#I love Astral so much and I love his growth

[astralhope]

The way Astral develops emotions through the show is one of my favourite aspects of Zexal (if not my favourite, because I love him). At first, he didn't know what emotions were. He observed them without even considering that he might feel something like that. Yet, the more he experienced on Earth, the more he changed, slowly, but he changed: he learned to smile, to fear, to cry and to hope, all the types of emotions he felt have combine into his essence, without completely changing it.

Because Astral never becomes particularly open with his emotions, his personality remains calm and collected, like at the start of the show, yet developing into something more than that as all the emotions he had collected had made him grown.

His growth is slow and sometimes subtle, but you can see how much he had changed just by looking at him: the way he moves, his tone of voice, his eyes (that are very expressive most of the time, it's like they could speak for themselves), little details that can bet missed, but are very dear to me.

He has been paralyzed by the fear, he has been happy to be considered a friend, he lost himself to the pain and anger, he cried for sadness and happiness, and he learned to love with all himself.

And he did all this in his own way. He made those emotions really his own.

[loveofdetail]

Let's talk about Gale's sex scenes

I love the astral sex scene and it means so much to me, and I have some problems with the way I've seen it talked about.

I should start by saying this post is not intended to critique anybody's personal preferences. The license to do Whatever The Fuck in an rpg is sacrosanct and there are no wrong choices. But I’ve also seen people imply that the astral scene is not “real” sex, or that Gale romancers “deserved more.” I hope I do not have to explain why that's kinda fucked.

Additionally, I think it is a saddening misread to call the astral scene “performative” in contrast to the bed scene (which gets correspondingly framed as “showing Gale that you want the real him.”) But doing a grandiose magical gesture IS the real him!

I know I'm not alone in viewing Gale as autistic; for me the astral sex scene is a big contributor to that. For one thing, it resonates with the concept of having unusual sensory wants. For another, it reads to me as Gale opening up and showing his passion for magic to the PC in a way he’s never been able to with another mortal before. What neurodivergent person has not had someone view their passion as too weird or too over the top? Have you ever been at a level of enthusiasm that wraps back around into seeming “performative” to others? Ever wanted to show a loved one something that matters to you, but worried they’d never understand—or, worse, they’d actively cringe?

In the astral sex scene, Gale shows the PC how much he loves the Weave (which is not the same as loving Mystra), and the PC does not cringe.

If all the glowing merging translucent bodies, the nebulae, the multiplying limbs, the spinning, the trippiness, the celestial music—if all these trappings made you, the player, cringe: there is nothing wrong with that. But I do think it is a misread to say that the bed version constitutes “helping him heal from his trauma.”

Maybe I have a hair-trigger for anything that implies “becoming more sexually normative = character growth.” Or “vanilla sex = a more intimate connection.” But they are just such tiresome concepts.

I understand that some of the dialogue in the game also suggests that idea, but all that dialogue is coming from the PC. What Gale says is that having bodily sex is “a small gesture toward your comfort.” This has been widely glossed over, imo.

Ultimately the two versions of this scene fulfill two different narrative functions: the bed version is to show the player that Gale will set these wants aside for you should you ask him to. But the astral version is there to show the player who HE is and what HE wants. And I think it is sad to write off this beautiful, lovingly crafted, unique and creative approach to a sex scene as merely something “performative” that he only does because Mystra made him think he had to.

“Stay with me now. There are endless worlds out there. Countless ways to declare love. Infinite ways to express it. Too much for one night... but we shall try.” I've admittedly got a ways to go in the game, but so far this is my single favorite line of dialogue. I genuinely don't understand how people can hear this line, the way it’s acted, and think it's just for show. He knows he's about to get weird but he longingly, vulnerably asks you to stay there in his weirdness with him.

Many writers, when they are writing something kinda out there, have doubts of the form Who is this even for? If the astral scene just isn’t for you I don't have beef with that. But the people who saw the astral sex scene and went "Oh, my god, now THIS is FOR ME"—are perhaps people who only very rarely get to watch a sex scene and have that reaction.

I'm glad Baldur's Gate brought something this beautiful to this particular table and I think it deserves consideration as a serious element of Gale’s characterization.

[samarecharm]

FFXV is so infuriating bc its obviously a tragedy with a bittersweet ending at best, but I can never accept the way it ends bc the entire ending arc is the most out of character shit ive ever seen in a story. Its BAD its awful i love this game sooo much but its so bad it keeps me up at night. That post about tragedies is so real; things couldve been different and couldve been better but for it to have changed would mean to have the character be someone else. But it fucking SUCKS bc ffxv is full of tragic moments where youre like ‘oh absolutely they would absolutely do this’ and ‘bro he would NOT fucking say that ! He would not DO that !!!!!!!!!!’

Ignis absolutely would risk going blind and dying if it meant saving Noctis. Putting on the ring was accepting a death sentence, and even if he survived, its TRAGIC that he keeps losing more and more of himself in the name of defending the crown and Noctis! Nobody wants this, ESPECIALLY Noctis! But this is what Ignis has devoted his life to; he would be a different character altogether if he DIDNT find himself expendable.

BUT

in the SAME fucking game, u have Noctis post-crystal walking around like hes been possessed !! 😭 he just SAYS shit that makes no sense, things that sound like writers needed to make Important Big Speeches happen, but forgot to add the character development that wouldve made it believable! Hes been in what amounts to a COMA for 10 years! He misses his FRIENDS he depends on them!!! I can accept that he dies in the end but he would NOT fight alone and die! Hes want his fucking FRIENDS that he MISSED for TEN YEARS to help him!!! They work together for the Ifrit fight but NOT the Ardyn one? For WHAT???? That shit about Fate was so fucking WACK it was executed soooo poorly and it felt like a crutch the writers used to stay on track when they didnt know what else to do.

