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a03bkdk · 3 years

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fantasy bkdk fic rec list

a certain kind of magic by eatdirt

((4590-1/1))

“Forgive me, kind witch! I—I do not wish to disturb you, but I’m afraid it's urgent!"

Katsuki will later blame his bewilderment that anyone—let alone a human boy in filthy rags—would drag themselves all the way out to his home on the outskirts of civilization, for why he stalks down the stairs and cracks open the door.

“Are you a fucking idiot?” he growls.

Or, the one where Katsuki is a witch in a weed-infested swamp and Deku won’t stop coming around.

the shrinekeeper and the harvest god by bkdkwritingsdump

((smut-30148-18/18))

Izuku keeps the shrine of the harvest god, a minor god mostly worshiped by farmers and ignored by everyone else until the yearly harvest festival. During a spring thunderstorm one year, a mysterious man named Katsuki shows up at his shrine seeking shelter from the rain, but ends up over staying his welcome by a few months. In that time, Izuku not only begins to become suspicious of his identity, but finds himself longing for something more between them.

cupid, draw back your bow by almasaga

((i dont remember if there is smut-16496-2/2))

Cupid remembers the oath he took, remembers the broken arrow, remembers the wrath of his mother and goddess, remembers his roots, remembers that he is a god.

But when he hears him he forgets it all.

“Are you there still?” Asks a voice, clear and never wrong. The only voice he wishes to hear.

“Always,” he says and it blows through his beloved.

solar by kindaopps

((smut-7037-1/1))

Here he is, a god, wanting a mortal.

deku by mirachadoodles

((smut-20852-9/9))

Neither seemed willing to look away in the tense silence that fell, drawn to one another as if by a thick and brilliant thread.

The boy viewed him thoughtfully, as though he recognized him from another life, as though he knew him.

It was odd—he felt the same way.

---

Or, shortly after Katsuki's dragon went missing, a naked man attempted to break into his family barn. Izuku had no memory of his past life, and apparently had no idea how to be human, either. He was just acting on instinct.

a cat named deku by silentsongbird

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Bakugou begrudgingly takes in a stray cat that has been hanging around his home. He says he's motivated by the weather turning colder, but he just can't resist the little fur ball. One night, Deku decides to let him in on a little secret.

if the stars align, then for us they were meant by runawaydeviant

((smut-17485-6/6))

Katsuki and Eijirou crash land in a forest to the south of their homeland. Injured and stranded, they befriend a local nature spirit, who is much more than he first appears to be.

soulmates in steel and (p 2)mine is yours by lalazee

((3000-1/1)) (p 2(smut-2509-1/1))

Midoriya Izuku returns to a tribe long lost and forgotten to claim his rightful throne. At least, that's what King Katsuki assumes of him.

(p 2) One large, calloused hand spread sparks down Izuku’s chest, ribs, rested at his lightly bruised hip. Izuku knew fingerprints still remained from last time, and the last, and the time after that. He felt more like a dappled deer now, all those spots smattered across his thighs, ass, hips, wrists. King Katsuki was certainly a man who marked his territory.

but the entrails are the best part! by supercrunch

((15278-1/1))

The boy straightens up. He’s about half a head shorter than Katsuki, face soft and youthful and sweet. He turns to look at him properly. His dark hair shines in the dying light, basket of blooms looped over one arm and mouth quirked into a tiny half-smile. The sun hits his face and makes his eyes a bright greeny-gold, just like emeralds.

Katsuki likes emeralds.

“Pretty,” he says, reaching out and picking the stranger up around the middle. He’s surprisingly heavy, although Katsuki doesn’t mind. “I like you. Come see my nest.”

The boy hits him.

He’s stronger than he looks, turns out. Katsuki drops him and falls onto his back, pain blooming across his face. Birds sing. The sky’s a lovely shade of orange, clouds floating lazily by. The boy scarpers. He leaves his basket of flowers behind, footsteps thumping on the ground and fading away as he escapes.

The sun sets. Katsuki, lying flat on his back with a bloody nose, decides he’s just fallen in love.

happenstance by merrywetherweather

((78566-22/22))

When Katsuki was just a child, his mother, the King of Lucia, took him to enact diplomacy with the Midoriya's, the royal family of the neighboring country of Tayloria. After that day, his fate was sealed, his marriage arranged to the Midoriya's elusive omegan child.

At the age of twenty, he leaves for Tayloria again, this time, to finally wed his fiance and cement the allyship of the two kingdoms indefinitely. Only, his fiance turns out to be the child he had met on his very first visit, a naive, idealistic young prince who wants nothing to do with marrying the prince of Lucia.

Good thing he just assumed Katsuki was only part of his fiance's entourage.

An arranged marriage between two princes aob au where Katsuki tries to abide by Izuku's desire for a natural romance to develop without letting Izuku know his true identity.

plums by Ivillpunchyouinthethroat

((14116-3/3))

There’s a boy stealing plums from the garden below the balcony Katsuki’s lounging at for the night.

Correction.

There’s a boy stealing plums, very badly, from the garden below the balcony Katsuki’s lounging at for the night.

mermaid AU breathe In by contrarybee

((series-smut-3 works-45236 in all))

Midoryia Izuku was born in captivity. He's never known the ocean.

His human carer Yagi-san tells him they're getting a new merman in the aquarium, one that they hope Izuku might like. Having been alone since his mother's death, Izuku is beyond excited to have a new mer around, but Bakugo Katsuki might prove to be too much. Or maybe he's just right.

fishy by warschach

((smut-19417-1/1))

Izuku’s convinced his hot co-worker/neighbor, Katsuki, is a mermaid-or merman- you gotta consider genders even with mythical creatures- and plans to prove it.

(or this is kinda like the show ‘Monster Quest’, except Izuku actually finds said monster, falls in love, and have sexy times.)

home is where the waves crash. by tiredwrites

((4105-1/1))

Izuku thrashes in his cage, the fins that line his large tail flare with a dangerous purpose. The claws his fingers taper into slice through the water and catch the light that filters into the clear water of the aquarium tank he's in.

His gills flare in irritation as he flips around, muscled tail ramming into the three-inch glass barrier with a thundering BAM!

Bioluminescent sacs under clear scales flare and glow, flashing a brilliant toxic green. The team that had brought the merman into the tank watch the mer flail and roar, flexing the powerful jaws that can often unhinge, like a snake.

only the roses know by katyastark

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Izuku didn’t want to marry a foreigner. The person he wanted was here… somewhere. He didn’t have a face or a name to ascribe to his admirer. Only roses. For every name day and holiday since he was thirteen, he had received a perfect orange rose. He’d never seen anything so beautiful. The roses never failed to make him feel doted upon. It was their secret, and Izuku cherished it more than anything else in the world. He didn’t want to give that up for some stranger, for an alliance through a loveless marriage.

torn fur, blunt teeth by scribespirare

((smut-43013-17/17))

After eight months of being collared, Izuku is finally free. But a dark, stormy city is no place for a lonely shapeshifter on the run.

ignorance leads to bliss by nikawithspice

((smut-3941-1/1))

A brave wandering adventurer swoops in and saves a beautiful prince from danger, gets dragged to a celebratory bonfire and has a night that he could only have dreamed of!

Or, the one in which Midoriya Izuku accidentally gets married to a Dragon Prince but wouldn't have it any other way.

#bakudeku #bakudeku fic #bakudeku fics #bakudeku fic recs #bkdk #bkdk fic #bkdk fic recs #yeah

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bronyinabottle · 3 years

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MY LITTLE PONY: A NEW GENERATION (G5 Movie) THOUGHTS

It’s finally here. The beginning of Generation 5. Though before I get into the movie in some detail I’m going to reiterate one more time what G5 means for my content and a non-spoilery summary of the movie.

Again, I will say that the movie nor will the G5 series coming later have much of an effect at all on any of my blogs. The revelation in Secrets of the Dragon’s Tear that life itself is also magic means that a world that implied to have no magic for years would mean the extinction of all life (Perhaps resulting in the wasteland we saw in the Season 5 finale). There may be something I’ll probably do at some point on a certain different blog. But even then, that may likely be a one-time thing and probably come around the time the series is starting to air.

That said, just because I’m continuing with mainly G4 content doesn’t mean I disapprove of G5. In fact, my non-spoilers thoughts on the movie is I think it is a good start for this new generation. There are questions I have that I’m not sure will be answered (Though many of those questions are the same ones I had in my Trailer/Preliminary thoughts) quickly enough. But the movie is structured well enough, in fact it’s probably a better movie as a whole compared to any of the movies G4 had (The 2017 movie, Rainbow Roadtrip, and all 4 Equestria Girls movies). As the 2017 movie was fun, but it jumped around a lot, sometimes scenes transitioning too fast. And while Rainbow Roadtrip may have been this on purpose, the entirely slice-of-life story taking up a long length… made it something of a less interesting plot to follow. It feels like some of that special could of been cut to at least a two-parter length and keep the same beats they hit. And while i have a soft spot for the 3rd and 4th Equestria Girls movies, I’ll always say a full-length pony adventure feels better suited for what I want to see out of MLP then spin-off movies with high school movie cliches and weird pony/human world shenanigans.

So movie-wise I’m not a G4 purist. It’ll take some time to see how Gen 5 compares to Friendship is Magic when we get to the series. As I feel it’d take a lot for it to surpass G4 in my mind. But I’m going to try to be as fair as possible and judge on it’s own merits. The implied connection to G4 by referring to G4 being ancient Equestria is going to naturally get the staff and hasbro pressured by fans to tell us what happened in-between the generations. Because that’s the trap they put the writers in when they made it so they want to try to say it’s in the same universe. That’s the double-edged sword Hasbro chose to have, trying to appease the G4 fanbase and keep at least some of them around. But at the cost of questions both nitpicky (Such as character design being inconsistent) or actual honest questions that need to be known (Why did magic disappear, and what happened to the Alicorns) for some of us to truly see this as the same Equestria.

After the break, I’ll have more spoilery thoughts

Even for a brief moment, it was nice seeing the Mane 6 and 2D animation. The former because of course those are the ponies many of us that saw all of G4 loved. And the latter, because while the animation wasn’t bad in this movie. I’m one of those who’d prefer to have 2D animation in an animated film. As in most cases aside from Pixar, it’s just a strong preference of mine. If this had the animation of the 2017 MLP movie but otherwise everything else was generally the same here, I feel that would of have been great.

I wish they didn’t have to have Sunny’s dad die off-screen, as he seems like he could of been a compelling character. And not to mention if perhaps he has any connection the “ancient” days in any fashion. But *sigh* I get it, it’s an old trope where part of the character’s offscreen growth is not having their parent(/s) around.

On a side note there’s quite a few times during the beginning of the movie that somewhat foreshadow what happens to Sunny later. 3 times where she had a fake horn and wings on her. Once in the flashback, then 2 separate times when she’s doing her protest where she has her own costumed wings and horn. As well as the helmet and mechanical wings.

Also, there’s no way around it. Some of the discussions this movie are going to get quite political. (Namely one part of Sunny’s song that could be seen as having a double meaning of a jab at Trumpsts regarding “Building your wall”) From the very premise in the early times, we know that the inspiration for the story was last year’s Black Lives Matter protests. Which honestly, I do support the message they’re going for. Having an anti-racism message to tell kids from the very beginning and making a focus on it is important when in G4 it only got briefly touched upon in Bridle Gossip and the Heath’s Warming Eve play. Although it certainly rose up to some form of prominence with Season 8 and onward. Still, while you can argue if G4 executed the anti-racism message well. it does come with something of a problem that the series finale left Equestria in the least divided it’s ever been.

And personally, I feel it’s a terrible interpretation of time to say “Well, it’s a realistic take. Racism has existed for years in our world. Same should go for the ponies” and while yes, racism is still rampant in today’s world. That said, that ignores that if we went from The Last Problem to the start of G5. There’s a huge difference between our world and Equestria. There is no ancient civilization that we look at like “Yeah, those were the golden days of world peace” when normally the “Golden age” was reserved for the high classes of Ancient Greece or Rome. It was most decidedly not perfect, with slavery rampant and wars for the sake of expanding an empire. While if you look at The Last Problem’s Equestria, you not only have peace between the three main types of ponies. But you literally have non-pony citizens in Equestria. You can see a dragon handing off a flower to a pony which can imply cross-species romantic relations. With the Friendship school still going strong, and was the reason that the world was saved in The Ending of the End. While perhaps it may be too glowing to say that future is perfect for everyone even in-universe. It’s certainly a hell of a lot better outlook then comparing to how we view even the so called Golden age of ancient civilizations. The Last Problem’s Equestria implies it looks to ally with every country outside of Equestria, not conquer them.

So it should still be a valid question on just how this world collapses to the point it gets to where G5 is at the start. I at least assume that it’s not the fault at all of any of the Mane 6 nor Twilight. Or at least I hope it isn’t, as I’d rather the MLP fanbase not have to deal with a The Last Jedi Luke Skywalker situation. (Where after the joyful end of the original trilogy, things go wrong as Luke almost murders the son of one of his best friends and his sister despite trying to hard and succeeding at redeeming his father who at that point in the canon was a galaxy-wide known ruthless mass-murderer.) I assume we’re at a point where everyone of the Mane 6 sans maybe Twilight are presumed dead. And even in Twilight’s case, there’s a chance that G5 decides to say that G4 overestimated the whole Alicorn immortality thing. Though I wouldn’t put it past Hasbro to have some event where the Mane 5 of G5 meet the Mane 6 in some special event whether that’s a a Season finale or a sequel movie/special. Where either the Mane 6 return in a limbo situation similar to the Pillars at the end of Season 7 or Time travel gets involved. They may even string us along on answering just what in the heck happened until they involve a meet-up with the Mane 6 in that way. Though I hope they don’t, I’d really like the beginning of the series (Or I guess this supposed special coming up in Spring supposedly?) starts to answer some questions. G5 should get a chance to stand on it’s own, but I hope the writers are actually well aware there will be so many questions people have and address them in the show. A cynical part of me feels like they’re likely to string us along until at least the Season 1 finale.

Onto the characters for a bit. I think Izzy Moonbow was absolutely the most stand-out character in the whole movie. She was energetic, funny, and aside from “The pegasi are bad news” she along with Zipp and Sunny were the most averse to the way the world was. She was already the most popular due to the tennis ball memes. But now it feels like she legit stands on her own and most certainly deserves to be the most popular character of G5 thus far. Behind her in a bit of a surprise to me was Zipp, who I thought would be mainly a Rainbow Dash-expy. Though she really helps out Izzy and Sunny in Zephyr Heights. Despite having Twilight be my favorite pony from the very beginning of G4 all the way to the end, I didn’t feel as strongly about Sunny for some reason. So she’s in the middle of the pack, she could grow on me later. I just don’t know if I click with her as much as I did with Twilight. As for the last two, while I don’t hate either of them. Either one could be the lowest of the 5 for one reason or another. Pipp (Although I will say she's probably my favorite character design out of the 5) feels like she doesn’t do a whole lot in the movie and it takes until she’s forced to be an outlaw because the other choice was to get imprisoned like her mother was. So she may come off as quite pretentious, though it’s arguable Rarity was the same way early in G4. But she definitely grew later. Could be the same case for Pipp. And as for Hitch, he has shining moments in the film. But what might hurt him is the fact he was such a bad friend to Sunny up until the campfire scene. “I’m the last real friend you have. You really want to lose me too?” is not a healthy friendship. Hitch may have been Sunny’s friend the longest, but it definitely feels like Izzy connected immediately. I don’t know if this show will get into shipping any of the main characters between each other mid-show, but if they do. I hope it’s between Izzy and Sunny currently, cause Hitch and Sunny just gives bad vibes even with Hitch getting better later.

None of the songs I felt were particularly too special. Though I think the closest was Sprout’s “Danger, Danger” song that has similarities to Smells Like Teen Spirit in some parts of the song since I tend towards more rock/metal-esque music.

I touched upon it earlier, but there’s perhaps a stand-out reason for why the G5 movie outdid the 2017 MLP Movie. They have the typical “Our heroic group splits after a sad moment before coming together again for the climatic good end” in Sunny seeing that that the two crystals don’t instantly bring magic back, and when Twilight left the group after an argument that happened with Twilight trying to take a pearl. They perform the same purpose in the movie. But the crystals not working, crushing Sunny’s hope for a little while works better into the story. Where as Twilight’s part frustratingly brought the sea pony scene to an end too quickly and/or doesn’t feel right of Twilight to have done that. It felt forced in the 2017 movie, but works out in the G5 movie. Especially since a part of it is that it’s not the crystals themselves capable of bringing magic back. But it’s the journey going after the crystals that brings the ponies themselves their magic back.

Just a small note on dictator Sprout, he tries to cause a war. Though admittedly the film seems to treat him as a joke the entire time despite his seriously evil ambitions. With the only repercussions is he gets a wishy-washy answer on if he was a good sheriff from his mom. I don’t quite know how I feel about that yet, but I wonder what they’ll have in mind for Sprout given his actions. He and his mom are the only ones that feel like a true antagonist. Though they seem to be ok with things fast when the magic comes back.

But anyway on to the ending, we see that Sunny becomes an Alicorn. Which I guess with no other real Alicorns around, I guess it makes sense to alicornify her since she’s the real leader behind what united the leaders of each type of pony again. Though there is of course this weird thing where her horn and wings don’t seem like as much a part of her body compared to very obvious connected wings on Twilight when she got hers. Sunny keeps her horn and wings to the end of the movie, and has colored streaks in her hair. Though I do wonder if that;s truly permanent. If it is permanent, I suppose at least they got to have a headstart and have it established at the end of the introductory movie rather then have it shock people at the end of a shortened 3rd season. I still feel like Twilight had well earned her alicornhood considering that besides what she did in the series. She has a whole childhood and time as a teenager learning under Celestia. Which had to mean something, and I’m not sure Celestia just leaving her to live the rest of her days with her friends in ponyville was that. Sunny has no doubt been trying countless time to try to spread friendship throughout her life even after the tragedy of her father’s passing. So there’s no doubt she’s been through a lot, and may indeed be worthy of being an Alicorn at this point. Though in terms of screentime before Alicornhood it's definitely a lot less then Twilight had. And it is at least nice to see that it is possible for non-unicorns to become one. (The only case of that we sort of got was a children's book that may or may not be canon that implied Cadence was a pegasus before she ascended)

Though you have to wonder if the visual differences such as Sunny’s alicorn horn and wings, the cutie mark only on one side (Yes I know that’s how it was normally in the MLP generations before G4. But a distinct visual difference between shows is still noticeable even if the context of G4’s cutie marks on both sides of the flank was about it being easier on the puppets for Flash), and how animals can have wings or weird round shapes such as those bunnies when G4 has normal looking animals. There’s enough striking visual differences for any nitpicky G4 to say “This isn’t the same Equestria”. And if someone tries to say maybe some sort of evolution happened. That’s still trying to put a little too much real world logic on this fantasy world. And evolution tends to take millions of years to have such dramatic changes. Not 1000 years or so, there should still be normal looking animals at this point and time. And these small details are probably going to be the things most ignored but nonetheless can build a case that this isn’t the same Equestria. Even if they touch on the important questions like how magic disappeared and what happened to the Mane 6, there will be details they make different that will add to the case that this is it’s own universe if it doesn’t quite matchup with what was remembered about G4. There will be fans who will be that nitpicky to call G5 out of continuity for small details like that. That is again the trap they put themselves in when they decided to try to say it’s the same Equestria.

