girls there who take a shine to him as well, it’s nothing new.

I ultimately don’t have much to say about Hokkaido Gals, but I do have a soft spot for series like this, and after reading ahead in the manga I felt obligated to see it through. This is all junk food, but it’s all stuff you’ve seen done better in other series. I also have a soft spot for gyaru in anime and manga, and while I do like Minami just fine, she isn’t Marin Kitagawa or Rumiko Manbagi. I don’t really have it in me to recommend this show to many, though, at least not until another season rolls around, if that ever happens. The manga genuinely does get a lot better as it goes on, but the really worthwhile stuff may not happen until a third season, and I just don’t see that happening.

The manga has issues that the anime isn’t willing or able to solve, chief of which being the visuals. The art style of the manga is wildly inconsistent, and getting a mediocre animation team on this didn’t help matters at all. While the colors often pop nicely against the pretty, snowy backdrops, nobody looks all that great overall. The characters are recognizable, but they just plain don’t look great a lot of the time, nor do they look consistent from one cut to the next; I said that Minami’s proportions are hilarious, but just as hilarious is how wildly they vacillate from one scene to the next for the sake of trying to titillate the viewer.

My biggest takeaway from both the manga and anime was everything I learned about Hokkaido in the process, and if the series is taking subsidies from the island’s tourism bureau, then it’s a job well done. I want some goddamn jingisukan now. The OP is a great time, though. I’m shocked it took over a decade for us to get a proper “Uptown Funk” knockoff in an anime.

Metallic Rouge

I’ll be upfront in saying that this was my biggest disappointment of the season by far. This show had so much going for it, and what we got was… ugh.

There was an unbelievable amount of promise from the outset: This was Studio Bones’ commemorative 25th anniversary production, and coming from the studio that gave us all-timer adaptations like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Mob Psycho 100, not to mention later works from Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichiro Watanabe (including the Cowboy Bebop movie), you can’t fault anyone for having high expectations. It looked to be a fitting production as well: Watanabe’s influence shines through immediately in the gorgeous, lived-in cyberpunk off-world locales and racially diverse cast. Action takes the form of dope robo-tokusatsu transformation fisticuffs, and it’s entirely in 2D animation to boot. The first couple of episodes were killer, too; everything looked and sounded amazing, and there were just enough plot threads teased out that I just had to see how they’d unravel.

It brings me no joy, then, to say that Metallic Rouge collapses into a jumbled mess. I don’t even want to bother talking about what happens in the show because I don’t fucking care anymore. There are few media experiences more sobering than to have it dawn on you over a span of several weeks that “oh… this isn’t actually all that good, is it?” Episode after episode piles on with sloppy lore, weak worldbuilding, warring factions whose names you immediately forget, pointless double-crosses, and the most predictable twist you’ve ever seen. For a while I was willing to accept the fact that I didn’t know what was going on half the time and expected things to become clearer, but now I’m not entirely sure the writers knew either. The stakes apparently kept rising and everything just kept getting more claustrophobic. I’m glad it’s over, if only because if I had to hear “Clair de Lune” one more fucking time, I was going to go ballistic.

There are several attempts at emotional beats, as the story is rife with tragedy and sacrifice, and every single one lands with a wet thud. Nobody gets enough time, motivation, or characterization for any of these things to feel like they actually matter, and that’s especially a shame because the finale might have been able to stick the landing if the previous episodes were less dense and better paced. Emphasis on “almost,” though, because just before the season ends, we get the absolute most pointless fakeout I’ve seen since The Rise of Skywalker, which is the lowest point of comparison you can make for any work of sci-fi.

This is especially frustrating because on paper, there is so much to like here. Rouge and Naomi are likable-enough deuteragonists with a fun dynamic, and they’d make easy yuri bait in a better show. The characters are all pretty and uniquely designed across the board, and the overall aesthetic, almost a pastiche of late-90’s anime futurism, is undeniable. The toku suit designs are neat and several of the action scenes are gorgeous. The score and soundtrack are outstanding (except for the aforementioned Debussy indulgence). I have few complaints about how the show looks and sounds; the style is great! All of my issues lie with the substance.

Metallic Rouge may have had all the ingredients, but it just needed more time to cook; whether that would have been by doubling the episode count or by more carefully planning the pacing and trimming some of the fat from the lore, I’m still not sure. Probably both. It probably needed better writers, too. Maybe it just isn’t as smart as it acts and there was no way to satisfyingly resolve the clumsy civil rights allegories that bring it uncomfortably close to the likes of Detroit: Become Human. So all of the above, I guess. I tend to adore stories that involve artificially-intelligent beings developing their own wills and emotions and learning to cut their own strings (the likes of Blade Runner, Nier Automata, even a couple of character arcs in the Persona series), but this ain’t it. I’m not even mad anymore. I’m just disappointed.

If there are two positives that will stick with me, though, they would be the absolute banger of an OP and, of course, Naomi Orthmann herself (pictured above, left). Outstanding character design. I’m mildly obsessed. She deserved a better show.

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

This one isn’t even worth talking about, so here’s a brief synopsis, then I’ll add some commentary, and then we’ll all move on with our lives.

Rentt, a beloved but mediocre adventurer in a fantasy town, gets lost in the mysterious labyrinth that all adventurers explore for personal gain, gets waxed by a dragon, and awakens as a shitty-looking CGI skeleton. He notices, though, that he’s able to level up better as a skeleton than he did as a human, and with the more monsters he defeats, the more he evolves into something closer to human. The rest isn’t really worth discussing.

If I’m being honest, I should’ve dropped this show much sooner. It looks kinda lousy most of the time, the plot (inasmuch as there even is one) is boring, character designs are forgettable (except for Rentt’s closest ally, Lorraine, holy hell) and it seems wholly uninterested in actually building its own setting. If it returns for a second season, I won’t be there, nor will I feel like I’m missing anything. Each episode felt like a chore to watch. I probably only saw it through because 1) I liked looking at Lorraine, I know what I’m about, and 2) I didn’t want to lump it in with the shows I did drop. The Unwanted Undead Adventurer isn’t as patently upsetting or frustrating as those three, but it just plain isn’t a very good show.

The Witch and the Beast

This show could have been so much more. I was drawn in by the gorgeous character designs and intriguing blend of Victorian gothic aesthetics and architecture with modern infrastructure, and very quickly disappointed by just about everything else. The first episode is an exceptional proof of concept, and almost everything that follows is an upsetting showcase of what could have been.

The story centers around Ashaf, a languid, chain-smoking agent of the governing church with a big-ass coffin strapped to his back, and his partner Guideau, a snarling hyena in a young woman’s body, as they investigate abuses of magic across the continent in search of nefarious witches. Guideau in particular has a bone to pick with witches, as the body they presently inhabit is the result of a witch’s curse, and they remain in furious pursuit of the one who cursed them. The curse can be temporarily undone by a kiss with a witch, allowing Guideau’s true body, a hulking brute confined to the coffin, to escape and wreak havoc. Meaning that on a few occasions we get a girl-on-girl kiss followed by a big dude wrecking shit. There’s also other investigations of serial killings, necromancy, and a cursed sword, and here’s hoping you like those, because the coffin breaks are few and far between.

This wasn’t great! By the third episode I had the sneaking suspicion that the animation talent on hand just wasn’t enough to support the aesthetic. While the character designs are exceptional, almost everyone looks awful in any shot that isn’t completely focused on them. This is especially true of Guideau, who looks so inconsistently off-model from one shot to the next that I’m still not entirely sure what they’re supposed to look like, and that’s kind of unforgivable when we’re talking about a main character. Everything looks too dim and too shiny at the same time, and action scenes look like shit more often than they look interesting. I can see so many flickers of something excellent (or at least really good-looking) in Witch and the Beast, and everything else that keeps those flickers from actually igniting makes it so much more frustrating to watch. Maybe just read the manga instead; the panels I've seen from it were uniformly gorgeous.

Actually, yeah, you should probably just read the manga, because for a season of anime, the pacing is atrocious too. It’s clearly trying to angle for a monster-of-the-week format, but each of these mini-arcs is a little too dense for a single episode, so multiple episodes are dedicated to these one-off curiosities, most of which do nothing to advance the plot or show off what the show does best. And if one of them isn’t particularly interesting, you’re saddled with it for the next two weeks like you've been stuck munching on a mealy apple. And I know you can only adapt so much in a 12-episode season, but the decision to end the season on a flashback arc and a lore dump was baffling. That’s not world-building, that’s lazy, and it made the show’s existing pacing issues feel that much more inane.

I feel like I was sold a false bill of goods. I can only imagine how the mangaka feels about this. Dull and uninspiring all around. What a waste.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Isekai, unassuming high school boy gains a unique power, impending war with the Demon Lord, yadda yadda yadda. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic isn’t anything new or special by any means, nor is it particularly well-animated or -paced, but at its best it’s silly and charming enough that it made a nice, brainless palate cleanser on Fridays.

