#two popular characters from spin-offs with a lot more story then the main series

[favoritenintendocharacterbracket]

Favorite Nintendo Character 2: Losing Bracket Round 4

[resetting37]

The shows and franchises of Evelow

@darby-draws asked

I was recently thinking about some of my OCs being more fantasy nerdy vs scifi nerdy and it got me thinking about what type of genres and media your main OCs might like? for one, just in general scifi shows or horror movies or long fantasy books. But I was also thinking, with your own world its not as easy to say they the big obvious genre staples like LOTR or Star Trek for example... but does your world have similar Really Popular things like that.

Things like: Is there a really long running tv series thats had multiple iterations, like star trek that any of your OCs grew up with and have Big Opinions on? Fantasy epic multiple movies 3 hours each to tell the story? Would any of your OCs enjoy binging that over a long weekend for fun?

Thank you for the question !! I was going to make more faux posters of some shows that could exist in Evelow, but I'd rather just go ahead and talk about the topic. More could come in the future, we'll see. I'll also add in the character opinions. (sorry in advance if this gets long.)

So Evelow doesn't have the huge library of stories that we have. Mostly due to limitations, as Evelow's shows and movies are filmed in Evelow, and though it's a big civilization, it's not quite the same scope our present day world has. They'll have maybe one or two blockbusters a year, while most movies are indie or low budget. TV shows, however, are given more budget. Though there's not really enough on the screen for characters to be too picky in their genres, so I'll just present some vague ones.

Here are some popular shows/franchises:

Paranormal Paradise

Brother and Sister duo are on a secret unit that deal with the unexplained or the paranormal, as the title suggests. Pair that with sunsets and synth wave music, and you have a show that's currently on their third season.

This one is fairly popular with Evelonians. Out of my ocs, Kat thinks it's fun and while she's "team Una" (the name of the sister character), she finds the monsters designs the best part of the show. Cora thinks she's ridiculous, as she's "definitely team Kotori" (the brother.)

Kat eventually gets Morgan into it, but Morgan isn't the least bit interested in the "fandom" aspects, like head canons or introducing more recurring characters.

The show isn't really considered nerdy, but it's a popular one.

Feast of Legacies

This one is older in relevance to the current timeline, probably aired when my characters were kids and thus has more impact. (though probably not "age appropriate", kids still liked the fun outfits and action scenes) It was a dark fantasy show about a barbaric bounty hunter that was super campy and violent.

Future spin offs have since grew with the times or made things more serious, and those can be popular too. Ivar has even acted in one of the movies too, as a nod to his arena persona lol. Characters from the show come up a lot in halloween costumes and cosplays.

Morgan and Advik probably rewatch this one again as adults. "It still holds up, guys !"

•

I don't think space stories take up a lot of space (haha) in Evelow's culture, though there are some given that there are always going to be people fascinated by it, even if we don't know much !

They have a popular anthology show called "Planetary Politics" where each season involves a different planet and a story arc surrounding a different group of characters. The show can be experimental, with many seasons involving people in makeup and costumes, even a season fully animated (sorry they couldn't find any people who could successfully play the part of space jellyfish)

Advik and Ian used to watch this show together all the time, but since then Audrey has also taken a liking to it.

•

There's a good amount of horror movies roaming around Evelow, I'd say one of the biggest franchises is Tartar-us (Though the first movie that was released many years ago was called 'Under Deck')

It's campy, it's gory, and a staple in every horror enthusiast's library (except for the esteemed ones who think this franchise should have died a long time ago.)

here's Zack arguing to Ian it's the greatest movie of all time.

(though looking at this makes me realize that outer space play enough of a role in pop culture to be featured in spinoffs in movies such as the 'pirates' franchise for kids.)

•

I want to give my characters at least one more fantasy genre to have in their world, but I'll come up with more ideas later. I also feel like I've barely answered the original question ??? So I'll at least do that with my main cast

Audrey didn't grow up with movies unless they were brought over from other cities. Her town of Dile mostly had theatre and books. She liked heroes journeys, or stories with fantastical elements.

Advik loves both fantasy and sci fi. I'd say he likes fantasy more since he's much pickier about his sci fi. (He doesn't like stuff that tries to play it like it could happen in the world. I think HE'D be one of the few people really into space stuff.)

Katsumi likes more grounded stories. She doesn't care about world building if the character writing is bad. She loves style, but not if it's devoid of anything else. Also, if she has to see inaccurate costume design one more time, she swears...

Zack prefers sci fi over fantasy, since the former leaves room for potential horror elements. (since that's his actual favorite genre.)

Avery prefers fantasy over sci fi, since the stories tend to be more conventional and the costume designs are better. (She's much less picky than Kat in that department.)

"What's the difference, they're all movies" - Morgan. (She hates labeling things into genres.)

[randomnameless]

I’m surprised at the amount of billy asks you get. Does it mean that they’re popular? All i know for sure is that they certainly seem to interest a lot of people. And i agree that they really do have the bones for a fascinating character, but the developers couldn’t be bothered to build something from those bones because 1) sim shenanigans, you can’t have your self insert react strongly if you’re meant to project 100% onto them, but billy does have traits that keep getting mentioned by more than one person plus the few actions they do choose and a backstory, which doesn’t seem like cardboard to me imho, but also 2) earl gray, and what invader added is the most damning detail of them all. Or rather, not a detail, but the anchor that sank billy. I know we’re meant to keep flamey and edelgard separate in our minds because edelgard is marketed as a poor sad waifu you must feel compelled to rescue, but it doesn’t erase her actions or flamey. When we have evidence saying that silver snow is meant to be the primary marketed canon route and so much of the conflicts across two games come down to the actions of one person plus a poorly thought out loptous stand in, all it tells me is that the main character was doomed to fail because the developers could not decide how to write a school mystery + romance of the three kingdoms sympathetic to cao cao so they tried to “fix” that or make it “gray” by turning it into a dating sim to artificially raise the emotional stakes. At least to me it says they didn’t have confidence in billy as a main character at all because so much of it hinges on centering edelgard and the players picking faves out of the rest of the cast, and to make it more insulting the compensation is being able to kill billy in the spin off? I myself don’t really have any big faves in the games because i only play them casually and read your blog, but what i do know is that it makes me hate edelgard for essentially being the gravitational center of the games like a narrative black hole and the developers being too cowardly to really cement her as a villain, and it doesn’t make me like warriors either because it doubles down on trying to explain her position instead of telling a story and because shez fans are extremely annoying and rude online, no surprise that many are also edelgard fans.

I'd say it's a cumulation of everything!

I think the fandom (myself included!) might have been a bit harsh on Billy because of their avatar status, even if I still think Rhea's S-support "aloneb4u" is shit and Seteth not giving any fucks about her and centering his support and convos on "we must find her so she will reveal da truth 2 u" is bonkers and both of those instances can't be only attributed to Hresvelg Grey but to "only the player is important", like the theory i came up with the self-insert scissors.

But yeah, I feel like at one point, Supreme Leader hijacked the "main character" or "character at the center of the plot we want to tell" spot, all gravitas went to "can u kill the student who loves u and bear with the sad uwus for the rest of your run ??" instead of, you know, the greater plot Nopes teased us with a Larva vs Sothis that never happened?

I compared FE16's story to many things earlier on, but the general thing is "why are we talking and following the least interesting parts of Fodlan", Supreme Leader's war of unification is meh, bias or no bias, I would have loved to see a War of Heroes game, or even a game set during the Sothis vs Agartha era (or the two why not) - but here we just have Ashnard lite with an uwu glazing, without even tackling a traditional or underlaying issue from the FE series about coexistence between people and acceptance and whatnot.

(the reason why AM is still, imo, a letdown because it ignores the dragon in the room)

What was Billy supposed to be? Supreme Leader's luf interest? A character that can conceptually fall (if they pick Tru Piss) thus can ascend in other routes? A self insert? The character you're supposed to navigate the world with?

I think Billy being a silent protag was a disservice to them - despite all of its faults, Nopes at least gives more light to Billy and it's refreshing, even if the game will never add 1+1 because Hresvelg Grey.

TBH I think Fodlan has its own share of fans being annoying regardless of the character they support - and while Barney is pretty chatty, ultimately Barney is the deviant art OC with two swords because why not, a sekrit past that is never explained and somehow stronger than everyone who is actually as empty as an oyster shell. We don't know what Barney wants, to be a merc? Yeah, but why? Is it because Barney is searching for somewhere to belong - just like Billy in a way - ?

As for the cardboard mention, it's most likely again in relation to Hresvelg Grey and Fe Fodlan's writing - the games don't spend enough time to build a sense of friendship and camaraderie between the cast to make the "betrayal" hurt or even the "y must we kill people we knew :'( " meaningful, so we only have the "wah sensei why didn't you pick me :(" or the general "i'm sad to fight against you" but like, mate, who are you? Why are you lamenting having to fight against Billy - someone who is opposing/invading your country and everything you stand for - like Billy and 12 months in Rhea's rocky mansion meant so much to you, much more than the 17 years of life (with acquaintances, friends, family, etc) you had?

But it's also in relation to Hresvelg Grey and the silent protag - why no one can give a reason - save for Supreme Leader "lizards BaD + MAGA" - to join this route, heck, not even Billy can say why they joined this route...

In French we have a saying that goes "comparaison n'est pas raison" more or less meaning you can't always compare things bcs context and all, but after TS's protag Serenor - who also has Gary Stu moments! - Billy not saying a thing about Supreme Leader's nonsense, frowning at Dimitri and being silent during Claude's monologues is... annoying.

But when Billy isn't in Fodlan games, they can talk and there's still the forbidden rule of not adding numbers - never ! - but they shine more.

[malt-rants-and-stuff]

Hey malt um i see u posting about an anime on my dash and im getting into a lot of different anime to fill the homeless gay dog void um. Do you wanna tell me about your anime maybe?

OH DO I? finn my dear friend you dont even know what you're getting into here. reaching into the depths of my true form: main fandom brainrot.

okay given that im sasamiya posting rn im going to Assume you mean them but i was also posting about dunmeshi earlier so if you wanna hear about that too just let me know but AH. There is so much to sayyyy

Okay going to try and break it down to the basics here but sasamiya (or as its actual title, Sasaki to Miyano) is basically my mcu. my sasamiya-verse. there are two manga series currently ongoing in this universe but the world is in my hands and there are so many other fandom made one's i'll get into in a bit. But For Now.

Sasaki to Miyano's basic premise is- as copied from mdex because it really is worded best there- "It all started like a typical old-school boys’ love plotline—bad-boy senior meets adorably awkward underclassman, one of them falls in love, and so on and so forth. But although Miyano is a self-proclaimed boys’ love expert, he hasn’t quite realized…he’s in one himself. Which means it’s up to Sasaki to make sure their story has a happily ever after…!"

That's it. fun and simple and sweet gay love story set-up we love to see it. Except that it can never be so simple. Because the author, harusono shou, does this crazy thing called being a really good writer who creates beautifully alive characters for me to shake like maracas in my brain.

Like, you think it's simple. Miyano is a loveable bl fan who hasn't put much thought into his sexuality, Sasaki is the guy he successfully gets into his hyperfixation and they grow from that shared interest into an adorable relationship. But Then they hit you with the Miyano body insecurities and youre like hey, wait a minute. And then they caually show Sasaki displaying every single symptom of undiagnosed depression in his childhood and you have to stop and go hey... And then they have to have Hanzawa mother fucking Masato (lovingly said. absolute beloved character.) and you quickly realize that this isnt just some sweet romance story. it's a sweet romance story with the most quietly complicated character writing one only dreams of <- im biased and obsessed. may not be true to life but [shrugs] there is no one doing it like harusono and her thousands of words of character analysis that she has written about her own characters. i love her fr.

