#seasons of anime exchange 2022

[needsmoresleepwrites]

Gift For FanGirlofManyThings: Kei remembers the first time he met the boy with the stars on his face. (Sofa’22)

The Forest Spirit

Read on AO3

Kei has wandered the woods many times, but humans are rare so deep and far off the path. He's surprised to hear panting and wheezing, and the sound of the leaves crunching under a rhythmic weight stops him in his tracks. He watches from the shadows as a boy appears. He can't see his face but he’s wearing heavy clothing that makes noise with every breath he takes. He's resting by a tree, his head down, and his hands on his knees

He wonders about the way the boy must have come. It’s very likely he came from the shrine, which means that in order for him to have gotten lost this far into the woods, he must have climbed over the retaining wall

Kei isn't sure why he's here. Is he lost?

He gets his answer when the boy falls to the floor, his arms circling his legs. He can hear crying and Kei's face sours. His brother would help the boy. 

Humans are attracted to the magic here, he’d once told Kei when he was so young Akiteru was still taller than him, We should always help them get back. It can be dangerous here. He’d paused there for a moment, his face sad, They’re very fragile…

Kei makes up his mind with a scowl on his face and walks toward the boy. He makes no sound, even as he steps on the red fall leaves. The boy doesn’t look up at him, still lost in his crying

“Hey,” Kei calls out, his voice breaking a bit at the end. He’s not used to speaking in the human language. He frowns, but it works. The boy looks up at the sound of his voice

His eyes are red, there’s some fluid exiting his nose, and his mouth is releasing quick breaths. But the noises he’s been making stop almost immediately and he uses his hands to clean his face. The boy stutters, “I-I didn’t see you, ah, I mean, where…are you lost too?”

Kei frowns when the boy’s face is free of his tears. There’s still something…

He touches the boy’s face and rubs, trying to get the dirt smeared on his face off.

The boy yells, “What are you doing?!” 

It still doesn’t come off. Instead, his face begins to turn red, but Kei is sure he isn’t being too rough. He scrapes a bit, his nails are dull but still sharp enough to remove any type of creature that might have attached itself to the boy

The boy pushes him away, “Stop!”

Kei falls back on his butt and now they’re both sitting on the floor.

The boy’s arms flail and he’s sure he stops breathing for a moment before he yells out, “I’m sorry! Are you okay? It’s just, that really hurt. W-What were you doing anyway?” He touches his right cheek, the one Kei had been trying to clean. He can see a small red scrape

They’re very fragile…you should treat them delicately

Kei pouts and mutters a “lame” before standing up and turning away from the boy. He doesn’t even get to take a step before the boy launches himself at him, his arms holding onto his

“W-Wait” he says, “Do you know…ah, do you know how to get out of here? I got separated from my friends…”

Kei doesn’t shake him off. We should always help them get back. He asks the trees for other signs of humans but there’s nobody else there. This boy with the dirt on his face was left alone. 

… you should treat them delicately

He turns his hand until their hands are intertwined. He doesn’t say anything, just tugs slightly. The boy gets up. He looks confused but follows him. 

The sound of the leaves crunching under the boy’s feet is the only sound that accompanies them for a moment. Kei likes the feeling of their hands pressed together. The boy is soft and warm and perhaps a bit wet. But the smell coming off him is pleasant. It smells like the fruit his brother had given him that day in the woods

Come on, let’s try with this. Try to hold it gently in your hands. 

They go downhill towards the shrine. Kei is careful, walking at a pace that is easy for the boy, making sure he doesn’t pull him too hard otherwise he will fall. Even with the boots on his feet, he’s sure he would tumble down and hurt himself. 

“Who are you?” the boy asks as they near the retaining wall that separates humans from people like Kei and his brother. Or it would normally, but humans have lost their fear of the unknown in recent years

Kei isn’t sure how to answer that so instead he says, “Who are you ?”

The boy laughs and Kei is mesmerized by the way his eyes shine, “I’m Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi Tadashi.”

Kei nods in understanding. He meant his name, “Kei.”

There’s a pause and then Yamaguchi Tadashi says, “Just Kei?”

Kei doesn’t know a lot about humans. He’s not allowed to leave this forest, but his brother knows more. He’s told him about the way humans have two names. 

Do we have two names? He remembers asking because he’d only ever known Akiteru as Akiteru. His brother had laughed, No, we’re just Akiteru and Kei. Do you want a last name?

He’d thought hard about that and had almost slipped. His brother had held his arm, Careful, it gets hard to see in the dark

Kei looks at the curiosity in the boy’s eyes, “Kei…Kei Tsuki…shima.”

He grins up at Kei and nods, “I’ll remember that. Thank you for helping me. Ah, are you coming down too? It’s getting dark…”

Kei watches the retaining wall. It’s an extremely old structure, much older than the shrine. 

He lets go of Tadashi’s hand and instantly misses the feel of it. He doesn’t truly feel cold, but he knows that’s what it feels like now that they aren’t connected. He uses the same hand to point at the wall and Tadashi’s eyes follow, “That’s the shrine. Go back down that way.”

When Tadashi turns back around, he’s gone. 

He watches from the shadows, the way the boy turns from one direction to another, confusion on his face.

--

Kei doesn’t expect to see Tadashi anymore. Many humans come to the shrine but very few are as young as him and very few return more than once. 

Even fewer go over the retaining wall

He’s heard a few people stand on it, looking on in awe at the forest beyond. They admire it but know that there is something clearly off about the space beyond. 

Why don’t humans come and see us? He’d asked Akiteru once. He’d been practicing with the fruit again. He had gone from completely crushing it and scraping it with his nails, to finally being able to pick it from the tree himself without destroying it. 

His brother had been talking with the trees. He hummed and then said, It’s probably the wall at the back of the shrine. Remember the last time you touched it?

The memory is upsetting enough that he instantly crushes the fruit in his palm. He grimaces, apologizing to the fruit.

He’d heard voices that day and had wanted to see the humans. After hearing about them so much from Akiteru, he’d wanted to say hello. To tell them he wasn’t scary and wanted to be friends. When he touched the wall to try and climb over it, he’d been zapped and pushed away. It had taken weeks for his hand to heal

He’d never seen Akiteru so scared or upset. 

Promise you’ll never try that again! He’d promised, the fear in Akiteru’s eyes contagious.

Akiteru picked another fruit from the tree and gave it to Kei, gently and lovingly, It pushes them away too. More gently, but still as insistent. He had smiled sadly, But not all humans listen. Magic calls to them too but it’s dangerous on this side, especially at night.

Kei had never understood the danger Akiteru talked about until he’d grown into his own power

The same power his brother used to talk with the earth around them. The same one that warns him now of a human in the woods. 

Not that he needed that when Tadashi is crunching around the woods yelling out, “Tsukki! Tsukki! Are you here! It’s me, Tadashi!”

It doesn’t take Kei very long to get to where Tadashi is yelling. He’s dressed differently this time, not properly for a hike in the woods. It’s a uniform of some sort, all black, and he has a bag on his back. A scarf is wrapped around his neck but Kei sees a few leaves and twigs stuck to it

He realizes why that is when Tadashi leans back against one of the trees

Kei appears behind him, “Why are you here again?”

Tadashi jumps away from the tree, “You scared me!”

They both stare at each other. Kei is frowning at the way Tadashi’s face is still covered in dirt. He reaches out again to clean his face, but again, it doesn’t come off. He decides to voice his concern this time instead of hurting him again, “Why won’t this come off?”

Tadashi laughs and Kei feels it on his hand, it’s warm, just like how it had felt to hold his hand. 

“They’re not supposed to come off,” he smiles, “I was born with them.”

His frown deepens, “Fruits with spots mean bad health.”

Tadashi looks a bit awkward at the comment, “I-I’m not fruit?”

No, he is human. He is like fruit. Smells just as sweet, has life, and is fragile. Kei moves away and starts walking back to where he had been caring for the trees. He hears Tadashi following him and it doesn’t take long before he’s talking, his voice animated

“Do your feet hurt? You weren’t wearing shoes the last time either. Or are you cold? It’s been getting chilly lately. Isn’t your yukata too thin?”

He gives Tadashi a fruit and he holds it without having to think about his strength.

“Do you like these?” he asks instead, and Kei nods. They pile a few fruits carefully into a woven basket

“Do others know that you’re here? I’ve never heard of anyone meeting someone up here.”

“No,” Kei answers. It’s only ever been him and Akiteru. 

Tadashi smiles, “You finally answered! Also, where are we going?”

Kei gestures forward, “I’m going to leave the fruits over there.”

Over there is the only place on the grounds that Kei can come anywhere close to humans without being hurt. It’s a small shrine, tiny enough that sometimes the stronger winds would knock it over. Tiny enough that it could and was usually overlooked by any visitors. 

There is no physical barrier here but the magical one is still in place 

He leaves the basket at the cliffside, as far as he can go without losing his form

He looks at Tadashi, “There are stairs built in past the trees there. You can take that route down.”

Instead of leaving, Tadashi holds his hand. They stand there, looking over the city until it gets dark

-- 

The next time they meet, Kei frowns at Tadashi. He’s appeared from behind a tree again, spooking him, “Why do you call me that?”

Tadashi has a hand on his heart and his face is red, “W-What do you mean?”

Kei says “Tsuki” as if he’s eaten something sour. 

The boy looks slightly embarrassed, making the marks on his face pop, “Oh, well, it’s a nickname. You said your name was Tsukishima so Tsukki…for short. Do you…Do you not like it?”

Kei isn’t sure why but he likes the way Tadashi can’t look him in the eye. It makes him want to chase him. He touches his face again and makes sure he’s looking at him

“Call me Kei. That’s my name.”

“O-oh,” he whispers. Kei doesn’t want to let go and Tadashi lets him linger for a moment. Then he asks, “Do you like them?”

Kei nods, “What are they?”

Tadashi grins, “Freckles. The others don’t really like them and bullies used to always say mean things about them.”

He lets go of his face and starts walking into the woods, “They’re very pretty.”

Kei hears him laugh behind him, “You can’t just say that with your back to me!”

But Kei does and he doesn’t turn back. He feels his face warm. 

Today, Kei is cleaning up the fallen twigs and leaves. Tadashi helps him but also complains when his hands and clothes are completely covered in mud, “I should have worn something else!”

Kei takes Tadashi’s hands in his and cleans off as much of the mud as he can. He folds their hands together and guides Tadashi to another part of the mountain that others have not seen before. It’s a slow trek. The sun is already setting and he wonders if this is even a good idea. It would have been easier to send him off, some other human could help him

But he’s not ready to let go.

It’s dark by the time they make it to the river that feeds into the streams surrounding the shrine

“Wash here,” Kei gestures. Tadashi is staring openly and not moving

“How…and people don’t come up here?” he exclaims, one of his hands coming up to touch his forehead, “This place is amazing.”

Kei pulls him towards the water, sitting on the rocks lining the edge, “Now your face is actually dirty.”

Tadashi only grins, sitting as well, “You should clean it then.”

Kei does exactly that. The water is cold and he notices the way Tadashi moves away from it initially. Kei likes the warmth of his skin, which doesn’t go away for long. His hair sticks to his face slightly as it gets wet and Kei moves his fingers through it to push it back. It’s soft

“Are you stuck here?” Tadashi whispers

Kei doesn’t answer at first. He remembers crying to his brother, feeling sad and angry that he couldn’t leave, I want to go back! I don’t want to hear them laughing anymore!

Akiteru had held him and rubbed his back, We have an important job. If you go back, who will take care of the trees? Then the humans would be sad too

“I can move around freely in my forest,” he says instead.

They watch the sky and Kei decides that the freckles on Tadashi’s face are not the unhealthy touch of death but the brightness of the stars

--

The first time Tadashi meets Kei's brother is in the winter. 

Instead of going to find Tadashi, Kei waits for him to find him. He no longer yells out his name either, especially after (as he’d told Kei one time) he’d been asked why he was making so much noise by the shrine caretakers. He’d been embarrassed but also worried that people would become curious and start coming up into Kei’s forest

Instead, Kei sits against one of the larger trees. The ground is packed with snow and the trees have all gained a cap of it on their limbs. Kei’s body sits above the snow, unsinking and unbothered by the temperature change

But that doesn’t stop him from wearing the scarf that Tadashi had gifted him. 

“There you are!” Tadashi exclaims and Kei opens his eyes to see his star-touched face. His breath is visible in the cold and he’s wearing heavier clothes. His feet, unlike Kei’s, do sink into the snow and he shivers a bit when some of the snow gets into his boots

He sits next to Kei and teases, “I almost couldn’t see you. You blend in with the snow. Good thing I gave you that scarf.” He looks up at the tree they’re leaning against. It takes up most of the clearing, “This tree is huge! I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before.”

