#GOD its been so long since ive gushed this much over a characted

[nearyboo]

I think out of all the fiction I experienced in 2022 Umineko is the one that's left the most lasting impact. Specifically Ange's journey and how beautifully she goes from a suicidal teenager feeling alone, abused and abandoned by all the people she loved to a confident young woman no longer obsessed with discovering the truth but conveying the emotions she experienced on that journey. From being fixated on her dead family a situation she couldn't change no matter what she did to using her talent to influence the minds of children and leave a positive change in their lives. Like Battler and Maria did for her.

Being able to forgive her abusive mother figure. Being able to accept the deaths of her family and for the first time being able to move forward in her life after spending a lot of her youth and teen years wanting to die, only living on so she could find out the truth. But thanks to the alternate reality Battler created solely for her, so she could see her family again and teach her there's stuff far more important than the truth, like simply cherishing the memory of her loved ones even if they were inaccurate and false. being viewed with a childish naivete. Whether her memories made her view certain members of her family as more despicable or favourable than they really were. She should cherish them all the same since those memories will be with her until she dies even when her family isn't. As someone who's experienced deep loss over the last year it was so comforting reading a character who's life had been defined by the loss of her family and who had no way of knowing how to cope with it, gradually learn that there's so much more to her than her past trauma and that it's fine for her to keep on living without them. That as much as she loves them, she doesn't need them and she can create her own path in life.

But more than anything I love the conclusion she comes to in the end. Wanting to become an author and write stories for children and the next generation. To teach them all of the lessons she learned from her trauma and how she was able to overcome it. Not wanting any children to suffer like her and Maria did. Umineko is a story that is all about stories in general so having Ange who's the emotional heart of the series and the most important character in the ending decide to create her own stories just makes sense.

Also I'm a huge fan of the trope of characters leaving everything behind to start a new life. And Ange starting this new chapter in her life by giving up the Ushiromiya family fortune and her name along with it. Starting her new life as an author under a new name living by the sea in a log cabin. It's what she deserves! 😤

This alone would've been good enough as a conclusion but I'm so glad the epilogue of the series is also based around her. I like that we actually get to see her success as a fully grown adult who's survived and prospered into an renowned author. Hits more seeing what she's become and been able to achieve rather than only seeing her as a teenager.

Also her reunion with Battler is perfect! The main goal of the final arc is for Ange to accept her family's deaths and come to terms with the fact that she's never going to see them again so that she can finally move forward in her own life. So then her reuniting with Battler could've been seen as undermining or relinquishing her development. But the story handles it perfectly and in true Umineko fashion its more bittersweet than anything with Battler having amnesia from his head trauma and now no longer being able to see his old memories with Ange as his own anymore. It works as brilliant closure since Ange is able to vocalise the loneliess she felt to someone and Battler is able to see the healthy, splendid woman she's become just like he wanted even if it's through the eyes of another man. It also pays off the idea/theme which the story was pushing heavily that even if you think you're never going to see a loved one again, as long as you're alive the possibility is never zero.

[onepunchmiss]

OPM s2e12 Live Blog

“The Wiping of the Disciple’s Butt”

The season finale. I’m nauseous. Lets begin. 

As always, I’m watching from the perspective of someone who has read the manga and webcomic. 

Right where we left off. Again I love the music. I’m just like, really calm right now actually. hhhhhhhhhhhokay. OOF oh god all the crunching sound effects oh no, this is already so weird watching Garou get his ass handed to him since he’s pretty much curb stomped every other hero in battle thus far, or at the VERY LEAST avoided taking so many hits. This. is so uncomfortable to watch. WOAH ????? THESE SHOTS WERE ONLY THERE FOR A SPLIT SECOND BUT??? HOLY SHIT???

GAROU’S HAIR OH MY GOD 

Oh god oh god Bang is relentless this hurts please stop guys GUYS PLZ  HAS NO ONE REALISED THAT NOT ONE HERO HAS DIED CMON PLZ IT HURTS calm down stop trying to kill him plsplspls OH

THIS 

IS WHY

WE STAN GAROU

HE SAYS FUCK DEATH HOW ABOUT I JUST GET STRONGER INSTEAD QUE EPIC THEME MUSIC

oh god damnit him legit running on all fours right there just looks goofy tho F “preposterous style” Bang you aint lying asdfghjkl really though OH MY GOD EVERYONE IS DRAWN SO BEAUTIFULLY THIS IS SO BLESSED 

WAIT 

NO OPENING THEME???????????????????? WHAT?????????????????????? WHY????????????????????????? ONE, I WANTED TO SEE THE CHIBI OF THE WEEK AND 2 

I WASNT PREPARED FOR MY FAVORITE DOPEY BIRD MAN THE FUCK PHOENIXMAN PLS NO ILY I know people hate him a lot but I just really dig how he feels like a fleshed out character compared to most other monsters, like he’s legit lookit him being all smart and stuff plz I just,,,,,,,,,,,, want to hug dumb fluffy birb ;-;

Woah again I’m being blown away by the animation??? Garou getting smacked around is really fluid and this just looks really cool in general?????

