#it was the same with kiki’s delivery service which i watched right after moving away

[hiddenworldofmary]

the boy and the heron (how do you live?)

#the boy and the heron #hayao miyazaki #i have many many personal thoughts after this movie and they’re all running wild in my head #you watch some movies at just the right time in your life and this was one of those #it was the same with kiki’s delivery service which i watched right after moving away #coincidentally also all alone and by the sea and to pursue education #i cried six times and i will no longer consider wet eyes crying at a movie because i was full on sobbing #for the first time in my life #first at the very beginning. then the fiery girl. then the creatures #then two times at the end of movie monologues. Ann then the closing song delivered the final blow #i’m very sad that the only person i would immediately want to walk about it and who would enjoy it with me isn’t here #but i’m also hopeful and i believe that there will be equally great friends in my future #i will find them or they will find me and perhaps it will be a little awkward at first but that’s how you build relationships (and worlds) #piece by piece and changing them once in a while #and it will be ok and i will not forget #mine #oh and i also got a movie postcard in the cinema which was so nice

[recurring-polynya]

[Renji birthday] Hey, hi. What about Orihime does smt to surprise Renji for his birthday, a thank-you him helping her at New Year celebration? Include fireworks that Renji secretly enjoys? Thanks. Anything (fic, hcs, sketch..) is fine.

I’m sorry this is late, but it’s still the Renji - Orihime Birthday Weekend, so I think it’s okay!

I love the idea of the Renji - Orihime BroTP, but somehow it’s so hard for me to write, I always do a bunch of false starts or get stuck. For this round of prompts, I was trying to do the ones that inspired me the most and I liked the idea a lot more than I had ideas, if you get my drift. Anyway, I love them both too much, though, so I muscled through.

I’m sorry if this is a little ramble-y and quite silly and I didn’t manage to squeeze in fireworks (I’ve written several fireworks scenes in the past and didn’t want to repeat myself), but what it is is four thousand words long. Also, I managed to remember that Kon exists, this is possibly the first time I have ever put Kon in anything. I hope you like it!

Read on ao3 or ff.net

🎁    🎈    🎊

“Inoue,” Renji hissed. “Why am I here?”

Orihime took a quick step backwards as Keigo ran past, screaming. Ryo followed a second later, also screaming. Renji, who had served at Squad 11 for many years, managed to leap out of the way just in time. “It’s Ichigo’s birthday party,” Orihime explained. “He wanted you to come.”

“It’s not though,” Renji pressed. “It’s Arisawa’s birthday, and we’re at Arisawa’s house. I don’t think Arisawa even knows who I am.”

“Yes, she does, silly,” Orihime replied. “I told her lots of stories about you and she said she wanted you to come. There’ll probably be a football match later, and Ichigo told her we could have you on our team, as long as he got Rukia.”

“I got hauled in all the way from Soul Society for football?” Renji asked, sounding not-at-all upset about this.

“No, I told you! Ichigo wanted you to come.”

“But it’s not his birthday.”

“But it is his party. He and Tatsuki share, you see, because their birthdays are so close and they have all the same friends. It’s Tatsuki’s year to host the big friend party. Ichigo just had a little family party on his actual birthday.”

“Ohhhhh,” Renji replied, finally understanding. He nodded for a moment. “What’s a family party?”

---

Orihime cleared her throat, and tapped her in her palm. “Thank you all for coming to this very important meeting.”

Chad, Ichigo, and Tatsuki were all crammed together on Orihime’s couch. Rukia sat on the arm, next to Chad, Kon in her lap. Uryuu sat in Orihime’s desk chair, which she had hauled in from her room.

Orihime thwapped her pointer against the large pad of paper on an easel that she had borrowed from the Student Health Advisors Club. On the first page, she had drawn a large picture of Renji and written his name. “It has come to my attention that Our Friend Renji has never had a Family Birthday Party.”

“Quick question--” Tatsuki interrupted. “Is he wearing a… fur bolero in that picture? And is the bone dragon an actual thing or just...Orihime artistic spice?”

“It’s a cowl,” Rukia said, at the same time as Chad said, “It’s a stole,” and Uryuu said “It’s a capelet.”

“Thank you, that cleared up nothing,” Tatsuki replied.

“It’s his bankai form,” Ichigo said, grumpily. “His sword turns into a giant flying snake skeleton that screams like a pterodactyl. It’s super sick and he let me ride on it twice and that cape thing is really soft, actually, but he says it gets hot. As far as I know it has nothing to do with his birthday.”

“Er, no, I just got carried away while I was drawing,” Orihime admitted. “Your bankai is very cool, too, Kurosaki-kun.”

“Got it, right,” Tatsuki nodded, sounding very much like she just wanted to move on. “He doesn’t have a family?”

“I think you’re worrying over nothing, Orihime,” Rukia said, sounding a teensy bit defensive. “Many people in Soul Society don’t have families. If there’s anyone in Soul Society who’s good at scraping up friends to spend a holiday with, it’s Renji. Everyone likes him. Half the Gotei turns up at the bar for his birthday parties.”

“I know that,” Orihime said quietly. “I know that because last New Year’s, when I was lonely, he played badminton with me, even though he was very, very hungover and pretending like he wasn’t, and then he went and rounded up all my friends in the middle of the night, and before he left, he told me there was nothing wrong with making your own holiday. But family birthdays are different! Family birthdays are about the people who love you most doing special things, just for you!” Orihime set her jaw. “When I was little, Sora always tried to make my birthdays super special! We didn’t have a lot of extra money, but he would take the day off just to spend it with me and we would go to the park or watch movies or he would let me paint his nails and braid his hair. He would take a picture of me and put it in my special birthday album with my height and weight and current favorite food.” Orihime’s mouth snapped shut. Everyone was staring at her. She’d said too much, just like she always did. Her cheeks started to burn.

“When I was little,” Ichigo suddenly said, a little bit too loud, “my mom told us that we could have whatever we wanted for dinner on our birthdays. One year, I…” he paused, his eyes darting over to Tatsuki. “I had just seen Kiki’s Delivery Service, and I was obsessed with that fish and pumpkin casserole the old lady makes?”

Orihime gasped, and clapped her hands over her mouth.

Uryuu rolled his eyes. “Who wasn’t, Kurosaki?”

Ichigo snorted, but his shoulders relaxed a little. “Anyway, it took her most of the day, and I think she must’ve gotten really frustrated at some point because me and my sisters got sent over to Tatsuki’s house so the Old Man could help her. It came out kind of lumpy and huge, but it was delicious, it was exactly what I had imagined it would taste like.”

“I remember that thing,” Tatsuki added. “She made us come over for dinner because there was so much of it. It was incredible.”

“We didn’t do Birthday Dinners for a few years after she died,” Ichigo said slowly. “But then after Yuzu got good at cooking, she said she wanted to try doing it again. My dad really likes the Godfather movies and he always used to ask for spaghetti for his birthday, which it turns out isn’t that hard to make. Karin and me helped out, and we’ve been doing it again ever since. We don’t usually do fancy stuff, it’s just nice to get to pick.”

“Ichigo made me omurice on my birthday and let me use his body to eat it!” Kon announced.

“You didn’t have to tell everyone that,” Ichigo stammered, turning pink. “It’s the only thing I’m good at making.”

“My abuelo always used to sing Las Mañanitas on my birthday,” Chad put in. “First thing in the morning. Sometimes he would come into my room and wake me up. Sometimes I would come down for breakfast and he would be there, with his guitar. He wouldn’t even say ‘good morning’ until he’d sung Las Mañanitas.”

Orihime’s spirits lifted a little. “See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”

Rukia crossed her arms over her chest. “Renji gets up at the crack of dawn. I’m certainly not going over to his place to sing at him while he mixes up his horrible protein beverages.”

“Well, it wouldn’t have to be exactly that,” Orihime went on. “I just thought, since his birthday was coming up in a few weeks, maybe we could throw him a party here, in the World of the Living that was… I don’t know… a little more heartfelt than just going out drinking.”

“I think that’s a very thoughtful idea, Inoue,” Uryuu said.

“Oh! I was worried you wouldn’t want to help, because… you know.”

“I had a row with Ryuuken last week,” Uryuu sniffed. “I’m honestly in the mood to do something nice for a shinigami. Besides, it’s Abarai, he doesn’t really count anymore.” He paused for a moment. “You either, of course, Kuchiki.”

“You wanna have it at my house?” Ichigo offered. “Since me and Tatsuki are the only ones with backyards, and I don’t imagine Tatsuki would want to explain this to her mom.”

“I appreciate that,” Tatsuki put in. “I can help though, if you want. In my family, we like to decorate, and I still have a bunch of streamers and balloons left over from last week.” She gestured at Orihime’s drawing. “We could probably make him a banner or something out of that. It’s pretty good!”

“Oh, that’s such a good idea!” Orihime exclaimed. She should have known her friends would be helpful. She flipped to a new page on her notepad, and began to write things down.

“I can help decorate!” Kon piped up. “I am very artistic, you know!”

“I can bring my guitar,” Chad offered. “I don’t know if Abarai wants to hear me sing…”

Ichigo shoved him in the shoulder. “Shut up. We always want to hear you sing and you never do. If Renji doesn’t want to hear you sing, he’s got no taste and also, he can suck it.”

Rukia rubbed her forehead, like she felt a headache coming on. “Renji goes to all his friends’ poetry readings and community theater and open mic nights. I am sure he would be overjoyed to be serenaded by Chad.”

“What about you, Uryuu?” Orihime asked. “I know you and your father don’t get along, but is there anything that you associate with feeling special on your birthday?”

Uryuu’s face contorted for a moment. “Ah, there is, but I’m sure it’s not helpful.”

“Maybe it will give us an idea,” Chad prodded.

Uryuu frowned. “Well, when I was very small, my mother used to make me a new kimono every year. She was… a very skilled seamstress.” He frowned. “I don’t have Abarai’s measurements, and besides, he couldn’t take it back to Soul Society anyway.”

Kon perked up. “Ichigo! Ichigo, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Ichigo jabbed a finger Uryuu. “Yuzu just got a bedazzler and she has a ton of t-shirt paint! We could bedazzle him a t-shirt! For his gigai! I’ll even keep it in my closet for him with all of Rukia’s crap!”

“Kurosaki, no,” Uryuu insisted.

“Kurosaki, yes,” Ichigo insisted. “It’s like you’ve never even met the man. I’m gonna make the most Renji t-shirt you’ve ever seen and he’s gonna love it so hard he’ll make me his new best friend.”

“I want to help,” Chad put in.

“You may,” Ichigo replied magnanimously.

“It was my idea-- whoa, Rukia, watch out!” Kon cried as he went tumbling to the ground.

Rukia was practically crawling over Chad, trying to punch Ichigo in the head. “He’s my best friend, you ass!”

“He is for now,” Ichigo replied ominously.

“You are my beloved protege, but I will end you, Kurosaki.”

“Kuchiki-san?” Orihime asked tentatively. “Do you think you could come up with a way to get him to come here? I think it should be a surprise, so you would probably have to make up a story...I understand if you don’t want to.”

Rukia looked up from where she was half-hanging over Chad’s shoulder. “Of course I can do that. I love lying to Renji. He can usually tell when I’m lying to him, but he’ll go along with whatever I say anyway.”

“Oh, good!” Orihime replied, a wave of relief washing over her. She had no idea how they would get Renji here otherwise. Mr. Urahara, maybe. Maybe.

Rukia’s brows creased as she rearranged herself to sit on the back of the couch between Chad and Ichigo. “Did you think I would say no?”

“Well… it didn’t seem like you thought this was a very good idea.”

Rukia’s cheeks colored and she waved her hands. “No, no! It’s not that at all! I think it’s a great idea! It’s really sweet of all of you. Renji’s so easy-going, people always… never mind! I’ll help however I can!”

“Try to find out what meal he might like,” Uryuu suggested. Kon was now sitting on his head. “That sounded nice and I can help cook.”

“That’s a no-brainer,” Rukia replied. “He hasn’t stopped talking about Chad’s burritos since the Advance Team mission ended.”

“Burritos are easy,” Chad agreed, “especially if Uryuu helps.”

“What about you, Rukia?” Tatsuki asked. “You have a brother, right? What do you do for family birthdays in Soul Society?”

Ichigo made a Big Yikes face, and Rukia shoved him in the head again. Orihime had stayed with the Kuchiki siblings when she was training in Soul Society, and while Byakuya could be pretty stiff, she was under the impression that he and Rukia were both working to have a better relationship.

“Kuchiki birthdays are very formal,” Rukia said regally, and then frowned. “Mostly, a bunch of Honored Relatives come over for dinner and you have to wear fancy clothes and it’s kind of a pain.” She thought for a moment. “Brother gave me a beautiful set of colored pencils for my last birthday. It’s hard to buy him presents, because he’s so particular and he usually just buys the things that he wants. He writes a lot of letters, though, so I went to my favorite stationery store and bought him some pretty paper I thought he would like. I figured that if I picked wrong, he could just use it to send letters to people he hates.” Rukia’s eyes softened. “He really liked it, actually. I guess he’s not very used to getting gifts that people have spent any time thinking about.”

“Thoughtful gifts are such a nice idea!” Orihime nodded eagerly.

“It’s hard, though,” Uryuu added, “because of the whole matter conversion issue.”

“What,” Ichigo bit off, “is not thoughtful about a t-shirt covered in rhinestones?”

“If all of you help me think of something, I will buy it for him back in Soul Society,” Rukia promised. “Not sunglasses, though. I already bought him sunglasses.”

“Isn’t his birthday, like a month away?” Ichigo frowned.

“Sometimes I plan ahead! Shut up!” Rukia scowled. “Brother and I also like to make each other cards. Brother is an amazing artist, obviously, mine hardly compare to his, but he is very gracious about my efforts.”

“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea, Rukia!” Orihime agreed, writing down “cards” on her notes. She looked over her list. “I think this is shaping up to be a very good birthday!”

---

“Thanks for agreeing to come along,” Rukia said to Renji when he showed up at her front door on the morning of August 31. “How’s your head?”

“I feel great, but I hydrate tirelessly and also, I wasn’t the one who got into a drinking contest with Captain Komamura. How’s your head?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Rukia replied.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to just go? I’m sure I can-- did I read your text right? Ichigo got his soul stuck in Kon’s lion body and we have to go get him out? I… can probably handle that if you need to stay home and sleep it off.”

“Learn to read, oaf. Ichigo got his soul stuck in Kon’s lion body and we are going to laugh at him. Obviously, I wouldn’t miss that for anything.”

“Ahhhh, okay, that makes a lot more sense!”

“C’mon, we should get moving before Orihime takes pity on him or something.” She waved him inside. “Don’t worry, Brother said it was fine to use the family senkaimon.”

“Ah, good morning, Captain!” Renji said, his voice bright with nervous energy.

Rukia turned around and blinked. Sure enough, Byakuya was looming in the foyer. He had definitely not been in the entry thirty seconds ago.

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” Byakuya replied. “How delightful to see you in my house on a Sunday morning.”

“Brother, we talked about this,” Rukia pressed. “We had a whole discussion.”

Byakuya ignored her and plowed on. “I did not expect to see you today, but since you are here, I have something for you.” He held out a handsome, hardcover book. Gingerly, Renji accepted it and frowned at the cover. “It is the next book in the Tales of the Iron Army series,” Byakuya explained. “You are a fan of that series, are you not?”

Renji’s mouth gaped a little. “This isn’t… out… yet…”

“The publisher is an acquaintance of mine,” Byakuya said, looking off into the middle distance. “He offered me an advance copy, so I asked for two.”

“Uh, um, thanks, sir!” Renji managed.

“Think nothing of it,” Byakuya said stiffly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am extremely busy this morning.”

Rukia stared, gape-mouthed at the spot where Byakuya had been standing a moment previous. She wasn’t allowed to use shunpo in the house.

