#anyway these chapters are gonna be really good mostly for character development not so much for plot

[luuxxart]

something something sleeping like a dog on the floor…. idk I never pierced the veil

[nih-nih]

How I get so deeply tangled with Bancoran and Maraich

Well this is gonna be a long post about my personal feelings toward Bancoran and Maraich's relationship. English is not my native language so pardon me for the mistake I make.

I first knew of them thank to a tweet that mentioned them as the founding fathers of Yaoi and Mpreg lol. I got interested so I looked for their information on gg and this was what I was introduced to:

Back then I thought their relationship was some kind of quirky and it was there for comedic purpose only. I honestly had no hope for the relationship to actually be fun and serious. Like, a cheater seme and jealousy uke, totally not my cup of tea. Yet I went in anyways, just to see how it goes.

I started reading the first few chapters and actively looked out for Maraich, I though Jada was Maraich, Bjorn was Maraich, every bishounen with curly, light color hair was Maraich lol, the manga's style didn't help much either. I continued read the Eng scan and thought the manga was fun, but still, I was only there for Bancoran and Maraich's relationship, I didn't really care about Patalliro and other characters lol. My mistake.

Then gradually, the relationship that I thought was just for comedic purpose turns out to have a whole subplot that developed their complex characters and relationship! They did not just meet and fell in love for the sake of it, even though their meeting was a fated one and not a very good first impression but still! They properly went through enemies to friends, then through dating stage before living together, then the whole Foggy London Airport arc, vs Keen, Figaro arc! Throughout the stories, their relationship develops so much. And the tiny, little details here and there from the mangaka can actually help us readers imagine how they live together offscreen. Man, I didn't even know since when I got emotionally attached to them. They are not just there; I actually feel like they are living out their life!

Maraich went from someone who became an assassin just so he can survive to someone who is readily to die for Ban, follow him to even hell and afterlife. He started off kinda insecure in his relationship with ban, afraid that he might become a burden to Ban or being thrown away. When he got jealous in the first few volumes, you can see that the most he did was crying and throwing small things at Ban. After he knew that Ban would not abandon him, he became more confident in his beating lol. Now he won't even be afraid to throw Ban out of their home or beat him severely for cheating. I see that as a development lol.

And Bancoran? He remains a playboy but up to vol 17 he actually did try to stay faithful, though it ends up not as we hope. He sees playing with beautiful boys as entertainment just like cigar or drinking wine. If you look at the details, you would think his character is going nowhere. But look at the big picture, you can see how more and more he became homely (?), especially after Figaro was born. I cannot describe how I feel about his development, it is something you recognize when reading the manga. I just really love how possessive he is with his poker face, how he instantly recognizes a fake Maraich by smell (Maraich is always smelled flowery and fresh according to him lol), how despite the tattoo on Maraich's neck, he loves everything about him. You would think Maraich is the more jealousy in this relationship, but Ban is even more possessive and jealousy, he mostly expresses it though actions.

After the Eng scan, I read the RAW with my broken Japanese knowledge and boy, I was so invested and hungry for more that I went to pixiv to read the fanfics written by Japanese fans there (they are really good btw, Godly level even).

True that their relationship is toxic and problematic but that is for another post, another day. I just wanna guss about them now. I just love how they complete each other, how devoted Maraich to Bancoran and how despite being a playboy, to Bancoran, Maraich is special and his only companion.

I only hate how in the later stage of the manga, the mangaka uses the cheating-jealousy gag too much, it is honestly unnecessary.

I have a lot of things to say about them but I guess I should divide them into parts so it could be easier for me to write lol.

[guesst]

MANHWA REC LIST PART 3 courtesy of @ihavenobigbrain

have tried my best to put in all the nice platonic manhwas i’ve read! theres still a bunch of romance but fun and games and lightheartedness is the main focus of these for sure 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

first of all i will rec the obvious and popular ones so they dont get missed becuse they are Popular for a Good Reason:

the s classes that i raised (super good, ive read the novel mostly but the manhwa is JUST as great. mc is collecting people like pokemon)

trash of the counts family (amazing art, little dragon child, mc is collecting people like pokemon)

also gonna plug some ones from the previous rec posts just cus i truly believe they are some of the best non romance manhwa: susu, han; i see you; the tale of goldiluck the black kitten

okay onto the actual recs !

WHEN THE THIRD WHEEL STRIKES BACK

HILARIOUS. genuinely so good, pretty underrated too (in that i havent seen anyone talking about this?) but it has a main character who isekais into a second male lead and decides to stay awayy from the leads — this fails miserably, obviously, and its comical. the misunderstandings, the unlucky run-ins… also the mc is a priest and theres a pretty interesting magic system and worldbuilding!! and as a final bonus the art is nice. genuinely so fun to read, highly recommend

A STEPMOTHER’S MARCHEN

favourite manhwa of all time tbh its the only one ive bought a physical copy of (so far, anyway.. hehe). has a romance sub plot but the characterisations, relationships, plot development etc is exquisite. the family relationship takes precedence here especially in the first few arcs, the characters are REALISTIC, the art is gorgeous…, i love it so so much highly rec if you havent read it already. i guess this doesnt fall as much into light-hearted, because there are quite a lot of heavy moments… but its nicely balanced out with the comedy n all so i’ll put it in anyway :]

SCHOOLMATE FRIEND

super cute! this one is a school romance and it doesnt have many chapters out but its simple and the two mains are adorable. its a nice fluffy read and the artstyle is also lovely.

THE DEMON KING DAD AND HIS HERO DAUGHTER

jdjsjd can you tell how this goes from the title? speaking of which i type it from memory and i cant find the tab i had it open in so it might actually be “his daughter the hero” not “his hero daughter”… not sure. anyway i havent read much of this one but the first few chapters alone had me screaming the dad and his lackey are idiots please read it for him. he loves his daughter but this is backfiring on him so badly djrnfj

^ idiot lackey, everyone

RETURN OF THE WAR GOD

you would assume the war god goes to war! but no. he picks up a little girl and then he’s like. ok mine now. and the rest of the manhwa is spent getting money out of people and living in the woods in his homemade mansion with his daughter and the mamy many sidekicks that they pick up along the way. lovely art, lots of funny moments, plenty of action -- this is a martial arts story -- n the side characters are great (especially the governor lol) .

SCREW THE NOBLE LIFE, I’M GOING HOME

there arent many chapters out for this one (24 i think?) but im so invested already. as it stands this is centred entirely around the isekai’d main character and her new family, there is a heavy dose of angst about identity issues but every chapter has a new misunderstanding and it has me rolling fr ,, oh also the mc’s new brothers are her stepsiblings but they shoot down that romance route really fast and their relationships are so entertaining if it keeps going the way it is this will definitely become a favourite. heres an out of context foot pic

SIGRID

AMAZING TRULY AMAZING the character arcs in this one are so !!! yummy !!! mc time travels n endeavours to correct her actions n save people and in the process makes sm friends and all the characters have depth and grow and theyre all so !!! lovable !!!! the friendships in this one are amazing even without the romance subplot (and also speaking of romance, its a slow burn mainly cus sigrid is as dense as a brick but its NOT frustrating because it actually makes sense for her character!! like im usually the first one to move on from a thick fl but honestly you cant help but cheer them on) its so so good, i love it

THE MEANING OF YOU

this one is an isekai romance with again some lovely character arcs :D the main character is pretty depressive but its also got plenty of light/funny moments to balance it out, and the plot centres around her learning to take care of herself and becoming more confident,, i love the characters a lot ! they care a lot. the romance does get a bit cheesy at times but it really is so wholesome with solid characterisation n its completed too so you have a nice 3am read.

