#it represents their innocence. it does not represent that they're cool and reasonable

[im-the-antonymph-of-your-mom]

Never mind I don't like the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 hot spring scene anymore

[thesnazzysharky]

Waffling about/reviewing the notes in SJSM because I think they're cool. 1/2

Okay. So at first I just wanted to review the randomly generated notes that you can find in the story and endless modes. Mainly because those notes are more character focused while the notes that are already set to a specific room are more about adding lore and world building. But fuck it. I can make this work.

I'll be splitting this into two parts. Part 1 will be about the scripted notes and Part 2 will be about the randomly generated notes. They both will be reviewed and scored somewhat similarly. Mostly reviewing them based on how they add to the game or world building, potential creep or comedy factor, or how entertaining they are to read. Part 2 will just be more focused on how overall character is represented through the writing. Anyways, here we go. Starting with Part 1. Part 2 will be posted later.

Gel's Note

Spouting, Splashing, Soaking. Innards, Ingest, Invoking. Nailing, Never, Stops the Choking

This is the first scripted note that you encounter and I say it leaves a good impression! By this point in the game, you probably read through some of the notes from Romantic Victim before reading this one. So first time players will most likely expect this to be another note from them, only to be confused and weirded out by this cryptic note written in red letters (perhaps blood in this case). This makes Gel's sudden appearance behind the player so memorable and out of left field. Not only does the note catch you off guard by making you think this is just another note from Romantic Victim, but Gel himself catches the played off guard by appearing behind the player right after they're done reading the note. The cutesy and fun vibe to the mansion has now been completely stripped away and you get a memorable scene with that. As for the note itself, there's some interesting things about it. Firstly, it's implied to be written by Gel himself, which is pretty cool since he's one of the very few specimens that does this. There's also each first letter in the sentences spelling out the word SIN. But more importantly, it adds a bit to Gel as a character by making him come across as sympathetic.

It implies he was human at some point, but then something fucked up happened to him. Thrashing about in the strange substance, trying to ingest it so it could stop clogging his throat, invoking for help, and digging his nails in his throat. Yet, it was all futile, as he became a monster and is now forever choking. Never being able to breath normally or live a normal life.

Definitely a fucked up note to read once you understand it and your imagination goes wild.

Simple but sweet! 5/5

Generic Lab Assistant's Notes

Subject 5 is growing more and more restless. I told Spook we need more funds for sedatives, but she just laughed and flew into the ceiling. Without more chemicals to keep these things docile, I'm not sure how much longer we can keep them here safely. - Generic Lab Assistant

It's the goat. The myth. The absolute fucking legend that is Generic Lab Assistant. Lets all give a round of applause for the most character of all time. That magnificent bastard aside though, I like these notes. They give some good world building and intrigue by introducing GL Labs and how Spooky apparently runs it. This isn't just some haunted mansion. It's a place where murder monsters are tested on innocent people for reasons currently unknown to the player.

There's also that enjoyable Kira humor here with Spooky laughing and fucking off somewhere else when asked for help and the fact that the person writing the note is literally called Generic Lab Assistant (which became even funnier to me once I learned what the GL in GL Labs stands for).

Also...

I believe subject 5 is loose. The glass around its container is shattered, and I can faintly hear clicking coming from the ceiling. I don't know what will happen now. If it is out and alive then this is probably my last report. The clicking is getting louder now. - Generic Lab Assistant

This note is a good one. It highly raises the stakes as the player most likely knows what will happen once they put the note down. It also establishes that this will be the gameplay loop throughout our journey. Go through some rooms, go into a special area, read some background info that builds up to the specimen that will soon chase you, get chased by said specimen. It's great. RIP in peace to our homie Generic Lab Assisant. He was a true one. 5/5

Matsuri's Classmates Notes

Matsuri never came to class today, I hope she made it home ok.

Could it really be true? I thought the fairy tales about the ghost that eats children who sneak in after class was just to keep us from disobeying. But Matsuri is still missing.

These two notes are very brief, but they do their job well. Specimen 4 is more cryptic in terms of what the hell her whole deal is, so it makes sense that the notes about her aren't about what her origins are, but rather about how she's this boogeyman that adults tell children about so they aren't late for class. Except in this case, the boogeyman is clearly real. To me, Specimen 4 is the first truly creepy and disturbing enemy you encounter in the game. Specimen 2 will give you a scare, but he's easy to become desensitized to due to his slow speed, his kinda generic design, and the fact there's not much background info on him to make the player truly fear him (there is his note, but you most likely won't understand what it even means on your first playthrough). Specimen 3 will also freak you out a bit, especially if you have a fear of bugs and insects, but that's the thing, they're just some giant bug that's hungry. Of course you'll be scared of them because most people wouldn't be fond of being chased by a giant spiderpede, but there's not much else to them other than that. Specimen 4 changes everything by introducing a familiar, but unsettling environment that nobody would want to be in, having notes that are written from the perspective of individuals that are just as clueless as you are when it comes to what this "thing" is other than that it eats children and has presumably already taken a victim, and being a disturbing creature overall due to Matsuri's classmates expressing concern over the disappearance of their friend which makes you take the situation more seriously and feel sympathy for Matsuri. Really doesn't help that simply reading the line "ghost that eats children" tells you that she did not go out in a peaceful and pretty way and neither will you. 5/5

Cult Member's Notes

The darkness is slowly consuming us now. I don't think our rituals will appease it much longer. How were we supposed to know this would happen?

These notes cryptically talk how the "darkness" is slowly consuming these past cult members and how "mother" is pissed at them for sacrificing a girl who wasn't a virgin.

What I like about these notes is how cryptic they are. Not in a sense that not much information is given to you like Specimen 4 for example, but rather how some things are left up to interpretation. What is the darkness? Who is mother? Most people tend to assume that Bab is the "darkness" or "mother" that these cult members were worshipping. So when she got pissed at them for sacrificing an impure girl, she killed them. Technically speaking we don't actually know if this is the case though. Bab could be the demon they were worshipping, but she could have also been a byproduct of the impure girl being sacrificed, either being what she became after that sacrifice (like I assumed at first) or maybe it's just one of the many creatures that the darkness spawned to kill the cult members.

We don't even fully know if the darkness or mother are connected in someway either. Everything surrounding Bab seems intentionally up in the air. Whether that be with who she even is or what's going on with her environment like with the womb room. It's all very neat and feels fitting for a Silent Hill reference. 5/5

Ben's Notes

One day, a strange merchant came to town. He sold handmade puppets and trinkets and all the children loved his store and his gifts. But the town couldn't support his store because the other shops were failing. The other shopkeepers became jealous. So one night some of the townspeople took all his puppets and threw them in the river.

The notes that you find in Ben's area are really cool in that they are written entirely in third person. Being written out as an old story or legend (that's especially reinforced with the tribal sounding music in the background) rather than someone's firsthand account.

A narrative that tells us exactly what happened to Ben; who now that I think about it, probably has the most straightforward and easy to understand background out of all the specimens in the base game. That doesn't make him or these notes not interesting though. Far from it.

The story makes it very easy to sympathize with Ben here, as there really was no real reason for him to suffer the fate that he did. The guy wanted to make cool stuff for children and yet he died because he wanted to save his puppets after they were thrown into a river by some jealous assholes. He was just some chill dude. Well, until you get to this part at least.

Years later the children of the town began to go missing. And as more and more children disappeared, people began to find more and more puppets in the forest and around the river. These puppets seemed almost to look like the missing children sometimes.

Now the once normal merchant has become a soon to be threat to you. It's very well done and it's fun to see some let's player have those similar reactions of "damn, that's mean" to "damn, they were chill with him drowning?" to "they were satisfied!?". All culminating to that last and unsettling note that gives them a reason to fear the creature they will soon face. 5/5

The Hunter's Notes

For a while I thought I had really escaped this place. But despite the 'trees' and flora, I think this is actually just another room. I did, however find deer, so I might at least get to eat. They make some strange sounds though…

For the first time, these sets of notes are written by someone who was just another victim that wanted to explore the mansion; someone referred to as the hunter. Also, for the first time, I'm kinda "eh..." about these notes.

The hunter explains that despite appearance, this outdoors area is just another specimen room. They also talk about how the deer make some strange noises and aren't as they seem; later getting attacked by one and managing to board them up. Hoping they can find another way out and uh...

I think they might have caught a very minor case of being dead while trying to do that. That might just be me though.

Now when it comes to these notes, I do like how the first one subtly warns the player that the deer are a bit weird but doesn't exactly tell them what they will do. Which makes the deer sprinting at you with their sharp teeth and lifeless eyes a good jumpscare (especially in OG Spooky's. Jesus those things are nightmare fuel). I also like how you can find the hunter's bones in one of the cabins (although I wish they had a unique skeleton model of their own). But aside from that? These don't do much for me.

I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but does anyone else think that the buildup to Specimen 8 could've been done better? Obviously Deer Lord is an awesome specimen with a wonderful chase theme and a visually awesome ability where he goes through walls; but his area and the buildup to him feels too tame.

The forest, violent deer, and axe are cool, but the notes don't really say anything about him or anything else of note. Then you get to this big room with a creepy record player and some runes on the walls (which I never realized were there until now) which seems cool, but nothing is really done with it.

I feel like more should have been done with Deer Lord's area and there should've been more notes that build up to him better... or mention him at all. Maybe instead of the hunter dying in a cabin, they could have broken out due to desperation for food and water. Leading them to getting attacked by the deer and to the area with the runes on the walls; this can be where they encounter Deer Lord. Maybe have the last note mention them hearing a demonic voice or something before it ends there. Just kinda disappointing. 2/5

Notes by another Generic Lab Assistant

This old place is somehow even worse than the new GL Labs. Although it seems to have been constructed with a much larger budget than the new lab, nothing works quite right. I can see why it was abandoned so quickly. I wonder if there really is anything here worth salvaging.

Some notes by yet another Generic Lab Assistant... but they're all blue, transparent, and futuristic now!

That cool detail aside, here's a few things of note. These notes establish that there isn't just one GL Labs and that this is an older one despite the more futuristic theme to it. Possibly implying that there are multiple GL Labs that we have yet to see.

One of the notes also mention how the equipment here seems specifically designed for people without hands. My first thought was Spooky since she doesn't have "real" hands in a technical sense, but it could also be referring to the old Specimen 10. Considering it was a passive pet to the employees.

We also get more of Spooky being the most shitty and negligent boss ever. Literally sent a bunch of her employees to a place that had a clearly dangerous monster inside of it. Classic Spook lol.

So there's some nice world building stuff here! Though of course, we also have that eerie factor to these notes that are enjoyable as well.

Reading about there being weird noises in the air ducts and the machinery and power being faulty really makes you feel unsafe being there. Especially considering that not one single soundtrack or ambience plays while your in Specimen 10's area. It's just completely silent. Which makes things so much more uncomfortable and eerie.

Then you read this line.

I don't know what to do. I can't think well, I feel strange. I'm hiding from that thing. I feel like something is growing on my skin. I can't seem to tear it off fast enough, and I'm losing a lot of blood…

Again, like some of the specimens before, you read something that raises the stakes and establishes the threat.

But to spice things up a bit, for the first time, you are actually given a hint on how to deal with the specimen and boy is it a chilling one. The blood on the floor and the note flickering on and off is unnerving. And the fact that it's telling you that you have to stay close to it, in a game where you have always tried to run away as fast as possible, does a good job at confusing and stressing out the player right before they turn the generator on.

Not much else to say other than it's all very good buildup to a very good specimen. 5/5

Fast Food Worker's Notes

1. I was anxious getting a job here at first, but it seems like things are getting better. This chain is really expanding, which is a shock, because just last week I heard this company was going broke. Everyday more and more people show up to eat here. Something still sets me off about this place and its food though, so I'm going to try and not eat anything from here.

Specimen 11's area has the most lengthy notes we have seen yet and it's because of these notes that the Beef Demon is one of my favorite specimens! From the notes that we have seen previously, they usually follow this: some person that's stuck in a shitty situation or is about to be in an even worse situation soon enough. With the exception of the notes found in Ben's area since they're told as a story or legend.

These notes are interesting in that they are more gradual and take their time to get to the horror. It starts off as just someone new to the job noting how the restaurant chain is suddenly booming in business despite the company being on the brink of bankruptcy a week ago. Aside from that and the worker mentioning that they'll try not to eat any food there, nothing seems too suspicious so far.

The next note then informs us that something strange is going on with the customers. The orders are rising in numbers, but not the people. One customer is noted to use the drive through a total of three times. Ordering a bunch of food every 10 minutes. It becomes more odd when we move onto the next note and it tells us that lunch breaks aren't allowed there and neither is outside food. Apparently a customer who tried to do that got screamed at.

It's clear there's something wrong with the food. So it becomes all the more concerning when the writer states that they ate one of the burgers there and had a strange dream soon after.

4. This is strange… I had a dream last night about this restaurant. I know I was here, but I also felt like I was in another place at the same time. Everything looked so.. wrong. Nothing was the right size, and I kept hearing these strange animal noises, almost like wailing. I guess I just feel guilty for eating that burger the other day. Also today I saw that man again. The one who kept ordering every 10 minutes. This time he never even left the parking lot. He just got his meal, parked, and then got back in line. He must have done it at least 8 times before he left.

So these "burgers" make people overly obsessive with them, cause strange dreams, and make them shove other people's heads on a grill... wait... what the fuck?

5. There was a horrible 'accident' today. At least that's what the managers are calling it… One of the other employees brought in some outside food, and got into a fight with a manager about it. The employee said that the burgers here smell like sulfur. I then watched the manager grab the kid's neck and shove his head onto the grill. The employee got up and ran out before anyone could do anything, and I'm told that he is fine, but that really shook me today.

Well shit. That was unexpected and fucked up. So it's also making the managers unreasonably aggressive as well. We still don't know what exactly is in that "beef" however.

6. I'm leaving. I fell asleep in my car today, after eating one of those burgers. I remembered brief flashes of a man or animal coming towards me and feeling like some huge, lumbering thing was wailing from deep underground as I continued eating. When I woke up I was fine, but had veered off the road. I don't know if it's some weird allergic reaction to a preservative they use or something much worse, but this is my last day.

Unfortunately we don't get an answer to that question. The last note just tells that the writer saw "a man or animal" in a dream and that they heard wailing noises again like in their last dream. Except this time it was apparently from deep underground. And it just... ends there. The worker states that this is their last day working there, but we don't know what happened to them after that. Maybe they made it out. Maybe they didn't. I really like these ones as they're subtle. They don't tell you too much, but they don't tell you too little either. Something paranormal is going on with the "beef" but the notes don't tell us exactly why. It isn't until the literal demon shows up is when you're able to connect the dots. The burgers making people act unnatural or aggressive, the hallucinations and dreams, and the company suddenly booming when it was about to go bankrupt. Classic demon worshipping in a horror game. Except it's pretty cool and well executed here. Very wonderful and eerie notes. Especially with the man ordering every 10 minutes. Unsettling to read about a human... not acting human. 5/5

Marine Biologist's Notes

Research Report 1 More whales are being shipped to the facility tomorrow, one for a health inspection and two that are already dead for autopsies. More and more beached whales keep appearing around those islands and I still can't find what is causing it.

Let's skip the notes in Specimen 12 and save them for part 2 for now. You'll see why later (although you probably already know tbf). Anyways these notes introduce a interesting mystery. What's going on with the whales? Apparently they're beaching at an abnormal rate and there are bite marks being found inside their stomachs. At first it's all chalked up to it being a parasite, but then you come across this...

Research Report 5 The research facility is now in dire need of more engineers. We have a whole block that is flooded, and some vital staff are missing.

And this...

Excerpt 4132 And then I watched carelessly as the sea rose above the sky casting waving shadows over the world. I saw the silhouettes of creatures both familiar and forgotten. And suddenly I found myself falling upwards towards an ocean of darkness.

And this...

Research Report 6 I hear a girl. Or an animal. Or something… Singing to me, pleading that I come outside my locked room and let the sweeping waves comfort me.

And you start to realize there's more to it than that... Similar to the notes from the fast food worker, these neither tell you too much or too little. It's subtle in its horror and the creature it's talking about and it works very well like last time. Don't know what else to say without repeating myself. It's just good buildup to the Siren and it makes her an intriguing threat. I will say this though. This particular note is perfectly ominous and goes hard as hell.

Research Report 7 All the staff is gone. Only I remain. For no purpose, I remain here, resisting the call from behind the sealed door. But I will remain… As long as I can. Don't open that door.

5/5

Howard's Note

This was such a surprise. That there would be another entry. Another actual entry. One I could admire. But then as suddenly as it came, it left. And now you disband. Your influence and inspiration will never leave me.

