#mulch indulges

[purplesoil]

BTS

😉

@helenisacompletemess thank you for introducing me to BTS haHA

i've been listening to BTS hehehehe and going from their first album (2 Cool 4 Skool?) and onwards.

before this marathon, i think i only listened to Blood, Sweat and Tears 😅 but i listened to that song so much that i started recognizing the members' voices somewhat????

so when i got to the Wings album (which i think has solo tracks for every member???) i thought, why don't we play a game?

which of the solo songs are sung by which member? 😁

and did i get ANY right with my amateur ARMY ears?? 👂

🎶 Begin 🎶

Guess: Jungkook. not actually sure about this one as the album continued lol but im going to stick with my first instincts and go with Jungkook!

Answer: JUNGKOOK!!!! HELLLL YEAA

🎶 Lie 🎶

Guess: Jimin. His voice is probably the "lightest" (? dunno how to explain it) in this group to my ears atp.

Answer: JIMIN!!!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!

🎶 Stigma 🎶

Guess: V! I don't think I'm as confident in my answer than the first 3 seconds of this song 😆 i think im partial to V's voice, i like its nasal quality lol (watch me get it wrong LOL)

Answer: it IS V!!!! AWWW YEA!

🎶 First Love 🎶

Guess: Suga. honestly im not sure at all. i thought J-Hope at first... then changed my mind to Jin... but, with uncertainty, imma go with Suga 😅

Answer: ACTUALLY GOT IT RIGHT!!! SUGAAAAAA!!!

🎶 Reflection 🎶

Guess: RM. His voice is another that i can recognize pretty quickly (and thus am also partial to hehehe)

Answer: RM BA-BYYYYYYYY

🎶 MAMA 🎶

Guess: J-Hope. i dunno how to describe his voice other than i always picture him smiling as he sings or raps 😄 so based on that, i think this song was sung by J-Hope

Answer: WOWZA I GOT IT RIGHT!!! didn't expect that...

🎶 Awake🎶

Guess: Jin. I have to admit, I think Jin is the member whose voice I still can't recognize...

Answer: it was Jin!!!!

🤩 WOAH i can't believe i got them all right!!! i expected to fail at First Love ngl...

this was fun! im still going through their discography, but ive been saving lots of songs into my own playlist so far. 💿

thank you again @helenisacompletemess for ushering me into the world of BTS. now im jelly that u got tix to the BTS tour!! 😆

[purplesoil]

Mulch Indulged in 🌷🌷 F4 Thailand 🌷🌷

i just finished binging F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021) in the wee hours of the day and i have to rave about it.

because IT WAS SO GOOD!!! HELLO????

Acting and chemistry, music and singing, the cinematography, modern and cultural takes on the classic... *chef's kiss*

*** SPOILERS BELOW!! and rambling ***

I'll have you know, I hate hate hate the amnesia trope. In any story. It's often sloppy and the drama that ensues from regaining the memory isn't enjoyable.

HYD's amnesia arc was a bit annoying imo, but maybe it's bc of Umi trying to steal Tsukasa for herself, or that Tsukushi and Tsukasa went through so much at this point that this scenario made me sigh, or maybe it was my angsty adolescent self that I rolled my eyes so hard. Who knows, perhaps i'm too harsh.

I knew the amnesia plot was going to show up in F4 Thailand, and was getting really worried when it finally hit in the last episode. Up until this point, I've been enjoying the show much more than I expected, but the ending was starting to lose me a bit (this was the same with HYD in general tbh).

I think Roselyn is one of, if not the, cruelest version of Kaede Doumyouji. Not only for lying to her business partners, children, and Gorya to do her bidding, but esp for deliberately sabotaging Thyme's recovery. Your son, the inheritor of the fortune you spent your adult life building up, is suffering from brain damage and might potentially live a harder life because of that, and you are THROWING OUT HIS MEDICATION?! holy crap.

(incredible and formidable antagonist btw 👏)

Gorya's talk with her about Thyme wanting love was generous but necessary for Roselyn to finally see the error of her ways. In time for Thyme to come running out and face Gorya head-on (it was an excellent contrast to when Gorya lied to Thyme to break his heart; also, the gate between them imprisoning Thyme and keeping Gorya out was so good).

It's the way the drama created moments here and there and brought them all together in the finale for this moment, for him to finally remember her. This scene broke me.

Thyme regaining his memory after so much struggle actually got me to cry. He'd been trying so hard for Gorya and it was heartbreaking to watch him potentially lose it all. I think it's the way the Thai version wrote Thyme to have greater changes of heart and struggle for them that made this scene pay off at the end.