All-in-all though, I think that’s at least a good enough chunk about my thoughts on the movie to end off here. If there’s something I missed or something from the movie you’d like me to give a particular opinion about or elaborate on something feel free to ask me here. G5 is indeed off to a good start, just I will be along the many hoping some questions get answered sooner then later. And I’m not sure I’m confident in getting anywhere until a Season finale or a 2nd movie. And it’ll be a year before the series starts proper (Though again I guess there’s a 44 minute special coming in Spring to try to hold us over). But I could definitely see G5 finding it's own following, now there's just the inevitable clashes between some of the more vocal fans of each generation bickering at eachother. But hoping there will be enough that take the movie's lessons on divisiveness to heart and be able to enjoy both even if there may be preferences.

#mlp #my little pony #g5 #mlp g5 #netflix #my little pony the next generation #my little pony movie #generation 5

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botherkupo · 3 years

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20 questions: writer’s edition

thanks for the tag @carpisuns

How many works do you have on AO3?

What’s your total AO3 word count?

1276156 (hjkhk i’ve written a lot)

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

11 (but i only have 5 on AO3). First one was Harry Potter, but have also written for final fantasy VII and XIII, Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, Detective Conan/Magic Kaitou, Nanatsu no Taizai, Avatar the last airbender, legend of korra, and miraculous ladybug

What are your top five fics by kudos?

1: a lie for a lie

2: the undying fire: blood and fire

3: i’ll be your (wing)man

4: caught in the chat

5: Zuko’s tiny dilemma

gonna put the rest under the cut

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

yes! i will try to respond to every comment, as i really appreciate that someone has taken the time to share their thoughts. you have no idea how happy you make me (although, admittedly, i can take a while if i fall behind -- i have replied to some people over 200 days late hkjhjhk, but i genuinely like replying to comments and have actually made some good friends through comments/replying

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

i don’t do unhappy endings. some of them can be bittersweet, i guess, like heroes and lullabies or been here before , but the only stories that have ended on a properly angsty note are ones that are part of a series, so i don’t thikn that really counts

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

i don’t know to be honest. i have written a lot of humour and fluff

Do you write crossovers? If yes, what’s the craziest thing you’ve written?

my first fanfic was actually this awful harry potter/final fantasy crossover. i mean it was awful. i deleted it because it made me cringe so much hjkhjkhk. These days i just write the odd au stuff set in another world, like Marinette and the Moving Castle (hmc au)

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

hkjhkhjkhk yes. a lot. most of them make me laugh (especially the essay-length rants), but there have been times where i’ve been genuinely frustrated. still, for other writers who have to deal with this kind of thing, just remember that the 1 or so % who hate on your fics are just that -- a small number of people. they really aren’t worth your time

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

i have in the past - more emotional and not super graphic -- but i deleted those fics because it’s just not my thing at the end of the day and i don’t want to read or write that kind of stuff anymore

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

yep. back on good old FFN. it was rubbish as well so i don’t know why the person bothered hkjhkjhk

Have you ever had a fic translated?

quite a few. i am forever surprised and flattered that people have taken the time to translate my fics, because i know it’s not easy. never mind all those words -- it’s just super hard to get the right meaning or effect across when translating, but these people take the time to do that as a hobby. you’re all amazing and deserve way more recognition in fandoms

Have you ever co-written a fic?

i did start an atla one with @cabbage-foam but i think we’d both agree we’re never going to update that one again 😅. Otherwise, i’m working on two idiots and a hamster with @carpisuns (and it’s lots of fun)

What’s your all time favourite ship?

at the moment it’s lovesquare, but i actually really love Nalu (fairy tail). I’ve just never done anything fandom-related for them

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

doctor tsurugi wants a day off. it’s a lukagami sherlock au and was supposed to be a fun slice of life kind of thing, but i never ended up getting past chapter 1. i just set it as complete because i don’t think i’ll ever find the energy to do anything with it. But @masilvi did this amazing art for it, which i love so, so much, and i wish i could keep working on this fic if only to do justice to the art lol

What’s your writing strengths?

hmmm, i care a lot about the flow and readability for my writing -- i want it to be as accessible as possible -- so my writing is pretty concise. i try not to waste words and (i hope you’ll agree) i have a good balance between dialogue, introspection, and description. Humour comes easily to me, and i think i’m pretty good at getting emotion across

What’s your writing weaknesses?

i could be better at my wording when it comes to description -- i feel like i use the same phrases a lot and i wish i could be more creative hkjhkjhk. romance is also difficult for me, mostly because i’m aroace and will just straight up cringe and ahte what i’m writing lol. But also i just don’t really understand physical attraction, so all of my leads probably end up feeling ace-coded, even if i don’t mean them to be 😂

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

i don’t do it because, if the setting is based in a language that isn’t my native language or the one i’m writing in, it’s already suggested they’re speaking in that other language anyway. Plus, not everyone will know those words or phrases, etc, so it’s kind of unfair and distracting in a way. This is actually happened to me as a reader. the author had a wee translator note at the end of the chapter, but i still spent that whole chapter just being like wtf does that mean

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

harry potter. i still laugh when i think about how i stumbled across fanfiction, not knowing what it was, and being so confused why the “leaked” sections were written in hermione’s point of view

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

ahhhh i don’t know. i have a huge soft spot for zuko’s tiny dilemma and more than (yes, the rednana month fic hkjhkjhk), but i’m terrible at choosing favourites. each of them are special to me in their own way

phew that was a lot

Tagging (and no pressue) @thewritewolf @zimtlein @emsylcatac @emletish-fish @cabbage-foam @maketea @trashcatontherooftop

#writer stuff #tag game

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recentanimenews · 2 years

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INTERVIEW: How Top Chef Shota Nakajima Brings Japan’s Izakaya Culture To Seattle

It is hard to travel recently, and for many people, they may be searching for a taste of somewhere they wish they could be. Located at Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington stands Taku, noted as a “little slice of Osaka,” run by chef Shota Nakajima. The dim lights, manga-page wallpaper, and an episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba playing in the background brings memories of small, homey pubs in Japan that purely have one goal: to serve you a good drink and some comfort food at the end of a long day. Taku, and Nakajima’s hospitality that comes all throughout his offerings, accomplishes exactly that.

Following Nakajima’s appearance on the nationwide cooking competition show Top Chef, Crunchyroll News had a chance to speak with him about what it was like making it to the show’s finale, competing on the show during a pandemic, how his success has brought more people to his cooking and much more.

Chef Shota Nakajima (Photo Credit: Austin Quach)

While Taku offers the traditional flavors of salt and pepper karaage (Japanese style fried chicken), Nakajima's menu also includes additional flavors like curry, bonito and soy, teriyaki and spicy teriyaki, with newer flavors expected to come soon. Nakajima told Crunchyroll News he opened Taku simply because he couldn’t get karaage anywhere else in the city. “It’s something every Japanese kid grows up loving,” Nakajima said. “They have it at every gas station in Japan. I crave it all the time. It’s a cozy feeling for me.”

For the bold, Taku offers a “F*ck It Bucket” — a selection of three pounds of nuggets and one pound of fries, but the sides shouldn’t be overlooked either: Traditional Japanese mac salad (which faithfully keeps apples and ham in the recipe), cabbage salad, and watermelon salad are enough to fill one up, and that’s not even counting in the dipping sauces of Miso Honey Mustard, Kewpie Mayo, and Togarashi Ketchup. The chicken is perfectly tender, with the fat and spices excellently flavoring the rice when served in a bowl. “Most importantly we have good rice,” Nakajima said. “I surround my meals around good rice. Sometimes maybe the sides aren’t the best, but if there is good rice, I’m good. That’s most important to me.”

Taku's karaage offerings

Taku's karaage bowl and highball

Just as the restaurant is covered from head-to-toe with pages of manga he read as a child, Nakajima has been a fan of the medium ever since he was young. “My dad has the whole Dragon Ball Z series. That was the first one I picked up when I was three or four years old,” Nakajima said. “I just picked it up and looked at the pictures. But eventually, I got into reading it. Then I just read it over and over and over. When I was a kid, I would get a bunch of rice in a big bowl and eat it like Goku.”

Other notable series spotted within Taku include a dedicated Sailor Moon section, One Piece’s Baratie arc lining the men’s bathroom, and the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga all over the walls. Another life-long favorite series of Nakajima’s is GTO, particularly the prequel manga Shonan Junai Gumi, which makes frequent appearances all around the restaurant. A fun game in itself while munching on the chicken is to see just how many series you can spot on all sides of the establishment.

Manga pages on the walls of Taku

Prior to opening Taku, Nakajima previously owned Adana, a kaiseki restaurant also based in Seattle, which shut its doors in May 2020 towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s bittersweet,” Nakajima told the Seattle Met. “But having more mental space gives me the opportunities to do more things.” Months later, he would do just that as he battled for the title of Top Chef.

Ending as a finalist in Top Chef Portland, the show’s 18th season, Nakajima was on set filming between August to October 2020. While Nakajima may not have won the title of Top Chef, he did come away with the Fan Favorite award. However, Nakajima told Crunchyroll News he didn’t have to wait long to see his popularity manifest in person, as the crowds started appearing at Taku right after episode one.

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Nakajima described the Top Chef experience more as a mental challenge than anything else. “It’s very hard. It’s way harder than it looks,” Nakajima said. “And it’s not just the timeframe. It’s the everyday basis of not having outside relationships, freedom — which as chefs we’re used to. It’s more of a mental game and cooking in a tense environment. It’s a very long marathon.”

“It shows how hard the show is because all of us say it’s hard,” Nakajima added. “Even Dawn [Burrell], who went to the Olympics, told me it was harder than the Olympics. She said it’s the intensity of the pressure that’s put on.”

For about a month’s time, the contestants are not allowed any outside communication, including to their families, except for at determined times. Even though Nakajima said he was fine during filimg — describing himself as a “professional extrovert, but a complete introvert” — he mentioned that he still understood the emotions that would come from the chefs in those moments of relief.

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“When you think about it, it’s a month of competing with no outside comms. You’re not doing your job. You’re competing every single day. You’re in this tense environment and kind of holding it on your own. And then you see your family and it reopens this side of you that like ‘oh shoot, I forgot I was human. (laughs)’”

Even during a normal season, the required conditions would be tough on any contestant. But the spread of COVID-19 provided new rules and regulations, especially in terms of keeping the cast and crew safe. Nakajima noted that the cast was tested three to four times a day starting at five o’clock in the morning, then going right into the first challenge of the day.

“It was very strict. I was very happy because I was very cautious about it,” Nakajima said. “If I felt uncomfortable, I was ready to say something because I don’t want to get sick. But at the end, I didn’t have to say anything. [The crew] were more aware than I was.”

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To go through all of those stipulations, and still make it to the finale, is a feat within itself. Between having to appeal to a pre-determined set of judges set at the beginning of the season (where previous seasons have judges change every episode) and working with ingredients outside of one’s comfort zone (notably the cheese challenge, which ended up being his favorite), Nakajima arrived at the finale determined, but still feeling the effects of the competition.

“Honestly, I was so delusional during the finale,” Nakajima laughed as he admitted. “I just wanted to do something that I knew and liked to eat. Something simple. In a sense, it was harder because there were no rules.”

While in retrospect Nakajima would have changed his finale meal — doing a more traditional Japanese clear broth soup and presenting the curry in a more fine-dining angle — Nakajima still found a lasting kinship among his fellow competitors, as they still come to Taku and cook today, as well as do collaboration events across the country.

Chef Shota Nakajima and his dog Dodger

“I’m pretty picky on the people I surround myself with. Even if it’s someone who has a tiny bit of negative energy, I’m out,” Nakajima said. “Just the casting, I think they did an incredible job finding good people. When I find good people in my life, I don’t let go of them. I keep talking to them and inspiring them and inspired back and talk about the problems we go through.”

So Nakajima returned to Seattle, perfecting his izakaya restaurant, but with an energized fanbase and a new set of lifelong friends to boot. Between hosting events like an Anime Halloween at Taku, as well as traveling now to give culinary classes and host exclusive pop-ups, Nakajima’s future looks only more appetizing.

Most importantly, as Taku resumes indoor dining, Nakajima is continuing to look to the future of his kitchen and the wellbeing of his staff. “My goal is to work for myself and the people around me. Now I believe that it’s that time to focus and build a career for ourselves.”

Kyle Cardine is a Managing Editor for Crunchyroll. You can find his Twitter here.

By: Kyle Cardine

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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thedigitalpen · 4 years

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My 10 favourite... beefcake animes!

Okay yes, I realise that this is a rather weird title. I had originally thought to call it something along the lines of my favourite martial arts or fighting animes, but because the animes don’t always fall into that category, I decided to call a spade, a spade (or a beefcake, a beefcake) and admit that, most times sometimes, I just enjoy animes with muscular guys in them. That’s not to forget the ladies though because some of these shows also feature some rather muscular ladies in the mix too. So there’s something for everyone!

So, in no particular order (because the genres are sometimes different so making comparisons wouldn’t be fair):

1. Street Fighter series.

Hardly a surprise considering that this is a series that has a legacy firmly placed in the gaming world. Although you don’t really need to know who’s who in order to watch these shows, it doesn’t hurt to know a little about the characters before you jump in - mainly because the creators assume that those who watch it are fans of the show. Expect a fair amount of fighting (the name gives that one away), lots of bromance (Ryu and Ken 4eva!) and the eternal fight of good vs. evil (which is usually the plot of every show/movie)! Even if you aren’t familiar with Ryu & co., the show won’t lead you astray so you can watch without worry. Oh and let me just say - Chun Li is ma gurl! If you want to see a woman that’s not only beautiful but can also kick your ass, then watch these shows - especially Street Fight II the movie!

2. Hajime no Ippo.

One of my most favourite sports animes of all time which tells the tale of Makunouchi Ippo and his rise up the ranks of the boxing world. He starts off as a kid that just wants to get stronger so that he can fend off the bullies who harass him. Sick of his weak self (and after a couple of incidents here and there), Ippo joins a boxing gym, starting from scratch and going through basic training. His coach sees his potential and helps shape Ippo into a power boxer who fights head on and never backs down from the fight. Throughout the series, we get to know the other boxers in the gym as well as the competitors that they face, and we watch them battle it out in the ring. It’s a story with a great balance of sports, a sprinkling of slice of life (well, the life of a boxer) and comedy. And, of course, boxing boys come with boxing bodies... and I’m not complaining! And if you enjoy this and want more, try either “Ashita no Joe” (old school classic) or it’s more recent spin-off, “Megalo Box”. Oh and in terms of strong women - no one beats Ippo’s mom! She’s a powerhouse!

3. Baki the Grappler.

More of an MMA vibe with this one - it’s about a kid (he’s like 13 when we first meet him) who has been raised to be a fighter since he was born - his mother gets him the best trainers and equipment money can buy. He eventually feels like he’s outgrown the traditional training method and starts to find other ways to become a better fighter, which includes following his fathers footsteps - training the same way he did and with the people he did - and taking on some of the other fighters he meets along the way. After an altercation with his father (using that term rather lightly), Baki’s path eventually leads to the underground fight scene where challengers can test their strength and face off against each other in an anything-goes type of fight, using whatever techniques, power and skills they have at their disposal. And Baki’s ultimate goal? To defeat his father! It’s got some family drama as the foundation, but when it comes to beefcakes, there’s no shortage here - even if it is a 17-year old kid looking like a grown-ass man. Oh, best to be aware that (excluding the OVAs) there 3 seasons of Baki - the anime series from 2001 and the 2018 Netflix version which covers the "Most Evil Death Row Convicts" arc.

4. Kengan Ashura.

When I first started watching this, the first thing I thought was - ahhh! this reminds me of Baki! And, indeed, there are quite a few elements that are similar. There isn’t any family drama here but there is an underground fight scene where anything goes in terms of fight style. However, the premise here is that the fighters don’t fight for themselves (well, not officially anyway) but that they fight for various companies who settle their business disputes via these types of organised “kengan” matches. It eventually reaches a situation where some of the other businessmen wish to get rid of the current Kengan chairman, and so this chairman organises a huge battle royale for any companies that wish to enter. The prize? The owner of the winning company gets to be the next chairman! This sets the stage for a number of one-on-one showdowns between the various fighter representatives. In terms of background stories, we have two main protagonists and their stories. The one is about a salaryman (turned “CEO”) and his life, as well his relationship with his son, and the other is about a fighter and the vendetta he holds against another fighter for a past incident. Personally, I love the way the fights are presented in this show - not only because of the eye-candy - but because it really does feel like you’re at a grand show! Oh, and unlike Baki, at least most of the fighers are adults.

5. Golden Kamuy.

Bring on the boys! Honestly one of the most entertaining shows I’ve watched in a while (and one where I demand that there be another season at least!) and also culturally/historically interesting too. It’s set around the time of the Russo-Japanese war and follows the story of Immortal Sugimoto - a soldier who left active service and finds out that there may be Ainu gold hidden somewhere in Hokkaido. The only problem is that the map has been tattooed in pieces, onto the torsos of various prisoners, most of whom have dispersed to different areas. Nevertheless, thus begins the hunt for the map! Along the way, Sugimoto meets various people along the way - making allies with some and enemies with others - all of whom are associated with each other in interconnecting ways. And all of whom are working toward one goal - get the gold! It’s a brilliant show that’s got some fighting, some mystery, some espionage vibes, some comedy (some of which is could be considered dark and/or weird) and some feels. It balances it all out and makes for an interesting and entertaining watch. Oh, and let’s not forget - a very enjoyable watch too! Mm mm mmm...

6. All Out!!

Another sport anime here, but this time it’s rugby! As someone from a country where rugby is a staple, national sport, this was totally up my ally! The premise is similar to most other school-based sports animes - a kid who’s self-conscious about his height joins the rugby team and learns to get along with the other boys as he trains and works together with them as part of the team. This is not only so that he can help the team improve, but to also prove his own worth. The team goes through training camps and they play against other schools, getting to know some of the opposing teams’ members and establishing some rivalries along the way. It’s pretty typical fare, but damn are these boys stacked! It’s pretty accurate though since rugby is a contact sport which requires some power (and apparently some short, tight shorts) to get the job done. It’s a light watch, but that eye candy is truly sweet!

7. Tiger Mask W.

From rugby to wrestling! This actually a continuation of sorts to the original Tiger Mask and Tiger Mask II series, building on the legacy and keeping related in the same sphere, but not directly incorporating the older characters. Unfortunately, the original series is hella hard to get hold of but even without it, you can watch Tiger Mask W without much of an issue. So the story is about a guy who had decided to join a wrestling gym and was pretty happy there until the gym was destroyed by another rival gym. Vowing to take that other gym down, he strikes out on his own and eventually joins one of the national wrestling associations, working in their match roster. But it’s all so that he can reach his goal of taking down that other gym by defeating the players supported by them. Enter into the ring various wrestling friends and both friendly and unfriendly rivals (including an old friend - bromance anyone?) and you get plenty of matches, plenty of muscles and some satisfying action! They also don’t forget the female wrestlers, which is a nice touch! Another one that’s light enough to enjoy at face value - much like how you’d enjoy real wrestling too.