HOW TO BE A DARK HERO’S DAUGHTER

urgh one of the best kid leads ever, plenty of plot and the art is gorgeous as well like its a winner all around okay. as it stands its on an indefinite hiatus (author had cancer and i assume is still recovering or just taking a break for a while) but season one is already completed and its an excellent family centred read with a few mysteries scattered here n there also did i mention the entire family is so yummy. im so gone for the butler fjddjdnndd

MY BROTHERS, THE PROTAGONISTS

simultaenously super funny and somewhat angsty. this is one of those dungeon manhwa but the caveat is each of the mc's brothers has a different trope going on (time travel, became demon king, isekai'd) while mc is a decent potion maker and has to deal with all their bullshit (affectionate). it handles family issues and balances it with comedy perfectly. the main character is really really likeable and you cant help but cheer her on. so far its almost entirely platonic but i spy a few male leads lol

MY CUTE BEAST!!!

romance manhwa again !! fjdmcjf the author of this one looked at all the classic miscommunication and misunderstanding tropes and noped the fuck out its so easy to read because you will NOT stress out and the male lead is so cute also. they play with the typical gender roles so fl has the knight aura while the ml is the damsel. its great and the characterisations are also awesome. big big fan. look him

WEE!!

iirc this is actually either malaysian or indonesian, not korean i think..? its mostly slice of life iirc n its been like.. 2 years since i read it so the humour might be . slightly outdated haha,, the cast is pretty diverse which is cool and there are a few angsty backstory chapters scattered here and there but on the whole it is chock full of shits and giggles if you want silly times. the only caveat is there isnt an official translation afaik so like… fan translation will have to do djfnc

A FREE RIDE EVERYDAY

back to romance ! romance manhua this time, slice pf life office type of thing and its pretty much just fluff. its a cute low stress read for times where u just want to sit down n smile about something and the characters r not thick about everything like they can be in SOME romances fjfnf and also the art is lovely! look at the cover, thats what its like the whole way through.

PURRFECT WORLD

mad underrated djfhdn it’s pretty chill, its a story about a human girl working at a salad restaurant on a planet full of cats. the art is super cute, the cats have jobs and all but they also act like cats and its great dhsks like the owner of the restaurant likes to sit in random cardboard boxes. its been a while since i read it but there is not much romance (if at all??), but plenty of cats and shenanigans. heehee

read it for him !! its also complete and its not particularly long either btw forgor to say

ONI NO KO

this one … i think is a manga actually? in colour?? its about a random oni kid that gets picked up by a high schooler’s family. very very cute art, it’s short and sweet and i will repeat very cute.

look him! hes so small ! he likes baseball!!

BONUS REC which doesnt fit the mood but i think more people should read it: the goldfish osushi. i wont elaborate anymore but its truly… your heart will be touched after it lol

also if anyone has more to add to this list (preferably things u think r underrated !! and no orv because everyone automatically recs that to me and im tired ajfndn) please do i would also like recs. also also if anyone has requests i love making lists

[dayseedrawz2]

This is gonna be in my drafts until I at least get out every design for [Ring-Misstress] so Idk how much time I got-

So yeah I decided that I'm gonna write this AU in chapters so that it makes more sense when I make content about it, and yall can ask about it ig-

This all takes place after the events of the real series (that of which we have yet to see, so anything different can just be part of an alternate timeline)

Without further ado... Let's get to it!!

[R-M Chapter 1: The Relaunch]

Dialog guide:

Narration

*Perfoming an action*

"Thinking"

Pomni

•Caine•

°○Bubble○°

◆Ragatha◆

Jax

~Gangle~

Kinger

Zooble

Flinally!! After what felt like forever!!! With help from the others, Pomni and Caine found something groundbreaking!! The Games source code! Mostly, everyone was there to look for the exit, but they ended up finding something else...

*sigh* There's nothing here... can we go back now??

Yeah, honestly, this was a complete waste of time...

◆Come on now, guys! I'm sure they know what they're doing!◆

~Wait, look! They're back out!!~

*Pomni and Caine exit a jumble of One's and Zero's*

It's not much, but I think we found something!! But... I'm just not sure what it is... *She hands a small glitching object to Caine*

•Huh... It's... it's a developer's note! I haven't come across one of these in a while!•

Wait, what!?

Oh dang, that's right, it forgot this was even a video game-

~What's it say??~

*Silence fell as Caine read the text out loud*

•Let's see... "With the noticeable decrease in 'Bugged characters', the game should be ready for relaunch soon!" Oh...•

What... does "Oh" mean..?

•...huh? Oh yes! Uh, you all know how we have a designated place for Abstractions so that they don't destroy the place... and you?? How you have helped prevent some altogether?•

Yes..?

•Well I only implemented it after people stopped working on this game. They still think the game is okay to publish!!•

And? This is great news!! People play the game, realize we are stuck in here, and then we get help!! What are you yapping about??

•That's the thing- If more people, who for one are mostly children, come across this, they won't be able to help, and if worse come to worse, get trapped with us!•

◆oh... oh my, that does sound awful...◆

•Normally I'd be ecstatic, but I don't think it would be good if that many more people got trapped at once... let alone kids...•

Gee, missing kids in a video game. How tragic...

~Hey!~

•Wait, there's something else on here to- a "debugging code??"•

Did someone say something about Bugs??

•No, far from it... hey... this is a copy of the code for my "Ringmaster powers!" Interesting...•

Really? That's what you call em??

•Why yes!! What else could they be?? Anyways... now what do we do about this approaching situation of ours...•

Well, we're not just gonna have a ton more people in here being watched by one incompetent AI!

•... You're absolutely right, Pomni dear! Your little remark had given me an idea that might just work! Now... just how does one copy this...•

To be continued...

[Yippee, finally!! Part 1 done!!]

The second part is right here! (As well as the link to Caine and Pomnis blogs!):

[riacte]

RIA I AM GNAWING at the bars of my enclosure, I just finished the last few chapters and JSHDHDHHDJWJWHE <- insane insane insane. I’m going insane. I think this fic has one of the most satisfying conclusions I’ve ever read before like the final battle was SO COOL ?!? Epistolary fics have their limitations yeah but it’s SUCH an immersive storytelling like man I really did feel like I was in a live stream watching the combined forces of hero’s and villains and rebels take down the mayor. And MAN,,, that baletach scene after the dusts clears and he removes his helmet and the shadows surround them was so soft (that turn of phrase is detonating the 2018 cringe meter in my mind but I cannot think of a better way to describe it). I love how although there’s a happy ending, there’s still doubt for what could come in the future, idk it just feels like I’m peering into the social media of some distant city overbroad and feeling wildly confuse. I also LOVE the implication that Freth is like the New York of London of this world with the whole freth-centricism that’s such cool world building. I’m really curious to know whether there’s other cities being plagued with mutants too? Are their heroes elsewhere or is this like a Gotham city where one particular area is just prone to these magical things happening? Anyways so excited to see what more of this universe you’re going to explore :D

HAI HAI thanks for reading! 🥺🥺 I'm glad you like the ending, I was afraid it was gonna a bit too much whiplash from overthrowing the gov -> school setting (while I was writing the fic I felt like it was bouncing between tone every chapter). And I looove calling things/people soft like it's very 🥺🥺

"I love how although there’s a happy ending, there’s still doubt for what could come in the future" SO glad it came out this way for you, this was the tone I wanted. I worked backwards from the Blue Bats arc and wanted a mix of hope/chaos/recovery/uncertainty/but still hope for Lyra and Ben :)

The Frethcentricism was mostly me making a jab at how USA-centric the Anglosphere Internet feels at times 😭 but I would imagine the constant superhero/Mutant news gets aggravating for people who don't care. And it's like Spopera where I get to play pretend and choose which topics are culturally dominant. Freth is an important trade/finance/logistics hub. I can imagine it was historically important due to its location (being on the coast of a continent), then the Mutants appeared, the industries panicked and moved away, but then the heroes showed up, hence Freth had good security and low crime rates in its golden years. Its special status would probably grant it more autonomy from whatever country it belongs to— or perhaps it's a city-state/ in the process of becoming one. I imagine the lack of government transparency + crackdown on civilian protests + startling massacre of heroes pushed away those industries, hence the new gov has to incentivize them to come back.

There is definitely something "magical" about the area itself. Natural Mutants still spawn and will probably come back even if the heroes kill them all (rip LFSA, you were too optimistic about Mutant eradication). Kids from civilian families (eg. Ben) can develop powers out of blue thanks to the "magic". The "magic" doesn't abide by political borders so it's possible for kids in neighbouring areas to develop powers, which leads to conflict because Freth is obliged to take in everyone with powers, but the kid doesn't belong to Freth.

