#my main wonders are with sol tbh

[gifti3]

....sooo

Whats the situation between sol asmo and mc?

Im conducting an investigation

[chaesonghwas]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

HELLOOOO, i was tagged by the wonderful @wolfiemcwolferson @duquesademiel @golden-fairylights and @your-littlesecret, thank you my lovesssss <3333

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

i have 52 fics up on my normal account and i think 2? on anon

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 

272868 (i thought it would be more lmaoooo)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently just f1, but i have fics up for a couple of kdramas and football rpf

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a long time (maybe forever) - reddit fic my beloved

hey, brother (there's an endless road to rediscover) - my only non-piarles on this list!! written for hospital playlist, it's an outsider pov from the main character's little sister seeing how the main ship develops over time (as i'm writing this, i realize i wrote that same fic w arthur the other day oops)

we should just kiss (like real people do) - sol's bday fic from last year!!! i love this one a lot <3

i don't want you like a best friend - veeeery smutty soulmate au (this one was VERY hard for me to write so i'm super proud it's up hereee)

you and me would be (a big conversation) - SOCIAL MEDIA AU!!! this one was also a process but i loved every second

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

sometimes i try to but i never know what to say so i clamp up and don't end up answering 😭 so if you're reading this and you've ever commented on my fics just know that i see it and i love you

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

football au definitely has the most angsty/bittersweet planned ending, but i haven't actually written that lmaooo so i'll say and still, your heart beats. it's ultimately hopeful, but it's a tough situation

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

all of my fics have a some kind of happy ending, but i'll go with swear to be overdramatic and true bc i love that universe a lot <3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i've never gotten explicit hate on a fic, thankfully

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yesss, and.... whatever i'm vibing with i guess?

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

i've never done it lmao

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no, thankfullyyyy

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope, but it would be an honour!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

YEAH BABYYYYYYY!!!! writing w friends is the most fun bc i love my friends a lot <3 currently i have monza proposal fic w @duquesademiel, the Justly Fic w @your-littlesecret and posting the alphabet dating fic w @duquesademiel and @wolfiemcwolferson <3 a couple of other things are also being planned so stay tuneddd

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

all-time is a very difficult question, but piarles is def up there

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

football au i love you and i swear i will come back

16. What are your writing strengths?

i feel like i'm pretty good at writing dialogue and i think i'm v good at humor!! making insane situations work lmao

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

definitely lack of planning/getting carried away by the vibes and losing sight of the plot. also i feel like i struggle w longer descriptions

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i don't love it and i usually limit mine to only a couple of words (say, nicknames/terms of endearment in piarles' case), but i don't mind it in other people's fics tbh!!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

one direction LMAOOOOOO

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

any of my co-written fics or change my mind, my pwfe gift for sol that i love very very dearly <333

tagging @yukierres @pinkierre @boxboxbrioche @espithewarlock and anyone else that wants to do itttt <3333

[junjiie]

ok got too excited for a sec and unfollowed you ignore that- but long awaited sol opinion time???

batter up wasn’t bad. idm the song tbh and at some point it might grow on me but overall the sound was boring tbh… no hate at all to the girls and stuff bc they’re so young but i feel that the company hyped this gg up for so long and with the reputation of being the next gg up yg after blackpink, the final product is less of a “this is trash” and more of a “this was all you could really do?” bc i know for a fact they probably have newer sounds kept away in the basement somewhere.

the vocals, rap, and dance are all great. but the main issue is that a lot of them are still minors. mainly the youngest who is 13. her voice will change a lot as she grows older and i hope yt know how to accommodate that properly bc i know for a fact that companies will force artists to sing in a certain range for their whole career bc “it’s what the people want”

i saw people complaining about not having a storyline to their group and tbh, i don’t think a group needs a story to be popular. i get that having concepts like that is what makes k-pop what it is, but if you focus too much on a storyline for your sounds, you lose part of the musical ascent and limit yourself to certain topics. im actually glad in this case that yg didn’t didn’t end up going with a storyline path bc it would restrict them further and with again, how they all are, having to make a concept that will fit the members for the whole long run is hard.

i think storyline are wonderful if you’re able to show subplots and different meanings within the songs without having to stick to that one story; each song is a tale itself. ateez and txt pull these off well imo just bc of the way they storylines are already so complicated, meaning you’d have to dig deeply into things for the lore. it’s not constricted to one side of things. idk if any of that made sense-

the mc was. boring… idk like i feel like the could have done so much more to show case them? the rap line had a good part in the mv where they got more physicality but the vocals just. stood. idk. maybe that’s just my inner performer who was told to use up the stage a lot coming though LMFAO

omg i hope you enjoyed this little spillage of my thoughts. i don’t think i’ll follow baby monster just bc it feels odd? to follow them when again, over half the members are younger than me TwT

ok soju show coming to you… sometime. that channel… always so late to things smh

SOL OPINION TIME!!!! iput my Glasses on and fought away the eepiness for this 🤓

1 - !!! THIS !!! i don’t think it’s a bad song at all. i did think it sounded a little like. quiet? but that’s j me probably ive had my headphones in p much all day at tinnitus inducing volume so. Yeah ❓ from what ive seen most people don’t think it’s bad or anything, the complaint is that it’s boring. like. lazytown snoozefest big yawn boring. they put people through that long of a wait and built up that much suspense and excitement for it to just be. That???? kind of giving low effort laziness i fear.. like at least make it a little bit life changing damn

2 - THIS ABAINNNNN more groups need to start making music for the sake of it being music my god 😭😭 the lore and storylines are cool if you’re into that but if you’re a more casual listener and you don’t wanna get into all the things you feel like you need to know prior to a release bc of all the importance the story has to it then it kinda sucks ??? take sticker for example (ijbol) . that was not complicated intricate story telling . they were cunty cowboys and taeil had a dog

3 - the mv erm… it was there idk 🙁 someone said if u told them it was a nugu group w $10 and a dream they’d believe it and lowk i would too 😭 some bits were cool ig but i was thinking…. its called “batter up”…. so couldn’t they do sth fun and . yk . baseball themed?? taking terminology from a game and then not hsing thatgame j sounds kinda stupid like i get u want them to look perfect and cool but its Right Thre .

THANKU FOR SPILLING UR THOUGHTS BSF!!! sry if i wasnt v coberent im tired lmao. i wont b following them either i j wanted to see what other people thought abt it :o

[cyndraws]

Introduction

Hi everyone, Cyn here! Welcome to my new art blog! It's still pretty bare for now but I'll add some more stuff later. I wanted all my art in a neat place too, hence this blog.

linktree: linktr.ee/cynsw

My main blog well... it's like 98% reblogs and almost no original posts LOL. Feel free to follow it for general posts and mostly dcmk stuff

(My main: https://www.tumblr.com/vampirecatsw) This is a side blog so my replies and such will also be from the main too

I've already reblogged all my art from my main account, and I have a bunch I have not yet posted on tumblr yet! So it'll roll out whenever I have time

Credits to @stardustshimmer for the wonderful profile pic <3 The banner is from the Detective Conan OVA 10 "KID on Trap Island"

~

I tag my art by ocs, characters or fandoms. I will update this list with the main ones: (regarding japanese names I prefer writing "first last" but I will also try to tag both)

FEEL FREE TO SEND ASKS ABOUT MY OCS OR ANY AUS. EVEN IF THEY'RE FROM MY MAIN ACCOUNT!!

~

General tags:

#cyn draws (general art tag)

#cyn writes (ramblings about aus, characters or potentially fics)

#cyn speaks (Updates in general. It's a loose definition tbh. I mostly chat on my main account and leave this one for art though)

#cyn answers (answers to asks)

#asks (Questions you can ask me! Feel free to also request me to show an older art I haven't posted before)

Fandoms:

#dcmk (Detective Conan and Magic Kaito)

#kirby (to be specific, #krbay aka anime version)

#genshin (none yet)

Aus:

#transmigrator kaito au (hiatus)

OCs (current focus):

#doug

#leif (kirby rbay / kirby anime oc)

#phantom flame (Phantom thief/Kaitou oc) #kaitou blaze (old tag)

#cyra (stick figure / hyun's dojo oc)

#sol or #sona (my sona)

Events:

#repostober2023

#ksss23 (Kaishin Secret Santa 2023)

#artfight

[barbieb0y]

i blanked out for a bit and just realized i havent said what i wanted to say to u abt guilty gear. lol. anyway, i actually (technically) have one consistent main in gg, who is baiken, but in strive i kinda have 2, which is baiken and bridget!! i play bridget bc she's a fun character to play, has a cute design, boppin theme and bc she's trans but mostly bc she's rlly fun! i remember just having such a blast playing her... i haven't played bridget in forever bc i like playing her strive ver more compared to her older version (she's rlly complex in the first game she was in orz)

ive been maining baiken ever since i started playing around, like, february 2021?? so she's pretty special to me! she's rlly pretty samurai lady that drinks (i have a lot of fighting game crushes LMAO) and also a rlly cool character that grows as the story goes on! (also super fun to play!)

i also play slayer and leo whitefang for a bit but it's been a bit since i played them so i think they dont count anymore lol oh and i casually play giovanna bc she's similar to this one character i play in another fighting game (also cause she looks like this one fighting game lady i have a cru)

i have this one color i rlly LOVE playing in guilty gear/arcsys games in general which i call arcsys/playstation blue! it's the one color where the characters are wearing blue and black but the blue is glowing! rlly love that color <3 i have huge debt to guilty gear bc it introduced me to d4dj thanks to their collab, and you can see how that went lol

thats all, hehe! i love talking abt fighting games bc i dont have much of a chance lol so im sosososo glad to have someone to talk to!! <3

(also fun fact abt baiken: she uses ore when speaking in japanese)

(also also this was meant to be sent to the replies of your post but there was so much i wanted to say, lol byee take my rant abt my fighting game mains)