Usato, your standard quiet high schooler, ends up walking home on a rainy evening with the popular, attractive student council president and VP, when an isekai portal happens. It turns out that it was just the seito-kai that was invited along for the ride (and President Suzune, as it turns out, is fucking psyched to get to be in an isekai), and Usato got caught along with them. When tested for magical aptitude, Suzune and VP Kazuki hit the jackpot with electric and light affinities, respectively, but things go awry when Usato’s reading turns up with healing magic. Terror strikes the palace as the intimidating dommy-mommy Captain Rose barges in to spirit Usato away from his new friends and into her squadron of goons to train him as a combat medic.

As character comedy goes, this one is actually pretty solid at times. Shogo Sakata is plenty of fun as the put-upon, lippy Usato (a much louder role than Chainsaw Man’s Aki Hayakawa), and Atsuko Tanaka (Major Kusanagi herself!) is a blast as the terrifying Rose, an uncompromising slave driver of a drill sergeant with a secret soft side. The dynamic between them is great, too; Usato is over Rose’s shit from the beginning and isn’t afraid to talk back to her, but before you know it, this transforms into friendly banter as Rose clearly takes a shine to Usato and knows he can handle any punishment she doles out. Suzune’s also a bunch of fun now that she’s broken away from having to be the competent, popular girl at school and gets to fully lean into being a complete dork.

Wrong Way also works decently as an isekai, because it makes an effort to stay rooted in high fantasy rather than fall back on JRPG mechanics, meaning there are no stat screens! It also avoids the trappings of wish-fulfillment isekai series by having Usato start out as a regular-ass guy; he’s not a Kirito type, just someone Rose sees as a rough gem in need of cutting. There are no cheat skills or OP weapons or anything, just a kid training every day to get stronger so he can protect the people close to him, and that’s the kind of anime protagonist you should want to be.

For better and for worse, I get serious mid-00s vibes from this one; watch the OP if you don’t believe me. Some of the colors pop uncannily in that early-digipaint-era way, and the animation is pretty middling; the most fluid animation we see is whenever Suzune is acting like a creep. Much like those mid-00s anime, though, Wrong Way may have benefited from being weekly (or twice as long) rather than seasonal. There’s a ton of planting with very little payoff, and it doesn’t feel like the actual scope of the story has even been addressed yet. We don’t even learn why the series has the name it does until someone literally says it aloud in the 11th episode. I may have to reevaluate this season after a possible second, if we ever get one, because this doesn’t stand too well on its own.

Of the anime in this “mixed bags” segment, I’d say I enjoyed Wrong Way the most, but it still had enough problems for me to keep it here. It’s not a particularly bad anime, but it’s not especially good either. I guess we can slot it into what Hazel refers to as “good mid.”

On Hold:

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (three episodes watched)

Man, what a title. That was the main draw for this BL series, which on paper is basically a gay version of the Mel Gibson vehicle What Women Want.

Adachi (a surname that will always make me laugh thanks to Persona 4), a gloomy salaryman, has hit the big 3-0 without getting any, and now he can somehow read anyone’s thoughts just by making physical contact with them. Just as he laments that this is his life now, he accidentally bumps into his handsome, popular coworker, Kurosawa, whom he learns has been harboring a massive crush on Adachi this whole time. Well dang, what now? Kurosawa’s a really nice, thoughtful dude, but Adachi’s never even thought about being with a man before! And isn’t there something wrong with already knowing this secret? How can he even go into the office and look Kurosawa in those big, handsome eyes… every single day…

What I’ve seen so far has been pretty solid, if not particularly well animated. The visuals are really my only gripe here; I just put it off for way too long and didn’t have it in me to finish it on time to actually get this thing written and published. Yaoi isn’t my forte, which feels like a shortcoming on my end as a fledgling bisexual, and I’ve already remarked on the solid LGBT representation this past season, so I do plan on hopping back on this one.

I gotta say, the co-leading voice actors put in serious work this season. Adachi is voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi, who continued his role as Stark in Frieren, returned to Mashle as Mash Burnedead, and contributed to Metallic Rouge’s cluttered cast as Noid. Kurosawa’s seiyuu, Ryota Suzuki (of whom I’ll always be a fan for his masterful turn as Yu Ishigami in Kaguya-sama), also held down leading roles in Bang Brave Bang Bravern and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer. They’ve been great in the few episodes of Cherry Magic! that I’ve seen so far, and they’ll be a huge part of what brings me back.

The Gems:

Bang Brave Bang Bravern

I feel like the mark of a perfectly audacious piece of media is in the moments where I find myself incredulously shouting “WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING” at the screen, and Bravern made me do that at least once per episode. I have so many things to say about what makes this show great but all of it can be summed up as “it fucks so goddamn hard.”

A joint military exercise in Hawaii between Japanese and American mech pilots goes south as a sudden invasion by metalloid aliens portends certain doom for humanity. Just in the nick of time, though, a bombastic, autonomous mech named Bravern arrives from space and insists that ace pilot Isami Ao take his reins. Isami reluctantly agrees, and to his consternation, Bravern goes full tokusatsu on everyone’s asses, complete with fully-diegetic theme music, and keeps the threat at bay. With Bravern continuing to pester him to act as a pilot, Isami is forced to take up the mantle of a reluctant hero as everyone rallies around Bravern to save Earth. Tagging along is blond-haired, blue-eyed American pilot Lewis Smith, who gets to live out all of his Top Gun fantasies, right down to the latent homosexuality.

That last point isn’t a projection or anything: This show is legitimately gay as hell, and it rules. Bravern’s feelings towards Isami feel far more romantic than what you’d expect from a literal robot, and his description of how it felt to have Isami pilot him for the first time, as relayed to a grim-faced military council, is riddled with hilarious innuendo. Isami struggles not only with shouldering the burden of needing to be a hero to all of humanity, but also being beset on both sides by a loud, insistent mecha and a dewy-eyed gaijin, both of whom very well seem to want to get in his pants. Intricate rituals punctuate Isami and Lewis’ angsty relationship as these broad-shouldered, muscular men grow ever closer. It’s also worth reiterating that Isami is voiced by Ryota Suzuki, who also voiced Kurosawa in Cherry Magic!, and that may not have even been his gayest role this season. I’m not super well-versed in mecha as a genre, but I do know that there’s a lot of Warrior’s Bond-type stuff in these series, and Bravern lays it on thick. And hard.

This show looks killer, by the way. CGI implementation in 2D anime is still a touchy subject, but Bravern features some of the best I’ve ever seen. Simple cel-shading goes a long way to the point where, outside of some uncanny motion, Bravern himself feels perfectly blended into the hand-drawn animation. Mecha designs range from realistic military-style tech to otherworldly sentient robots, and battle sequences run the same gamut as the stakes rise. As goofy as all of the above may sound, it’s committed to being a grandiose, big-time mecha showcase.

This is as good as camp gets in anime; Bravern does for the mecha genre what Akiba Maid War did for yakuza film pastiche (I have also heard positive comparisons to Samurai Flamenco, which I’ll have to get on ASAP). It’s an excellent mecha show in its own right, and wildly hilarious to boot. Bravern himself is very genre-savvy and seemingly a bit of an otaku himself; he loves acting like a mecha hero, to everyone else’s chagrin. Several of the villains (also mechanical beings, voiced by an all-star seiyuu roster that includes Kenjiro Tsuda, the aforementioned Atsuko Tanaka, and Rie Kugimiya) are total dorks themselves. A CIA interrogator tries to waterboard a mecha at one point. Bravern is a deeply silly show, but its heart is planted as firmly on its sleeve as its tongue is in its cheek: For as wacky as it can get, the story still unfolds with a straight face and excellent emotional beats.

This show also has the most unskippable ED of any anime since Chainsaw Man dropped a new one every week. I will not say what happens. You cannot predict what it is. Just watch it. One of the top YouTube comments on that video says “When I saw this ending after episode 2, I thought I was going crazy.” That’s a ringing endorsement.

Chained Soldier

On the heels of 100 Girlfriends completely rewiring my brain, I was raring for some more good old-fashioned anime trash. I was told that there would be plenty this season, but you can consult the “dropped” section to see how well that worked out for me. Chained Soldier came with some significant hype, and soon enough into the first episode I realized that I’d actually skimmed through this manga before (don’t ask why), so I was on board immediately. Now here’s some nice trashy fun.

The world is in peril thanks to creatures called Shuuki that can advance on our world via portals from another dimension. Women primarily lead the charge against these monsters, as this dimension produces a special fruit that can lend them (and not men) otherworldly powers to help them in the fight. Yuuki, a perfectly normal young man, ends up in grave danger as he stumbles into a portal, where he is saved by the beautiful Kyouka, a commander who is able to subjugate Shuuki at will and use them to fight others. In a bind, she asks Yuuki if she can subjugate him, which he agrees to by licking her finger and transforming into a monster himself, at her beck and call. Because of his utility in battle, Yuuki is enlisted into her squad of baddies (and also an 11-year-old), living in their home as a caretaker and answering directly to Kyouka as her “slave.”

