#not sure what to post about this stuff going forward now that i've introduced the characters. plot is still SUPER under construction.

[paintpanic]

Resurrection AU: Joronia

Upon coming back from the dead, Joronia is currently staying with Taranza, the only person in Dream Land she knows. She is sleeping on his couch in his small home in Dream Land.

She remembers everything she felt and did while corrupted, which she feels terrible about. She's taking the initiative to find everyone she's personally wronged and make it up to them however she's able, which will be very difficult and embarrassing for her.

Joronia is energetic and driven, but a bit haughty. She's struggling to adjust to the life of a relative commoner, having been raised in a palace with every need of hers met. Joronia's very outgoing, but she struggles at connecting with other people.

Her biggest worry is about her friendship with Taranza, and whether it can be repaired after everything she's done.

(AU explanation here!)

[yzafre]

who wore it better – 2003 v 2012 episode comparisons

I said I wanted to do this in my 2003 thoughts post, and I’m gonna. I've been picking away at this for a couple weeks now.

I’m focusing on places where they actually recycled a storyline rather than adapted general concepts.  Fugitoid and the space arc is an example of the second method – Robot Scientist with a connection to a Dangerous Machine is a shared concept, but the stories are different.

“Ohhh how did we end up here we’ve GOT to figure out how to get home, our Dad might still be in danger” versus “we HAVE to collect the McGuffins before the enemy or earth is going to EXPLODE. AGAIN.” You know?

Comparing those types of adaptations could be done, but it’s not what I’m interested in here.  I specifically want to look at the places that made me think “oh, 2012 just copied this” while I was watching 2003.

Now, obviously this is extremely subjective.  So take this as me defending my nominations for winner in these categories, rather than some sort of objective truth.  I am presenting my dinky power-point on why you should vote for my favorites.  Ect.  Your preferences may be different!

My ramblings on the episodes got long (should I have split this into parts? maybe! didn't though), so uhhhh...

tl;dr: Scoring got weird at 3.5 to 2003, 3 to 2012, and two draws.

Key takeaways: 2003 better matches my personal tastes, and what makes 2012 good is the stuff specific to its iteration, rather than copying 2003

With all that taken care of, here’s my opinions, in very messy order.

Meet Casey Jones vs The Good, The Bad and the Casey Jones

So, this was the very first episode that made me sit back and go: wait.  This is just.  The same thing? 

Raph loses a fight, loses his temper violently over it.  He then goes out to get some air and runs into Casey, getting into a fight.  Raph goes back and apologizes to his brother, and then they have to deal with the Casey situation.  Eventually they’re friends.

That being said, they do handle things a bit differently inside of those plot points, in a way that makes me very split on which one is better.

So, this episode is doing two things: introducing Casey (at least to the turtles, in 2012’s case), and spotlighting Raph’s anger issues, and the shows handle both of them differently.  So let's look at them:

Raph and his anger

I want to start with the positioning of the episode within the wider series.

This is the 4th episode of 2003.  At this point, they’re still setting up the characters and your understanding of them – so this is really here to say hey, our Raph has a temper, that’s going to be a thing going forward. (I'm watching '87 right now, and while I've heard Raph gets more of his anger late in the series, at the beginning he is... not that. So signaling this for people who might have watched the previous show is valid.)

After this, I don’t remember there being other episodes that are Explicitly About Raph’s anger issues?  That’s not to say there aren’t any – there very well could’ve been some that were just so boring I don’t remember them, which would be a whole other issue – but what I remember of him being, to quote the show, a “hot-head” is integrated into other stories.

For 2012, this is nearly halfway through season 2, and is one of 3 episodes I can think of off the top of my head that at least start out framed as a lesson on Raph’s anger issues.  (The one with the guy that turns into a spider mutant, this one, and…. Okay so I don’t remember the details but I’m Pretty Sure I remember there being another one post-space arc).

Now, in theory this is good – having a sort of long-term journey recurring throughout the series.  In practice… eh. 

This is very subjective, but from the way the topic was constantly put on the shelf until they wanted to use it for an episode, to the way it was all extremely surface level and used mostly for jokes, it didn’t do much for me.

That aside, let’s look at the content of the episode itself:

Raph's anger issues have two different tones here.

2003 Raph’s snapping at Mikey is framed a lot more seriously – and a lot more dangerously – than 2012 Raph going at Leo.  And, accordingly, ‘03 Raph is a lot more horrified at his actions, whereas ‘12 Raph is more petulant, unwilling to fully own up to his mistake.

That carries over to when they’re “getting some air” - ‘03 Raph is blatantly angry with himself, where ‘12 is complaining about his brother’s not getting it.  I do think some of that frustration with himself is buried underneath, but it's interesting to note the difference between how aware of it they are. (Of course, ‘12 also didn’t try to brain his brother over the head with a metal pipe.  So.)

The two different versions also shifted what they chose to have “spelled out” versus implied.  What I mean is.... okay, so ‘03 had Raph explicitly say “What is wrong with me” – that frustration with himself I mentioned earlier – where it’s kind of buried underneath for ‘12.

On the other hand, ‘12 Raph flat out says he wasn’t angry, just “determined to win,” when explaining himself to Splinter, whereas with ‘03 the reasoning comes from Raph’s “You think you’re better than me?” line during the fight (and a bit of Mikey’s taunting, the menace), allowing you to (very easily, let's be real, I don't know that you can really count this as subtext) connect the dots on how it escalated.

So, that leads to their fight with Casey – where they both get carried away, before coming to their senses and questioning what they’re doing (and subsequently getting surprise-attacked).  The difference here is that ‘03, upon calming down, went back to trying to talk some sense into Casey (using the lessons he’s obviously trying to absorb himself), while to me ‘12 Raph just kinda seemed disoriented by it all?

Which. Fair.

Next step: the apology.  VERY different receptions.  The ‘03 brothers greet Raph with worry and care, and take his apology quietly and warmly, whereas for ‘12 they act like this is another Tuesday, a bit dismissive, and tease and taunt him through his apology.  I’m not trying to disparage the ‘12 turtles here – not exactly – more so observing the difference in tone once more.

When people say the ‘03 turtles feel older, I think this is a huge part of it – the ‘12 turtles’ behavior feels very “stupid teenager”.  And I mean that in a genuine, fairly affectionate way.  I remember being that age, I was dumb.  You don’t know how to handle all these strong feelings, you have no impulse control. Also around 2012 I remember being genuine being deeply uncool, so. But ‘03 are demonstrating a higher level of emotional maturity, compared to that, and it does make them feel older.

Anyways, after that you get the reunion with Casey, having very different tones.  ‘03 purposefully tries to reach out and rehabilitate help Casey get himself under control, whereas ‘12 diverges into a surprise attack by the Foot where Raph and Casey bicker their way into teamwork.

Overall, ‘03 takes a more... introspective? Approach to Raph’s anger, where ‘12 flickers between being slightly emotional and using the situation for humor or cool action scenes – it feels like setup for an arc that I never felt we got satisfying payoff for.

For my tastes, I think I prefer ‘03 for the Raph part of the episode, if only because it remains thematically cohesive till the end.  From start to finish, Raph is trying to impart the lesson he wants to learn to Casey.  With 12, it feels like the “Raph’s anger issues” thread got a bit lost/abandoned in building up the Raph-Casey dynamic.

Speaking of...

Casey Jones

I think ‘12 is the better Casey intro episode.  There, I said it.

I know, I know!  It’s not technically where we meet Casey, we already saw him interacting with April (also scenes I like), but... although having finished 2003 I think ‘03 has the better overall Casey (mostly because they give him like. Actual personal connections to the world), ‘12 has the better initial burst of character, in my opinion.

His little intro monologue is so stupid, and I love it.  The skates and the little taser-gloves he obviously put together himself (and the fact that we only got one episode of Donnie and Casey bonding over this kind of engineering is criminal???).

The initiative to follow Raph down, his reactions to Splinter, the entire subway tunnel chase scene, where his and Raph’s rapport is building up... it’s good stuff!  I like it!  Maybe there’s a bit less depth in some places – we don’t get the personal connection with the Purple Dragons, how it ties back to his family – but his character voice, his initiative and impulsivity, and his creativity all come through.

It’s such a shame they didn’t do more to add to his character throughout the series in ‘12, because he had a fantastic early showing.  But then, that series didn’t seem interested in doing that for any of their characters, to me.  Sigh.

But... just looking at the episode itself, I'd give the Casey have to 2012.

So... draw?  Great way to start off, I know.

Shredder Strikes Back vs The Invasion (or: Leo gets thrown through a window)

So, this is a tough competition, we’re gonna have to take this point by point, I mean -

2012.  It’s 2012.  Are you kidding me.

Okay, look.  2012 already has an advantage just on moving this from halfway through season 1 to the season 2 finale, but, I mean... come on.

With 2003, there was barely any build up with the Shredder.  We’d seen him sort of being in charge of the various villains since early on – but the turtles didn’t see that!  For them, he showed up, tricked Leo, Splinter gave some back story, they fought and then Splinter seemingly killed him.  It just... wasn’t that dramatic? To me??

So when you have Leo thrown through the window, whispering “he’s back”, I was just like... I see no reason for this level of dread.  It doesn’t feel that personal, or important, or.... anything, really.  I know 2003 came first, but having watched 2012 beforehand this was kind of a letdown.  Didn’t feel earned.

Now, 2012 on the other hand....

Shredder has been a constant, ever-increasing threat since the moment he showed up in Season 1.  It was already personal with Splinter, yes, but then he also became a subject of looming dread for the turtles themselves.  And it doesn’t come out of nowhere. 

Like, yes, we, the viewers, were aware 2003 Shredder survived, but otherwise he was just hanging out off-screen, doing who knows what.  He wasn’t on the mind.  2012, on the other hand, showed the way Shredder was slowly amassing power, planning for something.

And then you add the Kraang on top of it.

Like, seriously, making this a two-prong threat is. Mwah!  The boys are falling apart, stressed by the time-limit of the upcoming Kraang invasion, disagreeing on how to handle it.  And then the argument gets cut short by their home being discovered – they don’t even get a chance to choose their path together, because they have to run, and everything’s chaos, and they’re still focused on the Kraang.

And that’s when the Shredder comes in.

This is insult on top of injury with everything going wrong that possibly could.  This is an immaculate payoff to the set-up they’ve been doing all season. This is fantastic.

And when Leo is thrown through the window, you feel it – the dread, the horror, the regret.  It really feels like the breaking point of “we can’t take any more” that leads to them retreating.  It has a weight to it that 2003’s version was sorely missing.

When it comes to Leo getting thrown through a window, 2012 takes the win, hands down.  The stakes, the drama, and my investment are all so much higher than they were in ‘03, no contest, it’s my favorite part of ‘12.

What comes after, on the other hand....

Tales of Leo + The Monster Hunter vs Season 3a (or, the Farmhouse Arc)

Maybe it’s unfair to compare 2 episodes to 8 episodes.  And maybe this is diverging from my “only episodes that are directly connected” rule I stated in the beginning, but I need to get this off my chest.  Because I just.  I’m not impressed by 2012’s farmhouse arc. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Warning: rant ahead, this is VERY subjective and heavily based in my personal tastes.  Reminder that I do genuinely enjoy 2012, I just think the farmhouse arc is the lowest point in the whole series and is representative of what I find to be the weakest aspect of the series’ writing across the board.  That being said.

I see what 2012 was trying to do, by drawing out Leo’s recovery over all those episodes, giving the characters some space to breathe.  But they didn’t do it well in my opinion, and honestly the whole thing.  Flounders. 

2012’s best feature is its plot writing, how one episode tumbles into the next, Rube Goldberg machine-style, across an entire season.  But at the farmhouse, they’re removed from the greater plot, and that’s not doing the writing any favors.

And it’s not that the episode ideas are bad – I generally think they’re pretty interesting!  It’s just that without the inter-connected plot, they need something else to push them from “okay” to “exceptional”.  Usually, this would be where deeper characterization and relationship building would kick in instead, but uh.  I don’t personally think 2012 is great at that.