OOOOOOO IVE SEEN BAIKEN ALSO BRIDGET AAAAAA sorry im biased i see trans character my eyes become hearts. all the characters sound really cool tbh. baiken using ore is cool as fuck wtf. good for her good for her

i also have minor crushes on all the guys. especially anji as you may know. im Simping with a capital S. he is so hot im so sorry im a simple man

I SAW THE COLOR YOU MENTIONED IN THE BETA TEST i was wondering what that was :0 i think theres also a pink version and a green version right? i think i saw those. for now im just sticking with the original colors bc thats what im used to but i wanna try the other colors too at some point :D

woah i did not know gg introduced you to d4dj ngl. i remember when the gg collab dropped i was like. oh okay another random collab idc abt LMAOOOOOO now im eating my own words. i do remember getting the sol badguy discs in d4dj tho lmao

and yw! tbfh the only fighting game ive consistently played is tekken (alisa main since i was 6 <3) so. im not the best person to actually discuss fighting games with LOL but as ive said, you are very much free to infodump whenever you want. i mean it. even if i dont get to play certain fighting games, at least i get to know some stuff about them. honestly even with tekken i. dont really pay attention to the lore HELP but thats normal for fighting game fans i think. also fighting game men are so Hot and Gender and oh my god muscles ... muscles

[asiryn]

here’s the second update post about my playthrough of ffviir! at this point in my life, with my worsening disability, i’m just gonna have to admit defeat and that i’m going to be making very slow progress from this point on. like....limit myself to playing a chapter a day (or even every other day) so that i don’t make myself Regret Everything.

spoilers below the cut. i finished ch 3, and i think i’m most of the way through ch 4? maybe?? i haven’t finished it, i stopped right before the second (official) mission, and tbh, i have no idea how much is left of the chapter. 

i’m going to try to go in chronological order through the chapters, but i can’t make any guarantees

- i absolutely love marle, she’s a great new addition to the cast 💖💖💖

- the remake is going way more in-depth on everything from the original, and is really adding in a lot of that connective tissue that wasn’t really there before. like, it wasn’t necessarily a glaring issue in the original game, but everything was clearly focused on the main plot, and moving the player along so they can get out of midgar faster; plus, with the limited scope of the 2d environment (the 3d in the environment itself was more like it added a bit of flavor (and frustration) to navigating), there wasn’t really much to explore. and with the limited hardware, the npcs only had a few small bits of dialogue, and the number of npcs in general was limited

- by contrast, this entire game is only covering the midgar sections of the game, so it can flesh everything out to its heart’s content. and at least so far, i’m all for it, and i’m a big fan of the way they’re doing it. it doesn’t feel like they’re just padding it out and wasting your time, but rather it’s giving the story and characters room to breathe, and breathing new life into characters that are pretty forgettable in the first game (i’ll talk more on that in a bit)

- the bulk of ch 3, therefore, is for the most part just cloud and tifa, hanging out. everything’s still being grounded in more realism, with talk of cloud needing to find work to get money and savings, so having him....actually being a mercenary, and getting hired for a bunch of side quests makes a whole lot of sense. plus, tifa’s along for the ride, so you also get to see her interacting with the other residents of the sector 7 slums. and we get a lot of nice conversations with cloud and tifa, and giving their relationship way more development

- i also love that tifa and cloud are making further dates plans to hang out, it’s cute

- also, i love the way the npcs are done in this game. again, they’re being used to enhance that message i talked about last time, and in general, they just....actually react to the things happening around them? their dialogue is always evolving more over time (and it has great synergy w/ cloud and tifa’s mission of getting cloud’s name out there, as the more side quests you achieve, the more they start talking about you and recognizing you, even thanking you). plus, all the npcs have different opinions, ranging from pro-shinra, to wondering if avalanche has a point, to conspiracy theorists, so it’s not all one-note 

- in the category of, technically there in the original, but far expanded on with the remake, was everything with johnny. tbh, i always forget about him in midgar, so i don’t remember what triggers him to show up in....costa del sol, i think? but that whole scene in the remake really helped to highlight tifa’s later concerns, on how she doesn’t agree with the means that avalanche is using to achieve their ends (which again, was somewhat there in the original, but not explored that much), with her refusing to let cloud kill him, even if it would have been the wisest tactical approach to silence him to protect avalanche

- an interesting change is that avalanche was originally planning to do the second mission of bombing reactor 5 without cloud

- also....what’s up with those thugs wanting barret? are they working for don corneo? bc that’s the only other faction that i could think of. if so, i like the fact that they’re starting to establish the groundwork for this sooner, bc it....came a bit out of nowhere in the original

- probably my favorite thing so far about the remake is just how much they’re expanding the characters of jessie, biggs, and wedge. tbh, i never gave two shits about them in the original, bc they were barely even in the game. and not just bc they died early, but bc even when they were there, all the interactions you could have with them were super limited. and when they did die, it wasn’t really dwelled on, and everyone quickly moved onto saving aerith from shinra, and from there the main thrust of the story took off and we barely looked back

- but now, jessie, biggs, and wedge, are fully realized characters, and it’s fantastic. jessie is my favorite of the three, both in terms of the character herself, and what they’re doing with her. her backstory is excellent, her va is great, and i love her peppiness, and i love her relationship with cloud (her playful flirting is great and really fun)

- i also loved the moment where biggs and wedge showed up to help her with her secret mission, just bc they knew her so well

- i’m.....pretty sure roche is a new character?? i don’t remember ever hearing mention of him in any of the rest of the compilation, but my knowledge of before crisis in particular is sketchy, so who knows. in any case, i’m curious to see if he’s going to become a recurring character

- i also loved that they’re showing cloud slowly bonding with biggs and wedge too, it’s sweet

- wedge with his cats is a Mood (and ppl were right, there really are a lot of cats in the game)

- i absolutely ADORED the way they did the flashback scene with cloud and tifa, it was spectacular. they even sounded noticeably younger, and they nailed the looks and mannerisms from the original scene. plus, i love that cloud remembered his promise to tifa on his own, and that he’s the one to bring it up to her later, instead of her guilt-tripping and continuously prodding him about it

- i knew that in before crisis, there was the original version of avalanche, that was essentially at war with the turks in an effort to take down shinra, but i guess i always assumed that it ended up either disbanded or defeated by the time barret’s avalanche was created. so it’s therefore fascinating to me that it’s still operating in the remake, and that barret’s group are a different branch that the og group disapproves of. makes me wonder how that’s going to play out, especially with everything set to go down soon

- what is the deal with these ‘ghosts’?? are they the black-robed seph clones? i think one of them spoke to cloud in seph’s voice during his nightmare, so....maybe? it’s the only thing that makes sense to me. but what are they doing??

- i find the way cloud was roped into the reactor 5 mission interesting, with him replacing an injured jessie

okay, i think i’m gonna end it here for now. on my next session, i’ll finish ch 4, and hopefully ch 5, and i’ll get to see aerith again soon!!!!💖💖💖

[emperor-meow]

Day 2: A book that you’ve read more than 3 times. 

The Legend of the Ice People:  3# Depths of Darkness

I have read this book more than three times (countless tbh), and it’s ironically also the third book in the 47-book long series The Legend of the Ice People by Margit Sandemo.  

I first read this entire series as a teenager, which opened a whole new world of reading for me. I thought adult books had to be serious and dry, but this one had heart, humour, spooky things and heartache!  Because of that it will always have a special place in my heart. As a (neurotic) teenager I would constantly question myself and my own thoughts, and wonder whether I was normal or not. You’re body is changing and you’re experiencing attraction and sexual desires for the first time. These books helped me through all that. And of course there is magic, supernatural elements, romance, hurt/comfort - the cruelty of man and goodness of humanity. All a yearning heart could wish for.  Not to mention, the author does a marvelous job at giving personalities to her human and animal characters.

So let me explain the saga first! (Not that you asked, but I will.) 

This series is a family-line saga starting in the late 1500s Norway with its 1st book, and ending in the 1990s with its final book. That’s right. You’re reading your way through the lives and deaths of this family line. It’s borderline realistic, containing real historical events, but also elements of magic and the supernatural (which the author often cleverly masks with historical events making you wonder if those historical events indeed could’ve been under some supernatural influence. 

Book #3 Depths of Darkness,  The book that I’ve chosen, centers around the 16 year old Sol Angelica of the Ice People - the adoptive daughter of the main characters in the first two books.  She’s restless, she’s wild, she wants to know what sex is, she wants to know what love is, she wants to know about magic and the supernatural (which she rightfully suspects her adoptive father of keeping from her). Despite her wild and unpredictable nature of lying and conning her way through life, she is kind to those who cannot defend themselves, and those she loves.  The whole thing about this poor girl is that she doesn’t really feel like she belongs to this earth. She can feel a wickedness inside her fighting against the good of her. And what teenager can’t sympathize with that?  That’s probably why I ended up reading this book so many times, particularly in my teenage years.  I won’t spoil the ending of Sol’s tale, but keep in mind that not all characters gets a happy ending in this series. However, Sol’s tale is a beautiful and heartbreaking one, and it does not lack action! I was on the edge of my seat many times! 

(Wow damn. I haven’t read this book in years, and I didn’t even have to look anything up. It really left an impact on me.) 

[fair-verona-rpg]

Congratulations Gina! We are delighted to welcome Maria del Sol “Marisol” Alvarez to provide music and joy to the streets of Fair Verona. Please complete our after acceptance checklist.  We are looking forward to seeing you develop her! Please send in her blog within 48 hours. 

Out of Character

Alias: Gina, please.

Preferred Pronouns: She/her.

Age: 24.

Timezone: CST.

Anything else? Not at the moment, thank you. I apologize for my long bio but I’ve had my eye on this rp for months, I was just waiting to graduate college so I could join. I read everything on the main, but please let me know if something’s not right or anything you might need. Thanks!

Character

Name: Maria del Sol “Marisol” Alvarez.

Birthdate and Age: February 18, 25 years old.

Preferred Pronouns: She/her.

Faceclaim: Ana de Armas.

Family Affiliation: Neutral.

