#if no one's done later i'll do juvenile too

[odakuram]

ガッチュー！ English Translation

I GOT YOU! Music: Giga Lyrics: q*Left, Giga, Project VOLTAGE Illustration: Miwashiba Video: Okiku, Hissha Special Thanks: Sena Kiryuin, rachie Vocals: Miku, Rin, Len, KAITO (rap)

sick pallet and lavender town beats (translation and a LOT of notes under cuts--this is layered)

ぱらぱら　タウンマップひらいて 151のみちへ　ダイブ まっさらから　すすめ！

Opening up and flipping through the town map Dive into the town of 151 Let’s go forth with an empty palette!

Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ’em all! いないない　てか調子どう？ 見たことないあのポケモン 絶対勝ってそんでゲットだぜ！yuh

Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ‘em all! Can’t see me, or well, how’s it going? That Pokémon I’ve never seen before I’m definitely gonna win and get it, yuh!

オレが登場！ ヤル気熱量　結構 チャリのメンテもパーペキだろ✌ たまにはさ　ヤバいくらい かましてみたっていいじゃん　銘々 この世に1匹だけのスター どんなマシンも使えるってウワサ 旅のオトモにサイコソーダ 持ってロックオン　“I got you!”

I’m present! Fervor level’s just right I keep my bike in tip-top shape! ✌️ Once in a while, I gotta do a crazy hit on everything, one by one It’s the only star of its kind in this world I hear rumours that it can use any TM! Some Soda Pop for my pals on the journey Hold on to it, Lock On, “I got you!”

ゆけっ！　ピカチュウ！　フラッシュしてよ♪ まっくらで見えない　ズバットこわい(T_T) ちょっと待ってよ　おいてかないで やっと抜けたわ　ケイブ バタフリー　スターミー　進化したし　 タウリン？　ダウジング？　抜かりはないわ！ ピクニックなら　まかせなさいよ そんでそっこー　“アイガッチュー！”

Go, Pikachu! Use Flash! I can’t see in the dark, and Zubat is scary (T_T) Hold it there, don’t leave me here! I’ve finally got out of this cave! Butterfree, Starmie, they’ve evolved Protein? Dowsing? I won’t leave out a single thing! If it’s a picnic, leave it to me Then, there we go, “I got you!”

キャッチーなBeatになみのりでHeat (Up and up and up, and Up!) 草むら、海、空も　トンでノッてさぁ行こう どこへだって

The heat from surfing the waves, put it on a catchy beat (Up and up and up, and Up!) Fly and ride the grass, the sea and the sky, let’s go Wherever we want to!

Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ‘em all! いないない　てか調子どう？ 見たことないあのポケモン 絶対勝ってそんでゲットだぜ！yuh

Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ‘em all! Can’t see me, or well, how’s it going? That Pokémon I’ve never seen before I’m definitely gonna win and get it, yuh!

どこにもいないし　まじめなはなし 不思議なあの子　まぢまぼろし？ 探してない場所なんてのなくない？だし！ やだ　もう無理くない？ ただレベル上がるだけ⤵⤵ のんき　ようき　むじゃき　なんだっていいの！ ポケセン？　ゲーセン？　さすがにいないかｗ 「うんめいてきな　であい」　期待して “あいがっちゅー！”

It isn’t anywhere to be seen, this story’s for real That strange creature, is it really a Mythical? Seems like it’s in some place you can’t find? Or something like that! Nah, surely it’s not impossible? I just gotta level up ⤵⤵ Relaxed, Jolly, Naive, anything’s fine! Pokémon Center? Game Center? As I thought, it isn’t here, lol Expecting ‘a fateful encounter’, “I got you!”

ヤル気満点　バトルもGOGO！ トレーナー強すぎチャンピオンロード いっそ殿堂入りしてみんなで笑おう 極限Get up！

Fervor at the max, GOGO in this battle! The trainers are way too strong in this Victory Road I’d rather make everyone smile when I get into the Hall of Fame! At your very limit, get up!

ぱらぱら　タウンマップひらいて 151のみちへ　ダイブ まだまだ　まだ！　すすめ！

Opening up and flipping through the town map Dive into the town of 151 We’re not done here yet! Go forth!

キャッチーなBeatになみのりでHeat (Up and up and up, and Up!) 草むら、海、空も　トンでノッてさぁ行こう どこへだって

The heat from surfing the waves, put it on a catchy beat (Up and up and up, and Up!) Fly and ride the grass, the sea and the sky, let’s go Wherever we want to!

Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ’em all! いないない　てか調子どう？ 見たことないあのポケモン 絶対勝ってそんでゲットだぜ！yuh

Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ‘em all! Can’t see me, or well, how’s it going? That Pokémon I’ve never seen before I’m definitely gonna win and get it, yuh! Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ’em all!

Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ’em all! いないない　てか調子どう？ 見たことないあのポケモン 絶対勝ってそんでゲットだぜ！yuh

Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ‘em all! Can’t see me, or well, how’s it going? That Pokémon I’ve never seen before I’m definitely gonna win and get it, yuh! Chase down Mew! Gotta catch ’em all!

-----------

Minus the Pokemon names, all references have been linked in their first instances in the song.

This song is very Kanto centric and for the most part, everything in here references the original Gen I games, with the exception of the reference to the move, 'Lock On', which was introduced in Gen II. I wasn't 100% sure whether it was a deliberate reference or not, but following the logic from the Electricity Forecast translation (all phrases in hiragana are likely Pokemon references) I decided to count it.

まっさら (massara) is a reference to the Japanese name of the starting town in Kanto, Pallet Town (マサラタウン/Masara Town). This is my revenge for being unable to write that reference into the translation for Electricity Forecast when it appeared there. The song's intros are also set to Pallet Town's theme.

Miku, Rin and Len have designs based on certain trainer NPCs from the Gen I games; the Lass, Picnicker and Camper respectively. Only Rin directly references her trainer class in her lyrics, though (If it's a picnic, leave it to me).

Miku's rap section is set to the theme of Lavender Town, a town subject to many urban legends due to how unsettling the place was (a literal Pokemon graveyard). Fittingly, her part appears to reference the many rumours that the Pokemon Mew was subject to (if you've ever heard of Mew under the truck...). That being said, the line '不思議なあの子' would normally be translated as 'That strange girl' but since the song is about going after Mew, I chose to interpret 'あの子' to be referring to Mew, and thus wrote the line as 'That strange creature' instead.

On the note of Mew, Len's parts directly references some of the more iconic parts of Mew in gameplay--Mew being a Mythical means that only one of it exists per game copy (barring trades of course), and Mew is noted for being to learn almost every move--TMs are used to teach Pokemon new moves. Adding to that is the phrase 'A fateful encounter' from Miku's part. When you catch Pokemon, there’s a part in their summary that details where you got them. Mythical Pokémon like Mew always have the ‘fateful encounter’ detail in their summaries.

Finally, in regards to Rin's part, Flash is a move used to brighten caves in-game so that you can see where you're going. I have to mention this because they stopped needing the move Flash to progress in the games in the later games and some of you young'uns may not know the things we had to go through in the old games (just to clarify this is a joke)

#hatsune miku #kagamine rin #kagamine len #vocaloid #project voltage #pokemon #giga #giga p #translation #ガッチュー！ #I GOT YOU! #surprised no one on the wiki got to this song yet #if no one's done later i'll do juvenile too

[byler-4-life]

Okay I did it, lol. I spent way too much time on this, don't let it flop. Here's the evidence I could find both for against the Will's Birthday theory. Apologies for the length.

Simplest Explanation first.

THE DUFFERS AND EVERY SINGLE WRITER, CREW, AND CAST MEMBER FORGOT WILL'S BIRTHDAY:

The evidence for this point of view is pretty straightforward. First, the Duffers themselves, in two separate interviews, one in a article and another that was a sit-down video interview, said they simply forgot. They apologized profusely to fans, and to the character of Will Byers himself. In the second interview, they mentioned that they had received a master document of all important dates from a super-fan, so this wouldn't happen again. They confirmed they were likely going to go back and change the birthday to May 22nd, though...they haven't done so as of yet.

Secondly, it's pretty farfetched that every in-universe character completely and totally forgot Will's birthday. Even if they did have other shit they were dealing with. But really. You think Joyce is forgetting Will's birthday? Or Jonathan? Mike, maybe, for reasons I'll get into later. But still probably not. There's just not an explanation that makes sense to me, which is why I still kind of believe it was the Duffers mistake. However...

THE DUFFERS ARE LYING AND HAVE DROPPED EASTER EGGS THROUGHOUT THE SHOW AND OTHER PLACES TO HINT AT THIS:

Okay, so there's more in terms of sheer number of evidence for this, but it's not all compelling. There's not a definitive smoking gun. Just a bunch of small things, that might add up into something bigger.

So first under this is...what are the chances this was an accident? Like that's extremely bad luck for this day to be chosen by happenstance. 1 out of 365 days? That's 0.27%. Not even a full percentage point.

Next is...there's not a lot of dates to keep track of in Stranger Things. You're telling me that a whole room of writers, both of the Duffers, Shawn Levy, and the entire cast didn't remember this particular one? Possible I guess, but man. For a show that stresses the details like this one, it would be very disappointing.

