#imo he is still a treasure

[optichocolate]

[rhtmic]

Something interesting that I realized (manga spoilers)

> Taichi's final takes in his 2nd match against Arata were "Chiha" and "Fu"

> its the exact same order of cards we see Chihaya take when she first gets hooked to the game

> the first game where karuta was finally dear to Taichi was his third match against Arata > its a devastating loss of 18 card deficit > (Chihaya's first match against Shinobu: a devastating 20 card deficit)

> The next time we see them:

I really believe sensei had that 18 card gap to deliberately show that Taichi had to "start over" again in his career just like Chihaya did, now with a newfound genuine love for the game and a dream he also forged on his own!

[hkthatgffan]

So, I was thinking. In Dipper and Mabel and the Curse of the Time Pirates' Treasure! (super underrated book btw), there's an option where as a way to deal with a dragon the twins and Blendin encounter, Mabel suggests they talk to him. The option then sees Mabel talking to the dragon and letting him vent out all his frustrations and such to her, asking how he feels and giving him advice on how to work through it and grow...almost like a therapist.

The more I look back on this as the years have passed, the more I've found this rather wholesome of a thing to have in the book. Not just cause it shows Mabel trying to help out someone per her kind nature, rather than the other option in the book for the dragon (being medieval battle, lol), but also due to the fact it can also be seen as a small reference to the fact that Mabel's inspiration, Ariel Hirsch (Alex Hirsch's twin sister), is in real life, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

And in the story, some of what we hear the dragon talking to Mabel about are things like his family and life issues. It gives one an interesting thing to look into regarding Mabel and how maybe, becoming a therapist is a path she may go down, just like her IRL inspiration (kinda like how Dipper in the show mentioned he wants to make his own TV show, like Alex did). And while yeah, Time Pirates is not a canon book, it is still wholesome to consider. And now, we have kinda seen hints of that in stuff that is, like recently in The Book of Bill when Mabel mentions how she has Waddles sorta play her own therapist with who she talks out her problems with.

In the midst of all else we learn in the book, it's a bit of a small and forgotten detail but one when looked at this way, is rather telling IMO. Add on the hints at their parents marriage issues and similarities that shows with Alex and Ariel Hirsch's life we have heard from them about, and I honestly feel pretty strongly about the fact Mabel may grow up to be therapist, perhaps like Ariel, in the family and marriage field.

It's kinda interesting. For years, so many of us when headcanoning Mabel's future ambitions, look at stuff like her being an artist or maybe something similar, given it sorta seems about what you'd think she'd pursue (and I mean, the amount of headcanons and Gravity Falls AUs out there where Mabel is an artist when she's grown up, really show how prevalent the belief is). And while yeah, like all headcanons, it's just that and as valid to be true or not as any of those other ones are, I think all things considered, it's a rather wholesome and pretty Mabel outcome for her to pursue.

She's always got the best intentions at heart no matter what and wants people to be happy and comfortable with who they are. And as she gets older, she more than likely would be the type of person who'd wanna pursue that as a life ambition and career and see being a therapist as one way to achieve that. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it, but I can't lie, therapist Mabel sounds pretty interesting. It's not the usual Mabel headcanon that fans come up with...but maybe it's the start of something.

[cantgetworsethanthistbh]

anyway a very enjoyable detail imo is how fords confrontation with stan in tots after he broke fords machine and his confrontation with bill after fiddleford saw bill's true plans are framed the same way, with a few tweaks so that they're not wholly identical

but what matters here is that stan and bill are watching something (innocence gap aside lmao)

ford enters (or has technically entered the room already) with intent of confrontation

ford's dramatic body language through out the scene + the way stan and bill are placed

and theres a bit of irony in the fact that despite being liars and conmen, both stan and bill are both being entirely honest in this part, with fords reaction ending up the same way. stan is explaining that he broke fords machine on accident while bill is outright gloating that he tricked ford into building the portal. they both are angling to get something out of ford here, with stan still bringing up treasure hunting and bill trying to keep ford under his thumb with the deal they made.

at the end of the day though, with ford not believing stan saying it was an accident and thinking stan is lying to him vs him immediately getting confirmation from bill that he was being played the whole time, the end result is the same: ford feels he's been betrayed by someone he deeply cared about.

so thats all pretty basic stuff right? like who hasnt realized that ford has trust issues. and tbh im just pointing out some basic cinema similarities thats a cool detail nonetheless.

but my fave part is how these are the ONLY times times you actually hear both stan and bill call ford sixer in the show itself

stan and bill are both the only characters to call him sixer, but we only see how frequent that is in the comics and tbob. the use of the nickname in ONLY these scenes in the show specifically was very deliberate to envoke how much this sucks for ford that he's been prevented from achieving one dream by one person he loves, only to have that same dream used against him by another.

imagine how wild this must be for ford lol. the time he confronted bill he is instantaneously thrown back in time by bill using the very last time stan calls him a certain nickname the very night he remembers being "betrayed" by stan. betrayal on top of betrayal is connected to that very nickname, so its not JUST a random nickname either of them couldve called ford (or bill couldve also called him poindexter and a whole lot of variations of nerd, but sixer is the only nickname among the two's list is the same. almost like rubbing lemon juice and salt to the wound atp which is really funny of bill.

tots and lmc in general also have some of my fave details on stans influence over ford in general. from ford quoting stan and copying his body language when HE gets abandoned by fiddleford the way stan thinks ford did with him

(and i say copy— this is no coincidental parallel because we know in tbob ford knows what stan looked when he was doing the "high six" part, so he's been paying super close attention to stan's departure the whole time despite closing the window curtains)

and my favorite arguably funniest one, when stan called ford a dangerous know it all in ddamd and ford (who btw was already behind the vending machine and youd think already went down in the basement), is SO peeved by that he was tossing and turning in bed over that in conjuction with all his bill related flashbacks. this is funny because for someone who was literally writing "TRUST NO ONE" in his journal, he's very upset by the fact that either stan doesn't trust him + thinks that way about him, no matter how deserved or that stan is definietly right about him being a dangerous know it all (and i do not see enough people point that out lmao) AKDHAKDGEU

[bumblebeehug]

When do u think Natsu actually realized that he fell for Lucy and i know he treats her differently but can u give moments where it's initiated from his side?

This is going to be a long post so buckle up!

Okay, first of all: the Phantom Lord arc. Though I don't think he fell in love with her at that point of time, I think it was the events that seriously solidified his partialness to her. I'd go into detail but I can already feel a long post incoming, so I'll keep it short: Lucy telling Natsu that she loves being a Fairy Tail wizard, while crying over the fact that she didn't want to leave ↓

After just trusting her life in Natsu, jumping from an insanely high tower, with a mere belief that maybe she had heard him in the distance – I think it struck a chord with Natsu. Like, it would be normal to cry after a fall like that, but Lucy wasn't concerned about that aspect. Her head and heart was all about the guild, how she didn't want to go, and that resonates with Natsu. Natsu's entire life at that point is 1) Finding Igneel, and 2) being with/protecting the guild.

Then I'd say it's a pretty gradual build in their relationship. They go on a lot of missions, hang out together, and just in general spend a lot of time connecting. There's some Natsu-saves-Lucy, some Lucy-saves-Natsu, some hand holding (tenrou arc I won't forget about that, thank you anime team for adding that scene), and then comes the next pivotal moment. GMG arc and the dragon festival that follows.

By then I'd say Natsu and Lucy are very much in this friends-with-emotional-benefit zone: much more than friends, absolutely not yet lovers. But with Lucy's near-death experiences in her battles, Natsu has to refrain himself from getting involved each time Lucy gets beaten up - he becomes helpless, and the worry that's sowed inside of him gets watered each time Lucy still puts his faith in him, still trusts him to come out a winner. That entire section when Lucy's in the infirmary and she tells Natsu that her entire being trusts that Natsu can do anything, I think that's when Natsu falls in love.

Now wait!! He still doesn't quite understand that he loves her. But he understands that his feelings for Lucy are more tender than any other feelings he's ever had. He treasures her in a new, heavier way. She's become precious to him.

Precious. Where have we heard that... oh >:) ↓

Now the Dragon Festival was LETHAL in a trillion ways, but especially for nalu fans. The whole Future Lucy plot and the forehead touches and the Future Natsu and Future Lucy fighting in a wasteland moments and the Natsu skipping the final GMG match to save Lucy. And of course. Future Lucy dying. It's not the first time we see Natsu get so heavily affected - it happened in the tower of heaven, when Erza was ready to give her life up. But it is the first time we see Natsu see a friend die. Like, a team mate, someone who he's responsible for bringing to the guild. And after the whole GMG conundrum? Had a single more bad thing happened Lucy during the dragon festival, he’d probably turn into a demon right there and then. Dare I even say: their relationship was the strongest at this point in time.

