#i just think yuri is a real wild card

[aerequets]

but we both know you can't.

I was thinking about the wheeler arc and how twilight was unable to kill yuri because he knows it would break yor. and then i thought that if yuri was the one to find out who twilight was first, it would probably be the same situation but reversed.

many implications .......

[panicloser]

DDLC characters when they're drunk headcanons

as someone who has never gotten drunk I am obviously the right person to make headcanons on this ;D (some of this headcanons are more set for when they're older)

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

Yuri

-I think would handle it the best out of all them. She has the most experience drinking out of all them so she knows her limits

-She has a pretty high tolerance though

-One of the big reasons she likes drinking is because it lessens her social anxiety 

-Gets increasingly more social and talkative the more she drinks, she’s gets more open and relaxed and is more willing to try talking to others even if she still comes off weird

-Along with that she also gets increasingly more impulsive

-She can already be a bit impulsive at times when she’s sober but this fact skyrockets when she’s drunk since there’s no voice of reason holding her back

-When she gets really drunk, without fail she will always do or say something in the spur of the moment that she horrifically regrets the next day which she’ll then proceed to agonise over it for the rest of the week

-If she’s in a good mood when this happens it’s usually just something really embarrassing that her friends tease her for

-If she’s in a bad mood when this happens something more dangerous could happen 

-She learnt from experience how much to drink as to not get to that point but also feel the weight of social anxiety lighten a bit

-If she’s drunk she needs someone to babysit her and keep a close eye on her, when she’s tipsy she babysits her drunk friends

-Also if she’s around someone she’s interested in romantically while she’s drinking she can turn real flirty

-She’s got some banger pick up lines up her sleeve, Yuri rizz is real

-When texting, still tries to spell good when she’s drunk but it doesn’t work out so well

-Imagine her infodumping while drunk, imagine a drunken Yuri rant, 10/10 must have experience

Natsuki

-She’s got a short tolerance and she’s not afraid to use it

-Was scared to drink at first because it reminded her of her dad but it ended up working out okay

-To sum up her drunken self, whatever emotion she’s feeling when she drinks will be exacerbated when she’s drunk

-if she’s in a good happy mood, she’s the life of the party, she’ll be energetic, much friendlier, she’s loud, excited, might stand on a table or two

-if she’s angry, she’s willing to throw hands over a slice of pizza. Copious amounts of swearing and angry half baked rants, again she’s loud, she’s a scary little feral gremlin. Tries not to angry drink since she usually ends up regretting those the most

-if she’s sad, she’s a hundred percent gonna end up crying. Will be more willing to spill her feelings, she’ll complain to the nearest friend, she’s pretty quiet and soft-spoken in this state.

-You might even see a rare clingy Natsuki if she’s in a certain mood

-overall she’s a wild card, a mixed bag of a drinking buddy

-Really likes going to karaoke and singing really badly and loudly between drinks

-hates the fact that she ends up throwing up 90% of the time

-a lot of burps and hiccups, she chuckles at it everytime

-still has a pretty good sense of danger when drunk off her ass

-a drunk Natsuki gets flustered cripplingly easily and can’t hide it, she falls apart, keep that in mind if you flirt with her

-cannot fucking hear you if you talk to her in a reasonable tone at a slight distance, goddamn deaf woman

Sayori

-the least coherent drunk out of these four

-also doesn’t have a very high tolerance, it doesn’t take many drink for it to get to her

-doesn’t like drinking too often but every now and again is okay

-is just super duper out of it when she’s drunk

-she’ll be half zoned out the whole time, her brain is %100 just vibing

-surprisingly won’t say much, she’ll have mild reactions to what’s happening around her or she’ll say or ask something really random out of nowhere every few minutes

-if you ask her a question she’ll reply like ten minutes later, very slow processing, windows 98 brain

-is extra clumsy when drunk. She’ll drop and knock over so many things and probably fall at some point. The next morning she’ll wake up with a bruise with no memory of how she got it

-if she’s in a good mood when drunk she’ll be really calm and lightly bubbly

-but drinking is bad for her when she’s not in a good mood. Can turn into a sad drunk, her feelings become even heavier than usual and she can spiral really bad, she sometimes fears drinking due to experiencing this before

-tends to get sleepy and drowsy. She’ll always end up passing out by the end of a session

-on rare occasion, if there’s alcohol in the house she’ll drink a bit when she’s having problems insomnia problems

-also most likely gets extra cuddly and affectionate when she’s drunk or tipsy

Monika

-usually drinks the least out of the four of them

-has a medium sized tolerance

-the only reason she drinks the least amount is because of  the lack of control she has when she’s under the influence

-doesn’t mind being a little tipsy so much, will just be more relaxed at that point

-an existential drunk 

-starts questioning the meaning of life, her purpose, why things are the way they are and other deep questions, half of them end up not making sense

-can spiral too deep and either get depressed or turn into a conspiracy theorist

-either that or she’s a clingy affectionate drunk

-if there is anyone she cares about there, especially if it’s in a romantic way, she will cling to them the whole time and use every type of love language she can think of on them

-she also talks a lot, she talks about random stories or things she finds interesting or about her feelings, anything, she wants to shut up but she can’t stop

-and of course she’s more impulsive too and will go along with whatever idea someone comes up with

-she perceives her drunk self to be annoying and embarrassing which is why she now avoids it as much as she can

-protecc drunk Monika

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

was gonna do some hcs on how the interact with each other but might do that another time im lazy now

(apologies if this whole thing is a terrible grasp on what being drunk is like I've just had these headcanons stuck in my head for a while now man)

[cyberdragoninfinity]

Yuri for the ask meme?

my wretched purple carrot <3 smiles so peacefully.......

Why I like them/why I don’t: i was doomed from the minute he walked on screen and started making his smug little faces lookin like a damn Dana OC and sounding like what if Taako from TAZ wanted to hurt you so bad. i was cooked. he's so danabait it's unreal. He's just such an awful manipulative theatrical little freaklet with a nasty deck full of ugly ass sticky plants (slash pos 💚) but if i think too long about him my tummy starts hurting real real bad. I said it when I talked about sora but Character Raised to Be a Weapon always makes me explode and just like. Dwelling on Yuri's Upbringing Was Potentially Like inflicts ten thousand agonies upon me. there is a gaping maw of loneliness back there. im putting him in a jar and shaking it really hard. i love him. im not making it out alive from his duel links event

What I like about their appearance: i LOVE how expressive he is!!! it's integral to me that all 4 yuboys have a dash of the 'sometimes very silly and expressive' gene in there and i love that yuri's no exception. he's so cute sometimes. so sue me.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?: p much same in both, huh? Joeri is a bonkers ass name I have to respect it but im a Yuri truther through and through. characters who are eastern european in my brain

OTP: SIGHS THROUGH MY TEETH. AGAIN. not beating the yaoi warrior allegations but denyuri bit me so bad. yuri is my problematic aro representation and thinking too much about the intricacies of whatever 'bond' he has with this loser who's in love with him makes a bomb strapped to me go off. postcanon denyuri feels like eating glass i will continue to chew on it <3

NOTP: i already talked about not being too big on yuri/yugo romantically but also. my god. im so sorry but yuri/celina is just such absolute comphet cardboard to me. it shouldnt boggle my brain that it's as popular as it is but i feel like a fucking space alien looking at it. these characters have interesting potential in their dynamic but be so fr with me celina is not dating a boy.

OT3: dont really have one for him. platonically i love the yuboys as family though ;__;

Favourite card they use: i do like starving venom in all its nasty wing mouthed glory but i think the card that he uses that makes me most insane is that goddamn predaplant tuner, Banksiogre. the fucked up pinecone with yugo's eyes. YEAH I'LL BE NORMAL ABOUT THAT SURE!!!!

Favourite moment they were in: god so many little moments especially in season 3, his crazy ass dub AND sub voice acting when he beats alexis, the moments right before he absorbs yugo. "i dont recall asking for forgiveness 🙄" but i gotta go with my heart. episode 135 smashed me into the fucking pavement with this kid's insane expressions. LA CUCARACHA

Least favourite moment: literally what the fuck was that in the last episode where he smiles at celina's Ghost in Zuzu. THEY HAVE BARELY INTERACTED ALL SERIES. BE SO FOR REAL WITH MEEEEEE

Something I associate with them: cockroach emoji 🪳. poison type pokemon. carnivorous plants. the humble asiatic wild ass. Fervent For the Hunger by Adeem the Artist. peace and love

[amemenojaku]

Hisami and Zanmu for 1 on that ask game!

When I started shipping it if I did: Since day 1 when I read Hisami's dialogues, like most people I believe lol. I mean, how can you see her and not start cheering for her to get what she wants... Since it's still pretty recent I can add that two lines in particular made me seriously consider it and think about it beyond 'this is nice/funny': when Hisami tells Zanmu that she doesn't have to hold back around her, and when Zanmu tells Hisami that she knew Hisami would mess up on purpose, and that she'll give her a reward anyway - both are about danmaku obviously, but it got my brain gears turning >:]

My thoughts: They've slowly but steadily been going up my favorite ships, especially for the past 2-3 months... They work well together. Obviously I'd love the ship in touhou where one of them has a big fat actual canon crush on the other one, I've been in this hole since 2010 or something so Hisami's kind of a gift... but also in general I think it's a good spin on the boss/henchman trope when the boss is some mega charismatic chessmaster who could probably get anyone they want on their knees and yet their subordinate is one of the only people they can't fully predict/control. The wild card aspect is really funny to me and I love seeing fanworks where Zanmu's like... fondly sighing at Hisami's antics.

Things done in fanworks that annoy me: I think there's too many fanworks where Zanmu looks generally uncomfortable around Hisami despite never doing so even once ingame, and also too many fanworks where Hisami harasses Zanmu, sometimes to make very early 2000s jokes in very poor taste... I won't name anyone but there's a few big yuri artists on twitter who do that and it makes me want to bash my head against the wall when they get praised for it just because their artstyle looks good..... On a more positive note there's a few people who've been creating constantly good content of this pair and I think given a year or two nature will be healing!!

Also I'm of the opinion that Zanmu's fairly tall herself, just a bit shorter than Hisami, so I'm not big on the crazy size difference stuff (funny coming from a seishin fan, I know......)

Things I look for in fanworks: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING!!! Getting to know each other past the infatuation (in Hisami's case)/the curiosity (in Zanmu's case) in deeper ways. I promise this isn't about sex lol (I do think about that too but not here rn) I really want to see how their relationship can grow and I especially want to see Zanmu enjoying it (as a petty reaction to the stuff listed above...). In their case I think physical intimacy would be a good setting for that kind of scene where their emotional bond grows, so that's what I'd go with if I were to create something like it, but anything can work if it's done in good taste imo. And in general I want to see Zanmu answering Hisami's affections with a positive emotion... whatever it is... I'm desperate.......

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: It's difficult for me to imagine Hisami with anyone else, although I do think she'd have physical relationships with a bunch of women while her feelings for her boss are still unrequited. Zanmu on the other hand I can picture being interested in a few other characters like Reimu or other onis or even the sages, but ultimately not as something she'd commit to and take seriously. The only real endgame is still zanhisa haha

My prefered future/ending for them: Whenever Zanmu considers them close enough to tell Hisami to drop the honorifics and overly reverent language when they're alone, and whenever Hisami feels comfortable doing that would be the ideal "endpoint" for me because of all the things it implies :) I don't care if at that point they actually consider themselves in a relationship or if they just aknowledge there's something going on. Though if they do get in a relationship proper I imagine they'd be very discreet about it. Also I think Hisami should get a promotion so she can directly work as Zanmu's prefered right hand arm man. woman. her everything. her confidant. her silly rabbi

What is their favorite activity together: Probably drinking. I imagine with how old she is and hanging out with onis Hisami's built up a decent hold on alcohol, and Zanmu appreciates it. They reminisce about their respective pasts and talk about the inner workings of hell and Zanmu gets a huge ego boost from showing off her 4D chess plans and Hisami praising her for it

[mirchloe]

it's the last day of lesbian visibility week, so here's a few lesbian headcanons!

franke realized she liked girls when she was real, real little. she just didn't have any interest in boys. she always wanted to be around girls and be liked by them. kitty is her first girlfriend, and she feels really special when they're together. she feels like kitty picked her out of every other girl in camp. i do think this earns lili's frustration because she used to be close with kitty, so there's a bit of jealousy at play, and franke has picked up on it a little.

frazie and norma lesbian realness. personally, i like aro lizzie who doesn't care much for gender or using labels, but she does have preference for girls. back to the teen lesbian duo, though, i love that they're somewhat classic opposites attract because frazie still has so much baggage to unpack about her own internalized psy-phobia. i don't think they'd be close during that first summer, especially since frazie is more of a wild card, and norma, now a junior agent, is aspiring to become a full-fledged "drop the junior" agent. they're stubborn! they're snide! norma's hitting her with a smile that oozes smugness, and frazie knows she can just fling her like a rubber band, but fine, she wants smug? she wants cocky? frazie has that in spades. (also, she isn't that miffed about the hazing deal as i think people headcanon her to be - she practically rolls her eyes when raz says she can defend him or whatever during her dialogue tree. she'd be a little annoyed, yeah, but nothing like, 'ohh, you guys are the worst, and i'm gonna pelt you all with acorns the size of your heads, if you don't say sorry.' raz would be embarrassed because those are his friends, and he doesn't need a sorry because they've taken him under their wing! they like him! he's a cool li'l dude!) but what makes frazie and norma so interesting to me is that they can bring out different sides of each other. norma is proud to be psychic, proud to be an agent, and she can show frazie that there is joy in being a psychic. frazie can help norma leave her carefully cultivated shell, get messy, be a little rebellious (reasonably! because norma is not risking her job). also, raz would make the most disgusted faces at them. it's his personal hell. goodbye, razputin.

cassie and gloria are old women yuri. i think cassie's affection for lucy is unrequited. she simply doesn't feel the same, and cassie internalized that, especially since she went decades without having her answers. lucy loves her, but it's not the same as what cassie desired. it's a bygone love, and cassie has learned to move on - and so has gloria! she dealt with so much comphet throughout her life and her personal tragedies. she had affairs with men and women, and realizing she's a lesbian later in life was freeing. i think they'd have a sweet romance, something comforting and filling of their gaps.

and speaking of comphet, the camper queen of it - elka. what can be said about her? she's beholden to her foresight. she believe whatever horrors the future shows her. it will come true. it's happened for all the dooms. so, seeing herself with nils is like a sentence. she will be with him, and since she's become that entwined with fate, she's determined to at least make herself happy in their relationship, even when she's forcing it on him, and nils is clearly wanting out (though, nils isn't exactly innocent, either). she moves to the flow of the waves, so her big moment is saying no to the future, realizing that she needs to grab her own happiness instead of nodding along to the insistence of her visions. i think she'd realize she prefers girls when she's older (twenty-something? maybe mid to late twenties) since her childhood and teenage years are spent being "boy crazy" and "spiraling in depression," as written by her therapist. (at least dogen is good soundboard when she needs to vent! he thinks she's being dramatic, but gets that she's going through a lot and tries to help, though his advice often goes through elka's ear and out the other.)