Profession: Luthier and assistant at a music store. Freelance multi-instrumentalist at Lavinia or just any sidewalk.

Claim: Unclaimed.

Children: Not at the moment.

Designation: submissive.

What is their symbol?: This basic bitch mess on her left hand: XXX

Kinks: Anything, tbh.

Anti-kinks: Scat, infantilism, vore.

Biography: (I tend to write novels, I’m sorry)

Marisol was born in a seaside City State where it was always sunny and people seemed happy. What she remembers is that there always seemed to be music. From the eternal boardwalk party to her mother’s beautiful voice; singing while baking empanadas. It was all wonderful, even if they had to cover the holes in their apartment’s drywalls with drawings. Even if sometimes all there was to eat was stale arroz. Marisol was a quiet, happy child who could be entertained for hours just listening to the local changüi ensemble playing on a random street corner, with tiny fingers itching to learn how to move on those instruments to make that kind of magic sounds happen.

However, Marisol’s existence was lonely. She had no father, no siblings and a mother who always seemed to be going on what she called “missions”. Leaving in the afternoons, arms full of signs she’d made, a megaphone and a bandana covering her face. She’d come back late at night or the next morning, when Marisol was getting ready for school, looking several years older and with no voice left to sing.

Soon enough, even while getting no answers from her mom, Marisol figured out that her mom and her giant group of “friends” were those that her school demonized as the “rebels”, protesting outside the State Palace, demanding fair and equal living conditions for the citizens of the City.

It was in one of those lonely afternoons, that a preteen Marisol stumbled into an old music store, drawn in by the glossy instruments. The owner took an immediate liking to her and a few days later, Marisol was already learning how to read sheet music and play the violin: her favorite. Turns out, she was a gifted learner and when the war exploded, five years later, she could already play almost any instrument with ease and compose her own melodies.

La Guerra Civil, as the war was called, took Marisol by surprise. Her beloved City got turned into a fiery hell overnight, and there was no music anymore. Just screams, explosions and gunfire.

One day, Marisol’s mother never came back: She had gotten captured by the army and thrown into a cell, with no possibility of escaping. Marisol was now part of Los Niños Solos, the children of rebels who had gotten left behind.

Before she could even process the whole thing, she was getting loaded on a boat to be taken to the great City of Verona, where some family had agreed to take her. She barely knew the language, their customs, their way of life. It was all so cold, alien and quiet.

Marisol bounced around Verona for years, never feeling quite at home. She liked that their fancy schools had bands and she could take lessons. By the time she turned 21 and had gotten her designation (submissive, to nobody’s surprise), she was living in a tiny apartment above a music store owned by the Capulets. She could fix, tune and sell instruments, opening and closing, anything that was needed. It was more than she could ask for.

But existing is still lonely, with Marisol trying to forget her home City, the horrors of war and growing back into her sweet, outgoing personality. She’s in constant exchange of letters with her mom (still imprisoned), who tells her there’s nothing left to return to. Eager to please, help and assist, Marisol has a smile for everyone she crosses paths with and hopes to keep learning to be a good submissive to maybe get claimed. And save enough money to go to college and become a real musician.

[crystalkleure]

Have you ever wondered how season 2 of Burst would've played out if Valt and Shu's roles had been swapped? I.E. Valt ends up joining the Snake Pit, and Shu is the one scouted by BC Sol.

Honestly? I…I don’t really think I can give a truly good answer for this 🤔 But I can try:

At the Snake Pit: Basically, at the base root of it, Ashram really couldn’t have used Valt in the same way he used Shuu. Valt just wasn’t as emotionally vulnerable like that. Shuu has a tendency to isolate himself from friends, and Valt prefers to surround himself with other people at all times. Shuu has much more pent-up frustration and trauma fallout than Valt does. To believably swap who ended up in the Pit, you’d really have to ALMOST completely swap their character roles, starting from at LEAST the end of s1, but probably even farther back than that.

But, by some miracle of nonsensical slipshod writing, if Valt DID somehow end up in the Pit in his canon state, absolute chaos would happen.

Azul Eye, for one, would have a completely different bey [Spriggan instead of Valkyrie], if Azul Eye himself would even still be there at all. Because the Mask Guys that got sent out to fight off Valt’s little troupe in canon had a theme going on that would be broken by Valt being in the Pit: Colour matchups. Yellow Eye vs. Boss, whose theme colour is yellow. Black Eye vs. Dyna, whose theme colour is black. Grey Eye vs. Cooza, whose theme colour is grey. Violet Eye vs. Wakiya, whose theme colour is purple. I guess Ashram predicted that that particular group of main characters would be the ones invading his operation at some point somehow [??? how could he possibly know that though?], because there’s no way the colour thing is coincidence. And Azul Eye was matched up to Valt, whose theme colour is blue. Writing-wise, it would be weird to have a blue-themed mook bad guy around with no blue-themed good guy to oppose. If Shuu took Valt’s place in the “rescue party” that Wakiya took out to the Snake Pit, there would probably be a different minion called “Red Eye” there as a shadow for Shuu. With no Azul Eye. Just from a writing standpoint that would make sense. [And I love Azul Eye so this thought is burning my fucking soul, ahaha.]

Second, as evidenced by his reaction to Boa in canon, Valt would NOT be okay with all the literal torture going on, Ashram would have to completely hide it all from him in some way to get him to cooperate instead of boycotting everything. Valt just wasn’t as closed-in on himself as Shuu was, he wouldn’t be able to ignore other people the same way, at least, not pre-literal-brainwashing.

If Ashram actually managed to get Valt into the big green Nightmare Machine somehow though, brainwashing is brainwashing. What worked on Shuu could probably work on anyone else with the same general result. The entire process was just easier with someone who was already emotionally compromised.

Still though, so much would have to just be fundamentally changed just to get to that point. Actually, Valt couldn’t have even been allowed to SEE his friends that came to rescue him because he would probably just. Go home with them. Because he just doesn’t adamantly isolate himself like Shuu does. So I don’t know what would’ve happened if the Search and Rescue team got past Violet Eye’s room without Shuu there to interrupt everything and kick them out, rules be damned. Because Valt wouldn’t do that. Something else would’ve had to stop them [because Wakiya could absolutely beat Violet Eye].

TL;DR: Valt would have to be completely oblivious to what’s actually going on; watching him interact with Azul Eye more would’ve been fun because they obviously liked eachother but they can’t logically exist in the Pit together as allies instead of enemies; everyone would always be panicking trying to keep Valt from getting into things they don’t want him to know about; Valt is high-maintenance; wtf would happen to Boa with Valt there instead of Shuu, tbh Boa would probably have literally just died [AHHHHH ;A; ]; and I’m thinking of even more miniscule but endless problems Valt’s presence would cause for the Snake Pit as we know it as I’m writing this so I think I should just cut it off here because this is too much text.

At BC Sol: Well, Shuu would be aggressively picking fights with Free every chance he got. And Free would beat him. Again and again. Which, as we’ve seen in canon, would cause Shuu to completely and utterly melt down. But if Ashram wasn’t actively waiting to snatch him when he has his inevitable crisis, he could probably pull through it much better. If Boss is at BC Sol, and Wakiya and Dyna both end up in Europe eventually as well, Shuu Drama would probably play out season-one-style. If Shuu can’t get away from his friends, like if they’re always nearby instead of on entirely different continents, he’ll be forced to let them help him because they won’t leave him alone. Shuu’s friends were what was keeping him semi-grounded in s1. In s2 canon, when you think about it, the “Red Eye” dilemma could have been nipped in the bud if Shuu hadn’t gone off to America alone. Shuu needs people watching out for his ass, even when he doesn’t want them to, because he closes up and self-destructs otherwise.

I think most of the BC drama would have played out pretty much normally though, because a lot of the problems with the team were not tied to Valt, they were problems that existed before he even got there. [And Valt did not actually play a big part in solving them, either.] Free would still leave for the team tournament, and then come back later. Trad would still leave to try to force Chris to learn how to run the club without him. I can’t think of too much else that would be majorly different with Shuu at BC instead of Valt, at least not right off the top of my head at the moment.

[kiriyana]

stages of love | kirigakure saizo [slbp]

rating: general to teen (some suggestive stuff, which will be under the readmore)

word count: 1.2k

setting: canonverse

a/n: happy birthday @maihiru!! sorry it’s only headcanons >.> had three different ideas, but didn’t have any inspiration for them to be able to finish it up on time, so i had to switch dinjfndvdns but tbh i might use them for a fic or two eheh

inspired by these particular sol hcs but switched up the order uwu

warning: some spoilers for saizo’s main story and event stories; don’t read if you haven’t finished the main story and don’t wanna be spoiled

Attraction

There’s something about you that’s very amusing, if he had to be honest. You can be nice for one moment, then the next you’re not. Like how you’d be nice and understanding to Yukimura, but you barely managed to hide your amusement when you were told how he fell off the roof coz of the woman that was now Lady Sanada. Also you didn’t stop teasing the poor guy for days.

That’s how you are with him, too. You seem softer towards him compare to how you are with others, but how you’d answer his questions the way he does, then smiling or grinning when you see his exasperation. Or the one time he was watching over you (from the ceiling) because people thought you were Shingen’s mistress and you just told him that you know he’s there and that he should get down from there before he falls on you because of all the extra weight from all the dangos he’s been eating.

Despite all that, he can’t deny there’s something there. After all, he catches himself wondering how you are when he hasn’t seen you for a bit, or how remembering all of the memories you two have shared so far paints a smile on his face, which he quickly hides.

First Date

By all standards, it wasn’t a date. But it technically was.

He helped you get the ingredients you needed to make some things (you told him ‘some things’ but honestly, you both knew you were getting ingredients for dango lmao), but the two of you took your time getting them, even doing a bit of window shopping and noting the particular accessory you looked at longer than the others.

And when the two of you got back, he still stayed around you, watching you go around the kitchen making something. When you presented the skewers, he was about to take one when you suddenly pulled back and told him to come with you to the veranda so you two can eat them together.