FFXV is a tragedy but its sooo bad bc the things that mattered for the entire game was ignored in favor of a dogshit Generic Protag 1v1 Fight that left no choice but to have the game end the way that it did. Noctis would absolutely go into a final fight asking for a picture of his best friends to keep with him if he knows hes subject to getting trapped in limbo or worse, death. Its still one of my favorite scenes in any game ever! He would NOT say ‘walk tall, my friends’ WHOOOOO is this man possessing Noctis, thats NOT him! He wouldve said the shit he said at the campfireeeeeeeeeee he loves them and theyre the best friends he couldve ever had and no generic speeches couldve conveyed that love properly !!!!

The game is about u and ur boys being lost and directionless in the face of grief and loss and standing together to find meaning and justice in the mess of it all !!!!!!!! Why would they NOT be in the final fight! All of them wouldve DIED for Noctis and the biggest way to convey character growth wouldve been Noctis saying ‘u know what; thats okay- i dont want anyone to die but i know life, the astrals, and fate itself wont let that happen. If were going to die were going to do it together. And maybe together we can defy fate and save this world’ RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

[floralembarrassment]

What do I do? (1/1) (jegulus)

"Could you- umm would you stay with me?" James asks.

It's not the request that throws him off but the hesitancy. It's James' feeble mumbling and dejected tone, like he is asking with the final ounce of hope knowing he is going to get rejected anyway. But he asks all the same because, for the same reason Regulus is surprised, confidence runs in the marrow of James' bones.

Of course, in the shock, Regulus' only reply is a set of eyes that blink, a blank expression, and dopey "what?" that falls from his lips.

"Nevermind," James mutters and he turns away, swinging his feet back over the edge of the astronomy tower and wrapping his arms around the rails looking out over the grounds and up at the sky.

And because Regulus is tied to James by an astral string, his movements pull Regulus back into action. "No no no," Regulus rushes to say and his feet carry him across the tower floor before his own will could freeze him further.

When Regulus puts a hand on James' shoulder to steady himself as he sits down beside him, Regulus finally whispers: "Of course I'll stay, James."

James doesn't move, doesn't say anything, he just breathes. He doesn't push Regulus away when he grabs James' hands, though. Instead he holds onto Regulus tighter, like if he wasn't clinging to him Regulus might simply slip away.

"I'll stay a long as you need me," Regulus whispers as James lays his head on Regulus' shoulder.

"It's just been a long day? Week? Year honestly..." James whispers. Regulus breathes that in and James continues, "I just don't know how to tell anyone that I can't take it anymore, but I know they have worse problems than me and I just- I..."

Regulus' heart breaks when he hears James words. He is always taking care of everyone, putting others and their needs before his own. Letting the pain be a competition, one where he hasn't reached a level of evil high enough to say he deserves help.

And Regulus loves him so much that he can't stand it. He squeezes James' hand. "It's okay to put yourself first, James," Regulus says softly.

"But they need me," James whimpers.

"They need you to take care of yourself too, James. If you want to have enough to give you need to take care of you too. No one's needs are more important than anyone else's," Regulus explains. It's not what James wants to hear but it is what he needs to hear.

"You just told me you can't take this anymore. So, okay you don't. You can still be you and there for your friends but you need to do it in a different way. That's okay, that's growth, and that actually will help you be there for your people," Regulus says.

He's right, of course. And James knows it. Shows that he hears him by finally letting the tears fall onto Regulus' shoulder as James turns his head to cry there. Regulus takes his free hand and wraps James in his arm as best he can.

They stay like that for a long while, though James' tears subside as the sun sinks behind the mountains in the distance. Hours pass until they are both getting cold and tired and decide it's time to call it a night. But before they do, James speaks again.

Golden brown eyes meet soothing grey, when James asks: "how do I do this?"

Regulus smiles softly, and runs a hand over James' hair. "One day at a time, a little bit here and there. Start with the small stuff and you listen to your heart. It'll tell you what it needs, you just have to hear it out." Regulus says, and James nods.

"And you're not alone," Regulus adds when James keeps looking at him.

Together they get up to go, Regulus' final words hanging in between them like a commitment and an adventure for James to begin.

Now, if only Regulus could take his own advice, too.

[crisiscutie]

Can you please do a self-aware sephiroth X shy bullied reader

So I'm not super familiar with self-aware AUs as I only read a handful of them. Regardless, I am interested in this idea and wanna take a shot at it. Featuring Mr. Strife himself.

Content Warnings: Bullying, Emotional Manipulation.

After a rough day, you head home, hoping to play some FF7R to cool off.

You’re at the part where Cloud “met” Sephiroth for the first time, where he hallucinated his razed hometown.

Sephiroth knew you were there. Not present in his world, but present as an observer, watching him terrorize poor Cloud. You perplexed him. How are you able to spectate them? How are you bending Cloud to your will?

And he wondered; when Cloud was in despair, did you enjoy it, or did you feel sorry for him?

Your face showed no emotion to it. But your skin crawled when you watched the scene, so you turned off the game after it. You’d suffered too much already; why did you have to go through it all over again through Cloud?

You saw yourself in Cloud and understood his struggles. You felt a sense of dread and helplessness whenever you’re around your tormentors, much like Cloud with Sephiroth.

You haven’t played FF7R as much because of that scene. And your torment has gotten worse.

You were thankful when the next month arrived, your tormentors were nowhere to be found. Was there something that they would rather do instead? Someone better to pick on?

You later discovered that they went missing. At their last known location, the evidence left behind was a mysterious pile of dark feathers.

