#this episode is truly beautiful and makes me cry every time its so underrated

[venuscarrotsoup]

Gyomei and Kagaya friendship analysis/yap

Everybody overlooks this relationship, not on purpose of course, but it’s not really noticed. Yes, Ubuyashiki views all the demon slayers as his children, especially the hashira, but him and Gyomei have a special bond.

Side note: I find it cute how Kagaya calls all the demon slayers by their first names because no parent would call their child by their last name 😭💓🤞

Gyomei was around 18 when the temple incident happened, he was rescued by Kagaya shortly after, meaning he’s been close to Kagaya for around 9 years, allowing them to have a really close bond.

Kagaya did so much for Gyomei, he saved him from being executed, and saw him differently from everyone else. Gyomei felt like others viewed him as a monster after the incident, but Kagaya knew of his innocence, and saved him. And when Gyomei broke down, Kagaya held him and comforted him. Gyomei even stated that Kagaya would say exactly what one wanted to hear, he told Gyomei that he wasn’t a murderer, which caused Gyomei to break down, as he was experiencing guilt and self-loathing after that incident.

Gyomei would’ve been there to see the Ubuyashiki family grow, since all the kids are around 8 years old. I feel like Gyomei and Kagaya have been there for each other every step of the way, I believe they were good friends, despite having distance due to Kagaya’s status as the master.

Kagaya trusts all his children, but he had the most trust with Gyomei, because of that strengthened bond from all the time they’ve spent by each others side. Kagaya entrusted Gyomei with his plan, and I believe he also wanted to say a final goodbye to one of his closest friends, he knew Gyomei would understand, because he has such a kind, calm and understanding soul, he wouldn’t freak out, he would simply go along with the plan and carry it out in Kagaya’s honour.

I like these two images paired together, it’s a nice parallel. In the first image Gyomei is at his lowest, and had just escaped death, relieved and emotional due to Kagaya’s actions, and Kagaya is there to comfort him. In the second image, Kagaya is at his lowest, his illness at its worst, and he is about to meet death, Gyomei is there to support him. And of course, Gyomei is crying in both images, and Kagaya is smiling, just like his calm, serene self always is. It’s a nice contrast as Kagaya was part of the reason Gyomei escaped death, and gyomei was part of the plan that would ensue Kagaya’s death.

Their relationship truly is beautiful, and I wish we had a bit more content of their friendship, because I know it was a strong one.

Another detail I really liked is how gyomei got so angry here when sanemi disrespected Kagaya, veins were popping out of him and everything. Gyomei is normally a calm and collected guy, but Kagaya is literally such a good friend to Gyomei that he can’t stand anyone disrespecting him, that was such a nice detail.

Look at him, still trying to remain calm but not being able to mask his anger because Kagaya has just been screamed at by this roach. Gyomei obviously really appreciates Kagaya for what he did for him (freeing him from death.) and it’s so adorable.

In conclusion, what I’m trying to say here is that these two have a very good relationship/bond which is very underrated and overlooked. I only came to this conclusion when I first watched season 4 episode 8, as it’s not very obvious since the two act professional in the only episodes they’re together before that (s1 e22-23). Please nobody try and twist my words to make it out like I’m shipping the two because I’m not, key word in the title: FRIENDSHIP.

Kagaya himself is underrated as well, give my king some more attention!! Anyways if you read this THANK YOU SO MUCH, I needed to yap abt them, and plz any gyomei fans and even better, people who share the same views as me on this, moot me up on TikTok at @inlovewithkorra <3

[namtanlovesfilm]

Heyyy girl! Not sure if you’ve answered this before but what are your fave non gmmtv bls/Thai dramas?🪷💗

hi anon! I don't think I actually have, all in the same post! let's go <3

I TOLD SUNSET ABOUT YOU

I've talked about this show about a thousand times already, so I'll keep it short: this is the only show I consider truly perfect, from its writing, cinematography, acting, chemistry, storyline, soundtrack, etc. it's not for everyone bc it's VERY angsty but it's deffo my cup of tea & I'm gonna be honest teh's coming out storyline was extremely important to me as it came right before I also finally accepted my bisexuality. overall just my favorite show, so important & beautiful with deeply flawed characters <3

PROJECT S: SKATE OUR SOULS

this show is the only other one with itsay I've rated a 10/10 in my life, even though it's not perfect, because it literally changed my life. the last sentence of the show literally helped me get over the worst depressive episode of my life, which is a pretty goddamn beautiful result for a show about depression. even though it's not entirely perfect, it's still an extremely well written show, has a gorgeous cinematography full of neons, incredible performances & a story that was so important to tell. I couldn't recommend it more!

PROJECT S: SIDE BY SIDE

in also a near flawless show, we have this show. it's a very touching story that will make you cry, tries to understand all of its characters, with stunning acting performances from everyone, and it's just the kind of shows I don't see anyone disliking tbh. very well executed & definitely an all time favorite of mine :)

THE REVENGE

probably the most underrated show on this list, this is actually the show I'm the most upset about being underrated lol, bc it's literally SO GOOD. if it was a korean show it'd go viral type of good. this is a very fucked up story so not for the faint of heart but it's executed extremely well, and honestly I don't have much negative to say about this show. flawless performances, an extremely impactful show, and forever one of my favorite thai dramas ever made!

SLEEPLESS SOCIETY: INSOMNIA

another highly underrated thai drama that no one has watched. this is female-led, touches on politics & corruption, has a very different setting from usual & a great plot through and through. the ending is also super iconic & stays on my mind to this day. I really encourage anyone to watch it!

MY RIDE

if you like love sick or my school president, I think my ride will be your cup of tea. it's a pretty simple story but with such lovable characters & a beautiful healthy ship that it immediately became one of my favorite comfort shows. it's the ultimate proof that even a more simple story can be beautiful if given enough soul, quirkiness & love :)

IN FAMILY WE TRUST

in family we trust is a lakorn, but it doesn't feel like a lakorn. apart from the obviously beyond iconic cast at every level, the writing & cinematography are leagues above any other lakorns. for a murder story that should be pretty straightforward, they managed to weave in the interpersonal relationships of the characters perfectly, and this is the kind of show that you can put down once you start. if you've never watched lakorns before, I'd recommend this one to start with since it's quite similar to regular series.

TO SIR, WITH LOVE

another lakorn, another slay! this one is way more lakorn-y so I don't think it's for everyone, but it's literally the only lakorn that treats its queer characters fairly lol & it's such a beautiful love story. it's very dramatic bc 1) lakorn & 2) historical drama with repressed queer characters, but everything in this drama just HITS. you care for the characters so much, and the brother relationship is also so supportive & beautiful and I'm so glad the show never compromised it for some petty drama. overall this show put me through all the emotions & I loved it so much for it lol

GREAT MEN ACADEMY

this show is the proof of the kind of imagination thai film makers have when they get a good budget. the world building of that show is so vibrant & fun, but more than that the writing is really good with endearing characters, good interpersonal relationships, and a really beautiful love story & plot. this is just such a nice show to watch, even with its kind of childish aspect, and once again the cast is great since it's the same as in in family we trust lol. watch both shows back to back & be shook at how drastically different yet so good they both are :)

THE DEBUT

another super underrated show that no one has watched but fucking slaps. not only is it female-led with amazing performances (and a great cast!), but this show really is so well written, with a mystery & a plot twist that will pull you in and make you bingewatch it. the cinematography & colors also slap, and overall it's such a good show that I wish more people would watch.

xxx

[beesarealien]

Am rather upset that there’s very little (if any) analysis of season three’s ‘gridlock’ as it is truly beautiful and comments on the importance and power of hope and faith in the face of uncertain doom

[ja-khajay]

2020-2021 Animation Watch(ed)list

I haven’t posted about animation in a while that I remember, and I know a lot of my followers are into it as much as me so I decided to make a list of the animated movies and series I watched on the past year or so, coupled with my short, spoilerless take on them. Enjoy!

Organized by

Things I saw for the first time

Things I rewatched

Under a cut for the sake of your dashboards! PS: I have not added any images yet. If you are interested in knowing more about the visuals of these movies, I might make an old fashion ask-prompted imageset list.

Part One: Things I saw for the first time

The Bear’s Famous Invasion of Sicily

Movie, 2019, Italian/French

9/10, a delightful little movie with amazing visuals. It feels like an animated picture book.

One of those “plot is in the title” media! I had never heard of this before but was heavily recommended it by my family members, who all loved it! It’s a sweet story, nothing groundbreaking but the unique colorful visual style alone makes it worth it.

The Castle of Cagliostro

Movie, 1979, Japanese

10/10. Reminded me of all the books i loved reading as a child

I assume its because it’s so old and the art style and themes are so different that it gets little to no love compared to other Ghibli movies, which is a shame! It’s fun with an endearing cast and as always, great animation and music

Mushishi

Series, 2006, Japanese

10/10 three episodes in I knew it was going to be my favorite series ever

One of the few things I’ve seen I’ll describe as life-changing. It’s absolutely lovely but never toots its own horn about it. Humble, calming, emotional and surprisingly mature. It’s pretty impossible to binge due to how intense the experience is. I just want to walk in the forest now...