8. Gifuu Doudou!! Kanetsugu to Keiji.

A historical vibe with this one - it’s actually based on the spin-off of the original manga, “Keiji” which was created by Tetsuo Hara. And if that name doesn’t ring a bell, check number 10 on this list and you’ll know who I’m talking about - that’s right, it’s the guy who worked on Hokuto no Ken - and that should immediately give you an idea as to why this show is on the list. It’s a period piece about the friendship between Maeda Keiji and Naoe Kanetsugu - both of whom found their accomplishments on the battlefield. It’s told in hindsight, where they sit together, have a drink or three and reminisce about their younger days and what it took to get to where they are now. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it was pretty entertaining - especially when you see just how clever these guys were when it came to political maneuvering as well as in a fight. Of course, they’re pretty high in the beefcake stakes so if you like your men manly, then you’ve come to the right era.

9. Dragon Ball series.

I’m pretty sure that I don’t have to talk about this anime, but in the interest of completeness, let me give you the wiki breakdown about what this anime is about: “The series follows the adventures of the protagonist, Son Goku, from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts. He spents his life far from civilization, until he is found by Bloomer, a teen girl who encourages him to explore the world in search of the seven orbs known as the Dragon Balls, which summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his journey, Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls.” (source). Of course, this is continued throughout the various series that follow, where Goku has his own family etc. But when it comes to the muscle factor in this show, it’s got it where it counts - everywhere! It’s a classic for a reason so even if you aren’t into beefcake guys, you should still probably watch it if you haven’t already.

10. Hokuto no Ken.

It just wouldn’t feel right if I had to leave this off the list because when someone says “manly anime”, I’m betting that 99.9% of the time most people think about Hokuto no Ken / Fist of the North Star. It’s the post-apocalyptic era and times are tough, with everyone fighting to survive with what little there is on the planet. Some guys want to be rulers, some guys want to be thugs, but one guy just wants to find his fiancee and do what he can to right the wrongs of the world and make a difference to the people he meets. That one man is, of course, Kenshiro. It’s full-tilt action, usually incorporating martial arts through the various fighting styles of the characters - whether it’s Hokuto Shinken, Nanto Seiken or sometimes just brute force and good old hand-to-hand combat. There’s a few female characters here and there who also kick ass so it isn’t completely one-sided, but they usually end up getting saved by the dudes so take that with a pinch of salt. Post-apocalyptic world or not, these guys sure can maintain their physiques. And when it comes time for a fight, you best believe they pull no punches! If you like pure fighting animes where you get to see people explode each episode, followed by the most epic line ever said in anime, then this is the one!

Honourable mentions.

...because, can we really do without more muscular men and women in our lives?

1. Terra Formars - if you’re looking specifically for that muscular vibe, then try season 1. While I enjoyed both, season 1 had better animation (for me) and they all looked badass when defeating those nasty roaches - both the men and the ladies! 2. Hinomaru Sumo - a sports anime that revolves around a newly formed high school sumo club and the career path of the main protagonist. Informative if you don’t know much about sumo and, as expected, loads of meaty guys aiming for victory and aiming for the position of yokozuna. 3. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure - another show that hardly requires an introduction and would probably take way too long to explain considering how many Jojo’s there are, but rest assured, the guys are packed, stacked and ready to attack! 4. One Punch Man - if only because there a few characters who fit the beefcake category perfectly, e.g. Suiryu (hello there!), Garou and Tanktop Master to name a few. An anime that’s some parts serious, some part hilarious but always flipping shounen tropes on its head. 5. Sengoku Basara - also, not completely beefed out, but there are a few characters who would make the grade, e.g. Maeda Keiji (dejavu from number 8?) and Oda Nobunaga. Another period anime, based on a Capcom game, that uses a lot of poetic licence to make it an exciting watch with very memorable characters. 6. Free! - “Make us free na Splash! Kasaneta... 👏 👏 !” Swimmers bodies - that is all. If you’ve ever seen a swimmer’s bodies in real life, you’ll know what I mean ‘cos they have muscles in all the right places. A slice-of-life sports anime that revolves around high school boys (who eventually become college boys) who engage in competitive swimming. 7. Air Master - The ladies take over in this one, which is a show that revolves around street fighting and the goal of those various street fighters and martial artists to become number 1 on the Fukamichi Rankings. It’s more of that underground fight scene vibe but the main protagonist is a gymnast-turned-street fighter who takes on anyone who’ll challenge her (man or woman) and usually kick their ass. It’s got a quirky/weird sense of humour to it, but that’s part of why I liked it.

Well, I’m pretty sure that there are other shows that I’ve missed, and mountains of characters who have that A-grade beef, but I tried to choose shows that specifically have that muscular aesthetic as a default setting in the show. Hopefully I hit the mark here, sharing my faves with you, but if there’s some show or character that I absolutely must see, feel free to let me know! Because just like Tanigaki’s shirt, I’m always open to suggestions.

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tenshindon · 4 years

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*waves* Hi, I'm Silver. I want to write Yamcha more accurately (he seems really nice?), but I haven't the time or money to buy the manga or episodes, so... any tips, I guess? Can you help me? Thank you 🌻💜

hiya !! i’m always happy to talk about yamcha and The Character Of yamcha :) gonna put my thoughts under a read more cause this Might be long:

I havent watched Z or Super in a while but I do watch and read through the original Dragon Ball often so accuracy May Vary due to my trash memory. I’m also going to try to keep the games’ depictions of him out of this since accuracy varies among those.

The first thing I wanna touch on is Yamcha’s ego- especially how it evolves over the series. The main thing to keep in mind is that while he is generally cocky about his fighting abilities (which is a major weakness of his as he underestimates his opponents often and gets in trouble because of that), he’s never overly confidant with himself as a person; he seldom tries to paint himself as a better person in comparison to others and rather keeps realistic skepticism about himself. It’s also worth noting that, depending on how old Yamcha is in your depiction, his awareness for his fighting inadequacy compared to his friends varies (the older he is obviously the more conscious he is).

Next thing I’ma talk bout is something that i see kind of treated inconsistently; Yamcha’s relationship with women and his love life. I feel like a lot of people forget that Yamcha’s defining character trait in Dragon Ball was his gynophobia- he chased Goku and his friends so long for the dragon balls so he could remedy his fear of women. Of course, he eventually does date Bulma as they realize dating each other would resolve their mutual wishes for Shenron (Bulma’s being getting a boyfriend and as mentioned before Yamcha’s fear of women). As we’re all aware though, nearly a decade later Yamcha and Bulma mysteriously separate, and the reason for doing so is never explicitly made clear in canon (I could honestly make a whole separate post on Bulma and Yamcha’s break up- there’s a lot to discuss with it so if anyone wants that let me know lmao). The majority believe that Yamcha was unfaithful which, in review of his whole character, makes literally no sense- even just subtracting his fear of women (though I’ll elaborate on that later). But back on track and in regards to his fear of women, it never fully goes away. It just so happens that he’s most comfortable around Bulma, and since Bulma’s the most prominent female character of the series we tend to forget his fear in the first place. When around other female characters, he’s subtlety more anxious- or at the very least he isn’t so much of a playboy as fanon interprets him to be. One final thing to note is- unless I remember the series wrong (and anyone’s free to correct me on this)- Yamcha’s never implied to have gotten another girlfriend or even a lover at any point. Of course it’s hard to track the intricacies of Yamcha’s life- this is a shonen anime where slice-of-life episodes are limited, and even then Yamcha is far from being a prominent character anymore (post Dragon Ball).

Up next is his loyalty/friendships, methods of handling conflict, and overall courage because in my rat brain these all go hand in hand. Nevertheless, Yamcha’s a devoted friend- he’s shown time and time again to be supportive of his pals and, even in spite of his shortcomings, always does his best to help the gang out. Like i touched on before, as Yamcha gets older, he’s more and more aware just how far behind in training he is in compared to his peers. But that doesn’t stop him from trying to fight off whatever threat’s present. So with that we can infer that even if Yamcha can’t be the absolute best, that’s not going to stop him from at least trying if it means helping his friends or making them feel better. Additionally, he’s quick to stand up for others, even if he doesn’t know them too well or even at all and he’s shown not to hold onto grudges. One thing to remember is that, presumably for 16 years, Yamcha’s only companion was Puar (that’s not even considering his life before meeting her) and most interactions he has with people involve robbing them. His social skills might not be the best (though that doesn’t mean he can’t act socially capable- he clearly has no issue trying to make Beerus feel comfortable and like a friend at Bulma’s party) but again, his social skills varies with age and the situation. But again, referring back to his readiness to defend others, he isn’t afraid of getting into conflict if it means helping someone else.

Last few topics I’m going to talk about are his relationships with property, finances, and goals- they seem like a small topics but I still want to talk about it. Now hopefully we’re all familiar with Yamcha’s beginnings of being a desert bandit- and seeing his methods of obtaining items, he didn’t try to charm his victims into giving him their stuff. He just took it if he could if he couldn’t intimidate them and retreated if he couldn’t get what he wanted (which is also noteworthy of Yamcha’s awareness of his limits- a bit contradictory to his fighting ego but it seems that if Yamcha’s certain he isn’t able to win something, then he’ll save himself if it means delaying a goal or staying alive). He doesn’t seem to mind playing the long game either, as he’s willing to tail Goku and co. for months as he waits for them to gather the dragon balls without ever letting his true intentions slip. When it comes to finances, Yamcha doesn’t seem to care to heavily about them: back in the desert, Puar mentions to Yamcha that he should wish for money to which Yamcha dismisses it quickly, stating he could just steal money if he really needed it. It’s also worth noting that despite being a successful baseball player by Super, Yamcha chooses to live in a modest apartment. Either he’s very paranoid with money and, despite having enough to buy a full house, chooses to live in a cheaper apartment building or he’s more comfortable with smaller living spaces- which makes sense since he’d lived nearly two decades in a desert cave and had to scavenge for supplies (plus he seems to still think fondly of the desert as he has a painting of such in his apartment).

For the TL;DR version of this post, here’s essentially what you should keep in mind when portraying yamcha:

He’s generally a very lax, simple, and sociable person when he wants to be- though a bit socially awkward when he isn’t prepared

He’s not egotistical, but he has a bad habit of underestimating his enemies at times. this changes over time of course.

While he’s not itching for conflict, he is loyal and quick to stand up for friends and strangers alike

He acknowledges he isn’t the best, but that doesn’t stop him from trying

He’s ambitious and seldom gives up on his goals

He cares little for huge amounts of wealth or property and generally is just trying to get by in life comfortably

While not cripplingly petrified of women post DB, he still maintains a mild anxiety around women he doesn’t know- even around women he does know pardon Bulma he’s still a bit on edge

I’m done with my character study using the anime and manga, but I like talking about Yamcha so below this little buffer I’m going to get into how the games portray him. I might’ve forgot something or got some things wrong so feel free to talk to me about that if you want to. Anyways, you can stop reading if the above is all you’re concerned with- regardless if you keep reading or not, I wish you the best of luck in writing Yamcha ! :)

If you’re still reading, join me in my continuous ramble of the Rubix cube of Yamcha’s character because Toei and Toriyama can’t be consistent.

Something that seems to be portrayed a significant amount is that Yamcha’s aware of his charm and that he uses this to advantage to smooth talk his way out of situations- not that he just so happens to be good looking and endearing and his panicked socialization just happens to work out for him. In regards to his way of talking out of situations, that’s honestly something I could see if Yamcha acknowledges he’s against a threat much greater than his fighting abilities will allow him to handle- and it’s not like he doesn’t consider himself attractive, if we’re to take his reaction to losing his tooth as anything (in case you aren’t aware, he curses Goku for ruining his “beautiful” face). An example of this is most prominent is his interaction with Frieza in FighterZ, where Frieza remarks that Yamcha is both “handsome and sensible”, to which Yamcha attempts to keep the conversation casual so as to not have to fight (which he later points out to Goku once the latter urges that the three of them should just start fighting already). Though I’m sure his first reaction isn’t to talk his way out of something- he’ll just do it if the opportunity presents itself.

I obviously take huge issue with Yamcha’s portrayal of being a womanizer- his major goal was to settle down, get married, and live out the rest of his life with someone. So for him to be portrayed as having to juggle girlfriends is a bit strange to say the least. You could maybe argue that Yamcha hypes himself up to be a lady’s man as a way to cope with his anxiety (fake it til you make it y’know) but I have little faith in the characterization in Dragon Ball games and for them to think that complexly- plus, again, it contradicts with his humble and awkward personality.

Aside from these two notes, that’s all I have to say. so I’m done- forreal this time.

#dragon ball #dragon ball z #dragon ball super #yamcha #snap chats #sorry im late to responding #first i was asleep and second of all i had to think a lot with this- plus i kept getting distracted #there might be a little bias in this with how i see yamcha so take my words with a grain of salt #whether you're 100% accurate or not the thing to remember most is to just have fun :)#saiyanblood2 #reply

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comicteaparty · 4 years

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Millennium https://spiderforest.com/comics/millennium/ Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-fi Trigger Warnings: Rated PG-13 for Mild Violence and Mild Language Reasons: Lovely art, fun characters, and an engaging space world! I love it so so much.

Sombulus https://spiderforest.com/comics/sombulus/ Genre: Adventure/Comedy/Fantast Trigger Warnings: Rated Young Adult, no warnings Reasons: An absolute blast, super fun story and characters, with a nice long archive too!

Arbalest https://spiderforest.com/comics/arbalest/ Genre: Fantasy/Horror Trigger Warnings: Rated Mature for partial nudity, blood/gore, sex, themes of abuse Reasons: A really compelling story in a non-traditional narrative style, and super spooky to boot.

And finally, to top this off, I'll drop in my own comic as well! Court of Roses https://spiderforest.com/comics/court-of-roses/ Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Comedy Trigger Warnings: Rated Teen, for Fantasy Violence and Alcohol Use Reasons: Because this is my comic and it's my pride and joy and I love my bards a lot. :3

AntiBunny

Dead Winter http://deadwinter.cc/ Genre: Zombie Apocalypse Trigger Warnings: Violent Reasons: Well it's a straightforward zombie survival comic. What's impressive is how well the artist has studied comics as an art form and put thought and purpose into every panel.

HiddenElephant

http://welcome2earth.webcomic.ws/ Snarky alien crashes onto Earth. Not enough people are reading it in my opinion.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R: http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/ Genre: Action, Comedy Trigger Warnings: Blood, Dismemberment Reasons: A recommendation for @Goobatron . It's my comic. The creator is me. Super Galaxy Knights is a story about Mizuki Sato, who goes on adventures through a strange world, making friends along the way. The dialogue is like... 70% banter, 30% total non-sequiturs. The art style uses 3D models, in like a weird cel-shaded style that's meant to be reminiscent of games like Wind Waker and Dragon Ball FighterZ. And there's also a bunch of animated panels/pages. There's also a ton of really strange characters. Like there's a dude whose power is that he always wins knife fights. There's a wizard who shrinks hot dogs and carries them around in capsules. Etc. One warning - the early pages are a bit rough-looking. Some have been redrawn recently, but others haven't yet, so it can be a bit jarring to go back and forth between styles.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Clockwork http://www.clockwork-comic.com/ Genre: Fantasy / Drama CW: Some language and violence Clockwork is a comic about Cog Kleinshmidt, a moody teenager with an uncanny talent for repairing machinery. He feels he’s a nobody, but is swept into the turbulent world of politics, and is forced to learn magic in a world where magic is strictly forbidden. The art in this comic is incredibly polished and lively, and the characters are all instantly endearing. The writing is also top-notch. The first time I read it, I was completely sucked in after only a few pages. It’s currently on hiatus while the creator prepares the next chapter, but it’s well worth the wait.(edited)

Moral_Gutpunch

Micheal Morbius: Freelance Vampire http://freelancevampire.thecomicseries.com/ Genre: Drama, comedy Trigger: mentions of death and violence, talk of abusive relationships, mention of rape. It's all in dialog. Micheal Morbius, from Marvel comics, struggles to adjust to a as normal a life as a vampire can have. He helps a friend get back on her feet, he goes through therapy, and he's visited by Spider-heroes, this time a new one. Meanwhile, a true monster lurks int he shadows. The art isn't good, but the story and dialog are worth it. It's my comic. I hope after I get a few more pages going people will enjoy the story. It's a story I've been wanting to write for ages and I figured I'm not going to write for Marvel anytime soon (yes, I checked copyright law, Marvel allows this). Dedicated to Stan Lee.

Pakky

The Boy Who Fell http://boywhofell.com/ Genre: Drama, Adventure, Action, Comedy TW: Violence, blood, fighting, ptsd, suicide, death Synopsis (from the website): The Boy Who Fell revolves around an innocent, softhearted and almost-spineless boy named Ren who suddenly finds himself in Hell after accidentally falling off a school rooftop. He is then forced to partake in a tournament full of powerful and vicious beings in order to attain his only way of going home: an all-powerful wish from the ruler of Hell himself. As the story progresses, lines between allies and enemies are blurred, dark pasts are revealed, political issues come to light and all the while, Ren slowly realizes that in order to survive this journey, he might have to give up the very things that make him human I love this webcomic and have been following this artist for over 10 years now and recommend their work to anyone who will listen haha! Super long running webcomic with a well developed storyline and world.

Shizamura 🌟 O Sarilho

Broken http://broken.spiderforest.com/ Genre: Horror Trigger Warnings: Military, death, monsters Reasons: Broken offers a very interesting twist on the concepts of fairies, presenting you with a fairy general on the battlefield fighting against corrupted abominations. The concepts and worldbuilding here are very interesting and the battle/action scenes are great. Often makes use of animation and some HTML/CSS for extra effect. Of Magic and Muses https://xiicomic.com/magic-and-muses/ Genre: Magical Girls, mystery Trigger Warnings: There's a big monster at some point? Reasons: It's a magical girl story! Except nobody knows what's happening, the powers the girls get are maybe not of a friendly nature and they wear armor? The escalation of events is suberb. It has a large (and growing) cast, but each character has their own unique personality, making them super easy to follow and love. Ghost Junk Sickness https://www.ghostjunksickness.com/ Genre: action, sci-fi Trigger Warnings: violence, limb loss, death Reasons: There's a lot to be said about this comic! I really like the characters, who are deeply flawed and charming and make a lot of mistakes (the main duo having an especially interesting, yet sorta problematic dynamic). The worldbuilding is interesting and quirky to match. The mysterious bounty The Ghost is a looming presence, and apparently we'll be learning more about them soon. Super exciting and fun action scenes too!

Desnik

https://monsterhead.net/ Genre: LGBT+ American rural occult fantasy Trigger Warnings: Animal death, mild body horror Reasons: The author/artist is an OC-loving member of the LGBT+ community, and her work deals with self-love in the face of weird circumstances. Love the colors, Carter is an appealing and relatable main character, and the worldbuilding is something I've never seen before.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

http://www.phantomarine.com/ Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural Trigger Warnings: Death, Mild Body Horror, Mild Violence, Mild Language Reasons: ...This is my comic! (edited)

Phantomarine is a spooky-but-sweet fantasy webcomic about a ghostly princess and her perilous journey across a haunted sea, hoping to save her soul from a devious, shapeshifting death god known as the Red Tide King. Expect all manner of maritime mysteries – monstrous sea creatures, sacred lighthouses, strange afflictions, accursed marauders, feuding gods, grand sea battles, and a heaping helping of humor in-between.

eliushi [Keyspace]

https://tapas.io/series/KEYSPACE-A-Winged-Tale/ https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/keyspace-a-winged-tale/list?title_no=322364 Genre: YA Science Fantasy, LGBT+ Trigger warnings: Mild body horror/violence/monsters, death Reasons: My comic Blurb: Florence thought her idyllic life living with the winged beings would last forever. However, when her mother disappears from a mysterious expedition, she fears for the worst. Through exploring hidden laboratory tunnels beneath the forest, facing Machines from a century-long war against humans, and seeking guidance from the Lost people from a civilization gone by, Flo and her winged friends must piece together the past in order to save all those they love.