They under-cut the message of the episode with Big Foot, the Casey and Donnie friendship doesn’t really go anywhere after this, every other episode where inter-personal issues are only dealt with on a very surface level become even more obvious and a bit annoying without the greater plot to distract from it. Yes I know this is a kids show, but A:tlA had already finished airing at this point, also on Nickelodeon.

I think there’s a consistent issue with character writing in 2012 where they do what looks like set-up with no intent to ever give a meaningful pay-off or significantly change the status-quo, and that’s very much on display here.

And it’s not that there was nothing good in the season – I liked what they were doing with Raph, and how he was trying to help/encourage Leo, while somewhat bungling it in very realistic ways.  It was a fascinating look at what this Raph acting at his best as the Lancer trope could be, and I genuinely wish they leaned into it more later down the line.

Also, I’m always thrilled to see the Leo-April friendship get some focus, so Eyes of the Chimera was a favorite.  But across the board... the season didn’t wow me, and the longer it went on, the more I could see the cracks.

It all tops off with Vision Quest, which was my biggest disappointment in the entire series, the point at which I had to really stop and reset my expectations on what kind of story the writers were interested in telling.  The summary describes them having to go on a spiritual journey to really face themselves and their weaknesses, and I was so excited!  But then it was just.  Really surface level.  And occasionally confusing.

Raph needs to work on his temper, sure – but how is this any different than any of the other episodes about it?  Do we look at all at where his anger comes from?  A deeper way to handle it?  No, of course not.

Mikey needs to focus, stop getting distracted – I mean, yeah sure I guess.  Not a particularly interesting way of handling it, though.  Also, even if he manages it here, I know it's not going to pan out to the rest of the show, they’re not giving up their easy source of humor for the younger demographic.

And Donnie needs to... stand his ground? What?  I was so caught off guard.  It’s not that it’s completely out of touch, we see him coming up with complex paths to his goals, trying to think his way around of problems, ect, but... it was never really highlighted or presented as a real problem other than maybe the episode on instinct over thinking too hard?  It just felt really disconnected from anything else they were doing with him.  A genuinely interesting pay-off scene, with no solid set-up.

And Leo.  Oh jeez.  My friends.  WHAT is up with how they handled Leo’s knee injury?  The pain is just in my mind? It's not real??  Really???  No, thank you.

Like... I think this was supposed to be a riff on what Splinter says about ‘03 Leo’s coma, and him being trapped in his head due to fear – but because in ‘12 they tied it to an actual, specific physical injury, the execution falls apart. 

(Especially when they use the same flash-effect they used on Leo having issues with his knee of Splinter having issues later in the series but I probably shouldn't take that into account here.)

I mean, his quest is the closest to being satisfying, because they had lain interesting groundwork with his struggle with recovery and his insecurities in previous episodes, but then they just completely bungle it at the end! Argh!

I was so excited for Vision Quest, but this didn't tell me anything new about the characters or progress the characters in any meaningful way! It had no effect on how the characters are written going forward. So – other than some admittedly very cool fight choreography – what was the point?  Was there one??  It felt like putting on the trappings of an emotionally deep story without any of the actual, you know.  Depth.

I am clawing at the walls. Look at all the potential you wasted.

And yes, I’m aware this is all very subjective, and again part of a show for kids, but that’s how it hit me.

The 2003 farmhouse arc, on the other hand, was very short, and I think it benefited from that.  It had two episodes, and it knew what it was doing with both of them.  They felt purposeful, in the larger arc of the story.

First episode: they make their way to the farmhouse, Leo’s in a coma (according to Splinter, one driven by his fear), and his family tells stories of when he was brave/strong as a little kid to try and bring him out.

Wonderful, amazing, I love this episode.  So much character work – both in the past and present!  By going back to when they were kids, it helps us contextualize the turtles’ relationships by making them simpler.

In showing early memories that probably started cementing their views of each other, we see the core around which they developed.  By seeing which memory each brother chooses to present, we get some insight into how they each see Leo.  It gives us a point A to our current point B, which allows us to extrapolate the line between the two, how they developed.

And then you also get the little moments of how the brothers are handling this catastrophic event, how they react to the stress, to seeing their brother so hurt – Raph especially!  It’s pure character work and I love it.

After that, we get one episode of shenanigans, which is both representative of that “space to breathe” after Leo woke up, and also gives space for the B-plot (which is the truly arc-important plot) of Leo, now awake, dealing with his own handling of this stressful situation.

Is the A-plot of this episode quite as good as some of the ideas for the 2012 episodes?  Honestly, no, but just the fact that it’s carrying the Leo recovery story pushes it ahead.  We see Leo struggling with his failure, Raph stepping up to herd him back on the right track – the idea of physically remaking his swords to remake himself!  And, though we don’t know it yet, how hard Leo takes this is great foreshadowing to how he reacts going into his season 4 breakdown.

And then, having done the character work they wanted to accomplish, the writers go back to the main story.  The characterization here matters (and also is good) in a way that whatever is going on in the 2012 farmhouse arc just.  Isn’t. 

In my opinion.

Okay, rant over, winner is obvious, moving on.

Triceratons

Again, we’re not comparing most of the space arcs, as that’s apples to oranges, but there are two episodes that caught my attention:

Rogue in the House vs Dinosaur Seen in Sewers!

Here we've got two episodes where the turtles find a Very Confused Triceraton and trick him into helping them.

I like the 2003 one better.

Honestly, it comes down to the context of the episode.  Rogue in the House comes after the turtles have been in space and when they know more about who the Triceratons are.  2012 on the other hand is a sudden introduction to a new arc.

2003 also... questions the ethics of their decision more, by the end.  It’s a bit more empathetic?  And I appreciate that.

I will give 2012 credit that translating “we’ve been dropped into the middle of a war where both sides are bad” over to be attached to the Kraang, which they’ve built up already as a powerful alien threat, was clever.  It doesn’t have the same edge of commentary that “and one of these sides looks just like us humans” has, but it is clever use of their existing world-building, and I like it.

The Arena vs The Arena of Carnage

The most obvious connection in the 2012 space arc – the turtles get thrown into a gladiator arena.

Now, 2003 does have an unfair advantage in this comparison, as The Arena is heavily bolstered by the set-up work done in The Big House, giving you a sense of place, stakes, connection to the other characters...

That last bit is where my bias and personal taste shows: I really love the turtles making any kind of meaningful connection with other characters, and I find this more convincing in the 2003 version than the 2012 one.

But 2012 also weakens itself in its own right by doing some setup here with no long-term pay off.  You’ve got your fellow prisoner, who turns out to be a Triceraton who objected to the leadership's decisions... and after this episode, that means nothing!  Cool, okay.

Like I get that was a part of the episode they’re pulling from, but if they’re not planning on reusing that long-term story, then they really could have cut that aspect all together.  I know they have enough creativity in them to adapt the concept of “stuck in a gladiator arena” to do something more interesting, they’ve proved they have it in them.  They just... didn’t, and the plot point didn’t translate well.  Ah, well.

2003 also wins this one.

City at War vs... City at War?(???)

Look, I am only comparing these because they use the exact same name.  Otherwise, it’s nowhere near a fair comparison.  For 2012, this is actually part of a couple episodes where they talk about there being a power vacuum after the Shredder is out of the picture, but...

Can we be so real?  They don’t even get close to the scale of 2003.  Like with the farmhouse, it’s not that they don’t have any good ideas – I like the Don Visioso episode quite a bit – but it never gets to the depth or scale I want it to. 

Like, 2003 made it visually obvious that the city is falling apart, that things are really out of control, in a way you can feel. Though, honestly, I’m not even sure 2012 could reach the levels of 2003, because they never put as much effort into making their NYC feel... real?  I guess?

Also, the 2003 City at War arc is just.  It’s really good, guys.  It did such great work on Leo and Raph’s characterization, the danger in the city is palpable, the tension is thick, and then you add Karai on top of it all?

You’d think 2012 could push this, given the added dimensions to Karai and her connection to Shredder, but it ends up falling short.  Point again goes to 2003.

What a Croc! Vs It Came From the Depths (Leatherhead)

So. I am painfully biased, because It Came From the Depths is my favorite 2012 Mikey episode, and I thought What a Croc! was... just okay.

I frequently bemoan that 2012 didn’t lean more into long-form character arcs for their story, and this is one of the central episodes that defined my desire for Mikey’s arc.

The instant compassion and understanding he has for Leatherhead – the way he recognizes and is willing to work with his trauma responses, but also is childishly impatient with the process when it gets messy later on, showing he still has some maturing to do – it's great, and I love it.  I didn’t find the same kind of depth in the 2003 episode.

On the other hand, long-term I like Leatherhead better in 2003, just because he’s more present as ally, friend, or even family.  2012 Mikey’s always excited to see Leatherhead, but you don’t exactly see them hanging out.

But this is about the episode, and for that, I’ll give it to 2012.

Renet (Time Travails + Return of the Savanti Vs Turtles in Time + Tale of the Yokai)

I’ll be real with you, 2003 gains points with me just because this is another example of 2012 poorly shoving in romance. I would like to make it clear – I don’t have an objective issue with the turtles being in romantic relationships.  It’s just... don’t put it in there if the writing's going to be so... bad. And boring. And unnecessary.

Additionally, this particular example put me off a bit more because... hm. Okay, the episode starts with Mikey going “I'm never gonna get caught up in all that!" Only for the show to do the writing equivalent of saying "of course you will, as soon as the right person comes along. And here she is!"

And uhm.  Okay, so, I’m asexual with a big ? when it comes to romance.  So that framing is..... nghghghgh I don't like it. Like I get the joke, but it still gave me the ick.

Also it was another infatuation-at-first-sight situation like Donnie which. Is a romantic trope that is So Stupid, you CANNOT tell me that's how it actually works, I don't believe you, and also it makes for stupid, boring writing. So there.

Ahem.

Once you get past that, there’s points to be made for both episodes.  The way the 2003 turtles find Renet just kind of tiring but can’t help going along with her anyways is very funny to me, but 2012 lets them do Tales of the Yokai, and I enjoy the concept of them getting to see what Actually Happened Back Then, rather than just hearing subjective stories of it.  Adds some texture.

I dunno on this one – if it’s Time Travails vs Turtles in Time, 2003 wins, but once you move on to Tale of the Yokai I give it to 2012.  Call it a draw?

Loosely inspired by

Okay. So. These are things where I can’t say “Oh, they were just doing this story again”, but where I think there might have been some heavy inspiration.  Your mileage may very on these, and you could think I’m completely wrong, but I thought they’d be interested to talk about.

Even if they are from Back to the Sewers.

The Engagement Ring to The Power Within Her

April gets magic jewelry that possesses her, goes on a rampage?  Admittedly, the set-up is very different, as is the tone, but... well, you have to wonder.

I thought The Engagement Ring was one of the better episodes of Back to the Sewers, but as entertaining as it was, I’m still going to give this to 2012, I think.  I like things that have more build-up to them, and they did pretty good at setting up this episode ahead of time, building up that dread.  And it just did more with the concept, you know?

Also, it fit well into my interpretation/re-write of April’s character, so.

Identity Crisis to Brain Worms

I mean.  Turtles get brain-washed by the Foot, have to be broken out of it by being reminded of memories/who they were.  Methodology of the brainwashing is very different, admittedly, which is why I put this down here rather than in the main section!  But it’s similar enough for me to connect them.

This is another situation where I think 2012 took a concept and further developed it.  The brain worms are fantastically gruesome, and really treated like the existential horror it should be.  The amount of fics I’ve seen expanding on the brain-worms concept is proof of how it hooks in people’s brains.

Another point to 2012.

Conclusion

So let’s run a tally.

I'm not sure the two Back to the Sewer episodes count, but I also maybe have broken my rule on the farmhouse arc... I guess we could count those as half points?

Casey Intro: Draw

Window: point 2012

Farmhouse: half-point 2003

Lost triceraton: point 2003

Gladiator arena: Point 2003

City at War: point 2003

Leatherhead intro: point 2012

Renet: Draw

Losely inspired: cumulative point 2012

So that's... 3.5 for 2003, 3 for 2012, and two draws? Pretty close.