Kei leans his head back against the trunk and whispers, “This is my brother.”

Tadashi sounds nervous when he says, “Oh, uhm, what’s his name? Is he…okay? I’ve never seen him before.”

Kei moves his head so it’s leaning against Tadashi’s and weaves their hands together. Kei’s hands are bare against Tadashi’s gloved one. 

It’s been years since his brother last took human shape. 

“He’s healing,” he tells him, “Not many humans come up this far, but some have.”

Tadashi turns and Kei can feel the kiss on his head, “What is he like? Is he as tall as you?”

Kei smirks, “No. He’s short. I was taller than him these last few years.”

Snow sprinkles on them and Kei laughs, “He says that’s not true.”

Tadashi smiles, “I bet he's nicer than you at least.”

“He is,” he agrees, “I wouldn’t have helped you that first day if it wasn’t for him.”

Tadashi cuddles closer to him, “Well, then I’m glad he’s your brother. Tell me more about him.”

Night comes quickly in the winter, but Kei isn’t able to stop telling story after story about Akiteru

---

A/N: omgggg this is the first time writing for this ship and i had so much fun!! i hope you all enjoy, but esp you rebecca! a few notes

- loosely based on the song tonight by lie ning

- the setting is based on a shrine in Hiroshima bc its my favorite

- i decided to focus on the meet cute and happy scene prompts, i hope this fits the bill!

- apparently, tree spirits are called kodama and they are often depicted as glowing orbs of light and I was like oh hey doesn't kei mean firefly which is also a floating light, and yeah, there is no plot, just wood spirit kei. that's also why he wears white

- kodama trees are said to bleed when cut so they are generally left alone

comments feed my soul~

[aftgficrec]

favourite fics featuring halloween? (thank you guys for all your work!)

Here are some spooktacular fics for you! You may notice we often point out where a fic has been recced before. If you like the theme or mood of a fic, chances are you will find more like it in the ask where it was featured. -A

previous recs:

Staff Recs Oct 2020 Halloween/Spookiness here

Staff Recs Oct 2021 - Halloween here

Staff Recs Oct 2021 - More Halloween: Costumes, Fluff & Crack here

foxes in a haunted house here

supernatural compilation here

autumnal/spooky fics here

Flavors of Fall by NikNak22 [Rated E, 146194 Words, Complete, 2022]

Previously recced here

…Neil’s not the only one with secrets in this town. Everyone seems to have something they’ve kept hidden in the dark. And as soon as one thread gets pulled, they all seem to come unraveled… Featuring second chances, making mistakes, budding relationships, and as many fall shenanigans as possible – welcome to the smalltown world of Palmetto!

tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: panic attacks, tw: homophobia, tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: self harm, tw: animal abuse

Fang and Stake by darkbluebox [Rated T, 2658 Words, Complete, 2020]

Previously recced here

For most hunters, it would have been a wet dream: his quarry beaten, bleeding, trapped and prone before him. He might as well have been holding a stake on a silver platter. If it had been any other vampire in the world, Andrew wouldn’t have hesitated to drive the splintering chunk of wood through his chest and be done with it. Unfortunately, Neil wasn’t any other vampire.

tw: blood, tw: implied/referenced abuse

swing me your bones by sundowne [Rated T, 3447 Words, Complete, 2022]

Ditched parties, neglected movies, cold cocoa.

Sugar & Spice (and everything... nice?) by Willow_bird [Rated T, 7468 Words, Complete, AFTG Exchange Fall 2020]

Previously recced here

“I’m not going as Tombo.” He’d end up looking like Where’s Waldo if he’d been a short angry bodybuilder and no one wanted that. Renee’s little smile hinted at her having a similar visual. “I think I may have something that would require few changes to what you’re wearing now and would be minimal hassle altogether.” Andrew accompanies Renee to a Halloween party, allowing his best friend to dictate his costume because he really couldn’t be paid to care. Then he gets there, and yeah, his crush is wearing the exact same costume. Feelings happen.

deadly encounters by jeanyvesmoreau [Rated T, 4012 Words, Complete, AFTG Halloween Zine 2022, Locked]

Neil, trying to avoid Halloween celebrations once again, finds his way into the dark corner of a bar. There, he meets Andrew. Or, how Neil Josten discovers vampires are real after hundreds of years he's been alive.

tw: violence, tw: blood

Cryptid Serial Killer Witch Man by attfna [Rated M, 17008 Words, Complete, 2020]

Previously recced here

Just a story about your typical, spooky cryptic and his curious gardener.

tw: scars, tw: explicit sexual content

open season by nomadicdeer (someonestolemycoffee) [Rated G, 2287 Words, Complete, 2017]

Previously recced here

Dan declares open season just before Halloween. Featuring andreil kisses, misuse of brussel sprouts, Matt in lingerie, and more.

5 times realisation struck Neil & 1 time he acted on it by alex_wh0 [Rated T, 7503 Words, Complete, AFTG Fall Exchange 2020]

Previously recced here

"Neil looked across the room at Andrew and felt a surge of affection so intense that it stuck in his throat. He wondered how someone who had rolled out of bed barely an hour ago could have the audacity to make him feel like this." or Five times Neil Josten had a realisation and one time he did something about it.

if you're just tuning in walk into the light by orphan_account [Rated T, 8824 Words, Complete, 2020]

Previously recced here

Andrew runs a small shop in Palmetto with his brother. It's monotonous. He takes care of his plants, makes tinctures, provides minimal customer service, and teases Kevin for his heart eyes over Aaron. It's boring, but it's good. And then Wymack hires someone new, and some things change.

The endless mental math required to simply survive. by melbopo [Rated T, 17400 Words, Complete, 2021]

Free booze and candy at Seth's expense for his frat's Halloween party on Friday? Say no more, Andrew will be there, mandatory costume and all. Perhaps Matt's new Exy loving stray will even occupy Kevin for the whole night so he doesn't give Andrew inane lectures about wasting talent and potential on intramural teams, leaving him to drink his free alcohol in blissful peace. Really, the simple mental math checks out in his favor on this one. ~~~~ (alternative title: Andrew Minyard and his acquaintances [that are actually his friends])

tw: homophobia

aaron's lament by nanatsuyu [Rated T, 9061 Words, Complete, AFTG Fall Exchange 2021, Locked]

Previously recced here

It's the first holiday Katelyn and Aaron have hosted in their own apartment. Katelyn thinks it'll be fun. Aaron thinks there are far too many people in his home.

An Unpleasant Surprise by justdk [Rated T, 3689 Words, Complete, 2018]

Previously recced here

Neil's visit to the haunted house is not fun. At all.

tw: panic attacks

best thing by exactly13percent_OLD (hymbeaux) [Rated M, 4117 Words, Complete, 2019]

Previously recced here

Aaron has 48 hours off. Kevin has a party to attend. They both have unanswered questions.

firsts by exactly13percent_OLD (hymbeaux) [Rated G, 6270 Words, Complete, 2019]

Previously recced here

Andrew and Neil have fostered Clara and Riley for a little over a year. It's their first Halloween. It's taken a while for both kids to become comfortable, and tonight is for them.

Say something, say yes by DeyaAmaya [Rated T, 2851 Words, Complete, 2018]

Previously recced here

'I can't leave. I need to say goodbye to your son. I can't leave like this.' Mary smiles. Andrew feels a shiver down his spine. Her lips don't move, but he can hear her voice clear as a bell. 'You're not saying goodbye to him.'

tw: major character injury

House To Haunt by moonix [Rated M, 65356 Words, Complete, 2023, Locked]

This fic is a choose your own adventure game! Follow Kevin as he explores an abandoned mansion with a Fox companion of your choice. You can discover different parts of the mansion, learn about its previous owners' history, romance Kevin's companion, collect interesting items, solve puzzles, rescue Kevin and his friends from a variety of sticky situations... and then do it all over again! !!Please make sure to read the instructions at the beginning before you start playing!!

Something Out of Nothing by Aquared46 [Rated E, 20831 Words, Complete, AFTG Fall Exchange 2024]

Fox’s Hollow had attracted tourists for decades with its haunted history and Halloween festivals. A resident for many years, Andrew doesn't believe in ghosts or hauntings, but when his workplace is being investigated by ghosthunters, he spends his early hours with a man far more intriguing and haunted than a ghost could ever be.

tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced torture

it's almost halloween by reaching_my_summit [Rated T, 2677 Words, Complete, 2017]

Part 3 of this is something, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 5 here, part 6 here

the Foxes celebrate halloween together at Eden's. someone flirts with Andrew. Neil is not about that.

do you like scary movies? by Ominous, Stjosten [Rated T, 22519 Words, Complete, 2020]

Previously recced here

To say Andrew has never seen the benefit in the make-believe would be a lie. However, he finds less and less use for it as he grows older. He especially fails to see the benefits of anything from the horror genre; he’s made plenty of his own mistakes, has seen more than enough to terrify him in his life. He doesn’t need to rely on jump scares and idiotic protagonists. But when he meets Neil, self-proclaimed horror archivist, he finds that maybe he never gave the genre the credit it was due, and he ends up thanking the dull movies eventually… They lead him to Neil, the realest thing he’s ever known.

pumpkin heads by moonix [Rated T, 4278 Words, Complete, 2023, Locked]

Tonight is the night. Halloween, Andrew and Neil's last night working at the pumpkin patch, and the night Andrew is finally going to ask Kevin out. If only they could find Kevin... (Based on the graphic novel Pumpkin Heads, but you don't need to have read it to understand the fic.)

Andrew Minyard Loves Fall (and will fight anyone who doesn’t) by mareofthesky [Rated G, 11074 Words, Complete, 2022]

Andrew is trying to enjoy his favorite season in peace, but a certain Mystery Man keeps popping up out of nowhere. With a long string of aliases, an infuriating mouth, and striking features, he's managed to catch Andrew's attention in a way that not many can. Andrew can't seem to get the menace out of his head, but he's beginning to think he doesn't want to.

NB: author’s fall spotify playlist here

skylight by djhedy [Rated T, 5560 words, Complete, AFTG Fall Exchange 2020]

Previously recced here

neil moves to a pro team, a new apartment, in a new city, and is held up by his friends. and by a series of mysterious gifts left on his doormat.

What if We Held Hands in our Pyjama Pants by transjorts [Rated T, 9301 Words, Complete, 2021]

A very soft, autumn-themed high school au in which Andrew, Aaron and Nicky are the new kids and Neil accidentally catches feelings.

tw: dysphoria, tw: transphobia, tw: implied/referenced child abuse

Art

aftghalloweenzine cosplay by @foxy-exy

your favorite emotional support sapphics art by @kashjsnsndnan

Renison as Witch and vampire art by @pria-png

adoptive!Bee halloween and happy halloween! art by @deklo

andreil halloween costumes art by @manekkii-art

andreil halloween costumes art by @lunapiq

All family together art by @kurra

the foxes in their costumes art by @jojen-hewitt

Neil and Andrew in Eden’s outfits + Halloween art by @fabulousmisfits

happy halloween, foxes art by @jeannemaybedarc

Put ‘em up and Neil costume comic art by @emry-stars-art

Halloween party… art by @stiigex

Halloween andreil makeup meme art by @jesperandwylansittinginnatree

AngelJean and DevilJeremy art by @blablablabel

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

“I Love Taking Risks”

Returning for the second season of his hit comedy series Our Flag Means Death this month, Rhys Darby chats to us about becoming ‘The Gentleman Pirate���.

It was the surprise hit of 2022 no-one had on their bingo card. Loosely based on the real-life exploits of Stede ‘The Gentleman Pirate’ Bonnet (Rhys Darby), Our Flag Means Death tells the hilarious and heartfelt story of the wealthy Barbadian landowner who gave it all up for life as a pirate in the 1700s.

After encountering the actually not-so-terrifying Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) of legend, who teaches him how to be a fearsome pirate – to little effect – in exchange for wisdom about the finer things in life, the two formed an unexpected romantic connection.

Of course, with the first season ending with the pair sadly going their separate ways, creator and writer David Jenkins previews things will be challenging for our star-crossed lovers in season two: “I think [we’ll be] watching… both reorient themselves. This is their first love… You’re rocked when that happens. You go into a crisis.” With the second season premiering this month, picking up a short time after the first, Darby sat down with FOXTEL magazine to give us the lowdown.

What’s your take on ‘The Gentleman Pirate’?

It’s an interesting role because this is a guy who has a midlife crisis, leaves his wife and kids, just runs out in the middle of the night and creates a pirate crew, heads off into the sunset. And in order to sort of get to grips with who would do that, you need to have someone play the role that you’ve got to root for but, at the same time, you go, ‘Is he crazy? Why has he done this? Does he not love his wife and kids?’ So, you know, I did a bit of reading about him and tried to get into that mindset as to why he would do such a thing. And I think what I got to was just midlife crisis and boredom, and he had the wealth to change his life.

