#but these two are also - imo - the respective 'heart' of their factions

[teatitty]

Was having some role reversal thoughts on my twitt so I'm just gonna copy-paste them here as well

I like Decepticon Bumblebee AU's but I do think if you're going to do them you should have Soundwave switch to being an Autobot so that both sides still have rival spy/scout combos & also bc a roleswap between those two would be really cool to explore how the team dynamics change

Soundwave is a very formal person with a more 'mechanical' speech and doesn't usually take part in shenanigans BUT he's also a single parent of at least 4 casette children and this nuance opens up a world of really interesting ways that they can have a personal arc

On the flipside, Bumblebee is a much more fun-loving person who is always down for some shenanigans and would be the only con who isn't physically strong [with strength being something the cons usually value most above all else] BUT he's also a massive risktaker and very intelligent which would be really fun to see from an antagonist POV

Add to this, both Bumblebee and Soundwave are known for their intense ride-or-die loyalty to their respective bosses, and there is something very juicy about swapping who those loyalties are for and how that changes the boss-scout relationship

Is Optimus as close to Soundwave as he usually is with Bumblebee or are they strictly professional, and does Soundwave rat out the other bots for 'misconduct' or for questioning their leader? Does Bumblebee spy on the other cons for Megatron to weed them out like Soundwave would or is he more likely to keep some things a secret to uphold peace in that faction?

Just a lot of really cool ways it can be explored is all I'm saying

[tl-notes]

Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon S2 Episode 2 Notes

Here’s some notes for episode two, too, if you’d care to join me.

The “stay quiet” here is 大人し[い] otonashii, which takes the word for “adult” and adjectivizes it. It’s a common word with a variety of meanings, such as  when something is “behaving” properly and not raising a fuss (from children to computer code to a chronic disease to political forces, all sorts of things) or when something comes across as “mature” (like a clothing design or a young person). 

In this case the idea is that the dragons had chosen to “behave” and mind their own business, which (they seem to assume) led the humans into underestimating them and deciding to attack. (”Stay quiet” probably does a pretty good job of getting that across, but just to fill it out.)

This is 残念ながら zannen nagara, or “unfortunately...”. 

The reason I bring it up here, is that it’s not a particularly intimate way of speaking and leans somewhat formal—potentially implying Ilulu has no more close relatives left to give her this news (and/or maybe her family’s social position is one where other dragons had to treat them with respect).

The second line here is 平常心を保つよ、私は, which is a fairly strong declaration of intent. I kind of feel like “I need to keep a clear head” sounds less confident, like convincing herself “ok bad situation, but if I just do this I’m fine.” In contrast, the Japanese imo is more of a “[Ilulu can do what she may,] but it won’t get it to me either way.” Just a mild point of characterization I suppose.

Just for clarity, she does use the word 雄 osu here, which is the more biological term for “in a sexually reproducing species, the one that produces sperm,” rather than a more gender-based term.

The TV show, シャシャシャシャキーン Sha-sha-sha-shakiin, is a combo reference to irl Saturday-morning kids’ variety show じゃじゃじゃじゃ～ン Ja-ja-ja-jaaN and weekday-morning シャキーン! Shakiin!. 

The former’s name comes from the Japanese equivalent of ta-dah!, while the latter’s comes from the ”sound” for becoming alert, going from relaxed/sleepy/bored/etc. to “wide awake let’s go.” (though not necessarily sleep/wake related)

If you’ve seen these two emoji:

(´・ω・｀)  (｀・ω・´)

The one on the right is the “シャキーン” one, and is the contrast to the gloomy one on the left (ショボーン shobon). Or these, going from asleep to awake:

( ˘ω˘ )ｽﾔｧ…  (｀・ω・´) ｼｬｷｰﾝ

In manga and stuff you’ll also see it used for e.g. someone drawing/brandishing a sword, striking a cool poses with a lens flare, things like that.

I think it gets translated to metallic-y sounds in English fairly often in those cases (like drawing a katana, or a mecha pose), hence the translation above. 

The verb for “frolic” here is じゃれる jareru (no relation to jajaan above), which is like to play/mess around, typically in a physical sense. For example it’s used in the compound word じゃれ合う jareau, which is often used in the same way English might say “playful wrestling” about kids or animals.

Though the word Kobayashi uses is actually a different じゃれる compound, じゃれつく jaretsuku, which is like playfully/affectionately grabbing/cuddling up/etc., (also primarily regarding kids or animals). There’s a bit of overlap with some of the uses of あまえる amaeru mentioned in the last episode’s notes.

Assuming I had the visuals, I’d probably just write this as “Please not on my lap...” or similar. (Kobayashi also uses a different verb conjugation for Tohru vs. Kanna in this scene, ~つくな vs. ~つかないで; Kanna’s being more plead-y compared to Tohru’s more “cut it out!” feel, hence the “please.”)

