#poor girl does not deserve more heartbreak

[animentality]

Tbh I think it's still legit if you read and like Blue Lock for being so gay (at least subtextually), despite being misogynistic Kaneshiro seems to have sympathy for queer people to a certain degree. Besides the gay sidekick, As The Gods Will also has some other queer side characters (a lesbian, a trans girl, a few more hinted gay boys and a non-binary villain according to my memory) even though not all of them are well-written, the good ones are good. Specifically my most favorite is the gay sidekick Ushimitsu, he's actually a pretty well-rounded character with very strong role as a co-lead in ATGW 2, I never feel like he was disrespected in the story (rather I think he's obviously Kaneshiro's favorite), sure he's got an open ending that can be seen as tragic but it's actually in line of the whole theme of the story and I respect Kaneshiro to commit to writing it rather than just give a copout happy ending and it also proves his gay feelings as real & deep despite heartbreaking.

Now I wish Kaneshiro can have that same energy in writing Bachira as he's in a similar position to Ushimitsu in ATGW but somehow poor bee boy got pushed aside in bllk after U20 arc (probably in favor of more popular Isagi ship with Rin or Kaiser 🙃), I hope he makes good on the promise that Bachira will be a key character later in the series and this time since nobody will die in Bllk I hope Bachisagi will get a deserved happy ending.

well that's the thing, anon.

I feel bad for liking blue lock because it has such a misogynistic creator but it's hard not to cling to something so obviously queer friendly.

like honestly.

there's definitely Japanese media that's queer neutral or queer friendly but blue lock actually feels like it's always on the verge of just being properly queer.

it's not fanservice like free or yuri on ice. it legitimately feels as close to canon as it can get without changing genres. and I think the creator having queer characters in the past gives him some street cred.

i know what homophobia in a manga looks like. it's that awful rapist character from one punch man. this hyper masculine but also hyper feminine muscly man who sexually assaults other men.

it's tokyo ghoul having its only queer characters being pedophiles, rapists, and sex addicts/victims who get sexually assaulted until they're "corrected."

it's having no subtext at all and only ever using gay men as a one off joke and gay women as a fetish.

at least blue lock does seem to respect its characters enough that it takes their hinted at sexualities seriously.

it really doesn't go for the obvious "ewwwwww we're both guys" jokes. it's kept very ambiguous. it's subtle (except when it's not, lol).

the only character who really fits the usual offensive gay anime representation tropes is Shidou, but even him I wouldn't count as bad rep (as the closest to canonically gay character, aside from Bachira).

Shidou might be super flamboyant but he also gets to have the coolest fucking moments in the series. he's not just some pervert, he's a badass. he doesn't just flounder around like some useless weird loser who only exists to be the butt of a joke.

he loves to fight and play soccer and feel alive. he has the coolest aura in the series and everyone is constantly in awe of the ridiculous things he can do.

he's a proper villain, who's out of pocket and insane, but who's also intensely lovable and silly. and honestly portrayed pretty sympathetically. for all his faults, he can be very kind.

there's a lot of depth to him, and honestly, I think Blue Lock is pretty good at not doing anything to suggest oh hahaha homosexuality exists. isn't that funny

plus I think Bachira is canonically gay. we know he's canonically in love with Isagi.

kunigami and aiku are actually confirmed bisexual too.

Shidou and Sae were also highly suspect during u20, to the point where even homophobes cant deny they have something weird going on.

so to me... that's a lot of queer characters who are taken seriously and actually have characters outside of being a joke or a gag. they feel like real people. they have distinct personalities.

the bar is in hell, but it's more than most manga/anime manage.

so I have to give Kaneshiro credit. he's doing as much as he can, without overstepping the boundary I'm sure kodansha has set for him.

it's just a shame he's a sexist. also, I hope Kaneshiro grows a pair.

just have bachisagi get married in the last chapter you pussy.

let Shidou officiate!!!

[hyog-blog]

Fangs of Fortune (ep. 21 - ep. 24)

Yep, at this point I'm just going to stop making assumptions - the plot is twisting desperately and I'm loving every bit of it. I could feel it in my bones that Li Lun was too cunning to simply die like that (poor baby Bai Jiu got possessed, but he looks impressive in his demonic Li Lun-esque glow-up).

Also, are we not going to address the issue of our girl Wen Xiao waiting for 300 goddamn years to grow that magic tree trunk and didn't even get a kiss in return? Oh come on, she deserved at least that. I mean, it's a miracle she didn't go mad after that - the PTSD must be too real, but they kind of brushed off the whole thing, Zhu Yan and Wen Xiao kinda sorta got back together but didn't even have the time to do something about it with lots of other action taking place.

With Zhuo Yichen lying in a coma, at least the three of them stopped pretending not to love deeply care for each other. "He's not the boy he used to be. Now he has us." Yes, yes he does, finally Zhu Yan said it out loud. When Zhuo Yichen came to kill him with those two jugs of wine - he was so real for it D: Even ready to break his oath for Zhu Yan, being a swordsman and a Bingyi descendant and all. I mean wow. Pure unadulterated heartbreak. And that whole sequence was beyond beautiful - both visually and emotionally. I mean, who needs lovers when you have 'friends' like that? Our baby boy thought he lost Zhu Yan for good.

Also, you can get why Wen Xiao got so emotional after he fell into a coma, not leaving his side for a second, making our Great Demon here wonder what on earth was going on. The girl hadn't seen Zhuo Yichen for 300 years, for heaven's sake, I can't even imagine the agony. And she probably had plenty of time to redefine whatever relationships she had with other people a few million times. I mean the plot is intense in terms of one-thousand-ways-to-make-our-beloved-characters-suffer and it's delivering at full speed.

I still can't properly hate Li Lun, although he's a major ASS and would kill or use Zhu Yan if he had the chance. I mean, babe, grow some brains and stop colluding with the wrong peeps. It's beneath you. He's such a drama queen, though - still can't forgive Zhu Yan for hurting him all those years before, not noticing that he himself has already done much, much worse things to the other guy. Bitchy and vengeful - a perfect combination for an angry ex (I mean, you can call them friends all you want, but at this point, I'm not buying it XD). He is a bit childish, though, angry that other 'kids' don't play with him. Also, being a parasite taking over other people's bodies doesn't really help with making friends, either. A very conflicted character, I have a feeling he might still end badly being poisoned and all, and will either do something really BAD before he goes, to inflict some more pain or something very GOOD because deep down inside he's just hurt and still cares about Zhu Yan.

That whole Bingyi thing, though D: No wonder Zhuo Yichen had that nightmare about turning into a demon when he was a kid. Ancestor saying hi? Can't wait to see what happens next, but already sensing more heartbreak coming everyone's way.

[sepublic]

Say what you will about Hunter fans’ white favoritism and double standards, but at least they seem to like the show. Wittebane fans are on a whole different level of white favoritism and fandom misogyny compared to them, because they’re genuinely obsessed with the idea of an all-white cast, centered around two guys, in their racist colony; Eda’s there too, but without any of the depth, she’s only there to be a Girlboss, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl to the cardboard cutout. And it’s to the point where for many of them, it’s all they’ll talk about, instead of the actual source material, its colorful cast and worldbuilding, or onscreen stories.