“What?” Renji choked out.

“Sometimes people just give him things,” Rukia shrugged, trying to play it off, but secretly fuming. She had told Byakuya that Renji was coming over and to (1) not mention his birthday and (2) not be weird. 0 for 2, Brother.

“Rukia,” Renji reiterated, and when she finally looked over, he was holding up a little slip of cardstock that had apparently been tucked into the front cover of the book. On it was painted a little watercolor Wakame Ambassador. He was wearing a humorous hat. In Byakuya’s immaculate calligraphy were the words ‘Congratulations. You are now older. You will still never defeat me.’ Renji stared at Rukia, as if this were somehow her fault. “W-h-a-t?” he mouthed very slowly and deliberately, no actual sound coming out of his mouth.

“Give me that!” Rukia snapped, grabbing both the book and the card out of his hand. “I told him we were going to the Living World, I don’t know why he couldn’t have given you this when we got back. Mikan!”

Rukia’s loyal maid immediately appeared at her elbow. “Yes, miss?”

Renji blinked. “How does everyone in this house move like that?”

“Hold onto this for Renji until we get back, okay? You can put it with the, um, other stuff.”

“Yes, miss.”

“What other stuff?” Renji asked, a grin tugging at the side of his mouth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You just said ‘put it with the other stuff’?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You must have misheard, Lieutenant Abarai,” Mikan added sweetly.

“Maybe you should clean your ears out once in a while, dummy,” Rukia suggested.

“Are we really going to the Living World today, or was it just a ploy to get me over here?” Renji asked, doing a double take when he realized that Mikan had disappeared again.

“We’re really going!” Rukia protested, marching into the bowels of the house. “‘A ploy’, ha! You wish.”

“It is my birthday,” Renji pointed out, sounding a little suspicious.

“And we had your birthday party last night! What more do you want?”

“Nothing, actually! Very good birthday, as birthdays go!” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Thanks for coming, by the way.”

Rukia rolled her eyes. “As if I wouldn’t come.”

Renji shrugged. “Well…you didn’t, for a long time. And those weren’t as fun. So thanks. For coming.”

Rukia opened her mouth and then closed it again. She didn’t know what to say to that.

Fortunately, Renji had a keen instinct for changing the subject when things got awkward. “Were you there when Rangiku’s boob fell out? She says that since it was the right one, it’s a sign that this is going to be an auspicious year for me.”

“I did! I was talking to Momo and we were basically at Ground Zero when it happened! I can’t believe Hisagi was in the restroom.”

“He’s probably still sobbing about it.”

They continued to recap the best parts of the party as they traveled through the senkaimon and picked up their gigai from Urahara’s, but there was something nagging at Rukia, something that had been nagging at her ever since Orihime, with her giant, squishy heart, had suggested that Renji deserved something better on his birthday, something which Rukia knew was unequivocally true.

“Oi, Renji,” she said suddenly as they turned onto Ichigo’s street. Renji was in the middle of a story about Iba’s sideburns, but she’d heard it before, and they both knew he was only telling it to fill the time.

“Eh?” he replied.

“I, uh, I just wanted to say, I’m sorry that our birthdays were so shitty growing up,” she said quickly. “Sorry in the sympathy sense, not the guilt sense. We were just kids, it’s not like there’s much more we could have done. Just... it sucked and it’s not fair and I’m sorry.”

Renji was staring at her with a look of mild horror on his face. “You thought our birthdays sucked?”

Rukia stared back at him. “They weren’t great, that’s for sure.”

Renji’s face fell a little. “Oh. I’m sorry you feel that way. We… we did try, you know. I remember stealing blankets for your birthday, to make sure we had enough for all of us. We always used to try to make sure we had something to eat that day, too.”

Rukia flushed. “I wasn’t talking about me, dummy!” She paused. “You did? Crap. Now I feel even worse.”

“My birthday’s in August,” Renji shrugged. “We didn’t need to worry about freezing our asses off. And we almost always managed to do something fun that day. Going fishing or making a bonfire or lying on the roof and looking at the stars.” Renji gave a rueful little chuckle. “You know, it’s fun when everyone gets together to get smashed on my birthday, but there are so many people and you can hardly hear what anyone is saying. Those old days… I dunno. I guess maybe they just felt a little more personal. When we were here on Tatsuki and Ichigo’s birthday, Orihime was telling me about family birthdays, and I think our old birthdays were a lot like that. Just some nice time spent with the people I like best.”

“You’re such a sap,” Rukia said, trying to keep her voice from wobbling.

“Like you didn’t know that,” Renji snorted. “I’m definitely gonna give Ichigo a hard time, but I’m actually kinda glad he managed to pull this bonehead move on my actual birthday. It’s a good excuse to come see him, and I got to spend a little quality time with you, to boot. Was kinda nice to see the captain, actually, even though he made a quick exit.” Renji sucked his teeth for a moment. “After we get Ichigo sorted, I don’t ‘spose you’d mind taking a little stroll around town and seeing what the other kids are up to today?”

Rukia had her hand on the gate that led to the Kurosaki back yard. “That… could probably be arranged.” She pushed the gate open.

“SURPRISE!”

Confetti filled the air. Someone was blowing an air horn. Everyone (except Uryuu) was wearing very bedazzled t-shirts. Even Kon, sitting on Chad’s shoulder, wore a tiny one with an even tinier lion on it.

“Happy birthday, Renji!”

“Happy birthday, you old geezer!”

“We made you burritos!”

Rukia looked up at Renji. He had one hand clapped over his mouth and his eyes were wide. “Happy birthday, dumbass,” she said softly.

“Excuse me, I will be right back,” Renji said, turning on his heel and walking out the gate.

Orihime’s eyes went wide. “Oh, no! What did we do?”

Rukia held up her hands. “Just give him a second, he’s fine.”

The Karakura kids barely had time to exchange worried glances when Renji burst back in through the gate, at full volume. “What the Hell is this?” he roared. “And where did you get those t-shirts?”

“We made them!” Ichigo shouted back, and thrust a poorly wrapped bundle into Renji’s hands. “We made you one, too!”

Renji enthusiastically tore open his present and held up its contents. “Rukia,” he gasped. “Rukia, look.”

“Chad drew the Hihiou Zabimaru,” Ichigo explained proudly. “I was the one who wrote ‘OH YEAH!!’”

“It’s so beautiful,” Renji sniffed. “Here, Rukia, hold this!” He shoved the shirt into Rukia’s arms and immediately began to wrestle off the one he was currently wearing.

“Uh… buddy…” Tatsuki frowned, trying to throw her hand up in front of Orihime’s eyes, but also unable to tear her eyes away. “That is… a lot… of tattoos…”

“It’s okay, we’ve all seen it,” Orihime reassured her, pushing Tatsuki’s hand away.

“Never mind seeing it again,” Kon added philosophically.

“How does it look?” Renji asked, once he’d gotten dressed again. He was flexing his biceps for good measure.

“It’s a little tight,” Rukia replied, but it didn’t stop her from looking.

“That’s how hot people wear their clothes, Rukia,” Ichigo informed her. “Get with it.”

“I love this so much!” Renji declared, looking down at his own torso again. “I can’t believe you all made this for me. I am so happy!”

“Brace yourself, Abarai,” Uryuu said, “but this is about 1% of the birthday festivities Orihime planned for you.”

Orihime’s cheeks turned pink and she waved her hands frantically. “Everyone chipped in, I hardly did anything!”

“We know you don’t like cake, so we put a candle in a burrito for you,” Ichigo said, jerking his thumb toward the picnic table. “Come sit in front of it, so Chad can sing you your birthday song.”

“We saved you the lawn chair without any wobbly legs,” Kon added generously.

On his way past, Renji slung his arm around Orihime’s shoulders. “Thanks, kid,” he murmured.

Orihime looked up at him. “You’re our friend and I just wanted you to know how special we think you are on your birthday.”

Renji stared at her for a moment, an expression on his face like he wasn’t sure how to make words come out. Suddenly, he tightened his elbow around his neck and crashed the knuckles of his other hand fiercely into her scalp. “I love all of you, too!” he laughed.

“You can’t noogie Orihime!” Ichigo and Tatsuki yelled at the same time, and promptly tripped over each other in an attempt to tackle him. Uryuu flung a pinecone at Renji’s head. With his typical perfect aim, it would have been a direct hit, except that Kon had leapt from Chad’s shoulder directly into its trajectory and got beaned in the face instead.

Orihime was laughing and shouting “That tickles, that tickles!” Renji was cackling. Chad stood, dumbfounded, his guitar hanging around his neck.

“Rukia… avenge us…” Ichigo groaned from the ground.

“On one hand, it’s his birthday and Renji should get to noogie whomever he wants,” Rukia declared loftily. “On the other hand, Orihime is a precious angel. On the third hand, suck it, Abarai!”

She launched herself at him.

#renji's birthday 2k21 #my writing #please excuse my kon liberties #i've read too many murderlight fics

[yuukri]

5, 6, 15, n 19! also, it looks like you rlly like spirited away, have you ever written or considered writing any spirited away fics?

5. satosugu adopt kids (yikes) (jujutsu kaisen) - i feel like every jjk writer has one little self indulgent family fic squirrelled away and here’s mine: firstly i’ve deleted everything to do with curses because they pose too much potential for angsty and also because i can’t write action scenes whdjdj! secondly, gojo steals (legally) megumi (no tsumiki in this au because i’m afraid of how to write her), while getou saves the girls from a bad situation. mostly it’s just daily dramatic domestic shenanigans with some kids :D

“only one of the bunnies is paying him any real attention, happily sniffling at his ankles, and for it’s troubles suguru lifts it up gently, as he makes his way into the living room. he’s sure eventually the rest will get bored and follow. even before he enters, the sounds of national geographic on the television are barely distinguishable from the volume of satoru’s laugh and nanako’s petulant whines.

megumi is sprawled on the floor by the table, one of his two dogs is most definitely in the corner eating his homework, for the third time that week; this time, suguru decides, he will not help the boy try to fix it in a panic before the deadline. satoru should have been a responsible parent and prevented it from happening. the other dog is unsurprisingly, being used as an oversized cushion.”

6. temple au (jujutsu kaisen) - one of my three endgame itafushikugi wips! nobara and megumi help yuuji revive the cult of sukuna after sukuna accidentally messes up and reincarnates into yuuji, nobara realises she has ancestral blood in the cult and megumi stumbles upon the temple while avoiding his own clan issues. it’s a super fun, supernatural au which is more silly than serious tbh.

“nobara was sometimes not unlike a piranhas, less prone to attack than people expected, but easily riled up by the scent of fresh blood.

as though to prove that just sometimes, he was some god’s favourite, their destination comes into sight. amongst the wane light of a waxing moon, the structure stood hulking and proud. it was eerie, with the way the wood gleamed as though newly polished, the shine carmine of the tiled roof. the silence of it. buildings this grand, this intricate, should creak in their foundations, the windows should rattle in their frames, the walls should groan under their load.

they come to a natural stop. nobara somehow manages to rock on her heels despite the uneven mud.

“we’re here.” megumi says, just to be annoying. “

15. watermelon sugar type beat (jujutsu kaisen) - another of the three itafushikugi wips! set semi-canon this time, it’s just a silly one shot (?) spawned from my own hcs for the trio, where they go to sendai and do silly teenage things in yuuji’s hometown! i also wanted to try and write the visiting the grave scene a la chainsaw man. no expert sorry because the state of this wip is best left for my own eyes jsjdjjd (it’s a mess OTL)

19. take a deep breath, take a deep breath, take a deep breath- (genshin impact) - zhongli loosing his gnosis isn’t as straightforward as he explained (or expected) and through plot armour magic shenanigans, our favourite liyue teens have been de-aged at his behest. it’s blatantly an excuse for me to have zhongli play house and maybe if i’m up for it explore his loneliness and detachment for his people and humanity as a whole. anyway, as they saying goes: “from the mouths of babes” for the wisest of introspections.

“zhongli holds hu tao upside down by her ankle. now this would be quite feat perhaps, if he wasn’t a millennia old god and the girl in question had been her normal size. unfortunately, as he listens to her squealing laughter and forces his grip a tad tighter as she shakes in his grasp, hu tao was very much not her normal size.

there are other issues, of course. there’s the fatui mages unconscious on the ground, the remnant sparking of electro over the dark lake of wuwang hill, the other not quite normal sized people clustered around his leg.

“mr zhongli,” xiangling says in a very quite voice, much higher than her usually chirping tenor, “what are we going to do now?” ”

spirited away! -

firstly nonny you’re totally right! i love spirited away and it’s probably one of (if not my number one) favourite movies of all time! funnily enough, despite loving ghibli movies and content, i’ve never thought to or attempted to write a ghibli based fanfic - spirited away included! i feel like most of the time when i write fics it’s because there’s something else from canon my mind wants to run away with and see. however, in the case of spirited away, i don’t think there is? the film and story are so well made and self contained i am want for literally nothing jsjdjd. i could (do) just watch it again and again and enjoy the way things play out. same could be said for other films like howl’s moving castle and kiki’s delivery service, which feature heavily in my other social media accounts (and make up far too much of my personality). but it’s not just ghibli that gives me this vibe funnily enough, some anime/manga i consume also feel complete enough that i’m happy to just leave them be fic free (the shock and horror of it)... others however, i have a personal vendetta to bend to my emotion driven will OTL...

wip title ask game!

#chel works on the bathhouse floor #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #genshin fanfic #my whole writing blog is spirited away based! i even have a spirited away them for my aes blogs shdjjd #you can find them through my main! my twitter was also spirited away themed and if i ever manage to do admin my ao3 will change accordingly #ask game

[ins0mnia-an0nym0us-au]

OKAY I BINGED A BUNCH OF STUDIO GHIBLI FILMS - HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS

(these are in order of how much i liked each movie)

first place goes to *drum roll* MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO i honestly wasn't expecting to like this one as much as i did & tbh i can't tell you WHY i liked it so much except that the children in this movie are fucking cute. that's it. i didn't even find totoro that cute. his little mini was cute but it was literally the children. i want to go back & watch it again just to watch the children. the end

second place goes to HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE so at first i thought the more story you had in these movies the less i liked them (you'll see in my rankings why) but this movie proved me dead wrong. i fucking enjoyed the hell outta this movie. do i wish Howl was a lesbian wizard - yes. do i have an urge to write a fic where Howl was actually cursed to be a man & at the end the curse is broken & they live a lesbian happy ending??? yes. will i??? probably not. also why was sophie so nice to that bitch lady??? i get being nice for the first couple of tries but after that YEET her off the platform

third goes to *checks notes* PONYO the first like 15 minutes of this movie had no idea what was going on. it slightly worried me - especially when that guy just kinda was standing there? then there was ponyo & all these little ponyos? but then the story unfolded enough that i got it. also ponyo is me. tired all the time. wants ham. speaks only in the same few phrases. only difference is - i do not love sasuke

fourth goes to the fucking creepiest movies SPIRITED AWAY like what the fuck was that about??? i'm sorry people find this shit not creepy??? at the same time it was really interesting to watch so??? also why am i no-face too? speaks in mumbles. gets hangry. very possessive of the only person who ever showed them affection. follows said person around once they have calmed down. tries to make up for being hangry around said person we are so alike fifth goes to KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE not gonna lie 5th & 6th i was doing other things during cause i was kinda bored. the other ones kept me entertained for long stretches but these ones it was opposite. which was kinda weird but idk. something about this one didn't sit right with me? i didn't hate it but i wouldn't watch it again - where as the others i would 100% watch again

sixth place is PRINCESS MONONOKE again - bored. didn't like the story. also no one can tell me mononoke wasn't a lesbian. also all those women in town & not a single one made out with My Lady??? BULLSHEET. i know these movies are older but still BULLSHEET

#studio ghibli #princess mononoke #kiki's delivery service #spirited away #my neighbor totoro #ponyo #howl's moving castle #watched in 2021 #animation #movies

[princesssarisa]

22 questions

Thanks, @cinefantastiquemitho!