“Contact” here is “skin-ship,” a portmanteau-esque combination of skin and kinship or relationship. It’s primarily a Japanese word (you won’t find it in English dictionaries typically), but it was apparently coined by an American speaker at an international WHO seminar in 1953 (from which a Japanese attendee brought it back to Japan and it was later popularized). 

The original use of the word was in reference specifically to parent-child physical intimacy, but as it became more widespread in usage the meaning extended to all sorts of relationships, from the platonic to the romantic. 

One reason, presumably, that the term caught on so powerfully in Japan is that it has historically been a very touch-adverse culture (at least compared to say the US), and this extends even to parents with their children after the first few years. You’d see (and still see) psychologists recommend “more skinship” to people, for example.

The relative lack of skinship may partially explain the head pat thing mentioned in last episode’s notes (e.g. when you want to touch your kid, but hugs aren’t on the menu) and things like the old “hand-holding is lewd” meme. (Note this isn’t just me getting all orientalist here; there’s been a good bit of research on the skinship gap, and how it may be shrinking, by Japanese scholars.)

This line is also a bit of foreshadowing that Tohru has realized Kobayashi’s... situation already.

The Japanese here is 心と心でつながった後は体ですよ, which I only really mention because I kinda felt like the English’s “Now...” implied she was saying they only recently ‘connected their hearts,��� which I don’t feel from the Japanese wording and would say is probably not how Tohru thinks. E.g. more of a “Our hearts are already connected; now it’s time for our bodies!” kinda thing.

This 3/3 is March 3rd, which “equals” ♀ because that’s the date of Hinamatsuri, sometimes also referred to as Girl’s Day. The third day of the third month was originally a holiday brought over with the Chinese calendar, and it morphed from a more spring/peaches holiday into it’s more girl-oriented version at some point in the Edo period.

One of the highlights of Hinamatsuri is the doll displays, as pictured in this short bit with the Saikawa sisters. There are various types of displays, but this sort of staircase arrangement is the most common I believe. Each level has a certain type of doll that goes on it, with the top level having an “emperor” and an “empress” doll—which is the pair Riko replaces with dolls of herself and Kanna.

There’s some similarities between these doll displays and stereotypical Christmas trees: a family is likely to have a set of ornaments/dolls they mostly reuse each year, you put them up some time in advance of the actual holiday, then get lazy and leave them up too long put them away for a year after it’s over. A lot of businesses and such will put up displays as well.

“The judge in the underworld” is left vague here and isn’t a specific reference to anything, but is generally in line with the typical “image” of what happens after you die (setting aside actual religious beliefs) in Japan. 

Please see the documentary series Hoozuki no Reitetsu for more info.

As of right now in the anime, Ilulu has only shown up twice, and only once of those when Kobayashi was alone. The implication seems to be that there have been other Ilulu encounters that we haven’t seen. 

Also, for clarity, the Japanese is 私が一人の時にいつもイルルは来るから, which is more of a “whenever I’m alone Ilulu shows up” than a “she only shows up when I’m alone.” (The English could sorta be read either way I think?)

This bit is それだけじゃないって、争い以外もあると思ってくれているからだ。私はそんなトールを信じているから…　だからその為にイルルと和解したい

The main point of contention I have with this English is that it implies Kobayashi wants Tohru and Ilulu to make up. However, I’d say this is more Kobayashi wanting to come to terms with Ilulu herself (and just by extension Tohru/the other dragons/maybe other humans). 

That is, by making peace between herself the human and the “hostile” dragon Ilulu, she’d be helping prove Tohru’s belief correct—and she has faith in Tohru that it is (see also last season finale).  

(Notably while Tohru is Chaos faction herself, there’s not really been another Chaos dragon yet to be convinced like this. Kanna is no-faction, Fafnir is technically no-faction even if Chaos-ish, Quetzalcoatl is an observer, Elma is Harmony, and Tohru’s father is an exception on multiple levels.)

Without getting too deep into the “why,” one quick thing I’ll point out is that she says 和解したい wakai shitai, not してほしい shite hoshii or させたい sasetai etc., meaning it’s something she wants to do herself, not want/make someone else do. Generally speaking you can’t use the ~たい “want to” form for anyone but yourself (you don’t know what anyone else is thinking, after all), unless quoting them, asking, or in the ~がる “seems to want to” form.

This is a 防犯ブザー bouhan buzaa, a crime-prevention buzzer, also known as a personal or self-defense alarm. They emit a very loud sound when activated. The idea is you, well, use it like she does here, when someone is trying to do a crime to you.

Since most Japanese children walk to school, it’s extremely common for these devices to given to students (either by parents or a gov’t body). It’s technically recommended for adults to carry them too, though the advent of the mobile phone has driven down carry rates.

This particular one was probably purchased in episode four of season one, if you want to rewatch and see why!

This is 私にぶつけたい気持ちでもあるの？in the Japanese.