I know. Hear me out.

I put “slave” in scare quotes because Chained Soldier fortunately isn’t going full Shield Hero on us; this arrangement has a give-and-take baked in. See, every time Yuuki completes his service, Kyouka (or whomever else takes advantage of this anomaly) is compelled to carry out whatever suitable “reward” springs from his unconscious, and this is where the ecchi kicks in. Sometimes it’s a kiss, and sometimes it’s something a little more; the reward corresponds to the length and intensity of Yuuki’s contributions to battle, so the heat can turn up in the form of, say, clothed face-sitting, a good scrubbing in the bath, or some nice, casual CBT. All of this is to say that “slave” is a bit of a buzzword here: It’s more of a dom/sub situationship with a lot of extra steps.

Yes, just about everything that isn’t an action setup is full-on harem trash, and Chained Soldier lays it on thick, right down to full-on nudity. Nothing about this show resembles high art, but I can’t help but admire such a high level of commitment to its aesthetic, including the sleaze. It fully commits to the bit and doesn’t even bother lampshading its own trashiness. Chained Soldier knows what it’s about, and I respect that. It also has the good sense not to sexualize the youngest girl, which is a point in its favor that I can’t award a couple other shows previously discussed.

And while this show is plenty fun, the action sequences often excellent, and the character designs usually delightful, there’s not actually a whole lot going on here. As I said with Mashle, I know that battle manga like this can take a minute to really get cooking, and as I said with Witch and the Beast, 12 episodes may not always be a sufficient runtime to adapt enough to break ground, but the debut season feels more like a proof of concept than anything else. That being said, Chained Soldier’s manga has a very effusive audience, and its praises don’t seem to entirely be about the boobs and butts, so I’ll wait patiently for the second season. I think it’s earned that much.

Delicious in Dungeon

This is the one I’m having the hardest time writing about because it so confidently and so completely speaks for itself that anything I could add would feel like scattering sawdust at the beach. Dungeon Meshi (I refuse to call it by its official English title) is a widely beloved manga among those who’ve read it, and for Studio Trigger to do an honest-to-goodness manga adaptation for the first time might as well be front page news among anime fans.

The story follows Laios, the deeply weird human hero, as he delves back into a bizarre and mysterious dungeon to rescue his sister Falin from the belly of a dragon, along with his misfit party: The neurotic half-elven mage Marcille, the temperamental halfling rogue Chilchuck, and the dwarven warrior-slash-chef Senshi. The party is frequently low on supplies, so to survive the trip they’ll need to subsist on the most abundant resource in the dungeon: Monsters. Senshi’s aptitude in the kitchen helps ensure that everything is edible and sufficiently tasty, regardless of how nasty the monster it came from may have been. With monster obstructions out of the way and their bellies filled, our party delves deeper into the dungeon as the mysteries deepen in kind.

I love the character dynamics in this so goddamn much. Marcille and Chilchuck are frequently put off by the dubious monster food presented to them, but their consternation is worsened by the fact that Laios’ fascination with the monsters it came from annoys the shit out of them. I referred to him as “deeply weird,” but that doesn’t begin to describe his absolute galaxy brain, and I mean it as a term of endearment. Laios is deeply knowledgeable and curious about the fauna in the dungeon, and not just how they taste: He is vocally curious about how certain monster attacks may feel, sings along with siren songs, and even keeps a hardcover bestiary inside his breastplate. He’s one of those people you turn to if you have a question on a hyperspecific subject, but you have to be careful how you ask it or else you’re trapped for the next two hours. And I love him for it.

Even putting the comedy aside, there is a fascinating human element at play in Dungeon Meshi, and I can tell that that surface has barely even been scratched yet. Marcille is just as dogged in her pursuit of saving Falin as Laios is, maybe even moreso (remember what I keep saying about LGBT representation this season?). Chilchuck continues to convince himself that he’s only in the job for his own personal gain, but you can see that mask slipping. And I still wanna know what Senshi’s deal is. Even with the five major players I listed, there’s an increasingly deep roster surrounding them—showcasing a broad spectrum of races and ethnicities, both real and fantastical—each with their own histories and motivations, and I cannot wait to see how they play out and interact with one another. There seem to be much deeper themes at play here as well as we learn more about perceptions and grudges between differing races, oppositional magics, clashing ideologies, and the monetary incentives that drive both the dungeon’s exploration and its very existence. I’m here for it.

I’ve been holding off on reading the manga until the season is up in June (though I could crack any day), but I know a loving adaptation when I see one. Not that Trigger ever slacks off in the animation department, but they absolutely brought their A-game here. Everyone looks bouncy and cartoony in the way only Trigger can pull off while still looking as close as possible to Ryoko Kui’s source material (as far as I can tell). As with Frieren, the action sequences aren’t frequent, nor are they entirely what the show is about, but they look incredible every single time. And the food, of course, looks incredible, no matter how weird. This is practically a cooking anime and a fantasy dungeon anime at the same time, and both aspects are visually on point at all times.

I’m obviously speaking from my own bubble as one of the six people who still use Tumblr in 2024, but I rarely see new anime make a splash like this on social media every single week, and the ones that I do are usually the monster shonen hits like Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen. Dungeon Meshi deserves the exposure and success it’s attained, and I’m excited to see it continue. I’d easily slot this right up there with Bravern as one of the best new anime of the season.

A Sign of Affection

I’ve seen a hell of a lot of shonen slice-of-life romances in the past year and change, so a nice fluffy shoujo like this was an excellent palate cleanser. There were a hell of a lot of Big Action Setpieces and panicky teens and grim dungeon crawlers this season, and at the end of the week I wanted to unwind with a bunch of pretty twenty-somethings falling in love with each other.

The show centers on Yuki, a young woman living with congenital hearing loss, making do at a public college after growing up at a school for the deaf. Though she’s able to get by with LINE messages and lip reading, she’s unprepared when a foreigner asks for help, but she’s saved by a handsome and mysterious young man named Itsuomi. He’s able to help out, and takes an interest in her when he realizes his fellow undergrad is deaf, and Yuki takes an interest in kind because he’s really goddamn hot. It turns out that he’s a polyglot and an avid world-traveler, but sign language is not in his purview. This mutual interest sparks the concern of her childhood friend, Oushi, one of the few people in her life who already use sign language, who wants to be sure that nothing untoward is happening. And it isn’t, because this is just a really lovely, low-stakes romance story.

This is pure, unfiltered shoujo at its best. Yuki’s internal monologue is peppered with flowery prose, and everything and everyone looks soft and beautiful. Fashionable, doe-eyed women and pillowy-lipped ikemen abound (seriously, holy shit, the lips on these boys) as the scope widens and the main love interests’ friends explore their own possible love stories. Itsuomi is very much of the “mysterious boy” archetype you’ll find in romance stories in this demographic, but he’s not hiding any sort of dark past like you’d typically expect; he’s just an interesting guy who keeps his personal life close to the vest. He’s a self-appointed world citizen who loves learning about how people of all cultures live their lives, and in Yuki he sees someone within his home turf who happens to live in her own world entirely. And it’s easy to see his forward behavior with Yuki as infantilizing at first (Oushi sure does, and I’ll get back to him in a second), but as they grow closer Itsuomi quickly becomes much more considerate of her boundaries and learns to accommodate her as he studies sign language and gestures that help ensure her comfort. This is a story about Yuki’s horizons broadening just as much as it is about Itsuomi wanting to be let into Yuki’s narrow world, and that sort of synergy makes for some exceptional romance.

A Sign of Affection deserves some credit for refusing to shy away from Yuki’s disability and making a point of depicting her world as one that does little to accommodate her. Very few people in her daily life ever bothered to learn sign language, she relies on a friend to take notes during lectures, and work is hard to come by. It’s an honest depiction that makes an effort not to be exploitative, which is a breath of fresh air. Not only that, but there’s some interesting meta-commentary in there: The only major conflict in the story stems from Oushi’s jealousy, and his reservations about Itsuomi possibly “taking advantage of” Yuki almost feel like he believes that he’s the only one who knows what’s best for her just because he’s done the bare minimum to accommodate her. He thinks he’s coming from a good place, but he winds up accidentally infantilizing her in exactly the way he thinks Itsuomi might. That’s a particularly interesting bit of irony!

I’ve seen enough shonen-oriented romcoms where an unassuming Regular Guy gets flustered as a way-too-casual girl pushes his buttons (hell, I’ve already reviewed two of those this season), so it’s nice to see the formula flipped for a shoujo as Yuki and her best friend Rin blush and squee over Itsuomi and his coworker Kyouya, respectively. A Sign of Affection isn’t afraid to get a little silly with it, either; plenty of these moments are punctuated by characters’ faces going low-detail or full chibi, and they are cute as shit every single time.

This one was just cozy as hell. If you’re into this sort of thing, swaddle yourself in it and bask.