After the GMG and the Dragon Festival, we get the Sun Village arc (I don’t like the Eclipse celestial spirit arc so I’m not counting it, same with Key of the Starry Sky arc — technically some nalu moments but not exactly building imo) and then another big one: Tartaros. Ooooh brother, THE best arc of all times, wish Mashima knew how to replicate it. But alas, he doesn’t.

The Tartaros arc isn’t exactly a pivotal moment where Natsu “falls in love” but rather an important aspect to understand his later actions. Like this guy goes through some pretty grusome stuff, learns a lot of complicated, bad things about himself, and finishes off the arc with losing Igneel — his father that he's spent ages searching for. Natsu's entire life is turned upside down, so he decides that he has to become stronger: cue, he heads off for a year to train.

His time away isn't very elaborated on — not from Natsu's viewpoint or Lucy's. But I think it's understood that he chose not to bring along Lucy because she could be put into danger too much for him to be able to concentrate on building his strength: he knew his training would be dangerous. During this time we also have the Gildarts-scene in chapter (idk i can't be bothered to look it up but y'all know the one ↓) which is kinda debated on — who was Natsu talking about here?

I'm still not certain on if it was a heart to heart on the Igneel-matter, or if it was about his guilt of leaving Lucy behind, like many theorise. I'm not even certain that it's limited to one of them — he could be talking about both. But at the very least, this entire year was one of those "distance makes the heart grow fonder" moments for him. He wanted to get back to his normal life with Lucy so bad. After all, it wasn't like him showing up at the GMG was in order to meet Lucy — had he wanted more training after that, he'd head off again, but I don't think he could physically bring himself to do it, even if it hadn't turned out that the guild had disbanded. Though that's just me speculating a bit.

And about the guild disbandment: oh jolly, he was not happy. He had finally taken the step to grow stronger to protect everyone in his beloved guild, and here Makarov went and disbanded it? Leaving Lucy completely alone? Lucy, who once jumped from a hella high tower because she was just so devoted to stay in the Fairy Tail guild? Yeah, I think that broke him a little. At this point there was just so much guilt involved around his whole relationship with Lucy, because now he had put her through so much pain only because he brought her to Fairy Tail that day in Hargeon.

The next arcs I'd say Natsu's trying to spend his time redeeming himself for the countless things he's done bad (getting the guild back together, just generally staying by Lucy's side as much as possible). And naturally he keeps getting hit by challenge after challenge (it's not easy to be a book written by his immortal brother, yk?). And it's even harder to watch Lucy die again, this time for real (he thinks bc he's stupid and also has a tumour that's nothing less than a ticking bomb) (give this guy a break lol).

Anyways: Lucy's death nr2. Natsu can't live a life without her. Now I know — he still doesn't quite understand that it's romantic love, but I think he does understand that it's pure love. No matter if kissing and reproducing was involved, all he knew was that a life without Lucy is completely unimaginable, so blinded by rage he becomes and decides to decapitate everyone in his way (sorry about that Gray).

The last couple of moments I'll go out of my way to mention as signs of love is 1. when he's won over Acnologia and falls towards Lucy, crazy relieved, saying "I'm home", 2. Gajeel pointing out Natsu's crush on Anna, Natsu basically saying "oh that's why I like Lucy so much" (I embellished it lol) and 3. "We're still gonna be together from here on out, right?" yeah that man won't ever leave her. Ever. It's just not an option.

Now since I've only talked about specific moments, here's what I have to say about his relationship with her in general:

Throughout the main plot line, we also see a shift in Natsu's behaviour. Someone here on Tumblr pointed out that Natsu always finds a way to shield Lucy if something unexpected happens, after not being able to shield her from Future Rogue. There's also the small detail of the order he calls out to people - it goes from being pretty random, to Lucy almost alwyas being on the top of the list: likely because she's always on the top of his head. And in general I'd say that Natsu initiates (i'm adding this entire paragraph bc i realised that you asked about when Natsu initiated stuff, more than when he fell in love lol) almost all of their interractions. It's Natsu who wants Lucy to join Fairy Tail, to form a team, he's the one who enters her apartment constantly, he's always searching her out - his interest in her is at a constant high so we never feel like we get "moments" that he's paying her extra attention. He has one setting, and it's "Lucy" cranked to the max. Lol.

I could also add some HYQ moments to the mix here, but they've been few and far inbetween, and also mostly played off as jokes, so I can't really consider them as moments when Natsu initiates his love. I guess his jealousy can be considered a sign? And when (spoilers from the manga) he runs around to protect her/save her from creepy-freaky-jail (the only one who made it freaky was him, with those wild fantasies lol). Maybe I need to jog my memory a bit, but so far there hasn't been any non-pervy nalu moments initiated by Natsu in the HYQ, aside from jealousy-chap. Sadly.

Hope this gave you the answer you were hoping for! Sorry it took so long, I started writing on it and realised it would be a bible so I put it in my drafts to fetch some pics to make it less wordy, and then I forgot about it, lol. But here it is!

[yes-no-maybe-soo]

Y'all, Freefall Gambit is so good 😩❤️‍🔥 Loved the return of Onychinus Sylus! He was aura farming so hard in this card, I had to restrain myself from audibly fangirling ijbol. I do feel like this card is sort of preparing us for the upcoming branch, where we'll most likely see alot more of this type of stuff and of this particular dynamic of SylusMC. Of being on opposing sides. Lots of angst and potential for drama, as well as self reflection and growth on especially MC's part.

My sole complaint is that Sylus isn't wearing the suit from the illustration ＿|￣|● I love his Onychinus fit as much as the next person but man... that suit... I will cry if they intend on forever gatekeeping it.

Because I want to avoid spoiling anyone that doesn't have the card yet, I've decided to write down some of my immediate thoughts below the cut.

Let's get the angsty predictions out of the way first – these lines set my alarm bells off. I feel like they are foreshadowing that something of Sylus' will indeed get taken or lost. Or rather someone. That someone ofc being MC, his most precious treasure.

I'll admit that these would not have alarmed me had it not been for certain lines in Sylus' birthday event and in Greedy Heart. I go into why exactly those lines make me uneasy in the linked post, and I just feel like the above ones further reinforces my theory. Call me paranoid or angst obsessed, but I predict pain for both SylusMC and for us in the main story, perhaps even in the coming branch.

On a similar note, just as how Sylus' vulnerability and fear (MC, and MC getting hurt or worse respectively) has been brought up more than once recently, so has MC's. Namely, that Sylus will get caught and put away, or become weak. We see these fears in Valleydream Bloom and in this card, as well as in Where Hearts Live. So things might be building up exactly to that.

I thought it was interesting how MC specifically mentions that the Association have Evol suppressing equipment. Which leads me to believe that said equipment could potentially be used against Sylus at some point to subdue him (provided of course that Sylus' powers are indeed Evol and not demonic/draconic based, but that is an eventual topic for another day). Idk but something tells me that Sylus will get captured whether willingly (most likely) or unwillingly. After all, we do see Sylus behind bars in the music video to Visions Opposées.

Could it be foreshadowing or just a neat visual? Only time will tell.

Me personally though, I am leaning towards the former, and I can see both MC's and Sylus' fears coming to fruition. Maybe even in a connected way (MC gets kidnapped and/or hurt and Sylus jumps in to save her but gets weakened or subdued in doing so, or Sylus gets captured by the Association, MC gets gravely injured trying to save him and maybe in the process triggers Sylus' dragon form and with it MC's memories? Boom. Several birds one stone. Helluva plotline imo)

What I still don't believe will come to pass however is either of them perma dying. This is an otome gacha. The main character nor LI can't die, especially not in a game as young and fresh as Love and Deepspace. So on that front I am not at all worried. Doesn't mean the angst we do get won't hurt a lot, though. But that being said, SylusMC will persevere in the end. Trust. Neither will let the other get torn away from them. Either will move heaven and earth to bring their lover back come what may.

Moving on...

I thought this was a nice callback to Sylus' anecdote

Here Sylus is revealed to actually be a sort of deepspace Robin Hood. We stan.

And the crowd cheered!!!

Also this is actually why Sylus jumped out of the plane. Man needed some cool and fresh air after this comment made all his blood flow south...

This makes me cackle 😭 bro is so unserious. And actually kind of insane, but again, we stan.

MC is living the dream. Do you know what I'd sacrifice to wrap my arms around that waist?? Happy for my girl though 💞 ( and for Sylus, you know that man is on cloud 9 here).

