#that totally enhance the rewatch

[buggachat]

this shot in season 3 ikari gozen of tomoe deciding that kagami can make her own decisions....

i... wow. yeah. i.... yeah.

[feverish-dove]

Hiihihi

I just wanted to say I really liked the way you wrote Senku!!! :3 and I was wondering if you had any more thoughts on the guy. Headcannons, or quite literally anything. Truthfully, I just wanna hear you yap about him. (Hes an Obsession 💔) Full liberty to write whatever that comes to your mind!!!

(and I completely understand if you don't. Just wanted to let you know how much I liked your thoughts on him :))

Senku Headcanons

Holy shit i'm sorry this took so long. It was not my intention to leave y'all hanging for so long. Especially for an ask when I said my inbox was open. Life's been crazy but that's no excuse. Also really weird question but I ended up making myself a Seto Kaiba (yes from Yu-gi-oh!) multipart fic as a birthday gift to me. lmk if anyone is interested in me publishing it lol. One more thing like two other people tagged me in a song trend and I swear I'll get to it too! I just don't know who to tag next haha. Senku Ishigami x Reader warnings: minor spoilers but they're not really important word count: 2,064 not cross posted on any other platform

Pre-Petrification

Y’all probably started out as classmates who argued about your specific hyperfixation interest lmao.

He noticed you because you challenged him—not emotionally, but intellectually. Most people couldn’t keep up, but you corrected him and were right. (You were NOT playing. It was more than likely something stupid like FNAF.)

He totally pretended he wasn’t interested at first. Played it cool, but Taiju saw the way Senku looked at you when you talked about your interests.

Homeboy wants to learn everything about everything. Hence his sudden bugging about your knowledge on a topic he isn’t fully educated on.

You both stayed after school often—him for his experiments, you for your own interests. Eventually, you started hanging out by accident more often than not.

He offered you coffee from a vending machine one day and casually said, “It’s statistically proven that shared caffeine intake boosts cognitive synergy.” You think that was his weird way of flirting.

The first time you called him out for overworking, he smirked and said, “Tch. Worrying about me already?” You replied, “Obviously.”

He confessed in a weirdly clinical way: “I’ve run the numbers. Being with you would significantly enhance my quality of life. Wanna test that theory together?” (Listen I know this sounds lame but go rewatch the first episode I promise you he talked like this T^T second hand embarrassment rewatch.)

You said yes in the most nonchalant way possible. By jumping up and down.

Taiju had no idea this was coming.

Yuzuriha knew this was coming.

He wasn’t very physically affectionate at first—he’d tap your hand when passing notes or adjust your collar like it was nothing, but it meant everything.

You helped him with a big experiment once, and he added your name to the credits. You argued that Taiju did way more work, so he should get the credit! Taiju just laughed you off.

Senku just wanted your name written next to his permanently. He published the document so you’ll be metaphorically stuck with him forever since nothing truly gets erased once it’s on the internet. Unless of course humanity was going to turn into stone but what's the likelihood of that?

Your first kiss wasn’t planned. You were mid-argument about the stupidest possible thing you could think of, and he just leaned in and kissed you to shut you up. “There. Now can we get back to the part where I’m right?” This just caused the fight to escalate because him, ‘right?’ Who does he think he is? You were totally winning!

He starts explaining things differently to you—not because he thinks you don’t get it, but because he enjoys seeing your reactions.

This is also how y’all became known as that couple who is always on facetime instead of just calling one another. (I get it, I too watch those gacha reaction videos at my grown age.)

When the petrification hit, he was thinking about you. Not in a romantic way like Taiju did with Yuzuriha, but instead in a, “it’s been about 1,245 years so far so they should be at ‘x’ coordinates because they were at ‘y’ when the beam hit.” “Clothing needs to take higher priority than initial calculations. They might not be comfortable being naked in the wild, extreme scenario or not.” Etc.

Stone World

Senku doesn’t realize he likes you right away. He’s hyper focused on survival, but you keep showing up to help—always curious, always sharp.

You challenge his ideas, not to be rude, but to push him further. That’s what gets his attention.

One day you show up with materials he didn’t ask for but desperately needed. He stares at you and says, “…You’re terrifyingly efficient. I like that.”

When you’re injured, he freaks out silently. He’s cold and efficient treating the wound, but he doesn’t sleep that night.

He builds you your own workstation so you can tinker with him. No one else gets one. Chrome whines because yuo don’t even use it half the time!

Gen teases him constantly. “Senku, your little lab assistant’s got you all flustered—should I schedule the wedding, or…?”

He confesses in the least romantic way possible: “I don’t believe in fate, but statistically, I’d rather build civilization with you than without you.” You had no idea it was a confession until he later refers to you as his girlfriend. It’s as much of a shock to you as it is the rest of the villagers.

You tried to kiss his cheek for sharing the cotton candy with Homura. Instead you ended up kissing his lips by accident. Your first kiss tastes like mineral water and burnt sugar from failed wire experiments.

Senku tries to pretend nothing changed after you get together, but he starts letting you touch his stuff. That’s a big deal. The village only has so much material to come by, after all.

You once called him “handsome” absentmindedly. He froze mid-step, dropped his charcoal pencil, and never brought it up again. But he remembers.

You’re the only one allowed to sit on his lap while he sketches blueprints. Sometimes he forgets you’re there until you shuffle. (Note: this does not work when he gets the invention idea at first. He gets too excited and wiggles too much. It’s only for refinement.)

Speaking of notes, congratulations, your new status as being around Senku 24/7 means you’re the official Note Taker of the new world! Title Pending.

“bUt FeVeR, dOn’T tHeY aLrEaDy HaVe A rEpOrTeR?” Shut up, I said what I said. You’re more recording data and experiments to make the first books and logs rather than make a record of history. Your beloved boyfriend is the one who gave you this task because he hates you. Jk. It’s because he doesn’t have enough hands to write everything down and conduct experiments at the same time so you have to do it for him.

Speaking of which, Senku is a certified yapper. Don’t let his nonchalant persona trick you, he’s anything but chill. If you also go off on tangents Gen is probably the one forced to break you both out of your excitement… again. (Listen they tried Chrome but he just joined in and Kohaku will not hesitate to beat both your asses so Gen it is. Poor guy lol.)

He’s not big on traditional affection, is what a liar will tell you. If anything you’re the one less prone to PDA. Now I say this but it comes with terms and conditions. Senku’s a busy guy, he likes to use his mouth–hold up–for giving instructions. So kisses are more rare. He also needs his hands for crafting, writing, just about anything really. So while he does like hand holding it’s a bit harder to get to. Which leaves y’all mostly just leaning against each other to show affection.

He does cuddle though. If it’s hot he’ll complain but that’s just because he likes to run his smart-ass mouth.

The villagers think you’re married already because you’re always beside him. And caveman laws. Senku won’t correct them.

Bonus: one day, he casually hands you something shiny and says, “This alloy’s rare. Only made it for one person.” That’s how you get your engagement ring—made from meteorite metal.

General

He’s incredibly observant, even when he seems distracted. If you so much as wince from a splinter, he’s already pulling out tweezers and homemade antiseptic.

Pet names are rare, but he sometimes calls you “Einstein,” “my lab partner,” or “miracle cure,” depending on his mood and what you’ve helped him with.

He won’t say “I love you” often, but he builds entire systems and tools just to make your life easier. That’s his way of saying it.

He builds you a custom gadget that only you can use. It’s completely unnecessary in the most loving way possible. Might even make it so on purpose just so you think of him, even if it is because of annoyance. Little shit.

Senku teaches you science constantly, even when you’re just trying to nap. He says knowledge is the ultimate gift. You say he is. He says you’re trying to distract him. You were.

When he works too hard and skips meals, you force-feed him ramen. He grumbles, but later admits you’re the only one who can make him willingly slow down.

You’re the only one allowed to mess with his hair. He pretends to complain but leans into your touch when you pull it back or wash it. Lives for your head scratches. Me too girl, me too.