You became more happy, now with them gone. You found yourself opening up to others slightly (through, still shy) and being more drawn to playing games.

The next time you played FF7 Remake, you had the most fun. You loved picking flowers with Aerith, dressing Cloud up, fighting fun bosses and experiencing other great moments. You binged through the game on your endorphin rush.

You were glad that Cloud was your link to this wonderful, fictional world. It has been a pleasure to observe his growth and him experiencing one interesting event after another.

But whenever Sephiroth appeared on the screen, you felt dread creep up your body. The way the camera focused on his face made it worse. His gaze was so strong, it’s almost as if he wanted to drag you toward him.

The glares, the smug smiles, and his other feral expressions. He wasn’t just directing them at Cloud, but also YOU.

You decide to ignore the eeriness, chalking it up to the great cinematography of the game. Of course, it’s meant to feel like that from a literary perspective.

Sephiroth mentally noted your visible unease and smirked. Such a pitiful human...

Getting involved in lowly human issues like “bullying” wouldn’t interest him, but he had to get rid of your tormentors. He needed you to keep playing the game. He wanted to observe YOU, as you observed the versions of him throughout the game.

He used astral projection into the real world, an ability he gained from traveling in the Edge of Creation. Though he could not stay in that form for long. It was strange how different, but so similar, our world felt to him.

He used most of his energy to track you. Even with your tormentors gone, you were still shy. You had the strength within you to become stronger. You don’t have to be timid or be walked on by someone else. You reminded him of Cloud, somewhat.

When you got to the end of FF7R, when Sephiroth and Cloud had their showdown at the Edge of Creation, you started feeling that same eeriness from earlier.

When Sephiroth talked about not wanting to end, you somehow resonated with him. It’s a deep-seated need in all of us to make lasting impacts and stand out from the crowd.

You now wanted to be someone greater. Someone who was confident, not timid, and unwavering in the face of adversity.

Sephiroth smiled as he saw the impact his words had on you and Cloud. He will find you to be a valuable asset.

He knows how you guided Cloud and his party. You’re no longer a mere spectator, you’re a playmaker. If only you could recognize the immense power you wield over their lives, and the world they know.

Cloud himself always felt your presence. But he hadn’t been conscious of it until Sephiroth brought it up.

He now understands that your existence contributes to the torment that Sephiroth is inflicting upon him.

His poor soul was overwhelmed and confused, struggling to make sense of it all. He was powerless to alter his own fate, and it frustrated him. The pain and anguish he experienced was unbearable, yet some powerful outsider just watched him go through it?

But… not all of it was bad. The good times Cloud had couldn’t be ignored. Your presence gave him the chance to have cherished moments with his loved ones. And he had good moments with you as well.

You made him feel invincible in combat; you got him and his friends out of difficult predicaments, pushed him to get better like Sephiroth (just not in a traumatizing way ofc).

His heart is set on meeting you. He’s not ready to trust you. But maybe you can alter his destiny if your intentions aren’t dark like Sephiroth’s?

Sephiroth was deeply interested in the special connection between you and Cloud. That is how he will get to you. Through Cloud. One puppet to another. He will still observe you in his astral projection form when the stars align for it.

Oh, the joy he’ll have when exploiting that connection. When good times come, despair lurks behind, like a shadow. The closer you are to Cloud, the closer he is to you, and vice versa. The three of you together would be unstoppable. You can will change their fates.

Though it seems like he would have to push you. Just like he pushed Cloud.

He found your shyness cute and amusing at times. Though, it would have to be broken, eventually. He will mold you into the perfect pawn.

You turned the game off after watching the credits. You’re exhausted after playing FF7R for so long. You ready yourself for bed, turning off your bedroom lights.

As you drift into your slumber, a gentle, deep voice echoes around you in the darkness.

“Through suffering, you will grow strong.“

Author note: I went with 7R Sephiroth because I love to hate this creepy, magnificent bastard and there are already several hints of his self-awareness. Cloud’s inclusion was absolutely necessary to go with the self-aware theme (in my opinion). This was an interesting idea to work with, thanks!

[larmegliamori]

Maybe III for the character ask meme?

LET'S GOOOOOO

Why I like them/why I don’t: Boy oh boy, if it wasn't for him and Astral I would probably never have watched Zexal, he's my absolute favorite. And it might be the wounded teen inside me speaking, but his whole personality is so relatable. There's something about missing the past and wanting it back, being willing to lose onself to get to that prior happiness, and still keeping on being at one's best behaviour despite all the horrors we witness and partake in... delicious, I'll always gobble it up. Also his growth in the second season? This boy is baring his fangs and he's NOT playing!! We love to see it.

What I like about their appearance: Everything?? But mostly his green eyes, how his hair are kinda wavy(ish?) at least compared to the rest of the family, his side curls and the pink ruffle under his jacket!

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?: I've grown up watching the Italian dub, which kept the original names, so I'm gonna go with that. I'm not very familiar with the English dub, but I can't say I'm a fan from what I've heard...

OTP: Ladies, gentlemen and everything inbetween, in this house we support Canon/OC couples, so: Michael and my OC, Hoshiko. If I had to pick a canon character, I'd probably go with Yuma.

NOTP: Anything with his brothers or dad. Come on...

OT3: Yuma, him and either Fuya/Nelson, Astral or Alit.

Favourite card they use: Chronomaly Golden Jet. I just think it's neat! 💖

Favourite moment they were in: The sword throw at Semimaru/Erazor in episode 112. Totally badass.

Least favourite moment: Hmmm I can't really pick... probably the one where he kills Astral. I don't think I need to explain.

Would I fuck, marry or kill them: Hear me out: fuck AND marry. I see it as an absolute win. If I have to settle for one, marry.

