#the meta post will be for me and me alone i just gotta get my thoughts out there

[gothsuguru]

omg yesterday made me so tired but HOPEFULLY today i can write more for the fic & also begin rereading the jjk manga from the beginning :3

[stardust-falling]

Bingqiu and qin wanyue×little palace mistress for the ask game? Thank you!

SHIP ALIGNMENT GAME

BINGQIU: Makes Sense/Compels Me - Stable

You know, I might be a 79 main in SV fandom, but honestly that's just because their specific flavor of angst compels me more than any other ship in the fandom. Were it not for that, I would 1000% be a BingQiu main. Makes Sense: In a meta sense especially, but also in an in-universe sense. Obviously, they are the main CP of the novel, their story is the fulcrum around which the narrative revolves. In that way alone, it makes sense as a ship. The characters' personalities, stories, and trajectories in-universe also make this ship make sense. It makes sense they end up together. Personally, I actually find it rather hard to ship a different pairing as long as SY!QQ and LBM are in the same universe together, because of the way they gravitate toward and around one another, but... that's beside the point. Compels Me: Their dynamic is incredibly juicy. If you just take things at surface level, you can get the idea of some kind of toxic, imbalanced, or codependent relationship (as a matter of fact, that's how many of the characters in-universe also view them at first) and not without good reason! However, digging deeper into the layers beneath it and taking a look at the progression of the relationship itself into the aftermath, the extras, you start to see a different picture. They have their flaws, but both SQQ and LBH learn and grow as people both apart from, because of, and through their relationship, and after the story ends too. I've written several pieces of meta about these two and their relationship, and what makes it so juicy is the way that it is not healthy in the beginning, but becomes that way later on. Stable: Gotta add a third category, because some ships I think are logical to ship, compelling to me, but are also unstable and toxic "ships" that I personally wouldn't classify as romantic even while shipping them. Bingqiu, of course, are not one of those-- unless you're solely looking at the early part of their post-abyss relationship. It's not stable in the beginning at all, both parties having their issues with communication and trust-- however, I actually would consider their endgame relationship very stable because of the fact that they actually worked through things, built a stronger foundation, and grew beyond it.

QIN WANYUE/LITTLE PALACE MISTRESS (XIAO-GONGZHU): Kind Of Makes Sense/Compels Me - Unstable

I've never actually thought about this ship before but I AM thinking about it now. Kind Of Makes Sense: This is an interesting one, it does make some level of sense to ship from a meta perspective-- the dynamic between the two characters in a shipping-sense would be rather interesting, even though the characters themselves are fairly minor in the grand scheme of things, making it unlikely-- but it's a bit more of a toss-up in universe. In PIDW-verse, you have the entire meta idea of Bing-ge's harem, where... based on the genre and narrative reasons they probably wouldn't get together. In SV-verse, it's... potentially more likely, but still unlikely as I doubt there would be many feelings blossoming between them. Either way, I don't really view the canon dynamic between them as one that would foster a true romance, nor do I think there is enough resentment and tension between them specifically in canon to breed a more toxic one. While Xiao-gongzhu's more spoiled, domineering personality and Qin Wanyue's somewhat subtle, manipulative nature are interesting contrasts to think about, their goals, intentions, and the way they interact in canon doesn't read, to me, as particularly shippy, if that makes sense. Compels Me: This is where my personal interest in the contrast between their personalities would make me interested in the ship. I'm an annoying person who spends way too much time thinking about what's canon-accurate to my fics (you'll notice a MAJORITY, with the exception of SVLPO, are gap-filling or canon-exploration fics), but that doesn't mean everything interesting to me has to be explainable within the canon framework. I think there's a lot of potential here to take the bit we do have about the two and expand it into an interesting story and dynamic. Basically: I might not have the easiest time writing it, but I'd hella read it tbh. And QWY tops. Unstable: They'd have so many issues. There's a power dynamic, there's their personalities, there's the resentment that they feel toward each other on account of their interest in LBH-- and this holds true in either SV or PIDW verse. The whole relationship would be a mess of manipulation, and I don't think either one of them would be interested in getting proper consent. Nor do I think they'd be particularly interested in actually working through their problems. Would read, do not recommend.

[bicheetopuff]

i like izuku/ochaco the exact same amount i like bakudeku and sometimes i feel like i am the only man out there who does 😭 i really do not like izuku/ochaco shippers though... i feel like i can't reblog art of one of my favorite ships because i feel like i'm gonna accidentally reblog from someone who would send me hate for shipping one of my other favorite ships... i guess i gotta start learning how to draw ochaco better to fill in that void myself?? but still... i shouldn't have to be AFRAID to reblog good art because i'm worried i'm gonna be on some artists dni because i like bakudeku. NEITHER OF THEM ARE EVEN MY TOP FAV SHIP IN BNHA... but i'm still like... i just wanna ship. when did fandom become so... hostile. when did it become a warzone? back when i was younger we had shipwars but they were... silly? like at the end of the day we could step back and ship and let ship and even if we hated the other ship we would just blacklist the tag and move on. homestuck wasn't even this bad.

Bnha is my first experience in anime fandom and it’s literally the most aggressive and hateful fandom I’ve ever been in, on all sides… and ever since, anytime I try to touch a fandom for a different shonen anime, it’s almost just as bad, if not worse. ESPECIALLY if you interact with that fandom and openly like bnha too, because for some reason just liking bnha makes people in anime spaces completely discredit your opinion unless you’re a cishet man.

I think within the western bnha fandom specifically, we’ve all just kind separated ourselves into our own little corners of the internet. And tbh, I’m with you, I absolutely hate that the fandom has segregated itself like this.

While I don’t see Izu//ocha as a romantic ship, I still love their friendship and I love Ochako as a character, and like you said, I’ll see the most stunning fanart of her sometimes and I’ll check the artists account to see that bkdk is on their DNI list… and I literally run a bkdk blog. So I can’t reblog their art unless I wanna get blocked. Or, I’ll reblog art from someone and then find out later that they’re an avid bkdk or bk anti. It’s like you’re only allowed to like what you post about the most, and you’re not allowed to interact with anything else.

It expands outside of the fandom too. I made a comparison between bkdk and victuuri once and I ended up deleting the post because I kept getting comments from yoi fans saying that I was wrong and to never compare those two again… it wasn’t like a full blown meta, it was like a paragraph comparing their rivalry.

I don’t think it’s hostility just within the bnha fandom, I think it’s anime fandom as a whole being hostile towards specifically bnha because of the stigma surrounding it, and the bnha fandom reflects that by everyone being hostile towards bkdks and other queer shippers because of the stigma surrounding that as well. One of my friends irl got accused of being a p*doph*le literally just for saying she liked the anime (she was literally 16 at the time btw) and another one of my irl friends told me to sell my manga when she saw it on my shelf. It got to a point where I literally had to just stop telling people I liked it, which led me to making this blog so that I can talk about it without judgement, and even on tumblr it took a while for antis to leave us alone.

Idk when this fandom became a warzone, but I’ve only been here for the better part of three years and it’s been hostile ever since I got here. It’s like I willfully walked into a burning building.

I think every community for each ship just has their own biases for other shippers in the fandom, and it just makes us all get defensive because we automatically assume those stereotypes and we just think they’re automatically not going to like us, so we decide to not like them first. I’ll be honest, I keep my walls up too until I know talking to that person won’t start an immediate heated argument for no reason. Because some of those stereotypes are true, some communities within the fandom are just hateful for no reason and we have our fair share of keyboard warriors. Some people say “oh it’s just a few bad apples” but from my experience it’s like you’re looking through a basket of bad apples trying to find the good ones. And even then you have to be careful because it might be a bad apple that’s been painted in order to make it look good. I’m talking about fandom as a whole btw, bkdks alike.

