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niinnyu · 7 months

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A little rant about leaks because I'm lowkey dreading them. And I'd appreciate it if you'd read it (and if not... 👁👁).

I find the jjk fandom's (though it's true for others too) reliance on leaks very off-putting. I know people want to look forward to something in the middle of the week and talk about it, but this just feels disrespectful, while also being at the cost of other people getting to enjoy it as they want to whether you care about getting spoiled or not.

So many people just don't tag leaks and spoilers properly (forget places where tagging doesn't even make a difference). Seeing things trending with the context of previous chapters explains everything. Not to mention people mis-tagging spoilers and leaks interchangeably (you can remove leak tags after the chapter is officially published but not spoiler tags!!) And no, you're not subtle with your 'out of context spoilers' to someone who has all previous context.

But what boggles my mind is why would you want someone to shout the punchline of a joke in your face before any of the setup has been done. You'll have a bunch of deepfried 2 pixel screenshot of screenshot quality manga panels of crucial moments with none of the build up and pacing. Paired with the most lacklustre explainations of what's happening (the phrasing of which can be biased to the leaker's opinions). Translating isn't easy. To convey what exactly something means from one language to another in an effective and in the intended way isn't easy (shoutout to fan translators tho y'all are amazing thank you for your time and effort)

And whether you care about the story or not, heck even if you think the mangaka themself doesn't care about it, it is just so disrespectful to the content that you're consuming. Making comics and manga isn't easy (churning them weakly is insane imo esp when a lot of mangaka aren't even full time artists) so why wouldn't you allow yourself to consume their story the way they've themself laid it out. Where one panel comes after the other. Where one expression has context in the next page. Where a dialogue has weight only when placed with another dialogue. Give the creator(s) this little grace too, because whether you like a story or not, there is still a huge amount of effort and skill, by multiple people, going into it.

And I personally love interacting with the fandoms I'm in, literally sometimes the only source of joy I have (yes ik leave me alone) is interacting with other fans and having my mind blown over their art and writing and theories. And I'd rather not be spoiled unless I'm myself seeking them out or just reading the actual chapter. So this involves me either spoiling it for myself before someone else does it, or spoiler dodging for 5 OUT OF 7 DAYS A WEEK EVERY WEEK.

I'm not even saying you should only look for official sources or whatever because I know not everyone has access to legal places to read (tho the shounen jump app is there for those interested, but yeah i get it for other publications), but there are better ways to read/hate-readyour fav/least fav manga out there without ruining it for someone else. The wait is juuust a couple of days more. There is absolutely no dearth of fan made content that can't help you last another few days, maybe your new fav fan creator is right around a little wait (ahem check my bs out if you'd like ahem ahem).

I just want to be able to interact with the fandom for more than just 2 days a week, and I don't like my accounts dying because i dissapear 5 days either, and is that a such a bad thing? I come online to have fun, not run an obstacle race y'know?

#i know nothing i've said hasn't been said by someone else but i felt like it too #i was lucky enough to be so down in the dumps the last week that i missed a lot of the leek stuff because i wasnt online much #still got spoiled tho mind you #and like i get it i feel like im making a bigger issue out of this than necessary #and ik for many peoplw its not that deep #but i do really believe this and I'd like you too see what i mean #anyway #jjk #fandom #fandoms #manga #damn this rant ended up being much longer than i intended #if you read through it thanks!#whether you agree or not i hope you at least get what i mean and what im sure many people feel #fandom rants #i do appreciate all the fan creators who do wait till the chapter drops to put out their content even when they've seen leaks tho!!#y'all rule #man ok.#no nickel for niinnyu's thoughts

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ragnar0c · 3 months

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Whenever I talk about frieren to men un my family they always go "Oh, I tried watching it. Are there like? Any fights? bc so far she's just walking around." And it makes me WANT TO EXPLODE! SHE IS NAVIGATING HER FEELINGS AND THE WORLD AROUND HER!! She only fights physically on occasion, she is doing MENTAL battles!!!

#its actually while the magic exam is probably where i almost dropped the manga... i only stayed bc i genuinely loved frieren's flashbacks #its really weird bc i thought id be hyped to see the animation of it bc i KNOW its in good hands now but........#i haven't been feeling it. like..... FR the magic arc is my least fav somehow 💀💀#probably bc a lot of anime have them. though. i love the end of it. but i remember wishing for it to end when i read it #i missed stark #it gave us a new opportunity to see new characters which i respect #but me personally i enjoyed the mental struggles and i wish the men in my fam did too #ragna ramblings

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meownotgood · 1 year

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The ending of csm today was so wholesome. Aki's fit and his purse are so casual on him, also so slice of life!! I loved it I was smiling throught the whole scene, it felt like him taking his kids to run errands and to the park. I'm gonna miss him so much.