I adore that the card ends on a sweet and nostalgic note, with them gazing at the moon... like they used to in a distant past 💗

[rgwriteshockey]

summer is great w/ quinn hughes ->

summary: summers are always interesting with this group

word count: 1.8k

warnings: none imo

a/n: super sorry if the spacing on this one is weird, my computer is acting up, not proofread!

it was the kind of summer day that felt like it was stretching forever. the kind of day where the sun hung just right in the sky, casting that perfect golden glow over the lake. the sound of birds chirping, the hum of the occasional boat motor, and the soft lapping of the water against the dock were all part of the atmosphere at the hughes brothers’ lake house. it was a place where time slowed down, where things were easier, and everyone just lived in the moment.

you weren’t exactly sure how you ended up here—just that the invitation came from cole caufield, who’d somehow convinced you to spend the weekend with a bunch of hockey players. you weren’t complaining. you liked cole well enough, but there was a certain... tension with him. he liked you. liked you. and while you appreciated his attention, you couldn't deny there was someone else on your mind.

quinn hughes.

he was kind of perfect in every way that made your heart skip a beat. quiet, but with this understated charm that made you want to be around him all the time. he was also, unfortunately, the one you couldn’t have. which was the problem. the really big problem. and it wasn’t helping that cole seemed to be everywhere, grinning at you like he knew the effect he had.

you were sitting on the dock, feet dangling in the cool water, trying to focus on the ripples instead of the too-loud conversation coming from behind you. trevor zegras was laughing at something luke hughes had said, while jack, ever the natural leader, tried to keep things somewhat civil. cole was sitting nearby, his eyes flicking toward you every few seconds like he couldn’t help himself.

“you good, y/n?” luke’s voice pulled you from your thoughts. he was sitting next to you, legs stretched out as he let his feet drag in the water. you hadn’t realized he’d come over.

“yeah, just... thinking,” you said, offering him a small smile. you didn’t want to make it obvious you were thinking about his older brother.

“about quinn?” luke said, a knowing grin spreading across his face. he raised an eyebrow.

you stiffened a little, suddenly feeling exposed. “no, just... stuff.”

“uh-huh. sure.” he laughed softly, nudging you with his elbow. “don’t worry, i won’t tell him.”

you shot him a look. “you’d better not.”

he winked at you, clearly enjoying the teasing, but then his expression shifted. “hey, just... if you’re into him, you should probably go for it, right? don’t overthink it too much.”

“it’s not that simple,” you mumbled, looking away.

before luke could press you further, cole appeared, sitting down beside you on the dock, his usual grin plastered on his face. he leaned back on his hands, looking up at the sky as if he was genuinely enjoying the moment.

“you know,” cole started casually, his voice light and easy, “i think this lake house is cursed.”

you blinked at him. “cursed?”

“yeah. every time i come here, i end up losing to jack at something ridiculous. ping pong, cornhole, the stupid trivia game we played last night. it’s like he’s got some kind of unfair advantage.”

you rolled your eyes, trying not to laugh at the idea of cole being so invested in winning these small competitions. “sounds like you need to practice more.”

“oh, i do,” cole said dramatically, “but it’s like jack has an unfair advantage. maybe he’s hiding some kind of... cheat code or something.”

“he probably just has more practice than you,” you teased, feeling lighter, even if your mind was still lingering on the whole quinn thing.

cole shot you a playful glare, but it didn’t last long before he was grinning again. “well, you know, i was thinking—maybe we should do something a little more fun today. like, uh... a treasure hunt? scavenger hunt? we could split up into teams.”

“how original,” you muttered, but you couldn’t help but feel a little amused by his enthusiasm.

before you could say anything else, jack's voice cut through the conversation, calling from the lawn. “hey, cole, you’re still complaining about losing?”

“no! i'm just... making an observation,” cole yelled back, his usual cocky tone slipping into something more relaxed. he stood up and stretched. “so, are we doing this scavenger hunt thing or what?”

“i don’t know if it's a scavenger hunt,” jack said, clearly trying to keep things more organized. “but we’ll split into teams. i’ll be with quinn, luke, you and y/n can team up.”

your stomach did a weird flip at the mention of quinn’s name, and for a second, you wished the earth would just swallow you up. cole shot you a look, his expression unreadable for a brief moment before he smirked.

“guess it’s you and me, huh?” cole grinned, nudging you with his elbow again.

you smiled weakly, trying not to feel too disappointed. this was fine. you didn’t need to be on quinn’s team. you didn’t. it was just... a little awkward, that’s all.

as everyone else scrambled to get things organized, you found yourself trailing behind cole as he made his way toward a stack of paper plates and markers for the so-called treasure hunt. the next few minutes were a blur of laughter, teasing, and mild competitiveness, as everyone got into their teams and tried to figure out what exactly they were supposed to be hunting for.

“so, y/n,” cole said, his voice suddenly quieter. you looked over at him, curious. “what’s going on with you? i mean, i know you’ve been kinda quiet lately.”

you were about to deflect, like you always did, but something in his tone made you pause. you could tell he was asking because he genuinely cared, even if he wasn’t entirely aware of why you were so withdrawn lately.

“just... thinking about stuff,” you replied vaguely, forcing a smile. “nothing major.”

cole didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t push further. instead, he dropped his voice even lower, almost conspiratorially. “i know it’s not my business, but... you should just tell quinn how you feel. trust me, he’s not as oblivious as you think.”

you froze for a second, heart pounding in your chest. “what do you mean?”

“i mean,” cole shrugged, giving you a sideways glance, “guys can be pretty clueless sometimes, but quinn... he’s not. trust me.”

you bit your lip, not entirely sure how to respond. you had no idea if cole was just trying to mess with you or if there was truth in what he was saying.

before you could say anything else, quinn’s voice broke through the moment. “hey, are you two ready or what?”

you looked up, your heart doing that weird fluttery thing as you locked eyes with quinn for just a second too long. his expression was unreadable, but there was something in the way he looked at you that made your pulse race.

“yeah, we’re ready,” cole said, his usual grin returning as he clapped you on the back. “let’s go kick some ass.”

the treasure hunt itself was chaotic in the best way possible. people were yelling, running around, and trying to outsmart each other, all while the lake shimmered in the background. cole and you made a solid team—mostly because he was determined to win, but also because you were starting to have fun. you spent the next few hours running around, checking off clues, and laughing at how ridiculously competitive everyone was.

but through it all, you couldn’t help but steal glances at quinn. he was so effortlessly cool, like he was made for moments like this. and, as much as you tried to push the feelings down, it was hard not to feel like maybe... maybe there was something there.

as the sun began to set, painting the sky in soft oranges and pinks, everyone gathered around the firepit. the air was warm, but there was a cool breeze coming off the lake, making everything feel just right.

you sat down next to cole, trying not to feel too awkward about the whole situation. your team hadn’t won, but you didn’t really care. it was the kind of day that made you forget about anything else, even if your heart was still tangled up in something you couldn’t figure out.

“so, y/n,” cole said, his voice playful as he poked you in the ribs, “i gotta know. how’d you end up with quinn, huh?”

you froze for a moment, but then you laughed awkwardly. “uh, what do you mean?”

“you know,” cole grinned, “you’re always looking at him like he’s the last cookie in the jar.”

“i do not!” you protested, but you were already blushing.

“you totally do,” he said, giving you an exaggerated look of disbelief.

“shut up,” you muttered, though you couldn’t hide your smile.

just then, quinn looked over at you from across the fire, his eyes lingering for a moment longer than usual. you weren’t sure if you imagined it, but for a split second, it felt like there was something there. something real. and maybe, just maybe, this summer wouldn’t be as complicated as you thought.

but you didn’t say anything about it. not yet, anyway.

the night stretched on, full of laughter, stories, and the quiet buzz of summer. you knew things wouldn’t stay the same forever, but for now, you were content to just enjoy the moment.

