#so instead of their story ending after like one episode it just becomes a 10 seasons slow burn romcom

[mothlau]

dorlene au where they're both professors (thinking linguistics for dorcas and maybe something in stem for marls) and they're rivals!!!!! dorcas makes her yearly presentation on descartes at the beginning of term? the stem kids are all talking about it because professor mckinnon keeps shitting on it in class instead of actually teaching. marlene has a big science thingy experiment she's trying to convince investors to fund? oh you bet your ass dorcas is presenting why the experiment will fail and pulling out articles from the depths of jstor when they're meant to be presenting coserius theories (oh, marlene has so many opinions on coseriu even though she doesn't even speak any romance languages).

everyone is just waiting for them to fuck it out of their systems so that kids can actually learn shit and not just evil plots to bring the other down. the faculties have bets going on for how long the whole circus will run (so far remus is in the lead with his winnings).

now there are some who believe that oh they're married, this is their weird form of foreplay, but nope. they're not married. they're divorced (something something they got married too young and were both bad at communication) and they're still very much in love with one another :)

[thebroccolination]

But that is the magical joy of Be My Favorite, isn’t it?! That Kawi learns how to choose himself and joy instead of what Kawi thinks will make him happy because it’s what the world values. And then he’s told Pisaeng about the time travel but Pisaeng doesn’t quite believe him until Kawi is sick and maybe dying and tries using it. And Pisaeng wonders if Kawi is compromising his dreams for Pisaeng’s happiness, but they’re just choosing their own happiness. And I want to cry just thinking about it.

This is from a Be My Favorite post I made last month that still makes me emotional.

Like!!! One of my favorite parts of the series in terms of the writing choices Waa made is that Kawi doesn't actually see dozens and dozens of potential futures. As a writer, I think that would be tempting to play with. But instead, the story is framed so that Kawi doesn't know how many times he can use the crystal ball, so he has to be extremely cautious. Structure-wise that heightens the stakes, but that also means that Kawi as a character has to think very deeply and thoroughly about everything he does that might have repercussions.

Which, as we see in the series, drives him into Panic Mode about possibly fucking up everyone's lives around episode 10 after seeing The Worst Timeline in episode 7.

I love love love that he and Pisaeng don't actually talk that much about Kawi's whole time-travel experience because 1) once Kawi has what he needs (a loving relationship and found family), he doesn't want to look back, and 2) it leaves Pisaeng to grapple with his own insecurities about their relationship.

Like, the Pisaeng we see in episode 12 who offers to be a Dirty Little Secret if Kawi wants to pursue a publicly famous life is not the same Pisaeng from any of the Terrible Futures that Kawi saw. He's the fortunate one, the one who crushed on Kawi for a few months in their first year of university, confessed to him, got an initial rejection followed by a reciprocation a few days later, and then dated Kawi consistently for the next twelve years.

What I love about that is that the Pisaeng in episode twelve, the one who won by all possible metrics, still has the seeds of self-destruction in him. He would closet himself and their relationship for Kawi, and Kawi knows from experience that 1) he really doesn't want the fame, but also 2) he's seen Pisaeng destroy himself for his sake before, and he promised never to let that happen again.

And he doesn't tell Pisaeng that either!!! Adult Kawi who has Learned Things from time travel doesn't want or need credit for the person he's become. He doesn't tell Pisaeng how horrible fame was on both of them, how selfish it made him. He doesn't want to relive it for himself for sure, but I also think he wants to spare his Pisaeng any sliver of the pain he put another version of him through in another life.

So what we get is that Pisaeng sees Kawi put aside singing professionally, which he seemed to love, and become a lyricist instead. He thinks Kawi could have a better life and he's denying himself for Pisaeng's sake. …WHICH IS WHAT PISAENG DID FOR KAWI IN THE WORST TIMELINE.

And when Pisaeng goes back in time and limits changing the past to just correcting their terrible amusement park date and nothing else, he does so without all the information Kawi could have given him. He only has Kawi's word that he's happy with the life they have, and he doesn't want any more than that. And he trusts in Kawi, because they've been together for twelve very happy years. :')

I'm never gonna get over this show.

~The End~

[newtonsheffield]

Molly,

Apparently most reviewers agree with you that the season/writing is just awful. And a LOT of people are furious over losing Michael. Did the writers not read that book? All Franny ever wanted was a quiet life and children. You cut her story at the knees if you make her love interest a woman. She can't have a child in the 1800s without a husband. What are they going to say she had IVF? 🤦‍♀️ I agree they get an extended season next year for Benedict and Eloise combined (10-12 episodes) and then its over. They only were renewed one more year anyway and Netflix (which cancels everything) isn't going to be happy with a new season every two years.

Okay here’s the thing now that I’ve had time to organize my thoughts about Michaela Stirling being introduced.

I’m not opposed to her. Initially when they introduced her immediately after Eloise asking to go to Scotland I was like “Ohhhh Eloise is going to fall in love with Michaela and Francesca and John will ride off into the sunset (sit quietly and not talk)”

But I think Francesca’s reaction to Michaela, and her reaction when she kissed John at their wedding makes that unlikely.

So to my mind there’s two ways this goes now.

1) John dies. Michaela and Francesca grow closer. Etc etc. the exact storyline just with a woman instead of a man. They end up adopting children because Francesca still yearns for a baby. Sweet. I even like it. Michaela being a woman does introduce difficulty in the fact that were John to die there would be another Earl of Kilmartin who is not her. And so we cannot assume that this Earl would allow Francesca so many liberties. Michael did because he was in love with her. This new Earl likely won’t. But the show will likely… conveniently send them to India

2) John does not die but senses the attraction between his cousin and wife and allows them to be together while staying married to Francesca. Their marriage basically becoming a beard. This makes me a little sad to think of because I think there was power in the subtlety of Francesca and John’s relationship. That’s what he all thought was sweet the first time round. To have her so thunderstruck by Michaela I think makes it seem a little that Francesca mistook the companionship she felt with John for with love.

My issue with Michaela Stirling is mostly that, and I’ve said numerous times that this was a story I was concerned about the show tackling, I don’t think the show is capable of portraying the subtlety a story like this deserves. I would love to be wrong though.

[fandomtrash67]

what the fuck. what the fuck.

SPOILERS FOR AGATHA ALL ALONG EP 8 AND 9

I was so fucking hyped for this shit because I thought maybe my little lesbians would get a happy-ish ending. Instead, Agatha gets killed in her own show and becomes a side piece to Billy, the one male in a female dominated show; Rio just walks away after Agatha dies???? Huh??? Mf that's the love of her life right there, she wouldn't just walk away; the whole point of the road was to get what you're missing, and Agatha needed to learn to move on from her grief, she was missing peace, but instead of accepting death and Rio and Nicky, she just stays as a ghost???? I don't find that satisfying at all; they teased a Tommy return but didn't actually give it to us and I was kinda disappointed; Rio wasn't in the last episode at all besides the flashback, and she didn't even say shit; we got agatha and nicky's story but no agathario?? Rude but okay; and ik she's like crazy and shit but you're telling me Rio was actually going to kill Agatha?? And also in the beginning they said Rio couldn't kill her so wtf; IM SO TIRED OF THE BURY YOUR GAYS BULLSHIT IM AT THE END OF MY ROPE

But on the plus side that kiss was fire AS FUCK and Agatha pretty much said "if I'm dying I'm going out with style and kissing this hot mf" and I love her for that. It was hungry and it was raw and so them. I did love that the Ballad was just Agatha and Nicky together tho 🥲 Rio definitely stayed with them for at least some of those 6 or 7 years. Wondering how tf Agatha got pregnant cause I know for a fact my girlie ain't getting with a man

Also I see why Agatha kinda hates Rio, even if she loves her, but idk why Rio has such hatred for Agatha. I need answers, Marvel 🫵🤨

Overall, 6/10. I expected better, but I doesn't look like their story is over yet so I'm holding out hope.