FUCK I CANT DO FLASHBACKS MAN JUST HEARING THE KID VOICE MAKED MY STOMACH LURCH OH NO 

OH NO I SCREAM OH NO I CANT OH NO GIMME 5 MINUTES PLEASE I CANNOT BBY NO I FORGOT ADULT GAROU IS IN THE FLASHBACK WATCHING THIS TIME PLS NO 

LIKE???????? I got kinda a comedic vibe watching him comment on it in the manga but the slow music and shit is just FUKKIN ME UP RIGHT NOW I HATE IT THANKS IT HURTS

oh god his face he has the seething thousand mile stare of quiet rage and its burning a hole STRAIGHT THROUGH MY ENTIRE BEING “But me I was the loner kid. Always gloomy and without friends” STOP. YOU STOP THAT RIGHT THIS INSTANT. IM CRYING AT U RIGHT NOW STOP

NO DONT HOLD HIM LET HIM GO S T O P OR SO HELP ME i can’t watch this what the fuck “I was always the loser” SHIT this legitimately hurts me “I dont want to be the monster anymore” GArou hey did you hear that part?? hEY GAROU DID YOU HEAR YOURSELF THERE??? 

WHAT DID I SAY WHAT THE F DID I JUST SAY STOP HOLDING HIM STOP STOPPIT  THE HELL MAN What if……….. I just go BACK IN TIME AND ADOPT BB GAROU CAN I DO THAT IS THIS POSSIBLE IS THIS ALLOWED ? ?? ?

oh my god it keeps getting worse. I mean. I already knew garou was being disproportionately reprimanded for what he supposedly did, but watching this scene just fucking kicked me in the teeth. As if my stomach wasn’t already in knots. The fuck . why does this hurt so much more watching than reading the frustration in seeping into me ffffff.

This looks really cool but, i can barely focus on that because im pretty much being exsanguinated on the floor over here by this whole sequence look at him crying. do it for me cause I sure as hell can’t 

“I want to strike a blow for the little guy”

Fukkin GETTEM GO GETTEM 

HOLY SHIT HIS VA IS GOING T F OFF 

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH LOOKIT HIM ILY SO MUCH SAVE THE DAY BIRB SAVE 

ASDFGHJKL THIS IS SO INTENSE EVERYONE IS SO INTENSE I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS BUT HOLY SHIT FUCK IM SCREAMING GAROU IS SCREAMING BANG AND BOMB SCREAMING GENOS AND EVEN PHOENIXMAN EVEN THE MUSIC IS SCREAM WE ALL JUST SC R E M

OH MY GOD AND THE LITTLE HEAD NOT GENOS AND BANG GIVE EACHOTHER SAVING THE HEROES OH MY GOD OH FUCK AND THE WAY THEY ANIMATE BANG JUMPING AROUND IS DOPE AS HELL AND ALSO HOLY SHIT ELDER CENTIPEDE I MISSED THE UNSETTLING SMOOTH CG LIKE ANIMATION FOR THE CENTIPEDES EVERY CELL IN MY BODY IS JUST SCREAMING RN I AM OVERLOAD HELP 

Garou flailing in the air in Phoenixman’s grip is … really adorable oh my god. “It’s your fault for not finishing them” ooooooo that shut him up didn’t it oof. Also nice cameo by Tatsumaki there 

ASDFGHJKL THE MUSIC AGAIN I LOVE IT I LOVE THEM LOOK AT THEM OH MY GOD 

THIS IS SO BAD ASS

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS SO BADASS

Genos’s eye static, The brother’s fists swirling, THE FUKKIN CARAPACE SHATTERING 

THIS FIGHT IS SO WILD MY COMPUTER CANT EVEN TAKE IT. ITS GLITCHING AND FREEZING UP HOLY SHIT

oh god ok the face coming out of the face was pure nightmare fuel alright then

WAIT

I FORGOT GENOS IS A SELF SACRIFICING DUMBASS. NO IM NOT READY GENOS YOU DOOF LISTEN TO KUSENO LISTEN TO HIM 

oh no 

oh no

im crying oh no

this animation is beautiful first of all and the music like im just here this is where I’m at and I’m crying oh no 

He’s an angel. A literal angel. Look at that and tell me he doesn’t look like a fucking angel in the sky with the rays of light casting shadows around him. 