01. The book that transformed your life. Freak the Mighty. It traumatized me so much in middle school, I think it singlehandedly changed me from a mostly happy (if quiet and overemotional) child into a moody, anxious teenager. The same goes for it’s ‘90s movie adaptation, The Mighty, starring a young Elden Henson and Kieran Culkin. It’s about the unlikely friendship between two misfit middle school boys: Max, the big, hulking, “stupid,” somewhat mentally disabled protagonist with a traumatic past, and “Freak,” an intelligent yet small, severely crippled, and (spoiler alert) terminally ill boy who rides on Max’s shoulders and serves as his “brain,” leading him in modeling their lives after the knights in the Arthurian legends he reads. Basically, it’s like Bridge to Terabithia meets a PG-rated Midnight Cowboy with Arthurian themes. I was forced to read it and watch the movie in school and it shook me to the core because I identified too much with Max. Not that I ever thought I was stupid, but since I was also a physically heavy, intellectually disabled, socially awkward, often teased, withdrawn misfit, I saw myself in him, very, very much. So to watch his struggles, and then in the end to see him devastated by his only friend’s death, hit hard. If that spirit medium I recently talked to was telling the truth about my past life as Emily Brontë’s best and possibly only friend, then maybe subconsciously I saw her in Freak (since she was also a “freakish” misfit who nonetheless was highly intelligent, witty and imaginative) and relived her illness and death in his. At any rate, it plunged me into a long depression that must have seemed inexplicable to the adults around me.

02. The movie that changed your way of seeing the world. The 1983 telecast of Madama Butterfly from the Arena di Verona, starring Raina Kabaivanska as Cio-Cio-San. In hindsight, it was a flawed production. Kabaivanska was a 49-year-old Bulgarian grand dame, not the least bit convincing as a 15-year-old Japanese girl. The tenor, who was supposed to be her worldly seducer, was young enough to be her son. There wasn’t a single Japanese person in either the cast or the creative team – it was all a European fantasy of Japan. For that matter, Madama Butterfly is inherently problematic with its racial and gender issues (in other news, water is wet). But watching this old telecast on VHS, out of curiosity about Miss Saigon’s source material, was the real beginning of my passion for opera. I was already familiar with The Magic Flute, but this was the start of my love for opera beyond that one. The tragic romance of the story, the visual beauty of the sets and costumes, and Puccini’s sumptuous musical score captivated my fourteen-year-old self. It led me to VHSs of La Traviata, Carmen, La Bohéme, Tosca, Rigoletto, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, L’Orfeo and Turandot, as well as other videos of Butterfly, and then to opera performances onstage. It gave me a new passion and gave me something beautiful to share with other people through “Opera Quest,” the program I’ve created to introduce opera to elementary school students. I’m so, so grateful to it!

03. The music that makes part of the soundtrack of your life. Opera, Broadway/West End show tunes, and Disney songs.

04. Define longing. It’s wanting, but deeper and stronger. It’s constant wanting, painful wanting, wanting that almost becomes obsession.

05. If you got back in time, which scene would you visit of your life? Any of my Thanksgiving visits to my grandma in Mesa, Arizona. Of course I’d love to see her again – she died 12 years ago – but I also loved wandering around the pretty retirement community where she lived, listening to Les Misérables or to Andrew Lloyd Webber on my headphones, and then sometimes swimming in the outdoor pool. I also loved the restaurant we always went to for Thanksgiving dinner, and if possible, going to see the lavish Christmas lights at the Mormon Temple a day or two later.

06. The place where your heart is. Los Angeles. Even though I wasn’t born there, it’s the earliest place I remember. I grew up there and it’s only been four years since I moved away. Every time I’ve gone back to visit since, I I’ve had the overwhelming feeling of “I’m home!” Even though I’m glad not to be living in a big city right now, I wish I lived closer and could visit more often.

07. The travel of your life. I haven’t travelled very much outside the US, though I have been to Canada, London and Ireland. Within the US, I was born in Connecticut, I’ve lived most of my life in California, and I’ve spent a lot of time in New York (relatives live there), Washington State (more relatives live there), Arizona (my grandma lived there), Florida (other grandparents, plus Walt Disney World), Montana (still more relatives), North Carolina (still more), and Minnesota (family friends). Once each I’ve been to Chicago, Boston, Cape Cod, and small towns in Vermont and New Hampshire, and I’d love to go back to each of them one day. I’ve also been to North Dakota, but don’t remember it very well, and I’ve spent at least a few hours each in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, but not long enough to do much of anything.

08. An author that you have met recently, and whose works you want to continue to read. Not too long ago I took a writing class taught by April Halprin Wayland, who wrote the beautiful Jewish children’s book New Year at the Pier about the tradition of Tashlich on Rosh Hashanah. I’d definitely like to read more of her books, especially her Passover children’s book, More Than Enough. I’d love buy them for my little cousins on the Jewish side of my family.

09. Coffee or tea? Herbal tea. Rooibos chai is my favorite.

10. Who's your Doctor (if you don't watch Doctor Who, who's your favorite character from a TV series)? I couldn’t say. I don’t watch Doctor Who or much TV at all anymore. Let’s just say I love the main characters from all the TV shows I watched when I was little.

11. If you could just throw everything away and live your dream, what would you do? I’d buy a safe and luxurious self-driving RV (this is a fantasy, after all) and travel all over the US, living in a different place for a week, two weeks, or a month at a time. In this fantasy, there’s no pandemic going on, so I have the freedom to go anywhere. I’d visit every big city, every cozy small town, and every notable place of natural beauty, I’d go to the opera and see local productions of Les Misérables wherever I could. I’d visit my relatives whenever I liked. I’d present “Opera Quest” at a local school in each place I visited. But I’d also spend plenty of alone time in my RV, or in whatever hotel or inn I chose to stay in for a little while, and work on the books I’m writing, listen to music and meditate. There would be no pressure on me from anyone to do anything. That would be amazing.

12. If you could choose to be a character from a book, TV series or movie, who you would be? None. Some of them have nice lives, but they all have their problems too, and I’d rather keep my own problems than take on theirs.

13. What makes you not like a story? Characters we’re supposed to like being cruel and spiteful to each other and neither regretting it nor being properly called out for it. If their behavior is clearly supposed to be bad and treated as such within the story, it’s one thing. Even if they never regret their own behavior, that’s fine as long as the other characters call it out as bad. But when they don’t, I feel like the author is saying that anyone would be just as cruel and spiteful in that situation. That it’s no big deal, it’s just human nature and anything better would be unrealistic. I hate that.

14. Do you like romance in stories? Why? Yes, I do like it. Not if it’s badly written, but when it’s well written, I love it. I love watching two characters come to care so deeply for each other, fill each other’s deepest needs and bring each other happiness. Of course that happens with platonic love too, but romance is the way it most often happens in stories.

15. Which book did you hate having read? Well, I didn’t like having to read Candide as a college freshman, because despite all its humor, it’s cynicism depressed me. I was going through a stage where I was feeling overwhelmed by the world’s problems and had turned to idealistic spiritual beliefs to comfort myself, so I hated having to read a book that essentially said “Optimism is stupid, the world is a terrible place, there is no God and no good reason for anything, and all we can do is try to make the best of our individual lives.” (Yes, I know that’s a vast oversimplification of Voltaire’s philosophy – it just came across that way to me at the time.)

16. Which movie did you hate having watched? I’ve already mentioned The Mighty, above, so... another one... When I was seven or eight, I saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for the first time, and I was very disturbed at the end by Wonka’s angry outburst about Charlie and Grandpa Joe stealing the Fizzy Lifting Drinks. Of course everyone can agree about how scary and mean Gene Wilder acts in that scene. But imagine how much worse it would be to an ultra-sensitive little kid on the autism spectrum, especially since I wasn’t expecting it. I had read the original book already, so the fates of the four bratty kids and the infamous boat scene didn’t phase me because I knew to expect them. But movie-Wonka’s final test is a movie-only addition, so I had no idea he was going to start screaming at poor Charlie, and to me at that age, an adult suddenly screaming in rage at a child was scarier than a child turning into a blueberry any day. Yes, it’s only a test, Charlie passes it and all ends happily, but it still upset me.

17. Do you like anime/manga? Any favorite? It all looks very nice, but apart from seeing Kiki’s Delivery Service and a few episodes of Pokemon as a kid, I haven’t experienced much of it. Maybe I should explore it more.

18. Who is the best villain you saw in a story? I don’t think I can choose just one from all the stories I know. For the best villain from Shakespeare and opera, I’d probably have to say Iago, because of how thoroughly effective his scheming and manipulation are. For the best Disney villain, I’d have to say Frollo, because of how horribly realistic he is: as an abuser of power, a racist, a religious bigot, a sexual predator, a psychologically abusive foster parent, and in the way he believes everything he does is holy and right. But there are so many good villains in all genres of fiction, choosing just one favorite is impossible.

19. If you could do an interview with any person, alive or dead, from our world, who would you choose and why? William Shakespeare. I have so many questions about his plays. They’ve all been interpreted in hundreds of different ways and I’d like to hear what his real intentions were when he wrote them. And for that matter, if he really did write all of them or if there’s any truth in the anti-Stratfordian theories.

20. If you could meet and and befriend a writer, who would it be? I just said Shakespeare, but I don’t want to repeat the same answer twice... Well, if that spirit medium was right, then I’ve already met and befriended three famous writers in a past life: Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. Supposedly I spent “many hours” with all three of them, but was especially close to Emily. If that’s true, then I’d love to meet them again, do some catching up, and talk with them about the modern controversies surrounding their books... especially Wuthering Heights, which seems to defy easy interpretations of its characters and themes.

21. Cats or dogs? Dogs. I just adore them!

22. If you could choose any time period or society to live, which it would be? A year ago, I would have said “right here, right now.” But with this global pandemic taking place and the future of the world and of America in particular feeling so uncertain, I’ve changed my mind. I’d rather live in one of the fantasy worlds I’ve created: either the Sisterhood of Nira’s valley (the setting of my completed but unpublished novel An Eternal Crown) or Zalina Island (the setting of the Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid retellings I’m working on). Those places might have flaws of their own, but at least they’ve made social progress that this country hasn’t made, and they have magic too. If I could I’d move to one of them, at least until the pandemic is over and we have a new president.

I tag @simone-boccanegra, @astrangechoiceoffavourites, @nitrateglow, @thatvermilionflycatcher, @sunlit-music, @theheightsthatwuthered, @fairychamber, @wuthering-valleys

#questions #about me

[zipstick]

Pass the happy!💕🌺 When you receive this, list 5 things that make you happy and send this to 10 of the last people in your notifications.

There were 10 things, so I’m gonna list all of them because screw you 

10: Drawing. I’ve been doing a lot of drawing lately after discovering that I do, in fact, have the ability to draw people. And as well as people I’m quite good at drawing animals. More specifically, cats and dragons. Why it’s these two I’m not sure, but I suspect it may have something to do with the fact that the only accurate depictions of dragons are the giant scaly winged fire-breathing cats of the How To Train Your Dragon universe.

9: Chocolate, especially mint chocolate. In February I bought some mint chocolates in a sweet shop in Huddersfield, and they’re so nice. My parents got me a dark chocolate egg with some mint chocolates which was very nice. And for my birthday they gave me a bigger bag of nice mint chocolates from the same chocolate place as the egg. Also last year on a trip to Germany with the school I attend I went to the Lindt Shokoladen Museum in Cologne and got free samples of, and bought about  €20-25 worth of some of the nicest chocolate I’ve ever had. If you’re ever in Cologne for some reason go there. 

8: Studio Ghibli Movies. I’ve loved them since watching Spirited Away when I was young (Maybe 6 or 7) and for a few years my favourite was one called The Cat Returns which has kind of a nonsensical plot but I still really like it. And then they came to Netflix, and oh boy, there could not be a more opportune time for me to be shut in my house. I have watched Ponyo, The Cat Returns, Whisper Of The Heart, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service (twice) and Howl’s Moving Castle, which I watched three times within the course of a week (dear god help me) and there’s still like eight which I am yet to watch.

7: Harry Potter. I have been reading the series and watching the movies and drawing the fan art for nearly 3 years now and I really like these books. My favourite character is Sirius and I am in Hufflepuff and my Patronus is a badger and I can remember all the details of my wand without checking (spruce, 14 1/2 inches, unicorn hair core, quite bendy) and now I have written  a chapter in a fanfic based on the Cursed Child. (which I haven’t even come read or watched and was basing the characterisation entirely on how my friend who is the main author of that fic wrote them). I own a Hufflepuff Quidditch T-shirt, a Hufflepuff hat, 2 Hufflepuff pin badges, a Hufflepuff scarf, a Hufflepuff mug, a Golden Snitch bracelet, and a replica of Newt Scamander’s wand. I have been to the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour and the Platform 9 3/4 shop at King’s Cross. I own a copy of Quidditch Through The Ages, The Tales of Beedle The Bard, and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.

6: Doctor Who. I have been watching Doctor Who my whole life. I own 2 sonic screwdriver toys (the ninth and tenth doctors’ and the thirteenth doctor’s) and a miniature Tardis that makes The Noiseᵀᴹ. I have watched every episode since the revival in 2005 and quite a few of the old ones from the 60s and 80s, most of which were the fourth doctor. In bluetooth settings my phone is called The Oncoming Storm in reference to what the Daleks call the Doctor. My phone’s hotspot it titled: Reference Doctor Who For Pass and the password is yet another doctor who reference. I love jelly babies and I will drop a doctor who reference into the conversation at every opportunity. I have taken a photo in front of the Tardis at Earl’s Court Road in London. I have an 11th Doctor notebook and a notebook which is the Tardis. My phone case is also the Tardis.

5: Animals. Reptiles and especially snakes in particular, though I adore cats and rabbits and birds and other such cute animals as well. I’ve loved all things reptiles for months now, since I believe early November. It began when I found this video by Snake Discovery on YouTube. Great channel, highly recommended. After I watched that I looked through their videos and discovered I believe this video of baby Western Hognose snakes hatching. I instantly fell in love. I stopped watching their videos for a while before re-discovering their channel in November, when I fell in love with reptiles all over again. It has now become my biggest life goal to own a hognose snake (as well as wanting to own about 23 other species of reptiles and amphibians at some point in my life, some to a higher degree than others).

4: Watching TV with my parents. Whenever a new series of Doctor Who is airing, get together in front of the telly to watch it. Recently, my dad dug up a few Beatles DVDs and I spent an evening watching Eight Days A Week: The Touring Years with him.

3:  Merlin. More specifically, the fandom. I love looking at gifsets or fan art or fic recs on here. I’ve been watching the show for almost a year now and have technically been in the fandom for longer since I started watching videos of clips from the show on this YouTube channel. I’ve been trapped on Tumblr ever since. Send help. If I have counted correctly, I am on my 4th rewatch of the show. I am in the process of writing a Magic Reveal AU fanfic. I have also tried and failed several times to draw Merlin. I am following every Merlin blog I have found and am subbed to r/merlinbbc and r/bbcmerlinmemes on reddit. I have a sideblog dedicated to All Things Merlinᵀᴹ. Also Colin and Bradley are very wholesome and I love them both.

2: The Beatles. I’ve only been listening to the Beatles’ music for a few months, but I think it’s safe to say that they are my favourite musicians ever. In fact, I’m listening to them right now. There are so many songs that I just really vibe with like I’m Looking Through you or All My Loving or She Loves you or I’m Happy Just To Dance With you or Eight Days A Week, or my personal favourite: Here Comes The Sun, and these are just a few. There’s so many I can’t even name them all. On top of that, interviews with them or little clips of them together are always so much fun to watch because they always have little jokes to make the interviewer laugh and you can tell from the way that they interact in videos that they were such good friends. Also they’re cute so there’s that too. Anyway that’s enough gushing about the Beatles. Moving on.