Realistically, I think these should be the two takeaways from my opinions:

First, 2003 better matches my personal tastes. I'm a character arc girly, and 2003 gave a lot more attention to that aspect of their writing than 2012 did, and that affects my opinions. See: the Vision Quest rant.

Second, what makes 2012 good is the stuff that’s specific to its iteration.

The way they adapted the Hamato Yoshi backstory from 2003 to be about Splinter and Shredder, making Karai Splinter’s stolen daughter, and how that whole plot line plays out.  The way they make the Kraang a whole organization, and their alliance with Shredder.  The full season, Rube-Goldberg machine buildup of plot.  These are all the thing that make it excel.

So... yeah. That's my thoughts. Your opinions might be different, and - if you're nice about it, please - I would love to hear your thoughts on what I've said, which episodes you like better, and why you like them! Shows hit different people, well, differently!

[whipbogard]

do you have a bruharvey comic reading list ?

Lmfao I personally feel like every Harvey-centric comic is somewhat a BruHarvey comic if you squint 🤣🤣🤣🤣

This list is in no way exhaustive and I'm pretty sure I've missed out some very important stuff but nevertheless, this is what I could think off at the top of my head:

Disclaimer: I'm bad at continuity. And I won't call some of these excellent writing but they did give me all the delicious bruharv moments.

Batman - A Lonely Place of Dying - Some nice parallels between Batman and Two-Face were made in here when they're busy trying to outwit each other. This is mainly focused on Bruce's angst post-Jason's death and it is rather delicious for the angst-lover. And also origin story for Robin Tim.

Batman: Year One - That infamous scene where Batman hid under Harvey's desk. That's it. That's big reason enough for you to read it. (Harvey is also exceptionally hansum in here. Will always be one of my fav Harveys).

Two-Face: Year One - Chummy college days, Bruce hanging out at Harvey's office late and night and also the one where 2F didn't listen to the coin and spared Bruce's life :^)

Batman: Eye of the Beholder - The one where Jim introduced Harvey to Batman and then they started hanging out together and left Jim out. JK JK JK LOL but it sure felt like that 🤣 In all honesty though, this is one of--if not--the best Harvey story out there so please read it anyway!!!!

Batman: Face The Face - This takes place sometime after Batman: Hush (where if you recall, Harvey betrayed Tommy to save Bruce's ass uwu). Harvey is somewhat "cured" now that his face is fixed. He go about protecting Gotham in Bruce's absence. And oh, Harvey recalling the 30 days whirlwind of a romance with Bruce where they trained together and also went for dinner dates and movies (I KID YOU NOT)---and obviously got 2F very upset LOL.

All-Star Batman: My Own Worst Enemy - The one where Bruce and Harvey went on a cross-country trip while being handcuffed together. Also a look into their childhood together at that very weird school lol

Batman and Robin #24 - #28 (The Big Burn) - This is 2F's origin story for current continuity. The one where Harvey called Bruce a Prince (while looking at his own reflection on a knight armour) and Bruce called Harvey "dummy" affectionately. Also here we learn that Harvey had known that Bruce is Batman since forever and has been protecting that secret from 2F.

Detective Comics #989 - #993 (Deface The Face) - My beloved Gotham Justice Triumvirate reuniting and working together!!!! The ending to this arc truly fulfilled my love for that chasing game between a hero and a villain tbh uwu

Detective Comics #1020 - #1024 (Ugly Heart & Prelude to Joker War) - It started out weird enough with 2F having a cult of some sort and having real weird erotic ritual involving the coin (lbr you know I'd join this cult in a heartbeat LOL). Again, this arc emphasized on Harvey's struggles to protect Bruce and his identity from 2F. And Harvey teaming up with Bruce to beat Joker's talons!!!!! It ended with 2F being suppressed and a somewhat "reformed" Harvey in Blackgate being visited by Matches. I like this arc for a lot of shippy reasons lmfao ("Promises, promises" hehe)

Detective Comics #1062 - present - The current craze. An excellently written Harvey by Ram V and Simon Spurrier. I look forward to where this is heading! (As of now, seems like Harvey has stopped making an appearance but I sure hope he'll come back again!!!)

ADDITIONAL MENTIONS

The Doom That Came to Gotham - This is a depressing Elseworlds story with Lovecraft elements but the BruHarvey in here is absolutely golden and even more so in the movie version.

Batman 1989 Newspaper Comics - I have yet to go through this tbh but there are a lot of good bruharv moments in here and thIS ONE RIGHT HERE I s2G GETS ME ALL THE TIME

THAT IS ALL!!! Thanks for asking me this because now I have a proper record to refer to since I'm so bad with arc names and issues etc 🤣

[blisteredskin]

"All my troubles on a burning pile, all lit up and I start to smile."

Hi. My names Jordyn Leigh. I decided to get this app because honestly I was bored and it seemed pretty cool. Turns out there's like.. other people on here that've been in saw traps like I have. What are the odds of that, huh? I mean actually, considering how many people are on here, I suppose the odds aren't that low. Still, nice to know i'm not alone, I guess.

I'm 24 years old. I'm bisexual and I use they/them pronouns, if you have a problem with that, please leave. I don't really know how else to introduce myself, really. I'm autistic, and I have depression, if anyone cares about that shit. I can play guitar, and I basically spend all my spare time either playing or listening to music.

If you wanna ask me anything, go ahead. :)

((More about Jordyn's trap beneath!!))

Tags i'll be using!!

#✮jordyn rambles✮ - for random jordyn posts

#✮jordyn rps✮ - for any interactions

#✮jordyn answers✮ - for answering any asks

anything in brackets (like this) is ooc!!

i shall add anymore if needed :3

THE TRAP: “Hello, Jordyn. You don't know me, but I know you. I want to play a game. Though you may not yet know why you're here, I’m sure you remember what happened a few years ago. The night you tried to take your own life. You cared so little for your own existence, ready to throw it all away, and in the process, took the life of someone who cared for theirs. Today, you will learn to cherish the life you have. You'll notice that around your neck is a saw, and beside you is a blowtorch. You have three minutes to burn the skin from your exposed limbs, or else you will be decapitated. Will you finally learn to appreciate the life you have, or will you perish? Good luck.”

Jordyn finally opened their eyes, taking a moment to fully collect themself, before letting out a choked scream. They went to launch themself forward, however they luckily noticed the saw blade in front of their neck, and instead tried to lean backwards. Fear pulsed through their veins as the tape began to play, each word making them want to vomit. What the fuck!? As soon as the timer started, they looked down at their arms and legs, noticing that their clothes had been altered. Their jacket and shirt had been replaced by a tank top, their bare arms and chest now on display. They looked back at the timer, noticing that 30 seconds had already passed. Shit. Sure, they were suicidal, but this isn't how they wanted to go. They had no choice. Grabbing the blowtorch, they held it near their skin, a blood-curdling scream echoing through the room as the fire immediately burned their skin, blisters forming in its wake. They couldn't go back now. Eventually, with barely a few seconds to spare, the chains attached to their hands and feet fell to the floor, and the timer stopped. They'd done it- they'd survived. But barely.

((OOC- Hiya!! My names Robin, and since I've recently gotten into the saw fandom, I decided to make a saw OC, thanks to my best friend!! I'm super happy for people to send asks and stuff, and I can't wait to hopefully interact with people!! My main blog is @magentasapron , this is a second blog.))

[soukokumychildren]

I. ABSOLOUTLY. ADORE YOUR IDEA WITH YOUR AU SO MUCHhhhhaaaaah!! ✨✨✨✨🖤🖤

Chuuya having WINGS!!? Even though he could in somee way fly before already, it feels so different with wings!! Like really cool!!

(( I have always Liked wings -

Is your AU going to follow the main time-line of the show? Like, the illustrations you've posted sure does look like it-- (love them- love this idea-) ((Soukoku Reunion where Chuuya has feathers!!? ✨)

Wait, wait, wait, No- dont spoil anything..! (maybe just a little yes or no- that wouldn't really spoil anything—) I will find out as I read—!

I mainly wanted to say I'm really looking forward to reading this!!

It's my first BSD AU where it follows the main time-line - just differently- as well! A thing I really like!!

Well, if it really does ofc, but It sure does look like it—Arg, I gotta just continue reading soon——

Even if it don't this seems really interesting already!!!

Ahem, anyhow, this became a bit long- I wanted to expres my excitement about this-especially after, you even looked at some of my BSD stuff after I followed you!!!!

Thank you soo much!✨ That became the last push to write this little too long text, that isn't really a question, but more like a thank you-ahh im excited for this-- that I had already considered writing to you after I started reading😅😅👍

This entire post just made my day and while I could I'd rather not risk dying from lightheadedness from spinning too fast in excitement in my spinny chair XDDDDD THANK YOU SO MUCH

I can't express how embarrassed I am just fshfhsgshgsghshg I have been CRAZY for wings for AGES now, and I just saw soooo many posts about how "what if Chuuya could fly Dazai" I thought, fuckers, I can make that REALITY And it is going to follow the main timeline of the show just...alot differently but at the same time trying really hard to stick to the normal plot In hindsight that means I must suffer with all my energy to watch the first season of bsd (When I first watched BSD, the first episodes were for setup, and rightfully so. That all made sense, it really put the characters together. But I watched it a second time and it dragged ON and ON and I COULDN'T STAND IT UNTIL CHUUYA CAME TO GRAB DAZAI gARgHHrhgh). I must admit I'm confused on the "Soukoku reunion where Chuuya has feathers" bit though 🤔 And currently during the plot I'm writing I have to improvise ALOT from what I know, and really this fic is also whatever the fuck I wanna write with whatever writing style I have on hand slapped into each 1K chapter so I'm really trying here LOL Also the fact when [undisclosed plot device] will be introduced, I'll be writing seperate smut for [undisclosed plot device] because I can then do WHATEVER I want wITHOUT any repercussions Hopefully I can add in [undisclosed plot device] just in a way that people will understand. Though I hear that Beast Dazai also came across [undisclosed plot device] at one point :D

I'm going SO offtopic here LMFAO And seriously? Really??? I'm surprised! I'm sure theres alot of fics that go by the timeline, I especially have run into cough ones which I liked which are specifically smut related..... and I go back to off topic I'm sorry LMAO But I'm sosoosososo glad you like it! It just means alot to me you wrote alot and now I'm just ranting because you've shown genuine interest without going off the rails (as far as I've seen) so this is pretty cool for me too!!! And I do usually look to peoples accounts who follow me (especially those who find interest in a SURPRISING amount of my stuff XD) so yeah, that's why and I found some GOOD stuff on your account too, so that's REALLY awesome. Talk to me any time! Dm me, reblog and talk to me that way, use replies, whatever the fuck! I love talking to people, and this was genuinely fun to write. :]

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC questionnaire

Thanks to @illarian-rambling here, @saltysupercomputer here, @the-golden-comet here and here, @drchenquill here, @cwritesfiction here,

@elsie-writes here, and @mk-writes-stuff here!

I've actually been tagged in this a lot more (I love you guys and I love this game but oh my God), but I'll put those in a different post otherwise it would be twice as long. Let's cap it off at eight like I did last time.

Rules: answer the given questions in the POV of an OC!

Past questionnaires:

Round one masterpost

Round two Tyler, Gwen, Liam, Noelle, Akash, Robbie, Sam, Ewan

Keep reading for Jazlyn, Carla, Wade, Rose, Maddie, Xitlali, Jedi, and Lexi!

#1- Jazlyn

What is one job you'd never take, no matter how good the pay is?

“Ughhh anything that involves sitting at a desk all day! Something with so much structure and rules it drives me insane. I have to be active, y'know? Something challenging. If I had a job that was too easy, I'd just about die.”

Did you have a favorite childhood toy?

“Aw, now you're having me remember my Monster High collection. I thought I was so edgy, too. I was too young when they first came out, but when I was... I dunno, seven-ish I found the web series and became obsessed.”

Would you rather be too hot or too cold?

“Too hot. I can keep myself warm, but then my powers are weakened when I do that. Hot I can handle with no side effects.”

Other Jazlyn: questionnaire one, interview

#2- Carla

Do you like caffinated beverages? If so, which ones?

