#don't worry arc 1 and 2 have titles too

[swiftsaltsweet]

Updates

Next week's chapter will be a new fic called "Yokoya Days." It's gonna be small chapters, exploring the blank period of when Yun was found and Kyoshi and Rangi's time in the mansion during those two years. Aka it's a canon compliant prequel. (this and Death of Kyoshi were two fics I wanted to begin and publish since I started Hunt and Thief...but got distracted by other stuff TT0TT).

I've actually reused some ideas for flashbacks in other fics from this one (remixed it slightly to work within the way that fic works. Ex: Rangi/Yun's first meeting in Thief and how he hits on Rangi, and an upcoming chapter in Two Knives with the Masters). Will still use those ideas here cause the scenarios will either hit different, or just have different content entirely.

Well better late than never!

Since it's canon compliant, sadly Kyoshi and Rangi can't get together. ;w; But that doesn't mean I can't explore them becoming friends, and slowly developing feelings for each other! >:3c It's suppose to be about the Yokoyan trio, plus maybe some other fun events, but ofc I'm biased and R*ngshi is taking control. Plus I feel like they have more chances to interact on the estate (both seem to be running around while Yun trains, so like...yeah, they're probs gonna run into each other more often uwu).

I dunno it just feels like a fun thing to explore (and gives me a reason to write gayby!Rangi trying her best™). And I just think it'd be fun to have a lil fic going where there's low to no stakes, and slice of life elements to it. (plus it being short will allow me to write it faster, and give me more of a weekly buffer for other fics *sob* I'm trying to dodge going on hiatus again ok??? *sob*)

Plus it'll be a little challenge, seeing as only Kyoshi can go into town during that time, and Rangi/Yun will have to leave for missions from time to time. So I'd have limited setting to work with. *sob*

No arcs, this is episodic. Most of what I have imagined is during the first year (aka when they babies are all 14).

______

As for Hunt!

Chipping away at Hunt's ch 13-15.....but I might have to split ch 14 into two parts. It's at 5000ish words right now and like.... oof.

I have the ending part done and the beginning part of the chapter started. But if it's 5000 words now and I'm not even like....through the middle part?! *sob*

I mean, who knows? Maybe I'll be quick and concise with all the stuff in the middle?

jaskfdjaf yeah mmmhmmm Ms. Rambler over here being concise? aklsjfkdla Oh oh man hahaha oh...wow. Next thing you'll know pigs will fly.

But yeah it's looking like I'll be splitting the chapter in 2. Which, hey, good news, that gives me an extra week to work with! :'D

Good news, if everything goes as planned, I know a perfect spot in the middle to end ch 14/part 1 at. So yeah, the chapters may end up looking like this now:

Ch 13: The Present

Ch 14: -Redacted- Part 1

Ch 15: -Redacted- Part 2

Ch 16: TBD title (ending arc 1)

Ch 17: TBD title (beginning arc 2)

_______________

I'm afraid this might happen to Thief's chapter too (at 7000ish words and still not done), buuuuut I'm stubborn and want to end the first chapter a certain way so jfkslajf TT0TT We're just gonna have an extra beefy chapter I guess!

Hopefully the other chapters won't be as long *sob*

I'm thinking 3 arcs for this one. Might go into 4, but I need to see how Arc 3 ends up looking like.

_______

Two Knives..... I need to edit Interlude 6 some more. Need to start on the first chapter of arc 2. All scenarios are basically done with Arc 2, I just need to write it out (and decide the order of a few of them).

The story will need to be at least 3 Arcs. But I don't really have the direction I wanna go for Arc 3 clear in my mind.

[gachagon]

Love your Eden’s Garden analyses my dude. Seriously, you’ve tackled aspects of certain characters I hadn’t even considered. I agree about Eloise being one of the blackened, girl is hiding nerves of steel behind a thin layer of shyness. I also think she’s gonna be connected to Desmond as the thing he guards and trusts the most (in reference to what was described in his blackmail). Upon further analysis, Desmond strikes me as someone who wants people to trust him, but has issues trusting others, outside of maybe Eloise. In a nutshell, he wants people to trust him without him putting his trust in other people. That’s his hypocrisy, in my mind at least.

I’m also gonna keep an eye on Grace in the chapter(s) going forward, in addition to Diana and Kai. Her silence after Eva’s execution speaks volumes. Mayhaps she’ll be going through a character arc? I feel like even SHE thought that execution was way too cruel.

On to my questions though! Out of curiosity, with what you’ve said about students’ deaths being linked to their hypocrisies, who do you think is the least hypocritical in the cast? By extension, who do you think is most likely to survive and/or die, at least within the next chapter or two?

Thanks so much lol I'm glad people ave enjoyed my thoughts so far and I've loved hearing everyone else's opinions and theories as well this whole week!

As to answer your question, I've got to say I think the "least" Hypocritical student so far is actually a controversial opinion of mine since I've noticed lots of people don't like his character T_T

It's Kai Monteago. (Note: I have NOT done everyone's FTE's yet but I'm gonna watch each one for this update soon!)

Now, this does not mean I don't think Kai lies or is a hypocrite, just that I think out of everyone on the cast so far he's the one who's the most honest about how he actually feels.

If Wolfgang is the most Hypocritical person because he hides everything he's feeling and doesn't let anyone know what he's actually thinking, then I think Kai is the least hypocritical out of the student body (minus Damon & Diana bc I think they're both being set up obviously as the protag and antag) because he's so honest about everything about himself and doesn't actually feel the need to hide his own insecurities, worries, fears, and anxieties.

Whenever anything goes remotely bad, Kai is always the first out of the cast to admit he didn't actually trust anyone, he's also the only one who's outwardly always wary of others and nervous. He just doesn't like thinking about the potential for someone murdering him or someone winding up dead. But it's pretty clear just from how he acts in his FTE's, trial, and body discovery that he not only doesn't trust anyone there but that he's not afraid to admit that openly when shit hits the fan.

For Kai, it seems like he's fully aware of the situation and thus knows that just agreeing with whatever the rest of the cast is talking about will keep him safe. He obviously is still a bit of a hypocrite because he's judging the ones who openly admit to not trusting other people, but he's also the first of the cast to always admit he had reservations about trusting them to begin with.

In a way, I can't exactly say Kai is a bad person because of his hypocrisy. He's only been an Ultimate for like 1-2 years, which is way less time than most of the student body. All of this is very new to him, he reminds me of Makoto in that sense where he was someone who would've never thought they'd be an Ultimate, or someone who became one by chance. Even the story he shares of how he became The Ultimate Influencer makes me believe that it really was just dumb luck that he got his title.

And he's only really falling in line because he obviously sees the way everyone treats you when you don't agree with the majority opinion, even if that majority opinion is rooted in rationality. In a way, it makes sense that Kai would act this way because he's an Influencer and has to deal with widespread groupthink about himself daily lol Any small action he did in the outside world was scrutinized and judged by an invisible audience, so now when he's in a situation like this he just goes with whatever will make the most people like him.

Though I can definitely see Kai breaking out of that kind of mindset the more he becomes friends with other people, and now that Wolfgang is gone, I definitely think the rest of them will act more freely instead of looking towards a leader of sorts. This is also why I think Kai will be the "support" character for Damon that we thought Eva would be. Kai is the one person left now who's wholly honest about himself, meaning he and Damon can become friends quicker that way and potentially work on investigations.

Also the two of them have very similar talents in the sense that "anyone could do this". But their ideas about their talents are swapped. Someone mentioned earlier that they think Damon might hate being a Debater or that he has some kind of insecurity rooted in the fact that he's a Debater. And I kind of agree. Where as Kai is wholly proud of his title as the Ultimate Influencer, Damon is very insecure about being seen as the Ultimate Debater and makes up for it with a big ego.

He doesn't let anyone look down on him for being an internet personality, and doesn't let lies about his past or things people wouldn't know about anyways (like the scandal he mentions in his FTE) get to him. But Damon flounders when someone even remotely challenges the idea of his talent being "useless" to society. In truth, the both of them are like foils and will probably be paired more often especially since they share a room together.

[lawbin-archive]

Lawbin Dressrosa Analysis 2 - Save me save you

When I was coming up a title for this, I thought of the song - "Save me save you" by WJSN, because Robin saved Law in this arc lol So I went to search up the lyrics and actually it fits my delulu so well. If you're curious you can search the whole lyrics, here are a few lines:

"I will protect you so you don't get hurt I can tell even with small gestures All the painful memories deep in your heart is no more I'll wrap you in my arms, now tell me"

highlighted in purple are my delulu~

Again, don't read if you don't like Lawbin. Includes lots of bias.

~LAWBIN FRIENDS PHASE~

Chapter 731 ~ 773: Defeat Doflamingo with you

Robin changed her mind after hearing the story of Dressrosa. Instead of destroying the factory only, they decided to take down Doflamingo together. Everyone changed their mind after seeing the country's situation and at the end, their goal aligned including Law and Robin. Robin actually changed a lot after time skip. After joining straw hats, she's finally showing her empathy side and feelings instead of hiding it.

Baby 5 & Law and Luffy & Robin gave me so much siblings vibes here!! It's like Baby 5 hitting his older brother, got scared and seek her another brother for protection. And Luffy is like the younger brother trying to complain everything to his older sister and seeking agreement from her haha He also did the same when the beginning of the arc where he argued with Momo that he can fly, but Robin said "he doesn't have wings though". So cute!! It would be such cute scenes if it's not happening during a disaster.

I actually think Robin is trying to confirm Law's whereabouts here. Because she already knew Zoro and Luffy are there, except them, there are Viola and Riku there. Robin haven't met Viola and her father yet so she probably not asking about them. And she knew Franky is at the toys house, Kinemon was with them before, so in my opinion, I think Robin is asking about Law. And it makes sense because she separated with him at Greenbit and probably worry about his situation after hearing he got beat by Doflamingo.

Law gave me so much Alabasta or Eneis Lobby Robin vibes here (how many times I have said that lol) To me, It's not like they don't care about other people lives, some of their actions are telling the opposite, it's like they have so much burden on themselves that they don't even have time or strength to care about others. As I mentioned above, Robin starting show her emotions now because she didn't need to pretend tough to avoid getting hurt anymore. I actually hope one day we can see Law showing the real him too. I would say he is much relax after this arc and in Wano but I feel like he is still putting a lot of responsibilities and burden to himself :(

Look at this!! Robin has Law's den den mushi contact here!!! (they all probably have to connect each other haha) But this proves that it wouldn't be unreasonable if we see Robin and Law contacting each other after Wano because she has the contact *smirk*

Ooo the Eneis Lobby vibe, Robin trying to help Law unlock his cuff just like the crew trying to do the same when she was in Eneis Lobby *sob* And I think because she couldn't help him much at Green Bit, so she's trying to help more here. I think other straw hats probably won't care as much if they were in her situation, so he's lucky that Robin is the one helping him here haha

The third time Robin use wings in front of Law!!! So elegant and beautiful!! ><

She's like I'll protect you guys just go. This women is just so hot. And I think she really treated Law like a friend here because she brought the key to Law even though there were lots of obstacles, she protected him in order for them to defeat Doflamingo, she worried about him 1/3 of the arc. She really treat him differently than the last arc and I think maybe how Law acted during Punk Hazard and Green Bit made her changed her view on him? And if I think about would other straw hat (except Luffy) do the same? I really doubt they would. And would Robin do the same if it's another non-straw hat? She probably would (for example Kinemon) but I doubt if she will be that worried and react the same for Law.

