Your welcome for bringing this to your Tumblr feed!

🗡️ “I can assure you, we are just friends.”

definitely not something that’s a little more than friends 🗡️ friends with benefits prompts 🗡️ 18+ prompts

While Person A is chatting with their friends, Person B sidles up to A and subtly trails a finger up their spine (does A stutter? go completely silent at the electricity going through their body? start to get red but manage to keep their composure? TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS)

B begs A to not leave any marks because they just can’t let this secret get out

For that beach episode: A takes off their shirt, exposing scratch marks from a recent session… B hides a sly grin as A is questioned about who they’re with

A is very physically affectionate in general, but has fallen into the habit of only bothering B in public with it

^ A wants to interact with B in many ways and just ends up biting their arm jokingly to satiate that desire (yes, their friends think this is weird)

B needs to be held accountable for finishing their work, so A comes over to hang out… they do not get work done for a while

At a party, B can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy when they spot A flirting with someone

A’s childhood friend is in town and A is super excited to have them meet B (B is quietly panicking over making a good impression and wondering what A has said about them)

A and B are in the same anatomy class and they spend a lot of time studying together (A is most certainly a hands-on learner hehehehe)

“Is that B’s shirt?” “What? Oh, uh, yes… My shirt got dirty the last time I was over there so they’re washing mine for me.”

“Is that A’s shirt?” “Yes. What about it?” “…Does A know you have their shirt?” “Nope!”

They really only planned on the midnight rendezvous, not falling asleep afterwards, so A and B go get morning coffee together (they are both very grumpy but still enjoying each other’s company)

Inside jokes during sexy times bleed into their normal banter, leading to some questionable looks from their friends

A gets a little drunk and B expects them to slip up and expose their true relationship, but instead A is very wholesome and remains steadfast on their boundaries; B is so proud of them for this

B is desperately trying to get something off their mind, so A offers a distraction for the night… it’s Mario Kart and whoever loses owes the other a favor

Any of their plans to go out have to include wiggle room in case they get preoccupied (soon it’s not just B that’s always late to events)

While their friends are occupied in another room, A and B intertwine their bodies and try to stay quiet—key word here is TRY

“I bet A would really like [insert kink here]…” “Nah, they’re not really into that.” “How the fuck do you know that?”

All their friends take the BDSM test as a joke and A and B secretly take notes on what the other person likes/dislikes to make the benefits side better

If given the choice, A will always pick the seat next to B so they can tease them under the table

During a passionate session, A accidentally draws blood while gripping B’s back (A apologizes over and over while tending to B, who just has a shit-eating grin the whole time)

Whenever B cracks yet another terrible joke, A has to refrain from kissing it off their face

A and B take a break from the benefits whenever one of them wants to pursue someone else (your characters can have healthy boundaries and communication!!! I am BEGGING y’all to write characters that actually communicate with each other)

Hey! This question is from an anonymous..

Who inspires me?

Thank you for this question! I have so much to say 😍❤️

I have so many people's blogs that inspire me. Unfortunately, they won't all fit here, but there are so many wonderful people, know that you are wonderful! 🫶

Too many letters below in random order under the cut 👇

@bakersimmer inspired me so much with her story and legacy ❤️ I love her light and engaging writing and storytelling style ✍️

Saffron is just a cute little devil whom I love very much 😁 and Anselm.. keep your eyes peeled! ehhh my lovelies 😭❤️

Also, her style of screenshots and game seems to be my favorite on simblr ✨

@onestormeynight and Penny, Blair and Rosie life and them story, they're so so cute and warming my heart ☺️ I adore their story because it is full of family love and understanding, it is a wonderful portion of happiness every episode :з

@elderwisp your arts it's something magical!It inspires me a lot, I love this aesthetic, and it hits the heart 100%, your simstyle very fine and sm tasteful 🧡 and tesselate such a goooood story ohmhm my gosh so good 🤌

@youredreamingofroo i love your Roo universe hehe ❤️ I like to discover him every time learning details about his life and character, it seems as if he is another good friend of ours on Simblr 🤭 It's very inspiring to know own characters better too) And of course, I admire your renders, they are very beautiful and high quality!

@kuroashims and her beautiful blog dedicated to One Peece ❤️ 🧭 If you're like me and have never seen this anime, you'll want to know more about it after discover her page, and if you're a loyal fan, you'll love it even more! Her style is unique in its kind, you won't see anything like it in the sims. And the way she conveys emotions and feelings with just one picture without many words is just something beautiful. It is very inspiring. Elfy is also a wonderful person and a so kind warm friend. 🧝 Je t'aime, ma chère ☺️( btw your French vibe is very inspiring too 😍🤌 belle, incroyablement belle 💅🗼)

@changingplumbob and her amazing stories with amazing families. I love each of them. Kirsty plays the game with a huge and contagious passion. Each of her oc's is different and has its own story.

It's touch me and makes root for each character, through victories, mistakes, and life circumstances. She also has a great sense of humor! Her game sometimes throws up such funny situations! In general, Kirsty knows how to turn the usual gameplay into an exciting journey and I definitely recommend you to join. Also, I am very impressed with her playing style. And if I'm ever going to play a ts4 (as gameplay lmao), she'll definitely be the one to inspire me how.

@holocene-sims i love all about Grant and his life. This is such a vital and real, deep story. I love experiencing all the happy and poignant moments with him as well. His example teaches me not to give up and to live in spite of everything, and to be honest, the thought of this sometimes supported me in difficult moments.

I love talking with you about him and the family and about Junga, she's wonderful. 😇 I'm always looking forward to new episodes.

And Ana is my main inspiration for my main story. If you see a new episode of Cursed Chronicles, you should know that part of the gratitude lies with Ana. ❤️

@matchalovertrait and her beautiful lovely sunshine Noemi and her family ❤️ I will love them always 🥹 It seems to be the warmest, kindest and most loving legacy I know) I like to read it at least to recharge my batteries with this wonderful atmosphere and I immediately want to create something cute and wonderful ☺️

btw Dulce and Ángel has grown so charming!

@miralure your sims just incredible and i love your lookbooks ❤️🤌 You inspire me a lot to create and remade my sims and stand at the CAS like never before! looking forward to hearing new posts from you ☺️

@wistfulpoltergeist You have no idea how much I appreciate this person and his support from the very beginning of my blog❤️ Євгенку ну ти справжнє найсправжнє сонечко 🌞☺️🧡He is a real sunshine. And of course, I adore him both as a creator and a storyteller and as a dad/mom of two beautiful cats Aidan and Arvin 😁 this teo boys so lovely and hot 🤌🔥 і я сподіваюсь ще почути від тебе багато історій ☺️❤️

@aniraklova I think looking at her screenshots, you don't have to say anything, do you? This is an absolutely sky-high level of aesthetics 🤌💅 And I admired their work long before I started the blog, becouse all her cc and all art is something very very inspiring, she really inspired me to create some characters and recent cyberpictures :h Карі ти просто крейзі в найкращому значенні цього слова 😘🔥💋

@vermutandherring another wonderful creator who amazes me with her skill and beauty, It's just so gorgeous, this builds and scenes are incredible and everything I see there I dream of either seeing in my game or just admiring endlessly, so talented artist просто золоті руки 😍

@stellarfalls people who I may not follow much, but people who I consider my great inspirations, who make me want to move on, develop and improve my screenmake skills 🧡 at one time she impressed me a lot with her story&creations and I am still impressed, thank you friend ❤️

@aheathen-conceivably I've probably said it before, but you really do inspire me in a very real way, besides the fact that your dynasty is more than sims, it's a whole bunch and a storm of emotions, these are such real, well-developed characters, I almost cried a few times over some moments... for everyone who is not familiar with the dynasty of this wonderful author, I highly recommend you to read it) and besides, your work inspires me to write my own story too :з it really inspired me for some points of the sequel and thank you to your blog for that)

@circusjuney your style and story, are some of my favorites, and Ellie and Max are the ones I'm really rooting for and worried about ❤️ your blog is very inspiring to me in gґso many ways and makes me glad to be here on simblr ☺️✨🫶

@papermint-airplane I may not have known your blog for that long, but I get excited every time I read about Aiden and his friends again ❤️🫶 I really like your writing style, it's engaging, light and catchy, I love adventure, so it really inspires me to write. and I'd like to send you a special hug as a former fan of the TS3 hehe 🫂

I would also note @weirdosalike because I can't help but note that I am fascinated and obsessed by her story, which makes me just as passionate about creating something 😁

I almost forgot about @theosconfessions Scarlet is so gorgeous, you know what inspires me about your blog? your absolute passion for what you do!

