#but 1) it was only jp at the time so i had no idea what was going on LOL and 2) i have so little patience for mobile games i dont know why

[bmpmp3]

i hope more mobile games/franchises do switch ports/adaptations like the upcoming ichu one. so many games i want to play but cant bring myself to play a freemium game

[noctilu-uca]

This little freakster is apparently really really courteous and gentlemanly as said by the nrc students. He uses very highly respectable honorifics for EVERYONE even the people his own age (hes 16-ish i think) and is generally a very polite person and speaks eloquently. So very eloquently that it gets really odd since we rarely see that type of speech from someone so young in twst. As we know, halloween fanatic. BIIIGGG halloween fanatic. his hometown apparently worshiped jack skellington and saw him as the creator of halloween so basically grew up in weirdly halloween religious town. At school he was very ostracized (assuming he didnt go to school in his hometown, dont know if its NRC or RSA, best to assume its not) because the students dont share his interests and find him weird. Ended up in a book, the book his IDOL jack skellington resides in, forgotten by history, yet he aimlessly wandered the forest and never opened the holiday doors despite it being the only thing different in the forest

Theres many theories, skully might be dead, might be a ghost, OOORRR. a fae. there is many things that supoort these theories because. 1. Skully doesnt seem to have the same background knowledge as the NRC students. 2. doesnt seem to know the existence of very common things in twst, things that even the 700+ year old lilia remembers very well and can recount the change of expresison over time (magic stones). 3. He seems to think people dont know about halloween, or at the minimum gets OVERLY excited and surprised that people know of the *existence* of halloween. Theres more thingd but i cant remember them right now

But me ? What i think ? I think skully just grew up in an overly conservative town and he doesnt really *know* the outside world and its perspective because its all hes known. Of course my knowledge is limited bc this is a jp event WAAHHH but i know enough to make a decent inference

Despite being halloweens no.1 fan. Hes very odd about its expression...? He had odd rules, i dont remember them all but it was weird things like ALL BLACK. NO COLOURS. NO CANDY. NO MUSIC. NO DANCING. THIS IS SERIOUS AND SHOULD BE RESPECTED.

Anyway my point is that his expression of halloween is very serious very conservative and is almost treated like a wake or a funeral of some kind tbh. He also said that the "bad" ghosts should be beaten away despite halloween being the celebration of ALL ghosts (NRC students fought him on this one) which kinda just shows theres some moral "sin" he believes exists with halloween. Of course, expression is always subjective and hes free to do whatever he wants but he gets wayyy too upset when someone tries to go against whatever rules he places down for halloween. Way too upset. Ofc the NRC students (leona) weren't *always* nice about expressing their objections but it was still odd. He romanticizes halloween (much like how jack romanticizes christmas) yet turns it into something you would see at a weird church ? Hm.

And even with all that, he met jack !! His idol !! Wow omg !! But the thing is, when jack is planning halloween for the year skully actively dislikes his ideas. Despite idolizing him. Of course he goes along with it anyway because wow idol but, again, really odd

So my thoughts on this predicament, skully grew up in a religious, small, conservative town. And when he moved out and explored the world he was met with ostracism, and when he found an escape (the book) he dug himself into his fixation and refuses to leave the world hes built himself. He rarely talks about his outside world experiences, rarely talks about his hometown unless its in reference to his fixation. His views stay stuck with the conservative approach despite being told time and time again that it isnt the *right* way to approach. Even, indirectly, by his own idol whom he had been projecting onto. But even with people pointing out his skewed ways, he stays stuck. Refusing to redirect his approach and stay with what he has always done and always wanted to do.

Escapism and reality are very big themes im seeing, thats all.

I COULD BE SO WRONG PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CORRECT OR ADD INFO IM NOT CONFIDENT ABOUT ANYTHING I AM POSTING ABOUT THIS GUY I LEARNED THIS ALL SECOND HAND AND DIDNT LOOK BACK FOR REFERENCE THIS IS STRAIGHT HOT OFF THE NOGGIN !!!!!

[doctor-hopper]

You said you wished to be added to the mistranslation mailing group so I'll send you everything I've come across playing thru SDR2 original. Keep in mind I'm only on chapter 1 right now. I am not a #gamer so I pick it up and play it like once every 2 weeks LMAO.

Also half of this stuff is gonna be copy-pasted from chats I've had on discord with friends but it's the same info :>

i got to this part in the game (seen below) but the wording in the jp version is like "Hey, hey! Now, Hanamura-kun, what did I say?" Komaeda specifically uses ってば which indicates extreme annoyance and is usually used by women (teen girls) so i found it really cute

2. hajime of course doesnt use keigo (polite speech) ever, except when he first meets sonia, he suddenly starts talking politely

3. in the official english version when teruteru urges hajime to discuss dirty stuff with him in private, hajime just says "...no thanks." however a more apt translation would be hajime saying in a very flat voice "I'll have to restrain myself" or even "I'm invoking my right to refuse." (遠慮ておく) the way it comes off is a very dry way of telling him off.

4. there's also a thing in the prologue where hajime thinks, "At any rate, if this is a nightmare, I have no idea if it's even started yet... Sheesh, what kind of nightmare is that?" but in the Japanese version it comes across as more tongue in cheek (if that's the way to put it). it's more like this: "Regardless, I can't even tell if this is a nightmare or not, or even what kind of nightmare... Jeez, what a nightmare!"

5. below are 3 screenshots. The first 2 from the official translations, the third from the Something Awful forums fan translation (before the official existed). As you can see they are quite different.

Here is the Japanese text:

when talking about this with my friend, I said:

As per usual it seems to be a case of the official translation being very literal and the fan translation taking tone more into account. The literal translation is:

Kazuichi: it's an unbelievable thought, but...those two are in a male-female relationship, don't you think so? Hajime: a "male-female" relationship? That is not how a teenager should put it.

The wording is more or less "not befitting of someone of young age", with a heavy masculine/imperative tone (since hajime uses ぞ). I'd personally translate it something like:

Kazuichi: I know this sounds crazy, but...those two, dont'cha think they could be havin' an affair goin' on? (Kazuichi speaks with a slight accent in the JP version) Hajime: "an affair"? You're talking like an old man.

I think an equally as accurate but localized translation would be something like " "an affair"? You *are* a teenager, aren't you?" but that sounds slightly stilted. Hajime also later says only 2 lines later "The more he talks, the more he sounds like a dirty old man." Hence my thoughts on changing the line slightly. All in all I think the fan translation did a pretty good job sliding in from Hajime's initial comment to his thought on Kazuichi sounding like a "middle aged man" (as it is put in the Japanese original). Honestly it's funnier than whatever I could come up with lmao

^in general, Hajime (or Hazime as he was originally known as in the JP version, am I the only one who thinks of this a lot? Anyways...) is very prone to dry/blunt humor. It's kind of similar to Haruhi Fujioka in Ouran Highschool (if you've seen that show). The issue is, a loooot of the text in Danganronpa one and two are translated super literally. This isn't a huge issue all of the time (though is very obvious pretty much in every sentence), but when you have a character who's supposed to be dry/blunt, focusing more on their words and less on the tone and meaning behind the words is why Hajime talks like a Redditor in the English version. Which is a shame, because he's very funny in the Japanese version to me.

Some more points...these are from the top of my head so I am no longer quoting discord.

In Danganronpa 2.5, I think it's the only time Komaeda uses imperative speech? I may be proven wrong once I play thru all of SDR2. Anyways, imperative speech is seen as really rude in Japanese. Of course anime rules are slightly different (many characters ESPECIALLY SHONEN characters will use imperative speech like it's just another Monday) but it's notable for Komaeda because I don't think he's ever used it before. He uses it in 2.5 when World Destroyer slides into his DMs (when he threatens Komaeda and his friends). Komaeda throws his phone on the bed and yells 黙れよ！which is the forceful imperative of "to be quiet". Given the context and Komeada's usual casual but not rude speech, I would actually translate that part as "Shut the fuck up!" the widely available fan(?) translation just has him say "I've heard enough!"

It's a very interesting point when analyzing Komaeda's character especially in 2.5.

Another thing I never understood about SDR2's translation is the removal of accents and certain quirks. Nekomaru talks like a wise old master in some ways...which is totally different from the heavy shonen talk I was expecting (which he has for sure, but I was not expecting that part of him. It actually made me like him a lot more.)

Kazuichi, for lack of a better comparison, talks kind of...gangster-y? I'm unsure how to put it. He would be saying things like "bro is tweakin' skibidi style" or whatever. Again, it makes sense with his character. Kazuichi in his FTEs talks about how people basically profile him without learning who he is. The way he talks only adds to the "delinquent" impression he gives off, which is where Hajime had the initial misunderstanding.

Komaeda uses more filler particles than the average character in the game I would say, at least enough for it to stand out to me. I don't know if Makoto was the same (I'd have to re-check it's been a while), but I've caught him using "redundant" amounts of ね and さ, which would most closely translate as "uh" or "um" or even "like" in English. It's not constant and he's much more well-spoken when he's rambling about hope/despair (ironically), but it was enough for it to be noticeable to me. I just wonder why it's not in the English version.

Of course, all the characters have their own speech quirks as you've probably picked up...Hajime talks very masculine and kind of rudely, Mikan is very polite, stuff like that.

OH! Here's a fun one.

from UTDP. This got completely fucked in English. It's actually one of the worst mistranslations in the series aside from Komaeda's love confession IMO.

I don't blame the translation team wholly because if you look at the original Japanese text...

it's not very clear. But still, I think it's pretty obvious that this is how the conversation was MEANT to go:

Hajime: Komaeda...give me your hand. Komaeda: Huh...? Why? Hajime: "Why"? We're going to do a handshake. Normally, I wouldn't go out of my way to ask this, but... Hajime: Will you be my friend? Komaeda: ...Hinata-kun, do you really think this will mean anything?

This is getting long so I will leave this, because as a translator/localizer this article speaks to me very much. Specifically...

Another benefit to a good localization is that it will be truer to the intentions of the original creators than a strict translation by allowing a Western player to be entertained by it in the same way the creators intended their Japanese players to be entertained by the original – you’re laughing at the same points, and crying your eyes out at the same points, too.

That's kind of why I dislike the official ENG SDR2 translation. It is not very faithful to the emotional meaning of the original text in many ways. And I think that's a very important part about translating stories...

Whew that was a lot. If you aren't already bugged by this, I'll make sure to stop by and send more sometime :] fun fact: according to the SDR2 official art book, Komaeda's favorite food is bread, specifically toast, and he dislikes white rice.

Whoops, I didn’t see this in my inbox until now. I’m not bugged at all—thank you for the lore, and I’d greatly appreciate any more when you have it! I’m not as confident or aware about some of these particle nuances, too, so it’ll be educational.

[egophiliac]

This may seem a bit dumb question for someone who's main in en server. But I need to prepare myself before chap 6 is coming. Anyway, is chap/book Ignihyde gonna be THAT hard?? I've seen a lot people kept saying they're not ready for chap 6 or good luck for 'that' battle. Is it that difficult?

some preparation would be a good idea, actually! if you just want advice with absolutely no potential spoilers (even vague ones), then I'll say this:

the best thing you can do for yourself is -- for the later part of episode 6 -- try to have at least one SR or SSR card no lower than level 40 for as many characters as possible (specific ones at the bottom 👇👇👇). I've seen 40 as the minimum recommended level but honestly, go as high as you reasonably can, especially with your SSRs.

I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum, hopefully it'll still make sense :')

SO! most of the frustration revolves around chapters 6-66 and 6-67, which are both split into subroutes with multiple subchapters/battles that follow three different groups of characters. you have to finish all three routes to get to the next chapter, and they force certain requirements that can make it a lot more difficult if you aren't careful:

you build your teams at the start of the chapter, and can't change them without resetting your progress. (if I remember right, you do get a chance to rebuild for 6-67.)

teams are built by character, instead of by card like they normally are, and each one has 2-3 required characters locked into that team. you can use any cards of that character, but you can't use multiple of the same character, or use them in a different team. also, no guest/friend cards.

they tell you what the element of the bosses are, but the other battles are just...whatever. if you can manage more than one 40+ card for a character, having good type coverage will help out a lot (why yes, I did get stuck for an embarrassing amount of time on a low-level rando because I got unlucky with type matchups, what about it).

there's a couple of points where you have to wait several real-time hours before continuing. this doesn't have anything to do with the team building, it was just annoying. c'mon. >:(

to be fair, I think some of the general frustration comes from how out of nowhere it was, so it's sure to be much easier if you go in with some idea of what it'll be like. (on my first attempt I tried to be cute and put everybody with their friends. it...did not go well.) I also had a particularly hard time of it because 1) F2P = less SSRs to carry me, and 2) I hadn't really focused on any cards outside of my special little garden of favorites, so not being able to use multiples of the same character for everything kinda left me boned. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel great when I finally got through it though!

more specific info:

in 6-66, the bosses are a 5-turn survival battle; in 6-67, they're infinite battles (reduce their HP to 0 to win) and, subsequently, much harder to get past. personally speaking, the Wood one was the hardest for me because it heals itself between turns (and also I had literally no good Rook cards at the time). your mileage may vary!

Team 1 - required characters are Vil, Epel and Rook, boss element is Wood

Team 2 - required characters are Leona and Jamil, boss element is Water

Team 3 - required characters are Riddle and Azul, boss element is Fire

teams are 5 characters as per the usual, so make sure you have good cards of the required boys and at least six to complement them, plus a few more if you want to be careful. this is ONLY for those two chapters, which are pretty late in the episode (for JP it came out as part of the final episode 6 update) so you've got time to prep!

there's the obligatory overblot battle later on that is technically harder (stronger + more HP and all that), but it felt SO much easier in comparison just because it was back to normal Twst rules. really hoping that episode 7 doesn't pull its own shenanigans 💀

[phoenix-downer]

Thanks for answering in such a timely manner and I completely understand that! I know you did great work post KH3 when people were making a fuss about the localizations and you don’t have a bias in your translations so I thought you were the best person to reach out to! There was a few bits in Riku’s telling of KH3 talking about how the guardians were saved that had me questioning a few things.

