#their dynamic actually feels fresh and enjoyable

[epickiya722]

I think about how some people actually hate on Yuji, Nobara and Megumi and get confused because I went into JJK and by episode 3 I adored them.

[burst-of-iridescent]

atla live action thoughts: season one review

first things first: anyone who says the Movie That Does Not Exist is better than the live action is straight-up lying. the shymalan film fails on the criteria of even being a decent movie, let alone an adaptation. the netflix series, for all its problems, is at least an enjoyable watch with great effects, music and (mostly) appropriate casting. there's absolutely nothing to compare here - the netflix version clears easily.

now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's delve into the series, starting with the positives.

the good:

visuals and cinematography. they really did a great job of making it feel like a fantasy universe you wanted to be in & i love how vibrant the saturation and colour grading was. it made the world feel so much more dynamic and alive instead of the same flat, boring dullness that so many movies and shows have these days. sometimes i didn't even mind that i was being fed obvious exposition because at least they were giving me something pretty to look at lmao

effects and action. the bending was surprisingly good for the most part, and they did a good job of making the elements feel unique through the stunt choreography and the actors' movements. i'm immensely thankful they didn't try to skimp on budget by merely cutting away from fight scenes or showing us as little as possible. almost all the action sequences were fast-paced and engaging, and i was never bored watching them

acting. the main four were all great, but gordon cormier and dallas liu have to be the standouts for me. gordon brings such an earnest, innocent sweetness to aang that you can't help but like him, and dallas plays all of zuko's facets perfectly: the angst, the explosive anger, the bratty snark, and especially the deep-rooted pain that characterizes so many of zuko's actions in book 1. the range he has, especially when flashing from younger to older zuko, was insane. special shoutout to maria zhang and sebastian amoruso as suki and jet respectively, because they killed it

music. leaves from the vine instrumental had me tearbending and i love how they kept the iconic avatar theme while making it a little darker for this iteration of the story. in general, the soundtrack felt very true to the animation while still being a fresh spin on it

zuko and iroh's relationship and expanding on zuko's crew. i think the fandom universally agrees that lu ten's funeral and zuko's crew being the 41st division were the best changes in the series, so i'm not going to talk about it further other than to say that these scenes show me what the show can be, and that's why i'm not giving up on it

the bad:

characterization. almost all the main characters are missing the little nuances that made them so great in the original, but the greatest casualty is katara. i hate that they took away so much of her rage, and gave many of her traits and struggles to sokka. i don't think this is a problem solely with the writing though, because certain lines do feel like things animated katara would say, but the directing and line delivery don't have the same punch that made her so fierce in the original. this is an easily fixed issue though, so i hope they take the criticism and let my girl be angry and fuck shit up next season

exposition. this was primarily a problem in depicting aang's personality and the relationship between the gaang, because a) why are you TELLING me that aang is mischievous and fun-loving instead of just showing me and b) the gaang do NOT feel like close friends, mostly because they spend so much time apart in every episode that they have little screentime to actually bond and develop intimacy.

lack of focus on the intricacies of bending. for a show whose tagline is "master your element" the characters spend very little time actually... mastering their element. zuko is never shown to struggle with firebending (which is going to have ramifications when it comes to developing his relationship with azula), and neither aang nor katara ever learn waterbending from a master throughout the the entire show. i'm pretty sure aang never willingly waterbends ONCE in the entire eight episodes, discounting the avatar state and koizilla. bending isn't just cool martial arts, it's closely linked to the philosophies and spirituality of each nation, and i wish that had been explored more.

pacing. they really needed to do a better job of conveying that time passed between episodes because an 8-episode season is just going to FEEL shorter than a 20-episode one. the original animation felt as though they'd truly been on a long journey before arriving at the north, but here it feels like the entire show happened in the span of a fortnight or so because each episode seemed to pick up right after the previous. they needed to have more downtime within episodes instead of just rushing from plot beat to plot beat because it made everything feel a lot more rushed. give the characters and story time to breathe.

final rating: 7/10.

overall, i would describe the live action as a better version of the percy jackson movies - not an accurate or perfect adaptation, but a decent story that's very fun to watch. but what really makes me root for this show to get a season 2 is that it has a lot of potential and more importantly, a lot of heart. it's evident that the people who worked on it do genuinely love and respect the original series, and it shows onscreen.

regardless of anything else, this show created opportunities for so many asian and indigenous actors, writers and creators to tell the kinds of stories and play the kinds of roles they don't usually get, and that's something worth supporting. if they take the criticism from this season and improve, i believe they really do have something special on their hands which - although it might not be the original we all know and love - could still be a story to be proud of.

[beifong-brainrot]

In what universe is Korra masc or butch? God forbid a woman be feminine, but not hyper-feminine (love you, Asami). Or just prefer pants to skirts because she's physically active in her duties.

(Off topic, but I used to wonder what her season 1 pants were made from because they looked so comfy.)

If I had to categorize her, like under threat, I would say maybe a hard femme. And even that doesn't feel quite right for her. Like you're not gonna catch her in a full face of makeup any time soon, but she clearly likes more feminine aesthetics.Let women of color have their masculine and feminine elements in peace, I beg.

(Also, Korra's masculinization by the fandom leads directly back to how the "masc x femme" dynamic is idealized and romanticized, to the point where it seems unfathomable at times that two femmes can be together and content that way. And how women of colour will always be masculinized unless they perform hyperfemininity. But y'all aren't ready for that chat just yet.)

Just insert that "butchest woman the internet can handle" meme I guess.

I think its just so interesting that Korra is presented as "boyish" for dressing practically (Also, mind you, her clothing doesn't seem terribly masculine either) and for liking "boyish" things when it's later shown that Asami also... likes these things. Asami and Korra bond over racing cars, Asami also fights and she seems genuinely invested in probending.

Btw, I know a lot of people like the idea of Asami secretly being a villain, but it actually feels like a breath of fresh air? Too many times have we solved a love triangle by making a rival Evil. And hyperfemininity is so often villanised in a very specific way, especially in contrast tk a "less girly" protagonist.

Ofc, Asami and Korra break so many tropes through their romance, but honestly even before them becoming romantic, their interactions were pretty unique for the character archetypes they were in the type of media they were in.

[Also I also loved Korra's pants they genuinely looked so comfy. Though I just think I have a weakness for lantern style pants even though I dont think i could pull them off lol]

Also yeah, Korra being very distinctly brown is part of why she's masculinised so much. And I also want to note that, from what I've seen, hyperfeminity in woc is still mocked and talked down to and dismissed as trashy. Too many times have I seen a fashion trend be applauded on the white girlies when its critiqued on the women of colour whom the trend originated from.

What we percieve as feminine is very much still dictated by eurocentric beauty and culture standards, while, of course, other ethnicities and cultures will have their own versions and definitions of what is "feminine". This is why you see that the bulk of female athletes who are transvestigated and accused of "secretly being men" are women of colour. Features we've grown to percieve as feminine as a society are features we asscociate with white women, and a lack of said features supposedly denotes masculinity, instead of a different creed of femininity.

But I also don't want to talk over subjects that are not mine to speak on so. I just... don't really like how we talk abt feminine gender presentation. I love presenting femme, when I'm doing it for myself it's very relaxing and enjoyable. But damn does it hurt my head when I think abt it too deep lol

And yeah, fandom in general has a bit of an obsession with the masc/femme dynamic, a hit of the modern version of when you ask same sex couples the "so who's the guy" question lol. But I think Korrasami got hit with that stick particularly hard, tragically. A friend once made an excellent observation that this is also probably the reason we have so many omegaverse fics in the fandom too.

[jpeg-dot-jpeg]

For the fanfic author ask pretty please & thank you :)

Karyogamy

4, 9, 11

Karyogamy (Teen, 21.8k, Complete)

<3 <3 <3

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Up until I was physically typing it, the point where Tim takes his alt-self's clone baby almost went another way. In the fic, it is very vaguely and briefly alluded to that alt-Tim's arrest results in some casualties. Because this is supposed to be a fluffy family funtime story, I decided that alt-Tim died during the raid on his lab, otherwise the threat of him coming back for his clone baby would have always thrown a shadow on the happy universe.

However, the story very nearly took a turn where good-Tim and alt-Tim spoke to each other, and alt-Tim had a complete breakdown where he asked good-Tim to take the clone baby and be a better father to it. That was actually going to be a major point in the story until I scrapped it. I was already stressed about finishing up that work and didn't want to add more to the pile that I would never explore later.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

Even now, sometimes I'll go back and reread this one for my own enjoyment. Part of that is how it always feels fresh to me; every chapter has a different rhythm. 1 is all narrative, 2 is all internal drama, 3 is dialogue and group dynamics, 4 has the logs, and 5 is very visual. If that makes sense. Other people might read it very differently, but to me I love the variation in it. Fun to write and read!