Solo Leveling

I let this one collect dust after the third episode and didn’t pick it back up until the season was almost up, and honestly, I was kinda dreading it: The trailers didn’t look too promising, the show was slow to start, and it looked like yet another derivative JRPG-style dungeon crawler that managed to get popular. Turns out, nah, this show actually kinda fucks and the web novel series and webtoon it’s based on are popular for a reason. The story is nothing special, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a perfectly serviceable turn-your-brain-off action spectacle with a bit more lying beneath the surface.

In a modern-day South Korea where portals to mysterious dungeons open up and threaten the populace, those who can brave the dungeons, known as hunters, are an invaluable human resource. Once someone is assigned a grade as a hunter, they have that grade for life, barring some rare occurrences. Sung Jinwoo is at the lowest rung on that ladder as an E-rank, incapable of improvement, assigned the epithet “the weakest hunter of all mankind.” He mostly shows up to portal raids as a warm body to fill a quota, and one such job goes haywire as most of the raid party, Jinwoo included, is brutally slaughtered in an arcane secondary dungeon within a portal. He somehow wakes up in a hospital, unharmed, and able to access a digital menu before his eyes that exhorts him to do the One Punch Man workout every day, lest he incur punishment. He gets hilariously chadly in the span of a few days in the hospital, including an inexplicable haircut, and finds access to dungeons only he can enter and levels up within this new system.

This one gets off to a slow start and may have benefited from a longer premiere like Oshi no Ko or Frieren, but once the table is fully set, Solo Leveling really starts to cook. Jinwoo’s titular leveling process is a blast from one fight to the next, and as he moves to work in the dungeons that other hunters can access, it turns out he’s been training with the weights on. He’s suddenly fighting way above his pay grade, and after staving off attacks from hunters taking advantage of portals for nefarious ends, he is recruited by an ambitious corporate scion to make some real coin and establish an independent association of hunters.

While it can feel like there’s a whole bunch of table-setting between portal sequences, it’s some smart worldbuilding on Solo Leveling’s end to establish how portal hunting became a central pillar of this society, and doubly so how political and capitalist interests can leave a wide berth for corruption and bad actors. If there’s money to be made in hunting, of course people will find ways to make even more at the expense of others, both at the corporate and individual levels. There’s a lot of talk in there about “survival of the fittest” and “natural selection” and that… makes me nervous.

Those are terms that can be used to justify immoral actions in the name of money, sure, but Jinwoo also uses them to justify his own process. To what end is he constantly improving himself? Sure, he's doing what he can to provide for his younger sister and their ailing mother, but I see less and less humanity in him as this goes on. There are constant hints at something far more sinister at play than just a dude getting stronger for himself, not the least of which being “the system,” the UI that implores him to keep taking on these “quests.” Something, or someone, seems to be guiding him. Whenever another hunter turns on Jinwoo, of course his self-defense instincts kick in, but system pop-ups instruct him to defeat X number of hostiles like it’s a normal video game scenario. There’s something eerily depersonalized about these encounters, despite them being full-on mortal combat, that gives me serious Ender’s Game vibes. Consider me intrigued.

I’d heard that the Solo Leveling manhwa’s main draw was its visuals, and though I had my doubts early on, I'm sold now. This is a pretty solid presentation! Hiroyuki Sawano turned in yet another banger soundtrack to punctuate all the action setpieces, helping to stitch together a fairly complete tapestry. Said setpieces are exhilarating and almost impressively bloody, and while the animation is nothing impressive in the day-to-day, it goes absolutely batshit when the gloves come off. Movement is inhumanly fluid and the visuals can go into the same loose, psychedelic territories we’ve seen in the likes of Mob Psycho and the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen. If this is the new meta for shonen action, I’m not complaining.

By all rights, this is a pretty decent show, but if I’m being honest, this one just hasn’t stuck with me much. And that’s fine! Sometimes I just wanna see some nutty action stuff and move on with my day. Solo Leveling hits that spot perfectly, and I'll be right back there when it returns for its next season.

‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess

I was surprised to learn that the gag manga this is based on, with such a seemingly simple premise, has been running for well over 200 chapters and counting. As the anime progressed, I was far more pleasantly surprised to learn that it actually works.

In a standard anime fantasy world where the forces of good are fighting the demonic Hellhorde, an unnamed warrior princess and her talking enchanted sword are taken prisoner and subjected to torture as they’re squeezed for intel. Said “torture,” as the title’s scare quotes would suggest, is mildly unconventional, as the demon baddie inquisitor, aptly named Torture Tortura, attempts to ply the princess by presenting her with tantalizingly delicious-looking food that she can only partake in if she coughs up some info. Naturally, the princess caves every single time, but her intel is often inane and useless, so the “torture” continues. It’s not all food, though: The princess is soon held out of arm’s reach of adorable baby animals by a gyaru beastgirl, pampered into submission by a spa-loving giantess, and is faced with a tsundere vampire faildaughter, who… tries.

And you’d think that would be it; the joke wears thin and you move onto something else. Before you realize it, though, something’s changed: The princess and her captors are quickly becoming friends. The premise almost feels perfunctory: These inquisitors are actual people just doing their jobs, and whatever happens after the princess’ myriad confessions is fair game. There’s no malice or animosity, even during the “torture” sessions themselves: Everyone will have a blast and grow closer as friends, and then the princess will voluntarily go back to her bedless cell. It’s like Sam and Ralph after they clock out, except they’re almost always off the clock. Everyone is genuinely looking out for each other in all directions, and the only thing that keeps the torture going is the need for a status quo to return to, even as it grows more elastic. If anything, Time for "Torture" is a good example of committing to the bit without having to necessarily rely on it.

The real irony in all of this is that it becomes increasingly apparent that the princess is having her needs met in captivity far better than she ever did back home. In her proud proclamations about how she’ll never cave to the temptations before her (shortly before she does just that), the princess often talks about her upbringing and her time as the head of an imperial legion, but these stories often betray her lack of friendship or any of the little things that make life worth living. Her life as royalty was one of isolation and deprivation, to the point where she finds more freedom and fulfillment as a prisoner. She truly lives in a society.

Hellholm, on the other hand, has a surprisingly healthy approach to things like work-life balance, food, and leisure, and its most valuable prisoner is no exception. The Hell-Lord himself is a surprising exemplar of this; for as much as he looks and talks like your standard terrifying JRPG demon king, he’s a surprisingly good dude! He looks after his family, employees, and even the captive princess as if they are all one and the same; he exhibits strong principles and an aversion to conflict, sees to his employees' needs and wants alike, and is a supportive, loving father to his unbelievably precious little daughter (who also serves as a “torturer,” to the princess’ delight). He’s also a big time anime dork, and even bonds with a knight attempting to rescue the princess over their shared otakudom before sending him off peacefully. As “villains” go, he’s top tier.

Time for "Torture" is nothing groundbreaking by any stretch, but it’s a cute, silly time and it plays with anime fantasy tropes in the same way a six-month-old German shepherd “plays” with a cheap stuffed toy. How long the premise holds up is entirely up to you, but I had a lot of fun with it. I have no idea how this ended up being one of the better shows this season, but I guess it just scratched the right itch for me.

#anime reviews

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lozchi · 1 year ago

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Hello friend! Can I request Taehoon with a reader who loves to dance? (Not professionally but they’ll do it while they’re cooking or cleaning or something like that.) And one day Taehoon hears a song that reminds him of the reader and starts to do some of their moves. No pressure! I hope you have a great one!😁

DiscorDANCE

A/N: Goodness, I love the idea. My self-shipping ass actually thought of this at some point. Sorry that this took so long! I've been pretty busy in life and I only finished reading Viral Hit today. @ryusuisloveinterest Pairing: Taehoon Seong x GN!Reader Themes: Fluff, petnames, Taehoon being a wuss

Taehoon finds it cute, really. It wasn't just that he found it cute; it was more like an electrifying sensation that coursed through his veins. Maybe it's just the way he's captivated by your movements, or perhaps it's just the way how your face lights up as you'd dance as if nobody were watching.

But honestly, the music choice could be better. Who in their right fucking mind listens to "phonk"? " It was as though someone had taken a blender to a cacophony of dissonant noises, mixed it with Snapper and Hobin’s yelling and called it music.

"Ughhhh- Make it stop."

Taehoon groans, rolling his eyes in discontentment.

"Nuh-uh. I ain't gonna."

As the pulsating bass throbs through the air, you find yourself swaying to the rhythm, your body moving confidently despite the mediocre music assaulting both of your ears. With each step, you defy the ear-bleeding tunes. Your eyes sparkle with an infectious joy as you twirl and spin, lost in a world where only your happiness matters.

The bass may be shit, but your energy soars above it, overshadowing the limitations of the melody. In your dance, there's a magic that makes Taehoon forget about the shitty song; Turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.

Fuck. You’ve got Taehoon smiling like an idiot. When he notices it, he quickly wipes it off, but it's not too late for you to catch his affectionate gaze.

”The fuck ya want?”

He scowls, only for you to return a smirk.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Dashing around the house, frantically searching through your drawers for something to wear, you disturb a very peaceful Taehoon (a rare sight, wow) engaged in a phone call with his dad. He might have overlooked your antics if he hadn't noticed you making a beeline for the door.