I know misogyny and racism is in this fandom because people find it easier and more fun to make shit up for a cardboard cutout who makes about as much noise as one over like, Willow Park. It’s fun to speculate on parallels, but when canon contrasts Camila’s heartbreak over creating a hostile environment for her child, versus Philip’s racist hatred and murder of Caleb for having a mixed child? It’s obvious that people would rather rewrite Belos until he’s OOC and the exact opposite of everything he stands for, so they don’t have to talk about Camila Noceda. Because the only way they can truly enjoy this moment is under the veneer of that white guy and him alone.

Like jeez if you want two family members trying to survive after moving to Gravesfield, one repressing themselves and afraid they’re pushing away the other who can’t do that? If you want two siblings with a tragic fallout, where one of them stays with the status quo while missing the other, despite hurting them so badly? Or a child who cares so deeply, but that isn’t enough and that love can be cruel? Just enjoy the Nocedas, the Clawthorne sisters, the Collector.

Cavelyn? That's just Raeda, which even has a tragic element and is actually fleshed out. Raine has an actual personality unlike Blandest White Boy Caleb, and I've already compared Eda to Evelyn. If you want it tragic, there’s Bad End AUs, and I’ve seen Wittebane fans make plenty of Good End AUs so obviously there’s a double standard there. If you want an old hag to thirst over, oh hey look it’s Eda! If you want someone conventionally attractive, what about Darius?

Anything you want those white boys to be, some other characters with way more focus and screen time do it, and much better. The only thing Belos does better than everyone else is represent colonialism, racism, genocide, and evangelical delusions… But y’all don’t want to talk about that now do you? Maybe instead of making OTGW crossovers just talk about OTGW, y’all have plenty of media centered on white guys so why do you need to change TOH to be like that? It’s not suspect that y’all find Wittebanes compelling, it’s suspect that you find them more compelling over characters who actually display these traits as their focus.

Praising Belos’ character for traits that others actually display is just like Philip taking credit for others’ work, it’s funny how Belos fans say you can enjoy him critically but they don’t actually do that. They just go with this very basic Genocide Bad take but still subscribe to the same core sentiment as him; That colonial white guys are just naturally better and more interesting, and they deserve to take the spotlight away from women and/or PoC.

Belos talks hot shit about how Caleb betrayed him and while some don’t believe that’s the case, they still roll with the claim that the heartbroken feeling of being betrayed is primarily why Belos did all this, when really he did it because he was selfish and wanted to be a monster slaying hero, and his games prior to Evelyn’s arrival support this.

He was gonna do it with or without Caleb’s support, there’s just no winning for Caleb because either he would’ve continued being a witch hunter and it’s his fault for setting that example, or he abandoned poor Philip and Philip had no choice but to feel that way… As if racism isn’t the reason why he insists he can’t follow where Caleb is going, ergo Caleb is leaving him. Poor guy is simultaneously overrated and demonized by the same people for being a child who can’t override his racist brother’s free will.

I think it boils down to this: Despite already having Hunter, it’s not enough because Hunter’s relationships are all PoC or at least a white girl. But those Wittebanes, they’re white guys whose most important dynamic is another white guy, each other! And they’re adults so you can sexualize and ship yourself with them. And don’t even get me started on the Grimwalker OCs, the literally copy-pasted white guys!

[littlevices]

Just Finished Link Click

Disclaimer: I am somewhat vague in how I phrase things in this post because I want to avoid anything major being spoiled for others. At least for this post, anyway. >_> Should be safe enough to read for most, but I will say potential minor spoiler(s), depending on what you consider a spoiler.

Anyway!

I was crying.

I want to know where the next season supposedly is because I cannot be left on that semi-cliff hanger and not get answers.

I loved this show start to finish and every time I thought a plot point or something didn't connect and make sense I just had to be patient to see where they were going with it. (particularly episode 9 of season 2). While I did think the evil laughter from the antagonists in the final episodes was a bit over the top, especially given how grounded and mostly realistic this show has been with character portrayals, I still enjoyed. Also, epsiode 5.5 may not have been my favorite episode, I still loved how they tied it back into season two.

Cheng Xiaoshi is an absolute sweetheart, he did not deserve his pains and in some ways I would argue that I understand Lu Guang's actions. Qiao Ling has been wonderful as well and I love how the dynamics of these three play off each other. Cheng Xiaoshi is reckless with the best of intentions, Lu Guang is both exasperated and protective, and Qiao Ling is there to keep them both grounded, when she's not running into a fight along with them anyway, lol.

This series has had one of the best first episodes I've seen, with that twist at the end breaking my heart. This show does not play, and I found out the hard way.

Minor Spoiler, I guess, but poor Emma! If her story is finished at this point (which is what it's looking like) I'm gonna be so sad and mad because this poor girl has been a chew toy and she deserved none of it. :(

(I'm also pissed about some of my favorite side characters being taken out, but, shh. You don't need to know that.)

This show hit the ground running in season 1 episode 1 and barely slowed down until the end. The twists were delivered with precision, the heartfelt moment made me cry just as much as the heartbreaking ones, and those small pockets of action and fight scenes were just the cherry on top of a wonderful cake. My only other problem is sorting out how the time travel works, because there are a few moments that create a bit of a "chicken and the egg" scenario. Like, which events came first then, if that character already traveled back and made those events happen? Maybe I just missed something, being as caught up as I was in the emotional roller coaster, lmao. (If you want an example, a good one I feel is season 2 episode 8, but events like that one might be answered in a later season. The answer might have to do with Lu Guang's "circumstances", honestly. And no, I don't mean Lu Guang's ability to see twelve hours into the future.)

Regardless, I hope the the Bridon Arc comes out soon, because I am dying to see more of this story and what crazy twists this show's gonna take next. I was put on a thrill ride, and now I have to get off for maintenance and I want back on.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna be taking my time watching the Link Click shorts (and other things), until that Bridon Arc comes out.

(Edit: Just find out not even five minutes ago that apparently the release date is 12/27. I am hoping that is true because I will shrivel into my shell if it's not. Please don't do this to me, lol)

[the-genius-az]

Azula in this turns most of what she feels into anger, a quiet and cold anger, but anger nonetheless (she's taught that anger is what fuels firebending, and she needs to be the strongest firebender in history).

Azula is my blorbo, my little dragon, half of my fic ideas have her deeply traumatized, terribly injured or just actually dead.

Azula loses her pack, her destined mate and her cub. So she dresses up as the Kemurikage and basically goes out there taking orphan cubs and raising them with other people that lost as much as her. They're an unofficial pack (because neither her or the other alphas can claim a pack after their trauma), hurt adults taking care of children so these pups will never be hurt like them. See, I can make it heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

I'll send a different ask about the whole "Mai loves or doesn't love Azula" of this AU (and actually of all the AUs where Maizula is a thing but Mai still betrays her).

The Boiling Rock is the worst day in Azula's life, poor girl.

Here's the thing: it's as happy as I can give Azula in this context. Because she'll never be "normal", not with childhood trauma, war trauma, asylum trauma. She's inherently a tragic character, her happy ending can be bittersweet at best.