Are you a risk-taker yourself?

I love taking risks; I could drop everything and suddenly fly to Mars, but I’d be sitting in the spaceship before launch and thinking about my kids and I would have opened the door and run back to them.

So there was something there, some deep-seated darkness in his soul that led him to that point. He’s a complicated guy. I’m glad I had to rise to the challenge and try to pull that off.

Will Stede ever be respected by his crew, do you think?

Yes. I think he will be. People did respect him eventually because he did become a decent pirate. If you look in the annals of the pirates and all the booty they took, there’s lists of who did the best and all that kind of stuff, and Stede’s up there.

Do you think he had any regrets about choosing that life in the end?

That’s a good question. If I was to guess I would say no, because he wanted the adventure. He regretted, in the end, not taking the pardon when he could have – the King put out a pardon and he said, ‘If any of you pirates come in and drop your swords now, you’ll be spared.’ A lot of them did sign that they would do it and then just went back to pirating.

Even in the end, Stede tried to get out of it – he really begged and pleaded and wrote letters to the King saying, ‘Please, I’ll do anything.’ But they wanted to make an example of him: it doesn’t matter how wealthy you are, you do what you did, you’re gonna hang. So they got him in the end. But they won’t get me!

You seem to have a knack for picking great roles. What does your process entail?

Yeah, it depends what you’re doing. You know, I’m not at a point where offers are rolling in left, right and centre. So you still do things because you need the money. But I’ve been lucky that my uniqueness has only really gifted me roles that suit me, for the most part. Usually they’re smaller roles and I do a lot of guest starring on comedy shows. Also, I have been lucky enough to do a lot of voicework through various animation channels and video games and things.

A few years ago, people started to realise that, and it’s through working with Taika and a few others in the comedy industry, that if you’re going to hire me, he’s going to give you a bit more than what’s on the paper. And he’s going to do it in his manner and his way, and that’s what you’re sort of paying for.

And so that meant that I wouldn’t get a lot of roles, but the ones that I did do, I would always shine in. So thank you, universe, for giving me anything.

Source: Foxtel Magazine Australia (October issue)

[aphfanficwriters]

Every month we will pose a question and collate responses as a fun and informal little exercise in getting to know each other and spark discussion.

For Hetalia's 18th anniversary, we asked our writers:

“How did you first get into Hetalia?”

Beetroot / @council-of-beetroot: People had recommended it to me prior since I'm a geography nerd but I heard it was offensive. At one point I read a fanfic about Hetalia Lithuania and that piqued my interest. But then like six months, around March of 2022, later I recalled my sister talking about a funny scene from Hetalia. So I decided to look up Hetalia out of context on YouTube. I decided nothing could be more offensive than I was at 13 so I watched that and then knew I had to watch the show. I watched the show in a weekend. It was particularly funny to watch at the time because my best friends that year in highs were foreign exchange students from Germany and Japan. Anyway here I am now.

Angel / @billowingangel: I got into Hetalia around 2015 by reading x Reader fanfiction and I stumbled upon a Germany x Reader on DeviantArt and then I went down a rabbit hole of the Hetalia countries x readers. The x reader fanfiction comforted me immensely as I was struggling greatly at the time and that was probably the worst time of my life. Then I found other Hetalia fanfiction and fanart, and I then watched some of the episodes on YouTube. Since then Hetalia has been something of great comfort and nostalgia to me. Hetalia honestly means so much to me and there's been so many lovely people in this fandom that I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with 💗

Didi / @teaedon: Searched my country on deviantart, found Hetalia OCs comics. Watched the anime when it had just 1 or 2 seasons out (both 2009), and began to keep up with blog and page translations on Livejournal (did I understand English at the time? Barely lmao). Then jumped from Livejournal to Tumblr but because a funny-unrelated-to-Heta blog, but soon more than later I started following Hetalia blogs... Made my sideblog in 2015; I should have done that sooner, it's around that time that my actual main fandom was another for a while. Even with the manga hiatus ending in 2021 (also new anime season), I only fully returned in 2022. No fics until... 2023, omg (the deleted ff.net one from when I was in school doesn't count).

Tama / @delgumofics: Back in 2012 my sister suggested I check it out, said it was funny. I watched ep1 subbed and by the end I had a glassy look in my eyes, shut it off, and promptly forgot about it. Later on it was on Netflix so I gave the dub a shot and died laughing. I binged the whole original run in a couple days then started looking at fics.

Eru / @eruverse: I first learned of Hetalia around well 10 years ago, but couldn’t get properly into it. I alrd liked Vanya but that was that [...] I properly got into Hetalia after they released Indonesia, so it was just around 2021. Was immediately thrown into Netherlands/Indonesia, the beloved ship of Indonesian fandom, creating fanarts for them and brainrotting with other Indonesian fans. Good times! Ah, NLID… other Indonesia ships would simply not compare to the weight of history, emotional baggage, and all kinds of other baggage of this one ship. You should check it out, and being Indonesian I have the front seat for accessing juicy historical materials. Nobody in the fandom knows the special side of Netherlands that Indonesians do.

@folightening: Bought and watched the first season a long time ago, I think it was out of curiosity. I remember people talking about it at school and I recognized the name at the store so I got the first season to check out. Didn't do anything more with it until ~2 years ago I think? Watched it again on a whim, bought the series in a collection set, found where I could read it, got my writer's block shattered, and the rest is history.

Yukihitomi / @arthurhonda: This is actually a funny story. So it was back in 2011, and my friend recommended it to me because I like history and was a history kid. It also had nekotalia, and I love cats. Combine the two, and it was a good recomendation. Ironically, she said "don't get into the fandom." Clearly, I didn't listen.

Ash / Lutz: A friend told me the anime was really funny so we watched a few episodes of it when we were in high school. I was hooked and almost immediately started googling amecan fanart lmao

Prush / @proosh: I can't remember exactly but I think my discovery of it was connected to the old DeviantArt series Scandinavia and the World? But it was around 2011, I'm pretty sure, and I got into it via the dubbed parts uploaded to Youtube. It activated me like a sleeper agent, having already had an early interest in history, and I've been trapped in here ever since.

Lacy: I randomly found the series while I was reading some news. (Think it was back in 2013-14). Sort of got very obsessed with it and was joining groups left and right, bought fktons of merch for a lot of characters. (i just love them all crazy at that point of time) One of the groups i was in decided to hold some event and thats where i wrote my first fic. Then theres so much stupid drama i just withdrew eventually and kept to myself with just one ship. (At this point there was this one person who was writing with me). Then came the time when she left as well, so I did question at that point if i still want to stay in this fandom alone (and i did, because i just want to finish up my wips 🫠).

Mossman / @one-more-mossman: I don't remember exactly how I did get into Hetalia , but I checked out the date of my first Hetalia pfp and it's December of 2012. I remember being super into Ivan and putting him on all my pfps and telling my friends about him and being all mushy and stupid. I had pretty limited access to the internet at that time, and didn't speak any English, so I wasn't a part of the Hetalia fandom - neither the English speaking nor Russian. So I didn't know he was an unstoppable rape truck y'know. I was drawing him and just silently vibing with him. I got into the actual fandom about three years ago - was a lurker first, not interacting aside from leaving kudos/comments, then got into fic writing (for English speaking fandom, I thought it was more lively than the Russian one). Found wonderful people here. Happy to be here, glad to have people sharing my interests. (Notice there is not a single mention of liking history. I don't like it. I can't remember a single fact.)

WhiteWings / @smuttyandabsurd: Gosh everyone started so much later than me... Anyway back in 2007, my sister forwarded a random USUK fanart to me on deviantArt simply because "it's BL and you might like it." I binged the first season of the anime and was tickled enough to keep watching as further seasons came out. I was already casually interested in history - it was my second favourite school subject behind English lit - but after Hetalia? Yeah I was reading the densest modern history nonfictions around, hovering in the military history section of the library among random middle-aged men, and writing rapetruck smutfics with a ~historical~ flavour. Anyway, 17 years later, everything from the way I consume Hetalia and tangentially-related topics to my writing has had a dramatic evolution from my humble weeb-y beginnings, but I'm still in this dang ass fandom and I can't find the exit.

Sicily: I was into countryhumans and I came across it, and was like, pft I'm never going to like hetalia.., and now we are here

[nilikhangdiwa]

2024 Fic Wrap Up!

it's that time of the year again! the 2022 one can be found here and the 2023 one can be found here!

this year's stats... it's only MOSTLY a3 instead of completely entirely a3!! woah amazing!! that's on me getting into persona this year

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1.

when tomorrow comes knocking at our door

sakyoguy, canon compliant

mmm... old man yaoi... even better, DOMESTIC old man yaoi... this one was a secret santa present for vini who requested old man yaoi! nomadic bartender came out a little bit before so you can see that i was mentally ill and crazy. btw if you haven't read nomadic bartender, HIGHLY RECOMMEND. it's one of my favorite a3 events ever ever ever!!!!!

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2.

seasons change but people don't

samlil, post-good end

i. think this was a comm. i don't know. all the samlil i ever write is for quill whether explicitly or otherwise. this follows the end of the good ending where they both are able to leave the casino and live together out in the real world... oughhhfhsjkh i feel so majorly ILL about samlil all the time even when i'm not talking about them!!

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3.

run for roses

lone wolves week 2024

this was my entry for this year's lone wolves week! i was only able to get 2 chapters in because i was really busy with junior thesis around this time and i had to finish writing something else for an exchange (see number 5). nevertheless, it was super fun!

on chapter 1... the first one was because the chikage gekka ssr backstage made me SICK. like. if you haven't read it. please do. i'll like the translation here. it drives me SO MAD. like the ring is so important to chikage and losing it would make him spiral SO BAD. also after i posted this my friend was like AHA I FUCKING KNEW IT SOMEONE WAS GONNA WRITE ABOUT THE RING like OKAYYY JUST BECAUSE I'M PREDICTABLE OKAY!!!

chapter 2... i like little catholic boy hisoka. that's the entire thing basically. i have no words i just think they're really really neat. :((

also i got really obsessed with run for roses by nmixx, hence the title. it's just such a banger okay!

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4.

banri settsu's no-good, very-awful first day of school

banri & kazunari, humor

okay this was super silly and self-indulgent for the FUNNIEST reason. basically, my friend is going to (university) to study animation. our mutual friend graduated from that same university and course. we were like IT'D BE SOOO FUNNY IF (mutual friend) ENDED UP BEING YOUR TEACHER and that's how this was born.

what's funnier is that the friend in question? yeah, their sister was one of my thesis advisers. i walked into class and went "................. oomf, is your sister's name (redacted) by any chance....................... dawg i think she's my prof." so, that was a time! (i got an A. thanks oomf's sister)

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5.

(all i want is) Your Grace

madomasu, fantasy au, meet cutes, 5+1

this was written for a little server exchange! i was spinning it around which is why i wasn't able to finish run for roses lmao.

actually, i ended up worldbuilding a lot for this fantasy world, although most of it doesn't end up in the fic itself. the way magic works in the fantasy universe is kind of how language itself works... conveying a meaning and conveying power to make it do stuff. so different people do magic differently! like tsuzuru has script but citron does it moreso via music, etc.

in this one, citron was originally from inverno (winter kingdom) but ran away to live in vesna with itaru. i have azuma as the queen of inverno if i'm not mistaken? and then... i think azami as the future king of haust? with sakyo as his guard? or something... ermm.

then sakuya is the current king of vesna after his parents died and left him the throne at a young age... with chikage being his most trusted adviser and close confidant... and also basically being in charge tbh. he does a lot of things for selfish reasons (whatever's good for him) but he's also grown to care for sakuya so he sometimes does things for him... but he'll never admit it... august was the king's guard and then chikage was the knight's commander... something something very trusted. i'm sick. i love this au.

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6.

Verdant

chikaita, tojomachi, harugaoka quartet

this just in: the harugaoka quartet liker likes the tojo backstage. so i read the backstage and it's SICK. it's TWISTED. it's ILL. they were not just schoolmates. they were LONELY. but they were LONELY TOGETHER.

here's a scuffed tl of the play part in case you're interested because it genuinely makes me so insane. names carrying meanings and wishes for your children... this is JUST LIKE GEKKAGUMI. ANYWAY.

god they're so in love. this made me SICK. i'm SICK.

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7.