This universe has been bouncing around in my head for quite some time and I feel there's a lot to explore. Lyra's parents being a power couple, Reina's parents, the 826 graduates defecting, Mirage and co backstory, etc etc. I don't know everything lmao and I'm kind of waiting for things to slot into place. I think this universe is addicting because I Don't Know a lot of things but then I start writing and the characters/plot/world reveals itself? If it makes sense? So it makes me really excited to write because yippeeee I'm discovering more about this world :D (and if I don't like something I can just retcon it later lmao)

Thanks for the ask <3

[chihirolovebot]

okay okay prepare for my ranting but OHHHHHHHHHMYGOD i just love your writing so so much.

you just AHSHSTGGFF ARE SOOOOO GOOD AT GETTING THE READER HOOKED. I SWEAR . ITS UNREAL.

no joke . i’ve reread sleep awake probably about 4 times now. it has been on my mind for the past month. send help .

I LOVE LOVE LOVE physicist’s relationship dynamics with the rest of the cast. thank goodness we’re not isolated with kokichi the whole story. ohmygod. i think i’d die.

i feel like . phys could really do with a massive cry in rantaro’s arms. he became a brotherly figure so quickly for them and AUGHHHthey make me so upset. him preventing a meltdown too?? WAAAAAHHH … gotta love him for that. hopefully we’ll get to see more of him in here is where my body lies .

SPEAKING OF THAT. i’m looking forward to seeing the bad endings / alternate universes in it. like … if kirumi killed phys. or korekiyo succeeded in killing phys. or …if kokichi didn’t walk in when gonta attempted to kill phys . ohmygod. phys almost died a lot. i hope we get to see how everyone reacts. ANYWAY i can’t wait to see phys and the others be happy. what the hell. i need this in my life.

back to friendship dynamics….the trio recently formed by BELIEVING in phys??? is just AUGHHHHH SO SO CUTE. THEY HAVE MY HEART. I WANNA GIVE THEM ALL A HUG.

and…with the main man himself …. WOW. just. WOW. their dynamic is everything. they make me wanna cry. they are married. they are divorced. they are nerds. they are losers. they are. my everything. they are

“And yet—this deal he’d made you. That was trust, naked and unmistakable. That was far more than he’d offered anybody else. Everything else aside, Kokichi trusted you. Wasn’t that enough? 

If the small pit in your stomach was anything to go by—no, it wasn’t. And you didn’t know why”

WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH THEY JUST MAKE ME SICK. SO SICK. i’m really curious how phys will react to kokichi’s plan for *you know what* or that he’ll just keep them in the dark. again. because he knows they wouldn’t let him? I DONT KNOW. whatever it is. i’m not ready for it.

despite the tears that i’m gonna shed in the future ……..IM EXCITED TO SEE THE NEXT CHAPTERS PLAY OUT. im looking forward to the changes you’re gonna make in chapter 6. really curious what that’s gonna be .

you’ve captured kokichi’s character to a tee and i can’t get enough of it i swear .

i love that phys has autism too. like. if it isn’t completely obvious by now. so do i and it’s just. wow. THEY R JUST LIKE ME!!!!

also. i’m very excited to see where you take that persona 5 fic. wink wink.

ANYWAYS LOVE YOU FOR THIS. THIS IS THE BEST FIC I’VE READ EVER . I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE IT. GOODBYE .

HELLO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HELLO .

ur so kind this is like. one of the sweetest asks ive ever received i was pacing all day and im just answering now because i wanted to have the time to write out a thoughtful response because ohhghgh my god u made my absolute week with this thank you SO much my angel !!!!!

starting this story it was so important to me that like . phys has Other Friends. i think i mentioned this before but i think a big part of the story is that Ouma's mindset is wrong and unhealthy which is definitely starting to be examined this late in the story and like. the way he goes about doing stuff is definitely (mostly) well-intentioned but his mindset and philosophies are so Off and Wrong that i think ONLY having his mindset to influence Phys would a) ensure that phys only develops in a way that makes them more like him, which is NOT good because his mindset is wrong and unhealthy, and b) would make them extremely lonely when that isnt what i want the story to be about. if i COULD i would go back and give them some more interaction with momota because he's ouma's foil character, but i like him giving phys advice and phys taking on bits of his philosphy, too. they basically take an amalgamation of their friends' perspectives and learn to have a healthier outlook that way. so yeah . its super important for phys to have friends, especially optimistic ones like momota, kiibo and chabashira .

MY BODY LIES!!!! i haven't forgotten about this, just planning on properly starting it after i finish sleep awake's main story because between that , my p5 fic, and my jojo fic its kind of A Lot. but amami will DEFINITELY be a prominent character in it because i love his and phys's relationship so much. i tried to stretch it as much as possible in the original story before i knew i had to kill him off :(( and YEAH so i think a bad ending will be the first chapter which will probably be if shinguuji succeeded in his murder attempt , mostly focusing on the aftermath and the effect it has on the rest of the characters which . was pretty heavy for a first chapter so i may make it the second instead lmao.

I CANT SAY MUCH ABT FUTURE STUFF but i CAN say that some of ch5 and a fair amount of ch6 will be different and im super excited to show you what i have in store for it !!! the tone i'm going for is bittersweet so . hopefully that tides you over for a bit :3

the new trio... the phys apostles as i'm calling them. they're so silly to me. something about each of them knowing phys in very unique ways . kiibo seeing phys as soon as they woke up and always being the first to believe in them , chabashira seeing phys after they killed shinguuji and being the only person to see that side of them, and saihara being a sort of mirror to phys's grief in the early chapters after they both lost the most important person to them ( at that time ). i thought it made sense that they would all be a little more reluctant to believe that phys had been totally brainwashed because they all have a lot more respect for them than that , and also just . know them better as a person than the others , who are definitely still well-intentioned , just ignorant.

ouma... my little freakweirdo bf . characterising him is such a challenge but im so so happy you enjoy how i've done it !!!! physouma's dynamic is my favourite i've ever written in anything, i think . it's exactly like you said !!! they're constantly on this weird emotional journey where phys is attempting to get closer and ouma is attempting to distance himself but its not working because they both care about each other so much and like. yeah . they make me a bit insane too . writing phys slowly discovering their feelings has been super fun too . i usually dislike the oblivious love interest trope because more often than not it feels like it's played for miscommunication problems BUT i feel like with ouma it only makes sense because like . its impossible to know where you stand with ouma even if he straight-up says 'im in love with you' you'd just be like ?? yeah ok buddy sure. good one . you got me.

autistic phys is so real to me as i obviously also have autism and . i was projecting super hard when i created them teehee. THE PERSONA FIC !!!! i know its been a while since i updated but i AM working on the next chapter its definitely not abandoned :3

THANK U AGAIN SO SOSOSOS MUCH FOR THIS . I HOPE UR HAVING THE BEST DAY EVER <333

[zhansww]

After nearly 99 hours, I finally finished FF7 Rebirth yesterday. As far as the story goes, it left me with more questions than answers tbh. Mind you, maybe I'd know the answers if I'd played the og but I haven't. I only played FF7 Remake and now Rebirth. Anyway, I'm just writing down my thoughts on it and this might get long so I'll put the rest under a cut.

I'm gonna start with what I disliked about the game before getting into what I liked. Gameplay-wise: first and foremost, the mini games. The sheer amount of them annoyed me to no end. As someone who loves exploring every inch in a game, having to learn how to play and get good at minigames to complete certain side quests or explore certain areas definitely put a damper on my usual enjoyment of, well, exploring. And that's just the optional ones, there are also minigames that you can't skip. Instead of just letting me play the actual game, you have to, in between the normal gameplay, git gud at fifty different minigames. And ofc, I stopped (playing the optional ones, at least) at some point cuz it simply became too much but that just sucks. It again takes the fun out of it. The only minigames I enjoyed were Queen's Blood and the chocobo races. Maybe others like this variety of games within their game but to me, it became obnoxious. I actually usually love getting every trophy in a game but I already know I won't do that with this game mainly because of, you guessed it, the mini games. Which is a damn shame.

