#thanks again!! i had a lot of fun answering these :)

[whimsicalcotton]

I'm gonna be honest I just love the way you write amberpricefield so much. I've never even played the game. I love them so much. If you're still taking requests please pick your favorite.

skdfjsdhk thank you anon 🥺🥺🥺

thank u also for the free reign! here is some incredibly stupid Everybody's (Actually) Fine AU nonsense for u <3

--- --- ---

50: Nicknames/Pet Names

There’s a list of things other than “Max,” that Rachel and Chloe call her that probably runs a mile long. 

Chloe likes to stretch her name into a wide variety of different shapes — some more ridiculous than others — and though there apparently exists some method to her madness no one else seems to know quite what it is. Mad Max, Maximilian, Maximum Turbo-Force Dork. Max could fill up a whole notebook with just those, let alone the pet-names. Chloe was once solely an ironic user of the word babe, so Max has been told, but she’s long since fallen into the trap of habit and now throws it around far more casually than Max can handle. 

Rachel has also grown fond of playing around with Max’s name, but she leans more towards the terms of endearment. Max has lost count of the amount of times she’s gone all red in the face after being called honey or love or darling. There was even that one time Rachel had the audacity to call her babygirl in the middle of the dorm hallways, which made her fluster so hard she’d immediately started babbling some lame excuse about the time before literally running all the way back to her room. 

All this is to say: Max has been thinking it’s time for some payback.

So with devious plots in mind from the moment she gets up — perhaps Rachel is starting to rub off on her a bit — Max makes it her day's mission to give the two of them a taste of their own medicine. 

She catches Rachel first. Lingering in the dorm halls, fittingly enough, knee deep in yet another unnecessarily tense looking party planning conversation with Victoria. Of course, Victoria is often the only one who suffers in a conversation with Rachel, so when she turns to see Max approaching her expression shifts easily into one of earnest excitement.

“Morning, Max,” she greets, apparently feeling generous in her sparing Max from having to get flustered in front of Victoria. Her mistake. 

Max takes a final little breath for courage, and goes for the metaphorical kill. “Good morning, sweetheart. Am I seeing you for lunch today?”

She tries not to smile so hard watching Rachel’s cheeks turn red.

“Y-Yeah,” Rachel answers, looking momentarily horrified by her stammering before straightening up. “Yeah, sure, lunch. I’m there. See you then.”

As Max is taking her leave, hardly capable of stopping herself from skipping the whole way, she overhears their chatter resume. 

“Bitch, didn’t you literally just tell me we were gonna go over this shit again at lunch?” Victoria snaps, incredulous. “Oh my god, you’re down bad. That was pathetic. Well played, Amber, truly.”

“Shut the hell up, Chase,” Rachel hisses back. “Tell anyone what just happened and you’ll be on your own supplying party booze for the rest of the year.”

Max gets Chloe later on, during the aforementioned lunch hangout that Rachel is apparently snubbing Victoria to be present for. 

She’s in the midst of chowing down on some of the sweets Max brought along, getting bread crumbs and icing sugar all over herself in the process. By the time she’s done, there are patches of powdery white and a hint of jelly still adorning her face. Rachel tries to hide a bout of snorting giggles upon looking at her.

“Jesus, you’d think we never feed you,” she says, still covering her mouth with one hand and handing Chloe a napkin with the other. 

“Yeah,” Max agrees, taking the napkin in Chloe’s stead and reaching up to wipe off her face. “You’re making such a mess of yourself, baby.”

Chloe’s eyes go wide as saucers as she squeaks out an astoundingly unsure, “I sure am.” She lets Max finish cleaning her off before seemingly coming to her senses and going even redder than Rachel had earlier. 

Speaking of, Rachel’s gone a little pink again herself. She looks over at Max with a gaze as hungry as it is curious. “Man, you’re out for blood today, aren’t you?” 

“Just having a bit of fun,” Max assures with a smile, watching on in unabashed satisfaction as Chloe devolves into a grumbling, mumbling mess hiding her face in her hands.

[whiteraven90]

hello, I hope you're having a good day <33 I saw your recent post on my dash and I was STUNNED at the animated scene! It's insane to me I get to see your characters animated. Feeling blessed to be alive to see it, I am not exaggerating. You know, one of these times where you wake up and things are a little bumpy in your life but there's one thing that shines brightly you didn't know it could give you so much excitement? Yeah, that kind of thing ((:

I took my time for the past hour to reminisce over your blog again. It is one of the places I really love scrolling through and reading your writing. I had a question, if you don't mind me. The way you have improved is truly admirable. I know this might not be an easy ask to say "hey, how did you learn how to paint", so I'll ask this instead: I don't know how long you've been working full-time in art, but when do you make time for studies / drawing for fun? If it's not too much to respond to, how do *you* study? I remembered your posts with your redlines and wanted to ask how do you go about those, or if you switch your routines based on your needs (sketches vs speed painting backgrounds etc). The notes there were very interesting, seeing the mental exercise.

Pretty sure you have a fKTON of stuff on your plate, so please don't feel obligated to respond quickly or even at all. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my message and for all the time you take to respond in general. Love reading your responses <3

Take care, ok? <3

I'm glad the animation made you feel better! I'll put the answer under the Keep Reading thingy.