Im trying not to spoil things here really but it is genuinely such a lovely and interesting story, the light novels are literally my entire life, occasional side character Shirahama Kyouji is genuinely my favorite character and he probably has a total of 8 scenes in the translated manga so far. he was my blog theme for like 2 weeks straight earlier this year i am insufferable about him and everything he both is and isnt.

And that isn't even getting into Hirakagi. the agonies. Hirano to Kagiura, the technically prequel spin-off manga about sasaki's best friend and the gay shenanigans he gets up to with his roommate. they make me sob and also make me sick its great. could not reccomend it more even if you never read sasamiya or vice versa just one of them is such a great read.

The biggest appeal for me though is definately the fandom though. like i have been in So Many Fandoms as you can tell from the absolute chaos that is my blog, but ive probably only experienced this sort of fandom experience once before in my whole entire life. im so entrenched. the thing about being a, while popular, still very much a bl series that doesnt get much in terms of fan or official content, is that eventually something has to give. usually that means that the fandom is either dead or rarely gets talked about, which you would think to be true i you just looked at the main tags, but ive never been in a fandom that breathes to much... life?? into itself??? dont know how to word it. we make it work around here basically.

like after years of gaps between chapters we all collectively just went "okay how about we just do it ourselves" and essentially made the fandom into goncharov before there was ever a goncharov yk. like the actual story is really good and well done and then we all just went and made it our own to keep ourselves sane, and it worked!! we call it hanzawa to tashro!!! it is in our minds and also technically in the text. its so amazing here i cant even explain it well enough. my friends @/dirtbra1n @/aranarumei @/kagiuraakira and @/sunnnfish and so many others (we're all easy to find we stalk each other's blogs to talk about all of this) make awesome posts about it. #riverposting or #hanzawa to tashiro are good places to look if youre interested. i also talk about them A Lot over here to you can look through what I have too though a lot of it has like specific aus like #dating sim au and stuff tagged on mine, so the others are better bets for general meta posting fun. Just. Its so fun here. also if youve ever liked jeweler richard then shameless plug bc my dear friend kiri wrote the anomalous agate which is a beautiful and fun crossover with hanzawa to tashiro and tcfojr which is so so good if you're interested.

Just, there is a lot and this definately didn't cover it all. i want to explain riverposting but that takes Time and Context and also was explained before by sunnnfish on their blog im pretty sure (and they do amazing art over on @/sunnfish with 2 n's) if you ever feel like checking this all out. i love this place a lot.

[maiavonsneeper]

Video Game 2023 recap!

So this year i played heaps of games lol honestly crazy to think about.

Thought I'd do my own wrap up and look back.

I may mention spoilers.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Cute! Its my first Kirby game in forever (last game was on the DS) Again its cute, fun, funny and its body horror for kids!

🐀Happy Sneep ^_^

Bayonetta 3

I've watched the previous two games so this was my first time playing a Bayonetta game. I was worried about getting into its combat so I played in casual for most of it. Did play in standard later and it turns out I was doing well lol

The story and ending was..something tbh I expected a lot based on the past two. Still I had fun as a newcomer and I enjoyed the customizing.

🐀 Neutral (confused) Sneep :-1

Yakuza Like a Dragon

Funny to think that I unintentionally played this game and I guess the rest of the series lmao Honestly iconic I loved Ichiban, I loved his friends, the usual RGG side stuff was fun and full of charm and the english dub was really well done. Am glad to have played this especially after I watched Penny Parker play this.

🐀a Happy Sneep about it but was left devastated at the end ಥ_ಥ

Yakuza 0

Loved it, a great way to get into the Kiryu saga, to know what Kiryu's story is (and Maji's) after playing through Ichi. I had quite the reaction to playing a game that can be so violent but also can be very weird and also feature a dress up game.

🐀 Nishiki simping Sneep (unaware of whats to come) (っ❤◡❤)っ

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Its Xenoblade...it was a rollercoaster of a story to go through. Also very relaxing to play especially after Y0 and B3 lol

Enjoyed coming along with Noah and the gang. Loved Eunie and Taion and I liked seeing refs to 1 and 2.

🐀 Sad Sneep (at the ending) OTL

Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

I basically put aside everything while playing TotK lmao

It was so fun exploring and seeing newer things added in. This is the only game so far that made me replay the final boss, like I NEEDED to play the final boss again <3 a battle between dragons.

🐀 Speechless Sneep (◡‿◡)

Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core Reunion

I was surprised at how its a linear game and a pretty quick main story. And the missions are there to build more playtime.

the main story i liked, it was nice getting to know Zack and seeing characters from the og 7 in a different perspective.

Teared up at the ending :(

I wish that the story slowed down, so to get to know other characters more esp ones that Zack meets for the first time (Cissnei, Aerith and Cloud) and parts that were just skipped/skimmed through like Costa del Sol vacation time or when Zack inherits the buster sword after getting back to Midgar etc.

I also liked pointing out stuff I can connect to the og 7 :D

🐀Emotional but also being a silly Sneep

Yakuza Kiwami 1

A fun game. The Majima Everywhere system did make it feel like a horror game at first lmao Majima really gave me jumpscares.

The story? .....I'd rather not think about it TwT

🐀 A devastated and also kind of paranoid Sneep :-Σ

Unpacking

Just a relaxing game to play. And it is one of those games I was interested in before cause how I saw it on social media but at the time couldn't play it myself so I'm grateful to play it through the game pass yay.

🐀 Satisfied Sneep (◡0◡) ~3

Yakuza Kiwami 2

I will say I had a lot of fun with K2, such as the cabaret club minigame coming back, taking a lot of selfies (esp in front of dead bodies - Killer Kiryu) and the Majima saga. But unfortunately so far it takes last place out of the RGG games for me.

The main story didn't have a focus on the multiple plots and just revealed all the plot twists at the end.

Ryuji, hes hot but I came to conclude that hes very overhyped. He didn't have that much screen time :/ If it weren't for his popularity and spin-off appearances, I would've forgotten about him.

And I think major of all of why its last place is THAT ending...what. Like really a fake bomb? And did they have to make out?

🐀 ...Confused Sneep ಠ_ಠ

Yakuza 3

This is the gayest game I've ever played.

I honestly feel betrayed I wasn't given a yaoi warning while starting up the game. I hear that 3 is infamous for some stuff and can be quite divided between fans. BUT bro its a game WORTH PLAYING play it for dad Kiryu time, play it for Mine lol JUST PLAY IT.

🐀 Got yaoi devastated and diagnosed with MineDai syndrome Sneep _(╥︣0╥๑ゝ∠)

Frog Detective Trilogy

Simple and hilarious lmao So far I've only played the first of the trilogy. It was cool to play an Aussie game.

🐀 Suddenly anti-books Sneep

Yakuza 4

Gameplay wise it was fun. Really like how interesting it was to play as different people and how they experience Kamurocho in their own lives. Cool change to always playing as Kiryu and from Kiryu's pov. Akiyama and Tanimura were fun to play as especially Tanimura's radio thing which I found interesting. Saejima's section I felt was limited, I think the police guarding everywhere scared me away from doing his substories; so I ended finishing his part earlier compared to everyone :( (luckily I got to do his side stuff at the finale part)

And I realized at the end I struggled with switching and adapting between each character's style. Because of that I very stuffed up at the final bosses and stuffed up so bad that I forgot how to play as Kiryu..

The story is..interesting lol It is definitely soap opera-ish. I actually got into it at the start and the part where Hamazaki spilled the tea but because of the freaking rubber bullets twist I couldn't take it seriously towards the end like I even laughed and was just howling. There were scenes where it was just presented dramatically, like theres one where it zoomed into peoples faces with a sfx which instantly made me think of those Indian soap opera memes lmao

🐀 Indian soap opera edit style Sneep O_o = ☉.☉ = o_0

Yakuza 5

Very recently finished the main story. And honestly I forgot how the story goes lmao its a very long game. The character profile mind map from would've really helped and also summaries like in 0 too (which I'm guessing is an improvement since that came out after 5)

It was fun how each character came with a second game (such as Saejima's Hunting Simulator for the Nintendo Wii and Project Diva)

The enemy encountering is very annoying /: separate enemies being close by each other in the same area ughhhh

🐀 I forgor Sneep....<;(' .' )>

[agentnico]

Ted Lasso - Season 3 (2023) Review

Plot: In the 12-episode third season of Ted Lasso, the newly-promoted AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them as last in the Premier League and Nate, now hailed as the 'wonder kid,' has gone to work for Rupert at West Ham United.

Ted Lasso is such a unique show that no one expected to become as popular as it did. Heck, I’m sure Apple is trying every persuasive skill possible to motivate Jason Sudeikis to make more of it even though he’s been adamant that his show would only have a 3 season story-arc. The success of Ted Lasso shouldn’t come as a surprise though - it’s a show that is so refreshing in an otherwise outside world of hate. It’s hard not to look forward every week to a new episode filled with nuanced highs and lows. There is also an unrelentless charge of optimism, especially from the titular Ted, who only wants to see the good in everyone and is adamant in bringing out that good even in the worst of people. There can be an argument made that the first season of Ted Lasso is its best, as it’s simply dripping with that overwhelming feeling of positivity, with every moment feeling like you’re wrapped in a warm blanket surrounded by love and appreciation. The second and now third season go into more darker territories, however I personally think that the show doesn’t lose its charm in the process, as the message is still there that believing in Ted Lasso’s way will in the long run result in success and redemption for all. It’s literally the perfect feel-good show, and it’s a shame that this third season may be its last, but also as evident from the finale the ending is one that makes sense narratively, even though certain characters are left open to continue in their own spin-offs. I’m certain Apple is already writing up checks to make those spin-offs a reality.

So, season 3 of Ted Lasso - does it hold up to the rest of the show? Short answer is yes. And for the most part this final season lacks that sense of finality (minus the last two episodes), with a lot of the episodes simply continuing their focus on developing all the characters in the series. It was evident from the second season with Ted himself taking a backseat, allowing the other side characters to have their moment in the spotlight. The third season puts its focus on the likes of Billy Harris’ Colin Hughes struggling with his identity; James Lance’s Trent Crimm (no longer The Independent) joining Richmond to write a book about their journey in the Premier League; Juno Temple’s Keeley having her own business and her struggles along the way; and of course Nick Mohammed’s Nate ‘the Wonder Kid’ traitorous decision to join Anthony Head’s Rupert in West Ham as their coach, and the ramifications of that decision. Heck, even Charlie Hiscock’s Will the kitman gets more moments to shine, and he’s only the kitman. Yet as the legendary Zava says to Will “I too worked as a ball-boy once for a club when I was just 11 years old. Your passion is why I play.” That reminds me - we have to talk about Zava!!

Let’s talk about Zava! So prior to this season the main narcissist of the Richmond team was the self-obsessed goal scorer Jamie Tartt (played by Phil Dunster). However through the show his character evolved and now has become a proper team-player that puts others before himself, however that means Richmond needed another self-absorbed player to fill that empty void. In cometh the one and only man, the myth, the legend John Wick.....errr...I mean, Zava (played by Maximilian Osinski)! Yes, that is his name. Known mononymously as Zava, this fictional football legend brings arrogance and swagger to the team. Upon his transfer and entrance to Richmond’s locker room, other team players are stuck starstruck as he carves out his own meditative space and shrine to himself in one corner of the room. Evidently the character of Zava is inspired by the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is one of the most successful footballers of all time and his renowned for his inspirational quotes and attitude. Zava even shares the same hair-style with Zlatan with the pulled back slick man bun. Zava essentially is showcased as the God of football, and Osinski plays him as such, and look - everything with Zava is great! And luckily the writers don’t overuse him, he’s only in a couple of episodes but my oh my does Zava leave an impression! The one and only Zava!!