Here Riku is talking about the defeat and revival of the guardians and I was wondering if in this sentence he confirms that it was specifically only Sora and Kairi that were responsible for restoring them? Many have speculated Riku played a part in the process but to me it seems even Riku himself refutes the idea in this sentence if that makes sense?

And the other line I wanted to ask about was the last line of the page. The rough translation I got was this was the beginning of sora and kairi who were separated’s story.

I have rough translations of both but I was wondering how to translate them more naturally? Thanks in advance for your time I really do appreciate it! I had planned on making a tweet on the manner but I will respect your rules 100% and just keep the information here in the asks! ✨

Sure, thanks for the ask! Here's a transcription of the Japanese version, then the Romaji version followed by a rather literal English version and then a more naturalistic version.

Excerpt 1:

JP: そしてキーブレード墓場で、俺たちはマスターゼアノートの戦いに挑むが、敗北した…はずだった。

ソラとカイリの思いが俺たちを引き戻す。

Romaji: Soshite kīburēdo hakaba de, oretachi wa masutā zeanōto no tatakai ni tanomu ga, haiboku shita... hazudatta.

Sora to kairi no omoi ga oretachi o hikimodosu.

EN: And at (the) Keyblade Graveyard, we challenge Master Xehanort to (a) battle, but (we) were defeated... (or at least that's what) was supposed to happen.

Sora and Kairi's thoughts/feelings bring us back.

More naturalistic version: And at the Keyblade Graveyard, we challenged Master Xehanort to a battle, but we were defeated... or at least that's what should've happened.

Sora and Kairi's feelings brought us back.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To answer your question, based on Riku's words here and the grammatical structures he uses, it's clear he gives Sora and Kairi credit for restoring everyone to life. He doesn't take credit at all but groups himself in with the people who were brought back by using oretachi, "us/we," as the direct object of hikimodosu, "restore/bring back," which is indicated by the direct object marker o. And just to make things really clear, the subject in this sentence is Sora to Kairi no omoi, "Sora and Kairi's thoughts/feelings," which is marked by the ga subject marker particle and indicates that Sora and Kairi's thoughts/feelings are what brought "us" (Riku included) back.

And just to be fair, the start of this section is a quote from Riku to Sora at the Keyblade Graveyard:

JP ソラ　俺は信じてる

EN Sora, you don’t believe that.

TR Sora, I believe (in you).

JP おまえはあきらめない

EN I know you don’t.

TR You won’t give up/You haven’t given up.

I could see Riku's quote being... creatively interpreted into giving him credit for helping rescue everyone as well, given how he encouraged Sora not to give up, but Sora kinda gave up anyway once Riku died, and (granted I haven't played KH3 in a while so I'm going off of memory here, so take my interpretation with a grain of salt), it wasn't really till Sora heard from Chirithy in The Final World that Kairi was fighting with all her heart to keep him alive that he really regained his drive.

Plus, taking credit for rescuing everyone is not at all the sense I get from Riku's words here. If anything, he places all the credit with Sora and Kairi for reviving everyone and doesn't try to take it for himself. The inclusion of his quote at the top almost gives me the vibe that he's thinking, see, I knew Sora wouldn't give up, I believed in him, and he's proven me right with how he and Kairi brought everyone back. In the next sentence he does talk about how he defeated Ansem and how the others defeated the various Xehanort vessels, which tracks exactly with what we see in the game, but he does not take credit for everyone being revived; that was Sora and Kairi's doing. He's come a long way from how arrogant he was in KH1, and this excerpt really shows his growth and his admiration for his friends.

Additional Notes: A few interesting grammar points: I was doing some quick research, and 戦いに挑む with its use of the ni particle gives the impression that the battle was already scheduled or planned (which makes sense, given the themes of fate in KH3 and Xehanort's machinations).

Hazudatta means something like "should've happened" or "was expected to happen." In other words, Riku is making it clear that they should've lost the battle and would have if it weren't for Sora and Kairi.

The word I translated as "thoughts/feelings," omoi, can mean a variety of things; here's the full definition from jisho.org to give you an idea of the nuance here:

And then the compound verb, hikimodosu, is interesting because if you look at the kanji it literally means "pull + return," and together the meaning is exactly what you'd think: to bring back, to restore, to return, to reinstate. There's this image inherently built into the meaning of the verb of the subject pulling the object back to itself (and in this case Sora and Kairi's feelings are pulling their friends out of the abyss and back to them, back to life).

Riku uses a different verb, hikimodosu, than Sora uses in Blank Points to talk about wanting to rescue his friends, but I thought it was interesting all the same because it's another -modosu compound verb, torimodoshi. Sora is the one wanting to "take back" his friends, and Riku is speaking of the same act but as being on the receiving end of it ("we were pulled/brought back" by "Sora and Kairi's thoughts/feelings" vs. Sora telling Kairi in Blank Points he "has to go and take back/recover all that is connected to him" aka his friends). Not anything huge or groundbreaking, I just thought it was kinda neat.

Excerpt 2:

JP: そして俺たちは見知らぬ世界でマスター・ゼアノートと戦い勝利する。だがそれはソラとカイリ、ふたりが離れ離れになる物語の始まりだった。

Romaji: Soshite oretachi wa misharanu sekai de masutā zeanōto to tatakai shōri suru. Daga sore wa sora to kairi, futari ga hanarebanare ni naru monogatari no hajimari datta.

EN: And in a strange/unfamiliar world, we fight with Master Xehanort and win. But for Sora and Kairi, that was the start of the story of the two of them becoming separated.

More naturalistic translation: And in a strange world, we fought Master Xehanort and won. But for Sora and Kairi, it was the start of the story of their separation from each other.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I find it really interesting how Riku frames this, like the next arc of Sora's story is centered on his separation from Kairi. He contrasts the victory against Xehanort with the separation of Sora and Kairi and speaks of that separation in terms of it being the beginning of a story. Also, the quote at the beginning of this section in gold is one of Sora's lines at the end of KH3...

JP ううん　俺はこのまま行くよ

EN No, I know what to do.

TR No. I’ll go on from here.

...which is what Sora says right before he goes after Kairi. One story ends as another begins. I think a big part of Sora's next story arc will be his reunion with Kairi, just going off of how everything has been set up and how Riku refers to his separation from Kairi here.

Additional Notes: This is just linguistic nerdery so feel free to skip it lol but in case anyone wants to read more about Japanese linguistics:

Mishiranu strikes me as a set expression that originated in an older form of the language but continues to be used today, as it preserves the older form of the negative verb conjugation shiranu instead of using the more modern shiranai. It's something I want to do more research on to see if my hunch is correct or completely off, so off I go lol.

Hanarebanare is a word that exhibits the rendaku phenomenon where a word repeats in Japanese, and in its repeated second form the voiceless obstruent consonant that starts the word becomes voiced ("h" used to be pronounced as "p" in Japanese, and "b" is said in the exact same position of the mouth/lips as "p," only with voicing, so I wonder if this word was originally panarebanare and then the "p" became "h" over time after the rendaku occurred, and now I've found another rabbit hole to look into lol).

Anyway, thank you for the ask Star! Hope that helped with your questions ❤️

(Ninja edit: I realized I inserted a particle where there wasn't one in the second excerpt and updated my translation slightly to account for it--no major changes to the meaning, just wanted to more accurately reflect the grammatical structures).

[shurisu]

Wait, Shurisu is the ship name between Shun and Alice?

I remember when Bakugan was airing and I would look for the episodes in YouTube and I would stumble upon ship amvs of Shun and Alice, even one where they claimed they would kiss later in S1 (obviously fake).

I distinctly remember it being one of the most popular ships in the fandom, but was the series hinting and building a possible relationship or friendship between the two and then dropped it later seasons? Or was it more of a fandom invention?

I wish Alice hadn’t been dropped as a character just to see how Shun came into terms with her being Masquerade. Is that something Shurisu as a ship has explored?

Yes it's the combination of Shun+Arisu (Alice's romanisation in JP) . Shalice was also a common name but I think Shurisu sounds better.

About them kissing I have an idea why. If you know Inesidora, she used to make lots of beautiful Shurisu fanarts. She would use a similar artstyle to bakugan's own for them, so people would share her art as spoilers 😂

Shurisu wasn't one of the most popular ships, it was THE most popular ship.There was literally no competition.Even when s4 was airing people were still waiting Alice to come back.Even right now talking about this like it was ages ago feels so weird to me but I know fandom changed so much since then

Ah little me knew and claimed the ship the moment i saw them 😄I still remember very clearly watching the intro for ep 1 for the first time(where Dan introduces us the brawlers) I looked at Dan and Runo and said "oh mc and his love interest?" and seeing Shun and Alice right after, fireworks went up inside my brain. I was like "and this is the couple that will steal the show" I wasn't completely wrong at least lol

In all seriousness though i think, the creators definitely had the intention to make them a couple but dropped it later.

Shun and Alice are both similar, so they are also very different compared to the rest of the team. I think that was intentional.They are both raised by their grandfathers,Shun was trained to be ninja and Alice was also learning under her scientist grandfather.Both are very smart, act mature for their age but also lonely inside.The difference is Alice was masking it (no pun intended🎭) with her more bubbly front. I think Alice also knew how similar they truly were.She was one of the very few people who could see through him and those who could, had already known him for a very long time unlike her(Shiori, Skyress and Dan)

She could sense his mood or what's going on inside his head despite the tough act he puts on.Also the time he wanted to leave the team and she went back after him,her words got to him because she told what he needed to hear,because she could understand how he was feeling.

Maybe not much important but it also always piqued my interest how we would see them together even on most random shots because apart from that, Shun would be pictured either alone or further back in group shots.

Like this moment before the last battle,they were at the opposite sides of the city,how did they end up together?

I think Shurisu was intended to be the opposite of the main couple in mind. In contrast to Dan and Runo's childishness, they would be the mature ship.Why I think they dropped later is that

1)They didn't know what to do with Alice later on so they wrote her off

2)They also didn't seemed to know how to handle Shun any better so decided to keep him as a loner and made being a "loner" his only character trait.

Which I think is very sad because they both individually and together had a lot of potential(not gonna drag this one i know y'all hear me keep talking about this lmao)

About her being Masquerade,We at least know Shun accepts her like the rest of group but since last arc focused more on the battles there was no focus on relationship or characters.And on NV Alice had limited appearance while Shun was on Vestroia most of the time. Through the whole season only once they seemed to be in the same room together (when they send Shun to vestroia via Michael's teleporter) and I belive that's where this pic came from?

Tl,dr; i think they were definitely made to be canon.But even if the creators were to came up today and claim they had no intention like that at all,it still wouldn't change anything for me.What matters is the characters dynamic.When you compare how they act like with eachother and with others and also look at their characters it becomes more clear. "The kind boy who puts on a tough act because he is troubled" and "The cheerful girl who is also troubled inside" is an old but loved dynamic afterall.So that's what drew a lot people in.

[cecekeating]

My 614 Jordayla Analysis/Commentary pt.3

Now let’s go back to the housing situation. After Layla has a brief chat with Preach, she realizes that what she and Jordan need is a home, not a house. I am happy to be wrong but so far, the writing is pointing to Jordayla taking over the Baker home. If you recall in 401 when she tells her father that “it is not about the house, it is about the home”. The next time we see Layla after that scene with her father, she is moving into the Baker house. The Baker house has been Layla's residence since S4 until she married Jordan. This house is also where she grew up with Jordan and Olivia since middle school. We even have a laylivia childhood flashback in that house. So home for Layla is the Baker house.

For Jordan, obviously, this is his childhood home but also in 517, he tells Spencer that the Baker house still feels like home even though Coop is now in his room. While there was an undertone of Layla who he considers his home living in the house, I still believe that Jordan always knows that the Baker house is where he will always call home. So I am expecting Jordayla to take over the Baker home and I will be very surprised if NK and Oby go a different route in 615 with this housing arrangement.

Jordayla pregnancy theories!  I feel this episode dropped major pregnancy hints through the writing. Between Jordan cooking for Layla, him patting her tummy and Layla wearing pink in this episode, I feel it is very clear that Jordayla will be getting a parenting arc. In the worst case scenario, the audience would likely find out about Layla being pregnant in the early episodes of S7. This is the worst case scenario. I am also sure of Jordayla having a daughter, I am not so sure of a son yet.

Now this brings me to the wild theory I am about to share with you.

I don’t know if it is me but have you noticed the writing sort of building up Amina and Layla? Starting from 611. I am beginning to think Amina might be the new gen character or at least one of the new gen characters. When we heard of the new gen stuff, I think a lot of us assumed it would be a coach Baker and Spencer type situation. I don’t know why we didn’t consider the fact that the new gen character will likely be a female character from Crenshaw being mentored by a new gen Baker who is female. It is definitely Billy and Spencer all over again but it is also different because we are looking at female characters. If this is the route NK is going, I am here for it because it will keep things fresh and allow the writers to be more creative. So I can see Amina likely being the new ‘Spencer’ that gets mentored by a Baker only that the Baker is Layla. 

From a storytelling perspective, this makes a lot of sense. Amina has quite a bit in common with Layla. Just like Layla she lost her mother at a very young age. Remember Amina’s mother is Mo (the main antagonist in season 3) and her uncle is Tyrone. Both her uncle and mother are/were gang members and her father Preach used to be a gang member. Preach, her father fired the shot that killed Mo, her mother. I don’t think Amina is fully aware of this yet. Amina had a pretty fleshed out arc in seasons 4 and 5 that showed her curiosity to know the truth about what happened to her mother. From season 4, you can see she sort of had an idea of what was going on. She was also involved in a custody battle between Preach and her grandparents. So just like Layla, she had a pretty tough background as a kid. So you can see there is already so much material with Amina’s character that the writers can pull from to bring in high stakes drama. 

There are also some hints in the writing that she is already in a ‘teen phase’ with Preach. Preach grounded her in this episode. I can see her having tensions with her dad which is similar to teen Layla in seasons 1 and 2 and a bit of season 3 and  the tensions she had with JP Keating. This tension can become something else if Amina eventually understands/finds out more about the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death and the role her father played in it. If the writers play their cards right, the Amina arc is already brewing to be a really messy drama on AA. For more complexity, the writing can have Amina struggle with grief, depression or for a change, become a wild rebellious teen that Preach struggles to handle and we have our hands full. 

