#was showing my friend scenes from this manga & when she saw the last scene she was like 'this is the only time ive seen this guy smile'

[mint-stone]

Anyway, soft Kei smiles

[xxl4vend3rxx]

Keen observation: Genya might not have heard Sanemi in the infinity castle. (Iykyk)

DISCLAIMER: HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE DEMON SLAYER MANGA IF YOU AARE AN ANIME ONLY!

(Shoutout to my friends who let me rant to them after I read this chapter, I think I caused some emotional distress)

Okay so if you've continued to read this, I'll assume that you've read the demon slayer manga, and have been made more than aware of the untimely death of one Genya Shinazugawa. And that you have also read the scene in which Sanemi and him have their hurried heart to heart, in which Genya finally gets to apologise to his brother, while Sanemi assures him that he was never in the place where he needed to apologise.

And on my second reading (Once I had calmed down and semi-processed the manga's ending) is where I kinda noticed that Genya's reaction to this was not what I would have expected from him. In chapter 133 of the manga, and episode four of season five of the anime, Genya tries and fails to apologise to Sanemi, and instead gets himself into even more trouble with the latter, mentioning his demon-eating abilities. Genya is defeated by the fact that Sanemi still doesn't want to hear him out, as he is seemingly still hurt by what Genya said to him when they were younger.

But little did he know, Sanemi was just worried for his safety, and as revealed by Tanjiro, has loved him all this time. Genya is clearly shocked by this, and apparently just didn't have a single clue that his brother cared about him a all, let alone loved him.

Part of me thinks that Genya didn't fully believe Tanjiro when he first heard this, but that when he saw Sanemi fighting for him, that he came to the realisation his brother did still care for him.

All of this combined makes Genya's reaction to what Sanemi was saying a little underwhelming...? AND I KNOW THAT HE WAS LITERARELLY DYING, BUT BUT BUT

We have seen demons show emotion as they die, or be a little more... interactive? And I think I'll focus on Gyutaro and Daki to make my point. They are clearly very aware of what is being said to them, as Gyutaro gasps when Daki said

"Someone as ugly as you couldn't possibly be my brother!!"

And she is offended when he insults her for being dependant on him - but then as Daki proceeds do disintegrate more, she becomes more manic and cries out to no one in particular, as though her senses are going out of whack - and that brings me back to Genya.

By the time that Sanemi awakens to see Genya, notice that Genya is staring off into space, and his ears are disintegrated. He mutters his apology to his brother, but doesn't really look at him, or seem to respond to anything that he says either - in fact he talks over him a few times. And I think that that is down the the fact that Genya just couldn't hear him.

As you can see in the photo, Genya doesn't even acknowledge a single thing that 'Nemi says to him. he doesn't even have the heart to look him in the eye as he finally cranks out the apology he has owed his brother for so so long. And I think this is because he was scared that Sanemi might not let him finish - that he might lash out at him - or worse - tell him he loves him as he has to leave him behind.

Genya loves his brother so so much, but in his last moments he doesn't even look to him as he speaks, doesn't respond to his brother's cries for him, and doesn't even let him know that it is alright for him do die in advance of him, something that I think our usual Genya would have done - given his brother at the bare minimum some half assed comfort due to fatigue - but no. We got nothing.

And yes, this does mean that Genya may have died thinking that Sanemi was still frustrated with him in some way, or that he was always going to have been some kind of a burden to him, and that does hurt me quite a bit.

(Also do we think that Sanemi realised that Genya had fully become a demon by the time he died? When he saw him turning to ash he screamed

"AHHGH HE'S TURNING TO ASH LIKE HE'S A DEMON!!"

But he doesn't really focus on it, I mean clearly there were more pressing matters - but if Genya were to have lived on as a demon do you think that he would have been killed inevitably by Muzan at the end of the battle? Or do you think Sanemi is pulling a Tanjiro and searching for a cure to get his little brother human)

[damagedintellect]

Dazai Osamu x reader

💌 Reading into the palms of isekai bullshit: 

Chapter 1  💌  

Summary:   You were no stranger to isekai bullshit. It’s not like you had a problem with it. The genre took over the anime scene for years now but you try to stay away from thinking about how you would handle the situation. The last time you thought about inserting yourself into your favorite show you wrote a 100k word xReader fic for your favorite characters and you didn’t want to spend all your time consumed by the brainrot again. Never again, you promised yourself that was the last time you’d let the devil on your shoulder win. You clicked on chapter 1 to start the adventure over again but when you opened your eyes and saw Dazai O-FUCKING-samu getting choked by Kunikida you honestly hoped it was a dream.

Notes: Another isekai so I can play around with BSD like dolls.

💌 Word count: 3,312 💌  You Are Here | Next Chapter =>

"Nooooooo!” you screamed, throwing your phone down. Today was the day the new Bungo Stray Dogs chapter was supposed to be posted. It was but you weren’t happy about it. You finished reading it in record speed since they left both of your favorite characters in a pretty heavy cliffhanger only to shift the perspective to someone else. It wasn’t a bad chapter, you just didn’t like the idea that you’d now have to wait another month. You sighed falling back on to your bed. The waiting was nothing new but your brain wanted more. More adventures, more side stories, heck at this point you might as well reread the damn thing. You’ve been scrolling through tumblr reading as many plot analysis and character breakdowns to the point where you feel like you know everyone like the back of your hand. Everyone feels so real to you like you’ve known them all your life, almost like in another life you were all friends or maybe you were a part of the agency. You laughed to yourself as you picked your phone back up. The rain outside would be nice ambient noise to start the manga over once again. 

You were no stranger to isekai bullshit. It’s not like you had a problem with it. The genre took over the anime scene for years now but you try to stay away from thinking about how you would handle the situation. The last time you thought about inserting yourself into your favorite show you wrote a 100k word xReader fic for your favorite characters and you didn’t want to spend all your time consumed by the brainrot again. Never again, you promised yourself that was the last time you’d let the devil on your shoulder win. The soft pitter patter of the rain brought you back from your thoughts as you clicked on chapter 1 to start the adventure over again. 

—

“Dazai I swear if this was one of your planed double suicides I’m going to kill you!” a voice rang out. You could still feel the cold sensations of floating in water. What were you doing a moment ago and why did those voices sound familiar to you? The last thing you remember was starting over your beloved manga from chapter 1. You didn’t leave the house and none of your friends had keys to get in. Why were there people in your bedroom and why do you feel cold and wet? 

“I assure you if it was, me and this lovely lady would already be dead but unfortunately Atsushi here ruined that miracle for me.”

You choked, it finally hit you. You did, in fact, recognize those voices “D-Dazai?” When your vision came too you were in Atsushi’s lap as Kunikida was shaking his partner. This couldn’t be real. No this had to be a dream. Dammit you could see it now, once you woke up you were going to write another Stray Dogs isekai. You internally groaned. What have you done?

“Ah so sleeping beauty’s awake!” Dazai tapped the blonde’s wrist to get his attention. “Kunikida as a gentleman you should ask her if she’s alright and stop strangling me.” 

Reluctantly the blonde did as he was told and let go, gracefully kneeling in front of you “Are you alright my colleague said you were floating in the river?” his eyes were full of concern. It made a warm feeling bloom throughout your body. Honestly you could get used to this. Wait, did he just say you were floating in the river?

You looked dazed, glancing around to see the familiar riverbank that Atsushi starts at during the very beginning of Bungo Stray Dogs. You looked at your hands. You were still wearing the same clothes you had before you remember falling asleep, admittedly they were much soggier than you remember but you had no memory of how you ended up in the river. Just from the small scene in front of you this was how episode 1 started. If you played along maybe you’d eventually wake up. You’ve had lucid dreams before, it wasn’t too far fetched but the ache in your heart didn’t want you to wake up. Finally you looked up at Kunikida who was patiently waiting for your answer but before you could respond your stomach growled. How embarrassing, now it really was like how the episode played out.

Dazai keeled over laughing “I guess introductions can wait till we get something to eat, how about that?” He offered you a hand over his partner's shoulder to help you up. You snapped out of your haze staring at it a moment before you grabbed his hand and said “I think that’s for the best.” 

What have you gotten yourself into?

At dinner Atsushi spent no time at all stuffing his face as Kunikida and Dazai bantered back and forth. Dialogue you remembered from when you watched the show originally. You forgot how furious Kunikida was over the whole ordeal and you felt bad knowing what Atsushi was going to say next. He really needed a hug and you know what you can finally do that with your circumstances but maybe not right now.

“I came to Yokohama straight from the orphanage. I’ve had nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep since. I thought I’d starve to death.”

“You came from an orphanage?” Dazai questioned. He was sitting across from you casually and despite being hungry you noticed that he didn’t order anything to eat. You had ordered one out of solidarity. You’ve always wanted to try tea on rice but never bothered trying to find a place that makes it in your area. Atsushi was already on his twelfth bowl or so as he continued the conversation. 

“I was yes but they kicked me out.”

“Sounds like a real philanthropic organization.” Dazai turned his attention from Atsushi to you “How about you? Remember anything now?” He rested his head on the back of his hands. You wanted to hold them.

You nodded looking down at your hands. That’s when you got an idea. “I think my name is (Y/N), (Y/N) (L/N). Still trying to work out how I got in the river but,” you paused raising your hands to your face slightly. Your mom had read tons of books about palm reading. Maybe this could be your chance to use what little knowledge you remember to your advantage. “I don’t know this might sound silly but do you mind if I see your hands?”

Dazai tilted his head to the side before he offered you his palms “What brought this on?” You pretended to inspect the lines ghosting over them with your fingers tracing some of them lightly. “When I looked at my hands I had this voice in my head that told me that I could read palms. Mine were kind of fuzzy so I wanted to see if I could read someone else’s” You pretend to see flashbacks, blinking and tensing up for added effect. He played along, chuckling to himself “Well what do you see?”

You forced a careful expression on your face slowly sparing him a glance “A lot you’d rather I not say out loud.” You move to hold his hands in yours giving him a loving squeeze and smile “Odasaku would be proud of you though.” The look he gave you was sharp, his lips in a tight line hearing the name. Before either of you could really finish the exchange Kunikida piped up.

“Dazai we’re not a couple of do good-ers going around helping hard luck cases. We’ve got a job to do.” Kunikida nudged the other with his book. He clearly didn't believe in your charade. You could fix that “Actually I have a feeling I might be able to help with your case if you let me see your hands too.” He gave you a wary look as you made grabby hands at him “Please I swear I’ll explain once I see everyone’s hands.” Dazai gave him a cautious expression but Kunikida gave in. Probably to get it over with so he could go back to work. This time you didn’t try to trace patterns on his palm like you did to Dazai. “Wow, I’ve never seen someone so traumatized by the color blue before.” as he made a choked noise, you turned to Atsushi. “Okay your turn.”

“Do I have too?” 

“Yes, otherwise I’ll be missing a piece of the puzzle and Kunikida and Dazai might think I'm a threat." Atsushi slowly presented them to you. "You see, they're with the Armed Detective Agency and currently they're looking for a white tiger. You know the one that's been "chasing" you." You said "chasing" in air quotes letting go of his hands to do the gesture making sure to give a nod to Dazai about the tiger thing.

In Atsushi’s panic he knocked over his chair and a couple of bowls as he tried to crawl away. You watched the scene play out as Kunikida pinned him to the floor and the interrogation started. You sat patiently as Atsushi was then asked if he was free to be bait. Dazai hadn't taken his eyes off of you letting Kunikida handle Atsushi. Maybe you did go too heavy handed into this.

