#ultimately everything about i love you is like true to my brand true to my essence

[nburkhardt]

Every Time You Shine, I’ll Shine For You.

Soooo this was originally going to be full one shot, but I’ve decided since it’s been sitting in my drafts for months, that I’m just going to post it as either an unfinished piece for now. I might try to come up with a second half but for now enjoy this soulmate au ✨

Having a soulmark wasn’t necessary for Steve. Sure, seeing the word- the nickname his soulmate will eventually call him is nice. But it’s not needed, not in his eyes at least.

At the age of five years old, everyone in the world gets a nickname on their wrist. It’s fate telling you your perfect match, that the other half of your soul is out there for you. It’s the ultimate fairytale growing up, that it burns when you hear the nickname said by your soulmate and there’s an instant spark, instant connection. It’s the bedtime story, the ultimate love story and something to wish for.

It’s a wish everyone wants but Steve Harrington.

He has a very good reason to not like the idea of having a “perfect match” out there for you. While he heard the stories and sees the potential in it, he grew up watching his parents be in love without being actual soulmates. Hears stories of their love and ideas of finding love on your own, deciding to show the world that they don’t need fate’s help.

It’s beautiful and he wants that. Wants to make his own story, find his own match. There’s no need for fate to help him.

On his fifth birthday, he watched ‘Dingus’ appear on his wrist, it made him pout while his parents laughed and kiss his head, told him not to worry. That he doesn’t have to be with whoever fate picked for him and joked about only being five.

It eases his five year old mind.

His parents aren’t surprised to watch him grow up to be a true romantic, isn’t surprised to see his love in everything and how having a soul mark doesn’t stop him from having crushes or falling in love.

Life goes on but after some failed relationships and the disaster of a relationship with Nancy; seeing the nickname give him some hope that somewhere out there, there is someone for him. Someone who fate decided is his match, which growing up he hated it.

At eighteen, he really thought he’d already be with the person he’d love forever (and who would love him). But instead of that, he’s single and not at all close to figuring out why fate’s pick for him would call him “dingus” of all things. To top it all of he’s stuck working at the new Scoops Ahoy until he hears back from the colleges he applied too.

The uniform is lame, it’s in the middle of the brand new mall and it’s leaning towards being too cold in the shop and he doesn’t even know his coworker yet, hopefully they’re not expecting him to be some big shot like he was in high school.

Those days are long gone, he’d rather be his lame and hopeless romantic self instead of the asshole keg king he was.

His first week of working is spent being laughed at by ex-teammates, being ignored by his only coworker and failing to get at least a date with someone. It’s not his longest week, but it’s real close.

After a total of three weeks of getting ignored and laughed at by people he flirts with, his coworker, Robin decides enough is enough and- “maybe with this you’ll try harder”

Glancing behind him, she’s standing there with the whiteboard from the back but instead of the random doodles she drew, it looks like a score board with You Rule/You Suck on it.

There’s already three tally marks under ‘You Suck’ and he can’t figure out if it makes him want to laugh or cry, maybe both.

Definitely both.

“At least I’m trying here, you could find your soulmate with flirting!”

Robin rolls her eyes and hangs the board up behind her, “I’d rather suck on a lemon than flirt with guys”

It surprises him for all of three seconds before he rolls his eyes, whatever, he thinks. If she wants to miss the opportunity to find a soulmate, so be it. He’ll continue trying to find love, he doesn’t need whoever fate picked.

The board is definitely mocking him, he thinks several days later. Currently there’s five tally marks under ‘You Suck’ and a big fat nothing under ‘You Rule’. Robin thinks it’s the funniest thing on the planet.

He doesn’t find it funny, he finds it embarrassing and stupid, actually. Really embarrassing, especially when she brings it out when another girl their age walks in. It’s like she’s doing it on purpose.

Which is confusing, she told him explicitly that she does not like him and will only ever tolerate him. So, her practically chasing people away doesn’t make sense.

Her loud crackle of a laugh starts as his head nearly hits the counter, “That’s another one for the you suck column! Zero for the you rule, popeye!”

Standing up he turns around with a glare, “yeah I can read!”

“You sure about that one, Dingus?”

His wrist burns and he can’t stop his eyes from going wide. There’s no way, absolutely no way. This is a fluke, she must have seen his mark one day. That’s why his soulmate mate, fate’s pick, is his co-worker.

His disbelief and discomfort most show on his face because Robin shifts on her feet, “I’m uh, sorry. If I took that too far, really-uh I don’t think that way about you and, and- this is was” she looks uncomfortable now, tripping over her words.

Opening his mouth to calm her down, he find that his words are gone. The disbelief stopping him. He quickly shuts it and looks away from her. The shop is completely empty. When did that happen?

“Steve- I really didn’t mean to be well, mean.”

All he can do is nod back, “no, uh, I get it. Really- uh. It’s fine.”

How exactly is he supposed to do this? He’s never once called her a nickname! Unless she was his but he isn’t hers? He doesn’t know. Either way he’s still a little disappointed.

“You sure? Because uh, you’re looking a little pale there”

A laugh bubbles up and before he realizes it he’s on the ground with his back against the counter and tears on his face, “ye-yeah. Sorry.”

He hears her move around and then there’s a foot bumping his, he moves his head to look at her.

“We’re currently low on everything, did you know that? It’s unbelievable, just wiped clean.” Robin explains with amusement dancing on her face, “Scoops Ahoy is officially closed for the day”

That surprises a laugh out of him as tries to loosen the tension that built up, moving his arms he puts his chin on his knee, Robin copies him. They’re just looking at each other, comfortable in this silence.

“Sooo”

“Look-”

Their eyes meet and both burst out laughing. This feels different, at least for Steve. There’s something soothing coursing through him now, he never felt on edge with Robin but he wasn’t always this comfortable either. A smile spreading on his face, he didn’t know about this feeling when you meet your soulmate.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

He snorts, “they might be worth more, Birdie”

Robin gasps and he looks at her, but her eyes are wide and locked on her wrist. He follows her look and he can’t exactly see what she’s looking at but he knows it’s her soul mark.

They really are soulmates.

This is where I’d put the continuation… if I had the idea for it! (Said in that fairlyodd parents meme)

Anyway! If this brought you some inspiration, you can totally take whatever piece you want and write something! But please know I had this ending up as Steddie with side of Rockie (Vickie&Robin)

Permanent taglist: @spectrum-spectre @mysticcrownshipper @artiststarme @thereindeerlady @justforthedead89 @ronniescontinuum @freyaforestafay @littlewildflowerkitten @gregre369 @zerokrox-blog @flustratedcas @carlprocastinator1000 @marvelmwah @solliesolesito @navnae @i-less-than-three-you @grimmfitzz @estrellami-1 @cartercaptainofthemoon @bookworm0690 @strangersteddierthings

#platonic stobin #stobin #steve harrington #robin buckley #nburkhardt writes #stranger things #stranger things fic #soulmate au #Steve has good parents as a bonus btw #it’s open ended to give me the chance to add more #if you see any typos no you don’t

[sgiandubh]

Gleberman's podcast, take 2: the video edition

I volunteered to take one for the team, again, this time watching (or trying to, at least) the video version of Gleberman's infamous podcast on Youtube (if you are a masochist, like me, feel free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_md73Ws2O4&t=303s). You see, I was so intrigued by the OTT praise that I wanted to see the live reactions. To do so, I even watched it at a 0,25 reduced speed ratio, just to catch up those pesky, spontaneous facial expressions he couldn't possibly hide.

Let's start with what we all know: in 10 years, S is much, much better at hiding his game and almost proficient at mastering the poker face. But if you really pay attention (and I did), you might still notice some interesting things: after all, we aren't robots and we can't calibrate or control everything. So, here's my take on what I saw, with screencaps, and covering only the bits I quoted in my first post (https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/733285180488450048/and-kia-ora-to-new-zealand-like-youve )- the rest was really beyond my patience and goodwill abilities, to be honest.

A word and a question on the staging of this podcast, before anything else. I am always paying great attention to the outfits of the people who participate, because I believe they are an integral part of the show itself. While Gleberman's was, to be honest, unacceptably sloppy, S was right on point the message he wanted to convey, with the short-sleeved (?) khaki shirt that spelled three things: Bachelor. Traveler/Explorer. Tropical Chic. As a side note, I wish he'd been dressed like that in the Nevis resort suite snippet: not the usual Peter Panesque/Marty McFly/boyz in da hood outfit. But hey, that's just me, what do I know, after all, maybe the boy really feels more relaxed in those. Brand-wise, however, I will never cease to drum up the urgent need to step up the outfit game and start aligning it with the real age.

The other thing that intrigued me is common to S and C: their love of cupboards and hallways when it comes to playing the show/not show game on podcasts 'from home'. Because they know we watch and because they know, by now, we are probably worse than the MI-6, we're left with... eh... nothing. He apparently found the perfect solution with that sort of a connecting space he is always showing us, lately. Seriously, though, who the hell places himself in front of an opening (sliding door?) to a bigger room, except when wanting to block both the view and any other interpretation? Heh. Things that make one go 🤔.

Anyways. Let's have a look at some reactions I have screencapped:

Gleberman: 'same sweetest person and like an amazing human being'.

Translation: I am pursing my lips and bracing myself for the rest of the #silly compliment. I can't possibly express how much this annoys and embarrasses the bejesus out of me. But hey, Monica, have at it and let's be done already with this circus.

Gleberman: '...and friend to talk to and I just love you.'

Translation: I close my eyes because I don't want to hear the OTT crap this woman is shamelessly peddling around. I cross my arms defensively, because this is the best I can do. I really pray internally she'd immediately stop it, somehow (though I am fully aware she won't and this is just the beginning). She definitely overstepped a red line and I don't want to be a part of it.

S: '.I think there's...there's a lot of smoke and mirrors, this is ALL fake.'

Translation: I am talking with my hands to make a point (and also to show off the damn rings - oh, Lord, let them talk about these to oblivion, on socials). I am also covering my face with a gesture evocative of a smoke curtain, because ultimately I feel the need to protect myself from the smiling entity on the other side of my screen and because, at the same time, I know exactly what I did here. Oops, I just unleashed another half-in-jest zeppelin, that people could pretzel exactly how they see fit. However, it's true: my public persona is a carefully curated lie. Peekaboo, underneath I know very well what my committed truth is.

S: ' I am the double'.

Translation: I am opening my arms and I am puffing out my chest. There, I've said it. Ha! I am in full defiant mode, now. I meant every single word I just said and damn the consequences.

I wish I'd had the patience to watch it all. But I think I've managed to analyze the most interesting part of it. Overall, there was quite a bit of stress involved on S's side (lots of chin grabbing, etc), the only one I was interested in. She was simply not worth my attention and I doubt she, unlike many other people in the media, 'knows stuff'. If anything, that only served to validate my first impressions.