FMA: Brotherhood

Series, 2009, Japanese

6/10 Dissapointing adaptation of a classic story

I read the manga for this when I was in middle school and remembered loving it. The animated version does an ok job of presenting the characters and worldbuilding and has some nice action scenes but overall looks really damn cheap and just. Not very good. Seeing I already knew most of the plot I did not have the element of discovery that made me marvel so much reading the original. It’s still a nice series but I really recommend reading it instead.

Code Lyoko (s1+2)

Series, 2003, french

3/10. 1.5 being for the opening song alone

This show sucks ass if I hadn’t been watching this with my bestie I would have dropped it two episodes in. The art style is ugly the stories are always the same and the first season has a (later removed thank fucking god) LITERAL “erase any consequences” button as a plot device in every episode. If you watch it for one thing let it be the nostalgia factor of early 00s Vidya Game Plot

The Legend of Hei

Movie, 2019, Chinese

7/10. Impressive visuals and a poor story

I finally watched this, peer pressured by the load of gifsets on my dashboard! It’s a sweet movie with really impressive animation, sometimes a bit too flashy for my taste (the action sequences go so ham they become not very readable...) but the story was just ok? The setting is barely explained and you are instead bombarded with vague epicspeech about powers and stuff that made me fondly remember Kingdom Hearts lol but that asides it’s a really good time! I need to watch more Chinese movies the few I know are just delightfully off the shits in how they approach action and I love that

Hunter x Hunter

Series, 1999, Japanese

9/10. Superior to the recent one!

I first got introduced to the series via the 2011 one. Comparatively, the 99 series focuses way less on action and way more on the characters, which I love because that fits my personal preferences! Despite mediocre filler episodes and some weird slight pointless plot changes, what it changes from the original manga doesn’t have much of an impact on the characters. The animation quality isn’t always consistent including a huge art style change for an arc (???) but it’s overall pretty nice. The series really shines in the last arc it adapts.

Oban Star-racers

Series, 2006, Japanese/french

9/10 a lovely surprise

This series is completly obscure despite having been created by people famous for their other series (Cowboy Bebop, Code Lyoko that i can name) and it’s a crime! It’s a kids show but without being stupid about it who tells the story of an inter-planetary race. If you liked that one scene in the star wars prequels you know what I mean. It’s got surprisingly nice animation for a TV series, and some truly great character design. The art style is a bit unique in a not for everyone sense, but I didn’t mind it much. It’s also THE most offensively 2000s series i’ve seen in terms of visuals. y2k kids assemble

The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon

Movie, 1963, japanese

8/10. Classic fairytale format with incredible visuals

Watched this for the art style because I know it inspired Samurai Jack, and it delievered! I dont’ have much to say about this one, it’s a very simply film but it’s sweet. For my pirates out there if you want to find it in good quality with english subtitles it’s VERY hard to find. If you just want to see the looks of it, it’s on Youtube with portugese subs.

We now enter the Gobelins Shorts Zone....!

My Friend Who Glows In The Dark

10/10 makes me cry each time

Pure delight...great animation writing everything. A little short about death and friendship but not in the way you imagine!

Colza

9/10

Visual treat...homely and nice :) not far from a 10 but a 9 because nothing about it is that groundbreaking

Sundown

9/10

If you’ve ever been ten minutes from failing a group project because of a single dude you will REALLY enjoy this. Loved the colors and personality

T’as vendu mes rollers?

10/10

It’s SUCH a sweet little short I loved that one so much

Dix-huit kilomètres trois

10/10

Surprisingly well written dialog. Visuals are great but the humanity of the characters carries this to another level

Un diable dans la poche

9/10

Amazing visuals and the most tense/creepy of Gobelin shorts i’ve ever seen. Chilling

La bestia

8/10

I had some issues with the pacing. Interesting story and visuals choices but I was not fond of the art style

Goodbye Robin

5/10

Confusing but predictable. Both at once??? Yes!

Le retour des vagues

6/10

Cool animation stuff but felt pretty pointless

                                                                ***

Part Two: Things I rewatched

Ruben Brandt: Collector

Movie, 2018, Hungarian

10/10. Underrated as hell

Watched this fully blind for the first time in an animated festival and rewatched it with friends. It’s a crime I never see anyone talking about it given the amount of whining I see about the lack of both adult animation and 2D movies? This film is a unique love letter to art in the form of a weird mix of charming crime story and psychological horror with amazing visuals. I recommend watching it blind and also buying it to show appreciation for how nice it is!!! WATCH THIS MOVIE...

Mononoke

Series, 2007, Japanese

10/10 Visual/storytelling masterpiece in the weird shit departement

If you can stomach intense stuff watch this. The visuals are incredibly unique and beautiful and under the jewel tones and art direction high takes it’s a really cool horror series. My only obstacle to enjoying it the first time I saw it was how dense it is - simply put, it’s so...culturally Japanese it’s not very accessible to me who doesn’t know anything about the culture? Watching it for the second time helped understanding the stories more! 

Corto Maltese in Siberia

Movie, 2002, french

9/10 but really close to ten. A great adaptation!

I’m a huge fan of the original comic so I entered this a biiiittttt suspicious it would suck but it was a really pleasant surprise! It has all the wonder and charm of the original and the animation was surprisingly good for the little budget. If you’re not familiar with the series, it’s a sort of geopolitical action/adventure movie but with it’s own really poetic vibe to it. It’s almost impossible to find online but happens to be fully on YouTube so go ham I guess?

Redline

Movie, 2009, Japanese

10/10 cinema was invented for this, actually

Every review of this movie i’ve seen gives it five stars and starts by talking about how immensly stupid it is. I’m no different. It’s a masterpiece of escalating energy with the depth of a puddle and it fucking rules. It’s free on YouTube too so there really is no excuse to not watch it. Watched it for the first time on a huge cinema screen and despite this my second rewatch on my small laptop was as/even more enjoyable. If you watch this stoned with friends you might travel to another dimension

Spirited Away

Movie, 2001, Japan

10/10 deserves the love it gets

I watched this a single time as a kid and had little memory of it! I mean it’s Ghibli you know it’s going to be good as hell but this one rly shines in how colorful and detailed it is and in it’s world! It made me remember I had a huge crush on the dragonboy as a kid. I’m gay now

Kung-fu Panda (1&2)

Movie, Usa

10/10. KFP fucking rules

Honestly my favorite franchise of the whole disney/dreamworks/pixar hydra. It’s fun as hell, doesn’t skip a single beat and has amazing animation and character designs. If something is a good time I will not care if it’s deep or not and boy I fucking love these movies

Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas

Movie, 2003, Usa

5/10 Some great some really bad and overall generic

I tend to hate american cinema and this includes that era of animation I have no nostalgia for. Sinbad is in a weird place because I love adventure stories and the visuals of the movie absolutely deliver but it’s very predictable and TANKED by the addition of the female character, pushed in your face as “look we have woman!!!” despite her writing being misogynistic as hell lol. The evil goddess rules tho. This movie would have been a solid 9 if instead of the girl the two dudes had kissed

[radramblog]

Radiohead Retrospective Part 6: Ripples on a Blank Shore

Hail to the Thief was Radiohead’s last album with the record label EMI. This is probably good, seeing as EMI are a massive conglomerate, one of the biggest record companies in the world, and that doesn’t really suit Radiohead’s image. It’s not like they needed them to get big anymore.

With that lack of contractual obligation to make new music, the band was able to spend a fair bit longer on the next album, as well as do a few things on the side. Thom made The Eraser, Jonny did some soundtracks. They went on tour between recording sessions, because they weren’t really getting anywhere, and tried some of their material live. It sounds like it was a lot less stressful than the previous, label-driven work. While they would eventually resign onto XL Recordings, that’s a much smaller, independent company, and the band’s next album would be self-released anyway.

In Rainbows had a very interesting release. Much like what many a Bandcamp artist does now, the album was released as a pay-what-you-want online download, with paying 0 dollars being an option you could take. This wasn’t really a thing back in 2007, so it stirred up quite the fuss. It also helped that it was an excellent fucking album, which many hail as equal or greater than OK Computer at the top of the Radiohead Totem Pole.

I suppose, then, it’s only fair to actually talk about the album.

The album opens with 15 Step, and what a way to open an album. We’ve got the mix of real and manufactured percussion, we’ve got calming falsetto and we’ve got those absolutely lovely guitar chords. The handclaps are back, and unlike We Suck Young Blood they’re genuine and optimistic rather than sarcastic- in case the kids going “yaaaay!” wasn’t obvious, though it’s not hard to be in a higher mood than WSYB. Considering how melancholy Hail to the Thief, not to mention the other albums the band’s made, have tended to be, this feels light, airy, and refreshing.

A mix of electronic and acoustic that is a great way of introducing the album- considering the constant comparisons the record gets to OK Computer, opening with a track that demonstrates everything the band has learned in the 10 years since is just great. I’m just going to get this out ahead of time, this album is very good, and held in such high esteem for a reason.

The second track is Bodysnatchers, one of the rockier songs the alleged Rock band released in the 2000s. It’s a pretty significant contrast to 15 Step, a bass-driven, driving rock song that screams paranoia. It’s one kept moving at a forward pace by its uptempo percussion and acoustic strumming, while the other instruments just chug along in quite the satisfying manner.