Every time I read this made me feel sad, Law literally plan his whole life to defeat him and he is finally free after defeating Doflamingo, but the time he's being free is so little. literally only a month? and in this month, he still need to worry about defeating a yonko. And Oda decided to make that worse after....sigh. I also saw a tweet that Law probably has survival guilt after all the things happened in his life. But because of this, I think he might have a character development like Robin soon. (If Oda has mercy)

Again, Robin mentioned about the key which means delivering the key (releasing Law) is important to her or she always keep that in mind. If you think about it, Robin really talked like she thank you Rebecca for doing a favour for her friend.

Chapter 779 ~ 783: Save you

Robin is worrying about Law again. But also, if I put all my bias away, it might be also because they are in an alliance so it's natural that she is worrying about him. But if I think it in my delulu, She cares a lot about him!! Even in Wano, I rarely see Robin worrying a non-straw hat (a guy) that much.

Seriously, after she saw Luffy and Doflamingo jump out, the first thing she saw is how bad Law is. I wouldn't believe if you told me they weren't more than ally because of how worried she is.

Finally, we have arrived one of the lawbin's famous scenes. Robin saved him and caught him using Spider Net and according to Internet, the only two times she used spider net to save or catch someone are for Zoro and Law. And she treated him so genteelly!! I also have read a fic* that said this probably the moment when Law felt he's treated like a human. During the arc, he has been fighting, calculating, and trying his best to defeat Doflamingo. He acted very rationally through out the arc. But in this moment, he felt warm, he is protected and he can be passed out without worrying about his safety which happens really rare for him :'( *Here is the fic I'm mentioned!! It's one of the favorite lawbin fics. Take my Heart & Please Don’t Break It by CericeBelle

Robin is willing to risk her body to save Law *sob* Especially when she was already hurt when she was protecting Rebecca *sob* I always wonder if Law knew he was saved by Robin here. He probably knew? Even though he passed out, I think he won't lost all his consciousness and can feel he is saved by another person. And when he was awake later, he probably knew Robin saved him because she was right beside him. And kudos to cabbage-kun, he was so nice to Robin and carried Law T-T I think he might told Law about what happen when he passed out in the next chapter because they were alone on the platform.

I just noticed this, in the left panel, did robin just hold Law without using her ability? this girl is so strong and she's still protecting him!!

So Law did tell Robin and Cabbage-kun his real goal (to strike down Doflamingo) In straw hats, only Luffy and Robin knew what his true intention is. (Sanji also guessed) I don't think they both will mind about it though because they already aiming to defeat Doflamingo before. To be honest, if Law know Luffy better in Punk Hazard, he will know Luffy or probably the whole straw hats can help him to defeat Doflamingo even without alliance. But with his personality, he probably won't say a word about what happen between him and Doflamingo. And I feel like only Luffy and Robin can make Law become more vulnerable or more willing to express his true self.

And here :( Law ready to sacrifice himself to archive his goal just like what Robin did in Eneis Lobby...so I think Robin knew exactly how Law felt here. But Robin's character developed a lot!!! Now she doesn't even think to sacrifice herself and trying to let Law feel more ease. I feel like she's trying to save him out the situation where she was. It's like when Usopp told Robin to trust Luffy q-q but you know they were both stubborn in their own ways...

Chapter 798 ~ 800: Live freely

These two scenes...don't tell me Oda didn't do it on purpose, I really think he's trying to imply Law is going through what Robin did. And Law after 13 years, he is finally living freely. Robin is a little bit lucky than Law, she found strong friends that can rely on and encountered a group of people (revolutionary army) that provide support to her and she can trusted with. That's why she changed so much 2 years later. And I seriously hope Law can also have the support he needed as well :(

Ah - the beginning of seeking "The will of D". He wants to know why Corazon saved him when he said he is a D. And Sengoku said Corazon didn't know anything about D, he saved you just because he loved you. *sob* I can understand why some people ship Law & Corazon because it's just pure love, but I see them more like father & son love just like what Sengoku did to Corazon. I think during Dressrosa -> Wano, Law is trying to ask himself what he really want to do after achieving his previous goal and probably what happened in Zou made him more curious about the D.

Yes this is the end of Dressrosa! It's funny Oda try to slip lawbin similarities even in the same page lol see how Law looked everyone in the banquet and how Robin did the same after (top left panel). Oda what are you planning for both of them!!! >< It's not just them having similar dream, right???

This is the arc that Law & Robin interacted the most. It makes sense because this arc is almost dedicated to Law and mainly focusing on him, so he must interacted with the straw hats a lot. But still I'm surprised how Law and Robin get so much closer in this arc. Because Law isn't really close to any straw hats except Luffy. (maybe he get closer to Sanji and Zoro in Wano, but I still think Robin is the second closet to him by seeing how they interacted) I wish Oda could shown more of their moments because they definitely interacted during Zou -> Wano and when they were preparing the fight in Wano, and all we got is only one scene (although I know it's one of the most important scenes)

Oh yes I was gonna say something about my perspective on other ships *again warning, just my personal opinion and please read this rationally* first of all, I think Cabbage-kun and Robin are so cute T-T I don't really ship them but I just think Cabbage caring about Robin is really nice of him. Especially when he gave his coat to her. second of all, I can also understand why lawlu is so huge because of their polar opposite personality and Law act really cute in front of him haha but I don't ship them because I see them more like best friends. (yes I can see Law is mad behind me saying they are not friends) finally, I noticed there are frobin moments here, like they were wearing couple shirt (actually it said Corrida and Luffy is wearing a tank top with a bull on it too) and one of the SBS was about franky sleeping on Robin's lap something like that. To be honest, when I saw it I also think oo did Oda trying to set them up?? but luffy was sleeping on Rebecca's lap later on too. And I wonder why - if Oda really trying make them as a couple, but he doesn't give them any interactions in the storyline at all? Like most of "romantic moments" was from colorspread (the last one is chapter 987 and after that that they rarely interact), other than that, they mostly interacted as normal crewmates, so I always wonder did Oda changed his mind in Wano... Again, I'm just analyzing the possibility...

I actually finished reading Zou and 1/5 Wano already, I just don't have time to write an analysis T^T I thought Zou might be an arc that I can write a short analysis but while I'm reading it, I actually have lots of thoughts in mind!! So I'll talk about it next post haha Again, thanks for reading it!!! Discussions or comments are always welcome :)

[friendlyoceanmower]

Puppy's Future [MAJOR SPOILERS]

The game ends very open-ended with Puppy bearing the curse. It begs to wonder how she'll grow up with Maya after the death of the Two-Beak God.

While we all hate Maya, it's more likely that she'll treat her granddaughter better than Laika because 1. Puppy wants to be a Grim Biker and 2. It was revealed that Maya trusted Ava with the pendant more than Laika. Whether or not she lives to see Puppy turn 20 is debatable but she will leave an impact on her granddaughter.

I don't see too much worry with the Bird Society because the death of their God is going to leave a power vacuum that will tear the system apart. Fascism is inherently broken and we've seen proof that their culture was collapsing in on itself. Granted they would still be a powerful force by the time Puppy grows up.

Personally, I want to see Puppy break the cycle and become a leader for once in her bloodline. The ending would feel empty if Laika died only for her daughter to suffer the same pain as she did. Her last words should mean a lot to Puppy if her daughter can live and do better than Laika. Every good parent wants to give their child a chance at a better life and Laika has laid the groundwork for Puppy to finish the job.

An idea I've had for a sequel titled "Puppy: Throned in Blood" would be about an adult Puppy battling off the birds from the previous game before she's introduced to two new antagonists. The Grim Gang: a cult of suicide bombers who dress like Laika to replicate her sacrifice. Akin to the Church of The Chainsaw Man. Unnamed Rival: a female Owl assassin who rides a scorpion hoverboard whose last egg was destroyed by Puppy indirectly. She's based on Blackout from Transformers but I think having to face enemies who can run AND shoot you would be an interesting mechanic for a potential sequel. I think it would be interesting if this owl was parallel to Laika so Puppy would be forced to confront her mother's worst flaws. Meanwhile, Puppy's arc would have her struggle with leadership less she becomes a dictator.

All in all, I wish the best for this little girl and hope she can make the wastelands a world her mother wanted.

[augment-techs]

Tagged by @skyland2703 (thanks dear, maybe something will actually come of this)

Rules: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! Then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

....I am not listing them all. That's TOO MANY. So here, like, REASONABLE.

a cold place for brave hearts = Coinless Skull vs Drakkon

the DON'T WORRY, YOU'LL FIND SOMEONE look = Bulk/Kim, GGPR

mirror mirror (black mirror) = all the surviving Coinless having a go with Prime Rangers+Bulk & Skull sexy times

*infinite whining* I DON'T WANNA = anon ask Kim/Skull

late night, skip to the light, fantastic = Coinless!Adam/Skull parenting baby!Drakkon AU part 2

NEWBORN = part 3 of pipe cleaner in red; Matt/Skull/Billy+baby Spike

the way is through the clock = chapter 7 of all our injuries rhyme; Sentry Adam being PISSED at Coinless Trini and Jason

yet another shitty phaedos rewrite gfdi = the time travel Drakkon redemption AU with Drakkon, Adam, Skull doing...better?

instance where love is everything = FINISH THE DAMN 5+1 BillySkull two-shot

bleeding arm cut and Billy breaks the stupid sword, it's not that hard = the Green With Evil AU where Skull beats up Tommy for attacking Billy, part 2

the pain won't last/make that LIST for the division = Beyond the Grid AU with MORE Coinless /Sentry versions of other Rangers and the like introduced and fleshed out (Kapri, Marah, Fran(?), Betty, Ryan, Chelsea, Kai, T.J., Leelee, Toxica, Jindrax, Camille, Jarrod, Ziggy, Dillon, etc.)

more watery water = Kapri/Tori post-Tori/Blake breakup

all of the trauma = trigger list for Matt/Skull/Billy applied SOMEWHERE

In Which the Skullovitch Property is Basically a Lodging House for Strays = more GGPR Rangers Meet Ugly AU, with TomKat and Stan/David

lamb, cherries, bone broth/get thee to a nunnery = '69 Team Lives AU, but with injuries/Trek brought to the command center

first sentence fic: walk into the sunset/mean anything at all = anti-Zelya/Skull contemplation/Bulk POV??

hand on thigh in moving car = Tommy/Jason

manipulation comes with sex = more Putty Arc AU, Matt/Skull + Skull/Billy + infiltration Putties; magic, mind control, assault, forgiveness

villain or a saint = post Eltarian War Arc, Zedd/Zordon?

WRITE THE MOST BORING FIC = life in Angel Grove for non-Rangers weekly/or just Bulk & Skull

ORANGES = Billy/Skull free association prompt (please for the love of fuck, stop overthinking it)

tagging: @ajgrey9647 @lordkingsmith @koragg1 @estel-eruantien @ranger-ribbons @regaliasonata @theonewhonothingknows @shanleenkinnjaskey

[cafeinthemoon]

Ruins - Part XI

Chapter 11

Wordcount 3k

Title Part XI

Fandom Shuumatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok

Pairing Hades X reader

Previous chapters

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10

Symbols ⭕ . ➕ . 💛

Warnings: none

Tagging: @darling-imobsessed @holdyourwine (if you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N.A.: So... This chapter has been in my drafts for weeks and I've been just avoiding it bc I was somehow convinced that it would never be good enough, but it was an essential part of this story so I couldn't skip it 😭 I didn't know what to do, so I forced myself to work on it and after a few days I finally finished it!