He keeps small souvenirs of you in his lab coat—notes, dried flowers, a tiny bead you once gave him—and says it’s “just sentimental chemical bonding.”

Cuddles aren’t rare, but when he crashes from exhaustion, he clings like a koala and refuses to let go until morning.

He blushes like mad if you kiss him in public, but not because he’s shy—it’s because his brain short-circuits with affection.

If you get sick, he goes overboard researching herbal and chemical remedies, refuses to sleep until you’re better. Gets sick afterwards.

He gets quietly jealous when others impress you—then doubles down on his own projects to one-up them.

He lets you be the first to see every new invention, no matter how trivial. Your reaction matters more than the scientific community’s.

He absolutely remembers every important date (your birthday, anniversary, the first time you kissed). He’ll never make a big show of it, is the first lie he ever tells you.

If you’re sad, he gives you rocks that glow in the dark, handmade magnets, or funny contraptions to make you smile. Shiny rock theory anyone?

You once joked you wanted a robot. He built you one. It only says one phrase: “Senku says drink water.” Because he’s a petty asshole and you wouldn’t have passed out on the track field if you just listened to him! (Really trying to think of a Mecha Senku joke but I can’t. All I got is clang, bang, bang.)

He respects your boundaries like a contractual agreement. If you say “no,” he steps back 10 paces and documents your preferences for future reference.

You’re the only one allowed to tease him without being hit with a snarky comeback. He just smirks and says, “Tch. Fine. You win this one.”

Any inventions that might mildly convenience your life he will 100% make extra just for you. Like when he made a hair conditioner. (Shameless plug here, y’all should read my ‘Sun Kissed Science’ because it’s about him inventing sunscreen for you.)

If you cry, he freezes up, then offers you logical comfort “It’s a temporary emotional spike, we’ll regulate the cortisol levels.” Yes he does get better about this if it’s after petrification.

He teaches you math with rocks and sticks, and you somehow end up loving it because he makes it sound like magic. (That one Tumblr post that’s like “I told him to teach me about physics the same way he talks about poetry.” Or something idk I can’t remember.)

If anyone flirts with you, Senku swoops in with cold facts that thoroughly humiliate them. “You do know flirting with someone in a committed relationship is statistically foolish, right?”

When he’s working late, he lets you fall asleep in his lab, covering you with his jacket without waking you.

He grins like a devil when you match his sarcasm. He’s met his chaos equal and loves it.

He has a specific notebook labeled with your name. It contains sketches, formulas inspired by you, and a list of projects to make your life easier. It’s made of leather and crappy paper and love.

Gen called you “Senku’s moon” because he claims you’re the one constant that keeps his tides in check. He only said this to Senku but you’ll never know since he’s too embarrassed. He has absolutely threatened Genw ith manual labor if he spills.

You once called him “hot” during an argument, and he nearly walked into a tree. He denies it, but Kohaku saw.

When the two of you argue, it turns into a debate show. People bring snacks. You both win.

He secretly carved your initials into a spot behind the observatory, visible only when the sun sets just right.

He doesn’t believe in fate, but when you touch him, he swears his neurons fire in patterns he can’t explain—and that’s saying something.

@mylostleftfootsock im so sorry for the wait!

[whenwewasfag]

It gets better // Five Hargreaves x sick!reader

Summary: Five Hargreaves x reader where reader is very sick, only from a common cold. can be read as platonic!!

Warningz: this takes place in S3. Mainly bcs I'm rewatching it rn.

Note: rushing to get this done before I'm not sick anymore :/ divider by @enchanthings

It gets better - AlicebanD

you've been sick for almost a week now, which, for you, was odd. You were one of the members of the sparrow academy who had survived fighting with the umbrellas. Due to your powers being similar to Five's and rather useful to the group, the umbrellas decided (with some disagreeing) that you should stay with them.

you had been with them for only a few months now, which allowed some of the siblings to get to know you. You were on decent terms with most of them, and were more friendly, suprisingly, with Five; the oldest who appeared youngest. He would spend more time with you because he knew you had a time-related power like his, and thought of the potential that you could somehow, some way, fix up the kugelblitz.

now, in these few months you'd gone out to check up on your siblings once or twice, with Sloane or one of the Umbrellas always trying to talk you out of it. Those times, and the times when five would drag you out of the hotel on some mission were the only times that you even left the Hotel. And yet somehow, you had come down with a cold. A bad cold.

it had you sick for nearly a week now, and it didn't seem to be letting up in the slightest. This was unusual to the members of the umbrella academy, as they didn't get I'll very often. And even as a sparrow, the case was the same for you; And in spite of this, you couldn't seem to get any better.

Out of all the people you were staying with, five seemed to be the most worried about you in your current state. You wondered if it was because he saw you as his way home, or if he was using you in any way. Typically he would never act the way he was right now. He was completely out of sorts, hardly getting any sleep and constantly freting over you, making sure that you had any medicine you needed to get better.

All of his siblings were beyond surprised at his behavior, they didn't really know how to receive the way he's been acting. He's giving you almost round the clock attention and care. When he isnt checking up on you or refilling your glass of water or finding painkillers or preparing food for you, he is likely hard at work, brainstorming more ways to help you feel better. This was completely out of character for the typically stone cold boy who was sarcastic towards others at best. But to be caring and doting almost like a mother hen? What have you done to him?

But he couldn't help it. It was in his nature to try to find solutions to things that needed solving. But above all that, he was worried sick for you. And Five seemed to find himself caring about you in a genuine way that he expressed naturally, even more than he did with his siblings. Five had only known you for a few months, but had come to form a connection with you; the two of you bonding over your shared abilities and struggles regarding time travel.

It was due to this common ground you two had that he would develop this much care towards you. As he was tending to you, he would leave you to catch up on sleep during the nighttime and would dote on you during the day. It was during one of these nights that it happened, he finally did it! After weeks of you being bedridden under his care, five had found something that he thought would help. He wasn't totally positive about it, but it had to work this time, he thought. It was a medicine he had made himself that would enhance your power, channeling the strength from your abilities and using it to fight off the illness. It seemed like his best shot so far.

He immediately ran out of his shared bedroom, swinging the door shut before bolting to your room. In spite of the late hour, Viktor opens the door, letting his brother in while rubbing his own tired eyes. Viktor didn't need to ask why five was here, considering this had happened a time or two before, but he had never seemed to be in this much of a hurry. The boy rushed past him and over to where your bedside sat, gently shaking you awake.

"y/n, y/n" five sounded almost frantic. He knew this would work. It had to.

He shook you gently "I need you to wake up."

Your eyes slowly flutter open, and you feel the now familiar discomfort of trying to wake up when sick. Your bones ache underneath you as you do your best to prop yourself up in bed.

He passes a medicine cup in your direction as you strain to sit up.

"Take this. I made it different this time. It will help, trust me y/n."

You took it from him, taking a good swig of the medicine without question. You trusted him more than you probably should have, considering the short period of time you had known each other. But the feeling was mutual at least.

As the night passed by, you fell back into sleep, and five went back to his room, giddy with anticipation he didn't expect to have.

In spite of how many times in the past he had said the same thing to you, "it will help this time, trust me." This time, unbelievably, it seemed to actually take effect.

When you woke up the next morning, you felt refreshed in a way you had almost forgot that you could. Hell, you had been sick for so long that it almost felt strange to feel normal again.

The first thing five did when he woke up was check up on you, expecting you to still be as sick as you have been. To his surprise, you were sitting upright talking to his siblings; already awake, above all you seemed so much better than you had been. Upon seeing you, be was filled with an unexpected rush of emotions. All of his efforts, and he was finally seeing results. He had worked so hard to get you better, hardly realizing that he had grown to care more about you when tending to your needs so frequently.

Before he could think about how he would look, about it would damage his ever unwavering pride, he ran up to you. You almost jumped when he pulled you into a tight, remarkably stiff, but loving hug.

