#extremely lovable characters who think everyone hates them or could hate them at the drop of a hat

[anaussiefan]

Castles crumbling by Taylor Swift is one of the few songs I can listen to endlessly on repeat

[thevoidable]

Why Spinaraki is an underrated gem of a ship

Okay, so first of all I just have to make a quick disclaimer: this is not to discredit other Shigaraki and Spinner ships, this is just to highlight why I think these two in particular are just neat. 

Also, manga spoiler warning, as per usual. Content below the cut.

Why their characters work

Spinaraki’s dynamic is something that I feel like is overlooked by a lot of bnha fans, even from a platonic sense, so I’d like to briefly go over their individual characters to reiterate why they’re such a good match for each other.

Starting off, Shigaraki is an absolutely brilliantly-written villain, with a deep and complex past and personality that make him more than your average end-game bad guy. His broken mind that has been beaten to hell and back by severe trauma is still able to recognise flaws within society and the people that live in it, and has come such a long way since his first debut in the series. But what makes him stand out from most other villains is just how human and empathetic he is deep down.

Despite all of AFO’s grooming into making him a hate-filled, destruction-craving god, Shigaraki still retains a key quality from his childhood: a desire to befriend the friendless.

The reason why the League is such a good portrayal of a found family is because of this innate want to sympathize and look after the outcasts in his life. It didn’t take much time at all for him to come to respect the other members of the League by the time the Overhaul arc came around, and during the MVA arc, it’s clear he cares deeply about their wants and needs. He’s patient and listens to them, valuing their opinions greatly.

And now it’s time to turn our attention to the underrated character of this underrated ship: Spinner.

Spinner was understandably one of the more forgettable villains during the training camp arc - all he had to his character was that he was a hardcore Stain fanboy and nothing more.

However, that all changed when the MVA arc dropped, and we saw a side to Spinner that ties in to one of the BNHA universe’s underlying problems in their superhuman society, and made him so much more three-dimensional, lovable, and relatable. A victim of heteromorphic discrimination, Spinner was outcasted in his hometown and forced into reclusion, where he wasted his life away in his room lest he step outside and risk being called a freak again. It wasn’t until he saw Stain plaguing the news that he was finally inspired to act, seeking out the League who claimed to uphold Stain’s ideology.

At his core, Spinner was simply searching for something to jump on, something that would make him get up and make significant change in his life, and looking at his backstory, it’s no wonder why Stain’s ideals struck a chord with him. He has plenty of reason to despise society like the rest of the League, but his experience with being discriminated against also makes him a sympathetic and sensitive character. He recognises that he’s extremely out of place in the world, even amongst the League, because he was the last one of them to figure out what he really wanted in the end, and it’s clear he has plenty of insecurities when it comes to questioning his purpose in life, comparing himself to others - like Toga, another fan of Stain - and how they seem to fit in so easily.

It’s because of these insecurities that Shigaraki and Spinner work well together, because Shigaraki’s patience, understanding, and confidence is what allowed Spinner to solidify his conviction and come to terms with the fact that not 100% fitting in and just coming along for the ride is perfectly okay.

How their chemistry develops

Spinner and Shigaraki’s first proper on-screen interaction was during the highway scene after the Overhaul arc. This is also the first time we see Spinner question whether the League really is about Stain’s ideology or not, and Shigaraki responds by reassuring him that they’re making a necessary sacrifice. 

Since this is the point in the series where Shigaraki begins to really place his trust and respect in the League, it really shows with how he trusts Spinner’s driving enough to sit on top of the damn truck. And speaking of Spinner’s driving, this is the first time we get a glimpse into his character beyond the fanboy, scenes that we were unfortunately robbed of in the anime.

Spinner’s love for video games immediately gives him something in common with Shigaraki, and the both of them frequently use video game lingo to describe their battle strategies and thought processes.

(Spinner’s face in the corner absolutely sends me.)

From then on, their interactions go into a radio silence until the MVA arc kicks in, and this is where their relationship really begins to take off.

After we get some exposition on heteromorphic discrimination from Spinner, we return to the League in their temporary hideout where we discover that they’re not doing too hot. They’re at a stalemate, unable to really do anything too productive, which prompts Spinner to speak up. He’s frustrated with not knowing what direction they’re going in, and understandably so, because right now, the League is his only place to go. If he left, he would be entirely on his own again, and this time with the heroes breathing down his neck.

He goes into brief detail about the kind of harsh environment he came from and why he was inspired by Stain, and in the heat of the moment, he doesn’t think twice about grabbing the front of Shigaraki’s shirt, the man who could disintegrate him with one touch. Spinner’s got mad balls, I’ll give him that.

Now, it’s known that Shigaraki isn’t too fond of Stain, but he still doesn’t get angry at all, even when Spinner is right up in his face. He remains calm, patient, and is ready to explain what he wants to happen (until he gets interrupted by Machia, of course).

Fast-forward to when they’ve all been warped inside the doctor’s lab and Shigaraki now has to present his conviction to Ujiko - Spinner’s expression is a little difficult to read here, but it seems his expectations for what Shigaraki has to say are low.

However, when Shigaraki speaks, his words deeply resonate with Spinner, and it becomes clear that Shigaraki had listened very closely to Spinner’s frustrated rant back in the hideout.

That last panel is especially interesting and drawn in a very deliberate way. Notice how, as Shigaraki is explaining his feelings, everyone except for Spinner is either confused or uninterested, and the panel is framed so that Spinner is the only one looking directly at Shigaraki. It very subtly conveys how Spinner is the sole person in the room who understands how Shigaraki feels, because despite coming from completely different backgrounds and experiencing completely different levels of trauma, Spinner and Shigaraki still hold the exact same sentiments when it comes to their innermost thoughts and desires.

So, needless to say, Spinner is now somewhat invested, and ready to pay close attention to Shigaraki’s future actions.

The next time we see them, it’s a month and a half later, and here we see Spinner relaying his concerns about Stain once again to Toga.

It seems that he’s talking more to himself than to Toga, and it reveals his insecurities about his place in the League. He’s debating on whether or not he should stay or leave, and which is the better option. He appears to be willing to wait a little longer to see things through however; he wants to see where Shigaraki’s pursuit of his dream takes him.

(That’s pretty home of sexual of you, Spinner.)

Cut to when the League are battling with the MLA - Toga gets caught up with Curious, Twice runs off to go look for her, and Compress and Dabi are separated from the group via Geten, leaving Spinner and Shigaraki to fight together. Spinner is the first to witness Shigaraki’s Quirk suddenly evolve to where the decay will spread to whatever is touching it, and he’s quite amazed by it.

They begin to get a little overwhelmed with how many soldiers they’re up against, and since Shigaraki is in a very hazy, sleep-deprived state, Spinner voices his concern for him. Shigaraki brushes his own health off to the side to bring up his uncertainty in his decision to fight the MLA, and he asks for Spinner’s opinion on the matter, showing that once again, Shigaraki listens to and values what his allies have to say. This time it’s Spinner’s turn to reassure Shigaraki that he made the right choice, allowing him to refocus on getting to the tower.

Shortly after, the Twices show up to help escort Shigaraki to the tower, and Spinner takes this opportunity to help lighten the burden by taking out the politician, who is basically giving the MLA soldiers stat boosts.

In the midst of his fight, he reflects on where he came from and how he got here, and he finally solidifies why he wants to follow Shigaraki. After realising that they share the same sentiments, he too wants to see the horizon that Shigaraki is envisioning. Shigaraki “lit a fire in his heart”, and as all he can think about is helping him in whatever way he can, he comes to accept that it’s fine if he’s just coming along for the ride.

(”I’ve got nothing I love” Are you sure about that-)

As we come to the grand finale of the battle, Shigaraki obliterates a huge chunk of the city, levelling it completely, and Spinner is the only other member from the League to witness it.

He’s completely awestruck, and when it comes to Spinaraki, it doesn’t get any gayer than these two lines parallelling one another: 

Some post-development crumbs

Now that we have their relationship established and developed, we can poke at the smaller stuff that takes place afterwards.

The first little crumb we get is when Shigaraki is introduced on stage in the room beneath the MLA mansion. The other League members are waiting for their cue to walk out, and Spinner’s heart beats as he watches Shigaraki intently.

After the speech, Shigaraki collapses from exhaustion, and while Compress simply remarks on how it’s a miracle he was still standing, Spinner expresses legitimate surprise and concern.

And for one last crumb until we see them interact again, I just think it’s cute that Spinner is in the support regiment of the PLF, yet again continuing the notion of Spinner wanting to help Shigaraki however he can.

In conclusion…

Spinaraki is a surprisingly soft and wholesome villain ship with a lot of fluff potential. Just two local gaymers who want to get back at society for condemning them, and who have each other’s complete support and loyalty.

Shigaraki has a huge soft-spot for his fellow outcasts, and Spinner is no exception. He accepts Spinner for who he is, doesn’t make any condescending remarks about him or his appearance, and remains patient and calm even when Spinner gets frustrated, making sure to listen and take in every word that’s said. He values Spinner as a person, and that ends up meaning so much for Spinner in the long run.

Spinner was someone who had no desires of his own, and nowhere to go where he felt safe and accepted. Even after taking up Stain’s ideals and joining the League, he was uncertain if he still belonged there - he’s noticed how there is no longer a trace of Stain’s ideology within the League, and he’s still faced discrimination in the form of Dabi calling him a lizard during the highway scene, something which the CRC does at the beginning of the MVA arc. However, Shigaraki ended up becoming Spinner’s reason for staying, finally giving him purpose to his life. They feel the same when it comes to acting out against society, and they’re able to understand one another on that emotional level. They have plenty in common, and it’s very clear now that Spinner is fully-prepared to follow Shigaraki to the ends of the earth.

