#shinee the story of light ep. 1

[oonajaeadira]

A Kiss Before Dying And In Death We Combine

Rating: M

Fandom: The Last Of Us

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Warning: Blood and wounds. Bodily character death. Loss. Love that hurts. Sex of course, but blurred to the edges. Playing fast and loose with the cordyceps and how fast it grows.

Summary: When Joel becomes infected, you make the decision not to leave him alone.

A/N: This is the January installment of my Year of Tropes challenge wherein I tackle tropes that I haven’t written but that I love to read. This month is MONSTERFUCKING and was inspired by Craig Mazin’s explanation of the kiss in ep. 2. Monsterfking is generally a lot darker and rougher genre than I usually write, so of course I’m going to question what is baseline required to fit the trope and then explore those boundaries. Therefore, whether it qualifies as monsterfking is questionable. I feel it qualifies for the sake of my first go at it.

I also think it’s beautiful and sad. Whether it is or not is also up to you.

This is set post season 1 (provided they follow the major plot points of the game) but contains no spoilers. It does briefly mention Jackson which is a settlement that has the potential to be a home for Joel and Ellie. This story, as with all TLOU content I will write, rejects the existence of TLOU 2.

Thank you to my TLOU guru @something-tofightfor for answering my Joel questions.

Everything is slick with blood.

You’ve dropped your pistol. Your boot skids in a splash on the floor. The heavy bookcase that you and Joel are struggling to pull in front of the entrance slips from your hands and comes crashing down on its side creating a sloppy barricade across the door. As Joel slams into the wall of the abandoned, overgrown office and slides his way down, he leaves a long, red smooch in the rotting damask wallpaper and you can’t seem to get a grip on the zipper pull to open your backpack.

“Fuck. Fuck!!! Hang on, Joel. I’ve got some–nnnrrrrrr!!!–I’ve got some bandages in here–”

Bodies pelt like hail against the door outside; a dozen mobile cordyceps vehicles bouncing on the barrier, desperate to claim more meat.

“Stop,” he gravels. “Stop and get the hell out of here.”

“Not a chance. I’ve got–”

“Listen to me, dammit!!”

But for the dull thuds of flesh hitting metal, the world comes to a halt as you spin to look him in the eye, bent on defiance, ready to grit teeth and find your protective growl…and instead come face to face with your own desperate denial.

“No. No no no nononono…” As if controlled by a tendril, you’re pulled to Joel, collapsing beside him, pulling the blood-soaked flannel away from his neck and pushing at the blood pooling there, trying to slick it away with your hands, prove to yourself that there’s just skin beneath and not an angry, oozing bite, not really, please not really…

Joel’s own bloody hands mix with yours, trying to tear them away from his neck and, failing wretchedly, instead find their way to your face to bring your eyes to his.

“Listen. Hey! Listen to me! There’s a door at the end of the hall that will lead to the roof. You go. You get the hell out. I’m done.”

No, says a stiff, involuntary shake of your head. No. You steal a valuable moment to search his eyes as he holds you there, as your breath comes in hitches, as your adrenaline levels begin to sink.

His nostrils flair as his countenance darkens. “You. Run.”

Sternness was the wrong choice. Bravery was the wrong choice. Self-sacrifice was the wrong choice. These are the things he displays in this moment that pull your love up and out of you, spilling over your cheeks, one silent tear, then another, and in any other situation you’d do your very best to keep them out of your voice.

But today is not that day.

“Joel--!”

That whimper--the fear and hurt that cracks you open--shines a light on his darkness, transforms him back into the tired lover you know, infects him with your anguish, and causes him to crush you close in a bruising embrace.

How many times has he held you like this? After the years on the road, in the QZ, finally arriving in Jackson, letting his bones settle as he took root, you’d watched him soften. He’d found trust in his new community, purpose in the patrols, pride in Ellie.

And love. You’d watched him find love. You’d witnessed him resist it and then yearn for it and finally give into it. You never cajoled or pushed him faster than he needed to go. You simply waited with open arms. He was the one that decided to finally fall into them all on his own.

He needed them in moments of contentment and of regret. He sought out your embrace when he woke in the middle of the night from dreams of loss and those moments when he looked toward the horizon at twilight and found one more thing to forgive himself for.

And each time, you held him close enough to make him a part of you; waited for him to let go first.

You promised him you’d hold him as long as he needed it.

As long as he needed you.

Because you needed him too.

Loving Joel had woken something lying deep inside the grave of your heart. Caused it to send up shoots and bloom again. Who knew that your brand of sunshine was a slew of dumb dad jokes? That the sound of a man’s voice rumbling through sad old rock tunes was like a rain to your drought? Joel had patiently flourished you. Like a miracle you awoke one day unfurled and vibrant.

How could you go on without that now?

How could you run back to that gray life? To Ellie’s tears? To a world even emptier than it was before?

How could you leave him here?

No.

You’re not leaving him alone.

His jaw twitches against your cheek. His shoulder jumps.

“Sweetheart. Where’s your pistol.”

“I dropped it.”

“Okay. That’s okay. But you gotta go now. Go on.”

You pull back, but do not rise. It shouldn’t have to be said. “I’m staying.”

Sorrow, anger, desperation. They all pull together like a black hole in the middle of his brow. “The hell you are. I don’t have much time. You’re wasting yours.”

“No. I’m not. I’m just using it all at once.”

“Sweetheart–”

“Joel–”

“No, you go! You get gone and you survive! Don’t you dare make me your executioner!”

The banging at the door has suddenly stopped. Joel’s head begins to jerk repeatedly to one side and he grits his teeth, fighting it, trying to keep eyes trained on you.

“Please,” he whispers, “Sweethar–”

Even as his nerves begin to activate and cause his muscles to jump, even as his last word is choked out by the tendrils rising, you find a center of peace.

A way to keep him.

He always loves it when you initiate touch, when you run your palm along his zipper, when you show him that you admire what’s underneath. And true to the strange state of human biology, here, at the moment of dying, he’s beautifully hard and responsive. There’s no urgency, no rush as you undo his belt buckle for the very last time.

A strained objection echoes behind his clamped teeth and he swallows it as he tries to keep the tendrils at bay, gives one last effort to protect you, his brown eyes brimming with tears.

“Shhh. It’s okay,” you smile, pushing a graying curl away from his damp forehead. “Don’t fight. I’m coming with you. It’s okay.”

And gradually, as you pull at his jeans, his twitching subsides and paralysis sets in.

The cordyceps has reached his brain, become one with his instincts, his drive, it can read the chemicals drawing him to you…and it understands. So it waits.

But his eyes follow you. His eyes tell you that he’s still Joel. You’ve seen that particular bittersweet note in them before. A gratefulness. A soothing. The gift you’ve given him in the last years of his life–an end to loneliness. He’s accepted your will, knows the woman you are and that he can’t convince you otherwise once you’ve set your heart.

The cordyceps understands this. It understands that if it holds back and gives you this last connection, you will willingly assimilate yourself.

His eyes watch as you hurriedly shed your boots and jeans, looking one last time at the body you’ve let him know, the softness you’ve allowed to warm him. And those deep, dark eyes finally close in ecstasy–letting go of pain and welcoming your choice–as you sink down upon him.

Folding your arms around his shoulders, pushing your forehead into his temple, you rock on him–let him fill you and slide with you–whispering in his ear how lucky you were to meet him, how precious every moment with him has been. That all the running and surviving and loss and hurt is about to go away and you’ll be here with him, that he’ll never be alone again.

You don’t stop telling him these things. Not when the infection forces him to roll up into you–the fungus using his knowledge of what brings him pleasure, leading him to where his paradise is–not as you feel threads binding your thighs tightly to his. Not when his arms lock around you and whatever is growing out through his skin begins to burrow into the meat of your back, curiously carrying some kind of numbing elixir…it doesn’t hurt at all.

In fact, there’s a pleasant sense of welcome. A rapture…

You can feel Joel’s love. You can hear it and taste it on your tongue, there’s no more doubt, no holding back, your nerves are burning with it.