Anyways, here we have Hades showing off another talent of his, Hermes being the best babysitter in the world and I also decided to include some humour in it! I hope you don't mind XD

You were resting your head on Hades’ shoulder, your eyes closed as if you were going to take a nap while his hand stroked your hair. From time to time, he would place a kiss on your temple or whisper some random, sweet words just to make sure you stood awake; you, on your part, would threat him with another tickling session, something that he would receive with laughter or some teasing. 

The water was still murmuring in the fountain; the animals were crossing the grass around you or flying over the flowery arc above the bench, as if coming back to their lives after giving you the space you needed to fix yours; a lukewarm breeze started blowing, whistling between the trees and caressing your skin, but not as gently as Hades’ hands. 

Finally, the riddles were solved, the issues were put aside and everything found their right place. 

I never felt this safeness before... I never felt so in peace.  

If you had any worries at that moment, it was only regarding how the people at the party – the gods, in particular – were going to receive you once you stepped into the room for the second time. Because, obviously, you would have to return and complete the protocols as one of the human visitors. 

You decided to speak about it. 

– I’m a bit afraid of what’s going to happen when we go back to the party. 

Though he had a reputation to repair – after all, the last thing the guests saw was the moment you rejected his gift and left without giving him a chance to respond – Hades didn’t seem as worried about this as you supposed he would be. Instead, he just focused in convincing you that you didn’t have to think too much about it.  

– If you’re afraid that people are going to look down on you or be shocked by your audacity, let me tell you that none of this is going to happen. Instead, the least you can expect is to see them in awe with your presence. 

You frowned. 

– How so, Hades-sama? 

His response came in the form of a mysterious smile. 

– Let’s go back inside the building – he tightened his grip around you and stood up with you in his arms; you smiled while passing your arm around his neck – And give them a reason to be. 

***

You returned to the building with your arms entwined with Hades’. You took a shortcut to reach the corridor where your room was, confirming your supposition that he entered the garden using one of them. 

First, you went to your room to do a new makeup and, in your words, “to restore the decency of my face and not fall in Poseidon-sama's disfavor”. Hades laughed and sat on your bed’s edge, observing as you did your work in front of the vanity, the same where the girls were arguing about their preparations and when your thoughts were directed to the water. You thought of telling him about this episode, but declined: the moment to tell the whole story was yet to come. 

When everything was done, you looked around the vanity’s surface and frowned: your hair was untied and you couldn’t find anything to wear on it... 

Until you felt a hand on our shoulder and noticed Hades standing behind you. You looked up to him, who had a gentle smile to you. 

– Can I help you? 

Your response was a shy whisper. 

– Of course. 

You doubted that he could help you in this, despite the natural manner with which he took the brush over the vanity and started dividing your hair in sections, but you weren’t going to be the one to question he if he knew what he was doing. 

And, to your surprise, he knew it. 

He took a thin section from the back of your head and started untangling it with his fingers before using the brush; after that, he would curl the section with his finger, as to make sure that there was no damage. He patiently repeated the process with all your hair on the back as you observed it through the mirror, but it was only when he started working on the side sections that you were able to see his hands in action – and you were marveled. 

The attention his hands gave to the task, the delicacy of his fingers while they slipped through your locks, how he knew when and where to use the brush on them, respecting their curvature – all of this, you thought, made your hair more beautiful than it actually was. 

You didn’t know how long you stood there observing, but seeing the moment when he put the brush back on the vanity was like waking up from a daydream. And, honestly, you wanted to be wide awake to see what was coming next. 

His hands were now working on uniting all your locks to create a hairstyle, and you were curious to know what he was about to do: you remembered that even Hermes-sama, used to observe the girls and their mutable beauty standards, avoided any extravagance in this sense when he put the hairpin on your hair; what would Hades do, then? 

For the second time, he divided your hair in sections – three, one at your back and the others on your sides –, and those ones were divided in another three, thinner locks that he united in loosen braids. When he braided the sides, he untied one thin curl on each side, above your ears, then the rest was all pulled together and twisted to form a bun on the back of your head. 

As he held your hair with his right hand, you observed his reflection when he took the hairpin out of his coat and finished the work. 

You spent a moment smiling at your own reflection: he really did good job there. 

– Well – you touched the bun as you spoke – Impressive. I could never imagine you had such talent, my Lord. 

Hades laughed. 

– I just did the basics. The true beauty was already in you. 

Your cheeks got warm at the compliment. When you turned to him, you saw his hand stretched to you. 

– Shall we? 

You nodded and accepted the invitation, leaving the room behind. 

***

If you knew what happened right after you left the party, you wouldn’t be surprised with the respectful, stunned reception you had when you returned. 

The silence that spread across the place when you disappeared behind the door was heavy and uncomfortable. The human girls that witnessed your interaction with the King of Hellheim were shocked by your attitude, not knowing if they should consider it an act of courage or stupidity. The gods, on the other hand, were more than outraged: how dare a mortal refuse the gift from a god and just flee, not giving him the time to respond? In a matter of seconds, whispers of indignation and surprise started growing among the crowd. 

Though they weren’t less affected by what they saw, the three Greek brothers remained in silence, waiting to see what Hades was going to do. From his part – and to the surprise of most of the guests, who didn’t know him as they did – there was little to no sign of wrath on his face. No, not even the slightest irritation. He was just there, quiet, putting the hairpin inside his coat as if nothing happened. 

One of the gods that had a hard time processing the events was the god of Destruction, Shiva. Beside his wives, he had the company of his students, who were as astonished as the other apprentices, but didn’t dare move a finger without the consent of their master: his anger, almost tangible, was something new to them, and though they didn’t know how to react, doing nothing seemed better than doing the wrong thing and ending up increasing his bad mood. 

– I don’t understand this! What happened to humanity? They seem to have no regard for hierarchy and respect nowadays! – he growled to himself while the eye on his forehead opened; then, turning to Hades, – I suppose you’re thinking of giving her the appropriate discipline! 

Apparently, during that moment of wrath, the head of the Indian pantheon forgot that there were human girls listening to every word he said, only thinking of this when they started shivering and whining around him. 

– This sounds too terrifying, Shiva-sama! – one of them cried out. 

A second one corroborated her, with her hands united in a plead: 

– Are you telling us that you would do something terrible to one of us too, my Lord? 

A third one followed, holding one of his arms: 

– Please, Shiva-sama, don’t say such things! We swear we will never act like this! 

A fourth one, younger than her partners and unable to formulate words, started to cry. 

Following their example and guided by the same fear of divine punishment, other girls started doing the same to their masters, creating a wave of pleading, lamentation and tears that kept the gods occupied in desperate attempts to calm them down. 

Shiva, on his part, was facing incredible difficulty trying to tame his own students even with the help of his wives. 

– Hey, hey, there’s no need to overreact – he patted the head of the weeping, younger girl while trying to pay attention to the others with his three remaining arms; his forehead eye closed slowly as his anger disappeared – Heavens, I forgot how sensitive you are… 

Among Hades’ brothers, Adamas, whose short temper was well known among his pairs, was the first to manifest his discontentment with your behavior.

– I can’t believe you brought us here to witness this, elder brother – he crossed his arms – I don’t understand what happened with this human, but I agree with Shiva. You cannot just let her get away with this! 

Zeus, with his hands behind his back, had his gaze on the entry’s door, through which you just fled. 

– Indeed, that was an odd attitude – he spoke in a distracted manner – Showing some embarrassment is understandable, but running away like that? Yes, it’s very odd… 

Poseidon was the only one who kept his thoughts to himself, but anyone who looked into his eyes would guess that, whatever the response he’d give to someone who dared do this to him, it would be anything but pleasing. 

Since Hades didn’t give any verbal response, Adamas insisted: 

– So? – he took a step toward his brother – Have you decided what to do? 

Hades raised his eyes to him, but had no time to reply, for another deity interceded: Heracles, who was near his Greek pairs, in the company of his students, and was one of the few gods who didn’t speak in favor of a punishment. 

– Forgive me, but I believe there must be a better way to solve this – and, when everyone turned to him, – There must be a reason behind her actions. Deciding what to do without knowing such reason is everything but fair. 

Adamas gave the god of Justice a furious glare, making his students hide behind him. 

– You’re always trying to justify your ex-pairs' petulance, boy. No wonder they only do what they want! But, for at least this time, we need you to see things as they are and stop with this indulgence! 

Heracles reciprocated the glare, closing his fists. 

– What you call indulgence is what as I see as justice. You should try and learn the difference. 

Adamas took a step ahead and a heated argument was about to start between the two men. There were a few gods with a more peaceful inclination who took the demigod’s side, while many of them saw in the god of Conquest’s anger a support for their own sensitive pride, and the room was soon divided in two, the tense expectations shared between each present... 

– All of you, quiet! 

Though Hades just raised his voice a bit above the usual tone, it silenced the entire room once it spread across it. Adamas immediately gave up on the argument, stepping back to his previous spot; Heracles swallowed, but stood his ground. Shiva, who was watching all their interaction in silence, turned to Hades with a raised eyebrow, wondering why a human would provoke such reaction from the King of the Underworld; his younger student stopped sobbing and hugged him. 

Hades sighed, putting his hands on his pockets, and passed his eyes over the faces of the humans and the immortals. However, he made it clear that his words were directed to his divine pairs. 

– Look around you. Look at these girls – and, while doing precisely this, – Are you really going to look into their eyes and tell them that you are the right people to guide them in whatever paths they choose to follow when this cycle of redemption and punishment is all you can think about? Do you really believe this is all education means? 

Hades’ questions were received with an embarrassed silence from the gods and a stunned quietness from the humans. None of this didn’t seem to bother him, though: with a tired smile, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. 

– Well, if your answer is yes, I suggest you to send these children back to their families and let them do a better work. 

Since no one dared reply, he turned the door and was going to leave the room, when Adamas called him. 

– Where are you going, elder brother? 

Hades turned back to him with the same smile, but a glimmer of confidence was sensed in it that time. 

– What do you mean, little brother? – he tapped his chest, upon the spot where he kept the hairpin – I’m going after y/n and bring her back. 

All the three brothers gasped in surprise, but Adamas was the only one to reply: 

– And how do you intend to do that? What makes you think she will be compliant after what we saw...? 

The King of Hellheim gave Adamas a clever blink, provoking a confused “Ahn?” from him, a harsh laugh from Zeus and a frown on Poseidon’s face. 

– Can you trust me a little bit, brother? – and, looking at the other guests, – Listen. I will be back with the human y/n in a moment. And, when she enters that door again, I hope she gets the deserved reception, you understand? 

None of the gods had the need to verbalize their compliance. The entire room fell in silence again as each deity nodded and stepped back to open the way to the god of the Dead as he took unworried steps toward the exit. 

***

Hermes was walking the corridor, still processing the unexpected encounter with you when a second person appeared in his way, making him startle. 

– Hades-sama?! What happened? Y/n just passed by me on this corridor. She was desperate… 

The sentence died on his mouth when the Greek spokesman saw the calmness on his uncle’s expression. Did he hear what he just said? Did he understand it? 