.... oh okay i need a chapter 2 😣😖

There are many more authors whose work I am just getting to know, and I really like them ❤️ Sorry if I didn't mention you i love your blogs too 🥹🫶

Well, today's the day! Hilda comes to an end. I figured now more than ever is time I make this post on just…how I feel about this incredible show ending and why it means so much to me…and why I'm grateful to Luke Pearson and the whole Hilda team. So, long post below ahead!

I found Hilda in 2018 via a post on the Gravity Falls sub of the trailer. Right from the start, something felt special about this show. And like many, I tuned in to watch it when it began. I didn't know what would be in store as I began it, but I was excited. This was at the end of the summer as GF hype for Lost Legends and the box set died down. So, getting in to a new show seemed like the best idea. It took literally hearing that theme song for me to instantly fall in love with Hilda. There was something so familiar and wholesome just bursting out of that opening. It was a feeling hard to really explain. By episode 3 and specifically the ending of it…I knew I had my next favourite show.

Everything about Hilda just felt perfect to me. The animation was incredible, Hilda as a character was enjoyable and full of life, the story felt fresh even if the core concept seemed familiar and all in all, I just loved the atmosphere this show radiated. It also made me so happy to see Canada have a part in Hilda. The Canadian animation industry is one I love given how much of a part of my childhood it was. And so to see it have a hand in this incredible show just made me so happy. Mercury Filmworks did amazing with Hilda. And I think that's how I began to understand why Hilda feels so familiar; it reminds me of those old cartoons I grew up on. Those Canadian Nelvana shows that were so wholesome & yet so fun to watch…while also not afraid to be bold. Hilda was that kind of show for a new generation!

I also didn't shy away from poking some nods to Gravity Falls. It was a great way to help spread Hilda's existence to more people and to this day I get messages from people who tell me they found Hilda because of my tweets, or videos or more. That means the world and I am grateful to have helped you discover this show. And like any show I fell in love with, I also bough the books and other merch for it. The Hilda graphic novels were amazing to read and see how the show grew from them, the figurine still just fits in my shelf, and the tie in books and more are always fun to collect. I'll miss it. Not to mention the memes…of which I made a few. The Hilda fandom is insane, yet so funny. Like all fandoms it has its ups and downs but I've met some amazing people because of Hilda and some who I remain great friends with. You know who you are <3

Hilda's conclusion means that the last of my holy trinity shows is now over…and with that, the end of an era. Truthfully, IDK what my plans are post Hilda. It was the last show still airing that I truly was 110% passionate about. That's not to say there aren't other shows, But there will never be another Hilda for me. Hilda is a show unlike any other I have seen. Yeah, perhaps it's not the most popular or the biggest or the best cartoon out there. But OMG, no other show since ever made me as happy and passionate as Hilda did. It's one of a kind!

I said in 2018 that Hilda is everything out of a cartoon that I wanted. I still believe that.

No cartoon is perfect and our definition of perfection is our own. If you ask me though…Hilda is the closest cartoon I have ever come across to my definition of perfection!

With that, while I am heartbroken to bid farewell to Hilda…I am happy I got to experience this show as it aired. I'm grateful for all the memories I made in the 5 years I had it. I'm grateful for the adventure and above all else…I'm grateful to have seen Hilda! ❤️

2018-2023

Scenes from the trailer I'm tweaking about

OK y'all🤓

I've gone back to rewatch the Only Friends trailer and have decided to make a post about the scenes that I'm most excited for given that we're only half way through the series and we've already gotten a lot of what's in the trailer☝️

Let's begin!

Nick and Sand's Conversation (about Boston??)

Thus far we have only seen Sand and Nick as allies, which makes sense considering they're roommates. We even had Nick call out Boston for what happened at the apartment on Sand's Bday👀. So the fact that there will be an inevitable confrontation between the two is really intriguing me and I hope it'll happen in the next few episodes!

2. Nick kissing this person we haven't seen yet

TBH I've been on the lookout for this scene since the beginning, and the fact that everything that has gone down still hasn't led us here, makes me SO excited for Nick's character, and what they have in store for Boston's (hopefully) downfall🧏‍♀️ Also note that the back ground seems to be some sort of video/movie studio, so is Boston's downfall going to broadcast more than we think??

3. Another SandRay screaming match

Ok listen... I'm a sucker for a good love story, but I'm also fan of the chemistry these two have in angsty situations😭. We've only seen a couple of scenes of them fighting thus far, but they have a way of showing their passion for each other, even in their fights. That being said, Sand is my favorite character, so I'm worried for what's to come but also super excited that he's officially getting his hands dirty.

4. Sand and Ray in a TINY bath tub

I hope this bathtub is bigger than it looks😭 Honestly, it throws me a bit off that the audio behind this scene in the trailer is from a scene that has already happened in the series, so I feel even more impatient hehe. It makes me intensely curious as to the context and aftermath of this specific scene. Look how cute they are🥺.

5. What seems to be a SandRay confession of feelings

I can't even lie to you guys, this is DEFINITELY the scene that I am looking forward to the most. Intense eye contact, lapel holding, inches apart, and heavy breathing. It literally does not get better than that😫. Even if they don't date after expressing their feelings to each other, at least an acknowledgment that they feel the same things and are both on the same page would be nice. Lord help me the week I have to wait for this knowing it's in a preview😀 .

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

I've been reading a lot of theories lately, but not so much about SandRay (yeah yeah they're my favorites we know) but a lot about TopMew and BostonNick. So PLEASE if you guys have any theories or predictions about the scenes listed, LET ME KNOW😇

I need something to get me through to Saturday or I may rip my hair out in anticipation🤭

BYE!! :)

Thank you Turtles for yet another great piece on IFYLITA. I'm so excited that you picked up the novel. So having known the context, how would you have fixed the IFYLITA finale, if you were the director and didn't know if it was possible to have a S2 or not? Would you still have included all 3 Yais or do you think you would have tried to extend IFYLITA into a 16-18 episode series in order to adapt everything from start to finish? Is there anything from Part 1 of the novel that you are glad/happy that it wasn't adapted into the series or things you like that the series have done differently/taken different approach from the novel?

You must be so tired after your work trip and I'm really sorry for bothering you about IFYLITA even though you just wrote such a long post about it 😭

@clairedaring, I will take ANY EXCUSE to keep talking about I Feel You Linger In The Air -- I LOVE this extended conversation, thank you for engaging me in it! <3

Here's my thinking on how this first season shaped up, and a lot of this comes from conversation that I had with @lurkingshan and @neuroticbookworm before I read the novel last week into this week.

The material for the 1928 Chiang Mai era clearly fit a style and a tone that director Tee Bundit knew he could do a lot with. (@clairedaring, my recent history with Tee Bundit has been in watching many of his shows -- TharnType and Lovely Writer in particular -- for my Old GMMTV Challenge project, where I'm watching older Thai BLs to learn more about the genre. I also watched Step By Step -- TT and SBS are two of my most passionately hated shows, and I utterly LOVED Lovely Writer, so I have a real love-hate relationship with Tee Bundit, lmao.)