“Oh, Alium has multiple caffeinated beverages that I love! I am quite fond of many kinds of tea, like chammomint or lemonder. Tyler recently introduced me to a Ceteri energy beverage called Red Bull. It was certainly interesting, and unlike anything we have here.”

What is a piece of media that you hold very dear and/or that is very important to you?

“Oh, that's easy, The Storm Riders! It's my favorite book of all time. It got me through the times George was gone to work.”

Do you hold grudges? How long?

“I try not to remain in the past. I try to look forward. It's hard sometimes... I don't know how long I hold grudges... I'm not even sure if I have a 'grudge' against those who caused me pain, and I... I don't know. Sorry if this was a rambling answer.”

Other Carla: OC in three, two truths and a lie, bingo, questionnaire one

#3- Wade

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

“Dog person. I have a lovely girl named K'Ehleyr. She is the sweetest thing you'll ever see. Wanna see some pictures?? I have so many pictures, come look. Here she is with me. Here she is with Teo. Here she is with me and Teo. Here she is with Parker...”

How far do you think you can throw a hand-sized rock?

“Further than most. I play football, which isn't the same thing, but I'm in decent shape and have a good throwing arm. I've chucked some of Gabriel's rocks before, so I have practice. Am curious to see the results, though.”

Who is the one person who you can trust to keep a secret?

“I could trust both Teo and Parker. Some may not understand the latter, but he's actually very respectful of others' secrets even if he doesn't understand them.”

Other Wade: two truths and a lie, interview, questionnaire one, kiss Picrew

#4- Rose

Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

“Introvert. But if Lexi isn't there, I seem to do the group introductions.”

As a gift, do you prefer flowers or jewelry?

“Jewelry. I can pair them with clothes, and I like doing that.”

If you could swich life with someone, who and why?

“... I wanted to switch lives with Lexi for a while. It seemed like she had everything. Now I'm unsure.”

Other Rose: questionnaire one, OC in three

#5- Maddie

Is life going the way that you hoped it would?

“Hm. I'm not sure. I don't think ahead often to hope for things. I guess life is fine. I like my powers, I like being in the robotics club. Yeah, it's good.”

What is in your pocket right now? Why?

“Wilfredo. Kelsey made him for me.”

If you could relive a single minute of your past, what minute would you pick?

“I dunno. Hm. Maybe... The trip to Six Flags was fun.”

Other Maddie: OC in three, OC in fifteen, two truths and a lie, questionnaire one, bingo, Picrew, interview, bag, origin

#6- Xitlali

What type of music do you like to listen to?

“Nothing you'd be familiar with. I listen exclusively to Alii music, especially stuff by Inutilia artists that advocate for our rights. Cheung An's stuff is really good.”

What's an unpopular opinion you have?

“*scoffs* That Inutilia should have rights is one that shouldn't be unpopular but apparently is. But even amongst people like me, here's a hard pill to swallow: Atsila McLain SUCKED. You think she actually legitimately cared about us? She had no idea what we went through, what we STILL go through. Raissa Kamanzi may have ruined our reputation, but Atsila McLain just made it easier for bigots to hate us. McLain did nothing to help us. She had no reform ideas. She was a power-hungry bitch, and the amount of Inutilia that fell for her lies is disgusting.”

What are your thoughts on cheese?

“Cowyote cheese is overrated. Llamybara cheese is underrated. I'd argue more about it, but that last question pissed me off, so I don't feel like it.”

Other Xitlali: questionnaire one

#7- Jedi

What’s the worst insult you’ve ever been given?

“I do not wish to repeat it, but it is the slur targeting Inutilia such as myself.”

How would you react if someone catcalled you?

“Forgive me if I do not understand the term - it is not something we have in Alium - but if I am correct in its definition, I do not know how I would react. It has not happened to me, although I suppose I would not like it. I frankly do not understand why it happens in the first place.”

If you suddenly appeared in an unknown city, what would you do/look for first?

“I would first try to figure out where I am. A quick study of the architecture may tell me exactly where I am. However, I am sure I could ask someone. Unlike in Ceteri, here it is normal to randomly appear in an unknown city due to teleportation. So no one would question why I am asking. I believe I would like to look around and observe, but if I tire, I would locate a library. I do love spending time there.”

Other Jedi: OC in three, questionnaire one, Picrew, smash or pass (acearo version)

#8- Lexi

What is your favorite dessert?

“Oh, this is so hard! I dunno, cake? That might be too generic, but I love cake! All kinds of cake! I'm not picky at all about that. Maybe it's my love of parties and I just associate cake with that. But come on, why do we only have to have cake at parties!”

Would you rather take a vacation in a hot climate or a cold climate?

“Ugh, both sound awful depending on how hot and how cold. I guess I'm more used to a warm, humid climate. So let's go with that.”

Do you exercise? What does your regime look like?

“Well, I do training like everyone else in the Aequales. I do ride my bike, does that count? I like going on my bike through the neighborhood. It's nice being outside and I get to see a lot of my classmates!”

Other Lexi: OC in three, OC in fifteen, interview, Picrew, two truths and a lie, questionnaire one, bag, origin, bingo

Woo! Let's tag @sarahlizziewrites @reininginthefirewriting @cherrybombfangirlwrites @mysticstarlightduck @chauceryfairytales

+ ANYONE ELSE

Your questions: 1) What is your stance on lying? 2) Do you enjoy people watching? 3) What is the best decision you ever made?

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[keylovesstuff]

Hiii Everyone!!!

I've been around for years now and have never introduced myself. mainly cause I just choose to vibe and enjoy the posts people share, but first time for everything. You can just call me Key, I'm 24 and I go by she/her. I enjoy a variety of stuff from manwha, manga, anime, video game franchises, and just a bunch of other animated media you name its probably buried down in my blog somewhere. Every now and then I get motivation to create fanfiction. I have only written works the Dragonball and Super Mario fandom All my works are under the "Keep Reading". My DMs and askbox here is always open if you ever want to chat I apologize in advance if I come across as a bit awkward (socializing is not a strong suit of mine) or if it takes me a minute to reply (adulting and hobbies am I right?), otherwise I'm a pretty chill person. Thats about it!

One of these days I really want to change my Penname...But I've had it for years now and I'm way too attached to it lmao.

Super Mario Fics: So a lot of these are Princess Peach centric and I'm just crafting up an origin story and some other events following the 2023 film. The links take you to the tumblr post but I have included the AO3 and FFN (for reading preferences) links either in the original post itself or in the case of my earlier stuff in the reblogs.

Lost And Found

A Learning Opportunity (2 chapters on both AO3 and FFN. They are both on the same post here)

Thoughts Over Tea

Aftermath

Finding The Balance

Little Events (Finished)

Chapter 1: The Dark

Chapter 2: A Decision

Chapter 3: The Coronation

Chapter 4: Proposals

Chapter 5: Changes

Fics Inspired by others:

Villainess Peach and Bowser Jr. (Inspired by the Player One Luigi AU created by Tiny-Prom and Casual-Derg). Please make sure to their blog's and check it out.

Dragonball Fics: The first fandom I have ever written for (and by penname you could probably tell what I read mostly) I have only shared them on FFN and AO3 until now. I was just starting to write fanfiction with the first two so they might be kinda cringe I guess but that's 16 year old me for you haha. gonna embrace the cringe by sharing it on here anyways.

Tournament Day

The Prince Before The Day ( I am never gonna finish that one or go back to it lol)

Bulla's Easter Day

Even when I started making fics I'm still not sure what goes through my mind when it comes to the title or chapter titles its literally the first thing that comes to mind and nothing after that but we will get it one day for sure.

Here's Some WIPs (that's both written and not) you guys can look forward too from me. I'll remove them and add them under the appropriate fic tags once I post them:

Uncle Yamcha fic: It is currently three chapters. The first one is him and Trunks, second is Marron, and the third one is Bra/Bulla. I really want to think of one for him and Goten but nothing has come to my mind. I just think he's more close to Krillin and Bulma where he'd interact more with their kids and I can't think of a scenario for him and Goten or what they would even talk about but maybe something will come. (I've currently sent this off to my Beta for review but lemme know if you guys want to see the un-beta'd version I have on here cause I'm really forward to sharing it)

Untitled EOZ fic following after Goku leaves the Tournament grounds to train Uub. This one sits at about 8k words (not sure exactly cause I added a bunch of notes at the end for my beta to see where my thoughts were going with it all) anyways this one focuses mainly on Trunks, Goten, Marron, Pan, and Bra as really the older kids look forward to what may lie ahead. A lot of it is just me focusing on the dynamics they have with each other. When I saw that dlc for kakorat was going to be focused on that one that really makes me want to share this one. Again let me know if you want to see that.

Based on this Ask here you can already see that I've completed 4 out of my 5 ideas so that leaves the other ones and maybe more if I think of anything else. All of these will probably be added to my Little Events fic. a few little ideas not shared here but I've thought about and have some dialoge in mind but haven't fully created yet.

I want to do something where Mario and Haru interact I just think it'll be so neat.

Maybe something where I do my take on introducing Sarasland and Princess Daisy. Probably along the lines of Peach meeting Daisy for the first time.

I need to hop on the wholesome bros. content at some point and I know I wanna try my hand with Mia and Pio as a part of it.

I think thats it for now...I'll probably add more if I think of something as having somwhere to put it down no matter how small it is can be nice to look at and push me towards getting it done.

[bored-trans-orchidsexual]

No, Ep 3 did not fix the Kristin Worries.

I've seen a couple posts (and even commented on one of them now) mentioning the fact that Kristin's toxic and harmful behavior is overtly being mentioned in the text, and how "wow all those people complaining sure look foolish now". Uhhm... no. This is exactly what we were talking about, being pointed out on screen. Nobody (at least nobody I saw) was thinking they saw the *secret* flaws nobody else saw, Kristin has a tend of being selfish, harmful, and flippant with the people in her life and the causes she commits to. I love Kristin as a character but seeing that this season does not introduce a new arc but instead, is just that again but *more severe* is uncomfortable to watch. We didn't think it wasn't going to be addressed, and pointing it out doesn't make it not exist. As I was worried buckle up folks, this season is gonna have a *lot more* of Kristin being a dick and hurting the people she cares about or made promises to because that's her character.

Yeah she's a teen, she's a kid, she can make mistakes. She can do that. *We get it.* Please don't strawman the stance that we thought we were making secret criticisms of a character and the moment it's addressed on-screen our power is gone and we turn back to straw and robes. This is *uncomfortable shit* to see play out. The stuff with seeing her family, and her brother, also uncomfortable but it feels like a step forward, like she's moving on in her life and addressing new stuff. The weight of the realizations of "Oh, I should be less of a dick to people" lessens each time that's her major lesson, and while I far from hate Kristin as a character my god is she going to be insufferable at times this season. It's inevitable.

[avelera]

Introducing "Keeping Sanctuary"

Not sure if anyone noticed yet BUT the chapter count on Giving Sanctuary has changed officially and pretty dramatically and HERE'S WHY:

I've decided the next and final arc of the story is different enough from the core of Giving Sanctuary that it makes more sense as a mini-sequel.

After ch. 22 of Giving Sanctuary, we're leaving the year 1689 behind for good. I vacillated wildly back and forth on whether or not the next part, where we explore what changes as a result of Hob and Dream's altered 1689 meeting, counted as core to the story or if it was more of a long epilogue.

Knowing me, the "after 1689 epilogue" could become a very, very long "epilogue" indeed. 'Twould be par for the course at this point.

I didn't want people who've been holding off on reading Giving Sanctuary until it's complete to have to wait while I explore a super long epilogue of what else changes. The core of the story is still, "How their 1689 meeting went differently," and so this second part will be, "And what that changed about their lives going forward."

So without further ado, I'm debuting what will hopefully be the final "split chapter" of Giving Sanctuary, which will now be followed by "Keeping Sanctuary" in which we will follow Hob and Dream from 1690 to the modern era. The latter fic is not posted yet but if you subscribe to the series linked here, you can be alerted once it's up.

Ch. 22 of Giving Sanctuary will be a long chapter as a result, since I don't intend to split the chapters any further but to simply wrap it up here however long that takes in terms of word count. Apologies for the delay so far, I tend to feel a lot more pressure on the final chapters in terms of 'getting them right' out of a desire to reward my faithful readers for their patience, so that and some life stuff has slowed things down, but I am optimistic about getting it to you soon!