Well, not only this, but he also had a plan already. 

– I know. Apparently, y/n had a problem with her reception at the party before I could reach her. I just spoke to my brothers and the other presents about this. Now, I'm going to talk to her and bring her back. Did you send her to the gardens? 

– Yes, my Lord. 

– Did you give her the official permit to leave? 

– I didn’t – Hermes lowered his tone – Under the current circumstances, it would be precipitated and unsafe. 

Hades nodded. 

– Good. Thank you, Hermes. 

He passed by his nephew and was going to follow his way outside, when the other’s voice was heard. 

– Uncle.  

Hades turned back to him, not hiding his surprise. It’s been a long time since he heard Hermes calling him like this. 

– What is it? 

– Don’t you think this is going too far? – a wrinkle of preoccupation appeared on Hermes’ forehead – Because I think it is. 

– What do you mean? 

– Just a moment ago, that girl was happy and excited about this party, but now she passed by me in tears, begging to leave this place. I do not approve what I saw – the younger god stepped ahead, more wrinkles appearing on his face as the preoccupation turned into a barely disguised anger – Despite the obvious connection between you, y/n is still under my guardianship, Hades-sama. Seeing her or any other girl in such state is something I will not tolerate, whatever the reason. 

Hades stared at him in silence for a while, but there was no sign that he was offended or irritated by this statement. Instead, when he spoke, it was to show he was ready to agree.  

– And, during all these years, you’ve been taking care of your responsibility in the best way possible, nephew. However, that woman was chosen, not only to be the Queen of the Underworld, but to be my wife. It is my duty to show her that she’s safe by my side – and, turning entirely toward his pair as he spoke, – Showing her that she can trust me is all I want, Hermes. So, now, I ask you to leave her to me.  

Hermes bit his lips, not entirely convinced that this was a wise plan. But if that was the will of Fate, there wasn’t really much he could do about it, so he finally gave up.  

– Do what you believe to be the best for her, my Lord, but be careful. A human girl’s heart is something delicate. Don’t let it break. 

Hades nodded and left the building. He took a short, unknown path to reach the gardens and, following your energetic signature – and the fragrance you wore, which you gained alongside the ball gown and left a trace through the places you passed – he soon found you. 

He kept his word, then. And you went back to the party with him, with both your heart and your hopes restored.

Part XII

[thedawningofthehour]

Ep 29!

Leo has officially moved on to the acceptance stage!

Everyone thought Leo would be the one to go crazy if he found out about the library meetings (including me), it turns out the opposite, who knew!

At least the time in the library did some good!

Leo finally accepted that Donnie's memories may never come back, however, they still need to separate him from Draxum so he can learn the truth, which will be a problem, since Draxum doesn't plan to let Galois go on any more field missions.

Also, speaking of Draxum, WITH A BUTTER KNIFE!

What Draxum did can only be classified as abuse, there are no buts, and the worst part is that Galois is programmed not to notice! Arrg!!! Mikey had made so much progress!!! And Draxum threw it in the trash!

If someone were to manipulate you, you wouldn't know it.

BUT CLEARLY YOU WOULD, WOULDN'T YOU?!?

Draxum can drown in his hypocrisy.

You know, while I was waiting for this chapter, I started reading LFLS, and at no time I hated that Draxum as much as this one, maybe, because AT LEAST, that Draxum was honest!

I hope that part of Donnie's revenge can include this quote to one of my favorite webtoon.

"I don't need someone who hurts me with his passion*.

By the way, didn't you notice Raph completely absent in the chapter? *remembers fai's title for arc 3* ...should I be worried?

Final note. Splinter, by this point I think you should know better than to count on the police.

I kind of chucked at everyone predicting Leo being the one to lose his shit. Originally I did plan on having him yell too, but when I wrote it out it just didn't...go that way. Don't get me wrong, he still would have taken it with the most grace, but the way it ended up his brain just did a giant reboot and he didn't really have the capacity to be mad. (this is an opportunity to remind you all that I have no control over this fic)

I mean, Donnie's still going to be out in the field, there wouldn't be much more of a story if the fam couldn't interact with him. So much of this fic is legitimately just me trying to arrange incidents where Gale can meet up with the fam or influence shit that eventually reaches the fam, and I'm just waiting for the day someone calls me out on how stupid some of my excuses are. Realistically, Draxum would never put him out in the field, no matter how many sad eyes he made. He's too valuable in the lab. But if he did that, then the story would have ended with "and then Draxum took over the world and the fam realized he had Donnie all along right before they were shipped to Australia." And that wouldn't be fun.

Raph was originally present in the first scene, but I didn't like how that turned out so I wrote him out. It really doesn't mean anything for his character arc, just better storytelling in my opinion. There was no place to really insert him into the chapter, and I generally try not to shove characters into places for the sake of having them present. (which is why Mikey is absent so much in Book 1) Raph's stupid thing has been...I guess sort of foreshadowed? I think just like one line, but he's been vaguely talking about it a lot. As we get to the end of Book 2 we'll see some more hints towards the direction he's thinking in, and definitely with the main climax. So hopefully by the time he does his stupid thing, it'll make sense why.

[dats-hq]

If you’re still in the mood for it 1 and 2 for the character you wound up liking the most on adventure: 2020

And  1, 2, 7, 11, 21, 22 for Miu and/or Shuuji.  Whichever one you feel like talking about more.  

Oh I'll be in the mood for this forever, don't worry.

My first impression of Hikari Yagami

"Wow Hikari seems like, barely a character. Like she almost feels like a baby. Except actual baby Hikari from the first movie seemed more aware of the world around her. It's kind of creepy, but being creepy is kind of Hikari's whole thing, so let's see where they're going with this."

And then she stood perfectly still inside her bedroom for 20 episodes. True story.

When I started to truly like Hikari Yagami

I was mostly sold on this version of her in the back-to-back episodes where she comforts Tailmon and assures her that she will be her light, there's nothing to fear, she'll save her every time, etc. It was quality crest of light behavior and a fine execution of that sort of archetypal childlike purity.

But the Petaldramon episode is what really pushed her over into being my favorite character in the reboot. It's kind of what you always hear people say they want from a Superman story: what does a perfectly moral person do in a situation with no perfect moral solution? I loved seeing the script on her relationship with Tailmon flip somewhat. Whereas before, Hikari was the light that Tailmon could always run toward, now Hikari needed Tailmon's help to cope with a sort of unavoidable darkness, a small tragedy they had no predestined duty or ability to mend.

And yet, still, she tries. And in the process, she learns a lesson about fighting for the imperfect victories too. I actually love that Adventure 2020 is willing to let the world be a bit messy and let the characters keep their endless optimism without doing any bullshit like "oh haha we believed so hard that everything worked out actually"

like they do that too sometimes but never to downplay the planned complexity

okay Shuuji time

First impression of Shuuji Kayama

"Hmm this guy sure seems to care about rules a lot and yet also have no self-confidence at all. I wonder if his arc is going to be about believing in himself or learning to not care about rules."

And then it was a lot more nuanced than that. True story.

When I started to truly like Shuuji Kayama

I know this is when most people started to hate him, but Chapter 5 lmao

I do not need a character to be a good person to like them. I need them to be an interesting person. And Shuuji is fascinating. He is easily the most psychologically complex character in the group until that point, and he's inarguably in contention for that title even by the end of all routes.

I almost feel like an idiot for even trying to explain why I fell in love with the character here. Seruni already made the case better than I could a dozen times, and I honestly think if you engage with the themes of the game at all, it's self-evident. It's just fucking fantastic that they were willing to go to the places they did with his character. If you're going to tell a darker Digimon story with a focus on how the Digimon is a reflection of the human's true self, you need to explore how that bears out in a situation like Shuuji's. And they did so beautifully.

A quote of Shuuji Kayama's that you remember

[to Lopmon in Part 5]

"You can't even evolve! Maybe you'd be of some use if you could! Yeah! You'd be able to defeat our enemies if you could do that! Enemies... anyone who looks down on me. You should just erase them all!"

Now I thought this line went hard just because of how it spoke to Shuuji's mental deterioration, but someone later pointed out how Lopmon did in fact erase the person who looked down on Shuuji the most: Shuuji.

What’s the first thing I think about when thinking about Shuuji Kayama?

Okay the more I'm going through these questions the more I'm realizing that I love Part 5 even more than I realized. Because obviously his breakdown is fucking eternally iconic and it will always be one of the first things I think about with Survive in general, let alone when I think about Shuuji.

When was Shuuji Kayama at his happiest?

I have to imagine it was when Lopmon evolved into Cherubimon. There was a level of unconditional positive regard granted there that I doubt Shuuji has ever felt in his life before.

When was Shuuji Kayama at his lowest?

i mean...

I will do Miu later but it's getting late lol

[dedahblog]

Part 2 of this

When he found a reason (his friends' safety was at stake) and a way ( Ginjo ) to get his shinigami powers, Ichigo dedicated himself to that goal

the goal that will lead him to reconnect with Rukia again

I think many would disagree with me here.

Some would say that Ichigo would never use his friends' distress as a pretext to see Rukia again and he cares about them

Short answer

You have no idea how much Ichigo was desperate to try to understand himself. Finding any excuse was becoming a necessity to him.

Long answer

Well, I never said he doesn't care about his friends but if you think that Ichigo is a selfless angel who will bleed for the sake of everyone then I have some bad news for you.

When his friends were in danger, the first thing he thought about after he awakened his fullbring power was how it will enable him to restore his shinigami's.

He barely developed any new power at that time so he couldn't be sure it won't be more powerful than his shinigami's.

Nevertheless, the fact that he didn't even think

"with this I might... really be able to save my friends!!"

is a huge red flag, especially when at that very moment, Ishida was hospitalised because of his heavy injuries

Neither was saving his friends the only reason nor the main one why he wanted to get them back

When Rukia was abducted, he couldn't even understand the extent of his heartache, let alone its cause.

However, this time, he could get that she was one of the reasons he felt that way.

but he didn't want to reflect on it simply because it hurt him to admit his feelings for someone he thought he lost

The fact he was lying to himself (and to us) in the panel above was only making his cluelessness turns into a repulsive kind of selfishness.

Thankfully, he finally became honest to himself later on

....

When Ichigo was depressed, powerless and couldn't trust anyone who wanted to help him, Rukia was there for him.

He didn't lose her

If he was belittling himself thinking that without his powers he was worthless then he was proven wrong.

The Ichigo who changed Soul Society corruption (even slightly) was still him and he was rewarded thanks to what he is

(of course that Ichigo was nowhere to be found in the ending) (x)

That’s what the poem in the closing volume of that arc meant. Rukia confirmed that what makes Ichigo strong aren't his powers but his unchanging heart aka himself.

...

Most importantly,concerning his bond with Rukia : If he was ever scared of losing it then he was proven wrong too

It wasn't a matter of which one between the two needed the other the most.

It was about that no matter what she would always be there for him

Because Rukia came back for him

Bevause Rukia would never abondon him

The day they met, Rukia saw Ichigo's worry over his family and his guilt over their injuries he thought he caused, she trusted him to save everyone even if it meant she would get executed

Ichigo saw Rukia sacrificing herself for him, he trusted her to plunge a sword into his chest even though it would kill him

Rukia had never trusted anyone like him, even if they spent only 2 months together

Ichigo knew about it and felt the exact same way.