1: My favourite thing is just to talk to my friends, because I’m lucky enough to have a relatively large group of friends, especially for being the socially awkward teenager that I am. And all of my friends are so nice and they’re always making me laugh or telling me some interesting fact or sharing their interests with me and they’re just overall fun to be around. Once quarantine is over I’m really looking forward to seeing them in person again.

#lovelylenny #ask #ask response #ask game #my ramblings #mine

[flying-elliska]

evening stars - Elu drabble

For the ask “ Could you pretty please write something where eliott has a tough day at work and lucas takes care of him? Like basically makes a burrito eliott and feeds him lots of nice food, cuddles him and tells him how much he loves him and how proud he is? “

VENDREDI 20:49

Eliott’s had mostly good days ever since he started his job. He thought he would be overwhelmed, juggling all the change in his life - the newness of university, and now this job, not to mention more perpetual challenges like his mental health, without sacrificing his friendships or most importantly, his relationship. Also, to be quite honest - he loves movies, but it was everything else he was unsure about being able to deal with, like the clients or the administrative aspects.

A lot of his anxieties have revealed themselves to be unfounded. A lot of that is due to his boss, David, being chill personnified. He is pretty easy going when it comes to organization or timing. He hired Eliott because he recognized the same passion in him that he had himself, despite his lack of experience. According to him, there are very few stores of this type left, with how everything moved online. So people who come here aren’t here to just get a movie and leave, often they want the human part of it, they want to be recommended stuff and they want to talk to people who talk, breathe and live movies. Which Eliott totally recognizes himself in. He lucked out, really, and it’s already happened two times that they closed up late because they had gotten involved in a really passionate discussion about visual storytelling or old Japanese movies.

But of course, it can’t all be sunny days. One of the big lessons life seems to want to impart to him.

He was already stressed up about today before it started : David had to leave for the afternoon and left him alone in the store for the first time. At breakfast, he had been snappy for no reason to Lucas and Lucas had been even worse ; in fact he had been grumpy all week, convinced he had flunked his last math exam. So they’d started the day in a very much less than ideal state, even if they had made up and apologized by text later. Then he had had a weird rush in early afternoon that had left him frazzled. Followed by an asshole who had been very insistant on his opinion on Lars von Trier movies, and when he’d ventured the idea that maybe all the brutalized naked women thing was maybe a little misogynistic, the man had reacted almost violently, drilling Eliott about a lot of obscure movie details before declaring him a fake, throwing out some vaguely homophobic insults about ‘political correctness’, and leaving. To crown it all, Eliott had messed up a pile of old DVDs David had been cataloguing, and had to figure out if he had lost one of them or if it had been stolen. And on top of that - he still hasn’t started the essay he needs to turn in on Monday.

In short, it had been an avalanche of little crappy things, and it had pushed him from feeling cranky into feeling completely miserable. It’s moments like these that leave him feeling so embarassed at his lack of capacity to cope with little setbacks. Intellectually he knows that it’s not the end of the world. But his brain is already making up all sorts of vicious scenarios about how David is going to fire him, how he’s never going to be able to keep a job, or talk to people properly, or finish university, how he is a fraud that doesn’t really know movies and his opinions are all childish and pathetic, how Lucas is going to leave him and he is going to end up living under a bridge. He’s completely spiraling so when he gets out of the metro to walk to their appartment, he sends a short text to Lucas to warn him, something like fuck life sucks then today then bad mood i’m sorry. So maybe Lucas knows how to avoid him if he doesn’t feel like dealing with his shit tonight.

He climbs the stairs in their elevator-less building to the fourth floor feeling heavier than ever, thinking of just plopping into bed clothes with the hope his misery somehow would evaporate during the night.

However, when he opens the door, Lucas is waiting for him. In their little entrance, leaning against the wall.

He just says, “Hey,” before Eliott drops his bag on the ground and rushes into his arms. Lucas gets on his tiptoes and wraps himself around him as best he can.

“I’m so sorry.” he whispers into his boyfriend’s neck.

“What for ?”

“I don’t know...I had such a bad day, I feel like a fucking failure...totally horrible and like it’s contagious.”

“Yeah that’s so weird I’ve never heard of a job sucking before.”

Suddenly, Eliott feels like he wants to cry. He doesn’t know why he is like this, it’s ridiculous, and he wants to disentangle himself and disappear, but Lucas doesn’t let him. Instead he kisses him, mouth and then cheeks, and then takes him by the hand and leads him to their couch.

It’s the biggest item in their living room, a gift from Eliott’s parents and the most comfortable item of furniture he’s ever known. Sitting down on it automatically makes it difficult to get up again, and it’s perfect for when their friends come over to play video games. In this very moment, however, it feels like a beacon of safety to Eliott.

Lucas pushes him into the couch.

“Okay, how about you just stay there this evening, okay ? And let me take care of you. You don’t have to do anything.”

“Lucas...I have stuff to do, don’t you ?”

“Yes, right now, you have to commune with the couch. Be at one with the couch. Be the couch.” He says stubbornly before going to their room. Then he comes back - with a mountain of pillows and their bedcovers, as well as their pijamas, the matching ones with little dots. When they’ve changed clothes, he then starts wrapping Eliott in them until he looks like a burrito, and buries him in pillows, just his head peeking out. Eliott feels a little ridiculous, and like he can’t move, but mostly he feels warm, and held. When Lucas disappears again and comes back with the hot water bottle, he can’t help but laugh a little.

“I’m not sick, you know.”

“Yeah, I know, I just like having an excuse to do this.” He puts the thing next to Eliott’s feet, then dims the light. “How about we play a game. The outside world is cancelled. We’re going to order some food, and then watch a movie, or whatever we want, and talk, and I’m going to kiss you, and then...just whatever we want for as long as we want, okay ?”

Eliott squints at him from beneath pillows.

“Isn’t that like always ?”

“Yes but tonight we are doing it extremely on purpose.”

Lucas orders for them - their favorite comfort food, from the italian place nearby, lasagna and ravioli with cannoli for dessert, feeding each other bits of their respective dishes. Eliott tells Lucas all about his asshole customer, and delights in the creativity of Lucas’s insults.They watch one of Eliott’s favorite Ghibli movie, Kiki’s Delivery Service, after which Eliott sighs about wanting to run away and leave in the forest to paint. Lucas says he’ll just have to become a lumberjack, then, which is definitely not the Ghibli vibe, but he can’t help but think his boyfriend would look good in plaid.

After that, they turn all the lights except one - Lucas’s new galaxy lamp, which projects scattered little dots of light all over their walls and ceiling - and just sit. Eliott’s found his place sitting between Lucas’s legs, all envelopped and warm, and all his sorrows feel a lot more distant. He still feels...harried, and extremely tired, but the tension has drained away. That’s often how he feels around Lucas nowadays. The exciting newness of their relationship has faded a bit, but it’s been replaced by a deep sense of comfort and home that being together brings them. Eliott still can’t believe it, some days, that this is his life, that he gets to have this.

Lucas bends forward a little, and starts kissing him - on his forehead, cheeks, lips, so haphazardly it makes Eliott giggle a little. Then he brings Eliott’s hand to his mouth, and his forearm, and Eliott gets it - he’s trying to catch the stars with his mouth, kissing everywhere a little pinprick of light touches Eliott’s skin. He shivers. His boyfriend is so sneakily romantic when he really wants to be, it keeps surprising him.

“It’s the world that should be sorry for making you feel bad.” Lucas whispers in his ear. Kisses him again. “I’m so proud of how you’re handling all of this.” Another kiss, a little more heated the last. “They’re lucky to have you. That moron will feel so stupid when you’re a famous movie director.” He nuzzles into Eliott’s neck and sighs. 

Look, Eliott know it’s important for him to take charge of his emotions and work on his mental health, and all that. But god, it feels so good to have someone who is just wholly, entirely on his side. With whom he can be as soft or as wild as he needs, and never makes him feel like a burden. 

His lucky guiding star really came through for him, huh. 

He turns around and kisses his boyfriend - he’ll never get tired of thinking about him his way, his boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend - and they melt into each other, whispering sweet nothings  until they drift off into sleep, and misery is but a distant memory.

#skam france #elu drabble #my fic #am i taking prompts now lmao i guess i am

[its-norea-wong]

Yall don know crap about me so here:

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? More cereal than milk. I don like to have a bowl full of milk after.

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a winter-y day? Yes.

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? Random pieces of old sketch paper I have lying around everywhere.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea? I drink green tea as is. I’ll have that or cocoa, with milk and sprinkles.

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? Yes, I don smile often.

6: do you keep plants? Yes, I have a small sunflower in my window.

7: do you name your plants? Yes, her name is Vivi. Don fuking judge me.

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? I use oil paints.

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? Yeah, I hum to the music I play when I draw, sketch and/or paint.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? Sleep? Hah, I don’t, but If I take my sleeping pills like I’m suppose to, usually on my side.

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? Er allein, dem die Jugend gehört, gewinnt die Zukunft.  

12: what’s your favorite planet? Saturn.

13: what’s something that made you smile today? Watching Shiloh trip and fall.

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? I’m not going to live in the city once I finish school.

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! It would take nine years to walk to the moon.

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? Ramen.

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? I want to get rid of the blonde patch at my routes.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.  When I learnt German only to give our Jewish history teacher wwII flash backs. Nate was mad. I didn’t care.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? Yes and just small outfit ideas.

20: what’s your favorite eye color? Blue, purple or orange. Why? Idfk.

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. My hello kitty little backpack that I brought with me from japan, I now use it as a purse when I go shopping. It confuses people.

22: are you a morning person? hell. no.

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? Lay in bed till 4 pm.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? Fuck no.

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? The boy’s dorm room.

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? My black and pastel coloured converse.

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? bubblegum.

28: sunrise or sunset? sunrise. I’m not a morning person but it looks nice.

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? no.

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? yes, when? I wont tell, unless asked.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. They’re okay ig, yes?, no, no, and no thanks.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. I can’t really hang out with friends at 3 AM.

33: what’s your fave pastry? dessert mochii.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? It’s name is Kuma. It’s a brown fluffy bear. yes i do.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? not anymore, I used to write to my mom while I was at school.

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? Bo burnham. That’s it.

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? Clean.

38: tell us about your pet peeves! JB. just JB hitting on. every. single. guy. That or Shiloh. Just Shiloh being Shiloh. Also Bae thinking he’s better than everyone else.

39: what color do you wear the most? Black.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? I own a small necklace with purple beads. It has meaning to me I guess.

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?  The One Safe Place.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! No.

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? JB. 

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? When I was 11.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? Yeah.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. uhhhhh. To the guy who invented zero, thanks for nothing.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? Store bought ramen. It’s so gross.

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? Thunder and Lightning, and yes.

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? The last CD I bought? Beetlejuice the musical.

50: what’s an odd thing you collect? Knifes. Pencils.

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? uhh. Jeremy with sad song by scotty sire.

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? Ugandan knuckles, i know its dead but it’s still my favorite.

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? i love beetlejuice.

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? idfk.

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? I climbed up a shelf at the library to prove that I could be tall.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? no.

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? im not answering this one.

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? uhh idk.

59: what’s your favorite myth? Any Japanese urban legend.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? uhh. no.

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? I once gave away some floppy hat that my step dad gave me.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? Yes, pineapple.

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? Yes. I make sure they’re organized on genre and then in the genre it’s alphabetized.

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? blue.

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? My mom, but in order to do that, i’d have to die. :)

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? Pink daises and sunflowers, small ones, plus some bits of lavender.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? Happy, it’s nice.

68: what’s winter like where you live? no snow, it’s like 60 degrees.

69: what are your favorite board games? idk.

70: have you ever used a ouija board? ya.

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? green.

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? No, i have an okay memory.

73: what are some of your worst habits? I bounce my leg around whenever i’m not moving, that or I flick my pencil around.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. big ass hole.

75: tell us about your pets! I only have one and she’s a blind kitty. She’s white with spots and has a fluffy tail.

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? My homework.

77: pink or yellow lemonade? pink.

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? uhh i really don’t care

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? I was given a flower by some girl during lunch, i never got her name though.

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? white, i didn’t get to choose cus I live in a dorm room.

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. northern star.

82: are/were you good in school? ya i am.

83: what’s some of your favorite album art? idk.

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? no.

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? Ya i guess, and deadpool.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? no. not really.

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? my neighbor totoro, kikis delivery service.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? not really.

89: are you close to your parents? I was close with my mom.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. tokyo. i don’t have to explain.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? no where.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? i don’t put cheese on my pasta.

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? Shaved under my lil floof bangs.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?  Jeremy.

95: what are your plans for this weekend?  Draw.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? I update immediately.

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? INTJ - The Mastermind, libra, and huffle puff.

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? idk and no.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. no.

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? 5 years into the past, and for reasons.

#norea wong #about me #ya'll don't know shit #so here we are #idk lmao

[mimzy-writing-online]

I'm incredibly sorry for this ask , but I'd like the opinion of different writers. I have this story I have finished. It's has been re-read, edited, polished. It's technically done. The story is consistent, the pacing is okay. But what I don't like is how the characters are portrayed. They lack life, and I think it may be because during the years I improved my writing, and now I'm sure I'd be able to do better. What would you do? Would you rewrite the story from scratch? Thanks in advance.

First, no worries about asking for advice. That’s legit what I’m here for. And having been in the same position you are now, (twice) I know how impossible it feels.

Off the bat, advice I would recommend: 

Beta Reading: Get some fresh eyes to look at it, ideally someone who 1) reads books in that genre and that age range, and 2) has no obligation to worry about your feelings.

Thoroughly consider why you want to rewrite it: make an actual pros and cons list. It sounds silly, but it helps because you realize what decision you’re arguing for, what your instinct says.

Give yourself a shot at attempting a rewrite. Give yourself a set time limit to try it out. Your current book isn’t going anywhere and publishing takes forever anyway, so what’s another month or another three months?

At the end of this trial run you can ask yourself: Did a rewrite make it better? Do the characters and their world feel more alive? Even if it looks like a mess, given more time to finish and edit, would it look better than the original?

If you find you like the characters better, if you feel like you know them better, then you can consider going through the book and highlighting where they feel out of character compared to your new understanding of the characters

Watch Whispers of the Heart. I mean it! It’s a Studio Ghibli movie, and I swear to god it will inspire you and make this decision a little easier. The whole movie is about developing your creative craft. Its overall analogy is that of a geode. Your craft looks rough and sloppy on the outside, but with time, practice, and love you’ll find the beauty hidden underneath and make it shine. Amazing movie, it will change how you think about writing.

Now, finally, ask yourself: Is this the story I want to debut with? Is this the story I want to begin my writing career with?

This will be when you make your decision.

That’s the most objective advice I can give you. Since you’re asking a lot of writers for their stance, you’ll probably have a few different opinions, but I think running through this troubleshoot method will give you a chance to see for yourself.

My biased opinion?

It comes from my own experience with A Witch’s Memory. 

This is about to be a very long story, fair warning, but it’s my entire thought process over 7-8 years of working on and off with the same project. A big part of the reason why I’m going in depth about the experience is because I keep going back to what you said:

“I think it may be because during the years I improved my writing, and now I'm sure I'd be able to do better. What would you do?”

The same thing happened to be. I started the series when I was much younger, but in the 7.5 years since then I’ve changed a lot as both a person (not adult/not teenager) and as a writer (who’s had several projects since then). I’m gonna walk you through 7.5 years of personal development and how it affected the project.

I joke that A Witch’s Memory has three universes, and those universes are all different rewrites. I first started the series I was seventeen. I finished the rough drafts of three books in the series and got down to full on editing the first book after I graduated high school. Within a year I had a finished novel that wasn’t necessarily polished (not by my standards today) but at the time I was ready to move forward and publish. I sent query letters out to lit agents but didn’t get any bites back. I didn’t get to work at it for long due to health issues, my whole body kind of just crashed so for six months I was too sick to do much of anything, let alone stress myself out over query letters. I started community college the next semester and got more involved in school than in writing.