A confusing read on your first playthrough. A funny (or possibly depressing) read once you realize it's Kira being upsetti spaghetti about PT not being turned into a full game. Neat reference but that's all it has going for it. 3/5

Dr. Hamada, Tochigi, Kanagawa, and Nurse Tanaka's Notes

Dr. Hamada Oncologist The patient has displayed increased depression after being informed of their terminal disease. I prescribed an antidepressant to regulate this but was later told that I had cancelled the prescription. I have no memory of cancelling the meds nor can I find any evidence that my orders were tampered with.

Karamari Hospital has a much more serious, darker, and mysterious atmosphere to it and these notes reflect that.

The mystery is set and pulls the player in when they read about Dr. Hamada cancelling the prescription for an antidepressant, despite them having no memory of doing so. This mystery is kept basically throughout the entirety of the notes and overall DLC until the very end. So throughout most of the DLC, you keep on guessing on what happened here with the doctors while not getting a whole lot of answers.

It's very well executed though and these notes have a handful of disturbing content within them as you find and read them. From a patient screaming and being terrified after being given hallucinogenics, to a whole entire liver sitting on Tochigi's desk, to Kanagawa describing how they woke to a patient they unknowingly murdered as he bled out on the floor, to Tanaka twisting the body of a cat and later dosing their head with radiation.

Despite never really showing it, Spooky's was always a gory and brutal game when you really thought about how each of the specimen's would kill you, but this shit is just next level.

It all ends perfectly once you finish the last note covered in blood from Tanaka and face the thing responsible for possessing all these people and forcing them to do these sadistic acts. Ghost Cow. Really well written stuff. 5/5

The Many Notes Inside the Dollhouse.

Congratulations GL Labs associate! You have been volunteered for our proud parent program. You have been given a doll, and your duty is to train the soul entrapped within. To confine it to the doll you must keep it in good 'Spirits' and give it attention. Many of the beta candidates were children when they died and will likely attach themselves to you without problems, but there may be times when punishment or extraction of spirit energy is necessary. The energy can feel quite replenishing, but please refrain from abuse as it negatively affects the ghost. In the event of husk rejection or injury, GL labs is not responsible under any circumstance.

With the Dollhouse DLC wrapping up the story of SJSM, it only makes sense that it has the most notes by far. These notes are incredibly interesting as their purpose isn't to foreshadow or hype up some major creature, but rather give us deeper insight into what GL Labs truly is and what they have done in the past.

Now, we already knew just how shady and cruel GL Labs was previously, I mean, I guess that goes for any company that resides in a mansion made specifically for murder. But we never saw it so upfront before. Nor did we see how negligent and indifferent they are. Summoning the spirits of children, stripping them of their afterlife, and forcing them into at first simple containers and later dolls. The most depressing case of this being Woormy Charles. Despite him wanting a bigger vessel, they kept forcing him into a small one, summoning him over and over again instead of just letting him go; then locking him in a containment room to rub salt in the wound.

We also get to see how incompetent and downright stupid the workers for GL Labs were. Trying to summon a spirit to entertain the dolls (instead of just... entertaining them by themselves or hiring someone to do it?), only to get some creepy ass clown voiced by Tomar. Performing rituals and inflicting pressure on the dolls, dehumanizing them in the process, and then acting surprised when the brilliant idea goes south, leading to one of the workers gouging their eyes out to be safe from the Hooked Doll... which I doubt ended well for them. One worker even mentions they're happy to be transferred to the GL Labs closer to the surface since they were fearing for their life everyday while they were in the Dollhouse. So clearly the whole facility was in need of being shut down not just because of the inhumane doll projects and rituals but also because the workers weren't even fully safe there. That really tells you how desperate a certain someone was though, doesn't it?

Spooky's Father Notes

I'm so sorry my little angel. I've tried hating the man that took you from us, but in the end the only person I can hate is myself. You always liked to scare people, especially when they didn't understand something. I was confounded no one understood your costume but I guess people don't read Poe anymore, even with the new Price film. That man clearly overreacted to your fireworks, but we can only blame a PTSD sufferer so much.

Well, talk about how the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The notes written by Spooky's father and everything going on with GL Labs truly shows how broken and tragic he is.

We knew how Spooky died to a soldier suffering from PTSD in the base game thanks to the easter egg arcade, but the Karamari DLC expanded on that by showing us how one of Spooky's parents felt about the matter. Which makes it all the more heart-wrenching.

If you get the bad ending in Karamari, we also get some interesting info about how Spooky's father was trying to bring Spooky back, which seemed to have worked, though judging by how sadistic and apathetic Spooky is, something must have went wrong.

I hate myself for what I am doing, but I can't wait any longer. Your mother puts on a brave face but I know she wants this too. I'm making fair progress in bringing you back, but it seems to only work for a moment even with larger thresholds. Today I think I found the answer. A second device is needed to bind the spirit to the earth after it has been brought back. I know this sounds macabre but I will turn it off and let you return to heaven after your mother and I get to see you again.

Dollhouse expands on him by telling us that he was indeed the main one behind GL Labs and that he approved of the doll project.

A doll is a timeless thing. In the shape of a human but created perfect. Immortal and unmoving. Yet hollow, devoid of soul. A fitting symbol and possibly usable device for our goals here. Soon I will have you back, my dear. But first I must make sure it won't constrict you.

Now with everything I said about GL Labs and how unethical they were, you would think that it would be a good reflection on Spooky's father himself. An apathetic and generally awful person. Well, it's more complex than that. He was behind a lot of the awful stuff going on in GL Labs, but none of it was out of any malice or evil. He really just wanted his daughter back through any means necessary. He hated himself for what he was doing and knew that his wife, shortly before her death, disapproved of bringing Spooky back. By that point though, he felt like he had gone too far to suddenly stop now.

So much desperation and will to go to extreme lengths, just because, as we later find out in a pretty damn good plot twist, he was the PTSD sufferer who killed Spooky and he wanted to be forgiven by his own daughter. Which really makes the line "I've tried hating the man that took you from us, but in the end the only person I can hate is myself." hit harder.

I always wanted to tell you. How that night really ended. But I couldn't. Because you were gone. I need your forgiveness. That's why I wanted you back at any cost. But in the end I robbed you of both life and unlife. Please go on, and be with Monica. I'm sorry.

He framed a homeless guy for a murder he accidentally caused, founded a company that performed unethical experiments, and in the end after his death, his daughter would go on to kill thousands. He really was the main cause behind everything that happened. Yet, you can't really hate the guy, not fully at least. He never was evil nor did he want to be. Even in his desperate madness, he still had a good chunk of his humanity within him. The doll project was unethical, but he still tried to encourage treating the spirits inside the dolls with care, with the scientists taking care of the dolls being referred to as a "proud parent" or presumably approving the party room to entertain them (even if it didn't work out). He could have went against his wife's wishes and tried to bring her back, yet he allowed her to rest, despite missing her everyday, showing how loving and devoted he is. And judging from his dialogue when interacting with his corpse, he realized how fucked up everything he has done was, but by that point it was too late, considering Spooky never moved on to be with Monica.

Always loved morally gray characters and Spooky's father is a great and tragic one. The Dollhouse notes and Spooky's father will both be getting a six, not five, six out of five. Absolutely goated. 6/5

Not Done Just Yet

Well, this part is done at least. Part 2 will be coming out... whenever I finish it lol. But it shouldn't take too long; and once it's finished, I'll state my closing thoughts about all the notes I reviewed. But for now, I'll see you whenever part 2 comes out! Have a snazzy day.

[websitewizard2005]

would love to hear abt oc lore and why u assigned each tarot cards to them :>

ALRIGHT the basic background for this lore is that I have a couple different stories that take place in the same town (Frettstock) and I decided to make a crossover w/ the individual protagonists of three of them, as well as a fourth character who kickstarts the story surrounding the lore. This would be the premise of the second "book" of my webcomic (that idk if I'll ever actually write) where the fourth character is introduced.

^The four of them! From left to right: Serena (new to this story), Max (Heartstake Heartbreak), Gilbert (We're Just Young) and Rex (Rex Sucks at Bass). They're all drawn as animals here, but Max and Gilbert are drawn as humans on their tarot cards because they're drawn as humans in their original stories. They're all technically humans but everyone in my webcomic is an anthro animal because they're just easier to draw haha. Gilbert is also drawn as his younger self on his tarot card, about ten years before this story takes place.

Essentially, the four of them are part of a reincarnation cycle I've named The Unlucky Four: four individuals who are destined to play four-stringed instruments and have terrible luck. I'll put the rest of this under the cut since there's a lot lol

The Unlucky Four were the first humans to bear curses from the fairies of the Heartstake Forest. In retaliation, they created guardian fairies - fairies who's purpose is to protect and guide humans. All of this magic experimentation caused their souls to continue to reincarnate, time after time. Each time new reincarnations are born, they receive a new guardian fairy. There may be other reincarnation cycles and guardian fairies tied to Frettstock, but the Unlucky Four are the main ones. I named them after tarot cards because I thought it sounded cool but I imagine the in-universe reasoning is that the original four wanted to keep their identities anonymous when documenting their story & chose tarot cards they felt connected to to represent themselves. The current incarnations of the Unlucky Four are Serena Walker (The Magician), Max Dallas (The Fool), Gilbert Quarters (The Hermit) and Rex Xavier (The Chariot). All of the current incarnations of the Unlucky Four play the bass guitar, which is part of the reason why I chose them lol.

THE MAGICIAN - The Magician will always bring the four together. She knows how to get things done, and get things done she will... even if these things aren't the "right" thing to do. The original Magician played the fiddle. The current Magician is Serena Walker. I chose The Magician to represent her because it represents resourcefulness and skill when upright, and wasted talent and trickery when reversed. Serena is a bit of an anti-hero. She has a goal & the outcome of that goal may bring about the apocalypse. Who knows. Serena was the first to find out about the reincarnation cycle, years before the rest. As a child, she stumbled upon a hidden section of the Frettstock Public Library and read of her destiny in a book. She's been devoted to learning as much as she can surrounding the reincarnation cycle ever since.

THE FOOL - The Fool is ruled by impulse. She doesn't think, she just does. The Fool's willingess to do anything and blind trusting nature compliment The Magician's skills and drive. The original Fool played the banjo. The current Fool is Maxine "Max" Dallas. I chose The Fool to represent her because it represents innocence and freedom, as well as recklessness and gullibility when reversed. Max has had a troubled past and is starting to build a better life for herself. She gets easily attached to anyone who gives her the time of day and will do anything for them without thinking. This happens to her with Phoebe Jean Weathers in her original story, and with Serena in this one. No matter what happens to her, Max will always trust those who are kind to her, sometimes to her detriment. She has a short temper and an even shorter attention span.

THE HERMIT - The Hermit thrives in solitude. His first instinct is always to be alone. The Hermit is always at least a decade older than the rest of the four, and acts as a sort of wise, advice-giving mentor figure. The original Hermit played the mandolin. The current Hermit is Gilbert Quarters. In his original story, Gilbert is a loner who hates conflict. He hates asking for things and would rather be miserable than be in an awkward situation. I chose The Hermit for him because it represents solitude and self-reflection, as well as loneliness and isolation when reversed. At the time he appears in this story, Gilbert is a semi-famous rock star with a drinking problem who is considering turning his entire life upside-down and moving back home. His wider character arc involves him learning to balance his solitude alongside relying on old friends.

THE CHARIOT - The Chariot is conflicted. He is pulled in different directions by everyone around him - but if he is driven away, he will always come back. If the Magician brings the group together, The Chariot keeps the group from falling apart. The Chariot and The Hermit will always find each other before the full group is united. The original Chariot played the dulcimer. The current Chariot is Rex Xavier. Rex spent the first twenty years of his life totally lacking direction, but now he's doing whatever he can to move forward. He is constantly in crisis over some aspect of himself. I chose The Chariot for him because it represents determination and success, as well as aggression and lack of control when reversed. Rex & Serena were intended to be foils even before I came up w/ this lore, like a mutual "I think you're so much better than me but I also think you're bad" kind of dynamic.

Thanks for reading this extremely long winded post to the end! I only have the lore and some minimal plot details rn, but maybe one day I'll write it all out. Maybe it'll even be a comic someday. Maybe I'll end up hating it and rewriting the whole thing. Who knows.

[marcusrobertobaq]

Another old news i wanna drag your attention: Markus deviancy is about ANGER. His walls tells it that much, even the situation that caused it in the first place.

What does it mean? Means he gonna feel pleasure in violence and also power (cuz it's a release). His dynamic is built in Anger (negative emotions) vs Rational (path of Shadows vs Light).

And lemme tell ya something - IT'S FUCKING OK FEELING HATRED. Do i gotta remember he took a .45 in the head inside his own house? That humans treat androids like garbage? Do i needa remember ya he got a WHOLE CUT SECTION that would talk exactly about his dilemma of anger and rebellion or submitting to humans?

It's the cliche "i gotta control my impulses" cuz violence = acting without a brain = bad decisions, acting the same way humans treat androids. Yep, androids feeling emotions like this is the "bad thing" in this game, it's demonized - even in the way North is hated for representing this side ("ah, she's always violent without any reason"). Ain't ironic how the "Violence/Anger" feelings represent the android side?

My dude Markus is also feeling completly lost cuz he's carrying not only androids on his shoulders but also...the fact he's worried about losing control and succumbing "to the so bad path and bad choices" himself.

He's worried about androids following him without thinking, like they're being machines following a new master even tho they're deviants. Does it ring any bells? xD

I know the game wanna print Markus as 100% peaceful pacifist, even he himself acts like he "fucked up" everytime he chooses a "violent" confrontation method - like telling the player "HE DIDN'T WANT TO DO THIS. BAD CHOICE, BAD CHOICE".

But honestly?

He just don't wanna a big confrontation where both ends lose for real and his crew end sacrificed for nothing. If he needa be violent he gonna be violent, if he needa be lethal he gonna be lethal. Quit with the fucking "he would never do X thing".

There's a problem: the fucking cut human romantic interest. Something that would justify Markus always sacrificing the life of androids he "freed" - and this ain't positive at all. That shit is literally Markus using androids for his own gains (getting cool with humans for the sake of his love interest) as if they're just numbers, converted people in the religious sense. We already got Carl, something that enable mfs in thinking not all humans are the same, meaning sacrificing androids for public opinion being the best choice (most in-character) Markus would have.

Man, i dare sayin' it's almost like the game treats Markus "violence" and "anger" like being a total monster and his minions: a tyrant repressing humans - innocent humans together - and taking a city by force only cuz he will be letting his own emotions interfere on his rational side and he's a leader, he gotta be pacifist rational to make the best choices. If not he'll be becoming the same thing as the bad humans they're trynna not become: the ones that let anger and hatred speak.

But curiously letting his emotions speak would mean he's letting his android side, his shadow side, speak louder.

Does it ring any bells again? xD

It's so fucking stupid 💀 but unfortunately was a dilemma even in his og script. Markus was doomed by the narrative from the beginning.