Genos you are too good and pure for this world but that DOESNT MEAN TRY TO GET YOURSELF KILLED 

Shit they really made it look like he was gonna self destruct there for a second which MADE HIS LAST STAND EVEN MORE INTENSE OH MY GOD SWEETHEART Y’all ever get into a show because you keep seeing one character that catches your interest, and you keep seeing them pop up on your dash or wherever until you finally decide ‘well fuckit, this is the asshole that’s gonna get me to finally watch the show’, cause you’re already invested in them anyway? Genos did that for me with OPM. If this fool didn’t exist Who knows how long it would’ve taken me to get to watching OPM, if ever. And shit like this is why I STILL love him. I usually move on to new faves 90% of the time but nope. Genos earned his spot and is keeping it. Look at this insane shit. My heart. Uhg

Enough gushing asdfghjkl ok but Genos, you just went INTO THE DAMNED THING’s STOMACH,,,,, and you’re SURPRISED that there’s STOMACH ACID?? But real talk. What the EVERLONG FUCK is that thing’s insides made out of? How did it NOT DIE. the FuCK

asdfghjkl Phoenixman’s chuckle???? I love 

Oh Bang no, this is wrenching my heart like I know that he doesn’t actually use his power but its built up so intensely like,,, would he be ok if he did??? and actually more concerningly since it even WAS brought up that he has some hidden true strength, will we EVER get to see that??? Oh Shit well when they word it as “All the power left to me in this life” then yeah, that seems pretty life or death ish???? THE FUCK 

Oh thank god comedic relief is here I feel like i’m about to have a heart attack my chest is so tight hhhhhh ok breathe WAIT THIS ISNT COMEDIC THIS IS BADASS AS HELL JEEZUS witht he flashbacks to the Saitama encounter and THIS LOOK

The Anime is really fucking with the audience huh??? Making it look like KIngs about to throw hands like???????????? OH SHIT AND THIS MUSIC IS DOPE AS HELL TOO IM JUST laughing I have so much excessive energy right now???

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHZAHAHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASDFGHJKLJHGFDSWERTGYHUIUJHGFDFGHJKJHGFRE THE FUKKIN SONG THEY BROUGHT IT BACK THE ULTIMATE SONG I GOT THREE NOTES IN JUST THREE NOTES AND I KNOW IM SCREAMING I GOTTA GO RUN BRB 

IM STILL SCREAMING FADFJSAGFJDSLKAHVFSKLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OUR MAIN MAN THERE HE IS THERE HE IS IM GONNA THROW UP 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

OH MY FUCK THATS WHAT THE OPENING SEQUENCE EXPLOSION WAS FROM OH GOD OH FUCK BEAUTIFUL THIS IS BEAUTIFUL OH FUCK OH GOD 

The REPRISE oh no oh NO OH NO OH NO NO ITS NOT OVER im not ready its not I cant no no no i dont want to press play cause if I press play it will end soon no no no Oh my god and at the end there isnt gonna be a title card for the next episode because THERE IS NO NEXT EPISODE no non o nonononon on on on ono no no no 

NO 

HEY IVE BEEN RIPPED OFF. WHERES THE FACE WITH HIS HAIR BLOWN BACK??? ASDFJKL fine I cant even be mad everything else was tooo  ofdbghjfshkggfhsjgbfhjka

KING WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT REACTION ASDFGHJKL W H A T 

WAIT THEY ARE DOING THE OPENING THEME AT THE END NO I CANT HANDLE SEEING EVERYOONE NOW OF ALL TIMES GOD DAMNIT WHY ok yknow what. I knew it would be king. I dont know how but i did 

Wha

wh

fkin cliffhanger no please no 

I.. I’m kind of at a loss for words. I’m. That’s it, huh? It’s really over. It doesn’t FEEL over. There’s so much unfinished business. Well, the only way to really neatly wrap everything up as neatly as S1 did would have been to get ALL THE WAY through the Garou arc, which obviously wasn’t going to happen, but this is not a great spot to leave off if we’re going to endure another few years hiatus. My hope is that, with biweekley manga updates, we should wrap up the Monster Association/Garou stuff (assuming it doesn’t diverge from the web comic too much) some time next year, and I’m HOPING that s3 is already being planned accordingly along side manga publications. So MAYBE it will at least be announced around that time 2020. That’s my wishful thinking at least. I don’t think I can survive 3 years. anyway

You could really tell JC Staff poured their hearts and souls into these last 2 episodes. Absolutely gorgeous, paced well, so completely satisfying and making every second of s2 worth while. For me, at least. I’ve already seen people still complaining and I’m just sorry they didn’t have as much fun as I did. 