“Babe, I’m off to Rumi’s for a bit. Don’t forget to give Tiger his medication!”

Peppering kisses all over his face, he lets out a resigned sigh.

”At this hour? I don’t think so. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

It's not as if Taehoon is in any position to lecture. His sleeping schedule is even more fucked up than yours. Yeah, he admits to himself that it may be hypocritical to tell you not to go out so late and possibly cause danger to yourself when he does it too. Which is why, without uttering a word, you lock eyes with him, and he relents.

”Just get back safely or call me, alright?”

And the master negotiator (without negotiating) wins again.

”Mhm, I’ll be back”

Before you leave, Taehoon kisses back (followed by a flick on the forehead, because he’s the bitchiest of all bitches). He could’ve sworn he heard Hansu chuckling through the other side of the phone. This old man can only gush about this very moment.

Tranquility, at last. No jarring phonk music assaulting his poor fucking ears, no impromptu silly dances disrupting the peace. But amidst this newfound calm, Taehoon finds himself missing it all. (It’s only been a minute-) Now he actually doesn’t mind the music you play. He could be calling Hobin to come over, play some video games, talk to his dad again but he’s probably too embarrassed to hear his father bring up how soft he was earlier.

”Come here, you lil’ rascal. It’s time for your meds”

He calls out to your cat, who dutifully obeys, padding over to Taehoon's side.

And it wasn’t long before Taehoon finds himself listening to your carefully curated phonk playlist on Spotify. The beats pulse through his earphones, he pictures you leaping around the room, your laughter filling the space as you lose yourself in the music's infectious energy. And suddenly, the absence of your hijinks feels like a void he hadn't realized was there.

”How does Y/N go about it again? Like this?”

Taehoon mutters to himself, attempting to mimic your dance moves.

If only your cat could talk, it would regale you with TEA of Taehoon's comical attempts to imitate your silly movements. Despite his status as a taekwondo prodigy, his body just doesn't seem to move in the same fluid way as yours. It's a sight to behold, watching him stumble and flail around the room, his efforts more resembling a worm sprinkled with salt than a seasoned dancer.

He hisses, now cringing to himself and glad you aren’t around to see how shit-

With a sheepish grin, you approach the door, your keys conspicuously absent from your hand.

”Gah, how could I forget my phone out of all things?! I hope Taehoon’s asleep by now, otherwise I’d have to deal with his bickering, and- Taehoooon?”

As you reach for the handle, you're met with an unexpected sight: Taehoon, in all his clumsy glory, attempting to replicate your dance moves with a level of finesse that could only be described as the equivalent of the Hobin Yoo Company's chaos. Caught off guard by the scene unfolding before you, you can't help but burst into laughter, momentarily forgetting the reason you needed to enter the room in the first place.

”Is this what you do when I’m not around?”

And then, just when you think it couldn't get any cringier, he manages to stub his toe on the corner of the coffee table.

”FU-”

Taehoon clears his throat, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment in your presence, a rare occurrence for someone usually so composed. But his embarrassment is momentarily overshadowed by his curiosity as to why you've returned so quickly.

"Anyway, why are you here already? Not that I don’t mind, but—"

You bashfully avert your gaze to the ground, a nervous chuckle escaping your lips.

"I forgot my phone…"

"Tsk! Do you really have to be this irresponsible sometimes?!? What could’ve happened if you didn’t get in contact with me?"

Taehoon pulls you into a tight hug, his worry palpable in the embrace. But amidst his concerns, you can't help but sense his underlying desire to distract you from the awkwardness of his recent dance attempt.

A part of you acknowledges his genuine concern, but another part recognizes this as one of his subtle ways to divert your attention from the potential blackmail material you just witnessed. Despite his attempt to shift the focus, his affectionate (but tsundere) nature somehow manages to shine through.

”Taehoon?”

”Hm?”

”Why were you-”

”We don’t talk about that.”

”But-”

”Shush, or I won’t let you go back to Rumi’s.”

”Meow~”

#ptj universe #viral hit #how to fight taehoon #seong taehoon #taehoon bb #viral hit taehoon #doyouhave500won #taehoon x reader #how to fight imagines #i wish there was only one way to spell his name i'm struggling #seong taehoon x reader #taehoon seong x reader

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understandableparadox · 9 months ago

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Bottom of the barrel isekai reviews:

Todays title: Welcome to demon school iruma

hi, im back, tell a friend.

Anyways we will be looking over something populer, and only a few images this time. I want this to be a nice slide back into the mix while I get ready to boil myself alive by reading shitty isekais.

"b-b-b-b-but dox!" you say, your form emaciated and ghoulish from months of little to no attention "how is it an isekai?"

Normally an isekai requires some form of passage into another world through death, but again, we are going to consider any and all portal fantasies to be on-par with isekais. as death and jumping through a funky portal are really kinda the same thing if you think about it.

so! plot synopsis, we open on the titular character iruma! they are being sold to a demon, don't worry this action will be the literal best thing that has ever happened to them. Also, added treat, slavery is not a running theme in this manga! HURRAY! WE HAVE FOUND OVERCOME THE BARE FUCKING MINIMUM! HUZZAH FOR MEDIOCRITY! MY DESIRE TO RUN MY HEAD THROUGH A ARC OF GONGS UNTIL THE SOUND WAVES LIQUIDATE MY BRAIN MATTER HAS LESSENED!

anyways we get to know some important plot points between the buyer and the product! (our mc)

iruma is a 14 year old yes man. They say yes to everything, even yes to the idea of breaking child labor laws! as their parents are frivolous unimportant freaks that spend way too much money then bolt, leaving him to work off the debt. Anyways, that's how this happened. they wanted dosh, and our buyer, we will call him grandpa!

Why is he so interested in buying a child? simple! He is rich and wants to have a grandson, unfortunately, he does not have a dick due to war injuries... ok thats a lie, he just wants a grand kid.

Anyways this is a very interesting title in the fact that it is still in a way, a power fantasy, but the power in that fantasy is separated towards other things.

It is a story in which you have the power to be helped. The adults in this manga are actual competent adults, they are there for the protection of the children, they are there to guide, nurture, train and help them grow. Despite differences or annoyances some may have, those are secondary to the ferocity they show when it comes to ensuring the protection of their students.

Iruma does have a lot of “i am the chosen one” but it is not something that automatically aids him in most situations, in fact it is the triad of facts of “I am a human”, “I want to help”, “I am determined” that allow him to rise both in power and social standing. The might makes right idealism of the underworld forced to reckon with people that stop to drag someone across the finish line.

As for the plot, it goes along a few separate arcs; there is a very clear progression of time as Iruma gets older. Mostly split into two parts. Irumas social life, in which we get to see him become better and better friends with the students and faculty at this school. Showing both the give and take as they both show how far they are willing to go for each other.

The second half is the mystery and political intrigue of the demonic society at large. The idea of a demon king has gone missing, disciples of which are eager to try and resurrect him as they see no one who is more suitable for the role, opposing forces trying to groom the top students at various schools into the role of king in a contest of disciples.

I think you should give it a read, its cute, the designs are fun and the power system while simple is still enough to give the action that is there a lot of meat. It's also satisfying thing to read if you just got done with a shounen and you are wondering “where the fuck are the adults? Why are these children doing everything?”

Draw backs. Not a lot but some of the students are essentially drawn as adults and there are parts where you will feel slightly skived out by.

#anime #bottom of the barral #isekai #mairimashita! iruma kun

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arttrampbelle · 3 months ago

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Very very spicy Controversial xmen opinions:

Cw: these are just my opinions. You can ignore them,just like you and marvel do canon. Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♡♤◇♧~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can't ever ever ever see storm with a white dude romantically. Platonic maybe. Respected mentor sure. But marriage or anything like that. Nah. I see storm settling down with a moc or a woc. I just don't ever see her with a white dude. I know this may ruffle feathers for some unholy reason,but storm x forge just makes fucking sense. And any other ship is just mediocre and lame to me. And trying too hard. This is just me tho. Im not saying it couldn't work. I just feel like people don't know how to write her with a white dude without making it weird or ignoring her entire personality for a ship. Because it "looks cute". I feel storm should be with someone in general ON HER LVL. but you know,she's stronk and sweet. And some people can't handle that. So eh. *shrug*

Magneto was right...ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT. he's still an antagonistic bitch. And his morals are still fucked. He's not perfect nor a saint. STOP TREATING HIM LIKE ONE! same with charles. Thank you.

Wolverine is to be shipped with peace and fucking quiet not a woman... nessicarly. Like let him retire. Hang up the claws marvel!!!! Ffs

Jean should've been a villain and should have died looooong ago.

Leave jubilee tf alone. Like damn

I feel like at a certain point xmen needs to stop. Like done. No more new comics. And anything else that wants to be told can be done in movies,tv,or one offs. Like any damn series

No no no we do not need a fucking marvel vs mk. Look if it didn't work out for dc what makes you think marvel is any better?! Plus i say this dearly as a mortal kombat fan,leave mortal kombat alone. It's already hell there. And marvel isn't any better nor has changed. Dont make it more hell. Thank you.

