my only opinion on that Hunter game trailer is that hunters would not know what a Lasombra or a Ventrue or any other kind of proper vamp term is (unless there's a former ghoul present but even then-- dubious info at best). I don't care how professional/long term the hunter outfit. Even if they somehow DID confirm that's how vamps refer to themselves, they're hunters, why tf would they respect that.
It should be shit like "void boy" or "classic type dracula" or some other cooked up jargon nonsense that works for them!!! It's an opportunity to define the Horrors in their own terms/make light of the traumas they incur when interfacing with them!! Also it's a great and simple way to characterize your hunters right off the bat. How do these guys cope? How does knowing the shit they know impact their worldview? Are they serious community defenders or are they black pillers looking for acceptable targets? Do they take themselves seriously or is it a daily grind thing where you kinda have to find solace in the absurdity?
Hell if you want to keep the serious air you can have them go by scientific/religious terms to retain the sense of conscious framing while not getting all goof troop about it. But also, come on, as if a cell of hunter chuds would not have some incredibly stupid names for the shit they track!!!
i am sorry for invoking labubu but the trend fascinates me. actually, no, that's not right - i find the trend very boring and straightforward, it's like all the other fashion/collectible trends that blow up very fast and suddenly you hear about it everywhere and then it fizzes out. for those who have NOT heard about it everywhere, it's a blind box creature thing and people use them as fashion accessories.
i probably first saw it when i saw my first ever pop mart in australia and learned that blind boxes like this are a Thing - like i knew about blind boxes, but a whole chain of stores dedicated to them is absolutely wild to me (did i get some? of course i did. i am not immune to funky little figurines). labubu did not stand out to me in any way. months pass, and suddenly i am recommended videos all about how this creature is super mega mainstream and trending everywhere and people are going gaga for it. and as with all trends, people talk about it like "of COURSE you have heard about this ONGOING TREND" but i am a little bog hermit with an affinity for the indie and obscure so i'm like no??? pls explain...
anyway the THING. the thing that strikes me. as a life long Creature Enjoyer and Plushie Afficionado, two characteristics that have always made me a little strange, childish even, in polite society - i am happy to see people enjoy Creature Plushie. i am always a big fan of Creature Plushie. but the weird thing to me is that it's not about Creature or Plushie. it's about the Trend of it all. because i understand Desiring the Creature!! but many of these people who are really into labubu do not strike me as fellow Creature Enjoyers. some of them must be, right? and if this is a gateway to Creature Joy then by all means!!! or if it's just an exception to their rule - i am not here to gatekeep Creature!!!!! it's just that feeling of, ok, the thing people used to mock me for is now very cool very trendy. and videos on the internet want to tell me about how amazing Creature is. but i have been here the whole time!!!!! i have always loved Creatures!!!!! i had a strange creature plushie not so different from a labubu fastened to my bag as an accessory many years ago already!! does the Creature hold worth to you beyond it's current fashionability? do you love Creature for Creature's sake?? you don't have to, but i always have.
anyway that's all i will probably never invoke the labubu again
Im always a sucker for a body-swap AU trope but specifically a body-swap of the same character in a different universe
All this to say I am thinking of Modern AU Soren and TDP/TDK Soren going through a body swap situation somehow.
Modern Soren has no idea who this guy in his bed sleeping soundly is, he's starting to think this isn't even his bed and why is it so silent? Usually he can hear cars passing by outside his window by this time.
Meanwhile TDK Soren is having the worse imaginable disassociation session as he grips his fork so hard his knuckles are turning white while the ghost of his sister with her hair still long asks him to help her dye it later today.
i feel insane lately bc i'll see videos that i know arent ai but the quality of movement of the figures in the video has that uncanny quality you see in ai generated clips. but it looks like maybe the footage was smoothed out from frame to frame with ai and it looks crazy
I'm going to gush again (Season 1 thoughts here) about My Dress-Up Darling!! I've finally finished Season 2 and now get to wallow in despair while waiting for Season 3 just like everyone else especially after a cliffhanger of an ending.... o(TヘTo)
While I was worried after seeing some negative reviews of Season 2, I'm a person who strives to try things out for herself to form her own opinion on them, and while I can understand some of the criticisms, I argue that Season 2 is made to be different from its predecessor. Like some people are saying there is less romance this season, but I think that it's because Gojo and Marin have more or less "settled" into a comfortable friendship, albeit with them still pining for each other in a "will they or won't they" way. (spoiler alert: they did! Take That, Rent-A-Girlfriend xD)
There is less "excitement of love" this season and more "comfort of love", and because I love video essays, here's a lovely one that explains the distinction between them:
Gojo and Marin's relationship has evolved from a "sparks fly"-kind of thing to a "I can be myself around you"-kind of thing. Their relationship progresses in more subtle ways throughout this season, and while I really enjoyed Marin's "I wuv Gojo-kun!!" moments in Season 1, the more nuanced development this season, especially through small acts of service, like Gojo taking a leave from school so that he can take care of a sick Marin, or Marin wanting to eat food that Gojo cooked just for her, has them hitting hard for me, and think that these two will definitely take care of each other once they're officially together, it's only just a matter of "when", as I have no doubt that these two genuinely care for and love each other, and will continue to do so even when they've become a couple.