Mai is pretty hurt, but she can understand. She knows that Azula even giving her a chance is much, much more than what she deserves after the boiling rock. So then Azula marries her, is willing to have a couple of kids, be present and ask for nothing but the possibility of Mai not leaving her again. Despite her bad days, despite the past, Azula is a good parent, a good mate, and Mai is thankful that Azula is in her life.

The thing with Zuko is that even breaking the bond, there's still something there, deep down. Zuko was the first person Azula claimed, the first person she wanted to protect. She still loves Ozai, after everything. She still loves Zuko, after everything. It's unconditional, her love is unconditional. All you need to do is exist. And Zuko regrets for the rest of his life for not loving her the same way, for being the person that abandoned her pack twice and being the reason she's so closed to having a pack again.

Yes. In this Aang is the first to come around and understand what she feels, since he also lost his entire pack (I'm not sure what he is, but losing a pack does affect anyone). The circumstances are different, but it's the same sense of broken emptiness. They meditate together a lot, silently grieving together. Aang is the closest to someone she feels safe around. A less tragic version and they'd be platonic mates, bonding over loss and mutual peace.

(I just really like post-war Azula befriending Aang.)

My name's Ash with A of "Angst" ☺️

- Ash 🔥🍌

Azula is my blorbo, my little dragon, half of my fic ideas have her deeply traumatized, terribly injured or just actually dead.

I'm like you! I am the same! everyone can check it! 🎶

So she dresses up as the Kemurikage and basically goes out there taking orphan cubs and raising them with other people that lost as much as her.

I can already imagine the first time Mai saw her Alpha dressed as a kemurikage, maybe that was why they had a second puppy.

See, I can make it heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

I saw, shut up now. 🤧

Mai is pretty hurt, but she can understand. She knows that Azula even giving her a chance is much, much more than what she deserves after the boiling rock.

How did Mai feel when she saw how Azula accepted her again?

I bet in shock.

Despite her bad days, despite the past, Azula is a good parent, a good mate, and Mai is thankful that Azula is in her life.

What does Azula think of Mai? I know she loves him enough to accept him.

But I want to know about those good days, where both love each other regardless of the past.

After everything. It's unconditional, her love is unconditional. All you need to do is exist.

Ha! What does Iroh think about his niece and her OBVIOUS unconditional love that not even he and his beloved nephew have?

They meditate together a lot, silently grieving together. Aang is the closest to someone she feels safe around.

They meditate a lot together, they cry together in silence... they get drunk together while listening to bands, they almost get high on marijuana... it's difficult. 😮‍💨

A less tragic version and they'd be platonic mates, bonding over loss and mutual peace.

In this and that version Mai gets a little jealous, but she doesn't make a fuss because Aang is the other side of Azula's coin.

My name's Ash with A of "Angst" ☺️

Now I understand everything...Pay me for therapy, Ash! I'm not asking you, I'm ordering you!

I cried for two hours! and I wasted a lot of paper! My face hurts from crying so much, ash! 😭

[gamerbearmira]

Hello it is I!

POV PEPA

She needs to calm down. Gain some control. But it's a little hard to do that when her mind is racing the way it is. She doesn't understand why this is happening. And why to poor Mirabel? She's such a wonderful girl. She doesn't deserve this, and poor Julieta she must be out of her mind with worry and fear.

She needs to calm down her panicking like this isn't going to help anyone, let alone her sister who needs her right now. She focuses on her breathing.

in-one, two, three.

out-one, two, three.

Clear skies, clear skies,clear skies

She isn't aware of how much time has passed around her but she has a feeling it's only been a few minutes. Felix is right next to her whispering sweet things in her ear, dios Mio he's such a wonderful man, she takes another calming breath in, feeling the weather around her calming down as she does. She then takes a look around the room needing to ground herself in the moment. Her mother is sitting at the head of the table like always but she looks tired, not reacting to her storm like she usually would just sitting there. She sees her brother-in-law entering the dinning room with her sobrina in his arms. Finally she looks over to see Dolores and Camilo sitting in their usual spots both looking at her with wide shock and fearful looks. She wants to comfort them but she honestly has no idea what she could even say in this moment that would comfort them so instead she looks for Antonio.

He isn't here.

The wind that just calmed down picks up again.

"WHERE'S ANTONIO?" She whips around to look at her husband barely recognizes her own panicked screeching which she almost regrets doing seeing her daughter flinch from the corner of her eye.

She watches Felix blink in shock then look around for their youngest son only to have panic fill his eyes when he realizes that he isn't there. "I d-don't know I.... He was here just a minute ago!"

Before she can panic even more Dolores squeaks out "He's with Tia Julieta." The relief that fills Pepa is instant and fills her entire being but just as instantly as the relief came so did the heartbreak. Julieta is in the nursery with a baby Mirabel. He didn't go into the nursery looking for Julieta.

She sighs softly trying to mentally prepare herself for what shes about to do "thank you Dolores." She quickly gets up but stops there just behind Augustine and Isabela and Luisa is Julieta with Antonio and a squirm and whimpering baby cradled in her arms.

Julieta's pov

She didn't mean to start crying but Antonio asking for Mirable shattered the small amount of control she had built up. She doesn't cry long just a moment but she feels guilty for doing so. Antonio stands in front of her looking so scared and lost and her crying just makes him feel worse but she can't help it.

"Tia what's wrong? Why did you cry? I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry!" Antonio looks so heartbreakingly sad and confused which almost makes Julieta cry again but she keeps her composure this time.

"Oh Antonio no. You didn't make me cry sweetheart.... I am just really sad. Casita did something last night and well... Come here and look." She shifts the now quiet bundle in her arms so that Antonio can see the baby Mirable. Antonio quickly moves forward,practically crawling into her lap to get a better look. Mirable smiles slightly as she looks up at Antonio which makes Julieta smile slightly at the adorable sight the two of them make.

"I don't understand.... This is a baby... Why would a baby make you sad? Shouldn't everybody be happy?" Antonio looks up to her waiting for her answer

"yes usually a baby would make everyone happy. But this isn't just any baby... This is.... Mirable." Julieta stumbles through her explanation trying her best to explain something she herself doesn't understand.

"Mira? This is Mira?" He looks back and forth between her and Mirable a strange thoughtful look on his face.

"yes this is Mira. I don't know how and the why is a little... Complicated but this is Mira tonito." Julieta hopes he doesn't have any questions about it she doesn't know how much more she can take.

He nods his head once before saying "Ok. Is Mira coming to breakfast?" Julieta is both relieved that he doesn't have any questions and slightly shocked at his quick acceptance of the situation.

"I.... Yes. I think Mira and I should go to breakfast now, in fact why don't we all walk to the dining room now?" Pepa is more than likely calmed down by now and trying to delay this will probably only make it worse in the long run. Mirable whimpers slightly from her cradled arms.

Antonio hops off her lap with a quick "ok." He holds out one of her hands for her to take and as soon as she takes it he starts leading her to the dining room. As they make their way to the dining room Mirable starts to squirm and whimper.