I wish we could all just be nice to one another and not be creepy and weird when it comes to certain characters and ships. Like, can we just be normal? Can we ship and let ship? We can all have our opinions about other pairings, but can we not attack people for liking something just because we don’t see the appeal?

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

As someone who loves Inscryption despite its flaws I GOTTA know: what are your thoughts on its faults? I've seen you vague post about it and I'm so curious (also, hi!)

hiiiii :3 Lovely to see you reach out after you seeing you always pop up in the tags :D

To be clear, I still like Inscryption despite its flaws. It’s *interesting* as a piece of art, and that’s way better than a game that just technically checks off all the boxes of being playable. Like, I’ve been able to write several thousand words’ worth of a video essay script on this game, covering both the good and bad. It’s that fascinating to me.

Since I don’t want to unload 40 minutes’ worth of text on you here, I’ll just say my main thesis is that the game brushes up against a ton of genuinely cool ideas, but the developer never seems to notice them because he’s too married to the way things were done in Pony Island, and what people who like Meta Games expect. And Inscryption keeps so much info in the dark that you only realise this at the end.

The genre shifts are the biggest sticking point for me. If you know the developer already (or have watched someone else play the game), you’re perfectly fine with them being there. But if you’re someone like me who played the demo and then jumped in blind, you’re going to be burned by the shift to act 2 (and to Luke), which is nothing you would expect from the wonderful aesthetic act 1 mostly relies on. Even though I *like* both act 1 and 2, I kind of have to like them for separate things (i.e. a beautifully haunting roguelike based off forest folklore vs a deckbuilder exploring the worst art-kid polycule divorce you’ve ever seen).

The culmination of this is Kaycee’s mod, which I love, but is an implicit admission that the creator didn’t actually know his own strengths. An endless mode to only one third of your game is not a common thing to add in after launch, especially if you’re not early-access.

Then in act 2, outside of its lore, the game’s theme becomes the idea of games as art. The Scrybes are both multi-faceted characters in their own right and proxies of game design philosophies.

Leshy is the visceral experience of being in another world, while his actual game is pretty janky. Grimora is pure fun (which is a great contrast against her death aesthetic). P03 is the very specific way some designers get obsessed with game mechanics above all else and produce the most mid games you’ve ever seen. Magnificus is spectacle to the point it’s stupidly hard to actually play his deck.

Throughout both takeovers, there are always items or mechanics from the other Scrybes popping up. The stand-alone campaigns are arguably better than act 2 because they’re much more focused, yet Leshy and P03 both still can’t escape the influence of their colleagues.

This is all extremely interesting characterisation and commentary on game design that all goes unsaid. And as much as I dislike Luke Carder’s plot, I’ve spoken before about how the themes his story touch on would be a fantastic fit for that meta-commentary.

All this is great, self-contained within act 2. But the way the finale (and arguably act 3’s more lore-based segments) are written afterwards implies that wasn’t intentional at all. The culmination of this game is that all the Scrybes get deleted and go out in a sudden bombastic finale like in Pony Island and then 😱 maybe this guy shouldn’t have looked for secrets… Because now he’s dead IRL…

And it’s like. Okay? Sure. That looked cool I think. But what is the point of the story then, exactly?

So much happens in so little time in the finale. The writing is basically speedrunning all 3 of the remaining Scrybes’ arcs, and then has to reveal the OLD_DATA affecting Luke, and then has to show him getting killed. And you still don’t know what’s going on.

Then you go looking online for secrets and read that actually the evil glitch thing that was mentioned maybe twice in act 2 was important, and was the entire motivation for the plot. Also everything’s technically linked to the dev’s other games.

And I just. Do not think that is interesting at all, compared to the more carefully designed, and more character and theme-driven stories.

Daniel Mullins' work is unique in how whole-heartedly he includes meta elements, and I just think it's a shame he didn't take the opportunity to explore further beyond his usual comfort zone, as you might've expected from how different Inscryption's aesthetic is to his other games.

It should also not have taken that long to get to the point if the main story was a straight-forward evil artefact plot. Which the creator has already done in a more concise game years ago.

I think Kaycee’s mod tackles a lot of Inscryption's main issues, and I’m loving its smaller plot and more consistent pacing more than whatever the fuck was going on with Luke. But objectively I think it’s a big ask to force people to go through like. Everything after act 1. So they can play a potentially better version of the game.

[piosplayhouse]

oh my god. I'm sorry for sending all these asks lmao you never have to read or post them I just gotta. I connected my su she thoughts to the interaction in svsss that made me think them initially, so this is about Ming Fan, and not Su She. When Shen yuan is outside of the book, like us, it's fine to look at the cannon fodder characters and to know they are cannon fodder. characters are not people, they can't be mistreated like people, etc. but when he's IN the story, he stops (relatively gradually) interacting with the characters As characters and starts interacting with them as people. Not roles in a narrative, but complex, and with potentiality. (It takes him longer to do it with Lbh but that's something else). Characters, when viewed from the outside, by us, are cogs in a machine that we can project on and play with, but they are cogs and they are fixed. When viewed from the inside, they become moving, living creatures, with an unknown future, agentivity, etc. What Bothers Me Then, about Su She, and was highlighted by Shen Qingqiu having empathy for Ming Fan, is that often times, characters from within the narrative look at him (su she) like they're outside of it. They Know he's cannon fodder. They Know he can be punished without consequences, They Know he's never gonna be good for anything else and never had anything good to say. And they're right, and the story will reward them for knowing. This isn't about Su She or Ming Fan being complex or being more than just evil. (Ming Fan gets to veer of course precisely because that gaze on him changes, which I suppose might be the point of svsss). Su She can be garbage fire if the story requires it. He can be trash man. It's fine. It's about other characters within the same story treating him like they're the readers or the author, and Knowing that he's nothing but bad, or cannon fodder. You can know what's going on in your story, but your characters should not know what's going on in the real world (unless you're being subversive). There, I got it. Now I'm gonna leave your ask box alone, thank you for your patience lmaoo

I AM SO SORRY I DIDNT PUBLISH THIS EARLIER AHH ITS SO GOOD

Do not dare be ashamed of putting this in my askbox the meta girlies are gonna love this one i swear

Personally I think you brought up a lot of good points and really made me think about something I've never considered before. Imo where Ming Fan is positioned as canon fodder from a narrative standpoint, Su She takes on that role less out of necessity and more as a side effect of Wei Wuxian's idrc perspective on life-- wwx doesn't see Su She as canon fodder because he doesn't see him at all, he's neutral in wwx's story because he's non-existent in his memory. Where Ming Fan is static in that he's a trope, Su She is static in that he's sort of one of the classmates you had in high school that you might just barely be able to remember if you heard his name at a class reunion or something. Where your thoughts come in is how this intersects with fandom I think-- because there's all that blank space there, fans fill in the gaps with what they think Su She should be, which defaults more often than not to a character egregious enough to be justifiably disregarded by the main character. Obviously not saying Su She is intended to be good, but I do feel like there is like . An unconscious protagonism atmosphere that makes people eager to assign side characters tropey antagonistic or protagonistic roles in the main character's life that does permeate a lot of mdzs fandom. So full circle back to scum villain and Ming Fan becoming the school bully(tm) and only that of binghe's life! Hahaha this is so fun

Thank you for your thoughts as always wise anon 🥰♥️ everyone feel free to leave your comments as well but remember to be extra nice because I already fucked up posting this like a month after it was sent so we have to make it up to anon!!!!!!

[borbology]

idk if anyone has asked this before but may i ask for some knight headcanons? specifically sword and blade,,?👀

YESSS I have been waiting for this ask! I have a lot of hcs about Sword and Blade that I'd love to share. GET READY FOR A LONG POST!