He ate them all (“They weren’t half-bad.” “Is that so, Saizo.”), and when he left, there was a small bag that had the item you liked, with a little note that  basically thanked you for the food.

First Kiss

The two of you had been spending a lot more time together. He’s opened up to you more, and you do so as well. It just happened.

No matter how anyone looks at it, there’s something between to you. No matter how much he wanted to deny and push his feelings down, it’s there. He knows it. You know it. That’s why you found yourselves here.

He runs his thumb over your lower lip, staring at it before gazing up to stare at you, slightly surprised at the obvious longing in your eyes. His hand moves to your chin, gently holding it before he leans down to your face.

Then stops, inches away from your own lips. You could just feel each other's’ breaths from how close the distance is. You blink at him, and he smiles ruefully.

“We shouldn’t.” He murmurs, about to pull away when you grab him and kiss him yourself. As your lips meld together, he groans briefly before wrapping his arms around you and pulling you closer and deepening the kiss.

You sigh in pleasure, the sensation of kissing him feeling better that you dreamed off. Especially when he pulls away, only to kiss you again, you’re glad that you went and did it.

Confession

No matter how many times he pushes his feelings down away, he can’t deny that his feelings are strong. I mean, the two of you just kissed, and he definitely didn’t mind it. And it seems you didn’t either. He tried to find the words to say, you went and beat him to the punch.

“You know I like you, right?” you say. It’s so simple, yet straight to the point, and he gives you a small smile.

“Do you now.” he can’t help but tease. And you just laugh, kissing his cheek.

“I do.” You tell him.

It wasn’t the most romantic, but it was special to both of you.

The two of you laid together that night. His arms were wrapped around you, gentle and firm, and you had your face pressed against the crook of his neck. Your legs were tangled together, and when the two of you woke up the next day, the two of you couldn’t help but smile lovingly at each other as you kissed sweetly and greet each other good morning

First Time

He was gone for weeks. And when he came back injured, you couldn’t help but fret over him, tending to him until the injuries fully healed, even though he didn’t need you to do that.

When you told him it’s because you’ve been worried for a while and you thought you lost him, his expression becomes the softest it’s been as he pulls you for a kiss.

He lays you down gently, teasing you for a bit with his mouth and fingers, before he starts spoiling you, touching you where it makes you cry out the loudest, whispering the sweetest and most loving praises, and practically making love to you until you see white as he hits your most pleasurable spots over and over until you come undone.

And he can’t help but feel loved when, even in your tired state, you pepper his face with the most affectionate of kisses.

Proposal

You stay in his room now. It lets you two spend as much time as you both can, given that you two have your duties to attend to for the majority of the day every day.

As always, the two of you were just basking in each other’s presences when he talks out of the blue.

“I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my days with you.” He murmurs, pulling you closer to him so he can press his face against your shoulder.

You stiffen, but continue to lean against him. “Oh yeah?”

He hums. “You’d be my little wifey, little lady.”

“And you’ll be my dear husband?”

“If that’s what you want.”

You pull away from him momentarily so you can face him, tears already gathering on your eyes already, but still managing to smile. “I’d want that.”

The way he did it isn’t fancy nor did he say any grand promises, but that’s fine; it’s just like him to do it like this, and that’s all you need.

Marriage

As someone puts the finishing touches to your wedding robes, you feel a familiar presence right outside the room. When you are finally alone, you speak up. “Saizo?”

It’s silent for a moment, then… “Yes, little lady?”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Not at all.”

You hum. “Do you need anything? We’ll be starting soon.”

“…know that I’ll always come back to you.”

Ah. His vow. You laugh lightly at the shortness, but you already know what else he wants to say, so… “I know. And I’ll always wait for you.”

And the two of you only kissed briefly in front of everyone, already have made the promise to each other. One the two of you keep to the end of days.

Yukimura was crying the entire night, but he denies it, even when his eyes were puffy and red from how much he cried.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Yotsuiro Biyori 1 | Kakuriyo 2 | Lupin 3 Pt 5 2 | Saredo 2 | BnHA 40 | Boueibu HK 2 | Mahou Shoujo Ore 3 | Golden Kamuy 2

Yotsuiro Biyori 1

I memorised this show’s name as being “Rokuhoudou”, so I almost didn’t recognise it at first when CR got it! I’m only taking it on because of the SoL aspect, which I’m normally not too sold on. However, there was a lot of slice of life this past winter, so I can see this being moved to the on hold pile already…

Mitarashi (dango).

Why do I get the feeling there was something fishy (time travel, a death or something) that happened to make the Rokuhoudou the way it is? I say “time travel” because of what I read about this show on ANN.

Is it just me, or does the background around this woman look kind of flat? The bins seem pretty flat, at the very least…

I can see what the woman means when she goes “This is a café?” It sure don’t look like one, it’s more like a temple or something.

I almost expected the woman to mangle the name of the café and go “Shika-kaede-tou” or something. How do the Japanese manage to get all these kanji combo pronunciations right???

“Don’t dodge my question, you king of BS.” – Just another quotable, alongside “Just Google it, asshole.” (Boueibu HK)

I thought the latte art was a dog at first, but yeah, if I look at it differently, it’s a bunny!

Kusamochi. By the way, I was thinking this show is really charming. Sure, I had more than enough Cute Boys Doing Cute Things in the winter, but these guys have quite the rapport. Now if only I could figure out what their names are (properly)…

Wait, so did that board/sheet/whatever inside that inspired Redhead refer to Kinako (cat) or kinako?

Lemme get this straight – black hair is Tokitaka, brown hair (latte) is Gure, desserts boy is…shoot, I don’t know…Update: Gure has black hair, not brown. It’s just shorter than Tokitaka’s.

I got no Google hits for Koubai pink, but Yurushiiro pink I did…so here you go. Yurushiiro pink was a pink that wasn’t banned by the emperor of Japan back in the day where he had more power. It seems to be a shade somewhat similar to cherry blossoms.

Tokiiro pink = rose gold and Yoshino cherry white = a pinkish-white.

Nerikiri is a type of wagashi.

Some of the subs got cut off! Grr, CR! So, here’s my attempt to translate what they have on that board of Redhead’s: after “butterflies”, there’s “plum” (ume), “bamboo shoots” (take no ko) and “new leaves” (wakaba). CR definitely used a longer word combo in place of “new leaves” though, so I could be wrong. That writing’s pretty scribbly, after all.

Redhead is Tsubaki (see? I have a horrendous memory when it comes to learning things for the first time)…so who am I missing?

Sakuramochi. It’s that grainy sort of pink, leaf-bound mochi you often see in shows like this.

Gure seems to like his Italian, doesn’t he? Is he half-foreign or is this just being a fan of the language of pasta?

“…think about the spring sunshine.” – So why the cat background?

Okay, I’ve found whose name I’ve forgotten. Sui (brunette).

Tokishirazu salmon. LOL, that salmon’s perfect for Tokitaka!

I don’t think they showed the chopstick holder earlier, but it’s a heart. It really is cute!

Interestingly, this woman brings to mind the idea of meiwaku when she says that it was her fault.

Oh, they weren’t heart shaped, they were cherry blossom shaped! That makes a lot more sense! (The shapes are similar though…)

Makunouchi bento…that sounds familiar, for some reason.

Hanami dango. I’m sure you know them, even if you’re not familiar with the name...so long as you’ve watched enough anime to see them at least once.

Ah, I bet Gure is a happy drunk, LOL.

Hah? There’s Sui (when he was younger)? Not in this episode, no…There was also a Tsubasa Fujita who was voiced by Hibiku Yamamura. I assume that’s the woman we were following today, but it might’ve been her friend or someone in a later episode…

Manjyu chazuke. I had to use the Japanese words to get some hits (as opposed to the romaji I just used), but whoever said that thing about Ougai seems to be correct.

Omusubi seems to be another name for onigiri.

Sencha.

That seems like less of a drop than I first thought...it’s going to be tough to cut down on all these shows. I’m clearly being affected by how much I opened up my watchlist, because remember those days where I’d only take on two shows a season?

Kakuriyo 2

Wow, the oni really has it in for her now...or is it really that hard to get a true read of him?

I somehow wagered the tengu was going to remind Aoi of her old man a few seconds before she did just that. That’s a bad sign...

Would a tengu have been too heavy to fly if it were drowning?

Seriously, this tengu never thinks of flying. I’m laughing, but I’ve realised this show’s strength seems to be its humour more than anything.

The airship has the kanji for “Ten” (from Tenjinya).

The pace of this show goes like molasses, so I think I’ll put it on hold here.

Lupin III Pt V 2

“Did you finally start caring about the environment?”

Holy helicopters, Batman! The AW609...exists!

“...Lupin used to escape!”

They’re being chased and yet still have time for hotpot, LOL. Never change, Lupin. Never change.

I never thought I’d see the day where a situation like the one Ami’s in could ever be talked out of in anime. Normally a scenario like that one is played for drama...

I guess even Lupin has a moe instinct, LOL.

That social media service looks a lot like Twitter, eh?

Apparently Shinpei Mayama is new this episode...Keep watching.

The Flea? He looks more like a hikikomori monster to me, LOL. (Boueibu reference, don’t mind me...)

I get the feeling I should know these people that are all showing up, but I feel like I don’t need to know about their backstories to appreciate them going forward. Thus, I will keep this show. Once again though, it’s a tentative keeper.

Saredo 2

I’m zoning out...I need to drop this show, don’t I?...

Soleil? Is that Gayus’s surname? (Basically, I got roped back into watching it with one reveal, LOL. I’m such a finicky person.)

One Hundred Ways to Train Your Dragon, more like it, LOL.

Oh great. Every time they have a religious figure, the show always seems to go downhill...(thinks back to Vatican Miracle Examiner)

Wow, “pessimistically optimistic”€. That’s quite the paradox!

The power of politics is to back up one voice with lots of voices, so...uh...about that, Cardinal Mouldeen...

“Come on, you slaves of authority.” - LOL. What a name.