Another thing I disliked is the illusion of choice. Why bother giving me any choice at all regarding Yuffie when my answers ultimately don't matter? You can reject Yuffie three times but she'll join you anyway because obviously, it's not like they developed two whole different games, one with Yuffie and one without her. Same with the relationship counter thing. I did my best to get close to Aerith, to get that intimate date scene on the skywheeler in chapter 12. But Cloud can also have an intimate date with T*fa. And does the characters' relationship change afterwards? No. Cloud treats them exactly the same as he would have. Again, it's not like they bothered to make different cut scenes or add different dialogue in the rest of the game, depending on who you have that romantic date with. But then why even bother giving us a choice? Imo, you may as well get the date with Barret or Nanaki or Cait Sith. It's not like anything at all changes anyway. The story pretty much makes a romance between Cloud and Aerith canon, regardless. Which in itself is definitely not something I'm complaining about, but it's the illusion of choice or having choices that don't actually matter that annoys me. Also, what's with all the characters being spawned in all the time? I'm guessing they do that to make it more immersive but when you're in a group of seven people, they keep getting in your way, even more so when we're all on chocobos. And it's not even like the characters have any meaningful or important dialogue while you're out and exploring so it just feels completely unnecessary to have them around at all times. It was fine in FFXV cuz there were only four characters and they mostly walked behind Noctis anyway. But in this game, it was yet another point of annoyance for me.

When it comes to the story, there's a lot that I let slide cuz it's a game and cuz it's a fantasy world ofc... but Sephiroth is a really lame villain. Everyone else seems to be impressed by him but I don't find him special at all. Not to mention, he can conveniently teleport anywhere he needs to be at any given time. Also, the characters of Yuffie and T*fa really got on my nerves. Yuffie was just unlikeable with her stupid arrogance and materia-obsession. While T*fa is still a whole nothing burger. She reminds me of any basic, empty, supportive wife character. There's simply nothing else to her. I can't say I was too impressed by Cait Sith either but whatever. Cloud, Barret, Aerith and Nanaki are all good characters at least.

On that note, I wasn't too interested in any character in Remake but Rebirth really fleshed those four aforementioned characters out to the point that I feel way more invested in them now than before playing Rebirth. What I wonder about the most is who exactly Zack is and whether his whole section was even real or if that was all part of Aerith's "dream". Also, there's definitely something wrong with Cloud's mind... he seems to respond to trauma by pretending reality is something different..? Which makes him an unreliable narrator which in turns makes me wonder what else and how much of what he knows is distorting reality. When Biggs talked about Cloud to him, Zack seemed confused and said smth like "are you sure we're talking about the same Cloud?" which immediately made me wonder just how different Cloud was with Zack. If he really lost (or thought he lost) Zack, it could make sense for his personality to have changed afterwards. My point being, I am very intrigued and way more interested in Cloud's character now than I was before. I'm also really interested in Vincent Valentine. I saw him and I immediately wished he would join us. That didn't happen unfortunately but hopefully in the third part.

Anyway, the story and characters were an upgrade for me in this game. The gameplay is still mostly solid. The open world, with the different regions and terrains and climates and chocobos was gorgeous to explore albeit difficult to navigate sometimes. The minigames brought it all down, unfortunately. But I still ultimately enjoyed this and also still look forward to what's next in the FF series~

[bonesandthebees]

Also, Tommy not actually saying thank you with words, but definitely doing half of Wilbur’s chores says a lot about both of them. It shows once more that reading each other well goes both ways. It’s very cute too.

Anyway, I love how throughout the entire fic, the cafeteria seating arrangements are a good way to keep track of friend groups and social standings. We started with Tommy, Wilbur, Tubbo, Aimsey and Ranboo. Then after Tommy and Tubbo had a fight about killing Wilbur, it went to Tommy, Wilbur, Niki and Jack. After the murder attempt it was full isolation (though Aimsey did come and socialise) and now we are basically back where we started + a lot of character development.

I’d forgotten how much of a chaos gremlin this Tubbo was. Also, why do all the Deathlings have such morbid conversation topics? Who would you want to be stranded on an island with? What would you do if a nuclear war broke out? I know they are neutral to Death, but still?

Also, I’m not saying they are wrong, it’s a valid discussion to have especially given the current circumstances. They should stockpile food anyway.

[I wouldn’t wanna try and survive in a world like that. It’d suck ass, y’know?”] I’m with Tommy on this. If the apocalypse breaks out, I’m out. Soon as my cats and family are gone, you’ll no longer bet seeing me.

Correction: none of the Deathlings have impulse control, or a filter for that matter. It's almost like being isolated for most of society since their teenage years has badly affected their social skills. (and maybe a little bit of their empathy levels too, which fair, the cops hunt them for sport and the government tells awful lies about them. Though that might just be Tubbo.)

I can't tell if Tubbo is being passive-aggressive or if he’s just genuinely surprised Wilbur didn't bring up Clara because it's been that long since they properly talked and last time they did Wilbur was probably spouting a lot more Clara bullshit. He was very uptight in the first few chapters.

(3/3)

-🌲

YEAHHH tommy doesn't need to do wilbur's chores for him and he's literally been forced to do very grueling chores for weeks now and still, he still does half of wilbur's chore load for him as a thank you. he's really happy :)

oh yeah I always have a fun time with the cafeteria seating arrangements. it's so high school in a way but what else are you gonna get when you stick a group of very traumatized people in an underground temple for years on end?

ngl the conversation topics always being morbid like that isn't even intentional it's just what I can come up with lol. like, it just felt like tubbo would be talking about nuclear war. the stranded on an island thing was just funny. it's not that deep that's just where my brain goes when I try to find conversation topics for the group (it's also a good way to showcase everyone's morality)

lmao yeah sometimes you gotta sit back and think "do I really wanna go into the mad max apocalypse is that really gonna be better"

well it's partially that being isolated in a temple for so long has definitely stunted their social skills, but also tubbo is just like that as well. it's both.

tubbo is being genuine! it comes off as passive aggressive (and it's meant to be a little bit, but more in a teasing way) but mostly he's genuinely surprised wilbur isn't spouting more clara shit considering the way he used to be the last time they were eating meals together. another example of his growth :D

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (19/03/23)

biggest thing this week is me starting to catch up to UU only got through 30 chaps (in about 3 hours) cause I grossly underestimated just how much text it was gonna have it's good tho 👍

Undead Unluck Ch1 to 30

I greatly underestimated how long it'd take to catch up, I only started at midnight of this sunday, I thought because it was an action series it wouldn't take that long but I was clueless. But anyway, it's good, I can easily see how it managed to get through the cancelation danger gauntlet and how it's become fairly popular. My friend Mega had already told me beforehand that the first couple volumes are quite crude and lewd, and he was right, but I've seen a lot worse. Also the pacing is quite fast but it didn't bother me at all, tho I was reading everything back to back instead of weekly so maybe it would've been different. Anyway the last arc I read before stopping (Unrepair) was good and finished setting up the intro to the series I feel. Now we know what the main plot is, how this world works (mostly), we got to know a lot of the cast, the goals of our protagonists and antagonists and how they clash with each other. The best chap so far was 20, it was a colour page chap and it introduced one of the Big Plot Points for the series, also Juiz is just super cool too. I think I remember seeing that Andy and Fuuko join the baddies later? but I don't remember for sure so we'll see. Which also speaking of, Fuuko is very cute. I expect to have finished catching up before I do this again next week so look forward to the rest of that I guess.

Dandadan Ch97

been a while since the last full action chap and it slapped that last page was very pog. tho hype for when okarun finally rejoins the fray

Kaiju 8 Ch82

didn't expect such a nice chap for a side chara, that was good. hype for next chap with that ending tho

JOJOLands Ch2

wao the newest instalment of jojo is here but honestly it's too early on to really have any opinions on it, evil giorno is nice tho. at the end of chap 1 I said the person they were gonna rob was gonna be a returning chara from p4 or 6 but sure as hell didn't expect it to just straight up be rohan lol

Tokyo Underworld Ch34

damn yomi being brained for once impressive, tho just a few pages later he fucked up and almost got killed so it balances out

Jojo: Hol Horse/Josuke Spinoff Ch14

we got the spinoff's first stand rush pog. should only be 2 or 3 more chaps left til it's over but it's been a nice little diversion

Ichigoki's Under Control!! Ch15

what a terrible chapter, introduced a buncha characters and situations that never happened, since it's getting canceled and didn't get to actually do them. seems like it'll end next chap at least so that's good.