It takes a moment for your muscles to start twitching sporadically. And soon you have an overwhelming need to kiss him.

As if you ever spent a minute not wanting to kiss him. Tsk. Silly. It makes you smile.

He senses this and opens his mouth to receive you.

You rock yourself harder. Seal your lips to his. And you let him–it–in.

Bliss.

I’m happy you stayed.

So am I.

You feel…so sweet.

I love you.

As the tendrils vine around your tangled limbs and press you into your new conjoinment, your inner muscles contract and his hips jolt in an upward spasm. There’s a sudden warmth that spreads within you…and keeps spreading…it weaves into your flesh, knitting you to him from the inside.

Never have you felt so full and so adored, so completely merged with another heart…one that is broken but warm, quietly yearning, finding purpose in protecting his own. One that weaves itself around yours in threads of gratefulness and calm. Lifetimes of euphoria grip you.

This is when you think you lose yourself. When you go away. It’s quiet. And dark.

But only for a short time.

Then there’s light.

You can sense light and color. This is…seeing?

The shapes are beautiful, vibrant. Deep, bright, and cool, stretching out over the structure that supports you and across the surface you inhabit. Your cordyceps fan over and around you, holding you, cradling you, protecting a part of you that is shaped like love. A part of you that was once separate but is now with you always.

I don’t hurt anymore.

No. No more hurt.

I’m not afraid.

No fear.

I’m so happy. So at peace.

I love you.

I will hold you forever.

You will never be alone.

Inside you there is a song. A low frequency voice. A melody from another life. It is being shared with you simply to bring you joy. And throughout the network of your tendrils you send back something that once felt like smiling. Like holding. Like laughter. Like giving of your whole self.

But there is no self.

There is only beautiful serenity and intense sweetness.

There are only parts of you that once had worries and sorrows and names, but have shed those sad husks to flower into one gentle, undying love.

________

Commissioned artwork by @mjpens​

MASTERLIST

CHARACTER MASTERLIST

YEAR OF TROPES MASTERLIST

#the last of us fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #year of tropes

[chalkrevelations]

Something that already strikes me about audience response to Day's family in Last Twilight is the amount of anger and shaming language I'm seeing directed at them, and what I keep thinking is that Day is not Heart.

Sure, it may turn out that Ramon and Night have hidden what happened to Day because they're ashamed or don't know how to deal with it, that they're the ones who imposed the "abroad in the US" cover story, that despite seeing Aon use his cane when he comes over and Day lights up like he never does at any other time, they just haven't bothered to get Day a cane to help him maneuver the world. But we don't know any of that, yet, and I'm going to suggest that assuming all of those things infantilizes Day in much the same way that people keep pointing out his family doing, by making him a victim of his family's behavior instead of accepting that a lot of his isolation is self-imposed. No, his family isn't doing things perfectly (redesign your kitchen for function instead of form, when even sighted people are stubbing their toes, for god's sake), but why automatically assume his family did all that to him instead of assuming that Day, himself, did those things, or at least had a hand in them?

What we know at this point is that nobody except Day, himself, shut him up in his bedroom like a hermit and demanded that food be left at his closed door so that he didn't have to interact with anyone, even his family. And once he's made up his mind about that, there's only so much persuasion and so much coaxing and so much fight you can have with a grownass person when they've decided they're not going to do a thing. If Day is going to refuse to come out of his room, he's not five years old, and they can't drag him out - physically cannot, I mean, not without someone getting hurt, plus that's also assault. (The discussion of five-year-old autonomy, when they actually are small enough to pick up, is for another time.) And then try to repair the relationship after you've done something like that. Mork tricks Day out of his room with the fish tank gambit and finds ways to keep tricking him to stay out of it. Nobody has (figuratively) locked Day in his room the way Heart was; Day has walled himself off.

So, I'm wiling to wait to hear if Night and Mom have just decided to tell everyone Day's abroad to hide what's happened to him, or if Day was involved in that cover story, if Day has used that to hide himself away and avoid having to talk to former friends and acquaintances in this new state of perceived vulnerability. And if we never hear for sure, I'm willing to not just assume that this was something imposed on Day against his will, based on what we've seen and learned about Day so far. He has enough internalized shame to do it, himself. When he gets his cornea transplant, he tells Night in Ep 1 - and it sounds like he expects it to happen fairly soon, and he probably expects that a lot of things will go back to normal then, and that this will all be a bad dream, so why not treat this entire time as some sort of liminal space, a time out of time, away from everyone and everything, and never let them see him like this? Why not just go back when he's himself, again?

When he wants to, Day is perfectly capable of pushing back against people who he's absolutely smart enough to know are infantilizing him, from his bratty behavior in the caretaker interviews, to the way he's apparently gotten rid of several caretakers in the past, to the "fuck you" of following Night into the Shining Institute instead of staying in the car. If my dude wanted a cane to help him maneuver, he would have one. Until they prove it to me that he doesn't already have one, tbqh I'm going to suspect that he does, and that he shoved it in the back of a drawer and buried it with other stuff - if he didn't break it over his knee and throw it in the trash. Do you think Mom isn't going to give Day whatever he wants? Day's mother may not be doing everything perfectly, but she is not Heart's mother. And anyway, he's a grownass person with a phone and a computer he's able to use, why are we assuming that Day can't get online and order a cane for his own self, instead of waiting for his family to do it for him? He could get Aon's help, if he needed help with it.

#day (lt) #morkday #last twilight #last twilight the series #and tangentially #heart (mc) #moonlight chicken

[pardi-real]

Main Story Ep. 2 / Part 1 / Chapter 1 - Meeting with the Nobles

All | Next

[House of Grovaner - Main Residence]

Lucas, Haures, and I were attending a meeting by the Grovaner family.

Finlay: "Thank you for your time, Lucas, Haures, and... the Lord of the Devil Butler… I appreciate it."

> "D-don't mention it"

Finlay: "Before we begin the meeting, swear your oaths…"

Haures: "I solemnly swear to tell the truth, and to conceal nothing, in accordance with the laws of the House of Grovaner."

Lucas: "I, too... Solemnly swear."

> "I also solemnly swear"

Finlay: "Hmm... Very well.  I wish we could have had this meeting earlier. I was very busy, so it was delayed until today. I've heard the gist of it… I think I have a rough idea of what's going on, but… Can you tell me in detail about what happened on the expedition three months ago?

The nobles here today are only the highest members of the Grovaner family. If we so choose... we can move the army of the House of Grovaner.

Be aware that this is such an important meeting, so I would like to hear as much detail as possible."

Haures: "As you requested, Lord Finlay... We have been looking for the missing Sardis soldiers. But as it turns out, this request was a trap set by the Sardis family. It seems that they were scheming an assassination plot to eliminate Devil Butlers."

Finlay: "Well… it seems that was the case. Really, the way the Sardis family does things. By killing the Devil Butlers… They are trying to make the Grovaner Family lose its authority. They want to return to the top of the nobility as soon as possible."

The Nobles: "Good grief... The Sardis family never changes. Shouldn't they get their comeuppance this time?"

Finlay: "Silence, everyone… Their political aggression is nothing new. We don't want to start an all-out war with them. What we can do is the usual… expressing our regrets in a letter of condolence."

The Nobles: "Why? Weak diplomacy will only make the Sardis family underestimate us even more!"

The Nobles: "That's right! Exactly what he said!"

Finlay:  "Stay calm, everyone. We should avoid an all-out war with the Sardis family for now. If we fight the Sardis army, our army is no match to theirs. It's only because we have the devil butlers, that they won't touch us openly."

The Nobles: "That's true... but…"

Lucas: "May I speak up? Lord Finlay."

Finlay: "Lucas… yes, you may."

Lucas: "The Sardis family did not get their own hands dirty... They used a group of mercenaries called the Black Snakes. If we were to pursue this case… the Black Snakes would be the one held accountable. I think it will just be dismissed as a case of a subordinate acting on its own."