I'm not entirely sure... I think I don't study as much as I should/could. I mostly learn as I go. Standalone studies are helpful, I'm just drawn to doing things that are more fun/satisfying to me or things that actively progress my creative goals. Imperfect illustrations for my stories, and incomplete research for worldbuilding! Many people learn faster than I, and those people do a lot more studies than I, but I have no info on whether they have more fun than I. Dopamine is rocket fuel, so it's important. :)

I'm always on the lookout for reference pictures, but I study almost only when I have a practical goal in mind, I guess. Studying is part of my job too, I think? As an indie concept artist I'm supposed to build a hoard of references and pull several new/sensible things out of them, and I think part of this process is understanding the material, and revisiting even what I already know. Illustration is similar. If I'm commissioned to draw an anthro alligator, it's time to study gators. It's not separate from work.

I mean, straightforward version: I wake up at 03:30, make coffee, and start working for myself until the paying work starts, lol. Brain is fresh before noon, and tired late in the evening just like everyone else's. It also helps that the city more or less shuts up at 4am.

The studies with the redlines... I do them when I fancy drawing characters or creatures but feel out of shape. I can get discouraged, feel like I forgot how to draw. I sketch if I plan to sketch, and paint if I plan to paint or want to study colors Drawing live models helps. Studying videos of people and things in motion. Hopping down rabbit holes about how/why things work (e.g. flintlock, Davy lamp, mansard roof). Drawing from refs. Hoarding refs. Trying different mediums (e.g. charcoal, 3D, etching). Small screenshot of one of my ref boards for the animation; I'd say I studied it a lot. How clothes move, what are good clothes, how do good clothes move, lion/tiger + human + eagle anatomy (from specific angles during specific motions if/when possible), how to dive roll, proper sprinting form, how to survive falling from a great height, spearfighting, pole vaulting, poledancing, lighting, colors, environment, kicked-up sand in motion, spear types, emu/cassowary/griffon vulture feet, etc. I didn't draw studies, unless you count the animation itself (I would).

[wallywestfest]

Hi,

I was just wondering whatever happened to the tangled lost and found comic? Do you ever plan on finishing it? Love your art btw ☺️

Hi, thanks so much for asking! Sorry for taking a while to respond, I didn't even notice this ask (Tumblr kind of sucks with notifications 😅)

To answer your questions, sadly I won't be finishing it. I had grand plans, but alas, I've neither time nor the willpower to finish it. The whole Tangled fandom reminds me of a past relationship with a person who used to be a very dear friend and a little (a lot) more than that, though it was never official, however we are no longer in contact since we sort of broke up.

It was quite a painful experience, and anything Tangled related reminds me of her. I'm no longer heartbroken (it's been quite a while now, a few years I think), but it took a while to get over and for that reason I'm no longer as interested in Tangled or Varian as a character as I used to be.

It was lovely making the comic and I had a lot of fun and a lot more time back then (it was started during the lockdown after all), but I've since moved on from my past relationship and this fandom, so I won't be a part of it anymore, maybe I'll lurk from the outside once or twice a year, if that.

Thanks again for asking, and thank you for your kind words, I'm glad you've enjoyed what I've made so far 😌🙏

[arom-antix]

Me? Posting finished art? Ain't no way :O

No but @korruptbrekker reached out to me and asked if I was interested in doing a collab (go check out their piece here, I implore you), and you know I could not say no to such a wonderful artist asking lil ol me to do something fun like this. We ended up doing a swap @laugaheim and I came up with ages ago that I so sussinctly refer to as a moodboard-sketch-lineart-render swap. Rolls right off the tongue, right? Nah but it's exactly what it says. Make moodboards, swap and sketch from the other's, swap again and line the other's sketch, and then swap once again and finish the piece you sketched.

Very big thanks to Brekker for reaching out! This was so fun, I hope we can do something together again in the future!

[canisalbus]

I had a scrap piece of paper and drew the little freakish dog 👍 I have been silently enjoying your art for like a couple months now? I found it randomly on uploaded Pinterest and was like “oh huh that’s rad” and yeah he’s such a lovely sad little beast

.

[demonicfarmer69]

jiujiu and a-ling commission for @spriteofmushrooms based off of a scene from the fic "best served cold" by lianziyun. thank you so much for commissioning me!!!

[complicitgirlfrot]

Being spit roasted by two trans girls who keep talking about what a cute slut you are and how they’re going to fuck you hard enough from either end so they can frot in the middle

Kink rating game, send me any kink and I'll rate it with this scale:

Anti-kink | Soft limit | Neutral | Oh fuck | NEED

NEEDNEEDNEEDNEED

God i think i'd do anything for this to happen. One of those things that makes my heart race and head spin if i think about it for any more than a second.

Just.... the sweat pouring off them as they pound into me. The air getting muskier as time goes on. Getting teased for my moans muffled by the girl in my mouth. Their hands pulling me in opposite directions as they get more and more desperate. The stream of degrading praise as i take them so good. The intermittent pauses as they lean in to kiss each other over me. Being made to cum all over myself again and again. Feeling their hot thick girlcum fill me up and cover me. Shoveling as much of it as i can into my mouth. The gentle shower afterwards for cleanup followed by ice cream and a cuddle puddle in a golden hour sunbeam. The promise to meet up and do it all over again the following week....