All eyes are on her as soon as she's in sight in the dining room she shifts slightly uncomfortable but takes a deep breath before saying a simple "Hi." She finds herself surrounded by well meaning family members asking questions and she instantly regrets leaving the nursery.

Pepa realizing Antonio was gone but only after while is so real. And then when she finally calmed down, she started up again 🌚 or at least she will soon👹👹 But these guys had Julieta stressing 💀💀 Mirabel too. Wouldn’t be surprised if the chaos (and the QUESTIONS) left the poor girl overwhelmed. And she’s not even the one answering them 🦈🦈

All of them need to be cut a break 💀💀

Julieta after coming downstairs:

[washa]

I listened to Lasko’s recent audio and here’s my favourite personal comments/thoughts! (GOD IM SO SWEET FOR THE DAMN CREW. also most of this is Lasko's dialogue and me screaming over it."

God I love his ranting. 

Oooh earthier colours? OH 100% mahogany, SLAPS

LMFAO THE CRICUT. Yk my roomie has one of those, we’ve never used it but it’s there !!

Awh he’s so observant 😭  

“Top speed” my ass. He’s gonna put Eminem outta business. 

Lasko.. Baby 💕😕

“Come to fruition.” Yes wow me with that vocab.

URGH IM GONNA SCREAM HES SO 2RUIQRUIOFLJKSACJKL yk

Yes, that does make me feel better.

IM SO HAPPY WE’RE GETTING ANOTHER FRIENDSGIVING

Unrelated, can i just say how happy i am Lasko can joke about his anxiety in a good way. 

“They’re my family. They’re not the one I started with, but they’re the one I found. The one that’s actually a family to me.” SHUT UPPP 😭

THE. WAY. HE. TALKS. ABOUT. THEM. 🙏

“And you make me happy, you make me feel cared for and respected and wanted, and the time I spend with you makes me feel so fucking good.” AND YOU DESERVE SO MUCH MORE BABY 

AWH HE TALKS ABOUT US??? 😭😭 oh wait that bonus audio after the date LMFAOOA

STOPPP HE’S SO FUCKING SWEET I’M GONNA START CRYING 😕💕

“It doesn’t have to be perfect, It doesn’t have to be anything. It’s just the first!” LORD ABOVE HE’S SO SWEET

Yeah.. I think Lasko’s first impressions were, interesting.? Yeah it was bad 😭

OOH LASKO POVS!!

HELP THE PAPERWORK, I FORGOT ABOUT THAT. He would’ve suffocated him LMFAO

Freelancer was probably blinking their eyes in confusion in that video. 

OH MY GOD THEY KNOW ABOUT GAVIN AND LASKO??? I bet my whole foot it gets brought up and Lasko’s listener teases Lasko abt it.

Yeah the bowling video, poor Lasko could’ve had a stroke in the chair.

Oh yeah how did Huxley and Lasko meet? YEAH AND EVEN IF THEY DRIFTED APART, THEY BOTH REMEMBERED SMALL THINGS ABOUT EACH OTHER ARIJLDK.

Oh god, if he starts talking about his friends, I'm gonna kick my legs like a little school girl. OH MY GOD HE IS. 

I love how Lasko had to think of a word and chose “intense”. 

“He’s passionate, and he’s stubborn, and he’s strong, but he’s also generous and thoughtful and driven.” REALLL

I love Damien so fucking much. He’s one of my favourite characters, he’s so misjudged and deserves every good thing that he gets. The fact he fights for full certification is to help humanborns, de(a)mons and other judged people against a corrupt government. He pushed himself and nearly lost himself just to help someone. He’s such a good guy, even if it comes out wrong.  

“And Gavin can come off like he’s just some vapid, surface-level… shit-starter, for lack of a better term.” LMFAO FAIR 

“But he’s also loyal, and bold, and brave, and a person who is really, new to having others actually care about him, and the genuine surprise in his eyes when people give him, Just the basic kindnesses that friends do for one another, is.. somehow sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.” STOP IT

Gavin again, so misunderstood. He was judged for being him, put through so much bigotry and the fact he found people that loved him for who he was is SO FUCKING SWEET. I CANNOT RIGHT NOW

“And the way that he and Freelancer complement one another, and seeing how that relationship has helped Freelancer” YOU GET IT LASKO YOU GET IT. 

“Who has always been sweet and giving and supportive, but also guarded, and closed off, and completely in denial about their own emotional needs, to their own detriment, to their own.. harm, really. It’s been an amazing thing to see.” STOP IT YK THE INVERSION AFTERMATH WHERE THEY CRY. GOD.

“With Huxley, from the outside he can seem… naïve. Or unfocused, just a goofball without anything more to him, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He is one of the most emotionally intelligent people I’ve ever met.” AMENN 🙏🙏

 “He just gets people, he understands the motivation behind people’s actions and he has the emotional maturity to react to that driving force rather than the action itself. And he’s easygoing, and flexible, but he’s not listless at all, in reality he has really concrete goals and plans and he pursues those with a determination that could rival Damien’s, he just… presents it differently. I think that’s one of the things that makes them work so well together. They’re two sides of the same coin in so many different ways.” I can’t even say anything, Lasko said it all for me. 

Also i think this video is Erik like explaining and showing how much character developing he did. Good job Erik, you did amazing. 

“And most importantly they see those things in other people. They’ll see those things in you. Because you are kind, and thoughtful, and generous with your time and your patience and your support, and you’re funny, and you’re sweet, and you make me so fucking happy to be a part of your life, and for you to be a part of mine.” WATCH ME WEEP

Yes the beginning, I’M SO HYPED AND EMOTIONAL RN. 

“You’re stuck with me. We’re in this for the long haul now.” Wouldn’t have it any other way.

LMFAO, lets go mahogany!

[review-anon]

Thoughts on Satsuki Iranami?

Clown girl is very cute and wholesome.

Given how in this day and age the word clown tends to invoke very negative feelings and imagery having Satsuki be what a clown should be; someone who makes you laugh, is a massive breath of fresh air.

Her antics can get a little annoying at times especially as it doesn't seem she is very serious about the situation her classmates are in, but hey, everyone needs comic relief and her chemistry with Haruhiko and Teruya is extremely wholesome. Obviously Haruhiko and Satsuki is one of the few canon ships out there and while I'm not a romance person, its good chemistry.

Her FTEs though make Satsuki more of a sad clown as while the Iranami Family Circus seems to be a cool place, especially how if you believe when A Student Out of Time placed its founding date its during the Bubble Economy when capitalism was rife and people were worried there was gonna be no fun and joy, and having a large family seems very strange given how low Japan's birth rate is. But it comes at a massive cost as all the siblings compete with each other and Satsuki is often the one who gets scapegoated whenever things go wrong which makes you feel bad for her. Poor girl doesn't deserve that.

Her being the Chapter 4 culprit is so heartbreaking because this is a total Gonta situation, all the evidence is pointing to her being the killer but nobody, expect for the likes of Tsurugi and Rei, is willing to admit she was the one who killed Haruhiko because Satsuki is so nice she cannot be the killer right? As such most of the latter half of the trial is trying to convince people she is and its amazing how much LINUJ predicted how V3's Chapter 4 was gonna turn out. I swear when the Another remake gets to this, you lot are not prepared for it whatsover.