Finlay: "Hm... I think so too. The Sardis Family is very thorough. Well, I think that's enough about this issue. Today's main topic is not about the Sardis family. Isn't that right, Haures?"

Haures: "Yes… Actually, after that... We were attacked by a group of angels. We defeated those angels without any problem, but suddenly.... A mysterious man appeared from the sky."

Finlay: "A man appeared from the sky… You mean the man was flying?"

Haures: "Yes… He was flying. The man had the wings of an angel, light was shining from his body,  and the man said, 'I am an angel'. "

Finlay: "I see…"

Haures: "We were bewildered by the suddenness of the situation, but we immediately tried to catch the mystery man."

All | Next

#akuneko #main story

[vethbrenatto]

TLOVM S2E10 Thoughts:

*chants* vaxilmore vaxilmore vaxilmore!

This lighting on Grog is so beautiful

Ahhh grog is getting ragdolled

IMPALED?????

VOX MACHINA FUCK SHIT UP!!!!

THAT SHOT OF PERCY IN FRONT OF THE FIRE

Honestly these combats vs humanoid opponents I find much more visually compelling than the dragon battles

I WAS SO LOST IN THE EUPHORIA OF THE BATTLE I TOTALLH FORGOT GROG GOES IN THE NECKLACE

holy shit they’re in a tavern are we gonna get the Kaylie reveal???

not kiki getting rejected Ahhhh

KAYLIE DUET KAYLIE DUET oh my god. give me the inn room scene. Please I never thought we’d get it

I’m so glad they kept this in fucking hell this is so funny

Okay I didn’t say it but that tavern song slapped

WAIT IM DADDY

Best Characterization: Grog, Keyleth

TLOVM S2E11 Thoughts

Oh my god he’s gonna tell a fake story about her mother

Gee Thordak does hate mankind’s bubbles

Icky icky blood bath. literally

raven mommy! she looks sick

Nerdcy strikes again

Are they really gonna leave Kaylie off like that? No “don’t die”? :(

Supergrog!

OH the sword is the immovable rod. I so did not get that. I was like what is this fucking sword Kaylie has that’s random as hell

This battle scene… surprisingly true to campaign

TLOVM S2E12 Thoughts:

not vax on the kids faces ahdjfkkflf

had a momentary terrifying “are they going to make scanlan leave this ep with Kaylie to marquet” but literally they can’t skip a bards lament and would have no time to cover it here so I calmed myself down

Time to fly vaxy boy

Kams head??! Umbrasyl that is sooo fucked up my guy

PIKELAN FIRST SHIP KISS OF THE SHOW YALL FFYCKING WE STAY WINNING

DEATHBED KISS DEATHBED KISS

I’m NOT LETTING THIS GO BITCH

but honestly having scanlan kill the dragon was so good. such a good creative decision.

GROG PIKE AND WILHAND IN THE LOCKET

No shit Raishan?? Having her he Yennan is actually so good I didn’t see it coming

Best Characterization: Scanlannn

Overall Best Characterization of E10-12: Scanlan

Overall Thoughts:

I thought S2 was a big improvement on S1 and I loved Season 1. I was worried on how they would handle so many different adventures but it just flowed? It was never dull, I was captivated the whole time. The writers have such a better grasp on their tone and their humor.

I didn’t have many doubts about the adaptation after season 1 and I have even less now. The show did such a great job this season with character spotlight. Everyone got a place to shine except Percy & Pike who were mostly seen via their relationships (Vax & Vex and Grog & Scanlan respectively), which is fair considering how big of spotlights they both got in S1.

I’m just. So happy with this season. I really couldn’t choose between them but my favorite batch of episodes was either 7-9 or 10-12.

#tlovm thoughts #tlovm spoilers

[ruanbaijie]

Thank you so much for The Spirealm post each time😍 Look forward everyday for new update hehe😁 Can I ask a few things that I don't quite get it? The drama didn't explain about the ring, kaleidoscope and there's light in you. Can you share a little bit if there's explanation about this in the book?

Already watch the last ep. The ending kind of confusing😵‍💫

hello! thank you to you too ^^ (I really am spamming the gifsets at this point, I have so many more waiting in my drafts 😅) here are my thoughts on those points!

the ring: yeah I think the drama left it open to interpretation, but in the novel rnz gives lqs a ruby earstud - I read the novel a while back, so I can't for the life of me remember if there's some practical purpose behind that earstud (e.g. whether he can feel his feelings through it) or if rnz also kept the other earstud (I might be confusing this with another danmei I love). so I think the ring in the drama might just symbolise that part in the novel

kaleidoscopes: in the drama I think they explained this in passing - gao dawei (lqs's friend who supposedly created this game) put in so many kaleidoscopes in their on purpose to "remind" lqs that this game is actually about him, since it's mentioned that lqs really loved kaleidoscopes when he was a child. I also noticed that the door area (yknow that dark blue "room" with the church-like painted glass before they enter each door) looks kinda like a kaleidoscope with the doors all facing one another (resembling the cross-section of a kaleidoscope) and the painted glass (resembling the colours of a kaleidoscope) vs. in the book, iirc it's mentioned the doors are a long corridor instead of facing one another. tbh, I think they just included all these kaleidoscopes in just as a nod to the original novel name (kaleidoscope of death)

light in you: this is an actual novel quote! in the novel there's a line that rnz says: “身上光越明亮，受到门的影响越小，你是我见过的，光最明亮的那一个，所以，你非常适合门。” ("the brighter the light on someone shines, the less affected they are by the doors. among all the people I've seen, you are the who has the brightest light. so, you are extremely suitable for the doors.") also! another quote I really love that's also from the novel is the one where rnz goes "I will protect you for a lifetime, whether it's for your lifetime, or for mine."

ending: man...... I don't even know where to begin with this. *spoiler alert for the novel ending below!* the novel ends with the revelation that rnz was the "door god" of the 12th and final door - what really happened was lqs had gone through doors 1-11 all by himself and founded and headed the obsidian group all by himself, there was no such person as rnz in real life. but in door 12, rnz the door god saw him, fell in love with him, and wanted to spend more time with lqs, so in the novel, door 12 was lqs redoing all of doors 1-11, except with rnz in the story now (i.e. the novel is entirely about door 12 pretending to be doors 1-11). the show's ending is kinda similar to that in the sense that rnz was part of the "game" (it's not a game in the novel, the "origin story" of the doors is very different) all along, but that's where the similarities end. the show kinda took that happy ending in the novel and twisted it into this bittersweet painful angsty ending where rnz is the code that "purifies" the distorted game. but the twist that I have even more trouble (i.e. pain) getting over is how it's kinda implied that the whole thing was in lqs's mind in the first place, like how when he re-emerged from that final door it turns out he's been in the same car accident from episode 1 and no one has any recollection of the game and his friend gao dawei didn't even invent the game. I say implied because it's never really specified if the games really happened or not, but I'm a pessimist (even though it is kinda strange that lqs would have managed to "dream" the personalities and appearances of so many different people he would later meet in real life after coming out from the final door). did the game really happen and everyone just conveniently forgot about everything and history somehow got rewritten after rnz purified the game? or was it all lqs dreaming it all up in his head after he got into a car accident and in the split second he almost died? they do seem to imply it's the latter, which is *painful* because it means rnz never existed in the first place, and even if they ended episode 78 with them meeting again after 50 years, that rnz wouldn't be the same rnz that lqs had supposedly dreamed up; he would just be a copy that lqs had programmed to be that way based on that one wild dream he had after an accident _(:3 」∠)_

ANYWAY angsty depressing thoughts aside, I hope this helps clear up some things about the show!

#*replies #the spirealm

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group I Round 1: #I4 vs #I5

#I4: Colorblind witch meets her granny’s friends by time travel

Despite the kaleidoscopic magic ingrained in everyday life, Hitomi Tsukishiro's monochrome world is deprived of emotion and feeling. On a night as black and white as any other, amidst the fireworks spreading across the sky, Hitomi's grandmother Kohaku conjures a spell, for which she has been harnessing the moon's light for 60 years, to send Hitomi back in time to the year 2018 when Kohaku was in high school.

