#and let’s just say his breakdown in episode 4 really hit me

[mewmewchann]

So going into this event I was expecting things.

I was expecting to be made to feel things.

But

I WAS NOT EXPECTING KOTARO OF ALL PEOPLE TO MAKE ME FEEL THINGS

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[babyangelsky]

Peat's acting is stupendous and it's hurting my feelings

I need to talk about the bedroom scene and the fight that preceded it because it felt like I was having a mirror held up to me and looking at my younger self and in doing, so I've come to love Tongrak as a character even more than I did before.

I talked about the expressions already but I just cannot get past this one. Rak's eyes are so dead and he looks so tired in a way that I understand so deeply. He knows what's about to happen. He screened Prin's call earlier precisely in hopes of avoiding it but she showed up anyway.

I do have to acknowledge that a lot of my interpretation and feelings about him and these scenes are very much a product of my own experiences, but believe me when I tell you that having a family as fucked as his and having to deal with relatives like this drains you. You fight back because you have to, not because you want to. You don't go seeking the bullshit but somehow it always seems to arrive at your door.

I know exactly how he must be feeling because I've felt it. Because I've fought back and made sure my mask was firmly in place for as long as I needed it to only to break the second I could turn my face away.

I'm impressed that Rak didn't run from Mut and that he didn't start crying on the way to his bedroom. That powerwalk he did instead though? I know it all too well.

To Rak's mind, Mut has already witnessed far more than Rak ever intended for him to. That fight was nasty. It poked at so many wounds, touched on so many painful, intimate things about Rak's family and about him. Prin wanted to hurt and humiliate him and she succeeded.

I can confidently say that if someone I cared about witnessed that happening to me, the last thing I would want is to break down in front of them on top of it, so I completely understand why Rak's first instinct was to put distance between him and Mut. You know the breakdown is coming and the only thing you want is to have it in private.

I know people feel some kind of way about Rak's refusal to let Mut into his bedroom and essentially shutting him out but Mook tells us in episode 4 that no one is allowed in Rak's bedroom. This isn't just about Mut. Everything we have learned and seen of Rak so far tells us that he's a person who needs a safe place to hide. A place where he can close the door and know he won't be intruded upon.

Sure, it's his house and ideally he would have the freedom to break down wherever he wants to inside of it but given that Mook comes and goes pretty freely, he doesn't really have that luxury by his standards. There's always a chance she'll walk in. And he certainly doesn't have it now that he's no longer living alone.

So he goes to hide in his bedroom so he can process and feel what he needs to.

And when Mut comes after him, this happens. Mut pushed at that boundary out of genuine care and concern and he's not wrong for that. I've been on his side of this equation too and the impulse to help in whatever way you can is impossible to resist, even if all you can offer is a meal.

But I also understand Rak. God do I understand him. That need to be alone, demanding to be left in peace, lashing out when someone won't despite it being with good intentions. When you've been pushed to your limit and you know a breakdown is coming and that there will be shrapnel when it does, the very last thing you want is for the people you care about to get hit with it.

Like @bird-inacage said in their post, Tongrak is a caged animal at this point. He's feeling vulnerable and defensive and he lashes out. He doesn't want to, he tries to stop it, but it ends up happening anyway.

And he regrets it. He does. The way I see it, he couldn't bring himself to knock on Mut's door both because he'd exhausted all his nerve in the fight with Prin and because a part of him was probably worried that he'd be rejected if he did. When you lash out, especially when you don't mean to, there's always a worry that you've done irreparable damage to your relationship with whoever was on the receiving end and that you won't ever be forgiven.

Sometimes it really is something as simple as a sticky note that brings you to tears and has you sobbing into your dinner in the middle of the night.

The note and the meal are proof that Tongrak hasn't been rejected, that he's still cared for despite the way he reacted after the fight and the things that he said. We know that Mut wasn't going to reject him but Rak needed to know that as well.

And now that they had their moment in the dressing room and the issue of the money has been talked about, we're paving a way forward for Rak to be able to express what he feels without using it as a defense mechanism. He still will, and he will hurt me many more times before we're done, but we're making progress.

[delyth88]

Mid season trailer breakdown

Finally found some time (ha!) to take a closer look at the mid-season trailer.

It starts with a very brief shot of Loki time-slipping in a spaghettifying TVA that we've seen before, and then a split second shot of Loki walking into the pie room. But the lights in the pie dispensers are all off. Does this mean it's near the very end of the timeline where the power was cutting out? Or is there some other significance to this? Where is my anon who suggested they need to go through enough repetitions of the time loop to eat through all the pies...!

Then we move on to this scene of the gang in front of the model of the gantry and the Time Loom.

OB asks, "Loki, how much do you know?' and Loki replies "Lets assume I don't know much but I'm a fast learner, and I'm a god."

Timely is still holding his device, so this is towards the beginning of episode 4 shortly after Timely arrives in the TVA, and before the pie room or the Dox in a box.

I'm assuming Loki has just explained to them the situation and they're just going with it! :)

Then it skips to this scene where Loki says "Here we go".

Later in the trailer he follows on with a voiceover saying "Listen to me carefully, hit the green button", and then shows this shot again as he says "it can be a little sticky".

When he says "Hit the green button", Loki seems to be quite fearful and intense, with a slightly more whispery quality to the sentence, than the following shot where it's more light hearted when he says "It can be a little sticky".

Now if I'm not just reading too much into this (which to be honest that is exactly what I'm doing in this entire post, but its fun), it looks like this might be two different instances of the same event. Maybe the first is earlier on and the second is later on once it's resulted in destruction a few more times? Or perhaps the other way around once Loki's been through enough repetitions to be confident this bit will go well. *shrugs*

We then see what I assume is Timely again (because he's the only one missing from the shot above) out on the gantry having actually made it as far as the sphere at the end, pressing the green button.

However, we ALSO see this shot of what I again assume is Timely, but from behind this time. He's not wearing a helmet and we can see his hair, and the throughput multiplier is leaning against the wall. The airlock doors have been opened though and he's being spaghettified again.

So it looks like we're going to be seeing this attempt to fix the Loom multiple, presumably spectacularly unsuccessful, times. Poor Victor. :(

There's also shots in the operations centre (what are we calling the room looking out onto the Loom. Oh. Okay that just wrote itself, didn't it? XD). In the LOOM ROOM we have another shot of Loki saying "Here we go" and Mobius excitedly shouting "Yes!" as Loki drags him over towards the control panel / airlock. Which I'd guess is once they successfully manage to get a Timely out to the end of the gantry, or possibly even fire off the throughput multiplier.

There's a shot of Loki in the Loom Room turned back to face OB and the other while it looks like the Loom is exploding. He looks more dishevelled than he was in the scene we saw in episode 4. And I can't tell if he looks sad and defeated or suspicious. He's looking towards Sylvie, OB, Casey, and B-15. There was that whole weird moment with Casey and the throughput multiplier that just seemed off, so really putting my effort into leaping here, could this be that Loki's suspicious Casey sabotaged it?

Then outside the TVA we get those shots of Sylvie listening to music. I'm really not sure where she is - but I'm assuming since she looks to be wearing a T-shirt rather than her armour under her coat that she's on the timeline.

For Casey we get the shot we've seen of him in a tunnel, immediately preceded by this shot of what looks like a searchlight at a prison and audio of a siren. So is Casey escaping from prison? A POW camp?

They show Casey in two short shots in time with the music - does this mean anything? Like indicating the repeating of events? Or does it just look cool.

I do wonder if they're going to make some of the really likeable characters have a despicable past on the timeline and use that to further the discussion of free will and the power to choose to be different. That could be interesting. But I'd like Casey not to be a horrible person. :(

There's a couple of shots of a new location we've not been to, but one that still looks like it's within the TVA. There are pneumatic tubes behind Loki and great big fans. Some old armchairs on one side, and a pinboard on the other. The shot starts with what looks like spaghetti strands with Loki's magic radiating out from the centre.

As the magic fades we see the strands have disappeared and there are some other people in the room with him.

B-15 in plain clothes, and Sylvie just moving out of shot as the camera zooms in towards Loki. It also looks like Sylvie is in her outfit with the grey T-shirt.

So does this indicate Loki can use magic to hold things together to stop them from spaghettifying, even if only temporarily?

We get a fairly horrifying shot of Loki being distorted in front of spaghetti.

And I'm afraid this next image is going to give me nightmares, but it looks like this is in the same room - we can see the yellow on the wall and the same ceiling lights behind him.

By the time he's slipped away the spaghetti is gone. So again, is this because he somehow carries this destruction with him? Or is this a shot shown in reverse because time really got all timey-wimey on him and time is actually flowing backwards at points? (That would be pretty damn cool to see how he deals with it!)

Then we get another shot of that room and Casey, OB, and Mobius are there with Loki. All in their plain clothes. But this shot is flipped around from the one above that had the chairs on the other side of the room. Again, is that meaningful, or just somehow one of the versions looks cooler? Or does the room just have a pneumatic tube gizmo at both ends?

There's also this shot which I can't figure out where it is. Sylvie's still in her T-shirt, and Loki is either pointing at the ceiling or making some magical gesture. All around them are spaghettified strands. I still don't quite understand how it's possible for people to be in the same space as anything else that's spaghettifying (I never thought I'd need to use that as a verb so often!), without becoming spaghetti themselves.

It looks like that record player Sylvie was using might be in the background, if so does that mean the last thing Sylvie was doing while the universe crumbled around her was listening to music? And then Loki turns up to get her out of her timeline and take her to the TVA to help? Or is the spaghetti somehow related to Loki?

It looks like we get the final shot of episode 4 in reverse. My bet is this is the opening of episode 5.

And finally we get to see Mobius on the timeline. And the house he lives in.

Loki visits him at work and says "The TVA is gone."

Mobius has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. So I think we can assume that Mobius is the first person Loki tries to find on the timeline and he wasn't expecting Mobius not to know him. I wonder how on earth Loki manages to convince him about the madness that is the TVA!! I think that's going to be a fun conversation. :)

I also wonder how Loki is actually able to find them all? Does he jump back and look everyone up in the system? Does he use HWR's special tempad?

I'm not usually a big fan of trailers mid season, but there's still so much unknown at the point that I've really enjoyed looking through this and trying to work out what might be happening. :D

Tagging my partners in wild speculation @pinkpondofasgard @woodelf68.

[m0e-ru]

tohruest adachiest manager's choice experience as compiled by the tumblr branch moel gas station 2023

helloooo my dearest okyakusan my most wonderful customers whether you have a membership card or just passing by. Here is the manager's choice of how to have the most tohru adachi experience ever 📣📣📣

this post will have a breakdown of the whole diagram with highlights, and my own opinions of each medium stated. Otherwise, here's a summary as a list!!

YES!!

Persona 4 (PS2 2008)

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 3 (scattered cameos)

Manga Adaptation (Sogabe)

adachi jumpscare table

Vol. 10; Chapter 54

Vol. 12

Arena Ultimax; Episode Adachi

Arena Ultimax Manga Adaptation (Rokuro Saito special mention!??)

this is a bit cool too

The Golden Animation

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 2; Bonus Drama CD: A Sense of Gratitude

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 4; Bonus Drama CD: Boo ~ I bear a grudge on you ~

The Animation

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 2: You'll understand when you get older

The Golden (PS VITA 2013) (Social Link, new events, etc.)

um

The Golden Animation

Episode 6: See? I told you Yu.

Episode 7: It’s cliché, so what?

Unaired Bonus Episode “Another End Episode”: Thank you Mr. Accomplice

other opinions 

I’ll be linking all available online resources for everything I’ve stated!! If a link is broken or the media is inaccessible, hit me up!! I have my own personal archive.

YES!! segment !! wahoo !!!!! this is where i constantly stuff my nose in whenever i want a good reference on adachis character. AND THEY'RE ALL PERFECT TO ME!! <- about the media

Persona 4 (PS2 2008)

Back to basics everybody!!! Let’s remember who this goofball is from the start. Forget he has a social link and see him be the bumbling fool for plot exposition and the real murderer !!!! Just like how I tell you not to reference the attendant during 3/20, we can put Shadow Adachi’s mannerisms and his influence under literal god aside and try and focus on what that means as symbolism and extra information on Adachi himself!!

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 3

THIS IS A FUN ONE he has scattered cameos throughout the drama and was essentially being dragged around by Dojima.

Basic premise of this volume that it’s sports festival season!! Yasogami’s at it and the IT are participating, as well as Nanako—although she worries that her dad won’t even come to see her and that she wouldn’t even be able to do the family three-legged race.

Adachi’s appearances here are so stupid, he says he was an “elite” then flops trying to help high-schoolers with homework because Naoto’s there. He does his usual begging and whining with Dojima etc etc he also drove Dojima to compete with Nanako after saying the man finished all his reports as fast as possible.

I like this one because it reinforces who Adachi is based mostly from the main game. With the context that fans listening are aware he’s the culprit (or not), they do sprinkle in his “emptiness” (<- no i'm exaggerating it sorry) and bring it to the front of the picture a bit.

Translated Transcript: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14uOTyzic9Ij9DjN4ZRNBLFTcGe0UF-PvX4qMnqcs2Fk/edit#gid=283104639

Available video link: https://youtu.be/p3yDNbczEqg?t=228 (timestamped to 3:49)

Manga Adaptation (Sogabe)

SOUJI SETA TRUTHER COMING IN STRONG also i just adore Sogabe’s adaptation on the game as a whole. While I am Marie lover#1, this manga did begin in 2008, and I like to think it’s the hypothetical that Marie really was expunged completely OKAY WHERE WAS I

As mentioned, this whole adaptation focuses on the game before Golden was ever a thing. No scooters, no extra events, no nothing. Although, Sogabe did write in a bit of Adachi’s Social Link in a context best suited for Souji.

I like Sogabe's take on Adachi in the manner of how he draws him and writes him as a character. It's not as whimsical or lazy like the anime, and the way he took the downhill spiral of the Hospital arc, from November to December, just actually felt like my emotions were ready in the right places. Surprisingly, in every adaptation, I was really enamored to see how Adachi acted differently in each one.

In the manga, he didn't seem as slack jawed as he did in the game at least. He looked like he was trying so hard to act concerned when he he actually feels guilty for everything going down !!! OR MAYBE NOT !!!!!!!

compared to the game, you can really how much he exudes of being so. plastic. ung kaplastikan. and you're mad not because you're stuck with ps2 limitations of three polygons of an arm waving around, but you're mad that he reeks of faking concern. But also unlike the game, you don't understand what's going on anymore because of the things that have transpired in relation to Adachi's character. Which is Sogabe's adaptation of his Social Link with Souji through having dinner with each other.

and Souji doesn’t know him! They share things with one another that one dinner but otherwise, Adachi’s never rambled on about himself as much as he does in a normal Social Link run. There is a different sort of motive with Souji and he wants to some things wrap things up while everything else is falling apart around him. If there’s a chance to help someone, even if he’s only talked thoroughly once or twice and that the other party’s opened up a single time to him, he’s the boy who wants to get through to people either way. What if Souji’s a bit selfish himself and wants to be in control of things when everything in his life and vision are literally blurring as he breathes? (takes place in november when nanako's hospitalized btw)

I love the lack of intimacy between the two, contrary to what majority of the fan base wants or even BELIEVES. Souji is a kid with a year in Inaba, of course he does a million other things with his time than hang out with an adult that’s some kind of darker version of himself and a representation of a possible bleaker future considering how similar they are. 

As for the specific chapters, I think it’s fulfilling to go through the whole manga from the start. Like, forget everything you know about P4 for a second and experience it as fresh as possible. Then you get to Chapter 54 to see Adachi’s condensed Social Link and get to Volume 12 to see things come together. Sure, I start getting a bit iffy with Volume 13 but I enjoy the parallels between the two, genuinely.

i have more stuff locked and loaded but uhmmm yeah 👍

Available manga link: https://manhuascan.me/manga/persona-4-official 

VISUALIVE (stageplay)

you will never see adachi ever act like a cunt like this ever again. he only does it once because hes gay.

i have made a million essays about this this is the foundation of this gas station itself

Available video links to the only things i’ve subbed ever because they’re the most important ones to this fruit’s development:

https://youtu.be/mWRB1dIgFNE

https://youtu.be/QRps3M9uXiw

or you can watch the whole thing because Masami Itou’s portrayal of him is just delightful: https://youtu.be/7oTpjmeD-mk 

Arena Ultimax; Episode Adachi

hahaha. haha. laughs weakly. haha.

I would kindly ask everybody to do this in Japanese dub but otherwise ehmmm yeah ! Episode Adachy. I do enjoy how they try to elaborate how his personalities are coalescing into a single face as he doesnt have to fake around people anymore. Like the fact that his lame humor is still present and he’ll do stupid voices, which makes you wonder if he was always like this or that it’s something he adopted while acting out the last facade he’s done for over a year—or more. 

HE IS SO FUCKING OPINIONATED AND THINKS HES SO COOL he has SO MUCH PRIDE but also he doesnt at the same time. you think hes a soldier surviving in the idgaf war but hes still dying in the mines he planted and crossfire for multiple reasons. hes simultaneously a teenage girl and a man in his late twenties.

Adachi is totally giving a fuck, not just in a white girl bully “I’m better than everyone” kind of way but like he’s totally giving a fuck about a lot of things. “Oh I gotta stop whatever this god has going down for this city in bumfuck nowhere because the case is going to go around in circles and i’ll never serve jail time in peace” how many times has he turned corners in an alleyway maze just by saying this.

hes literally trembling in his shoes with everything happening in that hour but hes just so good at bottling up emotions from others and HIMSELF. Theres only so much he’ll admit in his own monologue—in his own thoughts. That hes aware of things but he’ll never say it out loud even in his own head i’ll tear him apart with my bare hands <- i am just genuinely annoyed he can do this and not me but i should be grateful that i can express myself than be an emotionally repressed asshole 

He finds kids who are mirrors where he sees himself in. One, a goody two-shoes who has it all, the other an actual brat with a fucked up life from loneliness, isolation, and abuse (a million other things). And he’s not annoyed only because he finds similarities between him and them, but the fact that they’re children and they have at least a decade more than his ass which he spent sulking about with.

He’s mad at Bancho because he has his way from the kindness and generosity of his time he’s spent with others, something Adachi didn’t do; in which he could use his situation with his family and education as an excuse, but he never brings that up because as much as he likes seeing others eat shit and he has his way, Adachi also considers himself a fuckup. can you see this irony. So many chances to get out there and socialize, but he stuck his nose in his studies thinking a good future’s already laid out for him—BUT THE BUBBLE POPPED which is what fucking happens when youre in Japanese economic depression after the bubble economy. and you dont bother to leave your comfort zone either EVEN WHEN YOU DONT NECESSARILY like the things youre doing because it’s the only damn thing you’re used to !!!!

He’s sick of Sho because he’s an oversized 10 year old who’s doing the exact same thing Adachi’s done in the past and Adachi is sick of that. he hates himself. and he’ll hate a kid for acting the same way. He’ll project so much he’ll fix another person’s mistakes not out of pure goodness of his heart, but because he doesnt like himself as a person no matter how much he tries to deflect these thoughts in his own head.

Adachi’ll scoff and nitpick Narukami because he doesn’t want to admit this better version of him is better. That he’s not this other guy, but rather, he’s just himself. He complains and whines about Dojima and even says he “hates him,” but is everyone not aware he’s the second biggest tsundere in this series next to Marie at this point. they are COMPETING for that number one title.

no matter how many times he tries to sever connections for the sake of the other party, those bonds are developed enough for the other party to WANT to tie it back together. he doesnt know how to build bridges, but he doesnt know how to properly burn them either. hes sloppy at everything he does. he is gay.

okay sorry about that im sososo dizzy honestly. where was i. i talked about his issue with his Persona before and how it isnt his Persona a million times on this blog sorry i really everything's spinning right now 'and you're still writing an adachi essay?' hushup

Japanese Bubble Economy: https://www.britannica.com/topic/bubble-economy 

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/0TkRLCGqT3g 

Arena Ultimax Manga Adaptation (Rokuro Saito)

this is a bit funny. i read it mostly for Sho like. while i do adore it as very beautiful adaptation. when it comes to adachi uhh. hmm. looks around. the rokuro saito effect. he did mementos mission too if you're wondering and what I mean by this.