All this to say, F4 Thailand did the amnesia trope well. I'll give the trope some more chances... but now the standard is very high T^T

Overall, this was an incredible adaptation of HYD. Bravo.

*** Spoilers end! ***

a very long ramble below, mostly about my thoughts on HYD and my ongoing long fic.

tldr: Hana Yori Dango and its many adaptations are very meaningful to me

Some of you may know I've been working on a long fic called Thorny Weed in Your Side. Genuinely, I didn't plan to make it this long or complicated lol (esp since im more of a one-shot fanfic author). TWIYS was a collection of what-if scenarios gone horribly wrong and cruelty dialed up to 100. Eventually I got more invested in it, and it morphed into a darker version of HYD.

I might explain a little more later once the fic is over, but the main emotions I felt writing it was rage. In short, much of my rage at the cruelty of people is poured into TWIYS.

Of course, bc im a perfectionist and bc TWIYS takes a lot from the HYD canon, I went back to the source materials and its adaptations. And now I must admit...

...I feel like an imposter HYD fan 😅 in the sense that, when I started writing TWIYS, I had only watched the 2005 J-drama back in 2016-17. It is but a hazy memory. And honestly, I hadn't recommended this to anyone bc i didn't care too much for the ongoing shenanigans between Tsukasa/Tsukushi. Rich boy/poor girl stories weren't really my thing. I honestly wasn't that passionate about the series, it was just a convenient universe for me to explore darker topics.

But after going through the entire story again, between manga panels + chapter synopses, watching Boys Over Flowers (2009) and F4 Thailand (2021) for the first time, revisiting the 2005 J-Drama, listening to every adaptations' soundtracks as I wrote, discussing with fellow HYD/BOF fanfic authors like @helenisacompletemess, @sojirosteacup, @hana-yori-dango-forever... I realize that, actually, this series means a lot to me.

Like many fans, I relate to Tsukushi in ep 1, esp regarding her family's situation. Then, seeing her shrink in the beginning and despising herself for it before ultimately standing up against Tsukasa and F4 was inspiring. Episode 1 is always my favorite because it's so real and allows us to live vicariously through Tsukushi's ferocious punch 👊😆

the love aspect is a dream, but even when nightmares interrupt it, Tsukushi finds herself growing besides Tsukasa and their friends. At the end of the day, they're all kids in a wretched world, trying to find their place, take the first steps into undoing trauma, and do what's right, honest, and best for as many people as possible.

All this to say, writing TWIYS and revisiting the series showed me that I really, really like Hana Yori Dango. 🍡

[purplesoil]

i love Dandadan so much

i'm a huuugee fan of yokai AND gyaru characters, so i gobbled up the episodes of Dandadan SO FAST (like momo and crab)

i believe in aliens now! 😂🍌

still debating if i should read the manga or wait for things to get animated, because the anime is just too good! Peak voice acting, 🔥 music, crazy transitions, it's all so flashy and vibrant and fun!

the story is so good so far and that cliffhanger was nasty, i really want to see what happens next (save best girl Momo). but it's also a turn-off-your-brain-and-go-with-the-flow kinda show, so i don't mind waiting lol

tangent: i think Demon Slayer is the only manga i read after watching the anime bc i liked it so much. but there was only so much you can draw with fights, so i'm def staying in tune with the shows and movies. but then i got lazy keeping up with the show bc i already know the story :( i don't want that for dandadan too...

also, it was kinda funny how the whole time, i was wondering where i heard Okarun's VA from, and BAM he voiced Tanjiro from Demon Slayer!

love that Yokai Okarun = Yokarun

[purplesoil]

Mulch Indulged in... Sonic Movies! 🦔💨

I didn't grow up on Sonic, so I didn't get the hype + nostalgia + lore of the franchise, but i still enjoyed the movies. solid 8/10 for all of them going in blind, would watch again with kids if i was babysitting 👌

!! incoherent rambling of Sonic 3 below, so uhhh spoilers alert! (oh and Stone slander 🗿😤)

