#or y'know maybe I'm way off base and he really doesn't care about them even a little

[blue-rose-soul]

"Great Alastor Altruist* died for his friends!"

This scene has been spinning in my brain since Thursday. Like a lot of other people, my first thought was that this was an indication that Alastor had grown to care for Charlie and her friends at the hotel. And it's not because of the words he says. Even if you're watching without subtitles and don't see the quotations around that phrase, it's pretty obvious that he's laughing at the very thought.

"Me? Alastor? Dying for them?"

"Ridiculous."

"Absurd!"

"Utterly laughable!"

No, what makes me think that there might be a kernel of truth there isn't the words by themselves. It's the look on his face as he says them.

This is the part where Alastor's angry snarl breaks and he begins to look genuinely afraid. He clutches his chest. He digs his fingers into his scalp, drags his hand down the side of his face. And that's a perfectly reasonable reaction to nearly dying! It's very human! But I think it's very telling that this expression doesn't settle on his face until he's talking about dying for someone else. Before this he looked more angry than anything, and he lapses back into anger up until he begins talking about trying to find a way out of his deal.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand why anyone would think otherwise. The thing about Alastor is that, despite how blatant it is, his mask works. Like I stated earlier, I find myself searching every word, expression, and gesture from Alastor for double meaning. Ostensibly, there's no one here for Alastor to lie to**. No one he has to put up an act for. But his smile, which he's already fully admitted is faker than fake, remains firmly in place. I wonder if putting up an act is so second nature to him at this point he can't help but do it even when he's alone. Maybe he tries to fool himself as much as other people.

I believe that he has come to care, but I can't fully believe it. I won't be surprised to be wrong. But there are some scenes that just don't make sense to me if he really doesn't care at all.

His chat with Niffty the night before the extermination, for example. Niffty isn't really someone he needs to trick. He has power over her, whether it's because he owns her soul or because of her blind devotion to him. It's telling that while everyone else is hanging out together, sharing drinks at the bar, Alastor keeps his distance and positions himself above them. At this point, Alastor seems to care about them the way we, the audience, care about them; as entertainment. He's enjoying watching their story unfold up close, but that's all there is to it. He admits to Niffty that one could get accustomed to being with them. Not him though! He's above all that.

Then the battle happens. At first, Alastor's role in the battle didn't require him to assume too much risk. He was on crowd control, limiting the number of exorcists the rest of the hazbins have to deal with at once. And he slayed a not insubstantial number of angels in the process***. But then Adam broke through Alastor's shield and singled him out. It would have been reasonable for Alastor to put some distance between himself and the Lead Exorcist. Charlie did say it was his job to deal with Adam, but as I've already discussed, Alastor really had no hope of winning that fight alone. Maybe if he'd escaped right then and there, or fought Adam alongside Charlie things would have turned out differently. Granted, I don't think his pride would have allowed him to take either of those options.

Regardless, the end result is that Alastor did come very close to dying for a cause that wasn't his. Considering what Adam did to the hotel, Alastor's pretty damn lucky he's not in two pieces here.

Now, I don't think this means Alastor is immediately going to turn around and integrate int o the hazbin family. Immediately after this line where he mocks the idea of dying for Charlie's cause, he gets angry again, leans further into the Radio Demon persona and starts contemplating ways to escape his contract. I think, that like someone recoiling after accidentally touching a hot stove, Alastor's going to pull further away from them. One thing I am certain about is how Alastor feels about his leash; he hates it. He wants to be rid of it. He doesn't know how to do that yet, but he's working out a plan and having Charlie in his corner is part of that plan. Giving a genuine shit about her or the other hazbins is not part of that plan. It's another leash, not as literal as the one connecting him to his patron but just as binding.

Alastor realizing he might actually care about these people may just make him more dangerous to them than if he just didn't care at all.

-

(*The word 'altruist' here being used as a title, not a name. Like something you'd see in a newspaper headline, or on a headstone.)

(**There do seem to be some odd eye motifs in the environment, but at no point does Alastor give any indication he is aware of them or acknowledge their presence in anyway. And I highly doubt he would have said certain things if he believed his patron was actively watching him.)

(***Taking this opportunity to go off topic a bit to call the Vees out on their hypocrisy. For all their bluster about 'taking the fight to Heaven' and how 'pussy' the older Overlords supposedly are, I didn't see any of them on the battlefield. Alastor was. He fought as long and hard as he could. There was nothing cowardly about him living to fight another day.)

[krisdreaming]

Baby Fever

Pairing: Miya Atsumu x f!reader

WC: 1.2k

Summary: Osamu and his wife just had a baby. Now Atsumu sees them everywhere.

A/N: This kind of took a very different direction than I was originally planning and tbh, I kinda hate it now, but I spent over two hours writing it, so I'm gonna roll with it anyway. Maybe when I re-read it in the morning, I'll hate it less 😅

There's a term for it. Atsumu isn't sure what it is, but he knows that as soon as you're exposed to something new, you start noticing it around you more and more. That must be why, ever since Osamu's son was born, he's been seeing babies everywhere. They're at the grocery store. They're at the park. Suddenly, half of his teammates have been expanding their families like it's some kind of competition.

Suffice to say, Atsumu has seen more than his share of babies over the past few weeks. Sure, they're cute, or whatever. When a baby smiles at you, you can't help but smile back. When they grab onto your finger, you let them hold it for as long as they want. When they engage you in a staring contest across the grocery store aisle, you only put up a little bit of a fight before giving them the satisfaction of winning, flashing a sheepish smile at their mom or dad as you turn the corner.

The sight of the little monsters has started to trigger a strange twinge in Atsumu's middle, which he chalks up to the fact that he's an uncle now. There's a brand new member of his family, and he's really happy for Osamu and his wife. Seeing the babies everywhere reminds him of that. That's all it is.

See, the two of you had talked about this. You aren't ready for kids right now. He's in the prime of his volleyball career, and you love your job. You're both happy as just the two of you, spending your free time together doing the things you enjoy and getting a full eight hours of sleep each night. Having a baby would change everything. Your last discussion on the topic, right after Osamu and his wife had shared their pregnancy with the two of you, had ended on that exact note. He's pretty confident that's still how you feel. He's relatively confident that's still how he feels, too.

Of course, the longer it goes on, the harder it is to explain away. He watches Osamu doting on his son, snuggling him close and kissing his cheeks and smiling bigger than Atsumu's ever seen before. He knows his brother is tired, but he doesn't seem to care. He watches the way he looks at his wife, and the way both of them look at their son, and it softens something inside him. He sees you cradling your nephew close, cooing down at him with a soft smile, and his heart turns over in his chest.

Finally, one day, he comes to Osamu with a question.

"What's it like?" Osamu is wiping down the counter at Onigiri Miya, clearly trying to disguise his surprise and mild consternation at seeing his brother show up out of the blue, five minutes before closing time.

"What's what like?" He grunts, scrubbing at a ground-in glob of rice.

"Y'know," Atsumu gestures vaguely, "Being a dad."

"Ah," Osamu hums, grasping that quickly what this is all about. "It's incredible. I mean, don't get me wrong," He chuckles, "It ain't easy. It's way worse than whatever ya try to imagine based off a' everybody's helpful advice," He lifts his hands in air quotes. "But somehow, it's also worth it, in a way ya never could've imagined it would be. The way ya feel every time ya look at 'em - ya can't even put it into words."

Atsumu isn't sure how he's supposed to respond to that, so he just nods. Osamu smiles, looking him up and down with a too-critical eye. "Any special reason yer asking?"

"No," Atsumu says with a quick shake of his head, "Just curious, 's all."

Osamu nods, not saying another word, but the smirk on his face is more than enough to make Atsumu want to knock it clean off. Osamu's answer is exactly what he'd been afraid of.

It comes to a head one sunny Saturday afternoon when the two of you meet up with Osamu and his wife and son to visit a festival. The afternoon is starting to wind down when Osamu unceremoniously dumps the baby into Atsumu's arms. "Hey, mind watching him while we go to the bathroom quick?"

"Ah, sure," Atsumu says to his brother's already-retreating back. You poke at the baby's irresistibly pudgy cheeks, giggling along with him when your attentions illicit a bout of laughter.

"Oh my, what a sweetheart!" The elderly woman seems to appear out of nowhere, something Osamu is constantly describing but which Atsumu hasn't experienced until this moment. "Such a happy baby," She grins. "How old is he?" She looks expectantly at you, and after you gather your wits, you answer her.

