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dangermousie · 2 months

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A danmei lover's biased and incomplete het web novel rec list

@mercipourleslivres thanks for inspiring me!

When it comes to Chinese web novels, I mainly read danmei. I tend not to care too much for OP heroine with a hero who dotes on her for no reason as she fights with 14 year olds narratives, nor inner courtyard fights. BUT!!! There are some het web novels I like and so here is my biased and incomplete rec list. Most of these don't have OP heroines, and very little to none courtyard fights.

Before I start, my favorite het web novel authors are: Gong Xinwen, Mo Shu Bai, Peng Lai Ke, and Jiu Lu Fei Xiang. I have yet to read anything bad by them.

Anyway, rec list:

1000 Miles of Bright Moonlight - one of my ultimate favorites, this would make such an epic drama! A smart as hell heroine, a hero who is a monk and a warrior (but also terminally?) ill and such a vivid world and amazing secondary characters (heroine’s brother is possibly my favorite supporting character of all time) and so much angst and happy ending. This has an amazing romance but it’s not romance-centric if it makes sense - ML doesn’t appear for a while. But once he does, it’s worth it!

Accompanying the Phoenix - the one that just got adapted into The Legend of Shen Li, this is high adventure and cottage core and funny and tragic and powerful ML being putty in the hands of capable FL and just EVERYTHING.

Apocalypse Arrival - Gong Xinwen’s novels are made just for me. Her heroines are always powerful as fuck and rescue abused MLs. In this novel, our heroine who lives in the post-apocalyptic world, wakes up right before that apocalypse happens. She forms a survival crew and also rescues ML who has miraculous blood and has been drained of it and is now hunted after the rescue for it. SO GOOD!!!

Black Moonlight Holds the BE Script - so fucked up, so good, with monster hero who learns to love and be human and heroine who learns to love and be human (but from the other side, her tower of perfection.) Much better than the drama which I did enjoy.

The Blue Whisper - the drama was so-so, but the novel is a bona fide angst masterpiece, which really delves into what it feels like to be imprisoned or to love.

Counterattack of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid - I remember starting this and loving the realistic feel and the heroine and wanting to stab the hero and @mercipourleslivres telling me to be patient. She was right, by the end I was on board with both the hero (who was abused and is rather autistic-coded) and the OTP. Anyway, heroine is a servant who was a concubine in the last life and got killed as part of a rich family’s harem intrigues. In this life, she just wants to keep her head down but her life gets derailed anyway. She gets sold away and eventually made a servant in the household of an exiled prince who takes a fancy to her and she endures it because what choice does she have? All she wanted was to serve out her term and become a small time merchant. This is quite realistic about lack of options for women, especially lower class women or upper class male attitudes (ML is never vicious or mean to FL but it does not initially occur to him to wonder if she fancies him or enjoys being his concubine or w/e.) It is a DELIGHTFUL slow burn tho as they grow to love each other and grow together and become one of the most wholesome cnovel couples out there.

Dandere General and His Lord - hi there, Gong Xinwen! God, I love this one. Heroine transmigrates from modern world into a brutal slave-holding world at war (think something like Warring States era.) Our heroine transmigrates into the body of a noblewoman who just hung herself. When she comes to, she discovers that woman’s twin brother was the ruler of a city poisoned by a rival claimant and the besieging army of said claimant is about to take the city and original occupant of the body and the rest of the family chose suicide as a way to avoid dishonor. Our heroine refuses, schemes with advisors to pass as the brother and rally the troops. Once the invaders are defeated, she keeps on the masquerade and rides off to one of the never-ending wars “she” is summoned to. Our hero couldn’t be farther from this. A slave and a son of a slave, he’s escaped a horrific, starving childhood during which he narrowly avoided being murdered or raped, and ended up in the army. When the story opens, he distinguished himself in battle and as a reward, he and a few of his fellow slave warriors are invited to a banquet, where they are given some alcohol and to be playthings of any nobles who want them. One of them does not survive this but ML is lucky - heroine feels terrible and so “claims” him for herself. Instead she just tends to his wounds and sends him back. She does not fancy him or anything, she is just a human being with a conscience. And the story goes from there.

Demon King's Repayment - another delicious Gong Xinwen tale with a powerful ML dedicated to capable FL. This one is a great fantasy plot (I keep imagining it as an animated series) and a sprawling cast of amazing secondaries (and secondary OTPs - there is, I swear, an OTP that is Dong Hua x Feng Jiu done thru GXW lens) to boot.

Doomed to Be Cannon Fodder - I hesitated to put this one on the list because by the end I was not keen on how misogynistic novel got to original female lead but it was one of my earliest novels and I loved it for 90% and it’s fucking hilarious at times. Heroine transmigrates as bit villainess into a novel, all she wants is not to die, but her new attitude of “pls stay away” catches the attention of her terrifying general husband. Honestly, imo still worth it.

Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir - my n1 novel on this list, smart and fierce and don’t really read this for romance because it does not start until really late, but ice cold heroine x ice cold hero both of equal brains and ruthlessness is everything. I went from loathing the ML to finding him fascinating to adoring him (and yet he softened around the edges only for FL, he never became “nice”) and loved FL throughout; secondaries are epic. If you read only one non-danmei web novel, make it this one.

The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl - my n2 novel on this list. Our heroine is the unlucky laundry maid A’Chou. She is a di daughter of an upperclass family but her family got destroyed in one of the political upheavals of the time and A’Chou, only a small child at the time, was the only survivor and was made an enslaved laundry maid. Due to various events, at the start of the novel she is a laundry maid in a minister’s household and the minister’s beloved daughter is having a fit because she’s supposed to marry the former Crown Prince which may have been great a few years back but Crown Prince had since been deposed, tortured, imprisoned and now is living in the middle of nowhere under conditions that are too meager to be called house arrest. And he’s seriously crippled too. Understandably, the young lady doesn’t want to marry him! She’d rather kill herself and so she does. And so, a desperate plan is hatched - why don’t we pretend the laundry maid is the di daughter of the minister’s household and send her off? And so A’Chu is sent as the bride. She arrives to discover a broke, seriously injured man on the verge of death…and we go from there. This is so gorgeous and tender and slow in just the right way and like AAAAAA! Secondary OTPs (one of which is MM) are also epic.

Futu Tower - the drama (Unchained Love) was a mess but the novel is such a lovely, dark exploration of coming back to life, for the ML from his dark revenge-strewn path and for heroine from not being allowed wishes of her own. She is a tribute bride, he’s a (fake) eunuch, they are both servants who use themselves to achieve goals and find peace and happiness together.

The Grand Princess - a tale where both members of the OTP reincarnate as their younger selves after killing each other in their 50s, and get a new start, this is smart and slow and so good in portraying old souls in young bodies. Their rediscovery of not just each other but themselves and their passion for living is just AAAAAA!

Heroine Saves Gentleman - Gong Xinwen novel so we have a tough martial artist lady saving a very upper class scholar and it goes from there. If elegant gorgeous ML being saved and protected (and lovingly dommed) by awesome FL is your bag, pls come right in.

Husband Be a Gentleman - schemer meet schemer. He’s an idle prince she’s perfect daughter, in reality both are wolves out for blood. Mmmm. Very OTP gets together early and is us against the world.

I’ll Be the Male Lead’s Sister in Law - one of my all time favorite novels. Heroine is made to marry a disabled nephew of the emperor. He used to be a victorious god of war but went mad and now is basically locked away and kept as a beast. GOD I LOVE THIS NOVEL SO MUCHHHHH! So much hurt/comfort and awesome OTP and after he eventually recovers, all he wants to do is to fight and murder things and dote on wifey. MMM. He’s honestly one of my fave MLs.