[tumblerislovetumblerislife]

hey olly. hey olly.

well damn i wasn't planning on another ao3-style comment but nooooo, you had to go make another beautiful gifset (lmao i love both you and your gifset so much!!) literally saved this until i can fully appreciate it, i feel like a little kid wanting to open a present slowly to keep the suspense longer, like i'm trying not to look at the gifs first (impossible) because i want to give you my FRESH response. i adore colour palettes (to no one's surprise)!! so excited for the ep2 gifs!!

gif 1: NIKO MY BELOVEDDDD. i love love love the green-pink contrast, i feel like that is just very niko!! we see her in other colours, sure, but in my mind they're her main two. obviously the pink is the sprites (and the lesbianism of course lmao) but the colour palette just really draws attention to it which is soooo pretty. and the yellow and greens!! the way her school clothes actually look green makes the whole thing SO cohesive and satisfying. also also the different shades of pink, like if i didn't look closely i would've thought it was one shade of pink except the colour palette made me look! *heart eyes motherfucker*

gif 2: ohhhhhhh my god turquoise+gold my beloved!!!!! sooooo in love with this palette it's not even funny. everything is so turquoise and kinda monotone with the funky lighting, and then you just have a few gold lights to give the whole thing life ough. (also a fun callback to the ep1 cat leash, aka the conflict they're headed towards??)

gif 3: HI LESBIAN NIKO HI! i love how the animations reflect in her eyes omg, i wonder how they did that? the purple that's the reflection of the light on her hair :o i never noticed it!!! and the other non-pink colours, the sort of pastel-y light green and yellow is so perfect for this scene WOW, actually all of the animations seem to be all pastel-y! and the green coming from the background (window?) is SO COOL

gif 4: hhhhhhhh SUCH a fun base shot but not one that i think is usually giffed? at least i haven't seen it around. it's really lovely to get those scenes like little treasures! and the greens!!! god i love a good green and these are the BEST. the monotone? *chef's kiss* (also i think i said something about it in the ep1 reaction and i know there's an aesthetic reason for it BUT it really does make the boys feel more ghostly since the only colour on them that's represented is the greenness of the forest reflecting on them. it looks amazing, basically)

gif 5: oooooh neutrals + gold? did not expect it, but i LOVE. also very fitting for the bathroom as this sort of very mundane place. nothing supernatural's going on in here, no sirree. also also very fun camera angle! something something about the light itself being white, but the light it casts being this warm gold? also the reflection of the light in the water, never noticed that!! i know the water is for crystal to splash her face with, but it just gives off scrying vibes and i am such a big fan. they should let the gang explore more supernatural methods in s2! but i digress. (oh and crystal being much more present, the dark colour picking up in her hair as well as the tiles, and the beige and white in her rings, just like the taps! crystal is so alive)

gif 6: another green with some red this time!! lmao it's like an optical illusion, my brain refused to see the reds until i actually stopped and looked for it. so nice and autumn-y <3 again the accent colour being the most prominent example of that colour is SUCH a vibe. also. they are so teeny-tiny omg who let them out to solve cases T-T

gif 7: PIIIIIIIIIIIINK (god i love a good monotone) plus the (weird) perception we have of pink as this innocent colour vs this horror that niko's going through?? the good sauce man! also i love how the pink shifts until the middle colour basically fades against the background, that's really fun

gif 8: sprites sprites sprites! lmao i love them, they're terrible but at least they're funny about it <3 the colours?? obviously the greens, the gold in the coins and litty's dress, the white in their hats and clothing (and litty's highlights, damn girl), but that blue?? iconic. i probably wouldn't have seen it if not for the colour palette omgggg

overall: i didn't expect you to be able to surpass the ep1 colour palettes but i should never have doubted, oh my godddd olly!!!! just. WOW. loved all the nikos! loved the bright colours! loved the monotones! loved the greens! loved the pinks! loved the golds! (honestly it might be faster to mention everything i don't love, which is..... nothing) THANK YOU FOR GIFTING US MERELY MORTALS WITH YOUR DIVINE GIFSETS <3

Dead Boy Detectives (2024) 1.02 — The Case of the Dandelion Shrine (insp)

[thebrisingamen]

Something frustrating I've noticed, especially in the early aughts shows I liked, exceptions of course existed but I'm talking as a broader whole.

GENERATOR REX:

-Dr. Holiday; The 'motherly' figure, who's super smart and figures things out but like...she doesn't DO much of anything to advance the story or plot and she's often not doing much

-Circe; An extremely satellite love interest who disappears? idk wtf happens to her, tbh. she has 0 personality

-Black Knight; The villain lady, Ice Queen Archetype. Boring

And that's all I can think of that are NAMED, APPEAR FOR MORE THAN ONE EPISODE female characters....

SECRET SATURDAYS

-Drew Saturday; Mostly a good character, but falls into the Mom trope. She's the mother/relative of our main character and so is often more supporting than active. At least she is active and complex.

-Wadi; Love Interest, bratty child one because they're 10-11 but she gets very little screen time and we don't know much about her beyond the fact that she likes to steal items & likes Zak.

-Rani Nagi; A Naga, who is evil and wants to revive Kur and is a villain with no more depth than that...

-Dr. Miranda Grey & Abbey Grey; The Grey Sisters are supporting cast and not very interesting--they just fulfill story purpose but at least they're women. Secret Saturdays is the least bad about this, but 5 named female characters appearing for more than one episode is...bad...

BEN 10;

-Main Female Lead is Cousin, who is supposedly pretty powerful in the following series though we only ever see her do support, we never see much of a focus on her as a character and she is rather static.

She remains bossy good girl cousin, the brainy one of the trio dating emotionally unavailable Kevin who needs to deal with his trauma, despite Kevin and Ben having more connection and scenes in the entire series.

Her entire character revolves around who she is related to (Ben, Their Grandfather, Her Grandmother, etc.) or who she is romantically attracted to (Kevin, Morning/Dark Star, etc.)

We never talk about Gwen's interests, what Gwen likes, who Gwen is outside of her family. Apparently she likes school but WHAT ELSE GUYS?

-Kai Green; There's a lot to unpack here; Her first name is at least Native American, but the whole introduction episode has not aged well and, just. Wow. Also she's boring and evil, I guess? Like what the hell? Oh also a love interest who is introduced in one ep and returns in the third series

-Julie Yamamoto; Another LOVE INTEREST and she does actually seem pretty cool, but then they broke her and Ben up because reasons???? Reasons.

Reasons Being That A Strong Female Character With Actual Screen Time Was Too Hard

ESPECIALLY since they had them break up OFF. SCREEN. in between series.

That is totally not suspicious at all.

-Other Female Characters; forgettable, one-shot, etc.

This is pretty much an epidemic for early 2000s cartoons & is also well exemplified in the Nolanverse Batman Trilogy

Female Characters Have A Very Limited Range To Be

They Are

1. The Mom/Sister/Cousin etc Relative Character who has some moments but is mostly support for the main cast and rarely, if ever, showcases her abilities unless everyone else is out of it. This character is only comic relief and rarely presented as pretty and is relegated to side-kick.

2. The Good Girl. Pure of Heart, Usually The Love Interest Satellite Character Who Acts As The Morality Pet/Compass to Main Male Character. 9/10 times she's also a virgin or too innocent to be overtly sexual....

3. The Traitor/Villain/Bad Girl. Almost Always Sultry and/or Sexy (bc owning your sexuality is "bad") and clearly represents temptation for our hero. Can't be evil just to be evil, must have a reason.

And that's it. I think its why I always disliked Ben 10 in many ways, the same for Generator Rex; I wanted to like these shows, but there was either too much going on to follow a coherent story (Rex) or the ongoing issues with a series made in the 2000s

Alien Force WAS SO GOOD and that is WHERE the show should've ended its run, but then Omniverse happened.

-So yeah, stop doing these three female characters please, PLEASE give us varied people in shows. It is happening, slowly but surely.

Also we were robbed

-Ben 10 (alien series)

-Gen Rex (AU alien earth)

-Secret Saturdays (Cryptids)

-Magic? MAGIC? it's been mentioned several times in original BEN 10 series that magic exists & is real, same with Secret Saturdays and its been established they share the same universe so...

WHERE IS OUR MAGIC SHOW, MAN OF ACTION?

[zoobus]

Is there a piece of media that you absolutely detest? And I do mean detest, like, a movie or book or man(hu/hw/g)a (etc) that when you remember it's existence makes you go fricking ballistic (or the nearest negative emotion).

I've written this essay for at least different platforms but somehow not tumblr. Yes. One of the most popular otome isekais out there no less. And for once I'm going to put this under a cut. I know people browse the otoisekai tag for fun and aren't looking the beating I want to give this manwha. Also because this is a copy-paste-edit of something I wrote months ago on reddit and it's too long. Stale material gets the snip.

I hate The Villainess Lives Twice/Again. I hate it so much. tl;dr don't quadruple amputee your morally black heroine and have her draw a pentagram on a dirty floor with the bloody remains of her tongue in chapter 1 if you're not gonna follow through. I really felt like I was bamboozled into reading what was ultimately a generic contract marriage, saved by the hot duke romance, and I hate it. If you like this comic, don't click this.

I know TVLT is popular. I know it's well-loved and often trotted out as an ur-example of the genre. Why? I'm not really sure.

I hate it because on every single level, for any possible reason I enjoy otoisekai, it fails. All the charms of the genres it attempts end in failure. I hate it for lying about what kind of otome story it intended to be.

The concept? Great. Wonderful. I have a mighty need for writers to fill the gap on villainess characters that are actually villainous. I love otome isekai and stories where they let a girl-boss stay winning? They're the best. Let👏female👏protags👏be👏toxic👏👏👏

And here? Chapter one STARTS with our MC getting taken down for some crime she didn't commit and you know what? She can't even be mad, because what she's accused of pales in comparison to what she's actually done. Chapter one ENDS with our now limbless MC squirming across a filthy floor, dragging the remains of her sliced out tongue to form a pentagram so she can sacrifice herself and turn back time, knowing full well this alone could never atone for the crimes she committed for her own selfish gain.

The execution? oh my god, I hate this comic for hyping me up like that. Every single chapter after had me desperately searching for the potential I saw in the first. A peak into what could have been. But there's nothing. Why is there nothing.

1. Agency

Chapter 1 is essentially MC getting tortured for a wrongful accusation, with her noting the irony of this. She explicitly refuses to apologize or justify her actions. She knows there's no point in doing so. We're presented with a woman who knows there's no excuse for the innocent lives she's destroyed - no sad childhood or miserable backstory can make up for the evil she's puppeteered. She had choices and she chose evil.

Lol jk actually she has a tragic backstory that is vewy sad :,( and we're not saying you should feel sorry for this poor little war criminal lady, but she just wanted her mamma's love!

I can't tell you how much I despise the "cool motive, still murder" meme but it really applies here.

Chapter 2 is a slap in 1's face. After seeing her go to such lengths to own her actions, we get a frustrating and, frankly, confusing recollection of her terrible childhood (they suggest she's being starved, but that doesn't really make sense with other info given; MC doesn't have a lot of clothes but wouldn't that make her ambitious family look...bad? because nobles are always looking for weaknesses and you're intentionally sending a representative of your family name outside looking like a scrub? The emperor passed a law that only married people can have affairs - why?? What does this bizarre piece of law do besides marginalize our MC??? You think you're too good for normal concubines? These aren't spoilers, they're just weird details that add nothing or make things less coherent). Chapter 2 is a long way of saying "I know there's no excuse for what I did, BUT"

2. Dumbass's Machiavelli

Did you assume the mastermind-orchestrator MC would be equally brilliant and manipulative once she returns to the past? lol. It's a 1-2 combo of "plot conveniently happens to MC in a way she could not have planned but we'll pretend she did" and "MC does objectively dumb shit."

An example of the former -

MC walks downstairs, gets randomly slapped for no other reason than she needs a reason to lecture the slapper "you need to get your father's attention in a different way than throwing tantrums at his mistress's house." Said slapper is in her 30/40s with two kids, so uh. If she's still throwing tantrums, I don't see this being a convincing argument.

An example of her doing objectively dumb shit - hey, if you know you're going to the poorest area in the whole empire, why would you roll up in a noble carriage and put your black cloak disguise on after you step out and the beggars have already seen your noble-exclusive golden hair?

I can't even edit this screenshot smaller, you have to see this fucking framing in its entirety:

This fucking screenshot. This FUCKING PAGE. It throws me into fits, it turns me into an incoherent animal because there's SO MUCH bad, it throws off my numbered list format 1 2 3 4 THIS PAGE the depiction of POVERTY before a noblewoman gets PRINCESS CARRIED out of a carriage, complete with the pink glitter background because this is meant to be a ROMANTIC scene for an INTELLIGENT character by a KIND male lead AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES THIS???

3. Fuck the male lead

That's him in that last pic. ML is stated to be the people's Duke, a duke who cares, a duke who is disgusted by the treatment of commoners at the hands of the aristocratic elite. Commoners should receive just as much valor for the efforts as us nobles!

"Riches aren't important," he says that verbatim. We, the reader, should root for his ascension to the throne because he's not like the other noble boys ;^)

He displays his unrelenting commitment to justice and commoners by:

Verbally attacking and embarrassing MC's bully at a party, despite the implausibility of sherlocking enough facts to recognize the bully is in the wrong (side note, I was #teambully - she points out MC has worn the same dress to six parties in a year, not even aware that MC is wearing her filthy clothes from the day before, when she was out in the sunshine cooking up a BO-storm. I know enough about historical garments to know that those layers heat up and that she did not wash them before the party). I got off-topic, I'm just saying I would not be comfortable with a guy who jumps to conclusions like this being my political representative - we know she's a bully. He could not.

Terrifying a visibly nervous butler for giving info the ML literally just demanded, which is treated as proof the MC has an abusive life, as there's no other reason a butler would say "Oh MC's at the ball" to the scary 6'5 war hero duke glaring down at him. Again, a noble second to the king jumping to conclusions without considering how his intimidating presence might affect how less powerful people perceive him is not actually a good look. I know you have a brain cell in there somewhere, use it.

Openly hostile to beggars living in what we are explicitly told is the most poverty-stricken part of town for having the audacity to ask rich people stepping out of a noble carriage for money.

😍 Dripping wet over being princess carried in front of the wretched poor before my boyfie whips his sword out in case one tries to touch me😍

4. "Banter"

Yeah so if you've ever seen the actual video where this gif comes from, the context is that the smirking guy is "roasting" the other dude with these bizarre quips that either aren't clever or make no sense, but his friends are going nuts anyway.

MC cannot banter. She shares personal info unbecoming of an alleged mastermind. Her jokes suck, like booooo get off the stage boooooo. I'm not even going back to screenshot them, they're too tryhard/corny.

5. Just say you hate fashion

The fashion is hideous, anachronistic, and at points, clearly traced from something else. I don't expect all otoisekai to care about fashion - it's a perk when they do, but I can ignore it when it's not - but all the clothes are noticeably from different centuries, at times it's super obvious the artist traced a stock photo, and the stylistic inconsistency is weirdly notable. I have never cared about this kind of thing before, but I guess you could say TVLT has a special place in my heart. NONE of these clothes are from the same period which would be fine except they're UGLY. How dare you.

tl;dr2 The Villainess Lives Twice is the worst OI I've ever read because they baited me with an MC who's literally willing to crawl in the dirt, to spill blood to get what she wants, a boss-bitch more than prepared to play 12th dimension human-chess.

And then those stakes turned out to be tripping over her own feet on prom night.

✌️Cliffhanger✌️

[thebreakfastgenie]

I've been meaning to add my #thots on every cover for, like weeks now, so here they are:

Cold Spring Harbor: I like it. It's not great but it's a first album made without a huge budget in 1971 so it's on track. The original uncropped version looks nicer but the text is harder to read. Objectively mid but a valid fave for sentimental reasons.

Piano Man: Columbia Records Executive: Billy we know what you went though with your previous album and we want you to know we're completely with you and we have taken much greater care. Billy Joel: I appreciate that. Columbia Records Executive: So with that in mind we have designed an album cover that makes you look like a day-old corpse floating in the East River in December. Billy Joel: Whatever. As long as I don't have to do another photoshoot.

This cover is so bad. It's creepy. I hate when it stares at me while I'm listening to the album. It's also objectively bad at what it is because he does not look like himself at least not in any timeline where he lived past the age of 24. And the font is not that easy to read, probably a bit easier in vinyl size but still. The entire point of this album, his first with Columbia, was to tell people who he was and what he looked like and relaunch him after the disaster of Cold Spring Harbor. It accomplishes none of these things. If you voted for this one I am judging you.

Streetlife Serenader: It's very pretty and I love it but I don't think it's great as an album cover. It doesn't grab my attention. It doesn't pop. The text is tiny. This is sort of a sophomore album (with Columbia) you would think they'd want to make it obvious who he was. I imagine he is the reason it's not a picture of him which is fine.

Turnstiles: I am biased by my passionate love for this album but this is a great cover! I really love the composition of it. The colors are good. I've heard the criticism that the turnstiles aren't clear enough but I think they're fine?? I love seeing him with other people. The people represent the songs! And cameo from Sean Weber Small! Absolutely love the lettering on it too.

The Stranger: S tier. Showstopping. The black and white. The shadows. The lettering!!! Is!!! So!!! Good!!!!! The soft mystery of the mask and the bed and the suit and the bare feet and the boxing gloves which are a nod to him!! It also just feels like The Stranger. It should be black and white. I'm so happy this was his breakout album. The growth between Turnstiles and here really mirrors the same for the album.

52nd Street: Very good! I really like the vibe of this one and the text style is great!! Not quite as good as the ones before and after but very strong. It is kind of funny that he is holding a trumpet, an instrument he does not play.

Glass Houses: My baby. My darling. My ragtime gal. This one is INSPIRED. The fit. The rock. The red text that absolutely POPS on the cool picture. That's his own house btw. And the bonus that it opens with glass breaking and you know he threw that rock!! This photoshoot is funny to imagine but ugh the results. Mwah. Perfection.

The Nylon Curtain: Fuck the haters I like this cover! It's supposed to look like a paperback and it does!!!! The colors are cool. Very nylon-y so maybe this is one instance where Billy Joel's synesthesia and my synesthesia are in agreement. I like that it's a little mysterious. I'm obsessed with the font. The effect of it looking narrow because of the white space is kind of a pain for me sometimes doing digital stuff but I don't think it's a problem for a record. This one deserves to be someone's personal favorite even if some other covers are better.

An Innocent Man: I hate this one. I like the picture itself it just does not feel like An Innocent Man to me! This is the only one that I'm always surprised by when I see it because the vibes are all wrong. Why is it black and white? I dig the yellow-orange text but the vibe is all wrong.