Bodysnatchers’s energy feels really unique on this album, to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if people thought it didn’t really fit. It’s harsher and edgier, somewhat reminiscent of a King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard track at times, manic and energetic and layered. I’m not going to agree with the idea that Bodysnatchers doesn’t belong on In Rainbows, because the song fucks, but there is a fair case to be made for its difference.

Anyway, next up is Nude. It’s not quite as fun as it sounds. The effects on this instrumental opening make it feel almost film-soundtrack-like, somewhat reminiscent of Motion Picture Soundtrack (that might be a bit of a stretch, though). The bulk of the track is largely built around the vocal track, ethereal and dominant, with the instrumental being a relatively simple guitar/drum piece to back up Thom’s impeccable falsetto. The song rises a lot for it’s bridge, crescendoing just like back in the old days with strings and effects, with lyrics that almost chide the listener for poking fun at the song’s name, like I just did. I’m sorry to disappoint you, lads!

Nude is not a song I often find myself in the mood for, to be frank. It’s unquestionably gorgeous, but also simultaneously too much and not enough? Too much as in like, that vocal track is a little overblown sometimes as is the intro, and not enough as in, the bulk of the song is a touch boring? I don’t know, I’m ready to be strapped to a wall for that one, but I’m sticking with the take.

On the other hand, I’m basically never not in the mood for Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. I’ve always found this track extremely soothing, an absolute unparalleled vibe. The simple but sweet guitar lines just feel nautical in a way I can’t describe, comfortable in a way the actual ocean very doesn’t get me. The bass is extremely subtle, but it helps a lot to keep the track moving between modes as it builds and builds and builds and builds and just falls away…

I’ve gotten some pushback before when describing this song as “chill”, and considering the way it builds up so much in the middle third, I guess I can see how one would disagree. But I can’t describe how or why the song makes me feel the way it does, it just, does. Something about those clean drums piercing through the haze of the track, the lyricism, the vibe. It’s the vibe.

Next up is All I Need, a smooth, slow, dark track with a much lower mood than the songs we’ve heard so far- even moreso than Bodysnatchers. This is the album’s low point moodwise, pretty much inarguably, and some might argue also as far as songs go.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s far from a bad song. The piano chords are simple but effective, contrasted against the….xylophone, I think, but that only happens for a relatively small portion of a pretty long song. Which is largely just low percussion and vocals. I will say, the bridge is excellent, a rising cry of keys and drums against the void, which wouldn’t work nearly as well if the rest of the song isn’t the way it was. But as a whole, the song isn’t the best Radiohead has to offer, if you catch my drift.

I think the next song, Faust Arp, is kind of underrated. I mean, I know it’s the least listened to song on the album on Spotify, I’m looking at the numbers, it’s not close. That’s kind of to be expected with a song that, at least for Radiohead’s scales, very short, at just over 2 minutes long. But it’s a beautiful little acoustic/string piece that I really enjoy. Short and sweet, I suppose. You can call it interstitial all you want, and it’s not going to compare to song number 7, but it’s a good song, dangit.

Oh right, song number 7. Reckoner. A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I didn’t think Radiohead captured quite the beauty of Pyramid Song again for a few more albums. Reckoner is that lightning captured in a bottle once again. This song is incredibly emotional, and undeniably excellent.

The song feels like it’s on separate layers, spaced and airy drums with a very light guitar strum, Thom’s vocals meandering somewhere in between, struggling to be heard. And then you get to 1:20, and the piano kicks in, and it brings the tracks together, giving the song an incredible fullness as the lyrics “You are not to blame…” begin. The song keeps going like this, adding in background vocals for a bit, before dropping almost entirely, for the bridge. The rising string, the backing vocals singing the album’s name, and the way the song’s mood subtly shifts afterwards- it’s so beautiful.

Anyway fun fact the bit where the background lyrics start singing “In Rainbooooows” is apparently exactly 61.8% of the way through the album, and that’s the golden ratio, baby. It has apparently been confirmed to be accidental, but it’s still really fun. I do enjoy when silly maths things end up in songs- Lateralus by Tool, for example, is pretty much completely written around the Fibonacci Sequence, from its lyrics to its chords to its time signature.

Tangents aside, our next song is House of Cards, a song I’ve kind of fallen off of as of late. It’s a lot like a less melancholy All I Need, or a less tightly wound Faust Arp (but without them strings), though the reverb on this song gives it a much spacier feel. There’s something really tense about the ambient noise in the background as well, making it hard to truly settle into the song’s groove. I don’t know, I used to like this song, but I’m not sure what it is about it that’s missing now. Sorry to disappoint, I suppose.

By contrast, Jigsaw Falling Into Place is one that took me a while to get into, because I think I just never gave it a chance. I dunno, I think much like with In Limbo it just kinda slid out of my brain every time I heard it. Well, it’s bloody clung on now, hasn’t it? This song is loads of fun! It’s a real groove, fun lyricism and great drums and Thom very notably not singing in falsetto for like half the song before it shifts gears and oh there it is! It’s another one of those great songs with a slow build, what with the backing vocals slowly getting louder and rowdier and the guitars getting more intense and yeah.

Oh also, that video is fun, if a little disorienting. I still can’t believe how many of these music videos I just…missed entirely.

Our final song, Videotape, is significantly less fun. Let me put it this way, lots of people think it’s a suicide note in song form, and it’s not, it’s just someone’s last message as they pass away after a long long life. On the other hand, it does fit the word Mephistopheles into the lyrics, and I think pulling that off is pretty fun.

Videotape has relatively simple instrumentation- piano chords, with a syncopated percussion coming in about a third of the way through. Much of the soundscape is dominated by that piano and the backing vocals. The song is tragic, undoubtedly, but it’s a warmer kind of tragic than previous albums have gone out on- the soft piano giving it a heart that tracks like Street Spirit (Fade Out) and Motion Picture Soundtrack somewhat lack. It’s sad, yes, but peaceful, and comforting. The closing line is beautifully haunting- I know today has been the most perfect day I’ve ever seen.

Not so much on my end, weather was shit and my brain decided to have a depressive episode in the afternoon.

Thus ends In Rainbows. Unless you count the bonus disc, something I desperately need to acquire in CD form despite the fact that it appears to barely if ever have been released in that format. I brought up comparisons to OK Computer earlier, and I’m not entirely certain that they’re that justifiable, conspiracy theories about a threaded playlist notwithstanding. Yeah, it’s deliberately the 10 to OKC’s 01, but the style and tone are just so utterly different. 10 years is a long time for an artist, let alone a musician, and let alone a band that did Kid A.

I’m not going to comment on whether I think In Rainbows is better or worse than OK Computer. It’s the eternal question, seemingly, and you’re not going to find an answer here. They’re not really comparable, in my eyes- apples and oranges. The cold technology of a late 90s PC and the natural beauty of a cascading rainbow.

But if In Rainbows is OK Computer, then The King of Limbs must be Kid A. This comparison I think I can understand better, which I suppose we’ll discuss next Tuesday. Adios?

[filippoinzaghi]

1, 2, and 4 pls!

1.Tell us about your current project(s) – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it? 

So I have four main projects at the moment. I have others but they are just embryos, a couple lines written down somewhere so as to not forget about them and work them later on like brioche dough.

That Carraville cuddles prompt

You sent me this one months ago now I think but I’m getting there!!

Progress : It’s about three fourth done, I’m just trying to find a nice transition scene to link what I have so far and the last scene I have written some time ago already.

What I love about it : it’s totally self-indulgent in the setting/context. I don’t want to spoil too much as I want it to be a surprise but the drabble is set in an AU-ish sort when Carraville (and others familiar faces) take part into a TV game show about teams of two having to hitchhike to reach their given destination with barely any money and having to complete different challenges along the race.

 “Uncle Beom-pal” Project

What was intended as a drabble and will probably finish at 4/5k words qzsedrcftgybh. A fic about Cho Beom-pal, himbo extraordinaire from Kingdom, a korean original Netflix show about zombies in the early Joseon era.

Progress : I’d say I’m about halfway done. The more I write and think about this WIP, the more I think about scenes I could add or change, the more I can see the construction of the story, almost like a storyboard. I do have a clear-cut vision of how it will be now so I think it won’t change too much from what I have in mind.

What I love about it : I decided to set the story during the timelapse that happens at the end of season 2 so it allows me a certain form of freedom to imagine what may have happened during the seven years timelapse (the fic is set a year before the story resumes). It also gives me the opportunity to develop further Beom-pal’s layers that we see in season 2 (honestly the best character arc of the whole show) and to speculate on his relationship with the new king who happens to be his young nephew. To give you an idea of Beom-pal’s situation at the end of season 2 : he’s alone. His friends are not with him anymore, his family is all gone. Except for his nephew. Who also happens to be the king. Whom he also happens to be the prime advisor. I try to explore the complex relationship this situation creates because of protocols and royal duties in contrast to the king being just a child and he and Beom-pal basically being the only family they have left. As you can see I’m very invested in this project haha ^^’

 The “Ceci predicted an actual scene of the show     in fic” project

This WIP has been going on since August while I was watching Miss Korea (a truly beautiful show and criminally underrated).

Progress : it’s been a slow progress but I’m almost there.

