#is it a spoiler when the anime version already aired?

[kudouusagi]

Animedia Uryuu Kyouko interview

Not skating but playing karuta!?

Q: What is the scene that you though "this is hot" the most during?

A: While they were playing Karuta! Please feel that true breath of life!

You'll be able to see all sorts of firsts!

You'll be able to see how Sakurayashiki and Nanjou interacted while they were young!

Just as the title says, you'll be able to see their morning routines!

You'll be able to see Hiromi-chan in love!

Click to read the rest of the interview

We asked Kyoko Uryu for secrets about the production of the OVA! 

--It's been just about 4 years from when the first season was aired on TV, and the OVA is going to be shown in theaters soon. How did you determine how production would go?

While we were making the first season, people would often say things like "I'd like to do this type of thing in season 2" so there was a strong desire to continue in the production team. So it was determined we'd make a season 2 very soon after we saw the reaction to season one. However, since it's an original anime without a work to base it off of, and the staff had plans to work on other projects, we figured it would take a while to make another season. We decided to produce an OVA before the second season, as we wanted to deliver something new in the meantime, and also as a gift to express our gratitude to the fans who would be waiting for a long time. That ended up taking quite a while too though......(sweat). Thank you so much for waiting......!

--Uryuu-san, please tell us your favorite part of the OVA, that's an "Omnibus story about their everyday lives"

We wanted to make something we couldn't do in the series, and we wanted to make it something that us as the staff would also want to see, so this is an episode we made from all of our ideas. I can't say much about the content yet because it would be spoilers, but I can tell you now that my personal favorite point is the theme song! Not only is it sung by Reki and Langa, the lyrics that Utsumi-san helped produce are amazing, so please listen to the full version on the OVA bonus CD!

--In the commercial currently available, we see Sakurayashiki and Nanjo in their highschool days. Was the part set in the past something you came up with after it was decided there would be an OVA?

Well, we had decided that they've been "frenemies since childhood" before this, but we started from wondering how these two would have been during their school days if they fight like children even as adults..... That's how we went about creating this story. We hope you enjoy seeing their former daily lives(?) that we aren't really able to depict in the main series.

--If there's a character that your impression of has changed, or you've found a new appeal because of the OVA, please tell us!

Kikuchi! Kikuchi is a mysterious character by nature, but I think you'll see a side of him that's completely different from the image you have of him from the TV series.

--Other than the second season that's already being made, there have been various collaborations and pilgrimage tours held for this series that's been loved for a long time. Is there anything that you personally want to see happen for SK8, Uryuu-san?

I feel like the fans of SK8 have a deep love for this series, so if I ever have the change, I'd like to have a tea party or something like that to talk with the fans about the series. I'll never forget about how enthusiastic the fans were at the talk event held during the pilgrimage tour last year (lol). Other than that, I'd like to be able to have a Canada episode someday and be able to hold a Canada pilgrimage tour...... of course before that I'd like to go to Canada with Utsumi-san for location scouting!

--Finally, please give a message to everyone waiting for the OVA to go one sale and the theater screening!

Thank you so much for waiting 4 whole years. 

The OVA is made for the fans who are overflowing with love for SK8, and I think it's packed full of rich content for them so please look forward to it!

The limited time theater screening will of course contain the OVA itself, but we also plan to deliver specially edited footage from the first season so that everyone in the theater can enjoy it together, as well as behind-the-scenes talks with the cast and director. There will be footage only shown in the theater so I hope everyone will enjoy it together before the OVA comes out. The OVA packaging will be just as elaborate, if not more than, the series packaging, so we hope you'll pick it up and watch it over and over again!

[ghibli-collector]

For anyone who’s already seen Boy and the Heron i found this really interesting article where Ghibli Boss/Producer Suzuki was interviewed recently by indie wire and explains the background of the characters from the new Ghibli film, I’ve copied the full article below or you can click the link to go to the interview but once again it contains so many spoilers

‘The Boy and the Heron’ Is So Personal, Hayao Miyazaki Needed a Year to Grieve Before Pivoting in a New Direction

Miyazaki came out of retirement for his first film in a decade, about his friendships at Ghibli with the late co-founder/director Takahata and co-founder/producer Suzuki.

When Hayao Miyazaki pitched “The Boy and the Heron” (GKids, now in select L.A. and NYC theaters) to Studio Ghibli co-founder/producer Toshio Suzuki in 2016, he asked permission to make the story about himself. This took Suzuki — his friend of nearly 40 years at the time — by surprise; the legendary anime director isn’t known for getting so personal. And yet this aligned perfectly with the notion that Ghibli films are devoted to reliving memories.

“I agree that it is Miyazaki’s most personal film because he actually told me,” Suzuki told IndieWire over Zoom through an interpreter. Not only is “The Boy and the Heron” inspired by Miyazaki’s childhood (he endured the firebombing of Japan during World War II and his father was director of the family’s aircraft manufacturing factory), but also his career at Ghibli with his two closest friends: the late studio co-founder/director Isao Takahata (“Grave of the Fireflies”) and Suzuki.

“Miyazaki is Mahito [the 12-year-old protagonist voiced by Luca Padovan in the English-language version], Takahata is the great uncle [voiced by Mark Hamill], and the gray heron [voiced by Robert Pattinson] is me,” Suzuki added. “So I asked him why. He said [Takahata] discovered his talent and added him to the staff. I think Takahata san was the one who helped him develop his ability. On the other hand, the relationship between the boy and the [heron] is a relationship where they don’t give in to each other, push and pull.”

Collectively, it’s a lot to unpack: Miyazaki came out of retirement for the second time after “The Wind Rises” (2013) to make his 12th feature — the semi-autobiographical, hand-drawn fantasy for his grandchildren. It’s about destruction, loss, and rebuilding a better future through imagination, inspired by the novel he adored as a child (“How Do You Live?”).

Mahito loses his mother in the firebombing of Japan and relocates to the countryside, where his father (voiced by Christian Bale), who runs an air munitions factory, marries his sister-in-law, Natsuko (voiced by Gemma Chan). Traumatized, angry, and confused, the boy encounters a talking heron (part bird, part man), who tells him that his mother is still alive and guides him to an alternate world in a magical tower shared by the living and the dead. There he encounters his great uncle, the architect of the tower, and reunites with both his mother (voiced by Karen Fukuhara) and Natsuko.

At first, Suzuki resisted green-lighting “The Boy and the Heron” because of Miyazaki’s age (he’s 82) and the great expense (it is arguably Japan’s most expensive film but has made the equivalent of nearly $80 million at the country’s box office). Yet Miyazaki wore down his resistance with his enthusiasm and impressive storyboarding. The film took seven years to complete, and Suzuki needed to hire some of Japan’s most talented animators outside of Ghibli to handle the task (including supervising animator Takeshi Honda of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” fame). With diminished stamina and failing eyesight, Miyazaki was unable to oversee the production in the same manner as when he was at the height of his creative powers and relied on Honda to draw, redraw, and review under close advisement.

But with the death of Takahata in 20018, a grief-stricken Miyazaki was forced to scale back the role of the great uncle in the story, who had previously been more central to the boy’s life. “After Takahata passed away, he wasn’t able to continue with that story, so he changed the narrative and it became the relationship between the boy and the Heron,” Suzuki continued. “And in his mind, initially, the Heron was something that symbolizes the eeriness of the mansion and that tower, even ominous, that he goes to during war time. But he changed it to this sort of budding friendship between the boy and the Heron.”

Miyazaki first toyed with the idea of exploring the theme of friendship in “The Wind Rises” (inspired by real-life fighter design engineer Jiro Horikoshi during World War II) before abandoning it. “So this time around, when the Heron became the centerpiece of the story, and he came with the storyboards, I was careful for him to not portray me in a bad way,” Suzuki said. “Having said that, I’ve known Miyazaki for 45 years. I remember everything about him. There are things that only I know. There are things that only the two of us know. And he remembers all these small details, which I was very impressed with.”

For example, when Mahito and the Heron sit and chat at the house of Kiriko (voiced by Florence Pugh), a younger, seafaring version of one of the old maids, it is a recreation of the way Miyazaki and Suzuki would meet. “The place that we do our meetings, where we have our conversation is at his studio, his atelier,” he added. “And he has this like large table, but we don’t sit facing each other, we sit next to each other, and we never look at each other when we talk. And what we discussed was very similar.”

During production, Suzuki became impatient to see the new storyboards with the great uncle. It seemed Miyazaki was intentionally stalling while grieving about Takahata. “My question was: ��So when is the great uncle going to appear?'” said Suzuki. “He built this great character, but he never appears in the storyboards that he would bring me. But it took him actually about a year after the passing of Takahata that he was able to draw that character into the storyboards in the second half of the story.

“And the most surprising thing for me was when I saw the storyboard where Mahito was asked by his great uncle to carry on with this work, this legacy, and he says no — he declines the offer. Miyazaki was someone who followed the path of Takahata for so many years, and I thought it was a huge thing for him [to follow a different path].”

Meanwhile, Suzuki confirmed that Miyazaki has not retired. The film has given the director renewed confidence to keep working on other stories. However, Miyazaki can’t focus on new ideas while “The Boy and the Heron” remains in theaters. “He needs to empty his mind again,” Suzuki said, “and then when he’s emptied his mind with a blank canvas, he usually comes up with new ideas. So we have to wait a little more.”

[puella-1n-somn10]

☀️Puella Magi Madoka Magica x Pokemon Sun and Moon: Hau and his Witch Form☀️

Word count w/o intro: 23,950

...Considering our last victim and how I went through the lengths to differentiate these two characters, this should have been a given.

Hello, konnichiwa, salam 'alaykom, and aloha! Welcome back to the emotional roller coaster! For the uninitiated, today we are going to take the rules of the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica and apply them to other forms of media for the sake of breaking our favorite characters' hopes, dreams, and sanities.

Tonight, the universe has cast its gaze down upon a single, unfortunate soul amidst the sea of countless individual melodies. Another bright star, doomed to have his life slip through his own fingers for the sake of the very cosmos and the prevention of entropy. Everybody, give it up for the kid of the hour, Hau!

Much like Hop before him (or technically after him), Hau's rep is surprisingly - and shockingly - divisive; with many a Pokemon fan blaming him for the current state of the franchise's rivals despite the fact that friendly "rivals" have been a staple ever since the third generation- we haven't had a "mean" one until Gladion made his debut, unless if you count Cheren and maybe Barry (though the latter is more insensitive rather than an outright douchebag). The core cause as to why he had gained such bad rep is simply due to him "choosing" the weaker starter and the claim that he is not as strong as the previous rivals, but, think about it-

Hau already had his starter for quite some time before the main character had arrived to Alola, at least that's the case in the base versions of the games. It was you who chose your partner long after he did, much like how your own rival would; in Hau's eyes, you were the one who had chosen the starter strong against him. If that isn't enough to paint Hau as the image of a typical Pokemon player, his signature 'mon, aside from the starter he picks, is his Alolan Raichu; the evolution of this series' very own mascot.

Besides, whoever's still saying that Hau's team is weak to this day is either a darned liar or just a competitive player through and through; not only did Gladion outright state that his 'mons have potential, but he's also our final hurdle to overcome in the ultra version of the games. Speaking from personal experience, he isn't a cakewalk in the base games, either; I seriously cannot count the amount of times he had almost wrecked my team when I tried to play through a Nuzlocke run, only for Kukui to chime in and finish the job...

In my eyes, Hau may not have "ruined" the image of rivals in Pokemon, but he did shake things up even if by a little; his, Gladion's, and Lillie's existence have set a new precedent on how rivals are handled moving forwards, and it is all the more evident with those of SWSH and onwards, in which we are given the "heroic", "troubled", and "mysterious" rivals rather than just sticking with one. It is perfect for character chemistry and experimenting with their dynamics, as well as how one would influence the other's development as their own character throughout the story's progression.

This is all just my opinion, though. For all anyone could care, the reason as to why Hau is appreciated and even loved by the lots of us is because he's a persistent, positive presence throughout our journey; there to bring us down and breathe some air in the midst of tension. Of course, nobody is all sunshine and rainbows all the way to their core, and Hau is no exception.

...So, that's why we're here! Today, we shall be deciphering what exactly lie behind that charismatic smile of his; the history that has molded Hau into this upstanding, bright child that he is, in addition to the withering, rotting foundations of his worldview and how he was raised. Of course, all this is within the context of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, so I'll have to give ya'll the heads-up that there will be spoilers for both this anime and most official media related to the seventh generation of Pokemon.

I should also mention I will be referring to Hau using He/Him and They/Them pronouns; Hau is on the nonbinary spectrum in my eyes, and while it is mere headcanon, it's also one that gives me so much joy. Also, while Elio is the featured protagonist here and, as such, the implied ship present in the second section will be Kalashipping, there will also be hints of SnowlilyShipping scattered here and there due to canonical implications. If either or both of these ships are not your cup of tea, I recommend that it'd be better for you to click away for your wellbeing.

While on topic, I should also warn you that we will be discussing topics related to child abandonment, emotional abuse, and the effects of generational trauma at least. If any, ANY of these themes even make you feel even a little bit queasy, TURN. AWAY. NOW.

With all outta the way, let's just cut to the chase, grab some of the malasadas on the table, and dive right into....

-The Wish, Possible Powers, and Soul Gem-

"I was just talking to Decidueye here about all our memories from our island challenge! We really were lucky to meet so many different Pokémon and people, huh? But there're even more out there for us to meet, wherever we might go next! That's why my island challenge isn't really over!"

Oh, dearie me.

Well, this section right here is exactly what I meant when I said that Hau and Hop are fundamentally different characters (comes with one's free and carefully honed reading comprehension skills). With Hop, we are aware of his dreams, desires, ambition, and goals almost from the get-go; he makes it clear to us that he wants to be like Leon, to attain the same glory, and to follow in the footsteps of his hero. Hop is determined to attain his dreams and achieve that goal of beating his bro; this was no mere life-long dream- nay, this was his destiny! As the game progresses and by picking up all the minor details peppered across his life, however, we start to piece together exactly why he wants to chase after this dream; why he wants to create his own legend, and how the neglect he had experienced and life under his brother's shadow have sculpted him over the years priors to the beginning of SWSH.

Hau, on the other hand, is a bit more on the...vaguer side, let's say. He's a lot more laid-back than Hop, and, though he, too, enjoys battles, Hau is more focused on the fun of it all, and was not really all that shaken up when Gladion scolded him for being too lenient. They are both intelligent and introspective, but Hau appears to be more content with his life than Hop was; truly embodying the easygoing vibes of Alola.

...Do note what I just said here: appears to be more content.

In reality, Hau's life is ruled by uncertainty; from his dad up and leaving him to escape the shadow of his grandfather, to Guzma telling him that the island trial is not as bright and optimistic as what everyone else made it out to be in both USUM and the manga, it becomes clear to us that our sweet and cheerful Hau has been kept sheltered and in the shadows for quite some time- possibly all his life up until it was his time to partake in the Island trial. This isn't even close to speculation, either; it's been stated to us by an NPC outright that Hala was too soft on Hau for so long that it led the kid to adopt this easygoing attitude he's known for to begin with.

That isn't to say Hau is oblivious, dumb, or, God forbid, naive; the cracks in his life are there, and, through them, leaks the harsh truths of reality. He's well aware of the reasons as to why his dad left, he is more than knowledgeable in regards to the tapus, how they assign kahunas, and how each island has its own thing going on thanks to said guardian deities. Plus, he's got that healthy amount of snark on him; regarding Gladion as "just a ray of sunshine" and calling us out when we disregarded his desire to tell us the latest scoop ("I haven't even asked yet."), so it's clear that he doesn't take any foolishly pessimistic takes seriously. An optimist, yes, but even he has his lines that shouldn't be crossed.

Another point that helps refutes the assumption that he has no worries in the world is that he is also aware of his own faults, and painfully so; right before his battle against Olivia, he's expressed his doubts on whether he was as strong as Hala or not, and his insecurities were even presented to us even earlier on during our initial encounter with Gladion, where he read and tore into him like an open book; stating that Hau only focuses on the joys of the trial challenge in order to keep the fact that he will never be able to defeat his grandfather if he keeps going on like this.

Hop noticed his faults and tried to change them, to change himself, to no avail. Hau, on other hand, simply buries his problems; shrugging them away- laughing and smiling at them in the hopes that the pain would eventually numb-

Just like good ol' Hala; hiding his anger and own deep-rooted pains just to keep Hau, his last connected kin, happy. (put a pin on that for when we head towards the later sections)

I know that this sounds like quite the reach on my part, but not only did this toxic trait of his get carried over to his anime depiction, but it was also made more apparent; after being defeated by Ash the first time around, he couldn't help but sob and ask if this is what disappointment felt like - another indication of his inexperience with such emotions, much less how he should deal with them -. In Battling on the Wing, Hau attempted to ignore his feelings after facing such a humiliating defeat, except, this time, Hala had approached him as he left, and told him that he knew he did his very best out there; unable to handle it no longer, Hau broke into tears and sobbed in the arms of his dear grandpa.

So where do we go from here?

Themes of trickle truths and, of course, being sheltered from the dangers of the world are major motifs throughout Hau's life and worldview; his eagerness to go out and see life and what it held in store is born out of his own subconscious, deep-rooted dissatisfaction with it- there's gotta be more to life than just the trials and what's within Alola!

With this in mind, I've come to the conclusion that the specifics of Hau's wish would depend on where in the timeline of the story would Kyubey come and approach them, but they'd still follow a major cause and/or theme, not unlike Madoka's wishes which usually revolve around her desires to save another person's life;

If he happened to be a puer magi before we met him it'd be related to him wanting to actually see the world out there; to experience what life had in store for him and help others see what's beyond those horizons with him; becoming a wise, leading force just like his Tutu. Now, I could say that it must have been related to his father's disappearance instead, and while it would make sense for that to be the case, you have to remember that his dad walked out on Hau all the way back when he was a toddler; leaving him under the care of Hala ever since. Hau also appears to know the exact reason as to why his father had ditched his family for Kanto already, and expressed his desire to meet him face-to-face in the post-game events- so there's no need for the rush on this front. (put a pin on this one, too)

If it was during the climax of the story, whether we're talking about the raid on the Aether Foundation or while he was taking on the trials himself/assisting Hala with fending off the ultra beasts, it'd be related to him wanting to learn of and unlocking his inner potential, and help others around him unleash their own. I feel like this would also be the case if he were to contract right before we meet him for our final battle in Mount Lanakila/the Pokemon league; showing off not just his Z-ring, but also his shiny, new soul gem.

Either way, the wish, at its core, has heavy emphasis on potential, growth, and/or experiences. After all, Hau is already willing to help others become the best versions of themselves by reading their emotions and decipher what must have turned them into the people they currently are - which might be taken to more literal degrees as a passive effect of his wish, much like Kyoko's chains -, unlike Hop's more active drive to become a champion candidate himself and, within the context of the last post, his ability to outright influence the memories of others born out of his desire to not let Lee down. It's also quite ironic; Hau's role is to help Gladion (and Guzma in the Ultra versions of the games) let his guards down and more or less acted as a guide for us at least during the initial parts of the game, while Hop had to learn for himself time and time again of his own strengths and came to the conclusion that Lee is Lee, and he is his own person. In the end, both ended up acting like the exact opposites of how they started; with Hau desiring to see what else life had in store for him out there so he could become a better guiding force for those in need, and Hop taking on the role of a future Pokemon professor in order to teach and help others.

In short, the powers born from Hau's wish relate to transmutation; to turn a rock into a geode, a withered leaf into a sprout, a dried up chrysalis into a beautiful butterfly- to be loved is to be changed. All that is in his hands will become the better versions of themselves if he so desires. You could call it restoration magic, or transformative magic; depending on the context, it may as well be both! Of course, there are limitations to his magical powers; it cannot be applied to humans in order to force character development unto them, nor could he turn a grief seed back into a soul gem; if anything, it might strengthen the witch within it instead, so he needs to be careful with his powers and choose when to use them wisely.

With the wish all wrapped up for now, I guess now's a better time than never for us to talk about his magical boy outfit and weapon.

Initially, I had considered that a court jester would be the most fitting pick for Hau; though we see them as jokesters nowadays, they were the forefathers of modern-day satire, and royal jesters were actually given more privileges than the jester of the common folk- able to even mock the king without any repercussions so long as they succeeeded in giving the king a hearty laugh. Hau is easygoing and is able to lift the heart of both the people around him and even the story tone, but, as stated before, he isn't above snark, either.

It wasn't until I was debating on the type of weapon he would master, however, that problems began to pop up like weeds on a field. As I've stated before, a magi's weapon is indicative of many aspects, but the most common denominator is that it is reflective of their desires prior to contracting or the reason as to why they did so in the first place (Homura's shield, Nagisa's trumpet, and Sayaka's sword immediately come to mind). Another factor behind a magi's weapon is that they would reflect a magi's preferred method of fighting; as depicted in the PSP games, Mami's actual weapons are her ribbons, but she had to improvise and settled with turning them into riffles instead. In the meanwhile, Madoka, a surprisingly shrewd person who dislikes direct combat, uses a bow in order to fight from the sidelines and not engage with the beasts that we call witches head-on.

With all that in mind, if we are going to find a weapon that truly fits Hau, we need to look at his style of battle first and foremost and work on it from there. As stated by Gladion himself, Hau and their pokemon do possess potential to go above and beyond- that they are stronger than what the eye may perceive them as, but battling for the sake of emerging victorious simply isn't his style. To best describe Hau in a fight, a "hidden/sleeping dragon" would fit the bill; a person who would be a nightmare to defeat if he ever were to take the fight seriously.

I would have picked the role of a support for him due to his desires to help others, but it appears that this would only lead to disaster; during the raid on the Aether Foundation, if Hau's starter was Primarina, there is a shockingly high chance for him to activate the Z-Move Hydro Vortex against you. The common theory behind this is that, due to the base move's - Sparkling Aria - ability to heal burns, Hau's AI decided to use it in a way that could be seen as "beneficial" for the fight.

A hilarious mistake on the devs' part? Possible. Another reason for us to see that Hau's whole deal is "untapped power"- that anything in his hands will become as fragile as glass once he taps into that inner potential of his, even when he is trying to adopt the role of a support? Absolutely.

What I am saying here is that the weapon that would fit Hau the most, compliment his easygoing yet fun-loving attitude, and is reflective of his hidden capabilities and desire to explore what's beyond that horizon...is a sniper rifle.

Hey, now! There really was no need to jump the gun, am I right? It does appear that way, yes, since what use would a person like Hau see in a firearm of all things? Well...think about it; a sniper has to remain hidden from potential enemies, be extremely precise when aiming at their targets, and just need to take the shot. They also possess the most area of range in spite of their apparent immobility from their assigned spots.

Hau just wants to have fun with his pals and explore this wonderful world together with them- help them see that there is hope around them still, all while he has been hidden from the world's uglier side by both his elders and himself.

After putting it that way, it sure makes sense - at least it does so on paper - but a rifle? This does appear to be quite the absurd choice for a friendly, cheerful character like Hau, but, simultaneously, it is this very absurdity that makes it all the more fitting; that he is so much more than what meets the eye, and that also goes for his strength. This is all the more evident in USUM; managing to not only help Guzma out while he was at his lowest not unlike how a therapist or spiritual guide (like...his grandfather) would do so, but also managing to defeat each and every member of the elite four and become our final hurdle to overcome in order to gain that title of champion!

With the weapon now set in stone, you can now tell that a cluster of problems have already begun to make themselves present; all of which stemming from the core issues of clashing themes. Yes, it would be hilarious to see a jester just going to town on a witch with a rifle, but it doesn't invoke the vibes of Hau, nor does this combination make any thematic sense; Madoka invokes the idea of a savior and the most common tropes found in the Mahou Shoujo genre, Sayaka has some knightly themes going on, Mami is a western gunswoman, and so on.

After pondering on the matter for some time, another idea for his magical boy uniform had dawned on me; rather than going with the idea of a jester, I instead went ahead with that of a forest ranger- and, no, not the ones from real life! I'm talking about the cloaked guide from the shadows who knows these trees like the back of their hand- they who let their bow and arrow do all the talking, for what use are words- when anything above a whisper can be detrimental to a ranger's cause and everything they have learned whilst underneath these leaves for all these years?

The puzzles are now falling into place, no? We have the forest themes, his role as a guide, and the reminder of Hala's attempts at keeping him in the dark from most of his life's tragedies. As a nice little detail, perhaps his hood would have these two dangling bits that would still invoke the idea of a jester's hat, and it would resemble a smiling clown (or owl, if we want to go all out with the Decidueye themes) once Hau dons it on his head; portraying that theme of duality I wanted to aim for back while I was working on this essay during its early days, especially if all that is visible are his nose and face from beneath it!