Tritanopia

bansaku, royalty au, soulmate au

this was a little exchange with raina! i wrote her this, she wrote me kazuchika in exchange. hehe. :3 i love royalty aus and i love soulmate aus (this will be apparent).

i like soulmate aus but i also like thinking about how they would work/be regulated if they were considered to be a part of daily life. normal occurrence. everyone has a soulmate it came free with your living in this universe.

this one is the "when you first meet your soulmate then you see color" au. which is fun to think about because like if you've never seen color how do you conceptualize it. when you see color for the first time everything is just different...

i don't know, i just like thinking about soulmate aus. there's something about it. also something something the whole soulmate thing is how banri doesn't get his ass killed. but yknow.

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8.

Ambrosia

chikamerl, chikatsuzu, kniroun week, kg adjacent

did i. okay yes i did. i did ramble about chikamerl in the 2023 wrap up so i will spare you all the horror of it. i just missed them. qkg compliant. technically a sequel to the previous chikamerl fic.

i. don't know what to say that doesn't involve just me going through the entire qkg lore so just. take it. my beloved mentally ill anime boys.

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9.

Birds of a Feather

itaru & sakuya, kniroun week, role study

the concept for this was "sakuya doing role study for mordred" but it turned out a little more chara study... ermm. it just features itaru rambling about kniroun lore while sakuya does his best!

if i may be honest this is probably my least favorite kniroun week entry because dawg i could have done so much better. i could have COOKED HARDER. but it's fine! it's perfectly lovely as is <3

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10.

Cineris

merlmord, tsuzusaku, kniroun week, playverse

i'm not normally a tzsk shipper but merlmord drives me MAD. there's just something about them.

it was super fun writing in merlin's pov because he's such a little shit. he's putting on the nice guy act but he wants to tear murder kill destroy. merlin writing so mentally ill that you would have thought i already finished p5r by this point "what does that mean" don't worry about it.

and mordred too has that... there's this balance between the guy who genuinely just wants to do good and the guy who wants to prove himself. which, of course, are not mutually exclusive, but especially younger,,, mordred is so lawful neutral, you know?

i like them. very much. also there's more made up kniroun lore in this one. i love made up kniroun lore.

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11.

When the Sky Falls

runull, tsuzumizu, kniroun week, kniroun origins, playverse

err. runull loredump here. i don't know what to say aside from just talking about why runull makes me crazy for the 27438975483rd time.

this one's in second person because it's supposed to kind of mirror the second person visual novel style of kniroun origins, and "you" don't have a name because you typically just input your own name when you're playing the game.

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12.

A Normal Day on Knights of Round Chobitter

chikaita, kniroun week, cbt oomfs to lovers

what if chikaita were mutuals on knirountwt. that's it that's the entire fic. this one was just silly and cute and itaru finding comfort and happiness in loving something and sharing that love with the world is something that can be so deeply personal thank you.

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13.

beautiful (just not today)

juza-centric, body dysmorphia, it's not transfem juza but it's not NOT transfem juza, also body horror

i'm gonna be real, i wrote this up in like an hour on a whim. this is based on the makg au which is based on that one dollhouse set featuring azuma and muku on the cg.

the fic says no context but i'm here to provide some context as a treat! the important context is that there's a gallery with wax statues, each with a nameplate on it alnd protected by a glass case. the statues are of the mankai members (and other side charas like godza, sakoda, mizuno, etc). the characters in the dollhouse event have been turned into porcelain dolls (azuma, hisoka, yuki, banri, and itaru), and the goal is for the other still-human characters to become dolls too. to be pretty and loved. so some characters (including juza) have been partially turned porcelain (dollified) in some body horror shit. the parts that have been turned porcelain on a person also become porcelain on the wax statue. doll meter.

juza has. complicated feelings about this whole thing. because it's juza. i wrote this based off rui's interpretation of juza (since she's the one writing juza in this au). but he... kind of wants to become a doll? tbh? like.... to be pretty... loved by the little miss of the dollhouse who turned them into dolls... etc.

in the rp, juza is the first other character outside of the dollhouse set who fully becomes a doll. fun! fun. makg ily. i will fix the minigame mechanics soon.

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14.

Keep Up

bantai, canon compliant, fire up! mantou fist, character study

this was a comm for my friend lyric which featured the funniest message ever: "but i am very different from banri so i could never really figure it out. i thought u would be the person to turn to for it!" LIKE. OKAY. ABAC I GUESS (ASSIGNED BANRI AT COMMISSION).

while i was outlining this fic in my head i was actually mumbling to myself about what happens as i was walking to uni campus. so random people walked by me hearing mumble shit like "and then banri goes god fucking damn it nanao taichi you fucking idiot" because he IS.

there's a deleted scene from this one where taichi actually gets a fever from overwork and banri looks after him while also calling him stupid and not understanding how you could possibly work so hard that you physically get sick. me too, oomf. banri gets complimented for working hard and literally cannot wrap his head around how to respond to it so he just goes nah and deflects. u just like me fr. maybe this is why lyric commed me.

also, i was writing this around the time the haikyuu movie came out, so i got to watch it! kenhina as my chara study for bantai (unironic).

also with regard to one of the lines in the fic, i also posted this on my priv: (the typo is supposed to be what taichi *heard)

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15.

oomf gets killed by juban (not clickbait) (a little bit clickbait)

crackfic

another one for the callout fics series! there's not much context to this, only that i wish for melody and bellie to one day be juban together in an rp. that would be so funny.

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16.

The Case of the Triple Oddity

citron & taichi, fluff

this one was a cute little thing i wrote for the annual pride exchange! there's not much to say about it and neither are they particularly fruity in this, but it's just a cute little thing. all in a gay's work!

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17.

Nanao Taichi's 6-Step Plan to Figuring Out Which Crush is Real (So You Can Confess and Get the Romance of Your Dreams)

taitenyuki, taichi & muku, getting together

this one was a comm from someone who requested silly taichi flirting and taitenyuki! it was my first time writing taiten or taiyuki (although i do love taiyuki and should write more taiyuki). i asked some of my friends for silly movie-esque ways of flirting and got the stuff you see in the fic.

meet-cutes was so funny given that they already know each other and literally live together. i think that taichi deserves a lot of love and a lot of kissies!

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18.

some things just make sense

sakushu, post-canon

... so you can guess when i started playing p5r.

anyway, can i interest you all in the sakushu agenda? i just think there's something about them yknow. something so. so! okay. i don't remember how i got started on this. probably when i was on vc with quill playing p5r.

in my head they used to live in the same small town. sakuya's got relatives there so he was there for a while. they got together and cared each other very much. they were each other's first... a lot of things. they ended up breaking things off when sakuya had to leave because they weren't. like. long distance wasn't good for them. but they still care each other.

i think after this fic they hang out a lot. reconnect. they both are in tokyo for the long haul... they can try again. right person, wrong time, but now it could be the right time. idk. i like sakushu.

also i hadn't finished playing p5r when i posted this, i think i was literally only like up to like. 3rd palace? or so? so i was very worried about writing akiren and that's why he has like 4 lines LMAO but i was very mentally ill about akiren since the moment i laid my eyes on his stupid catboy face <3

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19.

The Spring to Your Smile

taisaku, fluff

this one was a comm for raina who requested cute sakutai fluff!

i've been to a handful of arcades in japan, so i used what i knew to write it. i actually really like taisaku, so it's kind of a shame that i don't write it enough! this is actually my first taisaku fic... that's crayz...

there's something about them yknow. so lovely. shaped. i wish them a very happiness. taichi will spoil sakuya so much.

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20.

love me, love me, love me

akiren-centric, canon-compliant (kind of)

the fuck you mean this is only fic 20 out of 30. did i really write that many in the last 3 months of the year. christ. okay anyway.

so i finished p5r in august and er. basically went crazy. now my head is full of p5r. (i also finished p4g in 2024, though i haven't written any p4 fics. the p1 manga as well!)

the idea for this one came to me in a burst of inspiration in the middle of me rambling about one of the 749832742 aus i have come up with to ruin akiren's life. guess my favorite p5r character. i dare you.

this fic is for a specific interpretation of ren's parents. i don't actually have one solid hc for how i think his parents are like, so i just do whatever fits the vibe. there's something here about how his parents are like... highschool sweethearts who had a kid they weren't ready for... so they got married but it strained their relationship with each other and with the child. yknow?

also, yeah. the title is literally aishite x3. so, yknow. thematic.

i also made it a point in the end note that arsene isn't in joker's mask because OURGH there's something about what that means symbolically that makes me unwell.

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21.

baptize (don't worry about tomorrow)

shuakeshu (kind of??), drinking, alcoholism

so i'm like. half a psych major. and basically i was trying to come up with what a lot of the persona game mechanics mean in terms of psych concepts. so like, for example, tv dungeons are manifestations of psyches where the id is repressed too much, while palaces are manifestations of psyches where the id is not controlled and allowed to just run wild, that kind of thing.

i explain this in the end notes of the fic, but basically i think there's two routes for call of chaos if it hypothetically just allows your instinct to do whatever: thanatos (anger, destruction) or eros (horny).

also really funny because like i think a few weeks later someone posted an akeshu fic where akechi uses call of chaos on himself and then gets horny or something? i was like welp. that's freud for ya!

anyway i was talking to quill about how call of chaos works. because the initial thought was actually "i sure hope akechi doesn't get permanent brain damage from fucking up his brain chemicals so much." and then quill points out, that's kind of addiction bait. and then i was like HMMM. INTERESTING.

so in this fic it manifests in alcoholism because alcohol tends to reduce inhibitions the same way call of chaos does (although it's a depressant. LISTEN DON'T QUOTE ME ON THIS I'M NOT A MED STUDENT.) also because i love giving random charas drinking problems. and smoking problems. yippee!

anyway the funniest part is that i was writing this in the middle of my industrial/organizational psych class. lmao

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22.

Coming Up Aces

akiren-centric, post-canon, 5+1

this is actually. basically the first fic i had in mind after finished p5r. because i'd been reading p5 fics and akiren's life fuckin SUCKSSSSS after canon. which is perfectly reasonable to assume and i think is probably true.

but also. he's my baby. so i wanted to give him some nice things. hence, this fic. just... something about how much he's grown and changed as a person in the year that p5r takes place. all the things he's learned from all the people he's met.

it's something like, he's changed so much and all his stats are at 5 now. but he's always been just. justice, as a central theme to p5. yk.

this is also written with like. very, very background shuake. like, i think it's most evident if you read the erudite section. because the essay he writes and submits is... basically about akechi. there's so much background shit in my head about this fic but it all tastes like akechi. is akechi dead in this one? err, who knows? i don't know.

actually, that part was my favorite to write, drawing from some stuff i learned in my own jpn lit class. the heike monogatari is like an account of the genpei war. minamoto no yoshitsune (same yoshitsune as in the game, yeah) was one of the great heroes who fought against the taira clan alongside his brother, yoritomo. but as the story goes, yoritomo was the reason yoshitsune died - betrayal.

yoshitsune is a tragic hero in japanese literature. maybe THE tragic hero ever. and so we get these kinds of notions of japanense heroism:

aside from that, there's something in there about how akiren recites more in class because he's looking for someone to debate with like he did with akechi or even makoto sometimes, but no one really engages him the same way unless its like the teachers doing presentation discussions and shit. also, sato mentions that the class is doing sengoku period next. which is a funny reference that is also akechi-coded because haha akechi mitsuhide.

in my head like. the history and literature classes are connected, and typically study the same period at around the same time. so both just finished heian/kamakura, and are moving onto muromachi period.

i love all the stupid cringefail npcs i've created for this fic. i have so, so, so much to say about it. akiren's got a mini confidant with both hiroki and sato. also, katsumi and ennis from harugaoka quartet get namedropped, and itsuko in part 5 is named after my extended uraomote universe homare, who is kondo's wife.

also, fun fact. i... submitted the lit review for my thesis late because i was writing this instead. anyway.

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23.

feels like summer when i'm with you

ichijyushi, beach

this one was for the hypmic gotcha for gaza on twt! crazy... me writing hypmic fic in 2024 was not on my bingo list, but hey! it was fun, actually... i kinda missed it. ichiro isn't a character i write often, but he comes relatively easily to me.

i like him a lot. buster bros still number one! not much to say about it, but i like ichijyushi and jyushi's cringefail crush on ichiro.

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24.

midsummer love (now and forever)

fling poly, beach

"is this fucking fic titled after summer time love by kazunari miyoshi" yes. also i didn't realize i got two beach fics in a row, but hey! this was also for the hypmic gotcha for gaza. they specifically requested a beach fic, so i was like dawg, i GOT YOU. ramuda pov my beloved, i haven't written you in so long...

fling posse makes me really happy, so i'm glad to have been able to write them again! there's something about them that makes me... yeah. :3

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25.

the woes of being a plus one

tsuzuomi, halloween

this actually isn't the next fic i uploaded, it was actually the shusumi one, but i'll get into that later because i split it into 2 chapters. this one was for lav for a halloween server exchange!

i... learned that writing tsuzuru is kind of ass. i'm kind of ass LMAO. i don't have much practice writing tsuzuru not in conjunction with harugumi, so writing tsuzuomi was a bit of a challenge... but i had fun, and they're cute!

i asked my friends what would be a funny couples costume, lav said sun and moon, and i was like bet? bet.