All the colourful cast return, with Sudeikis’ likeable moustachioed titular Ted a constant delight who you want to hug all the time; Hannah Waddingham (now a Eurovision presenter star) brightens the screen with her energy; Brett Goldstein’s Roy Kent provides his signature grunts throughout, and there’s a great ongoing gag this season with him screaming “whistle”. Anthony Head is devilishly evil as Rupert, and we get to see his home office that looks like the lair of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars (which I guess makes Nate Darth Vader??). Brendan Hunt’s Coach Beard is an icon at this point, and Jeremy Swift, Cristo Fernandez and Kola Bokinni round up the colourful cast. 

If you loved the previous seasons you’ll enjoy the third season of Ted Lasso. It has the same charm and DNA of the previous episodes, and is a pure delight to watch, even during the darker moments as you know that in the end everything will be set straight. Even with Nate turning into the villain - we already know he’s going to have a redemptive arc, this is Ted Lasso overall. It’s about the journey and how he gets through that redemptive arc, and look, by the end of the show you as an audience may not have forgiven Nate, and most people wouldn’t. But sure as hell Ted and his crew do. So it is indeed with great sorrow we say goodbye to Ted Lasso, at least for the time being, and we shall miss all these characters we have grown to love over these past few years. It’s a bittersweet finale, but as Trent Crimm, The Independent stated back in season 1 - “If the Lasso way is wrong, it’s hard to imagine being right.”

Overall score: 8/10

[soul-dwelling]

MHA is probably the main reason I won't ever start reading an ongoing series again lol

I think one has to have a one in a billion talent to be able to commit to a plan while avoiding cancelation, navigating editor pressure and demands, yet also being able to improvise and keep once stamina.

Maybe DragonBall is one of the truely great examples of managing it, but that is because Toriyama both doesnt care about his story being consistent, yet also is so talented that he makes everything work, the enjoyment coming from each chapter.

But maybe I just dont have enough experience with manga, yet I dont really want to get taken for a ride again and again, Im getting to old for that - especially after even One Piece crashing like it does since after the time skip, or atleast the Wano arc

Question received June 30, 2024, answered August 4, 2024--the official publication date of the last My Hero Academia chapter. 

I’m not that sour--about My Hero Academia or One Piece. Granted, I haven’t read as much of One Piece (and the paneling is getting too grid-based for my preferences). 

But it is part of the debate I’m having with myself and have talked about with a friend: is it better to let an entire story be planned out and published all at once, or is it better to serialize it over time? Horikoshi already wrecked his health keeping up this serialization schedule, and while letting him take all the time he wants to make the story he wants at the pace he wants and publish it only when he’s done, that is not the reality of the publishing industry (which needs to change) and has the disadvantages of having the franchise be out of the public eye and hence lose popularity, as well as not getting more immediate reactions to new chapters to course correct when something is egregiously bad (not “oh no, people don’t like the League of Villains, change everything because my editor said so” but “oh, okay, this characterization isn’t working with the audience, but here’s a small modification that’ll make it work better with the audience”). 

Toriyama likely also had opportunities later creators did not get. A lot of serialized stories are going to take a lot of time to find their footing, their intended audience, their genre, their tone. It saddens me how that opportunity was not given to some wild worlds that could have hosted memorable stories with appealing characters: Ginka and Gluna is one that comes to mind, not because it would ever be as iconic as Dragon Ball but because it had so much potential and never got enough time to reach it. 

I do wonder whether there are currently published ongoing manga or other comics that people could recommend (especially ones outside of Jump), or that I could recommend. These are some I have enjoyed, although their genres and tones are not necessarily the same as My Hero Academia: 

Akane-banashi and Show-ha Shoten: Two series that easily transition the shonen battle tournament format towards public performance, rakugo in Akane-banashi, and stand-up comedy in Show-ha Shoten. Artwork is really good, characters are varied in personalities and back stories. 

Blue Box: I’m not following the sports angle very closely, the romantic development is good. 

Spy x Family: The story is finally paying off some details about Twilight’s mission, and doing so while also giving an unexpected and not asked for but also not unwelcome backstory for Henderson and Martha. 

Dandadan: I don’t think the tone and comedy is going to be for everyone, and there are enough of those details that bother me. But when the story gets serious, it knows how to hurt, and the action panels and two-page spreads are so detailed yet easy to follow the action. 

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun: I do think the story is spinning its wheels, with most arcs covering a lot of the same ground each time, especially as a lot of the mystery has been uncovered or undermined by later revelations. But the artwork is captivating, the tone is creepy, the character dynamics keep me engaged in the story, and the quandaries about whether you should try to fix earlier mistakes even if it means you forget the lesson is a lot better than whatever that most recent Flash movie was going for. 

RuriDragon: Some chapters are less engaging than others, but the relaxed tone is comfort reading. 

[catotheadequate]

I recently read Naruto’s Part One (up until the Save Sasuke arc) and I have lots of thoughts™️ about it. I did read the War Arc many years ago but I will not be discussing that since I haven’t read anything in Shippuden/Part Two since I was like… thirteen.

I guess bear with me because there will be OPINIONS!!! A lot of this will be my thoughts on the writing and the characterization of the characters I either enjoyed the most or have the most thoughts on, so not everyone will be included. Fair warning: I do have some not so positive thoughts on some popular characters. I’ll be discussing, in order; Naruto, Sakura, Gaara, Rock Lee, Neji, Kakashi, Zabuza/Haku, and Sasuke. If you feel like sharing your thoughts, please feel free.

Naruto, as a character, is kind of fun and cute. I like him. I wish he was less stupid and the narrative actively tries to keep him an ‘underdog,’ despite the fact he himself says he’s an incredibly hard worker and studies like crazy (at least in the Kakashi exam and Chunin exam). My issues are more Kishimoto not having a strong idea of what the story is or where he wants to go save for a few really strong moments (something that, in my opinion, permeates the entire series) but is particularly egregious with some more than others.

Sakura is… wasted. Kishimoto ALMOST does some foreshadowing with her on like… three separate occasions, such as stating she’s marvelous with Chakra control, panning to her when the meaning of the scrolls is explained and having Kakashi (I think) point out that she’s gifted with Genjutsu. She then does nothing to tangibly alter the direction of the story, nor does she provide anything thematic to justify her being there. It’s unfortunate because girls in Shounen are so often underutilized and the cast of characters in Naruto looks so diverse on the surface. In reality, the characters tend to be rather shallow, at least to my recollection, unless their names are Naruto or Kakashi.

Gaara was one of my favorites despite his arc being so expedited. He represented something really interesting during his introduction: a force of nature, the perfect Shinobi, and the polar opposite of our bright orange protagonist. And the moment the arc he heavily featured in ends he’s a good guy now. Which is… not the best writing choice, in my opinion. I don’t think that was the best way to handle “Child Murderer/Super Weapon is touched by our protagonist!” because the turn around is just so abrupt. Especially his interactions with Rock Lee.

Rock Lee is fun! But his place in the story is ruined by Kishimoto!!! Even at its onset, the ostensible reason Rock Lee exists is to motivate Naruto because he is not gifted - but then he immediately gets rekt. His first real fight and he’s crippled. Thematically, this should indicate that Hard Work gets trounced by Circumstances of your Birth. Naruto beats Neji, sure, but by this point it’s pretty obvious Naruto is something special thanks to Jiraiya’s training arc. Which sucks. It makes me sad. So glad Rock Lee got his own spin off show - My Hero Academia!

Neji is… fine. I think he sort of represents one of my main issues with the story and how it deals with antagonists. While Gaara’s arc is rushed, I think some proper time to heal (and a nice nap) is all he needed to be normal-ish, Neji goes from being the most antagonistic non-Zabuza character in Part One to Naruto’s best friend after a single fight. I do find it funny that he thematically represents fate and Naruto represents the breaking of fate’s chains, but Naruto, by being the ‘legacy of the fourth’ as Jiraiya says, is fated to be successful. Writing/theming issues aside, I like him. He’s a little jerk that realizes that being in his own head is only going to alienate him from others. I am not the biggest fan of how his beef with the Hyuga family is handled. It’s sort of hand-waved, I fear. He and Sasuke should have had more conversations, tbh. I feel like, aside from Naruto, Neji and Sasuke have the most similarities - save the reason they have issues with their family.

Kakashi is fun! I like that he’s a freak and tries to genuinely help the kids, even if his methods border on madness. He’s at his best in the Zabuza arc. He represents the peak of strength for Konoha Shinobi, he’s got a cool gimmick and title to match. Love him ❤️

Zabuza and Haku are the best antagonists in the series and represent the theme of the story the BEST out of any other antagonists in this manga. Naruto’s reaction to Haku and Zabuza dying is so real and genuine for a child to have - all he can do is grab onto Kakashi and try to understand what’s happening. I love it.

Sasuke sucks. I’m sorry, I can’t get over how poorly he’s used in this story and how frustrating his character and decisions are for me. He’s probably the single LEAST consistent aspect of the story, constantly waffling motivations, skill, abilities, and presence in the story. Kisihimoto repeatedly says in his author commentary bookending the chapters that Sasuke is his favorite character and, yeah, I can tell. Sasuke has to be the coolest and the best at all times. He has the most tragic backstory, the most cool powers, the coolest clothes, etc. it comes off as though Kishimoto is going ‘Look! See how cool he is!?’ every other chapter he’s in. Naruto is ostensibly the main character but it really doesn’t feel that way sometimes. By the Chunin exams I think Kishimoto started to realize that and afflicted Sasuke with the curse mark but even THAT gets dealt with by Sasuke just being so gosh darn cool. ‘He held it back with his will!’ Yeah okay. Whatever. His joining Orochimaru I can only understand from a mechanical point of view - Sasuke is Naruto’s greatest rival and the focal point of Naruto’s story (which has its own SLEW of issues) but… Sasuke knows Orochimaru is evil and even gave him the curse mark, so there is no goddamn reason he would join him unless the plot demanded it. I can’t judge Shippuden, as I haven’t read it, but I understand this is a flaw with Sasuke’s writing that never quite goes away. That sucks. As Naruto’s primary antagonist, let’s not pretend he’s anything else, he needs to have a strong code, principle, or goal that he’s chasing after. He doesn’t. He just feels like a character created to be cool and that’s it, he has no substance to me. While I understand his backstory is tragic, I know what happens to it later and Itachi becomes emblematic of everything I dislike in this story. For now, Sasuke is my least favorite aspect of part one. Now, I don’t mind if people like him, it holds no effect on my life and I’m glad people can find something out of his inclusion in the story that I can’t. I understand he’s an extremely popular character and very well liked, I just don’t see it. And that’s fine! I don’t need to, and no one needs to see or understand why I dislike him. I’m not going to tell anyone they shouldn’t enjoy his character, just why I don’t.

I’ve been considering reading through Part Two but I keep stopping in the Obito/Kakashi backstory stuff. I just know where it’s going and I can’t bring myself to read all of it. Maybe I’ll give it another try, but I’m not sure. Anyway, I may post some art I’ve made of Naruto and the gang, hopefully that will be less damaging to my reputation LMAO

[ashwynblogs]

Dragon ball super: superhero

Okay, first of all I’m going to say that I’m a huge anime fan, so I’ve chosen one of the latest released anime movies to review. Ready?

The Dragon ball series is one of the most famous anime out there in the world, it is also one of the longest running anime out there, featuring it’s release on February 26, 1984. Dragon Ball is a popular Japanese manga and anime series created by Akira Toriyama. It tells the story of Goku, a young boy with superhuman strength and a kind heart, who sets out on a quest to find the seven Dragon Balls, which can grant any wish when they are all gathered together.

Throughout the series, Goku meets a diverse cast of characters, including his lifelong friend and rival, Vegeta, as well as powerful enemies like Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu. Along the way, Goku and his friends face numerous challenges and engage in intense battles, all while striving to become stronger and protect the Earth from various threats.