I mean he did reinforce Adachi getting proper police training and essentially being above average to the top of his classes (krav maga, shooting accuracy, detectivisms, etc.). His humor and mannerisms are also delightful i think personally with the way they're illustrated and essentially visualized. Rokusai has his quirk for drawing everybody really pretty which he does really well for Persona characters, but it also caught me really off guard when he works on adachi like okay! sho breaking his ribs can fix everything itsok.

Available manga link: https://m.manganelo.com/manga-cn116859

OH now this is the section where im a bit iffy with the characterization here but i still like to reference it sometimes

The Golden Animation

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 2; Bonus Drama CD: A Sense of Gratitude

Adachi doesnt have a big part here he’s literally there to help with the Dojima garden and Narukami plants cabbages for him.

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/1SNKljdyUcY?t=640 (timestamped to 10:40)

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 4; Bonus Drama CD: Boo ~ I bear a grudge on you ~

THIS. this, goodness gracious it was so silly. Adachi’s here for a few segments with Dojima in the pub. Detective yaoi if thats what you’re into I guess. He also sounds a bit cheeky here in speaking tone and the scheme he’s pulling to call Naoto to do their job while Dojima’s knocked out on duty.

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/PasKTZtKx_c?t=720 (timestamped at 12:00)

The Animation

i dont have much to say about the actual anime i dont really watch it, but i respect the Narukami truthers out there. It’s just not for me, nor do I reference it for Adachi at all. why does he look like this

i dont have that much judgement to say if it's good enough to use as reference for Adachi besides it visualizing how much of a goofball he is, I guess I could mention that. I have issues of it depicting lore but otherwise i dont think it's that much different than what the base game pulls besides it different pacing to better fit the animation medium.

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 2: You'll understand when you get older

Not particularly partial with this one because the anime gave Narukami a face, like he’s his own character here. Dojima makes Adachi go to Okina and deliver something because his clown ass forgot to hand it over to the other prefect police who visited within the day. Narukami’s off to go help Ebi stand in line for a makeup promo and Dojima says they can go together. There’s a subplot with the IT where they think Narukami’s being arrested lol so they go follow him throughout the rest of the drama.

Adachi just hangs out with the silly billy that is his boss’ nephew who has so much kindness and generosity that it could get the kid killed one day.

Available Video Playlist Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2Wysh6PBhe_jyqxxIcyt_XrW6GcKHRn0 

The Golden (PS VITA 2013)

I scratch my head and wonder what they were going for with Adachi’s Social Link besides the fanservice. I mean thats what they did with akc in royal i guess. <- has my own opinions about this but im closing my mouth.

It feels a bit too… intimate for me? What’s the deal with WANTING to invite him for dinner… without Dojima around either. Like they’re a two in one package for me, you can’t see one without the other most of the time. Like Adachi’s slacking off work while Dojima’s slaving away by himself? I’ve always believed they get off at the same time or something because of the subordinate status.

I did enjoy the Junes segments though, it kind of felt like it was a good placement—if you move things around a bit. Him hiding behind your back while you’re doing groceries so it looks like he’s busy was a bit funny, and him chatting you up while you’re supposed to be busy yourself is also silly if you consider that Bancho himself wants to bail and was just caught into his chismosa and whining. He has enough of a degree of association with you as you’re putting your nose into the murder case and that you’re his boss’ nephew, so that’s kind of why you’re the only few people he can talk to.

(pauses yes or yes ) i also ate ice cream where was I going with this

dont make me talk about the accomplice ending that thing’s pretty corny to me but also unnerving i dont want to think about it alot.

With the way things have gone for Adachi’s new characterization with the added Social Link and the new events for Golden, it personally made me think twice about it all, especially when his TV studio and Shadow self ended up the same. There’s a lot to go about this? (<- deranged) and I will admit that I myself got sucked into the idea that he’s an antagonist and couldn’t truly experience everything right at that point. whoopsie. Then again, looking at it at this point in time after a few years makes me realize yeah maybe this does make a bit of sense! The nature of the fog has changed, which can explain the drastic change in character between Namatame and Adachi. which is an essay for another day I really feel a bit out of it.

The “um” segment. Stuff I dont really like to reference nor put in the pot that makes adachi soup because im really iffy with it and how the writing was taken liberally for the sake of the audience rather than the reinforcement of source material itself.

The Golden Animation

The Adachi centric episodes 6, 7, and the accomplice ending bonus episode lol, as the whole Golden anime was really for Marie and other new Golden add-ons like Okina and scooters and ski trip and etc. 

how do I put this. im really opinionated on this segment it’s okay if you dont take my word for it. I dont like the production quality. The animation is honestly really bad and the artstyle itsnt tasteful with how it’s executed. There’s enough frames of Marie that people looking over my shoulder while I watch would call her Adachi. It really is a boatload of a cashgrab and fanservice that kind of adds new insightful things to the lore but honestly? I don;t trust it. Like the writers forgot what they were writing about and started writing fanfiction of what they originally made.

It did give some insight with Adachi, but I hate how they just made Narukami the way he is for this adaptation. Like the boy does have all the time in world and hes not an overworked high-schooler with so many commitments now he can… make a man dinner and deliver it to him…? I would definitely say “> Adachi doesn't seem to lead a nutritionally balanced life...” and leave it at that, i am not making him dinner i dont have time for that. can someone get this guy a girlfriend please. Don’t get me started how they treated his character development and lore surrounding him overall im sick of it. At least Sogabe made it all look pretty.

anyway here’s the part where i can add my closing thoughts as someone who fills a niche solely because they think and enjoy things so differently than the present majority. I don’t think im mature enough to enjoy things peacefully in a community full of different people but also because im losing the idgaf war myself. I’m glad I can enjoy a media in general and I’m so happy when people can enjoy it with me. (had to stop the cat from clawing on the vacuum he likes the texture apparently) where was I

hold my hand as i go through a hundred coming of age arcs in my life and that one day i wont be as embarrassed as i am now to admit i like tohru adachi as a character and talk about him with a restraint so childish because I dislike how a majority depict him. he’s part of my journey as i learn things about myself as much as mimi but in a more human way because. hes human. or something. one day i can forget his reputation in the community and create all the things i make with pure love that is not fueled by spite to be right and correct. I already know i am right and correct because everyone can enjoy things their own way and find things that they like in one thing that are different from things others like. for now, i will still treat him like an insufferable uncle older brother thing whose arm i periodically chew on until i reach bone and let him carry me back to bed when im tired of being annoyed of him. 

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: February 2023 ~  

🧚🏻‍♂️ Happy March!!! 💐

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post!

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff! (previous breakdowns)

What came out this month? (green tick = seen or currently watching)

🌟 Our Winter - February 3rd (Thailand/South Korea) ✅

🌟 Because of You a Thousand Times - February 4th (Vietnam) 

🌟 Moonlight Chicken - February 8th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 The Promise - February 8th (Thailand)

🌟 My Beautiful Man Season 2 - February 8th (Japan)

🌟 Marry My Dead Body - February 10th (Taiwan)

🌟 Oh My God! (movie) - February 10th (Vietnam) 

🌟 Cafe in Love - February 11th (Thailand) 

🌟 Bus Stop - February 11th (Myanmar)

🌟 Moments of Love (movie) - February 14th (Thailand, theaters) 

🌟 Destiny Seeker - February 14th (Thailand) 

🌟 Ghos Two Kita - February 14th (Philippines) 

🌟 Pure Vanilla - February 14th (Singapore) 

🌟 Boyband - February 16th (Thailand)

🌟 Jack Frost - February 17th (Japan)

🌟 Bed Friend - February 18th (Thailand)  ✅

🌟 Chains of Heart - February 18th (Thailand)

🌟 Justice in the Dark - February 18th (China, censored) 

🌟 Tin Tem Jai - February 27th (Thailand) 

🌟 Teach Me How - February 27th (Philippines) 

🌟 Blue Sky Complex - February 27th (Japan)

Monthly likes/dislikes

❣️ Moonlight Chicken - one of my most anticipated shows over the past year and admittedly the first 2 episodes had me a bit unsure about the pacing and the characters as it was so divergent, which changed rapidly with episode 3 though and by episode 4 I was hooked lol. The storytelling approach is unconventional and so many nuances about the characters and their lives feel so real that it hits home hard lol and the realism + minimalism is a very nice change of scenery coming from gmmtv. The cast is superb to say the least and also the ppl behind the scenes deserve tons of praise because it’s obvious that it takes a good amount of life experience as well as in directing and writing to narrate these stories in the distinct way that they do and I applaud everyone who’s part of it because you can tell they put their heart and soul into this production. 9/10.

👎🏻 609 Bedtime Story - this is a bummer because I was really excited for this one, also since it’s from the eclipse director, and it had a very promising start but then it got real weird. Like why make it so complicated? there’s no need for that. We get the idea and what you’re trying to tell us. So why make the plot so tangled? sigh. On the other hand I really liked Ohm in this role and it might be his best one yet. He was finally able to showcase that he is capable of more than just 1 facial expression lmao so I liked him as Mum but unfortunately he wasn’t able to save the plot. what a shame. 6/10.

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Playboyy (produced by Copy A Bangkok) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 7 Days Before Valentine - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Dinosaur Love (novel adaption) - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 STAY - Date TBA (Philippines)

🎥 Colorful Melody - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Love Puzzle - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Born to Be Y - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Venus in the Sky - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Love Mate - Date TBA (South Korea) 

🎥 My Blessing (produced by 9NAA) - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Let’s Eat Together (Manga adaption) - Coming June 2nd (Japan) 

🎥 The Last Time - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Y Universe - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Forever Yours - Date TBA (Philippines) 

🎥 My Dear You - Date TBA (Myanmar)

Other news from the BL world

❗️ Jam & Film, the mains of the BL To Sir, With Love, will be starring in a new series together under OneD. Further details have yet to be announced.

❗️ The main actors for the upcoming BL Pit Babe were announced. The main roles will be played by Pon Thanapon & Benz Natthapong. Others include Pavel Phoom, Nut Supanut, Michael Kiettisak and more.

❗️ The upcoming BL My Universe will consist of 12 stories with 12 couples and 24 chapters. 

❗️ The upcoming BLs Buddy Line Y Animal, as well as Man Suang, have commenced shooting. The release date for both is still unknown. 

❗️ Shootings for the upcoming multi-strand BL Our Skyy 2 have started. The episodes for KluenDao (Star in My Mind), PuenTalay (Vice Versa) and AkkAye (The Eclipse) have wrapped filming. Dates are still unknown. 

❗️ Actor Mew Suppasit (TharnType) expressed his frustration with his fans in a series of tweets where he stated that #MewGulf was never real and everything that him and his costar hinted at in the past was merely for fanservice purposes as him and G. were told to act like a couple according to their contract. He said him and G. have not spoken in over 2 years and told his fans to finally move on, as their obsession is having a negative effect on both their personal lives. He further told certain fans to get psychological help if they are unable to separate fiction from reality and stop their unhealthy obsession with a ship that never existed. Reactions from the fandom have been ambiguous. At the same time, filming for his upcoming BL Love Is like a Cat has begun. 

❗️ Actor Jeff Satur has left Be On Cloud. He will still be part of his upcoming series Wuju Bakery. 

❗️ The Chinese BL Novel “Silent Reading” has been adapted into a series called Justice in the Dark. Due to censorship, it looks like the show will mostly be bromance-themed. 

❗️ Fittings for the upcoming Domundi BL Punk Spy have started. An air date has not been announced. 

❗️ The currently airing BL Boyband has stopped airing on Youtube as announced by the production company and is currently only available for national fans. It is still unclear whether it will continue to be available for international audiences. 

❗️ Thai BL Triage won “Best BL Series of the Year” at this year’s BL News Awards

❗️ Thai BL Love Mechanics won "Best of Thai Series" and "Best of BL Series" at this year’s WeTV Awards. 

❗️ Park Seoham (Semantic Error) won “Best Drama Actor” at this year’s Forbes Korea Best Brand Awards. 

Upcoming series & movies for March

👉🏻 The Promise - March 1st (Thailand) 

👉🏻 All the Liquors - March 2nd (South Korea)

👉🏻 A Boss and a Babe - March 3rd (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Love Syndrome - March 4th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Pastsenger - March 8th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Our Dating Simulation - March 9th (South Korea)

👉🏻 Future - March 12th (Thailand)

👉🏻 A Shoulder to Cry On - March 14th (South Korea)

👉🏻 Unintentional Love Story - March 17th (South Korea)

👉🏻 Make a Wish - March 22nd (Thailand)

👉🏻 The Eighth Sense - March 29th (South Korea)

👉🏻 The Last Basic Together - March TBA (Vietnam) 

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

My Opinions on Every GX Ship

There is an absolute fuck ton of ships from this show since it has a big cast and is one of the older shows and there are some characters I absolutely will not ship with anyone. So I’m going to be excluding some ships, including some potentially popular ones, to avoid repeating myself. Even after excluding quite a few however, there are a ton of ships so keep that in mind before you click read more. The ships I’ll be excluding are as follows:

-Any Asuka ship. I’m pretty dead set on her being ace/aro.

-Any teacher/student or just adult/minor ship. I don’t think I need to explain this one.

-Any Supreme King ship. Because I just can’t get into that. The Supreme King in my mind is Judai after having a severe mental breakdown, he’s not his own character.

-Any ships with a huge age gap. (Ie: most Rei ships)

-Any ships involving manga or Tag Force only characters because I’ve never read the manga or played Tag Force. I’ve only seen the anime.

-Any incestual ship. I’m just not giving them the time of day this time.

-Any beastiality ships. Because those exist apparently.

-Most Amon ships because my reasoning for disliking most of them is just “x character deserves better than this canon abuser.” so any ships where that is my only thing to say about it are disqualified for the sake of avoiding repeating myself.

I might also drop some lesser known or lesser talked about ships if I have nothing to say about them. Also, as usual, I am not attacking any shippers when I diss the ships in question. You are perfectly valid to ship any of these pairings for any reason as long as you’re not hurting anyone. So now, let's begin.

Absquatulateshipping (Franz x Pegasus)

Franz is the guy who stole Ra in that episode and he’s one of Pegasus’s employees so there would be a power imbalance. Plus that Ra episode was one of my least favourites so I can’t get into this one.

Acceptanceshipping (Saiou x Misawa)

Yeah, this one’s understandable. Power imbalance out the wazoo, of course, since for the bulk of these two knowing about each other, Misawa was a brainwashed member of Saiou’s cult but as an intentionally problematic ship, it’s valid.

Achievedshipping (Jim Cook x Ryo)

I can't really see the connection here. Nothing against it though.

Afflictionshipping (Ryo x Yusuke x Judai)

I really like both of them with Ryo but Judai doesn’t interact enough with or have an interesting enough dynamic with Yusuke for me to care for that combination specifically. Not a bad trio though.

Afraidshipping (Judai x Iwamaru)

Iwamaru is such a minor character I had to look up who he is so he clearly didn’t leave an impression on me. So I can’t really justify shipping Judai with him over his far more appealing ships.

Aiboushipping (Judai x Winged Kuriboh)

Okay, this is the first ship I have to say I actively dislike. Winged Kuriboh comes off way more like a pet to Judai than a romantic partner so this ship disgusts me.

Aidshipping (Judai x Johan x Edo)

I love all three of these characters and Judai’s bonds with them are pretty well established and interesting. Edo and Johan didn’t directly meet face to face in the series but they could post canon and I imagine they’d get along. Hell, they’d probably hit it off well since they both have deep connections with their decks. So this ship gets my seal of approval. Can’t believe I never thought of it before now honestly. I like it a lot.

Alloyshipping (Jim Cook x Edo)

I don’t recall these two ever meeting (Jim was dead before Edo’s involvement in the Supreme King arc) and I’m not really sure what they would have to talk about. So I don’t really care for it but I’m not against it.

Altershipping (Kenzan x Sorano)

Another minor character who only appears briefly in season 4 but he and Kenzan were implied to have been good friends so I understand it.

Amuletshipping (Fubuki x Judai x Sara)

Sara’s a one off character so this connection always seemed really flimsy to me so I could never get behind it. Maybe if Sara had appeared again and we saw what her connection with Fubuki was I could understand that pair but I cannot get behind her and Judai whatsoever since I headcanon Judai as gay.

Angelshipping (Manjome x Sho)

I think these two are a classic case of “these two fighting over girls was secretly just them trying to impress each other.” Or at least that would be more fun. So I enjoy this ship in that context. It’s not quite a favourite though.

Anikishipping (Judai x Sho)

I have only ever and can only ever see these two as brotherly since Sho canonically calls him “big bro.” So I can’t get into this at all.

Annoyingshipping (Manjome x Ojama Yellow)

Oh my god, this ship was beta Aiball all this time-

Except I love Ai and don’t like the Ojamas. I don’t hate them, they’re just… there for me. Also, the Ojamas all call Manjome “big bro” like Sho and Kenzan do to Judai so I see this as a more familial relationship. In fact, Manjome seeing the Ojamas as annoying little brother figures almost certainly feels implied to me.

Antidisestablishmentarianismshipping (Judai x Motegi)

Motegi seemed stoned the entire time he was on screen so a ship involving him having a crackhead ship name makes sense. Can’t say I care for the ship though since he’s so minor.

Antiheroshipping (Ryo x Edo x Judai)

Don’t really care for Ryo/Edo for reasons I’ll get to. As for the Judai ships, they could work. I can maybe like this as a vee but as a throuple, it’s not my thing at all.

Antiqueshipping (Chronos x Camula)

Nope. This one’s just creepy and not in an interesting way. Shoutout to this duel for being the first time Chronos was ever shown as something other than a nuisance though.

Aoishipping (Ryo x Fubuki x Manjome)

I don’t think I’ve ever considered Ryo/Manjome. I think from Fubuki’s point of view, this would work out really well since he’s close to both Ryo and Manjome, and they’d both bring different energies to the table in his relationships with them. So it’s a fun idea.

Attentionshipping (Hell Kaiser Ryo x Misawa)

Not sure why this is specifically Hell Kaiser. All the others were just Ryo and I don’t think these two ever duelled before or after Ryo’s transformation but okay. This doesn’t seem like it’s shipped at all and I agree. Not my thing.

Attractionshipping (Judai x Johan x Sho)

Again, I see Sho’s dynamic with Judai as purely brotherly so I can’t get behind this. Even if I didn’t though, Sho seems like he’d be too insecure to consider a poly relationship. That's not Sho slander by the way, poly relationships just aren't for everyone.

Australiashipping (Jim Cook x Hayato)

Okay, this one’s just funny. They’ve never met and the basis for the ship is really flimsy but it’s funny so it gets a pass. I hope these two meet and bond over… Australian things. Like… dying in the 30+ degree heat every summer.

Backboneshipping (Kenzan x Manjome x Misawa)

I don’t really see the connection between these three. So it’s a nah.

Beastshipping (Fubuki x Kenzan)

Again, don’t see the connection.

Bickershipping (Kenzan x Manjome)

I can’t find anything on this ship, surprising for a two person ship between two major characters but oh well. It doesn’t particularly appeal to me anyways.

Bluntshipping (Ryo x Manjome x Misawa)

This just looks like a random assortment of characters from Judai’s friend group or his friend group adjacent to me. So it doesn’t really appeal to me.