If anyone needs a wife. And an actual healthy relationship in general. It's nightcrawler. Fuck you if you think otherwise. No i wont elaborate.

Nobody's more annoying than xmen fans. I say this as an xmen fan. At the same time. Nobody's more fucking creative than xmen fans. So eh.

The xmen in my head is infinitely more better than the xmen in "canon"

People need to understand that mutants dont have to be extravagant to be valid. This can be applied WITH ANY IRL ANALOGY! (Mutants aren't just lgbt allegory. That doesn't always apply in xmen. And it seems the fans are very ableist and blind too when it comes to other rep and the other isims that come with the territory. That is for an entire different post because it's too long to talk about here)

Cyclops isn't a bad character. Y'all just aren't creative enough and are bias. Scott isn't a teenager or a certain spiderman in order for you to be weird or creative with him. Cyclops is actually fucking dope. Im sorry scott the fans are weird with you.

If xmen has helped you during a difficult time in life. Congrats. It did it's job. Say thank you.

If you disagree with a hc. Like a fart. Ignore it,no matter how stinky. It'll disappear soon.

#xmen #controversial opinions #hot takes #vent #unpopular opinion #marvel

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josefavomjaaga · 2 years ago

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Hi Josefa!

I've been scrolling through your stuff on Eugene and the impression I'm getting is that he was mediocre??

Of course, that's probably not all that is to him but he seems to be rather normal if anything so much so that I may not recognise him if he ever appeared in front of me. Is he just someone that is overshadowed by the more powerful personalities? Or is there something else to it?

Although reading about his sweet family life is pretty cute 🥰

Hi and thank you for the Ask! 💖

And I think you got it perfectly right. As a matter of fact "mediocre" is precisely the expression Joseph Bonaparte used for him in his memoirs (and if there's ever been an expert on mediocrity, it's Joseph). According to Joseph's friend Miot de Mélito so did Napoleon himself at the beginning of the Empire. In the "Mémorial de Sainte Hélène" Napoleon phrases it differently by saying that the only thing that made Eugène special was a certain balance in his character: He knew what he could do, and he did it. That already sufficed to distinguish him from plenty of others.

Eugène clearly was not a genius like Napoleon, not a romantic or tragic hero like Murat or Lannes or Ney or Junot, not even an imposing general like Davout or Soult. He was your regular run-of-the-mill guy, Monsieur What's-his-face, washed up by events to a rank he would otherwise never have occupied, like all of Napoleon's family, but - unlike Napoleon's brothers - very aware of this and trying to do his best to merit his position.

That's why I can relate to him much better than to the more prominent figures of the era. People like Lannes, Soult or Murat, let alone Napoleon, will always remain a mystery to me precisely because they are heroes and thus have so little in common with me. I fail to truly understand how they "tick". But somebody whom his stepfather's maelstrom has pulled, without his own doing, possibly even against his own will, out into a churning ocean and who now desperately tries to keep his head over water with the bit of force he has - that is something I can understand.

As to his "legacy" (or rather lack thereof) - some is due to the fact that his family pretty much was swallowed up by others over the next generation. His older son died without issue, the younger became a kind of prince consort to a daughter of the Russian tsar. Eugène enjoyed some prominence during the Second Empire, but as the Second Empire and Napoleon III have a pretty bad name in history, I'm not sure if that did him much good. I understand his name was all but forgotten in Northern Italy until recently.

During the Empire, at least up to 1809, this may have been much different. But with 19th century historiography focusing on the Napoleonic legend and the "big events", the role that Eugène may have played in the eyes of many contemporaries can barely be detected anymore. There's only the occasional hint of his high position, like the panic of Oudinot's ladies when they are suddenly to meet him, or the confusing rumours in the army in Austria 1809. Kérautret in his biography of Eugène emphasizes that Eugène, up to the birth of the "Roi de Rome", indeed was the only high functionary with a unique title. There's plenty of ministers and "grand officiers", plenty of marshals, a bunch of kings - but only one viceroy. And that's how Eugène is usually referred to in contemporary writings. The Viceroy. The second-in-command - or at least that's what some people may have read into it. If you add that, from all of Napoleon's family, he was the only one to govern the territory entrusted to him to Napoleon's satisfaction (well, as much as Napoleon would ever be satisfied with anything) and that he at least had some reputation within the army, him being seen as the future of the empire gains some credibility.

Because you do not consitute a stable empire (or any other state) through people like Napoleon (or Murat, or Junot, etc). For that, you need the stuffy, trusty second and third-in-line workers. If you want something to last, you want boring, reliable, grey.

But, coming back to Eugène, the one thing he really had going for him, the one thing that I first noticed about him, was his amiability. From contemporary sources up to the preface of volume 9 of Napoleon's "Correspondance Générale", everybody seems to agree that he was one of if not the most lovable figure of the Napoleonic saga. In historic sources, it's almost like another title: "Davout, the Duke of Auerstedt, Masséna, the Prince of Essling, Soult, the Duke of Dalmatia - and the prince Eugène. Such a nice guy!" 😁

Sorry for rambling so much - I'm always so excited when somebody notices "the boy", despite his lack of colourfulness. 😁

Thanks again for the question!

#napoleon's family #eugene de beauharnais #asks

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compacflt · 2 years ago

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Do you have any nonfiction that you would recommend if someone was interested in the US Navy/military?

im probably not the right person to ask this bc most of my military knowledge hyperfixation is centered on the ARMY in the American Revolutionary War & World War II. It’s only pretty recently that i got into modern warfare as a topic, so let me just give some indiscriminate recs

Can’t go wrong with David McCullough‘s 1776, which is a great overview of the first year of the revolutionary war + the extremely fraught politics of trying to start a new nation’s military—really illustrates where a bunch of lingering schools of thought in our military originated from.

Another David McCullough shout-out: his The Wright Brothers is an excellent book about the origins of flight, AND it was the book right next to the picture of Ice and Maverick shaking hands on Ice’s bookshelf in TGM. So we know ice has read that one. I think you can’t go wrong at all with any David McCullough. I own like 5-6 of his books and he hasn’t missed once. (His best is John Adams but that’s not mil related)

Ron chernows biography of Washington goes into his military background (7 years' war) a whole bunch, and kind of elucidates how truly fortunate we were to have our nation’s first leader be a military man who really kinda didn’t want to be there. Some really good takes on leadership. Just beware that chernow does have a reputation in the history community for just makin shit up sometimes. If it sounds too cute/quaint to be true, it really might be.

u may be tempted: DO NOT read Brian kilmeade's Thomas Jefferson & the Tripoli Pirates, one of the few navy NF books I've read. I read it b4 I even knew who kilmeade was--didn't matter. it fucking sucks. he uses like 7 sources in the whole book.

Stephen E. Ambrose's Citizen Soldiers is a great WWII NF book about that generation of infantrymen.

The one big Navy NF book I've read recently is (not to brag but my personally signed copy of) Craig symonds' new biography of admiral Chester Nimitz, who was COMPACFLT during WWII's war in the pacific. I got a SHIT ton of professional characterization for Ice from Nimitz' life and this book--Nimitz also worked 18 hour days, was also separated from the love of his life for long periods of time in Hawaii, was also probably acutely depressed, etc.

okay: THOMAS E. RICKS. The Generals is SUCH a good book. Army leadership from WWII up through Iraq and Afghanistan. Focusing on how the Army used to relieve (fire) commissioned officers who couldn't hack it, and that's a huge part of why we won WWII, but somewhere between WWII and Korea, being fired started being super shameful (macarthur's fault if I'm reading it correctly) so mediocre officers didn't get fired and that's why the army has suffered shit leadership in every war since WWII. It's a HUGE thesis that he backs up so well. Would so recommend. I'm also currently reading his FIASCO about the fuck-up of Iraq. Also incredible so far.

Michael O'Hanlon's Military History for the Modern Strategist-- a post Civil War survey of military strategy on the campaign/operational level. Might be a good introduction to US military history, just giving a pretty broad overview of post-CW warfare, so that way you don't pick up a random book about the Korean War and go "wait what was the Chosin campaign again?" Interestingly written and I got to meet him and he wrote "wishing you the best" in my book after I told him I wanted to steal his job at Brookings someday, so admittedly I'm biased.

Lawrence Wright's The Terror Years: From Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State is not strictly military related, but it is one of the best-written and most illuminating nonfiction books I've ever read and I cannot recommend it enough.

For war fiction, my taste is v mainstream: Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy, Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato (imo better than the things they carried), Ahmed Saadawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad, Kevin Powers' The Yellow Birds, Cannot Miss Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front if you haven't read it, Hassan Blasim's The Corpse Exhibition: And Other Stories of Iraq... For specifically Naval lit: Run Silent, Run Deep is a pretty good classic, and this summer I read the 600-page behemoth The Caine Mutiny, which is about specifically WWII-era naval law... it's a brick. But it won a pulitzer and it's...passable. Kind of interesting at least.