Hitomi's mission seems unclear, but her grandmother assures her that she will know when she gets there. Following a trip through time aboard a train driven by a strange yellow creature, Hitomi finds herself in stoic artist Yuito Aoi's room, and his drawings flood her world with color. What is Hitomi's purpose there, and why do Yuito's drawings return such breathtaking color to her drab world?

#I5: Comfort-food anime, 4 guys managing a cafe

Kyousui "Sui" Tougoku inherits a traditional Japanese-style cafe called Rokuhoudou from his grandfather, which he manages alongside Gregorio "Gure" Valentino, Tokitaka Nagae, and Tsubaki Nakao. Their hospitality par excellence undoubtedly turns any one-time visitor into a regular. Having gone through their own share of trials and tribulations, the staff at this modest cafe do their best to serve their customers—whether it be through tea, sweets, or even helping with the various troubles one may have.

Although most days pass pleasantly, the small world of Sui and his friends takes an unexpected path when their reputation as a cafe flourishes overnight.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#I4: Iroduku: The World in Colors

Propaganda:

It’s the kind of show I only watched once, but it stayed with me to this day. It has a unique story that, despite having supernatural elements, feels grounded in human emotions the most. A rare but solid example of magical realism.

The premise is so original, yet very easy to grasp from a start. The time-travel and magic simply lay a groundwork for the story to carry on. If you were ever frustrated by how in supernatural shows there isn’t enough time to explore characters’ emotional depth bc plot, then this anime will be a delightful breather for you. Because the whole show is about the main character’s healing process, learning to overcome her fears, opening up to others… It’s a journey of a lonely, broken person who finds meaning to her life in a distant timeline. And it’s wonderful and painful on all levels.

The visuals, animation, background art are all stunning. Usage of colour is meaningful, to portray heroine’s colourblindess with proper weight. The show isn’t black/white for the viewers, but when she sees colours, they truly make them shine. Soundtrack wise, ending song is heartbreakingly beautiful and encapsulates the feeling of the whole series perfectly.

TL;DR: It's magical but not intense. Sad but comforting.

(I hope I did it justice. Pls watch it, it has 12 eps that are 100% enough for this story <3 )

Trigger Warnings: Not stated.

#I5: Rokuhou-dou Yotsuiro Biyori

Propaganda:

The overall calming atmosphere of the café and the peace good food can bring—this forms the basis of the human interaction happening at Rokuhoudou, the café. We see people finding comfort in the food they have while at the café, and it seriously so sweet. A lot of people might enjoy this.

Trigger Warnings: None.

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

#anime #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #animated show #group stage #group stage round 1 #tournament polls #irodoku: the world in colors #irodoku #rokuhoudou yotsuiro biyori #rokuhou-dou yotsuiro biyori #yotsuiro biyori #group i

[nso-csi]

SHINee 'HARD' has achieved first week sales of 206,572. This is a new record for SHINee. It is SHINee’s best-selling album on Hanteo.

#1 Hard - 206,572 (NEW) #2 Don’t Call Me - 127,208 #3 1 of 1 - 88,523 #4 ‘The Story of Light’ EP.3 - 83,718 #5 Atlantis - 74,099 #6 Sherlock - 73,670 #7 Married to the Music - 69,465 #8 Odd - 67,432 #9 ‘The Story of Light’ EP.2 - 62,321 #10 ‘The Story of Light’ EP.1 - 60,306 #11 Why So Serious? - The Misconceptions of Me - 57,546 #12 Dream Girl - The Misconceptions of You - 55,464 #13 Everybody - 53,174 #14 1 and 1 - 44,484 #15 Lucifer - 32,700 #16 2009, Year of Us - 26,047 #17 Hello - 23,454 #18 ‘The Story of Light’ Epilogue - 17,769 #19 Romeo - 15,808 #20 The Misconceptions of Us - 10,948 #21 The SHINee World - 10,610 #22 Amigo - 5,224 #23 Replay - 2,100+

cr.: shineecharts

[yangxiaolongprotectionsquad]

Some stand out things to me that were DEFINITELY overshadowed by the most tender, soul-restoring, gorgeous, stunning confession to ever be conceived and executed, in no particular order:

1. I know some ppl are unhappy abt Weiss being down bad for Jaune now but I personally think it’s fucking HILARIOUS and the way RBY were all 🤨 was amazing. Jaune fr looks good…. “MATURE” LMFAOOO Weiss really put on her clown shoes and I love her for that

2. I don’t think anyone thought Alyx’s story was going to be totally accurate but DAMN. Writing her kind brother out of the story entirely, sacrificing him to return to Remnant, poisoning Jaune? What a twist.

It shines an entirely new light on her interactions with those in the Ever After. The Crimson King ascended into a colossal shithead because of how she beat him—no wonder he resents humans so much. I think it’s likely that she cheated to win, so when he came back it was with a vengeance. I wonder at how she and Louis were raised to become opposites?

3. The Curious Cat is basically Ozpin. A helpful if eccentric guide at first, that eventually is forced to confront a painful reality. What really makes the connection stand out is how the Cat deflects by saying things like, “You never asked,” regarding the brother. They both technically don’t lie outright but they do withhold crucial information that would change how the others would perceive them and the world.

I fucking LOVE the parallels man. The nail in the coffin was when the Curious Cat left after admitting Alyx played them. I’m certain the cat will return in some way or another, like Ozpin.

4. Ruby. Oh dear, Ruby. She’s been lost ever since she fell. Literally of course, but mentally, too. She doesn’t know her purpose, her role, her reason to keep going when Salem is out there with two relics and the situation appears hopeless. Volume 8 was a massive pill to swallow, and her plan failing has had horrible consequences. She’s at a crossroad, (lol), because she needs to be a leader.

She can’t doubt herself, she can’t fail, she has everyone relying on her and that burden has never been heavier than it is right now. It’s crushing her, so she’s trying to lighten that load by erasing pieces of herself. Ruby gave away her emblem. Penny’s sword.

Her beloved Crescent Rose, a PART of her, at least symbolically, being given back to her by Jaune, offers ZERO reassurance. Worse still, just looking at it fills her with dread. It’s a symbol of every burden she’s shouldered and every battle she’s fought.

Jaune returning Crescent Rose is akin to him saying, “We need to keep going, to keep fighting.”

And Ruby Rose, the optimistic hero and legend straight out of a fairy tale, wishes she could just disappear.

SO YEAH. That’s my incoherent analysis. I think volume 9 has already become my favourite, and EDDY RIVAS. It cannot be said enough how amazing the script was. Truly. The animators went ballistic. The concept and background designers? They served us a 5 star meal. Miles is SLAYING as an older Jaune, who is both familiar and yet distinctly different. Lindsey, Kara, Arryn, and Barb continue to give us incredible performances.

HOW COULD I NOT MENTION CASEY AND MARTIN??? Banger after certified banger. Give me the album.

Thank you, CRWBY. For everything. I knew you’d deliver but you’ve outdone yourselves. That’s all I can say for now, but I’ve deadass had a smile glued on my face since I watched the ep, and you should know that.

#SO. I WONDER HOW EP 7 IS GONNA PLAY OUT. #I’m on mobile so idk how minimize the text to do the show more thing #im sorry #ill probably figure it out #rwby #rwby spoilers #analysis #rwby9 #rwby9 spoilers #crwby #ruby rose

[fyeahbachisagi]

Blue Lock Anime Diminishing the Manga's Horror Vibe Part 1: "There's a monster inside me"

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in the art of animation and manga. My opinions here are simply what I've observed as someone who's into design and one who used to draw before, as well as being a horror story enthusiast.

Now, I love the Blue Lock anime. The animation is smooth, the soundtrack hypes you up, and above all, it emphasizes the supporting characters and their interactions with each other. However, when it comes to implementing the horror aspect that is ever present in the manga... it's really lacking.