😈 but first, a moment of silence for the horrors that could've been, but were mercifully taken away:

pretty sure this was a marketing tactic; Sega would curbstomp the production team before this monstrosity would be allowed on the silver screen idk man why is this a thing—

but ngl some shots with Sonic getting ragdolled had me thinking of this unfinished creature and i just *shudder*

still, hafta pick on the jilted attempts of expressions on Knuckles, Tails, Shadow and especially Sonic. kudos to the animators, who did their best with the models; it's not easy at all to rig them. it's just uncanny to me how in some scenes with the actors, everyone's (including the actors') reactions are kinda... not there, stoic, underwhelming sometimes. it's not a huge thing for me tho, i think i have more bones to pick on the landing of some jokes but whatev 😅

and ya can't blame the actors for not knowing how intense they have to act when there's kinda nothing there. look at Ozzie who's just chilling when the G.U.N. helicopter flew over who's a cute doggie who's a cute doggieee

the only exception is Eggman, whose over-the-top character matches and drives the chaos around the Sonic + co. honestly i only watched the movies for him 😍

also, just wanted to point out this scene in Sonic 3: Tails got locked outside of the G.U.N. HQ after tossing Sonic in on the nick of time, but then he somehow got into where Sonic and the Robotniks were before Knuckles destroyed the barrier??? maybe i'm missing some context??? plz someone help me...

all the animated credits sequences for the movies were just *mwah* so stinking cute!!

okay, adoration over, i need to rant a bit

can i just say... WHAT WAS THE POINT OF STONE!?!?!?

not hating the actor, he did his best with the limited role he played. but if u removed this character from all the movies, his presence would not be missed. even WADE had more use than he did!!!

if Stone pulled a secret escape pod or something out of his ass to save Dr. Robotnik and Shadow, maaaayybe i'd like him more, but HOLY CRAP THIS MAN JUST STOOD THERE, WATCHING EVERYTHING HOPELESSLY FOR 30 MINUTES

CERTAINLY THERE ARE WAY MORE OF THE DOC'S INVETIONS ON EARTH THAT YOU CAN ACTIVATE TO SAVE THE LOVE OF UR LIFE!?!?!?

[purplesoil]

Mulch Indulged in... Demon Slayer 👿

finally i'm caught up with the anime 😅

rambling & admiration below (bc if i don't i'll never be able to sleep) -3- 👇

i think i got into Demon Slayer after peeking over my sibling's shoulder when they were watching Season 1 during the pandemic, particularly the fight with the spider demon, and I was like "DAMN that's a lot of blood" and then promptly forgot about it

and then, either i saw some fanart of the show / manga floating around or i just remembered that scene i peeped, then i officially dove into the anime

and

my

GOD

first things first, the MUSIC?!?!? main reason i keep going back to the anime. top-notch, absolutely hype, i've written to many of the OSTs since getting into Demon Slayer. 👌

and the swordfighting with the breaths techniques??? second reason why i will be watching and rewatching the anime and will patiently wait for drops bc it's so hard to imagine fights with just manga panels sometimes. the animation is really good! 🤩

HOWEVER none of this would've existed without Koyoharu Gotouge imagination, writing and art. Infinity Castle arc is most memorable for me because of how all the stories tie together at the end. yeah maybe some parts were rushed (i heard she was sick? or family was ill?) but i still really liked how everything finished.

anyways, i binged S1 + Mugen Train + S2, and at some point between Mugen Train and release of S2 read the entire Demon Slayer manga, but then hit a wall near the end of S3. i'll admit, S3 wasn't as good as i'd hoped. granted, S2 is probably my fav season and it's hard to top the flashy Tengen v. Gyutaro / Daki with Mitsuri / Tokito v. Hantengu / Gyokko. but also, was it just me, or was S3 dragged out? i stopped watching literally on the last episode of S3 bc i felt it was so slow, and literally only finished the season (and S4) yesterday.

but it's ok. bc the season finale of S4 was so good.

going back to the music and animation, that whole sequence with Ubuyashiki and Muzan? 🔥 (literally) but what topped it off for me was when the two older Ubuyashiki children played and sang while Ubuyashiki dug into Muzan's brain. i just really love that kind of eerie tension backed by beautiful music, and this kind of stuff can only be achieved in movie form (i've never been so happy being born in this time period bc MOVIES!!)

and the explosion.

i expected it, having read the manga.

still, it was fucking diabolical. i'm so happy i had so much time away from the manga to forget the details of this part, because when everyone was running for Muzan i was like, GET HIS ASS, HASHIRAS!

and then Nakime teleports them into Infinity Castle.

FUCK.