Number 4 answered here!

[tumelothee]

I HAVE A THEORY...

What if Carmy is the friend who's ass might be dropped??

The Bear loves some foreshadowing and a call back. Episode 1 of season 2, Carmy finds Richie in the basement of The Beef\The Bear (why does a restaurant have a basement???) and Richie looks sad and anxious. He then expresses to Carmen that he's trying to find his purpose and that he's been reading a lot. He then tells Carmen about this book about this group of friends that have all these talents and one of them just watches trains and because that's all that friend does, they decide to drop his ass.

We get to episode 10, and this is the episode where Carmen and Sydney are supposed do the thing, work together, be cohesive, show their talents and be on their way to getting that star, but that's not what happened. Carmen ends up stuck in the fridge and Sydney is left in a bind. And then comes Richie, fresh off his mini redemption high, with a sense of purpose, ready to help Sydney AND DOES.

Sydney and Richie AND EVEN NATALIE, form this great dynamic and work flow at such a pivotal time, showing their talents and doing it without being assholes. 🤭

Richie, while not having any skills, was at the restaurant, everyday, helping and what not. Where was Carmen? Going out with a women he didn't even feel like calling his girlfriend...

Carmen ended up stuck in the fridge because of his own failures because of him not actually being an active partner for Sydney. He, himself realised he was the one that fucked up and nearly skrewed up everything and went into a spiral.

Carmen had the perfect 'receipe' to staring a great restaurant: Partners (Uncle Jimmy and Sydney) who are skilled and that he respects and trusts, employees that are efficient, staff that is reliable and hardworking and yet, he was barely there to acknowledge that and be apart of it.

That story Richie told, was not talking about him, it was talking about Carmen. Carmen might have exceptional skill, but he does not find what he does enjoyable, making him the friend that just watches (or ended up just watching).

The theme of purpose is not yet a closed case on The Bear. Come Season 3, I fear Carmen will struggle with finding who he truly is and how that will effect the people in his life. Hopefully he will let back enjoyment and amusement in his life...

[tech-92]

Tech and his "Extra Curriculars"

(CW: Talks of car crashes, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and hard kink)

When it comes to thinking or talking about Tech in any sexual situation, I feel it's important to understand where we come from here on this blog. A lot of posts on our blog tagged "#tbb tech" have this weird masochistic vibe to them and that's for a reason. Our understanding of Tech comes mostly from our development of a concept we call "Tech Crash". The "Crash" part in Tech Crash is from the 1996 movie Crash staring James Spader where essentially, he gets off on participating in car crashes. Anyways, here's what we have written down about the Tech Crash situation:

I finally figured it out what's going on with Tech. I had been having trouble because I knew that there was something Weird happening with him, I just wasn’t sure what exactly. Now I know. So, like obviously it’s been (practically) established in canon that he’s autistic. I also personally read him as someone who’s ace but still has sex and enjoys it. I think both of those things are intrinsic to his experience of sex. I also think both of those things lend quite well to him being into some strange and unusual fetish. We also happen to know he’s into high speed racing and shit from the show… And its like Crash in which he's like, into car crashes but it’s not exactly that. But I am expanding on that. I think he’s into very high-risk scenarios and extreme masochism.

Part of the Tech autism situation is that, it’s really clear he has a hard time with emotions. Specifically, I think he has a lot of trouble parsing out how he feels about things and what to do about that, how to cope, etc. Which is why he tends to ignore problems (ex: when Echo was gone in season 2). Because even if he can recognize he’s upset about something, he can’t really process it in more detail than that. This causes some issues given that he’s a clone and is regularly forced to experience very very dangerous situations with the very very real threat of death breathing down his neck. That’s emotionally and physically devastating. But those scenarios also have a very dramatic effect on the brain in the sense that pivoting SO DRAMATICALLY so quickly from a mindset of urgent survival, "holy shit i am about to die get it together i have to live i have to live" to the overwhelming and ecstatic relief of actually surviving creates a mental sensation not unlike orgasm. And then, pairing that chemical high with the fresh sensation of pain from the injuries he sustained during the survival period creates a deep association of extreme pain with extreme pleasure, even if it is in a twisted context. As an autistic person with similar alexithymia (emotional blindness) to Tech, I can DEFINITELY see him processing those sensations in a sexual way. His emotions would be way easier to recognize and interact with if they’re associated with the distinctive, familiar emotion of sexual arousal.

Of course, those intense scenarios are a very prominent part of his life, and I think as he gets older there comes a stronger divide between the painful, high-risk scenarios he experiences for work and the painful, high-risk scenarios he puts himself in deliberately for sexual pleasure. But I think a significant reason he chooses to put himself in those situations is that, if he’s regularly experiencing that level of fear, pain, and release voluntarily, it makes it a lot easier to handle those things when he’s forced to experience them outside of his own volition.

I want to be clear that I think his enjoyment of masochism is a very sensory focused thing that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with sub/dom dynamics, in fact I think he is specifically not into that sort of thing. I also think his masochism has nothing to do with underlying self-hatred or any sense of “deserving” it. It is PURELY because he likes the sensation of pain and gets off to it. That’s a big part of what I mean when I say his experience of sex is fundamentally autistic. I also think that in general, he’s just not really that into other people. Like, he is willing to have sex with other people, but mostly just because there’s certain things that he can’t really do to himself, whether due to physical or psychological barriers, or just that the safety risk involved in hurting yourself really bad often necessitates another person’s presence in case he passes out or something. What he considers sex/sexual activity is mostly stuff that is barely, if at all, recognizable as sex in the typical definition. This is why I think his experience of sex is also fundamentally aroace.

To get back to the Crash thing. I do think that broadly he is just simply into the idea of danger to a really strong degree, and that can be sort of anything. But he already knows a lot about and has a lot of experience with vehicles, and I think that pushing their abilities and his skills to the absolute brink is gratifying to him both in an experimental way and in a sexual way. He also has the conceptualization to understand the inherent sexiness of metal, cars, etc. even if he is not sexually attracted to the cars themselves. So yeah, he’s getting into crashes. He’s not into it in the same way they are in Crash, where the end-goal/ULTIMATE release is death; as I said this is all a very primal sensory thing for him and he is not into the idea of near-death so much as he is into the rush of endorphins that he experiences while in those situations. While his thing is very high-risk, he is careful about protecting the most important/vulnerable parts of his body and making sure things are set up in a way such that he can hurt a lot without being in too much actual danger of death/infection. However, I do think that when he was younger he took more risks and did some crazy shit that he should NOT have done but calmed down and became more careful as he got older. He probably has the most elaborate and frightening collection of scars. The Crash thing is also why he handles the fractured femur with such ease.

Additionally this part of why TechPhee does not work, at least for me. She could try to figure out how to flirt with him for months and he wouldn’t realize, then she’d finally just ask him out and by the time they hit the bedroom he is like “I need you to hurt me so bad I’m seeing stars in order to get off” and she’d be like "you know what this is not worth it I think we should just be friends". Any apparent mutual interest in each other would just be like, Phee thinking “His eyes are so beautiful I think I want to make love to him” and Tech thinking “she is pretty I wonder if she’d be willing to carve holes into my thighs” or something

[genderless-crimes]

chara bingo!!! tgwdlm alice, hidgens, bill, mcnamara? any or all of these

AAAAAAAA TYSM!!

okey I'm gonna answer all of these but it's gonna be obvious I have a Favorite

Alice Woodward:

GIRL "NOT YOUR SEED" IS STILL PLAYING ON LOOP IN MY HEAD SINCE I FIRST HEARD IT 5 YEARS AGO I CANNOT GET OVER HER

Alice is such a well-written character. Every time she shows up I giggle and kick my feet. The ways that she tries to distance herself from her father are heartbreaking and yet vaguely relatable. And the fact that, despite that, she still loves him, still yearns for that connection despite neither of them having the ability to communicate properly-- UGH IT'S SO GOOD

Also I'm not 100% certain Deb's right for her, just based on Watcher World, but it makes sense why she would be trying so hard to keep the relationship alive (the fact that she's trying to escape her dad yet is falling into the same patterns--) WHICH BRINGS ME TO

Bill Woodward:

AHAHDHAJSHEHAGGSHSHAHSHSHQHSJDHAHAVWB

Call me Bliklotep the way I wanna watch this man. I love him sm I want to send him to the shadow realm to see what he does I want to give him a fresh baked pie I want to stare at him

