#HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A SPECIFIC SWORDSMANSHIP STYLE

[bonnieisaway]

i live in a neverending hell

[aha-chuu]

Let's talk about the Xianzhou

Okay so obviously 2.4 we're returning to the xianzhou based on this image teased at the end of the 2.3 livestream:

We have also had drip marketing for three of these silhouettes:

Based on this it's pretty likely that all those silhouettes will be playable (eventually,,,, sorry Sunday </3). However, multiple of those characters are not listed as Luofu citizens - they are from other ships across the Xianzhou. In fact, all of the drip marketed characters are from different ships: Yunli from the Zhuming, Jiaoqiu from the Yaoqing, and March (apparently) designated to the Luofu. Presumably she's listed like this here because she will be competing in the "Luminary Combat Arts Ceremony" under the Luofu delegation.

The event as a whole is the Wardance - which I believe to be different from the "Stellar Martial Competition". That is the event which decides each ship's "Sword Champion" (Jingliu's former position). Honestly this is a bit confusing.

Not every new character will be participating in the Wardance in a combative way, I imagine. Jiaoqiu, for example, is a chef/doctor(?) so I find it unlikely that he's fighting anyone.

(As a note: I think March's new title being "Legendary New Swordmaster" is just a joke and she hasn't unlocked supreme, Jingliu rivalling sword abilities.

Though, March does show off the same sword style that Blade uses in her teaser clip. Less notably, one of the movements she performs is also similar to Yanqing's style. Blade was taught directly by Jingliu (in between bouts of torture) and Yanqing was taught swordsmanship by Jing Yuan who was taught by Jingliu. I imagine March's style is similar to theirs either because Jing Yuan or Yanqing directly gave her tips, or because most of the swordspeople she's seen have used this style.)

Anyway. This Wardance is being hosted on the Luofu so I don't necessarily expect any new areas immediately post Penacony, but I do expect we'll be getting multiple Xianzhou updates as the game continues. There are five more ships after all, with playable characters confirmed from two of those.

I don't know why we aren't getting participants in the Wardance from all the ships? And like. Is it a fight or a performance or...? It's "war" and "dance" so who knows.

Anyway let's look at some specific characters!

So Huaiyan is the master of the Xianzhou Zhuming, one of the seven Arbiter Generals (the same rank as Jing Yuan and - fellow teased character - Feixiao). These generals are comparable to Emanators and have been blessed by Lan. However, they are not necessarily emanators themselves: for example, Jing Yuan's Lightning Lord spirit is the thing actually gifted by Lan.

Huaiyan specifically intrigues me because he is apparently the oldest individual on the Xianzhou at this point. He might be our first playable gilf since Yunli is his granddaughter. Though, that fact alone makes me worry he might not be playable :((

In addition, the Zhuming is the primary home for the Xianzhou's artisans and craftsmen. Fittingly, then, Huaiyan's former disciple was Yingxing (Blade's previous identity as the master craftsman of the High Cloud Quintet). This connection is a bit suspicious to me, and does make me wonder if there will be a Blade reappearance as we return to the Xianzhou since he is associated with it.

(Do remember though, Blade is not from the Xianzhou - he was an outworlder. This makes Huaiyan personally taking him in even more interesting and indicative of his talent).

Anyway, Huaiyan almost definitely won't be competing with anyone since he should have a huge advantage over like. Poor March.

Next up:

So. Moze?

The first thing I want to immediately address is the theory that this is Sampo in disguise.

Like. I guess? He does wield knives and you can kind of make out a mask over his face, however his build doesn't like right for sampo imo and I can't really think of why Sampo would be showing up here. Obviously the Masked Fools are just a bit random so I don't think it's impossible, but I would be very surprised.

According to Owlbert, Moze is a "crow-feathered weirdo" and "cold and distant". So there is a bit of mystery here, whereas all the other teased characters have some pre existing lore pick at.

The mask is suspicious...

Final thing!

March's new form (new path and new element included) makes me very interested in possible other alternate character versions.

Like, we had Dan Heng IL before, but I think a lot of us assumed we'd just get him and then March's past version as five star upgrades and nothing else. Back then, those two did seem to be the fellow main characters after the trailblazer, but I think now that Dan Heng has been absent so long that Welt and Himeko share that protagonist spot.

I think this promises some other four star (or five star!) alternate versions, like a Sampo or Tingyun or Herta. I doubt they would "downgrade" any limited five stars but I could see a world where standard banner five stars get limited five star versions.

Also, the lore of HSR paths and elements already barely made sense before March swapped both on a whim. Like, Dan Heng I'm on board with because there was a lot of justification. But March appears to have grabbed a new outfit and picked up Imaginary along the way??.

What is imaginary? Quantum? All the other elements I can believe are more dependent on the character's chosen weapon than anything intrinsic. Like Asta uses a laser and she's fire, that make sense. Then I thought she was Harmony because she was choosing to follow that path (but pathstrider seems like something different? God).

Well, whatever! Those are my thoughts - I'm really looking forward to a return to the Xianzhou. I hope they can redeem themselves a bit from the main quest there, which I didn't really like. But I am a big fan of the characters so I'm hoping for good things!!

[lumilasi]

Final character for the antagonist group for Starknight tag. I still need to make his Deity-like Soul eater form (that the head is a preview of) but since it's gonna have a specific, more detailed style I'm gonna draw it in, I figured I might as well post these already and then I'll add it later/post it as a separate piece.

His looks is fairly simple in human form, given the flashier part will be the Deity form. Also I guess this reveals Amaros' former hair color (he's now bald) and where Azul's blue hair comes from - his mum not dad.

Info below:

Name: Sam (Full name Samar Amaros)

Age: Old. but he roughly appears as someone around their forties.

Height: 180 cm

A Mysterious Soul Eater who is actually a Half-Deity, due to being the brother of the Soul Eater King & the first ever Soul eater created.

Role: One of the antagonists for the Sterling family, often behind whatever chaos they are trying to solve. Later the main antagonist once he gets his memory back.

'Love interest': There's some sexual tension between him and Cornel, that the latter tends to take advantage of occasionally to mess with him.

Comrades:  Vincent DeVos (A plaque demon) Cornel Sala(An Ether born vampire) His boss Camilla Barone (Human mobster)

Rival: His brother Shaell & Shaell's son Azul/Chester

Powers:

Soul manipulation: Like all Soul eaters he can study, track, manipulate and devour souls, but on top of those things he can ALSO full on destroy them from existence, something S.E can't typically do. (Devouring doesn't destroy the soul, it just eventually moves it forward in life-cycle once the soul eater dies)

Immortality: being a Deity essentially, he does not age from the moment he was turned, and doesn't get sick either. He is also incredibly difficult to damage, and his injuries heal almost completely very fast majority of the time

Swordsmanship: he is an excellent swordsman, capable of summoning a blade reminescent of the one his brother carries.

Immense physical strength: This guy, while he doesn't look like much, is incredibly durable to the point human weapons don't do shit to him, and he can break people's bones with ease or tear off their limbs. (He is insanely strong even by Ether standards)

Soul Eater form: his form is far more powerful than any other Soul Eater in existence (with the exception of his distant descendant, Jurou Alistair Blackthorne who has the unique ability to even affect the souls of Deities like Samar and Shaell) and this form is basically a Deity rather than a mortal, where his strength grows tenfold from what it already is by default.

Weaknesses:

Due to his injuries from the previous battle against Shaell, his strange scar is often aching where he struggles to move that side arm and shoulder. It also constantly bleeds energy when in his Deity form, and is a weak spot to strike in a fight.

He is not the best at handling people being attracted to him, and tends to get flustered by it easily.

His desire for vengeance has somewhat blinded him for the actual harm his crusade could cause, and sadly his stint without his memory didn't help soften his position and give him important perspective he needs, resulting in him eventually going back to his old ways of trying to hunt down and kill his brother. (Basically, this guy is stubborn to a major fault when he's angry)

Personality:

He is mostly seen as very quiet and calm individual, who seems to be the one helping to keep Camilla's more eccentric duo of mythical subordinates in check. He has somewhat of a parental side to him he often aims at her and Vincent/Vee especially, and is most likely to check and make sure everyone is alright.