I KNOW IT WAS SO GOOD, definitely my second favorite ed (the one with maximum the hormone is still my first fave lol), it was so cute and I love the song by eve <3

aki's fit... his silly little fanny pack... his pjs... cute boyfriend

#also really enjoyed the part at the end with him smoking #sighhhhh I'm gonna miss him too #I'm gonna have to rewatch the episodes and read the manga again just to get my fix lol #I hope it doesn't take long for a season 2 to be announced #I was smiling like an idiot throughout the entire episode to be honest #I love chainsaw man so much #ask mags #aki <3

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obstinaterixatrix · 1 year

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head in hands. it really is just

#orlbs #misclb #I’m rereading the other oneshots in penguin prince #and the next one has a moment #where the fl is trying to play off getting super worked up when her crush got close & was asking who she liked #(she punched him)#so he’s like ‘?? this is how I always am I’m like that with everyone why’d you get so mad’#and she’s like ‘ahahaha yeah of course you are and of course I knew that and it wasn’t actually a big deal at all’#and then she bursts into tears and runs away #man I miss reading shoujo… but it’s hard finding that energy with adult protags #a lot of them are a little too straightforward for me #I mean I’ve been reading readymade heroine #but there’s like. the fuwafuwa shoujo #and there’s like. I dunno. togetoge shoujo???#gekkan shoujo really nailed it when sakura was reading nozaki’s manga #and the fl is like ‘I hate him…!’ with tears in her eyes and obvious longing #yeah.

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akai-anna · 8 months

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So I already asked this before, but here I am asking you to do it again cause I honestly really enjoy reading about how you view each of the relationships in decto. So if it's not too much to ask will you do a part 3 just rambling about other relationships in decto. Also I'm glad my last ask made you that happy, and don't worry take as long as you like there's no rush to make them.

Anon-san. Dear. Darling. You are truly a blessing, a pure source of joy, a beauty in this measly existence we call a life. I would have never thought you'd come back for more rambling. Just. Thank you. So much.

And I'm happy you enjoyed my previous ramblings, and I hope you will enjoy this one too.

Notes, as always:

as in the previous asks relating to the ship opinion bingo, i interpret relationships in the broadest possible sense

i check everything that makes sense to me, even if they seem contradictory; i view them applied to different situations/universes/possibilities

*rolls up sleeves* Ok, now buckle up.

I. Akai Shuuichi/Okiya Subaru - Kudou Shinichi/Edogawa Conan (and The Kudous)

The Silver Bullet Duo (and the Parents Partners In Crime)

They just... have such a fascinating dynamic.

Akai, first learning about this lil kiddo through investigating Vermouth (Cool Guy) and as they started interacting, treating this boy as an equal despite him (seemingly) being a child. The fact he is openly impressed by Conan/Shinichi ("You always amaze us, boy."); I cannot put into words how important it is to me that Akai respects this gremlin child. (ONE OF thE BESt INVEstigAtoRS IN JAPAN HE SAID!!!!) Shinichi Being all sus of the guy at first, only to find a great mind in him, an amazing scheming partner, someone he can trust to protect his friend. They are not only on the the same wavelength (not even being in the same place) but make a very effective as a team; the sheer compatibility.

But also their actual first meeting BEING: SHINICHI BASICALLY CALLING AKAI SHUUICHI A CLOWN. INCREDIBLE.

And also, Akai being one of the precious few who knows about this lil gremlins identity. It's so important to me; as someone who dearly wants and aches for Shinichi to share his identity with at least a few other people, I cherish all individuals who are aware of his true identity. Not to mention, that the identity reveal to Akai was one of the most hilarious things I have ever witnessed. (Shinichi literally outing himself because he is too comfortable, too at ease in his own home and around these people, and distracted by Ran and solving the mystery, he forgets to be cautious. THIS FCKIN CHILD I LOVE HIM.)

And Akai constantly hinting at his real identity gets me so bad too. They are so precious to me.

And then there is the whole Akai-Yukiko & Yuusaku dynamic too. He literally became part of this oddball of a family? (YUKIKO tAUGHt HIM to COOK I CANNOt???) FITTING IN WITH THEM SO EFFORTLESSLY. I LOVE THEM.

⊱✿⊰

II. Agasa Hiroshi - Kudou Shinichi/Edogawa Conan - Miyano Shiho/Haibara Ai (- Detective Boys Trio)

Found Family: "Sometimes a family is 1 middle-aged man, 2 fake and 3 real elementary students" as I like to say.

Not many scenes to share here (tho I will definitely collect them in my newest reread session) because I don't have the energy to look for them. BUT.