The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins Ch17

damn I was gonna say "alright it's good to see ichinose has a clear goal now for the characters to follow" but then it hit me with that twist at the end again so uh nvm. not really a fan of the "it was all a dream" thing but we'll see how it goes

Ginka & Gluna Ch26

all that just for the baddie to run away? eh.... feels like quite the waste of such a cool concept for a power

Fabricant 100 Ch14

not as good as the last few chaps but p decent nonetheless

Jiangshi X Ch9

mostly action, showing off how powerful the dad is, still expect him to die soon tho

Tokyo Demon Bride Story Ch27

well things got solved quite nicely didn't they. I had anticipated this outcome originally, but with how much they were building up to a fight I had discarded it. anyway if ichigoki is really ending next chap then this should have 2 or 3 more chaps left.

Witch Watch Ch101

decent chap, was a throwback to this old spell

SPY x FAMILY Ch77

it was nice to get a lloid chap after so long, and with him actually doing his job nonetheless, I think that's a first

Blue Box Ch93

xmas? my sister in christ it's march

oh ok fair enough. anyway good chap like usual too, nice to see yumeka's character developing

Cipher Academy Ch16

a good chap but I'm also a hoe for murder mysteries, tho that twist at the end was very good 👀

Mashle Ch148

very funny chap, didn't expect something like this lol

Sakamoto Days Ch111

cool number pog. but anyway, wonder how much longer of this backstory is left, not that I'm not enjoying it tho, the gun throw was great

The Elusive Samurai Ch102

damn setting up some worrying implications for our protags in case they lose. also I figured they weren't going to fight ashikaga right away, and the ending proved that, shame they gotta fight that girl tho

Akane-banashi Ch54

a nice cooldown chapter after the intensity of the last few ones, but a good chapter still, setting up the next competition and goal for akane also I don't think I've ever said it in these but..she's so cute.. love all the little faces she makes

[capaldiera]

i’m just being unreasonable here but

still thinking about mulcahy in that fanfic and like UGH the author didnt GET him.the fact i'm still thinking about the fic is a credit to them and it was really good on the other characters but it was like he was such an afterthought and it's so clear it was bc he's just.. not interesting in their mind and they just don't Understand... like i get why the others wouldn't like include him in their little group conversation bc like he is a priest and if you don't know he's gonna get it you wouldnt talk around him.and maybe he Wouldnt get it but he Could tho and maybe they don't know that but at least he could be invited into the larger group come on now... CHarles is part of the group and he's completely oblivious but you're all even here (at his wedding reception) bc of him. but like by and trapper showed mulcahy some photos of their kids and then he was just sitting talking to potter and mildred the whole time it's like everyone's married and has kids now so he has to sit with the old people.. like ik he wouldnt probably be getting involved in the shenanigans and the dancing or whatever but at least give me some real conversations with the other characters come on.. and in the epilogue the notes were like ok a mulcahy chapter bc someone asked and i was like yay :) but it's him thinking like oh i surprised myself by enjoying everyone's antics even tho i spent so much time during the war trying to convince them to stop like first of all... girl where. like a good deal less than half the time were you doing that. i'm not saying he isn't capable of that level of self-deception but thats clearly not the angle the author was taking. like this guy was on s1 characterisation and everyone else was on s15 idc if he's worse or better but make him more Something. i want character progression of some kind not regression. or at least if it's regression make it intentional and in juxtaposition to the development of the others. or like make it about the reasons he got more boring that would be interesting. like idk man he can be fun. its usually cringe and mostly only fun for him but he can be fun! there was one moment where hawkeye is feeling the toll of being forced back into his role as the social center of the group and mulcahy gives him a kind understanding look and i was like Thank God at least you understand Something like yeah! he has connections with understanding and respect and friendship and it's not just like oh yeah mulcahy. he was the priest right? he had Friends let me see them interact.. anyway this is petty and i am not the person the author wrote for and i would like to stress again i really did enjoy the fic i would recommend it in fact. wasn't always my personal interpretations of the characters but it always made sense and it was beautiful. except for boringcahy 😔🙄 (ok even that was really not bad like he was fine it was nice to see him. and he and hawkeye spoke in sign language that was nice. they just didn't get him like i do (my interpretation is not the most canonest either tbh i do know that but that's bc i Built upon canon. bc i paid attention so i have something to build from) ok bye

[xx-vergil-xx]

okay so I'm finally reading Hounds and I have to yell at you here, too because

DESIRE

you write them SO GOOD, you write them SO FRIGHTENING, the enormity and deepness and awful ceaselessness of human want! humans want CONSTANTLY! they want sex and they want love and they want violence! this is why I think that Dream and Desire are SO similar because dreams and desires cover the entire breadth of human emotion, the good and the bad! except Dream responded by repressing so hard he turned into a black hole and Desire responded by going fucking insane!!!

(also, on a more serious note -- how far into Hounds did you get when plot hit you? and was it something like that you just kinda realized you were writing it and it was going somewhere, or did you have a concrete idea that came to you? always interested in other writing processes, because i tend to start writing something for the ~aesthetic~ and then I'll have a plot that'll smack me in the head and I have to go back and redo stuff lol)

hello hello!!! first off, as a devoted patron of ur absurdly good work it’s an honor and a delight hello comrade in arms <3 <3 <3

thank u so much!!! writing desire was just so unbelievably fun bc it’s characters like that that are so fuckin maxed out knobs-turned-to-11 insane where for myself, as primarily a poet with a fondness for Strange and Off-Putting Language, i can just go crazy go stupid ya know? i fully agree with your desire and dream similarity thesis i really think that they hate each other because they are so similar that it drives them both up the wall — dream reviles desires indulgence and desire thinks dream has a major stick up his ass but deep down they’re two sides of the same lunatic coin, they’re batshit when it comes to any and all emotions (and dream’s repression continually bites him in the ass because his emotions get so compressed he inevitably spills over and lashes out — my favorite example being nada getting cast into hell like he’s so overcome with embarrassment and almost shame at rejection and also grief at what he’s done to her that it makes him act like a Major Fucking Asshole because he loses control anyway sidebar sidebar). i love desire and if i can work their voice back into the fic at a later point god knows i will because it was a joy to write them (on par with the corinthian who has been my FAVORITE voice so far ugh my blonde bastard beloved <3)

i too started with a Vibe Only — it was about half a chapter in my notes that was hob in a nightclub in berlin seeing someone who looked like dream (i think that became ch 3) and a chunk abt dream where i was trying to conceptualize how imprisonment in a body would work for a very non-corporeal being who can’t die, mostly as an experiment in body horror — hounds emerged from these little scraps and the plot has come along in organic fits and starts. not sure where ur at in ur read (holy shit i never imagined it would be as long as it is now) but little arcs sorta developed for me one after the other — the rescue trope first bc i am a sucker, then corinthian arc, and now this current one, and it’s sort of a ridiculous stroke of luck that they’ve all escalated on each other enough to form a coherent and rising plot that actually is leading up to the moment i’ve been beating my head against the wall abt for the last two days (thanks to @aberfaeth for her infinite wisdom and feedback and also giving me a god tier concept that i’m stealing to use). that’s often my typical process, i tend to go very organic, but i’ve never done it with something this long and i’m shocked it’s still functioning. hopefully this gift from the muses and the spirit of hob gadling continues onward as i desperately attempt to figure out how this is gonna resolve!

thank you a thousand times over for reading! <3

[brainimpediment]

[door to the ask box slams wide open] Characters PLEASE tell me your character thoughts if you have any. Favorites? Top 10? Somebody had a wacky hairstyle you liked? Infodump to me if you'd like to I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on it (especially Chapter 2. Top 3/5 favorites, you know how it is)

OH!!! Im glad you asked !!!!