And yes, always look for the presence of the teeny-tiny abnormal detail. Sometimes (not always) it can prove rewarding.

[blue-scorpion-king]

Adam Taurus was an horrible person.

Might as well say this: I am an cis man and I did not like Adam as an person. At all.

I honestly don’t give a damn about his ‘wasted potential’ as a villain.

He was both an spiteful, arrogant, manipulative leader of an group that turned extremist, thanks to him, and an horrible lover/boyfriend for Blake.

I don’t think he really knew what love is supposed to be either.

And that he let all of his ego, sadism, and racism go to his head as he ‘fights’ for the cause.

Aka, wanting to grab power for his own mission of killing every human and faunus who does not believe in his methods and ulterior motive.

And no.

Just because he had an sad backstory with being oppressed and literally branded with SDC on his eye, it doesn’t excuse everything that he did.

It just does not excuse it.

It is similar to even with the good that Ironwood did, the path of him snapping and  was there. And even with that it looked like that he could grasp the whole situation and fully realize the error of his treatment towards Mantle, declaring martial law, training an school full of teens for war basically, all that.

All it took was him caving in by the sight of an Wisp Grimm’s visage of Salem and him getting more and more tunnel vision, trying to fight through Salem, not around it, for him to turn on the very heroes that want to him, even with the sensitive info about why Salem is doing what she does, the Relics, and such.

And that the heroes did not want to sprinkle in some lies to keep Ironwood from having an unpredictable reaction and plan of if he found out.

Also, you want to know why Blake did not end up with Sun? 3 main reasons: Blake wants to face the current state of the White Fang more than falling in love with an man that she sees far more like an brother from another mother than anything.

She made her choice to run to keep Adam away from everyone that she cared about in Beacon, even with that she knew that she made an bad choice.

& lastly, she had Yang in her mind ever since Beacon fell, until she reunited with her team in Haven and tried to mend the team relationship.

And did not run away again.

Back to Adam though.

Adam was not an ‘Beast’ to Blake as an Belle.

He was an god damn Gaston. : P

He was beaten by the 2 people that he tormented.

Especially the one that got her right arm cut off and struggled, but ultimately got up, trained with her dad, went to find her team, including her sister, find her biological mother with her bandit tribe, and realized something while fighting Adam with Blake in Argus. 

It might have been like this in her head: 

‘...Why was I so afraid of this guy? He is *pathetic*. Yes, he cut off my arm. But... He is just so shitty as a person. And so cheap with his Semblance too.’

Keyword: Might.

So yeah.

Good riddance.

I am glad Adam is dead. : P

And I don’t care for his ‘wasted potential’. He ran his course and ruined himself.

No one else to blame but himself.

-Also, can a big portion of RWBY haters realize that not every villain needs to be 3-4 or more layers deep. As long as they do their role right.

Like an villain making you hate them. If they can do that, they have done their job.

Adam Taurus is one of those. 

Though, I am not saying you should hate Adam or like him. More power to you.

I am just explaining my stance on him as an person. Even with that he is fictional.

I know this.

But don’t hate on people who like him or hate him.

This applies to EVERY single RWBY character in the show.

Especially Blake & Yang.

They are together-together now, since V9. 

Please get over that, people who are pissed at their very existence.

The RWBY fandom has enough people throwing insults over trivial shit and opinions. While others are just trying to enjoy the franchise.

We don’t need more of that.

And I am not mad at those people as of right now.

I am just disappointed in them.

Moving on to the last point of this post. And then I am done-

To emphasize: He was an true piece of shit. : P Like *God.*

--------------

~The Bat~

#Adam Taurus #Adam is a piece of shit as a person. #RWBY #explaining my stance #blue-scorpion-king #ooc #the bat speaks

[em-dash-press]

Why Originality in Writing Isn't Always Possible

I was writing for years before I encountered a problem with writing as a whole—that most ideas have already been published.

When someone first told me that though, they said it like, "You'll never think of something that hasn't already been written."

The phrasing makes it sound like all story ideas are a waste of your time. I began spiraling. I researched every short story I'd ever written. I looked up books similar or identical to other books I loved.

Turns out, that person was right.

Sort of.

New Ideas Are Old News

Think about how long humanity has existed. Think about the many experiences that generations have shared—love, loss, happiness, adventure, self-growth, your coming-of-age years.

Story ideas inspired by whatever you go through in life have likely already been lived or thought of, given the trillions of people who have walked this planet and interacted with each other.

BUT

Originality Doesn't Only Come From Ideas

This is what I wish someone had told me back when I was spiraling.

I'll say it again for those in the back—

Originality Doesn't Only Come From Ideas

It also comes from your voice and your perspective!

Voice can feel tricky to grasp when you're starting out as a writer. Everyone can throw a few words on a page. How do you know what your voice sounds like and if readers will respond well to it?

Imagine two friends going on a trip. They do everything together. They sit on the beach, they eat lunch at a restaurant, and watch a movie before heading home. Then they each journal about their day in notebooks.

Those entries would look nothing alike! One friend might relax on the beach and feel so at peace that they take a nap, while another gets sunburned easily and hides under their umbrella with a scowl. Both ultimately enjoyed their day for different reasons. The beach lover got time by the ocean and the other friend who liked the beach much less fell in love with a new dish at the restaurant because they're a foodie.

You'll also frame your stories differently than any other writer. Like accents change the way every person speaks out loud, writers structure sentences and describe things/events/emotions very differently.

These may seem like insignificant details that set stories apart, but they make all the difference.

Think about Homer’s Odyssey. Circe is a minor character in the long tale and basically gets about a minute of the reader's time before Odysseus moves on to the next phase of his journey home. In Madeline Miller's Circe, the goddess becomes the main character and the ultimate portrayal of fear, rage, hurt and healing that are universally experienced but are especially true to the female experience.

Both stories follow the same timeline, so readers don't pick them up to necessarily get surprised by something Brand New to Literature™. Instead, they read direct retellings to learn from the characters in new ways, live momentarily through someone else's eyes, and bond over another aspect of the human experience.

Circe is an incredible work of art. Your idea—whether it's a direct retelling, indirect retelling, or full of literary devices from previous works—can be incredible too.

How Do You Know Which Ideas Are Worth Writing?

If a story idea doesn't immediately make you jump for your computer or a pen/paper, is it worth writing? My best advice is to sit with it.

Some of my best work has come from stories that got to marinate. I put them in the back of my mind and thought about the characters or themes or plot when something sparked another idea. By the time I started typing, the story was more vivid than when I first though of it.

But also, I have probably twenty failed ideas for every story I've written.

Give yourself time to get to know your ideas. If they're worth your time, they'll sit with you too.

#writeblr #writing advice #story ideas #originality #writing tips #writers of tumblr #writing #creative writing #writing community #writing help #creativity

[ryukenzz]

[Note: Relationship Headcanons of Sosuke Aizen from Bleach. Reader will be the Third Seat of Squad 5 and have a developed relationship with him while he was still a Soul Reaper Captain and leave with him to Hueco Mundo. Will contain NSFW so minors, please do not interact.]

[Small note: Excuse the lack of a title, Tumblr was tripping out and wouldn't let me fix it😅💀.]

SFW:

Oh boy....where do I even start. I'll be honest here, I don't think a genuine relationship with Aizen is possible. He might feel something for you, but manipulation and deceit would play a big part in shaping this entire thing. Being that the former Captain is a man of charming complexity, there will be many moments of conflicting feelings and confusion from your side.

You first met Aizen when you were appointed as the Third Seat of Squad 5. Naturally, you were respectful and smiled at the Soul Reaper, the latter returning a friendly one of his own. So this was the infamous Captain Aizen. You had heard many good things about him from your fellow Squad members. Especially your lieutenant, Hinamori.

You looked forward to being under his guidance. The brown-haired man happily showed you around himself, insisting it was his duty as your new Captain. “It's my duty to ensure that all of my Squad members feel comfortable within their positions.” It was a very warm welcome. At least... that's what it seemed like to you. The real reasoning was so he could begin to shape you into the ultimate pawn. The piece that would complete his game of deceit. And besides....

What kind of Soul King would he be, without his lovely Queen by his side?

As you settled into your new rank, you found yourself getting attached to Aizen. You always looked forward to spending time with him, even if it was only for a minute. His kindness towards you and everyone else was something you admired greatly. But lately, that admiration has been slowly crawling its way to a crush. One that quickly became more. You, the Third Seat of Squad 5, were in love with your Captain. Everything was set into place. No more "Captain Aizen." It was time for "Sosuke Aizen" to make his appearance.

You confessed your feelings to him about two days before his "death." With the Ryoka on the loose, you never knew what was going to happen. He drank in every word of your professed love, his plan of having you for himself going all too well. Holding your hands softly, he flashed that handsome smile and dissolved any concerns he knew you had.

“It's alright. A Captain in a relationship with his Third Seat is not seen as very appropriate, but my feelings for you are true. Your strength and beauty, it makes me feel as if you're too good for this world. I share this loving heart with you, (Name).”

The twinkle in your eyes told you that he had to right where he needed you. Just a little more nudging, and you would truly be his. He knew his "death" would break your little heart greatly, so he took the measure of writing you a letter that was different from the one he wrote for Hinamori. He wanted to keep you away from the fighting, so he entrusted your safety to Tosen.

You loved Aizen. You even trusted him with your whole life. He would never betray his comrades. He would never.... right? So, why were your friends injured? Why were you being carried away as if you were some trophy that was won, being looked at as a traitor? You didn't want this. You did. This wasn't supposed to happen? But it did.

You, the former Third Seat of Squad 5, were officially a branded traitor of Soul Society and the partner of Sosuke Aizen. “Welcome to Hueco Mundo, (Name). Your new home.”

During the time before Aizen's fake death, the former Captain would invite you to his personal quarters and converse with you all night. Your interests, preferences, any topic that was considered dull (Sosuke didn't exactly care, but he had to deal with it for the plan's sake). He would also bring you lunch whenever he could (extra points if he cooked it himself).

Those "sweet gestures" became little to none in Hueco Mundo. Aizen would still check on you and spend quality time, but he wasn't the kind and caring man that he was in Soul Society. Some days, he would spend every second with you. Others, it would be between Gin, Tosen, and Ulquiorra (he trusted him the most out of the Espada). Despite this newfound arrangement, you still loved him. You still wanted him. Even if this relationship was started on a manipulated lie.

NSFW:

I like to believe that Aizen does have experience. The man knows any and everything, so it would make sense that he knows the ins and outs of pleasing a woman. Aizen practically reeks of sex appeal. You were in for the times of your life with this one.