“Forget it no way!”

You tried to ignore Dazai's gaze and laughed at Atsushi’s outburst trying to lighten the mood. “I don’t know Atsushi. If it’s after you I feel like this is the perfect opportunity to get it off your back for good. What if I tagged along? Strength in numbers right?” He stood up and defended himself “That doesn’t make it better! I’m not doing this okay. I know what you’re thinking, you’re planning to use me as bait-”

“There’s a reward you know.”

From there Atsushi’s fate was sealed and you all made your way over to the warehouse. You waited around for hours, everyone keeping to themselves. You spent the time trying to plan out how you'd explain yourself to Dazai. You could still feel his cautious gaze on you despite him reading his book. You’ve always wanted his attention but not like this. You especially didn't want to be on his shit list. As soon as Atsushi opened his mouth you sighed in relief.

 Finally, it's showtime.

 It’s not like you’d actually be of any help, you just needed to make sure you didn’t die or get in the way. “Guess that’s my cue to leave, I’ll go find Kunikida and the others.” Dazai only smirked and continued to monologue to Atsushi who would not remember the speech later. You casually strode out of the warehouse seeing the others already surrounding the building, hearing the ruckus inside. You didn’t speak, only waved them in as you made your way back to Dazai seeing that the dust had already settled and Atsushi was already on the ground. After everyone else got to take a jab at him the brunette finally spoke.

“I’ve already made my decision. We’re going to make them one of us.” Dazai’s stare made you freeze up. It makes sense to you, keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Not that you were his enemy but you've already proven you don't have an ability. Your little trick worked on him so you weren't gifted and that probably was the worse part. He doesn't know what your intentions are nor what the extent of your talents were and he couldn’t nullify you even if he tried. He was probably evaluating your level of threat to him, the agency or both.

His eyes were staring into your soul. It was so alluring but you couldn't help the fear that was settling in knowing what he was capable of. Well part of it was fear and part of it was intrigue. Why did he have to also be so damn attractive. Your face felt hot but you couldn't look away. You dug your grave now you'd have to lay in it. The whole way back to the dormitory he was guiding you from the small of your back. In any other circumstance the presence of his hand on such a place would have you swooning because that is peak protective boyfriend behavior but instead it was almost threatening like he was trying to make sure you couldn’t run away. However another part of your brain, the demented part, was screaming louder than any of the other voices in your head because it finally hit you that holy shit they were here. This all felt so real and you were playing with fire. 

You made sure to keep up with what was happening, keeping your emotions in check enough to make sure your face or your body language didn’t give anything away. You and Atsushi were given some spare clothes and a cell phone. They only had one room available right now since the other one was being used as storage. They would have it cleared in a day or two. Atsushi tried to give the available one to you but Dazai stepped in and assured him that he'd personally see to it that you were taken care of. Kunikida was actually surprised that Dazai was willing to put in some level of work settling the accommodations. Little does he know what the brunette had in mind. It sent shivers down your spine for all the wrong reasons. When everything was settled Dazai opened the door to his apartment gesturing for you to go inside.

Once you stepped in you took off the shoes the agency just gave you. You had almost forgotten that when you woke up at the river, just like Atsushi, you didn't have any shoes on. No one questioned your strange attire either but you guess after everything they’ve seen it wasn’t the weirdest thing they’ve experienced in their lifetimes. Standing at the doorway to the small room you were waiting for Dazai to direct you where to set your new things down. His futon was still spread out on the floor and the table near its side still had the slight mess of empty bottles and cans. Once you heard the sound of the door’s lock you swallowed hard unintentionally snapping you back to the gravity of the situation. You were alone in a room with ex demon prodigy, Osamu Dazai. 

"You can put that over in the corner." His voice rang in your ear. He was looming over you. He didn't even make a sound crossing the room; he just appeared behind you in a second. You did as you were told, trying to calm down your increasing heart rate. You knelt down to set it on the floor but as you stood back up you staggered back against the wall with Dazai towering over you again.

"You want to tell me who you really are?" He smiled carefree as if he wasn't using his height to corner you. You took a breath relaxing against the wall. His hands were behind his back yet you felt trapped. "I don't work for anyone if that's what you're getting at. I didn't lie about who I was earlier but I didn't need you to show me your hands. Technically I already saw it when you offered to help me up, that is, your past with the port mafia. I genuinely didn't know that was something I could do. That's why I asked to see your palms a second time, it didn’t sit right with me. That's why I asked for you to willingly give me your hands. I'm sorry I brought up oda but it was either him or the hot redhead you call hat rack." You gave him a knowing look that you made the right choice of who to name drop.

He grimaced when you called Chuuya hot. It seemed mentioning him caused him to lose all hostility in his demeanor. Interesting. He must believe you then. "So what do you know?" Dazai seemed to relax enough to sit on the futon. You followed after him since the tension dispersed. "Well since this bit," you moved to grab his hand to point out the part of his palm "is covered in bandages. I only know generally how you met Mori to the present day. I don’t know everything, just little blips here and there that were significant. I didn't look at Kunikida for that long but the Azure king popped up and I knew Atsushi was the tiger all along. Although it wasn't my place to get involved the way I did. Again I apologize." You caressed his hand with your thumb. He was watching you like a hawk. You were looking down thinking if there was anything else you should mention. Hopefully this was enough.

He hummed taking it in for a second before he pulled your arm while pushing your shoulder back, pinning you underneath him. "Are you scared of me? Knowing what I've done." He smirked playfully but his eyes were serious. If he wanted to play games you knew how to combat him. Or at least you think this would be an adequate counter to whatever he was doing now. You smiled "Quite the opposite. I trust you with every fiber of my being." Your words caused his eyes to dilate and his body to tense before he situated himself to further hover over your shorter frame. "Really now, even like this?" His expression dripped with lust as he dipped to whisper in your ear "I could have my way with you if I wanted." An empty threat clearly.

"You definitely could but you won't." You said it so matter of factly he shifted to look at you again. You used your freehand to caress his cheek giving him a soft smile "You have my unconditional trust. The position we're in changes nothing, ya womanizer." The source material never went into detail about Dazai’s past relationships. Only that he’s made women cry and that Chuuya knew of every single last one of them but he’s done his fair share of over the top flirting throughout the series. You just had to steel your nerves and out bluff the conman.

"Does it now?" He hummed giving you a mischievous grin as his hand delicately released its grip on yours sliding down to your wrist. His fingers pressing into your skin trying to find your pulse. Your eyes widened as you realized what he was doing. Your demeanor broke as you squirm underneath him. It was too late, you could see the pleased expression grace his features "Someone should be a little more honest with themselves." He leaned in making your noses touch. You could feel his hot breath on your lips before he pulled away. "Buuuuut you're right, I won't." He abruptly broke the trance you were in sitting up releasing his hold on you making you feel breathless. Your heart was still racing. Curse this attractive waste of bandages. 

"You can take the room! I'll be off to-" He started off cheerily but you reached out to grab his arm. "Nope. As gentlemanly as you are, you can't fool me. Don't flatter yourself. Yes, I find you attractive but I'm not that desperate. Just stay, we’re both adults." You pretended to gasp covering your mouth "Or are you running away because you're all hot and bothered?" You gave him a smirk waiting to see how he’d react. Two could play at this game. He frowned slightly at your challenge. You knew his signature move was running away from every uncomfortable moment he’s caused but if he backed down from your challenge now you'd win and Dazai doesn’t like to lose. So you shared the futon and you slept with Osamu Dazai.

[misty--nights]

Episode 5, here we go! This episode is a roller coaster. It has some of the funniest gags in the series, but also some of the most heartbreaking scenes. I'm surprised at how many thoughts I had about the characters with this one.

The editing of the recap has me dying! Who decided to cut from Niko asking if Edwin wanted to kiss Monty to that shot of Charles from when Edwin was enraptured by him and then back to Edwin saying "I don't know"? I gasped when I saw that. Fantastic

Charles is leaning in for a kiss when before Crystal says they need to talk. No, my boy, someone give him a hug

I said it before in episode 4, but it's wild to me that there was apparently like no real investigation done into Brad and Hunter's deaths

The envelope with Niko's letter has the same stickers as her envelope with rent from last episode. As someone who also finds every excuse to use cute stickers, I find this amazing

For all of Maxine's glaring problems, she actually makes a pretty good librarian. Love that she greets Niko by asking if she's done with her reading. Also love that apparently Niko borrows at least some of her manga from the library (we love supporting libraries in this house)

Charles looks genuinely intrigued when Niko mentions having her own case. I really wish we had gotten to see more scenes with these two because they'd make an amazing team. Just imagine the chaos and good vibes of the two of them combined

I know the eight ball is supposed to be predicting her imminent death, but the "outlook not so good" fits really well with the outlook of the date. And it shows right after she says she's feeling lucky about her case, so, I think it applies to that as well (in a way, you could say it's predicting Maxine's death in the episode? Maybe?)

When they go to the dragon's den, Brad says people don't go there anymore because they miss him and Hunter too much, which is an interesting way to put it. Like, I understand why he'd interpret it like that, given the kind of people the two of them are, but still. It didn't click until now that that is most likely not what other students think when they imagine going to the dragon's den

Edwin looks so concerned about what a hand job is. Especially after Charles reaction, I'm dying

There is a genuine record scratch after Maxine mentions the nightshirt thing. I rarely pay attention to the background music in shows and music, so this one took me by surprise. It works really well with the scene, though, I like it

I know part of the reason this case affects Charles so much is because he's trying to tell himself he's not this terrible person because of his trauma and anger. But do you also think Brad and Hunter remind him of the guys he used to hang out with when he was alive? The ones who killed him? He looks really hurt when he tells them "you were cruel just for the shits", and I think it would make sense for him to be remembering his own friends' cruelty. Towards that other boy they were kicking and that he tried to defend, and towards Charles himself when they killed him. I think maybe in that moment he's remembering the way they laughed as they hurt him, how they cheered as he froze in the lake and tried to avoid their blows

Did they put eyeliner on Charles just so that his eyes would look all smudged every time he cries? Because it's devastating seeing him like that each time. And that hopeful smile he gets right before hugging Edwin? Ugh, my heart

Also in that scene, the way Charles nuzzles against Edwin's face during the hug, I swear!! Someone needs to give this boy like a thousand hugs right now

"I could smooth everything out again." This line breaks me knowing Crystal's backstory. Can you imagine her, letting David posses her because he promised to dull out all of this rage and hurt that have festered inside of her for years? And he does, he takes all of that and the memories and everything, but she's left trapped inside of herself, unable to do anything but watch him do as he pleases with her body. I think she should also get like a thousand hugs right away

Is Monty's ring a bird skull? Because that's adorable and very on brand

[dailycupofcreativitea]

AHHHHH you're playing kingdom hearts? Please report back with your thoughts when you feel up to it it's my special interest 👀

Okay here are some thoughts I've spammed to my friends in the last few days! (BTW I read the manga already for the first game so I basically spoiled it but I was still equally as shocked when these things happened in the game lol)

By the way, spoilers below for anyone who hasn't played!