What I love about it : the characters, who are the secondary couple in the show but who, imo, steals the spotlight. During an episode at the end of the first half of the show, there was a scene that made me wonder what happened after and I just expanded it trying to tie it with the character’s traits and depictions. Find me wheezing four episodes later when like... 85% of what I had in mind ACTUALLY HAPPENED in the show aqzsedrftgyhuji. Anyway, I’ll go through with it even though it is a bit of a canon divergence. What I like about this WIP is that I make the characters “see” one another for the first time and not just a glimpse (which happened some episodes earlier). They are more vulnerable, especially Teacher Jung (his name truly means Teacher so I just call him that) who is your typical petty thug but with some moral code and a good heart underneath. 

 The “5+1 times Nam Ju-ri x Lee Sang-in” project

Lots of projects about korean dramas at the moment but I have watched a lot of them lately so I guess it’s only fair. And it’s also because I can’t find any fics focusing on my favourite characters (usually supportive characters) so I guess I want to be the change I want to see in the world.

Progress : very early stage of the fic, I wrote bits of paragraphs or dialogue for different chapters at the same time, it’s kind of all over the place at the moment.

What I love about it : there are no fics focusing on these two who had a cute, individual, development of their character and who have a blossoming relationship. They are both losers who cares and I just love themn, they deserve more love. This is truly a self-indulgent fic and that’s just nice in and of itself.

 2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Re : the Uncle Beom-pal project.

There are two scenes that appeared to me after I began writing but which gave me so much feels just thinking about it that they had to be there.

The plot of this WIP is basically the young king, on the eve of the day in remembrance of all the victims of the “great plague” (he doesn’t know it was a zombie epidemic, everyone tries to protect him and not tell him what truly happened), asking Beom-pal to tell him a story before going to sleep. The ceremonies planned the next day weighs on his mind and makes him think about his friends and, especially about Seo-bi : a nurse who saved his life and to whom he is truly devoted like a lost puppy. And thus, he tells the king what happened without really telling him. By turning it into a story, not mentioning names but using nouns or adjectives (”The Healer”, “The Warrior” or, for himself, “The Fool”) and just being vague about “monsters” in a far away place, a long time ago. As he goes on with the story, past and present mix together as Beom-pal remembers his and his friend’s journey.

The two scenes are flashback scenes between Beom-pal and Seo-bi right after the last big “battle” against the zombies. One flashback she tends to his wounds and there’s a sort of silent reverence as if she finally realises he’s not just a useless and coward nobleman. And he, on the other hand understands what is probably to come (her leaving with two other characters, their friends) and how he wishes he could go with them or keep her with him but either solution is simply impossible. And the other is their goodbye (they won’t see one another for, AT LEAST, seven years and the guy is still yearning, can you believe). And again, it’s mostly silent, sentences cut short because they understand and they don’t need to say all of it. He’s not being talkative and a lost puppy following her every move anymore and she lets herself be more relaxed, lets her guard down a bit with him to show just how far they have come personally and in their feelings towards one another. Truly cannot wait to make myself cry and for my friend to threaten me to call the police on me zserdtfygh

 4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

He was tired, tired of pretending, of wearing a mask when nothing seemed bright anymore in his life. He felt the salty tears brush his lips before he realized he had begun to cry. He put the barbell back in its place, before it threatened to fall from his soon trembling hands, and he sat on the bench, completely consumed by uncontrollable sobs.

Failure, fraud, failure, fraud, failure, fraud… His mind did not leave him any rest.

 From and I’ll only need to hold you (go back to sleep and dream) – Chapter 4

 More than that paragraph, it was the whole chapter that I was happy with. It came from a rather personal place and it wasn’t always easy to write it but when I was done, I felt a bit better and I was happy with the result. The paragraph above is the beginning of my favourite scene in the chapter which is when two then-not-old Italians have a confrontation. Well… More like Rino confronting Gigi after the latter has isolated himself for some time. And it’s in the dark. Ever since I’ve read Long Day’s Journey Into Night and studied it, I’ve been fascinated by the trope of dark/night setting = when the characters are the most honest, the most vulnerable and the most true to themselves. And that’s what happened in that scene. I was happy with how I wrote it out and the vibes it gives off.

[mugen-monogatari]

5 Quality Yet Accessible Tragic Anime You Should Watch

Let’s talk about tragedy in anime. Ain’t nothin’ like watching some sad anime boys experiencing sad things while I sit there and cry. I love tragedy in anime, there’s just a certain satisfaction in ‘dissatisfaction’. Sometimes, it’s far more meaningful for someone to lose a fight, to make a hard decision or sacrifice something. Maybe the hero never saves the girl, or a loved one just doesn’t make it. Yes, in a perfect world everyone ends up happy, but this isn’t a perfect world. People suffer, and sometimes it ends on a good note, sometimes everything goes to hell and the world burns. That gritty realism and human error adds a level of empathy and depth to many shows that would otherwise lack it. I personally think it’s worth talking about that, since I don’t think tragic anime get enough love.

So I thought I’d make a quick list of 5 accessible yet Quality tragedy series, ranging from pretty popular and accessible, to slightly more niche. Many of you have seen these series I’m sure, but with the continuous stream of shows being released every single season, it can be hard to either go back and watch older shows, or stay on top of newer ones. These are just a few picks that I would urge anyone and everyone to go and at least try.

I should also preface this by saying, when I say tragedy, it doesn’t mean the show has a depressing ending. By tragedy I’m referring to tragic events happening in a show regularly, be it at the end, the beginning or throughout. Simply putting something on this list, doesn’t mean it has a tragic ending, so you can rest assured there are still surprises to come when watching these.

Also, these are all my opinions, everyone is entitled to them. You can disagree or agree, it’s up to you, we can even discuss my peeps. Just don’t brutalize me for shows you don’t like or if one of your favorites isn’t on this list.

All of that being said, Here are 5 tragic series I think everyone should at least try:

1. Code Geass

Starting off simple we have Code Geass. What a show this was back in the day. Death Note, mixed with Mechs and sci-fi and chess and a whole lot of edge. For many people, they have already seen it, it’s almost guaranteed if you watched anime in the early 2000s. However, as time goes on, this series slowly falls into obscurity, many people being less attracted by its flamboyant art style and the ever growing age. It seems like Code Geass is slowly fading away with time, people online aren’t forgetting about it, but moving on, and many new fans are understandably detracted from a show like this.

But they’re all wrong. This series is incredible. It’s a fundamental “must-watch” show. Sure, it shows it’s age now, but that doesn’t detract from it’s plot and characters. With a very likeable cast, a constantly expanding story, high stakes, insane powers and mind games, politics and action, all of these make an insanely good series, one that warrants repeated viewing to this day. What starts as a boy being in the wrong place at the wrong time, blows up into a worldwide conflict. This is one of those series that sticks with you, there are scenes and moments in this you just never forget moving forward.

Some of the things I love is Sunrise’s mech designs, Lancelot as well as many of the Knightmare frame designs in the movies and show are still fun and vibrant to this day. Many old Mecha shows become redundant years later as the designs don’t hold up. This one though, certainly does.

I also really love the voice acting. Yes the sub is good, but the dub (fight me) is just mwah. Johnny Yong Bosch as Lelouch is nut worthy. Just watch the first episode where he gives his first command. Insta nut. I’m telling you.

I also love the endings of both seasons. I think the first is a really good climax, while the second season closes about as well as this could, while still coming out of left field.

Some things that I think detract people, definitely start with the art style. Sunrise’s designs for the machines and backgrounds and such is fine, it looks good, however Clamp’s character designs are definitely an acquired taste. They’re not for everyone. Everyone looks super slender, almost cartoon like in their clothes and proportions. Yes you get used to it, but they still look very “different” to the standard, even back when it first came out.

Another is sometimes, the show just goes to very strange places, for example having an episode to do with drug addiction that just came out of left-field. In the same vein, some people have very mixed opinions on season two, not entirely liking the direction it goes and some of the character developments. However, a lot of these things are subjective and I’ll leave them up to you to decide.

Spanning two, 25 episode seasons (you can definitely just pretend the movie never happened) as well as several spin off OVAs and Shorts (Those you actually can watch though), the series is a pretty long watch by today’s standards, but it’s definitely worth it.

2. Zankyou No Terror

Next up, we have Terror in Resonance. This one for sure is worth the watch even without the tragedy. This is one of those shows, which is so visually appealing to watch. It’s one of the most aesthetically pleasing shows I’ve ever seen. I guarantee anyone who’s interested in aesthetic gifs and images of weeb stuff, has seen shots from this show without even realizing it. It’s not exactly a niche show, but it’s a little less accessible than something like “Angel Beats”, with a much more serious and gritty tone. It’s not criminally underrated, but I just really wish more people had seen this, since it genuinely is a beautiful series.

Some of the things I really love about this show, is (as I’ve mentioned a thousand times) the aesthetic sense. Every shot in this series is screenshot worthy, with plenty scenes making for ‘straight-out-the-box’ gifs and icons and whatever it is you kids use screenshots for. Even the food, just like papa Gigguk mentioned, is just mwah, spicy stuff. I attribute this to the very well considered color palette, realistic lighting and designs, as well as just overall good cinematography.

On the less visible side of things, the story hold ups really well too, with some very genuinely emotional moments and scenes. Just like Code Geass above, this series has a very well considered ending, with a “Wholesome”(?) message at the end.