While he seems calm, if you know how to push his buttons (like Cornel) he can be very easily angered and pulled into a loud debate or even a fight. He is also notoriously stubborn once he's made a decision, and it can be hard to persuade him to change his mind.

He is somebody who tends to care about people he's close with intensely, which in part resulted to his burning hatred for his brother after being made to think Shaell killed his own family, even if accidental. (This turns out not to be even fully true; his sons survived and were simply thrown forward in time) It also manifests with his high protectiveness over Camilla.

BG Story

Samar is the older brother of Shaell Amaros and former Soulcaster-turned-Soul Eater. He used to have close and good relationship with his sibling and his sibling's wife, even babysitting their older son occasionally. Things changed however when Shaell, in an attempt to save his newborn son's life AND find a way to end the massive war going on at the time, performed a forbidden ritual he'd been studying, and seemingly ended up killing both his wife and children in the process. This ritual also turned Samar into a Soul eater against his will.

grief stricken and driven mad with anger, Samar attempted to kill his brother, but at the time was far too weak given he was not the one directly involved in the ritual. He then spent eons trying to discover where his brother had gone after the war, clashing with him and losing the fight each time. Shaell, unable to get through to him, eventually decided to just erase his memory and send him to the human realm, hoping that would finally calm him down enough so he could see reason again.

Samar was taken in by the Barone family after witnessing his strength, and he has been working for them for a long time now, not remembering anything about his past apart from his name being "Sam" or something akin to it. However, as a young Shadowcaster Chester Knight starts digging into his past and thus has run-ins with them, his memory ends up eventually coming back....

FUN FACTS

Samar is bi

He tends to get annoyed when people imply he sleeps with Camilla (because he sees her like a honorary niece)

Cornel and him bicker constantly about how to approach situations, but while it seems they can't stand each other, there is a level of mutual respect between the two, and both are equally protective of their boss Camilla

Samar is very parenty with Vee, and also feels sympathetic for his unrequited love, though he can also tell exactly why he was rejected...

He does find it a bit annoying that Cornel is taller than him, then again Cornel is very good at pissing him off no matter what. (and he ALSO finds it annoying he's attracted to the vampire without him even needing to use his charm powers)

His scar from the battle against his brother glows white when he uses his powers, both in human and Deity form.

When it is revealed that "Chester Knight" and his brother Reuben are his nephews, he refuses to believe it at first, thinking it is another ploy his brother is pulling to try to get him off his back.

The main reason why him killing Shaell is a major bad thing, is because that would essentially strip every single Soul Eater in existence from their power as well - and would in many cases kill the person. Samar is not aware of this, and initially doesn't believe this claim either when confronted about it.

Eventually his nephews do get through to him though, and after that final major fight with Shaell, he disappears for a while in shame of his actions.

[eternitas]

Unseen Varia - Profiles

Jaque Mendez

Basic Info:

Full Name: Jaque Mendez

Nickname: Jacky, JJ, J man

Age: 25 / 35 (TYL)

Birthday: pending

Gender/Pronouns: cis male in a "gender is fake" way, he/him

Sexuality: undisclosed

Ethnicity: Afro-italian

Height: 188cm

Flametype: lightning, secondary mist

Weapon of Choice: swords

Affiliation: Varia, Lightning Division

Position: Second in Command

Languages: hebrew, italian (+SL), sicilian dialect, korean, chinese mandarin, norwegian, english, german, ukrainian, spanish, portugese

Strengths: coolheaded, swordsman ship, speed, lightning durability, charismatic, diplomacy and negotiations

Weaknesses: illusion spotting, trusting people, sometimes doesn't take things serious enough

Character Summary:

Not many people really know Jaque personally. He doesn't trust people easily, but he gets along with them just fine. He is open, lighthearted and very charismatic. He seems to ooze a certain coolness, capturing peoples attention with how laid back and in control he seems. This side of him is what allows Jaque to be such an effective negotiator and the go to person for mediating between different fractions. He approaches people with respect but distance, never giving them the feeling of being threatened or in a disadventagous position unless the situation asks for it. He is warm and understanding, not minding lending people an ear, but in turn never truly discloses anything about himself. Despite seeing people like Sergey and Leo as his friends they barely know anything personal about him. That is not to say that he doesn't like them or that he doesn't care- he does! A lot even! But coming from a place of constant carnige and betrayal he has learned to keep people a certain distance. The only people he seems to allow closer are Carol and Zarria. While they too do not know much about him, he seems to have a certain soft spot for them.

Background:

Jaque grew up in a rather poor neighborehood in the south of italy, where the region was plagued by constant tension between different mafia families and so Jaque early had to leanr how to survive in the underground. He became part of a group of street kids that tried to make a few bucks by thievery, but was then used as a scapegoat for the others to get away. The family that got a hold of them saw potential in him and due to the then Dons son vouching for Jaque he could afford to pay off the money that was stolen and decided to make use of his skills as a capable fighter. At age 20 he took the Varia initiation exam and passed, quickly making himself known to be not just a capable fighter but also a great specialist when it comes to mediation between fractions as this was something he learned from the Dons son back then.

Fighting Style:

Jaque uses 2 swords he carries on his back, both uncurved katana, or ninjato. He actually modified them to be extremely electricity conducting and keeps a tazerlike battery contraption in the handle so he does not have to use his flame excessively. His slashes and stabs can therefore heat up so extremely that his attacks seem as if to come from a lightsaber, immideatly cauterizing the wound. He doesn't abide by any specific school of swordsmanship and relies on brute strength to break through an opponents defense.

Just like any other lightning division member he is also an expert in hand to hand combat and can easily punch someones lights out. He of course can't get to the same powerscale as Leo, but he is still devastatingly strong.

His boxes are mostly conventional blast, shot or battery boxes.

Trivia:

He is an avid game nerd and especially enjoys games like pokemon, assassins creed, mario cart and Bioshock

Big fan of heavy metal, Hip Hop and Video game OSTs

Makes one mean grilledn corn, I am not kidding this guy does magic

like Sergey he often helps Carol with trying out new hairstyles. He also often buys her small trinkets from when he goes out for a while on mission

He smokes but very seldomly. He seems to enjoy smoke breaks with Lorenzo

Ernest Hemmingway, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen count as some of his favourite authors

After joining the Varia he went on a seach for any related family and could reunite with his grandmother, that he visits regularly. Even if she hates that he joined the Varia, he promises her to keep himself safe

Lorenzo stopped asking Jaque for any help regarding his suffering under Bel, since his response is always either "leave" or "kill him" (we all know he is right tho)

He has a chill relationship with Levi since his officer is someone who likes to handle a lot of things by himself, it opens Jaque up to do more work outside of HQ

One of his first actions once he became Second in comand was bust an old drug circle in his own hometown and set the region under Varia territory protection. Something he promised his old friend, the back then Dons son

He is happily in a relationship for about 3 years now with a woman called Sana and thinks about possible early retirement to marry her and start a family.

[son1c]

Hi! Hope you're doing okay. I love your Sol Sonic AU! Question:

1. How similar and different is Sol Sonic compared to Canon Sonic and Canon Blaze? Like, in habits, attitude, etc. Obviously he has his need for freedom, but how does he present himself to others? Does his royal upbringing have an impact on his conduct?

2. His fighting style. You made his outfit pants similar to the firefighters in the anime Fire Force. How does he fight, in a a way that differs from his Canon counterpart and Canon Blaze? Does he breakables a lot? Does he ever learned swordsmanship, because imagine Sonic wielding a sword made of fire.

3. Character conclusion. Sonic's need for freedom vs his duty to his kingdom. Does he pass the ruling to someone else at the end, or does he forsake his desire for freedom completely after his mission? Or does he find a compromise between the two?

4. You said that Sonic's sens of duty towards his kingdom is stronger than his desire to be free. What got him to finally act on that desire? What villain, or threat, motivated him enough to strike out without contacting anyone else for help to deal with the threat in his stead?