Agasa Hiroshi is a Good Man. He doesn't have to invent all that stuff for Shinichi BUT HE DOES. He doesn't have to help this lil gremlin out BUT HE STILL DOES. All the times he just drove him around, all the times he allowed himself to be used (with no advance notice which he keeps ASKING SHINICHI FOR, TO JUST LET HIM KNOW) as a way to solve a crime; EVERYTHING HE DOES, DESPITE KNOWING HOW DANGEROUS IT IS. The way he only helped Yukiko and Yuusaku with the mad plan (because IT IS MAD; ODDBALLS) of "kidnapping Edogawa Conan" because he thought it would help drive the point home, of how dangerous this whole business is. Agasa Hiroshi just wants what might be best and safest for Shinichi. Just being there for him, and if he cannot he lets others, who can, know (Yuusaku and Yukiko in the above scene, Heiji in desperate revival, and so on). He cares.

On the other side, Shinichi might seem like, he doesn't appreciate Prof Agasa much at first glance (his constant comments about Agasa creating junk, says the one who uses his inventions, HYPOCRITE), but god, he goes BALLISTIC WHEN IT COUNTS. (Kidnapping case, just to mention one off the top of my head.) Shinichi literally grew up with this weird adult figure around, he is like family to him, and he cares. Tons. He trusts Agasa Hiroshi, literally, with his life.

Moving on: another point of Prof being a really good man. The way he is with the kids. He literally goes out of his way, to take them out to places, spend time with them. Be it camping, or eating out, or invent stuff for them, cooking for them, or just getting a cake to eat together... He got attached to these kids (just like Shinichi himself) as they spent more and more time together, and cares a great deal about them. And the kids grew fond of him too, despite all the little comments and teasing. (Or as I see it: he is an adult figure to them that they are comfortable around, and are not afraid to say what they think.)

As for Ai. Exhibit C of Agasa Hiroshi being a really good, kind-hearted person.

Agasa Hiroshi picked up a girl that brings even more danger with her mere presence, and at this point she is not trustworthy. Who knows what she might do? But he took her in anyways. (Without talking to Shinichi too, which led to some Emotions and Yelling.) And as time went on, this girl, who constantly lives in fear of being discovered (fearing so much, that she even tries to let herself die, and considers leaving everyone behind to protect them), slowly crawls out of her shell, to just be a person. Ai and Agasa come to care about each other too, so deeply; there is no blood-relation between them, yet there is such a strong familial bond between the two. (People mistaking them as father and daughter!)

They are a weird lil family unit, your honour, and I care about them so. So. SO MUCH.

⊱✿⊰

III. Mouri Kogorou - Kudou Shinichi/Edogawa Conan - Mouri Ran

The Mouri Family Unit

I just love them. God. I do.

I love how Shinichi got integrated into Kogorou and Ran's everyday life (be it cleaning, or just checking he's there and didn't run off again LOL). I love the rare moments of Kogorou actually being parental, be it to the lil gremlin or Ran. (HE LOVES BOTH OF THEM YOUR HONOUR!!!

I adore the fact that they watch stuff together, and discuss it, I find it really sweet (and funny). Also the fact that they eat together. Eating together with loved ones is a very important point in my own life, and it's a really... "intimate" is not quite the word I'm looking for but... I guess a bonding thing. Something meaningful. And these 3 definitely do it most days. The way they are so comfortable around each other, and everyone has their own lil space at the table. I really adore the thought of Shinichi getting so used to the lil routines and bustle of the Mouri Household, that after he turns back, he'll miss it. Especially, how he was living alone for years before the Conanification, without his parents; the Mouris are such a strong contrast against that. (Post-Conan Shinichi, that moves back to the Kudou House, and finds it too big and quiet and lonely, just going over to Agasa's and the Mouris' all the time to be around his loved ones. Him spending most of his time at their places, so much, his stuff is slowly moved into both places. And No One says a thing about it, it just happens, and they all let it happen. Please. I'm WEAK.)

I also love to see them in various combinations: Ran-Shinichi teaming up against Occhan, but also Ran and Kogorou constantly being "WHERE IS THE CHILD" in their own ways, and Shinichi and Kogorou team up too (like the time they tailed Ran, or when Ran told them Araide will be in the play too, HAHA). Each is so very delightful for their own reasons.

Thank you so much for asking me (AGAIN!!!!) to talk about relationships, it means a lot tome, and I truly hope you enjoyed reading these! May you have a blessed day, darling.