I Married a Disabled Tyrant After Transmigrating - if you have a Florence Nightingale complex, this is for you. Heroine wakes up as tribute bride to an almost dead dragon lord and slowly nurses him back to life as his rivals try to murder him. They are both utter adorable babies!

Let the Villain Go - another Gong Xinwen novel, this and Apocalypse Arrivals are AUs of each other. Heroine is surviving in the apocalypse, ML is the “bugbear” of the world but in reality just reacting to all abuse and torture and after she accidentally saves him, devotes himself. Fun fun fun!

Long Wind Crossing - Amazing ML and FL who grow together, clever plot, arranged marriage to love etc etc. Oh, and one point he feeds her his blood to keep her alive, what’s not to love? (Adapted into Chang Feng Du/Destined)

Lost You Forever - this is a short but delicately wistful tale of trauma and loss and love, wrapped in a high fantasy setting but so relatable despite it.

Love In Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant - so so fucked up in the best way! ML cannot live with OR without heroine. It opens on them banging in jail night before her execution (ordered by him) with corpses of men he killed for trying to defile her cooling nearby. If you want healthy relationships with respectful boundaries, gentle and considerate male leads who are modern men in period clothes, OP heroines who have everyone help them and are OP to the max, fluff and wholesomeness, that is about the worst book for you.If you want complexity, dysfunction, darkness, pain and an absolutely lyrical even if fucked up story, come right IN!!!!I am so fucking in love with the melancholy heroine, with ruthless psycho hero and the endless regret and devotion and paaaaain!

The Marquis Is Innocent - our heroine is a beautiful woman married to a warlord who hates her family. (Yes, this was gonna be The Prisoner of Beauty until SZE tax scandal.) Except she's a transmigrator from the future who knows how it ended last time around and has no interest to end up this tragically. This is in my top 5 - FL is smart but believably so (and doesn't have super battle powers) and ML is a believable period warlord. The way their relationship develops so gradually and the way his character changes so gradually as well (and the way they slowly fall in love, her slower than him) is just amazing. It is such a smart, nuanced, gorgeous slow burn. With some gonzo sex scenes :P

Mulberry Song - you like tragic endings? Come right IN! This is short and heartbreaking and wistful and very what-if.

Nightfall (Ever Night) - so long but also so smart and unusual and bloody and tho it’s not primarily a romance, you will never see another ML who loves his FL as much as Ning Que does his Sang Sang.

Offering Salted Fish to Master - in some ways, this novel is a mess, but I am recommending it because this is a rare example of "nope he's 100% a villain and murderdude and odd, but he does love the heroine" that the author commits to.

Pihanjin - yet another awesome PLK novel, this is once again, like with Marquis, a ruthless man and a beautiful woman getting a second chance on a second go-around. FL is a lot more wounded this time around though. If you LOVE watching ML grovel and slowly, gradually win FL over, this one is for you.

Princess Agents - a dark tale with an incredibly competent and militarily powerful/ruthless heroine and two terrifying men who love her (but neither is as terrifying as she is.) There is an OTP switch halfway through that shockingly makes sense and it's just SO SO GOOOOOOOD

Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage - this is probably the one “typical” novel on this list, heroine is reborn as her youngest self and gets revenge on those who wronged her last time around. It is really really well-written and heroine is competent, hero is doting and powerful etc. It’s not a trope I tend to love but I do when it’s done THIS well.

Rebirth of the Tyrant’s Pet: Regent Prince is Too Fierce: Borgias cnovel style! Our heroine was empress in last life and put her husband on the throne tho he did not love her. However, he had her executed and had his half-brother carry out the orders and heroine died horrifically. She opens her eyes and she’s a little girl again. The OTP this time around is heroine and half-brother executioner. Why do I love it? Heroine is smart and tough but also this is a rare rebirth novel where heroine does NOT decide to seek revenge for past life wrongs because they haven’t happened yet! In fact, she sees ML abused and stands up for him because he’s a kid and no kid should be mistreated and this go around he hasn’t done anything wrong. She also gets and likes her former life husband. Anyway, this is fakecest galore because she’s supposed to be their half-sister and while she knows (from past life) she is not, they do not and fall for her anyway. ML is especially gonzo, at one point carving chunks of his flesh to save her. He’s feral and unhinged and she’s the one person he worships because she protected him and like - it’s all awesome. (I love secondary ML too.)

Reborn to Love Lord Qiansui - yes, this is a eunuch novel! If you like gender tropes reversals, this one is for you. Heroine is a tough martial artist, hero is a smart as hell and powerful eunuch. A real eunuch. Heroine finds out she owes him her life and decides to protect him. This is a total delight and an awesome love story between two really scarred people. And yes, there is sex - heroine literally reads manuals on pegging :P

Return of the Swallow - so freaking long! But really good. Heroine is neither transmigrator nor reincarnator, just a smart period woman. She is a lost family daughter taken back in. Her father is a minister in a dying empire (father-daughter relationship is one of the best things in this novel), her OTP is enemy general, and the smartness and the awesomeness of this all knows no bounds.

Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes - probably the wackiest JLFX novel I read, this is quite different from Love You Seven Times drama that was adapted from it. Our deity protagonists go through a bunch of lives figuring out they fancy each other. It's light like a souffle but just as delicious.

To Be a Virtuous Wife - some people prefer 8 treasures trousseau but I never warmed up to that one. This one is so good, with smart people (who actually enjoy sex, a ratity) and a perfect mix of plot and romance.

Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - my very first web novel. A lot lighter than a lot of the ones on this list but a total delight. Heroine transmigrates into a novel as the heroine; she has no interest in drama or chasing true love, she just wants to live a nice life with her nice husband. Too bad for her, her husband has reincarnated into his younger self and remembers how she betrayed him, so is not interested. This one is funny and light and romance doesn’t start till late on but a total delight!

Wishing You Eternal Happiness - this is tied with Dreamer as my favorite het web novel ever though it couldn’t be more different from Dreamer, with its hard-edged and hard-souled protagonists ruthlessly cleaving their way to the world and, eventually, each other, its smart cynical air. Except in one thing - the world of Wishing is just as bloody and dark. Its two protagonists are gentle, deeply wounded souls who may find salvation in each other but even something as basic as safety almost seems out of reach.

Jliafu, our heroine, is neither a modern-day transmigrator, nor some exotic princess or demoness. She is very much a period woman of her time, from a weathy merchant clan, whose beauty is her curse. You can tell the novel’s tone from that utterly bleak opening chapter where she, a favorite concubine of a capricious dying emperor, is ordered to be buried alive with him and is not even given the “grace” of white silk but slowly suffocates in the coffin, scrabbling at the lid. There is no grand threats of vengeance on her part, not dramatic opera events. Just despair and death. The whole introductory chapter is haunted by emotional ghosts - the empress’ unrequited love for the monster on the imperial bed (turning into desire for Jiafu’s suffering after he dies), the emperor slowly dying in his prime after waging too many wars, and his fear of being haunted by Pei Youan, a brilliant if sickly minister who died of illness long ago on one of imperial campaigns. There is no triumph for anyone, only loss.