Now, let's take a quick looksie at his soul gem! Unlike Hop's, I don't think its color would match that of his eyes, and there's a good reason for that beyond the basis of color theory- his eyes are already pitch black, and as we all know, as soon as your soul gem turns completely dark, it's an instant game over. Going for a shade of grey wouldn't exactly work, either, since it would not only make it harder for the viewer to detect corruption within it, but it would not mesh well with the aforementioned design for his uniform in mind.

So, to remedy this little problem, I believe that a deep shade of orange would do the trick! Not only would it complement the greens and yellows he's already associated with, but it just feels right when we're talking about a bright, optimistic, energetic child like Hau. It also brings his Sygna Suit from Pokemon Masters EX to mind; the warmth of the yellows and oranges mixing well with the blacks and whites of the design; invoking the imagery of Tapu Koko to those around him. Come to think of it, he sure does have the same vibes as Mami's- since both of these characters do possess the role of introducing the main characters and the audience to the world around them, and the positive auras they exude are only there to hide the crushing loneliness and aimlessness they were forced to endure for so long.

As for the exact shape his soul gem would take upon transformation, while I do have some ideas in mind, I do believe that the shape of a sea hibiscus - Hau's namesake - would fit him best; a swirling flower that would serve as the basis for quite the captivating cut of jewelry. In regards to its placement, it would be more than fitting if it were to align with the crown chakra, as it is usually connected to imagination, intuition, and connection with the universe, while its imbalance leads to disconnection from others, isolation, and being out of touch from anything but your own inner world; all of which align with all that we know of this little ray of sunshine as well as his personal pitfalls.

Onto its egg form; yes, much like Mami's soul gem, it would definitely make sense if the emblem on the middle resembled the very same flower that is present on its top, since not only it would look pretty, but it would also fit Hau's forest theme to a T. As usual, though, it's still better to keep our options open and look for other symbols that would shed light at each individual aspect of Hau's character; both his brightest moments and his darkest regrets.

A compass (To boost the theme of him embodying the vibes of Alola and how he had directed us through the region. Plus, the additional irony this symbol will provide once we start talking about his witch form)

A representation of the wind? (probably a reach; represents the theme of directions, travel, new experiences, and disconnection. Symbols that may represent the wind include kites, a feather, a tornado, and a simple visualization of the breeze - like the breath aspect from Homestuck -)

A snowflake (definitely a reach; aside from the sea hibiscus, "Hau" can also be translated to "snow" in Hawaiian, which not only contrasts with Hau's usually-sunny demeanor, but it also symbolizes dark, cold, and stormy skies ahead)

Stylized lightning bolt (obligatory Alolan Raichu reference)

As evident from the options above, his weapon, and his magical uniform, a recurring theme that has been made clear to us time and time again is "freedom"; something that not only Hau craves, but also embodies during his best moments. After all, the world was already shock-full of possibilities! Who knows what life would throw at them next? It could be a memory of milk and honey. It could be a song played with nothing but the darkest of notes. It could even be the stillness that accompanied the hushed sounds of the waves. Nobody ever truly knew of all of life's promises and betrayals. All that was left for Hau was to witness all that the island challenge had in store for him; bear witness to its highs and lows, and emerge from it with a whole new perspective on life.

It was all so exciting, wasn't it? He was going to see that whatever has been awaiting for him at the end of that road- the goal that has been eagerly waiting for his presence...everything his experiences have accumulated to...

-Descent into Despair-

It was all for nothing.

Daytime had paved way for the dull twilight. One by one, the street lights of Hau'oli city began to illuminate as folks began to bid their farewells and rest their little heads for the day. As the Alolan sun paved way for the gentle moon's graceful and guiding presence, the trepidation borne of the bustling, panicking streets of the city was soon swept by the assuring quiet; the promise of a better tomorrow heralded by the arrival of the next sunrise soothed the hearts of many of the residents of Alola.

A false hope just like any other.

The gentle ocean breeze and the soft waves were all that's left. Not even the nocturnal creatures of the night had any energy to keep on going with their usual routines. All that mattered now to everyone was the recollection of their strengths to carry on until the next day. Nobody within the winding paths of Melemele Island was able to rest peacefully until those around them have found the peace to do so.

Wherever he was, which direction he was currently going; nothing of that sort had crossed Hau's mind.

His eyes, unable to reflect the glittering gleams cast by the stars' reflection on the ocean waves, were hidden by the shadows of his ruffled and matted hair. His expression was unreadable; Was he simply shuffling through the branches aimlessly without a care in the world for his own well-being? Or was there so much on his mind that he was unable to look at his surroundings clearly- every color on the spectrum mixing into complete darkness?

Rather than providing any semblance of comfort, the Alolan breeze haunted him with every step he took. His legs were moving as though it was on their own volition, for his mind was racing with hundreds of clashing emotions and thoughts at such high speeds to the point that they have cancelled out his awareness of the outside world. He couldn't even find it in him to wipe away the streaks of tears on his cheeks.

There was no birdsong around him to ease his tormented soul.

The Moon's all-witnessing gaze only gave off the impression of a cold, broken heart.

Even the blades of grass beneath his feet were devoid of any life within them.

There was nothing but the distant ocean's call and the coming tides.

A sudden gust threw the child away from his trance, even if it was a small budge. Blinking once then twice, Hau's mind began to delicately connect the dots- an old bridge was just up ahead, and, in the distance, there it was...

An old bridge that's been all but completely destroyed.

The final frontier.

Hau's breath was caught in their throat.

The fear was barely outweighed by what crumbs of desperation they still possessed. With immense hesitation, Hau pushed themself to continue their journey. Each step was more unstable than the last, the waves underneath the broken planks clashed and raged against one another- yet, he still held on. Swaying from left to right, his persistence on staying on the road ahead was unwavering-

Tears were on the verge of bursting from his eyes; the resurgence of consciousness was followed by the unforgiving wave of vertigo; his legs felt like they were floating on air as his nerves. Even as his face was coated with tears and all of his nerves were on the verge of giving up on him, his grip on what remained of that bridge remained resolute.

He felt sick. He felt cold. He felt weak in comparison to the agony in his bones.

Even with his upset stomach and tightening throat...he had to press forwards. Gritting his teeth through the tears as he sniffled away all the tears and snot, he slowly dragged himself through the splinters and dirt towards the vague destination on his mind. A direction, a morsel of reassurance...

As the raging rivers drowned out what shreds of a coherent thought he had possessed up until that moment, he yearned for the courage necessary for him to be certain of this decision.

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The neon lights were dazzling.

Purples, pinks, reds, and cyans; the inner-most sanctum of the labyrinth was dazzling. Shuffling to the beat of the music, the crazed familiars made their debut; smiling from ear to ear to greet their new guests to the party- only for them to get struck down without a care.

In the middle of this demented cacophony and loud cheers, Elio stood; tapping to the beat as he stared the monster down. A large disco ball for a head, a dress made from the night sky itself, small aquariums for heels; there was no mistaking it, this must be the witch. Once hanging from the ceiling, she had descended unto the dance floor like a slithering snake; taking what he believed to be the wires and the ceiling with her before looking down at the magi before her.

The Kantonian boy had to hand it to her; the vibe, the tunes, the smiles- who wouldn't want to dance like it was the nineteen-seventies without care in the world? To indulge in the good ol' times before the world went to hell in a hand basket? As he took position and showed off his weapon, Elio grinned; giving the witch a sign that it's on. A dance is what she wanted, so a dance is what she'll get!

Snapping her fingers to the beat as she braced herself for competition, the Witch of Disco swung first; sweeping her mechanical legs to strike Elio's calf with the intent of causing him to lose his balance. An unexpected tactic, that is for sure, but the boy had managed to pick himself right back up with a counter- but she had blocked the attack with minimum effort. One strike, two strikes, three strikes- he had unleashed a barrage of attacks, but the witch was swift on her knees; blocking out his feeble attacks while still managing to keep her moves consistent to the music's rhythm. With the beat drop, she kicked him square in the abdomen; sending him flying through the neon walls.

Her familiars began to swarm around them in frenzied masses; bobbing their heads as they shuffled to close in on Elio whilst he was at his most vulnerable. That kid...in the maddened eyes of the witch, he sure had spirit, but these halls have no room for a buzzkill like him. In spite of the clear disadvantage and the tides being far away from his favor, Elio, through gritted teeth and shivering bones, still managed to press on; pushing forwards against the familiars gathering around him as he sliced, diced, and had burnt away all who were surrounding him until there was nothing but ashes in his wake. He was still standing, kicking, and, by the Tapus, singing; still holding on to continue engaging in this battle until the bitter end.

Must that young man really be so stubborn? What good would insisting on destroying the one refuge she had from the chaos of the outside world itself do for him?

Without sparing a semblance of patience, the witch pointed for the rest of her familiars towards the direction of the magi, to which they had flown towards in droves out of servitude for their master. With a his lips curling to reveal a crazed grin on his face, Elio leapt; as he sprung, hopped, and skipped into the air, the young magi had left a trail of searing destruction - a reminder for those who would dare to face the harsh celestial blazes he had acquired in his hands at their full glory - as he paved way for the his close encounter with the witch herself. While Elio carried on with his little massacre, the destruction inflicted upon the witch's familiars appeared began to escalate to the extent that they've started to implode on impact against him; it was as though his very touch was enough for them to melt into liquid gold from the inside-out.

Even the glass of the aquarium walls began to melt from the fervor; covering the dance floor in water and aquatic lifeforms who were struggling to survive.

Strike, strike, strike- the witch had managed to hold on after the few initial blows, yet Elio didn't have any plans on giving up, either; each attack had increased in ferocity and brute strength - even blocking out the attacks provided no comfort from the pain - until, at last, he had knocked her out of balance with a devastating collision. grabbing on to what he believed was the witch's neck, Elio swung as he made sure he had her by his arm; suffocating her as he tried to keep her head pointed upwards- just enough for the struggle to be as minimal as possible.

It was then that the Kantonian boy finally held up his other arm; yelling out a command that echoed throughout the halls-

"NOW!"

As swift and sure as the thunder's strike, shards of glass had scattered throughout the air as the witch was nearly blinded by a sudden flash of white.

As the witch looked around before the last strands of her consciousness slipped away from her fingers, the magi's grip on her was finally undone. There, lying within the corner of her line of sight, she's managed to make out a second figure; their face obstructed by the darkness of her labyrinth as smoke seeped from their weapon. Time passed on slowly as her mechanical body fell apart unto the dance floor; serenity and quiet filled what was left of her cursed heart during the final seconds of her existence, granting her one last moment of clarity before it all went dark...

...Ah...how beautifully did these petals dance...

...

Pushing against the exit door of the abandoned building, the two trainers winced their eyes as the soft sunlight welcomed them back to the real world. It couldn't be any later than 6 in the afternoon. Stretching his back, Hau continued on with his stroll alongside Elio; both of their soul gems were gleaming with recharged power after they've both reaped the rewards of that battle.

It hasn't been too long since they've arrived on Ula'ula Island; it sure was livelier than either Melemele and Akala before it! A new island meant the chance to meet new people, experience new environments- and, of course, new witches to strike down.

"Aue- that was incredible!" The green-haired child exclaimed as the two sauntered under the setting sun, "You sure almost had me fooled there for a professional- I could've sworn you lied about when you've made your wish."

In light of that accusation, Sun clicked his tongue as he shook his head; 'veteran'...if anyone had a say, it was his friend and rival who deserved that title. A swift and certain kill- only someone like Hau had the capability to do that! The rest of the performance leading up to the decisive blow? Well, it was much more of a struggle to pull off in the perspective of the young Kantonian, he'd timidly admit.

"That's nothing but training and strategy work," he nonchalantly smiled, "If anything, you ought to pat yourself on the back, too. I might have managed to stall it for some time, but you were the one who finished it off! That a job well done, if I ever saw it!"

In response, Hau simply scratched the back of his head; still appearing as cheerful as ever, but a tinge of bashfulness was shining through his obsidian eyes.

The chirping of the pikipeks flying overhead complemented the chatters of people and Pokemon; it was another day full of life within the Alola region. The Sun still shone as brilliantly and gracefully as the clearest of jewels even as the day paved way for dusk; night had just arrived at the residents' doorsteps. Basking in the warmth of the setting sun, the people of Alola went on with their merry ways; each and every one of them adding another page to their respective tales of their lives that were destined to be passed down to their next generations.

Another hunt that's been completed with flying colors; what an occasion to celebrate, like the hunters of yore! And what better way to celebrate than a trip to the Pokemon center just to get their fix of tapu cocoa and malasadas? A simple snack serving as the prologue to their respective dinners and a chance to catch up on what the other has been up to lately; neither trainer was able to think of anything better to do!

...Besides training themselves and their pokemon teams for their next trials, that is- but that could wait until tomorrow, no? To say that they've been worn out from that fight earlier would be an understatement, that's for sure.

Lost in his thoughts and in awe of what's before him, Elio had almost tripped on a small pebble that was in the way- had it not been for Hau picking him up by the collar immediately, he surely would have made a complete and utter fool to everyone around him. As soon as he regained his balance once more, he glanced at his close friend with the shock in his eyes withering away before the two began to suddenly laugh. The green-haired Alolan child softly nudged on Elio's back for being the clutz that he was; it sure was a busy life that they've signed themselves up for, but they are what they still are at the day's end.

Just a couple of kids.

As the two neared the Pokemon Center right up ahead, Elio's smile, as brightly as it shone, still paved way for uncertainty to creep up. His stomach continued its descent as all that has been bothering him began to bubble up just beneath the surface; his expression devolved and melted into that of worry and doubt as his pace slowed down- enough for him to pause and ponder on what has been bothering him so as of late. Realizing the somber shift in the atmosphere, Hau was hit with accumulating worry as Elio dazed off into the distance.

"There sure has been a lot more witches than usual lately," Elio pondered, "Wonder what's up with that..."

As the realization of their current situation overtook his mind, Hau took Elio's words and what he knew of these creatures into account as he tried to recall Umber's instructions back when he was new to the job- that for every magi out there who was born from the brightest hopes in their hearts, a witch was destined to follow; forged from the sorrows of this world to spread the very curses that have brought them to existence. A source of light is always accompanied by the shadow it casts; such is the law of this universe, and such is the life of a puer magi.

Hau looked down at his own soul gem; the coalescence of his own hopes and dreams; the desires that have helped him get so far to this point in his life. A shining beacon of hope for all of humankind; that was all Hau wanted in life- the goal he had finally realized in the midst of his island journey...

"Yeah- they are made when people are all beat-down and stuff, right? Once they are born into this world, all they could do is act upon all that they know..."

Much like his rival, Hau also began to gaze into his soul gem as his mind swam in sorrow and doubt, "And then, more people will start feeling even worse- and, with that, even more witches will pop up; it's like a cycle, y'know?"

Hau's heart ached with horror as he pondered upon the possibility of leaving these witches be- as well as a sudden wave of...sympathy...

"...Then again, I guess it almost makes you feel bad for them; all they came to know is sadness and hopelessness. It's not like they asked to be born as witches..."

Elio glanced at Hau as the two continued their stroll through the city; nothing but confusion and were spray-painted on to his face. Hau- he was a big-hearted kid, that's more than obvious; ready to let whatever was in his hands go just to assist someone in need with a beaming smile on his face, but to hold compassion for witches of all things?

Elio sighed with a smirk; only someone with a heart as big as Hau's would find the best in these terrifying, abstract monstrosities. "...I get what you're trying to say," he remarked, "It's sad, but...unfortunately, that is how it is- what else could we do about it?"

All Hau was able to do was shake his head and sigh before the soft whizz of the Pokemon center's doors took whatever chance he had to respond; signaling the end of the duo's little stroll. The cool air seeping from the building clashed with the warmth and humidity of the environment around them, causing Elio to shiver without initial realization. Upon noticing one another's sense of unease and not wishing to end their conversation on such a note, the two, without warning, awkwardly smiled and chuckled at one another- nudging at each other's shoulder's before allowing the other to step in to the pristine walls of the structure before them. The sense of unease still haunted them both, and the weight of what their contract truly meant and their current reality was resting on their shoulders-

Still, that wouldn't stop Hau from dreaming of the ideal.

...

The scent of coffee and burnt caramel was in the air; gracing those who enter the Pokemon center with serenity and peace of mind...

Now that their respective partner pokemon teams are fully healed and their supplies have been restocked, the two trainers were finally able to lay down for the day and get some of that sweet, well-deserved rest.

Chow time.

As he sat down near one of the tables of the cafe while Elio went to order some Tapu Cocoas for the both of them, Hau plopped the bag of malasadas down onto it- the main course for all of them to dig right in! What a perfect way to end the day- oh, Hau just couldn't wait-!

*shuffle shuffle....*

Oi- hold on just a minute there.

As Elio placed the two cups of delicious hot chocolate down onto the table, Hau was glaring at the shifting paper bag with intensity and focus blaring from his eyes; his head tilting and brows burrowing from both curiosity and disappointment towards whoever or whatever was there that dared to disrupt their time of rest. Hoo, nelly, what was he in for now?

Slowly shaking the bag from inside out (and with help from the Alolan kid as he slowly opened it- begrudgingly so, of course), the culprit's tiny head poked out! Translucent wings that shone as brilliantly as diamonds, an eye glittering like the finest of pearls, a glare as heavy as the most exquisite of platinum, and a coat of fur that possessed color that was as deep as the vastness of the space which holds the sun and moon...

Well, if it isn't the guest of the hour- none other than the duo's one and only little contractor.

How they've managed to gobble down half an entire batch within the seconds between the purchase of these snacks and the current moment with a glittering star for a face was anyone's guess at that point. As they chewed on and swallowed down the final bites of the malasada that was in its paws, they turned their head towards Hau, who was standing right above them, before speaking up; snark and impatience leaked from every word they've uttered-

"Took you two long enough with today's hunt; I hope neither of you wouldn't mind myself digging in early."

...right; the grief seed. Guess it's best to dispose of that sooner rather than later.

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It was quieter than usual.

Solitude was more than expected for a sacred place like the Ruins of Conflict; not a lot of people were even allowed to be near it- heck, it felt wrong even for himself to just tumble into these sacred grounds. Every step he had taken was a trial in of itself- each step felt heavier than the last, and, he couldn't even register the blood that was dripping onto the floor being his own...

Nevertheless, he persisted.

The sounds of howling winds were all that remained after such a day like this. The heartbreaking howls of panicked and mourning pokemon, and whatever unholy cacophony of howls and all-too human screams born from the deepest pits of despair that have managed to emerge from the far reaches of the afterlife- none of the sort had echoed throughout this grand entrance to the inner-most sanctum of the ruins. All that had accompanied Hau on his way there was bitter, chilling solitude.

As he slowly made his way through the ruins, the young boy couldn't stop shaking- he shook from the cold, and the fear and terror weighed heavily on his back--

The glacial winds struck him as he gulped. He could feel that he's on the verge of breaking apart from how badly he was quivering, and the bile slowly building up to his throat...

It was now that he had caught on to the sound of his chattering teeth.

It has been a long way home- back to where he was now, in Melemele Island. It could have been a perfect bookend; him and his friends returning from their journeys, now fully grown from all that they've experienced, and possessing new memories and pieces of wisdom to accompany them for years to come. That was all that he had wished for; the core reason as to why he had partaken in the island challenge to begin with and even signed that contract with that 'fairy'...

Fate sure had its sense of dramatic irony, at least.

At that time, nobody had the faintest clue on what sort of drawbacks Lusamine's plans had on the region as a whole, and, perhaps, neither did she- though whether she cared about consequences of her actions at that moment or not might be debatable, at the very least. In her frantic state of mind, all that mattered to her was the safety of those ultra beasts, and would soon rather die than waste even a single second that could have been put to use for her desires and plans. As soon as the wormholes opened, they've invited not only these extradimensional monsters - the behemoths that have captured Lusamine's heart -, but as well as...

Ultra Aura. Lots and lots of Ultra Aura...

Basking the region in this power, the line between what's meant to be perceived and what's meant to remain hidden blurred; both mankind and witches were plunged into one another's realms without warning- everything and everyone was sent into a heedless panic. As the region darkened, the president took off, and everything had devolved into a massacre, Hau's mind raced to the one thing that mattered to him most in that moment-

Home. I have to go back home.

He hadn't the slightest idea of the current whereabouts of neither Lillie nor Elio, and that fact alone was akin to a dagger in his gut that never ceased twisting. All he was able focus on during every second leading up to where he was now was his desire to defend his loved ones from this impending disaster that threatened to unfold at its fullest. Back to back with Gladion by his side, the two hacked and slashed without a moment's rest - without even a second to breathe or even check on their soul gems' current statuses - in order to pave way for Iki Town. He only took pause out of pity for the struggling magi he had managed to encounter before his wake before he gave them the grief seeds he had on his persons before taking off once more- much to the blonde's chagrin.

He had hoped for everything to be at least stable- for everything to be fine, and that he wasn't too late...that he didn't fail yet again-

And look at how that ended for you.

Reflexively blinking as he tried to catch his breath, he was unable to shake away what awaited him at the end of this road; the last few seconds leading up to the decision leading him here were constantly being replayed like a broken record. Tutu- he was the strongest person Hau had ever known in his life; from time's trials to the furies of his own heart, Hala had endured it all. He would stand by, strong and proud, as he laughed at whatever and whoever dared to cross him-

Seeing him covered in bandages and wired to whatever machines they've managed to hold on to without getting noticed by neither beast nor witch. - and the blood, dear Arceus, there was so much blood tainting the bandages keeping him stable...

The sight sickened Hau nigh-instantly. He was about to hurl on the spot back right then and there.

His face twisted in horror at the sight as the lights behind his eyes, what life and hope he had until that moment, began to fizzle away. Even remembering his sheer disgust at the tragedy before him did nothing but deepen the regret he had managed to carry all the way here

Even as Hala reassured him that he couldn't have predicted what would have happened, deep within Hau's mind, he knew Tutu was lying to him; that's how it's always been, hasn't it? Hala hiding his true emotions away just to keep Hau safe and happy, even if the deep pains he was forced to endure were visible just beneath the surface...

In the end, he was the one who had to be protected from the world yet again- all in the attempt at protecting the world from himself and hurting those who were dear to him by the threat of himself breaking apart.

He couldn't take the sight of it. Silently excusing himself, he dashed off heedlessly without a care; ignoring the prying eyes, his name being echoed by all who were around him, and even Gladion's concerned cries...

It was all back to square zero for him.

Within the center of the ruins, staring at the shrine before him, Hau's face was blank of all life and optimism. He was lost in that moment- lost on what must be done and what else he was able to do. Nothing around him even real. All that was surrounding him had simply vanished within the corners of his mind; leaving only the statue and himself.

Before the mighty altar, the link between humankind and the deity of strife, Hau fell to his knees like a puppet having its strings suddenly cut off; severing him from the reassurance of the future just before him. Through incomprehensible mumbles and babbles, he shakily clutched his hands together and whispered out an anguished plea towards the island guardian; a prayer borne not from whatever hope and worship that still remained in his soul, but of desperation...

He had hoped that he hadn't fucked it all up once again.

He wished that all this was a bad dream- one he could wake up from with just a pinch of his cheek.

He denied the tears soaking his face and dropping on to the statue before him- all while he begged for a second chance, for a way to reverse it all, and erase every single mistake he had made up until now just for everything and everyone to be okay...

Mistakes?

That's quite hilarious coming from someone like you, Hau.

You have to face the facts- that all you have done was sit down in hiding as everyone around you dropped like flies, all to evade the risk of pressure shattering your mind and soul in.

You've spent so long fantasizing and focusing on the bright side of life that you haven't noticed the shadows engulfing all that you've known and held dear until it was too late-

And all that you have managed to do so far was stand by and watch.

You have to come to terms with the facts, Hau; none of this would have happened had you not buried your head in the sand so long ago.

None of this would have happened hadn't you been so WEAK.

As he continued on with his blabbering- as his heart continued to race and the reality of the grim situation at hand began to weigh on his mind, the solemn, hopeless prayers soon devolved into numerous apologies mixing with one another; barely taking any comprehensible form. Even coming up with any understandable words was too impossible for him in that moment; whatever his tongue had managed to weave and escaped his throat was not even audible at best, or downright incomprehensible at worst.