I first noticed this in Bachira's "I have a monster inside me" scene in episode 2, but back then I dismissed it as just simply me being too greedy and wanting more Bachira content. But from the latest episode that came out today (ep 6), where Bachira has only a few scenes, I guess I really wasn't imagining it.

My initial complaint is how they did not animate this particular Bachira:

That pose of Bachira stooping down and leaning towards us was something I had been looking forward to, but in the anime, all we got was this:

A simple nod before it all fades to black to make way for a flashback.

Now, let me break this down.

In the manga, before Bachira tells us about his monster, we have this:

Very mundane. Nothing much to say. Bachira is just standing there and looking pretty harmless...

But then all of a sudden...

Bachira swoops in towards Isagi, and art-wise, towards us readers, taking us off-guard. Keep in mind that the panel above is on a new page. When reading on a physical manga copy, after turning the page of a harmless Bachira thinking over Isagi's question, we are immediately greeted with this dark and unsmiling Bachira. It's basically the manga equivalent of a jump scare.

[From hereon, I'm gonna refer to these especially creepy moments as "monster scenes" for simplicity and ease of writing.]

In the manga, we can really see the horror being implemented in the actual story-telling and not just in the monster scene drawings.

This is not the case in the anime.

Sure, we got a creepy 3D monster and Bachira's and Isagi's cool egoist modes—but all these horror stuff are treated like icing on a cake and not the cake itself. The anime is making it no different from every other sports anime's "zone" moments.

Now, let's go back to the anime version. Below is a video of the entire scene for reference. I've cut out a bulk of the flashback coz we're not gonna focus on that.

Everything is so fucking bright.

Just look at this frame:

The "sunlight" is literally shining down on Bachira. Yeah, yeah, I know it's the overhead lights, but colors convey mood, okay? And the mood I'm getting from looking at that frame are all on the neutral to good range. It looks as if Bachira is going to give some profound life talk—which, in itself, is not bad, considering how they immediately follow it with this:

Not bad at all, really. The anime got the mundane-to-creepy shift okay.

But then that's it.

Right after this is a peek of Bachira's past, and once we're done with that, he's still just standing there in harmless mode. The monster scene that should've already started was cut off.

Now, there's no tension at all.

I mean, there is some tension brought about by the curiosity of what this monster is all about. But this tension is mild, leaning more towards casual curiosity than thrilling suspense.

In the manga, there is action. Bachira is immediately playing in egoist mode, and he's got this never-before-seen serious look on his face, putting the mood in the dark range.

In the anime version, however, they take an entirely different approach. They're using mischievous!Bachira and not serious!Bachira. Look at him smirk:

(And it's still so fucking bright—more on the anime's colors later)

Unlike in the manga where we are thrusted into a monster scene the moment Bachira says "There is a monster inside me," in the anime, getting there is taking some time. In the frame above, we are not yet in a monster scene at all. Him just standing there is probably him recalling that memory of his and still soaking in the emotions it brought him.

Don't get me wrong, though; I love the addition of Bachira's flashback. But I think the animators could've done something to keep the tension while also inserting the flashback. Maybe they could've interspersed the flashback while Bachira is dribbling instead of just showing us his feet? I don't know, I'm not an expert. I can point out problems, but don't expect me to know how to fix them.

Moving on... The part where the anime actually enters the monster scene is here:

And let's be honest. This turned out more homoerotic than the manga version. Isagi looks like he's having a gay panic, whereas in the manga he looks terrified.

And knowing the fact that the anime director acknowledges Bachira's love for Isagi, it won't be too farfetched to say that anime!Bachira looks lovestruck. You can even hear it in his voice.

Now kiss.

Anyways, my point for Part 1 is: Emphasizing the characters' relationships is sacrificing some of the horror vibe.

I will go more into this in a different post. For now, I'm ending Part 1 here. I'd like to add some more examples + videos, but Tumblr only allows one video per post...

Stay tuned!

#blue lock #blue lock meta #miyamiwu.meta #anime vs manga #episode 2 #chapter 3 #bllk #bachira meguru #isagi yoichi #bachisagi #miyamiwu.src

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (19-25 Nov 2023)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Old Town Road (Singles series) (Chris Molanphy) - Part of Duke University Press' series Singles, chart geek/music historian Chris Molanphy dives deep into "Old Town Road" which he describes as a 'one of one' phenomenon. To quote the book blub, which sums it up nicely: Molanphy shows how “Old Town Road” channeled decades of Americana to point the way toward our cultural future. Fairly short and incredibly readable.

🥰 Ordinary Numbers (BootsnBlossoms, Kryptaria) - 44K, canon-divergent meeting for 00Q

🥰 The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (Society of Gentlemen #0.5) (KJ Charles, author; , narrator) - short story, kicking off KJC's incredible romance series set in during the Regency and political unrest around the time of the Peterloo massacre

😍 [Podfic] Mr Webster's Wager (fahye, author; HowOldAreWe, narrator) - 29K, very slight canon-divergent expansion of The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh, expanding on Francis & Ash getting together - so well done I almost consider it a part of the series, at least for my own rereads - this is a really great podfic of it!

😍 A Fashionable Indulgence (Society of Gentlemen #1) (KJ Charles, author; Matthew Lloyd Davies, narrator) - exquisite Julian finds purpose and love transforming young radical Harry into a gentleman. Plus there's the Peterloo massacre and personal murder plots

😍 A Seditious Affair (Society of Gentlemen #2) (KJ Charles, author; Matthew Lloyd Davies, narrator) - Tory/Radical romance with some incredible digging in to what it means to be a man of principle ('Wednesday by Wednesday, I have loved you')

💖💖 +75K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Art Nouveau (voluptuous_panic) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 12K - reread, forever fave - Cap!Steve has a disastrous first date at a hipster cider bar but luckily the hot, tattooed bartender is there to distract him. Short & very, very hot.

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Hot Ones - Melissa McCarthy

Screen Rant - Siobhan Thompson Talks Dimension 20 Burrow's End & Fantasy High Junior Year

Screen Rant - Brennan Lee Mulligan Talks Dimension 20 Burrow's End & Fantasy High: Junior Year

QI - series S, ep 1

Dirty Laundry - s3, e6

D20: Burrow's End - "Five" (s20, e8)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Everything, Every Stoat, All at Once" (s15, e8)

D20: Fantasy High: Freshman Year - e1-10

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

What Next: TBD - Bedbugs Are Back, Baby!

⭐ Endless Thread - The Grand Can-Spiracy

Song Exploder - Paramore "Liar"

⭐ Hit Parade - Ride ’til I Can’t No More Edition

⭐ Hit Parade - The Bridge: Can’t Tell Me Nothin’

Shedunnit - Death at the Club

You're Dead to Me - Shakespeare

Desert Island Discs - Patrick Grant, designer and broadcaster

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - A Gaga Tour of the Town

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Julia Gets Wise with Carol Burnett

NPR's Book of the Day - Jamie Loftus' 'Raw Dog' investigates the social and culinary history of the hot dog

Cautionary Tales - Photographing Fairies

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Julia Gets Wise with Isabel Allende

What Next: TBD - Inside OpenAI's Implosion

The Allusionist - 185. Gems and Patties

Cautionary Tales - The Art Forger, the Nazi, and "The Pope"

Today, Explained - How Cassie sued Diddy

99% Invisible #561 - Long Strange Tape

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

One Year - 1990: Pizzastroika

Ologies with Alie Ward - Abstract Mathematology (UH, IS MATH REAL?) with Eugenia Cheng

⭐ Off Menu - Ep 215: Paul Rudd

⭐ Pop Culture Happy Hour - Rethinking Killers Of The Flower Moon

NPR's Book of the Day - In 'Blackouts,' Justin Torres shines a light on silenced LGBTQ history

What Next: TBD - Where Scams Are Born

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Rockstar [Dolly Parton] {2023}

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vols 1 & 2 [Ray Charles] {1962}