Dragon Ball is known for its unique blend of action, humor, and heart, as well as its iconic characters, like Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo. The series has inspired numerous spin-offs, movies, and video games, and has remained a beloved cultural phenomenon since its debut in 1984. The movie “Dragon ball super: superhero” is a movie released in 2022, it is about the son of Goku, Gohan, and his mentor Piccolo who will go and save the world from the reformed red ribbon army. Commander magenta, the CEO of red pharmaceuticals, seeks to revive the red ribbon army, which was destroyed by Goku. It is up to Gohan and piccolo to stop the RR army, once and for all. This movie utilizes 3D animation, created by Toei Animation. This movie is the first of the whole series to use 3D as the main visual concept. The story of this movie is very peculiar and the reuse of many many old materials that were probably 20 – 30 years old, the red ribbon army and cell. But it was surprisingly affective because the main characters of this movie weren’t the same old Goku and Vegeta, instead it was Gohan and Piccolo, Two characters who weren’t given the spot light in the series for a long time. Since these two are some fan favourite characters. Akira toriyama decides to dedicate this movie to the two of them. This movie included a lot of power ups and new stronger villains. It is also hilarious at some points, the mixture of comedy and bloody action is the best. The emotions, and the hard work put into animating the movie, it is golden. This movie showed how strong Gohan can be, it also showed that he can be stronger than his father, Goku himself. I highly recommend this movie if there are people who are in love with anime and action-packed bloody movies. This definitely deserves a 10/10 from me, I can’t give more about the story of the movie, anymore can give you major spoilers. This is as much as I can tell you guys, it is up to you, if you want to watch the movie, I highly recommend you watch it though.

[amazable01]

JRWI actor AU

JRWI is basically a tv channel w/ various shows they produce over time, and the actors are all chill. The episodes are all funded by public contributions, so the eps are free to watch

(main characters share the first name of their actor, generally, and there may be some spoilers here and there)

(if ya'll like this, might make an ask blog or somethin)

RIPTIDE

Prime time show for the network

Highly funded and produced

The prequel movie "Black Rose Pirates" was extremely successful and ended up making the three leads very famous and they do a lot of work outside of the shows

Chip:

Chip is a newer actor who got the job through his stellar audition and his insanely good chemistry with the other leads. On set he's the most chaotic member of the crew and often adlibs a lot of his lines that aren't important for the authentic feel. Off camera, he's the sweetest member of the cast, always willing to help out and do whatever is needed to help the other actors or the crew out.

Jay:

Jay was a child actress before this show, and fit right in under the role of Ferin. Works with Drey pretty often to create lore for her character, and Jay is the most likely to take interviews and talk at lengths about herself and the issues on set. Her personality is generally the same as it is on screen, though Jay is a bit more relaxed off camera and enjoys taking her days off when she can.

Gillion:

No one is quite sure where the management found Gillion, only that he's a distant relation to Finn and the two talk extensively off camera about the life of an actor. Gil is the most reclusive of the three leads, though that doesn't mean he's cruel or he doesn't do premiers or anything. Everyone who knows Gil says he's a delight, and his private socials seem to indicate the same.

Prime Defenders

Prime Defenders is a pretty popular recurring series

Went on hold both between seasons and also for an unknown "issue" on set

The "Prime Force" movie was a big deal for the comic enjoyers, and the series works with both the original creators of the movie and other comic writers to produce PD

Dakota:

Dakota is the youngest actor by far in the JRWI lineup, but he's probably the most talented. His personality is very different on and off set, and he's a very dedicated actor who will do whatever in his power to make sure he's doing the character right. Generally pretty chill off camera, though, and while he does some interviews and stuff, his private life is kept pretty secret.

William:

William fought for his role on set, and only though very difficult auditions did he even get a callback. This fighting kept him from getting complacent in his role, and he never takes a moment on set or in character for granted. He is actually dating Vyncent, and a lot of the relationship chemistry slips into the character acting, which makes for a lot of the relationship scenes on screen.

Virion:

Vyncent is one of the few actors on the show who actually knows the comics, and was a huge fanboy of the Prime Force and Elementals movies before he was cast. He has a fun time playing around with references and adlibs, and working on his character's personality when he's not on screen. He's also a bit of a mess sometimes, but he tries his best to make the show as good as it can be.

Apotheosis

The first finished series by JRWI

Took over during the sudden PD break

Was originally made to be a dramatic adaptation of the book series known as "Apotheosis", but it took a more lighthearted spin for the dark, depressing, and controversial story

Peter:

Peter is one of Chip's cousins who was pretty down on his luck before he got the job. His acting confidence grew alongside his character, which helped to sell the pitiful character that people fell in love with. It's not known what Peter plans to do after the series' end, though it's rumored that his relationship with Elaina was a bit more real than expected, and that he might work on another project soon.

Rumi:

Elaina is an actress known for their reputation of playing pretty characters, so it was no surprise when they were cast as Rumi. While on camera and in character they seem rather pushy and somewhat manipulative, when they're out of character Elaina is the sweetest person ever. It's rumored they're taking a break to settle down from acting for a bit, though they've kept it a secret on why.

Thanatos:

Thanatos was mostly picked for his work in puppeteering and playing robots and other large suits, which made him pretty popular throughout the industry. He has worked on many JRWI productions before as various side characters, but his wit and characterization of Thanatos made him very popular. It's suspected Thanatos has signed on to work as something else at JRWI, but it's not been disclosed.

Other Shows

JRWI was going to do a live action adaptation of the show "Mythborne", but didn't get funding past the pilot

They work on crossovers often, and try to include fanservice when they can

It's hinted a new horror series is on the horizon, but what it is and the characters involved remains to be seen

[aghhtdraws]

ship name or not?

so I wanted to make a short post to get these thougs off my head but it'll get lost on my main so here it goes!

this doesn't really concern anyone who usually visits this blog for art, but it's more a thinkpiece related to the newer/younger tmnt Leo x Usagi ship (rottmnt x usagi chronicles respectively)

I’m seeing a lot of confusion (kinda) abt the tags to use and want to propose an alternative. How about “yuinardo” ? it sounds kind of funny (like the two characters), doesn’t sound like anything else (as far as my google search can reach), uses both their unique names and also capitalizes on how Rise!Leo is often called Nardo by his brothers as a nickname - among others, but that’s one of his most unique nicknames in the series and feels unique to Rise specifically. And Yui bc Yuichi - also just his name but a unique part of it.

I guess maybe the longer name could be something like "cityxfarm sword" bc those are the three consistent elements abt this younger ship. I know the latter is kind of uncreative but I can't think of anything better atm haha x'D

I was never around much for the 2003 leosagi ship bc- I was a baby on neopets and not online enough for that? 2003 tmnt was pretty new here and didn't air as often/quickly but also even in the later 00s, I did not really seek out fanfic relating to it bc - again, teen with not enough time lol, also social media and internet weren't really the thing they are now, so i wasn't really aware there could be fanfic of it. shipped and read other things. So maybe I don't know all my leosagi history. I kinda stayed away from the tmnt fandom in general bc it was mostly all angsty which I didn't really gel with anymore. alternatime ship names have always been a thing in all fandoms but I think right now we've been having the most versions of these two characters or this dynamic than ever before.

the 2018 Rise Leo x Usagi Chronicles has been getting more popular. ROTTMNT was a 2018 reiteration of the tmnt for animation that was really under-appreciated and has slowly become more appreciated as the fandom re-grew with the 2022 movie in august.

Usagi Chronicles is a spin-off/soft-reboot led by fans of Usagi Yojimbo, Stan Sakai's original comic about Miyamoto Usagi, but this time he is a great ancestor of a new character, Yuichi Usagi! and this Usagi is a creation of Doug and Candie Langdale (exec producers) + Khang Le (who I think designed/developed Yuichi's look?). So basically this is like a canon-supported fan-AU with an original character cast thematically based on the og comic cast (Usagi and his friends match Miyamoto Usagi and *his* friends) + the "Senso" Usagi comic as a worldbuilding point.

His naming is a bit confusing bc in Japan, Yuichi is usually a first name, but here in the show it feels like it's treated like a surname. But apparently, there was an intentional marketing move to have this be the opposite? So his real surname is Usagi, while his given name is Yuichi? There was a whole post about it, but I can't remember where else I've heard it.

Anyway, this series is my fave right now and I think it's fun in both it's lightheartedness and it's more touching moments and I love all the character and family dynamics and themes that it has. I think it's fun that people ship him and Rise!Leo because they are actually really similar in some personality aspects. I saw this show, realized there was crossover potential with Rise and thought, "oh, it'll be fun to do actiony scenes and stories with this kind of friendship!" Anyway, I'll do a deep-dive on that later.

Everybody likes this young version of Leo and then I guess at some point before 2021, other fans started making ship art/fic with Usagi? Often their own versions of Miyamoto Usagi, fitted for the Rise TMNT world bc the two never managed to have a crossover with this iteration bc of Nickelodeon pausing the show abruptly in 2020. I wasn't very online in 2018 so idk when else the ship happened, maybe when the finale of the show aired and the "unpausing" was finalized and fans realized there wasn't going to be a crossover? but now with the movie, more ppl have discovered that there's also a cartoon series for Usagi! And more people are slowly understanding/remembering maybe that this Usagi character has had previous iterations, ppl make their own versions/AUs for fun based on the newer Usagi show, or they don't watch the Usagi show and just make their own modern/ROTTMNT versions of Miyamoto Usagi in general.

This ship is a bit unique bc they are stated to be exactly the same age and they have very similar vibes as characters (goofs on the team + faux confidence + showoffs). When I first found that other people shipped this too, I just called it "2020s Leosagi" bc again, just the main thing abt them is that they're younger characters for a younger audience in their respective shows. + it's funny that there's almost a Leosagi friendship for every decade. I've also heard the term "cringe naenae babies" from friends but i don't really know what this meme means lol xD

I don't have beef or anything with the Leoichi/Leochi tag+name but it's sorta confusing for me personally bc it sounds both too short vocally and also like Leo's alone or something (Leo+ichi) I'm not fluent in japanese so I might b wrong, but just a thought. Leochi sounds similarly short.

then there's also the Usagi's who are complete OCs (w new names) and where do you fit those ships? and idk, I guess I just wanted to think abt this YuiNardo ship name more in-depth, just to think abt it , a bit for fun, bc I really do think it's a fun name but also make a new umbrella term, so maybe people would find it easier to tag stuff! but I usually don't interact with other fans in larger fandoms and ship fandoms like this so idk, this could easily be more confusing x3

Anyway, I think as fandoms and shipping go, it would be more fun to have multiple tags for different experiences, +these are different ships/versions of the characters so it feels like it would make sense. Just my fandom experience from previous years + for organizing/better finding + I feel like shipping should be fun, cuz in the end, this is just based from the og TMNT and Usagi creators being friends and making smth fun with these characters!

TL;DR - YuiNardo sounds like a funny/fun leosagi ship name for this younger iteration of the Rise!Leo-Yuichi Usagi friendship/relationship, and I wanna use it as the ship name going forward bc ships should b about fun and creativity, right? anyway, u can also use it if u want to! no pressure, just sorta putting it out there. - Aghht out!

Addendum(1.03.23): apparently, the Katanashipping tag was specifically for the 2003 ship - as well as the og Leosagi tag, bc that Leo x Miyamoto Usagi started it all. That makes sense! Sorry that I mis-tagged it originally! I did not know until finding the tags on tumblr and going thru them to the start of the tag - bc I'd been keeping away from the tmnt fandom for a long time after the 12 show + never saw it during the 03 show's run bc I wasn't online as much + social media didn't exist in the way it does now. I think everyone used Leosagi for that bc it made sense. I'll keep the tags for this post specifically in the hopes that more ppl will find it then and it'll give food-for-thought about this. Katanashipping of course doesn't make as much sense for the newer ship bc the shows have not had crossovers + while both characters seem like they are a bit obsessed w swords in different teen boy ways (preferring swords bc they are big and flashy), they are not as centered about the swords or swordsmanship as much as the 03 characters.