General thoughts:

SORA IS SOOOOOOOOOO CUTE 🥺 The voice actor voiced him PERFECTLY, he's exactly the perfect combination of hopeful, friendship, little kid, strong heart, over confident at times, stubborn, sweet. 😭💖

Told a friend I love Sora in a different way than I love Gohan, here were my thoughts: Gohan is more quiet, sweet, gentle, burdened with a lot of power that he seems hesitant to use and slowly builds his confidence throughout the show, I relate to Gohan a lot, sweet cinnamon roll that must be protecc, but forced to protecc others, etc etc Sora is sweet and gentle but loud, has a HUGE heart and he uses it to protect his friends with 100% confidence (he's more like Goku in that way), his heart is just unwavering and he doesn't seem to doubt himself often (at least in KH1), funny and goofy and his stubbornness can get him into trouble sometimes but his bonds with his friends give him strength, I don't relate to him but I would love to draw inspiration from him

"Shonen protagonist done by Disney" vibes (as put aptly by @genisflyingkites)

Riku is so insanely jealous of Sora it's hilarious, he's overall kind of a jerk and even Kairi said she wanted to leave the island without him, but also Riku is 15 and hormonal and Maleficent got to him so I don't really blame him for it

Donald and Goofy are way less annoying than I assumed they would be, I like that they seem refreshingly mature?? Donald is stubborn and beefs with Sora a lot and Goofy seems like he has a good head on his shoulders and is a deep thinker

Also I keep seeing memes of Donald constantly getting knocked out in game and being useless but for me Donald ALWAYS comes in clutch with the elixirs and ethers

That scene where Maleficent tells Riku that Sora replaced him and Kairi with Donald and Goofy was sad in both the manga and the game but what REALLY made my jaw drop was that SORA LOWKEY FELT THE SAME:

(Yes he was fighting with Donald at the time too but LOOK AT HIS FACE!!! 😭🙏)

If Riku talked to Sora for more than 10 seconds at a time literally all of this would be resolved XD LIKE!! Sora is literally trying to find them! Riku please!

This scene had my sister and I's JAWS ON THE FLOOR:

It was low blow after low blow! I read this in the manga too but somehow it hit harder in the game!

Hollow Bastion is a great OST and I've been listening to it on repeat. The map is also pretty nice but I wish I could explore more without heartless appearing every 5 seconds

Actually I also liked the OST "A Day in Agrabah"

I beat Riku's ass in 10 seconds and it was glorious (Ansem is a whole other story...still working on it)

DID I MENTION SORA HAS SUCH A KIND AND SWEET AND STRONG HEART!?

Every single cutscene had the words "light" "darkness" "friendship" "heart" "memories" repeated over and over again to form a cutscene (I saw this in a Youtube video and thought it was incredibly accurate XD)

My sister and I were CRACKING UP during this cutscene because it made NO SENSE

It just kept getting more and more non-sensical XD

I think Aladdin was my favourite world so far but tbh they were all pretty cool (Sora's Halloween Town fit was so cute! Also I loved flying around by Big Ben, and then getting the glide feature)

The Maleficent Dragon boss was really hard, cool, and fun; Tinker Bell really came in clutch

Also I gotta say this game is really hard to play because the control are so annoying, the jump function is annoying (I keep falling off and misjudging his jump), it keep glitching cause it's connected to the cloud or something, the directions are too vague so I have to follow a walkthrough while playing, and I have to keep stopping between plays because I get motion sickness from the wildly spinning camera really easily -- despite all that I am indeed having a blast

I think that's all my thoughts for now :3

[mythicalartistx]

Updating KH ship lists

Again I don't care if those disagree or like another better as long as no one calling each other delusional

Anyways here are my 11 KH ships + a few honorable mentions

#1 Soriku

This is probably my favorite ever, there's so much to say I don't even know where to start. I shipped them as friends but who also should date. Besides they're just really cute and silly to me.

The dark realm scene in kh2 is so good, they have an understanding of the other and are happy to be there together with the other person.

They both just love each other and do everything for the other (Riku's sacrifices for Sora in days kh2 kh3 and trying to save him in ddd) Sora is always trying to find him because he wants to be with him; and he just misses him. Riku's jealousy and feelings showed his insecurities to bring the island to darkness when he feared Sora's and Kairi's relationship and leaving him/ Sora befriending others with the belief he was being left behind.

The novel also has some added cute scenes where Sora is just bashful around Riku or just happy to be with him. They hug and hold hands more. Also there's a scene in the kh2 manga where Riku gives Shang a papou fruit to give to Sora. And Sora instantly know who gave it to him because "only Riku would do something like that".

The papou scene in kh1 manga Riku gets so close to his face and then Sora is blushing later, thinking about it. In DDD, it's about Riku's feelings for Sora and the darkness right? Some of those things are seemingly parallels.

Finally in kh3 Riku scarifies life for him because he doesn't want him to be sad and with the parallel to Hercules sacrificing someone because all he knew was that he loved someone and didn't think. Sora is just always thinking about Riku and wants to be with him especially with the failing to be a keyblade master.

Also there are no orders to these

#2 RepliNami

Honestly this is the only Riku that I like with her at all and also people end up confusing which Riku did what— they're different people, Sora said so himself. Repliku still has his feelings for Sora but now he decides to keep a promise for Naminé even if it didn't happen because he wants to do something himself.

Not something with memories that belong to Riku. And Naminé also does care for him. There's mainly KH CoM and Kh3 to go by. In COM he fights for Naminé against Sora thinking it was him (though all these things end up fake) but still he choses to embrace these memories for the sake of Naminé.

In kh3 he admits that everyone moved on except for him who was in darkness. When Riku notices his presences they work together and Repliku admits that he has one more thing to do and wants to save Naminé.

Then in his death he finally leaves the world and gives up the chance to have a body all for the sake of her having one so he asks the original Riku to dl him one last favor and making sure she's okay.

#3 Rizoriku / Yozoriku

Rizoriku because lack of RIZZ and it sounds so silly

I recently got into this and yeah I'm probably like one of the few people who are even into this.

They haven't EVEN INTERACTED. Riku felt Yozora in his dream/ secret ending but they never really seen each other. Yozora probably had in the secret ending/ dream. He was looking at him at that matters.

But imagine the possibilities, they are both tied together by Sora. Riku is searching for him and Yozora potentially hurt him, he hates that. They cannot stand the other. They fight the other so much. They're both looking for "Sora" to save. They look similar and Yozora has been stealing other's forms (It's toxic but eventually turn cute.)

Now they have to work together to find Sora / Nameless Star and then they start being cute and caring. I thought there might be at least more of this but no it's so rare I only seen like 4 fanart pictures of this and it's all from the same person

I got so happy when I saw some

#4 AkuSai / LeaIsa

It's so toxic. They've broken up too many times to count. They're divorced. And there's a whole ton of tension. It also have parallels to soriku.

Lea and Isa worked together to save X but she was gone and decided to become apprentices to save her. Then Saïx had to work his way to the top to find out what happened while Axel went off making friends and spent less time with Saïx which caused jealousy.

Their arguments and tension is so thick in 358/2 days, and in kh3 during that clocktower scene. You can tell there is something there. Also during DDD when he faced Saïx when saving Sora.

Then they finally have an understanding and Saïx apologies and admits he was jealous. Lea holds him in his arms, then after Saïx gets recompleted I think they finally will calm down and get back together, let's see how long it lasts.

#5 Kailette

I'm not super into this one because lack of content but I feel like this has potential to be super interesting and fun. Olette being one of the first real people she meets outside of the world and besides from Sora and Riku who kept unintentionally leaving her behind.

They befriend each other and Olette likes listening to the stories Kairi tells her.

I think they're really cute and have potential to go places or even Kairi becoming part of the sea salt + twilight town gangs. I see more fun fan content for this that makes me love it and hopefully we'll see more in the future.

#6 Zemyx

They're so silly together. I honestly love this. I ended up loving this because of fan content. It was just so great to me.

Like Demyx is kinda silly and dumb and Zexion is smart and intelligent they can't help be attracted to the other.

That one manga panel of them played twister though.

Also when they finally meet in kh3 and he realizes is that you? Also props to the manga version of the scene where he calls security on his bf until he realizes he's on their side.

#7 Xehaqus

They're actually so cute. I'm not joking. The fanart is so good and honestly dark road just shows their relationship and how it fell apart.

Eraqus is so silly and just enjoys his time with Xehanort but also believes to do what is right for fear of everyone losing to the darkness (which is why he did what he did in BBS).

I love that they often worked together and whispered just between themselves that the others would often say what are you whispering about?

They're post kh2 Soriku in dark road and then it turns into kh1 Soriku. Eraqus was blinded by love and didn't want to separate from him which is why he kept him around during BBS after he disappeared.

They're chess buddies and there's a deep relationship there and finally at the end of 3 they can be together at last

#8 NamiXi / Namishi

I don't think about this pairing as often but I also like it. Like I see the vision and I'm definitely for it. Naminé is definitely a lesbian + whatever thing she has going on with Repliku. Again I'm a multishipper so 🤷

Naminé helped Xion see who she is and actually honest with her. They're definitely friends too, but then will date. What they have at the end of kh3 is really cute to me where they collect seashells together

Also with them both being aspects of someone else can relate to seeing memories that aren't theirs/ wishing to be another person.

(no picture of them interacting 😢💔)

#9 RepliVani / VaniPliku /NamiVanpliku

I originally liked them as the duo first being friends who are just silly and fight. But now I'm really into them as also a couple. Naminé is definitely there breaking the tension.

I wish they did interact since they're similar both being created from someone else. Vanitas being part of Ventus and Repliku being part of Riku.

As a fan of lost trio I also think the concept of them fighting over Naminé could also be interesting like who better friend/ Vanitas thinks he is going to be left out and pretends he doesn't care. But their interactions I need

#10 MarLar

I don't think about them that much but again I really like them. This is probably my only one that's part of Union x in a way.

Marluxia is the only one Larxene really tolerates and they both have plans to be overthrow the organization together.

They are closer than any of the others and keep finding their ways to each other.

In Union x they were also close and befriended each other and ever since then they stuck together even if they had memories or not.

#11 Roxner

This could also be with the HC of transfem Marluxia

I'm still new to this ship but I recently thought you know I actually like this. Roxas and Hayner's relationship is honestly likable friends that could honestly be something more. Especially in kh2 beginning with how they interact with the other.

I also want to point out kh3 desire for him To want to find Roxas too.

Also in days when Roxas spends the day hanging out with him and the rest of them.

Fandom makes this honestly nice and cute couple through fanart and comics.

Conclusion

Anyway that's the ones I like in no specific order except Soriku is number 1.

Those that aren't here means I am either indifferent/ neutral towards to ship, dislike it, or I think it's weird as in an adult that's 26 being with 14 yo would be.

And most I don't even dislike if seen my other posts about this subject 99% I'm neutral towards except og Riku and any female ship.

However honorable mentions towards Brain and Marluxia I think they have potential to be interesting but not a lot about them, this goes for Brain and Ephemer too.

Cinderella and Aqua, it's honestly the only Disney + original character pairing most people agree one is good.

I like seeing the art about it but that's about it.

Larxene and Aqua as well as Terra and Marluxia as honorable mentions, I've seen some fanart that makes me think otherwise.

[cinderella-ish]

Readers and Authors: What We Owe to Each Other

(Okay wow I started this post all the way back in August and am only posting it now 🤣 ANYWAY here we go)

So, I had two experiences in the past year or so that made me think hard about how I appraise the fiction I enjoy (in any form).

I read a story that made me so angry I still think about it sometimes.

I saw people angry about the ending of the JuJutsu Kaisen manga before it was even published.

Both of these experiences were kind of baffling to me, but they helped me articulate something that I've probably always believed, even if I hadn't put it into words yet:

Endings matter.