Spinaraki’s dynamic is severely underrated, and the concept of Spinner - who has no prior romantic experience - crushing on the world’s new destructive god is too good to pass up. And the video game dates? 10/10, so damn adorable, they could bond over so many different games and just chill out when they don’t feel like going outside. Not to mention it’s just so good how Shigaraki isn’t fazed by Spinner’s appearance and how Spinner desperately needs that from someone, because this boy has obviously not been loved at all and craves that kind of connection (I mean, just look at how easily flustered he got from Mandalay’s flirting; no wonder he was pissed about it afterwards, now that we know what kind of history he’s had. That was probably the first time anyone’s ever complimented his appearance, and it just ended up being a dirty trick).

So yeah, Spinaraki has my whole heart, and I can’t wait to see them interact more (pls lord Horikoshi, give us Spinner reacting to buffraki when they reunite, I need to see his gay little heart panic for a whole second). Their dynamic is one of the cutest within the League, and I really hope more people see it when the MVA arc gets animated.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this - have a cute little sketch my good friend @batsyart​ did as a bonus!

[alchemyist]

Book Series: RENEGADES TRILOGY by Marissa Meyer (2019)

Heroes against villains, like how it always should be.

I think the action scenes for this trilogy are very well-written— so if you are craving some teen action-packed series, I think this one does great to satisfy you! Plus, I love secret identities, superheroes and supervillains, etc. If these aspects attract you, say no more.

We were all villains in the beginning.

We were all heroes in the end.

In terms of plot:

In this dystopia, I really enjoyed the idea of superheroes and supervillains, especially when the main character is a villain (or supposed to be. Keep reading). The first book of the trilogy, Renegades, got me going because of the two main character’s secret identities, and their growing love toward each other despite the sides they are on, and their difference in beliefs. Sworn archenemies in their alter egos, they fall in love in their civilian forms, and the entire setup made me think about Miraculous Ladybug! <Spoiler!> reviews about the rest of the books below.

The intensity of each battle scene was epic enough, but the storyline was built up rather slowly. In the second book, Archenemies, we focus on developments and the edge of the discovery of each of the main character’s secrets. The final playout was extremely intense, I couldn’t put the book down. I was extremely disappointed–don’t get me wrong, it’s not about the book!– about how Nova, on the side of the villains, lost— AGAIN. I was so into the book and Nova herself and her origin that it made me rooting for villains, hoping they thrive and receive the justice they fought for– Marissa Meyer actually made me feel for the bad guys.

Then again, this sets off the third and final instalment, Supernova. Before reading the book, I have the feeling that it may be too much of a rush to the story. This seems like an impossible premise the author is trying to explore, and I’d like it if it spreads into few more books! I believe heroes and villains and their fight of dominance is very difficult to place, and is not at all easy to land a final, satisfying conclusion where both sides are happy.

This final book unhinged me before I got to the last part of the book. I was eager to read each page, and the story was pretty climatic as events unfold and secrets are unveiled– but that’s the thing, it is rushed, and I feel like the secrets were revealed in a very undramatic way… possibly too uneventful for the entire trilogy because the story has, after all, been revolving around their secrets. I am quite disappointed by the reveal of their secrets, but otherwise overall, the third book, Supernova, the very title of this post itself, is by far the book I enjoy most in the trilogy.

As mentioned previously, I was curious to see where Marissa Meyer will take this book, but unfortunately, it sort of let me down when Nova eventually decided to kill one of her own, stopping the very family she has. I mean, she isn’t at all cut out to be a villain in the beginning, but is that all really necessary? I feel like it is her undoing, the beginning of how she is going to grow and live as a character, yet no emphasis was given. Do heroes always win? It was rather unnerving to see Captain Chromium being invincible at all costs, and rather upset when in the end, the anarchists were the villains, always were and always will be. I’d have thought there will be some values, given how they have been oppressed by the Renegades who, in fact, are all the people claiming great power.

That’s how all books should end, right? With villains at the losing side, and heroes who always surpass everyone and are the role models of society? This particularly got on my nerve when Danna, a character from the book, was threatening the Rejects and the runaway villains with sheer power of the oppressive force of heroism. I felt like this could’ve been done better, because if it’s about finding a way for all prodigies to live together, I think she could have just said in a nicer way that they should lay low first, instead of simply stating, the heroes will always win, and will take you down any day. And at that point, I thought I would be so disappointed with the ending. I especially felt the message was kind of forced and delivered the hard way, making the books kind of turn into something I would drop...

Wrong. The author once again has me surprised. Sure, I was growing disappointed toward the end because I felt like the heroes will always win (excuse me, but I do find circumstances where the bad guys thrive) no matter what. And, hey, isn’t the book trying to imply the system with Renegades in rule is kind of messed up? And to which the world is better off without heroes at all? The most disappointing part was, however, when Max was the one who saves the day– I know this kid is really powerful and all, but I was kind of hoping Nova discovers a hidden ability of some sort, something to do with the connection with her late father and all those star stuff (the cover, anyone?!). [Still disappointed how Nova FALLS to the good side like she always belong there, though. Shouldn’t this series be about how the lines of heroes and villains aren’t always clear? The notion should just be eradicated, instead of ending with “we are all heroes”.]

But really, overall, I was impressed with how the epilogue managed to turn and my entire view of the trilogy. I foolishly believed Marissa Meyer was not going to address the definite balance of the world, where when there are heroes, there will always be villains. When Captain Chromium has declared after the battle that “There were never villains to begin with”, I thought, how wrong! If that’s what the author is trying to convey, selling out that people can simply be good in the end after everything they’ve been through, that’s unrealistic and false hope. Nevertheless, fantastic Marissa Meyer got this all covered in a simple epilogue. She made my blood chill at the ending –Magpie is Evie, and the two long lost sisters will never know?!– and I was flipping the last page for the next chapter only to know it’s finished. The author handled the story perfectly as how I’d hoped: that in the end, there will always be evil lurking, and the best purity can never be achieved. After all, don’t we live in a world of Yin and Yang?

Characters:

Marissa Meyer’s diverse cast of characters are so amazing, and should be well accredited for! Like my childhood favorite author, Rick Riordan of Percy Jackson and many more, she made characters of different races, skin color, sickness, and various pairings with cannon homosexuality.

Each character also has their own significance, and she made us hate certain characters, which means good writing. The characters are diverse yet have a strong personality to themselves, making them unique. Girls know how to kick ass!

Overall, the entire cast is so lovable I really appreciate the diversity. Marissa Meyer should be celebrated for this.

[somedayonbroadway]

Hey! Can you go into detail on the Outsiders AU

Okay, alright, here it is, the one you’ve all been waiting for...

The Outsiders AU

Characters

Romeo- Ponyboy Curtis

Crutchie Morris- Johnny Cade

Spot Conlon- Dally Winston

Jack Kelly- Darry Curtis

Racetrack Higgins- Sodapop Curtis

Albert DaSilva- Two-Bits

Finch- Steve

Morris Delancey- Randy

Oscar Delancey- Bob

JoJo- Cherry

Buttons- Marcia

Story

So Romeo is a greaser. He’s a scrawny kid. He’s a bit different from a lot of his friends and especially his brothers. While he loves to run and is extremely fast he’s nowhere near as built or as athletic as his two older brothers, the only family he has.

Romeo is extremely close with his big brother Racetrack. Yes, that’s his real name. Racetrack Kelly. No one knows for sure why. But Race never minded the name. It was always odd to know that their parents had a James and a Romeo and a Racetrack in the middle.

Romeo and Racetrack are as close as brothers can be. They are affectionate and playful and Race loves to make his little brother smile.

Jack, however, Romeo’s oldest brother, is a bit of a different story.

See, before their parents died, Jack and Romeo got along just fine, great even, but ever since the crash, Romeo and Jack has always budded heads. Jack always won the arguments. It was because he was twenty and Romeo was only thirteen. It was because Jack always told him that if he didn’t listen to him, he and Racer would end up in a boys home.

It was easy to forget that Race was still a kid, what with him dropping out of school and getting a full time job at a gas station. Race acted like Jack did. Like an adult with responsibilities and bills to pay. Race would even have to help Jack sleep sometimes by massaging Jack’s back after work, which Jack always protested. He didn’t like it when Race had to put him to sleep like that. He always just asked Race to help him relax so he could get them some dinner or something.

Jack is stressed all the time. He works two jobs to keep their house that their parents used to pay for. He gave up college to watch after his two brothers. And all he knew how to make after the crash was chocolate cake, resulting in them having chocolate cake for breakfast far too often. It draws their friends over a lot.

Romeo thinks Jack resents him. Being so young, he doesn’t realize that the reason Jack is so hard on him all the time is because he’s truly trying to protect him and keep him and Race with him.

One day, Romeo is walking home from the movies and a gang of socs see him alone. They decide to try and pounce on him. Scare him.

See, socs and greasers are mortal enemies. And every soc knows not to mess with any greaser in a pack. Greasers play dirty to protect their own. In the community that Romeo lives in, every greaser knows each other. Every greaser looks out for every other.

But today, Romeo’s alone. He loves going to the movies and doesn’t have anyone to go with. So he’s walking home alone.

And the socs jump him.

They knock him to the ground and pull a knife on him, teasing him and telling him they’re gonna cut his greasy hair. Romeo tried to act tough. He tries to push them off, but they manage to knick his throat.

That’s when the rest of the neighborhood finds them.

Albert, Race, Jack, Finch, Spot, everybody. They tackle the socs to the ground, jump on their car and on their backs to get them off of the kid. Jack grabs Romeo up off the ground and puts him behind him, practically daring anyone to try and take another swing at the kid.

When the greasers eventually scare the socs off, Race runs over to Romeo immediately, checking him over and making sure he’s okay. Jack does so too, asking him how bad the cut was. But Romeo leans more towards Racer. He always does.

Everyone is around to make sure Romeo is alright and Romeo sees Spot who he hasn’t seen in months. He asks when Spot got out of the clink. Spot just shrugs. He doesn’t answer really answer him. He’s more concerned about asking the boy next to him if those were the same socs that jumped him a few months ago.

Crutchie is the sweetest and kindest and purest sole among the greaser gang. He is the gentlest of them all.