The only negatives I can really give for the series, is some pacing issues if you’re an impatient brat like me, as well as almost a complete lack of lightheartedness. The series can be sweet and touching, but it’s almost always dark and serious at the same time, with no time to relax or breathe throughout.

I think there isn’t as much to say about ZnT as there is about Code geass, as it’s not as subjective. It is an objectively high quality show, your own enjoyment of it is what varies. Unlike Code Geass, there isn’t many flaws, but it doesn’t take as many risks. To me, this show is a very safe bet. It looks gorgeous, is only 11 episodes (you big boys and girls can binge that) and tells a satisfying, self-contained story. A little bonus is that it’s directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, famous for Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, so hey- It has that going for it too.

3. Parasyte: The Maxim

Following on, we have one of the series that introduced me to tragedy, Parasyte: The Maxim. Let me tell you, this series is dark. And violent. Very violent at times.

When it first aired in 2014, the response was pretty good, it didn’t reach critical Acclaim, but had its own cult following, with the manga having been published from the late 80s to the mid 90s. For me, this was one of my first truly “darker” and more violent anime, having really only watched shounen and some seinen before that. This to me isn’t one of the best stories ever, the characters are fine, and the show looks acceptable. But while it doesn’t excel in anything, it does everything really well. To me, it’s the perfect bridge from Casual fan, to serious- or even as a primer for more dark and violent stories, such as Berserk or dare I say it Tokyo Ghoul (Read the manga, please don’t support the anime adaptation).

For me personally, I really Liked the main character, he drove the show on for me. Watching him develop into someone completely different from the beginning of the show, was a real draw to me. He’s likeable, relatable to an extent, and he had a complete character arc. Shinichi in the beginning is not the same character as in the end.

This character is also used to convey a deeper meaning about what humanity is and how we define the term. It’s a really interesting series about us as a race, with some genuine things to discuss and think about, which leaves a longer lasting impression than most shows. It’s the sort of series that makes you want to share it with other people just so you can talk to them about it. Ah- and it’ll hit you in the feels. This show is genuinely tragic through out, but still stays personal to the small cast, which to me, is the sign of a really good tragedy. Despite things going on in the entire world, they make you care about these few people specifically.

However, it has it’s own problems too. Art wise, it’s very faithful to the original source material, capturing the feel of it, the low key oppressive vibes. However, this also means, it can look a little… ‘Bland’? At times. The earthy colors can be a little drab, especially in an age were Studio Trigger, for example, can make an eye-gasm worthy scene using colours you didn’t even know existed.

The other problem, is some of the characters are very one dimensional. Take the love interest, she doesn’t really develop or change at all throughout the series, but I personally give this a pass as she’s not super relevant to the story anyway.

A fair warning though, this series has some strong violence, plenty of gore and mutilation, if that’s a problem for you, I suggest either giving this one a skip, or just trying to sit through it. It’ll be a good learning experience.

Spanning a fair 24 episodes, having aired in 2014, this series is both bingeable, and holds-up very well in the modern ecosystem of anime. To me, this is a pretty top tier show, a solid 8/10, it’s very good, a really well made show, It makes for the perfect bridge into far more serious and dark stories, such as maybe Berserk and Devilman, hence why I put it on this list.

4. Fate/Zero

For my second to last show, perhaps one of the most well known franchises, that is lowkey kinda niche. Fate is a series everyone knows the existence of, but not as many people have actually watched, especially not casual fans. To be frank, it’s intimidating. The series has no real easy entry point, and all the timelines are relatively interwoven, you can’t just bounce around. Everything spoils everything and it’s scary to even look at a list of fate entries.

That’s why I picked Fate Zero. To me, it’s the best entry point into the Type/Moon genre. For those of you who don’t know, it’s basically a battle royal between seven summoners who each have a servant of different classes. They all have to fight for the Holy Grail, an artifact that will grant them a single wish. Sounds simple right?

Well it’s not. The entire series is full of not only badass action, but plenty of mind games and ‘cat-and-mouse’ between the characters. It’s brutal, it’s tragic, violent and uplifting. Ufotable delivers some of the highest quality animation you’ll see in your life (they’re renowned for it), but it doesn’t just look good. The story is compelling, the characters are genuinely likeable and by the end, I wanted everyone to live and survive. Everyone has believable and compelling motivation, and even the objectively evil characters, like Caster, are still likeable, because you begin to love to hate them. The entire season honestly plays out more like a compressed microcosmic version of Game of Thrones, than a battle royal anime.

There are plenty of things I like about this series, the plot is really fun, the fights are pretty damn cool and it can be a very emotional show at times. I could talk about these aspects endlessly. However, the thing that really makes Fate for me, is the characters. Each individual characters gets some time and attention, and with the exception of a few, you really genuinely like and care about everyone. You want everyone to win, or at least survive, since all of them are either genuinely lovable, or have very compelling motivation.

The other part to it is, this is the best starting point for the rest of Fate, and I would actually argue that it enhances many scenes found in the subsequent (story wise) series, even if they aired prior to Zero. This series both introduced me to Fate, and got me attached and invested in the world, which is the sign of a good (technically) first series.

On the other hand, it has problems. First of all, it’s pretty interwoven with the later series. Those came before it and set up a lot of mysteries and ideas that Zero goes out of it’s way to explain, from character identities to events in the timeline, watching Zero will spoil a lot of those things, which may lessen the later experiences for some people.

The other flaw is despite being maybe the best starting point for Fate, it still isn’t entirely accessible. The show can be straight up confusing at times, at least for someone who hasn’t seen Fate. Many elements of the world aren’t explained and you’re just expected to go along with it, since it’s either just a part of this world, or explained in other series. Which is fine, but often lead to some rather “But wait… What just happened?” moments.

Ultimately, Fate/Zero is fantastic series for anyone looking for a really good character drama, full of magic and badass historical references. It’s not the best introduction but it’s the best you’ll get from Fate. Similarly to Code Geass and ZnT, the series has a really good conclusion in my opinion, with plenty of tragic moments sprinkled throughout.

For Fate, Zero specifically consists of two seasons of 12 episodes each, for a bingeable 24 episode series. For ideas where to go next from this, look for my upcoming Tumblr Post explaining the fate continuity.

5. Mobile Suit Gundam : Iron-Blooded Orphans

And Finally, we come to our last pick of the day. This is a series, I would urge anyone to watch. If I could make you watch one Single series from this list, this would be it. Throw away any views you have on the franchise or the genre, don’t be afraid of the name, just give this series a try.

Iron Blooded Orphans follows a small mercenary band of boys who just want to make a home for themselves in a galaxy strained by political unrest. The premise is simple, just people trying to survive and make a life for themselves.

Well what if I told you it was directed and written by the same Duo that made AnoHana, one of the most commonly acknowledged tragic shows out there. This duo write and direct stories about innocent children being put through immense hardship and this series is no different. This show is tragic, painful even. I sobbed as many times as I laughed and smiled in this show. We spend a season watching them come up in the world, only to watch everything get torn apart in the second season, and it is genuinely emotional and heart wrenching.

Something I love about this series, is the characters and how attached you become to them. Death is a genuine threat in this show, even if you don’t feel it in the beginning. When people die, it hurts, and that applies to IBO, where each death leaves resounding ripples on the people around them. It handles familial relationships really well, making you believe in these people and their emotions. When they suffer, you cry for them, and when they get brief moments of respite, you do too. I love how invested you become in this ragtag team of boys, making some of the later scenes all the more devastating when they happen.

Another thing I love is the stakes. Within the second season, the pressure to perform is on, the first season, while having threats and such, was never even close to season two. To be vague, one of my favorite moments is when a character has to land a decisive shot in the midst of a battle, and everyone’s lives are on the line. That entire confrontation is one of my favorite scenes in anime of all time. It is truly suspenseful and will take you on an emotional journey.

To top it all off, it’s made by Sunrise. If you like Mechs, well oh boy do they have you covered, and if you don’t- well oh boy, you will when you’re done. This show makes the mech Genre, and Gundam entirely accessible, you need no prior knowledge, you don’t need to be a fan to enjoy it. The fights are really fun and have genuinely cool moments, as cool as it can get for a mech anyway. The characters and story are well written and everything just comes together to make a very well produced show- Good job Sunrise.

It doesn’t go without it’s own problems though. The first 20 ish episodes, until they get to earth, are not pointless, but have some pacing issues, as well as low stakes. There are threats and people die, but you never feel that scared or intense. Then towards the end of season one, the show kicks into high gear. To counteract this slow start, the series has a phenomenal season two that I genuinely believe everyone should watch, as it’s a perfect example of character drama done exceptionally well.

The series is comprised of two seasons of 25 episodes each, totaling a measly (if you’re a big boy or girl) 50 episodes. There is several related forms of media, nothing worth mentioning though, for more Gundam, you’re better off watching other series from the franchise.

If I can only force you to watch one, please go out and watch Iron Blooded Orphans. To me, it’s 9- pushing a 10/10 series, with a undeniably slow start, but a fantastic heart felt, emotional ending.