“[Gigina’s] a sword dancer...” - Oh, so that’s why sinners dance with the dragons! A “dancer” is a magician in this world.

Okay, seriously. How did I not see how bad this show was in the first episode? If your side characters are more developed than your main ones, you’ve got a problem.

I’ve never seen a man more dedicated to fantasy-style IKEA than Gigina, LOL. At least that’s fresh.

I don’t think I even want to document this for later, but who the heck is Diorg?

I completely regret praising the rapport between Gayus and Gigina now. You can have some great convos when one member of the convo’s drunk, but this is a bit of a mess of a convo, tbh.

Even without the big names, I suspected the woman was connected to the black dragon...

This is a show where property damage counts, right? Gayus’ll throw a fit later, eh?

Okay, I think I’ve complained about this show way too much. Once I start seeing something in a negative light I start to sound really critical, and a lot of the time it’s actually not as rewarding as hatewatches should be, which is why I haven’t tackled anything for hatewatch purposes yet. It’s just a fun-sucker, if that’s the case, and that was definitely the case with this show.

BnHA 40

Wait, why is the camera-oh, it’s just Mineta. Get off the audience’s case, Mineta.

Is it just me, or is it that every time I read “Wild, Wild Pussycats” I get this song in my head?

I love how the Pussycats are basically magical girls with those poses!

How did they not censor Dragon Quest??? (LOL)

Aizawa likes cats? That’s new, but it’s also very in line with what we know of him already.

Oh, I see. She’s a Christmas cake!

What does GG stand for in that context, huh? “you GG bastard”, hmm...

Between BnHA and Tiramisu, you’re definitely in luck if you like muscular boys!

I feel like Kota’s a hypocrite. After all, he’s at his aunt’s and his aunt is a rescue hero...

Kota is very much like Midoriya in a few ways, don’tcha think?

Kota’s name has a lot of water in it, doesn’t it? (Both kanji in his name have water radicals.)

Boueibu HK 2

For some reason, Wakura actually seems happy about his outfit...even though he criticises it.

I’m kind of confused about that “hammer and pigeon”€ thing myself, although hato = pigeon which you can vaguely hear in Furanui’s sentence.

I love Wakura’s serious face...seriously, I need to figure out who best boy is soon, eh?

LOL, I said platypus was kamonohashi, yeah? Kamo can mean duck and it can be short for “maybe” (kamoshirenai).

Wahey, Binanshi Contest! Was it no. 1704 last ep as well?

Well, spoilers beat me on this one, but Tawarayama was a principal after the other guy...but then what are the HK DC gonna do about an advisor?

Ehhhhhhh? This I didn’t see! Shuzenji calls Ata by that name!

The student council room hasn’t changed at all, I see.

“Get fat!” - Wow...(LOL)

Calling it now - Unazuki is a yes man. Very Arima-like...

Strangely, Maasa’s sentence doesn’t specify Furanui is “shrimpy” at all. He just calls Furanui “this thing”€ (konna).

Does this mean Maasa has a thing for cool belly dancer guys? Hmm? Or is it just the magic he’s impressed with?

That board on the wall of the student council room hasn’t changed at all, which is what tipped me off to my earlier comment.

Ritter = knight. So our ES are Diamond, Rose Quartz and Amethyst. There’s not as much of a pattern going through these guys as there was with the CA, but it’ll have to do.

Oh wow, that summary took almost half an episode! No wonder the DC ran off!

The massage thing really calls to mind the manga...

108 is a Buddhist number. I wonder if there’s any significance to that...

July 18th? Boy, another July baby (thnks back to En)...

Getanha are cakes from Kagoshima, where the Kirishima onsen is.

Lorbeerprinz says ”druck” is pressure...but...well, I never thought I’d see the day I regretted not learning German, that’s all. Sorry. I got nothing on this.

This shabu shabu stuff reminds me of the chikuwabu talk in LOVE! s1 ep 1. (nostalgia washes over everyone)

They definitely upped their 4th walling this season, eh? First the layout artist thing, now this “cut off by the frameâ” thing.

The river I’d assume is the Sanzu (river you have to cross before you die) and I guess the flowerbed has to do with that. Kyotaro is Fiore Kiss though...which seems somewhat ironic.

At least they’re fully clothed prior to this transformation...but I didn’t mind seeing them transform from their birthday suits last episode, either...

What is that? *squints* It appears to be Taiju’s phone. Atsushi’s last season was green so I can see why this one’s plum.

Applying self destruct boosters is a lot easier than it looks. (thinks to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, where cake makes a character explode)

There’s a list of ground rules, including “let’s protect morals and manner”...whatever “manner” is. I guess the Furanui Knights, who aren’t actually on the ground, wouldn’t be subjected to “ground rules”, eh?

This one was clearly a case of “didn’t think of something for himself”, huh...

Do they have hot baths in Honyara Land???

Kamopapa’s VA was someone with the surname “Nishimura”...gotta look this guy up later, I guess. Seeing the actual visuals of the ED for once is so exciting, though!

The statement on the scroll in the back means “scholarship and the martial arts”, which is just another way of saying Ata’s a perfect student and is continually striving to be one.

Maasa’s hair antenna is a heart in the ED. That’ll get him charm points for sure.

Lookit them badass swords! They even have corresponding gems on them!

A-ha! I thought the final defeat song was Happy Ready. These marketing guys are too predictable...

For some reason, this ED is a lot more Detective Conan than the last one. I can’t quite put my finger on why though...

This next ep preview’s the best! I wanna quote it! “You know how there are things you see every day, but you don’t actually know what they’re called, so you just say “the thing” or “the whatever-it-is”? The next episode’s about that sort of stuff.” Update: It really is about that sort of stuff, this preview’s just uber-vague...

Mahou Shoujo Ore 3

Wow, they’re really leaning on the 4th wall this week, aren’t they?

The lyrics by and large really don’t make sense, so I feel quite thankful I’m not listening to the audio track right now, LOL.

(at “This way, squirrel!”€) What in animals’ name is this Pokemon? (LOL)

Hey, uh...is it just me or did both magical boy shows opt for the flashbacks this week, too?

What’s the age difference between Sakuyo and Mohiro? Kid!Mohiro doesn’t look older than 12 here.

“Thus concludes Sakuyo’s Thrilling First Love.€”

One thing I’ve noticed with lots of magical girls is that they have earrings. Arima (Boueibu) had them, but these guys do too.

“...looks so much like Mohiro-chan...”€ - Now that I look at Sakuyo’s magical boy form, he does kinda look like Mohiro eyes-wise...

God of Conquests? That refers to the main character of The World ____ Only ______, right?...Yup, I think so!

Have we been watching the same fight scene for almost an episode? Geez, flashbacks.

Can I like Mohiro-chan too? Because this eyecatch completely sold me!

The pixelation’s probably going to give me motion sickness one of these days (exaggerating), but if they overuse it, I’m definitely gonna go on about it.

Max Heart? I wonder if Astral’ll get it? I sure do, but I don’t know if he will.

I think I spotted a chick design on Mohiro’s jumper...?

Wow! Self-deprecation, much? (somewhat sarcastic) (The magazine this series ran in deals with BL, according to the blog header here. Mahou Shoujo Ore flip flops over that boundary, so you can see how it got into it...)

”Wherever there’s a magical girl, that’s where you’ll find me!”€ (Or should that be plural?)

Oh no, don’t even try going there, Sakuyo (laughing as I type this)...thank goodness they didn’t compare their...uh, hand grip. Yeah, the strength of their hand grip! (sweat sweat)

What was Saki drinking, wine? (somewhat sarcastic, somewhat skeptical)

Asano Shinbun is a parody of the Asahi Shinbun, one of the 5 biggest publications in Japan in regards to newspapers.

If you don’t remember from Mob Psycho 100, “mob” in this case means “just another face in the crowd”. Like the name ”Jane Doe”€ in English. The henohenomoheji style is a distinctive touch, though.

They’re being serious about the TV appearance thing? Never would’ve thought that, considering how that was a parody of Superman changing outfits in a telephone booth. Either that or some other superhero...

Golden Kamuy 2

Those pinecones sure look like prawns to me...

Ooh! OP! much hype, such wow. Also, a Man With a Mission OP is definitely something to keep an ear out for.

(in the OP) The letterboxing effect is cool here.

Sugimoto’s asking about tattoos because people with tatts wouldn’t be allowed into baths. At least, that’s the rule nowadays...

Karafuto.

This guy reminds me of Kaiji...or Akagi...or whatever the guy’s name is.

Gah, enough with the fire! This isn’t Blingee, for gold diggers’ sake!

Well, at least Sugimoto and Asirpa can take the skin nowâ...

The Ainu cooking show strikes again. Not that I’m complaining about it, it’s strangely interesting in an odd way. Not to mention the action mitigates any weirdness these parts might give the show.

Squirrel brain. Never in my life would I have dared to type that…until now. (Or eat it, but please don’t make me harm cute squirrels...)

I think Iâ’ve seen so many Shokugeki no Souma parodies/variations, I kind of expect every (pseudo-?)cooking show to do something like it. The fact Golden Kamuy didn’t do it surprised me in that way.

This guy! He did a Valentine’s promo for the show! His nameâ’s Shiraishi!

What a regular Houdini, eh?

This show is so comical in such a way you’d never see in another show. I love it.

Shiraishi with a raccoon on his head, LOL.

[electronictragedy]

My Top Albums of 2017

(aka what I discovered and listened to mostly)

This was kind of the year of darkness as I discovered harder and darker music. Perhaps my taste is becoming more nuanced? AKA I’m a Judas Priest fan now. Whoops.

Turbo - Judas Priest (Heavy Metal/New Wave) [1986]

(yes I used the 30th anniversary cover because it’s hi-res so SHUT IT)

Fans didn’t like this one because of the band’s foray into “Glam” metal, but it was my entrance into the band by having the mixture of rock and electronic that I liked. Also it rocks hard. My favorites include:

“Turbo Lover” – More New Wave than metal, but still a banger.