Since I've read the novel -- I'm glad he stuck with one era for the first season, and I really liked how he expanded it. We know that Eaung Peang and Robert have much more minor roles in the novel, and Tee Bundit greatly expanded EP's role to include a lesbian main couple, as well as a dialogue about women's reproductive health and freedom. There was Yai's arranged marriage in the drama that got extended, as well as the criminal downfall of Uncle Dech, Robert, and Yai's father by proxy. Yai's mother gaining power to run the family after that, etc., etc. -- these are all themes that Tee clearly glommed onto in expanding that era, and @clairedaring, to the point you made in the reblog tags of my previous piece from yesterday, I am SUPER glad we spent most of our time in this era. Tee also just made it GORGEOUS for us to watch, which was a treat.

I think if Tee had tried to include all three Yais, we would have felt short shrifted. The Seehasingkorn/Ayutthaya era of the novel is so lengthy. And there are HUGE behavioral change moments for both Jom and Commander Yai in that era. Especially for a Thai audience that's familiar with the novel, if that had gotten shortened, then there definitely would be public criticisms and outcries. (Plus? That era was so much FUN in the novel. Jom was SO SASSY and bold to start courting Commander Yai first!)

I think, if Tee Bundit gave a huge bunch of energy and attention to 1928 Chiang Mai, he'd want to do the same for an even older, more nomadic era. I cannot imagine how beautiful it would be to see that depicted.

And then Tee could fix the order of some scenes from the first season, and we could see more reveals in context, as well as the present day? A season 2 would just be ridiculously awesome for all of that.

The one thing I would have liked fixed was the redundancy from episode 11 to episode 12. I also would have liked more specific clarity about pieces of Jom being lost every time a drawing was made -- we saw that he froze and transcended himself, but that was illuminated pretty early on in the novel, and I think the same could have been done in the series without losing dramatic effect.

But these are minor quibbles. We got to center ourselves in the development of the incredible relationship between Khun Yai and Jom to start the dramatic introduction to this series, and the way Tee Bundit did it defied nearly all of my expectations about this work. He didn't miss any of the big themes of the novel, which I so appreciate, and I think he enriched our experience of the novel by expanding greatly the plight of women in that era. I'm glad we had mostly one Yai to deal with, because more of them would have been a lot!

I am actually NOT OK!!

Erin’s interview is literally the most rewarding thing to have ever come out of the past 6 years.

It’s so incredible to have Erin validate the idea that it was always Nathan!!

and we are getting a KISS!!!!

I know that it’s believed we’re getting a kiss like mid season but I will be so shocked if the kiss doesn’t happen in the last 2 minutes of the finale.

Would bet money on a ‘will they won’t they’ for 11 episodes and a kiss in episode 12.

I actually think it will be more like their courtship starting around episode 8 ish so it’s not like there’s no build up at all but then a kiss in the last episode.

The big question is, are we getting a wedding??

Weirdly, part of me is starting to think yes but I won’t be getting my hopes up.

3 years ago I would have been DELIGHTED with just a longingly look!!

It's so validating!!! We saw it from the beginning and now we're finally getting to see it play out for real. It's amazing. I know people are annoyed that she picked Lucas first but honestly what they've had to go through to find their way to each other makes it worth it for me. The payoff will be so rewarding after all this time and it's given us a chance to have a newfound excitement for the show.

I think we'll probably see things happen in three phases. First phase they're figuring out their respective feelings and navigating the new dynamic with some flirting and cute little moments. We know from the previews that happens early on. Then in the second phase there's probably some obstacles and situations that are pulling focus from the romance but will deepen their connection like the stuff with Allie's dad. In the last phase I think we'll see that romance (and passion!) come into play and they'll finally get together.

I 100% believe they'll get married but definitely not this season. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a wedding in season 12 though. I don't imagine they'll want a lengthy engagement considering they've already known each other for so many years. I think Elizabeth will actually be excited to plan her wedding this time too and want it to happen sooner rather than later to officially join their families. I'm sure Allie will be pressuring Nathan too and Jack will probably be wanting a daddy.

Hirogaru Sky Impressions (3/5)

Alright~

So we're more than halfway there. Excited for leaks season yet?

Show is still going good despite the last 10 episodes being mostly filler. I don't have anything to really complain about since as far as fillers go, the quality of HiroPre's is definitely better than those of previous seasons.

But me being me, of course there is going to be some form of criticism so let's gogogo~ and get that over with.

Again, the fillers are quite enjoyable but ever since the recovery of Captain Shalala, doesn't it feel like we've gone too long without any plot-related episodes?

Thankfully, it seems they're getting back to that with ep 31 next week. But even so, the lack of clues or hints about the Undergu Empire and the reason for its antagonism dragged the show's momentum slightly. So it felt longer to get through these 10 weeks.

"Filler doldrums" as I'd like to call it because tuning into Precure weekly became more of chore than something to look forward to.

But it wasn't that bad so let's hope the next 10 episodes will be more balanced.

Moving on.

I spoke too soon on not having to worry about the handling of Mashiro's character arc anymore. Why am I surprised, though? Whenever I let my guard down, my expectations are always betrayed. Oiy.

But honestly, they got me all hoping and excited since they actually gave her potential content to work with. Like her taking an interest in creating picture books. Or even her cooking skills or passion for makeup. Or her long distance relationship with her parents. That's quite a bunch of material to expand on for her.

Instead, she's been regulated to the passenger seat again to let Sora drive.

On one hand, I understand and can accept that Sora would receive more focus since the she is the main character of the overall story. Her coming from another world and therefore being a fish out of water bird out of Skyland when it comes to most things Earth-related...along with being someone who's never had friends before due to spending most of her time training are all prime real estate for development.

However, you can't deny that there is a blatant amount of lead favoritism.

It's not as bad as previous seasons since the writing for HiroPre is a lot better. But when the rest of the cast individually gets one episode of spotlight for every five or so the lead gets, it can be tiresome or even suffocating to sit through.

...on another note, my theory about Captain Shalala possibly being a double agent for the Undergu Empire turned out to be wrong after all. But I think having the enemy take Shalala hostage was the more suitable direction to go for breaking Sora down in order to let her renew and restrengthen her resolve as a hero. The loss of respect for your idol can be a really difficult thing to bear and that might be too harsh a topic for Precure's target audience. It achieved similar effects to the Broken Pedestal trope anyway so no complaints there.

Anyways, we may have broken the Pink trend this year but I'm not optimistic it will stay that way as long as there's always one primary lead in each group. Frankly, I think we're going straight back to special Pink treatment for another 4 years before 25th anniversary but that's a thing to worry about later.

As for Tsubasa and Ageha, I was more satisfied with their focus eps. Mostly.

Tsubasa's always teaches you something new. I really liked the one about branching out your dream, which is something we all need to hear should we ever reach our goal or get stuck on what to do next. And Ageha's most recent one with her older sisters and her parents' divorce when she was younger provided more depth into how she became the person she is today.

But I wasn't pleased when the Peach airline promotion ep that should've been about Mashiro spending time with her parents went to Tsubasa instead. I mean, Tsubasa showing off his airplane knowledge is always amazing but...ngh, they really don't care for Mashiro, do they?

Another thing. I became a little concerned about the portrayal of Ageha. She is shown to be consistently confident and composed in most things she does...but most 18-year olds aren't like that. So I worried for a bit if that might've sent an unintentional message that "you should be as competent as Ageha when you reach adult age" which is like ehhhh......not true.

Though it's only a flaw you notice if you're incredibly scrutinizing like I am. And given Ageha's personality, there's nothing wrong with presenting her as such cuz she wouldn't be Ageha without those traits. But definitely think of her more as a role model instead of one to emulate, that's all.