[metalandmagi]

Winter 2021 Anime Worth Watching!

Since 2020 basically sacrificed itself to give us the most stacked anime season of all time, I’m currently buried under the weight of almost 20 shows airing per week. So for anyone who’s looking for some anime to watch this winter, here’s some first impressions! I’m speed running my list this time by only talking about the new shows...because otherwise this would be my great American novel. 

If anyone’s interested, I have master lists for both 2020 anime and 2019 anime, because there’s no shortage of fun things to find. 

New Shows!

And before anyone asks, So I’m A Spider, So What? isn’t on here, because CG spiders freak me out.

Cells At Work Code Black: This...less comedic spin off of Cells At Work (made by a different studio) takes the wholesome concept of Osmosis Jones meets cute anime girls and turns it on its head. In this much more depressing version, we follow a rookie red blood cell who works in the body of an overly stressed, alcoholic smoker who puts every strain on the body imaginable. I love Red Blood Cell AA2153 and his co-workers, but man am I glad we get the regular Cells At Work airing this season too, because I need something fun and uplifting after seeing my sweet son go through hell every episode. 

*Heaven’s Design Team: Have you ever wondered how God came up with some of the weird ass animals that live on this planet? Like, what’s the deal with giraffes? And why can’t we have dragons and flying horses? Well this is a comedy about the engineers and designers in heaven creating the new animals that are going to inhabit the Earth. That’s it, that’s the show. It’s kind of in the same vein as Cells At Work, having comedy blend with a surprising amount of educational information. If you want something light and funny, this is the show for you (though I don’t think it needs to have full length episodes). I’m just hoping there’s an episode about how the hell the platypus was created. Also it’s the only new one available on Crunchyroll.

Horimiya: A romantic comedy about a girl named Hori who fits the image of a perfect queen bee and a quiet bespectacled boy named Miyamura who never makes an impression at school. When the two meet by chance outside of the classroom, we see that Hori is practically raising a younger brother by herself, and Miyamura is actually a sweet guy who happens to be covered in tattoos and piercings. This show is an exercise in breaking down the images people have of others in their minds, and it’s a concept that really hits home in a fun and meaningful way. Honestly, this has become one of my immediate favorites. The characters have great chemistry, and I can’t wait to see more of them!

Monster Incidents (Kemono Jihen): When big shot Tokyo detective Inugami is called to a rural town to investigate a series of strange animal deaths, he finds a mysterious boy with the nickname Dorotabo who has been shunned by the other children in town. As the detective gets closer to Dorotabo, he discovers that there may be more...inhuman secrets to the boy than he realizes...and Dorotabo discovers that Inugami has some secrets of his own. This is a hard show to sell without spoiling the first episode, but it had twists and turns that kept me engaged from start to finish. I’m really interested to see where the plot goes, because I thought this was going to be something totally different just from the PV and series summary. If it plays its cards right, this could be a great paranormal detective show!

Wonder Egg Priority: A psychological drama about a girl named Ai who starts having dreams about a mysterious egg that promises to give her what she wants most in the world...a true friend. Before long, she begins to see how the dream world and reality are tied together, and trippy antics ensue. It’s hard to say more without spoiling anything, but I had to go back and add this one in because I made the mistake of thinking it was an OVA when it’s actually a full series. And what a series it’s starting out to be. This anime has all the psychological discomfort of a Satoshi Kon product with the beauty and style of something from Kyoani (even though it’s made by Clover Works). It’s really one of those anime you just have to see to understand.

Sk8-∞ (Skate the infinity): An original skateboarding anime from Bones, featuring a typical sports anime protagonist who takes a new transfer student who has never skateboarded in his life under his wing. Together they compete in dangerous races and take the skating community by storm. The character designs rival Appare Ranman’s in outlandish creativity, and I can smell the main characters’ ship dynamic a mile away (considering they’re exactly the same as the protagonists from Robihachi). If you’re looking for some wild and crazy fun with top notch skateboarding animation, don’t skip this!

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu (Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club): Yes, it’s another volleyball anime. And no, it’s not just a clone of Haikyu. This story follows Yuni Kuroba, a physically built but emotionally weak teenager who finds out his childhood friend Hajime is moving back to their hometown for high school. Yuni discovers Hajime has become an exceptional volleyball player and they join their school’s volleyball club hoping to turn the unknown team into a rising star. If anything, this anime is much more like Stars Align or Free, where the sport is a backdrop for letting the characters explore their personal problems. Or at least it seems that way after the first episode. I went into this show ready to throw it in the trash because how could anything compete against my beloved Haikyu, but I found myself really enjoying the dynamics of the main duo and I’m curious to see what the rest of the team is like.

And speaking of sports anime rip-offs…..I can’t believe I’m including this but…

Skate Leading Stars: The show where the animators clearly wanted to design another throw away idol anime but saw how popular Yuri On Ice was so they decided to make whatever the hell this show is instead. It revolves around a fictional team sport called skate leading, and we follow the world’s most insufferable main character, a former figure skater named Kensei who wants to return to the ice and join his school’s skate leading team after he finds out his childhood rival is going to compete in the sport. Look, this show is just trashy enough to get a certain type of audience hooked, and it mainly has to do with the best boy of the winter season, Hayato Sasugai, the aspiring team “coach” who pulled most of us into watching this show with his punk appearance, snide comments and smug personality. He’s basically the lovechild of Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima in a high school sports anime setting. The show treats itself with the perfect amount of sincerity to get away with being absolutely ridiculous most of the time without making you feel like you’re watching it from a dumpster...like Try Knights. You will know after one episode whether this show is for you. All I can say is, Hayato is worth the watch, and I haven’t seen any 3D animation used for the skating scenes (yet) so that’s a win for me. 

Honorable mention:

Jobless Reincarnation ( Mushoku Tensei): Yet another isekai where the main character is hit by a car (big surprise) and gets reincarnated into a fantasy world...but he happens to remember his previous life and narrates himself growing up as a jaded adult. I’m only including this because it looked amazing animation wise, and I love the opening where getting hit by a car and dying is actually traumatic. And I love the protagonist’s parents (who are retired adventurers who just want to bang all the time). But honestly...the main character is the fucking worst, and I don’t know if I want to keep watching it because of how creepy and weird he is. Like...he’s the hit on your fantasy mom as a baby kind of creepy and weird. But for anyone who wants a cool looking isekai that had an amazing PV, it’s worth checking out. 

Continuing Series!

Because the real gold of the season is in all the established anime getting their next seasons, I’m just going to list some of the things that are also amazing and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already (because I’ve already talked about most of them at some point and don’t know what else to say).

Attack On Titan season 4

The Promised Neverland season 2

Beastars season 2

Log Horizon season 3

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 2

Re: Zero season 2 (second cour)

Dr. Stone season 2

Cells at Work season 2

Osomatsu-san season 3 (second cour)

Higurashi New (second cour)

Jujutsu Kaisen (second cour) 

Not to mention all the shows I don’t watch that everyone else loves...like World Trigger (which I have seen quite a bit of, but long shounen shows are too much for me now) Quintessential Quintuplets, and Non Non Biyori. 

So there’s just some of all the anime airing this season. Hopefully, someone can find something they like. Here’s to a great year...well, of anime at least...

[stargazer-sims]

Journal Entry #6 (part one)

Victor

Hey everyone! Check out this awesome tan! I guess I was worried about my sunburn for nothing.

Things are going great, and other than the occasional insect inviting itself to share my tent, this place is a literal paradise.

This morning I did not have junk food for breakfast. I got up early, and I made herbal tea, and grilled some of the fruit I’d bought yesterday. I made a little too much, because apparently I can’t remember how to cook for only myself any more.

At home, I do the majority of the cooking, and of course I’m cooking for two. It’s not that Yuri can’t do it. He’s actually not bad in the kitchen, especially when it comes to baking. It’s just that he has a lot of dietary restrictions, and sometimes that makes him anxious.

I think spending a lot of time preparing food gives him way too much time to think about eating it, and that really stresses him out and makes him more likely to get sick. So, I’ve learned to make a lot of stuff he can eat without it hurting him. Sometimes I have to coax him to eat, though, which I don’t really like doing even though we both know it’s for his own good. The look in his eyes when that happens just about kills me every time, but I still remind him that he has to focus on consuming enough calories so he doesn’t lose weight.

I, on the other hand, don’t have any issues at mealtime. I love food, and I eat a lot, and I’ll try anything. My mom says I eat like a rescued stray dog. She’s a veterinarian, so I guess she’d know, right?

As it turned out, making too much food this morning wasn’t that big a problem, because I had an unexpected guest for breakfast. Her name is Alana, and at first I thought she was camping at the site just down the beach from where I am, but she was actually just visiting somebody there. Alana is from here, and she’s the first islander I’ve met so far who hasn’t treated me like a clueless tourist.

I offered her some grilled fruit, and we had a great chat. She offered to take me sightseeing later in the week, and naturally I said yes. Our excursion would be ‘off the beaten track’, she said. How exciting does that sound? mean, how could I possibly have said no?

After Alana left, I cleaned up the breakfast stuff, and then sat down to write a letter to Yuri and one to my mom. I’ve called Mom once since I’ve been here, and of course you know Yuri and I talk every evening before bedtime, but I wanted to write paper letters because they’ll have a Sulani postmark on them.

One of my favourite things as a kid was receiving postcards from my aunt Lianna and uncle JP, and seeing all the different places they’d been sent from. Aunt Lianna is an archeologist, and she and my uncle travel a lot. I’m sure she sent me a card or a letter from every place they’d been, and to me, it felt really special. Now, I want to pass a little of that sentiment on to the people I care most about, too.

But, now you’re wondering about the day’s adventures, aren’t you? I had my scuba diving lesson, and that went pretty well. I don’t think it’s going to make my list of favourite activities of all time, but I liked it enough to sign up to try it again at least once before I leave.

The real highlight of the day was snorkelling, and it definitely is going on my top-ten list of most awesome activities ever.

Seriously, if you want to see something totally amazing, go snorkelling in Sulani. I’m not even joking. The view underwater is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

The other big highlight of my day was learning how to ride this wild machine. This is an AquaZip, and let me just say, for an adrenaline junkie like me, nothing more perfect than this could ever be created. If anyone could’ve heard me over the engine noise, they probably would’ve thought I was crazy. I was yelling my head off for no reason other than to let out some energy. I was that excited.

You can rent these all over the island, and now this one’s mine for the week. I’ve got a feeling I’ll be using it a lot.

But… maybe I shouldn’t be posting that fact here. Yuri would probably panic if he saw me on this thing in real life, and I don’t think the pictures are going to make the circumstances any gentler for him.

(I know you’re going to be looking at this, my sweet. I’m being super extra careful, I promise.)

[big-meows]

heya! do you have any games you love a ton but they're old/niche/"bad" enough that people generally don't know it?

Okage: Shadow King! People who already love it absolutely still adore it, but if you never got in on the ground level in like, 2002, I dont know that you would find anything worthwhile in it. Its very dated! For a while it was a sort of grail to have a copy that would actually run on your PS2 after a certain date, because it was one of the old blue back discs and after a certain point they just sort of...gave up, but you can get it on the PlayStation network now. Probably for pretty cheap! Its DEEPLY "quirky japanese" from a time when that wasnt really a thing we were getting a lot of over here (I didnt know what an Idol was in 2002, I just fucking went with it) and the UI is an...experience lol. Its fun though.

The .hack// stuff was....honestly wild! A single player mock-MMO on your PS2, complete with an in-game browser to check the news, read forum posts, and exchange emails with other (fake)players/characters. It was a real media monolith in the early aughts, with four games in the main series, an anime, OVAs, some novels and more, and there was so much lore crossing over between all of it, and clues for in game secrets you could find in the OVAs and magazine ads and stuff. It was sooooo cool. Visually, it has also aged like room temperature milk, and as cool as all that stuff sounds, and definitely was to college aged me, it sounds like a slog in my old age. FOUR GAMES? No thanks. Time moves too fast in ones 30s. The dungeons also were repetitive and ugly, so like....I will probably never revisit these games. (The G.U. games were better looking, but also didnt really stick with me much. Check them out if you loooooove to hear Yuri Lowenthal scream a lot.)

Baten Kaitos/Baten Kaitos Origins for the Gamecube. Obscure, card based RPGs. They have their issues (the first one feels so similar to Final Fantasy X in some ways it seems like it cant be a coincidence) but they both pulled absolutely BIZARRE plot twists that I still think about to this day. Also the card system IS pretty cool and some of the music is soooo good, I used to leave the game on to sleep to lol

oh shit I almost forgot FRAGILE DREAMS: FAREWELL RUINS OF THE MOON, a melancholy RPG for the WII that sort of plays like a survival horror about death at the end of the world. Its tragic and beautiful and a little spooky and the environments are gorgeous. I think this game is still excellent, but I know like only two people who have ever played it, and one of them was because I bought it for them.

I'm a currently poking at a MUSHROOM HUNTING SIM, yes you read that correctly, called Morels: The Hunt. This is not a joke. Want to stumble around in lovingly rendered forests from several different American ecosystems, getting poison ivy and ticks, snapping photos of birds, squirrels, deer, and maybe even bigfoot? While also trying to find morels, I guess? Have I got the game for you. I unironically love it. (I'm also playing this game while experimenting with recording gameplay vids for YouTube, because if not me, then who??)

[medea10]

My Review of Grand Blue

How did I get into this anime? Well, I heard there were some good reviews about this particular title. It was one of those animes I probably should have watched in summer 2018, but more than likely I was watching some sequel no one remembers.

Iori Kitahara just moved to an ocean-front town to live with his uncle since he lives near Izu University (a school Iori was accepted into). His uncle owns a scuba diving shop that serves as a local hangout for members of the school’s diving club. Little does Iori know that this is a local hangout to get FUCKING SHIT-FACED!!!

I am not making this up. These members drink like it’s going out of business. And usually these drinking binges end up with blackouts and public nudity. In Iori’s case, he got so black-out drunk that he woke up in front of his new university’s courtyard…on the first day of school…only wearing his boxers! I’m beginning to see why Amazon put out an advisory at the beginning of each episode about drinking responsibly. But aside from drinking with a bunch of meat-head senpais, there’s also diving. Yeah, club activity is actually diving into the ocean.