God I love Marin's room!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Marin crying after Gojo came for her when she was sick just had me thinking these two are so lucky to have each other, that whole scene was just lovely, just a moment of genuine care between two people.
Season 2 definitely introduced a ton of characters this season, and ngl I don't remember everyone's names xD But I want to praise some who I feel were the standouts this season:
Chitose Amano (aka Amane Himeno)
The moment he appeared and spoke, due to my experience of being a class-S weeb, I knew that Amane-san was in fact a guy cosplaying as a girl (when crossdressing meets cosplay = crossplay), and that the male seiyuu voicing him who can mimic a woman's voice was none other than Ayumu Murase (Hinata from Haikyu!!).
Amane getting into cosplay though wasn't always a happy story, as while he's one of the luckier ones to have a supportive family, he didn't get that same support from his peers, and even had a former girlfriend cruelly lambast him for something that he had a lot of joy doing.
I love it though that after he recounts his story, and immediately brushes it off as to not make Marin and Gojo feel uncomfortable, Marin and Gojo both chime in with their full support, and I think at this moment, Amane was really glad to have found friends who wouldn't shame him for what he enjoys doing. It was frankly beautiful and even had me a bit teary-eyed. QQ
Amane is also one of the first "senpais" (Amane being a college student) who gives advice to Marin and Gojo on levelling up their cosplay game, by taking them to a specialty shop that offers some ready-made items that can be used in one's cosplay, which can save precious time as Gojo still makes Marin's cosplays completely from scratch (which is still a feat in itself). This brings me to the next character:
Akira Ogata
The moment Akira appeared, I was immediately smitten. xD As I'm all too fond of those "cool oneesan"-type characters. xD
Akira is first introduced as this mysterious, talented propmaker who immediately catches Gojo's eye, as Gojo is interested in making not just outfits, but various cosplay props to be used in tandem with them. "Akira" is normally a Japanese masculine name, so I was just as surprised as Gojo when I found out that "Akira" was in fact, a woman. And Akira being surprised that "Wakana-chan" was in fact "Wakana-kun", was also a nice touch. (Wakana normally being a Japanese feminine name)
Gojo after meeting her though immediately expresses his admiration for her work and only after some adorable giving out of praise from Gojo (his sent comments only being half of what he wanted to say was amazing xD), does she agree to teach him about making props.
While Amane had at least a supportive family, Akira didn't. The whole flashback to her childhood and her mom throwing out her manga and telling her what a waste of time her hobby was was honestly gutwrenching, as I feel that this is something some people unfortunately have to deal with in real life from their own families. As a result, Akira was even lonelier than Amane and developed an aloof personality as a result.
So when she saw teenagers who were her age having fun with the gacha machine, and eventually having the courage to try it out herself, and meeting wonderful friends like Miyako and Suzuka (pictured above) as a result of allowing herself to "indulge" in her hobbies, it was honestly such a heartwarming moment to me. After years of hiding her hobbies, she finally found people who don't shame her for what she loves.
I feel that her own story mirrors Gojo's, in that giving up their hobbies wasn't ever an option for them (albeit Gojo being more extreme and Akira hiding parts of herself to fit in), and that by being their true selves, like-minded people will naturally come to them. The both of them also cherish their friends very much, Gojo totally understood why Akira indulges both Miyako and Suzuka a lot, as he does the same for Marin.
Miyako Honda
Last but not least, the wonderful "big sis" Miyako!! God this season just has so many best girls my heart can't keep up QQ
If Akira is someone I see myself in, Miyako is someone I want to become. She's just so positive as a person, but not in a toxic positivity-kind of way, she's realistic in her expectations towards problems one might encounter in cosplay and does her best to give advice and take care of her friends, I especially love the segment where she tells Juju that the real reason Juju didn't want to cosplay Black Lobelia was not because of her height, but because of her babyface and lack of erm, "ballistics". xD
Miyako tells Juju that there's nothing wrong with feeling that you can't cosplay a character due to not having the same body type as them, that there's this fear of "not living up to the character". What counts, is pushing forward and thinking of clever ways to adjust how to close that gap between expectations and reality. I love how she recounted her own story of wanting to cosplay her own favorite character, and also experiencing the kind of feelings that Juju is feeling now, so she really gets how Juju is feeling.