He so clearly loves Alice and is so utterly devoted to her, to being a good father, to succeeding at one thing in his life, in making one person happy. He sacrifices everything he has for her and it's not enough because you can't just sacrifice for someone all the time and expect things to be okay. He's so dedicated to making her happy that he ignores the things he dislikes or her obvious discomfort/annoyance. He's kind-hearted but also selfish. His best friend is the "rudest" guy in the office bc Bill can't help but see the good in people and work towards the best. THE MAN STAYED SOBER DURING AN APOCALYPSE BC HE THOUGHT THEY'D NEED A DESIGNATED DRIVER

I love Bill Woodward so much and it's unfair the way that he gets glossed over by the fanbase. Look, okay, I'm saying this as a certified Paul Enjoyer: this fanbase does not need more Paul content when Bill is right there not being used to his full potential

Professor Henry Hidgens:

The man the myth the legend himself!!! I love Hidgens, but I don't think I'm as crazy about him as other people in the fanbase. Obviously, he's iconic, and I love the bits of lore we know about him. Man is unhinged, desperately clinging to writing a musical about his ex boyfriends as a way of coping with their tragic deaths, and spends his entire life (when he isn't preparing for the apocalypse) working on it and looking for funding only to immediately snap the moment it actually gets produced bc it doesn't live up to his expectations...

Actually, maybe I am feral about him.

He's a bastard with a tragic backstory but is still a bastard. Love that kooky man

General John Macnamara:

My feels about Macnamara are kinda complicated. I really like his vibe, and every time he shows up I get excited bc he's fucking badass and also a bit deranged but in a cool and based way. On the other hand, military and cop characters always feel a bit ick to me just bc of real life stuff. He's the American of all time, tho, and I love his dynamic with Lex and Hannah. 8/10 wish I could like him more

[maxinery]

Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Book Review

Reviewer Note: I now know what it's like to be the cuck in a weird, fourth-wall breaking, parasocial romance between an author and their creation. Thank you Stephanie Meyer :3

Rating: 8/20 dead as hell vampires 🧛

Would Recommend?: if only to read once in your life

Review: To preface, I grew up on these movies, and have always been a die-hard Team Edward (I've since deluded myself into head-cannoning movie Bella as an adult with a fully developed frontal lobe. After growing past the age of 8, I can see how this man shouldn't be allowed within 50 feet of a woman).

My consumption of the first two books in the saga were almost entirely fueled by my own nostalgia. I figured that with a fresh, grown set of eyes I would be able to laugh at the absurdity of the books. By the third book, though, I've realized I'm now on the same track as many before me, unable to stop reading this slop and hurdling towards the last book and the eminent crashout it's going to inflict on my psyche.

~

There is a COMPLETELY different conflict beginning to form in Eclipse (and some of New Moon) that breaks literally every piece of storytelling from what was a very enjoyable and mindless read in the first book. As many before me have said, I think that Stephanie Meyer created this entirely accidental horror series, where both the reader and characters in the book are subject to the entirely nonsensical delusions of a woman in love with her own creation.

The most prominent example for me was the relationship between Bella and Jacob, who (in the simplest, most superficial of terms) had a healthy, positive relationship beginning to develop. Bella was starting to move on from Dusty, recovering from (for a teenage girl) a very world-ending experience. So... we take this very interesting dynamic between Bella and her second male-lead, and then completely strip the characters of their free will, and force them into this weird alternate reality where all of their thoughts, feelings, and actions revolve around Edward. Edward, who Stephanie has this weird parasocial love for not AT ALL connected to the main premise of the book.

I swear Dusty is the only character that matters to her, and with every installation of these books it just confirms it even more for me.

~

Let me put myself into Stephanie's shoes right now:

Sure, let's take this 16 YEAR OLD CHILD, who genuinely just cares for his friend (and yeah maybe stupidly pursues her throughout New Moon) and completely uproot his life. Then, let's have Bella, who from the beginning never intended to be romantically involved with Jacob, be indecisive, and take advantage of the genuinely caring friend that Jacob was. Of course because he is a second male-lead, I never expected him to get the girl. But... STEPHANIE!!!

Why would you take a perfectly fine romantic conflict, with actual stakes and an interesting enough dynamic with the main character, and take away LITERALLY all of his desirable qualities and reduce him to a WEIRD, COERCIVE, 'nice guy' that has zero respect for his supposed 'best friend' by book 3??? Whatever it takes to make sure Stephanie and Dusty get their happy ending, though, right? She even added in some cute scenes of Jacob and Bella towards the end, but it seemed more of an afterthought, band-aid kind of solution that seemed really unnecessary after the first half of Eclipse.

I won't even begin to talk about the overtly racist rhetoric that stinks up these pages, since I think plenty before me who are more knowledgeable have gone over just about everything.

I think after Eclipse specifically, it is so clear to me that Stephanie and Edward are on their own team (along with all the Cullens- maybe excluding Rosalie- as their plot devices), while every other poor sap stuck in this universe are their opposition. You, as the reader, know that every possible details that could add any stakes or nuance in Bella's decision will be stomped out.

~

Stephanie, I salute you for being able to accidentally create one of the scariest dynamics in any novel I have ever read, but in all the wrong ways. Though, maybe I'm a little biased in my thinking, because I know the literary atrocities that await me in the next installment (*shivers*... imprinting).

I'll see all you soldiers still catching up on this series on the other side of the war. o7

[ravenkinnie]

i love love love the way you write jinx and the way you talk about her and her relationships!!! not to be annoying bc a lot of ppl in the fandom are like 16/17 but the general interpretation of jinx as little more than a victim of her circumstances and silco’s manipulation who should make up with her sister, be caitvi’s slightly annoying third wheel and ekko’s (or lux? lmao nothing against either ship but yk) quirked up gf is soooo boring (like god forbid a girl contains multitudes and is both a meow meow and an absolute cunt) and your take on her is such a breath of fresh air! not sure if you talked about this in a post already but what are your hopes in general for the new season and ofc for jinx in particular?

❤️❤️❤️ that's my pookie and even tho I'm hoeing across runeterra she will always be the one

no fr fr and listen I do feel like I'm fighting in a kindergarten when I hate because I realise it's cause everyone I'm beefing with is 18 and just likes the same YA archetypes as everyone else at that age but if 10k bitches can post it on ao3 I can hate on it. especially because it erases a supremely well done character that they made out of a lol champion I wouldn't even think twice about when she first released like that's a talent and that's work

and also if people want to complain about female characters in media it feels disingenuous to then remove agency from complicated female characters we do have to make them one dimensional - like one thing you cannot say about jinx is that she's flat - in personality I mean cause well. she is an active dynamic character with insane narrative potential and a lot of layers and being both a victim and a victimiser is an important part of that

my main hopes for season 2 are honestly

*I hope its consistent internally with its own ideology </3 I think s1 at the end starts unraveling a lil because it seems to despair for this both sides ass take but it just wouldn't make any sense with league lore or the show itself. here I mostly fear for ekko gkbknj

*everybody should become a somewhat worse person, like vi provably will because she will become an enforcer, caitlyn seems to also be heading for some corruption arc, obv viktor is there, so I think this will be fulfilled teehee

*I want jinx to have her own arc and I mean an arc where she develops her own goal and motivations outside other characters too and maybe this goal will be to love evil till the day she dies, ill take it!! I just think seeing jinx grow outside that child/flighty troublemaker into a full on villain/terrorist will be fantastic and will also give her actual league lore another layer that hopefullyyyy they can continue to build on (and they will never stop banking on jinx like that's basically leagues mascot)

*mel survives </3 like it would be way too much of a loss of a great character to give her so little storyline of her own, she needs to be in s2

*overall, sorry to be a freak but I'm a tragedy lover and enjoyer and I know they are tied to champion lore somewhat now but I still hope it ends sad or bittersweet for everyone. and when you say tragedy people often think of character death but that's probably the least tragic ending you can give a bitch, the true hollowness in losing everything you once were and could have been is what im talking about!!