“Locked In”

“Private Property”

“Out In The Cold” – Moody, gothic, a bit sad, best use of synths

Screaming For Vengeance - Judas Priest (Heavy Metal) [1982]

People mostly remember this for the first two songs, the titular track, and the hit “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”, but there’s a lot of love songs that I enjoyed:

“The Hellion/Electric Eye” – I’M MADE OF METAL, MY CIRCUITS GLEAM, I AM PERPETUAL, I KEEP THE COUNTRY CLEEEEAN

“(Take These) Chains” – Who hurt Rob Halford? Oh wait-

“Pain and Pleasure”

“Fever”

“Prisoner of Your Eyes” – Sad sad sad ballad but awesome nonetheless!

Deeper - The Soft Moon (Downbeat electronic) [2015]

I discovered “Far” off a playlist by a music artist and I loved it. I want his guy to make more music. The songs are about usually “emo” things but the singer doesn’t whine–instead he yells and sings monotonously as if wondering what has become of himself.

“Black” – The beat is great as hell and the song moves to its will.

“Far” – Play this when you feel you need to drive really fast to forget your regrets. I played this one at 2 am on the highway and sounded best then.

“Wasting”

Synchronicity - The Police (New Wave) [1982

The Police’s last studio album before their breakup. I knew most of the latter half of this album, so I really just discovered the first half, and boy it has some strange ones in there.

“Synchronicity II” – Great guitar hook and over a strange story of depressive and oppressive suburban reality and the loch ness monster.

“O My God” – Yeah, another “where is God when there’s bad things going on” track that doesn’t guilt humanity and make you feel bad about yourself.

“Miss Gradenko” – The lyrics keep it memorable along the breakdown once the lines “Is anyone alive in here? Nobody but us” come in.

“Mother” – Uncharacteristic song about a nagging overbearing mother. Strange, but an overlooked gem. Actually not sung by Sting.

Showtime - Nitzer Ebb (Industrial/EBM) [1990]

Electronic Body Music is like darker EDM. Both you can dance to, but the latter is more “metal” and dark than raves. There’s more energy and nuance to it than EDM songs imo. Instead of minimalist beats, they go all out.

“Lightning Man” – Just… A really great song. Dark, strange, with great instrumentation of electronic and analog instruments.

“Getting Closer”

“Fun To Be Had”

“Rope” – YoU cAnt EveN If yOu TRied tO gIvE US enoUGH …. ROPE

Beyond The Black Rainbow Soundtrack - Sinoia Caves (Synth Score) [2014]

I only saw the trailer to this film and most called it boring, yet hypnotic, fever-dreamlike, etc. However, the vintage visuals definitely influenced the synth score which can rival Stranger Things.

“Sentionauts I” + “Sentionauts II” – Memorable hook in both, definitely different to show different sections of the film.

“1983 - Main Theme” 

“Forever Dilating Eye” – Spooky and mental thanks to the Vox usage.

Humanz - Gorillaz (Electronic/Hip Hop/ETC) [2017]

TOO MANY CONTRIBUTERS. Damon, please, believe in yourself and make more songs by yourself under Gorillaz. While a mostly forgettable album (sorry, Demon Days still holds water), some bops stood out:

“Momentz” ft.. De La Sol – Why wasn’t this a single? Most fans loved this one. It’s got a great beat.

“Ascension” ft. Vince Staples  

“Andromeda” ft. DRAM 

“Sleeping Powder” – Didn’t come with the release, but Damon Albarn made it weeks after release and made it a bonus single.

Blade Runner Original Soundtrack - Vangelis (Synth Score) [~1985]

I saw both the original film and 2049 this year. I liked the first one a lot better tbh, but that’s another post. Gorgeous film with an equally gorgeous soundtrack.

“Main Titles” - This song paired with the opening visuals send chills down my spine.

“Love Theme”

“Blade Runner Blues” - a bit long, but beautiful.

“End Theme” - The only “bop” song really.

[graylit]

* GETTING  TO  KNOW  THE  MUN :

NAME :   Abigail NICKNAME :  Abby, Solstice, Sol, Summer, Satan, whatever u want tbh~ FACECLAIM :    I STILL HAVEN’T THOUGHT UP A GOOD ONE TBH. I usually just use weasels & ferrets. PRONOUNS :   she / her  HEIGHT :  5′1 BIRTHDAY :    April 25th! AESTHETIC :  the smell of thanksgiving and christmas dinner cooking all day long, petrichor at the end of summer, the way the sun rises during the coldest days in winter, curling up in a freshly made bed after a long day, sitting in the dark with candles and christmas lights and soft classical music. LAST  SONG  YOU  LISTENED  TO :   Fingers To The Bone by Brown Bird. FAVORITE  MUSE (S)  YOU’VE  WRITTEN :   Rey for sure, Jennifer Check, Marya Morevna, & a few Tolkien OC’s c:

* GETTING  TO  KNOW  THE  ACCOUNT :

WHAT  INSPIRED  YOU  TO  TAKE  ON  THIS  MUSE :   I knew before I even saw the movie that Rey was going to be important to me. I took her dark side back at the start of 2016 because I wanted to explore her character in certain situations and also test my storytelling abilities. I’ve since started following canon because I want to explore ALL facets of her character, which was a delightful decision tbh.

WHAT  ARE  YOUR  FAVORITE  ASPECTS  OF  YOUR  CURRENT  MUSE :  cRACKES MY KNUCKLES. First of all what AREN’T my favorite aspects tbh?? As I stated above I connected with her before I even saw the film, she’s incredibly relatable to me though we’re vastly different in may ways ( she’s literally everything I WISH I could be ) Rey is incredibly bold and powerful without overdoing it in the slightest, her humanity and vulnerability balance her out and make her feel real in a way a lot of other “strong female characters” don’t. She’s not this POWERHOUSE of unlimited courage, she’s just a girl finding her way through circumstances beyond her control. She tries her absolute best and maybe she’s wrong sometimes and maybe she’s too this that or the other thing but that’s what makes her so wonderful. I think a quote that embodies her completely is ‘do it afraid’ because she preservers in spite of everything and she’s so damn hopeful it fills my heart with joy. I really, truly love every aspect of her. 

WHAT’S  YOUR  BIGGEST  INSPIRATION  WHEN  IT  COMES  TO  WRITING :   Usually the films or novels themselves, I also really enjoy reading other peoples threads in the community? SW is such a specific universe it can be difficult to garner inspiration for things. which is why when the fandom dies down my muse tends to deplete too. I also have a few movie scores that really remind me of rey and the certain verses I’ve crafted for her. My dark side sith ! verse? The Gladiator soundtrack. Main canon? The Last Samurai, Wonder Woman, and all of the Transformers scores. They really set the mood.

FAVOURITE  TYPES  OF  THREADS :  ALL OF THEM. Action is fantastic, anything upbeat is fun. I do have a weakness for angst though, or any sort of thread where Rey gets to open up about anything. She’s never had the opportunity to speak her mind or talk about the things that have happened to her and they’re super cathartic for both of us tbh. I also love me some fluff like please be soft with the girl??

BIGGEST  STRUGGLE  IN  REGARDS  TO  YOUR  CURRENT  MUSE :  Honestly I don’t think I have any? Rey is the first canon character I’ve really REALLY stuck with. Jenny I kept for maybe six months but Rey? She was my main muse for well over a year. I guess maybe the fandom itself is a struggle. There are some truly nasty, hateful, misogynistic people in the sw fandom and it can really put a damper on me and my writing ability tbh. But then the same could be said of tumblr in general amiright?

tagged by: @circumspects​ ILY THANK U BBY <333 tagging: @aboutwinning​ / @urulxce​ / @vuhlkansu​ / @flamemarred​ / @tachiisms​ / @rottedren​ / @shadowfound​ / @tozire​ / @peacifiq​ / @creedsurge​ and anyone else that wants to !!

[maki-ryota]

i was wondering: do you have some japanese songs that you really love and would like to recommend to people?

Great question! :)First off, some 90s (one 80s) J-Rock, probably my preferred genre tbh:LUNA SEA - BELIEVEX JAPAN - Silent JealousyBUCK-TICK - DressRaphael - 花咲く命ある限り Kuroyume - Miss Moonlighthide -  Eyes Love YouShiina Ringo - 本能(my wife)SHOW-YA - GamblingAikawa Nanase - Lovin’ YouPop and/or newer stuff:Junretsu -  愛でしばりたい (yeah these are the guys i saw last night, they’re my babies be nice.)JASMINE - sad to sayDa Pump - if… (for my Kamen Rider peeps, the main singer sang Justifaiz)w-inds. - Super Lover (this is the catchiest song ever leave me alone)TM Revolution - THUNDERBIRDAoyama Thelma & SOL - Fall in LoveKato Miliyah - Sayonara BabyShirota Yu - SisyphusToyama Mirei - I Wanna NO (starts ar 2:00 but both songs are good)lecca ft. kusuo - TSUBOMI should stop for now. didn’t choose any LDH or Toku songs as to not be obvious.let me know if any links aren’t working, i live in japan so they might be region-locked. anyone feel free to let me know if you enjoyed any of these!

[aidoru-ojisan]

Hey, now that majority of the Anime of Summer 2017 have been released I guess it’s finally time for me to give all of you my thoughts on the Anime that I have watched this season, I will also be giving an overall rating based on the first episodes and if it’s worth watching or not! Now let’s start!