So that’s it from me guys. Thanks for taking the time to read the ramblings of a mad man like me, but I hope this gives some people some ideas on where to go next or what they can watch now. If you enjoyed, make sure to follow me for more discussions and lists and whatever else anime related. If you have any advice, or want to discuss something with me, go ahead let me know, other than that- Leave, go outside, get some fresh air after reading all that.

[holydragon2808]

Sorry for all the long posts lately. Just been in a sort of nerdy nostalgic mood here....The Final Fantasy XIII trilogy is truly underrated IMO. Maybe I have that opinion because I’ve never really thought the series had a certain set in stone way that they absolutely had to play out to be considered “a true Final Fantasy” game. It was always my understanding that they with each new installment, something different would be introduced to mix up the formula. 

I’m not saying that the FFXIII trilogy didn’t have its flaws. It has such a massive and rich story and lore....but sadly it was presented overall in such a haphazard way that many people couldn’t really appreciate it. Especially for the fans that aren’t from Japan that had to rely on fan translations of the many, many web novels that half the story is presented in (Episode Zero, Fragments Before and After, A Dreaming Cocoon Falls Into The Dawn, Reminiscence, etc). However, one of the things I’ve always appreciated about these three games is their tendency to put the player directly into the position of the characters emotionally (so you feel the same frustrations of being forced down a linear path or truly understanding the despair a particular character may be feeling) for better or for worse which is one of the reasons why this ending is among my favorites in the FF franchise. Oh and this isn’t my video! I just left a comment in the link about a year or so ago and like I said, nostalgic mood right now so I figured I’d just blog about it here on tumblr. Be mindful of spoilers if you haven’t played the trilogy.

One of the most beautifully tragic things that I love about this is how the ending was clearly foreshadowed throughout the game (Serah dying because of her Seeress abilities as well as what would happen if the Goddess Etro's Heart was pierced) and yet, even though the player was warned multiple times, it STILL catches the player completely off guard for a heartbreaking effect for many reasons: 

1) Most of the FF games end on bittersweet but overall positive note and you half expect Noel and Serah to be able to find a way to avert Serah's death or finish with the time jumping before it's too late and 2) the player actually did save the future from Noel's bleak time line and because of that and seeing Hope's new ark rise just as Cocoon falls (as well as knowing they got Vanille and Fang out in time, the player is lured in a false sense of security and 3) The way the ending starts is on such a high note one doesn't expect it will all come crashing down so suddenly right at the end with the melancholy (but overall very hopeful) lyrics and melody of the theme song. 

I've seen a lot of people say that the lyrics and the melody don't really fit what's going on during the cut scene but I would disagree to an extent. The theme song isn't just about what's going on in the moment of the ending. It's supposed to reflect the OVERALL journey of the characters and the underlying themes of the whole story and "New World" does that very well for both Serah and Noel. BOTH characters were more or less journeying with nothing but hope in their hearts that at the end they would find the people that they loved waiting for them in a New World that doesn't end up the way Noel's timeline does, (a crisis they do actually save the future from, but unfortunately with Caius possessing the Heart of Etro, he had back up plans) and yet towards the final chorus of the song Serah suddenly dies and Noel holds her lifeless body in his arms. 

At this point the song's overall "tone" (for want of a better word) does seem quite a bit out of place, however, the song is still playing because despite losing her life, Serah was never a character to be crippled by despair for long and was very dedicated to her goal for her desire to find Lightning again so they could live together as a family (notably the song ends BEFORE the truly bad things start happening with the Chaos being set lose on the world) and even if that wasn't possible, she was still not going to sit by and let the future fall into despair just to save her own life. She believed that a brighter future (A New World) could be born. And later in Requiem of the Goddess this notion is proven true because she says to Lightning word for word that she has no regrets about what happened to her and believed with all her heart and soul that she and Lightning could be together again. I mean REALLY read the lyrics and see if they don't sum up how Serah feels about Lightning's departure or how Lightning feels about being away from Serah or what happens to her later. Not to mention Noel and Serah's journey and how he was working to avert the disaster that was his timeline in hope for a better tomorrow and being reunited with his Yeul. 

 "New World"

Staring the stars, feeling the winds every time

I cannot stop thinking of you, since you've been gone away from here

Shedding the tears, crying out loud for once

Cause you are such a precious part of me

And there's no one who'll fill my broken heart

Oh but now, I have realized

The reason why I live in this world,

Even you have left me here alone,

I found the way where I can get hope for the future

Baby, I'm gonna see the new world

With nothing but the love you gave me

Only thing I can do, is to trust the time we shared

Baby, I'm gonna go to the new world

With nothing but the strength you gave me

There's nothing to be afraid of,

I know your love will lead me where I should be

Even if it is dark and hard time for me,

I don't wanna give up my hope

Having a dream, basking in the sun everyday

I'm starting to thank that I'm still here,

Though the pain of loss still hurts me

Making me smile, making me laugh many times

Everything is gentle to me, because you are making it so

Then now I have realized the reason why I live in this world

It's not to lose what I truly need

I will make, sure to build the beautiful days together

Baby, I'm gonna see the new world

With nothing but the love you gave me

Only thing I can do, is to trust the time we shared

Baby, I'm gonna go to the new world

With nothing but the strength you gave me

There's nothing to be afraid of,

I know your love will lead me where I should be

Even if it is dark and hard time for me,

I don't wanna give up my hope

Pray for all the things in this world

And believe in the power of our love

Sing a song of tomorrow

Now we are not alone

And we come to life again

A new day will come to you, for you and me

Baby, I'm gonna see the new world

With nothing but the love you gave me

Only thing I can do, is to trust the time we shared

Baby, I'm gonna go to the new world

With nothing but the strength you gave me

There's nothing to be afraid of,

I know your love will lead me where we should be

Even if it is dark and hard time for us,

I don't wanna give up our hope

Despite me praising SE for foreshadowing an ending so obviously and yet still managing to catch players off guard in the the best and worst way, I still felt sad and angry (just like Noel did) that things turned out this way for both Serah and Noel after everything that they (and by extension the player) went though to avert one bad future (and being successful in that goal) only to inherently cause another one right at the end...Fortunately, in the final game Lightning Returns, everyone gets their well deserved happy endings....

[auri-ahna]

which stelena scenes do you think it’s underrated?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS QUESTION. 

Everyone that follows me know these two are my everything. I started watching TVD when it first came on, and from the first time Stefan and Elena made eye contact outside the boys bathroom, I was hooked. They had something few people ever find in this world. Love, loyalty, friendship, and respect. They may be fictional, but what they represented as a couple was the realest thing to me.

so, for me naturally the most underrated scene to start with is 1x01. 

Their first meeting…or so Elena thought.

This moment was pure MAGIC. Their chemistry was instant, and even though this wasn’t the first time Stefan had met Elena, it was certainly her first time laying eyes on him and you could tell she was very intrigued by what she saw. Yes, he’d wanted to get to know Elena at first, because she looked like Katherine but he did it in a respectful way unlike trying to scare the girl by pretending to be a damn crow in a cemetery. I just knew these two were going to be something special, and I wasn’t wrong.

Next, the aftermath of my favorite episode of the show, 1x10 | The Turning Point.

So, if you’re a Stelena shipper you KNOW how big of an episode “The Turning Point” was, and if you don’t then I guess you are heartless because this episode just hit every major feel I had and then some. First, there was already tension with Stefan wanting to leave town to protect Elena, and not to cause anymore trouble for her but Elena didn’t agree. 

It ends in a beautiful scene of Elena declaring her love for him, and them making sweet love in just the best way, but to me what is so special about this is the after. When they’re just lying in bed with no worries, and so in love with each other. They’re glowing, and just in the moment and even though it didn’t last long because of her finding Katherine’s picture, in this moment it was utterly perfect. 

Moving on the 1x19 & 1x20.

As much as i loved the loving scenes between SE, i also really enjoyed the not-so-loving scenes. This was one of them, because in S1 we’re shown the character of both brothers. Damon is the evil brother, and Stefan is the good brother. Stefan at his core is a good man, but he had demons that he had to face, and we’re presented with this side of him that isn’t so saintly. He has a weakness for blood, a deadly one and that’s why he shied away from human blood altogether. 

Elena had no idea and when she saw just how bad his addiction was during the pageant, she didn’t cower or run away, she helped him in the best way she knew how and even though initially Stefan didn’t want to accept it he let out his feelings and they were able to work through this. It was intense, but it was real because in real life, relationships aren’t always happy. it’s gets hard sometimes, but it’s what you do in those situations that tells the difference.

Now onto…2x05.  

Okay so maybe this isn’t really “underrated” as much as it is just the cutest little scene between SE. They had to see each other in secret, because Katherine was on the loose, and she was dangerous especially since she saw Elena as a threat. So, since they were going to out around in each in public they had to be discreet and devised a plan that they’d have a code that whatever they said to each other in disguise of a fight, they’d really be saying “i love you.” 

Just the absolute sweetest thing. 

Straight on to 2x08 | “Rose”. 

“Rose” was the episode that introduced the Originals into the picture, and Klaus who’d been searching for Katherine all these years hears about her doppelganger, Elena so she’s taken by Rose to be given to Elijah. Using Bonnie’s magical tracking skills, Stefan and Damon were able to find her and this scene is the end result. 

It’s underrated to me, because of how raw Elena’s emotions are in this scene when she sees Stefan after being apart. They way she just burrows into him like they’re the only ones in the room just melts my heart every time.