When she wakes up as still a young woman, all she wants is to escape the same fate. There are no plans for power or revenge, only a desire for survival. And so she latches on asking for help from Pei Youan, the only man in her past go-around who showed any consideration and desire and ability to protect her, though he barely knew her. Pei Youan is probably my favorite het web novel ML. Despite his brains and ability, he drifts through life. In modern terms, he clearly has depression. One of the biggest, best joys of the novel is watching these two very good, very quiet, very wounded people discover happiness and love with each other. I sort of want to cry just thinking about it, tbh.

The Yandere Came During the Night - a bit of fluff that’s oddly delightful. Heroine is reborn as a (fake) sister of ML, she hurts her legs saving him and the “siblings” form a bond that ends up in fakecest delight. They are both smart and efficient and he becomes a sexy marquis etc.

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lolapath · 6 months

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Lamina’s Moodboard

I can’t describe how much I love her. Even though she appears for such a short time Lamina‘s character is crucial for the franchise (at least I think so). Capitol citizens perceived her as week because she was constantly crying. But what’s more human in such situation? Being forced to fight in a death match as teenager - who wouldn’t cry? Who wouldn’t be scared? I feel like most of us will act this way.

What I believe is extremely tragic is how realistic Lamina‘s character is. She‘s not outstanding, doesn’t have much of a combat skills, nobody believes she‘d win. She’s just a regular teenage girl sentenced to death. Her fate represents the fate of hundreds of Panem‘s children.

Okay, but we can sympathize with many other characters. Let me separate the rest of the known Tributs in two categories.

1. main heroes- the one with special skill or ability like Coral, Reaper or Lucy Gray. They were Capitol‘s favorite because they had a chance to win. And we as readers think so too. Nonetheless, their uniqueness make them less relatable. We see them as protagonists of the story, not as ourselves.

2. vulnerable characters we cannot not sympathize with - such as Wovey (a 12 yo) or a girl with tuberculosis. Because of their poor condition they should’ve never be put in the arena. The main reason why we feel sorry for them is the unfairness that met them. And yet again, we don’t see ourselves in this characters but victims of cruel system.

Many THG fans love Lamina because we see ourselves in her. She doesn’t have any special advantage, her health is in an average state. Of course she can use axe and still is a child but that doesn’t make her a heroine among other tributes.

For me Lamina resembles all the children that died in the Games. Hundreds of taken lives. She‘s the ultimate symbol that such fate could have happen to anyone and it breaks my heart…

I hope I made myself understandable:// feel free to comment

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ystrike1 · 2 months

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Do you have any 10/10 recommendations? I’m curious about what a full 10 has to have

Your suspicions are correct! There is no perfect 10/10! That's what makes reading fun! A story with no flaws is a snorefest! Abide in the Wind is my all-time yandere favorite, but even I have to admit the art is a bit dated, and tragic separation arcs aren't for everyone! A 9.5/10 has near-universal appeal despite being a yandere story. A core theme people can empathize with. A romance with believable progress. A good setting. Side characters that aren't static, and a satisfying ending. My all-time favorite probably scores an 8.5/10 based on my own criteria.

I tend to grade works with yandere themes very harshly. Old-timey sexism and overly "innocent" heroines are my bitter enemies!

My goal is to provide accurate summaries with as little spoilers as possible! I think yandere horror has endless potential on the horror side of things, but the romance part is super subjective and sometimes actively unappealing! Finding good examples is always exciting for me!

#yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #ask

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drowninginredink · 2 months

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Favorite Albums: choose 9 and then tag 9 people!

For my own sanity, I didn't include musicals because I could fill up a whole other 3x3 grid with them, and comparing musicals to non-musical theater albums is weird.

Those last 4 that you definitely don't recognize are by Old Earth who you should definitely listen to if you want artsy ambient indie folk with really intricate guitar. My absolute favorite artist by far, and also the most obscure artist I listen to by far.

Electric by The Pet Shop Boys — I think this is my favorite album period. I am still pissed off that Tom Scott called it "not that great" in the old Technical Difficulties podcast. Maybe I'm biased because it was my favorite album when I was 14 and because it's where I really fell in love with the Pet Shop Boys. God I love them. So much. I'm way too excited for the new album and I worship geowayne's website where he analyzes all their songs. I probably should have put another PSB album on here, but there isn't another where I'm in love with every track. Plus honestly so many of my favorite tracks of theirs are B sides. They still release B sides with their singles, and this album cycle, the B sides are honestly better than the actual singles. Anyway electric is pure synthy electropop and I adore it in that way you can only love something you first heard at 14.

Pure Heroine by Lorde — I read a quote somewhere where Lorde said she tried to really put all of being a teenager into the album, so much so that once she became an adult, she probably wouldn't understand or like it anymore. I can definitely say that I'm not nearly as attached to it anymore now that I'm an adult, but God, it was my life when I was 13. She really did capture the unique ennui of being a teenager. I wrote a novel in eighth grade, and I wrote at least half of it to tracks from this album. Also, hot take: Royals is my least favorite track by a lot. Buzzcut Season is my favorite.

My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men — God, this one was my life when I was like, 12. I fell in love with folk there, and I'm still in love nearly a decade later. Another album where I still love every track.

Strange Trails by Lord Huron — hey look, an album I actually discovered and came to love as an adult! The fact that I love Lord Huron's brand of folky horror/fantasy/western music that tell stories with characters should not surprise anyone. Also, if I had to describe my experience with schizophrenia in one song, I'd choose Meet Me in the Woods.

The Tragic Treasury by The Gothic Archies — Look. Hear me out. Is it a album based purely on A Series of Unfortunate Events? Yes. But. Is it also an album where I genuinely love every track and have genuinely been known to just throw it on shuffle? Yes. I mean I think of one lyric from this album, like, weekly. I swear it's not just ASOUE brainrot that makes me like it so much. If it'd ever gotten a vinyl release, I'd absolutely own it. I wish it had gotten one.

a low place at The Old Place by Old Earth — honestly this is probably only my favorite Old Earth album because it's the one that I was able to actually get on vinyl and being able to play that vinyl is so lovely. I mean, it's good, but so is everything by Old Earth. Then again, Less Words is my favorite single track by them and it is on this album. Look. All the Old Earth albums I've listed here are, at most, 20 minutes long. If you like ambient artsy indie folk with lyrics that are there more for the way they sound than their meaning, try one.

light shaped by Old Earth — god the lyrics to this one. Normally I don't like Old Earth for the lyrics but. "It gets old/then it's done" and "what if it's just some song that gets you home" and especially "I'm holding your arms/and you're holding my eyes/and I lie like the right thing to do" are all just so great. And so is the middle track with no lyrics.

... until they're called by Old Earth — have you ever heard an album so good that you a) just played the whole thing and danced to it in your basement nonstop for the full 12 minutes, and then b) wrote a poem about the experience? People talk about finding God, but dancing to that album was the moment I found athiesm. The beauty of us all being here for no reason, just feeling things and living and doing our best to make something beautiful out of it.

Two Torches, at a Place Where Three Roads Meet by Old Earth — I'll be honest, I don't have much to say about this one. They're just a really solid three tracks.

... Yeah okay I really like Old Earth. Don't judge me.

Thank you @cygninae and @thehistoryone for tagging me! I'll tag @ven10 (I'm surprised neither of the people who tagged me tagged you), @weirdthoughtsandideas (ditto), @70snasagay (hmmmm i wonder what you'll put), @cat-boy-tom, @thetreetzar, @buncoreclown, @notthatalex, @unfortunate-sapphic-disaster, and @roach-in-the-kitchen. No pressure, obviously!