*I did say this before but I hope jinx kills imagine dragons in arcane universe. first of all they are touring in israel so they deserve that but also it would be really funny to see them on her list of victims like just whole ass imagine dragons under silco or sth

[markantonys]

Conversation on Twitter on how book Moiraine and Rand's antagonism and distrust despite needing each other is what keeps them from just being Gandalf and Frodo 2.0 and because the show made Moiraine the viewpoint character in s1 they just made Rand and Moiraine's relationship like Gandalf and Frodo's but like... They are antagonistic towards each other in s1. In s2 they argue too. And s3 it very likely could take a nose dive again. I do think the show toned down the antagonism a bit but the main difference is that I think show Rand respects her but I don't think he trusts her

has anyone in the world ever watched wotshow and thought to themselves "wow, moiraine and rand remind me so much of gandalf and frodo"????? in the early episodes of s1 MAYBE (in the exact same way that somebody reading EOTW might think so) but by the end of s2 the whole vibe of the characters & of the dynamic as well as the things moiraine is mentoring rand on and the goals they're trying to accomplish, all of that is so vastly different from gandalf and frodo - in large part BECAUSE they made moiraine a viewpoint character and fleshed her out as more than just the mysterious wizard mentor figure. and even the simple fact of the mentor being a woman (and a gay woman at that) and the mentee being a man is enough of a twist on standard same-gender mentor-mentee fantasy dynamics that you honestly barely even need to change anything else to make it feel fresh (tho ofc the books & show do change plenty of other stuff as well). i've seen a number of show-onlys list "wise wizard mentor being a woman instead of a man" as an initial unique selling point that got them to tune into the show, so clearly they aren't feeling that this mentorship dynamic is trite and tired and same-y.

ostensibly, an argument like this is concerned about show-onlys; readers already know what rand & moiraine's dynamic is like, so if a reader is arguing that the show made it too similar to gandalf & frodo, that means their concern, ostensibly, is that someone who does NOT already know anything about the dynamic wouldn't find it engaging. of course, this subset of readers doesn't actually give a shit about show-onlys' opinions or about the show catering to them and being accessible and enjoyable to them, but ostensibly, this take is worried about the dynamic being able to engage viewers who don't have any book context or knowledge and know only what the show has shown them.

in which case, i'm gonna need readers to actually bother talking to show-onlys and finding out what they think about stuff before making arguments like this, because i highly doubt any show-only is out there thinking that moiraine & rand's dynamic is boring because it's too similar to gandalf & frodo. genuinely, so many bad reader show-takes would be solved if they actually engaged with show-onlys (and show-onlys of a broader spectrum than just "wlw twitter who would jump in a lake if moiraine told them to") and took their input as indicative of how the show is doing at portraying xyz, because so many of the things they complain about the show not conveying properly are things that do, in fact, come across perfectly well to show-onlys. but this take feels less like "i'm genuinely concerned that the moiraine-rand dynamic in the show is not engaging to those who have no prior knowledge of what their dynamic is like" and more like "i've been mad about moiraine being bumped up to primary character level for 3 years and am making up new reasons to explain why it's bad because everybody else has stopped listening to me shouting about the original reasons"

[many-gay-magpies]

Hi it's Quill! ❤️ You said you love to talk about writing, I'd love to hear some of it, so here it is: can you please answer 13, 14, 27, 63 and 64? AND as a bonus (if you want), answer the question you really wanted someone to ask you when you saw the list 😜

hi hi @shadowquill17, thank you sm for asking!! I am glad you would love to hear because I have written. A Lot. thank you for giving me license to yap lmao

13. what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

more and more lately, I've been following the advice of "write the scenes in the order you want to write them, you can connect the dots later"- it just makes for such an easy flow as opposed to trying to write everything in perfect chronological order to get to the scenes you really want to write, because often by the time you GET to those scenes you're worn out by trudging through the writing in-between, or the words have fled from your brain. and oftentimes I end up majorly rewriting those scenes I wrote early on to make them fit with the stuff I wrote after, but like, it's such a relief to just. get the words on the page (or screen, technically). and now im realising that this tip may not exactly be COMMON but it's one I follow a lot kshdfkhsdfkh

14. how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

I mean, I don't know that the writing of emotional scenes is something I really consciously think about? like. any scene that has characters in it is going to have emotions in it. because I am writing people, and people are feeling emotions. pretty much all the time. but I get that this question more means, like, big breakdowns or emotional climaxes or cathartic moments, so- I don't know? I don't know that I feel what the characters feel (although sometimes yeah probably); it's more that I just imagine how THEY would feel and act in the situation, based on how they've acted in the canon material and whatnot. for some things I have drawn on personal experience, like the description of Edwin's touch starvation in to a grave dug for fear is VERY drawn from my own physical feelings in similar situations, especially the "grip around his heart like a scream about to burst" description of the hug at the end. but mostly yeah I just, like, envision the scene in my head as if I was watching it as a scene on TV and then write it. writing emotion and emotional scenes is very well-practiced/comes very naturally to me, so it's not really something I think about anymore skhdfkshdfkh

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

ooooh lemme think. I think most favorite: right when you have a fresh new idea and you're just on a ROLL writing it, everything's coming out so smooth and perfect and you feel so INSPIRED and so happy with how good it is/is gonna be. that's my favorite and then my LEAST favorite is that stage of editing where you've been looking at a piece so long that you start to hate it, and now phrasings and bits of dialogue you started out loving look weird and clunky, and oh lord why has no one ever told you you use this many semicolons??? that's too many semicolons. cool it with the semicolons. and the em dashes as well. coming back with an edit because I remembered another least favorite part (which really pertains more to the ABSENCE of writing): that specific mood where you have an idea that you know would be really really cool to write, you have the plot and character dynamics and arc and everything perfectly envisioned and you know it would be SO SO GOOD... but the actual spark of motivation that makes you want to write the thing just is not there. it's always like UGHHHHH IM SO SORRY I CANT DO YOU JUSTICE, YOU WOULD BE SO GOOD IF I ACTUALLY WANTED TO WRITE YOU TT. but instead it sits there and rots. I despise this

63. Something you hate to see in smut.

I don't know if it's an outright HATE, and I can push through it sometimes if the rest of the smut is more or less enjoyable, but like. I strongly dislike when there is not clear, explicit, enthusiastic consent established throughout the scene- like, if a character just DOES SOMETHING without asking first, or just saying like "can I try something?", and waiting to get their partner's agreement before proceeding. oftentimes I see this happen in fics with a dom/sub dynamic where the just-going-for-it-without-asking is written into the general commanding-ness of the dominant person in the relationship, which is just. eugh, no thanks. I think DBDA fic in particular has diminished my tolerance for lack of explicit verbal consent because so many DBDA smut fics have SUCH prominent and fantastic consent established. also when characters in a d/s dynamic are made to do or say things that are just completely out of character (imo) in the name of pushing that dynamic further

64. Something you love to see in smut.

Conversely, of course, I love seeing explicit and enthusiastic consent in smut, ESPECIALLY when someone asking "can I try something" "can I touch you" "is this okay" "do you want to stop" etc etc is answered with "anything" "do NOT stop" or just straight-up begging. like. such a lovely lovely way of confirming consent while maintaining the mood >> (although consent doesn't BREAK the mood anyway). or like, when a character does something on accident, the other character reacts with a gasp or a loud noise or whatever, and the first character is like "oh no did I hurt you??" and the second character (who was really into it) is like "FUCK NO DO THAT AGAIN" In the interest of giving a different answer tho, some other stuff I love in smut is dynamics where a character that hasn't gotten to let go or be vulnerable in this way really ever is given the space to do that, and even ENCOURAGED to... where someone who thinks they aren't good enough or don't deserve this gets assured irrevocably that they ARE and they DO through sex... cough cough sub Charles fics cough cough-- yeah generally just. some good home-grown life-affirming smut. thumbs up emoji also desperation/lack of composure/greed/intense unrestrained desire/want bordering on hunger is hot. especially characters that have been composed/trying to hold back before just fucking losing it. but I think that's kinda the name of the game with a lot of smut

hope you enjoyed this essay lmao

[the-bloody-sadist]

Do you mind if I ask you some random thing? I used to love shounen and shoujo manga equally....But ever since I found BL manga 3 years ago, my interest in shoujosei (especially het romance) decrese a lot, and what I search for is just the dynamic between mc (male) and male lead...I don't want to read mc (female) and male lead or mc (male) and female lead...And what I want to read mostly are just mlm or wlw stories....

What do you think is happening to me? Is it really weird?

Ooooooooo I LOVE YOU FOR ASKING ME THIS QUESTION!! THAT'S SO FASCINATING! THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING ME! If my friends know anything about me it's that I LOVE to psychoanalyze, so let's see what I can do here *cracks every knuckle*---

I'll preface by saying I have NOT read any het romance in the MANGA world at least--or otherwise japanese/chinese/korean sources--but did grow up only reading/watching/writing that and thinking I hated romance in general because it was so fucking boring LMAO. If I can compare any het media to non-American BL media, I would have to say anime is my only reference!