Now that he had you, he couldn't stand to lose anyone anymore. He wouldn't let it happen. And, Above all else, he was so, so thankful that you were okay.

[unhinged-domestic-raccoon]

Miraculous Rewatch Where I Overanalyze Everything: Stormy Weather

Hoo boy, this one's a doozy! I almost hit the image limit! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe this was the first episode produced, so some of the things I'm gonna talk about are gonna be early installment weirdness.

To start off, with: Alya is so good with kids and it's precious and amazing and adorable! This is one of my little fanfic note things, since I'm planning on doing a KittyBella AU, where Alya and her relationship with her family is going to be a major plot point. She is just so able to understand Manon and so caring with her, but still respects her (not just letting her win the clapping game for example). I wish this came up more in fanfic. If you have Rena Rouge on the team, I feel like she should be the best member at dealing with kids and the first to think of them and comfort them during a crisis situation. Like, to the degree that it's shocking to their teammates.

Continued under the cut:

Even though Alya is great with kids, Manon is so very attached to Marinette and I think that's so sweet, but I also wonder why that is. I mean, the obvious reason is that kids are clingy and don't like strangers and Marinette is her regular babysitter, but I do also think Manon likes how indulgent Marinette is with her. The whole "I can't say no to the babydoll eyes" thing is probably a big deal for Manon, who doesn't get a whole lot of attention from her very busy single mother. Just food for thought.

Alright everybody, place your bets now! Does Gabriel own Kidz+ and did he hire Alec specifically for this purpose? Is he actively encouraging Alec to lean into the cruel TV personality? Or is he just taking advantage of a rude person? Either way, I think that if you want to establish a proper rogues gallery for Miraculous that has more recurring baddies, Alec and Bob Roth are both great places to start. They'd absolutely willingly work with a supervillain, and I can totally see them getting akumatized multiple times.

Holy horror movie vibes Batman! This looks like something straight out of Arachnophobia! The score doesn't help at all, it's got the classic *reet reet reet* slasher violins! And the way that her umbrella doesn't turn black right away like it does in later episodes and instead slowly seeps with it! The flickering lights in the elevator that have NO explanation for happening without Gabe's influence somehow? The experience of getting akumatized was WAY scarier in this first episode, and I honestly wish they kept that vibe. It makes Hawkmoth seem a lot more threatening and a lot less silly.

This whole first season actually consists of Mothman (no I will not stop on the derogatory nicknames for Gabe) being way more outright villainous. Especially in this episode, he has extremely creepy undertones from his obsession with actual children. I'm positive this is because we didn't know he was Adrien's dad yet, so he didn't have to come off as sympathetic ever. He could just be evil. I do a love a good sympathetic and redeemable Gabe who's only doing this out of extreme grief (that's NOT what we got in the season 5 finale btw, that was just nonsense), but MAN if season 1 doesn't make me yearn for an uncomplicated Disney Renaissance Villain version of him.

Hey, why does Stormy Weather SERVE so hard?! She is doing a full on catwalk strut in this scene! This is why Aurore needs to be a more prominent background/recurring character. I know she's akumatized, but that is just SO MUCH personality! Let her be an unhinged theatre kid in more scenes please!

I do love that even when Marinette is being brave and heroic as a civilian, she does NOT have the enhanced physical capability of the Miraculous. She's not being at all clumsy in this scene, she's showing her inner Ladybug! But she also can't just jump the bench, she has to climb over it by straddling it like the rest of us regular schmucks.

Time for another Plagg highlight! I actually forgot about this running gag/character trait in season 1. Plagg is extremely lazy and never actually wants to transform. He's always either hiding or complaining when Adrien needs him. It's something that kind of disappeared with seasonal decay as the series got more complicated, which is a real shame. Not only is it funny every time, but it's also kind of important if you're going to let Plagg fulfill his TRUE role of being Adrien's mentor. Adrien already knows how to work hard and sacrifice for those he loves. He does it every day. Plagg encouraging him to be selifsh and lazy is HEALTHY for him.

Can we talk about the power level in this yo-yo? Both times, it didn't even have that much force---it just kinda accidentally fell and bopped the heroes on the head. But it's still a magical weapon, so obviously it hurts extremely bad. I'm gonna start keeping track of if civilians ever get hit with this, because I'm almost positive they do, and that's GOT to be a bigger deal than the show makes of it.

Also, we need to talk about how, even with the physical enhancements, Marinette isn't always the best at controlling her yo-yo. Before I started this rewatch, one of the things that frustrated me was that Marinette, a walking disaster in her regular life, suddenly becomes extremely physically competent as Ladybug. But I'm starting to realize that's not true. She actually struggles a lot more than Adrien does. Even in the sound design, Marinette tends to have more effort grunts when they're doing acrobatics than Adrien does. We'll get to another example in a moment!

Another stealthy hello from our favorite cat boy! He fully just climbed that fence without making a single sound! LET HIM BE SNEAKY AND CREEPY! I am BEGGING ya'll!

I'm gonna highlight these moments here to say that, for all Marinette gets annoyed with Chat's flirting (image 3), she flirts back plenty too. I didn't quite capture it in that second screenshot, but she *winks* at him when she says she'd rather he stick to the catsuit (instead of a swimsuit). During the fandom's Salt Fic Era, one of the things the salters targeted was that Chat is supposedly constantly pressuring Ladybug into a relationship even though she continually rejects him. But the joking flirting and teasing was honestly just a part of their dynamic for a long time. It just occasionally gets awkward because Chat is genuine about it while LB isn't (also LB tends to ease off when they're in the middle of serious moments while Chat continues to be goofy to lighten the mood, which irritates her and is something they should both probably work on).

I've seen a lot of discussion about whether this whole weather girl competition was rigged or not. The evidence used tends to be that Mirielle winning by half a million votes is actually bonkers and highly unlikely, and that there only seems to be merch for her and none for Aurore. While it's a fine theory, I'm not sure that second point holds water. All the Mirielle balloons and banners we see are being sold after the competition, and there are figures of Aurore around too, so it's plenty likely they just kept Aurore's merch boxed up. Also, both their faces are on this bus that she throws at the heroes:

In general, we gotta talk about how Aurore is an akuma who's fighting skills and murderous rage go really hard for someone who's supposedly just an average teen. Like, I think this is worse than the general upgrade in bloodthirstiness that comes from akumatization. It makes me wonder about what kind of issues she has in her personal life. Because even if she is just generally kind of angry and violent and there's no other reason, that's gotta make her a pain to be around.

Welcome to my personal hell where I attempt to figure out the timeline of these episodes! Stormy says that she's giving the summer forecast and canceling summer vacation in this episode, which implies to me that it's towards the end of the school year. But if we're to believe that all the episodes take place within a single year (which I've heard is canon but that I have no source for), then that can't be right because other important stuff happens after this. And it can't be during the summer vacation before the school year because it has to take place after Origins. I'm gonna go ahead and do as most of the fandom does and call BS on the "this all happens in one school year" thing. French school starts in September and ends in June or July, so I'm gonna say this episode happens sometime in May, which means it chronologically takes place after both the Bubbler and Mr. Pigeon. I'm also going to guess that Mr. Pigeon takes place after the Bubbler.

By the way, shoutout to these poor firemen who keep valiantly attempting to cut Alya and Manon free from their ice cube! I like when the civilians aren't just useless targets to get hit by the akuma and are actually attempting to help and keep themselves and everyone around them safe.

EEEEEWWW why is his voice clip for using cataclysm different in this episode? I mean, it's probably the same in French, but my guess is that they redubbed the English clip after this episode, because it sounds like he was going to say another word here and then got cut off (also he just sounds better in French anyway).

Chat Noir is so cool you guys. This is what I meant when I said that Marinette tends to struggle with the physical side of heroism in a way that Adrien doesn't, because he is more physically inclined than she is. Chat is capable of effortlessly dodging around all of Stormy's rapid-fire shots and doing complex acrobatics to cataclysm the billboard. It's just extremely impressive. This rewatch is making me remember how much I love most of the fight scenes! They're just so cool!