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lina-studen · 3 months

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assigning my favorite music albums to the main cast of "nevermore": part two.

annabel lee — "not to disappear" by daughter.

probably my favorite album of all time. it's a wonderful exploration of loneliness from many different angles. there's a lot for annabel to relate to. for example, in the song "alone/with you" the heroine sees shadowy figures and feels alone even besides her partner because she's a stranger to herself. and it's really heartbreaking.

prospero — "князь тишины" ("the prince of silence") by nautilus pompilius.

a golden classic often heard in my dad's car. it's tragic, it's dark, it's gentle. the songs contain a lot of different emotions, but with a feeling of restraint to them, as if they're being suppressed. there's also a song about a doctor (sort of)! I couldn't find the album itself, but here's a playlist with official songs.

ada — "staydom" by stayc.

I feel like ada has a huge k-pop girlie potential, though she herself probably wouldn't admit it. not sure why, but I wanted to give her something sweet and hopeful to listen to. as someone who, deep down, just wants to be loved, she could enjoy a song like "love fool" or "so what".

montresor — "гроздья гнева" ("the grapes of wrath") by shortparis.

the whole album is loud, energetic, fun in a dark kind of way. montresor would bob his head to it for sure. like, "the boss's husband" is just him: foul language, mommy issues, dishonesty, all that good stuff. but with such a catchy tune!

will — "heaven knows I'm miserable now" by the smiths (single).

it's a song about feeling isolated and being a witness of someone else's life. "in my life, why do I give valuable time to people who don't care if I live or die?" — this refrain is just william, no one can change my mind.

it was unfair to give will just a one-song album, so I'm adding "currents" by tame impala. I think it fits his vibe pretty well.

note: I wasn't aiming for 100% accuracy, just choosing the albums that I actually love, listen to (no skips!) and heavily recommend. it's all purely based on vibes that I get from the characters.

#spotify #nevermore webtoon #being a total loser again and spending years on a post #I even used figma to edit the pictures #not sponsored #I wish tho #annabel lee nevermore #prospero nevermore #ada nevermore #montresor nevermore #will nevermore #nevermore webcomic

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jostoys · 17 days

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Spring has Sprung, AG 24, week 11: Smiles

My dolls make me smile, and their dolls make them smile! I have recently found dolls for Marie-Grace and Nori.

Marie-Grace is pictured with her doll Evangeline, who is named after Longfellow’s tragic heroine.

Nori is pictured with her doll, Lavender, named after her mama’s favorite flower.

#american girl dolls #dollblr #springhassprungag24 #smiles

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veliseraptor · 2 months

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March Reading Recap

Juliet: The Life and Afterlives of Shakespeare's First Tragic Heroine by Sophie Duncan. I actually really liked this one! It was an interesting look at several different lenses that have been used over time to look at Juliet (specifically Juliet, not the play), including the relationship between fascism and Juliet in Verona, Italy and the development of West Side Story (didn't know Juliet was Jewish in an early version). I enjoy sort of niche/specific books focusing on a very particular subject, and this book scratched that itch well.

The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It by Helen Scales. I read this book too soon after The Underworld by Susan Casey which, while not necessarily a better book, covered a lot of the same terrain. The trouble with a keen interest in a niche topic is, I suppose, that the books on it can start to get repetitive sometimes. It was still good, though, and this one focused a bit less on the history of human exploration than Casey did and a bit more on the ecosystems themselves, which I did welcome.

Blood of the Chosen and Emperor of Ruin by Django Wexler. The second and third books in the series that started with Ashes of the Sun - both continued the trend of "I don't know that I'd call these particularly good works of literature but they were very enjoyable and propulsive." The second book was stronger than the third - I ended up feeling like the conclusion of the trilogy was weaker and a little rushed, but I still enjoyed the experience as a whole and would offer at least a tentative, general recommendation of the series for those looking for a fantasy series that's not particularly innovative or serious but is an exciting ride.

The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis. This book reminded me a little bit of Such Desperate Glory but wasn't quite as well done, I don't think. The back compared it to Mass Effect but I don't really see that as a reasonable comparison. Possibly one of my favorite things about it was the cover design, which fucks. I still liked it, though, and I'm going to read the sequel.

The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race by Farah Karim-Cooper. Sometimes when I read things I feel like a snot because I go "this is interesting information but the writing feels a little amateurish" and that was my situation with this book. It was good analysis and interesting to read, though sometimes the "and this is how this is modern-ly relevant! q-anon mention" felt a little bit...ehhh, unnecessary, but the writing itself was...yeah. It felt amateurish. Which might just be a result of the book itself being targeted at a particular audience that's less academically-minded than I am, that's certainly possible, but it did affect my enjoyment of the book.

Last Days by Adam Nevill. Mostly this was good spooky fun, though it lost me with the "the ultimate bad guy is an overweight bisexual actor with AIDS" (it's a little more complicated than that, but not enough). Too bad, because conceptually and in terms of imagery it could've been very good. Between this and my last Nevill, I might have to give future books a pass. My search for horror that isn't playing on bigoted tropes apparently continues, since I'm on a bit of a streak there with this and Ring.

China: A History by John Keay. I'd call this one a solid overview despite the choice to use "bureaux" for the plural. However, I'm taking a lot of it with a grain of salt since as far as I can tell he didn't use many or possibly any Chinese secondary sources, and relied primarily for quotations/analysis on English secondary sources. I would've liked to see more of a balance. Still, as far as background information and a general broad history goes, it feels like it was worth reading for me to get a little more background/grounding in history I don't have a lot of familiarity with. (Also, holy shit did Ken Liu crib hard on Liu Bang and Xiang Yu for The Grace of Kings and now I know that.)

Remnants of Filth: vol. 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou. I continue to really enjoy this book and this volume might be my favorite yet - the flashbacks were satisfying to fill in some of the gaps in mysteries as yet unrevealed, and having Gu Mang fully "back" (more or less) is a fun development that is already having consequences changing the dynamic between him and Mo Xi in delightfully angsty ways. Of the cnovels I'm currently in the middle of this one is close to LHJC as far as my favorite.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi. This one is what I think people would call a "romp" which is all well and good and I probably should've known what I was getting into, but I think I am just not much of a "romp" reader. It was fun, I guess? But I don't know that I felt like it was good, and I'm probably not going to go around recommending it. My first Scalzi, and I don't know if that's typical of him, but I probably won't be in a hurry to pick up another one anytime soon.

Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation ed./trans. by Ken Liu. Short story collections are really hit and miss for me, but this was actually a collection that was pretty hit all the way through! Very interesting stories, a couple I'm still thinking about. I'm looking forward to reading my other collection of short stories in translation, which includes some fantasy - some of these actually felt somewhere between fantasy and science fiction in a very interesting way that I liked.

phew. I read a lot last month! Currently I'm reading Medea by Eilish Quin (we'll see how that goes); I have on my docket The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (recommended to me) and I think I might reread She Who Became the Sun so I can read He Who Drowned the World. I've been on more of a fiction than a nonfiction kick of late, but I am eyeing Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn and might make that part of my rotation. we shall see!