2x14 | The bittersweet beautiful lake scene of “Crying Wolf.”

I feel like everybody knows how epic of a moment this is already, but I still had to include it as being underrated, because of how it really shows what could’ve been. Stefan decides that Elena needs a weekend away so they take a trip up to her family’s cabin in the woods to be alone. She starts out by herself on the dock, and then Stefan joins her by wrapping his arms around her shoulders and they talk about their future. 

It’s so bittersweet, because in this moment they think they’re going to be together forever, but we as the audience know now that it didn’t end that way. I hate the turn that this show took from separating them, because we are shown later in S5 what they’re life could’ve been and it would’ve been beautiful. I just hate that it never came to fruition. 

2x20 | the truthfulness & beautiful goodbyes of “The Last Day.”

The Stelena scenes in this episode were definitely underrated to me, because Elena admits for the first time that she didn’t want to be a vampire. There was a build-up because of Klaus’s arrival, and so Stefan wanted to get Elena out of Mystic Falls for the day and so he took her up the mountains and told her to just say it, “it” being that she doesn’t want to be a vampire. He’d known that she didn’t want that fate, and he understood. 

What made SE so great was the respect they had for each other. Stefan may not have liked some of Elena’s decisions throughout the show, but the one thing he always respected was her CHOICE. No matter when they were together or not, her choice mattered to him and in this moment he respected her choice not to become like him. She wanted to grow up, and experience life, and he wanted that for her. 

Then when they return back to MF, Klaus is waiting and Stefan and Elena both know it’s time to say goodbye. Klaus holds the power in this moment, but SE still have their little moment. A kiss goodbye, but it’s so heart wrenching, because Stefan doesn’t want to let her go and Elena knows Klaus could kill him so she calms him down, but the love between them is so palpable in that scene it just crushed me. 

3x14 | THAT DAMN DANCE of “Dangerous Liaisons.”

SO. MUCH. SEXUAL. TENSION. 

I know people better give credit to this scene for being hot as hell! So S3 had so many epic SE moments that need no mention, but THIS one. I HAD TO MENTION. So Stefan of course had joined Klaus in order to save Damon, and became a ripper again to show his loyalty. When Elena started to search for him to get him to come home, she came up empty, but found him in Chicago where he put on this front of no longer wanting to be with her. He does eventually come back, and when Klaus sees just how much he loves Elena, he makes him shut off his humanity. 

So we get half of a season of Stefan showing the effect of having his humanity gone, and Elena dealing with that. When this dance comes up, it changes the whole game. She starts out dancing with Damon, and when he twirls her, who does she end up with? Stefan’s fine ass. That smoldering look he gives her, Elena looks so shocked, but turned on, I mean its just such a good scene and really shows that as much as he tries to push her away, and not feel anything that love is still there.

3x22 | Their last kiss with her as a human in “The Departed.”

The last episode of S3 is important, because this is really the last time we see Elena as a human mostly. There was this tension between her and Stefan all throughout the season, and even though he’d turned back on his humanity, went to the dance, and were getting back to a good place we still didn’t know where they stood. Elena has this struggle going on with which brother to choose, because she’s also grown close to Damon as well. 

So, before parting ways Stefan gives her this kiss, and he’s not trying to influence her decision, but he needed to kiss her one last time before they part, because he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. We all know she ends up choosing Stefan before she dies, but this is underrated to me, because even though Elena’s in the ‘in like’ stage with Damon, she’s still reminded that she never fell out of love with Stefan and that’s the difference. 

4x21 | Stefan helps Elena turn her humanity back on in “She’s Come Undone.”

Now to semi-unbearable season 4. I’m going to be honest, I hated S4 as a whole, because that’s when this show went downhill. I believe that sire bond was the beginning of the end, and from then on I didn’t enjoy the show like i did with S1-S3. However, S4 did have its moments, like this one. When Elena went off that bridge at the end of S3, that truly was the end of us seeing the real her. Once the sire bond stage entered, and DE entered, that’s when the BS started. Even though Stefan and Elena weren’t together though didn’t mean they didn’t care for each other. He still respected her, and her choices. He still loved her, and she him and they were there for each other. 

When Jeremy got killed, she couldn’t take it so Damon’s dumbass made her turn off her humanity unleashing the worst in herself. What a shock. Anyways, she was very unpleasant, and they realized they had to get her back to how she was so Stefan stepped in and reminded her to just calm down, and breathe. Damon then proceeded to almost kill Matt in front of her and that brought her humanity back, but it was because of the help of Stefan that she was able to do that. Damon’s face just shows how he’ll always be the 3rd wheel on a ship he was never supposed to be on. This scene is underrated just because it shows stelena’s connection, and how even if they’re not together, the chemistry they have is still there. 

6x22 | A goodbye that had me literally crying in “I’m thinking of you all the while.”

So my last underrated scene is the final goodbye before Elena left in S6, because I honestly was barely watching at this point, but I knew Nina was leaving and knew that they wouldn’t have Elena go without saying goodbye to Stefan.  There’s just so much history between them, and love that I can’t understand why this show never gave them the rekindling they deserved. What they had was so epic, and so real. I will always love them, and even though they deserved better, i’m thankful for the love story they gave us. 

Honorable mention:

I don’t know what scene this is from, but it gets honorable mention because of how adorable it is. Look at Elena’s face. A small scene, but with much meaning behind it. 

…and i’m done! i know i probably skipped a million underrated scenes, but I wanted to just cover the scenes that people sometimes overlook. Again thanks for this question, anytime i get to talk about my Stelena, I love it!

[elainescookingforthesoul]

TRANSCRIPT for Episode 1.07 "Betty Lou's Sweet Potato Something" (PART 2/2)

ACT II

ELAINE: Hello and welcome back to Elaine's Cooking Podcast for the Soul, a podcast to keep your post-nuclear dining new and clear...from fallout radiation! I'm your host Elaine Martínez, and this evening we have worked up a delicious dish with our fresh and clean friend Betty Lou.

BETTY LOU: Betty Lou, five-foot-two, eyes o' blue. 

ELAINE: If you are just catching up with us, you missed the whole darn thing. But maybe Betty Lou will catch you up.

BETTY LOU: In a flash, this Sweet Potato Something that's still baking in the toaster oven is made up a can of cut and peeled sweet potatoes from a can. We mixed that up with some brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, pineapple tidbits, and some almond milk. Then we topped her with a kind of homemade granola mix of raw rolled oats, brown sugar, and pecans. And bingo-bango--

[TOASTER OVEN DINGS]

ELAINE: Oh look at that, what great timing. 

BETTY LOU: Oh Elaine, I saw you crank that dial to make it go off. 

ELAINE: It's the great secret of all cooking shows. Let's take a peek! Mm, it smells so--

[TOASTER OVEN DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]

BETTY LOU: So much better than it looks, right?

ELAINE: And I bet it tastes better than either. 

[TOASTER OVEN DINGS]

BETTY LOU: Crunchy-looking oats, gently-baked sugar over a bed of delicious sweet potatoes. I'm just going to dive right into the pan itself here. Would you like to grab a fork and join me?

ELAIN: Nothing would give me greater pleasure.

[FORKS SCRAPE]

ELAINE: Mmm. 

BETTY LOU: What do you think of my Sweet Potato Something, Elaine?

ELAINE: It is truly something.

BETTY LOU: Thank you. What I like best about this recipe is that the margin of error is as wide as the clear blue sky on a brisk autumn morning.  

ELAINE: Yes, you could sub in dried cherries or walnuts or--

BETTY LOU: Just forty degrees as the sun peeks over the horizon, but certainly a sixty-eighter by the afternoon. Clouds building slowly throughout the day so that by sunset, the sky is an delicious explosion of color that Michelangelo himself would look at with rapture, paintbrush falling to his side.

ELAINE: Yes...well I'm--

BETTY LOU: There is a breeze, but only one that brushes the tallest grasses. So gentle it may well be a grasshopper--or a thousand grasshoppers--flickering throughout the field. The brighter stars have started making an appearance, and the moon is too excited and leans on your shoulder even as the sun sets. Our moon takes her place like a god ready to answer the prayer of every tiny firefly that blinks out a message of beautiful desperation. A magpie flutters down to pluck one last blackberry from among the thorns and is silent. A perfect day from dawn to dusk. Sweet. Potato. Something...

ELAINE: Wow. 

BETTY LOU: Oh, I was doing the thing again, wasn't I? I just hate it when a conversation becomes so dull, the weather is really all folks feel good talking about. I'm sorry, Elaine. 

ELAINE: Really, it was more of a reverie, a monologue. I enjoyed it.

BETTY LOU: Oh good.

ELAINE: Betty Lou, it means so much that you take the time out of your day to help us discover new ways of working with old rations. 

BETTY LOU: It was truly my pleasure. It's almost curfew, so I suppose I should skeedaddle before the Ad Ministers make their sweep.

ELAINE: True. It's very important that we all make it indoors before 7pm when The State releases the bots. They're relatively harmless, I'm told, the Ad Ministers.

BETTY LOU: They're nine feet tall, Elaine! Have you interacted with one yet? All they do is come right up to your face and advertise something you haven't heard of in ages. 