The woman nods knowingly, as if she'd predicted as much. "Are you having a fun day with Mommy and Daddy?" She asks next in a goofy voice, completely oblivious to the way Atsumu chokes on the breath he'd just been inhaling and you shoot him a wide-eyed glance.

"Ah, well, actually-" You stammer out, at the same time Atsumu blurts, "We're not his parents."

"I see," She says good-naturedly, "Well even so, he looks very happy with you." With that, she goes on her merry way, and you and Atsumu share a bewildered look. Osamu and his wife return from the bathroom, and neither of you mentions the awkward encounter. It doesn't come up until later that evening, when the two of you are lying in bed.

"That was really somethin' today, huh?" Atsumu asks, trying to ignore the fact that his stomach is suddenly in knots.

"The old lady?" You chuckle weakly. "Yeah, 'Samu's right, they really don't have any shame, do they?"

"Yeah," Atsumu says, then takes a deep breath. "Do ya think, maybe, it's time to have that conversation again?"

You're silent for a few moments, and he can't quite place the emotions that cross your face. He doesn't have to explain which conversation he means.

"Maybe," You finally agree in a low voice. "Are you saying that your decision might be different this time?" It could be his imagination, but Atsumu almost thinks that you look hopeful.

"Maybe," He says carefully. "Would yours?"

"Maybe," You echo him, but there's a smile playing at the corners of your mouth.

"There would be a lot of changes," He says softly, fingertips tracing aimless shapes up and down your arm.

"Maybe we're ready for those changes," You murmur back, catching his hand in yours and letting him twine your fingers together.

He brings your hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it. "As long as I've got you, I think I might be."

"Me too," You say, leaning in slightly to nudge the tip of your nose against his. When he kisses you, he hopes the pressure of his lips can convey even the things he can't put into words. He can't imagine living this life with anyone else.

[eva-of-the-sea]

Y'all ever notice that Fujiko receives a disproportionate amount of hate in the fandom? I'm sure it's something we've all seen, especially if you're a fan of her, but I don't really see it discussed.

I'm bringing it up now because for the past couple of months, I keep running into new fans that are very vocal about disliking her. And while I understand that everyone has their preferences, the reasons they give for why they hate her bother me the most:

"She's a bitch, she's so awful to the poor guys and especially to Lupin."

"She's a slut. She's constantly using her body to get what she wants."

"She betrays the gang so much it's annoying how she always does the same thing."

"It's the writers' fault for making her so unlikable."

While I partially understand one of these points, some of these other ones confuse me.

Fujiko is a character that looks out for herself. She goes into every heist with the thought of "what can I get out of this?" And despite this, she's been shown many times to care about all of the gang. Yes, even in part 2 where folks usually base their hatred of her off of. This is because she is a multifaceted character that isn't just driven by a single motivation.

"But Jigen and Goemon hate her!"

Do they? Because while they do get mad at her shenanigans, we also see them going out of their way to protect her and comfort her. Hell, Fujigoe is a common canon occurrence! Do you really think Goemon would be dating her if he didn't like her? Or that Jigen would be pushing her out of the way of bullets or shielding her with his body if he didn't care about her? Being mad or annoyed with someone's actions aren't the same as hatred. No one ever points out how they get mad at Lupin, and I'd argue that happens more often!

And on the point of her being a slut...where? I'm genuinely confused with this one. Fujiko does use her beauty and charms both to manipulate rich men into giving her treasure and to get out of dangerous situations. That's kind of the point of her being a femme fatale. But how often does she sleep with the people she manipulates? Most instances I can think of, she knocks them out when she gets that far. In fact, I would argue she doesn't seem to be that interested in having sex at all. Do they count her flirting as being slutty? If so, c'mon. And even if she did sleep with her targets, why would this be a bad thing? Are women characters not allowed to have sex? And again, how come Lupin doesn't get the third degree for HIS sluttiness. In fact, I see people joke about it and celebrate it if anything.

On the point of her betraying gang, yeah it is very one-note and does get old. You know what else is very one-note? Literally the actions of every other character in the show. I don't see people complaining about Zenigata chasing the gang getting old. Or about Lupin flirting with every woman he sees. Or about Jigen and Goemon using the same weapons in the same way to get out of every situation. Y'know, maybe this is just a repetitive show! And tbh, the writing lately has been shaken up. The modern series doesn't really have Fujiko betray the gang much anymore. She's either off doing her own thing or she's working with the gang as a member of the team. A lot of people complain about parts 4-6, but I think this is one of the elements it does right.

And finally, on the note of "poor Lupin", I think this one pisses me off the most lol. The fuck y'all mean "poor Lupin"?? I think fans either forget or don't realize that Lupin is a pretty smart guy. He knows Fujiko is most likely going to betray him if he does something for her, the bastard LIKES IT. This is foreplay for both of them. In case you haven't noticed yet, both of them are kind of freaks lol. There's a reason that most of the time, Jigen and Goemon are mad at HIM. Lupin is not a poor sweet baby that needs protection from Fujiko. He specifically loves the chase, the constant push and pull of their relationship. She's an exciting challenge for him, he's a stable home for her.

While I agree that Fujiko has not always been written great in the past, and I'm sure a lot of that was due to misogyny, I think fans need to reevaluate why they criticize her more harshly than the rest of the gang. There's a lot of things she's done that the fandom deems unforgivable, yet the boys have done some of the same stuff without so much as a slap on the wrist. Lupin constantly puts them all in unnecessary danger. Jigen has made some really unsavory comments about women. Goemon has betrayed the gang more than once. And I don't see nearly enough discussion about how Lupin really used to push himself on Fujiko, to the point of it being uncomfortable sometimes. Like damn I'd sell his ass out too😬.

I think it all boils down to Fujiko being a woman. And as a woman, she has to work harder to please the fans. If she's too nice, then she doesn't really have a personality or a reason for anyone to like her. If she's too selfish, she's a mean bitch and everyone should hate her. What if people saw her as a character first? Because no she's not a good person, but neither are the rest of the gang. Their morals are all on a sliding scale of what works best for the plot. But damn she's a great character. She stands out on her own and really makes you remember her. She's so much more than "the girl" character, and I'm so grateful for that. I hope more fans come to this conclusion too.

[wonderful-magician]

What if

I wanted to rant about Electra

And did

Okay a lot of this ranting is just made up nonsense! ( Obv based off the musical itself ) I'm rewriting the musical to my tastes and would like to actually discuss the characters more than the musical is able too. This is more like a TV show set-up to be honest.

Okay main point I want to get out of the way. Electra is an antagonist. But he SUCKS at being a antagonist- for rusty. I genuinely don't remember any times he actually addresses rusty that's like actually important. He's really just a driving force against greaseball. He seems way more upset about diesel than steam. Though to be fair, he seems so confident in himself I doubt he's worried about some kid who's just kinda there.

Because Electra just appears. Unlike rusty and greaseball who are established to know each other. Electra literally just APPEARS. He's not part of the nationals. He wasn't even originally entered into the race. He just appears. And is here now. And he just wants to show off and beat the previous champion. Why would he acknowledge the steam engine who has no chance???

He doesn't even do anything outwardly malicious. I mean he listens to Red Caboose's plan and doesn't really mind that they cheat. And uhm. I guess he goes with pearl but she consented and willingly did that so it's not .. the worst. And he sometimes electrocutes people. But really most of the musical he just stands next to rusty and greaseball fighting while like " :/ " or just flirting with the components or something I don't know.

Of course this doesn't change the fact he's an asshole. He's apathetic and very naive honestly. He only cares about himself, and has tantrums like an actual toddler. He doesn't even ask out the pretty girls himself he has his accountant/security guy do that lmao. He's obviously not a guy used to doing anything himself. Or used to losing. And is just generally annoying to anybody who meets him. But he's probably the *most* redeemable of the three antags. In of which. Idk I feel like just having him live at the Apollo-Victoria for a few years or something would help just get him out of his stupid attitude hfhdbdb

A little bit indulgent perhaps. But i feel like in a episodic setting Electra would probably lose some of his apathetic tendencies. Not all of them- he's a computer. And he'll always be self centered and care a lot less about others feelings than most. But I could truly see him befriending Rusty, pearl, maybe even Dinah. Though I don't know if he'd ever get along with greaseball... Give it like 20 years... Maybe more... A lot of time.