The Bridge: I ALSO HATE THIS ONE. Just makes me say ewwww. It looks like generic art that hangs on the wall in a hotel room (no disrespect to whoever made it). I'm not against an abstract cover but it just looks messy to me, I don't know what's going on, it doesn't suggest "bridge" to me but I keep looking for one, and I hate this color palette!!!! Someone can like this one I guess but why. Bad text choices too. Confusing all around.

Storm Front: This on I also do not like!! I keep forgetting this one is a flag and not a second abstract rectangly design. I don't care for this shade of red or how it looks with the black. The text pops pretty good though and I like that font.

River of Dreams: I love that Christie painted it and I do not think it is a bad painting! I think it is well done! However I simply do not like this style of painting. I do love the colors and text though! And some of the background elements look nice! I respect it but it's not a personal fave.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

I don't get it - what's wrong with the BB interview? Even you've addressed how PTD wasn't that great yet still raced to #1. They could change their rules but to what exactly? It's a popularity chart. If the same people are streaming the same song over and over - is that not precisely what manipulating the charts is? I mean, we're smart and found a great loop hole but how is this great for the boys? Making them think they're more popular than they actually are? PTD was weak, man and I love them??

I'm really glad you asked me this question because I wanted a chance to talk about what I did find insightful about the article. To be honest, when I started reading the article I thought "They're right", but the more I read it the more the lack of professionalism and the clear agenda it had bothered me.

First of all, talking about chart manipulation isn't a bad thing. But paying a group to be on the cover of your magazine and mentioning their achievements only to question them isn't the right way to do it. You think they'd do this with anyone else? Had it been Dua Lipa, the article would've been about her artistry and achievements in the industry, and she would've been portrayed in a positive light. Did BB even treat BTS as artists? To me they were only treated as an interesting phenomenon.

BB could've done an exposé on BTS and chart manipulation, but not like this. It's a bit rich for BB to question BTS only. Instead of opening a discussion about the merit of the charts and the ways the industry circumvents BB's guidelines, the article points fingers only at BTS, implying that, in contrast with Dua or Olivia, BTS are cheating the charts. BB essentially avoids taking responsibility for its own methods and its influence in the industry by saying BTS are the only ones compromising the legitimacy of the charts and their value. It's an easy way to make BB look good and BTS look bad - the charts and the US industry aren't the problem, BTS and the Korean music industry are. Throughout the whole article, the way they talked about the "fascinating" case of HYBE and BTS's success felt more like an insult than a compliment, or even an objective analysis. Anything related to Kpop or Korea was more or less used against BTS.

Second of all, the way they discussed chart manipulation was deeply flawed. They didn't lie about Army's strategies nor were they wrong to question the ethics of mass buying, but they should've done their research first. Quoting twitter users, alluding to "experts", admitting they didn't know exactly how Army operated, etc. is really bad journalism. They want to expose BTS for chart manipulation without proper evidence? The language they used conveyed ambiguity and uncertainty too. They never explicitly stated things, it was all hearsay. What kind of journalism is this?

But, again, even if they had done their research, targeting BTS without likewise exposing other artists on the charts is having a clear bias.

The article was also very interested in HYBE. This is another interesting topic, sure, but HYBE isn't BTS. If they wanted to write about HYBE they should've done so in another article. And it's telling that they talked about HYBE almost exclusively in an unflattering light. What they said wasn't false: for example, they questioned the company's longevity and worth due to their undeniable dependence on BTS - I agree with that, but what about HYBE's success story? BB aren't anticapitalism. They are pro-money hungry companies, and HYBE is certainly smart when it comes to money. Were it any other company, BB would've been all over that. But with HYBE they mention Army, and how HYBE exploited the fan-artist relationship, as the reason behind the label's success only to make HYBE and Army look bad. Artists profit from their fans, but usually no one talks about it; it's bad form. We talk about how cool and iconic Beyoncé is, not the amount of money she made, directly or indirectly, from her fans - or rather, the money she makes from her fans is legit and not worth questioning, unlike the money BTS make from Army. (As an aside, had Beyoncé been on their cover, do you think BB would've questioned the legitimacy of her feminism/activism due to the money she earned from a clothing line made at sweatshops employing mostly woc?...)

I agree that the relationship between BTS and Army is interesting, but streaming is only the tip of an iceberg that BB didn't bother to uncover.

To me, it's clear they had an agenda. The way they spoke about BTS's diplomatic passports, HYBE, Army, the charts, etc. - all of it had a negative connotation and contributed to the narrative of BTS being shady or puppets, or whatever. It was more of the "dark side" of Kpop. Why does no one talk about the dark side of American pop?

Also, like I mentioned, the article tackled too many topics. If you want to talk about HYBE, write an article about HYBE - the company's executives were quoted more than most of the members; it doesn't make sense. And if you want to talk about chart manipulation, that's a separate topic that shouldn't be the main focus of a magazine Army is expected to buy. Who, if not Army, is expected to buy the 7 different editions for each member? Army is supposed to buy an article slamming them and BTS?

There is a time and a place to discuss these things. Most of what was said was legitimate, but the authors twisted the truth to fit their narrative when they refused to do actual research on the topic, quoted fans of artists competing with BTS on the charts, and refused to look at chart manipulation as a whole and how other artists are attempting it as well (they even pointed out that other artists' fans try to do what Army does but less successfully - which is why they are... what, more innocent than Army?...).

Another thing that was unprofessional was the fact that BTS were rarely quoted directly. On the last part of the article, regarding the English singles, I can't even form an opinion on what was said due to the ambiguous, even manipulative way, the section was written. They quote an executive on how BTS compromised with the company and make it seem like BTS were unwilling to release English tracks (which fits their narrative), but they don't quote the members themselves. In the initial article I read they noted that RM remembered the situation differently and quote him saying "There was no alternative", which made it seem like RM was never in conflict with HYBE. But now the article states "RM wasn’t fond of the idea, though he acknowledges it was a crucial way to keep buzz alive during the pandemic. “There was no alternative,” he says.", and now it seems like RM opposed Dynamite at first, contradicting the initial article. This correction only corroborates with BB's narrative. But what about the members that were allegedly in favor of the single? And why is Jin only quoted to share the struggles of recording the song? Why was nothing positive said about Dynamite when we know for a fact they must've said it? It simply wasn't interesting to BB. The members were only quoted when they had something juicy to say, and we were never offered much context or told what question they were replying to, what tone they used or how it fit the real time conversation BTS were having with each other and with the interviewers.

Essentially, although the writers didn't lie about most things, the article was biased, ambiguous, unprofessional and lacking in direction. It was like three insufficiently researched and prejudiced articles in one.

Also, while PTD wasn't that great, there are many not so great songs that make it to n.1 on BB. Being great has nothing to do with your results in the chart. Many artists make songs no one really likes yet we're forced to listen to them on the radio anyway. Fans streaming like it's their job and bulk buying songs isn't right, but at the very least you can say that it is their choice, and it reflects the fans love for their artist even if it doesn't always reflect their love for the song. A lot of American artists have it easy and top the charts with generic songs that the GP listens to without even meaning to - they're just shoved down our throats by their labels. That's chart manipulation too, isn't it? What is BB supposed to represent? Popularity? If so, maybe BTS don't deserve the top spot, but maybe those artists who do only get that number 1 because their labels know how to put them up there. If more artists had the same treatment that artists like Dua Lipa get, then maybe the n. 1 song would be different. Isn't that chart manipulation as well?

[life-of-ice]

Apparently I'm an even bigger sucker for AJR then even I thought I was. Ya boi wrote down my interpretation of the stories of as many AJR songs as I could get a hold of.

(Not gonna lie, some of these made me cry.)

AJR Analysis : Living Room

Overture- Is good songs smushed together

Infinity- This is kind of one of the only love songs they will ever write. In this he is kind of asking if it was all in his head and that she was kind of perfect to him and all his troubles fell away when she was there and it's just a really sweet song.

I’m Ready- This is when they are really confident and happy, and excited for their first album to come out. They also want to make other people happy

My Calling- He is finding his calling, which is represented by ‘ I'm sailing the clouds”, and he's pretty confident it is his calling as said by teh “It might be my calling”.I think the “A heartbreak and hundred red balloons, now i'm off the floor” means he found his calling when he broke up with his significant other, and finding his purpose made him happy, or euphoric. He kinda thinks that he's going to put himself into this completely, and there's no going back, so he’ll let you know when he succeeds.

Thirsty- This is a silly party song about drunk people being really intense and excited.

Pitchfork Kids- This is literally one of the most intense song in the album and it is so hard to analyze in the beginning. He’s saying if he should spend time running for his life and that the “Pitchfork kids” are coming for him, orlike peer pressure and popular kids and people and if he gets away he’ll still be singing his. 

Livin’ on Love- This is about a guy who has a crush on someone, and that someone makes the first move. He explains he likes to take it slow, and he doesn't want this relationship to end, and looks like it'll be smooth sailing from there.

Big White Bed- He's thinking about his future with someone he lives. He would imagine living with his significant other for the rest of his life.

The World is A Marble Heart- He feels betrayed that his ex left him because of promises his ex made him when they first started dating. He's just kinda bitter.

The Green and the Town-The Giants they refer to are adults. They know they're  growing up, and they hope they can keep their youthful tendencies. He wants to be able to come back home someday, and relive his younger days.

Big Idea- They are really confident after a big success. And while they might be a small fry in the world of music, they are taking what they can get. They feel like you can do anything you put your mind to. But for now they are going to celebrate.

Growing Old on Bleecker Street- He's kind of saying it's kind of pointless to dream alone and that he is going to take his and wait for someone for him to make him happy. And that time may wash away his memories but him and the person in the song and him will still cry together. This song is really hard to put into words but i think the music and the lyrics are really beautiful. The music really complements the words too. It's a beautiful ending to a beautiful album.

AJR Analysis : The Click - Deluxe( https://youtu.be/PZz1Gxdb_tA )

Overture- Unfortunately, this is just a very well put together mashup of the other songs.

The Good Part- He's not sure he's made it yet and he doesn't know what or where it is but still really wants to be there but he doesn't want to go through all of the hard parts in the middle and, this is just stealing the name but, just wants to skip to the good part.

Weak- He wants to be stronger and resist those who want to get him in trouble, despite how he knows that trouble he gets himself into is fun for him. He keeps refusing, his past keeps interfering as though he had an addiction in the past.” One hit” almost certainly refers to that.

Sober Up- He doesn't want to be left behind by the few people he wants to trust but they keep losing touch and his new friends are kinda bad (reference to drama) and i think this kind of touches on the three of their relationship as brothers that dont hate each other.

Drama- He is outgrowing his friends, and notices that they aren't exactly the best influence on him. His so called friends have overblown problems that really aren't necessary, and they are pretty as shown in the “Recently, he said that she said some shret that you wouldn't believe.”

Turning Out- He realizes he has really high expectations for a relationship, needs to reevaluate how he would like a relationship. He also needs to work on his maturity. He realizes he needs to know how to make a friendship before he does anything else.

No Grass Today- He refers to smoking when he talks about “grass”. It seems like he used to smoke, but stopped after he started performing. He doesn'to anymore, but is cool if you smoke because he understands that it has a kind of euphoria. He replaced his addiction with music, because it feels the same to him. As it is, his whole attitude is  you do you, I'll do me.

Three Thirty- He wants to get his work out to the public, but no one has yet to accept his work. He knows he needs more attention, and he wonders whether if he would get the success he wants by becoming more mainstream, like Ed Sheeran. He also wonders whether he can get success before he gives up.

Call My Dad- Something bad happened to him when he went to a party and hung out with a girl. He wants to be comforted and go home,which is why he wants to call his dad, as his dad represents home and safety to him.

I'm Not Famous- He's not famous and he embraces it. He embraces it because his problems are kinda embarrassing, and he doesn't really want to show everyone and lose all privacy in his life.

Netflix Trip- It goes through his life and some of his most influential moments in his life that this show had gotten him through. Also the show is the office, with Dwight, Michael, and Jim and head of sales. I also fit with times of when the seasons originally came out. It also talks about the show being over and he’s going through netflix looking for a new show to help him get through the times that are harder for him to get through himself.

Bud like You- Two really good friends being like why are people taking everything so seriously. And also like why is everything so expensive

Come Hang Out- He is always leaving himself out on gatherings with friends and people because he wants to keep working on his musical career. In the bridge he says “should i go for more clicks this year, or should i follow the click in my ear.” I think that's one of the more powerful lines in this song, because he's saying that he is comparing his popularity on the internet to the “click” or clique that keeps asking him to drop it for once and hang out.

Burn the House down- He used to be innocent and foolish wondering about how he looked and walked and now he isn't as innocent and now he wonders if he should keep his songs innocent even though he isn’t and everyone is now deceiving and stoof and he wonders if he should expose them with strangers on Twitter of bite his tongue. Lets just say he chooses to expose the crap outta them.

Role Models- He's saying that people are famous for all of the wrong reasons. I think this song really connects to their later song in neotheater, beats, because i think he is kind of worrying about losing all the best parts of himself and become what some of the more famous people are.

Normal- The background music sounds like a playground, which I think represents his childhood. He doesn't feel normal as people think it's weird he's spending time by himself. He wants to give up and stop trying since people think he's so weird. “My friends have all new friends” means that he doesn't want to be left behind, and he made something to make him popular, and that makes him sad.

Pretender- I honestly love the acoustic version. This song is, i think, sort of about the sang like if everyone jumped off a bridge, would you. He is basically saying that he has problems and insecurities but he hides them to be like everyone and he thinks hes right about the fact that he has to be exactly like everyone else. Also it makes an amazing mash up with next up forever.

Ajr Analysis: Neotheather (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmvfyCBJfPPRukUpv-xRE6EWuHZeAosLJ) 

Next Up Forever- The perspective is very nervous, and people are encouraging him to get better and better. He is both hopeful for his success, and scared of it.

Birthday Party- This is the perspective of an innocent person. He describes all of the world's problems, like “ I bet my ignorance is always Bliss, except ignoring pigment in our skin, I bet my countries nice to immigrants”. He is throwing shade at our problems with racism and ignoring the other problems we have, like global warming and discrimination of the minority.  

100 Bad Days- This is from the perspective of someone who is trying to ignore his problems, and brush it off for tomorrow as his way of coping. Like for example, when his girlfriend breaks up with him.

Don't Throw Out my Legos- The perspective is from a person graduating from perhaps high school, and is moving out. He doesn't want to leave his childhood behind him completely.

Break My Face- He's like Eff you, I'm fine, you don't have to worry about anyone but yourself, because you're kinda a jerk. If you only care about my looks, you have a lot more than me to fix.

Turning Out Pt.ii- He was a sad lonely person, and clung to the first person who would accept him. He realizes that that's what he did, and doesn't to want to burden her with himself anymore. He also realizes his decision might hurt her, and knows he needs to mature.

The Entertainment's here- He wants to distract himself from his reality so he doesn't have to think about his existence, like when he says “But I don't want to to think about my purpose on Earth” He is feeling numb as he has done the same thing over and over again. We think the school bell sound in the chorus is supposed to represent that as the school system is so rigid and uniform, but also rather boring.

Karma- A person is with a psychologist and is asking why he is so depressed as shown by his words of Doc or Doctor. The perspective feels like he has done everything he would to get better, but nothing is working, so it's a vicious cycle of being depressed, then getting depressed because he is depressed

Beats- The past line influences this a lot, but I think it's kind of like is he willing to throw away his dignity and creativity for the popular and expensive things that more popular writers and musicians say and make people think is popular. I think

Wow, I'm not Crazy- It's sort of touching on the fact of being the same in society but also being different. I think it sounds like he's convincing himself he's not crazy it's sort of just a social construct.

Dear Winter- I feel like this is a really nice and wholesome song compared to the rest of the songs. I feel like he is saying he is already proud and happy with Winter even though he hasn't even met their mother yet. I think it's a song where they is saying what he may not be able to say to them when they're older and won't listen to him. And he still has a lot to learn about being a good person and everything but he will still be proud and want to hang out with them. He wants to try really hard to be a good parent. #cool parent😋

Finale(Can't wait to see what you do next)- The perspective is like “ you have really high expectations, and I don't feel like I or anyone else can live up to them. So i'm going to do whatever I want because I don't feel like I have to deal with your expectations anymore. It's also like, I tried really dang hard, and there haven't been any results, as from the “You went hard, and you did fine."

No Album name yet

BANG!!- This songs begins with reminiscing about being a little kid who is allowed to fool around and be silly. He than has to "grow up" and is trying to pretend to adult, by doing adulty things like buying quinoa or other things ings like that."I'm way too young to lie here forever I'm way too old to try, so whatever Come hang, let's go out with a bang "those lines are talking about being at that weird age where you're definitely not feeling comfortable as an adult, or you're just really lost, you don't have to be at a certain age. He just goes fuck it, I'm learning to adult along the way, I'm sorta not succeeding, but that's ok.