He tried his darned best to help everyone around him- trust him, he really did, even if it risked exposing his identity as a puer magi; he couldn't give two shoots about that, so long as he at least made someone's day a little brighter. He wanted everything to be alright- he wanted everyone to be happy, to be safe, and for them be able to look forwards to what the future held for each and every one of them with wide smiles on their faces-

All that- after all that he's managed to do-

It ended up amounting to nothing.

creeeeaaak...

How disgraceful. Even with his failures doing all that he held dear in, he still had the audacity to feel as though he was suddenly going to break apart. If he hadn't already felt weightless and pathetic, then he surely looked the part now.

As he writhed on the ground in blinding pain, another crack echoed throughout the ruins; causing him to scream louder in pure, burning agony. He hadn't completely realized it - his consciousness was phasing in and out of his reach -, but, between his ramblings and apologies, he was calling out for help...he was sobbing for the torment to stop...

Between tears and with all the remaining strength he had managed to accumulate, he had resorted to the one thing he had left- for the one beacon of light and comfort in his life. His mind was frantic - as though he was merely acting upon muscle memory -; covering his face and digging his nails into his face, he let out his final cry-

"G-Grampa...! Grandpa! TUTU-"

"HELP- HELP ME, PLEASE-!!"

C R A C K !

...

As the dark remains of his soul gem were scattered on the ground and what was once its core floated amidst the altar itself, the last thing Hau felt before all light escaped his eyes was the ocean's embrace suddenly surrounding him. With his last remaining bits of strength, he struggled against the force of the waves, but it was to no avail. Feeling as though he had slipped away from what control he had over his own muscles, he slowly ceased all struggle as he allowed himself to succumb to the depths; sinking into the deep blues of the waters until there was nothing but the ocean's calm.

Not too far away, the deity of Melemele Island looked on helplessly as the newly-forged labyrinth overtook the ruins in a flash while the child's despair took form. To meddle with the inevitable is almost never a good decision, that much was true, yet even they knew that this child, much like the rest of the unlucky bunch that came before him...

He held so much promise...

A promise that has been taken away from them by forces beyond their control...

The blonde teen has been calling his name for some time now...

In preparation for the inevitable conflict, Tapu Koko pulled themself together as the labyrinth began to stabilize itself. Not unlike their siblings, it was Koko's sworn duty to defend their island from any and all threats, whether they've arrived from the far reaches of the universe or were as sinister as once-familiar faces turning venomous as they vowed to destroy the lands they have grown up on.

Still, the ache within their heart never ceased to hurt for when it came to clashes like this. They knew they were unable to combat fate itself, but even they knew that this creature, just like the rest of them, never deserved what was coming. After all...

They never asked to be witches...

-The Witch's Nature-

*looks at his personality in Sun and Moon*

*then at him in Ultra Sun and Moon*

*then at him in the anime*

*then I take a teeny tiny look at the manga*

Fun fact: this part actually took me a longer time to finalize than the witch's base form itself. While I was creating the initial concept for him, before I dove deeper into his character, I initially had the idea that it must have been his naivety that did him in; on the surface, he seemed like he just wanted to have fun and explore the grand world around him- and while that's not far from the truth, yes, it still isn't the whole picture; just a mere speck of it.

You see, with time and research, not only did I realize that this term is a far cry from Hau's actual, deep-rooted struggles, it would also re-enforce the flanderized outlook that fandom has towards him. My goal is to take a nosedive into these characters' psyches, so relying on surface actions alone would not suffice. We need to look deeper; know exactly why Hau is the way he is, how he came to possessing his mindset, and all the problems that resulted in and from this outlook of his throughout the game's main story.

Hau is far from ingenuous- nor is he unaware, weak, or anywhere near stupid. He simply assumes the best in the nature that is around him, and, even then, he is perfectly aware of when situations are dire and that certain events are just...not right. Everything's destined to work out, yeah? Sure, life has its moments where it took immense pleasure from kicking us in the ass whilst we were already down, but it's also so unmistakably beautiful; there's no need to fully dwell on the pain. The sun will rise to herald another day- another chance to pick yourself up and start all over again.

After looking at his backstory, comparing the roles everyone significant in his life had in forging Hau as a person before the start of the game, and granting myself some time to think about it moreso, I got the term that would describe Hau's fall from grace perfectly; escapism.

Think about it; Hau's an optimist, yes, but it is his downplaying of - if not the act of outright bottling up - his own troubles and trying so hard to focus on the bright side of the island challenge were what ultimately stiffed his growth as both a trainer and a person. On top of this, we also know that Hau is aware of his own problems, but is trying his best to stay afloat and not get crushed by the weight of his own misery- but how so? Coming face to face with all that troubled his young mind is surely inevitable, so he did he manage to avoid that for all this time?

Well...what if I said that Hau's very own coping mechanism was right before us from the very start? A plan so simple, yet as rounded as brilliant as his character writing? So minuscule...but it holds an important key to finally cracking open Hau's personality?

We are already aware that visiting every malasada shop on each island is his own "island challenge", but...why is that? And why malasadas specifically? Yeah, it could be a way for Game Freak to integrate a snack that is already loved by the people of Hawai'i irl (and I can't blame'em, it does look quite scrumptious), but what does this very fixation on the snack itself speak about Hau as a person?

The answer? Simple; it's comfort food.

A sweet, calming scent that would immediately bring memories of one's childhood rushing into their mind is a universal experience for many, and the same can be said with various types of food. After all, malasadas are already seen as such by various Hawai'ian citizens irl, so it makes complete sense for Hau, someone who is evidently coded to be indigenous Polynesian, to share the same sentiment; of enjoying this treat being his way to wind down after each trial.

The island challenge, in Hau's eyes, is full of wonders and new possibilities, but he just couldn't help but feel his heart drop; it's all so vast and wide, so wonderful but also unrelentingly heart-breaking... He appreciates all the highs and lows - learning from all that had unfolded around him -, but even the most energetic hummingbird needs its time of rest.

Now, I know, I know; it's more than similar to Ichizo's nature - that being "to escape" -; trust me when I say that my perfectionist butt is painfully aware of that and made it very clear whilst I was in the midst of analyzing Hau's personality. Usually this is where I would say that I cracked my back by looking for other terms that would hold a similar meaning to this word specifically, but, honestly? I had to stop myself right then and there. It sounded similar to Ichizo's, yes, but was that really the end of the world? Does it really matter that much, seeing a small word that I used to describe a character ringing true to one that exists in another canon?

My answer to that is: no. Hell to the fucking no. When analyzing characters from various medias like these, finding overlapping aspects in their personalities and behaviors is inevitable, but it is these characters' methods of handling and interpreting these aspects of themselves in their own unique ways is what makes all the difference in a reader's eyes.

Kuroe wanted to escape the eyes of everyone around her; she didn't feel worthy of the love she had wished for and believed that she is far from the image of a perfect magical girl; the idea of being a "good person", even. Hau, on the other hand, was raised under the shadows of his grandfather and yearned for the outside world so he could grow and help others along the way. Their overlapping trait is that they both yearn for their idea of freedom, whether they are willing to consciously admit that or not. Hau may had his inherent optimism and desire to keep on moving forwards by his side for so long - to the extent that it is the effects of his easy-going nature and the kindness in his heart were what inevitably got to him -, but Kuroe eventually succumbed to her self-doubts; becoming the witch symbolizing her inability to move on, Ichizo.

Of course, we can't go wrong with mentioning the honorable mentions; all the other terms I've managed to find that would also fit Hau's downfall depending on your own interpretations of his character! You are all free to reinterpret the witch card below to your hearts' content, and, once more, if you have any criticism, don't be afraid to send them my way!

Sheltered

Trusting

Blinded

To bottle up/bury grievances

To get carried away

-The Witch's Appearance-

"Yeah. My gramps is always saying that nature's got its cruel side, sure as it gives us blessings."

Alright, first thing's first, I need to set up a precedent real quick-

As proud as I am with the end results of both Asclepius (Medic) and Sayf al-Muharib (Hop) before him, I have to admit that I kinda shot myself in the foot by making two humanoid witches in a row. Yes, there isn't anything wrong with making human-like witches, especially when noting how this is the case with the designs of the holy septet's cursed forms, but part of designing a witch and the fun of it all is the ability to go completely off the walls with it; a whole bucket of symbolism just barely taking shape right before our eyes!

What I am trying to say is that I am aiming to make Hau's witch, the accumulation of his regrets and traumas, a straight-up creature- a monster not unlike Gertrud and more than a good half of the witches present in Kazumi Magica. Half the fun of making a character's despair come to life comes from gathering up all their problems, putting them in a bucket, and spilling it right onto the canvas! Plus, I guess focusing on enjoying the process is what Hau would have wanted- in a twisted sort of way.

With all that established, let's take a quiiiiiiiiiick looksie at Hau's backstory, and how it affects him nowadays- or, more appropriately, let's start with the effects everyone else's actions had on him growing up, and the worldview he's adopted as a result. What better place to start it all thank with the very first town we visit in Pokemon SM/USUM, Iki Town?

After finally gaining access to Hala's home, you can find an NPC in there who states that Hala had a habit of spoiling Hau; that he is "too soft" on the boy, and goes on to mention an incident in which Hau had witnessed Hala at his angriest for reasons currently unknown- the sight of his grandfather's fury being enough to immediately push Hau to tears. There was nothing Hala was able to do to comfort the young child, so, ever since that incident, Hala had to hold himself back when in the presence of his grandson.

Of course, if we're going to have to mention Hala's role in sculpting Hau as a character, then it would be of great disservice to not mention the other two individuals who were under him before his grandson was even born; Guzma and Hau's as-of-yet unrevealed father.

We aren't given much details in regards to Hau's father aside from a few sentences from Hau himself; that he had left to Kanto in order to get stronger and escape Hala's shadow. By taking the earlier NPC's words into consideration, it's heavily implied that Hala must have been quite rough towards him, if not apathetic to his struggles at the very least. Being constantly compared to the Kahuna must suck, and it was probably even worse if Hala really was that tough towards him; why else would he just up and leave his entire family behind? To become his own person in the eyes of everyone else including his own?

But, in the end, instead of creating his own legacy and establishing himself as an individual, Hau's father is now known to us - and even to his own son - as the man who left it all behind just to escape the shadow of his own old man. Having a parent like Hala must have sucked if he really was all that strict back in the day, but that is no excuse to abandon your whole family, much less your own child. Parents are people too, hence why even they are prone to terrible mistakes like these, but such decisions that ultimately result in the endangerment of their own children should not be forgiven so easily. Just because he ended up fathering Hau doesn't mean that his words and actions are law, and that everyone who has been affected by his actions should just suck it up.

Of course, this event was not the only catalyst that triggered Hala's change in temperance and approach to those under his care. No, this was far from the only mountain formed by Hala's mistakes; casting a shadow on his conscience and the rest who are still in his life. If letting his own son down and causing him to sever all ties to Alola was achievement-worthy, then him failing Guzma, one of his own "students", the person who needed guidance the most, was triumph on its own level.

Now, I have to state that I wasn't initially sure on where this would fall on the timeline exactly; many fan interpretations of the events leading up to Guzma becoming the "embodiment of destruction in human form" usually depict him and Kukui as young teens and Hala as a man in his 40's-50's. However, as was presented to us in the anime, Guzma and Kukui were shown to have been at least in their late twenties back when they had their fallout, and Hala more or less looked the same as he does now.

While on topic, I also have to point out a certain aspect most of the fans tend to look over whilst discussing the history behind Team Skull, and it's that, no, Guzma did not create it; as much as we want to believe that it was our boy who had founded this rag tag group of misfits, this apparently isn't the case as established by canon.

According to the games, Team Skull was initially created by, or rather was 'centered' around, one of the kahunas; while it'd be natural to assume that it must have been Hala himself due to him vowing to make sure they would right all of their wrongdoings in the post-game, there isn't much proof that would support this hypothesis throughout the canons of the games, manga, and anime. Instead, I believe that it was formed by none other than Nanu, who probably tried to take a bunch of teens who had failed the island challenge under his care as penance for the failed faller mission, but, since apparently nothing goes right in this man's life, he had flunked at this task in levels that would be deemed as spectacular.

How Guzma ended up becoming the leader of Team Skull remains a mystery to this day, but we can hypothesize that, at that point in the timeline, Nanu had already given up; it'd be easy to assume that, due to his strength and imposing attitude, he had gained the respect of the hooligans around him to the extent that, over time, he was deemed as their "boss". Guzma, with his deep-rooted desire for validation to make others feel the very same fear he had to live with all his life, happily took in the role- in his eyes, it was like he was made for this! That this was his right path in life- to destroy all that stood in his way as demonstration of his strength, and rage against the system that has failed him and the rest of Team Skull so...

Realizing the magnitude of his mistakes and the fallouts that have occurred as consequence, Hala looked down at the small toddler in his arms, a child that is eerily silent; not even bringing himself to ask where daddy is, much less whether or not he was returning soon...

His eyes welled with pity and regret. Without hesitation, he held the child up in his arms; promising to himself that he will keep young Hau safe- that he won't mess up and destroy the foundations of this kid's spirit. This time he was going to build this child up, rather than knock his hopes and dreams down. This time, he'll be there for the fledgling under his wing...

This time, Hala was gonna make things right.

Alrighty, so we got two themes in our hands already- shelter and replacement; already off to a good start! Usually, this is where I would start the interpretation games right away, but before we could do that, I need to look at Hau's personality and actions in-canon right away; his role in their entirety of the lore, and how other characters perceive him. Though the elements are there in our hands, establishing a key motif is essential for making a decent, semi-consistent design, and they key to do that is by analyzing Hau's impact on the story.

If there is any way to briefly describe Hau as a character, it's that he represents Alola as a whole- or, at least, what it presents itself as on the surface. As soon as we meet him in the games and their ultra versions, he's shown to be an excitable little lad who is just eager for an adventure and wants everyone to have a grand old time. During the first quarter of the game, Hau was there to help us get to know Alola as a region; how things worked here, the customs, and even the basic idea of the local villainous team - Team Skull -. He was also our first opponent back when we first got our starter and during the festival in Iki Town; he was there during our first steps, because, much like the main character, he was also taking his very first steps as a trial goer, and, by jove, was he looking forwards to it.

I must once again repeat that he is not oblivious, naive, nor any of the sort; he managed to tackle his feelings of inadequacy in USUM, his tendencies to bottle up his emotions have been cranked up to eleven in the anime, and was been hit by the revelation that maybe the island trial isn't all that it is hyped up to be in the manga. Time and time again he has been hit with the knowledge that the seams keeping the his bright outlook in the world are on the verge of tearing apart; from his broken family dynamics, to how the trials have failed countless children like himself, to the nefarious acts of the Aether Foundation, Hau was there to witness it all- as a bystander, as someone so powerless to stop any of what was happening around him all thanks to his focus on the joy of the trials just to escape from the pressure...

Yet he still smiles on; trying to keep his and everyone else's hopes up, and became a guiding force for those in need. When looking at his character and history in-depth, it becomes evident that Hau represents the true meaning of wisdom; trying so hard to look at the bright side of life in spite of it constantly handing him nothing a but rose's thorns without the flower itself. Yes, that trait of him hiding his sorrows away is beyond toxic and is the driving force behind his soul gem shattering, but his dedication to seeing the best in what's around him would have been impressive if we haven't considered the circumstances that brought this trait of his into existence. He realized what his flaws have brought, and, in the end, began to dedicate himself to fixing these broken foundations as much as he could.

Speaking of wisdom, it's also nifty to point out that he's also aware of the customs, legends, and traditions of Alola - which, of course, comes with him being the kahuna's grandson and all -; evident by him realizing the implications of the MC receiving a shining stone from Tapu Koko and how, by the game's end, he began to walk in Hala's footsteps in order to better himself and become a shining beacon for those who are suffering at the lowest point of their lives. Between him and Gladion, Hau knows Alola like the back of his hand, while Gladion assisted us while infiltrating the Aether Foundation - an artificial island that, of course, Hau would have no idea how he could traverse through -.

So now we've got two more themes pinned up on the board, being guidance and traditions. I think now's the perfect opportunity to line up the strings required to draw the necessary connections between all these scattered aspects; now is the perfect time to look at his goal in life, his self-image, and how all this was affected by the way he was raised.

We've already spoken about the effects of Hala's methods of raising Hau in the games; that he was, as TV tropes would call it, spoiled sweet. He's cheerful, kind, and selfless- though he does have that snark every now and then. From his interactions with Team Reskull and how he aims to goad them towards the right path, it can be observed that Hau is quite emotionally intelligent; empathetic and understanding towards those in need, while also recognizing the flaws that brought them into the situations that they are in. He aims to help those around him to overcome their struggles and emerge from their strifes as the healthiest versions of themselves, and not wallow in their own curses and regrets for years to come. If Hop wanted to be a professor, then Hau is the closest thing we have to a therapist.

Now, in the anime, on the other hand, here's where things start to diverge; in the few episodes he was present in, he was shown to be a lot more serious about battling than he was in the games. Sure, he's still the same cheerful little kid who is more than optimistic about life in order to evade heart-shattering pressure from doing him in like it did with his dad and grandpa, but he is also...different; a whole new take on this familiar character who still possesses what makes him recognizable from the rest, who is also acting so unlike the Hau that we came to know and love.

The cause behind this shift in behavior and personality is due to his father having taken him as he left for Kanto; solidifying the fact that the reason why Hau is the person that he is now is all thanks to the people who were around him during his formative years. I should also add in that the way he handles his negative emotions and losses in the anime is a lot worse than the how tried to cope with them in the games; implying that Hau's father is stricter than Hala ever would have been, and he might not have tolerated Hau ever losing. This piece of context would portray the way Hau had broken down in front of Hala after his loss in the league in a much harsher light; despite everything, Hala is the only person there for him- he's the only one he trust enough to lower his guards around. With Hala, Hau is free to act like the devastated 11 year old that he is; not some tough trainer his father tried to sculpt him into as a subconscious way of sticking it to his old man.

Yeah...safe to say that, behind the smiles and Malasada feasts, Hau never really had it easy. It's a lot easier for us to chalk his whole character up to devouring fried dough and being nothing but happy for everyone, but, just like the picture-perfect image of Alola, once you dig deep into what truly goes on behind the sunlight, its rotting foundations begin to make themselves known to us.

We've got all these motifs, the vibe we want to aim for, his struggles, and his self-image to use as a decent "base". Yep, I think we've managed to gather all that we need so far. Now's a good time for us to piece these concepts together and mold them into a singular shape; Hau's eternally-tormented form, forever wallowing in his failures and trapped in a hellscape of his own making.

First and foremost, Hau's witch should symbolize Alola's true heart of darkness; how it gave up on those who have failed the island challenge and shunned them away, as well as the truth behind his upbringing and the disastrous effects it had on his psyche. Hala may have done his best to shield Hau from the harsh truths of the world, but not only was Hau aware of what Hala tried to hide him away from, it is Hala's own over-protection and flaws that have led Hau to bottle up his own emotions- outright ignoring his problems until they piled up on top of one another until, inevitably, he couldn't take it anymore. *Sayori has entered the chat*

I mean, hey, just because Hau is a bright child himself with a warm exterior and bright motifs to his design, that doesn't mean his witch form has to reflect all that to a T; just look at Kriemhild Gretchen and compare her to her base form, Madoka Kaname. That is the magic of creating witches for all sorts of characters, though; with enough resources, you are given free range to go in any direction at your own leisure, so long as it fits the character in mind. Just go absolutely wild- make it as weird and unsettling as you could! Let your creativity run wild and off the walls!

In spite of all this, do not get me wrong; we are gonna give the design a splash of color, but it won't exactly be due to Hau's sunny personality- rather, it'd be reflective of the warlock's goals, what Hau desperately aimed to do even in witchdom, and the sheer chaos that is the witch's mind. He wants everyone - his friends, family, and even complete strangers like Team Skull - to find paths in their lives that truly make them happy, but there's also that fear of separation and disappointment that haunts him. He cannot let himself crack- he can't risk hurting those around him, nor should he fail everyone like he had already failed Lillie...

So, with this idea now on the table - the whole vibe that we wanna aim for -, how exactly would Hau's witch form exactly look like? Since we got all these elements on our hands, how would they all connect? What sort of image will we get by properly placing each and every one of these pieces in a comprehensive manner? Will our efforts blossom into a unique design that fits our little malasada child like a glass slipper? Or will they break everything that we have built up and render the blood, sweat, and tears we have poured into this project as wastes?

Well...remember when I called Hau a "sleeping dragon" a few sections earlier?

Think about it; while they were often portrayed as the penultimate villains of a knight's quest, narratively speaking, they do so in order to symbolize the perils that are associated with their journeys through these vast, new, and unfamiliar lands. It is also usually established within these fairy tales that it's wise not to awaken these beasts from their slumber, and how they are often slain via strategy and a plan in mind.

On top of all that, in the world of map-making, artists would often draw dragons in order to symbolize uncharted or even dangerous territories; hence the phrase "here be dragons". Hau wants to see the world out there, but even he knows that it's not all sunshine and rainbows; there will be unprecedented dangers up ahead, so the best he could do is to endure what gets thrown at him, learn from these events, and do his best to find a reason to smile through thick and thin.

So, a dragon- a decent foundation to build our freaky witch design on, but what kind of a dragon are we looking at here? Is he a wyrm? A drake? Or something entirely new and off-the-shits?

If I have to be frank, I didn't have an exact type of dragon in mind while I was thinking of a design for him aside from several key aspects of the Mo'o; shapeshifting lizard spirits from Hawaiian beliefs that are capable of controlling the weather. If the name sounds familiar, then you'd be right on the money by assuming that the Kommo-o line must have been based on this creature of legends; justifying its semi-legendary status in-game thanks to its real-world counterpart's significance in the overall history and belief systems of indigenous Hawai'i.

The Mo'o were also revered as beings known as 'Aumakuas; deified ancestors who have returned to the mortal realm as family or even personal gods in order to provide protection and guidance to their descendants through various means such as dreams or omens, and are said to be the links between the heavenly and mortal realms. It is also said that 'Aumakuas are able to take on the forms of various animals and even inanimate objects in order to reach out to their families, including, but not limited to, sharks, octopi, stones, caterpillars, plant life, and even owls- if that doesn't tie in to Hau, their status as Hala's grandchild, the Tapus, decidueye, and his descent into witchdom perfectly, I don't know what does anymore.

Back on topic, while Hau's witch form would share several elements with the Mo'o in terms of the specifics of their designs and symbology, their appearances couldn't be any more different; yes, the warlock would be able to dive into the waters of his labyrinth and attempt to 'surf' across the its surface, but it appears that they're a lot more...aquatic than outright amphibious, with some avian elements peppered in here and there for good measure (put a pin on that; this is going to be important later down the line). With four pairs of wings to help them glide through the air and a long tail adorned with a blooming hibiscus at its end, I believe that his silhouette would somewhat resemble an amphithere with certain key elements of the Glaucus Atlanticus- aka. the Blue Sea Dragon!

With the base form in our hands, that being a colorful sea dragon of myth itself that is just as sunny as the child he once was, I do believe that now is the time for us to add some pizzazz to our cute lil' monstrosity- and what better place to look for in order to incorporate more eye-catching themes than Hau's own history, design, and namesake?

To start all this off on a strong note, let's dive in to that theme of shelter from earlier.

Though Hau was excited to take on the Island Challenge and was, more or less, the optimist of the gang - with him trying his best to keep everyone's hopes up even in the grimmest of situations -. he is also no stranger to the truth around him; he knows that it is thanks to his stiffed growth that Lillie was in danger, and was more than self-conscious over the prospect of ever defeating his grandfather at his full power. You have to remember that Hala tried to make sure Hau had nothing to frown over, but, in the end, he couldn't stop reality from seeping through the cracks, and all his efforts into keeping Hau safe only resulted in him adopting the very same toxic trait of his- of keeping all his negative emotions away from the prying eyes of others, and causing them to coalesce from within.

With all this in our hands, there are two key aspects we now need to focus on in order to make a convincing witch design; Hau being kept in the dark, and him trying to bottle up his sorrows until he couldn't anymore. Both of these interpretations are more than helpful to us for when it comes to making his silhouette stand out amongst all the other witches in the canon of PMMM and those within our hands currently, so let's see what we can do with these elements that are at play here!

When I think of "shelter", being hidden away from the world, and Hau celebrating his victories with a feast of his comfort food with his partner pokemon, I immediately think of a turtle's shell; an evolutionary defense mechanism there to make sure that any predators who see them as their next meal receive a nasty surprise at the cost of their jaws. Clashing with the established themes of freedom, Hau being kept away from the world's threats is also a recurring event that has been speckled throughout his life, whether it's in a metaphorical sense (his sheltered upbringing) or literal (Lillie protecting Hau from Team Skull and him hiding behind her during the climax of USUM).