With that said, I came through the same arc you did. I tried het romance my whole life, suddenly fell upon BL, said WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS AND WHY IS IT SO GOOD COMPARED TO THE SHIT I'VE BEEN READING, never went back to het romance, and now do BL in all shapes and forms full-time.

What seems to be the big factor in BL/yaoi being so much more enjoyable is that there's an inherent difference in the dynamic of male/male vs. male/female--as portrayed by media, at least. And there's just something about that dynamic that makes it more gripping. It's easier to feel that line of tension between the characters, not to mention the fact that most male/male couples' conflict is far more relatable than the ones I see in female/male. In het media, I tend to see incredibly petty choices of conflict, whereas a LOT of BL chooses trauma, mental illness, and sometimes the acceptance of being gay as the reasons the couples struggle.

I identify far more with those issues than I do with the more stupid conflicts I see in het media like "HE'S WITH ANOTHER GIRL WHATEVER SHALL I DO!" (and it's just his sister) or "HOW DO I KNOW IF I ACTUALLY LIKE HIM? MAYBE I DON'T! LET ME THROW HIM FOR LOOPS AND GO BACK AND FORTH!" and other common, annoying tropes. Especially the jealousy and love triangles. BL does some love triangles, but it's just less...petty? There are usually more founded issues for the conflict that comes from those situations.

I say this with hesitation, but I also feel that BL/yaoi tends to have more creative and unseen concepts than het media. Actually--erase that hesitation. I believe that wholeheartedly. They tend to choose traumatic situations more often than het media--and this is the important part--THEY PORTRAY THEM IN A MORE REALISTIC MANNER.

This doesn't go for all BL because of course it doesn't. An entire genre of different writers--many good and many bad--can never have a singular good trait shared between all of them. But the majority of BL that I've read that include scenes of rape, child abuse, or sex trafficking keeps some sense of terror and gravity to the situation. That's something I tend to see less of in het media. Instead, things often feel more exploitative or voyeuristic. Suffering as a spectacle, as they say. However, it may just have something to do with the female gender being the victim, which we've all seen countless times in all shapes and forms. It feels fresh and new to see a male character going through those issues, instead.

On that topic, I would add that the main audience for romance as a whole has always been dominated by women, so women are more likely to be the consumers of both het and queer romance. When it comes to yaoi, the automatic power balance of male/female is gone, leaving only male/male and opening the option for different ways to imbalance that power--automatically feeling more creative and new than the age old female-victim-male-aggressor-but-he's-kinda-hot trope. In addition to this, so many het romances have unapologetic portrayals of romanticized abuse (The Notebook, 50 Shades of Grey, Blade Runner [speaking to the romance PLOT, sorry, more obscure], the After series, The Kissing Booth, and so on) that never get brought up, never seem to affect the female lead negatively, and always get the couple together in the end. This is endlessly infuriating to me and I've never enjoyed the popular het romances for this reason. It feels like gaslighting--gaslighting of the audience--to see harsh moments of outright abuse and then see the female lead react as if it's sexy, and to feel nothing but gut-freezing disgust as a viewer. It's even more painful when the audience around you also reacts in that way because they're so used to seeing it in your everyday het romance.

Contrasting this with yaoi/BL media--this issue is completely flipped. Countless stories show abuse, address the abuse, portray the male lead suffering from the effects of that abuse, and proceed with a motivation to fix, endure, or to run away from that abuse. To claim that yaoi/BL has less romanticization of said abuse is not wholly true, but the problem for me has always been that het romance PRETENDED THE ABUSE DID NOT EXIST AND/OR IS SEXY AND NORMAL. Whereas yaoi seemed more self-aware that they were writing abuse, and--if they chose to romanticize it--more often did so because the abuse was being experienced through the eyes of the victim. This is important because victims of abuse in reality DO this to cope and survive, so the romanticization is a direct result of a trauma response, and it's made far more clear in yaoi that this is the case.

This is why the kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome romances (Killing Stalking at the top), and toxic relationship themes in BL are far more attractive and validating to read.

Say, for instance, the romances that include themes of kidnapping, sexual assault, and captivity in het media. What have we got for that that's good and actually explores the nature of abuse? What I tend to see that meets that criteria (possibly) isn't really included in the romance category at all--it's either listed as horror or it's a lightened romcom version of that event (kidnapping, specifically)--unless you think of the more popular ones like 365 Days where it's supposed to be sexy and everyone has no brain. I might be flimsy on my point here, since this is the first time I've tried to pick apart this subject, so I apologize. But in addition to these het romances with the themes that I'd like to see not really existing in a way that's been done WELL--I also personally can't watch a woman getting hurt the way I can watch a man getting hurt.

We've seen enough women suffering onscreen, and most of the times the way it gets filmed ends up feeling sexualized in some way--especially if it's a horror movie or a thriller romance. I personally don't enjoy the lack of emotional depth in these types--and clearly they're most often written to be sexy or shock horror more than serious. Trauma doesn't feel real in these stories, so it's intensely triggering to watch it happen onscreen without a resolution to that trauma.

Going back to yaoi/BL, their romances include and very often feature abusive relationships or straight-up hostage romances. But the way they're handled is the big difference. Even though some treat the abuse like sexy porn scenes and I find myself dropping them for the same triggers that set me off in het media, this is much less of a problem, and you can get your thrills without the invalidation of watching trauma happen without being treated like trauma. There's often an arc of learning for the abuser, the relationship healing/improving (and I don't care that it's not morally correct or realistic for this to happen because it's fiction and we all need our coping mechanisms for reality), and a satisfying end where both the characters learn how to love each other. In their own way.

This makes the trauma feel raw and the healing feel rewarding, which is what I come to see. It feels like more BL writers get this and have actually been through some shit.

Lastly, it's not weird that you feel this way, and I'm worried that the discourse on social media about people who exclusively enjoy yaoi/BL has influenced that belief in a lot of people. It shouldn't be that way, and I hope people come around to the actual logic instead of copy-pasting what everyone else says to fit in!

IN ANY CASE, I HAVE RAMBLED FAR TOO LONG ON PRETTY MUCH THE SAME POINT, BUT I HOPE THIS HELPED!! That's the main difference that I'm drawn to yaoi for and I hope it might have helped you see why you are, too!!

Much love to you, and again, thank you SO MUCH FOR ASKING ME THIS QUESTION!! I loved getting to answer that.

[lunas-otome-blog]

Luna's Review: Norn 9 Var Commons

Official Summary:

Explore a History that Never Existed!

Sorata, a child prodigy, wanders away from his class field trip and awakens in a new but oddly familiar setting.

He is taken to the Norn, a massive floating airship. Aboard he meets others – young people known as Espers, each with unique powers to control elements ... or human minds.

The land below them resembles the past, but everything is changed and under the control of a massive organization known as The World. Unravel the mysteries surrounding Sorata’s journey and his companions.

.

Luna's Rating

Plot: 8/10

Gameplay: 7/10

Characters: 8/10

Art: 9/10

Overall: 8/10

Luna's Fave Character: Nijo Sakuya

.

Luna's Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

With an ambitious plot and nine character routes to explore, Norn 9 has a lot to offer. While it suffers from weird pacing at the beginning, it didn't take too long for me to invest in this enjoyable sci-fi tale.

The game starts off introducing Sorata, a 12-year-old boy, as the protagonist, but before you learn anything, the POV switches over to one of the three girl characters. Each girl has three love options, which are manually chosen rather than "earned" through choices in the common route. You don't see much of Sorata again until the true ending.

On the one hand, it's kind of fun to have the nine routes broken up between three girls, because you get vastly different dynamics each time. On the other hand, it made the pacing very weird. And it denied me the pleasure of qualifying for a route the traditional way, which I like to do. But it didn't take long to get into the swing from that point on.

Some choices in this game are timed. There is no explanation for why this is, or which choices are chosen to be timed. What is the point? I like visual novels because they're relaxing and don't require quick thinking. Timed choices just make me nervous lol.

Aside from some of the clunkier game mechanics, I really liked the story of Norn 9. While the essential function of the espers is revealed in nearly every route, I actually enjoyed getting a recap because it was explained slightly differently each time, in different contexts. You don't always get the same information in each route, making each playthrough feel fresh and fun. Some of the more advanced routes suffer from oversimplification in a way that feels inorganic for the characters, but I get that they're trying not to bore the players.

I didn't think I'd like this game as much as I did, but despite the rough start, I enjoyed the characters and the mystery overall.

Please find below my thoughts on the character routes in the order I played them. Spoilers abound.

.