Presenting Massive Attack

Presenting Nine Inch Nails

New Blue Sun [André 3000] {2023}

#sunday reading recap #bookgeekgrrl's reading habits #bookgeekgrrl's soundtracks #fanfic ftw #society of gentlemen series #dolly parton #nine inch nails #ray charles #andré 3000 #massive attack #d20 #dimension 20 #d20: burrow's end #burrow's end #fantasy high #fantasy high: freshman year #dirty laundry #qi #hot ones #hit parade podcast #endless thread podcast #99% invisible podcast #one year podcast #song exploder #shedunnit podcast #you're dead to me podcast #desert island discs #the atlas obscura podcast #what next: tbd podcast #cautionary tales podcast

[thespoonisvictory]

Another reason why trw feels weird with what it tries to fit into its runtime (and also just generally falls short of its potential) to me is that, by its nature, I can't help but compare it to both acoc AND exuc. And neither of those comparisons put it in the best light. Comparing trw to its in-universe counterpart of acoc makes trw look so much less dark and so much more clunky with its attempts to show complex political machinations. But then you also can't help but see Matt Mercer open with "Water" and remember Brennan's "Fire" and. Suddenly, you're holding up this story that feels like it's sprinting to cover multiple years, shoving aside characters and plot beats that would've been cool to really hone in on because for some reason we have to go go go! You're holding that up against what is to me a genuine masterclass in storytelling that delves as deep as it possibly can into The Worst Single Day Ever. And yeah. Of course in these contexts, trw is going to come out feeling even more janky to me. It's got so many good bits to it, but when held up against acoc (its universe partner) and exuc (the Big Dark Prequel Short Series DMed by Another Guy Covering A Major Event in History)... Its whole vibes feel out of place.

intentional comparisons to both properties by both matt and brennan have been made, so I think it's fair game with the caveat that obviously it isn't a 1:1 at all.

I agree completely with this! It feels like the rushing is also compounded by the fact that trw has a bit of an identity crisis over whether it wants to be an acoc in terms of being an in-depth political fantasy with Big Consequences and Realistic Stakes, or exu calamity in terms of being about antiheroes getting up to shit who are hit with a potentially world ending or changing event, real grand fantasy stuff.

The issue with that is that on top of the rushed timeline, you're also trying to shove two radically different stories and tones in. the first half of the season, we're largely focused on the source of the blackmail, the political aspects of the FDA, and the killing of Pamela Rocks. Then in the back half (particularly eps 5 and 6) we take a wild shift into underground mushroom society that never really... shifts back to finish the political stuff. for sake of brevity, I'll just say that both storylines suffer from having to share space. the political aspects are left unfinished or unexplored after setting up some really cool stuff: the cheddars are left untouched, amangeaux's child is never brought into the plot, we barely get to know karna's deal. the fantasy aspects feel a little out of left field and underdeveloped, with no pcs except raphaniel feeling a well tethered connection to it.

in a longer campaign, I'd love both of these stories! at this length, it really probably should have been just one.

matt is a really talented storyteller, but it doesn't get to shine here because so much of trw feels spread thin. I love what we got! it just needed more clarity and focus, and a lot of elements simplified.

for tying back to the ask, exu:calamity made the very smart choice to start with 6 pcs who already knew each other, in one city, in the course of less than 24 hours. the political aspects are thrown out the window bc nothing will matter in the apocalypse, which clears the way for brennan to really narrow in on the aspects he wants, namely go crazy with the religious and scientific plots

#trw #d20 #I love this discussion sm it's fascinating to me

[mysunandmoon98]

I'm listening to: potatoi, toy.

I've been a big fan of John for a long time, really I could go on and on, so i'll let myself ramble a little. I remember when John was releasing music under 'obdnce' on soundcloud and listening to his 'Why Not?' EP on spotify, it was the first time I really started to appreciate instrumental music, and I started to focus on sounds a lot more. So from the get go, this album already holds a lot of meaning for me, it stands for a change of pace, and a change of attention. And so much has changed and adapted over the past few years, so little time, so many new experiences, new people, new feelings, attention. Yet still working hard each day, progressing and walking along our own paths.

So now we meet Potatoi, and his musical story of 'Toy'. The cute blue robot taking centre stage on the album cover, it feels sweet and ernest. It makes me think about how I show my feelings, wear my heart on my sleeve, have my head filled with doubt, and if other people see this? It feels cute and somewhat clumsy, it feels honest.

Track 1, Toy. makes me think of the style I had always loved, reminiscent of songs such as Rough Sketches '아무말' and 'Sunset Hills' - which I both love dearly. I will always enjoy a fun jazzy intro. And I love seeing the interconnected thoughts and the stories of artists over the years. I am curious about john, John Cha, obdnce, potatoi, growing as an artist, a creative person, and the changing expression and flow of words. Personally, as just a humble listener I feel like his music has flourished, and it is such a beautiful thing.

I have been listening to Image often. I remember the first time I listened, I was watching the MV, and reading the lyrics. I remember how it touched my heart, there was a sense of vulnerablity which struck me, and I felt like I saw myself, and every moment of the past colliding together. Image has such a beautiful melody, it's the sort of song that makes me feel like cherishing everything: everything about life, the dull everyday, the beautiful everyday. How does everything feel so present, and how does every step, each taken from hundreds of miles away seem to fall into a rhythm?

"There's a part of me I can't tell you, my own secret

Sometimes I wonder if I want to hide it from you too, secretly (Hmm)"

There's a drama I watched last year, that spoke of the book 'To Room Nineteen' which I have desperately been wanting to read. We have these things that we hold so dearly, and closely to us, our 'Room 19'. Do we share this with those we love? Will our protection be broken? If we open the door just to let a little light in, will everything suddenly flow out? So these questions have been on my mind for months, and I wonder each day, what is the worth of sharing things, and how each and every thing deserves nuance.

"There's a part of me I can't tell you, my own secret Sometimes I wonder if I want to hide it from you too, secretly (Hmm)"

I think how the world gets tangled and twisted, running alongside itself, connecting people, words and feelings, is one of the most precious things. That is the basis of why I want to write about this album, how I feel, my words, and sharing thoughts with others.

I was really pleasantly surprised by 'Shade' I love songs that feel dreamy but have that underlying grit and darkness. I think of the phrase "there are two sides to every coin" (meaning, you can't have the good part of something without its bad). Where there is light, shining brightly and beautifully, there is shade and darkness. Where light could be shining brightly and beautifully, there is light that is blinding and suffocating. Where there is shade there is variety, shades of light and darkness merging together. "There are two sides to every coin" but is it ever that simple? That starkly black and white? Maybe life is not like a coin, but one of the dice with tens of sides, it gets tossed and turned, crashing on hard surfaces, and in the end, there are multiple sides facing the darkness, and multiple sides facing the light, all in different shades. That is what shade makes me think of, so often I wish for things to be simpler and complexity turns life into a painful, blinding haze, and so often I adore the complexity of life.

And so with the complexity of love, there is space for cuteness, purity and simplicity. 'Popsicle' seems to fulfill these. It makes my heart happy.I like the formation of the album, each song swims and flows into the next smoothly.

I love hearing how Potatoi reimagines 'Evening Glow' somehow when I listen I feel flooded with emotions in a way that is different to the wave to earth version. I think the way he sings the lyrics, I just.. it feels real, 'tender' and vulnerable..aaa really suddenly every bittersweet memory comes to me at once. I think that's it, that's how I feel about Potatoi- vulnerability.

Once again, feelings of love, loneliness and confusion run alongside each other, falling, fading and growing, and we are onto 'Vanish

''Fly away, fly away Go far away From here"

"We're gonna find the way To vanish from this world"

'We' is such a beautiful word, we live our life surrounded by people, in busy cities, or small towns but to be truly part of something, to be part of 'We' is precious. Again our moments and days fade together, whether singing to the whole world, to one person, or to ourselves - there are times when things are connected and shared, beauty and darkness. There are times when the pain of joint memories and wishes are so prevelant in my life, that it feels sickening. Wishes fade and turn into things I want to hide. Sometimes I wish to be my own 'We'. To sooth my pain the way I try to sooth the pain of my loved ones. Whatever that 'We' is, it will always be important, and I wish to find a way to be the rest point, a person to cry to, and a person to lie on, for all people I love, myself included.