So, I mentioned the interviews up top. This was from the first interview they did, when they were initially asked about it back on June 2nd:

RD and MD stand for Ross Duffer and Matt Duffer, and EXCUSE ME? "How do you want to respond to this?" I found this really curious, because if you forgot the birthday as the creators, isn't there only really one way to respond to this? That's a little suspicious. Was he asking Matt if they should reveal it is a plot point or not?

Next, we have two instances where forgetting Will's birthday has apparently already been a problem in the past, so would they really forget it again?

First we have this tweet from 2020, where someone on Twitter called out the Stranger Things Writers account for not acknowledging Will's birthday which had just passed in the real world:

You can see this is dated March 24, two days after Will's birthday. The D&D line was obviously related to Season 3 where Will wanted to play and no one else did. But the fact that they acknowledged a birthday being forgotten, and it just happened to be Will's, well...

Next instance is from the in-show universe. Creds to @beaulesbian for this post. Below we can see what looks to be some sort of card hung up in Will's room saying "forgot your birthday". It is present in S1 (first pic) and S2 (second pic):

The card appears to be cartoonish/juvenile, maybe coming from another member of the Party. As you can see, this is adding up to a lot of coincidences around Will's birthday being forgotten, both in and outside of the show. But wait, there's more!

We have two examples of dialogue from Season 4 having to do with forgotten birthdays in general. First is Murray, trying to get Joyce out of the motel so they're not late to meet the Russian smuggler:

Then we have Mike's convo with Suzie, trying to convince her they're trying to win a video game system for Dustin's birthday:

The interesting thing here is that you can see the puzzled look on Mike's face as he trails off, clearly not knowing what Dustin's birthday is off the top of his head. This correlates with the "I forgot your birthday" card referenced above. Maybe Mike is really bad with birthdays?

So that's it. If you believe the second set of evidence, you just have to convince yourself that Joyce was so shook about Hopper being alive, Jonathan was perma-stoned/so worried about his relationship with Nancy/college decisions, and Mike was so busy pretending to be straight being caught up with El, that they all forgot about Will's birthday.

If you made it this far, thanks, and let me know what side you're coming down on.

#byler #i spent far too long on what probably is just a continuity mistake lmao #slowly going insane #birthdaygate

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 28/03/2024

Logan Paul's Shop

Season 6 Featured on: 7 GRAND MAVERICK

Ripped by Retro Gaming

There's a pretty big day coming up ahead that I'm sure a lot of SiIvaheads are looking forward to - April Fools, or in other words the day where SiIvaGunner channel annually goes fucking bonkers for a bit. I've had a few ideas on what I myself should do on the blog to commemorate the day, and in that rumination for ideas I found myself going through the eight different April Fools events that the channel has done throughout the years. There are some that I've already covered on here - notably, the excellent but subdued bit played in Season 1 with Grand Dad Metropolis - and some you'll likely be seeing more of later, but one particular event stuck out to me as one I haven't really given too much thought since when it first aired. April Fools of Season 6, the Logan Paul takeover.

I don't think I've made it a secret on here that I think Jake Paul rips are some of the funniest on the entire SiIvaGunner channel. It's Everyday Bro just has such a miraculous blend of being at once inherently funny due to its associations and vocals, incredibly distinct in sound largely due to its beat, and incredibly effective due to just how PROMINENT Jake Paul is as a figure online. I mean really, It's Everyday Lake and Crompton Racing speak for themselves! But in the midst of all that fun, it sort of became my only perception of both Paul brothers in a way? The fact that they were actual people, and not just figureheads to be poked fun at through rips and other shitposts - such as Logan's infamous vacation to Japan - sort of gradually slipped my mind - and I'd completely forgotten that Logan Paul was like...still doing stuff? That made his sudden appearance on the channel on April Fools during Season 6 feel like one hell of a trip at first, but it was one that I quickly caught up on and was immediately on board with.

Because like yeah - at first when I think of this event, I think of all the rips featuring The Fall of Jake Paul, a song made by Logan specifically to mock It's Everyday Bro and Jake Paul in general. It's more of a diss track than it is an actual song, and it felt like the perfect anthem for the event as a whole. A "years later" response to the original Jake Paul takeover of Season 3; with Season 6 already being all about change and moving on, it was the perfect storm, the perfect call-and-response payoff. Those rips are what I remember most from the event, and also feel like they fit my perception of Logan Paul in general pretty perfectly, if that makes sense. The overly aggressive, energy-filled, hype beast-like behavior he has in The Fall of Jake Paul is just perfectly in line with everything I've seen of Logan Paul (and, honestly, is likely quite accurate to the kind of person he's been for most of his stardom). Those rips alone made the event special - but the reason I picked Logan Paul's Shop in particular is because it surprised me in the absolute opposite way. I'll admit it - I never knew that Logan Paul had bangers.

Be honest - if you'd just listened to the above linked rip whilst somehow not registering the title let alone gotten to this point in the text, would you be able to tell me that this is the same guy who made The Fall of Jake Paul? Sure, there are traces of Logan's trademark juvenility in it, 2020 is pretty explicitly a song about current-day topics with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and all that happened during it, there's clearly comedic intent throughout - but the overall vibe of Logan's performance feels far more lighthearted and chill on the whole, a far cry from the performative pretend-coolness or self-aggrandizing attitude of the songs that the Paul brothers are most well known for. That's not to say that 2020 is a masterpiece, but it genuinely caught me off guard when a rip first used it - and, if handled well, I feel like it could slot in perfectly with other hip-hop focused rips like Top of the Looping Steps or, perhaps more comparatively, Sidelined Symphony.

And indeed, as if it wasn't already heavily inferred: I think Retro Gaming went absolutely above and beyond in making Logan Paul's Shop. I'm actively trying to not feature more Undertale/Deltarune music on here than I have to, but its hard to avoid when so many rippers on the team are so proficient in getting the game to sound so damn good. This is at once a mashup between Undertale's Shop music with the aforementioned Logan Paul song, and a melodyswap - with the Shop music edited at several points to have its melody follow Logan's vocals. It's as if the rip ebbs in and out of being a melodyswap at the perfect times - for instance, the beginning of 2020's chorus is entirely vocals with no beat, and this effect is replicated by having Shop's lead instruments play perfect parity to the melody.

There's several little touches and quirks added to the rip throughout on top of it all - a nod to Omori song 100 Sunny (a whole year before it would become a prominent meme on TimmyTurnersGrandDad?), the instruments of the Wii Shop Channel playing when the lyrics mention "Credit Card Dept", an entire segment suddenly using the instruments to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's shop theme - none of these things detract from the core vibe of the rip, carried by 2020's vocals, melody and beat, yet they keep the experience incredibly varied and at points funny in a "mild chuckle" sort of way. Finding new ways to keep the joke of the rip novel is one of my favorite things to see in rips, I recall You Are Book Smart standing out to me earlier this year for specifically that reason - and this is already on top of Logan Paul's Shop being inherently novel in concept alone!

Because really: I don't think anyone was going into the Logan Paul takeover expecting to find bangers not born out of irony. That is not to say that the rips using The Fall of Jake Paul *aren't* bangers (again; these were the rips I was considering on featuring today to begin with!), but that they're bangers in a very different sort of way. I love rips like GREAT DABS - Jake Paul's Bizarre Adventure: Christmas is Lit because they're able to take obnoxious music and remix it in a way that makes them work - the rippers' is, through their sheer skill, take otherwise rather cringeworthy music and make it work beautifully in their arrangement. Logan Paul's Shop surprised me because it goes completely against that formula, the formula I'd thought was set-in-stone for personalities as obnoxious as the Paul brothers, and is a genuinely great rip whilst using genuinely pretty-good music as the primary source. Retro Gaming went above and beyond in a way that he really didn't need to in order for the larger Logan Paul event to work, and I'm really thankful he did - getting to uncover gems like this is a huge part of why I love running this blog to begin with.

#todays siivagunner #season 6 #siivagunner #siiva #Retro Gaming #undertale #deltarune #utdr #mashup #mashups #rap music #logan paul #undertale music #utdr music #Youtube #Bandcamp

[arcanestudio108]

Bring Me The Horizon - Kool-Aid Review

Let's get something out of the way.

Yes, I'm aware Jordan is gone, and yes, I know he worked on this songs early stages and yet does not appear on the credits on Kool Aid.

But am I going to talk about “Post Jordan BMTH” throughout this review? FUCK NO.

I have questions, thoughts, and concerns, that I will NOT let take over the discourse of this song, I'll make a retrospective and rant article on it later (but hopefully not too much later). It's not that deep people (and if it turns out it is then I'll actually be worried)

So! Kool-Aid! Which as a brand can't be done with mixed caps like eVeRYthInG ElsE. But we got badass zombie Kool Aid man, so you win some and lose some.

Now we need to get something else out of the way immediately. It's heavy. Like potentially the heaviest shit they've done since Sempiternal or There is a Hell. We need to talk about it because that is also tainting the discourse around the song because the “Amo Bad, Sempiternal & Count Your Blessings Good” camp gets riled up when Bring Me gets heavy nowadays. We gotta combat that shit people. It's heavy, and I wanna say immediately that's not, in any way, a direct reason for why Im about to say that…

This is, HANDS DOWN, tying with Ludens for the best fuckin Post Human single, and is one of their absolute best showings upon first listen ever. And it has almost jack shit to do with it's heavy elements genre or BMTH era comparisons.