#detective conan #la junk talks #manga #detco posting #asks #anon #i'll tell you a secret dear anon-san #i originally planned to do 6 of these but i have low battery energy in me #also i tend to spend way too much time looking up scenes... i went overboard with akai oh my god #so after that one i also tried to limit myself to just... things off the top of my head #so as not to spend TOO long on things #but gosh this is way too fun really #i'm just glad you enjoy these bc i never thought anyone would #also i have a tendency to go towards familial and platonic relationships. what a surprise lmao #(no not really.)#happy screaming and word vomit time to me #happy reading to you anon-san #also this took me longer than expected but i got way too busy and at times distracted #i really hope you won't miss this post gosh

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bisexualalistairtheirin · 2 months

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@THEE pic Ryoko Kui drew of various rpg elves, I know some people in the notes and on twitter seemed miffed that Merrill was the only DA elf companion she didn't draw (Velanna too for that matter, but main game-wise) but I have my own lil' conspiracy theory about it, which is that, sorry to anime-only fans of Dungeon Meshi for the coming spoiler, I'm reasonably sure Merrill inspired Marcille, at least in part, so if I'm right she is represented in a roundabout manner :)

#once you start thinking about it it becomes pretty plausible ngl #she seems way too up miss Kui's alley not to include at any rate #(but again that list is clearly not comprehensive and she could have been cut for a number of reasons that don't imply anything really)#dungeon meshi #um hi dragon age ppl if you haven't already do check out dungeon meshi it's so fucking cool #I've always had trouble reading manga but I DEVOURED dungeon meshi in like a week bc it's so good #don't be turned off by how it starts a lil' slow it's all setup for later #Ryoko Kui is a queen. writing. characters. worldbuilding. magic system. monster ecology. fantasy race dynamics. CHARACTER DESIGN #my god her character design studies I could just smooch em #her art style is also so cute and beautiful and uniqu #and there's nobody doing body diversity like her in that sphere. we stan

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cubedmango · 7 months

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After re-reading the manga I think that things really started to pick up/improve after volume 4 and when they really start making headways in their relationship although there was that one moment and I can’t remember if it was volume 4 or 5 but where kurosawa randomly pushed adachi against the sink and I was like );£:£:? cause adachi said it made him uncomfortable😭 but overall I’m in Love with volumes 6-10 and I do think it’s 1100% worth continuing

oh god that scene i hate it so MUCH dont get me started?????? it was actually vol3 so before they even got together which makes it so much worse imo, and theres this one line which is like "plus im nice" (as a reason for why adachi should be focusing on him and not rokkaku) in the manga which. kurosawa ily but shut the fuck up genuinely.??? only letting it slide (barely. like its on the thinnest goddamn ice) bc he was drunk and didnt rlly say any of that shit out loud but good lord its still so weird why did that moment have to be like that eugh.....

#i was really hoping it wouldnt be in rd but sighs...... at least theres not that dumb as hell line there #yeah going back to read the early parts of the manga its Really rough at some points (theres bits i regularly skip over bc no thank u)#but it def improves as it continues i feel like sensei really started taking things seriously after vol6-#-so the plot feels more grounded??? i think . which i do appreciate #but rip the magic shenanigans from older volumes tho they were so funny i miss them too #my answer

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1o1percentmilk · 7 months

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reading scott pilgrim again and i miss 2019

#well nothing really happened to me which i guess made it nice and peaceful #just me reading comic books and mangas and not really caring abt stuff outside of homework #being in theatre and trying to be more extroverted #miss it #not that things r worse now i mean they r but theres orher nice thjngs now too i didnt have back then #thats just life i guess.

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lokh · 1 year

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kyojuro makes me want to write the opposite of a fix it fic

#i think this means i might find him interesting not that i. really hate him A kakijkjanbdhj #or he has the potential to be. interesting. if i ruin his life first #the thing is that Once More i do Not go here so im probably never gonna write it!#this will just be a fun little exercise for me =) ejdnjfj #the reason i will never write it is because i refuse to engage with the manga or anime beyond what i already have #so frankly i dont have a good grasp on. well. anything!#and thats unacceptable! so here i am #the conceit was reading too many ''corruption arcs'' that werent rly #corruption arcs. because again you do have to ruin his life first #case in point: in my hypothetical scenario we start by killing senjuro. sorry senjuro!#right i missed that part. the conceit waa What would it take for kyojuro to say yes #what ive ended up doing after a day of thinking is making him fly off the deep end and STILL not be a demon #because i also had something to say about the manga. lmaozjbxbjcjx so i went against the thing i wanted #to see in the first place...#right i said i read too many but the truth is ive only read a few and i think the problem is #they were all obviously. written with renkaza endgame. like ok fair.#but if it did for real happen. ykno there is definitely fic out there centered on a corruption arc without a ship lens #but again i dont actually seem to Like kyojuro AJBAHDHXH i dont really want to read ......#oh god. is this another dirk strider situation. where im like i HATE this guy #all while rotating him in my head 24/7.......#anyway in this hypothetical kyo actually hates akazas guts but its still somehow renkaza in my heart <3 #no they dont get together no they dont fuck not even out of hate. no this is. hm. its a hannibal situation LMAOSJNNDNX

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delku · 1 year

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theres more intimacy in the last 5 minutes of whm than the entirety of the manga put together. ever think of that