Here we see an extremely rare instance of Tikki encouraging Marinette to shirk her responsibilities in exchange for fun! She says Mari has totally earned the treat after saving the whole city, which I think is at odds with later seasons Tikki who tends to big on personal suffering for the greater good. Gonna have to see if this is a one-off, a case of seasonal change in character, or if I'm misremembering the later seasons.

That photographer is absolutely correct in adding Manon to the scene. I would be absolutely cooing over a magazine cover that had a teen model posing with an adorable little girl. I would not give a darn if it was a teenage model with a teenage girl. Sorry Marinette, the professional knows his stuff.

[itsaspectrumcomic]

Hello :),

[EDIT: This is a super long asks, sorry about that 😭. I‘m just very unsure of this whole topic and I tend to ramble when I‘m nervous.] I‘ve been following your little comics for a while now (and always thought "ah, I do have a few symptoms but I‘m surely not autistic, I‘m not that extreme") aaaaaaand it turns out I may have it! At least every single test I did (which were a lot with a few months in between) resulted in a high percentage and I‘m actively looking for a therapist to get an official diagnosis- but that‘s not the point I‘m trying to get to, sorry I‘m rambling a bit.

Ahem I‘m still pretty new in this autism… community? Can one call it like that? And I constantly doubt my self-diagnosis and stuff, especially because I have trouble finding out if something is a special interest or just a hobby. Recently, I saw one of your comics in which you mentioned books would be a special interest of yours (or have been in the past). Is that really a thing? I‘ve had a phase where multiple people told me I was addicted to books because I just couldn‘t stop reading/rambling. Whenever I had the time I read, and that is not an exaggeration, I read from morning to evening. Over the years, I started analyzing the books, making up my own stories and getting into writing. Now (which means in the last seven months) my… hobby has changed to (over) analyzing every aspect of a specific show I‘ve watched, and how every tool (animation, camera work, music etc.) was used to enhance the story. I literally can‘t just… not talk about it. It‘s agonizing to talk about other topics, although it has somewhat gone better over course of the last couple of months. And the worst is that the show‘s second season was a total writing disaster and I can‘t stop thinking about it, to the point that I kind of want to slam my head in the wall just to get it out and focus on idk. My English exam or smth. It went so far that I actually started my own rewrite because it bugs me so much how the writing changed and-

I‘m stopping here. Sorry again I‘m also a bit sleepy rn, so my brain is not working correctly. What I‘m actually asking is: does that sound like a hyperfixation? Because every website so far has told me autism means obsessing over niche topics, but writing and books are pretty mainstream, right?

Oh and how the heck am I supposed to know what is neurotypical and what’s autistic?? Because ever since I started researching, I keep catching myself doing stuff like rearranging spoons so the comfortable spoons are on top, or keeping tissues in my pockets to rip them when stressed, but isn’t that normal? Everyone wants to have the comfortable spoons on top, right? Right??

All I‘m saying is… I’m confused. And nervous. And constantly doubt myself. Your comic made me think that maybe some of the self-doubt wasn‘t as warranted because special interests don‘t have to be super… special?

Yeah and I really like your comics byeee :).

Hello, I'm glad you like my comics! :)

Anything can be a special interest! It doesn't matter if it's considered mainstream or a lot of other people like it too, and it doesn't have to be 'strange' or 'niche'. If you are intensely focused on a subject, activity, piece of media etc, spend a lot of time thinking about it, learning about it, talking about it, and get a lot of joy out of it, that counts as a special interest. The difference is the intensity.

For example, a neurotypical person might like Marvel shows, enjoy watching them and chatting about them with friends and maybe own some fandom related merch or occasionally write fanfics, whereas an autistic person with Marvel as a special interest might rewatch them over and over, have dialogue memorised, want to collect every figurine, write about and analyse it, know trivia about the production and the comics etc.

(This is a generalisation btw - a person can be obsessed with something without being autistic, they'd need to have other traits too. And you don't have to know absolutely everything about a subject for it to be a special interest.)

All that to say yes, if you have an intense interest in books, reading them, writing them, analysing them, then it definitely counts! Same goes for your show :)

If you relate to that and other autistic traits, you are welcome to consider yourself part of the autistic community.

(Btw, I think most neurotypical people don't really think about whether the most comfortable spoon is on top. I think they just put the spoons in the draw and move on to something else.)

[naomijoestar]

⋆.ೃ JJBA SCENARIOS ࿔*:･

Masterlist here <3

genre: comedy, op bored out of their mind :p

warnings: cringeworthy

characters: giorno, bucciarati, abbacchio, mista, narancia, fugo, trish

notes: GN!s/o reader // guys. i have been working for uni all day long and i decided to rewatch dbz cause i love it so much and i got this idea😭 if you couldn’t tell im tired and need a nap but oh well. please enjoy because i was giggling while writing this :p (also if this isn’t a dead giveaway im genuinely running out of ideas so please if you have any requests go ahead and request them <33)

How each passione member would react to walking in on their partner trying to become a super saiyan

Giorno Giovanna

Giorno would stare at you with his usual calm, composed look as you scream and power up, completely unfazed. “I see,” he’d say in his serene voice, nodding like it all makes perfect sense. After watching you struggle for a while, he’d gently place his hand on your shoulder and, in complete seriousness, whisper, “Perhaps… you need more sunlight. The energy of the sun enhances all living beings.” He’d leave you standing there, making you wonder if he’s genuinely trying to help or just messing with you in his weird, Giorno way.

Bruno Bucciarati

Bruno would walk in on you mid-scream, furrow his brow, and pause. “Are you… trying to ascend to another level of power?” he’d ask, a bit confused but respectful. After you explain that you’re trying to become a Super Saiyan, Bruno would respond with the utmost sincerity: “I admire your dedication. Let’s talk strategy.” He’d actually help you devise a plan, suggesting you train your mind and body further. “I’ll unzip you to another location, where no one will disturb your transformation.” Bruno’s all in, even if he has no clue what’s happening.

Leone Abbacchio

Abbacchio would give you the coldest stare possible. “What in the actual hell are you doing?” he’d say, arms crossed, already annoyed. As you explain, he’d roll his eyes dramatically. “Great. My partner’s an idiot.” But as you keep powering up, Abbacchio would mutter sarcastically, “Oh sure, scream louder, maybe then you’ll magically grow blond hair and start flying. That’s totally how it works.” Despite his grumpiness, he might secretly be watching out of the corner of his eye, half expecting something bizarre to happen (get it? jojos bizarre adventure? its only jojo logic).

Guido Mista

Mista would be all about this. “Yo, you’re going Super Saiyan? I’ve always wanted to try that!” He’d immediately start powering up alongside you, screaming at the top of his lungs with a huge grin. “C’mon, louder! We can do this together!” The Pistols would join in too, floating around you and shouting “GO! GO! GO!” at the top of their tiny voices. Eventually, both you and Mista would collapse on the floor, laughing hysterically, neither of you anywhere close to transforming but still having the time of your lives.

Narancia Ghirga

Narancia would be your biggest hype man. “YES! YOU GOT THIS! YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!” He’d absolutely believe you could become a Super Saiyan and would be jumping around excitedly. “Do the thing! Do the thing with the hands!” He’d start doing Kamehameha poses, thinking that might help you, completely immersed in the idea that this could work. After a while, when nothing happens, he’d be confused: “Wait, why isn’t it working? Shouldn’t you be glowing by now?” He’d start blaming himself, like, “Was I not cheering loud enough?!”

Pannacotta Fugo

Fugo would just stare at you, deadpan, like, “Are you seriously doing this right now?” He’d probably start lecturing you about how this isn’t how physics works and how it’s scientifically impossible to become a Super Saiyan. “This is not anime, this is real life!” he’d yell, facepalming. But when you keep going, he’d lose his patience and just scream, “FINE! Keep screaming until you pass out! I don’t care!” He’d storm off, but not before mumbling something about how he’d be there to catch you if you faint.