[thatgayb1tchwhosimps4her]

The Coven + Thalia's Relationship w/ Them

Not really sure how I was supposed to set this out either, but I like it.

Also, Rio's low-key made me cry, so I might not touch on this AU for a little while (I definitely will, but in case I don't, you have been warned).

~~~

Agatha Harkness:

When they were younger, Thalia drifted more toward Rio, and Nicholas to Agatha, but once he died, and Rio had to take him to the afterlife, they immediately kind of latched onto the other, to like keep each other afloat/keep both Rio's and Nicky's memory alive (no matter how much it hurts), and grieve together.

In a way, once Agatha and Thalia like 'lost their person', they became a lot more understanding of each other, in a way (I can't really think of a way to explain this properly).

Thalia definitely had nightmares about that day, for a long time, and after a good couple weeks of Agatha going back and forth between both their rooms, she let Thalia sleep in her bed (which was also probably a comfort for her, too).

---

Pretty typical mother-daughter relationship, honestly, up until Agatha finds out about the Darkhold, and essentially becomes a loyal sidekick, on her quest to power/a way to get their old life back, instead of the little girl, whoever secretly looked up to Agatha, her entire life.

Which brings us to the WandaVision and Agatha All Along chapter(s), which will be linked on the navigation page (and here) when they're done, sooo :)

~~~

Rio Vidal/Death:

Thalia is 100% a mamí's girl, and I will die on this hill.

Literally, Thalia's been waving the "Team Rio" flag, since the day she was born; sporting the same doe-eyes her mother fell in love with, back in Salem.

When she was younger, 9 times out of 10, she would only ever settle for Rio, which confused both mother's for a long time; because how could anyone, especially somebody as innocent as a baby, find comfort in Death?

---

This pretty much carried on through the first like half of her childhood.

i.e. Thalia's first word being 'mamí', instead of 'mama' like most other babies (including Nicholas).

Thalia giggling at the voices Rio does, while reading bedtime stories to her and Nicky (and low-key Agatha, as well).

Rio teaching/coaching Thalia (and Nicky) on how to use her/their powers (since Agatha would end up accidently absorbing them, and cause Rio physically cannot be that badly injured) etc.

---

Then Nicky dies, and it's very much an incredibly emotional and traumatic (??) time for all of them.

Thalia instinctually goes to Rio, and because she's still young, doesn't understand why "He won't wake up", which completely tore her heart in two (no matter how black it is).

Rio then takes Thalia up to her room, to try and calm her down, while Agatha has time with Nicky, before they have to go.

She reads Thalia her favourite story 3 times over, because Thalia's cannot get enough (and also cause she has a sinking feeling she should make the most of it/I'm just making shit up about clairvoyance at this point).

---

In the end, they settle on snuggling in Thalia's kid-bed, while Rio sings the lullaby version of "The Ballad of the Witches' Road" (which is a memory they both deeply treasure), over and over, until Thalia falls asleep, and Rio very hesitantly has to pull herself away from the girl, with one final kiss to Thalia's temple (just to the left of the scar over the crook of her eyebrow, from one of their many training sessions, when Thalia wacked herself with a tree-branch).

Which again, brings up to the Agatha All Along chapters, that are linked above :)

~~~

Lilia Calderu:

Lilia's relationship with Thalia would very much be like "the grandmother she (Thalia) never had" (we hate Evanora Harkness, with burning passion, in this house).

When they first meet (in episode 2), Lilia can instantly sense the doubt (of if walking the Witches' Road will actually work), and guilt (that she's been carrying all these years, about not being able to bring back Nicky), radiating off the girl's body.

Very soon after she clocks it, is like- "Alright, that lonely little queer girl is mine; yes, she has a mother already, but I'm willing to back her up if she needs it" (she doesn't, but it's very much appreciated), you know what I mean?

But yeah, that very much radiates throughout the entire show (maybe aside from episode 5, cause there were definitely sides picked during that episode), until episode 7; RIP Queen.

~~~

Jennifer Kale:

Thalia's relationship with Jen is very much the same as Jen's and Agatha's, like they're not really sure if they can trust each other, but it's like an amicable, back-and-forth teasing, type of relationship.

Up until episode 6 (the version of it I'm writing/Thalia's trial), where the remaining members if the cover (lowkey including Agatha + Rio), see a more vulnerable, and kind of broken, side to Thalia (more on that to come).

Then after that, it's very much like "We both lowkey hate each other, but she (works both ways) is actually pretty cool, so we're gonna keep it mellow."

~~~

Alice Wu Gulliver (my girl <3):

Love of my life, Alice Wu Gulliver, was honestly such a breath of fresh-air for Thalia; like the older sister she never had.

'Protection witch' is the name, and protecting Thalia (and lowkey Agatha as well/RIP angel girl) is the game.

Thalia helped her (and Teen, but mostly Alice) pull Mrs Hart out of the mud at the beginning of episode 3, and basically from that point onwards, became best friends.

And then entirety of episode 4 (mostly the first half), was basically just Thalia jumping to Alice's defence, after every little comment.

Especially the "Everything I touch turns to shit" (that part of the episode definitely didn't make me cry), and Thalia goes over to hug her, cause she knows what it's like to feel that way.

Almost always near each other, while walking the road + during trials, as like a "If anything happens to her (works both ways), I'll be the first one there, cause even though we've only known each other for a couple hours/days, she's still my bestie".

Bonus; Kojo is definitely Alice's best bud (it's literally fact that he's prone to face licking, when he can sense that people are upset or anxious), and was sat between her, and Thalia, during the last 10/15 minutes of episode 4, as well.

~~~

Teen/Billy Maximoff:

Eps 1-5 their relationship is very much a brother/sisterly bond.

Like yeah, they'll take the piss out of each other a little bit, but will still kill for each other, if someone even looks at the other (Billy or Thalia) the wrong way.

Then his true identity gets revealed (at the end of Agatha's trial/just before Thalia's trial), and gets a little rocky, but ultimately they still look out for each other (I'm just guessing, as the show's not 100% out yet, iykwim).

Like it's still very much a "I knew you/a version of you, a few years ago, and you reminded me of my brother, so we're chill, just as long as you don't try to (kind of) kill my mom again, otherwise I'll slit your throat, and you best believe I'm telling the truth, cause you know/will find out who my other mom is."

~~~

Mrs Hart/Sharon Davis:

~~~

Last, but not least; this legend.

Near enough the same thing as Thalia and Lilia's relationship, but more like soft; like instead of witchy banter (calling Lilia kooky, and shit), it's very much like typical grandmother/granddaughter bonding.

i.e. Thalia helping Alice and Teen pull her out of the mud at the beginning of episode 3.

Explaining what being a witch is (along with the rest of the group) in episode 3, and shit like that.