So let’s dive into this college-leveled, binge-drinking club as we meet some interesting characters like, a raging otaku (Kouhei), Iori’s cousin with “Permanent Resting Bitch-face Syndrome” (Chisa), a girl who should get a makeup tutorial on Youtube (Aina), two meat-head senpais (Bukki and Tokki), Drinky McStripsItAll (Azusa), and Chisa’s “loving” older sister (Nanaka).

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: So this is an Anime Prime exclusive, so I doubt I’d be hearing a dub to this any time soon. The sub has quite the line-up of seiyuus including that upcomer I’ve been raving about all 2019, Yuuma Uchida. But a lot of well-known folks like Kana Asumi and Hiroki Yasumoto (who can literally play anything at this point) shine in this anime. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Iori is played by Yuuma Uchida (Kyo on Fruits Basket 2019, Uenoyama on Given, Chika on Kono Oto Tomare, Sun on Oresuki, Ash on Banana Fish, and Shirazu on Tokyo Ghoul :re)

*Kouhei is played by Ryouhei Kimura (known for Hinata on Angel Beats, Hachiken on Silver Spoon, Takizawa on Eden of the East, Judar on Magi, Taishi on Tokyo Ghoul, and Hiyori on Free!)

*Chisa is played by Chika Anzai (known for Mina on Attack on Titan)

*Aina is played by Kana Asumi (known for Taneshima on Working!!, Ran on Shugo Chara, Kazakiri on Index, Yuno on Hidamari Sketch, Nagisa on Madoka Magica: Rebellion, and Tachibana on Nisekoi)

FAVORITE CHARACTER: I’m gonna say that after watching all 12 episodes; Aina (a.k.a. Cakey) grew on me. Horrible caked-on make-up aside, let’s be real here.

I think it’s because of the development we see with her ever since she was introduced early in the series. We see a girl trying her damndest to fit in with the tennis club only for it to blow up in her face (literally when we’re talking about all that makeup that’s “caked” on her face). Yeah, these guys treated Aina like garbage! But after joining the diving club, we see her be herself and slowly trust those around her. I think it’s more of this character resonating with me in some sad aspect, but I too feel the pain of trying to fit in or not wanting to let anyone down. Anyways, Cakey is my girl!

Poor dear, I feel your pain.

SHIPPING: So Iori is now a college lad and getting smashed eight ways from Sunday. And I’m sure he’s going to have his own picks of the ladies when he isn’t drinking with an otaku and a bunch of meat-heads.

…Or he can get freaky with his blood cousin!

*eyeball twitch*

ANYWAYS, Chisa has made her point clear with the disgusted face she makes whenever she’s around Iori. But in anime terms, we know that she has that classic tsundere syndrome. So when someone like Aina comes into the picture and Iori sticks up for her, jealousy arrives like a fucking A-bomb! Despite Chisa announcing to a wide, public setting that Iori was her boyfriend (while he was passed-out drunk), nothing too scandalous happened with this. It was just so she could keep creepy boys away. Honestly, I really have no problem if Chisa and Iori hook up. It’s actually better than Chisa being with someone who has an unhealthy obsession with her.

I don’t want to say Nanaka has a thing for her baby sister, but this is getting too borderline Yuru Yuri that I have to say something about it.

I’m pretty sure Aina might be a contender after all Iori has done for her throughout the series. It’s just that she can’t stand all that binge-drinking and getting buck-naked at any moment.

And then there’s wild card Azusa! She’s a flirt! What else can I say about her? She teases Iori every chance she gets. Hell, near the finale she tantalized Iori in sex. Wasn’t sure if she was kidding or if she really meant it! However she did shove a leek up Iori’s ass, but that’s because he was sick.

I swear this is normal behavior.

By the end of the series, we really didn’t get much in terms of full-on hookups. Many misunderstandings have occurred involving word-play. Iori, Kouhei, and their band of geeky friends are still virgins (though one of them came very close to sealing the deal). One of the meat-heads has a girlfriend (did not see that one coming). But on a positive note, Chisa and Iori’s friendship has been pretty steady. I wonder how long that’ll last!

ANIMATION: I gotta say it, the facial expressions on these characters were a laugh-riot. It wasn’t like this was pathetically sad that I have to laugh at it. But more of how expressive these characters got when they have to express hatred or disgust! This is more for comical expense and I happened to like it. It’s like with the anime Prison School, all the facial expressions worked in their favor. This, while out of place some of the time, never fails to make me laugh.

ANIME REFERENCE: While shopping for gear for an upcoming diving expedition, Kouhei came across two suits that would make any old-school otaku squeal.

The suits of Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu from Neon Genesis Evangelion in diving suit form. And Kouhei got Chisa and Aina to try them on!

ENDING: At the end of episode 9, the diving club is heading to Okinawa for a special trip that is promised we will never forget. They made sure of that when the anime gives us a two-minute preview of what to look forward to in these final three episodes. Just be warned a lot of things mentioned really didn’t happen. It almost felt like one of those gag previews Gintama is notorious for.

Well Iori, Kouhei, and Aina are going to attempt at getting their divers license so that they can go even further down the ocean. It seemed like all three were doing pretty well when it came to the basics of diving underwater. However, it was quickly noticed by Nanaka that Iori was having trouble keeping water out of his goggles and that could result in immediate failure. So Iori practices all night (with help from Chisa and Aina). However, Iori ended up in some trouble when a patrolling policeman comes upon him in the pool. And Iori spent the rest of the night in the water because he was naked.

Because I’d be concerned if he wasn’t naked!

Well, the next morning, he caught a cold. Then dumbass thinks it’s a good idea to get rid of a cold by drinking vodka.

Because I’d be concerned if he wasn’t drinking!

And as a result he ended up missing his chance for obtaining his diving license. Kouhei and Aina were able to get their licenses. So the big diving expedition of Okinawa is about to commence and Iori has to sit this one out. But he remains hopeful to one day dive with his friends in Okinawa. After all that, the group travels to another spot and get fucking hammered. You all see the theme to this series, right?

But the last few episodes gave us a few moments involving Kouhei and Aina. Kouhei ended up stumbling into this group on accident (much like Iori), but discovered how much fun he had (aside from getting drunk as a skunk night after night). As for Aina, she learned that despite the diving club being full of a bunch of drunken meat-heads, these people care about her (unlike the previous club she belonged to).

So it was a memorable trip.

This was absolutely NOT what I expected when I picked up this anime. I notice Grand Blue being taken place in a cute ocean town and thought it would be just as cute as Tsuritama. But it turned out to be the anime equivelant of Animal House. I can easily tell you that my college years were NOTHING LIKE THIS.

Despite going to school in a state where the drunk-driving rate is sky-high, I did not witness any strange anomalies like arriving on campus and seeing a bunch of drunk, naked lads sprawled across the courtyard.

Now then, I do feel like this series could have focused a little more on diving and oceanography. It felt like the majority of the series involved characters binge-drinking, meat-heads fighting with tennis club members, more binge-drinking, sad geeks never getting laid, studying for a German test where you only get 20%, and drinking more than Sterling Archer. Not so much on the ocean like I would have hoped. And even though Iori gets the short-end of the stick in almost every episode, I do feel bad that he couldn’t join the rest of the club under water in the finale. That felt a little disheartening, but that’s just me. Short answer, I like this anime! If you’re in for a good laugh and are not turned off by all the drinking and nudity, I say go for it.

For what it’s worth, it’s a silly adventure I can see myself rewatching one or two more times. And if you’re interested in watching, Amazon Prime has all 12 episodes available for streaming.

Okay, this was quite the trip! Let’s pick our next Amazon/Netflix/Crunchyroll exclusive anime!

Think Zootopia, but set in high school.

Beastars!

Great choice as I even heard good things from celebrities who don’t normally watch anime.

[otomesruinedmylife]

#emberplays: doki doki literature club

AKA. Why Doki Doki Literature Club is So Freaking Good The First Time You Play It and It’ll Blow Your Goddamn Mind (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ

When I first posted this on my other tumblr it was way before any youtuber did a letsplay of it, so I’m gonna have to rewrite parts of it and readdress some things. Thats not at all saying I dislike them, I actually found a majority entertaining. But now everyone pretty much knows what happens in DDLC, the jig is up and we all are #triggered with two infamous words.

So, listen. I know what you’re thinking. Why am I recommending a totally moe looking VN? I’m not moe, I don’t go gaga for animu girls. But I do love me some visual novels, and I love me some meta-level fuckery. Doki Doki Literature Club is a ren’py VN that just (now somewhat) recently came out that looks completely harmless. What could possibly go wrong? And It’s COMPLETELY FREE, yes you heard me, free. So fucking play it (unless it's going to trigger you, in which case pls don’t). And it’s… really interesting.

Spoilers and heavy triggers for DDLC under the cut (I didn’t want to spoil that but I think it's only fair to let you know what you’re clicking on)

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Ĵ̷̙̑ ̴̳̯̘̞̘̺͍̩͔̙̘̗̲͚͊̍͑͋̒̽U̵̡͓͖̰̣̪̫̘̐͜͝ͅ ̶͇̮͎̝̫̩̊͊̊͛͘Ş̸̛̥͓͙̞͕̼͗̽̽́̈́̈́̽́̚̚̚̚ͅ ̶̡̨͍̰̽͋̀͆̊͑̂̅̓͆͠T̴̪̝̼̖͙̲͎͖̘̩̒͆͜ ̴̨̘͈̘̬̱̟͕͖͔͈̞̺̇̆͋̏̀͋̇̉͒͒͝ ̶̧͓̥̻͒̓́̊̈́̔͑̀͆͗͊͜M̴̘͚̀̑̆͒̋͌̈́̕͝ ̷̧̡̞̹͙̖̣̝̖̣̜̙̻͋̅͠͠ͅO̶̢̡͉͓̞̰͔̬̔̊͆̊̄͗̆͝͝ ̷̫̦̱̹̈́N̵̘̺̬̰͍̗͙̾͂̈́͊ ̷̺̲̝̜̦̘̒̈́́̈́͜Ï̷̋͂͑̆̋̇̊͆͘̚͘͘��͉̻̖͉̣̥̣͕̟͍̜͍̳̥͎͗ ̸̡̧̨̙̻͈̮̻̫̤͖͉̱̟̤͗̈̔͑́̂̚̚͘͝Ķ̷̧̮̼͓̺͓̱̹̩̅̈́͝ͅ ̵̧̥͍͓̬̻̙̀͋͆͜ͅͅA̶̢̲͎͎͕̟̋̇̎́̐̍͛͐̈́͋̕͝͝͝͠ ̵̛̦̺̖̘̝̜͕̮͇̤͔͈͐̓͐͂̀̏̈͒͊̏͋͝͝͠J̴̝̼̫̃̃͌̅̏́̈́̽̒̊̋̏̚͝͝ ̷̡̢͚̬̜̯͍̲̰͎̩̮̤́͋̈́͑͊́͆̈́̀̃͘͝Ų̸̨̼͓̬͉͖̰̜̣̺͔͇̀̔̐̎͒ ̷͇̲̗͎̱͖̮̳̹̜̜̬̦̠̖̈́̒̾͋̽̍̿̌̽̋̏͑́̕̚S̴̢̰͎̯̪̠̗̏̈́͗͒̓̍͊͜͝ͅ ̷̠͑̈́T̷̮̾̂͊̂̎̈́̊͑̍̍͘ ̷̛͖̺͚̬͎̠̥̱̓͐̔͆͂̈͋̕͜ ̶̨͙̣̭̺̬̙͚͖͔̭̰͓̠̇̈́̐̊͘͠͠M̸̮̹̾̎͌̃͠͠ ̸̮̱̗̤̖̼̺̟͍̓O̷̢̡͓̗͇̰͈͕̟̫̓͝ ̸̨̛̛̲̮̞̑̈́̇̀͋̀͐͆́͘͘̚͠Ń̶̖͕̖͉̱̝̃̊̈ͅ ̵̙͇̠̜͔̖̖̯̪͔͊̋Ị̴̮̺̬̈́͗́̀ ̷̯͖̤͙̬̜͈͔̪̮̳͔̄͂͂̂̎͊͗͠͠K̴̹̳͈̰̫̖̠͈͛̔́̐̓̅͋̈́͂̎͘͜ͅ ̷̠͔̗̳̲͕̲̱̪̊͂̅́̚Ḁ̵̡̠͍͔̩̲̦̯̗̔͐͑ ̴̡̡͎͔̳̻̣̞͎͚̠̀͑̍̃̌̂́̊̒͐̓̚͝ͅͅJ̶̠͑̀́̑̔́̋̉̉̋̀̚͘͠ ̵͙̖̘͓͔̄͗͌̍̉̅̈̾́͘Ų̶̹̂͘͜ ̵̹̗̠͙͉̪̜̜̦̏̅Ṡ̸͖̤͚̣͕͔͙͖̯̞̬̪͇̌̀̋͑̇̂̔͝ ̵̢̛̖͉̟̹̩̇͐̐̽͆̑̊̓̂̏̾̚T̸̲͙̼͉̓̒ ̴̢̛̛̛̠̑̒̀͛̽͑̀̍͒͌͘͜ ̵̧̗̩̲̈́̏̐̅͆̽̋Ḿ̶̡̼̤̯̥̳̤̰̠͍͍͔̝̯ ̷̢̦̓Ǫ̸̞̳͇̜̮̜̞̉͆͐̍̎͂͗̔͆́ ̴͚̂̍͜͠N̸̨͌̃͌̑͒̄̚̚͝ ̶̢̡̼̩͙͈̬̰̬̙̞̔́̒͌̅̑̓͛͛́ͅI̵̟̗̤̲̹͍͍̖͊́̎͒̃̽̓͒͒͊̕͘ ̴̛̱̿̄̑̈́̇͑̂̎͘͝K̴̝̜̑̏̾̿́̒͗͊ͅ ̸̡͍̠͐̅̒̈͂̓͆̉̚͝Ȃ̷̧͍̗̲͇͇̱̜̊͛̀̎̐͛̌̈͜ ̴̡̡͎͔̳̻̣̞͎͚̠̀͑̍̃̌̂́̊̒͐̓̚͝ͅͅJ̶̠͑̀́̑̔́̋̉̉̋̀̚͘͠ ̵͙̖̘͓͔̄͗͌̍̉̅̈̾́͘Ų̶̹̂͘͜ ̵̹̗̠͙͉̪̜̜̦̏̅Ṡ̸͖̤͚̣͕͔͙͖̯̞̬̪͇̌̀̋͑̇̂̔͝ ̵̢̛̖͉̟̹̩̇͐̐̽͆̑̊̓̂̏̾̚T̸̲͙̼͉̓̒ ̴̢̛̛̛̠̑̒̀͛̽͑̀̍͒͌͘͜ ̵̧̗̩̲̈́̏̐̅͆̽̋

(TRIGGER WARNINGS: SUICIDE, CUTTING, DEPRESSION.)