My fucking GOD, it's the first new, released in 2024 song I've heard and it probably could remain as my favorite song of 2024 through to the end of the year and beyond that. I do have one concern I'll mention here and expand on in that aforementioned later article I'm writing, but we'll get to that later.

Firstly, I'd like to say that my personal description of the theme of Nex Gen sonically, much like Survival Horror was “Sempiternal but Evolved” is very much “That's the Spirit (especially including Don't Look Down) but Evolved”. Kool-Aid takes that concept and not only runs with it, but also decides to throw the entire BMTH playbook in like they're adding pinches of other Kool-Aid (BMTH album era) flavors in to augment the red Kool Aids classic (That's the Spirit) flavor. Anybody who compares this mainly to anything other than That's The Spirit or maybe Survival Horror is wrong or lying, I'm not taking that back, I don't make the rules I follow them.

The star of this song is honestly that it was able to take the loose thread of the Church of Genxsis cult plot and the whole “Dark Side of Kool -Aid” that's kind of became a thing and wove it into every part of the lyrical content of this song without any of it coming off as cringy or juvenile. The song sound like both corruption and salvation, desperation & hopelessness, manipulation & rebellion. The entire chorus, the verses, every single line of this song is PERFECT. And yes I'm including ‘you should of known” in there. I think that grammatical error interpreted as a Sheffield-ism like examples of the same thing in earlier albums lyrics makes it better than the correct “should’ve” (or should have), it's a creative choice not an error, and you'll probably grow to like it too in time.

That’s what makes the song so powerful in general, but the focal point of the song is obviously the hook and overall chorus. My favorite choruses of Post Human, and BMTH overall, were dethroned the second I finished hearing that chorus in full. That chorus goes so fucking hard, Oli giving what may be simply his best clean singing to date, with a dark and desperate melody that hits the exact emotional beats it's going for. Then let's talk about the verses, which are more surprising in their switchups and flicker between styles even more effortlessly than Kingslayer did, I'd say it does so on par with 1x1 in fact.

Now of course it's heavy second verse, breakdown, and post-chorus near the end are breathtaking, but it's because of their unique and aesthetically interesting and well textured guitar work and the tones the guitar lines are played with, the surprise of hearing them, and just the overall groove and improvement in their quality that didn't exist in their idolized older material. It's that they work equally well with all four vocal tones Oli employs on this track, and work cohesively with the melodic elements to create the intended effect of the song.

Some have questioned whether Oli’s vocals were mixed down on the track, I disagree, and would put forth the theory that in fact the guitars were mixed up, to the levels they would have been at circa Sempiternal/That's The Spirit, so both guitars and vocals exist equally as much instead of vocals at the forefront

As for production: I really like Zakk Cervini’s production in general, he’s credited on multiple of my favorite rock and core genres across the past decade. Given his work with BMTH to date I figure hes probably a best case scenario for production that isn't Jordan, alongside Dan Lancaster. Aside from that personnel wise theres a few things to look at. Firstly theres a writing credit to someone listed as DAIDAI. I looked up their name on genius and came out with a handful of songs they have been credited on (could be relatively new to the industry, however its also worth noting they are credited on AmEN! and DArkSide), I will listen to is credited songs real quick then come back….

Woosh, Im back

So turns out DAIDAI is a member of Japanese metalcore band Paledusk. And as for his credits its the aforementioned last three Nex Gen singles, four Paledusk songs, a Lil Uzi Vert song, and a Shinigami song. I listened through them in the hopes of figuring out exactly what DAIDAI contributed, and… honestly I’m not sure. He at absolute least occasionally has produced the bands songs, and is their guitarist. Listening to the aforementioned tracks I figure he could be responsible for just about any of it. However my money would be that his influence is somewhere in the breakdown or verses, but then again Paledusk has some pretty kickass chorus melodies and hooks, so I genuinely can't say I know where his influence is in the recent BMTH singles.

Lucy Landry is Zakk Cervini’s partner, I found 3 credits on genius, turns out she's done backing vocals on the last 3 Waterparks albums, a couple tracks on Good Charlotte's album Generation Rx, and a Fever 333 song.

Phil Gornell was assistant engineer, his credited discography includes All Time Low, Noah Finnce, Hot Milk, While She Sleeps, a punk goes pop cover by Boston Manor, the Youngblood era live album 5 Seconds of Summer Released, and from BMTH, hes credited as drum engineer on Sempiternal, and assistant engineer on both versions of Ludens.

Julian Gargiulo was credited alongside Cervini as a mixing engineer, hes credited as Assistant Mixing Engineer and Primary Mixing Engineer on Architects most recent single Seeing Red, and DArkSide respectively. His two other two credits of note are as Producer and engineer across 5 different EP’s by a band called Chronologist, and contribution of some Guitar work and Engineering on the As It Is record The Great Depression.

As for what all of this means? Ive heard most of the material that Ive listed alongside those names, and it looks like they've been building this production team up throughout the Post Human era, and I would say its a considerably strong one after hearing Kool-Aid.

Lets give my last thoughts to the outro and another thing people have said was an "omission", I agree with everyone elses assessments on it, its part behind the scenes voice note, part outro & part transition into ToP 10 STatUeS THAT CRiED BLooD. I like that its there and hope it does remain there on the album. As for the apparent "omission" of "Oh Yeah?" I think that the songs more serious, lass meme take on using the Kool-Aid references is actually a GREAT thing, and secondly I think I'd only have wanted it were this a faster paced, Let's Get This Party Started style song.

I give the song a 100, It easily earns it. Okay, I think that's everything …..

👀.

Oh yeah, the thing I'm concerned about that's going to be the third BMTH article I have planned for this month.

Its heaviness is my concern, let me explain.

My concern is this, on one hand you could assume this just means they are trying to make the individual parts of Post Human more cohesive than initially planned. But has anybody else heard the alleged information leaks coming from someone claiming to have an inside source says its 15 tracks long, and all the material that we haven't heard yet was created in the liminal space between Jordan leaving the tour and the official band departure announcement? Combine that with the fact that the heavier songs were originally supposed to be meant for later eps, and that leads to this conundrum: Its an album, it looks like RCA is planning on registering it as such rather than as an EP after all (likely for charting and awards purposes that I personally believe are why Survival Horror was snubbed by the Grammy’s/Recording Academy), its an album that due to its physical release having to be 6 months delayed after its official release in the early summer, won't be followed up by another release until 2025 in all likelihood. Ludens was released in 2019, Post Human could technically be said to celebrate its 5th anniversary as an era by the approximate time of the Nex Gen physical copy release date. Its an album thats now 4 years post its predecessor, in a series of four thats complete release finish line seems to jump farther down the road every time progress is made. I’m worried they are planning to kill off Post Human after Nex Gen drops to skip over it and start just releasing singles like they had planned to at the whole “4 EP’s, 1 year” stage of this era. And I have a whole fucking article in the works about why I think that hopefully wont happen.

But yeah, the song slaps go stream it to make it chart higher cos the band deserves it okay bye

Tyler108x

#metal #metalcore #song review #music #bring me the horizon #kool aid

[nikethestatue]

Hello, this is going to be long, but I really need to ask. Why do you claim to like and support Vassien, even reblog Vassien posts and fanart, but then reblog Elriel posts that speak bad about Lucien?? Is not even critizing the character, is calling him a shitshow and even worse. As a Vassien shipper I don't like this. I follow you for your Elriel and Elain content but I can't understand why you do this. Many Elriels say they like Vassien but I've seen them writing about how much they dislike and even hate Lucien, even in the Lucien tag. I like both Elriel and Vassien and I don't get why you would spend so much time in a character you loathe. Some even called him an abuser and days later reblogged a post about how Vassa and Lucien are going to be endgame. If they think he's an abuser, why do they ship him with Vassa? Some even participated in Vassien week, which happened recently. This annoys me because I think it's very hypocritical. The Vassien community is small and some of us are usually into other ships too. We try to keep our community umproblematic and positive but is very hard like this. And I say this because most of the people doing that are Elriels. I do thank the ones that actually ship Vassa and Lucien because they like them and create content but the people that ship Vassien and then spend hours online writing about how much they hate Lucien need to be stopped.

Quite simple, really. I am not a monolithic person who only likes ONE THING.

I can like and appreciate various characters, and still see that they are flawed and imperfect.

In my house, I love and respect Nesta Archeron--can I also say that she was an absolute douchebag at certain times? Can I say that she was incredibly rude, petulant, self-pitying, lazy and mean? Totally. But she is a complex character, to whom I relate on many levels, whose pain I understand, and whose reactions I get as well. I KNOW I'd behave very similarly in some instances. She is a mirror to myself and I don't always love what I see.

Do I love Rhys? Yes! He was my first ACOTAR love. Do I have a problem with some of his decisions? You bet! Do I hate how he treated some of his closest people, including Feyre? Um, YEAH.

Same goes for Lucien. Has he done good things? Yes. Has he done bad things? Also, yes. No he is not a perfect cinnamon roll who's never put the wrong foot forth. He is a pretty complex and interesting character like a lot of them are.

Do I like Vassien as a ship? Yes, because it makes sense to me, and I would like to see it happen. It makes a whole lotta more sense than Elucien for example. But honestly, if I see great Elucien art, or something that I find interesting and attractive, I'll reblog that too, so much so that people ask me if I am an Elucien? I am not, obviously, but it doesn't mean that I can't appreciate certain things about the ship.