With other characters, Amina fits in very well too. She knows Patience very well and since she did/does some drama in high school(611), I can see Patience step in here as Patience is a musician and also has broadway experience. Coop blends in so well here too. Coop was front and center in the custody battle, Coop knew her mother very well and other than Preach, Coop is likely the only other character that has a full picture on the lives of her uncle and mother. Again, another source of drama. 

Going back to Layla, the storyline has been strongly hinting on her being the mother of a little girl. Having Layla mentor Amina makes loads of sense as Layla can begin to process motherhood or prep for motherhood through the lens of supporting Amina. I can see her relationship with Amina force her to really think about what type of mother she wants to be for her daughter. This will land better if it happens while Layla is pregnant or if she has a newborn daughter. Both Amina and Layla being young women that lost mothers at a very young age, in quite tragic circumstances (murder and suicide)  takes the Layla/Amina dynamic to a deeper level. I can see the writing continue to flesh out Monica/Layla a little bit more too, especially as Monica Keating was a huge part of Layla’s arc this season.

So Amina being the new gen character that the show decides to focus on will not come as a shock to me. Again this is what I have seen from the writing. I don’t know NK’s plan and which actors she plans to bring back  but this is likely where I can see the writing on All American heading. If all the stuff I have written makes no sense, please throw it out. This is my writer brain, fan theory brain here and I just wanted to yap all about it. If you also have some extra theories, I would love to hear! DM on Twitter or on here and let us yap away!

This episode also sort of dropped clues on the vibe S7 will likely have. I am thinking the vibe shifts into a more lighter, feel-good, wholesome vibe with maybe a strong family vibe lean. There was just something very light about this episode because even the writing for Spelivia (who normally have their writing lean into more serious, angsty stuff) were written to be pretty light and comedic. The next episode seems pretty emotional too. I am thinking this will likely be the vibe next season and I expect the audience to change a little bit because of this shift.

So that is all the yappings for this episode. There are still some loose ends to tie up with Jordayla so I will surely be back next week with more yappings. I personally loved this episode and I am looking forward to seeing how NK closes season 6 for us. 

[kurishiri]

Thanks for your reply!! Btw I'm just counting, but isn't it cheaper to just get 13 story tickets for 1300 and using them during the 2x time instead of going for the silver bundle, or any other bundle? Since you get 200 (400) for each chapter, plus an additional 500 (1000) for 5 chapters, so you get 13x 400 = 5200 and plus 2x 1k =7200 hearts, which equals to 72 heart sends vs 52 from the silver bundle? Since you get 4 coctails (2000 hearts during 2x), + 5 story tickets = 2000+1000, +200 hearts so it should give you 5200 hearts. So overall, it seems to me just purchasing story tickets seems way cheaper always. Gold set coctail: 10*80*5=4k, story ticket 8*400+1k=4.2k +500 = 8700 hearts vs 23 tickets = 10k+4k =14k hearts. So 87 vs 140 sends. So it's way cheaper to just buy story tickets and use them during 2x (or 3x) instead of going for the value sets, as I didn't calculate the later bundles, but since even the gold set is almost 40% less sends, I think it's the best to just buy tickets directly, or ticket bundles, right? :) By the way, do you have a translation or any vidoes of jude's card? I'm super curious if it's actually worth it to spend 20eur or more to get him or not :D

hii! i'll put the stuff about the bundles and all that under the cut again, but to answer your question about the jude card .. i mean, i think this story will have diehard jude fans screaming loll im not sure like where you at on the jude fan scale, but even though the story itself isn't like super romantic, as in kate and jude are not in an established relationship here, its got the tension lmao and lets just say, i think some lines in there can definitely be taken out of context 👌✨ im not sure if there's a video out there rn or if someone had tled it (you could check out @.archiveikemen, though i think they mentioned sorta stopping tling jude centric stories at one pt and idk if that pt was before or after that jude card came out on jp. or @.judesmoonbeauty as ik shes a jude fan!) but i hope my description can sort of help you get an idea what to expect without dropping too much spoilers and all.

each story ticket expended effectively equates to 🩷100 without lucky time, but they only give you 🩷500 only after you complete all 5 scenes in the chapter. during 2x lucky time for stories, you would receive 🩷200 per scene (ticket spent), i.e. 🩷1,000 for every chapter. so assuming you start at chapter 1, 13 story tickets would be enough for you to get 🩷2,000 plus another 🩷400 for the intimacy check, totaling to 🩷2,400 = 24 times sent, as 13 tickets will only be enough to read 2 chapters in its entirety; you don't receive 🩷200 for each ticket you spend, but rather 🩷1,000 every 5 tickets spent.

and for escorts, you can get 🩷40 normally without any lucky time applied, per escort (20 AP). so 5 escorts, i.e. expending all 100 AP, or 1 cocktail, will get you 🩷200. during lucky time, we double the amount of hearts per escort to 🩷80, which will make doing 5 escorts 🩷400.

so, if you buy 23 tickets, which is 💎2,300 and enough to get you through 4 full parts with 3 tickets overflow, as 23 % 5 = 3... assuming you start at chapter 1 of a route, that would place you at:

no lucky time: (4 × 🩷500) + (2 × 🩷200) = 🩷2,400 = 24 times sent

2x lucky time: (4 × 🩷1,000) + (2 × 🩷400) = 🩷4,800 = 48 times sent

3x lucky time i realized there was also a time frame where they had 3x story lucky time, but i didn't account for that in the previous ask because.. jp didnt have any lmao: (4 × 🩷1,500) + (2 × 🩷600) = 🩷7,200 = 72 times sent

if you buy the gold set for 💎200 more at 💎2,500... first to calculate story tickets... like the 23 ticket option, you will have 8 % 5 = 3 tickets overflow with enough to read 1 chapter in its entirety. again, assuming you start at chapter 1, here are the stats,

no lucky time: 🩷500 = 5 times sent

2x lucky time: 🩷1,000 = 10 times sent

3x lucky time: 🩷1,500 = 15 times sent

and then you have 10 cocktails, so that will give you

no lucky time: 10 × 🩷200 = 🩷2,000 = 20 times sent

2x lucky time: 10 × 🩷400 = 🩷4,000 = 40 times sent

3x lucky time: 10 × 🩷600 = 🩷6,000 = 60 times sent

on top of that, you get 🩷500 = 5 times sent.

so even in the worst case where you use the set items during no lucky time, you get 5 + 20 + 5 = 30 times sent. and in the best case, you can snag 15 + 60 + 5 = 80 times sent. if you use both the tickets and the cocktails during 2x lucky time for the story and escorts respectively, you have 10 + 40 + 5 = 55 times sent. and plus, you get 3 closets, which i mean, it's good to always take closets where you can.

so, if you ask me, personally i wouldn't say it's way cheaper to just buy a bunch of story tickets, per se. i feel like if you're going to just buy story tickets, you may as well just get the 30 tickets and 🩷600 during the story lucky time for 💎3,000. you would essentially be getting a little more than an entire chapter's worth of hearts gifted for free (without lucky time), so you would be saving yourself 💎500, effectively. during 2x lucky time, you would be getting 🩷6,000 + 🩷800 + 🩷600 = 🩷7,400 = 74 times sent. again, assuming you start from chapter 1.

i hope this helps a bit figure out what you want to do!

[maskyish]

Banri's Birthday Rabbit TV 2023 - Episode 3 - "Biggest Supporters"

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3

Please note: I am NOT a professional and my level of JP is very, very basic. I do this for practice and to share with other fans for fun. Please take my translations with a grain of salt as there may be mistakes. If you see any, please let me know and I can correct them. If anyone else has this card and wants to translate this at any time then please feel free to do so!

Tsumugi & Anesagi & Okarin & Shirou: Oooooh….! 

Banri: This is kind of embarrassing… 

Tsumugi: It really suits you! I want to show everyone…! 

Okarin: If Momo-kun and Yuki-kun saw this, they’d be super excited! 

Shirou: You look like a real model. It looks good! 

Anesagi: Well, don’t you clean up nicely….! Although, not as good as my prince! 

Banri: Haha, thank you very much. I’m happy to receive such high praise. 

Morino: Awesome! It looks great on you, Ogami! With this, tomorrow’s photoshoot can go on just as planned!! 

Banri: Jeez, you’re sure in a good mood. 

Stylist: I had no idea what was going to happen, but you all really helped us out by coming…! How can I thank you….? 

Banri: It’s fine. Due to our line of work, we’re used to unexpected situations like this, so we really understand how you feel. We’re happy to help. 

Tsumugi: Ah, excuse me, let me give you my business card. If anything pops up, please feel free to give our office a call. 

Stylist: Will do! 

Anesagi: Nice speed, Takanashi-san! 

Tsumugi: Thanks! I felt encouraged by your advice when choosing the cheese curry bread! 

Stylist: Oh, excuse me. I’ll adjust part of the hem just a little bit. 

Morino: He really does look just as lean as he was back then… 

Shirou: Then as expected, Ogami-san was popular in high school too? 

Morino: He was! This guy had all the girls falling for him! 

Banri: Hey, don’t say whatever you want just because I can’t move right now— 

Morino: Am I wrong, though? Just how many times did I ask you for advice? 

Morino: Girls would talk to me, but when I thought about it, it was only about what Ogami’s type was, or if he had any girls he liked! 

Okarin: Ogami-san is kind, considerate, and perfect, so I’m sure he gained a lot of fans without even realizing it. 

Morino: Exactly! 

Morino: It wasn’t like they publicly squealed, but more like the girls were earnestly supportive. Rather than something like fan popularity, Ogami was just genuinely liked by them. 

Anesagi: What a sinful man… 

Okarin & Shirou: A sinful man, indeed… 

Banri: Please don’t harmonize over there! 

Morino: The girl I liked also liked Ogami…. 

Tsumugi: R-really….? 

Morino: I was so frustrated I could die, so to be honest I started spreading rumors such as Ogami having really sweaty hands, and that he sneezes loudly. 

Banri: Stop with your strangely elaborate reality! (1) 

Stylist: ….. Alright, I’m done with the adjustments! The fitting is now complete! I really can’t thank you enough! 

*clap clap clap clap* 

Morino: Alriiight! Seriously, thanks a lot, Ogami! As a thank you, let me take your photo! One that could make your partner faint! (2) 

Banri: Well, I don’t know when that time will come, but I might like to be photographed since you’ve become a pro. So I’ll leave it to you. 

Morino: Great! A man who looks good by the window!

*click*

Tsumugi: Wow…! It’s like a sweets buffet! It’s so lovely…! 

Anesagi: Oh my god, this is the best! I would love to have a wedding like this. 

Morino: They also made test treats for tomorrow, so I’m glad you guys can try some. 

….. But, is this really okay as a thank you? 

Shirou: Of course. Those kids will be happy to even be sent pictures like this. 

Okarin: Oh, Utsugi-san! If you’d like, shall I take a picture? 

Shirou: Are you sure? Then, please, if you would. 

Yay. 

Okarin: Yay! 

Anesagi: As you can see, we’re having a lot of fun, so it’s totally fine. 

Morino: Ahaha! Glad to hear it…! 

Okarin: Ogami-san, I brought you some champagne if you’d like! 

Banri: Thank you. Even though the wedding isn’t until tomorrow, it already kind of feels like a party.

Anesagi: …..Isn’t it about time for the plan? 

Shirou: Yes, I think so. 

Banri: What plan? 

Tsumugi: Banri-san! Actually, when we were discussing whether you were going to model or not, we had also decided on your surprise! 

Tsumugi: The video call connected, I’ll put it on speaker! 

Banri: A surprise?! 

Riku: Hellooo! Can you guys hear me—? 

Iori: Wait, Nanase-san. Don’t cover it with your finger. It’s on the camera part. 

Mitsuki: Woah, you’re actually wearing a tuxedo! It looks amazing! 

Tamaki: Seriously! Ban-chan, you’re sooo cool! 

Ryuu: Wow….! You look like a model! 

Gaku: Woah, what a flashy place. 

Minami: Is it a church garden? There are so many sweets…..

Touma: Wait, isn’t Ogami-san seriously way too handsome….? Is it alright to have such a cool manager? 

Momo: B-B-B-BA-BA-BA—BAN-SAN…..!

Yuki: Oh, Momo fell over. Ban, are you getting married without telling me? 

Banri: Y-you guys! What’s with the gathering?! 

Nagi: We wanted to see our beloved manager. 

…. Oh! There are 2 pretty fairies in the garden. 

Tsumugi: Fufu. We were able to rent this lovely garden! 

Anesagi: Oh my god….. If it wasn’t for this being through a screen, I would’ve fainted….

Yamato: Heeh, it’s a nice place. It has a really good feel to it. 

Tenn: You look amazing, Anesagi-san.  

Gaku: Your face is red. Are you doing alright?  You should take a break in the shade over there…

Anesagi: Thank you. I’m alright. I’m in tip-top shape. Ahh, the champagne is so good. 

Momo: Okarin! Eat enough delicious food for me too, and be sure to bake it into your memory…! 

Okarin: Haha! Thank you very much. I’ll bring home lots of souvenirs!

Haruka: Utsugi-san, scooch a little closer. I can’t see you. 

Minami: Isumi-san, you can come this way. The screen is easier to see. 

Torao: Isn’t it about time you started missing us? 

Shirou: Indeed. Since I was lonely, I took lots of photos to send to you all. 

Torao: W-well aren’t you honest about it….

Sougo: It looks like a wonderful place to celebrate. 

Tamaki: Right? Oh, wait a sec, let’s record the screen! 

Banri: A celebration… No way….

Sougo: Yes way. We have a present for you, Banri-san. 

Riku: It’s fan service from all of us! 

Banri: EH?! Fanservice…. Is it really alright to receive something so luxurious? 

Yamato: It’s gonna go by fast, so don’t look away! 