[ziracona]

Idk I just love the idea of Mori and Billy, small + tall violent guys together! I imagine Billy would pickoff enemies Mori misses as Mori isnt very agile. What would Billy would think of Mori?

I think he'd like him. Mori's not a very hard to get person, so long as you're coming from a place not too mentally far off, and I think he'd make sense to Billy, and Billy would be like "Haha, gotta do something about that temper," after almost getting stabbed the first few times, but wouldn't mind the downsides too much, and would be happy to work with him. Billy dislikes differences on more like, core value stances, than he does behavioral strong differences, so like, out of the current party, he and Robin have very different personalities (or those two and Geronimo, for that matter), but very similar values, so the differences of manner and behavior don't really bother them.

He was wary of Emiya until he realized he's a huge softie towards kids, and now likes him fine, because it's clear they will have extremely similar goals and priorities protecting Ritsuka. He thought David was cool because of his identity, but he'll probably continue to get along just fine because while Emiya and Robin get annoyed by David's tendency to goof off and cause problems on purpose because he thinks it will be funny or interesting, Billy is usually not as bothered by behavior, and David's solid as a rock when he needs to be. He immediately liked Cu when he clocked he was a crazy good fighter and very loyal/protective, since that's similar to himself (and he'd have been inclined to like him anyway out of cultural pride, after realizing he's an Irish/Celtic folk hero). Has no problem with Amadeus despite the man's wild and often (though not yet as much) crass behavior, and carelessness, because he's got a similar goal alignment and will clock in like the rest of them and stand up for Rits.

Similarly, both in LB1 and this story, he and Salieri have not much in common at all, aside from being demonized by their contemporaries, but get along quite well because they're both very...pragmatic isn't exactly the word I'm looking for, but pragmatic in a specifically human way--straightforward maybe. Neither one has any hesitation in LB 1 siding with proper human history, despite the complexity and inherent tragedy of the situation, because they both as soon as they hear the situation, grasp much, much faster than Ritsuka and Mash that it doesn't matter if it's fair, because it isn't fair, it won't be, and it can't be. The question isn't 'who deserves to live' at all. The situation is that they're here, representing their side, and the natives of this lostbelt are here to do the same for their own, and everyone's job is to believe in their own side as much as possible and fight for it, for all the people not there to fight for themselves. It's not 'do I have more right to live than them?' it's 'I have /just as much a right/', and that means fight it out fare and square, and pray you win, like they'll pray they win. They both come at that problem from a very human side, which in the end is much deeper than a metaphysical one, because metaphysics don't have to experience the outcome: people do. And I think that makes them work well together.

They both tend to approach everything they do from a very singularly human perspective--Robin does this too: IE, in Salem, he's basically the only character aside from Ritsuka who doesn't give a shit about what choice provides the best % of a chance for the mission, and is enraged by the witch trials and executions, and just wants to kill the judge because it is /clearly/ the correct choice ethically to make, and will protect the innocents being hung. I think anyone who would make that choice over probability of sucess furthering is someone Billy would like--there's a reason he and Robin are best friends. And Mori absolutely would have ignored any command to stop and gone for Judge Hopkins' head.

As for fighting, they would absolutely work well together--archers tend to go well with any heavy class, since they have good tactical and survivability, and are flighty. That's even more true for Billy, the crit king, than most. And Mori's absolutely on the heavy end of a heavy--like he's got one mode, and it's armored truck with a plow welded to the front going through rush hour traffic at 107.

I think they'd get along well, because Mori's only huge dislike is disloyal people, and Billy's extremely loyal. Billy would think Mori's a lot, but fun. And they're both very ready to choose violence.

[disappointmentthemusical]

hi, two things:

1) project 2025 isnt the gotcha u think it is for many reasons, one of which being that trump is distancing himself from it. he literally said he knows "nothing" about it. now, does him saying that mean that it won't happen if he's elected? no. but it's indicative that the threat of project 2025 has isolated enough of his voter base that he's publicly walking it back. so.

2) read this post of mine in response to an anon with a similar stance to yours. if you didn't click the link, that's cool cuz i'm gonna paste it right here:

hi, not sure which of my posts this is in response to, but here's basically my thots summed up: you have to think big picture. you probs feel like you already are, in a way (i.e., project 2025, etc), but zoom out more. the united states tells its citizens that it's a democratic republic, meaning that we the people have the right to vote (democracy) for the candidate we feel best represents our peasant interests (republic). what does it mean, then, that we are only presented with bad options? (pause: let's be clear and honest with each other, here. both biden and trump are bad options. neither is good. in fact, one is not better than the other, and to believe so – either which way – is cognitive dissonance, meaning you are actively making mental concessions in order to support an action/opinion that is contrary to your morals.) to answer the question posed, here is an excerpt from Noam Chomsky's "Media Control," where he quotes and summarizes liberal democracy theorist and former-dean of American journalists Walter Lippmann, who was part of several U.S. gov't propaganda commissions in the 20th century. "...'[T]he common interests elude public opinion entirely' and can only be understood and managed by a 'specialized class' of 'responsible men' who are smart enough to figure things out... We'll drive the stupid masses toward a world they're too dumb to understand for themselves... [The public's] function in a democracy, [Lippmann] said, is to be 'spectators,' not participants in action... Occasionally, they are allowed to lend their weight to one or another member of the specialized class... That's because it's a democracy and not a totalitarian state. That's called an election." i would also warn you against the white supremacy inherent to your position. biden is right now, in this moment, not in january or the next for years, currently providing funding, munition and troops toward a genocide. hundreds of thousands of innocent people are dead, and it's his fault. (the US is a sociopolitical hegemony, and one of our largest exports is military aircrafts; biden could have – can still right now – stopped the genocide at any moment.) so not only do you vote in favor of white supremacy and genocide if you vote for biden (as you would if you voted for trump, yes), but in telling others (particularly minorities) that they should not care about what's happening right now in favor of the hypotheticals of later, you are actively participating in white supremacy. you are being a white supremacist. (clarification for understanding: white supremacy is a system of oppression that includes but is not limited to racism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia and classism. the only way to combat white supremacy is through anti-racism, which is the active fight against racism and its intersectionalities of oppression, i.e., anti-racism is anti-homophobia is feminism is anti-transphobia is environmentalism is anti-capitalism is anti-ableism is anti-racism, etc.) so, yeah. vote third party. (and we should all agree on a single third party candidate to rally behind, for this to be effective.) (added nuance: this all holds true for local elections, but i urge that, while some are abstaining from the presidential election, everyone participate in local elections. those are the decisions that will impact you and others with immediacy.)

there's no perfect candidate, but there's better than biden and trump

following @decolonize-the-left's example and officially throwing my lot in with claudia de la cruz.

do i have opinions on the psl? yeah.

but am i going to let those opinions fuck us over and stick us with one of two fascists? no fuckin way.

cuz the thing is, there's no perfect candidate, and there's not gonna be. not this year. we have less than four months — 116 days — until november 5, and if y'all are serious about not electing a fascist this year, then we're gonna have to grow up and pick somebody.

i'm picking de la cruz.

[magichcuse]

&. BASICS

Full Name:  Patrick Humphrey Eggleston

Nicknames: His parents call him cute nicknames like "sweet little cherub" and "darling angel", but they're used casually rather than them giving him a consistent nickname.

Patrick has also assigned himself the nickname "Pat", only for people he deems special enough. This is mainly a privilege for his crush, though friends may use it as well. Unfortunately, he isn’t genuinely close to many (if any) people, so the nickname isn't used much. Maude may use it on occasion, which he doesn't mind despite not associating himself with her. Johnathan uses it too, though Patrick is aggressively against it. He's unable to do too much about it since Johnny is so high up the social ladder.

Age: 12

Sexuality: He's strictly gay- girls don't even make him bat an eye.

Date of Birth: March 13th

Place of Birth: -

Gender & Species: He is a male duck.

Current Location: -

&. MORE BASIC INFO

Languages: English

Religion: -

Education: Patrick attends Magic School.

Occupation: Patrick is focused on his studies for now, though he does do some gigs over breaks.

Drinks, Smokes, & Drugs: N/A

&. PERSONALITY

Likes:

His parents, unlike most in their social class, have no issue with fostering their son's love for them and building a bond with them. Patrick loves curling up with his parents by the fireplace, brewing potions with his mom, watching his dad tinker with charms...spending time with them and receiving affection from them is easily one of his favorite things.

His new sibling fascinates him too. Though they're still an egg, Patrick doesn't go a day without talking to them about his day or reading them something out of his textbook. He's excited to see them hatch, whenever that may be.

Theo Daskalakis is one of his favorite people as well. The boy is one of the only people who openly challenges Johnathan Abberquack, super cute, tall, mysterious, and very cool. Seeing that not a lot of people like Theo only makes these feelings stronger, wanting the other boy to know that someone cares about him and will support him no matter what. This means he allows himself to be completely vulnerable to Theo, despite the chance of him being taken advantage of or hurt. He loves and trusts him with every fiber of his being, much to the confusion of his peers. Though it doesn't seem to have a chance at working, Patrick is determined to squeeze through Theo's walls and help him any way he can. He's even willing to let him live with him and his family (which his parents would approve of for their son's sake). Hopefully, he could have even the slimmest chance of getting Theo to like him. Any semblance of a victory is all he needs.

Patrick is passionate about his schooling, seeing it as an opportunity to prove himself to his peers. Magic is something he treasures dearly and definitely is looking forward to teaching his future sibling how to use. Being a professor is something he's dreamed about since he was small- teaching a class on potions and charms (his parents' specialties) is one of his biggest dreams.

Bright colors are something he adores. Though he can't wear his vibrant clothing at school, his parents allow him to dress however he likes behind the security of their manor walls. His room is also colorful, every color of the rainbow being incorporated in some way. A small rainbow flag hangs above his bed, to represent his sexuality and because he loves rainbows.

Dislikes:

Johnathan Abberquack strikes a nerve with him like no one else can. With them both being prestigious and blond boys around the same age, comparisons between them are thrown around on a regular basis. Patrick hates being seen as a "dumber, weaker, less attractive Johnathan" by everyone else. His direct competition with his beloved Theo only cements him in Patrick's blacklist. Despite hating dueling, one of his goals is to beat "Jerkathan" in a duel. Though this has yet to happen, Patrick can at least say that he is (naturally) at the top of his potions and charms class. Having being taught these crafts at a very young age unlike Johnathan, who was taught mainly about dueling because "everything else is useless" in Wilbur's eyes, the doe-eyed boy has the clear advantage. Even if Johnathan doesn't really care all too much (Wilbur couldn't care less about how he's doing in that subject, as long as he's passing), Patrick is proud that he outdoes the brilliant Johnathan Abberquack in his favorite subject.

Ebony Featherton is mostly just annoying, though Patrick eventually grows to hate her due to how much she messes with Theo. He jokes that Johnathan and Ebony are perfect for each other because they're both "stupid, snobby, pretentious jerks". He just tries to ignore her at first, but he eventually becomes so fed up with her that he's determined to defeat her in any way possible or wants desperately for Theo to "show her who's the boss."

The dueling professor is yet another person he views unfavorably. Patrick doesn't get how a "perfect hunk of a boy" could come out of a "slimy, old, crazy monster" like him. He strongly suspects that Professor Daskalakis abuses his son at home. Patrick feels like he has to fix the mess the older man has made, no matter how impossible that may be. He's certainly not going to let Professor Daskalakis succeed in corrupting his son- even preserving the smallest sliver of hope and innocence is a victory in his eyes.

Being disrespected makes Patrick so frustrated. Just because he's soft-hearted and kind doesn't mean he'll brush off being called an idiot or worse... if you're talking trash about him, he better not be listening. He's still worthy of respect, no matter how naive he might act.

Bad Habits: His parents are careful to not let Patrick develop any bad habits, especially since he's prone to developing addictions.

Secret Talent: Patrick is fairly photogenic, sometimes finding work in the modeling industry. His parents have been showing him off since he was born and Patrick has grown to love being in front a camera- not in a self-absorbed way, but because he finds photoshoots so much fun. He doesn't see a need to mention that to his peers, however. Most of them are at least a little aware of his modeling career, the boy being prominently displayed in magazines and shopping catalogues. His parents have a whole room dedicated to all of his modeling gigs along with their personal family pictures of him. The family pictures are his favorites since his parents get to be a part of the fun.

Hobbies: 

Charm making and potion brewing are both large parts of his life, being exposed to them since birth. It's common for him to help his parents when they're working or working on projects of his own. The latter being more common when he's older as his parents grow busier and he becomes more capable of doing things on his own.

Despite having personal chefs, Patrick likes cooking with his family. When Barnaby and Madeleine have the time, they give their chefs a break and make meals with their son. Eventually, Patrick gets to the point where he can cook meals on his own (though the chefs still supervise him until he's grown up).

Crafts are so much fun to Patrick, partaking in them whenever he can. His creations are prominently displayed throughout the manor and his room is truly a room of his own- his parents allowed him design it himself. Plenty of his crafts are proudly shown there as well. DIY things and tutorials are like potato chips to him.

A common pastime for Patrick is making jewelry. At first, his creations consist of loom bracelets and stringing beads. Once he learns enough about charm making, he incorporates these skills into making actual jewelry. The friendship bracelets his classmates used to tease him about become crafts that gather the attention of peers and adults alike.

Modeling is yet another prominent aspect of Patrick's life. His walk-in closet is filled with more clothes than one boy reasonably needs, varying in levels of formality. It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say he has every type of clothing item one could think of in every color imaginable. He also knows a lot about composition, everything from his outfit to the background to the pose being coordinated perfectly. To no one's surprise, he uses makeup, but mostly for photoshoots and special occasions. There's not an outfit that looks bad on him or a single lackluster picture of him. He's so presentable, even in the most casual of outfits, that it's almost witchcraft. Despite him and his parents being more than capable, the Egglestons never use spells to enhance or alter appearance. Such a spell could easily go wrong and none of them need the help of magic to make them good-looking.

Fears: Patrick, being as sheltered as he is, isn't exposed to a whole lot that he could be genuinely afraid of. He might have some fears and concerns that are typical in most children, but he doesn't have any specific phobias that he knows of. However, it's not too hard to startle him. Just don't expect more than a scream and an annoyed glare, he might be sensitive than most of his peers, but he's not a coward. He's learned from his parents that there's nothing that he should be afraid of.

Being unable to help someone, even when he should be able to, makes Patrick genuinely uncomfortable. He wouldn't describe it as a fear, but it sort of manifests itself as one. He becomes fixated on helping people and when his attempts aren't working, he becomes more obsessed with helping the person...it's easy for this cycle to trap him in never-ending misery. Eventually, he reaches a point where he is forced to give up on a person. This causes him an incredible amount of agony that is usually hard for him to recover from, feeling like he failed the person in question. He desperately wants to avoid having going through that ever again and his parents try to prevent things from getting that far. Unfortunately, there are some things even his parents can't stop from happening...

Five Positive Traits: 

Sugar pales in comparison to Patrick's sweetness. If there's an opportunity to do something nice for someone else, chances are that he'll take it. Anyone he suspects doesn't get as much love as they deserve gets extra love from him. Being incredibly sympathetic and empathetic, he wants to better the lifes of everyone around him- even if they don't necessarily want him to.

Like his parents, Patrick is a natural at creating things. He loves the methodical approach to crafting things, following directions and blueprints being as natural to him as breathing. This skill is useful in many other areas, such as cooking- which he helps with every morning and occasionally for dinner (when he isn't too exhausted from school). Anything that can be made into a tutorial is something Patrick can pick up easily. Though he has a reputation for being a naive fool, his classmates can at least all agree that Patrick is by no means a bad student. Earning high marks in pretty much all of his classes, he's almost as esteemed as Johnathan Abberquack...almost.

Expressive as a cartoon character, Patrick isn't afraid to show his true emotions. If he likes you, you'll know it. If you do something nice for him, he'll shower you with gratitude. His (usually) sunny disposition can be infectious, bringing smiles to people's faces- usually just his parents, though he's spread joy throughout the school on some occasions.

Patrick is perceptive, which is a useful skill for his detail oriented hobbies. This is also good in social situations, able to see when something is off about a person or picking up even the smallest details about them that give more insight to who they are. This couples well with his giving nature, his gifts to friends and family always having thought put into them. Using whatever he picks up about a person, he has a good track record into giving presents the recipient likes. Sometimes, he helps others find gifts for people if he happens to know the recipient. Naturally, Patrick gets invited to a lot of birthday parties and gets plenty of chances to put his gift giving abilities to use.

When Patrick is pushed down, it doesn't take too long for him to get back up. Sure, he might cry for a moment or two, but Patrick is not easily defeated unless you take advantage of him when he's at his most vulnerable. No matter how many times his peers try to break him down, he'll come back as the same optimistic, kind-hearted boy he's always been.