#the manga has... uh... fuckin... all might + deku hug and the embrace between deku + inko that isnt really a hug but idk how to classify it #last 5 minutes of whm has deku pull rody into his lap + take his hand + telling him everything will be okay + the airport scene.#like i dunno man i dont even think its a tough call #and for the record that endeavor hugging bakugo and todoroki scene doesnt really come across as intimacy imo. more of a shock response #like if you look at his face hes kind of losing it. no one involved enjoyed that hug.#alright kota hugging izuku post-320 slipped my mind too #in my defense that chapter didnt exist when the movie came out #<- weak defense because i didnt see the movie before reading that chapter but i digress #the concentration of intimacy in whm is higher than any other part of the series and its not even close.#and while it is intimate its not overwhelmingly so in the context of literally anything else. this series is just stingy as hell about it #i forgot about him hugging his mom in the 330s too but be real that was from a montage of panels and easily missed

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kyouka-supremacy · 2 years

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#My first thought when reading this chapter was #*seeing Fukuchi hold the soldier in his hands*#“oh of course now they're going to make Fukuchi gay too. Like this manga could have a single character who wasn't freaking gay”#My second thought was *enters Fukuzawa* oh sorry I forgot Fukuchi had been gay all along #Just kidding but like. I knowwww it's bsd and it's the worst and I shouldn't hope for it at all but like.#Do I really actually seriously have to bear an entire chapter without a single panel of a female character #Sorry I just miss Kyouka and Yosano and literally any character who isn't male sorry #I'm sorry my previous fandom gave me bad habits like. Finding good female representation in manga being the norm #//////////////#random rambles #tag later #Edit: Also wait am I the only one who when reading this chapter felt like... There was a whole chapter in between that got snitched #Like did Kunikida go out just like that? Lol #It's sad we didn't see more of it I like Kunikida fights

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cinnabeat · 2 years

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thinking about the rs arc in pokespe

#i really liked thr vibes going on in that arc #idk why #i want to say its when the stakes really went up a couple notches in the whole manga #it just felt more hmm. like the danger was well and truly real #i guess cuz rgby and gsc were more personal towards the drxholders #and in rs it was literally a world catastrophe lmao #and the split povs between ruby and sapphire was super interesting #i feel like the plot really kicked up a notch then you know? like characterization and alcharacter arcs and the complex plot #emerald is a good arc too but i like it more for emeralds characterization and development rather than the plot itself #cuz it piggy backed off of frlg which was ALSO good just cuz of the symbolism and metaphors and whatever the fuck #like the THEMES MAN omg so good #but yeah rs is by no means my fave arc nor the best one (thats bw for both) (not bw2 tho that sucked ass)#but rs is still like. i was gonna say second fave but thats actually dppt lmao so third fave #i havent really read xy but i heard it was good but i think the quality from blxy onwards sucked #or bw2 onwards sucked #i think bc theres literally a pokemon game every what 1 1/2 years? super unsustainable when ur trying to make a story out of the games #although sm was pretty interesting before i stopped reading #idk i guess it just started sucking more bc like. the coveted dexholder title is just no longer a thing #like they still get titles but having a pokedex just isnt special anymore which makes sense chronologically but at the same time its like #idk i just miss seeing old characters #like u know how percy jackson shows up in literally all the books whether hes plot relevant or not #i always joke about wanting him to rest but it IS nice to see him regardless and helping younger demigods #like i miss that about pokespe #like the original decholders stopped making appearances in main title arcs in dppt but their influence was still THERE you know?#idk how to articulate this properly #tldr i think writing quality has dropped and i feel awful for thinking that #michi tag

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trashlie · 2 years

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Please tell me about your shoujo journey. Do you think Skip Beat will outlast ILY? 😂 The pacing is on a whole other level of slow, I gave up on it, two decades running and Kyoko's only aged a year damn! I understand the frustration with the flashback, it is quite sluggish, but we're seeing the true impact Alyssa had on Shinae's trust, how it affects her relationship with Nol now, and what it means for them in the future. Plus we're getting some vital Alyssa content. I feel like she's become even more ambiguous to me. I have no idea where her head is at. I miss reading your analysis. I'd love discuss to her with you after the arc ends and we get our long awaited Shinae x Nol moment. It's been so loooong since we've seen them.

OOOOOHHHHHHH MY GOD ANON LMAO that question just made me pause HARD lmaooooooo. Listen. For alllllll the shit people say about ILY, I just feel it in my BONES that Skip Beat will outlast EVERYTHING lmaoooooooooooo GOD. Like, I'm sorry but ANY TIME people talk about slow pacing I'm just like.... I'll read this whole 30, 50? page chapter and WHAT HAPPENS? HOW MUCH TIME PASSES? NONE! lmao I like to do an annual "catch up" on Skip Beat now and then (when I remember lol). Like I LOVE that the mangka made it about more than just Kyoko's love life but also MAN each acting project is literally years long for us as readers!!!!!!!! lmao thanks to Skip Beat I have the patience to weather ANYYYYTHIIIIIIING hahahahahaha. Taking three months to get through a flashback arc? I can handle it! ILY could take 10 years to reach completion and I'd be, frankly, okay, because at least it could wrap up faster than Skip Beat ever could LMAO (and honestly like... 10 years of solid story telling is pretty ace in my book but that's a whole other thing lmao)