Mitsuki: To start us off, an air hug from Iori and Riku! 

Riku & Iori: *Huuug!* 

Iori: … Ahem. Ogami-san, we’ll be in your care from now on as well. 

Riku: Banri-saaan! Thank you! 

Banri: Of course! Thank you for the cute hug! I love you both! 

Mitsuki: Up next will be me, Yamato-san, and Nagi! 

I love you, Banri-san! *Mmm, chu!* 

Nagi: *Mmm, chu!*  I LOVE YOU BANRI! 

I wish you much happiness from now on as well. 

Yamato: H-huuh? Well, I’ll go along with it since it’s for Banri-san……. *chu!* 

Banri: Haha! Thank you! Getting blown kisses from you three made my heart skip a beat! 

Tamaki: Alright! MEZZO’s next!  Let’s go, Sou-chan! Wave your arms really big! 

Sougo: Leave it to me. I’ve been stretching. 

MEZZO: We love you thiiiis much! 

We look forward to working with you in the future too! 

Banri: You two….. Thank you! I love both of you, too! 

Ryuu: Then, it’s TRIGGER’s turn next! Let’s do it! 

TRIGGER: Let’s share a dream you never have to wake from. 

TRIGGER: BANG!

Banri: Uwahh, so cool…! TRIGGER literally shot through my heart! 

Anesagi: Fufu! You wouldn’t be able to be in one piece after receiving fanservice like this! 

Yuki: Now then, Ban. Will you also accept our fanservice? 

Momo: I’ll make a heart with Yuki….! Please accept it, Ban-san! 

Re:vale: Heaaart! 

Banri: Thank you…! I got the best Re:vale heart! 

Okarin: Surely! They were both perfect! 

Touma: Alright! We’re the last ones up. Let’s do it! 

ZOOL: Only look at us…!

Banri: S-so cool! The power of just a wink…! 

Shirou: Please let me take a video with my phone later! 

Riku: And now….. Everyone will go! One… two… three! 

TRIGGER & IDOLISH7 & Re:vale & ZOOL: Happy Birthday! 

Banri: Thank you…..! It was amazing, I’ve never had such a luxury! The fanservice medley from everyone was the best! 

Banri: I am so fortunate to receive a gift packed with so much love like this. 

Riku: We’re the fortunate ones…! It’s because of you and our manager that we’re able to make all of our fans happy. 

Tenn: I agree. It’s because of Anesagi-san that we can stand like we have. Please continue to stay by our side.  

Momo: We’ve known Okarin for a long time, but we have never forgotten this feeling of gratitude.  We’re always relying on you. Let’s continue towards the view at the top together! 

Haruka: Thank you for believing in us, and for making us believe in you. I really do think…. that I’m happy you’re here, Utsugi-san. 

Haruka: Well then…. Ready, and….! 

TRIGGER & IDOLiSH7 & Re:vale & ZOOL: Thank you for everything! We look forward to continue working together! 

Tsumugi: ……. T-thank you so very much!! I will do my very best to make sure you smile! 

Anesagi: ….. It kind of feels like a proposal, huh. No matter what, I will always be on your side. I’ll always think of you. 

Okarin: I want to forever and always protect the scenery that Momo-kun and Yuki-kun have shown me, and go towards it together! Re:vale really is the best! 

Shirou: I am so grateful to have the privilege of being by your side to watch over the growth of everyone in ZOOL. This must be my first time getting to thank you. 

Banri: We are everyone’s #1 fans and your biggest supporters. 

End of rabbitv. 

TL Notes: 

The word used is 絶妙 so a more literal translation could be something like “Stop making it exquisitely realistic!” but I didn’t think “exquisite” in English really fit the tone of what he was saying since “exquisite” is usually used in a beauty/fancy context so I went with "strangely elaborate".

The phrasing here is literally something along the lines of “knockout your partner” but it sounded more violent than I think intended when worded like that so I changed it to fainted lol . 

Side note: This is so unimportant but even though I translated them both as “cool”, Banri describes TRG as やばい (yabai) and ZOOL as 格好いい (kakkoi)

And thank you to @marina41trench for helping me brainstorm on some lines I got stumped on!!

[tarotcard0]

So, I have now officially beaten every NES Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) game. I'm currently playing Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and I'm almost at the end, but I have to wait for the switch to recharge before tackling Chapter 8.

In the meantime, I want to write down some of my thoughts on Dragon Quest here.

Dragon Warrior 1 (NES) - Dear lord, just play one of the Remakes, the original is so tedious. There's a remake for Gameboy, there's a remake for Mobile, there's a remake for SNES, there's even a fan made RPG Maker Remake. Any one of those is a better choice than the original. Only play the original if your curious, or for studying purposes. Oh, on that note, the SNES version is Japan Exclusive, so you'll have to get a patch to translate it to English.

Dragon Warrior 2 (NES) - Not only is this the best game of the NES Quadrilogy, it's just the best Dragon Quest game I've played. How did they do so well on their second try!? It's so hard to describe the feeling I got playing this and realizing "Oh! This is the game all those other RPGs are referencing!" Now, I'm biased. I liked drawing my own maps and taking my time with that, so if you don't I also recommend going to the remakes. Again, they're available for Gameboy, SNES, and Mobile. Again, the SNES version is JP exclusive and has an English translation patch.

Dragon Warrior 3 (NES) - It's hard to describe why I felt a little disappointment with this one... Dragon Warrior 2 was just... So good! Like, how do you follow that? For some reason, everything in 3 felt... slower. Despite several quality of life changes, things like re-organizing my inventories felt more tedious than it did before, and when the story reached the Second Act (I'm not sure I used that phrase right) I fell into that same emotion that I had while playing persona 5 where the game just felt like it was dragging on. And because I can probably beat Dragon Warrior 3 4 times over in the time it took me to beat Persona 5 once, I have reason to believe this has to do more with the context of the plot, than the runtime of the game itself. I guess I'll go ahead and recommend playing he GBC or SNES remakes again, they certainly sped things up.

Dragon Warrior 4 - This game SUCKS! It's easily the worst of the NES quadrilogy. It's not the worst Dragon Quest game (Dear god it's not the worst), 9 takes that dishonor (At least, of the ones I've played so far), but the baffling decision to have all party members except for the Hero controlled by AI once you gain control of said Hero, makes it a very close second. I can't even recommend the remake, because I can't get very far in it. Once we enter the Remake dimension for this game, we exit Dragon Warrior and enter Dragon Quest, where the development team thought it would be a great Idea to transcribe everyone's accent to a ludicrous (and sometimes racist) degree. And, surprising no one, RPGs are just slightly impossible when you can't read.

---

I can't do another "Keep Reading" break, so those 3 dashes will have to do.

Well, now that I've beaten all 4 of the OG Dragon Warrior games, I'm wondering what I should do next (After beating TTYD of course)

Should I keep on with the series and go to Dragon Quest 5, or should I start on the NES Final Fantasy games (Of which, I've only beaten FF2)?

I'll end this post with a Poll.

Of course, I'm biased in favor of Dragon Warrior 2, but I'd like to hear what reasons others have for liking the ones they do.

Oh, and just to make sure this gets a decent sample size; the remakes count. If you've played Dragon Warrior GB, but not Dragon Warrior NES, then you've played Dragon Warrior.

[eloeloanna]

Elton's pov

So, Elton won in the poll and this is the reading! I hope you enjoy it ❤️

This is for entertainment purposes only.

-

Check my readings! part 1 here | part 2 here

-

What did Elton think of John?

I think Elton felt a lot of empathy for John. It was like he thought that John wasn’t able to be himself - never could be himself, because of his fame and wealth. So he really tried to be very protective of him, and tried to do certain things for him as long as the time and relationship allowed. It was like…he could’ve done “more” (I really can’t think of what), but that thing took a lot of time to be decided, and it was like this “lateness” provoked that John “left” him. What Elton didn’t understand in the moment of his indecisiveness, was that John actually trusted in him.

So when John left was very heartbreaking for Elton. It was also like he couldn’t believe it. In that moment he also wondered what was the relationship that he had with John. It was like “did I do all of this because I loved him?“ and then it was like “oh, no. I just wanted to fuck him” 😭. So that calmed him down, and that helped him realise that however suddenly everything happened, it was what it was. John returned to this person and he had to be happy for him, I think Elton would’ve liked to talk more openly and honest about the situation, but he also knew that it would be difficult for that to happen. I think he tried to go on with his life, but time to time he would think about this.

What does Elton think about Paul?

The energy for this one was something 😭. At the end of this reading I thought “well, maybe I will understand when I do the JP one” 🤣.

At the beginning the cards were showing me that for him, Paul needed to enjoy more his life. Even when Paul showed everyone that he was this fun and easygoing character. It was like Elton couldn’t understand what the fuck was going on with Paul. So difficult to know, so difficult to dissect. This feeling made Elton to actually avoid any contact with Paul. He didn’t want to see him, and it wasn’t like because he hated Paul or something, it was like because of the lack of connection, it was unbearable to be around him.

I think Elton (in a later part of the timeline), took a lot of effort in trying to communicate with him, even when this discomfort him, but he did it anyways, he even thought about how to talk with him, but Paul still would be talking just the necessary stuff and acting basically like a cunt 😭. I think later Elton could understand that this was a self-defense mechanism.

I think probably Elton and Paul had like one “honest” conversation. This conversation obviously was encouraged by Elton (😭), and even when he could be very satisfied by the results, probably Paul later denied (or dismissed) what happened and for Elton was like GURRL 🫠🫠🫠, but he actually was very happy that at least Paul said something. I think Elton has been very patient actually, and very understanding of Paul, even when sometimes he would be kind of hurt because of Paul’s attitude.

What did Elton think of John and Paul’s relationship?

I think Elton intuitively believed that something between them happened. And he also thought that not just the people around them ruined the relationship, but also, themselves. It was like one of them tried to promise something (that he knew he couldn’t fulfill) and the other just rejected the idea (?.

He obviously thought also that they were a dream team when it comes to business and ideas, but for him all of this it was doomed because of the intense feelings that surrounded the relationship.

He thought that one of them was like “torturing” the other part. It was like this person was a cunt on purpose that liked to see the other suffer. And he really could feel how the other suffer. It was too much.

Also, the “cunt” (😭) was a person that for Elton did all because of his own interests, and even when Elton would know a more “tender” part of the “cunt”, he would still feel that the “cunt” was a cunt and didn’t trust him very much.

In some part of the timeline Elton knew that “the cunt” and the other part were probably reunited again and trying to repair the relationship but Elton really really couldn’t trust this. It was like Elton thought that the “cunt” needed some money and that was all. But he tried to remain in his place and don’t talk about this at all.

I don’t have much time 😔 but If you want me to dig more on this just tell me ❤️. I hope you liked this! I did! ❤️❤️❤️

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Ikemen Sengoku (JP)

Kicho's Main Story Chapter 3 Part 1

JP Spoilers under the cut

No one believed me when I told everyone back in Honnoji that I came from the future.

(Of course. If someone said that to me, I’d also think they were being crazy.)

(Time travel isn’t something you experience very often, and it sounds like a made-up story, but一)

Kicho: “...........”

I stole a glance at Kicho, walking in front of me.

(I didn’t expect to see a fellow time traveler, and I can’t believe he believed my story.)

After only two days of being a spy, I was transferred the next morning from the position of a maid to that of a secretary.

After repacking my bags and leaving the room I was using, he took me down the hallway of the building.

(Where the hell is he taking me?)

(He showed me the key he took out of the drawer yesterday, but does that mean he’s going to lock me in?)

(Yeah. There's a high chance of that happening.)

To him, I was probably a suspicious person who liked to move around as she pleased.

I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to lock me up in my room.

Kicho: “Mai.”

Mai: “Yes!?”

Kicho: “Why are you surprised when I just called your name? We’re here.”

Mai: “Here?”

(His room is next door.)

Kicho: “It would be more convenient for me to monitor you if we were closer.”

Kicho: "I don't want you slipping out at night on your own again."

He said that and opened the door with the key in his hand.

(Whoa!)

The room he showed me was different from the room I had been using until yesterday. It was furnished in a Japanese-Western style with imported types of furniture.

Kicho: "This room was used by the secretary of the previous director."

Kicho: "It hasn't been used for several months since they left, but I had it cleaned yesterday."

(True, there's no dust anywhere. It's so clean and beautiful.)

Kicho: "I've put in enough furniture, but if you need something, just let me know."

Mai: "Okay, got it. But I think it's enough already."

Kicho: "Really? You don't feel inconvenienced?"

(Why? Because I'm from the future?)

I shook my head, a little surprised at his unexpected concern.

Mai: "It's okay. But if I need something, I'll tell you."

Kicho: "Yeah. Well, I'll leave this here for now."

Kicho placed the room's key on a nearby table.

Mai: "Are you sure? If I have that, I can open the door and go out as I like."

Kicho: "That's what a key is for."

Mai: "Yes, but you said you would monitor me."

Kicho: "Yeah, that's what I said. But there's no need to restrict all your movements if you're with me during the day."

Kicho: "Also, if you suspiciously go out at night, I'll hear the door open."

(He's right.)

I was relieved I didn't have to worry about being locked in.

(Surprisingly, he's not that strict.)

(I wonder if I can sneak out and report to Mitsuhide.)

And so, my new life began again.

A few days later

(I was so naive!)

Kicho: "Mai, hurry up. Let's move on."

Mai: “C-Coming!”

Kicho: "Actually, wait. What's with your head?"

Kicho: "Who would wrap a cloth around their head when they're going to a business meeting?"

Mai: "No one."

(As I thought, wrapping it around my head to hide my bed hair was a dumb idea.)

As Kicho had said, he didn't restrict all my movements. However, I was so busy with work that I always fell asleep after returning to my room.

(So this is what he meant when he said he doesn't have to restrict my actions.)

(I don't think I can contact Mitsuhide in this way.)

Mai: "Sorry. I fell asleep with my hair wet yesterday."

Mai: "On top of that, I overslept, so I didn't have the time to style it."

Mai: "I thought it would be rude to come in looking like a mess."

Kicho: "Turn around."

Mai: "Whoa!"