#sometimes i read things #reading recaps

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aleksanderscult · 5 months

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Hi ! So, I don't know if you're familiar with Chinese dramas, but I would like to recommend one that might remind you a little of Darklina. A good old enemies to tragic lovers, where the heroine will unfortunately not end up with the bad boy (with whom things will never come to fruition and will remain unsaid on both sides) but with the nice guy. It's called Lost You Forever. And to give you a quick description of the interesting relationship in this series ; We are Xiao Yao is in love with Jing (Whom I very like. He is clearly the archetypal nice guy she'll end up with, but like, a really good guy, on top of being a good character, not like that trash Mal Oretsev), but let's be realistic, that would never have happened if a relationship with Xiang Liu (the best male character in this series) was possible from my point of view. It's very clear that she's in love with him and it's circumstances that are keeping them from letting go and being together. I have no doubt that if circumstances would have allowed, Xiang Liu would have been Xiao Yao's first choice and vice versa. Jing and Xiang Liu are literally the two males characters that Xiao Yao is canonically in love with, but there is no doubt who in my eyes she loves the most.

My favorite scene for them (unfortunately cut, so not really complete, but the most important part of the scene is there) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-abLjkm-AA&list=LL&index=10

Sorry, but Xiao Yao knows in this moment that Jing is in a dying coma, could die at any moment, and when she wakes up, the first person she hopes / wants to see is Xiang Liu and her bird takes her to see him ? And when she understands that she won't see him, she takes her time to lie down where they both were to cry ? Okay he healed her and she wants to thank him, but that's definitely not the type of reaction you get when the love of your life is in mortal danger and you can't see another man you're close to, technically your enemy on top of that, who just saved you, and whom you supposedly just love platonically.

But the thing is, you don't always end up with the person you would have chosen. They love each other, but know their relationship is doomed to failure given the circumstances they are in, so they do not act on their feelings and will never allow themselves to. It's so tragic. Typically the kind of story I love, even if it tears my heart out.

At least that's my interpretation, as well as that of many people.

Xiang Liu is your characteristically gray character who first appears as a villain to ultimately be much more complex (with good and bad actions) who will end up in love with the heroine he will protect, despite the fact that they are technically enemies. In addition to that, they will obviously be entitled to a great magical connection which re-connects their sensations (like, she is physically injured, he is) and emotions (like, their hearts beat to the same rhythm).

But of course, there will always be anti-complexity people who will come and tell you, to the point of contradicting themselves to justify a non-romantic love on the part of the heroine, that she only cries because she has the heart too good and feels sorry for him (I remind you that at the same time, the lady knows very well that the other guy she supposedly loves, Jing, is dying...), but also that she uses for her own personal purposes because she has no real affection for him ! We like contradiction, simply because we don't like that a heroine can have contradictory feelings for a morally gray guy !

And the fact that of all the male characters, Xiang Liu is the only one of whom the heroine wanted to keep a trace in her magic mirror ?! Why is that also just her using him or only having a platonic feeling towards him ? Let's be serious for two seconds and let's accept the complexity of a human heart !

Or there are obviously simply those who will tell you that despite the fact that the guy is a gray character he is only toxic and bad for the heroine, treating her really badly ! (I still want to say that without this guy who causes her apparently so much pain, well she would have been dead and buried a long time ago !)

Otherwise, here is a small playlist of videos dedicated to this ship (send by many people), just so you can get an overall idea of the dynamics :

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHTp96ofTkA3cLfybZP2xaXBCPDBoTx_-&si=s2VSBa270CVK5VeD

In fact, if I really had to compare Xiao Yao with Xiang Liu and Jing, I would say Xiang Liu is a call from the heart and Jing is a call from the head. She loves them both, but Jing brings her a trust and loyalty that she could never have from Xiang Liu given the circumstances of their respective responsibilities which technically categorizes them as enemies, even if they never really acting like that in my eyes. Also, we could see Xiang Liu as a character / creature of the order of fantasy in terms of symbolism, and therefore with whom the heroine could never have a real future, and that she will have to leave at one point or another, but which has importance in her present life in order to help her develop as a person.

Afterwards, as another story that could remind Darklina, I will recommend the Chinese drama Love Between Fairy and devil. In terms of books, I would say the trilogy a forbidden game by L.J Smith with Jenny & Julian, the shadow men, or the Empirium trilogy with Corien & Rielle. Dragonlance with Raistlin & Crysania. Only ships associated with light and darkness basically.

Either way, I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers or villain / gray / anti-hero characters in-love dynamics. It's so fascinating, and above all much more interesting than with a cute and nice guy without much personality in comparison... There is no worse crime than being boring in fiction.

Small bonus gifs further illustrating the Xiao Liu & Xiao Yao great dynamic :

Oh yes, I forgot to say that he bit her and regularly feeds on his blood.

OMG OMG

I'LL DEFINITELY WATCH IT, BESTIE!!

I love the plot already and the protagonists look GORGEOUS.

Agree to ALL of this! I'm the same. These kind of characters are always the best! And I'm going to put all your recommendations in my list.

Just a question!

I believe Raistlin was one of the inspirations for the Darkling's character. Does he remind you of the Darkling?

#asks #enemies to lovers #enemies to lovers recommendations #the darkling #alina starkov #darklina

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hotvintagepoll · 3 months

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Propaganda

Irene Papas (Tribute to a Bad Man, Electra, Zorba the Greek)— "From the opening shot of Michael Cacoyannis's Electra, as the proud, implacable face emerges from encroaching shadows, it becomes impossible to imagine anyone else as Euripides's heroine. Erect, immutably dignified, dark eyes burning fiercely beneath heavy black brows, Irene Papas visibly embodies the sublimity of classical Greece, tragic yet serene." -Philip Kemp (film critic) Also she's a a badass.

Jane Greer (Out of the Past, The Big Steal, Station West)—Out of the Past is one of my all time favorites because of the beautiful black and white cinematography but it helps so much that Robert and Jane are insanely hot. Honestly recommend just watching the whole movie two appreciate the visuals and her presence in the film. It's a noir and she's the femme fatale, it's very faithful to the genre but I do feel like Kathie's chemistry with Jeff is uniquely entertaining and so appealing. I'm also just kind of a sucker for actors who clearly became the basis for a lot of illustrators in the years to come, you can see echoes of her in a lot of comics and advertisement illustration.

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Irene Papas:

An amazing actress and singer, some may say a literal Greek goddess. Fought against military dictatorship in her home country and had an affair with Marlon Brando.

She literally played Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world in Greek mythology, what more could you want

Jane Greer:

Jane is my favorite femme fatale of all time. She is SO cold!

#jane greer #irene papas #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 2

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hollyhoneybear · 10 months

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【 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐀 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 】 - reversed fates

What if the roles were reversed? Instead of Athy being reincarnated, what if it was Jennette? ... a hypothetical au I've been musing about

Let's imagine: some girl from, I'm gonna say Belgium (just something other than Korea) read Lovely Princess, but died in some tragic accident.

I wouldn't say.. she liked the book. She recognized it was very childish, and most of the characters were quite shallow. She didn't understand how certain characters, like Claude, were paraded as Paragons in the book, when they were clearly bad people.

She didn't have much of an opinion on Jennette; just that everything catered to her. Now.. a character she really genuinely liked, was Athanasia.

Despite being a threat to her position, Athanasia taught Jennette the ways of the Palace, and never tried to harm her, even as her dream of Claude loving her slipped away into Jennette's hands.

So this (for now nameless) girl was shocked and appauled when Athanasia was accused of poisoning Jennette. She couldn't be more angry! The one character who seemed to have some sense of morals (aside from Jennette, generally) was mercilessly killed off in the most gruesome way imagineable.

It's not very clear in the Manhwa what state Jennette was in when she was poisoned (the Manhwa and Novel are DIFFERENT, people). But in my interpretation, Jennette was unconcious dealng with.. y'know, being poisoned. It was too late by the time she woke up.

Our protagonist rage-quits the novel after that, having no desire to read the "happy ending" everyone gets despite her favorite character's demise.