Okay okay, that's simplifying it a lot, but bear with me.

I've had a lot of conversations with friends and family recently, trying to tease out what makes a story successful in my view. Here's where I've currently landed:

Did the story say what it set out to say?

Did the story say something worth saying?

These are obviously very subjective questions, but I think they become easier to answer when using formal analysis structures.

In three-act story structure, the last 2% or so of a story is called the resolution. The climax is over, the protagonist has either succeeded or failed, and readers/viewers want to see how the outcome of that conflict has changed the protagonist's world.

Now, there are a few ways to understand three-act structure, and my favorites are catalogued on K.M. Weiland's website Helping Writers Become Authors. Here's what she has to say about story resolutions (in a positive change arc):

First is the function of each plot point and/or story beat.

The resolution's main job is to provide a sense of closure.

Second is the relationship of a given story beat to its mirror in the other half of the story.

The resolution should mirror the Hook (the very first scenes) in some way.

Third is the metaphorical "world(s)" of each act of the story.

The resolution gives us a look at the protagonist's new normal world after the events of the story. In this sense, it should feel like a new beginning.

Fourth is the character's relationship to the thematic question, truth and lie in each act of the story.

The resolution is where we see the protagonist's new life/outlook, firmly rooted in the thematic truth.

Notice some things that are missing from that list:

A resolution does not need to answer every remaining question or tie off every loose end.

A resolution does not need to solve all the protagonist's problems.

A resolution does not need to provide a satisfying end to every character's story.

(In fact, I'd argue that a resolution works better when it specifically doesn't do those things.)

So, I think we can't really judge a story based on my two criteria until we've seen the ending, aka the resolution, because the resolution's job is to put a point on the story's theme by showing us a glimpse into the protagonist's future that meaningfully contrasts with the beginning to show us how the protagonist has changed in relation to the story's theme.

And this brings me back to the title of this piece.

What do authors and readers owe to each other?

I think, when someone is telling a story, they're essentially making a promise to the reader (or viewer). What they're saying is "I have something important to say, and I will say it over the course of this story."

When someone reads (or watches) a story, I think they're accepting the terms of that promise and saying "I will trust that you will say what you mean to say in this story, and I will trust that what you have to say is important."

So why did that story make me so angry?

The short version:

I trusted that the author would say something important, and I stuck with their story to the end only to realize how utterly shallow and unsubstantial it was!

The longer version:

The story promised to explore an idea that I thought was really interesting, and I was curious as to how the author would do that. As I read, I thought I was picking up on clues that there was more under the surface waiting to be revealed; that there was some event or idea the story hadn't disclosed yet that would put everything that had happened thus far into perspective.

Nope. There was nothing.

In effect, the story was one big "telling, not showing." There was no basis given for the premise, no reason given as to why the characters made the choices they did. The main characters honestly could've been replaced with any characters from any story and it wouldn't have changed a thing - they were dolls that the author was making do whatever the author wanted, rather than characters with motivation and personalities. They were blank slates who didn't really change or cause the world around them to change.

This made me angry because I stuck with the damn thing until the very end only to finally realize that I'd wasted my time when I got to the resolution and it didn't offer me anything more.

What did the story have to say? That the author wanted this thing to happen. Is that something worth saying? For the author, probably. For me, as a reader, absolutely not.

I felt that I had held up my end of the promise as a reader, and I felt that the author hadn't held up their end. I had stuck with the story in good faith, I'd put my trust in the author, and they squandered that trust.

I read until the ending because I'd hoped the resolution would, at minimum, provide some clarity on the story's theme, but it didn't.

This brings me to JuJutsu Kaisen.

The ending of JJK was good, actually?

On the other side of this, I was really baffled by a lot of the complaints about JJK's ending, especially those that were circulating before the manga even finished!

It really baffled me, because I really thought the author had earned the readers' trust by then. There'd been so much analysis on the symbolism and intention behind so much of the story, I was genuinely shocked that anyone lacked faith in Gege Akutami's ability to, in his words, "...end the story in the way [he] wanted." Especially from people who'd otherwise raved about the story.

When I read the final chapters for the first time, I thought they encapsulated several of the story's themes and gave us a peek at the future of the JuJutsu world for the characters we'd come to love.

To me, the final chapters absolutely served the story well in saying what the author was trying to say.

Let's review what a resolution needs to do:

A resolution must provide a sense of closure.

A resolution should mirror the hook in some way.

A resolution gives us a look at the protagonist's new normal in a way that feels like a new beginning.

A resolution shows us the protagonist's new life/outlook, firmly rooted in the thematic truth.

I would argue that the ending of JJK did all of those things, and it did them well.

This is not to say that there are no valid criticisms of JJK, but that I think the ending followed through on the promise the author made to us.

When I go back and revisit some of the most common criticisms of the ending of JJK, they boil down to a few categories:

people who wanted the author to answer every single remaining question

people who wanted the plot-based conflict (rather than the characters' internal conflict) to be solved more definitively or differently

people who wanted more characters to have a complete arc

I think people in group 1 have clearly never seen a beloved series slowly turn to crap because it kept going long after it should've ended. The questions the author didn't answer wouldn't have helped him make his theme land any better.

Meanwhile, group 2 misunderstood the point of the story. JuJutsu Kaisen is not a story about fighting, or curses, or this particular magic system. JuJutsu Kaisen is fundamentally a story about love, and it always has been. Things like curses, magic, fighting, etc... only matter insofar as they help tell that story.

Group 3 can be split up into some smaller groups. I think some of this group might actually fall under groups 1 and/or 2, in that they either just wanted more content, or they over-prioritized plot-based character goals rather than internal conflict-based character goals. As for the rest of group 3, I think they either don't understand what a character arc is, or they forget that Yuji is the protagonist, and therefore his arc is the only one that must encapsulate the main idea(s) of the story in a satisfying way.

So, what is a character arc, anyway?

In a positive change arc, the character starts out believing a lie, and over the course of the story, they overcome that lie and embrace the thematic truth.

I would argue that both Yuji and Megumi experience a positive change arc in JuJutsu Kaisen.

Positive change arcs are the most common type of character arc, but characters can also experience a flat arc or a negative change arc.

In a flat arc, the character doesn't have a lie that they need to overcome. They already believe the story's thematic truth. Instead of this character being the one to change, they use the truth to change the world around them.

In JuJutsu Kaisen, I'd argue that Nobara and Gojo have flat arcs.

Nobara came to JuJutsu Tech to be true to herself. She already knew who she was. At the end of the story, she's still the Nobara we met at the beginning. With Megumi, Yuji, and her other friends and classmates, she succeeded in growing stronger and helping to bring down Sukuna.

Gojo, as the primary mentor character in JuJutsu Kaisen, also exhibits a flat arc. His desire at the start of the story is to fundamentally change JuJutsu society by teaching the next generation, thereby raising up sorcerers who are strong enough to stand beside him. He does this so well that his students are the ones to defeat Sukuna, and not him. After his death, his students are able to carry on his mission.

In Gojo's Past arc, Suguru Geto experiences a negative change arc.

There are 3 typical negative change arcs:

The Corruption Arc: the character starts out believing the truth. Over the course of the story, they reject the truth and embrace the lie.

The Disillusionment Arc: the character starts out believing a lie. Over the course of the story, they overcome the lie, only to find that the truth is tragic.

The Fall Arc: the character starts out believing a lie. Over the course of the story, they get a glimpse of the truth, only to reject it in favor of a worse lie.

Geto starts out believing that sorcerers' duty is to protect those weaker than them (non-sorcerers) from curses,. Through the course of the story, he rejects that belief in favor of the belief that non-sorcerers are not worth saving and must, in fact, be exterminated because they are the source of all curses in the first place.

Depending on whether you see either of his beliefs as the truth (and if so, which one), his arc could be seen as any one of the negative change arcs. I personally see it as a Fall arc, especially if you include the events of JuJutsu Kaisen 0 as part of his arc.

But what's Yuji's arc? What is the theme of JuJutsu Kaisen?

Well, here's where I say that I'm planning a series of posts analyzing JuJutsu Kaisen using three-act story structure. Because I don't have enough ongoing series, apparently. 🤣

If you read this far, thanks for sticking with it! And tell me, is there a story structure or analysis tool you prefer?

[k-martins]

Seventh episode aired, jujutsu nation! This is where Shibuya really starts!

_ To begin with, I really liked how they did the battle of Kokichi X Mahito. The movements and angles are much better than the first season. The neons from those laser beams were really cool too (reminds me of the shooting stars scene from Howl's Moving Castle).

_ My favorite scene from this fight was seeing Mahito changing his form to that of different animals while running away from Mechamaru, how fluid and natural it looked. Seeing him as a rabbit reminded me of what we're about to see in the anime with regards to Yuji. A really fun scene :D (Also nice to know GG agrees with me lol)

_ With this fight, I realized that there is a pattern in how GG conducts his fights. It builds a sense of assured victory over one side before a twist comes in and brutally destroys. In the first season we saw that special grade cursed spirit overcome Itadori before Sukuna appeared. We later saw a kindred spirit mistreat Megumi before he opened a Domain expansion. With Hanami it was the same. Now, in Shibuya, we will see Satoru very close to defeating the spirits before Kenjaku appears and defeats him. The same with Mahito X Itadori. Even the Yoruzo X Sukuna battle was like that from what I remember. Now, Kokichi thought he had beaten Mahito and was so confident that he could face Kenjaku, then die. This is just an observation, but given the current arc of the manga, I don't doubt that GG will follow the same pattern.

_ One sentence: THIS IS NOT MY SUGURU!!!!!!

_ Miwa is too adorable for this world! I feel like she is our Itadori in Kyoto. It's so sad to know that Kokichi just wanted to stay close to his friends and colleagues, live a normal life, and in the end end up dying. And her death was so brutal and sad… My throat choked when I saw that snippet of Miwa and Mechamaru and her so excited to visit him. The world did not deserve their love.

_ AHHH, SHIBUYA HAS ARRIVED!!!!! I loved that we have a female narrator. I don't know if they're going to keep it in my language or if it's going to be Ijichi narrating again, so we'll see. But I quite liked it. The extended scenes are also excellent! _ An addendum: These extras that appeared are very beautiful, haha! I even found one dressed as Mahito and another as Ghostface. GG always inserting pop figures in his works, kskkskks (next week I want to see Gojo stomping on these people's heads like the idiot he is)

_ The teams are finally formed. I particularly like Ino, Megumi and Nanamin's relationship. I felt high vibes from a parent with their two cubs, with Ino being older and showing off for Megumi. Oh, and Nanami saying that Megumi is talented was sweet (it reminded me of this fanfic here, which is an emotional weight more than the canon proposes).

_ The Zenin + Nobara team is not bad either. I know Naobito is a little shit, but I can't hate him after knowing that his favorite pastime is watching anime. And he looks really good twirling his sharp mustache. I'm excited to see how they adapt his ability, as it's literally taking frames. (Ah, I devoured that scene Nobamaki, Mappa, I can even forgive them for what they will do)

_ GOJO SATORU IS IN SHIBUYA!!!!!!! As far as I know the next episode will adapt his fight with the curses and Itadori X Grasshopper, so we'll probably have "Yo! Satoru" at the end as an impactful closing. I'm looking forward to seeing someone calling Yuji smart! He deserves it after an entire season of being declared "dumb."