To really talk about why I enjoy DDLC so much, unfortunately, we need to talk about when this cute moe dating sim turns into a glitchy acid horrorshow. The game starts with you choosing your name and being introduced, and then the game introducing your next door neighbor and close friend Sayori who looks like a bubbly ray of sunshine. She convinces you to join her (*surprise*) literature club at school, and you meet three other girls: Nasuki, Yuri and Monika. They seem like pretty nice girls. Nasuki is the typical young tsundere, Yuri the quiet passionate type, and Monika, who seems, well… pretty normal. You join their club and immediately get wrangled into things and this is when it starts taking a weird turn. Monika breaks the fourth wall. Yuri drops she’s into some weird shit. Nasuki has troubles at home. And Sayori might have a little bit of a crush on you. 

Then you have to write a poem.

UHH GAME, WHAT THE FUCK ARE THE POEM WORD CHOICES????

This process repeats but the game starts forcing you (or at least in my playthrough) into decisions, which in my experience with VNs is a telltale sign of an Oncoming Bad End (see mysme, amnesia, etc.) Monika becomes an ominous figure of knowledge (at first I thought maybe she was a yandere stalker… oh, was I wrong). Yuri goes batshit crazy yandere obsessed with you. Natsuki keeps a somewhat level head, surprisingly enough. 

Sayori though, poor Sayori has it pretty rough. You find out she’s dealing with a surprisingly accurate depiction of MDD (major depressive disorder) at least by cutesy video game standards.

Shit gets real when the day of the festival when Sayori ends up being missing and Monika heavily lampshades something bad. You race home and the game starts glitching out as you find Sayori has committed suicide. Having seen a fair amount of bad endings in VNs, I was like “wow this is over the top, but ok” and the music gets lowkey terrifying. I was expecting to see the BAD END screen as most otomes go and for the title screen to show up and it does, but YOUR SAVE FILES ARE MISSING. (nice page out of cheritz book y’all, good shit ;) )

This is refered to as ACT 2 of the game and the demarcation line of when we realize we are playing a horror game not an otome. The title screen is glitchy and corrupted over where Sayori was. And then the game starts bugging the fuck out and shit gets real. Shadow selves with darkened text, crazy yandere eyes and Monika handwaving everything away. The poetry gets to a level of insanity that’s unreal as Yuri basically goes cuil theory on your ass at one point.

Anyway, JUST MONIKA, amirite?

Let’s skip ahead then backtrack. What I think makes this game so great is the level of awareness we must assume Monika has. She’s completely aware she’s in a video game and is forced to watch her friends around her be romance options and fall in love, but she’s been relegated to the role of side character and thinks she has no agency in the story. And this takes a toll on her sanity. She tells you in The Final Room that she started messing with the character data to make you dislike the others, but since it backfired and it only drew you closer to each of the other girls she had to take more drastic measures.

Completely frustrated after all the corruption of their data doesn’t work, she resorts to pushing Sayori’s depression to suicide. Letting Yuri’s cutting finish in a finale of garbled text and stabbing herself to death only to let you stay with her as she rots over the weekend at school. Nasuki gets outright deleted from the game on a whim by Monika, and then she goes so far as to delete everything so it’s just the two of you sitting in a room. The assumption is that it’s a pretty permanent situation. Try turning the game on and off at this point. Yeah.

Yeah.

Anyway, Monika is without a doubt, one of the best versions of how a yandere knowing the meta of the situation can make a situation horrifying. Think like Yuno Gasai from Mirrai Nikki. If you know the plot and have god-levels of information, you can fuck around mercilessly with the viewer/player. And Monika does. The slow descent into madness the game takes because of her corruption of the game is probably my favorite part. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it changes of the characters, music, and surroundings. And the railroading you into choices giving you such a sense of helplessness as you play. I really felt like I was on a train off the tracks by Act 2 and it was great.

You really think you have choices (at least at the end), but the more and more I think about this and go in for another playthrough I don’t think you ever truly have ANY choices and Monika’s holding all the cards. It begs the question what is Monica supposed to be? A sentient AI? What actually is Doki Doki Literature Club? Some weird form of a reverse turing test once you get to the Monica Room? It’s bizarre and oddly novel in its take on the VN horror genre by stripping you of any power to do anything and sit back terrified as it gets meta on you. No matter what you do the culmination of the game is essentially the same and there’s no real happy end in sight or resolution once you realize that even the game is aware it’s not real. At that point you are finishing it to finish it, to come to an ending. 

And that's simultaneously the best and worst part about it, but man I can’t complain, that was a wild 5 hours of my life....

Ĵ̷̙̑ ̴̳̯̘̞̘̺͍̩͔̙̘̗̲͚͊̍͑͋̒̽U̵̡͓͖̰̣̪̫̘̐͜͝ͅ ̶͇̮͎̝̫̩̊͊̊͛͘Ş̸̛̥͓͙̞͕̼͗̽̽́̈́̈́̽́̚̚̚̚ͅ ̶̡̨͍̰̽͋̀͆̊͑̂̅̓͆͠T̴̪̝̼̖͙̲͎͖̘̩̒͆͜ ̴̨̘͈̘̬̱̟͕͖͔͈̞̺̇̆͋̏̀͋̇̉͒͒͝ ̶̧͓̥̻͒̓́̊̈́̔͑̀͆͗͊͜M̴̘͚̀̑̆͒̋͌̈́̕͝ ̷̧̡̞̹͙̖̣̝̖̣̜̙̻͋̅͠͠ͅO̶̢̡͉͓̞̰͔̬̔̊͆̊̄͗̆͝͝ ̷̫̦̱̹̈́N̵̘̺̬̰͍̗͙̾͂̈́͊ ̷̺̲̝̜̦̘̒̈́́̈́͜Ï̷͉̻̖͉̣̥̣͕̟͍̜͍̳̥͎̋͂͑̆̋̇̊͆̆͗͘̚͘͘ ̸̡̧̨̙̻͈̮̻̫̤͖͉̱̟̤͗̈̔͑́̂̚̚͘͝Ķ̷̧̮̼͓̺͓̱̹̩̅̈́͝ͅ ̵̧̥͍͓̬̻̙̀͋͆͜ͅͅA̶̢̲͎͎͕̟̋̇̎́̐̍͛͐̈́͋̕͝͝͝͠ ̵̛̦̺̖̘̝̜͕̮͇̤͔͈͐̓͐͂̀̏̈͒͊̏͋͝͝͠J̴̝̼̫̃̃͌̅̏́̈́̽̒̊̋̏̚͝͝ ̷̡̢͚̬̜̯͍̲̰͎̩̮̤́͋̈́͑͊́͆̈́̀̃͘͝Ų̸̨̼͓̬͉͖̰̜̣̺͔͇̀̔̐̎͒ ̷͇̲̗͎̱͖̮̳̹̜̜̬̦̠̖̈́̒̾͋̽̍̿̌̽̋̏͑́̕̚S̴̢̰͎̯̪̠̗̏̈́͗͒̓̍͊͜͝ͅ ̷̠͑̈́T̷̮̾̂͊̂̎̈́̊͑̍̍͘ ̷̛͖̺͚̬͎̠̥̱̓͐̔͆͂̈͋̕͜ ̶̨͙̣̭̺̬̙͚͖͔̭̰͓̠̇̈́̐̊͘͠͠M̸̮̹̾̎͌̃͠͠ ̸̮̱̗̤̖̼̺̟͍̓O̷��̢̡͓̗͇̰͈͕̟̫͝ ̸̨̛̛̲̮̞̑̈́̇̀͋̀͐͆́͘͘̚͠Ń̶̖͕̖͉̱̝̃̊̈ͅ ̵̙͇̠̜͔̖̖̯̪͔͊̋Ị̴̮̺̬̈́͗́̀ ̷̯͖̤͙̬̜͈͔̪̮̳͔̄͂͂̂̎͊͗͠͠K̴̹̳͈̰̫̖̠͈͛̔́̐̓̅͋̈́͂̎͘͜ͅ ̷̠͔̗̳̲͕̲̱̪̊͂̅́̚Ḁ̵̡̠͍͔̩̲̦̯̗̔͐͑ ̴̡̡͎͔̳̻̣̞͎͚̠̀͑̍̃̌̂́̊̒͐̓̚͝ͅͅJ̶̠͑̀́̑̔́̋̉̉̋̀̚͘͠ ̵͙̖̘͓͔̄͗͌̍̉̅̈̾́͘Ų̶̹̂͘͜ ̵̹̗̠͙͉̪̜̜̦̏̅Ṡ̸͖̤͚̣͕͔͙͖̯̞̬̪͇̌̀̋͑̇̂̔͝ ̵̢̛̖͉̟̹̩̇͐̐̽͆̑̊̓̂̏̾̚T̸̲͙̼͉̓̒ ̴̢̛̛̛̠̑̒̀͛̽͑̀̍͒͌͘͜ ̵̧̗̩̲̈́̏̐̅͆̽̋Ḿ̶̡̼̤̯̥̳̤̰̠͍͍͔̝̯ ̷̢̦̓Ǫ̸̞̳͇̜̮̜̞̉͆͐̍̎͂͗̔͆́ ̴͚̂̍͜͠N̸̨͌̃͌̑͒̄̚̚͝ ̶̢̡̼̩͙͈̬̰̬̙̞̔́̒͌̅̑̓͛͛́ͅI̵̟̗̤̲̹͍͍̖͊́̎͒̃̽̓͒͒͊̕͘ ̴̛̱̿̄̑̈́̇͑̂̎͘͝K̴̝̜̑̏̾̿́̒͗͊ͅ ̸̡͍̠͐̅̒̈͂̓͆̉̚͝Ȃ̷̧͍̗̲͇͇̱̜̊͛̀̎̐͛̌̈͜ ̴̡̡͎͔̳̻̣̞͎͚̠̀͑̍̃̌̂́̊̒͐̓̚͝ͅͅJ̶̠͑̀́̑̔́̋̉̉̋̀̚͘͠ ̵͙̖̘͓͔̄͗͌̍̉̅̈̾́͘Ų̶̹̂͘͜ ̵̹̗̠͙͉̪̜̜̦̏̅Ṡ̸͖̤͚̣͕͔͙͖̯̞̬̪͇̌̀̋͑̇̂̔͝ ̵̢̛̖͉̟̹̩̇͐̐̽͆̑̊̓̂̏̾̚T̸̲͙̼͉̓̒ ̴̢̛̛̛̠̑̒̀͛̽͑̀̍͒͌͘͜ ̵̧̗̩̲̈́̏̐̅͆̽̋

Oh, by the way, hope you’re familiar with deleting files out of your game library, because Monika isn’t going anywhere until you do... still she has like tons of unique conversation if you wanna stay and chat for a while.

I did enjoy her anguish when I got rid of her even though I ended up really liking her later. I’m excited to see what happens because she’s rumored to be the protagonist in the next team salvato game. Yeah.

My only complaint of this game is once you know the premise it really doens’t hold replayability value, quite the same as anything from the horror genre is never really as scary as the first time around. It does what it does so well its not the same and is basically only worth playing again to fuck with your unassuming friends.

Which I, of course, did.

What did you guys think of DDLC? Was it over the top? Did you know what was going to happen? Or have it spoiled? Have you tried deleting other character files and playing the game or decoded any of the secret info files? 

Send your thoughts to my inbox and stay tuned for the next time #emberplays otomes!

NEXT TIME: #Emberplays: Keisuke Sanan (Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds)  LAST TIME:  #Emberplays: Toma Time (Amnesia: Memories)

[callunavulgari]

TOP 25 FICS OF 2017

1. A Somaal Universe by @kaikamahine | Steven Universe | 7.5k

Connie flips over the next card. “'Most likely to -’” She reads out loud, and then dissolves into laughter and has to start over, propping the card up on her bump. “'Most likely to freak out when you go into labor and break the speed limit getting to the hospital?’” 

“Pearl,” Amethyst and Jasper say in unison.

Heather Says: It was really difficult to choose between this and Favor For Your Four-Chambered Heart as favorite Elizabeth fic for the year, but in the end this one won out because it was one of the first fics this year that made me well and truly happy.

2. The home front by aesc | Stargate Atlantis | 10k

“This had better be the Sheppard residence,” Rodney says, brilliant, agitated life and volume against a monotonous day and Dave’s subdued welcome, “because I’ve been driving around for hours and if I ever find the woman who did the voice on my GPS system I’m going to personally amputate her vocal cords.”

Heather Says: I read this in the pool, precariously balanced on the top step with my body angled weirdly so that I wasn’t holding my phone over the water. I started it before I got in the pool, of course, but I couldn’t put it on hold long enough to swim, so I finished it in the water.

3. Junk Cheap by DevilDoll | Stargate Atlantis | 13.5k

If you were thinking you’d love to read an AU where Rodney is a college professor and John owns a junk shop, this is the story for you.

Heather Says: This might be my favorite SGA fic that I found this year, which is funny since going into the fandom I would have told you that I’d prefer to read fics set in canon. I mean, c’mon. Atlantis? Why would I want to read anything set anywhere else? But this fic perfectly captured John’s lazy personality and Rodney’s crotchety... everything. It’s fabulous.

4. Unidentified by fiercelydreamed | Stargate Atlantis | 30k

Fourteen years, eight months, and seven days after John and Rodney meet, the clock starts all over again.

Heather Says: I’m not typically one for the amnesia trope. I’ve found some good fic for it, but most of the time either the angst or the second-hand embarrassment gets me too hard and I end up exiting out of the fic. This fic was intricate and engaging and introduces a Rodney just off-center from the Rodney that we know.

5. Black Helicopters at Dawn by whizzy | Stargate Atlantis | 240k

Screw the bet. Rodney was going to prove the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Oh, and incidentally, he might just catch the United States Air Force with their pants around their ankles.

Heather Says: This fic is long. And beautiful, and sad, and kind of a lot. Also if you’re like me you’ll have to find the third part of it on some weird, sort of sketchy website that hopefully didn’t give you viruses. Or if you’re really desperate you can ask me to send you a copy since I think I still have it somewhere.

6. Like a Lightning Strike by miss_aphelion | Hannibal | 71k

In a world where omegas are instant celebrities and treated like royalty, Will just wants to be left alone. So he keeps what he is a secret, managing to avoid the spotlight and the restrictions that come with it for nearly twenty years.

Then a case goes wrong, and his secrets start to unravel before the entire world—and even more worrying, it happens in front of Hannibal, the alpha that was already fascinated with him before he knew what he was.

Heather Says: Okay, so remember how I said I wasn’t crazy about the amnesia trope? I am really not crazy about the A/B/O trope. Done well enough it’s intriguing, but I read a really awful one way back in the day that basically scarred me for life. That said, this fic came along and hooked me hard. It hasn’t been updated since April, which is disappointing, but it’s well worth the read, even unfinished.

