#genuinely i think that all was too much too fast like in terms of story and pacing

[cerysing]

glad I watched arcane at 1am instead of 10am because my day would've been fuuuuuucked

[aihoshiino]

chapter 161 thoughts

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 18

Aqua Hoshigan Status: For the future

Never has an OnK chapter gone from It's Hoshinover to We Are Oshi no Back quite as hard and fast as this one. I have issues with this chapter in terms of what it implies about the story's overall structure and the fact that it sort of ruins 153-4 by association but this chapter's back half is so fucking good and the chapter itself works so well in isolation that much like 153-4, I kind of uhhh don't care about the structural issues because the story's heart is, for the most part, not just intact but beating harder and more passionately than it has in a long time.

To get what I don't like out of the way, the story seems to have settled on Super Evil Serial Killer Mastermind Kamiki as his final form characterization with some helpful Tsukuyomi exposition to just straightforwardly Tell Us things the manga probably should have spent some of the last 70something chapters Showing Us about Hikaru. The basic idea of Hikaru being some sort of serial killer so dedicated to upholding Ai's legacy that he kills women with the potential to surpass her was more or less always where I expected his character to land and this settling of his character does at least preserve what I think is the most important thing: that he genuinely loved Ai and his bent towards villainy only came after her death.

What I don't love as much is that this chapter seems to continue leaning into Uber God Manipulator Mastermind Kamiki like last chapter. I already talked at length about my issues with this framing in my previous chapter review so all I'll reiterate here is that the story's attempt to frame Hikaru as being equally or even more culpable for the actions of Nino and Ryosuke fall entirely flat to me, especially when the manga itself does such a pisspoor job of actually explaining how or why Kamiki was able to control and/or predict their actions to the extent that he supposedly did. And ESPECIALLY especially given that Nino and Ryosuke seem to have already been dangerously obsessed with Ai by the time they approached him.

In general, Hikaru's character is honestly just so inconsistent at this point that making any sense of his actions feels fruitless. If I really dig into what's going on, I can infer that maybe he fell into the same trap as Aqua by overcompensating for his trauma-induced helplessness by becoming overly controlling and guess that his fucked up trauma response to Ai's death combined with those terrible words Kindaichi gave him at Airi's funeral lead him down he road he's traveling now. I can even extrapolate that Aqua showing him the DVD message in 153-4 pushed Hikaru to this extreme and now that he has nothing to lose, he's lashing out at his children too - though, it should be noted, that the manga still hasn't actually established what Hikaru's culpability is in Nino's attempt on Ruby's life, outside of Aqua saying "well you didn't use your psychic powers to perfectly predict nino's actions so it's on you".

But like - this is all stuff I'm having to infer and extrapolate and guess, reverse engineering logic from our end point in an attempt to create a stable foundation for this characterization. The manga has done such a poor job of properly establishing Hikaru both as an antagonistic force and as a consistent character that I feel like I'm trying to assemble a coherent image from two different puzzle sets with all the fucking corner pieces missing and that's with Crow Girl looking into the camera and Explaining Him to me.

And listen, I am a bitch who LOVES to infer things. One of my absolute favourite pieces of fiction of all time ever is Umineko no Naku Koro Ni, a mystery story that literally does not contain any straightforwardly explicit, textual confirmation of the culprit's identity or motives because it believes so strongly that you, the reader, are smart enough and empathetic enough to put in the time and effort necessary to understand it regardless and it deeply, deeply values being able to give you that experience. But OnK feels less like it's intentionally encouraging me to think hard and enjoy the process of putting my head and my heart to work - it feels like it's leaving its homework unfinished and letting the reader do the actual hard work of sewing up the internal logic.

I probably won't talk much more about Kamiki this chapter cos I'd just be saying all this shit over and over but I really just am struggling to understand from a perspective of authorial intent what the vibe is even supposed to be. Like I mentioned in a previous ask, if this is where Kamiki's arc is reaching its conclusion then it means that the Movie Arc was essentially a whole-ass waste of time in and out of universe. Blech. Hate that.

Also, before I move on, I don't want to leave this just implied - making Kamiki explicitly a CSA victim and then ending his arc on Aqua (and implicitly the narrative) dismissing him as being too broken/corrupted to be saved is a really major misstep that I think represents a huge black mark on OnK's handling of CSA as a topic. The idea of an eternal defilement or an unfixable core wrongness in the self is already something real life CSA victims struggle with in the process of unpacking their trauma and having our likable and supposedly morally superior protagonist espouse this unchallenged in a work as prominent and relevant as Oshi no Ko is irresponsible bordering on dangerous. It's incredibly disappointing that after all the care Aka and Mengo seemingly took in handling this topic that it was whiffed so badly at the last second.

ANYWAY!!! Now all the beef's been dealt with, we can cleanse our palettes and move onto everything else I liked which was… basically everything else in this chapter!

Admittedly, Aqua's overall arc is still suffering from us being kicked out of his head from like 123 onwards for no real apparent reason and while 150 was a welcome refresher on where he's at in this part of the story, it still feels a bit like the story is prioritizing preserving the surprise factor of its twists over making these surprises feel earned. Compare it to volume 1 - you are basically told exactly what is going to happen to Ai, especially in the manga when Saitou and Gotanda outright say as much - but her death is still incredibly impactful and upsetting. I think this chapter is very effective, but could've been a lot moreso if we'd spent more time in Aqua's head leading up to it.

THAT SAID… If the intention of keeping us out of his head was to recontextualize Aqua's behaviour across the past ten or so chapters in this new light, I don't hate it as much as I might have. I initially took issue with what felt like the story off-screening and not addressing the resolution to Aqua's suicidal ideation so whipping back around to prove that it was still very much present puts some particular Aqua moments over this past volume into a very different light. As some people pointed out, Aqua missing Kana's pitch - literally dropping the ball in responding to her feelings - and his wide-eyed look of alarm in 151 seemed very ominous omens for the success of her confession and that beat of him covering his face when Kana approves of his dream… very incheresting knowing Aqua was still struggling with 'love or revenge' at this point.

Most interesting of all to reconsider is Aqua breaking down in tears in Miyako's arms in 155 when she addresses him as her son for the first time. At the time it read like catharsis but now I can't help but wonder if this was Aqua grieving for something he desperately wants but thinks is out of his reach.

i do have to say though. i get the general vibe of this plan and think it works fine as the apex of aqua's self-sacrificial protectiveness for the people he loves but how is being the daughter of a serial killer somehow any less scandalous for her career than being the sister of someone who killed one dude. does aqua think they just won't notice that kamiki happens to be their biodad or something. wasn't that the whole point of the movie. goofy ass plan.

What really saves this whole scenario is the emotions at play, though. This really does feel like Aqua at his most Aqua in a really long while and this chapter has so much love and respect for his life as Aqua and the bonds he has formed as a result. The dreams Aqua lays out are so agonizingly simple, too - he wants to pursue the career he finds rewarding. He wants to date the girl he likes. He wants to accept Miyako as his mom and Himekawa as his brother and to make things right with Akane after hurting and using her. He wants to see Ruby achieve her dream and be there to support her when she does.

But Aqua's always considered his dreams impossible, hasn't he?

I fully admit; I got spoiled with the full page spread of Aqua stabbing himself way in advance of the chapter and initially hated it as a twist. But with the full chapter as context and the sheer weight of Aqua's longing to just fucking live and find joy, it's not just effective but absolutely gutwrenching. It is the synthesis of Aqua's series-long battle to choose love or revenge and it resonates perfectly because it has never been one or the other for him - Aqua's revenge has always been rooted in the fact that he loves others so wholly and completely and hates himself so utterly that he thinks sacrificing himself to preserve their futures is the only path for him to take. It's the culmination and final release of the suicidal ideation Aqua has been dealing with since he was four years old and like Ai's tragedy before him, there's a horrible sense that maybe there really was no other way this could've gone.

Aqua being the character who actually takes the knife also firmly cements him as Ai's narrative echo in the text which has me barkin and howlin because it's what I've been saying all this time. Not just that, but so many of Aqua's expressions in this chapter pointedly and deliberately echo Ai's after she was stabbed. Not just that, but Aqua's achingly simple dreams echo Ai's own heartrendingly simple regrets - all the two of them ever wanted was to be happy with the people they love.

This also reframes the story's prior establishment of Ruby as paralleling Ai and seems to place the twins in the position of echoing not Ai in her entirety but Ruby as 'Ai of B-Komachi' and Aqua as 'Ai Hoshino'. This was actually something I outlined in one of my very first meta posts on the series, but I think making it more specific to 'Ruby as Ai the idol' and 'Aqua as Ai the human', this actually gives Ruby's arc in relation to Ai a bit of breathing room. Don't get me wrong, everything I've said about her post-BH writing being underbaked and inconsistent is still the case, especially when it comes to how confused the story is on whether Ruby is her own idol or New And Improved Ai 2.0 but giving it less ground to cover helps in terms of her writing no longer being spread quite as thin.

Speaking of Ruby, that beat of her seeming to react or sense something is up the moment Aqua takes the stab. 'Something happened to my loved one far away and I just Feel It' is a trope I'm always a sucker for and I really dig it here.

"The public don't care about the truth, so let's tell them a lie" is such a crazy hard sentiment to go out on too. Holy fuck.

There go our boys…!!! Quite a few people predicted they might go over the edge when Aqua showed up in his Mephisto fit (Mefitsto) and I'm interested to see if we get any parallels to the ED's imagery in the next few chapters. Overall, though, I'm really excited for where things are going - I don't think Aqua will die, but I do have some theories about what might happen. I can't think of a more traditional misogi purification experience than the middle of the ocean in late December, after all…

No break next week! Woohoo! While the delay of episode 12 means we won't be getting them on the same day, that is the same week S2 of the anime will be concluding and Aka does like lining up his bombshells with the anime. So who knows what we'll see.

seriously tho aqua. everyone already knows kamiki is you and ruby's biodad. HOW IS THIS ANY BETTER THAN HER BEING THE DAUGHTER OF A SERIAL KILLER AS IT ALREADY STANDS

[inkmonster21]

I re read your Noa story like all the time. It's soo good. 😌 But I was wondering if I can request something, I hope it makes sense to...

Where reader and Noa have like mated but an attack happened on the village and they got separated for some time, and after like maybe a year later Thier CHILD comes wondering across their new buit village and then leads Noa to his mumma. Where they reunited and Noa's like 'ima father?'

I pretty sure the baby apes grow quickly, but I don't know how fast.

Thank you so so much! We’re getting close to wrapping it up so I’m so glad I’m getting some requests in! I hope I met your expectations! Enjoy!

~o0o~

The Lost is Found

The early months of life with Noa were a period of bliss. You were warmly accepted into the clan, and your place by Noa's side felt natural and purposeful. Dar, in her role as the clan's mother, took you under her wing, teaching you the ways and traditions of their community. You blossomed under her wisdom, and she was immensely proud of how you embraced your role as Noa's mate and the clan's emerging mother.