Koharu x Ichinose Senri Route (Spoilers)

Senri is your typical shut-in character archetype, which is not super common in otoges. I found it odd that Koharu didn't question his face tattoo or the ring around his neck. And no, we don't ever get a reason for those lol.

Senri's attraction to Koharu makes sense, as she steamrolls past his dislike of people and slays him with kindness while accommodating his introverted nature. She doesn't make him go outside his comfort zone, but also doesn't want to give up on him. I definitely thought the attraction happened too fast, though, but they both feel very young in this route, so I'm willing to forgive it.

There's a dream sequence that happens in most routes, and while in some routes it serves a purpose, Senri's route was not one of them lol. It was basically a filler episode and felt like a waste of time other than for earning a nice CG of Senri with wings.

This route suffers from bad pacing, as the first 70% of the route is just Koharu and Senri flirting. It picks up abruptly after Koharu meets Mr. Traveler, her old companion who basically raised her, and she goes off with him to ... literally destroy an entire country with fire because he tells her to??

It's hard not to like Koharu, because she's sweet and tries her best, but she's also trusting to the point of being naive. The whole route is just people telling her to do things and her agreeing. Mr. Traveler tells her to board the Norn, so she does. The other espers tell her to go along with them, so she does. Then Mr. Traveler tells her to destroy things and she does. And the route ends with Senri telling her not to do that and, big shock, she does.

I think part of the reason this route isn't super successful is that we don't see any fighting going on. All the victims are spriteless. There's only one sprite of cybersoldiers and we only see one at a time. Even when Koharu goes to toast that country, it's unnamed and the background is just a blank desert. It took me out of the story. And yes, you can do fighting in otoges well — see my review for Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei.

Senri was a super cute character, and I liked him a lot, but his route felt like two different stories with little to connect them.

.

Kuga Mikoto x Nijo Sakuya (Spoilers)

This route was nearly perfect for me. The pacing was good, the plot flowed well, and it features the princely Sakuya, who is not only a white-haired tragedy boy but also a childhood friend of Mikoto's. It's everything I want wrapped into one route.

Mikoto and Sakuya are starcrossed lovers. To avoid Sakuya's tragic fate, Mikoto keeps him at arm's length and treats him coldly. Meanwhile, Sakuya is only kind to Mikoto, but isn't allowed to tell her how he feels. The angst flows heavily in this route. I loved it.

Even the dream sequence, which I strongly felt was a waste of time in Senri's route, serves a purpose here, revealing more about Itsuki (namely that his feelings for Mikoto are genuine) and forcing Sakuya into action.

I did think the ending was too abrupt, with some of the more shocking information glossed over. For example, we find out who the traitor is (sort of) but we don't get any sort of explanation or resolution, and the characters don't really bother asking questions. That was a little annoying, but I knew we'd get to it in the other routes.

My biggest issue with this route is that once you know Sakuya's backstory, you're sad for him when Mikoto gets together with other characters. I wish he'd been her true ending, because I love them together so much. Sakuya best boy!!!

.

Shiranui Nanami x Otomaru Heishi (Spoilers)

Heishi is the genki boy of the game, and one of those characters who is hard not to like. I love that he gave Nanami his tie and she actually wears it throughout the game, whether you're on his route or not.

Nanami is a deadpan loli, so she doesn't often express a lot of emotion and doesn't quite understand other people's motivations. Meanwhile, Heishi is energetic and forgetful, and has to conceal his emotions so he doesn't project them with his powers and embarrass himself. Nanami and Heishi have a sort of autism x adhd dynamic that I found really adorable.

I really liked the first part of the route, but after the traitor is revealed, it gets kind of wonky, with Heishi and Nanami deciding to run away instead of fulfill their duties. I got the bad ending first and it is ...uhm, bad. Very bad.

But even in the good ending, it felt truncated and naive. They refuse to listen to the one dude who knows what's going on (Toya) and just hop on a train to nowhere. Nanami even erases Toya's memory in the heat of the moment, something she showed so much restraint in doing throughout the entire route. Suddenly it's okay if she uses it for her own gain instead of her father's?

While I liked these characters and agree they're a good couple, I didn't think the route was fair to them. It made them seem like idiot teenagers. Which, I mean, they are, but none of the other characters got that sort of treatment lol.

We also learned nothing about Heishi other than that his parents disowned him, and we get zero specifics about Nanami's past other than that she was used by her father. She's supposed to be a ninja and we get absolutely no more info about this other than that she carries a kunai, which we never actually see in Heishi's route. I think this route could have done with some fleshing out. I wish I'd played it first because you learn very little about the true premise of the game.

.

Koharu x Yuiga Kakeru (Spoilers)

Yuiga seems at first to be the standard nice guy character, but after playing a bit, you realize he's kind of an asshole lol. He likes messing with people, figuring out what bothers them and then getting their goat.

But Koharu is so innocent that she doesn't see any of his inner darkness. She doesn't understand his teasing and just appreciates the attention. At the start of the route, this makes Yuiga uneasy, but eventually he starts seeing her as cute. I really liked their dynamic at the beginning.

Unfortunately the more complex this route tried to get, the less I was into it. Kakeru is supposedly under mind control, but we literally do not see a single instance of this. Or if we do, it's mixed in so well with his normal personality that it's impossible to tell. Was he acting on his father's orders in the night? Did he know he was being controlled? This whole section was poorly handled.

Aside from the usual glossing over of details that's present at the end of every route, I thought Kakeru's route ended fine. I just wish the details of his predicament had been fleshed out during the route. You can't just say someone is brainwashed and then not show it.

.

Kuga Mikoto x Kagami Itsuki (Spoilers)

Ugh, another flirty character whose entire personality is just sexual harassment. He straight up says Mikoto isn't his type but that it'll be fun to mold her into his ideal girl. Gross.

I'm not sure why this wasn't a "recommended" first route because basically nothing happens on it. Itsuki isn't nice to Mikoto. He just keeps relentlessly flirting, including touching her without warning, even though she doesn't like it. We know from the other routes (and from a letter he writes to her in this one) that he does truly love her for good reasons, which is all well and good, but he doesn't actually say anything in person or let his guard down. Why Mikoto likes him is a mystery to me.

There's almost no lore revealed in this route. Itsuki is inexplicably able to take away and transfer Mikoto's power — which is a thing people can do apparently, but the process is never explained — but Mikoto doesn't question how he does this. Isn't that like, a big deal? Why don't people just steal each other's powers in other routes if this is possible?

Itsuki spends most of this route trying to be the tragic hero and get Mikoto together with Sakuya. Once Mikoto and Itsuki are finally together, the ship gets attacked and he traps Mikoto in a dream. For what purpose? We know from other routes that someone in one of Itsuki's dreams will stay there, even if Itsuki dies, so what was his plan? To just let Mikoto rot?

In the end, you get very little info, and Mikoto and Itsuki get to run off and ignore everyone else. This was not my favorite route, and certainly not my favorite suitor for Mikoto.

.

Shiranui Nanami x Shukuri Akito (Spoilers)

Akito is an asshole, but he's the type of asshole I like. He's not good at dealing with people, but he has plenty of skills — namely cooking — and it's fun to see him learn to communicate better over the course of his route.

His dynamic with Nanami is really interesting, and much darker than that of Nanami and Heishi. Akito initially hates her for what she did in the past, and is openly hostile toward her. Meanwhile Nanami also hates herself and her power, and doesn't really care if she lives or dies. Basically, Akito is looking for a place to direct his rage, and Nanami is willing to be that lightning rod to absolve herself.

There's a part where Kakeru handcuffs them together, which I thought would be used to inject unnecessary silliness and anime-style pervy scenes into this route. But the writers take the high road here and it's actually just used to inject more angst. Sorata in a Hiyoko onesie asking Akito "Did you come here to die?" is absolutely the funniest line in the game.

While spending time with Nanami, Akito is forced to acknowledge that she's actually not a bad person, and Nanami begins to fall for Akito and fears him leaving her. It takes them forever to understand each other but when they do it's very sweet.

MVP awards in this route go to Sakuya and Heishi for trashing Akito when he's rude to Nanami for no reason lol.

We don't get to learn the complete story about what happened in Nanami and Akito's past for a long time, and when it does happen, it feels a little contrived and designed specifically for the player, not for Akito. But overall, I thought Nanami and Akito were a better couple than her and Heishi.

.

Koharu x Toya Masamune (Spoilers)

Masamune is the "nice guy" of the group, and his route is similarly vanilla for the most part. A lot of it was him struggling with his attraction to Koharu and Koharu being oblivious. I like that sort of thing if there's angst, but the whole thing felt very low stakes so I found myself kinda bored for most of this route.