YALL IM SO HYPED FOR THESE MOVIES

IF ONLY MY JAPANESE WAS BETTER, MAYBE ID BE ABLE TO WATCH EARLIER THAN WHEN THE SUB COMES OUT 😩

alas, i shall humbly wait for the subs OTL

all this to say, im so happy i finally caught up to the anime and am so ready for these movies. can't wait to see the fights (and sheer beauty of this show) and hear the heavenly soundtrack.

i'm most excited for Shinobu / Kanao / Inosuke v. Douma. OOOO I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THAT SHOWDOWN

BUT THE ANGST IN AKAZA'S TOOOOO

AND THE PAIN THAT IS KOKUSHIBOU'S

THEY'RE ALL SO GOOD

UUUUUGGGGGHHHH

(a moment to appreciate this poster, sheesh!)

now i'm inspired to work on my Demon Slayer fics!!

it's just the Douma / Kotoha AU smut LMAO 💀...and still gonna take forever tho hehehe

[purplesoil]

📌 Come in, come in!

new year, new 'nome 😏 (everyone say hi to Gerry 🔫)

Watch your step! You might walk into some...

...ok, I'm not that much of a menace. Here's how you can navigate around here:

⭐Updates (#update): pretty self explanatory, moving on!

🌱 YAM (#yam): I completed a self-imposed writing challenge where I wrote stories of at least 200+ words every day for the entire year of 2024. I posted info about the project, 50 word snippets and link the full stories on AO3 here! Usually appears with `#creative writing` and `#fanfiction` / `#fiction`. (some are "mature" btw)

🌼 PARSNIP (#parsnip): ah, dreams. I had those when I was a wee babe :,) anyways, these were original works that I never finished, but I hate to waste ideas, so they're recycled into fanfiction! Also usually appears with `#creative writing` and `#fanfiction` / `#fiction`

🍀 Adol-Mulch (#adol-mulch): I have decided to bless the internet with the sentient garbage the 24-karat gold that is my writing from when I was but a child. It'll take a while before all of them are up, bc of sheer number and the fact that I WROTE THESE BY HAND IN JOURNALS.

👒 Foraging with Mulch (#foraging with mulch): wouldn't you like to know when I touch grass?

🥨 Mulch Indulges (#mulch indulges): fave screenshots of manga I'm reading and/or anime/drama I'm watching. Sporadic updates.

oh and shitposts. i mean come on, it's a garden, you're bound to find some 💩

[purplesoil]

Mulch Indulged in... Squid Game 🦑

lmao i just finished binging this at 2AM this morning (what am i doing with my life) 🌚

i didn't hop onto the Squid Game train during the pandemic, but then again, that's on par for me bc im usually very behind on shows 😅 and bc of that, i knew about all the deaths in S1.

but that didn't make the show any less sad.

the games are cool to learn about, as i didn't play any of these games growing up; i was even cheering with the players in the 2nd game of S2. but i still don't get the appeal of playing these games in "squid game fashion" outside of the show 🤔 idk if that makes sense...? what i mean is, there was that hype of playing the same games from S1 with "deaths", "prize money", etc during the hype of S1. honestly it's not that serious, but i felt like playing those games under Squid Game conditions mocked the players who died in the show, where stakes were higher and desperation drove their actions.

maybe it's because im not a competitive player, idk. so i assumed that i didn't like Squid Games bc of that. towards the end of my watch, i realized that my feelings towards this series is not dislike, but heaviness. I felt extremely sad watching this. heck, i even had to take a break to process everything after S1 E1.

how players got to where they are (taken advantaged of, used as entertainment, killed and discarded) was just depressing. i was definitely raging when they were constantly called 'garbage', 'waste', and i know im not the only one who felt that. those feelings overwhelmed the appeal of the games and dampened the hype for me.

which, i mean, social commentary received 👌

S2 had a lot more sympathetic characters: (Geum-ja + Yong-sik) mom + son, (Jun-hee) pregnant woman, (Hyun-ju) trans woman, (Dae-ho) ex-marine with PTSD, (Jung-bae) childhood friend... and i was more impacted by their stories and actions than those in S1. and wow, the antagonists are way more vicious here too. it def makes me loathe the villains more.

hoping to see how the Squid Game operates (don't know if i dare to hope that it'll be dismantled) in S3. how deeply corrupted the whole operation is makes me a bit hopeless ngl

still, great show, amazing production! S2 E1 was my favorite episode in the series, and honestly the best E1 in any S2 shows i've seen. 👏

[purplesoil]

Ultra Maniac c25 pt 2

Last chapter! this was super fun going down memory lane and i love love the art style so much. i def had a crush on everyone, and i just ship everyone so so much!