Bondshipping (Johan x Yubel)

Okay so… I have some fanfics which can be considered to be an unofficial series where Judai is dating and travelling with both Johan and Yubel, leading to them inevitably interacting a bit. It’s mostly just in support of Judai but in the most recent addition to this unofficial series, Johan and Yubel have an admittedly fun dynamic and Judai is very chill with the idea of them being together, even teasing the idea.

So while the canon backing for this is awful and doesn’t work for me, I already have a narrative in which I can see it working: Judai dating both of them and Yubel going from begrudgingly tolerating Johan to having feelings for him. It’s not an idea I’ve written outside of Judai teasing it but it’s certainly an idea I’ve considered. So uh… I’ll get back to you on this one if I ever write that fanfic. For now, I’m conflicted on this ship.

Boreshipping (Jim Cook x Manjome)

Okay I would have no opinion on this ship except for the fact that one of its only posts on Tumblr is COMPLETELY UNHINGED and made me laugh in the most guilt ridden horrified way you can possibly imagine. So now Jim being one of bi disaster Manjome’s many victims has been seared into my brain.

Brothershipping (Judai x Kenzan x Sho)

BOTH of them call Judai “big bro” (which is really funny in Kenzan’s case since at first glance, you can easily mistake him as older than Judai since he’s way taller and buffer) so this is a big nope from me.

Bulletshipping (Judai x Tania)

I have no idea how old Tania is supposed to be. I assumed she was supposed to be an adult woman and that her having feelings for high school boys was creepy but people in the fandom… don’t acknowledge that? Or maybe assumed she was actually around their age and just not in school because… different culture? So… no idea what’s going on there.

Potential age gap aside though, this ship doesn’t work at all because Judai is so absurdly disinterested and immune to her flirting that it’s part of how he beat her. So this ship is a no.

Buryshipping (Yusuke x Honest)

Honest’s protectiveness of Yusuke came off as more parental than anything else. So I really can’t see this one.

Bushshipping (Jim Cook x Yusuke)

Damn Yusuke ships don’t get jackshit in this fandom. Jim didn’t appear in season 4, the only season Yusuke’s in, so they haven’t ever met, but I could see this as a new post canon bond that Yusuke seeks out as to have someone in his life that he can start over with who won’t judge him for his past. It’s a decent idea. I'm just not sure how it would work in practice.

Canvasshipping (Saiou x Hayato)

These two never met and I don’t really know how they’d interact so… not my thing.

Challengeshipping (Judai x Ryo x Manjome)

So… Judai with his two rivals. Manjome would be the dumbass of this dynamic, no question there and Judai and Ryo would take turns being the enabler and the one keeping the other two from getting themselves killed. …Yeah I can see it.

Changeshipping (Hell Kaiser x Ryo)

This is just Ryo with himself so… I’m all for advocating for self love but I kinda feel like this isn’t what the term means.

Chrysocollashipping (Ryo x Fubuki x Johan)

I enjoy both Ryo ships. I'm not sure how Fubuki and Johan would get along but I'm sure they could at least be friends for Ryo's sake. This is a functional and potentially cute one.

Claimshipping (Sho x Yubel) & Clawshipping (Kenzan x Yubel)

Yubel, I’d prefer if you didn’t get involved with Judai’s adopted brothers. That’s kinda weird. Big no on these ships.

Clearshipping (Judai x Johan x Yusuke)

Well, I’ve started shipping a polyship after a two on one duel between the trio in which the two set the one, who’s a confused angry lackey to a bigger villain, on the right path again before. Doing it again would be nothing new. I prefer other ships for Judai/Johan and Yusuke though so I don’t actively ship this.

Clustershipping (Fubuki x Sho)

This one feels a little too random for me to get into.

Coachshipping (Chronos x Daitokuji x Emi Ayukawa)

All three of these are teachers who I’d guess are around the same age. Seems like a pretty random selection of the teachers though so I’m not into it.

Coatshipping (Manjome x Yusuke)

The other YGO ships this name is used for stick out to me a lot more. This one is just… not my thing on its own.

Colosseumshipping (Dark Johan x Johan)

…this is either Johan x himself or Johan x Yubel in a weird paint so… uh…

Why?

Cometshipping (Jim Cook x O’Brien x Judai)

My darkest secret as a GX fan is that I have just… never cared for O’Brien. I don’t even have a good reason, he just doesn’t interest me as much as the other GX characters. So I can get behind both of the Jim ships in this throuple but O’Brien/Judai just… doesn’t work for me, especially since O’Brien ran like hell from him when he became the Supreme King.

Comfortshipping (Yusuke x Johan)

Kind of just my thoughts on the throuple again. However, it’s slightly less appealing because of the missing Judai. Judai makes everything better in my eyes.

Companionshipping (Judai x Orgene)

I prefer to ship Judai with more major characters. Plus this prince guy was almost definitely a seasoned adult right? Surely? *cries about Yugioh ages again*

Comparisonshipping (Mitsuru x Ryo)

According to Junko and Momoe, Mitsuru duels on Ryo’s level so that’s likely where this came from. Still, I hate tennis guy more than I can possibly express so I despise this ship.

Competeshipping (Principal Samejima x Ichinose)

Two competing principals? Yeah this is a funny crackship.

Competitorshipping (Judai x Manjome x Johan)

This one is good and cute and nice because Judai does indeed have two hands, and those hands can hold his cringe-fail rival and sweet boy spiritual companion. I like both of those ships so putting them together is great.

Complexshipping (Edo x Echo)

I mean Edo did care more about Echo than the person she actually loved did so that’s something I guess. It's a bit too flimsy for me though.

Contendshipping (Judai x Ryo x Misawa)

Don’t really care for Misawa with Ryo and I’ll get to the Judai pairings on their own eventually. All I have to say now is: there are better throuples.

Consolationshipping (Ichinose x Tome)

Uuuuuh. No.

Contactshipping (Judai x Neos)

Couldn’t blame Judai for wanting that cake honestly. Fun crackship.

Convertshipping (Saiou x Manjoume x Misawa)

Saiou shipping his brainwashed minions... Yeah, no that's just gross.

Copyshipping (Judai x Kagurazaka)

Okay, this was such a minor and/or forgettable duel that I forgot this character existed. GX has a lot of one offs, give me a break. And this one off wasn’t one I liked so I’m not into this one.

Cosplayshipping (Tome x Dark Magician Girl)

I really don’t get everyone’s crush on Dark Magician Girl. Never have. With how common it is, I see where this came from but it’s not my thing.

Cowboyshipping (Jim Cook x Johan)

Well I know where that ship name came from. They both see animals as their family (Karen in Jim’s case and the Crystal Beasts in Johan’s case) so they could bond over that I suppose. Oh and their mutual love of Judai. So I can get behind this.

Crystallizeshipping (Kenzan x Johan)

Random pair that I’m not into.

Crystalshipping (Johan x Sho)

“Stop dating my brother and date me!”

That’s pretty much the only way I can see this going down. And I love Spiritship and Judai a little too much to be okay with that.

Darkshipping (Hell Kaiser x Darkness)

…Yep. Hell Kaiser is such an edgelord that I can 100% see this. Just as a crackship but I can see it regardless.

Dealtshipping (Amon x Yubel)

Okay, this one’s funny so I’m including it. Amon was so terrible and abusive that even Yubel called him out on his bullshit and I find that simultaneously hilarious and badass. Yubel could put Amon in his place and I’d be all for it.

Defeatshipping (Judai x Osamu)

Another minor character but he and Judai were at least friends as kids. Ya know. Prior to Yubel putting him in a coma. Come to think of it, I wonder how a reunion post canon between them would go…

Okay, I’m gonna put a pin in this because I actually kinda want to write that. Not as a ship but just as a scenario it provides a lot of introspective potential.

Defuseshipping (Misawa x Yubel)

Pretty sure Misawa wouldn’t even consider them so no.

Destinyshipping (Saiou x Edo)

No. Saiou’s too old for him, I saw this as more brotherly.

Devilshipping (Light of Destruction x Saiou)

Like Darkness x Ryo, this one just… makes sense in a cracky way so I’m totally down.

Dingoshipping (Saiou x Jim Cook)

Too random for me.

Disastershipping (Darkness x Yubel)

No. Darkness forcibly stole Yubel from Judai and tried to make them hurt him. Bad. Mean. Give them back.

Distasteshipping (Manjome x Hayato)

I can’t remember these two interacting or picture a fun dynamic for them so this doesn’t appeal to me.

Distraughtshipping (Edo x Yubel)

I suppose in a context where Judai is dating both of them this could work, kinda like the Johan/Yubel. Plus this ship wouldn’t have the… negative history that Johan/Yubel does. So in a very niche scenario, this could work, although I’ll admit Johan/Yubel interests me more.

Divulgeshipping (Hayato x Yubel)

Way too random.

Dojoshipping (Hell Kaiser x Makoto)

No, this guy would just be bad for Ryo.

Drearyshipping (Ryo x Yusuke x Manjoume)

How many edgelords does it take to confess? None, they all just insult each other when trying to flirt.

This one’s hilarious so I’m down for it.

Durabilityshipping (Kenzan x Misawa x Judai)

Can’t remember Kenzan and Misawa’s interactions at all and Judai’s relationship with Kenzan doesn't come off as shippy to me. Not my thing.

Duskshipping (Darkness x Ryo x Fubuki)

Arc V’s Duskshipping is better but… again, it just… it just makes sense and I almost hate that it does.

Egoshipping (Edo x Manjome)

I see this one a lot and I assume it mostly comes from the season 4 episodes where Manjome is his employee. So… There's too much of a power imbalance between these two for me to get into it canonically honestly. Now, Manjome did get a ton of sponsorship offers that he could easily take and thus no longer be Edo’s employee so I think in a post canon situation, this… might(?) be fine. It’s just that the majority of their screen time together in the actual show is them being an employee and a boss so I can’t personally get behind it.

Eliteshipping (Ryo x Fubuki x Yusuke)

This one is great because they can confide in each other over their gifted kid burnout and varying experiences with Darkness. So I love it. I love the individual pairs (though I do have a favourite) and I wish we’d seen it on-screen as a trio more because what little we did get is so great.

Emasculateshipping (Chronos x Napoleon)

I mean I kinda got the vibe that these two are exes for some reason. So I guess I like it?

Employshipping (Pegasus x Samejima x Chronos)

A little too random for me.

Encoreshipping (Kenzan x Edo)

A little too random. What would these two even talk about? Judai? Is that all they share?

Endlesssshipping (Judai x Edo x Mizuchi)

Pretty sure Mizuchi’s too old for them so no.

Edit: So apparently Mizuchi is actually younger than Saiou. I wrote this bit when I thought she was older. God I hate YGO ages. Still don't like the ship though.

Endshipping (Judai x Yusuke)

Judai did help him return to the light so it’s… an understandable ship. Not as good as any of the gifted kid trio with Yusuke for me though.

Endureshipping (Saiou x O’Brien)

Too random for me. Plus I don’t really care for either of them.

Entrapshipping (Saiou x Misawa x Judai)

This seems more like something Judai would look at as a bystander and go “...why Misawa? Why?” Can’t get behind it.

Eucalyptusshipping (Yusuke x Hayato)

They never met and I can’t picture a dynamic so no.

Evolveshipping (Judai x Kenzan)

Gonna be disqualifying any other ships that include some combination of Judai/Kenzan or Judai/Sho and put it to rest here and now: I don’t like either of those ships because Kenzan and Sho refer to Judai as though he’s a brother to them.

Facultyshipping (Chronos x Daitokuji x Samejima)

I kind of feel like no one really liked Daitokuji? Or maybe that was just the students. Either way, Chronos is too good for either of these guys.

Fataleshipping (Tania x Camula)

…Okay this one’s kind of fun actually. Badass lesbians who can and will commit murder together.

Finalshipping (Hell Kaiser x Yubel)

I… I don’t know. I did joke about a Ryo/Yubel/Judai/Johan OT4 but… more for every other pairing in the ship than this one. I don’t know, I can’t really give an opinion on this one right now I guess.

Firewallshipping (O’Brien x Judai)

I’m surprised this wasn’t Yusaku and Ryoken’s ship name honestly. Anyways, what I said in the Jim/O’Brien/Judai section stands. Can’t get into this ship due to my disinterest in O’Brien.

Foodshipping (Judai x Hayato)

Like it platonically, can’t see it romantically though.

Foolshipping (Saiou x Judai)

Arc V’s Foolshipping was funnier. This one’s really not my thing because I honestly just don't like Saiou much. I find him mostly boring and I don't see anything between him and Judai. 

Fopshipping (Fubuki x Manjome x Edo)

I will discuss/have discussed the Manjome parts of this ship so for now I’ll just say that I have no idea how Fubuki and Edo would interact but I hope it’s funny.

Forgottenshipping (Misawa x Hayato)

…okay the ship name sold me on this. The two most forgotten major boys in GX as a pairing: they can bond over constantly feeling ignored. Perfection. Screw it, it’s my OTP for both characters now.

Formalshipping (Ryo x Hayato)

I mean… I could see this starting out with Hayato asking Ryo to tutor him or something and through it, they grow close. It could work. Not particularly my thing but could work.

Fossilshipping (Jim Cook x Kenzan)

These two can bond over dinosaurs and their fossils and stuff. That would be pretty cute actually. I’d like it more platonically but it could be a fun ship.

Frozenshipping (Saiou x Fubuki)

Victim of the light of destruction x victim of darkness? I could see that working after season 2 actually.

Furryshipping (Johan x Hayato)

Very unfortunate ship name. I can’t get into this one.

Fusionshipping (Ryo x Judai)

I like that Judai loses to Ryo. I like how Judai reveals Ryo’s biggest flaw: his belief that he’s already achieved perfection and can’t improve. Ryo also cares quite a bit about Judai, choosing to duel him as his graduation duel and later dedicating his final words to Judai rather than his own brother. They’re also two very opposing personalities that can play off each other well and they both suffered traumatic losses in season 2. I grew to really love this ship during my recent GX rewatch, it might be my third favourite GX ship overall. It’s just really cute to me.

Geniusshipping (Misawa x Ryo)

Not my thing.

Glareshipping (Ryo x Junko)

I think Junko may have had a crush on him? It wouldn’t surprise me. I can’t see Ryo requiting that though.

Gloryshipping (Ryo x Fubuki x Edo)

I kind of feel like any rapport these characters may have would fall apart when Fubuki finds out that Edo indirectly lead to Ryo having his downfall. So I’m not into this one.

Glowshipping (O’Brien x Johan)

Not my thing. Johan has more interesting ships.

Goblinshipping (Kohara x Ohara)

For one off characters, I actually really like these two and their rapport with each other. I don’t know if I particularly ship it romantically, but I can certainly see it

Grassshipping (Yusuke x Sho)

This just feels way too random for me. What would they even talk about? Touching grass?

Greyshipping (Darkness x Saiou)

Okay, this one’s just hilarious. When I said I like ships with opposing personalities, I didn’t exactly mean THIS opposing, but I enjoy it nonetheless.

Groupieshipping (Junko x Momoe)

Yeah sure whatever.

Guardshipping (O’Brien x Kenzan)

Not my thing.

Habitshipping (Fubuki x Judai x Manjome)

Fubuki and Manjome would be the dumbasses of this relationship, you cannot convince me otherwise. I know you all think of Judai as a dumbass, and he certainly can be hyperactive and reckless but Fubuki and Manjome, especially when they are together, share exactly one brain cell that only produces a non simping or duelling related thought once in a blue moon. Judai is the only one preventing them from jumping off a cliff. That being said, all three of them are dumbasses. Yes. Judai is just the designated driver when the other two go off and get drunk at a party. So I enjoy this dynamic.

Hangmanshipping (Saiou x Manjome x Judai)

Yet another dynamic I feel like Judai would just look at with concern based on the events of season 2. Very not my thing.

Harmshipping (Saiou x Yubel)

There’s two directions this could go: either they meet pre-Judai and Saiou realises that Yubel is sick with light of destruction disease and they team up against Judai. Or they meet post Judai and Yubel roasts Saiou. Either way, it’s funny and I approve.

Hasteshipping (Fubuki x Manjome x Misawa)

Fubuki and Manjome have a pretty established relationship in canon but I don’t really see Misawa adding to that? So not particularly my thing.

Hazeshipping (Darkness x Ryo x Judai)

Can’t really see this one since Judai straight up murdered Darkness.

Heroshipping (Edo x Judai)

Well Judai canonically called him cute and also they both use hero decks. They’ve got history and something to bond over and a competitive streak between them and even one-sided attraction, however fleeting or offhand it was for Judai. I can get behind this.

Hornetshipping (Misawa x Manjome)

These two feel like they’re only in the same friend group, or friend group adjacent, because of Judai. Their duel ended up getting Manjome kicked out of a the school for a while, I don’t feel like Manjome thinks of him all that fondly.

Hustleshipping (Chronos x Titan)

Titan was just a one off though he and Chronos had that one funny scene where Titan prevents him from seeing his back… it makes sense in context. Not my thing since he’s just a one off though.

Idolshipping (Ryo x Fubuki)

This one’s pretty fun. They’ve got very opposing personalities and lots of history and interactions in canon to back it up so I’m pretty on board with them as a ship even if it’s not my go-to.

Impassiveshipping (O’Brien x Ryo)

I can’t remember these two even interacting and they seem like they’d be way too stoic with each other. Not my thing.

Infernoshipping (Darkness x Fubuki)

This canonically has the narrative of being something toxic that Fubuki is struggling to pull away from and is repeatedly relapsing into so that’s really the only way I could see this as a ship? So definitely not something to romanticise. Yikes.

Influenceshipping (Saiou x Misawa x Edo)

Saiou’s a little too old for Edo in my mind and I don’t care for Misawa with either of them so I can’t get into this.

Insecurityshipping (Chronos x Napoleon x Kabayama)

More of the teachers. I’m not sure what mister Ra Yellow would add to this dynamic in all honesty so I guess I’m just neutral to this?

Jarshipping (Cobra x Yubel)

Can't really see this one since Yubel murdered him the second they could.

Jewelshipping (Manjome x Johan)

Little ray of sunshine Johan with emo boy Manjome I can definitely see, especially alongside Rival and Spirit. So this is a good one.

Joyfulshipping (Fubuki x Judai x Johan)

That’s a very fitting name since all three of these characters fall under the “saddest people smile the brightest” category. I love Judai/Johan. I can kind of see Judai/Fubuki and don’t know how Johan and Fubuki would interact. They could get along for Judai’s sake though.

Judgementshipping (Gravekeeper’s Leader x Sara)

Hard no. He holds way too much power over her and abuses that power by slapping her across the face. Bad.

Jurassicshipping (Kenzan x Sho)

Another one I got into during my rewatch. It’s a fun one, especially post-canon where they no longer have Judai to fight over and can realise “oh wait, you’re kind of cool actually.” Or even better: they liked each other the whole time and were garbage at expressing it. Great ship and stuff.

Keyshipping (Saiou x Judai x Edo)

Did I do this one already? I’m not sure. Don’t really care for either of them with Saiou though. Do love Judai/Edo but Saiou doesn’t add much to the dynamic for me.

Kiiroshipping (Kenzan x Misawa x Sho)

So… the three Ra Yellows of season 3? They were roommates and thus probably saw each other a lot that season before Misawa ran off. So… I can see where it comes from. Not sure what Misawa would add to the dynamic though.

Killshipping (Ryo x Johan x Yubel)

Part of my OT4. I think I’ve mostly covered my thoughts on these dynamics though, apart from Ryo/Johan which I’ll get to.

Koalashipping (Hayato x Sho)

These two seem more like brothers honestly.