Yeah i think i'm on board with this one

[honeydots]

I would like some teasers about that Xander - Soleil father-daughter support fic please 💖

HEHEHE that'd be my pleasure~~!! i'll put a couple things under the cut c:

the fanart nattie drew for me is from their c-support!! the gist of it is that xander's employing a similar punishment to soleil as he did to laslow for excessive flirting :3 but as they're working in xander's office, they both end up falling asleep, hence the little scene in the art <3

the rest of the support is about soleil lying through her teeth about how she totally isn't flirting anymore so she doesn't get in trouble again, and xander completely seeing through her lie and doing a dad-thing of trying to make her come clean herself instead of directly calling her out !!

[boxwinebaddie]

an uncle nina check in <3

hi team! thanks for sticking around! i know my blog isn't always the most exciting and enriching place in the world in terms of content, but i am very /content/ to have you all here. <3333

i promise, oddly enough, i have A TON of inspiration and ideas for all my weird styles ( if you're curious about anything please lmk! i've been trying to flesh out my aus out lately ), i've just been in a major bummer depression era lately, so it's hard for me to get my asks done and i'm having a hard time committing to finishing my writing. :<

i think it's because of stress and my bipolar, but i am trying to get back on the horse! ( are we all laughing at the idea of me trying to get on a horse? i'd start crying help city girl fail moment for me ) yeehaw!

and while, unfortunately due to the instability ( fabulous legendary iconery ) of my pretty girl popstar personality, i do not know whether i will be answering almost no questions or one million, regardless of that, i just wanted to let you know, i'm still here, still kicking my feet, twirling my hair, cooking...i'm just really trying not to force myself to put out anything i don't like...and only do what makes me truly happy.

however, nothing, my dear sweet e-darlings...

makes me happier than coming home to all of you. <333

so thank you for flooding even the darkest corners of my life with bright light, supporting my phantom fics and being wonderful,

uncle nina xx

[hecatesbroom]

For the ask game! Numbers 3, 25 (especially from a fashion POV!), and 30/31 as a double feature :)

Hii!! Thank you! You made me very happy with the opportunity to ramble about question number 25 haha.

What was the last song you listened to?

Technically, the intro song to The Golden Girls because I watched an episode yesterday before bed haha.

Other than that, I genuinely can't remember -- it's been a while since I listened to music! We recently got a piano and I've been listening to a a lot less music as a result, because I've been making it myself instead :) (very very simple tunes, but hey, it's still fun!)

What’s your favorite decade? (from a fashion POV)

OH this is hard!! I think if I were to pick just one, it'd be the 1970s -- but that's because it allows me to cheat & sort of include two of my other favourite decades (the 1900s and 1940s) in the process, because a lot of 70s fashion was inspired by those :) (and I have a weakness for pointy collars, what can I say?)

Idk, what I love about the 70s is how many contradictions there are? On one hand you have sleek a-line skirts and fitted blouses. On the other you have frills and ruffles, (slight) bishop sleeves and flowy maxi dresses, and those opposites (and the combination of them) are just really fun to me! (I also grew up on a lot of 70s media so honestly, I think it's also partly nostalgia haha)

But I think my favourite fashion decade is actually the 1940s. I love the silhouette, which is still somewhat reminiscent of the elegance of the 1930s, but a little harder in a way. Slightly more practical in its skirt lengths (for obvious reasons), a little more masculine in its shape (which is a fascinating trend you see more often in fashion history, during big wars. Fashion during the 1910s actually turned a little more masculine in shape as well, at the time of WWI!).

I'll stop here because I could go on forever, but yeah!! The 1970s because it's a cheat move to include 2 of my other favourite decades (and it's a lot easier to find 70s clothes to wear myself!) and the 1940s because... well, I just like 40s fashion haha

What are you looking forward to in the near future? & What are you looking forward to in the distant future?

In the very near future, I'm looking forward to visit my grandma for her birthday today :)

Honestly I don't tend to look more than a year or so into the future (and even that's a stretch at the moment haha) but I'm really looking forward to finishing school in 2,5 months!! It was only a year, but oh boy, was it a year. I'm mostly really excited to have more energy to be myself again, if that makes sense? I'll be able to do some more research for my writing projects (I've got a small stack of books waiting for me already), go thrift shopping, and see my friends again!! And my brain will also (hopefully) start function normally again lol. I'm really looking forward to being able to think at my natural speed again haha.

[the-nothing-maker]

Yeah we remember Ghost! On that note, would you be able to write us a condensed version of his story? We got snippets of it from your drawings but I would love to get the full picture (when/if you have time of course!)

Awww, that's really sweet, thank you !! Of course I can do a brief summary ! (though by that I mean I'll try to keep it brief...)

Basically, Ghost was a small-time storm sorcerer in a huge pirate fleet off the coast of Chult who was pretty much sold to another pirate lord (Jarlaxle Baenre) to settle a debt when he became too much of an accidental nuisance (he was very vocal about the fact that he thought his boat-captain was cooler than his fleet-captain and that she should be in charge, which is, you know, low level mutiny).

I went through Dragon Heist and Mad Mage with him, so we pretty much followed the story ! He went to Waterdeep in summer, ran a tavern for a while with a little group of misfits, and was in the service of Jarlaxle, which he didn't like at first (he thought that if he just helped Jarlaxle for a while, he could eventually get home). Instead, Jarlaxle seduced him and convinced him to stay for longer and longer jobs, the last of them being stealing a Spelljammer on which (or so Jarlaxle said) they'd sail the stars together with his crew.