Right so, next week...is not the debut of Cure Majesty.

YET.

But very soon. Maybe even the week after? September titles haven't been released yet (as of checking right now) but with only...wow, 18 more episodes to go, they better make the best of it.

I don't think Ellee-chan suddenly getting older will become too much of an issue with pacing...as long as they don't put her in school if she still largely retains the mind of a toddler.

Or maybe she'll only grow older when transforming into Precure and return to being a baby during off-hours? That'd be interesting...it wouldn't be as fun as seeing her more grown up, yea, but it'd be unexpected, at least.

Whatever. Just give me more lore and I'll be good.

Finally (haha), let's talk about the future of Precure for a bit.

This season is obviously not going to be the last of 'em. If it was, they wouldn't try to scare you with it in an All Stars movie preview of all things. They'd likely do it the boring way by just announcing it in the news. :P

Anyways, we can definitely expect the franchise to continue for another 5 years. 25th anniversary is something Toei absolutely has to aim for because it will be a double milestone.

Quarter of a century run for the Precure franchise.

And (if my projected calculations are correct), if we keep to teams of 4-5 every year up until till 2028, we will hit over 100 Precure total.

Pretty exciting, yes?

With mixed-gender teams no longer being just a dream (look, Cure Wing even made the news! WAAAAHHH!!! xD) and upcoming projects like the Otona Precure series and the all-male Precure stage play in the works, it's definitely a confirmation that this franchise has no intention of ending any time soon.

If you want more consumers of your product, you need to accommodate for a variety of people and all sorts of new and different ideas, aspects and tastes.

Formula they probably won't budge on too much (not for the main tv series anyway) but there always will be other rooms to explore, y'know?

Ok~ So Precure won't be ending but summer is~

Hope everyone enjoyed it in spite of the heat and best of luck in school or whatever your future endeavors are!

See you in another 10 eps! (^ _ ^)/"

Okay now EYE must ask you - how are you liking BG3??? How far are you?? Tell me about your Tav!!!! (Please and thank you <3)

hi!! 💖 i only started the game a few days ago and it was an impulse decision i made after having previously told a friend of mine that i definitely wanted to play it but that it'd probably take me a while to get around to it (and, because i thought i wouldn't play anytime soon i hadn't really been trying to avoid spoilers). but, i have the PC version and while it generally runs just fine, my computer is kind of slow and the game is so big that it took hours to download and install. so i kind of went ahead and started to come up with a whole character idea during that time LOL. sorry if my explanations of things get a bit too rambly/disorganized. i'm actually not very far in the game at all yet, i've been spending a ton of time doing stuff in the druids grove and i'm supposed to go find halsin but i haven't even gotten karlach in my party yet! i've recruited all the main companions except for her but i am excited to meet her. gonna put the rest of this under a cut for length.

my only background with DND is that i listened to the first campaign of the adventure zone and i've watched the legends of vox machina show. i also have a friend who's super into her own DND campaign and another friend who's told me a lot about dimension 20, specifically fantasy high--and i've considered trying it out for her but haven't gotten around to it yet! i think she actually told me the same thing about the episode lengths making it easier to get into than critical role, because i had tried critical role and it was just so long that i couldn't stick with it. but, yeah, i've also looked at the forgotten realms wiki a bit but i've never actually played DND. i have played skyrim and final fantasy 14 and some other similar RPGs with customizable blank-slate protagonists, and in those types of games i always have to make OCs to roleplay as--usually i'll think up a basic idea to start with and then flesh the character out as i get into the game. they're never really self-inserts but i do often project onto them a little.

so, in games like these my first character is usually an elf that specializes in elemental/destructive magic. idk why, that's just what i've always liked. in ff14 i started out as a black mage without knowing it was the hardest class to play LMAO. soooo i went into this planning to create a high elf sorcerer, but as i started writing out ideas and thinking about what to do, i ended up creating a half-high elf bard. they're transmasc/nonbinary and in my head they use he/they pronouns, but i picked the nb option in the character creator and that causes npcs to actually use they/them in dialogue which i think is so cool. i love that the character creator is so inclusive in regards to gender.

anyway, i named them elenion, which is something i took from the lord of the rings universe because i'm a huge nerd. in LOTR it's an elvish word that basically means "of the stars". here's a couple screenshots i took when i first started. let's just ignore the fact that this hairstyle clips into elf ears (and also that the face preset is from a mod i downloaded).

i didn't really give him a tragic backstory or even the most interesting story haha--i'm wanting to do something bigger and angstier with another character on a second playthrough when i'm more familiar with the lore and world of the game. and i'll probably also end up changing or expanding on some things about this character later, but for now i just kind of made a normal guy with normal problems. i had this idea that his father, a human who attracted the attention of a beautiful elf woman, was also a bard and was a very successful musician in his youth. so elenion has always shared his father's passion and dreamed of being like him, being able to effortlessly tell incredible tales and inspire crowds of people through song, but no matter how much he studies and practices he never feels good enough. if he seems confident it's usually just because he's gotten really good at faking it. he's also pretty reserved and often avoids having to talk about himself by asking a lot of questions. see, i kind of wanted to specifically find a way to not roleplay the usual sort of loud, flirty, goofy bard, lol. not that i dislike those kinds of characters or anything though!

however, bards are meant to be super charismatic, witty, and persuasive and of course the game strongly encourages that with the dialogue options and skill bonuses you get. so my way of explaining this is to have elenion be a bit like raine from the owl house, in that they may be shy, but they're very firm in their ideals and are no pushover when it comes to protecting themself or their allies. they're clever and have a snarky side to them, and they're genuinely friendly and caring in a way that gives them a sense of quiet charisma. which reminds me that one of the spells i gave them at the start was sleep, and it's made me imagine that when they were a kid they tried calming a crying baby by playing a lullaby on their lute and accidentally ended up casting their first spell.

oh, and, i also wasn't really sure at first where in the world i wanted elenion to come from but i decided on something pretty quickly after getting multiple of those dialogue options suggesting that the protagonist is baldurian! i pictured them growing up in a somewhat small town with their family but moving to baldur's gate as an adult, hoping that if they left the comfort of their home and started to journey out into the world a little they'd eventually find their spark and become the bard they wanted to be. unfortunately they've had little luck so far because even after all this time they can't see that maybe their whole fixation on trying to be just like their father and achieve the exact same kind of success that he had is holding them back. the fact that their father died the year after they moved away hasn't helped either. and now, in the middle of traveling to a historical site that they'd wanted to see in person and use as inspiration for a song, they've been abducted by mindflayers and are struggling with the massive upheaval that this has brought into their relatively mundane life.

so. yeah. my tav for this first playthrough may not be the most unique or exciting character but i like him! i like figuring out what kind of choices he'll make and thinking up new ideas for what he likes and how he sees the world. also, i find it funny how in your reply to my ask you said you thought you'd be into gale but then you fell for astarion--because i thought that i'd be all over the edgy, brooding, snarky vampire man, but it turns out gale is so charming and funny that i'm probably going to romance him first. i'm also pretty intrigued by shadowheart and wyll but i'm so early in the game that i can't even say who i think my overall favorite companion will be because they all seem so interesting!! even karlach despite the fact that i haven't actually met her yet, i've seen a bunch of cool gifsets of her and my brother told me he's been romancing her on his playthrough. i really need to go find her soon.

i'm sure you can tell from everything i wrote here that i am definitely enjoying the game LOL. i can already tell that there's just so many different things to do and see, that i will both need and want to do a lot of different playthroughs and that it's going to be something that sticks with me. nothing wrong with using guides and walkthroughs btw! i do it too because i'm worried about missing too many things and have the world's worst sense of direction even with a minimap. honestly i probably need to look up some guides for certain mechanics that i don't feel like i've really figured out yet. there's a sarcophagus trap in the ruins early in the game that got me SO stuck and got my whole party wiped and then i looked up a video and found out you could turn off the whole trap system by pushing a switch... i felt so stupid askjdfgf.

anyway, i think this got to be way too long of a reply so i will stop here! but if you ever wanna tell me more about your tav or anything definitely feel free to and i hope you're having an awesome day!