17 when I started, 18 when I started editing, 19 when I queried and got sick, almost turning 20 when I started college.

I put the book on hold for another year and focused on school. During that time I had a lot of personal development as a person. I got more experience being myself, being an adult who can make decisions for themself.

And I realized that at age 19 I’d developed a lot of insecurities about my book.

In my case, it was the world building. I love my characters, and at their heart they’re still the same, albeit a bit more realistic. I re-examined what about the world building I didn’t like.

It felt too much like Twilight to start, with the way vampires and werewolves were supposed to hate each other, and witches and fairies hated each other, because that just made sense to a 17 year old who had never read paranormal before Twilight changed the direction of the genre.

I didn’t like magic being a secret that no human could know about, so I changed that. I didn’t like my character’s backstories too much, so I tweaked that too. For the best.

At age 20/21 (it was right around my birthday) I rewrote the entire first book. After finishing the rough draft I looked at editing it, looked at starting the rough draft of the second book, and I realized I didn’t like this version either.

So I put it on hold for anther two years. I worked on two different projects, experimented with writing style, got to know myself as a person better.

At 23 I reexamined what I didn’t like about “Universe 2″ and I realized-

I wasn’t comfortable with the way the book was written now. Too many main characters meant to many pov changes and too many personal plot lines to plan. I could see from the beginning how much I favored Anna and Ulric and Felix over my other main characters, so I cut my cast of six main characters down to three, focusing on my favorites. I also saw that the setting wasn’t working for me and it would be a lot less stress for me to chance the setting to somewhere I was more familiar with, setting it mostly in America instead of the U.K.

And I decided to stop worrying about what my past beta readers would think if the book didn’t look the same in “Universe 3″ and to just run with my heart.

(For any wondering, the beta reader in question is my mum, who has been the biggest supporter of my writing since I was 14 and believed I would be published even when I was ready to give up writing and work at a different career. She’s very attached to “Universe 1″ but it’s not where I want to go, and I know she’ll love this new direction when she reads it)

I started the rough draft for Universe 3 in January of 2019 (almost a year ago to the day I’m writing this). I did it on a whim. I had a dream of Anna and Ulric flying to safety from a villain on a broomstick and I asked myself why witches never had broomsticks in my old world, and I was like “why not, let’s add it”

And I just messed with world building. I aimed it for a more whimsical feel than my older angsty versions. I’m gonna blame all the Studio Ghibli movies I saw that year. Some of my local theatres have been doing special weekends where they show the movies, and I’ve gone to see four in the last year or so. I saw Kiki’s Delivery Service a few months earlier with my best friend (A) and then a month after starting the new draft I saw Howls Moving Castle and Spirited Away (same week, I think, all in theatre) and then as I was finishing the rough draft I saw Whispers of the Heart for the first time.

(this was the moment I realized that specific movie would help A LOT on this decision making process, so I included it above)

Anyway, I just gave myself permission to go in a completely different direction with my book.

I should note, that at 23 I had been visually impaired/blind for some 3 years, although it wasn’t medically official until I was 22. I’d also fallen in love for the first time and broken my own heart. I’d also spent the last two years struggling with gender and sexual identity and really starting to understand that part of myself. 

So in general, the whole experience with those last two years of my life really changed the direction I took the book. 

I focused more on internal struggle as well as the outside “main bad guy” I’d always been planning to work with. It 

I kept the heart of my characters the same. Anna is still the kindest person you’ll ever meet, as well as sarcastic and brilliant and studious. Ulric is an anxious mess who is crazy loyal to his friends and who wants to gain his own independence. Felix is still a brat, but a loving one with the dryest sarcasm and a penchant for mischief.

Anna’s more cautious than her original incarnation. Ulric wasn’t disabled in previous versions (but at 23 I was disabled and I wanted to write a blind character, but I didn’t want blindness to be their only trait, so I took my most developed character and made him blind). Some of the characters are POC instead of white, I let myself have multiple LGBTQ characters (because 17 year old me thought the token queer was the norm because I only had one queer friend before that and we weren’t that close) and I changed some origin stories. It’s much better for that.

Growing up taught me how to put more life in my books, how to write more realistically less melodramatically, and what it feels like to have friends. Seventeen year old me didn’t have many friends in life, but 24 year old me has some wonderful friends.

Summary in Short?? (can I even do that?)

This advice post is getting long and I’m feeling bad, so okay, here I am: I’m almost 25 (in March). 17 and 23 year old me were very different people with different priorities and different levels of experience. And if I had to choose which book I would go with? 

I’d stay with Universe 3 (and Universe 1 will just be a thing my mum and I know and keep to ourselves, mostly)

I’m nearly done with the 1st edit. I still have days of self doubt, but they’re nothing like what I had years ago. I’m closer to publishing than I was before, mostly because I have a solid plan now and I’ll be self-publishing, allowing me to publish on my own.

In my case, rewriting was the best decision I could have made. I’m not everyone else though, nor am I you. You know yourself and your story better than anyone, and I know you are the most qualified person to make that decision. I have confidence in your ability.

#writing community #writeblr #writing advice #writing tips #anon #ask #Mimzy answers an ask #dear god I hope this helped #Anonymous

[howdoyousayghibli]

Howl’s Moving Castle Shines Technically, But Strains Against Ghibli’s Narrative Style

To my knowledge, Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) was Studio Ghibli’s first time adapting an existing book into a movie. For those unfamiliar, the film is based on a novel of the same name by the inimitable Diana Wynne Jones. If you haven’t read any of her books, what are you even doing reading my dumb blog?? Go read The Dark Lord of Derkholm right now. I’ll wait. The summary doesn’t do it justice, just read it. 

Anyway, Howl’s Moving Castle (the novel) is excellent as well, although I have to admit I haven’t read it in at least a decade. For those of you who have read the novel, it’s best to know going in that the film is a very loose adaptation. For those of you who haven’t read it, the movie tells the story of Sophie, a young, timid hatmaker who happens to run afoul of a very powerful witch. Sophie is cursed with immediate old age, and it seems her only hope of breaking the curse lies with the powerful, enigmatic, and extremely vain Wizard Howl — and his captive fire demon, Calcifer.

Howl’s Moving Castle is, of course, beautiful. The vaguely European landscapes from Kiki’s Delivery Service are back and more beautiful than ever, and it seems that by 2005 Studio Ghibli has finally nailed down the integration of CGI with their more traditional animation. The titular castle is a technical achievement, and a certain flashback sequence is particularly stunning. Also making a return is delicious Ghibli food — don’t even think about watching the breakfast scene if you don’t have bacon and eggs in your fridge right this second. (Also don’t think about how long Howl’s bacon had been sitting out.) Based solely on the animation, I would say that this was Studio Ghibli’s greatest work yet — an extremely high bar. 

The casting also deserves attention. Possibly spurred on by Spirited Away’s Oscar win, Howl’s Moving Castle secured some big names for its English dub — principally, Christain Bale as Howl and Billy Crystal as Calcifer. At first, Bale’s gravelly tones sound a bit odd coming from the somewhat foppish Howl, but his performance grows more natural as we see more of Howl. If you were feeling charitable, you could even posit that this was intentional, reflecting the way Howl puts on less of a facade as he gets closer to Sophie.

In contrast, Billy Crystal’s Calcifer is an immediate success. Crystal easily manages the fast-talking fire demon’s habit of switching from sassy confidence to pitiful pleading, proving more than a match for the delightful character design and animation. 

The rest of the cast is less famous (to me, at least) but no less capable; a pre-Peeta Melark Josh Hutcherson voices Howl’s adorable young apprentice, and acclaimed Golden Age actress Lauren Bacall brings gooey disdain to fantastically animated Witch of the Wastes. Sophie’s voice acting is divided between Emily Mortimer (young Sophie) and Jean Simmons (old Sophie) (that’s Jean, not Gene). As with Howl, young Sophie’s voice is a little stilted at first, but quickly grows more comfortable — and both actresses do an admirable job of selling themselves as older and younger versions of the same character. 

So, the casting is great, and the animation and character design are great. What about the story? Let’s ease in to that one.

If you know me, you probably know that I’m a big fan of Brandon Sanderson’s novels. I used to think that a Ghibli adaptation of Mistborn or The Way of Kings would be the best-case scenario. While I’m sure it would produce some stunning imagery, I’ve realized that I don’t actually think they would be a good fit for each other.

Where Brandon Sanderson excels at build-up and payoff, Studio Ghibli is generally uninterested in that specific kind of Hollywood-style catharsis. The mysteries in Howl’s Moving Castle aren’t tied up in neat bows, the villains don’t get satisfying take-downs, and some questions are left unanswered. This can be frustrating, but it also is what makes so many of Studio Ghibli’s movies stick with you after you watch them. 

Now, this style works better in some circumstances than in others; for example, the ambiguity of Princess Mononoke is essential to the film, and it would be lesser without it. In Howl’s Moving Castle, the subversion of our expectations is most effective when it comes to the Witch of the Wilds. The ending of her story isn’t what we expect, or indeed, what we want. It left me frustrated at first, but the more I thought about it — well, the more I thought about it. Why did the characters treat her that way, and why did it bother me so much? I still haven’t come to an answer, but that’s exactly the point: it’s about the thinking, not the conclusion. 

This kind of non-payoff is less effective, however, in the case of this movie’s capital-m Mystery: what is the nature of Calcifer and Howl’s bond? We are told that this is the crux of removing Sophie’s curse, setting it up as the central plot point aside from Howl and Sophie’s relationship. The issue isn’t necessarily that we don’t get answers — we do, they just don’t feel particularly consequential when they come. It’s the same kind of subversion as the Witch of the Waste’s story, except it doesn’t feel like it serves a purpose. For more detail on this, catch me in the Spoiler Zone.

Howl’s Moving Castle is an extraordinary work of animation, pushed even higher by an excellent cast. Even if the movie stumbles a bit with the denouement, it’s well worth watching — you’d be hard-pressed to find another movie with this much … heart. 

Up Next: Tales of Earthsea, another adaptation of a book I read over a decade ago. I don’t know much about the movie, but the whispers I’ve heard haven’t been particularly encouraging. Let’s hope they’re wrong!

Alternate Titles:

Howl’s Computer-Generated Castle

The Curious Case That’s Cute as a Button

~SPOILER ZONE~

Okay, so: Howl gave Calcifer his heart! Wow! Now, if only that had … any consequences. At all. 

I hear you already — “Howl not having a heart is the reason he acts the way he does!” Sure, but then why is he already changing his ways before Sophie puts his heart back inside him? Maybe there’s more to this that I could pick up on watching it a second or third time, but as it stands right now, it just fell a bit flat. 

The other thing that fell flat: Turnip Head’s surprise ending. For a mute scarecrow, he’s incredibly endearing throughout the movie — which goes to show just how talented Studio Ghibli is — but then is turned back into a prince who gets about 3 seconds of screentime before the credits roll. It only adds insult to injury that the movie uses those three seconds to have him resolve the Big War, just like that. 

Put together, the way these two threads were wrapped up feels like when a TV show is cancelled and the writers suddenly have to finish the show three seasons ahead of schedule. This is even more exasperating when you take into account that Howl’s Moving Castle is two hours long; there’s no reason the ending had to feel so rushed.

#howl's moving castle #hauru no ugoku shiro #ghibli #studio ghibli #ghibli movie

[faneliacosplay]

Top 10 of 2018

C2018 was a year is this nicest way I can sum it up. My precious fur-baby passed away after fighting a horrible illness and is in a happier place, my health went crazy (still is as of writing), and I finally broke free from an abusive toxic person who had been controlling me for a huge chunk of my life. Despite the bad things that happened, I want to focus on the good things of 2018. One of things I began doing in January of 2018 was at the end of every week, I would write down all of the good things that happened to me, be it sewing, watched a good movie, spending time with a friend, etc. So without further ado, here’s my Top 10 of 2018! (I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S ALREADY MARCH!!)

1. The Ancient Magus’ Bride

-      I’ve been a lifelong fan of Beauty and the Beast-like stories ever since I watched the classic Disney film. The manga kept popping up in my recommendations for the majority of 2017 and I remember seeing a poster at my local theater for a premiere showing of the first 3 episodes of the then-upcoming anime (I have since regretted not going to this showing). I finally caved and bought the first two volumes of the manga and literally went back to the store two days later and bought the next 2 volumes. I’ve always been a very picky person with my romance be it movie, novel, anime, manga, etc., but this quickly became one of my favorites with it’s excellent world-building, relationships, and don’t even get me started on how gorgeous the animation is! If you want an excellent Beauty & the Beast adaptation, you won’t be disappointed. (I am unashamed of crying happy tears in public while watching the final episode)

2. Satoshi Kon’s Filmography

-      My New Year’s resolution was to watch all of the late Satoshi Kon’s works, starting with his debut film Perfect Blue. I had wanted to watch this film for several years, and it did not disappoint. (I kept spamming for people to go and see it when it got a theatrical re-release in Fall 2018) Next was Kon’s final project Paprika, which I watched about 3 times in May and many times over 2018 and still notice something new every time I watch it. Finally, I watched *the* film that I have wanted to watch for many, many years (since 2004 to be exact): Millennium Actress. I was not prepared for how moving this film would be with its themes of the past vs. present, how an ordinary encounter can lead to something so much more, and lastly: love transcends time. If you could only watch one of Satoshi Kon’s works, please choose to watch Millennium Actress. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch Kon’s other two works, but I aim to in 2019 (along with reading his works)

3. Slayers

-      I watched some of Slayers back in middle school and in summer 2016, but never took off with it until in 2018. I knew I would like this funny series about the adventures of a fiery sorceress, dumb as a stump swordsman, optimistic hero-in-training, and an overly-serious chimera, but I had no idea it would become one of my top 10 favorite anime series! I haven’t laughed so much with an anime in a while, and I greatly appreciated it since my fur-baby passed away and this was one of the last anime we watched together. There’s just something about 90s fantasy anime that’s just so appealing. I will throw in that while I love the tv series, the films are worth watching too, with The Motion Picture being my favorite. If you need something to cheer you up, I highly recommend Slayers!

4. Venom

-      Confession: I did not have high hopes for this movie. I was the only one among my friends who was uninterested in this film whenever we would watch the trailers/promos/etc. Eventually after this movie came out, my friends and best friend convinced me to see it. My sociology buddy told me “This movie wasn’t marketed right! Go see it!!” and another told me “This is the best action rom-com of 2018.” The next day my family asked me if I wanted to see it and Bohemian Rhapsody (also an excellent film) and I said “Sure!” This film has since spawned never-ending jokes between me and my best friend. (I ended up making her a Venom scarf for Christmas!) If you’re trying to get someone to see this film, don’t show them the trailers depicting it as a dark, gritty, action thriller, show them the home video trailer depicting it as a rom-com because that’s exactly what it is. I still can’t believe that a movie about a human falling in love with a man-eating gooey alien is real.

5. The Shape of Water

-      “2017 will be remembered as the year men screwed up so badly, women started dating fish.”- Jimmy Kimmel, 2018 Oscars. I’m beginning to see a pattern for stories of humans falling in love with monsters. My mom and I wanted to see this film after the trailer dropped in summer 2017 and were disappointed when the film didn’t play here. However, sometime in February 2018, this film played in our town for one weekend, so we dashed to the theater. I don’t even know where to start with how beautiful this film is and since several people I know still haven’t watched it I’ll just state this: Please watch this film. It earned the 4 Oscars it won. (It earned all 10 it was nominated for!)