7. Lord, Save Me from Your Followers by anamatics | Supergirl | 27k

Kara, perhaps out of a want for thoroughness in her story, perhaps out of a Millennial-born urge to creep on a the social media of a woman she finds intriguing, discovers that Lena Luthor has a pretty active following on Instagram one afternoon not long after their first meeting. She debates it, just for a moment, before following Lena.

Heather Says: Don’t watch Supergirl? That’s fine! Technically I’ve only seen a couple episodes myself! Read this anyway! This fic has that perfect realness to it that I’ve only found in a very select group of fics and it has cute girls kissing to boot.

8. hood & glove by @fahye | Yuri On Ice | 12k 

“I don’t mess with the fae,” Otabek says.

"I'm not asking you to mess with them," JJ flat-out lies. 

Heather Says: I’ve tried to say things about this three times now. There are fairies. Otabek is a hero. The king of the fairies fell in love with a human and the weather is fucked up. And there is some truly spectacular art within.

  9. With Fire in Their Eyes by @asukaskerian | Yuri On Ice | 8k

He lands butterfly-light in a swirl of hair and glittering gauze, and the ceiling crashes to the rink all around him.

His ears are ringing with heartbeats, his efforts, the cries of the crowd. The rink wobbles under him -- must have landed a bit wrong but he can work through it. Only there are things strewn all over the ice; people usually know to wait until the end to throw roses and tokens and --

Not applause. Screams. The light is wrong because a fourth of the ceiling projectors are missing. The sky is dark. No stars. Something gleams behind the broken sky. And moves. Something he can't -- won't -- something.

Something that's looking at him.

Heather Says: It’s a Pacific Rim/Yuri On Ice crossover. What more could you want?

10. What We Pretend We Can’t See by @gyzym | Harry Potter | 131 k

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

Heather Says: I’ve been a fan of gyzym’s stuff since way back in 2009? 2010? Whatever year it was, it was on livejournal back when Inception was a thing. So when I got the notification that she wrote something new? And that the new thing she’d written was 130k of Draco/Harry? I was over the moon. 

11. No Less Unthinkable by @rageprufrock | Yuri On Ice | 79k

In which Katsuki Yuuri fights a losing battle with chronic anxiety, the quadruple Salchow, and his own judgment four drinks in — but wins the war.

Heather Says: I’ve been affectionately dubbing this fic the slutty Yuuri picture show, because damn. The porn itself is exquisitely written, yes, but more than that is the way Yuuri himself is written. That realness that I was talking about above is very prominent here too. 

12. Slithering by @astolat | Harry Potter | 27k

Draco found the nest down in the Manor’s cellars, while he was clearing them out.

Heather Says: I have a weakness for fics with snakes, okay.

13. Hermione Granger’s Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by @waspabi | Harry Potter | 93k

'You’re a wizard, Harry’ is easier to hear from a half-giant when you’re eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you’re seventeen and late for work.

Heather Says: In addition to just being really fucking great all around, the soundtrack to this fic lead me to some of the best music that I’ve listened to this year.

14. the king of oak by @picqueries | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | 38k 

The first thing Percival Graves does after being released back into the world is buy a new wand. He's at Greymalkin's for ten minutes and the only wand that works for him is raw aspen, whiter than bone and so rough that Graves gives himself a splinter conjuring a storm of birds. The wand—dragon heartstring, a most unusual wand for an American wizard, according to a flustered Greymalkin—feels wild, and Graves empties half his wallet on the counter and keeps his hand on his new wand all the way home.

The second thing he does is quit his job, because honestly.

("Grindelwald did his research before he put on your face," Seraphina says reasonably. "And it's not like you're open with your personal life. He has us all fooled."

"He wore scorpion stickpins!" Graves shoots back, somewhat less reasonably.

Seraphina looks at Graves, his pressed creases, his immaculate shirt, the red ruby cufflinks he's wearing to hide the starved brittleness of his wrists. "I'm sorry," she says. It is not enough to make him stay.)

The third thing he does is get jumped by Credence Barebone in an alley.

Heather Says: Okay, okay, okay. But. Wizards are descended from fairies. Should I say it again for those in the back? Wizards are descended from fairies. Honestly, even if this fic had been horribly written I’d be hooked just on that concept alone. Fortunately it’s written beautifully, and is a complete work of art.

15. apocrypha by aerynlallaboso | Dishonored | 97k

The Eighth year of the reign of Empress Emily Kaldwin, First of her Name, the second year without a whisper from the Outsider, is the year the Void chooses to mark the end of an era.

Heather Says: This wasn’t the first Dishonored fic that I read, but it was the first one I’d read that was longer than 5k, and I was just so goddamned pleased with everything about it.

16. A Year In Toussaint by @astolat | The Witcher | 30k

Geralt had no damn idea what to do with a vineyard when Anna Henrietta gave him Corvo Bianco, but he figured it couldn’t be that bad.

Heather Says: Between the Stargate Atlantis and Harry Potter, I read a lot of astolat’s fic this year. I’d noticed that she’d been writing fic for the Witcher, but didn’t much care because I never really played the games. But I was bored one day, so I read one of her Witcher fics. Then another. And another. And then I went out and bought the games. This one is my favorite.

17. wild peaches by @notbecauseofvictories | The Labyrinth | 3.5k

The morning after Sarah Williams defeats the Goblin King, she gets up and makes toast.

Heather Says: The feel of this fic is basically what I want out of everything that I read for the rest of my life. Just the right amount of magic, but eerie and timeless. I have read this fic at least five times since it was published and will probably go on to read it another five times next year.

18. where the weeds take root by @beenghosting | Supernatural | 30k 

“Are you happy? Y’know. Just—being here,” Dean says, gesturing to the yard with his beer bottle. “Being with—I mean, you used to fight in celestial wars and—and save the world. Now you’re growing vegetables and talking about chickens.”

Heather Says: I really adore slice of life fic, especially when it’s an after-the-war-is-over sort of thing rather than just some fluffy AU that the characters have been stuffed into. I haven’t touched anything Supernatural related in years, not because I didn’t love the characters, but because the show was on this slowly creeping spiral downwards, and I just couldn’t. This though, feels like a very organic end for my two favorites, so thank you for giving me closure.

19. Heart and Home by lc2l | Les Mis | 97k

In an alternate Paris, werewolves occupy the majority of the ruling classes, making and adjusting policy to suit their interests. The punishments for a human attacking a werewolf can be brutal, unless they have the protection of a wolf pack.

How this translates to ‘claim Grantaire as your mate to get him out of prison’ is something Enjolras is still trying to get his head around, but he’s never been one to give up on a cause even when it’s sleeping on his sofa.

Heather Says: I, like many other people, watched the movie adaptation of Les Mis several years ago. My ex-girlfriend liked the play, but I’d never seen it. Loved the movie. Loved the play, once I got around to seeing it. But until this was recommended to me by a dear friend, I never once thought of it in the context of fandom. And werewolves! 

20. World Ain’t Ready by idiopathicsmile | Les Mis | 185k

Enjolras presses his lips together. He already looks pained, and Grantaire hasn’t even opened his mouth yet. That’s got to be a record, even for them.

“I need a favor,” he says at last. 

"With what?" says Grantaire. "Ooh, are you forming a cult? Can I join? I'd be awesome at cults, I just know it." He ticks off his qualifications on his fingers. "I love chanting, I look great in robes—" 

Heather Says: The thing about high school AUs that no one ever tells you is that as you grow up, one of two things happens. Either the high school AU in question triggers a massive influx of nostalgia that basically cripples you emotionally or it has you cringing away from the screen, groping blindly until you can ex out of the tab. I’m happy to say that this one is more of the former.

21. despite what you’ve been told by @caseyvalhalla | Yuri On Ice | 14k

When Victor falls, he goes down hard.

Heather Says: All I wanted out of the Yuri On Ice fandom was a good, long in-depth look at the inside of Victor’s brain. This is the fic where I got it.

22. these things take time by sonhoedesrazao | Les Mis | 63k

He’s always wary of making assumptions; even more so when Grantaire is concerned. He knows he’s not the easiest person to deal with. People either like him or can’t stand him, and it’s easy to respond to those reactions, but Grantaire—Grantaire is hostile and mocking, Grantaire scorns his beliefs, and Grantaire stays.

Heather Says: This fic soothed my soul during a particular rough patch this year. There are dates and misunderstandings and some pretty intense UST and it’s just wonderful all around.

23. Watercast by @fishwrites | Voltron | 113k

Shiro has been a Galra prisoner for over a year; with his flight feathers clipped and unable to fly. Desperate to escape, he jumps overboard while being transported to the capitol on a Galran ship. Lance is a merman who saves him from drowning. Keith thinks Shiro is about to become mermaid dinner. Hunk just wants Lance to stop going to the surface all the time, dammit!

Heather Says: When the most recent chapter of this came out, I ended up going back and rereading it, because I was on the beach, and it seemed like a really good time to read about mermen and flying bird people and I am just. So excited for this fic all over again.

24. Fifteen Men in September by ballantine | Black Sails | 34k

Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

A Black Sails origin story for the song.

Heather Says: I stopped watching Black Sails after the end of season one, because there was a lot of things that we were watching at the time, and it was the one to get cut. I don’t even remember how this fic got recced to me, but I’m thrilled that it did because it’s made me go back and keep watching.

25. Patience on a Monument by betts | Game of Thrones | 21k

Having a Jaime in your life means living in a soap opera, except you can’t DVR it to watch later, and the main character sometimes ends up in your guest bedroom for an undisclosed period of time because he has a woefully codependent relationship with his sister.

Heather Says: It’s. So. Good.

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #126

Amusement park arcs are some of my favorites in anime and manga. It sets the stage for fun hijinks, friendship bonding, and potential romantic developments. Of course, this being Watamote, it’s not all peaches and cream for our girls. Deep in the Happiest Place on Earth, our main character finds herself in the center of a battlefield, where girls vie for her limited capacity for affection. Just how will Tomoko navigate through this loner-saturated harem situation?

Chapter 126: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Get a Nickname

Disneyland: where highway robbery is completely legal.  

It nice to see that Tomoko has become more attuned to Yuri to the point where she can understand that her distant attitude is just a facet of her personality and nothing personal. Some may think Tomoko is harsh for outing her this way, but I disagree. She just understands the resistant side of Yuri the same way Yuri understands Tomoko’s introvertism, a bond by which they’ve come to mutually respect each other. 

This does makes me wonder if this side of Yuri is what has made it difficult for her to build strong friendships. It could be that people often mistake her habit for not going-with-the-flow as a sign that she hates them. If it is, then I’m even more happy that she’s found people who can see the real her.  

I’d imagine it must be really relieving for Nemoto. No longer hiding your power level is a lot easier when you’re with people who are autonomous and are in no position to judge you. Of course...there is the matter of tact, Nemoto.

For someone like Yuri, who doesn’t fake herself in the slightest, putting on cute animal accessories would likely make her feel a bit insincere. Good thing we’ve got a delinquent in our midst to boost her confidence. 

These bits of social commentary are often reserved for Tomoko, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see it from Nemoto, whose inner thoughts are often shrouded in mystery. And if I may say, I do kind of agree with her. Far too often, people will go along with the mood of whoever leads, out of fear of being isolated, selfish, or a buzzkill. Knowing that Nemoto is actually conscientious of this, and wasn’t just a bee in her hivemind of friends has made me appreciate her character even more. 

I’m assuming she’s talking about Okada, right?

If so, it’s kind of surprising to see that this a part of Okada’s personality, as it’s something we haven’t really seen from her before. It really puts Okada’s status as a “normie” into question, and I honestly don’t know what to make of that. Perhaps this is a hint towards what their fight was about. It may be that Okada was angry with Nemoto for being dishonest with her, and Nemoto countered that Okada is a coward who feels the same way but is too cowardly to break out of her shell? Damn, the lore is stronger than ever with this series.

Add “mind-reader” to the list of Nemoto’s terrifying qualities. 

I’ve mentioned before that Nemoto has a bit of a superiority complex over Tomoko, and I still think that’s true to an extent. But after seeing Nemoto’s change following her “coming out”, I now think that she’s threatened by Tomoko because of how successful she gotten despite being a loner. Whereas Nemoto had to change in order to make friends, Tomoko managed to do it without really altering her personality. Because of that, Nemoto may feel a sense of injustice and is now trying to bring Tomoko up to her level, rather than come down to Tomoko’s level, in order to validate all that Nemoto’s done to herself. 

Better watch out, Nemoto. You can only poke the shaggy dog so long before it bites back.  

Obligatory "Yuri being cute” picture.

Ah, this is something I think Tomoko needed to hear. Just because you see a group of people doing the same thing doesn’t necessarily mean they all have the same level of interest over that thing. Going back to the whole hivemind thing, people join in on the group interest because they don’t want to be excluded. I can see Nemoto being the slightly-arrogant social guru for Tomoko after this. 

Don’t take it personal, Nemoto. Yuri is just following your theory. For someone like Yuri, when faced with a decision she isn’t particularly for or against, she’s likely to make the choice that her friends make, because she values them enough to put in that extra bit effort to get out of her comfort zone. 

You have a long ways to go if you want to get on Yuri’s radar, Nemo.   

Considering that Nico Tanigawa’s other manga, Trash, Four-Eyes and Literature Girl (Fake), also featured the cast going to Disneyland, it’s fairly obvious the mangaka took a trip to the real Disneyland for reference material. Lucky them.  

I predict lots and lots of fanart will arise after seeing this panel.

Also, Nemoto is rockin’ that Sully-esque headgear/jacket ensemble.  

Add “afraid of rollercoasters” to the growing list of Yuri’s charming qualities.

Ucchi better quit it with the Tomoko-only concern, lest she kill all the fans for how adorably out-of-hand her crush is getting.   

Although, this does bring up a pretty important fact in that this the first time since chapter 80 of the field trip arc that Ucchi has talked face-to-face with Tomoko. Again, it took 46 chapters for Ucchi to have a real conversation with the object of her affections. I blame a combination of bad luck, Ucchi’s own reservations about these feelings she has for the girl, and the mangaka’s uncertainty about the pairing for taking so long to get this far.

The long, long cringey journey of this crush brings up a potential problem for the shippers, though. Tomoko is most certainly not the same girl she was back in chapter 80, and Ucchi is far from the innocent emoji-girl without a care in the world she once was. The major events of this arc all happened because of ridiculous misunderstandings that could sink this ship with just a bit of communication. How will Ucchi react when she realizes Tomoko is not really stalking her, or how will Tomoko respond when she realizes the Emoji-girl she’s never bothered with suddenly wants a piece of her? These questions better be answered by the time the manga ends. 