The verb for “tell” is ぶつける butsukeru, an evocative word meaning ~to slam against (somewhat similar to “vent” in English when used with emotions/feelings). 

The “something” is 気持ち kimochi, ~emotion/feeling/thought.

So the Japanese here feels a lot more expressive than "something you want to tell me,” I would say (that could just as easily be a translation of 話したいこと). That said it’s not an easy thing to express in English within the confines of the format here, especially if you want to keep the “target = ‘me’” part.

It might feel somewhat like “You got something bottled up you wanna hit me with?”, though I doubt if I’d use that either.

As a side note, the manga has Kobayashi say an extra line after this, about being the “main tank” to take her “hate” (Japanese for “aggro” in MMOs). 

A small note that “that girl and that boy” is あの子とあの子 ano ko to ano ko, so no gender specification in the Japanese (it’s a good language for talking about people without specifying a gender!).

“Next time” here is 今度 kondo, which is an interesting word because you can situationally use it for “recently,” “this time,” “next time,” or “soon.” 

The reason I bring it up here is the English “next time,” personally, leaves me thinking “Was there a previous time? What ‘next’ do you mean?”—just a heads up that that’s not really an issue in the original line.

Also: this whole extended scene with Kobayashi saving Ilulu is one of the “many senses” mentioned in the episode title. (see also episode one notes re ikemen)

As an aside, this "play” is じゃれ合い jareai, the noun form of the jareau that was mentioned in the above “frolic” note.

If you were wondering: “Do dragons use paper?”, the word here is 形骸化 keigai-ka, (almost) lit. ~reduced to bones, meaning something that once was strong/effective is now basically just a formality. It’s similar to the phrase “dead letter” in reference to old laws that aren’t really enforced anymore.

So two potential points of ~lore relevance~ here: 1) the rules probably used to be enforced, 2) we have no evidence (either way, from this) that they actually have them on paper somewhere.

こりゃトールの父ちゃんは本格的に優しかったみたいだな

This might just be me reading too much into the English (again), but one difference in nuance between these two lines is that the English has Kobayashi implying Tohru’s dad “seemed” kind (which implies he’s not really kind, just kind in contrast to this villain), while the Japanese is more taking this as evidence that Tohru’s dad was actually being kind (see also last season finale).

For those wondering if the みたい in that line would imply a “seems”: it sort of does, but it applies across the whole observation here. I.e. “seems Tohru’s father was genuinely nice” vs. “making Tohru’s father seem genuinely nice” (which I’d guess would probably use 優しく見えてくる or something). 

When you see “underestimate” in anime, most of the time it’s なめる nameru. It comes from the verbified archaic adjective 無礼し nameshi, meaning a combination of looking down on, acting rude towards, etc., and uses the same characters as “rude” (though often written in hiragana/katakana).

It also is a homonym of the verb “to lick,” so “Don’t underestimate humans” sounds identical to “Don’t lick humans.”

“Functional member of society” is 社会人 shakaijin, ~lit. person of society, which is a very commonly used word to refer to basically anyone who is an active member of society. It includes homemakers, so it’s not strictly “has a job at a company,” but in many contexts it’s used like “people with jobs” versus “students and NEETs.”

(Not that there’s anything wrong with the translation, just some extra context.)

A technique reminiscent of this shadow puppet silhouette style was also used in Hyouka, another Kyoani show and one directed by the late Series Director Takemoto Yasuhiro. 

I kind of feel like yelling “Stay with me!” at someone injured is something you do when they’re in danger of fading away, not when they’re waking back up? Maybe that’s just me.

The Japanese is お気を確かに o-ki wo tashika ni, a polite (since Tohru almost always speaks kinda formally to Kobayashi, as part of the maid thing) way of saying “pull/hold it together,” and is used in a variety of situations.

Kanna’s line is a question (e.g. like “are you okay?”) in the Japanese here, whereas the English sounds more like something you say to someone who’s injured to try to reassure them. 

This line is その子離れようとしないんです sono ko hanareyou to shinai n desu.

The English is a pretty literal translation: hanareru is the verb for leaving/separating (in some senses), and the ~you conjugation means “try to ~”. However, that conjugation also has a second use in just indicating intent—especially when used in the negative, like here—so e.g. “She didn’t want to leave your side,” or “She wouldn’t leave your side at all.”

（◎Д◎）

Just in case: this is an emoji for expressing shock. 

One thing that is left out of the English in this line is the だけ dake, “only.” 

So Kobayashi’s not necessarily surprised at this by itself, but in contrast to the fact that Tohru says she probably can hide her claws/tail (so why not this too?). 

The base phrase Tohru is saying here is 私たちの仲じゃないですか, which roughly means “that’s just our relationship,” and is used commonly when being thanked for doing a favor for someone close. It’s similar in meaning to something like “hey of course, no problem, I know you’d do the same for me.”

Tohru puts a little spin on it by adding the “eternal” to make it 永遠の仲, which is a separate phrase that means probably what you’d think it means.