Ghost was really torn between all of his desires, but ultimately, once the Spelljammer was acquired, Jarlaxle and him parted ways - Ghost told him that he'd follow him if he could promise he wouldn't lie/manipulate him again, which wasn't a promise Jarlaxle said he could keep. Heartbroken, Ghost eventually bounced back and Wished himself a brand new Spelljammer to sail on his own through the Astral Sea. He actually had a cameo in our Spelljammer campaign years later, ahah !

I had a lot of fun playing him and a lot of fond memories of that group !! I still play in a lot of campaigns, but I don't have the time to shower them with love and art as much as I used to, which is a shame. I'd love to show you all of my new blorbos !

[oblivionsdream]

Alright I think I’m done answering questions for the night! Thanks to everyone who sent them in!! I do still intend to try and answer the rest when I have time but I may have to answer them with just text instead of art because tbh I got more than I thought I would and I don’t think I’ll have time to draw out responses for all of them.

[daughterofhecata]

WIP word game

Tagged by @wodkapudding - thank you! This looks fun and it's uuuh certainly welcome for procrastinating

Rules: you will be given a word. share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word. The word is GHOST (we're already getting into the halloween spirit, I see xD)

G - „Geh tiefer runter“, befahl Cottas kompromisslose Stimme. „Tiefer. Und jetzt halten.“ (Peter/Cotta AU pwp, wird vielleicht heute noch fertig - Titel: "you make it hard to hesitate")

H - "Höre ich da eine gewisse Eifersucht in deinem Ton?", neckte Victor ihn. Genoss den Anblick, wie eine ganz sachte Röte Justus' Wangen hinauf kroch. Jetzt war er in der Defensive. "Ich habe dir damals angeboten, an meiner Seite zu arbeiten, aber du wolltest davon ja nichts hören." (Justus/Victor(ish) aus Victors Sicht, weil ich das unbedingt mal ausprobieren wollte)

O - Orkanartig wirbelte der Rausch durch seinen Körper, sein Grollen ging irgendwo gegen Henrys Nacken verloren. Nur einen winzigen Augenblick später sackte Henry in sich zusammen, suchte Halt an der Werkbank. (genau genommen ist das geschummelt, weils kein WIP mehr ist. Aber pscht. Das ist aus der versprochenen Henry/Bill fic - Titel: "Sturmwind" - die ich vermutlich nachher noch hochlade)

S - Seine Gedanken jagten sich im Kreis, ohne irgendeinen Erfolg, außer, dass er Kopfschmerzen bekam und unleidlich wurde. (eine Cotta/Goodween Pining Sache, die noch in den allerfrühesten Anfängen ist)

T - "Tja", machte er, weil ihm nichts besseres einfiel. Und dann: "Das letzte, was ich über Sie gehört habe, ist, dass Sie von den Toten auferstanden sind." (Cotta/Victor, ursprünglich inspriert von ASPs "Demon Love", inzwischen mit deutlichen Einflüssen von Bessons "Venice Beach")

Tagging: @crazy-walls, @pointwhitmark, @keravnous, @alintheshitposter & @auxiliarydetective, if you want!

Word: ORCHID

[habitual-creatures]

HABIT! I drew you :3 (it smells so bad like alcohol markers i hate having a nose)

Also, out of curiosity- why did you possess Evan of all people? (No offense, Evan, ur great)

I LOVE ALCOHOL MARKERS... THEY'RE A NICE MEDIUM. AND THIS LOOKS GREAT, THANKS A LOT.

AS FOR WHY I POSSESSED EVAN, WHY I CHOSE TO INHABIT HIM, Y'KNOW... I'VE POSSESSED HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS, MAYBE, JUST MAYBE EVEN MILLIONS OF PEOPLE... AND I'M GONNA BE HONEST, I NEVER HAD A REAL "REASON" FOR ANY OF EM' I DID IT BECAUSE I WANTED TO.

THE SAME GOES FOR EVAN, HE'S BEEN STUCK WITH ME SINCE HE WAS A KID. I JUST ONLY STARTED HAVING FUN WHEN HE WAS AN ADULT... THAT, AND I'M REAL FUCKIN' IMPATIENT.

AFTER ALL, HUMANITY CAN ONLY GO SO LONG WITHOUT THEIR VICES...

NO ONE IS COMPLETELY FREE FROM ME. AND I WANTED TO REMIND EM' OF THAT...

I WANTED TO WATCH THEM RUN SCARED... AND THEY DID...

01001110 01001111 01010010 01000101 01000001 01010011 01001111 01001110 01001111 01010010 01010010 01001000 01011001 01001101 01000101

[ REGARDS, HABIT ]

[lunaetis]

@minban asked :

"i can't really help how i feel, now can i?" / scar for yínyuè

I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU. || accepting

─「银月」─  there was a respectable distance between them, one that THE ROVER purposely imposed knowing how he wouldn't have cared for it much. no sense of personal space was displayed from the pyromaniac, yet the way his heterochromia orbs looked at her was a mix of emotions. back and forth, they had been, exchanging words and questions and ideals. her, with little to no knowledge of the past and the role she was expected to play, and him, with all the information he so carefully crafted and shared to entice her over to him.