[wilanserulia]

Hi, I'm Wilan! I'm a freelancer artist from Italy, and I work with digital media. I specialize in illustration and character design. I'm also a FFXIV Gpose enthusiast, and I write fanfic for my OCs in my free time.

And well, in this blog you can find stuff I create, which is usually either about my TTRPG OCs or my FFXIV OCs.

• My art: #art • My gpose: #gpose

I'm mainly active on tumblr, but if you use other socials you can also follow me on: • Twitter • Instagram (art) • Instagram (gpose) • BlueSky If you just want to check out my art: • ArtStation • Cara • deviantART If you want to read my fanfics: • AO3 For anything else: • Linktree

More info about my OCs under the divider!

FFXIV

I've been playing FFXIV since its original launch in 2010. I'll happily tell details of the story of the two characters I play to anyone who will listen to me, through gposing, art and writing.

Wilan Serulia

Wilan hails from a small island off the coast of La Noscea. The fisherman's life, however, never appealed to him, his gaze ever pointed beyond the horizon, his traveler's heart aching to explore the world. Fate had other plans for the fledgling adventurer, however. Hydaelyn chose Wilan as her Champion, her Warrior of Light, and he's been slowly buckling under the growing weight of the many responsibilties placed on his shoulders.

Tag: #Wilan #Aldarulia (ship)

Delen Aldanea

Born in a Garlean-occupied Terncliff, Delen grew up under imperial dictatorship until Eorzea's champion killed Gaius van Baelsar in combat, when she managed to escape while the colonies under his command scrambled to re-establish order. After reaching the shores of Eorzea as a refugee, the Werlytian girl was taken in by the very same Warrior of Light who felled the Black Wolf, who gave her a place to stay. Free at last but still stuck in her traumas, in Limsa she would meet a friend who would slowly but surely help her move forward with her life and enjoy what her newfound freedom had to offer.

Tag: #Delen #Aldarulia (ship)

TTRPG

I've been playing TTRPG for, like, 15 years now. D&D 3.5, Pathfinder, DnD 5e, Pathfinder 2e, Fate RPG, and most recently Fabula Ultima. Over this decade and half I've created plenty of characters and, boy, I can't stop talking about them if you get me going. I have way too many OCs to list on a pinned post. I did however list them here. But I'll introduce a few more recent and prominent ones anyway.

Viria

Born from an affair between a desert elf and a human woman, the mixed-race child has been unwanted by her human family ever since she was born, her very presence an uncomfortable reminder of her mother's infidelity. She ran away from home in her teens, around the time she started to develop her magic powers from her elven bloodline, met a similarly outcast half-orc girl and turned to a life of delinquency for a while under the destructive influence of her companion. But in the end she came into her own thanks to her found family, who accepted her for who she was and taught her a better way to be herself, and she blossomed into a bright and cheerful young woman.

Tag: #Viria

Hoshiko

Living a cyberpunk world where lovecraftian mythos were revealed to be real, Hoshiko Yukimura is a brilliant student of the University of Prague, enrolled in the faculty of Arcane Studies. Her natural pre-disposition for controlling magic made her a candidate for an elite corp of soldiers called Vakyries, and under the many pressures of the academy, society and her own family, Hoshiko caved, put aside anything she could consider childish or immature and dedicated herself to the pursuit of her studies. That is, until a botched ritual called an unknown creature into this world. The entity, inhabiting the cat-like construct intended to serve as a familiar, luckily seems to be benovelt toward Hoshiko, grants her a mysterious power, and is bringing chaos into the orderly girl's life, somehow pushing her toward healthier life choises in the process.

Tag: #Hoshiko Yukimura

Nora

A woman from one of the many nomad tribes of Numeria, the robot-infested wasteland of Golarion. Nora's unique appearance, a tiefling resembling a Balor, with goat horns, red skins, and two leathery wings sprouting from her lower back, is the result of having being conceived in the neighbouring land of Sarkoris under the corrupting influence of the Worldwound, the colossal planar rift connecting the material world and the Abyss, plane of the Demons. Nevertheless, being but one freak among many, Nora became a formidable warrior and a capable mercenary. It was during a job for the Crusade where she witnessed (and barely survived) the might of the Storm King Khorramzadeh, lord among balors and master of electricity. The encounter awakened something in Nora, that once channeled manifested a whip of lightning and command over lightning, earning her the title of Daughter of the Storm.

Tag: #Nora

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Vol:19 - Watching Hanshin vs. Chunichi

*Long post!

To summarize:

•Kaoru enjoying talking about baseball

•The announcement of the mug winners

•Eating Nagoya foods

•Trying to guess pro-baseball players' annual salaries

•Hating on the Yomiuri Giants

•Kaoru-toriko research

•Modelling the happi coat*

*All three watching the game and hitting plastic bats in support*

J: Can he manage this? What do you think?

K: Hm, I'm not sure.

J: Oi..oi..oi....What's this batter's name?

K: Hosokawa. He is good.

J: Who is the pitcher?

K: Otake

J: Otake!

T: He gave away two points already!

J: Whats going on, Otake?? He is the starter, isn't he? They haven't changed him yet?

K: No, not yet.

J:...What's that? We're already on-air?? Didn't you know that, Leader?! The broadcast has already started!

K: Haha, oh, thats tiresome.

J: I'm getting cues in my ear, haha.

T: Oh, Joe.

J: Well, this is what I'm like before I start drinking.

K: You'll just get more eccentric once you start drinking, won't you?

J: I will, yes. I don't think it will get much more complex though, haha. Ok, Leader! Today is the live broadcast of the Hanshin vs. Chunichi game!

K: Yep

*applause*

T: I've really been looking forward to this.

J: Yeh, Tasai, your syle of support is a bit different from everyone else here. You've brought like a baseball directory with you.

T: Yeah, this book is a baseball directory put out by Spo-nichi (Sports Nippon).

K: Tokyo Sports hasn't done one of these?

T: No, we are not good with details.

J, K: Hahaha

J: Right? Data is not Tokyo Sports' strong point.

T: Yeah. Spo-nichi and Nikkan (Nikkan Sports) are the leaders in this field.

J: Ahh. Yeah, you wouldn't believe anything written in a directory by Tokyo Sports.

T: Haha, right?

K: I wanna see that now, haha.

J: Haha, right? You'd be like, 'Hang on a minute!!'

T: A while ago we put out an article about that famous left-handed player Randy Johnson saying he was right-handed.

K: Haha

T: We are in no place to put out a directory.

J: Haha, thats bad. Getting left-handed and right-handed mixed up. Sports newspaper do that a lot, don't they? haha. Someone just asked in the comments if we are gonna drink. Well, later on...actually, are we gonna continue till the game ends?

Staff: We have a set time.

J: Ah, ok, a set time today. Till about 9o'clock?

K: Well, its already the 4th innings.

J: Oh, already? Ok, well, today we are broadcasting while watching the game between Hanshin and Chunichi. You guys can watch with us. We'll have a drink during the course of the game too, so please stay with us.

T: Kaoru, you haven't introduced yourself yet.

K: Eh?

T: You haven't introduced yourself.

K: I'm Kaoru!

T, J: Haha

T: Im Tasai!

J: Im Joe!

*applause, Joe carries on clapping with the bats*

J: This is great. I'm just cheering on my own here. Its the first time for me to ever do this kinda thing. I love these bats.

K: Yeh, but even if you speak through them, it just makes your voice muffled.

J: What if I put it near your mic? Well, we've got a lot planned today...Hey, what was that? Some kind of anime or something just appeared on the screen.

K: Huh? Nothing appeared...Anime??

T: Were you talking about the comments?

J: Was it? No, I mean these days, compared to in the past, the stadiums and teams are doing a lot more things so that you can easily watch the game. Its fun.

K: Yeah, but Hanshin hardley ever do stuff like that.

J: Really?

K: If I had to say, they are the type to not do that...I mean, they started doing it a bit before, but hardley ever now. Other teams are much more advanced with this stuff.

J: Which teams?

K: Like, Yokohama.

T: Yeah, and Manager Okada was saying that kind of thing takes too long.

K: Yeah, if you do it every time, it gets disruptive.

J: Ahh, I see. So Okada thinks that doing some kind of performance or show whenever anything eventful happens will disrupt the flow of the game. Uh, ok, so I have a very basic question, but..

K: No.

T: Haha, that was fast.

J: Ehhh?! What position are Hanshin in at the moment?

K: Top spot.

J: Ohhh!

K: But...but I was saying last month that they were too strong, right?

J: Yes. Have they remained that way since then?

K: They went down to 2nd place for a while yesterday. They got chased.

J: Ahh!

T: The interleage games have been a bit sketchy.

K: Yeah, they have been bad.

T: I think they had 3 games under .500.

K: We just can't win at Yokohama stadium for some reason. We lost all three games recently. At Yokohama stadium itself, we've lost 13 in a row.

T: Wow, really?!

K: Yeah.

J: Maybe its just not compatible...I wonder what it is?

K: It used to be really compatible! I used to think Hanshin should make Yokohama their home stadium.

J: Haha, that was your thought?

K: Yeh, but we can't win there recently for some reason.

J: Ehh, 13 losses in a row at Yokohama? And three losses there recently? Ahh, what about yesterday? Yesterday was against Chunichi?

K: Yeah, well, today is the second match.

J: How was yesterday?

K: Well, yesterday we got so many hits, it feels like there will be none left for today.

J: Ahh, I see, yesterday was that good.

T: A comment says 'Joe, that pink shirt makes you look so shady, its good'.

J: Oh, come on, haha. I cant help it, Tasai got the yellow one, I got pink.

K: Yeah, but you were already wearing it when I arrived.

J: Yeah, cause it was hanging behind my seat, so I thought I have to wear this. So, it looks shady? There are people who dress like this, right?

T: Yes, there are.

J: Aren't there a lot of older women in Osaka who dress like this?

K: If anything, you look more like a Giants fan.

J: Haha, of course.

K: You look like the type of old guy who has a favourite salesgirl at the stadium.

J: Ahh, I didn't know about this, but I was just looking in this players directory, and it says in here that there are Tiger Girls! I'm more interested in this! I wanna do the show with the Tiger girls instead of baseball!

T: Tiger girls? Let me see. Its Tigers girls, not Tiger girls.

J: Oh, who cares! Tokyo Sports isn't supposed to care about the details! You can even get right and left correct.

T: Haha, yeh.

K: Hahaha

J: Ok, whats next..?

K: Oh, the mugs! The ones we got in Fussa.

J: Ah yes. Do you remember when we went to Base Side Street in Fussa? The winners of the mugs have been decided. So Leader is going to announce them now.

*applause*

K: 'Guest' from Miyagi. This person didn't write their name. 'Mari' from Tokyo...*applauds with bats* Oh, it broke! 'Ponta' from Aichi. *applauds with a bat in each hand* Oh, maybe this way is better. 'Chi' from Hiroshima, and 'Popon' from Okinawa.

T: Thank you! Have they already recieved them?

K: Yeah, it looks like they have.

J: Congratulations!

T: Ah, someone wrote, 'I won, thank you!'

J: Ah, there are a lot of benefits to watching this show, right? Congratulations, and thanks to everyone who took part.

T: 'So jealous!'

J: Ah, yeah. Ok, so we are still taking your questions and comments during the show..

K: Hurry up with this! We can't get the drinks until you read this.

J: Ah, we can't do kanpai?

T: Read it quickly, Joe.

J: Ah, ok...*speed reading* So we are taking questions and comments about the show, support for Hanshin, anything is ok. People using twitter can use the tag TFOE. We just have one request about the comments. There is probably a bit of a time lag between our screen with the baseball and this show's comment section, so if you comment on the score etc, we might know it before we have seen it, so please do not comment on the status of the game!

K: Haha

J: No spoilers! haha. So the first half of the show is free for anyone, but the second part is for members only. If you join, you can watch this broadcast in the archives for free for a year, and we also have videos for members only. So please join using the link at the top of the screen. Leader is pointing to it. Please enjoy the show to the end!! *applause* Oh! Mine broke too!