I was reading it like pretty late at night + just got out of school so I’m trying to recall everythign that even happened,, but I know 4 sure I rlly enjoyed it!!!!!:33:3:3:33!!! AUGHH ranking all the characters in a top 10 is gonna b so hard,,,,, I can rank all the Gordons tho I think!! (I’m not ranking them from “best” to “worst” rlly, more like,, how attached I am to th character, how much I know abt them,, stuff liekthat) huge apologies if I misremember sruff or use the wrong names or pronouns or anything like rhat, everything is kinda foggy for me rn 😭💔

loverboy/Gordon b./leading light/whateva u wanna call him:3,,, idk if u could tell by the recent sketches I’ve been doing but I’m def a fan,,, all of his designs r incredible and the character overall has been super interesting 2 see develop, esp in Ep2.,,, like. Out of all the Gordons, I rlly did NOT expect LB to be the most genuinely villainous,,,,,!! + the thing that was said abt how he took advantage of Benrey similarly to how he tried to and like,.. completely flipped everything from Y2KVR around tonally was super neat,,, he is #1 lovecore in myheart 💔

Probably Doc!! I feel p similar abt LB to Doc,,, I ended up being rlly invested in his backstory and how his character was developing, and his dynamic w/ sleepless n the others was so fun,,,, :33 also love all his designs sm ,,, including the other characters in his AU, they were great :]] will b drawinf him next !!i prommy!!

Hjonesslty,,, prob Malcom & Player,,,,being from something I had never read I was worried I’d like,, not “get” the character,,, but I found them both super interesting!! The overall concept of the AU was so silly but also rlly compelling,,,and the ultimate outcome of their arcs iguess was cool2 me :] Kittle’s redemption and Player’s complete shift in Ep2 were both great :]

Freeman,,,! I initially figured his character wouldn’t change very much and would mostly just serve as liek,,, a foil to all the absurd characters rhat surrounded him, but I was pleasantly surprised and Very excited to see that he had a lot more to him!!!! :D and was rlly prominent in the story !!!!! Esp him in Ep2!!!!!!!!!!! iwanna write more sobad but I keep getting distracted sndliie I may need to skim thru everything again as a refresher,, ihave So many thoughts ,,,,cant form them 💔

Swap is all that’s left!!! It wss so hard for me to put them at 5 becos I rlly like them but I had nochoic e ,,, swap AUs r always so iconic burlike,,, unlike most others from other fandoms, this roleswap AU introduced lots of unique elements to the stories and characters that it became way more than just “what if this character had the opposite outfit and personality!” Which I REALLY appreciate and enjoyed a lot in the story,, esp when it came to Swap themself!!!! Like!!! Aaagh!!! Them being an alien from Xen!!!! Is so cool{!!! I’ll def have to read the original fic eventually becos it seems rlly good,,, anyways!! I loved their relationship w/ Neo (and Neo in general!! All the “normal human/player” characters were so silly ilovethrm) aaaaaa

uaaoaoaaithtiejfmghtn ‼️‼️‼️ istill have So Much 2 say abt everythugn but iam struggling to get it all out ,,wuaaa… I’ll talk more abt it later 4 sure :33 overall I very much had fun reading it all and iam SOSO excited 4the finale,,,,, AAAA!!!£!!3!! I’m pretty sure I did see some more stuff to read tho, so I’ll be doifn that later as well!!!!!!!!!!! And potentially live-blogging it too since peopl seemed 2 enjoy rhat :3 sorry if this is completely incomprehensible, I can see that I was typing sort of repetitively but I am too eepy to fix it💔

Extra note: I loved Mothra a lot :3 them just dipping at the end was super silly and is also very much hinting at a return so I am excited for that !!!!!!!!

[dbzebra]

hii wondering if u hv any tips for writing long multi-chap fics for a first timer? currently having a general plot but dk how to expand it:((

Hey! So writing multi chaptered fics is hard. Really hard tbh. Though it’s also alotta fun!

With Surpassing the Strongest I’m kinda going in all on my own too so I relate on struggling to expand it. All I have the 3 episodes we got during End of Z and I’m going a totally different direction.

It’s has been tough ngl, and I almost gave up because I couldn’t think of anything but I have a plan now thanks to talking things out with friends. (Mostly. There’s still a lot of blank space I need to work on) Not trying to scare you off or anything, but I just wanted to give you some context on where I’m coming from.

Anyway my first tip is to find your main character, and give them a motivation for the story to progress. For example, in my fic it’s that Goten wants to surpass his dad. And the fic is about the Tournament, him getting stronger and the obstacles in his way.

I eventually realized that a whole fic about fighting would be boring to write and read, so I developed a side plot which slowly had become the main plot lol. The Tournament still happens but not every fight gets focus.

So once you find their motivation, you can move forward from there. What/who gets in their way? How do they solve it? Things like that. Focus on your main character first with their main problem.

Knowing the characters well helps too, because you know the type of decisions they’d make or things they’d say which will help guide the story too.

Another thing, start small. Most people cant a 80+ chapter fic their first time, especially by themselves. Fics like that have a whole team. I tried writing a fic that was gonna be 100 chapters and I got burned out at 34. So I suggest aim low. 10-15 chapters is a good starting point.

Sorry this is really general and vague, but starting out you kinda just need that little idea to expand upon. Im not the best at advice like this.

if you can give me a little more details on this fic I’d be able to help a lot more.

Having someone to bounce back and forth with helped me so much, I’d be so open to do that with you if you don’t mind!

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Oooh that’s true..I think for me I just thought Nagi would have a different calibration for closeness and since he literally had 0 friends before I can see him having a kinda inaccurate scale of levels of closeness LMAO

Honestly Otoya being the most chill is so funny him balancing it out with being a cheater is WILD HSDHJS

I LOVED cadence always thought she was so pretty!! I lowk liked Luna too (beginnings of angst huh) but also her theme was just gorgeous!! The wedding movie literally was the highlight of my childhood HAHA and the songs??? Don’t even get me started I remember recording the audio so I could listen to it on my phone LMAOO

Also NO STOP I WAS GONNA MAKE A POKEMON REF IN A PREV REPLY but I was like maybe i should stay away from potentially obscure references…do you have a fav game?? I personally love diamond and pearl LOL I can def imagine Otoya purposely grabbing a shedinja or a ninjask or a scyther for the sake of his aesthetic but secretly owning some really cute fairy types or something….like a flabebe or dedene….sometimes I close my eyes and imagine him as a faithful man LMFAO

Actually I found you through peregrine via the nagi tag first LMAO I was lurking a good handful of tags at the time and I was like omg this writing slaps….and then that just led me to your entire page LOL Unfortunately did not find you via the Karasu tag hahahah I remember at the time I was already thinking like WOW this tag a little dry and I don’t see all too much posted that often…imagine my shock when I start checking the Karasu tag like oh boy I did NOT know what dry meant clearly…I actually think I read peregrine awhile ago, didn’t touch tumblr for a bit after I got a bit busy, came back, forgot what happened, and proceeded to reread LMAO I just remember it being like “wasn’t I reading something before I fell off the face of the earth…” but anyways (hoping I’m not mixing up my fics and memory but I do distinctly remember reading peregrine first…I remember it catching my eye because I was like KIRA??? /pos When I clicked on the masterlist for it LMAO)

UGH YUKI BENCHED?? Get bro in the game I’m not going to lie I would’ve preferred seeing the fruits of yuki development over whatever Kiyora crumbs are being thrown to us like pigeons….TABIEITA HEADING A TEAM??? I would die of happiness they would so dominate omg…I think it’s on top of the fact that the have their own egos too and own drives for soccer (and healthy lives outside of soccer (well not the cheating but)) that makes them such a strong duo, like rather than depending on each other they embody the devour concept a lot more…tabieita reunion in u20 World Cup please i beg…

Prepping for a Yap session soon i think the chapter releases like today or tomorrow??? Getting locked in rn

But first IM RUNNING TO READ THE LAST INSTALLMENT I WILL BE BACK WITH MY THOUGHTS!!!! I know im going to eat this up thank you for your service o7

- Karasu anon

nagi to me feels like a character who has a lot of difficulty genuinely connecting w people so it would take a LOT before he considers someone a close friend. i think eventually he will find other friends/people to care abt in bllk but it’ll take a while fs!!