PART 2????

and maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

[kenzan-brainrot-mp4]

Idk more random small details about the pyih ending that make me insane because I can't shut up about this stupid game:

Idk how deliberate this was from the translation team (and I have my own mixed feelings about the caption translations from more recent rgg games) but I really like the (potentially unintentional) double-meaning from Saejima saying "Guys our age are supposed to be smart enough not to go chasin' legends." You'd think that because the entire conversation revolves around and constantly repeats the words "dream/yume" (cough cough Yakuza 5) he'd say "not to go chasin' dreams", but I think by using the word "legend" instead he's able to refer to not only the legend of the treasure that everyone's been pursuing the whole game, but also the living legend himself, Kiryu Kazuma (in jp and eng he is referred to very often as a legend/legendary ("densetsu no ryuu/yakuza" - "legendary dragon/yakuza")). Not only was Majima chasing after the legend of some miracle treasure but he's also been chasing the "legend" that is Kiryu himself (something something idolization, something something Majima always wanting to bring back that strength and vitality Kiryu had at the peak of his "legend" days (see: yakuza 1 with Majima trying to fight Kiryu constantly to help him regain his strength, trying to especially hard to support him since yakuza 3), even as the chance of that happening dwindles, even if reality is literally telling him to his face that they can't go back to those days, that everyone's getting older and not what they used to be). Which imo makes Majima saying "Well, still just a dream in the end." all the more heartbreaking. It's resigned, not only to the fact that he'd never find that miracle fix to save Kiryu's life but also the fact that he can't, no matter how hard he tries, keep Kiryu around forever, that he can't keep up the image of the legendary Dragon of Dojima up for him forever. Idk I just think that was very cool and sneaky as hell if intentional, especially since they don't switch out the word "dream" for "legend" anywhere else in the conversation.

Saejima mentioning how Daigo said "Majima's runnin' around like he's forty again". Okay honestly I'm just putting this because I think it's funny that even while Daigo was going through his emo era and pissed off at Kiryu for "killing" his dad, he still remembers how enthusiastic/energetic Majima was over Kiryu all the way back in ~y1, even though we never saw him in that game. I mean it's painful as hell to think about now, considering the present day in-universe and what would end up becoming of that enthusiasm as the years went on but uh, hey.

Majima being so god damn deflective while Saejima's in the middle of revealing all his motivations for going to Hawaii. He says 3 whole lines during that part of the cutscene but it's all so Majima-like it hurts (this part's gonna be Long):

• "Told him that, huh?" (responding to Saejima recounting what Majima told Shigaki about not wanting to go to Hawaii) - Majima trying to act nonchalant/aloof while knowing what Saejima's about to start bringing up, trying to act that way even though we all know damn well that he remembers perfectly (and probably painfully) well how he acted/what he said before going to Hawaii, considering the circumstances surrounding the whole situation. His body language also starts to change from here; he turns his head to look directly at Saejima when talking to him less often, spends more time looking ahead/up/down/avoiding direct eye contact in general even when Saejima turns to look him while speaking multiple times/for prolonged periods of time (istg I could talk about Majima's body language in serious moments like these literally forever but I'll try to keep it brief) • "Kid's always been a ball breaker" (lmao) - Paired with the line before this one (Daigo's reaction to Majima). He tries to sidestep the actual point of mentioning what Daigo said, (directly exposing just how much Majima changes when Kiryu is around/involved) with feigned exasperation, and once again does not actually acknowledge Saejima's point. His body language also changes again to something more restless; (adjusts his posture from the previously relaxed way he was leaning against the car, looks away from Saejima completely, starts tapping his foot/bouncing his leg, lifting his cigarette without actually taking a drag from it) • And then of course the big one: "Well, still just a dream in the end. Stupid or not." Up until this point, Majima hasn't said anything of any actual substance until Saejima directly namedrops Kiryu. It's about the most he actually says of any worth regarding his feelings towards Kiryu himself, but that line alone reveals so much about his feelings not only in that moment, but likely the feelings he's had throughout the series towards Kiryu. It's totally unfiltered, for once, showing off his resignation from not only his inability to help Kiryu by the end of this game but likely also the weight of chasing after Kiryu all these years (again, "Guys our age are supposed to be smart enough not to go chasin' legends." Cue Majima always chasing after Kiryu/what Kiryu wants for literal decades). It's a Singular straight answer after two deflections but it says so damn much, especially coming from Majima himself. • I also just wanna note the quick range of expressions Majima's face goes through when Saejima says "Yeah, too bad about that 'elixir of eternal life.'"

↓

‎

Apart from the different expressions he makes themselves, I think it's so fucking interesting (read: painful) how this occurs when Saejima (who, by the way, is at that moment not looking at Majima) is technically supposed to be the one that the player's eyes are focused on in that moment, since he's the one speaking. The camera doesn't try to manipulate the focus of the shot to hide Majima's expressions/feelings, they don't cut him out of the frame, they don't actually do anything to directly hide Majima's face at all, but most people (including Saejima himself) would miss this regardless, because it's done in a moment where, theoretically, nobody would or should be looking. Hell, even when the camera gives us a Direct close-up shot of Majima's face when Saejima mentions Kiryu ("Kazuma Kiryu. You never could give up on that one.") his expression doesn't betray too much of how he feels, but it's only once focus is finally taken away from him that he becomes most expressive. (rgg has always been so good with showing off characters' feelings with microexpressions and I feel like this applies to Majima especially. the same kind of thing happened in y0 when he saw Makoto at the end of the game (another scene that I could analyze for hours). The times when he doesn't speak and just. Reacts subtly and potentially subconciously with his face are ironically some of the moments where he says the most about himself. Go off king don't openly express your thoughts or feelings at all 🔥🔥🔥) • And then after all that (when Saejima looks at Majima again) Majima changes the topic to Noah. You could argue that Saejima, with bringing everything before that up, was trying to open up the opportunity for discussion on Majima's part about his behavior/feelings towards Kiryu, however this was largely unsuccessful. He only succeeds in this when he finally just says Kiryu's name outright (which, by the way, surprised me so much when I first watched the cutscene. I thought they were going to keep dancing around saying Kiryu's name directly/only implying him for the rest of that conversation, but I straight up gasped when Saejima said his whole name like that. It was significant, and Saejima wanted it to be, too), and even then that success is only marginal. It's enough for Majima to finally give away one of his "real" thoughts, completely unfiltered, about as straightforward as it's gonna get, just Once in that whole part of their conversation, but after that he immediately goes to pivot the topic of the conversation to something else. Which like, damn. Damn. That's pretty crazy.

The final detail I wanna mention, (this one I think mostly everyone got) was the way that Majima repeats his line from the beginning of the game "Where do I begin? That's right… (etc)." I love how they decided to have Majima say that line again differently, because the differences say so much. The version from the beginning of the game is said in a deeper more "intimidating" tone. The whole point of it is for story-telling drama, the theatrics, specifically to entertain/pique the interest of an audience, but the way he says it to Kiryu is much more easy-going and authentic. Ironically, it's once he leaves the player's sights and once he's with Kiryu that he discards the theatrics, where he simply shows off his fully genuine self re-telling the story. (One thing I will note is that the eng sub/dub translated that line so it would be different in the beginning and end ("Alright -- let's set things straight." (to player) -> "Where do I begin? That's right." (to Kiryu) even though he says the same thing twice in the japanese audio. I know that this is so that they can match up Majima's audio with his animations in the english dub, and they reuse the eng dub captions even for the japanese dub, and while I do not neccessarily. Like that. It does hammer in the tone difference between the way he speaks to the player vs. to Kiryu further (again, trying to be more intimidating vs. more easy going), which is an okay consolation if nothing else). I just think it's crazy to hear him talk like that with Kiryu after all this time, considering that he usually only talks this directly with Kiryu in fleeting moments. No high-pitched voice/fluctuating tones, no "Yo, Kiryu-chan", just being straightforward and to the point. Man. God.

It's been 4 days since I beat this game and everytime I see someone post about it or think about it for more than 10 seconds I die and explode into a million pieces. At some point I want to 100% this game so I can get as much dialogue/as many details as possible (also the game's just really fun lol), but for now I am just rotating this cutscene in my head forever and ever in an endless cycle. I am so sorry for posting about this game like everyday but I am so unwell over it it's not even funny I hope you can forgive me </333

[slitheringghost]

There's been a lot of discussion on how JKR paints ambition and social climbing in a bad light, and something that sticks out to me is how JKR specifically demonizes wanting material power and material status and material wealth.

Like, I think part of the reason Snape's desire to escape poverty is portrayed more sympathetically than Tom Riddle or Percy Weasley is that he is largely framed as wanting power to escape Schoolyard Bullying and Social Ostracism by rich kids, and wanting Acceptance and Belonging (of course all of that is also tied to material power, and it's not that craving for material stuff just isn't incorporated at all, but it's clearly not the main focus of Snape's arc IMO).

This is also just A Thing with JKR - she said She Loathes Bullies and focused on like, Neville and Luna as bullied underdogs rather than exploring i.e. the trauma of Muggleborns petrified during the Chamber attacks. The fact that she compared Peter Pettigrew's reasons for joining the Death Eaters to Snape's also ties the powerlessness to school social dynamics more than anything else. JKR also thinks Pansy Parkinson is worse than Draco despite Draco being a Literal Actual Death Eater because she's a bully, lol (as explained in this meta).