To start off, I have the post where I drew what I think they look like under their armor (I also birthed this cursed image).

First of all, and as much as I love them, I think Sword and Blade didn't get a big enough personality in the anime. If I were to describe them in my hcs, I think that Sword is generally the more chill one out of the two. He strikes me as the kind who is easy to hang out with, but he can be unexpectedly funny or stubborn at times. Sword is more gentle with the way he speaks, whilest Blade is bri'ish and has an ocassional potty mouth (says wanker and consistently gets away with it because no-one knows what it means). Because Blade has a harsher voice in the dub that somehow makes me want to make him the bolder one of the two. He's the one who's more likely to express himself. We gotta hear more of that hilarious voice afterall lol. In making his design I gave him his one eye that he has in the game sprites. I've really enjoyed drawing him very expressive so I decided to make him a creechur with big emotions.

I love thinking about how they interact with eachother. I see them as brothers. They've been through a lot, love eachother, but also get into shenanigens and bother each other sometimes.

Their relationship is both endearing and hilarious. Between the two of them, Blade is actually the older one -- I decided that because it's funnier if he's the eldest even though he's shorter. At this point they wouldn't know what to do with eachother. I think that they share a room next to Meta Knight's quarters, and that they have bunk beds. I actually have a sketch of their room that I want to finish someday soon.

As for their personal lives, it's important to me that characters have substance which makes them feel like real people, so when I make my own characters I always give them five things to help with that -- hobbies, desires, a favorite food and favorite drink, a birthday, and trivia (some little traits that have no real impact on the character in their story but still exist and are interesting). This is something I love doing and my autism always has me making lists/filling out self-made questionares for characters. I highly reccommend it, it's fun as Hell and a useful tool for writing character.

Sword:

He can play guitar and he likes music in general. Once I decided to give him antenna I thought it would be neat because bugs hear by picking up vibrations, so the vibrations of music are probably very pleasing. He also likes to watch sports because he has become quite athletic since training under Meta Knight.

He is happy with the state of his life but once he feels like the timing is right he wants to find a girlfriend. My man has been alone too long. Part of this is because he feels like he missed out on getting to experience relationships when he younger (due to the war). He'd like a girlfriend, but he's somehow embarrassed to talk about it and he worries how Blade would feel if he spent some of time with another person.

Sword likes comfort foods like macaroni and cheese. He enjoys the taste of ginger ale because it makes him think of the ginger beer they sold at home (whatever the kirby universe's equivilant to australia is lol)

His birthday is June 14th (I do have a system for how I pick chracter birthdays btw but I'm not willing to share it you just have to trust me)

For trivia, he likes cats, and he's allrgic to peanuts

Blade:

He likes to relax in his off-time and scientifically the best way to do this is by playing Animal Crossing, so I gave him an Animal Crossing town because I love Animal Crossing. It'd be funny if there was a game in the Kirby universe where you played as a cappy or something in a village of creatures like Rick, Kine, and Coo. He also likes to practice baking (he and sword said in the anime that they both always wanted to be cooks, but they were too afraid to tell this to meta knight. plus its fun for him to watch meta knight eat all the treats and still somehow try to deny he has a sweet tooth lol)

Blade, unfortunately, is British - which means that he, unfortunately, likes British food. He will eat beans on toast and make everyone around him uncomfortable. As for his favorite drink... peach nectar lol (bugs love sugarsugarsugar)

His birthday is March 9th (don't question meee)

For trivia, he likes dogs (its funny if he is a dog person while sword it a cat person). He's got just the one big eye so cats give him allergy. I also subscribed to the idea of him being trans because of the difference in his voice between the sub and the dub versions of the anime. Just this alone comes with its own set of hcs I won't get into here.

Lastly, I felt the need to dive into their history. Their backstory about being survivors of the war and having to resort to robbery to survive is so interestingly tragic and something I feel like people don't pay attention to enough when it comes to portraying them. They had to have homes and family and friends that they both lost before happening upon each-other and deciding that two is better than one when it comes to staying alive in the barren hellscape that they now roamed. I plan on making some art about this topic in the future so I'll leave out my hcs for now.

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Comte’s Drama CD: Track Two, An Extraordinarily Elegant Awakening

All right, I gotta preface this one with the content warning that it is so domestic fluff it may induce cardiac arrest. I haven’t recovered and it’s been like two months, so take that as you will. The title is pretty self explanatory on this one, in that it’s basically a morning between Comte and MC, and he brings her breakfast in bed.

I will say this one is less meta only because I spent most of it squealing and/or hiding my face in glee LMAO. I’m weak to the man of my dreams, sue me Additionally most of it is just Comte being so on brand of like: “share my time with MC with others????? In my me????? It’s less likely than you think--” That also includes being the most doting and affectionate husband ever, which is the only kind of energy I want in my life. (It keeps making me think of that post that goes something like “goth husbands who are hopelessly in love with their wives is the only vibe I enjoy in hetero couples.”)

Anywho, enjoy the translation and fangirling beneath the cut! I put the sound effects in brackets, because leaving them out felt criminal to Comte stans everywhere~

Mm…morning already…

My dear lover… (HE SAYS ITOSHII WAAAAAAAH)

[chuckle]...You’re still dreaming

…you look awfully happy and cozy. I wonder what kind of dream you’re having?

[giggle] Since your lips are smiling, it must be a nice dream.

Just looking at you is enough to fill me with delight too…

Besides, I can’t help but think I’m the only one who gets to see this cute sleeping face. Just a few more minutes…

Literally what more can be said than him being the sweetest man alive. The affection????? Wants her all to himself as much as possible????? Just waking up to her beside him is enough to make him overjoyed?????? Anybody got some tissues sobsob I just love him sm 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[kiss sound] To witness this kind of defenseless position is a lover’s privilege alone… (👀)

Since that wasn’t enough to wake you up, I’ll do it again… [kiss sound]

…Oh, [giggle] did you wake up?

Are you awake, princess…? (ohimesama) Good morning~ [kiss sound]

Haha, a good morning kiss was enough to make you blush…you’re so adorable.

With such a sweet greeting, you’ll make me want to do it over and over again.

Okay but I gotta tell y’all. I was re-listening to see if there was anything else I wanted to convey and like. The way his voice is a little sleepy and wispy at the beginning, just super content/relaxed/indulging. Then she wakes up and you can just hear the YAYAYAYAYAYAY SHE’S AWAKE. OKAY, BE CHARMING PERFECT LOVER I WANNA SEE HER BLUSH AAAAAAAAA, and I just. That’s so adorable???? I’m dying????

He’s so playful and giddy????? So many kisses????? Excited for her to wake up????? It’s so bad for my heart???? Truly nobody does romance like them, 11/10 I gleefully kick my feet every time I listen to it. Damn, me too MC, if I woke up to that every morning I would be error 404 shut down blush constantly

Also that first line. For lack of better words to describe my thoughts, BOW CHICKA WOW WOW. But more seriously I do love how much he prizes and respects the vulnerability that’s shared between lovers. This isn’t the first indication of it by far, but something about the deep value he places in intimacy and sincerity shared between them hits different in the best way. I guess, as a pretty serious and sensitive person myself, I can’t help but appreciate the same sentiments reflected in him.

[many, many kisses] Well, if you wanted a deeper kiss, of course I’m happy to oblige…now, what do you want to do? [seductive whisper, Horie-san have mercy]

I’m sorry. Don’t turn away, I won’t tease you anymore (THE WAY HE INSTANTLY BACKTRACKS. WHEN I TELL YOU I WHEEZED AND THEN COOED)

…I’m sorry for being mean. (STOP I’M YELLING THE PLEADING, HONEY YOU DID NOTHING WRONG. I CAN FEEL THE DROOPING DOG EARS)

I don’t mean to make excuses…but I can’t help but think you’re the cutest. (that is the best excuse ever, and in the sexiest pout voice imaginable, you are forgiven)

Now that you’re awake, let’s have breakfast soon…I know, would you like to have breakfast in bed?