I know it seemed more like Leosagi was a catchall for all the Leo x Usagi ships, but now it makes more sense that it's not bc it's made searching for content harder. I like the "younger version" but i like the og too bc that's what I shipped as a teen (when the 03 show characters all just looked like Really Old Teens to me). I suppose that's just how the internet's sorta become - there'd shorter memory abt stuff, but fandoms especially as folks move on from shows they like and some of the history of fandom becomes lost. I've been on social media for so long now, I totally forgot how specific ship names could get. I guess that's why I suggested YuiNardo for the "new" version - it sounds unique. If ppl already shipped Rise Leo with their own versions of a younger Miyamoto Usagi and original Usagis, the "youngest" ship with Yuichi x Rise Leo needed it's own tag and that became Leochi/Leoichi (and w the earlier Rise Leo x Usagi ships, everyone must have used the Leosagi tag then too? Further investigation must be made about this...) now this Yuichi Usagi x Rise Leo version seems unique bc Yuichi is basically a canon fancharacter in a sense, as a descendant he is like a homage. But I like the character and I see that a lot of ppl continue to make their own versions or borrow elements of the Y!Usagi from SRTUC... but this means that almost all versions of Usagi depicted by fans are ALL fanon versions... and that's fine, I like how creative fans can get! But also that means we almost never see thr "full" show version of Yuichi Usagi in fanart (altho fanfic is a different matter, if only slightly). But that makes me a bit sad bc I think this version deserves to exist in our fanon and headcanons too, y'know? I guess my flaw in all this is that I actually lile SRTUC and its own og depiction of Y!Usagi bc he is a fun character for me while not many other ppl seem to like him. Like with so many other rare shows I like where fanon is louder than canon 😂

So, yeah Yui x Nardo. cute ship. if only there was more of it ^^; But a lot of the fanworks are still really interesting in their own rights. I think I'll keep using Yuinardo for the show versions and then Leochi for any other fans' versions. That makes sense, right?

Anyway, non-serious discussion over! Just some silly fan-stuff to mull over during school breaks and other free time.

[choices-binglebonkus]

After playing a few chapters from different books in Romance Club, I think I see the problem with Choices that I somehow didn’t see before. I think I knew already, but Romance Club got me to realize it. Full on record-scratch moment.

Choices doesn’t take risks anymore. Like, none whatsoever. They stick to the “safe” and easy stories. Take Endless Summer for instance. That series was a HUGE fucking gamble. It was crazy and wild and everything was completely unexpected. It was rich with lore and at times you had no clue what was even going on. It even had its own special art style made specifically for the series. Yet it ended up being one of the most popular series in Choices.

And yes, I know it’s not getting a sequel, but look at Hero. Just like Endless Summer, it had its own unique art style (yes, ES and Hero have different art styles), and it had frequent and fully-illustrated cutscenes which was pretty revolutionary at the time because there weren’t many of those yet. Hero wasn’t nearly as popular as Endless Summer, but a lot of people wanted it to come back because of how unique and different it felt in comparison to other stories. Hence the outcry when PB announced they were never going to make a sequel.

Nowadays, most of the stories aren’t very adventurous and aren’t very experimental/risky like old stories were. Rising Tides pushed a tired and overdone environmental narrative and was bland and forgettable the minute it ended. The Nanny Affair didn’t bring anything special to the table. Truth be told those are the only two stories I can think of off the top of my head that released within the past year other than Laws of Attraction, and as good as it is, even that isn’t wowing anyone. Everything is just…so forgettable nowadays.

Or even worse, Pixelberry recycles plots. They’ve been doing this for a while. D&D book 2, TRR book 2, and RoE (you guessed it, book 2!) all had a central storyline about the main character (or Liam in TRR’s case) being stuck in a loathsome engagement they must find a way out of. Disclaimer, I haven’t played it yet, but I’ve been told by numerous people that The Unexpected Heiress is basically a recycled version of TRM, TRR, and D&D. And let’s not forget the most recent atrocity…TRF has almost the exact same premise as TC&TF book 3! Powerful society offers royalty/nobility peace, prosperity, and stability in exchange for control and even more power. Play chapter one of both TRF and TC&TF3 one after the other and it is painfully lazy how similar the plot is.

Today, I played a couple chapters of three different Romance Club books. First I played Shadows of Saintfour, which I chose because it gave me some It Lives vibes. And oh wow, it captured my interest faster than any modern Choices book. Within a minute of starting the book, I found myself wondering “what the fuck is going on?!” I was completely hooked and spent all my tea on the next two chapters.

The next book’s chapter I played was Dracula: A Love Story. I…was not interested in this at all just glancing at the cover, but I gave it a try anyway because it had high ratings and was an Editor’s Choice. The only way I can describe it…vampire + time travel + Wizard of Oz vibes + Ottoman Empire alternate universe. The first chapter alone left my head spinning in the best way. And after a description like the one I just gave, how could it not?

Heaven’s Secret was the last book I tried (it’s 5am and I’m tired) and again, I wasn’t interested, but gave it a try anyway because of the high ratings. This one was a little blander than the other two, but it still got its hooks in me. For one thing, the main character starts the story DEAD and has to navigate her new life(?) at an academy where she’s training to become either an angel or a demon. It’s so cliche, but somehow, the first chapter has me watching the timer for my next tea so I can play the next one.

But Choices…let’s see. We have Laws of Attraction on Wednesday which is quite good, but it’s definitely nothing special. Non-VIPs also now have AVSP, which feels a lot like D&D since we’re a lowly commoner navigating life among English nobles. TRF, as I said earlier, is already shaping up to be a less-interesting plot recycle of TC&TF3. And of course, TNA, where our MC’s life now centers around her toxic relationship with her controlling former boss.

Truly, how far has the app fallen?

[moiloru]

Sword Art Online Review!

Hello! Anime review time today, and this is a big one: Sword Art Online. You've probably already heard of it at least by name, even if you haven't watched it, as it's one of the most famous and popular animes ever made. The aesthetic is also really well-known, so I wouldn't be surprised if almost everyone had heard of it or seen a clip from the anime. Heck, most anime viewers have already watched it!

Anyway, SAO (in short) is an anime about... well, many things, actually. Fighting is one of them (there's the word sword in the title, after all), but also romance, friendship, adventure, psychology, and even fantasy! It's a true cocktail of genres.

The first two seasons of SAO have twenty-five episodes each, followed by a two-hour-long movie. Then, the two following seasons are all part of the same narrative arc, with season three being twenty-five episodes, and the two parts of season four being respectively twelve and eleven episodes. That's a lot of content, and I'm not even counting the OVAs and the spin-off season (which I haven't watched). The anime first aired in 2012 and the second part of season four has aired in 2020. Two more movies are in the works, with one having already been released but not dubbed. Since the story from the books is not over, you can expect plenty more in years to come.

Now, let's go over this anime season by season. Of course, we'll begin with season one. Well, this first season is split into two parts of nearly equal length. The first part focuses on introducing most of the cast (protagonist + supporting cast) you'll see for the rest of the anime, and does it well. The plot is interesting to follow, and the few filler scenes don't ruin the enjoyment. The fights are not the best, but remain interesting to watch. However, the ending of this first part is a little rushed to my taste. Still, good stuff. Part two, however, is not as praise-worthy. Indeed, it focuses on a character I don't enjoy much. One important plot point in this part is unnecessary and out-of-place, too. The villain is ridiculously bad, and the other characters introduced aren't great. I found the ending of this part to be a little... underwhelming, to say the least. Finally, the universe it takes place in is not one that will remain in the history books. Still, season one is enjoyable, even if it has some pretty clear flaws.

Season two can be described in two words: wasted potential. It should have been the best season, but it's actually the worst one. Again, two parts of roughly twelve episodes each, and a new main character. Unfortunately, she's not that great, either. The protagonist, Kirito, saves the season from being a disaster, as does the first villain. Part one remains cool, with an excellent setting and some great ideas, even if I regret that the protagonist's love interest is not used enough. However, part two sucks. The first arc is random and boring, while the second one introduces a bunch of uninteresting characters. They don't bring anything to the plot, and the bit of character development they provide to the protag's love interest makes her worse! I was disappointed after season two, but while it's not good, it's not terrible either. I would call it OK.

A movie follows these first two seasons, and before all, I must say that it is stunning. From this point on, the animation in the series is magnificent, with some scenes that left me speechless. The plot of the movie has some good moments, even if I wish it had a better ending. Two new main characters are introduced in this movie, and I guess they're okay. Not great, but okay. It's still a really good movie, and at this point, it is the best content SAO has to offer. Quick warning, though: the movie is long (two hours).

Season three marks the beginning of a brand new narrative arc: Alicization. It is even more stunning animation-wise, and the idea behind the plot is amazingly interesting. It develops a new universe entirely with its set of new characters and dynamics, and the potential was nearly infinite. Unfortunately, one of the new main characters introduced isn't one I enjoyed very much, and the second one only becomes good in the following season. The story is told pretty well, until the usual BS ending. I had come to expect it at this point. Once more, I do regret the love interest's lack of presence in this season: it almost seems like the writers had forgotten about her. Still, this third season ties well with the previous ones while opening the viewer to a new world, which is pretty impressive.

Season four... Ah, season four. As I said before, it is split into two parts, and damn, they're like night and day! The first half of part one is nothing short of amazing. The story flows extremely well, the fights are animated beautifully, the cast from season three returns and outclasses the cast from seasons one and two (and by that, I mean they outclass them in every way), and the plot starts to thicken! The second half of this first part brings its usual load of BS, although not as much as usual. Overall, these twelve episodes are - by a mile - the best the series has to offer, and some fights shown are among the best I've seen so far. It also turns the main character I mentioned earlier into a solid character, which is nice. Now... if only it had lasted, right...? It's unfortunate, but part two is far from being so good. It's not bad, mind you, but disappointing. The fights are still stunning (and one is my favorite of the series), but the plot starts to be ridiculous and allows a few characters some cheated powers that aren't even explained. The "power of friendship" cliché is also pushed to the maximum, which kind of ruins it. However, the worst thing about this second part is clearly the return of the side characters from seasons one and two. They had nothing to do here and they're just not interesting enough to shine, especially not in a world that's not their own. Again, the ending doesn't make a lot of sense, but you've come to expect it at this point. Thanks to its first part, though, season four is still good, and maybe even great.

Now, overall, this series has some ups and downs. The season endings are all downs, but some fighting scenes here and there make up for it. The overall plot is pretty good and it manages not to be too repetitive, even after a while. Kudos to the writers there because I don't think this was an easy thing to do. The second part of season two notwithstanding, nothing in this anime sucks, plotwise. There are times you'll want to pull your hair out, though, as this anime loves to have things happen with ridiculous explanations (or no explanation at all).

Now, in an anime so long, you meet many characters. Kirito, the protagonist, is a great character, until he becomes a cliché, but he's still cool. His love interest should have been a better character than she ended up being, but she had her moments in seasons one and four. Too bad the writers literally forgot about her for two seasons and a half, huh? I talked about it above, but the supporting cast from the first two seasons is... debatable. Most of the protagonist's friends are boring and walking clichés. One of them is somewhat cool, but the others are either uninteresting or flat-out bad. Let's not even talk about the side characters from the first two seasons, shall we? I don't want to waste my time. However, while the two main characters from seasons three and four could have been a lot better, the surrounding cast is pretty damn good. Their designs are original and good-looking, they all get at least one episode of development, and you grow attached to them, especially in season four, part one. One of them (you'll see who in the tierlist) is one I really enjoyed. One of this series' main flaws, however, is its villains. To summarize: villain from part two of season one sucks, villain from season two is interesting but underdeveloped and abandoned too quickly, villain from the movie is forgettable, villain from season three is fanservice at its worst, and villain(s) from season four is (are) slightly better but painfully average. The only "villainous" character I can confidently say is good is the overarching villain of the series, but then again, he's morally gray (somewhat)! This undoubtedly hurts the plot. You can't create a great story without great villains, after all (it's difficult, at least).