Four months prior to this, Crutchie was jumped by a group of socs who nearly killed him. Crutchie brushes it off, tells everyone not to worry about him. He says he’d gotten worse from his father. See, Crutchie’s father is the one who gave him the bum leg that gave way to his lovable nickname. His mother’s a drunk. She never stops it. Crutchie floats around from couch to couch, ending up at Jack’s house more often than not, as it is widely known that Jack’s door is open to any greaser who needs a place to stay.

Anyways, Jack takes Romeo home as Race is close behind.  That night, Race puts Jack to sleep by massaging his back and then takes Romeo to bed. They share the one queen size bed in the house and Jack has a twin bed in the other room that simply lays on the floor.

Race asks Romeo if he’s cold and cuddles up to him when he says that he is. Then he tells Romeo that the only reason Jack is hard on him is because of how much he loves him. Romeo argues and curls into Race, telling him that Jack doesn’t treat Race the way he treats him. Race gives up and tells Romeo to go to sleep as he rolls over. He says he has to go to work so Romeo needs to stay quiet and still. But the second he rolls over, Romeo wraps his arms around him from behind and makes Race laugh. He tells Race that he loves him and then goes to sleep.

The next day, Spot promises to take Romeo and Crutchie to a drive in movie theatre. He does. Spot grabs then a little early and he lets them watch while he terrorizes some kid socs.

Eventually, they make it to the movie where they sneak in after Spot cuts a whole in the fence with a pocket knife. There, they meet a couple of soc girls. JoJo and Buttons. Spot attempts to hit on JoJo but she tells him off with the help of Romeo and Crutchie who admit to him that he’s taking it too far. Spot would get angry and leave and JoJo and Buttons would invite the boys to move up and sit with them. Romeo and Crutchie would defend Spot a bit to them, stating that they don’t know Spot and he’s a really good guy if they would get to know them.

JoJo and Buttons get irritable after their boyfriends try to come in and tell them to come back to their date. They get them to leave them alone and try to explain to Romeo and Crutchie that not all socs are the same. They don’t really believe her.

Eventually, Spot comes back trying once again to flirt with JoJo only to get splashed in the face with soda and told to go away. They go to leave, asking Romeo and Crutchie to walk them home. They do, along with some greasers they find along the way, like Albert and Finch. They are however, followed by a group of socs led by Morris and Oscar, JoJo and Button’s dates. They are tipsy at this point, and they are already looking for a fight as they demand JoJo and Buttons get away from the “rats” as they call them. The greasers gear up for a fight only for JoJo to stop them. She tells Romeo that it would just be easier for them to go with Morris and Oscar.

JoJo and Morris have been dating for a while. Oscar and Buttons had only just gone out on one date.

The socs leave and the greasers walk home together. Albert and Finch leave Crutchie and Romeo in the park in the middle of their primarily greaser neighborhood, knowing that Crutchie always debated whether or not to go home to his alcoholic parents. They always offer him a place to stay, but Crutchie doesn’t want to feel like a burden so he typically sleeps in the park under a blanket of newspapers.

On this night in particular, Romeo sits down with Crutchie for a little while, just to talk to him, and falls asleep. Crutchie wakes him up about an hour later and tells him that his brothers will be worried about him so he needs to get home. Romeo offers Crutchie their couch if he gets cold and then heads home, leaving his friend in the park.

He gets home to find Jack and Racer sitting in the living room, anxiously waiting for him. The second he walks in, Jack is getting up and yelling at him for being late and scaring him out of his mind. Romeo tries to explain that he hadn’t meant to fall asleep or stay out so late. Race tries to calm them both down as best he can but Jack yells at him, telling Race that he doesn’t need his kid brother telling him how to deal with his other kid brother and then telling Romeo that he couldn’t even call the police because the police would take Race and Romeo away from him. Again, Race tries to calm Jack down, only for Jack to yell at him again.

Romeo jumps on Jack’s back and tells him not to yell at Race. That’s when Jack lashes out. He throws Romeo off his back and backhands him before he can stop himself.

Everything freezes for a moment. Jack can’t fully comprehend what he has just done. He tries to apologize, but Romeo is already off running and before Jack or Race can fully recover, he’s gone.

Romeo runs back to the park and wakes up a shivering Crutchie and tells him to come with him, that they can run away and get away from the people who don’t appreciate them. Crutchie tries to ask him what’s wrong and Romeo starts crying and tells Crutchie that Jack hit him and he goes on and on about how Jack hates him and wishes he had already sent him to a boys home. Crutchie tries to tell him that that is not true and how much Jack loves him, but he’s interrupted when they hear the sound of a car coming behind them. They freeze and look over at it only for Crutchie to pale and tell Romeo that that’s the same car the guys were driving when he got jumped.

The socs see them.

They try to run, but with Crutchie’s leg, they don’t get very far. Romeo says he’s gonna run to get Race (and Jack by extension, even though he doesn’t say it), but the socs catch them before he can. It’s Oscar and Morris and their friends. And they’re drunk.

They threaten the boys, tell them to stay away from their girls. Crutchie tries to stand up to them. It only makes them mad.They go to beat him but Romeo jumps on Morris’s back.

So they turn on him.

They beat him and drag him to the fountian a couple yards away. They try to drown him.

A few moments later, Romeo is pulled from the water. He half expects Jack to be there, pulling him into a hug and apologizing like crazy. He kind of hopes for it. But he looks over to see Crutchie standing beside him, looking completely shaken with a bloodied knife (a pocket knife that Jack gave him) in his hand. It doesn’t take Romeo long to figure out what happened. Not with Morris’s body only a few feet away from him.

He throws up almost immediately and Crutchie tells him it’s alright, that they’d figure this out. So they run off and go to find Spot. They’d find him at a party of some guy that he happens to be staying with and gives Romeo an extra set of clothes to warm him up and a loaded gun to Crutchie. He then tells the boys to get on a train and head west to an abandoned church he used to stay at when his father first kicked him out, commenting that he hated that he would be the one to have to tell Jack his little brother was going into hiding because of a murder.

The two do as they’re told. They go after Crutchie hugs Spot and tries not to cry.

The two hide from the cops on their way to the abandoned church and the morning after they get there, Crutchie goes out to get them some food, also grabbing a copy of Gone With The Wind for Romeo and some dye for the kid’s hair. Romeo immediately shoots down the idea but Crutchie explains that the socs went to the police and their descriptions are in the papers.

Romeo lets Crutchie cut and bleach his hair. He only cries a little, remembering how much his mother used to love his hair. He remembers his brothers and how close they had been when their parents had still been alive and he cries to Crutchie about how much he wants one of Jack’s hug at that moment.

It is widely known throughout the greasers that Jack gives the best hugs.

Crutchie reassures him that he’ll see Jack and Racer again and that everything will be okay. And then he lets Romeo cut his hair and tells him to have a field day.

For almost a week, the two are holed up at this place. Romeo reads Gone With The Wind to Crutchie for some kind of entertainment. One day they get up to watch the sunrise and Romeo recites a Robert Frost poem, “Nothing Can Stay Gold”. He admits he doesn’t truly know what Frost means by the poem and that’s why he remembers it so well.

Days later, Spot comes to check on them. He laughs when he sees Romeo’s blond hair and teases him about wanting to be more like Racer everyday. Romeo pushes at him but Spot gives him a letter from Race and Romeo immediately perks up. In the letter Race explains that he’s worried sick and Jack is even worse off. He tells Romeo that Jack cried for hours after he’d lashed out, and had tried to go out to find him.

Romeo feels horrible and gets upset so Spot tries to take both him and Crutchie out to eat to cheer them up, where he explains to them that ever since Morris’s death, the violence between socs and greasers have gotten worse and there is going to be a rumble later on in the week. And Spot would tell them they had a spy on the inside. JoJo. And that people that were investigating were thinking that Morris was killed out of self defense.

Crutchie would tell Spot he was going to turn himself in. And Spot would get angry. He’d tell him that he didn’t want him to turn out like him, mean and callous. Crutchie would say it's not like his old man would miss him and Spot would lecture him even more, telling him so what? Spot’s old man didn’t even notice he was in jail. But it didn’t matter. He had Jack and Hot Shot and Racer and Albert and all the boys and that was enough.

Then he would immediately tell Romeo that he better not tell Jack he said that.

They’d drive back to the city in Spot’s car, stumbling across the small church that has caught on fire. Without really thinking about it, Romeo jumps out of the car and rushes in to save a bunch of kids who are stuck inside. Crutchie and Spot rush after him, trying to get him out and Crutchie and Spot get caught inside while Romeo helps three kids out the window. The building collapses.

Crutchie and Spot are rescued and taken to the hospital while Romeo rides with a cop and is questioned about the entire affair. He sees Crutchie rolled in, barely conscious and burned up real bad. He’s told the roof collapsed and broke the other boy’s back. And he sees Spot come in not too long after, not looking near as bad as the older boy threatened to gut him if he ever did something that stupid again.

At the hospital, it’s only a couple of hours later that Romeo hears footsteps. He looks up just in time to see Race rushing towards him, lifting him up and hugging him tightly.

Romeo cries a bit in Race’s arms before opening his eyes to see Jack nervously standing behind them, watching Romeo with tears in his eyes. Before he can even offer a greeting, Romeo is rushing towards him and flinging his arms around his brother’s waist. Jack would admit he thought he lost Romeo like they lost their mom and dad and he’d hold onto him for dear life. Then the three brothers would just stand there clinging to each other in the hospital waiting room.

Jack takes his brothers home, practically clinging to Romeo the entire time and telling him how much he loves him.

The next morning, Jack wakes Race and Romeo up for breakfast and Jack asks Romeo if he’s feeling ok. Romeo insists that he’s fine but Jack says he could probably stay home if Romeo needed him to. That’s when Albert and Finch barge into the already full house, grabbing a chocolate cake and beer for breakfast as Albert sits in front of their old TV set to watch Mickey Mouse cartoons.

Albert says that he’ll babysit Romeo and Jack lets him, only teasing him by telling him to get a job on his way out.

Albert takes Romeo out for the day, walking around the city and visiting Race at work, like usual, asking about everything. Romeo doesn’t want to talk about it too much.