She's ready to move on with her life and forget that awful book, but.. looses her life soon after.

...

Now is the start to my ideas for after she reincarnates. Yay!

...

After reincarnating, it doesn't take her long to realize the perdiciment she's in.

She'd become Jennette, the Female Lead of "Lovely Princess"! Unlike most heroines in her position, her fate seemed to be pretty good. Seemed.

You see, she never finished the novel. She had no idea what happened after Athanasia was executed. It's an assumption to say that Jennette, Claude, Ijekiel and the Duke had happy endings.

Despite that, she knew there wasn't any kind of impending doom awaiting her. So for a while, she was pretty chill.

By the time she was a few months old, the reality of this world had been weighing on her. This was her new life; it wasn't a book, the people in it were real. Athanasia was real.

For a while, she wasn't exactly sure what to do. Should she just.. not get introduced to Claude? But defying the Duke wouldn't exactly be easy. And even if she never gets introduced, it's not like Claude would just start loving Athy anyway; he never did, so why would he start out of nowhere?

There wasn't much she could do yet as an infant, anyway

...

After she turned 4, she realized Jennette's "Happy Life" wasn't as glorified as it was in the novel.

Ijekiel was nice enough, for the time. But the Duke was another story. He wasn't outwardly cruel like Claude, but it became apparent to Jennette that the Duke in the novel didn't have Jennette as his ward because he "just wanted her to be happy".

Jennette was being used by the Duke to get to the throne. That much, she understood early on.

It made sense to her then. He must have conspired with Jennette's aunt to place her on the throne. I mean, why else would Rosalia frame Athanasia? For kicks and giggles?

..That made our current Jennette very angry. In the novel, Jennette didn't even care about the throne, yet she was used by everyone around her for power.

Both Athanasia and Jennette were failed by the adults around them. It wasn't fair that just because she existed, Athanasia was going to die..

That's when she decided. With the OP powers and plot armor as the Female Lead, she was going to make Athanasia's dreams come true, and give everyone a happy ending!

She knew that she couldn't avoid being used by the Duke, being introduced to Claude in some way. So she decided it would be on her own terms.

If Claude loved Jennette in the novel, he could love Athanasia. Right? In this world where everything exists to make the Protagonist happy, if her one wish is for she, Athanasia and Claude to be a happy family, surely it would have to happen..

..Right?

#to be continued?#wmmap #wmmap jennette #who made me a princess #who made me a princess jennette #whomademeaprincess #wmmap x reader #suddenly became a princess one day #wmmap athanasia #athy #athykiel #lucathy #lucajen

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lucienne-thee-librarian · 7 months

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More Lucienne Fic Recs

Part 2 to Morphienne and gen Lucienne centric fic recs, this is a non-exhaustive list of other Lucienne rarepairs!

Gaulcienne

This is Why I Don't Leave the House by @zorawitch has to be one of my most revisited and beloved fics not just for this pairing, but for this fandom ever. It's the one that actually hooked me for this ship, it's a human au but everyone is written - just spot on and it's both romantic as hell but with some serious drama too, the entire family is in this, even Despair actually gets moments to shine which is rare it seems. Dr*ml!ng is in it but very very briefly, like it's objectively the Side Pairing Where One Is On the Phone For 5 Minutes in the background for once, also contains very side (but weirdly cute) Desunity. I seriously want to turn this fic into heroin and put an IV to inject it right into my veins. I love it so much (Obviously) and you'll see why if you read it. Descriptions: A+, dialogue A+ character work A ++++.

In Places No One Will Find by starsniper explores the grief of losing Jessamy from Lucienne's POV and Gault is the Best as per usual. This broke my heart in all the best ways, it needs SO much more love.

Obliterate All Prior Things by The_KickIt_Domain is. It is one of the most beautifully written fics I've ever SEEN. Everything about the way Lucienne and Gault are written and the sense of history between them is 10/10. The yearning and the tenderness is off the charts. Definitely a favorite

Daydreams by james is a sensual and beautifully written snippet of domestic Gaulcienne and I adore it.

Beautiful by melime tender fluff with lush description.

"This is my wife..." by @honeyteacakes is just. Short but so so sweet and feels like a look into Matthew and Lucienne's bond as well as hers and Gault's relationship. They also have a bit of fun at his expense lol

dreaming weather by Anonymous way too short but HOT and poetic smut.

Sea Changes by Cafephile FLAWLESS addition to monsterfuckertober. Gault brings back an old nightmare form with tentacles for fun and a good time is had by all:) hot and lovely.

Calliene (Calliope and Lucienne)

@two-hands-toward-the-sun is literally carrying this ship tag on their shoulders and all of their Calienne fics are good but here's some highlights:

I carried this for years plus it's sequel, I can feel the sun whenever you're near are just. *chefs kiss* absolutely great exploration of them trying to deal with their trauma and sometimes competing needs together.

you love each other until the city becomes beautiful , heart of my heart, come my way and stay my honey are all pure quality fluff. Shoot this serotonin straight into my veins.

Corinthienne (Cori × Lucienne)

I haven't read much fic for this pairing so its gonna be short lol, but I couldn't pass these by

Insatiable by honeyteacakes is incredibly tragically steamy and beautifully written.

Quiet in the Library by starkraving is just. MWAH. Very smutty and full of Feelings, it packs such a good punch I can't oversell it.

Just Between Us by onyourleft084 Lucienne tries to domme the Corinthian into behaving and staying in line and it works...for awhile. Honestly I don't feel like I'm selling it right though, just by that simple description. You will feel things about this and them by the end, I promise. At least I did.

#gaulcienne #callienne #calliope x lucienne #corinthienne #lucienne #gault the sandman #calliope #the corinthian #sandman fic recs

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ashlynnsramblings · 4 months

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Loser, Baby Japanese Lyrics

Let's start with one of my favorite songs! Here are the lyrics of the Japanese version of Loser, Baby in Japanese, romanized Japanese, and English translation. Lyrics transcription, romanization, and translation all by me. If you use these lyrics elsewhere, please credit me by linking to my blog! Thanks, and enjoy! :3

youtube

ハスク Husk JP 何もかもうまく行かないちっぽけでもいやんなる酒と薬に身を任せ目を背け続けた人生ろくでもないってそれはきっとそうだ Romaji nanimokamo umaku ikanai chippoke demo iyannaru sake to kusuri ni mi wo makase me wo somuke tsuzuketa jinsei rokudemonai tte sore wa kitto sou da EN Nothing is going well You're fed up with even little things You've kept on giving yourself up to alcohol and drugs And turning your eyes away Life is worthless, you say That's certainly true

エンジェル Angel JP えっ何？ Romaji e nani? EN Huh, what?

ハスク Husk JP そうさ　どう見ても君は負け犬ただのちっぽけなクズ野郎 Romaji sou sa dou mitemo kimi wa makeinu tada no chippoke na kuzuyarou EN That's right, no matter how you look at it You're a loser Just an insignificant piece of shit

エンジェル Angel JP おい！ Romaji oi! EN Hey!

ハスク Husk JP 俺と同じさ　 Romaji ore to onaji sa EN Just like me

エンジェル Angel JP うるせえよ Romaji urusee yo EN Shut up

ハスク Husk JP だってどう見てもレビュー低評価人生どん底でもそうさ　一人じゃない Romaji datte dou mitemo rebyuu teihyouka jinsei donzoko demo sou sa hitori janai EN But no matter how you look at it Your reviews are low Even if you're at rock bottom in life That's right, you're not alone

エンジェル Angel JP あんたそれ慰めてるつもり？ Romaji anta sore nagusameteru tsumori? EN Are you trying to make me feel better with that?