There’s that Nemoto-Yoshida interaction ya’ll were waiting for.

It’s amazing how a simple exchange like this can say so much about the characters. All Nemoto has to say is that something went down with her friends, and the confrontational Yoshida is totally understanding. It really plays into Yoshida’s empathetic side, while further hinting towards the beef that may have transpired between her and her own delinquent friends. 

Unseen moment: Ucchi dove headfirst into the seat next to Tomoko right when Yuri was about to take it.  

I’m going to have to forgo any semblance of impartiality to say that I squealed like a shameless, overly-invested fanboy at this. 

We don’t get to see a lot of Tomoko’s crazy facial expressions nowadays ever since her character growth, and it’s one of the few things I still miss from the early days of this series. I’m glad that Nico Tanigawa can still offer up these classic moments from time to time. 

New fetish awakened. 

I like the praise artistry/panels when it is warranted, but this one of those images where I didn’t have a fucking clue what was going on. It’s only after confirming with the fanbase that the bottom half is Ucchi’s profile immersed in Tomoko’s mane, and the top half is Ucchi’s face spiraling out of control. Normally, I’d criticize the mangaka for a lack of clarity, but I’m willing to let it slide this time because that WTF feeling is precisely what we’re supposed to be feeling. 

For the record, I was dying with laughter during this whole scene. 

I love how Ucchi’s face was replaced with a dialogue panel. Goes to show she’ll never step out of her “sixth ranger” role. 

A word of advice, Tomoko: give Ucchi an inch, and she’ll take a mile. 

So it seems that crushing on Tomoko is having a retrograde effect on Ucchi, in that the more obsessed she gets, the more childish and immature she becomes. In a way, it’s kind of adorable, but unfortunately, only in the context of her romantic desires. Otherwise, this comes across as very bratty and spoiled that I’m sure it’ll will put a strain on any of her relationships that don’t involve Tomoko. If she’s ever going to have a real chance with the girl, Ucchi needs to clean up her act. 

Unseen moment: Tomoko groping Yoshida’s boob out of terror during the ride. Yoshida is too excited to care.  

I like the contrast of how Tomoko and Yuri act on the rollercoaster, because it shows their key differences despite their similarities. Tomoko, for all her reservations, is outwardly emotional, and so she screams. Yuri, on the other hand, is so emotionally unexpressive, so she holds in her fright. 

Ucchi, as it stands, is a wild card. When she freaks, she really freaks. But when she doesn’t care, her face is rock-solid. Such are the perks of being a living emoji.

Somebody please give Yuri a hug. 

Not gonna lie. If I met an Ucchi in real life, and she did this, I would probably hate her. Not that this is a new thing, mind you. Ucchi has always had a selfish side that keeps her from being an actual nice girl. I am glad that the series plays these moments for laughs than seriousness, though, or I wouldn’t be able to stand it. 

I think someone is close to taking Minami’s spot for Yuri’s most disliked person. 

Knowing Nemoto, she probably told Tomoko this right before they threw their hands so the latter wouldn’t have time to argue. Curse you Nemoto and your quietly manipulative ways. 

That Darth Vader face is going to be an iconic image for the series.

Sure you won’t, Nemoto.

But in all seriousness, Nemoto’s kinship with Tomoko is a dangerous one. In small doses, Nemoto is a kind girl who offers friendly gestures. But if Tomoko gets too involved, Nemoto will suck her in, trapping her with overt friendliness to keep Tomoko from surpassing her on the social ladder. Better up your game, Tomoko. 

A reasonable assessment, but be careful Tomoko. You know how Nemoto likes to indirectly shit on your anime tastes. She started off alright though, asking the question first to give her the upper hand for Nemoto’s answer. It would’ve worked too, but of course, Tomoko’s filter is off at the worst possible time. 

The worst thing Tomoko can do when dealing with someone like Nemoto is give her ammunition. People like Nemoto will latch onto your slip-ups like a leech, sucking up as much of your embarrassment as they can because they know you can’t take it back. 

I realize that I’m probably making Nemoto out to be a lot more vicious than she appears, but don’t misunderstand. I don’t think Nemoto is a terrible person. She’s absolutely a good person, but she has a lot of personal baggage she’s unloading. And now she’s found the perfect target in Tomoko to let out some of that hidden aggression. Sucks that Tomoko found herself in that position. 

Ain’t it funny how we have never, ever seen Nemoto with an actual angry face. 95% of the time, Nemoto’s fake smiling, and the other 5% of the time, she’ll drop the smile, and only when it’s from something that really grinds her the wrong way. 

But in a way, this angry smile of hers is ten times more terrifying than your average frown. Why? Because you can’t see the danger. Nemoto’s mastery at hiding her anger makes it hard to confront her because you simply can’t let your guard down. Coupled with the fact that Nemoto managed to pierce the safe haven of Tomoko’s mind, I’d be beyond scared if I were Tomoko.  

Remember what I said about getting too close to Nemoto? Sorry Tomoko, but she knows you too well to fall for your bullshit. Better to just admit it and hope she goes easy on you.

Funny how just removing the highlights in the eyes changes the mood entirely. Yeah, I’m not sleeping tonight.

Yoshida waving to the animatronic animals is astronomical levels of cute.

Hoo boy, I was hoping for this. This is just what the friend-rivalry between Tomoko and Nemoto needed. It would’ve been tiring if Tomoko kept passively taking Nemo’s shit. And knowing Tomoko, I’m sure she’s got the verbal chops to put Nemo in her place when it matters. 

I don’t often get scared reading manga. Not even in horror manga. But in this single moment, I actually felt chills go up my spine. 

Good luck, Tomoko. You just found what may be your greatest adversary of your high school life. 

Not bad, not bad. Nemo had a good jab there, with the indirect insult. But it was a good first move on Tomoko, a simple “shut up” to set the atmosphere and let Nemo know that she’s playing with fire now.

So now the gloves are off. Nemo may have the advantage with that “affectionate” Kuro nickname, but as we know, Tomoko’s got nicknames up the wazoo (except for Yuri). Nemo doesn’t know who she’s messing with.

Oh, but you were trying to hide it, Tomoko. At least, you knew when to hide it. When you’re with your friends, you let the barrier down to show your ugly side because they’ve come to accept it. With Nemo, you always put the barrier up because Nemo was on a level you couldn’t handle. Gotta love this new, take-no-shit Tomoko.

It was bad enough that Ucchi would mistake Tomoko’s actions as lesbian advances. But apparently, any girl who is friend-ish with Tomoko is also a lesbian. Oh, Ucchi, the logic behind your hate-crush can only help you for so long.

Poor Tomoko. She’s awakened the beast within Yuri without even knowing. 

Third year with Nemo is going to be so much fun.

This physically hurt to see, but in all honesty, Ucchi had it coming.  

I wonder if Yuri is gonna be one of those girls who looks mild-mannered and gentle, but is actually pretty strong and could rip you apart if she wanted. I’m sure Yoshida would be impressed if that were the case. 

Mako and Yoshida: Pure girls who are, thankfully, unaware to the drama unfolding amongst the rest of the group.

Yuri: Ready to massacre the other pigtails-girl in front of her.

Ucchi: Screaming not because of the ride, but because of the fingernails digging into her forearm. 

Nemo: Enjoying the ride, but also secretly enjoying the terror in the girl next to her.

Kuro: Has too much shit to deal with.  

Maybe she didn’t before, but Nemo just opened up that possibility. It’ll be interesting to see if Yuri will sorta be an ally for Tomoko against her, but if Nemo suddenly sets her passive aggressive sights on Yuri, she better be prepared for a bunch of Yuri Watamote fans to start hating her.

“Hey” is for horses, Tomoko.

This is only going to fuel more of the “Yandere Yuri” theories. And while I know fans are mostly being facetious about this interpretation, I don’t think Yuri’s being out of line in this case. Keep in mind, the poor girl’s had it rough this whole trip. Uninvited people joining their group, two stressful rides on a rollercoaster, an ungrateful Emoji girl, and now the nickname she’s been hoping for from Tomoko was stolen by a popular girl. I think she’s earned the right to be a little frustrated. 

I really hope Tomoko takes the hint and finally starts calling Yuri a nickname. I’d hate to see this precious friendship fall apart because Tomoko couldn’t pull her own weight.  

You know, I joked about this being a harem, which I don’t regret as even Nico Tanigawa are joking about it, but if there were such a thing as a platonic, non-sexually charged (minus Ucchi) friendship harem, this would be it. I see a lot of people worrying that Nico Tanigawa are gonna betray the series and turn this into a cheap harem comedy. I don’t believe this will be the case. They’re been too clever to let the series fall in that direction. 

If they’re really smart, they’ll use the whole harem impression as a marketing ploy to trick new readers into reading the series, rake in new fans with the fantastic writing, increase the manga’s popularity, and by some miracle, get the second anime season they deserve.    

[thoseanimereviews]

First Impressions - Fall 2017 

Since the start of November I’ve been busy with volunteering work and NanoWrimo, which is why I haven’t gotten anything decent written down. It also took me a while to check the first episodes of the series I planned on watching. Fall series is definitely not a strong season overall, but there are some series that could become my favorites of the years. 

Omiai Aite Wa Oshiego  If this wasn’t a 4 min series, I wouldn’t be able to complete it. This is definitely not a strong anime, but I wanted to give it a try since it’s romance and josei - a genre I have not been a big fan of, but recently started reading thanks to mangaka’s like Miyazono Izumi, Enjouji Maki and Aruga Rie. Well we’ll see what’s going to happen. 

Black Clover  I’ve been waiting for this anime! Seriously, Black Clover is currently one of the action centered shounen manga that I’m reading. Sadly, the comment sections ruined my anticipation (I should’ve learned by now never to read comment sections) so I need my time to start watching this series seriously. I can do it!

Juuni Taisen  I like anything when there’s zodiacs involved. Also, survival battles are my quitly pleasure. Now, I’ve seen only one episode so far, but I can surely say that Nezumi has to be one of my favorite characters, haha. Then there’s that Rabbit/Usagi who looks like Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul (I did not say this, it was the social media!). Let’s see who will be the last one standing. 

Just Because!  Seriously, can’t people come up with better names for their series? Why did I started to watch this anime, Just Because! Yes. Taking matters seriously, anime originals are always welcomed with me, I mean Tsuki ga Kirei was a masterpiece. Since it’s original story, I can’t say what exactly I’m expecting from this, but I want to see cute moments and possible romance. 

Dies Irae  This was definitely a wild card for me. I have no idea what to think of this series, the first (zero) episode was only the preview, so the real story has yet to start for me. So far, it seems very interesting, but it could come to a quick downfall, we don’t know till we see it all. 

Houseki No Kuni  Honestly, this anime seems to have much more into it that I had originally thought. The concept seems intriguing, I love the art style and seriously, they seem to have jelly hair (I know they’re supposed to be gems, but it seems like jelly to me). I want to see more of this. 

Kekkai Sensen & Beyond  Since I’ve seen the first season, it would feel weird not to watch the second one. I haven’t actually checked the first episode yet, so I have no idea where this season will lead us to. But I’m always up for some blonde siblings bringing chaos to the world (ah, it was only the brother... sorry). 

Mahoustukai No Yome  This has to be the most anticipated series of the fall season. I have very conflicted feelings towards it, because I usually tend to put on-hold the hyped up series (still haven’t caught up with Haikyuu! or finished Yuri On Ice). When the net is all about some series, I can be sure that I’m most likely not watching them, lol. Don’t get me wrong, I too love all the series, but I usually tend to watch them once the biggest flame has subsided. I’m sure the same will happen with this series as well. 

Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau  This is one of the series I’ve been most excited about this season. I absolutely adore the art style and the feeling this anime gives me. So far the plot seems interesting and I hope that it’ll remain like this till the end. I don’t have any high expections from any of the series, but I truly hope that this one will be worth watching and catches me off guard. 

Netojuu no Susume  Because I need my neet otaku times! And playing internet games can be so much fun, especially when you’re playing the opposite sex. This is pretty much what this series is about, unless they’ll going to add more drama into this. Who knows? We’ll have to see it. 

Evil or Live Because someone smart commented that LIVE is written as EVIL backwards. (seriously, this is written as evil or lie in my notebook). Another quitly pleasure anime, I guess. I mean, this is also about survival, but in a slightly different enviroment. In a way, this also brings me Btooom vibes (once again, a survival anime). I’m excited. 

Inuyashiki  Because the list will not be complete with a good seinei anime. Let’s not forget that the opening is by MAN WITH A MISSION, which has become one of my favorite bands since Log Horizon. I have yet to see what this is really about, since I’m not even reading the manga, but I’m thinking about the possibility. 

RoboMasters the Animated Series  The last one of the list, but definitely not the least one. Along with Kujira no Kara this has to be one of the series I’m anticipating the most this season. It was supposed to air in summer, but was postponed to fall - and even now we don’t get regular release. The anime surely is airing regularly, but due to being under radar, there’s no fansub groups to sub is on weekly basics. I guess I can only wait for the rest of the episodes to come by.        

[96percentdone]

On Viktor’s Relationships With Everyone Else

AKA: why 90% of you are wrong about his relationships outside of Yuuri. And how this impacts how you view his relationship WITH Yuuri, and Viktor as a person.

Alright we need to talk fandom. I’d say one on one but it’s more like one on…a fucking lot. Because, all of you, in one way or another, have some wrong idea about one or more of Viktor’s relationship, and since I just rewatched the show for the literal fourteenth time, I think I should explain how these dynamics actually are. Let’s start with Yurio! Under the cut:

Ahhh, Yurio. My little rage kitten. The fandom stands divided on you, but that’s not here nor there. Yurio’s relationship with Viktor is…interesting. I’d say out of all Viktor’s rinkmates, he probably has the closest relationship to him. Let’s talk about them before Yuuri. 

You can see them together at several points before Hasetsu. There’s that news broadcast Yuuri catches where the two of them look like they’re discussing skating in episode 1, there’s obviously that moment in Sochi the same episode where they’re explicitly talking about skating, and there’s that flashback in episode 2 of Viktor agreeing to give Yurio “the best senior debut ever.”

We can get one clear image from these three scenes: Viktor treats Yurio like he’s Yurio’s mentor. You see him advising him in numerous respects in regards to skating. It’s clear that Viktor is presenting himself as Yurio’s mentor. Now there’s several theories behind this. There’s the idea he feels obligated to because of expectations that come with his reputation, and there’s the idea that he wants to for whatever reason. Maybe he wants to see what it’d be like as a coach and Yurio works best for that.

But I would argue it’s a mixture of both. We know that Viktor was deeply discontent with his life as it was. He’s got depression. Episode 10 could not illustrate that more clearly. And I think in the first two scenes I mentioned, it’s especially on the obligation end. I mean if you look at him he looks fundamentally depressed. 