                " how you feel ? and what is it that you feel exactly, scar ? " was it distrust laced in her voice ? perhaps it could be called that, but yinyue didn't have particular hatred for the man. no. she might be cautious and careful within his presence, yet she always paid attention to what he was saying. she never brushed them off as nothing. every single syllable leaving his lips. and she felt like it was more of a genuine question on her part than it might seem at first, whether or not he caught the underlying meaning or not.

                what was his true feeling ? what was that emotion he was trying to convey ? he was right about many factions wanting her to join them, his included. however, this wasn't him talking about her joining the fractsidus. he was taling about his feeling.

                then what was it ? she asked. what was it he was feeling ? who was it that he was feeling for ?

                do you really see me ?                 is that feeling, whatever it was, for me ?                 or was it for the LOST HERO you see in me ?                 the ECHO of the rover who is to become savior once more ?

                " what do you feel when you look at me ? " there was no accusation in her tone, not a single hint of judgement nor assumption. she really was asking HIM, scar, not the OVERSEER of the fractsidus, not someone trying to recruit another powerful ally to his side. but him, the person who fused himself with TACET DISCORD out of his own freewill. the man who bore countless of scars on his skin to make up his name. was getting her to join his side his one true intention or was it something more ? was it simply IDOLIZATION and him projecting what he wished for in a savior onto her ? was it obsession to possess something, or someone whom others also wanted ? someone valuable, someone rare. AUREATE ORBS were locked to his heterochromia hues. a steady, unwavering gaze.

                did he simply want her just because others do, or ... —

                " you said you've always been honest with me, did you not ? then play no games and answer me honestly. what do you feel ? what am i to you ? "

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

https://www.tumblr.com/twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat/757245046340943872/hi-ari-i-just-watched-oshi-no-ko-its-so?source=share

hi ari! <3 yes, it's me!

firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to write such an in-depth recommendation list! it was super helpful!

WARNING: long message ahead!

i have actually watched a couple of the things that you had recommended, namely windbreaker and romantic killer. i really enjoyed windbreaker, even if i still don't quite understand how their school system works... (i think it's low-key hilarious how there are barely any adults in this series? and how students run the school for other students? like do they have 'normal' lessons? i'm so curious!)

thinking on windbreaker now, the things that stood out to me the most were those:

hajime looking like an alternate universe version of satoru, who is a cutie pie that grows vegetables. i actually really like his character – i think he's adorable. in terms of character design, i do think his cape is kind of cool. he rocks it. i like that he's positive, down-to-earth and simultaneously extremely astute. he's very likeable, like satoru! (very boyfriend material, no?)

the dynamic between choji and togame is very memorable. thinking on it now, the scene where togame cries and choji asks whether it is the rain... there is just something in their dynamic, when they were 'fighting,' which made it feel, when i was watching, like they were confessing. (i kind of... i couldn't help but think, guys, come on, you're in front of an auditorium... you really want to do this here and now?? in front of this audience?? really??) and also... choji being his 'sun'... it's kind of sweet.

suo! i find his fighting technique to be absolutely fascinating! i think it's so interesting how he doesn't put in an effort to fight against his opponents, instead dismantling them psychologically. he doesn't fight according to a certain school of thought, too; instead, he just picks and chooses what he deems is fitting, willing to experiment and almost confuse his opponents through the piecemeal nature of his fighting technique. there is a little element of cruelty to his fighting style which i find absolutely fascinating... and even though i know that suguru and suo are very different, i wonder what it would be like to transpose suo's fighting style onto suguru.

i have watched romantic killer ages ago!! i didn't know what to watch and it came up, and even though the premise was a little bizarre and the design of the cupid entity was absolutely hilarious, i actually really enjoyed watching it! anzu is a really fun protagonist! and i could absolutely relate to her cat obsession because this is absolutely what i am like with my dogs. her concern for not dating is also one i can relate to... currently, i can't really envision myself dating. i barely have any time for myself when i am at university, and when i do, i'd rather spend it with my friends or go home and visit my parents and my dogs. and besides, romantic relationships take so much work!! and i'm super picky in terms of how i like. (suguru.) anyway, that aside, i thought it was fun, and tsukasa and junta were both likeable! hijiri was... a little cliché and forgettable in my opinion, and didn't add that much to the story, but it also felt like the story ended not being quite finished, so his introduction felt a little... underdeveloped??

and the introduction of tsukasa's stalker was... absolutely terrifying. i can still picture that woman in my mind – her absolutely manic eyes when she looked at tsukasa. so scary!

(i did think it was pretty cute how riri transformed into a competitor for anzu's affections at the end of the series!)

i have tried giving gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun a go, but i somehow winded up feeling a little... bored as i was watching it? i thought the idea of the anime was cool. i can see where they were going with this – it attempted to be subversive by having a a big, bulky guy was writing a 'girly' popular manga series, with the inspiration for the male lead being a girl and the inspiration for the female lead being a guy. from my experience of writing (which was ages ago... my pen had long dried up), that kind of makes sense – the act of transposing personalities of the people you see into characters, and those characters themselves being extremely malleable as the plot develops.

...but somehow, as i watched it, something didn't quite click for me. i'm not sure why. so i ended up dropping it after five or so episodes? i did think the red-haired guy who was constantly blushing was cute, though.