Trish Una

Trish would watch you for about five seconds before sighing and pulling out her phone. “Okay, I’ll record this for… scientific purposes,” she’d say, clearly mocking you but also finding it weirdly entertaining. As you scream, she’d say, “Wow, you’re really giving this your all, huh? Should I start calling you Goku now?” By the end of it, she’d post the video with a caption like, My partner is trying to go Super Saiyan… someone help. But she’d also make sure you didn’t actually hurt yourself and offer you water because she’s low-key concerned about you overheating.

please give me requests im losing my mind over here

[paigemathews]

So I just finished rewatching Hocus Pocus (bc I'm planning on reading Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel and wanted to refresh my memory) and honestly, this movie works really well in the Charmed verse?

The strongest point is that the Sanderson sisters are totally evil witches. They betray the Wiccan Rede but don't steal powers, so they remain witches rather than warlocks. They each have a dominant magical power like most witches in the series do. (Winifred has electrokinesis, obviously. Mary has an enhanced sense of smell, which. proof that they're not warlocks bc what power is that to steal? I initially thought that Sarah's was suggestion, but it's actually enhanced allure or luring like the Siren and Darla the succubus.)

Their book, which would technically be a grimoire, has similar magical protections and abilities like the Halliwells' Book of Shadows. Whenever the sisters mention their mother, it's implied that she was also a witch who passed her magic and knowledge on. (You could even theorize that she was a good witch which is why the sisters keep calling their book Book bc of habit from when it was a Book of Shadows.)

Instead of being responsible for their powers or something, they could've made a deal to serve someone who went by the Devil moniker or the master for more power/immortality, especially since Winnie seems to be able to use necromancy like a demonic alchemist.

Additionally, Thackery, while not technically a familiar, may have been acting as one anyways because of his curse. If he interacted with other familiars (such as Kit/Katrina), that might help explain how he learned more about magic in the meantime.

I also have always loved the idea that Allison is actually a witch. There's the way that she's called a "good little white witch" at point in the film, which is admittedly loose evidence but great inspiration. Her mother apparently worked at the Sanderson sisters museum, but it's also been closed down for seemingly quite a while with the amount of dust and cobwebs, so why would she be so familiar with it? It could be a situation similar to Paige's storytime where her mother tells her about it to prepare her in case. Allison's family could be witches guarding the book and candle to keep it from falling into evil witches' hands.

Allison may have not been told that she was a witch bc of the possibility of it skipping generations in her family, but she was still taught that would be relevant. If she did develop a power, I'm actually partial to intuition because a) she sensed something was wrong before they knew that the witches were back which is why they grabbed the salt in the first place and b) she seemed to know that Max was going to do something reckless to his life before he did anything. (None of this is strong evidence lmao, but it's fun.)

Dani would totally become a witch practioner after finding out about it. I don't think Max would, but I think he'd learn a lot about it to prepare in case anything else happened and bc Dani and Allison are into it.

But I definitely think that the film could've happened in the Charmed universe!!

[nalyra-dreaming]

I have to say that I’m so impressed with how layered the show is. I know that’s stating the obvious, but on first watch it’s so easy to just blame everything on Lestat including how things go with Claudia. He is an out and out and proud monster and does very obviously evil things. But the more I watch it the more I see that Louis is really not perfect. He weaponises so much of Lestat’s biggest fears and the power he knows he has over him. He loves Claudia but he also really uses her as a prop to replace first his lost chance at a ‘real’ life and then his lost sister. I find it fascinating too how he won’t break up with Lestat. He won’t tell him he doesn’t want him. He won’t leave him until he’s literally forced. Not that I’m blaming Louis for anything really it’s very clear why he does everything. He loved Lestat but can’t reconcile that so he turns his anger first inwards and then outwards. I guess I’m just saying that they’ve done a great job with things like Armand’s word during 2x05 and moments where we get Lestats pov through dialogue, at laying the groundwork for series three to actually track. In fact Louis really does lay out the problem in 2x08 (even if it turns out he didn’t say it to Lestat in reality) he was to blame for their problems too because he was punishing Lestat because he was sad. He does this to Armand and a lesser extent Claudia too so we can see it’s a pattern of behaviour. I do love Louis and as I said during my first watch I was totally on his side and remain there but there’s just so much gorgeous nuance now. Super clever! They are all monster and no one is blameless and it makes it so much more interesting.

This show is a masterpiece. A multi-dimensional, layered, staffed with in-universe-set-design-commentary (the books Louis reads), story-level outrageously well done enhancements of the source material, costume-design, visuals and actual text giving social and racial commentary, fused together by a - at first glance - clear if not especially easy bigger story. Only that the story then turns out to be a tale, and edited tale, misleading in places, drawing everything into question ... and yet - it is the truth, or a truth, enough... of the truth.

It is just brilliant. As a book reader I find new references on every rewatch. The tropes they try to subvert are brilliant. The little hints and patterns and behavior traps the characters fall into. The way the first seasons set already up soooooo much.

Just brilliant :)

So happy to hear you think so, too :P

[lunatheskier]

This is like my third full rewatch and it has just occurred to me that Jiaying spends the entire first couple episodes before she sends Cal away saying that he’s not one of them (inhumans). That is the biggest of big red flags because he is her husband who literally pulled her dead out of a ditch and stitched her back together and is the father of her child and may not be inhuman but he’s enhanced and a loose cannon and is one of them in some way. Also Jiaying keeps saying she doesn’t care what happens to those that Cal will hurt when he realizes he’s been abandoned on the side of the road like a puppy and that they’re not her problem and that’s fucked. The show totally keeps setting up that Jiaying is a horrible person with the wrong priorities but on first watch most of it blows past you because you sympathize with her having to make hard decisions being in charge of everyone and her loosing her family and being tortured to death.

[m1ssunderstanding]

Get Back Rewatch 55 Years On: Day Two

Paul and Ringo cabaret duo au NOW!

Their collective bitter humor about the fan mag. I think George probably appreciates Paul getting into this sort of shit with him. Even if it is only on a surface-level. A reminder that the Beatles fame journey (something that's been hellish at times for George, enough to give him PTSD and other issues for the rest of his life) has not left Paul unscathed. That Paul actually does have feelings, however buried they may be.

Could even be that the appreciation comes out in the form of "I think your beard suits you. Man." Does the tacked-on 'man' mean a sort of "no homo" type qualifier? Or is it just an added endearment. I know we don't think of George as particularly inhibited, but it was the sixties. And of course Paul loves the compliment and has no idea what to do with it.

Can you all please thank Mal as he hands you your tea next time? Not that hard, guys.

Ringo's voice is so sexy. And I love how supportive Paul and George are of this very stupid song. If either of them had written it, they'd tear it to shreds, but it's Ringo, so we laugh along and enthuse about the sentiments behind the lyrics.

The communal bitching about EMI's treatment of them. As they should.

Oh goodness, it's the "Paul has an embarrassing crush" moment from that iconic post of @jeremy-hillary-boob He totally does and you should say it. "I never used to know what it meant". It's giving "girl pretends not to know how to hold her golf club so the hot guy will touch her".

I have a theory that some of their covers ~matter~ and "What do you want to make those eyes at me for?" Is the first one for me.

Okay this look right here that John is giving Paul? Not to, like, out myself as never having experienced pure love except from my own child or anything, but the only other place I've ever seen that look is on my one-year-old's face when I come get him from his nap. So ... "A lovely little baby, John was"

"If this boy dies, you're gonna cop it." Peak older brother behavior. He's joking, but he's also deadly serious.

In love with John trying to sing out of his range. He's trying so hard, you guys.

"Everybody had a hard year. 'well, I'm not sure, actually. Put [good year]." Same, John. Isn't it always that way? Hard. And good. He's such a genius lyricist. He just captures the human condition with such specificity.