Of course, as we have already stated earlier, this type of upbringing had done nothing but bring tragedies at Hau's doors; not only was the truth still present for him to see, but life under his grandfather's wings had only taught him how he could bottle up his grievances and just focus on the positives before him so that he wouldn't hurt others like Tutu did. The shell did nothing, the shell was useless- the shell is broken. Cracks litter what was meant to be his safe haven, yet it still holds shape - the illusion of strength and stability - after all these years. It could also bear a more literal meaning here; how poor Hau tried his best to keep everyone's hopes up, including his own, but, alas, not even he was exempt from the one law that unites all magi, and the darkness even overtook him once his soul gem had shattered from the pressure and his regrets.

Even after all this time, after his body and shell broke into pieces time and time again, after his sorrows and despair have finally caused him to crack in more literal ways than one and are now bleeding through the fissures- he's still standing strong. He's still smiling even after he had picked himself up and carried on. He's still trying to live his life with positivity and reassurance, in spite of his woes and mistakes following him with every twist and turn.

On top of that, we should also take the significance of turtles in Hawaiian beliefs into consideration, especially that of the "Honu", aka. the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, which symbolizes longevity and good luck. Turtles are also seen as excellent guides and protectors in Hawaiian beliefs; that, in ancient times, they were the ones who have guided the first Polynesian settlers to the islands, and that they represent the link between man, land, and sea...which is all the more ironic for what I am going to suggest next-

We all know that, for some time, Hau felt...kinda lost on what he should do with his life - at least that is the case in the games -, much like any other kid at his age. Before we encountered professor Burnet at her lab, Hau was partaking in the island challenge just to make memories and gain the vigor needed to defeat his grandfather at his full strength. After that, however, he really didn't reveal his plans in regards to his future to us as the players, and it wouldn't exactly be incorrect of us to assume that he really didn't plan for what was to come after all was said and done.

It was when Kukui had explained to us that Hau possessed the potential to not only surpass the Kahuna of Melemele island but also just like him that a spark was lit behind Hau's eyes; a direction, a goal, a purpose- he had finally found his calling in life. It isn't just Kukui who held that sentiment, either; as we've already discussed earlier, even Gladion believed that Hau had it in him to become just like his old man - if not stronger -, and that all he had to do was focus on honing his strengths. Unfortunately, Hau finally came to that conclusion as well when Lillie had gotten abducted by the Aether Foundation; when he had failed at protecting her like he had promised. Had he just taken himself seriously, this wouldn't have happened- but, no, he allowed the breeze to carry him wherever, with not a semblance of a direction in his mind. Like the scattered petals of his namesake, he was now lost in the darkness of his mind and soul; floating in the vast, all-consuming nothingness...

Floating...floating just like his Alolan Raichu! Though I could see him being perfectly able to fly with his wings, perhaps the warlock could also utilize electromagnetism to his aid; his disconnected parts and the sorrows that seep from the cracks on his shell managing to float alongside him and he soars through his labyrinth as if he was swimming in the air. After all, there was a reason as to why I suggested the shape of a compass for a soul gem earlier; since Hop, as Sayf al-Muharib, possessed design elements that are a direct callback to his signature pokemon - being Wooloo/Dubwool - in order to symbolize his self-destruction and abandonment, it is only right to reference Hau's Alolan Raichu in one way or another- this time to symbolize his loss of direction in life and carefree nature.

Speaking of homages to other pokemon, you know what other 'mon that Hau has a strong ties with? The one that his family has been tasked with protecting all these years? The one that has chosen his own grandfather to become the island's head-chief? The one that accompanies Hau in Pokemon Masters EX?

That's right! We're bringing in Tapu Koko to the mix!

Resembling the ruins in which the deity resided in, and the final resting place of the being that was once "Hau", the warlock's scales wouldn't appear too dissimilar to the walls of the Ruins of Conflict and the patterns on Tapu Koko's shell. As though he was a part of these sacred grounds; if one happens to be a bit too careless, they might mistake Hau's warlock form for a whole new tapu- one that is undiscovered and hidden from the records of the deities' achievements. An island spirit just like them who was left to wither away and become one with the tides of time. Combined with the shards of his once-brilliant shell, it wouldn't be too farfetched to reach such a conclusion.

Plus, if we want to go all-in with the references to Tapu Koko, then I suppose it's best that we utilize the warlock's aforementioned avian elements and put them to full use! Just think about it; dragons and dinosaurs share a lot of similarities, with the key difference between them is that one is rooted in fantasy while the other is a real-world creature that is still shrouded by mystery. Would his warlock form possess a body made of scales alongside brilliant feathers that shine with bright golden hues? Seeing that the witches Magireco do have some...questionable elements to their designs, that wouldn't be too out of left field- and, besides, I could definitely see some parts of his silhouette being somewhat inspired by the bird-like takes on dragons and dinosaurs of today. If anyone here reading this has played Flight Rising at some point of their lives, I think one of the newly created breeds, the Auraboa, would definitely fit the vibes I am trying to aim for!

Come to think of it, now that feathers are a key detail to his design, I could see his appearance invoke the imagery of the Quetzalcoatl; an ancient Sun deity who is usually depicted as a serpentine dragon possessing a pair of wings and, of course, bright and colorful feathers. Once more, Hau's potential and beaming personality shine through the deepest trenches of despair, just like the raging sun.

Now, straying away from the 'mons and themes of guidance clashing with him being lost in life for a second, there are two more aspects of real-world turtles that would not only fit Hau's troubles like a surgical glove, but would also help immensely with, let's say, boosting the idea that the witch is him, his corrupted mind and soul, trapped in an eternal nightmare specifically constructed to constantly remind him of his mistakes and unaccomplished goals to no end. Two aspects that, when combined, would bring in a whole new theme to the table; parasitism.

You see, though these graceful creatures usually lead perfectly serene lives and do possess some of the longest lifespans among the other members of the animal kingdom that reside on this blue earth, danger still lurks within every corner of their lives; predators that are ready to tear open their shells for a bite to eat, the ocean waves drowning their young ones as soon as they hatch, and then there's us. The people. The human race. What? With our mega-corporations dumping all sorts of toxic sludge into their homes and all these accidental casualties caused by mass-fishing, isn't it any wonder seeing that the main threat to their survival is the very species that is burning this planet away as a sick showcase of power?

Whenever they aren't grinding their very home planet to dust just for validation and worship amongst their kin, those considered to be the elite of our society would oftentimes indulge in flavors that are considered to be "exquisite", even if it came with the cost of driving the creatures that make up their meals' key ingredients extinct; shark fin soups, blue fin tuna sushi, dolphin meat, and, of course, we cannot forget the green sea turtle! Whether we're talking about their eggs, flesh, or even their brilliant shells- to turn a symbol of long-lasting life and wisdom into a delicacy is considered a symbol of power and status in various cultures, both ancient and modern. Though various organizations have established several rules and protective measures in order to prevent the further decline of this species' population, they are still doing little to stop the concerns of poaching throughout the world- so long as the thirst for power and mindless indulgence remain, these creatures remain to be in danger.

On top of that, if it ain't just us humans who are bringing mass terror to these sea creatures, you know what else is there to drive a turtle to madness and inconvenience its everyday life? Barnacles. Indeed, not even they are immune to these buggers of the sea. Barnacles are suspension feeders; meaning that they act as a filter for the ocean as a whole by devouring bacteria and plankton. So long as an object or living being is ocean-bound and presents a lot of activity, it is considered the perfect spot for a barnacle to settle on.

When it comes to its relationship with turtles, it's quite simple; combined with the aforementioned requirements above, their shells are also prone to getting coated with epibiota - algae, plankton, and the likes -; deeming them as the nigh-perfect hosts to attach to. As result, they'll end up decreasing the creature's hydrodynamic shape, and its surface drag will increase in-turn; there's little to nothing a turtle could gain from this. Due to the risk these barnacles place on a turtle's general health and survivability, the removal of these pesky parasites from their shells once they pose such a danger - with great care, of course -.

So, with all that in mind, now it's time to play pin the rose on the thorn bush! Man, Gertrud is gonna kill me for this one, isn't she-?

Leeching off of his vitality and woes, numerous flora of all shapes and sizes emerge from the back of the warlock and through the gaps of his scales; draining him of excess energy and leaving him languid. In spite of the pain and inconvenience they bring to his door, they do provide great benefit to the warlock by soothing the visitors of his barrier and amplifying the radius of the mist within it. Such beautiful flora- it's almost a shame that the one flower he is unable to provide for nor protect are the lilies that thrive within the ruins of his labyrinth.

And it doesn't end with his shell, either; growing at the tip of his tail, a sea hibiscus in full bloom, with petals that are as bright as day, stands strong under the sunlight. Clinging on to his namesake and all that it represents, one of the last surviving shards of Hau's sanity is the embodiment of the joy and love he shared with everyone around him.

Now, all this is horrifying (and, to an extent, tragic) on its own, but what purpose is it serving here on a narrative level? Why parasitism specifically? What has happened to Hau that has caused his witch form to adopt this trait?

You see, not only would this represent the weight of Hau's emotions and how they are draining him from the inside-out, but they also symbolize an inevitability; one where Hau is destined to run himself so thin that he is at risk of withering away in the blink of an eye just like that. We all know that he wants to help - to become a wise and reliable soul just like his grandpa -, and the catalyst for his change in both USUM and the manga is none other than Guzma; driving him to promise that he would lend a hand to those who have and haven't passed the island trial, and help them lead better lives while unlocking their inner potentials. He is keeping the flora alive with his blood, and, in return, they help him with maintaining his labyrinth; keeping the peace and serenity thanks to his flowers and his shell.

Speaking of his emotions getting to him at the day's end, and because I could probably hear some of you yelling "DYST, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU MEAN BY HIS EMOTIONS LEAKING FROM HIS BROKEN SHELL EARLIER?", I do believe that now is a great time to incorporate those two ideas and bring in the final piece of the puzzle unto the table; let's unscramble this picture before us once and for all and stare down at the opponent that was once our dear friend.

You see, Hau is able to bottle up and hide away all his troubles all he wants, but even the strongest of glass is destined to reach its breaking point; much like his soul gem during its final hours. Not only would this next aspect reflect the inevitable fate that awaits all magi, but his inability to handle his negative emotions; feeling so confused and overwhelmed due to lack of experience on how he could take care of his wounded heart in a manner that can be deemed as healthy.

Indeed, the very shell that he is supposed to hide himself within, what provides the flora that grow on him life and his labyrinth its eternal calm, is chipping away at the seams. Through them, flora peeks out, and they feed on the warlock's vitality and health. This sounds bad enough on its own, but, remember, if Hau was able to perfectly hide away all his problems and, by some miracle bestowed upon him by celestial trio, manage to forget about them for years to come, none of us would be here in the first place- and...it looks like his futile attempts at making sure he keeps that smile on his face is being reflected on his warlock's design.

From these cracks on his person and the shattered remains of his shell, small, goldfish-like beings would often emerge. It wouldn't be too outlandish to assume that they must be familiars of the warlock, but, in truth, they're a lot more like floating parts of the warlock themself; disconnected, pesky, yet a part of them nonetheless. He tries his best to ignore them; to continue living life without them bothering him too much. He can't focus on them- he can't succumb to the stress, he cannot take the risk...

Ah- how much better would it be if he bottled them up once m o r e ?

Invoking the image of the ouroubouros, the serpent devouring its own tail as a representation of eternity, the warlock would dig his sharp teeth into these small goldfish-esque manifestations; rip them apart without a hint of hesitation or mercy in order to regain his strength whenever he is in a pinch against a powerful foe. In calmer days, however, they're just there for show in the eyes of visitors; a spectacle backing up the graceful image of the monster before them, unaware of their true nature as the embodiments of his regrets and misery.

Ironic, isn't it? That the form his troubles have embodied are generally regarded as the most common and replaceable pets in most households of today. Of course, one should also remember that Hau is the grandson of the Kahuna of Melemele island and is speculated to be the next in line; in Chinese culture, goldfish are seen as symbols of wealth and harmony. In this case, however, it could also be another tie-in to Hau's lineage and family curses, and that, no matter what, he can't exactly run away from his doubts, no matter how much he tried to bury them and move on with his life.

Wow, that was heavier than any of us expected.

So, with everything in regards to the witch himself has been wrapped up, now's the time to focus on the intermission before we get to the main course - their labyrinth -; Hau's karmic potential and the strength of his witch. Now we get to see how much CARNAGE our boy is capable of!

Before we start, I have to make this clear as soon as I could; nope! Unlike Hop/Sayf, he is not as strong as either Timeline 2!Gretchen, Isabeau, or Walpurgis! While it is true that it is thanks to his actions that Gladion, Guzma, and many a Team Skull grunt grew to become better versions of themselves, it's not, let's say, "stopping the apocalypse and bringing peace back to Alola" levels of karmic potential- that honor goes to Elio and Lillie.

Make no mistake, however- he would still end up as a formidable foe; someone capable of targeting large groups of people if he so desired. You have to remember that we're not just dealing with our energetic friend who is concealing the fact that dealing with a lot of shit in his mind with a smile on his face- we're dealing with the grandson of Melemele Island's Kahuna. Someone who, as Gladion had already stated, already holds so much potential; and Hau showcases his inner strength and discipline by managing to defeat the Elite 4 time and time again just for a chance to defeat the MC as the champion. (Plus, of all trainers, he's the one who gave me the most shit, both during normal gameplay and my failed Nuzlocke run. This child and his Raichu are spawns of Homucifer, I tell you-)

So, on a scale of Oktavia (was nuked by Homura single-handedly in one timeline within the PSP game) to Final!Gretchen, I'd say he's on a tier above Hungrige Pumpe and Box Wood. Of all witches, they're the ones who have showcased the ability to target multiple people at once on-screen while also managing to put up a serious fight when it came down to it. I would have mentioned H.N Elly, since she's showcased the same ability to influence multiple people into acts of grave harm, but she was sent to Hell and back by a solitary Sayaka Miki; she may been an intelligent and strategic witch, but she's not on the same tier as the other two aforementioned witches in my own opinion due to her lack of personal strength.

Now that the base appearance of his witch has been established and we got a good idea in regards to his power levels, let's take a step back and focus on his worldview, his mindset, his barrier. "The internal headspace of a magi before they turn into a witch". The world that does its best to keep their wounds open. What better way to keep on hurting poor Hau than by reminding him of all that he's lost?

"The salty breeze sang to me and brought me here to you!"

Once you enter their labyrinth, the first word that would come to your mind is "peaceful", if not "comforting". You arrive in a run-down Alolan home; all signs of human settlement have eroded away with time, seeing that the overgrown flora around you have long proclaimed this area as their new sanctuary. Soft sunlight shines through the countless cracks and particles of dust are dancing under its rays as you make your way through this strangely serene and calming manor; in spite of the destruction, amidst the debris and rubble, the flowers are in full bloom, and the air is just so fresh. It must be the dawn of spring.

As you traverse through the wreckage around you, past the lilies, debris, and worn-away furniture, you've finally managed to find it- a simple wooden door, with what you could assume is the warlock's whisper etched on to its middle. The exit. As you took note of the intricacies of the gate before you, you've finally realized exactly how floral the environment surrounding you appeared to be; if not for the plants growing around the destruction, then the designs present on the walls, furniture, and even the broken windows would have done the deed of invoking this imagery. Speaking of the aforementioned walls for a second, your eyes widened as realization dawned on you; they were a near-exact copy of those present within the ruins dedicated to the island guardians...

The beauty of your surroundings was almost haunting. You gulp down your anxieties as a sudden chill surrounds you...

This didn't feel right.

After taking in a couple of deep breaths - in...and out, in and out... -, you've finally mustered up the courage to open the wooden entrance. You had no idea what awaited you in the other side, and that alone was enough to petrify you; was it a continuation of these very ruins? A gentle daydream awaiting to be beheld? Or a nightmare just begging to be unleashed? You weren't sure- the possibilities were everywhere, and your mind was sent into a panic over the potential danger that's waiting for you just around the corner. Without thinking, you've grabbed on to the door and shoved-

A thick layer of fog covers the ground beneath you. The soft cracking of grass sounded...a bit too much like glass. The sun remained to be just as bright as you've first entered, and the wind appeared to be picking up its pace somewhat. A sudden sense of vertigo overcame you as you've stumbled out of the ruined home; you've felt your heart rapidly fluttering as you've tripped onto the ground nigh-instantly. After catching your breath whilst on your knees, you finally glance at the labyrinth surrounding you-

Stars shone from within your eyes as you beheld the scenery that was unfolding.

The mist reflected the brightness cast upon this small pocket dimension; cloaking the earth beneath you in a soft luminescence, like you're standing amidst the clouds. Ruins similar to the one you've emerged from are standing high and tall; almost completely reclaimed by nature itself, they have withstood the test of time and have become one with the environment around you. Only the graffiti that were long spray painted on the relics and even some of the boulders you came across were the only indicators of human tampering- aside from those, it's as if you've stumbled upon an untouched piece of the Garden of Eden itself, hidden away from the prying eyes of mankind. You could hear bird songs and the distant waves just up ahead; all you had to do was to continue walking down this wooden bridge before you.

You had no idea how you could describe it, but, ever since you've arrived here, you've felt...free; bewildered and unrestrained, like you could just jump around and run through the meadows while laughing without a care. A memory of a distant summer flashes in your mind; one of the last times you ever felt secure...that everyone was going to stay fine until time itself runs its course. Pure nostalgia.

The flora is blooming, the waters are crystal clear, and the ocean- oh, how calming it is. Truly, this must be heaven, right? After all, Hau didn't care about winning or losing- surely this trait must be carried over to his warlock form...or, one might hope so.

Craaack....

Fragile. Oh, it's all so very, very fragile- the leaves, the grass, and even the ground itself. What a clumsy mistake- a devastating, regretful, but overall clumsy mistake. Even the little birdies looked like they could shatter just by perching on your shoulder. With even just the tiniest amounts of pressure, you could feel everything before your fingertips turn into nothing but glittering shards carried by the wind.

How unfortunate. To strive on is to destroy. To express your thoughts and oneself is to risk harm to all that surrounds you. Wouldn't it be better if you were able to exist without posing the threat of destruction towards all you held dear? If you just...went with the flow?

Yeah; that way, you wouldn't hurt anyone. With this, the world can remain beautiful. Just lay back and go wherever the wind took you...

How...how long has it been since you've last touched the ground?

After what seemed like hours of wandering through this faux paradise, trying so hard to hold on to the will to resist the temptation of the gentle waves, the delicious aroma of freshly-made food, and the smiles of all who came before you, you find it; flying in the air like it was swimming without a care, dashing with those who were riding on the waterfalls present like it was a fun race- there was the warlock. After having its fun with the other visitors of the labyrinth, he finally took notice of the most recent newcomer- that being you. After flying gracefully towards your direction, he looked at you intently without even a hint of aggression behind those crystalline eyes; in fact, they appeared to be quite curious. The only action he had done was...pick you up by the collar of your shirt, fly towards what you assumed to be a festival going on, and place you down near a feast among the other visitors.

He didn't attack...far from it; your struggles and fears - both of which were fueled by uncertainty - have only granted you even more sympathy from the warlock. As you've descended from the highs of your worries, you began to almost feel bad for him- a rarity amongst his kind, his compassion didn't melt away even after he reborn as this...beast...

A voice snapped you out of your daydreams; must have been another one of his presumed "victims". Hah, for someone who had stumbled upon an ever-twisting maze of deceit and uncertainty, they sure appeared to be quite pollyanish, much like the rest of the group; they all appeared to be of good cheer, as if they didn't really care about the prospect of them being far away from their homes and loved ones. The person beckoned for you to join in on their banter if you'd like; there appeared to be so much that you could share with them, and the rest are dying to know how you've arrived here!

With a slight tinge of hesitation and worry, you shakily smiled and sat down with the rest. A festival like any other; even the jovial spirits around you made you feel quite homely...

Over time, you couldn't really recognize them by their faces anymore. All your mind was able to register was their laughter and blissful songs. Happiness and joy was all around you. Hours have gone by as you've spent them having a grand old time with the rest of the visitors through conversations, banter, and even games you've all participated in. Even the warlock joined in on your festivities; jumping up and down just like how a small child would! Throwing one of the fried pastries that you've found into the air, the dragon leapt and grabbed the snack with his jaw before digging in with a smile on his face, causing you to laugh right before he offered you another one of these delectable snacks after he was done chowing down on the grub you've given him.

The distant sounds of thunder echoed around you, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. The rest of the guests weren’t afraid at all of the storm, either; in fact, they seemed entranced by it, sharing you and the warlock's love for Mother Earth and her gifts.

Was this truly a labyrinth? Or have you stumbled upon Heaven itself?

The line between the two definitions have blurred in your mind.

As the winds picked up their pace and the torches scattered throughout the labyrinth began lit up, the deep orange hues of the sunset before you and the rest sure looked mesmerizing. What a way to end the day; lying down on the beach sands with the sight of this grand ocean before you all. You couldn't think of any other way there is to put an end to this wondrous event; it's just you, yourself, and the cool breeze surrounding you...a moment of true, undisturbed peace. You've never felt as relaxed and tranquil in your life as you have now.

The tides began to creep in. The warmth of the seawater felt...peaceful; welcoming, even.

You couldn't find any reason nor the willpower to keep your eyes open; even as the waters filled your lungs and dragged you down into its depths, you couldn't help but smile in peaceful, perhaps even cathartic, resignation...

As the skies above shifted to a cooler hue - heralding the arrival of the calming night -, all that remained were the ocean's waves, the endless sea foam, the towering flora, and the warlock of this labyrinth staring off into the distance in content. Now, nobody will have a reason to frown again. Nobody will have to feel lonely or left out anymore. They can become one with the calm waves. As the veil separating day and night faded slowly, the ocean hues sure resembled deep pools of viscera and gore as they reflected the skies above...

The thunderstorm surrounding his labyrinth continued to rage on; lightning strikes shone through the pitch black of the night, revealing the clouds' resemblance to the bars of an old, battered bird cage. Such a grand yet familiar sight did not cause the warlock's nostalgia and appreciation for what was around him to waver; such was the wonder of nature and the world around him, and now he and the others can bask in it forever...

With the dawn of a new day, came new visitors; new souls who have been lost for some time, those whose purposes have slipped from their fingers and were deemed to be outcasts by the public. The sight of their broken souls had granted them pity from the warlock- but he was there now. He'll make sure they won't have to continue living their lives in sorrow and stiffing regret. This is his sworn duty; to make sure they have at least be free from the burdens of everyday life; only then, will their souls be at rest, and they shall become one with the ocean's calm. Yeah, it was for their best interest...

This time, however, he noticed it; dark and messy hair, sunken and unblinking eyes, and a shining jewel that is as bright as the sun... As this newcomer unsheathed their weapon with great hesitation after he stared at Hau for so long, it became clear in the warlock's eyes that this was no new visitor, but an interloper; dead-set on destroying his sanctuary, the fruit born from the desires deep within his heart, and bringing everyone back to their miserable, stiffing lives.

The air crackled with electricity...he can't let them destroy all that he has built up over these months! He had failed in making the last intruder see that it would have been a lot better if it had accepted his offer and stared into the ocean's depths with him not too long ago; that there was no need for an island guardian in a piece of paradise like this labyrinth. He bared his teeth and shook his head- he really couldn't help but mess everything up again, huh? Why did he have to mess things up so?!

...No-

No. No. No! He wasn't going to let this happen! He was going to stand strong and defend this happy world, even if it killed him! He wasn't going to mess up and stand by this time-

He was not going to make the same mistake ever again...

He y e l l e d.

.

.

.

Last but not least, it's time to speculate on the shape of his witch's kiss/warlock's whisper. Within the canon of PMMM and its spinoffs, a witch's kiss usually represents a part of the witch (Oktavia), the witch themselves (too many to count atp), or a general symbol that represents them and their goals (Gretchen). For the longest time whilst writing this post, I've dreaded this segment the most- yes, I could have gone with a simplistic symbol and gotten over it, but I needed to make a symbol that captures the vibes of Hau; one that is welcoming and bright without losing its intimidating aura most witch's kisses possess.