#really can't recommend Lawrence wright Thomas ricks or David McCullough enough. just really well written stuff #otherwise I just read mil/defense news and google everything I don't know #pat barker >>>> regeneration isn't like... gay... but it is definitely gay. I think 2/3 books of the trilogy start out with soldiers fuckin #not top gun #military history #general aviation #book rec #i have no real life marketable skills but i do read a lot 👍

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katyspersonal · 1 year ago

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Sometimes I just can't shake the feeling that "the curse of Mico simps mysteriously vanishing" I half-jokingly mentioned earlier is simply a reflection of the issue of Bloodborne fandom both being small(ish) and having many very talented artists.

Out of all fandoms I've been at, Bloodborne is the one where literally nothing is easier than to see extremely skilled artists banging out masterpieces every week and feel kinda.. talentless? Mediocre and not wanted, even, especially if you have a simple or cute/silly art style. The only ways to combat this dread is to get on the good side of "cool popular kids" that distribute majority of likes/reblogs, or to find your own supportive group of friends. With Mico fans it just is harder because for some reason the fanbase of this character has always been kinda disorganized, and he himself tends to attract people with very sensitive, intricate souls hahah. Thinking back on Mico fans that mysteriously vanished from the fandom like goddamn magic that I used to know, they all had severe self-confidence issues...? AND no network of "the same two supportive mutuals". Maybe that's why so many of them just deactivated or never posted again? Maybe feeling "small" as artists was too much?

Again, not only this character, but the example I am most familiar with because unlike other characters, this one fails to create a "core" if you know what I mean? But THE funniest thing? Situation with art in the fandom reflects how Fromsofts games feel themselves...? The sense of being overwhelmed by something much bigger and stronger than you, feeling your self-confidence crashed and wondering how THE fuck are you supposed to overcome this? This is the other side of being in the community full of a little TOO talented people, really. It just can be easy to feel like you are worse than others and not wanted.

Basically, I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you feel like your skill and talent are lower than everyone else's - treat it like being kinda not very good at soulsborne games as a player, and if you feel like you just can't join a group or create your own to get enough engagement and validation - treat it like not being able to online coop for help! How would you continue playing in this situation? Right, you would study the game, keep trying new tools and practice on your own terms and at your own pace! If you feel this kind of dread, do the same: experiment with the style, designs, characters, ideas and so on until you feel so engaged and satisfied that you just can't quit. Until it becomes almost like addiction and finishing your art ideas becomes what keeps you here. Before I've found the same five people that always like my art I've also been feeling like I just don't belong and my art is worse than that of "actually" talented artists here. So I've kept looking for something within my art itself and discovered a passion: both for drawing characters in the way that captures every single detail (no matter how much it torments me lol) and for depicting absurd amount of references for characters in every single state of their life! This is what helped me to not feel so bad about what art skills I lack, this keeps me engaged even if I stop getting notes and compliments at all, this is what makes how good other people's art is irrelevant because it is about my goalposts now, and I am sure other people who don't feel confident can find their own ""playing style"" but in creativity that'll make it fun!

Just don't quit, okay? Like... no matter how much you may feel that "everyone else is more talented or more supported or both", I promise you can find the way. Just like how you didn't understand how to beat these games at first but adapted in the end. EVERYTHING Soulsborne goes back to a theme of having to overcome a really hard challenge, right? Creativity too, and our self-confidence is under constant testing which I honestly do not recall being the case in my previous fandoms??

#fandomry rambles #creativity #sorry Ive just been reflecting on all the small artists that just disappeared #yeah I get it. it gotta be the pressure of some insanely talented artists in this fandom

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stuckinuniformdevelopment · 11 months ago

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@bishop-percival

(Previous) “So you were in on this too, huh? Well I must admit it warms my cold little heart to see so many of you scheming to take down a Gropist among us.” Percy then imagined a scenario where Thomas led Miriam to a Gronch. The chaos of that would be a funny sight to behold… But knowing Thomas’ oafishness and Miriam’s prowess at hunting people down, it was highly unlikely. “It would be a cute plan if Big Top Thomas actually makes it off the Skullship. But I have reason to doubt he’ll make it very far,” Percy said as he looked toward the empty organ seat. “So, whatever. Thank you so much for sharing, Bowtie.” Sam was simmering in their seat. Trying to take advantage of their plan and botched accusation, was he!? Just for a mediocre bait scheme!? They almost sprang up to reject Theodore’s involvement. But they realized that doing so would just drag on the matter, especially when it was obvious Bishop Percival was eager to move on. So whatever. Theodore could have this moment. Sam would just have to have a word with him after mass…

“Onboard, sir,” Theodore said— with his finger raised and other arm primly held behind his back— as he descended the stairs. “There could be another Dawn.”

Then he rolled his eye and dropped to his natural, extremely soft volume. Yet anyone in the immediate vicinity could hear if they strained their ears. “What would following him offboard accomplish? Confirming their Spacebook page?”

Once Teddy reached his seat he plopped down and let out a sigh. Certainly that was enough to make the best of the situation. Yet maybe… if he gathered the guts to broach the topic with Thomas earlier… this would have never happened…

He glanced over to where he last saw Sam and shuddered. Fuck, he didn't stop to consider the implications of pissing off the glornist(s?) who ratted Thomas out. If they had jumped up to argue with him onstage he'd, ironically, be more at ease. But he didn't know what to make of their uncharacteristic level headiness.

Dwelling on how Sam (and Cyrus?) could screw him over was admittedly preferable to preemptively mourning Thomas. Or combing over his mistakes with a fine-tooth comb.

Would this be the first time Sam actually beat his ass? Teddy could endure that. But what else could they do? Frame him?

…Did this have anything to do with being their “second choice?” Because if there was more than their criteria than hating them, well... Teddy was the most questionable glornist after Thomas. Enough that he almost got excommunicated.

And if they investigated him they wouldn't be disappointed. Which was more exciting? A gropist? Or a prospective assassin trying to protect Bishop Percival's nemesis by slaying him?

Better yet: An infiltrator who roped Bishop Percival's very own right hand man into his murder plot. What could be juicier?

When service has ended Theodore stayed in his seat with his hands folded on his lap and intensely staring at the wood grain of the seat in front of him. Anyone else may think that he was praying. Or simply awaiting the results of his plan. Yet he was simply spacing out.

#bishoppercival #Soldiersam #Bishop Percival #long post #The First Choice

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bishop-percival · 11 months ago

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@stuckinuniformdevelopment

(prev) Theodore muttered his gratitude as he ascended the stares. When he reached the top he narrowed his eye and scanned the crowd for Sam. Watering down his accomplishment would be a nice perk… “Before I begin I would like to thank Sam for their help,” He said with a seemingly grateful bow. Theodore leaned into the mic. “Last Thursday I pulled a certain Glornist aside to give him a… friendly warning.” “To my surprise he started bawling about how he wanted to leave the Glornch. After a little comforting he slipped up and prayed to Grop.” “You may wonder why I didn’t turn him in then. Well, why pass up a good opportunity? I gave him contact information for that janitor’s church to bait him and let him swim.” “Now..,” Theodore pointed to the door. “Let’s see if our rat leads us to any others abroad…”

The bishop curiously rubbed his chin as Theodore spoke.

“So you were in on this too, huh? Well I must admit it warms my cold little heart to see so many of you scheming to take down a Gropist among us.”

Percy then imagined a scenario where Thomas led Miriam to a Gronch. The chaos of that would be a funny sight to behold… But knowing Thomas’ oafishness and Miriam’s prowess at hunting people down, it was highly unlikely.

“It would be a cute plan if Big Top Thomas actually makes it off the Skullship. But I have reason to doubt he’ll make it very far,” Percy said as he looked toward the empty organ seat.

“So, whatever. Thank you so much for sharing, Bowtie.”

Sam was simmering in their seat. Trying to take advantage of their plan and botched accusation, was he!? Just for a mediocre bait scheme!? They almost sprang up to reject Theodore’s involvement. But they realized that doing so would just drag on the matter, especially when it was obvious Bishop Percival was eager to move on. So whatever. Theodore could have this moment. Sam would just have to have a word with him after mass…

#stuckinuniformdevelopment #the tragic accountant

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eviedreams8 · 7 months ago

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I’m uploading everything i have in a doc. Ive written this while drunk high sober. There’s a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes, I dont read often and when it comes to writing like this i can care less about how it sounds just that it exits my mind immediately. It brings me peace in a brain then never shuts up and cycles through the same horrid thoughts. I doubt someone will read this but i want this blog so that i can write on here and not on my docs i do want to be a writer and so im seeing if i have the courage to share these. So read on.