ハスク Husk JP これほどにもひどい人生俺だけと嘆いてたけど無駄な期待を捨ててみて意外に悪くもない Romaji kore hodo ni mo hidoi jinsei ore dake to nageiteta kedo muda na kitai wo sutetemite igai ni waruku mo nai EN I've lamented that it was just me Who had a life this terrible But try throwing away useless expectations It's surprisingly not bad

エンジェル Angel JP 飼い主はサイコパス野郎 Romaji kainushi wa saikopasu yarou EN My owner is a psychopathic bastard

ハスク Husk JP ハハ！悲劇のヒロインかい？冗談よせよ！そうさ　どう見ても俺ら負け犬　ただの・・・ Romaji haha! higeki no hiroin kai? joudan yose yo! sou sa dou mitemo orera makeinu tada no… EN Haha! What, are you the heroine of some tragic play? Quit joking! That's right, no matter how you look at it We're losers, just a…

エンジェル Angel JP ヤク中のあばずれ？ Romaji yakuchuu no abazure? EN Drug addict bitch?

ハスク Husk JP 何が悪い？ Romaji nani ga warui? EN What's wrong with that?

エンジェル Angel JP 誰がどう見ても　俺は負け犬でも悲しくなんてないさ Romaji dare ga dou mitemo ore wa makeinu demo kanashiku nante nai sa EN No matter how anyone looks at it I'm a loser But I'm not sad

ハスク Husk JP そう　一人(+ エンジェル)じゃない Romaji sou hitori (+ Angel) janai EN That's right, you're not alone

ハスク Husk JP 止まらないギャンブル Romaji tomaranai gyanburu EN Can't stop with the gambling

エンジェル Angel JP 止まらない衝動知りたい流行りのプレイ Romaji tomaranai shoudou shiritai hayari no purei EN Can't stop with the urges I want to know the latest sex play fads

ハスク Husk JP もっと聞かせてくれ　カモン！ Romaji motto kikasetekure kamon! EN Tell me more, c'mon!

エンジェル Angel JP 穴はすべて使用済み Romaji ana wa subete shiyouzumi EN All my holes are used

ハスク Husk JP 魂売却済み悪魔のペット Romaji tamashii baikyakuzumi akuma no petto EN My soul's been sold I'm the devil's pet

二人 Both JP 悪化するばかりの日々 Romaji akka suru bakari no hibi EN Every day does nothing but get worse

エンジェル Angel JP そうさ　どう見ても Romaji sou sa dou mitemo EN That's right, no matter how you look at it

ハスク Husk JP 俺は負け犬　でも Romaji ore wa makeinu demo EN I'm a loser, but

二人 Both JP 君がいれば　明日は変わるかも Romaji kimi ga ireba asu wa kawaru kamo EN If you're here, maybe tomorrow will be different

ハスク Husk JP 肩の荷を下ろして自分甘やかしてさあ　君は君でいい Romaji kata no ni wo oroshite jibun amayakashite saa kimi wa kimi de ii EN Take the weight off your shoulders Go easy on yourself You're fine as you are

二人 Both JP 俺たちは負け犬 Romaji oretachi wa makeinu EN We're losers

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel husk #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel angel #masquerade #hazbin hotel ep 4 #hazbin hotel episode 4 #loser baby #japanese #hazbin hotel japanese dub #ハズビンホテル #ハズビン・ホテル #Youtube #ashlynn translates

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woodenfawn · 1 year

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The Rem Infodump.

The one where i rant about rem and subaru's dynamic and why it's special but i dont think a lot of people really understand it!

This was written a while ago and i may have some things wrong, and it's also good to note I don't think subaru and rem are unnhealthy for each other in the sense that they shouldn't be together (whether romantic or platonic), i just mean the situations they were in forced them to act in certain ways!

I think a lot of people who are bigger re zero fans (who also understand what the story is about) shy away from rem as a character because she's the one "only fake fans who watch the anime for the waifus" like, but while she's not my favorite character i want to bring her a little more appreciation from this side of the fandom!!

new-to-tumblr post spam 3/4 complete, i'll slow down after this XD

I tried tagging with spoilers but just in case it didn't work: spoilers ahead!

So. The rem thing. Ive talked about it vaguely before but never went into detail cause there were people that could be spoiled. The whole point of rems attraction to subaru is not because of harem wish fulfillment. The author clearly stated he hates harems. Subaru does love both rem and emilia, but he has solidly chosen emilia and that's the end of that. It doesn't matter what romantic feelings he could have towards rem because it's already doomed. They both know it. The relationship they form episode 12 and beyond is not meant to be healthy for either of them!! Rem has been saved from her mindset of needing to atone for what she thought of her sister, but her self esteem is still AWFUL which is why she attaches herself to a "hero" instead of learning to recognize her own self worth. Subaru saved her from some things but he's not a hero and he's not exactly the person rem says he is. Partially, but not all of it. It's kind of a mutual decision of theirs to lie to each other and themselves because they need it to cope with themselves. Subaru needs to be a hero for rem or he could never step out of his depressive state. Rem needs a hero in subaru or she cannot feel loved and understood. It's not good for either of them but they don't have an alternative. NOTICE: When subaru rants about how awful he is and rem responds with her famous speech, she doesn't actually contradict much of what he says. They love each other and need each other but it's bad for the both of them. Rem lost her memories because the witches (later correction: it's the bishops) targeted her for her sin, and subaru killing himself over rem is not the action of a person in a healthy mindset. Rem's development was cut short and kind of fridging, its frustrating, but it's not basic waifu stuff and it is meant to be tragic!!!! This is also all a mirror to how subaru and emilia are!

Because while subaru constantly talks about needing to save emilia, he also calls her the main heroine. I used to think about rem as a yesman, but she does many a thing behind subaru's back for his sake the exact way he did to emilia. He learns more about the consequences of his actions that way. oh, it hurts. and oh boy the speech is so misunderstood. That is rem's promise to love him "unconditionally", without acknowledging his flaws, and it helped. It's absolutely what he needed to hear. But it wasn't good. but also, for other reasons, it mirrors another little speech.... subaru's season 2 confession to emilia. Where she can't believe he'd love her, and where he starts to list off things he's done for her and the ways she's made it hard for him. And then tells her, he still loves her, because that's who she is and he wouldn't want it any other way. Which could be taken as another niceguy rant (like a repeat of the season 1 fight) but it's NOT!! Because this is what Emilia needed to hear, because she is not the kind of person who can accept praise without a drawback or asterisk. If she heard all that, all she'd see is another pedestal to fill. this is the healthier version of the rem speech, where she can accept she's flawed and realize she's still loved. Both despite, but also for it. And... it's still not perfect. Because the characters are still growing and learning!!! They are young adults with so many problems and a whole life ahead of them and they still need to learn!!! The upsides and downsides of unconditional love,,,, and is it more unconditional if you love them "despite flaws" or "with flaws" or without seeing any? And is any of that healthy? How can it be good? How can it be bad? Maybe it can be both at once, maybe love isnt perfect!!! a lot of this is hidden in subtext, and the framing of rem's speech may even trick you cause it's triumphant but no there's so much complexity to why they say every single thing they say!!!