Eventually, they once again stumble over the same soc car that was full of the bullies who had nearly killed Crutchie months ago and then nearly drown Romeo just a few days prior.

Oscar says he doesn’t want a fight, though Albert gears up for one, along with Hot Shot who happens to be nearby. Oscar just asks if he can talk to Romeo alone for a minute. Romeo agrees, though Albert is hesitant.

Oscar lets Romeo sit in his car as he tells Romeo that he’s sorry and cries over his brother who is dead because they’d gotten stupid drunk and couldn’t have been stopped otherwise. He tells Romeo he is unhappy with the idea of the rumble and will not be participating and states that the violence between greasers and socs won’t be solved that way.

After that, Al takes Romeo to visit Crutchie in the hospital, where Albert calls the kid Charlie for the first time in years and cries over how bad he looks. Romeo asks if he thinks Crutchie is gonna die and Albert refuses to answer. Crutchie asks for another copy of Gone With The Wind so Romeo can finish reading it to him so Albert goes to get him one from the gift shop. When he leaves, Crutchie tells Romeo that he’s scared and, while he’d wanted to kill himself in the past, he didn’t want to die anymore. When Al gets back, they are asked to leave because Crutchie’s mother is there to visit him. Crutchie gets angry and begins to yell at the nurse to get his mother to go away. He passes out after fussing for only a minute and Albert storms out of the room crying and yells at the mother who is standing outside the door in a fit of tears telling her that she was only ever a lousy drunk and this is where it had led her.

The two boys then go visit Spot in the same hospital to find him flirting his way around the hospital staff. Spot tells them he’s going to break out of this joint soon and Albert laughs and tosses him a bar of chocolate which he says he stole from the gift shop.

Later that night, the greasers are gearing up for the rumble. Race and Albert and Finch are extra excited, doing handstands and flips all the way down there while Jack sticks back with Romeo and tells him to stay back because Jack can tell he’s not feeling well. Romeo promises to stick to the littler guys and call for Jack if he really needed help. So Jack lets him go, carrying him on his back to the park.

The rumble gets out of hand fast. Romeo gets beat on harder than he’d expected. But the greasers ultimately win.

Spot, who had showed up just in time for the rumble to start, takes Romeo back to the hospital to see Crutchie who they are able to talk to for only a moment before the boy loses his life, telling Romeo to “stay gold”.  

Spot loses it. He begs Crutchie to wake up. He cries for him and gets frantic when the kid just lays there motionless before he runs out of the room, leaving Romeo alone with their dead friend.

Romeo goes home and immediately is in Jack’s arms. He has to tell Jack that Crutchie’s dead and Jack cries right along with him.

When the phone rings later that night, Albert answers it, telling Jack its Spot and that Spot is demanding to talk to him. Jack takes the call and is told by Spot that the police are coming after him again for robbing a convenience store down the road and that he needs help. Jack tells him that he’ll meet them in the park and tells everyone one else what’s going on.

They rush to try and hide Spot. But the police get to him first. Spot has an unloaded gun in his hand. The greasers know Spot’s guns are rarely ever loaded. They try to tell the cops that, screaming at them not to hurt Spot, but Spot is shot several times while he’s waving around his useless weapon and he dies right then and there.

Jack tries to turn around and hold onto Romeo. But Romeo collapses.

Romeo is sick for several days, weak from the burns and bruises and new concussion he has from the rumble. When he wakes up, Jack gives him a copy of Gone With The Wind, left to him by Crutchie and tells him that the hearing about Morris’s murder is the next day.

Jack and Race both take the day off to spend all the time with Romeo that they know they can. Jack calls Romeo “baby” a couple times, trying to show his affection more often now that he almost lost his little brother.

The next day, the hearing happens. JoJo testifies and tells the jury about how her boyfriend was drunk and looking for a fight and had been violent the last time she’d seen him.

Romeo is released into the custody of Jack and allowed to go home as he is cleared from charges.

A few days later he is going back to school. JoJo, who told Romeo a long time ago that she might not be able to say hi to him in public, goes back to ignoring him.

Romeo is told that his grades are dropping and that if he can write one good paper, his teacher will pass him with a C. He goes home to Jack and Race only for Jack to ask him about school and about where he wants to go to college and Romeo starts arguing with him. Once again, they try to put Race in the middle of it all, only for Race to get defensive and run out of the house.

Jack and Romeo chase him down and Jack holds him tightly, apologizing to him so much as Race cries about being a rope in a tug of war for them. And for a while, the three of them just stay there, holding onto each other.

The next morning Romeo begins to work on his paper, looking through the book that Crutchie had left for him. He finds a note. Crutchie’s last words to him, instructing Romeo to “Stay Gold” once again and telling Romeo that he was proud to die if it meant the kids they’d saved got to live.

Romeo starts on his paper, reciting the events that had happened within the past week or so.

And there you have it folks, 9 pages later here is your Outsiders RP Outline! I hope you all enjoyed it!

For more RPs, check out my list here! Thank you all so much!

[shinneth]

Gem Ascension Tropes (Peridot-specific: I - K)

Reference:

Primary Peri Post ▼ Primary General Post ▼ Full Article

I Am What I Am: While technically in Chartreuse’s form in this moment, Steven’s (as Pink 2.0) intensive Epiphany Therapy towards the end of Chapter 8 of Act III revolves around Peridot’s inner turmoil and self-acceptance regarding her past life as a Manipulative Bastard, which has wracked her with endless guilt since her canon Heel-Face Turn. Said guilt turns out to be what is really inhibiting Peridot’s ability to fuse with Steven. Once it’s lifted when Peridot fully accepts herself, she not only finds that she and Steven can fuse after all, but together fulfill an ancient prophecy as the Diamond of Miracles.

I Gave My Word: Peridot promised herself and everyone else that she’d save everyone trapped on Homeworld and make sure they’re brought home to Earth, and remembering this often helps shake her out a mental funk she’s stuck in.

I Hate Past Me: A major internal issue for Peridot that only gets worse the further she progresses through Homeworld as former repressed memories of how horrible she was as a Homeworld Gem are inadvertently regained. White Diamond actively tortures Peridot by making her watch these memories in Act III, and this ends up weighing down so heavily on Peridot’s conscience that it inhibits her potential for fusion.

I Just Want to Be Special: Peridot is well aware she’s the weakest Crystal Gem, is one of the most common types of gems in existence (as well as the lowest-regarded kind in society) and is destined to be insignificant as an Era 2 gem who will never measure up to her friends. That hasn’t stopped her from going above and beyond to avert this even in her Homeworld days, and now being able to legitimately lead what’s left of the Crystal Gems is Peridot’s opportunity to really stand out and shine. However…

I Just Want to Be Normal: By Act III, it’s revealed Peridot is not only a Chosen One, but a one-of-a-kind Unwitting Test Subject that hasn’t been seen in several millennia. She becomes the first and only ascended gem, capable of being an ordinary gem and a Diamond simultaneously. This consequently makes her the only Era 2 gem with Era 1 capabilities, the only Diamond to be created from another gem, and then there’s her ridiculously powerful ability to conjure things by willing them into existence. All of this is thrown onto Peridot at once, who was determined not to let White Diamond compromise her identity… only to succumb to her fate following a Moment of Weakness. This trope is especially prevalent in Peridot at the very end of GA and all stories following it, as the consequences of her achievements in Act III force Peridot onto a pedestal she doesn’t feel ready for. Ironically, all of this is something Peridot would have been fully on board with prior to her Character Development.

I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Double Subverted with Pumpkin. Celadon Diamond – a fusion of Chartreuse Diamond and White Diamond – killed Pumpkin (while attempting to kill Greg, which he narrowly avoided). While Celadon used willpower (inherited from her Peridot/Chartreuse component) to do the deed, Peridot herself tried to do everything she could to make the fusion hold back. However, resigning to the fusion the way she had made Peridot’s influence on Celadon very limited; White was a much more dominant presence in the fusion, and her desire to kill Steven’s father overpowered Peridot’s resistance. It was only after this happened that Peridot managed to find a way to break the fusion, after several failed attempts. Had she been able to break the fusion earlier, all of this could have been avoided. While Peridot knows it wasn’t fully her fault that she lost Pumpkin, severely injured Greg, and destroyed the Crystal Gems’ spaceship, the fact remains that it was her power that caused this mess. Peridot failed to use her powers to save Pumpkin despite her efforts, and until Steven consoles her later in Act III, she laments that she could have spared Pumpkin, Greg, and their ship from this if only she had been strong enough to break or hold back the fusion. She also could have prevented this if she hadn’t fallen prey to White’s tactics earlier that rendered her emotionally vulnerable, which allowed the Celadon fusion to happen in the first place.

I Lied: Manipulative Bastard Peridot says this verbatim to 9FC in a flashback shown in Chapter 2 of Act III in regards to their friendship.

I Owe You My Life: Peridot wholeheartedly credits her life to Steven. It’s more than him simply liberating her from the oppressive Homeworld life where Individuality is Illegal and giving her a second chance when no one else would. Because he spent so much time teaching Peridot about Earth, as well as talking to her and enjoying life together, Peridot has very good reason to believe her “Great and Lovable” self would never have existed without him. She’s deeply grateful for it and makes sure Steven knows she feels that way several times in the story.

Before this (though it takes a long time for Peridot to remember this), Lapis is similarly credited simply due to coming in just in time before Peridot’s Near-Rape Experience with Jasper went any further than that. Lapis had no intention of saving Peridot; in fact, she was more than willing to let Peridot be subjected to the full extent of being violated for the sake of her own safety. However, Jasper was naturally more drawn to Lapis not only out of instinct, but lust/alleged “love” – meaning Lapis inadvertently took the bullet for Peridot anyway. Several times, at that, while the three were a team together. While the trauma surrounding the incident and Peridot’s own reprehensible behavior during this time were so overwhelming that they had to be fully repressed and nearly forgotten in order for Peridot to function properly after this, she never let herself forget that Lapis did save her from an incident that nearly erased her entire identity – which can be seen as her life being saved. This was the main reason why Peridot went out of her way to be accommodating for Lapis in canon, even at her own expense.