Noa trudges in after a long hunt with the young apes, exhaustion clear on his face. His horse carries three of them, while Noa walks alongside, his steps weary yet determined. Despite the exhaustion, a weary smile graces his features, evidence of a successful and fulfilling hunt.

As you watch Noa and the young apes return from the hunt, a warm sense of joy fills your heart. You can't help but imagine the future and the children that you and Noa will have someday. The sight of the young apes learning and growing under Noa's guidance is both a comforting and hopeful image, a vision of the future you and Noa would build together.

Noa proved himself to be an exceptional leader amongst the Eagle Clan, and you did not doubt that he would also be an incredible father. His strength, wisdom, and compassion would undoubtedly translate into his role as a parent. You envisioned him nurturing and guiding your future children with love and patience.

Noa leans his head against yours, taking a deep breath and inhaling your scent. "I have… missed you," he says, using your own words and making you laugh with the echo of your term. The genuine affection and longing in his voice are evident, as he communicates his feelings in his unique way.

"I missed you too," you reply, the words coming effortlessly and filled with genuine affection. There's something special about the simple exchange between the two of you, a subtle reassurance and connection that deepens the bond you share.

Noa's eyes soften at your words, a sense of comfort and contentment settling within him at the sound of your voice. He wraps his arms around you, wanting to be close and to hold you tight after spending the day away. "I've been thinking… about you all day," he confesses, his voice filled with a mixture of tiredness and affection.

“Well, here I am.” You smile. Noa's lips curve into a warm smile at your words. "Here you are," he agrees, pulling you even closer. The simple statement carries a sense of relief and contentment as if your presence alone is enough to soothe his weary soul.

“Noa…. Come on… show us how to skin!” Noa glances towards the young apes, a flicker of amusement in his eyes as they excitedly holler for him to come and show them how to skin the kill. He sighs, a mixture of weary and fondness on his face. "Alright, alright," he responds with a hint of humor, reluctantly untangling himself from your embrace.

You stand back and watch with a smile as Noa begins to show the young apes how to skin the animal. There's a sense of contentment and satisfaction in your heart, knowing that life is good and that you are truly happy. Watching Noa engage with the younger ones, passing on his skills and wisdom, fills you with pride and contentment.

Night has fallen, and the world outside is quiet. Wrapped in each other’s arms, you find comfort and safety in Noa’s embrace. Your breath is steady and even, having been completely drained of energy by Noa’s previous activities. In the quiet of the night, he gently traces your body with his calloused fingers, an intimate and soothing gesture.

Exhaustion finally takes over, and both of you drift off to sleep in each other's arms. Noa's breath is slow and steady, his body relaxed as he dozes off. The peacefulness of the moment washes over you, and the weariness of the day fades as you both surrender to sleep.

Noa is awakened by the frenzied shaking and whispered words of Anaya. With a groggy and disoriented expression, he rubs his eyes and sits up. The urgency in Anaya's voice immediately captures his attention, and he listens intently, trying to make sense of the hurried words. "under attack," Noa quickly turns to you, his voice urgent as he gently shakes you awake. "Wake up, my love… wake up," he repeats, his hands cupping your face tenderly. The worry and concern in his eyes mirror the seriousness of the situation.

As you slowly open your eyes and see the worried expression in Noa's eyes, your focus sharpens in an instant. Concern mixes with adrenaline, and you instantly understand the seriousness of the situation. Your heart begins to race, your mind clearing and readying for whatever challenges you may face.

Noa stands quickly, his movements purposeful and determined. "Go with Mother," he instructs. "Gather the young... find somewhere safe." The mysterious threat hangs in the air, a constant tension that demands immediate action. Noa's voice is firm and resolute as he readies his battle weapons, preparing to face the unknown danger.

Noa pulls you close, pressing your body against his as he claims your lips in a searing kiss. The heat and intensity of the moment convey both his passion and his worry. The kiss is filled with a sense of urgency and possession as if he's expressing his love and protectiveness in a single gesture.

You look into his eyes, your voice firm and unwavering. "Come back to me," you say, the words carrying a mix of love and worry. There's a silent plea in your gaze, a silent entreaty for him to return safely. Noa's eyes soften, and he takes your face in his hands, his touch gentle yet strong. "I will," he promises, his voice filled with determination and love.

With Dar by your side, you lead a group of young apes through the dense woods, seeking a safe hiding spot from the mysterious threat. The females form a protective circle, huddling together with worried expressions on their faces. You can feel the tension in the air, the fear and uncertainty palpable in the young apes' quiet hoots. As you press forward, the only thing on your mind is ensuring the safety of the young ones in your care and finding a secure place to hide.

The sound of Noa's yell pierces through the night, freezing the blood in your veins. "Noa," you gasp, your voice filled with worry. Without hesitation, you turn to go back, intent on reaching Noa. However, Dar attempts to grab your arm, trying to hold you back. But your determination is strong, and you quickly shake off her grip, turning to run back in the direction of Noa's voice.

Running through the dark forest, driven by your worry and instinct to reach Noa, you trip and stumble down a hill. Unarmed and vulnerable, you roll several feet before finally coming to a stop, the impact knocking you unconscious. The sound of your fall echoes faintly through the forest, swallowed by the silence of the night.

The once-thriving Eagle Clan lies in ruins, reduced to ashes and charred remains. Noa, Anaya, and the other members of the clan had put up a fierce battle, but the threat had left nothing behind, leaving only destruction in its wake. The sight of your home reduced to rubble and ash fills your heart with a mix of anger, grief, and emptiness.

Noa and the remaining survivors of the Eagle Clan gather together, their faces grim and determined. They begin to scour the area, searching for any signs of their lost friends and family, hoping to find anyone who may have escaped the wrath of the attack. The silence is deafening, the only sounds coming from the shuffling of feet and the occasional call of an ape as they look through the rubble.

The surviving members of the Eagle Clan have gathered in a cave away from the ruined settlement. The apes huddle together, seeking comfort and safety in each other's presence. The tension is high, a mix of fear and uncertainty in the air. They hope for the best, but the recent attack has left scars on each of them, and their future is uncertain.

Noa enters the cave, a weary yet relieved smile on his face. He had searched through every inch for you, his heart heavy with worry until he caught sight of your figure in the cave. Dar's eyes soften when she sees him, her expression filled with both relief and sorrow. She understands the gravity of the situation and the devastation the attack has brought upon the clan.

Noa's voice is soft and trembling with worry as he asks, "Where is she?" There's a mixture of fear and hope in his eyes as he scans the faces of the apes surrounding him, searching for any sign of you. The other apes look at each other, their expressions a mix of worry and uncertainty. They know the truth, but the news is difficult to share.

Soona speaks up, his voice is soft and regretful as he informs Noa, "She went after you... We couldn't find her." The words hang in the air, confirming Noa's worst fears. A wave of worry and despair washes over his face, his heart clenching in his chest.

"No." Noa mutters, more to himself than to the others. The mere thought of you being lost tears at his heart. Without another word, he turns urgently to leave, determined to go back and search for you. With the first light of dawn, Noa continues his relentless search, combing through every inch of the burned settlement. But despite his fervent efforts, he finds no trace of you. The hours pass and the sun rises higher in the sky, but Noa persists in his search, his determination fueling him forward.

You slowly awaken, the warmth of the sun gently coaxing you back into consciousness. Groggily, you lift your head, blinking as your senses slowly come back to you. Looking up, you get a glimpse of the steep drop you had fallen from, and the realization of your fall sends a wave of shock through you. It's a miracle that you are alive.

Your heart sinks as you climb back up to the top, finding the once-vibrant Eagle Clan now reduced to ashes and empty land. Smoke still rises from some of the structures, a bitter reminder of the destruction that has taken place. The silence is heavy, a stark contrast to the usual noise and activity that filled the settlement before.

You call out for Noa, desperation and hope in your voice, but your calls are met with only silence. No reply comes, no signs of life or movement. The settlement remains eerily quiet, devoid of any presence. The absence of Noa and the other members of the clan, as well as the missing eagles, leaves a heavy sense of emptiness and uncertainty in the air.

Tears stream down your cheeks as you search the area with increasing desperation, your heart heavy with worry and grief. Every step you take, every direction you turn, seems to bring only more emptiness and despair. The hopelessness of the situation weighs heavily on your heart, but you continue to search, refusing to give up until you find some sign of Noa or the rest of the clan.

The realization of your solitude sinks in, settling heavily in your chest like a cold, hard stone. You are alone, the once-boisterous commotion and laughter of the clan silenced. The only sound is the wind rustling through the trees, and the only company you have is your fear and uncertainty.

Sitting amidst the ruins, you give in to the grief and sadness that overwhelm you. Your tears fall freely, mingling with the ash and debris of the once-mighty Eagle Clan. The pain is raw and heavy in your chest, as you mourn the loss of Noa and the clan that was your home. The world seems to have turned cold and cruel, and the future feels uncertain and bleak.

Despite the overwhelming despair and loss, you found a spark of resilience within. One day, the realization came to you that there was a life growing inside you. A flicker of hope ignited in your heart, and determination filled your being. You knew that you couldn't let your circumstances break you completely. You were carrying a precious new life, a symbol of hope and a chance to rebuild.

As your hand drifted to your stomach, you made a silent vow. If you couldn't have Noa by your side, you would do everything in your power to raise his child. You would honor his traditions, keep his memory alive, and give your child the strength and wisdom he would have passed on.

With each passing day, a cave became your sanctuary. You diligently worked to make it a haven, carving out a space for yourself within the stone walls. The cold of the winter months added an extra layer of difficulty to your solitary existence. Sustaining your own life was a constant challenge, especially while dealing with the physical and emotional demands of pregnancy.

Despite the hardship, you channeled your determination and resilience. You foraged for food, carefully avoiding the attention of predators and other dangers in the wilderness. As your belly grew, you felt a sense of purpose in looking after the life growing inside of you, a purpose that kept you going despite the odds.

The pains of labor came upon you like a storm, and you were painfully aware of the fact that you were alone. The thought of dying during childbirth filled you with terror and dread. There was no one to help you, no one to offer comfort or guidance. The loneliness of the moment weighs heavily on your soul, as you brace yourself for the struggle ahead.

Despite the terror and uncertainty, your body demonstrated a strength you never knew it had. Like the opening of a dam, your birth canal opened, and with a final push, you gave birth to your son. The pain and exertion washed over you like a wave, but the moment your son was born, a flood of relief and joy surged through your being.

With each passing day, your son grew stronger and more vibrant, and the role of motherhood became your entire world. Every moment was spent caring for, nurturing, and bonding with your child. The solitary life you had built for yourself slowly faded into the background as motherhood consumed your existence.

A full year had passed since your son's birth, and time had flown by in a blur of love and dedication. You could see the resemblance to Noa in your son, but there were also distinct human-like traits that undoubtedly came from you. As you watched him grow and develop, you couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions - pride, love, and a bittersweet sense of longing for Noa.

"Not too far!" you call out as your son swings from tree to tree in an elaborate game of monkey business. As you tend to the laundry, you can't help but keep a watchful eye on him, making sure he doesn't venture too far or put himself in danger. The combination of pride in his agility and worry for his well-being fills your heart in equal measure.