After much agonizing and indecision, I've found myself face-to-face with the first aspect we have discussed earlier- dragons in ancient maps. As pretty and mystical as they appeared to be, they were there to symbolize danger above all else. A spark was lit in my head, and I've finally got it-

A simplistic dragon circling a large hibiscus flower; perching his head on it just like how a hummingbird would feed from flora. Parts of the flower possess patterns that resemble waves near the end; representing the end of those who dare step foot into his labyrinth. To top it off, it's drawn in a way that would absolutely fit on a kapa; fabric created by the native Hawaiians and is made by tree fibers. A simple drawing, yet it is one that invokes serenity and nature's terrifying grace...

-Witch Card-

Kealamauloa Kinimaka. The Warlock of Endless Horizons. Their nature is escapism. Floating high above and disconnected from his troubles, the warlock yearns for what lies beyond the homeland's shores. Wherever he soars, a trail of his inner-most sorrows glide alongside him and follow his every shift and turn, yet the warlock pays no heed towards them; so long as the sun's warm rays shine down upon his labyrinth and the soft chimes of the waves surround those around him, none of these complications shall ever hold their meanings in the end.

A gentle mist emits from his thunderous shell, cloaking the beach in a tranquil quiet. Going with the flow of the ocean breeze, he aims to bless those who enter his labyrinth with the most peaceful and exciting days of their fleeting lives, all so that everyone could rest by sunset and submerge themselves within the waters to become one with its calm, forever. That way, everyone can be together in one place. That way, everything will be harmonious and they don't have to feel independent sorrow anymore. That way, the warlock won't ever have to worry about anyone leaving and failing them ever again. Those who dare disrupt the peace and disturb the water's surface are pierced from behind a wall of fog.

(Initially, I wanted to go for a naming convention that wouldn't feel out of place from either Kazumi or Tart Magica; after all, as someone who is passionate about worldbuilding, I was at awe over how the names of witches differ from city to city and have evolved over time. During this post's earlier days as a draft, I've figured that perhaps Alola must have a similar naming convention; to dub witches as forces of nature rather than simple malevolent entities or souls trapped in eternal torment)

(While I was thinking of a name for Hau's warlock, however, problems have begun popping up like dandelions on a sidewalk; my knowledge of Hawaiian as a language is...minimal, to say the least. Using Google Translate was a terrible option as well; if I cannot trust it with the Arabic language, then I have no hopes in regards to its treatment of this endangered language. During the early stages of this concept's lifespan, the warlock's name was 'O Kekahi Lā ʻŌpua, which was supposed to mean "Another cloudy day". I am aware that this is not a decent translation at all; and I sincerely apologize for my lack of knowledge in regards to the Hawaiian language. Fuck Google Translate, all my homies hate that shit.)

(After that idea was canned and thrown away, I've turned my gaze towards notable figures present in the history of Hawai'i, and eventually came across David Leleo Kinimaka; a descendant of Hawaiian nobility and the hanai (adoptive) brother of King Kalākaua - the final monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai'i -. It is also important to note that his paternal grandparents consisted of two high chiefs - Kapiiwi of Kaʻū and Kahikoloa of Maui -, and he was the first to lay down his weapons and surrender his post during the mutiny of 1873 in opposition to the suggestion of having to return to working under the Hungarian captain at the time, Joseph Jajczay; tying in to both Hau's heritage, his conflict-avoidant ways, and his desire to do what's right. He dies after falling off his horse in 1884 while he was on the way to Kaumalumalu, which brings Hau's attempts at training himself to ride his tauros in mind and become an expert at it like Hala. In 2013, hundreds of his descendants returned to 'Iolani Palace for a luau in celebration of their family's history and heritage.)

(As for his first name, Kealamauloa, it means "path to eternity", which fits Hau's journey quite well! As well as the whole...you know...turning his victims in ocean water a la End of Evangelion... Look, he didn't get the title of Warlock of Endless Horizons for the vibes alone. On the one hand, there is the vast world out there and his eagerness to experience what lies beyond the Alolan skies, and, on the other, his warlock heralds the death of his victims' individuality; making them become one with the labyrinth itself as they and the warlock travel endlessly together so that they could keep on exploring all these regions and learn more about these places and themselves.)

-Familiars-

Halia. Minions of the Warlock of Endless Horizons, whose duty is to make memories. A conversation by the side of the street, warm and delicious food to mark the passage of time, catharsis achieved at the end of one's personal journey; as long as the labyrinth remains unbroken and everyone has a reason to smile, these familiars have no reason not to beam with satisfaction. Such fragile creatures; their brilliant, crystalline feathers refracts the sun's light into a spectrum of colors none has ever seen, even as they break into glittering shards and dust.

Once the visitors are the happiest they've ever been, it is time to herald the end of the day; chanting as the sun's warm hues begin to disappear by the ocean's edge. Unfortunately, these minions do possess the tendency to wander on their own in search of others to guide and explore what's outside this labyrinth.

(Initially, I had the idea of the malasada shops and comfort food in mind; visiting every one of them was his own "personal island challenge" as some sort of point of motivation or something to spice up his journey. Having a celebratory feast of his favorite comfort food is also his way of heralding every step he's taken forwards.)

(After thinking about it, though, I believe these familiars represent two things; the roles every other adult had on Hau's life, and his desire to help others lead better lives. Of course, it becomes quite ironic when you recall Hau's desire for new experiences, and the fact that these familiars do their best to make you feel as comfortable as possible would kinda hinder that; reflecting his initial approach to the island challenge to a T.)

(They also represent Hau's sorrow towards those who have left him - how he must have felt like everything he did to Lillie and especially Gladion just meant nothing in the end -, and how it clashes with his desire to leave Alola and see the other regions that are just at his fingertips. Look, if Sayf has Oktavia vibes, then Kealamaoloa here deserves to have a bit of Kriemhild's drip, as a treat...actually, they might get along, come to think of it.)

(On top of that, the name, Halia, means "rememberance of a loved one", and it sure does sound a lot like "Hala", doesn't it? Guess he's still subconsciously craving his grandfather's comfort, protection, and guidance, even in this form...)

-Inspirations-

In-canon:

The Alola starters- especially Decidueye, his signature pokemon in the anime

Alolan Raichu and its dex entry

The Ruins of Conflict

Iki Town

Hau'oli City

His dad and Lillie leaving for Kanto, both for reasons pertaining their own parents

How he and his Primarina would target us during the Aether raid; using a Z-Move, no less (I wish I was joking; look it up)

Outside influences:

The Ocean of LCL from the End of Evangelion. ah, yes, the depressed ocean

Dvalin, aka. Stormterror, and the Millennial Pearl Seahorse from Genshin Impact

The Prophecy of Fontaine and Navia's Trial from Genshin Impact

How compasses utilize the Earth's magnetic field to function

The Diverge by Jack Stauber

Joubutsu 2000 from Taiko no Tatsujin (specifically for his Descent to Despair)

The cover of Hitorinbo Envy by Madotsuki@ (same as the above)

Nocturne op.9 No.2 by Chopin (ditto)

Everything about Sayori from DDLC

The Auroboa from Flight Rising

The summer versions of the doppels from the MagiReco game

The Other Side of Paradise by Glass Animals

Hotel California by Eagles

The Ba'al Bosses - specifically Goldie and Turtle Dove - from Bravely Default

The Zenith of Monsterkind from Undertale Yellow and her demise

The Light Dragon from the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

-Closing Statements-

FOUR MONTHS! THIS HAD NO RIGHT TO TAKE FOUR MONTHS OUT OF MY FUCKING LIFE!

Am I sad over how he wasn't utilized to his fullest potential by both the manga and anime? Yes. Yes, I am.

Am I still gonna smack (read: block) whoever dares to slander his character and reduce him as a happy-go-lucky dumbass who does nothing but eat malasadas all day? Oh, no fucking shit I will-

So, here we are! The third entry on our witch list, and first ever of 2024! GOD, I am just...so, so happy with how far this series has come along, and am grateful for all the people I have met along the way through them! I will say, trying to see how Hau would fall into despair without making it too similar to either Hop's or Medic's was quite challenging, but I wouldn't have managed to do so without ya'll's help!!

No. Seriously. If not for my good chums, @bluethepearldiver and @anemonether, this wouldn't have turned out the way it did; the former assisting me greatly with his magi outfit (her idea of incorporating jester themes with his current ranger suit in the form of a happy mask), and the latter with the latter half of his witch card. Please, for goodness' sake, go and support them- please please PLEASE!

Now to answer the question everyone must have on their minds right now- "Why?" Why did I go through all this? Above and beyond just for the sake of manifesting one pure malasada boi's struggles and history into physical forms? Why am I so dead-set on psycho-analyzing these rivals to a T? Is it spite towards the fandom? Pride? Curiosity?

Well, you're not wrong by assuming that spite is definitely one of the reasons here, but it's also due to the fact that I just adore everything about the seventh generation of Pokemon; I'm talking the games, the anime, the 'mons introduced, the lore- you name it! God knows how much joy and comfort this generation's given me while I was facing adversities in life, so I hope that, by dissecting one of our rivals' goals and psyche, I am doing it a sort of justice; for the times I went through - both good and bad -, for the wonderful people I've met through out love for the games, and for the smiles it has provided me through tears.

In a sense, you could say that this post is just one love letter to this generation I have in mind out of many.

Before we bid our goodbyes and close yet another marvelous chapter...I do want to point out a certain elephant in the room; the red herring that has been looming over me as I was writing this, the air of dread that surrounded me with each letter printed down- a certain accumulation of untold secrets and questions begging for their accompanying answers...

Alola; an island full of color and warmth, a hallmark of humanity's cooperative nature, and the very lifeblood of many of our memories and achievements- is it any wonder to any of us to see that even such a peaceful region like this one has its own share of secrets? Z-moves, Z-power, the tapus, and even its people; just what exactly is lying beneath its captivating exterior?

Ladies, gents, and those who have abandoned this feeble concept known as "gender"-

We're gonna talk about Alola's Island Guardians - the infamous Tapu quartet -, the effects of Z-Power on Soul Gems and witches, and the culprit behind all these strings of disasters, Umber.

So, from what we have seen in Hau's Descent to Despair, not only were we finally given the name of this universe's incubator species, but also the revelation that the Tapus are aware of the witch system. From Tapu Koko's sorrow and reluctance to fight the young child's tormented form, we could see that even the tapus partake in these witch hunts- though it appears that the deity of conflict is more sympathetic to these monstrosities than some magi themselves.

Makes sense, doesn't it? Their whole deal is the safety of their respective islands, even if it came at the cost of some pesky human lives (full respect to Tapu Bulu there; I'd be pissed as hell if someone had built a SUPERMARKET over ruins that hold great historical and religious value to the natives, even if I wasn't a deity myself). The reactions of each Tapu for when it comes to having to deal with these witches, though, varies depending on their personalities. Aside from Tapu Koko, I could also see Fini being somewhat remorseful over the fates of the magi who have fallen to the curses of this world; their souls are far beyond salvation, and whatever they've managed to channel from the grief seeds they've collected are the agonized, repeating screams of the people they used to be...

Speaking of, I'm still unsure on what they'd do with the grief seeds they've accumulated over time; my best guess is that most of them would gift them to magi who are doing what's best for the islands and aren't causing too much harm to the living beings around them, but, in Tapu Lele's cause, I could see them hoarding grief seeds instead- just another act of Lele's classical sadism, it seems. At least, thanks to Tapu Lele's healing scales, the grief seeds aren't prone to hatching on their own; they're sort of kept in a stasis when around'em, so that rules out the possibility of them hatching in the Ruins of Life, I suppose.

This brings us right to the topic of Z-moves and what role they might serve in a hypothetical PMMM/PKMN AU. You see, a magi's region of origin tends to hold a degree of influence over their powers, strengths, and, of course, how their witches would interact with the world outside of their labyrinths. When it comes to Z-Power, as it was presented to us in the anime, we can see that it is shared between trainer and Pokemon; it allows them to be in sync with one's emotions and powers- highlighting Alola's main theme of "togetherness" and "bonds".

That is not all there is to Z-Power, as well, for there is a reason as to why I highlighted the anime especially; as presented to us in "Filling the Light with Darkness", it is shown that, when Necrozma had drained the region from its Ultra Aura, the adults present became lethargic, which proves to us that perhaps the adults are a lot more dependent on this energy than the kids. In my hypothesis, I believe that the children of Alola are capable of living without much Ultra Aura surrounding them because they are capable of producing more energy than an adult; they haven't lived long enough to become fully dependent on this power, hence why Necrozma's little transgression didn't affect them.

But what does this have to do with the witches? How is it that when Lusamine (or Necrozma, if we're going by USUM canon) had opened all these Ultra Wormholes across all of Alola that humans were able to see witches all around them and vice versa?

The answer to that, my friends, is a mixture of consequences that came with this one event; the barrier that separates Alola between all these dimensions going haywire, light frequencies being thrown off-whack, and how witches are already not too dissimilar to humans or even Totem Pokemon in the above regards-

You've heard me right; everyone in the region possesses a degree of Z-Power, and that includes the witches. This helps explain a number of peculiarities that are unique to the witches of Alola; how they are more in-tune with the physical world than the rest, and how, instead of treating one another with aggression over them stumbling into their labyrinths, are more than likely to ally with one another to take down any and all magi who dare trespass into their domains. I have a long list of differences the witches of each region possess that is still a work in progress.

This isn't the only Z-power related anomaly that is exclusive to Alola, however...

By activating a Z-move and syncing your heart with that of your pokemon's, the two of you are able to unleash the energy you are sharing and strike a devastating blow against your opponent. For when it comes to magi, however, and when they possess a degree of corruption in their soul gems- you've guessed it, they unleash their Doppels.

Unlike the doppels present in Magia Record, it isn't automatic nor is it caused by some purification system set up by a bunch of cultists; this is due to the aforementioned connection that's established by trainer and 'mon that allows them to share their powers momentarily. While your doppel appears to be rather normal and close to how your witch form would appear if you were to use a Normalium-Z, they'd also adopt additional traits if other types of Z-crystals were brought in; usage of Waterium-Z would give it a more aquatic look, Fairium-Z grants it an appearance that would fit a fairytale or even an old legend passed from one generation to the next, etcetera.

Of course, and this might be the biggest drawback to this system, this does NOT completely cleanse the soul gem, either; rather, it creates an equilibrium of hopes and curses between the trainer and their pokemon. You might feel a little better after unleashing that titan of an attack, but your partner 'mon would NOT. An issue regarding ethics and sacrifice is now on the table; are you truly willing to sacrifice your Pokemon's health and happiness just to prolong your own life? Or are you willing to turn the world asunder just to make sure your team is at least free from the suffering?

As for Umber...

What else hasn't already been said about the incubators themselves? Truly they are the worst of the worst manipulators in all of anime history; their intents may be noble once we step back and glance at the bigger picture at hand, but the tragedy of each individual life holds heavy weight on one's consciousness- which makes the incubators' inability to even care for those who placed great trust in them all the more appalling. It isn't any shocker seeing that Umber here is a lot less picky for when it comes to Magi candidates than its canonical counterpart, Kyubey; as a matter of fact, aside from emotions and karma, another aspect that Umber takes into account is the strength of a person's ambitions- a desire so deep and moving that it drives them to sway or even challenge the very narrative itself.

Make no mistake, however; unlike Kyubey, who appears to be a hivemind yet is, at the day's end, just an alien species that could get wiped out (even if it is hard as hell, according to Urobutcher), Umber is...more like a part of the universe itself. A shred of its code; a program present to keep the OS running efficiently and smoothly. What the trainers perceive as "Umber" is merely an avatar of this extradimensional being- you strike one down, it's as troublesome as a system lag in their eyes(?).

In regards to their appearance, I'm still working on it; for now, my biggest inspirations are the Roaring Titans from Deltarune, the butterfly of death and rebirth, and the general aesthetics that come with anything related to computer science and the cyberpunk genre. Perhaps this little critter is unsettling and does invoke the imagery of the stars, but the form we see is undearing enough for them to be considered an ally- a guide- or a friend, even.

There's a lot more that needs to be said in regards to Umber - namely the fate of the witches whose grief seeds it incinerates, and the cycle of pain and despair it brings just to fuel the universe's cogs and springs -, but it appears that our time is running low. To answer this one inevitable question, though-

No. Umber is not a Pokemon. It is the furthest thing from a comprehensible living organism. They exist as a piece of the universe; they do live, eat, breathe, and chatter like us, but they are also disconnected from reality as a whole. They're an anomaly to our perception of reality, they're a deity whose mentions are scrubbed clean from any and all records-

They are, without a doubt, far beyond our mere comprehension. A concept that is eternally far of our reach. A missing number, if you will.

Before we leave and close this chapter for good, I believe I should come clean; I am more than aware that the time taken writing this post has been far too long, and I have kept ya'll waiting for quite the stretch of time. While it has been due to my laptop's fucked up keyboard and writer's block, I felt like I have done ya'll a great disservice with this wait! So, to make up for lost time, and with great thanks to @superstaridolstart for a lot of key elements (especially the Z-Crystals for eyes), I bring you all a first in my series of crossover witch analyses-

Concept art!

And let's not forget Super Star's concept made during this post's early days that helped inspire me while I was finalizing the design; seriously, I cannot thank them enough, and would appreciate it if ya'll went ahead to support them!

(please don't mind my horrible handwriting; I am aware that I cannot write with ink...)

While they're not indicative of the current final design - once more, I must mention the Auraboas -, they sure as hell helped immensely with coming up of the clearer picture of what I wanted to aim for. Again, please please PLEASE send all your support to Super Star there! They're also working on a Magical Girl AU of their own, so please send them all the comments and reblogs you could give- they deserve it! ;W;

As for the finalized color palette, once more, I need to thank Flight Rising here for helping me tremendously, because I've managed to make a mockup using the site's "Predict Morphology" feature that not only depict the colors I had in mind almost-perfectly, but they are also closer to the final appearance save for the shell and the Z-Crystal eyes;

(Genes present are Umber Python, Buttercup Weaver, and Jungle Thorns. Eyes are Faceted Light)

So, with all that said and done, I believe it is high time for me to take my leave- I wish the best for you all, and bid you Alola!

...Oh, right, how rude of me- of course you can take the malasadas to go- as much as you need! It does my heart good that you enjoyed my work so much, and I'm more than delighted to see everyone's content smiles when reading these essays of mine!

Tell you what? Because you guys have been there for me for so long, I suppose I should bring some heartwarming, delicious curry for all of us to enjoy next time.

[maxineryx]

Before you continue, I have came to inform you that this includes anime and manga spoilers (chapter 236 onwards). Thanks for reading :)

—————————————————

In a Field of Sunflowers

After a long, exhausting fight, Yuuji finally has a chance to rest in your warm presence.

Pairing: Yuuji Itadori x reader

Wc: 1.8k

Warnings & tags: death, blood, regret, self-hate, hurt/comfort

An earthy aroma stuck in the air as multiple patches of tall and bright sunflowers stretched across the green meadow. A light breeze played around with the flowers and grass, slithering around anything in its way. There were a couple of trees that surrounded the meadow, but they were only a tiny speck compared to the ginormous grassy hills in the distance, overlooking and shielding the land in front. The green land was completely covered in yellow, and the clear sky above looked almost dreamy, a very nice shade of blue and a tint of purple. It was entirely devoid of human nature, as if it was an undiscovered place yet to come across.

That was until a bright ball, whiter than the whitest snow, brighter than the sun, appeared out of thin air amidst the sunflowers, slowly growing and reshaping itself to what seemed to be a person. Once it was done, the ball was long gone, and there was now a boy, with a slightly translucent body, as if he was still adjusting to the scene. The sunflowers that surrounded him twinkled and glowed happily.

However, he was anything but happy.

He was none other than Yuuji Itadori, who had a deep wound piercing his abdomen. Although he was in a peaceful setting, blood trickled from the wound, from his nose, and mouth. His clothes were ripped in many places, revealing old and new scars on his body, and his already bruised fingers were still curled into fists. The flowers around him appeared to have noticed his raging demeanour and slowly cowered, returning to their dull yellow colour. Yuuji’s eyes were full of hatred as he froze completely, looking around, taking in the scene surrounding him. His ragged breathing gradually regulated, unclenching his fists. He looked down at his wound, blinking in confusion at how it didn’t hurt when his cold fingers came in contact with the injury. The breeze from before came back, dancing with his hair, calming his heartbeat down. That’s when he took a step, and then another, not necessarily knowing where he was heading, but something in his mind told him to go onward.

Yuuji trudged through the thick patches of yellow, the sunflowers brushing against his dirtied clothes, legs about to surrender due to exhaustion. Then, as he spotted something peculiar in the distance amongst the flowers, his eyes widened as one thought raced through his mind. However, it was too impossible to believe yet. He moved forward again, but this time even faster as if the weariness was never there to begin with.

There he stood motionless, staring at the person in front of him, and he had to blink a couple of times to make sure it wasn’t his eyes deceiving him.

It was you. Staring up at the dreamy blue sky with a carefree expression, sitting on the soft grass with yellow flowers surrounding you. This was definitely a dream. And as much as he wished it wouldn’t be, Yuuji was certain it was one. Just another one of those dreadful nightmares disguised as dreams.

And that's when you turned your head towards him and the breeze slightly ruffled your hair but he still thought you looked beautiful nethertheless, dream or not. He had many dreams of you before, and somehow all of them had their own versions of how you looked like. Sometimes you were short, sometimes tall, sometimes you had green eyes, and sometimes you had no eyes at all.

Your eyes, these eyes, twinkled as you studied him, scanning over his deep wounds, and in an instance they were gone. Yuuji stared at his stomach in awe. Now it all felt so real, too real for it to be a dream. Although you managed to heal his injuries, he could see how your eyes flashed with concern. Then you smiled genuinely, and turned your head back to the scene laid ahead of you. You took a deep breath.

“I knew you’d come.” You spoke softly, looking down at the sunflowers that waved around in the breeze, “It started to get lonely out here.” He remained silent, eyes wide open and full of doubt.

“[Y- Y/N]-“ Yuuji took a deep breath, “This can’t be real— Sukuna is playing with me again.”

“No, Yuuji. It’s me, [Y/N].” You sighed, a pang of sorrow filled your heart at how much he must have been through when you weren’t there, “Thi-“

“Take me back.” He cut you off and demanded. You froze. Perhaps he was still unsure if this was the real you.

“Yu-“

“They need me- I was already too much of a burden, I can’t let anyone else die because of me.” His voice cracked and fresh tears rolled down his face, lip slightly quivering. Your heart broke as he continued to speak, “I can’t let Sukuna win. He has to die-“

“Yuuji.” You stood up and moved your hands to his face, cupping his cheeks, wiping the tears away with your thumbs. Then, you moved your hand to the back of his head and brought it down so that he could cry into your shoulder. And he did. His spare hands that dangled loosely found their way to your clothes, gripping onto you as if his life depended on it. You whispered to him, “Ask anyone you want, and they’ll tell you the truth. You’re not a burden. You’ve done so much to help everyone. I’m so proud of you, don’t you ever forget that.” He continued to weep until his eyes could bear no more, moving his face slightly away, gazing tiredly into your loving eyes. You took his hand gently in yours and sat down on the soft sunflowers with him, the sun above you shining brightly.

Yuuji turned to you and brought his healed hand to your face, yet so gently as if he was afraid of damaging you, because his hands were a murderous weapon. “You are real…”

You chuckled, feeling how your heart skipped a beat at his touch. “I am.”

The sunflowers watched this exchange between two lovers and danced with happiness.

“I missed you.” His voice cracked as he looked down, recalling all the memories, “I missed you so much that sometimes I’d cry at night because I slowly started to forget what you looked like. Sometimes you’d visit me in my dreams and when I woke up I felt even worse. I wanted to see you, touch you, feel you again.”

“I know.”

You then patted your lap, signalling Yuuji to lay his head down, and so he did, and you gently ran your fingers through his hair. You two sat in silence, only accompanied by the vibrant flowers and the delicate breeze.

There was so much that you wanted to tell him. For a few days, weeks, months, you don’t really know, you’ve sat and watched him as his heart gradually grew colder soon after witnessing your death, and all the others. It pained you too much to see him like that, the traces of his bright personality and smile long gone, yet knowing that if you hadn’t died so carelessly perhaps even a little of his old self would still be there.

You had fallen in Shibuya, not long after Nobara did.

In front of him.

You could still vividly remember his shocked face, hearing his heart shatter into pieces and his broken voice as he called out your name— if you had gotten more time then you would have told him those three words but you were already long gone.

And when you opened your eyes, you were met with the breath-taking view, but if you hadn’t just died, perhaps you would have payed more attention to it.