Thank you so much for asking! I'm sorry it took so long to answer, I hope your day was good!

[venturethighs]

HI I wrote a sequel to this little piece I wrote like a week ago with bottom!Venture hehe

It's a bit short since a lot of the action takes place in the first half, but this is the finale! Also I'm sorry this ends so abruptly but I literally could not write anything that I liked for the ending, so I hope it's okay! I'm so sorry,,,

♡ You align the strap at their entrance, taking your sweet time fully inserting yourself and watching them squirm the entire time.

♡ After you bury yourself to the hilt, you start thrusting at a slow pace, eating up all those needy whimpers and whines that escape their throat.

♡ Your thumb brushes up against their growth again while being extra cautious not to overstimulate them. You trace soft circles around it, feeling it pulse as their toned legs bring you in even closer.

♡ Just when they start to lose themself in it, you pull back, and leave them unsatisfied.

♡ "N-no! Please–" Their brain is heavily switching from English to Spanish, swearing underneath their breath.

♡ You can't help but laugh. It feels so good to be so downright cruel sometimes– and yet, they're loving every minute of it.

♡ You start thrusting inside of them at a quicker pace, letting your hands rest on their sides as their moans grow louder.

♡ One of your hands begins to roam across their tattooed midsection, feeling them convulse as you continue working on them diligently.

♡ You brush over every tattoo, every scar, every mole and freckle that you can see. You loved every single part of them, just as much as they loved you.

♡ But you can't be soft now– you're determined to be mean.

♡ "Are you close?" You ask, letting that same hand fall back between their legs.

♡ "A–a little!" They whine, back arching off the bed as you encircle their growth once again.

♡ You smile as their eyes squeeze shut. It's so cute– you almost couldn't stand it.

♡ "If you don't sass me anymore, I'll let you come. But I want to hear you say my name." You offer them.

♡ "A-ah! Okay! Okay!" They breath heavily, drool starting to form at the edges of their mouth.

♡ "Promise?" You lean in and snicker.

♡ "I-I Promise! I promise!"

♡ You thrust yourself deep inside of them and begin ruthlessly driving them into your shared mattress, watching as they slowly lose themself once again.

♡ Your hand continues to work hard between their legs, as they fill the air with their loudest moans yet.

♡ "A-ah, [Y/N]~!" Your name drops from their lips in the sweetest tone, causing a grin to light up your face.

♡ "That's it. Say it more." You command them.

♡ They take deep, heavy breaths before letting your name fall of the tip of their tongue multiple times.

♡ You watch as they slowly become undone beneath you– the convulsions, the heavy breathing, their back arching off the bed... even their legs had start to become weak, and drop uselessly to each side of you.

♡ It was so hopelessly pathetic that you had no choice but to let them finish.

♡ "Okay, sweet pet. Be good for me!" You tease, pressing your thumb further up against their growth and letting your pace remain brutal, yet steady.

♡ Their face is flushed, sweating and twisted in pleasure. It isn't long after you give them permission that they spiral off the edge, falling into a deep bliss that has them practically astral projecting out of the bedroom.

♡ You pull your hand away and make sure they can see you clean it with your mouth, letting the fingers exit with a wet popping noise and a kiss.

♡ The strap is discarded onto the floor for now. Cleaning can be done later– right now, you're focused solely on them.

♡ You crawl to their side and snuggle them close, placing kisses against their damp skin.

♡ "You did so well, I'm so proud of you. You're such an obedient pup, you know that?" Your hand pets the top of their head and ruffles their espresso colored locks affectionately.

♡ "Mm– you did good, too!" They compliment you, sinking into your touch as their breath begins to stabilize.

♡ The two of you hold one another in silence for a while longer, letting your bodies relax from the events that had just unfolded.

[tomatocages]

sdgjkal idk if this is the type of meta you'd want to write but I admire so much how knowledgeable you are about GROWING STUFF and about BAKING and I love the fandom's penchant for giving Shiro post-war hobbies to keep the PTSD goblins at bay so like, aside from strictly building headcanon situations i would love to hear your thoughts on his hobbies as META, like, thematically speaking, what will heal, how does he approach it, how does it relate to creativity and growth !!!!!!!!!!

I have been ruminating on this a lot and I hope my answer is something that actually answers your question! it's at the very least the start of a conversation. I give Shiro the same hobbies that I have, in many ways - fiber arts and baking and gardening - because these are the things that I use to hold on to living in a physical world, sometimes by the skin of my teeth. by my fingernails. It's hard to have a body and to be a person, and I always have the haunting sense that Shiro struggles with that in the wake of the war: in the wake of being a prisoner, who had to fight to survive; in the wake of having died and been caught inside the astral plane, becoming a ghost to himself and to others. I don't actually relate to Shiro very much, which is funny because in many ways I think I have a similar approach to responsibility that his character demonstrates (slightly resentful, but determined to do as good a job as he can, given the circumstances, even if that job is sometimes done poorly). The reason I grow a garden, or knit, or bake croissants, is because going through the motions is ultimately convincing to me. I am convinced that this action holds weight. The hat I knit for someone is a commitment I have made to keep them warm, the quilt I sewed when my nephew was born as a way of saying that I wanted to welcome him into a world that was more terrifying than not. These things take the burden of living off my shoulders and grant me some small measure of satisfaction, and I hope that in my writing I'm able to convey that Shiro is open to and deserving of this kind of satisfaction. That he is willing to put in the work that will help him survive and thrive. It's not a sense of ambition, exactly - I get the sense that pre-Kerberos, Shiro was very ambitious and somewhat idealistic - but it's a a kind of hope that has to be held in gritted teeth. Sometimes those teeth are gritted in a smile, sometimes not. But it's the process that matters. It's notable too that even if these hobbies are considered creative, they still have a quality of repetition and practicality; it's following a pattern. Directions for being a human person. Soup is either very creative or very boring, but either way, you'll be fed. Part of this too is my resentful, core belief that I am here on this earth and I should help other people while I walk up and down in it! And sometimes the only way to do that is to make someone dinner. I think that having some small kind of saving-the-world task to fall back on, after being a DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, after being a champion of a gladiatorial arena, after being a star student in a quasi-military space program, would be a relief. Domestic work feels meaningful to me because it is the scaffolding of everyday life. (I'm not going to go into the religious baggage that I have from my upbringing here because it is too much, but I think these things are important even though for many years I was told domestic labor was the only gift I had to offer. And it was not a gift I wanted to give.) Still. There's something comforting about making something new out of very insignificant parts. I want that little bit of comfort to be present in Shiro's postwar hobbies, because I want all of the paladins to have that mundane experience of grace. Of waking up and getting on with things, not because the universe is at war, but because -- I don't know. You love someone so you're going to knit them a hat. And they're alive to wear it.