Despite your best efforts to keep him nearby, your son's natural curiosity and adventurous spirit led him to stray a bit too far. In his eagerness to explore the world around him, he unintentionally wandered further away from you than you would have liked, without even realizing the distance he had covered.

Your heart races in a panic when you realize your son is out of sight, vanished into the foliage. Without a moment's hesitation, you drop what you're doing and start running in the direction he had gone, calling out his name urgently. The fear and worry in your voice are palpable.

You huff and shake your head, a mix of worry and frustration on your face. "You can't ever listen," you chide gently, knowing that you should have been watching him better. Despite the sternness in your tone, you understand that his curious nature is simply part of who he is.

Your son drops from the trees, his small voice calling out timidly, "Mother." He looks around, searching for your familiar face, his expression a mix of curiosity and a hint of guilt for straying too far. As soon as he realizes the gravity of his actions, a flash of fear flickers across his face. He knows he's done something he shouldn't have, and the realization fills him with guilt and worry. He stands there, staring at you with wide eyes, waiting for your reaction.

"Mother!" he calls out again, his voice trembling with worry and fear. But his call is met only with the sounds of nature, the rustle of leaves, and the occasional bird chirp. The silence is deafening, and the realization that you are not within earshot sinks in.

Three young teenage apes amble across the path and come to a halt as they spot the lost child. Their faces contort into expressions of confusion and surprise at the sight of him. They have never encountered a being quite like him before. The child is a strange hybrid, a mix of ape and human traits, which piques the curiosity of the teenagers.

The female ape crouches down to his level, her voice dripping with kindness and concern. "Are you... lost, little one?" She speaks slowly and softly, trying to communicate with him in a way that he might understand. The other two male apes hang back, observing the interaction with mild interest and confusion.

Despite the kindness in the female ape's voice, the child is still frightened and unfamiliar with the presence of others. He nods timidly, confirming that he is indeed lost. In response to her question, he points to himself and repeats, "Lost." The child looks around anxiously, searching for his mother, the only companion he has ever known.

The female ape glances at her companions, a silent agreement passing between them. "We have to help him," she declares, her voice firm and gentle. Extending a hand towards the child, she smiles reassuringly. "Our leader will help you, little one." The other apes nod in agreement, their initial confusion giving way to a sense of responsibility and protectiveness.

The three young apes carefully lift the child, supporting him as they make their way toward the newly constructed village of the Clan. They walk quietly, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings for any potential threats. The fact that the settlement is hidden from view indicates that the Clan has learned the hard way to stay out of sight.

The three young apes enter the Eagle tower and find Noa working diligently on nests, preparing for the coming season of the eagles. Noa's presence radiates strength and leadership, and it's clear that his attention is focused on the task at hand. There seems to be an air of expectation and excitement in the air, as the transition to adulthood and bonding ceremonies approach for the young apes in the Clan.

Since your loss, Noa has dedicated himself to his duties, single-mindedly focusing on the tasks at hand. Koro, the former leader, would surely be proud of the way Noa had stepped up and taken charge. However, Dar, the wise and maternal figure within the Clan, was worried. Noa's dedication to the work was impressive, but it came at the expense of his well-being, and she knew that he was stretching himself thin.

Noa looks up from his work as he hears the young ape address him as "Master." His face is marked by a flicker of recognition, and he sets down the materials he is working on, giving the young ape his full attention.

Noa moves towards the young ape, his demeanor calm and composed. There's a flicker of recognition in his eyes, but his expression remains neutral, showing no hint of emotion. "Yes?" He questions, his voice steady and even.

The ape's tone is uncertain as he relays the news to Noa. "We found a young… child?" Noa's eyes widen slightly at the unexpected information, and his expression becomes guarded. "A child?" He repeats, his voice barely above a whisper, his attention fully focused on the young ape. Noa's voice takes on a more direct tone as he clarifies, "A human child?" The thought seems to spark a mixture of surprise and curiosity within him. He glances at the young apes, silently questioning the validity of their claim.

The young ape's response is uncertain, adding to Noa's growing curiosity and confusion. "No... we… don't know." Noa's brows furrow as he tries to make sense of the information. "What do you mean, you don't know?" His voice betrays a hint of skepticism.

The young ape steps aside to reveal the young child, and Noa's eyes widen in surprise as he takes in the sight before him. The child was unmistakably a mix of human and ape, challenging the notions of what Noa believed to be possible. The revelation stirs a mix of curiosity and disbelief within him, and he approaches the child, studying him intently.

Looking at the child, Noa felt a pang in his heart. The possibility of what could have been with you and him weighed heavily on his mind. The mixture of human and ape features in the child served as a reminder of the connection he had lost and the potential that had been stolen away.

Without wasting a moment, Noa approaches the child and asks softly, "Where is your clan, young one?" His tone is gentle, but there's an undercurrent of curiosity and wonder. Noa's eyes never leave the child, studying his features and trying to piece together the circumstances that led him to be alone in the wilderness.

The child's voice is soft and hesitant, but the words “mother” and “lost” are clear. A pang of empathy and concern washes over Noa as he absorbs the child's reply. He understands the depths of loss all too well.

Noa lets out a soft sigh and lowers himself to the child's height, maintaining eye contact with him. With a gentle yet firm tone, he asks, "Do you know what direction your mother is?" Noa's gaze holds a mixture of compassion and a hint of hope that the child might have some clue as to his mother's location.

The young ape chimes in, adding to the conversation. "We found him near the river," he mentions. Noa turns his attention to the young ape, his mind processing the new information. The river could be a valuable clue, a starting point to search for the child's mother.

Noa's mind is set on finding the child's mother, and his hand instinctively reaches out, gently grasping the child, feeling a powerful connection to him. With determination etched on his face, Noa declares, "Let us find her." His decision is unwavering, driven by a protective Instinct that has been ignited within him.

Noa mounts a horse and rides off into the forest, the young child securely held in his arms. The forest path stretches before them, and Noa's heart races with a mixture of hope and determination. He scans the surroundings, his eyes searching for any signs of the child's mother.

Noa gently sets the child down from the horse, and the child dashes forward, scaling up the terrain towards a nearby cave. "Mother!" The child's voice echoes through the area, calling out fervently. Noa watches intently, his heart racing as he wonders if the child's mother might be inside the cave.

As if on cue, Noa found himself ambushed, tackled powerfully to the ground. His world spins for a moment as he struggles to right himself, only to find a spear pointed directly at his face. Noa's heart races, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he assesses the situation.

Suddenly, Noa's eyes widen as he gazes up at his assailant, a mix of disbelief and recognition filling his mind. His voice barely above a whisper, he utters your name, the sound of it bringing back a flood of memories.

As you toss the spear aside, your voice trembles as you call out, "Noa!" Your heart skips a beat as you lay eyes on him, your thoughts racing. You had believed him to be dead, and now here he was before you, very much alive. Relief washes over you, overpowering the shock of the unexpected reunion.

Your son's voice echoes through the air, "Mother!" as he rushes into your embrace. You gather him in your arms, holding him tightly against you, the mixture of emotions coursing through you. Seeing Noa alive has made your heart both race and yearn for explanations.

Noa observes the heartfelt reunion between you and your son, his eyes widening as the truth becomes evident before him. Noa's mind races as he absorbs the implications. You had a child... he hadn't seen you pregnant. His emotions tangle within him.

His eyes flickered between you and the child in your arms, a myriad of emotions passing over his face. Finally, he found his voice and posed the question that weighed heavily on his mind. "Is he... mine?" Noa's voice was a mix of confusion, hope, and a hint of possessiveness.

You meet his gaze and nod, the love in your eyes telling more than words ever could. Your voice quivers as you speak. "I thought I lost you," you say, tears welling up in your eyes. The weight of your words hangs in the air, conveying the depth of the loss you had felt. The reunion with him has brought a sense of wholeness, filling your heart with an overwhelming sense of joy and relief.

Noa couldn't believe his eyes. You were alive and well, and the child in your arms was his. Overwhelmed with emotion, he wrapped his arms around you and the child, pulling you both into an embrace. The feeling of your body against his filled him with a sense of profound relief and love.

With a gentle squeeze, Noa breaks the embrace and gazes into your eyes, his voice filled with a mix of determination and tenderness. "Come... we are going home." The words held a promise of protection and a longing to return to a place where they could be together, as a family.

[beelzeballing]

actually i dont think ive posted my thoughts on ofmd s2 overall here yet have i?

ok here goes: i think it had incredibly high highs, and at some parts i genuinely enjoyed it more than i did the first season, episode 6 being peak imo. however, it had equally abysmal lows with some glaring writing-, tone- and pacing issues that all came to a head in the finale.

i once read someone say that, if you ever feel like a finale ruined the whole story, maybe you should take another look at the story. there were most likely cracks and problems all along, and the finale did nothing besides dashing the hope that these would perhaps be addressed later. very rarely do genuinely well written stories go completely off the rails in the finale and ruin the whole thing.

i think this is applicable here in some ways, SPECIFICALLY in regards to edward. good god edward was a MESS this season, and it's so sad because i loved the starting point! the kraken era was absolutely terrifying and iconic as FUCK but... they shouldn't have leaned so hard into the drama and trauma of it all. don't get me wrong, i loved that it did. it's one of my favorite parts of the season and i'm so glad we got it. but if they wanted this arc to work with the overarching plot as they wrote it, they would've had to lighten up the tone here CONSIDERABLY. had they played the kraken era for comedy then sure! edward's bad youtuber apology would've been funny. his fast redemption would've been less jarring. the lack of consequences less disturbing. but as it stands in the show, this arc is too dark to function with the later episodes.

i feel like they wanted to have their cake and eat it too here. they wanted the gritty drama of ed coming off the hinges entirely but also didn't want to deal with the aftermath of such a heavy arc in their silly pirate romcom. be that due to time constraints and budget cuts or because they were simply unwilling to, doesn't really matter in the end. the result is the same either way: a very tonally messy season with some accidentally troubling implications regarding abuse.

and mentioning troubling implications regarding abuse; izzy. my poor, poor izzy... his arc was absolutely glorious. i liked izzy the second he showed up in s1 and i was absolutely EATING this season up in that regard. and i think in this case, they genuinely did fuck it all up in the finale with that one stupid choice:

choosing to kill izzy was the DUMBEST thing they couldve done here.

ive talked about this over and over and over again. ive reblogged so many meta posts. and still i am left absolutely flabbergasted by how stupid of a decision this was. the fridging, playing at the fallen woman trope, killing the beating heart of the season and the character who delivers what is essentially a thesis statement, killing off the character whose arc is about coming to terms with his disability, having him die in edward's arms, comforting him and apologizing after an entire season of finding community and love outside of edward, the absolutely godawful pacing of it all, the extremely easy and obvious solution of just having IZZY become the new captain of the revenge to mirror s1 and hammer home how much he has developed since then in one go... i could go on. and i have. it was a stupid writing decision, completely fucked the tone and pacing of the finale and took away attention and time from things that really would've deserved a better wrap up (lucius and black pete deserved better)

now. the whole prince ricky & zheng plot line... yeah that shit sucked ass, sorry. they bit off more than they could chew here. i honestly think those are the arc words of this season:

✨️ bit off more than they could chew ✨️

right off the bat: i think he was good as a concept. bringing in a foil for stede who just doesn't Get It as stede does could've made for very good comedy and drama (and to be fair there is some of that). but that shit got away from them extremely quickly. nothing about how he's implemented past his first episode works, and i think this is very specifically because he's mostly played as the comic relief in his debut episode. making this completely bumbling fool, who gets his nose hacked off on his first job, the main villain of your entire season is... definitely a choice. idk. he didn't work for me at all.

ok wow mentioning shit getting away from the writers. this definitely got away from me. this was supposed to be a short lil post. well. i guess tl;dr i loved this season but jesus christ there was a lot wrong with it. if you want to hear more thoughts. ask box is open. be my guest. i have more to say so even if you dont ask i might add more to this at some point but im tired and have work tmrw.