ELAINE: A patient told me that they are just there making facial recognition scans and nothing more. Still, I've also heard rumors that they may collect stragglers...

BETTY LOU: They look fucking terrifying, so I'm going to dash, dear. Give me a big hug, okay?

ELAINE: Big hug, Betty Lou. 

BETTY LOU: Bye, honey.

[DOOR BELL JINGLES]

ELAINE: Betty Lou certainly has more to say about the weather than she would like to admit. But what if that simple touchstone conversation--"sure is hot today...hope this rain lets up soon...hope the climate simulators don't go offline again..." what if these are not social fallback topics but rather simple and underrated ways to relate ourselves to one another and the community at large? Discussing the activities of the atmosphere and its impressions upon our porous skins is like suggesting that though we reside in different bodies, we are truly united on this planet. Just as the warmth of the sun so enthusiastically permeates the ever-thinning membrane of the ozone, so too does a simple word of solidarity permeate our similarly thinning society. I guess the idle ponderings of small talk are a welcome consistency as everything else in this world seems to be undergoing an anxious and relentless change. I suppose I'd rather talk to my neighbors about the weather than to not talk to them at all. I don't know if I would have said that before...So here we are, at the end of another day. I'm so thankful you, dear listener, were able to join me this week, and continue to be thankful for those of you who return the mini-USBs I download every episode onto. Stay tuned for the next drop-off/pick-up point. I have a feeling this week's episode will be a shoe-in...for some nice listening? Does that make sense? Did you listen to the ad? Anyway, this has been Elaine's Cooking Podcast for the Soul. I'm your host Elaine Martínez, not crying, hugging you goodnight. 

[OUTRO MUSIC PLAYS OUT]

END OF ACT II.

[lovinglybucky]

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly book meme hosted by Samantha and Lainey over on YouTube. Each week there is a new book-related topic to answer! If you’re new to Top 5 Wednesday and want to participate, check out the Goodreads group for information and weekly topics!

This week’s topic is Favorite Hate to Love Ships – Ask and you may receive. By request, a topic all about your favorite hate to love romances!

UMMMMM, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS WEEK’S TOPIC FOR A SECOND???????

If there is anything you want to know about and associate with me, remember these two things:

Shatter Me is my #1 favourite series of all time AND I LIVE FOR THE HATE TO LOVE TROPE ❤

This topic was literally made for me WOW thanks Sam for choosing it for this week!!!!!

SOOOOO my dear friends, let’s get into my favourite hate to love ships!

PS. these are (kind of) ranked from “least” favourite (out of the 5) to FAVOURITE

PPS. there will be loads of screaming, crying and fangirling

PPPS. I bet y’all can already guess what my #1 is lol

PPPPS. there may be spoilers aka *read at your own risk*

5. Arianna and Cvareh from The Alchemists of Loom (Loom Saga #1)

This was a recent read of mine but I absolutey fell in love with the story, the world and the CHARACTERS! Arianna is this snarky, sassy and badass criminal who HATES dragons and Cvareh is a dragon lol (he has a human body and he can talk but he has some magic abilities that only dragons have in this story if that makes sense??) so this is obviously a great set-up already.

So, they’re basically on a mission and they begrudgingly go on a journey together AND THEIR CONVERSATIONS ARE SO GOOD. They’re so sarcastic and ridiculously funny and I love how annoyed they get with each other! Technically, they’re not in love yet but they kissed (once, in a VERY dramatic moment *internal screaming*) and they definitely care for each other by the end of the book!

I AM ALSO READING THE SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES RIGHT NOW AND OH MY GOD IT GETS EVEN BETTER I AM ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH AND IM LITERALLY YELLING AT THIS BOOK.

This series is so underrated and I think you should DEFINITELY pick it up!

I recently posted my review for The Alchemists of Loom here!

4. Damon and Elena from The Vampire Diaries

I have been rooting for Elena and Damon to get together since the first season — probably since one of the very first episodes! I always tend to love the “bad” morally grey character more than the typical goody two shoes AKA STEFAN and Damon is just brilliant!

I’ve been watching The Vampire Diaries since it first aired in 2009 and it will always be my #1 favourite show because I’ve literally grown up with it! (I know it can be super weird and cringy at times but for me it’s all nostalgic feels XD) And I will be Team Delena FOREVER AND EVER even though the show is over now *sobs*

3. June and Day from the Legend trilogy

MY SWEET PRECIOUS CHILDREN ❤ Gosh, I love them SO FREAKIN’ MUCH! I read the Legend series a few years ago BUT I REMEMBER CRYING LOADS AND THERE BEING SO MUCH ANGST AND FEELS AND I WANT TO CRY JUST THINKING ABOUT THE LAST BOOK IN THE SERIES.

Basically, June works for the government of their country (I forgot the name lol) and after her brother has been killed recently she wants to find the murderer. Day is the most wanted criminal of said ‘i-don’t-remember-its-name’ country and he���s the main suspect in the murder case that involves June’s brother.

SOOOO JUNE STARTS WORKING UNDERCOVER IN THE SLUMS AND SHE FINDS DAY AND SHE WANTS TO TRAP HIM SO HE CAN BE PUNISHED AND TOGETHER THEY LIVE ON THE STREETS AND THEY GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND IT’S JUST SO DAMN GOOD OH MY GOD PLEASE READ THIS SERIES IT WILL DESTROY YOU

2. Feyre and Rhysand from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series

CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THIS GORGEOUS FANART BECAUSE I LITERALLY WANT TO DIE IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL CREDIT TO CHARLIE BOWATER ❤

Well… WELL, WELL, WELL. FEYRE AND RHYS. THEY’VE SNATCHED THE SECOND SPOT FROM UNDER JUNE AND DAY’S FEET LOL.

But honestly, the two of them are so freaking GOOD together! AND THEY DESERVE THE #2 SPOT. GOSH, I love them soooOOOoOoOoOOO much. They actually TALK when they have problems or things need to be resolved, they support and respect each other AND THEY TRULY LOVE EACH OTHER SO FREAKING MUCH LIKE OH MY GOD I CAN’T DEAL WITH THIS. I WANT TO CRY JUST THINKING ABOUT THESE BOOKS LIKE THE AMARANTHA SCENE AND THE ENTIRE SECOND BOOK AND THE LAST FOURTH OF THE THIRD BOOK I MEAN…

THEY WOULD LITERALLY DIE FOR EACH OTHER I CAN’T *tears up*

I don’t think I really need to explain anything else because literally everyone has read this series soooooo YES. FEYSAND. MY PARENTS. LOVE THEM WITH ALL MY HEART.

1. WARNER AND JULIETTE FROM SHATTER ME aka my babies

OKAY, HANDS UP… WHO GUESSED THAT THESE TWO WOULD BE MY #1??? HUH???

Yeah, that wasn’t hard LOL.

IF YOU KNOW ME AT ALL, YOU’LL KNOW THAT THE SHATTER ME SERIES IS MY L I F E AND WARNER AND JULIETTE ARE MY CHILDREN AND I COULD NEVER LOVE ANY OTHER COUPLE AS MUCH AS I LOVE THEM THEY’RE MY #1 FOREVER.

I can’t believe Tahereh Mafi, also known as the literal QUEEN OF YA, has created these iconic characters! And she literally invented the girl-falls-in-love-with-first-boy-who-shows-her-kindness-aka-insta-love-but-said-boy-turns-out-to-be-a-possessive-aggressive-drama-queen-and-douche-so-she-dumps-him-and-turns-into-a-kickass-independent-woman-AND-THEN-SHE-GETS-WITH-THE-GUY-WHO-IS-DEPICTED-AS-THE-BAD-GUY-BUT-HE’S-AN-ACTUAL-PUPPY-AND-HE-RESPECTS-HER-AND-LOVES-HER-AND-TREATS-HER-RIGHT-and-they-live-happily-ever-after trope. (did that make any sense??? :’) lmao) (also did i just spoil the entire series??? I APOLOGIZE BUT I SAID THERE’D BE SPOILERS!!!!!!)

me @ Warner all day every day

ANYWAY I LOVE WARNETTE THEY’RE MY LIFE AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE SHATTER ME SERIES YET, DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND PICK UP THESE BOOKS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED I PROMISE THANK YOU AND GOODBYE.

While we’re at it, let me just share some gifs of REAL LIFE Aaron Warner in his natural habitat:

Warner whenever Adam speaks: 

WARNER AT THE MEETINGS WITH THE OMEGA CREW IN HIS GYM:

oh my god is this not the most Warner thing you have ever seen:

Warner who has a soft spot for fashion:

*DIES*

Oh my god, that’s it. I’M DONE! Sorry to everyone for freaking out like this but WHEN I SAY I LOVE THE HATE TO LOVE TROPE I MEAN I LOVE THE HATE TO LOVE TROPE. And all of these ships are my life especially the last one (or two) (or five).

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you didn’t mind my fangirling!

Who are your favourite hate to love ships? Which OTP would you literally die for? Did any of my ships make your list? What is your favourite trope in books? Let’s chat in the comments!

Favorite Hate to Love Ships // AKA ME GOING OVERBOARD WITH MY FANGIRLING Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly book meme hosted by Samantha and Lainey over on YouTube. Each week there is a new book-related topic to answer!