She didn't really have much screen-time for me to come up with much else, so RIP Mrs Hart :(

~~~

I'm actually obsessed right now. I haven't slept in the last 24(+1) hours, so if I'm still up, I might start planning out Thalia's trial + Backstory, since I've got some idea as to what it'll be, but it needs some tweaking.

-Harlow

[casasupernovas]

thinky thoughts on the rtd era:

when nine regenerated into ten, it was like he regenerated using rose as an imprint but he only got a rough imprint of humanity, the image of it - youthful, enthuastic. but it's just a facade because underneath is the cold, aloof, dark, mysterious alien - still. the image doesn't convince rose at first but through a act of heroism and bravery, ends up being so convincing rose doesn't see a problem with it...until she forgets that despite the youthful nature of the face, they are much, much older and thus have had a long life outside of her, before her and will after her. until the parts of her that are supposed to stand out like compassion and kindess blur in with the alien and instead turn into insensitivity, detatchment and inconsideration.

and rose now wants something that isn't real. the doctor isn't going to settle down with her. he never does. she would never say it but it's what she wanted. when she says the doctor isn't going to slow down so neither will she there is something so desperately sad in the statement. but either way after rose's departure, ten is the equivalent of the chick leaving the nest for the first time. or more like a chick who was pushed out of the nest.

enter donna and martha. and regarding the racnoss, it's like donna encountered the child in the middle of a huge meltdown. his safety blanket is gone. he needs to learn and grow. so enter martha.

like a long-suffering carer who gets little thanks she helps to scrub off the rough edges, teach him things, take care of him, protect him from danger, goes above and beyond. but as all care givers who are taken for granted or give care to someone who doesn't really want it despite knowing they need it, they are taken for granted. and they have to start looking after themselves because it's draining them.

then enter donna, who reaps the benefits of the advice she gave him. though i doubt when she said he needed to find someone to stop him, she meant to find a companion and use them like a stress ball, to put it nicely. he's not perfect but no one is, but this time, it's his turn to help grow someone into their best self. but donna's story is slightly different.

donna gets into a lot of situations with the doctor that are, well, terrifying for her. she does good in pompeii, because she does help save people. but when she sees the ood she's devastated and when it's revealed they were slowly poisoning someone to turn them into one of them donna doesn't know who's in the right anymore. with the sontarans, she's scared out of her mind and with jenny she is the one teaching the doctor to be more open minded ...but by the time the daleks move earth, donna is the only one out of her depth and plaintively terrified.

but then the solution is clear. to survive this she needs to be more doctor like...literally.

all of 10's companions are all doctor-fied to varying degrees. rose's doctorfication makes her cold and unsympathetic, and jackie comments she's starting to be less like herself and more like the doctor. rose thinks this is great. jackie is clearly doesn't. martha jones' doctorfication is major both metaphorially and literally, with her being a medical student and taking the reigns for most of their travels. donna noble is the companion who gets the doctorfication to the highest degree. she literally becomes him and it kills her.

but im racking my noodle as to what the takeaway is. because it appears that donna's self plus the doctor is exactly what they needed to sort the situation...but it's like an almost monstrous/frankenstein take on the balance between what the doctor needs in a companion and why the companion needs the doctor. it's not lost on me that the doctor and donna become hybrids in the episodes where they confront biologically engineered mutants revived from the literal chest cavity of their deranged creator.

so. what gives? and the moment, i don't really have an answer. it's all a bit bleak.

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

Minglan, save me 😭

I have one more day of work tomorrow before I can take a couple of days off. I've been working 10-hour days for the past twenty days (well, 9, with a one-hour break in the middle) straight. I have so many non-work related things to do but I will probably do none of them and just sleep. I'm just so drained and counting on a c-drama to give my brain an extra boost to get me through tomorrow, though Minglan at this point in the show is probably a bad choice. The Empress Dowager and the stupid court politics just exhaust me and I'm just hoping for a miracle at this point 😭😭

***

Does anyone actually care about these random people and their manufactured drama?

We see so little of Molan and Changbai, Rulan and Hualan have dropped off the face of the Earth and instead, we are here debating if this rando raped that other rando or if he was set up over some dumbass scheme I couldn't care less about. If all this doesn't start becoming relevant with super speed, I will be very pissed off.

***

How convenient 🙄

So, was she murdered or did they pay her to kill herself?

***

OMG!

Is this the first time we've seen her with her hair down? She's so pretty!

***

Ah, so that's what we are getting at.

Honestly, I am not buying the whole contrivance. If the Emperor had simply said, "Gu Tingye, you go!" I would have been aboard at once, it would have made sense, it would have been what was expected. We really didn't need this whole mess with their army buddies. All it did was annoy me.

***

I am so looking forward to this baby because there will 100% be some drama like Madam Qin trying to smother him in his cradle or something and I need this drama to go back to being interesting ASAP.

***

LOL. LOL. LOL.

There is a reason the plot is pushing so hard to send him away right at this precise moment. Sorry, Minglan, but I am looking forward to your attempted murder.

On the bright side, at least they can't stuff him with another concubine while he's away on the pretext that his legal wife is pregnant, eh? 🤣🤣

***

Wait, where is Nanny Chang?

Why isn't she with them already?

***

Granny's back, at least.

Small comforts.

***

LMAO, drag her Minglan.

This aunt Kang is the most pointless villain on this show and it is about time Minglan stopped putting up with petty bullshit.

***

LMAO, shut up, bitch.

She has several, all of whom could eat your shitty ass for lunch and still walk away hungry.

***

What even.

Again, I ask. When does Minglan start murdering these people?

***

LMAOOOOOO 🤣🤣

Nanny Chang going out to murder people is fine by me, too!

***

LMAO, merchandise?

Is this a translation thing or do they really call it that in Chinese? Like bun in the oven?

***

LMAOOOO 🤣🤣

End her, Nanny!

***

Nanny is taking no prisoners today!

58 episodes into this drama and this is the first time I'm seeing someone openly tell a bitch to fuck off 🤣🤣

***

OH MY GOD, SHE JUST KEEPS GOING!!

***

Ah, so her true surname is Wang after all!

I keep wondering why they address her by her married surname when all the other women keep their maiden name even after they marry, including her sister.

***

LMAO, is she for real?

Bitch, Gu Tingye will skin you alive!

***

AAAAAAAAND SHE'S BACK!!

I AM LIVING FOR THIS CARNAGE!! 🔥🔥

[thatpodcastkid]

Magnus Archives Relisten 10, MAG 10

Do we think Jonny Sims has read Twilight?

Spoilers ahead

Facts: Statement of Trevor Herbert regarding his life as a self-proclaimed vampire hunter. Statement given July 10, 2010.

Statement Notes: I just love that Trevor's episode is right after Julia's. It really lets you see the wheels turning in Jonny's head as he planned out the series.

On my first listen, this was one of the statements I truly did not believe was true. The combination of Trevor's traumatic childhood, cancer, and admission that he killed a "non-vampire" made the whole thing seem like a complex fantasy. But on the second listen, I realized that is exactly how the horrors work. They specifically target vulnerable people so that their experiences will be dismissed or explained away by more "rational" people. You don't believe Trevor because you aren't supposed to.

Jon says he can't find the "vampire teeth" in the Archives or in the "Secure Containment Room" (Btw both "Archives" and "Secure Containment Room" are proper nouns in the transcript). Is this an early name for Artifact Storage or a subsection of it? It would make sense for the Institute to have a separate facility for the dangerous artifacts, but this raises questions regarding how "secure" this facility is. Assuming this is where the real artifacts like Leitners and the table are held, Jon can access it fairly easily at the end of season 2, but he's relatively high-ranking at the institute. Would Elias ever allow an outsider into the facility like he allows them into the library? Or would that violate his desire to hoard knowledge?