NOW, onto oshi no ko... I LOVED IT! i still have the intro song from season one playing in my head!!

look, first of all, i thought it was super fun. i adore the animation style. i am a little annoying in that, for me, the animation style of an anime plays a big part in how driven i am to watch it. it's partially why i like jujutsu kaisen so much. i adore the way in which the characters are drawn in 'jujutsu kaisen'. the drawing style is absolutely awesome. i LOVE how handsome suguru and satoru are!! (it's not the only reason why i like the drawing style, of course, but i just... appreciate the way in which the characters are drawn.) i just like looking at it. i can press pause and just stare, and analyse the drawing style for a long while.

but back to oshi no ko, when i read the synopsis... i must admit, i was... a little more than surprised. a gynaecologist's soul transposing itself into the body of an idol's child??? how crazy is that???

but then i googled the pictures and saw pictures of ai... and reread your post, and decided to give it a go! and i am very glad that i did!!

i love ai's character design!! her hair is awesome!! i love her star eyes!! and when she smiles, she's absolutely adorable!!

but now onto the series itself... i didn't realise that the first episode was a set-up for the broader story centred on the two children!! i thought that was super interesting – beginning with ai, setting her up, having her be a ghost that haunts the narrative.

the doctor being an otaku... you know what, i do understand why he'd be hooked on something like this – something bright and cheerful, and something that's so escapist, even if, as an 'educated adult,' he realises is a fabrication made for consumption. (i guess, for me, what 'ai' was to the doctor and sarina is what... 'jujutsu kaisen' is currently to me. it's something escapist, a story i can think about again and again, even months after watching, maintaining my interest in it by visiting tumblr...)

the reason for her having the two children is absolutely heartbreaking. but... with the way they set up the story, it... does make sense.

i... even though the premise seems bizarre, it's actually quite profound? yes, it teaches/proselytises some things i already know, but also lots of things that i don't know. i found it fascinating how it tackled the world of entertainment...

the scene where ai died still replays in my mind. the slight greying (?? i'm not sure if i'm misremembering, but i think it was a grisailles image) image of ai as she dies in front of aqua's eyes while ruby bangs on the door was absolutely horrifying. i gasped. i should have predicted that this story was going to take misery's annie wilkes angle... but still, when i saw it on screen... it was just such a crushing death... and for the reports to then be overtaken by reports of the snow... i don't know... if that is relieving or overwhelmingly sad.

i have to say, though, that scene where aqua and ruby pretend to be gods is absolutely hilarious!! i thought it was super funny. and that woman was so terrified! so funny. and ruby saying that she's the incarnation of amaterasu?? and swatting her hand away so confidently!! how funny!!

also, the scene where aqua plays the creepy kid by not acting and terrifying all the actors on set... that was pretty funny, too!! i enjoyed that!! and that whole... segment of him guessing the director's intentions through logic to produce this result and the talk of different types of actors was very, very interesting!!

and ai getting cut because she shined too much?? that was fascinating.

in terms of the series post episode one, i enjoyed how they tackled both the world of film, reality dating shows, the manga industry and the theatre industry! that was cool!!! and i love how they made them interconnected.

in terms of which characters i liked the most... i think i'm going to say, the girls!!! i really like kana, akane, ruby, mem-cho, ai of course, even frill and minami!! (i think frill is... actually quite funny!! and when she was joking about pinning down mem-cho if she were a guy...)

i feel like because i watched everything in one go, everything became slightly muddled in my head, so it's hard to pick out which scenes stood out to me the most!! i did like how the story unravelled – i thought it was pretty neat and slick, and as i was watching, i didn't really notice any loose plot lines or anything... (yes, maybe everyone coming to the rescue of akane was a little too feel-good perhaps, but i did like that... it was cute.)

mem-cho, kana and ruby actually formed a pretty cute trio!! i thought it was funny how the guy with the stubble was like, no one can replace b komachi and then became a super fan who went to their solo concerts... and yes, all three of them are absolute stars!! they are so cute!!! and aqua showing up and going crazy with all three light sticks?? that was pretty sweet.

(on that note... i don't know who i prefer – akane and aqua, or kana and aqua... i might say kana and aqua because aqua can just be... himself?? and when he thought of his happy memories... he mostly thought of kana... but when akane came to comfort him, and figured out his backstory (well, almost... sans the doctor bit), it was pretty sweet.)

i think akane is also such a fascinating actor!! seeing that scene where she basically figured ai out and transformed herself into her to such a creepy degree that aqua found himself confused... that was SO EERIE BUT COOL!!!! and how she filled in the backstory of... ai having a secret child, being exposed to sexual relations early, almost childlike tendencies that are tad too juvenile, etc. etc. – extremely fascinating.

i also think ruby is adorable!!! i think it's interesting how differently aqua and ruby respond to trauma. (suguru and satoru, anyone? okay, i'll stop... not as applicable here.) her drive and passion is extremely admirable. and with sarina's story... and baby ruby struggling to stand up only for ai to help her... my god, how heartbreaking...

i... i have a soft spot for kana because i can see some of myself reflected in her. i also think the idea of achieving a high point in your life and then moving on from that is... pretty interesting. like what do you do if you can never achieve that height again?? you were the big fish before but now you wound up in a pond where... no one cares about that anymore?? i think it's pretty admirable how she had the strength to try out something new and become an idol even though it's so easy to regress into the shadows, not wanting to embarrass yourself yet again. and kana being scared of the stage because she is not alone?? that makes so much sense but that also makes her such a kind-hearted girl...

i also enjoyed the storyline with the manga author and tokyo blade!! firstly, for a manga within a manga/anime... that's... a pretty cool story!! i wouldn't mind watching tokyo blade myself!! but... also i thought it was interesting how they showed the behind the scenes of that world... with the manga creator of tokyo blade, firstly, being so goddamn young!! twenty-two?? (and what am i doing with my life?? lying on the couch outside in the sun while my dog rests by my feet procrastinating on my work because i am perpetually indecisive??)