[szollibisz]

Do you have any hcs abt how Curt and Owen "came out" to one another? (Using the term loosely cuz obviously they can't just be like "IM GAY") And also how they got together (who fell first etc etc)

Ok, so to preface this, my favourite thing about curtwen is just how many ways you can interpret their pre-canon relationship.

I try to keep their story relatively loose in my head, save for a few headcanons I very strongly believe in, because it's more fun this way.

For me, the #1 headcanon that's in all the iterations I think of, is that they hated each other at first. I think their personalities clash way too much for them to be all buddy-buddy on the first day. (Physical attraction? maybe. Was it minuscule compared to their irritation with each other? yes.)

I just think it's interesting how the two of them gradually (and begrudgingly) start to care about each other.

I think their "friendship stage" is one of my favourite parts about the whole thing. Now I refuse to believe either of those men have friends. Maybe coworkers and acquaintances, but not friends. Which is why this stage lasts so little.

As their work their way up to care for and respect each other, both of them go a little crazy about it.

It's the first time in years or even decades they felt genuine affection and maybe even trust, and both of them are extremely starved for it. So it really doesn't take much for them to fall for each other. (especially since the aforementioned physical attraction was always there and only getting stronger as they learned to tolerate each other)

I imagine, because of this, Owen was the one who fell first, and he employed his usual tactic for dealing with unwanted feelings: Being an ass and depriving himself of good things. He got more intense about his work, trying to immerse himself in it, so he'll stop thinking about Curt. He stayed up late, didn't even try to take it easy when he had a migraine, drank shit coffee and other great things.

It technically worked. He looked like shit, which in turn made Curt worried, and if Owen completely invalidated his worries the two of them would get into a fight, be mad at each other and not interact so much. Owen thought this would make him not yearn for Curt so bad (he still did, in fact, yearn for him that bad)

When Curt realized he was in love with Owen he was pretty horrified. Like listen. If someone has commitment issues it's Curt. Maybe he had a boyfriend or two during his teenage years/twenties, but they didn't end well, and since then he's been trying to keep everybody at arms length. He convinced himself Owen wasn't so bad because hey. They were just buddies (and Curt desperately needed a buddy.)

He tried to shove down and ignore his feelings, but moaning your friend's name while banging another guy may just be a little more than what you can avoid.

He never understood why Owen turned so cold suddenly, and he was terrified Owen just didn't like or trust him anymore. In turn he was also mad at him for trying to shut him out.

Their little hate renaissance could only last so long though. They were still each other's only friends and no matter what they did they kept being drawn back to each other.

This was a super long preface but. I am not normal about those two.

So. different scenarios and headcanons and whatnot

1. Either one of them somehow discovers the other is gay. This would probably mean Owen finding out about Curt, because, I wholeheartedly believe that man would leave during a mission sometimes just to get a quick fuck in. Maybe Owen finds out with evidence (fast & easy method) or he just starts strongly suspecting with his great spying and deduction skills (slow & torturous method, he'd try to convince himself he's just seeing what he wants to see) either way, the confrontation would be very uncomfortable for both of them. Curt would deny it ofc, and Owen would go through the internal battle of "tell him it's fine, you won't rat him out, but be a little homophobic about it, so maybe you can keep the only friend you have, but also be ok with the fact that he'll always be with other men and never you" or "tell him you're gay too, maybe he likes you, maybe not, and potentially risk losing your job and livelihood and everything you've ever worked for" He'd most likely end up doing the latter, surprising both Curt and himself. (He's already way more into Curt than he admits to himself) And things escalate from there.

2. Dramatic post mission (maybe a "I thought I'd never see you again" moment) This is where their friendship gets really interesting to me. For a scenario like this the months long yearning is a given, maybe even a lot of unresolved tension between the two (which would probably be resolved with violence anyways) They care very deeply about each other by now. They know each other better than anyone, and their idyllic relationship is only made into a living hell by all the pining. At this point I mean, they'd buy each other birthday gifts, go over to the other's house when they were in the same country and share way too much info over drinks. Their job is always dangerous, but even they can get scared. Maybe we're talking being crazy outnumbered, or a torture/hostage situations, or hell even a collapsing building. Point is, id either one of them thought the other (or both of them) may die, at this point they'd be impulsive enough to just say I love you or kiss the other. In the moment neither of them would care, and later on, when you'd normally talk about things like near death makeout sessions, they'd just. not. do that, because communication is for guys with better life prospects. This one has absolutely no coming-out talk in it, simply because they don't need it

3. Possibly drunk hookup Now clearly, we are talking about two of the most down bad men ever. This is one scenario, I think could also work really well when they still really hated each other. Maybe throughout their first few mission they both gathered enough evidence and sussed each other out, and after (yet another) explosive fight they might just. Alleviate the tension by not beating each other up but by. other means. They don't end up talking much about it, but it keeps happening, and wait maybe they don't even hate each other all that much. (This is the more sober option) The other one is where the "possibly drunk" comes in. If they've been friends for a while, they probably got used to working around each other and finding comfort in the other's presence. This includes little habits, inside jokes, and even (very small) physical touches. This probably wouldn't go down during a mission, it's more likely to happen at either Curt's or Owen's house, maybe during some holiday. Both of them realizing it's a pretty bad idea early on, because, without all the stress of the missions and navigating a foreign country all that's left is them and the feelings they have for each other. Owen would probably say no to drinks for the first few times, just to avoid a potentially dangerous situation, but Curt would wear him down eventually. Now, with both of them drunk and comfortable, it wouldn't take much for things to escalate. Maybe Curt forgets to take his hand off of Owen after patting him on the back, or Owen holds Curt gaze for a little too long. Either way, those two end up fucking. The next day both of them are a little horrified, but they manage to come clean about their feelings (even if it's in the most backwards and convoluted way possible)

Happy ending (or not) There's many more ways it could've happened, but I already wrote wayyyy too much I think.

In the end I don't think they'd ever have a proper conversation about homosexuality, even way into their relationship. It's something they slowly pick up on from each other. How ashamed are they, what makes them tick, what you shouldn't say etc. And then of course, since they don't communicate properly and sometimes purposefully hurt each other, they'd throw it all back in the other's face.

I'm not sure this is what you meant when you asked for hcs, but I got carried away.

[directdogman]

Hey dogman, idk if you answered this

Who, out of both DSAF and Dialtown, was your favourite to write and/or create?

It's very hard for me to pick favourites with my characters because I don't tend to give characters a lot of screen-time unless I find a character interesting or fun to write. You've caught me in a talkative mood, so warning, there's an onslaught of text coming!

DSaF: Dave was the most fun to write for, as I remember it. I mean, the guy is the walking personification of chaos and even when he's being constructive (eg, rigging robots to do insane stuff), it's usually in a destructive capacity. Dave will do LITERALLY ANYTHING but contribute to society in meaningful/valuable ways.

In terms of what character-writing I was most 'proud' of, I was also pretty happy with Dr Henry Miller, as a villain. Namely the research he embarked on, described in his logs in DSaF 3 (which the fandom evidently agreed with, as I got really strong feedback on those logs.)

One issue a lot of people (including myself) have with canon William Afton is that he's this kind of mad scientist character but his research doesn't really seem to be... idk, going anywhere? Other than using remnant (soul nectar?) to make kids possess robots, it's kind of a mystery how he got to this point he did from running a bad fast food restaurant. William gets fleshed out motivations in TSE and even then, it mainly revolves around his relationship with Henry Emily, iirc. It's actually pretty accurate to how real serial killers think, imo, but there's a pretty wide berth between this kind of serial killer and becoming a sci-fi fast-food mad scientist... So, I decided to try to bridge that gap.

DSaF Henry's logs actually mention where the idea for his research came from, namely the fact that he existed in a world with normal scientific rules just like ours and seemingly discovered something supernatural, and he approaches it like an amoral scientist would - trying to figure out how to figure out more about the fabric of reality using the newly discovered phenomenon of possession. The 'joy of creation' phrase people pulled from Golden Freddy's phone call in FNaF 1 is given context - Henry is trying to find out what's on the other side (and eventually, how existence itself formed.)

There's other aspects to his character that make him more interesting too, like the implication that his research is partially an excuse for him to act on an underlying sadism (with scenes implying that he inflicts damage on others than can't be justified as assisting with his research.) His background as a dissident/quack laughing-stock scientist (thanks to pushing his soul theory in a best-selling book, which is considered pseudoscience) BEFORE he embarked on his journey to become a fast food tycoon also makes it less farfetch'd that he'd be capable of y'know, harvesting human souls intentionally to continue his research?

I had more for the character on paper that people haven't seen but some of it wasn't revealed due to it feeling a bit too disturbing to publish. None of the contents would've been all that controversial, more just too tonally disturbing when written about in detail (like a omitted part from his backstory/lore post where he managed to pick up a hazy audio of his wife + son's crying from the radio of the car his wife/son drowned in and reacted with genuine elation upon realizing he'd discovered a new scientific phenomenon (as this was the first time Henry witnessed soul-possession.)) Yeah.

I don't feel much of a need to revisit Henry as a character because as a series villain, he was pretty thoroughly-written and he did his job effectively... And his fate was well earned! (He even got an epilogue short-story a few years back, further cementing his fate!)

Dialtown: From the characters/writing that the fandom has seen? Tough to say. I genuinely really like every DT character. Gingi and Mayor Mingus are two of my favourite characters to write for because they're both really insistent and react to adversity in a really comically indignant way. Mingus is more like Gingi than she cares to admit in very specific ways, which is the core hypocrisy of her character - she's one of the most abnormal things IN Dialtown, and spends the game on a quest opposing abnormality that she, herself, can't stand.

Many absolute rulers have debilitating physical and/or mental cruxes and despite that, usually have the final say on what is/isn't okay, often guided by arbitrary preferences. It's funny to remember all of the ancient kings and emperors who dictated how others should act, talk and even think, when very many of them themselves were anything except a good reflection of their own subjects! It's an irony I quite enjoy and leads to a fun character to write for!