[chuckle] Well...because I still want to have you all to myself. [kiss sound, more sultry murmur] It’s okay once in a while, isn’t it?

I can’t get over how fast he’s like masaka when she turns around because she’s overwhelmed by his teasing, it’s so funny to me. She’s not mad, Comte!!! You’re just too powerful!!! Have mercy, she's just a human woman!!!! And not only that, he tells her two seconds later he wants her all to himself. When I say he has me by the throat, figuratively ofc because SOMEBODY keeps his fangs to himself--

If that’s the case…I’ll get breakfast ready then.

You should stay in bed a little longer, I’ll be right back.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Is it alright if I come in?

Sorry for the delay, I’ve brought you breakfast.

A freshly baked baguette, and omelets from Sebastian--

and our favorite morning teas, of course.

It’s a special breakfast for an exceptionally elegant morning.

Okay the way I snickered when he mentioned the baguette, the man really do be like “world cold and sad, baguette warm and soft.” Is this part of why he’s obsessed with MC’s thighs?

Come on over and eat. I’ll feed you, so open wide.

We’ll start with the omelet…it was just finished, so we’ll have to cool it down first.

[He’s blowing on it lmfao]

[laughter] There’s no need to be embarrassed, is there? It’s just me and you here. Come now, don’t be shy…

[chuckle]….That’s a good girl. Yes, aaah…

[laughter]…Ah, I’m sorry. You just look so pleased to eat it, I can’t help but wonder.

You taught me that smiles can even emerge in such everyday moments. (the fondness in his voice I 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭)

Yes, next time I’ll feed you potage…aaah (OPPORTUNIST Ò//Ó)

…is it good? Haha, [BOYISH LAUGHTER SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP] that’s good. I’m glad you like it.

I can’t believe I get to see your happy face this close first thing in the morning…I think today will be a good day.

I’ve specially planned our day together today, so I hope you enjoy it.

…let’s have a great day together, shall we? [kiss sound]

Honestly MC deserves more credit for not imploding on the spot, I know I’m not strong enough to be faced with all that and not literally become the PANIK meme. I love him more than life itself but that does not mean I’m ready to be doted on--

I have to say though, I really am touched by relationships that are built on little, day-to-day pleasures like this. The way he’s just happy to share mundane things with her, that every day together is a gift. The idea that her smile is enough, that he simply loves to be with her and look after her. Every time Comte manages to far exceed my expectations. (KING OUR EXPECTATIONS WERE ON THE FLOOR AND Y E T--) Well played, monsieur, well played. I concede defeat 👑

[desultory-novice]

I just gotta ask... Does Dreamland have a licensed therapist? Because it sounds like a majority of the characters need one!

Dream Land is a really LOVELY place. The food is fresh and healthy for you. Even the fast food and the sweets, somehow! Lots of nature. Life is leisurely paced. The only jobs are the ones you want to work. There's plenty of activities for those who need some socializing and plenty of alone time for those who need their space.

There may not be a licensed therapist, but as long as you're open to your heart and the caring words of your friends, you can find your way out of the bad places on your own, in your own good time!

...In Dess's AUs, on the other hand...

Everything is bad. For everyone. I'm sorry. I feel very bad about it. :cough: ...That is, speaking frankly, as a creator, I trust that since everyone else does such a good job writing Kirby-verse fluff, no one will mind too bad if I have this little corner of the fandom where everyone can be sad and sometimes life does beat you down.

Now...

It probably doesn't come off this way, but sometimes the reason I hop back and forth to several different AUs is that in a few cases, characters DO get better! Marx and Magolor in the Branch AU? They're actually very happy right now running a theme park together for lost Souls! (Well, happier once Marx gets his body back.)

White-Haired Noir in the AU AU verse? He's...well, he's never going to be the same after the loss he suffered, but he is on the mend.

Adeleine, post-Apologies, is doing okay.

My personal Dark Meta Knight is a huge, incurable mess of issues but he gets to duel with his counterpart on occasion and loves it.

Some of my versions of the characters have REALLY awful, messed up traumatic backstories and yet they came out shockingly alright, re: Daroach. (And Elfilin too. Rats stay winning!)

I do enjoy fluffy things, a lot, but I don't write a whole lot of "pure fluff." Which arguably means, if you're not seeing me draw or write anything for someone, they're probably having a GREAT time! Take Taranza. Taranza is often characterized as the forever sad, "I miss my wife, Tails" character but I think he really is doing okay!

...Not great as could be. He lost his friend (and crush) of...some long period of time but he's healing. Dedede's probably got a whole routine set up for getting over possession trauma at this point!!

For my two favorite trauma puppy standbys, Marx and Magolor, I mostly write about them having lingering trauma side-effects because... it's just my favorite sub-genre to write in, I guess? Most of what I write are physical impossibilities anyway: curses, magic-induced ailments, body-snatching, etc. But I think they can be interesting metaphors for what I or others might feel in RL, so I like to write about them as a way to come to terms with those feelings.

-

[Warning: Things Get Personal Past This Point]

-

I almost went more indepth about this in an earlier ask this evening, but my favorite character from my last major fandom was a purely good character who, in the backstory, had his personality shifted 180 degrees by an evil god, driven to cuckoo levels of crazy, and possibly (at least, it was a fairly popular HC) trapped inside his own mind for a large chunk of time as he was made to commit atrocities that shattered every vow he ever made and everything he believed in.

(Mad Emperor Vector, my beloved... :sob: )

An anime backstory if I'd ever heard one! But one of the reasons he rose from character I loved to MY blorbo was because I was just understanding my autism at the time, and part of how I understood it for myself and how it affected me was through this character's traumas. You might think it was silly but it was shockingly useful!

Around when I started suffering from long-term insomnia is when I started to get really, really obsessed with the "Marx is a sleep-deprived Noddy" theory. When (not to get depressing but...) many of my dreams and aspirations started to fall apart, I became really attached to Magolor + the false promises of the Master Crown...

Noir's creation coincides fairly closely with my feeling massively overburdened with life's pressures and trying to support my loved ones, keeping a chipper exterior attitude despite home troubles while feeling like I couldn't tell ANYONE how much it hurt inside...

That's not to say that I only make these sweet characters have bad days because I'M having a bad day or that I'm "using" them like emotion sponges in place of just seeing a therapist.

It's more that, having experienced some of these things myself, I feel like I have a closer understanding of them. And I want to understand more. Or I want to explore avenues I didn't personally take.

...Or I want to celebrate my own life, shambles and all, by seeing how much worse it could be if only E~vil~ Magic had been involved...!!

-

TLDR, the actual Kirby characters probably don't need a therapist at all. Dess's versions are more likely to need one, but I'll probably write about the ones that haven't gone yet because that path is where I personally find the best and most meaningful stories...!

[thatiranianphantom]

I don't usually slide into the ask box of people that I strongly disagree with. It's usually utterly pointless and I usually adhere to a strict "live and let live" policy...but your RD takes are just so deeply unsettling that I am making an exception.

Claiming that RD is softcore porn now is just...not true.

This is not even remotely softcore porn. This is barely erotic. And I think your assertion that the show feels like a masturbatory fantasy from the writers has a lot more to do with the fact that you're personally unhappy with the show's direction than the show itself. It's a bad faith reading on the show, steeped in pearl clutching, Hayes Code romancing, nonsense.

Takes like yours, whether they mean to or not, are begging for the Hayes Code to come back. Begging. "Oh, TV shows should only show good morals and whenever they show something morally ambiguous, it should be clear where the moral failings are".