These are all I have for now. Take your time in answering them. Love your artstyle and your Sonic Prime AU of Shadows. Drink and eat regularly!

strap in. this response got REALLY long

1

sol sonic isn't a fusion between sonic and blaze's personalities! his personality is the same as it's always been, it's just now, he's been forced into a situation that's not suited for him. his royal status challenges his free spirit and makes it difficult for him to truly live the way he wants to. it's hard on him-- he represses a lot, and finds himself oftentimes feeling dissatisfied with his life.

as for how he presents himself to others… sonic, canonically, creates a mask for himself, a very specific image that he wants other people to see. it's the same with sol sonic. except now, there's an extra layer of "everyone is counting on me AND it's my job". so the pressure is up even more. he can't show his sadness or dissatisfaction, he can't let people know when he's frustrated, because he has to keep a level head and make the best decisions he can for everyone.

most people view him as incredibly intimidating, but that's just because he's got an iron grip on his emotions. he can't cry. not because of sega… but because he needs to be the person people can rely on to keep everything together, even when anyone else would be falling apart.

he doesn't have much fondness for other royals. he's friendly enough, and plenty cordial, but the only one he has any real connection with is the neighboring kingdom's princess, elise. they bond over being put in a position they didn't ask for. and he finds some comfort in knowing he's not alone in feeling the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders (although, he doesn't tell her that obviously).

as for his "royal upbringing"… i think he thinks it's silly. he's not one to "follow expectations" if he finds them boring and pedantic. he's very casual when it comes to the way he interacts with all that high society shit. but he knows-- it's just another part of the mask. and he should at least try to keep up appearances. so he'll entertain it. but he never takes it very seriously.

2

his fighting style isn't much like blaze's… that type of flashy wizard type shit. it's not really his style. i'd imagine he uses his fire powers in a much more melee type style. fire kicks/punches etc. i also think it'd be fun if he kind of like, incorporated break dancing into his fighting style? like his moves are very reminiscent of a street dancer-- cuz that's his REAL personality. the freedom he feels when he can let loose with his flames reflected perfectly in the style…

also, i'm gonna say hard yes on him using a fire sword. that's literally the coolest concept ever and i was already thinking about drawing something like that at some point so yeah. it goes hand in hand with his more hands on combat style too, since the "sword" is really just an extension of himself (as opposed to something that can be sent flying like a fireball).

3

"does he pass the ruling to someone else at the end"… sonic would never shirk responsibility to someone else just because he didn't want to do it. he doesn't want to-- but he will. "it's not about chivalry for me, i just gotta do what i've gotta do." he takes care of people, he protects them-- how could he simply stop doing that? just because it's difficult for him? absolutely not.

but he doesn't forsake his desire for freedom either. after his quest to save the world, he realizes he can kinda have a hannah montana moment. the best of both worlds. he can go out and interact with the world WITHOUT abandoning anyone. in fact, he can find new ways to help people through venturing out. he's still tethered to his duty, but he can stretch his legs. if only just a little bit.

4

so... the question has to do with the overall plot of this au. so i'll explain that now: basically, what if iblis is sealed in the sol dimension but like, not perfectly? there's cracks. fire comes through... and iblis minions rise up, tormenting civilians and endangering property and etc. so sonic takes it upon himself to manage that, even though he's not supposed to leave the castle. then one day, the sol emeralds mysteriously go missing, and silver appears. not a good sign. sonic takes the opportunity to get the hell out, reasoning that it won't take /too/ long to save the world.

canonically, blaze sealed iblis away and saved the future. but what if the god was able to escape death? what if it fled to an alternate timeline... where things are just a little bit different?

so, the person who stole the sol emeralds was actually mephiles. not au mephiles. THE mephiles. from canon. and he's got a horrible grudge against sonic... mephiles' plan is to lure sonic away from the castle so he can trick the prince into unsealing iblis. by a twist of fate, this time it's sonic, who, with the power of the sol emeralds, is the only person capable of such a feat.

[starrulet]

THE MILLION DOLLAR PENTAGRAM

I am actually a Magic Kaito fan disguised as a Detective Conan fan and when I found out they were showing the new DC film in my local cinema, I grabbed a friend and watched it.

This will contain spoilers of varying degrees, so read at your own peril.

It starts all anime and then you see your classic Det Conan character and you realize you really did spend 15 bucks on a movie with THAT style.

"It'S fOr KiDs" someone has decided, as a swordsman violently kills a gang of thugs onscreen, blood splattering everywhere.

Wow, Heiji takes "no homo" very seriously, huh?

I guess I'd be peeved too if my first kiss got almost taken by a no-good thief who doesn't even have the decency to be traumatized by it too.

I see the stained window and think "Someone's gonna crash through that".

I'm expecting it to be KID.

It's not.

It's Heiji on a motorcycle.

KID, Heiji is showing you up in terms of dramatics, you gotta up your game.

I don't remember Kaito having any skills in swordsmanship, did he pick it up specifically so he could at least somewhat defend himself against Heiji?

Good for Heiji, realizing Kaito looks a heck of a lot like Kudo. After Ran, I think he's the only other person to have seen Kaito's bare face. Please let Kaito Kuroba be a main character in one of these movies, WITH HEIJI AND RAN.

They really do nothing with this revelation, huh?

This is my first proper exposure to Okita. I like him. I can't remember much about him, but I think he helps it feel like Heiji does have a life outside of Shinichi.

Heiji and new swordsman boy almost have a competition over who gets to date Kazuha. My friend groans and complains about cringe. If I were Kazuha, I honestly would have grabbed Ran and left them both in the dust.

Listen, our detective boys gasped when they saw the cuts to KID's suit, I'm taking it for concern, not surprise at the style of the cut.

Conan: We saved your life. Will you give us exposition?

KID: Usually no, but this time, sure.

Heiji: Really?

KID: Sike! The exposition is an obligatory fetch quest, see ya suckers!

"Hi, lemme telegraph super easily to E V E R Y O N E that I am actually a disguised Kaitou Kid"

Either they've nerfed him, he exchanged competence as a kaitou for combat skills or he's trolling everyone, including the audience.

Or he can't copy a Kyoto accent to save his life. His one weakness outside of iceskating and fish.

This is my first proper exposure to Momiji, and honestly this rich girl is delulu.

I love delulu and I love her.

My friend is just confused by her. She hasn't interacted with Detective Conan in 15+ years. She doesn't know who half these characters are.

Y'all sleeping on Heiji and Ran's friendship, it's so cute.

My friend is right, the soundtrack is bizarrely good.

She agrees with me that Kaitou Kid is kinda the highlight of the film.

I bet if the Sniper had still been on the roof when Kaito got there, the boy would have been F E R A L.

Pretty sure Kaito has tamed those seagulls, the way he tamed his doves, i.e. they're his informants.

Why are you trying to snipe during rain? Are you stupid?

Mmmh, KID angst. Not on the level of Nightmare, but I'll take the crumbs over nothing.

THERE SHE IS. AOKO IN GLORIOUS 4K.

After seeing Aoko in fandom with fanon portrayals for a long time, it's weird to see her being so... normal.

Like no short temper or anything. Just a nice girl, having to act twice her age in a highly stressful situation.

um hello? Where's her mother who - it turns out - is still happily married to Ginzo???

After talking and interacting with Conan, Aoko says he reminds her of her friend as a child (Kaito as a kid- no not that KID). I think it's supposed to be just by appearance, but considering how she's interacted with Conan previously and is only staring at him as he rambles his long deduction, I feel like it's personality as well.

Basically, I consider it canon that Kaito Kuroba's childhood personality wasn't just cute and bubbly, but also absolutely terrifying, similar to "Conan"'s personality to a horrific degree.

And maybe without his horrible troll of a dad, Kaito wouldn't just have been a normal teen, but also become a detective, if Conan's ramblings really did remind Aoko of child!Kaito

I've somehow lost the plot, why is there suddenly a plane.

Conan: "You killed that dude, right? But more importantly, yoU TRIED TO KILL KID-" (This is exaggerated)

Good news for all Kidnichi nay-sayers: There is no Kidnichi in this film. I know. Amazing. Miracles do happen.

Why y'all complaining about the treasure? Isn't this the fictional Japanese equivalent to the Enigma Machine? You can't put a price on that! It's cultural heritage, not outdated junk!!! Put it in a museum!!!

Ah yes. Kaitou Kid's old little caricature - one with a moustache. I'm sure no one ever questioned why KID changed his signature charicature to something more childish.