Character Notes: This statement is a "photocopy of a photocopy," which speaks to Gertrude's organization. Something had to have happened to the original, whether she destroyed it or Elias took it, but she had a backup. Knowing that Trevor Herbert is still active in monster hunting, she made another copy to preserve the information. Presumably, she was hoping Sasha would find it and be able to access Herbert when she became the Archivist, but instead it was found and dismissed by Jon.

This episode also establishes that Martin was there when the statement was taken. Many fans assume Martin was hired to work in the archives, but this statement was given SIX YEARS before Gertrude's death, meaning that he would have had to work in research or another facility before the archives. Also, he's worked at the institute for at least 8 years by the time he reveals he lied on his resume, meaning he was TWENTY-TWO when this statement was given and was told that Trevor Herbert died.

The rumor of Herbert's death raises other questions. Why would that story spread? It seems to be another part of Elias' long game. If Martin--who he specifically selected to eventually be on the archival staff--believed Herbert was dead and told Jon so, then Jon would not seek him out and put himself in danger too early. Additionally, he would not be able to find the skin book and speak with Gerry before the time was right. Elias needed everything to run on his schedule.

Entity Alignment: With Trevor, there is a definite Hunt alignment. His whole life is driven by the desire to seek out and kill vampires. It's become the core tenant of his identity and drives him to forsake all personal relationships and attachments, centering his life around the fear of vampires and the need to kill them. The need to eliminate his own fear is what leads to him becoming an avatar of fear itself.

But I struggle to find a clear connection to what fear the vampires are connected to. They could be Hunt avatars or aligned creatures themselves. They have a desire to find and destroy living things, mindlessly hunting. It would also make sense for a Hunt creature to draw in Herbert and turn him into a Hunt avatar, turning him into what he fears most. This tactic is seen throughout the series with multiple fears, but I am specifically reminded of the Hunt in MAG 112 as the book club turns against itself.

There is an element of the Flesh within the vampires, however. They turn humans into food, removing their identities and degrading them into their physical existence. A large portion of the Flesh is dedicated to removing any idea of a consciousness or soul and reminding us that we are meat, which the vampires seem to do effectively.

I also noticed connections to the Stranger in the vampires. While their ultimate actions don't match with the Stranger's modus operandi, their mannerisms are similar. The primary similarity is the fact that vampires don't speak, as if they "don't have a voicebox," yet they still manage to be understood. The Stranger draws people in with its apparently human attributes, and only when it's too late do victims realize something is off. So long as the vampires are understandable, victims don't realize the not talking is odd until it's too late. Furthermore, the first vampire Herbert meets offers him rotten fruit, and many Stranger-aligned creatures and avatars give strange gits as an attempt to form a human connection while still unsettling people (tooth apple, metal heart, etc.). The fruit made Trevor uncomfortable and afraid, but he didn't leave the old woman because he reasoned she was trying to be kind in a twisted way.

But I also wonder if the vampires are aligned at all. Trevor describes them as being driven only by the vague desire to feed. While this could signal a Hunt or Flesh alignment, they don't have a connection to the rituals of these entities nor their other avatars. In Mag 111, Gerry explains "What's out there doesn't care about blood," before correcting "Yeah, obviously except for the vampires." Again, the need to consume blood could align the vampires with the Hunt or Flesh, but they don't seem to be driven by the desire to cause fear. If the vampires are fueled by an actual, physical need to consume blood for survival, could they accurately be associated with a fear-driven entity? Or are they just another monstrous thing that exists in this universe?

[da-mous]

My Read of Puhoy! :)

Hey pizza babies! Puhoy is an often praised Adventure Time episode, and I've seen a few analysis videos on it, but I've never really felt satisfied by any of them, so I wanted to put my own thoughts on the episode in writing somewhere. After all, the episode turned 10 just two days ago!

So, right away, I think this episode is about Finn letting go of the simplistic understanding of the world he had as a younger kid throughout the first few seasons. In the early episodes, Finn has an extremely black and white perspective. Stealing is always bad, everyone's problems can always be solved, and good and evil are clearly delineated categories

Puhoy opens with an establishing shot showing a knife storm raging outside the tree fort. This calls back to "Rainy Day Daydream," an episode where Jake's imagination becomes reality. Puhoy also plays with the line between imagination and reality, and, while this post isn't about trying to explain the pillow world lore-wise, I think the knife storm's appearance suggests that the pillow world was created by Finn's imagination, which is very thematically in line with the rest of my read on Puhoy

Finn starts the episode in a funk because he's convinced Flame Princess doesn't like him anymore, just because she didn't laugh at one of his jokes. I think this conflict illustrates that Finn doesn't know how to separate his feelings from reality. He imagines FP doesn't like him, and he's unable to conceptualize anything else. In the simple, ideal world in Finn's young mind, she would have laughed if she liked him. There isn't room for the nuance that maybe she just didn't get it

Jake is able to see that Finn is completely making up this problem, but his solution of ignoring his feelings, demonstrated by hurling his favorite cup out the window, is pretty unhelpful. In the end, even Jake can't let go that easily, and he fishes his cup back up

Fortunately, instead of trying to hurl his feelings out the window, Finn decides to crawl into the pillow fort to let his thoughts "fester," and Jake perfectly illustrates the difference between their approaches by telling Finn that festering is always bad. Jake wants to move on from things immediately, without having a moment to sit with or say goodbye to his feelings

The pillow world Finn ends up in reflects the simplistic worldview he needs to let go of. It represents the fantasy that he, until now, thought his life would play out like. He easily slays a pillow dragon, immediately wins the adoration of the pillow people, and wastes basically no time hitting it off with a pillow girl. Years pass and we see a strapping, idealized older Finn living a simple, cushy life providing for his pillow nuclear family

There's no horror to Puhoy. No dark turn, no sudden twist. Finn gets to live an entire, comfortable, satisfying lifetime in his idealized fantasy world, right up until he simply dies of old age, at which point he finally "wakes up" and finds himself back home

Puhoy feels, to me, like a twist on a common trope in fiction. Typically, like the island of the lotus eaters in the Odyssey, a world as cushy and idealized as the pillow world is presented as a trap of some kind, and the "right" choice is to resist the temptation. These stories usually suggest that there's something wrong with choosing a simple life, like it's ultimately unfulfilling or hollow in some way. But Puhoy doesn't moralize about Finn's life in the pillow world. He comes off as certain the entire time that he does want to find a way to go home, but as the years pass and he forgets what home even looked like, he ends up making the choice to stay, and it comes off to me as entirely reasonable. He has an entire life here, meanwhile he can't even remember what Jake looks like. Why should he throw all this away to return to the people from his past?

Puhoy is the ultimate wish fulfillment. It can be hard to let go of what the world looked like when you saw it through the eyes of a child. It can be hard to accept the complexities and terrors of the world. It can be hard to even understand why you would want to see the world as a difficult, uncertain, complicated place. If I were once again Finn's age and you'd asked me if I wanted to live out an entire, satisfying lifetime in the world I thought I lived in as a kid, I would be extremely tempted to say yes. Only then might I be able to move on with my real life without eternally mourning the honey-dipped worldview I was forced to outgrow, finally satisfied that I'd gotten to have my time with it