Though I do think Satsuki's execution is mid because its basically Makoto's unused execution. Yeah because the execution he almost suffers in Trigger Happy Havoc is Kyoko's execution but Junko just had him suffer the same one because I don't know, she got bored or something? Now I do know LINUJ does reuse canon executions (see Yuki's execution in SDRA2) but in that example I felt it made sense. Here? its just pure lazy and given how creative LINUJ can get with them, I expected so much more.

Also the fact Haruhiko made Satsuki kill him so she can get out makes this worse as its proof how much he cared for her. No wonder Teruya breaks down in SDRA2's Chapter 4 when he sees the statues of Satsuki and Haruhiko.

Overall Satsuki is a sweet person, though her jokes can get grating at times but I hope the remastered writing of Danganronpa Another remake can address this.

[nerdfighterwhatevernumbers]

Finally watching season 5 of Miraculous Ladybug, I'm only halfway through but I'm so glad the show is finally validating Marinette's choices.

Multiple episodes in earlier seasons like Glaciator and the ice skating episode frame it like Chat is this poor heart broken boy being hurt by a careless girl even though she clearly tells him all the time she's not interested, he just doesn't listen or is upset that she doesn't change her mind. Then in Weredad Marinette's mom validates CHAT being in love with someone else and rejecting Marinette when no one validates LB being in love with someone else- Even when Chat says he's fine with it, he's still pouting and flirting in later episodes about it.

FINALLY Alya says Marinette should get to decide for herself instead of just doing what's convenient for other people. Marinette gets to insist she wants to choose and not be told how to feel. It's great! She and Chat are both in a messy place right now, so it's not like the ice skating or glaciator where he's being unreasonable and the writers act like he's not (which is obviously sexist but young fans would take at face value). Of course Marinette hates being told she can't really know Chat- not only does she actually know him more than he thinks, but how many times have we seen the superhero tell his love interest being with her is too dangerous instead of letting her decide on the danger for herself? Marinette wants to decide for herself what she can emotionally handle and it's heartbreaking to her that no one seems to listen or understand. I love when she and Chat calm down later and she's in a place to accept it's not about his idea of what she can handle or understand, it's about his comfort level with dating someone with a power imbalance in the relationship. It's perfectly done to justify how upset Marinette is and validate her feelings and choices while also making it clear Chat is exactly as valid as Marinette. It's not one-sided or unfair, they're just messy and upset and I love it.

I'm also extremely excited Marinette's behavior around Adrien does seem to be pathological. So many people in the fandom for years dunked on Marinette for being 'annoying' and 'creepy' and not deserving their poor sadboy Adrien, and I really like that it's exploring her neurotic behavior as a genuine psychological block she'll need several episodes to work through. Episodes like Chat Blanc make it seem like if they just knew everything she'd stop being a freak and maybe she would, but it comes off like Marinette's the problem to some people, like she'd stop being annoying and weird if she wasn't the one enforcing this strict identity rule and she's just causing everyone problems. Granted, I've been in the fandom from the start so maybe some people have outgrown their sexism, but the adult writers themselves haven't framed Marinette as sympathetically as they could a lot of the time. The depth, the emotional angst and troubled life, that's all saved for Adrien. It was great when she finally broke down and needed to tell Alya about her secret Identity in season 4, but we still don't get as much analysis on what Marinette is going through, it tends to be more surface level.

I LOVE being able to go through an arc about soul searching and mental quirks and self esteem with Marinette, it feels like the show is taking her more seriously and taking what felt like just an obvious awkward gag and really exploring it as a pathology. It's so interesting and gives more meat to Marinette, I'm so into it

[maddiethefashionista]

Arcane Spoilers Season 2 ep 1

Episode 1 thoughts

-Trauma everyone has it!

-Jace going towards Mel to check on her 5 minutes after the explosion! 🥰🥰

-jace seeing most of the council dead from Jinx’s missle 😳 instant trauma

-love the new intro! It’s giving Greek tradegy

-love Mrs Kirkmanns coffin. Very padme esque coffin! Ngl that coffin got me questioning how expensive coffins are.

-Vi just lingering in the background, wanting to reach out and talk to Cait but she can’t reach her atm due to her own guilt and shame.

-Mel’s mama finding a new bottom cough boytoy salo.

-it’s reigning tyranny!!! Side eyeing the council talking takeover Zaun with dangerous weapons

-symbolism of the rain finally falling on the council member as they declare war on zaun.

-ambassa unhappy that hextech won’t be used rn. She is so sus! What a warmonger!

-poor cait and her dad!! God grief is such a fucking bitch.

-unrelated note but Mr. Kirramin is really hot! Such a dilf!

-has vi been staying at the house? Poor girl is just lingering like a ghost.

-cait beating herself up considering that she could of end this all if only she was quicker in disarming Jinx.

-cait breaking in vis arms is heartbreaking!

-enter vis internal conflict about being an enforcer, a buggy man for every kid of the lanes.

I’m not really a fan of Vi. Like my fav character is jinx. But I can appreciate her complexity.

Also hello hot bearded tall man who looks like DILF Vander

Hello Victor, he’s basically a hextech jello right now.

Mel looking gorgeous as always!

Evolving hextech sounds fucking terrifying.

Did Mel’s armor protect Jace as well? Or does he magic durability from when he was a kid?

Mel and Jace really are super cute! Like I love their development

The wind chime garden is so gorgeous! Like arcane always slaps with their animation.

Jinx and Cait are my favorite parallels! Love them so much! God my girls are going to go through it this season!

God Cait is about to go on her toxic hot train right now! And good for her but she is going to go through it with this newfound hatred for jinx. And that is so relatable.

Callback to jinx “you created jinx” - VI

Maddie deserves to be protected! Also fish enforcer is really hot! I think I have a type.

Vi getting flustered at Caits tantrum and pride in her is so adorable!

“There still good ones left” fuck that line! Like damn the council neglected zaun to the point of poverty and now they have to face the consequences of that neglect. It was always a breeding ground for resentment and violence. This was always going to happen one way or another.

Memorial

The guys in the veils handed the main guard an invitation! And I’m like that weird, that supish!

Cait and Vi clocking something going down is my fav!

Hey it’s that chem baron! Channeling her inner leatherface

I for real thought Mel was going to do die!

Enter epic battle scene!

Cait looking hot with her gun!

Jace vs chem baron lady

Maddie and fish guy vs the other dudes

Vi vs the other dude

Vi and Cait saving each other

I do appreciate that arcane isn’t super bloody like some other anime’s I’ve seen

Jace going need some aloe Vera for that cut!

Arcane battle scenes are always so fun!

Leather face going after jace is so scary! But vi is saving her BIL!

Then they both save Cait and her squad!

But actually ambassa does it! And I’m like Where the Fuck have you been ma’am?! That convinnent muscle mommy!

This attack is just adding more fuel to the fire! Poor little boy/girl who lost their momma!