After offering to help with Juju's Black Lobelia cosplay (which is honestly hella cute I was basically Shinju at that moment QQ), I absolutely love how matter-of-factly she states that continuing your hobbies as an adult is totally fine! Especially since you live most of your life as an adult, honestly this perspective was just so refreshing. A lot of anime focuses only on life as a student, to have actual working adults like Miyako still being very passionate about their hobbies is such a breath of fresh air. It's people like her that give courage to adults like me and the youth to continue doing what they love.
Side note: there's this anime I recommend that focuses on adult otaku called Wotakoi which is an underrated gem, I honestly had so much fun watching it <3
All in all, I think this season, while having less focus on Gojo and Marin, is different and still damn good in its own way. I actually found myself being more teary-eyed this season as some moments hit especially hard, such as Amane and Akira's backstories, as well as the in-universe "bento scene" from The Student Council President is the No. 1 Host (PrezHost). And it's also a nice thing when you have Marin and Gojo interacting with the world and other people around them.
I want to give the utmost praise to the team that worked on the anime (the animation is just lovely and the OST gives me such warm feelings!), and especially to Shinichi Fukuda (thanks to the masculine name, I thought Fukuda-sensei was a man! xD) for creating My Dress-Up Darling, she really gets what it means to be passionate about one's hobbies and all the fictional media that appears within its universe just shows how she gets the appeal of each, whether it be the Magical Girl genre with Flower Princess Blaze!! or the horror VN genre with Coffin (I'm going to fangirl about Coffin a normal amount later because damn it's a game I would want to play :D).
Now for the obligatory fangirling over cute outfits! >w<
The Arisha bunny girl outfit is pure fanservice, and I mean that positively as it's just so damn cute and sexy. I think one could never go wrong with black outfits, but I personally also really like the hairstyle and hair color that goes with this outfit, the long wavy dark hair and the tailcoat gives a "mature oneesan" vibe that I'm all too fond of. xD
Marin's second outing as Shizuku-tan, this time in the Humiliation Cafe outfit, is once again just really cute with an air of elegance that comes with a very goth outfit. I love how the outfit is a mix of the classic Western maid costume and the traditional Japanese kimono, my favorite part has to be the long sleeves with the black rose patterns for sure. (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ
Marin cosplaying Rei-sama from PrezHost, while simple, absolutely delivered on the infinite rizz that Marin is in no shortage of. I frankly love how she can both be a dork and someone utterly cool whenever she does her modeling gigs or cosplays like this one. The whole segment starting from her walking on stage was nothing short of breathtaking.
Last not but not least yet again, my absolute favorite cosplay: the group Coffin cosplay!! Instead of focusing on the outfits this time around, this has got to be my favorite photo shoot so far, the way they staged the area to capture the atmosphere of the in-universe horror game was magnificent. The whole Coffin arc honestly was a real treat for me, as someone who's utterly fascinated by all things goth and horror.
And they really didn't need to go hard, but the whole sequence of Gojo playing through Coffin and experiencing the horror firsthand was so beautifully done, it captured the spine-chilling reveal of a seemingly innocuous visual novel so perfectly, from the OST, to the saves being deleted as the protagonist doesn't want to remember, to the haunting lines across shocking visuals, it's a game that I would honestly want to play or watch deepdive lore and analysis videos about. :D
I freaking love how Shinju and Suzuka were practically grinning ear to ear from Gojo sharing his playthrough thoughts with them, that part was such a joy to watch, and how I would also react when I rec some crazy shit to innocent people xD my eyes would totally light up like Shinju (☆ω☆)
Marin cosplaying as one of the nuns named Rose in this particular manga panel had me immediately think of Uruha cosplaying as a "Mad Sister", from the LUCY side of the GazettE's Spooky Box 2 Halloween concert. It just made me go:
For reals, I was Akira this whole time. xDD
I'm honestly glad that Akira turned out to be a huge admirer of Marin, when I initially thought she was someone who was jealous of Marin, since Marin is a teenager who can indulge in her hobbies without much external pressure, which Akira sadly didn't get the luxury of. Thank god for the twist that Akira quite literally can't keep her cool around Marin, which was honestly just super adorable and so fun to watch. <3
TL;DR: the fanservice cosplay anime is still peak, and I'm honestly excited for Season 3, and I'll wait!!! Honest to gods I sincerely hope CloverWorks doesn't One Punch Man it 😭
dude im looking up the locations of my past jobs for resume stuff and just looking at the eagle eye view of my old town is giving me this indescribable feeling in my chest get me out