This quick cut to Tohru’s feet and the light “foot pop” motion... I have a hard time believing it’s anything but the director trying to give some subtle “goodbye kiss when leaving for work” vibes, even if they aren’t literally kissing. Just me?

Here she says あのトール ano Tohru, lit. “that Tohru,“ which in this sort of context carries a meaning similar to using an italicized “that” in English: not just any Tohru, but that Tohru, the famous one. The implication is that yes indeed Tohru is well-known among other dragons—and known to be quite strong and merciless.

It’s not a particularly big deal, but technically this is 人間と, i.e. Living with.

The ball hands thing is generally thought of as “Doraemon hands” in Japan. Doraemon gets the name from the food “dorayaki,” but “Dora” is also how you pronounce the first two syllables in “Dragon” (ドラゴン doragon).

Keep this in mind.

挨拶 (あいさつ) aisatsu, often translated as “greeting(s)”, is a lot bigger of a thing culturally for Japan than it might be for where you live. Though translated as “greetings” it also includes farewells and more. Basically a general term for “in X situation, say Y” style semi-set phrases.

In more traditionally minded companies, for example, employees are often expected to give a rote ohayou gozaimasu when they arrive (even if they think no one is around to hear it), and may get chewed out for not doing so or half-assing it. Then when passing someone in the hallway etc., an otsukare-sama desu, and yet another phrase when leaving for the day. Also the ittekimasu and itterasshai (when leaving home/saying bye to them) or tadaima and okaeri (returning home/welcoming back) that probably many anime-watchers are familiar with. Even itadakimasu is an aisatsu. 

Obviously every culture utilizes “greetings” like this, but in Japan they’re pretty heavily ritualized and treated as a cornerstone of human relations, a key part of showing respect for your fellow humans (even people you hate!) and ensuring the smooth working of society. It’s not the thing they chose to have Tohru put first in her “living with humans [in Japan]” notebook for nothing!

The English “the” is a popular word to use in Japanese as an intensifier, similar to how it’s used in a sentence like “this isn’t just an [example], it’s the [example]!” 

It’s usually pronounced “za” and often written that way in katakana (ザ) for this usage. (If you type “za” in a Japanese IME, most will offer up “the” as one of the options to convert the text to, even.) 

The word she says here is 喝 katsu, which, in this sense, is a stereotypical thing for a Zen teacher to say to a student as a stand-in for explaining some deep Zen concept that words can’t describe. So here, it’s kinda like “Yes this may seem contradictory, but really it’s just too complicated for you! No more questions!” 

Obviously that’s oversimplified and it’s used in other ways too (see Saikawa’s father during the sports festival), but just for the purposes of this joke, there you have it.

The word used in the Japanese here is 建前 tatemae. If you’ve ever studied any Japanese, you’ve likely heard about honne vs. tatemae, your inner feelings vs. the front you put up for social reasons. 

People new to the language are sometimes prone to approaching that distinction with “well why doesn’t everyone just honne all the time, why play games?”, but of course almost everyone splits themselves like this. You probably hate your boss, but you also probably don’t tell them that to their face to avoid getting fired. Or maybe you have some family members you can’t stand, but act nice around anyway because it’s not worth the trouble to start fights. 

Japan just put names to the idea, and maybe leans a little more toward encouraging tatemae in more situations.

This is せいぜい悩むんですね.

せいぜい seizei as an adverb means doing something to utmost extent one is capable of. You’ve likely heard it from a villain somewhere saying something like “Struggle all you like, wahaha!”. 

Though it’s not necessarily down-talky like that, in modern times that is the trend (you can use it for yourself no problem, but if used to talk about someone else’s actions it may come off as belittling). Tohru, as one of the strongest beings in the setting and with the pride to match, uses it a lot.

悩む nayamu is to worry, fret, ruminate over (some difficulty etc.).

The sentence in general is one that is highly context dependent, but here it’s Tohru thinking to herself, somewhat impressed, that Ilulu is actually putting serious thought into the question of what she wants to do with her life. 

And, as the background suggests, finding it surprisingly adorable/admirable; up until just a few days ago, Ilulu was known as one of the most extremist Chaos faction dragons obsessed with nothing but destruction, yet look at her now. In a way, Tohru’s taken over an older sister kind of role for her.

(For the curious, if the ね was dropped or swapped to a よ here, that would imply she was directing the comment “at” Ilulu, rather than saying it in observation.)

The word here is 契る chigiru, which usually means to swear/pledge (e.g. swear a pact, pledge your love), but can also be a somewhat fancy word for having sex, especially of a married couple.

I feel like I personally would have used more of a euphemism for the translation.

The phrase here is ダメの助 dame-no-suke, where dame is no/bad/can’t do/useless, and (no)suke is a common ending to first names; both actual names and sort of on-the-spot nicknames; someone looking sleepy might be called a 寝坊助 nebou-suke in the same way as “sleepyhead.”