Lol at Paul correcting John on the key of his own song (yeah, yeah, gimme some truth is secretly a colab but it's still a John song)

When they put a piano in front of Paul and John's instantly like "uh-oh, red-alert my beautiful boyfriend might not get captured perfectly from every angle" vs a year and a half later when he's bitching about Paul having too much screen-time in Let it Be. Well, you were part of the problem, babe.

I love George's way of teaching his songs. Whereas Paul was shouting key changes and counts between phrases, and John doesn't even bother to give any of that information, George is just softly singing "E, to F sharp minor. E to A." Beautiful. John and Paul, take notes.

Wonder if I'll get through a day without calling Paul a whore. Probably not.

John being instantly self-effacing after suggesting that genius little let's enhancement. "My mind can blow those clouds away" is actually much more original and thought-provoking, but John just makes fun of himself. Like. Just own it. You're John fucking Lennon!

The George/Paul convo (George talking, Paul hardly flinching) is so painful actually. Because from the outside, Paul's avoidance looks so condescending and unfeeling, but avoidance feels much more like 'Shit fuck shit dodge the fight, go around, don't react, don't engage, don't start something' and i really feel for both of them.

Let John do Help for gosh sakes!

"Not bad though. Good try, that. Johnny."

The part where Paul is looking just so exhausted, and he's actually letting it show, and then he sees the camera on him and hurries and tries to do a cheeky little Beatles head-shake and smile. But then he's really just too tired (and high) and he looks away and rubs his eyes. It was like watching an old circus bear. Those poor things.

And of course John's head snapping up like a little gopher when Paul says his name

[lingeronyourhazeleyes]

thanks for your tags on that nowhere boy post! I'm so curious what your thoughts are on the movie. When did you first see it? Are you a John girl? What are your thoughts on Mimi and Julia?

aww thank you for this ask 🥰🥰 (and i'm terribly sorry, i'm gonna leave a wall of text here, cuz I just can't resist the opportunity to yap about my Beatles-related experiences and opinions xd)

first of all, i don't really get why this movie tends to get so much hate (aside from the part where John hits Paui, and i really liked your insight that it was necessary to make the subsequent hugging and crying on each other's shoulders less gay - god i hate you late 2000's), because tbh this is my favourite Beatles biopic. Aaron Taylor-Johnson captures John's whimsical spirit quite well imo and even though Thomas Brodie-Sangster wouldn't have been my first choice for Paul, he's really good at being a charming motherfucker and a lil shit at the same time :D

i think i saw it for the first time in my late teens/early 20s with my mom and her husband, but i didn't pay much attention to the details then (given that i only had a very surface level of Betales-knowledge back then). I rewatched it last November though (in the midst of a full-blown Beatles brainrot).

Am i a John girl? Huh, i guess i'm something that people around here would call a John-coded Paul girlie xd nevertheless I aspire to be a Ringo in the lives of my loved ones

And omg your last question led me very far, but I'll try to be brief (edit: i failed lol) :D so, as i read your notes, i was very surprised that it's considered an anti-Julia and pro-Mimi film (and seeing the points you have raised, now i can totally understand why). For me (even on my first viewing) it was never a Julia vs. Mimi thing. I've read it as a John vs John conflict (and this is the point where i start talking bullshit and/or total banalities. Feel free to correct me or argue with my points :D i always fancy a good argument). I've always seen him as a man with two conflicting sides: one is the whimsical, creative, free but overly emotional (consequently kinda unintegrable (i'm not sure if it's a real word lmao i hope it is :D) into modern western society) side (enabled by Julia), and the other one is the abandoned little boy who only wants to be loved, and is therefore ready (or even needs) to be controlled and steered in "the right direction" by others, hoping that they would not abandon him this way (and this side of him is fed by Mimi in a way in my opinion).

In my reading, both mother figures embodied and enabled one side of John, while actively trying to suppress or outright hurt the other side -- as, I think, John did in his own mind, constantly berating and hurting himself in the process. I thought Julia was so antagonistic (and i guess i was waaay more forgiving of her than i think an average person would be, because unfortunately in many ways her behaviour reminded me of myself), because imo society tends to frown upon overly emotional, somewhat detached and destructive, but free-spirited and creativity-enhancing behaviour, while supporting Mimi's "behave according to unspoken social rules and expectation, don't change the status quo, and suppress your emotions"-mindset, that she represented in the movie and tried to instil in John. (Seeing Mimi handle (and making John handle!!) Uncle George's death with coldness and complete suppression of emotions was just as painful and infuriating for me as the scene where Julia sent John away after all the (sometimes creepily inappropriate) lovebombing.) I have a theory that Paul was so important to John because he not only accepted but straight-up embraced (dare i say served) both sides of him. But probably i just see too much into all this xd

Sorry for the long, messy (and probably borderline meaningless) reply 🫣 i happened to have waaaaaay too many thoughts 😭😭

[cherrymagicake]

best thing about rewatching SOTUS yesterday was the yt comments section. It's so relatable that I feel I am binging with fellow fans. Obviously it's normal to watch and enjoy stuff on your own but some shows, books, movies are so special that you can't help but try to find people online who enjoy it as much as you do.

"Oh you noticed Singto bites his lips often in series and in real life? ME TOO." "Arthit gave 2 oranges to Kong and only 1 to M. I NOTICED IT TOO."

Even these inner monologues are fun.

The excitement to share what you love with others and reading what others think about that media is just the best. So even if you are just scrolling through the comments section not commenting yourself or just reading the forum discussions the experience of being a fan enhances so much. The sense of belonging you feel. The euphoria of letting out your emotions about that media out loud.

Fandoms are a blessing. You might find someone with same interest as you living on the other side of the world, sometimes not even speaking the same language as you. Yesterday I finally made a moot on twitter, I was so excited. YES GIRL LET'S SQUEAL TOGETHER.

Though yesterday was kind of toxic in the fandom, enjoying one of my fav shows with others made me realise why I became a fan and how enjoyable it is when done right. There is so much variety now a days that most times you and your friend group will be into totally different things so when you find a community online it's just beautiful.

[big-tees-and-short-skirts]

now that ive rewatched p3 as an adult i cannot believe we still have fans that believe yukari is a bitch (negative) and that junpei is only annoying and stupid. these two are some of the most developed and nuanced characters in the persona series imo and theyre introspective and mature very well throughout the story

like yukari is my new new favorite in p3 and anyone that thinks that her being 'bitchy' is a negative????? it literally enhances her for me. i fucking love her and she and junpeis friendship and struggles together are so fucking good man. even if junpei fumbles in the usual altus male character that is too comfy with his method of talking about girls, it actually feels way less bad and he actually has many other interesting story things to him that are easy to focus on instead. still insane that u still cant have a social link w him. at least p3r allows u to hang out w ur male teammates bc the actual male magician link sucks total ass and i dont even get how it fits in the theme of nihilism and death and whatnot

[lurkingshan]

Hi Shan!

I hope you're doing well and thank you for all your metas and recs. They are always such a great read!

I have realised that I am quite anxious about currently airing shows not sticking the landing (IFYLITA mostly, I only seem to care about this one recently). You may have previously written about it(?), but which dramas (BL or otherwise), do you think have the most satisfying endings?

Oh, and bonus question, do you have an ending that you approve of, was really good and all, but you would never ever rewatch it because of *too many feels*?

Hey Kat! Thanks for the ask. I totally get the fear of a bad ending, it has soured many a drama experience, and sometimes it really does take you off guard. I feel like when most dramas end I'm just happy if the ending doesn't retroactively ruin anything, let alone it actually being meaningfully good. I had to think about this for a minute, but I do think there are some dramas where the ending is so good it actually enhances the overall story and watch experience.