That's a big part of the Hayes Code. And I, for one, reject that ideology with every fiber of my being. TV shows do not need to be parables. They are under no obligation to preach good morals to their audiences. Their purpose is to express ideas!

And Riverdale is doing a bang up job, if I do say so myself (even if I personally feel it could have gone further with a lot of its plots). It's meta-commentary on Americana, film, and television is unmatched. Its refusal to be any one thing is both brave and fascinating. The show has remained true to its vision despite pissing off much of its audience, which is rare in a landscape of shameless pandering for views. God bless Riverdale for that.

(Speaking only of the show itself here, not its marketing.)

But back to the main point. You claim no one will want to hire the Riverdale writers after this and that you think they should go to prison. That's...honestly a deeply conservative mindset and you're not alone in thinking that, but you are highly visible. So, I bring my thoughts to your ask box.

I implore you to look beyond the surface of the media you consume and to recognize that our reactions to stories have a lot more to do with our own feelings than the stories themselves unless we specifically step away from ourselves for analysis. And hey, there's nothing wrong with having opinions on your own blog, so feel free to dismiss me as a little hater. <3

I apologize that this has gotten so long and if I sounded nasty. I am just so deeply disturbed by the prevalence of purity culture in fandom these days. It starts with "think of the children!" and "No kink at pride!" and ends with the eradication of anyone who doesn't fit into the conservative ideal for culture. I'm not saying that you want that, per se, but be careful because those that do want that think similarly.

Thanks.

Okay.....first of all, and I mean this genuinely, kudos to putting your name behind this. This doesn't happen often, so a true fist bump to you.

How generous of you to come here and offer unsolicited and incredibly condescending pseudo-intellectual commentary on what I am allowed to post on my blog. Very generous. But hey, I'm high profile! Lil' ol' me! Look Ma, I made it!

Now we gotta get in the weeds here. Yeah, I am not going to take back or apologize for how softcore-y this show has been this season. I stand behind the statements I made about how creepy it is to watch a grown man's masturbatory fantasy play out on screen. In the last episode alone, they have sexualized pedophilia and grooming (with a teacher student fantasy) and children playing a board game.

See the thing is, it would be purity culture to suggest a woman CAN'T have sex or be sexually attracted to someone. We spent 6 years with Betty as someone who liked sex, and that was fine! We even spent s5 with Betty who used sex as a bandaid. That wasn't healthy, but she was an adult woman having sex. It was fine. Fifties Betty has sex as her ENTIRE character. There is nothing else to 50s Betty. She's horny. She wants to have sex. She wants to have sex so much that she's actively predatory. That's it. And having one and only one character motivation kinda flies in the face of the whole "feminism" thing the show is trying to project, don't it?

Hey, I'll give you that the show THINKS it is making a feminist statement. I'll give you that the show's writers probably THINK they are fixing racism, sexism and homophobia in one fell swoop. But they aren't. Quite the contrary, they are actively furthering those issues while thinking they're doing an amazing job. They degrade women while touting themselves as feminists. They made their only Latina family mob members while touting themselves champions of POC stories. They view themselves as LGBT representation while one character decides another's sexuality and their agency in coming out is stripped from them.

Adding to that, it's fine if you disagree with me. I speak only for myself, and the block button is easy to find. It's all good. I'm not offended that you disagree with me, but to suggest Riverdale is scathing, witty meta-commentary? RIVERDALE????? I don't think I'm the one who doesn't know what this show is, anon. This show is a vehicle to leer on the hot cast members, and more recently, to act out some personal ~aesthetic* writer fantasies. It has never and will never be what you proclaimed it to be:

"meta-commentary on Americana, film, and television is unmatched. Its refusal to be any one thing is both brave and fascinating. The show has remained true to its vision despite pissing off much of its audience, which is rare in a landscape of shameless pandering for views. God bless Riverdale for that."

I'm...a little stunned that you think it is. But nonetheless, I stand behind the statement that writers whose misogyny comes out LOUDLY in their writing, who have stripped this show of anything interesting, recognizable or interesting, and whose relationship with the fans on social media is disturbing at best, will not be prime targets for new shows.

Again, I do genuinely commend you for putting your name behind your thoughts. I have no issue with you disagreeing with me, or the majority of the fandom in general. I have no ill will to you. But yes, I believe this season of the show is disturbing, misogynistic and creepily sexual. It's a statement I stand by, and while you're under no obligation to agree, I hope you're able to find the block button next time.

[coredrill]

yet another bra5ern ramblings/speculation post

okay so like i know i said i wasn’t a theory maker. and i’m still not tbh, this is really just derivative of other theories i have seen that synthesize in my brain. but like. that one fucking N3I reference won’t leave me alone and it could rly be combined w the bravern = future smith theory SO easy, like i wouldn’t be surprised if smith gets fucked up in ep8 and then alongside that we get The Lore Dump and then isami has to fucking??? print him a new body with bravern’s 3d printer??? and the body is bravern and they put his soul in there but it gets kinda janky along the way and then he somehow goes back in time??? or like time passes for him inside there differently. cause lulu’s(?) hair is much longer during that scene of her(?) and the purple thing in the OP and if superbia rly is coming back and she goes back inside then maybe she comes out again w long hair??? again??? idk. it could be someone else altogether. lulu fits into this somehow for sure and i just could really see if the emotional climax is either Get Smith Into That Thing (to save him) or Get Smith Outta That Thing (to save him) as i feel like that is an insanely common trope……OH WAIT OR MAYBE ITS THE OPPOSITE TOO. like they gotta Get Isami Outta That Thing and that’s when smith sacrifices himself/becomes bravern??????

however also the fucking. hyperdimensional 3d printer???? you mean like the hyper world???? cause that could tie into the idea of the whole world being fake/digital and bravern himself being able to pull matter & shit from the “real world” and/or having creation powers. which like. would make sense with how many aspects of the story are ripe for meta/props/in-universe diegetic elements. idk but like also i have a gut feeling we’re not ever making it out of japan or seeing the other deathdrives besides fucking. pride and lust GREED. cupiridas is GREED thank you to that anon for correcting me LMAO. they keep making too many “we’ll save each other’s homes!” statements for me to believe we are saving either of them in a conventional manner. and this could work w that???????? since it’s not the ~real world~ in danger???????

idk homie at this point i am just writing fanfiction LMAO. i sound like the boss baby tweet on crack and so much of this could be misdirection and/or me being stupid and misinterpreting. i love saying words. the show clearly knows exactly what it’s doing and i clearly Do Not and i truly and genuinely find that so exciting LMAO. thursday come soon……………..