But I truly think with the right circumstances he could just be??? A confident guy who is a bit inconsiderate?? Probably still whiny because you can't take the diva out of Electra but y'know what I mean.

Even MORE indulgent. I want a Dustin and Electra friendship SO BAD YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. These two are like. Opposites. But in the way that I just feel like they would help each other SO MUCH RAAAH. Electra is confident but struggles with empathy?? Dustin is overly empathetic and very insecure?? THEY COULD HELP EACH OTHER SO MUCH AAAA. Ok ok I need to stop with that.

But essentially I just think that Electra is this young guy. Like really young. He's one of the ( potentially, the youngest ) youngest people in the cast. Only a few years in service and he's already got a horrific ego. Just because he is TRULY good at racing. Can't take that from him. Even if he's very late. Like. Really late to the entry. But I just think he's this young guy who kinda threw himself into the wrong situation. Probably not realizing that messing with Caboose is a horrible idea. And that he was unknowingly racing against gods favorite so. oops.

Ok anyway I should shut up now ok I like Electra he's cool but he's a horrible antagonist but I love him and this probably is really hard to read (⁠＾⁠∇⁠＾⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♪

Oh also why does nobody ever use his hypnotism powers. He has those. Are- are we going to ignore that-?? Ok...

[thotsforvillainrights]

Heyyyy

How are you?

Gonna ask for some delicious Tomoyasu fic.

Maybe reader feels like their relationship doesn’t have the same spark that it used to and they talk about it to him. Tomo seems like he doesn’t care, but he realized it eventually. So, he plans to a romantic day together where he reminds them how much he loves them and he want to continue loving them. (You can throw in some smut there)

I pretty much based this on my feelings for him. I don’t necessarily got tired of him, but it’s not the same as before. You get what I mean?

Anyway, that’s all.

Rest up and take care

(I feel so much better these days. Trying to get back into the flow of things! Thank you for asking! *I'm going to sprinkle some smut in here but it's just hints. Call it a cop-out and I apologize but for some reason I've been not feeling up to smut when thinking of my return. )

(sidenote: yeah I get how you feel. I've had anime loves come and go. Sometimes they tend to take a corner in your mind while you give way to the next obsession. Kinda a little the same with me and Overhaul. We'll call it a little cool-off point)

~Bringing back a Spark~

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up|drabble

The weekly weather forecast plays softly on the bedroom TV. The digital assistant sitting on the Dresser stand next to the television flashed the time change from 9:59 to 10:00 p.m. Tomoyasu sat with his back against the wall, supported by cushions of the pillows. He was listening passively to the news while scrolling on the large tablet in his hands. You peek over and watch him searching for simple work shirts amongst other plain things. For a second you begin to wonder what's happened between the two of you here lately.

For the past 3 months it seems things have become rather mundane. Sure there was nothing wrong with the domestic of course. You both settled down in each other and there was something so very comforting about that. However, sometimes it's not the best when you stand back and compare. You'd went from late nights out sneaking to makeout in the alleys behind F.G.I to this…sitting in the bedroom some distance between each other with the evening news playing. What happened, you began to wonder, to the sneaking into the movies without tickets, watching stupid youtube videos on his work computer when you visit his office, fucking on the kitchen counter like animals, racing each other down the dirt path at the local park just to see who could reach the pastry truck first? Was this all you've become now?

Just some boring couple watching news, going to work, coming home, and going to sleep with a kiss on the cheek and missionary sex once every 2 weeks???

You grimaced at the thought of it.

"Tomo?" He hears your voice quietly interrupt his train of thought. He clicks 'order' on his app and locks the Tablet before placing it on his bedside table. He doesn't answer verbally but instead turns to look at you and lifts an eyebrow. For a moment you hesitate, unsure of voicing your emotions and laying it out in the open. Finally you take a deep breath and speak up. "Tomo, have we become…I don't know…a little tame lately?" He tilts his head at your question, his loose bun flopping to the side as well. "Tame? What exactly are you talking about here Y/N?"

Your name…no nickname…come to think of it, you don't remember the last time he's called you a nickname nor complimented you.

"Tame…like we're more boring now? I mean we don't really do things like makeout or go on exciting trips anymore." You explain some of the things that have been bothering you and he huffs in return. "We're not teenagers y'know. We don't need to 'sneak out' if that's what you're referring to. Besides, you know I can't take any trips right now. There's too much that needs to be done at work. It's late Y/N…go to sleep and stop worrying over pointless things." You feel tears begin to prick in your eyes at his words. "Tomoyasu, I think we've lost our spark is what I'm trying to say…"

"Spark? Don't be foolish. There's no such thing as a spark in a relationship. There's only love. You love me and I love you of course. No need for anything else. Now again, go to sleep Y/N. You'll stress yourself out if not. Goodnight." He pecks your forehead (as expected) and rolls over to go to sleep. While he rests on one side of the bed, you cry on the other with nothing more to comfort you than the damp pillow case.

The next morning you wake up and he's already up and gone for work you assume. You trudge around the house with a large frown and puffy eyes. You figured this was the next step right? Not even getting to say goodbye or having breakfast together anymore. You sip down a small glass of water and start to get ready for work. Meanwhile he's already at his desk spiraling from an earlier conversation with Chitose herself. He still remembers it like it had happened a few seconds ago. There was a bitter taste on his tongue, and it was likely the first and only time he'd ever find himself getting put in his place by the woman.

'If you don't get your act together then you'll end up just like you were before Y/N had come into your life…alone. Just because someone has grown comfy with you for several months to a few years doesn't mean they won't leave. If I were Y/N, with the way you act, I would've been long gone by now. Heed my words Tomoyasu and get it together before it's too late.'

Her words echo in his head. He finally takes a breath and watches the clock on the wall tick away. He's hardly finished any work for today and finds himself clocking out much earlier rather than later. His digging through the corridors of his messy mind trying to find the right words to say…the right thing to do. When he finally settles he finds himself hoping deeply that it's truly not too late. When you finally arrive home you park your car and see him standing near the door with a single flower in his hand, your favorite to be exact. This was something he hadn't done since the first date. Come to think of it…was he wearing that same stupid grey bowtie he wore on your first date along with that suit you haven't seen in ages? You squint in confusion and get out of the car before approaching him. "Uhhh…what are you wearing?" You chuckle, forgetting how upset you were earlier. "I'm wearing something dashing for our date, yes?" He jokes with a straight face. Although you see the corner of his lips turning upward into a small smile you pretend with him anyway. "Yeah? And were will be eating then? Some of the shabby ramen from the run down spot on the other side of town?" You tease him as he leads you into the house and then kitchen.

"Actually..." He moves to the side and you gasp when you see the spread on the table. You turn to him and start laughing a bit. "Okay now how the hell did you manage this??" He shrugs and looks over at the setting. "Turns out that old spot hasn't been shut down yet...despite the fact that I'm sure by now they've certainly failed an inspection or two. Anyhow, that's beside the point." He pulls out the chair for you to have a seat and you happily comply. Everything is different yes, but still somehow the same. And you realize just how much you'd come to miss eating crappy take-out with him after a long day of work. You missed hearing him complain about training the new hires at feel good inc. You missed him even sliding a hand along the table and onto the top of your hand.

Missed the soft looks he's giving to you now, a small glint of something more in his eyes. That same old look indicating just how far tonight was about to go.

"My apologies...you know I'm not any good at it but...I'm sorry. I suppose I'd grown too comfortable with you. I forget sometimes this relationship can use a little something more and despite these things being small to me at first, I'd likely be unhappy if I had to never experience them again...likewise if I had to lose you as well. Y/N, I care deeply for you and I want to show you that more and more. If I ever slip up again then you've got my permission to destroy me by your own hand." He apologized sincerely, his hand now rubbing small circles into yours. "No need to tell me because I was going to destroy you anyway for making me feel bad lately." You laughed and he shook his head slightly. You continued, your own mischievous intent now glaring in your eyes.

"I think I'll settle for destroying you after all...so perhaps you should call out of work tomorrow, hmmm?" He doesn't catch on at first until he realized last second what you were leaning into. Thankful he wasn't heading in the opposite direction, he stood up and quickly complied. From that night on, while you rested peacefully on his chest (and he was regaining his breath) he'd made a solitary promise to keep things the way they should be and to always show you just how much you meant to him.