Once Finn winds up back home in his own time, he almost immediately forgets his life in the pillow world. Unlike Jake's cup, after living a full life there, it's truly gone and he truly doesn't care about it anymore, and so he's able to forget it entirely

FP calls Finn to tell him she finally understood his joke, which is a surprisingly convenient, external solution to Finn's internal problem, but he nonetheless comes off as if it never tore him up in the first place, as if, by leaving his simplistic perspective behind, he was able to develop a more mature perspective on his relationships with others

Thanks for reading!! :)))

I have an unspoken rule on this blog that it's strictly for the funny and only occasional self promotion, but I really wanted to write about this episode. Usually I write more analytical stuff like this on my devblog, but cartoons isn't video games! If I keep wanting to write stuff like this, maybe I'll make a sideblog to put that stuff in 🤔

By the way, I think of Puhoy as part of a trilogy with Dungeon Train and Hall of Egress. They're all important journeys along Finn's larger journey of growing up, and they're all framed by Finn trying to deal with rough feelings surrounding FP. The latter two are more overtly connected to each other, but Hall of Egress does have what I think is meant as a reference to Puhoy, where Finn emerges from the Hall by poking his head through the dirt on top of the hill it's under, the same way he emerges from the pillow fort at the end of Puhoy! Maybe one day I'll write about those episodes too. I have a lot to say about Finn's arc throughout the show in general, so I could even do a post about that :)

[animeziska]

In July, it was announced that one of my favorite manhwa is getting an anime adaptation — I'm talking about Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, also known simply as Omniscient Reader. I'm really hyped for the anime version and can't wait for it to come out. While there's no release date yet, I thought I'd help shorten the wait by introducing you to the webtoon. I hope I can get you excited about the story! Maybe after this, you'll want to check out the manhwa on Webtoon, or you'll be just as eager for the anime as I am.

Omniscient Reader originally began as a South Korean web novel written by Sing Shong, which concluded in 2020. The manhwa adaptation by UMI and Sleepy-C started the same year. The story is also being adapted into five live-action movies, set to be released in 2025.

Now, what is this webtoon about?

It starts with Dokja, a contract office worker whose hobby is reading web novels. He’s particularly fond of a novel called Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse (TWSA for short). However, the novel is far from popular — an understatement, really. It’s so long-running that every reader except Dokja has lost interest in it; he’s the only one still reading and following it. With 3,149 episodes, it's insanely long for a web novel — Dokja needed 10 years to reach the final episode.

Now, while sitting in the subway, Dokja finally finishes the epilogue of his favorite web novel. Flustered by the ending, he’s staring at his phone when a colleague from work, Sangah, the most popular girl in the office, strikes up a friendly conversation with him. As they chat, Dokja reflects on his life and how it hasn’t been going particularly well.

Since TWSA accompanied him through many tough times, starting from 8th grade, Dokja feels compelled to thank the author now that the novel is finished. He decides to leave a comment, and to his surprise, the author responds. The author informs him that the novel will become paid content at 7 p.m. that day and sends Dokja a copy of the entire novel as a token of appreciation for his loyalty.

It's almost 7 p.m., and Dokja is still on the subway when something unexpected happens. The subway makes an emergency stop, the lights go out, and a strange fluffy creature with two small horns appears! Dokja can’t believe his eyes — it’s a Dokkaebi, just like in the novel TWSA!

In that moment, the genre of Dokja’s life shifted to fiction, and he was the only one who knew what would happen in the following scenarios.

The novel had become reality. Not only did the Dokkaebis appear, but also the characters from the novel, along with monsters, constellations, and scenarios. It was all intertwined with the real world. At first, no one knew what had happened or what to do, but people had to learn quickly and accept the new reality if they wanted to survive.

The setting of TWSA is a world where so-called constellations exist. These beings have been immortalized in human history, ranging from mythic heroes and great sages to mythological creatures, spirits, and ancient gods. They typically don’t interact directly with humans. Instead, they find enjoyment in watching humans struggle through scenarios. These scenarios are challenges that act as obstacles to be overcome in order to progress toward the end of all scenarios, often posing deadly risks and costing many lives.

The Dokkaebi oversee the scenarios, acting as moderators and channel owners of the so-called Star Stream. On this stream, the constellations can watch humans compete in the scenarios. They also have the option to donate coins, send short messages to the contestants, and sponsor participants. A participant can have only one sponsor, gaining some of their sponsor's stigma. For example, the protagonist of TWSA, Yoo Joonghyuk, has the ability to regress: when he’s killed, he's sent back in time and starts over from the beginning of the scenarios. Kind of a cheat ability if you ask me.

The story unfolds into a thrilling fictional action-adventure where Dokja’s life is constantly on the line. He will meet people from both the real world and the novel whom he’ll come to call friends. Together, they challenge the scenarios and strive to reach the end.

Throughout it all, the question looms: How did the novel become reality? Is Dokja a part of it now, or is he still just a reader? His skill, Fourth Wall, suggests he’s a reader, but what happens when this wall begins to shake? If you want to find out, check out Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint yourself!

[clovexei]

I made my friend @killallyourfrendz watch Samurai Flamenco with me, and here's the highlights reel of their predictions and commentary:

Early Predictions

TV news guy is going to bankroll an evil organization of villains to get more viewers

Masayoshi goes full villain

Masayoshi is in a coma (from episode 7 onward--later changed to "from the end of episode 1 onward")

"Yeah, I'd beat this guy up, too."

Episodes 8-10 (King Torture Arc)

The rest of the show will just be 10 episodes of “horrific clean-up” after the King Torture fight

King Torture will be Red Axe

Episodes 11-14 (Flamengers Arc)

It's a Truman Project situation: "they’re all in on the bit except for Samurai Flamenco and the cop”

"Mari should just become a villain"

"This is all shenanigans."

"We are just speed-running seasons' worth of content right now."

“All of these villains exist BECAUSE of them."

"I hope Mari gets her stride back and kills again. Or becomes a villain."

Masayoshi is in purgatory

Masayoshi has been sucked into a TV

Masayoshi is in a Jumanji situation

"How many decisive battles can there be?"

Masayoshi's grandpa put a curse on him and forced him to live out all the stories he'd ever written

"Is there even a girlfriend at this point? Is the girlfriend dead? Is he talking to himself?"

Red Axe is hiring people to fight SamFlam so that he can keep coming and saving the day

It's the Truman Show (again)

“This is a Pleasantville scenario, but instead of making the world better, they’re making it worse.”

Episodes 15-17 (Prime Minister Arc)

Mister Justice is just Red Axe in a new costume

The other Flamengers don't exist anymore: "They've left the Matrix"

I’d be like, “Isn’t it weird that this all started to happen after Samurai Flamenco showed up?”

They've reached a new circle of Hell

"Maybe… this is the police officer’s hallucination??"

“If you had just stopped being superheroes, we could have gotten out of this, but NO, you had to KEEP wearing the costumes and that’s why we’re IN THIS MESS.”

Episode 18 (Space Arc)

“This isn’t like a Matrix situation, is it?”

“He is in a hospital bed, unconscious.”

"OH OHHHH??? Oh no this is just, like, another fake out"

Episode 19-22 (Final Arc)

“Are we going to find out the girlfriend was King Torture this whole time?”

"This whole time Goto’s been living his own fucked-up Black Mirror horror story.”

"Masayoshi actually blew up his own apartment; he’s having a Goto moment right now."

“I thought we had just one delusional man to deal with, but really we have two.”