Now, for every bad thing I mentioned in this long review, you can find something positive, such as the music, the voice acting, the animation... I'm probably nitpicking, but this is an anime you'll get mad at because you know it could have - and should have - been better. Want a hot take? This could have been one of the best animes ever. Well, things are what they are, but Sword Art Online remains a classic which you should watch from start to finish. It's worth it, and hopefully the future will bring us more of that splendid animation, and improved plot.

Overall, this anime gets a 7.5/10 from me.

Down below are the tierlists for this anime! One for characters, one for ships, and one for the different narrative arcs. Thank you for reading this lengthy review!

(Link: https://tiermaker.com/create/sword-art-online-character-tier-list-134372)

(Link: https://tiermaker.com/create/sword-art-online-ships-211353)

(Link: https://tiermaker.com/create/sword-art-online-arcs-492660)

[phenomenalcosmicpowers]

MY LITTLE PONY: A NEW GENERATION (G5 Movie) THOUGHTS

It’s finally here. The beginning of Generation 5. Though before I get into the movie in some detail I’m going to reiterate one more time what G5 means for my content and a non-spoilery summary of the movie.

Again, I will say that the movie nor will the G5 series coming later have much of an effect at all on any of my blogs. The revelation in Secrets of the Dragon’s Tear that life itself is also magic means that a world that implied to have no magic for years would mean the extinction of all life (Perhaps resulting in the wasteland we saw in the Season 5 finale). There may be something I’ll probably do at some point on a certain different blog. But even then, that may likely be a one-time thing and probably come around the time the series is starting to air.

That said, just because I’m continuing with mainly G4 content doesn’t mean I disapprove of G5. In fact, my non-spoilers thoughts on the movie is I think it is a good start for this new generation. There are questions I have that I’m not sure will be answered (Though many of those questions are the same ones I had in my Trailer/Preliminary thoughts) quickly enough. But the movie is structured well enough, in fact it’s probably a better movie as a whole compared to any of the movies G4 had (The 2017 movie, Rainbow Roadtrip, and all 4 Equestria Girls movies). As the 2017 movie was fun, but it jumped around a lot, sometimes scenes transitioning too fast. And while Rainbow Roadtrip may have been this on purpose, the entirely slice-of-life story taking up a long length… made it something of a less interesting plot to follow. It feels like some of that special could of been cut to at least a two-parter length and keep the same beats they hit. And while i have a soft spot for the 3rd and 4th Equestria Girls movies, I’ll always say a full-length pony adventure feels better suited for what I want to see out of MLP then spin-off movies with high school movie cliches and weird pony/human world shenanigans.

So movie-wise I’m not a G4 purist. It’ll take some time to see how Gen 5 compares to Friendship is Magic when we get to the series. As I feel it’d take a lot for it to surpass G4 in my mind. But I’m going to try to be as fair as possible and judge on it’s own merits. The implied connection to G4 by referring to G4 being ancient Equestria is going to naturally get the staff and hasbro pressured by fans to tell us what happened in-between the generations. Because that’s the trap they put the writers in when they made it so they want to try to say it’s in the same universe. That’s the double-edged sword Hasbro chose to have, trying to appease the G4 fanbase and keep at least some of them around. But at the cost of questions both nitpicky (Such as character design being inconsistent) or actual honest questions that need to be known (Why did magic disappear, and what happened to the Alicorns) for some of us to truly see this as the same Equestria.

After the break, I’ll have more spoilery thoughts

Even for a brief moment, it was nice seeing the Mane 6 and 2D animation. The former because of course those are the ponies many of us that saw all of G4 loved. And the latter, because while the animation wasn’t bad in this movie. I’m one of those who’d prefer to have 2D animation in an animated film. As in most cases aside from Pixar, it’s just a strong preference of mine. If this had the animation of the 2017 MLP movie but otherwise everything else was generally the same here, I feel that would of have been great.

I wish they didn’t have to have Sunny’s dad die off-screen, as he seems like he could of been a compelling character. And not to mention if perhaps he has any connection the “ancient” days in any fashion. But *sigh* I get it, it’s an old trope where part of the character’s offscreen growth is not having their parent(/s) around.

On a side note there’s quite a few times during the beginning of the movie that somewhat foreshadow what happens to Sunny later. 3 times where she had a fake horn and wings on her. Once in the flashback, then 2 separate times when she’s doing her protest where she has her own costumed wings and horn. As well as the helmet and mechanical wings.

Also, there’s no way around it. Some of the discussions this movie are going to get quite political. (Namely one part of Sunny’s song that could be seen as having a double meaning of a jab at Trumpsts regarding “Building your wall”) From the very premise in the early times, we know that the inspiration for the story was last year’s Black Lives Matter protests. Which honestly, I do support the message they’re going for. Having an anti-racism message to tell kids from the very beginning and making a focus on it is important when in G4 it only got briefly touched upon in Bridle Gossip and the Heath’s Warming Eve play. Although it certainly rose up to some form of prominence with Season 8 and onward. Still, while you can argue if G4 executed the anti-racism message well. it does come with something of a problem that the series finale left Equestria in the least divided it’s ever been.

And personally, I feel it’s a terrible interpretation of time to say “Well, it’s a realistic take. Racism has existed for years in our world. Same should go for the ponies” and while yes, racism is still rampant in today’s world. That said, that ignores that if we went from The Last Problem to the start of G5. There’s a huge difference between our world and Equestria. There is no ancient civilization that we look at like “Yeah, those were the golden days of world peace” when normally the “Golden age” was reserved for the high classes of Ancient Greece or Rome. It was most decidedly not perfect, with slavery rampant and wars for the sake of expanding an empire. While if you look at The Last Problem’s Equestria, you not only have peace between the three main types of ponies. But you literally have non-pony citizens in Equestria. You can see a dragon handing off a flower to a pony which can imply cross-species romantic relations. With the Friendship school still going strong, and was the reason that the world was saved in The Ending of the End. While perhaps it may be too glowing to say that future is perfect for everyone even in-universe. It’s certainly a hell of a lot better outlook then comparing to how we view even the so called Golden age of ancient civilizations. The Last Problem’s Equestria implies it looks to ally with every country outside of Equestria, not conquer them.

So it should still be a valid question on just how this world collapses to the point it gets to where G5 is at the start. I at least assume that it’s not the fault at all of any of the Mane 6 nor Twilight. Or at least I hope it isn’t, as I’d rather the MLP fanbase not have to deal with a The Last Jedi Luke Skywalker situation. (Where after the joyful end of the original trilogy, things go wrong as Luke almost murders the son of one of his best friends and his sister despite trying to hard and succeeding at redeeming his father who at that point in the canon was a galaxy-wide known ruthless mass-murderer.) I assume we’re at a point where everyone of the Mane 6 sans maybe Twilight are presumed dead. And even in Twilight’s case, there’s a chance that G5 decides to say that G4 overestimated the whole Alicorn immortality thing. Though I wouldn’t put it past Hasbro to have some event where the Mane 5 of G5 meet the Mane 6 in some special event whether that’s a a Season finale or a sequel movie/special. Where either the Mane 6 return in a limbo situation similar to the Pillars at the end of Season 7 or Time travel gets involved. They may even string us along on answering just what in the heck happened until they involve a meet-up with the Mane 6 in that way. Though I hope they don’t, I’d really like the beginning of the series (Or I guess this supposed special coming up in Spring supposedly?) starts to answer some questions. G5 should get a chance to stand on it’s own, but I hope the writers are actually well aware there will be so many questions people have and address them in the show. A cynical part of me feels like they’re likely to string us along until at least the Season 1 finale.

Onto the characters for a bit. I think Izzy Moonbow was absolutely the most stand-out character in the whole movie. She was energetic, funny, and aside from “The pegasi are bad news” she along with Zipp and Sunny were the most averse to the way the world was. She was already the most popular due to the tennis ball memes. But now it feels like she legit stands on her own and most certainly deserves to be the most popular character of G5 thus far. Behind her in a bit of a surprise to me was Zipp, who I thought would be mainly a Rainbow Dash-expy. Though she really helps out Izzy and Sunny in Zephyr Heights. Despite having Twilight be my favorite pony from the very beginning of G4 all the way to the end, I didn’t feel as strongly about Sunny for some reason. So she’s in the middle of the pack, she could grow on me later. I just don’t know if I click with her as much as I did with Twilight. As for the last two, while I don’t hate either of them. Either one could be the lowest of the 5 for one reason or another. Pipp (Although I will say she's probably my favorite character design out of the 5) feels like she doesn’t do a whole lot in the movie and it takes until she’s forced to be an outlaw because the other choice was to get imprisoned like her mother was. So she may come off as quite pretentious, though it’s arguable Rarity was the same way early in G4. But she definitely grew later. Could be the same case for Pipp. And as for Hitch, he has shining moments in the film. But what might hurt him is the fact he was such a bad friend to Sunny up until the campfire scene. “I’m the last real friend you have. You really want to lose me too?” is not a healthy friendship. Hitch may have been Sunny’s friend the longest, but it definitely feels like Izzy connected immediately. I don’t know if this show will get into shipping any of the main characters between each other mid-show, but if they do. I hope it’s between Izzy and Sunny currently, cause Hitch and Sunny just gives bad vibes even with Hitch getting better later.

None of the songs I felt were particularly too special. Though I think the closest was Sprout’s “Danger, Danger” song that has similarities to Smells Like Teen Spirit in some parts of the song since I tend towards more rock/metal-esque music.

I touched upon it earlier, but there’s perhaps a stand-out reason for why the G5 movie outdid the 2017 MLP Movie. They have the typical “Our heroic group splits after a sad moment before coming together again for the climatic good end” in Sunny seeing that that the two crystals don’t instantly bring magic back, and when Twilight left the group after an argument that happened with Twilight trying to take a pearl. They perform the same purpose in the movie. But the crystals not working, crushing Sunny’s hope for a little while works better into the story. Where as Twilight’s part frustratingly brought the sea pony scene to an end too quickly and/or doesn’t feel right of Twilight to have done that. It felt forced in the 2017 movie, but works out in the G5 movie. Especially since a part of it is that it’s not the crystals themselves capable of bringing magic back. But it’s the journey going after the crystals that brings the ponies themselves their magic back.

Just a small note on dictator Sprout, he tries to cause a war. Though admittedly the film seems to treat him as a joke the entire time despite his seriously evil ambitions. With the only repercussions is he gets a wishy-washy answer on if he was a good sheriff from his mom. I don’t quite know how I feel about that yet, but I wonder what they’ll have in mind for Sprout given his actions. He and his mom are the only ones that feel like a true antagonist. Though they seem to be ok with things fast when the magic comes back.