Lateshipping (Yusuke x Yubel)

I mean I guess if Judai were with both of them I could see this making some sense. Otherwise it just feels too random.

Leftshipping (Darkness x Ryo)

This is just normal Ryo so it’s not a funny meme in my head, it’s just kind of sad.

Lithographshipping (Samejima x Pegasus)

They’re both garbage humans so I can totally understand this and get behind it.

Literateshipping (Fubuki x Jim Cook)

Another pair that I don’t think interacted in any substantial way So I can’t really see what dynamic they would have.

Lustfulshipping (Fubuki x Yubel)

This name and its implications are funny so it gets a thumbs up from me. I don’t think I need to explain why.

Majesticshipping (Ryo x Manjome)

I am… entirely unsure of this ship. I can’t remember any of their canon interactions so I have no idea how they’d interact. On the otter hand though, I’m not openly opposed to it. So… it's a maybe I guess?

Maskshipping (Fubuki x Yusuke)

YES. This is my favourite pairing for both of these characters honestly. Fubuki’s undying faith in him, coupled with his upbeat personality to contrast Yusuke’s reserved pessimism makes for such a fun dynamic. I love them so very much.

Meltshipping (O’Brien x Edo)

Well… they could bond over having dead parent trauma I guess. Not sure what else to grasp onto with this though so it’s not my thing.

Messengershipping (Saiou x Yusuke)

They are both former villains but I don’t really like Saiou so this isn’t my thing.

Mirroredshipping (Edo x Mizuchi)

Not my thing.

Mockshipping (Edo x Misawa)

Not my thing. Edo canonically thinks pretty poorly of Misawa honestly.

Nightshipping (Darkness x Camula)

Yes! What better partner for a vampire who feels safest in the darkness than Darkness himself! I have no complaints, this ship makes perfect sense.

Nihilityshipping (Darkness x Judai x Yubel)

No. Give Yubel back. They want to go back to Judai. DO NOT SEPARATE THEM.

Nocturnalshipping (Darkness x Fubuki x Manjome)

Really wish this was called Darkstormshipping since it’s Darkness x Stormshipping but oh well. The only way I can picture this is an AU where Manjome was also taken over by darkness and he and Fubuki go crazy together which sounds pretty fun. I’m down.

Northshipping (Edogara x Manjoume)

This is the gang leader guy at the North academy that Manjome beat. Honestly I don’t think Manjome has even spared this guy a passing thought since he returned back to Duel Academy so this one’s a nah.

Obeliskshipping (Chronos x Emi Ayukawa)

Not my thing.

Obsidianshipping (Fubuki x Manjome x Johan)

Not sure what Johan would add to this dynamic? But I do love him and I love Stormshipping so I can kinda see it.

Ojamashipping (Ojama Black x Ojama Green x Ojama Yellow)

They’re brothers so no.

Orangeshipping/Tutorshipping (Misawa x Judai)

Same ship, it just goes by two names apparently. Honestly Tutorshipping is better since it sticks out more. As for the ship itself, Misawa’s unique dialogue in Duel Links when Judai beats him is… pretty gay. I can see Misawa liking him easily, his dedication to beating Judai can certainly be read that way and I do enjoy a good rival ship. I like this one, just not as much as Judai’s other ships.

Orichalcumshipping (Jim Cook x O’Brien)

I can easily see this one after everything they went through together in season 3. They’re from different schools (I think) so it would likely be a long distance relationship and as someone in a long distance relationship, I relate pretty strongly. I dig this one.

Outbackshipping (O’Brien x Hayato)

Not as good as either of them with Jim. Could be fun in a polyship maybe though so I won’t dismiss this one entirely.

Outcastshipping (Yusuke x Edo)

Well… they’ve got the outcast thing in common, it’s right there in the name, and they were also both underlings to a greater evil. They could bond over that I suppose. Yusuke is prolly a bit old for him though so not my thing.

Peepershipping (Jim Cook x Yubel)

…why is it called that?

Why is that the ship name?

I’m concerned.

Anyways, I don’t ship it because I can’t picture a dynamic between them.

Personnelshipping (Samejima x Chronos x Tome)

So… the principal and his wife with that one cringe fail teacher. Nah.

Playshipping (Saiou x Gin)

This is the guy Saiou viciously punished for disobedience whom we never saw again… yeah can’t really ship it personally.

Portalshipping (Ryo x Judai x Johan)

Yes, I’m so very down for this one. Judai and Johan should absolutely induct big scary Kaiser Ryo into their relationship and attempt to fluster the crap out of him as he sits there more confused than flustered. That would be great.

Possessshipping (Judai x Johan x Yubel)

I have… sort of written this one. Multiple times, I’ve written Judai dating both Judai and Johan in a polyamorous situation but I haven’t written Johan/Yubel in a non-platonic context. So I love this as a vee and potentially like it as a throuple, though I wouldn’t know for sure. I like it in theory, but I'm not sure about it in practice. For now at least.

Primaryshipping (Judai x Manjome x Misawa)

One student of each dorm in a polyship sounds great not gonna lie. Destroy the elitism bullshit!

Principalshipping (Samejima x Chronos x Napoleon)

Huh. These three were all principal at one point weren’t they? Disapprove because Chronos gets character development later that makes him too good for these guys.

Prizeshipping (Samejima x Tome)

These two are canonically married aren’t they? Well you know what? They’re annoying so fuck this ship. /hj

Professorshipping (Chronos x Daitokuji x Kabayama)

Sure. The leaders of each dorm colour joining together in harmony and putting an end to Duel Academia’s elitism would be ideal. I ship it.

Proposalshipping (Abidos x Judai)

For a one off character and pairing, this is actually pretty cute and fun. I like how Judai calls him “your majesty” the whole time yet simultaneously treats him way more casually than you probably should treat a royal. And yet that’s exactly what Abidos ended up needing and liking. It’s cute, I love their duel and it’s a fun idea. I just admittedly prefer other ships.

Proshipping (Ryo x Edo)

I considered Ryo/Edo really briefly when first watching GX but uh… there’s a lot of unaddressed baggage between them and they’re a little far apart in age and places in life so it never really stuck with me.

Proveshipping (Edo x Hayato)

They both have daddy issues but it’s completely different breeds of daddy issues so I’m not sure how this would work.

Purpleshipping (Daitokuji x Chronos)

Chronos hates cats and Daitokuji is clearly a cat person with a cat so this definitely wouldn’t work out. Could be funny though.

Pyriteshipping (Ryo x Edo x Johan)

All three of these characters I ship more with Judai than with each other. That said, while Ryo/Edo is kind of a weird one for me, I can see both of the Johan ships here so it’s still a decent combination. I’d take it.

Quipshipping (Manjome x Kenzan x Sho)

The way I picture this is Manjome munching popcorn while Kenzan and Sho fight. Sounds pretty dysfunctional but also funny so I’m down for it.

Quizshipping (Judai x Tsugio)

I think I know exactly who that character is without looking it up just based on the ship name. But just to be sure.

*One Opera search later*

Yup. This was a one off duel but a really fun memorable one for a guy like me who loves game shows. Not my go to but I’m glad it exists and that it has this name.

Reapershipping (Juudai x Tachibana)

Another one off character, and one I don’t remember so I have no interest in this ship.

Rebirthshipping (Amnael x Daitokuji)

This is just Daitokuji with himself so nope.

Refinementshipping (Jim Cook x Misawa)

I don’t see the connection.

Reflectionshipping (Mizuchi x Mirror Mizuchi)

Again with the selfcest. No thanks.

Reflectorshipping (Darkness x Fubuki x Judai)

Ah yes. Judai murdered their lover. May the Darkness demon rest in pieces.

Can’t get into this ship in any genuine way, but at least it’s funny.

Repayshipping (Judai x Manjome x Yubel)

For Judai, I imagine this would work out just fine but it really does depend on Manjome and Yubel getting along and Manjome… is definitely one to hold a grudge. So I’m not sure about that. Could still work though.

Researchshipping (Yusuke x Misawa)

They’ve never met and I can’t really see a situation where they would. Not my thing.

Retconshipping (Darkness x Yusuke)

This would definitely explain some things about season 4. /jjj

Not my thing though.

Retireshipping (Edo x Manjome x Judai)

Pre season 4 or maybe even post canon, this is a fun combination of Judai and two of his rivals. Considering season 4 though, Edo is Manjome’s boss which I’ve mentioned is uncomfortable. Like I said earlier, if Manjome quit and took one of those other offers, it might be fine. So I’m mixed on this one.

Reunionshipping (Supreme King x Yubel)

Gonna actually be interpreting this as Judai and Yubel’s past lives. I don’t know if that’s actually what it is but a lot of these ship names don’t seem to be used nowadays and I’m using them more for organisation purposes at this point. Plus I just want to talk about Judai and Yubel’s past lives. We don’t know much about them, as we only see the one flashback but in that flashback, Yubel is willing to endure a horrific looking process and take on the form of a monster just to protect Judai. Meanwhile, Judai didn’t want them to hurt themself to protect him but after the fact, vows to love them forever. That’s just the right amount of touching and tragic for me and I really wish we saw more of these past lives. Maybe if the whole season had Judai having flashbacks to this past life and that scene in the season 3 finale was actually just the reveal that the person he was seeing the whole time was Yubel? I think that would’ve solved the problem people have of that decision of Judai’s being rushed. I never had a problem with it personally but this would have been better I admit. Anyways, I dig this ship.

Revealshipping (Edo x Sho)

Don’t see the connection here.

Rhymeshipping (Manjome x Junko)

I honestly always mix up Asuka’s two friends whose only interest is making sure GX doesn’t pass the bechdel test. I think Junko had a crush on Manjome though? If she did, then sure this ship makes sense.

Rivalshipping (Manjome x Judai)

Yeah, I like this one. Always enjoyed their dynamic after Manjome joined Slifer Red. It’s a fun one, though I’ll admit I prefer Fusion, Spirit, and Soul.

Rockyshipping (Jim Cook x Judai x Johan)

I love this one. These three are all the same breed of dork and canonically hit it off well so I’m very supportive of them as a throuple. It’s silly and cute and sweet.

Ruinshipping (Darkness x Light of Destruction)

I agree. These two should stop fighting and just kiss. For the good of the universe of course.

Sacrificeshipping (Amon x Echo)

This is a plotpoint: Echo repeatedly says how much she loves him, it’s pretty much her whole motivation, and Amon at the very least claims he loves her, because sacrificing a person he loves was the requirement to control Exodia. That being said, they are also very much intended to be an abusive relationship. Amon is intended to be selfishly using Echo’s love to benefit himself. It’s twisted and horrible and exactly why I like Amon as a villain: he’s irredeemably selfish and borderline sociopathic and all of that leads to a very interesting villain to root against. I think the way he plays off and contrasts with Yubel in their duel is especially fascinating and makes Yubel almost seem sympathetic by comparison, which is definitely important to set up. So I like this pairing’s inclusion in GX. I think it makes the story and Amon’s character stronger because of the fact that it is a toxic relationship. I would never genuinely ship it but I’m glad it was included in the series.

Sakoshipping (Winged Kuriboh x Ojama Yellow)

No thanks. Winged Kuriboh deserves better.

Saviourshipping (Jim Cook x Judai)

I agree. They hit it off well and Jim was even willing to sacrifice himself in an attempt to bring Judai back from the darkness that had consumed his heart, something he couldn’t do but O’Brien followed through with. I prefer it platonically but I can see it romantically.

Scepticalshipping (Manjome x Yubel)

Can’t see this working out on its own. Manjome would definitely hold too much of a grudge against Yubel to even consider this.

Seasonshipping (Yusuke x Edo x Johan)

This seems a little… random but I’m not against it. I love all three characters so seeing them interact would be nice.

Sempaishipping (Judai x Sorano)

I see more of a connection between Sorano and Kenzan though I’m not super into either with him being so minor.

Serveshipping (Saiou x Manjome x Edo)

Power imbalances everywhere with this one. Yikes no.

Sevenshipping (Darkness x Amnael x Don Zaloog x Titan x Abidos x Taniya x Camilla)

So basically the Seven Stars, with Darkness instead of Fubuki, all in a polycule? That’s funny as a crackship but definitely wouldn’t work out.

Severshipping (Fubuki x Yusuke x Judai)

Love Yusuke/Fubuki, as I mentioned, and I adore Judai though him with them are admittedly some of Judai’s weaker ships. I could still get into it though. Decent ship.

Shadowshipping (Ryo x Yusuke)

They were implied to be friends before canon and while we never got to see them interact in modern day, I can still see this ship. Having not read or seen any fanwork of them, the way I picture their potential dynamic is Yusuke’s sensitivity bringing out Ryo’s softer side which sounds really cute. I dig.

Shakeshipping (Fubuki x Misawa)

Not sure these two ever interacted? Though it’s definitely possible with how many episodes there are. Still don’t really see it though.

Shallowshipping (Fubuki x Momoe)

It would not surprise me if Momoe liked Fubuki. Her… best friend’s brother.

…I’m surprised that PMV doesn’t exist with either of Asuka’s friends with Fubuki. Don’t care for this ship though.

Shockshipping (Makoto x Sho)

No, Makoto damn near killed Sho’s brother a second time.

Showbizshipping (Fubuki x Edo)

Because Edo is a pro duellist and Fubuki has the attitude of a pro duellist? Yeah, I can actually see this one. Fubuki would be overly theatrical and get on Edo’s nerves which would be funny.

Shunshipping (Manjome x Misawa x Edo)

Can’t believe Arc V stole a name from a GX ship. Smh. /j

Manjome has duelled both of them but I still can’t really see this one.

Sidekickshipping (Kenzan x Hayato)

They’ve never met and just sort of fulfil similar roles in Judai’s friend group. At least that’s how I felt about it. It very much felt like Kenzan was replacing Hayato. Not my thing.

Singularshipping (O’Brien x Misawa)

They do both have calculating personalities but that’s about the only connection I can see. Plus I prefer ships with opposing personalities so this isn’t really my thing.

Smoochshipping (Sho x Dark Magician Girl)

This is the worst pairing that I have been presented with in this list, apart from the ones I disqualified. It’s fine when he’s got a one-sided crush but making it seem like he has a chance with this spirit he can’t even see feels like pure Dark Magician Girl fanservice which I have always found kind of creepy.

Snootyshipping (Ryo x Manjome x Edo)

They are all indeed snooty bitches. I know I have my problems with Manjome/Edo, but I’m actually down for this snooty throuple.

Soldiershipping (O’Brien x Jim Cook x Kenzan)

I like O’Brien/Jim but I don’t see what Kenzan even has to do with either of them?

Soulshipping (Yubel x Judai)

I may just be the biggest defender of this pairing and plot point on the planet. It’s definitely canon from Yubel’s end in the sub and at first, yeah, it seems extremely fucked up. Yubel seems almost delusional for the vast majority of season 3. The moment where it’s shown that they were in love in their past lives however made it click for me. Suddenly everything made sense to me and Yubel’s actions, which were also at least somewhat influenced by the Light of Destruction, were put into a different, more understandable light. It made sense to me. Reincarnation is something I genuinely believe in. This wasn’t some fantasy justification for Judai suddenly returning Yubel’s love, it felt real and genuine. Of course Judai has feelings for Yubel after memories of his past life returned to him: he isn’t just learning something he had no knowledge of. The way I saw it, all of those feelings and experiences from his past life were rushing back and hitting him all at once in that scene so it made perfect sense to me that he would choose to fuse their souls together. Yubel sacrificed something for him in their past lives and Judai loved them so much that he wanted to do the same to help them. Yubel was being tormented by the light of destruction. The strength of Judai’s feelings as expressed by his past life convinces me that he would absolutely want to put an end to Yubel’s torment, no matter what happened to him, just as Yubel did in their past lives. I get that to some people it feels rushed, I really do, and more could have been done to build it up without giving away this twist. However, the narrative gave me just enough for me to believe that Judai and Yubel’s love was genuine and powerful. It’s a beautiful scene to me. It shows love in its most powerful, most painful form and shows Judai’s growth excellently. I love this pairing and I always will, no matter what anyone says.

Spectrumshipping (Fubuki x Johan)

This one’s alright. I can’t remember them interacting on any level but I can still see it working out.

Spinshipping (Saiou x Johan)

I don’t like Saiou much in general so I don’t see any appeal of this ship.

Spiritshipping (Johan x Judai)

My… either second favourite or tied for favourite ship in GX. I have less of a personal connection to Spirit than I do Soul (though that being said the Spirit/Soul fic I wrote was what made me realise I’m polyamorous) but Spirit does have more moments between the two characters. They’re really about even for me. I love Judai and Johan’s interactions and bond in season 3 and 4. They’re very cute and sweet and get along really well. I love them.

Spotlightshipping (Fubuki x Judai x Edo)

Take what I said about Fubuki/Edo and add Judai. I love Judai. He makes everything he’s in a million times better so he makes this ship better too.

Squealshipping (Fubuki x Junko)

Same as Fubuki/Momoe. Wouldn’t care for it but it wouldn’t surprise me or even upset me.

Staffshipping (Daitokuji x Emi)

Don’t see the appeal.

Startershipping (Winged Kuriboh x Ruby Carbuncle)

Enemies to loves 100k slow burn startershipping fic when? This sounds so damn funny. I’m down.

Stormshipping (Fubuki x Manjome)

Honestly the first time I saw that episode where Fubuki gives Manjome advice on how to seduce Asuka or whatever, I remember saying out loud, “I think I’d rather ship these two.”

And to this day, I still do. It’s cute, they spend a lot of time together and seem like at the very least good friends. The “master” thing is a little weird but it’s funny so it gets a pass.

Strengthshipping (Saiou x Kenzan)

Saiou with the one guy who couldn’t be brainwashed into joining his cult? That would be kinda funny.

Stridentshipping (Kenzan x Ryo)

Don’t see this one since Ryo had already graduated by the time Kenzan was introduced.

Sturdyshipping (Kenzan x Misawa x Tania)

But. But why though? No.

Superiorshipping (Edo x Johan)

Yeah sure why not? There’s potential with this dynamic, partially through Judai, but also their connections with their cards.

Sweetshipping (Sho x Momoe)

I feel like this one is a big no for me since one of their only interactions is in the episode where Momoe, Junko, and Asuka all accuse him of being a pervert for an honestly justifiable reason. So nope.

Swoonshipping (Edo x Momoe)

It wouldn’t surprise me if she called him cute, Judai called Edo cute after all. It’s not enough basis for a ship for me though.

Tchotchkeshipping (Trueman x Pegasus)

Well they are both villains. Former villain in Pegasus’s case though and they have entirely different motives so I can’t really see this one.

Teachershipping (Samejima x Chronos)

I get where this comes from but I’m too far into my “hating the principal as a meme” joke to get into this, especially since Chronos improves overtime and principal guy just gets worse. Also, principal guy is his boss so there’s a clear power imbalance.

Tealshipping (Ryo x Johan)

This one I actually got into kinda recently. I don’t remember how, I think it was just from seeing posts of it on Tumblr randomly and thinking it was cute. Because it is. It’s big stoic emo Ryo thinking the dorky sweet creature that is Johan is cute. Opposites attract ships are cute to me dang it.

Tempshipping (Chronos x Daitokuji x Napoleon)

Daitokuji was very dead by the time Napoleon first appeared in the show so I can’t really see this one.

Tennisshipping (Mitsuru x Judai)

I hate Mitsuru’s guts though I admit it would’ve been both funny and horrifying if he pulled an Alito after his duel with Judai and jumped ship from crushing on Asuka to crushing on Judai.

Tetranshipping (Judai x Gin)

“For a white, you’re a pretty interesting guy.” That’s the only thing I remember and not gonna lie, it’s a pretty solid foundation. If only Gin hadn’t fuckin died.