T: Ok, now that we've done that, lets get the drinks out!

J: Everyone, get ready for kanpai too!

K: This is kinda noisy, haha.

J: Yeah, its tough for the sound guy.

*They all get their drinks*

J: Ugh, ok..

K: You sound tired already! haha

T: Tired out in 10 minutes.

J: Yes, ugh, Im tired *from too much cheering etc*. Well, it's cause I don't really understand much of the talk when it comes to baseball. But anyway, do you all have your drinks ready at home? Lets have a toast and a short speech from Leader for our first drink.

K: A short speech?

T: Oh, that reminds me, well done on finishing the last tour.

J: Joe said he was gonna come to one of the dates, but he never did.

J: Yeh, I didn't.

T: ???

J: No, no, it was just my schedule, my schedule clashed.

K: Haha

J: I wanted to go, honestly, haha.

K: Oh, look, look! *points to baseball game on screen*

J: Ah, its Mie! Mie-chan! You know, I had thought that baseball players these days have less personality than before, like in terms of their hairstyles or stances, but this guy here is easily noticable. His name is Mie-chan, right?

K: He has a cute pose. *Does V sign next to his eyes*

T: Do you know what that is, Joe?

J: Eh?

T: Mie-peace sign.

J: Oh man. Now that I know this, I can use that pose next time I go drinking in Kansai, right?

K: Hahaha....Ok, kanpai!!

J, T: Kanpai!!

J: Everyone, do kanpai at home too.

T: Ah, delicious. Send lots of alcohol emojis, everyone.

J: Ok, so we have lots of snacks here in front of us. As today's game is against Chunichi (*Nagoya's team*), we have a variety of Nagoya foods here, with a view to eating Chunichi into oblivion. We are gonna eat Chunichi up!

K: Are you gonna shout, 'I love Nagoya!'?

J: Haha, no, Osaka is the best. But this is a good idea from the staff, right? Eating up the opposition.

T: Also, look at this, Tigers fried cutlet.

K: Actually, that and these bats were a gift from a fan. At first I wondered why so many were included, there were three pairs.

J: Oh, for this show?!

K: Yeah.

T: Really?! Oh wow, thank you!

K: Yeah, probably.

T: Thank you! That makes me so happy. Apologies for using them so roughly.

J: Oh, yes, a comment asks, 'Can you eat the tenmusu with shrimp in it?'

K: I can tolerate shrimp now.

J: Oh, great!!!

T: Big news! Kaoru can tolerate shrimp now! Haha, what kind of news is that?

J: You overcame it?

K: Well, I can eat it at least.

J: Can you eat it today?

K: Yeah.

T: Ok, you gotta eat one in the second part. Haha

J: Yes, you can eat one for the members only content.

K: I can eat it now even.

J: Ah, someone said they wanna see you eating shrimp! Thats for members only though, right?

T: This is crazy, haha. Leader just eating a shrimp is members only standard now. Wow! haha

K: Hahaha

J: Haha, of course. Thats for members only. 'A shrimp tasting'. That's right. Everyone, please make sure you are a member so you can watch it. So, I just want to touch on the game for a minute. We are finished the 3rd innings now, right?

K: No, we are finished the 4th innings.

J: Oh that was quick!

K: It was 0-0, wasn't it? *writing score on whiteboard*

J: I feel like the game is lacking momentum, right, Kaoru?

K: I wanna make this 2 into 0 too. (*Chunichi scored the only two points so far, earlier in the game*)

J: Should we?? Well, it wont make any difference if we do.

K: Haha.

J: So, overall, its 2-0.

T: Kaoru, tell us about your happi coat.

K: Oh, I bought this a long time ago. I went to watch them play and wore this before too.

T: Stand up and show us.

J: Ohh, what about the back? Oh, amazing! Was this just sold like normal?

K: Yeah, just like normal. I bought it.

J: The ones me and Tasai are wearing must be like the basics...or thereabouts.

K: Or thereabouts? haha, what on earth do you mean?

T: It doesn't mean they are worse.

J: Yeah, but pink might be for women, I'm not sure. Oh, comments saying, 'Leader is so cool!', and 'I want it!'. Can't you buy this these days?

K: Oh yeh, it was a long time ago when I bought this.

T: Having this shows you are a long time fan.

J: Well, yeh I guess so....*responding to a comment* No, it wasn't just dropped by the wayside, haha. Anyway, as for the game today, who are the two starters?

K: Uh, for Hanshin its Otake.

J: What kind of player is he?

K: Uh, in the players draft he came to us from Softbank.

T: He has been really active. His ERA is probably in the 0s since before the interleague games...even though he just gave away 2 points.

J: Ehh. And what about Chunichi?

K: Takahashi

J: Who is Takahashi?

K: Well, he is a Chunichi player.

J: I know that! What kind of person is he?

K: I don't know anything else about him, haha.

T: Joe, I'll check the directory....It says, 'After his experience with the national team, he has scaled up another level. He is a pillar of the Dragons. He is a treasured pitcher within the team'.

K: He is young, isn't he?

T: Yeah, he is 21, in his third year.

K: Yeah, cause during the WBC he wasn't allowed to drink alcohol.

T: Ahh, he was underage?

K: What is it over there again?

T: In America, the legal age to drink is 21...or is it 22?

K: Yeah, so when they were all celebrating, he couldn't drink alcohol. You know with that big champagne bottle? He couldn't have any of it.

J: Ahhh, he might be bitter about it still.

T: No, no, he won't be.

K: He probably hates Hanshin more.

J: Yeah, he might hate the American laws too.

K: No, but Hanshin have taken practically a clean sweep with the All Stars vote.

T: Oh yeh!

J: Eh, whats this about?

K: The fan vote for the All Star team.

J: The results were announced today?? Oh, what kind of positions did Hanshin get? All number 1?

K: Yeah, but I think Akiyama might have gotten center.

T: I'll just check.

K: But otherwise, its all Hanshin. The fans votes are ????, so its not very interesting in the end.

J: Well, yeh, but its resulted like this naturally, right?

K: Well, yeh, cause its a fan vote. It just means they have a lot of fans.

J: No Giants players there. You know, when I was young, the All Stars team was almost always exclusively Giants players. Times have changed!

T: Yeah, Joe, Hanshin are really popular these days.

K: Well, they've been a strong team, I mean, up until last month, haha.

J: Ha, using the past tense I see.

T Yeah, I remember Kaoru saying last month it was tough to handle the success.

K: That feeling is at max level now.

J: Ah, talking about it will jinx it.

K: Yeah, but then again, Joe was talking up that curry so much last time, and we got it again today!

J: Yes, see! Wasn't it good?!

K: Yeah, haha.

J: You know, we had that curry earlier, so we aren't getting through any of these snacks at all. I guess we will get hungry eventually. Someone asked, 'Kaoru, when did you go to Koshien?' You bought that happi coat quite a while ago?

K: This? Yeah, it was a long time ago. I think the last time I went was about 5 years ago. I filmed a video there for my blog.

T: Someone said, 'Hanshin fans have strong personality, they are easy to spot'.

J: Like me?

K: Nah, you definitely have a Yomiuri look.

J: I look like.a Giants fan?

K: You have a kind of pretentious look about you.

T: Ahh, I see it.

J: Like a Tokyoite?

K: Like the type of person who would bring a really fancy bento to eat. All show, but nothing on the inside, haha.

J: No way!

T: Don't eat that kind of thing at Koshien! Haha, look at that comment, 'I can't believe this prejudice against the Giants!'

K: Hahaha

J: Well, that can't be helped today.

T: Yeah, its a Tigers day

today. Forgive us just for today.

J: Yeah, and keep writing comments. Actually, about the score, I didn't see the moment when these two points were scored. What actually happened there? Don't either of you know?

K: Oh, but they just showed a replay of it earlier.

J: Ah, they did.

K: Yeah, but we weren't watching. Its ok though, they'll probably show it again.

J: So, this is obviously a pitching duel at the moment?

K: Yes.

J: Both aces are ???

K: Well, not really, but its kinda like that.

T: This kinda situation is no problem for an ace.

J: Well, what I really wanna know is what the aces' annual salary is? Tasai. Its written in the directory, right?

T: Yep, it is. Who do you want to start with?

J: Oh, the young Chunichi guy who couldn't do kanpai.

T: Ok, so Joe, can you guess the salary of Takahashi, who is in his third year of play?

J: Uh, 3rd year..so 30 million yen?

K: He's only 21.

J: Ah, ok, 20 million.

T: Haha, why?

J: Well, he's still young, so he doesn't have the experience.

T: Incidentally, in total he has 6 wins and 7 losses....up until this season.

J: Ahh, well probably 20 million then.

T: 20 million? Kaoru, what do you think?

K: Hm, maybe 15 million?

T: The correct answer is..35 million!

J: Ahhhh, so we have a 35 million yen pitcher against Hanshin's...?

T: Shall we check?

J: 35 million yen...how much is that per throw?

K: I don't know, I can't work it out, haha.

J: But how many games would he have per season?

K: Hmm, about 15?

J: And about 100 throws? Someone work it out. 15 games × 100 throws.

K: 1500 throws. I dunno, probably about 2000 yen per throw. Haha

J: 2000 yen! Thats more expensive than curry!

T: Ok next is Otake Kotaro, who transferred from Softbank.

J: That means he must have had some achievements for Hanshin to want him?

K: No, it wasnt like that. He wasn't chosen in the initial draft...

J: Oh, so he was a spare?

K: Yeah, so he was available for transfer.

J: Ahh, so like, he wasn't that active in his previous team?

K: Yeah.

J: Oh, well in that case, it might be lower, if he is not highly rated.

T: His stats are 10 wins 9 losses.

J: Oh, 10 wins is not bad...I'll say 25 million.

K: What year of play is he in?

T: His 6th year. He is 28.

J: Ok, 25 million.

T: You think?

J: Yeah, he previous team let him go. What do you think, Leader?

K: About 20 million.

J: What's the correct answer?

T: Ohh! One of you got it right! The correct answer is 20 million! Kaoru, thats amazing! You can even guess Hanshin players' annual salaries!

K: Haha.

J: Have you memorized them all?

K: No, haha.

T: You just guessed, 'Its probably around this amount', and got it right.

J: So today, 35 million and 20 million are up against each other. Thats a 15 million difference.

T: This is all research for us.

J: Yeah...Ah, research, research! Lets carry out research on the viewers.

T: Yes, Joe, can you explain the plan for today?

J: Oh yes, sorry, I forgot about this.

K: Haha.

J: Ok, lets get on with our plan for today, which is...Kaoru toriko research!

*applause*

J: We are gonna find out what kind of people you all are, by using surveys. What kinds of thing will we ask you? Well, firstly, lets go with ' Where are you watching from?' Should we start there? From which region are you watching this broadcast? A survey will pop up on your screens, so please choose your region from the options.

T: Oh wow, 8 options! I thought we could only do 4!

J: Yep, we can do 8. Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu/Okinawa. There might be people watching from overseas too, right? Sorry about that! We cant fit any more options on. So you have to choose from these.

T: Should we see the results?

J: Ok, here are the results. Ahh, overwhelmingly Kanto, at 42.9%. Next is Kinki with 26.4%. Chubu is 8.8%, thank you! Tohoku and Hokkaido are 5.5% each. Chugoku is 3.3%, Kyushu/Okinawa is 5.5%, and Shikoku is 2.2%. So, overwhelmingly Kanto and Kinki, about 70% are in those regions. Oh, someone said 'Not many from Kinki!'. Yeah.

T: Haha, someone said, 'Im watching from the store staffroom on my break'. Thank you!

J: Well, we will be asking you more surveys from here on. Leader, is there anything you want to ask? Anything is ok.

T: Let's ask this...Which team do you support?

K: Eh? But there are only eight spaces.

T: From the Central League, I mean. Ok, time to make tough choices.

J: At this rate its gonna be Hanshin, right? But there are a lot of viewers in Kanto, I guess. So there may be a few votes for the Giants, Yokohama, and Yakult too. Are you eating onigiri already, Tasai?

K: Tenmusu, you mean?