Seriously, thank each and every one of you guys. This has been a wild ride, I’ve barely had this blog a few weeks before season 2 started airing (and honestly just got into opm maybe a month before that?), so I owe a lot of the success on the blog to the anime I bet. This was the first series I’ve never tried live bogging, and I honestly can’t believe that they were as popular as they were? Especially since I never have any idea what I’m doing but yall listen to me ramble anyway?? Yall are crazy thank you so so so much. Now my tuesdays are gonna feel really empty… next week is gonna be weird as hell. Though I’m gonna get mad nostalgic good vibes rewatching this season in the future in no small part from sharing my experience with everyone who's stuck around. I can’t say see yall next week this time, but, see you next season whenever it may be for sure.

[starlightshore]

I was wondering do you have any good fanfics to recommend ive been in a fanfic mood but can't find any, most of them stopped updating :(

god i’m honestly not the best person to ask for fics or fandom content in general. i literally don’t interact with the fandom much at all, like, sometimes i’ll go into the main tag and follow someone, but even then it’s very rare for me to follow someone. i like my dashboard small so i can catch up.

also, i only really read fic now once in a blue moon for emotional catharsis. sometimes i just want to feel bad and that’s ok. this also means most fics i read were years ago and i can barely remember anything, and don’t feel safe recommending in case i forget something bad about it. also, my old bookmarks were on a different computer, rip.

so honestly, i’m terrible for recommending fics. i’m only going to recommend one that i’ve reread some-what recently and some art based content. i actually recommend other people to reblog this post with their own recommendations! i just ask that non of them misgender the kids or are gross. just, putting that as a caution, i’m not assuming anyone is going to do that.

long rec under the cut, sorry mobile users ;-;

1) feeling bonely

the only fic on this list. a human au where sans is suicidal and meets toriel online anonymously through omgle. through the power of friendship and 38 chapters, sans learns how to put in the effort in having friends and making his life better.

this fic is such a comfort to me. it’s got My Brand of sadness that i crave in fics but it’s also so funny, lighthearted, thoughtful and inspiring. i love sans’ friendship with alphys, i love sans being a total dork baby over time travel, i love papyrus learning about depression and helping sans fight it, the salads and rubber bands for coping, i just,, akfjalsjdf its my favorite fic.

its soriel but i believe sans is ace so while romance is a element, sex isn’t which i greatly appericate lmao. since the fic does go into suicide and depression, parental abuse and ableism, ect., i do recommend keeping an eye on the content warnings. it’s also a really long fic but it’s finished.

—-the rest are wips but almost all of them are still updating!

2) Unexpected Guests

Papyrus summons a full bodied gaster blaster, chaos ensues. It’s a post pacfist comic that is beautifully drawn, is light on angst and has a lot of fun character interaction.

still a wip, but has a substantial amount of reading material you can go through. the story is getting really juicy by having sans finally fess wtf is UP with him. i’m dying to know what happens next!

3) Insomnia

a literal classic that hasn’t been updated in over a year, and it’s been that long since i read it but it’s a fandom classic! the art and it’s vibrant colors still stick to me even now. the story fits lore and real science together, it so detailed and beautiful.

i can’t recall if the author said this will be continued someday or not, i don’t want to spark rumors esp with my shoddy memory so idk! it’s such a fandom classic though, it’s defs worth reading!

4) We’re not in kansas anymore.png

ok i don’t THINK thats the title and i could just be oblivious and be misunderstanding here lmao. kan makes really, really good undertale content in general, like, their art is my favorite anything ever. kan covers heavy topics but does so with genuine care and thought. i luv their poncho and chara stuff. i could gush forever.

this comic in particular just started but it is ongoing! they also write fics!

5) EVERYTHING BY MEL

mel has a few askblogs, all of which are fantastic! i haven’t gotten the time to read all of their blogs but like, mel’s characterizations are so good and complex. mel handles the topic of trauma with nuance and it’s all vry good.

everything is on hiatus rn but there’s a big backlog.

6) Askgasterfamily (ok this is me outright cheating here. it’s my askblog)

i have a 4 year old askblog and while i have a lot feelings about it and its not aged the super best in my eyes cause a good chunk of it was written when my mental health utter crap. these last few years have been hard as hell on me and i will not go into why rn cause.. obviously its personal and this ain’t a vent post lmao. i used agf to cope a lot with the shit i was going through, so a lot of is messy.

anyway, summary: the aster family runs a vlog, where people ask them questions about their private life. starts off as a fun slice of life comedy but descends into a sci-fi horror story about depression, morality, and family abuse.

i honestly would recommend just waiting for me to make the animatic film. it’s going to be the definitive version where the story is streamlined and more coherent. i storyboared over a hour of footage but it’s currently undergoing major rewrites as i was unhappy with it, so it’s still going to be a while for it to come out.

aaaaand that’s it for now! that’s all my recs that i can think of. i know the second i post this i’ll think up like, 5 things i could recommend but i’m just gonna leave it as is for now. pls don’t take it personal if i forgot or didn’t put ur fanwork on here.