i thought it was interesting how they balanced her arrogance and her diligence... she is not necessarily likeable and... that's okay. i kind of like that they made her into a little bit of a... freak. (look, if i was at that restaurant, going to the bathroom, and coming out of my cubicle to witness this... being use two toothbrushes to brush their teeth while spitting into the sink, i'd be super grossed out.) i liked the dynamic between her and her sensei, though, and how she was adorably shy back then and had so much respect for her sensei... that was cute. and her desire to branch out and speak to many people being reflected in her manga... that was... pretty sad, i must admit. (but then again, that was... a little bit of projection going on from her sensei, no? i mean, i wouldn't say all my writing is necessarily reflective of me, no? it was a little... presumptive, and based on her assumptions since she... thinks her former pupil is a little... weird.)

the issue of translating manga into scripts is... fascinating. i thought it was interesting when goa spoke of how if it goes badly, the scriptwriter is blamed, but if it goes well, then the manga author is praised... that is true!!! it does go like that!!

the manga creator being a little bit of a creative tyrant from her astronomical success and the past trauma of seeing her favourite manga by her favourite sensei get butchered by bad acting... that all makes sense!! it's a compelling insider take on what it means to adapt works and i really enjoyed seeing it play out on screen and thinking about it! (and besides, so many things nowadays get adapted from medium to medium, it's a pretty nuanced take on a very contemporary issue!)

in terms of kana vs akane rivalry, i think it's pretty fun seeing them... go all out with their acting, you know? i also kind of liked the friendship between the super talented guy taiki and kana! when they were acting out that fighting scene... it was super fun!! really enjoyed it!!! (plus.. the point about adding stimulation to the theatre troupe in the form of external actors – that's pretty interesting!!)

(i also thought it was interesting how aqua extricated himself from the talent competition.)

on aqua, though...

the fact that he felt like his identity as aqua and as the doctor was merging was pretty interesting. i'm still not sure whether he's a super likeable character in my mind. he's compelling, sure. he's supportive of his sister and kana...

i just wonder if seeing ai murdered in front of his eyes was the key reason as to why his trauma response was so different from that of sarina, aside from the obvious personality differences.

i kind of wonder who ai is to him. does he really see her as his mother? i just wonder what it would be like for a highly educated guy to be transported into the body of an infant and being unable to do anything but watch as a girl much younger than you acts as your mother. THAT IS INSANE. (also, how'd he... learn how to speak?? did he retain those memories and the sounds came out instantly... or was the speaking apparatus of his child body so infantile that he had to go about it via... trial and error.)

but when he stopped ruby from pursuing her dreams by arranging that call/sending message from her phone... (i mean, he did 'let' her become an idol in the end, but still...)

(but then again, it's kind of similar to adults (more of an extreme manifestation, i guess) who softly discourage people from pursuing such careers unless their talents seem to be... almost supernatural. like i was discouraged from acting, which, upon reflection, makes sense as there were two girls in my class for whom the star of acting talent shone much brighter.)

my takeaway thought from this series was this – by leaning into absurdity and taking on a premise which seems absolutely bizarre at first glance, it was able to produce a highly nuanced and intelligent account of what it means to work in the entertainment business, and what it means to interact with this business (as most of us do) at large.

i feel like if i were to learn something from this series, it would be this – perhaps, when creating, the rational side of your brain which would discourage you from exploring a scenario in which the body of a doctor is transposed into a baby needs to be subdued as that supernatural element ended up being an appropriate vehicle in creating a broader, fascinating account that functions as a window into the world of japanese (and not just... japanese) entertainment.

i must admit – i enjoyed it so much, i got a little sad when i realised that season two was still in progress!! i wanted to binge it all!!! :))) (but, on the other hand, it allows me to think about this story for a little longer...)

thank you for recommending it!! (and apologies for my very, very, very long ramble.)

(side note – i tried checking out the fate series, but i got a little confused in terms of the watch order?? there are so many!!! and different websites say different things in terms of how you should go about watching it...)

if you have any other recommendations as to what to watch, i'd more than welcome them!! <33

hi my dearest little anon!! 🥹 tysm for the ask hehe, this was sm fun to read through!!!

first of all!!! you are soooo so welcome, it was really my pleasure!!!!! 🥺🥺 i’m so excited to properly respond to all your thoughts hehe

YOU’RE SO REAL FOR QUESTIONING WIND BREAKER’S SCHOOL SYSTEM 😭😭😭 their education is in SHAMBLES. BUT YESSS ume is such a lovely character (ABSOLUTELY bf material), and togame + choji were for sure my favorites!!!! their dynamic and story was the highlight of the season for me :33 HE’S HIS SUN…. it really did feel like a confession lol. AND SUOOO I LOVE HIM AS WELL. it’s crazy you mention that anon because i also thought of sugu when i saw him…. he’s so polite but his fighting style is so . raw? in a way? the hint of cruelty/psychological humiliation is also sooo tasty to me. i love smiley boys who are a tiny bit mean <3

and romantic killer!!!!! aaaaa it was the same for me anon, i watched it on a whim but got so addicted 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 ANZU IS SOOOO LOVELY AND SO RELATABLE. and i get you anon!!!! dating isn’t everything!!!!! i love the emphasis the show put on platonic relationships — even though i know it’s not canon, i do see anzu as aroace!! and either way it’s just refreshing to have a shoujo that shows how strong and meaningful relationships can be, whether they’re romantic or not. tsukasa’s and anzu’s relationship ended up as one of my favorites because they’re just…. so wholesome. and sweet. they care for each other sm!!!!! hijiri was my least fav of the guys too but i did think he was cute :3 TSUKASA’S STALKER WAS SOOO SCARY i’m so glad that plotline was treated with the care it deserves!!!