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26.

Monsters of Veludo

azashifu, monsters of verity au, enemies to . something

this one was written for the mankai charity zine! oh BOY i have words about this au. this was one of the aus i pitched, along with devil's gambit and fmab... silly. anyway.

most of the background au stuff of this au is in the little accompaniment pdf of the mancha zine, so actually, you should read that! but generally, the premise is more or less that acts of violence create monsters - like, literal shadow creature stuff. in the series, there’s 3 types of monsters, based on how horrific your violence was, but in the fic, i only included the coolest one: the sunai (what shiffy is).

theres like a future scene in my head where like after azami kills someone for the first time, intentional or otherwise - and this is after he and shifuto start to become friends - shifuto sees him and knows something is different and. "oh, azami... what have you done...?"

hmm i have a spinoff au of this that's not othe same universe because that one is manknai compliant and features itaru, tsumugi, juza, and homare as monster abominations (and sakyo.) kiketsu au my beloved... i'm happy to talk about that one too tho!

---

27.

ideals of the blank future and beyond

shusumi, risky game, actors au

yeah so this happened. sumire is so gekkagumi. she's so forgetting who you are and living as someone else. she's so struggling to move on and move past what happened. she's so it should have been you why did you leave me here. you can't hate her enough to hurt because you'll never hate her as much as she hates herself.

and so i wrote sumire risky game.

this started because, as i usually do, i was assigning charas of my most recent interest (p5r) to a3 plays. and then shusumi mentioned, and then i was like, ohhh, it'd be so fucked up if risky game.

the other cast are akechi as ledley because it'd be so funny and i wanted to make him say the little chicks line, haru as eda because thematically appropriate, ryuji as oliver because... i mean yeah. and then makoto and nicolette (dominic) because i just think it's so funny to make her play a little spoiled rich boy.

in this au, it's basically all of the phantom thieves in a theater troupe. they're putting on risky game right now, and it follows the plot of the risky game event story, etc etc. there's just something about it. they made wadakuma play catherine in the esute risge stage and i was like oh my fucking god.

it's mentioned in the fic that kasumi was a gymnast and sumire is an actor. basically like. kasumi and sumire's career paths diverged when they were younger, sumire goes into acting a la yumi p4 and kasumi continues with gymnastics. the year kasumi dies, sumire "lives as her" (though not literally, since no persona au). so she goes back to like gymnastics and all that to try and keep kasumis memory alive, but yk she kinda ass at it. she's super out of practice and she has no love for it aside from a misguided sense of keeping her sister's spirit alive. theres a line in the grave scene where sumire says shes been keeping up acting the past 2 years. that includes the year she was acting as kasumi.

i don't have any experience writing play scripts, so i just kind of copied oomf's from the times he's asked me to check his.

i will not start rambling about risky game and norman, but just know that it's SO FUCKED UP. god. it's so fucked up. they make me so upset.

other stuff gets mentioned in the end notes of the fic! so if you're curious, you can check that out. i have other thoughts spinning around my mind (such as yusuann clockwork heartbeat, shuann stray devil blues, shuake scarlet mirror, etc... also several people have suggested shukita nocturnality and like. i see it.)

---

28.

assexual attorney

crackfic

yeah i have no words for this. ryu just hates being associated with banri at all ever, and then this was born. i love my friends, SWEAR.

---

29.

burning red

shuakeshu, soulmate au, post-canon, canon compliant

i didn't realize that this is actually my second color-based soulmate au fic. i'm typically a soulmark, names sort of girlie. anyway. this fic was for a persona winter exchange that i joined.

actually, it was supposed to be a different fic. i have that other fic plotted out, but i wasn't able to finish it because it's quite. long. and dramatic. and plot heavy. but it's vampires + soulmates + royalty. something about akechi being a vampire prince being betrothed to akiren the human prince and then... they're soulmates...? but vampires don't have soulmates.................. wow that's so weird. anyway, i'll post that fic one day.

until then, burning red! the title is from red by taylor swift (sorry) but like i think it's very. yeah. losing him was blue like i've never known... missing him was dark gray all alone... forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met...

umm. the colors are fading because akiren genuinely believes that akechi's dead. but they won't ever go away for real while akechi is still alive. soulmates tied not only to cosmic power but also persona perception. cognition. very p5.

the part about robin hood using samarecarm to heal akechi and save him after shido's palace is also ... yeah. quill's hc is that's how it happened and i was like omg real. so true.

i'm gonna be honest, i'm personally of the belief that akechi should stay dead at the end of p5r (thematically), but also i will not complain because i love making akechi alive.

---

30.

Sentimental Value

tsuzumizu, itaru & tsuzuru

this one's for the a3 holiday exchange! it's tsuzumizu but actually, mizuno isn't there. i wanted to write something about tsuzuru looking for a christmas gift for mizuno, but with a spin on the whole, "just write him a play!" because... y'know, i feel like he would. of course. think of that. that's his default, actually. and what better person to ask than mr. gift giving himself, itaru chigasaki?

i actually wrote this while i was on vacation lmao. on my shitty ahh phone. the screen is glitching so it gets hard to write fics on there, but. yeah! and it's up~ also, gratuitous annoying itaru. i love annoying itaru.

---

bonus!

20:01

akechi-centric

wrote this the night before my birthday as a personal birthday gift to myself. "akechi trying to kill himself?" yes. listen. mr. "i didn't plan to live past 18" OKAY. OKAY. did he actually want to die (in this fic)? personally, i think not. but it's up to interp. i dunno man. he just possesses me.

also i hope you guys like the akiren characterization, because i love to passively characterize ren in akechi-centric fics.

akechi is stupid !!! it's only the question of is he just naturally a dumbass or is he willfully being ignorant? he always thinks ren can see right through him, which he can, but the core that he thinks ren sees is always like. some kind of curled up sad crying pathetic thing. when thats not what ren sees. this is a constant in my fics its always akechi being like oh he thinks im pathetic. oh hes gonna try to kill me. like NO BITCH GET A GRIP!!!

need this guy to get some therapy.

---

bonus!

with(out) this

juban

i got really mad at this one juban fic i kept seeing that really irked me from the description alone so i was like bro i bet i could write a better one and i don't even LIKE juban. so yeah.

---

THAT WAS 2024! grah. that's so many. hope to write more in the coming year! let's see... my tenma zine fic will make an appearance in the 2025 wrap up, as well as probably... more shuake fics. fuck this baka life.

[sisionscreen]

Showrunner Katharina Eyssen posted an instagram story of her reviewing the final scripts of the second season of The Empress (2022). We get a good look at one of the pages for the second episode.

Translation

[...] FOREST - DAYTIME

[...] Forest. Peace and quiet. The calming [...] of nature, the hidden animals [unreadable].

Elisabeth's naked [...] between wet leaves. Elisabeth's hand [...] trees. Leaves on a branch brush her face. Is this a memory?

No. She wears the dress she wore during the arrival of the delegation. She lifts it. Feels a puddle (wet soil) beneath her feet [...] looks up to the sky, the leaves, the [...] against the sky.

[...] the quiet, the peace [...] she is sure/safe*. She wears her hair in a [...] braid. Looks relaxed, free...

Elisabeth opens her eyes. [...] Where did the voice come from?

FRANZ: Elisabeth?

[....] IMPERIAL APARTMENTS - BED ROOM - NIGHT

The bed room is lit with candles. Franz sits next to the imperial bed on which Elisabeth lies motionless.

FRANZ: Elisabeth. It's me...

Elisabeth's eyes are firmly closed. She is breathing flat. Her body is fighting an extreme fever.

Franz [...] desperate.

[...] a servant and a nurse keep watch in a corner of the room. Another servant arrives with a bowl of [....] water. The servants exchange [...] and briefly stand in front of one another.

ELISABETH'S SERVANT (quietly to the other): The Emperor hasn't slept in days. He's always been by her side.

Elisabeth's lids flatter, her lips form silent words. Franz looks at her/them*. His sorrows overpower him once again. [...] to the nurse.

________________________________

*"sicher" can mean both safe and sure or certain.

*"sie" is the third person singular female as well as the third person plural in German.

[dxrkenedheights]

Safiye: Acting Career

1999 (Age 2)

TV Show: Barney & Friends - Safiye made her acting debut on this beloved children's show, playing a recurring role as a young friend of Barney.

2002 (Age 5)

Movie: Stuart Little 2 - Safiye had a minor role as a child in this family-friendly sequel.

2005 (Age 8)

TV Show: Blue's Clues - Safiye appeared in several episodes as a guest star, playing one of Blue's young friends.

2007 (Age 10)

Movie: Bridge to Terabithia - Safiye played a classmate of the main characters in this fantasy drama film.

2010 (Age 13)

TV Show: iCarly - Safiye joined the cast in a recurring role as a quirky friend of Carly and Sam.

2012 (Age 15)

Movie: The Hunger Games - Safiye had a small but memorable role as one of the tributes from another district.

2014 (Age 17)

TV Show: Teen Wolf - Safiye joined the supernatural drama in a guest role, fitting well with her werewolf background.

2016 (Age 19)

TV Show: Stranger Things - Safiye joined the cast in the second season as a rebellious high school student, adding to the show's ensemble.

2018 (Age 21)

TV Show: Riverdale - Safiye appeared in a recurring role as a rebellious teenager, adding to the show's drama.

2020 (Age 23)

Movie: The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run - Safiye voiced a quirky new character in this animated adventure, bringing her high energy to the beloved underwater world.

2022 (Age 25)

TV Show: Euphoria - Safiye joined the cast for a season, playing a high-energy, chaotic new student.

Safiye's Scandals

2011: Twitter Feud - Safiye got into a public Twitter feud with a co-star from iCarly, which made headlines for its heated and blunt exchanges.

2015: Party Incident - Safiye was photographed in a compromising situation at a high-profile Hollywood party, causing a stir in the media due to her being underage.

2017: On-Set Tantrum - Reports surfaced of Safiye having a major tantrum on the set of Teen Wolf, leading to delays in filming.

2019: Public Intoxication - Safiye was arrested for public intoxication after a wild night out, her mugshot and arrest details went viral.

2021: Relationship Drama - Safiye's tumultuous relationship with a fellow actor became tabloid fodder, with frequent public arguments and breakups.

2023: Social Media Controversy - Safiye made controversial remarks on social media that were deemed insensitive, leading to public backlash and a temporary hiatus from platforms.

2023, Ongoing: Kieran - Safiye's on and off again relationship with her manager Kieran Kelly keeps resurfacing as tabloid fodder.

[anotherblblog]

Fan Meets and irl BL adventures

I still wanna go through pictures and videos of the fanmeets and such for bl and bl adjacent events and places I've been able to attend thus far but talking and thinking even more about Utsukare and my trip this spring to watch the movie and such and also the fact, I'm very much procrastinating on some work right now has me in the mood to at least list out all the events and bl actors I've seen.