[davidmann95]

The Kingdom Hearts III Reaction

First thing’s first: yes, I got the responses to my initial reaction letting me know I could use L2 to cycle through triangle commands, and oh my god that made things so much more manageable, so thank you.

Gameplay wise, I said what I had to say right off the bat earlier: lot of fun, best version of the traditional playstyle. Gorgeous except for when it’s the most gorgeous. Way more game than I could handle on the margins, but it felt like fun available options I could choose whether to pursue or not rather than overwhelming.

Under the cut I’m gonna talk some broad structural stuff; I’ll avoid anything overtly spoilery, but it would certainly be understandable if you’d rather stay away. Under another bolded sign though I’m going to get into MAXIMUM spoiler territory, so those who just want my basic impressions but would prefer to hold off on more than that until they have their own go at it can know where to get off.

So this game does like 90% of everything I ever wanted it to do, plus so much MORE than I ever would have expected, resulting in a finale even more grand and resonant and satisfying than I might have imagined after nearly 13 years of waiting. The problem is that all that stuff is in the last 8 hours, and it is very, very clear that’s the part of the game Nomura and company actually cared about. This wasn’t interested in being Kingdom Hearts III, it wanted to be Kingdom Hearts III Part 3/3: The Finale after Dream Drop Distance and A Fragmentary Passage covered the other biggies, to the point of as mentioned before critically compromising the beginning of the game. It reached the point where Dream Drop Distance went from just baaaaarely pulling ahead of 358/2 Days to dead damn last in my ranking of these, because it not only set the tone for what went wrong here - even if this succeeded in the end in a way that couldn’t - but sponged off vital reveals and the conclusion to Riku’s character arc, both of which 1,000,000% needed to be in here so this could be a complete sequel rather than in an intermediary story where they were weakened by context.

Long story short, Nomura and Square are going to have to think very, very hard about what kind of a role the Disney worlds are going to play in these going forward, because the enthusiasm for them on the part of the writers is visibly dead. Not across the board, passion clearly went into the likes of the Toy Story and Big Hero 6 worlds, but it could not have been plainer that Monsters Inc. and Frozen were checkmarks being crossed off, perfunctory in a way I genuinely don’t feel the Disney worlds were in the past (though that may be in large part because this time around Sora is literally just there for level grinding, rather than an immediate search for friends, stripping away the central underlying emotional urgency of I and II). It would’ve been alright if there had been a major act break of the sort II had to provide a sense of forward momentum, but as is it really is just marking time while characters other than Sora drive the plot in the background, mostly in the form of catching up with what the audience already knows. They’ll always be a part of the franchise, and obviously the iconic Disney figures in Mickey and the rest will always be central, but unless the powers that be find a fresh new angle I think it’s getting to be time to scale the movie settings back in favor of the main story and original worlds, if not to the extent the Final Fantasy elements have received.

So I spent most of the game disappointed, figuring it would pull it all together for the finale and more than satisfy me, but not enough to retroactively redeem the game as a whole. And then it retroactively went and redeemed the game, because when I say it kicks off in the last 8 hours I don’t mean that that’s where things start getting parsed out in time for the finale. I mean it’s 8 solid hours of climax, physical and plot and character, the most intense and overwhelming of the franchise, answers to real-life-decade spanning mysteries and character resolutions and endgame-scale setpieces and catharsis being delivered just one after the other after the other. It’s the entire emotional underpinning of the game in a single titanic endrun, in an experience and at a pitch I’ve never seen before. Even the parts that should have been set up earlier in the game still have the entire rest of the series and years of anticipation leading into them, and while it’s a shame it had to bank on that advantage, it worked, because when I look back on the game in years to come it’s going to be this that I’ll remember, and when I someday a long time from now play through the franchise as a whole, I’ll go through the parts that previously irritated me with a smile on my face because it’ll just be a charming interlude rather than a dead stop. I can’t put this over II’s more well-rounded experience because of those structural issues, but while 0.2 is maybe the purest expression of intent thus far in the series, its brevity, and the fact that as good as it gets its best isn’t as good as this gets, puts III neck-and-neck with it as the franchise runner-up for me.