6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

-      I almost didn’t see this film. 2018 was a pretty hectic year for me and I didn’t really keep up with films/entertainment news, so I saw no trailers for this film (except for a really short tv ad). All I knew was what my best friend had said: “Brianna, let’s go see Spider-verse. In 3D.” (y’all, 2018 was the year of listening to my best friend) It was so nice not only to see a different Spider-Man, a diverse cast, a well-curated soundtrack, and a completely new style of animation that makes you feel as though you’re reading/watching a comic book??? Sign me up! I’m so happy this film won the Oscar!!

7. Macross Frontier Movies

-      I’ve fallen deep into the Macross hole in the past year or two and have no plans of crawling out. The 2008 series Macross Frontier was my first and favorite entry in the series so far. I knew that there were two recap/alternate retelling films made, so when I was free one day I watched them and I was really surprised that I enjoyed them more than the tv series!? I haven’t really mentioned this, but my big problem with the tv series of Frontier was it’s ending being not too good. I don’t want to ruin it since Macross (particularly made after 2001) is a bit unknown in the USA, but I will say that if you want to get into this franchise, start with the Frontier movies or with the iconic Macross: Do you remember love? film. The music is just as good as the tv series, same with the costumes, and the writing is much better! The performance of Northern Cross at the climax of The Wings of Goodbye was really moving. Not “Do you remember love?” moving, but pretty close.

8. Sailor Moon Theatrical Double-Feature

-      Everyone who knows me knows that I’ve loved Sailor Moon for pretty much all of my life (ever since the 3rd & 4th seasons aired on Toonami back in the day!) A holiday tradition for me was to watch the 2nd theatrical every Christmas Eve, unfortunately my two VHS tapes finally gave out in 2016. Thanks to Viz Media, this past summer saw theatrical re-releases of all 3 Sailor Moon films. Shockingly, my local theater was showing the films subbed so my mom and I bought our tickets right away. It was so surreal seeing these films that I grew up with on the big screen, and I know non-Sailor Moon fans won’t get this, but hearing/watching the whole “Moon Revenge” sequence in the theater was so intense. This part never got to me as a kid for some weird reason and I had no idea I was crying until my mom pointed it out at the end of the film. With the 2nd film, seeing Luna transform into a human was emotionally moving as always, just 10 times more since it was on the big screen with that nice surround sound system. That night when I got home, I didn’t get any sleep since I still couldn’t believe that this happened. The now 20+ years old Sailor Moon movies got released for the first time in USA theaters. This is an experience I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.

9. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc

-      I was so excited when a sequel to Cardcaptor Sakura was announced. Like Sailor Moon, I watched this series as the heavily-edited Cardcaptors on Toonami. When I got older and learned that there was more anime out there besides the ones I saw on TV, I went back and watched Cardcaptor Sakura to get the whole, magical story and even read the manga, which I believe is the greatest children’s manga ever made. I loved every single moment of the new series and felt as though I were watching another episode of the classic series. The only thing that felt different was that the animation is no longer hand-drawn. (it’s still good) When you reboot or make a sequel to a series be it tv, film, or book, sometimes it’ll miss the charm that made it so enjoyable in the first place. Clear Card thankfully still carries the charm its predecessor had.

10. Little Witch Academia

-      I had started this anime around holiday 2017 but didn’t finish it until early 2018. This was one of the most optimistic series I’d ever had the pleasure of watching. I don’t want to compare the two, but the inspirational message that Kiki’s Delivery Service gave me when I was 10, was the exact inspirational message you will find in Little Witch Academia. (and that I needed to hear as a 20-year-old) I was starting to get a bit depressed and losing confidence in myself with my science grades getting lower no matter what I tried, as well as other things in my personal life. After dropping Science, I had a long wait between classes, so I decided to start watching Little Witch Academia again. Seeing our protagonist Akko trying her best at flying a broom and failing was me with my science grades, but her determination to get her broom just a few centimeters off the ground was so inspiring to watch. After this I watched the other Studio Trigger works I had yet to see, and while they’re all good in their own way, none of them have left the imprint LWA left on me. Sometimes when I get frustrated or lack confidence in myself, I tell myself Shiny Chariot’s words of wisdom that motivated Akko throughout the series: “Never forget your beautiful dreams. Believing is your magic!!”

#2018 #2018 in review #The Ancient Magus Bride #millennium actress #satoshi kon #slayers anime #lina inverse #venom #the shape of water #into the spider verse #macross frontier #sailor moon #cardcaptor sakura clear card #clear card arc #little witch academia #brianna talks #slayers

[sweetheartjeongguk]

twitchy witchy girl

pairing: jimin x reader

genre: kiki’s delivery service au, fluff, minor angst

rating: pg

warning(s): oc is mean to jimin but makes up for it in the end, slight public humiliation

word count: 3.3k+

summary: maybe human boys aren’t so bad after all. 

a/n: here’s a late birthday gift to the loml park jimin 

masterlist | studio ghibli masterlist

“He’s here to see you again.”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Honey, stop slamming your head against the counter. You’re going to give yourself a concussion.”

“Sounds like a fun way to go.”

“He’s been waiting outside for quite some time.” The older woman hums, one hand on her pregnant belly and the other resting on top of your shoulder.

When you first arrived in the new beachside town, you had high hopes of being incredibly popular and staying in a fabulous mansion where you practically drown in luxury. Instead, you’re stuck living in a one-room apartment with your cat familiar, Mochi, and working for Lee Eunji and her husband as their very first delivery witch.    

While most of the townspeople saw witches as nothing but troublemakers, Eunji saw a new opportunity.

“Tell him I’m dead.” You rub at your forehead once the throbbing became too much.

“He said he’d buy a Ouija board.”

“Tell him I moved away.”

“He can literally see you.” Eunji scoffs, waving a hand towards the front of the store.

With a disgruntled huff, you lift your head to follow Eunji’s line of sight.

Park Jimin stands with his hands tucked in his front pockets and an exasperated look on his face. He paces in front of the doorway, muttering something to himself while glancing into the store from the corner of his eye. When he notices your staring, he skids to a stop.

To this day, you have no clue why he’s interested in you. Sure, you’re a witch who can do all types of magic and fly on a broomstick which is enough to entertain the grumpiest of fiends. But one thing’s for sure – you and Park Jimin are two different people heading down two different paths. He’s the stereotypical rich boy who’s loved and admired by all simply for breathing air. Meanwhile, you’re the scary girl who can’t hold a decent conversation with another person without them sputtering something about magic and witchcraft.

“See?” Eunji chuckles at your obvious discomfort. “Can’t back out of this one, bud. Just go see what he wants.”

“Do you think you can bail me out of jail after I charm him into a cockroach and squish him with my foot?” You lean your cheek against the crook of your elbow in thought.  

“How about…” Eunji brushes back the strands of hair that fall across your face. “…you not resort to murder and just talk to him like a normal human being?”

“You’re just saying that because you think he’s pretty. He’s cast a spell on you too.” You roll your eyes as Eunji motions for Jimin to come inside.

“You’re the only witch here, sweetheart.” Eunji winks before going to check on the freshly baked loaves of bread resting in the kitchen.  

Jimin glows brighter than usual, his swept-back blond hair hidden underneath a red beret that makes him look like a stereotypical French boy. You snort to yourself when you take in the rest of his outfit – black-and-white striped shirt tucked into slim-fitting slacks with sleek black dress shoes.

Talk about Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes.

“Why, hello there, Mr. Park! What can we do for you today?” Eunji peeps her head through the kitchen doorway.  

“Hi, Mrs. Lee.” Jimin replies smoothly, hands crossed behind his back in an innocent manner. “I was wondering if I could grab Y/N for a second.”

You could barely hold back your disgust when you notice Eunji melting under Jimin’s sweet façade. He has virtually everyone in town wrapped around his stupid chubby pinky finger, and you refuse to let yourself fall for one of his tricks. 

“Y/N’s not here right now.” You grit your teeth. “Please leave a message after the fuc—"

“Y/N! Be nice.”

You push off of the stool you were sitting in behind the counter with a grunt. Your muscles are still sore from your delivery yesterday. Thankfully, there aren’t any major deliveries that afternoon so you’re free to stuff your face with as many as chocolate pastries as your heart desires.

Jimin draws in a small breath as you approach, mentally preparing his little speech he wrote on his way to the bakery that afternoon. He starts to open his mouth but only lets out a pathetic squeak as you roughly brush past him on your way to the pastry tray on the other side of the room.  

“Y/N!” Eunji scolds before turning to Jimin with an apologetic pout. “I’m so sorry about her, she’s still trying to get used to everything.”

“Oh no, I understand!” Jimin chuckles awkwardly, a hand reaching behind to rub the back of his neck. “Anyways…Y/N, there’s s-something I wanted to ask you.”

You hum absentmindedly as you stuff a large creampuff into your mouth. You wonder if you could cast a spell to speed up his spiel so that you’ll still have time to catch the new episode of your favorite television show that’s scheduled to air in a half hour.

“My aviation club at school is hosting a party this Saturday.” Jimin announces, his voice wavering from subtle nerves. “I was wondering if you would like to come.”

You silently scold your heart for thumping a little harder than usual. Attending a party with Jimin as his…date. The word should have sent a disgusted shiver down your spine, but all you get is a flood of butterflies in your stomach.

For some reason, the thought of Jimin in a tuxedo didn’t seem so bad.

“Oh, that sounds lovely!” Eunji claps her hands excitedly. “It’ll be a great chance for you to make some friends, Y/N!”

“Oh yeah, definitely!” Jimin blurts out. “The rest of the guys are just dying to meet a witch. They’re really curious to learn more about how your broom works!”

Just like that, the mood dies. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t just die. It comes barreling towards the earth in a frenzy of fire and heat, striking the ground with tremendous force and destroying everything in its path.

He didn’t want you to go with him – he just wants to show you off like some circus act to his friends.

In that moment, you’re reminded of why you didn’t trust him. He might have Eunji and everyone else fooled, but you know better. Park Jimin’s just like everyone else, and you curse yourself for nearly falling into his trap.

Eunji watches inquisitively as you make your way towards the boy holding the invitation in both hands. There’s a tight grin that stretches across your face in a Cheshire Cat-like manner. The sight is quite unsettling to Eunji, but Jimin still beams at you as if he’s found the answers to his prayers.

“An invitation just for me?” You grab the invitation, ignoring the pleasant sensation of his soft skin brushing against yours.

“Yup! I saved one just for you.” Jimin nods excitedly.

“Oh really?”

“Yes! We’re really interested in learn—”

Rrrrip.

Jimin’s smile breaks as you tear the card in half. You barely hear Eunji gasping in the background as you shred the invitation into several jagged pieces. With a snap of your fingers, the slivers of paper burst into flames and float pathetically to the linoleum floor in a burnt crisp.

In an instant, your crazed smile transforms into a disgusted scowl. “Thanks for the invite, but I’d prefer company with people who don’t use me as their personal flying monkey.”

“Y/N!” Eunji hisses sharply.

You ignore her. “I know you think that you’re being cute and funny, but honestly, you’re just annoying and pathetic.”

Jimin stands frozen in the middle of the bakery, his bleary eyes fixated on the burnt strips scattered across the floor. Eunji rushes over from the kitchen to collect the mess with a broom and dustpan, glancing up when she notices your figure escape through the backdoor towards your living quarters.

“Jimin, I am so sorry about her.” Eunji sighs in exasperation. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

Jimin nods stiffly. “It’s n-no problem. I understand…”

Eunji opens her mouth at another attempt of a worthless apology, but Jimin’s already turning on his heel and heading out of the door, the tiniest sniffle betraying his quiet composure. Eunji watches in pity as Jimin disappears down the street with his shoulders slumped forward and his hands tucked into his front pockets once more.

He’s lucky that his route continues straight down the road. That way, Eunji doesn’t notice the tears dribbling down his cheeks reddened from embarrassment.  

Ever since you burned his invitation in his face, Eunji hasn’t spoken to you. After you escaped the bakery and hid in your room to watch tv with Mochi, she barged in with the pile of ashes in her hands. She promptly tosses the charred papers on top of your nightstand, turning on her heel with a repulsed sneer.  

“I’m disappointed in you. Honestly.”

Whether you like it or not, your chest twinges with guilt. Apart from being like a second mother to you, Eunji’s your best friend. When you faced the threat of living out on the streets with no food or money, she was the one who took you under her wing and offered you not only a job but a place to sleep and eat.  

Now, it’s as if the sight of you makes her sick to her stomach. This time, you couldn’t even blame Park Jimin for it.

“If he just left me alone like I told him millions of times before, we wouldn’t be having this issue.”

“That may be,” Mochi purrs. “But you did embarrass him by burning his invitation in his face. The very same invitation he had kept specifically for you and only you.”

“So?” You grumble. “He only invited me because he wanted me to entertain his dumb friends.”

The gentle evening breeze soars in through your open window, chilling you to the bone. You slightly curse at yourself for not dressing in warmer pajamas, but your earnings for the month wouldn’t give you much. You’d borrow from Eunji, but 1) most of her wardrobe right now are maternity clothes and 2) she currently refuses to speak with you.

You let out a long whine, sounding exactly like your five-year-old self who cried when a wave toppled her over during a family vacation to the beach. “Do I have to?”

Mochi stares at you without a word.  

“What if I fake my death?”

“Y/N…”

“Okay, fine…but if he doesn’t accept my apology, then can I fake my death?”

You feel silly.

Dressed in a white dress that molds tightly against your waist and puffs out at the skirt, you look and feel like a creampuff. After begging for her forgiveness for two hours straight, Eunji goes to work on preparing your party outfit. You pout about the centimeter-thick layer of foundation and powder, but Eunji shrugs off your complaints with an uncaring smirk. Perhaps it’s your punishment for not listening to her in the first place.

“It’s itchy.” You whine as the lace fabric continues to scratch against your skin.

Eunji holds in her laughter as you shift uncomfortably in your seat. “If only you focused on your special magic training and not on hurting the feelings of people who like you, you could have learned how to cast an anti-itching spell.”

“Spells are hard…” You pout. “And he doesn’t like me, he just wants to pretend to get to know me so that he can tell people that he knows a witch. It’s exploitation at its finest.”

Eunji shakes her head in disbelief. “I’d think you witches would have some type of clairvoyance about you, but you’re completely dense.”

“I’m not a psychic.” You roll your eyes. “I’m starting to think that no one in this town cares enough to educate themselves on witch culture.”

“Well, if you weren’t such a grumpy old troll, then maybe you could educate those people about witches.” Eunji pokes your nose with the end of a concealer brush as she finishes up the last touch-ups to your makeup.

“I shouldn’t have to.” You try to cross your arms, but you find it almost impossible considering how tight the chest of the dress was. “For once, I want someone to learn for themselves for once instead of using me for laughs and giggles.”

Eunji sighs in defeat. While the makeup and fancy dress did wonders to brighten your usual gloomy appearance, the frown marring your brow seems to remain there permanently.  

“Honey…” Eunji says quietly. “I might not be a witch, but I know a thing or two about love. That boy definitely likes you for you, not because he wants to cross ‘Meet a witch’ off his bucket list.”

You continue to fiddle with the lace of the skirt, nearly ripping out a stray thread before laying your palms flat in your lap.

“I’ve never seen a boy so adamant about visiting a girl everyday even if he can just get one sentence in.” Eunji laughs softly. “Reminds me of my husband when we were first dating. He wouldn’t let me go for one second.”

You try to laugh, but you end up looking like you swallowed something inedible.  

“I’m not saying that you need to date him or anything.” Eunji shakes her head. “I’m just saying that you should give Jimin a chance. You’d do good with some friends in this town, even if it’s just him.”

With that, Eunji holds out a clenched fist. You’re quick to grab whatever’s in her hands, but you instantly blanch when the substance fills your palms. While most of the invitation’s burnt to a crisp, one part of the paper remains semi-readable.

“Ms. Witch…”

A couple days ago, you’d be rolling your eyes and threatening to shove your broomstick where the sun won’t shine if Jimin had called you by that nickname. Now, all you could feel is a delightful warmth that spreads from your face down to your toes.  