God Cait is loosing her mind! It’s almost like someone wants to further the divide between the two cities

Also I’m a sucker for the jaw cradle that vi gave her girl!

I need more lore breakdown on the kiramann family! They seem to be marticharl family

Oh boo hoo you gotta being an underground bunker for the first time in your life! Cry me a river.

Also is house kirammain get a seat on the council? Or do that have to be voted in?

Cait squad is loaded and ready to go!!!

Poor Jace is building weapons again!

Victor is in his jello prison yay!

Evil scientist guy is hunting wolves!?

[zot3-flopped]

I don't understand why anyone would be shocked about Harry's success post-1D. He was always singled out as the Michael Jackson/Bobby Brown/Robbie Williams/Justin Timberlake from the get-go. It's not always about who has the technically best voice. You have to have the right mix of talent and charisma. Harry is so charismatic and puts effort into the image and presentation of his albums, music videos and live shows. That seems to be a lost art when it comes to make pop stars. Harry has gained many, many fans that were never into One Direction. Look on Facebook and you can see older people really like him and give him his flowers.

As far as the other 1D guys... Zayn got that early start and had a lot of potential to carve a JT/Weeknd type career. But his laziness and poor choices of singles for Icarus Falls (which he was obviously trying to ape Chris Brown by making it twice as long as it needed to be) derailed his momentum. How you fumble an opportunity to work with Timbaland so badly is quite impressive.

Niall actually did well for himself on the first album, and I'm glad he found a sound that works well for him. Idk if you've ever seen his full audition for The X Factor, but he was clearly just imitating Justin Bieber. He does not have a voice for R&B at all. Heartbreak Weather was derailed by COVID, and Niall was acting very passive-aggressively and salty by this. This new record was delayed a bit too long IMO, but it seems to have performed OK. I think Niall will continue to have a solid fanbase, but he'll never approach Harry's highs.

Liam is Mr. Trendhopper. Let's try a bazillion different genres and see what sticks. The end result was an album that had no congruency or artistic vision. Instead, we had an album with a random ass Christmas song, a bunch of random collaborations and a song that fetishes bisexual women (which reminds me of another former boy bander's song: JC Chasez's "Some Girls (Dance With Women). This was at least a bit more excusable since it came out in 2004. Liam really should've known better than putting such an offensive tune on an album in the year of Our Lord 2019. The fact that it got to #111 in the United States really shows how much he screwed the pooch.

Louis frankly has had way more success than he deserves. He can't sing at all, and with the way he's going I'd be shocked if his voice lasts another 5 years. Anyway, his albums are basically Oasis rip-offs drenched in dated imagery of hyper masculinity. Then there are his stage shows, where he puts in less than 0% effort and treats his own fans very poorly.

👏👏👏👏

[bcolfanfic]

"baby simon was little but not so little that he wasn’t so horribly confused when daddy was just gone. poor little love. for a while he sobbed himself sick when ev held him because yeah he was tall with facial hair but. he wasn’t daddy. wasn’t the tall guy with facial hair that was just holding him a week ago, where’d he go??? when’s he coming back???"

oh my god this is so heartbreaking ): poor little love is right. and it breaks my heart for croz as well because he must have been hurting so deeply to leave his family like that. would love to hear more about the crosby kids in this side b and the parenting side of things with jeanie being with ev and helen.

putting my answer to this below a read more line since i ended up talking about croz/his suicide in the first paragraph. nothing graphic, just heavy emotional talk.

side b croz makes my heart ache. he was hurting so much, and the little part of him that could still be rational at the end did feel horrible about leaving his family. it's a terribly unfortunate truth that these decisions *aren't* rational. he did try so so hard to keep his shit together and stay for jeanie and the kids. there wasn't a second that he didn't love them more than anything. not one </3

poor sweet kids. the stuff with baby simon is so heartbreaking because he knows croz is /gone/ but he's still too little to even understand "daddy died" so he's just. confused. april is old enough to know he died but too little to understand that it's truly permanent. which is frustrating to rebecca and jj because they *do* understand more fully that he isn't coming back. and it's hard for them that they can't make april understand that. always a lot of yelling and crying between the three of them when sweet little april asks one of the grown-ups if he's coming back today </3

blakely kid wise it's just wyatt and sawyer for a while. wyatt is around jj's age and knows that before ev he had a dad that isn't alive anymore. very earnestly tries to make jj feel better by talking about that and it doesn't really land when they're little kids but the understanding does bond them more when they're older. sawyer lovess jeanie. was already such a mama's boy with helen and now there's two of them?!?! always makes jeanie smile on the hard days how much that sweet little guy adores her. sawyer is the perfect combination of the best of ev and helen, and it shows.

when ev and helen do eventually have their third kiddo that's a girl rebecca is nottt happy. gets real upset telling everyone she doesn't understand why they need a girl when they have her and april. sweet baby. she loves ev and helen so much and loves their little family life as unconventional as it is. takes some time for her to get it in that sweet little head that her nor april is being replaced by the new baby girl.

it's not the easiest situation in the world to navigate as they truly start a life together that isn't just surviving in the aftermath of croz passing. a whole lot of people don't get it and even ev's folks that are the most supportive parents on earth are a bit ??? when he finally has to fill them in. the other guys are as understanding as they can be about it and supportive even if they don't fully get it either. "growth" for jamie is keeping his stupid wise crack about ev ~collecting widows~ to himself and benny. he misses croz terribly and knows ev is a good guy. and when the shock wears off with ev's folks they're as loving and kind towards jeanie and the crosby kiddos as they rightfully deserve. jeanie is a sweetheart, it's impossible for any parental unit with hearts to not wanna love and watch out for her.

they all love each other. that counts for something <3

[rosewoodconch]

RWCH Readathon Days 13-14?

Undercover Princess: Ch. 40-45

Mega liveblog

Ill be honest. I'm really ill: but i am on a bus for 2 hours. So: heres a really porrly written summary of like... the lead up to the ball

Ch. 40

"Promise you'll also be happy"

Well...

Shes happy sometimes?

I really like that again we see that question of jamies origin which doesnt seem so important until youve read everything else

Ill be honest, i usually skip the valentines day bits

Lola is an icon, shes right. Jamie not liking cupcakes is blasphemous

And ellie getting lottle the flowers her name was named for is really sweet and i miss this era of them when it was so easy to fix

Also that note is so incredibly stupid and yes its a threat but also imagine jamie in his room making up the rhyme

"They might take ellie away" GIRL YOUR JOB IS TO PROTECT HER NOT TO KEEP HER FOREVER. Go read the diary again cmon

Ch. 41

Exams! The ball! Finally we hear more about the ball. Its crazy that they get results that quickly

Lottie having nightmares about failing her exams is... oh this poor girl

Shoutout to angus the most scottish person here i love him

Binah is so funny. I absolutely hated people who reacted like that in school

I'm so proud of Lottie like genuinely because after all of the chaos, shes still done incredibly

I was that one sobbing ivy girl ngl. I litterally appealed my b in nat 5 physics because i was convined i deserved a A. I didnt

Ollies messages was so sweet. I missed him so much. He deserves so so so much better. I wish he was able to know things but hes so right to be concerned and hurt. Then "have a good life"

Heartbreaking

Ch. 42

DRESS SHOPPING i probably dont have many thoughts other than OMG DRESSES AND SHOES so sorry in advance

Lèon is an icon and i love him

"I never like to be predictable" YES LOTTIE HARNASS THE SASS

Hes so real with the day and night hes all of us

I really wish ellie got to wear a suit here, it wouldve contrasted so perfectly to the book 5 ball

THE SHOES OH MY GOD THE SHOES

Ellie telling jamie to "just leave" is such a horrible awful thing to have said knowing all we know on reread.