Heiji confessed! But after a bomb exploded nearby, so I tell my friend there's no way Kazuha heard him (I'm right btw).

WAIT, STAR ISLAND IS REAL?

Man, I wish I could read what Kaito and Aoko are texting each other. I can't :(

"Why yes, my wife of 20 years, I DO have a brother I NEVER told you about. Why am I bringing him up now? Oh, just felt like it."

My friend thinks Yukiko's laughter in response is obnoxiously fake. It is now an insider joke.

I forgot Toichi's canonically alive and when Yukiko asked if the brothers were still in contact, and Yusaku was like "Yeah, we still are :3", I thought "DUDE, YOUR BROTHER'S BEEN DEAD FOR LIKE EIGHT YEARS DON'T LIE"

This means Yusaku has known for YEARS that his brother faked his death. Great.

No, Shinichi and Kaito don't know they're cousins. Their dads are doing amazing at keeping information from their boys. And wives, apparently.

WAIT. THE CLUMSY DETECTIVE WAS TOICHI??? I thought it was KID, and all the obvious "KIDs" were actually innocent...

Well, we now know Toichi does not shy away from violence. But I'm so disappointed that that wasn't KID. You know, protecting Conan AND avenging Nakamori...

As far as I'm concerned, the movies are canon from now on. This may not be news to fans, but it is to me

Ah yes, there he is, the new title holder of "Worst Dad In DCMK", Toichi Kuroba himself.

Or as my friend, someone with no idea of who Kaitou Corbeau is, called him: "KAITOU ADULT??"

Something something about winter, I am a Magic Kaito fan I do not care unless my boy is in it. So I will not watch the next movie, thanks.

My last complaint for the night: "It was good... But not enough Kaitou Kid" (to which my friend responded, he was in it plenty).

I think the sentiment stems more from not really getting much from Kaito's POV. The emotional focus was almost entirely Heiji's and weirdly, Ran.

Well, at least Ran did have something to do, I guess (poor girl was mostly sidelined :( )

Absolute last comment from friend: "Everyone is so normal, why is HE the only one wearing a CAPE?"

[dantomasik]

Enishi vs Kenshin's Foes

The Final Arc of Rurouni Kenshin introduced us to a villain who seemingly did the impossible, defeating Kenshin. Yukishiro Enishi bested the greatest swordsman in the world, and he did so handily. His swordsmanship style seemed capable of perfectly countering Kenshin's every move, including his Ultimate Technique. Here's the thing. This does not make Enishi the greatest swordsman in the world. Enishi is so hyperfixated on revenge against Kenshin that it consumes his every waking thought, reflected in his sword style, Watojutsu, a self-taught Chinese style that is exclusively offensive/aggressive, with, as Enishi himself states, no defense because Kenshin took away the only thing he ever wished to defend.

This is the difference between his style and Kenshin's. Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi is built around pitting one against many, thus it specializes in groups. Enishi's Watojutsu is solely focused on obliterating one opponent, with that opponent specifically being Kenshin and Hiten Mitsurugi. This means it is considerably less effective against other styles and other opponents. So, I thought it would be fun to do a little mental exercise and pit Enishi against the various foes Kenshin has faced or who could pose a potentially deadly threat to him.

First off, let's do a quick summary of Enishi as a swordsman.

It's safe to call him a "master swordsman", meaning anyone less than another master swordsman doesn't have a chance against him. Thus, even his worst skills still have some merit. His offense is insane. Considering it's what he puts everything into, it's safe to call it his highest stat. His defense, meanwhile, would be his lowest stat. He frequently covers up for this by relying on his offense to counter and overpower any move that comes his way, but this doesn't work against being countered himself. His speed is also top tier, although (with one notable exception) most master swordsmen have relatively similar top speeds. He has a remarkable catalog of techniques for every possible move that could be used against him, and supplements many of them with kicks that add in that extra OOMPH. He also has what we can basically consider "mind over body", meaning his body won't register pain or injuries unless he wants it to. This grants him superb endurance, but against opponents who strike to kill, that only helps so much. Lastly, he has an ace in the hole in the form of his Frenzied Nerves that can render him nigh-unstoppable. How much he can utilize them is unclear, as they seem specifically linked towards his hatred of Kenshin.

Udo Jine

The earliest foe we could consider truly deadly, Jine fought for the Shinsengumi during Bakumatsu, killing many people, including quite a few people he wasn't supposed to kill, prompting his commanding officer to discipline him. Well, attempt to discipline him, Jine killed them too, then disappeared, resurfacing on the side of the Revolutionists. After the end of Bakumatsu, Jine would continue his massive killing spree into Meiji, sending letters declaring his intentions to prominent political figures. These targets would use their positions to hire guards & security, which Jine would happily slaughter. His fight with Kenshin is all about bringing out the manslayer he once was during Bakumatsu, the manslayer even Jine feared. With 10 years of killing under his belt, Jine's skills have remained as sharp as they were during Bakumatsu when legends were made on the edge of a sword.

Jine's style seems focused on killing a lot of people, mostly small-time thugs and police officers. This does not mean he cannot keep up with or even surpass Kenshin's level of skill. Jine spent most of their duels trying to make Kenshin fight harder, more like the killer he once was. He bragged he could kill Kenshin as he currently was in a matter of 1-3 cigarettes time. His Ultimate Technique allowed him to paralyze opponents or, alternatively, psych himself up into a nigh-invincible warrior. He is also a crazed psychopath who can shrug off most wounds, fears nothing, and experiences pure ecstasy while killing people. Without doubt a master killing machine.

Result: Maybe

This one is close enough that I feel like it could go either way. Enishi definitely has the willpower to shrug off Jine's Paralysis (hell, Sano did). In terms of fighting him, Enishi excels in countering attacks with stronger attacks. Jine's style is also purely offensive, but has the flexibility that Enishi lacks. We watch him turn a disruption instantly into a surprise attack on Kenshin, which would be utterly devastating against Watojutsu. As far as his Shin no Ippo power-up, I'd be curious to see it go up against Enishi's Frenzied Nerves, but have a feeling Enishi would win. Even powered-up, Jine lost to Kenshin's pre-Ultimate Technique battojutsu, meaning Enishi, who dodged the actual Ultimate Technique without his Frenzied Nerves, would absolutely be faster. Stronger, that's a different story, and we don't really know how much stronger Jine's power-up makes him, as he is defeated before it can land a blow. We did watch him casually turn a rock into rubble, though, so that's pretty scary.

Jine's ability to counter disruptive moves is ideal for taking advantage of Enishi's weakness, and since neither one cares who the other is, both will just try to kill each other until one dies. Both are durable as a result of having f***ed up brains that don't care about pain, both are quick, and both have powerful offense.

Shinomori Aoshi

Next up we have the leader of the Oniwabanshu, Shinomori Aoshi. This is a very different matchup from Jine. Aoshi has been fighting since he was a child, taking down other spies at 13 and leading the Oniwabanshu by age 15. He definitely qualifies as "gifted". Aoshi has proven himself one of Kenshin's strongest rivals, and has come unnervingly close to killing Kenshin multiple times.

Aoshi's skills are as deadly as they get. His single kodachi grants him an almost impenetrable defense, allowing him to then rain down martial arts blows on opponents. Coupled with fluid movements that are impossible to track, his opponents are left waiting for him to strike. As for his offense, he utilizes surprisingly few offensive sword techniques, but when he goes in for the kill, you die. Adding in his second kodachi only makes him deadlier. One factor that cannot be overlooked, Aoshi may not have superhuman durability, but that is because he is so rarely hit he doesn't need it.

Result: Loss

Enishi will lose to Aoshi. Enishi's insane offense can bash away at Aoshi's insane defense all day and never get a blow in. Enishi's greatest skill is in countering techniques with stronger techniques, but this works best against opponents with a wide catalog of offensive moves, rather than a single one designed for guaranteed fatality. His kicks can add a lot of damage, but Aoshi can dodge effortlessly. Plus, against an actual martial arts master like Aoshi, he'll get schooled like a kid in sparring class. Furthermore, when Aoshi moves in for the kill with either of his offensive techniques, Enishi's Ultimate Technique may get lucky against Kaiten Kenbu, but not against Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren. Enishi will be chopped into mincemeat. His Frenzied Nerves may help, but Aoshi's style is built around defense & evasion, using only a single deadly offensive technique (with variants depending on the number of swords used) that can turn a group of men into a pile of limbs in less than a second.