Or, as here, sticking to the end of things for comedic effect or as indication of a panicked/confused thought process.

（ ° ρ ° ）

Just in case: this one is also expressing shock, but a kind of dumbfounded shock. The ρ is a drooling, slack-jawed mouth.

In the next episode preview they talk about where Ilulu will sleep, since they don’t have room for another bed. Ilulu wants to sleep in the closet—or more specifically, the 押し入れ oshi-ire, which is a particular closet layout you’ll find in many Japanese bedrooms. 

The typical difference is that an 押し入れ was originally designed for 和室 washitsu, traditional-style Japanese rooms with tatami floors, primarily as storage space for folded-up futon/blankets/pillows, as you would put those away during the day to free up space. Thus they typically are rather wide, mildly deep, and have a waist-height, solid horizontal divider capable of supporting a lot of weight. 

They actually are pretty okay for sleeping in if you’re not claustrophobic or tall.

Anyway, I bring this up because you know who else very famously sleeps in one of these? That’s right: Doraemon.

[americankimchi]

So I mean speaking from the point of actual star wars lore the jedi are an extreme just like the sith they're the opposite and dont actually balance the force the way they claim to and theres a bunch of issues and corruption within the jedi (I'm not saying they're as bad as the sith by any means) and there's actually a third order known as the gray jedi order which focuses on understanding both the light and dark side of the force and maintaining proper balance between the two

is that not......... fanon. i’m like 85% sure that’s just fanon. please correct me if i’m wrong there’s so much sw legends lore i could’ve just missed it but yeah... there were gray jedi (i hatteeee that term so much but. it exists. i’ll deal with it.) out there in the galaxy but i think they were all rogues who never really consolidated into a single organization... although you can be a force user without being a jedi. and if you’re not part of a jedi order (even if it’s not the coruscant one) then you’re... not a jedi. you’re a force user of a different kind. so i mean.

..........that’s not the point of this ghfj mOVING ON,,

saying the jedi are an extreme is... i mean yeah, i guess from a certain point of view they are??? depends on what you think is extreme. imo i don’t think they’re extremists honestly i think they did pretty well... all things considering.

side eyes the clone wars............

i don’t think they’re extreme at all i think they’re pretty reasonable

it also depends on what faction of jedi you’re talking about bc the jedi order on coruscant isn’t the only jedi order out there (shoutout to the corellians ayyy)

even in the jedi order on coruscant itself were splinter groups (alll....tis...??? altisian??? i. don’t remember. seems i have an approximate knowledge of many things ghfhgj) and other dissident voices like. it’s a philosophical order that’s borderline religious at times. there’s absolutely no way they all agreed at all times. case in point: qui gon jinn jsjsjssksk

but even qui gon for all his rebellion and his constant critiques of the jedi order was a very well respected member of the order. again: they’re all philosophers at heart. debating on the nature of the force and the application of the code to their lives is like. jedi 101.

was there corruption in the order? it’s an organization. organizations and corruption go hand in hand and judging by the size of the jedi order at its peak it’s no surprise there. although. wartime didn’t really help.

were the jedi strict? oh without a doubt. without a doubt. they had to be what with the ability to literally crush tanks with their minds. but they also weren’t jailors. if you didn’t want to be a jedi you could leave, and leave freely. (now if you leave by Falling, that’s an entirely different beast. that’s not leaving the house it’s leaving the house and setting it on fire behind you)

honestly i think the main problem with the jedi order was that they became too political. they’re a spiritual order who tasked themselves with keeping the peace across the galaxy but by the end of the pt era they were so entrenched in the republic’s politicking that they couldn’t move without getting tripped up by red tape

palpatine’s instigation of the clone wars didn’t help and do you see a pattern here. the clone wars. the cloonnneee waaarrrrssss

what do you get when you put a group of people whose abilities to directly affect the world/reality around them with the force are heavily influenced by their mental and emotional wellbeing directly into a high-stress, high-trauma environment for decades without giving them time to breath and decompress

/willsmithpose.jpg at the crash and fall of the jedi order

this ask kind of ran away from me. where am i going with this.

the jedi order doesn’t really ask much from its members imo??? 

control your emotions but don’t ignore them (ignoring them leads to hidden resentment leads to anger leads to hate leads to the dark side), do not form attachments (which is not!! love!!! attachments are simply the inability to let go), and don’t let your biases inform the decisions that you make especially when another’s well being is on the line.

there are more obviously but those are like. the Common Themes. the jedi, simplified.

tl;dr: jedi order = extreme? depends on your definition of extreme.

[echoslammin]

Yuletide 2018 Letter

Dear Yuletide Author,

I’m Echoslam on AO3. Thank you very much for checking out this letter! 