Well, next week we won't have a manga chapter, which makes me worried. If I'm right and chapter 8 ends with Kenjaku appearing, Gojo's sealing will be in chapter 9. By the evil mind of GG, he's probably up to something with this. Perhaps Sukuna delivering one last, fatal blow to Satoru? Maybe Kenjaku showing up? I can't say, but it worries me…

[burningfairytales]

Just saw your answer. Can I ask, why do you love Haikyuu, All for the Game, and Throne of Glass? I think those 3 media are unique (because they're so different from each other) and I love to read your writings.

Hey! :)

Of course you can ask!

I know, they're all super different; it's weird.

Starting with Throne of Glass - I love the growth of the whole book series a a whole? In both the characters but also the writing itself.

You can really tell that SJM was young when she started writing it, and I think it's fun to see how her writing evolves with time.

(Fun fact - I couldn't finish the first one when I picked it up the first time. I thought it was horrible. I gave it another chance after reading ACOTAR though, and everyone is right: It does get so much better. Now I think it's cool to compare the writing in the first book to the writing in the last one.)

I like the storyline, and I LOVE the characters. I think every single character is well-rounded. They're flawed and they all learn and grow.

I also have to say that by now, I prefer ToG to ACOTAR because, well. The first three books were great! After that it felt like they solely existed for smut purposes. Not that there's anything wrong with that - it's just not my cup of tea.

In Throne of Glass you did have some scenes that bordered on spice, but it felt fitting. Like it was there for a reason - a natural continuation of the characters becoming intimate with each other both physically and mentally. It didn't feel like there was smut just for the sake of it being there, if that makes sense?

In general I just felt like the characters and their interactions and relationships felt very natural to me.

As for All for the Game - I mean.

I was part of the fandom when we were still 20 people and a cardboard cutout, you know? There were very few of us, but we loved those books fiercely. And as there was barely any fan-content out there at the time, we had to go out and make it ourselves.

I met some people in that time that I will never forget - people I wish all the happiness in the world for, even if we don't talk anymore.

I also met one of my best friends through those books. Now imagine - this was almost ten years ago, and this year, she officiated my wedding.

So those books will always, always be special to me.

As for the story itself - I had no idea what I was about to read at the time. Someone on tumblr recommended them to me and she generally had great taste, so I tried them. I mean, if she had told me I was about to read "Sports Manga Goes to America And Also The Mafia Shows Up" it might have stayed on my to-read list forever.

It does sound pretty ridiculous.

But this whole theme of all these damaged kids coming together and having to figure things out together, and helping each other heal?

That kinda gets me everytime, and Nora did it especially well.

It was like, never once was an issue talked about like it meant nothing. People tend to handle trauma like it comes with an expiration date, you know? Like there is just a certain point after which you're expected to be over it.

Well, some things you don't get over. Ever. And they get easier to deal with, with the right tools. And the right people. But that doesn't make them lesser-than. I think that's a theme that just spoke to me.

Also, I mean, the whole relationship between Neil and Andrew. I mean. Yeah. Perfection.

As for Haikyuu - which is perhaps my oddest choice, and also my latest obsession...

I went into expecting nothing. I knew it was a sports anime that people talked about a few years ago, and I always meant to check it out, but never got around to it.

And then it was on Netflix, and I thought, hey, y'know what, I haven't watched any good animes lately.

Look, I didn't go into it expecting to cry because Hinata managed to receive a stupid ball. I didn't expect to cry because of "thanks for getting me into volleyball."

I may have expected crying about "It's time I became an ace. Period." if I'd known it was coming, but I DIDN'T SO THERE'S THAT.

Thing is, I cannot, for the live of me, think of a single character I don't like. There are characters I really wanted to not like (I'm so sorry Tendo, you deserved better) and characters I am still midly annoyed by (look as hilarious as that snake guy was he was just in too many scenes, okay. I had the same problem with him that I had with the one guy from Laketown in The Hobbit 3. You know which one I'm talking about. Like three main characters DIED and you didn't get to mourn them because apparently an executive decision was made to underminde that tragedy by forcing a guy to wear a dress and expect the audience to laugh at that.

It's been years. I am still bitter.)

(Ahem.)

But yes, I just love every single character so, so much. They're all so intricate with their own desires and flaws and dreams and ways of thinking. I rarely even liked a main character as much as I love Hinata.

I love the relationship each team displays among its members. I love their dynamics. I love the dynamics the teams have amongst each other.

Ah - another scene that had me choking back tears. Daichi's and Kuroo's hug. I mean. After all those "I'm going to break your hand"-handshakes?? Yeah, there were tears.

Haikyuu might not have the depth that for example Throne of Glass has when it comes to its plot, but that's not necessary - it wins in other aspects.

I'm telling you that when I'm having a Bad Day (capital letters necessary), Haikyuu is a show that will cheer me up. Sometimes it doesn't need much. Sometimes a few dorks with a volleyball will do. It's just a very feel-good show - or a feel-good manga series of course.

So I guess, maybe these three things aren't completely different - they all overlap in the part that matters most to me: people finding each other. Strangers becoming a team, a family, and choosing to help each other through life.

Found family, man. That will never not get me.

[neonmetro]

HAI....SO LIKE,, OPINIONS ON MAHOU SHOJO.......... PERSONALLY IM A DIE HARD FOR IT

I've been into it since I was like 5. My parents have videos of me dancing to the music of like Precure and stuff....WHICH IS LOWKEY EMBARRASSING BUT WHATEVER

Favorite Magical Girls series 👀👀

I personally REALLY like Precure, madoka magica, and card captor sakura, and tokyo mew mew ( BUT OBVIOUSLY MORE ) I WOULD LOVEEEE TO HERE YOU RANT ABOUT YOUR LOVE FOR IT 💞💞💞💞💞💞

-Paris anon

I LOVE MAHOU SHOUJO!!!!!!!!!! i have SO MANY THOUGHTS ON IT YOU HAVE NO IDEAAA!!!!

it's so good. the tropes are so funny and endearing (the running to school toast thing is the most iconic thing ever) and its SO NICE TO HAVE A BOTH EPISODIC YET CONTINUOUS STORY LINE... I LOVE MAGICAL GIRL OUTFITS ITS PEAK I FEAR

i grew up on shit like sailor moon (good lord this changed the trajectory of my life forever), kitchen princess, pichi pichi pitch mermaid melody, and shugo chara (oh my god i am obsessed with shugo chara you have no idea) so um. so far my favorite is sailor moon + shugo chara but i really have to watch utena and cardcaptor ... those will probably make it on top

SAILOR MOON'S CHARACTER DESIGN/DRESSES ARE GENUINELY SOOOO AGUGHGHGHG i love the inbetween pages for mahou shoujo especially like. naoko takeuchi's fashion sense is genuinely peak (like i said i love her dresses especially)

i don't really remember all that much about kitchen princess? but it was cute i liked the food and how much the main character liked hokkaido and flan but i also read it out of order bc UGH OTHER people want to read it TOO (art style is so cute though augh)

PICHI PICHI PITCH LEGIT SHAPED MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD EXCEPT IT WAS JUST THE FIRST VOLUME BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW PIRATING EXISTED AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GET MORE VOLUMES SO I JUST REREAD THE FIRST VOLUME OVER AND OVER AND OVER i got the book at like a bookstore used and it was just peak to me at the time (i tried going back to it. genuinely cannot get past it now i fear)

shugo chara.

FUCK I AM SO OBSESSED WITH SHUGO CHARA THE CONCEPT OF EGGS AND HOW HAVING YOUR DREAM EGG BROKEN AND LEAVING YOU BROKEN IS SO DEVASTATING AMU IS A LITERAL 5TH GRADER AND SHE GOES THROUGH ALL THIS SHIT i love you utau peach pit cannot make me hate her. her arc of having her talent abused because she's just that desperate to save her brother is so devastating, AND TADASE. MY GOAT. MY KING. YOU CAN RULE THE WORLD I BELIEVE IN YOU SEKAII ITEEE his arc is also just so bad. his grandma dies. his dog dies. his adoptive siblings leave him. now he wants to rule the world so everyone in the world can be happy because he will carry their burdens FOR THEM FUCK ITS ALL JUST SO GOOD!!!!

its definitely one of the mangas i can actually go back on and read it it holds up so well and the art style is just so cute (they got a new reboot and it was AWESOME UNTIL THAT FUCKING CAT BOY SHOWED UP (unfortunately sometimes mahou shoujo is just connected with that cringe))

I STILL NEED TO WATCH PRECURE, CARDCAPTOR, AND TOKYO MEW MEW (shields my face as i'm getting tomatoes thrown at me) I KNOW I KNOW I'M SORRY

I DO HAVE A LOT OF PRECURE TOYS FROM WHEN MY MOM WENT TO JAPAN AND BOUGHT THEM FOR ME... plus a bunch of magazines i loved shifting through when i was a kid

i also did watch precure glitter force and that was. uh. well it was interesting. (um. i mean it was. partially good. i. i liked the character designs and art.)

i did watch princess tutu and that was just so fucking good. i love fairy tales and i love toxic lesbianism and some empty ass guy and his toxic yaoi with his best friend

i'll be real. madoka magica scarred me because i saw the mami scene but then i went back to it when i was like 15 and cried over homura and the last few episodes of the main series and look at me now mentally ill and gay and i have homura as my google pfp

i have Thankfully grown as a person and i now understand the hype behind madoka magica and i need every single person on this fucking earth to watch it it is the biggest influence on novaturient ever i love the concept of witches and magical girls and that FUCK ASS CAT KYUBEY HIS IS AWESOME

soul gems are so pretty. i got these perfumes in my room that look exactly like them and i put them up and i think wow... this is just like madoka magica

i have no idea how to end this post. thank you for enabling to ramble about mahou shoujo i am so glad there are people just as insane as i am about this genre

[duhragonball]

Super Dragon Ball Heroes 1-6

We’ve reached the final (planned) stop on the 2023 Dragon Ball Apocrypha Liveblog, and it’s the most apocryphal series of all, the Super Dragon Ball Heroes web anime!

Here’s the deal.  In 2010, Bandai Namco published a trading card arcade game called Dragon Ball Heroes.  Then in 2016 they updated it to improve the user experience, and renamed it Super Dragon Ball Heroes.   A manga adaptation of the game began in 2017, and then in 2018 Toei began this “original net animation” to promote the game. 

My engagement with the DBH franchise has been superficial at best.  Mostly, I just rock out to the theme songs when I find them on YouTube.  I’ve never played the games because I have no idea where and how to play them, and the gameplay doesn’t look all that compelling to me.  I think some of this stuff is only available in Japan?  I’ve never bothered to find out, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

And yet, I’m somewhat familiar with the story mode from the games, as they involve the Time Patrol, which I wanted to research for the fanfic I’m writing, part of which serves as a prose adaptation of Xenoverse 1.  I even wrote a guest appearance with several characters from DBH, and I might use them again down the line.  Also, the manga contains some backstory involving Towa and Demigra, who also appear in Xenoverse 1, and feature heavily in my fic.  So I’ve read some of the manga, and I watched some of the web anime, but mostly for the purpose of scraping them for useful lore. 

From what I can tell, the entire thing is a mess from a story perspective.  The game has been around for 13 years, so it’s clearly a success, but the manga feels completely removed from the story the game tries to tell, and the web anime seems to go off in a completely different direction from that.  At its core, Dragon Ball Heroes is mainly about answering the question “Wouldn’t it be cool if you teamed up with Super Saiyan 3 Vegito to fight Dark Demon Baby Majin Hatchiyack?”  The answer is obviously “hell yeah”, so I don’t understand why we need a manga and anime version to tell stories that don’t really touch on what makes the game fun. 