Subaru is a character who struggles with love for himself and with love for others, he doesn't know how to make others happy and gets caught in a loop of thinking the only way he can possibly be loved is if he's constantly putting his life on the line for others, without asking anything of them in return. which ends up with him breaking and needing support, and not knowing how to ask, which is why he yells at emilia in season 1 (doesn't help that his deepest trauma is something he is magically obligated not to share for fear of death). His relationship with emilia in season 1 is both very sweet and very unhealthy. he's just a guy with a crush on a girl who's far too good for him and he's trying to work for it but the basis for it is not good- he's attached himself to the first kind person in this new world that he knows and due to "return by death" he's far more invested in her than she is in him- she will never know everything they went through together. and then.... he finds rem. someone who didn't trust him. someone who killed him multiple times throughout the mansion arc, but someone who could understand his loneliness because she was also lonely, and wow- he managed to save her, too! and she doesn't know everything about what he's gone through, but she knows how to read his emotions like no one else can. so they... fall into a codependency. like said before, they can't live without each other, but not everything they do is good for each other. subaru, while gladly taking the role that emilia has in this new relationship, learns more about how she feels. with rem, he learns more about what it means to love, and they both know that it won't last. they didn't expect it to end so soon, though. but oh well, subaru does not have the option to stop. the nature of his powers means dying is pointless, and he has to press on anyways. and he does!!! He meets more people he thinks he can trust. some betray him, but some stick with him. Otto (my sweet boy!!!) is notable!

and now he knows more about love, about trust, about how to treat people, and how he should expect to be treated. so many things. keeping in mind it's been a while since i've watched re zero so i probably don't even have everything there is to say. but like.... then in the end, he can approach emilia with his true emotions. and he can tell her about it in a way she'll understand. and he knows he can do it without being a burden this time. he's become a better person. he's not sure if he'll be rejected, but that's not the point anymore! The point is he loves her and wants the best for her and wants her to know and hopes, no matter the outcome, that she'll be happy to know she's not alone! and the honesty, that's what his speech has over rem's. he's not putting her on a pedestal, he's not using her for the sake of his own self esteem anymore, he just wants to love!

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Extra note on the end (talk about suicidal thinking, be warned!!!)

something I've talked about but don't have saved writing for, a bit more about rem!

I do also think Rem is suicidal. i think she and Subaru recognized each other in that mindset without ever really talking about it. To me, this relationship is two suicidal people trying to prop each other up so the other will keep living, and knowing that if they really give up the other will too. That's why the season 2 development was so punishing for Subaru. I think that Rem's terrible self esteem and feeling of needing to atone for """"ruining her sister's life"""" contributed to it, though i don't know if that's all of it. She also makes multiple comments that are extremely concerning, like how Subaru is her "reason to die", how when she was ready to die fighting the white whale she said she felt like this was the moment she was made for, and biggest of all!! When she was telling her hypothetical story of how she and Subaru would run away together, she planned it all up to the death "I'd like to die first and I'd like my family to be with me", and to me it felt like she was *trying to think of a death that would make her life worth living*. Her motivation to live is following people she can die for, and that's, that's concerning. i hope her character arc properly follows through on what's happening in her head (i don't know how arc 7 goes yet)

...and i also think that Beatrice is the first time Subaru's had to confront his mindset head-on, because Beatrice would refuse to dance around the subject. The lesson he takes from Rem carries over to both Emilia and Beatrice in healthier ways, and I think that's incredibly important!!!!

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thank you for reading!

#re:zero #re zero #natsuki subaru #subaru natsuki #rem rezero #rem #re zero spoilers #re:zero spoilers

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themousefromfantasyland · 6 months

Text

Wish (2023): Movie Review

I have to start this by saying how much I hate the online discourse about this movie.

It's okay if you think this movie looks and sounds boring. It's okay if you don't want to support Disney anymore. And it's okay if you just don't want to watch it.

I see plenty of people saying you have to watch this, otherwise the studio will go back to releasing only sequels and remakes, and it's a very stupid argument. Movie executives are buttholes, and they always learn the worst lessons. Regardless of what Disney does next, it won't be because of the public.

You don't owe your time to Disney.

Said that, I loved this movie, and I struggle to see what exactly turned so many people off. I watched twice just to be sure, and I had an amazing time going through this movie.

Make no mistake, I feel like it definitely could be better. I feel like it's a weaker movie if compared with Tangled, Frozen, and Encanto, but along Encanto, it is definitely one of the most enjoyable entries in the WDAS catalogue since Moana in 2016.

The animation was great. I loved the texture and colors, especially in the night scenes. Some of the backgrounds gave me Silver Age Disney flashbacks, which is great because the Silver Age (1950 - Alice, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) is my absolute favorite era of the studio.

Keep in mind, that I had to pirate this movie because it still hasn't come out here in Brazil, and even with the image being a bootleg filmed straight from the movie theater, the animation still looks impressive and beautiful.

Asha brings nothing new to a Disney Heroine, but Ariana DeBosse enfuses this character with life and makes it pretty likable. She never failed to make me laugh at the situations Asha finds herself. I think Asha is the perfect embodiment of a human disaster.

I hate the discourse about the Adorkable Disney Heroine that ModernGurlz brought up, because it pretty much feels like the Mary Sue discourse that I had to endure from Star Wars fans. People just regurgitate the online talking points, project their own grievances on them, and add nothing new to the conversation.

Asha and Anna are the only Disney heroines that really fall into the Adorkable character archetype, and even then they have enough character circunstamces to set them apart.

King Magnifico is a absolutely delicious villain. Chris Pine chews the scenario with this one. He is one of the few characters with a real arc, and is a corruption arc. I absolutely love how we see his insecurities, his pride, his narcissism, his greedy slowly take a tool on him. I love how he is not a villain from the start, but how he succumbs to villainy over the course of the movie.

And no, Magnifico is not good or right under any circumstance. He is not a tragic hero guys.

I actually think it's funny how he has a character arc similar to Wanda Maximoff, but with fewer redeming qualities, and although people correctly called her out on it, because he is an attractive man people keep trying to find excuses for him.

The songs are bangers. I don't think the lyrics are that atrocious. I understand people not liking them, but they are meant to be playful, and the visuals during the their sequences absolutely sells them, at least for me.

On the downside, Wish's script is very underdeveloped, with some parts very rushed and not properly fleshed-out. But even with that it has very unique and original ideas that I wished had been explored better.

I love the theme of wishes and dreams being physical things that you can use to manipulation, harm, and control people. I think it has a lot of real life implications that I may explore on a different post.

The room with the wishes as magical blue orbes is the most striking scene for me.

I don't know if the original concept was better and Disney forced the team to neuter their vision, or if Jennifer Lee just doesn't know how to write sincere fairy tales.

Either of these possibilities makes complete sense, especially since I don't like Jennifer Lee's vision for the studio.

Overall, Wish is a weak Disney film, and I understand people being disappointed, especially since it is meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the studio, but it still has plenty of things to enjoy.

It's very sweet, full of heart, and with so many live action remakes laying around, this isn't soulless at any point.

It definitely could be better, and we should expect better coming from one of the most powerful media corporation on the planet, but Wish isn't mediocre, and it doesn't deserve the online hate.

Wish is a good movie with good ideas and concepts, that could be better developed.

I especially struggle to see why this movie was so hated when some of Disney's more recent movies were much worse and didn't got that much negative attention.

Anyway, I think Asha and her friends deserve better and I love them so much.

I just hope Disney doesn't lock up Asha and them on the vault. They totally deserve better from Disney and from the fans.

#disney #wish 2023 #wish disney #wdas #disney animation #walt disney animation studios

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