As for my shoujo journey, I'll be honest, it's not SUPER long! I didn't start reading manga until I was graduating high school, so by the time I started to dig into things, after some time I found myself growing out of it? Or, rather no it was more like... there's just a lot of tropes that were present in shoujo I was finding I wasn't into? (Like, oh my god so many triangles where I'd be like MEH I actually prefer the second lead. I learned very fast that a lot of your typical "first leads", at least back in the day, were NOT my style.) I still have a soft spot for a lot of stories that I loved, though! I haven't read Lovely Complex since god probably 2014, 2015? But I STILL loved it back then and I'm really eager for a re-read. I uh.... I really went through a Hirunaka no Ryuusei phase? Like.... lmaoooo it was a Big Thing for me hahhaha (I own the series in Korean, actually!!!!) My first two manga, though, were Skip Beat and Hana Kimi; my friend bought me the first Skip Beat volume at our school book fair and another friend bought the first few volumes of Hana Kimi and shared them with me! Hana Kimi is one of those that like.... you know it doesn't hold up over time, it leans heavily on tropes that are considered ethically nonos these days, but it stays special to me because in spite of all of that, idk I just! Enjoyed it! And now that I'm older I am okay saying "I LIKE THIS THING THAT IS FLAWED AND IMPERFECT AND I DO NOT NEED TO DEFEND IT" lol you know? There was the obligatory Vampire Knight phase that I finally fell out of but OOOF that was A Thing. (I was SO obsessed with it at first lol and I LOVED the art sooooo much that I read another series by the mangaka, MeruPuri which, frankly, was REALLY weird so nothing about Vampire Knight actually surprised me ngl LMAOOOOOO) You know I remember once starting Special A but I do not think I ever finished that! I put myself all the way through Ao Haru Ride even though I kept telling myself I needed to drop it and pretend it didn't exist. God what a trainwreck that one was lol like.... idk I'm not saying this as a dig to people who did enjoy it! There were just times I wanted to enter that story and punch people lmaoooo but I wonder what I would think if I went back and read it again now in the vein of like.... sometimes people are selfish and make bad choices because they are human? lol I also REALLY loved Orange but I'm going to admit I haaaaaaaaaaaaaated the ending and to this daaaaaay I haaaaaaaaaaaated it so much but that's a whole other post lol. LOVED the story, LOVED the art, was super into the theme, but just hated the execution of the ending SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH ;A;

lol I said it's not super long but look at me, rambling on and on!

I know no one is surprised that I wound up talking A LOT and just.... following, there's so much ILY rambling going on about why I appreciate and enjoy this flashback arc, and how I think it boosts the rest of the story so far lol so here's a read more, haaaha.......

I definitely feel you on how Alyssa feels even more ambiguous lol which is so funny. I love the insight and having a better idea of who she is as a person, even if we still don't fully know all of her motives. Just seeing her as a complex character like everyone else has been great. We all know I'm a sucker for parallels lol and seeing how everyone has their own traumas, that everyone has a root for who they are, is the stuff that keeps me hooked on ILY. Alyssa was very easily written off by people and I don't defend her or anything - I really hope we get to see her take responsibility for her actions and ownership for the hurt she has caused, whether on purpose or not - but also, it always felt like she was suuuuuuuper reduced down by fandom on a whole. I think a very human thing quimchee is good at capturing is that we don't always mean to hurt the people we do, but it still happens, and that sometimes good intentions can make things worse in the longrun - and this can go for Alyssa towards Nol or Shinae, frankly.

Honestly, too, something I love about her is like... like you know how if you read a novel, the protagonist is supposed* to be the character who makes the right choices and does good things? And when people are presented an "unlikable protagonist" it's usually a character who is acting on their emotions and responding to their experiences - it's a character making the choices that we ourselves might make. (* I'm saying "supposed" here because a protagonist DOESN'T have to make the right choices, but it turns out people really hate media where female characters make selfish choices lmaoooo) I guess that's what I like seeing about Alyssa in this flashback. I've seen a lot of people say that Alyssa is weak for caving to peer pressure or something but like... was that not the middle school experience? I don't know a lot of people who were super self-assured and full of confidence in middle school - but especially someone in Alyssa's position who has never really interacted with kids her own age and is so afraid of ostracization. Like a lot of the woven storylines of ILY, something I love is that we are shaped by our experiences, right? Most people never faulted Shinae for shutting down and putting up strong defenses when we first met her in the story, because we know she'd been screwed over by life and people and as people who have been there before, we understand self-preservation tactics. She even basically admits it herself that she WANTED to open up to people. Shinae wasn't guarded because she hated people, she lied to herself because of how much she'd been hurt and she was afraid to take that chance again and try it. Shinae is afraid to be burned, Alyssa is afraid for people to ever have a chance to burn her. It's so inherently HUMAN to be afraid of being alienated, to want to BELONG, to want to feel like you fit in. She faces a daily crisis in how she is desperate to belong with people who might not accept her if they knew what she was truly like.