Okay, BIGGEST SPOILERS IN THE FUCKING WORLD UNDER THE IMAGE

So being a person who exists online in the 21st century, I had some key images of the ending spoiled for me well in advance, which sucked but was also maybe a blessing in disguise, because if I hadn’t been braced when those last three seconds came...that would have been rough. It was startlingly rough as is, which is odd because as much as I’ve always liked Sora as a character and appreciated the odd way his nature as a Disney hero in a Final Fantasy dark epic makes him a perfect lead and counterpoint, I never realized the depths of emotional investment I’d attached to his specific fate until the rug got pulled out. It would be as blatant a “but there’s no body!” moment as any there’s ever been even without the secret ending and the confirmation on Nomura’s part that Sora will remain the main character, it’s an emotional blow and a setback and a mystery for the others to solve rather than a full tragic ending (and one would have to imagine the characters themselves would believe that and will act accordingly given this entire story was itself about bringing back a bunch of Very Definitely Dead Folks), but it’s harsh as hell even if it’s very clearly the next step in a Master Plan rather than purely blueballing players for the cruel joy of it. Still, even if it’s reminiscent of stuff we’ve seen before, a melancholy-at-best ending is fully within the franchise wheelhouse; if I’m right and there’s one full trilogy of main games remaining in the series (I’m guessing without many if any spinoffs, Nomura’s bosses are definitely going to have his nose to the grindstone to get through the remainder of this thing on a sane timescale so as not to have another...well, this), maybe it’ll fully establish a sad-odd-numbered-ending, happy-even-numbered ending pattern, with IV having a gleeful reunion, V ending with all seeming lost, and the grand finale letting the heroes have their happily ever after.*

Before getting into the gushing praise for the rest of it, the reason this is at 90% of everything I wanted rather than complete: Kairi is bizarrely shortchanged here compared to every other central character, especially given her relationship with Sora is the foundation of the very end and she’s the logical main protagonist for IV. Even her ‘death’ isn’t my issue so much - by the end of the game Sora has rescued literally every other main character from beyond the veil of the afterlife or a living hell in fairly rapid succession, she’s just the last and biggest deal to him personally - as that even a few more scenes with her would have shored up so much. Not that her material isn’t good when she is there, I absolutely do think it was, and the emotional buildup from the series up to this point was more than enough in my opinion to carry her stuff through, but it’s the equivalent of, say, Lois Lane appearing out of nowhere at the end of a Justice League story to provide the impetus for Superman: obviously this works and makes sense because we know how much they mean to one another, but in the context of this as a lone narrative it’s a little out of nowhere. Riku gets it pretty bad too, if not as much so, but he has the ‘excuse’ of having his character arc resolved in Dream Drop Distance. Still though, it means the central trio is scarcely a thing in here the way it was in the past, though it looks like the next game is going to be entirely about getting them back together and hopefully they’ll stay as a complete unit from there on out.

Also prior to gushing praise: if Dream Drop Distance hadn’t happened, it would be so easy to restructure this in a way that would make the whole thing satisfying instead of just a perfect chunk of it. Open the game with Sora and Riku going into the Realm of Darkness to save Aqua, have Sora succeed but in the process of THAT lose his powers (making it a noble sacrifice on his part foreshadowing the end rather than a non-fuckup that the player pays for); Aqua has to recuperate, preferably with Kairi and Lea so they can get more screentime, Sora’s off regaining his powers and tracking down clues to the location of Castle Oblivion since it was under Organization control and therefore hidden, and Riku’s off with Mickey having his DDD arc. Stick the reveal of the real Organization XIII midgame, and keep the finale almost exactly as is. That way, plot and character’s doled out throughout, character screentime is rebalanced, and everything that worked stays working and comes to the exact same conclusion.

Gushing praise time: holy fuckin’ cow, this hit me in ways I did not see coming. The reunion of the other two trios was something I looked forward to well enough but not anything I fully expected to outright bowl me over, but by god they pushed those buttons as hard as they could and made them everything anyone could need them to be. But that was expected, to one extent or another; what I don’t think anyone could have seen coming was, in the final gasp of this saga of hilariously, broadly Arch villains, every single one of them turning out to be a real goddamn human being with understandable emotions and motivations and implied history and arcs. Monsters see the light (with the contextually hilarious exception of the one character fandom MOST wanted to see get a face turn with Vanitas, and even he finds understanding and peace) after a whole series of believing there’s one in the darkness when only one or two major characters had made a turnaround, and it doesn’t just make this game richer, it retroactively improves the entire series thematically and emotionally, as well as setting the stage for more of that approach based on what we know of what’s to come. And action-wise, it really does go for trying to beat II’s last Xemnas fight, and while I don’t know that it manages it in sheer cool thanks to that final laser blocking/dual wielding finale, it I think really does come out on top in the fights leading up to it and the spectacle and the emotional power and the beautiful interface screw (after the shit with the tornado earlier!), nevermind the absolute end where Our Nerd Dad Luke Skywalker** shows up to give his blessing to the franchise and usher out the story as it was.