I'm freaking out rn, and I gotta put it somewhere. I was in the middle of watching Child's Play from Season 4, and almost 18 minutes in Sonny goes ballistic on those arms dealers and Rico calls him on it as they get into the caddy.

Now they have a little heart-to-heart, where Sonny apologizes and Rico tells him not to shut him out. Ofc I was already enjoying the scene, but then I started listening to the background music and I am screaming.

Jan Hammer, that absolute madlad, slipped in a soft rendition of Sonny's theme, but it's played by Rico's instrument. It's just too perfect - I haven't even finished the episode, haha, I'm too excited and I hadda come tell someone.

So for those who may not know, Sonny has a theme, aptly named Crockett's theme. It plays often in the background of different scenes, mostly because it's good and it always fits the mood because Jan Hammer is amazing. It has a melancholic feel to it that I quite enjoy, though it becomes more passionate when the electric guitar comes in (definitely my favorite part of the original track).

Now Rico also has a theme, called Rico's Blues. It's ... sultry? That's the best word I can think of to describe it, and it will also play at appropriate moments. There's a descending part of it that I particularly like (and am doing absolutely no justice to) that I've heard get mixed in with other tracks, since it's a little less "sultry" and still makes you think of Tubbs.

Anyway. Both of these tracks have "instruments" that play their respective themes, and even though most of it is synth, the message still gets across, and that's why I'm so excited. I have a Chill 80's Playlist that I listen to often, apparently so often that I was able to pick out Rico's instrument.

Now I feel like I gotta rewatch everything to see if it ever happens the other way around, or what else I've missed, but for now I'll just leave y'all with this while I go listen again, haha

My weekly roundup CW 15

Well, I watch a lot during the week, as you all might know. I really want to write a little bit more about the stuff I watch, but time and work kind of get in my creative way. So I try to write down my thoughts after watching stuff to create a little weekly ranking in relation to the previous week on my, most of the times, quiet sundays (and because I love lists and this is a good excuse for me to create a new OneNote journal!).

The Promise is on hiatus, so it didn't make it on this week's list.

↑ 1. The Eighth Sense (Ep 5+6)

I love it. This series is so brilliantly good. What I especially like are those little gestures, like how excited JaeWon was when he called JiHyun and how he smiled when he told his therapist about him. The entire beach scene made me melt. What a wonderful love scene! Very aesthetically pleasing and realistic, because you can have fun with something like this and explore the other in a playful way, not everything has to be oversexualized. The series really does so much right here! The end of the episode on the other hand…I have read quite a few analyses about the next episodes and I guess we will suffer together with Jaewon, who will fall back into his old pattern and his old life to not cause more harm to the one he cares for the most and in the end harming himself, because he can't live the life he desperately wants; and we will suffer with Jihyun, who is in love and understands that Jaewon has some baggage, but is left alone in the end and is hurting and that will make my heart hurt very much and thinking about all this makes me tear up...

→ 2. Unintentional Love Story (Ep 9 +10/Final)

One of the best encounters with an ex took place this week. And Wonyoung kicked that guy's ass! In general, he has grown a lot over the episodes and has undergone a good character development. He has gained more confidence and seems more mature than he did at the beginning. I also found the phone call between Wonyoung and Taejoon a good solution to make Taejoon realize that it's not just Wonyoung who did something wrong and that the past can definitely get in the way. All the nicer that they end up watching the sunset together. I liked the series a lot.

☼ 3. Our Dining Table (Ep 2)

Yes, this won't be the most dramatic thing we're currently seeing, but that's just fine. It is a pleasant and calm balance in this rather hectic series environment. Everywhere they try to lure you in with more action, more suspense and drama, more trauma or more sex and here we have a young man overcoming his eating disorder and finding a family with the help of two brothers. It's nice and quiet and doesn't hurt anyone. I'm really looking forward to the next episode and can't wait to see what they will cook next and where their conversations will take them.

↑ 4. Chains Of Heart (Ep 9)

Okay, we now have a psychic on board who can see people's past by touching them…Nothing really surprises me anymore! But seriously, what an episode! Finally we have Mr. Lue/Din and Ken together! Even though Ken seems to be in denial that Mr. Lue is Din? I think he knows, but can't stand the thought of Din lying to him all this time. So Mr. Lue is supposed to make him forget what he knows and wow, he does! These two were really starving for both affection and passion. What else happened? The scene also made me forget what happened next. Hin is the older brother of Din…Wouldn't have thought that, I thought he is the younger one. And then he is also the brain-cell of the whole episode! I am very impressed, he seemed more like the simple-minded shadow of Yu. All in all, once again a very good episode.

↑ 5. A Boss And A Babe (Ep 7)

So Gun is just the best in this series.

How he came into Cher's room after the shower and just doesn't give a shit what others think and says goodbye with "I'll wait in bed." And Cher's friends…they already know something since the BBQ, but they happily ignore it away. That's another way of dealing with it. Some say that not much happens and the show has no real plot. Does something outstanding always have to happen? Aren't everyday problems and how to deal with them sometimes enough? Like the problems with the foster brother or overcoming a first love and discovering a new, different love. I really liked walking with Cher through his life this week.

☼ 6. Naked Dining (Ep 1)

What do you do when you want to relieve stress? I craft or watch series or listen to loud music. Our protagonist eats…naked. And feels free. Honestly, if it helps? Who am I to judge? He finds a letter in the mail from his grandmother, who has already passed away. She wrote the letter six months ago and put it into a program that sends mail at a chosen time. He visits the house to clean it up and relax a bit from the stressful world of work. There he meets Miki Mahiro, who has taken the grandmother on a culinary journey to discover the world in this way. And as fate would have it, he discovers that our protagonist likes to be naked while eating. The scene was hilarious!

↓ 7. Bed Friend (Ep 9)

I'm only watching now because it'll be over soon. The series started really strong, but somehow it lost me. The positive thing about this episode was that for once there was no drama and Uea could take a breath (okay, except maybe at the very beginning, but that's positive drama when the former abuser is arrested and the abusive mother is done with the world). And finally Uea came around and accepted King as his boyfriend. It was getting a bit exhausting to see King begging and at the end I was just confused what their status is now. The introduction to King's parents I found really charming, between door and hinge. So not the hit for me this week.

☼ 8. My Story (Ep 1)

There's so much going on that I've lost track of everything. But one guy is a cook and goes to Thailand to earn money and meets the future love of his life there. And another one takes in a young man in his dormitory, which the dean finds totally fine, also that they have to share the bed together and that's why he just gets put up there from school and you can already tell in episode one that the two of them are going to be exciting. They have definitely stolen the show for me.

→ 9. Tin Tem Jai (Ep 7)

Now why the hell did Park have this change of heart? It feels like yesterday he wanted to do everything to convince Tin that he doesn't like him and will never marry him, and suddenly they're sitting in the living room and he confesses to him, in the creepiest way possible, that he tried to think of him as just a brother, but the older Tin got, the prettier he got…What masterful mind-brain came up with this dialogue? And those random jumps in time and space, and why didn't Tin and Park talk to each other? And Park really only has three emotions…annoyed, tired or neutral…Nothing else comes across…I can't really feel his affection for Tin either. Anyway…Three more episodes and if this doesn't end with the wedding of the two, I'll throw hands.