And idk, I cannot fault her for that completely, because it took me until my early-to-mid-20s to learn to be okay on my own and that it was better to be myself than try to fit in where I wasn't wanted. I put up with shitty friendships for a long time because I had myself convinced that it was all worth it. So a middle schooler struggling with this is SO VERY real, and it's wild to me to see people fault her for this. Alyssa has done some things worth being mad about, but seeing her written off for being a human middle schooler is WILD to me.

That's a whole other tangent LOL but it's something I haven't really gotten around to ever talking about. Like, whatever, I cannot - and I won't even try lol to - convince people to like Alyssa, but frankly, I think all of the characters of ILY are SO dimensional and fascinating, how can I not enjoy exploring parts of their story? I think sometimes people think that if I say "I enjoy a character" it means I endorse everything they do. I DO like Kousuke and Alyssa. Would I want to be their friends? Good grief, no. But I'm here as an observer of a story and I think it's fascinating to see how their experiences bring about the circumstances of this story. That moment of dramatic irony when Alyssa promises that she won't stop being Shinae's friend, but we know how it all ends, we all know that's a promise she does not keep, and we know how those events affect Shinae and much of the story that unfolds!

how it affects her relationship with Nol now

I feel like this is something that doesn't come up a lot? Or maybe I just missed any period of fandom when they might have discussed it? Like.... if Shinae hadn't been burned like this by Alyssa, she wouldn't carry the paranoia she does - not about Maya and Rika and certainly not about Minhyuk. Even to this day, we saw that Shinae worries that even the people she trusts are humoring her - because she's been there, she trusted someone who hurt her. The entire trajectory of her relationship with Nol would be completely different! A really beautiful aspect of Nol and Shiane's friendship to me is not just that he managed to make Shinae open up - it's that now that we know how Shinae lied to herself, how she was hurt in the past, how trusting people burned her so badly - but the fact that despite everything she'd been through, she WANTED him to be someone she could trust, she WANTED him to be worth letting down her guard.

Like, again!!!!! Everything that happens in this story only does so because of circumstances and events that precede it. Shinae going to Nol's school was not just because she wanted to check on and see her friend - she was desperate to prove herself wrong, desperate for Nol to prove that he was worth the chances she took, that trusting him was not another mistake she knew better than to make.

I think a flashback arc shows us more than just insight into her relationship with Alyssa, which we've established was something very important, something special that was destroyed. It's the juxtaposition of pre-accident Shinae, who was willing to open herself up, who was plucky and bullheaded and just wanted to be appreciated it. Contrast that with the Shinae we meet early in the story, who has herself convinced it's okay to be alone, when now we know she was yearning to be appreciated, maybe yearning for someone to fight for her the way she fought for Alyssa but believed that something like that wasn't possible. I think we also see the flashback because while we've seen some of the ugly moments of Shinae's life, we never really saw how we went from this point to that point, you know? How there are small pockets of things in her life that make her want to keep believing in what she knows better than to believe - in teachers who listen to her when she tells the truth, in friends who stand up for her and defend in - even as her life starts to crumble. She can't escape her past, she's literally being haunted by it, even as she tried to put it all behind her. Her father is falling more and more into alcoholism due to stress from school plus his job, and soon he's going to be saddled with medical bills and having to take care of Shinae, which is probably what derailed school completely. THESE are the experiences that made the Shinae we know - a Shinae who is TERRIFIED of being hurt but also LONGS to be proven wrong, a Shinae who wants to share an experience she thought maybe she doesn't deserve, a Shinae who quietly believed maybe the universe just wanted to punish her for existing but still tries so hard to defy it.

Idk like yes we get that sense of Shinae without the backstory, but I think it really emphasizes this so much more? And I think it's also some kind of proof, maybe, that Alyssa IS more important than people have given her credit for, not just in the past but also in the future of the story. She doesn't exist just to move plot and drive wedges between relationships or something lol she, too, a complex character with complex experiences and god isn't that the sum of so many moments of people headbutting? That we are complex and sometimes struggle to see beyond our own issues, because what we deal with blinds us? Alyssa is blinded by her desire to escape her family and experience something NORMAL and be liked. Maybe she DOES want attention! Kousuke is blinded by a sense of destiny instilled in him since he was young, blinded by paranoia that fed off of this "destiny", blinded by his inability to accept his father's human nature, blinded by his fear that the only thing that makes him matter to his father is threatened. We met Nol thinking he was a character who looked out for others but even he's been blinded by his misery and by the feelings of worthlessness that has been punched down into him.