Shizamura 🌟 O Sarilho

O Sarilho https://www.sarilho.net/en Genre: Post-Apocaliptic/Sci-fi Trigger Warnings: War, military, death Reasons: I make it Short description: A small team goes on a mission to enemy territory to find the remains of an ancient satellite and they end up finding a lot more. There are computers and dams and electricity-worshipping future romans (edited)

GGY

Tile: Over 8 Miles https://tapas.io/episode/859067 Genre: Drama, Comedy, Slice of Life Reasons I make it: Cause its fun and I enjoy sharing the existence of my characters and their life outside my brain

Emma (Friends or Lovers?)

Dreamwalker Felix by KT and TK https://tapas.io/series/Dreamwalker-Felix and https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/dreamwalker-felix/list?title_no=182487 Genre: Fantasy/Supernatural Trigger Warnings: There's some body horror in there Reasons: The art is just beautiful, and it has tons of funny moments Friends or Lovers? by yours truly https://tapas.io/series/friendsorlovers and https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/friends-or-lovers/list?title_no=49520 Genre: Romance/school slice of life Trigger Warnings: Mentions and depictions of bullying Reasons: It's my comic, so I'll just quote a reader: "Your comic is more accurate to real teens in love in high school than most. It's really good stuff"

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Earth in a Pocket http://earthinapocket.spiderforest.com/ Genre: Retro Sci-fi, Iyashikei Trigger Warnings: none Reasons: This comic posted its final page very recently! It's a relatively short read; very gentle and hopeful without being cavity-causingly sweet. The creator has put together such a heartwarming story that I've been adoring for a while. One of my faves, now complete!

renieplayerone

O Human Star https://ohumanstar.com/ Genre: Scifi, Robots, Drama TW: Dysphoria, Depression Reasons: The characters are so well written and emotional, plus I love the simplistic color palette. They get across the journey of self-discovery in such an interesting way.(edited)

carcarchu

Arcane Flames https://tapas.io/series/Arcane-Flames Genre: Fantasy Trigger Warnings: death? Reasons: I've been following kutty sark for many years now and I've really been looking forward to this comic which I'm pleased to say even exceeded my expectations. Fantastic art and the tone of the story is just lovely, i adore al'vis

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

https://sfeertheory.com/ The art is incredible. Every character, even the background ones, is full of personality. I love a good underdog story, and Luca's speech in chapter three made me scream into my hands and tear up. I can't recommend it highly enough

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

http://secondcrimeanwar.thecomicseries.com/

The Second Crimean War is a powerful and fun story in an alternate 1990s decade in Ukraine. The art is black and white and improves in leaps and bounces as you move on in the story! The story itself draws you in from page one. There's suspense, there's (black) humor, there's atmosphere and adventure. Highly recommended if you like war/action/suspense.

varethane

Have you ever read Nasty Red Dogs? https://nastyreddogs.com/

oh golly, haha

yeah, it's a fun and twisted and surreal little tale, the early parts especially are like walking through a really bizarre dream that if you describe it, it ought to be called a nightmare, but at the moment you're in it, it doesn't FEEL like one lol

the creator also does a comic called Feast For A King, which I think is more well-known but I haven't read yet (will at some point tho): https://feastforaking.com/comic/

kelly-zine

Title: Zyra Slash Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Slice-Of-Life TW: None (for right now at least, it just started!) Reasons: I love Alex and their characters so much! ZS is a project I’ve been following and chatting with them about for a long time and it’s amazing to see it come to fruition. I think you’ll like it too. (Note that it’s on hiatus at the moment!) https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/zyra-slash/list?title_no=373763

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Title: Ark https://www.arkcomic.com/ Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Anthro TW: violence (nothing heavy yet, but my Spider Senses are tingling) Reasons: A 1920s-inspired, extremely believable fantasy setting. Hints of racial tension and a possible war brewing on the horizon. It's pretty early in the story, so hop in and claim the front row seats for this gorgeously illustrated comic! (edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Tamberlane https://www.tamberlanecomic.com/ Genre: slice of life, heartwarming, Anthro It has a cast of colourful characters. Charming story of a clumsy bat named Belfry who adopts a little human. Various animal neighbors to love

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I found one of the Chinese webcomics I use to follow, is now on Webtoons. They rename the title to: The Emperor's New Body because it's about body swapping and has interesting depth while some silly hijinks https://tapas.io/series/the-emperors-new-body(edited)

trinketfox

May as well rec my first ever favorite webcomic! Warrior U! https://warrior-u-thecomic.tumblr.com/ It's so expressive and funny that I've always wished it would become a show on cartoon network or something. Only the first few pages are still up on this tumblr since the official site is down, but all chapters are on the artist's gumroad!

It's an episodic comedy fantasy that goes from page-long gags to full episodes. Reccomended for it's humor and a really fun art style.

SteffieMusings

Nebula Beings https://tapas.io/series/Nebula-Beings Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror/Thriller Trigger Warnings: Violence, scary imagery (especially in chapter 7), talks/implied past abuse Reasons: It's a fun series and the two main characters learn to overcome challenges during their travels.(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

http://humoncomics.com/elftaken-1

Very short comic about the fae!

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

For anyone who wants really strong character development/plot/art in general, I’m recommending Heir’s Game https://www.webtoons.com/en/drama/heirs-game/list?title_no=1445 For slapstick humor and characters with strong platonic bonds I give you Waffles and Pancakes https://www.webtoons.com/en/slice-of-life/waffles-and-pancakes/list?title_no=1310 And because why not, and if you like Victorian romance with a cute bickering couple, I give you Miss Abbott and the Doctor https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/miss-abbott-and-the-doctor/list?title_no=707

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Encephalon Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror Trigger Warnings: Blood, Gore, Strong Language A rescue crew sent to an abandoned space station comes face-to-face with a bio-computer experiment gone horribly wrong. A sci-fi webcomic with body-horror elements. Very creepy stuff! It's just getting started, but after seeing the rest of the story in thumbnail form (my IRL friend is the making it), it's going to AWESOME places. Please check it out! https://encephalon-comic.com/

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

This is: Mirror Mirror for 'Brain' short story contest entry. The 1st ep caught my eye and I'm invested in it https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/mirror-mirror-b/list?title_no=427186(edited)

carcarchu

https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/freak Genre: fantasy Trigger Warnings: violence? Reasons: sakon's art is brilliant and incredibly consistent. season 1 is now available to read for free!

sagaholmgaard

Genre: Supernatural, urban fantasy, slice of life Trigger Warnings: Maybe abusive parents? idk i feel like it will be explored in the future Reasons: I love the art style and the latest chapter have some CHAOTIC ENERGY and im living for it!! https://tapas.io/series/bygonesbe

GGY

Just got back from hiatus! If y’all are interested in some slice of life + comedy drama I’d like to share my webcomic Over 8 Miles: https://tapas.io/series/O8M/ep39

carcarchu

Veni Vidi Vici https://vevivi.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-1.html Genre: slice of life, comedy Reasons: reading this comic feels so comfy and it reminds me of being in roman studies class again. you can really see the love and care that Ruby has put into this comic and her passion for ancient rome is really on full display in this work

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

This is the comic books for Cafe Suada I used to read way back. It's a fun slice of life about a teahouse shop keeper rivals with a coffee shop manager https://tapas.io/series/Cafe-Suada The artist used some traditonal tea staining for the textures. The story inspired me to draw my own slice of life series(edited)

sierrabravo (Hans Vogel is Dead)

The Strange Tale of Oscar Zahn https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/the-strange-tales-of-oscar-zahn/list?title_no=685&page=1 Genre: Paranatural Investigation with just a dash of Cosmic Horror Kinda spooky, some light/fantasy violence From the website: Follow the journey of the world's greatest paranormal investigator - Oscar Zahn. Friend to lost souls, enemy of evil, he may lack a body but that doesn't mean he's missing a heart! The art is INCREDIBLE, the tone is really fun with some neat Hellboy vibes, it's complete and it's a good binge read. I really enjoyed it!

carcarchu

Short story about a cat, make sure you've got tissues ready https://akimiya.tumblr.com/post/129049384624

boogeymadam

just caught up with wychwood and it's such a huge treat!! there's some amazingly fun worldbuilding, a lot of intrigue about how the protagonists came to have the powers they do, and the motives behind the things that made the world the way it is * _ * it's also got soooo many pretty derelict environments, cool creature design and fun training montages! http://wychwood.sevensmith.net/comic/1

Yung Skrimp (Carefree)

I started reading Cloven Hearth, it’s interesting and has a really cool art style

https://twitter.com/ruinationcomics/status/1254126660007399425?s=21(edited)

carcarchu

Hana and Mr. Arrogant https://www.ciayo.com/en/comic/hana-mr-arrogant Genre: romance Reasons: Easy breezy read, with nice art and a super likeable heroine! Nothing we've never seen before, but delivered with genuine heart that makes it stand out

LabsZach

This one esp, with the greenery shifting into dirt, roots, and mushrooms, and how it compliments the figures on it is just aces. https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/cloven-hearth/touch-of-the-divine/viewer?title_no=396780&episode_no=14

boogeymadam

recently binged malverav's comic Love and War and it is sooo satisfying, about 2 competitors in a medieval tournament involving jousting, archery and more! The banter between Svanhildur and Marinelle had me grinning a lot. Also, it's a wlw rivals-to-lovers romance aka a GREAT kinda love story!! (my favorite kind ) it's on tapas https://tapas.io/series/Love-and-War/info

carcarchu

cronaj's sports comment got me thinking about this and how damn good it is https://tapas.io/episode/968762 Genre: Sports, drama Reasons: it's insanely creative and the art is so intense, i found it extremely memorable and powerful to read(edited)

carcarchu

Came across this stunning webtoon today. It was originally published on taiwanese webtoon and the author has decided to tl into english to share with a wider audience https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/intertidal/list?title_no=371176 Really gorgeous traditionally drawn comic and a lovely poetic writing style

carcarchu

the winner of this year's eisners awards for best webcomic. definitely worth checking out! https://friedricecomic.com/

#ctparchive

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iknownothingihearnothing · 5 years

Text

Game of Thrones 8.2 “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”

So, we’ve come to the “calm before the storm” episode.

Literally, I guess, considering winter is finally here.

Taking bets now on who bites the big one in the Battle of Winterfell next week. A Stark is probably going to fall because it’s been quite a while since we lost one.

Sorry, Rickon.

Sansa is probably safe, since she’s not fighting, but GoT likes to fuck with us. I call 50/50 equally between Arya and Bran in Westerosi Woulette. If I had to pick one, I’d pick Bran because he is now a robot and Arya breaks my heart but...

As for the remaining players, well, Jaime always said he’d die in the arms of the woman he loved, and we all know he loves Brienne so it’d be a fitting end to his character arc. Started out as a Kingslayer, ended up dying fighting for his daughter in the arms of a woman he derided until now.

Lo how many of us would be so sad panda over the premature exit of Nickolaj Coster-Waldau from the show.

He could just as easily survive, tho! Remember, Maggy the Frog’s prediction was that one of Cersei’s brothers would kill her, and how boring and predictable would it be if it were Tyrion? Besides, he already slew Tywin.

That was only mentioned in the books, however, not on the series. Gah! All so complicated, this mythos.

Furthermore, Brienne could potentially fall in battle. Dany I see surviving just because she’s gotta kick Cersei’s butt. Or at least march on King’s Landing. Jon will probably make it, too. Gendry is up in the air.

Theon is probably a goner but we’ll see. There’s a spark of hope there. Please, for all that is holy, do not kill Tormund, he is our shining star.

Even his eyes are light.

Tormund, you are delightful.

Which means of course he’s gonna die, oh Seven Hells. No one anyone actually likes lives on this show.

Alrighty, Thronesians, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty!

Last episode ended with Ser Jamie “Fuck You, Cersei” Lannister riding up into dat North on his horsey to fight for Team Alive, when, upon descending, his eyes settle upon...

You see that look on Jaime’s face? That is the look of someone who has just realized he is oh so much deeper shit than he initially anticipated.

As the episode opens, Jaime is facing a trial at the Great Hall, not unlike the one Tyrion had back in season four following the Joff’s death (presumably this one won’t end with any squishing of heads...or will it?!). Daenerys is not amused. Jaime is, after all, the dude who stabbed her father in the back and slit his throat. That’s how he got his nickname, the Kingslayer. Mad King or not, Aerys was still her father and his death led to her family losing the Iron Throne after his most trusted advisor killed him and watched him bleed to death.

It’s kinda something a person holds a grudge against, you know?

(And if they all die soon, that grudge will still be there, I’ve seen it happen and so has Sarah Michelle Gellar)

Dany is all “Your sisbitch promised us an army, there ain’t no army, broseph” and Jaime’s like “There ain’t dat, Your Grace” and it’s the first time we’ve heard Jaime refer to anyone other than his sisterlover as that title. Grudging, maybe (there’s that word again) but if he wants to fight for Team Still Breathing, he’s gotta eat some crow. And we ain’t talking about the the fellows of the Night’s Watch.

That’s my favorite gym shirt. Whenever I get tired on the treadmill, I just look down at my shirt, and laugh. And also wish I’d worn a better sports bra.

Jaime confesses she lied about sending the Lannister army North and that “we” are alone fighting the dead.. And Dany’s all “we”? And Jaime professes that he promises to fight for the living and he intends on keeping that promise. Tyrion tries to stand up for him, that he knows his brother, but Dany’s in NO mood after Tyrion’s repeated screw-ups--while Tyrion is quite the clever man, sometimes clever people can become cocky and that has seemed to have occurred with Dany’s Hand...a few times--and cuts in icily “Like you knew your sister?” Tyrion tries to reason that Jaime wouldn’t come here and put his ass on the line if he wasn’t serious. But Daenerys remains...unconvinced.

Dany has gone as icy as her hair. She is not okay with this. And right now, she has icicles for eyes.

If she survives the Battle of Winterfell, she may not need her dragons. All she’ll need to take out Cersei is stare her down like that. Hell, I’m scared and I’ve already bent the knee. Don’t set me on fire, Dany.

Sansa agrees with Dany for the first time since she arrived in Winterfell, throwing aside their little “I don’t like my brother’s new girlfriend even though she brought TWO ARMIES AND DRAGONS TO SAVE OUR FROZEN REAR ENDS” battle of wills.

Sansa lists all the crappy shit Jaime’s done to her family and Jaime insists they were at war and he’d do it again. That is when BranBot babbles “The things I do for love”, echoing Jaime’s remarks from the pilot before he pushed Young Bran out the window but in a much less human, more Twilight Zone-y way.

Jaime:

Daenerys wonders why he has abandoned his House and family now and Jaime argues that this is above loyalty; this is about survival. That is when Brienne, the badass mofo, jumps to her feet and argues Jaime’s case. Ser Jaime is a man of honor who defended Brienne against men who tried to force themselves on her. He is the reason Sansa and Arya are alive, as he passed his oath to Catelyn to keep her daughters safe onto Brienne. Sansa nods and agrees he should stay, as she trusts Brienne with her life.

Dany asks how Jon feels about it, and he concedes that they need every man they can get. Dany, obviously reluctant, agrees with an icy “Very well”, and signals to Grey Worm to arm him. Which he does, but while giving Jaime this look:

Don’t cross Grey Worm. He’s lived through getting his junk sliced off. He will eff you up, he ain’t afraid of shit.

When the trial concedes, Dany rises and looks up at her new BF, but Jon quickly gets the hell out of there. While she stands there, confused, the rest of us watching are like--

We feel bad for Dany, and we also feel Jon/Aegon’s WTFery. He just found out he’s half-Targaryen, after all, and the woman he’s been Queening is his aunt. Jon loves her, and it’s not like he can ghost her. They’re fighting an epic battle in a day or two.

Brienne and Jaime catch eyes as they depart and we’re left to wonder if it’s simply two warriors’ mutual respect or Something More.

Tyrion, ever the faithful Hand, is beseeching Dany as she storms down the hall. He believed Cersei was sending an army; he’s either a traitor or a fool. Tyrion admits he was a fool, and not for the first time. Cersei is still sittin’ pretty (and batshit bananas) in King’s Landing and if he can’t help Dany take back the Iron Throne, she’ll find another Hand who can.

Yeah, Dany be pisssssssed. It probably doesn’t help that her boyfriend’s avoiding her and she has no idea why.

Oh, to be a woman in power.

Down in the Forge, Gendry’s makin’ weapons out of Dragonglass all sweaty and stuff and Arya seems to appreciate the view.

Well. ARE YA feelin’ the call of the wild, there, milady? ARE YA?

Once she’s done checking him out, Arya asks Gendry if he’s made her weapon yet. He says he will once he’s finished making a few thousand more of the Dragonglass knives. Arya then asks if Gendry’s ever faced a wight before, and what they’re like. She is patently not satisfied with his reply of “Really bad”.

Gendry: “I know you’re not afraid of rapers or murderers or...but this is different. This is Death. You wanna know what they’re like? Death.”

Arya blinks, then picks up three of the Dragonglass weapons and nonchalantly hurls them into the wall behind Gendry. “I know Death. He has many faces.”

She asks about her weapon again, he promises to get right on it, and she leaves while Gendry stands there looking a combination of impressed, scared, and mildly turned on.

In the Godswood, Bran is sitting beneath his massive tree when Jaime decides to work up the balls (You know, the ones that Varys doesn’t have, right, Tyrion?) to confront him and apologize for, IDKKKKKKKKKKK, pushing him out a window, crippling him, and leaving him for dead years earlier.

*da-dum. da-dum. dum dum dum dum dum dum*

Jaime doesn’t beat around the bush and instantly says sorry for what he did. BranBot is not angry. The fact is, if Jaime hadn’t have pushed him out of that window, he’d still be Brandon--

--Stark.

Jaime, perplexed, is all, “You’re not?”, I guess thinking that Bran has been possessed but nah he is just “something else, now”. Bran Stark got an upgrade and he is now BranBot 2.0.

Jaime asks why he didn’t tell anyone it was him. He replies that Jaime couldn’t help them win against the dead if he was killed horribly before the battle began which is a--

Then Jaime inquires about after and BranBot is all “How do you know there will be an after?” and Jaime’s like:

I’m gonna start collecting caps of Jaime just reacting to bad news. His faces are delightful.

In the courtyard, Tyrion and Jaime reunite, though it’s certainly not reminiscent of dem Stark feels; Lannisters don’t express emotion that way. Perhaps through goblets of wine and a sarcastic comment.

Like Tyrion’s when three Northern men gathered above them literally spit at Jaime’s presence:

They walk talking about Daenerys for a bit--yes, she is different than her father; yes, Tyrion does believe in her--and bemoans that he overestimated Cersei’s claim that her new child “changed her”, which, of course, it has not. But no, she was not lying about that in particular. Jaime claims that she lied to everyone, him most of all, but Tyrion ain’t falling for it. “You always knew exactly who she was and you loved her anyway.”

Upstairs, they continue talking. Tyrion says idly that they’re going to die at Winterfell. It’s not the death Jaime would’ve chosen, nor Tyrion. Tyrion always wanted to die at eighty, with a belly full of wine and--Jaime repeats--a woman’s mouth around his cock.

Ah, brothers.

While Tyrion continues that at least he’ll get to deny Cersei the pleasure of killing him herself, Jaime walks to the edge of the balustrade and watches Brienne train Podrick. I don’t think I’m imagining the doofy little smile on his face.