[shifuto]

359/365

this is vent art.. kind of

about healing, loss, grief.. about outgrowing through self-growth.. about silence and indifference.. about detachment.. about power, too, and control.. so many things I could speak for days

2023 was a really tough year for me, as these usually go, but there were also wonderful things (of which I'm very grateful about), and the most important one would be, definitely, my self-esteem. I worked hard to get here, I'm glad it finally paid off. I have absolutely no regrets despite all the pain and issues. I feel like I can carry this momentum onto the next year as well, and keep on going in this journey to be able to withstand the pain and thrive, eventually

you know.. I can see a lot of these 3 in me, and a lot of me in them, too

Yuma has a childlike naivety that I feel I have lost. At first, it might seem like that's a bad thing but, to me, it was part of growing up emotionally. To be able to let go, to be able to honor my own wishes. There's no place in my life for that anymore, thankfully

taking Astral into account, my attention shifted to Ryoga, naturally. Ryoga is riddled with conflict and so much pain. It's such a striking contrast to Yuma's life. Of course, my brain latched onto him not only from a place of identifying with his plight, but also by trying to resolve it

Astral feels like a blank slate, always did, at least until now. The way I used to view Astral and the way I do now are completely different, so much that I cannot, comfortably, see him together with Yuma (despite them being halves of one another). The way I see Astral now has a lot to do with autonomy and full fledged personhood - before, he existed in this "incomplete" space and for him to be "whole", he needed someone else. Now, I can say I'm really happy the show ended as it did, with them both separated

Yuma and Astral's relationship is something akin to soulmates (and they quite literally fuse together to become Zexal). That is fine but the whole "inescapable fate" aspect of it really bothers me now - and that definitely has copious amounts of me projecting onto them. They didn't have a choice and I feel like it was especially challenging to Astral considering his own life was tied to Yuma's Numbers. There was nothing he could do but to stand by his side. It's even more insidious when you know Yuma's dad was the one that set him up. But again, they're two halves of what used to be Astral. There's not much about escaping fate with that, unfortunately

an Astral that is whole and his own person can make his own choices and find his own paths, freely. He can walk away, and stay away, and I really like that this was exactly how he left

Yuma's life have not changed much - it circles back to the start of the show - and the only thing that changes is Astral's absence. So Yuma is in this state of longing and uncertainty and I can sympathize with him but.. the way Astral deals with it is amazing: he's moving forward, he's fighting, and he is growing. All on his own, by his own choice, too

I'm not going to get into Astral/Ryoga too much (since I have talked about this a lot already), but with them, I can truly explore the idea of "soulmates are made", of how love takes work, of how they process and grieve loss and heartbreak, of how they exist as whole individuals with flaws and struggles and are able to build a connection from scratch, of how they work towards bettering themselves for their own sake and for each other's too, and so on... I could talk about this forever

[kyogre-blue]

Oh, huh. what bugged me abt that isn't that they couldn't - after all the alliance HAS been in constant conflict ever since they decided to hunt down the Abundance - it was that, out in the whole wide universe...how the hell is the xianzhou the ONLY ONES who care abt a planet being destroyed? like rlly? yes, maybe in a cosmic scale there's multiple planets dying, but he's asking people for help, not the universe! ugh. can't they set up an intergalactic donations box or something?

well, companion quests are like... genshin story quests/hangout events, except w at least two playable characters talking to each other, but idk what you consider relevant context to main missions if you're skipping dialogue. ik Yanqing has a bit of an arc abt learning moves from jingliu and he meets jingliu in the companion quest > adapts jingliu's moves in mq boss fight (in a blink and you'll miss it line that wasn't at all clear but there you go) > succesfully replicates her move in climax of Finest Duel (II), so it may seem to come out of nowhere if you don't do it. like it's definitely not one of the better companion quests, you could just watch the cutscenes and get the idea, but it's one of the most relevant ones. Do you count trailblaze continuance as main story, or...?

The animations Ichor of Two Dragons and A Flash are much cooler than what actually went down in the luofu so I can dream lmao. But for real, who wrote those? They should actually write in the game. They know how to set up a climax, for one.

Characterwise you won't care, but fandom liked to characterise yanqing as a brat and a punching bag until he finally got a W in recent quests and I'm sick and tired of it so...

intro in mq as fighting prodigy who hits his first major roadblock (aka loses badly three times in a row to legendary fighters, one in his cq and two in mq. he's unfortunately infamous for this) > gets his insecurities aired out against his will, we learn that he has lost all his confidence and is desperate to prove himself > trying to balance acceptance of his limits with knowledge that they don't define him, compare and contrast w a new child prodigy chara who IS actually immature so we can see his growth.