Because he had never trusted anyone like her, even if they spent only 2 months together

It was all about how their relationship was based on nothing but trust since day one, this time was no different.

Rukia was confident that he would trust no one but her stabbing him

Ichigo was confident that no matter what she would never betray him

...

Ichigo didn't need any motivational speech to be cheered up during that reunion

By seeing how Rukia was here for him, by being reminded that this person he trusted like no other would never abondon him, he became strong and confident

That's why Kub0 emphasized the word 'bond' on his color spreads at that time :

" Pride and bonds make me strong" (x)

" Time goes by but bonds don't break" (x)

And in the chapters' titles:

Chapter 455 End of the Bond 1 ---> Chapter 456 End of the Bond 2 ---> Chapter 457 End of Bond 3 ---> Chapter 458 End of all Bonds ---> Chapter 459 ( when Rukia comes back) : The Death and the Strawberry 2

What makes people strong is the emotional connection that they build with someone they hold dear.

The power Ichigo gained was only a tool to connect with Rukia

Thus when he could see her again, he didn't need it anymore.

He left his blade on the ground to stare at her.

He was no longer lying to himself

There was no other reason to explain what he was feeling at that moment.

I see now

Why he was wondering how the world rotated when Rukia was absent

Why he wanted to save her so much that he made miracles happen and he couldn't achieve that for anyone else

Why it was only a matter of Rukia saying how she believed in him to make a crucial change in himself

Why he felt desolate when he was powerless, even when everyone was safe

What made him yearn for his powers when he lost them

Why he trusts no one more than her

He realised the depth of everything he felt .

And he embraced them completly

To sum up

Ichigo's world can rotate normally without Rukia. Ichigo can keep up with its speed of it without her. He doesn't need her by his side to lift his low spirits or to validate his identity as a shinigami.

When she was abducted or when he couldn't see her anymore, he felt her absence to the core simply because he missed her terribly.

He felt dispirited in the 17 month time skip because he thought he lost his connection with her and as I explained here, Ichigo considers meeting Rukia the best part of everything that happened to him since the beginning of this manga

It was never a case of emotional dependency

Ichigo doesn't need Rukia by his side. He wants her.

He wants her to be present in his life simply because he's fond of her, as an individual and he is afraid of losing her

By attesting how she would never abondon him and by understanding his heart, Ichigo let go of that fear, became more self confident thus he reached his emotional maturity.

I'm not going to further develop how Kub0 was clearly developing Ichigo becoming more self-sufficient in the last arc.

(how he didn't need her to kick his butt during the zangetsu reveal, ishida's betrayal or him killing the soul king. He could overcome all those obstacles by himself)

It's already embarrassing to write a meta about a 700 chapter manga with no story resolution. I'll gladly deny the existence of the last arc and admit that whatever development kub0 was aiming for, it was left unfinished.

.....

(*) : if you want a great and long analysis of that scene you can visit this and this

[urlbending]

2022 Year End Fic Review

in the words of a very ancient internet joke, better nate than lever!!

1. What is your AO3 account?

My ao3 is lookatallthemoresigive, because that was my tumblr url at the time i created my ao3. I desperately need to change it but I'm having trouble coming up with a new one and am worried if i switch I'll lose brand recognition, which is hilarious bc my MO is to write a fic or two for a fandom and then bounce

2. How many words did you write total in 2022?

I wrote 8,487 published words, but i have at least 7k unpublished. There is a very long rangshi capture the avatar au that been languishing in my drafts for over six months that im hoping to finish up and post this year. I am not a particularly fast writer because i obsess over every word i use, but I've found that with practice im getting faster and better at writing more

3. How many fics did you publish in 2022? How many multichapters vs oneshots?

I published 4, which is about my usual (a couple of random scattered fics + yuletide). They're all oneshots of varying length. My new years resolution is to write 5 fics this year!! I'm holding myself to it. One day I'll write a complete multi-chapter fic, but it's not currently in the cards.

4. What was your longest fic? Your shortest fic?

Longest: a kyoshi novels fic about hei-ran, 바늘 구멍으로 하늘 보기

4,441 words that i agonized over, including the title. I'm super proud of this fic.

Shortest: your hair never falls in quite the same way, a locked tomb missing scene fic clocking in at 890 words.

I honestly had a pretty quick turnaround time writing this one. After i had a lovely and overwhelming response to a rangshi drabble in 2021, I've been trying to be better about posting fics regardless of their length. Sometimes, hitting 1k or even 500 words is not necessary to tell a story

5. What was your most popular fic? Your least popular fic?

Most popular: kiss you too hard and follow you west another quick turnaround, this is a rangshi fluff fic so i’m not surprised

Least popular: Shinrin-Yoku, my gen character study yuletide fic for a video game that came out in 2020. I'm not losing any sleep over it. Its currently at a 15% kudos to hits ratio which good!

6. What fic didn’t perform as well as you thought it would?

Listen, I died on some weird hills last year (the love interest’s mom needs more of a backstory!!!!), so any response is a good response. I guess I was secretly hoping your hair never falls would usher in an era of camilla/nona fics bc i was certain it was going to be a thing, but the book came out and crushed those dreams. I still maintain nona had a crush on cam!!

7. What fic performed way better than you thought it would?

바늘 구멍으로 하늘 보기 because as I mentioned above, it was a character centric fic focused on a minor character. glad the kyoshi novels fandom appreciates milfs!

8. What was your favorite fic you wrote from 2022?

This is turning into a whole arc. I love the nona fic dearly, it makes me happy every time i read it, but im so proud i pulled off that hei-ran fic. Writing a character arc is not easy or as instantly gratifying as making two characters kiss. I knew I was pouring my heart (research into ancient Korean tea ceremonies for half a scene! Politics! Asking @funnefatale to bug fandom friends for Korean sayings for me!) into a work that simply might not be received. Also, I finally came out to my mom around the time i was writing this for unrelated reasons, and this fic reminds me of that 💕

9. What was your favorite fic that somebody else wrote in 2022?

by land, by sea, by dirigible, @firstelevens' amazing c&d/tfatws fic which gave me everything i needed for BOTH shows. A two for one, can you believe!!

falling (for you) like snow on christmas, a warrior nun ava/bea hallmark au. I watched a lot of hallmark type christmas movies last year, and this fic delivered on the coziness these movies provide and the chemistry they usually don't. Also, it relased daily during the week leading up to christmas, corresponding to the days in the chapters, which was super fun to experience in real time.

10. Tag your friends to do this year-end fic review as well!

@funnefatale @isabrella and anyone else who wants to do this meme!

[the-rorster]

Answering these questions about Being a Girl because I finished it !!!!

1. of the chapters I've written which was my favorite and why

Seen as a (his) Girl

I just . I think about it as the most fun. Betty learned who she was, Erica was helpful. It was a longer chapter, I think the longest. I just feel like I did the most with it

2. which scene was my favorite to write in BaG

The scenes with Erica were my favorites. I initially wanted Erica to play Syd's role in the story because I didn't want to have to make up a character and so when I couldn't figure out how to get Erica in that role I was really sad because I wanted "Erica is surprisingly accepting of this" and so when I was able to get Erica to be another mentor for Betty it just made me so happy as I write every time

3. Which part of BaG was hardest to write?

The dysphoria chapter oh man. So many times I sat down to write and I just . Couldn't. I felt like I was going to far, I worried that I the author would seem like a transphobe because of this relating of the concept of Betty not being a girl but just a messed up teenage boy. It was difficult. Writing it was a struggle. Glad I got past it

4. If I could change anything in BaG what would it be

I mean I wrote it so I could change anything? I feel like I wrote it the way I wanted it

5. Did I make an outline for BaG and did I stick to it

So uh. Surprise. I didn't actually start BaG. It was actually the other Host's fanfiction that he put on my side-ao3 thing instead of its own for some reason. There was a point where I started writing it and he stopped. Toby had a very basic outline for the fic and I did not follow it

6. Which scene did u cut and which did I add

Cut - Betty staying and hanging out with the girls longer, almost sleeping over, and Erica taking her home . It was cut because the chapter was getting too long . (I try to keep chapters 1,500 to 2,000 and that one was over 3,000)

Added - Betty sending Rory a letter asking to meet her after school instead of coming out in the middle of the hall or off in a classroom somewhere the way she did for Ethan. This was added because I remembered that Tobys original idea for the fic was supposed to revolve a lot more around the letters than it did and I wanted to add that back in there somehow

7. Who was my favorite character to write

Erica. I just had so much fun with. The way that she is , I don't know how else to describe it. That being said, it was like watching a child grow up to watch Betty come into herself

8. Which came first, the title or the fic

Fic idea -> idea for a parallel between the first and last chapter -> title the fic the parallel -> the fic

9. What idea came first in BaG?

Betty continuing to write Rory letters leads to them being in a relationship . Also she's trans

10. What are some facts readers may not know about BaG

Being a Girl was never supposed to be our first Bettory fic. Our first Bettory fic was meant to be from MY point of view because. Yk. I'm me. And know how to write me and not worry if it feels out of character

Syd is nonbinary. They're only referred to as she/her throughout the whole thing because Betty is making that assumption. I honestly don't know what Syd's pronouns are or what their AGAB is. Syd is also a witch (and well aware of the irony of her vampire statement)

Rorys genderfluid. If you. Didn't catch that. There was no time for an arc about his gender though

Think that's everything. Feel free to send in an ask with a question about any fic I've written :)

and also read Being a Girl in full!

10 Questions Every Fic Writer Secretly Wants to be Asked

There are a lot of fic questions that float around online, but rarely do they ever ask specific questions about the fics themselves. Ask any writer one or more of these ten questions to learn more about the fic and show support.

1. Of the fics you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

2. Which scene was your favorite to write in [title of fic]?

3. Which part of [title] was hardest to write?

4. If you could change anything in [title], what would it be?

5. Did you make an outline for [title]? Did you stick to it?

6. Which scenes did you cut, and which were added in [title]?

7. Who was your favorite character to write in [title]?

8. Which came first, the title or the fic?

9. Which idea came to you first in [title]?

10. What are some facts readers may not know about [title]?

[the-art-in-arthesia-is-loud]

RGverse Story Summary (Season 1: Part 1)

i was too lazy to continue on so have the summary from arc 1 to arc 7

———

i have......a lot to say before we start, actually.

and it's about the post title. you see the "season 1" thing? yeah. the main storyline is split into seasons.

season 1 is supposed to focus on ars and the more earlier characters i've made more i think. it's also supposed to go in depth with ars' conflict with dark ars, and maybe some destonio-fate lore too.

season 2 is more focused on the severed eden gang, mainly abstruse tho. it's also more focused on the rest of team destruction as a whole, and this season is overall the one that ends the story completely.

now.......there's a third season. "oh! season 3?!" WRONG! season 1.5

it serves as a bridge between season 1 and 2. it has two arcs, with the first arc focusing on one objective and also on the conclusion of two specific characters, while the second arc focuses a little more on ana, primeval, and technicolour.

OKAY DONE FINALLY. LET US START NOW. THERE'S ARCS HERE TOO BTW. OK LET'S START FOR REAL THIS TIME. NO PROCRASTINATING ONCE AGAIN. FUCK IT WE BALL.