Angry, tired, and upset, you wandered around until you spotted Nobara, who was also sitting in the same exact spot he had found you later.

You squeezed her so hard, and the both of you cried out of happiness.

Then, one by one, other sorcerers, close and not so close to you, showed up, until there were so many that you grew irritated. Irritated because Yuuji was still fighting, him thinking that he needed to fight until he had Sukuna’s head. Irritated because you just wanted to see him, to be in his presence.

After a few weeks, everybody left the sunflower field and headed together into the forest, hearing that there was a peaceful village past the land of dark green. Only you were left. The others offered you many times to come, yet you insisted on staying and watching your boyfriend fight. You couldn’t even leave, praying and hoping that his pain would soon be over. And as soon as it was, you awaited his presence, a little nervous, and fresh sorrow deep in your heart.

You knew that he changed, hell, you even faced the possibility of him not loving you anymore, or knowing that you’d never get the old Yuuji back. It pained you so, but you'd do anything for him, even waiting for him, no matter how long. Because you loved Yuuji Itadori so much.

But now you’re pretty sure he still felt the same towards you, with the way he looked up at you from your lap, with love and tears in his eyes as you continued to run your fingers through his slight dirtied hair.

“Um… did you…” He started, blinking tiredly as your fingers worked magic. “Did you… did you see the others…?” You immediately knew who he was referring to by his quiet tone, and you chuckled because this was the same old Yuuji, asking if his close ones were okay before caring about himself. It seemed that your touch and voice slowly managed to soften his heart again and calm the raging storm in his head.

You nodded. “Junpei, Namamin, Kugisaki—“ He sniffled, bottom lip quivering as you continued to say their names. “—Fushiguro, Gojo… and everyone else… they’re all here. Safe. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

There were tears streaming down his face, and you leaned down, pressing a sweet, feathery kiss to his cheek, talking to him soothingly and healing his heart ever so slowly, but efficiently. The boundless bright sun shining proudly above, happily as you looked up at it, the tall flowers that surrounded you swaying from side to side.

And when you looked down again, your heart skipped a beat at the sight of your adorable boyfriend sleeping so peacefully, gentle breaths escaping past his lips, and you hoped that he dreamt of only nice things. Even though you knew that his normal youth was already long gone, that you wouldn’t be able to fix it, one thing you did know was that you’d always be there for him whenever he needed you. This time there was nothing that could have disturbed you two.

“Sleep, Yuuji.” You whispered, caressing his head gently. “It's your turn to rest now. I'll be here when you wake up.”

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A/N: After watching the new eps, and reading the manga, I realised that the actual villain is Gege. And so, for all the Yuuji lovers, I hope I eased your pain with this fic, there will be more along the way.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

This week has not been awesome but thank the lords of bl for Cherry Magic, because I haven't met a bad mood that a japanese bl cannot help.

So, I was thinking about writing something when all versions of Cherry Magic finished airing but this episode of the anime was too interesting for me, so I thought I'd share.

[spoilers for episode 3 of the anime]

There's been a lot said about the changes made for Thai version so I don't think it's necessary to mention them all. I already said something about the umbrella change being my favourite as well as the fact that Karan can't sing. Another big change that happened on the latest episode of the anime was the missing bus scene. If you watched the Thai version you know the one. That scene is not in the Japanese live version or the anime, but it is in the manga. Slightly different of course, in the manga the excuse that Kurosawa uses to change seats with Rokakku is that a girl has a crush on him so he should sit with her. But still, I find it interesting that in this particular case the Thai version was the closest of all to the source material.

In the anime the trip is not really a trip, more of a get together and they also change the Rokakku scene that in the manga happens on the bus ( Rokakku is feeling car sick and that's when Adachi gives him some anti-nausea meds) but in the anime happens like the Japanese live version, over a work dinner.

I did however enjoyed that they kept the sauna scene pretty much loyal to the manga, because as much as I laughed out loud at that scene in the Thai version, the manga/anime version I find much more interesting. Kurosawa basically having to confront the fact that Adachi is a man and his own thoughts surrounding his attraction.

This is actually one of the many reasons the manga Kurosawa is my favourite, because we get much more insight into him and his attraction to Adachi.

But yeah, this episode of the anime is the first that starts to deviate from the manga and I wonder if that's going to continue because I was really looking forward to seeing some of the manga scenes in the anime and now I don't know what to expect.

Still, in case it wasn't obvious, I'm having a great time with all these versions and I can't believe we get so much Adachi and Kurosawa.

[buffyfan145]

Major Spoiler Warning!!!

Now with the spoilers confirming we're getting multiple versions of Sauron in season 2 of "Rings of Power" and the actor's name, I think we Haladriel shippers need to figure out what to call the new pairing as I'm sure some of us will ship Galadriel with Gavi's version of Sauron too and there will be others within the shippers that don't because it's not Halbrand (even though it is LOL). Reminds me a lot of "Doctor Who" and other fandoms where this happens. To me Haladriel is only with Charlie's Halbrand version of Sauron, Saurondriel is with every form of Sauron (but I also don't like using this as I know Sauron himself hated that name which is why lately I just refer to him as Halbrand or Mairon LOL), and then Martanis is Mairon and Galadriel/Artanis but it's highly unlikely the show can use that name even though Gavi's version is supposed to be this version. I've also written Mairon in all my fics looking like Charlie/Halbrand too so that's going to be confusing in the future. It's also likely Gavi's Sauron is also the Annatar version (Annadriel?), as they're doing a version of that storyline, but again we don't know if they can use that name and it could be a brand new name. So things are going to get complicated (and even more if there's more actors and animal forms LOL) and I guess we'll likely use different ship tags for each form and then use Saurondriel for a tag for all of them. But I've also already seen posts shipping Galadriel with both versions at the same time too. LOL 😏

ETA: Also want to point out that when I mean about Saurondriel I'm also talking about other formats the LOTR has been adapted to as well, as this to me also covers the book versions as well as Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch's versions from the films too (as I've actually seen fanart and fics now with their versions).

ETA 2: Adding on again that I also meant this post for myself incase I and others need to block the ship tag for this other version. I don't know how I'll feel about this till it airs and I'm open to shipping Galadriel with all of Sauron's forms but in case I don't I want to block the ship and not the actor's name as that's not fair to him.

[illamda-spaminations]

Screenshots I took when playing Ace Attorney Investigations :D [Part 4]

turnabout reminiscences screenshots weeeeee

Spoilers incoming btw!!

Part 1/2

Beautiful victim name

AA never disappoints!!!!

"Ouch my right shoulder"

LMAO GET HIS ASS KAY!!

Also little Kay looks SO CUTE I CAN'T-

*proceeds to yell*

It's been one minute and I love her already

Live laugh love von Karma sibling moments

I love these two SO much it's insane

Detective Badd being their babysitter is also just *chef's kiss*

BRATWORTH USES A FEATHER PEN??? WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS????????

I like it when AA throws random details like this around. My inner analyst cries from joy lol

Anyway, Bratworth hc: he's attention starved [I am totally not projecting]

Gotta commend Edgeworth for pointing out the obvious

..Aren't you a defense attorney??

The way he said it so slowly.. Honey you're traumatized get help

"You're not the clown, you're the entire circus." ahh comment

Idk why but this scene strikes me as pretty ooc of Manfred, like he's not the type to directly go and say stuff to people's faces like that, at least any one that isn't a defense attorney. I think it would be more accurate to say "It's worthless to work on a case like this" or smth like that. Maybe it's because I'm working with the anime's version of Manfred who knows

Franzy defending Miles is really cute I love that

New hc: Callisto Yew's coping mechanism is laughing

BRATWORTH NOOOOOO YOU'RE HURTING YOU DAD

Aaaaanndddd that's about the first part of this post :D I'm actually having fun?? Whoa.

I love Callisto Yew she's soooo much fun, I too love bullying Bratworth. Detective Badd is also pretty neat I really like his vibes, his theme is so nice. I hope I get to see little Kay more she's so adorableeee I can't- Franzy is also so cute, she was almost exactly how I thought she would be lol. The Judge was stupid as always and overall the case is good [so far at least]

Anyway, I need to advance more in the case I'll see ya later >:] *disappears into thin air*

[frankencanon]

Why did I choose these characters specifically? Click the read more to find out.

Also, I made an alternate version of this poll without Robin and Nami so more of the other characters can have a chance — link here.

---

All of these characters (except for Uta) were taken from the seventh official One Piece popularity poll — which was also the first ever global popularity poll and the first to accept online votes.

Unfortunately, not everyone could be included as there were a total of twenty women in the top one hundred (not even mentioning Uta who wasn't an option then since Film: Red didn't come out until almost two years later).

I tried to go with characters that were recurring or are part of a currently or recently airing arc, such an Wano, the Reverie/Levely, and Whole Cake Island — plus the island we're currently docked on in the manga, which I will not mention by name just in case it's considered a spoiler.

---

And before anyone mentions Yamato: irregardless of the debate on Yamato's gender identity, it is canon that he prefers to be referred to as the son of Kaido and grouped together with men rather than women, such as in the case of the bathhouse scene.

Thus I believe it's safe to say that if we could ask Yamato whether or not he'd like to be included in the Women's Poll, he'd most likely say, "No."

---

Additional info on individual characters:

※Note: Blue Boxes are safe for Anime-Only fans, but Purple Boxes contain Manga Spoilers. Read at your own risk.

---

Edit: My sister may have had a point when she told me I shouldn't include Nami and Robin because they'd totally dominate the votes...

Currently working on OP Ladies' Popularity Poll: Version 2 now, I guess.

Edit2: It is complete:

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA - Episode 2: Warriors (1/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous/next>

Starting off with one of Zuko's tantrums was such a good choice. In the first couple episodes of the animated show, Zuko's frustrations at having lost the Avatar blow up all the time and it was great to see that represented - with the additional depth of him explaining exactly why he was so upset: the greatest warrior of all time was a 'coward' and ran. It gives the audience a great view of what Zuko values and how his expectations have been rocked, and therefore his world view being shifted. Iroh comes in to ease his discomfort and reassure him that it was Zuko's positive qualities that helped him find the Avatar and there is hope that he'll find him again. Hope is such an important theme in the whole series and I'm glad the live-action is focusing on it just as much for the 'villains' as they are for the 'heroes'.

For anyone still complaining about 'expositional dialogue', go back and watch S1E3 of the animated show, specifically (though really just rewatch the entire thing) and come back and tell me that wasn't waaayyy more egregious expositional dialogue than the live-action. Like I said in another post: expositional dialogue is NOT BAD, especially at the beginning of a fantasy story. We have to figure out the basics of the characters somehow and 'showing' isn't always possible or the best choice. Scrub the idea that 'telling instead of showing is bad writing' out of your mind, because it's almost guaranteed you're thinking of that advice so incredibly incorrectly that it's ruining your ability to consume media like a normal human being.

I like how Sokka and Katara are taking whether or not to leave their village for good seriously - especially Sokka, he was put in charge - it makes sense that he'd have to be convinced that abandoning his people is the best thing to do. In the first episode of the animated series, when Katara first discovers Aang is an airbender, she's ecstatic that she's finally found a teacher - and even makes to abandon her village in her desire to go find herself a master so she can learn more waterbending - we see that desire here at the beginning of the live-action episode 2 where she tells Sokka she can't just abandon this journey she's started - yes she wants to save the world, but she also wants to see where her waterbending journey can take her.

Also love the change that Gran Gran gave Katara the waterbending scroll - one that had been passed down in their tribe for generations before having to hide it from the fire nation. This hearkens to real-life examples of invaders trying to destroy the cultures of the indigenous population and them having to hide ancestral artefacts so they wouldn't get destroyed. While the pirates are a fun little side-quest and there's some excellent Zutara fodder there, I think it's a lot more impactful to have Katara learning waterbending from a cultural artefact right from her own family rather than a scroll stolen from who-knows-where. The pirates really only come back up to 'kill' Zuko at the end of the season, so that was easily folded into someone else having the blasting jelly.

Aang giving Gyatzo as good of a burial as he can was also a wonderful touch. This is all fresh for him - giving the Air Nomads he grew up with a respectful send off was the least he could do. It shows that Aang thinks about the little things, the small acts he can do to show respect and care for the world - just like the peaceful, nature loving monk we know from the animated series.

The real plot of the whole show isn't revealed in the animated version until we meet Bumi in episode 5 - I think it makes sense that, starting at the end of episode 1 of the live-action, we already get what the show is going to be about. It isn't until episode 7 of the animated series - when Aang sees the burned forest - that the idea of 'figuring out how to be the avatar' is mentioned and even after that, it's not until episode 8 where the comet time line is established and Aang even begins to think about learning to waterbend. But still, the goal of 'master the Avatar state and learn the four elements' is pretty vague and there are a lot of ways to accomplish that. Introducing the timely need to get to the Northern Water Tribe to help them with the fire nation attack gives the plot direction and purpose while still allowing for many events to happen along the way. The meandering quality of the first half of the animated season 1 is one of the most criticized parts of the OG series and the writers didn't even know what the story was going to be when they wrote those, so it makes sense that with the hindsight of the whole series in mind, the live-action would give it a bit more direction. Putting one time-sensitive task in front of Aang at a time also helps with the story structure, so I get why they first made the goal 'Northern Water Tribe', and only after they complete that timed goal will they introduce the comet.

It's great to see Iroh's love of food and interacting with the average people in every place they travel to is still a big part of his character. And Zuko sulking behind him telling him they don't have time for all this is just ripped right from the animated series. Dallas Liu and Paul Sun--Hyung Lee brought those aspects of the characters to life beautifully. Something I've seen is people upset that Zuko isn't as 'cool and calculating' as he is in the animated version and while I agree Zuko did have many of those moments, he was also rash and bullheaded too. I think the live-action really wanted to stay truer to the reality that these are kids - they're going to act more like kids than the animated counterparts did. Animated Zuko (and Azula for that matter) many times don't read as 14 and 16, respectively. They read as full-on 20-something year olds. The live-action is giving Zuko a bit farther to grow where it's Iroh being the strategist at the moment while Zuko is the driven child desperate to regain his honor. Also, just love all the complaints that the live action is so focused on telling not showing then complain that Zuko didn't say 'honor' once when…every single word out of Zuko's mouth and action he took SHOWED that he was fighting to regain honor. People need to pick a complaint and be serious about it.

[iviarellereads]

The Shadow Rising, Chapter 24 - Rhuidean

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Dice icon) In which yes, that's another reference that barely gets touched on.

PERSPECTIVE: Mat feels like a cooked sausage, he hardly even has water to sweat anymore. He wonders how the fog here doesn't burn off.(1) He swears he saw Avi, but Rand doesn't believe him, and didn't see her himself.(2)

Mat and Rand ask each other if they'll go back, but both have to go forward. Mat thinks how he's going to have to get through that redstone doorframe again and give those snake folk a talking to. They walk into the fog, which seems Power-fed somehow, eating all sound and sight. On the other side, a city, smaller than Caemlyn or Tear, full of abandoned construction.

Rand says they were told not to bring any water, but the Wise Ones said nothing about what's already here. Rand channels water out of a fountain, for them to drink and soak in to cool off. Mat wonders how mad Rand is already.

Rand leads them to the center of the city, Mat just a little suspicious of all the empty windows and the empty buildings behind them. When they reach the great plaza, they see a huge tree, a hundred feet tall or more, and concentric rings of clear glass columns, nearly as tall as the tree. Each street Mat can see points to the columned rings, but in the spaces between the rings stand statues Mat doesn't know what to make of.

Rand almost stops to touch two figurines, a man and a woman carved holding crystals aloft,(3) but straightens and continues forward. He recognizes the tree as Avendesora, THE tree of life.(4) Mat leans up against the tree and feels content, peaceful. Rand feels it too, and says he can believe the stories of Ghoetam sitting beneath the Tree for forty years to gain wisdom.(5)

Rand says he has to go into the crystal rings alone. Mat decides to flip a coin for it: flame he goes in with Rand, head he stays out. The coin lands on its edge long enough for Mat to ask if Rand has any control over this nonsense, then falls with the head facing.(6) Mat suspects Rand channeled air to knock it over, and tells Rand to get on with it, Mat won't wait all night.

Mat mutters to himself about how if Rand's not out in an hour he's going back, but he stops dead when he sees another redstone doorframe. It looks identical, only he notices lines of triangles, points down, and he's not sure the other frame had those, but he wasn't looking at the details.(7)

He's given Rand an hour. Maybe he can take that hour and give the snake people their what-for. What difference can one more time touching ter'angreal make for him?(8)

He steps through, and finds himself in an entirely different place than before, but the guide who greets him says much the same, that it's been a very long time since they had a guest. He's taller than an Aiel, with skin as white as the finest paper, too-large eyes, reddish-pale hair, and pointed ears. Mat gets the impression of a fox about to leap.

He asks the same questions, about iron, instruments, or devices to make light. Mat confirms he carries none, and wonders if he's speaking the Old Tongue again. He asks to be taken to where he can get questions answered or he'll leave, but the foxy man gets agitated. No, Mat must not go, but he can bring Mat to where he can get what he needs. The man grins at Mat, and Mat decides he's never giving up all his daggers again, not for anything.

Instead of all curves, everything is many-sided shapes here. There's a long journey through corridors. On the way, he thinks the fox man's leather might be human skin, and there's a growing smell that he realizes, as they come to this version of the pedestal room, is an animal's lair.

Many people appear on the eight pedestals here as Mat is turning around to examine the room, and tell him to speak his need. Mat asks who the Daughter of the Nine Moons is, and they don't respond. He gets angry, saying he has no intention of marrying or dying. He walks around with holes in his memory, and if he had his way, he'd want them filled, but answers to his questions might--

Done, one of the men growls.(9) Mat wonders what the hell is done, and says they're as bad as Aes Sedai. He wants a way to be free of Aes Sedai and the Power, and away from them and back at Rhuidean.(10) Another man says done, echoed by a woman. Mat scans the wall, but seeing no door, he asks what is done and starts calling them names.

“Fool,” a woman said in a whispered growl, and others repeated it. Fool. Fool. Fool. “Wise to ask leavetaking, when you set no price, no terms.” “Yet fool not to first agree on price.” “We will set the price.” They spoke so quickly he could not tell which said what. “What was asked will be given.” “The price will be paid.” “Burn you,” he shouted, “what are you talking—” Utter darkness closed around him. There was something around his throat. He could not breathe. Air. He could not. . . .(11)

=====

(1) Bud, you live in a world with actual magic you've witnessed. (2) Do you get the feeling that happens to Mat a lot? (3) Hey remember those statues? The big one in Cairhien and the other one at Tremalking? Remember the broken thing Egg touched in TAR in Tanchico that also looked like one of those? I'm sure these little things, sitting intact and preserved, have absolutely nothing to do with those, right? Jeez, it's enough to make you wonder what else is just kicking around there. (4) Surely THE tree of life couldn't have just been here without anyone knowing for who knows how long, right? (5) Yeah, along with Queen Liz and Anne Landers and all that, we get a reference to the Buddha. (6) Funny how this goes right along with the probability vortex of the Dreamer Wise Ones and their visions. The Pattern works in mysterious ways. (7) It did, points up. Snakes, their tails up. Foxes, their noses down. (8) This is where we throw our heads back and laugh. Ready? (9) And yet he still fails to realize that these are not the same people with the same rules he dealt with before. He wants his memory filled, he doesn't specify how or with what. (10) Free of the Aes Sedai and the Power, and back at Rhuidean. Two requests, fulfilled. How fortunate that he asked for a way home, huh? Though he didn't specify what condition he'd get back in. (11) Hey so about all that "die and live again" stuff the snakes told him… (What, you don't think he'd be permagone already, with prophecy still hanging unfulfilled over him? Who's gonna marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons? Who's gonna trade half the light of the world away? Who, if not Mat Cauthon?)

[pinkbowsandprettyprose]

I don't know if you've been asked/talked about this before but: When it comes to after TMMN season 2 what are you looking forward to in the hopeful future?? Personally, I'm hoping for them to maybe continue with Return or maybe an A La Mode OVA. I love talking about Mew Beri, but some of my friends only watch the anime. Any thoughts or predictions?

I’m actually glad you asked this now, anon, bc I would have answered this question differently if you’d ask me this same thing this time last week. Since the HIDIVE trailer has aired in all its spoiler-y wonder, my answer has changed.

TMMN S2 spoiler warning for the below.

These scenes from the HIDIVE trailer are, in my opinion, clearly from the early parts of the final battle with Deep Blue. Some of these shots have direct parallels with the manga, as some other folks on Tumblr have already pointed out.

If you would have asked what I hope for the future of TMMN a week ago, I would have said “Stretch the original canon into a season 3. Let the story play out for longer and give it space to breathe over more episodes.” But after seeing that we clearly have final battle scenes in HIDIVE’s S2 trailer, I think the original TMM canon from the manga is coming to an end in S2.

So, what after that?

I think it would be interesting to do another full season with Mew Berry / a la Mode since her story has never been animated before. But I think the most likely scenario is an OVA (or two) either of a la Mode or Re-Turn. I would personally love if we saw an animated version of Re-Turn and its bonus stories.

My DREAM scenario would be a full season of Re-Turn shenanigans exploring the sleeping power inside Masaya, the lingering chimeras still left to defeat, and the aliens continuing to work at the café (obviously, considering I wrote an entire 220k-word fanfic series on this premise lol) but that’s a total fever dream considering Re-Turn is essentially a 2-chapter oneshot story.

[soul-dwelling]

Do you think that there seems to be a disconnect between charachters introduced before and after the soul eater anime ended? Like everyone loves Giriko, but does anybody care about Gopher, or the moon clowns? Or even thee death scythes that were shoved in at the end?

(Spoilers for Soul Eater and Fire Force. Content warnings for mentions of rape and grooming.)

Me. I care about those characters! 

…Sort of.

Maybe.

...I care about those characters about as much as I do about any other characters. 

Except the Moon Whaler hunters. I appreciate what someone else (Soul Eater Post?) wrote about how that arc is to parallel the hunt for Crona and whether Maka has it in her to potentially have to kill them. But it is such a needless side adventure and so late in the story to start exploring just how different this world is than our own--and a side adventure that leaves a bad taste in my mouth not only given the controversies around whale hunting but also because it is one of the few things explained in Fire Force and once again makes the world building less interesting. 

And maybe I’m not that interested in Gen, or, rather, the version of Gen in the manga. Having a tech expert in the cast should be entertaining--but it's a little late to start doing the worldbuilding now about the tech in this world. It comes across like it is obligatory: the anime already had Buttataki in the same role, I guess the manga now needs its version, too.

And we include Gen just for a weird “H-beam is like 'ecchi'” pun is dull. The better option would have been for the H-beam to be his weapon partner (and a friend and I have already worked on such a character)--more unconventional weapons would have been a more entertaining bit of worldbuilding. But if the manga could not bother to lend more personality to the final Death Scythes we meet in the manga, what hope would this H-beam ever have? 

The first anime concluded on March 30, 2009. I don’t know which chapter came out right before that final episode, but by March 21, 2009, Volume 14 was published, collecting Chapters 53 to 57. I’m guessing by this point manga characters introduced before the anime ended and who didn’t appear in the first anime included Tezca and Enrique--who are probably the last characters ever in the manga who had any meaningful impact on the story, Tezca more so, not only because of his interactions with Justin in the manga but also because he has such a broad, loud, memorable personality and design. Compared to Gopher (who I will defend in a moment), the Moon Clowns (who I can’t really defend--more on that in a moment), and the remaining Death Scythes and their meisters (more on them in a moment), Tezca is just heads and shoulders above them (until Justin cut off his head). Maybe this is why Tezca was the only one to leave an impression in Soul Eater NOT, whether showing up to scare the main trio in the manga, or as a keychain in the anime. 

(There is also Noah in Volume 14, but we already saw his design in the Monotone Princess video game as Grimoire, so that is a technicality.) 

The problem I’m having is that I didn’t get into Soul Eater until the manga was in its final chapters and only when the anime started airing on Toonami, so as a late participant in the fandom, there wasn’t much of a reason for me to feel disconnected from characters introduced after the anime ended. I pretty much treated anyone who was in the main manga and NOT as a Soul Eater character, all with the potential to lead their own story. It's just that some characters are easier to write for than others, not for any reason except that some are given more personality to work from than others.