Suddenly, he untied the cloth on my head and pulled my hair up.

(Is he tying my hair?)

Kicho: "Okay. That should do it."

Mai: "Thanks."

Kicho: "Well, let's go this time."

He walked away, and I hurriedly followed him, gently touching my hair.

(There's something attached to it. It's probably a hairpin.)

(He's so well-prepared, carrying all this stuff around.)

He was probably even busier than I was, yet his clothes and hair were spotless.

(Sometimes I wonder if he's not in the same era as I am.)

(Maybe he's a great guy after all.)

Kicho: "Yo lo haré." [I'll do it.]

Foreign merchant: "Vaya, eres muy tierno, gracias!" [Oh my, you're so thoughtful, thank you!]

(I wonder what they're talking about. The guy he's talking to seems very happy.)

My role now is to watch them quietly, so I keep smiling beside Kicho as he speaks the foreign language fluently.

Kicho: "Mai."

Mai: "Yes, here."

I took out the contract, written in a foreign language, I had prepared and handed it to Kicho.

(Things worked out again this time. He's really great at his job.)

(It's too perfect that it's almost scary.)

Kicho: "The next business meeting is in an hour. Before that, I'll make a final confirmation of the items' number to be purchased."

Mai: "Okay."

Kicho: "And about the other merchant一"

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Lord Kicho, excuse me for interrupting. May I have a word?"

Kicho: "Sure, what's wrong?"

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Actually, I was just in town..."

He listened to his subordinate, who came to him for advice. Then, he immediately began to give instructions without hesitation.

Kicho: "This will settle the matter. If you still can't get things under control, bring them here. I'll handle it."

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Understood. Thank you very much. Now if you'll excuse me."

(That's one clever solution.)

As I watched in awe, another subordinate came toward him.

Kicho's subordinate 2: "Lord Kicho, you're here!"

Kicho's subordinate 2: "I've summarized all the information I mentioned the other day, so please check back here later."

Kicho: "No, let's check it now. It must be urgent."

Kicho looked down at the document and immediately pointed something out.

Kicho: "This part is not correct."

Kicho: "As I recall, the same transaction happened last month. There should be a record of it in the storage room."

Kicho: "It'll be easier to tell if you refer to it. Check it and fix this."

Kicho's subordinate 2: "Yes, sir. Thank you."

(He's quick to confirm and precise.)

(I noticed that he's very popular since we started working together.)

His business partners are always pleased by his response, and his men always rush to him as soon as he's in the trading post.

(I heard that he took over this trading post, but it doesn't feel like he's controlling his men by force.)

(Maybe because he's talented and an irreplaceable part of this place.)

(He's the opposite of me.)

Kicho: "What's wrong? What are you dawdling about?"

Mai: "I was just thinking that you're the kind of boss I'd like to have."

Mai: "I thought you were charismatic and amazing. Anyway, I'm sorry for interrupting your work."

Kicho: "No."

Kicho: "..............."

Kicho's sudden silence made me a little uneasy.

(Did I just say something bad?)

Kicho: "Is something bothering you?"

Mai: "Huh?"

Kicho: "No, of course, there is. The norm here is different from the one you're used to."

Kicho: "For example, you could talk to me like this, but you couldn't read the letters of this period."

Kicho: "Compared to what it was in the future, it's totally different."

Mai: "Yeah. I can't read it."

(The document he checked earlier was also probably written in Japanese, but I couldn't understand it at all.)

Kicho: "If you want, I can teach you."

Mai: "Are you sure!?"

Kicho: "I never say something I don't mean."

Kicho: "Besides, that'll help me with my work, and there's no harm in teaching you."

Mai: "Then, by all means!"

(I'm already swamped with work, but I'm sure it'll come in handy.)

(This is a perfect chance for me, so let's go for it!)

Then I began to study the kuzushiji characters in my spare time from work.

(I know it's difficult, but I feel like I'm learning a foreign language.)

As I read the book he had prepared for me, someone suddenly knocked on my door.

Mai: "Come in."

Kicho: "Looks like you're on it. How are you doing?"

Mai: "It's interesting. And the book you gave me is easy to understand."

Mai: "I wonder if someday I'll be able to write a letter to someone from this period."

Kicho: "If you do, you can send it to the people who took you in."

Kicho: "Let them know you're okay so they can rest easy."

(He's right. But if I did that, he would know about everyone in the Oda army and my true identity.)

Mai: "Though, it's better if I write the first one to you."

Mai: "So, as my sensei, please check this."

I handed him a piece of paper on which I had written a brief greeting in practice.

Kicho: "Sure, no problem. It looks like all your hard work is paying off."

Kicho: "Well, that's enough for today. Take a short break until the next business meeting."

???: "Kicho!"

(Whose voice is that!?)

A voice echoed from the other side of the door.

Mai: "I think he's calling you. Is it one of your men?"

Kicho: "No. It looks like someone took their eyes off him."

Kicho: "I have to catch him before he runs outside. Who knows what he'll do next if we let him do what he wants."

Mai: "What?"

(Is he dangerous!?)

I hurriedly followed him as he left the room.

Mai: "W-Wait! I'll help you!"

Mai: "I can't catch him, but I can do something else."

Kicho: "No need."

Mai: "But it's dangerous. The more help you have, the better."

Kicho: "Dangerous? You got it all wrong."

Kicho: "The voice just now..."

???: "Kicho!"

Mai: "Whoa!?"

My heart skipped a beat as something jumped into my view and stopped at Kicho's shoulder, shaking its head happily.

Mai: "A parrot?"

Kicho: "Yes. Meet Fuku."

Mai: "Ehh?"

Kicho: "He's in a good mood. He's just saying the words he learned. They don't mean much."

Mai: "I see. He's very talkative."

Mai: "And very cute, too."

Fuku: "Cute!"

Mai: "Hehe, yup. You're such a good boy."

Kicho: "You like him? Then, stick your index finger this way."

Mai: "Um, like this?"

I did as I was told, and he transferred Fuku from his shoulder to my fingertips.

The round blush pattern on his cheeks and the way he stared at me were so adorable.

(I guess it's still very young. It's pretty tiny.)

Fuku: "Kicho!"

Mai: "Hehe, Fuku really likes you."

Mai: "If he misses you this much, does that mean you're the owner?"

Kicho: "Yeah. I mainly take care of him."

Kicho: "When I first became the director of this place, my business partner brought me this bird as a souvenir."

Mai: "Heh. His name is pretty nice. Fuku is very fitting for a trading post."

Kicho: "That's what I thought when I named it. I hope it'll be good for this place."

Kicho: "As the name implies, his appearance sometimes makes business meetings more pleasant, and Fuku seems to be enjoying himself."

Fuku: "Fuku!"

Kicho: "Yeah, I'm talking about you."

(He looks kind of gentle.)

(I don't think I've ever seen him look like this before.)

Gently reaching out, he stroked Fuku's head with his fingers, and Fuku happily rubbed his head and beak, repeating the words he had learned.

(If he misses him this much, he must be very attached to him.)

(Speaking of which...)

------------Flashback------------

Kicho: "Don't smoke in here."

---------Flashback Ends---------

Mai: "Is Fuku the reason you asked Motonari not to smoke before?"

Kicho: "Oh, that. I've heard that smoke irritates parrots' respiratory tract and has adverse effects."

Kicho: "Basically, Fuku spends most of his time in the cage in my room, except when he's free."

Mai: "I see."

Mai: "I can understand why Fuku loves you so much."

Kicho: "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do as the owner."

(I'm sure that's the reason why Fuku likes him.)

(Even though he's keeping an eye on me, I feel like I've seen more parts of him after spending time together.)

A few days later

Mai: "Please check this!"

I bowed deeply and held out a sheet of paper to Kicho.

Today, I wrote a thank-you letter on behalf of a business partner to check the results of my study of kuzushiji characters.

(Although, he wrote an example for me first since we're sending it to someone else.)

I raised my head and glanced over to see his reaction, and our gazes collided.

Kicho: "Mai."

Mai: "Y-Yes?"

Kicho: "We're going out. The sooner we can thank them like this, the better."

Mai: "So, I passed?"

Kicho: "Yeah. It was worth the practice. You've done well in such a short time."

Kicho: "If you continue this, you'll be able to read books from this period."

Mai: "Thank you very much."

(It's still nice to have a sense of accomplishment no matter how old I am.)

(Also, he's a good teacher.)

(Come to think of it, Mitsuhide taught me a lot of things on the way here too.)

(I know they’re cousins, but maybe they're a bit alike in this way.)

Kicho: "I'll prepare a few more challenging books next time."

Mai: "Few more books!?"

(And like him, he's a bit of a Spartan, too.)

We went through the town in the afternoon to deliver the thank-you note.

(I think several stores near the port sell more unusual items, and the people walking here are dressed interestingly.)

Among them, foreigners dressed in Western-style clothing caught my attention.

Suddenly, I saw a woman in a dress, escorted by a man, walk past me.

(The dress she's wearing is so elegant and lovely.)

(The design is simple, but the lines are beautiful. It suits her very well.)

Kicho: "Something on your mind?"

Mai: "I just thought that their dresses were so stylish."

(I feel like they were tailored to fit their size.)

(I wonder if it's custom-made. I want to make something like that and make the customer happy too.)

I pretended not to see it, but greed inevitably showed its face.

(If I could go back to the future, I wonder what I would be doing now.)

(I wish I could've been a designer.)

Kicho: "..............”

Premium╏Masterlist╏Next Part

[saturniandragon]

Adra's Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown In-Depth Review (contains spoilers)

(Caution: Extremely long read, please ask for snacks from Long Caster)

Let's start with a little background of me as a player. Before 7, my Ace Combat games were:

Ace Combat 2

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (EU and JP versions)

Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War

Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception

Ace Combat: Joint Assault

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

With the exception of Assault Horizon and the EU version of AC3, I played all of them on emulators. Because I was too poor to afford anything. I haven't played AC6 because I haven't seen the reason to buy an X360 just to play 1 game, so I'm waiting for a fully developed X360 emulator that can run 6 flawlessly.

Yes I used to play AH. Quite a lot. Yes it was a decent enough game. Yes it's strayed ungodly far from the true Ace Combat that we know of. But the soundtracks absolutely make up for it. And frankly, without AH, there won't be Ace Combat Infinity, because it used the same game engine as AH. Also AC7 reuses several sounds from AH.

I'm not saying we should accept AH as a true Ace Combat game, because it's not. But over time, it became a necessary stepping stone towards Ace Combat Infinity and Ace Combat 7 we know today.

Just a note that I have never played Infinity. I was still in mid school when Infinity was up and running. I never even owned a PS3. Any mention of AC Infinity in my following review is based on watching YT videos because the game is dead now (thanks Namco, I guess).

I spent 5 years aggressively avoiding spoilers for Ace Combat 7 because it's more fun that way. As such I had no idea what the story is like, what Strangereal country the protag is affiliated with, or which country we're fighting. About the only thing I know is that the protag goes by the nickname Trigger.

Anyway, Ace Combat 7 now. So my first impression was. Wow. I absolutely loved the menu UI. Minimalistic, yes, but very straightforward. And the splash screen before the main menu. The overall dark blue theme of course is a nod towards the blue skies that every pilot knows, whether real or virtual. And apparently also a reference for the theme of the game plot, "Dark Blue."

(Tumblr voice: do you love the color of the sky-- *forcibly removed from stage*)

The controls again are also familiar, although I have to change the scheme in settings first, because I'm used to using the Select button instead of Square to change SP weapons. Again it's configurable, so a nice feature.

The mission briefing scene was... to put it simply, a little convoluted. Maybe that's just me, seeing Ace Combat 5 and Zero also had similar briefing screens with a buttload of flavor text that mostly doesn't matter to the actual gameplay. I let it slide because it's "the Ace Combat DNA", if you will. And I also love the animations, so good job devs.

First mission, you're a peacekeeping pilot. So I guess like the precursor of Ace Combat 3's UPEO. You get F-16C with 4AAMs. And thank God for that because I'm kinda fed up with starter planes being something ancient like F-4s or F-5s. And I quite like Vipers. Not as much as I like Flank-- sorry, moving on.

Oh shit, we're fighting Erusea now. I think we fought Erusea as well in 04, right? So I was interested if maybe there would be a mention of Yellow 13 (spoiler: there isn't).

The graphics were stunning. I played the game on max graphics. Lighting, shadows, glow/bloom effects, clouds, skies, a couple of shadow staircasing every now and then, but it's not super noticeable. And the game was very well optimized as well because I was getting 120+ fps at all times.

Although to be fair Ace Combat 7 is my first proper "next gen" game. After years and years of playing games on 720p Low, playing something on 1080p Ultra with smooth 60fps+ is mind blowing.

I think the only times I switch to first person/HUD view is during dogfights in thick clouds, just so I can see where my aircraft is pointing and avoid a premature nose-first landing.

Then the soundtracks. My god, this game delivers and goes beyond. Several times I get the chills when the music ramps up during the right moment. And the way the BGM gets muffled when you're in the clouds and becomes clear again when you're out? Such a genius idea. Replayability value increased.

The flight model/physics is... well, quite different from what I'm used to, which is AC5 and AC0's flight model. Your left thumbstick input isn't instantaneous, there's a bit of inertia and momentum in plane's roll, pitch and yaw, but I quickly got used to it. In contrast to PS2 titles, AC7 planes are so easy to accelerate and very hard to decelerate, and I learned that the hard way from overshooting enemy planes and crashing to the ground a couple of times trying to do dive bomb attacks.

And then the flight model for landing on runways or carriers is another level of different. Somehow your air speed doesn't decrease when you fully press the decel button and the air brakes are extended. Even increasing sometimes, during approach. Your plane only actually starts losing speed when you're directly above the runway. And I hear you, Ace Combat isn't known for realistic flight physics. Never was, and never will be. I have fully accepted that since Ace Combat 2. But you can actually decrease your speed during landing, as you should be able to, in all the previous titles, so why not in 7? That means most of the time I was landing my plane in AC7 with nose gear first. Doesn't damage my plane in the game or anything, but still, I loved doing realistic landings in previous games.