Saito Hajime

Former Captain of the 3rd Shinsengumi Unit, Saito Hajime is another strong contender for the title of Kenshin's greatest rival. They've been enemies since Bakumatsu, and their first fight in Meiji is truly terrifying to watch. They simply do not make swordsmen like Saito Hajime anymore. According to him, the skills that have allowed him to survive countless wars & conflicts are no longer even known in the present day. He has lived through more bloodshed than even other master swordsmen will see in their entire lives, and has superb endurance that comes not from any special technique, but from his sheer, unrelenting desire to bring Swift Death to Evil.

As for his technique, the way of the Shinsengumi was to hone a single attack to the realm of perfection, the methodology being that it is exceedingly rare to face the same opponent multiple times in life or death battles. If you have one move guaranteed to kill your opponent, why would you need any others? Saito's Gatotsu is the most powerful thrusting attack a swordsman can face. Can't be blocked or countered, it turns into a slash & kick if dodged, and it has monstrous destructive power. The only thing scarier than facing it, is facing it again after it's carved into you.

Result: Loss

Enishi simply has no chance against the Gatotsu. Powerful as his techniques are, none of them has destructive power comparable to it. And if Enishi cannot counter a move with something stronger, he dies. This is a short analysis because that's really all there is to fighting Saito. You either have a defense that can weaken the Gatotsu, or you lose. There is no counter against it, and Enishi would never come up with the defensive strategies that have allowed Saito's opponents to survive as long as they did.

I like to think this is why Enishi surrendered to Saito in the live action movie after kicking the sh*t out of all the police officers on the train. Once Saito takes his sword stance, Enishi either surrenders or he dies.

Usui, the Blind Sword

Kenshin never fought Usui, but Saito did, and that's good enough for me. Usui fought during Bakumatsu as an anti-Hitokiri, basically killing the killers. He had his eyes carved out by Shishio Makoto, but developed hyper-sensitive hearing and eventually became one of the deadliest members of Shishio's Ten Swords, with the understanding that he can attempt to kill people (and Shishio) as much as he desires.

Usui has two fighting styles, one utilizing his spear/mace and another combining a shortened spear and turtle shield. His defense & senses are powerful enough to disrupt the Gatotsu, allowing him to weaken his foes until he goes in for a killing stab. What his style lacks in power, it makes up in defense and calculated bloodletting.

Result: Win

Maybe it's just how quickly Usui melted under Saito's cruel words, but I'm fairly confident Enishi could destroy him. With his offense, especially punctuated by his kicks, he could most likely break down Usui's defense, which worked best against a single big technique like Saito's, not a variety like Enishi's arsenal. Add in that Usui's offense is mostly for weakening foes (a strategy that won't work on Enishi's mind over body), and he is simply a poor matchup for our angry white-haired friend.

Seta Sojiro

Remember when I mentioned there was one notable exception to master swordsmen having relatively similar top speeds? That exception would be Sojiro. With his style of "speed that does not appear in sight" he is without question the fastest swordsman in the entire series (even faster than Kenshin). His permanent smiling face offers no emotions to read, making his movements almost impossible to anticipate, and his skill with the sword can be considered equal to Kenshin's, which is terrifying. This teenage boy is a killing machine. His Ultimate Technique is called "You Die Instantly" (I'm paraphrasing, but only barely) and lives up to that threat.

Result: Loss

When you can't even follow your opponent's movements, that's when you die. Enishi might do well enough as Sojiro warms up, but once he reaches top speed Enishi will drop like a pile of limbs. Frenzied Nerves or not. You cannot counter what you cannot see, and if you can't defend yourself you just get cut to ribbons. That's all there is.

Fuji

The 30ft+ tall kaiju-esque swordsman Fuji fought Kenshin's master and lived. Fuji can destroy buildings with a single swing, and his destructive power & speed only increases once he takes off his armor. You basically need to be a God or a Battleship to fight Fuji.

Result: Win

Here's the thing, Enishi is fast enough to dodge Fuji. Even if Enishi had a defense it wouldn't work against Fuji's power, but with enough time and successful hits Enishi could wear the titan down. Will definitely take some damage from the sheer collateral of Fuji's swings, but that's what mind over body is for. Fuji might be the only master swordsman with a worse defense than Enishi, mostly because he so rarely fights anyone who doesn't sh*t their pants immediately upon seeing him.

Shishio Makoto

The assassin who succeeded Kenshin during Bakumatsu, Shishio Makoto didn't do it for morals, he did it to showcase his strength. After the revolution, he was knocked out by a blow to the head from his allies, then doused in gasoline and set on fire to make sure he stayed down. And then he didn't. That should give you a pretty good idea of how durable and driven Shishio Makoto is. His fight with Kenshin later includes both Saito & Aoshi (and Sano, briefly), and he is quite decisively kicking all of their asses on his own. Even after taking what was effectively a grenade to the face, even after going well passed the limit his body can tolerate, even after receiving Kenshin's Ultimate Ultimate Attack, Shishio kept getting up to continue fighting. He only stopped after his flesh literally ignited via spontaneous human combustion, reducing him to ashes.

Shishio is one of the most powerful swordsmen ever to live. His sword catches fire, his gauntlets explode, he can catch a sword with his fingertips if it's a technique he's seen before, he can out-react a point-blank Gatotsu, block Kenshin's Ultimate Technique, knock out Sano in a single punch, and take more punishment than anyone with 3rd degree burns all over their body should be capable of sustaining for an extended period of time. His sheer strength is only outclassed by Fuji, and that's only because Fuji is over 30 goddamn feet tall.

Result: Loss

Enishi is about to get a very rude awakening as to what a true devil is like. Enishi, for all of his strength & offensive prowess, still cannot hold a candle to Shishio. Even if his mind over body helps mitigate the nasty combination of burning & slashing wounds Shishio's sword inflicts, he will never overpower Shishio and never counter him. Furthermore, as Shishio proves capable of catching Kenshin's sword mid-attack when he attempts to use a technique Shishio has already seen, so too can any of Enishi's moves be countered. Enishi has no defense against gauntlet grenades, and even his Ultimate Technique won't work against Shishio's because crouching low to the ground won't prevent him getting incinerated by the downward slash. Even if Enishi could get in some blows against Shishio, his obscene amount of endurance will render it moot.

[firedragon1321]

Hair Symbolism in My Writing the Movie

I know I just made a shitpost version of this but I want to yell about this trope more instead of writing. Fair warning- it turns into an OC rant halfway through.

TW for sexism, child abuse, trauma (in both adults and children). Also TW for a cartoon burn scar (on one OC).

I think Luke Tales of the Abyss flipped a switch in my teenage brain. He flipped a lot of switches, honestly (I have a thing for long haired guys in large part because of him). For people who haven't played the game- uh, play it. But also spoilers for mid-game.

Luke starts the game as a childish noble. The only one he listens to is his swordsmanship teacher, who also happens to be the main villain. Said villain convinces Luke to use his powers to destroy an entire village. Oh, and he also learns he's a "replica" (aka- clone). This is all a huge kick in the pants that forces Luke to re-evaluate his entire psyche. He decides he's going to change his ways, and cuts his hair to symbolize that.

(I still like the long-haired design better but anyway...)

I started rotating the idea of using hair to express a character's personality/development in my writing a lot since then. The "haircut of change" is a common trope (usually for girls- it's also in Final Fantasy IX). But I don't really use that specific trope (when I do, the character's hair usually grows longer, lol).

Traumatic haircuts are my obsession. Especially with guys. The trope is done to death with girls. They are expected to have long hair, so the loss of it is traditionally the loss of femininity, sexuality, or purity. Which by itself is boring and dumb. Give me a legitimate reason for that character's trauma that isn't steeped in sexism. Go into her mind and assign a reason specific to her.