———

• arc 1: starting arc

i don't have names for these arcs so just take random words/sentences that have smth to do with the story of the arc itself ok thanx

anyways, i think it's safe to say arc 1 focuses on introducing some of the characters here first. i think the characters introduced are ars, lucas, ana, aresi (she only appears for like a brief moment sorry aresi 😔), the thunderriders members, fate, and destonio. that's abt it

this arc also focuses on introducing the conflict in hand; team destruction and a weird reoccuring dream ars keeps having for some reason.

as for the dream, the premise is always the same; the sky for some reason is pink and there's a weird gateway to god knows where that sucks in everything in the world and ultimately causes destruction and shit. some guy (supposed to be abstruse) is just watching some girl (supposed to be arghena) cause everything and be the bad bitch she is. also in the dream ars just watches some randos (supposed to be the rest of severed eden) die one by one in the same ways every single goddamn time (like the lore related art i posted like. so so long ago).

the dreams always ends up in both abstruse and arghena being consumed by a rlly bright light and them boom. ars wakes up. how odd.

timeskip to like. awhile after he got the dreams. he constantly get those dreams and then finally he got tired so he consulted to aresi abt it. "dude maybe you're going insane how abt you go on a morning stroll to keep yourself sane" she said.

and he fucking did that (idiot).

during that walk he met lucas who just got to the cantate kingdom. lucas was like, looking for a place to stay ig so ars was like, "oh you can stay at my place!!!!" like the fuckinh IDIOT HE IS. lucas agreedeither way bc he"$ greedy as hell at the time. i'm not even gonna bother fixing the typos but you get it right

anywayzzzzz after awhile ars told lucas abt that dream bc lucas was like "yo why do you look like you're gonna lose your sanity 💀💀💀💀💀" and uh yea. lucas did NOT suggested that ars should go to a therapist but instead told him that he should actually find the answer himself. and then boom. actual shit begins

they went to the astra kingdom first bc ars wanted to visit ana first. ars tells her abt the dream, and then she agrees to come with him and lucas. and then whoooooshhhhhh to modelista city they go

they nearly got killed once they stepped foot into it btw.

DON'T WORRY THO!!!!!! TROJAN IS HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!1!1!1!11!1!1

trojan then offers to take the trio to the thunderriders base and then foosh. they meet the rest of the thunderriders :)

also i never rlly mentioned who the thunderriders members are so lemme just list it here uhhhh:

- tempo

- shifta

- trojan

- galactic

- satellite

- terabyte

- glaciaxion

- pamolia

- pupa (tho at the time he didn't appeared yet lol)

- aleph-0

yeah.

anyways

moving on

tempo told ars, lucas, and ana abt their goal in defeating team destruction, and how if team destruction successfully carries out their plan to destroy the entirety of planet earth (LMAO AORRU CALLING IT PLANET EARTH IS FUNNY TO ME), then everyone is doomed (and they'll probs die obv)

i think the best way to kick off this arc was to have them be in a bit of danger facing the thunderriders' enemies; team destruction.

well. it's just their minions that came to fucking obliterate them but THATS BESIDES THE POINT. THEVPOIMT ISSSSSS. FATE CAME TO SAVE RHEM BC THEY NEARLY DIED.

FATEEEEEEEE THE FIRST BEST GIRL HERE (i still ly primeval i prommy)

also the arc rlly ends when destonio first appears. he would say smth abt lumine ig. and abt how he hates everything. based destonio moment

from here, pls keep in mind that their objectives are:

1. defeating team destruction and their plan to destroy the world, and

2. find out an answer to ars' dream

———

• arc 2: oh god things get a lil tricky arc

THE ARC NAMR YOODBYE.

anyways, in this arc we get to know more abt fate. the Sillies™ find out that she's a fucking goddess and nearly everyone freaked out. ars might look like he's calm abt this when he is screaming on the inside.

^ visual presentation

moving on from that, fate was like "oh i'm just visitinf here ykyk hot girl stuff" and lucas was like "okay bozo" wow soooo misogynistic /j

suddenly some guy comes into the base. fate was shockex enough to seehim BC IT TURNS OUT IT'S DESTONIO⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️

anyways convo between fate and destonio in a nutshell ig:

fate: what the FUCK

destonio: HELLO LUMINE.

fate: NO SHUT THE FUCK UP GET AWAY FOM ME I'? NOT LUMINE

destonio: oh. i get it now. so you decidsd to go by a new fucking identity

destonio: ok fine whatever idgaf anymore.

destonio: anyways hello everyone

ars: What The Fuck.

things went normal after that for some reason. fate, despite her horror of reuniting with destonio, decided to bother him either way. "dEsTo ThIs, DeStO tHaT, WHEN EILL SHE LESVE ME ALONE??????" my guy you fucking asked for this yk 💀

anyways after so much filler stuff we finally get to the part things get interesting. dark ars starts invading ars in his sleep instead of the reoccuring dream he always has every night. dark ars is like "hey ars can i. can i take over." and ars would be like "NO??????? LEAVE ME ALONE????"

ok ok uhhh after so much tormenting and even more filler stuff, the Sillies™ start to realize Something Is Wrong with ars. trojan decided to interrogate ars alone on that matter

Worst mistake possible.

because dark ars was annoyed enough by this to the point where he actually makes ars suffer and feel so much physical pain during the interrogation, which honestly sounds like a shitty premise, but i'm writing this on the spot, so that's why it's shitty. trojan was fucking concerned, let me tell you that.

he was all like, "ars!!!!!!!! are you fucking ok??????!!!!!!!!!!!!" and ars is like "NO I'M NOT." and then after so long dark ars finally takes over and nearly kills trojan. ouch.

lucas managed to confront dark ars abt this and was like "ars?? what the fuck man????" and dark ars was like "shut the fuck up human. i'm seriously going to kill each and everyone of you lowly idiots."

"OUCH??????" — fate, probably.

anyways they managed to defeat ars, but fate accidentally summons a portal that takes ars to a whole different place. probs far away from modelista city. "ms. fate....what the hell???" tempo asked.......this isn't a fic.

the arc ends with ars just....waking up elsewhere. as for where it is.....we'll find out in a little bit.

———

• arc 3: aegle city arc

uwogh

i....originally didn't exactly want to put aegleseeker as a main character in the story, but now that i think abt it, he can be a supporting character in a sense.

anyways ars turns out to have woken up in aegle city, a city that.......is currently trapped in an eternal night.

heh. mlp moment /j

ars woke up in some house ig, so he quickly realized someone found him unconscious and took him in. turns out that someone is- OH MY GOD THE AEGLESEEKER HIMSELF??????!!!!!!

yea. it could get weirder and nonsensical from here /j again

i don't have much to say abt this arc, other than the fact that ars and aegleseeker just.....help each other in a sense ykyk? it's just them bonding and becoming besties somewhat.

at one point tessi gets mentioned. aegleseeker criticised her for making this world somewhat odd. he also criticised amazing mighty at the same time. this guy is rlly bold.

not much to say abt this arc. it's...really boring compared to the other two ones i think.

IT ACTUALLY DOESN'T END THERE THO.

ars has to get tormented by dark ars again,,,,,,,,,

after that, ars decided to distance himself from aegleseeker, which obviously made him confused. like i would be confused too if my friend started distancing themself from me and talked to me less. he just didn't know that ars is doing that for his safety.

eventually, ars ran away from aegle city, not even telling aegleseeker first. that...definitely made the latter felt a bit hurt in some way, but he's good at hiding things, so that's not obvious enough from the outside.

in the end, we shift focuses...

———

• arc 4: lucid traveler arc

huh? lucid traveler? could this mean.....oh! lucas is the main focus here now!

it turns out, during ars' time in aegle city, the rest of the thunderriders were trying to find him. fate didn't talked to them that much out of guilt. destonio just went along i guess.

ig throughout this arc lucas reminisces on his time with ars. it's short, but he ended up feeling a lot of things because of his time with ars LMAO.

oh god,,,,feelings?

also at one point pamolia takes the spotlight, which definitely teases something for a future arc lol

god this is all going so slow i hate this AHAHSHDBUDDBF

in the end, one day, lucas decided to find ars all by himself when one can least expect it. after some finding and even more reminiscing, he ended up finding ars in the end. they're not in modelista city anymore btw. they're kind of nearly back in the cantate kingdom, but not exactly there either.

ars was literally trying to avoid lucas so dark ars doesn't hurt him, but lucas just kept on coming to him even more. it can't be helped when dark ars decided to take over eventually. they both then had a super intense fight (real) and despite all of dark ars' efforts, he actually lost Again. he ended up falling unconscious again, and because he felt pity for ars, lucas decided to jusf LEAVE HIM LIKR THAT WHAT THE UFCK MENA.

uh. anyways.

———

• arc 5: malware arc

oh wow. it's trojan time besties

the main character here is still lucas honestly lmao, but the real main focus here is trojan

lucas got back to the thunderriders base after some time, and the first thing he saw was trojan and terabyte watching the fucking news.

yeah, apparently, the deal with ars and dark ars got a bit out of control, huh?

the whole first part of this arc is pretty normal.......until we get to the second bit. tempo and shifta start to notice something wrong with trojan. trojan starts to say...really weird stuff, like "haha guys what if someone here betrays us or something?" or "y'know, a traitor could be among us (SUS???? /J), right?" OR "[insert name of anyone near him right now], don't you think acting is a strange thing to be made into a profession?"

they both didn't exactly mind this at first, but then the questions and what-if scenarios get even weirder and that certainly made tempo a bit suspicious. so, he decided to confront trojan abt it.

tempo, being dumb for once, tried to force an answer out of trojan bc for some reason he isn't giving any answers???? dawg what are you hiding m8.

WELL.

TURNS OUT.

HE IS INDEED HIDING SOMETHING.

.......

..

.KDCNFK

um

he.

he"$.

he's a spy from team destruction.

HE HAD TO EXPLAIN THIS TO TEMPO SO THAT HE DOESN'T GET KILLED OR WHATEVER BUT BASICALLY the reason why he became a spy for team destruction was because they offered him a good enough deal and they thought he'd make a good enough spy considering how close he is with tempo, the leader.

he was like "oh yea sure i hate the mfs here anyways lmaoooo" at first but then he got attached. that's how you know things got bad for him.

tempo was a bit disappointed at first, but then he was like "alright fine." trojan was relieved that he was forgiv—

"but what about that time you asked me about something related to acting?"

shit.

he doesn't trust him yet.

and now he thinks trojan is acting all of this time when he is NOT acting.

"it's just something related to this...whole ordeal. sorry."

this is really shitty ngl /hsrs

anyways trojan felt a bit bad after that, because tempo started avoiding him a lil more, and that's when the conflict between them started.

oh dw abt them, they'll solve things once.....uhhhhhhh season 2 comes in /hj

———

• arc 6: confrontation arc

WE'RE BACK WITH ARSI CANT ATE BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

uh. so!

ars is actually back in the cantate kingdom! with aresi and his parents! how peaceful!