→ 10. PastSenger (Ep 6)

Okay, they like each other. Everybody likes each other. I just can't see the chemistry between Plawan and Moodaeng. For me, there's nothing there and it feels a little too rushed how Plawan got over his crush on Bamee. Then Kiev and Bamee…just talk to each other! But no, argue. And by the way it's totally normal when your friends want to interfere in your life or at least worry! What kind of friends are they who just let him work in this place? I would have taken him in and looked for something more suitable…And Franc is suddenly not so bad after all and makes her laugh? Very fast and confusing changes that happened this week. And I'm not talking about the kisses…Except maybe you shouldn't have held the camera on them quite so long…Had to look away briefly at the drunken mouth on mouth placement…

Transfem Dabi headcanons :D (edited as of Nov. 2023)

This was prompted by this post by @violet-sumire. Spoilers for Dabi's backstory and the Dabi's dance episode/chapter!

Transfem Dabi uses she/her and xey/xem pronouns. She/her just always felt better to xem and she started using xey/xem to spite people and ended up actually liking them.

As a child, Dabi never really understood why she didn't like being a boy and never wanted to understand, because in her head, being a girl was like being her mom or her sister, someone weak who couldn't help or understand xem. Plus, her dad obviously wanted a son! She couldn't disappoint him!

After she became a villain and started to search for ways to make her dad miserable, these feelings xey had buried resurfaced and she decided to try and figure them out.

At first, xey didn't really know what any of this meant, so xey just tried to be as gender non-comforming as possible. To be the most confusing motherfucker in the room, xer fashion style was honestly horrendous and it was fantastic.

She let her hair grow longer, although it regularly changes in length and looks just fucking weird sometimes because of it burning. just imagine her with a really choppy asymmetrical wolf cut/sort-of mullet.

Entering the League first meant seeing and interacting with a girl (Toga) often for the first time in forever. Dabi tries at some point to imitate some of Toga's behavior to look more feminine, not exactly failing miserably but more so feeling like a moron throughout every attempt at looking like a cute manic pixie dream girl. Xey eventually start to use Toga's cute mannerisms to annoy people (Toga approved™).

The REALLY good thing that comes from entering the League is Big Sis Magne! It's the first time Dabi sees someone who's like xem, and Magne also has way more experience and knowledge than her.

Magne IMMEDIATELY notices Dabi and approaches her with star eyes. Think of this post which is very great.

Despite wanting to keep up her stone faced persona for now, Dabi can't help but feel excited to see someone like her. It actually makes her think of something else than ways to hurt Endeavor, which xey definitely need.

Magne helps xem figure out who she is and how she feels, explaining xem her own experiences and feelings about transness.

Toga actually loves to listen to Magne and Dabi talk about this too, despite being cis (more or less). She really loves hearing Magne's passion about her identity and seeing Dabi happy, which is not an emotion Toga had seen on xem until now.

Dabi figures out her style more, getting to that cool ass outfit we have in canon and realizing xey don't need to wear dresses and skirts to be a woman (anyways she finds them uncomfortable).

She does enjoy heels occasionally because it allows her to make it more painful to get kicked by her (xey definitely wore heels when they fought Hawks and kicked his face into the ground) as well as extravagant jewelry a lot, and when the League figures that out, jewelry shops and Claire's start getting robbed way more often :)

Dabi is like. An actual mystery to anyone who comes across her. Her traits are naturally pretty androgynous, and all of her burns make xer facial traits difficult to see clearly, and facial hair is just out of the question at this point - she presents femininely enough for a villain, isn't that tall, xey wear a thick enough coat to hide the shape of xer body, and no one knows anything about xem anyways, unlike with Magne (who doesn't pass as cis, and who the heroes know the real identity of, leading to misgendering her like in canon). But her voice is deep, like deep. So people look at her and go "yeah, ok, woman" and then she starts talking and they just fucking panic. Who the hell is that. Why am I horny (this is just me I am here too I love trans women with deep voices 🥰🥰🥰🥰).

Dabi fucking loves confusing people. She doesn't care about asshole n°12345 not using the correct pronouns, because that means xey have an excuse to beat the shit out of them or argue with them until they die of exhaustion or give up, and xey love knowing xey make people confused.

Ignoring her relation to others, her vision of herself is pretty clear cut : she's a woman. Boom. That's all. Girl. In a world where she wasn't killing people every Tuesday xey'd probably get on HRT and shit, but in xer current life she doesn't give a flying fuck.

The League also greatly helped her with accepting xemself in different ways. They all always respected her pronouns and correct others (or kill them if needed) if they misgender xem, and they often affirm her gender in small, meaningful ways. Just by being included when Twice says "the girls", or Mr Compress being like milady✨ and shit.

Trying to imagine the canon reveal scene now because I think it would be even fucking better if it was queer. Like everything actually everything is better if it's queer /hj. But especially this.

Dabi would do like usual, laughing her ass off like the queen she is and dancing like xey're on Japan's Got Talent (Japan does have talents clearly).

"Touya" is her deadname here but she won't let that be a reason to have it be forgotten by her father lmao (in canon Dabi reclaims the name Touya, saying he has a really nice name, and later Toga calls him Touya-kun which is btw actually adorable).

She'd probably say something like "You gave me such a nice name" instead of reclaiming it, saying something after like "Too bad I don't like it that much though, what do you think of the one I picked?"

The hair dye thing would be so much messier with more hair lmao it'd be great.

She'd definitely insist on how she isn't the son Endeavor wanted in more ways than one. In English you can't really indicate that much how you're gendering yourself but I know in Japanese it's easier so she'd probably be very insistant on using traditionally feminine words to talk about herself, AND to talk about Touya so Endeavor gets the point.

Bro the fight with Shouto would be so fucked. It already IS in canon (affectionate) but hhh. Sorry I love trans anger I am trans and angry

"How sad, Shouto, you never got to know your big brother. Hope you're not too disappointed to get another sister."

"Sorry you were lied to Shouto, your big brother is a girl."

(As a side note I think it would be funny if Spinner, upon seeing the video Dabi broadcasts to Japan about her identity while shirtless, immediately covers his eyes and panics about seeing a woman's unclothed upper body, making Dabi laugh xer fucking ass off. "Spinner, I don't have anything here you moron.")

I desperately want more insane women transfem Dabi brings me exactly that. Also I'm gay and I want xem to step on me.

That's all for me I have exams tomorrow and I wanna go find transfem Dabi content not created by me now bye

I just finished watching the Witcher season 3. Here are my thoughts on this season:

First, I should make it known that I have not read any of the books and I played the witcher wild hunt very briefly since I wasn't a huge fan of the combat system, so there is a chance that I'm not the target demographic for this show. Perhaps they were trying to appeal to the fans of the series. If that is the case, I apologize for my thoughts. These are the thoughts of a casual watcher of the series who is very passionate about writing and stories and general.

The best word that I would use to describe this series and just the whole show, in a whole, is confusing. Things just seem to happen, and I am left wondering what even is the story here. The show feels both too slow and too fast for the story it is trying to tell.

Season one is by far the best. Despite the non-linear timeline, you can understand what is happening, you understand what the arcs are, what the characters want, and you have a notion of what is going on. There are still confusing moments, particularly those with the elves and Cintra. Her journey feels so slow compared to both Yen and Gerald since, once you remove all the magic and all the dressing, their stories are about family, with Gerald's being about the fear of letting people in and Yennifer's being about being accepted enough to be loved.