But I don’t think it was always that way, and I don’t think his original sentiment of maybe actually wanting to be a mentor vanished. Which brings me back to Yurio’s flashback. When you first see him he looks like this:

I’d argue he looks a little tired. Maybe he’s a bit dead inside. Viktor’s depression might have started by this point. It’s hard to say. We don’t have enough on Viktor’s backstory to write a timeline of events. Maybe the hypothetical someone is looking at this and jumping in like “see!! then it’s still obligational!” and hold your fuckin horses. First of all Viktor voluntarily spoke up and entered this conversation. And second of all, during it he makes this face:

Do you know what this face reminds me of? The one Viktor makes in episode 3 when Yuuri says he’ll do Eros. He’ll “give it all the eros [he’s] got!” Also that face he makes in episode 10 in the proposal scene. Do you know what that means? It means Viktor. Is actually happy. About this. It brought him a little joy. And in case someone brings up that ancient meta about how this isn’t Viktor’s real happy face because it doesn’t look like his normal heart shaped smile (yes I still remember that because it bothers me) no. People. Have more than one smile??? And we know what a fake happy Viktor looks like we saw him in episode 1. A lot. I rest my case.

So there you have it. Before Yuuri and Hasetsu Viktor was a mentor figure to Yurio, partially because he’s obligated, and partially because he wants to and enjoys it. Which I’d argue makes sense considering just how much he takes to coaching. If anything this just prefaced that. The prologue to Viktor’s love of coaching. (And I’d better not see anything about how it’s because it’s Yuuri because Viktor is like. A person. Outside of Yuuri. Remember? He just especially likes coaching Yuuri. Because. It’s Yuuri.)

But is that really all there is to it? I don’t think so. In Hasetsu the night Yurio shows up you can casually see them joking around and Viktor laughs. And maybe it’s a little fake on Viktor’s part, because he’s not excited that Yurio’s come to apparently ruin this for him. Fine. I’ll give you that. But there’s no point in acting that way anyway if there wasn’t pretense for it. Like say…them having that kind of dynamic in general? Are they super close? No probably not, considering Yurio’s assessment of Viktor in episode 2 pins his behavior to a lack of inspiration versus depression. But that’s to be expected.

Why? Because Viktor sees Yurio as like a kid brother. Someone he’s way older than and has to guide and mentor, someone you occasionally joke around with and hang around, and not a friend.

And that doesn’t really change after Hasetsu either. In episode eight you see him and Yuuri acting like embarrassing family members. Episode ten is the most enlightening episode in the universe, and you can tell from Viktor’s internal dialogue about Yurio that he sees him in this way, as well as from how he handles Yurio’s bullshit at the end there. Episode 11-12 feel a little weird but that’s to be expected since Yurio just beat his record. These positions go into conflict, but they don’t cancel each other out. By the end of Yuri!!! On ice, their dynamic has not changed.

So since Yurio is clearly established as the kid brother figure in Viktor’s life, let’s briefly talk about Viktor’s other rinkmates. Now truth be told I can’t really get shit about his relationship with Mila, because we never see them interact in any way, and Viktor never really even thinks about her. But I can talk a little about Georgi, at least…from Georgi’s POV.

Georgi is many things, a hot mess being most of them. And to Viktor I imagine he also sees him that way. Now I can’t argue for how close they are or aren’t for Viktor because in truth that’s not something we ever get from Viktor. But we do know Georgi sees Viktor as a rival and his biggest competition. We can tell because he interrupts his creepy obsessive monologue about Anya during his free skate the minute he sees Viktor to comment on how it’s his “time to shine.”

They clearly have some kind of rivalry, and while I can’t tell you if they’re on friendly terms or not, there’s definitely at least a one sided competition. From here you can make your own guesses. But considering the general sort of camaraderie he seems to have with Yurio, it’s fair to assume something similar may apply to Georgi. It can’t be confirmed of course, but it can be theorized.

Up next we have Chris. AKA. Viktor’s friend. Yes everyone. Viktor, even if he was depressed and lonely has. A friend. I know it’s wild. But honestly I love this dynamic too. You can tell they’re friends for several reasons, the most obvious is Viktor volunteering to take the pictures while Chris doesn’t actually skinny dip. With this they have an established relationship dynamic. When they see each other, they’re comfortable enough to do this kind of bullshit. And for that, I have to say they’re friends.

Now how close are they? Good question. Again it’s hard to tell. Chris certainly has some ideas about Viktor that don’t necessarily hold up, (like his belief Viktor “lives for the ice” seems closer to Viktor’s reputation and actions versus his thoughts),which doesn’t suggest they’re super close either. Then again, Viktor, for someone who’s exceedingly transparent plays his cards close to his chest so this is to be expected. Viktor doesn’t like to talk about himself.

So you can argue while they’re clearly good friends, they aren’t incredibly close, and this may very well be Viktor’s fault, because he doesn’t talk about himself. But you could just as easily argue they weren’t that close lately, because truth is again, we haven’t seen much of Viktor’s past, if anything. But what you can’t say, is they aren’t friends in any capacity, because they are. Viktor talks about him fondly and willingly hangs out with him.

Basically I’m here to destroy the idea that Viktor before Yuuri has no friends. Because he does, and maybe they aren’t super close. I’m not going to fight anyone who thinks that they aren’t, but he has them, and painting him as this entirely isolated individual is doing him a disservice.

Yes, he did dedicate his life to the ice, and he sacrificed life and love to do so. His words, and I imagine the amount of time and dedication his career involved did lead him to sideline these things quite a bit, but the idea that they didn’t exist entirely is fuckin preposterous, especially when there’s clear evidence to the contrary. Viktor can be depressed and isolated and lonely without being literally alone. He just feels that way, and maybe that has to do with the fact that he doesn’t talk to anyone about anything ever and this includes Yuuri too, and not necessarily because of some external reason.

And I saved the best for last. The man that’s caused a disproportionate and absurd amount of discourse. The man half of you have condemned as the worst person ever. Oh yes. We’re doing this. It’s time to talk about Yakov Feltsman.

Now I’m actually not going to use this as an excuse to do some fully character meta on Yakov, although some of you tempt me trust me, but I am going to establish how Viktor sees Yakov, and what that means for their relationship. Viktor and Yakov, before Viktor left for Hasetsu had a…wait for it…good relationship!

Now any of the Yakov discoursers who are actually reading this and didn’t already write this off because they know my stance are like “No way have you seen him? He constantly yells at and is angry with Viktor like all the time! He’s just this angry asshole who only cares about Viktor the winner.” Yeah. See. I know you think that. But I don’t think Viktor thinks that. Allow me to direct you to episode 9.

At the end of episode eight Makka made poor life choices and ate some steamed buns and now she’s at the vet. Yuuri wants to send Viktor back because he doesn’t want Viktor to have the experience he had in Sochi when Vicchan died and he couldn’t do anything. And Viktor’s clearly conflicted about this. He doesn’t want to leave Yuuri, but he also wants to be with his dog. And he doesn’t know what to do, until he sees Yakov.

Viktor, in his desperation, begs Yakov to coach Yuuri for just one day. And everyone screams in shock immediately, partially because where did that come from, and partially because it’s a fuckin gag we’re supposed to laugh at. But if you notice something. Yakov. Agreed. Without any terms and conditions. It’s almost like. He gives a shit.

In before one of you goes “well we didn’t see the negotiations so maybe he did!” because like. A plot point like that would certainly be shown so it can be used. And also because up before this point Yakov has not been shy about wanting Viktor to come back. Hell, even right before Viktor asks, Yakov straight up says “You want to come back?” Like. He brought it up. In this conversation. If he was going to use this as a fucking tool to lord over Viktor. We would see it. Hell Yurio even thinks to himself like ‘why did Yakov take Katsudon on’ cause Yurio doesn’t see the practical value in that choice. Almost like. Because there isn’t.

But the most damning evidence. That their relationship is actually y’know. Not shit. Is directly from Viktor’s mouth:

That’s right! Viktor straight up tells Yuuri to hug Yakov if he’s in trouble. You know what advice you don’t give the love of your life when you have to leave them with someone terrible? Hug them when you’re in trouble. You don’t.

See, if their relationship was actually as fucking awful as you desperately want it to be, Viktor wouldn’t dare suggest that to Yuuri, because he wouldn’t even think of it. And if he did think of it it’d probably be in a “I tried it once, and it didn’t work out.” You don’t give advice you know doesn’t work. You just don’t. And as you can see, Yakov isn’t even present in this scene, so Viktor doesn’t even have a reason to pretend their relationship is good.

Through this episode. This one episode and these brief interactions, we can see what their relationship is like at the core. Viktor clearly trusts Yakov for this, and views him positively enough that he’d even suggest “hug him” to Yuuri. And Yakov clearly cares about Viktor, because did what Viktor asked, no strings attached.

And some of you are going to talk about how he constantly talks about Viktor coming back, like it’s the only thing he cares about but like. One he’s Viktor’s coach. Obviously he wants Viktor to come back. And while there’s some instances he’s fucking brutal and rude (looking at episode 6) there’s plenty of others where…he’s not. Hell I’d argue in that moment before Viktor’s request that I mentioned, he almost sounds like he’s joking. He’s kind of laughing while he says it. Like it’s not really a big deal.

But I’m not here to argue the merits and flaws of a three trope character. I am here to tell you that I’ve just established the two of them have a positive relationship, one that Viktor wants to keep, as shown by him trying to invite Yakov out for hot pot. Which as mentioned. Doesn’t go over well, but that doesn’t mean Yakov gives no fucks. Because he later shows that he does give fucks.

And as always, I can’t tell you exactly how close they are. I think they’re surprisingly close, considering the hugging thing, and Viktor is only a tactile person with people he considers important to him, but they might also not be especially close outside of the ice. Either way, it’s a positive relationship, and it existed before Yuuri.

And this is where I talk about Yuuri. Not because any of you are wrong in your assessment of they’re madly in love with each other. Cause you’re not. They are. But the way you view Viktor’s other relationships impacts how you see his relationship with Yuuri.

Many of you write Yuuri coming into Viktor’s life like it suddenly showed him what connections with other people actually are. The amount of fics I’ve seen where literally the premise is Yuuri saves Viktor from the abysmal black void that is his life because no one cares about him is far too many. And it’s because you dismiss his prior relationships for Yuuri. Because you don’t think Viktor had any kind of relationship before Yuuri, you treat Yuuri as if he’s Viktor’s one actual bond. The only person that’s ever been in Viktor’s life who matters, and that’s just patently untrue.

Viktor is his own person outside of Yuuri. He has friends and maybe even familial ties with several people that aren’t Yuuri, and that existed before him, but through Yuuri he realized the value in those relationships. Life and love is something Viktor lost sight of not something he’s never had ever. Yuuri just reminded him and showed him what that was, and Viktor finally reached an understanding. Viktor changed and became a happier person, and maybe even more appreciative of the other people around him because of Yuuri.

The two of them changed each other’s lives for the better, but just like Yuuri’s life and support system is not just Viktor, Viktor’s is not just Yuuri. He’s not literally alone. And as mentioned before, it’s likely he’s not very close with many people, but he’s not fucking isolated. In the end, the two of them actually undergo a similar arc. Yuuri realizes the love and support he has from the people around him, and Viktor finally figures out the value in such things. They work together as a couple because they’re similar.

You do a disservice to both of them and to him by making him this dependent on Yuuri. That’s not a responsibility Yuuri should bear, and Viktor exists as a person outside of Yuuri. You can love them and their relationship and still respect they’re two individuals. Writing Viktor as this dependent on Yuuri, as if his entire existence revolves around him honestly negates the point of their character arcs and their relationships.

TL;DR: Viktor Nikiforov was like a person before he met Yuuri and had and continues to have other relationships, and you writing him like he doesn’t is bad.

gonna tag @waylyn because they motivated me to actually write this. 

[katyaton]

Hey get ready for more info abt me than you prob wanted to know

Tagged by @rubynovare <3<3<3

Rules: Answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people. <--- who the heck has that many people to tag ...

LAST…

Drink: Yorkshire gold tea

Phone call: The dentist office

Text message: My sister

Song you listened to: You Will be Found - Dear Evan Hansen Soundtrack :’)

Time you cried: Hmmm like last week cause of classes ...

HAVE YOU…

Dated someone twice: I’ve barely dated so me dating someone more than once is laughable. 

Kissed someone and regretted it: Kinda

Been cheated on: No. Again I dont date so things like this dont happen

Lost someone special: Yeah

Been depressed: I have depressive moments, but not enough to be diagnosed as depressed.

Gotten drunk and thrown up: Nope! Im surprisingly good at knowing when to stop

Made new friends: Yep!!

Fallen out of love: No. Never fallen in love so again, not an issue

Laughed until you cried: Yes, several times!

Found out someone was talking about you: Yes, both in the good sense and the bad

Met someone who changed you: Yes! Mostly people from college, a few from sports, a few from work/internships

Found out who your friends are: I guess?

Kissed someone from your Facebook list: Well, kinda. I mean they kissed me first ...

Kissed a stranger: NO

Drank hard liquor: haha yeah it’s my go-to. It gets the job done quickly and if you make cocktails its super tasty!

Lost glasses/contact lenses: Glasses all the time when I was younger!

Turned someone down: Only like 3 people 

Sex on the first date: No. I would have to know the person at least 4-5 months, and we’d likely have to be established friends before even dating ... 

Broken someone’s heart: I think?

Had your heart broken: Not in the romantic sense, no.

Been arrested: No, lol, but had a busy body neighbor threaten to call the cops on me and my friends one time ...

Cried when someone died: yeah

Fallen for a friend: Not romantically, but platonically? YES FOR SURE

Kissed on the first date: If I was really feeling it, I would. I’ve done it on the cheek, though, does that count???

GENERAL

List 3 favorite colors: Royal red, light green, lavender

How many Facebook friends do you know in real life: Pretty much all of them? I dont accept people I dont know, although I am still friends with middle school people from a long time ago so I guess those count since we haven’t talked since then.

Do you have any pets: One cat!

Do you want to change your name: Sometimes. I have a really common name so it can get annoying, but then I think about all the paperwork id have to do and im like .... yeah maybe not. 

What time did you wake up: 8:30 am

What were you watching at midnight last night: House of Cards

Name something you can’t wait for: This summer to be over

When was the last time you saw your mom: 20 minutes ago

What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: stop freakin procrastinating oh my goddd

What are you listening to right now: the sounds of my struggling air conditioner

Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: More than likely? Statistically one of the cashiers, nameless strangers that I conversed with, or long forgotten peers had to be named Tom. What kind of question?

Something that is getting on your nerves right now: My procrastination!!!