Ch. 43

Jamie lore

I like that we get this explanation before the ball. Because rereading we can see how much the "normal" route relates to ani and saskia and it makes us wonder about who else could be

Jamie is different

The fake story of Hirana, and all of the information about her being lied about not just to ellie, but to jamie too, is so so sad.

Ellie wants nothing but Jamie and her to have normal lives. For them to not be connected in this way. "Everyone should get to choose"

I really love that thats echoed in the ending of the series.

Ugh again with the trust. How often do we hear them go we need to trust each other then lottie hides more stuff again. Im tired lottie.

The Cinderella moment 😭😭😭😭

Ch. 44

Let it be known that in the audiobook connie says Queen Matilda

Her "Real Room" makes me so so happy and i cannot wait to eventually read about it again.

In fact does Lottie ever see it!??!?!?! Someone tell me

See this is what i mean about the trust thing.

Im sorry but if a girl i had a crush on pinned me against the wall, said to tell her a secret or shed bite me i think id pass out

"Youll be mad at me" well no shit sherlock

Jamie is an icon and i love him. Never change

Ch. 45

"I cant promise not to be mad, but I'll hear you out" is so eloquent and I'll always have that in my mind

Creepily similar? A resemblance perhaps?

Ellie lying to try and help lottie is sweet but scary. Because how often does she do this?

I really do think that underneath he is pained for lying to his queen. But not just because hes loyal to her, or that it is his job, but also the queen is nurturing and kind and i think he does internalise that

Lottie defending herself to jamie is so painful

I love the difference between jamie "acting pained" and then the following

For anyone who isn't using the audiobook, i want you to understand how terrifying it is when it switches pov here. Because the whole book has been connie, for the prologue was her mum.

But here, theres a male voice. Jamies va.

Jamie recognising all the palace staff is really sweet

The fact that he has such a routine, hes been trained to hide his emotions from everyone including himself.

And the simple sentence of "he broke down" honestly cuts deeper than if it had been fully elaborated. Its so simple. And thats why its so powerful. He cant even cry and feel comfort. He has to retreat away from everyone and everything

Next chapters are the ball and everything so I'll probably do another mega liveblog for those ones!

Its just easier when I'm ill to group them like this!

[keepingupwiththecullensblog]

🌟🍟 Welcome back to “Keeping Up with the Cullens,” where today we’re diving into one of the most unhinged moments in Bella Swan’s post-Edward-breakup life. Picture this: it’s been a few months since Edward Cullen ghosted out of Bella’s life (literally), and our girl is just trying to survive in Forks, living life on cruise control. You know, the usual post-vampire-breakup blues. 💔😩

But things take a wild turn during what should have been a totally normal trip to Port Angeles with Jessica. They’re just out for a girl’s night, planning to grab some McDonald’s fries and chat about anything but sparkly vampires. 🍔🍟 As they’re walking, Bella spots some guys outside of a bar, and suddenly, she hears Edward’s voice in her head. Yes, you read that right—Edward’s voice, the same guy who ditched her in the woods, is now haunting her like some sort of ghostly boyfriend hallucination. 👻🧛‍♂️

Now, instead of being rational and heading to McDonald’s for a Big Mac therapy session, Bella decides to approach these sketchy dudes. Edward’s voice (or her imagination, honestly, who knows at this point?) is all, “Bella, don’t do it,” like he’s some kind of moral GPS. 🚫🔊 And what does Bella do? She walks right up to them, like, “Let’s see where this goes.” Because nothing says “I’m fine” like ignoring your ghost-ex’s advice and heading straight into trouble! 🙃💀

Jessica, meanwhile, is losing her mind, probably wondering if Bella has completely lost it—or if she’s about to get them both killed. Honestly, Jessica’s patience deserves a medal at this point. 🏅 Bella, however, is living for the adrenaline rush, the only thing that seems to make her feel anything these days. She’s basically like, “Edward ditched me? Fine. I’m gonna go find some danger and see if his voice will pop up again!” And it does, because why not? 😅👀

So, let’s fast forward to the next day. Bella, who’s now apparently decided that reckless behavior is the new therapy, goes out and buys some motorcycles. 🏍️ Yes, you heard me—motorcycles. The girl who can barely stay on her feet without tripping over thin air is now a proud owner of not one, but two motorcycles. And why? Because Edward broke his promise to stay forever, so naturally, she’s going to break her promise not to do anything reckless. 🙄🛵

Is this payback or just plain insanity? Let’s be real—it’s probably a mix of both. 🌀💥 Bella’s reasoning is like, “If Edward’s gonna ditch me, I’m gonna go full daredevil and see how he likes that!” Honestly, it’s like she’s trying to out-crazy his vampire melodrama with her own brand of human recklessness. 🤪💣

But let’s take a moment to consider Charlie, Bella’s poor dad, who’s just trying to keep his daughter from losing it completely. He’s already suggested she see a shrink because, I mean, who wouldn’t after the whole woods breakdown? But can you imagine if he knew about the Edward hallucinations? 😱 He’d probably drive her to therapy himself, no questions asked! “Bella, honey, we need to talk about these ‘voices’ you’re hearing…” 🛋️👨‍⚕️

So, here we are—Bella’s hearing voices, buying motorcycles, and spiraling into what can only be described as post-breakup madness. And all because her sparkly ex ditched her for her “own good.” Is this girl in need of help, or is she just finding the most creative way to deal with heartbreak ever? Honestly, it’s probably a bit of both. 🥴💔

Stay tuned for more of Bella’s wild ride through heartbreak and healing—who knows what she’ll do next! 🤷‍♀️🚀

[akiizayoi4869]

Kimagure Orange Road: I Want To Return To That Day

I was watching this movie again, and my God it does such a good job of hitting right in the feels. It does an amazing job of showing a realistic telling of a teenage romance in the form of a love triangle, as well as the unfortunate results that comes from being in said love triangle: heartbreak. It's such a gut wrenching watch that makes you feel all sorts of emotions towards the three main characters. I definitely felt sorry for Hikaru, poor girl did not deserve that treatment from Kyosuke, while at the same time I couldn't help but feel annoyed with her too, since she was the one who latched onto him from day 1 because she had a crush on him, which later on turned into love, all the while knowing that he didn't feel the same way towards her. It's not like he did a particularly good job at hiding his feelings for Madoka. I was definitely pissed off with Kyosuke the most though, since he led Hikaru on for the entire series, knowing how much it would hurt her in the end when he finally put his foot down and told her that he could never love her the way she loved him because he was in love with someone else. Madoka had a part to play in this too, although she annoyed me the least because her reason was the most understandable: she didn't want to ruin her friendship with Hikaru, someone who she's known since they were little kids, over a boy. From the time they were little, Madoka always gave Hikaru the things that she herself wanted, because she didn't like seeing Hikaru cry. And it was the same deal with Kyosuke, until it wasn't anymore. Until Hikaru tells Madoka that she kissed Kyosuke, and Madoka finally decides to confess her feelings to him and confirm whether or not he still feels the same way about her despite the fact that he kissed her friend.