For me 'Plain life' plays off these feelings too.

"Look at our plain lives oh I'm gonna color up your day"

It makes me sigh, because how can life feel so hauntingly and beautifully delicate. At the end of the day, we live our lives, and days pass and fade, memories grow and wither. But if tonight we just be, look up at the sky, share our worries, the things we lost, we can make room for the things that we can gain together, from this time.

And with that, I think my day has become more thoughtful, and I hope yours can too.

Thank you John, Potatoi☀🌙

#wave to earth #john cha #potatoi #korean artists

[heliphantie]

"Cape Feare", ep.2(83) of S5 (October 7, 1993).

“Treat kids as equals - they're people, too! They're smarter than you think! They were smart enough to catch me!”

Remember when Sideshow Bob had a standpoint, a believes he built his act upon? Media figure, an entertainer with desire to nourish young minds via TV programming, instead of churning out brain-numbing content, he went the route of well-intended extremist and ultimately was condemned by one child, in whom he recognized fellow black sheep, unacknowledged prodigy who gets reduced to the role of clown. Isn’t it tragic his potentially most appreciative audience turned to be his archenemy, and aforementioned philosophy of children’s equality pushed him to seek full-blown revenge on the kid? There’s a lot of laugh and eccentricity in figure of Bob, his obsession with implementing theatrical drama and inspired pathos in every move – he’s more of a vaudeville villain than high-cultured maniac, but a bitter irony to his motives too. He’s too charismatic and full of passion to his real vocation to be seen as genuine treat, but rather as one colorful foe, or possibly, frenemy, that Bart tends to attract and developing rather spirited relationships with all his adversaries, all lonely souls whose true potential gets stifled by their environment, not unlike himself. Whole “HMS Pinafore” segment is showcasing brilliant chemistry between two. (Premise is, by the way, a riff on the fable about the little goat and the wolf: the goat demands the wolf to play flute for him as last wish, which attracts the dogs, so as in the episode, vanity for his talents is what befalls the villain.)

What about episode itself, it was one that solidified my growing appreciation for the series, while on later rewatching and after getting more versed into the series, I don’t think it’s really perfect: it pads the story a lot with random filler material, while all best episodes connect its side gags with main theme, and better of gags are centered on Bob’s person, which really shines here even without need of prefacing it with history of his and Bart’s feud. (I happened watching it before season 1, so was only familiar with character on surface, but episode does great work in refreshing and detailing his personality, as light-weight as its goes, compared to “Krusty Gets Busted”.) So, where it does shine, it’s in character-building department yet again, creating endearing individuals you want to know better and interpersonal relationships you want to see developed further.

WIP:

#the simpsons #the simpsons fanart #sideshow bob #robert terwilliger #robert underdunk terwilliger #bart simpson #bartholomew jojo simpson #cape feare #season 5 #the simpsons s5 #phantieart

[seatawinan]

i'm in need of some recs. and i trust your judgment based on the content you post. outside of what is currently airing (bc i'm probably already watching what's currently airing), what are some of your favorite bls or asian series in general?

help this is like making me choose my favorite child!!, also i'm not the best judge of this ever but i'll try with categories:

all time faves: atots, bad buddy, gaya sa pelikula, theory of love, not me, triage (tw for this), blueming, to my star, ingredients (i swear this isnt just a grocery ad)

these are perfect, just don't watch season 2: i told sunset about you we best love: no. 1 for you to my star (tms2 is good but it's so much pain)

the "classics" (2020 and older ones): he's coming to me, dark blue kiss, my engineer, until we meet again (tw for this too), 3 will be free, gameboys, history 3 trapped, the untamed (this is 50 eps iirc so it's a wild ride )

fave kbls: where your eyes linger, mr heart, you make me dance, light on me, semantic error

fave jbls: cherry magic, kieta hatsukoi

i liked these a lot but they just stumbled in some parts: lovely writer, vice versa, enchante, the eclipse, my tooth your love, the eclipse, love in the air (prapai sky half), cutie pie, kinnporsche, manner of death

gls: gap the series sleep with me

others/shorts new jiew the story, last twilight in phuket, shining in my eyes, อย่างอนดิเพื่อน กูไม่อยากเสียฟอร์มง้อ | BKPP | NADAOxOPPO

non-bls navillera (this is like the only non-bl i'd def recommend but get the tissues ready) dirty laundry (midnight series) the gifted (nervous laughter...., you can also skip the gifted graduation?) friend zone and friend zone 2 the warp effect (i just really ignore alex/new's plot here)

insert disclaimer that i prob forgot a lot of shows 💔 also i havent watched a lot of shows in 2022 bc of work 😔 but have fun! 💖

#sam replies #i'll edit this later

[kdramalands]

year-end drama recommendation

4. Alice in Borderland 2 (2022)

8 eps, 60min each

This is a proposition for all of you who watched first season of Alice in Borderland and can't decide whether to watch the second season and for the rest of you who can't find it in themselves to start watching Alice in Borderland altogether. Please do it. Do my poor little heart a favour.

Second season of Alice in Borderland continues where we left off at the end of the first season. After completing ten of hearts game, all numbered cards are collected and a second phase begins. Alice and his friends have to participate in jack, queen and king's games to learn the truth about borderland and how to escape it.

Alice in Borderland 2 is a Netflix production and this season was 2 years in the making for it to finally hit us with the feels on December 22, 2022. This season felt like a definite conclusion of the story so I would not assume there will be a third one. I'm basing this information solely on my knowledge of the story from manga, I'm not an insider so at the end of the day, who knows? However, if you're curious on how Alice is faring after the end of season 2, I can recommend you a manga sequel to Alice in Borderland, Alice in Borderland Retry. It's a 13 chapter short story that could shine some light on what's going on in his life.

Alice in Borderland 2 was honestly everything I've ever wanted. I read all manga chapters right after I finished the first season and I could not wait to see it on the screen. In my opinion, AiB production team did their best to bring the comic to life.

The conclusion of Alice's story and the truth behind borderland may not be perfect for everyone, but for me it was poetic, beautiful, but also kind of ridiculous. I laughed in disbelief when I uncovered the truth, but after I revaluated the whole journey, I concluded that it truly was the best case scenario. I thoroughly enjoyed characterisation of jack, queen, and king games' hosts and I appreciated that they were given impactful introductions and respectful exits. Alice in Borderland is an action packed drama with many twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the freaking end.

This concludes the end of my list for 2022. I hope I got you interested enough to at least check one of the dramas.

I can already hear and see fireworks behind my window announcing the end of 2022. It was an honour being here with you all another year. It's been 6 years now! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you to succeed in 2023. I hope you have fun plans and to-do lists ready for that brand new year! And, as always, I offer my endless gratitude for all of you who visited my tumblr, left some likes, reblogs, or comments under my posts. This is all from me! With the last item of this year’s year-end recommendation project, I wish you all the best, less drama and more dramas in 2023! Happy New Year 2023!

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

#alice in borderland #alice in borderland 2 #imawa no kuni no arisu #imawa no kuni no arisu 2 #今際の国のアリス #今際の国のアリス２ #yamazaki kento #tsuchiya tao #murakami nijiro #asahina aya #kaneko nobuaki #drama recommendation #year-end recommendations #japanese drama #jdrama #drama #netflix drama #yer2022

[mihotose]

im like totally done for. started listening to mirapa radio. (havent listened to a love live radio since uraraji in 2017!!!)