During takeoffs your plane also pitches up automatically after surpassing V1 and V2 speeds, like in Assault Horizon. I prefer previous titles where you have to manually pull the stick back to takeoff from the runway/carrier.

I'm slightly disappointed that there isn't any vapor cloud forming on your plane when you breach Mach 1. AC5 and Zero had that small touch of realism (I think 04 also did but I don't remember), so seeing it absent in 7 is a bit sad. But not game breaking.

Harling rescue mission. He's no longer president of Osea but he's still alive, and apparently built the space elevator near Selatapura. Flew my Super Tomcat with 8AAM through the radar network. Reminding me of the Mother Goose One escort mission from 5. Even the rescue chopper is Sea Goblin, the same one from 5. I love it.

My hype was shattered at the end of the mission where apparently one of my missiles hit Harling and killed him??? Oh well, solitary now I guess.

Oh great, first mission apparently with other pilot convicts. Take off and make Erusean bombers think they're attacking a real AFB. While Count and other Spare squadron members keep calling me Harling's murderer.

My true complain so far in my first time playing is that the characters talk SO much during actual gameplay. Way too much. Half the time I don't hear or get the chance to read subtitles because I'm too focused on dogfighting or blowing stuff up with HVAAs and GPBs. So I'm missing quite a lot of what the characters say during flight.

About the only thing I catch in the entire game is just Long Caster talking about food (affectionate). He probably has an entire buffet line for himself in his E-767. Hey I don't blame him, you're not yourself when you're hungry.

Although, Long Caster, did you really just say you were gonna order food from "Italian" bistro near LRSSG base? That's a bit of an oversight from PA.

My only source of the game's storyline is through cutscenes, which, may I add, are rendered extremely nicely. Like, I couldn't tell if the cutscenes were pre-rendered MP4 clips or real-time 3D render. We've gone from AC04's manga slideshow, AC5's 3D anime, AC0's green screen mocaps, to realistic and high fidelity CGI cutscenes in 7. With the exception of the static JPEG dog that appears beside the Princess of Erusea and Mihaly's granddaughters.

Speaking of which. Mihaly. What the hell is with that full name, old man? Even the noble Altmer families in Elder Scrolls Online are jealous of your monarchy name. I don't want to be your commanding officer who will probably have to write your full name everytime I make an official report.

The cutscenes show an interesting story from Avril's point of view. How she went from apparently spending years building an F-104 from scraps to fulfill her dream as a sky drag racer, shot down by an Osean fighter for breaching airspace regulation, held as a prisoner for god knows how long, and finally becoming the Scrap Queen for the OADF/OMDF and making tweaks for Trigger's aircrafts.

(You! Solitary, now!)

Let's move to weapons. SP weapons especially, and my god there's a lot of them now. LAAM, HVAA, HPAA, HCAA, 8AAM, GRKT, SASM, IEWS, PLSL, so many to choose from. I still remember when 4AGMs and 4AAMs were just called XAGMs and XMAAs. And now there's even a goddamn 8AGM for when you really hate tank columns. If the next Ace Combat game were to feature the new F-15EX, they should make 10AAM or 12AAM SP weapon for it.

For area of effect (AOE) weapons like UGBs, GPBs and SFFSs, they now use predicted impact point and blast radius as your aiming guide, previously also seen in AH and Infinity. It's a very good way to aim AOE weapons and decide where you should aim for maximum effect. In AC3 and PS2 titles, they just displayed a hovering on-screen reticle that tells you roughly where your bombs will go, no information about how large the lethal radius is.

You have access to countermeasures now like in ACAH! Gone are the days you have to perform pugachev kulbit 60G shit yourself maneuver to avoid incoming QAAMs. You can still do that, of course, but now at least they give you a second option, for when you're in a pinch, which is nice.

Let's talk about the aircraft tree. And my thoughts? I really like it. Intuitive and easy to understand. All SP weapons for each aircraft are also available to view before you buy. A little weird how the F-16C tree branches out to F-2A, but also the F-14D Super Tomcat. I mean I was expecting the F-16C to branch out to Falcon derivatives like F-16XL and F-16 Block 60, and the F-14D would be unlocked by purchasing F-14A first, like in Ace Combat 5. I mean I get to play with F-14D's 8AAM early in the game. Still, a little weird.

(After writing this I just remembered that F-16XL is a DLC, so disregard that)

I also love the way it incorporates aircraft parts previously seen in Ace Combat X, Infinity and AH (yes that game actually had aircraft parts, although a little different, and only seen in Free Mission and multiplayer). And once you unlock one aircraft upgrade part, you can apply it to any aircraft! 10/10.

From my earlier point of "planes too easy to accel and too hard to decel", maybe there are parts that can make decel easier, but I haven't unlocked it by the time I'm writing this review. I will, however, attempt to unlock everything in the aircraft tree because this game is fun.

My aircraft tree path in my first playthrough was F-16C, F-14D, A-10C, MiG-29, Su-33, Su-30M2, Su-34, Su-30SM, and finally for the last mission I saved up enough MRPs for Su-57 with PLSL. Which is quite effective for boss fights I must say. I haven't used pulse laser since AC3's pulse laser (that was usable on R-103 Delphinus 3 and R-311 Remora). Different in how it works because in AC3 the pulse laser occupies your machine gun slot, and in AC7 it's an SPW, but considering AC3 takes place in 2040 Strangereal, it's fine.

Did you know I clapped Mihaly's X-02S with an Su-34, first try, with standard missiles alone? I played on Normal diff, but I was dogfighting him with 90% damage, so I'm quite proud of that.

In the wise words of Lt. Bradley Bradshaw, "It's not the plane, it's the pilot."

Next the flight controls. God it feels so satisfying and immersive. The way your controller vibrates, the FOV shakes when an explosion happens near you, or when going through a turbulence or wind shear in the clouds, I love it. Although not gonna lie I've crashed my MiG-29 once into a cliffside from extreme wind shear in one of that canyon mission, and I nearly pissed myself when my Fullback was struck by lightning and my HUD was gone.

I do miss the oil splatter effect on your screen when you fly through an explosion, that was last seen in AH and Infinity.

The clouds aren't just decors of the sky now, they can alter the gameplay! From masking radar pings, forming ice layers on your plane which hampers its performance, to disrupting missile tracking ability. And in cockpit view, your glass canopy actually gets wet from the water vapors, and icy when your plane's icing up, so that's an awesome level of detail. A great way to make gameplay less boring and make players rethink their strats. Which I'm guessing will be even more important in multiplayer PvP matches.

(Actually now I want to try if SAAM's guidance is affected by clouds at all. I haven't used SAAM in my first playthrough)

The story is good. I mean I didn't get 30% of it because the characters talk so damn much during missions, but I love Trigger's progression from an IUN-PKF pilot (with a suspiciously furry emblem, but hey, I'm part of furry fandom myself), a convict with three white stripes on his tail, and finally the three stripes turn into three claws like the claws of a predator that hunts down every bird in the sky.

Does that kinda resemble the story of Razgriz? Probably. Probably not. I'm overthinking.

They make a several references from previous games. At some points there were mentions of ISAF (AC04), Razgriz squadron (AC5) although indirectly, and Belka's seven nukes (AC0). I think I saw the name Albert Genette once in one of the cutscenes, the reporter/photographer guy from 5! He's still alive by the time 7 takes place! And a mention of the original Kestrel as well as Captain Andersen. Maybe there was a reference from 6 that I didn't catch because I haven't played it. But still, good stuff.

I'm still bummed that Harling dies in this game. In AC5's ending screen it was mentioned that in 2020 Harling would declassify military records about the Osea-Yuktobania war (was it called Circum Pacific war? The war in AC5) to the public. But AC7 takes place in 2019, so I guess the truth of Razgriz squadron's identity, 8492nd and the Grey Men will likely remain in secrecy in Strangereal universe.

There was one mission that took place near Basset Space Center, the place where the mass driver (the railway space ramp launcher thing) is located, that was used to send stuff up to the Arkbird. And my god that mission gave me bad memories of that one mission in AC5 that also took place there. At least this time I don't have to defend the place from falling tanks or a swarm of cruise missiles.

One of my favorite missions was using targeting pods (TGTP) to guide ordnance from bombers above you in order to destroy missile silos. It's almost like a ground target version of SAAM, and reminds me of the bombing run mission in Top Gun: Maverick. Nice gameplay mechanic. Although the final part of the mission where you have to shoot down IRBMs launched from secret locations has to be inspired by the ICBM chase in Assault Horizon. But thankfully in 7 it's not as annoying as it is in AH. My god you do not want to know how annoying it is in AH.

I do appreciate that mission checkpoints are a thing now. In previous titles, if you die at any point before the mission ends, that's it. You start from the beginning again regardless of progress. Checkpoint system was first implemented in AH (because AH is just Call of Duty with planes). Checkpoints in 7 are not common, but that's a good thing. Don't want to resemble AH too much, while also giving casual (and new) players some cushion for failure.

Now let's talk bosses. Arsenal Bird. Or Birds, because apparently there were 2 of them. Fighting them is fucking annoying because of the massive swarm of MQ-101 drones all around it. One standard missile hit does kill the drones, but there's a lot of them. And hundreds of them flying criss cross applesauce all over my screen just gives me sensory overload. Maybe that's the intent.

The design of the Arsenal Bird is... intriguing. Not because it's a flying wing design, we've seen that with the X-49 Night Raven and XR-900 Geopelia (AC3), Arkbird (AC5) and XB-0 Hresvelgr (AC0), but the fact that's it's propeller driven (turboprop, presumably), with counter-rotating blades, and it's in pusher configuration??

By the way, pusher config just means that for a prop driven aircraft, the propeller(s) is behind the engine. Some examples include Airco DH2, a British WW1 biplane fighter, and Kyushu J7W Shinden, a Japanese WW2-era prototype interceptor (don't ask me where or how I know about those two obscure planes). Literally the propellers push the plane forward, like the massive fan on a hovercraft, instead of the more common pulling action in other prop planes like Mitsubishi A6M Zero and Messerschmitt BF 109.

I don't remember the reason why, but they're rare and ultimately didn't catch on in our real world, probably due to complexity issues and no real performance benefit. So seeing an Ace Combat boss plane/mothership that flies on pusher prop engines, in the game's modern timeline where jet/turbofan propulsion is everywhere and tactical laser weapons are a thing, is... something else. There's probably an in-universe explanation for it. Maybe Project Aces just ran out of ideas.

Although, whoever designed the Arsenal Bird (both in the dev team and canonically in the game's universe) must've taken some reference from the Arkbird, judging by the location of laser pod in the middle section, drone pods underneath, and AAM pods on top. Maybe they even salvaged Arkbird parts from the sea after Razgriz shot it down?

You guys remember that the Arkbird had drones, right? The Vogels, that Belka attached to the Arkbird in AC5? Whatever. Someone else reading this remembers.

Let's talk Mihaly. My god, old man, I want to complain about your obnoxiously long full name again, but I'm not going to. At least it's only mentioned exactly one time in the cutscene. But fighting him is actually fun and challenging, both against his Su-30SM and X-02S Strike Wyvern. Especially in Farbanti when the fight brings you near the sunken parts of the city, dodging ruined buildings left and right.

Although I can't help but notice that the layout of his Erusean black and orange livery is reminiscent of Cipher's F-15C livery just in different colors.

(Mihaly: There are pilots like you in every generation, and I felled every last one of them. | Trigger: Ok boomer.)

At the time of writing this review I don't fully remember why he was the enemy boss in 7. Something along the lines of seeing his former country crumble? But then he exhibits certain traits. His body is failing, he loves the skies like it's his one and only home, and his flight data is used to train drones.

Who else shares those traits? Rena Hirose from AC3.

(At one cutscene he was heard talking about borders being an imaginary line that separates countries, which made me think of Pixy and AWWNB, but I felt that's too minor to point out the similarity, so I will gloss over it)

In this paragraph you don't have to listen to me, because I'm not an Ace Combat lore expert. But the similarity of Mihaly and Rena Hirose makes me suspect that Ace Combat 7 is the start of a bridge, one that heads towards Ace Combat 3 timeline. A bridge where we see the next Ace Combat game showing the turnover of the world of Strangereal into the one seen in AC3. We will probably see, in Ace Combat 8, the events that transpire before the continent of Usea (and possibly the entire Strangereal Earth) is ruled by megacorporations instead of countries.

(I just love that some missions in AC7 take place in locations like Waiapolo mountains and Chopinburg, the same locations in some AC3 missons. It's a nice nostalgia)

We've also already seen what looks like an early attempt of thought-controlled combat aircraft, with the ADF fighter series. And in Ace Combat 3, reportedly all playable aircrafts are controlled by thoughts, through the use of COFFIN technology.

Actually now that I talk about it, I'm still damn surprised that old designs like Typhoon, Fulcrum, Raptor, Falcon, Eagle and Hornet all exist by the time AC3 takes place, retrofitted with COFFINs to make them look futuristic. EF-2000E Typhoon II, MiG-33 Fulcrum SS, F-22C Raptor II, F-16XF Gyrfalcon, F-15SMT Eagle+, F/A-18I Hornet ADV, I mean I get that the game was developed in the 90s and there was no way Namco could've predicted what the real world would use in the future.

(Yes I did just recite the full names of those AC3 planes from memory because I'm that much of a nerd)

Regardless, I personally can't wait to see what actually happens before 2040 Strangereal in the next Ace Combat game.

Another mission I really liked. The night mission after the comm satellites in space are gone and every target appears as unknowns. You have to fly close to ID them (with your plane's IRST cam probably) so you don't mistakenly shoot a friendly.

Finally let's talk the ending of the game. Assault on Erusean rogue forces near the space elevator. A coalition of OADF/OMDF, LRSSG and conservative Eruseans. Even the remaining Sol squadron is also here. Really reminds me of the ACES mission in 5 where Osea and Yuktobania gather their senses and fight together against their true enemy.