Five Negative Traits:

Patrick is too kind for his own good, his peers often taking advantage of his softness to make a joke of him or reap some sort of benefit out of him.

Tying into this, Patrick is also incredibly trusting of those who haven't gotten on his bad side. This especially applies to Theo- Patrick trusts him with his life and would sacrifice nearly everything for him. Whether this is necessarily deserved is up to debate.

Speaking of Theo, Patrick has some obsessive tendencies. It doesn't matter if someone or something isn't worth his time, if he really likes something, it becomes cemented in his brain. This obsessive nature of the boy only exacerbates his other weaknesses- any person who is lucky enough to make Patrick obsessed could very easily toy with him however they'd like.

His expressiveness, though delightful, has a dark side. Patrick is unintentionally an open book, alerting everyone around him when something makes him happy and making it obvious when he's hurt with his out of character reclusive behavior. It's also easy to tell if he's lying, the boy being unable to look the person in the eye and tripping over his words as his feathers stand on end. His crushes also are fairly obvious, with the boy's loving and obsessive nature. Pretty much everyone at the school is aware of his feelings for Theo.

Patrick surprisingly (or maybe not, considering how immature he can be) can hold a grudge. If you hurt him even once, he closes himself off to you and it can be hard to earn his trust back. Certain people have an easier time than others, but a Patrick grudge is usually a fairly strong one.

Other Mentionable Details: ( can include mental disorders, quirks, etc. ) 

&. APPEARANCE

Tattoos: N/A

Piercings: N/A

Reference Picture: 

&. FAMILY INFORMATION

Parent Names: His parents are Barnaby and Madeleine Eggleston.

Parent Relationship: Both of his parents are the younger children of their respective families, meaning they- and by extension, Patrick- have less pressure to fit the prestigious mold. His father is the leading producer of magical charms and his mother is a potions professor in an esteemed magical university. Though they were technically arranged to marry, the two managed to fall for each other long before the arrangement was made. When they heard that their parents were trying to arrange them with someone, they opposed until they found out just who their arranged partner would be. Their parents didn't care about their already developed love, as long as they didn't protest the arrangement they were happy.

Patrick was made from love, not out of obligation. Their parents and other family members (who they try to keep away from their son) might want to make another link of a prestigious family chain out of him, but Barnaby and Madeleine just want their son to grow up to be himself without anyone else's intervention. They're accepting of who their son is and ultimately want to see him succeed in everything he sets out to do. Though they worry about their son's crush leading to his downfall, they'd be happy for Patrick if a relationship came from it. They're all about marrying for love and would be ecstatic to see their boy find the boy of his dreams.

Barnaby and Madeleine are nice people, but become terrifying when they're angry. Patrick is blissfully unaware of this side of them (unless he catches them snapping at someone else), but if someone messes with their boy, they're going to regret it. They won't hesitate to do everything in their power to make sure justice is served. Neither of them really care for dueling, but are willing to challenge someone to one if it means someone who hurt their son gets their just desserts.

Patrick is incredibly close to his parents and admires them greatly. He's always showing his love through affection, words, gifts...just like they do for him. They're a mushy, soft family that always makes time for each other in spite of the responsibilities and passions they each have.

Sibling Names: His sibling does not have a name yet.

Sibling Relationship: When Madeleine and Barnaby told Patrick that he was going to be a big brother, he couldn't hold back his joy. Though he likes things how they were, the thought of his family growing bigger (meaning more love to go around!) was thrilling. That, and he could have someone who looks up to him just like he looks up to his parents and Theo. Patrick quickly became fascinated with the egg once it arrived, already taking on the role of big brother. It doesn't matter to him whether the egg is a boy or a girl (or anything in between), as long as he and his new sibling can become close to one another.

Patrick proudly talks about his new sibling with anyone who is willing to listen...which mainly consists his parents' acquaintances and the few classmates that are patient enough to talk to him.

Though the egg is cute, Patrick has to admit that he is a little impatient for it to hatch and for his new sibling to reveal themself to the world. His parents are letting him name the baby since he's so enthusiastic about the new arrival.

Other Relevant Relative(s):

Patrick doesn't interact with most of his extended family unless it is a special occasion, so he doesn't really have an opinion of them. His parents don't seem to like them for whatever reason, so he doesn't trust them.

Barnaby's parents, Atticus and Lucinda Eggleston, make a point to have some involvement in their grandson's life and only become more intrusive with another grandchild on the way. Madeleine absolutely abhors her in-laws while Barnaby just tries to keep the peace to keep the family together. Atticus and Lucinda both aren't accepting of Patrick, disappointed in their son and his "bad influence of a wife" for not making a "proper boy" of him. They want to arrange a marriage for him behind his parents' backs, but Barnaby and Madeleine are fiercely protective of their little boy. This doesn't stop them from trying anyway, determined to "preserve the Eggleston name". Patrick is hurt his dad's parents don't love him for who he is, but wants to earn their approval anyway. His parents try to shield him from his paternal grandparents' disgust (Madeleine's family kind of forgets about her, as typical of most prestigious women once they're married off), but Patrick isn't oblivious to their blatant homophobia and utter heartlessness. He grows distasteful of them, though he secretly wishes he could have a decent relationship with them- without having to change himself.

[mangareview]

GANTZ

95/100

Volume 1 :

First introduction to Kei is pretty funny, he doesn't seem to have a care in the world : Quite literally reading porn in a public station. He admits to looking down on others despite not being "the brightest crayon in the box", and it seems he's not afraid to make his opinions known. He doesn't seem to be the guy that would go out of his way to help others. Which we witness quite literally 2 pages down when a drunk man falls off the tracks, as he looks forward to potentially seeing the man "splattered into pieces". Here we get to see the true ugliness of human nature, even as a student goes down to help, grown men stand around questioning if there are any attendants arriving. However, Kei does go down into the tracks, happy that he was recognized by his childhood friend, or perhaps afraid of being seen as a coward. Well then, Kei has died saving this homeless man!

He seems to harbor some resentment against Kato and I don't blame him, as he did quite literally lead him to his death, although not deliberately. Kato mentions that Kei has changed, having been more confrontational and unafraid in childhood, which coming from him sounds pretty dumb. It's pretty easy to see things from Kei's point of view, he's a relatable character. He's definitely pretty immature, kissing a naked girl who materializes in front of him which is a pretty weird thing to do to say the least.

Kei and the others stand around as the girl gets brought into another room by one of the Yakuza to be raped. It's depressing to see these people do nothing time and time again, Kato may be a bit stupid, but at least he is brave enough to stand up for others even if it puts himself in danger. Kei's surprised that the girl prefers the guy who stood up for her over the guy who stood there like a coward. Can't be too surprised.

So far this manga is doing a good job of representing the cruelty of humanity whether it be via action or inaction. The men justify killing the innocent "boy" by telling each other it wasn't human, "just like fishing" one of them explains. Kato on the other hand seems to have some sort of hero complex, puking when he finds that he couldn't save "Onion Boy". When the father of the Onion boy arrives it really hits us that the men killed an innocent, and what more, a child. Would they have been able to kill it with such unrestricted violence if it were a child with a human appearance? Chapter 10 shows a pretty cool explanation of how manga is made, might use for future reference.

Volume 2 :

So far not a fan of how the only female character is given absolutely no depth beside her being constantly naked, on top of the fan service we receive of her at the beginning of every chapter.

It's hard to face your own hypocrisy which is kind of what we're forced to do when seeing the point of view of the Onion boy's father. It's still hard to truly feel sad for the character for the shallow reason that they're just plain ugly. It's the kind of situation where you feel like they can't possibly have the same emotions as us because of how different we look.

It seems like neither Kato nor the alien really want to kill each other, yet the inevitable language barrier makes them unable to communicate. However, even if it is to save his own life, Kato is unable to kill another, despite his appearance. What seems like the polar opposite of Kato for now, Kei is quite literally a coward. Not willing to put himself in danger even if it means to save someone in need.

Here we receive the first little insight into Kei's life, "It's not like anybody there would actually be sad if I didn't exist anymore". Passing by the obvious lack of self worth, it's interesting to see how he uses the terminology of "didn't exist" over "die". However, spurred on by Kato's comments from the room, Kei does get a boost, although not enough to actually defeat the monster. It looks like he sheds a few tears for Kato, or it could be sweat. Kato saves another life, constantly risking himself for others it seems. But hey! It looks like that was finally enough to get Kei to stand up and fight for someone else. Even after all this, he seems incapable of killing the alien. Why? Is it because he is too much of a coward, or because he is incapable of taking another sentient life? Even spurred on by the little freak, Kei doesn't give in. He understands that this isn't a game, it's real, and those things are sentient.

It's kind of sad to see Kei cope with Kato's death, you wouldn't predict these emotions from the boy a couple of chapters ago. Maybe because it was a childhood friend, or maybe because he died saving him. He probably feels the guilt of having taken the life of someone who is undeniably a much better person than he ever was. Heyyy, he was alive after all! The computer calls the girl "Titz", cool.

The little freak from earlier explains having a year of experience with Gantz, yet he didn't help the others. He seems a little strange, maybe he wants to keep the points for himself, yet he seems okay sharing with Kei. Although he's just as much of a coward as Kei, standing around until the target let's down their guard killing other human's, then coming in to take the points for himself. In a way, he's worse. He throws around the word "Hypocrite", calling people this who don't agree with his thinking, it's kind of gross watching him. He doesn't value human life, or perhaps doesn't even see them as real in this world. Maybe after a year people change.

Kishimoto is forced the face the fact that she doesn't really exist in the real world anymore, or rather, her real self wasn't erased. Which means she has no place to go. It's nice they've finally given her a name, maybe we can get a little depth if we're lucky. From what we know so far, she seems to be one to avoid confrontation, she runs away from her own home when they find the other body, and would rather sleep on the street than ask for help. This passiveness is perhaps linked to her suicide.

Volume 3 :

Kei's experience seems to have changed him a little, rather, his definition of a friend has changed. He's still the same asshole (but not in a bad way). He's forced into extortion by his friend and has to meet the Seniors after school to pay up. However, I noticed he put on the strong suit from earlier, which could suggest that he intends on fighting them instead of running away. I was right, Kei got ballsier thanks to the suit. He got cocky pretty quick though, calling the boys he was earlier so afraid of "harmless herbivores" which is pretty funny. Kei lives by himself and judging by the phone call with his mother earlier, it's reasonable to imagine that they aren't too present in his life. That might explain the lack of self worth in the last volume.

Kishimoto asks to be "kept as a pet" by Kei, which is a pretty strange way of asking to live in someone's apartment. Jesus this fan-service... Kei asks to have sex with her (he's a little less like-able after that interaction) and Kishimoto argues that you "don't have sex with your pets"???? She's clearly distressed over her lack of identity, having no home, no parents.

So far I'm getting the feeling that nothing is off limits in this manga, and I believe it's intentional. Kato get's warned that some of the seniors are planning on ambushing him later on in the day. Surprisingly, he doesn't wait patiently or plan on running away (not unlike our precious Kei) but instead goes to confront them directly. He beats up their leader and leaves, ignoring the offers to "rule the school". So far he's the most earnest character and it's refreshing. I think we all know that Kei would have jumped at the opportunity to rule over others.

Kishimoto seems almost relieved after seeing her "other self" leave her house, most likely because of the control her mother had over her. Living vicariously through her daughter which drove her to suicide. Kishimoto now has the freedom to control her own future.

Ew, I don't like Kei anymore he's a little creep. When back in the room, Kato does the right thing and tells the others what to do in order to survive, despite the brat screaming in the back. He might have some sort of disorder that makes him want to kill, even in the real world. Kato tries to steer the group into "capturing" the alien and doesn't mention killing it, perhaps to avoid another situation. Why does the dog keep eating out Kishimoto??? Is that really necessary?

Brat kills one of the gang members who point his gun at him. Anyone who stands in his way, dies. Especially Kato. Kei has forgotten his suit but is comforted by Kato who is willing to put his life above his own. After all, it is his fault that Kei is here in the first place.

Volume 4 :

Kei debates once more whether to shoot the Alien or let it live, it's clearly a child and he has just made the discovery that it is in fact "alive". He knows he's not like Brat and for the meantime it is true. Once again, the Alien only attacks when provoked or harmed, and they always seem to be carrying a shopping bag, as if they were going out on normal errands. Brat wants help after getting injured fighting the Alien, seems like he's not used to facing the consequences of his actions. For once I don't agree with Kato's savior complex, it seems to me like Brat is going to become a problem later on if left unchecked. Interesting, although Brat is heaily injured, Kato can still save him by killing the other alien. He must make the decision to kill to save another life. Knowing Kato, which decision will he make? Jesus, Kishimoto is the most vapid female character I have ever scene, she is fully equipped with a suit yet still stands around waiting for others to help. I understand this was written in a different era but giving her half a personality really wouldn't hurt.

Brat has finally passed, Kei mocks him for "being pathetic" yet it's amusing to note that 5 chapters ago he wasn't very different himself. He also notes that the effect of someone dying in front of him has "dimmed" considerably, perhaps a step further into Kei's character development. Well, Kishimoto had her first independent thought everyone! Seems like her infatuation for Kato pushes her to do anything to keep him alive.

These Aliens seem less sentient than the last.

Volume 5 :

I am so tired of seeing Kishimoto's naked body against my will.

Kei is forced to confront the "Big boss" alone with only a gun and no suit. "I'm not gonna die", he sings it to himself a little like a mantra, and even prays to god. The last wishes of a dying man. Kei pulls out a pretty badass move mid air, perhaps pushed on by the thought that, by doing nothing, death was inevitable. Ironically, the title of the chapter is named "Weakness". Kei is still incredibly immature, devaluing Kato and acting arrogant simply because he was the one to kill the Alien this round. He yells at Kishimoto essentially for not having sex with him and she leaves. It's honestly kind of sad how unlikeable this guy is. I suppose that's intentional to make his development more impactful later on. Kei feels incompetent in his real life and wishes to return to the apartment. The comments are correct in describing this type of behavior as "incel". Kei and Kato remain polar opposites. Kei one on hand is the embodiment of childhood, immaturity and the such, he has no responsibilities and is driven only by primal instincts : fear, lust, anger. On the other hand, Kato represents what I believe is adulthood (the maturity that comes with adulthood not the age, as is demonstrated by some of "child men" we have met thus far). He prioritizes others over himself, whether it be Kei or his brother, he recognizes that his actions have consequences, confronts problems head on, and is driven by his moral compass to do "good". It's discomforting as the feeling remains that Kato, although the better person, is going to die soon. The good don't usually live long in a world of evil.

Interesting to see how the priest uses faith to explain the unexplainable. I also notice that Kei is the only one to bring his suit outside of the apartment, as for others like Kato or Homo leave it here. Most likely as Kei feels that he is so weak that he must bring the only thing that brings him strength back home with him to the real world. Well, well, well, Kei has recieved his first first "positive" interaction with a woman so far, one who admits she thinks he's cute because of his weeping earlier. I only mention this as, knowing Kei so far, something tells me that this will lead only to obsessive behavior on his part. Or perhaps reckless in an attempt to impress this new "potential wife".

Volume 6 :

Immediately after this confession, Kei begins to see her through a more sexual "lense", as before he was only looking at her face, he now watches her entire body. Yay! Classic Kei the little perv, he asks her to "let me have sex with you", not "have sex with me", but let "me" have sex with "you". Indicating that he expects the woman to remain more passive in the act, or perhaps he cant imagine a woman taking the lead or enjoying herself during these types of acts. Women have never been attracted to him, therefore he has only seen them through the lense of "rape" thus far, which is perhaps why he sees the only way for him to have sex is if she were to not "fight back" in a sense. During sex he imagines Kishimoto. Why? It's not as if she had a dazzling personality, is she more attractive? Is her rejecting him make him idolize her?

For the first time so far, Kato doubts himself as to whether he can actually make it. He's frozen. Yet, Kei finally "grows a pair" and proactively takes the lead to kill the aliens. Who, for the record, are the first to attack them unprovoked. Perhaps it is similar to Charles "awakening" in Innocent after losing his virginity. However, after all this, Kei still struggles in hitting the final blow, killing is still a difficulty for him it seems. However, he manages, proving to us that he is different to the Kei from the last "game". It's almost as if, to Kei, this world is the place where he can give in to his repressed "urges", where he can let his primal instincts run free. Kei's power boost gets him asked out by Lara Croft, and, although he agrees, he doesn't seem exactly thrilled.

Volume 7 :

Kei is already getting a little overconfident in his abilities, he "claims" the biggest Buddha for himself, and it's no surprise how that ends. He already thinks as himself as some sort of "God", above others. And, surprisingly enough he's not wrong, he does manage to kill the Alien pretty much single-handedly. I'm not sure how this will affect Kei's ego, although his behavior has already changed. He no longer behaves like the sweaty little "bitch" he was a few volumes ago, I can't be sure what "created" this new Kei. Perhaps losing his virginity was meant to represent his transmission into adulthood.