Here starts the doc v

I have this idea of what my future may look like and it scares me. Because it is me still living here and having a mediocre job and not doing anything basically the safe route. It feels as if what i want in life can be attained but i don't try to have. which is why im giving myself no other options in where to go to college because I know what I want but I also know myself and i know that i will somehow chicken out and go the safe route. Is it stupid to force my self to do something i may not be successful out in hopes that i will somehow finally come out of my shell and be the person i truly want to be just because i am in a diffrent state but sadly your mind does not change when you leave no matter what you will always be you and your stuck with it.

I want to be “granola Girl” ive accepted the title think it has the best form in music, its 100% voice and instruments and i hope it stays the same and doesn't fall into the social music norms of electronic music sounds. Real music is real talent. I have the tattoo for the granola lifestyle too hence why i got it. I think when I was little I always knew this is what i wanted ever since the dream the van with driving onto a log with mountains and a waterfall. I loved that dream and I would draw it all the time. In a way it is just like my tattoo. I've also loved the idea of earth and nature, I want this, it's what I want , now that i know for sure I am ready for it. I don't want money I could give two shits about that i just want someone who wants me and who gets me and all we will ever need is one another. I want what the couple in sleep on the floor has because that is all i need

There is something in women that when they look pretty or feel like they look pretty they become productive or its just me. I watch videos of girl being productive but the start of the video is of them looking cute. II need to start looking cute so i can be productive. I think the prettiest I’ve ever been was when i was in wyoming at school.. i wish I knew that back then cause looking back it’s painful to be like ya io was feeling myself but she didnt feel like i thought she would. It was still me. Insecure in some ]ways not as bad as i am now but still insecure. I do miss it immensely intensely but at the end it wasn’t me or was it. I was completely different i was like big sister protect like carry a knife by them alch9olo its not who i am here and i wish he was able to see Me ou there cause that’s the me i think he’d love the most. I stood heard as my friend stole the sangria im not the friend that steals the sangria and im, ok with that. But im also the friend to invite the friend to the wildlife meeting int the Rocky Mountains and 8im the one to talk to most of the our group to learn more about what we are doing. I’m the one to veer off enough to find the deer tooth. I was different I thrived and i think I wasn’t officals to move out and i wish i didnt fail all my classes and i wish i could i have moved in with Kylie but i pushed against it.

I wish I could’ve been lucky enough to have perfect teeth show when i smile. No matter who i see on my phone i study there faces. I see there eyes their smile their lines on their faces the way the react to any scenario and im like wow if only i could react in that way and look the way they do because they are beautiful and i am well me. I get drunk because most of my life drunk people have reacted to me in a way that i seem beautiful idk if it’s cause thats when i gain confidence or their judgment is drunk opossibly i am only beautiful when someone’s vision is a little distorted. My boyfriend still believes im beautiful even on days i feel ugly. I really love him when i think about him i feel a pull on my heart

This brain of mine is getting awfully hard to stay friends with it. And its kinda strange to think that i have no control of that but i stand watch as my life burns around me people i hurt promises broken. That’s not me i swear thats that thing thats taken over it wears my skin and clothes it but its not me. I look in the mirror and she’s a stranger god how many times has a human put that down on paper. Why when i speak to myself constantly all day its a little less cliche then when im typing. This body has become fat and her hair frizzy. Skin bad. She’s disgusting. She’s ruining all of my relationships and i am too much of a coward to apologize for it. What’s the point of getting myself back on track when as pattern has shown i will inevitably fuck it up and it crashes and burn and i crash and burn once again. When in have it all i eventually don’t want any of it. And so i discard it and discard the people involved. Or I hid from it. I wanna live in a ditch. Never to be bothered again. And the only thing i can think of is gosh doesnt a dom and sub relationship sound like the best situation to be into. And hey if thats not your thing more power to you ladies im not saying thats how every women should live. But for me its heaven. Ever watch fleabag? That wonderful quote “i want someone to tell me how to dress tell me when to eat etc. god knows i cant take care of myself and well i dont think I’ve formed into a total grown up just yet so until that happens the adult relationship for that would be dom and sub. How embarrassing if thats what i become i grew up in a powerful women family and i do not carry that torch. So far one thing has been clear. I do not want to lose him. My goodness gracious he is an angel.

There’s nights that haunt my mind. Many of my daily life decisions haunt me too. Everything haunts me. My past is a ghost who is mean. And it likes to act like a pop up book from hell (Gilmore girl quote). Throughout the day everyday pop an image of a past mistake. I think most definitely my problem is me. Most of the things i regret was me just causally living my life thinking I was sane. Looking back now im like hellooo why would you choose that high school schedule. If your reading this and think wow she’s thinking she’s insane because of something as silly as a high school schedule she really may be crazy. There’s other examples stupid things like that me being an idiot. Basically my schedule really showed me that learning was never really my goal. I didnt take any ap science classes but hey that is what i wanted to go into so maybe a bio and chem would be a good idea. So that leaves me thinking what the fuck do i want. I want to be constantly drunk and i want to be left the hell alone and i want to be fucked and i want to be thin i want to be in the good graces of everyone i fuck over .. Is there a place in this world for a girl like me. I hope to find it. I

not having morals and a strong sense of self can really destroy a persons entire mind. Believing in yourself and the way you chose to spend each passing second without an ounce of doubt is the best thing you can do for yourself. You are marinating waiting to bloom feeling out the waters just waiting for the day to come. Some would say just jump but gosh im 22 i have my whole life to swim just let me dip my toes in for a while i know that im setting myself up to tread water all my life instead of putting on a life jacket while im young and on land. That’s my choice. Having belief in oneself can really be beneficial. Words, judgements, and opinions and suggestions from others may seriously drown a person. It can send you down a path that you’ve never even wanted and therefore derailing the whole reality you’ve created for yourself so when you start off at square one again you get those same critics again. The understanding of this has helped me be able to not spiral out. I dont know what divine intervention was with me when i did have this experience but it talked to me in a way that I’ve never talked to my self before. The conversation went something like this.

What if me and him aren’t actually in love we are young and dont know what love should look or feel like since neither of us really expirnced it growing up.

Well thats not true. (Ok so I don’t remeber exactly how the conversation went )

you two have actively sought each other out and chose one another. That is love.

then something about how Wyoming was my life the same way he is my life it happened the way it did because it was supposed to happen that way i was suppposed to go only for a year and we were supposed to end up together

the spirit also told me that hurting myself was not in the plan it isn’t the reason your together now you would’ve ended up together if it happened or not. But it was sorry that it did.

The light in his bedroom was bluish and bright and my eyes were open most of the

time for this conversation. It was a soft eloquent voice and it thought me to slow down the conversations i have with myself. That i didnt have to be so fast in my head.

It changed me. I feel different. Lighter so thank you spirit.

i like rewatching the things I watched as a child young impressionable wondering if who i became is becasue of the things i did for entertainment. Or becasue it was dest8ined to be that way. When i watch Hannah Montana or pretty little liars i see things that coincide with the choices I’ve made. But gosh it can be my little selfs fault for all that can it. My parents didnt force me to watch not cable and so therefore im sentenced to a life of lust and sloth and all the other seven deadly sins. I wasn’t given internet restrictions but god only knows what i was up top on those late nights as a ten year old. I love to say it but it really did ruin my life. It made me I also I find myself studying the faces of the girls in the shows i watch or those I see on social media . Just so i can compare them to my own see what makes them attractive and the differences between mine and theirs when you feel unattractive its easy to compare to your self to your family first and knowing that you find the women in your family beautiful its easy to belive you yourself is beautiful and when you compare famous women to your facial similarities then you feel even better about yourself. I guess my comparisons would be Lucy hale and etc. . . .]

I believe god is a form of love everything on earth that’s embodies love is god.

Self love, love for a person and community Which is why I also belive that the upper class is all satirist they don’t belive in god they believe in the devil which is why our society is so blinldy following their lead. It’s why chiridasntutn is so diminanixyed too.

Why does the world think it has a claim on my soul why must i feel like i owe the world my presence. Why do i have a pull to see it. Why cant i just be happy here. Why cant i be at peace here. Why does it have to be my job to go out and live and visit and see as much as i can. Live in another world in the southern hemisphere. Why cant i just love the man and be friends with the people here. Why cant i force myself to fit here. With my family loved ones. Why must they expect so much from me why do i feel like im responsible to be the one to get away. Why can i not have my life here. One foot here one foot out the door thats how I’ve always felt. I tell a joke ill just leave by train bus train plane ill be gone. Its just a joke i dont know how to actually leave by myself. I need someone to pus me into the void of somewhere new. Come with me.

The call is as talking about above has called again. I must see more, do more I have dreams and i dont work towards them. I talk about it, I feel it inside me, I can picture how it looks. Now it is time to achieve. A work for it. Work, DO DO DO DO DO DO DO. DO More. Follow that passion and hope for happiness i know it can happen. Every thing could be different in a years time if you just apply yourself every day for a year to make that change. Things are worked for things happen when you do them not just think it. You have to go sought after your life not just watch others achieve what you want. You’ve done that your whole high school days and now its been four years since and your still trying to inspire that spark into you to get you moving when its already been sparked this whole time. Get out of your head and into your life.

#Writer

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