Mostly, I wanted to run through this web anime for the sake of completion.  The whole thing is up on YouTube, ripe for the viewing, but I keep losing track of which episodes I’ve already seen, and I can never remember what the hell happened.  So this is where we put the “log” in “liveblog”.

We’re starting today with the first six episodes, which make up the Prison Planet arc of the show.  That may sound like a lot of ground to cover, but these episodes are short, so we’re only talking about 40-45 minutes of footage.

The story begins with Goku and Vegeta training with Whis on Beerus’ planet.  Also, the Supreme Kai is here serving tea, and then Future Mai runs over, so she’s here too, apparently.  According to Shin, they came to Beerus’ planet so Trunks could train, but this scene make it look like Mai came here alone, which I’m pretty sure is impossible.  Maybe Whis or Shin brought her, except she was supposed to be with Trunks, so why is everyone just now finding out he didn’t make it?

To be clear, this is the Blue-haired Trunks and Future Mai from the Zamasu arc.  When we last saw them, Whis had arranged for them to take refuge in an alternate timeline where Zamasu hadn’t killed everyone yet.  It was also made clear that they would never return from that world, but SDBH just has them dropping in like it’s Sunday brunch.  Now, you might be asking “Didn’t you just say Xeno Trunks was a character in Heroes?  Why isn’t that version of Trunks in this show?”  And to that I say: Don’t worry, he’s in this too, just not as much.

Then this shady-looking dude named Fu shows up and tells everyone that Trunks is trapped on “The Prison Planet”.  Vegeta asks how he could possibly know that, and Fu explains that he’s a friend of Trunks and he investigated his disappearance.  I like how skeptical Vegeta is of this story.  “My son doesn’t have friends, get the fuck outta here.”

So Goku, Vegeta, and Mai travel to the Prison Planet, which is just a bunch of clip art of planets from our solar system clustered together and surrounded by cartoon chains.  It looks stupid as hell, like they told the art department “We need a prison planet design, and make it as literal as possible.”

There, the gang meets a second Goku, who can turn Super Saiyan 4. This is not the same Goku from Dragon Ball GT, and official sources refer to him as “Xeno Goku”.  He’s an agent of the Time Patrol, and when he encounters the other Goku, they get into a classic superhero misunderstanding and fight.  Then Fu shows up and it quickly becomes clear that he’s the one behind all of this.   Xeno Goku is on a mission to apprehend Fu, and Fu brags that he uses the Prison Planet to trap powerful warriors for his experiments.  Fu tricked Trunks into coming here, then used him as bait to lure Goku and Vegeta.  Xeno Goku pretended to get caught in order to infiltrate this place, but that suits Fu’s purposes, since he’s trapped here now. 

He tells them to find Trunks themselves, and says something about how they’ll have to gather the Dragon Balls on the Prison Planet.  Xeno Goku has one, but the other six are in the hands of the other prisoners.  This sounds like a pretty decent gauntlet for the good guys to go through, but this whole idea gets abandoned by Episode 2.

Meanwhile, Trunks wakes up in a cell with a prison uniform and some sort of tracking bracelet on his arm.   Then the wall opens up and he runs out into a city.  Then Cooler attacks him, seeking the Dragon Balls.  This seems like a pretty cool premise, more authentic to the “Prison Planet” title, but this is all dropped immediately.

From his lab, Fu watches everyone and seems extremely pleased with what’s going on, although he never explains why, or what his plan is.  Get used to this, because this is pretty much all he ever does.

Meanwhile, he’s got this other guy locked away.  His name is Cumber, the Masked Evil Saiyan, and he has a Dragon Ball too.  At the end of episode 1, Fu says it’s not quite time for him to get involved yet.  In Episode 2, Cumber breaks free and heads straight for the good guys to attack them.

Goku tries to punch Cumber, but Cumber has this weird power where if you touch his ki, it makes you go berserk.  That sounds pretty awesome, except it only happens to Goku here, just once, and then it never gets brought up again.  I notice I’m saying that a lot here. 

Also, berserk Goku’s skin is darker for some reason, which I like better, actually, except this is supposed to signify Cumber’s dark energy corrupting him or something, so that seems kind of problematic. 

Fortunately for Vegeta, Trunks and Cooler show up to help.  Yeah, Cooler’s on our side for this.  Apparently he and Trunks came to some sort of understanding between Episodes 1 and 2.  The prison clothes were pointless, since Mai brought along Trunks’ own clothing, so he changes out of them to join the fight. 

During his captiviy, Cooler heard from Fu about Golden Frieza, so he decides to try that for himself and succeeds immediately.  This is treated like some big game-changing moment, as if fans haven’t been photo-shopping Cooler since 2015.  Cooler than goes “I think I shall call this form.................... Golden Cooler!” like there was any possible other name he would have used.

Goku finally comes to his senses, but then Cumber breaks free of his restraints. Trunks goes in to distract him while Goku and Vegeta use Potara earrings which the Supreme Kai gave to Mai before they set off on this trip. 

So it’s Vegito Blue vs. Cumber, and things get so rough that Vegito has to do a Kai-o-ken on top of Blue.  Here’s a picture of Golden Cooler just standing there like an asshole watching. 

Vegito seems to gain the upper hand, but then Cumber reveals he knows the fake moon technique, and he turns into a giant ape.  I’m not sure why he’s this orange color, unless this is meant to be like Golden Oozaru tainted with evil ki or whatever.  The thing is, they keep calling Cumber an “Evil Saiyan”, but he hasn’t actually done anything that evil.  I mean, he choked out Trunks, but there’s plenty of regular Saiyans who would do the same thing if they could.  “Evil Saiyan” implies that he’s some kind of next-level evil, like hanging goat entrails over his altar to Moloch or something.

His first ki blast causes Vegito’s fusion to dissolve, but perhaps more importantly, Cumber’s fighting at such an intensity that it’s damaging the giant chains that seal the Prison Planet off from the rest of the universe.

Goku and Vegeta decide their only chance now is to cut off Cumber’s tail, and Trunks flies in to back them up.  Mai watches from the sidelines, and she’s got two more Potara earrings.  Wait, how many of these things did Shin give her, anyway?

At this point, Fu finally notices the cracks in the seal on the Prison Planet and goes to the battlefield to scold Cumber in person.  He takes out his sword and does some sort of technique to dispel the fake moon and reverse Cumber’s Oozaru transformation without cutting his tail. 

Fu withdraws, apparently satisfied that he’s brought the fight down to a more acceptable level.  This pretty much puts us back where we started, except Goku’s now using Super Saiyan God to fight Cumber, even though we just saw Cumber give Vegito a hard time at Super Saiyan Blue.  Cumber seems to recognize the God form somehow, but he never explains his reaction to it, and this never gets brought up again.

Despite Fu’s intervention, the chains break away completely.  You’d think this would upset Fu, and he is upset, but not because of this...

No, he’s upset because, while he was away, someone found his lab and wrecked it.  Now he can’t monitor the battle, which disrupts his experiment. 

Cumber wrecks Goku’s shit, which knocks him out for a while, but fortunately Xeno Goku and Xeno Vegeta show up to defend him. Seems that they were the ones who wrecked Fu’s lab, and I guess that explains where Xeno Vegeta was until this moment.  He was scouting out the lab, waiting for an opening. 

I don’t know why the other Vegeta isn’t getting involved in this fight.  I think he’s okay, but he just stands with Trunks and Mai watching the battle. I mean, Golden Cooler is doing the same thing, but I think we’ve already established that Golden Cooler is just an asshole.

Xeno Vegeta suggests that they fuse, since Cumber’s one tough bastard.  He hates fusion, but he’s willing to make an exception.  So for those of you keeping score, this is the second fusion in less than six episodes.

So now it’s Super Saiyan 4 Vegito vs. Cumber, who decides to bust out Super Saiyan 3.  You can tell because his eyebrows are gone.  This seems weird, because base Cumber was giving Vegito Blue a hard time, so the only conclusion I can make here is that SSJ4 is stronger than Blue, or Cumber’s transformations don’t mean much.

Vegito 4 seems to beat Cumber, but then Fu shows up again to confront the jerks who broke his lab. 

Then Cumber rejoins the battle, and Fu observes that the seal on the Prison Planet has been broken. And he seems... happy about this?  If this was what he wanted all along, why did he cancel Cumber’s Oozaru form?  He says that “they will revive soon”, and leaves.

I like how he uses his sword (swords?) to cut an X-shaped portal for himself.  That’s a nice touch. 

Xeno Goku wants to chase after Fu, but they have to rescue the others from Cumber, who’s fired a giant ki blast at them.  Regular Vegeta complains about Regular Goku just lying there passed out, when...

Goku suddenly wakes up and goes Ultra Instinct.  While he fights Cumber alone, the rest of them teleport back to Beerus’ planet.  Xeno Goku and Xeno Vegeta say their farewells and head off to continue the hunt for Fu, and I guess everyone just assumes that Regular Goku can save himself when he’s ready.

Just as Goku beats Cumber, another portal opens up, and out comes... Zamasu?  And he’s got a posse.  They grab Cumber and leave.

This leaves Goku alone on the Prison Planet as it explodes.  Nice callback to the destruction of Namek, except Goku can use Instant Transmission, so why isn’t he?

Back on Beerus’ planet, the Supreme Kai of Universe 6 suddenly shows up, and he breathlessly informs Vegeta and the rest about an invasion in his home universe.  Dammit, now I have to look up his name.  Fuwa.  The Supreme Kai of U6 is named Fuwa.  Glad we settled that.

Vegeta’s like “I’m a bad enough dude to save Universe 6.  Let’s rock.”

So yeah, this is a bunch of nonsense.  There is a plotline running through all of this, but Toei presented the first six episodes like it’s a single story arc, and it’s more like the first leg of a larger story arc.  There’s hints of something more ambitious here.  Trunks’ prison uniform and the Dragon Balls suggest that they might have been planning to spend more time in this setting, but instead the whole thing explodes in less time than it takes to get a pizza delivered. 

This probably goes without saying, but there’s too many characters in this thing.  We have two Gokus and two Vegetas, and both pairs fuse to make two Vegitos.  It’s fanservice, I get it, but it’s over before we can really get into it.  Golden Cooler literally doesn’t do anything.  I mean Mai doesn’t do much either, but that’s because she doesn’t have any powers.  I don’t know which one irritates me more. 

I like the idea of Cumber, but they never fleshed him out.  Fu keeps teasing details about the guy, but we never find out where he found Cumber or how he got him here, or why he wears that mask.  At least Cumber is still alive so he can return in future episodes and hopefully give us the scoop, but I’m not optimistic that we’ll get much. 

[onigiri-dorkk]

Attack on Titan AOE vs. Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth Parallels

Alright fam. This is my ultimate multi-fandom post! This will go out to fellow AOT x FFVII fans -- especially those who have been looking into the AOT/ANR theories regarding AOE.

Obviously there will be heavy spoilers for both Attack on Titan as well as for Final Fantasy VII (OG and Remake).

Recently I've dived into the theory and lore to FFVII and a LOT of it lines up with what's been theorized for AOT regarding different medias being different timelines for one entire story:

For AOT, the manga is theorized to be a different timeline than the anime.

For FFVII, the original game (OG) is now officially implied to be a different parallel timeline than the current Remake.