*the title of episode 1 was "we've been waiting for 1.5 years!" which is true. they were cast in early 2022 and were training for a year before debut

the first time kankan and konachi met in person they had a dance lesson and konachi was just So ☆ Tired she Had to have a nap on kankan's lap ♡

however the actual first time hasu all met konachi did it remotely and she remembers kankan as a strange person with a loud voice and big body language w ("eh shes my partner...?")

if they mess up dododo in practice they have to do it again ten times on the spot, and since kanchan says shes a bad dancer shes had to do the intro choreo a lot

they listened to ep 1 of the radio while getting their makeup done for the bloom the dream live

kankan then came to record ep 2 of the radio wearing the bloom the dream live tshirt (meant as a surprise for konachi)

the beginning of bloom the dream where they entered the stage matching the video of their member was hard for kankan as well w since she has to match ruri's doyagao (ten rep system applied here too)

since the dododo outfits are sleeveless and kankan doesnt wear sleeveless clothes she was worried about her upper arms and was asking their dance teacher how she could lose weight there who was like eh... idk...

konachi likes how even though dollche's AWOKE outfits are black they glitter when the light shines on them

konachi thinks nonsuke is so cute and keeps trying to make her do cute things lol (kankan: uichan will get mad!)

kankan: its like i dont want bad things to happen to her... like if an evil organisation comes ill get rid of them for her

when they first performed hakuchuu a la mode everyone cheered so loud they were worried they would drown out the "1,2,3!" at the beginning but then everyone quietened down really quickly

kankan: megu-chan's voice is like gentle and sweet while ruri-chan is like spice

about ameagari street kozue: kankan "what are you thinking about when you look at tsuzuri-senpai, kozue-senpai?"

they gushed about kozue with her hair down in episode 8 and kankan said she wants to see kozue with megu's twin tails. they are looking forward to seeing kozue with her hair down in the future please!!!

favourite dollche song: konachi - tragic drops; kankan - sparkly spot

favourite ceribou song: konachi - mix shake (she likes the towel waving and the choreo)

they love how kozue and kaho's voices blend together and the suisai sekai outfit obi and pompom rings and hair accessories

konachi said she doesnt really like formal language so asks everyone to write casually in the letters from now on ☆

kankan was about to eat her favourite dashimaki tamago from her bentou when konachi came up to her and said あ～ん so kankan was like i have to give this to her now!

and then again, kankan was drinking ramune and konachi did the same thing, so kankan brought it to her mouth and konachi bit her finger

"she was out of control earlier but it seems shes calmed down now for the broadcast"

they make that "sorry... i love you" / "every day is a holiday 😊🎵" joke

hasu is mostly neko-ha but kanchan is inu-ha. she likes chow chows like ruri

they read an example letter for a future corner about someone who can have conversations with cats on the street. cats dont like kankan but they say kocchan is the type of person like in the letter. she has been getting closer to kocchan's cat recently though!

konachi likes tsuzuri and kozue in ameagari street tsuzuri ♡ and how in ameagari street sayaka sayaka is smiling but kaho has a doyagao

kankan thinks deepness kozue takes place in the first half of the story, and they think its amazing how the number of kozue+tsuzuri cards are increasing

kankan also likes how kaho has her face in her hands in deepness sayaka lol

kankan wants a second years song while konachi wants a first years song. they think eien no euphoria suits the second years but not the first years

kankan nonsuke uichan and nassu went out the other day and kankan sang dododo with uichan and nassu. afterwards uichan said only mirapa can sing that song since its so different to what ceribou has lol

they say kocchan actually suits mirapa songs and want her to sing dododo or hakuchuu a la mode

(they also want shuffle units!!)

they found it funny that kozue called kaho and sayaka かすがい and the thumbnail that was used for ep 8 on the twitter lol

kankan falls asleep to videos of people having barbecues. konachi falls asleep to asmr videos of turtles eating watermelons

konachi doesnt think hasu could go camping together; it doesnt suit the second years. uichan can cook but shes very particular about her spices and such. but the first years could camp together

in ep 7, the one released just after ruri's first appearance in the main story, konachi starts it by herself by reading a letter from kankan which transitions into kankan reading it herself. konachi finishes it and says "alright! ill do my best on my own this time!" before kankan cuts in like "im actually here!!!!" and the radio background image changes to the usual mirapa one

the sehasu cooking episode surprised kankan because shes always heard konachi burns things shes frying and konachi said she got scolded for burning fried rice one time and has never tried it since but as they made a dessert it turned out fine ☆

kankan said everyone was laughing at how she peeled the dragon fruit but she doesnt understand because she doesnt know how youre meant to do it!!!

[probably being told by a producer] kankan: eh it seems youre meant to cut it with a knife konachi: ehh.. oh well!

even though dollche's cooking was such a mess they said it actually tasted good. konachi has been looking for the sweet potato butter they used

kankan's mom tried to make ceribou's dish but it was bad .

they received a letter in kansai-ben and talked about how you wouldnt expect uichan's from kansai. she seems to try her best not to let her kansai-ben slip out. nassu is from kyuushuu but doesnt seem to speak hakata-ben. konachi said she got interested in dialects once and tried to learn how to speak in some

they think the girls look good in light blue like the penguin ice outfits and their summer uniforms

"the number of tsuzukozu illustrations has increased"

konachi: there isnt a moment where fujishima megumi is not cute

"itd be nice if we streamed games someday"

ceribou = run, dollche = can, mirapa = fun

kankan would get ruri a pink bat from the batting centre

"what would you get megu-chan?" "permission to leave the [waiting] room"

kankan wants to join a circle for the grand prix but since her username is kankan its obvious its her lol

konachi realised on your mark (6 members) doesnt have any english but deepness (4 members) has a lot so maybe mirapa is holding them back...?

on haunted houses: kankan and konachi - dont like them; nonsuke - afraid of the dark; uichan - trustworthy!!; nassu - the type to not freak out; kocchan - probably not a big reaction even if she was scared

kankan made fun of nassu during the nama but she also hasnt gotten a LOVELIVE... shes also bad at turning off auto

the day before the exercise measurement sehasu kocchan practised all the tests

the genyou yakou/mirage voyage cards - sayaka's is the best of course. kankan also likes how kozue is looking at the sales even though shes an ojou-sama lol "its her commoner side"

besides staying together when they went to kanazawa hasu have never had a sleepover so they want to have a training camp! (kankan: beach; konachi: mountains)

"i want us to have a barbecue!" "we already had one?" "oh yeah"

they filmed all three sehasu vlogs on the same day! mirapa in the morning dollche in the afternoon ceribou on the evening. after they finished filming mirapa had mcdonalds

they made fun of nassu putting the camera on the floor during dollche's though since it made it look less like a vlog lol

"if tsuzuri played basketball everyone would fall in love with her" (about tsuzuri playing basketball in the sports festival)

cast at sports festival: nassu - team leader; nonsuke - cheerleader (like kaho) doing a soranbushi. they dont see the second years doing it -> afternoon tea festival (kozue would win)

the hasu audition was on the same day as konachi's third year either cultural festival or sports festival and so she skipped it to go to the audition

they like dollche's songs but theyre so hard they cant sing them at karaoke

"was there anything a cast member said to you that made you happy?" "when you said its easier to sing when im with you"

kankan likes when kocchan praises her during afureco or when uichan says her singing is stable. konachi just saying good morning to her makes her happy. she had a deep conversation with nonsuke on the train the other day and that made her happy

"we actually dont watch the story we watch it the same time as everyone else. so when its released we all watch it at once and get excited on LINE"

megu as an appliance would be a mic/camera -> laptop

splash!!!! kozue looks like a mom lol

nassu and sayaka both suit ponytails

"i want to dedicate my year as a twenty year old to megu-chan"

seishun no rinkaku is konachi's new favourite dollche song

kankan: since we became five or six we usually dont have a tsukkomi in the cast konachi: everyone's a boke right kankan: wait it was probably the same when there were four members

when it was four members sometimes kocchan would tsukkomi but now konachi (megu) has joined properly kankan was really happy since she loves konachi's tsukkomi

#girl who is normal about hasu #gemitus #i have another under the cut hasu post ill finish august first tho