General Information:

Likes: Any kind of AU, romance, friendship, introspection, worldbuilding, smut, canon-appropriate pop culture references, humor (all kinds - comedic situations, witty dialogue, running gags, memes, etc. Seriously, if you’ve ever wanted to experiment with bizarre crack, I’d be happy to be your guinea pig). I also *love* metafiction and nods to quirky game mechanics and canon in-jokes.

DNWs: Body waste kinks, poly, bestiality, non-canon incest

Most of my favorite works tend to be character studies and fluffy romance, but I definitely enjoy darker stuff as well, if that is your thing. Feel free to ignore my prompts and go with your own ideas! If there's a story you've always wanted to write, please have at it, and let me share your enthusiasm. I'm a huge fan of all of these games and am just so excited at the thought of reading fic for any of them.  

Links by Fandom:

Heroes of Might and Magic III Girls' Frontline The Secret World Liar! Uncover the Truth Liar! Office Deception Liar! Scheming Socialites

Heroes of Might and Magic III - Any Character 

I just about had a heart attack when I saw this in the tagset - I've loved HoMM since I was a kid, and III is my favorite in the series. Truly, the turn-based strategy game of my heart. I loved all flavor text in this game, especially the snippets of lore on the heroes and their backstories. If you're writing about any of them, I'd love all kinds of details - from their army composition to the spells and artifacts they have equipped.

Prompts:

Lorelei and Synca relationship development, whether as friends, enemies, or lovers. Since their specialties are harpies and manticores, respectively, how does that work out in combat? Technically, you couldn't have multiple heroes on your side of the battlefield until HoMMIV, but how would these two interact if they were fighting together?  

Anything based on the story campaigns. Maybe missing scenes from Dungeons & Devils or a "bad" ending for Long Live the Queen where the Nighon forces are victorious?

Detailed description of the siege and takeover of an enemy stronghold or the development of a new township.

One of the game mechanics that I always found interesting was how, when you open a treasure chest, you have the option of taking the gold or "distributing it to the peasants" for experience. Is that really how it works? What is the peasants' view of the heroes in this game?

少女前线 | Girls' Frontline - Any Character

Another wonderful surprise in the tagset! I just started playing GFL this year, and I've found it extremely fun and addicting. I actually found the plot very engaging, and the armory of T-Dolls is irresistibly cute.

Prompts:

I love the idea of a gift exchange between members of the Anti-Rain Squad. Maybe someone gives M16A1 a bottle of her beloved Jack Daniels?

Orchestra AU! Just...anything based on this picture would be amazing.

Anything focusing on team dynamics, especially if you want to incorporate references to game mechanics (different T-Dolls and their buffs/active skills, etc.) Or hurt/comfort after an intense firefight.

You know how T-Dolls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice a combo of manpower, ammo, rations, and parts? How exactly does the factory utilize those resources? What do they even do with all those meals ready-to-eat?

Coffee shop AU starring Persica (the woman loves her caffeine).  

The Secret World - Any Character

One of the best MMO experiences of my life. TSW combined so many things I love into one game: an awesome modern setting, dark humor, and an incredible story with amazing characters. I play the Legends reboot from time-to-time, but I prefer the original version and still like to play on the vanilla server (kind of fun having an entire MMO to yourself, heh). I've also played the tie-in game, The Park, and really loved that as well.

I was fascinated by all the narrative details in this game, like the lore honeycombs and ambient story telling. If you could incorporate that into your writing, that would be fantastic.

Prompts:

Long ago, on the TSW forums, someone mocked the idea of a schmoopy Sonnac/Geary romance as a terrible idea for a fic - I want to read that story! Whether you want to make it complete crack or be serious about it, I would love to see something develop between these two. Maybe they go on a date for tacos at Dante's stall? Or maybe Geary tries to troll Sonnac somehow, and he plays along until the last minute...and then snark ensues.

Issue #5: The Vanishing of Tyler Freeborn is my favorite for a reason: filthy NPCs. I would love to know what filth-infected versions of Geary and Sonnac would be like.  

Anything Moose/Andy. This is the romance I was waiting to see blossom, but alas, it never did. What happens when Andy finally catches on to Moose's crush on him? How about rescue romance or rides on Moose's chopper? Pining on Moose's end, requited or unrequited, would be good, too.

I love the world of this game so much, especially the urban areas (the faction hubs, Fusang, Tokyo) and New England. Would love to read anything about a bee of any faction exploring and going on missions, their opinion of their handler, etc. Please do go into excruciating detail about your bee's gear and abilities, because I'm all about that. What are there primary/secondary/auxiliary weapons? Which NPCs are their besties? Tell me everything!  For the record, my main was a Lumie that chose not to side with the Dreamers, but I'd by happy to read about any faction/alignment.

I adore faction rivalries, and the ones in TSW were just awesome. Whether it's old school Templars vs. Illuminati or you get the Dragon involved somehow, I just love witnessing all the contention. Seriously, you could just write 1,000 words of back-and-forth trash talk, and I would absolutely adore it.  