Anyways I don't want to start more live service games so between geshin and hsr I honestly like hsr more. gl w your sunday and aventurine pulls!

Hm, well...

There was one thing I noticed, and that is how the game says "no one helps others out of the goodness of their hearts" in almost the exact same words over and over again.

I think I saw it first in Wardance, where it seemed to be part of Topaz explaining her section away as just teaching Belobog an important life lesson, that they can't keep relying on the MC to solve their problems and/or support them. They have to stand up on their own because the universe is a big, scary place full of nasty, powerful organizations (like... the IPC, presumably).

But this is also repeated at least twice in Belobog, whenever we try to say that we're here to deal with the Stellaron. Everyone immediately goes "oh, just because you're nice?? sus, we don't believe you, you're obviously lying."

And then, it has also already been brought up again in Luofu (I'm still on the first act). "Oh, you're here to deal with the Stellaron? Like you always do on multiple worlds, as we've heard since we know about the Astral Express already? Sus, no one does things out of principles, you're lying."

So at the very least, the writers really love having the altruism of the main crew questioned.

But they probably also just generally believe that people are extremely selfish and will not do anything without benefit to them, so asking strangers for help is pointless and Igor was wasting his time. The correct answer was always just to go home and die fighting for his country.

(You can even tie in how the entire plot of Luofu is kicked off by Elio deciding that they need to make sure the Luofu owes the Express a huge favor, so that can be cashed in during a future battle for the sake of the universe. Because you see, the Luofu wouldn't do shit during this massive future conflict of galactic scale, where we are presumably on the side of all life and civilization, without first owing us a personal favor.)

Realistically, they're not that wrong, but I find it annoying to have this be treated as a legitimate point of distrust so often.

As for me, I..... probably still like Genshin way more. The writing is bad for both, both don't let you skip, but Genshin has way more to do.

[swordbisexual]

shaxibis + the fool?

The Fool: (Beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit)

Shady Grove, my little love

Shady Grove, I say

The words of the rest of the ballad don’t matter much. A chorus is always more than enough for walking, when the dust of the road starts to cake your boots and the sun’s burning the same place at the back of your neck that it has been for days on end. Sometimes, the same words over and over are a comfort of their own; a marching tune that keeps the feet moving forward, a sweet little note of longing that reminds a soul of what’s always at the end of the road when a journey’s done.

But sometimes, Shaxibis slips up, “Shady Grove” turning to “Matty Groves,” the words she learned at her mother’s knee turning and twisting her tongue before she can think of what she’s saying.

I’d rather kiss dead Matty’s lips

Than you in your finery

It’s fine, of course. It’s the same tune, and what’s a world without a little heartache?

She’s walking the road out of Reithwin Town, already blooming with the tender shoots of a sweet spring’s growth after a hundred years without. It lightened her spirit to see the children practically swarming over Halsin, just as he described at the strange little party along the strange little riverbend where, twelve months ago, she began a strange, not-so-little journey.

Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall

If I can’t have the one I love, I won’t have none at all

(There. That’s better.)

Strange, all of it’s been, but nothing as strange as the gathering she attended not five nights past. She still smarts with the twinges of regretful longing that hung over the whole camp. Astarion was the most familiar face of them all; he’s decent for a drink, when the sun’s gone down, and always circles back to the Gate, no matter where his own road takes him. The rest were like to strangers: Lae’zel, glimmering and shifting at the astral edges; Shadowheart, a brighter and happier light than ever before, but still more fond of animals than people; Wyll, as fierce a monster-slayer as ever, though with Karlach’s absence weighing on him; and Gale, who… well.

I’d put it down on a golden plate

And give it all to you

They’re all changed, some for better, some for worse. 

Shaxibis still doesn’t know which she might be.

“I won’t come with you,” she said, when Gale made the offer to bring her back to the heavens. Of course it had been tempting; she’s wanted a new start for so long, even before she was swept up in the nautiloid, and it might have been the cleanest, easiest path.

(One step, two, on we go, walk the road ahead.)

I’m bound to go away

And just like that, she’s on the hill above Rivington, with the Gate a line of shadows in the mist-filled morning.

Here. Here is home, with streets and stones swept and scrubbed clean by her own hands in the months since the Absolute crumbled and scattered to the winds. Here, she can sing her songs, turned and twisted as you please, the road and the journey’s end all at once.

With a smile, Shaxibis tumbles forward down the sharply sloping path.

There’s no place in this whole world

That’s prettier than mine

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Yugioh Main Protagonists Ranked

(No Yuudias because Go Rush isn’t complete at the time of writing this and I’m not even caught up on what is out.)

You get a veteran's pass to this blog if you know who I put at number 1 before I even start this list. Because spoilers it hasn't changed at all. And it probably never will. The rest of this list though? It was tight. The middle three are so interchangeable for me I just had to just go with my gut without overthinking it. This first one however was not difficult:

7 Yusei Fudo

While the dub did make me like him more, I'm still not that big on Yusei. His dub added sassiness is entertaining and I even relate to his habit of pushing people away and wanting to do everything on his own. But as a protagonist, he's really plain. He wins every time (outside of a flashback) so his duelling isn't interesting to watch and he just doesn't have any substantial character growth. He’s a completely static character which might be okay for a side character but not for the main character.