She calls him to tell him all of this, and he tells her that he's always loved her. Madoka then asks him to come to her place. When he arrives, they talk and Madoka says "We'll have to settle this all soon, won't we? With Hikaru."

And settle it they do. Kyosuke tells Hikaru that they can't see each other anymore (although that part is pretty unclear since they never really seemed to be in a relationship anyway, it was more kinda like Hikaru imagined that they were) and that he loves Madoka. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

What follows is Hikaru following Kyosuke around everywhere, trying to get him to come back to her, trying to convince him to go see her perform in this play that she got the lead role in. She even though she knows that it's futile. She even goes as far as to wait outside his house for him, which prompts him to walk back in the direction that he came from so that way he could avoid her. This part of the movie just really made me feel for Hikaru. That poor girl did not deserve that treatment at ALL from Kyosuke, I don't care how much some of what happened was ultimately her own fault😭. She honestly deserved better than him. Then, her and Madoka get into a mini argument, with Hikaru shouting at Madoka and saying that she basically stole Kyosuke away from her before she walks out of the cafe that they're in.

Madoka saying "Hikaru... I guess it really can't be the three of us anymore..." broke me, because it highlights the fact that her friendship with Hikaru is pretty much over now, and that there's no going back to what they once had. The emotions that these three are feeling all throughout this movie are portrayed beautifully. You can really feel how much all three of them are hurting because of this, a stark contrast to the comedic tone of the TV show. The movie ends with Hikaru successfully doing her performance in the play, a light hearted moment in this otherwise angst filled movie.

The ending is fitting though. As Kyosuke and Madoka are getting ready to move on with their lives by starting college together, this scene shows us that Hikaru is also willing to move on with her life too, by starting her career in performing. All in all this movie does an excellent job in showing a realistic telling of a teenage romance/love triangle, and I appreciate how it doesn’t shy away from how messy those kinds of things can get for everyone involved. Definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a classic anime movie from the 80's (although make sure to watch the TV show and the OVA's otherwise you will be confused, lol).

[moononmyfloor]

Dashing Youth Ep 26-32 Commentary

Ep 1-10, Ep 11-16, Ep 17-21, Ep 22-25, Ep 33-35, Ep 36-40

Ep 26

Watched everything in 2x because I'm still reeling from prev ep, everyone's busy preaching and talking politics and shit and some of them are right but it pisses me off there's not a single character who'd think from the perspective of that poor little darling who is getting bedded without her consent with every wasted second. Well, Luo Qingyang and Dingzhi do but it's not like they are given that much of screentime.

I can understand that all the parent/grandparents gen are thinking about the "bigger picture" and their priority is to keep their giant families safe before anything else but it wouldn't take much effort for at least one of them to say ONE sympathetic line about Wenjun. Almost all the caring lines that came from everyone had been for Dingzhi, for losing his girl and not about how WENJUN is being taken against her will. Other than LQY and Dingzhi, only Dongjun asked: "Does she want to marry the Prince? If not, I'm in for the fight".

AND AFTER THE FAILURE THAT WAS ABOUT IT

Dingzhi is still alone, his only option is bidding time for 2 yrs till his power grows. And that too only thanks to two kind monks, one of which an old man and the other a literal child. Great. Just great.🥲 If noone else feels pressed enough to help shorten that time might as well just make a casket for the pieces of Wenjun's permanently broken soul by then.

Don't quote "butbutbut in historical times that's what it was like, nobody cared for what an insignificant girl thought" at me.

1. Don't bulk insult ancient people. They were perfectly capable of recognising injustice in matters like this and speak up against it, it's just that it wasn't a winning game most of the time. It's up to the storytellers to decide if you'd have a SINGLE character who'd provide a feminist pov.

2. This is not even a period drama anyway. Period. The storytellers have even less excuse now.

Ep 27

This is the only dynamic that brings me solace in this show now. No wonder that Dingzhi wanted his child to grow up under Reverend Wangyou.

There are more gays in the block but sorry boys I'm so not in the mood for shipping anymore

The rest of the ep is full of more heartbreak for Wenjun and disgust towards some others who are not worthy of being mentioned.

Ep 28

So you had six children already, and though you said you were besotted with Wenjun for a while now, you created your sixth child barely two months before marrying her. I'm all for polycules and would even enjoy harems in period settings where it's almost always difficult to not have power imbalance and have 100% happy partners all around, as long as it's shown mutual respect was present and sufficient effort was put in for all the relationships. But here?

Your first wife is freshly pregnant and you weren't patient enough to wait and earn the second wife's consent, I hope your dick rots and falls off.

Thank you for saying that, Dongjun. 😭 Though I've lost interest in you like, a LOT, I still love you. Also shame on you, Yue Yao. What a waste of your existence as a female character.

I love this guy solely for having a Targaryen throne and for planning to put the star-crossed lovers together, though it's for his own agenda. At this point, I'll take anything. Since there won't be a happy ending anw, I just want them to have their single illusory pocket which they more than deserve.

Ep 29

Reunion! 💕

Oooh hiya Simon Chen Junyu! I liked you in your mini BL show Decline, happy to see you again.

This is what happens when you do inaction and play blind at the face of social problems. You also will be eaten up by it eventually. Now how does that feel like huh?

Of all Dashing Youth characters, he's the most uninteresting, most useless and least acted well.

Ep 30

Their characters are sometimes quite reminiscent of Wu Xie's different facets

Haha I had actually forgotten about this couple

That was funny. Just two random dudes who appreciate each others swords lmao. ALso hi baby Jade Deity!

Mood

Ep 31

This was the baddassest highlight of this ep

Followed by Dingzhi finally stabilizing his Immovable Lord technique and Dongjun becoming the Liquor Deity. Kudos to Hou Minghao for convincing us that Dongjun has become more mature and serious person through subtle changes in behaviour.

Ep 32

Why does it look like he's having sex with the rain lolz

I've been missing you and your goofy laugh, Lei Mengsha 🥺

Fluffy couple outfits for the seniormost pairing in the show hehehe

Speaking of couples, my babies who have let their guard down the moment in the time they most need it 😔 He Yu got that adoring husband face down to a tee

WTF show Changfeng had been working his underdog ass off to advance to the elite circles of Jianghu and you wouldn't show his big break and just cheapass illustrate it off???

Prince Qing who had been the lamest of them all but had the coolest bodyguard lady he so didn't deserve, went out in a cool way but only thanks to her. RIP you won't be missed

So Ruofeng, Ruojin... you were sons of an unfavored consort. Amazing. One would've thought that made you two be men who are considerate about women, let alone those who'd actively fight for women's rights. Smh.