First, a few that I would classify as having really lovely happy endings that feel very well-earned after lots of pain and strife

My Lovely Sam Soon

This drama is a classic from 2005, and it caught me off guard with how invested I got. It's a pretty standard romcom about a quirky "fat" (*stares into the camera*) woman who gets hired by a chaebol restaurant owner. They start out adversarial before eventually falling in love, with the hero working through his surprising feelings for this woman who does not fit his image of his ideal partner and the heroine overcoming her own body image and self-esteem issues. Sounds basic, right? But something about it just works. At the end, the heroine sings a love song to her beau with her terrible singing voice while he looks on adoringly, and something about it was just so touching that I actually burst into tears.

My Mister

One of my favorite endings of any drama ever. Our heroine Ji An has been through it, and via a platonic relationship with her older boss, she gets the support she needs to turn her life around. I spent half of this drama white knuckling in fear that they would try to turn the relationship romantic, but they stayed true to the purpose of this narrative. Instead of a romance, we end with the two of them running into each other on the street after a time skip. They meet eyes, he sees that she is happy and well and they just smile gently at each other. Perfection.

The Untamed

Possibly a controversial pick, given that this is significantly altered from the novel, which has a much better resolution to the romance. But given the constraints this adaptation was under and the need to keep the relationship ambiguous for censorship reasons, I think this show did a remarkable job of getting the romance across. This ending where they meet again on a hillside, Lan Wangji calls his name, Wei Wuxian turns and we see a smile slowly light his face up is absolutely beautiful and a very romantic note to leave us on.

This second group of endings are more bittersweet resolutions, but ones I thought really added to the poignancy of the stories and made the relationships feel all the more epic

Bad Buddy

Something that always surprises me about the way people talk about BBS is they often seem to...forget that the ending is actually really fucking sad? I guess because the couple is together and still happy with each other, folks overlook the deep melancholy of the circumstances under which they are able to maintain their relationship. So let me remind you! Pat and Pran are in a long distance relationship, they are still not out to anyone but their closest friends, and they are forced to put on a charade in front of their families so everyone can carry on pretending. They are still hiding, their family relationships are irreparably altered, and we know it's a constant strain on them. It's a perfect bittersweet note to drive home the serious sacrifices they are making in the name of filial piety even as they refuse to give each other up.

Crash Landing on You

Switzerland, the true MVP of this story. Se Ri and Jung Hyeok do not have the option of simply choosing one of their home countries to live in together, and both have obligations they cannot abandon at home. And so in the end they settle for being mostly apart, taking time together in neutral territory as often as they can manage. Is it enough? No, but it's better than moving on from each other.

Goblin

This story is a tragedy and it stuck to its guns on that while also finding a way to give the characters (and the viewers) some kind of happiness to hang onto. Shin is doomed to live forever and watch Eun Tak die over and over again, but at least he also gets to meet and be with her before each death. Him meeting her again in her second life, with the looming knowledge that he will outlive her again and be left alone, is a perfect combination of joyful and mournful, very appropriate for this story.

I Promised You the Moon

One of my favorite romance endings ever, because it does what the genre rarely allows in acknowledging that the couple may not, in fact, stay together forever, and that's okay. Oh-Aew decides to take Teh back because he wants to be with him and he hopes they may be better equipped to deal with their issues in the future, not because he feels confident things will not go wrong again. In fact, he directly acknowledges that they probably will. It's a very mature resolution and a fitting end to a coming of age story.

Someday or One Day

This time travel story ends with the leads deciding to break the loop they have been living in, sacrificing their romantic relationship in the process. It's a brave and selfless choice made to protect others, and the narrative rewards them by giving them some hope of another path to each other in the future. We leave them meeting again at a different time with a significant age gap and no memory of each other, and a hope that they will find a way to each other in this new reality.

These next two kind of stand on their own as unique, as I have not seen other dramas that pull off what their endings do

The Glory

The best thing about this drama is that it's a revenge story where the revenge is fully carried out, no one is given unearned redemption, and every character gets exactly what they deserve. That probably shouldn't be revelatory, but in my experience, it is! Asian dramas love to hand out unearned redemption to villainous characters, but this drama was simply Not. Having. It. It was such a satisfying watch.

Utsukushii Kare

The ending of this one pulled off the neat trick of reframing everything that came before it, flipping the perspective so that nothing about previous events actually changed, but our understanding of what it all meant was turned on its head. This is a difficult writing trick that requires deep understanding of your characters' psychology and full command of every detail of your story, and it was incredibly impressive. It instantly turned it into one of my all-time favorites.

Bonus question: Dramas with endings that were fantastic, but that made me never want to watch again because of the feels

I had to think on this one a bit because I actually really enjoy getting into my feelings over dramas and regularly torture myself by rewatching sad shit. But I did come up with two dramas that I probably won't ever watch again for different reasons: The Red Sleeve and Secret Love Affair. With TRS, it's rooted in a specific kind of pain that I found quite brutal as a viewer: the total denial of any moment of happy catharsis, which was an intentional and appropriate choice to underline its message. This is a love story that the heroine did not want or choose, and so she never gives in and embraces it, and neither can we. The show refuses to romanticize the concubine life and I respect it, but boy was it hard to watch.

With SLA, it's more a matter of the anxiety it provokes. That drama was, hands down, the most stressful watch experience of my life, even more than thrillers that are intentionally trying to stress me out! The romance is actually super compelling but you can't relax for a moment because everything is on a knife's edge. And the ending was not at all happy, but somehow still managed to feel like a breath of fresh air for both the heroine and us, because we finally escaped that confining dynamic she was trapped in. A perfect ending to a brilliant drama and also a watch experience I am not looking to repeat.

[bubba-buff]

Warning: i wrote this when I was sick as a dog and rewatching Indra’s episodes to feel better, things are out of order and I am far too lazy to make sense of it myself

WARNING 2: I DO NOT SUPPORT THE CREATOR OF RURUONI KENSHIN/ SAMURAI X, which is why I took the characters and made them my own.

So i did the math

This is my very scientific math but give or take Kaguya would be 60 years before Indra. From mg knowledge, it’s not stated how exactly old Hagoromo was when he had his kids so I figured 60 was a safe bet. Hagoromo would live longer than his sons (on average) due to his celestial genetic % being higher.

Anyways: During 1836 exactly Japan was in the Meiji era of Japan- which tracks (sort of) with the clothing shown in the Naruto Otsutsuki Origin in the anime & Manga.

Sure, the Otsutsuki have a little more of a stylized Version of the fashion at the time- which the influence of Britian can be seen when doing research.

But the fashion of the time was very colorful from what I can see.

ANYWAYS- what brings this up is one of my favorite villains ever: Shishio Makoto (from Ruruoni Kenshin/ Samurai X) WOULD BE ALIVE THIS TIME. Which means that he and Indra COULD MEET.

But this also means that the whole story could happen concurrently with the story of Naruto. Assume chakra/ninshu isnt widespred yet- it is shown that Shishio has a fire affinity (i mean, look at him??) so i like to think that he was some how able to obtain Ninshu knowledge and use it in his fighting. It is not implausible for him to have obtained forbidden scrolls with his connections to the Yakuza and military-affliations. Yet, I dont think he would know exactly how to control it- he died for a time so I think his body would be a little on the weaker side and he wants chakra to enhance himself??

This could also apply to Himura: they are both shown to have inhuman abilities so I like to think they both have Chakra. Only, Shishio is aware of it, Himura thinks he’s cursed and thats why he wants redemption- believing he’s been cursed because of his actions during the war. It would also make their final fight more impactful imo. <- this is not Shishio-centered feel free to skip this

Of course, we know Uchihas have a fire affinity- so I like to propose that Shishio and Indra met close to the time of Indra defacting from his family. And he perhaps gained this knowledge through Indra. Shishio is roughly 32 at the time of his debut, Indra defacting at about 19-21. I dont think them meeting is implausible as Shishio is shown to be a very ambitious man with strange underground connections. Indra would find this useful for the founding of his clan and forwarding his goal of total control- though Shishio is Nihilistic in his beliefs i like to think he shares the same desire for total control.