In a surprising turn of events, Kei is left without arms or legs and begs Lara and Kato to kill him. I'm genuinely surprised that Kei would "ask for death", perhaps because Kishimoto has already died. Lara dies to save Kei, even as he tells her to escape, he cries yet he doesn't seem to be genuinely saddened over her death. Has he grown even more numb too death around him?

Volume 8 :

A small revelation about the targets they are instructed to kill. The Alien asks : "Who are you? Why do earthlings treat us badly?"

In his last moments Kato thinks of his brother. Kei is the only one to have survived and it destroys him. Not only the guilt of being the only survivor, but the injustice of it all.

However, this "despair" doesn't really last that long. It seems that Kei has returned to being, albeit a sadder version, of his previous self. He seems to be just as immature.

Volume 9 :

Kei is already much different than he was in the beginning of Gantz, although he is still emotionally immature, he seems to have gotten a "boost" of bravery or recklessness thanks to the suit.

Kei is still unable to execute the Aliens in cold blood, instead, a vision of Kato appears to him. He knows Kato wouldn't kill him, and therefore, he refuses to shoot him. After all, Kei is only fighting to stay alive. I think he's understood, albeit subconsciously, that these Aliens are sentient, this makes the task of killing them to survive much more difficult.

The room starts the affect Kei's daily life, notably, the threat by the Alien before his return back to the apartment. The Alien appears in his school and threatens to kill his "companions", Kei leaves. "I don't have any real friends...Out of all the other people in my class, my life is the most important". It's almost as if he's trying to convince himself of this. He seems to be battling two sides of himself, the side that wants to escape, and the side that wants to help others. He hates himself for being too cowardly to help, yet he hates himself even more for feeling sympathy, for feeling the human urge to help someone in need. Kei wants to be unfeeling, alike to a superhero or manga character who forgets about his dead classmates in an instant. He underestimates once more the power of human emotion, he may not have known these people very well, but they were his "companions". And if he had not left for them to die, perhaps more of them could have been saved.

The Alien brings up an interesting argument in who the "bad guy" really is, Kei was indeed the first to attack his people and he has returned to enact revenge on Kei's people. Is Justice not on his side? Is Kei the bad guy after all? Even Kei wonders why he's risking his life to protect his new "girlfriend". I believe it's because, although he tells himself that he feels no guilt towards his classmates, he does. This "girlfriend" is his way of proving himself that he's not the bad guy here, he places other people's lives over his own.

Volume 10 :

We meet what seems to be a new MC in Volume 10. He tries to resort to suicide after getting sexually abused by his Senior classmates but is contacted by a mysterious man who tells him to kill his bullies with the new powers he has given him. The man tells him that the bullies lives aren't worth the same as his own, that they are alike to trash. A "friend" online tells him that once you kill someone, you can never go back. Sakurai considers this but his hate for the bullies seems to overpower all else. We're given more insight into how horrible Sakurai's life was, I'm not surprised he chose to kill himself. Even the teachers participate in the abuse. Honestly, those guys deserved to die.

We also meet Monkaze, whose goal is to become the strongest person in Japan, for reasons unknown.

Kei and Kojima look like they are in communal bliss, and for the first time in a while Kei seems genuinely content. Although he has trouble trusting others, Kojima is a good person and is slowly allowing Kei to open up to new people and emotions. Kei used to be alone yet this new addition too his life means he finally has something to live for.

Volume 11 :

Kei has to face the dilemna of whether or not to kill his "friend" and save the hundreds of lives he plans on taking in the future. He refuses, perhaps the influence of Kato remains, but for now he cannot take an innocent life. Izumi is a bold hypocrite, he claims to hate war, the innocent people killed for no reason. Yet he threatens Kei to kill him or sacrifice hundreds later on.

Kei doesn't seem to care about the lives that will be lost in the attack until he learns that Kojima is in Shinjuku Square, the target area. Which forces him to fight back against Izumu. Sidenote : I didn't know paint was enough to change your entire race.

Kojima may be not very brave, she's still very endearing and I find myself worrying for her safety. Which is refreshing to see a not so one-dimensional character.

Sakurai wants to kill Izumi, even when his fellow "magician" friend tries to convince him otherwise. Ironic, considering that this same friend was the one to convince him to kill the bullies. It seems justice can only be enacted when he isn't risking his own life.

Also no comment on the fact that Izumi has killed several dozens of civilians without reloading once.

Volume 12 :

Izumi has some sort of complex to prove against Kei and kills hundreds in order to duel against him. This man has it all yet is willing to throw it away for a chance to go to the room. Not unlike Kei “pre Kojima”, Izumi describes it as the only place he feels alive.

Kei disappoints once more with a surprising dash of mysoginy, he tells Reika to stay back as she is a woman and instead asks the old man to accompany him. Yes, logical. The author’s representation of black people is also pretty neat! (Not.) The old man says he can feel Kei’s urge to survive and that’s why he followed him. Him and the old man argue, Kei doesn’t care about the casualties but the old man urges him to move to a location with less people. It seems like Kei is willing to do anything to return to Tae’s side.

Volume 13 :

Kei gets designated as their leader and makes decisions based on what he believes Kato would have done. Perhaps he doesn’t feel confident enough in his own judgement to make his own decisions yet. It’s the first time people are looking at Kei as someone to be listened to, a new feeling for him to say the least. In an absolute turn around, and most likely spurred on by the faith these people have in him, Kei is willing to take responsibility for the death of the Alien’s “little ones” and essentially risk his life even more to save the others. It’s not too surprising to see this renewal in Kei’s personality as it’s been developing with every event. However, I notice that Kei creates a large distinction between those he knows and those he doesn’t. He makes no effort to save the innocent lives that were taken as casualties during their fight with one of the Aliens, perhaps he doesn’t even see them as real, yet he is willing to put himsekf in extreme danger if it means creating a chance for these new “friends” to live.

Volume 14 :

We get a little more background on Kei’s homelife once more, he seems to be the “runt” of the family. Both parents ignore him to gove attention to their youngest. It isn’t explained why. Also very important to notice that, opposed to the other women in his life, Kei has never viewed Tae as a strictly sexual object (For example Kishimoto, Lara Croft), Tae is the embodiment of Kei’s growth as a human being no longer restricted to primal emotions and instincs. She allows him to feel “love” which would have seemed almost impossible for him in the earlier chapters.

Weird, Izumi begins speaking like Gantz… Anyways it’s interesting to see the difference between Kei’s treatment in the Room opposed to outside in his daily life. Perhaps that’s what made him want to return in the first place, although, after Tae he doesn’t seem to let himself be affected by the comments of his peers.

However, there seem to be cracks appearing in the glass after he is confessed to indirectly by Reika. He is clearly trying to resist these urges. I believe this could be the representation of Kei's primal instincts, as brought up earlier, going against his "emotional" instincts. Reika is certainly more attractive and appeals to his sexual side, yet Tae caters more to the sensitive and emotional side that seeks comfort in another. It will be interesting to see who he chooses. He's trying to make up excuses for breaking up with Tae that wouldn't involve him being "the bad guy", claiming that by breaking up with her he would save her from future troubles that come with being with him. It's easy to tell that this thinly veiled excuse is just a reason for him to continue "dating" Reika.

I actually think that Kei really loves Tae and cares for her. I'm disappointed in him and the emotional maturity he lacks to own up for his mistakes and speak to Tae himself. However, he makes his decision in the end and overcomes his "primal" desires and instincts by confessing to Reika that Tae is in fact the girl he is in love with.

Volume 15 :

OF COURSE. Tae is the next target administered by Gantz. The group now has to choose between killing the human girl and losing all their points accumulated thus far. It's true, Izumi points out the hypocrisy of agreeing to kill Aliens mercilessly but drawing the lines at humans. However he neglects mentioning basic human instinct. Truly shows the irony of the world when the humans are much greater monsters than the aliens they are instructed to kill. Kei accidentally kills one of the men coming after Tae and questions if he has become a murderer.

Volume 16 :

Tae returns to Kei's side and is injured by Izumi and "vanishes". The raw pain that Kei is clearly experiencing is heart-wrenching to witness, especially after it his love for Tae has been made so clear. He considers suicide and is then informed that the 3rd option after achieving 100 points is to revive someone who has passed in the Arena. It seems Kei has just learned of his new goal.

Sakurai describes the guilt he felt after taking the lives of the men who bullied him, the moment a living human turns into a mere object. In exchange, to relieve him of the guilt, his friend tells him to save lives for the rest of his days. Surprisingly, upon finding another killer, Sakurai chooses to paralyze him instead of ending his life. I don't think he finds himself capable of taking another life. Time and time again this manga shows us how despicable humans can be, Gantz isn't the villain here, we are.

Volume 17/Volume 18 :

Nothing much too say, all action scenes.

Volume 19 :

Those who achieve the 100 point are given a choice with what to do with there points, it's interesting to see whether these people will chose freedom over their loved ones. Aw, Reika sacrifices her points in order to revive Tae and give Kei the opportunity to have his freedom in return for teaching them to survive in the Arena. Kei hesitates between reviving Kishimoto and Lara Croft, and in the end chooses to revive Brat from Volume 1??? I'm a little confused by this decision. With the encouragement of the others, Kei chooses option 1 to forget Gantz and return to his normal life. He receives the praise from all of his friends from the Arena and it's not to say that he doesn't deserve it, Kei was a great leader and managed to save countless lives. AH NO!! All of Kei's development goes down the drain because his entire fucking memory is erased not only the events of Gantz. Goodbye! At least Kato has finally returned to care for his brother. I don't think either of them would have agreed to the first option if it meant destroying everything they had built together.

Although Kei and Tae have both lost their memory, they still seem to find their way back to each other. On top of that, I was wrong to assume that Kei had completely returned to his old self, it's clear that he has matured subconsciously even after forgetting the events. We see this in his interaction with the old man, if I recall correctly, in chapter 1 Kei yells at an old lady to see help elsewhere upon asking directions, however, almost 200 chapters later, Kei responds politely, even if he doesn't remember their connection.

Volume 20 :

Well, well, well. Seems like Izumi isn't a complete sociopath after all. He protects his girlfriend from the attack which in turn takes his own life. I'm surprised, his behavior thus far wouldn't lead us to believe that he would be capable of self sacrifice.

Kei's last thoughts are of Tae.

Volume 21 :

Although Reika was nominated as leader, Kato naturally takes on the role. We meet another Gantz tribe and witness how differently they face the Aliens. It's horrifying in a way, they rape and torture these aliens who beg them to end their suffering. It's hard to choose whose side to be on as we can't be certain that these aliens wouldn't be just as cruel if given the chance. Although previous events suggest otherwise. The Osaka team is a contrast in every way to the Tokyo team, all of them are intoxicated and don't even care for their own lives, much less those of others.

Kato and Reika disagree over the value of innocent lives, Reika believes trying to interfere poses too much a risk for them, while Kato believes they should do something to help. Glasses also points out how the revival system has "cheapened" their lives and insists not to be revived upon his death. Kato debates over focusing on caring for his brother and obtaining his freedom, or spending another year in the Arena if it means saving Kei.

Volume 22 :

For the first time Kato debates over interfering and putting himself in danger to save another family. Reika's words made him doubt his own morals and how much they would mean to him if it meant giving up his loved ones.

Volume 23/24 :

It deleted what some of what I wrote for these 2 volumes! :((

The “players” are no longer invisible to the public eye, this not only means that civilians become casualties by aliens, but that law enforcement also becomes involved in the attacks. However, we have discovered that these aliens are capable of shape shifting, as seen a few times in the last few volumes. Knowing this, how are we supposed to differentiate our fellow humans from the alien species. This issue doesn’t hold itself only to us as we see confusion occur in several situation, notable as Kato and his friend are threatened by law enforcement. The irony is strong in this one as it’s true, apart from human appearance what differentiates us from this species? Empathy? Obviously not as demonstrated by the Okata group who are much more cruel and sadistic than any alien we’ve seen so far. Kindness? Sacrifice? What traits make us human enough for it to be used to distinguish us from another with the same appearance.

Volume 25 :

Brat reveals the “Time till Katastrophe” situated in the Gantz ball, which signs the event in which all that humans have accumulated will be destroyed. Those with a powerful arsenal will take over the world and the weak will be the first to die. Kei reunites with Tae and their affection for each other has still not faded.

Volume 26 :

Kei resists the urge to beat up his old bully for insulting Tae. Most likely because he remembers accidentally killing one of the fighters going after Tae and doesn’t want to make that same mistake. He’s realised that his actions have consequences.In this process, Kei has relinquished his faith in God to which Tae replies that, if there is no God to protect them, it relies on themselves to protect humanity. Humanity and Earth aren’t special and they must fight for their right to exist like any other species. Really shows Kei’s development even more when he rejects Reika’s confession.

Strangely enough Nishi is more likable now even after committing a mini genocide than he was in the earlier chapters. Izumi and Nishi both guilty of the same crime yet one has my sympathy.

“The planet is a devil’s playground.”

Volume 27 :

Deleted the 6 paragraphs I wrote…

We discover that Gantz is in fact man made, or partially, meaning that we are once again at the root of our own problems. Just as Carl Jung once said, "The fundamental human problem is that we have no problem". The masses have no control over their own will to a certain extent, turning to whomever is the higher power whether it be faith, a leader. We have lived long enough as a species for us to expect answers in others.

The man brings up the absence of God once more, Is Earth truly special? Is life precious, or like an ant is it only as precious as those in power decide it to be.

Volume 28 :

The roles have been reversed, humans are now the entertainment. Humans try to surrender yet are met with nothing but destruction. The giant machines have living “people” inside of them, alike to the Gantz units in their suits. My predictions were correct, these aliens were sent to Earth to commit the same crime they are guilty of.

Volume 29 :

Incredible! The Gantz team is sent to another planet where they are instructed to do as much damage as possible to the supposed enemy. A species like their own, different only in appearance. Will the difference in appearance allow the agents to convince themselves that these aliens are devoid of sentience?

Kato attempts to stop the genocide against the innocents but others are not so receptive of their similarities to these "people". We're at the point where we don't know whose side to be on anymore. Naturally we should lean towards our own species, yet these supposed leaders inflict such cruelty upon their very own people. We know not who attacked the other first.

Volume 30 :

The Others are committing genocide on the human race, gathering the innocent with the goal of exterminating them as if they were vermin. The humans inside still have faith in the human race : "We'll just have to wait for the day they set us free". Who is they? The blind faith in their own species ties back to the alien bringing up the value of human life in Volume 27. What makes them think that their species is any more special than this one?

Even the man who saves Tae explains saving her only to satisfy his sexual desire. The human race sure is a selfish one.

Humans are used as food for the pets of this species, really rubbing what little effect our lives have on a species that isn't ours. They laugh as if we were nothing but insects clinging to life. We are displayed in zoos, ironic, considering we also have zoos on Earth where we display those of a different species than ours. The funny thing is, the likelihood of this situation being entirely reversed relies only on pure strength. Humans could have easily been just as cruel to the Others if given the opportunity, it is natural instinct to not see someone who is not like you whether in physical appearance or ideals as inferior or even devoid of sentience.

The people around him harass Kei for refusing to help those locked in the cage, unaware that they depend on him for his strength to fight against the enemy. It's true, Kei didn't ask for the burden of taking being the receiver of their faith, his only goal is saving Tae.

Volume 31 :

All of a sudden we are given a direct translation of the Others speech.

As Tae is put into what resembles a pet cage, her 14y old "companion" tries to rape her, ironic considering that we are trying to prove that we are not animals. It reminds of hamsters who must be separated by gender to prevent the males primal uncontrollable urge to breed.

Sakurai's "humanity" (can it even be called humanity considering that the human race is not naturally empathetic, it is a trait that seems to be earned rather than given) gives way to madness and rage as he massacres the Others, guilty as they are.

A "Woman" of the Others explains that only the strong can earn freedom. She isn't wrong, for centuries the weaker have been enslaved, wether it be through slavery, human trafficking, child labor, the weak are abused and against our very own species.

Volume 32 :

We can criticize others for not valuing human life, yet Kei demonstrates the pure selfishness we hold as individuals. He prefers to continue searching for Tae who is most likely dead over helping those around him. To Kei, their lives are meaningless in comparison to the woman he loves. Yet, such selfishness is what makes us human, the fatal flaw of sorts.

Supposedly the "war" between species is over. The humans willingly turn themselves in to what is promised to be a better life which is naturally nothing but a trap. Clinging to hope so hard they forget all reason, even going as far as to condemn the very people who are saving them. Sidenote : Sakurai is so cool, his revenge arc is literally insane.

He understands, although it's difficult to accept, that not all the Others are evil. He is torn between following through with his desire for revenge and the undeniable knowledge that these "people" are alive. It's almost like he's trying to convince himself.