Last Twilight in the Park - BKPP and ITSAY cast

KaownahTurbo Mini Fan Meet - Kaownah, Turbo, Mild, Bhudi

Phuket Trip - ITSAY filming sites (the school, Teh and Oh's houses, Promthep Cape, Skyline MV Beach, Dibuk Restaurant)

IdolFan Fest - Wabi Sabi actors, Kaownah, Mild, Bhudi, most of the KinnPorsche cast, the Love at 9 Cast, many many many many others

GMMTV Building

Nadao Bangkok Building

Last Cafe on the Right

Manila trip - getting my hat and Gameboys filming sites (Ortigas Ave, Pasig Park)

Love Out Loud Fan Fest 2022 - Gun, Tay, Singto, and friends

KinnPorsche filming site (Rosewood Hotel)

Chang Mai Trip* (I went because Manner of Death was filmed there but the actual filming sites were hella far and I didn't arrange transporation, so I went to an elephant sanctuary)

Bangkok meet up with @liyazaki and @meteorjam

Idol Exchange - KaownahTurbo

Phuket meet up with @liyazaki and @meteorjam

Blue Room screening at Cinemalaya - Elijah Canlas

EliKoy meet up

Casio event - KaownahTurbo

GMMTV Fanday in Osaka - Gun, Mix, and friends

Lit & Glitter - PP Krit

Utsukare Season 1 Special Edit Version

My School President Prom Night Live - MSP cast

GMMTV Building

Dp Dance Studio Charity Showcase- KaownahTurbo

Phuket Trip

Taipei Trip (on my radar because of Your Name Engraved Herein)

MarkFord video call - Mark, Ford, Gemini

Utsukare Eternal (I saw it 6 or 7 times)

Utsukare filming sites (the shrine, Hira's house)

Songkran

About Us But Not About Us screening - Elijah Canlas

Love in the Air Manila Fan Meet - LitA cast

Utsukare AniMate Cafe event

Love Story SantaEarth Fan Meet in Vietnam - SantaEarth

Nature Thai Massage Parlor - Tul's massage place and one of them has a big picture of Tul above it, second closest I've been to him

Where is the Lie screening - Royce Cabrera

ok that's kind of a long list lmao

blurbs and takeaways:

all of these international trips started because I won a hat from Kokoy in a Gameboys' fan raffle, which I later got but it wasn't the hat I was told I won but ended up being a more meaningful hat anyway

Kaownah is the actor I've seen the most

Elijah is the actor I've spent the most face time with and had the longest conversations with

Elijah got on the mic told a FULL ass auditorium of his family and fans that I was the biggest Cairo hater in the world (which is true actually)

most everyone I've met and had any sort of face time with has been really nice and excited to talk with an interfan

I won a video call with MarkFord for the MSP concert and their excitement at seeing me again made Gemini who was in the room come over to see what was happening and he was also very excited to see me again

most of them tend to be shorter than I imagined but I'm also 6'1 and also a lot of them wear platform heels or very chunky shoes lmao

fans and staff at events tend to be hella nice and curious about me and assist with translations or directions and sharing gifts and tips

I "saw" Tul Pakorn at NYC Pride 2023 but didn't register it was him because I was 5-10ft behind him and thought "that's a nice white mesh shirt" and later to my eternal chagrin saw him on IG wearing that very same 'nice mesh shirt.' I had to laugh to not cry.

I entered a raffle to meet Yusei and didn't win and so I didn't go back to Japan and later read on twitter he was meeting fans there anyway

fan meets/concerts and goodbye sessions are truly LONG AF!!! Some of them could easily be 10+ hours onsite.

@bengiyo I have told you and @liyazaki the most about my travels - I've already added a few missed memories but lemme know if y'all remember any omissions lmao

at some point, I'm going to need to buy a shelf or two for all the bl merch and pictures I have

next up for me:

Khaotung and First in Sao Paolo

Kaownah (lmao) and Mild in Manila

Gun, Tay, and friends in Manila

I have an eye out for announcements about Be On Cloud's NYE party but no details has been revealed or ticketed yet

[iressails]

hi there!!! I’m your content creator secret santa 🤫🎄 how are you?? do you have anything you’re looking forward to this (holiday) season?

I’ve checked out your blog to see what kinds of things you enjoy, but I’d love to hear from you directly 😊

what are some of your favorite shows and movies? who are your favorite characters? ships? do you have any particularly favored music artists lately? maybe specific songs? maybe you even have some favorite books you’d like to share! what about favorite colors?

is there anything you absolutely DON’T want? lol just in case 😅

I hope you have a great rest of your week!

HII!!! I have been preparing for this question for a couple of days and right now immediately I've forgotten everything I know and like, and have ever liked.

[Pause to review my blog and get my thoughts in order]

i love red, green and orange. all the traffic lights baby!

Im looking forward to the holidays it's been... a year.

My ship (just the one rn *sob): I'm currently in Homicide: Life on the Street (1993 - 2000) hell. I love Frank Pembleton and Tim Bayliss with my whole heart, but a 30 year old show and 65 year old men are a bit of a hard ask even from a kind Santa. Bayliss was my first canon bi character on TV and I've not been right since.

Update: Earlier in the year I was heavily into Joanne Davidson/Kate Fleming from Line of Duty (2012 - 2021) until I was gratified by this fic: Bleed into me by Authorette and somehow never thought of it again.

(Yeah not sure about the non-canon (but one half queer in canon) unhappy ending cop duos being my shipping highlight of the year)

Movies: I love Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), Pride (2014), Barber (2023), Gattaca (1997), Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Trust (1990)

Shows: Bob and Rose (2001), Homicide ..(ahahaha) Trust me (2017), Borderliner / Grenseland (2017)

People: I think Rebecca Ferguson, Raul Esparza, Hunter Schaefer, Lesley Sharp, Ethan Hawke, Carla Gugino, Laura Main, Brain Molko, Emma D'Arcy, Vanessa Kirby, Katie McGrath, Caity Lotz, Toby Stephens, Adrienne Shelly, Alexander Skarsgard, Patricia Arquette, Emerald Fennell and David Harbour are just so pretty

Characters: Omar Little (The Wire 2002 - 2008), Catherine Cawood (Happy Valley 2014 - 2023), Christine Chapel (Star Trek Strange new Worlds 2022), Alex Vause (Orange is the new black 2013 - 2019), Nomi Marks (Sense8 2015 - 2017), Joan Holloway/Harris (Mad Men 2007 - 2015), and Deran Cody (Animal Kingdom 2016 - 2022), Charles (Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Carrie Mathison (Homeland 2011 - 2020), Patsy Mount (Call the Midwife)

As for hates... I dont like too many fancy fonts on gifs, or double exposures that make people look like they have two heads (I'm guilty of this, yes, yes). Not big on the music. My spotify wrapped this year was where I was reminded that I had just listened to Alanis Morissette, The Crystal Method, Bright Eyes and Placebo and things-to-run-to as I always do. Every year. It is an utter wasteland.

Thank you in advance I'm sure whatever you make will be wonderful. I love this exchange so much. Both ways giving and receiving.

[gamerdog1]

Chainsaw Man Season 1 Review

Its that time of year again: the time where the hardcore anime fans gear up for a new batch of seasonal shows. This winter, a bunch of popular anime, including Vinland Saga, Tokyo Revengers, and Bungou Stray Dogs are releasing new seasons, to the raucous applause of most of the anime fandom community.

I say 'most', of course, excluding myself. Where am I in this, you may ask? Always behind the curve, picking up the hits years after they've had their debut, like a reverse hipster. What's old is new again for folks like me, who are still trying to watch all the 'old' series, nevermind keep up with new releases. There's merit in this method, though: given enough time, the shiny glow of newness fades, and we can experience the series without rose-colored glasses.

In my never-ending quest to understand why popular media got popular, I stumbled upon Chainsaw Man, a rather recent hit that was practically unavoidable last year. In a sea of generic anime girl snore-fests, it grabbed my attention pretty quickly for its sheer ferocity and love for bloodshed. After being assigned it in a monthly show exchange, I figured it was about time I'd given it a chance. After 12 episodes, though, I feel like my time could've better been spent elsewhere.

Chainsaw Man (2022) is an adaptation of the manga by the same name, written by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The series follows Denji, a homeless teen who is saddled with a ridiculous debt to the yakuza after his father dies. After surviving an assassination attempt, he fuses with the Chainsaw Devil, and gains its powers of, well, chainsaws. Now, he must work together with an elite team of public service agents to hunt down other devils, to keep a newly found comfy life.

One would be foolish to assume this wasn't a shonen series. With a teen protagonist, superpowers, monsters, and an overarching storyline about growing up, Chainsaw Man seems like your standard action/fantasy show. What makes it different, though, is its copious amounts of gore. Most 'shonen' series are marketed towards kids and teens, and because of this, are limited in how far they can go with their violent content. Chainsaw Man, it seems, got a free pass from it's producers to show whatever it wants, and really runs with it.

Most of the series revolves around Denji and his team hunting devils, monsters which personify common fears, and gain power from the fear of them. From hulking furry masses like the Bat Devil, to thousand-eyed pushovers like the Tomato Devil, Denji and his team take them down in a brilliant display of blades, sharp teeth, and blood spray. Violence is the life blood of this series, the thing that keeps its main characters alive, and what keeps viewers like me paying attention.

Each confrontation is intense, as the human-looking heroes face off against monsters that dwarf them in comparison. The series establishes early on in every fight just what the opposing devil can do, and how that poses a threat to Denji and his team, making it feel like there's little hope in their survival. This, combined with the constant reminders from Denji's superiors of how many previous hunters have died on the job, gives each fight a sense of stakes to it. Characters can (and eventually do) die, so each fight, even those early on, are tense.

The music, as well, its pretty damn good. I'd already heard the opening track, KICK BACK this summer, and play it a lot while doing chores, but the opening animation that goes with it is really interesting. Look closely, and you'll see shot-for-shot references to famous films, like The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction. Each episode also has a unique ending theme, something unique to this series that made me sit and watch each episode all the way through. Most endings are abstract, mostly just the main characters standing around or posing, but all are experimental, including one that is mostly rotoscoped. They were all a joy to watch, a happy surprise at the end of each episode.

Unfortunately, nice music, dynamic fight scenes and a few gallons of blood tossed around can't distract from the many sins of this anime, ones that made it a very uncomfortable viewing experience. When I started this series, I was optimistic about it, and wanted to learn more about its world and characters. But by the second episode, it became difficult to ignore the less savory aspects of this series, which only worsened with each subsequent episode.

Denji, the show's protagonist, is a teenager who had his youth stolen from him by the Yakuza, when they forced him to take up his father's debt. Once he is freed from it, however, his true nature is revealed, one which makes it challenging for viewers like me to like him. This series, it seems, has broken new ground with its protagonist, since I doubt any self-respecting shonen would have a main character (who we are meant to like and care about) be as unabashedly horny as this one.

That's not to say that having a character who likes sex is a bad thing. People, fictional or not, are allowed to like whoever they want, however they want (with consent of course :)). Denji, though, takes the trope of 'sex obsessed teenager' to the extremes, proudly declaring that the only reason he hunts devils is to have sex with his boss. It gets to the point where one of his teammates accuses him of not taking the job seriously, and Denji has the audacity to claim he is. Meanwhile, Denji is lured into a trap by a female character, all because she offered to let him touch her breasts. These, as well as the countless other instances of Denji staring at women's chests instead of their eyes, or whining about how he wants to 'cop a feel', made him a character that was infuriating to watch get his way.

To make matters worse, it seems like nearly every woman in the series is infatuated with him enough to not only let him do these things to them, but outright encourage them. Halfway through the series, Denji and his teammates join up with another trio of devil hunters to investigate an apartment complex. Before entering, one of the female hunters declares that whoever kills the devil inside will get a kiss from her, and when Denji declines, she whispers that she'll do it "with tongue". Around the same point in the show, Denji's boss Makima explains to him about the Gun Devil, the most powerful and most feared devil ever. When he shows apprehension about taking on such a fearsome foe, Makima offers to do whatever he wants if he kills it, heavily implying that she'll sleep with him.

Never in my life have I watched a show where adult women proposition a teenager, something which I was proud to say until today. I wish I could say that it had its purpose in the overall story, but the show hardly has anything to say about it, almost as if it had no problems with it in general. Denji is sixteen, and the hunters that offer to kiss or sleep with him are easily in their 20's, maybe even early 30's, making every 'romantic' or 'sexy' moment in this show a fur-raising experience that took me a bit to recover from. If it was once, and to make a point about the transition to adulthood, or how its morally wrong, I'd understand, but this is absurd. Whoever thought that a scene where the main character's co-worker drunkenly kidnaps him, then coaxes him into have sex with her is okay, should be fired, and have their hard drives searched by the FBI.

I wanted to like this show. Really, I did, especially after all the hype it has, and all the lovely fanart of it I see on my social media feeds. But after having to sit through all 12 episodes of this, I think I'm tapping out. Sure, the fights are great, especially the final one between Denji and Katana Man, where they fight on a subway. The sharp teeth, blades, and constant blood spray were so thrilling, they almost made me forget about the sexual assault stuff. Keyword 'almost'.

Chainsaw Man isn't just a shonen series about the tumultuous journey from teenager to adult: its an action series with cool monster designs, a feral hero, and more blood than a used tampon. But also, its a series where the main character demands sexual favors, and is rewarded with them by adult women time and time again. This series was a mixed bag, one that had me either glued to the screen or wanting to shut it off, with hardly any in between. The main character should've been anyone else (honestly I'd prefer to be following Power, she's way more interesting), and as the series went on, I felt myself wishing for characters to just die already, so I wouldn't have to put up with them anymore. Here's hoping in season 2 that I get my wish.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading update: april

let's go babyyyyyyy!!!!! WHAT have I been reading?

Cursed Bunny (Bora Chung, trans. Anton Hur 2022)

I added this short story collection to my TBR because I saw a reviewer call the first story the grossest thing they had ever read in their life, and you know what? that really was the grossest thing I've ever read in my life. I shan't even describe it because I'm eating and I don't want to ruin my lunch. but Chung writes a fascinating collection of sinister stories that dance across genre and offer up something strange to look at each time; do not let the awful poop baby scare you away.