Then we have season two, which is just political nonsense for the most part. We barely get any time with the main trio, and it is mostly just a lot of nothing. People speak and tell your their plans and whatever, but it summarizes to a bunch of nothing. There is a 6. Everyone wants Cintra, but that's it. There is essentially just one character arc in this season that goes through a character arc with that being Yennifer, and while I do have conflicting emotions about it, it is definitely a character arc. Besides that, the closest thing you get to character development is Cintra's fight montage scenes, and while those can be fun, not everything has to be deep and sad and depressing, that is not what they are. They try to be exactly that. Bleak. Like the show is turning to you and asking, "Aren't you enjoying seeing how much these characters for basically no reason? This is what will make them stronger! They aren't really learning anything, just getting beaten until they seem like they can be excusable to be strong enough to survive what will throw on them next! Isn't this deep? Isn't this exciting? Bleak and depressing equals deep guys! C'mon!" When it comes to the plot, it is essentially people saying "shit is going to happen, shit is really going to happen. We will kill this baby. You know we will kill this baby! Wanna see us do it? We will do it! Just watch it! And hah! We did it!" And that's pretty much it. Pretty much the only thing that carries over from season 2 to three is Yen's arc, and the first thing they try to do is try to retcon it. So yes, season 2 is a boring, confusing slog where things just happen and feels very pointless.

Then we move on to season 3. Season three starts well. I honestly enjoyed the first episodes, with Yennifer trying to regain the confidence of both Gerald and Cintra, and I think it works. I enjoy seeing Cintra and Yennifer butting heads, it makes sense, they are different people who can teach each other a lot after everything they went through, and you see glimpses of this, and while Gerald's hunt doesn't make a lot of sense since he just let the guy go, I think that the subsequent plot with the fake Cintra and the missing mages is fine, I'm invested, I want to know what is going on, and then the ball happens and that is a good episode, it has mystery and this sense of magic and actual illusion and I was hyped. Truly, I couldn't wait to see where this was going, and then we had a betrayal, and then another and suddenly the elves are here, and they are the bad guys and the racist is in the right and gets treated like a hero and Ciri is there and then she isn't and why did you leave in the first place, Yennifer, if you were going to come back to help your people?! What did you think was going to happen? Sunshines and rainbows?! There is this huge battle where a lot of people die, but I'm left just confused because, oh my god, there is even more political nonsense here and it carries on through the last three episodes where, again, nothing really happens besides the nonsense politics while Gerald is recovering and I'm so done. Ok, that is not completely true. There are two segments that I would like to mention, the sorcerers and Cintra. I think that, while not that important development wise, since Cintra goes from point A to point B back to point A, the desert part is good. It is visually interesting. It shows her skills, and while bleak, it is entertaining. They are showing you something that isn't characters talking about something no one understands or trying to make something deep out of something that isn't. This is a girl trying to survive in a desert in a harsh environment. I can understand that I want her to succeed in that. Now, for the sorcerers, they are mourning, they are dealing with loss in the middle of war. I can understand and sympathize with that, but then you have Tissaia's death that is framed as this noble sacrifice when it isn't. It is sad, yes, but the audience isn't really given a moment to process that, it is framed so that her death is about Yennifer, like losing her will make her stronger and I have serious problems with any media that shows suicide as anything noble or brave or good, like one's death is preferable to them being alive.

Now, I have avoided speaking about Jaskier so far because, and I want to make it clear that Jaskier is my favorite character in this show, he is sadly pointless. Don't get me wrong, Jaskier is essentially the heart of the Witcher, but when it comes to the narrative, the story itself, he is only there for fan service. They tried to fix this with Radovid, but it still didn't work, it didn't truly affect the narrative since the most important part of Radovid's character is that he becomes the king and, so far, that has nothing to do with Jaskier. Dandelion is just there to look pretty and occasionally get saved by Gerald, which I find particularly funny during the action scenes where he just disappears or runs around with nothing to do. The sad part is, Jaskier is a bard. A man known for the art of speech and song and playing with people's emotions. He would be perfect for a political piece, which seems to be what the show is going for, but instead, they put him in situations where he is completely pointless.

So, in the end, I didn't like season 3. I liked the first half of season 3, despite its issues like the Wild Hunt bit, but the ending was disappointing. It didn't diminish my enjoyment of the first part, so that is something I guess, but still. And I want to make it clear that I don't think this is the writer's fault. I would like to put my theory hat here for a moment and take a shot saying Netflix desperately wanted the Witcher to be game of thrones. They wanted all the politics and gritty realism and bleakness from that show, but the Witcher just isn't that, is it? I haven't played the games a lot, but from what I understand, the Witcher shines most with its side missions, the ones where you don't have the end of the world, but a person trying to survive, and love, and find happiness in a world where humans seem to be at the bottom of the food chain. The Witcher's tv show seems to completely forget about monsters until it is convenient for them to remember when, in the game, even if you are powerful, there is a chance you will struggle with what you are fighting if you don't know how to fight them. And this, this sense of survival is pretty much gone in the show. It is just politics that say nothing really with a moody superman thrown in the middle of it.

Spy x Family Season 2 Review - Fall 2023 Anime

So, we got the next section of Spy X Family this season. I watched it and enjoyed it. But I want more from this series. I really want more changes to the status quo. 36 is a lot of episodes. And there has been little major development that has happened in that time. I feel there is a lot of potential that is not being got at. A lot of it is genuinely funny and sweet. But there is a lot of is that is extremely forgettable. One thing that I want to make very clear is that I don't think anything in Spy x Fam is bad in any way. It is all at least good. I just want more from it. I like the fun antics and slice of life elements as well as the spy/assassin elements. But I don't like how most of the time the spy/assassin stuff is played for jokes for the majority of it. Yor's arc in this season is one of the best parts of the series so far. We got to see Yor's job taken mostly seriously and have it actually resonate with her emotions. I love this. She finally got proper focus and good characterization, though it should not have taken this long. But it still irks at me a little because it ends with the status quo of Yor being an assassin and hiding it staying the same. In the last episode we get another episode of Loid and Bond bonding. Which I liked. It was fun and had a cool situation. But again, it too kept the status quo of Loid not knowing Bond can read minds. There are moments where I feel it has the perfect chance to shake things up, but those chances are never taken.

I still quite like Spy X Family but I can't say my passion for it has not waned over time. Yor's arc did help with my main issue of her being largely unexplored despite being one of the three main characters. There is great value in this season from that. But outside of that this season is mostly the same Spy x Fam it always has been. At the end of this season, we are still in the same place we ended last season. And while that is not bad, it's not exciting. I think this show has so much potential to be exciting and dramatic. I understand that this is meant to be largely a fluffy show. And that's fine. But I really feel like this series can hit that perfect sweet spot and truly do everything if it didn't stick itself in a box. Maybe it will happen down the line, but how much longer do we need to wait for that? I am worried about other people, and I will get bored of it before it finally decides to go all in on these things. On this note, I would like to point at the My Anime List scores this time, as I happened to look at them both while preparing for this and would like to discuss it. It can be debated how valid MAL's scores are as a metric for quality, but that is not relevant here. I am simply looking at the scoring trend for Spy X Family on the website. Season 1 has an 8.56, Season 1 Part 2 has an 8.28, and Season 2 has an 8.09. There is a consistent decrease in score over each subsequent part. In my opinion, the general quality of Spy x Family has not decreased and can be considered very consistent. And to my knowledge a lot of people think this way too. To me the most likely conclusion is that people think it's getting stale. Even something good can lose its luster if you get too much of it. It definitely seems like I'm not the only one that the status quo is getting stale.

Maybe we will get the story beats I want eventually, but unless the story goes on for ridiculously long, a bunch of them may have to come at once for that to come to fruition. Which I definitely don't want. I like the focus on the family dynamic and want to see that organically evolve as everyone learns more about each other over time. For example- I want at least Loid to find out Bond is psychic. Then life continues with that change, Loid using that information to his benefit. Then later I want one of Loid or Yor to find out the other's identity before the other. Then life continues with that change shaking up their dynamic. Then something else happens and so on. I do want fun slice of life moments and goofy antics, but I want them in between dramatic moments so that we can see this family grow and react. I don't want all of this to just come at the end so they can stop a big baddie, or them to not happen at all.