[batsplat]

a silly one: top 5 or 10 naruto ships or dynamics whatever you prefer

ooh excellent ask. it's actually quite tough to make a selection! I do enjoy a lot of canon dynamics that I wouldn't like... necessarily seek out in fandom, but then the stuff I interact with in fandom, what I read fic for and so on, is SO broad and so eclectic that it becomes a struggle to narrow it down. I think I've skewed more towards canon dynamics/relationships I enjoy... there's no fandom I read as broadly for as naruto, including a lot of gen fic - and a lot of it is very team-based stuff, which I'm mostly going to leave out. also, proper niche things that exist only in my head like 'the rin/konan manifesto'. anyway. here goes

10. gaara x naruto: gaara was a top three character of mine when I was a kid (along with temari and itachi). he's very appealing to the edgelord seven year old and I did have his sand gourd as a bag, plus his arc was one of my favourite bits of the manga. his powers are cool as shit, that bit in the forest where he brutally murders the other team and temari goes 'bye bye' is excellent - and then of course there's his main character beat: how naruto can relate to him due to the monster trapped inside. naruto is very big on establishing parallels between its main characters and the various villains, which is all very shounen-y and kinda cliche but, well, it's fun. gaara is still the best execution of that trope, partly because he comes early enough that the central theme of 'isn't it lucky that naruto had friends!!!!' hasn't been done to death. the visual of naruto gradually being surrounded by loved ones while gaara stays alone does work... gaara was just a good character, genuinely creepy and functioning as this primal, unthinking evil, that is gradually revealed to be tragic and alone. the execution of the arc isn't perfect and naruto's power of love bit is already pushing it here, but the whole thing is more or less dramatically satisfying. now, as is so often the case, the whole thing does fall apart after this... gaara just becomes a complete non-entity where we have to assume he does all his character development off-screen, but when he comes back he's basically completely reformed and non-bloodthirsty. now, the problem with having a character whose only character trait is being bloodthirsty, you kinda need to be careful when you're taking away their one thing. don't accidentally make them boring! (it also doesn't canonically really fly to me - gaara isn't insane when we meet him because he has an attitude problem, he's insane because he literally cannot fall asleep and has a deranged monster whispering into his thoughts 24/7. like the attitude shift is a good start, but surely it'll take a bit more work than that.) the inclusion of this relationship on this list really is just about that initial arc and the promise therein, how well they bounced off each other to start with... (you'll find this is a bit of a running theme on this list actually.) I don't really ship them, don't really ship gaara with anyone except maybe rock lee and as far as I'm concerned it's naruto/sasuke 4 lyfe, but y'know. they're good foils. wish gaara had been struggling a little more with the 'not murdering people' thing when they next met. they could've been friends but in an interesting way idk

9. shikamaru/temari: to some extent I do feel like I've aged out of enjoying this relationship in its canon form. I loved it as a kid, in large part because temari was the one token strong woman and it actually felt like this relationship was being conducted on like... even footing. growing up, I have gone off shikamaru in the sense that... well, idk, I think he can be written well and there's plenty of good elements to the character, it's just that he is also a specific flavour of wish fulfilment that threatens to appeal to some of the most annoying types of guy imaginable. it doesn't help that temari slips into irrelevance from shippuden onwards and eventually really is just shikamaru's wife, which. awful! still, they did have strong banter. there's a world in which shikamaru is actually forced to grow up and mature a little more, rather than being treated by the narrative as the super smart moral authority badass cool guy who is right all the time. what I really want from this dynamic is the politics of it all... when we're introduced to these characters, we have these two strategists who are already embroiled in sensitive political situations. while shikamaru mostly still gets to be a kid and is only loosely aware of his father's work, temari is playing a central role in attempting a coup of another village. shikamaru's father is jounin commander and clan leader of one of konoha's more influential clans, roles he is expected to inherit - but he balks at the responsibility and kind of wants everyone to leave him alone. temari's father is the kazekage, her brother is the jinchuriki who she's terrified will murder her every time he loses his temper... she's outwardly far more accepting of her duties, but you can't imagine that's an easy situation, right. there's a lot about their lives that feel very prescribed, from the supportive role they play to the jinchuriki to the lineage-based teams they were assigned to. idk, I feel like the basic potential of a romance between the pair of them is that it gives them the opportunity to... go against all that, to actually make their own choice for once because they've fallen in love with a smart arsehole. I'm also kinda interested in the logistics of inter-village romance, because you have to assume that's not been a common thing but it's barely commented on once it starts cropping up within naruto's generation. especially when it's two figures of shikamaru and temari's stature! I just want a bunch of fun political dramas between these two that aren't painfully heteronormative and lets temari level a forest or two, is that too much to ask for

8. sasori/deidara: look, I could have included any number of akatsuki combinations here. I think they're all fantastic, I enjoy them in canon, I have read a lot of fic for them. I think I read more itachi/deidara fic than sasori/deidara, but that's also just kinda dependent on where the fandom has gone with these characters. this is the gold standard akatsuki teammate pairing: memorable, charming, bonkers. like, they're artists, but they have this fundamental philosophical divide because one is in love with things being temporary and the other with things being eternal... which is expressed by having one blow everything up and the other making himself into a puppet to live forever... that's cinema right there. this dynamic immediately bangs in canon because they just have such easy antagonistic chemistry. they really are both the type of guy who would drive you absolutely insane with their stupid fucking art debates. they're just such vivid characters with such distinctive voices and worldviews... you kinda want to play around with them, right, like they're just fun!! I love them!! obviously also great for au's, like they are annoying grad students they just are... idk I luv them, both platonically and as a ship. how do they work out romantically.... well, probably they don't, unless in a heavily au scenario. they're also kinda on the opposite ends of the... idk what to call it, libido spectrum shall we say, where deidara has got this whole tongue situation and sasori is frozen in this arrested, sterile youth. you kinda need to get weird and freaky with these characters, right, and try to figure out how they would navigate their respective situations. but see, isn't that something that just gets the imagination going! one's a small waif puppet lurking inside a big hulking puppet, the other's got tongues in his hands, doesn't that just stimulate the creative mind. if sasori fell in love with deidara, he would want to make him into a puppet... limitless potential

7. sasuke x itachi: now, listen, this one's a bit of a mess. both of their characterisations become increasingly messy as the series goes on, which given how much of their characters are about each other becomes a kind of downward spiral into incoherency. I'm still not entirely sure what the series' moral stance on itachi's actions is supposed to be - which, look, I'm not saying you need to have a moral stance on everything, but you should try to have SOME kind of coherent framing of the whole ordeal that goes beyond 'wow, that sure sucked for everyone involved'. all this means you can kinda go one of two ways with this dynamic: either you ignore the shippuden twist, or you don't ignore it and let itachi have his 'reasonable motivations' for the uchiha massacre. I do tend to accept this twist... it does give a good explanation for why itachi left sasuke alive beyond 'he wanted to steal his eyes'. my stance on the whole thing is that itachi's heart might generally be in the right place, but he made a truly awful choice and the narrative will never be able to convince me otherwise. if you go from there, you do have a very compelling set-up for that sibling relationship. sasuke is the only person in the world who itachi loves unconditionally; he's protective of his baby brother in a way he simply will never be of anyone else. whereas sasuke has always been defined by itachi, first existing entirely in his shadow and then dedicating his entire life to killing him... itachi is devoted to sasuke and sasuke cannot escape itachi. that's good stuff! classic older sibling/younger sibling dynamic... it's just a dynamic that's so foundational to both of them that even in fics that aren't about that relationship specifically, it's basically unavoidably THERE. the canon is a mess, but the emotional truths that underlie it work

6. minato/kushina: from a storytelling standpoint, I hate naruto being minato's son. naruto's parentage reveal kills his underdog credentials dead in the water and it's very... well he was always gonna be an ultra special boy, wasn't he. like it does kinda destroy the character. unfortunately, I can't ignore his parentage because I do simply love them. yes, this is another relationship that suffers from that thing where all the writing of women is kinda awful. I don't mind their meet cute being kushina's damsel in distress moment when she's being kidnapped - but given how little screen time they have, kushina's badass status ends up being very much an informed trait. let's just take it as read that every woman in this series is done dirty. in any case, the appeal of minato is that he is fundamentally a wife guy. he is kushina's number one fan and wants to live his life being kushina's number one fan. he's also not from a super powerful clan, which I really like; he ends up embodying the democratic ideal that naruto was supposed to. he's also really big on the whole 'gentle smile, kills so so many people' thing, which is always fun imo. kushina gets introduced as this feral naruto-esque girl - and with that sort of thing there's always a massive danger of the girl being like... feminised beyond recognition and concurrently being reduced to housewife status. now there is a little bit of that with kushina, but in my head there really doesn't have to be. in a way, they're really too bland and boring for me to love them as much as I do... they're sweet, though, and I adore team minato. plus, I'm always a sucker for a tragic heterosexual arc