Downstairs, Brienne is instructing Podrick on the follow-through with a fond smile on her face. The lady who didn’t need a squire has now grown pretty attached to him. Like a kitten you were forced to take care of.

Jaime shambles to her side and she confirms that she is commanding the left flank. They talk normally, weirdly normally, for a minute until Brienne’s all--

Brienne has had enough of this niceness nonsense. Jaime has never been in Brienne’s presence for this long without insulting her, not one damn time. Jaime asks her if he wants him to insult her, like maybe Brienne has a masochist kink we’re not aware of (why not? The dragons have a cuckold-mommy porn one), and she’s like:

And we at home watching are--

--cus she actually kinda does a little bit if she held this torch for Jaime this long knowing he kept lobbing insults at her like spitballs. And Brienne’s so shocked at this blatant display of Nice Jaime she goes like--

Just like us wominz, amirite? We only like guys when they’re assholes. He lost a hand for you! So unappreciative. Drop your sword fighting bizzness and get back in that kitchen! Make him a sammich with it.

(Just in case that wasn’t obvious; if I had a nickel for every person who misread my disdain, I’d at least be able to pay for my own Pac Man machine with them)

Elsewhere in Winterfell, Dany is gazing into the hearth, I guess because Ye Olde Westerosi Netflyxxe hasn’t been invented yet, when Jorah enters behind her and asks his Khaleesi to forgive him. He’s made lots of mistakes, that she has already pardoned him for, but he confesses that when he learned she made Tyrion her Hand instead of him, it broke his heart. She didn’t know she’d ever see him again, but Jorah insists she made the right choice. Though Jorah never thought much of Tyrion--the Seven Faced God knows he never shut up between Meereen and Volantis--but he has a clever, strategic mind, something Dany needs to win back the Iron Throne. She insists, with that scary AF icy stare, that he’s made mistakes, but, well, haven’t they all? And if Jorah would stick up for the dude who stole his position, Dany figures he’s got a point.

And Jorah also has another request.

That second request is obviously “Get Sansa on your good side because we kinda have to stay here for a bit and the Northerners won’t trust you if she doesn’t”. So Dany goes to extend an olive branch to Sansa, and at first, it seems to be working. They bond over their shared history of family weirdness and being badass ladies who literally rule. “Who are doing a damn good job at it, as far as I can tell.”

But Dany has noticed that they’ve been at odds with each other, because of Jon? Sansa replies that men to dumbass things for women and they’re easily manipulated, but Dany’s here, having only knowing “Get the Iron Throne, damnit!” all her life, after meeting Jon, with two armies and dragons. Who manipulated whom? Sansa smiles and agrees, she should have thanked her when she arrived.

Logic, Sansa. It’s not just for the Vulkans, you know.

They gossip like girlfriends for a minute, even clasping hands over the table, until Sansa asks what’s gonna happen afterwards. If they defeat the dead, destroy Cersei? Dany will take the Iron Throne, but Sansa wants to know about the North. It was taken from them, they took it back, and they swore that they’d never bow to anyone ever again.

Well. I guess Dany and Sansa aren’t gonna go shopping or getting mani/pedis together any time soon.

Their little “chat” is fortuitously interrupted by Lord Wolkan, who escorts Dany and Sansa to a newly arrived Theon. Bending the knee, Theon informs Dany that Yara has sailed to the Iron Islands to take them back in her name, but he came to Winterfell to fight for the living. Is...is everyone cool with that?

Sansa surely is.

If you remember, and if you don’t, you’d be forgiven because this show has more layers than an onion, Theon saved Sansa from Ramsay, altering her fate being stuck as Lady Bolton. But let’s be real: Theon doesn’t have much of a chance in Westerosi Woulette.

In town, Davos is assuring a pants-shittingly terrified Northener, while ladling soup, that he’s a soldier now and if he, Davos, a man who had spent his life avoiding war, could survive some epic battles so could he. Oh, Davos may be a goner, too. He’s been bragging about his dumb luck too much and the Seven Faced God doesn’t like that.

A little girl named Teela wants to fight, too, like her brave brothers. But Gilly convinces her that she’d be relieved to have her down in the crypt protecting her and her son.

The horn sounds and the hunting party arrives back at Winterfell! Huzzah! Jon aims to greet Dolorous Edd but Tormund intercepts him with a bear hug and a “My little crow!”

Oh, Tormund.

The Merry Men inform Jon that the Umbers are fighting for the Night King now. And so is anyone west of Winterfell, most like. The dead will be here before sun up.

They’ll prepare. They’ll train until their knuckles bleed.

But first...

Tormund appreciates him a powerful lady.

On the outskirts, Jon narrates as our armies test out the many weapons created especially for this battle at the Forge. Including this awesome catapult:

Gonna save the motherfuckin’ day, yeah.

In the war room, all our players are assembled. Jon and Sansa posit that the dead follow the Night King because he made them, so if he falls, they’ll be easier targets. Jon figures ol’ Nighty won’t be showing himself and he’ll stay hidden but BranBot negates that. He’ll come for BranBot, as he has come for many Three Eyed Ravens before him, because Nighty wants to erase the world and BranBot is its memory.

Oh, BranBot. You make it too easy.

BranBot offers himself up as bait to lure in the Night King, and Theon in turn offers to protect him. Because he took the castle from him once and he’s gonna make up for that.

Tyrion also suggests joining Davos in fighting fire against ice, but Dany negates that. Though Tyrion has fought in battle before, Dany needs Tyrion for his mind if they all survive this. He needs to live and thus will be in the crypt with Sansa, Gilly, and Co.

It’s kinda Dany’s way of saying “I know you fucked up in the past but I have faith in you as my Hand again...largely because Jorah gave me a stern talking-to.”

Then, they talk about the dragons. Should they be in the field or protecting BranBot? Would dragonfire work against the dead? They turn to BranBot, who seems to have all the answers, but not even Westeros’ answer to a SIM card knows. No one has tried in the past.

There’s a melancholy pause, like everyone at that damn table knows their fates are sealed. But Tormund, as always, prefers to look on the bright side:

Starting the #TormeoandBrienniet hashtag now.

Everybody begins to disperse. Dany looks at Jon expectantly but Jon only nods with a quick “Your Grace” and Dany’s left there like--

Dany may be in the race for the Iron Throne, First of her Name, Breaker of Chains, Queen of the Andals, whatever the hell, but she is still a young woman in her twenties with her second boyfriend after the premature loss of her Dothraki hubby (RIP Khal Drogo), and her second only love (sorry, Daario Naharis). Behind all those Targaryen walls, she’s still just a girl, confused why her boyfriend is being a dick. We’ve all been there.

After everyone else disperses, Tyrion turns to BranBot and comments that he’s had a “strange journey”. BranBot’s like “yeah, man”. Tyrion wants to hear all about it, and it’s a good thing they’re holed up in a vacancy in the middle of winter so he has plenty of time.

Outside, Grey Worm approaches Missandei. After Dany takes the Iron Throne, there won’t be much need for them. While he’s loyal to his Queen and will fight to the death for her, once her enemies are defeated, he wants to take Missandei and go...away. From the North, from K.L., from Westeros entirely, not that I blame him one iota. Missandei would like to go to the island of Naath, where she was born and raised before being kidnapped and made a slave. And Grey Worm promises to take her there, where he will protect her and her people.

Upstairs, Jon is commiserating with Sam that, no, he has not told Dany that, technically, they are related yet. But the important thing is we see a glimpse of Ghost for the first time since the end of season 6!

I hope Jon has many treats for Ghost. Are there any Ye Olde Westerosi Mylkbones?

Mr. Edd joins them on their watch. Jon suggests that Sam join Gilly and Little Sam in the crypt, but Sam wants to fight. After all, he was the first to kill a White Walker. He’s killed Thenns!

Mr. Edd: “Thenn.”

And Sam has stolen books from the Citadel. He is a rebel, damnit! Well, Mr. Edd muses out loud, if Samwell Tarly is a Slayer of White Walkers and a Lover of Ladies, now they know how fucked they are.

Inside, Jaime and Tyrion are staring at the hearth (that hearth is so entertaining!), Tyrion musing that he’d like to see his father’s face when he discovered that his two sons were about to die fighting to defend Winterfell. Tyrion remembers the first time they were here. Jaime was a golden lion and Tyrion was a whoremongerer. Correction: Jaime was sleeping with his sister, and Tyrion had one friend in the world who was sleeping with his sister. But Jaime’s golden lion days are dunzo, and Tyrion’s whoremongering ones are not an option anymore.

Brienne and Podrick join them and, soon, so do Davos and Tormund. Tormund suggestively says to Brienne that this may be their last night alive and she stutters that she’s glad he’s here fighting with them and survived Eastwatch.

He then tells Jaime, the King Killer, about why he’s called Giantsbane. He killed a Giant when he was a lad, then got into bed with his wife, who thought he was her baby and suckled him to her breast for two months.

Jaime:

They could not have died without knowing that Tormund fed from literal giant tiddies for two months.

Outside, Arya confronts the Hound, who offers her a drink (and is, at first, wigged out at how quiet she is). Why is he here? He’s never fought for anyone but himself, yet he joined the Brotherhood, and he went beyond the Wall to catch a wight with Jon.

Beric Dondarrion soon joins them, addresses Arya as “my lady”, and begins babbling about the Lord of the Light. The Hound rolls his eyes and tells him the Lord of the Light would wonder why he brought him back all those times just for him to chuck Beric over this wall. The Hound passes him a drink and Arya begins to leave, throwing over her shoulder that she ain’t spending her last hours with “two miserable old shits”.

Ah, Arya. Never change.

You know, if you survive tonight.

Instead, Arya goes off to practice shooting arrows when Gendry shows up with her freshly made weapon. First, they start talking about Melisandre, what she wanted with him, and he confesses to being Robert B’s bastard and she needed his blood for a spell. There were leeches and shit.

Arya wonders if that was the first time he’d been with a woman, and when he protests (like no, having leeches all over your dick isn’t exactly a good time, or maybe it is for some people, I don’t know your life) she probes him further: has he been with loads of women in K.L. or what?

Gendry’s like “Uh yeah” and she asks how many. He buffs his knuckles on his chest, hi-fives someone off-camera, and replies “I didn’t keep count” and she calls bullshit. “One? Two? Twenty?”

And then this happens:

Arya can never be accused of not voicing exactly what--or in this case, who--she wants.

Get it, grrl!

Gendry looks both flabbergasted and delighted.

Arya demands Gendry take his bloody pants off because she’s in charge here, damnit.

I read an interview Maisie Williams gave just after this episode aired of her reaction after she read that script. At first, she thought David and D.B. were joking, as they were wont to do, but when she realized they were srs, she about shat herself and wondered if she needed to go to the gym. Sophie Turner, her bestie, has been teasing her relentlessly. She just posted a video of herself saying Joe Dempsie “got that pussayyyyyyyy”. Must feel weird for him. He’s known her since she was a little-un and now he has to do that thing on camera with her.

Around the hearth, our unlikely group of allies are still sitting around chatting. Tyrion comments on all the battles the people gathered here have survived. Ser Davos--the Battle of Blackwater and the Battle of the Bastards. Ser Jaime--fabled hero of the Siege of Pyke, fabled loser of the Battle of Whispering Wood (these are awesome battle names). Lady Brienne, who is not a Ser because women cannot be knights, defeated the Hound. Tormund scoffs to blast tradition! If he were king, he’d knight her ten times.

I’m sure he would.

But Jaime insists a king is not necessary; any knight can make another knight. So after some stubborn disbelief from Brienne--who claims she doesn’t even wanna be a knight, thanks, it’s cool, though we all know she totally does--the lady rises with an incredulous look on her face and kneels before Jaime while everyone else in the room watches.

Tapping his sword against her shoulders, Jaime recites:

In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave,

In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just,

In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the innocent.

Then, she rises, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

The title of this episode both refers to Brienne and Jaime, methinks.

Brienne could very well die in a few hours (sob) but at least she fulfilled her life’s wish--she became a knight.

Outside, Jorah and Lyanna Mormont are arguing. She fully intends to fight and he’s balking at the idea. She’s the future of their House, and she’d be safer in the crypt.

But Lyanna, that monument of badassery, is dressed up as a knight and has no inclination to hide in the crypt. She fought before; she can do it again. But she wishes her cousin good fortune in the battle to come.

Bad. Ass.

Sam appears with his family sword, Heartsbane. He wants to give it to Jorah to use in battle because lort knows he can’t wield it himself. Jorah’s father taught him how to be an honorable man, taught him what’s right, and Jorah will wield the sword in his name.

Before Sam departs, he leaves Jorah with thus:

Inside Winterfell, our drunk allies have run out of wine (Lannisters without wine is like a car without an engine), so Tyrion suggests a sing-along. Unfortunately, neither Davos, Brienne, nor Tormund know any songs. (Lol could you imagine what Tormund would sing? It’d be something about giantess bewbies) But Podrick does.

I’m told that Florence + the Machine sing this song in the credits. But, yanno I’m Deaf Chick.

As the song plays, everyone is off doing their own thing. Sam, Gilly, and Little Sam are in bed. Sansa and Theon are outside playing a game and exchanging cow eyes.

This is why I think Theon has a wee chance. He could end up Sansa’s...well, Jon is the Warden of the North. Would he be...Lord Greyjoy? Lord Winterfell? Man...of Winterfell?

Arya is in bed with Gendry.

Grey Worm and Missandei kiss passionately before he goes off to join the rest of the Unsullied to prepare for battle.

Really. There is so much love in Winterfell tonight. Whether it be friendly, let’s get drunk together love, experimental love, burgeoning love, or desperate love.

Who is not particularly feelin’ the love right now? Dany. So she goes to the crypt to confront Jon, who has been, to her, randomly ignoring her all day.

Jon is looking up at the sarcophagus of Lyanna Stark when Dany enters. When he sees her, he offers a pained smile, and she approaches with evident relief, but it obvs doesn’t last. Now is the time to tell her. She asks who he’s looking at, and when he tells her, she murmurs that she was told her brother was decent and kind, but he raped Lyanna, which we know is false. Jon corrects her; they loved each other and married in secret. When Rhaegar was killed, Lyanna had a son. Who was given to Lyanna’s brother on her deathbed, with a promise that he’d protect her son.

Dany’s face as she realizes Jon is talking about himself:

He tells her his real name, Aegon Targaryen. She’s like “That’s impossible! Who told you this?” He says BranBot and Sam, the first who, er, :”saw” it with BranVision and the second who read about the marriage at the Citadel. At first, Dany tries to push the notion that the story could be made up, known as it is only by Jon’s brother and his bestie. But Jon knows deep in his gut that it’s true.

Dany: If it is true, it’d make you the last male heir of House Targaryen. You’d have a claim on the Iron Throne.

Jon:

Jon is kinda freaked that Dany doesn’t seem to give a second’s thought to their being related and all. And she should know that he doesn’t want the Iron Throne. Like, at all. But I read an interview with Emilia Clarke that defended her character’s reaction. And it makes sense. Dany grew up in an incestuous environment. Hell, she was supposed to marry her own damn brother. But the Iron Throne...she’s been working for that her entire life, it’s all she knows, to get back what rightfully belongs to her House. And here is Jon coming out of left field and he has a claim on it and he doesn’t even want it!

Alas, they don’t have time to discuss their relationship. The White Walkers are a-comin’! A horn sounds and Dany and Jon race to the roof of Winterfell to join Tyrion. Battle is about to begin.

Indeed.

This episode was great! It really delved into the psyche of our favorites, explored where everyone’s at, allowed them to just be for a while before all hell breaks loose. It makes the inevitable deaths we fear on Sunday all the richer, and more painful.

Aye. Sunday’s episode is gonna be epic. And terrible, in the best way.

#game of thrones #game of thrones recap #game of thrones 8 #Lena Heady #nickolaj coster-waldau #isaac hempstead wright #maisie williams #Sophie Turner #gwendoline christie #kristofer hivju #peter dinklage #iain glen

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coraltae · 6 years

Text

Catch for Me Pt. 1

genre: fluff, sports, slice of life, high school au, baseball player au, diamond no ace au

pairing: taehyung x reader (ft. bts and seventeen members)

word count: 3800++

warning: none

author's note: hi everyone, I’m back with another series, which is quite different from The Seven Deadly Sins (TSDS is still my priority). I love sports anime, so I really want to try writing sports au, though I’m not too sure if it turns out to be a complete failure lol. I was trying something new as I was working on this story. Hope you’ll like this one too!

summary: Being a daughter of a former professional baseball player, you had been taught how to play the sport since you were little and you’d grown to love it - a little bit too much, actually. Even if you couldn’t play in official games, you still enjoyed playing catcher for the team’s pitchers. However, it’s not until after meeting a certain pitcher in high school that you finally found someone’s pitches you wanted to catch the most.

Part 1 (on-going)

"Strike! Batter out! Game set! South Korea team wins!"

The second the umpire announced his last judgment of the game, half the spectators in the stadium jumped to their feet and roared in joy at once. Some of them threw their caps up high, some others hugged fellow spectators to celebrate. A lot of them were seen tearing up in happiness.

It's the one and only time South Korea national baseball team won the Baseball World Cup. How you wished you were there in person during the historical moment to watch the game live. Moreover, when your dad was the ace pitcher standing on the mound, throwing the last pitch that struck out USA team's last batter.

"Yes!" you cheered in unison with the crowds on TV as if you were there with them in the bleachers at the same time when in fact, it happened around twenty years ago when Dad was still active as a part of South Korea national baseball team.

Sanghyuk, your one year younger brother, shouted even louder than you while slamming his fist on the dining table excitedly, almost spilling his milk as he did. "Way to go, Dad!"

Your mom emerged from the kitchen with her hands on her hips, looking furious. Glaring at her daughter and son, she approached the dining table and grabbed the remote control to turn it off.

"But Mom," you protested, "we haven't got to the winning ceremony part yet."

Sanghyuk jumped to his feet and attempted to snatch the remote control from Mom only to fail miserably when she shoved it inside her apron's pocket.

"I have nothing against you replaying your dad's game," Mom started fumingly. "But it's not okay if it's going to make you late on your first day of school. Get up and go already! Your dad is going to be late too!"

However, Dad was currently preoccupied with the sports news he's reading that he couldn't hear what his wife was saying. "What? Black Dragon lost again? Just how many losses are we going to have this season? It's our longest losing streak. If only I can-"

Mom was practically boiling with anger by now as she yelled, "Just get out of the house, you baseball freaks!"

You, Sanghyuk, and Dad flinched at Mom's thundering voice. The three of you quickly got up from your seats and grabbed your things on the couch. With backpack slung over one shoulder and sports bag in hand, you hurried out of the house, following Dad and Sanghyuk into the car. Sanghyuk occupied the seat beside the driver's like usual, so you got into the back seat.

"Your mom called us baseball freaks but she loves us anyway," Dad sniggered as he started the engine of the car.

Sanghyuk crossed his arms across his chest after putting on seatbelt and huffed in irritation. "I don't get it. What is Mom so angry about? She watches the game a lot of times more than us at home."

You peeked at the digital clock on the car's dashboard and let out a strangled yelp. "Mom's got a point. We're late. Don't you have a shoot this morning, Dad?"

"For the sports drink ads? Yeah, but it won't start until-" Dad glanced at the clock. "What? It's this late already?"