Also, when I reblog certain things, it doesn't mean that I agree 100% with everything that they say. Yeah, the verbiage of the original post was a little rough, but I agreed with the general sentiment.

Now, just for future reference, for everyone--the only ship that i cannot stand, will never support and that genuinely gives me the heebies is Gwynriel. I cannot deal with Gwynriel on any level: I don't like anything about it, I hate the potential dynamic, I hate how problematic it is on every level, I find it ridiculous, juvenile, boring, uninspiring, recycled and unoriginal.

It doesn't mean that I hate Gwyn or Azriel. I simply hate them together as a romantic couple.

Lucien and Vassa together intrigue me, I think there is a lot to work with there, from a narrative standpoint. I think they could have an amazingly interesting story. But it doesn't mean that anyone is above criticism.

That's all. Also, I am too old for extremism. Time mellows all things.

[saecoyle]

Some days after the end of S11..

I have a full wrap of my opinions about the SKAM France seasons from season 5 to 12 coming soon... But I wanted to write about S11 in details, so I don't forget my current opinion after a daily watch - which will be very different from my opinion probs one year later, as I will hopefully get the rest of the gen or just rewatch that season.

Firstly first about the main; I adored Rym.

I have a file for that type of characters, the ones that can't process their grief or any situation that happened. And I enjoy how from Lola to Rym, with Bilal and Maya, grief is always a theme with difference nuances in it. For Rym it was the loss of the person she loved the most. Her grandma, but also her only parental figure as she ever remembered. We don't know a lot at first (hence why I think a rewatch will make me love the season harder, as you get more clues at the start, knowing everything), but we know one thing. Rym is angry. About her fate, about how life got so unfair since she found the firefighters outside of her house.

At the start of the season Rym also experiences denial for what she did. So not only the death of her grandma feels unfair to her but also her mother's choice of letting her to other people, as well as her only friend - and crush, to me - rejecting her for that. It is sure, as soon as we discover episode 4 that Rym has severe anger issues and seek destruction as well as escapism that can be filled by the adrenaline of stealing, putting things on fire and more...

And I love it. Because prior other seasons, that also treated and basically always treats of very gray characters. It is very hard for the public to see her as fully white, when you make it her whole theme.

This is something that annoyed me back then, not holding any mains accountable for what they've done in the past. Because to me, gray characters are way more interesting than all white ones, mostly when they're teens, when there is a possibility of evolution.

Moreover, I love that Rym is a teen, from start to end. When she goes throught her difficulties she's a teen. When she hurts people she's a teen, when she cries, when she falls in love. Even when she's unable to sleep because of the gravity of her acts, she doesn't feel like a 16 year old trying to be an adult. She feels like a 16 year old in a teenager situation, that can be has hard as an adult's one, but still belongs to her.

And that is important.

A thematic that belongs to her; And to the writer!

When I read the first articles I was a bit scared. SKAM France has it's backstory of poor writing considering main and secondary characters that aren't white. Or of any characters that has an identity they ignores or do not share, mostly (Something I'll talk in that next post, that will surely be a novel long atp).

Well, I still don't know if the writing team is finally as diverse as it should be (we barely know anything about the headwriters, that probably are too scared to experience the same thing as the previous writers did), and I don't think it is my role to argue if anything hit or missed considering Rym not being white (because I am very white and french and I don't think I know better than the actress, writers and people concerned themselves) - so if it's the case I let everyone speak abt it in the comments. I have though something to say about the theme, and it's how I love when writers actually knows and experienced their subjetcs.

It's something I already said for S7, season about maternity. It is awesome to have someone leading a season that they care about for that reason. And you see it, and you feel it. Because the characters never feels like the support of their theme, or the other around, but both of theme and main are merged so equally that it becomes one.

By Rym (and Zélie), we discover how juvenile delinquency can start (after a huge shock and changes, family dysfunctions, group effect, feeling of abbandonment, anger issue, self destructions habits). How it looks like (conflict, misbehavior, stealing, putting things on fire, putting yourself in danger or even harming someone). The consequences of it (nights in detention, criminal record, even more family conflicts and the possibility of being judged, by the court, the teachers and everyone around her). How it can go further, (to juvenile detention or, in Rym's case: running away, homelessness) and how it can be stopped, how can Rym herself turn the page of this part of her life. And discover a new one.

I wishh; We are gonna get more or her in the next season(s).

And particularly her friend group - the weirdos.

Look I love the cringe-ness of that name, and the fact it was given as a judgment? And they embraced it? Very cool of them, very edgy. Very me. From the one we know the most to the less I have some nuanced, opinions abt them.

For Cléo, we see him for the first time in the very second clip of the first episode. Cléo looks at Rym first, while she's being bothered already by Félix, the N°1 Shithead of Dorian High-School at the moment. He's the first one that includes Rym in the group, one part (to me) because he sees in her someone that he can trust about not liking that so called Clones group. One another part because it's obvious that Cléo had an immediate crush on her. He's the love-interest of the season and not really a major character in Rym's change, while still being a huge part of her support system. He also brings the non-binary representation that I deeply needed for at least 10 seasons of that show, and that was surely maybe needed to explain a bit more (and hope it will in S12) because I have seen for the past months a lot of confusion - if not blatant transphobia.

Since the first episode - second clip we are introduced to him and his PRONOUNS. They are not a question, they are not even french neutrals that are still in debate for some, along with the full inclusive langage. Cléo casually is non-binary and for us as for his other friend he always has identified as non-binary, compared to Max in S7 it is not even a thematic, as we never presents what it is to be trans and non gender comforming. That choice was made and honestly would have been even better if no one took his gender as a insult and decided to hate him more than any. other. characters. Including the bullies, including the foster parents with a huge (white for Sophie) savior complex.

And I don't say Cléo is perfect. Cléo is at Daphnée and or Jo's image a very complex character since the start. We see him get a lot bullied by his ex-bestfriend's friends (and he probably also participated in it). We see him shifting in class, which (to me) is a bit concerning for his own sanity to be honest. In general, from Rym's point of view, she always seem to catch Cléo in situations that can make him almost crack his self confidence shell. As Daphnée, as Jo or even as Basile, Cléo has some tendencies to be very hyper and focused on apparances, during the season he has issue with trusting Rym as she has her own secrets. And it is obvious this is absolutly not about Rym, but especially about himself, linked to his past demons.

We also learn from Jade that she only knows him from september. Meaning he was probably all alone for a long moment. I am sorry but I can't not feel empathy for a such character, and I know he has much more to offer in the next season(s), mostly with Maël's right now.

For Yanis, he probably is the fan-favorite right now. And he kindaa deserves it. I don't know if it's N'Landu Lubansu chemistry with everyone on screen, or Yanis very refreshing writing but I kinda adore his character. We see him for the first time as Rym mocks his style along with Zélie, and I kinda love the way he was presented as a random guy who likes hicking, gaming and axolotls like many teenage boys. But as we discovers him, we see a much more interesting character.

Yanis lives alone with his mother, that is not only a bit strict but also the new Headmaster of Dorian High-School. As it is - he completly lives inside the school and knows everything about everyone new. That's how he learns about Rym's past and how he is way more understanding about her lying, as he starts to gets her both sharing abandonment issues. More like characters like Redouane and others Yanis is very outside of toxic masculinity. His bestfriends doesn't share his interest, as well as he doesn't feel ashamed or see any issues about wearing his mom's clothes or make-up. He doesn't play either in the - sex comptetition or stuff like that, compared to Pablo and Félix as we're starting to see in the current season.

He also adds the mlm representation to the generation. Yeah you heard me, more than 1 representation, a mlm rep that isn't white. It's almost as if they actually listened to their public this year. I would personally say (or headcanon) that he is pansexual. As it was never said it is very implied that Yanis corresponds under the bi umbrella, and that he actually doesnt care about how his partner presents. He falls in love with another gamer- which brings up e-relationships to the table, as risky as it can be, as cool as it can be. At the end of the season we learns that the so called Piranha is a boy, called Cyril. I really love how this generation portrays teenage relationships and it's nuances, it's diversity and everything. How nice it is to see relationship that will not end in misery, or that are as serious as it can be when you're sixteen, and as unserious as it can be. Also, If my headcanon is right I feel like it's a very very neat upgrade on how the show writes queer people and mostly people under the bi umbrellas (Elliot, Alexia, Lola) as the first gen really enjoyed cheating tropes and bi and panphobic partners for them (even tho I kinda liked seeing Maya get a bit toxic-dumb untrusting because of her breakup. love her). Yanis doesn't need to sleep with both women and men to justify who he is, as well as Rym doesn't need many experiences to know she's gay.

Anyway, he's a character I really want to see more. But as my misfortune made all my faves NOT have a season, for each gens ever I am not gonna wish that for him. Please let him shine. He's way too cool 4 school. :(

For Jade, welll we don't know that much about her. We met her at the same time as Cléo, and not only she is very focused in her own world. She's a very unique type of character that we haven't really seen in the show, but we could (?) see some ressemblances among both Elliot, Noé and Alexia. Jade is a very exentric character by her way of dressing herself, her family - being part Irish but also having a grandparent (Pamie) almost written by Wes Anderson - and her own universe. She says what she wants, does what she wants, is a part of a circus classes and doesn't really care about what people say or not understanding some of the social cues.