Mission was fairly straightforward until the second Arsenal Bird appears, its MQ-101 swarm and protective shielding rendering most attacks useless. Kinda felt this mission is a bit scripted because you have to wait until the Erusean princess destroys the Arsenal Bird modules in the ISEV control room. And even after that, this fight is like AC5 Arkbird fight on steroids. Added with the TLS pod and PLSL pods underneath. Still, I downed it.

And oh my god, the music that massively ramps up when the shield is down. Fuck, man. It's just a plane game. It has no right being absolutely majestic.

Last mission. You and your mates versus 2 ADF-11F drones. Saved up enough for Su-57 with PLSL, but I wasn't expecting to takeoff from a carrier. So the sight of a Felon being raised on the platform, taxiing to the deck and taking off to the skies (without even using the catapult or the launch pad, just sheer power of determination and Belkan witchcraft) is a fun one.

ISEV again, Hugin and Munin. The two birds of Odin that fly around the world and act as his eyes. One by one Sol squadron gets shot down. My Su-57 with PLSL makes relatively quick work of Hugin and Munin. Until the last one where its head broke off into a smaller drone and absolutely peppers my Felon with its MG. And of course it's hyper agile with no human pilot inside and apparently learning from Trigger's style. But challenges are meant to be overcome.

Nope. There's another one, it zooms towards the undersea tunnel, heading towards the ISEV. Of course Trigger is up to the task. Or not, because I underestimated the size of the tunnel and clipped my wing on entry, and I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Thankfully the game respawns me already facing the entrance.

Alright, focus this time, no messing about. But anxiety immediately creeps up my spine because of how narrow the passage is. I've flown the tunnels to the ICBM in AC2, the Geofront tunnels in AC3, the Megalith missile silo tunnel in 04, the SOLG control station in 5, and the V2 launch facility in Zero. This ISEV tunnel is narrower than all of them. But Count believes in me (no I don't have feelings for him shut up).

(What are the odds that the next AC game will have you fly through someone's fireplace chimney)

My hands grip my Xbox controller tight, eyes locked to my monitor and my fingers ready to make throttle and yaw adjustments at any moment's notice. Then the shutters start closing pretty quickly in front of me. Fuck, I can't just idle throttle my way through this. I have to push. And so I push my Felon just slightly above Mach 1.

Finally right underneath the ISEV, with no way to go but turn in circles chasing the ADF drone. I don't remember what Count or AWACS was saying but on my HUD there are target markers on the support beams of the ISEV, which I presume are the computer control units that control the ADF drone. PLSL away again, control units destroyed, the ADF drone slows down and I splashed it. This is reminiscent of the AC3 Geofront mission where you have to destroy the support pillars to trap the X-49 Night Raven inside.

But now what, there's no way out. Count said something about exiting out of the space elevator's pillar. I hesitated for a moment, he shouted me to just fucking go, so I went for it. The narrowest of slits in the base of the ISEV, I went through and pitched my nose up, and start sending it.

Are you fucking kidding me, there are actual cargos being moved through the ISEV on the cables. I mean, no shit Sherlock, it's in the name. Space elevator. I've never felt so tense in an Ace Combat game since I fought Pixy in Zero, because I've come this far and I don't want to start again. I kept going for it until I saw an opening. Cutscene plays. My black Su-57 with PLSL pods and three strikes on the tail, soars through the skies and finally out of the ISEV. I heard something about Count making a belly landing in the base of the ISEV. No damn idea how he does it but I guess I'm glad he's alive.

And then, at the end of the cutscene, a name I haven't heard in a long time.

Kei Nagase. She's become an astronaut, callsign Pilgrim One, up in the skies watching over us all.

I wonder what happened to the rest of Razgriz. Blaze, Archer and Swordsman.

"Hey Trigger, you dumbass, tell me something. What color's the sky up there?"

I've won the game. X-02S Strike Wyvern is available for purchase in the aircraft tree. Credits are rolling, tears are flowing. What a beautiful game. I settled my controller down and took a breather after an adventure full of intense action and engaging storyline. Although, PA, could you uhmm, slow down the credits? They scroll too fast lmao.

(Why do I have a feeling that Avril has a crush on Trigger?)

I wanna go learn how to do PSMs now because I heard it's something you can pull off in 7.

At the aircraft data viewer I ended up using Su-33, Su-30M2 and Su-30SM the most (3 times each). What can I say, man? I love Flonkers. I mean Flankers.

Though one thing is still a bit of mystery for me. What is Trigger's canon aircraft? Mobius 1 (AC04) and Warwolf 1 (ACAH) flew F-22A, Razgriz squadron (AC5) flew F-14As, and Cipher (AC0) flew an F-15C. I haven't played AC6 but I think the main character's canon plane is an F-15E? So what is Trigger's canon aircraft? I'm hoping it is some Russian plane because previous protags all fly American planes. A nice change would be welcome.

Although, remembering that fleet destruction mission where all of Trigger's wingmen fly F-15s, it's probable that Trigger's canon aircraft is also an F-15. And the game cover for Ace Combat 7 depicts an F-22. I guess Trigger's canon aircraft is also an American jet, which will be boring if that's true.

Guessing they have to appear appealing to the American audience.

My final verdict, a solid 9/10 game. I loved every single second of it. And Ace Combat series in general. Its thrill, its charm, its embrace of fantasy science fiction with no care of what's realistic and what's not. Because who fucking cares? It's a video game, and it's fun. That's all that matters. We know we will never be real pilots in the sky, but we can know the thrill of it like it's our childhood dreams as an action hero pilot. And elitists who whine about the unrealism of Ace Combat can suck on a Stonehenge barrel.

That concludes my review of the base game. But rest assured I will not stop here until I find all the secrets and unlockables and all unique named pilots because this game is awesome and has become my new obsession. After 5 years of aggressively avoiding spoilers, I can finally enjoy Ace Combat 7 like it's meant to be.

Now I want to tell my experience with DLC missions! Also DLC planes because I bought quite a lot of them, from CFA-44 to XFA-27 to F-15S/MTD. Not all of them, I didn't purchase the MiG-35D or the Top Gun Maverick set.

I played DLC missions after completing the main story. Which is good because before starting the DLC missions (labeled SP Campaign in the game) the game tells you that it's best to play them after completing the story. Also I did not use DLC planes at all in my first time through the main campaign, for that pure Ace Combat 7 first experience (I literally turned off all the AC7 DLCs in my Steam library until after I finished the main campaign).

But I've finished the main story, so great! I could jump in no problem!

Unexpected Visitor. Simple in the briefing, absolutely and unexpectedly challenging in its gameplay. It feels like your wingmen are absolutely useless and everyone is aiming at Trigger. Seriously it's like the later missions in the game's main story where all the AIs are better and harder to defeat, and make it 50% harder. And I'm playing the DLC missions on Normal diff. I don't remember what plane or SPW I used in my first attempt, but I got my ass absolutely handed to me. I began wondering if the DLC missions are supposed to be played co-op at some point during development. Anyway I switched to CFA-44 with ADMM.

And then those twin Berkuts appear. Scream and Rage. The crazed pilot siblings with no desire but to have Trigger's blood, for some reason. I could not get a single missile hit them. In fact I was shot down by an enemy SAM while I was trying to get them in my sights. Although that's kind of my fault because I forgot I could pop flares. Come on man, back in my day we didn't have flares!

Retried the mission with the same plane and SPW, this time deleting all the ground targets first with my flurry of ADMMs before Scream and Rage showed up. It worked. Landed a few hits on them, Scream and Rage fled the AO, mission completed. Kind of. We failed capturing the Alicorn, and Matias Torres has brought it somewhere underwater.

Next, Anchorhead Raid. Briefing showed a shit load of ground targets in a cluster. Hm, maybe ADMMs wouldn't be the right tool for this. But I have downloaded a Morgan, and it comes with a bunch of MPBMs.

First flight out. Once again did not work as well as I hoped for. Enemy CIWS kept destroying my MPBMs before they could get close, no matter which angle I launched them from. Even trying to drop them directly from above caused almost no damage.

Right, back to the hangar. What else do I have? Ah, a FALKEN and FAEBs. Let's try that. Nope. Still no considerable effect against target clusters that have CIWS in them. Back to the hangar again. Maybe FALKEN-TLS combo will work this time? Eh, sort of, but not really, its firing duration is too short to destroy a lot of targets, even when I'm flying real low and level with the ground targets.

Back to the hangar again. Starting to think I need a goddamn Erusean IRBM to efficiently complete this mission. And then I remember what I flew in AC7's final campaign mission.

Su-57 with PLSL, you're up. I dive low until I'm just a few meters above sea, leveling out with my gunsights pointed directly towards the ground targets. Getting closer and when the PLSL reticle turns red, I begin firing. To my surprise, it works remarkably well. From my experience shooting down Hugin and Munin, I start to learn that PLSL has some splash damage/AOE, and you don't have to be pinpoint accurate with it.

Scream and Rage show up again with more thirst for blood, but I also have equally strong thirst for their blood after harrassing me so much in the previous mission. I still have a few hundred "rounds" of PLSL. With no missile lock warning to make them scurry away, Scream is downed easily. Rage naturally, well, rages (ayy). His moves become faster and tighter. A Berkut and a Felon in a deadly dance in the skies above Anchorhead. After a long tail to tail and a tired left thumb, Rage is downed.

Alicorn apparently resupplied in Anchorhead under our noses, using the chaos in the skies as cover. Now intel suggest it's heading to the seas near Oured.

Ten Million Relief Plan. The final DLC mission. I anticipated that I will fight the Alicorn in this one, but did not know the kind of attacks it would have. I know it has massive railguns but no idea about its true capability. But Su-57 with PLSL has served me well, so I fly out in it again.

First phase of the mission. Wait for the allied planes to drop sonobuoys. This is just like the first time I fight the Scinfaxi in Ace Combat 5, but that mission had Arkbird in the skies above me. No orbital laser to help with this one. A few Rafales appear on the horizon, apparently launched from the Alicorn, but I downed them no problem.

The sonobuoys detected something and displayed a circle on radar that prompts me to go there. With the MAD device (magnetic something something device that I don't remember the name of) I begin searching for the Alicorn. The signal homing indicator on my HUD really just reminds me of White Noise mission in AC5 where you had to find Nagase in the snow.

Signal locked. Alicorn spotted. Nope. It's released jammers to disguise its presence. Sonobuoy planes are also harrassed by drones at the same time. Quickly I destroyed the jammers and the drones.

Trying to detect Alicorn again using sonobuoys. Having to keep speed below 800 kph so the tracker can work, all while trying to avoid missiles from more drones. Alicorn was found again, this time allied ships launch anti sub missiles.

Alicorn surfaced. No visible damage. Allied ships taking damage from Alicorn. Order to attack the Alicorn is a go. Unfortunately this time my PLSLs don't seem to make a dent. By the time the Alicorn gets within PLSL's range, my Felon gets peppered from its guns. 50% damage, 75% damage, 90% damage, I pulled out and quit the mission to choose another plane.

The last time I fought Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi in 5, I used GPBs and LASMs. But those subs were much smaller and weaker than Alicorn, and I don't have any aircraft with high enough performance and durability that can also carry GPBs/LASMs.

I decided to give the Morgan and MPBM another go.

Alicorn surfaces again. This time I already have my MPBM ready, locked to its ballasts on the side. 2 to 3 MPBM hits later, the Alicorn loses the ability to dive, they're...

Surrendering?

No, this is way too convenient. Even the other Striders think this is too easy. AWACS insists to stand down. So we did, but I kept my MPBM ready to launch just in case, flying my Morgan in circles around the Alicorn like a vulture.

And of course it was a bluff. Torres was just simply buying enough time to prepare Alicorn's massive rail guns, aiming for the Osean capital of Oured. Madman thinks he can stop the war and save 10 million lives by sacrificing 1 million in the process. And he plans to start it by killing Trigger first. Order to attack the Alicorn is a go again.

I don't remember who said "they stopped being soldiers the moment they faked their surrender." Probably Count. But I agree with that sentiment.

Now suddenly we're under time constrain of just 1 or 2 minutes to destroy the Alicorn's nuclear core at the base of its massive railgun. But on the radar I can see the Alicorn's railgun predicted trajectory chasing my aircraft. I fly in a tight circle around it and wait for it to fire and miss. This is like the Excalibur onslaught (AC0) but 6 times harder. And when I try to get close to the railgun, the Alicorn yet has another trick up its sleeve. Defensive bubble fields around it, similar that the Arsenal Bird used but on smaller scale.

Time is ticking down. Just less than one minute now. I put max throttle and slip through the defense bubbles, my MPBM is already locked to the base of the Alicorn's railgun. One successful hit but it's not dead yet. I quickly turned around again, pulling dozens of Gs that would probably kill the pilot in real life. I flew in again, less than 30 seconds on the clock, I landed another MPBM in it.

And then the radar clears.

It's done. The Alicorn is destroyed. A massive explosion went off in the middle section, Torres laughing like a maniac on the radio as he dies and the Alicorn splits in half and sinks to the bottom of the sea. Another explosion went off underwater, the force enough to spew a mountain of sea water dozens of meters to the sky, and finally coming down like a pseudo rain that refreshes the atmosphere.

We never captured the Alicorn, but at least this way we prevented another superweapon from being misused.

I completed Ace Combat 7. Again. Such a cool set of DLC missions. Especially with the fact that they have their own storyline adjacent to the main campaign story. It's difficult, yes, but it's challenging enough that makes you want to try and try again until you succeed. Not Dark Souls-level of difficult that makes you want to murder a child with a controller. So, my thoughts on DLC missions? I loved them. Another solid 9/10.

And you know what? I wanna play them again.

And now I can watch Max0r's Incorrect Summary of Ace Combat 7 that I have postponed for so long!

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC Writer of the Month: Jamespotterthefirst

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @jamespotterthefirst! We hope you will enjoy learning more about her and her work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: Jamespotterthefirst Blog Masterlist

1- When did you start playing Choices? What's the first book you played? 

I started playing back in 2018. I kept seeing this thing called “playchoices” trending as number 1 on Tumblr (lol remember those days?). This would happen, without fail, almost every week! When I clicked on it, the posts were all about the finale of a royal story (The Royal Romance!). People made the most hilarious posts, complete with memes. I had no idea what it was, but I gathered it was an app. I downloaded it, and the rest is history. 