It is also shown that the setting/ towns of Ruruoni Kenshin are more advanced than the Otsutsuki and releated villages. Im not saying by a huge amount but there is a definate difference. Id like to suggest a union between the two that lasted until Shishio's death in which Indra and Shishio worked together to establish (the later named) Uchiha clan. Founding the fire-styles the Uchiha became known for, and their use of katanas.

Anyways: Id like to know yalls thoughts and PLEASE correct my knowledge/understanding if anything is wrong. And if anyone has more knowledge to add to this please do!!

What started this little rabbit hole is that i wanted to draw historically accurate Vale and Indra.

ALso: Himura was a founding member of the Shimura clan, which means Yahiko is a shimura, yall just wait until i work this out.

[bookmuseum]

[REVIEW] Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Tsujimura Mizuki

4/5 stars (★★★★)

Thank you Tsujimura Mizuki for writing this book. This is probably going to be one of the sappiest reviews I've written, but that's alright. Before I read this book I was already deep in my Yu-G-Oh! Duel Monsters re-obsession/rewatch/reread and sobbing ugly fat tears over the power of friendship in my mid-twenties, so I'm just going to roll with it.

I've been wanting to read Tsujimura's writing for a while but there aren't many English translations available, and even though I wanted to read more of her detective + mystery novels, I liked this one more than I expected I would.

The first sections are very slow, but not in a totally boring way. It's a modern Japanese novel, so of course you can expect a lot of scenes focusing on the mundane and little, insignificant things in life that make up our everyday, but, unlike in other books like Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets Cold series or Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman, I found the simplistic, low-stakes, and slow-paced style really fitting (and not dragging) because the main cast were all children. I remember being a kid and feeling like days lasted years and yet no time at all. I know what it's like to dedicate an entire day to going on an outing to the mall and fulfilling an errand only for it to come crashing down once something changes plans and you're so distressed you have no choice but to run back home and cry. Little big things. That first semester section feels very surreal yet straightforward because of these insignificant yet still dramatic glimpses into a child's life. You almost forget the importance of that first page talking about the new transfer student in Kokoro's class. It isn't until much later that you realize the new student is Rion, and I like to think him and Kokoro stayed friends for life or got married after the story ends. 

Ysujimura masterfully lulls you into a comfortable yet still attentive sense of security. You know there won't be any major conflict like a war or pandemic, but you still care in spite of the monotony of it all. Things don't start falling into place until the literal part called "Second Semester: Falling into Place." I knew Tsujimura was weaving a mystery in her own way and I knew it had something to do with fairytales, wolves, and wishes. I'm proud to say I figured out the "big reveal" and what the lonely castle in the mirror ended up representing; I didn't realize who the Wolf Queen was until much later though. I thought she was a younger Mrs. Kitajima since she was a constant in all the childrens' lives, but I like what Tsujimura went with anyway, even though I wish we got to know more about Rion and Mio earlier in the plot.

Above all, I admire Tsujimura's kindness in writing this story. She wrote this award-winning book to bring attention to the rampant mental illness rates in Japan's youth, which is mostly due to isolation, bullying, and lack of support. The Publisher's Note included information from UNICEF that states Japanese children are ranked second-to-last internationally in terms of mental health despite being ranked first in physical health and quality of living. I've been in therapy for as long as I can remember and something that's really stuck with me was when my counsellors explained how being bullied in childhood can affect your entire psychological well-being for the rest of your life. One of my therapists even said the constant bullying children go through everyday is "more traumatic than sexual assault." Obviously that's a dramatic comparison, but the more I sat with that statement the more it kind of made sense to me. I believe Tsujimura understood these psychological intricacies, as evident in her story's incorporation of children's literature and fairytales to enhance the characters' complexities. You can really tell she not only likes and wants to protect these children (and anyone like them), but she also respects their strength: "You're battling every single day, aren't you?" Nowhere did I feel like Tsujimura was trying to force these kids to go to school, nor did she belittle their fears and anxieties the same way society often does. As adults, we know how vital it is to get an education, and how, in retrospect, a lot of the things we thought were scary aren't as threatening once you get older; Tsujimura's text embodied that sense of mature clarity yet never invalidated the kids she was writing about. So that's why I opened this review with a thank you to her, a real-life Mrs. Itajima.

Even though I wouldn't say I absolutely loved this book (I'm not much of a magical realism + fantasy world reader), it still kind of gutted me. The story was raw, honest, and real; you can't help but see either parts of yourself or people you know in them. It was very personal. Tsujimura's a master at portraying the world through a child's eyes, especially when things go wrong and it all feels like everything's going to collapse from underneath you. Things us adults might think of as small like a playground spat about "stealing" boyfriends or calling someone by a nickname only you have reserved for them are monumental to children, even moreso when they're lonely and trying to navigate the people and information around them. Kokoro's character was endearing; she was shy yet yearned to make friends and find answers to the millions of questions swirling in her head that she knew the adults wouldn't care about despite meaning everything to her. I loved that she was both shy and quiet yet easily provoked emotionally, and her moods shifted from extremes quite often. One minute she was so frustrated she couldn't focus on anything else but her own anger, and then the next she was regretting everything and pleading for someone to tell her what to do. I was like that as a child. In many ways, I still am.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror resonated a lot with me because I was also bullied to the point of staying long periods of time at home, much to the annoyance of my parents and teachers. Unlike Kokoro and her friends, I was never absent for longer than a handful of days, but like I said those twenty-four hour increments can feel like eternities when you're running away from mean girls at school accusing you of being a slut or telling you you're too ugly to hang out with. I remember shutting myself off completely and tuning out all the adults lecturing me on why it's important to maintain a steady attendance, and how falling behind on classes meant sabotaging my own future. I remember knowing they were right yet still being unable to get out of bed anyway, or stop reading my books as a form of escape. I remember realizing that the only one who can fix my chasmic loneliness was myself, and then still proceeding to be antisocial and destructive with the few human connections I had. LCitM captures all these juvenile contradictions so intimately. It's strange, but I felt a sense of being forgiven, and of being patted on the head and told it's okay that I was like that; even though things are better now that I'm 25, I can still be and feel like that little girl with no friends to play with sometimes. She isn't bad or ugly, she was just a kid.

A lot of kids live in lonely castles inside themselves. I understood -- completely and without judgement -- why all of them did what they did. I loved that scene between Subaru and Masamune in the Game Room: "Then you can say, 'A friend of mine designed this game,' and it'll be true." My chest tightened in a good sort of way when I read that. I really liked that we don't know what happens after the castle dissolves, or whether or not each of them even remember one another and their friendship after the fact. And even though I do want them all to meet again, it doesn't change how special they were to each other at one point in time. Their time and love were not wasted.

To end, I liked that Tsujimura never made Kokoro forgive her bullies. I would've understood if we got more background on Miori Sanada and the "problems" the grownups kept referring to, -- after all, she's still just a kid -- but from Kokoro's perspective, I'm glad we never found out what was wrong nor left much room for sympathy. It was a small form of justice to Kokoro in its own way. Thus it made me really emotional seeing how Kokoro's parents, Mrs. Itajima, and others were so supportive and patient with her. My parents and other authority figures in my life weren't as open-minded when I was experiencing the same troubles, and even though it's long over and I managed to get myself to school eventually, being that lonely kid still always lingers. The Daijirin dictionary definition that Tsujimura included of a "lonely castle" was perfect: "(1) A castle situated off by itself (2) A castle surrounded by enemies, with no hope of relief forces arriving." The parts when all the kids cried over the thought of not being able to help one another beyond the castle or never meeting in their own respective timelines/worlds were heartbreaking. It truly touched a part of me I've long since locked up after I left childhood.

I wish I could've taken a portal to a stunning mysterious castle with friends I could hang out whenever I wanted back then, but of course, like with Mio/the Wolf Queen, I already have. With my stories.