THE SONGS IN THE WEDDING MOVIE PLS CHILDHOOD ME WAS BUSTING DOWN TO THEM!! and omg i am such a pokémon lover…i really liked x but mostly for nostalgia not because it’s the BEST game yk?? alpha sapphire and pearl were also rlly fun. i haven’t played the new games yet but everything pre-gen 6 will always hold a special place in my heart 💖 PLEASEE LMAOO otoya gets pokémon x/y and ofc he has to pick froakie as his starter because greninja but then the star of his team ends up being like clefable or sylveon or smth JDJDSKKS he never lets karasu near his ds because he always gets bullied for his team of cutesy pokémon + greninja…meanwhile karasu only uses pokémon he thinks look cool even if they suck otherwise so if he ever battles against otoya he loses miserably 😭 pleaseee kaneshiro knew otoya would be too strong if he faithful he has to nerf my man somehow 😪

PLSS kira is lowkey villainous in peregrine…i didn’t want to make any actually lovable characters be the ‘second lead’ (said loosely because it’s so obvious nagi is the main guy) but i wanted it to be someone from canon and he was the best fit given what i needed him to do 😫 hehe that’s def a crazy journey but i’m glad you found me 🫡

I’M SAYINGGG yuki had his moment and then vanished bruh…i actually do like kiyora (him in the anime w that coloring is basically exactly what a male animated version of me would look like so i’m biased) but i wish his development didn’t come at the cost of previous characters…bllk has such a huge cast that it’s hard to balance it though fs so i do get it 😔 TABIEITA WILL COME BACK TRUST ‼️ people on social media say karasu won’t make it to the top 23 and i’m like??? he’s kinda carrying pxg atm icl he just has NO help plus he’s against isagi and ng11 kaiser so ofc it’s going to be difficult. overall though he’s one of the few players we’ve seen who actually plays really well midfield/defensively plus they’ve introduced this dynamic w hiori so i’m pretty sure he’s making it…as for otoya he’s ranked like number 10 rn i think he’s safe 😭 but he and bachira might be the only barcha players to make it because they are in fact the only relevant ones 😓

AHHH I’M SO READY epinagi release weekends are like a monthly holiday for me DJDJSJSJA have fun w the next part of fwtkac i hope you like it!!

[pianostarinwonderland]

What do you think about Leona for the character opinion bingo?

[From here!]

Can that diagonal on the left be counted /j man, I’ll never get at least one row in these things lmfao

Tagging good friend @greninjajeje for being a funky lovely brainy friend who made me learn more about Leona than I ever expected

Leona used to be one of my least favorite characters, half because I initially didn’t like his looks very much except for his eyes, but a part of it was because I saw my most unsavory traits in him. Fans will call Leona lazy or joke about it (myself included), but Leona is honestly more than just “lazy”. He’s unmotivated, he’s tried hard at some point in life, and he saw that it wasn’t worth it because people will always praise someone else.

It hit a sore spot in me because I’m unfortunately like that. I could try to do my best in my studies, in my hobbies and skills, heck even in my blog posts, game strategies (at least for Twst), and theory postings, but I’ll always feel like someone is better than me despite how much I hone my skills. And often, there will always be at least one person who will be praised more than me. It’s enough for me to lose the will to continue doing what I do because what’s the point if my efforts are never going to be appreciated or bear fruit? The burnout from this is so much worse than burnout that school can give you. At least burnout from school can go away after a few days. This kind of burnout can last for months, years even, because your insecurities and anxieties eat away at you. So even during those days when I disliked Leona, he’s always the easiest to write for because the words just flow out from my fingers.

Leona really is deeper than many people think, which is part of why I think he gets done dirty by fans. People always frame him as someone who’s angry, someone who’s just sleeping, someone who’s just gonna pick a fight with you for no reason, someone smug and shit. But it feels like people aren’t even touching the surface of Leona’s character. 😂 Aside from Leona’s unmotivation (and implied depression), he’s also wise. You already see this wisdom in chapter 2, in the way he gave up when he saw that his plan failed. Anyone could say he gave up too easily, but you also have to know when to give up. What are they going to do, fight Malleus and risk elimination (even though they nearly got eliminated anyway)? His wisdom is seen in chapter 6 too, example being when he surrendered to STYX while also putting Ruggie in charge of Savanaclaw because what can he do, fight magic immune robots?

Then he isn’t as mean as most NRC students. He’s known to be a good upperclassman (as stated by Epel in his Union birthday story). He helped Yuu and Grim out with Azul (granted, he got something out of it, but still). He helped Epel, Yuu, and Grim with a potion in his Lab story. And honestly? I don’t even think I’m going deep into his character just listing off these details.

Some fans also think that Leona didn’t undergo character development in chapter 6, hence why they tend to feel :// about Leona. Which I also disagree with. Leona’s already a grown man with a personality that he can’t really just Change all that much. But he has been going through development, it’s just subtle. The best example of this is in chapter 6, when Leona lectures Jamil on his arrogance. He tells Jamil to stop blaming others for his own setbacks, which mirrors the advice that Lilia gives to him back in chapter 2.

It’s these things that make me think that Leona’s potential was wasted in chapter 2. There’s so much details about him that you’ll find in personal stories, and eventually as the story progressed, he becomes an even more fleshed out character. There could have been more to explore about him, but mostly we get him whispering to himself that nothing’s going to change even if they win the tournament. It’s also why I’m shading there that he didn’t get enough screen time. I think he needed more screen time for people to understand and even sympathize with him more. It could have made his Overblot a lot more impactful.

Surprisingly, this got a bit emotional. 😅 While Leona isn’t a top 5 favorite, I appreciate him very much because he makes me think, but he also reminds me of my biggest shortcomings. He’s one of the most compelling characters Twst ever wrote, and I genuinely look forward to more content from him.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hi yes im still alive

DON’T MIND ME, I’M JUST--

HAVING A MOMENT TO PROCESS ALL THE LORE AND STORY CHAPTER 6 JUST DROPPED ON US, I CAN BARELY WRITE

AHHHHHHH, I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS 😭 kjdbbaufbiafafvoaybo LEMME PUT ON MY THINKING CAP AND THROW SOME STUFF OUT ASDYUBUASDLI;AGVUOQIB;VI You’ll understand why I used Leona’s face here even though it’s Idia and Ortho’s chapter after you read my thoughts--

***Chapter 6 (and other main story) spoilers below the cut!***

Okay, just to keep it simple, I’ll try to keep things in chronological order!

First is a bullet point list of my thoughts on chapter 6 so far, then all my questions and theories (mostly a biggish theory on Ace) are at the end of the post.

Expectation: Idia cowering in his room, Vil and Rook busting down his door using Epel as a battering ram, dead Ortho theory confirmed

Reality: SWAT TEAM RAID ON NRC, DORM LEADERS (sans Kalim) AND JAMIL GET KIDNAPPED

Admittedly, I’m disappointed to see that the injury Grim inflicted to MC was basically just a cat scratch and nothing more. I thought it would be a lot more impactful if MC had to deal with juggling the realization that Grim has betrayed their friendship and trust while also on the verge of death (or at least while being severely injured)... And given how MC reacted to the attack at the end of chapter 5, I would think whatever struck them was much more substantial than just a cat scratch. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say either the script got scrubbed by Disney, or the intent was that MC was still woozy from VDC / OB Vil, MC felt so betrayed that it shook them emotionally, or that MC was just that weak by default that they can’t defend themselves against cat claws.

Hey, Ramshackle’s finally getting renovated! Proceeds to immediately get destroyed again--

I feel like????????? They tried to retroactively explain why Neige won to try and mitigate the uproar over how VDC ended. There’s some dialogue between the VDC group about how they didn’t perform at their peak because of having just walked out of dealing with OB Vil, and how Neige’s fans were going to vote for him anyway because they resonated with his background. Honestly, I think they should have moved on from that sore spot instead of bringing it up again, even if how chapter 5 ended didn’t personally bother me.

BOOM, HERE COME THE TWST TERMINATORS--

NOT GONNA LIE, THOSE STYX GUYS LOOK HOT SO COOL

AAAAAAND IT’S KIDNAPPING MONTAGE TIME, KIDS

JOABSFHUPAUABDBADB CALM DOWN, RIDDLE??????? YOU’RE GOING TO COMMIT ARSON IN BROAD DAYLIGHT--

Okay, I know this chapter’s focused on Ignihyde and Grim, but the standout part to me (so far) has been the scene where Leona’s being kidnapped. Historically, Leona has not been a character that I like (excluding that one time I had to pretend to like him for a game). I feel like he’s one massive missed opportunity (he didn’t show up much in chapter 2, he’s pretty similar backstory-wise to his Disney counterpart compared to the other Dorm Leaders, he didn’t seem to learn anything or become a better person even a LITTLE after chapter 2, etc.). I’m not a fan of his lazy and arrogant attitude either (even if it is justified by his backstory). But here? THIS IS THE LEONA I ACTUALLY LIKE AND WANT TO SEE MORE OF. 