"Wanting to be a superhero: the original sin"

Masayoshi is the final villain (held onto this one right until the last episode lol)

“A middle school boy is trying to kill me, and the advice I got is that I need to fall in love.”

[turtlesundaes]

MARCH FOR RAPH DAYS TEN, ELEVEN AND TWELVE !!!!

Completely copied and pasted from my notes so you guys can have some cringe ramblings :>

———

SO… WE ALL REMEMBER MARCH FOR RAPH…

And I sort of got grounded…ish..

So instead of actually doing the prompts like we’d normally do- (drawing, writing, etc.) -we will rant about the topic instead because depression sucks but I still really want to do this !!! :>

I will be letting my mind wander so I will probably get off topic but I try my best.

Also some of these might become actual fanfics (???)

And it will all be posted within the same five minutes because why not.

DAY 10. Bowling with Casey

I did start drawing this one and it was gonna b a bunch of Raph and Cassandra doodles bc I had done Casey jr. for day six but generally they would be SO chaotic.

I totally see Raph having to explain what bowling even is to Cass at first (bc yk I don’t see her knowing much bc of being in the foot clan that is literally just a cult with ninja skills- I do see her knowing hockey tho from her childhood bc I don’t think she was born into the cult but just been in it from a super young age like six or something? yk what I mean??) but once she gets it she will absolutely demolish!!!

Like as in the bowling ball won’t even touch the floor because she throws it just perfectly.

When I think of Raph bowling I instantly think of him using baby rails and it TAKES ME. But I do think he would be decent at it, not the best in the family but also not the worst. (no baby rails required)

They would be super loud the whole time though, like, 100% would be kicked out b4 they finish the game so every turn matters bc they go off whatever score they had before getting kicked out.

They would yell a bunch of catchphrases and trash talk basically but Cass probably would curse very loudly out of habit and that’s like, the main reason for them getting kicked out.

Raph wouldn’t mind the getting kicked out part (cause I totally see them doing this on the regular so he’s used to it) but the cursing will be only a slight annoyance. (Just cause of how LOUD Cass would be not anything against the girl honestly he just gets embarrassed)

I see Raph using curse words but ONLY when he’s alone with Cass just cause it feels normal with her but even then it’s still a rarity.

They would totally travel from place to place after getting kicked out though, then tally the points from every place and loser hosts the next outing.

DAY 11. Favorite novel

In cannon his favorite novel is obviously Jupiter Jim or something but I’ve seen so many people saying Percy Jackson and I find that hilarious.

I never read much Percy Jackson (my brother is trying very hard to get me to and I probably will… soon enough-) I did read the first book, the sun and the star, saw some of the movie aaaaand I think like two episodes of the new series ???

But as we know the guys LOVE sci-fi so the whole gist of Percy Jackson isn’t too far off from Raph’s liking me thinks.

But personally I think Raph would ADORE the Wings of Fire series (if we’re gonna get all projecting here, as per usual /pos)

Like think about it !!! Cool mystical creatures, mystery, cool diverse magic AND THE LORE ?!?!?! Also the fact that’s theirs like sixteen books (???) not Including the many spin-offs and side stories- (I have no idea what the average number is for a large series so that’s a lot for me :^) oh! And the graphic novels!!

He would so relate to Clay and think his fireproof scales are so cool. I see so many similarities. He would match his brothers with the MC’s (Mikey with Sunny, Donnie with Starflight, Leo with Tsunami) ((I am so not saying this bc I’ve done it myself-)) GOSH HE WOULD TOTALLY MAKE FAN FICTION AND HAVE LITTLE NOTEBOOKS DEDICATED TO HIS HEADCANNONS AAAAAAAAAAHHH !!!1!!1!1!!!111!

In conclusion he would be a huge geek about it all (he would rope Mikey in bc YALL-) and Mikey would make them cool cardboard wings. The end :]

DAY 12. Stir Crazy

I realllllllllyyyyyyy wanted to draw this one with Mikey and Raph in the kitchen but alas.. 😔

But yes Raph can coooook!!! 🔥🔥🔥

Not actually though. What I see in my very good vision is Raph helping Mikey out in the kitchen. Specifically, stirring.

I’d think that after the invasion Raphs motor skills in general would need improvement. This is not based on anything actually scientific I just have a ✨feeling✨ that after his whole kraang-ified ordeal he would have trouble with knowing he was in control (as most have headcannoned yes, but I like to think of mine as slightly different :p) his arm and eye and insert other places he was kraang-ified that I don’t remember here, would be significantly impacted from this worse than his not kraang infected side.

Like he would have a lazy eye, his arm would twitch/spasm and/or that whole side of his body would get pins and needles or just go numb at times.

But even then it would take a long and I mean LONG time for him to even get to that point. Before that it’s going to be even worse, like, being temporarily paralyzed and/or he would have to learn how to move that side of his body all over again.

This gives us Leo and Raph learning to move again bonding, your welcome.

But I’m not that evil to actually make him forever paralyzed, even if it was just the arm. (I’m too much of a wuss 😔)

The other side of his body would also take time to move again but that’s like a few hours compared to the months of work Raphs gonna have to put into his other side.

I don’t care that he bounces back immediately in the movie that is going to be labeled adrenaline. Also that one scene where Mikey and Donnie get thrown and Leo’s all like “go for them!! 🥺” and Raph falls on his side for a second and his arm is limp before running to them.

That split second scene is basically the whole reason why this headcannon exists.

BUT BACK TO THE PROMPT !!! :D

During healing Raph would do motor skill practice with Mikey aka baking cause Raph loves to lick the batter of the spoon when their done and stirring helps his arm. He would also flip pancakes maybe but I don’t see him doing anything like measurements cause it’s Mikey’s whole thing to cook but he helps keep the place clean :]

———

Anywizle, my apologies for missing a few days and coming back with a messy rant- but it was fun so who cares!

So buh-bye! Have a good night and/or day! It may be possibly impossible but possibly I will see you tomorrow!

:>

[alloveydovey]

Mid month dramaaaas, 2024 is giving quality content 🙌🏽

Lovely Runner, 2024 (kdrama) 8.5

FL is a fangirl who goes back in time to save her idol who ended his own life. (very shortly put lol)

I have thoughts!!! It's gonna be long because my expectations with this one were really high. Don't torch me please lol. If I have to be 100%, this drama wasn't what I expected at all. That being said, loser boy Byeon Woo Seok and cutie patootie Kim Hye Yoon were the real deal here. I came for the premise (okay, and because Byeon Wook Seok is fiiiiine) and stayed because of them.

Here's my deal with Lovely Runner. I didn’t read the webtoon or anything, so in my mind, I assumed they would explore what took Sun Jae to make such a decision in the first episode before Sol went back in time to try and fix everything. The drama starts pretty heavy with both main characters attempting in some way to take their own lives. So to go from that to absurd comedy was a bit extreme for me at first. I thought we would do a little mental health introspection here, a bit of commentary about being an idol and all. Then because the first episodes also focused a lot on Sun Jae's dream to be a professional swimmer and the doomed reality that it would not happen, I thought they would center around that as well. I guess I was picturing some sort of mix between 2521 and Twinkling Watermelon. Plus the whole aspect of Im Sol being disabled. But they didn’t really give any more thoughts to these aspects of the characters.

Moving on from my own expectations and a little disappointment that the drama headed in a different direction, I overall enjoyed watching most of it. To be honest, this is the type of drama you just have to go with it, no heavy thoughts included. It gives major classic rom-com kdrama vibes. The cast absolutely takes the cake, the adorable moments are overflowing, comedy hits and the OST is a 10/10.