(Note that I don't actually agree with the following reading of social dynamics, particularly Snape as a friendless bullied loser, but I'm explaining the Doylist reasons here) The Marauders are described as "the height of cool" and popular vs. Snape being an "oddball". Similar wording is used for Luna and Neville's ostracism - Luna says “People expect you to have cooler friends than us", and Harry replies “You are cool. None of them was at the Ministry. They didn’t fight with me.” Likewise Ron's resentment of Harry is addressed by Ron saying “That makes me sound a lot cooler than I was" and Harry replying “Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it really was. I’ve been trying to tell you that for years.”

Slughorn is definitely tied to material power (job opportunities, etc), but there's still a small element of jealousy that Oh You Got Invited To Cool Fancy Parties in Snape's comment to Harry about his invitation to Slug Club (which Snape presumably wasn't a part of). And of course that's part of Snape's resentment of Quidditch too.

But the text doesn't depict, for example, the Death Eaters offering Snape financial compensation as a reason he joined, and Snape is even still living in Spinner's End in canon era, which we're meant to see as admirable.

It all connects to JKR's simplistic Power vs. Love dichotomy. For example, Tom Riddle is described as looking greedily at Dumbledore's wand when Dumbledore first comes to get him from the orphanage, and later the Founders' artifacts (Hufflepuff's cup and the locket) at Hepzibah Smith's place, while child!Snape is described as looking greedily at Lily. Tom is hungry for material treasures, Snape is hungry for a friend. Tom wants power, Snape wants love. There's probably similar stuff to be analyzed wrt Ron, though I can't currently remember details on that or how he was framed.

[losermuse]

musieeee!! do you play yandere visual novel games? 😁🫶

I dont because I dont have enough storage to download them on my laptop BUTTT I read a lot of yandere mangas (MDNI)

— RECS LIST:

Pretty tamed yanderes;

An observation log of my fiancée who calls herself a villainess

This one is SUPER WHOLESOME! Its complete too so it took me 2 days to finish it lol. ML is obsessed with FL but still respect her boundaries. If you want some fluff, I’d rec this one!

Tonari no seki no hen na senpai (SMUT)

ML is clingy, stalkerish and a pervert! He’s cute tho so its fine. The manga is pretty funny too. TW: dub-con

Extreme yanderes;

TW: dark content, smut, non-con/dub-con, drugging, psychological manipulation.

An ordinary girl obsessed over by a downer deity

IN UMEKOPPE WE TRUST! I havent read many of their yandere ML works yet, but this was the first one I ever read. If youre looking for a story about an immortal god obsessed with a mortal, this is the one! Fyi there’s knotting here :3

Treasured pet cannot resist the hitman’s precarious blind love

Another umekoppe works! This one is fucked up, ML tried to kill FL while he was fucking her (cause be was jealous). Not sure if she’s alive or not since the ending was open-ended.

I reincarnated into the otome game “kurodora” but it’s impossible to clear

TANNED ML!!!! He’s hot and buff too 😋 my only issue is that there’s too much going on in the panels that its hard to tell what position theyre in lol

My sweet bunny cage

I knew about this from twitter because someone thought the ML was a beautiful femme 😭 He’s the most yandere out of all the MLs here imo. He drugged FL, proceeded to cage her and dressed her up like she was his doll/bunny. I like the pet play undertones too so this is one of my favourites

[shmisky]

What if Stan that didn't break Ford's perpetual motion machine—the machine isn't working because their high school doesn't have materials of a high enough quality to make it, and they overstress and burn out and break—but was accused anyway of doing it because Ford found a bag of toffee peanuts in the gym and assumed was him: Do you think Ford would belive that Stan is innocent if he says he is to him? Or Ford would being adamant about him being the guilt party, because offee peanuts are Stan's favorite and he came home late in the day before? Or he would belive Stan is innocent, but like in canon, when Stan start to dismiss Ford’s valid sadness after losing his shot at West Coast Tech, and instead making the situation about their treasure hunting plans, and this would make Ford believe that not only Stan sabotaged him but he also tried to lie to him about that? In the end, Stan ended up being kicked out by Filbrick because of Ford's assumption, much like in canon, since the confrontation still attracted Filbrick and he heard the hole thing. In think Ford would still turned his back on Stan but this time, when he close the curtains, it would be with an angry face and looking directly to Stan's eyes.

Well, anon... I think it would end up just as badly as in canon, yeah, but it would be even more tragic 😔

Lost Legends’ last story, The Jersey Devil’s in the Details, did a really good job of establishing that Ford wasn’t unfounded in doubting Stan, as Stan had already lied to his face before.

That’s not the only time Stan lied to his loved ones in canon, of course. He lied to Mabel in Land Before Swine about not being responsible for Waddles’ fate, he lied to the kids as he pretended to think Ford’s journal was a “kooky book” full of “fantasy nonsense,” he lied to the kids in Not What He Seems about being innocent. Hell, he lied to the kids, Soos, and Wendy about everything, even his own name and identity, for the whole time they had known him!

In most of these occasions (all of them except the Land Before Swine one, in which he invented a ridiculous story to paint himself as the hero) he lied pretty convincingly, too. In Not What He Seems, for example:

[x]

I’ve seen people saying before that Stan is actually a bad liar, but I disagree. The thing about Stan is that he’s just a bad liar sometimes, usually when he’s serving as comic relief, for the purpose of a joke. Some other times, he’s terrifyingly good at it.

But anyway, back to Lost Legends—the interesting thing here is that it shows us Stan had already lied to Ford, before. Perhaps—probably, even—more than once. It would be kind of a “the boy who cried wolf” situation for him, unfortunately.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Ford was right and perfectly justified in not believing him. I think Ford failed to understand a fundamental truth about his own twin brother: that Stan wouldn’t be capable of knowingly hurting him like that. Stan loved him too much.

After all,

[x]

In a twisted way, though, that might have been exactly why Ford didn’t believe him.

Let’s see of what, exactly, Ford accuses Stan of:

[x] [x] [x]

Ford doesn’t accuse Stan of ruining his project because he was jealous of Ford’s success. He must have known this would be too out-of-character for Stan. No, he accuses Stan of ruining his project because he was desperate for Ford to stay with him! Which proves how much he knew his brother and how much “better communication” wouldn’t have solved anything in this case 😭

So yeah, anon, there’s no way Ford would believe him in the first place, imo. If he didn’t believe Stan about it being an accident in canon, he wouldn’t have believed Stan about this, either, which is an even further reach. And then the scene would play out exactly as it did in canon, too. I think Ford could get even angrier because come on, Stan, do you think I’m so stupid and gullible that I would believe you had nothing to do with it? But, ultimately, he’d still look at his brother with sad eyes because this is Stan and he loves him too much.

So what this scenario would change? Nothing at all?

Well, it would make their story even more tragic, obviously. It would make many people in fandom hate Ford (even more than they already do), too 😭

But oh boy, it would absolutely wreck old Ford post-Weirdmaggedon. In Journal 3, he seems to have come to believe Stan’s version of the story.

“I shunned my brother for one dumb mistake,” he says.

Now imagine if he discovers there was simply no mistake at all and his brother was completely innocent. That the fight that separated them for forty years, that resulted in Stan being kicked out of Ford’s life (where he would be severely needed to protect Ford against Bill’s conning skills in the future), was initiated by Ford and completely Ford’s fault. That his brother had to survive as a homeless man because of something he had nothing to do with.

YEAH.

[helloaugustmoon]

·˚ ◌༘͙[Petnames] ! ˊ

- obviously, there are the ones we know from his music; “my girl”, “baby”, etc

- and there are the ones we know for certain he has used affectionately for girls he’s been with, like “little one”

- can absolutely see him calling you “princess”, “sweet girl”, “pretty girl”, “treasure”, “precious”

- loves nothing more than to call you HIS pretty girl, treasure, etc

- and with his love of superheroes I’d put money on him calling you “wonder-girl”, as well as just “wonder”

- it doesn’t matter if your name isn’t Wendy bc he’ll still call you the Wendy to his Peter Pan frfr

- he’d definitely come up with petnames that are so unique to you, too

- considering the lyrical and poetic mastermind he is, he’ll think of the most specific petnames to do with the color of your eyes, hair color, sound of your voice

- he’ll def call you his muse and his songbird

- his little bird in general, actually

- as for petnames he’d like to be called, I honestly think he’d melt over anything you called him

- Mike, Applehead, all the classics

- but his favorite is most definitely when you call him “angel face”

- it still makes him so shy no matter how many times he hears you call him that

- speaks to his insecurities and reminds him of how much you adore him, how attracted you really are to him

·˚ ◌༘͙[Era specific] ! ˊ

now, these are kinda wild cards, but I can imagine him having petnames that he either comes up with for you during certain eras OR if he met you in a specific era these would be his first choices of petnames for you

Off The Wall - his shyest era so he’d be least confident w petnames and would only use them after a WHILE and he’d be so quiet about it too. literally you’d have to be in a completely empty hotel and he’d still only whisper that you’re his girl. more likely to tell you things like “I’ll never love another” than call you by petnames in this era imo, but would ABSOLUTELY call you a treasure when you do something that makes him smile. in fact, he’d outright call you “the smile on my face”.