You’re screwed. You’re definitely screwed.

“You might want to head off now!” Eunji yells. You lift your head in surprise when you notice that she’s already escaped into the kitchen. “It looks like it’s going to rain! Better not be late!”

Desperately shoving the remnants of the invitation into your bra, you barely spare a coherent farewell as you dash into the street and kicking off the ground with your broomstick between your legs. As you head southwest towards the party, you force several deep breaths as you settle the anxiety that plagues your veins and kickstarts your heart into overdrive.

“This better work.” You whisper to yourself, ignoring the tiny droplets of water that begin to fall from the cluster of clouds above.

Your jaw drops at the vast size of the house. Classical music plays on repeat as the guests mingle around the dining room that looks as though it could fit an entire country and a half inside. You observe from the outside, completely unbothered as the rain soaks through your clothes and streaks your makeup. While you take a moment to admire the decorations strung across the walls and on the ceiling, your eyes wander in search of one individual in particular.

“Excuse me.” Someone coughs.

Behind you, a boy watches you with a dirty look, almost as if he wishes to say, “You obviously look like you don’t belong here”. While he isn’t far from the truth, you couldn’t help but mirror his unimpressed glare.

“I’m sorry, but this party is reserved for members only.” He retorts snootily. “I’m afraid I’m going to ask you to leave.”

“Jokes on you, asshole, I have an invitation…” You answer quickly.

“Is that so?” He asks with a pretentious scoff. “Where is it?”

You choke on your words. You almost forgot that the evidence is literally shoved inside your cleavage. “U-Um…well the thing is…”

“Y/N?”

You, along with Mr. Stick-Stuck-High-Up-In-My-Ass, turn towards the new visitor. Your heart prickles with something foreign at the sight of Park Jimin in a suit and tie and a cute flower tucked inside his pocket.

“Hi…” You reply meekly, eyes fixated on the growing puddle on the edge of the sidewalk.

You completely miss the elated glint in Jimin’s eyes.

“She’s your guest, Park?” The boy asks warily, still viewing you as some kind of creature who escaped from the Black Lagoon.  

You’ll be sure to add a little something extra to his hors d’oeuvres when you get the chance.

“Yeah, she’s my plus-one.” Jimin answers confidently. “I didn’t get to give her the invitation, but her name’s on the list if you want to check.”

The boy watches Jimin carefully before rolling his eyes. “I’ll be sure to check the list. Be sure that next time, everyone has an invite before they just show up unannounced and unwanted.”

Oh, how you wish you could use your magic for bad just once. Sure, you might face lifelong consequences that could inevitably affect your future…but would one time really make a difference?

“Sorry about him.” Jimin scratches the back of his neck. “Jihyun can be pretty uptight sometimes…”

“I can handle uptight just fine.” You shrug awkwardly. “T-Thanks though.”

Jimin clears his throat. “Yeah, of course! Anytime…”

There’s a brief moment of silence that you wish you could break without looking like a complete fool. Thankfully, Jimin takes the initiative from you.  

“Y-You look really pretty.”

Thankfully, the foundation that Eunji caked onto your cheeks covers any sign of redness. Unfortunately, it did make you look like you took a dip into a giant frosting container.

“Thanks, you don’t look so bad yourself.” You force yourself to playfully nudge at his shoulder. “You clean up rather nicely.”

“T-Thanks, my mom picked it out.” Jimin immediately clamps his mouth shut. You smile at the obvious embarrassment that floods his features and purses his lips into a demure pout.

It’s cute. In fact, it’s the type of cute that makes you want to drop everything and bring him back home to introduce to your entire family.

If only Eunji were here, she’d be getting a kick out of your emotional turmoil.

“Uh, a-anyways,” Jimin stammers nervously. “Why did you come tonight?”

You raise an eyebrow, making Jimin quickly backpedal on his words.

“N-Not that you’re not allowed to come! You’re totally allowed to come, it’s totally fine by me. I j-just thought you didn’t want to…you know, after you…burned the invitation to a crisp.”

“Oh yeah! That reminds me…”

Jimin pales as you dig inside to collect the blackened scraps, your tongue poking through the side of your mouth in concentration. He quickly diverts his attention towards the large oak tree hanging overhead, trying hard not to think about how your breasts are half a foot away from his face.

“There we are!”

Hesitantly craning his neck towards you once more, Jimin meets your upturned hands that cradle the destroyed scraps of the invitation. He cocks an eyebrow at this – what’s he supposed to do with that?

Jimin swallows his retort when suddenly, the papers swirl around almost like in a mini tornado, fusing back together. With a poof, the paper transforms from a charcoal black to its original eggshell white, complete with the original detailing and “Dear Ms. Witch…” at the very top of the card. As a special treat, you add an extra touch that Jimin can’t help but crack a smile at.

There’s a crude stick figure drawing of the two of you sitting side-by-side with a tiny pink heart floating above your heads. It may have been a trick of the light, but Jimin could swear that your little stick figure presses a kiss to stick figure Jimin’s cheek.

“Ta-da…” You smile shyly as you slip the paper into Jimin’s hand. “It’s corny, I know, but…”

“W-What changed your mind?” Jimin asks bashfully as he presses the card to his chest.

You shrug teasingly. “You’re not as bad as I thought you were. Also, it helps that you’re a little cute.”

“And the truth?”

“Eunji threatened to steal my broomstick and sell it in next week’s yard sale if I didn’t show up.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

#btsguild #thebtstown #kpopwonderlandtag #bts fanfiction #park jimin fanfiction #jimin fanfiction #bts x reader #park jimin x reader #jimin x reader #reader insert #bts fluff #park jimin fluff #jimin fluff #bts angst #park jimin angst #jimin angst #studio ghibli au #kiki's delivery service au

[pentragons]

oh that last set you made is beautiful :') what are your favorite films (ghibli or other) that make you feel good to be alive or that make you happy after a really bad day? i saw your set right after being sad and it really made me smile thank you for that

Anon, thank you so much for your message, hoping to make someone smile is why I post my edits!! I hope you are feeling better and that you know how valued, how loved, how amazing and how cherished you are! You deserve all the happiness in the world and I know that there is so much good waiting for you!! YOU ARE WONDERFUL! (人〃◡ฺ ω◡)❤ฺ If you feel sad, you are always more than welcome to message me or reach out!

And thank you for your interesting question!!

My favs are:

Obviously anything by Studio Ghibli - it is why I have this blog!! I truly believe these movies are magic and happiness in the shape of a film.

But:

Kiki’s Delivery Service & Whisper of the Heart: For when you are feeling lost and are struggling with whatever it is that life is putting in your way.

Howl’s Moving Castle: When you need something light and heartwarming to take you far away from whatever is causing you trouble.

Spirited Away: When I want nostalgia to kick my ass so hard that I feel 10 again, not having a care in the world, trying to figure out which wrong turn my parents have to take so I can go to the spirit world and meet Haku.

My Neighbor Totoro: If you have any small siblings/young relatives/kids you work with, watch this film with them. I swear it’s a magical experience when they see Totoro for the first time!

As for other films, not Ghibli related:

About Time: This is the first film I’d recommend to anyone asking me what film I connect with making me happy. I love this movie so much and I think not enough people are talking about it!! I watched this during one of the loneliest times of my life and by the end of the movie I was sitting on the floor, crying happy tears and thinking: I am feeling lonely but there are so many wonderful people in my life. I called them all and told them how much I love them. I remember that very vividly and have watched the movie a hundred times since always feeling that same happy feeling :’) I believe it’s on Netflix, so you could easily give it a try!! I promise it’ll make you happy!! It is one of the best films ever (+ has a genius soundtrack!)! 

Mamma Mia: This one’s a little less… deep but my god, do I love this movie. Nothing get’s me in a good mood faster than a bunch of awesome actors randomly starting to sing ABBA on a beautiful Greek island (✧◡✧)

Avatar: The Last Airbender: I know it’s not a movie but I love this series so much!! It is near and dear to my heart and I don’t think there is even a tiny chance of staying sad while watching Aang and the Gaang save the world in their perfectly unperfect ways :)

The Lord of the Rings: This is very personal and I am not sure I’d really recommend the trilogy to people in general for when they feel sad. But to me, these are my favourite films in the world and they have saved me in my darkest times. Frodo and Sam have given me so much strength and I always saw their journey to Mordor as a reminder that I can overcome my depression and make it to the end of my journey, even if it sometimes takes everything I have.  

10 Things I hate about you: I’ve watched this the night before so many exams and something about it always makes me so happy and relaxed that I forget to freak out about possibly failing. 10/10 would recommend!!!（ˉ▿ˉ）

The Intouchables: I know for the US/UK there’s a remake of this film that came out this year but the original from France is incredible and I’d recommend it to everyone!

Other things I’d also recommend: Anne with an E (Netflix series), Bohemian Rhapsody (who could possibly resist singing along to Queen songs?!) Disney movies and on the off chance that you are German/speak German: Doctor’s Diary, my favourite series on earth!

#be save; be well anon!! you are beyond amazing!! #i hope this is ... helpful?? i got a bit too excited #replies #~you are wonderful~

[belladonnablake]

All odd numbers 🖤

1: Golden mornings or peachy sunsets?: boston summer sunsets are always peachy but there’s something about the morning sky after it snows that is just as good? sunsets for summer and mornings for winter3: Do you wear scarves often? do you have a favorite?: i’d like to wear scarves more often than i do but i don’t know what to do with the back of my hair when i do? so maybe i will more often once it’s styled if i ever go to a hairdresser before the next time i die? but i do have a fave! i bought myself a tottenham hotspur scarf in the north end more than a few years ago and i’ll. try to take pictures of myself wearing it. i’ll try to take pictures of myself this year because i didn’t last year lol5: Is there a food you’ve never had but always wanted to try?: there’s a lot of things but i can’t think of too many right now! a lot of it is regional food you can’t find in new england or you can but you have to go out of your way. i’ve tried both rabbit and gator in the past couple years and i want to try more meats. caribou would be nice too. this is one of those questions i could talk forever without ever answering it completely so i’ll cut it here you’re welcome7: Do you listen to ASMR?: not too often but i’ll listen to rain or like moving water in general when i write on occasion, otherwise the music i’m listening to influences the music i’m writing. but nothing more than that9: What’s a little thing in life that you love?: i answered this but because it’s a question that can be answered more than once so i’m gonna do that. i love winter jack jack daniels. it’s like apple whiskey. i love my new pink and green joycons and i love the green and pink colour scheme in general. i love my new hoodies too. one is a powell peralta hoodie with a small logo on the front and big on the back, of the bones skeleton with the red hood. and the other is a thrasher hoodie with green font and a pink jellyfish11: Wobbly lines or using a ruler?: my hands are shaky and have always been shaky so my straight lines, they’re straighter than i am but they’re still bad. i don’t even think i own a ruler but if i were going to draw a straight line i’m going to need one lol13: Do you have any candles? what scents are they?: one of them is apple something and the other two are sparkling icicles and sweater weather which like. i don’t know how to describe either but it’s not the same as lighting a sweater on fire or sticking an icicle up your nose15: Do you have glasses?: another one where i’ll try to take pics for later but i have green aviators, red aviators, and purple aviators. all sunglasses off of rainbowoptx dot com17: What’s your favorite season and favorite month in that season?: winter autumn tie but my fave months are october, november, and december, and all but ten days of that are in autumn? 19: Favorite Ghibli and/or disney movie: it’s been years since i’ve seen either so forgive me if my memory fails me but i remember princess mononoke, kiki’s delivery service, and spirited away the most out of all of either ghibli or disney? and i should probably rewatch them soon as well as the others to see if that still stands21: What snacks do you usually get at the theater?: i don’t think i’ve ever actually gotten snacks at the theatre? i haven’t been in years, but there are a few things either out or coming out that look like they’d be worth going even if the concept of theatres is something that i don’t really understand? ...i’m thinkin bout once upon a time in hollywood baby! the best candy for theatres is reeses pieces and like any of the bites candy? cookie dough bites etc23: Would you fill your house with plants if you had a green thumb?: i keep my liquor bottles around to use them as vases tbh. there really isn’t a place for plants in our apartment, or maybe there is and i haven’t found it25: Do you have a favorite type of art style? (eg: soft looking, no to little color, sketches, crisp and clean, minimalist, pixel art etc.): my style varies all the time and i try to do all of the above, i’m very inconsistent myself. but i’m very fond of 3D modeling atm!27: Do you like nicknames?: i like nicknames if i like the person using them? i’m a person with a lot of names because i’m a dumb kinnie and hate using one name exclusively and i guess all my names are nicknames but like. i don’t like how nicknames for most people are shortened names or how they think shorter names are nicknames for a longer name idk like i’ve got a cousin named liam, that’s not his nickname. his legal name might be william but that’s not his name. his nicknames have nothing to do with that. and like there’s nothing wrong with nicknames that are shortened versions of a name but i hate how that’s what most people think of them as29: Do you still like old memes? (tell the truth): i don’t like how meme formats are the same and the reaction image changes. i like reaction images but i don’t like how some of them become memes and then it changes to a different image for the same format. i like the new wave of doge memes and i still like pepe and i love how stupid dat boi was 31:  Are you a fashionable person?: i’m a crusty folk punk that wears the same flannel every day but doesn’t know how to make crust pants33:  Cookies or brownies?: i don’t love either and would rather just eat raw cookie dough. i think there is such a thing as too much chocolate and brownies do have too much and cookies are often borderline but i do like a baller macaron or cheesecake cookie35: Do you find the crickets chirping outside your window relaxing?: i live in a city so... replace crickets with drunks screaming anything from the lyrics to everlong to i need you! we need you! we need you! we need you! we need you! fucking idiot! i don’t have further context for either but ya that’s relaxing to me37:  How often do you doodle?: not as often as i should because of the perfectionism thing giving me this fear of practice? i blame public school for killing off as many artists as they can tbh39: What’s your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room?: mr. durdam... he is a hollow plastic penguin around kneehigh next to the tv stand / amiibo shelves. we also hung waluigi from the ceiling for a while.41: Any birthmarks?: i got two dots on my wrist, one larger one smaller. looks like an exclamation point !43: First video game you ever played?: it was either one of the early zelda games or one of the ps1 games? i was too young to form memories but i know it was one of the two. i know i played arcade games at some arcade on hampton beach when i was that young too. qbert that orange FUCK45: Do you use gifs/ memes a lot when replying to people?: i’m trying to get better at remembering to save reaction images and remembering to use them. i don’t even know how people use the gifs when replying to people because i was stuck with a phone that couldn’t update its operating system for years and now i have a new phone with an up to date operating system and i’m still figuring things out47: Ideal temperature outside?: so it’s either gonna be below freezing so it’s able to snow or like... around 50 or below and literally feels like nothing at all. because i hate when it’s too hot to wear beanies. i like when it’s cold and i like when it’s not hot or cold. but i hate hot49: How often do you hear airplanes outside?: if i were to go outside and lie down on my back i could watch airplanes all day long. it’s a little different than being on castle island but it’s still close enough to logan to where planes are near constant but not too loud. i hear the train every ten minutes too. and the cars are always

#love you <3 #icyhot-ingenium

[thelunarbond]

OC Questions with Phoenix

Questions taken from this post! Sorry if there are any typos, this was super long and I’m tired lmao

1) Their age? 

19

2) Their sexuality/sexual preference?

He struggled with it for a while, but now he’s openly pansexual. Anyone who’s nice to him for a while he’ll become attracted to 

3) Any siblings?

Phoenix has a little brother called Baxter! Baxter is 12 years old. They have a great sibling relationship; they trust each other and always look out for one another

4) Their favourite season?

Autumn/Winter. He hates being too hot and sweating, and he loves wearing sweaters cuz he’s insecure about his arms 

5) Who were/are their parents/guardians?