Of course a lot of people (me in it) pointed that Jade had many many hints for her to be neurodivergent. And honestly I do hope it is the point because as much as I relate to her, I also feel that she could educate a lot of people on the fact that autistic people doesn't especially mean a man, nor a genius, nor someone that can't mask.

I don't know yet what will be about her character, tho it seems obvious that her character will be important in the current season. Her mom Poppy seeming to appear in it, as well as circus friend Idriss and she already has started to show up (some minutes ago,, lmfao). I'm very curious, since she obviously has a crush on Maël for a while now. There is a possibility her story gets to be told, honestly I'm hyped because I love dearly all the members of the weirdos group.

They all give me comfort and an happy feeling that Lamif also made me feel for a while. A family that Rym deserves and that I hope, Maël will feel the need to join too!

I am almost finished with that novel-lenght review; I have to talk about the other characters.

There is many other interesting things to say about this season. How grief is handled, how abandonment is depicted - not only by her mother but also by her bestfriend Zélie. Her bond from her grandmother, to her own mother. Reuniting after both have lost someone. I particularly love that - at the end of the season they do bond over their traditions and religion, that they both shared with the same person back then. Mostly because since S4 badly written season, only Redouane's and Jo's family had some hints to be muslim and jewish, but as well as Redouane himself, that got ignored in the last two seasons. In general I have some critics to make probably around the lack of clips in some manners - like with her foster family or else. But I feel like in general, there is always a season in the year - duo that lacks more clips than the other, more ofter because they can't provide as much or they are told to cut it from the full show. It is sad, but as I am peaceful about it being the first season ever of the gen, it also shows that not everything is done for Rym.

She still has a lot more time to evolve fully. And I will hopefully be there to see that.

#skam france #skam france season 11 #rym brahimi #cléo nln #jade nln #yanis toussaint #very big rant #thoughts abt S11

[casualtheoriesandthoughts]

Why Chainsaw Man is irritating and absurd, but is still not bad. (Spoilers ahead.)

When I saw the first episode of Chainsaw Man, I was immediately put off by Denji's juvenile behavior, his sexual appetite being his only apparent motivation for doing anything (that, and staying alive to "preserve [his] new lifestyle"). The amount of blood spurting everywhere also generally deterred me from watching further, as I am not one for gratuitous gore.

One of my friends encouraged me to give it a second chance, so I did. I concluded that Chainsaw Man is irritating and absurd, but is still not bad. At least, not as in poorly made.

I don't ultimately like any of the characters, except for possibly Aki. That is because Aki comes the closest to having redeeming qualities. Relatedly, I also don't love the the way humanity is trivialized at practically every turn (Denji being the saddest example of this). But I'm less interested in giving an in-depth character analysis than an assessment of the overall vibe of the anime.

Most of all, what I dislike about the show is that it is absurd in its outlook. I don't mean being weird or really out there, I mean that it defies giving meaning to anything beyond a very superficial "wanting the good life" and "killing devils" (forgive me if I don't have the tightest use of the literary sense of "absurd"). And no, I do not think the latter is a sufficient motivation for the conflict with devils, since that doesn't even seem to be the point. Few characters have desires beyond pleasure, and is willing to dispense with morality to do so.

Aki is a good example of what I think is done in the show: his basic reason for wanting to kill devils is that devils killed his family and later, his friends. This isn't a bad motivation, but one that I feel is ultimately not done justice. (I am aware that this is only the first season, and that there is a manga. I did a bit of research and learned that more is done with the world and characters, so I'll focus on my impressions of the anime so far).

When Himeno dies, Aki mourns in his hospital room and Denji wonders at his own ability to feel the same. It raised important questions about how much of being human seems to consist in having relationships and commitments. There's so much going on in these scenes and I would say it's the one time that the show felt very compelling to me. IGN's review called this "cinematic", and I agree, which leads to my next point about absurdism.

The show's less shōnen-y moments, away from the action, spend a lot of time trying to show what the inner lives of devil hunters are like, which is mostly gray and sad. This is simultaneously poignant and not. Aki's affect is generally stoic and unfeeling, though not so much serious as emotionally vacant. His focus on devil hunting and general disgust for devils who kill his loved ones feels less emotionally charged than a principle that he's decided to live by.

Similarly, Denji's light-hearted demeanor and lack of a filter leaves very little to the imagination, giving me the distinct impression that Denji doesn't care about anything except Makima. At the end of the scene in hospital, Denji decides it's too much of a downer to continue thinking about death and loss. The delicacy of human feelings is left to languish without much fanfare.

And this is precisely what pisses me off about Denji and the show more generally. It doesn't seem to ultimately matter that people die, that devils are mercurial and seem to have engendered a moral vacuum in society or that Denji is a teenager whose development seems profoundly warped by all of it. Characters don't really reflect on this meaninglessness, and instead seem emotionally eviscerated by it. How did the world get here, and what has it lost in the process? Why should we care that life itself has been deprived of meaning?

Nothing is shown, and nothing is told either. This absurdity, in which many human experiences can't be taken for granted, is not very appealing to me. It's worth reading this paragraph on the themes of Chainsaw Man on Wikipedia, including the views of certain reviewers:

The loose comparison to Jujutsu Kaisen is also somewhat instructive here, as it highlights what I find ultimately unappealing about the anime's absurdity. It is generally difficult, I think, for people to connect with characters' whose humanity is fundamentally in question without giving them a chance to stake their own claim to that humanity. Unlike Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man's cast is never really engaged in reflection on the meaning of their efforts, their own goals or anything. I'm not necessarily saying that absurdism doesn't have its place, and shōnen animes certainly have been guilty of being saccharine in the extreme without much nuance.

But there's something about Chainsaw Man's violent atmosphere and morally gray cast that feels routinized and blunted. It grates on my usual sense that somehow this will turn out to have rhyme or reason. So to laud Denji's character as a commentary on capitalism feels excessive, especially when it's not really clear that the author has set out to do anything of the sort. Remarking on the few moments of pathos in the manga, Katherine Dacey puts it rather well:

"... no one is reading Chainsaw Man for these kind of emotional beats; they’re hoping for outrageous displays of gore and violence, and on that front, Tatsuki Fujimoto does his utmost to push the boundaries of good taste. "

It is this aspect that I find borderline immoral. I want to emphasize that while I'm just sharing my personal opinion, there's a part of me that feels that media and culture should be generative and thoughtful (that doesn't necessarily mean a happy ending or a conventional moral of the story, mind you).

That being said, Denji's one-dimensionality is sad and compelling in its own way. I feel for Denji because I see the way he's just been ground down. It seems that he's happy-go-lucky on the surface, but from this viewer's perspective, it can't help but come off as deeply saddening. The theme of objectification and the way people's fears manifest as devils has a powerful presence in Chainsaw Man, and I think it's one of the things I think truly ends up being compelling. The aesthetic of the anime goes a long way in making things feel bleak and pointless. Living in pursuit of even modest and trivial goals is better than submitting to the crushing weight of moral grayness, or so it seems.

Even so, the flattening of humanity that takes occurs feels alienating in the extreme. The casual treatment of tragedy and desire further drives home the feeling that none of this matters. Feeling that Denji's life is sad and undeserved matters little when the universe seems to defy giving that any weight.

I started out saying that Chainsaw Man isn't bad, but that it just grates on my sensibilities with its absurdity. It is a well-crafted anime with its visuals, story and commitment to a certain style. But its message is ultimately one that I don't care for, precisely because it seems to say that there isn't one. In denying the audience any sense of ultimate meaning, I'm left wondering whether it's worth watching at all.

#chainsaw man #anime review #theories and thoughts #tragedy #absurdity

[kawaiijohn]

Danny being taken care of (or messed with) by Clockwork after passing out on a couch in Clockwork's lair.

Thank you for taking prompts. :)

Okay this has been in my inbox a WHILE but here we go, @five-rivers

I'll be cleaning this up for Ao3 later, but yeet I'm sick of looking at this.

Content warning for a pretty manipulative clockwork and the Fenton's A+ parenting :)

"Time out."

Clockwork's voice echoes through the halls of long now once more- for what is probably the fifteenth time this non existent hour.

Daniel lays, eyes wide in fear, backed against his headboard as he sits frozen in time. He hadn't reacted well to his situation, yet again, and Clockwork sighs to themself. They reverse time, sending their charge back to bed softly, as if he'd never woke.

Why did this keep happening? What are they doing wrong?

Was it the stasis they lull the boy into when his anxiety makes his Core vibrate so hard it screams?

Was it a lack of Obsession fulfillment? Would it be best to offer him enrichment while he gets used to Long Now?

Maybe it was Obsession conflict with what Clockwork was doing?

With a nervous bite of their lip, Clockwork floats to one of many walls of mirrors; The timelines in their head muddling and tying themselves into knots dissolve into clarity as they focus on the silvery plane before them; time marching on in many instances, like changing channels on a TV.

As the master of time searches for a solution, they feel an unpleasant buzzing radiate from the part of their Core tied to their new son's- Daniel would wake again soon, and they had to ensure success this time.

Rewinding time on a juvenile ghost already forming a small time control ability isn't good for their development, especially on one whose birth parents had almost forced the powerful and rare ability to flourish prematurely through stress.