ダウト～嘘つきオトコは誰？～ | Doubt ~Usotsuki Otoko wa Dare?~ | Liar! Uncover the Truth - Any Character

Since last year, I’ve become a huge fan of this mystery/romance app with its feisty heroine and the quirky Liars she has to unmask before finding her Mr. Right. If you’re interested, I maintain a sideblog dedicated to it over @whoistheliar​ as well as a random screenshots blog: @liarscreenshots. (Warning for spoilers at both links).

All of the characters in this game,"Mr. Right" included, have their own imperfections, and it feels like half the point of this game is giving you the opportunity to navigate your feelings about certain character flaws. I love how MC isn’t a blank slate and is very much her own character. She can be quite a mess at home and has a lot of insecurity about her humble background, seeing as she’s originally from a small country town (IIRC one of Joe’s side stories mentions that she’s from Akita prefecture).  

I definitely enjoyed the sequel stories, but I'm more fond of the main route of the game. Shipfic revolving around MC is something I would love to see, but I would be open to other pairings as well, especially between secondary characters. I would also welcome gen or friendship fic.

Prompts:

I loved the multiple endings you could unlock at the end of every chapter and the insight they gave into each Liar's backstory. Anything expanding on those would be great, especially the True or Love endings. I really enjoyed seeing POV from other characters besides MC.

Love triangles are my guilty pleasure, and I would definitely enjoy reading a situation where MC has to choose between two of the Liars and/or Mr. Right/Ayumi. Would love it if things got Very Emotional.

I always like marriage/honeymoon/married life stories, and MC's occupation as a wedding planner complements that wonderfully. How does she get her love interests or friends involved? Are there wedding crashers? Will she serve takoyaki at the wedding??

In the main story, MC found out each Liar's secret before things got too serious, but what if the emotional stakes had been much higher? For any of the Liars, would MC react differently if she didn't find out the truth until after falling in love over a longer period of time? Basically, I'd like to see your take on a "Bad Ending."

So, after following this game for a while, it seems that other players have very strong opinions about the various Liars, so in case it helps you, here's a summary of my take on them:

1st Liar: SQUICK. SQUICK. SQUICK. Honestly, they seems like a very nice guy in all their side stories, but stil...squick.

2nd Liar: I find their profession very interesting, so I'm a bit biased in their favor, despite their true nature. Could see them with MC after getting a ton of therapy. They also definitely have some chemistry with the 9th Liar, lol.

3rd Liar: I can't bring myself to hate them; they're just too ridiculous. Side note: I really like Nanyami as a character.

4th Liar: Never forget the fountain pen!! This guy is a bit of a tragedy, so I do have some sympathy, but imo that slap from MC was well-deserved.

5th Liar: I think the fandom unequivocally regards this one as complete garbage, and for very good reason. Still, I have to admit that their side stories appeal to my morbid side (it's like they're in a bizzarro world where MC's personality is completely erased). Also, I do find their character design very attractive - I'm not proud.

6th Liar: Umph. Definitely in my top tier along with 7th Liar. In terms of sheer chemistry with MC, I think this guy wins hands down. I'd be up for both seeing them walk away from the issue that makes them a Liar or embracing it.

7th Liar: They made me cry buckets. I love them with MC so much, and the way they're always smiling through their pain just makes my heart ache.

8th Liar: Out of all of the Liars, I felt that #8 was the most outright malicious. I just wasn’t convinced by the ending of his Lover’s Route. I know he's damn attractive, but wow, that attitude...

9th Liar: I really feel like the 9th Liar got the short end of the stick in the main story. His interactions with MC kept getting interrupted by unnecessary drama, and it felt like they never got the chance to really get to know each other. Also, LOVE Rumi!

"Mr. Right": It seems that people are really divided on this one. Some see him as the most precious cinnamon roll, but people have also told me that he comes off as a creepy stalker. (I've seen him  get called problematic more than once). I’m pretty sympathetic towards him myself, but I’d love to see your own take on him, whether romantic and sentimental or super dark.

ダウト～オフィスは男女の嘘だらけ～ | Doubt ~Ofisu wa Danjo no Uso Darake~ | Liar! Office Deception - Any Character

I love the Liar! sequel every bit as much as the original game. You can bet that I’m super hyped that Voltage is going to be releasing Lover’s Routes for it in the future. Office MC was very no-nonsense, and I would like to see what she would be like in the process of falling in love, or even just getting a chance to let her hair down and hang out with her coworkers.  

Prompts:

Post-game or redemption story revolving around any of the Liars, with the exception of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th. Ideally, this would end on a positive note with them being able to have a reciprocal friendship/romance with MC.

Office Battle! I was so amused by the Star Wars parody that kept popping up throughout the story and how everyone seemed to be totally into it except for MC, who’s just completely out of the loop. Maybe one of the Office Liars tries to teach her about the series or something like an Office Battle AU that’s basically Office Deception in space?