[aeternallis]

the nice thing about having friends who have faith in you, having a twin brother you can rant to and not be judged poorly (considering he himself has also been in some hot water with our extended family before, lol), having a sister-in-law you can talk to about the technicalities of things, is that it grounds you to reality. it gives you perspective, and just outright reminds you that you shouldn't let what people say online get to you, because at the end of the day, all this will pass, yknow?

i'm excited for the day i can look back on all of this and laugh about it; it'll make for a neat conversation starter with my friends. lol there's no regret in what happened. i only regret the way i let it get to me, and how i'd forgotten one of my other personal rules when i engage in fandom. but having talked to my loved ones now (and listening to bollywood music), i'm on solid, firmer ground again, so i think it's a lot safer for me now to think and talk about it, to get all my thoughts out onto paper and onto the same solid ground with me.

usually i'd write about this sort of thing on my journal, but i gotta keep the carpal tunnel at bay, so onto this blog it goes.

what happened this week was a double-whammy for me: individuals called me out for a post I'd reblogged on here with some tags I wrote on there, and a meta post that garnered some controversy about a generally accepted fanon take on a character (said take being fanon is my opinion, just so we're clear, future me).

i have hurt a number of individuals with the tags i wrote in that post, and i do feel remorseful for the way i came off, but ultimately, i do stand by them. my reasons were not stated in that post, because i spoke only in the tags; we have a limit of 30 tags, y'all. i'm not able to give all my justifications onto those tags because i'm limited (30!), and i never thought i'd have to (despite the fact that i understood that i had no obligation to), in the first place.

whether or not people choose to discern and draw conclusions about my character based on those tags alone, or if they want to reach out to me to get further clarification, that's entirely up to them. i can't control how people perceive me online, so why expend the energy to giving their opinions about me any weight, when i can use said energy for other things (like smutty kimchay art--//hits)?

the way i see it, the people who choose to discern my character and jump to conclusions about it based on those tags alone says a lot more about them than it ever will about me.

having said that...

cat!kim, bottom!kim, submissive!kim...I don't like any of these headcanons (that hasn't stopped me from reading some amazing bottom!kim fics though, lemme just say XD) because in my mind, they're heavily influenced by jeff satur's media personality and disregards the boundary between actor and character. no one has to agree with me on this, nor should anyone feel the need to explain themselves to me about why they may think the opposite, because at the end of the day, these are just my opinions. anyone else is more than welcome to think the contrary. i cannot control what people think of me through these opinions any more than i can control people giving weight to them in the first place.

autistic!kim and basically any headcanon that applies a medical diagnosis onto a fictional character...is an idea i choose not to engage in, or entertain in any capacity. that's all there is to it. am i stopping others from engaging in this idea? not at all; explore this idea as much as you want in the capacity it makes you happy. that's one of the purposes of fandom, after all. but for my part, i cannot engage in it whatsoever; i'd much rather people in this fandom just think the worst of me, call me all types of names and labels in the book, and live in ignorance about my character, than to compromise on this. i can explain myself in limited capacity in a private chat, but otherwise, i won't share any more of myself than what i feel i can or should in this public space, yknow?

as for my meta posts...i'm very glad they do encourage conversation, even if others disagree with me, but just please be nice about it. i don't mind engaging in friendly debate in private, but i will also admit that debate about character interpretation in public gives me hella anxiety, alas. it's harder to discern people's tones online, and what was once originally a debate can quickly spiral into yelling matches because of this loss of context.

but yeah, i think now i can safely say i've made a little bit of peace with this incident(s), even if i'm still processing a lot of emotions!

and with that, back to my metas and kimchay art, i've kept them waiting long enough~

[intrepidradish]

Media: Star Wars

Year/my age: 2018/28

What drew me to the media:

It was 2017, the Last Jedi came out, and I stewed in the "hmm, that had a certain zest to it" for about a month. I liked Star Wars before like any child raised in the 90s with a father. We went the prequels and heard the complaints coming home from the theater. My dad died in October of 2017, but he did see The Force Awakens. I wonder what he would have thought about The Last Jedi, where Luke is a jaded, angry, failure of an old man. Probably like the rest of the old guard, spitting inconsolable rage.

At the time, I was in a newish job and so bored stupid I was depressed about it. I was living alone for the first time, in a new city and state, and I wanted to die. Pretty good recipe to get obsessed.

What made me a fan:

I am nothing if not consistent. The dark prince trope really fucking chest stabs me. I am a reylo. Or at least, I was. The Last Jedi is a very polarizing film. If someone is talking about it, they either love it or hate it.

Regardless, I think Rian Johnson is a better storyteller than JJ Abrams could ever hope to be. Even if you are annoyed about his choices, he has a point of view. JJ Abrams is the most milquetoast of writers, which is why we got at the end of the sequels the most milquetoast of stories. An average of opinions is the most dull one. He made few narrative stances, but a few were quiet clear. Rose and Finn and Poe were abandoned, and Reylo was shot in the face.

But those weren't things that made me a fan, just abruptly killed me interest.

So what itch did Reylo scratch? It's like Beauty and the Beast. Good, innocent heroine! Mean, evil villain. It's very simple. Enemies to Lovers is so ripe a plot device. Does she get turned? Does he get redeemed? How? Why? In what world or situation?

Kylo Ren is sort of an interesting monster too. He's a spoiled manbaby with a sword. Rey was pretty cookie cutter a heroine, but she had a spike of anger in her, which I always appreciate for storytelling.

I don't know what was the breaking point to read fanfiction, but I did, and I read fanfiction for months and months and months.

The meta was the best too, because everyone was trying to predict the next movie. Everyone thought that Disney was quite smart (they aren't), that they were making history (they weren't). But Star Wars has such lengthy, decades of lore, the meta pulled from everywhere.

Have I written fanfiction for it?

I tried, but it was terrible. I think I wrote 700 words for it. I did a retelling of that first torture scene where Rey and Kylo met. I never published it, thank god.

Why or why not:

It goes back to the lore thing. Too much of it! Also the fans were...ahem... frothing at the mouth violent.

Opinion on the fandom:

"I am cringe, but I am free."

The most important thing I took away from observing this absolutely dumpster-fire warzone is that you gotta protect yourself first and create a space that you can enjoy. I'm thankful for being a reylo because I was really really enjoying something very controversial. (oh no, two adults in a challenging relationship that may or may not be abusive. The horror. I've never seen that anywhere! Why could I possibly want to read about that?)

But it ripped the bandaid off. I like things that are cringe, and interacting with cringe things have improved my life (dare I say, made me a better person? ...no i darest not say it). It's also given me a lot of confidence in how I interact online. If I don't like something being said. I move on. It's very easy. If someone gets in my face about it, I block them. Do not engage.

I recommend everyone discover their cringe. It feels good. It heals you. Post anonymously. Savor it.

My opinion of the fandom is that its awful. Do not interact with it.

I dabbled again in it for the Mandalorian because I liked Cob/Mando. But even that wore on my patience very quickly.

Would I read again?

Star Wars is huge, but it's also Disney, which tastes bad. I don't watch their shows right now. Can I say I won't be dragged back into it at any point? No, I can't. It could happen again. I'm not immune to the call of massive sci fi universes. I really hope not. I have other things going on that need my attention.

[the-acid-pear]

Actually. I'm going to be autistic on main. Because a whole liveblog review and many many posts are not enough. I need to stress just how impactful this scene was on a first blind watch.

Because, like, it's not just the fact they cut a hole on that old man to fuck him thru. It's everything about this movie and its framing that's insane.

Because let's be honest this franchise alone is a fucking ride. First movie is some pretty solid horror slow burn carried by my cancelled wife Dr. Josef Heiter played by Dieter Laser who's just so dramatic and entertaining there'd be no human centipede without him.

And it kinda shows on the sequel that removes the more... What's the word? Modest style of the first movie? And instead it goes for a darker more explicit more grossThey step on a newborn's head. He wrapped barbed wire around his cock. He even had a tragic and explicitly explained backstory. It's gross it's gritty it's mental and it's NOTHING like the first.

So okay, so far we got a serious but self aware movie, a "fuck the haters" edgy movie, and so you walk into the third movie not knowing what to expect. But you're soon greeted by the fact that the man himself is BACK and by god does he carry the movie again. Mostly, Butler Dwight played by Laurence R. Harvey does a great fucking job too I love that shortstacksorry I.

Anyway, needless to say this shit is a ride. Because these movies are constantly changing protagonists and settings to be meta about the prequels not being real somehow idk idc so you're thrown into this movie like you're thrown into a blender. I mentioned Butler but I did not mention Bill Boss the titular Old Man who, well, not quite yet. Because first we gotta be introduced to just how deranged this man is. If you thought the literal fucking former Nazi was insane and evil wait til you meet the average American citizen who just a few minutes into the movie waterboards a man with boiling water in very nasty graphic and maybe questionable veracity though I'd have to confirm I don't know if water causes 3rd degree burns or if just like I've heard actually happens kinda boils you alive and makes your skin fall off anyway why am I going into this tangent? Because this is a 100% medically accurate film anyway Bill Boss? He's batshit insane.