The first book I played was Desire and Decorum. It was absolute torture because it wasn’t completed yet. So I binged the available chapters. Yes, I spent real money on keys and diamonds, telling myself at least I wasn't spending that money on drugs. It was so much fun waiting for a new chapter every week, even if I’m an impatient mess. 

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the fandom almost immediately after downloading the app. 

As I sat in my living room, tapping my foot and waiting for the new D&D chapter to drop, I went back into the playchoices tag for content. It felt good to find other people who loved the story as much as I did. There were other users out there who were also waiting impatiently for the new chapter, writing fics and discussing theories in the meantime. There were also some of the funniest memes I have ever seen in my life. At first, I would quietly read and reblog. Then, I slowly started posting my own thoughts and theories (which were not very good lol but hey, this is tumblr after all).

3- How did you pick your url name? 

My life is one hyperfixation after another… The one before Choices was Harry Potter. More specifically, the Marauders era. I used to write for the pairing called “Jily”, composed of Harry Potter’s (dead) parents. Kelsey (@takeharryandgo) is a witness of just how much I love James Potter, Harry’s (dead) dad. In fact, our shared love for the pairing and character is one of the things that brought us together. 

In short, this URL is a reference to James Potter the first, Harry’s (dead) dad. Not James Sirius Potter the second, Harry Potter’s (living?) son. 

I saved it as a sideblog, meant only for writing resources for me to use at a later time. One day, I decided I didn’t want the followers on my main page to see all the Choices spam I was posting, so I resurrected the JP blog. 

4- Go back to your archive and tell us about the first post on your Choices blog. 

My first Choices post was a shitty theory about Desire & Decorum: 

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

I’ve been writing fanfiction since I was a literal child. I used to write in a notebook and my friends would read during recess. It was awful but they were into it. One day, I used up the whole notebook and my friend was desperate for the next part of the story. I told her I needed to wait until my mom took me to the store (literal child) to get a new one. My friend got me a new one by the end of the day lol.

TL;DR that puts me at about 20+ years of writing. 

6- What is your favorite Choices book to write about?

Without a doubt, Open Heart! 

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it or would you change anything about it?

Oh god, the first fanfic I wrote was Lily Evans and James Potter from the Harry Potter universe. I forgot the exact title, but it was named after an Avril Lavigne lyric. Again, I was a child, don’t judge me lol. It’s handwritten in a notebook I still have somewhere, but I will never open it again lest I die of cringe. 

My first Choices fic, on the other hand, was a Desire and Decorum fic called “A Wedding Gift” that only like 5 people read at the time. 

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

Oof. This answer changes depending on the day you ask me. I always overthink it and end up saying picking a favorite fic is like picking a favorite child. To avoid being here all day, however, I’m going to say: Fake Husband, She Walks in Beauty, and Lovely.

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but could use a little more love?

Definitely, the fic I didn’t expect to do well at all if my first Open Heart fic: Lovely. 

I was so naive back then, knowing nothing about the Open Heart writing fandom. I had no idea what format or tags to use when posting. I was afraid there would be no readers out there who wanted to read a silly little story about my MC posting a thirst trap. All I knew was that the latest chapter of Open Heart Year 2 inspired an idea that wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote it. 

I posted it and I was so incredibly lucky to receive so much support. Words cannot explain how special that was. To this day, I cannot verbalize how grateful I am for that. 

There isn’t really a fic I can think of that could use more love. It always amazes me that anyone gives my fics their time. So any feedback my fics get will always be valued and treasured by me. 

10- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? 

Oh no. 

If forced to choose, I’d say fluff. 

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Absolutely! While I try to make every MC different, I often pull from experience when I write. My Open Heart MC and I have a lot of things in common (heritage, hometown, astrological sign, etc.) But I also wanted her to be her own character with life choices that are different from mine. Since I'm very boring, it definitely makes for better fiction that way. 

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

It depends on the day. Some days I struggle the most with dialogue. Others, my biggest struggle is descriptions. It's rare when I feel confident in both when I write. 

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

*laughs nervously in unfinished series*

There are a few series I have yet to finish. Once again, I apologize for leaving them untouched for so long! I plan to get my shit together soon! 

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first? 

No! 

I don't think I could look anyone in the eye if they read some of the stuff I've written, especially for Choices. 

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

I strongly believe that one of the best ways to learn as a writer is reading. As such, I believe I've learned from most pieces I've read, particularly published rom com novels. In the fanfiction world, I admire my lovely friend @takeharryandgo. I've had the absolute joy of following her writing for over a decade. And with every work, I am still amazed by her masterful way with words! And her characterization is always spot-on. I simply love to read her spellbinding work and learn from the master! 

Other writers/creators I admire are:

@heauxplesslydevoted- one of the first OH writers I've ever read! Her smut is top-tier!

@jerzwriter - her stories, dialogue, and characterization are a delight to read. Her angst is painful. Her smut is sizzling hot! 

@liaromancewriter - a true master at romance! Her writing style is magical and synonymous with the best of rom-coms! 

@genevievemd - I bow down because the amount of love and care she puts into every piece truly makes her work special! 

 @lucy-268 - I have always respected the amount of research she puts into every piece. She pours so much care into it so that the narrative flows seamlessly! 

@a-crepusculo - her writing is so vivid and immersive. Reading her work is like listening to the most beautiful of symphonies!

@writer-ish - she is such a master at the craft! Her characterization is so vivid that the reader will fall in love no matter the format. Her text edits are legendary! 

@bex-la-get - such a talented and dedicated writer! She also pours hours of research into her work, ensuring every detail makes sense! 

@potionsprefect - she's such a creative and talented writer. She develops writing ideas like no one else I've ever seen! 

@headoverheelsforramsey- I love her storytelling and characterization! She's created a beautiful, inspiring, and intelligent MC for all of us to adore!

@gryffindordaughterofathena - her writing style is one of the most original I've ever seen. Reading her work feels like reading the loveliest of poetry! 

@coffeeheartaddict2- the dedication she puts into her work blows me away! She's daring when exploring themes in her writing, and she's not afraid to pull from personal experience. 

@lsvdw-blog - the person I'm sending my therapy bill to. Just kidding! Her writing is beautiful, even when it's the most painful angst. 

@trappedinfanfiction - she is such a lovely writer. The amount of detail she's given both of her MC's back stories has my absolute respect! 

@quixoticdreamer16 - I adore her MC and the wholesome, beautiful background she's given her! 

@mysticalgalaxysstuff - Another MC that has stolen my heart. I am so happy she started writing this past year because she's a real talent! 

@peonierose - love her beautiful MC and the beautiful love story she built for her with Bryce! 

@cariantha - a brilliant writer with talent for days! 

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series? 

I would love to see She Walks in Beauty along with its series (1800s AU) in live action. Imagine Ana de Armas and David Gandy in period costumes? That alone would be worth it! 

17- Do you write original stories? 

I've crafted and outlined original stories before but I've never actually written them. One of my biggest goals for the new year is to finally start. Wish me luck! 

18 -  What other hobbies do you have?

I love reading, hiking, and dancing! 

Yes, I picked the most “impressive” of my hobbies to seem cool. On most days, you'll catch me cuddling with my dog or bf watching YouTube/TikTok/Hell's Kitchen reruns lol. 

19 - What’s your favorite emoji? 

I used the orange 🧡 and purple 💜 hearts a lot because they're my favorite colors!

20: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

For the record, I am also contractually obligated to read anything Kelsey writes 😘 

Thank you so much to every single reader who has given my work a chance these past three years!

Thank you to the wonderful mods of CFWC for all you do to support writers in the Fandom! 

[kimium]

What are your top 5 headcanons for Rook/Vil? 👀👀👀

Oh hi friend! Thank you so much for this ask! As you (and many) are aware, Rook/Vil is my favourite ship in Twisted Wonderland. I'm always so happy to talk about them. Before I get started though, I do want to make it clear that 1) This is just my opinion and my headcanons and 2) I play in the ENG server, so if there is something either I haven't seen because it's in the JP server or because of some "lost in translation" thing, sorry.

My Top Five Headcanons for Rook/Vil

5. Vil has met Rook's parents. The first time was entirely accidental.

With Rook casually revealing to Epel and Yuu that his family is rich and owns many villas around the world, there had to be a point that Rook offered one of the villas to Vil. Perhaps Vil was in the middle of some photo shoots, press tour, or acting and needed a place to stay. Or maybe it was a rare break for Vil from both work and school and Rook decided to offer one of his family villas as a get away.

Regardless, I love the image of Rook and Vil in a cozy villa, overlooking the ocean or maybe an orchid across the way owned by some family that Rook loves talking to every morning. They're enjoying the time together, playing a little bit of house. One morning Vil walks downstairs, expecting only Rook at the table, when he meets Mr. and Mrs. Hunt. I bet this is embarrassing not only because Vil isn't 100% put together but because he's not put together because of Rook. It's a first impression Vil wishes he could scrub from everyone's minds, but Rook's parents find it charming and adorable.

4. Vil and Rook's relationship is an "open secret" at NRC. No one is going to tell the media though; they like living.

Like many famous people, I think Vil wishes to keep his love life mostly out of the public eye/media. Not that he's attempting to hide his relationship with Rook (impossible on campus), but Vil hasn't made some public announcement. Why would he want to? The media already hounds him 24/7. (Vil thanks the Seven every day that NRC has strict rules about media presence on campus.) It also isn't that he doesn't want to someday announce happily to the world that Rook is his, it's just for now Vil is fine with the open secret.

I also think it's hilarious to imagine all of Pomefiore (and majority of campus) to either decide 1) It's really none of my business if Vil and Rook are dating. I'm staying in my lane. Or 2) Wouldn't it be funny if we collectively ignored every tabloid reporter or journalist looking for an easy story. Vil deserves his privacy from those vultures. Like, I'm imagining whenever students are off campus tabloid reporters are always waiting to "ask them questions" about -insert character in the major public eye-. All the students just blankly look at the reporters or say "WHO? I've never heard of him" to their questions.

3. Rook nearly got escorted off a set by security the first time he came to drop off something Vil forgot.

Sort of tying into my prior one, since Vil and Rook aren't publicly announcing they're dating there had to be ONE time that this happened. In the security guard's defense, they're used to people trying to sneak in claiming to either know Vil or sent to deliver something to him. Sure, Rook is in the NRC uniform, but that doesn't mean free access. However, those poor security guards probably had to sit through Rook wax poetically about their "devotion to their jobs" or something like that. It's a good thing Vil personally stepped out to meet Rook and didn't sent an intern or personal manager. Those guards would have been stuck for hours.

Also, imagining the guard's surprise when Vil sighs, walks up to this weird man spouting poetry (with random French intermingled), and drags him off with a "sorry, he's with me".

2. Rook and Vil have probably one of the spiciest sex lives.

Here is my one (1) sexy idea you'll get out of me for this list. I have many ideas but I don't want to share all of them. What I want to say is I think Rook and Vil are open to trying many things together and put their 100% into it. Sure they have boundaries but they're mature enough to communicate so it's fun and comfortable for both parties. They just know each other so well and are always on the same wave length! This translates to their love lives and I think it's Relationship Goals.

Rook is the one to propose to Vil.

While I think Vil wouldn't be opposed to proposing, ultimately I think Rook is the one who does it. It just suits him. Rook is already a romantic at heart. He's planning the proposal well in advance and doesn't even need to ask Vil his hand size because Rook already knows that. The proposal is a private one, definitely not a public proposal, but it's so soft, sweet, and filled with romance that it's truly a day Vil remembers fondly. Afterwards I think the first people Vil tells besides their parents are Jack and Epel. I love Vil's friendship with Jack and there is no way Epel wouldn't be one of the first. Though while Jack is very excited for his friend and congratulates him eagerly, I bet Epel sits there going "It's about DAMN TIME". Vil reflex scolds Epel.

(Also, Vil 100% takes over all wedding preparations. While Rook is calmly taking all of this in stride I think Jack, who is the best man despite believing someone else would be better, is overwhelmed. Epel is ready to Scream and throw something at Vil. Trey is in charge of baking the wedding cake and the poor man somehow manages to balance Vil's micro-managing and Rook's "passionate" nature.)

There we have it! My top five headcanons for Rook/Vil. I hope you like my ideas, friend! If there is anything you want to add for yourself, feel free!

[rikeijo]

Today's translation #424

Miracle!!! on ICE, Animage 1/2017, Toyonaga Toshiyuki interview

Part 7.

-- The bar goes higher and higher, right? [for Victor if he wants to surprise his audience]

T: When I re-watched the first episode, I felt that Victor himself, also feels like he reached a place, from where he can't go any further using the same methods. In this sense, in the beginning, Victor was thinking only about himself, but I would say that through Yuuri, who has something that Victor doesn't, he became more human...

-- In the beginning of the story, it seems that both Yuuri and Victor think only about themselves.

T: Yuuri, who think about himself negatively, and Victor, who thinks about himself more positively. I think that the goal for these two was to make that plus and minus get closer to each other and interact. I have no idea, what we are going to see in the final episode, at this point in time, too, so even now I'm quite nervous. I'm really looking forward to the last episode, and I really want to know, where the story is going to go... But I feel quite sad, when I think that it's going to be all over soon. Before the last episode, I always have these mixed feelings.

[Notes: Next the topic shifts to Yurio, so a shorter part this time.

Thank you @thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai and @natsolano, for taking the time to comment your thoughts on the previous part! I like reading other people interpretations soooo much ✨

The avatar theory, at least in Jp, was a bit controversial, because the impression that you get when you read these interviews, is that they suggest that Victor had ulterior motives for coming to Jp (and Yuuri as a person isn't all that important to him). And just like you've written, a lot of people don't see the story in that way at all. But at the end of the day, what VAs say doesn't have to agree with what the creators think even, and it's hard to say when it does and when it doesn't... They often say "I think" "I guess" etc. On the other hand, of course, there are also people who like their interpretations best.

I'm going to translate Victor's VA's interview next, too! ]