But anyway on to the ending, we see that Sunny becomes an Alicorn. Which I guess with no other real Alicorns around, I guess it makes sense to alicornify her since she’s the real leader behind what united the leaders of each type of pony again. Though there is of course this weird thing where her horn and wings don’t seem like as much a part of her body compared to very obvious connected wings on Twilight when she got hers. Sunny keeps her horn and wings to the end of the movie, and has colored streaks in her hair. Though I do wonder if that;s truly permanent. If it is permanent, I suppose at least they got to have a headstart and have it established at the end of the introductory movie rather then have it shock people at the end of a shortened 3rd season. I still feel like Twilight had well earned her alicornhood considering that besides what she did in the series. She has a whole childhood and time as a teenager learning under Celestia. Which had to mean something, and I’m not sure Celestia just leaving her to live the rest of her days with her friends in ponyville was that. Sunny has no doubt been trying countless time to try to spread friendship throughout her life even after the tragedy of her father’s passing. So there’s no doubt she’s been through a lot, and may indeed be worthy of being an Alicorn at this point. Though in terms of screentime before Alicornhood it's definitely a lot less then Twilight had. And it is at least nice to see that it is possible for non-unicorns to become one. (The only case of that we sort of got was a children's book that may or may not be canon that implied Cadence was a pegasus before she ascended)

Though you have to wonder if the visual differences such as Sunny’s alicorn horn and wings, the cutie mark only on one side (Yes I know that’s how it was normally in the MLP generations before G4. But a distinct visual difference between shows is still noticeable even if the context of G4’s cutie marks on both sides of the flank was about it being easier on the puppets for Flash), and how animals can have wings or weird round shapes such as those bunnies when G4 has normal looking animals. There’s enough striking visual differences for any nitpicky G4 to say “This isn’t the same Equestria”. And if someone tries to say maybe some sort of evolution happened. That’s still trying to put a little too much real world logic on this fantasy world. And evolution tends to take millions of years to have such dramatic changes. Not 1000 years or so, there should still be normal looking animals at this point and time. And these small details are probably going to be the things most ignored but nonetheless can build a case that this isn’t the same Equestria. Even if they touch on the important questions like how magic disappeared and what happened to the Mane 6, there will be details they make different that will add to the case that this is it’s own universe if it doesn’t quite matchup with what was remembered about G4. There will be fans who will be that nitpicky to call G5 out of continuity for small details like that. That is again the trap they put themselves in when they decided to try to say it’s the same Equestria.

All-in-all though, I think that’s at least a good enough chunk about my thoughts on the movie to end off here. If there’s something I missed or something from the movie you’d like me to give a particular opinion about or elaborate on something feel free to ask me here. G5 is indeed off to a good start, just I will be along the many hoping some questions get answered sooner then later. And I’m not sure I’m confident in getting anywhere until a Season finale or a 2nd movie. And it’ll be a year before the series starts proper (Though again I guess there’s a 44 minute special coming in Spring to try to hold us over). But I could definitely see G5 finding it's own following, now there's just the inevitable clashes between some of the more vocal fans of each generation bickering at eachother. But hoping there will be enough that take the movie's lessons on divisiveness to heart and be able to enjoy both even if there may be preferences.

[uwua3]

if it's ok 😳👉👈 i really love your writing and i've had this idea in my head for awhile but i can't get myself to write it on my own 🤔 i wanted to see how your spin would be on it- so can i request a prompt where reader gets jealous of tenma's co-actress in a romance and tries to mimic what she does to him in a show they're in?? ty!!! 💕💕💕 i look forward to your interpretation

thank you so much for requesting~ ♡ i love you sososo much; i hope this lives up to everything you’ve dreamed of! ♡ ～('▽^人) i LOVE YOU!!! <333

summary: when tenma lands a role in your favorite drama, he had one goal: to become your favorite actor

warnings: envy/jealousy, food mentions, rivalry (all covered briefly!)

author’s note: after learning everything there is to know about the k-drama, true beauty, on tik tok, i’ve decided to write this! for context, the only thing i recommend watching before reading this is watching the “roar” scene!

this is also the first time i’ve introduced made-up characters with names! please enjoy jun, the first character who isn’t canon to the a3!verse :D

word count: 3,768

music: like a movie – b1a4

pretty u!

🌻☀️ sumeragi tenma

what the heck was love, and why did he have to be in it?

sumeragi tenma, future “world’s best actor”, was suddenly... seeing why he hadn’t won that award yet. with a script in his hand and confusion in another, tenma read the title of the next drama he landed the role for

“PRETTY U...” it was japan’s next major love story, advertised on every social media platform possible with the all-star cast in the spotlight already. although it had already been out for a season, tenma was entering as the up-and-coming newest character of the series

tenma was boyish, young, and much too confident for his age—perfect for the role of a second-lead bad boy who was going to steal the heart and test the protagonist’s commitment

except... he didn’t actually want to take up a new project so soon. he only did because—

“what?! you’re going to be chan on PRETTY U?!” he proudly nodded and watched as you began ranting about how much you loved this show. there was only one reason he came to the audition: tenma wanted to star in your favorite television series

you always went on and on about how great everything about PRETTY U was. after hearing so much and pretending not to listen (even if he could practically explain the entire plotline now without watching it), tenma let himself become a fan, too

after all, how could he not be a fan when you loved PRETTY U so much?

tenma didn’t respond to his manager’s pleas until one day, you revealed another reason why PRETTY U was your favorite production: the main lead

“he’s so handsome~ i love him so much!” “do you know him? could you get me his number?” “look at him... he’s the most perfect actor in the business right now—ah, sorry ten!”

tenma scoffed every time, claiming he could most certainly do better than that hotshot. although the boys typically didn’t do the same type of television, he had become tenma’s #1 rival without even knowing it

besides... what did that guy have that tenma didn’t? he was just nice! sure, he held open the door for the lead, bent down to tie her shoes, bended over backwards just to be the perfect boy-next-door. yeah... even he couldn’t pretend anymore

tenma pouted at the thought, skimming over his next pilot episode for rehearsal tomorrow. he was too good to be real, after all, he was meant to end up with the lead girl anyways (spoiler alert!)

but, it didn’t matter how perfect that actor was! because tenma had gotten the role of “chan”, the leather-jacket wearing mystery with an actual heart of gold, and he was going to make the entire audience swoon

(though, tenma just wanted to make your heart skip a beat when he ended up on the big screen)

tenma would never admit how fast he checked his phone when he felt it buzz in his pocket. sure, it was unprofessional during rehearsal but he knew it was you. however, his smile dropped the moment he read what you sent

you: remember to tell him how much i love him!

tenma: hah... no good luck for your new bad boy?

you: you know i’ll always root for you, ten!

tenma: but, i’m better than that actor, right?

tenma watched his message get delivered and was about to keep bothering you until someone called his name like they were friends. speak of the devil...

that actor’s straight, white toothy smile made tenma stand a little straighter (damn it, tenma was shorter), eyes wide as the actor gracefully introduced himself as his co-star for the next month or so (how did his voice sound even better in person?!)

“good morning, tenma! my name is jun, i’m so honored to meet a fellow actor on set! let’s work together well!” were they... really the same age? tenma barely registered the fact he was suddenly shaking jun’s (right, that’s his name) hand. why did he have such a manly grip?

tenma quickly (to his dismay) found out that him & jun had entered the industry around the same time but often had different projects, so they were never featured in the same production before. apparently, that was creating quite a buzz in the media that two childhood stars were competing against one another

a competition that tenma couldn’t lose. he was going to be your favorite actor, not his rival!

jun, like the perfect gentleman everyone described him to be, showed tenma around the PRETTY U set. jun had nothing but good things to say about the crew and vise versa. that only reinforced how tenma was oddly much more quiet than he usually was. luckily, one of the talents of being an actor was improvising, so jun was doing just fine

when they had reached the dressing rooms, jun shot a bright smile at tenma and gestured to the rather large room

“we’ll be sharing a dressing room together, tenma! we’ll be spending a lot of time together!”

tenma suddenly regretted his decision to become chan of PRETTY U. you couldn’t have had a different favorite show?! anything but... this

there were now three main characters for PRETTY U: hoshi, yuri, and chan, creating a love triangle for millions of viewers to watch every week

nakamura jun, leading role, played “hoshi”, the boy-next-door. this is the popular boy at school with the best grades and an even greater reputation amongst everyone. next, uedo ren, one of japan’s rising female actresses of this generation. she is adored as “yuri”, the perfect girl. she is the typical nerd who suddenly transformed into the prettiest girl at school from learning make-up

last (but definitely not least!) is sumeragi tenma, playing “chan”, the bad boy. it was nothing like tenma’s done before, since the character was much less expressive than he was used to. chan is a traditional rebel who is revealed to have a soft side for yuri. but, chan (ironically enough) has a secret history with hoshi, causing tension in this already confusing love triangle

(embarrassingly enough, jun had to explain to tenma the complications and ties between each character. tenma, unfortunately, found it to be extremely helpful)

even with this newfound knowledge of the characters in season 2, tenma couldn’t help but absolutely ruin the first day of rehearsals. even with a decade or so of acting as his experience, one thing kept him from being chan: his lack of chemistry with “yuri”

“cut!” the director called out again for the nth time, sighing as their eyes landed on tenma, who was not enjoying being the center of attention this time, surprisingly

“take 5, kid. once you come back, i expect you to actually go through this scene without messing up your lines.” tenma nodded and exited quickly, feeling flustered from the looks of sympathy directed his way. usually, it was one-and-done. it didn’t take a hundred tries just to do another romantic and cliché scene

tenma exhaled loudly once he felt the fresh air upon his face. without the fear of cameras in his face anymore, tenma ran his hand through his hair with a frustrated kick at the concrete. come on! he was renown child actor sumeragi tenma, why was he so in his head now?

tenma was about to yell into the sky before he heard someone close the door, standing beside him with their usual silence. tenma didn’t even have to look to know it was jun (probably with the most pitiful look ever)

“tenma? are you okay?” jun waited as tenma tried to not say anything he’d regret, shifting his weight on his foot back and forth before relenting, shrugging as if it couldn’t be helped

“i don’t know... i just, i can’t see yuri that way. how am i supposed to flirt with someone i don’t even like?”

jun pondered the thought for a moment, before tilting his head, a boyish smile overtaking his features. tenma unwillingly relaxed; jun finally looked his age

“who do you like then?”

tenma froze, a blush even foundation couldn’t hide blossoming on his cheeks. jun let out a teasing “oooh!” as he nudged tenma with his shoulder, who pushed back with an eye-roll

“i-it’s not like that! don’t be so—ugh!” tenma cut himself off, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding jun’s knowing eyes. damn it, they barely knew each other. why was he getting so comfortable with his enemy?!

“well, whoever you thought of, imagine yuri as them.”