Most visited website: This blue hell site, then netflix, then youtube

Mole/s: Just one

Mark/s: Scar from doing the butterfly stroke and scrapping my hand on the wall of the pool, scar from stitches on my chin cause i was running around on all fours like a horse and tripped (age 9). I think that’s it?

Childhood dream: Singer, Vet, or Astronomer

Do you have a crush on someone: Nope

What do you like about yourself: I’m super chill

Piercings: Just one in my ears

Blood type: O+ (why do you wanna know, lol) But it does kinda suck cause I can give my blood to all the + blood types but can’t really receive from any types other than O+ or O- (aka why red cross has hounded me for years to give more blood after the one time I did it)

Nickname: Katya, tater tot, terminex, Kate

Relationship status: Single

Zodiac:Libra

Pronouns: She/her

Favorite TV show: Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Yuri on ice, avatar the last airbender, legend of korra, downton abbey, black mirror

Tattoos: None. It would have to be something super special for me to get one

Right or left hand: Right handed

Surgery: Just wisdom teeth

Hair dyed in different color: Not right now, but dyed it red-ish for the first time last summer and a tiny bit of that still remains

Sport: Swam competitively year round for 7 years ... just do it for leisure now!

Vacation: No im doing year round school cause who needs a vacation! *sobs*

Pair of trainers: You mean tennis shoes? Yeah I have several pairs

Current and all-time best friend name: idk my bffs change as the years go on. I have several right now,

Eye color: blue

Favorite movie: I have a lot ... inception, napoleon dynamite, misery, into the wild ... i know there are more but that’s it for now!

WHICH IS BETTER?

Hugs or kisses: Hugs, but only with people i really know, otherwise I find them kinda awk.

Lips or eyes: Eyes 

Shorter or taller: I personally prefer being taller, but either is fine cause it’s not like a person can help their genetics!

Nice arms or stomach: Nice stomach! Gotta get that rippling 6 pack

Sensitive or loud: Sensitive

Hook up or relationship: Relationship

Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant

DO YOU BELIEVE IN…

Yourself: Ah, not as much as I should, but it can’t be helped

Miracles: In rare instances. I mean, sometimes there really are things we can’t explain away with math and science.

Love at first sight: No. But in fanfic it’s super nice!

Santa Claus: Well not now, lol. I did when I was younger, though.

Tagging (I will always feel awk doing this but my love of oversharing beats my insecurities, so just let me know if you dont want to be tagged/want to!): @alipiee @mygeekcorner @burglethyturts @ramigo @rollertoasteroflife @dramaticviolins 

[ask-the-phan-site]

The Sanctioner with Blue Flames

>It’s time.

Let’s get to work.

I’m so excited, especially after our American release.

I wonder kind of treasure a NEXT like Lunatic has.

We won’t know till it’s time.

Bur first, a moment to admire our new portraits.

They do look a bit choppy, but good.

Whoever is helping with our site may not be the best artist, but at least he’s trying.

Alright, enough. Let’s begin the mission.

>Mona transforms into the bus and we drive off to take Lunatic’s heart.

>In the court house in Sternbil City, Wild Tiger, Barnaby Brooks Jr., and Golden Ryan were in the lobby wait for us.

I’m not so sure about this. We already know how these Phantom Thieves work.

Well, I know it, you know it, she knows it, but she doesn’t care. Anything to make what may be her last day as the producer so exciting.

Our last day, huh? Still can’t believe it.

Barnaby: I know. When this season is over, you’ll have Lloyds’s job and I’ll be you assistant.

Wild Tiger: And this season is almost over.

Golden Ryan: Why are you so unhappy? I would have thought you’d be thrilled to get a promotion.

Wild Tiger: It’s just, I know I promised Tomoe I wouldn’t quit being a hero, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve betrayed her.

Barnaby: But didn’t you said that you weren’t really quitting?

Wild Tiger: I know. I’d be a hero in a different way. I’m just still trying to get this around my head.

Barnaby: ...

Golden Ryan: How about this? When this is over, I’ll treat us to a drink.

Wild Tiger: Legend Cola?

Golden Ryan: Anything.

Barnaby: I suppose.

Golden Ryan: Then it’s settled. Let’s make this the greatest last day ever.

????: If only you can put that much gusto in your jobs.

>Judge Yuri Petrov arrives in the lobby.

Wild Tiger: Judge Petrov, we told you to stay in your office until things settle down.

I got bored. I had to see for myself how these Phantom Thieves work.

Barnaby: In the weirdest way possible.

Yuri: I see.

Golden Ryan: Hold on, this has been on my mind for a while since the card showed up.

Yuri: What is it?

Golden Ryan: ... Are you really Lunatic?

Barnaby: Ryan!

Yuri: You also believe so?

Golden Ryan: Well, we all know Lunatic has a thing against people who kill and so do you.

Yuri: Who doesn’t like killers?

Golden Ryan: We all know Edward killing that woman was an accident, but Lunatic doesn’t believe so. And you insist that Edward doesn’t become a hero with me even though we put up a convincing case.

Yuri: Don’t see what that has to do with it. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.

Golden Ryan: And your mother-

Yuri: You don’t want to finish that sentence.

Golden Ryan: ...

?????: No. Let him finish.

Wild Tiger, Barnaby, Golden Ryan, and Yuri: !

>A red wave suddenly passes over them and the group find themselves in what looks like a French courtyard and just near them are three wooden stakes surrounded by kindling as if they were to be used to burn witches.

Wild Tiger: They’re here!

???: Your justice is blind, so it must be fair.

???????: That means taking it up with a trail of law, not a trail of death.

?????: If my sister saw what you were doing, her heart would break.

>We move from behind stakes to show ourselves.

Joker: Target: Yuri Petrov, also known as Lunatic.

Skull: Too many people are dead because of you.

Noir: We may not be keen on criminals ourselves, but what you’re doing is just as Wild Tiger said.

Mona: It’s murder!

Oracle: So for the sake of Sterbild, you will admit your regret and atone for what you did.

Wild Tiger: You don’t know that. You don’t have any proof that Judge Yuri is Lunatic.

Queen: Do we? Then tell us, Judge, who do you think of Edward Keddy?

Yuri: If you’re asking if you think I should make him an acceptation and let him become a hero, I already said that I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Skull: Origami doesn’t think so. He believes in Edward. He knows he can do it. He knows Edward can be a hero, record or not. Origami definitely knows better. Much more than-

Yuri: (now really upset) Origami Cyclone is a fool! He doesn’t know better! And he was more foolish when he tried to disguise himself as him!

Wild Tiger: !

Barnaby: How did you know?

Yuri: (just realizing what he just said) I... Read about it in the report.

Barnaby: No. Origami withheld that information. No one knows about it, except for me, Wild Tiger, Edward, and... Lunatic.

Yuri: ...

>It was at this moment that Yuri knew... He screwed up. Me and Skull smile.

Yuri: ... Very well.

>In a swoosh of blue flames, Yuri changed to Lunatic.

>Wild Tiger, Barnaby, and Golden Ryan prepare themselves at the sight of Lunatic who pointed his crossbow at me. He fired, but I dodged it.

Wild Tiger: So it’s true. But, why?

Lunatic: I cannot turn a blind eye to crime, I’m just doing it my own way.

Queen: You’re father probably said that. But you’re twisting what he told you.

Lunatic: He betrayed his own words, so I exact my own code of justice.

Wild Tiger: But it’s not real justice, it’s murder!

Mona: I just said that already.

Lunatic: Enough talk.

>Lunatic fires another fire arrow.

Panther: Dance, Carmen!

>Panther’s Persona managed to resist the attack for us, but was still strong enough to do a lot of damage.

Oracle: Guys, this one’s a lot stronger than the others. You may have to go Ultimate.

Joker: Right. (For those of you who haven’t finished our game, beware of spoilers ahead.)

Lunatic: You think the justice the heroes provide will cleanse this city? You have never been more wrong. My justice should be the only justice.

Golden Ryan: Is it just me or is he not making sense anymore?

Fox: If you’re thinking of the second one, yes. Everyone, prepare!

>Lunatic removes his helmet to show that his eyes were now a golden amber.

Shadow Yuri: You think me a demon in the night, so be it. If it means bringing my own justice to this filthy shit of a world, then a demon in the night I shall be.

>The darkness then covers Shadow Yuri and he transforms.

Oracle: I was right! He is super powerful! And week to Nucular attacks. That’s your cue, Queen!

Queen: Right! Let’s go, Anat!

>Queen’s Persona uses Freidyne on Tsukuyomi, but he dodges.

Tsukuyomi: Is that the best that you can do?

>Tsukuyomi uses Myraid Slashes on Queen.

Skull: Seiten Taisei!

>Skull’s Persona takes the hit for Queen and uses Ziodyne on Tsukuyomi. It was enough to put him in Shock.

Queen: Time to go again.

>Queen’s Persona uses Freidyne again, and this time, it was effective on Tsukuyomi, knocking him down.

Queen: Let’s go, Joker!

>The attack ended, but Tsukuyomi was not done yet.

Tsukuyomi: Sinful ones, I will not submit to you.

>Tsukuyomi then uses Purgatorial Wing... On himself and absorbs it, regaining his health.

Oracle: Did not see that coming. Hold on. Prometheus!

>Oracle’s Persona scans Tsukuyomi. She gasps.

Oracle: Oh no! Everyone, take cover!

>Tsukuyomi uses Vorpal Blade and knocks us down.

Skull: (to the heroes) You can help out, you know!?

Golden Ryan: Right. GO GOLD!

>Golden Ryan uses his power to increase the gravity on Tsukuyomi. It had very little effect on him. Tsukuyomi uses what looked like a blue version of Maragilao on the heroes which puts them down.

Tsukuyomi: Now, for you.

>Tsukuyomi ties us one by one to the stakes.

Tsukuyomi: Sinful thieves of people’s hearts, your time of judgment is now. Hear the voice of Thanatos.

Skull: I can’t believe this.

Panther: Are we... Going to die?

>With the Apollon Trio.

Barnaby: What are we going to do?

Golden Ryan: First time something like this happened.

Barnaby: We can’t get them all, Ryan. But this is just a nightmare.

Wild Tiger: (thinking) This is bad. Tomoe. Mr. Legend. Please.

>It looked like it was going to be the end for us... Or is it?

??? ??????: So you’re giving up?

Wild Tiger: !

Tsukuyomi: Not again.

>An image appeared near Wild Tiger. It was a ghostly looking man dressed like a hero.

Come on, Kotetsu. Show me what that young kid at the bank showed me those years back. Get up.

Wild Tiger: ...

Mr. Legend: Get up, Kotetsu.

Tsukuyomi: Will you ever leave me alone?

Mr. Legend: You know I’ll never leave. And you know why.

Tsukuyomi: ...

Wild Tiger: (still thinking) He’s right. I can’t just lie here. I can’t let this go on.

>Wild Tiger tries to get up.

Tsukuyomi: I have no time for this. Let the fires of judgment burn.

>Tsukuyomi creates a blue fireball, ready to burn us alive.

Wild Tiger: NO!

>Wild Tiger jumps at Tsukuyomi and knocks him down.

Wild Tiger: No more killing!

Joker: I think that ghost was encouraging.

Mr. Legend: And I’m not the only one.

?????'s voice in my head: That’s true. He’s used my name in vain far too long. It’s time he know how my voice really sounds.

Joker: Right.

>I change Personas.

Joker: Persona!

Tsukuyomi: Y- You’re...

>Thanatos uses his sword to cut us all lose. He then fixes his gaze on Tsukuyomi.

Thanatos: Yuri Petrov, you have abused my voice to serve a justice even Nemesis would not use. You have dishonored my name to feed your own distorted desires. Now, you must pay the ultimate price.

>Tsukuyomi tires to attack, but nothing was good against Thanatos.

Thanatos: Now, hear my voice.

>Thanatos raises his arms and casts Door of Hades which was very powerful that it knocked Tsukuyomi down.

Tsukuyomi: NO!~

Wild Tiger: Oh shut up already! Bunny!

Barnaby: Right!

Wild Tiger and Barnaby: GOOD LUCK MODE! 

Suits: Tiger and Barnaby! Over and out!

>After that attack, Tsukuyomi changed back to Yuri and was on his knees. Then, a light came out of him.

Mona: There’s the treasure.

>I take the treasure. I was surprised to see what it was.

Skull: Is this... You and your old man?

Yuri: ... Do me a favor.

Joker: What?

Yuri: If you’re going to take that, ... Make sure my mother gets it.

Joker: We’ll see what we can do. Wild Tiger, Barnaby, Ryan, thank you for your help.

Wild Tiger: Just try not to take someone’s heart in our city without thinking more carefully. Us heroes might actually catch you. Even in a place like this.

>Yuri disappears back to his real self and me, the Thieves, and the Trio leave the Palace, leaving Mr. Legend and Thanatos alone.

Mr. Legend: Well?

Thanatos: ?

Mr. Legend: Isn’t this the part where you say that my time on earth is over that it’s time for me to move on?

>Thanatos stays silent for a while until a light surrounds his body and he transforms.

Not today. Your son needs you now more than ever. But the day when you make the journey to Elysium will come soon enough. And when that day comes, we’ll meet again.

>With that, Mr. Legend and the boy disappear.

>In the court house in the real world, Mrs. Petrov was being wheeled in by Mrs. Kaburagi.

Thank you for bringing me here.

It was no trouble. Us mothers should help one another.

>Just as they were entering, they saw, in the middle of the lobby, the Apollon Trio staring at Yuri who was on his knees, weeping and yelling.

Yuri: I’m... I’M SORRY DAD! I’M SORRY MOM! I killed my father, just like how I killed all those criminals! Now my mother’s mind is broken because of what I did! The proof is in my office! Look for yourself!

>Two guards who were present heard him and took him back to his office to see if he was telling the truth.

Mrs. Petrov: ... He did kill his father! My husband was only going through some hard times, but Yuri ruined it!

Mrs. Kaburagi: Even though he would beat you and your son?

Mrs. Petrov: It wasn’t my husband’s fault that his powers were failing! He was a good husband until Yuri took him from me!

Wild Tiger: I think you might be right. Here.

>Wild Tiger hands Mrs. Petrov the picture.

Mrs. Petrov: (gasp)

>Mrs. Petrov recognized the picture. When she stared at it, she smiled as tears leaked from her eyes.

Mrs. Petrov: Oh, Kyle, Yuri.

Mrs. Kaburagi: My, Kotetsu, where did you get that?

>Wild Tiger, Barnaby, and Golden Ryan look up at a window... Where they saw my silhouette which jumped out of view.

Wild Tiger: Someone who we can all believe in.

Barnaby: Yeah. I think I believe too.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the pictures we used were from the Demonic Compendium. We apologize for that. But thank you.