Narration of some part of the game from James’ POV. I loved MC’s cat and found it hilarious how she kept spoiling him at home while being so disciplined at the office.

Liar! Commentary:

1st Liar: Honestly, I thought they were super cute, and I wanted to see them make some more Cactaur cookies for MC.

2nd Liar: What a tool. I have to admit, I was amused by them sucking up to MC for the rest of the game after being found out.

3rd Liar: I thought they were going to be my 7th Liar 2.0, but N O P E. I found their backstory a little amusing, but they're just so slimy.

4th Liar: A real sweetheart. I love that they become MC's right-hand coworker after their chapter.

5th Liar: Not a fan of Rat Face McGee, tbh. Wtf, dude.

6th Liar: I have a weakness for "falling in love with the mark" scenarios and really wanted see it work out with this Liar. I also loved the idea of them going on to work for Uncover the Truth's 6th Liar, as was suggested in their Dumbass Ending and one of the sidestories.

7th Liar: DEEP SIGH. I love them despite their self-centered/obsessive actions. Will always be a fan of them pursuing MC, whether requited or not.

8th Liar: I like their kink, lol, and their accusation scene was hilarious. I really wish their behavior had been less invasive.

9th Liar: Just like with 6th Liar, I like to believe that they really cared for MC at the end. I think they were a perfect "Final Boss" for Office Deception especially compared to the more one-note villains. They did some horrible things to get what they wanted, even putting the 8th Liar in the hospital, but I’ve always wanted to see something that shows some of their inner conflict once they realize they’re hurting someone that has actually become a friend to them.

"Destined Partner": They've grown on me a bit, but one thing that definitely put me off was how they threw the 8th Liar under the bus during their route. (Sure, tell MC they've got a dirty secret and don't clarify at all as to what it is...) Seems like they're hiding a spiteful streak.

ダウト～セレブは華麗に嘘をつく～ | Doubt ~Serebu wa Karei ni Usowotsuku~ | Liar! Scheming Socialites - Any Character

I almost mistyped the title above as Liar! Screaming Socialites, but honestly that would be a pretty apt name for this game, because wow, does this cast go off the rails. The chapters are shorter than in previous routes, and MC is a bit more passive. I was worried this was going to be too "Gossip Girl" for my tastes, but I actually really enjoyed this one, even if my heart did get stomped on once again. (Loved the hyper Eurobeat accusation music - it was like something out of Initial D).  

Prompts:

Ship fic with MC and 8th or 9th Liar. Love triangle maybe? There's so much that was left unexplored at the end of the game. Would MC abandon her lifestyle or try win her parents over? Something based on one of the love endings would be great as well.

I also adore the potential Liar that turned out to be MC’s true BFF through thick and thin. I love how they're both anime fans and their favorite shows are clearly based on Touken Ranbu and Land of the Lustrous. Also, what exactly was BFF doing to test the 8th Liar during that awkward scene at the mountain resort in the 7th Liar chapter? I really wanted details on that, but it never got explained.

Okay headcanon: Given the similar detailing on their dresses, I think Kyoko and Reina shop at the same place. What would an interaction between them be like? Would they dish about their respective MCs?  

Liar! Commentary:

1st Liar: I have nothing but pity for this poor kid. Definitely see them still being friends with MC.

2nd Liar: Ick. One of my least favorite among all the Liars. Would like to see them get some comeuppance for their actions.

3rd Liar: This one hurt. Would really like to see them redeem themselves. Maybe they were secretly attracted to MC the whole time and just wanted to get her attention?

4th Liar: I enjoyed investigating their elaborate lie, but as a character they really fell flat for me.

5th Liar: WOW. That escalated quickly. I have to say, the 5th Liars in these games are probably the best fodder for something grim and disturbing. I think the implied rape in the bad ending was the darkest point in the entire series.

6th Liar: It felt like, with this Liar, Voltage was trying to have their cake and eat it too. Like, "Oh nooo, they're so kinky!" *wink wink* I actually really liked them despite their being the token kidnapper.  

7th Liar: I hated the way this Liar was presented. Their friendship with MC was really nice, but then it just had to get ruined.  

8th Liar: MC’s rejection of them was devastating to me. They really won me over despite the nature of their lie, and I really believed it when they claimed their feelings were sincere. For someone who was supposedly trying to con her, they did a hilariously bad job of it - like, they never tried to pressure her when she was vulnerable and even set up this really over-the-top charade just to make her happy, only for it to be what gets them exposed. It's almost like they were setting themselves up to fail. I really need a Lover's Route...

9th Liar: Surprise plot twist! This Liar was set up for some really interesting development which...did not happen. Would have loved to have seen more of their inner conflict. I ship them with MC the most after 8th Liar.

"Destined Partner": Definitely cute, but I found them to be rather pushy when they brought MC over to their place. Also, what ever happened to the pet rabbit?  

Thank you so much for your time! Hope you have a great rest of the year and a wonderful Yuletide.