5. hashirama/madara: these two were in love with each other. obviously they were. there's three separate ships on this list that basically function as 'tragic backstories'; this series has a lot of strong tragic backstories. perhaps that's partly because those stories are already for the most part 'finished' by the time they are narrated to the audience, which means we're generally spared any of what this series considers character development. I'm pretty sure I've already posted on this blog before about my dislike for the entire uchiha curse situation and there's definitely quite a lot of annoying things about madara's character too, but luckily most of them don't impact the backstory too much. I love how sweet and innocent they are when they meet, how they're just immediately enamoured with each other, how fate and circumstance conspires to turn them against each other, how they eventually flip the script and irrevocably change the world with their idealism... I just love the kind of rivalry that produces a pair of giant gay ass statues guarding a waterfall. now, as stated above, I don't like the idea that madara ends up fucking it because there's something cursed about his blood. this kind of determinism manages to be both boring and kinda troubling if you think about the implications for more than two seconds. it also sets up naruto and sasuke breaking the cycle, without any indication of why those two specifically manage to break it - sasuke is fundamentally not in a place where he would be closer to breaking it than mr teenage political revolutionary madara. sasuke was accidentally radicalised, my man madara was already there from day one! this story works the best imo if you've got two fundamentally well-intentioned idealistic blokes who have also been traumatised by war and have never entirely been able to let go of the war in their minds... just gradually letting the peace they built slip away. fewer bloodline curses, more generational trauma. I understand bloodline curses can be metaphors for generational trauma, but it's really not here. it just doesn't work. I don't really read a lot for this ship because it's one of those where I have a very specific idea of how I think this dynamic works and the fic out there I've read doesn't quite meet me where I am. but I do love the backstory, do love the dynamic, do love the vibes. plus, cool power match-up

4. sand siblings: my kids!! they show up to konoha, they bully a bunch of the homegrown brats, then they start murdering children in the forest. love a good sibling dynamic and this one has such a fun and unique flavour... beleaguered eldest child temari, snarky and mean and confident but also way out of her league, annoying middle child kankuro who plays at being cocky while also having to reckon with his fundamental lack of power, and lonely youngest child gaara, who initially barely seems to see the other two as siblings at all. obviously, the real meat of this dynamic is that temari and kankuro are absolutely terrified of gaara, who despite his age functions as the de facto leader of their team. it feels quite rare in-universe to have teams that consist of siblings, with a bit of separation between the hierarchical military command structure and actual blood family that actually feels like quite a good idea. suna clearly don't believe in that shit and instead have decided to force these three into what just feels like a horrendous situation for everyone... it's essentially an extension of their childhood household - where temari and kankuro were taught to treat gaara with mistrust and contempt before eventually learning to fear him, while gaara is given little reason to expect any kind of familial affection from his older brother and sister. good and gritty abusive family dynamic... obviously none of these three kids are really to blame with how fucked up that relationship has become, but also all three have understandable reasons to be wary. their early canon dynamic is so interesting, where they're like... kinda comfortable around each other, are mostly quite distanced and professional when interacting amongst themselves and let more of their personalities show to outsiders than each other... kankuro and temari forming a little bit of a united front in containing gaara, but mostly they're just united in their fear of their baby brother... it's compelling! I am compelled! now, I've already given the sparknotes of my issues with gaara and temari's later development and the same broadly holds true of kankuro, plus their relationship in general. they just basically all seem quite fine with each other after naruto's done his talk no jutsu thing. the whole 'gaara becoming kazekage' thing was always a bit weird to me... even in the military dictatorship universe, gaara does not have the prerequisites for that to be a good idea in the slightest. if anything, it does kinda feel like temari should have gotten that job - and I'm not too fussed with her getting it, I actually like her mirroring shikamaru in taking more of a supportive role that allows her to have a little more freedom, but maybe kankuro...? idk, I know it's supposed to be meaningful and emotional because, oh, look at how they've accepted the jinchuriki, but this is the bit of the magic ninja manga that just completely breaks my suspension of disbelief. just ends up falling kinda flat to me. it also ended up unnecessarily preempting naruto's whole thing? weird weird choice, still don't like it, basically I like nothing about the sand siblings writing from shippuden onwards. do love them, though! long live dysfunctional siblings

3. naruto/sasuke: the thing about this pairing is that, look, they are basically canon. naruto is extremely down bad for sasuke and in turn he seems to be the only person sasuke still somewhat gives a shit about. that man certainly doesn't give a shit about sakura... I have read and enjoyed ot3 fic for team 7, I don't inherently think sakura/sasuke is an awful ship or anything, but the way canon does it is just. well. no. anyhow, it's kind of hard to give a concise summary on my take for this pairing in a way I've been doing for the other items of this list, because doing so would basically amount to 'summarise the plot of naruto'. it's the central dynamic of the entire series... their conflict, the different paths they end up taking, whether they can find their way back to each other or not. I've already complained about the actual execution of this arc before, but man are they conceptually compelling. it's sasuke throwing himself in front of haku's needles to save naruto, it's naruto throwing himself in front of a massive snake to save sasuke, it's them taunting and challenging each other throughout those early arcs... the rooftop fight as a furious, terrified sasuke tries to understand how he could have allowed naruto to catch him... the valley of the end, when naruto reaches out and points out all the similarities between them - and sasuke rebuffs him, telling naruto he understands nothing of loss... again, the whack morality of this series does limit the effectiveness of the storytelling because, not to get all edgelord 'sasuke was right' here, but low key... sasuke was right much of the time. he also never actually sunk low enough... the series' stance is that his dedication to his quest of vengeance was basically fine, but the issue was that he didn't go about it with the power of friendship. which, sure, but... idk man. the series kinda lost me when it tried to portray the uchiha massacre as some sort of noble deed. it really lost me with all the curse of hatred stuff. the series never sold me on why these two specifically manage to break the cycle, which is kinda impressive given how much naruto goes on about sasuke over the course of the series. but mooning over an uchiha boy is not enough! this list features multiple instances of a character mooning over an uchiha boy. where I'm at with this pairing is that I passively enjoy it when I'm actually engaging with the source material, don't necessarily seek out fic for them even though obviously it's just... there in a lot of stuff, but do very much conceptually enjoy them. I think it's cool that naruto's gay love changed the ninja world. that's very valid of him

2. kakashi/obito: the impact that finding out kakashi's backstory had on eight year old me needs to be studied. it was one of my absolute absolute favourite bits of the manga to read, just like half a volume that tells this little tragedy of team minato where you have so much of the story still missing but it's sad and horrible because it's kakashi!!! the immediate intrigue of having this naruto-esque uchiha who wasn't in the usual mould of prodigy, but instead only tapped into his potential at the moment of his tragic death. the way he changed kakashi's entire outlook on life!! he saved kakashi multiple times over in his moment of 'death'... idk it just tells you so much about kakashi so quickly and it does all feel like a logical explanation for why the character is Like That, so congrats there. and then, the reveal - well, I was always going to be up for that. tobi is just an inherently funny character, just continuously makes you go 'what is your deal' and 'why are you like this'. he's so whack that he really lends himself to just like... being kinda obsessed with kakashi, stalking him around and all that. really solidifies how basically the only bits of shippuden worth engaging with are the super akatsuki-focused ones. and then the reveal!! the tragedy of it all!! look, I'm always going to raise an eyebrow on a ship that relies on the death of a woman for the emotional whump, and I change my mind a lot about how to tackle the rin problem (I do love her, but mainly just the version of her that exists in my head - canon does not give us A Lot) (and in general I am very up for team minato content). all that being said.... I'm gonna be real, I love that backstory too. I don't think it's executed all that well, obito's emotional arc is a bit of a mess, but the twelve year old boy in my heart finds the scene where obito comes across rin being killed by kakashi and murders everyone there minus kakashi so extremely sick. and the fight between kakashi and obito is clearly the best thing that happens in that entire endless bloody ninja war. doubles down on the pathos with the sad music and all that shit, and it actually kinda works for me. I think kakashi should get to redeem his childhood rival turned deranged enemy and live happily ever after with him, as a treat