MB Oji-san’s thoughts on Summer 2017 Anime

1. Action Heroine Cheer Fruits: So apparently this series focuses on a group of... I believe middle school students, try gaining more visitors to their small home town by creating their own action hero group, which is a popular trend in their year... The series does have quite a simple concept and the character designs are quite nice, a cute girls doing cute things show that has actual goals, kinda reminds me of Sakura Quest with the concept of bringing visitors to a small town in the country but lacks the all the amazing things it has, it’s something easy to watch but nothing fantastic, 6/10 (Try at least 3 episodes if you want to give it a shot) *Update: Dropped, I have better things to do rather than watch a sub-par show about a group of girls becoming a live action hero group. Would have probably enjoyed this if I was still a kid

2. Ballroom e Youkoso: I’ve seen this series jokingly called, “The Straight Yuri on Ice!!” that got a bit of a chuckle from me, but knowing that I was never a big fan of any form of dancing I knew that this series would have to do a lot to get me invested to keep watching it, and surprisingly it did, aside from the designs of Haikyuu! the soundtrack and animation of this show is pretty great and I find it quite amazing that our MC who was questioning himself about his future managed to gain such a great passion of ballroom dancing just from watching his now current tutor doing the art himself during a competition, not to mention all the girls in this show seem really cute (especially the one voice by Sakura Ayane) 8/10 (I highly recommend this show, one of the best of this season but do the three episode rule also if you find yourself losing interest afterwards)

3.  Battle Girl High School - Apparently this is a mix of idol and cute girls fight monsters to save the planet series? Well this show has plenty of cute girls, yet the designs are kinda weak (that one girl that looks like Miria from Cinderella Girls always bugs me tbh) the plot is nothing too special, would be something you can get from some random Anime phone game, which this Anime originated from, but tbh some scenes are cute and I did follow this series closely because one of the girls are voiced by Ozora Akari’s seiyuu so... this show might not be for everyone but watch if it if you want to watch cute girls doing cute things while saving the world 6/10 (3 episode rule) *Want to drop, but cannot due to Akari’s VA voicing one of the girls

4.  Centaur no Nayami - Here we have this season’s monster girl series... and honestly I find it a bit lacking compared to Winter’s Demi-chan... sure this series may have some Yuri undertones and cute girls but I find this world’s underlining politics and evolution system a bit unsettling... which is apparently connected to the story of our main cast later on but it seems just so oppressive despite the series’ cute SOL look, it’s good though and if you like cute monster girls go ahead and watch it 7/10 (3 episode rule at best) 

5.  Fate/Apocrypha - Astolfo, Modred, and Jeanne D’Arc, that should be enough for you to watch this Fate series 8.5/10 (Go ahead and watch it, no need to watch all the Fate series, you still should but this is set in an alternate universe) *Update, Changing the score to a 7, not even Astolfo can save this series

6. Hajimete no Gal - the goddamn MC of this series does not deserve Yukana... despite the stereotypes of gyarus, she’s a sweet girl who’s way out of the dude’s league and you almost want to punch him for all the stupid things he does later in the series 6.7/10 (3 episode rule, or watch if you’re a harem ecchi fan) *Want to drop but can’t, I want to see if Yukana dumps the MC’s sorry idiotic ass

7.  Hina Logi ~from Luck & Logic~ - This spin-off of the Lock & Logic series has got to be one of the Animes of Summer 2017 that has impressed me the most, despite having a much more moe style compared to the original series, Hina Logi’s OP animated with paper cut-outs was honestly SUPER IMPRESSIVE, it has got to be my fave OP animation of this season. Not to mention the action scenes are impressive as well, the character designs are nothing to write home and this show does have it’s own share of fan service but it’s honestly pretty fun! 7.5/10 (Watch the original Luck & Logic if you wish to view this one, the original is pretty good would rate it the same score as Hina Logi)

8.  Isekai Shokudou - honestly one of the best looking shows this season, despite not having too much of a fantasic plot, you can call this series “the fantasy version of Shokugeki no Soma without foodgasms” well sexual ones at least, but just a simple laid back series about a regular restaurant owner serving customers from another world with his cute fantasy world coworkers 8/10 (highly recommend, watch if you want a nice looking laid back series)

9. Kakegurui - man the ugly facial expressions... the stakes of the gambling games... the GREAT OP but s**tty ED... the fan service... this is actually a really good series tbh 7.8/10 (I recommend it, watch it if you want a well animated series with some nice psychological moments and high stakes)

10. Katsugeki Touken Ranbu - Ufotable + Samurais??????.... it’s OK 7.5/10 (3 episode rule at best)

11. Knight's & Magic - Honestly I feel like this series is being over hyped, I don’t know if it’s because the main character that was formerly just a working programmer mecha otaku who is reincarnated as a pretty boy voiced by Megumin’s seiyuu or good ol’ Chu Chu Yeah! fhana singing the OP (tbh I kinda feel the opening to be one of her weaker songs but eh that’s me) but I can hand it to this series for having well animated robot fight scenes and monsters, I’m kind of a hipster so I hate over hyped series but as a reviewer I will not let this effect the score I’ll be giving it 7.5/10 (I recommend it to people who want a pretty good looking isekai series with some badass looking mechas)

12. Koi to Uso - Despite the character designs of this series seeming a bit wacky sometimes, the coloring of this series is absolutely beautiful, and can I just say the concept of government arranged marriages to counter Japan’s declining child birth rate and Lilina was enough to get me to read all the released chapters of the Manga? Heads up, Yusuke is best girl 8/10 (highly recommend if you’re into good romance with some drama) 

13. Made in Abyss - Such simplistic character designs yet unique... such a wonderful soundtrack that I was only wishing it could be Post-Rock... wonderful world building of a world so beautiful... this show is also apparently super dark so as a Metal fan... beauty within the darkness is greatly appreciated 9/10 (HIGHLY RECOMMEND but warning, the source of this series shows that the Anime can get SUPER DARK in later episodes so I’ll be giving you a heads up just in case you can’t stomach it, one of my fave Animes of 2017 next to Tsuki ga Kirei)

14.  New Game!! - OVERRATED but... nice Yuri vibes, fan service, cute characters and scenes eh 7.5/10 (watch if you have seen the 1st season)

15. Princess Principal - I just can’t get over the character design choice of this series... moe despite being a serious edgy steam punk spy series... well edgy moe series like Yuuki Yuuna are masterpieces so I won’t let it bug me too much, the OST and scenery of this series is great 7.8/10 (watch if you want cute girls doing edgy spy stuff)

16. Tenshi no 3P! - lolis and some loner teenage dude make music, the ED is pretty Metal but god... dude gonna go to jail 6.5/10 (eh 3 episode rule unless you like lolis go for it) *Update: Dropped! I don’t care for the “Metal that’s always used in Anime” ED, I’m not watching this obvious as f**k Lolibait

17.  Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou - this has an old anime vibes, which isn’t a negative statement, it’s positive, simply an Anime about a dude who wants to live in his high school's dorms so that he wouldn’t be a burden to his uncle and his family ever since losing his parents and residing in their house, sadly said dorm is burned down in a fire and he ends up living in a supernatural apartment and finding out he has powers to help others, a really nice laid back series the soundtrack choice can suck at times and the character design and coloring is nothing special but I can feel heart in this series 7.5/10 (3 episode rule at best)

18. Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e - this series impresses me, not only with the great coloring and each character have unique individual designs, just the usage of quotes from writers of great and the concept of the students in the school these series takes place in with only the superior classes only truly mattering is a bit cliched but interesting 7.8/10 (3 episode rule at best)

19.  Aho-Girl - Funny as heck and short, always making for a good laugh and the fan service in this show merely makes me laugh compared to being aroused, love the voice choices for A-Kun and Yoshiko, reminds me of Yusuke and Futaba from P5 8/10 (highly recommend if you want to laugh)

20. Netsuzou Trap -NTR-: Only 10 minutes or less per episode???? DISAPPOINTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well this series already makes me feel conflicted despite being Yuri but damn the Anime ain’t nothing special aside from that 7/10 (uh want Yuri which is super rare, watch it but the NTR element will make you question yourself)

21. Tsurezure Children - Nice, short good romance comedy Anime, makes your heart skip a beat while laughing 8/10 (watch if you want a good short romcom series)

22. Gamers! - I honestly wonder how the studio got all the rights to use all those game refrences, suprisingly is quite a good watch despite the MC being kind of a wimp 7/10 (Watch if you like a different formula to the “club” genre)

23. Teekyu S9 - Time for more wacky Teekyu stuff 6.5/10 (uh you should pretty watch all 8 previous seasons if you want to watch this)

24. Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni. - tbh a decent isekai series, not too much of that generic crap and every action the characters do feels meaningful 7/10 (Watch if you want something that’s a mix of serious and comedy isekai)

THOUGHTS ON CONTINUING SHOWS

Aikatsu Stars - Koharu’s back and that’s all I need 7/10 (honestly I see the writers are pulling a “Love Live!” writers move and might make all the future episodes way too similar to the 1st series, which sucks since Stars! felt pretty OK despite the low ratings)

Re:Creators - Overrated, that’s all, this show is getting boring, the girl from the Eroge is saving this show 7/10 

Shingeki no Bamahaut: Virgin Soul - Still good, I’m just wondering if Nina will be OK, cause I don’t want anything bad happening to her 8/10

Boku no Hero Academia - I love Ochako, that is all 8.5/10

Sakura Quest - the new OP and ED are “meh” compared to the first ones but the 2nd cour seems pretty good and it was pleasant to hear fluent Spanish in an Anime of all places 8/10

Sagrada Rest - DROPPED, but it’s OK, JJBA Part 5 will come after this boring ass show too ded for me/10

[shidoukanae]

The Six Birds and Ema are from ‘Paradise’

So, the other theory I had regarding Ema which kind of contradicts my theory of her being a “Six birds” guardian is that she and the six children come from a world I’ve dubbed (for now) as ‘paradise’.

The idea from this comes from the fact that each of the six children, as we know, were found without parents. Yusaku, Aoi, Go, Revolver…each one of them came from the children rescued sometime before canon. You would have to wonder that, if they were stolen from their parents or from their family, then said family would be doing its best to find their children instead of allowing them to be taken in by someone else. Well, why is that? Not because ALL six of them are orphans but because they came from somewhere else. Somewhere where they can’t be found by the people who loved them.