My favourite DT writing is probably some of my Callum Crown speech drafts. I have a definite bias here since Crown's character is based on many figures I've encountered in my own reading (and his story relates to topics I enjoy reading about.) A lot of that is real nerd shit that wouldn't be interesting to 99.9% of DT fans (like a long conversation where Crown + Milt discuss a campaign speech Milt wrote for Crown and they bicker about if the wording/arguments used are truly honest.) Again, not super relevant to Dialtown-proper, but it explains a lot about why the world of DT ended up the way it did.

Realistically, the story of Dialtown itself is basically a weird little epilogue to a story that ended decades upon decades ago, centered around a bunch of small-town nobodies circling around the carcass of the last surviving main character of the old story.

I'm also very happy with Gingi's character partially because I know more about Gingi's past/future than you guys do. Gingi has such rotten memory that Gingi's backstory before DT's story begins is basically a complete mystery. Thanks to Gingi never getting close enough to any humans before laying its eggs, there's nobody in Gingi's life that can fill in the gaps. Companionship means so much to Gingi because prior to meeting The Gang, Gingi is aware of a massive and unknown block of time that's a complete mystery precisely because Gingi had nobody in its life. To Gingi, this time was basically akin to being non-sentient or dead, and Gingi would never go back.

While I was making DSaF, I drafted a ton of other stories on paper. I considered making most of them, but decided not to for various reasons, despite getting some solid feedback from collaborators. Bits of almost all of those project ideas made it into DT, with Gingi having traits from several other main characters I prototyped years and years ago. This includes where Gingi came from and what exactly Gingi is. I don't want to mislead people into thinking Gingi is more important than it is, like Gingi is the key to unlocking DT lore (I promise there's a LOT of aimless scuttling/devouring in Gingi's past and relatively little else!) BUT: Of everything from those old scrapped projects, Gingi is what I decided deserved to survive the most. And that has to count for something.

One day I'd love to make sequels to DT and perhaps explore some of the stuff I've described above, like why the hell the world of DT is the way it is or maybe where the hell Gingi spawned from. Thanks

[burr-ell]

Genuine question bc i always psyche myself out of writing due to this exact fear, how do we differentiate and avoid Shallow Angst when we pursue writing character studies? Situational angst seems straight forward where it's like oh no character got Hurt and now needs to be Comforted (the "plot" seems out to get this dude hurt and everyone centers on said dude with little other exploration), but say we did want to look at canon grief, using Vex as the example; what is the good way and what is the bad way to explore it? When do we go too far into excluding the rest of the story?

So I had conversations with @blorbologist and @essayofthoughts about this very thing, and what it basically boils down to is this: are you looking at these emotions realistically, taking into consideration the massive spectrum of how these characters interact with them and attempting to push past your own limited perspective of how feelings work, or are you just using them as a vessel to convey how you feel about something or what you think should happen?

Because there are plenty of very good fanworks that involve angst! Angst is, in simple terms, the examination of anxiety, dread, and sadness, and that absolutely has a place in the creation of art. Well-written angst attempts to find the character's voice in it all—it considers how they've dealt with emotions like that in canon, it asks what real-life expressions of grief or sorrow make sense for that character to convey based on their personality and past history, and as all good fanworks (and original works) do, it comes from a desire to understand someone who is not like you.

Take the example of Vex:

How would Vex deal with the loss of Vax? Based on what we know about her, I think it's safe to say that yes, she would be leaning a lot on Percy and Trinket, burying herself in her work some days to avoid the worst of it, but there are also days she'd be avoiding Percy, and maybe even Trinket, to go off on her own. I think she'd hold resentment toward the Raven Queen, even as I think she'd also want to keep the shrine standing in Vax's memory and actively push herself to forgive her. It would be complicated even further by her pregnancy, and all of the hormonal imbalances and physical complications that would entail. It would be complicated even further by the fact that she and Syldor canonically attempt to reconcile specifically in the wake of Vax's death; while I doubt they'd see much of each other in the first year or two, I think they would both be making incredibly awkward and loaded overtures that would be emotionally complicated and draining.

There are times she would lash out and times she would be hollow, and there's a lot she probably wouldn't be able to talk about because she just can't, because grief isn't something you can often put into words. There's a lot she'd also laugh and joke and smile about, because coping with loss means letting the wound scab over. There are times she'd be able to connect to Percy and Keyleth over the loss and times she couldn't, because the loss of a loving-but-complicated family and the loss of a lover don't feel quite the same as the loss of a twin who was all you had for over a decade.

There are a lot of ways to convey all that! There's no "right" answer; this is up for interpretation. But I do think "Vex will never braid her hair again cause Vax used to do that!" is definitely a wrong one.

Vex and Vax were codependent, but I think people tend to overstate the degree, and tend to ignore their canonical relationship development and Vex's characterization. I think it's important to note that Vex actually handles being separated from Vax during the Trial of the Take arc much better than Vax handles it; she makes fast friends with Zahra and generally seems to be enjoying herself and having a good time. Vex closes herself off a lot, but I think an underrated part of her speech at Percy's resurrection is how it recontextualizes the titling in Syngorn—he made her a part of something precious to him, and by the end of the campaign her stated goal is "make Whitestone the tits". Vex didn't just like, wind up as a city figurehead by marriage and shrug and decide to make the best of it; she was offered a chance and made it her bitch. The Raven Queen took part of Vex away when she took Vax, not all of her.

Yes, the loss is incredibly tragic and the end of Campaign 1 is bittersweet, but there are ways to portray Vex dealing with it that don't involve the general tenor of "ALRIGHT EVERYONE, DAILY REMINDER TO BE SAD ABOUT VAX". Like, I don't think Vex's first thought when she saw Laudna's body was "she looks just like Vax :( time for my daily Two Minutes Sad". (My issue with that isn't even whether the thought might occur to her—it absolutely could! But after thirty years, I doubt it would have been anywhere near the same level as "this innocent young woman was horribly killed for looking like me and I have to help her however I can; also if Delilah comes back I can should must and will tear her a new asshole". Like, the Vax thing might have come up long in the aftermath of her and Percy's inevitable late-night alcohol-induced therapy railing, but probably not before.)

A lot of the shallow angst you see in fandom generally has the same voice—not necessarily because it's written by the same people (although you do see many of the same people purveying it), but because the trending popular angst has to trend and be popular somehow, and it does so by channeling thoughts and emotional expressions that are broadly approved and accepted by the community, whatever that community happens to be. The characters in these fanworks behave the way that they do regardless of whether or not it makes sense in the narrative because shallow angst isn't about the narrative—it's about making your audience sad in the specific, narrow way that you are sad. It's about projecting yourself and your own emotions and how you would deal with them onto a character instead of trying to really understand someone who's different from you.

In our discussion, Blorb described fanworks in a way that really resonated with me—they're conversations with canon. Good, effective conversations are real attempts to communicate with people, trying to understand where they're coming from and connecting with who they are. Shallow conversations are one or multiple parties only thinking of the other person as a reflection of themselves, getting out their own thoughts and feelings with little interest in trying to figure out who other people actually are. And it's not that I think people who make these kinds of works are ontologically bad; it's that I think they're stifling their own creativity and growth. Everyone deserves better than to be limited to themselves.

[stackslip]

Just wanted to say I love your fma 2003 posts. While I do think the original story is more cohesive and stuff, I think that the stuff they did with the 03 show is really interesting and provides a lot of cool angles on the character. It's a completely different story after a certain point with its own merit, and I think that it gives a lot of development to the characters in fascinating ways. I feel like seeing it added depth to my appreciation of the story. There's juicy bits in there that I wish were in the original and I'm just glad they were explored and that I'm not the only one who loves it. :))

sorry i took so late to respond lol

i think the og IS a lot more cohesive and planned out, and more consistent in quality! it's just that i don't think it's much to write home about either. it's a very solid fun shounen and as long as you don't think too deep about its implications, it's definitely a lot better written than 90% of mainstream shounen. and i can see the appeal in that, i genuinely do. i don't think 03 is to everyone's taste, even outside of people for whom og fma is comfort food, for whom even a slight deviation feels Wrong because that's their emotional support anime or whatever. like, i'm a fucking dbz fan always and forever you know? i don't have room to say "why do people enjoy mangahood better, it's so much less mature than 03" bc i still get pumped and emo from super saiyan transformations. i do wish these fans at least would understand WHY one might have frustrations with the themes of the story and what it does with very serious subjects lol

i do think that 03 is its own story but i don't think it's its own story "from a certain point". yes the early anime follows a lot of the manga's story, albeit rearranging it differently. but i'd argue that it's different in essence from the very start. its tone it starkly different from the manga, which is and remains a Cool Mystery Action Shounen. fma 03 from its very first episode leans more into brooding and psychological horror territory, even outside of the extra gore. even the subtle changes it makes early in the story aren't just to change/"improve" or adapt the manga's story, but to set up what they do when 03 REALLY departs from the manga's storyline. ed and al's characters are, i'd argue, leagues away from their og counterparts by ep 10--the flashback and making them go through all that trauma at age 12 really sets up that 15 year old ed isn't a confident shitlord like he is in the og, but a deeply insecure and guilt ridden teenager forced to grow up too fast and hiding his insecurities behind a mask of confidence. al is still kind and polite, but also a lot more ruthless and even more dependent on his brother than the og one is--the sensory deprivation and dysmorphia from the armour is cutting him off from other humans than his brother, and a lot of his own doubts and anguish at his situation begin eating at him to the point that when barry throws out the "you're an artificial person" accusation, al's brain immediately latches onto it because he's been wondering if he's even human for years.

i do think 03 has pits and valleys in terms of quality--but honestly i'm fine with it (bar a few genuinely infuriating decisions such as the transmisogynist serial killer trope in ep 8), it's a 2000s anime that was insanely ambitious and butting against the author and funding, some episodes visibly have a shoestring budget and while it remains thematically consistent you can very clearly see moments/places where the production committe threw in "hey uhhhhhh put in more kimblee he's popular" or "we're not giving you more episodes sorry. wrap it all up in three". do i wish a more consistent version of the show existed, meticulously planned out and with all the time and money in the world they needed existed? yes. would that version have been perfect? not necessarily tbh!

but really, 03 has a number of strong decisions and genuinely genius twists on the og that make it very hard for me to come back to the fma manga without feeling deeply underwhelmed. i like greedling so, so much--i just don't like him enough to not feel really bitter about how lust is treated in the manga. i genuinely love the scene where ed swears he'll get al's body's back at the gate, 10/10 shounen scene--but also, there's the scene ed happily tells al that after digging up their mom's body it turns out the transmutation they did had nothing to do with their mom, and every time i'm like "this is so stupid and i wish they'd kept the failed transmutation homonculi". the absolute heights of fma as a manga never ever manage to hit nearly as strongly to me as 03's does, because og fma will always feel just..... lacking in ambition and in depth, where imo in some aspects fma 03 still hasn't been outdone. where can i find something like the 03's homonculi? how many narratives are there that celebrate a character like scar instead of playing the trope of the Well Meaning Extremist Who Kicks A Puppy? this is a real question btw send them to me immediately i need them.