Thirdshipping (Martin x Rei)

I like this one. Their interactions in canon are minimal but enough to convince me that they’re friends. They’re both so much younger than everyone else at the school (or at least I assumed that was the case with Martin) so I think it’s sweet that they have each other. Also they were friends in my trans Rei fanfic and I can’t help it.

Thoughtfulshipping (Misawa x Sho)

Sho kinda bullies him in season 2 which is what makes him eventually turn to the Society of Light so I can’t see this one at all.

Thundershipping (Manjoume White Thunder x Manjoume)

Manjome: *sees his brainwashed self*

Also Manjome: God I am so hot.

Yeah, that sounds like the cringe-fail Manjome I know. Still don’t like the ship though :P

Thwartshipping (Darkness x Saiou x Judai)

The harsh darkness and light of destruction fighting over the gentle darkness boy. That sure is something. Not my thing but funny.

Tigershipping (Misawa x Tania)

Oh jeez here we go. Never thought I’d tell this story.

The first time I watched GX and saw Misawa adamantly refusing the idea of romantic love, my first reaction was to headcanon him as aromantic. So… you can imagine my disappointment when he started randomly falling for Tania the more she flirted with him. Now, obviously, headcanons like that for me aren’t that serious, especially the aromantic ones. I headcanoned both GX Ryo and Zexal Rio as ace/aro for a while before going back on the aromantic part, likely because I’m not aro myself. Believe me, my problem with this ship isn’t a short-lived headcanon being debunked: it’s the fact that the first time I saw GX, I assumed she was way older than him. She looks like she’s in her 30s and Misawa is irrefutably a minor. Tania is a huge creep if she actually is that old. The fandom seems to disagree with me on that though and assume Tania is younger since this is a fairly popular ship. And I don’t think Tania’s age is ever mentioned so if that’s how you interpret it, that’s fine. I just can’t agree.

Toastshipping (Misawa x Johan)

I could kind of see it? I don’t remember them interacting but Johan can get along with just about anyone so most of his ships feel probable in my mind.

Toppleshipping (O’Brien x Yusuke)

Can’t see this one after all the shit Trueman, Yusuke’s… comrade(?) did to O’Brien.

Topshipping (Ryo x Fubuki x Judai)

…why is it called that? Whatever, I like all these individual ships so slapping them together sounds good to me. I dig it and stuff.

Traitorshipping (Saiou x Manjome)

Oh jeez the power imbalance with this one is horrendous. It could never feasibly be a healthy relationship. So I can't get into it.

Tremorshipping (Saiou x Sho)

This also sounds rather imbalanced, though maybe not quite as drastically depending on how you look at it? Still don’t like it.

Triangleshipping (Pegasus x Chronos x Napoleon)

Shoulda called it Threewayshipping /j

Not my thing though.

Truemanshipping (Trueman x Trueman Clones)

Okay I know I said no selfcest shipping but uh… it’s fine as a crack ship. This is a crack ship that I can get behind because it’s funny.

Twilightshipping (Judai x Dark Magician Girl)

Absolutely not. I hate shipping Dark Magician Girl, yes that includes Mana, with anyone.

Twitchshipping (Darkness x Judai)

Nope, that’s just a demon Judai killed.

Undeadshipping (Abidos x Camula)

Hey Abidos was at least somewhat kind-hearted. Camula though was just pure evil. So I don’t see how this would work.

Unfathomableshipping (Ryo x Fubuki x Sara)

Well that’s an incredibly accurate ship name because where the hell did this come from? That one-off line? That implied nothing about Ryo so this is just confusing.

Unmaskshipping (Judai x Ohara x Kohara)

I like Kohara and Ohara but more so with each other than with Judai. Judai has much stronger relationships with others that are more fun to ship. Not a bad ship, I just have other preferences is all.

Vanillashipping (Saiou x Ryo)

…I’m really really really really sorry, I truly am but I have to say it:

These two seem like anything BUT vanilla.

…and unfortunately, out of every Saiou ship, that means it has the most appeal to me, even if just in a stupid memey way.

Vertigoshipping (Fubuki x Junko x Momoe)

Shipping Asuka’s two female friends with her brother. Sure what could possibly go wrong?

Volcanoshipping (Darkness x O’Brien)

No. After how badly Darkness’s lackey screwed with O’Brien in their duel, this is a hard no.

Voltageshipping (Jinzo x Judai)

No, Judai deserves better than someone who tried to kill him.

Wallabyshipping (Jim Cook x Sho)

Nah, not my thing.

Waxshipping (O’Brien x Fubuki)

Don’t really see the connection here?

Wingshipping (Avian x Burstinatrix)

I mean admittedly, I would see this one if not for the Rei introduction episode where Avian and Sparkman berate themselves for falling for a girl.

Woeshipping (Fubuki x Yusuke x Manjome)

Yusuke having two cringe fail boyfriends who cringe fail date each other and him is pretty peak not gonna lie. I love it.

Yellowshipping (Kenzan x Misawa)

Honestly outside of sharing a dorm, they really don’t have anything in common? So this ship doesn’t particularly interest me.

Zooshipping (Fubuki x Judai)

Still really wanna know the story behind this ship name. We’re ending with a good ship in my eyes though. I like this one.

And now since I covered quite a few ships, here are my top 5 favourites:

#5 Jurassicshipping

#4 Fusionshipping

#3 Maskshipping & Stormshipping

#2 Spiritshipping

#1 Soulshipping

[dudeyuri]

bad buddy fandom getting-to-know-you meme!

note: i consider "fanworks" to pretty much everything people create related to a fandom, including but not limited to meta/analysis/discussion, gifs, fanvids/edits/fancams, filk, fanart, fanfic, fan food, fan crafts, etc. please include this note with the meme unless you have a different definition!

name and whatever you want to share about yourself

hi i’m yarrow, she/her, i’m 28, i’m bisexual, i’m having the time of my life. i live in NY. if you’re a mutual who also lives in NY by any chance we should be friends

when did you watch bad buddy/join the fandom?

watching bad buddy was the first thing i did this year and it didn’t take me long after to make this blog. it hit me so unbelievably hard, i was reeling, i’m still reeling. i know i’m preaching to the choir but for me it’s unlike anything i’ve loved before. i had been out of fandom for like. almost ten years. before bbs (and a small handful of other beloved thai bls) yanked me back in

favorite ship(s)

well you know. the obvious one. inkpa too OF COURSE. waikorn cracks me up even if i’m a nonbeliever. i loved whatever was happening between pat, pran, phupha, and tian. and i also love, in a platonic way, pran’s dynamic with ink (he makes fun of her bracelet/fakes her out by saying he also liked her…as a friend. it’s very endearing very sibling-in-law) and pran’s dynamic with pa (in bbs but also in bbsos2) 

favorite character(s)

god how to choose between pat and pran. they are both characters of all time. well-developed with idiosyncrasies and penchants for lying and performing and slipping into roles and reversing roles. especially when they’re with each other of course. i might choose pran simply because i see more of myself in pat if that makes sense

favorite episode(s)

it’s probably episode 5, or episode 11. both these episodes just take everything out of me. you know why. runners up: episode 3 and episode 12. this is hard to pick because there is not a single episode i wouldn't enjoy (lol) randomly rewatching. all bangers no skips

favorite scene(s)

i love the scene in episode 4 of pat telling pran his dimples are cute. episode 5 fight scene my beloved. then there's the entirety of the bet era like aside from how perfect it is for pat and pran…it’s just peak romance, peak build-up, such a pleasure to watch. i reeeeeally do love the fantasy sequence of pat and pran eating dinner with pran’s parents in episode 11, i’m fascinated by it in a meta sense but also it hurts so good. i like ming and dissaya hearing pat and pran laughing and singing together in pran’s room in ep12 and being utterly powerless to stop it. it’s like, the show didn’t necessarily need all of ep 12, but it was such a welcome and fitting epilogue to these beloved characters and their love. pat and pran are gonna be alright... 

one thing you would change about the show if you could

i really appreciate all of its imperfections honestly but. it would have to be the aftermath of wai outing pat and pran. even in my first watch it was a head scratcher that pran was expected to be the one apologizing. it just didn’t add up. there was a weight behind what was happening that the show didn’t realize. i can rationalize it and explain it away to make wai somewhat less heinous in universe but it really should have been treated as what it was: an outing. also yes let ink and pa kiss.

what are your some of your favorite fanworks made by other people? 

you know i’m a sucker for @kit-teung's art

and for @hereforlou's art. pure domestic bliss that pat and pran have EARNED. this is the fanart reimaginings they deserve. also i love their little cowlicks

@miscellar's meta series the comprehensive shrek breakdown of pat and pran's story in our skyy (particularly for ep3 which i linked). i was in the trenches those two weeks in late may/early june and these posts (and their dms) were my guiding light...all of miscellar's meta is extremely baller and forever on the bbs 101 syllabus in my mind. and for some reason i’m waiting to read more bad buddy fanfiction until after i finish my own BBS fic but I’m excited to read their zombie patpran. so it gets an honorable mention here + they get so many anons singing its praise like i literally can't wait

also I’m not on Twitter much at all but the other day I read @dimplesandfierceeyes's pinned thread and listen it got me through the day. just read it if you haven't.

@transpat's "pre-relationship patpran and haq" post about the unspoken entitlement they entrust each other with. a deep dive into their pre-relationship dynamic. it's so good. an all-time bbs meta

@ranchthoughts (and me a little) talking about Pran's "Pat you've got to stop doing this to me" line in ep 5 here. i fucking LOVE this line and this meta. ranch's baseball mom shirt meta also required reading

"Bad Buddy, Tragedy, and Queer Futures" essay by @chickenstrangers, another all-time bbs meta, required reading. i go back to this one a lot

(if you create fanworks) what are your favorite fanworks that you’ve made?

my favorite bbs fanwork I’ve made is the unreleased patpran timeloop WIP that has been burning a hole in my gdocs for the past month. i’m having so much fun writing it but wow it’s also driving me up the fucking wall (affectionate)

i also really enjoyed all the meltdowns in the tags/notes when i posted this about that ep11 scene i love. and then this is my love letter to bbs, i think it still holds up idk my bbs os2-induced manic episode is all a blur.

idk anything else you want us to know?

thanks @fiercynn this was so cute 

i’m tagging some mutuals who post about bbs fairly often who i havent seen do this yet (i think?? i’ve been kind of absent lately). if i didn’t tag you and you want to do it please do, you can say i tagged you <3

@chickenstrangers @miscellar @hereforlou @ranchthoughts @midnightfreeway @philologique @neonsbian

[jenyifer]

Dead Friend Forever ep 4 initial reaction

Well I watched this one without the trigger guide. It did make me almost puke but I wanted to test myself a little. Also man if this isn’t the best BL I’ve seen in a long long time. I love that the BL element isn’t the focus for rn. It’s so intriguing omg. Just really surprising and not relying on magic or anything particularly rogue just true crime, and psychology. Really really interesting I love it can’t recommend enough. Even though yes the blood is an issue for me it’s worth it

Okay let’s get on to the photo review!!

Okay I can’t do that without a gun being pointed at me also Princess White has really struggled throughout this whole thing. He’s arguably the most observant character and the most stupid character. I swear at the beginning when Jin and Phee are looking for a knife to cut Por free with they find a full surgeons kit in the kitchen. Have these boys not been eating as well as not sleeping because if so the mental behavior of at least Fluke is semi understandable.

Phee does have main character energy so I’m not surprised he is doing so well. But what a persistent ex? I mean Jin is leaving. Give it a rest.

Yeah Tee knows Non is dead they killed the shit out of him. Now… I guess we have to think this was Top’s plan all along but… he’s not really doing well so I’m not 100% on board that it was just him running about in a mask. Tan is the smartest boy I’m glad he’s headed back to the house. If I had to pick one to have a crush on I think I’m putting my money on Tan.

Maybe someone who could be wearing the mask as well? I assume we are going to see who he is in flash back.

Okay so the Google translation is that Joe laundered 300 million. So we know these things 1 Por’s family is rich bought the forest they are in 2 Tee is possibly part of a crime family and is rich. Hypothetically if we believe Top is doing this for revenge for Tee and Por getting away with murdering Non then… I’d say their families would be well placed to make Non’s murder conveniently go away.

Kind of think Top killing Por here is a mercy killing at this point. There is no way he would have survived transport. I don’t know how he made it that far tbh. But so Top comes back let’s talk about that. He comes back after fighting 4 guys by himself with green puke on him. Like he’s been… poisoned? Force poisoned? Or was it a rouse? I don’t think so he looked really sick. If Top was the bad guy why didn’t he kill tee when they were alone together so many times. Why did he come back when he heard Fluke was going crazy??? That going back then became utmost importance? Was it because White said he had seen the tape? Why if Top wants revenge did he try to destroy the hard drive. I have lots of questions wish I had had to wait a week for this so I could have speculated with everyone. I bet it was really fun. I would love to go back and watch episodes which is always a good sign.

Okay so Fluke. He’s aware of what happened. He’s smart enough to think of the police. I do think he’s had a mental breakdown from not eating, not sleeping, and the pressure of watching Por then having him die. Also Tee and Top treat him like shit so if I had to imagine how the friendship tree goes I’d say Por was probably Fluke’s actual friend and maybe Fluke was friends with Non and wasn’t sure exactly what happened to him. Not enough to go to the police? However I’m not sure what his plan is? Get rid of everyone hide bodies or get rid of himself?

Top laying all the Blame at Tee’s feet. Wellllll I think it’s probably more than just Tee but I guess we shall see.

What would I do?

If I was in the house group I’d try to keep calm get the gun away from Fluke then hopefully gather as many people and supplies as possible and head out don’t come back until you hit a road and find people. Yea you will be investigated for murder. But my hands are clean and the forensics will show that. Hopefully you have the tape on you.

If I was with Phee and Jin get out of the temple thing follow the road to where ever to find people. Don’t go back to the house. Just find people get help. They are in the best position for it. There HAS TO BE an access trail.

[kob131]

And completed both Tea Parties (Episode 2 apĺnd Episode 2's Witch Side).

A. So Berkenstal was the protagonist of the first set of games, now aiding Battler against Beatrice because she knows his pain. Neat, maybe I'll go check out Higrashi after this.

B. There seems to be some kind of conceptual battle betwern the witches and their powers, Beatrice being 'Endless', Berkenstal being 'Miracles' and the new girl Lambdabesta being 'Certainty'.

'Certainity' beats 'Endless' because once you reach the end, it's no longer Infinity.

And 'Miracles' beat 'Certainty' because a miracle surpasses any known limit or end.

I'm not saying they represent these ideas, just that they hint at their true natures. Which confuses me- Berkenstal's ability actually surpasses them both. 'Endless' supposedly beats 'Miracles', likely under the idea that a miracle doesnt matter to endless failures. ... But that doesn't matter. A miracle would still surpass it.

There really is no reason for Beatrice to let her stay unless she didn't care all THAT much about winning. Which...yeah, sadists WANT to win

3. Battler is also in the Witches' room, he just ain't talking. Too devastated from his loss I guess. And of course, Beatrice's response is 'force feed Rosa her siblings'.

Because this bitch has never read a Greek Myth before.

4. Speaking of- the witches and even the character talk about Beatrice falling into patterns and making things overly complex, losing sight of her goal in her means.

Makes sense. She pulled the 'locked room' scenario roughly...seven times now? After a while, Battler's gonna find the chink in the armor. Especially since she suffered a humiliating defeat simply because she wanted to indulge in seeing his pain. A woman who lived for a thousand years lost to a boy who hasn't lived TWENTY. Bitch showed she could screw him over and yet he got a clean hit in regardless. And her screwing him over was clearly done as a result of her bruised ego.

She keeps pulling shit like that and she'll find herself unable to recover. I'll even bet that as the game progresses, Beatrice will start losing more conflicts even as Battler breaks, likely leading to the Answer Arc being him revisiting his lost fights and winning the rematches, all because her sadism has made her predictable.

Still, it was such a joy to hear Dread of the Grave play as she announced her 'perfect' victory. Which reminds me-

5. Beatrice has some unresolved issues with Kinzo, doesn't she? That whole bit of her following him around, trying to meet with him, showing up as he said he loved her and mentioning that no human woman would love him for that...before saying she wasn't human.

Combine that with how Battler's breakdown mirrored Kinzo's wailing, Genji's own comment that Battler is like his grandfather in his youth (i.e. when Beatrice met him), how the Character tab mentions him inheriting Kinzo's magical resistance and how her taunt of Battler rising again DIRECTLY has her compare him to Kinzo in a flattering way-

This whole game is just her working through her Kinzo issues using Battler as a substitute, isn't it?

[songoftrillium]

Dead Mountain Development Update #2 03/08/2023

Hello kinfolks! I'm happy to say the team has already grown! We are now working with a friend named Sif (they/xe) that's agreed to take on copy editing and chronicle layout, and my partner Chee (they/she) has come aboard as the dedicated proof-reader! Additionally, one of my players, ExcelGarou (she/her), has granted us permission to use her data in this project, and her contributions along with everyone else's will be fairly paid a share of the profits from sales. And now, on to the project updates:

First Up: Our Discord Server is now live!

Come say hi, check out some of what we already have to share, get early access to chronicle content, follow announcements, ask questions, and get involved!

Podcast Updates, and a poll!

As for the chronicle itself, we've hit some major marks on the audio production front. We're now about 8 sessions in on this chronicle with my players, and that's a total of 16 podcast episodes. I am working on editing episode 6, and I gotta say it's really coming together. I'd say we're about at that point where we have enough of a buffer of episodes that we could technically start releasing them now. The first 4 episodes have a bit of mud in their mixing, but by episode 5 I've started dialing in the ACX audio standards, and I think by episode 7 we'll have pretty much nailed getting it about as close to radio drama as we can hit it with our extremely limited budget. For a series recorded with all voices on a single track on consumer mics, I'm really tickled with how well this has all come together. Our plan is to release this series to the public for free, with each session released in two parts, and episodes published on Wednesdays on Podbean. And that leads me to wonder if there's any interest out there for me to start releasing episodes in the near future, or wait until August for the series to completely wrap recording sessions and officially conclude our playthrough of Act 1. My players and I think we really have something special, and would love to share our story with you.

If you like what you see, please give this post a share for visibility!

Production Progress: 60% complete

33,667 words written

Great news is we are WAY ahead of schedule in terms of how long I thought this would take to produce, but also we're getting into the more drawn out parts: the actual chronicle. There will be multiple speedups and slowdowns over the course of chronicle development. Below is a breakdown of development and progress.

Content Guidelines and Chronicle Framework: 100% complete

We've settled on Storyteller's Vault as our primary release platform, and are adopting their content guidelines for publishing. The book will be presented as a softcover sourcebook laid out in a style consistent with Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition, but it will be limited to a softcover print with black and white text and monochrome artwork on the interior, keeping aligned with prior edition chronicle sourcebook aesthetics. All statted NPCs are being put together using ExcelGarou's Build-a-Veteran standards, keeping their stats around the same power and ability curve as similarly build antagonists and protagonists. Prior to releasing the full edition, I hope to release a text-only screenreader-friendly edition if I can find someone to assist when we get closer to Fall. This chronicle is systems agnostic, but utilizes terminology from 5th edition.