“is that what you do?”

jun shrugged, not giving a clear answer for once. before tenma could ask for more information, their break was over

when tenma returned to the scene, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. when he opened them again, he watched as yuri transformed into the one person he’s been trying to impress this entire time: you

when “you” smiled, tenma couldn’t help but follow along. his first-take after break made the cut for the final product

“you must really like them, tenma~” — “stop!!!”

filiming afterwards became easy, especially when he imagined all his romantic words were directed towards you. he could feel the clamminess of his hands, the rapid beat of his heart, the intense blush across his face, all at the thought of you

(the only time he had to start over was when he accidentally said your name instead of yuri’s)

tenma was sure he’d become your favorite actor now! after all, you were his favorite person

“will you watch the first episode of PRETTY U’s season 2 with me?”

you had never said yes so fast in your entire life. when tenma learned there’d be a cast-viewing of episode 1 after finishing the season, he knew his +1 invite could only go to the biggest fan of the show

throughout filming, you were always the person who got him in trouble when the text tone wasn’t put on silent. you liked spamming tenma with a bunch of supportive and encouraging messages when you were available, meaning tenma always had something to look forward to after each scene

in return, tenma would send a selfie of him with his castmates or the set (or, what he was allowed to show under his contract). yet, despite your constant pleas, there was one co-star he’d never take a photograph with: jun

(“tenma! we’ve worked together for months~ shouldn’t i be called your friend now?” “no—” “huh?! don’t pretend you don’t like me!” “who said i was pretending?” “tenma!”)

at first, tenma was apprehensive about inviting you to an event where jun’s picture-perfect face would be on display everywhere. but, whenever he saw you, the weight of the tickets suddenly felt much heavier in his pocket. he couldn’t deprieve you of such an exclusive event just because of his jealousy (even if he was this close to doing so)

when tenma impulsively asked three days before, it felt worth it when you threw your arms around him (he hugged you back and pretended this meant something to you)

“i love you, ten!”

tenma felt like he was on set again, with yuri’s arms tightly holding onto his heart

“i love you, too.”

even after saying it so many times, tenma meant it even if he didn’t say it to your face every time

you looked like the star of the show

tenma fixed his tie as his blazer suddenly felt too tight. you appeared in your most formal attire, looking like a million bucks as you two sat across each other in the limo

“ten, look at all of this!” you pointed out every little thing of preparing for a professional event. the little glasses of champagne neither of you two could drink sat to the side as the leather seats molded to fit your posture. as the night lights of tokyo blurred by, tenma couldn’t help but think you sparkled more than this diamond of a city

“i can’t wait to go see the first episode! thank you for inviting me.” you bowed your head, as if suddenly overcome with gratefulness. tenma lightly kicked your shoe with his, fondly rolling his eyes as he tried not to smile (mission failed)

“don’t worry about it, who else would i bring? you’re my favorite pe—friend. friend, yeah...” tenma trailed off, suddenly finding something very interesting outside of the window. you only nodded, seemingly more interested in the fact there was enough room to walk around

when tenma caught sight of the infamous red carpet laid out in front of the theatre, he cleared his throat and put on his best face for the cameras. after stepping out of the car with his bodyguards nearby, tenma turned and gave you a genuine smile. not his typical arrogant smirk the news source ate up, but a type of smile only reserved for you

when he held out his hand, the flashing lights behind him seemed like a real celebrity, something you had never considered him to be before. it was like seeing tenma in a new light (both literally and figuratively)

“shall we?” you took his hand and wondered if you could ever have your own j-drama. perhaps, tenma could even be the main lead...

before you could step off to the side, tenma already had his arm wrapped around your waist with his unchanging expression (however, underneath it all, he was internally freaking out. what was he going to do now?!)

“you’re my date, right? walk the red carpet with me.” tenma winked (you swore it sparkled) as he gestured towards the carpet ahead. suddenly, the line seemed much longer

“t-ten... you’ve never brought a date before...” you mumbled, acutely aware of how soon it was to walk down together. tenma’s arm stiffened, but nothing else exposed the revelation as he looked down at you

“you’re my first, then.” and my last, tenma thought to himself. before you could change your mind, it was showtime. tenma put on his movie star face and introduced you to familiar interviewers, smiling away as if you two weren’t panicking on the inside

while you were focusing on the fact you were going to be going viral as tenma’s first “date” to the event, tenma was trying not to blush from how close you were. you felt... right besides him

tenma was a natural in front of an audience waiting for him to make a mistake. he flawlessly answered every question with swaggering confidence, his stride easy and poses photogenic

you did your best to follow his lead but it all ended when tenma took you into the theatre, staring down at you with a bright smile

“we did it! see, told you we’d be just fine.” tenma let out an exhale of relief, glowing with joy from the adrenaline of everything that came with being a superstar. as you looked up into his excited eyes, you saw him lean down before—

“your arm is still around me.”

silence, then a hurried separation as tenma put too many feet between you two. it was suddenly as if you two were strangers. you regretted the words the moment they left your mouth; you didn’t mind at all... why did you say something?!

“um... so, food?” tenma spoke up after an eternity of making excuses. you two quickly moved to the line of movie snacks, using candy and popcorn to substitue the suddenly awkward silence

when tenma ordered all your favorites without even asking, he turned around with the selection only to close his eyes and internalize every single thing he was feeling because there he was, his worst enemy

jun entered from a side door, most likely finishing up helping the crew with set-up (and 30 minutes early as usual) before catching tenma’s iconic bright orange hair, a grin lighting up his face

“tenma! it’s me, jun!” he said, as if they weren’t the two main leads of japan’s most famous drama so far. immediately, your smile matched jun’s as you watched as your favorite actor of all time make his way towards you two

“jun... of course you’d be here.” tenma said through gritted teeth, forcing a pleasant smile even with an armful of junk

“ah, still keeping the bad boy attitude? we’re off set now, you can stop method acting now.” jun joked, bringing his attention to you with a dazzling smile that would absolutely make any fansite’s career

“oh? who is this, a friend of yours?” tenma tried not to sigh so loud when you couldn’t help yourself and burst into a long rant about how amazing jun was. tenma waited until you reached your midpoint and stopped you with a quick nudge, trying not to scream (could jun stop being so... perfect? could you stop being so cute?!)

when tenma introduced you, he stood a little closer as he tried to maintain his jealousy. “they’re my date, by the way.” no one had asked, but tenma was clearly telling anyone who was around you two had gone together

jun’s eyes lit up in recognition as he let out a noise of surprise. “ah~ so this is who you—”

tenma didn’t regret losing his giant popcorn so fast to a co-star who could only be silenced with food. his wallet could afford another one, anyways. his pride on the other hand? could not let you know his acting secret already

“what was jun going to say?” you asked after you two departed for the viewing room. tenma nonchalantly pretended like everything was okay as he guided you to front row

“probably something about the fact you’re the one who always interrupts our scenes.”

“hey! my texts make your day, don’t lie!”

“go sit down and eat already, jeez.”

when it began, your eyes couldn’t leave the screen. it was better than you could have imagined. everything was perfect, it exceeded the standards of even the toughest fans out there. you loved every second of it... except...

tenma was too good at being chan. even with his bright hair, the dark clothes he wore made him appear intimidating, with his sharp eyes and even sharper smirk. chan’s appearance was tough, rough, and mean, everything tenma wasn’t

yet, you still couldn’t help but feel your heart sink when chan was clearly in love with yuri. yuri was one of your favorite characters by far, but she ended up bothering you for the entireity of the episode

especially every time she shared a scene (which were many times) with chan. chan was revealed to be a bad boy with a heart of gold, all with a special soft side for yuri

what was this feeling? were you... no, you couldn’t be! after all, you had never seen tenma that way before, right? yet, every time chan made an exception for yuri, you felt sick to your stomach

was it possible that tenma liked the actress who played yuri? you snuck a glance at tenma, only to see he was looking at you already (he’d never admit it, but he was watching your reactions to see if he made you proud. yet, every time you saw him, you subconsciously frowned)

were you not proud of him? did you not like his performance as chan?

before tenma could ask you, the scene changed into one of chan’s. he was standing outside in the school uniform, his head ducked as he swiped through yuri’s social media. before he could look up, yuri jumped in front of him with a teasing smile

“roar!” she called out, referring to their inside joke earlier in the episode. yuri cutely bounced back with another roar, holding her hands up like paws. chan watched, his typical rock-hard expression breaking to reveal his developing feelings for yuri

later on, chan stopped yuri in the hallway, other students watching as the school’s bad boy and goddess interact

“do that again.” chan demanded to which yuri innocently tilted her head, confused like a little puppy. “do what?” “that... that thing.” when chan roared, tenma sunk into his seat with an embarrassed defense and explanation ready. but, when he looked, you finally cracked a laugh at his little roar

your smile only fell when yuri roared again as a joke, but chan smiled for once. tenma wondered why... he thought you would be so happy to be here with him. maybe, he’d never be better than jun...

when the episode ended, it took a moment before you stood up and clapped. tenma followed along, but all he could think about was how he let you down. not only as chan, but as your boy, too

when you two left the room, you two hung back to watch as everyone congratulated one another on the success of the production. in the midst of the cheer and celebration, tenma felt small as he watched your blank expression

what did he do wrong? he put his best efforts into every scene; he might even say it was his best work yet. before he could apologize, you did the unthinkable: you roared

you jumped up into his face, holding your hands up like yuri did. when yuri did it, tenma didn’t feel a thing. but, when you did, tenma felt it. the butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he stared at you, frozen in place

“this is the part where you ask me to do it again.” you shyly trailed off, about to put your hands down before tenma weakly put his hands up, knowing he was about to regret his next move (if the embarrassment didn’t kill him, he didn’t know what would)

“roar!”

that was too loud, wasn’t it? the room suddenly went a lot more quiet as they turned their attention towards a teen actor roaring at his date

“yah! why didn’t you ask me the next line?”

“b-because... i know i like you even without you doing, that, again.”

you paused, taken back by his honesty. as tenma contemplated just falling onto the floor right then and there, you suddenly hardened your expression, standing up straighter with your arms crossed

“do that again.”

“do what?”

“that thing.”

when tenma roared again, much quieter this time, you nodded as you finally smiled genuinely for the first time ever since that episode started

“good, i know how chan feels now. i like you, too.”

“does that mean i’m your favorite actor now?”

(when jun released a video of tenma roaring online, he captioned it with “ROAR = ILY!!!” tenma realized maybe he wasn’t all that bad, but still)

[wahlpaper]

Leah on the Offbeat Review

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

CW: Underage Drinking, Bi-phobic Parent, Racism, (Implicit) Pathological Demand Avoidance, Fat-phobia

4.5/5

I considered not writing a review for this book as I tend not to for books in a series. However, two factors changed my mind. First, "Simon-verse" is a little different from a normal series because it is made up of spin-offs. The other is that I've seen a lot of hate towards Leah that seems unfair. I'd like to defend her honor. I was hesitant to get into Becky Albertalli, or at least "Simon-verse" at first. I believe it is a part of my autism to be resistant to things that are popular, even things I would love. I started reading Albertalli's work with The Upside of Unrequited due to the Jewish content involved. I didn't know the book was part of "Simon-verse", but I didn't need to. As I got more into Albertalli's books, I continued to steer clear of the "Simon-verse". Thankfully, I eventually caved.

Leah and the Offbeat is the third book in the "Simon-verse" but can easily be read as a direct follow-up to Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It follows all of the characters we were introduced to in the first book, especially Leah, Simon's best friend. She is in the closet about being bi to everyone at school. She is nerdy, plus sized, and resistant to change (relatable). When a boy in her friend group makes his crush clear to Leah, she starts questioning if she wants a relationship. This question becomes harder to answer when her long term crush, Abby, becomes a possibility. Will Leah be able to stop over-thinking and pursue her own crush?

When I watched the Love, Simon movie, I got the feeling that Leah had a crush on the new girl, Abby. When the movie didn't include that detail explicitly and neither did the book, I decided it was just a missed opportunity. I knew that Leah and the Offbeat would be about Leah being bi, but I had no idea that she would actually have a chance with Abby or want to. The story between the two girls is believable and true to the established canon. It also balances well with the concerns about college, money, and the relationships outside of Leah and Abby’s.

Earlier, I mentioned that Leah had received a lot of hate after this book was released. I even saw one person claim that she had surpassed the villain of the first book for the role of "Worst Character". The book was difficult to read at times, mainly when Leah was being difficult. She was rude to her mother, wouldn't give her mom's boyfriend a chance, made a big deal out of a song she didn't like, and kept self-sabotaging. I do not know if Albertalli explored this intentionally or not, but it is clear that Leah has Pathological Demand Avoidance, which is a trait of Autism. I try not to diagnose a lot of characters with autism, even being autistic myself, but seeing Leah as autistic brings a lot of clarity to the story. I believe those being mean about Leah simply didn't understand her. Partially, I avoid doing this because I am not a therapist or psychologist, but the main reason I avoid this is because if a story shows a potentially-autistic character in a negative light, it can be problematic. As far as I am aware, Albertalli is not autistic, but she did write Leah well, allowing me to feel comfortable with giving her the Autism label.

I appreciate Leah on the Offbeat for exploring two bi girls falling for each other, for letting Leah love her body, for showing us how Simon and Bram handle leaving for college, and showing Leah as hard to swallow in a very real way. I hope people who haven't read this yet will give it a chance, but please make sure to read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda first!