You guys actually had your first sexual experience together on his throne. Of course, whoever walked by wouldn't dare say anything. It was a private and special matter between the ruler of Las Noches and his future Queen. Distractions were prohibited.

Sitting atop the massive throne, Aizen had you widespread on his lap, your pretty pussy on display for anyone to see. His large hands started exploring your body, his lips on yours. He caressed your torso and massaged your breasts, using his thumb and pointer finger to tweak your nipples.

Sastisfied with the whimper that left your throat, the Las Noches ruler wanders his hands to your thighs, his hands going lower and lower, stopping right above your cunt. Aizen nibbled on your ear and smirked against it, making you moan softly. His fingers then traveled to your pussy lips, teasingly rubbing them. You whine out a complaint, telling him to quit delaying what you really wanted. A deep chuckle emits from him.

“Oh? It seems my sweet darling is getting impatient. Perhaps I can indulge and give you what you want. Although, I should really make you do it yourself.”

In response to his purring voice and dominating Spiritual Pressure, your clit throbbed in excitement, finally ready to receive her award. Long, nimble fingers slowly made their way to your clit, starting at a steady pace before going faster. It was safe to say that your clit and G-spot had met their challenge.

If his fingers weren't enough to make you cum, then his cock would finish the job. He was 7 inches flaccid and 9 inches hard. He also had a prominent vein on his right side that massaged your walls just right. Your body may have felt on fire from being exposed to any of his servants, but the way his dick was threatening to intrude in your womb, you didn't have a care in the world. Aizen put on a smug smile and gave your pussy a playful slap.

“Look at you, taking my cock like a good slut. It seems my underlings understand that you belong to me. Your pussy, belongs to me. It was crafted for me. You're close? Well, why don't you go ahead and show Las Noches who makes you like this.”

[Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas!]

[Tagging: @stygianoir and @sailewhoremoon]

#❦.ᴊᴇᴡᴇʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴏꜱᴇꜱ #❦.ɴꜱꜰᴡ- ᴍɪɴᴏʀꜱ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋ #aizen x reader #aizen headcanons #bleach x reader #bleach headcanons

[bluedalahorse]

What would make August decide to reject the crown prince title?

Well, you know my brand! I actually think it’s possible for August to get to a place where he leaves behind the crown prince role. It’s a bit of a claw machine game, but isn’t that more fun to think about than letting him suffer forever? We love a challenge! We love growth! We like acknowledging the messiness of the character, and not always assuming the worst of every last thing he does! So let’s get into it.

I’m actually not going to talk about Sara much here. A lot of posts that talk about this crown prince situation mention how sad August is to have lost Sara, and while that’s true, I actually think there are other emotional undercurrents at work. Similarly to the way Wille is more than his relationship with Simon and has to leave the monarchy for his own self-actualization, August will leave for reasons that go beyond losing Sara.

I also want to open by agreeing with everything my esteemed colleague @heliza24 says about therapy and time and community in this post over here. What I’m going to say here is going to be long and rambly, but I think it will build on her talking points.

So let’s think about August holistically, in terms of his values. In order to get August out of the monarchy, the first step is understanding (excavating, even, because this shit works in layers) what draws him to it in the first place, and what his emotional needs are. I actually think it’s a common misconception that he’s into the whole thing for the power of it all. I actually think this is more about August’s need for belonging, particularly in terms of his wanting to be part of a family and the way he values traditions that bring people together. Monarchy runs on this idea of a sacred first family that sets the tone for the nation and leads them in following traditions. This ideal family is, in theory, the ultimate exemplar of what August desires in life. And yet the reality of the monarchy is far from the ideal. I think we sometimes assume August has a clear view of what monarchy is like, since he’s related to the royal family and all. But I also think his close proximity clouds his judgment. More details below…

The thing about being in the crown prince position is that at first it would set up opportunities for August to connect with family members, namely Kristina, which initially would meet a family-related need. August seems to hold Kristina in high regard. He’s looking forward to the possibility that she might visit during parents’ weekend in season 1, and he’s pretty afraid of facing her in season 2 when he’s called to the palace. Of course, that is about her position as queen as much as anything, but I can’t help but wondering if it’s also that Kristina was August’s father’s favorite cousin. And isn’t that a fruitful piece of information? There’s so much that can be done with that connection! For instance…

A lot of August’s trauma is rooted in grief. Some of that is complicated grief for Erik, which his reconciliation with Wille (and probably their shared sessions with Boris) has helped him start to feel and unravel. We haven’t really seen August fully grieve his father yet, but I imagine that if there were seasons 4 and 5, this would be the next step in his character arc. Grieving his father is crucial. In season 3, August has (clumsily, in front of Sara when he shouldn’t have said it, but the lines happened and I find them fascinating) just begun to idealize his father less—he says he misses his dad even though his dad was shitty, and that makes me go, okay, what else is behind that line? (A really amazing fanfic by @sflow-er is what.)

Meanwhile Kristina mentions that she and Carl Johan were really close until Carl Johan started to fall into addiction. Lots to peel back there, too! Like, what happened? What was the timeline of all this, and was it a big falling out or a slow breakdown in the relationship? Does Kristina feel any guilt related to August’s father’s suicide, like August himself does? We don’t know how she feels about Louise—is she sympathetic toward her for having to be married to a man who was potentially abusive? Or would Kristina have bought into Carl Johan’s potentially false narrative of Louise, and blamed Louise for her husband’s addiction and mental health crisis?

Whichever direction you take this, I think working with Kristina day to day would bring up opportunities for August to confront his sense of loss. Kristina probably has all kinds of stories about August’s dad, and how they got up to trouble together in their childhood and youth, and which now-deceased family members responded to their antics. August might be able to share a few stories about his dad as well. Sharing memories is an important part of the grieving process, for so many people, and I imagine at first August would feel connected to his father’s side of the family for the first time in a while, and there might be some good things that come of it.

On the other hand… those initial benefits might not last forever. And August would soon discover the fucked up aspects to that side of the family. It’s possible Kristina might try to help August mend his relationship with his mother, but in the scenario I mentioned above (Kristina buys into Carl Johan’s narrative of Louise and blames her for his death) I can see her trying to interfere when August and Louise try to repair their relationship. Wouldn’t that create some fun tension between August and Kristina? I do think August wants to repair his relationship with his mother. As mad as he is with her in season 1, we also see hints in seasons 2 and 3 that he doesn’t actually hate her and wants to feel connected to her. After graduation he goes to find her and Rickard in the graduation line where all the parents are holding photos. I could see a situation where August, a year or two after canon, decides he wants to patch things up with his mom, and keeps running into pushback from Kristina about it. Aren’t there so many ways that tension could escalate? Wouldn’t that be a fun thing to play with in fanfic?

And then there’s Wilhelm. The way I read their reconciliation, it felt like August would try to maintain a good relationship with Wilhelm in the future. What does that become if he ends up in a position where he’s always mediating between Kristina and Wilhelm now that their relationship has fractured? And then we know Kristina tried to turn Wilhelm into Replacement Erik, I can absolutely imagine a situation where she starts thinking of August as Replacement Wilhelm and behaving accordingly, and August grows to resent that. Ultimately I can see August siding with Wilhelm over Kristina in the end and they end up banding together.

All those paragraphs above basically just mean that like… I feel like being in the crown prince role might bring a lot to the surface for August, in terms of how he relates to his family. And once he sees what wounds being crown prince can’t heal, that’s going to shatter his idealism and make him question the monarchy as a representation of the family in general. And that’s an important step out the door.

Now, August also needs to see what alternatives to this “perfect ideal family model” are out there. He also needs to realize that family isn’t just about blood relatives. Which just means he needs honest friendships with people who don’t subscribe to that kind of patriarchal nonsense. I don’t mean August needs patient queer friends who will hold his hand and explain the concept of heterotemporality to him in a soft voice. I just mean that being around more people who break his mental schemas in that regard would be a good thing. Like how does his friendship with Nils develop now that Nils has come out? What if, I dunno, it turns out that Louise and Rickard are both bisexual and poly? And then of course there’s his continued relationship with Wilhelm, which I imagine he’d continue to invest in now that they’ve turned things around at the end of season 3.

Does that wrap up the family stuff for now? Probably. There’s a thousand more things I could talk about but we’ll put it aside for now.

I mentioned August valuing tradition in my opener, so I want to address that too. Surface August—aka the protective suit of armor August has constructed for himself in season 1—seems to value tradition for its own sake, and mostly defines inclusion for some as something that can only exist when there’s exclusion of others. These are all the broken things Surface August has been taught or (we now know) traumatized to believe, and they come out in his behavior, and it sucks.

At the same time, what happens over three seasons is that we see there’s this deeply buried version of August that’s struggling to get out, and in my opinion at least, that deeply buried August actually gives a shit about others feeling a sense of belonging. I feel like this part of August is influenced by his own experiences with isolation and loneliness, and we see glimmers of him from time to time. (Especially when it’s Vincent doing something exclusive and shitty, for whatever reason. See August standing up to Vincent when Vincent is shitty to Simon in 2.3.) I think for August, traditions and rituals and events are something he sees as being deeply important in creating a sense of belonging for people. And he’s not fully wrong. Traditions and events done right are how humans make sacred their bonds with one another… which is why you get a bunch of Wilmon wedding headcanons. Because we love traditions too, you know.

As much as August gets a reputation for being rigid, there are times when we’ve seen him budge from what’s expected of him and change up the rules. I think August is actually more willing to rewrite tradition than fandom gives him credit for. He’s got suggestions for the speech Jan-Olof wants him to recite verbatim. He tells Vincent to rethink the senior superlatives. And he’s one of the third years who makes a pact to remove the really homophobic part of the initiation. 

I say this not to give August undue credit—these are half-steps and there’s clearly more he can do, and some of these traditions should be eliminated, not modified. But I want to point out two things. First, that imperfect half-steps (and some pretty epic backslides) were part of Wilhelm’s journey too before he made his full break with the monarchy. Second, by season 3, we can see that August is actually capable of reflecting about traditions and considering ways they could be rewritten to create more of a sense of belonging for others. 

Again, this is imperfect, and we may want him to do more… and this is another place where he could potentially end up clashing with the royal court in time. One thing that I’ve thought about is that being a prefect at Hillerska is a little different—in theory if not in practice—than being the crown prince of Sweden. As a Hillerska prefect you’re just leading the elite and the few who get into your school, but as crown prince you really are supposed to be there for the nation as a whole (albeit in a “non-divisive” way) and I think August does actually recognize that distinction and would try to approach it differently than being prefect or rowing captain. Except he would continue to be a total overachiever.