I still get upset when I remember that case btw the guy who got boiled alive ironically happened in a prison too I hate the prison system. Literally makes me sick.

But anyway. I don't even remember the chronological order of events but there's so much shit that happens that gets you not only introduced but entranced and if you're anything like me utterly lustful for this man such as: him panting w his tongue out while getting head in front of his accountant; him castrating a man (graphic) and rubbing his bald head w the man's blood; him eating not only dry clitorises but also the cooked testicles of former man. And also one of the funniest and best done scenes in the film where there's a false alarm and he thinks the prisoners are fucking coming for him so he goes from this ultra violent I'm The Boss Here 👿 large ham fucker to a literal mess hiding in his desk utterly terrified while his accountant is just like Dude.

But so far, the picture is Holy fuck nearly car crash near my house So far the picture is pretty clear! Large ham he talks the big talk he bosses everyone around he thinks he's a big deal but when left to fend off for himself he's but a sad pathetic mess of a man that can't do shit to save his life.

Which does, literally prove to be true. As he find himself alone now suddenly surrounded by all the men he has been torturing for god knows how long and they don't say a word they don't do anything but get closer as he gets increasingly worried and stars saying that they're all free! No paper work! No nothing! They can just go! He's BEGGING them to go because he KNOWS they're gonna fucking kill him if not, even saying that he has a heart condition and diabetes (epic callback to Heiter btw) as he gets on his fucking knees which is an insane thing to do in this setting but, hey.

And when you spell it out like this you'd say Luly What Is Wrong With You That Sounds Horrifying and well it is if I fucking say it like that but when you're watching unstopped this sequence of this guy being batshit insane screaming and torturing people and shit to have the tables turn on him so drastically is, extremely exciting.

And then the guy who lost his balls, remember him? He's the one to step forward. And this is something that has been said by the prisoners since the very start of the movie this was a ticking time bomb but he, and I quote, "not gonna fuck his stinky ass. Instead, [he]'ll fuck him in his soft kidney tissue". And then he fucking stabs him.

And by god does he fuck him in his soft kidney tissue as the crowd excitedly chants and I get so hard I turn grey from lack of blood in any other part of my body. And this is something I always mention but bro, bro by the love of god he says "do you like that, daddy?" as he's pounding his kidney bro. Like for the love of god Tom Six PLEASE. FUCK.

I seriously wonder if I'll ever witness something in cinema that gets me to change my bio. Impossible to know too since part of the joy was that by god I was not expecting our villain protagonist who on his own was a fucking surprise bc the way these movies work getting fucked in the soft kidney tissue. Like my fucking god. I'm sorry I lied about rewatching that movie today I know I should have it's literally so fucking good. Thank you Tom Six.

[wigglebox]

awelfjawelkfawe 

okay here’s what i wrote for IMDB’s rating, but i’m putting it here because BOY DID I LOVE THAT EPISODE [this doesn’t get very meta-y just me gushing on the episode[

I loved this episode a lot, like a whole lot. Not that I didn't love the other ones, but this one hit something different.

Even if you just boil down the episode to the asthetics, The lighting, the color palette, the setting of Carrie's room which felt straight out of a 1980s horror film, and the monsters lair. I loved it all so much. It did feel like the 70s, and I am admiring any show that attempts to pull off 1972, especially on network television (though, let's be real, streaming platforms also sometimes don't get this correct either).

*Noting for the Tumblr post - i did catch one lens flare! On John’s flashlight in the room. I think there were others but I def. caught that one.

I loved the story as well, the meaning behind the monster and how to defeat it, and I absolutely loved that with the monster, we got to peek into Latika's life a little bit. I can't wait for more of her story to be revealed. Honestly the whole episode I wanted to give her a hug, she seemed emotionally heavy with something.

Ada and Carlos is a team up I want more often because that was fantastic as well. Ada to me feels like Rowena, where she seems one step below ruthless, but she knows her shit and can come across perhaps morally gray in the future. Not as a villain, but as someone who is going to do what she's gotta do to get the job done. She seemingly has so many tricks up her sleeve and trapping that demon in that bonsai tree even after it confessed was *chef's kiss*. Also, I had to laugh at the demon smacking Carlos down to the ground and Carlos kinda smiling going "You wanna go???"

I loved this almost like - three way love ... well it's not really a triangle but this love.... issue happening. You got John who likes Mary to whatever extent, we learn that he DID PROPOSE to a former beau of his, Betty, which really pulled at my heart strings. And then you can clearly tell that Latika has a little bit of a crush on him as well.

The heartbreak is that Betty is a good option for him and there were clearly still feelings there, unresolved ones, I feel like even at the end of the episode (I gasped when she took that ring out), and that John and Latika are honestly adorable to think about together.

The saddest thing is just knowing that John and Mary will be smooshed together at some point, but right now I'm loving their strong friendship. John's insistence that he needs her and his scramble to save her out of the monster's lair was really wonderful and emotional. And the whole talk in order to get her out of there actually made me tear up a little bit.

I think two of the biggest shocks to me was that Deanna and Samuel had been separated for a bit of time. Rocky marriage? Wasn't aware of that! I was wondering in the last two episodes where she's been so I'm happy the show addressed it this episode.

Also, Mary going to see a movie alone after passing up to see it with John, and then meeting some stranger there and agreeing to see it with him. Though, in my brain I'm like "Mary it's 1972, don't go with stranger young adult men. They wind up serial killers!"

So it'll be interesting to see if we get Betty back or see where Mary's temporary love interests go. I would love to see Betty again. Usually I roll my eyes at the ex showing up because usually it's ust to cause trouble but given the fact that this show is in part a love story, I don't find it to be forced whatsoever. And! She's a cop. She can be an asset in their monster club.

The ending with the DJ Rockin' Roxy and the spider-monster (the Akrida? I think that's them right?) perked me up. She's seemingly the woman in the cloak from the end of episode 2 and I have to wonder what she's up to. Though, when the monster first crawled out of the woods I screamed again because I hate things that crawl in the dark, but then nope! It's like a little retriever dog!

But I enjoyed how Mary is already questioning why there is a North Indian folklore monster and a Colombian folklore monster back to back. Something's up!

The last two episodes one of my main kinda sticking points was the expository dialogue but that was minimal if not completely not there for me this week. Nothing really felt stiff and said just for us the audience. I understand the first few episodes of a show may have to do that so usually I give it a pass. But this episode felt smoother! I don't know if it's because we're acclimating to the characters, but I really loved this episode. And I can't wait for next week!

[mihai-florescu]

i am an extremely new fan, and i can admit that i dont know much about eichi and therefore i cant give an unbiased opinion on him at this point!!

i see your points i see all of them and. you are right. his desperation led him to do wrongs during war era, and he regrets it. i understand this completely, and i agree that he shouldnt be portayed as the only villain because of what his desperation did to him.

however, based on the stories ive read so far in !!, he is...unnecessarily cruel. i get that he'll do whatever it takes to reach his vision of the idol industry, but the way he phrases his conversations with the others does NOT paint him in a good light. this might be because the game is making him look like the bad guy though tbh. he thinks alkaloid is, quote, a box of mudballs, and says this directly to their faces. now, this might just be tough love, but..to say that to tatsumi, who just got out of the hospital? whom he bonded with over their health issues? it just feels...idk.

that might also play into your point about him not realizing that people want to be his friends, and seeing them as business partners tho!

adding onto that, idk the full story for this, but i was informed that tsumugi didnt want to be paid/contracted and like, begged him to be friends? idk about that i might be completely wrong!! it also might not be tsumugi actually i was told this a while ago

I got a bit rambly and had screenshots on hand uh. Sorry for the long reply.