I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Played with. Peridot was fully prepared to be rejected by Steven when it came to the pursuit of a romantic relationship. No matter how jealous she was over her competition, Peridot valued her friendship with Steven far too much to jeopardize it over a selfish desire. She will gladly put Steven’s needs above her own every time. Thankfully for her, it never came to this.

I Will Only Slow You Down: Her rationale when she tells Steven and Garnet to Go on Without Me. White Diamond is just a couple of minutes away, which affords them no time to break the gate with brute force, while Peridot is too fatigued and injured to save herself. While she tries to smile at her friends without showing any tears or sorrow, that briefly fades when Peridot turns her head to hear White Diamond closing in. She resumes her smile when she looks back at Garnet and Steven, now more adamantly ordering them to leave her behind.

I Will Wait for You: Has this sentiment for Steven regarding her feelings for him, under the assumption that he may not be ready for that kind of relationship yet or if he’s with someone else entirely. Peridot’s got all the time in the world to wait for her turn. Luckily for her, she doesn’t have to wait too long.

I���m Having Soul Pains: When Peridot tries to do too much with her willpower in her base form, she will suffer this in the form of headaches, fatigue, and overall physical strain. This is due to her form not being a very good conductor for this kind of power; this kind of side-effect does not happen when performing the same feats (or greater) as Chartreuse Diamond. Only problem is that Peridot doesn’t exactly like to be Chartreuse unless she absolutely has to…

The Immodest Orgasm: It’d be more surprising if someone as naturally loud, expressive, and dramatic as Peridot didn’t behave this way. And sure enough, this is what happens in Chapter 2 of It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is.

Improvised Weapon: Even post-ascension, Peridot never gains an official weapon. Beforehand, she literally could not summon one from her gemstone due to her limitations as an Era 2 gem. Now charged with willpower, Peridot can summon pretty much any weapon she wants for the right situation, assuming she can decide on what to go with. Prior to this, Peridot improvised at least two weapons in a hammer (which she later gifted to an unarmed Connie) and a piece of metal scrap she was able to manipulate into whatever shape she wanted. Although it was mainly a mode of transport, Peridot also used a steel beam to ram into a pallid gem late in Act I.

Drop the Hammer: Though she used it very sparingly before giving it to Connie, Peridot did use the hammer to damage Yellow Diamond badly enough to stun her for the entire battle.

Indy Ploy: Peridot is forced to resort to this in Chapter 5 of This is Who I Am. 5XG is strangling the Light Steven in a separate dimension – consequently, Dark Steven (Peridot’s opponent) is unable to breathe due to his life being bound to his counterpart’s. Being isolated in a separate dimension makes Peridot unable to directly interfere with her counterpart’s efforts… except for one way: injuring herself. The problem is that 5XG is extremely resilient to damage, so Peridot has to inflict a severe injury on herself to have any hope of causing enough mutual damage to disrupt her dark self. With both Stevens moments away from being choked to death, Peridot has no choice but to go with her instincts, as there’s no time to think anything through. She knows it’s a bad idea to directly damage her own gemstone, but being bereft of options and not having the luxury of taking time to think this through leaves her with no choice. She stabs her own gemstone with a broken floor tile – this does force 5XG to stop, but now both Peridots are on death’s door. Luckily for them, Light Steven is merciful enough to heal the one who almost killed him while Dark Steven begrudgingly respects Peridot’s efforts to save his life and heals her to avoid feeling indebted. Ultimately, this insane plan helps end both deathmatches, as both Peridots are too injured to function while both Stevens are too fatigued to carry on, leading to a draw where both Steven and Peridot escape with their lives against all odds.

Inelegant Blubbering: Downplayed, but Peridot’s reunion with Steven in Act I includes sobbing into his chest, calling him every derogatory name she can think of, and punching his shoulder for each insult. Being that Peridot is severely injured, she’s not hurting Steven at all and it isn’t long before she fully devolves into this. Badly enough that the Crystal Gems need to split up and relocate, since Peridot’s cries are garnering unwanted attention.

Inferiority Superiority Complex: Still burdened with this, as Peridot can’t really escape being faced with constant limitations as the only Era 2 of the Crystal Gems… until she ascends, of course. But even then, she has limitations on her new powers unless she shifts into Chartreuse Diamond. She’s constantly self-conscious as a leader, and now that Peridot has regained her memories of her life as a Homeworld Gem, she has a lot of Old Shame moments that are hard for her to live down… especially when the Homeworld refugees constantly remind her of those times.

Insecure Love Interest: Downplayed, as this mostly applies to Peridot after she regains her memories about how awful she used to be during her pre-Earth life. It’s only hinted at in Act II; by Act III, Peridot also struggles with her identity as an Unwitting Test Subject that led to her betraying her friends early on. While it’s seemingly mended with Steven’s declaration of them being an Official Couple by Chapter 5, another problem arises in their inability to fuse. By Chapter 8, it’s revealed the primary cause of that was Peridot’s own guilt over her past crimes weighing her down to the point where she subconsciously believed she didn’t deserve to fuse with Steven.

Insistent Terminology: At the end of It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is, Steven points out the Department of Redundancy Department nature of Peridot’s GA-exclusive catchphrase, “stupid idiot”. Peridot’s response?

Peridot: “It’s not redundancy, clod. It’s emphasis.”

Steven: “I’m… not following.”

Peridot: “Some people can be stupid; others are idiots… but it takes a special kind of clod mentality to achieve the level of stupid idiot, Steven. When I say you’re a stupid idiot, I mean you’re an idiot even by idiot standards, get it?”

Insufferable Genius: Per canon, Peridot definitely has her moments of this, although she’s often prone to self-criticism in the story as well. Sometimes, she deliberately invokes this trope in an attempt to cover something up (usually an insecurity).

Internalized Categorism: Downplayed as time goes on; in Act II, she admits to envying Amethyst for being a gem made on Earth rather than Homeworld, as Peridot had grown to loathe being associated with her home planet in any way. Still, Peridot knows there’s nothing that can be done about it, and she soon no longer has the luxury of lamenting over such trivial details. But then, it’s revealed Peridot is part-Diamond in Act III – and this trope returns with a vengeance. Peridot learns to accept herself by the end of the primary GA series, but still isn’t really comfortable about embracing her Diamond heritage.

Involuntary Shapeshifting: Happens a couple of times. Most notably, she shifts into her Chartreuse Diamond form as she grieves over Pumpkin’s death that only makes her destructive reactions worse.

It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: For all the times Peridot wanted to stand out and be special, she didn’t get to enjoy even a second of it when it was revealed in Act III that she is a very unique Chosen One after all. While Peridot eventually has Steven to lean on to share her burdens with, the Post-GA stories exaggerate their woes as the new Era 3 operation looms over them, as they are the designated centerpieces for the operation, being the only diamonds left in existence at that point. Stories taking place after their project launches show that the burden of responsibility and work have weighed heavily upon the pair.

It’s All About Me: Heavily downplayed due to the high stakes and circumstances of Peridot’s goals in the story, but still has her moments of this. Played very straight regarding who Peridot used to be before she was assigned to monitor Earth.

It’s Personal: Messing with Steven automatically makes any matter personal for Peridot. After Act I, it becomes more personal as White Diamond directly messes with her life and compromises her identity that brings life-long consequences. Then Pumpkin gets brought into it, and… the results are not pretty.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She’s still full of herself, she’s still a brat, and she’s still prone to respond aggressively, but don’t ever question Peridot’s love for her friends, her loyalty towards her family, or what she’s willing to do or what she has to sacrifice to keep them out of harm’s way.

Jerkass Ball: Chapter 6 of Act III: after failing to fuse with Steven during their private time together, Peridot covers up her misery with this in order to function not only as a Crystal Gem, but a co-leader of the team, as well as avoid admitting her confirmed inability to fuse to the rest of her friends. However, this façade only makes it more apparent to the others that something is wrong with Peridot, who absolutely refuses to talk about it.

Jerkass Woobie: Peridot in a nutshell after her Near-Rape Experience with Jasper, but before her Heel-Face Turn when she aligned herself with the Crystal Gems.

Jumped at the Call: The moment she realizes Steven’s in trouble, Peridot not only does this, but is irked the others didn’t react like this and instead waited for her to reform before doing anything at all.

Karma Houdini: Until she met Jasper, Manipulative Bastard Peridot suffered no consequences whatsoever for her horrific behavior on Homeworld. She literally got away with murder on several occasions; even worse, often got rewarded for it. Peridot’s good fortune abruptly ran out once she was finally promoted and got on Yellow Pearl’s bad side; ever since her first encounter with Jasper, misfortune followed Peridot everywhere she went. Before long, she was finally suffering the consequences for her cruel ambitions.

5XF expresses that she has no desire to become “another 5XG” regarding her own despicable actions during Chapters 4 and 5 of This is Who I Am. Apparently “5XG” is a synonym for this trope now.

The Killer in Me: The Amnesiac variety, as Peridot is horrified and disgusted to remember how reprehensible she used to be once she reaches Homeworld, and how many lives were lost due to her actions, directly or otherwise.

The Klutz: Per canon, but also the reason why Gem Ascension didn’t end with Act I. Actually heavily downplayed in Act I after leaving Earth, specifically so it happening in Act I’s climax would be even more impactful and unexpected.

Knight, Knave, and Squire: The Squire to Bismuth’s Knight and Lapis’ Knave.

[thecrazyanimegirl]

Fall Anime ‘18

We ended up watching a little less this season, we had to drop some because we just had no time, but it was a good season ^^ finally the golden kamuy second season and even space battleship tiramisu! 

Since we often have similar opinions about the anime we watch, so we will make our review this time a little bit different, we’ll just put our general opinion on it, something all three mods agree on.

{ Winter ‘17/’18 }  { Spring ‘18 } { Summer ‘18 }

Akanesasu Shoujo 

It got a little better as episodes when on and it was interesting in some ways when you power through all those cliche scenes of getting power by accepting yourself stuff.