Like, look. On some level August would be incredibly earnest about the idea of being the keeper of Sweden’s traditions, and earnestness is not the same as being a rubber stamp or a yes-man. The royal court may think they’ve finally got someone who will carry out whatever monarchical agenda they set without question but like… idk, do they? Do they really??? August is going to want say in the process, and August is going to have so many ideas about how to make traditions better/more awesome, and August is going to annoy the hell out of Jan-Olof and Farima. He is going to be so annoying! He is going to have slides presentations! He is going to crunch the data on how the royal family is getting bad press for their carbon footprint and come up with a plan for renewable fuel on the private jet so now they can totally show people they’re legit! Meanwhile he’s going to be annoyed when his ideas are getting blocked. And I find the slow build in conflict that would arise out of a situation like that pretty entertaining.

Okay, it’s time to wrap up. For real this time. (This would all be better in a fanfic than in an analysis post, really! I should write.) Ultimately I think August would be drawn into the monarchy because he’d see it as a way of living his values of family and tradition and hell, service to the nation and being part of something, but he’d grow frustrated and disillusioned when it didn’t, actually, allow him to do that or give him the space to do it. The answer to Rickard’s question—does the monarchy love you back?—is no. And I don’t know how long post-season-3 August is willing to put up with being unrequited like that. Maybe for a time, but not forever.

You may also wonder why I have faith that he’ll get here. And the simple answer is: after season 3, my faith in August is intertwined with my faith in Wilhelm. Wilhelm breaking with the monarchy at the end of season 3 (especially after some pretty intense backsliding moments.) shows me that it’s possible for August to do it too, someday. That is perhaps a post for another time. For now, let’s just look forward to all the opportunities for a fix-it fic.

#young royals #asks #august horn #august is a dumbass but he’s my dumbass #and i will take a seam ripper to the crown on his little crocheted frog so i can save his soul

[corujalesbica]

Tumblr family post :)

Spouse

@allow-me-to-ruin-that-for-you-2 (a part of my heart will forever be yours and only yours. You were my first true love. I'm sorry I didn't treasure you as I should. I should've told you you were my everything before. I will make this world a better place. A place you would've wanted and loved. )

Parent

@dead-immortal (my dad's better than urs ).

Smart sibling

@thatgendergremlinmoot ( won't admit they're cool)

@boyfriend-going-thru-atrocities ( the ultimate cinnamon roll )

@enthusiastickreader (my weird ass dilf loving sister <3)

Chaos sibling

@tragedy-at-its-peak ( will destroy capitalism )

@night-minstrel ( eats all the sweets )

@n0-1-important ( lives in the walls )

@l3monarts ( is married to John Lennon)

Third cousin twice removed

@sleepycoffeecups ( is a secret trans hero)

Weird aunt

@tiny-lesbean ( has too many hobbies for her own good )

@mushroomsoupofficial ( has a jar of animal teeth and will probably feed you mushrooms )

@aeroisamazing ( Cool gay aunt , her brand of weird is being an amazing homosexual )

@stars-and-birds ( Wine. Aunt. )

@wanda-the-anaconda ( super nice aunt who keeps her spouses RJ and esme from occasionally murdering each other )

@newgirlsamekid (is in Lots Of Fandoms)

@candlewitch-cryptic (Wine Aunt, pansexual version TM)

Cool uncle

@el-fandom-birb ( super cool uncle everyone loves but no one knows how he got here )

Cool older cousin

@blunt-force-therapy (mineiro é foda msm kkkkkk)

Dissapeared cousin

@despairingxx ( gay as fuck )

@i-was--more ( literally never seen this person I hope they do exist )

Undead raccon

@red-woods

Dead raccon

@donutsalami (dead raccon I found in my yard, and now we chat about The Bizarre sometimes :D)

Autistic cousin

@sorebelflower ( picky eater, hates loud sounds )

Grandma

@isapolvorita (I think that's MY grandma. I'm not sure where she came from though, but she lives nearby and always shows up with sweets :3)

Weird Creature

@rotting-creation ( genderfuck weird creature living in the attic that makes weird noises at night but occasionally joins the family for dinner by being a small shadow in the corner and protects the family from evil spirits and occasionally shares forbidden knowledge, and shows up as a small smudge or weird little ghost in family pictures and comes out at night to whisper stories to you when you can't sleep and leaves bloody footprints down corridors and is genuinely the Weirdest Thing but no one talks about it and the family acts like it's normal)

[mrmallard]

I've made a post about this before, but Guilty Gear Xrd's reveal might genuinely be the hypest gaming moment in my entire life.

Though most of my fandom was predicated on the back of the GBA port of Guilty Gear X, the trash-ass Wii port of vanilla Accent Core (played great, but it had next to no singleplayer content) and listening to the music on YouTube, I was HEAVILY invested in Guilty Gear. I knew there was some weird legal snafu with Sega, there was a palpable vibe that Blazblue was basically Arc System Works doing a second original IP to keep making fighting games after losing the rights to most of the Guilty Gear IP, and I feel like people had either made their peace with Blazblue or were sticking it out for a new Guilty Gear - even as the years rolled on and the prospects of a new game were looking more and more bleak. Like, these were the years where alongside Blazblue titles, ArcSys was pumping out budget shovelware for the WiiWare service. It was a bleak fucking time to be a Guilty Gear fanboy.

Before the Xrd trailer dropped, the last game of note was a weird 3D action game with two returning characters. It had a killer version of Holy Orders on the soundtrack, but the vibe was definitely off - and it didn't help that it was described as a sequel to the original Guilty Gear, as opposed to the X games kind of being their own subseries, and therefore being perceived as a new way forward for the series. People loved Guilty Gear for the expressive art, the high-octane soundtrack and the hard as nails 2D combat - Guilty Gear Overture tried its best to offer a satisfying replacement, but it couldn't really match up. And in the fanbase's minds, it was either Overture or a new fighting game that'd be in-name-only with a brand new roster of characters, Sol and Ky aside.

Then, one day, this happened.

This trailer wasn't just a triumphant return to form for the Guilty Gear series. This trailer was genuinely groundbreaking for the fighting game genre - and you need to look at this trailer through the freshest eyes possible to know why.

First of all - after Overture was this hard pivot into 3D action combat gameplay, Guilty Gear is a 2D fighter again. The second you see Sol and Ky facing each other after forty seconds of build-up, you know they're announcing a return to form. So that's one item off the bucket list.

Secondly, as a diehard Guilty Gear/ArcSys fan of the era, you know that Arc System Works makes sprite-based 2D fighting games. From the first Guilty Gear through to the most recent Blazblue game, core ArcSys games were all about those sprites. And this trailer intentionally plays on that; Sol and Ky look like remarkably high-definition sprites, even to the point of being animated in a more rigid frame-by-frame manner when you see them move. And even when they start fighting, it's these two great-looking sprites animating frame-to-frame, right?

But that shot where their swords cross, and the camera ROTATES AROUND THEM? That was GAME-CHANGING.

2.5D fighters were already very popular at the time. Mortal Kombat 9 had helped to breathe new life into this style of fighting game, and while MvC3 had a rocky launch, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 went on to have a huge, ravenous fan following. 2.5D fighters were on the rise, but everything developed in 3D explicitly looked 3D, even with cel-shading like in UMvC3 - and every game stuck fairly rigidly to the 2D plane. NOTHING was doing what Guilty Gear Xrd was doing.

The team deliberately played up the old style, making the player models look as close to the style of the true-blue ArcSys 2D sprite-based fighter as they possibly could. They deliberately set up that fade-in with Sol and Ky, they even animated Sol hopping away seamlessly to look like Xrd was a new sprite-based 2D fighter.

And then that sword-clash kind of signalled the direction of fighting games for the next ten years.

There are shots in this trailer where the swords are animated with smear frames, like they're a 2D sprite. That's because the team animated the 3D models LIKE THEY WERE 2D SPRITES. The models squash and stretch frame by frame, with each frame being modelled by hand, rather than the models animating smoothly based on an animation rig or anything like that. And NOBODY had thought to do that before. Animations before and after each round are clearly animated in a more conventional way, but the presentation during the fights is achieved by approaching the 3D style with 2D production sensibilities. It was borderline unthinkable at the time.

Then there's the stage background.

When the trailer first fades in, can you tell that the background has 3D elements? The chain is a bit conspicuous, but the house on the right and the ruined Statue of Liberty - can you tell they're modelled in 3D right off the bat? The team did a great job translating the lush, busy backgrounds of the former games into this new composite artstyle, and you only realise the scope of what the team set out to accomplish when the camera angle changes and you see background elements shift as seamlessly as the character models.

Then there's the music.

Guilty Gear has fucking VOCAL TRACKS now.

Unless I'm mistaken, the closest that Guilty Gear had gotten to vocals in the music were in Overture's version of Holy Orders (Be Just or Be Dead). But even that was relegated to vaguely religious-sounding chanting throughout the track, not having someone screaming a lead vocal over the song.

Here's the new Guilty Gear trailer. It's a 2D sprite-based fighter. Sol and Ky are there on a beautifully painted background CG, just like the old days.

Sol and Ky clash swords, and the CAMERA ROTATES AROUND THEM. These dudes are rendered in fucking 3D. Then this huge wall of rock music kicks in at full volume, punctuated by this huge metal screech, and some dude starts fucking SINGING.

Then one of them gets knocked into the air, and the PERSPECTIVE CHANGES - and the perspective of the BACKGROUND changes too! All the while, the vocalist is all like BACK TO BACK, DEATH COMES A-RIDIN' ON A MIDNIGHT TRAIN

And it's EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED FROM A NEW GUILTY GEAR, AND MORE.

And for the fans who've been writing off the prospect of a new fighting game for years due to the legal snafu between ArcSys and Sega over who owns what? The trailer ends with a tease for both Millia Rage and Zero-1, officially ending the embargo.

This is probably the closest I'm going to get to having a moment where I go from Street Fighter II being the only fighting game I ever imagined existing, only to one day discover Tekken. This trailer delivered on so many things I didn't even know were possible at the time, and it blew the competition out of the water. Again, that was mostly Mortal Kombat and Marvel vs. Capcom - Skullgirls is its own special case, but those devs went all-in on sprites; I think that game has the most frame-by-frame animation in any fighting game ever produced. This game had all the charm and flair of old-school presentation, married with cutting-edge production via Unreal Engine 4.

It was a 2.5D game that was borderline indistinguishable from a 2D fighter until the game shifted perspective and made sure you knew that the characters and environments were 3D. And somehow, the stylised 2D aesthetic managed to carry over nigh-seamlessly.