Exterminating this species in a way would only continue the vicious cycle, Oku does well in demonstrating not only the cruelty of the Others but of the human race. Can we in good conscious exterminate a species that is guilty of something that we are capable of ourselves? Do we not hunt and fish? If so, how is this any different.

Volume 33 :

This really shows us the undeniable weakness of humanity, truly unsettling. YESSS!! The giant robots are finally here!!

Volume 34 :

Kei tries to get Reika to escape by saying he loves another yet Reika still dies saving the one she loves. SO SAD. Her life is meaningless without Kei and I believe that shows the effect others have on ourselves. It's so hard to write stuff towards the end because I get so into it.

Volume 35/36 :

The dying wish of Fra is "Don't kill us", essentially, don't punish the innocent for the crime of the guilty. Nishi's father makes an interesting statement : "In the end laws are just human creations. If you've got enough power laws don't mean a thing." Ironically, the final battle is not between the Others and ourselves, but between Kei and Nishi. One fighting for revenge and the other forgiveness. Nishi kills Tae and Kei must choose between an entire species or a single human. He chooses Tae, yet luckily enough she is alive.

The war is won, humans are the victors. They are gathered to find the answer. "The Room of Truth". They ask questions to the being and it answers. Pourquoi les gens ne peuvent-ils pas vivre sans sacrifier les autre? C'est comme ca.

Gantz was sent to Earth to help them battle against the species on their way to invade them by another species that had been previously attacked. The game was created by one man to further his own wealth.

"Humans are an arrogant race. You believe you hold a special place among the creatures of Earth but this is not so. From our point of view you are microscopic. No more than insects. Even if hundreds or millions of you were to die, it would be of no importance to us. As a child you likely killed thousands of ants spraying an anthill with a garden house. Humans believe their lives and ants lives are weighted differently. This is profound arrogance. The so-called "God" you cling to does not exit. Human life is but dust and detritus.

Fundamentally, you are no different from dust floating in the wind. Simply matter and nothing more. Thoughts and emotions are merely products of minor electric currents. You're no different from you're own electronic devices, just a bit more complex. Destroying the earth changes nothing. Merely matter exchanging places."

Humans may be nothing but dust and detritus, electric currents, yet those electric currents have arranged in a way to make us sentient. Those little things that may not be important to a being larger than ourselves doesn't change it's value. Every one of us is alike yet different, we are capable of making our own decisions, empathy, cruelty, that is what makes us alive. The Being claims that the soul does exist, lifting to another dimension than transported back to Earth into someone else. This suggests that human life cannot be replicated, even with all the electric currents, human life is not artificial. I don't know if I agree. Love is a powerful thing that's for sure.

[anthrat]

The Akatsuki members as high-school students

Has this been done before? Probably! Do I care? No, because these are my terrible headcanons and nobody can take them from me.

A/N: This has been in my drafts for a long time, probably since early February. I’ve been lacking motivation to do anything at all for months and lo and behold, I find this basically finished piece bar one character. I really, really want to start writing again but I’m struggling to think of ideas, so if you have any requests for future headcanons/one shots/etc feel free to slide me a message or something :)

He's definitely the generic super intelligent kid who gets straight A's in pretty much every subject. All of his notes are really well organised, he keeps bullet journals and everything is colour coded - mans notes are literal art. His handwriting is definitely beautiful, we're talking professional calligrapher here.

All of his equipment is immaculate, he cries if one of his books gets a crease or something on it somehow. If you accidentally nudge him or ruin his notes he will silently hold a grudge against you forever - he probably won't act on his grudge though, he just wants to blend in and he dislikes conflict in general.

Despite being fully aware of his intelligence he hardly ever speaks up in classes. He only really speaks when spoken to and so is renown as the token quiet kid. I also envision him as being super pretentious, although he doesn't show it he definitely thinks he's better than everyone else.

His favourite subject would be English because he enjoys analysing anything and everything. If you're friends with him he will make comments on how random pieces of media etc. are a representation of -insert important world issue or theory.- He'd also like art despite it being the only subject he's not very good at. All his art is abstract, he will draw a pink square and claim it represents a patriarchal society.

Doesn't have many friends because he isn't very talkative, spends most of his time at school alone doing schoolwork. Sees school purely as an educational setting and so doesn't see the point in making an attempt to be social.

All of his school equipment looks like it's been mauled by 300 dogs because its all second/third/fourth+ hand. Man would never pay full price for a textbook. He definitely steals all the faculty equipment too. You could fill an entire room with the amount of stationary this man has but he will NEVER lend it to anyone else. If he does lend you something it's because its either A) broken B) barely functional (so like pens which can write 2 letters before running out) or C) you're giving him something better in return/paying for it (even then he'll probably take whatever he lent you back without you realising)

He also definitely runs mini-shops in school where he'll sell stolen equipment and things like sweets/chewing gum/trendy items (he made bank when fidget spinners were a thing) for like triple what they're actually worth.

His favourite subject is definitely history (He's a crusty dusty old man so of course) but he will never admit this. He takes business and economics but hates them, he's already done all of his own research into the subjects and is only doing them to get the qualification. Definitely complains about how he already knows it all already and it's a waste of time for him to learn it again. His only conversation topic is him talking about how he's going to set up his own business as soon as he leaves school.

Is very intelligent but only gets average grades in most subjects because he refuses to try if he dislikes the subject or sees it as a waste of time.

Watched DeathNote once and now thinks he's an actual real life version of Light Yagame. Carries around his own DeathNote and threatens to write people's name in it.

Convinced that he's been bestowed with supernatural powers, whenever he speaks he does lots of flashy hand gestures, - think generic cool-dude protagonist poses - these change depending on what piece of media he's currently obsessed with. His personality also changes alongside the poses.

Basically what I'm trying to say is he's the over-saturated 'weird anime kid' with a touch of superiority complex. Although, he's super confident and has absolutely 0 shame in this fact.

Bless his little heart, he loves writing but is the definition of 'uses complicated words without knowing what they mean'. He's still decently smart though. His grades would probably be pretty average because he struggles to apply himself properly. His favourite subject would definitely be something like sociology where he can freely express his profound ideas, even if some of them are completely god awful. He'd also enjoy any subject which gives him creative freedom such as art or English.

Cannot see this lad as anything but a jock. He loves sports, lives and breathes them. He's probably a member of practically every single sports team and is surviving on the basis he has a sports scholarship of some kind.

Despite him being a jock he'd be the most approachable out of all the Akatsuki members. He's the kind of guy who no matter who you are he'd always be happy to crack jokes and talk with you. He definitely brings in way too much food, he's that dude who brings a whole mini banquet to school every day for no discernible reason. He's always happy to share though, he's definitely the kind of guy who if he saw someone sat by themselves at lunch he'd sit with them and offer them food.

His grades would be a little on the lower side because most of his free time is taken up with all his sports, however, he'd still work hard at his academics regardless. If anything this man is probably the most dedicated, he would hate the fact that he's falling behind all his classmates but at the same time would rather die than give up any of his extracurricular activities.

He'd be fairly popular because of his naturally easygoing and humorous nature, but people would rarely ever invite him to events as they'd just assume he was busy.

Konan is an absolute babe, the kindest and most caring person in the whole school. Forgotten your lunch? She'll buy you some or give you her own. Didn't do your homework? Bitch will give you hers to copy, if it's an essay or something she'll sit with you and help you write it. Looking a little upset? Konan's right there to try and cheer you up even if you aren't friends.

Despite how wonderful and 100/10 a person she is she probably won't have many close friends. She'll get used a lot by others who take advantage of her good nature. She's smart enough to know what they're doing but she doesn't care, she's happy to be of help to anyone even if they don't appreciate it.

She's a bit of a teachers pet though, she's on super good terms with every teacher in the school even if she doesn't take the subjects they teach. Most of her breaks/lunches would be taken up by her helping with display boards or whatever.

Her favourite subject would be geography, she'd really enjoy learning about different cultures and societies. I can see her just really enjoying learning about how rivers are formed and stuff like that as well. Her least favourite would be something like math which is only fact based, she enjoys being able to look at things from different perspectives.

Also bitch would bake all the time, literally every lesson she'd whip out a box of cakes/cookies/anything else she'd baked the night before to share with the whole class.

Carries knives around with him because he thinks they make him look cool. He can and will whip one out at any given opportunity so he can flex a knife trick on you. His knife tricks suck though, he always drops them or cuts himself, if you try and walk away he'll beg you to stay claiming that fortieth time's the charm or something.

He never shows up to lessons, he doesn't even know what one is. If you ever ask him what subjects he takes he'll look at you blankly and ask what you mean. If he ever is in a lesson it's because he was dragged there by a member of staff. Honestly, the few lessons he's actually present for are so chaotic teachers find themselves praying he doesn't show up. Being as he never willingly shows up he'll never know what subject it is, and he'll ask insanely bizarre questions un-ironically because he gives no fucks and has no idea what is happening. For example, you'll be learning about arteries in biology and he'll ask something like "What ingredients do we need?" because he'll have confused arteries with artichoke and think he's in a home economics lesson.

Despite being the weird knife kid he's pretty popular, he's so completely brain dead and unaware of his surroundings that its impossible not to get along with him. He doesn't have the critical thought to bully anyone and so even if he tries to be horrible it always comes off as though he's just trying to be funny.

Oh dear oh lord what can I say about Zetsu? Zetsu is an absolute shit show of a student. Black Zetsu I can see as being very academic focussed, with their favourite subjects being religion, politics and some form of economics. I imagine they’d be very active within school politics/religious scenes, probably the head of some sort of group for both.

Black Zetsu would also be interested in applying for positions such as Head of Year, Class Representative and anything similar. They’re a big control freak and as a result have basically 0 friends. People would find them overbearing and awful to be around. They’re the incredibly opinionated kid who dismisses anything which they don’t personally agree with.

White Zetsu on the over hand, hoo boy. Class clown obviously. The living bane of Black Zetsu. If Black Zetsu wants class representative then you know people will vote for white Zetsu instead because he’s infinitely more popular. He’s incredibly weird but in such an innocent and goofy way they’d have a large group of friends. They wouldn’t be popular per say, but they’d be friends with practically everyone.

Their favourite subject would probably be biology because sex jokes, but I also think they’d enjoy English because uhh… Sex jokes. I just can’t see White Zetsu taking school even slightly seriously.

He basically lives in the art department. If you walk near him he will tag along and start talking to you about art, it doesn’t matter who you are you will be forced to listen to his speech.

Incredibly confident and has no issue starting a conversation with anyone. He's definitely the type of person who every time you see him he'd be with a completely different group of people, whether they want him there or not.

Despite his weird constant art rants he'd be the life and soul of the party. He's always fun to be around purely because of how much energy he has. He'd be the kid who makes everyone laugh completely on accident, although people would probably be laughing more at him than with him.

He'd probably get invited to lots of places by other kids just so he could be the butt of every joke. He wouldn't mind though, he'd brush it off and probably enjoy the attention he gets from it.

Most of his friends would end up being people who know nothing about art though, all the students who participated in any artistic subjects would stay far away in fear of him starting another argument about art.

If the art class ever does clay his has to be put in the kiln separately because it always blows up. He also has a habit of 'accidentally' damaging other people's art if he dislikes it. Eventually he would mellow out and start appreciating other forms.

Nobody knows who he is, people will have sat next to him for years and won't even know his name. The amount of times his name is called in the register and people will pipe up with "who's that?" or "didn't he move to another school?" is genuinely concerning. He doesn't care though, he'd rather go through school completely unnoticed.

Excels at all subjects (besides sports, he's never showed up to a PE lesson because of 'health reasons') despite putting very little effort into academics. His favourite subjects would be biology and math. He'd absolutely hate art as a subject, preferring to do art in his free time rather than make it into a chore at school. He'd have been put in Deidara's class at least once and it would have completely ruined all enjoyment of art as a subject for him. He'd also hate any subjects which prompt discussion such as English or sociology, he doesn't have any opinions on them and he doesn't care to listen to anyone else's.

Honestly, dude is the definition of a background character at school. He just simply does not exist, and I have mad respect for him. On the off chance anyone even tried to speak to him he'd probably completely ignore them, the only communication he has at school is through emails with teachers. He has 0 interest in making friends when they have nothing in common with him.

Another character sort of hard to pinpoint. He’d probably be somewhat similar to White Zetsu, but not quite as popular. He’d be a right teachers pet, with few friends his own age. He’d probably spend spend all his breaks and lunches with teachers in their classrooms, offering to help them with display boards etc.

Despite being a teachers pet he wouldn’t be academic whatsoever. He’d always try his best but bless him, he’s terrible at every subject and ends up constantly making a fool of himself. He’s definitely the sort to raise his hand to make a really great point, but his really great point is basically repeating the lesson objective. When studying of mice of men he definitely asked “what’s the name of Curly’s wife’s husband?”

His favourite subject, regardless of his ineptitude would be drama. He’d always be the most melodramatic and over the top in every character he played, not really caring what other people thought of him. In fact, that’s probably his best feature. Despite his lack of popularity he’d always unapologetically be himself, his goofy and over the top self.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

If we’re thinking more about Obito, I’d like to imagine for the sake of this headcanon Tobi is what he’s like during lower school years and then suddenly one summer he comes back and he’s completely matured into this foreign character unrecognisable to nobody.

He’d become incredibly serious, forgoing the role of energetic teachers pet to a much more muted one. He’d still be just as terrible at all his lessons, and still spend most of his time around teachers rather than others his age but he’d no longer have that fun spark. He’d probably start caring greatly about what people thought of him so his latter years would be trying to stay under the radar completely.

[shipsarebeautiful]

Can I just really quickly (but not so quickly) say that I love the amount of thought and detail in all of these images?! Because I love it and I wanna go in depth about each thing.

The hands on Ethan's clock have fallen off and the glass is shattered with chunks taken out, Lex's is still working but the glass is clearly cracking and Hannah's is the only one lit up with the hands almost striking twelve.

It's really cool attention to detail and symbolism on the mental and physical state of the characters by the end, but I kinda hate the pain it causes...

For some further explaination, here's the meaning I interpreted from that.

Ethan's is obvious. The hands have fallen to show his loss of life, which is emphasized by him being covered in blood, and the severely damaged glass shows just how broken a man he truly was (especially after being beaten to death and having to live in the black and white knowing that he couldn't help Lex achieve her dream).

Moving to Lex, hers is darkened to show a loss of hope, and her broken home and dropping out of school probobly contributed to her own glass breaking. However, differing from Ethan, her clock is still working because she can't die. She has to stay alive to protect Hannah, the only good thing left in her life.

And finally Hannah. Her clock is a lot brighter than Lex and Ethans, which symbolises their loss of hope contrasting her childish innocence and lasting dreams and hopes for the future. It's also just about to hit either midnight or midday, and with her reccuring motif (especially at the end of the show) about 'tomorrow' we can safely assume it's midnight. She's looking into the future rather then lingering on the past.

Another note, I dont know of this was intentional or not, but I'm gonna assume it is. The lighting for each character and the way they're standing differs directions. For Ethan it's facing right, and for Hannah and Lex it's left (minus the small bit of light coming from Lex's cigarette, which I believe is significant in its own way).

Ethan is facing backwards with the lighting beckoning him to follow it because he has nowhere to go. He can't move any further forward with his life taken away. Despite this he still looks forward. He can't go there, but he still wants to move on with Lex and Hannah in their journey of life (as presented in the actual show with his last words being about how he'll get Lex to California and him appearing again to Hannah later on).

Lex and Hannah are facing forwards, with the slivers of light shining on them showing that they still have hope. Their future still exists and they should continue on. Lex is clearly less willing to do so than Hannah as she is still broken (represented through her smashed glass and cigarette). Lex can't move on as easily and so isn't as much turned towards the light as she is having it hit her from the sides, and the cigarette aids in this idea as it is facing away from the main light source but still keeps her other hand lit up, and by extension it has her keep some sense of connection to the past. This majorly contrasts Hannah who looks a lot more motivated to push on and is a lot more prominent in facing towards the light with her whole body, not shying away from her future or keeping links to the past (not even in the form of Ethan's magic hat).

However, for these same reasons, it could mean multiple things. As previously mentioned, it could (and most likely does) represent their future and moving forward, something Hannah is much more accepting of with her only song in the whole show being about looking towards tomorrow. But it could also be representative of their acceptance about their powers and connection to Webby. Hannah is known to be a lot more open to Webby and their ideas, while Lex is known to shut out the idea more and would only be slightly tilted towards the light as she has only just begun to accept her connection.

Anyway, I think I'm done with over analyzing this art. I just love the attention to detail and clear thought that went into it and wanted to express that in a way that would make it more obvious to people just briefly looking over it. Taking the time to appreciate art like this shouldn't be hidden, even if it's just fan art.

what if tomorrow comes