1. sakura/ino: in many ways not really the type of dynamic I usually go for, given the animosity between them is... y'know, not that serious and also a bit of a non-issue post time skip. like with many things in this world, I have this version of the story that exists in my head where their rivalry remains like... a major part of the story throughout. anyway they mean the world to me... this imbalance between them, ino with the clan heritage and the popular cool girl vibes protecting the shy little common brat with the big forehead... I like that they had a stupid argument over a boy and made it into this insane competition about who will be the best ninja. I like their chunin exam fight!! in-universe it's kinda mid-on-mid girl-on-girl, but in the version of this series that exists in my head and allows the women to actually be equally powerful to the blokes... idk isn't there something insanely romantic about them matching each other perfectly, about their mental tussle, how sakura overcomes the combat advantage ino holds due to her upper class status through sakura's sheer force of will/derangement... basically I think they should get to challenge each other and maybe also attempt to kill each other? my ideal sakura arc is one that really leans into her normie status and gives her some girl power wish fulfilment in spite of it. you can have her fully rebel against the status quo and have her sympathise with sasuke, you can have her go the tobirama-esque hardliner route, the prejudiced genius who will do anything to defend her village and reform it in line with her standards, or you can have her go the more academic route where she does a bunch of weird medical experiments idk. (the three genders: madara, tobirama, or orochimaru.) or, well, that's how EYE saw her development going - I just think there's space for something a lot more substantive than 'what if tsunade, but without all the genetic advantages and political power'. idk! with ino, my god... she's already linked to the interrogation department... they made her the obligatory girl medic when she should be working with the torture people... to me conceptually ino should always end up working in opposition to sakura whatever route you want to send her down. and you need to include as much mind fuckery as possible, because it's fundamentally fun and valid to have a ship where your two characters can do deranged things to each other in their brains. anyway, look, obviously all of this is straying pretty far away from the canon dynamic. sakura has that female main character thing of not being particularly well characterised and easy to project onto, which means you can kinda do whatever with her - and obviously I have now kinda been doing whatever with her for many years. I do think they're neat. I stand by them being neat

[no-psi-nan]

I probably didn't phrase that the best way cuz it was a spur-of-the-moment post lol so that's my bad! I'm looking for conversations, basically anything that can build a friendship.

The distinction I'm making here is that "verbal" means "using words". Saiki talks verbally with his family and the Psychickers all the time, he just doesn't use his mouth for it.

And usually when people mean "nonverbal" in real life, it's unintentional or perhaps a choice made to conserve spoons, but Saiki specifically chooses not to speak in order to create distance from other people.

If Saiki had used nonverbal gestures to participate in a conversation, then I'd count that (ex. if he'd participated in the fairy tale conversation by pointing at a book or openly agreeing with someone's take).

However, iirc he only uses nonverbal communication for practical things like agreeing or disagreeing with plans being made.

But just agreeing to cake or trying to stop really inconvenient vacation plans doesn't lead to the kind of friendship/relationship-building conversation I was looking for.

At least with conveying Makoto's message Teruhashi had a chance to learn something about Saiki based on how he said it, y'know? And the Canada project would've been a good opportunity for them to work together and get to know each other - except they were apparently just reading books in the library and we don't know if they ever actually did the rest of the project. If they'd comforted each other or worked together directly on the island, that could've been an opportunity. 🤔 But it's heavily implied that they didn't.

And yeah, Saiki doesn't talk with most of the cast that we see but he does hang out way more with Kaido and Nendo, for example, and we know he's hanging out off-screen on the regular with them. He's probably not participating in conversations with them either tbh but maybe he occasionally agrees or disagrees openly with them. 🤷🏾 It's implied that we pretty much see all of his interactions with Teruhashi though, so it's unlikely any relationship-building is happening off-screen.

The Psychickers get to have verbal communication with him, and even though a lot of it is practical conversation, they're quickly picking up what Saiki is actually like and Saiki ends up learning stuff from them that he experiments with (misattribution of arousal, trying to use Aiura's powers for the volcano, etc). It's a give and take that deepens their relationship, to where Saiki allows Toritsuka to drape himself all over him and eventually trusts him to take care of his friend group and to do the right thing, and to where he learns to work seamlessly with Aiura and even agrees to hang out privately with her, and to where he's openly petty to Akechi 😂

I'm just wondering like... Did Teruhashi ever get the chance to get to know Saiki even the slightest bit before throwing away her career to follow him to Medicare College lol? Have they really only ever had two conversations, one about her brother and one about Saiki jumping out of the window to avoid her??

It just seems so bizarre that Teruhashi was set up as a really interesting character but then kinda locked into an obsession with a guy she doesn't know anything about and has barely spoken to even though she's been forcing him into situations for literally 6 years in a row... And then she's just left like that. She never questions it, she never reaches a tipping point with her dedication to perfection, she never wonders if maybe her life shouldn't revolve around men lol.

BUT tbh I only really care about 3.5 Saiki characters so I could have missed a conversation, which is why I opened it up to the crowd to see if there was anything deeper that I missed.

Does that make sense at all? Wrote half of this while on the phone and I'm off to dinner lol

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Writing Amy Pond & A Different "Doctorification"

I'm not gonna lie- I appreciate the arc that the show had going for Amy when they weren't actively messing it up/contradicting it/writing borderline unwatchable episodes (y'know, the whole losing faith in the Doctor/growing up/choosing a life outside of the TARDIS thing), but I am having so much fun teasing out Amy's characterization in this fic series. This characterization of her that is highly based in how she acts specifically in The Eleventh Hour/Beast Below/Vincent and the Doctor, this sort of kindness with an edge, the girl who can figure things out because of her empathy and her ability to think outside the box.

We always think about Doctorification in sort of "dark" terms in this fandom, especially when it comes to the example of Clara. Like, these characters who find themselves becoming these more dangerous, ruthless version of themselves, like with Martha and Clara and Davros' whole "Children of Time" speech in Journey's End. (And I do like Clara's corruption/obsession/ruthlessness/mutual-codependence-until-it-destroys-them arc, trust me, even if I find it a little weak in places- it fascinates me.)

But what I am finding when writing Amy is that she's getting this sort of "Doctorification" arc. There is something buried in her backstory that has always struck me as desperately lonely (outside of the one-episode Mel reveal), this kid who was considered "mad" or just a "troublemaker" by everyone she knew and yet instead of letting that make her resentful to the world, it just made her kind. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)

And the character arc I'm writing for her is about her learning how to use her kindness/empathy to save the day, especially when it comes to her developing relationship with the TARDIS and how she connects with it on a level really only seen with the Doctor. She's already "flown" the TARDIS twice in this series (though it was nearly entirely the TARDIS who did the flying itself) and was the one to figure out that Idris was the TARDIS, because of the connection she's made with the TARDIS itself over the years, this sort of love and understanding that passes between each other due to being mutual "thieves"/"mad"/lonely/having care/love for the Doctor.

It's about how she can pick locks, which I know is a detail only mentioned in the Beast Below but I think that it points not just to the fact that Amy clearly got into trouble as a kid, but that she is clever in a way that the show didn't always let her be. She can think outside the box.

And I think it's these three things: loneliness, kindness/empathy, and cleverness/thinking-outside-the-box that I think are allowing Amy to sort of get her "Doctorification" arc in the middle of her other arcs involving her relationship to River and her romantic relationship with the Doctor/Rory.

And I really hope I can pull off something cool with it in the middle of balancing the Doctor's arc (especially as he becomes Thirteen), Bill's story, River's story (and the associated Clara story), and Rory's arc as well. It's a bit harder to juggle it all when they're not all pointing in the exact same direction (as they were with the Master arc) but I'm doing my best to pull it off. There might be slightly longer gaps between updates (maybe three days instead of two) at times, but right now it's really shaping up. I've just got to maneuver all the pieces into place.

For now, we have a reunion fic to get to and maybe some proper flying lessons for Amy and River- they've earned it by now, don't you think?

[mirror-to-the-past]

Battling Vanitas for the first time as Ventus. Other assorted BBS thoughts below.