People were huge on Dragon Ball FighterZ, and rightfully so - that's a gorgeous game that's a total blast to play. It preserves the aesthetic and feeling of being in a Dragon Ball Z episode in its sound design, its visuals and through its overt references to the show - kicking dudes into mountains that are miles in the background, as well as actually being able to enact instakill moves that replicate iconic moments from the franchise. That game might be one of the best licensed video games of all time.

Dragon Ball FighterZ would not exist - at least not in the iconic form it exists in today - without the ground that Guilty Gear Xrd covered first. When a great work is acknowledged to have taken prime inspiration from a foundational earlier work, it can be said that even with its success, that work is standing on the shoulders of giants. DBFZ is a giant unto itself, with its shoulders providing a solid bedrock for future fighting games to stand on - but it's a giant standing on the shoulders of TITANS.

I would argue that Guilty Gear Xrd was one of the first games to show that you could capture the spirit of a 2D property in a 3D art style without having to reinvent the wheel beforehand to shoot for realism. Maybe SF4 made that successful transition years earlier, but Xrd just went NUTS with it, with zero compromises. I also think that this game's success, and the success that later games had in faithfully recreating the appeal and aesthetic of a heavily stylised property like this, makes the janky 3D outliers like Jump Force and Marvel vs Capcom Infinite stand out even more.

It's unquestionable to me that Guilty Gear Xrd was the perfect game reveal at the perfect time. This trailer fucking slaps, especially given the context behind it. I was there the day it dropped, and ten years later it still rings as such a power move to marry modern game development via rendering the characters in 3D with the iconic, stylised 2D presentation that the fanbase loved to death after fifteen years of Guilty Gear. And just knowing that they went the extra mile and animated the characters by hand to look like they jumped straight out of a 2D game - smear frames and all - and were the first developers to even think to attempt that in Unreal Engine 4? Iconic. Unmatched.

This game trailer means everything to me. It'll only age as time goes on and the things that made it special become commonplace - again, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a far more popular refinement of what Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- started - but having been there at the time? Seeing the Guilty Gear drought getting broken in such a genuinely groundbreaking and innovative new way, stepping out of the Guilty Gear hiatus on the best foot possible? Nothing compares to how incredible that was.

They could announce a brand new Jak and Daxter game tomorrow, and I'd probably still be too burned after The Lost Frontier sucked and multiple attempts to get a new Jak game off the ground have fallen by the wayside and let me down. Guilty Gear Xrd upped the ante more than any other game reveal I've ever seen, and it did it perfectly.

Compared to what came before this trailer dropped, I honestly think Guilty Gear Xrd might be my pick for the perfect announcement trailer.

#long post #looooooong post #guilty gear #guilty gear xrd #arc system works #Youtube

[ninadove]

i can’t pick a snippet but whatever meta you want from sometimes it’s worth it all to risk the fall! and good morning, nina! 💗🦚

Good morning Noctie! 🌅

Yes, let’s talk about the sword-fighting fic while I procrastinate writing another fight scene.

Ask game here!

One thing about me is that I absolutely love short stories with a twist ending. Give me a reveal in the last few lines that reframes the entire work in a brand new light, and I will be giggling and kicking my feet uncontrollably.

Sometimes It’s Worth It All is my attempt at recreating this kind of narrative. And, of course, the twist comes from Felix.

By the time he enters the fray, Kagami is exhausted from twenty-four hours of fighting for her life… But also from months of watching her world crumble around her following her mother’s murder. She’s accepted that she spent her entire life tangled in an elaborate web of lies, and that she alone can see through the deception.

But… That’s not entirely true, is it. Like many abuse survivors, even as the fog progressively lifts from her eyes, she’s still held back by a few persistent convictions:

Before he even gets a chance to speak, Felix is introduced as a monster, and well. It doesn’t help that he’s been sent to kill her, does it. Yet, as soon as he opens his mouth, he warns her against her own prejudice:

In canon, too, Felix is constantly navigating others’ perception of him and proving them wrong. He’s a Sentibeing lost in a world that wants him dead, but also just a regular child; he has a PhD in identity theft; he’s a manipulative little bitch, but is constantly searching for the truth; he masqueraded as a hero, only to become one on his own terms.

But in the context of this fic — Kagami hasn’t seen season 5! She doesn’t know the themes! And so, her natural instinct is to believe he is trying to tear her newfound rebellious spirit to the ground before ultimately getting rid of her, 1984 style:

If Felix was genuinely trying to torture her, it would be easy for him to land a blow on an already exhausted target, to accompany his little rant with actual physical pain. Instead, he is careful to stay out of range of her blade, but never strikes back (Get it? Strikeback?), except to disarm her when she pierces through his fan.

What he’s actually doing here is trying to uncover who she is as a person, and pushing back against the wonky convictions she still has left.

Which of course culminates with the realisation that she is, in fact, just like him, and the decision to commit treason for her:

Because of course he would. As much as I leaned into Felix’s moral ambiguity earlier in the fic, this is the only option that makes sense for his character: he’s willing to put everything and everyone at risk to rescue his kind.

The broken fan is, of course, an allusion to Pretension, and how easily Felix rearranged his entire moral compass to stand by her side. In every universe, Kagami is his priority: he’s always going to choose her, whether it means abandoning the fight of his life or starting what is absolutely going to turn into a civil war.

Kagami has never been shown mercy in her life before, much less this level of insane devotion. From the moment he chooses to spare her, her worldview shifts entirely, and this is of course most visible in the way she refers to him: abandoning his title to call him by his name, and even catching a hint of Argos magenta in his eyes.

They see each other now. Everything is going to be OK.

#WELL THAT WAS LONG #I also have thoughts about the Senticousins in this AU that I might write at some point #As you can guess from Felix’s meltdown their relationship is… Complicated #miraculous ladybug #felix graham de vanily #argos #kagami tsurugi #feligami #nina writes #ask game #sometimes it’s worth it all to risk the fall

[theblurbwitchproject]

Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono

Published: June 1, 2021 Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

The Author

Eiko Kadono is a Japanese author and has published nearly two hundred original works, most of which are books for children. In 1985, she published the children's novel Majo no Takkyūbin, which was later adapted into the Hayao Miyazaki animated film with the same title. Both the novel and the film are known by the English title Kiki's Delivery Service. The book was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award, among others, and she followed on this success with four sequels in the same series. She lives in the Kanagawa prefecture of Japan.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

The Story

Half-witch Kiki never runs from a challenge. So when her thirteenth birthday arrives, she's eager to follow a witch's tradition: choose a new town to call home for one year. Brimming with confidence, Kiki flies to the seaside village of Koriko and expects that her powers will easily bring happiness to the townspeople. But gaining the trust of the locals is trickier than she expected. With her faithful, wise-cracking black cat, Jiji, by her side, Kiki forges new friendships and builds her inner strength, ultimately realizing that magic can be found in even the most ordinary places.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

The Vibe: coming of age, whimsical, cosy, episodic adventures, wholesome, quirky, comfort read

The Style: japanese translation, children's literature, middle grade, chapter book, cute illustrations

Trigger Warnings: none

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

The Review

Writing this review in 2024, I'd be surprised if you hadn't already seen, or at the very least heard of, Studio Ghibli's 1989 film Kiki's Delivery Service. As with all Ghibli movies, it is a lovingly animated piece with quirky characters and a wonderful soundtrack. Less people may be aware that, rather than being an original screenplay, the movie was based off the 1985 children’s novel of the same name.

According to Kadono, the story itself was inspired by a drawing her daughter drew of a witch flying through the sky with a radio, musical notes dancing around her. When creating Kiki, Kadono framed the character around her own daughter, who was also 12-years-old at the time. Drawing inspiration from her own daughter definitely brought life to Kiki, who experiences thoughts and feelings that all young girls go through in a considered and realistic way. I feel that this is the true heart of the story, and is why it touched so many people when it hit the big screen. The book itself is written for Middle Grade readers, and is a very simple story that adult readers could knock out in a day.

“I want everything to be brand-new - my clothes, my shoes, my broom, too. I want to be reborn. I’m sure Mom’ll say, ‘You’re from a long line of witches, so you need to value the old.” But I’m me. I’m a new witch.”

As with the film adaptation, the novel starts with Kiki preparing to leave home for her “Coming-of-Age” day, an event which kick-starts the year of mandatory independence that every 13 year-old witch is required to undertake. (It gives me a Pokémon vibe; how such young characters are encouraged to leave home to undertake some huge adventure on their own.) Kiki is confident in herself in the way only a child could be. She’s ready to start her life on her terms, but over the course of the story she begins to grow and experience cute developmental moments that show that she is moving on from childhood and becoming more knowledgeable about the world around her. These moments really show Kadono’s understanding of young girls like her daughter. Kiki begins to have doubts and questions about how things work as she settles in her new town, but still manages to make herself a little home above a shop owned by the lovely Osono, a friendly and heavily pregnant baker. If more people were like Osono, maybe kids could actually have more wholesome adventures out in the world??

How can I discuss Kiki without talking about her familiar, the black cat, Jiji? Within the lore of the book, a new-born witches’ mother searches for a black kitten born around the same time as her daughter, so that they can be raised together (super cute!). As they grow, they develop a special relationship and learn to communicate in their own language that no one else can understand. It turns out that Jiji is particularly sassy and can be a little cranky, but always comes through for Kiki when she needs help. While he can talk, Jiji is very much a cat, “Jiji shot her a reproachful glance and then made up his mind to ignore her altogether.” If you liked Jiji in the movie, you won’t be disappointed in his book counterpart; he’s just the best, and a good companion for Kiki as she sets off into the world on her Coming-of-Age day.

“Gradually, everyone’s waving hands below grew harder to see, and all the lights of the town twinkled like a starry night turned upside down. The full moon hung in the sky, watching over Kiki. Eventually even the lights of the town faded, and all she could see below were mountains shaped like the dark backs of animals.”

Kiki chooses to settle in a seaside town called Koriko, and most of the novel focuses around her living in Osono’s spare room and running “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, her own small business. She meets a whole bunch of unusual characters, some of whom would fit perfectly into a Roald Dahl story. Her slow ingratiation into the hearts of the town is well done, considering the episodic nature of each chapter and the simplistic narration. In the witchy tradition of Kadono’s universe, Kiki doesn’t accept payments for her deliveries; she takes small things in return like food or being taught a new skill. In this way, she grows as a person and becomes more self-sufficient, while still experiencing typical tween-girl issues like dealing with crushes, “Mysterious? Is that how I’m supposed to act? Maybe there’s something wrong with me?” The book walks the fine line between simple writing and slightly deeper exploration of Kiki’s character extremely well.