Thriller - continuing on from previous, at this point he’s more confident in calling you “the only eyes in the crowd” and other poetic things like that. he’ll ask “where’s my smile?” when he’s looking for you backstage and I’m crying.

Bad - he’ll THINK of calling you his bad girl in this era but he’ll be too shy so he keeps that one to himself until later and instead calls you the sweetest things to juxtapose the badassery of the era like his “sweetiepie”, “sweetest girl”, “pretty bird”. in all those leather outfits n he’s calling you that? pls.

Dangerous - in this era, he’s def calling you things like his “one and only”, and straight up just “mine”. no elaboration needed. and we are all sat actually.

Blood On The Dance Floor - kinkiest era Idc, he’ll have felt confident enough by this time to call you “bad girl” and more specifically HIS bad girl with a smirk and I said what I said. he says it like he means you’re his good girl but he sounds flirtier when he says you’re bad and he finds your reaction so cute every time. oh falling into a heap of goo on the floor is cute? thanks beloved x

Invincible - now we all know from this era onwards Michael is feelin some type of way 👀 and for that I think “lover”; he’ll call you his lover with the UTMOST affection FR! after everything he’s gone through by this era, you are his true love, his anchor, his solace, and he would call you all of those things too. whether he meets you in this era or a previous one, by this era he is so devoted to you, there’s not a thing he wouldn’t do in worship of you.

[thydungeongal]

Someone in that super long thread brought up the 2e class-specific XP idea (fighters get experience for dealing the killing blow, thieves get experience for finding treasure, etc.), and I'm curious your thoughts on it. I started playing in 3e, and that probably affects my opinion, but the idea of the character levels drifting because individuals are getting "bonus xp" just sounds like it would make life so much harder. Of course, I've also heard that in 2e different classes had different xp requirements to level up, which is also mind-blowing to me.

I haven't played AD&D 2e specifically so individual class-based XP awards are not something I've experienced, but I've got some context I can give to the other questions :)

Pre-WotC D&D was kind of a hodgepodge held together by duct tape but there were some good ideas underneath all the jank! The different XP tables for all the classes are one such example, because it meant not all classes had to be balanced against each other because theoretically the balance could be enforced through differing XP goals. I won't say it was ever perfect, but there was something to it: Clerics and Thieves which started with relatively little would hit their second level first, with Fighters soon to follow, and Magic-Users... Well okay, since playing a 1st-level Magic-User kinda sucked already it was kinda bad that they had to wait the longest to get through the early levels. It was by no means perfect.

So levels were very much not expected not to be uniform across a whole party. Even characters of the same classes across the same party could have different either because of individualized rewards like the ones in AD&D 2e, bonus XP from high ability scores (a questionable design choice imo), and actually participating in games! The idea very much was that you had to be there for a game for your character to level up. It wasn't there just to reward attendance or punish missing sessions, but as far as I've understood there also was something of a tradition of not tying your character down to a specific campaign or narrative. Gonad the Barbarian could appear in Steve's campaign, The Chronicles of Steve, one week, only to guest star in Liz's campaign, The Legend of Elizabethia.

I know this may sound downright bizarre to many modern RPGers, but it's actually a really fun playstyle, and idk I think we should bring back the idea of just taking Your Guy across multiple different tables across the universe.

Also, one more cool thing about the old class experience point tables: they served to balance multiclass characters! Of course in those days multiclass characters worked completely differently: you picked your character's (at most three) classes at character creation and were married to them, and every time your character gained experience you would divide them up between all their classes. And each of their classes advanced individually.

So assuming had a party consisting of Beef the Thief and Eric the Cleric and Blighter-Dave the Fighter/Mage: Beef needs 1,250 to get to second level. Eric needs 1,500. Blighter-Dave needs 2,000 for Fighter, 2,500 for Mage.

At 2,500 XP Beef is actually at 3rd level (the amount of XP needed for a Thief to get to level 3), Eric is at level 2 and 500 short of level 3, and Blighter-Dave is still at level 1/1, because he's had to divide his XP between two classes. But because the XP needed to advance doesn't grow linearly, while Blighter-Dave will never quite catch up to his friends, once their levels start plateauing he will only be one or two levels behind his pals in his highest class level.

And I think that's pretty neat!

[sengenism]

It definitely went downhill after the American arc.

After reading the Treasure island arc (the best imo) to see how rushed and weird the American arc is was underwhelming.

Sure, I think the opening was cool and interesting, with new characters and a new villain but then came to the point where the KoS separated and it went downhill.

New characters get introduced so quickly and we don't get to know much about them except their talents (with the exception of Sai, he's cool and well written).

Like Joel, my man has some sick designs and what we know about them is close to nothing, only that he's so into his work that he can't talk to women and has respect for Kaseki.

Then there's Chelsea, a character that came out of nowhere just with the purpose of guiding Senku n' co because she's a teen prodigy. The story might try and give it a reason why she wasn't in the evil Disneyland but let's be real, her addition to the team is just unreal, you're telling me that a scientist like Dr. Xeno wouldn't send one of the many soldiers to check if anyone from that party broke free on its own periodically? And if he did that the supposed super soldiers wouldn't notice that one statue is gone and there's more stone fragments on the ground? For someone who's supposed to be the elites this sure doesn't feel like one. (The sign they left is a joke, one can never be so sure that a natural event or a wild animal torn down the sign)

Well characters aside, the story was still fine, a bit rushed sure but I'm telling you, after the 7 years arc (I sorta wished there would have been more chapters for this) the story just became bad, like I wasn't reading Dr. Stone anymore.

I started this series because of how informative the anime/manga was, but after that arc, well no more of those lengthy science breakdowns but just "let's go to ___ so we can find ___ to do ___" and I mean I get it, you can only write so much about science before dragging it out on too much, but you really gotta do it in just two-ish chapters?!

It took 200-ish chapters to reach America, and it was supposed to be the half point of the story, but no, it was the arc that started the ending and I hate it and I hate this story lost its charm so quickly.

The only thing that came out after America Arc was Sai and that's only because they gave him a backstory! A personality! And struggles and regrets that he managed to go over thanks to Gen! And all of that didn't make him feel like a rushed character...

Ugh I have so much to say especially with how Hyoga and Moz's redemption felt non existent, Carlos and Max purposes other than be Luna's simp and whatever the hell is wrong with Ginro and all his wasted potential. (My man dodges every development arc like I dodge the red flags in Stan) (I'm pretty sure he had at least 4 chances to have a character development but threw it in the trash for how sleazy he is) (still love him though)

- 🧅

THIS EXACTLYYYY I AGREE WITH ALL UR POINTS, ONION-CHAN!!! Oh this will be a long reply, I'm so sorry lol

Dr. Stone manga spoilers of course!

Honestly, Dr. Stone became so unbearable to me after the American arc because I love it so much that it actually hurts to see how far it has fallen. I even dropped the manga and only continued it when it was finished after seeing how much screentime Gen got in that last chapter.

I really love your points about the characters and I want to get into that a bit too!

[Chelsea]

She's the first to be introduced out of the new characters and also the turning point of me realising just how rushed and unthoughtful Dr. Stone has become. Just like you mentioned, she's a character that conveniently appeared from nowhere with incredibly flimsy reasoning.

Don't get me wrong, Dr. Stone has always had the tendency to pull out new characters with whatever niche talent was required at the moment. It's a bit like Danganronpa, where you kind of accept whatever crazy thing that happens because you have to set your mind to operate on its terms to enjoy it. It's part of its charm, in a weird way. But then there's a limit to all of this and with the character Chelsea, Dr. Stone had thoroughly passed mine.

There's a reason that Chelsea differs from all the other characters. Say for instance, Tsukasa was depetrified at a convenient time when Senku and Taiju needed someone strong enough to fight off a lion. But Tsukasa was shown in the very first chapter when Taiju noticed and recognised him as the Ultimate Strongest Primate High Schooler. So it wasn't a case of him suddenly appearing right at the moment they needed him, it was somewhat foreshadowed. The same goes for Ryusui and the other modern KOS members. Tsukasa had Minami around to search and find these talented people, or he knew them beforehand like Gen. So while it's Dr. Stone logic, there is some logic to it. Unlike Chelsea who is a clear asspull.