What were they thinking! Clockwork growls, remembering the waves of time shuddering through the Zone and making their tower sing like a dying canary in response.

The fools had decided the 'thing' inhabiting their son's skin was more a truth than his pleas for understanding; decided the lying ghost in their son's vessel was liable to leave and return Daniel once they'd tortured it enough, ignorant to his pleas for 'just a second, please listen to me.'

Just one second

Please! Mom, dad I promise! If you give me just

One

Second

I can explain.

And since they did not give Daniel a second, he stole one from his other parent (Clockwork's Core purrs in satisfaction, to be chosen as the guardian of such a wonderful ghost? It was something they never knew they wanted)

They're broken from their trance by the smallest of tugs on their Core- Daniel waking for real, once more.

Clockwork drops the shards of silver from their gloved, purple-black stained hands. They have no need, but take a deep breath anyways.

They have another idea, but know the timelines always diverge once Daniel asks what had happened to his parents.

Or specifically, where his parents were, so he could avoid them when he inevitably escaped Long Now and traveled back to Amity.

Clockwork was easy to read, once someone got to know them.

And Daniel, Always a smart one, that boy- able to infer that Clockwork themself had stolen him from his confines, from his home.

He was a bit too human to understand why Clockwork had done what they'd done.

Daniel always figuring it out, remembering things that had never truly happened (a side effect to his Core adapting to Time powers), and accusing Clockwork of being like that pathetic Plasmius- wanting to steal him away from his parents.

No, they were saving their boy from a fate worse than fading, and giving him time to grow.

The solution to Daniels pain was not the most... ethical to say the least, nor the best way to save the boy, but it was something that needed to happen for the happiest timeline.

Clockwork smiles and calmly floats back to the boy- this time, they would not withhold information, not sugar coat.

Daniel always appreciated honesty over comfort.

"Clockwork? What... What hit me? Who hit me?" he asks, rubbing his chest, his Core.

"Your parents had decided to not listen to your pleas, I brought you here to recover."

Danny winces, the look in his eyes is clearer. "I asked for a second-"

"And you took one from me, unknowingly. But it allowed me to come and interfere." Clockwork runs a hand through their boy's hair gently, hoping this goes right this time. "I assume you remembered part of what happened, and what has not."

Danny shudders and swallows, anxiety causing him to shake.

One of these days, he will learn to not fear the blue morals of his parents, but it will take time.

"Yeah... I do. Why?" he swallows, "Why keep rewinding me? When I find out what you did to my... my parents?"

Clockwork soothes the boy with a hug, making sure he's tucked in tightly. "You were thinking irrationally, applying human morals to your situation, even when it's not what is best for you- for your Core. I knew keeping you in bed would cause you to think this through a bit more, a bit more open minded."

"But throwing them at Pandora's judges? That's..."

"Fair, considering they were commiting a crime against one of hers, and one of the Realm's. Against royalty and their own child, no less." Clockwork sits back as Danny pushes them away gently.

This is going better than they'd hoped it would.

"Pandora isn't going to consider that they're just human! And, and they didn't know it was me-"

Clockwork shushes Danny. "When you pleaded for them to listen, for them to stop, they did not. Once they did that, they passed the point of no return and are guilty of their crimes."

Danny sniffles, eyes full of frustration. "You didn't have to interfere! It's not fair to them you're not involved, you just like to meddle..."

"But I did. You asked for a second to explain, to prove you were their son. And I gave you that second, through my love for you- even if it surprised me." Clockwork chuckles. "I was given responsibility over your well being, and I think of you as my son, therefore it is completely fair to your other parental figures."

Clockwork kisses the top of Daniel's head, tucking him in once again. "You deserve to be understood, even if you refuse to see what it is you need, what I am doing for you. Teenage rebellion is an important part of a young ghosts development, so sulk as much as you need. Just understand that I am here for you, and I'm doing what is best."

#answered #five-rivers #my fic #danny phantom #dp clockwork #danny fenton #phanfic #lost time #manipulation #this sucks but im posting it anywaus

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Investigations (Part 3): Ran Haitani x Fem!Reader

synopsis: when things are uncovered, can you handle the truth? Or are you doomed to make a mistake you can't rectify?

wc: 2.1k

tw: violence

masterlist

song recommendation:

Ran's past was a lie.

When you met him at the country club five years ago, your pasts had been explained in hushed tones and excited flurries of memories; sharing photos of the time before he was an executive of the communications company he worked in and the time before you were a journalist.

Ran said he had gone to jail twice, both for crimes he had been an accessory to as a delinquent kid, but that he'd cleaned up his act after and made his way up the corporate ladder. Nothing about gangs or being a Heavenly King in Tenjiku made it past his lips.

You had been honest, too. Your tales included the time you'd accidentally happened upon a massive gang fight, and that's how your investigative journalism skills began to bloom.

Who was fighting?

What were they going to do after?

Where did these gangs come from?

When did this argument start?

Why were they fighting?

How did gangs form in the first place?

Those were all the questions you sought out answers for that night and the next five years after, devoting your time and effort to finding the truth about everything.

"Babe?" You freeze, hands hovering over the keys at the sound of Ran's voice. You don't turn around - you can't even look at him the same these days - but he fixes that by walking over to you and turning you around in your chair. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Just doing some writing." His violet eyes search yours for the truth, but you know he won't be able to find it. Not while you're still trying to unravel his past. Ran kisses your eyelids sweetly, cupping your face in his large palms and littering his love across your face as you try your best to remain still and not confess about your research.

"Come to bed. It's late."

"I've got a few more paragraphs," you explain, motioning to the small print on your screen. "I'll be in bed soon."

But your lie is discovered shortly thereafter. It's five a.m. when Ran returns, seeing you slumped against your desk, arms cushioning your head, laptop screen blank. Instinctively, Ran pulls you out of your seat - making your notebook fall to the ground - grunting softly as he scoops you up into his arms and cradles you against his chest.

You willingly allow your husband to carry you to bed, where your two-year-old is also nestled among the sheets and pillows, thumb tucked into his mouth. And for a moment, Ran appreciates the view, seeing the two people he loved the most - besides his younger brother - laying in the bed he paid for, in the house he built, in the city he owns.

But then he remembers the slight disarray you left your things in at the desk and returns, picking up your pencil and notebook before laying them beside the laptop. Then his eyes catch "Ran's past?" written in bold, red letters, along with the words: "Tenjiku" and "Tandai" also written in the web of other words surrounding his name. "South Terano" is also on that web.

He'd have to take care of that in the morning.

And for the first time in a long time, worry bubbles to the surface of his mind, and Ran rips the sheet of paper from your notebook, tossing it into the kitchen trashcan and considering his deed done. He concealed his past to protect his family. And he's concealing the present to achieve the same goal; all for the future to be revealed later. That's how everything should be.

Right? _____________________________________________________________

"Ran," you whisper, lips running across his knuckles. His fingers cup your jaw, and his own lips press against your forehead, violet eyes darkening slightly. "It's six am. Where are you going this early?"

"I have to go into the office for a little while," he murmurs, kissing your forehead again. "I'll be back around lunchtime." Thoughts of Tandai and Tenjiku flash into your mind for a moment, but you smile at him sleepily anyway, absolutely sure these things are part of his past and not in the present.

"We'll be waiting for you, my love."

Despite all of your best intentions, though, you can't help but be consumed by the idea of Ran out, fighting, stealing, maiming... You consider asking him about these things, these concerns, but you decide against it as you're helping Kai with his lunch. If he wanted to leave it in the past, there's a good reason for it. He would have told you if it would be a problem later. Right?

Ran wouldn't jeopardize your family, your home, your life for something so... juvenile.

Right?

The clatter of keys on the counter in the living room brings you back to the present, and you perk up, your two-year-old mimicking your expression.

"Daddy!" Kai slides down from his seat and runs to greet Ran, clutching his father's legs with all his little might.

"Hey, buddy," Ran laughs, stooping to pick up his son with excitement. "How are you doing?" As son and father have a very stimulating conversation about playtime, you watch them in wonder, observing the way Ran makes his child a priority, just like he makes you a priority. But your countenance falls as soon as you see the blood spot on the bottom of Ran's lavender suit jacket. You know its blood because of the way it dried - that's no ketchup stain.

You fake a smile anyway, giving Ran a kiss on the cheek and tugging his jacket off after he sits Kai back on the tile floor.

"Hard day?"

"Kind of," Ran mumbles, and you catch the sight of a long scratch down the side of his neck. "But I made it through." You hum, taking the pin-striped jacket to the laundry room and slinging it over the side of the washer. You'd need that later.

"Need to relax?" you wonder, and Ran grins at you mischievously.

"Maybe later, after bedtime?"

_____________________________________________________________

But "later" never came.

Instead, Ran and Kai fell asleep on the sofa, watching a kid's movie, and you retreated to the office, powering up your laptop and pulling your notebook closer.

You immediately notice something's wrong, as the notes you had before were missing. Everything is gone. Not even a word of all the research you had done was there. Hadn't you written meticulous notes and names and things about Ran's past that could be interconnected? You break out in a sweat and search in every drawer of the desk, every place it could possibly be. You come up with nothing, and let out a frustrated sigh before slumping down in your seat and pulling up the computer history from yesterday. If you had to rewrite every single thing, that's fine. You'd just need more time to gather your evidence for the meeting on Saturday.