His parents were an artist and a musician, but they both died when he was 8-9 years old. His foster parents do not get along with him at all and they have arguments on the daily. Since joining the Lunar Bond, Phoenix lives with the other members and doesn’t visit them at all; he only sees his brother outside of the house

6) Their gender?

Cis male 

7) Their date of birth?

3rd September! (side note; I always do a drawing for his birthday, I’ll be sure to post it here this year!)

8) What clothing style?

He prioritises being comfy over everything else. He always wears a pair of ripped black skinny jeans and old, beaten up sneakers. He’ll often wear a long sleeved t-shirt or an oversized hoodie/sweater; the biggest one he owns goes down to his knees! He’ll also sometimes wear earrings (he has a cartilage piercing and both lobes pierced). He’ll never wear anything in public that shows off his arms or legs 

9) What is their favourite food after a break up?

No food. He doesn’t eat. He might drink some water if he gets a headache from thirst. And he’ll spend the rest of the time crying or sleeping. He’s melodramatic help him

10) Their favourite thing to do after a break up?

As mentioned earlier, crying and sleeping. Also listening to sad music. Help him please I’m begging

11) What happens in “the honeymoon phase” for this character?

He’s constantly buying gifts. And wants to see them every day. He becomes incredibly clingy and can sometimes get jealous. He’ll basically do anything for his S/O. He’ll turn up unannounced on their doorstep with flowers. Nobody in the Lunar Bond expects him to be like this at all, as his initial personality is so cold. However he is the most romantic person in the Lunar Bond by a long shot

12) How many serious relationships have they been in?

Three; one when he was 14-16, one from when he was 16-17 and one from recently to present day  👀 

13) What is their nationality?

The Lunar Bond universe is set in a world different from our own, so I’ll just write the equivalent nationality. He’s white British 

14) What languages do they speak?

He really wants to learn a language, however at the moment he only speaks English

15) What is their profession/education?

He’s currently a NEET. He dropped out of school due to anxiety and doesn’t have a job because he recently moved to the city and is too afraid to apply. In school, he did exceptionally well; he’s incredibly clever and always got straight A’s in all his classes. Perhaps when he comes out of his shell a little he’ll get a job doing something he loves

16) Their favourite comfort food?

Soup. Especially chicken noodle soup, as his mother used to make it for him. He’ll always have a bowl of soup if he’s feeling down

17) What is a food they hate?

Not a food, but he can’t stand coffee. He absolutely hates the bitter taste and can’t drink it because the caffeine makes him jittery

18) Their music taste?

Anything. His phone has all kinds of music, from contemporary pop to rock to classical to jazz. His father being a musician really helped him open his eyes to a broad range of music. The only kind of music he won’t listen to is screamo, as it’s too “noisy”. He has a preference towards calm songs as they help him feel relaxed, but he’ll listen to anything

19) Is there a story behind their name/meaning?

(For this question, I’ll write about the process of naming Phoenix!)

Originally, Phoenix’s name came from a name generator. I was struggling to find a name suitable for my main character that wasn’t too safe but also wasn’t too wacky and wild to the point where it wasn’t realistic, and it also had to suit the character. Once I saw the name Phoenix I just knew it fit him perfectly. At the start of the Lunar Bond story, he feels like he doesn’t suit his name; a Phoenix is fiery and always comes back after death and he feels that he is none of those things. However as the story progresses, Phoenix always rises back up after being knocked down. And as he opens up to his new friends, he becomes passionate and fiery about keeping them safe and close to him. He grows in the story to suit his name; he rises back up after every failure, and has the fire in his heart to protect those close to him 

20) Something they do that seems childish to others?

He frequently gets lost in make believe worlds in his head. These mostly come from books he’s been reading, as he loves adventure and fantasy books. He’ll zone out for 30-90 minutes and daydream about being a part of a fantasy world; some people around him think that it’s childish as he’s not grounded in reality

21) What is their all time favourite TV show? 

He doesn’t watch TV. At all. He didn’t really watch TV when he was younger either. He plays video games occasionally, but he mainly reads books or watches films

22) What is their all time favourite movie?

(I’ll write the real-world equivalent of Phoenix’s favourite films here!)

It changes depending on his mood. Hes indecisive and can’t choose a favourite. If he wants to relax, he likes animated films like Kiki’s Delivery Service. He also likes superhero movies like The Avengers. He also likes classics like The Shining. 

23) How big is their family?

Incredibly small. His only blood relative he has left is his brother Baxter. Both his parents were only children, so he doesn’t have any aunts, uncles or cousins. Both his sets of grandparents died when he was very young

24) Are they close to anyone specific in their family?

As his only remaining blood relative, Phoenix is very close to Baxter. They tell each other everything and not a day goes by where they don’t talk to each other, at least on the phone or through texts. For the majority of his life, Baxter saw Phoenix as more of a parent figure as oppose to a brother as Phoenix would always look after him. Baxter also doesn’t remember his parents so relies on Phoenix to tell him about them and what they were like

25) Have they got any allergies?

Not in terms of food, but his skin is incredibly sensitive. He can’t use products that are too scented or he’ll get a rash. He also can’t use aftershave for the same reason, so he’s stuck using the same soaps that he knows for a fact won’t irritate his skin

26) Are they an emotional person?

Yes. He’s incredibly emotional. However, he won’t let it show in front of other people. To people who don’t know him well, Phoenix is cold, stoic and sharp tongued, and pushes away those who try and get close to him. He’s terrified of getting hurt, so he doesn’t allow people near him. On the inside, Phoenix is lonely and begging for someone to support him. When he’s alone, he lets out all of his emotions. He’ll punch a pillow if he’s angry, he’ll cry himself to sleep if he’s sad, he’ll giggle like a schoolboy if he’s happy. There’s only one person who can see straight through him... 👀

27) Do they get angry/lose their temper quickly?

He doesn’t get angry easily, but he’s easily irritated. He will never yell at someone or start an argument unless they’ve really touched a nerve. He will never start a physical fight with someone either. His anxiety makes him easily irritable, so he might tell someone sternly to leave him alone but that’s about as far as it goes the majority of the time

28) What are some of their guilty pleasures?

Animated films, and when he was a kid he was secretly into musical films aimed predominately at young girls (e.g. High School Musical). He still knows all the words to the songs to this day

29) Do they have pets? Do they want pets?

Phoenix hasn’t had a pet since he had a hamster when he was 5. When he moves into his own house he’d absolutely love to have a cat. Or 2. Or 5. He loves cats! He can’t have one right now though because Chase is allergic 

30) Do they like kids? Do they want kids/have kids?

He doesn’t mind children. He doesn’t love them or hate them. He’s very good at looking after children/babysitting because he looked after Baxter for so long. However he doesn’t want his own children because he would worry about them all the time

31) Who’s cuddle buddy are they?

Spoilers 🤐 🤐 🤐

32) Do they have any tattoos?

No. He’s terrified of needles so he’s never getting a tattoo

33) Do they have any piercings?

Only the ear piercings I mentioned earlier!

34) What is their hair colour? Is this their natural colour?

Phoenix’s hair is a light-ish brown colour, which is his natural colour. Minami is desperate to dye his hair but he always says no

35) Do they like musicals?

Other than the teen musicals he watched in secret as a kid? Sure! He has to be in the right mood to watch a musical though. He only watches musicals that are made into films; he’d be way too intimidated to go and watch one on stage

36) Do they like marmite?

He tolerates it. He doesn’t love it or hate it. He’ll eat it if it’s there but he won’t go and buy a jar of it

37) Do they like glitter?

Not really. He thinks it’s too messy and he likes to keep stuff tidy. He’s let Minami put glitter on his face before though

38) Do they believe in the supernatural?

Phoenix is the kind of person to be totally sceptical of supernatural stuff, but then the minute something vaguely spooky happens he’ll freak out and run away

39) Have they ever seen a dead body?

Yes. Wont go into details because spoilers  🤐 🤐 🤐

40) Have they ever had a near death experience?

Being a member of the Lunar Bond is a constant near death experience 

41) Have they ever broken a bone?

Yes. As a kid he broke his leg while climbing a tree in the forest. The worst part was that because he was alone and didn’t have a phone, he was found 2 and a half hours later by his mother as she was wondering where he was

42) What are they like when they’re drunk/what kind of drunk are they?

An overly emotional drunk. All his feelings come spilling out everywhere and he’ll be crying or laughing hysterically or yelling. If he has an S/O he’ll become even more clingy than he is usually

43) Did they ever get drunk while underage?

Yes. He got drunk with his ex-boyfriend when he was 15. Nothing too bad happened; he just ended up spending 3 hours telling said ex-boyfriend how much he loves him. Technically in some countries he’s still underage (however the drinking age where he lives is 18 so it’s all good!) 

44) What is the first thing they do when they wake up?

He checks the time on his phone so he knows what day it is and what time it is, as he’s been known to spend a long time sleeping. He’ll then make himself some tea

45) Do they consider themselves to be popular?

Absolutely not. Phoenix spends a lot of time worrying that his new friends in the Lunar Bond don’t actually like him, and that they’re being nice because they feel like they have to be nice to their teammate. Among the members of the Lunar Bond, he’s actually fairly popular and thought of highly; but he’ll never believe them if they say that to his face

46) How do they like their tea/coffee?

Tea: Depends on the type. He’ll drink loose leaf teas slightly weaker as they have a stronger flavour, so brewing time is lessened. He drinks green tea fairly strong. Some teas such as vanilla rooibos he’ll drink black, but other teas such as Lady Grey he’ll add some milk. Some teas such as Lapsang Souchong he’ll drink weaker with a little sugar

Coffee: In the trash. Where it belongs. At least in his opinion

47) What do they smell like?

Lemon and tea tree body wash, as that’s the only one he likes that doesn’t irritate his skin. Also second hand books

48) Are they a virgin?

No, but don’t tell him I told you that

49) Do they wear glasses/contacts?

He needs reading glasses as he’s slightly long sighted, but it’s not so bad that he has to wear them all the time. He wears them fairly often as he’s nearly always reading, and he just forgets to take them off 

50) Are they good at remembering significant dates, such as birthdays or anniversaries?

Yes. He doesn’t even need to write them down. He remembers dates from weird things, such as when he got his new glasses or when he got his ears pierced. He never forgets a birthday or anniversary and always buys gifts far ahead of time

#I ANSWERED ALL OF THEM HOLY SHIT #wasnt expecting that #oc questions #oc answers #lunar bond #long post

[stimyulus]

INTRO TO ANIME: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

want to get into anime? well, you’ve come to the right place BUD. below, i have some personal recommendations for people who don’t know where to start/wondering where to go from x, y, or z

ESSENTIALS (these shows are classics/must-watches in order to be ‘initiated’ into anime. once u watch these, u can start branching off into ur personal taste more):

COWBOY BEBOP - a space odyssey. beautiful, tragic, and groovy as hell -inspired by jazz, specifically bebop (hence the name) as well as western culture, bebop is a perfect entry level anime for someone not fully used to anime tropes and whatnot. i would recommend the english dub for THIS anime and only a handful of others, mostly because of stephen blum’s amazing job at voicing spike. if you really dig this anime and want more like it, i would watch samurai champloo. it is bebop’s spiritual successor in some sense. both have a trio of misfits each on their own individual journey, and both are inspired by western culture and music. champloo has more of a hip-hop spin, which is pretty cool. 

AKIRA - this is a movie, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a classic. it actually inspired 2012′s chronicle. this movie is important in multiple aspects, one of them being the animation, which was insanely impressive given the time period it was made in. they also spent hella money making it, so ig thats the tradeoff. i dont rly wanna say much about the movie, just go watch it for yourself. (i watched the sub for this)

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD - this one is kind of an investment. clocking in at around 64 episodes, its pretty daunting, especially for someone just getting into anime. however, i promise you, it is most definitely worth its time. an expansive, yet intimate story, fma:b is the perfect blend of action/adventure and all the warm & fuzzy shit that makes u wanna listen to blonde while laying on ur bed. it also has significantly more “anime” tropes than the first two i’ve mentioned, but it’s not to the point where it is overpowering or annoying, which can be the case for some recent shows dropping these days. fma:b is set in a world where alchemy is the main form of science. it’s basically magic, though. the way the uncover the story is really interesting and the payoff is really great. this one is a keeper, and a great gateway drug to “real” anime.

also, i would just watch a handful of ghibli movies. princess mononoke, castle in the sky, kiki’s delivery service, spirited away, nausica valley of the wind, howl’s moving castle

---------

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (this is the stuff you want to start watching once u finish the essentials. some of them might be a bit lower quality than the essentials, but MOST of them are AS good, or if not better than some of the essentials. the only reason i have them in here is because they usually are more enjoyable after getting ur feet kinda wet in the anime world first.)

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE - i don’t even know where to start with jojo. just do yourself a favor and watch it. part 5 never.

MOB PSYCHO 100 - this one is fire too. made by the same artist as one punch man, this anime is short and sweet. art style is hella dope

GARDEN OF WORDS (KOTONOHA NO NIWA) - same studio who made kimi no na wa. the animation is suuuuuuuper fucking sexy. it’s classified as a “movie”, but its only like 40 something minutes long. its a pretty relaxing watch, although i will admit its more shine than substance, at least in terms of story. 

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (AND THE END OF EVANGELION, MAKE SURE TO WATCH THE EOE RIGHT AFTER THE SHOW) - nge is another anime for the CULTURE. this show shaped many character archetypes still seen today, and is highly praised for its topics and dark, psychological tone, mostly seen in the second half of the show, which hits the fucking rails. ive also noticed this show is quite polarizing, but you’ll find more people in the love camp than cynical camp on this one. also, do not watch this unless ur depressed or want to be depressed, bc it will fuck u up 

BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA (MY HERO ACADEMY) - this is a rather recent show (actually, probably the most recent one on this list), and despite the large amount of garbage being put out these days, this one is something really special. think anime sky high. or anime harry potter for kids w superpowers. that’s pretty much all you need to know. there’s two seasons and they are currently making a 3rd one i believe. this anime gets me hella fucking hyped, so if u like fights, check this one out. fighting isnt a main aspect of the show, but when they do it, they fucking execute it really well.

PARASYTE - i havent seen this one in a while, but i remember really enjoying it. its about these parasites than land on earth, one of which infects the main character, who manages to isolate it to his right hand. he then goes on a bloody rampage.  its also kinda creepy but the payoff is pretty decent iirc

THE TATAMI GALAXY - i watched this one a couple months ago. its 11 episodes long, but it packs in a lot of content, mainly due to the supersonic dialogue. seriously, you’ll need to get used to how fast everyone talks. once u do though, it’s decently manageable. tatami galaxy is about a 3rd yr college student who wonders what his life would’ve been like if he joined x y or z club during freshman year. its a great coming of age story, and also really fucking quirky. the art style is unique and really dope. soundtrack is fire too. 

STEINS;GATE - this is a TIME TRAVEL ANIME. and its a giant mindfuck. iirc, it was based off of a visual novel. the main character is hit or miss in terms of tolerability. main girl is a super queen. some people i’ve talked to dropped this show before getting to the second half, which is kinda understandable, but i promise you, keep sticking with this anime. once shit hits the fan, its really hard to put this one down.

YOUR LIE IN APRIL (SHIGATSU WA KIMI NO USO) - your lie in april i watched pretty early on in my “anime career”. its inspirational and heartbreaking. watch if it u want something different from action/adventure. obviously, the music in this show is really on point. i dont know much about classical, but they were playing some slaps

HAIKYUU - SPORTS!!!!! haikyuu is about a high school volleyball team trying to get to nationals. seems like a simple story, but the games get hella fucking hype and all the characters are super likeable in their own way. watch this one if u want some mega bromance vibes

well, that’s all i have to offer. i hope you got at least a decent idea of where you want to start. if you have any other questions/recommendation requests, pls feel free to msg me

#anime #recommendations #guide #howto #review