Alright, based off the intro sequence with Ventus' messed up heart where Ventus connected his heart with someone else's, the fact that Vanitas is established as an alter-ego of Ventus' (if we can believe Xehanort at all, which, after finishing the Terra route where he manipulates and manslaughters his whole way through, eh), the fact that Sora's VA also voiced Vanitas (I didn't recognize his voice at all! I'm impressed!)- to which I first debated inwardly if it was plot-relevant or coincidental, but now... noticing how Ventus and Vanitas both do the "See ya!" Sora would always do after fire spells... I can't help but think the casting was deliberate in some way. Maybe Ventus connects with Sora's heart in the intro, which would influence older Sora to do his little "See ya!" as well when he does fire spells, and would also explain why on earth Roxas looks like Ventus- something that has been bugging me the entire time. If that happens in the past though... the ramifications of what that would mean on his identity, Sora fusing his "new heart" (that "I'm a new heart line" is particularly one that's stuck with me in regards to this theory) as stated in the intro with Ventus' from such a young age... I don't know, I just find it interesting. How much of Sora would be Sora, and how much of Sora would be Ventus? I definitely see the similarities between them, but hm... if the story decides to go in that direction, I wouldn't be too surprised, given how much it likes exploring messy and enmeshed identity. I'd additionally feel more sad for Roxas as a character, because damn not even your face is yours, bestie.

P.S. I'm very impressed with how Roxas'/Ventus' VA so effectively and immediately demonstrated two very different personalities with the same voice, yet different tones.

P.P.S. I have to get it out of my system: The Destiny Islands section that took me off-guard during Terra's story has been haunting my brain. I figured we might see younger Sora and Riku at some point in the story, given their brief appearance at the end of the intro movie, but I had admittedly kind of forgotten about them until that scene. And WOW, Riku emitted more light than multiple Princesses of Heart?? You're kidding me, right? Was this only not noticable when he was older because he was shrouded in the darkness of teenage angst, has he lost this quality, or some other reason? I was wondering if it was just a childlike innocence thing, but Terra didn't really even seem to care or particularly notice Sora, so alright. The silver-haired kiddo is quickly ascending into Chosen One status, as per the narrative (I'll need to verify with tiny Kairi's heart, to be sure. This is a threat, SE. If I don't see a tiny Kairi happy and healthy in Radiant Garden before its destruction, I'll go bonkers). That was sort of touched upon in KH1 with Riku being the "rightful wielder" of the Keyblade- but I now question how much of that was influenced by Terra sort of anointing him spontaneously, and how much of that was Riku just being some wonder kid from the get-go. It would definitely explain his long-standing desire to go to other worlds and... apparently just a strong intuition at their existence from a very young age, outside of just childlike imagination (and he doesn't seem particularly whimsical as a child, moreso a very solemn one that I could imagine being reluctant to play around other kids at group times- y'know, the articulate but shy types where you have to help them warm up to others. It's really highlighting how unnatural and forced Riku's KH1 tough-guy act was, seeing him as he is in the present, and as a small child. It seems that innately, while doing some competitive talk on occasion, Riku's much more gentle and thoughtful in demeanor than he'd like to let on, sometimes.). I'm also very intrigued by little Riku's knowledge of 'some kid' that left the Islands before. How did he come across that information, I wonder? And the fact that Terra caught a glimpse of Xehanort and older Riku in what seemed like a brief prophetic instinct for some reason in that moment makes me assume that Xehanort was a Destiny Islands' native himself, then, which would, of course, make him that 'kid' that little Riku mentioned. Although it was established in KH1 that Xehanort saw himself in Riku's desire towards freedom, it's really becoming interesting just how linked the two seem to be. Xehanort's unwillingness to fully relinquish his hold upon Riku as a vessel or person of influence might run deeper than simply "muaha, I am evil villain."

And I couldn't help but clutch my heart at the "to protect the things that matter, y'know, like my friends!" On top of him letting Sora win the race across the dock. He really was such a sweetheart to Sora, from the very beginning. It's such a shame that Riku ended up isolating himself so much from him with age; you can clearly see Riku thought the world of him from day one. I don't mean to sound too much like a doting grandmother- but what a sweet kid. He should probably know better than to take Keyblades from strangers, though. (I laughed at how Sora seemed to notice Terra and just go "ooo-kay, moving on." At least some kids know stranger-danger, lol!) I wonder if either of them remember Terra, present day? Probably not, haha.

Okay, that's nearly everything out of my system so far. I've not gotten too invested in the overall story so far, admittedly. I mainly attribute this to most of the dialogue feeling pretty clunky. I know I've poked fun at occasional cheesy lines across the games, but Birth By Sleep especially seems... eh. I'm also spoiled after jumping here directly after finishing 358/2 Days, which had some lovely dialogue, in my honest opinion. Gameplay is awesome, though! I've decided to try to explore different combat styles with each character to really get the full effect. Physical/Earth centric stuff is what I decided for Terra, of course, and I'm trying more status-affecting and Thunder/Wind stuff for Ventus. Hehe, I like theming them. (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

Oh, but they're all going to have Break Time, of course. I found that during Terra's run, and I must see what the others do. My new favorite skill, lol.

Anyway... back to getting my butt beaten by Vanitas in all of his mysterious totally-not-linked-to-Sora glory... at least I've got Mickey Mouse now (Oh, and don't get me started how he wields the key Sora used for duel wielding in KH2, as opposed to the one he's had in the other games).

EDIT: HOLD THE FUCKIN PHONE, I *KNOW* I JUST HEARD AN EDGIFIED MOTIF OF SORA'S THEME IN VANITAS' COMBAT THEME JUST NOW.

[onsunnyside]

I sent my ask too quickly last time feel free to ignore the unfinished one lmao

But based off the nonnie who asked if Stevie and Bambi had watched porn yet.

Imagine if you will

Bambi:

Steve and her have finally settled into a routine, she feels safe with him and him only, he has her laid out in his lap, her back against his chest. Her legs locked over his knees spread out, that way she can't close em even if she tries.

His laptop is open in front of them both, his lips by her neck- a hand palming her tits the other presses between her legs. It's the fourth time shes cum and her words won't even come out of her brain nonetheless her mouth and Steve is just like

"is Bambi to delicate for this? C'mon baby, thought you said you wanted what they're doing?"

"you shoulda told me you couldn't handle it- I can stop right now if you'd like"

And his hand slowly starts to drift off. But Bambi in her whiny state just grabs his wrist encouraging him to stay. To which of course he continues to teaser her for.

Stevie:

So he's more aquatinted to the world as we all know it and has done some research for himself I imagine. Maybe with technological help at first but I'm sure he got the grip of it eventually.

I think the idea of toys would just make him feral. Say the reader already had some if her own of he encouraged her to get some.

He has her splayed out on her back in bed, his tablet is by her head and as much as he loves her looking at him he makes her keep her head turned to the side watching some faceless girl and guy, Stevie doesn't really care about them he's more focused on what's going on downstairs.

He's copying everything from the video like some rehearsed choreography he's gone over a million times, and no matter how much you shake he just won't stop.

"more sunshine please, I don't want hurt. Never want hurt but want more too."

"Can handle yes? Can be my sunny. My full sunny?"

Bucky:

Now Tarzan Bucky is the odd man out here, we don't know much about him. But he's big. And I imagine him being most confused my the subject of porn at first, like why would they film how they're getting warm or making babies y'know? But I figured he's be the best able to have a one on one communication about his sexual curiosity- he seems the most blunt to me. So him and reader would probably have a very open dialogue discovering porn with him and what their both willing to try vs what their limits are.

I also think buck would be the best at using systems, like the traffic light system or etc.

He could end up being as much of a penetration fan as the reader in my mind. Like he'd be totally on board to get fucked I think.

….I’m in love bestie, this is so😌😵‍💫

[hopeymchope]

Honestly, anon finds these discussions about "which deaths we would swap" to be kind of creepy. It's like we have a god complex, talking about who we think deserves to live and who deserves to die. It's one of anon's biggest pet peeves about the Danganronpa fandom; we talk so much about "who we think should have died" that it's kind of ghoulish. It's like what Gandalf said in Lord of the Rings: many dead people deserve to live, but we can't give life to them, so we shouldn't decide death either.

I think we can drawn a pretty thick line between rewriting scripted, fake deaths and having a morbid, delusional fixation on rewriting the deaths of actual people. At the end of the day, every fictional game or movie or tv or book franchise is still something someone had to write. To start the whole thing off, someone had to just type up a text document and store it on their computer, y'know? Which means that some regular person or people really did decide who was going to live and who was going to die in the story.