In AOT, Eren and Paradis Island's fate from the Manga ending is death, that Paradis is still destroyed despite everything he does to prevent that. In the Manga, he reaches 80% Rumbling and then dies by Mikasa's hands; a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to allow Mikasa, Armin and friends to be heroes and live long lives (which they do) and for Paradis to survive -- however the cycle of hatred still continues on when Paradis is bombed, negating most of what he acted towards.

Before I get into this next part, let me also mention that the Cabin dream is implied to be a previous or parallel timeline -- in this, we see Eren die; his eyes slowly close, fading to black to his peaceful death as Mikasa says, "See you later, Eren..." which directly reflects the beginning pages of the manga of the moments and words he sees just before he wakes up underneath the tree. In other words, when Eren dies in Cabin timeline, he awakens to what we know to be the Manga timeline. It's a peaceful wakeup, sitting up against the tree as he had been sitting at the Cabin during death. He doesn't cry -- he only wonders why Mikasa's hair was long (because when he saw her last in Cabin timeline, her hair was short). Then the manga story ensues, leading up to his inevitable death by Mikasa beheading him -- a violent, gruesome death in the Manga...

...To which he wakes up in the Anime, in fright and shock, laying down on the ground with his head laying directly where Mikasa had laid his headstone in the Manga post-war, as if he'd just woken from his violent death in manga.

This is very similar to what is actually happening (not just theorizing) with FFVII right now.

In the original (OG) game, Aerith is killed by Sephiroth while trying to save Midgar/the world from Meteor destruction, then her soul is essentially absorbed into the Lifestream. In the end, Cloud defeats Sephiroth (who also goes into Lifestream), but in the process, Midgar is still completely destroyed by the Meteor as it was too late to completely save everything, even if the rest of the world was saved.

There are already some parallels here:

Rumbling = Meteor. The world is saved, but still experienced mass destruction. Lifestream = somewhat like Paths, allowing people to transcend time/space/etc.

However a big thing paralleling AOT theories is that the FFVII OG game ends with Aerith (remember, she was killed), surrounded by Lifestream energy, closing her eyes... Then the Remake game opening with Aerith, surrounded by Lifestream energy, opening her eyes as it leads to the new game unfolding.

Aerith woke up in a new timeline.

And there is plenty of evidence throughout the Part I that shows that she knows what is fated to happen based on the OG game/previous timeline:

She knows details about Cloud even though he didn't share/she acts like she already knows him well.

She gives him a flower because he's a 'special' customer, and says that the flower is a symbol for when lovers reunite.

She knew that the Plate would fall and destroy Sector 7, even though Tifa and Cloud were doubtful, but she couldn't tell them. (Tifa: "Aerith... What are you not telling me?")

She knew Tifa wanted her to save Marlene, even before Tifa even said it

In the special cut scene between Cloud and Aerith, she tells him with sadness that everyone dies eventually. And she advises Cloud to never fall in love with her (because she knows how that tragically ended in the original). She KNOWS she's fated to die.

And these are ALL differences from the OG game -- Aerith didn't have any of these reactions, dialogue, thoughts, sentiments before. She is implied to be operating in Remake with the knowledge of how things ended before: that she would be killed, that Midgar would still be destroyed, that Sephiroth would still be alive.

Except this time, with all that knowledge of OG fate, Aerith is now trying to actively veer things away from the tragic fate and destiny laid out before them. (Side note, Whispers are also game-original and are trying to reel things back to fate/destiny. Also, Sephiroth, being part of Lifestream from OG, is also operating with the knowledge that he failed in the OG. Like Aerith, Sephiroth is trying to change destiny.)

And if that isn't enough yet to convince you that it's a different FFVII timeline... ZACK IS ALIVE. They show him make it out of the battle that killed him before. It is an entirely new journey. (I will cry if/when Zack and Aerith reunite)

Now we circle around right back to AOT.

Like Aerith, Anime Eren is theorized to know how things ended in the Manga: his death, Paradis' destruction, etc. He gained this knowledge when he kissed Historia's hand (in both anime and manga), gaining access to memories of the future... and of the past. But not just memories of the Anime timeline. Founding Titan Eren is interconnected with Paths, the way Aerith is to Lifestream, both of which surpass time itself, as we've seen with Eren/Zeke traveling through his memories. (There's a lot of imagery alluding to Manga art intertwined with Anime, but that's a sub-sub-sub-theory)

There is also a side theory that Aerith transferred memories to Red XIII (as she pressed her hand to his forehead upon meeting) because he was already most attuned to the Lifestream itself, and he becomes her aid almost. Likewise, there is a fun theory regarding Eren using Falco as a messenger/Falco receives memories from Eren (which is why in Anime, Falco recalls memories of 'flying around with swords'... Which couldn't have come from Ymir Freckles. You can only see memories once you HAVE the Titan shifter; Falco at the beginning of S4E1 was still just Falco. Falco has also already been used as a messenger of Eren's letters. Falco is also one of the most neutral characters who shows empathy and understanding of both sides. He is a special character. If AOE happens as theorized, many think Falco will play an important role)

Now there is a certain tragic ending that we think Isayama has been alluding to for forever. I'm not gonna say it here because some of you will get triggered over attachment to certain characters/ships and whatnot. But the core of it is that we think Eren is going to do things very differently to change the fate and destiny -- that maybe, instead of choosing others over his freedom, instead of only committing 80% Rumbling (leaving enough people to lead to the demise of Paradis)... Maybe Eren will even choose his freedom this time via 100% rumbling, etc.

Honestly, who knows! There may be an entirely new ending that's the best of both worlds for every single fan. (...Sarcastic, though, because not everyone can or will be pleased. Even for FFVII, OG purists are frustrated by it veering off.)

I do not believe AOT Anime is going to end the same way the Manga did even if I have reasons for wanting it to stay the same (y'all know me and why I would NOT want it to end different; there are special scenes between my OTP I need to see, especially post-war) but it's because we've seen many consistent things throughout the anime -- through the story, dialogue, recurring imagery, etc. all for a separate detailed post -- that Isayama could have potentially been foreshadowing since 2013 towards a new ending.

"What's the lie? What's the truth?"

The fact that Tetsuya Nomura (maker of FFVII) is already doing this meta-narrative of having one media/game being an entirely different timeline than the original content is SO cool, and affirms that if Isayama is pulling this same stunt, it's not because of fans trying to riot and change an ending, but because that's... well, that's what could've been planned from the start, and because it's a really unique storytelling technique that would elevate a work by making many pieces come together as one, singular, consistent story in a brilliant way.

Obviously there's no IRL link between FFVII and AOT, but again, Nomura doing this makes it less crazy and more probably for another Japanese mastermind storyteller to do this, too. (And I won't even START on Muv Luv/Muv Luv Alternative! But it's the same thing, too!)

I'll stop there for now. Any AOT AOE x FFVII fans out there?! PLEASE tell me I'm not alone LOL

[bcbdrums]

This will sound as a troll question, but do people that find stein attractive, do so because of the charachter design or because his personality or both ( I already regret asking😂)

Not troll-ish at all! Totally fine to ask someone what floats their boat, I say. Was literally just asking my friend why she finds the Kishin attractive.....

For me personally, it always starts with personality. Or rather...it starts with something intriguing in their story. With me (anime watcher; only just started the manga) it was episode 8 when Stein and Spirit fought Crona, and the backstory from episode 7.

Stein was introduced as this impossible to beat enemy who turned out to be their teacher, and so for a couple of episodes I was just ????? trying to figure out what to make of him. And then...we get the backstory of all backstories. And then we get to see the pair of them actually fight...and you know they're not even scratching the surface of the power they're capable of.

That was the moment my Soul Eater journey became largely about Stein and Spirit. I still love every character though, it's a fantastic show. So to your question...

From the intriguing story that hooked me came the character study, both inside and out. Trying to figure out what makes them tick. Listening to their dialogue, vocal inflections, facial expressions... Really trying to get into their heads. Trying to extrapolate more backstory, motivations, things behind the scenes...

The physical appearance is part of it, but for me that really comes last I suppose? Without the intriguing story I can acknowledge a physically attractive character but I won't be drawn to them.

Now, Spirit and Stein are both attractive. Spirit a little more stereotypically so, but Stein has an innocence that's appealing too. When you realize that these men are age 30 at most... I think canonically Spirit is 31 (which makes Maka 14) but I haven't read that far in the manga yet, that's just something I saw online and can't recall where. But Spirit is older, so Stein is just a man in his mid-late 20's. Give his hair a slight trim and get rid of that screw in his head, and you have a very attractive young man. He's underweight and malnourished, and I definitely have a soft spot for the fixer-upper character... And I do like the slightly unkempt look to him. If you really look at his face...he's a cutie. I admit it. And Spirit well, they drew that man to be attractive and they knew it, haha. I'm entranced by the story of these two, they appeal to me equally. Stein is just easier to attach angsty thoughts to, so he grabs me slightly more.

So...yes it's a physical attraction. In my opinion he's very cute and has a good body (though he's malnourished and needs some more meat on him). I also go for tall and slim men generally, haha. But I needed the intriguing story and personality first. I always do.

Thanks for the ask!!

[richardsondavis]

So I have just finished watching the live action One Piece.

Not bad. I'll give my thoughts below. Spoilers, sort of.

So we start with Romance Dawn

So to just give how much I know about One Piece. I read the manga and have read all the parts of the East Blue saga and safe to say, Arlong Park and Baratie were my favorite arcs ever. Especially, Arlong Park.

So with that said, Romance Dawn. Luffy meets with Koby who saves Koby from Alvida. That's how it went but I did wonder how they were going to get Alvida thin as shown in the anime and manga. I actually thought that it might've caused an uproar with the woke crowd but in the end, she's still fat and did team up with Buggy in the end, which happened. Fun.

I don't have much to say. This was the beginning. It's to test the waters. And if you like what you see then yeah, you are in for a ride.

Next is:

The Man in the Straw Hat

Buggy the Clown. One of the first major enemies that appeared in One Piece. Let me tell you, the actor who played Buggy gave it his all and he is one of the best things that happened. Fantastic work by the actor. Kudos to him!

The crew gets captured by Buggy and all that. A lot got cut out like Zoro having this sword fight or some such. Memory is a little hazy but I am making this after binging the show so do forgive. Nothing really bad happened here. Buggy is just very menacing. He's like Joker. He's exactly like Joker.

Moving on, we got:

Oh god, Usopp. Ussop's arc, man! Tell No Tales is about Usopp and fuck me if it wasn't the worst shit I've seen. This kind of crap took too long. It shat on a lot of Ussop's character. He is a shot, a marksman and the fact that he ain't got his friends nor the epic showdown between Kuro and his crew against the Straw Hats is just damn disappointing. A lot was cut out. This will feel like a test for some because it gets boring to slog through this crap. This arc could've been done better but goddamn. This was a memorable arc from the manga but this was butchered in love action.

Next we have a continuation of the Ussop arc but with Sanji's backstory now. It's still as insufferable as the last episode but Sanji's past is not bad. Could've been done better. All I can say. Epic fight between Sanji and the other members of the staff that was with Kuro who were not in the anime nor manga I believe. So yeah.

Next up Baratie. Holy shit. This was it. The Sanji arc. I didn't really get my hopes up but two things were done here that made me consider this as the best live action anime adaptation. Sanji's backstory and Sanji's goodbye.

Suffice to say, both were done so well, so damn well that I cried. I cried when I read the scene in the manga and now I cried when I saw it in live action. My god. It's so wonderful.