Traumatic haircuts are even more fun when they enforce conformity. Whether that be gender conformity, conscription into the military, the rules of a dystopia- I really don't care. "Everyone has to act the same" symbolized in how they look my beloved. Which is why I think it's more fun with guys. It's a little unexpected unless you marathon read everything I ever wrote.

My main OC Soren is literally terrified of cutting his hair- even for trims- due to a traumatic forced haircut his father orchestrated. His father's abuse in general is one thread of many he has to untangle. The longer I work with the character, the more central that thread becomes. But in-story, he hasn't realized it.

And I don't want the solution to be cutting his hair to shed himself of those memories. I want him to keep his hair long, because it's his head and his father doesn't get to dictate what's on it anymore. Granted, he might do something independently. But the chance of that is pretty low. Honestly, I can't draw him with short hair except for flashbacks because he essentially "stops" me.

Soren isn't an anomaly. I have one character I'm working with who dyes his hair so he doesn't see his parents every time he looks in the mirror (context- they dumped him at a school and don't visit him). I have more than one OC who is of a species that can't cut their hair without losing their abilities, Samson-style. I have another character in an early novel who kept ping-ponging between short and long hair, cutting it short when he wasn't being true to himself.

Really, I could go on all day. But you're probably bored, so here's just one more.

This is Jackie, another main OC who pulled this trope out of nowhere simply by neglecting to notice how long his hair got after multiple traumatic events (he was in a depressive slump, so he didn't notice a lot of things). Unlike most of the others, Jackie settled on a compromise (he cut the bangs so he could see, but the back's still long). Jackie is in an evolving situation and I want to see what he does, so I'm just gonna let him do as characters do.

[clairethecutepup]

So, you remember the plans for that Ed Edd n' Eddy (Assassin AU) fan comic series? Well, I think I've finally gotten it figured out, and I'd like to make this post to help ensure I don't forget (and maybe get people interested). Click "keep reading," if curious.

I've decided to forego the concept of "werebeasts," but only for the comic of C2ndy2C1d's AU idea. For a different and fully original series involving assassins, I'll utilize it 'cause it'll feel less jarring and all then. I mean, I'll give myself points for trying to give a reason why animal-hybrids existed in the AU's world, instead of basically telling the audience just to accept the fact; but let's face it, good excuse/reason or not, it always felt off and more a likely turn-off to viewers than anything.

If you really wanna know the whole "werebeast" ordeal: the organization's lab managed to reach a breakthrough, in form of living tools that combined animalistic and humanistic abilities, and they planned to offer these new creations to the more interested assassins for better/easier job completion. If you want an example, the best I can describe is to think of it like a "Kiba and Akamaru" situation, from the Naruto series, except with some animal/human-hybrid than a ninja hound. Again, it can be an interesting concept and idea, assassins working with animal-hybrid partners that serve them as needed, just perhaps not fitting for the "Assassin AU" of EEnE.

I'm still using Claire and Yami, though, they're just normal full-humans now that utilize a respective wolf/fox theme to them. However, there are a few extra changes: Cio will be added to the cast and HE'S the one with the Eds, Claire is now with Sarah and Jimmy (pray for the kid), and it's a concept of apprenticeship than being assigned to some "master." Yami and Nazz will still be paired up, as a dynamic Japanese-styled duo of swordsmanship and Ninjutsu (NOT like Naruto but the actual art).

Why apprenticing? Well, the organization decided its... "recruits" would have a higher success rate in "graduation" and the like, if they were given prior field experience, before the time comes to prove themselves. Yeah, let's just say, the resulting numbers weren't meeting the demand, with how they currently ran things... So, for some extra financial compensation (cue Eddy immediately dragging his friends into this), the veterans have a chance to train a greenhorn; but that means they share the consequences, if a pupil fails to properly graduate. If the pupil graduates, it's really up to them and their mentor whether they'll continue partnered up and all.

Mentors get to choose one candidate from a list of "most compatible" ones, and then that trainee will be under their wing for a bit. Nazz picks Yami because of her Japanese-based interests (more technique than racially-related), The Eds pick Cio because his brains are sure to pair well with Double D's (thus Eddy can make HIM do all the mentoring and rake in easy bucks), and Sarah and Jimmy pick Claire because I hate the kid and enjoy seeing them bully her.

... Okay, that's just the OUT-of-story reason I have, aside from her fighting style working well with theirs. The two will claim it's because they wanted a little extra spending money-- specifically, they want this giant plushie that'd be a great addition to their base. They also, especially Sarah, enjoy the idea of having someone to boss around and all, and you could "practically see [Claire] trembling in her photo~"... However, Claire's predictable meekness/timid-ness, making for a fun and obedient "toy," doesn't convey their full reason for choosing her specifically, nor are "serving toys" the main reason why they even entered the apprenticeship program... Sorry, but THAT isn't getting spoiled here.

As for Kevin, Rolf, Jonny and the Kanker Sisters, they won't be getting apprentices for their own reasons: Jonny and Plank already have to worry about getting just THEMSELVES safely out of their explosions, Kevin is more of a lone wolf and only partners with someone when necessary, Rolf would have rather passed on his knowledge of farming than assassination, and the Kankers probably would "be busy enough, without having to watch some helpless twerp" (perhaps as Lee would put it).

So yeah, I finally feel good about the fan comic now, and I can't believe I hadn't thought of it sooner! Heh, sometimes it's the simplest of solutions, like learning to get over Claire not actually being half-wolf... Aw well, I'm excited to start work on it, in between my fully original works, so I hope you all are, too!

[mlynar-nearl]

What class would Toland be if he were playable, in your opinion?

I've been bouncing back and forth on him for a while. Unfortunately no one but me can prove that I fully predicted Młynar would be a liberator guard because I never wrote anything down about it except on a scrap of paper that i threw out after because i'm dumb, but I swear before god that I did.

Ultimately my current theory is a second six star musha or a third six star swordmaster (dualstrike.) he's always shown with swords, so that narrows it down considerably. We've never seen him use arts, and even in a fight, Monique remarks on his swordsmanship. (a really good character moment because I think a normal amount about how that means that Młynar trained him. Even if it was just by knowing each others' styles very well, Młynar trained him!) (Additionally it ties very well into how Monique and Roy are fun little character foils to Mytol, and that's a literary essay I have in me for another time.)

but because he's got his swords and he's pointed out to be an extremely good swordfighter, good enough to fight like a classically-trained knight based on, possibly, simply enough time watching a classically-trained knight, I imagine he has to be some kind of guard, and I don't see any hint towards a specific "style" of guardknights (no ranged attacks, no scythe or such, no passive lying-in-wait personality that made me think Młynar would be a liberator. no known use of arts, known for a sword and not his fists, and doesn't use a whiplike weapon or saw. that rules out lord, reaper, liberator, arts fighter, fighter, instructor, and centurion.) so I think he would be a dualstrike or a musha as that narrows it down considerably. i don't have a reason to favor these over duelist/dreadnought, but i do think that it would be more compelling, at least, because it would be terribly hard for any new duelist to compete with Nearlter.

Alternately, he's a new type of guard that they haven't even told us about yet! I would, and intend to, max him out should he be announced, no matter what archetype he'd be, even if he's the second or third in it. (irene who? hellagur who?)

I also, for selfish reasons, really hope that he will, because I have a loose plan sketched out to do a "tower" of all the Kazimierz stages available once Near Light is added to the side stories using these two as core units. I don't have great recording equipment at the moment, but that's fine, it'll take a while to even be able to try it.

[daydreamindollie]

⏤𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚

𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦-𝘶𝘱 𝘈𝘜. 

𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰��𝘥.

𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘪'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘴 𝘪'𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘪 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘪���𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭.

𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳 ⏤ 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘢𝘮 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘪'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘪'𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥: '𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳/𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤'.

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⏤𝙢 𝙖 𝙜 𝙞 𝙘

⇢ some people are born with an affinity for a type of magic while others are not.

⇢ when people are born with an affinity for magic, they are considered blessed. This is because only a god/goddess is able to give them the gift of having an affinity for magic at birth. 

⇢ most people born with an affinity for magic are nobles whereas most commoners aren't blessed with any. However, some rare anomalies can still occur in both classes i.e commoners can be blessed with affinity whereas nobles cannot.