Dad stepped on the gas and hurriedly drove you to school, mumbling how Mom would kill him if she knew he dropped you off late. While Sanghyuk kept complaining that it's totally fine to be late because he didn't have any intention to be a model student anyway. You told him off, reminding him that Mom wouldn't let him play baseball if his performance was bad at school. He fell silent immediately.

You rushed out of the car as Dad pulled over at Yonhap High School. The backpack and the sports bag weighed you down, but you had no choice other than sprinting all the way to the school hall. Since you're awfully late, the entrance ceremony must have started already.

Dad rolled down the car window. "I'll come back later after school, Y/N!"

Sanghyuk's laughter was heard from beside him. "Run faster! You might have a chance to enter the track team!"

He's lucky you had no time to deal with him. If not, you would have smacked him in the head for his unnecessary comment.

You cussed under your breath as you entered the school and were faced with the shoes lockers, which meant you had to change your shoes first with indoor shoes before stepping into the school premises. Luckily, you were wearing slip-on shoes, so you managed to change shoes much quicker.

Without even stopping to find out which class you're assigned to, you ran straight to the school hall, dismissing the teachers in the corridor trying to scold you for being late. The hall was already packed with students when you got there and the ceremony was halfway through. A male student - you supposed he was the student representative - was standing on the stage, in the middle of giving his speech. You thought you were doomed, but then you spotted your friend from middle school, Jihye, waved at you. Ignoring the stares from the teachers and the other students, you went over to sit next to her; you're grateful she'd saved a seat for you even when you forgot to ask her to.

Jihye sighed as you put down your things on the floor near your feet. "I don't even want to know why you're late. I can pretty much guess why. You should have at least tried to be punctual on the first day, though."

You laughed apologetically. "Sorry, Jihye. You know our family. We get distracted most of the time. So, what did I miss?"

Shrugging, Jihye said in an uninterested tone, "Nothing much. Some lame ass speeches maybe." She cocked her head towards the male student delivering his speech in front of the whole school. "But don't you think that guy is cute? He's in our class."

So you were in the same class as Jihye and this speech guy. You studied the guy for a while. Instead of paying attention to his face to confirm what Jihye had said, you were more interested in his somewhat quite built physique. "He seems pretty athletic. I wonder if he plays baseball."

Jihye shook her head at your excessive passion for baseball. "I should have known. You haven't changed at all, Y/N. I haven't met you since our last day in middle school and still, there's only baseball in your head. We're finally in high school. You should give a bit more thoughts on dating."

Honestly, dating had never really crossed your mind until Jihye mentioned it. You'd been actively playing baseball and joining little league team since elementary school days, although you couldn't be a regular in middle school because the regulation forbid women to participate in official baseball tournament. With so many practice schedules, you had no time to think about relationships.

"Maybe later. I'd rather focus on baseball for now. Baseball is all I have after all," you answered drily as your attention slowly shifted from the speech guy to the guy sitting next to you.

What caught your eye was the baseball he was holding. He kept tossing and catching it - very softly so the ball wouldn't fly too far away from his hand - as if he was playing catch on his own. Occasionally, he changed his grip on the ball before tossing it again. He was trying not to be conspicuous by not letting the ball go higher than his face. Although, you doubted the teacher wouldn't notice a student holding a baseball in the middle of entrance ceremony.

It didn't take an expert to guess that he played pitcher after a few minutes of close observation. He changed his grip rather often, so you assumed he had quite a few variations of pitches. He would be a great asset for the team, you thought happily.

"Hey there," you greeted him out of the blue, catching him off guard, causing him to almost drop the ball to the ground. "Are you joining the baseball team?"

He nodded absentmindedly, his eyes showing that he totally didn't expect you to talk to him, much less ask him about joining the school's baseball team.

You practically beamed at him in excitement. "Cool! I'm joining too as a manager! I can't wait to see you throw later! I'm Y/N by the way, what's your name?"

"God, Y/N! You're too loud!" Jihye hissed from your other side. "And you're scaring him, for goodness' sake!"

Laughing awkwardly, he shook his head. "No, no. It's fine. I'm Taehyung."

"My name is Jihye," Jihye introduced herself. "I apologize for my baseball idiot friend, Taehyung. And if I'm not wrong, you're in class A?"

Taehyung seemed surprised. "How did you know?"

Jihye shrugged. "I saw your name when I was searching mine and hers." She cocked her head towards you. "We're in the same class."

"Can I ask why did you come to this school?" you asked the question weighing on your mind since before the start of school year, cutting short the introduction session. "I mean, I'm grateful that baseball players actually want to enroll in this brand new school, but won't you normally want to go to powerhouse schools like Shinyang?"

"I was scouted," Taehyung simply answered. "This school provides accomodation for sports scholarship students from out of town. On top of that, I don't need to take any academic exams. So yeah, I accepted it. It's a hard work to convince Mom that Seoul is safe, though. She thinks it's dangerous here."

It was a rather disheartening answer from a baseball player. You were quite disappointed to hear he didn't take baseball that seriously. But then again, you shouldn't judge people just from their passion for baseball. Not all people playing baseball were as dedicated as Dad and Sanghyuk. You should stop comparing other players to them.

"But," Taehyung suddenly spoke again, stopping your train of thoughts, "I want to challenge myself. From where I come from, there aren't many guys my age who play baseball. That's why I came all the way here to Seoul. I want to see if I have a chance against the awesome players here."

Listening to his words, you couldn't help but break into a smile. Taehyung wasn't as bad as you'd thought. He was just a pure, innocent baseball freak who went out of his way to leave his hometown to see how far he could go in a big city. His strong enthusiasm for baseball was seen through his fiery eyes, and that sight always successfully captivated you. Nothing was more admirable than seeing someone passionately chasing their dream.

The countless speeches with varied speakers from the headmaster until the representatives from each after school clubs - when it was baseball club's turn, you were dragged to the stage by one of the teachers, probably as your punishment for being late - finally came to an end after what seemed like forever. Bringing you to the teacher's office instead of your new classroom, the teacher who had made you say a few words on behalf of the baseball team against your will gave you a long lecture about the importance of punctuality. You tuned her out after the first few seconds.

The chatterbox teacher sent you back to your classroom when the homeroom was already finished. Somehow, you and Taehyung ended up as class representatives without you agreeing to the extra job. Jihye filled you in that the homeroom teacher thought you would be able to learn to be more responsible with this. Apparently, Taehyung was also chosen because he was caught playing with baseball during the entrance ceremony. The first day of school was pretty much a hassle so far.

"I can't wait for the school to end," you mumbled, your voice muffled because you buried your face in your backpack on the table.

Jihye, whose seat was in front of you, turned her back to say, "The first period hasn't even started yet."

"I want my ball back." Taehyung sighed as he kept clenching and unclenching his right fist in the seat next to yours; the homeroom teacher had confiscated his baseball. "It feels weird if I'm not gripping something."

Jihye groaned in exasperation and spun around to face the whiteboard again. "I can't believe I'm stuck with two baseball freaks. Give me a break. Just don't talk to me."

Lucky for Jihye, the first period's teacher walked in the next second and forced the class to fall silent immediately. You could hardly concentrate on the lesson since the nextdoor class' first period was P.E. and they were playing baseball outside. From where you were sitting, right by the window, you could clearly see the baseball field beside the school's building. And the clank of the metal bat hitting the baseball sounded very nice in your ears that you wanted to join them play badly, instead of listening to the boring history lesson.

Taehyung must have the same thought. His head snapped towards the window everytime the clank was heard. It'd been a while since you met a person who was as crazy in love with baseball as your family. With all the latest trends in technology, you were happy that some people still loved playing old school sports like baseball.

Baseball hasn't died yet, you thought cheerfully.

***

Taehyung was beyond frustrated when Teacher Bang, his homeroom teacher, asked him and you to stay behind in class to help him with completing the class' attendance list after the school ended. Despite already itching to throw some pitches, he sat back down and quietly worked on the list since Teacher Bang promised to return his baseball once he finished with the task.

"This is stupid," Taehyung heard you mutter under your breath while ticking the boxes beside the names on the list paper he'd created. "Who the hell is Jung Chungoong?"

"It's Jeon Jungkook, actually. The student's rep. You know, the speech guy," Taehyung answered distractedly, not stopping from copying the names of the class A's students list he'd stolen from the announcement board.

In his peripheral vision, Taehyung saw you tick the box next to Jungkook's name on the newly made list and strain your eyes again to decipher Teacher Bang's horrible scribble. You lasted only a few seconds before groaning out loud. "Forget it. I give up. I'll just tick everyone's name. No one is absent today anyway. Right?"

Taehyung only answered with a hum and sprang to his feet immediately as he finished writing the last name. He hurriedly gave the paper to you while grabbing his things.

"I'm going first, Y/N," Taehyung said hastily, rushing to exit the class. "Don't forget to get my baseball from Teacher Bang. Thank you in advance. See you in the field."

"Hey, wait for me, Taehyung!" Taehyung heard you shout as he passed through the door, but he ignored you and ran straight to the baseball field. Although feeling sorry to leave you, he couldn't wait to play with his new teammates. He was too excited to see how awesome the players in Seoul were that he almost forgot changing his indoor shoes with baseball cleats before going out to the field.

The coach and the new baseball team members were seen standing on the field, the players lining up in an orderly fashion, seemingly in the middle of introduction. Taehyung picked the outermost position so that he wouldn't disturb their self-introduction session. The coach saw him coming but didn't say anything; Taehyung assumed he was excused.

"I'm Park Jimin from class A. I play shortstop. I used to play for Hwadam Middle School in Busan," a boy loudly announced, looking very excited and cheerful. Taehyung was elated to know he was surrounded with boys who liked baseball as much as he was. His friends back in his hometown didn't even find baseball fun; they were only playing because he invited them to.

"I'm Jeon Jungkook from class A. I play catcher. I also used to play for Hwadam Middle School in Busan," the boy whom Taehyung remembered as Jungkook from the entrance ceremony said.

"Next," the coach urged when no one spoke afterwards, his eyes meeting Taehyung's.

Taehyung flinched as he realized it must be his turn. "I'm Taehyung from class A. I play pitcher. I used to play for Baeksu Middle School in Daegu," Taehyung copied the way the others did.

"Is that everyone, Scout Han?" the coach asked the lady beside him; Taehyung recognized her as the lady who had scouted him back in Daegu a few months ago.

Scout Han scanned her clipboard and nodded. "Yes, everyone's here. Twenty of them."

"Firstly, I want to ask you..." The coach looked at Taehyung, asking for his name.

"It's Taehyung, Coach," Taehyung offered nervously. It seemed the coach wouldn't let him off the hook for coming late.

As Taehyung had feared, the coach asked, "Taehyung, why are you late?"

"Sorry, Dad. He was with me."

Taehyung saw you running towards the team with Jihye, already wearing training pants. He was wondering why you were here before he was reminded about his conversation with you this morning. You had said something to him about joining as a manager. Jihye must be joining too since she came with you. But what surprised him the most was the fact that you called the coach 'dad'.

"What took you guys so long?" the coach asked you.

"Me and Taehyung are class reps," you said matter-of-factly.

The coach burst into laughter. "I'm worried about the future of the class."

"It's not like I wanted it," you mumbled in irritation.

"Jihye, you're joining?" the coach asked Jihye. Taehyung guessed you and Jihye had been friends for quite a while since your father knew her.

Jihye shrugged. "Y/N begged me to help. I know nothing about baseball, though. Sorry if I disappoint you, Uncle Yong."

"No worries, Jihye. We need all the help we can get." Coach Yong turned to face the players back. The longer Taehyung studied the coach's face, the more familiar he seemed. He just couldn't remember where he'd seen him before. "To all of you, welcome to the team. Some of you might have recognized me, but let me introduce myself. I'm Yong Hyunjin, a former pro baseball athlete." Taehyung nodded as a sign of recognition after the coach's self-introduction, finally getting why he looked so familiar; he must have seen him in TV or something. "You can just call me Coach Yong. I know this school is totally brand new and we only have first-year students this year, but there's nothing wrong with setting our goal high. I'm counting on you guys to bring me to the nationals."

Some of them started whispering, some others laughed bitterly. No one seemed to have the confidence to go to the nationals. Even Taehyung found it nearly impossible. How could you possibly hope a group of first-years which was just formed to win against powerhouses?

"Coach, aren't you expecting too much from us?" a foreign player, whom Taehyung didn't know the name of, asked, sounding more like accusing than questioning. He didn't seem to agree with the coach's goal for the team wholeheartedly and instead, viewed it as a ridiculous request. "We barely know each other on the team while other schools have probably been playing together for three years."

Coach Yong shook his head in disagreement. "It depends on you, whether you take this seriously or not. I believe we can, if we're all in this together. It's up to you to make this work. So, are we good?"

"Yes," a few of them mumbled in a low voice. Some others were hesitant to answer, seemingly still thinking it's impossible to go to the nationals with freshly made team. Taehyung weren't sure of what to think of this. It's worth the try, but logically, it's too early for them to think about nationals when it's still unclear whether they would be able to pass the second round. It's much more reasonable to set the target to reach the quarterfinals or semifinals in the first year. He didn't want to be pessimistic, but he also didn't want to get his hopes up too high.

"Sure, we can!" Jimin the shortstop piped up excitedly, totally a contrast with the others. "We have Jungkook on the team! He's one of the best players in Busan!"

"Shut up, Jimin," Jungkook said in exasperation. "You're exaggerating."

Taehyung supposed that the two of them had known each other for quite a while. He recalled that they were indeed from the same middle school from their introduction. They must have been playing baseball together for quite a while. Honestly, he was envious that they had each other to play baseball with, unlike him.

"I like that spirit, Jimin," Coach Yong said and gave Jimin a thumbs up. "Now, we'll see how good you are in the position you've chosen. Pitchers and catchers first. Pair up and throw some pitches."

Taehyung knew he was in deep trouble. He arrived late at the field when almost all of them had done with their introductions - only Jungkook and Jimin left. The only catcher he knew was Jungkook and someone already came up to him right after Coach Yong finished talking. He scanned his surroundings and his spirit sank as all of the players wearing catcher's gear sets already had their partners. No one was going to play with him too here.

"Hey, why are you just standing there?" You arched your brow at Taehyung, approaching him when nobody else did. "You're a pitcher, right?"

But Taehyung was much more intrigued with the catcher's gear sets you were wearing. "Aren't you a manager?"

“Manager-slash-catcher,” you corrected him. “Dad asked me to help the pitchers train. So yeah, it’s a pain. I’d rather be playing in some real games, but apparently some stupid regulation doesn’t allow girls to play in official high school baseball tournament, so I’m not complaining. This is a lot better than being unable to play at all.”

Taehyung beamed at you, despite your story behind becoming catcher for training pitchers on the team. He finally found a catcher to play with. He couldn’t be any happier than this. “Great! Then can you catch for me?”

You rolled your eyes. “Were you even listening to me? If I’m not going to catch for you, then what am I wearing this gear for?” You threw a baseball at him, which he caught easily with his pitcher’s glove. “Here’s your ball. It’s a hassle to get it back from Teacher Bang - you’re welcome. You’d better throw some decent pitches or you’d be stuck doing class rep’s chores alone for a week. I still haven’t forgiven you for leaving me alone with that damn attendance list.”

“Sorry.” Taehyung apologetically grinned. “Challenge accepted. Make sure you don’t let the balls pass your back.”

You tapped your catcher’s mitt against his chest. “Don’t underestimate me, young man. Although I’m a girl, I’m still the daughter of the famous ex-pro baseball player.”

author’s note: Tell me what you think about the first chapter! I hope I didn’t ruin it too badly. Feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!

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tigerlover16-uk · 6 years

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Ruminations on Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super was not a perfect series. I don’t think anyone can argue with that. It had problems big and small. Inconsistent animation, plot holes or lazy/rushed writing on occasion, wasted ideas and characters, and some awkward dialogue here or there. It wasn’t as good as it could have been.

But when all’s said and done... that hardly feels like it mattered to me in comparison to all the good that came out of it.

I never thought we would get another Dragon Ball series. After watching the original Dragon Ball on tv and the long wait for new content that wasn’t the occasional OVA, I was certain that the series really was over.

I’ve never been happy with that possibility, even though I didn’t hate GT as a kid (Because I was an uncritical idiot who liked almost anything animated) I still didn’t find the idea of the story ending there satisfying. I eventually grew to accept this as the way things were, but I have always felt like something was missing from my soul without Dragon Ball.

When I heard about Battle of Gods, I got excited and I was looking forward to seeing it when the dub came out, but even when Resurrection F was announced I assumed that the occasional just for fun movie was as good as it was ever going to get. I’ll never be able to put into words the amount of surprise and sheer, unbridled catharsis I felt when I heard Super was going to be a thing.

For the past two years since I started watching the show (I kept up with news and summaries, but I intended to wait for the dub to watch it, but I couldn’t help it and started watching subs halfway through the Champa saga), it’s practically consumed my life. Even with it’s occasional missteps, the overall experience of watching Super has been unlike anything else I’ve experienced since I still found Naruto to be good.

There’s just been so much I’ve enjoyed about Super. So many of the fights, from Hit and Goku’s epic clash, the big clash in episode 57, and half of the battles in the Universe Survival Saga have been some of my favourite fights in the whole franchise. While several characters didn’t get to do as much as I wanted, it was still fun seeing the character development people like Gohan, Krillin, Mr Satan, Beerus, Roshi, Android 18, etc have enjoyed. And not to mention the fun character interactions, plus the cute shippy moments I never realized how much I needed.

Baby Pan was utter perfection and just made me really love the character again and want to see her in a big role with a better portrayal than she got in GT. We got to meet a ton of cool and interesting characters too that I really want to see more of. Frieza got to come back in a big way in the final arc and really show off why he’s my favourite villain ever, to the point I think I love him now more than ever.

Android 17′s comeback defied all my expectations and made him one of my absolute favourite characters, something I never thought would happen. All of the slice of life episodes and moments were fantastic and a joy to watch. And they expanded the series with so many interesting ideas and concepts that could provide further story potential for decades to come.

And I could go on.

Sure, the overall series was messy and there were problems, but Super has been such a great source of comfort and relief in my not always pleasant life, and when the show is at it’s best it leaves me with a kind of joy and satisfaction that I’ve never been able to get from anything else besides Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. And really, I can only be grateful for that.

I thought Dragon Ball was never going to come back in any substantial way. I thought the hole in my heart was never going to be filled, and that I was forever going to be chasing that same magic I got from Dragon Ball in other shows and media franchises, but to never have anything QUITE resonate with me in the same way.

I’ve never been more happy to be wrong about anything. Because even though Super might be ending for now, there’s a movie coming out later this year that looks like it’s going to be great, and the odds of a new series coming out relatively soon are astronomically high.

It seems surreal to think this is happening, but it feels like my longtime wish of always having more Dragon ball stories to look forward to is finally going to be a reality. And you know what? Even though I know there are going to be ups and downs, I absolutely cannot wait. But I will, because at least this time I know new stuff is on the horizon so it’ll actually be bearable. Hopefully a series post-EoZ is one of the first.

So, with all that said... Thank you, Toriyama. Thank you, Toei Animation, and all the writers and animators who worked hard to give us their best even under the worst of conditions.

Thank you for making me feel like a kid again in all the best ways possible.