[dumbassunderthemountain]

Ange Chapter 20

Summary: short and sweet, Raymond must come to terms with the idea of love; Chapter 19, Epilogue

reminder that French is in italics 

A/N: Whoo! Last chapter! Finally! There is also an epilogue that is already written that will be published in a few days just to wrap up the entire life I planned out for them. It's been four years since I started this fic and so much has changed since, including my hyper fixations but I did love this story and am quite proud of it, I only hope I did it justice with these last 2 chapters.  

Warnings: mini fist fight and death threat 

Word Count: 1809 

--Reader’s POV-- 

“You should not be out here so late” Emmett’s voice came from the ramparts above you, but you simply ignored him. You had no plans to speak French or go inside or do much of anything. Instead, you sat on the wet grass just outside the castle walls looking out at the countryside and the millions of stars you could never see in your time period. The fastness of the landscape encapsulated how alone you felt. Everything just... It was time to admit you were in way too far over your head...and alone. Perhaps it was too much to expect love and happiness in a time and place like this. Maybe you should accept that you were simply lucky enough that you got to be in the nobility and just give up on anything further. The problem was that in the beginning it really did seem like Raymond loved you or at least genuinely cared about you and you had loved him in return. It was a hard idea to give up on. 

“It is not safe for you out here alone.” Emmett said walking across the grass to you. You hugged your knees closer, grateful you hadn’t been crying, you felt too empty for that.  Emmett sighed and sat down beside you, ignoring the fact that you clearly wanted to be alone, “What did he do?” 

“Nothing...nothing at all” you whispered. Raymond’s nothingness was exactly the problem. 

Emmett’s eyes lingered on you. You knew he did not understand what you said, yet still seemed to understand to an extent. “I am sorry à propos (about) him.” The two of you sat in silence for a long time before he spoke again. “I cannot imagine how solitaire (lonely) you doit (must) sentir (feel). There is no one from your home... It is only you... I do not think Raymond understands that.” 

“I do not care...he should try.” 

“He is, badly, but his is. Depuis qu'il t'a rencontré (Since he met you) he is a new man, but... before...he was bad. Now... He...” Emmett sighed. “You need to hear it from him.” He stood, offering you his hand. “If you go back in the castle, I will leave you alone and talk to him.” 

You stared up at his hand, the castle walls seemed stifling but at least Emmett would leave you alone. You stood up on your own and Emmett gave you a sad look before following you inside.  

-- Raymond’s POV-- 

When mon ange asked me if I loved her, I froze and have yet to thaw. I could not move when she grabbed her cloak and left the room. I barely managed to sit on the sofa to stare into the fire. I saw the heart break in her eyes and knew every part of it was my fault. Every single trouble that befalls her since she arrived in Ireland is because of me. I thought perhaps backing away letting her do as she wished with that Irish woman would help but it only made things worse. I made everything worse; I started to become my old self again. But it is not like I could love her no matter how hard I tried. 

I do not know how long I sat staring into the fire before the door was thrown. “Idiot!” Emmett yelled stomping into the room. “I told you, you couldn’t be an avoidant asshole, yet here you are! Do you even know where your wife was?” 

I did not turn around to look at him, “With that blasted Irish servant I’d assume.” 

“Alone, sitting in the grass outside the walls of the castle.” He spat.  

I jumped up grabbing my sword, my head swirled with a thousand horrendous possibilities of what could happen to her out there. “I have to go-”  

“She’s inside now.” I stopped, staring at him, his irritation was apparent, but the surprising thing was just how mature he looked, not so much in age but for the first time in our lives I felt like I was looking at an adult man worthy of taking advice from. “With her friend Caragh, after I told her about your fight.”  

“You told her?” I growled.  

“No one deserves to be as alone as (y/n) is. I know you want nothing more than to keep her isolated and dependent on you, but that will only kill her and if you looked farther forward than your cock you would see that.”  

“I think of only her-” Emmett swung his armored fist connecting with my cheek nearly sending me flying into the fire beside me.  

“AS A TOY! Or perhaps a holy relic considering your belief that she’s an angel. But you need to recognize that (y/n), you do know your wife’s name, right?! (y/n) is a person. Who for some reason that I cannot figure out, loves you.” I rubbed my cheek dazed. “Despite you forcing her to marry you and making her a baroness in a country where she doesn’t speak either language and does not seem to know most of the customs or basic ways to live. She was drowning with only you; one person is never enough for anyone. And that was when you pretended to like her.” 

“Of course I like her. I-”  

Emmett swung at me again, this time I managed to dodge but in the tight quarters ended up on the couch giving Emmett the optimal angle to punch me again, which he did, twice, each harder than the last. Then he grabbed my collar heaving me up. My hands locked around his wrist stopping him from truly choking me but part of me knew I did deserve this. “Make me believe you! I told you I would kill you if you hurt her did I not? Prove to me you are not a walking corpse.”  

I blinked up at him recalling his threat in the camp right after Emmett met mon ange... (y/n).  My reputation did deserve his reaction, I was simply too naive at the time to think it would ever come up again. I could taste blood in my mouth as I spoke, “She is caring, even to the poor and Irish which is more annoying than anything, but it’s what made her care about me. She’s funny, I have laughed more since I met her than I have in the last decade...” Emmett had a ‘keep going’ look on his face. “She has all these big ideas and stories from her home... I could listen to them for an eternity. I want nothing more than to hold her and make her smile. Do you have any idea how much more I must pay the servants now?” I smirked, remembering the animated argument, that I never planned on winning. “But none of that matters because I cannot love!” I announced, but the proclamation wrenched at my heart with every syllable.  

Emmett dropped my collar, as I was unprepared my body awkwardly fell to the couch. “That sounds like love to me. Idiot.” 

“You are wrong.” 

He casually leaned against the fireplace, “Which one of us has been repeatedly called a love sick fool since we were teenagers... Listen, Raymond. You do not deserve that woman but considering how you have changed since she arrived, I do believe you love her. So go tell her that, or I’ll kill you and give her the money to run off with Caragh.” Emmett smirked arrogantly, hopefully joking about the last sentence.  

-- Reader’s POV-- 

You stood leaning against the ramparts so you could still see the open landscape. It seemed even more empty from up here. Caragh’s soft steps against the stone broke your train of thought about Raymond and the medieval world. You straightened up expecting to have to talk just like you did with Emmett, but instead she just whispered, “I know.” and put her head on your shoulder. The action made your eyes water. It was exactly what you needed, to simply be seen and understood. You rested your head on top of hers and suddenly the world did not feel quite so vast and empty.  

A while later footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs. At first you had assumed it was Emmett again, but then remembered that he had been wearing armor. Then you realized they were Raymond’s footsteps. You sat up looking in his direction and so did Caragh. Upon seeing him she gave you a smile and patted your hand before leaving, and glaring at Raymond as she passed.  

Raymond awkwardly approached, you did not say a word to him, instead waiting for him to talk. The two of you stood side by side overlooking the countryside for a few minutes. “You do not have to wear the wimple anymore, if you do not wish to.” Raymond began.  

“Good.”  

He took a deep breath. You glanced at him from the corner of your eye, it was the most nervous you’d ever seen him.  “I...” he sighed. “As you know I have not lived the kindest life.” Your eyes flicked towards him. “Therefore, there are certain aspects of life I do not know, for example how to love or even what love is, and I can never apologize enough for that.” You squeezed your eyes closed attempting to hold back the tears, it was exactly as you feared.  

Raymond turned to you fully then, carefully and slowly reaching for your cheek turning your face to him, yet giving you plenty of time to reject his touch. You fully turned to face him, with your eyes full of tears. Raymond looked deep into your eyes and placed his hands on your shoulders, just like he did the first time you saw his father’s encampment when he vowed, he would keep you safe. It had only been a few months since that moment but it felt like centuries ago.  

He opened his mouth then closed it again, before managing to speak. “I do not know, but... based on the little I do know, through you, I think...” He closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. When he opened them, he spoke the words you’d wanted to hear fall from his lips for so long. “I love you. And I promise I will learn how to love you.” 

You could not help the smile that spread across your face nor the tears that streamed down your face. “I love you too.”  

Raymond smiled softly, his eyes relaxed, for the first time not looking guarded, and dropped his shoulders from relief, before pressing his forehead to yours and wrapping you in his arms. “I am so sorry.” 

You hugged him back, “I know, Love,” and you could have sworn you heard the fierce Raymond de Merville’s heart skip a beat.  

Taglist: @fizzyxcustard @lathalea @sunflowers-heart

[devsgames]

Dragon's Dogma Primer + Tips

I've been spending tons of time with Dragon's Dogma 2. I loved the first game and was shocked they chose to make a sequel. Legitimately Dragon's Dogma is like, the only franchise that actually has the power to make me genuinely enjoy video games again like when I was a kid.

I also noticed that a lot of people new to the franchise have picked it up this time around and are bumping their heads against it, which is great! Now I'll actually have people to talk to about Dragon's Dogma :')

I wanted to write a little primer and 'beginners tips' to help people learn how to approach the series. Here's some pointers:

Dragon's Dogma gets a lot of comparisons to Dark Souls. I wouldn't say it's because it's a hard game, but it does expect you to approach it on its own terms and won't make many concessions to you if you try to fight it.

DD is a management game masquerading as an open-world RPG. What it expects of you is to move slowly and take your time. It wants you to plan your journey, anticipate challenges, pace yourself, and prepare accordingly. You'll find much less friction if you keep this in mind.

'Fast Travel' as a concept is hard to come by in DD, and you will find yourself walking most places. The ability to instantly teleport yourself anywhere is limited to Ferrystones and Portcrystals, which are both in very limited supply. DD2 has Oxcarts from major settlements, but these are also imperfect by-design as they are time-dependent and prone to attacks, which may leave you stranded. Remember: DD is by and large about preparation and long journeys. Try shortening your routes by exploring for shortcuts, or treating every trip like an opportunity to explore a new area on the way.

DD LOVES rare and consumable items. Some of the best and most useful items in the game are often unique and can only be used once or in a limited capacity. This helps make the items feel more exclusive, while also encouraging you to be doubly sure of your intention before using them. If an item seems like it could be rare, it probably is.

Explore everywhere. In my opinion, DD's level design is unmatched in terms of open-world games. There are things hidden absolutely everywhere in every nook and cranny. If you comb every location you will constantly find new things, and it goes out of its way to ensure exploration is rewarded. I don't think any video game does open world exploration quite as good as DD does.

The quest design is cryptic (and often questionable) and likes to challenge you. The game will say 'find [x] item' and not tell you where it is. Sometimes pawn knowledge may help, but expect to find it through exploring the world and digging around hidden corners. While some quests let you know where to go, don't always expect it.

Some side quests are gated by story progression and will become locked off when advancing the story. Make sure you finish all your side quests before advancing the story!

Don't jump in and accept every quest you see, as some quests are timed and some quests require a lot of preparation. For example, in DD1 escort quests involved escorting someone across the whole world. Read a quest carefully and know the terms before accepting it.