Probably the most unique thing about Masamune is that he gets "drunk" on sugar, but it only comes up once and they didn't do much with it.

The ending of the route was a lot more interesting, with Koharu being used as a weapon more effectively than in Senri's route, and it resolves in a bittersweet way.

For no specific reason, Masamune is (to my knowledge) the only character who gets weird comedic dead ends. This is also the only route to kill a character on screen, even in the good ending.

I wished we got more direct Masamune lore, but this route trusts the audience enough to figure out his backstory even without an infodump, which I can't argue with.

I don't have much to say about this route. Overall, it was solid, made sense and flowed well. I just wasn't that into Masamune, I guess. It felt weird to make a character this bland one of the more important routes.

.

Shiranui Nanami x Moroboshi Ron (Spoilers)

Ron's character is so funny to me. What do you mean the guy who wears sunglasses indoors and doesn't do any of his assigned tasks is the traitor? He was suspicious from literally the moment he appeared on screen.

At the risk of sounding like a dum-dum, this route was too subtle for me. I don't necessarily enjoy when the writers treat me like an idiot and spoon-feed me information, but Ron's character leaves a lot for you to puzzle out on your own.

Ron is a true sociopath. We know from telepath Heishi that Ron has no ill will toward anyone on the ship, yet we find out on his route that he's actually been sent to kill everyone, indicating he feels nothing about his targets. He feels neither sadness nor regret for what he must do.

The reason I don't say "psychopath" is because psychopaths tend to have a fake persona an a complex web of lies, whereas sociopaths don't usually bother with those. Ron has little personality of his own, and while he does lie by omission, he never actually lies. You get the sense that he can't be bothered.

Ron is an empty shell, and you have to piece together through really tiny hints that he probably has a similar background to Nanami. He has no qualms killing a random guy just to use his house. He's a genuinely broken person, and once he figures out Nanami can wipe his memories, he realizes this is his only hope to feel...anything.

While I can appreciate several aspects of this route, I didn't like it for a couple reasons. One is that Ron's personality is inconsistent. Ron wants Nanami to erase his memories for a fresh start, which implies that he either 1) hates himself, 2) is constantly suffering from what he's been forced to do, or both. But Heishi said he feels nothing about what he's doing on the ship.

I could understand him being casually suicidal, the way Nanami is, in order to allow himself to suffer for his past actions, but the difference is that Nanami is concealing her true personality. Ron doesn't seem to be. He's either genuinely cool with doing what he has to do, or so good at pretending to be numb that he's actually become that way. Why then would he care so much about having a fresh start? His actions would have made a lot more sense if he was concealing his true self, and Nanami got a peak at it during her route. Instead, he comes across as having no personality at all, making it contradictory that he would desire something like happiness so much.

The other reason I wasn't into this route was that I didn't think the romance added up. I understand Nanami being kinda into him, because they are heavily paralleled, but he does nothing to warrant falling in love other than tell her that her powers don't define her. Other than that, he murders casually (which she acknowledges), sexually assaults her and betrays her and her friends. Ron's side made a little more sense to me, because it didn't really seem like love on his part, just obsession with someone who could fix him.

I think this route overall could have been darker and more warped. I still wouldn't have liked it lol, but it would have made more sense.

Side note: this blog has a really good breakdown of Ron's character if you're interested.

.

Kuga Mikoto x Azuma Natsuhiko (Spoilers)

Despite my love for Sakuya, I really did like Natsuhiko for Mikoto. He's one of those characters that initially doesn't care for anything but the mission, but after he kidnaps Mikoto and spends time with her, his affection for her grows.

Realizing Mikoto is actually weak and just puts up a strong front around him, Natsuhiko makes him a robot that allegedly runs on "AI" as a conversation partner, allowing her to have some time to feel vulnerable and open up. What she doesn't know is that the robot is just Natsuhiko talking to her. He falls in love with her off screen based on these candid conversations and decides to open up to her as well, introducing her to his hobbies.

The main flaw in this route is a completely unnecessary memory loss plotline, which isn't even a significant enough part of the route to accomplish anything. I feel like it just happened to give Mikoto and Natsuhiko time to sleep together lol.

Everything after that point is kind of weirdly paced, and the ending seemed a little lackluster compared to the beginning of the route. But ultimately, they make a nice couple, and Sakuya isn't that overbearing on this route. I liked it.

.

Truth Route (Spoilers)

The true ending focuses (FINALLY) on Sorata, who is obviously integral to the plot but who features very little in any other route. It ends the same as all the other routes, but we finally get to figure out why Sorata chooses to do what he does.

While it goes about as well as it could have, there wasn't a ton of new info to uncover here, because nearly everything else has already been revealed in the other routes.

I did like that none of the girls' romantic partners are mentioned, allowing the player to imagine them with whomever they found most suitable. (IMHO it should be Kakeru, Sakuya and Akito.)

It was a good, solid end to the game, but I do wish there were a few more secrets left over.

[televinita]

You know what it's been far too long since we did? (that's right a reading triage)

Now that my library account is all clean & current, and I had even gotten it down to a mere seven checkouts (3 of which are ready to return once I finished my review), and was starting to look at books I own again...naturally, I celebrated by stopping at 3 locations in a day and attempting to check out the weight of a medium-sized dog in fresh titles.

Not to quote The Floor, but...let's look at my options. (in no particular order)

ROMANCE

1. Next To You - Hannah Bonam-Young: I actually read half of this one outside before I even came home today, but I'm including it anyway because I find her writing style very enjoyable, even though this is my least favorite so far because I don't love the female main character.

2. Sweeten the Deal - Katie Shepard: how has it been almost a YEAR since I read (& loved) the first book in this series of interconnected standalones. I must have more of this delicious brand. ...but maybe I should wait for when I'm less dangerously close to burning out on romance? It's just this was one of the last two I had in my possession before today's Extravaganza.

3. Housebroke - Jaci Burton: an entirely random checkout that is probably gonna be 3 stars, but also features an FMC with 5 foster dogs who is temporarily between homes and relying on the kindness of the guy who just bought the house of the people who'd been letting her stay in it. So!

4. Pickleballers - Illana Long: this one is even more likely to be 3 stars (its Goodreads average is so low omg), but also, maybe it's just kind of fun? Whatever! I've heard of this one before and it was there so I grabbed it!

5. Right on Cue - Falon Ballard: I really liked Lease on Love and this is the one on her backlist that intrigues me 2nd-most, so as long as it was on my For Later library list and checked in... it's low priority, though. because, again, fear of burnout = I prioritize the books I wouldn't mind having a 3-star-average time with.

YA

6. Begin Again - Emma Lord: this is not the first time I've checked this YA out, but it is the time of year in which I'd like to read it, based mainly on the cover colors (it's just giving such strong "what if Annie actually transferred after season 1 of Community" vibes), so on the pile it went.

7. The Start of Me & You - Emery Lord: same with this one. I almost started this one today instead of Next To You, because it was such a sunny day, but that one had a waitlist and this doesn't, so. I haven't read a YA in over a month and I miss it.

8. The Lightness of Hands - Jeff Garvin: a random pick from my Goodreads TBR that I added back when we were rewatching Revolution, so I was (naturally) on the hunt again for books featuring single dads w/ teenage daughters. It's never felt quite right for Miles & Charlie, but I couldn't kick it off once I'd found it, and now that I'm actively looking at the description of this Sad Dad once more, my brain is like "oh hey. we're not actually out of the Adam Scott phase yet are we. Opportunity?"

[edit: I started this one but god it is long, and I feel so meh about both characters that after 25 pages I started looking up reviews and honestly, it's been almost 4 years since this was published. I will bet heavily on a better option having appeared since then, and when I need this dynamic, I'll go hunting afresh. maybe come back to this one if I end up desperate,but for now, I am no longer actively planning to finish this]

LITERARY/HISTORICAL FICTION

9. Time After Time - Lisa Grunwald: speaking of books I added to my Goodreads TBR years ago because of a TV rewatch, this was added because of Pushing Daisies (keyword searches: books where people are in love and Yearning because they can't touch, or they otherwise have obstacles to a normal relationship). It was a new release then & the waitlist was long, and I believe David Tennant took the fannish-focus crown back before I got to it. But now that I've just read Dawnland, the sequel to April & Oliver aka another book that fit this criteria... well, this is the most I've felt drawn to it in at least 5 years. Only problem is it's very chunky, and it also feels like it might be better as a winter read. But we'll see.