Chronicle Outline: 100% complete

I have all my chapters and stories sorted in my own notes, and just this last week I finished the concept of the core villains that will close this act, as well as how to get there. To that end, I have the entire 'big picture' of this chronicle all complete and ready to deliver to my players. The real work here involves transcribing my notes into legible sections that someone other than myself can parse out lol and on that front a ton of progress has been made. To that end we can kind of go over the different stages of this rollout

Outline

Rough Draft

Proof-Read

Revision

Approve Final Text

Assess Readiness - Establish art quotes and licensing agreements valid for the duration of the crowdfunding period - All writing completed and committed to publishing - All copy editing completed and committed - All content reviewed with a lawyer to ensure compliance with STV Content Guidelines - All images sourced from Werewolf print stock placeholders or produced in-house - Minimal advertising in appropriate circles: self-funded - Set up a subscription system based on early access, playtesting, - Generate interest by growing out the server through word of mouth, forums, reddit et al and using that as the first-point of contact for news and information. - Set up a sync with the tumblr to send content to a news stream in Discord Server - Commissioned flat color graphic of Dume'fa for back cover and screenprinting licensing

LEGENDS OF THE GAROU: 12% complete

This section is happening in 9 parts told as an epic set 3,000 years before the Ipergium, when Sept of the Trillium Glade was first founded. It is a 9-part epic, in sections meant to be recited at moots in-game. To create locations, names, and spirits that align with this primordial time, I've taken the time to develop a root language for garou tongue that I call First Tongue. I have enough of an infrastructure on this language complete enough that I am able to go about assigning names to the various nouns in this act. In addition to this groundwork, I have pt 1 of the epic completed, mostly exposition, but that's the nature of epics. Now that the language part is done, the rest should fall into place. I am intending to use geological events to sorta dictate a lot of these stories, to help ground players in the setting. I anticipate work on this will be progressive and it's completion will mark the beginning of layout.

Geography: 57.5% complete

This section was generally where I started my world build and is far-and-away the most complete, both in terms of the world of mortals and the protectorates of the garou that live there.

Trillium: 100% The town is completely finished. I have maps complete and ready to publish, and all points-of-interest have concise summaries and story seeds.

Macredie Station: 95% The community west of Trillium is nearly finished. I need to complete a write-up of H&H Mining, but am holding off committing it to paper until my players have to visit the site in-game.

Protectorate of Ephemeral Mist: 50% This is the region that lies in between Eugene and Waldo Lake. I have a few sites committed here, but I haven't completed fall creek, a description of Highway 712, or done a write-up for the ephemeral pools that can be found here or Spirit Falls.

Protectorate of Hammer Butte: 30% This region has recently been introduced to my players, where they visited Hammer Butte and the Newberry Caldera, andy hunted Thunderwyrm. There are a number of important stories that take place in this protectorate, but are more likely to come to fruition when this Chronicle enters it's endgame.

Antagonist Territories: 0% Unfortunately, none of this is to be revealed until after this chronicle's climax. I wont spoil it for my players!

Spiritual Topography: 60% The umbra has mostly been handled. I addressed this early on while establishing the factions and conflicts early in development. I do however need to flesh out this section and create stats for it's denizens. One thing that will hold back completion is the Warm Springs protectorate, which covers this region from the umbra; this protectorate will likely be encountered in the chronicle's endgame

History: 62.5% complete

This section has been the most difficult, both in the difficulty in learning first-nations history in this specific locale, and in creating spiritual representations that are respectful of the very real cultures around this region. This has simultaneously been one of the most fun parts.

Natural History: 100% This one was really straightforward. I have lived here quite a long time and have grown familiar with the many species of animals from here, plants, rocks, and soil life, all of which are things that fall within my band of interests. Following historical records and data on this region, as well as trips to various locations in the time I've lived here has granted me a very clear picture of how this region was formed. The completeness of this picture is what has most heavily informed the design of it's current regions and spiritual topography, along with things like selections of common existing spirits encountered here and various biomes that would make for suitable sites for various story chapters.

Garou History: 60% Rooting this setting's history in a primordial era before the impergium has presented me with an unprecedented opportunity to build a mythology grounded in an ecology that predates civilization. To that end I've been able to establish good snapshots of this region's history, with a large portion in that pre-impergium period. That said, most periods from the Concords through to WWI are still hazy and need to be fleshed out.

Human History: 30% Mainstream history references only really tell half of the story. While Dead Mountain itself isn't citable in online-accessible media about any cultural significance. However, the Willamette Valley has a dark history with the first-nation tribes that lived here during colonization, and with the garou so deeply tied to both the spirits and the human societies that eventually developed here, that it would be imperative to provide an honest representation of that history to better inform it's spiritual topography beyond ambiguity, which will in turn inform it's garou history. A contributing factor is that the Kalapuyans have not a single entity but are a union of subdivisions, further adding to the complexity of the culture here beyond what basic science papers can cover. I am currently trying to find a consultant from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde that can provide insights on history prior to colonization in the pacific northwest.

Spiritual History: 60% This closely aligns with garou history. I have a pretty good picture of this history up-to the Missoula Flood, but a lot of it gets hazy after that point. I expect solving the missing parts of Human history will complete this picture.

Rules: 87% complete

This section has been really fun and challenging to work on, and I think this provides a lot of the meat of this chronicle. Werewolf: the Apocalypse, for all that's good with it, is deeply flawed and exclusionary to marginalized groups. In the interest of opening up this chronicle to as many players as possible, some fundamental changes are needed to take a first step in remedying those problems. At the top of it all comes the announcement that this game introduces an alternative to The Litany as an alternative draft:

Combat The Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Wherever it Breeds

Respect The Territory of Another

Accept an Honorable Surrender

The Sanctity of Gallain Must be Respected

Respect Those of Lower Station, for all are of Gaia.

The First Share of the Kill for the Benefit of All

Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

The Leader Shall Not Be Challenged During Battle

Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

The progress made thus far is not quite there yet, but we're definitely nearly there.

Ableism and Cultural Appropriation: 40% I have eliminated Metis as an available breed. Rather than the impergium ending in-part due to inbreeding, it instead resulted in inviability. Garou can no longer produce viable offspring by mating with eachother and must be supported by their network of kin. I need to finish writing a narrative history that follows this change while keeping a good chunk of the old history intact. Removing metis entirely still leaves disabling conditions intact in merits and flaws. M**** gifts are going to be redistributed between Ghost Council and Galestalkers to make up for the elimination of their problematic gifts. It doesn't fix it all though, and I hope I can get feedback on issues that I haven't covered.

Codified Abuse: 100% Losing inter-viability between garou caused the nation to carefully reexamine the role kinfolk play in the lives of garou. In the Concords, the litany was drafted to protect and honor this network of support, as well as allow accomplished kinfolk to hold sept ranks.

Combat: 100% Some rules around combat are weirdly broken or unusually punitive towards players that don't have advantages to their initiative rolls. A few rules are being implemented to fix these things, as well as streamline game combat.

Genetic Favoritism and Systemic Exclusion: 75% Pure Breed and Ancestors is now a new background called Animism, which acts as a channel through which one allows spirits to work through them as a conduit. This introduces several Animist aspects that provide all of the benefits one gained from pure breed and ancestors, as well as several additional aspects through which spirits may be used throughout gameplay. This means that any garou from any background has the potential to channel the great garou of legend without having to follow any kind of blood lineage. It doesn't fix everything, but it fixes a LOT of it while filling an important void in the garou's relationship with spirits.

Attribute Specializations: 100% There is nothing individually wrong with Attribute specializations, but the changes I aim to make are to enable attribute specializations to be as ambiguous as the attributes themselves with expanded specialization rules.

The Nazi Problem: 100% No Get in my chronicle. Get of Out. If the garou have a history that casts various tribes in a bad light, that bad light still hangs over them in this game. What they did wasn't ok then, and it's not ok now. As far as I'm concerned, Stargazers Leaving is what pushed that tribe over the edge to Hauglosk, and that's the canon in this setting. And while the get have a cool history outside of the ACTUAL NAZIS, the fact of the matter is Nazis like them way too much, so I can't let them come play with the cool kids. They brought room temperature beer anyways. And since some of my own family are themselves jewish, I can't in good conscience stomach having them at my table, or in my stories, with any representation.

Transphobia: 100% This is a retcon of whoever it was that overrided already approved writing to hamfist their agenda into into someone else's careful writing in Changing Ways. For that, I'm putting your genders on the fridge until you learn to play nice. In this game, the spirit world does not comprehend sex; only the self. Being half-spirit, this manifests with the garou as a truer representation of the self, including gender in all forms other than the one they were born with.

Chapters: 10%

The actual stories of this chronicle! This part gets hazy, as I have the least written here that's that's committed to publishing. This is a section that will see constant progress made up-to release and will be expanding on a weekly basis. For this reason I am holding my chapter progress at 10% until we get closer to release. The biggest holdup is fiction to tie it all together, and I need to write a lot more to get it there in terms of immersive fiction and monologues to accompany chapters.

Appendix 1: Systems: 60% complete

This section has been pretty straightforward, but also complicated, as it includes a lot of the 'meat' of these new mechanics and features. Thus far, this chronicle has two separate appendices.

Allies and Enemies: 70% This section is nearly complete. I have good who/what/where/when/why descriptions of each NPC and faction broken down and ready for your perusal on Discord! Stats and enemies will be published when the game publishes.

New Backgrounds: 90% This introduces the new Animism background that serves to supplant Pure Breed and Ancestors with a better alternative. This new mechanic needs to be tested at a few tables by other storytellers.

New Fetishes: 60% This chronicle introduces 5 unique fetishes, including 1 stationary legendary fetish.

New Creatures: 13% There's a dearth of certain critters indigenous to this location, and so I am having to introduce a fair number of them, including corrupt counterparts. Currently this section includes stats for two new varieties of Thunderwyrm, four new types of Meat Puppet, and stats for banes that afflict wasting disease! That's right, ZOMBIE DEER STATS! This section has been a treat to work on

New Rites: 66% With new patrons and an expansion on wolf society come a series of new rites! I have 2 of 3 completed thus far!

Appendix 2: First Tongue: 59% complete

I'm developing a functional language for garou that predates Garou Tongue. It creates culturally unambiguous pronunciations for legendary garou, items, spirits, objects, and places that are ancient to garou culture. It will provide a tool for storytellers to generate names or unique words that hold historical significance in their chronicles without having to rely on taking from any one culture in order to accomplish it.

Case System: 85% Coming up with this part was easy and it's mostly complete. I'm leaving some wiggle room for additional phonetic combinations and suffixes.

Syntax and Grammar: 30% This is the most exciting part for me. This language is built on a triatic gendering of pronunciations that represent different aspects of the triat to create, reinforce, and corrupt concepts of communication. Remaining work needing to be done is creating a series of corresponding howls, growls, and snarls and what the engendering of these expressions mean in terms of conjunction.

Dictionary: 90% The dictionary of idioms relies on object association to convey adjectives through both how the word is gendered, and how it's conveyed, giving each word 4 different expressions, and any combination of 20 suffixes and howls to form adjectives and verbs. Most of the work here is formatting the data correctly.

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Aemond’s Toast Break Down

(HOTD EPISODE 8 SPOILERS) 

I’m bored so naturally that means I decided to a breakdown and analyse every little detail of the scene where a pig is set down in front of Aemond and that sets off the chain events where the family dinner falls apart starting with Aemond’s toast and that leading to the fight between the kids. I’m going to go through the scene moment by moment and just talk about some little things I noticed on a rewatch, I’m going to be focusing mostly on the characters reactions as I think they are really interesting and just go over my thoughts on it all. 

First I want to start with Luke’s initial reaction to the pig being placed in front of Aemond. It is obvious that Luke at this moment is remembering back to the pink dread prank he, Jace and Aegon pulled on Aemond when they were kids. I think it is important to remember that Luke was very young when this prank happened, I don’t know exactly how old he was but he was the youngest of the bunch and he looked like between 4-6 years old to me. Also he is still pretty young here, he looks maybe 12-13, again though not sure his exact age. So I think at the time of the prank he didn’t realise how mean it was. That being said although he is still young now he is at an age where he should recognise that it was mean and that it would be upsetting to Aemond, I think this is why initially you see Luke try to hold back his laughter. 

You see him try really hard not to laugh, he even looks off to the side towards Rhaena in an attempt to dampen down his mirth and he also looks down at the table. Its clear he is making an attempt at keeping himself in check. However it doesn’t last long. There is a moment where Luke looks back up and finds Aemond staring directly at him. This is when he breaks and lets out a short laugh. It is also worth noting though that right before he laughs someone nearby, maybe Rhaena, also laughs. This could have triggered Luke, it’s that whole laughter being contagious thing, you hear someone else laugh it makes you laugh, when you are trying really hard not to laugh then someone laughing makes it all the harder to hold it back.

What else that is interesting though is that when he sees Aemond looking at him Luke doesn’t look away intimidated, he stares right back and to me he looks almost defiant. 

After seeing Luke laughing Aemond slams his fist on the table in anger and then  rises to make his toast. The adults reaction to this is also interesting. 

Rhaenyra and Daemon’s reactions are interesting because they are direct opposites of each other. Rhaenyra abruptly sits back, drawing herself away from Aemond and the aggressive reaction of him hitting the table, you even see her glance down to where his fist hit the table. It is clear she is taken aback by his sudden outburst and is also nervous and worried about what is going to happen next. Meanwhile Daemon leans forward with his chin on his hand. Where Rhaenyra was withdrawing here Daemon is engaging and showing interest. Where Rhaenyra is worried about what is going to happen next, Daemon is intrigued to know what is going to happen next. I also feel like this is Daemon getting into his gladiator ready position, for want of a better expression. He is ready to take action if he needs to but he wants to see what it is exactly Aemond is planning to do. Then we come to Otto and Alicent’s reactions

To me Otto actually looks kind of happy, anticipatory at the very least. Which would make sense, the family making up does not benefit Otto at all who wants his grandson, his blood, on the throne. The family making up makes that less likely as Rhaenyra will take the throne with no one to challenge her. So I could see Otto hoping that Aemond is going to say something to upset the happy truce the family had seemed to come to. Alicent on the other hand is biting her nails. We know from the past that Alicent tends to bite and pick at her nails when she is distressed and anxious so it is clear that she is also worried that Aemond is going to say or do something to ruin everything. 

When Aemond toasts to his nephews and then turns to Jace to toast him:

Jace actually does not hold Aemond’s gaze, he quickly turns to check on his brother Luke. I think this is for two reasons, one is that Jace was dancing with Helaena so does not know what triggered this sudden toast, but I suspect he knows it isn’t out of the goodness of Aemond’s heart. Hearing nephews he knows that it has something to do with him and Luke, this likely makes him a bit nervous and on edge and his big brother protectiveness takes over and he immediately looks to check on his brother and make sure he’s ok and not upset. Once he is sure Luke is ok he then looks back at the threat still in protective mode. 

Luke’s reaction to Aemond turning his attention on to him though is very different and very intriguing. Unlike Jace who is a little jittery and on edge, Luke appears to be calm and is fairly still. He once again meets Aemond’s gaze and stares back defiantly. The reason why I found this interesting is because throughout the earlier part of the episode Luke had been very unsure of himself and very nervous. He didn’t like that people were staring at him in the training yard, he shrunk back towards his mother when Vaemond was yelling in the throne room, he also looked nervous of Aemond in the training yard when he addressed them. Yet here he is the opposite, he is confident. It reminds me of how Aemond was after he got Vhagar. Before Aemond was also kind of withdrawn and then after he got Vhagar he also got this confidence and fire he didn’t have before. I feel like the same has happened here with Luke. Before when his right as heir to Driftmark was being questioned he was down and withdrawn, but being named the future Lord of the Tides has given him that confidence and power trip that Aemond had, only with Luke I think it is a little more subtle. 

In the second gif you can see Alicent looks really worried at this point and is just staring Aemond down, I think she knows what he is going to say next but is praying to the seven that he doesn’t say it. There is an almost resigned look to her and its like she’s holding her breath waiting for it to all crumble down. 

Of course Aemond does say it and Alicent immediately gives him a warning but once again you can see her picking at her nails giving away that anxiety she is feeling. Rhaenyra looks away from Aemond but this time instead of looking worried she looks more annoyed. You can just see her thinking not this sh*t again, I thought we were past it. 

As Aemond goes to finish his toast we can see Jace is very tense and angry, he is standing very rigid and has his fists tightened at his sides. It is clear that he is trying very hard to hold his anger back, hold himself back but what he really wants is to hit Aemond. 

But its Aegon’s reaction I want to talk about now, after Jace and Helaena’s toasts Aegon had become very sulky and was clearly in a bad mood. He had failed to rile up Jace and on top of that his own wife shamed him. But here you can see he suddenly cheers up and you see him almost giddily raise his cup and is clearly enjoying seeing his brother antagonise the boys and wants to join in. 

Throughout this scene there are several instances that parallel back to the boys’ three father figures, Daemon, Harwin and Laenor. Jace challenging Aemond to say it again I think has two parallels one is to earlier in this episode when Daemon tells Vaemond to ‘say it’ the other is a call back to ep 6 when Harwin challenges Ser Criston to ‘say it again’. 

When it comes to Aemond its a case of his words not matching his tone. He is trying to act innocent, it was only a compliment why are you getting upset. But his tone is one that is angry and aggressive, he knows exactly what he is doing. Meanwhile behind both boys you can see sweet sweet Helaena who bless her goes to clap Aemond’s toast clearly not understanding the underlying dig at the boys. But she does pick up on both Aemond and Jace’s anger. This must be really confusing and upsetting to her as it seems like she has a good relationship with Aemond and with Jace asking her to dance I think she has some warm feelings towards him too so it must be distressing for her to see them both angry at each other and not understand why. We also know from her reaction in the throne room to Vaemond’s death that she does not cope well with violence and aggression. Someone please come get this precious bean outta here. 

As we saw in episode 7, if one of Rhaenyra’s boys is being threatened the other will jump in, and that is what we see here. Seeing Aemond approaching his brother Luke immediately rushes up from his seat to go stand by his brother and help defend him. Last time these kids got into a fight it was the two boys and girls all standing together and defending each other whilst Aemond stood alone. I do suspect that this is what triggered his desire to be the best fighter as we clearly see in the scene earlier in the episode between Aemond and Criston, he has focused on his training over the years. 

In episode 7 Aegon is chastised by his mother for not being with Aemond during that fight. It seems he took his mother’s words to heart because when Jace punches Aemond you can see in the background that Aegon clocks Luke getting up and moving towards his brother and Aemond and moves to intercept him: 

After catching Luke, Aegon slams him onto the table and pins him there as both the mothers call out for their sons to stop. On this occasion Aegon doesn’t let his brother stand alone but joins in. It is also another parallel to one of Jace and Luke’s father figures as it mirrors when Laenor was slammed into a table at his and Rhaenyra’s wedding feast. 

We see Aemond push Jace to the ground and it actually to me seemed very reminiscent of their fight in episode 7 when young Aemond knocked young Jace to the ground, there seemed to be a definite parallel there.  

He even falls down onto a golden coloured rug which is similar in shade to the sand/dirt that he falls into in ep 7. 

At some point it seems like Luke gets free from Aegon as when Jace goes to rush back at Aemond guards grab not just Jace but Luke too.

In the background you can also see that Baela is also being held back by Rhaena and Aegon is moving away from them. But when I watched the clip in 0.25 speed I noticed that right before that you can see that Aegon actually has a hold of Baela’s upper arms and his grip is broken by Rhaena stepping between them which is when Aegon then walks away from them. So although we didn’t see it I am thinking that Baela pulled Aegon off Luke, Aegon does pin him to the table right next to where she was sitting, and they then struggled whilst Luke  ran to his brother before both boys were pulled away by the guards.

The next part is one of my favourites as for such a short clip it has so much going on in it and it shows how the kids react differently to their parents’ authority.