Timed quests are a thing, and usually act as a way to keep you on your toes and force you to prove your ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Expect to receive timed quests at any given moment, and adapt accordingly. They can be stressful.

New Game + is a major part of the game in the DD franchise. Things will happen in the game that will block you out of content. You will fail quests, make choices that block future content, consume items you didn't mean to, etc. NG+ is where you get to experience these all again, so don't worry too much if you weren't able to do it the first time around.

Per above, I personally avoid Googling stuff about the game or quests before doing them. Usually there are things you are going to miss, and reading about them sometimes feels worse than just discovering them later does!

There are two types of saves: "Hard" saves which occur when sleeping at an inn, and "Soft" saves done manually or via auto-save. Sometimes it's prudent to rest at an Inn before attempting major quest beats in case something goes awry.

DD loves consequences for your actions, and while every NPC in the game can be killed it is rarely ever worth it. In DD1, killing an NPC means they're gone forever, which can lock you out of new quests or progression and rewards related to that character. In DD2 there are resources costs to resurrect someone, which mitigates it slightly but still makes it not worth it.

'Forgeries' are a very cool mechanic that allow you to pay an NPC to make a copy of an item. The copy usually just looks identical, but this often allows you to keep quest items for yourself and turn in the forgery to a quest NPC. As with anything else, sometimes this may have future consequences!

Without spoiling anything: DD loves to radically change the open world. Watch out!

The Vocation system is worth exploring. For a cheap fee you can try out every class and find what works best for you, so if you start as a Fighter and hate being a Fighter you're never locked into it.

Levelling a vocation allows you to unlock passive abilities called 'augments' that can carry over between classes, and can help build your favourite vocation further.

Some Vocations have mobility skills (Levitate and Double-Vault). If you like exploring everywhere these are absolutely essential because they let you reach places some classes cannot.

Combining materials makes new items. Experiment to find new recipes.

In DD1 combining items often makes them heavier. In DD2 combining items often makes them lighter.

Every character in the game has an 'affinity' towards you, that changes with how you treat them. This has implications.

Anyway I'm just glad people are finally playing and talking about the franchise. Hope you have fun! :)

[mirandaputsherbestbuttforward]

Anyway, I finished Dragon Age: The Veilguard just over 85 hours for the whole thing (definitely missed some puzzles and a bit of loot here and there), but here are a collection of my thoughts before going to bed.

Spoilers below!

Genuinely, I think it was a solid game. The writing and themes throughout are really potent. I think the dialogue in some places was a little 80s cheesy or a BIT out of place in the DA setting but I definitely laughed at a lot of it.

I think the companions were great, though I found myself not really caring for Lucanis (and I'm not torn up that I accidentally got him killed in the endgame).

Neve, on the other hand, was a sniper shot directly at my forehead; she is carrying out the legacy of the Emotionally Distant Usuallly Hetero BioWare Brunette™ that I have always fallen for, but thankfully not straight this time (bless).

I think the environments were amazing and had so much depth even if the maps were more 'linear' in terms of areas to explore but I loved not having fetch quests. I loved being able to use companion abilities to unlock more parts of the map as we went along.

I do think there was a lot of content - which is good - but it did feel like a bit of a slow go to start.

I felt that the romance wasn't necssarily lacking in terms of BioWare's standard style of romances with casual flirting -> serious flirting -> kiss scene -> romance scene just prior to endgame, BUT because there was so much to do in Act 2, it felt like I wasn't getting anywhere fast and so spacing it out that way felt like there could've been a few more little things in between (e.g. kiss animations like BG3, or something) to hold us over.

In terms of story, I think for the most part it really fit into the series well enough; I don't think the lack of worldstate mattered too much in order to tell the story they wanted to tell with Solas. A few mentioned and call backs are all we would've gotten and I'm okay with that (e.g. like who you picked for Divine or who is ruling Fereldan, etc).

I like that we got to explore more Dwarf lore again, I think this fandom needs to be more into dwarves because holy shit.... the whole reason they can't dream???????? insane.

Also in terms of gameplay, the combat was fun and refreshing, and very mass effect-y and I loved it. I was a warrior and just had fun smashing the shit out of everything. I do wish we had more loot / options to work with (lowkey missed the crafting system in DAI to make our own stuff) but I get why they did it like that.

I loved Rook, and I know that you can't be a super aggressive asshole but tbh this doesn't call for it. They were brought in as someone who could help the team and work together.

As someone on tiktok said, they are friends with fully developed prefrontal cortexes and act like it; DA2 companions are not found family, they are only friends with Hawke and only tolerate each other because of that mutual friendship. Inquisitor is like the manager of a bunch of coworkers.

ANYWAY, I think Rook was a fine protag, and I LOVED the CC aside from a few things like why do some of the more detailed complexions get a 5 o clock shadow embedded into it? No age slider??? no grey hair slider???

Fat slider good but should've had more. Also the boob/ass slider lacking like I get it that it helps keep armours intact but they should've let the sliders go more for better shapes.

All in all, I'm giving it a solid 8.5/10, and well worth the 10 year wait.

I just hope that they get to make a DA5 with that hint they dropped on us in the post-credit scene. I was really hoping for DA Absolution to have a tie in because what the fuck has Meredith Stannard been doing beefing w tevinter to get a circlet to bring someone back from the dead, and what plot point is that gonna be????? but anyway I guess I can hope for a season 2 of DA Absolution next

[teamnick]

Pierre in the Beyond The Grid podcast talking about his relationship with Esteban (and Yuki)

transcript under the cut

Tom Clarkson: Now, so much is made in the media about your relationship with your teammate, with Esteban. Have you rubbed along better as teammates than you were expecting?

Pierre: You know, I knew that it will not be easy…but at the same time I knew that we have grown up a lot. I was a little worried on how he’ll welcome me and how he’ll, let’s say, work with me…I was not too tense, I knew how would I approach it, and I know Esteban since a long time, so I sort of know how we work and we have different personalities, we are just two different type of people. But ultimately I think we’ve been working really well. You know, I think we understood the responsibility…my main concern was to work well with him, to make sure that we extract the maximum of the car, the maximum out of the team, that we’re both pushing in the same direction, and ultimately there’ll always gonna be a sort of healthy rivalry - one wanting to beat the other and this happens in every team. But what I cared the most is just make sure that, you know, this doesn’t impact the sort of evolution of the team and the evolution of the car, you need to...okay, its fine to have a rivalry, but we both need to walk towards the same direction, we all gotta be pushing the team forward and push the development and I must say its been exactly what we’ve been doing. I will not say we’re friends, we dont spend really much time together, but when we get to the track, this is work, and when we’re at work, we are mature and responsible and we are delivering. We have quite similar feedback, been pushing the team and requesting pretty much the same thing out of that car and how we’d like the team to develop, so I must say in terms of working relationship – it’s very formal, let’s say, between us, but thats, you know, thats all I can ask, because, yeah…at the end of the day I just want to be competitive.

TC: I’m thinking of MotoGP when Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo were at Yamaha, they literally had two different teams within the team, but its not like that at Alpine…

Pierre: No, no, honestly, it’s not like this…I mean, I know, I know Esteban won’t invite me for dinner, but I’m fine with that. You know, it’s very, let’s say, it’s very different to what I had with Yuki, you know, Yuki was very unique…and you know, in Austin I had a chat with Sir Jackie Stewart, and it was just very inspiring to hear his relationship with Francois Cevert. And as he was talking, it’s almost like I could relate to my relationship with Yuki, in the way that he came to F1, I was supporting and trying to help and it was a very genuine and healthy relationship. Now with Esteban you know we are both fighting for our career, we both wanna make it to the top, we both wanna be the leaders of the team, and you know, its fine, I accept that and I actually embrace the challenge, I embrace the competition, because at the end of the day Esteban is a very fast and very talented driver, and thats what you need also as a teammate, you need someone that’s gonna be pushing you, someone that’s gonna be pushing the team, you want someone that is competitive. And I really respect that it’s…I know how much he wants to beat me. At the same time he knows exactly how much I wanna beat him every single time, and it’s not something which is personal, because at the end of the day I care about all 19 drivers and as I say, I dont wanna beat Esteban, I wanna beat everyone. To beat everyone, I need Esteban to be pushing me and to be pushing the team to improve the car, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. So I think probably not as exciting for the media, they have all the sparks and stories and drama people would have expected, but it’s been…yeah it’s been great.

[plague-of-insomnia]

I'm sorry if this is a silly question but I'm just curious. Do you know how much time Ciel and Sebastian spend in Weston? I haven't read the manga in a while but while watching the anime I just feel like everything is happening too fast??? Luke the whole are was done in 2 weeks max

Hi, anon, I am not someone who pays super close attention to the chronology of canon (as in, exactly what day/date things happen) partly bc I care more about the overall story and themes and the characters than minutiae like that. Not bc I think people who do are dumb but bc I’m more of an AU creator than canon so knowing the details like that to extreme doesn’t really benefit me much so it doesn’t interest me to spend the time doing it. (Though I know at least one person did come up with a timeline through a certain point in the manga years ago, which you may find if you do a google search.)

But what I can tell you is Ciel comes home from the Campania before Easter and arrives at Weston presumably after that holiday, so likely in March or April. (I could probably find out exactly when Easter happened in 1889 but I honestly could care less lol.) We also know from McMillian that he is joining mid-term. It’s actually a clever way for Yana to have the school “begin” in Spring (which is familiar/nostalgic for Japanese audiences, where school years begin in April, usually) while still reconciling with the Western tradition of beginning in the fall.

We also know the cricket tournament takes place on the 4th of June—probably a day Yana picked since it plays with the theme of four (four houses, four prefects) in the arc but also because the number has an association with death in Japanese.

This means that Ciel is not a student at Weston for very long at all—only 2-3 months at most—since the midnight tea party happens after the cricket completes and presumably marks the end (or close to it) of the school year/term.

Honestly, until the last episode I think the anime has been perfectly paced with the manga. They’ve really made only minor shifts and mostly expanded things, so they’re following Yana’s vision fairly closely.

The one major thing is that this episode shoves most of two chapters into one, when it really could have been done in two. But that would mean 12 episodes. and I suspect the team was worried if they didn’t get the cricket part over fast, they might risk losing/boring their core audience.

One huge change they did was take out the explanation of the game itself and its basic rules, which Bard explains in the manga. This was likely done for time/space reasons but also because they may have figured most viewers don’t care and they can communicate enough for people to understand and follow along even if they don’t understand the rules of the game itself.

This is partly perhaps because the cricket part of the arc was not well received in Japan and was one of the least popular chapters, supposedly. It’s why I was shocked they turned it into a musical a couple years ago.

I was a bit disappointed to lose all that not only bc we lost a nice scene with Bard and the servants (they cut a scene with them where they have lunch, though it’s possible that could make it into next episode, but I won’t hold my breath), but also bc I’m like the ONE person who genuinely enjoyed the cricket part of the arc, and it’s one reason this arc is my second favorite in many ways.