And oh don't get me started on Chelsea somehow getting lost from a simple North vs. South. It actually drives me insane ( ╯°□°)╯ ┻━━┻ Not only is she supposed to be a prodigy, but she's also a modern timer? I get that it'll be hard for her to create glasses when she can't see clearly, but if you're telling me a primitive girl like Suika can figure out the pinhole effect and wear a watermelon with small holes because it helps her eyesight, how can someone like Chelsea, who is a renowned scientist not think of something similar?

The character itself is... well, I don't mind her, or more like, I don't care much for her because she barely feels like a character and leans more to being a prop. I really wished I could find it in myself to care (and maybe I will when the anime is out?), but currently to me, she's just there to be a personified GPS, share geography facts and occasionally say blunt things to speedrun any relationship drama/development because the manga is near its ending.

And again... why is it near its ending????????

[Joel]

Ah, it's like they just keep introducing these characters with no care put into it! An improvement from Chelsea since he didn't exactly come out from nowhere, but there's barely any information about him. Like ok, workaholic guy who acts like a jerk with men but a simp to women and only respects Kaseki because Kaseki is good at his work. His unique relationship with Kaseki slightly saves his character from being a total prop, but like, he's still another new character that's just there to me. A wasted potential, because it would've been fun if he brought a bit of steampunk aesthetic into the manga, being a watchmaker and all. I do like his character design though, so there's that.

[Sai]

I'm glad that Sai, as the last KOS member, had some flair to his introduction. Clearly sensei gave some more thought to his character, with the Nanami background which took at least a few chapters to fully get into. It wasn't so immediate or non-existent like the other two new characters. But what I do find regretful is that there didn't seem to be any foreshadowing to his existence despite being Ryusui's brother (unless I missed it. Ok well, there was that random fact dropped about how Ryusui was good at playing video games because he had a professional gamer tutor. It could be that he wanted to impress Sai, I guess, but I'm not sure whether to count that as foreshadowing or nah.) Well, at least his character wasn't pulled out of nowhere.

Sai, is also someone with opinions of his own which makes him feel like a character. He didn't just exist to readily accept KOS into his heart and start doing mathematics and programming for their sake. He had some resistance which gave some friction to the quick-paced end the manga was heading to. He was given some time to develop and become a character, which the other two unfortunately weren't. There's also the sick design he has got going on (though I really think some melanin would make it even better...)

So I like Sai, he's good and I felt the Dr. Stone charm coming back to life with his introduction. But it didn't help much when the plot was going downhill anyways with... whatever that last arc was.... which brings me back to this topic: HELLO WHY IS IT ENDING?????

When we were promised a World Tour, I'll be honest, I expected some full-fledged arcs in different countries besides America but nope! I can barely even remember the other countries they visited. So there's India to depetrify Sai, but did they even do anything there besides that? There's Indonesia where they made onigiri and... and I honestly can't remember! Maybe it's a skill issue on my part, IDK but I feel like all the other countries were made so irrelevant and it's really sad. It would've been so cool to dive into different cultures in the world and the social aspects that come with it.

And you're so right, American arc was "the arc that started the ending" which is still so weird to me. This was supposed to be the FIRST STOP to their global world tour. But instead, it felt like their only true stop to me. And all that wasted potential genuinely pains me. I can't help but feel like sensei just wanted the whole thing to be done with at that point. The rocket making was too quick.

But I think the reason for Suika's 7 years being executed within 3 chapters is because sensei was worried about the manga's continuity. He mentioned in an interview that he had planned for Gen to be the one who goes through those 7 years alone because Gen a) is popular hence able to keep the readers engaged and b) has his heart on the right side and so is able to survive getting shot by Stanley. The only reason he didn't go through with it is because he didn't like the idea of Gen being so much older than the rest of the cast by the end of the manga. I still grieve for this 7 years older Gen, though... But Suika was a good choice too.

Anyways, I could really go on forever but this post is too long lmao. Thanks for reading this far <3

Tldr: I'm so frustrated at all the wasted potential. I wish they took their time. But I love Dr. Stone.

[dance-in-the-morning-glow]

Sniffing the Caribbean: Elle’s Pirates Perfume List (2025)

Some of you might remember my post from last year. Since then, I’ve sampled more, obsessed further, and come to the conclusion that this list needed an update. Because this is what I do for fun, apparently.

This is all vibes-based and deeply unserious (except when it’s not), but it’s also the hill I will die on.

Elizabeth Swann: Okay, so the scents I've picked for her back then still fit well imo. Just switching them up into chronological order. She evolves so much over the trilogy, she deserves a scent arc.

For CotBP-Elizabeth, I’d suggest Cloon Keen’s Lá Bealtaine (Bergamot, Mandarin, Neroli, Pink Pepper, Angelica Seed, Angelica Root, Jasmine, Rose, Tuberose, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber, Musk, Cashmeran). Has the energy of someone dreaming about freedom but also knowing how to curtsy perfectly.

Then there's Juliette Has A Gun - Vanilla Vibes (Sea salt, natural vanilla absolute, orchid absolute, absolute brown musk, bezoin absolute, sandalwood, tonka bean). It's is a radiant, salty vanilla that smells like sun on your skin and a breeze in your hair. It's the girl on the brink of transformation.

If you want a more indie-leaning take: Death & Floral’s I could never stay long enough on the shore (sand, salty air, smoke, cold coastline). This one’s not as polished, and that’s kind of the point. It smells like she’s already got one foot in another world. (I think they're on hiatus rn, but you could always check r/IMAM's sunday swaps or r/IndieExchange on Reddit or something. Same goes for basically any other indie scent.)

DMC/AWE/Pirate King Elizabeth, however? She’d absolutely slay in something sharp, resinous, and dramatic. Enter: Beaufort’s Terror & Magnificence (birch tar, black pepper, saffron, incense, tobacco, papyrus, haitian vetiver, myrrh, labdanum, benzoin and pebbles). She’s weathered and commanding. Elizabeth in full Pirate King regalia would devour this.

Will Turner: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Asleep in the Deep (black plum, sea salt, opium tar accord, labdanum, and indigo benzoin)

Dense and dreamlike, pairs perfectly with Elizabeth’s Vanilla Vibes like shadow to her light. Feels almost like a premonition. The Dutchman waits.

Jack Sparrow: Give him anything rum-drenched and slightly unhinged. But if I had to name a signature scent, I’d pick Stranger Perfumery’s Cigar Rum (raisin, dried fruits (prune and cherry), rum absolute, mandarin, amber, tobacco, oakwood, vetiver, resins, labdanum absolute, seaweed absolute).

You could absolutely layer that with a dirt single note or Fantôme - Bune (damp subterranean air, nagarmotha, smooth cave walls, davana, a cold marble altar, & glittering green dragon scales) for authenticity lol.

Hector Barbossa: Still convinced the core vibe here is woody.

Solstice Scents - Headmaster (Apple, bourbon, oak, cedar, pipe tobacco, applewood, amber, spices) goes hard . That apple note layered over wood and spice? Perfect. Can't get more Barbossa than that.

But if you want something a bit uncanny: Whispered Myths (natural cambodian oud, cantaloupe, cedarwood, musk, honey, salvaged shipwreck) by Imaginary Authors. Yes, it has cantaloupe. No, I can’t explain why that works. This perfume smells like a half-forgotten treasure ship rotting sweetly in the sun, and Barbossa would 100% bottle that.

James Norrington: James, especially in his earlier form and later in AWE, is all restraint and clean lines. Thus, any light aquatic or clean scents work, so I’d choose something like Solstice Scent’s Gulf Breeze (Saltwater, sand, seashells, sea oats, rain, ambergris (vegan accord). A light marine scent with a wistful edge. This is a man who looks at the horizon (very sadly) and thinks of everything he can't say.

Maison Margiela's Sailing Day (aquatic, aldehydes, juniper, coriander, iris absolute, rose, red seaweed, ambergris, ambery wood) fits the bill too. A bit more straightforward than some of the others, but it's got that fresh-sea-air vibe.

If we’re talking clean scents, my personal fave is Ghost in the Shell (Yuzu, clean aldehydes, jasmine, musk, vinyl, ambergris) by Etat Libre d'Orange, so I'm just throwing that in here for good measure. Because this smells like sterile beauty and cool detachment. You get it.

For his Scruffington era, you could just let yourself inspire by the scents I've listed for Jack. (Make of that statement what you will.)