It starts out with Alicent chastising Aemond, however Aemond completely ignores her and even yanks away from her and moves back towards Jace and Luke looking to continue the confrontation, showing that she does not have much authority over him I also think it shows that Aemond could end up being a bit of a wild card as the series continues. If you look at the blacks though there are some interesting little moments. One is that as Jace breaks free from the guard and rushes Aemond, in the background you can see Luke also almost break free from his guard but the guard just manages to keep a hold on him. Also Baela moves forward too but Rhaena shifts in front of her to block her way. What is also interesting is that as Jace moves forward you see Rhaenyra’s head sharply turn towards Jace and it is clear that she is about to tell him off but then she sees Daemon approach and she lets him take care of it. This is where Rhaenyra has an advantage over Alicent because Alicent is trying to manage her son on her own but Rhaenyra has the support of her husband. Jace also immediately obeys Daemon moving back as Daemon comes to step in between him and Aemond. This shows that Jace respects Daemon’s authority but also that he feels safe with Daemon, I didn’t include it in this gif but Jace after backing up a couple of steps does turn his back completely to Aemond showing that he trusts Daemon to protect him and keep him from harm. The stance of the children and the adults on each side again shows that difference. Aemond is far out of his mother’s protection which is in contrast to his sister Helaena who is far in the back not just behind her mother but by her Grandfather’s side, poor Alicent is symbolically left standing alone, furthering the fact that she is having to try and raise these kids by herself. Meanwhile on the blacks side both Rhaenyra and Daemon have placed themselves in front of their children and between them and Aemond, in the gif below you can see that one is facing their children and the other the threat. 

This moment here really does reveal Daemon and Rhaenyra's parenting style and shows that they both very much co-parent all of the kids together, its not a case of Daemon deals with his daughters and Rhaenyra deals with her sons they both have authority over all four of them and protect all four of them. After Daemon gets the situation under control Rhaenyra gives them all the order to go to their quarters, basically the medieval way of saying ‘go to you room now and don’t come out until you are ready to say you’re sorry’ that I’m sure we’ve all heard at least once in our lives. But there are some little details in the background of this gif that I noticed too. You can see that Jace is still very much in an agitated state, he’s restless and moving from one foot to the other and there is tension in his shoulders. Despite being nearest the door, when Rhaenyra orders them all to their rooms Jace stays where he is until Luke and the girls have past him out the room and then, and only then, does he follow himself. Again I think this shows Jace’s protective side, he wants to make sure they are out of the room and safe before he leaves, he behaves as their protector. I do wonder if this is something he picked up on from Daemon as there is one shot in this gif where they mirror each other. If you watch closely as Daemon moves towards Aemond you can see Jace behind his shoulder and Jace seems to move in tandem with Daemon. As Daemon sways from one foot to the other so to does Jace in the background. They both stare at Aemond in a similar way and their stances are similar too, with the squared shoulders. Also side note but I love the way Daemon stares at Aemond like ‘really dude, you want to go there, did you not see what I did to that guy in the throne room only a few hours ago?’ 

 Which brings me to the last of my gifs. Here we have that epic stare down between Daemon and Aemond. You can see Aemond really contemplating his actions here but ultimately he decides to go with the smart choice and walks away. Daemon watches him the whole way even turning his body as Aemond walks past Daemon’s wife, Daemon keeps himself between Aemond and Rhaenyra the whole time. Once Aemond is out of the room Daemon looks back at Rhaenyra to check that she is ok before leaving the room himself. I do wonder if he follows to make sure Aemond is going to go find his kids and start something again. I don’t know for sure but I could see Daemon doing that if he perceives Aemond as the threat, well then the threat has left the room so after a quick check to make sure his wife, the only loved one he still has in that room, is ok he then follows the threat to make sure he isn’t going to do anything else as now the threat and his children aren’t in the room where he can see them, if that makes sense. I do think that both Aemond and Daemon believe at some point they will come to blows and this was almost like they were sizing the other up, but I also think despite them disliking the other there is also some begrudging respect on both sides.     

[runephoenix6769]

Why Netflix aging up the Characters could spell disaster.

Ok, so I’ve tried to find confirmation that this is true and kinda found bubkiss so far.  But.... Zuko being aged up by two years does not bode well his motivation or Azula (or Sokka for that matter), narratively speaking and will massively change how their stories/character arcs hit.  It’s my belief that by aging up the characters they’ll kinda lose some of the soul of the show AND the poignancy of just how much pressure has been laid on the shoulders of Gaang and Azula's trio. The nuance of Children fixing a world broken by adults. (I shall preface by saying that anyone under 18 is a child and therefore even joining the military at 16 is still awful, but this post is being written within the context of the avatar universe, its societal norms and customs.)

Hear me out.  Within the show, all the main cast of children are supposed to be outliers and exceptionally skilled, even surpassing many of the adults in that world in terms of mastery of their elements and ability to execute strategy.   At 16/17 Rangi had her first commission after graduating from the Junior Corps in record time, to eventually become one of the youngest Lieutenants in Fire Nation Army service, during peace time.  400 years later we are in the midst of a global war, meaning the goal posts within the various societies would have shifted considerably. (Apart from the Earth Kingdom, they seriously need to get with the times.) Zuko is the heir to the throne of an imperial expansionist country, where military service is expected of many of the aristocracy. (If not every citizen doing something towards the war effort.) And has been since the reign of Sozin.  Being the heir, he would naturally be expected to take a military commission at 16/17, as precedent has been shown to us via Rangi. This would serve to foster loyalty from his soldiers, train him in ways of command to prepare him for taking over the Nation, etc etc.  Lets say that Netflix keep the rest of his story the same, so he is still ousted at 13 sent on a mission of folly as a cruel punishment. Well that just casts his 4 years at sea and his behaviour towards his men in an awful light. In four years he has not learned regard for the safety of his men? It makes the treatment of his men look callous instead of being a child who doesn't quite grasp how much his crew do for him, that they too have been ousted and separated from their loved ones! Four years of shite treatment would surely land a mutiny on his hands?  If anything, it serves to make him look whiny, and incompetently oblivious to the needs of others.  And what does it mean if they move the timeline of the Agni Kai up by two years, to 15?  It doesn't have quite the same impact. Remember what sits at the core of this show. It is ultimately about children trying the fix the world that the adults broke, violence, cruelty, child soldiers and the effects of war upon them, under intense pressure to succeed.  Zuko is supposed to be a child who hasn’t even begun to figure out what he wants.   His character arc in the show is supposed to be that journey!

Which brings me to Azula!  A child prodigy, who took down Ba Sing Se in a relatively bloodless coup at 14! Its meant to be an awe inspiring Herculean feat! A top notch military strategist, she is meant to be unmatched by any of her peers.  Her age in the OG show certainly explains her behavior, her not being developed enough in many ways. This contributes towards the deterioration of her mental health when she cannot reconcile the heavily cultivated sense of self with the reality culminating in the tragic and heart wrenching mental breakdown at 14! At 16/17, it makes it look like a huge ass hissy fit! OG Azula’s inflection moment begins in The Beach episode. She is begins to ask questions of herself in the form of small experiments. It takes the form of her hiding their identities on Ember Island.  It is as if she is trying to feel out if she is as witty and charming as she believes, but she comes to learn that she is woefully socially inept, people don’t like her for her, beginning the spiral of insecurity and self doubt. We are also told that Azula’s mother thought her a monster and she is massively hurt by that, though she plays it off as nothing.  This insecurity is blown wide open on the Boiling Rock cemented by Ty Lee’s betrayal and culminates in Azula, who is truly terrified that he might burn her in a way similar to Zuko, seeing her being sidelined by Ozai.  She takes as a form of punishment for her ‘failure’, a form of banishment, that she has been discarded like Zuko, when she had imagined being by her father’s side as they burned the world in celebration of their mutual victory rather than for what is truly is which is Ozai being a glory hog and reaping all the benefits from Azula’s hard work.  Which brings me to the suggestion by Azula to burn the world in the first place. A child suggesting that you ‘Burn the World’ smacks a whole lot differently when you think of it as a kid not quite grasping/understanding the ramifications of such a suggestion, but a 16 year old? Such a thing tips her from confused mentally unwell child with a crippling fear of failure raised without a lick of compassion to full blown villainy with nothing remotely sympathetic about her! The way the last Agni Kai is framed you are supposed to feel sympathetic towards her! Which makes me wonder if they are gonna paint Azula as unhinged straight from the get go? Her unravelling at the seams is supposed to be her journey!

Sokka.... at 17!  In the OG show, Hakoda does the right thing by telling Sokka to remain behind to look after the village because at 13 he is too young to go to war.  Why leave him behind at 15? Would that not serve to feed into feelings of inadequacy, that he was deemed too weak to leave and fight with the other men and boys of the tribe?  Now, I would argue that Sokka’s OG arc rivals Zuko’s redemption. He does feel inadequate and overcomes it. He also unlearns a shit load of misogyny! What 17 year old doesn’t take responsibility for his own clothes, in a tribe were adults are few and far between? What 17 year old expects his little sister to be his mother and bear the brunt of the domestic? How obtuse and unfeeling would that make Sokka? It would propel him to the side of boorish, lazy and entitled rather than the sweet teenage boy who grows to realise he has a lot to learn.  OG Sokka is humble as hell and not afraid admit when he is lacking! He will go and openly admit his flaws and learn from others who he had previously written off.  Suki gives him a glass of respect women juice and he keeps on chugging, only adding to the Sokka we know and love.  This is supposed to be his journey! 

OG Sokka is just as much of a genius as Azula!  They are both supposed to be exceptional. Having them sit at 16/17 figuring this all out within a war torn world were it would be totally normal for them to participate in the generational war machine kind of robs them of this. Their more child like behaviours, grappling with concepts and truly understanding their consequences is supposed to remind us that they are children, being asked to do something no child ever should! Aging them up casts these things in a whole other light, skewering the what makes this show so beloved!  If you change the core characters to the point their journey’s don’t make sense within the world they inhabit, or they become unrecognisable to the audience you’re trying to milk then really.....what’s the point?  

[soft-angelic-kiss]

We’re all  a little bit crazy (5)

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therapsit! Izuku x Patient! Bakugou x Patient! Todoroki x Patient! Shinsou x Patient! Reader

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Chapter 5 trigger warnings- Y/N gets into a small fight, mentions of taking pills, the use of the word psycho and mentions of suicide// lemme know if i missed anything

if that makes you uncomfy don’t read!

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chapter one here    

 chapter two here  

chapter three here 

chapter four here

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He woke up again on a plush bed after sleeping comfortably, his cheek slightly bruised and a dull pain running through it, he placed his hand on it and nothing felt swollen which was a very good sign. He let out a sigh and moved up to his elbows so he could look around. 

It was different from all the other rooms he’d been in, It had more color, drawings all the walls.. Comfort stuffed animals they sometimes give you at the hospital even bigger stuffed animals.. The room was comfortable.. 

He finally looked next to him and on the floor was Y/N, who was listening to music occasionally flinching from the headphones as she colored in a little book. He didn’t wanna disrupt the girl, so he sat up and carefully grabbed his clipboard looking for her file… 

 F I L E   4

(Patient Name) Y/N Yagi  (Patient #437)

 (Date admitted) 8-3-2009

 (Patient age) 19

 (Patient disorder)  Anxiety, Severe Depression, Sensory Overloading issues, and short temper, but never escalates, ADHD, PTSD, Anorexia, self harm and suicidal thoughts

(History/cause)  When she was 4 her family home went up in flames causing the death of her father (Okorashi) and older brother (Ekai) Which gave her an extreme fear of explosions and loud noises. From the ages of 4-7 her mother became an addict and an alcoholic. She took up abusive habits that left a few horrific scars on her body. When she was 7 her mother finally passed from an overdose that caused her uncle to have to take her in, He’s a kind man and treats her kindly, He sent them here in hopes of making her better, and more ready to come home. He visits often.

(Has patient...)

-attempted suicide?

-attempted homicide?

-attempted any act of self-harm?

-attempted violence on past employees?

-attempted escape?

 (Other). If she gets sensory overwhelmed she tends to scream, hot, kick and cry. They find comfort in the other patients, Bakugou, Todoroki, Shinsou and the boys downstairs. She tends to stick her nails into the skin of whoever grabs her, she needs to be sedated if she has a breakdown. 

(Danger level) 9/10

Izuku raised an eyebrow, the description of the person sitting down in front of him.He felt like it didn’t match her at all. He decided to take a gentle approach to greeting Y/N to make sure she didn’t have an “episode” as the paper put it. 

He gently swung his feet over the side and crouched down hoping to get into her sightline. He crawled to sit in front of her placing his hands on the floor in front of her coloring book. 

Y/N looked up, slightly startled but then took her headphones off, the change causing her head to spasm backwards before resuming her normal position. “Hi!” They smiled, placing her hands on the coloring book in front of Izuku’s. “Hi, Y/N right?” He spoke calmly, not wanting to put off the human infront of him. “Yeah! And you are...Izuku? Midoryia?” She tilted her head curiously and smiled, pumping a fist into the air when Midoryia nodded a smile being brought to his own lips. He was absolutely hooked by Y/N. Their backstory, their personality, they were such an interesting person and he couldn’t wait to learn more. 

“Yeah. You got it right, good job.” he chuckled when her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment from his praise. Izuku chuckled again and leaned forward slightly and watched as Y/N leaned back. 

Izuku shook his hands carefully and leaned back “Is this more comfortable?” Y/N nodded and smiled softly leaning forward again to resume coloring. Izuku smiled and decided to just watch her for a few moments.

The two hung out not moving position for at least half an hour, until Y/N looked towards the door and started cowering when the door opened and the men in white stood there with a medical tray full of many medical instruments he'd never seen before. 

Y/N jumped to their feet and tried to hide behind Izuku as one of them said “Y/N, Please I don’t want to have to repeat what happened yesterday.” He went to reach for her but she smacked his hand and continued standing behind Midoryia who was eyeing the men with a suspicious look. 

The blonde one who had spoke already finally went to grab them only to have his hands smacked away, but instead of a hand, he felt a clipboard against his wrist as he cried out “what THE-” the man went to hit Izuku but the greenette had blocked his second hit as well 

“She’s scared. I’m going to have to ask you to leave because you are not helping.” Izuku’s tone held dominance and authority as the man scoffed “Oh really?-” His words were cut short as Y/N lept towards him and started hitting him. 

she had gotten a few punches in before Izuku had interfered and pulled her back and away from him holding them, they cling to him. “She’s just psycho-” he started again but was cut off by Midoryia straight up shoving him out of the door 

Midoryia had shut the door and looked at the medical supplies and then at Y/N who was back on their bed. Midoryia hummed softly looking at them with a soft but concerned gazed “Are you alright?” They nodded timidly “U-um.. yeah, i think..” 

They kept eyeing the cart and rubbing their arms. Izuku was angry beyond belief but kept his cool for Y/N. “Do you know what these are?” he asked as he walked over to the cart. Y/N nodded “Those are what the use to sedate me and give me my medications..” Izuku nodded and looked at the cart, it had 4 different pills, a tiny box of apple juice and a needle filled with a liquid. He picked up the needle and watched Y/N flinch back 

Izuku shook his head “No, no.. i’m gonna dispose of it, not use it okay?” He went and wrapped it up throwing it in the hazard trash can in the bathroom coming back out looking at the cart. 

“Okay, do you have an order you need to take them in or can you just take them one at a time?” 

Y/N looked confused as they stood up walking to Izuku and the cart “I c-can just take them.. why are you helping? aren’t you supposed to..” 

Izuku shook his head “So far all of you have said that… No, i’m not supposed to be mean, i’m supposed to help you get better so can you take..” he handed Y/N two of the four pills and handed her the apple juice “these and then the other ones?” he smiled

Y/N nodded and took the two and then waited 30 seconds before taking the other two. Izuku nodded and smiled “Thank you.. Now I believe” He stopped and checked his watch “It’s almost dinner time, If you want you can go head down to the cafeteria?” He smiled at her

Y/N thought for a moment “Will you come eat with me?” She tapped her foot on the ground and looked away as Izuku chuckled

 “It’s not my dinner break,” Y/N had frowned and got ready to ask again.

“but I’ll still come sit with you?” Izuku smiled when Y/N’s face lit up 

Y/N gave a big smile and nodded “Okay!” they had opened the door and ran out with an excited yell of “KATSU! TODO! SHIN!” as she catapulted herself into the boys arms as they hugged her back. 

“Why don’t you go to the cafeteria and We’ll be right behind you okay?” Shinsou spoke caring and calmly and all three boys had a quirk of a smile as she smiled and ran off down the halls “GOT IT!” you could hear their laughter as they went down the stairs with a much kinder doctor.

As Izuku walked out of the door locking it behind him he was quickly met with the three faces he’s seen previously looking at him with glares. He gulped before speaking in a meek voice “Y-yes?” Bakugou raised an eyebrow and scoffed before nodding at him “Not a bad idiot.” and the other two nodding in agreement before the bell above them rang for dinner.

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tag list~  @buckyneedsplums @lazywriterfullofideas09 @notchittatenn @physco-101

for some reason it might not let me tag you also if I forgot you just lemme know!

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a/n: I’m so sorry for getting this out so late! I’ve been very busy recently and I’ve been preparing for BIG things in my personal life so chapters may be extremely short or non existent. I also didn’t plan to have so many supporters for this series so i didn’t really have a clue what to do with the story. I still don’t. I have one more chapter ready in my head but after that I’m not sure where this series will go. Anyways, as usual I hope you enjoyed and please feel free to reblog, like or say something in my inbox! I’m open to writing one shots if you guys are interested, I was thinking about writing one shots instead of continuing with actual chapters after chapter 6 

[incurablyromanticsblog]

Don't know how people are gonna feel about this but Loki should've been dealt with the way they dealt with Lucifer (from the Netflix show) I mean while the show straight up dismissed loki's feelings, lucifer netflix really showed us the natural and organic character growth with ups and downs while still maintaining the comic hilarity (WHICH WASNT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE MC). It's love interest and side characters are all original characters dealt as independent characters rather as brownie or plot points.

And the scenes that prompted me to think this?

1. Lucifer asking his Mazikeen to cut off his wings because he's moved past being a pawn in his father's 'Great Plan'. We could've had loki come to this conclusion and tell Mobius (who would've been an actual all out ally who was forced into doin lg what he did) that he no longer wanted any place in a land that hated him. (Once again like Lucifer calling the silver city hell)

2. Lucifer actually being the way he's supposed to be (angel of light, light bringer etc.) We could've had Loki act like the way he Actually Is. Not like how @iamnmbr3 so eloquently put it 'like larry the dumb lookalike'. We could've had Loki being stern yet having that air of sarcasm and wit that he had in his the films. His eloquence, his physical prowess (none of the falling flat on his face stuff, a lot of people talk about how he was trying not to hurt the people in ep 2 but srsly Loki would just immediately disarm them), and most of all his agency and refusal to cower or the pathetic attempts at lying.

3. Costumes. The lucifer netflix team had an extensive costume department that ironically pales in comparison to what disney is capable of but still we see Lucifer have a wide array of clothes and styles. Have Loki take the first chance to change his clothes. If he wants the 50s aesthetic have at it! he can wear the tuxedos and the nice leather. Or maybe change into some nice Viking-inspired leathers and battle armor. Have him as a pirate, or a knight or a cowboy. You're traveling through time good man! you can at least hit some of the cool spots.

4. In depth analysis of lucifer's mental health. the only episode of the Loki tv show I liked (loose term) is the first one cause it's the only one that gave a fraction of what we were promised: an insight into loki. That's it.

5. Lucifer's organic growth. This is self-explanatory. Loki watched one video and was good. Very good five stars. I understand that they only had six episodes but come-on. You could've had the subtle changes through out all the eps and lead to the big finish finally. With each episode focusing on certain aspects of Loki.

5. Lucifer's exploration of self-loathing. This deserves to be a separate point because Istg it was done so well. Basically lucifer messes up and he's faced with the hatred that's been conditioned into him (not unlike Loki) and then he learns what it is and actually tries to love himself. And not by kissing a female variant of himself (ew and also respect the gender fluid persons). He actually saw the good in him by reflecting and his actual good friends helping him.