J: Yeah, Tenmusu. He had curry earlier too.

T: It tastes good.

J: I couldn't believe Tasai earlier. When he was eating curry, he broke his spoon!

K: Oh, mine broke too!

J: Really?? I thought it was just Tasai.

K: It was tough curry.

T: The spoon broke when I ate the potato.

K: For me it broke when I just put it in the curry sauce.

T: Ehhh? Haha

K: I was trying to scoop up a piece of beef, and it broke.

J: What kind of power are you guys using to eat?? I've never seen anyone break a spoon eating curry before! haha. Which player just came on?

T: Oh, there's the survey.

J: Which player is number 12?

K: Sakamoto.

J: Sakamoto is the batter, the pitcher throws.... speed 142km.

K: Your commentary is nostalgic.

J: Like Showa?

T: Yeah, like old radio commentary.

J: Right, the survey now. Which team do you support? Tigers, Giants, Baystars, Carps, Dragons, Swallows. Ahh, I see, people refer to the teams like this these days. Not like 'Hanshin' etc.

K: No, but people still say 'Hanshin' a lot.

J: Oh, the score. The 5th innings finished again with 0-0? Its already the 6th innings?? That was quick!

T: Write it on the board, Joe.

K: No, we are still only half way through the 5th.

J: Oh, ok. So Chunichi were 0.

K: Yeah.

J: Ah, sorry. Ok, lets see your favourite teams. No worries if you don't have a fave. Oh someone said they support the Pacific League. Ah, we can ask that too. Just choose one from the central league for now. Ok, lets see the results. Its gotta be Hanshin, right?.....Oh, its quite split.

T: But look, the Tigers are top.

J: Yeah, Hanshin have 51.9% . The Giants have 14.3%. Same for the Carps. Then, the Dragons have 11.7%, there are a few Dragons fans watching this then.

T: Sorry!

J: Baystars have 5.2%, and the Swallows have the least with 2.6%. What is the actual league board like currently?

K: Its, (1)Tigers, (2)Baystars, (3)Carps, (4)Giants, (5)Dragons, (6)Swallows.

J: Ah, so the Swallows are having no luck?

T: Not really this year.

K: Their pitchers are struggling.

J: Ahh, I see. Ok, so we discovered the majority are Hanshin fans. Kaoru, do you want to ask anything?

K: Ok, What do you like best? Tenmusu, Tebasaki, Misokatsu, Doteni.

J: These are the snacks we have in front of us, right?

K: Yeah

J: Eating Nagoya to defeat. Which do you like best from these snacks? Someone said, 'I like Kaoru'.

T: We know that.

K: Hm, maybe not 'which do you like best?'....hmm, ok, maybe 'which do you like best?' is ok.

J: Ahh, this tebasaki is great! So good with beer! People are saying they like them all.

T: Someone said they are a Nippon Ham supporting Kaoru fan, but they can support Hanshin too.

J: Yeah. Ok, so Tenmusu, Miso katsu, Doteni, Tebasaki. Which do you like? Well, they are all delicious though.

T: Ahh, Im sleepy, haha.

K: Huh, you're tired?

T: No, no, Im having fun, haha.

J: Kaoru, which one of these snacks do you recommend?

K: I've only had Tebasaki and Misokatsu out of these.

J: Yeah, the tenmusu is for the paid contents. Do you like them all?

K: Well, I guess I often eat tebasaki when I go to Nagoya.

J: That might be the most popular. You can get it anywhere in Nagoya, right?

T: I used to go to this one tebasaki restaurant quite often.

K: Yama chan? Furaibo?

T: Yeah, Furaibo. Yeh, for work stuff.

J: Ok, lets see the results. Which one do you like best? Sorry, Im doing this while im eating....Ohh, Tebasaki 40.4%!

K: Ok, next question! This is about the menu at Koshien, so out of Koshien Curry, Yakitori, shell fish skewers...

J: They havd shellfish??

K: Yes, and...grilled squid....which one do you wanna make me eat? I mean three of them skewered, but..I.wanna eat them, haha.

J: You want them to make you eat one of them?

K: Yeah

J: How about instead of that, you get them to send you it.

K: Well, thats later, haha.

J: Oh, look, there's the action replay. This this is the moment they entered ????]

K: They haven't entered yet, its still Hanshin's turn.

J: Oh, right, I see. Yeah. This could be a chance, the runner is out. Oh I see, the points were scored in the second innings.

T: Yeh, it just showed up.

K: A home run? Ah, no. But he's doing well.

J: He hit, and made it to third base. Was it a sacrifice fly? Oh, no. Ahh, look at the pitcher. There goes the runner....Ahhhh.

K: Yeah.

T: That guy on the left is a bit scary.

K: Mie-chan, right?

J: Well, its not a catastrophic lead.

T: Its only 2 points.

K: Yeah, there is still time....but we are still kinda getting beaten.

J: Its about time Hanshin start to get serious.

K: Well, actually, their winning pattern so far this year has been to start scoring in the later parts of the game.

J: Ohh, the later half, I see. Ah, high hopes from now then. Ok, lets see the results of this survey. Koshien curry, Yakitori, Shellfish skewers, and Squid skewers. Which do you wanna make Kaoru eat? Here are the results.

T: Koshien Curry! But its still quite a split result.

J: Hang on. Whats special about Koshien Curry? How is it different from regular curry?

*K looks at J incredulously*

J: Haha, don't look at me like that.

K: *To T* What is he talking about??

J: No no, from the point of view of an outsider like me...

T: Its Koshien curry!

J: But what about the taste? Isn't there anything special about it? Anything Tigers related? You don't need to just stare at me like that!

K: Haha

J: Is it sweet? Or is it really meaty? Or anything like that?

K: Its regular curry.

J: Ehh? I bet the viewers know what its like!.....Ehh?!...Our kind director is trying to show me a picture of it, but I can't see it at all.

K: Haha, its just regular curry!

J: But does it taste good?

K: Yeah, it does. Its even sold as retort.

J: I see, its very ordinary. Can we even buy it up here?

K: Yeah, probably.

J: I wanna try it.

K: Yeah, but its better to have it with some other food, like these snacks.

T: You'd get the feeling of being at Koshien.

K: Its won't break your spoon.

J: Haha, you guys are breaking too many spoons when you eat curry! Well, we'll have some more surveys later in the show. Ok, its coming to the end of the free part now.

T: That was fast!

J: Well, there is still another 90mins to go, so we can watch the game together while doing more surveys, and also part of the members only content will be Kaoru eating a shrimp. So you can look forward to that. Here's how you can watch the second part. The first part of the show is free for anyone, but the second part is for members only, so you have to be a member if you want to watch to the end. If you become a member, you can watch this broadcast in the archives for one year, and we also have members only video, where we do lots of stuff. So you can enjoy those too. Here's how to join. There should be a blue link at the top of your screens now. Leader is pointing to it with his fan. Please use this link to register. If you click the link a screen will appear asking you to choose your payment method.

T: Oh, ARE! (*THAT*)

J: Ah, yes, its an 'ARE' fan. Ok, choose your preferred method and click proceed, enter your details, and you're done. If you haven't yet registered, please do so to enjoy the show to the end. Ok, Leader, do you have any announcements?

K: Uh, our 25th anniversary tour Bluray/DVD will be released next moth (*July*)

T, J: Ohhh.

K: And the vinyl version of Phalaris will also be released. Thats next month too.

T: Oh, great! Comments saying they reserved it already.

K: Apparently, its already sold out on Amazon etc, just with reservations.

J: Eh? The DVD and LP?

K: The LP.

J: Ahhh

T: I'm looking forward to it.

J: Yeah, but people should be able to still find it somewhere if they look, right? Like CD stores or something?

K: I think so, yeah.

J: Ahh, someone said its their first time buying a record. Dir haven't done this much before have you?

K: We've made records as special bonuses etc, but its the first time for us to actually sell one.

J: Oh, I see.

T: What is the cover jacket gonna be like?

K: Well, its a head-on close-up of the Phalaris bull.

J: You can buy record players quite cheaply these days, right? For like ¥10,000.

K: Yeah.

J: This could be a good reason for people to buy a record player. Oh, a comment saying, 'My first ever record is DIR EN GREY!' The sound is good on analog, right? And its fun going to second-hand record stores. This will open new doors for people.

K: Lets go to a record store! We went to second-hand clothes stores already, so...

J: Ah, going to a record store would be fun!

K: Right?

J: There are some in Shimokitazawa, and also in Shinjuku. Lets do this, people wanna learn about records! Record store visit! (*J sounds as if he said rekōdo-myan instead of rekōdo-ya for 'record store'*)

T: Myan??

J: Did I say that? I meant 'ya'! Its cauae I've been drinking! Ok, we will pause here, and the screen will change for a moment, but we will be right back with the members only content, so just wait there. Ok, see you in the next part!

[crystalflygeo]

Wait a second! I knew I've seen you around! Crys!

Also, holy heck in a handbasket. Why are you also not an EBG participant? I've seen you on a couple blogs, notably, Meirin's and Dresvi's, and I really enjoy your shenanigans.

I like how you take things in unexpected directions. I thought the whole idea of bringing the Adepti in as players in Meirin's blog was such an amazing choice. You have a lot of talent in writing different sorts of characters, and I like it a lot.

I also like how you can find a way into blog arcs. With the way you write, you're flexible enough to push the writers on the other end just enough to get them to open up into the lore they have. I remember you pushing Elzer in Dresvi's blog just enough to drop little tidbits about the general lore and the fire situation that's apparently going on in there.

Also, do not get me started on how entertaining it is to watch you start up shenanigans in Meirin's tea house. It's so much fun to read your shenanigans.

I never know what I'm gonna get when I see you as an asker, and that makes it fun.

Like with Risu, I hope that you do end up being an EBG participant. I'm honestly amazed by how much mastery you have for different character voices. But even if you don't, it's been fun watching you cause a lot of fun shenanigans. I hope you continue to cause all the chaos.

There's only one day left, so I look forward to seeing what other shenanigans you get up to.

✌️

sfcvgsahvcajshcbsakn AYOOOOOOOOOO WHAT I'M HONORED PLS???

ANON WHO ARE YOU LET ME HUG YOU RN THANK YOUUUUU Again I did briefly consider it but I was just coming back from a trip for vacations, starting back work again, had other stuff going on stressing me also I genuinely don't think I have the brainpower to make a plotted EBG lmao

Also I feel like idk for something like this I'd like to establish some more lore about my OC/avatar? hehe. A lot of wonderful friends (most notably @meimeimeirin @floraldresvi @moraxsthrone and @localplaguenurse) have been really inspiring me to write more and kinda... open up more? feel more comfortable with myself in my blog? bc I always had this idea of being kinda "anon" and be a little removed from my own posts and writing, but they've given me courage to be myself and have fun and do what I want and that includes selfshipping which I never really... did much? But it's so much fun! It's so fun to RP, to share silly little headcanons and ideas, to express your love and happiness for characters, and share that supporting others too and making them happy! Anyway wow I got sappy. Point is, I do hope to kind of... introduce myself/my OC and be a little more "me" about my bias if that makes sense? because that is what the ebg is all about (I think?) that funny and weird "hey this person who loves X character is now forced to get out of their comfort zone and simp for Z instead lmao"

pls I had forgotten how much fun RPing could be I feel like I haven't done so in yeeeears and I still think I'm rusty scvgasjbvcjhak but I used to love it and I do love to write

EBG has been so much fun! Even as a spectator, and I sure hope to participate someday but pls literally all of this was so sweet schajbckas I am not worthy of that much praise aaaaaaaaaaa

I AM VERY PROUD AND HAPPY WITH MY SHENANIGANS AT RIN'S TEAHOUSE HAHAHAHAHA and knowing I gave her some good laughs and she has also been enjoying it's all worth it

ty anon this has been an experience, but also to know people see me like this just... pls Imma cry, I'm thankful to be so loved <3

[bearpillowmonster]

MCU TV Shows Ranking (That I've Seen)

Because there are just too many now to watch them all, plus, why watch the ones I'm uninterested in?