As time goes on, I do prefer the anime more and more over the manga, so perhaps I have a bias towards characters who were in the anime but not in the manga--because I think, had the Studio BONES first anime had more time, more episodes, and diverged more wildly from the manga, we could have had those late additions to the manga get adapted in better or at least in surprising and expected ways that could have improved upon what didn’t work in the manga and could work better in adaptation. Imagine if we had Tezca as an actual character in the first anime: I think he could have been a second Excalibur, for good or bad. Imagine if the story was re-worked to give Pushkin some bigger relevance in the anime. What kind of fight could you stage if the Clowns had a larger role in the story, not as Asura's lackeys but as the actual leaders of some new threat for the next season?

This includes the later Death Scythes and their meisters, who have little to no personality and could have benefited from inclusion in the anime, just to make them into more fully realized characters. That’s an excellent opportunity for headcanon and fanfiction, but when the original manga doesn’t give you enough to work with, it also means that the portrayals of those new characters can go in infinite directions such that it is difficult to get to core details of those characters that are consistent across all iterations in fanworks.

In other words, we have numerous versions of Batman but which mostly have the same core details and principles (Adam West Batman is not Michael Keaton Batman is not Kevin Conroy Batman is not Diedrich Bader Batman--but they have more in common than different), whereas there is so little in the manga to understand Alexandre, Zubaidah, and others to make them feel like realized characters who can thrive in fan works.

And it is such a galling disappointment, not only because they are characters who add diversity and inclusion to the story, but because the manga and the anime had its chance to expand on those characters in Soul Eater NOT--and just didn’t. Djinn and Dinga appear in the NOT manga--only so they can stare down Shaula and not do anything while Tsugumi and the others take down the witch. They don’t even appear in the NOT anime. None of them got cameos at the end of Fire Force because Ohkubo was so desperate for attention that he substituted good storytelling with fanservice by way of “Soul Eater Babies” instead of making any meaningful connection between the world Shinra created and how we got to these adult characters who didn’t get much spotlight otherwise in the fandom. (Granted, I also can go on my rant again that Fire Force and Soul Eater being in the same timeline already doesn't make sense because Spirit Albarn shows up both in Fire Force's Japan and then 800+ years later in Soul Eater's Death City...It's almost as if the timeline fails on its own...)

As for Gopher: he has potential, and it was under-utilized. Not everything is going to be as memorable and impactful (albeit obviously problematic and unfortunately also badly done in other areas) like Chainsaw Man when it comes to imagery that seems evocative of grooming and cycles of abuse and rebirth. But Gopher did seem one-note, hence why his ending was also one-note, where he gets to leave with additional flavors of Noah…that opens up more questions than I want to address right now about how this basically reverses the power dynamic in which it is now Gopher possessing Noah for his own satisfaction rather than Noah using Gopher either as his lackey or his punching bag. 

The Moon Clowns? Memorable designs, just cannon fodder for fights. They are the equivalent of film-only characters like the villains in a My Hero Academia movie. Their designs are already outclassed by Compress in My Hero Academia. Kaguya has potential but seems more like a prototype for Tamaki in Fire Force in a different direction. Not to encourage fanservice-bait, but less you’re going to use Kaguya in a surprising way in terms of personality or commentary on sexual puritanism or bodily autonomy or just acknowledging that some people are flirts, the most I could imagine is having her face off against Blair--which would just be a repeat of Blair’s fights against Mizune and the Succubus. 

Finally, about Giriko: …Eh, I don’t love his last arc. 

Giriko’s final arc becomes an extended attempt to rape Maka, thereby prompting Soul to intervene to save her, inspired in part by the shoe-horned but not unwelcomed story beat of Maka’s self-doubts that have been with her since the first time she encountered the Clown but which does seem awkwardly forced into the story by introducing the “love letters” / meister invitations to Soul. It is not as if Maka’s arc was not always there, and it’s not as if waiting until this arc to finally address it is bad--but the seams of the narrative stitching are showing. And it all depends on the Mark Millar school of “you know the villain is bad because he wants to rape someone,” which is cliche and, worse than that, a gross failure to actually talk seriously about rape, living after rape, the fact that a rapist is just as likely someone who isn’t a mustache-twirling villain or a Giriko-level obviously bad guy but a toxic "nice guy." 

There is almost something there with Giriko having nothing left to live for after Arachne is dead and confirmed gone forever. But there’s no moment of something haunting there. He is fighting against Soul; Soul has Arachne’s witch soul in him now. Unless I’m forgetting something, it’s not as if we get a scene of Giriko promising he will slice Soul in half and pull Arachne’s soul out of him. That would never bring Arachne back--but it would be symbolic and a quick shorthand to the audience about what Giriko is actually getting at, and it would be a hell of a lot more interesting than, “Giriko wants to get off on sex and power fantasies by raping Maka.” It would remind us that Arachne was a part of all of this. You could even have an excuse to give Giriko a scene, however unearned it is, of him dying and imagining a reunion with Arachne, to show how this toxic loyalty contributed to the bloodlust that ended his life. 

[tirorah]

PGSM (2003) Is a Story About Human Beings, and I LOVE It

Years ago, I attempted to watch the live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon show, or PGSM for short. And I quit because it looked so silly I couldn't maintain my sense of disbelief.

I've learnt not to judge a show by its looks since then. So, when I stumbled across a 20-second PGSM clip two weeks ago, I thought, "Shouldn't I give that another chance?" I'd heard a few interesting things about it, so I decided the answer was yes.

It took me a little while to adjust, sure. Some things still looked ridiculous to me. And yet, with every episode I became more and more emotionally invested. I started to see PGSM for what it truly was: an intricate tapestry of character-driven storytelling.

If you've read my other posts, you know I love characters more than anything. What I also love is an emphasis on narrative consequence and a willingness to explore new and/or interesting ideas, particularly when it's a new entry in an already-established franchise. And it just so happens that PGSM ticks all of these boxes!

In short, this show was made for me.

I'm not going to write about all of the clever things this show does because that would take far too many words. Here's my quick two cents: I think PGSM is excellent. It has flaws, and I think it only appeals to a certain type of viewer. But if you are that type of viewer, like I am, you're likely to be swept off your feet!

So yeah, I never thought I'd say this, but I love this show. It's by far the most fun I've ever had with Sailor Moon. And as is standard by now, I'm going to tell you why I feel that way under the cut.

First, I'll go over how PGSM manages to work at all. Then, I'll outline the theme; the central questions at the heart of the story. Finally, I'm going to illustrate just how well this show pulls off its primary goals---by examining the character arc of a certain old favourite of mine.

[FULL spoiler warning!]

[Word count: ~6,000]

New Kid on The Block

Ever since its inception, Sailor Moon has been an enduring presence in Japanese media and merchandising. Its presence has waxed and waned over the past decades, but it has nevertheless managed to remain incredibly successful. The original 90s manga spawned a concurrently running anime series, musicals, the Crystal anime series in the 2010s, and much more.

The fun effect of all these different versions is that each is its own thing. Even Crystal, which adheres much more closely to the manga than the 90s anime, is still different; a story can't be told the same way in every medium. This is why adaptations are difficult to do and are likely to piss off someone, regardless of intent or execution.

Smack-dab between the original and recent versions, a bold little beast emerged.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon aired from October 2003 to September 2004. Unlike the versions before and since, it's a live-action tokusatsu superhero TV series, like Super Sentai--a show the manga also drew inspiration from. This again marks a significant change when it comes to storytelling possibilities.

PGSM faces several challenges on top of that. It only exists because the musicals were so successful, yet it has a shoestring-looking budget that makes some aspects of the show look underwhelming. The lead actors were young and inexperienced, so it can take a bit for everything to click performance-wise. Lastly, the characters tend to have their faces in full view during action scenes, rendering the use of stunt doubles difficult and therefore limiting choreographic possibilities.

And yet, under the stewardship of writer Kobayashi Yasuko and a ton of passionate and experienced staff, this show found a way to stand shoulder to shoulder with beloved works of the franchise.

Let's examine how.

Limitations, Genre and Theme

If I'd given you a rundown of the obstacles PGSM faced without my glowing praise attached, you'd probably think this show was sent out to die. Maybe it was, I don't know. Perhaps someone at Toei thought it would hoover up some merchandise sales before it fell off a cliff to its pyrotechnic death!

The amazing thing about PGSM is that it takes these challenges and turns them into its greatest strengths. This is a show that understands the constraints it has to operate within. It can't compete on action and special effects, so it hones in on something it can execute well and bring a unique twist to: characters and story.

Its best claim to fame, at least in the little discussion I saw of it, is how it reworks its characters to serve a brand-new spin on a familiar narrative. But I believe this description to be...insufficient. The changes made here go beyond adjusting and emphasising personality traits. This is a paradigm shift; a top-to-bottom overhaul and a tribute to Sailor Moon all at once.

While there's still an overarching story that involves protecting the world from evil and salvaging a doomed romance from a previous life, the real meat of PGSM lies in the rich inner lives of its cast. This shifts the genre to character-driven drama with a dash of soap opera.

As a result, those aforementioned inner lives are established, built upon, and allowed to emerge and clash naturally. All the while, the characters contend with a turbulent new reality which further affects their interpersonal relationships. That in turn shifts the theme to something much more personal: past life versus current life.

What does it mean for your identity to be reborn with memories from a past life? What do you do when that past life has a stranglehold on your current one? Are you doomed to repeat the mistakes of ages past?

And what effect do these challenges have on a person's psyche?

PGSM spends its 49-episode runtime exploring these questions to the fullest. I consider it a true ensemble work, as every major character is relevant to the story and drives it forward at some point. And because each of them is unique, we're shown a full spectrum of viewpoints that are informed by personality traits and emotional baggage.

So, yeah, it's really good. Really damn good.

In fact, to demonstrate just how in-depth and detailed the characterisation is, I'm going to spend the rest of this post analysing my favourite example of a PGSM character arc: the understated and expertly-paced struggles of one Kino Makoto.

Wood and Thunder

A core part of Makoto in every version is her dual nature--possessing both traditionally masculine and feminine characteristics--and how this clashes with societal expectations. With her curly hair and long skirt, she comes across like a typical sukeban (a delinquent girl) of the time. Her imposing height, incredible strength and fighting skills confirm that image.

In truth, the sukeban resemblance is exactly that and nothing more; her hair is naturally curly and her new school doesn't have a uniform in her size. She only uses her strength to protect others. Notably, she has a romantic heart and yearns for a place to belong, perhaps even a person she can belong with.

Absolutely none of that matters to society. Through no fault of her own, people only see one side to her and assume the other doesn't exist. Prejudice and ostracisation follow.

You might think this would cause Makoto to be ashamed of her more masculine traits, but that's not the case. She might feel embarrassed by them at times, or attempt to play up her feminine side to compensate, sure. But in the end, she embraces all of these characteristics and doesn't think it's wrong to be this way. People just refuse to see the feminine side that's openly on display.

So, here we have a character with a compelling set of characteristics that can be utilised in different ways. The approach taken is something that differs per version. But like all things Sailor Moon, Makoto is a product of her time; the sukeban aspect is particularly dated.

As an early 2000s show, PGSM had a chance at a fresh start with this concept. Suffice it to say I was very interested to see how it would update Makoto to a new millennium and modify her without erasing her core traits. What I got was far more than I bargained for.

Makoto's PGSM debut gives us an effective overview of her as a person that hits many familiar beats. She protects Usagi, returns Usagi's friendliness with her own, develops a crush on a guy, and kicks ass both in and out of Senshi guise. She had her heart broken by her senpai at her previous school, but she also felt like something was urging her to come here. Now she knows why: she had comrades to meet.

This looks like a mix of Makoto's introduction in the manga and 90s anime, adapted to modern times. But all that familiarity is distracting you from something. There's actually a big deviation here, and you can see that before she even does anything.

Take a good look at this picture. Obviously the sukeban influence was removed from her design, but that's not the most important detail here. Hopefully you'll notice what I didn't:

There are no rose earrings.

Everything spirals out from there. The Makoto from the 90s was open about her femininity, but the Makoto we meet in PGSM barely shows her feminine side at all. In fact, she takes great pains to hide it.

This affects her character on a fundamental level. When she first appears, she comes across as unusually withdrawn and stoic. As is typical of the character, she swiftly opens up to Usagi and that seems to be the end of aloof Makoto. But that feminine side doesn't surface. She still dresses in unisex clothes that lean more toward masculine than feminine.

Likewise, her flat may have a few plants and a neat kitchen, but they don't take centre stage. There's a skateboard and a hat collection (my beloved!) that are displayed at the entrance. A logical location, but that also means it's the first thing you see when you enter.

So, what gives? Here's the thing: the characters in PGSM are emotionally complex. Much work and care went into characterising all of them. Because of this, the characters feel like real people. They argue, make mistakes, agonise over things... Not to say this isn't the case in other versions, but PGSM takes it further and really emphasises how vulnerable--how tragically human--these characters can be.

That's what is being tied into here. Being mistaken for a tomboy, despite being openly feminine, is an external issue. But for PGSM's Makoto, the conflict is internal. She doesn't want to be seen as feminine. When exposed or questioned, she denies it despite being a terrible liar. If the questioning continues, she actually uses her tomboy image to refute it.

She does this because her feminine side makes her vulnerable. This Makoto has been burned so many times that she's developed abandonment issues. She's one bad experience away from yet another cocktail of intense sadness and deep-seated anger. Sometimes a mere reminder is enough to get her down, too.

No one wants to feel like that. She's learnt the hard way that opening herself up to others puts her at risk. That's why she prefers to play these darker feelings close to her chest.

To demonstrate all of this, her debut episode shows us exactly how bad it can get. It puts her through an especially cruel combination of deception, humiliation and rejection, no punches pulled.

It's at this moment that Makoto has had enough. Taking this risk was a mistake and it should never be repeated. She slams the gate to her wounded heart shut and locks it tight. The walls of her inner fortress become that much higher.

Learning to lower those walls and make another try for happiness is Makoto's character arc in PGSM.

This is why she was shifted so much toward the tomboy archetype. By giving Makoto an emotional incentive to deny a part of herself, PGSM gives her a believable, deeply personal obstacle that can take her the entire show to overcome. She now has to engage with her abandonment issues in order to become the more balanced person we know she can be.

Her powers as Sailor Jupiter also connect to this: there's the explosive power of lightning on one end and the soothing aura of nature on the other. Two distinct halves that each bring their own benefits. But Makoto's starting point is pure lightning.

Multiple times throughout the show, we're shown that nature is trying to communicate with her. But because she starts out as a lightning bolt, she doesn't understand it at all. This is another avenue for self-improvement, and PGSM understands that too; it explicitly ties the awakening of a Senshi's full powers to overcoming a core character flaw.

So, given all of that, how does PGSM build on the devastation she suffered during her debut episode and the emotional consequences left in its wake?

I'm happy to report it does nothing for 24 episodes. Yes, really.

For half of the runtime, Makoto acts as the support of the group; often present, but never centre stage. Sure, she develops a dynamic with each of her new friends, and she even begins to show some of her feminine aspects as that trust grows. The more she does this, the more her affinity with nature subtly increases; she begins to use non-lightning attacks and comes ever so slightly closer to understanding what the wind and trees attempt to tell her.

But when it comes to the story, Makoto doesn't drive most of the events that occur at this point. She becomes involved, or agrees to go along with something, but rare is the instance where something happens directly because of her actions. She contributes, but she's never in the driver's seat. She's the one who helps others become better versions of themselves.

She develops, but she doesn't grow.

This delay is 100% intentional. A Makoto who's only giving, only protecting, is completely fine. There are no lingering issues she needs to deal with because they've been swept under the rug, tucked away behind the walls of her fortress. For all she reveals of herself during this time, her abandonment issues might as well not exist.

This is PGSM's devotion to character-driven storytelling and narrative consequence on full display. As Makoto ignores her emotional baggage, PGSM is likewise content to misdirect you away from it.

Cycle of Fear

It's not until episode 31 that Motoki--the most endearing turtle nerd to have ever lived--unwittingly pokes at Makoto's defences. Up until that moment, she'd first considered him an acquaintance and later a supportive friend. In other words: a safe coexistence.

The moment she realises he has a crush on her, that safety disappears and all her thoroughly-buried insecurities rush to the forefront. Her old stoicism slams into place as the mask we now know it to be and she does her best to avoid eye contact. As brash as she usually is, she now struggles with all her might to seem detached and logical. She has to; the alternative is revealing how anxious this situation makes her. Although Usagi, Ami and Rei have earned her trust, showing that most vulnerable side of herself is still a bridge too far.

She drags herself to the date (probably because Usagi wouldn't let her worm her way out of it) and spends the entire time being awkward in spite of Motoki's oblivious excitement. It's clear that her heart isn't in it, but in typical Makoto fashion, she places the needs of the kind, sensitive Motoki above her own and does her best to let the date die a natural death.

Then, a sudden connection!

Makoto is stunned at first. No one has ever said that to her. As Motoki continues to extol her virtues--half of which are about how incredibly nice she is--she lights up! Aww!

...Only for her insecurities to take over again after an offhand mention of parents by Motoki, because PGSM is a story about fallible human beings. She immediately attempts to leave and is only stopped by a nosey Luna. It's impossible for Motoki not to notice something's off at this point. Keen for clarity, he decides to confess his feelings when they're not surrounded by other people. Makoto rejects him--by denying her femininity.

This is a direct result of Makoto's actions in the first half of the show. When she started to open up to her friends, she could've taken it further and started to navigate her issues. Her friends could've helped her. Instead, she chose to pretend that there was nothing to fix.

Now here she is. Avoidance--her first line of defence--has failed. Her second wall, rationalisation, has also been bypassed. Emotionally cornered, she falls back on the same defence mechanism she used at the start: denial wrapped up in irrational beliefs and low self-esteem.

"I'm really strong and get into fights. People are scared of me. That means I'm actually not feminine at all and what you saw was an anomaly. And because I'm not feminine, I'm not dating material."

By maintaining her tomboy image and denying her feminine attributes, this reasoning allows her to pre-emptively sabotage any blossoming relationship for herself. While this might bring relief in the short term, it's also the very thing that keeps her from happiness. Makoto is the Senshi of courage, but here she demonstrates how afraid she truly is.

Motoki seems to recognise this on some level. To him, Makoto is a strong, confident person. But she's also reserved in a way, and now that the emotional mess underneath is being dragged into the light, it's clear she's like that for a reason. He sees her for who she truly is and he likes what he sees, but she's not in a good enough place, mentally, to see that too. So he does the only thing he can do: he gives her space. He reassures her that she is feminine and then leaves her be.

"Why?"

This is the question that has plagued her for years. Uttered by a young Makoto and echoed by her present self, this representation of her thoughts comes up whenever loss or rejection hits. What matters here is the context: for once, it's Makoto who did the rejecting. She's in control.

So then, why does this still happen?

This is one of the uncommon moments where PGSM engages in subtlety. We don't get a definitive answer here. Makoto asks, "Why?" but we don't know what that refers to in this moment. We have to infer that ourselves.

My reading is as follows: "I rejected him before he could reject me. I removed him from my life before I could lose him. So why does it hurt? Why do I feel sad?"

During the subsequent fight against a powerful Youma, the other Senshi are held up and she ends up cornered and alone. It's an all too familiar scenario. She flashes back to all of the people she's lost.

Motoki shows up too, but he's almost impossible to make out.

At that very moment, the wind picks up around her. She lets out a breath in awe, gazing up at the swaying branches as the wind seems to communicate something. And then she awakens. Although she still summons a lightning attack, it's now taken on a green colour, signifying a new equilibrium.

When the others ask her what triggered it, Makoto naturally tells them the lesson of this episode: that she had to acknowledge her feminine side and truly open herself up to being loved--

--Wha...?

Yeah, you're seeing that right. Makoto just learnt the wrong lesson.

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted by this outcome. Deep down, as much as she wants to refute it, Makoto needs companionship, people to belong with. It's a core aspect of her character! It makes no sense for her to gain power from solitude.

However... If you think about it, why wouldn't this be her takeaway? She was alone and she made sure to sabotage her relationship with Motoki before it could go anywhere, so this is the only logical explanation, right? Her powers awakened, so the narrative is proving her correct as well.

Except no, the narrative is simply adhering to the consequences of her actions. By coming to the wrong conclusion, Makoto has once again delayed her growth.

For the next 13 (!) episodes, Makoto seems to be okay again. She easily slips back into her role of casual, friendly and supportive friend. But something's changed: Usagi, Ami and Rei have glimpsed Makoto's scars, and they're not content to let her ignore them.

They attempt to challenge her new outlook, but Makoto's resolve is ironclad. Even when she's forced to reveal her secret identity to Motoki, she still reiterates her rejection of him. What's worse, she now she has an extra defence: her duties as a Senshi. Although Motoki still carries a torch for her, he resigns himself to supporting her as best he can.

Still, despite her determination in this matter, Makoto herself has changed as well. There's conflict and pain present whenever she's forced to acknowledge her decisions. And ever since the start of episode 31, she can't help but look sombre whenever something reminds her of her parents. Somehow, despite her best efforts to repair the holes in her walls, some cracks have remained.

All of this comes to a head when Makoto's character arc collides with Minako's.

Diminishing The Self

Ever since the girls found out they were reborn after their past lives ended in disaster, they've been grappling with PGSM's theme more and more. With their past swiftly squeezing the life out of their present, each of them is forced to form an opinion: How much do their past lives affect their present lives? How much should it affect them in the first place? And what do you do?

Here's our spectrum: On one extreme we have Rei, who's become resentful of her past life and rejects it completely. She asserts that she is her own person and that her past life shouldn't dictate who she is and how she acts now. Makoto's stance is adding fuel to that fire. When Minako counters her coup with one of her own, Rei is kicked out and decides to fight on separately.

At the other extreme stands Minako. Diagnosed with a terminal illness that she has almost no hope of curing, she's completely rejected her present life and is devoted to completing the mission from her past life. She won't be around for much longer and she's determined to save the world as much as possible before she dies. She asserts authority over the Senshi for the sake of the mission.

Usagi and Ami fall between these two polar opposites. Usagi is the reincarnation of the Moon Princess and is literally anchored to the past life through her Silver Crystal. She can't deny that her current existence has been heavily shaped by the past. But she's also determined to prevent a repeat of the past, even if it's the hardest thing she's ever done. She works hard at controlling her emotions and is convinced she and Mamoru will succeed.

Ami's current circumstances don't seem to be shaped as much by her past life, so she's the most neutral out of all of them. But as someone who was turned to evil and emerged a changed person, it's hard to deny: Their lives have been affected by the past and it's necessary to acknowledge that. What to do with that information is something she doesn't have the answer to. She fights alongside Minako and Makoto, but stays in touch with Rei.

Makoto has been firmly in the 'this mission is paramount' camp from the start, but not to the extreme that Minako is. You see, Minako almost always chooses to refer to them by their Senshi monikers. Makoto doesn't; she and her three friends always refer to each other by their present life names, even during battle. This is a conscious change that establishes their current identities as distinct from their past selves.

But remember, Makoto came here because she was meant to. She was meant to meet her comrades. She was destined to be alone, so she could listen to nature and let it lead her to her true purpose in life.

So when Minako tells her she's so devoted to the mission that she will cast aside her life to complete it, Makoto can't help but be stirred. Finally, with Minako's help, she realises that the truth is even simpler than she thought: She's always been alone because her current life isn't what truly matters. She exists to carry out her duties, regardless of the personal cost.

This is the final piece of the puzzle for both her and us. Her shift to a tomboy archetype, her character arc and the theme of the show all combine here.

For years, Makoto has been haunted by something: "Why?" Why was she left to suffer all alone? Why was she abandoned over and over?

Then this Senshi business comes along, and with it comes a duty and moniker from a past life. For Usagi, this upheaval of her identity is upsetting. But for Makoto, it's a comfort. Being a Senshi gives her purpose, stability and even friends. For someone who's sorely lacked all of that for years, this development is nothing short of a godsend.

And so, from the very beginning, she took this newfound 'destiny' and ran with it. This was the best thing that had ever happened to her and she crafted her entire outlook around that. Heartbroken and expelled from school? That was just another way to get her to where she needed to be. Her powers awaken while she's dwelling on how she always ends up alone? Obviously that isolation was also intended.

From there, it's a hop, skip and a jump to what she's doing in this scene: discarding her current identity in favour of her past one. She perfectly expresses this by (in the next episode) copying Minako's statement: she might die, but "Jupiter won't disappear". Kino Makoto is a shell to house Sailor Jupiter, and shells are expendable.

This is Makoto at her most extreme. She's always downplayed her own importance and achievements, and now here she is, downplaying her very existence. No individual, only the greater good.

It doesn't even matter that Minako lied to them about her identity, illness and powers. Makoto understands by this point that a secret can be kept for good reasons; she's done it herself. If anything, Minako's deception and her ensuing burdens feed Makoto's view of her as a martyr and a leader.