While the film is very faithful to the core characters, especially Kiki, Jiji and Osono, there are a number of plot differences in the book. The young painter who lives in the woods is there, although she doesn’t play as large of a role in the novel. Tombo is also a side character, and while he is still a friend of Kiki’s there are a few major differences in his storyline, although they still have a cute, innocent courtship. The novel gives more emphasis to the various jobs that Kiki completes in her career as a flying courier, and no major crisis of confidence occurs that causes Kiki to forget how to fly her broom or talk to Jiji. Like I said, this is a children’s book, and even small amounts of movie melancholy aren’t present; it’s sweet and heart-warming rather than inserting drama for the narrative’s sake.

“Kiki, make sure you come back, all right? We’re so happy to have a witch as our neighbor. Everyone says that if they go three days without seeing you flying through the sky, they feel like something is missing.”

If you’re a big fan of the Studio Ghibli film, this book is worth checking out, if only to spend a little bit more time seeing Jiji being the sass master that he is, but remember that it is very much a children’s book and therefore a super simple read. I would definitely recommend it for younger readers, particularly if they enjoy stories like The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy. Kiki’s Delivery Service is very cosy and wholesome; if you feel like reading the book equivalent of a hot chocolate on a cold day, it’s one for you.

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

[Goodreads]

#Kiki's Delivery Service #Eiko Kadono #Majo no Takkyūbin #Studio Ghibli #book review #bookblr #reading #books #witch fiction #witches #witchy #witchblr #witchy books #witchcore #witchy vibes #witch #witch books #ghiblicore #ghibli aesthetic #jiji

[gayemeralds]

I read “Shadow fans I am not the blog for you” and have become the sad ant with a bindle looking back at you. Banger takes though ngl you have a lot of profound and really well thought out opinions when it comes to sonic and I don’t even find myself disagreeing with your take on Shadow staying dead despite loving him bc you’re honestly not even wrong there is so much thought behind what you say

THE THING IS i joke about not being good for shadow fans but i do LIKE shadow. in my heart i know if he was given the proper care and character arc that he deserved he would easily be one of my favourite characters. he's the type of character i would have absolutely latched on to.

the problem is i just think sega brought him back with no real direction. shadow was a fascinating and complex character in sa2, and i think his story honestly deserved to be self contained within that game. he was a fascinating foil to sonic- someone who lost everything facing someone who hasn't faced true loss at the time; and, deliciously, becoming the first loss sonic faces, when shadow dies at the end of sa2. he was a phenomenal character of grief and anger and revenge, and how people who love you can still turn on you; how revenge and despair can rot a person, but how you can always have hope. but i think his story really ended there on the ark when he died.

sonic heroes was fun, but ultimately, it did nothing for shadow. the amnesia route they took was arguably one of the worst options i could think of. the whole point of sa2 was UNCOVERING his past. the whole game told a story in reverse- we learn all we need to know about project shadow in that game. the fact that the whole "android" shadow arc doesn't even get resolved in that game is a little frustrating.

an exploration into shadow's identity if he survived the fall and retained his memories would have been FASCINATING. shadow assumed he would die at the end of sa2, absolve him of wanting to destroy the world, absolve him of his guilt over maria, and finally find peace. but he DOESN'T die. and now he's forced to live with the trauma he was given, and the anger he holds, and forge a new identity and place for himself. and, how is shadow going to keep maria's promise, to save humanity, when someone else is already doing his job? when shadow himself had already called sonic the ultimate lifefrom, when sonic has been and is doing what shadow would do to keep maria's promise? where does shadow fit in amongst these "heroes?" THAT'S an identity i would have loved to explore.

sonic battle and sonic 06 were honestly pretty good portrayals of him. i think you could arguably have a similar story in sonic battle without him, however, while still keeping the intrigue of gerald robotnik and What Exactly Was Going On With Project Shadow at the time, but i digress.

I think Shadow the Hedgehog 2005, for all of it's flaws, did try. It wanted to be compelling and morally challenging and it wanted Shadow to explore his identity and figure out what side he wanted to belong to. arguably, however, it solidified shadow's "brand" as being an edgy anti-hero who uses guns and curses and is "violent" when i don't really think that was the intention behind sa2. i also think it was sort of an unnecessary addition to the project shadow lore- the ark and all of its secrets are rather haunting enough. there's still so many implications over gerald robotnik perhaps knowing echidna lore, there's still so much mystique behind the original introduction of shadow's lore, that i don't think adding evil alien blood into the mix was necessary. this game could have honestly been an entire backstory for a whole new character.

and after those games, it becomes pretty clear that sega just doesn't know what to do with him. post-shadow the hedgehog has shadow let go of his past and become who he wants to be. but sega seems completely insistent on keeping shadow in his sa2 phase, keeps wanting shadow as a anti-hero rival when his arc contradicts it. they want him stagnant despite trying to have him move on from his travesty- and obviously, grief and trauma are not things that are linearly healed from, but the continuous storyline of shadow "letting go of his past" shows that they just don't have a direction for him. they don't know what to do with him.

and now, shadow, the same shadow who promised maria to save the world, to give humanity a chance, who watched his sister die in front of him, was written to have violently and thoughtlessly attack infinite and his squad (and is implied to have killed the rest of inifinite's squad)... and for what? his whole arc is moving away from his past and trying to do right by maria. WHY would he ever cause someone the same pain he felt when he's already learned from that mistake (sa2)? they just don't know what to do with him and keep putting him in increasingly antagonistic roles despite shadow being sonic's friend and ally.

i just think shadow should have stayed dead in sa2. it keeps the allure and mystery of the ark alive, no more bad characterizations, and it gives more weight to shadow fulfilling maria's promise. i also think that him being alive causes a problem because his arc sort of guides him into the position that sonic is in- as a hero and a saviour, but sonic's already filling that role. shadow sort of becomes... obsolete, because anything he can do, sonic can do, too. which is probably why they keep making him an antagonist/rival.

ideally, if they had to keep him alive, my hope would be to have shadow realise he has an entire life to live now. he can fufill maria's wishes of helping people perhaps on a smaller scale (a la the chaotix), and then also go on to travel the world and see the beauty maria was never able to see. it keeps him sort of in a back pocket if they ever want him to return and help sonic and his friends, and can guide him into hating humanity less by seeing how beautiful and kind the world really is.

whatever they're doing now just isn't working. the shadow we see now is nothing like the shadow from sa2, which is a damn shame. shadow became a fan favourite from that game alone for a REASON.

so like. i like shadow, i just wish he stayed dead to avoid all of this.

#master emerald brothel #sorry to complain i just. i do like shadow i just don't like what's been done to him. #he's just a marketing tool at this point #they don't want to give him proper depth and they don't want him to really move on #they want him to stay sonic's rival when there's no real compelling reason for him to. #ugh

[apoptoses]

Happy new year to us 🥹 wasn't expecting an @apoptoses drop this early in the year, what a fucking treat! It might've become an instant fave too?! There's something so achingly beautiful about your "a day in the life" type of fics with these two, and this is the perfect example of why. A gorgeous blend of bittersweet and hot, Armand/Daniel at their best basically. The way you dealt with Armand's trauma and his need to collect experiences with Daniel in a way he was simply not able to do so with Louis made my heart ache and rang so true to his character. And how Daniel's constant lack of patience and irritation are merely his attempts at coping with having a mortal lifespan and ultimately a limited amount of time on earth with the person he loves the most. SO FUCKING STUNNING, ngl I shed a few tears while reading it 🥹

Hoping to read more from you soon 🤞Have a lovely year babes xoxo DA ❤️

Dungeon anon🥹

That was a hard one because it kept coming out angsty when I didn't intend for it to lol But like the holidays are hard and I figured I might as well lean into it since it would be especially hard for these two.

But yeah I think about Armand and his fascination with the modern world a lot! Because he didn't take a dirt nap like Lestat or Marius. He was with Louis for decades, they traveled, he saw new inventions- so why does he act like everything is so brand new to him when he meets Daniel? Some of it is, of course. But I think some of his obsession with experience comes from the desire to experience things *with* someone (even if that someone is in a pissy mood or not entirely awake lol). Louis was physically present but I can't help but imagine that during Christmas, a time so inherently tied to family, he would struggle to be mentally present and able to have cheery holidays with Armand.

So I'm so glad you liked it!!! I hope you had good holidays too ♥ Hopefully I'll have some new stuff on deck soon.

#apoptoses answers #dungeon anon

[ninelie00]

Ultraman Max (2005-2006) - How to Respect The Legacy By Pushing Forward

It's hard to imagine what it was like back in 2005 when the announcement of a brand new Ultraman series seemed to have such a focus on re-introducing classic monsters and a more "classic" compared to the very experimental takes of previous entries in aesthetic and storytelling. And yet, it seemed that the ultimately what came was a show that, while seeming quite "tribute" heavy, was rather using what had worked so well and giving us a firm reminder why such formulas excelled so brilliantly and experimenting further within it's own take on the lores and themes of Ultraman. Yes, Ultraman Max for the longest time was written off as being this fanservice show that had no value in the eyes of western fans. But it seemed that the turnabout arrived at the time of the 2020s when Mill Creek announced it's physical release and fandom turned its head on what the show truly is. So what did I make of it?: I thoroughly loved Ultraman Max, from it's episodic storytellings that gave us plenty of breathing room to grow to love our characters to going above and beyond in generating probably the strongest Heisei Ultraman content out there. While some episodes can falter, it doesn't mean you won't get a form of enjoyment out of it (there is only one bad episode in my honest opinion) and the writing staff + everyone involved really bring an A-game to this show. The cast especially is just so charming to watch, from the gradual humanization of Elly to the loving charms of Sean White; it seemed like there is a character that comes out of this show so insanely memorable and also well-rounded. I feel even the one off characters also give off such memorable moments in their episodes that it almost feels like there is a true understanding of how to make even a single episode character feel just as impacting to the viewer as the DASH team. The special effects teams are also truly showing their craft here, and seem to really love finding unique ways to shoot these creatures or frame a sequence. The CGI in this show also is used rather to its advantage and can enhance a scene, such as when a kaiju needs to react and there isn't a budget for a complicated facial animatronic. And even when used to do complicated fight choreography it still makes sure it feels as well-utilized as possible, as does the times a prop is used instead. That's the kind of thing you always appreciate about tokusatsu, is that when a new technology comes about it is used as an accessory to enhance something on screen or to do a complicated sequence that cannot be filmed with physical objects. So about that title? Well when Max brings back the classic kaiju like Metron, Eleking, Red King, Gomora, or Baltan it doesn't try to play the mocking game or go full on "this isn't your dad's [insert kaiju here] from when he was a kid"; instead you are given exactly what made those stories and characteristics of these kaiju that made them work and while a twist may be thrown in you feel it is because they KNOW it wouldn't feel so out of the ordinary. It pushes forward new ideas with these kaiju, old and new, and brings you feeling like you have hit a new form of appreciation for these creatures. Max himself also feels like such departure in design but still feels so familiar to us, he has traits we recognize but has his own identity that makes you love him and what he is capable of in his fighting prowess and his compassion. You as much believe he is our favorite silver giants as Seven, Ace, Joneus, Gaia, Nexus, or Zoffy are. What more can be said? Go watch it! It is everything and more.