⇢ simply put : 0 to no affinity = mostly commoners ; relative affinity = most nobles ; high affinity = some nobles/some commoners

⇢ these anomalies cause uncertainty amongst nobles as their nobility is threatened; those that lack an affinity for magic struggle to stay nobles. Hence, some families that gradually decrease the amount of members with magic lose their noble titles. 

⇢ there are three types of magic and each type is associated with a god/goddess : 

spells + enchantments (Goddess Uries)

potions + alchemy  (God Exdur)

elemental ⏤ fire, water, air, earth (God Zirteus)

⇢ the specific element a blessed person can specialize in is up to their level of affinity ⏤ the higher their affinity = more elements they can control ; low affinity = can only control one element

⇢ there are no light and dark elements can be controlled by people because those are reserved for the Goddess of the Day (Brethys) and the God of the Night (Utorr)

⇢ the higher the affinity an individual has, the longer they are able to maintain their youthful appearance. Even if they are old, they still look young. This doesn't increase their lifespan, however.

⏤𝙝 𝙮 𝙗 𝙧 𝙞 𝙙 𝙨

⇢ hybrids are discriminated against and are feared for their raw power

⇢ hybrids are born with a special type of magic allowing them the abilities and powers of animals - these abilities and powers are enhanced by the hybrids' own magic

⇢ the hybrid's magic is called 'contracts/bonding' magic, which is pretty self-explanatory

⇢ when a child is born, they are gifted with an affinity for contractual magic from the Goddess Enneas, and they are instantly contracted with a spirit animal

⇢ how it happens is that animal spirits tend to wander around pregnant women that they feel would give birth to a suitable vessel for their magic, as soon as they sense this compatibility, the instant the child is born, they are entered into a contract with them

⇢ in addition to this, the animal spirits bless their contracted newborn with their special power that has more variety than elemental powers e.g they can control electricity, ice or plants and even have telepathic powers

⇢ this amount of power is what scares people

⇢ there are some downsides/advantage to this type of magic, however, and it's that the individual is given the features of the specific animal they are contracted with

⇢ this is a grey area because the animalistic features can lead to their discrimination from others but the features increase their abilities

⇢ because hybrids have an affinity for magic, they are mostly born into noble families but due to the prejudice against hybrids, they are abandoned anonymously into hybrid orphanages 

⏤𝙩 𝙝 𝙚  𝙙 𝙖 𝙢 𝙞 𝙖 𝙣 𝙞  𝙛 𝙖 𝙢 𝙞 𝙡 𝙮

⏤𝙢 𝙖 𝙜 𝙞 𝙘

⇢ the Damiani family have always remained nobles because they've never lost their magic affinity

⇢ therefore, they always look really young

⇢ everyone in this family always has a high affinity for all sorts of magic, not just one type - unlike most noble families who specialize in a specific type of magic 

⏤𝙝 𝙮 𝙗 𝙧 𝙞 𝙙 𝙨

⇢ the family has had rare cases of one member having an affinity for contractual magic for hybrids

⇢ on the outside it doesn't look like this person doesn't have an affinity for magic at all but always has very good physical strength, great at combat/martial arts + swordsmanship 

⇢ unlike other families, the Damiani family doesn't abandon their hybrid relatives and instead helps them disguise their animal features by enchanting them

⇢ even though it looks like they don't have magical powers, they are gifted with great physical strength and talents in combat 

⇢ these Damiani family members always become the Commander of the Order of the Royal Knights

⇢ so that none of the family secrets is leaked out, their staff about the mansion is very little but they are all hybrids

⇢ again, on the outside, they look like normal non-magic humans because of the enchantment the family bestows upon them

⇢ i.e in exchange for their loyalty, service and protection, the damiani enchants them to hide their hybrid features, treats them like family and protects them

⇢ staff consist of : Butler ; Maids x4 ; Gardeners x4 ; Head Chef ; Cooks x3 ; Commander of Damiani Knights ; Knights x5 ; Doctor

⇢ in total, the Damiani Family has 20 members of staff 

⇢ normally, with such a huge estate and mansion should have, at least 50 - 80 members of staff

⇢ the staff remain loyal because they are treated very fairly and are never belittled 

⇢ once the staff join, they change their names and swear an oath (happily) to the family

⇢ all of them (not just the knights and commander) have undergone martial arts training as well as weapons training of they highest degree

⇢ this is to protect themselves as well as the Damiani family

⇢ the staff also help protect the large estate efficiently from spies and assassins - they don't make a sound taking down the spies/assassins but they are quickly disposed of and then the head of the family is made aware of the situation 

⇢ they have a basement 'torture chamber' to get more info out of the spies/assassins that were sent, they get out as much information from them as possible before they are silenced for good

⇢ this information is usually about other noble families attempting to take them down or gather detrimental information about them, jealous of their power and close relationship with the royal family

⏤𝙘 𝙝 𝙖 𝙧 𝙖 𝙘 𝙩 𝙚 𝙧 𝙨

1st brother | Dominique Damiani | 23

• excels at spell casting + enchantments 

• working to hone skills in order to be prepared to take over the Damiani house after parents retire

PERSONALITY/HOBBIES

• intelligent, calm cool + collected

• naturally a man of little words

• secretly really loves small fluffy animals becomes even more intimidating when in public

WITH READER/MC

• helps her with spell casting + enchantments

• always there to comfort her and be her shoulder to cry on - never says anything, only gives comforting pats on her hair and rubs on her back/shoulder

• is the one reader/mc always vents to 

• reliable 

• has a pet rabbit that he adores and lets the reader/mc take care of called 'Hopkins'

APPEARANCE

• height : 6 ft / 182 cm

• hair + eyes : black, well kept and sometimes swept back with steel, piercing grey eyes 

• physique : tall + buff + broad-shouldered

• dress : cleanly dressed, can look good in plain dress pants and a white button-up shirt but can also look really good with all the embellishments i.e medals, fur-edged cape, sash, ties etc

2nd brother | Lyon Damiani | 22

•  excellent at mixing potions 

• great alchemist 

PERSONALITY/HOBBIES

• brainiac + big nerd 

• rambles about how fascinating alchemy is

• really good at threatening others + can pull a really creepy smile/scary face

• secretly very mischievous as he tends to deviate from the norm of potions mixing - tampers with the base recipes advised by the magic council 

• works well with Myles discussing ingredients + composition of potions

• helps take care of the estate's greenhouse

WITH READER/MC

• partakes in very intellectual conversation with her about ingredients and their chemical compositions

• love to cause mischief together using potions to dye others' hair or turn plants pink - unfortunately most pranks are done on Myles 

• love laughing and making memories together 

• always wanting to impress reader/mc through his new potions/techniques in alchemy 

• believes that the best way to learn is through having fun and making fun memories 

APPEARANCE

• height : 5"10 / 177 cm (shortest)

• hair + eyes : light brown, quite messy but still beautifully frames his face + olive green eyes 

• physique : slim and elegant

• dress : usually dressed casually and in comfortable clothing, prefering loose robes - greek style. Doesn't like the clean look in uniform and finds it uncomfortable when it's fully embellished but can definitely pull it off

3rd brother | Myles Damiani | 21 

• excels at elemental magic - masters all elements

• has a medical degree

PERSONALITY/HOBBIES

• great at gardening - cares a lot for his 'babies' (his plants) in the greenhouse

• loves cracking jokes only he can understand

• works well with Lyon on ingredients from the greenhouse + mixing of new potions 

• has sharp eyes and always looks like he's glaring, which makes people back away 

• fascinated by weaponry and how he can use those in combat alongside his elemental powers

WITH READER/MC

• always the victim of reader's + Lyon's pranks but doesn't mind 

• loves spoiling reader teaches her about all elements 

• loves helping reader/mc with her elemental powers + teaches her some medical stuff too

• tends to baby her 

• loves her, even more, when she laughs at his pretty lame jokes

APPEARANCE

• height : 5"11 / 180 cm

• hair + eyes : mossy light green hair, turquoise green eyes - icy and piercing 

• physique : tall and toned type

• dress : likes to look clean and put together but doesn't like any additional embellishments on the clothes as he deems them unnecessary, especially when they get in the way of his elemental training