You're knee-deep in articles and police reports when you stumble across a more recent - actually as recent as this morning - article titled: "Ex-gangster found dead in meat factory". The picture of South Terano startles you, and you click on it, feeling a sense of dread as the article details how he was found hanging upside-down in the warehouse with a bullet hole in his head. And just like that, your newest lead has fizzled out. You groan, writing down "South Terano, deceased" on your notepad, then exiting the tab.

There had to be someone else you could ask. Shuji Hanma only provided you with Ran and Rindou's names, no one else.

"What's this?"

The door to the office shuts softly, and you look over your shoulder at Ran, who is walking toward you with measured steps, his eyes taking in your exhausted expression and the way you're hunched over that notepad. Again.

"What are you doing? You look tired, babe. Let's go to bed, yeah?"

Suddenly, pieces begin to click as Ran leans his hip against the desk, staring down at you in the chair with squinted violet eyes. "You threw away my notes... Didn't you?"

"What are you doing in my business, y/n?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were in two gangs?" you counter, fingers shaking slightly. "Ran, this is something I needed to know before--"

"You wouldn't have married me if I told you." Ran's tone is cold, almost as if he's turned into the past version of himself without batting an eye.

"You don't know that." Ran leans forward, coming to eye level with you a smirking.

"I know you. And that's all I need." Ran reaches out a hand to close the laptop, still smiling and maintaining eye contact. "Now here's what you're going to do. First, you're going to stop digging into my past. There's nothing there that you need to find. Second, you're going to come to bed. It's late, you're tired. Finally," Ran cups your chin like he did this morning, except his fingers aren't so tender this time. "You're going to cut off contact with both Shuji Hanma and Taiju Shiba. I'm not really fond of either of them, and I'm not a fan of having them tell my business to my wife."

"They were only doing it because I asked."

"Taiju, maybe. Shuji isn't so eager to fuck you. I doubt he did it out of the kindness of his heart." You can't say anything to refute his claims. Ran is probably right. But you can't get one question out of your mind.

"Why are you trying to hide your past? What's there that I won't like?"

"What isn't there is the real question."

"What can you tell me about the gang that's just surfaced in Tokyo?" Ran's face slackens, transforming into a half-surprised, half-blank look that you realize is one that means he's been caught. "Oh, my fucking god," you breathe, tears stinging your eyes. "South, the fish, the murders, the crime... It's you. It's been you this whole time. I've been chasing my own husband down." Panic begins to set in, and your mind whirls around as you shake in your seat, bringing your hands up to your head. "Just tell me Rindou isn't in this," you breathe, but Ran doesn't answer you, still wearing that dumb look on his face. You let out a cry of shock, covering your mouth and trying to back away from Ran as much as you can.

The source is a lot closer than you think.

You slide down the wall, shocked into stillness as your sobs quiet, and Ran straightens up, placing his hands in his sweatpant pockets. The long nights, the early mornings, the bloodstains, the damn suits... It all led to this. Ran had never really left his old lifestyle behind. He'd gotten caught up in it, and brought you and Kai into it unknowingly.

"I never meant for it to get this... unhinged." You can't reply, tucking your knees into your chest as you stare past Ran and at the opposite wall, wondering how you'd missed the signs, the obvious signs that Ran was up to no good. "I know this is a lot to take in, but we can--"

"I can't stay here."

The words fall from your mouth and Ran flinches, shaking his head.

"No. You can't leave."

"Yes, I can," you mumble, standing and wiping your tears. "I can do whatever I need to do to keep Kai safe, and--"

"Kai is safer here than out there," Ran snaps, pointing at the window. "I'm not letting my son out of my sight. Your snooping has caused enough trouble as it is; I wouldn't have had to go and clean up this morning if you hadn't--"

"Don't blame this on me," you retort, pointing at Ran accusatorially. "You're the one who joined a gang and is still in one! What kind of role model are you for our son now?"

"I provide the best way I can," Ran grits out, clenching his fists. "You've never gone hungry, cold, or ill-clothed a day in your life while you were with me."

"I would rather die than enjoy a life paid for with blood money."

"Blood money? You really think--" You try to push past Ran, but he grabs your shoulders, yanking you back in front of him. "You're not going anywhere except to our bed."

"Let me go, Ran Haitani," you mutter, hands balling up into little fists. "Or I'll scream."

"Who will hear you? Kai?"

How had you been so foolish? Ran's lips press together momentarily as his violet eyes run over your figure, taking stock of all your five-foot-six stature. You're no match for Ran. Not mentally, and certainly not physically. Ran notices your defeat and his hands slide down to your wrists, tugging your delicate hands up to his chest.

"Everything will be fine," he whispers, drawing you close. "I'm taking care of us. Just trust me."

Just trust me.

#ran haitani x reader #ran haitani #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers

[pinktatertots99]

Send me a character and I'll do this: Enki! Oh and maybe Mitsuru please?

HELL YEAH!!! haven’t done them in a long while!

SEND ME A CHARACTER AND I’LL DO THIS;

Enki gokuu

Sexuality Headcanon: straight ace Gender Headcanon: cis gendered male A ship I have with said character: HMMMMMMMM probably noriko, grew on me after a while, doesn’t help sho on twitter has the damn au of her and enki being alive, and parents to a spoiler character ikkaku. A BROTP I have with said character: him and samon! and inori! A NOTP I have with said character: hhhh...samon. maybe ruka too but i like it a lil bit more cause it’s one sided tragedy lol. A random headcanon: had a bit of a punk phase in his tweens, which is why his piercings look...like that. he looks back at it in embarrassment. General Opinion over said character: he deserved betterrrrr damn you elf! he tried so hard to be a good guy!

Mitsuru hitokoe

Sexuality Headcanon: PAN YOOOOOO! Gender Headcanon: cis gendered male, very flexible with things. A ship I have with said character: she comes in later in the series, ringo shirayuki! A BROTP I have with said character: hajime lol, such bro energy. A NOTP I have with said character: i guess anything involving the inmates? i don’t have a whole lot with him. A random headcanon: used to be a juvenile delinquent, most of wha he did was expunged after he turned 18 tho but he still vibes for the inmates cause he feels ya lil guys. General Opinion over said character: we need MORE of this dork fandom and canon wise it’s been so long since seeing my boi!

#nanbaka #nanbaka the numbers #idiots with numbers #nnbk #nanba prison #enki gokuu #gokuu enki #mitsuru hitokoe #nanbaka mitsuru hitokoe #nanbaka mitsuru #michi! #the pink one speaks

[foxymoxynoona]

I'm always so torn about JK and Sasha after I read them communicate. It's like they get 75 percent of the way there, say "Eh, good enough," and then have sex. Which is realistic and fun to read but means they didn't truly resolve the underlying issue usually.

Thank goodness for Michele giving advice like a boss and a good best friend.

And as someone in the LGBTQIA+ community, I appreciated Sasha's "we're done" last chapter and also understood in the latest chapter her reticent, sad acceptance that she's not done with JK but he might not be comfortable with her sexuality. It crushed me when he said he didn't want to know because while I know he meant that sweetly, it reads at face value as "I might not accept you as you are." Sasha appears to keep trucking but that's certainly weighing on her. I've been there, done that with that feeling. I can't see a woman like Sasha okay with that for too long, right? I get the feeling JK is the only time she's ever actively let herself live in the space where being accepted by her signifant other is a question.

So..... will JK process this? I would say I hope he chats with his hyungs about it and realizes the magnitude of what he actually said, but then I think he he's unlikely to talk to them about this. Did the party break some of his willingness to speak openly with his hyungs? It feels like that with his brief chat with Tae at the end. Then again, maybe these boys aren't able to him process this because they might not have the life experience to reflect on the meaning of what JK said. Hmmm. I'll be curious to see what happens.

Sidenote: I read this chapter drunkenly returning from a friend's house, which felt appropriate but now I'm in the hangover and hoping I read everything right and this ask isn't totally off the mark.

🎉

Ugh look at you out living the party life I only write about, haha. I think your ask is GREAT though!

Absolutely agree with your assessment of their conversations. They resolve immediate stuff and a little scratch of deeper stuff and move on. It's hard because on one hand, Sasha is right that sitting down and talking about EVERYTHING would overwhelm them both and might just frankly be too much. She's not wrong to protect herself about things she doesn't "owe" someone to talk about. But even if she doesn't want to talk about things, they do have an impact on her relationship, and that's a significant added obstacle for them to navigate when they really have a TON of obstacles --JK's career, her foreignness, language and cultural differences, JK's own sheltered social skills, etc.

I too love that Sasha is quick to be like 'nope, done.' She will constantly have these spaces in which she's beautifully confidence, capable, and strong (like that one, or when she told JK to ask about her job review, or when she was just really upfront about sex stuff in the beginning.) Obviously we'll learn more about her history and discovery of her sexuality later, but I think she was predisposed to find security in that community anyway. I mean that, with Maxi being gay (and having significant troubles as a teenager because of it, it'll be very heartbreaking to hear about), I think it was easier for her to make an early protective rule "if you don't accept this, fuck you."