AHHHHH so gekkan shoujo was a fail……. THAT’S OKAY ANONNN ik it’s not everyone’s cup of tea!!! :’3 it was a while since i watched it too….. did you watch the sub or dub?? the dub is funnier imo!!!! but. again… it’s been a while…… MIKORIN IS SOOOO CUTE THOUGH I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKED HIM 🥺🥺 my baby!! my special little guy!!!!!

NOWWWWWWW <3333 OSHI NO KO TIME. I’M SOOOOOO HAPPY YOU LIKED THIS ONE ANON I WAS SO HOPING YOU WOULD 🥹🥹🥹 it’s the perfect mix of dark + gorgeous + entertaining, right???? it has it all!!!!! THE OPS AND EDS ARE SOOOOO GORGEOUS i loved s1’s songs but i’ve also gotten super attached to s2’s……

BUT YES I TOTALLYYY GET YOU. i think jjk has spoiled me a little because i find it just a teeny bit difficult to get into anime that are lacking in that area :’3 WHICH IS PERFECT BECAUSE OSHI NO KO IS SOOOO GORGEOUS. so so pretty. ESPECIALLY AI OHHH MY GOD ANON ISN’T SHE ADORABLE?? 🥺🥺🥺 our beloved idol-sama………. the star eyes are soooo beautifully animated, seeing the light leave them when she dies was . so genuinely horrifying lmao. AND YES YES YOU GET ITTTTT ai haunting the narrative!!!!!! i loved how they handled episode 1 so much….. her final ”i love you” made me. cry 😭 it still makes me cry when i watch it.

and i totally get you on the escapism!!!! jjk is just like that for me too!!!!! and yeah, i have . many theories on gorou (the doctor) and his attachment to ai!!!! how it’s connected to his own life but also his fixation on sarina…… i can’t wait to read the manga :3c

AHHH YOU’RE SO REAL FOR LOVING THE GIRLS 🥺🥺🥺 they’re all soso lovely!!!!! designs, personalities, and all!!!!!!! i hope ruby gets more spotlight in s3 because it does feel a little like s2 is aqua’s…… and i love aqua but i’m also sooo invested in ruby and her idol journey :’3 HER GROUP IS SO CUTEE. AND AS FOR THE SHIPS…… i’ll be so honest anon i think both akane and kana are too good for him LMAO. or more like i just don’t see him treating them as well as they deserve with his whole…. revenge plot going on. lmao. but overall i prefer kana as a character!!! i like kana a lot, and i think she’s so interesting and eerie like you mentioned, but kana feels so . real and grounded to me. i have a big soft spot for her too!!! AND RUBYYYY MY ANGEL. she’s so cute and so so strong, moving on with her life even after ai’s death….

THE TOKYO BLADE ARC IS SOOOOO GOOD. i totally agree!!!! i love the way all characters have been handled, they all just care about the story being told :’3 both abiko and goa!!!! the recent episode where they interact and praise each other was so precious…..

BUT YES . AQUA . oh my goddddd he makes me so insane anon…….. i have so many thoughts of him and his identity because i do think it’s so fractured. i think aqua views ai as his mother, but not gorou. their dynamic is so interesting because ai is like….. his mother, his child, and his love interest all in one, as twisted as it sounds. i do think his love for her is platonic but he himself is unsure about it and i think that adds a lot of depth to it all!!! ai is like the center of his universe….. but yeah, i don’t see him as super likeable, which is . Why i like him LMAO…. i like them a little sick in the head <333 he’s definitely a very flawed character. his attempts to control ruby show that much, even if he’s doing it because he cares…

but!!! yes!!!!! i definitely agree with you on that last point, it’s a really wacky premise that ended up as a super thoughtful exploration of the entertainment industry :3 this is just my own take, and like i said — i haven’t read the manga — but!!! i do feel like the main theme is the exploitation of children. and i wonder how that’s going to come back later in the story. i feel like that’s what everything is sort of building up to, with ai’s abuse and pregnancy, sarina’s death, aqua’s trauma… and so on.

thank you sm for checking the series out anon!!! i’m so happy you enjoyed it so much!!!! i’m always, always here in case you wanna chat abt it <333

AS FOR THE FATE SERIES. i should’ve warned you, it’s a very ……. long series with a lot of different games and manga and anime, but the right place to start is always fate/stay night 🫡🫡 the different fates aren’t connected to each other (fate/zero and fate/stay night are connected though…), so don’t worry about watching them all!! fate/stay night: unlimited bladeworks is more than enough. and if you enjoy that, you can move on to the heaven’s feel trilogy, which is…. a different, darker route the protagonist takes. stay night in general is super good!!!! i hope you enjoy it if you give it a try :3 the fate series in general probably has my favorite writing…. ever? but it might not be for everyone. the characters and dynamics are what really make it shine!!! with some super good fights <333