I can greatly enjoy series that go all on particular aspects like comedy, drama wholesomeness etc. rather than being well rounded. But for me the perfect series is one that excels at all of those (example being March Comes in like a Lion). I really feel Spy X Family is capable of being one of my absolute favorites. But it’s meandering. That is not fundamentally bad. I like what the show is doing most of the time. I enjoy the comedy, action and sweet moments. I also really like the crumbs of more serious story and drama we get. But this far in I don’t want crumbs anymore, I want a full piece. What I am trying to express is that there is so much potential here that I am excited to see. But the series is not as interested in that as I am. This time they didn’t even end with a dramatic hook that attempts to get you excited for what is coming next. It ended with a good but normal beat for Spy X Family, then said “see you next time”. To me this makes the intention of the anime as of now very clear. I think more of the same is what we can expect coming next, which is disappointing. If this is not the case, then I don’t get why they would end the season on such a nonchalant note. 

Final note is to say that the OP and ED are both absolute bangers.

As of now I do plan to continue watching it. I still get some satisfaction from its silly antics and wholesome moments, though that enjoyment is waning. And I truly am invested in seeing where this story can go, but I keep getting disappointed at it passing up great opportunities. I hope that I don’t have to wait another 36 episodes of same old same old to get to the interesting bits that I would love to see. Thank you for reading!

Tag Game

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better. I was tagged by @hayffiebird Thank you c:

Three ships:

Virgilia/Plutarch. I know, a bit cliche to put my own ship forth here, but I'm noticing how much less of a shipper I've become insofar that I've more lukewarm takes on most ships, but this is one I'm really passionate about. It really (obviously) encompasses a lot of what I personally enjoy in seeing a relationship unfold. Virgilia has her own personal journey that fits well with Plutarch's. They complement each other so well and it's enjoyable to write / think about them :>

David Butt/Julia Montague. Those two are from the BBC series Bodyguard and they are such an interesting couple. There's hatred initially, each of their moments bringing them closer, and the final resolution of their story (the question of being together) never finding an answer. The show has its own problems with the portrayal of Muslim characters, and tbf whenever I rewatch it I only watch the first three episodes, but it has a sort of tension and development that I've really never seen replicated. I'm a sucker for bodyguard stuff, but none ever did it as well as this show, and most of those stories are far too smutty, far too overprotective, far too easily and quickly resolve (and me and @beedelia totally have a Plutarch&V AU based on those two).

This is NOT a ROMANTIC ship (hence the &), but I love PLATONIC stuff so much, so: Ellie Williams&Joel Miller. I really, fully, enjoy their growth together. I love a good parenting platonic not-actually-related situation. Their story is so raw. It's the way that their relationship is painted through struggles. It's the going through everything to keep their dad/their daughter safe. I love their journey and I love both games so much.

This was really hard because, as I said, I've got plenty of ships and I feel rather lukewarm about them. As in, yeah, I enjoyed this, but it doesn't have my mind spinning once I finish it and am done with the show/game. Here's a list of some ships I enjoy, but do not have a lot to say about: F!Commander Shepard/Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect), Cullen Rutherford/F!Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Will Graham/Bedelia Du Maurier (Hannibal), Serena Joy/Mark Tuello (Handmaid's Tale), Blackbeard/Stede Bonnet (Our Flag Means Death), Newt Scamander/Leta Lestrange (Fantastic Beasts). Was this cheating? Maybe, lol.

First ever ship:

I think my first ever ship was Captain Amelia/Dr. Doppler, mostly because I was very gay for Amelia and was excited for any romance interest she got. Like, it should have been me, but this was second best. I didn't write fanfiction about it or anything because I was far too young, but I think this was the first moment where I really shipped something.

First time I engaged with fandom might have been Remus Lupin/Tonks. Though I mostly read stuff rather than wrote anything.

First time I wrote something (in rp) was Haymitch/Effie, though I don't ship them anymore--same as Lupin and Tonks actually lol. Both for different reasons.

Last song: Bottom of the River by Delta Rae. Been listening to this one while writing!

Last movie: Everything Everywhere All At Once. I've had this on my watchlist since release and finally got around to it. Feels like something you should totally watch a second time. It was a brilliant movie.

Currently reading: A secret history. I'm not sure what to think of it yet & I'm halfway through. It's definitely interesting, but it's a very slow read (or maybe me mostly reading it in bed before falling asleep just doesn't read very fast).

Currently watching: Arctic Warrior. It's a German TV show about one (military) expert and one beginner having to survive (and travel through) the arctic parts of Finland. I usually don't enjoy those kind of shows, but I have a soft spot for Otto + watching it as an uncut reaction video from a favourite youtuber of mine is double fun. Actual tv series though, I want to start Succession (thanks Emily, lol) and/or Yellowjackets.

Currently consuming: I ate my salad + slice of bread for the evening :>

Currently craving: Still a bit hungry, so maybe some fruit later. I've got mango and peaches at home :)

Tagging: @beedelia @footnoteinhistory @plvtarch @mrsalanavalentine @rosegardeninwinter @ellanainthetardis @endlessnightlock @tinyfrenchowl @mollywog @districtunrest @bexbaxx @thegoddessprose @jenniferiawrence

That Kiss!!

So leading up to this last episode, I was actually hoping the first kiss wasn’t an undercover kiss, because I wanted their first kiss to be because they wanted to, not a fake one because they had to. (And I didn’t want them to still technically be dating other people, something which I will overlook in this case because a. it was work (ha!), b. maybe they broke up).

But I ended up being extremely satisfied with what we got!!

First of all, the fact that they kissed as “practice for UC” and not while actually UC meant that, in a way, they were kissing because they wanted to and not because they had to. (I mean, seriously - Tim needed to go along with whatever job he was given, and Lucy needed to drive. They did NOT need to practice kiss. I sincerely doubt that Angela sent them home with instructions to practice PDA (but I’m sure she will be ecstatic if she ever finds out).)

Second of all, they had the exact type of first kiss that I imaged - where it’s actually two kisses, a short peck from one, pull away, then the other just grabs them and really goes for it. (Any LoVe fans out there??)

I even wrote this last year - almost to the date (!!) (albeit, with Tim and Lucy flipped):

Also, I’ve always wanted Lucy to be the one to make the first move - I think it makes sense, given that Tim wouldn’t cross that line - and while you can argue who made the first move here (which I’m certain Tim and Lucy will do in the future) I think it fits with Lucy making, if not the first, than the bigger move.

Another thing I loved was how they were bantering, as they do, and then she kissed him to shut him up! The whole dynamic of this kiss - and her assertiveness! - just felt very fitting for them. (And I can go on and on about hand placement and the way it was filmed and the music...!!!)

I was also worried that with a “fake” kiss, too much would be left up to interpretation regarding how they felt about it. But even though it’s still not said aloud (my main gripe with this show), I think it’s 100% obvious that Tim was affected. Lucy, I’m still not sure of where she’s at, but the way she SURGED up to him, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him passionately - there’s gotta be something there now!! I might have preferred the ‘emotional’ to precede the ‘physical’, but if the kiss is what leads them to realizing how they feel - and it very much seems like it will - I’ll take it!

Chenford this episode (and just the whole doppelganger thing, their entire storyline) was hilarious and brilliant and I loved it so much. However, I still would pick 4x09 as my favorite Chenford episode this season, because of that emotional connection that we got to see explored. And I sincerely hope they explore more of it next season.

With that said, this is definitely a HUGE jumpstart and the most explicitly romantic thing they’ve done for Chenford so far. I know there’s probably a long road ahead for them before they can get together, but WE’RE FINALLY ON THAT ROAD. More so - SOMEONE SAW THEM KISS. So they won’t be able to write it off as “this is work” so easily.

I am happy and excited going into this hiatus! How is everyone else doing??