White Noise (Don DeLillo, 1985)

I had no plans to read this book and in fact did not even know about it until a colleague told me about reading it for a class and then generously lent me her copy. it's an extremely clever book and also a maddening on that I wouldn't recommend to anybody; the ways in which DeLillo builds his commentary on class and consumerism and The Unbearable Shallowness Of It All is so deft and also made me feel like I personally was going insane. just pages and pages of brilliantly constructed drivel that means nothing and says so much. I think if the average booktokker had to explain this book they would explode and I should probably be on a watchlist for enjoying it.

Lunar Love (Lauren Kung Jessen, 2023)

this is hands down my favorite of romance novels I've read so far this year, because the protagonist, Olivia, it batshit fucking crazy. she's not supposed to be, we're probably supposed to just find her a little uptight and lovably neurotic, but she's absolutely unwell and reminded me of nothing so much as an early season Rebecca Bunch from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I spent the entire book waiting for her to attack someone or commit arson, because if you interpret the Chinese zodiac even a little wrong this woman goes fucking apeshit. tl;dr Olivia works for a matchmaking company based on the Chinese zodiac and truly, sincerely believes that real love cannot exist between people whose animal signs are incompatible; every time this worldview is challenged she has a fresh breakdown about it. the romance is whatever, the dialogue is nothing, and there isn't even any sex, but when I have to rank all twelve romance novels I read this year I strongly suspect Luna Love will be #1 because I support women's wrongs.

Shubiek Lubiek (Deena Mohamed, 2023)

a GORGEOUS (and massive) graphic novel about a world very similar to ours, with one little difference: magic wishes are real, and there's a tightly controlled industry surrounding who gets to use them and what they can wish for. Mohamed beings with an Egyptian shopkeeper, Shokry, currently trying to be rid of three very powerful wishes; what follows are three interconnecting stories of the people who buy Shokry's wishes and how their wishes complicate their lives. Mohamed beautifully balances magic and social commentary, examining every level of how wishes impact society. we see everything from a poor woman imprisoned in an effort to pressure her to sign over a wish to the government to an affluent but deeply depressed teen living in a gated community filled with pet dinosaurs, ending with a story about Shokry himself grappling with how to use the final wish to help a friend. reader, it did make me sob.

My Solo Exchange Diary Vol. 2 (Nagata Kabi, trans. Jocelyne Allen 2016)

there's not much I can say here that will be meaningfully different from what I said about Vol. 1 back in February. Nagata's memoir manga has just gotten to be such a little ray of sunshine for me; seeing her ongoing growth and struggles, the very relatable nonlinear progress, is affirming and devastating in equal measure. this volume in particular becomes much harsher with the benefit of hindsight - seeing her briefly hospitalized and struggling with drinking much more painful reading the book and knowing that her next release will be entirely centered around alcoholism and a much more serious hospital visit. for the love of god I just want this woman to be okay.

Mind of My Mind (Octavia E. Butler, 1977)

I would just like to say that I'm SO glad I decided to read the Patternist books in order of story chronology instead of release date, because if I had read this without spending all of Wild Seed getting to know what Doro's whole deal is I would have been lost at sea. as is, I will be upfront and say Mind of My Mind hasn't been my favorite of Butler's books - it feels like more of a supplemental text than anything, a bit of bonus content to explain the wider world of the Patternists that I know is coming, without the outstanding grace of Wild Seed. but I DO love some unhinged cult behavior, and goddamn does Butler deliver on that front. these telepaths are completely willing to go full cult after, like, two weeks of cohabiting against their will, and frankly I love that level of dysfunction for them.

Priory of the Orange Tree (Samantha Shannon, 2019) - after years of avoiding this fucking behemoth of a book I finally read it, and I'm delighted to report that it's... pretty good? it's fine. it's still unforgivably long and the prose frequently feels a little artless, but if you like a dense-ass fantasy book filled with people who have silly names debating the politics of dragons and magic gemstones in made-up places then you will have a blast. personally I love that shit, so I can wholeheartedly endorse.

Her Body and Other Parties (Carmen Maria Machado, 2017)

I've been rereading Machado's short story collection at a snail's pace, and having finally finished I'm delighted to say: this shit still fucks! I feel like I almost understood "The Resident" this time; definitely more than I ever have before. I'll get it some of these days!

My Alcoholic Escape From Reality (Nagata Kabi, trans. Jocelyne Allen 2019)

oh look, it's the much sadder memoir manga that I said was coming! I gave up all pretense of trying to pace myself this month and grabbed the next volume of Nagata's story from the library pretty much immediately; oddly, the first and fourth seem to be the only ones they have. seeing Nagata's slide back into alcoholism was rough, of course, but I was extremely impressed by the way she managed to so thoroughly translate the pain and tedium of her long hospital stay and pancreatitis diagnosis onto the page. her illustrations of food as she adjusted to her new diet were especially delightful; I felt like I could really feel the joy of discovering new treats that were safe to eat right alongside her. much is made in this book about Nagata's desire to branch out into fiction manga alongside her memoirs, and I'm curious to learn where that part of her career has gone.

[cripskis]

Hi! my name is gray. This is the list.

Some fandoms I would be willing to beta for, cliff notes surrounding my experience with them attached.

DC (generally)

DCU (animated movieverse)

MCU (comics, movies, everything. practically a walking encyclopedia)

Anything related to Spider-man

Criminal Minds (absolutely obsessed)

Stranger Things (i know a decent bit)

Supernatural (i don’t know much but i am willing to beta for it)

Dead By Daylight (also an encyclopedia on lore)

Hitman (video games & movies)

Resident Evil (video games, i know squat about the movies)

Miraculous Ladybug (i do know a decent bit)

Metal Lords (2022)

Gotham (tv)(have not seen much more than a few seasons but still would be willing)

Teen wolf (haven’t seen too much but stiles is my man)

As for genres and types of fics, I don’t really have much of a preference. Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, I don’t really mind.

As for subjects I am not willing to tackle, I won’t read Peter Parker/Tony Stark content. Or A/B/O dynamics. It just kinda gives me the ick.

Anyway, i’ve beta’d for one or two people by this point and what I would say i’m good at is catching grammar mistakes, planning, plot ideas, and generally being a wall to bounce ideas off of.

As for word counts, I personally don’t mind anything. I love me a long fic, but one-shots are cool too. Whatever you want to have me go through, no matter the length, I shall oblige.

I believe ongoing betaing is more what I have in mind, I just want to be helpful to someone in making their fic become what they want it to be.

I have a fairly fast turn around time as well, considering I read like a nascar. Also, probably have serious issues with time management. Never mind that, I don’t think I want anything in exchange. If it’s a fandom i’m personally invested in, maybe i’ll ask for a oneshot about my blorbos, but besides that i’m not really in it for anything.

Okay, thank you for reading my long ass wall of text. Twas nice!

[thebobby1432world]

Hiral Radadiya Wiki, Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Net Worth

Hiral Radadiya Wiki: Hiral Radadiya is a model and actress from India, known for her bold appearances in erotic web series. She has gained popularity for her sensuous roles in Ullu original series like Charmsukh Siskiyaan Season 2, Charmsukh Raja Ka Baja, Palang Tod Saali Aadhi Gharwaali, and Charmsukh Promotion. Additionally, Hiral has acted in several adult web series for less popular platforms like Prime Shots, Funflix, Pulse Prime, Hot Masti, Voovi, and more. Her latest web series, Honey Trap, was released in December 2022 on the Ullu app. Born on August 20, 1994, Hiral grew up in a middle-class family in Gujarat. As of 2023, she is 28 and resides in an apartment in Mumbai. Although we don't have details about her school and college education, Hiral has always wanted to be a model since childhood. She initially didn't think it was possible until she moved to Mumbai and experienced the journey of struggle and trauma. Hiral Radadiya Wiki Hiral Radadiya Body Measurements Hiral Radadiya Full Web Series List At the beginning of her career, Hiral did modelling and garment shoots for several brands. She then tried her luck in acting and auditioned for various roles but didn't receive any response from casting agencies, which demotivated her. However, she continued trying for roles until her first break in the Hotshot web series, which marked the beginning of her acting journey. Hiral comes from a middle-class Gujarati family. Her mother, Nakshatra Patel, is a homemaker, and her father, Kabir Patel, is a serviceman. Throughout her career, they have supported her and never said anything negative about her erotic roles. In an interview, Hiral said, "My parents never said anything to me regarding my erotic roles. They supported me throughout my career."Although Hiral is broad-minded, she has never spoken about her past relationships. As of now, she is single and unmarried.

Hiral Radadiya Wiki

Hiral Radadiya Wiki

Real NameHiral RadadiyaNick NameHiralProfessionModel and ActressDate of Birth20 August 1994Age28 YearsPlace of BirthGujratNationalityIndianCastePatelHair ColorBlackEye ColorBlackSexual OrientationStraightZodiac SignUnknownReligionHinduismHometownGujaratCurrent LocationMumbaiLanguages KnownHindi, English, GujaratiSchoolUnknownCollegeUnknownEducational QualificationUnknownTheatreNoHobbies and Favorites StuffModelling, ActingFavourite ActorAkshay KumarFood PreferenceVegetarian Food

Hiral Radadiya Body Measurements

Height5’5″ ftWeight58 KgsBreast Size36 inchesWaist Size28 inchesHips Size36 inches

Hiral Radadiya Full Web Series List

- Malkin Bhabhi (Prime Shots) - 61-62 Adla Badli (Digi Movieplex) - Moussammi (Kulfi Movies) - Paglet 2 (Prime Play) - Anjaam (Feneo Movie) - Sister Blackmail (Anurag Short Films) - Exchange ( Balloons Originals) - Ikrar (Kindibox) - Circle Gol Hai (Pulse Prime) - Animals (Horror Movie on Lihaf App) - Chehra (Funflix Movies) - Gulabo (Voovi Originals) - Shaitaan (Moodflix) - Ikrar (Kindibox) - Fach Fach (Tiitlii Originals) Read the full article

[forthegoodofamerica]

Alternative Living Arrangements: A Path Through Homelessness

Understanding the Current Crisis of Homelessness

Addressing homelessness requires understanding its complexity. In her article for George Magazine, Shelley Allen shares personal experiences to shed light on the growing issue of homelessness across the nation. With the number of people experiencing homelessness increasing by 12% between 2022 and 2023, and the availability of shelter beds only rising by 7%, the urgency for innovative solutions has never been more critical.

Many individuals and families face seemingly insurmountable barriers when it comes to finding stable housing. While some find temporary shelter in cars or abandoned buildings, others are forced to live on the streets. This reality is a reminder that homelessness is not just a statistic; it represents real lives and real struggles.

The Growing Need for Alternative Solutions

In the face of increasing homelessness, alternative living arrangements are emerging as practical solutions. Allen discusses three of these alternatives: van life, petsitting, and workamping. Each option offers unique paths for those seeking stability or a different way of living.

Van Life: Freedom and Community

Van life has become increasingly popular as individuals seek both adventure and affordability. For many, living in a van provides the freedom to move from place to place, often avoiding traditional housing costs. This lifestyle allows for exploration while addressing housing instability.

However, living in a van isn’t without challenges. It may come with limited access to resources and require creative problem-solving. Yet, the van life community is welcoming and often shares valuable tips for navigating this way of living, making it a supportive environment for those who choose this path.

Petsitting: Building Connections and Stability

Another alternative discussed by Allen is petsitting. This option offers a unique solution for individuals in need of housing. By caring for pets, individuals can find temporary housing in friendly environments. This arrangement not only provides a roof over one’s head but also fosters companionship with animals, which can be a therapeutic experience.

Petsitting allows both pet owners and sitters to form connections, creating a nurturing space for all involved. As people come together, they can share resources, experiences, and support, helping to alleviate feelings of isolation often felt by those facing housing challenges.

Workamping: Combining Work and Housing

Workamping presents another option, allowing individuals to work in exchange for housing. Many campgrounds, farms, and businesses offer workamping opportunities that provide accommodations in return for part-time or seasonal work. This arrangement enables participants to build skills, earn some income, and secure a place to stay.

The concept of workamping creates a win-win situation: businesses get the help they need, while workers obtain a safe place to live. Moreover, this arrangement encourages a sense of community, allowing individuals to engage with others while they work.

Realizing the Importance of Awareness

Stories like Allen’s highlight the increasing need for empathy and understanding surrounding homelessness. Raising awareness about alternative living arrangements can help shift perceptions and encourage open discussions. Each of these solutions illustrates how people can navigate challenges in unique and resourceful ways.