Okay, sure. I sure I seem like I’m stretching it here. Aoi has Akira, right? They’re siblings right? So, how can she be from somewhere else if she has a familial connection? Well, as the show pointed out in episode 6, Aoi is Akira’s “sister-in-law”. And, while this COULD have real-world implications (namely that Aoi is the sister of Akira’s wife) that COULD actually imply to her, I think it’s more a sign that Akira isn’t her true family. I mean, Akira’s a work-a-holic. If he can’t support his own ‘sister-in-law’ (who has no other connections in life to him but through this title), then how is he going to support a wife? It’s super possible that she has no blood relations with him and that he’s simply taking care of her because she is an obligation that he has because she’s vaguely related to the family name and nothing else (but, then again, he may care for her??? However, he might care for his reputation more??? Akira’s becoming harder to read tbh the more the show goes on).

I’d talk about Revolver now but, as we don’t have enough info on him and his father, I’m just gonna say “naw” and move on. I might post a second part regarding this post if we find out any relevant info but nah, not right now when all I’ll make is random speculations.

Anyways, in the first episode, Kusanagi makes a point to mention how speed dueling intertwines with ‘monsters in the wind’ and that said wind will ‘lead to a brand new world’. Taken at face value, it’s talking about data storms and how they will probably be changing the VRAINS world dueling format into something new. However, ever since I’ve heard this line, I’ve wondered if Yusaku and the rest of the ‘birds’ have come from this world, from this paradise, if you will. When Kusanagi mentions this to Yusaku we see the camera looking into his eyes (and his mind) to see a white world full of what seems to be (on the left side) dragon-like creatures and (on the right side) bird-like ones.

Now, I’ll admit that it IS reminiscent of our world. There are skyscrapers and trees and the whole scene looks like it came from some sort of city park or something. But, you know what also has these skyscrapers and (I-know-they’re-not-the-same-but-they-both-do-have) weird creatures? The VRAINS.

Now, VRAINS as it is now is a virtual world for the real world people to visit. But, it’s just that. A world. It may be ‘virtual’ but if there’s anything I’ve learned about Yugioh is that there is always more to the story than what meets the eyes. For, example, in the first episode, we saw Blue Angel dueling in a lush city while Go duels in one that seems very realistic. It takes place in the virtual world (as we are all aware by Blue Angel’s presence in place of Aoi’s as otherwise it’s a bit hard to tell) but it all seems very much down-to-Earth.

But…it’s not at all down-to-Earth.  It’s different. What gets me is that, of all the in-the-Vrains shots we have so far, only these two show that it’s a lavish world full of color and intrigue. All the other shots we’ve had of it are purplish-blue skyscrapers with tones of red and green that’s also distorted by black pixels. It certainly has a more eerie aspect of it and sometimes I almost feel like the VRAINS is a mimic to a real-life dimension we’ve yet to see. It seems to be a lost world, one far abandoned and left behind for “us” to discover, and you have to wonder where it came from. If the Link VRAINS was man-made, why would we constantly see these ‘city ruins’ when we could have the same gorgeous scenery we got in Blue Angel’s and Go Onizuka’s duels? Why would this ugly landscape take the place of something more better and beautiful? Is it because SOL can’t change the quote-unquote “native” landscape of city ruins in the Link VRAINS?

And, that makes me wonder. What if the VRAINs is, for lack of a better word, the boundary line between ‘paradise’ and the real world? The VRAINS DOES have its own citizens – the AIs who are sentient beings protecting a tower (or maybe towers? As in, the towers of Hanoi?) - and maybe others too. We don’t know how it was created, how it’s being controlled (aside from ‘data material’) or why SOL is worried for its future when they clearly should be able to operate it normally (I mean, if they created the AIs, shouldn’t they have a secondary resource/way to get data material????). If it is, and the VRAINS IS replicating this paradise, then perhaps Yusaku and the rest came from that world, from the world that the VRAINS only provides a glance into.

Here’s what it all boils down to. If the six ‘birds’, if Yusaku and Go and Aoi and Revolver and everyone else all appeared from nowhere and are somehow ALL orphaned (as the show has led us to believe so far with the former three), then that’s just plain suspicious. By now, one of the three should’ve been able to find their parents. ESPECIALLY Go. Go should have been able to see his “real-life” parents by now since he’s the only one famous enough to be on TV and be recognized in both worlds as the same person. Someone, surely, who knew him in the past would have to recognize him. He couldn’t look much different than as a child. More mature, yes, but you would think that a parent or a friend of Go’s child self would be want to figure out whether or not they were related. If not out of the desire to meet Go than out of the desire of wanting to claim his fame and money for their own. However, as Yusaku, Go, and Aoi all have familial connections that aren’t blood-related (i.e. a friend/confidant or butler or brother-in-law, respectively) and Revolver’s connection with his father hasn’t been proven such, it’s possible that each of these six were transported onto Earth (as a group). For one reason or another, upon arriving, each of their memories would have been stolen from them so as to keep them from recognizing who was who or why the children were sent there all alone in the first place.

Now, Ema. Okay, I’ll admit here my theory on her here is completely iffy. But, my main point is that she has elf ears. Now, as amusing as this trait is, it’s an obvious red flag. Humans, to my knowledge (and please correct me if I’m wrong here) can’t have ears that are formed that way. They can surgically but, really, do we see Ema as the type to wish herself an elf? No, not really. At least, I don’t see her that way. Instead, if anything, this seems to mark her as someone who isn’t human but, rather, as someone who came from a different world.

If Ema’s not the guardian to the yellow ‘bird’ like I mentioned beforehand then perhaps her purpose is that she comes from this hypothetical ‘paradise’. She seems to hold a negative view of humans, to the point of speaking how everyone wants to use her and showing an overall disinterest in her job. She DOES rebuff this statement by admitting she does things because she’s curious about the world (i.e. she wants to find out what all the fuss with Playmaker is about) but she also seems to act on her own interests and her own interests alone.

Perhaps, if she is plot relevant but not necessarily as a ‘bird’ caretaker, then maybe she’s the ‘supervisor’ to the six ‘birds’. She could be the one tasked with finding them and bringing them back. It would make sense, in a way. If she’s an information-hunter, you gotta wonder about how long it’s gonna take her to find out all about the six ‘birds’. If she was smart (which we can all assume she is) and was looking for them, what better way to find them than to go place to place collecting miscellaneous info? Especially until you stumble on something interesting that may or may not be, in some way, relevant to your case (i.e. Playmaker’s existence)? Ema IS (hopefully) going to connect the dots one way or another and, if her does her job not out of selfishness or out of the need for money than perhaps it is out of desperation to find the six ‘birds’ that she never found beforehand.

Which brings up another, semi-related question. If Yusaku realizes and remembers that there are five other children like him, why doesn’t he approach them? Surely, the chances of one of them knowing what happened in his past is high, right? I mean, yes, he admits that, if he meets Revolver, he might get answers but, consider this. He doesn’t know who the other children are. He doesn’t remember Aoi, doesn’t recognize her and he shows NO initial interest in Go Onizuka up until the point he was caged and forced to fight against the man. Revolver, to the extent of Yusaku’s knowledge currently, is just a puzzle piece. He doesn’t know him, doesn’t remember him, but he understands unconsciously that Revolver is important.  Yusaku just doesn’t realize how BIG of a puzzle piece and how IMPORTANT Revolver could possibly be. He does NOT know who the five other ‘birds’ are or is unable to find any information on just WHO they are. He is only chasing after his instincts, unaware about the people who made up probably a decent chunk of his life.

And, isn’t that the most suspicious thing? The fact that Yusaku, of all people, who is perhaps the most motivated of the birds to figure out what happened in the past is unaware of Aoi’s or Go’s existences says a lot. It wasn’t like finding six kids in the woods was a controversial issue that needed to be covered-up by officials. Akira, maybe, wanted to keep it a secret from the rest of the world but you would have to wonder. Finding six kids randomly in the woods with no relation to one another and no identities would seem like something people would want to investigate into and, yet, no one seems to have connected one child to another. No one looks connects Yusaku to Aoi or Go to Revolver and so on and so forth. This means that, in some way, shape or form, someone is protecting them by hiding all relevant information from even the kids themselves. And, who this person is is up for grabs. It could (and quite possibly) be Ema. It could be Yusaku’s special person (however unlikely as they sounded too young to be capable of such a thing) or it could even be someone we have yet to meet. We don’t know and we won’t know for quite some time but, still, it’s food for thought.

Last bit is this:

When Playmaker jumps onto his board in episode 3 to ride away from Blue Angel and Go Onizuka, this strange mark appears. Now, one could wave it off as cool little pattern that appears to stabilize those who jump on the hoverboard but…not so. At least, in my opinion, I think it holds a lot more subtle value than that. It’s a pretty design but what’s interesting about it is that its rainbow in color with all the colors of the AIs in its design. Isn’t that the least bit suspicious? We’ve only ever seen this mark in one brief flash but it seems to signify something, seems to relate to Playmaker in particular as we didn’t see a close-up of the same mark with Blue Angel or Go during their speed duels (So far, Blue Angel’s may prove me wrong). Now, could this strange mark possibly be the symbol from another world, the ‘mark’ of foreign technology or supernatural powers has yet to serve its true purpose? Maybe. Time will tell, but it’s interesting to note its existence and question why the creators would focus in on that specific pattern.

Tl;dr – The six ‘birds’ come from a world that either the VRAINS mimics or takes place in. They are not from Earth and the fact that Yusaku, Go, and Aoi ALL don’t have parents and have been unable to find them or vice versa (supposing that at least ONE of their parents is alive and looking for them bc come on they can’t all have dead parents) suggests that maybe their parents are somewhere else, alive but not within reach. Their memories of each other may have been lost in transport from location to another (similar to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 if anyone’s played that) and someone may have eliminated the idea of their existence so as to keep them from finding each other (namely, Yusaku, who would have recognized and been interested in Aoi and Go beforehand had he been able to keep track of their names bc they’re ‘puzzle pieces’ to his memories and thus a motivation). Ema may have done this or, better yet, became an information-hunter in the hopes to track them down bc her elf ears suggest she isn’t an Earth inhabitant. Rainbow mark may also be important down the road.