I do see some folks comment that Sanji should've bowed to Zeff when he left Baratie but to me the bowing never really was the point. It was that Sanji was crying and said his thanks. Sanji crying while saying goodbye was the highlight of that scene for me and the live action delivered. We also get Mihawk and a look on Arlong. So there's that.

Just a continuation of the Zeff, Sanji Arc stuff. Said what I need to above.

Arlong Park. The arc that I said would be the basis of whether I would consider this to be a good live action. They should be thankful that they chose to put Sanji first before this because the emotional scene from Nami was fucking shit. It was shit. That's what it was!

THEY FUCKING RUINED THE EMOTIONAL SCENE OF ARLONG PARK!!!!!!! FUCK!!!!!! THEY BETTER BE THANKFUL THAT SANJI CAME FIRST AND THAT HIS ARC WAS MY SECOND FAVORITE. IF NOT, I WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED THIS TO BE AS SHIT AS THE REST OF THE LIVE ACTION TRASH!!!!!!

I'm just damn mad at how they just meh-ified it. Nojiko's actress was awful. Woman can't act and her child counterpart was equally awful. It was the arc I was waiting for the most but it didn't deliver. The emotional scene of the Arlong Park arc was the goat! THE FUCKING GOAT AND THEY BUTCHERED IT! FUCKING HELL!

I'm just peeved man.

A continuation of the Arlong Park Arc. Fight scene was meh. Garp's fight with Luffy is kinda neat though so I'll give them that. Damn.

Anyway after all that, I'll give this series an 8.5/10.

BECAUSE OF SANJI'S ARC THAT'S WHY!!!!!

Thanks for reading and I wish you a wonderful day!

[deadite-central]

Applauding myself for somehow fitting my thoughts on this arc in just three posts. This was a feat

Pudding to me is one of the most overhated characters in the series. She’s a sixteen year old girl who has been conditioned to believe by her own mother that she’s disgusting and ugly, and since she’s not physically strong the only way she can see herself being useful is by being the cunning one. When Sanji calls her eye beautiful, the same eye that she was ridiculed for her entire life, she breaks down, and she falls for Sanji as he’s the first person outside of her siblings that sees her as something other than a monster once he sees her eye. She’s not an evil bitch like a lot of people are convinced she is, she’s a traumatised child

In other news about the wedding, I adore Luffy’s plan of using Brûlée’s power and doing the funniest thing he could: creating a situation in which a hundred feral Luffys jump out of Big Mom’s cake. Absolutely hilarious and wonderful everyone go home. Things seriously don’t go Linlin’s way cause soon enough Jinbei straight up leaves her crew. And holy hell I love this scene so much. He’s so badass! Standing in front of a terrifying emperor and not even flinching? Not being scared at all? Jinbei is one of the most loyal Straw Hats and here you can see it on full display

Big Mom’s backstory in itself is insane, and while most people will be jaw dropped at the plot point that Linlin accidentally ate her friends without even realising it, to me the Mother Carmel reveal is what always gets me. ‘Orphan seller’ displayed in the box is so jarring, and the fact it’s the navy looking for these kids should tell you all you need to know about how much they actually care for the justice they wear on their backs so proudly

While Luffy vs Katakuri is great in the anime, as Whole Cake is where I’d say the current style of One Piece finally found it’s bearings, it’s absolutely ingenious in the manga. Oda goes so hard on the panelling, and the pacing of the fight is absolutely wonderful, with the reader learning more about Luffy’s abilities, Katakuri as a person and the dynamic between the two as the battle goes along, and it never once feels as if Oda is drawing something out or adding unneeded stuff. Everything here serves a purpose, and I adore this fight, even if it isn’t my favorite in the series

Also on the topic of Luffy vs Katakuri I highly recommend this video as it goes over WHY the panelling of the fight works, it’s really good I just gotta recommend it

Something I really like about Whole Cake is how it brings back the themes of Sanji’s character explored in Baratie, and puts them on full display. Big Mom may be a tyrannical emperor that’s chasing the main characters to kill them, but for Sanji, she’s still hungry, and she still deserves to eat food. It’s the biggest reason Luffy wanted him on the crew: his kindness towards everyone, something his father saw as a weakness, but that One Piece shows you again and again, is an important trait to have

And well, the cake Sanji, Pudding and Chiffon make us absolutely wonderful. I really want to bring attention to the absolute masterclass of a panel this last one here is, from the passage of time when you’re holding your breath between the six panels before it, to the absolutely amazing rendering of Big Mom’s face, I adore it so much. Maybe it’s a silly thing to gush over and give a whole section to; but damn me if I didn’t mention it

Besides the musical number being sung in the background, Whole Cake Island ends with Jinbei now officially a Straw Hat, but having to leave for the last time to save the crew. Again, his loyalty is unmatched, one that has been built up since the Summit War Saga, and every single time it’s on display, I love his character more and more. I genuinely don’t get people who believe he shouldn’t be a Straw Hat, he deserves to be part of the crew more than anyone else you could have wanted here

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So, I've been posting my Kingdom Hearts fanfic, I'm working on it and. Between the last time I posted an update and now I upped the rating, because I remembered. I already had a torture scene in this fic. And. There might be another, and some fucked up dreams, possibly dealing with gender and some body horror shit.

Beneath the tone and vibes of Kingdom Hearts there's tons of things and themes and ideas that are, in fact, really fucked up, and have really fucked up implications. And the quality of the animations. Like, there's implications, in one game, of physical child abuse, of things that they don't show us, even when they show teenagers actually being physically struck by adults, because it's an action video game with elements and the trappings of a battle Shonen Manga anime series.

And, the game in particular that I'm roughly adapting, in the alternate universe I'm working in, was already a tragedy, where the lies and secrets between three friends (one of whom was an Adult, albeit one who was immature and unable to develop and grow properly because of past traumas he suffered, and had the responsibility of caring for two kids thrust upon him, when he didn't think he was capable of caring anymore) drive them apart, and essentially lead to them dying, scared and alone.

And beyond that, viewed from one perspective, the game is also a psychological, existential horror, where, for two characters, they fundamentally don't understand certain truths about the essential nature of their beings, and everyone around them, all the adults around them, are lying to them, and using them.

And, anyway, in this chapter I decided to reference Alien, because I saw Romulus, I like the Alien series, Disney owns Fox, and I think body horror is cool.

And, while there are a lot of things I want to talk about, and I want comments about on the fic (hint hint), and justifications I can make about choices I made, which I worry might have been the wrong choices. The thing I want to talk about most is actually about what I intended to be the brightest, happiest scene of the chapter. And its the scene I actually had the hardest time with, and feel I got wrong the most:

In a scene in this chapter, I have 5 disney princesses, Alice from the 1951 film Alice in Wonderland, and the Kingdom Hearts original character Kairi, all singing, and they all sing the song "Simple and Clean", by Utada Hikaru.

It's a song I think most Kingdom Hearts fans are familiar with, especially in the English community. And, English is basically my only language I know, (I've taken other languages, but they were romance languages, it was years ago in college, when I was attending instead of teaching like I am now, I'm Jewish but i was never good at Hebrew or Yiddish, and never been devout or practicing and if you don't use it you lose it,) and I write my fics in English.

Now, Kingdom Hearts is partly Disney, an American company, Utada Hikaru is American-Japanese, and I know for a fact series director Tetsuya Nomura does consider the English version of the series a bit, because he handpicked Haley Joel Osment, Christopher Lee, Mark Hamill, and Leonard Nimoy for roles in the series. But he's still a Japanese man, and the series is written in Japanese first.

I'm not getting into the series translation here though, just, the music. Because the most impressive thing Utada Hikaru does in the entire series is that, because she knows both English and Japanese, she writes the opening and ending songs for the mainline numbered games, which people hear for the first time when they start a new game, and are the first impression the series leaves. She writes them to the same melody, so the English and Japanese songs can be considered the same.

And I'm not a songwriter, and I don't speak Japanese, but she has said in interviews that one of the difficult parts of the series, even if she does love it and is proud of her contribution and her role, is that doing that is really fucking hard.

However. My understanding is that, that was mainly true for KH2 and KH3. For KH1, however, when the game first came out in Japan, it used the song 'Hikari', (meaning "Light") which was a song Utada had already released, in Japanese, in Japan. Nomura asked her permission to license it. And, there's even some acknowledgments in places that Hikari, because it wasn't actually written for the series. Has the least to do with the series and its story and themes? Though, then again, it's plausible Nomura directed the first game with Hikari in mind, so maybe it's more that the causal relationship is reversed. The KH2 and 3 songs are based on the games, while KH1 the game is based on. The Japanese version. Of the song.

After KH1 was released in Japan, and they got to work on the North American release, Nomura asked Utada to write an. English version. Of Hikari. And that ended up being the song Simple and Clean that we all know and love today.

What I'm getting at, though, is that. Simple and Clean and Hikari are more different to each other than any of the other songs. And I mean that not in terms of the lyrics, but in terms of the. Melodies. The actual rhythms. The notes. The beats. I don't actually know anything about music, I just. Have ears.

It's mostly the beginnings of the songs, and they get more similar towards the end, but. The opening parts, where she sings "When you walk away," in English, and "どんな時だって" or "Don'na toki datte" in Japanese (I copied those lyrics from the KHWiki) sound so radically different from each other.

But, Kingdom Hearts came out in Japan first, in March of 2002, and the North American version came out in September. And when it released it had an amazing soundtrack and score composed by Yoko Shimomura. And part of that score, was an orchestral, (or the nearest equivalent for the PS2 anyway) and instrumental version of. 'Hikari'. It mainly played during the 'attract movie' or 'attract screen' when you left the game on the main menu, without selecting 'new game' or 'load' or 'continue' for too long, but. To my knowledge, Hikari is unique in the entire series, because while other games have attract movies, where instrumental versions of their main themes play. Hikari and Kingdom Hearts 1 are the only instance where it plays during the game's actual runtime, in an actual cutscene.

This is one of the most important scenes in the Kingdom Hearts series, ultimately, that has knock-on effects for multiple other games, and while this isn't aspect as relevant to those other games. One of the focuses within that scene itself is the hearts, the light of the group known as the 'Princesses of Heart', which includes Kairi, as well as the six Disney characters. This is a moment where all of them are saved, and. It's a sad moment, of sacrifice, that makes people tear up and cry (I was already an adult when I first saw it and didn't even know the characters yet and it still got to me, it's why I even like the series) but there's also. A sense of. 'Light' to it. Where the princesses get saved, from eternal sleep, at the climax, by the story's hero.

Setting aside the gender implications and criticisms of that, and I think maybe more importantly the way one of those princesses, specifically the original character theoretically most unrestricted by Disney's guidelines gets handled by the series after that. It's still a genuinely beautiful, amazing moment.

And, I wanted to call back to it, which, is probably futile of me. To do it justice, I'd need, like, to be able to do blender animations, and character models, and be able to do impressions of the singing voices of seven fucking characters. Or hire people. I sure as shit wouldn't do ai, ever.

Or I'd have the moment be silent with an instrumental of the song playing over it. That would be better, if it was audiovisual and not a purely written fanfic.

And, I'm a single parent to a child whose 8th birthday is coming up, and I teach full-time. It's a goddamned miracle I have been able to post anything at all, ever. And I've probably been irresponsible and maybe shouldn't be doing it, I don't know.

But, I wanted the reference to land, and make sense, in the language I'm actually writing in. But the problem I knew, that I know, in my own heart and mind, that bothers me the most about my decision is that it's the wrong song.

Because "Simple and Clean" wasn't the song that played in that scene. "Hikari" was.