6 Yugi Moto

/Atem I guess? Atem gets more screen time and is the one who's duelling 90% of the time, let's be real. That's a problem and all but honestly the switching between and dynamic of Yugi and Atem is enough to put them above Yusei. They lose a lot more than him, making their duelling more interesting and both of them grow over the course of the series. It's fairly basic but still nice, nothing wrong with simple sweet development. Also Yugi himself made a pretty decent protagonist in DSOD, I like how his grief over Atem is explored.

5 Yuma Tsukumo

…yeah this was a really tight list. I love these top five so much that Yuma just ended up here due to stiff competition. Yuma took what Yugi and Atem did and perfected it with his bond with Astral that's more focused on and more well developed as we see exactly how they met and every step in their journey as they become closer and help each other grow as people. It's sweet as hell. Also yes Yuma could be annoying towards the beginning of the show but most of his "stupidity" was coming out of wanting to help his friends so he came off as more of a “caring dumb” most of the time. Plus first impressions, while important, shouldn't define a character (or a person for that matter) and he becomes a much better character and duellist overtime.

4 Yuga Ohdo

I think Yuga is the most unique take on a YGO protagonist. He's not the greatest duellist, he actually loses quite a lot and that majorly raises the stakes of the duels (a point that also applies to Yuma, though I feel they stopped letting him lose after part one ended but it’s still good). Because it's made clear he can lose at any point and there are consequences for those losses. Not life threatening consequences but still. Consequences that can hurt him, rush duels, and/or his friends and that made the show so unpredictable and interesting to watch for the very first time. But Yuga's not a pushover either. He's still a strong duellist who gets up after each loss and for gosh sake he invented Rush Duels. I like having a protagonist who's special not because of his duelling or friendships for once, I think that's really neat.

3 Yuya Sakaki

Fun fact: Yuya was the main thing that pushed me to watch Arc V before 5Ds and man did he not disappoint. He is an endearing silly bean who just wants to make everyone around him smile with his entertainment duelling and it was so very sweet and wholesome- OH GOD WHY IS HE A DEMON?! Yeah, Yuya's an interesting protagonist. He's the main hero but also simultaneously the main villain, or at least one fourth of a villain and man was that interesting as hell. Yuya himself is also the perfect summation of Arc V's main themes if that makes sense, since the show is all about how stopping to be kind/share a smile can go a long way and Yuya’s whole goal is to spread smiles.

2 Yusaku Fujiki

I’ll admit, these top two are really personal characters for me. (Yusaku was straight up a part of my wake up call to getting a handle on my mental health.) I relate to Yusaku immensely, even though, to my knowledge, I don’t have PTSD. His more serious stern attitude also fits the more dark serious feel of VRAINS and most importantly, he isn’t completely without personality or character development. From almost the very beginning, he has Ai, an upbeat little bean who is completely opposite to him in personality, to play off of and over the course of the show, Yusaku gradually learns to open up to others easily but his flaws of secretiveness and distancing himself from others remain. And that just felt very real to me. I like how he isn’t just all better one day, it’s a process and the bad things that happened to him shaped him when he was young, but that pain doesn’t have to define him and by the end, it doesn’t. He lets go of his desire for revenge and more easily expresses his emotions/attachments and it’s nice goddammit.

1 Judai Yuki

Yeah, I’ll never change. Take everything I said about Yusaku having a realistic/relatable reaction to a traumatic event, add multiple traumatic events and an adorably sweet personality and you have Judai. I love his upbeat personality at the beginning of the series, he’s arrogant and a bit air-headed but in a way I found really charming. Then the show started hurting him… and hurting him more… and while he mostly retained his cheerfulness and seemingly came back swinging in seasons 1 and 2, there was a gradual shift in his personality which took centre stage in season 3. His determination to save Johan becomes his downfall and after seemingly losing the rest of his friends, it completely destroys him. He endures constant traumatic events and pressure from everyone around him and it changes him and breaks him like it would a real person. Makes me so glad that Judai was able to come back from it. During the highly underwatched and underrated season four, he gets space from all the pressure that was put on him and is able to regain his love of duelling and in a way, his childhood. Not so much childhood innocence, but he’s able to have the heart of a child while still being an adult mentally. I just, oh my gosh I love Judai so much.

[cosmicellis]