Until we meet again, indeed

#dragon ball super #dbs #dragon ball #dragon ball z #dbz

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stenka-razin · 6 years

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In honor of the end of the series, a Big Old Dragon Ball Super Retrospective Post

Battle of Gods Arc

The good: - The slice of life episodes are delightful and really helped reestablish these characters - Some of the changes from the film actually expanded the world and made the arc feel like a unique entry (change of settings, change of Beerus’ intro) - Goku’s last attack against Beerus is just phenomenal

The bad: - Still largely derivative from a stronger work (both in terms of story and production value) - Episode 5

Resurrection F Arc

The good: - The arc sets up Whis’ time reverse in a genuinely creative way - Tagoma is sort of more interesting here

The bad: - Still largely derivative from a stronger work (both in terms of story and production value) (Which is particularly a shame here, since the film had some serious flaws itself) - All changes from the film are completely pointless and mostly serve just to pad the story (Tagoma being here, Ginyu being here, Gotenks being here, Piccolo’s death, 3 Dragon Ball wishes: which also, side-side note, why three? They had two in the movie which was the correct amount, right? Did I miss something? When did they up the Earth balls to have three wishes? Did they do that off screen? Why?)

Universe 6 Arc

The good: - Finally, something mostly original - Introduction of a bunch of great characters (Champa, Vados, Cabba, Hit, Frost) - Vegeta rampage - Goku vs. Hit is a great fight and the revival of Kaioken is a great twist. - The Pan filler episode

The bad: - Going back to a tournament set up feels safe - They consistently try to make this low stakes story feel more intense than it needs to be, which feels more forced than anything (Implying life would be worse under Champa, suggesting Beerus would use the Super Dragon Balls to destroy everything, Champa threatening to destroy his team) - The realization that the writers have no idea what to do with characters who are not Goku and Vegeta (especially re: Buu) - “Super Shenron” looks like an afterthought

Goku Black Arc

The good: - The first plot with legitimate tension since Battle of Gods, and one of the few plots in the franchise to have a strong mystery element throughout it - Future Trunks’ return results in a lot of great character moments - Time travel is used as a good tool to explore the entire evolution of Zamasu/Goku Black as an antagonist - Zamasu/Goku Black does a lot of cool stuff (immortal, is pink, fuses, drinks tea) - Vegito Blue (for like a second) - Trunks gets the win! And Goku does not! - The filler episodes at the end of this arc are legitimately my favorite episodes of the series - This was the best arc??

The bad: - Time Travel quickly gets very convoluted, and opens a few plotholes - An exhausting amount of fake outs (Mafuba, “When a good kills somebody it’s in all timelines,” One visit to the future that’s entirely pointless, Vegito, now you’re part mortal, Trunks magic sword) only to land on a rather meh real ending - Trunks’ completely unexplained power ups - Goku forgetting the fricking Mafuba talisman...

Universal Survival Arc

The good - Delivers on it’s promise of “Whoa did you see that!?!!?” action and fanservice - A tournament of this magnitude does feel like a logical final arc for the series - Caulifa and Kale are both phenomenal. - Frieza worked a lot better than expected - 17 MVP, even his fakeout death was fine - I personally loved the Zen-Oh’s as a stand in for fans - Though it definitely dragged, I was a fan of the longer arc format

The bad - Another tournament - Another Buu fakeout - The pre-opening previews are so fucking annoying. I don’t even care for the post-credits previews, but if I don’t watch them it’ll be spoiled for me regardless. Adding another before the episode? WHY. - This happened earlier in the manga, but the distinction between SSG and SSB defined here is dumb - Piccolo gets tripped by a fucking bug mid-episode. - I preferred the unmastered Ultra Instinct design to the mastered one. The unmastered made this feel distinct from all the other transformations, like it wasn’t a transformation, just a completely new means of fighting. White hair just makes it an even stronger hair color. - Jiren... learning that Toppo’s personality was originally supposed to be Jiren’s put a lot of things in perspective. Toppo was always the more interesting character. - EVERYONE saw that wish a mile away. The fact that it was rigged almost felt like a meta-joke. - Wish there was more post-tournament scenes. They really could have devoted a full episode to the aftermath. - It definitely dragged. Though I was happy to get a longer arc, I wish they did it with one with more than one setting, more opportunities for character development, etc.

General Series Thoughts

- In terms of giving supporting characters time to shine, Super did ok. Like we get some solid moments throughout where Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, etc. get to shine, but most are fairly isolated, either as preamble to the main fight, or in filler episodes. In DB and DBZ we devoted extended amounts of time to support characters, often letting them drive the narrative. Goku’s MIA for extended parts of DBZ, which really let’s some of the other character’s take the spotlight, and nothing like that really happens in Super, which is a serious let down. - On that note, did Gotenks really do anything?? - Something Super did very different from Z that I appreciated was the move away from a rigid power hierarchy. It shifted very often, but in Z you could basically pinpoint who the most powerful person was at any given time. Power ups were always so drastic that everything rotated around them and the plot devices that enabled them. With Super it’s more vague. I feel like this was at it’s peak in the Tournament of Power arc where characters always had somebody to go against that wasn’t below/above their class. It made for more interesting fights that often were decided by clever attacks or the like. Just to name an example, Hit vs. Dyspo. I have no idea which was stronger, and the fight really hinged on creative powers and strategy. - I don’t need to elaborate since countless people have spoken about it, but the inconsistent animation was a consistent bummer - They did Vegeta very well (well except for never letting him win) - They did Goku ok. I’m not in the crowd who thinks they did him wrong, or that this isn’t the same character as before, but I do have some gripes. He often felt like a sitcom character in the later seasons, with personality traits turned up to 11 for an easy reaction. He should be uneducated, and selfish. He should not be a dunce. - I’m probably in the minority here, but I honestly didn’t mind the Potara retcon. - I was consistently interested, but knowing the ending of Z always made the tension less felt throughout the show. We know who all is going to be alive at the end of the day. Death has been pretty cheap in Dragon Ball especially since Goku learned how to teleport, but here it’s been even more ridiculous. I feel like this time period was a good time to explore, but at the same time, I wish they found a way to break out of the limitations more. I know a lot of folks were expecting them to go beyond Z after the ToP, but that got pretty thoroughly dashed. - The opening and closing themes were all pretty good. They always made me happy to kick off an episode. Limit Breaker x Survivor and Boogie Back were especially good imo. - Sure as shit was better than GT. - Thank god they didn’t do something stupid to wrap up everything super neatly so that GT could still be canon at the end. I was seriously dreading this the entire run of the show. - This was a fun show and I’ll miss it.

#dragon ball super #long post #dragon ball super spoilers #seriously I talk about everything

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rattatatouie · 6 years

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Heres a Thread of Anime Recommendations Because Friends Always Ask:

To start with, these are just my opinions and I haven’t watched every anime in the world. So if you have other recommendations, add them!

BEGINNER ANIMES: Most beginner animes I particularly like are pretty long (100-300 episodes) but I have a few that are not. I genuinely don't remember the first anime I watched, but these are my recommendations

Naruto/ Naruto Shippuden: Naruto and Naruto Shippuden pretty much go together for me. Naruto doesn’t start out the best, a lot of the characters turn you off because they are either really whiny or just all broody which isn’t particularly my cup of tea, but by around episode 20 (the start of the Konoha Crush arc) you are HOOKED. Naruto Shippuden, on the other hand, is good from the start and is (in my opinion) why I still love the series as a whole to this day. Naruto was one of my first anime, so I will always have a special place in my heart for it.

PROS:

Great characters

Excellent character development

Awesome plot

Lots of action (once you get into it)

Fight/background music is great

Comes in dubbed and subbed

CONS

Not the best theme songs (not a problem for me in particular but I didn’t want to leave that out)

Fight scenes are pretty long

Long series in general

Tons of filler episodes

Inconsistencies

Helpful Hint: Look up the filler episodes if you watch this series. It makes the series a lot shorter and saves you from bullshit plots plots that don’t particularly add to the story

Hunter x Hunter (2011): I haven’t finished this series yet and haven’t gotten that far into it, but I really like it so far. The whole plot is interesting and easy to follow and just a wholesome show in general.

PROS

(as I mentioned earlier) Easy to follow

Great characters

Shorter fight scenes

Interesting plot

Currently releasing dubbed and the voice actors aren’t Shit are perfect for the characters

Good background music *cues spanish guitar*

Good fight scenes

CONS

A Relatively long series (not a bad thing but you just have to invest a lot of time into it)

Hard to get hooked (the first arc is slow)

Constant hiatus

Chimera Ant arc dragged on for too long

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood: Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is genuinely one of the best animes I ever watched. Everything about this show is great and I cant give it enough love.

Pros

Fights were perfect length

Characters are likeable (even a lot of the villains to be honest)

Good character development

Not an obscene amount of romance (I’m looking at you, Sword Art Online)

Plot is great

Perfect show length

Subbed and dubbed

CONS

The First Episode is Slightly Confusing

Pokemon: I watched this show when I was a kid, either Naruto or this show was probably my first anime but I’m not sure. It’s a pretty good show but isn’t my favorite of all time. I still think it’s a good start into the anime world, though

PROS

Genuinely funny characters

The pokemon weren’t “boring”– They had personalities of their own and made the show a lot more entertaining at times

Great movies

Antagonists are charismatic

Dubbed and subbed

Nostalgic

CONS

Plot is pretty basic

Boring at times

The newer seasons aren’t that good

Fights aren’t that great

Characters weren’t that complex

Overrun (in my personal opinion)

Quite long

Attack on Titan: I genuinely liked Attack on Titan for a long time before cancerous fans started polluting my feed. I still watch it (I haven’t watched all of season 2 yet, though, oops) and I do really like the show. I just some of the toxic fans.

PROS:

Good plot

Fights aren’t drawn out usually

Great plot

Dubbed and subbed

Still coming out

Amazing art

Good opening

CONS

Eren (the main character) comes off as an Asshole is angry 90% of the time (which is understandable, but annoying)

Mikasa (the main characters friend) is very whiny

A lot of the character’s you see all the time are really underdeveloped

Many fans are toxic

Takes a long time for new Seasons to come out

HONORABLE MENTIONS IN THIS CATEGORY (aka stuff I haven’t watched/ watched a lot of but everyone “raves” about

Dragon Ball Z

One Punch Man

Assasination Classroom

One Piece

Madoka Magica

SCI-FI/PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR: I personally haven’t watched a lot of psychological horror/sci-fi even though I want to. This is probably because my life has been consumed with rewatching animes I have been watching other stuff instead. Anyhow, here are my favorites:

Death Note: I love this anime a lot. The plot, the characters, the everything. I haven’t watched it in a couple of years, but is for sure on my top 10 list even still today.

PROS

Great character development

Great plot

Makes the watcher think

Intense

Dubbed and subbed

CONS

Normal Length (about 40 episodes)

Some of the characters are annoying (by some I mean one in particular)

Complex plot (not a con for me but a lot of people prefer easy-to-follow anime)

Dubbed voice actors don’t really go with the characters (also not a problem for me because I usually prefer subbed over dubbed)

First episode doesn’t “hook” you in

Parasyte: I haven’t watched a lot of this show so I cant particularly criticize it as much as the others just because I haven’t watched the whole thing. But from what I’ve watched, it seems like a decent show.

Pros:

Decent length

Interesting plot

Pretty easy to follow

Good character development

Subbed and dubbed

“Hooks” you in quite easily

Opening is a bop

Cons

I don’t have any huge cons about it so far, all I could really say is that its “gruesome” but then again I haven’t watched a sci-fi/psychological horror one that isn’t like that

Tokyo Ghoul: Another anime I haven’t finished, but I have read a lot of the manga and do genuinely enjoy the show. It has all of the elements I like in a show and more. I just haven’t watched enough of it because I am already watching 2 anime’s and don’t want to completely flunk out of college.

PROS

Great plot

Characters are interesting

Easy to follow

Subbed and dubbed

Decent length

CONS

Dubbed isn’t the best

First episode was pretty fast paced

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Cowboy Bebop

Steins;Gate

Psycho-Pass

Code Geass

ROMANCE/SLICE OF LIFE ANIME: I feel like these go hand and hand. A lot of these could go under a “fantasy” tab but I honestly haven’t watched a lot of fantasy that weren’t also “romance” or “sci-fi”. This tab is going to show how hopelessly romantic I am, oh my God.

Also, keep in mind most of these will be relatively short (12-24 episodes) just because

Nijiiro Days: This genuinely is such a funny and great slice-of-life anime. The friendship and the different personalities of the guys in this show is so great. I watched it earlier this year, and it has become one of my favorite slice-of-lifes of all time.

PROS

Funny

Decent length

Characters are interesting

Easy to follow

Not the typical “romance” anime (theres not a bunch of unnecessary drama, no unreasonable jealousy, etc)

Wholesome

CONS

Can feel a bit repetitive at times

There isn’t a lot of “character development”: most of the characters stay the same

Hanasaku Iroha: I haven’t watched all of this show, but I love it so far. It’s unlike any slice- of life I’ve seen before. Theres not a huge amount of romance in it, it’s mostly about the the relationships the main character develops throughout the show.

PROS

Funny

Decent characters

Interesting plot

Not a stereotypical “slice of life anime”

Decent length

Great art

Wholesome

CONS

Subbed only

Isn’t an anime you can binge

Some of the characters are assholes rude to the main character for genuinely no reason other than jealousy

Nana: A great romance anime that leaves you in shambles. It has some great bops in it. It takes everything you thought you knew about romance anime and completely turns it around and makes you wonder “why?”

PROS

Interesting

A lot more realistic than most romance animes

Dubbed and subbed

Good music

Decent characters and character development

CONS

Can feel repetitive at the beginning

First few episodes aren’t that great

Makes Rethink Everything you Once Thought About Love

A lot of jealousy

Durarara!: I watched this anime early last year and really liked it. I have to admit that I didn’t like the second season as much as the first, but it was all really interesting to me. I didn’t know if this was considered sci-fi or romance, but I decided to put it under this category anyways.

PROS

Hooks you in easily

Funny

Action-packed

Characters are interesting

Has some character development

CONS

Some episodes are quite boring/uneventful

Second season isn’t that great

Ao Haru Ride: Not my favorite anime of all time, but still deserves to be on the list. It’s genuinely the typical School Romance Anime. I bet a lot of people would like this series, I think I didn’t like it because I went through a breakup right before watching this series.

PROS

Characters have decent backstories

Art is pretty

Average length

Funny

Cons

Characters can be quite annoying and are pretty “typical” people

So much unnecessary jealousy

Feels drawn out

Kaichou wa Maid Sama: I walked into this anime expecting not to really like it, and was pleasantly surprised. I honestly thought it was going to be lolita trash but it was so much more. I love the manga and wished that they made the whole manga into an anime, but, alas, you cant always get what you want.

PROS

Wholesome

Makes you scream because of how cute it is

Great plot

Enjoyable

Hilarious

Dubbed and subbed

Not the stereotypical “romantic comedy”

CONS

Not the whole series

Dubbed isn’t great

The main Character can come off as annoying

Yona of the Dawn: I loved Yona of the Dawn, other than the fact Pierrot didn’t do the whole manga. Because of this, I recommend reading the manga after you finish the 24 episode series, because so much more happens.

PROS

Decent length

Subbed and dubbed

Great plot

So much action

Action sequences don’t take up an entire episode

Easy to get hooked on

Adorable as a whole

Great art

CONS

Not all of the dubbed actors fit the characters

Not the whole manga (by “whole” I mean all thats been currently released)

Antagonist has a stupid reason for going after the protagonist (in my opinion)

Ended the series without a great conclusion

Kamisama Kiss: I also wasn’t expecting great things from this, I thought looking at it that it was kind of strange because it’s literally a fox human, but my friend made me watch it, and I was blown away. This series made me cry more times than I care to admit. The whole series as a whole is just magnificent.

PROS

Great plot

Really sweet

Unique

Warms your heart

Funny

Dubbed and Subbed

Dubbed actors are perfect for the characters

Easy to binge

Although it’s not the whole series, it concludes at a good spot

CONS

First episode doesn’t hook you in

Not the whole series

Snow White with the Red Hair: I watched this series earlier this year and really enjoyed it. I only had a few issues with it as a whole, and they are just minor things. If you are interested in fantasy and romance, you should start with this or Kamisama Kiss.

PROS

Relatively short

Great characters

Excellent art

Warms your heart

Easy to binge

Dubbed and subbed

Dubbed voice actors fit the characters perfectly

Easy to binge

CONS

Some of the Episodes aren’t Interesting

Not the whole series (I recommend reading the manga)

Ends without any real conclusion

Lovely Complex: Lovely Complex has a special place in my heart as the first romantic comedy I watched at age 12. I’ve rewatched it once when I was 14, and let me tell you, if you romantic comedy, this is it. I don’t think I’d like it as much if I rewatched it now, but it still deserves to be on the list because it has a special place in my heart.

PROS

Funny

Really sweet (when you get farther in to the series)

Easy to binge

Relatively short

CONS

Characters can come off as whiny

So much unnecessary drama

Doesn’t “hook” you in per se

Characters are pretty bland

Toradora!: I wasn’t amazed with Toradora!, I did like it though. Toradora! is just a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy I’d probably watch in middle school. Although it didn’t stand out in my life, I think a lot of people would still like it, and I have to give it credit where credits due.

PROS

Short in length

Easy to binge

Hilarious

Sweet

Dubbed and subbed

CONS

Typical romantic comedy story

Characters aren’t that interesting to me

So much unnecessary drama

Unreasonable Jealousy

Your Lie in April: Such a great show. Like genuinely I am amazed how unique and bittersweet this whole show was. I watched this last year on a whim and by the ending I was shocked and crying.

PROS

Excellent art

Excellent music

Great plot

Realistic

Some interesting characters

Hooks you in

CONS

Some characters personalities are kind of bland

Isn’t good to binge (please, trust me, take it slow, or else you’ll contemplate the show for too long)

There are some episodes that are kind of meh if you don’t particularly like music if you don’t like music, this show is not for you

Kimi ni Todoke: Really a pretty sweet show. I liked that the minor characters and main character a lot more than the main characters love interest. The show, all in all, is pretty good if you’re looking for something basic to watch.

PROS

Easy to follow

Decent length

Funny

Decent plot

CONS

A few of the characters are bland

Pretty generic

Second season is just a bunch of drama

Tonari No Kaibutsu-kun: I think I watched this pretty soon after Lovely Complex. Decent show, all in all, just a few issues with it. It reminds me a lot of Toradora!.

PROS

Easy to follow

Average length

Funny

Some interesting characters

CONS

Generic plot

A lot of unnecessary jealousy

A lot of drama

Main character and love interest get annoying at times

Say “I love you”: This was a decent show. I really liked it when I first watched it, but didn’t really like it the second time. I feel like most romantic animes you can only watch once, then it kind of loses its charm.

PROS

Easy to follow

Gets straight to the point

Wholesome

Warms your heart

Most of the girls in the show are really realistic

CONS

Relationship is unrealistic (but we can dream, right?)

Guys in the show are pretty bland

A lot of unnecessary drama

Generic Plot

Silver Spoon: Silver Spoon is a slice-of life anime that I went into with no real expectations. I honestly just chose to watch it because it was the only thing I found interesting on netflix at the time and decided to watch it on a whim. Let me tell you, this is genuinely one of my favorite slice-of-life animes of all time. The characters are great, the plot is great, and I honestly can’t believe it doesn’t get more attention.

PROS

Not that long

Unique

Great plot

Funny

Interesting characters

CONS

Hard to get in to

Takes a while to get hooked

Ouran Highschool Host Club: I didn’t know if I should put this under the romantic comedy section, but it for sure has comedy. This show sounds extremely weird when you read the summary, I know, but trust me, it’s hilarious. I genuinely love this show and it’s characters with all my heart and wish they made more of it.