Cutler Beckett: *rubs hands together* Oh yes. My favorite little tyrant. Let’s talk.

So 1740 (bergamot, mugwort, patchouli, coriander, cardamom, cedar, birch, labdanum, leather, vanilla, elemi, helichrysum) by Histoires de Parfums is still my absolute holy grail of a Beckett scent. This smells like calculated charm, and a man who will smile while ruining you.

But wait - there's more.

I recently discovered Arquiste – Venice Rococo (black violet, blush rose, chamomile, dusty iris, subtle animalic amber) and that’s what a powdered wig should smell like. I'd say, layer it with anything I've listed here and you've got the perfect Beckett combo, but to me, that shit's so overpowering, so layering isn't really an option.

There's also Powdered Peruke (vintage powder, white rose, iris petals, musk (vegan), creamy vanilla, ambrette, hay, light woods, cashmere) by Dark Tales (and I honestly don't know what to think about the fact that I own not one. but TWO samples that make you smell like a fuckass wig. Call me crazy, idc). Anyway, this is the softer option, less “aggressive puff in the face,” more low-key elegance. And I guess the woody notes make it creamier which is nice.

Also, adding Commodity's Velvet (coconut water, roasted almonds, rose petals, vanilla, amber, and smoky musk) because it feels right. Imagine sipping brandy in your study while planning how to take over the seas. You get the vibe.

In my old post, I mentioned Gris Charnel for the tea angle, but honestly, after trying Indigo Smoke (lapsang souchong tea, mandarin orange, apricot, guaiac wood, incense and pine tar) by Arquiste I'm thinking this fits better. Not super deep into tea scents, but this one has the right smoky bitterness.

(Sorry, I'm making rocket science out of this for my blorbo from hell™️ - I'll stop here. Most of y’all probably don’t want to hear me go full scent autopsy on that cringefail man. Which I get. He's terrible.)

Davy Jones: Yeah, you still can't tell me this man - cursed squid creature - doesn't smell like Squid by Zoologist (Pink Pepper, Solar Salicylate, Incense, Black Ink Accord, Salty Accord, Opoponax, Ambergris, Benzoin, Musk). It's too on the nose.

BUT if you want something more tame (or like, a little less Zoologist), I gotchu. With the fishes and the dead by Death & Floral (Black squid ink and mile long oceans. Black ambergris, black labdanum absolute, salty ocean water, and black pits of stretched out emptiness) smells a bit similar imo, but it's less musky and I love the labdanum note in there. Plus, it's saltier. It's giving Davy Jones dramatically playing his organ in the best way.

Tia Dalma/Calypso: Still hunting for the perfect scent for her, especially in goddess form. But for human-form Tia Snake Oil (deep, rich, earthy notes swirled with vegetal musks, sugared vanilla bean, and dark spices) by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab fits?? Mysterious and dangerous without trying. She is the secret everyone pretends not to believe in.

Ian Mercer: Beaufort - Tonnerre (smoke, gunpowder, blood, brandy, sea spray and citrus)

Still don't think I need to elaborate. This is a violent scent. It opens with an explosion and never settles down.

Bonus Round: Fragrances That Just Fit the Vibe

Two cups of tea, a summer monsoon, me and you (Rain on cracked soil, wet creosote, a swelling monsoon, desert cedar, black tea) by Death + Floral. I weirdly associate this with the beginning of DMC. It smells like heartbreak in a storm, waiting at the altar while the sky falls.

Triton (Murky sea water, ambergris, ancient forest mosses, crushed ivy leaves, frankincense, resins, ozone, with a hint of citrus) by Fantôme for the maelstrom vibes.

Sydney Rock Pool (Australian sandalwood, coconut skin accord, driftwood note, frangipani, seaweed, ambermax and sea salt) by Arquiste has me thinking of Will and Elizabeth's little beach moment at the end of AWE.

Black Pearl by Dark Tales (milky coconut, sea air, sweet rum, tropical dried fruits, worn leather, sandalwood, black woods, cedarwood). I mean. It’s called Black Pearl. What more could you want.

Solstice Scents' Sea of Gray (Vanilla rain, saltwater, seaweed, ambergris (vegan), white amber, roasted seashells, white sandalwood, frangipani) is my all-time fave salty vanilla. Basically evokes the smell of a stormy sea.

Also, BPAL has a whole ass pirate themed collection called Fire Down Below. You might want to check that out.

That’s all (for now). Lmk if you’ve got additions or would like to hear my thoughts on characters that aren’t mentioned here!!

[yappathon]

In defence of Eurylochus-

I've seen many people analysing him in detail and I just wanted to add my two cents to the discussion by giving my interpretation of the four moments for which the fandom dislikes him the most:

Reason 1: He opened the windbag !

Context: Eurylochus is Odysseus's close friend, second in command and brother in law, which means he knows Odysseus in a personal level and therefore knows that Odysseus is a fucking liar. Odysseus lies and cheats and talks his way out of things, he is crafty, he is clever and he is cunning; core Odysseus triats.

So imagine you're Eurylochus and Odysseus just came back with the wind bag. He says it has the Storm and the Winions (agents of Wind God) say it's a treasure. Who do you believe the liar or the god?

Additionally Jorge was pretty clear Eurylochus represents the crew always in Epic the Musical, so the wind bag opening is not necessarily his idea particularly, any of the crew did it but their face/brand is Eurylochus.

I think in this scenario it's a mix case of Odysseus 'The Boy who cried Wolf' and Eurylochus 'Curiosity killed the Cat'

Reason 2: He tried to abandon his men to Circe

Context: Just the day they lost 557 men to a God (!) due to a mistake Eurylochus made, so his survivor's guilt is fully active and his mental state is not it.

Now after that happened, he took a team to scope the island and saw them turn into pigs by a Goddess (!).

He learned the hard way the same day that Gods are very dangerous and had the fear of God instilled in him, literally.

So logically speaking he was right in that they couldn't defeat Circe. The only reason Odysseus was successful was because of Hermes's help which was an option Eurylochus did not even know existed when he suggested abandoning the pigs-men to Circe.

I understand that this point is less about him wanting to abandon pig-men and more about the perceived hypocrisy in Mutiny, so next let's see;

Reason 3: The Mutiny

Context: The lair of Scylla. Odysseus definitely knew what was going to happen there, but he did not warn the crew, he did not prepare the crew. Instead he used them as canon fodder which like you can argue that it was the only way to get home but Odysseus consciously lied to his crew and sacrificed them.

I wanted to talk about perceived hypocrisy that some people think Eurylochus's actions in being mad at Odysseus since he was ready to abandon his men with Circe. But the difference matters guys, Eurylochus 'abandons', Odysseus 'sacrifices'. The only equivalent to the situation is that if Eurylochus purposefully led his group to Circe's Palace knowing she would turn them into pigs. Eurylochus tries to make a hard decision to save whatever's left, that does not make him a hypocrite or uncaring and it does not negate his right to be mad/sad during Scylla/Mutiny.

He did not mutiny because he wanted power, he did it because he and the crew could no longer trust Odysseus to have their best interest in mind and in a sad kind of way, they are not wrong. Odysseus's number #1 priority is him making it home and the crew is #2.

Different Beast: "Sirens know every route in horizon, now I know how to get back to my island"

Mutiny: "Please don't do this? I need to get home"

and then we all know how Thunder Bringer goes.

Reason 4: The Cow thing

He was hungry, starving and has zero hope he'll make it home. I'm sorry, you cannot be mad at him for this; this is the saddest thing I've ever seen.

But I'll go to the "Captain" he says after killing the cows.

"If you want all the power you must carry all the blame" Eurylochus is not calling Odysseus as Captain because he's trying to shift the blame imo. It's a reflex response, he hears the panic in Odysseus's voice and like he has done all his life (close friend and brother in law hello?), he looks for Odysseus for guidance. Eurylochus and all the crew immediately follow Odysseus's instructions afterwards proving that Mutiny was never about power and they still think Odysseus is the smartest man in Greece.

I also wanted to touch on the grief aspect of Odysseus and Eurylochus's relationship

In the Epic-verse; Odysseus, Eurylochus and Polites are childhood friends. After Polites's death Odysseus copes by trying to honor Polites's motto still 'Open Arms' and Eurylochus copes by being extra vigilant and cautious (Luck Runs Out).

Their ideology and way of coping with grief clashes with the others directly and that is the real tragedy of their relationship. These two men love each other very much, even after all that happens there is not a doubt that things fell about because they stopped loving each other. It's because both of them are heavily traumatized characters and they cope differently and in a way that opposes the others.