Armor Shop For Ladies And Gentleman 

Short and funny, if you can handle the boob jokes xD It would be more entertaining if the story progressed a little bit faster rather than showing how the three coworkers live together. Also had some much too much prolonged meaningless scenes that ate away the already short duration of the 4 minute episodes.

Ass Miss Beelzebub Likes 

Hell as you’ve never seen it before, all cute and fluffy, with fallen angels and demons being normal desk workers and falling in love ^^ A really cute romance story, the characters are adorable and lovable! It was amazing if you like the genre!

Bakumatsu

Not sure why this is getting a second season, I was really tempted to drop it, it just didn’t keep me interested in the story and had too many characters that are just there and idk what they all wanted. (Only neko finished the season, the rest dropped it lol)

Bloom Into You 

A really sweet yuri anime ^^ It really focuses on their relationship, on the deepening of their feelings for each other and their problems and growth as individuals. It’s soft, easygoing and filled with happy feelings, but at the same time tackles some harder themes, like the feeling of inability too love, unrequited love, losing a loved one and learning to live without them, the different “faces” people have etc.

Dakaretai Otoko 1-i ni Odosarete Imasu

Our dream has come true! A classical BL manga turned anime with no shame with showing the juicy stuff and centered on the relationship of these two hot guys. The angst is mostly unnecessary, but we’ll take what we can get!  

Double Decker! Doug and Kirill

A detective story with a lot of action, humor and lovable characters! Yes, it’s not plot heavy and isn’t an anime that will swipe you off your feet, but it’s different, completely acceptant of diversity, has great humor and, overall, loved it! It has some charm to it that is undeniable!

Gakuen Basara 

Funny AU adaptation of the original series, Sengoku Basara. For those who are thirsty for more content and want to see their favorite characters in a new art style, this is definitely a must watch.

Goblin Slayer

Amazing! Loved loved it! Although, it has violence and rape, so it isn’t for everyone, but it has depth and it’s really interesting. The action is cool and Goblin Slayer-san is even cooler! Loved the other characters too. Totally looked forward to each episode each week, it was definite that the next episode will be great too ^^

Hey, your cat ears are showing!

A really cute shounen ai story (which I didn’t even know, so I was quite surprised when some feelings started to show up xD) about a guy who finds a stray cat who turns out to be a boy! Pure and short.

I’m glad I could keep running

A four-episode story about a guy who tries to become a voice actor. A great story, it’s well paced and worth the watch! And the actual voice actors are also popular and great too!

Jingai-san no Yome

Changing between creepy and cute, it’s a short anime about teenagers being married off to supernatural creatures. Since it’s only 3 minutes per ep, we finished watching it, and it had its cute and funny moments

Karakuri Circus

It’s a bit different, has a unique art style and story, but it’s really good! Kinda expected more of the circus part and less puppets haha, but nevertheless, the main characters are interesting, there are great battle scenes and the story is intriguing. It sometimes had unnecessary angsty scenes with no actual plot, but other than that, a really underrated anime this season that deserves more attention! ~

Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet

It’s a typical romeo and juliet story. Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it either. 

Merc Storia: Mukiryoku no Shounen to Bin no Naka no Shoujo  

It’s cute and soft and the fact it has many stories makes it less boring, but it’s still a childish anime so you’ll only like it if you are a child like me (in heart).

Radiant

Yes, another overly ecstatic kid who wants to save the world and has mysterious powers, but! It kinda works with this one, it’s actually really good ^^ The characters are cute and funny, it’s easy to watch and if you’re still not on board, there is Dragunov, a really hot guy with amazing hair and cooking skills ;) 

RErideD: Derrida, who leaps through time

The first five episodes are extremely promising, but the rest is not so fulfilling. It’s interesting enough to keep watching, the whole idea is pretty good, but somehow it’s lacking in depth and explanations. Much better binge watched then watched one ep a week.

Run with the Wind

If you ever tried running in your life, you will sympathize with the characters BECAUSE. IT. IS. REALLY. HARD. This anime will warm up your heart seeing how each of the boys try to do fight for their life goals and at the same time, the running helps each of them them in a unique way.

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai 

Even if the title screams ecchi, it really is not. And it’s really good! The plot is interesting, unique and compelling to watch, loved the characters and their interactions. 

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san

Since this anime depicts how japanese bookstores work, there are quite some interesting things few would think of. It’s comedic way of showing the everyday life of a bookseller and short episodes is perfect if you are interested in knowing more about the japanese culture. 

So Many Colors in the Future What a Wonderful World

A really beautiful, magical and aesthetic anime! The animation is wonderful and the story is sweet and interesting. It’s a warm story about a girl that is unable to see color and is sent back to the past by her grandma. It’s mostly about friendship and bonds that you make with people that will never disappear. 

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Didn’t really expect much from the title, it sounded like there will be a lot of clothes melting and girls screaming haha But it ended up amazing! Love the plot, the characters, the battle scenes and it’s really a sure thing that each episode is going to be great ^^ It’s easygoing yet interesting. An isekai anime done right!

Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu

Love it! The characters have really touched our hearts! It is not as good as novel, but the anime is still beautiful so we can forget that (not forgive though). The novel has a completely different feel to it. (Not saying the anime is bad, it’s actually really good and the characters and plot are still amazing, but it’s just different)

Voice of Fox

I liked the anime, but the ending didn’t really solve anything. It felt like like they were just glossing over the bad stuff with singing? It is mostly angst in the later episodes and after the so promising first couple of eps it’s kinda disappointing, but overall, it still keeps the viewer interested and has a lot of potential if they fill the plot holes.

Zombieland Saga

Miyano Mamoru having a blast being a manager for seven zombie girls who he trains to be idols. Extremely hilarious, good music and actually has some real feels! Loved it! ^^

Hero Mask

Doesn’t really fit in the season time frames, but Netflix released another anime! (and I think that it needs a bigger fandom so I’m putting it here hehe) It is a bit more slow-paced than most anime, but if you like a good crime story, you’ll probably like this ^^ Great animation, loved the fight scenes, the story is also really good and has some powerful girl characters! 

Dropped: Ms. vampire who lives in my neighborhood., Release the Spyce, Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi

[petty-crush]

An open letter/retort to the “honest trailer” for “Alien Covenant”

Of course people can disagree and of course this is a sarcastic video. But since this contains a lot of knee jerk, being negative for views comments, (and because people may get fooled by just watching this video)I think this is a good place to dissect frogs.

My bias; I think “Covenant” is a truly great film. Spectacular in ideas, behaviors, visuals, and pure fun. I loved it. I am clearly willing to die on a hill for it

The main gap is that it’s really a different series, under the mask of the “Alien” series. It actually veers closer to the 1932 film “Island of lost Souls”. Ship of survivors representing normal veer into uncharted territory; a mad scientist bending the rules of biology encounters and clashes with them; the monsters he creates go to war with the ship. And in this film evil wins.

It also contains genuinely great performance(s) from Fassbender, grand sketches of gods wrecking the cosmos, humanity abandoning its children to go after unanswerable questions, and more that harken back to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” sandbox of sci fi.

To me, this film is all about David. The humans are cannon fodder for them. Which justifies their characterization. Also, he’s clearly a stand in for Ridley Scott and the work + wonder of being an artist, film director in particular.

I love this. I can see others liking it less, but is beautifully realized, staged, and executed.

So what are people looking for? Well…

[quotes around their words, mine by themselves]

“From Ridley Scott, one of the best directors… And one of the worst”

-first off, I think an artist is judged by their best work, not overall average

Scott can be quite varied. I personally favor going to cosmos than staying in your lane. Sometimes that make mistakes, but interesting ones.

Make no mistake though: “The Counselor” is a first rate film, acidic in the extreme, but so totally gonzo that it makes you breathe a different air. It’s the kissing cousin to “Covenant”, and both show a director willing to try new ideas and tones, and pulls it off spectacularly. Both have no interest in making the viewer feel good or flatter them, which definitely pushes some people away

“There are now more bad alien films than good ones”

-first off, where is “Prometheus”? Isn’t it an alien film? If not, and “covenant” is clearly a sequel to it, then maybe this film should be judged apart from the Ripley saga.

-I have wondered at times if calling it “Prometheus: Covenant” would have cut down on the confusion

-“Alien 3” is a spectacular film. It fully commits to the idea of Ripley having courage and purpose to her life as she knows she will die. It is completely different to “Aliens”(which may have been its problem concerning reception,as we will see) and “Alien”, it forms a perfect trilogy. Fincher may hate how fucked he got by the system, but it is a beautiful and wonderful film

“Alien resurrection” less so. But it is an odd, French splatter cartoon; certainly worth watching, not at all bad.

The “vs predator” films are largely minor, and I have no qualms with considering them less successful films.

-What makes the alien series great is that with each film the xenomorph changes to be what the film needs it to be. It’s flexibility storytelling wise is impressive. The problem comes when a audience only wants one type of story done

“When Ridley Scott wanted to talk about the meaning of life, he wanked for two hours”

-“Prometheus” has nothing to do with life, and everything to do with death. The characters in the film want to know about life (particularly Shaw since she can’t give birth) but they are punished at every turn, showing the universe to be uncaring.

Disagree with that statement or not, that is the rule that “Prometheus” and “Covenant” is abiding by.

Hell the first shot of “Prometheus” is an engineer killing himself. “Covenant” starts with life and realizing how the creator will die. There is consistency in this film universe.

And it also totally vibes with “Alien”.

“Save the philosophical stuff for ‘Blade Runner’, I want a short haired girl, in a tank top, fighting a xenomorph, who kills it by sucking it into the vacuum of space”

-and now we come to the real discussion/thorn in the side; this film isn’t a damn thing like “Aliens”

One thing that makes the alien series so fascinating is how it allowed two totally different filmmakers to make their masterpiece.

Also, it’s the rare series where the sequel brought in a bigger and wider audience.

I bet money that most people really only like “Aliens”. And that’s no shame, it’s a brilliant film. It’s strengths are the set pieces, the use of xenomorph as locusts, and characters that are simple but snappy and endearing.