As for the pair of post-credits scenes: in each instance I had something spoiled for me, but also in each instance not the BIG thing. I knew Xigbar would live and summon the Foretellers, which honestly is not that shocking for me. That he IS one of them, that he’s been putting on an act (one clearly in the shape of his teacher) and been a bigger villain than Xehanort THE ENTIRE TIME? I believe that got a literal gasp out of me, and THAT’S before it turned out that after bullheadedly clinging to the idea that she’s still a main villain for all these years, Maleficent might actually end up a main villain again. And the secret movie? I had the title spoiled - and god what a perfect twist, the most gleefully apeshit moment in the game and already probable best moment in gaming of the year coming back around in a completely serious way to define the future of the franchise - but assumed wrongly that it meant Sora would be in some way ‘reincarnated’ amnesiac as Yozora and needing to be returned to himself. But nope, Sora’s for real out there alive as himself in...something like the real world? Or The World Ends With You, which I understand is at least a lot closer? And Riku’s gonna wind up stuck out there too? And because Yozora’s there it means they’re in some kind of fuckin’ Flash of Two Worlds! situation?! Or if it’s in the same physical realm (which I have to doubt or Sora would rush home as soon as he got a ship) it’s the equivalent of that dope two-part Terra Obscura arc in Tom Strong?! Sora and Riku, trapped in a world where Kingdom Hearts is a Dark, Realistic Modern Urban Fantasy (which, if Sora got here by dying, does...does that mean Gritty Realworld! AU Kingdom Hearts fanfic is that universe’s version of hell? Because that would be beautiful) (did “This is a fantasy based on reality” end up carried over as the logline to Final Fantasy XV from Versus XIII? Because if not, absolutely use it here to keep that gag going) and having to fight their way back to their world and friends, hopefully with Kairi going on her own playable adventure on the other end of the cosmos to find them since there’s no way she wouldn’t be leading the search? And with the Master of Masters waiting in the wings, the perfect villain in general because if Sora is the MOST Disney character in this universe he appears to be the LEAST, and especially perfect here now that Sora’s symbolically if not possibly literally on his turf? Waiting I’m guessing another 3-5 years is gonna be hell (I’m guessing IV’ll be announced next year or maaaaaaaybe late this year because thus far Kingdom Hearts has never gone with no announced games on the horizon longer than the end of the next calendar year, and we’ll see how development goes after that; like I said, I imagine the pressure is on for Nomura), but this could not look more like my shit.

So that’s, after all these years, Kingdom Hearts III: an understandable, maybe unavoidable, but still crushing disappointment that undermined itself narratively before it even began production and ran on a burned-out crew that could never meet the impossible expectations surrounding it. Until it suddenly winks, brushes itself off, and lives up to damn near EVERYTHING on its shoulders in the most incredible ways possible while also transcending its previous limitations as a story right in front of you, and then breaking your heart before planting the seed to repair it and charting a path towards an even more exciting future. All said and done, I liked it a whole lot, and it’ll always be special to me.

* At this point, I really could go for the ending of the whole thing literally being Sora and Kairi walking into the sunset together, with the camera panning up into the sky and text (not mysterious narration like in the past, but old-school Disney-cartoon-style outside-the-world of the story cursive text) appearing to declare 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇. That is the level of closure and myth and satisfaction it’s gotta be building towards after everything thus far and everything to come.

** If you are reading this without having played or watched the game: given I know that’s now in the realm of possibility, no, I don’t literally mean Luke Skywalker showed up.

Yet.

[volchistamoved-blog]

i just want to thank you all SO MUCH ! i only remade maryas blog around a month ago and already there are over 100 of you here !!! it never ceases to warm my heart how much endless love and devotion i receive here on maryas blog. i have never felt so welcome and loved on a blog before. i love each and every one of you, you are all gifts, thank you, again. 

THESE ARE ALL PEOPLE, i look up to, i admire endlessly and my dash would not be the same without you guys. 

@bloodythirsts / / @mothics / / @godleir / / @deathrisen / / @veracitic / / @variforme / / @saviourse / / @sansavis / / @chaosate / / @chaied / / @nexusbeing / / @wiccks / / @warblossomed / / @astralord / / @tsarsmerti​ / / @vasilyevna / / @wrths / / @quinn​ / / @manwithout​ / / @imperises / /

THE GROSS PART, because im me, and such an emotional person i have to make some special lengthy mentions about those who have earned such a special place inside my heart.

@inheriteds * / / jannah, i tell you this all the time but you are such a gift. you are one of the strongest people i have ever known? and god am i so happy to have met you. i have always, ALWAYS admired you, no matter your blog and i was so amazed you wanted to be friends with me, and write with me. you are so endlessly sweet to me literally every single time we speak. you have a special way of making me laugh and smile like an idiot. your talent is astounding/?? i know im gonna say this about most of my favs but i mean it truly every time i say it. your writing is breath taking and something so unique to you alone. i just love you so very much. you’re an amazing and beautiful person, thank you for existing.