#Ultraman Max #Ultraman #Tsuburaya Productions #Tsupro #Tokusatsu #toku

[dykelawlight]

for the fanfic asks: 7, 35, 79 pls? love your writing <3

Thank you so much!! 💞

7. Post a snippet from a wip.

The phone is still ringing. Teru takes off her glasses, grinds the heel of her hand into her eye, and picks it up. If her voice is somewhat flat with irritation and gravelly with fatigue, that's going to have to suffice. “Mikami.” A familiar, amused little laugh trails down the phone wire and lodges itself directly into Teru’s brain. “Aren’t we all business this morning.” Yagami Light, Teru’s kind-of-not-really-she-wishes girlfriend, semi-frequent sex partner, constant object of affection and desire so desperate that sometimes Teru wonders how she survives it. She and Light and Light’s actual girlfriend of eleven years, L, had had a very successful one-night stand a while ago (the first time Teru had had sex of any kind, let alone any kind of indulgence in alternative lifestyle dynamics), after meeting at a fetish club in Shinjuku, that had transformed itself into something longer. Teru’s spent the last six months walking around with a daily ache in her chest (and occasionally elsewhere) that only abates when Light wants her. She likes L fine, too, finds her reasonably attractive, enjoys having sex with her, appreciates her personal brand of dominance ⁠— it wouldn't work if she didn't ⁠— but Teru would go to war and die for Yagami Light. “Hi,” Teru breathes.

35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted?

Hmmmm I think it has to be Hear No Evil 🫡 which is funny because I originally meant for that to be a short kind of comedic oneshot and then it just spiraled into what it IS which is like...a study in Misa ft. background Lawlight horniness. But I really like how Solid and Full ultimately came out, too! (Detecting a trend here of This Was Supposed To Be Short And Oops It's Ten Pages Long Now)

79. Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

Nothing you haven't heard already I'm sure! But my thing really is that even as addicted as I am to reading comments while giggling and kicking my feet I really only write stuff that is actively fun for me. Everything you see around tumblr about avoiding writing for the imagined bad-faith reader is soooo true. ALSO re: writing porn specifically my biggest tip is just vomiting out a couple hundred words of disgustingly horny dialogue and then letting it sit in my notes app for a couple hours and returning to edit it and add in breaks for action and stuff. I find that the pure undiluted grossness turns into some of the hottest stuff.

#can't remember if I've posted that snippet yet if I have you can kill me #thanks again!!

[bahamutgames]

Bahamutgreen’s Favorite Games of 2023!

IT'S TIME!! Time for a brand new Game of the Year list for 2023! I played a LOT of stuff this year, I'm genuinely kind of impressed with myself for playing so much. I had a lot to sift through, and went back and forth on different choices a lot. But ultimately I think you'll be unsurprised in where this list is headed.

Since in 2023 I've become very into using this blog, I've tried to fancy up this GOTY post with some new visuals and formatting. If you're interested, I wouldn't mind some feedback on it for next year. I'm not aiming for "high quality professional" but I wouldn't mind "cool and makes it easier to understand the list"

And just like last year, there's multiple lists. 2 categories are represented here : Games I played in 2023 BUT released prior to 2023. And games I played in 2023 that actually released in 2023. Each category has 5 winners and 5 runner-ups. The lists are also KIND of ordered, but ordering wasn't as important for runner-ups.

But without further ado, please enjoy reading what games I had the most fun with in 2023!

- 5 -

DIGIMON STORY : CYBER SLEUTH

Opening up strong! #5 is Digimon Cyber Sleuth! This was my first true experience in the wide world of Digimon, and I had an absolute BLAST with it! It's a fantastic monster tamer RPG that makes the genre more traditional and ultimately more palatable to someone like me. I loved learning about new Digimon, the visuals were nice, and even when the game was rough around the edges, it was typically very funny. Only reason I think this game can't be higher is because out of everything here, it really does just drag on until it sort of lost me towards the end. Groundramon is my new favorite Digimon, by the way!

- 4 -

ENCHANTED ARMS

I got this game a good few years ago, and was VERY happy I finally made the time to play it. It's a very unique and interesting RPG, and something you could really only get from the incredibly odd world of Xbox 360 JRPGs. The game has a fantastic soundtrack, interesting cross between turnbased and strategy RPG gameplays, and a story that really grew on me. It's certainly aged a lot and is not perfect. But while it pissed me off probably more than anything else on this list, I also feel like it left an impact on me larger than a lot of what I played this year. And I really think back on it fondly.

- 3 -

FIRE EMBLEM : THREE HOUSES

Even as a fan of Fire Emblem, I'll admit. This one came as a shock to me! I went in expecting this to be an incredibly tedious and boring game, but ultimately came out INCREDIBLY happy with it. Great characters, fantastic strategy gameplay, and an interesting story too smart for me to understand really pulled me in. Playing this reminded me how good a good strategy RPG can be, and I'm hoping to play some more in 2024 if I get the chance. While it's not my favorite of the 2 FE games I've played, and I have a lot of issues with its story and some characters, I cannot deny how much I absolutely adored this game.

- 2 -

RPG TIME! THE LEGEND of WRIGHT

I wanted to play this game basically the moment it was announced, but sadly it slipped under my radar for a minute. Thankfully I was finally able to make the time to play this as my first RPG of 2023! And even that far back, I cannot stop thinking about it. This game is absolutely FANTASTIC! It's funny, cute, creative, charming, fun, and so many other adjectives. It gets a little slow and boring at times, but I think that can be looked past. It's a shame more people did not play this as I truly think it's a game for everyone. RPG fans, RPG haters, people who don't care one way or another. It's amazing and if you only look into one game on this entire post, make it this one!

POKEMON : EMERALD VERSION

Personally, this one is also a shocker to me! Listen, I love Pokemon. I really do. But the main series games have always been a little touch and go for me when compared to any other Pokemon media. But, honestly, there was no question that this game would end up SOMEWHERE on my list! I just had a genuine blast playing through it. Part of it is nostalgia, Firered was a deeply important game to me as a kid and I adore the GBA. Part of it is a bit of bias as I just like gen 3. But also I seriously just came out of this game feeling really good. Currently in my project to play the whole main series for the first time, it's my favorite game so far! My only issue is that they don't live up to some game mechanics and the story is a little messed up compared to Ruby and Sapphire's take on the tale. Even still I'm going back and forth between this and RPG TIME for #1. But I think nostalgia, my love for GBA graphics and sounds, and my love for the Hoenn Dex, bump this one just over the edge!

- 5 - CUPHEAD

Another game that I got long long ago that just... sorta never got beaten and gathered dust in the old collection. Until, for some reason, suddenly, my brain chemicals told me I HAD to give it another go. And HEY, wouldn't you know it, it's good! I REALLY enjoyed this! Usually games that are super hard leave me feeling irritated when I win, but Cuphead actually made me feel good when i overcame it which is something I don't usually say. Genuinely cute visuals and music to boot, Cuphead is great!

- 4 - HATSUNE MIKU PROJECT DIVA F 2nd

I'm looking at it now and this whole post is filled with things I'm SHOCKED I enjoyed at all, let alone put onto my GOTY list. But while I'm more into rhythm games than I used to be, it's still not my favorite by any means. But I really had to give some props to this game. Genuinely playing this on the vita while in my bed pulled me out of a bad slump that almost gave me horrible gamer block. And I thank Miku so much for being there to bring me out of that funk. I had a blast playing through this!

- 3 - PIKMIN

For a long time, I've been interested in Pikmin. But I could not ever get myself to beat it. Until this year! I decided to give it another go and while it certainly was tough, frustrating, and even a big scary at times. I loved it! When I beat it I thought "thank GOD I'm done dealing with those stupid little Pikmin.... but damn... I wish I was playing more of it..." So I think it's safe to say I'll be returning to the series sooner rather than later. The graphics still hold up AMAZINGLY well, lovely music, great character design. Fun time all around. I get it now.

- 2 - METROID : ZERO MISSION

Metroidvanias... Not a fan of them, I'll admit. I've only been able to beat 2 in my life time. Those being Ori and TMNT Radical Rescue. UNTIL THIS YEAR! I decided I wanted to try beating my first Metroid game, and went with this cause I used to play it on my modded Xbox as a kid. And I'm shocked to say, I LOVED this! I'm still not super into Metroidvanias so idk how I'd do on a larger more complex map, but I loved exploring around. And the Zero Suit section was genuinely SO exhilarating and some of the most horrific, tense, and fun gameplay I've had with a game in a while. I mean it! This was such an unexpected treat!

- 1 - BAYONETTA

While I figured I was gonna enjoy this one, I can safely say I did NOT expect it to be an absolutely BRILLIANT game that was so crazy and incredible. This game is so stupid and over the top and crazy in all the ways I absolutely LOVE! I love the aesthetics, the themes of killing gods and angels, and I loved the spectacle, I liked the crazy story (even if I didn't fully grasp it lol), I LOVED how cool it was and how badass Bayo is. And I straight up loved how sexy it was! It's very goofy but the game totally knows the sex appeal is kinda funny, but also they do it good! Bayonetta absolutely rules and I was so impressed with this one! Call me a fan! I can't wait to try 2!

- 5 -

THE MURDER OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

I spent a long time splitting hairs over what should be included on the main list and what should be a runner up (I'm writing this part the next day, even!) But there were 2 games I had no intentions of taking off the list: Venba and The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog! Murder of Sonic is a visual novel which isn't usually my type of thing, but this game is so funny and charming and such a wonderful love letter to Sonic it's hard not to be into it! Ultimately I think Murder of Sonic wins out over Venba just slightly because it had a final boss and a finale that got surprisingly emotional. And you know I'm a fiend for plots and bosses in games that don't need them lol. This game was incredibly charming, Shadow wasn't annoying in it, Rouge was hot in it, everyone had fun outfits, there was a Sonic Rivals reference, they made a new hot milf for it. I don't have much bad to say about it, and I think it may have been my favorite Sonic thing from this year!

- 4 -

SEA OF STARS

Sea of Stars... Oh how I wanted this game to be GOTY. I was so excited it, but ultimately, the way the finale of the game went just CRUSHED IT for me. I hated most of the tail end of this game, I won't lie, and that's why I can't really bring it higher. But MAN the 2/3 prior to the final fetch quest collectathon junk was SO good! And I can't just look past that. A love letter to the whole genre, Sea of Stars has AMAZING combat, AMAZING visuals, AMAZING music, AMAZING Garl and the rest of his friends too. There's a LOT to love here, I like the world and again I was particularly fond of the gameplay both in combat and the way you traverse with grappling hooks and wind and what not. I'm disappointed I didn't enjoy myself with it more, but I'm still VERY glad I spent the time with it I did. Maybe the DLC and sequels will improve on it!