By choosing to follow that example, Makoto joins Minako on the very extreme of the thematic (past life versus current life) spectrum. In turn, Minako gains the staunchest of allies--but she fails to realise how thoroughly Makoto has just been primed for the pinnacle of martyrdom.

A powerful Youma attacks. When Makoto, Ami and Luna wound it, Metalia possesses it, scaling its power beyond that of the Senshi to overcome. Minako can't transform. Ami and Luna have been knocked out of their Senshi forms and can't fight anymore.

Metalia is about to win. They're going to fail.

Makoto decides to fulfil her purpose. She grabs hold of the Youma and overloads herself with lightning, creating an explosion that annihilates them both.

Minako calls out to the person--not the Senshi--in front of her.

True Courage

Makoto wakes up in a hotel room, wounded but alive, watched over by Minako. The Youma threw her off at the last second, saving both of their lives. Makoto only laments her failure; she doesn't even seem to care that she almost died. In fact, she outright states that she was meant to be alone so that her possible death wouldn't make anyone sad.

Minako has been horrified by this entire ordeal and that feeling only grows with every sentence Makoto utters. When Makoto explains she was fulfilling her past life's mission, it hits Minako like a ton of bricks: this is her doing. By influencing Makoto in this direction, she almost had Makoto's blood on her hands.

She tries to sway Makoto from a repeat attempt, but is taken aback when Makoto unintentionally throws every single one of her own arguments back in her face. When she claims that her own situation is different, Makoto looks her squarely in the eyes and says, "A life's a life. They're all the same."

Minako doesn't deny it. She can't. How could anyone refuse such a simple, factual statement when it comes from someone as forthright as Makoto?

It proves impossible to change Makoto's mind, so she changes tactics. Rather than challenge Makoto's standpoint directly, she questions one of its cornerstones instead. She does so by revealing that Makoto had muttered Motoki's name in her sleep. Perhaps, she posits, Makoto is more tied to the present than she believes herself to be.

This succeeds in shaking Makoto's beliefs. Minako leaves her to her thoughts, victorious in a way, but her own conviction was caught in the crossfire. While Rei's insistence opened the way, she was also easy to dig in her heels against. Makoto, on the other hand, has fundamentally disproven Minako's views by agreeing with her. In that suicide attack, she saw first-hand the logical endpoint of her own ideology. She's more than a little disturbed.

It's the opening Artemis needs, even though he doesn't know it's there. When he subsequently shows her how much joy and comfort her songs bring to others, she finally realises what she's been missing in herself. Her current life does have value, her achievements do matter, and she shouldn't dismiss them so flippantly. She should love herself, love the person she is now.

In the following battle, she awakens her full powers and transforms. The Senshi are finally united for good.

Now that Minako has admitted to herself that she also resents the past life for what it's done to her, Makoto has become the new extreme on the thematic spectrum. However, Minako's revelation is forcing her to reconcile conflicting truths. She awakened because she was alone. But if Motoki's still on her mind like that, if he's still part of her life like that, then she's not alone. If she's not alone, then her reasoning is intrinsically flawed.

When she sees Motoki in a Youma-induced coma, the question of "Why?" returns for the final time. And then she sees him, clearly this time.

In that moment, she realises all of her beliefs were wrong. She didn't reject Motoki, she lost him through self-sabotage. Foiling a possible relationship didn't work; he'd cracked her armour before then. Their connection was gradually built up over the entire show and came cocooned in comfortable friendship, the only type of connection she did allow.

When that connection touched her heart and stirred something more, that was when she unlocked her full potential. He cares about her, the real her, not the skewed facade she puts on. She's not alone anymore. When she told herself that she was alone and always had been, and the wind rustled the leaves, that was nature calling her out on her self-deception.

But why did that self-deception even occur? She didn't need to draw this conclusion from the start, did she? Unfortunately, she did. That's the final, heartbreaking part: Being a Senshi was the ultimate coping mechanism.

There's a reason this shot is repeated multiple times:

Makoto was constantly looking back at the past, looking for answers. Because her abandonment issues went unresolved, that question of "Why?" was burning a hole in her. She was desperate for a reason, any reason, so she could understand. If her hardship and loneliness were predetermined and in service to this all-important duty, then being a Senshi justified her suffering. She craved that more than anything. No wonder she transformed without even questioning it.

And hey, if that duty meant she had to avoid the type of relationship that terrified her most of all, well... That was a happy coincidence, wasn't it?

Fortunately, for all the trouble her uncompromising, black-and-white outlook has brought her, that same determination also allows her to accept this new truth in an instant. She screwed up big-time, but as long as she lives and breathes, she can work to set things right.

She strokes Motoki's hand and runs off to join the fray--not to throw herself at the enemy through all her lifetimes, but to protect those who are dear to her now. After the fight, she looks at the turtle-shaped charm Motoki bought her and smiles, allowing herself to dream of the future for the first time.

Minako passes away the next episode, but she does so with no regrets. Although grief follows, that final unifying moment, jump-started by Makoto, was enough. Ami, Rei and Makoto head off to the finale together, as a true team, never losing sight of what's important to them.

PGSM is exceedingly compelling to me, and the structure of this character arc exemplifies why. Makoto learns the wrong lesson three times: when she first becomes Sailor Jupiter, when she awakens her full power, and when she embraces Minako's ideology to an unhealthy degree.

Not only does PGSM allow her to miss the mark so spectacularly, it also gives her the time to deny and then address her irrational beliefs in a plausible manner. Moreover, because she and Minako drive each other to unlearn their internalised misconceptions, Makoto gives both Minako and the story one of the last pushes they need.

The last we see of Makoto's new and improved self, in relation to romance, is her final encounter with Motoki in the show. She shows him she's attached his cute turtle charm to her wallet, out there for everyone to see. Motoki treats it with cautious optimism, then relief. It's a deliberate signal: Makoto is open to new possibilities now. Maybe they can try again. They laugh a little, sharing their first comfortable moment together in this context.

Sadly, likely due to a few cut episodes, this is the last we see of them. Makoto's character arc is definitely complete, but because the ending shows the Senshi alone before they meet up with Usagi again, her relationship status with Motoki is left ambiguous.

But not to worry! Due to the success of the show's DVD sales during its runtime, both a special prequel and sequel act were produced! The sequel act is a 1-hour movie that shows us where everyone ended up four years later.

In that time, Makoto has undergone a significant transformation. In the show, her dreams for the future were never even mentioned. But here, we find out she's studying floral design, something that she's obviously passionate about. Reaching for happiness indeed.

On the wardrobe side, she still owns unisex clothes (you see this when she charges off to the action portion of the movie), but otherwise her femininity is on full display. A blouse, an embroidered shirt, even a bright yellow skirt, it's all there. Not to mention the stunning dress she wears at Usagi's wedding. And to symbolise how full-circle we've come, she's even wearing earrings!

Her flat has likewise seen major changes. The skateboard and my beloved hats have been moved to make way for what appears to be storage (a fulfilling life can result in extra possessions!) and a picture of something nature-y on the wall. And the room is now filled with plants!

All of these differences stack up. The flat looks...filled, for lack of a better term. It started out rather sparse in her debut episode, but back then she'd just moved in and probably hadn't finished unpacking yet. However, even after she gained more possessions, there were parts that felt like they had just a little bit of empty space to them. Now the entire space is lavishly furnished!

Speaking of which, there's a large stuffed turtle on her sofa, indicating she and Motoki have pursued their relationship and now live together. This is later confirmed when she takes Motoki's car--which she had the keys for--to save Usagi and Mamoru.

At the very end of the epilogue, Motoki clumsily but earnestly asks Makoto for her hand in marriage. And Makoto, overwhelmed and overjoyed, accepts. She's the only version of the character to have achieved this.

It's immensely satisfying seeing a character brought so low, only for them to soar higher than ever before. This Makoto has undergone an immense personal journey. There's no telling what kinds of challenges she might need to overcome in the years to come, but she's already climbed this mountain. Perhaps there's nothing she can't do. And no matter what, she'll always have someone at her side. She'll never be alone again.

I love it. I love all of it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this is my favourite take on Makoto in the franchise. She's the best, and PGSM is the best for treating her with the nuance and maturity she deserves! Bravo!

---

That's the end of this post! It was meant to be way shorter, but I suppose that was an exercise in futility. If you made it all the way here, thank you very much!

I know I just said PGSM was the best. This is a subjective statement. PGSM is far and away my favourite incarnation of Sailor Moon, but I hold to what I said at the start: Every version is different, and I think that's great. We all enjoy media differently; the more people that can find a version of Sailor Moon befitting their preferences, the better.

It just so happens that PGSM was made for me! And hey, if you've never watched it before, or you dropped it like I first did, maybe it's worth another try. You never know, it might just be your thing too.

Like a certain person once sang:

~Just like predictable movies and books are boring When life is a little bit off, it might be more fun~

[pastelhousewithlegs]

I watched the Netflix Avatar the Laster Airbender series and wrote down all my thoughts.

Overall: 6/10

I think the casting was good, the effects were impressive, the costumes and sets overall looked great. I can believe that someone at least skimmed the source material.

The story seems weirdly rushed and really slow in odd parts? I didn’t want a shot for shot remake of the show, but it’s, we’ll say

/interesting/ to learn what Netflix has decided are important pieces of story they want to draw out and which characters are given spotlight.

From a story perspective, it feels like they took someone who saw the animated series several years ago and asked them to retell the story from memory. There’s a lot of recognizable content for fans but it does feel disjointed because of which stories they chose to combine.

Thoughts below the thing. No context given, spoilers but I don’t think they make much sense. If I spelled anything wrong, it’s speech to text and I barely proof read

Why are they excited to see him do that? They are also Airbenders.

Do they not have sky bison?

Okay I actually like Gyatzo and Aangs dynamic

How long until the comet comes this is awfully close

Man really trying to shove character into exposition here

Good tension

She should have kept fighting with him

That actually sounded pretty convincing

Little early to be spouting that kind of wisdom Iroh

Why are they having? Why are they saying this? Why put it directly into the script you already had your opening?

It’s kind of sad that they took this realization from Kara

It’s kind of sad that they had to steam roll Aangs optimism about this kind of stuff for the sake of time

really took away the heaviness of the fire nation boat, especially when it’s Katara‘s hideout now and not fully forbidden

Love that they wanted to do over on the waters sphere from the first live action

Well, it’s been like 30 seconds and you didn’t really wanna make a lot of chitchat

I like the effects they’re very good

I’m kind of sad they’re forced to exposition a lot of this. I feel like a lot of it. It would be really good to get this kind of slower but again I get it.

OK, he is a prisoner and you suspect that he will be brutally tortured. This is too casual.

OK, I think he’d probably noticed that he was literally working on it

Interesting they had him talk himself down instead of Katara

Way to… “things happen for a reason Katara”

Hey that was a joke

What an odd way to turn around. But we are getting a sense of Zuko’s youngness?

He just rode off on a sky bison. What are you talking about?

So they don’t have a plan anymore. Their original thing was that they were going to go to the northern water tribe so Aang could learn water bending with Kotara and Kiyoshi was a stop on the way.

Though they did get lost

It’s like they’re trying to make jokes With Sokka, but it’s not working

OK, well I guess we’re not getting the pirate episode

Interesting they just came back on for information instead of a destroyed boat

Zuko was excellently cast

Well, there’s a remnants of the misogyny they forgot to scrub

The Kyoshi warrior uniforms look really good

Did they remove Suki as the leader of the Koshi Warriors?

I don’t know how to feel about Suki

And I don’t know how to feel about the interaction either because 1/2 of it was flirting

Why? how is this a good cover?

If that’s your cover, Iroh should’ve been the one to ask

Man, they really did just put themselves on the sus list

This is very nitpicky, but I kind of wish that he was excited to learn from her

I know it’s not just I don’t wanna learn from her, but it’s kind of sad because he was very much excited to learn from her

OK, well they’re gonna keep using his air bending as like levitation so we’ll see how useful this ends up being in this version

Well, just kind of takes the wind out of Suki because she’s not really proud to be where she is

They kinda gave her the I want more role, which is fine, but a big part of her is her being incredibly proud of who she is and what she’s done

God she’s trying to impress him

This is an interesting take on his peer’s perception of him

Oh, is this a mix from the avatar day episode too?

I can’t remember how he learned that in the show.

What does this random guy know that?

Oh, this is the “she teaches him and he’s immediately better than her and then she becomes his sidekick” trope

Oh, they really sped run this control over going the spirit world

Does he know her name yet?

They really nuked Suki.

Wait are you telling me that was the avatar state?

Kyoshi was more chill in the series. Or I guess more level headed

I guess that’s on par with what Kyoshi was

They moved Katara protecting Aang and while he’s in the avatar state from the northern water tribe episode

Are they gonna try and do it again later?

So much for sacrifice, Aang doesn’t even want to leave.

I guess he did have a good few love interests but they really playing it up

Oh, and also training water bending like it’s the second thought or something

What was Zuko about to say?

They making him seem larger and intimidating

It’s the honor student

Is that Azula?

Is this foreshadowing ba sing se that I see?

I didn’t expect Ozai to wanna get his hands dirty so soon

I guess this is how they convey the propaganda parts of the fire nation

I don’t know who he’s referring to when he says that.

He’s talking about Zuko

Were they not able to recognize her with her hair up?

So do they know already?

Well, actually, you asked him to catch the avatar and he hasn’t done that yet

I don’t like Aang and Katar‘s dynamic yet

Did he already know water bending because he’s kind of teaching her?

I think the creators forgot that we are also supposed to laugh at Sokka instead of Aang and Katara just doing that

Is this jet?

Okay well there goes that plot thread

New Azula seems really outwardly insecure

That shot lasted for way too long. You should’ve cut it.

Wait a minute they’re doing the secret tunnel

So what are they trying to do with a blimp?

Because cabbage man is so iconic

Does she know who she is? I don’t think he saw her.

The fighting sequences look OK

Oh man, they really over blew that one

I don’t know what storyline they’re taking this from

But they were looking for a fire bender, a thing that he definitely isn’t

Are they doing the blue spirit?

Where is Katara?

Why? what?

Hey, Flopsy!

OK, well no mystery with Bumi then

OK, well he’s a different kind of crazy now

Is Bumi jealous of him?

It sounds like you have too Aang

Do we get the secret tunnel song?

The subtitles suggest that both Oma and Shu were women and I don’t know if they did that on purpose

Really skipping over the whole journey there I know probably for time but it’s very odd to have someone that is not Katara read it

Oh, it’s this bit. Do you think Zuko’s going to find him with a sandal?

No, just the lotus tile

But he doesn’t know earth bending yet?

Yeah, what is he trying to prove?

Whose characteristics does Bumi have now?

If the traveler knew that, why didn’t they just tell them instead of the stupid hints?

This Katara seems sadder? And I’m not really sure what it’s doing for the story or her character.

Well, that was unnecessary

OK more exposition, it’s fine. We’re eating a broccoli.

He was a general

Really developing Zuko and Irohs past which is touching

Well, he’s already the avatar so that’s not really necessary

Hey, there’s no real reason for that again he’s already the avatar. I don’t really know what point you’re trying to

Wait, so the crystals are fully wrong?

So they wanted both of the reasons that they got out of the cave why not just pick one?

OK, so he’s angry? Why he didn’t really have control over that

Also, I like how Bumi is just fully willing to kill the avatar

Well, at least the fight is familiar to

Already?

I mean, I guess

Are we meeting haibi?

Man, it’s like they sporadically remember he’s supposed to be funny

Well, that’s that reference

Are we getting the blue spirit soon with the archers?

kind of undermining Azula being a prodigy.

Oh well, this is new

Zuko is funnier than Sokka

OK, so they skipped over that episode funny the play did too

Hey, it’s June

Ew? That is the exact exact opposite of how it was but sure

OK, so straight frogs are common

Is that oh? Isn’t he supposed to be in the library?

This Azula is very emotional

It seems like Iroh is the one finding the avatar

I think that was supposed to be funny

Is the fox supposed to be hot for him?

This series is the story of Sokka

You can hardly call them jokes

Oh, I thought Aang was supposed to see the vision of Toph

And we haven’t met Yue yet

So did she just lose her face?

Okay rearranging things, sure

OK, so there goes his credibility

Did they both just lose their faces?

Oh, it’s this storyline now interesting that they splice it in

I don’t know why he thought that would be a good idea. He’s very much in Fire nation territory.

So how does how does she originally do the tracking?

And how do they know the thing they picked up is relevant?

I’m so confused how do you know how to do this also wasn’t it Roku, who was the original one to help him out because he was the avatar before him

And you just stole it for funzies?

Oh, is that guy outside bacon now?

why would you go out that way?

is June going to give him a peptalk?

Who are these guys

And yet you didn’t use them

I can’t believe he’s doing like a customer service survey

Damn shot for shot on this

You stole like 2 pages

Wow exposition exposition

Does Aang still have that totem on him?

Okay that was actually funny

Ozai would never admit to that

Say it louder so everyone knows what zuko did.

I think they’ve used everything around the pirate episode

About 30 seconds

Did they ship in earth benders for her to beat up?

Was as she a bender in the show?

Why didnt they have paku tell her that?

What do much for Yue respecting her duties

Why didn’t he see Kuruk before koh?

I don’t know anything about Kuruk except his wife got face stolen

This is a very odd lesson of “you must walk this journey alone”

Ummm why is this important now?

Why is she telling him this

Uhh what

That’s a bad plan and no well thought out

if that means Azula? They haven’t really shown her to be as one of her main characteristics.

Is he grading her?

Why does she know how to do that?

Who taught her that

I guess i’m glad Sokka is supportive, but I’m kind of upset that she needs that kind of support every 30 seconds or else she can’t function

Well, they really had to tone down this battle

And she just accepts that?

Uh yeah she did loose, it’s fine but she did

That’s great but why though

Uhhh were just gonna say he’s the plan guy?

What thing did he have to do?

More blasting jelly?

Also idk if they made the connection that sai made those. I guess the balloon model

Katara wasn’t even the one to convince him to respect her. She sort of inspired people to do it for her. Kind of

Ummm, he knows she has no war training

Yeah she’s not,

Uhhh it what now?

Wait huh? Is that the story from the series? We learned that from koh

Speak a little faster please

Umm did they just give Irohs speech to Kuruk

I guess they got bored of animating the lemur

Theyre gonna ask the moon spirit to heal a lemur?

Is this supposed to be tense?

Or is this just how we got into the sanctuary

Is that different from your current plan?

So where did her skill come from? We haven’t seen her be taught?

Actually she didn’t, that comment didn’t make any sense

This Ozai yeah

He should totally kill the moon spirit while he’s got it in his hands

These characters really like to talk

Is Aang going to become the moon spirit?

Is this because he doesn’t know how to water bend so it can’t be him doing this?

Well, they really nailed Zuko being a hothead

Does he mean Azula? Who is he talking about?

I’m sure that’s true, but Azula is supposed to be a prodigy

Why not make momo give his life back?

They really said Iroh is a spiritual master and then gave him nothing to do with it

Yeah, a thing he’s not started at all

Man these guys really love the single year down the cheek

Again? Ozai really only tries the “wait what’s that over there” technique

It’s an Ozai sandwich, why did we cut away

[x-kiwi-03]

AND THE ARGUMENTS HAVE STARTED, AGAIN!!

I've been reading some arguments about whether or not Kai can be redeemed and if he deserved the treatment Deku gave him.

First of all, there is no right or wrong opinion about his redemption. That is solely up to him and the people he's hurt. We're all going to have different opinions based off of our personal experience in life, so let's start off by respecting that.

Spoiler warning for the anime only's🥰

As for Deku's conversation with Kai, there is indeed a right and wrong opinion, and most of you already know my thoughts on this.😅

It's the absolute worst thing Deku could of EVER said in that situation.

Not only did his words dismiss Kai's emotions toward Pops, but also put Eri in potential danger.

"You want to apologize to your Pops, huh? If you can feel the same for Eri, I'll let you see your Pops."

Chisaki is DESPERATE to see Pops, who knows what ideas his sick, twisted brain went to. The most likely contender is go to Eri, beg for forgiveness (fake forgiveness), then command to see Pops once he forces it out of her.

Chisaki ALREADY feels guilt! And that's amazing! It appals me that so many people didn't recognize that! And those who did said he was directing it to the wrong person.

No, he wasn't directing his guilt to the wrong person. There are many people Kai needs to feel guilty for hurting, Pops is one of them.

Kai's empathetic skills are limited, it's going to be a time consuming, step by step, therapeutic process to broaden them. Like teaching an old dog new tricks. Feeling guilty and wanting to apologize to Eri will be his GOAL!

You can't tell a dog to jump through a hoop if he's never done it before or even thought about it. First you have to let him get used to seeing the hoop, understand what it is, what it does, and how to use it. Then he needs to feel what it's like to walk through the hoop, experience an easier version of his goal. Then, finally, over time, once you raise the hoop into the air he'll jump through.

Kai loves Pops (in his own warped version of love), so him wanting to apologize to someone he cares for is like walking through the hoop.

And with the right words of knowledge about his empathy, getting used to what it feels like and understanding when, why, and whom to feel it for, he can feel the same toward Eri.

Now, for those who might try using that metaphor against me by saying the dog needs a treat to encourage it to jump through the hoop, insinuating that Kai meeting Pops is his reward for apologizing to Eri, then your wrong. His apology wouldn't be sincere, it would be a stepping stone to what he wants. His goal is to FEEL sorry, to want to apologize out of pure feelings of guilt, to want to make up for his wrongs. Adding something to gain in the end is counterproductive.

Sorry if this got confusing... now that I've proof read, all I can think about is Kai in dog form jumping through a hoop😅

[iaure]

✎ ≡ thank you

hello, my flock! I wanted to write out a proper thank you for hitting 500 followers (almost at 550, already!! [edit: by the time I posted this, we were already at 550!!]). Having a milestone like this be reached is amazing to me!! I started this blog because I wanted to reconnect with some old friends over writing, and it's developed into something far more than I thought it would! I'd like to share some things for the future of this blog, as well as sneak peeks of some of my upcoming works (dearest and gothic, specifically)! I also am going to release the first of my collection of yandere original characters, starting with the pirate Sol Pyxis! This will include a playlist, facts, and a character.ai bot for everyone to use! The 'Gothic' playlist will be released today, alongside a 'Dearest' playlist, compiled together with other playlists in a playlist masterpost! This will be done on Spotify, though I do intend to create Soundcloud version of these playlists for those that don't have Spotify.

Below the break will have tidbits, and therefore minor spoilers, for the upcoming chapters of Dearest and Gothic; please read with caution if you would prefer not be spoiled!

𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩; 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 > The fate you'd led yourself down was one that you couldn't quite make up your mind on. > Was Leon really so dangerous that you were scared to have him in the same room as you? > Maybe not when he looked at you with such devotion. > But something always felt off. > He still tried to hide his shenanigans. He still seemed afraid to tell you the truth. > What could he possibly be so scared to tell you, when you'd already accepted his creepy side hobby of watching your every move? > You didn't want to dwell on it. That didn't really matter in the viewpoint that your friend was going to be visiting soon. > One Miss Ada Wong, who'd been gone for so long that you'd begun to wonder if she was dead. But no! > She'd simply been taking her time, and she was intending to visit. > You didn't think to tell Leon, because why would you? > So when you entered your home to see Leon, white as a ghost and staring at Ada, in her pretty red dress and black bobcut, you were...confused, to say the least.

𝔤𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔠: 𝔰𝔞𝔡𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔰𝔴𝔢𝔢𝔱 𝔢𝔫𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔱𝔬 𝔰𝔴𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴 Miguel couldn't understand it. He thought about Y/N all day. All night. Every minute that air passed through his lungs was done with the intent of thinking about her. And he was so fucking mad because how did she not understand that? She ran, mindless, like some savanna animal as soon as he let the barrier down. He loved her, but god was she frustrating. He was being polite, and she completely disregarded it, tossed aside. She tossed him aside. Y/N L/N did not love Miguel O'Hara. And he hated that. He'd be the first to admit that letting the barrier down was a stupid idea. For what physical strength he had over Y/N, she had speed. And at the end of the day, strength means nothing if you can't hit your target. That last hit Y/N had landed on him made Miguel crash into a banking tower, scrawling down the side like a cat. Damn not being able to stick to walls. He'd just about yanked out his claws trying to hang on. And the watch! He should've made Spider-Byte deactivate it before anything else! There was a lot of things Miguel should've done in hindsight.