In comparison to “Alien” which is cold, weird and slow moving (and brilliant) “Aliens” charm is more warm and dynamic. It doesn’t ask you to wait, it asks you to hold on. It gets kids in the door with Newt, it sets up a deep chord with Ripley giving her mother like affection , and it also makes Ripley more feminine and kick ass (she was wonderfully butch and joyfully selfish in “Alien”)

Cameron said it best in his critique of “Covenant”; “ I don’t like films where you invest in a character and they get destroyed at the end.”

Some people share that opinion. Ridley Scott does not. (Nether do I)His films generally have had the protagonist go through hell and often destroyed them. I admire that in him.

But that point of view explains why “Aliens” is so successful; it makes us love the characters and be sad when their friends die. Cameron is a genius, and is warm with his characters. Scott is also a genius, and picks their wings off like a cruel child.

Every alien film post “Aliens” has had to bear that cross, of creating such lovable stock characters. “Alien 3” didn’t give a shit, and made a impressive gathering of detached male prisoners. “Resurrection” came close with goofy space pirates, but were weird as shit.

In my opinion, if “Alien” came out after “Aliens” it would have not been as warmly received, because, got damn, is it cold and weird and hurts its people. It’s suppose to. The reaction to “Prometheus” and “Covenant” shows that all too clear.

Finally, Scott clearly does not give a shit about any alien film after his. I don’t think the Prometheus saga will show the queen alien because it came after Scott and he considers it invalid.

With this in mind, I can see how people are upset. Cold, hateful, sadistic are what “Covenant” are. And I love it for that.

I love mean films with a purpose and artistic flourish. And the Prometheus saga does it so well.

If you came to “Covenant” to root for its human characters, you are fucked (and kinda an idiot). Scott is making big budget sci fi epics about the mass murder of nature and survival of artists.

You can hate that, but call a spade a spade.

“In a franchise full of unforgettable characters”

(Shows only “Aliens” characters)

What about Dallas? Ash? Clemens? Golic? Call? Elgyn? Gediman?

There exists good characters other than the second film, guys

Once again, this love for “Aliens” blinds people to everything else

“Forget the humans”

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

-but also, that slipping on blood part was (intentionally) hilarious

“Freshman philosophy class…two versions of same pretentious professor..flute”

-why do I get the feelings that the people who say stuff like this never study philosophy and just consider anything even slightest bit about talking about feelings and ideas just stoner shit, because they are the only people that talk about those subjects they let in their social circle?

I dunno, the idea about humanity killing its children for vague reasons, someone trying to better himself against cruelty and going mad himself, and finally having the courage to create something even when everyone else tells him to stand down sounds pretty universally relatable and human to me.

And even if it was pretentious, that is what art is, to subtract the distractions, and focus on what you want the world to be

-to me, David is sad Walter cannot create, like Scott is upset younger directors don’t get to make original universes and material. But David is also a fucking maniac who will stop at nothing, to whom other lives means nothing. That kind of grand vainness is perfectly at home in the world and its what art leisure to create out of whole cloth

But all of this gets in the way of watching strong men blow things away with guns, doesn’t it? (“aliens” did this to show how ineffective the marines were, not to worship them)

-the flute adds to the fantasy element, of the pied piper trying to lure others away, to their doom

Plus, it’s just fucking funny

“Snickers at 'I’ll take care of the fingering’”

See? This film is just so much fun

“I was not expecting this much flute playing”

I love it when films surprise me. I adore it when filmmakers follow their strange urges and give us scenes I never saw coming.

I love the scene of David tempting Walter with the flute.

I marveled at the scene where David drops his black plague on the engineers(who look totally different).

I looked around as David played the fucking theme to “Prometheus” on his flute. I starred at the other audience members, as if to ask “is this the real life?”

I laughed uproariously as just when you think it’s safe the xenomorph tracks the two pilots shower sexing, like it’s 1982 slasher time.

As soon as the humans delver us to David, I could see who this film was about. And really, the humans are just for showing his gentle and different Walter is.

Ridley Scott delivered a new horror classic, with a eye towards the 70’s and 30’s, but both feet in the present, with the score and design to make it work.

The first victim convulsing and back blood shooting. David acting as satan. Terror of trapped in the sick bay. The aforementioned shower scene. The cross bearing xenomorph rejects. The puppet master pulling the strings of the first post face hugger.

This is a brilliantly conceived, written, directed, and persevered treat for horror fans. I loved every second of it.

“Thrill of seeing the xenomorph move. In full daylight. Which just looks…wrong”

This is the best point of the video, though I disagree with the conclusion.

It is weird and against the vibe of the Ripley saga for the xenomorph to be a servant. But clearly these creatures are the hounds to mr burns. Satan. Evil mad dr Moreau.

It definitely gave the the film a totally new vibe. As did all the green life. But isn’t that what films are about, showing new images?

It just looks so damn different. I like different. Different and great-even better.

“Cgi Ripley?”

That would be pretty weird. But since I more or less wash my hands of any continuity, why not?

It’s probably just a spur of the moment statement. But also incredibly funny

“It asks [x] questions but leaves you wondering [y]”

Mac, the real question is, do you like to create? That’s all this film is about. The joy of creation. Of weaving something new out of something old.

Like, Ridley is literally exploiting his own creation. It’s surreal and the best.

“Compares terminator series to Alien series”

This is more apt, but in a different way.

For both series, The first film is a stand alone classic. A low key masterpiece. The second is an expansive blockbuster which really really skewed expectations for future films.

The comparison ends there though. Sigourney Weaver has way way more character to work with. Poor Schwarzenegger had so so directors to work with, while the Alien series put down the work of real filmmakers making challenging art.

I enjoy the terminator series, but it’s clear that it’s so much the work of one man (James Cameron) so no one else can make it work. But the fluidity of the xenomorph makes every single film worth watching and honestly essential.

The second film in both series cast a long shadow. But while the following films in the terminator series really don’t hold up if stand alone, the following xenomorph films all showcase a different side to hubris and death

Which is honestly the best way to approach this film. Something new, vibrant, and bizarrely personal

Respecting and knowing horror and monsters films for what they do helps too

“Me at the idea of six more alien films”

I love it. I usually get tuned out after a few films, but this Prometheus saga just works. The possibilities are endless.

Ridley Scott deserves the highest kudos for turning this series into greatness

In a certain way, “Alien” is “Halloween”, perfect in its execution and of its singularity.

Prometheus saga is Friday the 13th series. Messier, off to an odd start, but a snowball of its own delights that fosters an utterly nihilistic universe. Like Jason, David is too good for just one film, and we need those eight films of him. It may indeed prove to be the essentials space monster-mad scientist series, just like Jason is the essential slasher killer.

Is this pizza to a steak? Yes, but each have their own pure delights, and like a certain pie, it just gets better and beautifully blurrier with each dizzying bite

Long live Prometheus saga; may it rule in hell for an eternity. Just as “Covenant” does in my heart.

[rudderless-in-an-ocean-of-stars]

So a lot of the premise of S2E19 was the idea that Kara did a lot with her fists- and didn't consider talking. I was just wondering what you thought of that- Kara literally talked a robber down with just her words, and all of the sudden she doesn't know how to do it at all. Seriously, what is up with this backwards character development?

I’ve been thinking about your question for quite some time- which is why I’ve taken so long to respond, sorry, and it’s a very good one.

Yes, we did see Kara learn that fists aren’t always the answer to every solution in season one, and it was a beautiful episode.

So it does leave the question- why take that away from her character now?

The writers probably needed to further the problem of the episode, to show a direct source of conflict between the pair, so they took Kara’s reasoning skills down a couple notches to reduce her to being the ‘brawn’ so that Maggie could be the ‘brains’.

Let me explain the logic behind this. (Brace yourself, it’s a doozy.)

Maggie’s place in Team Supergirl is still undefined. Everyone else has already carved out a place for themselves within the group dynamics- for example, Winn with his technical skills, Alex with her general badassery. Given that the occupations of Alex and Maggie are so similar, it served as a catalyst for their meeting and subsequent encounters that led to their relationship. However, the similarities between them have made it so that Maggie cannot simply take the role of ‘badass with a gun’ within the group, because Alex already has it. This means that she must prove her worth to the team by providing a skill or talent that isn’t already there.

Kara, we know, is a very empathetic, kind character. While it makes sense for her to rush into danger heedlessly, due to her invulnerability to most forms of harm, it does not make sense for her to have broken a man’s arm or given another a concussion without feeling guilty about it. She’s lived on Earth for nearly half of her life, and we know for a fact that she’s learned how to regulate her strength very well. Besides that, she has always been reluctant to physically harm her opponents in debilitating ways. She normally incapacitates them as best as she can without injury. Whether this is due to her high level of empathy or her heroic sense of self- like Batman and his NO killing rule- is irrelevant. What matters is the fact that time and time again, we have seen her go to great lengths to resolve situations peacefully- attempting to sway Astra, for example- before resorting to violence.

So to have Kara so casually dismiss their injuries at the dinner table was completely out of character for her. While she uses the ‘greater good’ reasoning to justify her actions- by claiming that she saved the lives of the hostages- Kara has never been the type to risk others in the name of the ‘greater good.’ She would risk herself, as we saw at the end of season one, but she would never willingly compromise the safety of another individual- and if she did, she would feel extremely guilty about it. After she dropped Cat off of the balcony under the effects of Red K, despite the fact that Cat was not physically harmed, the guilt that wracked her was extreme. For Kara to break one man’s arm and leave another with a concussion is one thing, having her care so little about it is another, and a very out-of-character move for Kara. But then again, a lot of her actions were out of sync with the hero she has spent the past season developing into. However, it was done to have Maggie assert herself as someone capable of contributing ‘new’ skills to the team.

And having Maggie bring up the ‘Supergirl defense’ is another thing. Had Supergirl really used excessive force repeatedly, we would have seen mentions of this in the media when they criticized her previously. A superhero hurting people doesn’t make for much good publicity, does it? The vigilante defense is one thing, and they did have a point about debris-contaminated evidence, but Kara would never injure so many people and feel nothing about it.