- 3 -

SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER

I fancy myself more of a 3D Platformer kinda person, but god DAMN do I love a good 2D Platformer from time to time. And Mario Wonder absolutely delivered on that front. As a fan of the NSMB games, this took everything good about them, took out everything bad about them, and made something new and truly incredible! A wonderful art style, finally embracing more of the expansive Mario cast, and being filled with TONS of genuinely fun new moves and genuinely fun new level gimmicks. Mario Wonder was such a treat that I loved until the very last drop! The only reason it isn't higher is because I personally think it's missing a special final kick to really push it over the edge. Personally, I think this might come from its lack of impactful boss fights. It's not perfect, but it sure is DAMN close!!

- 2 -

HI-FI RUSH

Can we talk about HI-FI Rush??? PLEASE I've been waiting all year to talk to your guys about HI-FI Rush! DUDE!! THIS GAME WAS SO GOOD! I'm not kidding, this game was AMAZING! I wasn't super interested in it, but wound up kinda just getting my hands onto it due to fortunate circumstances. And WOW, was I wrong to not be interested. This game is SO good! Fantastic visuals, genuinely HILARIOUS game, amazing aesthetic, super fun rhythm based action combat (maybe the first time I've TRULY really loved this type of combat) and some fantastic characters made HI-FI Rush such a highlight of the year for me. Seriously, this game was SO good! From the moment I beat it, I knew this was gonna be my game of the year, I'm not joking. I've been holding onto this basically since the start of 2023. I'm so sad this game didn't do well at ALL because it deserves so much love that so many other games got this year. This is another one that if you have to pick one game to try, please consider giving that honor to Hi-Fi Rush! It was only beaten out by one super obvious thing on my list!

But before we get to that super obvious thing. I think it'd be fun to spice things up a bit by doing the new games of 2023 runner ups FIRST! So lets go ahead and get through that!

- 5 - SUPER KIWI 64

Too many times has Siactro not been acknowledged on these GOTY lists. THAT HAS TO END! Super Kiwi 64 wasn't perfect by any means. But I would be lying if I told you it maybe wasn't one of, if not my favorite feeling game of 2023. The movement and moveset of Kiwi just felt SO good. And I genuinely hope this isn't the last we've seen of the character, I will pay good money to buy a bigger, longer sequel to this game! Just... please keep the scary stuff to a minimum!

- 4 - SLUDGE LIFE 2 // THE BIG MUD SESSIONS

This is another one that sadly, kind of underwhelmed me. Sludge Life 1 is one of my favorite indie games ever made, no joke. I adored it so much. But sadly, Sludge Life 2 just didn't click in the same way. I still enjoyed it a lot though! So I wanted to give it a shoutout, and I almost enjoyed Big Mud Sessions more. But since it's kind of a demo for 2, I decided to bundle them together in one. It's my list. Again, wasn't thrilled with SL2, but I'm hoping SL3 can really come out swinging and hook me all over again!

- 3 - PIZZA TOWER

I'm sure some of you know this, but I am a HUGE Wario Land fan. I LOVE that series. And not just land, but like, any Wario Platformer / Action game. I love Wario World too and I ADORE Master of Disguse. I just really like those games, and I'm seriously so happy to see more and more games try to take up the mantle that was left behind! Pizza Tower isn't perfect by any means and a lot of stuff has come out about the devs I have not fully looked into. But I did enjoy this game even in spite of some of its flaws. And also I'm just happy to see a fat hairy dude as the protagonist of a platformer again! I like seeing them be capable and go on adventures instead of just being gross assholes, it's genuinely nice.

- 2 - WARIO WARE : MOVE IT!!

Making it onto the list at the last possible moment, but I had to put it on there! Maybe it's just the honeymoon phase, but I REALLY liked this game! It felt like a true return to form for Warioware and REALLY REALLY impressed me with a lot of its minigames. It's not perfect, personally I think it's too short and ultimately that makes it slightly too underwhelming to be on the main list. But it is VERY good and I had a fantastic time playing through it!

- 1 - VENBA

The runner up for #5 on the main list, in a big battle with Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog! Ultimately while Sonic won out, but I still LOVED this game and there was no question in my mind it would be somewhere on the list! This game has a wonderful art style and music, I genuinely loved solving the puzzles, and even though it's short, it's really fun and the story made me genuinely emotional! I even tried Biryani because of this game and I LOVED it! (It was with Goat which is so good.) Venba is hot, and her game is really charming!

And last, but not least! It's time to reveal my Game of the Year 2023! It's... so obvious isn't it... Like, the fact I haven't mentioned it yet is just a dead give away isn't it? If you know you know, try to act surprised as you scroll down to reveal:

SUPER MARIO RPG

Can you blame me? Can you really blame me? This has been my favorite video game of all time since at least 2011-2012. I have a lot of thoughts about this remake I want to gush about when I get the energy. But for now I can tell you I absolutely LOVED this remake! It is an amazing redo of the original game. Genuinely, if you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing Super Mario RPG before, this is a WONDERFUL way to do it! However good you think the remake is, it's better! Fantastic upgrades to the visuals, music, gameplay, the whole thing feels FANTASTIC! If you'd never played it before or if you're looking to reexperience it, you have GOT to try Super Mario RPG Remake! The original has been such an important game to me for YEARS, genuinely influencing me and my art so much, and I never thought it would get any kind of follow up ever again. Let alone a remake with so much love poured into it. That's why I am proud to call it my Game of the Year 2023!

And that's that on that! Another year come and go! I played a lot of stuff in 2023, but even still it was hard to get my hands on enough new releases to do a 10 list. But thankfully I still ended up leaving off important games from both lists! Chained Echoes and Paradise Marsh were both indies I really enjoyed. And I'm still very impressed with Hello my name is Val and He Fucked the Girl Out of Me. It's genuinely nice that you can play SO much and still miss so much AND STILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT EVERYTHING ON 4 SEPERATE TOP 5 LISTS! I don't know everything coming out in 2024, but we have some things I'm SO stoked for like TTYD remake and Peach Showtime. And judging by the absolutely amazing surprises that ended 2023, I think we're in for a treat in 2024!

Like always, here's my list of games I bought and played all through 2023! Please be nice to me (x)

2023 was really tough. I won't mess around. Moving was exceptionally hard for me and I was out of commission for a while. 2024 is looking to be more of the same, I'm moving again and I feel like it'll be a really hard and potentially even harsher moving process. I'm scared to do it. I'm not looking forward to it. But it has to be done, I literally don't have a choice. So, we'll see what I can do.

Hopefully I don't get caught in the same trap I did this year. My health has deteriorated a lot from a little less exercise and a little more eating due to intense stress and depression (I think lol). I did so much work and burnt out so often, and still felt like I didn't do ANY work this year. But I won't let that impact how 2024 goes, it's a new year and a new refresh.

There's some exciting stuff on the way next year, things will get better. I hope 2023 was better for you than it was for me. And even if it wasn't, let's not let the first few days, weeks, or months, of the new year set the tone for the whole year. Let's make it an amazing new year, and let's do a lot of gaming in 2024! I love you all! Let's do this!

Joke images for twitter no longer work... RIP that great gag...

#2023 #GOTY

[i-am-literally-deranged]

Hey it's 4 AM I'm on my way back from the bar off the shits, and haven't posted in entirely too long, so you hwve to deal with my thoughts unfiltered and unedited. Cope.

A consistent theme across the entirety of Hatoful Boyfriend is that every single atrocity is motivated solely by love. Hitori feels like theost obvious example. Everything he dies wrong is done in misguided effort to grant Nageki's final wishes. It's q last act of love for the family he couldn't save. One last thing he could do for him. Shuu is muvh the same. By far the biggest offender in terms of atrocities, he's also branded everything he does in the name of granting Ryuuji's last wishes. He acts in his name, under a banner of love for him, whether or not it actually lines up with the spirit of his wishes at all. Could go on for hours about that btw, about how Shuu and Hitori's attempts to grieve both involve completely desecrating the memory of the person they are trying to grieve, by hurting other people "for them" when it is ultimately not for them at all, but rather for themselves, hurt wnd lashing out. How they mirror eachother, diametrically opposed yet oddly matching. But anyway. All atrocities are motivated by love within the Hatoful Boyfriend universe. When Ryouta agrees to become the virus's carrier and kill humanity, it's because he sees no use in resisting to protect the world that killed Hiyoko. There's no point when the person he loves most is gone, might as well burn the whole thing to the ground. Yuuya kills out of love for Sakuya, and that's a repeating theme as well. Him giving up everything, his very soul and humanity out of love for Sakuya, which is a bit odd considering yhe degree of separation between them. It's more a devotion to the idea of him, ultimately. And that's what it is for all of them, it's this idea of "This one person is an emblem of all good in the world. Without them, all good is gone." Which grants everyone that miraculous ability to harm others with zero remorse. When I say that love is the ultimate villain of Hatoful Boyfriend this is what I mean by that. We all talk about Hbf at the dating sim without dating, the aro dating sim, but it's true. Any love too intense festers and rots into something dangerous if left unchecked.

Characters in Hatoful can be sorted into two categories, those whose love redeems, and those whose love destroys. When Hiyoko takes a fondness to someone, it saves them. Nageki's love of the world saved it. Ryuuji's love for Shuu gave him what scrap of salvation he's ever had. As opposed to everyone else in the cast. Shuu's own love for Ryuuji caused almost everything that has ever gone wrong in these games. Hitori's love of Nageki caused the other half (exaggerating for dramatic effect, he has done no wrong, actually)) Ryouta's love for Hiyoko made a lot of the trouble in BBL possible. Sakuya's love of his father has ruined his life up until now, and Yuuya's love of Sakuya ruined his. Anghel Maybe gets out of it because he loves everyone to a certain degree, and Okosan is Okosan, but outside of those two this dichotomy holds completely and utterly true. There are three characters who play foil to one another, Hiyoko, Ryuuji, and Nageki, rotating who is paralleling who from scene to scene, and then everyone else, orbiting them and obsessing over them, their love for them destroying themselves and everyone else around them. Love is ultimately the villain, but that's only true under specific circumstances. It's so fuckin interesting!!! I don't know what differentiates the lovers from the loved, but it's a consistent theme and it's leaves me going

"WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!?!!!! WHAT DOES IT MEAN !!!!"

#hbf for The Game Of All Time