4th brother | Ambrico Damiani | 20

• is a hybrid 

• people don't see his animal features because his Mum/brother, Dominique, enchant his extra limbs with invisibility for a limited time

• WHITE WOLF HYBRID 

PERSONALITY/HOBBIES

• strong and doesn't let anyone belittle him for, supposedly, not having an affinity for magic

• fierce and ruthless with a sword 

• has a lot of love to give and is a big softy for his family, especially reader/mc

• great at cooking great swordsman instead of mage 

• very in touch with his emotions

• a strict and intimidating commander of the knight order 

WITH READER/MC

• a second mum to reader

• loves cooking with her

• teaches her how to handle a sword and teaches her martial arts 

• also teaches her a lot about being understanding of people's situations and illustrates to her the importance of kindness

• if you want any advice about emotions, you go to him 

APPEARANCE

• height : 6 ft / 182 cm 

• hair + eyes : platinum blonde hair that's pretty long and goes down to a little beyond his chin + sky blue eyes 

• physique : definitely toned and muscular and tall but not as broad as the eldest 

• dress : usually in his armor/knight uniform, he's mainly in that attire so whenever he gets the chance not be in uniform he's in really light clothing that still looks crisp, clean and very comfortable

mother | Othelia Damiani | 45

• specialises at potions and enchantments

• married at 18 and had her first child/son at 20

PERSONALITY/HOBBIES

• a great cook

• totally in love with her husband

• loves being a mother and wife, so much so that she even acts like a mother to the staff a very caring mother loves her children dearly

• encourages creativity and curiosity to foster intelligence and open-mindedness amongst her children

• loves to dance with her husband 

WITH READER/MC

• always there to listen and never judge

• always has afternoon tea with her 

• both take walks in the garden together to admire the flowers and admire the seasonal changes in the landscape always 

• simps over her husband around reader because her sons always cringe when she does it around them 

• teaches her a lot about business and how to run a noble house alongside the husband as well as on her own 

APPEARANCE

• height : 5ft 5 / 168cm 

• hair + eyes : deep ebony hair, very long with subtle waves + warm chocolate brown eyes 

• physique : slim with subtle curves ; an elegant physique ; extremely beautiful

• dress : usually seen in long dresses that fall off her figure but she changes it up with different neckline cuts, shawls, layers, jewelry/embellishments, colors/patterns, and accessories.

father | Faques Damiani | 46

• great Elementalist

PERSONALITY/HOBBIES

• always proud of everything his children do 

• doesn't like exercising but he is always being dragged into training with the knights on the estate so he has a lot of physical strength 

• adores his wife and would do anything for her

• a great dancer because his wife loves dancing

WITH READER/MC

• loves to spoil her

• usually it's him that has to approach reader so he secretly loves it a lot when she approaches him first

• usually very stoic but has a very soft spot for his children and wife

• can be very understanding and patient despite his intimidating looks and glares 

• the typical stoic dad type that values respect and honesty above anything else 

• instills respect and honesty in his children 

APPEARANCE

• height : 6ft 3 / 190cm 

• hair + eyes : bluish with a green tint hair + ocean green eyes 

• physique : broad shoulders and slim waist, has muscle but not too much

• dress : when working, is always in uniform with well-kept hair but outside of that is usually in a white button-up shirt, abandons all accessories such as the gloves, unbuttons the top few buttons and with dress pants and more comfortable shoes

grandfather | Venerandus Damiani | 66

• specializes in potions and alchemy 

PERSONALITY/HABITS

• the most relaxed man

• smells of tobacco, fine wine, and peppermint

• seemingly always takes the children's side in arguments

• in front of the children, he is the fun and jovial grandfather away from the children, he is serious and wise

• his belated wife was a hybrid

WITH READER/MC

• loves telling her stories of the 'olden days'

• supports her in her, somewhat, dangerous experiments with her magic - as long as he supervises her

• loves talking about his belated wife to the reader because she never got the chance to reach the age of being able to vividly remember things

• teaches her about his favorite potions

• his lab is her lab

• they maintain the greenhouse together with her second + third brother (Lyon + Myles)

APPEARANCE

• height : 6ft 3 / 190cm

• hair + eyes : clean, well-kept silver hair + grass green eyes with golden flecks

• physique : broad shoulders, broad and muscly man

• dress : usually in a white button-up shirt, dress pants, and comfortable shoes, however, can pull off sweaters/turtle-necks underneath a blazer or coat with the usual pants, belt, and shoes. Likes wearing gloves and occasionally puts on his monocle

✚              ✚              ✚

happier cafe

small town of Raoluire(?)

city reader/mc grew up in(?)

damiani family mansion/estate(?)

✚              ✚              ✚

𝘪'𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵. 𝘪 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥   𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴/𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.  

𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴... 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 : dollieremi

[littlepaperboatyo]

Izzy Hands is Not a good fighter.

I've been writing a paper on Izzy's codependency in my own time that will never see the light of day on account of it would be far too boring to anyone but me, but in doing so I have realised just how bad Izzy is at fighting and why people think he's good at it.

I'm not saying he's not skilled in swordsmanship btw, I think he has good form and is well practiced. I'm also not saying that he fucks it up all the time and fails to win his battles. I am very specifically saying he's a Bad Fighter. Because he really is! If he were a good fighter he wouldn't have lost to Stede. That wasn't a matter of Stede getting lucky or a rich man simply winning by being rich or the plot preaching the lesson it wants to preach. Stede would beat Izzy again and again given the chance. Why? Well...

Izzy Hands is an incredibly codependent character. That's a word I feel gets thrown around as though context clues define it when they don't, so I'm going to actually define it here.

A codependent person is so obsessed with controlling someone or something outside themselves that they lose control of themselves.

Izzy is super obsessed with controlling others, and not all that about controlling himself. He's particularly obsessed with controlling Ed, which is his side of why their relationship is so incredibly toxic. But we're not worrying about that now, we want to understand how he fights.

Codependency creates several more defining qualities in a person, one of which being that codependent people are highly reactive. If you're obsessed with controlling others then you become constantly vigilant of their actions. When you react to them you are no longer acting for yourself; the speed with which you're moving leaves no time to think about what your next move should be. Izzy actually understands this well, and prays on it when he fights. He's skilled enough that he can best another pirate who's also reactive. He just can't do shit to Stede on account of Stede being a pretty exceptionally nonreactive person.

Izzy starts the duel moving rapidly into form hoping to throw Stede off his rhythm. He's showing off his skill in hopes of making Stede nervous. Stede does falter when he loses his sword, and finds himself prone on the deck with things looking grim. He's not really reacting to this situation the way most pirates would though. He looks around, sees a creative solution, and pocket sands throws gunpowder at Izzy. This is where things get fun, because now Izzy is off his rhythm. He gets mad here and panics a bit. As much as Olu may have been dissapointed, Stede slapping Izzy's ass with his dick sword works to his advantage here, because again Stede is not acting how Izzy would expect. Izzy is worked up at this point. Even winning will leave him humiliated. He's mad. He clears his eyes and he's determined to finish this, tries to back Stede into a corner and continues pushing his regular fighting style. He's mad he's mad he's so ready to be done with this horrible strange little man he can't control. So ready, so certain of himself that he doesn't take a moment to consider why Stede might be offering a draw. He assumes he knows despite Stede defying his assumptions at every turn. He goes for the kill. And he's wrong.

Of course he's wrong.

Stede won out in their first interaction too. It's not so much that an ambush is "completely unprofessional" as it is that Izzy couldn't think up a way to get out of it. He sat there with a knife to his face and time to think and just couldn't really manage. He was surprised, and he got flustered, and he lost.

Izzy may know all the cool moves and be real good at waving his blade around, but he's too dependent on the other fighter's emotional state to actually be a good fighter.

Codependents tend to come from backgrounds of instability. Abusive childhoods and careers in crisis fields both, any environment that continually requires more than a person can give. I think it's fair to argue that codependency might be common among pirates. I also think it's fair to argue that Izzy looks to be a better fighter than he is because his average opponent is some pirate who sleeps on the deck with too little to eat who might very well be codependent themself. It's not that he's exceptional, it's that his enemies aren't.

Izzy Hands is Not a good fighter.