I LOVE seeing Ciel and Seb working together in devious ways to get their mission accomplished, and how far Ciel is willing to go to win. Ofc we can still appreciate it anyway, but the fact that he so carefully works within the limits of the rules— and in fact, I learned in commentary on the arc that some of the rules Ciel takes advantage of were actually changed not long after this period of time, which is a fun detail.

So it could be things feel like they’re moving fast because in a sense they are, but it also could be you’re sensing that urgency from how rushed this last episode was. But I suspect when all is said and done, and you watch the entire thing, it probably won’t feel as off. Book of Murder took place over only 3 days, and Seb and Ciel were not at the circus long at all. I can’t be sure but maybe only a week or two? And ofc the campania adventure was also only a few days. In fact, this may actually be the longest mission in the series to this point. So it seems like most missions don’t take too long.

Hope that answers your question! I’ve been looking through the chapters in this arc before every episode to get a sense for the pacing and they’ve generally fallen exactly where I expect. This episode being one exception since they really did condense a lot.

[thecourtsknight]

So. Side Order, huh?

I've been chewing on my thoughts over this for a good few days now. Want to spit them out somewhere. Vague-ish spoilers ahead.

I want to preface this with saying that I love Splatoon, I've been playing it since 1, really dropped off near the end of 2. Nintendo made Octo Expansion for me, they released it on my birthday and I love it so fucking much.

Side Order is fun, but lacking criminally in content.

You can argue Roguelites are like this in general, its the core princible to replay them over and over again and as someone who enjoys Roguelites, I agree!

However, a key thing that good roguelites do is continously give you a reason to keep playing- whether that be addictive gameplay or, usually, good story and lacing that in with difficulty that becomes the players goal to lessen- It rewards the player for being curious, experimental and above all else persistant.

I am fully aware that difficulty, due to Splatoon's target audience, in something like a roguelite was never going to be an easy thing to balance let alone pull off but having the main plot resolve itself once you hit the top of the tower was, in my opinion, the first of its blunders.

I feel as if the Splatoon developers know how much the lore and worldbuilding of these games matter to players. Side Order was advertised in very similar veins to Octo Expansion. The trailers had mystery and intrigue with clear connections to the well recieved and loved Octo Expansion to the point of having the same protagonist among other simularities.

They were clearly teasing this to be a successor of SOME capacity to Octo Expansion. And even as I went into this expecting it to be nothing like OE in terms of it's personal weight, I wasn't expecting something so short.

Classically, in roguelites that focus on story, you would gain story beats the more you replay. And techincally you gain this with the keys gathered from each fully cleared palette. But usually your story rewards in roguelites come from clearing or attempting runs and rewards:

With Side Order's story being resolved the MOMENT you step onto floor 30 with no real context unless you've intentionally avoided the top or have genuinely been slowed by its difficult (which I assume is what the devs intended) makes it's climax feel fast paced and lackluster- undeserved, even.

And, yes, I am fully aware that when you climb the tower agani after the credits role, you begin gain more lore about whats going on. But with the actual, main threat neutralized in every possible way it feels as if this lore should've been offered to us much sooner and much more spread out for a better pay off.

It's story feels like its being told out of order and, in my personal opinion, the themes and actual telling methods of Side Order we're a largely missed opportunity to tell something a bit more indepth. Climbing a tower that gives you essentially nothing until you reach floor 30 (which in my experience takes about 35-40 minutes) only to recieve about two scentences of lore is incredibly tiring and feels dissastifying when the main plot is already over.

It's lack of variation in level design, tasks and chips doesn't help with the climb each time if you're looking for the lore or just to 100% either. And you can argue this is a roguelite problem, but Splatoon's scenario's for a tower climb are pitifully small and you will start to seem repeat almost immediatly on your second or third run.

I also feel like it relies far too heavily on the player knowing and caring about Octo Expansion. I'm not saying that I think it was a bad idea to have most of what's going on in Side Order happening because of Octo Expansion's events. Hell, I was happy when they were very blatently showing this early on.

But it does very little with its ties to Octo Expansion, making Side Order feel like its constantly struggling to be its own thing away from the original DLC.

I think I can almost see what they wanted to go for here, and its frustrating, it felt close to something at least telling a decent story.

Every single little beat I've gotten has helped me understand more and more what they were going for, but since the main conflict is already resolved I find it hard to be excited and more frustrated that I wasn't given these during my initial playthrough.

I feel as though the roguelite formula was an interesting idea that they polished the best of their ability and to make work both for casual and experience players- but I think thats where the problem comes in.

With Side Order being the same price as Octo Expansion and offering very little in terms of replayability and most especially for me, story, the whole thing ends up feeling like a muddled mess that would've worked better had the roguelite aspect perhaps been dropped in general for a general tower climb.

Missed opportunies feel like they decorate Side Order in a way that leaves me fairly disappointed.

I think, overall, Side Order is a fun time that can be enjoyed but the way it was implimented into the gameplay formula was largely a mistake, especially coupled with the marketing of this being something more indepth with its story when it's not, and I can absolutely understand why I'm seeing a lot of disappointment for it.

[c6jpg]

natlan 5.0 brain dump

i did this in a lot of small chunks so i already forgot all of my detailed thoughts so i'm gonna try to keep it brief

general environment/exploration:

first off music and scenery is 💯💯💯

i particularly like how much wildlife there is and i really love the saurian gameplay (for me its hydro > dendro >>>> geo)

i feel so awful every time i accidentally kill a capybara they should be immune like the rhinos

it makes sense that there isn't "one huge city" like the other nations since natlan is composed of tribes, and each tribe looks like it gets a decent amount of attention, but i was still kind of disappointed by how small the stadium of the sacred flame feels in comparison for being the "main" area. i feel like they could have done a lot more with it

archon quest:

tldr; it was... not good? or at least very underwhelming? especially coming off fontaine/sumeru which had incredibly strong opening acts

act 1 was particularly like. whatever. felt more like a kachina story quest that rolled right into a mualani (but npc-focused) story quest

like for how important the pilgrimage is it just felt so. underwhelming and anticlimatic. yes yes i know kachina is precious and everyone loves her but i wish we spent less time doing kachina support group and focused more on the pilgrimage itself like can we at LEAST see some of the other playable characters participating instead of just hearing about it in passing

literally was soooooooooo fucking annoyed with the entire atea plotline. i wrote a whole rant in my first write up but basically that entire arc only existed so that they could bring back the purification plot device which WE HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE MONDSTADT

i was just incredibly annoyed with how that was all handled lol atea is also just such a non-character how am i supposed to care about her. she didn't even die in the end!!!

also mualani's tribe's whole thing being super stereotypical hawaiian tourism left a really bad taste in my mouth i wanted to get out of there as fast as possible

act 2 was weird because like. i felt like they were saying a lot of things that were like "this is a serious national crisis" but it didn't... feel that way? and a lot of the lore itself was pretty glossed over

i think a problem with the natlan story is that you need the first acts to set up the stakes but we just spent the first act gallivanting around with kachina/mualani and then when they DID get to the "main problem" in act 2 it just info dumped so hard to the point that i. didn't care?

pacing in general just felt all over the place

the only investment they gave us is through caring about kachina and i guess hating the abyss/not wanting a nation to be destroyed on principle but idk. especially with the "nah we gotta wait for the last 2 heroes first" the stakes are Not there for me

reminded me of when nahida was like "yeah i needed you to figure this out for yourself bc if i told you directly your head would explode." but at least that one was fun/could just chalk it up to nahida being cheeky and didn't like. prolong the plot for too long

SHOW US DON'T TELL US DAMN IT. i might just have recency bias but i genuinely feel like natlan might be one of the worst cases of telling and not showing as far as archon quests are concerned

also capitano's appearance felt so random LMAO he really showed up, said some cryptic shit, got his ass beat, and then left. at least the cutscene was cool?

chasca girl i'm shaking crying throwing up somebody get that girl a full pair of pants and brown contacts PLEASE

i find it interesting how detailed/fleshed out chuychu (chasca's sister) is, both in terms of design and personality/character. it kind of felt like they originally intended for her to be playable but turned her into an NPC instead

also citlali is definitely some kind of faruzan situation where she's old but young looking

night kingdom was cool i guess nothing really to say here. i am very interested in the wayob lore though especially in regards to how it ties into the rest of teyvat/why natlan has particularly weak leylines

i feel like mavuika's younger sister might also become relevant in the future... in a bad way. like the insistence to not being forgotten/seeing mavuika again, the fact that mavuika doesn't "really" know what happened to her. also she also got a pretty unique npc model. or maybe she won't be brought up ever again idk

in general that whole reminiscence sequence with mavuika was like. fine but again you just info dumped the shit out of me i have no emotional attachment to feel anything about whats going on right now???

also we all know that was fucking ororon at the end with capitano like lmao come on. but im willing to bet both he + chasca are the last two heros bc like. who tf else do we have left LMAOOO

capitano was supposed to be cool but he's just giving goofy villain right now. sorry capitano fans they flopped so hard with him in this act

[copper-16]

been trying to get my thoughts together about DYSSIC and i just… it’s so good.

something i love is how realistic it is. we start off with ingrid not think she’s worthy of love, or of mapi. and realistically, that isn’t going to change or fix itself right away. it really feels like going on a journey with her, feeling her confusion as everything she thought she knew turns out to not be correct. wanting to believe mapi when she tells her she loves her, and not knowing if she should.

i also love the addition of frido. i adore that even when ingrid was isolating herself, frido and her always remained besties. i love that it feels like ingrid is appreciating frido in a new way now? idk. it seems like she’s so much more receptive to people loving her and that has to be so relieving for frido.

aitana and mario just being steadfast best friends no matter what happens. i love them.

the complexity of alexia trying to protect her best friend, and be a good captain at the same time. and balancing the fact that she genuinely doesn’t know what is going on after being gone all summer. you can feel how much she loves mapi and wants to protect her, and her confusion that she suddenly doesn’t know the right way to do that.

also, everything ale has done for ingrid, because she loves mapi, and eventually because she loves ingrid too ❤️❤️. i love that you’ve given ingrid this family, especially when she isn’t on such great terms with her own.

anyway i’m so sorry that was a long ramble but i will never EVER get tired of how you write mapi and ingrid. it’s my favorite thing. <3

Every day I’m just…continually impressed by how kind and intelligent you are? That you understand what I write so well, and then that you even bother to take the time to write all of this out! You are genuinely just one of the most empathetic and passionate people I have met on here by far.

I’m glad that you are following the path I’m trying to lay down and feel that there is an arch occurring throughout. I do sometimes worry that things move too quickly for the subtle changes I *attempt* to put in to be seen, and then you say things like this and all the sudden my worries just evaporate.

Trying to write Alexia in this fic in particular was SO challenging because it was a lot of balance of trying not to move her mind from one place to another too quickly, but also I can’t spend a million years just on her either lol. It’s all just a big balancing act of trying not to make things move too fast, while knowing that I can’t write 30,000 word chapters at the same time.

Thank you so so much for taking the time to write this, and I am SO glad that you enjoyed thus far. I hope that the ending of the story is something you will like as well! 🩵