Anyways, the rules will encapsulate the whole show so all seasons as one, I can't say that I like S1 and disliked S2 and rank it only based on S1. I will also clarify if I think it's worth continuing.

Daredevil- Karen lacks, Foggy's good, Matt's really good, Kingpin's really good. Electra could use some work as well as the Hand. Bullseye is actually marvelous except for the very end but the three seasons make for a nice bundle.

Punisher- It's like comic and Jon Bernthal Punisher are two different things but I like both for different and similar reasons. It plays off of him very nicely and lays the groundwork for a more realistic setting with interesting action. Jigsaw was a compelling villain as well and I found myself liking a few other characters but there were definitely the few that lacked. Both seasons were decent enough. I'd be open to continue.

Hawkeye- Not bad, have some complaints about Kate but overall a good entertaining show. I'd watch a season 2 but I feel like it's not really made for one, they will probably just continue to appear in other stuff.

Falcon & The Winter Soldier - I actually liked it more than I thought I would as I didn't have much interest in the characters but it turns out that I just needed more time with them. Unlike most of the ones on this list, I liked the ending, though it didn't completely knock me over. I think that a lot of what was in this series should've been the basis for everything going forward because of how it treated their livelihoods and asked questions. I'm not sure any of these series matched the hype of the fake Captain America decapitating a guy with the shield. This paved the way for Cap 4 which would've been questionable without this series.

Wandavision - I wasn't hyped for this, I let it slip by my radar because whatever, I never cared for either of them anyway. People complain about it having a main superhero plot but that's what I stayed for, I liked that portion but then I finished it and I completely understand why now. It's not a bad series and has a lot of cool ideas but just a weird way to end things. It got Multiverse of Madness which was mid and Agatha isn't out yet but I'm not hyped for that either, wouldnt be surprised if it fails due to lack of name recognition.

Ms. Marvel- A few of these I like comparing to Disney Channel shows because of how they act and while it all started with this one, I have to admit, it actually gets a lot of the teenager stuff right but I think it throws so much at the wall that it has to get at least some of it so there are a few misses as well. The ending is dumb, her powers are ok but they could be used a lot better and I imagine they will. She was the best part of the Marvels and it's S2 worthy.

Cloak & Dagger - It was an entertaining watch but perhaps not the most enticing. I liked the characters but they were very much put into tv show circumstances so I felt like it was its own thing. I like the actors and characters enough to keep them in the MCU but don't care to see another season, I wasn't all that big on S2 anyway.

She-Hulk - Last place, huh? I actually had the most hype for this one because I was hoping we'd get with She-Hulk what we didn't get with Hulk. In fact, I like her more because I first learned about her in the cartoon and well-

I think a lot of kids couldn't resist THAT. So I grew attached to her and had all these ideas for how she could be introduced and-oh, no not that.

But I still held out hope because I lowered my expectations and just wanted a crumb but the more it went on, the less I liked it and then I learned that it was all by design and I wasn't really sure how to feel about that and then time passed and I was like, that shouldn't matter, it didn't pay off despite a cool ending. I logged all this in other posts. Yet- here I am- an advocate for S2...

[videogaems]

Steam Next Fest Wrap-Up - February 2024

Another Steam Next Fest has passed us by, the triannual week wherein Valve play the role of the Specialists in 2001 box office hit A.I. Artificial Intelligence. For one brief, fleeting week, we allow ourselves to fall in love, hate, or 'meh' with dozens of upcoming game demos before they go away to the place where dreams are born: behind a green button with a shopping cart reading 'Purchase'. After our magical week, around 10 AM, Pacific Standard Time, we Haley Joel Osments grow out our beards, and fade back into the monotony that is trying to figure out what to play tonight - At least until Balatro drops.

All kidding aside, I've come to really look forward to Steam Next Fest; it always adds a few more items to my Wishlist, and introduces me to some neat stuff. Given, a lot of those Wishlist additions will surely become Notifications in my email of the game going on sale dozens of times until I decide it's cheap enough to pull the trigger, or until I fess up to myself that I simply won't have the time to play it. Even so, this fest was honestly a real banger, and I wanted to talk about some of the games I played so bad that I started a blog.

So, since nobody asked, here are the demos I played during this Next Fest, and some thoughts I had regarding them.

Lightyear Frontier

I think I first heard about this game at Gamescom, or the Cozy Games Showcase at Keigh3, or possibly one of the other dozens of occasions where video games get announced. Even though the trailer I saw was one of those cringey ones where several family friends of the Devs talk to each other over gameplay footage as if they were playing the game together, it went on my wishlist basically immediately. It's a farming game, but you pilot a big mech, and for some reason, blue-collar-sci-fi is absolutely my shit. My only sort of eye-squint at this was the fact that once you're inside your mech, you pretty much never need to leave it. Sleeping, crafting, exploring, all of it can be done from the comfort and safety of a repurposed five ton war machine. Though I do love the idea of a big ass mech suit snuggling up with that seventeen foot afghan grandma crocheted for you.

Coffee Caravan

I've always delighted in the idea of running a coffee shop, but I've never done it because this is probably what it would feel like. Set your mobile artisanal coffee pop-up... well... UP, and prepare to dash around filling customer orders. It's like Overcooked but with coffee, and resulting in less divorce. Games like these do tickle a part of my brain but the rushed nature inherent to them always turns that tickle into a jabbing kind of motion, a most unpleasant feeling as far as brains are involved. I tapped out after I failed to serve a customer, a customer who I could tell never worked food service because he sat himself down at a table with dirty dishes. Between trying to clean those dishes, make his coffee, and just finding a spot to set shit down, he got pissy and left. Better decaffeinated than served a tall glass of dishwater, I suppose - I've been saying that my whole life.

I've been meaning to finish this post so long that now it's time for the next Next Fest but here are the games I played in February:

Pacific Drive

Star Trucker

Children of the Sun

Rotwood

Harold Halibut

Lunistice

Vapor World: Over the Mind

NeverGrave

Yet Another Fantasy Title

Pepper Grinder

INDIKA

Helskate

Infest

Circle Hitter

#BLUD

DICEOMANCER

Copycat

Dungeon Inn

Balatro

Trash Goblin

Breachway

Mullet Mad Jack

TerraTech Worlds

[aonoryuhei]

hello 2024!!! goodbye (and good riddance) 2023!!!

2023 was... not the kindest year to me. I struggled a lot (like. A LOT) with grad school, had trouble taking care of myself (thanks depression), had to deal with some very unpleasant people, and had a lot of health issues in my family. overall, not a fun time!

but in the spirit of moving forward and not being overly pessimistic, i have to admit there are good things that happened in 2023 as well. at the end of the year it was decided i could move on with my phd project as i wanted to (a miracle!!). i got to go to my first ever out-of-state conference, which took me to the west coast for the first time! 2024 was also the first time i had consistently been going to the gym for about a month (i stopped but. it happened!!) i had a lot of laughs with mariel (ty for introducing me to detco 🙏 and thank you for indulging the gamer in me) 💕💕💕 i got to meet a lot of wonderful people and now i actually have friends i get to? play games with? just like i always wanted? at the end of the year i also found a vtuber i've really been vibing with and he's in line with one of my main goals for 2024: living more purposefully

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

spent the last few days of 2023 constantly doing errands... i don't wanna step into a supermarket for a while!!! also got to go to one of my favorite botanical gardens again with my parents. it was really calming and honestly, i really needed to spend some time in nature just breathing fresh air 🌱🌷🌵 i also got to try french onion soup 🧅 for the first time ever and AAA it was so good??? my mom put some bread and gruyere cheese on top and it was just such a good warm, salty broth that re-energized me!! i'd like to have it again soon if the weather keeps staying as cool as it is hehe

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

2024 is gonna be a big year for me, which is pretty scary ngl! i have to get important milestones done for grad school so i can graduate in a year. i'm also going to be a TA for the first time every and i would be lying if i wasn't extremely nervous about it- i literally don't even remember the content for one of the courses 😵‍💫 i also turn 26 meaning i will soon be off my dad's insurance lmfao so i have to get all my health stuff in order before then (ripping my hair out at the idea of scheduling my wisdom tooth removal)............. anyway...........

i'm really stressed as the beginning of the semester is almost here (5 days ough.) but i wanna end this post by focusing on some goals for this year!! like i said, i want to live more purposefully and true to myself this year. this means engaging with things more deeply and focusing my efforts on what i truly like (clothes, media, hobbies, etc). i wanna make grand strides in my academic work but also in my personal life! i wanna become more active this year, start cooking more, make sure to read more, use my notion.... i wanna create! i need to get back into needle felting and i started a csp trial yesterday so i'm gonna give art a try too! a big big biiiig goal for me is to finally set up my neocities too >< i got some ideas for what i'd like to do with it brewing in my head hehe

and that's it for now i think!! i want to make public journal entries like this frequently because some of the coolest people i know online do it and honestly? it's fun!!! ✌️

[anonumber123]

Appreciation Post (Vocaloid, SynthV)

Hey. I'm 'bout to get a little...*sentimental*, hahaaaaa.... I'm sure nobody will read this, but this is my first true post that I have ever made on this account that isn't a reblog, and I'm making this for one reason. As you can see from the Touhou and Super paper Mario stuff I reblog, These have been my two main interests for the entire time that I had this account. I've known Touhou for about 9 years now (2014), and Super Paper Mario for almost 5 years (2018). There are also other interests that I've had besides those two, but I never showed them on this account, One of them being the main thing that this post is about!

Out of all the interests I've had, Vocaloid is the one that goes back the farthest, all the way back in 2012! I would be in the third grade when I would've discovered Vocaloid! I was really impressed by the artistry on display with every single song I came across, even when I couldn't understand the lyrics of, like, 50% of the songs I listened to. However, I would say that I would've stopped being an active fan some time in 2019 or 2020, (probably because Touhou Project had practically taken over my brain lol) and I considered Vocaloid as being a phase. Something that definitely took a huge chunk of my life, but, ultimately, couldn't stand the test of time.

That is, until the Big Dog came along, and my new passion, SynthV.

Now, I've known SynthV prior to this year. I first got introduced to SynthV with Eleanor Forte. Everyone was talking about how she had "such an amazing voice" and how she was "so clear!", but I just couldn't see it (or hear it lollolol). I thought she sounded like just another English Vocaloid, and I never really like how they sound in the first place. However, this was a few years ago, and that story is *different*.

Fast forward to This year, not even a week ago, I listened to a cover made with Kasane Teto's new SynthV voicebank for the very first time. Now, I did hear a lot of buzz that surrounded her about a month prior, but I didn't know, or even care for, what it was about, but because I was a huge fan of Vocaloid, it also made me a fan of UTAU by proxy, so, of course, I knew who Kasane Teto is, as well as her infamous voice. I had no Idea what I was truly in for, or even that this was a new Teto. I caught a whiff before, and now, I had a taste of Teto, and it was at this point that I finally get it!

This new Teto sounded like something that I would never, in a million years, could imagine would come from her, and I was blown away! It was so...heavenly. This choppy, robotic UTAU voice of hers has been made into something of higher quality, and I could not be any happier. This was something that I have been wanting from Voice synthesizers for the longest time, and I never thought we were gonna get it anytime soon. Even with all that I was learning and getting to know about the new her, I was still not prepared for the fact that she could sing in three different languages, with the proficiency of native speakers...I could not handle it. My heart could not take it...! I WAS IN LOOOVVE~~~ Love that I have never felt for a voice since Gahata Meiji, my literal favorite UTAUloid of all time, and the closest thing I had to having a crush on something as a kid (lol)

I could not believe that Vocal Synthesizing technology has advanced to the point that all of this is now possible. Because of Teto, I have now fully delved into the world of SynthV, and I can never go back. I found so many other voices that I have fallen in love with, like I did Teto. SynthV has impressed me so much, that it even got me back into Voice Synthesizers as a whole! This is now a Resurgence period of Vocaloid, and I have SynthV to thank for that! I would also like to thank Dreamtonics for making this possible, and for making my dream come true! (okay but seriously if dreamtonics sees this by any chance I am so sorry for the pun it's just- **cries**) This reignited one of my oldest interest, and I am so happy. I really hope somebody out there reads this and can share these same sentiments I have right now...