6. Lucifer actually wanting to be good. Look Idc what shut mike waldron wrote, loki is not selfish when his whole arc has been doing things for asgard, thor, odin, frigga etc. We all know that New York was mind control, I do not know why it's being swept under the rug. But here's the thing, that self loathing I mentioned earlier is a huge part of Loki thinking he's some monster and intent on proving it.

7. Lucifer facing his 'devil-face'. Loki should've come to terms with his Jotun heritage. The TVA could've had a case in Jotunheim concerning the Royal Family and Loki could've seen the entirety of Jotunheim and it's people not just that most-likely war propaganda the Asgardians force-fed him. Maybe have him meet his siblings or better yet his mother. There's a very nice fic on A03 called Asgardian Galdr that deals with this beautifully.

8. Luicfer having a Breakdown and Crying: First off this happens gradually, his problems pile up etc etc. and he faces off his father and gets angry until he finally breaks down. And basically God says, "I'm sorry but i can't fix you," And Lucifer in all his grief and desperation asks, "But you're God,'. I know we talk a lot about Loki being made weak in the Show but that's specifically about him being made weak and helpless to make Sylvie seem like a stronger character (Don't get me started on the Sif and Narcissm scene istfg), But maybe seeing Loki try awkwardly to be good and near the finish of the show we see it blow up in some angsty way? only for some conversation like this to happen and have Loki understand that being good is something that is innate and something he already had the potential for all along. Maybe learn that he's not lawful good but as always the morally grey character we know him as. (Protector of misfits, god of outcasts i.e all the shit Marvel shat on) and rise as the God of Chaos and Stories against the rigid bonds of The TVA and essentially Kang.

9. Lucifer having a nice healthy romantic interest and relationship. Lucifer and Chloe's relationship is more often than not the main point of the show but no matter how much it is focused on it remains health, organic and not a weird allegory for something disgusting. Even if Sylvie weren't a Loki (once again ew) the whole dynamic was toxic. She constantly put him down, and invalidated his feelings (Sounds like Odin huh?) and guess what Loki fell in love with her after one day, one conversation of what love was and Mobius calling her his girlfriend (he also said that it was freakish and i agree). We could've had Sigyn sweet lord. (I'll make another post about this)

10. Lucifer's Sexuality. There is a whole episode in which Loki's paramours are getting murdered and they all vary from men to women to all that comes in between. And there's no shame, no offensive jokes. Have Loki flirt with dudes, i understand ms.karen that this is for children, don't worry the casual sex ;) was offscreen. Have Loki turn into a woman and flirt with woman cowards, maybe make some questionable remarks about horses (That make Sigyn laugh)

11. Lucifer's Powers: lemme sum up, Lucifer can, let's call it, use compulsion on people. He is known for his strength and prowess and abilites to grant favors. Have Loki shapeshift into animals, absolutely mauling people. Have him use his silver-tongue to coax people into making or changing history (Yes Brutus, Caesar is getting to be a bit much, say have you heard how sharp knives are?)

I'm pretty sure there's more that i can't remember rn. And here is one thing i would like to make very clear.

You are not bad for liking the show or hating it whatever. The problem is that the show framed a lot of bad things as good (Anything the TVA did, Mobius' torture session with Loki, the way Sylvie treated Loki only for them to become romantic partners, the Sylkie fiasco as it was offensive to genderfluid people and the bare fucking minimum of LGBTQ and POC rep). The show was also marketed specifically to make us think hey! Loki might actually be the main character only for it to blow up in our faces. We were also promised an actual plot rather than a constantly plot twisting concept that could've been worth something.

Also i'm still working on a Loki fic rn after which i will write a Loki(TV) Rewrite but unitil then ig.

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝓐𝓾𝓻𝓸𝓻𝓪 𝓐𝓼𝔂𝓵𝓾𝓶: 𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝙼𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙, 𝚢𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛, 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖, 𝚜𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎, 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚜. 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎! 𝙹𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚈𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚘 × 𝙿𝚜𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 (𝙵𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎)

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 𝟹𝙺

𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝙰𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝, 𝚂𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙵𝚕𝚞𝚏𝚏, 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙰𝚄

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I breathed out an airy and desolate sigh through my nose, obviously I unconsciously did it a little too loud as the raven haired male sitting across from me looked down at the floor.

"It was all my fault.....wasn't it?"

I looked up, the glasses sitting on my nose bridge tilting slightly that I had to push them back up so I could study his features, or should I say, his expressions. His eyelids never blinked once, his eyes were trained on the pattern of the carpet underneath him, but I knew his mind was elsewhere. I looked with pity at the bandages wrapped around his wrists, some of the edges stained with fresh blood. I gulped slightly, my stomach threatening to spill out my meager lunch of an apple and avocado toast slice from earlier. I could handle hearing patients tell and retell me about how they stabbed their parents to death, cut off their significant other's genitals because they were unloyal to them, even tackled a deranged lunatic that once tried to...... seduce me to put mildly.......

But to this day, I can't help but get dizzy when I treat or deal with patients who are self harming victims, because yes, they are victims. Victims of their own self loathing, guilt, and depressive state that isn't their fault. It just pains me so much to see them resort to such drastic measures...

But I'm also not stupid and know some, if not most only do it for attention or to manipulate others, and Yunho is a case not far from it. Which is why I was the one sent to deal with him. All the other psychologists would have fallen for his sad puppy eyes, good looks, well built physique and would have released him too early into the world. Not that he's dangerous and a threat to society, but he's not emotionally nor mentally stable to go deal with daily life yet. And I'm not a softie by any means even if I'm patient and meek doctor when necessary. But I'm objective and I seek deeper into the true person hiding behind the front they put in front of me.

"Do you believe it was your fault Yunho?" Usually one would get scolded for answering a question with a question, but I prefer this method in order to get my patients to reason and draw out their own conclusions......

And makes them pour out their true answers.

I watch Yunho ponder for a moment.

"It has to be- otherwise she wouldn't have...wouldn't have-"

He bites back a choked sob, teeth tightening and gritting against themselves as he fails to contain his tears. His hands cover his face as he begins to cry uncontrollably, desperate and heartwrenching wails resonating throughout the 4 walls keeping us company. Reaching for the purple plaid box on the coffee table between us, I take out a few tissues and stand up from my seat. Lightly tapping on his shoulder, I whisper a 'here' to him. He thanks me, but since he's crying too hard no sound comes out his throat. For the next few minutes, he's blowing out his runny nose, all red just like his eyes from crying too hard. He's sniffling while trying to control his previous hyperventilating session. I want to hug him or at least give him a pat in the back. But I can't, I can only sit back and try to imagine the agony he's probably going through, try to put myself in his shoes as I dive deep into the event that got him here in the first place:

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Coming back from a trip to the store, Yunho momentarily looks around confused when he heard his baby daughter crying. Quickly putting the bags on the kitchen counter, he makes his way over to the nursery that adjoined the main bedroom. Calling out for his wife, he receives no response as he walks down the hallway. He calls once more for her but stops midway as he opens the slightly ajar door. His heart stops beating and his veins run cold as he stares into the lifeless body of his beloved wife hanging in the room, feeling as if the oxygen is being ripped out from his lungs, suffocating slowly.

As if sensing his agitation, his daughter's cries from the other room grow louder, so much that they raise concern from their next door neighbor, a kind and sweet old lady who more than once has offered her help in watching over the child or help them out in any way she could. Typing in the passcode, she makes it there just in time to stop the tall male from inflicting more harm upon himself as he holds onto his wife's body in agony. Having been left with no choice, she immediately calls for an ambulance, who arrive there shortly and take him to a nearby hospital.

He was monitored 24/7 as he had a history of attempted suicide before. The nurses and doctors didn't want another episode to happen again, not wanting to leave a barely 1 year old fatherless as well as motherless. As an investigation went, police found a journal hidden deep between the mattresses on the bed. When they poured over the first pages, they knew there was much more to the story than just a doting husband who couldn't live without his wife, hence why he was relocated to the infamous asylum......

And a specialized woman was tasked to not only unmask the truth, but hopefully help a poor broken mind be put back together again.

❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃

Hence why I'm here now, the folder I had read over and over again still on my lap. It honestly amazed me that I'd actually get to work on a case like this, and of course I took up the challenge of digging into a mind like Yunho's, not just to help him, but to leave a precedent for any other situations like this that came after.

"A precedent?" I remember the officer asking me.

"Yes. You'd be surprised just how common these types of toxic relationships there are in an everyday basis yet no one ever looks deeper because they're too focused treating a depressed person who's trying to kill themselves and don't focus on what they really are...."

Shutting the folder, I tucked it under my arm before turning on my heel.

"A manipulative individual who'll do anything to keep someone tied to them forever."

That's how I viewed Yunho, it's how I should be viewing him. At least until I could hopefully get him to change.

"How's......is my daughter ok?"

I let out a soft hum and nod as I scribbled something down on the notepad.

"She's fine. We're having someone take care of her in the meantime, don't worry."

Yunho let out a sigh of relief, fingers fidgeting against his thighs as he mustered up the courage to say something.

"Could I.....could I please see her?"

From the sad look in my eyes he could already tell the answer was negative.

"I'm sorry Yunho....I'm afraid until we see some improvement, we can't allow you to be reunited with her just yet."

I tried to keep my voice steady as I said that, bracing myself to possibly see him breakdown once more. He had already lost his wife and now learning that his only child was forced away from him could possibly send him spiraling down into another episode.

But Yunho instead took a deep breath and seemed calm.

"I understand.....it's ok..." I knew he was saying those last two words more to himself than to me.

Lifting his face up, he suddenly shocked me by looking so bright and rather happy.

"So I guess it's best if we begin right?"

Even to this day, I don't know whether I should have been delighted to have such a compliant patient.....

Or terrified.

❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃

"Tell me Yunho, what was your first reaction when you saw your wife?"

A subtle hint of a smile curled at the corners of his lips.

"I thought she was the kindest and most caring person in the world, very pretty too. She just walked in and the room instantly lit up."

He was reminiscing about those times, I could tell. That fond look on his face was unmistakable.

"Do you believe you fell in love at first sight with her?"

His smile suddenly dissipated, eyebrows scrunching together as if recollecting memories from so long ago.

"I think.......I felt attracted to her.....but.....I don't think it was love?"

I could tell he felt conflicted with himself, but that's exactly what I wanted. I want him to question every feeling and sensation he felt at the moment so he could decide for himself if it was real or just a mere illusion he held. If he starts to second guess or question what he felt then he'd start reasoning and come to the conclusion that what he felt was wrong and mistaken. He'd see that his actions weren't justified.

"So when do you truly believe you fell in love with her?"

I stopped writing on my notepad and watched him close his eyes as he tried to pinpoint the exact time he felt whatever he thought was love.

"One night....one of our friends was feeling down in spirits. I witnessed how caring she was towards them...kindly reassuring them that they were loved, that they mattered. I vividly remember her kind eyes and loving smile as she comforted them. Then it hit me that she was that kind of person. Selfless, caring, doting, would sacrifice anything for her friends and family...... it was hard for anyone not to fall in love with her."

He turned his hand over, studying the wedding ring that he still wore to this day, the engravings of their initials being his prime interest.

"And at that moment I knew I had to have her. I couldn't let anyone else have her. I wanted her.... that love, compassion, empathy..her confidence and strong nature, I wanted-"

He stopped mid sentence and his eyes wizened in horror as he came to the realization I had foreseen long ago. He looked up at me, meeting my unwavering eyes that held no emotion at that moment.

"She had all the qualities I had always lacked in."

I took my glasses off and nodded.

"And I unconsciously wanted them for myself.... but the only way I could have them was...through her?" He seemed sickened with himself.

"Not exactly Yunho. You could have learnt to love yourself and raise your self esteem." I quickly scribbled my observation down.

"But I didn't. Instead I caged her up and slowly tore her down."

I couldn't help but let out an involuntary smile as he drew out that conclusion.

"Glad to know you've accepted that fact, even if it took several months for you to understand."

Shutting the notepad, I lifted myself up from my chair, straightening my blouse. Yunho followed suit.

"Is our session over?" He was always so polite, always escorting me out and holding the door open for me, which other doctors would have adamantly refused, too scared to come close to their patients. But not me. I let them have certain liberties at times.

"Not yet Yunho. As you've made remarkable progress, I got permission for you to see someone."

He was momentarily confused for a split second. Poor thing probably thought it was one of the nurses coming in to give him some new medication to take, which he hated with a passion. Stepping outside for a brief moment, I happily took the young baby in my arms, the little girl already used to seeing me as I always went to go see her after being with Yunho for a few hours. When I came back inside he had his back turned to me, once again staring off into nowhere. The light gurgled babbles the baby emitted caught his attention immediately. He whipped his head around so fast I thought he'd break his neck for a second. He teared up as the child began squealing in excitement as she recognized her father right away.

"Oh my-" He choked up with tears that he couldn't finish his sentence.

I calmly walked over to him, lightly bouncing the baby in my arms. Yunho hesitantly reached his hands out.

"Can I..?" He had such a hopeful glint in his eyes.

I didn't answer, I merely held his daughter out to him. As soon as she felt his embrace, she latched onto him as if he was one of the teddy bears she often slept with. Perhaps he was one.

No....he is one.

In my time of spending time with Yunho, I've come to strongly believe he is a sweet and tender individual. And judging by the way the little girl feels safe in his arms, I do believe he is capable of being truly loved.....

If he learns how to properly love not just someone else, but himself too.

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Stepping out of my car, I quickly grab the small pink bag on the passenger seat before locking it. Treading through the small patch of green grass, I ring the doorbell and wait for one of the occupants to open up for me. No surprise, I'm greeted by the same raven haired male I met nearly 3 years ago. He looks delighted to see me.

"Y/N. Hi!"

I wave at him, a small but genuine smile on my features.

"Hi Yunho. Did I come at a bad time?" I notice the apron covered in flour and leftover egg on it.

"Oh no not at all. Please come in."

Moving aside to let me pass, my nose catches the scent of baked goods filling the air. I can distinctly recognize the hints of lavender and french vanilla, an odd but surprisingly tasty combination. I spot out of the corner of my eye a little head peeking out from the kitchen, curious to know who had come to pay them a visit. Letting out a squeal, she quickly ran over to attach herself on my leg.

"Y/N!"

I chuckled and lightly run my fingers through her hair which was longer than the last time I saw it.

"Hi Jina, I see you've been baking something." We both chuckle as I scraped off some cake batter that had gotten on the tip of her button nose.

"Me and dad are making cupcakes for my friend's birthday party tomorrow." She explained.

"Wow that's a really nice gesture. I bet they'll turn out delicious."

Remembering that I was short on time and that I had one last task to carry out, I pull out the bag I had hidden behind my back and hand it to her.

"It's for you."

Her eyes began to sparkle so much they could rival all the stars in the galaxy. After thanking me like 20 thousand times, she plopped her tiny body on the couch to tear into the contents inside it. I shake my head before taking out a small paper from inside my trench coat.

"And this is for you."

Taking the slip from my fingers, Yunho opens it up and scans what it says. He seems confused for a moment, not fully understanding what it means. He looks to me once more, probably for the last time, asking for an explanation.

"It's your official release from the institution. No more drop in visits, no more eyes on you 24/7, and soon you won't have to continue with the prescribed medication, although when that happens they will send someone once in a while to check up and make sure you're ok without them."

Yunho nods but it is a rather sad and pained nod.

"So this means you won't be seeing us any longer?"

I inhale deeply and nod.

"This was a temporary thing until you got better Yunho. After all....I was only the doctor assigned to you."

It hurt me to say that as much as it probably hurt him, as much as it'd hurt Jina to know I wouldn't be coming back anymore.

"Can't we at least be friends?"

I hated seeing those puppy eyes of him practically beg me, signature trait he passed on to his daughter.

"That would be completely unprofessional of my part Yunho. I deeply cherish and treasure all the time we spent together and I'm beyond happy and satisfied that you've come so far since the start of our journey..."

I sighed deeply.

"But every journey has an end." He finished my sentence.

Extending his hand out to me, I took it and gave it a firm shake.

"I'm really going to miss you." He admitted.

"Me too. Me too."

Going over to the momentarily forgotten 4 year old, she let out an 'oof' when she suddenly found herself cooped up in my embrace.

"Take care of yourself and of your dad ok?"

I kissed the top of her head, her grinning face not registering that this might be the last time she ever saw me. Yunho walked me out the door and even escorted me all the way to my car. Always the gentleman, he held the door open for me. Before I could even get one foot inside, I felt a large hand grip my wrist. Turning to him, I was flustered when he suddenly pulled me close to him.

"Please don't leave. I need you....I..."

He looked conflicted with himself as he tried to finish his words. Taking a deep breath, he confessed:

"I love you."

My heart sank. He said the 3 words I hoped he'd never direct at me. Mainly because I was scared as he was. Don't get me wrong, Yunho is a wonderful man, and he truly deserves to be loved....

But am I certain that he has finally learned to love? Or is it because he feels he needs me?........

Only one way to find out.

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[soapoperaprompts]

I keep thinking about Nick Braun's quote on Tom and Greg having not a nice turn, but a big turn.

1) My first thoughts are of the prison arc, which I know a number of people are upset about being dropped. There are still two episodes left this season, which makes me wonder just how much the prison aspect is really done and how much they are planning to surprise us.

When I think of that, I end up wondering if they may go for some kind of "shocking" twist where Greg burns Tom (to show us he's just like his family and that he now has the power in the relationship with Tom) or vice/versa (if Tom continues to have a mental breakdown, feels left behind by Greg and threatened by his new relationship, desperately trying to cling to any sense of power he has left [like Logan's approval]).

I am just not sure if their relationship has decayed enough to be at that point, unless things get really bad between them the next two weeks, or they have no choice in the matter.

Or maybe neither of them turn against each other, and a finale shocker (mostly because we had briefly been led to think all was well) is that Kendall decides to burn Greg at the same time as Tom has to take the fall for Waystar?

2) My second thoughts are about the physical relationship between Tom and Greg. We've seen Tom initiate fights between them, yet we have also seen multiple times this season that Tom no longer wants to fight, literally saying this to Greg in episode 4 and then treating him with tenderness in episode 7 when Greg was expecting roughhousing. Does Greg still assume Tom wants fights, or that this is how they communicate? How will that play into Greg being more of Tom's equal now? Will he start to initiate fights?

What if we get a replay of Greg finding out about Shiv being with another man? Let's say Tom learns Comfort Inn is not exclusive with Greg when Greg wants to be and naively assumes she is, or he learns that she is using Greg for info. If he confronts Greg with this reveal, will Greg get rough with him the way Tom did in the same situation?

3) Is the reason why we've had so much emphasis on Tom putting Greg in the mailroom and repeatedly being put in moments where we have no idea what he will do with or to Greg because Tom will end up there himself? We've seen Logan express gratitude toward Tom, but Logan is fickle and cruel and has no real loyalty toward much of anyone. If he thinks Tom is getting above himself, or he wants to humiliate Shiv (even if I doubt she would care much at this point), will he demote Tom and we end up with Greg as Tom's superior?

4) Tom is obviously heading toward a big breaking point, but I'm still not sure how far they will go in addressing his feelings for Greg. Will this start to develop in Italy? Will Tom finally have a full realization of what he needs from Greg? Will he just hit rock bottom and end up in a position where Greg is the only thing keeping him together? Will Greg start to figure this out? Will we end up in a situation where - with the moments this season where Greg is painted as being a "parasite" or just like the rest of the Roys - Greg enables Tom's fixation on him to help advance his own goals? Will this hint further toward a one-sided relationship, or will the door be left open to explore Greg's own bond with Tom (Tom being his safe space, as Braun alluded to in an interview)?