@koschie * / / listen, the love of my life right here? the koschei of my heart? you never ever cease to take my breath away? you are one of m y favorite people to exist in this world. you are so GOOD, you are such an amazing and beautiful soul, you’re such a strong person and you have such a relentlessly good heart. and i am so proud of you?? in every sense of the word. i will never not be proud of you? and GODDDDD, i could go on for years about your writing, your writing is some of the most beautiful and unique i have seen??? im left aghast every time i read something you write and you inspire me ENDLESSLY with everything you do. you are such a perfect koschei and really just perfect no matter who you write. 

@lionswrath * / / listen i know we havent gotten to speak much in recent times but my goD LIGHT OF MY LIFE. you are such a wonderful human being??? i have been beyond impressed with your blog, with your absolute love and perfect representation of cersei??? i love??? just how much you love her and how you will never romanticize the bad things about her, how you just recognize her for all that she is?? bc thats so important okay. not to mention everything you touch turns to gold?? your graphics and themes are so beautiful and your writing is so lovely an d perfect. youre just a perfect person.

@justonekid * / / LISTEN TO ME ANNIE. i know we only very recently met and became friends but i am so glad that we did?? you’re such a gift to this world. you’re such a wonderful person?? you’re so funny, you always make me smile and laugh and your love for aang is literally the greatest? you bring so much life to his character, so so much, you have made me love him in a way that i didnt know i could? you’re such an endlessly creative and beautiful person. i love you okay.

@highnis * / / TWIGGY, my love, you have always been so endlessly kind and supportive of me since we first met? you have the kindest heart and you’re just a beautiful person over all??? you’re an angel, a true goddess. you never cease to amaze me in everything you do and i would lay my life on the line for you??? you always make me feel so great about myself and i just adore you??

@viduamor * / / listen i know we literally just became friends since i re made maryas blog but i ADORE YOU. i have always, ALWAYS, admired your blog from afar and i never thought we could become friends but here we are?? and i am s hook? every time you compliment me a piece of me dies.bUT ANWAYS. i love love your passion for nat?? its so admirable and i love how willing you are to take her character so above and beyond what her canon is>?? to make her something so much more ???? your nat is a piece of art tbh.

@prodigicals & @bleusilk * / / listen, you are one of the kindest people i have ever had the pleasure of meeting??? you have the biggest heart and you have such a warm and inviting presence about you and i think it is so beautiful?? you are so insanely talented in every conceivable way its breath taking. you are a gift to this world and i adore you beyond words. 

@sunbruise * / / aiden, my love, my darling, much like many people on this list that i have gushed about you are someone i admired from afar for as long as i could remember, someone i had always wanted to interact with but neve r got to. and then you followed me back onmaryas blog and we started talking and wow you’re a wonderful person>??? you are so kind and inviting and you’re so creative??? ken is such a beautiful and amazing character and i will literally always love him. you put so much obvious work into creating him and im just??? its so cLEAR. 

@patriotborne * / / dairy, dairy, dairy. you and i may not have been friends for long but i just/?? you deserved a place here. you are such a wonderful and kind soul? you brought the big atla group togeether and ive never felt more accepted somewhere?? you just have the biggest heart and you are such a positive force??? its amazing. you are so beyond talented and i love every single thing you ever touch??? i just love you so very much okay.

@glacialborne * / / sEB. SEBBBB. ur among my newer friends but i love you??? i was so blown away your writing?? like i never thought youd wanna write with me?? but you turned out to be such a sweet little bean ! you are so kind and you’re always so down for plotting and talking with me and you pour your whole heart into every character you write. you’re just such a great person??? i admire you so much, you’re amazing.

@ensavaged * / / i know??? we arent ultra close or anything like that but you deserve a place here? you are one of the most creative people ive had the pleasure of knowing. the amount of work and depth you put into adelyn is amazing, it is so admirable, i literally aspire to make my ocs as wonderful as you made adelyn. you’re just??? such a great presence to have around?? im still amazed that i can call you my friend and my writing partner?? bc i admired you from afar for so long! and i just never thought you would wanna write with me. you’re iconic, a vision of beauty and perfection. never forget that. 

@heavenbuilt * / / HANNAAHHH, my darling dearest. i fucking love you??? you are my heart, my love. you are someone ilove so much??? im so happy we became friends??? you are perfection ! your writing is always getting better every time i read it and you seriously amaze me with your skill literally all the time. you’re such a funny and all around great person?? i live for your messages in our group chat and i just love talking to you??? you are so wonderful im at a loss for words. i love you okay.