As far as talking to the hyungs, JK's always had a weird wiggly line about what and when he's willing to talk and not. Sometimes he can't help it and things come pouring out he didn't intend (like when he and Sasha fought the first time). He likes to occasionally brag. But he also is pretty private and doesn't like to burden others with his troubles, so he may shut things up, or try to evasively (and confusingly) get vague feedback that lacks context.

And finally, love your call out that the boys are missing some life experiences. Obviously the younger you go, the more of "normal" adolescents they missed. There are times when JK will do VERY juvenile things (you know, like letting a girl at a party give him a hicky to make his girlfriend jealous...) and I would argue that it's not actually cruelty or some reveal that he's a shitty person. He and all the guys to an extent have missed out a lot on the awkward, uncomfortable, embarrassing adolescent growth most of us go through in our teen years and early twenties. Which means he's going to have some of those cringe-y moments with Sasha, and it'll be up to her to decide what she can accept as him learning/growing, or what's just too much.

This was fun, thanks for the long ask!

#🎉anon #littlebean #mywriting #myao3

[iamknicole]

Heartbreak Hotel Pt. 2

Bloodline Family Series

Koda needed to go home. He couldn't be in Miami right now. No matter how juvenile it sounded he wanted his parents, he wanted them to tell him it would be okay and how he could fix it so it wouldn't hurt anymore. When he got in the house Roman was running around with Messiah and Micah, laughing and smiling. Seeing it brought a small smile to his face. His little brothers noticed him and ran straight for him, attacking his legs. Koda picked them both up kissing their cheeks.

"Brody, you home!" Micah squealed happily.

"We fight?" Messiah asked.

Roman approached his boys, pulling the three year olds from Koda's arms putting them on the floor. He ignored their pouting and squatted to their level.

"It's naptime. You guys go on upstairs, get your sister and get in me and Mommy's bed. Good deal?" He asked.

"Him stay?" Messiah asked looking at Koda, who nodded.

"I'm not leavin. I'll be here a few days, SiSi." (like sigh)

Koda followed Roman to his man cave after the boys had gone upstairs. Both men sat on the large sofa.

"What's botherin you, Ko?"

Koda shook his head then rubbed at his eyes. "Nothin, I'm good."

"Come on now, son." Roman said squeezing his shoulder. "I know you better than that. Your eyes are red and misty, your face is red and your hair isn't done. So I'll ask again, what's botherin you?"

Koda opened his mouth but nothing came out. He couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead he cried, he cried like he had done the past two days whenever he was alone. He felt this pain was unbearable. Roman watched his oldest for a second, it had been a while since he'd seen him cry like this.

"What's goin on, son? What happened?" Roman asked.

"It's Parker, Pop," he explained through his sobbing.

Roman started to worry, he thought the worst.

"What about her? Is she pregnant? Did something happen to her, Ko?"He nodded, holding his head down. "What are you nodding to?"

Koda looked up at his dad trying to hold back the rest of his tears. When he opened his mouth this time, Kandice walked in. She saw him crying and rushed to sit beside him, pulling his head to her chest.

"What's wrong with my baby, Roman? What did you do?"

Laughing a little, Roman shook his head at his wife. Whenever any of their kids were crying she asked that question. It didn't matter if they both entered together she still asked. "I didn't do anything to your baby, Kandi. He was gonna tell me but he started crying."

Koda sat up, out of her hold, trying to slow down the tears. His head was starting to hurt and he didn't want to deal with that. "Friday after my game she wanted me to go to this party with her," he started slowly. "We won and I usually go to whatever after party but I played all four quarters, I was tired. But she went."

Kandice sucked her teeth at him. "Boy, you better not be crying cause she went to a party without you."

Roman glared at his wife, "Hush, Kandi. Let him finish."

"Fine, fine," she said putting her hands up. "Go head, Ko."

Koda scratched his growing beard. "She came over Sunday and I guess that's when Eli and Lo found out and showed it to me."

"Showed you what," Roman asked.Koda couldn't look at either of his parents.

"She was mad at me for not goin with her so she," he paused feeling his anger and more tears starting to rise. Kandice rubbed his back and Roman told him to go on.

"She fu- had sex with these dudes that play for Auburn on Instagram live."

"She what?" Kandice yelled making Koda jump.

"I asked her and she just kept saying she was sorry, over and over. But that don't fix this shit," he cried putting his head down.

Roman nodded his head at Kandice for her to leave them. She didn't want to go but she knew it would be better for Koda if she did. Once she was out of the room and in the kitchen, she called Apryl and Trinity to vent while Koda continued to vent to Roman.

"I treated her exactly how you taught me, Pop. I did what I was supposed to do and she did that."

"You did what you were supposed to do, Koda. You can't control what someone else does."

"I love her, she said she loved me too. I don't go to one party and that's what she does," he yelled out of frustration. "Then she came straight to the apartment after the party and kissed me in my mouth."

Roman didn't want to ask but he knew he needed to.

"Did yall have sex that night?" Koda nodded making him sigh. "You used a hat?"

"Yeah. She told me not to, we almost didn't cause she got mad about me wearing one. Now I know why." He said bitterly.

That made Roman happy. His son had listened to something.

"What about oral?"

"She did. I didn't," Koda shrugged sitting back, "It was late. I ain't want her to wake E and Lo up."

While Roman continued to calm Koda down, Kandice was trying to calm her nerves on the phone. Apryl was playing devil's advocate and Trinity was the peace maker.

"I say you grab your bat, Kandi. I'll bring my knife and Trin will bring her taser. It'll be a nice lil trip to Miami."

"No," Trinity chastised, "We're not jumping that lil girl. That's not gonna make him feel any better."

"Hell, it'll make us feel a whole lot better."

"No, Apryl."

Kandice laughed. "Where was this energy when that girl broke Eli's heart? We had to barricade you in the house tp keep you from jumping on that girl."

"I don't recall," Trinity laughed.

Roman had pretty much calmed his son down and gotten him to sit back down. He'd thrown his arm around Koda squeezing his shoulder lovingly.

"Look, I'm not gonna tell you that this hurt is gonna go away cause its not. One day it just won't hurt as bad. And I won't tell you that you'll forget about it cause you won't. But I will say," Roman spoke softly, "One day you'll think about this and be thankful. You'll realize there was a reason for this."

Koda nodded listening to his dad.

"But dont let this pain just continue to hurt you. You gotta learn from it."

"Learn what?" Koda asked looking up.

"Later on when you're thinking about this you'll remember things that happened that didn't add up, that there were red flags for you and you'll learn not to ignore those things. You'll realize what you do6nt like in a partner and what you do. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. Thanks, Pops. I love you"

Koda loved the bond he had with his dad. There was nothing else in his life like it. Eli and Milo are his best friends but his dad was his first best friend.

Roman pulled his son into a hug, squeezing him tight. He kissed his head before letting go. "I love you too, Ko. Go share some of that love with ya mama before she gets jealous."

Laughing, Koda got up to go to the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen Kandice hurried off the phone and engulfed him in a big hug when he was close enough. Even though he's a foot and some inches taller than her, she still cradled him like she did when he was a baby. She hugged him tight, holding back tears, until he pulled away.

"Aight, ma. I gotta stop or Ima cry again."

Kandice laughed a little, happy to see him in better spirits.

"I'm sorry. Yall know I don't play about my babies so I had to love on you."

"I know, Ma. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Koda?"

"Yes ma'am," he answered softly. He leaned against the island with his hands pushed into the pockets of his sweat pants.

"Don't let one person ruin your mood. You hold your head up like the man that you are. This hurts now but you'll be given something much better."

Koda nodded listening to his mama talk.

"When you get back to that campus, I want you to hold your head up, put you some clothes on and do your hair. You be the man me and your Daddy raised you to be. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank y'all. I had to come home, I couldn't stay there like this."

Kandice nodded, she understood.

"Did Milo and Eli help?"

"Yeah, they tried but this wasn't something they could really help with. I needed you and Pops."

Kandice went to Koda putting her hands on his face. Leaning up on her toes and pulling his head down she kissed his forehead and whispered a prayer over him.

"I love you, Mama." He admitted softly.

"I love you too, baby boy. Always and forever."

A few days later, Koda was back on campus. He needed the break away from everything, it did him good. By the time he got back, everyone had found out what Parker did to Koda. They were hard on her. Everyone knew how well he treated her and took care of her so they thought it was stupid of her to cheat on Koda the way she did. Girls were constantly trying to steal Koda from Parker only to find out how faithful and committed to Parker he was.

Eli and Milo had finally gotten him to come to a house party with them. He did what his mama told him to do. He got dressed, did his hair and got himself together.

As the cousins walked into the house party, a girl bumped into Koda. He caught her around her waist before she could fall to the floor. When he opened his mouth to apologize, she stopped him.

"Don't," she smiled, "It was my fault. I'm clumsy."

"But still," Koda said still holding onto her, "You aight?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I promise."

"Aight then, sweetheart. You be careful." He nodded letting her go

"I'll try."

She laughed as she walked off. Koda watched her until Eli smacked his arm playfully.

"My boy is back!"

The laughing cousins moved quickly through the party to the kitchen. Milo grabbed them each a beer and passed them to his cousins.

"Here, here," Milo laughed raising his beer, "To our cousin. Haven't been single but a week and half and already got girls tripping over him!"

#bloodline family series #roman & Kandice #ro & Kandice #Koda #koda reigns #Koda & Tia #Eli #Milo