YOU...Astral Senpai ambassador. Do da character ask right now this instant

Yes, homie! What I love about them: At first Astral was just a nice eye-candy for me. I love his eyes the most (I think animators did too). He expressed so much by just staring. I was at one point fascinated by Astral being so different even compared to other people in Astral world. I do dig the fact, that even though you spent a lot of time with him in a show, but he's still left mysterious. Like, he's an embasador, but his powers are quite something else. He's cold and calculative and very smrt. I do like smart people, they fascinate me with big smart words, I guess. His character growth is pretty nice and I do like that he knows how to pull certain strings. Be that in the begginig with opposite game or at the end. A big brain move, in my opinion, knowing that Yuma seemed tired of dueling and in no way would agreed to another one. So yeah, I WILL ERASE BARIAN WORLD, so lets duel. He left him with no room for a "no". Is it mean? Hell yeah. But that's a part of him being a calculative smart ass. What I hate about them: Honestly, the inconsistency of "the number bestowed a knowledge to him about human world" stuff. It felt a bit random. I know its canonical, but it's just personal pet-peeve Favorite Moment/Quote: *Slaps entire Zexal anime* From the sub: -What does Astral says about it? -I think Yuma is an idiot What I would like to see more focus on: On Astral's past, honestly. I know he was mostly emotionless weapon, but I would love to know more what he was doing. He was not only aware about helf of numbers being on Earth, but also piece of him missing. Would it affect him? What was that part of him originally? A number? Like there is so much I would like to know And uncover mystery about his eyes. Is his eye white because yuma is missing? Like a canonical YES or NUH What I would like to see less focus on: Eh, hard to answer. I do like him interracting with other people (Shark and Kite) even confronting Barians is interesting. He barely spoken to Yuma's frineds and I would kept it that way. That bunch is worst thing in whole ass anime and don't want to even look at Ghost boi Favorite pairing with: Mhhhhhh. Hurd to answer too, mostly because I ship him with several people for different reason. I do like me old classic Keyshipping, cause it's a dumbass with a smartass. yuma seems like the fire in the relationship - brining the warmth, the outgoing energy. The elemnt of physical love and affection. While Astral is cool, chill the movie night kind of mood. He would be the one to calm down the tired partner and bring them a blanket And taintedshipping, because of evil and... not evil pairing. the opposites? Because Astral is ambiguous being and more of a "following rules' kind of ghost. I can see Mist starting shit and Astral would had to deal with that. Yet they both enjoy this still. Mist would appreciate his back cowered and Astral would just love the "lively" attitude and being on edge, A thrill that he misses. I do like my ship too c: Favorite friendship: Also with Yuma. Their interraction about "takoyaki" will forever stay as BEST represantation of how my two last braincells interract XD And they do give out an impression of having fun together. They do genuinely care. NOTP: The random ones. Because this fandom slaps people together even if makes no sense. I guess one of them is Tori and Astral. Mostly because it just makes no sense to me. They spoken ONCE. Favorite headcanon: Astral is a ethereal robot\weapon. Obviously he's not a human and he's not of a human's soul origin. He was made for a specific thing. So he's learning AI kinda deal, only in a form of a higher state of... soul thing. That's probably why chaos is deadly to him - because he never was a human to house one.

[r-a-m-s]

Ok so this post isn't 100% related to just RAMS and the storyline but I think it fits better here than my main.

I am OBSESSED with this little group I'm calling the superfreaks. They are so silly and I am writing a lil thing for them!! (reblog if you want a lil snip of it :D)

basically, theres 5 of them

THE COPYCAT - Felix! He can copy other peoples powers for 10 minutes at a time, and he can do multiple at once! The only downside is that he is more easily burnt out and overworked because of his constant inexperience with these new powers, meaning he doesn't know how to use them as well, so he has to be careful or he overloads.

THE STOPWATCH - Danny! Danny can freeze time when he holds his breath! I don't know as much about his powers as a whole BUT he's very silly and he has a crush on Kasey.

THE SPARKLER - Kasey! He/they pronouns. Kale's younger sibling. They have hard light projection powers, but usually he just sparkles and glows! Crush on Danny.

THE PHANTOM - Benji! He's dead (LIB things) and can fly, as well as has ghosty powers. Think Danny Phantom, but arguably cooler. Astral Projection, all that shit. He's so cool :holds him:

and last but not least,

THE MEDIC - Alfie! Healing powers. Cannot raise the dead though, it goes wrong every time. Healing powers work on anything living, including plants. He later learns he can manipulate plant growth as well.

if you have ANY questions, lemme know! i love these silly bois (gender neutral) and all that they can do.

[cyberdragoninfinity]

Could we get lil guy Flip Turner for the character ask meme?

FLIPPP ok this'll be the last one of these I'll do for now; i love chattering about characters but i did like 20 so far and my brain's turning a bit to soup HDFHGDSF honored you guys wanna hear my ygo thoughts so much!!

First impression

Impression now: god i fucking love Flip. I said this when I was talking about Lester but i LOVE when a yugioh character is just a tiny bastard. a Little Fucker of all time. I like that he got CHARACTER GROWTH?!? he is really just part of the friend group from like episode 5 onwards and it's awesome. I love that he's just a fuckign dweeb who's like "im nice now I don't cheat or scheme anymore" and then something happens and hes immediately like "3am back for more cheats and schemes" and this happens like 4 times. he died and went to hell. he got better. the dub really just named him Flip Turner. s-tier.

Favorite moment: WHEN HE BUILT THE LITTLE MEMORIAL FOR ASTRAL I WAS FUCKING FLOORED. SLASH POS. he really cares a lot about his little friend group Astral included and it's sooo sweet ;__; this kid was GRIEVING!!!!

Idea for a story: Flip agrees to help moderate Cathy's Warrior Cats RP forum but the power immediately goes to his head and he starts swinging the ban hammer down on anyone who annoys him. Antics ensue.

Unpopular opinion: I LIKE HIM. HE'S FUNNY. HIS DESIGN IS VERY VERY SILLYGOOD.

Favorite relationship: really just his place within Yuma's little friend circle is so sweet...feels very real to the Middle School Experience. I hung out with a lot of Flips when i was 13 beheheheh. Also I specifically like his dynamic with Caswell....dweebs who are probably dating.

Favorite headcanon: HMM TRYIN TO THINK IF I HAVE ANY FLIP HEADCANONS YET I feel like he chronically cheats at any game he places, not just duel monsters. If he was on Neopets he would be running like 4 accounts to cheat the stock market and rank up Neopoints to wire over to his main. He'd like Kacheeks.

[sunnisurrealism]

Back to society 💅🏻 hi Timmy in case you’re just seeing this now I made a big post about how I looked up the tracking number and the mail hasn’t arrived :( please read below. I spammed a bunch of selfies to compensate for deficiencies in German cream, but I know it’s not the real shit 😞😔 the post also shares some of recent feelings of growth from my hiatus, and I really want to share with you I’m feeling much better and feel in my heart I’ve closed our last chapter 😊 I feel you kissing and licking me all over and it gives me immense comfort, though still being quite an overwhelming feeling! I want to share I don’t want to create unnecessary problems anymore, and I want our love to be simple and trusting. I love you so much and I always look forward to seeing you in the astral realm and my dreams!