......ok not rlly actually lmfao

dark ars continues to torment him every night in his sleep. it irritates ars a lot, honestly, so yikes. BUT THAT ALL CHANGED ON ONE FATE(oh hi girly /j)FUL NIGHT.

ars meets dark ars in the dream world AGAIN. BUT THIS TIME......ARS HAS HAD ENOUGH OF HIS SHIT‼️

ars and dark ars have a lil duel and shit, but then, for some reason, dark ars got defeated again for some reason. what a bitch (affectionate). the two then have a lil talk! like a heart to heart, bc that's all dark ars is capable of at this rate.

basically, their conversation was abt how dark ars is a personification of ars' self hatred and perfectionism. it's hard to explain without his backstory post bc i haven't posted his yet (i wanna finish up on the worldbuilding ones first lol), but yeah, that's the gist here.

if ars learns to accept himself more, then dark ars will disappear and stop bothering him. as a little extra, dark ars will become one with ars. ars then decided to just accept himself for who he is and then boom! he wakes up with dark ars now being an actual part of him that he'll appreciate a little more!

also he gets a new look that i actually used for his proseka stamp redraw, but i haven't made a ref sheet yet lmaoooo

ars tells his whole family abt this and they all hug and cry in joy <3333

ars then decided to get back to modelista city to find the thunderriders, lucas, ana, fate, and destonio again.

———

• arc 7: OH GOD THE GANG IS BACK TOGETHER BUT. BUT LUMINE AND DESTONIO LORE ARC??????

OH GOD FINALLY THE FOCUS IS ON DESTONIO LETS FUCKING GO.

but for a small half of this arc lucars is the focus (yay)

ars gets back to the thunderriders base and literally crushes lucas and ana with the most biggest bear hug ever. what a silly guy. "if we started this together, then we might as well end this together too." he told the two of them.....haa......i love tjem....

anywayzzzzzz the focus is finally on destonio after that. basically he keeps talking about this lumine girl, and how he misses her, even if he hates to admit it sometimes. that obviously made fate a lil frowny lol

ars tries to get an answer from destonio regarding who lumine is, but destonio refuses to answer.

howeverrrr pov switch to destonio just for the sake of flashbacks happen.

throughout the arc, random flashbacks pop up here and there. uhhh the premise of each flashback goes like this:

1. flashback 1: lumine and destonio's first meeting basically. rlly basic shit.

2. flashback 2: the two of them finding out one is older than the other and vice versa when they saw each other at high school, followed by lumine teasing destonio abt his short height that fits his age. destonio Does Not like this at all.

3. flashback 3: The Besties™ hanging out at an amusement park. they got ice cream too and destonio jokes abt how lumine would be a messy eater when HE'S THE ONE WHO HAS ICE CREAM ALL OVER HIS MOUTH LMAO

4. flashback 4: this is where things get...concerning. i think. lumine rants abt how much she hates this world and how she'd rather be dead then see The Horrors™. needless to say destonio was fucking confused.

5. flashback 5: basically what one of my vent arts reference. "i wanna die, and when i die, i'm going to ascend to heaven and be god's most special angel ever! haha- eh? why are you looking at me like that, desto?"

6. flashback 6: lumine tells destonio abt an upcoming summer festival that they both should go to. this is foreshadowing Very Bad Events.

7. flashback 7 (THE LAST ONE BTW GOD BLESS): lumine and destonio are near the edge of a cliff. lumine tells destonio stuff that are muffled out for some reason (to add to that mysteriousness frfr) and then the firework show happened and then—

ah.

that's all.

———

yea this is all i can write for now. i'll probs continue either today, tonight, or tmrw. depends rlly lol

uhhh if you have any questions feel free to ask me! i love getting asks :)

also this is indeed very shitty-ly put together i apologize in advance. maybe one day future me will look back at this and go "oh god this is bad i need to rewrite this" but for now! this.

[sytokun]

Introducing my super cool RWBY rewrite that is definitely better than literally anything

Hey guys, this is my RWBY fanfiction universe. All ideas are mine, I just think... I dunno, RWBY kinda sucks so I'm making my own, better version. I'll call it... RWBY: Rescued or some other vaguely pretentious title, idk. Hey, John and Jane RWBYson! Thanks for subscribing to my project! Or anonymously stalking it? It's hard to tell sometimes.

Now I know I already introduced Team RWBY, and everyone loves them, I'm happy! I'm just gonna add a little dude here, no it's fine! He's like a side character, nothing more. Like an ally, Ruby's first friend, he leads the other team, it'll be really cool I promise. His name is Jaune btw, no, NO big deal. Just trust me on this. I'm the superior writer, remember?

...

Um... sorry guys. Over the weekend I just got a really big spark of inspiration, like... the Muses struck me from the heavens above. So I'm sorry, but... I'm going to make a quarter of the first Volume entirely focused on Jaune, the Volume that is crucially formative to the cast and entire series, which will cause a ripple effect so bad that a consistently large number of fans dislike him in my series 10 years later, but also find it hard to imagine the story without him at this point, like a lukewarm relationship you don't know how to feel about.

But it's fine! The show is still called RWBY and I plan to deliver on that, not like those hacks at Rooster Teeth stepping on Monty's vision. That's the rhetoric I'm supposed to use, right? To make you hate me? To make me into an easy strawman to hate and dismiss? GOT IT, just making sure, lol

I'm going to voice act as him too, btw. No big deal, I'm sure this won't affect my treatment of him whatsoever. Oh, but here's Neptune. He's voiced by the other dude writing this, and we're gonna write a love triangle between the characters we voice and Weiss, one of the main leads. That counts as a character arc for her, right? Right, glad you understand. Oh, Neptune? You actually liked him and wanted him around? What are you, fucking sexist? God. Make sure to tell your friends how cool my story is

Next, I'm going to have Pyrrha's entire screentime devoted around Jaune, and even after she dies, only Jaune is allowed to process his emotions regarding her death while Ren, an Asian dude, and Nora, another girl, prop him up. I'm also going to bring her death up every two years like 2-3 times to really milk that man pain. What does Ruby the main character feel about this? Oh don't worry, she'll talk about it with another character I'll add in. I'll even have her say Keep Moving Forward™ to really sell the audience's Ruby's pain and really stoke and stir your anguish. Her anguish. Moving on.

Eh, something feels off, there's not enough conflict... Let's have Cinder run Weiss through with a spear, for funsies ig, because I have this post-it note on my monitor saying Jaune's Semblance and this is the perfect moment. I'm also gonna give Jaune this whole ass emotional outburst, 1-on-1 fight and confrontation with Cinder since she killed Pyrrha and awakened all his angst.

Ruby? Uh... yeah, she can stand there I guess. I need to remind the goddamn audience that YES, I still remember silver eyes exist, gawd. I have to do it every few Volumes or I can sometimes forget the protagonist in my female-led story exists - man what a pain, I bet I'm gonna be pressured into creating an old lady to teach her or some shit in the Volume right after this one. Whatever, I'll have her disappear in 2 years, they'll never know she left. Anyway OOPS Emerald knocked Ruby out, thank god she's out of the way so I can squeeze in a shot of Cinder stepping on Jaune and really rub that pain in. God, Jaune really needed this, so glad I did that

Fuck it, Jaune kills Penny too. I dunno, it just feels right, y'know? Nah... I don't think Ruby or anyone is the right person for this, and I don't think we've really, one hundred percent explored just how deeply Jaune can angst over dead women; women who could have grown into full, complex people with rich arcs and relationships using all the screentime I parasitically extracted from them via sudden, unwarranted death. Penny, like, she really needs to fuckin' die for this. Her death is worth having to retread this same tired fucking emotional arc if it's for my boy, know what I'm sayin'? Good, glad you understand

Alright, it's the Volume finale. Team RWBY and Neo are falling into the next story arc. Great, people really wanted this - an entire Volume just focused on the title characters together. The fans have been on my ass asking for this since Volume fucking Four. It's alright, I GOT THIS. I FUCKING GOT THIS! It's simple! This is perfect. But... I mean, I shouldn't... but I really... SDGDSGDED FUCK IT, fuck you, Jaune falls in with them too

John and Jane RWBYson: "God, this is why I hate rewriters who think they can write a good story with RWBY. They love making white men the focus of their self insert fantasies while shoving female characters into the fridge and off to the side, all while using Monty's name to rile people into brainlessly supporting it. I hope they fucking disappear"

Wait. John. Jane. Did I say my RWBY fanfiction universe?

Oh. Oh god.

[nikithagonch81]

Okay, I've cooled down on the whole situation and now there's going to be a fresh take on the Scarlett Lady comic by Zoe-oneesama.

Again, I believe that this comic brings almost nothing new to the table except for a few points (if I forgot something, write in the comments, I don't bite):

1) Chloe has a ladybug miraculous, Marinette has a bee miraculous. A swap, so to speak;

2) All of Marinette's acumatizations and mistakes fell on Chloe's shoulders;

3) Cat Noir is the future heir to the box of wonders;

4) Lila and Zoe are swapped (Lila is immediately accepted and Zoe is not);

5) Zoe is really worried about her sister;

6) Sabrina quickly stopped being friends with Chloe;

7) Chloe's redemption arc is removed;

8) Master Fu shows up more often.

Now to the minuses:

1) All of Marinette's acumatization went to Chloe;

2) The author of the comic for some reason decided to make Audrey follow (I mean interested in) Chloe, even though in canon she didn't care about her. In the canon such indifference is appropriate, because Audrey is not interested in her own daughter at all. And here it's unclear whether Audrey is interested in her daughter or not;

3) To me, the title of the comic doesn't reflect the whole point. I think it could have been called "Marigold and Scarlett Lady's Confrontation" if it was necessary to emphasize the fact that Chloe has a ladybug miraculous or "Marigold and Cat Noir's Adventure" and so on;

4) Idealized Marinette (i.e., unlike the series, she is 100% Mary-Sue here). If the author doesn't like Chloe, I think she could have tried to work on Marinette's development, since she doesn't develop in the series;

5) For some reason it is Chloe who is obsessed with Adrian, even stalking him like Marinette in the series. Yes, in the series, Chloe is crazy about Adrian too, but not to that extent;

6) Characters change clothes as often as they breathe (not a direct minus);

7) A lot of people say that, like, the comic is more logical than the series. Well, a little bit. However, it seems to me that if the comic was more logical, the characters would have realized that Chloe is Scarlett Lady somewhere in season 3, if only by her behavior and how often Chloe wasn't in some places (also don't forget that Chloe mentions that Scarlett Lady is her friend, which is a fat hint that she is Scarlett Lady);

8) This is not a minus, but more of a reproach. The comic is too much based on the TV series, I would have liked new akumatized villains or situations.

There are, of course, pluses, otherwise Zoe-oneesama wouldn't have so many readers:

1) Eye-pleasing drawings. The author clearly tried hard;

2) Lila and Sabrina have become superheroes (their costumes are pretty cute);

3) Cat Noir is the leader and I like that better than in the series;

4) Lila was accepted and became part of the class (as a Lila fan this fact makes me happy);

5) Some things in canon are explained;

6) Characters change clothes (I'm happy with this fact, because in the same "W.I.T.C.H." the main characters changed clothes often).

But still, I don't particularly understand why Zoe-oneesan would dedicate a comic to Chloe if she kind of doesn't like her? And it hurts that the comic is popular, unlike the others.

P.S. I’m putting an end to this comic and won’t discuss it anymore.

That is, dear Zoe, you want to accuse a child of racism, while turning a blind eye to the fact that the animated series is full of it? And also deny that Chloe didn't have a redemption arc? You have a clinic, dear.

Chloe's redemption arc WAS, and was the BEST OF THE SERIES. Chloe developed and apologized. I won’t even read your reposted post, because it’s clear that you will look for everything rotten in Chloe, and not close it.