I don’t mind time travel plot holes but there are still some thing that bugged me, though. One: The whole taxi guy story. I will admit I was extremely disappointed the moment he was introduced. It’s probably when I started lowering my rating. Why do writers (or webtoon authors) feel the need to just randomly pull out these guys? And this drama being so cute and funny... It didn’t need that at all. Specially, since he seemed really poorly written. Two: I might not get over the fact that these two characters both start in really dark places but it’s never really acknowledged in any meaningful way and instead the drama just does a 180° on that. If these subjects hadn’t been introduced then it would have been fine. But in comparison with what happens next, the rest of the drama felt a little superficial to me. Three: it ended up becoming really repetitive. Sol once again ignoring Sun Jae “for his own good”, Sun Jae going after Sol because he doesn’t really care, Sol ending up crying. All this mixed between cute and silly scenes.

Happy ending did make me the happiest, though 🥹

Will Love in Spring, 2024 (cdrama) 9

When they were kids and FL became disabled due to a car accident, ML’s words made her change her whole perspective. He goes on to become the town's mortician, and she becomes a successful saleswoman in the city. And you know the rest, sparks fly when they meet again.

Oof. Cdramas aren’t supposed to be this good, bro. Like… everything about it is just a chef kiss. Characters and their complexities, OST, cinematography, chemistry!! (It's crazy, for real) It presents the same problem as Meet Yourself, even with Li Xian back as the ML. But whereas Meet Yourself is a little lighter and deals with this problem in a respectful and thoughtful way, ML and FL here are filled with angst and tension. The drama itself is a lot heavier, which is not bad, but it's not always nice, and sometimes very frustrating. I saw comments saying that they found the characters to be rather toxic, and that is such a childish way of seeing their relationship. Not everything is red and green flags. This is not that type of drama. People throw the word toxic around everything nowadays. I’d say they were realistic. Both FL and ML make mistakes (because they both have issues) and the drama makes sure the audience knows they were wrong. Because, you know, humans fuck up and stuff. I liked that. But because I can't help but compare it to Meet Yourself, I gotta admit that even though I liked the pace, the OST, and the cinematography more here. MY remains superior, and therefore, I don't feel like I can give it a proper 10. I will say, though, last two episodes gave a bit ot a bittersweet ending even though it's supposed to be a happy one, and I didn't like that much.

Queen of Tears, 2024 (kdrama) 8.5/9

A lawyer from the countryside marries the top heiress of a leading conglomerate. They marry very much in love, but find themselves almost not communicating or holding much feelings for one another three years later.

I completely get why this got everyone hooked. Overall it’s a great story, and very well produced, but at the same time I gotta admit I was hoping for something a little more… exciting. Specially because it was written by the same screenwriter that did Crash Landing on You and The Legend of the Blue Sea and those two were a 10 for me. It might also be personal taste. Some people are into chaebol family dramas that focus on business with their villains cartoonishly evil. Me, personally, I get a bit bored and this is sort of what happened. Even though Kim Ji Won and Kim Soo Hyun got me hooked with their marriage story and the romance of it all, the rest was a bit 💤. Although both families living together was really cute and I loved those scenes. I’d say that’s where the magic of this drama was. The last episodes after her memory gets erased are a bit messy, but the ending still made me sob dramatically lol.

A Good Day to be a Dog, 2023 (kdrama) 7.5/8 (girl what are you doing still here?)

Because of a family curse if FL kisses someone she turns into a dog at midnight… which she does after accidentally kissing a fellow teacher. She can only break the curse if he kisses her again in dog form. The only problem is he’s scared of dogs and doesn’t seem to like her that much.

This is the first time I put on hold a drama and actually go back to finish it lol. I’m proud. This starts off very very cute. Cha Eun Woo but specially Park Gyu Young are really funny and both have great chemistry. The problem here for me is, once again, the past life storyline. I know this is based off a webtoon, but I swear that whole thing is what ruined it for me. I wasn’t into it at all and so the last 4/5 episodes I spent them skipping scenes. Howeveeer, if someone were to ask me if they should watch, I’d say yes. Because romance wins lol.

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

So this is mostly a Choices blog but some of you know that I've recently started playing Romance Club as well because 1) there are some really good books on RC, 2) the art, and 3) to compare both apps. I could probably make this a series(?) to compare and contrast the two but here's one of the main things I've noticed playing both apps:

The Difference in Pacing

Background: The clear reason for this is because of how the books are set up. On Choices, each completed book is approx. 16 chapters (like a movie) while on RC, the book is typically 3 seasons with around 10-12 episodes (like a tv show). So a book like Open Heart, for instance, would be 3 seasons under one title instead of 3 separate books since they occur within a close period. This is different from a series like Heaven's Secret, which has two separate books that span ten years apart.

I bring this up because I assume this difference explains why the pacing in both apps is so different. I can use Blades II, Kindred, Theodora, and DALS as an example.

I've brought this up already, but one of my biggest gripes with Blades II was the very odd pacing. The beginning of the book (in my opinion) took longer than necessary to start the plot and there was a little too much filler with less time to focus on new lore the themes ate tho and I'm grateful we got another book.

Kindred has a similar issue. The concept of a witch book was cool and they had a good plot, but 16 chapters weren't enough to explore everything they wanted to with the book. The ending was rushed and it felt way too easy to defeat the Wraith King. Do I still love this book? Yes. Do I think the authors did well with the amount of time they were given? Also yes. But the rushed plot does make it hard to recommend it since PB is capable of handling a lot of plot (RE: Blades I).

On the other hand, Theodora has 3 seasons and the whole immortality arc (the premise of the book) wasn't explained until near the end of S2. We had an entire season to explore the character and at least half of a second season to explore her life after she realized she was immortal but without knowing why (human -> immortal -> realizing how she became immortal and starts controlling her power). As a result, it becomes easier to get attached to her since we spent more time getting to know her still one of my favorite MCs.

Dracula: A Love Story still can't believe it has 4 seasons spent an entire season before revealing Vlad's identity even though it's in the title. In comparison, PB would have done three chapters of leaving MC in the dark before revealing who Vlad is with the rest of the book being allotted to helping him. I get that we needed to see all the visions and stuff but personally, I feel like I was more invested in Lale and would have read an entire book about her, Aslan, and Vlad. I swear I don't hate DALS please don't be offended lol.

Am I saying I prefer RC to Choices? Not necessarily, I have problems with RC too mostly regarding representation, and I also know it wouldn't be fair to compare the apps since they are set up differently. I just thought this was something interesting to point out.

[shanmthebrave]

“Are you ready, Leo~?”

“I’m always ready, Azucena.”

“Hehe, great!”

The literal definition of Yapper x Listener - An Leo x Azucena (AzuLeo appreciation/persuasive post) -TEKKEN 8-

~TW - HE/HIM LEO~

Like, Azucena would yap about coffee and Leo wouldn’t mind :)

His laugh and the way he casually answers Azucena that he’s from Germany WHILE IGNORING THE FACT THEY’RE IN A WAR-ZONE BECAUSE THAT DON’T MATTER WHEN YOUR FAV COFFEE CELEBRITY IS IN FRONT OF YOU

Bro she’s gonna send you coffee for being a fan, like a good celebrity doessss

Also he’s ignoring the fact for a moment that she’s with G-Corp…and also also asking at the end what her true purpose was…

Tbh to me Azu’s purpose with this sudden conversation was either:

She really wants to promote her coffee ☕️

Or she finds Leo interesting (Whether Platonic or Romantic)

Either way, we can leave it to imagination :) but I’d always pick red or both

CAN WE ALSO NOT IGNORE THE FACT THAT SHE GAVE LEO A WINK AND BLEW A KISSSSS?! ACKKKKKK

Their only interaction in the story has implied that Leo already knew Azucena before their canonical encounter. Their lines during chapter 10 are proof contributing to this:

Observation from their Chapter 10 interaction:

An instant recognition, Leo’s got good observation skills. He’s kinda shocked that she’s with G-Corp. Understandable, since the people in G-Corp are pretty bad people, and seeing Azu, a person who he knows well for her coffee (only revealed after the fight), working for them, his shock becomes understandable.

Azucena’s motives confuse Leo, as she’s promoting her coffee by working with G-Corp, the company that well, 💀 his mom. Ouch.

Despite that, after their fight, Leo reveals that he’s a a fan of her coffee. AND AZUCENA FINDS HER FELLOW COFFEE DRINKER!

She offers to make a special order for him, and LEAVES THE FIGHT WITHOUT CONSIDERING ITS A WAR-ZONE, IS SHE EVEN OKAY?!

Well she is seen in the good ending so we can assume that yes she did make it

Leo is just standing there, confused as to what her real purpose was (which I covered in the point above)

Now, let’s talk about their lines during their fight and their meaning behind it, and compare this interaction to Leo’s fight with Jin:

When Leo successfully lands a hit, he says lines to try and diffuse the fight, rather then try to continue the counter offensive, unlike what he did with Jin, where his distrust in him is evident.

He says: “Open your eyes!” And “There’s no reason for us to fight!” Clearly showing that he doesn’t wanna fight Azucena. Rather, to convince her to stop siding with G-Corp.

Unlike his fight with Azucena, his interaction with Jin is a tad more hostile, as we know Jin did some pretty messed up stuff, which provoked Leo to initiate a spar with him. However, Azucena chose to fight Leo instead, when he clearly didn’t want to.

Now, let’s chat abt Azucena’s POV. She really just wants to promote her coffee, but also broaden her horizons for new blends, perhaps. Maybe find a fellow coffee enthusiast or a strong opponent (latter is the most likely motive).

When Azucena lands a hit, she only has one line: “Come on, let’s have some fun!” AS IF THIS ISNT A WAR ZONE AND ITS A FRIENDLY SPAR.

She seems to enjoy fighting Leo. This is especially shown when she gets defeated and flips back, exclaiming “You’re pretty good!” As if acknowledging his skill.

This pretty much shows that the entire time, she was fighting for fun, forgetting that she got herself into a war. It makes me laugh inside tbh. Haha.

Oh you think we’re done? Nope cuz we’re covering a lil bit about their character episodes too!

Leo meets Azucena in the final stage. Huh. What a coincidence.

There’s not much to say in this, other than the fact that both of them fight Yoshimitsu in the first stage. lol.

✨Special Interactions!!!!✨

Is there really any points we can make?! It’s so cute! And random…but funny and quite welcoming.

It’s not everyday someone encounters you and declares themself the coffee queen and tries to KICK you while you try to process everything (lol)

The pure surprise in Leo’s face never fails to make me laugh. Bro looks so perplexed and afraid 😭

And Azucena kicking him without warning is so random and even more silly, like give this man some time to process you woman 😂

When Azucena wins, she tells Leo that a good coffee takes time to brew, as if encouraging him that he’s doing great and he will get better, like a sparring partner that gives him feedback.

On Leo’s end, he’s awfully happy he won and says it’s time for a coffee break, something he says ONLY when he wins against Azucena. It’s as if fighting her reminds him of his liking for coffee.

Now, I will give my reasons why I love shipping Azucena and Leo together.

They have cute/canon interactions

The relationship has potential

Special intro pass

They relate over the one thing that got them together: COFFEE

Leo likes her products and is a big fan of her.

Azucena seems to enjoy his presence and wants to encourage him to get stronger.

Even tho Azucena sided (formerly) with G-Corp (not confirmed if she stopped working with them), Leo’s pretty chill and is willing to forgive her (Seeing as he forgave Jin, a literal war criminal)

It’s just cute. It’s so random, it’s adorable

It also just works in a way. They’re the literal definition of Yapper x Listener

She would yap to Leo about coffee and whatnot and he’d be so chill with her.

A cute, energetic girl with a shy, gentle boy trope, dominant girlies with gentle boys are just so funny and adorable to watch.

Welp, I can’t add any more photos and I’m running out of ideas, so in conclusion, the points I want to make is:

- AzuLeo is a very cute ship

- It’s hella under appreciated

- It may be random, but who says we can’t ship what we want and promote them?

- I love these two coffee lovers

- BANDAI NAMCO, GIVE THEM MORE SCENES TOGETGER, AND I WILL BE HAPPY. PLEASE!

- Azucena is overhated. Period.

- The creators of Tekken said we can call Leo any gender we want cuz Leo is…Leo. So I’ll call him a male.

I don’t rlly expect people to like the ship after this post. And that’s okay with me. As long as I’m happy and passionate posting what I like. ❤️

If you made it here, thanks for reading through my entire ship post haha. I hope you will start to like this ship or perhaps tolerate it if you hate it. Whatever happens, or if your opinion doesn’t change, at least I’ll be happy, cuz I spoke my mind on something I like :)

[sweetchcolate]

I'm curious. What are your top 10 favorite shoujos of all time? (LN, Anime, Manga) Can you rank them from: I'll always love them and I'm very invested with them; to I like them, but I'm not very invested?

(why is it that the second someone asks me for anime recs or listing my fave series, I suddenly forget every series i ever read/watched lmao it is a curse)

Just as a reminder, these are series I either watched recently or remember at the top of my mind because of sheer popularity. Also, my bad in advance if it turns out some of these aren't shojo but shonen (reason I didn't include Skip&Loafer, for example).

With that out of the way, my top 10 fave shojos in order (that I would and have rewatched multiple times):

Revolutionary Girl Utena. A classic. It's got it all: the esthetics, the slightly surreal aspect of the world, the trope deconstruction, tackling rarely addressed issues (such as patriarchy, heteronormativity, the changes puberty brings to a teenage girl, etc.) as well as some... more sensitive ones (there's a reason there's so many trigger warning lists for RGU). Also, the music SLAPS.

SAFT (both anime and LN). Just look at my Sugar Apple Fairy Tale tag. I've liveblogged every episode of this show since I learned of its existence. I was looking forward to the previews. I fell into this head first and it was some of the best experience I had with a series! It was right up my alley: sunshine hardworking girl winning over the people around her thanks to her kindness and optimism + grumpy stoic traumatized man who becomes softer and grows thanks to her set in a semi-fantasy Europe-based world. I liked that both Anne and Shall had to deal with discrimination (Anne as a girl in a male-dominated industry, Shall as a fairy in a human-led society) and how the later LN volumes address those issues (instead of fairy slavery and sexism being just background lore). The show can be really pretty when it wants to, and the music is also very nice.

7th Time Loop (both anime and LN). Just like with SAFT, I'm obsessed. The anime is doing such a good job adapting the source material at a good pace, the quality is great, and the VAs are killing it. The LN also has very tight writing: the author has an eye for adding details that seem unassuming/offhanded at first, but end up being crucial. Rishe's and Arnold's characters and dynamic are phenomenal. Just look at my 7th time loop tag

Akatsuki no Yona (the anime/early corresponding manga arcs).

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at LVL 999.

Ouran High School Host Club (the anime). I'm a sucker for romance, but where OHSHC got me is with its humor. The first episode is a classic, and I will always love the light bulbs scene as each member of the host club figures out Haruhi is a girl. Tamaki is a riot, the perfect blend of goofy, perceptive, and introspective. He deals with some serious issues, but he never lets them drag him down or, at the very least, affect his precious ones. What's great about OHSHC too is the character growth in the second half of the show. The series lures you in thinking it's just a comedic slice of life high school romance only to hit you with some real feels when it reveals its characters' backstories, fears, and reflections.

My Happy Marriage.

Kimi ni Todoke.

Ones for a cute ride: Lovely Complex, Kamisama Hajimemashita, Akagami no Shirayukhime, Donten Ni Warau

Ones I've watched that were good, but lost interest in (mostly due to being too long or me catching up the latest release and not keeping up after): Skip Beat, Fruits Basket, Sailor Moon (the 1990s anime), Niehime

Ones I remember watching but won't ever watch again because I've outgrown the target demographic: Special A, Shugo Chara, Tokyo Mew Mew, Fushigi Yugi, Itazura Kiss

Ones I heard good praise for and want to check someday: Rose of Versailles, Basara, Colette Decides to Die