Get Your Free Copy of George Magazine

To explore these topics further and gain deeper insights into homelessness and alternative living arrangements, grab your free copy of George Magazine. Sign up at George Magazine’s free edition site to access the full article and other valuable content that addresses pressing social issues.

With every issue, you’ll find engaging stories that inspire thought and discussion. Claim your free issue now and become informed about the various facets of life that shape our communities.

Embracing Alternative Living Arrangements

By understanding these alternative living solutions, we can foster empathy and support for those facing homelessness. Van life, petsitting, and workamping not only provide creative housing options but also encourage community interaction, welcoming those who might feel isolated due to their circumstances.

We can all play a role in uplifting individuals in need. Whether by advocating for policy changes, supporting local organizations, or opening discussions around the subject, we can contribute to a more compassionate society.

Consider how you can engage with these issues and help bring about positive change. Exploring the lived experiences of those navigating these alternatives allows us to connect on a more human level, reminding us that homelessness affects us all.

[sunnysynthsunshine]

Updated! Fandoms I’ve been in

Back in 2017, I made a list of fandoms/media obsessions I’ve had but it was in a weird order, because some of the stuff was either just an interest and not a fixation, and some of it was stuff I observed but didn’t take part in.

so here’s an updated version of the list 

Disney/Muppets (2004?)

Disney and the Muppets have always been part of my childhood, my mum would collect ornaments and I visited Disneyland in 2010

Barbie and just dolls in general 

(2003 or 2004, then I became aware of doll fandoms in 2012 or 2013 

around the time Monster high was released) 

Fireman Sam (2005-2017-2022-present)

(I was introduced to the series in series 5, felt nostalgic for it again in 2017, became aware of the tumblr fandom during that time, then it kinda went dormant for a while until August 2022 when I got back into it again and got obsessed)

Hit Entertainment series in general (2005- present)

(while my interest in Sam in particular is what I’m mainly into from that company, I do sometimes post about their other shows, like Bob the Builder)

British Comedy in general (2005-present) 

My first britcom was either Mr Bean or Father Ted, a few black adder clips would be shown in english class and I marathoned Little Britain during my GCSE’s.

The Simpsons (2006-present)

I’ll always love the Simpsons, I suppose it counts as a fandom as I follow a lot of fan artists from that series

Doctor Who (2006-2013)

During the hype of david tennant’s era as the 10th doctor sometimes I would watch this series with my mum so I have some love and nostalgia for it, I wouldn’t know a lot about it though as I was mostly a casual fan

Lazy Town (2006- 2017)

I loved Lazy Town as a kid, I saw the stage show in the grand opera house years ago and I remember the height of the you are number one memes, while I do love it, I wouldn’t say I’m as obsessed with it as before)

Spongebob (2007-2017-present

via some dvds that came with the newspaper and a KFC meal, I was exposed to Spongebob, I’d have a spongebob poster in my wardrdobe and then I learned about the musical at the end of 2017, this is also where I met one of my ex friends, I still love Spongebob

Pokemon (2007)

I was introduced to Pokemon via the Diamond and Pearl season and I spent most of 2014 watching a bit of indigo league and playing Pokemon Y

Mario (2008) 

I would watch mario flash animations on youtube and play games on newgrounds, this is also how I got introduced to deviantart via the artist “nintendrawer”

Tinker bell (2008)

I was occasionally active on the Pixie Hollow virtual world and it was a fun time  .Disney Teen Sitcoms (2008-2015)

I was obsessed with Hannah Montana and a lot of those shows, but then I got older and grew out of them around the time my mid teens started

.Alvin and the chipmunks (2008-present)

I still love the chipmunks, I have an Alvin plush from when I was on holiday in Florida back in 2010 

.Jem and the holograms (2008-present)

I got into Jem via youtube recommendation while watching the Barbie and the rockers movies one day...I was obsessed

.Sonic (2009-present)

I came across some sonic shorts on youtube and saw bits and pieces of Sonic X on tv and online, then I got generations for my 11th birthday and it just escalated from there

.MLP (2008-present) 

 I had a few ponyville toys and I vividly remember the early brony fandom era 

.Emo (2009-2017)

I got into emo music through a unique source....angsty sims 2/sims 3 videos

then in my mid teens I got properly into MCR and Panic! at the disco but my main fav band at the time was Simple Plan 

.Monster High (2010)

I was there when Monster High came out, I got a Frankie doll and a Lagonna doll, I’d browse the old website, I had a monster high blanket and pencil container

.1D (2010)

I admittedly did have a 1D phase, I don’t have it anymore but I did used to like the boys, 

.The Sims (2010)

I’d play the sims all day and I’d frequently browse the sims exchange for updates

. Nostalgia Critic/AVGN (2010-present)

Doug walker is how I got into film critique, I have mixed opinions on him nowadays but he’s good meme material and sometimes makes good videos

as for James Rolfe, I have his book in my room, I haven’t read it yet

.Nintendo (2010-present)

I’ve always loved Nintendo, but the peek was definitely when I was a preteen getting more into Pokémon and mario, I’d play my nintendo ds very often

.Hello Kitty/Sanrio (2011-present)

Yes, I was a sanrio girly, I had quite a bit of hello kitty merch

.Vocaloid (2011-present)   

I technically got more into Vocaloid in my mid teens, but it was listening to the World is Mine song in 2011 that kickstarted my love for it

.Sailor Moon (2012-present)

Sailor Moon was the series that got me more into anime as an art form, I’ll forever cherish that series

TMNT (2012/13 - present)

been a fan since the 2003 series, the 2012 series got me more involved in the fandom then I explored the series more last year, watching Rise, the 90s ova and joining a forum message board about tmnt

.KPop (2012)

I got into Kpop via Gangnam Style and some early bratz songs featuring Boa, then I got more into the genre in 2019, dancing to Red Velvet while trying to recover from mental health issues Powerpuff girls (2012-present)

Powerpuff Girls influenced my art style a lot and was another series that got me to browse DeviantArt occasionally

.DC (2012-present)

I’ve always been a batman fan, I vaguely remember watching superman 2 in primary school one day, 2012 was when I got more into it though

.Marvel (2012-present)

I remember when Avengers was new, I remember liking Loki’s charisma, I’d sometimes watch spiderman on Disney XD .Anime in general (2012-present)

my exposure to anime was technically from either Sonic X or Pokemon back in the 2000s, but 2012 was when I got a lot more into the art form, this interest continues to this day 

.Creepypasta (2012-present)

I remember when Jeff the Killer and Slenderman were getting big, I’ll occasionally browse analogue horror and creepypasta but not as much as before

.Steven Universe (2013-2014)

I enjoyed what I saw of the first season and I’ve been meaning to get back into it, but I did not appreciate episode’s being spoiled suddenly 

.Dan & Phil (2014-present)

I still love Dan and Phil to this day, I saw interactive introverts back in 2018 and I have a signed copy of Dan’s mental health book, he’s an inspiration tbh

.Sherlock (2014-2017)

I was lowkey into Sherlock in the beginning because I had a thing for Benedict Cumberbatch (tbf who didn’t at the time) but then I got sick when season 4 was announced but apparently according to some fans, I didn’t miss much 

Star Wars (2015-2018) I know I got into it during the Disney era, but I have seen the original star wars as well, I’m not as into it as I was at the time, maybe once I watch the rest of the classic series then I’ll understand the hype

.Hetalia (2015-present)very mixed thoughts on this one, another show that inspired my art, I was very active on the google+ community associated with the series, sometimes the songs lurk in the background of my mind, but not that much. .Filthy Frank (2016-2018)

Yes I liked his comedy sketches, even though they are very dated nowadays, I’ve moved on since then

.Dangan Ronpa (2016-2017)

I watched the first season of the anime and was briefly obsessed

.Heathers (2016-2018)

Heathers was amazing and got me more into music theatre but I projected onto the characters too much which was a problem

.Mystic Messenger (2016-2017)

I briefly downloaded that game and learned all the lore and saw all the memes, but the addictive nature of the game resulted in some of my old google+ friends ignoring me and I didn’t react well to that, I’m mostly over it now though

Gorillaz (2017-present)

I love Gorillaz, I got the now now album when it was released and I get annual messages from Murdoc in my emails, I still love that silly primate band so much, I recall some google+ friend being into it so that’s how I found it and then getting more invested in it in 2018

Supernatural (2016-2017)

I used to occasionally watch supernatural and while I wasn’t in the fandom when the super hell news was announced, I did indeed enjoy the memes

.Monty Python (2017-present)

I love Monty Python, it’s still very funny and I got to perform for Eric Idle once

The Young Ones + Rik Mayall (2017-present)

 I watched King Arthur’s disasters as a kid and then in 2017 I found the young ones via a youtuber I liked and the rest is history

Drag Race (2018-present)

I gave drag race a chance in summer 2018 and I loved it, it also encouraged me to get into drag myself, I’ve met 3 of the UK queens and it’s just amazing

Left tube (2018-present)

I also was introduced to Contrapoint’s videos during that time and she definitely radicalized me into the leftist I am today (well her and Rik technically)

Rocky Horror (2018-present)

I watched the sequel first (Shock Treatment) because Rik Mayall was in it and I saw the stage version in 2019 (gonna see it again later this August), 

I adore rocky horror

Queen (2018-present)

I was deep into the Queen fandom in 2018 and while I don’t listen to them as much as before, I still appreciate their place in music history 

Good Omens  (2019-present)

I fell immediately in love with this mini series and it’s book, it’s so gay

Beetlejuice   (2019-present)

I then got obsessed with the Beetlejuice musical

Dead Or Alive (2019-present)

Dead Or Alive is my favourite 80s band, I met some my current pals back in 2019 via that fandom, good times have been had

Evangelion (2021-present)

I started the series in 2015 but resumed it in 2021, it has psychologically changed me in the same way that rik’s filmography has, I’ve met a few friends via the fandom for this series

Persona (2021-present)

I watched the Persona 4 anime in it’s entirety in 2021, it has also changed me, and so has Persona 5 

(Futaba was the autism representation that I needed as a teenager)

Evil Dead (2022-present)

I got into this film franchise mostly via my friend @leakyrectum, and I’m happy I did, it’s made me appreciate Horror as a genre a lot more, as well as the icon that is Bruce Campbell.

Lupin the third (2023-present)

I just started Lupin part 2 a few months ago and I already adore it, I can’t wait to watch the rest and what I’ve seen of the Lupin fandom is very fun, welcoming and gay 

[thereasonsimbroke]

The Future of IDW

In Ep. 560, Matt and I discuss IDW cutting its workforce, Marvel’s comiXology app shutting down, Amazon’s Batman: Caped Crusader episode order, and more!

Full Topics:

Nintendo plans to produce more movies based on its video games following the success of the recent Super Mario Bros. movie.

Data from the American Social Security Administration shows a rise in baby names inspired by Nintendo characters in 2022, with the most popular being Mario and Zelda.

IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics are teaming up for a crossover limited series, TMNT x Stranger Things.

IDW Media Holdings is cutting 39% of its workforce and voluntarily delisting from the New York Stock Exchange.

Marvel's digital comic app, run by Comixology, will be shutting down in June, and new releases can still be purchased through Amazon to use on its new Kindle app.

Sony's upcoming Marvel film, Kraven The Hunter, will be rated R and is set to release on October 6.

Warner Bros. confirmed they are working on Beetlejuice 2.

Amazon has confirmed a two-season order of Batman: Caped Crusader, an all-new animated series from Bruce Timm.

FOLLOW/SUPPORT MATT: @madnerdotcom (Instagram) @madner (Facebook) As always, we appreciate your constructive Feedback, Suggestions, and Questions. You can also leave us an audio question on SpeakPipe. Thank you for the continued love and support! Enjoy the show. Daniel Podcast Awards 2019 || Games & Hobbies (Winner) Podcast Awards 2017 - 2018, 2020 - 2022 || Games & Hobbies (Nominated) Official Site FOLLOW US: - Twitter | @ReasonsImBroke and @TRIBPod - Instagram - Pinterest - Tumblr - Discord Lounge - YouTube Channel SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / Stitcher / iHeartRadio / TuneIn / Overcast SUPPORT THE POD: Getting $1's worth of entertainment and information each month? Support us on Patreon or visit our TeePublic storefront! SPREAD THE WORD: If you're enjoying the show, please head over to iTunes and leave us a rating and a review! Each one helps new Brokettes discover the podcast. Contribute to the Hero Initiative to offer assistance to comic creators facing difficulties. Show your support for the AFSP's efforts by donating to the Autumn Snyder Tribute Fund. CREDITS: Opening/Closing Jingles - Alex Scott Show Logo By - Opanaldiova

The latest episode of The Reasons I'm Broke Podcast!