I repeat, Chloe, like Marinette, is 14 years old. Only Chloe is not being sold, but Marinette is.

That is, you are even ready to whitewash Audrey, who in fact is a terrible person, not only in relation to her daughter, but also to others, and expose the teenager as a monster and a villain in the comic?

Sorry, I think you're one of those people who thinks Chloe is worse than Hawkmoth.

We are talking about the comic "The Scarlet Lady" and I strongly advise you not to read it, because the author himself will laugh at you if you love Chloe. And the comic itself brings literally nothing new, even though the characters change clothes almost every episode.

The comic is literally about the fact that Chloe is given all the negative traits from Marinette, even her very stalkerism and about the next praise of Marinette.

I think Zoe and Thomas Astruc would get along well.

[darkveyn]

synopsis 

mitsuya takashi is grateful to have you by his side, even though you both were born in completely two different world. he promised to protect you from any harm and violence, to kiss away your worries and fears and to support you through your life together with him. but what if he ends up being the one who caused you all the pain you never anticipated?

warnings : fem!reader implied, fluff, angst, character death (ocs), manga spoilers

notes : the storyline is somewhere in between the black dragon arc so don't read if you don’t want spoilers. chapters and warnings will be updated as the story progress. chapter titles are subjected to change too. lastly, you could fill up the taglist form below or just drop me a dm if you wish to be notified of any update for this series. thank you for your time.

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【 0 】 prologue

【 1 】 it's a date!

【 2 】 an old friend

【 3 】 advice

【 4 】 christmas eve

【 5 】 i know

...

© 2021 darkveyn. all rights reserved. reblogs are very much appreciated <3

[turnaroundroundround]

Opera References in Musical Yuukoku no Moriarty Op. 2

Some thoughts of mine after re-watching Morimyu Op. 2, regarding Irene's arc A Scandal in British Empire, about all the opera references and some random thoughts that come to mind during this arc. Obviously there's a lot more to Morimyu Op. 2, for instance The Two M's and Mycroft's solo (which I often refer to as "the Mycroft Anthem" lol), the entire Baskerville arc, and the train arc, and so on. And there's a whole lot of other things I'd like to discuss about them as well, but maybe just save it for another time. I don't know if anyone has discussed these references before, and I am not entirely a pro in music either. All I have is some basic knowledge on opera and harmony, so these are just some personal impression that came to mind when I watched this arc, so please keep it in mind.

A SCANDAL IN BRITISH EMPIRE

Okay, so the biggest motivation for this post is, obviously, the music throughout the entire Scandal arc. It is heavily influenced by opera, partly because Irene herself is an opera singer, partly also because the masquerade ball itself is also a perfect stage for an opera to be shown. And the opera was not simply brought in to make the music sound good, but also utilising the plot of the opera itself to create more depth and color to the musical. About Opera during the 19th Century Some side notes. Opera has originated and developed from various different kinds of stage ever since the Greek and Romans. I'm not going into details but anyway, by the 19th Century, it's still somewhat of a luxury that is mostly meant for nobles and people with high status. There are millions of stories about nobles coming to the theatre only to enjoy the music and not the play itself, or not really watching anything but waiting to see their favourite opera singer. Like when the other things in the play are going on, they stay in there box or hang out with other nobles, playing cards and all, and when their favourite singer makes her debut, they come to the front of the box and watch her. Then they return to their games when she exits. All the luxuries. Opera is really something that is meant for nobles and those with nothing but time and money on their hand back then. And another thing is (with an image that I quickly searched on Google just now lol) back them before any stages there is always a pit for the orchestra to be in. They are just below the stage so that the music can still reach the audience as equally, but also low enough that they aren't in the way of the audience's view.

By the way, the role of the conductor and stage director back then was somewhat a blur (if I remember it correctly), as the music writer would very often himself direct the entire stage and become the conductor on the performance day. In case something goes wrong, such as actors need more time to adlib, then he knows how to direct the orchestra to play accordingly. It's quite a small detail, but in Op. 3 Liam also refers to himself (yes this is still about Yuumori lol) as the maestro, somewhat very similar to the role of the conductor himself. This reference, as we can see, shows Liam's role behind the scene conducting all the plots and instructions. It's quite a small detail I think, but also quite interesting

By the way, the leading singer, or Prima Donna (as they call Irene), are always sopranos. And the same goes for Irene Adler, all of her songs were written to highlight her soprano voice, like in 大作戦ーDaisakusen or her song with Ms. Hudson

An example from a song that I was reminded of when listening to Cecile!Irene. Of course there are many other songs we can talk about, this is just one of the examples.

Obviously, Irene's song aren't entirely like classical opera songs. They were all arranged to both highlight the opera feature, but also to suit the form of the musical and all the while showing Irene's elegant and gracious manners of a prima donna, and also showing her playful side especially during her duet with Sherlock.

YAMI NO OPERA - DON GIOVANNI BEHIND THE CURTAIN

To understand Don Giovanni references, it's essential to understand the story behind the original opera by Mozart. That being said, the actual plot of the story is quite long and contains so many details it's almost impossible to fit all of them into one post while also comparing them with the one in Morimyu, so this is a link to a more detailed synopsis of the opera. Or you can also read more on wiki. I'll just give some basic details that are referenced and discussed in this post. Overall impression: This opera revolves around a playboy that flirts with women, but lacking in loyalty and commitment to keep any of his promises to them. By the end of the play, after all the sin he has committed, Don Giovanni is engulfed in hell's fire, and punished for his sin. It is very much similar to the story in Morimyu, nobles relying on their wealth and status and have the freedom to do anything as they want, without having to worry about having to bear the consequence. Because of the difference in power and status, it is almost impossible to punish all of them, therefore having a need of a "demon" to punish them with powers that no human have - the role of Moriarty gang within the play.

In this arc, Liam is "directing" a play that is inspired by Don Giovanni. His audience is Irene Adler (and of course us who is watching the entire thing), and the main character is Lorinson who ends up being punished for his crime. Mozart's Don Giovanni is being performed on stage, but at the same time Liam's "Don Giovanni" happens, in the back stage. What we are watching as the main stage is actually the "back stage" of the real story.

In the original play, Don Giovanni was a playboy that flirts with many women. At the beginning of the play, he flirts with a woman called Donna Anna, and her father tried to defend his daughter. They got involved in a duel and Don Giovanni killed the man. Donna Anna mourns and wish to avenger her father.

In Morimyu, the story of Lord Lorinson (pardon me for not knowing both the translation of his title and his name) is added in spite of the original plot in the manga. As far as my Japanese comprehension goes, the story is that Lord Lorinson is also one that uses his status to abduct other women to his pleasure, and ends up treating them poorly.

At one point, a woman came to the Lord of Crime, saying that her daughter has been murdered by the noble and mourns her. She wishes for revenge, and Liam proceed to do so.

Don Giovanni - Act I Finale

During Moran and Louis' fight with Raymond(?), in the section behind the stage we can see the opera theatre with the Finale song going on. The ensemble is still singing as the fight goes on behind them.

In the Finale of Act 1 here, the section that was insert into Morimyu was rather short, and was meant for a dramatic effect than actually showing what's happening in the original opera anyway. But anyway, we can see that as the fight proceeds, the curtain behind also slowly closes, ending the first Act of the opera.

It's clearer here. We can see that as they are fighting there is an entire opera going on at the back. The fact that the ensemble has their back to the audience emphasises how everything we're seeing are all in the backstage, but at the same time it proceeds alongside with all the events in the "mainstage". It's quite a powerful image.

At one point in the opera, Don Giovanni attends a party where he met one of his previous lovers that he betrayed. Then there's some talking and such and more betrayal, and somehow he then decides that he would also flirt with his ex's maid.

There isn't much that I have to say with this reference in the play, only that it is actually Fred disguising as a maid for the purpose of carrying out the plan and scared the sh*t out of Lorinson lol

I couldn't catch all the details from their conversation, but apparently Fred did some kind of stand-in again as the victim who was murdered by Lorinson, also to provoke him and lead him into Liam's trap?

At the end of the opera, Don Giovanni was cornered by the 'devil', drowning him in the flames of hell. However before that happens, the women that Don Giovanni once flirted with (as well as Donna Anna whose father was murdered by Don Giovanni) gathered, chasing after Leporello - Don Giovanni's servant - who exposed him of his guilts and sins.

The song that the women sung in this scene is "Ah, dov'e il perfido?", and there is a very small section at the end of the song that was kind of re-arranged and added to Morimyu. In Morimyu, this is the scene when Lorinson is exposed of what he is done, after that being "punished" by the devil. There is also a scene in the play when Liam mentions 地獄の炎 - Jigoku no Hono (The Flames of Hell) which is a direct reference from the original Don Giovanni. In fact, what he has been telling Lorinson is the story of Don Giovanni and how he ends up being punished - only that when Lorinson realised that, it's already too late.

(A reference from the song in the original play, the section that is used in Morimyu is actually quite short, only starting from around 5:40 within the song in this video)

In Yami no Opera, the song is arranged with Liam's part of the melody above the entire harmony. So it is indeed a proper opera that "Liam" has based on re-arranged to carry out his plan.

While Don Giovanni is happening on stage, there is also another "Don Giovanni" being punished by the devil - Lorinson. We hear part of the original song from the ensemble in the background, and also Liam's version of the punishment along with Lorinson's struggle. And at the same time the ensemble does seem to be focusing on "Don Giovanni" - all of them looking towards Liam's and Lorinson's position. A really impressive scene.

And after that very short section, the play goes on, returning their focus back to Irene Adler and Albert's conversation. There is no "Flames of Hell" erupting in any ways except for Liam's really strong section of the Yami no Opera song. And there's no need for it, I think, as Lorinson has never been the real protagonist like Don Giovanni. Liam only made him a temporary "protagonist" and not solely for the purpose of exposing him, but only as a mean to show Irene the true identity of the Lord of Crime. So there is no point making it more dramatic than it already is.

So...

That's pretty much all that I have to say about Don Giovanni and opera's reference, I think?

Well another thing, maybe, is how much I love the instrumental arrangement for violin and piano in Morimyu. They don't have the privilege of having an entire orchestra, but instead they did as much as they could for the instruments so that they recreate the original opera vibe as well as they possibly can. And the result is, just, extraordinary.

Anyhow, I've heard many of my friends comparing the songs from Op. 2 and Op. 3, seeing that Op. 3 has more of a "flow" in between the songs as all of them were written with harmony such that they have a certain connection to each other.

Not that Op. 2 doesn't do the same thing. However the second Opus does feel more separated, I think, since the music in the 3 different arcs are much more different. For instance the Baskerville arc has a "hunting" vibe to it, describing Moriarty gang's plan to bring down the nobles' game of hurting children, while the final Scandal arc revolves around an opera singer and mostly happens within a masquerade ball. So there is a big difference between the scenes, and obviously a big difference in the music brought to them as well.

Aaaand, that's pretty much all the details I've picked up (and remembered lol) up to this point.

Anyway, I've been watching and re-watching all 3 Opus of Morimyu many times, each time firguring out something else that I haven't noticed before. So if I end up realising some other details within this arc, maybe I'll come back and add to this post.

Thank you for reading ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ

Also, thank you @rikaaki for these beautiful gifs(☆▽☆)