Yet this is what they had her do.

Why?

Simple.

It all comes back to cementing Maggie’s role in the team.

She needed a place, a position, as I said earlier, and in order to get that, she had to play a critical role in helping and mentoring Supergirl herself. So by making Kara take a few steps back in terms of character development, they allowed Maggie to be seen in a new light by the members of Team Supergirl. Through this, she was also able to finally gain the respect of our favorite hero, and forge a working, if not friendly, relationship with Kara.

This, however, cost Kara’s character something, but it was remedied at the end of the episode, where Kara is shown to have learned her lesson and talks the villain’s father into cooperating. A nice touch, but not as nice as having Maggie succumb to the demands of Alex’s classmate. It was a brilliant role reversal in which Maggie was forced to do exactly what she had accused Kara of doing earlier- taking the fast, brutal solution rather than negotiating and reasoning. Both characters learned a lesson in this episode, and it was very well-written.

Obviously, it wasn’t perfect- making Kara’s character backtrack wasn’t the smartest move, but it was efficient, and it got the job done at the end of the day.

However, we also can’t ignore the way that a lot of the character development from last season has been shunted off to the side or disappeared altogether- and not just for Kara. This, I DON’T blame on Maggie.

No, for this, I blame Mon-El.

To push him forward as one of the major players in what is shaping up to be the central conflict of the season- Rhea’s evil plans- the Supergirl writers had to quickly make him a 'hero’ of sorts, in the audience’s eyes. Unfortunately, they did this by reducing the storylines of pretty much every other character, regularly giving him the spotlight of many episodes, and turning Kara into a rash, lovesick puppy too blinded by the shoddy writing and supposed charms of an alien frat boy to remember that her character- the character we came to love in season one- would never, ever be with a slave owner, or a man who can’t do the simple task of remaining faithful, or a man who tries to guilt her into a relationship by making her feel bad for not returning his feelings.

Mon-El is the ultimate representation of the self-proclaimed 'nice guy’ that we all love to hate.

Y'know, the guy who feels like he deserves everything, even if he does little or nothing to earn it, up to AND including a girl’s affections. The sleazy guy who offers to buy you a drink and gets mad when you turn it down. The guy with a chip on his shoulder who feels like the world owes him something simply because he’s a man. The guy who will sit down and talk with you like a rational human being, and say he’s not like other guys- until you turn him down for a date, and that’s exactly what he becomes. Entitled. Arrogant. Spoiled.

And Kara’s own behavior towards his guilt trip is another prime example of how poorly written her character has been the past season. Look at how gracefully she handled Winn’s unrequited affection for her- the pair came out stronger and better for it, and Winn grew into his own because of it. But now she immediately decides to jump into a relationship because his feelings for her- which were initially unreturned- caused her to have a magical change of heart?

Sorry, no.

There were so many other ways to develop Karamel as a legitimate, healthy relationship that I would respectfully acknowledge in spite of my support for SuperCorp.

Unfortunately, the writers made him too important, too quickly, which dashed any hope of a slow, realistic evolution into a redeemable, lovable character. Thanks, guys. He had serious potential, and if his story hadn’t been rushed so quickly that it became one the wildest face-heel turns to ever grace a television screen, he could’ve been a great character.

Could’ve been, but now he isn’t.

Sorry, Karamel shippers- if any of you are reading this. I hate hating a ship, but one as badly executed as this one doesn’t deserve even the dignity of my respect. I respect you, and your right to support it, but don’t ask me to do the same for your toxic ship.

Sorry if this response went on a bit of a tangent, anon, but I hope it all makes sense! :)

Remember, my ask is always open- for prompts, questions, advice, anything at all. :D

[imperialdramons]

I remembered the Daichi dilemma of “he is an awful/good” character and kinda went off the rails with my opinions so here they are.

I feel like people are really divided on Daichi’s character and many hate him? I’ve seen a few people go “lmao bye daichi” every time they play ds2 and I’m just so confused as of why anyone could hate his character.

I figured it must be the taste in humor? Daichi is like 2% salt 98% depression suppressed by shitty humor. If a person really hated Daichi’s type of humor, it’s easy to say they’d hate Daichi too because Daichi’s personality really consists of a type of humor that only really works if you resonate with a style of comedy that sometimes points out the unrealistic aspects of a game with a realistic reaction. Such as when they had to find a person in Osaka and Daichi’s reply to everyone’s message to “Go find Keita” was the only one that said “Alright! Let’s look through the entire place...where he... might be?” Because they had no solid leads. In a group where everyone just yells “Let’s go!” with no clear destination, this actually resonates with the player well because he points out that you don’t know where you’re supposed to be.

I can see how this type of comedy wouldn’t be someone’s cup of tea if they wanted to immerse themselves in the world of the game because Daichi does sometimes take you out of the unrealistic aspects of the game with his responses- but I just find that charming? I don’t always (and most times i find it really annoying because it does kill the experience), but I think it works with Daichi because he is a very human and empathetic character in a world that’s completely destroyed and void of empathy. It’s easy to see how these two don’t mesh. How would you feel in that type of world? I think I’d probably be worried every day like Daichi no matter how adjusted I got to the situation. Then I’d cry because there’d be no wifi.

Daichi is the only one who keeps freaking out and never really adjusts to the fact demons are roaming around tokyo, and that their world is about to vanish. He keeps expressing his feelings about how “It’s just not normal” for Io and Hibiki to be used to this, and I can actually understand his point from a realistic perspective. It isn’t normal. That’s why it’s a game, and this is why Daichi sometimes kills the mood (besides just filling the air with comedic responses) because you realize exactly how unrealistic everyone’s reactions are to the situation even given all their circumstances. 

Daichi is also very indecisive, and doesn’t pick sides, which gives him so much more humanity than everyone who picks extreme sides in the game on a whim without seeing the full context. He really is a well written character. I wanted to say “it’s sad he’s set in an environment where he doesn’t get to show that” but I think the fact he’s among people who are nearly completely opposed to him in thinking actually helps play his character up a lot of the time. However, most of the times he’s just the butt of everyone’s joke like “man up daichi,” or “stop being a coward, daichi” which is so unrealistic to ask of a 19 year old GOING THROUGH THE APOCALYPSE. He has a right to be mad- but because no one else is mad about it, he comes off as either whiny or “please just fucking drop the topic daichi not this shit again WE’RE ALL SUFFERING HERE”. Not to me tho, I love it, I love his realistic take on an unrealistic situation (that type of comedy is my favorite because it can really play up how ridiculous a setting is that we just accept at face value because we know it’s a game) he’s one of the only reasons i kept playing this game over other games, but I can see the argument. 

Also, if he actually had this escapist mentality without any sort of comedic undertone it would be really really easy for me to dislike him. It’s the main reason I disliked Yuzu from ds1- because she kept going on and on about how hard it is for her and how she just wanted to go home (ignoring the fact everyone’s in the same mess). So why does it work with Daichi and not Yuzu? I think it’s because no one takes Daichi’s concerns seriously. The fact Daichi is a character that can even make fun of himself for being a wimp really really helps in this situation. It’s hard to stay mad at a character that knows his own weaknesses and can make fun of them while slowly trying to find a way to better himself. 

With Yuzu, everyone kept treating her specially and comforting her (Not bad though they’re friends and she deserves to feel secure. The problem here is that she was often very rude despite it, and rude is not a good quality to have if you want us to empathise with the character.)- while Daichi does not get near to the same treatment. Yuzu gets “it will be okay, we’ll get out of here” and Daichi gets “man up” which changes the perspective of our thinking. Suddenly, it’s not okay for Daichi to feel upset, which should naturally just make him even more upset. Yuzu had the freedom to voice her concerns and have an impact because their group was lead by them and not the shomonkai/jps like in ds2. Daichi essentially has no choice in what they do (jp’s will be in charge all the time), which helps boost our empathy for him. Yuzu also constantly talked about escape, while Daichi only ever voiced his concern that JPS EXIST and this is not their job. “Let’s escape” is a lot different than “We shouldn’t have to fight”. Shomonkai was a religious group talking about salvation for the chosen, but JPS is an organization that focuses on protecting japan. In Daichi’s case, it’d only be realistic to imagine a proper organization to take care of it. JPS also has the means to take care of it, whereas the Shomonkai has shown less ability to take care of their shit. Yuzu doesn’t have the luxury to run, and she runs anyways. Daichi has the option, but stays and helps defend Hinako.

I’m not going to argue. Compared to everyone else’s character in the game he can really take you out of the game. Like I’ve already said, in contrast to other characters he just seems different- probably because he’s struggling harder than any other character for no known reason, because they’re all going through the same thing, why would only Daichi be more scared? What we might not get though is that It should be this difficult for him to get adjusted. It shouldn’t be easy for others to get so adjusted (realistically speaking), but the nature of the game calls for it, which is why he seems out of place. His concern for his friends is what actually led me to play the game further since the plot is beyond absurd even with all the religious strings in play. 

Anyways, can I have a cookie for this? Trying to imagine why people hate Daichi is hard for me because I really find him lovable. This coming from a person who really hated Daichi with a fire the first few seconds he was on screen because he didn’t take Nicea seriously at all and it hurt me. I thought he was completely unrealistic for not showing even the slightest concern and for nonchalantly signing Hibiki up on it, but now that I think about it, there’s no way anyone would believe those things on a whim, but when he got the video HE SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST RECONSIDERED instead of just “Yeah, photoshop.” NO? DAICHI? OH MY GOD.

Thinking about it a little harder, it probably fits in with his character to say those things (and tbh saying PHOTOSHOP to things is something ive actually heard a lot of people say so he’s not wrong there), but he still seemed way too indifferent about the video as a character who really cares a lot for his friends. There was footage of Hibiki there and he was just “yeah this is normal. not gonna question it”. I just have a feeling he’d never sign someone up for that even as a joke in the first place? But. Plot. It couldn’t have been Io so it had to be Daichi, I understand that too.

ANYWAYS TLDR; Daichi is great. I love him.