In regards to Alkaloid, I must confess, I'm having a hard time going through the main story cuz I just.....find certain characters and dynamics annoying and/or they just dont interest me much. So i am probably lacking the full depth of what eichi has said to them but i do have two posts about my view on him and alkaloid together (well, more from a meta perspective i suppose). But then again, eichi has this tendency to make other characters want to hate him out of a deep rooted belief that he doesn't actually deserve love, even after his "happy ending", there will always be something bigger to achieve and more sins to atone for.

I'm not necessarily arguing he's not flawed (although i am arguing he's just human, not good or bad, or rather both, i think that's one of the core messages of enstars too.) He's too self aware and pragmatic for his own good. Even he himself says in Sanctuary that he's falling back to how he used to be in the war to reach his ideals.

.

.

(Sanctuary, translated here)

So i guess what i'm saying is not that you must forgive all his actions cuz he never did anything wrong etcetc but more my plea for people to read his stories and see why he's the way that he is. Because i just cannot stand to watch another tiktok full of misinformation. I could, and i probably have in the past, gone on a rant about how people blame eichi alone for the war completely disregarding keito and akatsuki's crucial roles in taking down kanata. Meanwhile my guy Eichi was in the hospital that whole time. But anyway, this was besides the point. Or maybe not. Moving on,

As for Tsumugi, the story you're referencing is Element. It was animated in the show as well, but i do recommend reading it. And then, connected to it, Daydream. Oh my god. Eichi's Daydream Monologue...

The thingbwith Tsumugi is that he just started believing in Eichi's ideals to the point where the war fully would not have succeeded without him. He wanted to be Eichi's friend and to bring him happiness so he joined old Fine, he just thought the contract was a formality. I'm not sure on the "begged to be friends" part, i think that phrasing is a bit extreme, but you gotta remember Eichi was generally distrustful that people like him beyond his wealth. And with a family like Tsumugi's, divorced parents, estranged brother, a mother that keeps falling prey to scams and losing their savings, Eichi thought Tsumugi's motive for wanting to get close was to obtain enough money to cut ties with his mom. Oh. Another thing, i can reblog some story screenshots afterwards, but Eichi does project a lot of his issues onto others. Not the best coping mechanism, clearly.

I do see why Eichi isn't for everyone. I would rather you read his stories and then decide you don't agree with his ways than someone liking him only for fluff (aka only the sweet scenes with wataru) and ignoring the rest of his character. Honestly my answer might make you hate him even more, but i hope out of spite you will read Ep:Link at least. Maybe Sanctuary, but definitely do Not start with that, it needs 7 years of stories as context. Black Tea, Milky Way, Jingle Bells and Tempest should also be good beginner's guide to Eichi stories at the top of my head.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

April 2021 Part 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Love Poison 2 Ep 3 - incomprehensible plot, confusing characters, terrible audio, I’m dropping this one. 

Second Chance Ep 2 - they are my adorable babies and I LOVE THEM. Must protect Jeno at all cost. Chris, come on, boy needs you. (They’re the jock/nerd pair.) Then there’s the friend-to-lovers (Paper & Fah) and cafe cute boys (M & Near). We got artful injury tending (finger & lip) and some jealousy or something. Is the script good? Hell no. Is anything happening? Nope. But I’m INVESTED in the nothingness. 

Lovely Writer Ep 7 - mostly set in the past, but the child actors they got were decent. I actually liked how they explained Sib’s behavior (I mean losing your BFF + figuring out you’re gay at the same time gotta mess with your head). We got touch my lip, carry baby to bed, let’s sleep facing, face touch, hair touch, and a hand kiss as well as The Kiss. With so many intimacy and caring tropes, I’m well pleased.  BONUS: NO SOUND EFFECTS. Please make then have fired the sound tech. OHPLEAESEOHPLEASEOHPLEASE. 

Fish Upon The Sky Ep 1 - I like it. Might as well break the 4th wall if you’re gonna do a voice over. Some super cringy moments but I think that’ll improve post makeover. Yet again we have a BL poking fun at its own tropes. 2021 is definitely the year of meta. Oh and Phuwin’s English is really good. 

Call It What You Want Ep 1-2 - it’s slow and more arty than I expected. The actor playing the main character looks eerily like Up (Gene in Lovely Writer) + an ex of mine - it’s disconcerting. 

Brothers Ep 10 - my two got together and ARE ADORABLE. I actually really like how they dealt with Khun’s seme ownership freak out. That’s some sexy communicating, boys! So many couples (and triads) I’m well confused, but I only love KhunKaow so no one else matters.  

Y-Destiny Ep 2 - cute, bit raunchy, kinda fun, about a million tropes in one tiny ep. I’m getting So Much in Love meets something from Strongberry. No bad thing... no real good thing either. But I was expecting a lot worse. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai 

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 4 (AKA Ep 7-8) - I don’t wanna blog about it. I can’t even think about it. I’m still gonna keep watching it. Conclusion? I’m trash. 

Word of Honor (China) Ep 22-24 - Wen is as much as a drama queen as Gene (in his own special way). Most of his past is now revealed plus obligatory bathing scene. (Is Gong Jun contractually obliged to be topless in all his dramas or is it just for the good of the planet? Asking for a friend.) A good 60% of the time I have no idea what is going on (so many names! who is this Lovelace putz allasudden?) but I don’t care cause they so pretty. 

Most Peaceful Place (Vietnam) Ep 3 - didn’t drop this week, or was it only 2 episodes? I’m so confused. 

We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 6 fin - It’s GREAT, they’re great, everyone’s great, the world is great. So pleased to get Shu Yi and his dad talking Japanese. I love it when Taiwan makes use of bilingual actors (see Because of You) almost as much as them flexing their marriage equality muscles. The full circle pool kiss was adorable and this series is officially a favorite. (@heretherebedork your boys don’t end unhappily but they don’t get an HEA either, everyone else does. I think you’d be okay with this one.) 

Stand Alones 

Tell the World I Love You (Thai BL movie) released into theaters? Or not? Haven’t heard anything about it. 

Breaking News 

Bite Me got a full trailer and it looks GOOD. Mark Siwat seems to be carrying this one, which is fine, we all know he can (especially if you’ve seen his non-LBC stuff). Quality controls seem relatively high, although this may only be a fund-raising trailer. No eng subs at last check but I’m disposed to be hopeful. It feels like we are in Oxygen territory and that was one of my favorites last year. 

You’re My Sky dropped what they’re calling an “official pilot.” No eng subs. I think this is a tester trailer to raise funds. MDL listing makes this sound like a standard college BL, but trailer portrays a sports romance. Stars almost-familiar new faces from Y-Destiny. It’s like we have a new crop of BL actors chomping at the bit to take over from MaxTul or MewGulf, and with the 91 line aging out*, maybe they aren’t wrong? 

* Don’t crawl into my craw, they’ve most of ‘em said they don’t wanna keep doing BL after turning 30 and frankly, why should they? 

Gossip 

Nitiman dropped BTS from their publicity shoot. No eng subs. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons. 

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

Spring Line Up:

Close Friend the series (Thai trailer) April 22.

2gether the movie (Thai trailer) April 22 to Thai theaters.

Nitiman (Thai) May 7 on One31.

I Told Sunset About You 2 (Thai) May 27 on LineTV

Ossan’s Love (Hong Kong) June to Viu

I joined MDL under this handle AbsoluteBL. Find me there if you like, currently it’s just ratings, tracking, & three lists: 

Japanese BL & Live Action Yaoi Manga

Korean BL

Taiwanese BL