[edit: I started this one too, felt meh, ended up skimming and I don't think it will work for my purposes as well as i want, and THIS is long too so tbh, I don't really wanna invest the time]

MYSTERY

10. Eleven Stolen Horses - Robin Somers: I was literally walking to the checkout station, arms straining under my towering stack, when I saw this on display. May have actually spun on my heel with an inward groan when I realized I couldn't resist taking a look, and when I saw the Nevada setting + "In her search to find Rette, Eleanor discovers the dark world of today's inhumane treatment of wild horses," I snatched it IMMEDIATELY. This will, if nothing else, be a good change of pace genre-wise. But honestly I'm pretty excited to start it.

FANTASY

11. Apprentice to the Villain - Hannah Nicole Maehrer : maybe? I don't know if I want to dive into this right away, or save it for when I really want a guaranteed hit of fun, since book 3 isn't out until August and who knows when my library will get it. But it was available, so I grabbed it.

MIDDLE GRADE

12. The Adventure is Now - Jess Redman: I've been interested in this since it was picked for a Once Upon a Book Club box, but it's always had an absurdly long waitlist for a book I've never heard about otherwise and that doesn't have any awards and is not by a mega-name author (where are the kids hearing about it??). My library finally went up 20 physical copies and now it's finally checked in, so I'm going for it. Love a "video-game-loving kid gets stuck on a remote island for the summer, finds real-life adventure equally cool, nature maybe not that bad."

NONFICTION

13. Downton Shabby: One American's Ultimate DIY Adventure Restoring His Family's English Castle - Hopwood DePree: I remember reading an article about this venture a while back, and then I saw this while browsing BookOutlet. Didn't really wanna buy, but I put it on my library list, and today was the kind of day where I look at said list and check out everything that even might appeal to me in the next 2 months.

14. The Backyard Bird Chronicles - Amy Tan: I am very here for a soothing birdwatching memoir (with illustrations!), especially one that started in 2016 when the author grew overwhelmed by the way hatred & misinformation "became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window." Well that sounds familiar! Technically this one is still in transit or I probably would have started it today. But it still has a sizable waitlist, so it will be priority #1 once I pick it up.

[liassh1t5]

Roblox- A Realistic Escape from Reality

The title might sound contradictory, but please let me elaborate. For millions across the globe, Roblox is a fun online game where you can interact with other real-life players. It is a way to relax and have fun either by yourself or with your friends. On Roblox, there are multiple different games you can choose from, even better, you can make your own game for you & others to enjoy.

Just like the millions of other people who find Roblox as a way to entertain themselves, I too find that it offers a unique blend of creativity, social interaction, and endless possibilities. Whether it's diving into different games, building my own virtual worlds, or simply hanging out with friends online, Roblox gives me a space to explore, create, and have fun in ways that go beyond the real world.

Dress To Impress: No Dressing Room Required

Now, let’s talk about some of those realistic games on Roblox that completely suck you in. First up, "Dress to Impress." I mean, who doesn’t love the idea of having a virtual closet with endless options? In real life, I might have a few outfits to choose from, but on Roblox? The sky's the limit! I can go from a casual look to a glamorous fashion icon in seconds. It’s like playing dress-up without ever having to leave my room. And the best part? Everyone around me is doing the same thing. It’s this huge community of people just expressing themselves and showing off their styles.

Bloxburg: "Adulting" at Any Age

Then there's "Bloxburg." If you've ever wanted a taste of what it’s like to have your own place, this game is perfect. You can build and design your house, get a job, and basically live an entire virtual life. It’s weirdly realistic in the best way. One moment you’re working a shift at the pizza place, the next you’re throwing a party at your dream house. It’s this mix of real-life simulation with a touch of fantasy that makes it so addicting. Plus, it's kind of fun to pretend you're a responsible adult when, in reality, your actual room is probably a mess (guilty as charged).

A Million Lives: in One Platform

There are so many other games that let you live out all sorts of scenarios. Whether it’s running a bakery, exploring haunted houses, or just chilling in a virtual cafe, Roblox has it all. It’s like having a million different lives packed into one platform. You can jump from one reality to another with just a click, and each game feels like its own little world. And because you're playing with others, there's this sense of community. You can laugh, compete, and sometimes even form friendships with people from all over the world.

Why it's More Than What It Is

Roblox might be a game, but it feels like so much more than that. I can fully embrace many personas on this dynamic platform, explore scenarios that beyond my real-life constraints, and meaningfully and engagingly engage with individuals. For millions of people like myself, entering a lively virtual world that provides a true diversion from the daily grind is more important than simply playing games. I discover a world of creativity, exploration, and never-ending enjoyment in Roblox, where every encounter presents a fresh chance for me to express myself and interact with a worldwide community.

[emilybrontesghost]

So not that anybody cares lol, but yesterday I watched Red, White and Royal Blue because it just came out and that’s just what you do, right? I will say in advance I haven’t read the book so I can’t speak to the accuracy of the film, only what I thought of it. I also will say that I’ve been watching Heartstopper for the first time this past week too, so that story is still very fresh in my mind and was while I was watching RWRB. I think it’s a fair comparison too because there ARE surface similarities at least: (l.e. one of the MCs is bisexual, they have to keep their relationship a secret, etc.) I have to say, though parts of the movie were enjoyable/cute, it was overall disappointing for me. I expected a lot more and it didn’t really deliver. Despite the film being about two adult men I feel the depth and maturity of the relationship between the teen MCs of Heartstopper was far better. I felt like this movie focused quite a bit on the physical side of things more between Alex and Henry and less on the emotional side. We got a handful of scenes where they were being emotionally open, (like the museum scene for instance where they dance) but I feel like we just don’t see enough of them going from frenemies to lovers. It feels like it all happens too fast so when Alex tells Henry he’s in love with him and Henry gets scared, it lessens the impact. I realize as a two hour movie that they were under time constraints and that Heartstopper benefits from being a tv show in that way with multiple episodes, but I still feel like the film should have used the time it did have better. The other thing I think Heartstopper does better is that it’s not afraid or embarrassed to focus wholeheartedly on the romance between Nick, Charlie, and the other characters. It’s very character driven rather than plot driven in that way, and it works because it makes the characters feel like real people. RWRB though, despite being billed as a romcom, didn’t focus enough I feel like on the love story, and this was mainly due to the scattered focus of the narrative.

The movie seems to be trying to be a romcom but the other storylines that aren’t Alex and Henry’s relationship are frankly, imho, boring. None of the other supporting characters are fleshed out enough for me to care about them so they feel a bit like props in every scene they’re in. Henry’s sister for instance gets very little screen time though she’s supposed to be arguably the most accepting and understanding person in Henry’s life. We also don’t see enough of the parental dynamics with either character. I’ve heard the book characters are more fleshed out but it seems they cut quite a bit of that. And I realize this is personal preference because I understand the storyline about his mom’s campaign IS in the book, but the whole political aspect of the story really was just uninteresting to me and also pretty unrealistic imho. I know some people had complaints that the book in their opinion wasn’t political ENOUGH, but as far as the movie goes I just wanted to watch a romance so the other stuff I tuned out tbh. I was looking for light entertainment and seeing Rachel Maddow on the news clips and the Texas victory rather than contributing to the realism of the story honestly just took me out of it and made it seem made-up because I couldn’t imagine that happening. The overall feel of the movie also felt like they were kinda not very generous with the budget with this film. There were a lot of shots that showed they weren’t really able to show a lot of exterior views like when it came to the palace for instance where Henry lives. We finally see a bit more of the inside of what I think is supposed to be Buckingham Palace near the end of the movie, but when they are supposed to step out onto the balcony we don’t actually see any people below, even though there is supposed to be a crowd, because they cut away. It just felt like they were trying to take shortcuts that were cheaper with filming wherever they could. I also have to say I felt like the chemistry between the two leads was a bit shaky, especially in the beginning. They seemed to become more comfortable as it went on but the beginning of the movie did kinda feel like two straight dudes pretending to be gay/bi for the film. I looked into the actors and couldn’t find anything conclusive but that was the impression I as a queer women felt while watching. It just didn’t feel super authentic. I do think Henry’s character seemed more believable to me and I think that’s in part because I think the dude who plays him is a better actor. I never really could warm to Alex personally all that much. As happy as I was to see Alex and Henry get together in the film, it’s no comparison to how I felt watching the buildup of Heartstopper’s romance. It was MUCH more satisfying to see Charlie and Nick grow from friends to lovers imho. All in all, the movie was kinda a let down for me. I prob won’t rewatch it and ultimately it was just not a film I was that invested in. 🤷‍♀️