We butt heads with people because sometimes we are so caught up in our own struggles that it's hard to understand that others struggle, too, and I think that's where some of the best conflict comes. Like yeah there's good conflict in "Shinae has been roped into attending this horrible formal" but there's something poignant and painful in "Shinae unintentionally repeated the Alyssa cycle when she let Nol in" and even BETTER we get to see how she's grown from it!

This is, as always, lmao a very rambling tangential departure from the main point lol but!!!!! I have had a lot of feelings here and I know part of peoples' irritation is they want to get back to Nol and Shinae right now, but I think seeing Shinae's past helps create even MORE appreciation for what Nol means to her - that he is someone who hurt her but she is still willing to give another chance - and moreover, that we can see that though Shinae came from a loving home, she, too, has suffered her own abuse, was battered and beaten down by people, and unlike Nol, she was able to conclude it doesn't make her bad. Idk it's so beautiful to me and I get really overwhelmed lol it makes me appreciate their friendship SO MUCH more, for what they mean to each other and what they can be, you know? Seeing Shinae's resilience, through the new girl at middle school hoping to start all over to failing at that to putting up that guarded wall to finally taking a chance, finally giving in and accepting that yes, she still has hope, there's still faith, and Nol was that spark. UGH!

ANYWAY lol I do think we are probably nearing the end of this flashback arc. I don't know how many episodes I think remain - I generously said less than 10 a week or two ago lol but I think that was very generous. The timeline (and Alyssa's behavior) feels like we are approaching the point of Alyssa pushing Shinae and YES i will be so happy to go over the whole arc with you!!! I've been wanting to make a post that I keep holding off on, because I don't know if it would be better to do it now or wait for the whole arc to end, but I think there's a good conversation to be had about how a lot of Alyssa's behavior is directly tied to her homelife - how it's implied her father is someone who, at the very least, shouts a lot - and how that ties into her deflective, people-pleasing nature. Again, Alyssa is not really a spineless, MEAN-spirited person. She, like everyone else, is just the sum of her experiences, and I don't think she's learned to deal with them in a healthy way. (And frankly speaking, what about her relationship with Nol IS healthy anyway?)

I know this is so much more than you bargained for lol but you KNOOOOWWWW I love these asks and it HAS been so long since I got to just.... ENTHUSE about this - not just try to analyze or talk about what an episode has revealed but just GUSH about it lol so I could not help myself! But yes, once this arc ends, I will be READY to dissect and discuss EVERYTHING. I feel so emotionally invested, knowing that Shinae is about to experience the worst burn of her life, while she's still so trusting and earnest and aaaahhhhhhhh it's going to HURT so much ;~; But in a maybe cathartic way. (Also, and this is something I should get to later, I think something big about this flashback is that, y'know, it's kind of implied that Shinae has repressed a lot of this. Her memories of the moment are hazy, Alyssa appeared in a series of people Shinae was shocked to realize she harbored so much anger towards. I think as much as this is for US to see exactly what happened, I think it's also kind of a wake up call for Shinae, who has repressed and ignored so much of this, and I'm really REALLY curious to see how she reacts after return to the present. Is she angry? Sad? Sad for her younger self? Is it cathartic for her? How raw is it? Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh)

#I Love Yoo #ILY Brainrot #Shinae Yoo #Alyssa Cho #Nol #Nolan Oliver T. Lochlainn #lol what was my nol tag? I just gotta create one for him i swear!#GOD it's been so long since I just gushed and rambled lol I AM SO SORRY FOR HOW MUCH I WROTE i do not know how to restrain myself #also just talking about shoujo again!!!!!!! i haven't really read a lot in a long time but i'd be liking if i pretended it wasn't a #sort of formative foundation you know? part of what was so fun about early ILY was the homage it paid to shoujo manga before it evolved #i'm sure i left off LOTS of manga too #i randomly think about heroine shikaku because i don't think there were many manga i saw as far through as that one that i HATED as much #LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO #IT WAS A COOL CONEPT AND IT WAS SO FOILED AND DISAPPOINTED?! i love the idea of girl believes she's the heroine of her life but SIKE SHE'S #NOT and has to learn to resolve that and yknow LET GO OF THE DUDE SHE OBSESSIVELY LOVES but they did not give me that story!!!!!!!!!!!!#anyway look i have really missed ILY asks like i just feel? weirdly? rejuvenated?#sometimes i receive an ask and i have to let it sit for a couple hours so i can mull over it and prepare myself but with this one i just #launched right in lol i was so excited to yell about shoujo and my eternal patience thanks to Skip Beat and this whole flashback and YES #what it means for her relationship with Nol! what it means for her as a person! what it means for the Shinae we first met vs who she is now #GOD i love her so much ;_____________; Shinae is so wonderful ;~;

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