PROS

Average length

Hilarious

Great characters

Great plot

Can honestly watch any episode of the series in any order and get the same result (minus the 1st and last 3)

Theme song is a bop

Hooks you in easily

CONS

Not the whole series

Can feel a bit repetitive at times

Not the best conclusion

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Princess Jellyfish

Spice and Wolf

Orange

Fruits Basket

Clannad

Kokoro Connect

Sorry this is so long! I didn’t realize how many animes I thought were decent. I’ll make a separate thread for movies sometime soon so I dont make this any longer. I hope this helped a lot of you guys out!

#anime #anime recommendation #anime topic #anime reccomendations

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canvaswolfdoll · 7 years

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CanvasWatches: My Hero Academica

If there’s something I needed in my Anime Repertoire, it was a fun, pulpy Shonen Series.

I have selected My Hero Academia because frog girl.

Tsuyu Asui and the various tumblr posts she spawned is what drew my attention, and I was hearing good things about the series, so I thought I’d give it a go. Plus I’m catching it in the early stages, so there’s not too much of an archive to panic over. It’s a good time to get in.

I’m not one for long runners, since I enjoy definite start and end points.[1] Media designed to just go on forever, stuffed with filler and formula is a quick eject for me. And I’ve never been one for fighty man Shounen.

I couldn’t get into Dragon Ball Z, because I only caught brief segments, and those segments were the parts with Goku floating there staring down his enemy. Or Buu turning someone into a cookie and eating them. Contextless nonsense that was very unappealing.[2]

Naruto began it’s dubbed broadcast as I entered Middle School. However, those were troubled times of much grounding due to academic indifference, and I couldn’t be bothered to monitor the broadcast schedule. So I fell off the Naruto train… basically after the second episode.

I didn’t care about pirates enough to try One Piece, and Bleach seemingly left no cultural weight to enter the equation.[3]

However, these reviews are nothing if not a bizarre justification for making up for my misspent youth. Because yearning for the nostalgic past is what adulthood is for.

And I finally committed to Funimation’s streaming service, so, yay! More dubs for Canvas![4] Which leaves only the Viz stable to have difficulties with.

So… why does My Hero Academia succeed where it’s predecessors fail?

Likeable cast, mostly. While other self-perpetuating shonens have large casts with various interesting gimmicks, usually only one or two will resonate with the viewer, and there’s often little by way of character complexity or arcs.

Meanwhile, MHA has a cast that, oddly, are mostly characterized by positivity. There’s one or two grumpy loners, sure, but they’re handled with an almost parody tone, and the rest are actually nice kids you can appreciate.

And our protagonist, Deku, is notable for not being uniquely special. At the outset, he’s in the minority of people without powers. He eventually gains some, a decision I’m… conflicted on, but he gets superpowers by earning them.

Deku’s a tenacious fanboy, particularly idolizing the biggest hero in the world, wanting to follow the man’s example. However, as he doesn’t have a gift, he’s seemingly incapable of reaching that point.

Our hero takes this in stride, instead dedicating his attention to analyzing heroes and their methods. He’s a very clever and intelligent protagonist, and considering he’s following the trail of Naruto and freaking Goku, that defining trait is a refreshing departure.

Then he earns his chance at his dreams by being undeniably heroic despite being a squib.

Now there are obviously two sides to Deku inheriting All Might’s power:

One one hand, we miss the story of a muggle climbing his way up the ranks through sheer willpower and analysis.

But, with him getting All Might’s power, we instead see a young boy struggle with a power well beyond his control and capabilities.

While I’d prefer the Rock Lee route, the physical struggle of Deku literally destroying himself with every use of One for All, and the ramifications (risk of permanent damage and Deku needing to use it strategically) is a compelling narrative thrust in its own right, so I can’t complain too much.

The duality of All Might is an interesting sight to behold. In full hero mode, he’s nothing if not positive and encouraging. Outside of that persona, All Might is a little pessimistic and grumpy, but he still has a clear streak of good that’s never suppressed, even when he’s feeling sick.

It would’ve been easy and in line with established tropes to make All Might a lazy and harsh task master, but even when sending Deku through an excessively intense training regiment, All Might’s encouraging and positive, pushing Deku not for his selfish purposes, but because he honestly believes in Deku.

Then, after Deku goes above and beyond the task All Might set (clear out a stretch of beach), All Might tells his student to eat a strand of his hair, which is precisely the sort of thing I make jokes about when watching television.[5]

The even more amazing thing is that this positivity isn’t exclusive to All Might. The entire hero cast are positive and supportive people. Besides Bakugo, who’s the childhood friend turned rival character, no one specifically puts down anyone else. Every challenge and lesson has the whole of Class 1-A cheering each other on.

Even during the admission trials, where they’re literally competing against one another, you never see any character go out of their way to sabotage another.

Normally, it’s so easy to make the main character a total reject, give them a whole community of opposition and conflict. So it’s refreshing that everyone who wants to be a hero is a positive person.

It’s the same reason so many people gush over pages featuring Batman offering sympathy to others instead of punches. We want our heroes to be the best example of humanity, something to aspire to be.

Which is the exact philosophy that brings All Might to take Deku under his wing.

Then Bakugo, who’s introduced as a violent bully, wanting to believe heroics is his birthright, becomes mocked for being such a hothead. He’s got a powerful quirk, was number one for the admission test, but the rest of the class silently agree that they don’t wish to abide by his attitude. And it’s not even bullying Bakugo, but more gentle mocking and pushback against his egocentrism and violence.

Because the class are still children, but their nature shows a preference toward acceptance and teamwork, and an openness for redemption. The class’s treatment of Bakugo is negativity towards his current actions, not the kid himself.

UA is structured to be a competitive environment, a whetstone to hone the next generation of heroes. You have to compete in a trial to get into the programs, teachers can expel whole classes, and you can lose your spot in class to someone in a ‘lesser’ course. However, even when the cast are explicitly telling one another they’re gunning for each other, it’s usually with a tone of ‘nothing personal, it’s just the situation,’ and there’s no hard feelings. No one resents anyone else, really, and there’s no hesitation to work together when the situation calls for it.

Which is important because this is a show for children, and it’s showing, by example, that intent and actions are a better defining trait than raw ability or natural born talent.

A lot of the quirks are explicitly underwhelming. Class 1-A runs the gamut between making explosions, nullifying gravity, sticky balls, being invisible, and having a tail, with various and unequal limitations. It’s not what you have that makes you good or evil, it’s what you do with it.

To further cement this, One for All is absurdly powerful, and after a training montage, Deku’s given a portion of the quirk. And that portion is so strong, so powerful, that even with the preparation All Might put him through, using it still physically breaks Deku.

Which means, while most Shonens are about the protagonist becoming stronger, working their way to being the best there is, Deku literally gets handed that strength in episode 4. So, instead of growing powerful, Deku has to learn restraint and self control when using One for All.

Because being a hero isn’t about being better than everyone else, it’s about using what you have effectively to make the world around you a better place, with both physical abilities and personality.

Deku has the right personality and philosophy, he needs to learn how to use his power.

Bakugo knows how to use his power, but he doesn’t quite have the needed interpersonal skills or humility.

Thus why the two are the rivals.

The actual arcs do a good job of tracing old structures while also bringing in its own twists.

There is, of course, the introductory arc, where we’re introduced to the protagonist whose dream seems impossible to him, until a mentor figure steps in and grants him the one thing needed to proceed (A quirk for Deku, headwear for Naruto and Luffy). Then he meets his crush and turns a few low-grade rivals into allies (like you do) as he begins the journey to become the best… hero/ninja/pirate/grim reaper?[6]

Deku takes the entrance examine, which he technically failed, but he put in such a good effort that he was given bonus points so he could enroll at UA anyways.

Then we get a nice mix of Slice of Life and implied opposition from a mentor figure, who turns out to have been performing a secret test of character.

Next, the main cast is given their first field mission, which suddenly becomes a lot more serious than expected.

Which brings us to the end of the first season.

So, a quality that I find takes a series from good to great is its approach to balancing drama and comedy: namely, no one’s truly exempt from either. Naruto had shades of it, Fullmetal Alchemist did it to the hilt. Sometimes it’s well set-up jokes, sometimes it’s just goofy character designs.[7]

Class 1-A is filled with goofballs, and even though they serious up when a horde of villains crash their first rescue training mission, their personalities are able to leak a good amount of comedy where needed.

Then the entirety of the second season is dedicated to the required tournament arc. Which… okay, time for Canvas to zone out, right?

Well, no. Because My Hero Academia is pretty good at both dynamic combat and interesting situations. Further, the previous season already did a good job of establishing people’s powers, so there’s space to split the focus between showing fine details and solid character work.

UA’s tournament is actually a broadcasted sports festival, so the competition starts with a obstacle course, which revels in all the slapstick potential inherent. Deku also wins it by looking at the mine field that is the final obstacle, and says ‘Nah. I can use this.’

Good for our hero!

Then, the second event is a cavalry battle,[8] where Deku’s reward for winning the first event is getting a 10 million point bounty on his head. It’s so unfair it turns to the realm of parody. Which I’m all about.

The second event is thus a showcase of Quirk Synergy, more of Deku’s strategy and resulting counter strategies, and more slapstick. So that’s nice.

Since Deku soundly won the first round, our protagonist is getting diminishing returns for the rest of the arc.

The third event is straight up tournament battles, but with most of the cast already eliminated, so that saves time, and the show only really focuses on the big events, split between the second half of one episode and the first of another. Between those, there are match ups that are just squashes[9] and comedy.

The final winner is then Hannibal Lecter’d on the podium in a great mix of character drama (he didn’t like the way he won) and comedy (because the final winner has to be actively restrained and muzzled. That’s just silly!)

Then the cast picks out their codenames.

Which pretty much brings us even to where the dub’s gotten.

I’m having a good time with the show, and I look forward to more episodes. It’s going to be interesting to follow an anime episode by episode instead of marathoning the whole thing through. Let’s see if I can keep my sanity.

Kataal kataal.

[1] There are exceptions, mostly in the form of webcomics and Discworld. [2] Dragon Ball, meanwhile, had a youthful energy that drew me in. But it also aired infrequently so I never got totally invested. [3] Okay, I had a high school friend who was interested, much to the annoyance of another high school friend, who had a weak understanding of difference in media interests. [4] You had your chance Crunchyroll! [5] Seriously, ask Vulpin, it’s exactly my humor. [6] Again, never got into Bleach. [7] Depowered All-Might looks like a muppet. [8] A sport I’ve only seen in the context of anime, but should totally be more common. [9] Following a wrestling podcast may be helping me appreciate some of the meta-aspects of fight scenes.

#CanvasWatches #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #anime #CanvasReviews

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recentanimenews · 3 years

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FEATURE SERIES: My Favorite One Piece Arc with Greg Werner

I love One Piece and I love talking to people who love One Piece. And with the series going on 23 years now, there is a whole lot to talk about. As the series is about to publish its 1000th chapter, a true feat in and of itself, we thought we should reflect upon the high-seas adventure and sit down with some notable names in the One Piece fan community and chat about the arcs they found to be especially important, or just ones they really, really liked.

Welcome to the next article in the series "My Favorite One Piece Arc!"

My next guest in this series is Greg Werner, the official One Piece columnist for Shueshia and Toei. For my chat with him, he chose the Arlong Park, in which Luffy and his crew take on Arlong and Nami officially joins Team Straw Hat.

A note on spoilers: If you haven't seen the Arlong Park arc yet, this interview does contain major plot points. Watch the Arlong Park arc starting RIGHT HERE if you'd like to catch up or rewatch!

Dan Dockery: Sell me on Arlong Park, in one sentence. Let's say that I'd gotten to the end of the Baratie Arc, and I decided "You know what? I don't think this is for me." What would you say to convince me to keep going?

Greg Werner: I don’t know if I could sell a bottle to a milkman, but I’ll give it a shot ... Can it be in the form of a question?

Yes.

Do you want to know Nami’s backstory? And that seems so facile, but you’re coming off Baratie with the knowledge that Nami has betrayed the crew, she has left the crew, and she has stolen the ship. But it seems like she’s not acting freely, and she mentions the name “Bellemere.” So if you’ve gone through One Piece and you’ve come to that point, that’s simple enough.

So, you have Luffy who wants to go get her, an injured Zoro, Usopp, who's gotta be in a weird state, and Sanji who finds her extremely attractive and cool. It's a fun dynamic.

Zoro and Usopp are an interesting combination, they always are. Usopp always feels like Zoro’s little brother and Zoro kind of has to take a back seat due to injuries here. But I always find their interactions to be very sweet, and you get to see a kind side of Zoro, which is the antithesis of how he interacts with Sanji. And you’re getting hints of the rivalry between Zoro and Sanji here, one that ramps up to the hunting contest in Little Garden, at which point they cease to call each other by their names and just insult one another. And between Luffy and Sanji, you get these kindred spirits due to their dreams. Usopp and Zoro are a little more straight-faced about their dreams, but both Sanji and Luffy utter their dreams with these big smiles. So even though Oda has his pieces all over the map, it’s nice to see the freshness of all of them working together, which is something you won’t find in anything but the best shonen action series.

When you meet Arlong, he's kind of a jerk. He doesn't seem very nice. But he's one of the first One Piece villains who seems like a complete character. He's mighty but underhanded and deceitful. What does his introduction do for One Piece?

So I bought the first ten volumes for a co-worker because he’d seemed interested in it, and I said “There, you’ve got the first ten volumes. Now you have no excuse not to get into it.” And we’ve been talking about it recently, especially the little details, and we found something very interesting about Arlong. There’s one aspect of Arlong that is completely different from every villain up to this point and it’s how he treats his crew. Buggy starts off beating up one of his crew members. Part of Kuro’s plan is to kill his crew. Krieg only sees his crew as numbers and will gas them. Arlong, though, to members of his crew, he’s extraordinarily loyal. When he finds out that Zoro has beaten up his crew, Arlong is pissed. In some ways, he’s very similar to Luffy, but he’s despicable and terrifying and he’s one of my favorite villains.

That's a great point; Arlong is the first bad guy to have pride in his crew. Speaking of Arlong's crew, this is the first time we get the classic 1v1 where a Straw Hat member matches up against an antagonist crew member. When you first read this, because it's electric every time I watch it, how did you feel to watch it go full-on battle manga?

Zoro’s a beast. Sanji’s a beast. But Usopp? Facing down this insurmountable force? How is he gonna do this? And I think that’s the moment that got me. The others are awesome, and I love them, and they’re great, funny battles. But with Usopp fighting Chew, it showed Oda’s ability to shine in a certain way. Like Toriyama and Dragon Ball, Oda’s been very influenced by Jackie Chan, because Jackie Chan fights are awesome, visually stunning fights, but they’re funny. And that’s what Oda strives for sometimes. When you combine the action with the gags, you get something very special. You’re not just excited, but you’re laughing, too. And I think Usopp’s battles represent the pinnacle of that. It clicked for me there and it became a page-turner. It feels like what a shonen action series should be. And I enjoy Oda’s different takes on it, but he does it so well here.

I’m glad you bring up Toriyama and Dragon Ball because if you read any interview with any Shonen Jump author, they praise Toriyama. And it’s deserved. The man’s battle scenes and pacing have never been beaten and probably never will be. He’s the master. But one of the things I like about Oda is that he doesn’t try to copy them. Rather, he takes bits and pieces and spins it off into his own thing. Do you remember the Oda interview with Toriyama where he was like “I really liked Tao Pai Pai …”

From Color Walk 1.

And Toriyama was like “I ... drew that?” It’s the funniest thing in the world to me.

I think his exact words were “Now you’re getting into the minor characters.” And Oda’s like “MINOR CHARACTERS?”

He nearly killed Goku! But I dig that kind of reverence and inspiration. So Nami’s backstory — it’s heart-wrenching. Bellemere’s awesome. Makes you wish she was still around in the series.

Isn’t that perfect? That’s exactly what he goes for.

In the end, she refuses to say that she doesn’t have children, even after a bad spat with Nami. This flashback is one of my favorite ones. What did you get out of it and how did it take the story to another level? Because to match it, every flashback to come had to do some heavy lifting.

Every detail in this flashback builds on itself. There’s no excess. And maybe outside of the Chopper backstory, I can’t think of another backstory that is so full of necessary information that weaves into a single narrative. Every event evokes an emotion in the reader and pushes the story forward. Bellemere has the fight with Nami, makes dinner to reconcile with her, a Fishman crew member sees the cooking smoke from her house, the Fishmen find her, she refuses to discount Nami as her family, and she’s killed. It all comes together so neatly in three chapters, I think. Oda sets a reeeeeally high bar for himself, but to be able to match that through nearly a hundred volumes of story takes a special kind of manga genius. It’s also the very first time I cried while reading manga.

Next, we run through basically a Greatist Hits collection of One Piece moments: Nami asks for help, Luffy gives Nami the hat, the march to Arlong Park, Luffy slugs Arlong, the fights happen, Luffy brings down the Gum Gum Battle Axe, Arlong’s spine gets turned into clam chowder, etc. So much of what we think about One Piece is distilled into the final chapters of Arlong Park. So do you have a favorite moment from this climax? I honestly can’t pick.

I didn’t realize this when I first read it, and it took me several years to understand the importance of the giving of the hat. It’s one of only two times in the series that Oda uses five exclamation points in a row. The other one is when Luffy comes swooping in to save Vivi from Crocodile. Even the famous “dreams of mankind will never end” doesn’t get five. Luffy’s pissed and the best part about this is that he doesn’t have a single reason to be. He knows nothing about Nami’s history and actively refuses to listen to it. He takes a nap instead. He’s just ready to be a tool for her, so when she asks him to help her? YOU GOT IT. And then, the next thing he tells her, after the fight with Arlong, he tells her that she’s his crewmate. Nami has held this by herself for so long, she’s so strong, and she finally opens up to accept help from someone else. And it tells us that Luffy knows what kind of person you are, even if he doesn’t know that much about you. He might be dumb and reckless and strong, but there’s a spark there. He can read you.

One thing I like in the anime is that Nami is the first Straw Hat introduced in the story. She’s at the boat party that gets attacked by Alvida, and her showing up there and then being the main focus of Arlong Park bookends East Blue and kind of turns it into her saga. But as they leave this arc and head to Loguetown, what is new about One Piece? What's there that wasn't around before?

That’s a good question.

Because I hear many people say “Arlong Park is what made me a One Piece fan.”

You get to see their daily routines onboard their full ship. You have the established East Blue crew in one location and we get a slice of life. In just a few scenes or panels, you finally get to watch the crew relax. You get a window on their lives and there’s a sense of completeness. It’s a warm, fuzzy feeling.

ONE PIECE LIGHTNING ROUND!

Favorite character?

Luffy, Franky, and Zoro.

Favorite villain?

Arlong.

Favorite fight scene?

Luffy vs Bellamy. It’s so satisfying.

One Piece island that you’d want to live on?

Skypiea.

What Devil Fruit would you eat?

Flower-Flower fruit that Nico Robin uses. I’d get so much work done.

One Piece moment that made you cry the most?

Bellemere’s death.

One Piece moment that made you cheer the loudest?

The defeat of Lucci. That was remarkable.

Stay tuned for the next installment of "My Favorite One Piece Arc" as we speak with Aggretsuko and The Black Mage writer Daniel Barnes about his favorite One Piece arc: Marineford!!

Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: Daniel Dockery

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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