LIKE????? I CAN’T DESCRIBE TO YOU HOW MUCH I LIKE THIS SCENE???? Yeah, we have Leona fighting STYX at first, but as soon as he realizes who they are, he wises up and surrenders because he knows better than to resist arrest. AND NOT ONLY THAT, but he uses King’s Roar in a smart way--to turn the falling greenhouse glass panes into sand so they don’t hurt anyone nearby (namely him and Ruggie).

And after he turns himself in????? LEONA TELLS RUGGIE TO TAKE CARE OF SAVANACLAW FOR HIM!!! THIS is what a real leader would do. He looks after himself and his people, but he knows when to surrender, AND he leaves his “kingdom” (the dorm) in good hands while he’s away. THIS is the Leona I want to see.

AJBDUASHPFBUABFIABIYFBIPFAAFIAF I ALSO REALLY LIKE HIS SASS WHEN HE JUST THROWS HIS HANDS UP AND ASDBIASBIABAIODDAYOFAIPPADAIDB SAYS “I’ll go with you, but be careful while escorting me, okay? Despite my looks, I'm a precious prince. I’ll get sick/dizzy if you drive recklessly.” SARCASTIC SASSY SMARTASS??????? IF YOU HAD MORE LINES LIKE THIS, I’D LIKE YOU MORE

I love how Azul’s still talking about capitalism/how he can profit from Idia (apparently the Shrouds are like the TWST equivalent of Google??????) as he’s being escorted away by the agents?????? IF I WERE HIM, I’D BE PISSED OFF THAT THEY INTERRUPTED MY BOARD GAME????? At least let the man finish first--

Damn, everyone’s being tasered???????? And apparently all the STYX agents are equipped with anti-magic plates? I guess Bind the Heart can just eat shit then--

Lilia’s ringtone is cute, period.

CROWLEY CALLED STYX TO CAPTURE GRIM???? GRIM IS OFFICIALLY A SCP THAT NEEDS TO BE CONTAINED????

WAIT WHAT CROWLEY’S BEING KIDNAPPED TOO??????? Oh well, the school is probably safer in Trein’s hands anyway--

askhlbfbilhidbabbidasb RIDDLE WAKES UP POST KIDNAPPING AND HE’S USING LEONA AS A LAP PILLOW?????!

How does it feel to be held in a room against your will, Jamil? Yeah, don’t like a taste of your own medicine, do you?

OH HI IDIA, NICE YZMA MAD SCIENTIST GETUP YOU GOT THERE

Wait, what????? THAT’S IT?????? SERIOUSLY???????

MAN.

I have so many questions??????? Specifically about STYX and what they do, and how the Shrouds are tied into all of it.

So they say STYX is a specialized unit called in to quell serious Overblot cases. And if Crowley called them to deal with Grim... well, bad times ahead for Grim. STYX has also been studying Overblot for a long time, which is why (I think?) they captured Riddle, Leona, Azul, Jamil, and Vil. 

There’s been some allusions made between Grim and Stitch in a lot of fan art and fan theories I’ve seen, since their struggles have some parallels: that being them struggling to decide if they are “good” or “bad”. I don’t know if this was intentional on the part of the TWST writing team, but regardless, it’s a really good concept that plays into the themes of TWST itself. There’s no good, there’s no evil, no black and white--most of the characters we see may be BASED on villains, but that doesn’t MAKE them villains. They are good, and bad, in their own ways--and now Grim is dealing with that crisis as he fights to keep his sanity and avoid completely succumbing to Overblot.

Though Idia seems to be involved with STYX’s research, it doesn’t sound like he personally gave the order to retrieve those test subjects (or at the very least, he’s not happy about roughing up the test subjects), it sounds like the orders came from other people in the organization. His parents, perhaps?

They mention briefly that Idia’s parents are asking him to “come home”, so it must be for something urgent. Are they worried about his safety? But Idia’s lines at the end of chapter 5 lead me to think he is estranged from his family, since he straight up rejected a job offer linked to them (Olympus Corp is owned by the Jupiter family, and the Shrouds are a branch family of Jupier), and says something like “I’m not welcome anywhere”. Has Idia done something to disgrace him from the rest of the family? Or is it more of a self imposed/self inflicted statement, given that he always says he’s “cursed” and acts like he’s guilty of something that deserves scorn?

Why is Idia participating in STYX research, even if it means experimenting on his fellow students (and fellow board game enthusiast Azul)? People are speculating that he wants to use blots to fully revive Ortho (if dead Ortho theory is true), or that Idia actually has heroic intentions (he wants to know more about blots to prevent OBing from happening?), but at this point??? Literally anything could happen?!

In future parts, I’m guessing Pomefiore, MC, and Adeuce will team up to break Jamil and the Dorm Leaders (except Malleus, Malleus got left out again www) out? And HOPEFULLY we get to see Rook’s Unique Magic or at least more screen time, since I feel like he got so little in chapter 5... Another thing I’d like to see is Ace and/or Epel getting their Unique Magic, or at least starting to develop it. It’s really mostly Ace I want more details for.

A theory I’ve been holding onto for a long time is that Deuce getting his UM will spur Ace on to become jealous (since he has always seen Deuce as an idiot/”lesser” than him), and that will cause a rift in the friendship, or for Ace to throw himself into a dangerous situation to prove himself (he has done it before with Riddle)... and has his ass rescued again. This would make Ace even angrier, since he feels like everyone is treating him like a little kid or rubbing it in that he isn’t “as good” as they are. I don’t know where it would go from there (I’m sure TWST would get creative), but ultimately it would culminate in Ace making amends with everyone and rushing in to save them from either Grim or Idia OB.

I don’t think Ace would discover his UM in a similar manner as Deuce (Deuce had to embrace his own stubbornness and straightforwardness, but as the term “Unique” Magic implies, the way a magic develops and manifests is “unique” to the user). While Deuce has to learn to accept his own way of thinking, I believe Ace is already sure of his own way of thinking and has totally accepted it. I think what Ace has to deal with instead is coming to terms with his fickleness. We’ve seen him time and time again treating his loved ones kind of callously, from constantly bullying MC, Grim, and Deuce to ghosting his own girlfriend and flaking on people when they are counting on him to do a task.

The issue with Ace isn’t that he isn’t aware, it’s that he is aware and he seems to think this behavior is totally okay. He demonstrates little to no remorse in what he does and says, and he doesn’t seem to care about the consequences either (how many times does he get punished by Riddle, yet he keeps doing the same dumb things over and over?). Ace appears to operate under the mindset of always being in the right, or (if he’s in the wrong), he won’t really acknowledge it, or he will wave it off as “no big deal”--and I think that’s his greatest weakness.

In the scenario I described earlier, I mentioned that Ace’s jealousy will cause a wedge between him and his friends, and I think this will play into him realizing the error of his ways. When he has finally driven away all of the people that supported him, what will he have left? Nothing. Then maybe Ace suddenly finds himself relating to Idia, or to Grim, who have Overblotted and are in a similar emotional state as he is. Confused and lonely... and that energizes him to pitch in again, even if all he has is wind magic up his sleeve. Everyone could be shocked that Ace has returned, and in that moment, he could finally realize his true potential and unlock his Unique Magic!

(Maybe that’s too specific, but that’s a scenario that I’ve had playing in my head for a long time!)

... Buuuuut given that Ace has gotten little to no spotlight so far in chapter 6, I’m not sure if they’ll lean into him developing his UM yet (unless they pull a chapter 5 and really start addressing Ace in the latter half of the chapter like they did with Deuce). Seeing as chapter 6 is dealing with a lot of heavy topics (death, Grim lore, Overblot lore), I’m thinking maybe the TWST team will push off Ace’s UM development to chapter 7???? The only way I can see it happening in chapter 6 is if the chapter is SUPER long, or if the writing is REALLY good or really bad. 

Anyway, I’m keeping my fingers crossed!!! I’m so excited for the rest of chapter 6... I hope that we don’t have to wait too long for it!