In the case of Danganronpa, Kazutaka Kodaka is the "god" who got to determine the course of all these characters' lives for as long as we'd know them. The same is true of any writer. To use an example you referenced: Tolkien had to decide to kill that one child of Denothor (yes I'm seriously going to dance around naming the character just in case it'd spoil LotR for somebody). Then he had to write down the details of how it happened. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was just some mortal, but he had total control over that fictional reality. Yet I wouldn't fault him for killing a character for dramatic purposes, y'know? When you write fiction, you are ultimately taking those fictional characters you create/adopt and deciding upon the path their lives will take. And you make those decisions based on what's best for the story - not based on whether you like the character or whether it's the most satisfying possible time in their lives.

And none of that is even accounting for the fact that in fictional works, we often want to see or follow very different rules for who lives and dies than anyone would ever want to see apply to reality. For example: Just because you might expect any teenager who drinks alcohol in an old slasher movie to get killed, and you even might write those kinds of deaths if you had to create some kind of '80s throwback horror movie, that doesn't mean you'd EVER wish that kind of thing on real people of ANY age.

So to me, to sit around and talk about how you'd change someone else's written work isn't really any different than writing a fanfic, or from being anyone who writes anything that's made up. It's interesting to note, though, that Shuichi would agree with you on this whole point due to the horrific meaning of "fiction" in his reality. The idea of viewers in the world of V3 contemplating how they would've written a particular season differently? I guess it'd be like if a bunch of Americans sat around together, discussing who they personally would've liked to see escape and/or get killed during that week's most recent mass shooting. ................ And although that sounds pretty fucked up, I'm just realizing that it ALSO sounds like a way of working through that third stage of grief.

Ultimately, I guess what I'm saying is a long-winded way of delivering a simple "Don't take it too seriously, because we all know that nobody is actually getting hurt here; it's just a discussion about writing." But even so, I think it's natural to sometimes find a fictional world that gets you SO invested that the deaths and the drama hit you like a truck. So maybe you're simply trying to say that this kind of thing feels painful to you because of how invested you are? Maybe it just gives you a feeling of the macabre in some loose, undefinable way... and maybe that's just because you care that much. And I'd say: There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But if we really had godlike power and the world of DR actually existed in some multiversal sense, I assume most of us would opt to stop all the deaths entirely. We're not psychos. .......Or maybe we wouldn't all choose to stop Junko's or Korekiyo's deaths, because they're essentially serial killers. But you get what I mean.

[larrythefloridaman]

Y'all like your deities with or without the shell?

Under the readmore is aaaaaaaaall color god observations and musings based on them, because I am studying to become the world's Premiere Chromatheologian and RGB Understander so under the cut is pretty much Oops! All Spoilers! up to the most recent episode of season 3.

Apparently Universal Color God Attributes:

Damage to their domain hurts them, but fixing the issue, or lashing out by using their powers destructively, can help them to repair the damage.

If they sustain enough damage, it can temporarily paralyze them and send them into a strengthened but 'exposed' state (chartreuse's spirit activation in the last fight of 19) and further damage after that will activate a failsafe, which is unique by domain but seemingly designed to give them the chance to balance things, but can get… very out of hand or backfire depending on circumstances. (see: cobalt’s failsafe sending mark's universe into a never-ending apocalyptic war because word of the cure for death became too widespread for the killing urge failsafe to affectively balance anything because every side could simply revive their fallen.)

Chartreuse's failsafe is something of a stopped time bubble quarantine where processes that require the passing of time cannot complete, allowing her the time to wear down the offending party to beat them to death or plan around finishing them.

Cobalt's is inciting war, the casualties serving to balance the scale. I'm not sure we know Crimson's yet- he's never taken enough direct damage without doing damage to compensate in order to trigger it, although i dont remember season one well enough to recall if any of the universe stuff in it tracks with the pattern bc season one is a bit fucky

Connected in a fashion that allows them to simply Sense the overall status of the others to some extent, although they don't know Why theyre in the state theyre in without asking (chartreuse [and by extension, folk, presumably on her information] confronting crimson via crimsonaut for pretending to be dead, Cobalt confronting both his siblings about how they are handling their duties improperly but not knowing about Folk. He knew about the constants deaths because hes a death god, duh, but he didnt use their names like crimson did, possibly implying they're erased upon death so thoroughly that only crimson and the constants can really recall a shattered constants' existence, not even the other guardians.)

Abilities of the guardians can be replicated by mortals through three apparent methods- through machines (dimensional bus, the time machine, presumably J0hn's part in Sephiroth's resurrection,) simply through advanced enough individual skill (Home MD curing death, potentially Dantoinette's universe portal travel, maybe Genwun's sped up time bubble that evolved them into Genfour? although that could very well have just been an illusion and theyre just like, a fuckin theater kid that was doing pretend character development for the Bit or something given GenFive turned out to be a zoroark) or through stealing some of the power of the relevant god (Dr. Order stealing Chartreuse's power, Dani maybe having stolen some of Crimson's when she beat his ass. Dani's one woman universal travel is like, wicked ambiguous)

Cobalt:

Can seemingly perceive or act through any living material. (The Tree. Cobalt instructed Larry to slap his hand on that tree, that shit glowed and he had a new deal tattoo without Cobalt ever having been physically present)

Can influence the resurrected by giving them a killing urge. Represented by an aberrant brainwave and a ringing in the undead's heads. This doesnt appear to be direct control- as the Grunk could clearly restrain himself from killing people that genuinely didn't deserve it (like nightly and cha cha, who WERE grunk event targets but not fatally so. Nagito was a crimson thing so it really doesn't count here. God poor grunk his life really is just a constant plaything in the hands of the gods huh) and Sephiroth very much had personal motivation to want to kill Folk. failsafe activates this ability on the scale of war.

Deals. The extent of what Cobalt can do with these is unclear but Iggy's god powers were taken from him as his part in the deal so what he can take isn't limited to physical things or things obviously related to his domain.

Weaknesses:

Deals. While this ability is impressive his preference for making deals for those that offend against his domain is potentially very exploitable- Larry's knowledge of the cure for death is, if word of it were to ever get out beyond Larry, wildly dangerous for this dimension, so technically the safest thing for the iron-fisted cobalt to do would be to nip the problem in the bud and get rid of him. But, fascinatingly, that wasn't even put on the table, the first thing Cobalt does is threaten J0hn, prompting Larry to make a deal. While Cobalt enforces death, he also doesn't like unnecessary death, and Larry demonstrably knows how to keep a secret for the good of the world even at great cost to himself and Cobalt is aware of this- easily clarifying to Larry the aberrant thing endangering the universe wasn't his timeloop business. So while he's clearly not letting his resurrection fuckery go unpunished, he's being pretty merciful when he doesn't have to be and from a strictly, brutally pragmatic perspective probably shouldn't be.

His control over the undead manifests as a ringing and an aberrant brainwave trackable by J0hn's equipment, and could probably therefore be accounted for and circumvented? J0hn has, wisely, largely sworn off fucking with people's brains after the sephiroth fiasco went So Wrong, So Very Wrong, Oh God Oh Fuck Someone Cool Almost Died, but if he hadn't, and if J0hn let his dislike for authority and keeping Larry safe outweigh reason like he let safety, spite and comedic value outweigh good ethical sense when reprogramming sephiroth, in theory Mr. 'hacked a time machine for breakfast?' could. y'know. probably do it. what is a god's authority to an anarchist, what better to challenge life and death than the cold and eternal machine, you get the point its a fun scenario

Olive Garden Breadsticks and Small Cute Dogs, apparently

Chartreuse's:

Time Clones: taps into parallel timelines to retrieve alternate versions of herself to utilize.

Time Travel: what it says on the tin. Travel to the past creates painful splits in the prime timeline, but through careful action and traveling back into the past, these can be weaved into a time loop. A split from the timeline is a wound, and a successful timeloop is the surgical scar it can become with attentive care, to use a medical metaphor. Carefully closed and healing. Keeping Folk here is essentially akin to chartreuse pulling out her stitches on the initial incision.

Time Stopping: creates a space wherein things that take time to complete cannot complete, where things can move, but everything within is in a perfect unchanging stasis until the bubble drops. This is the form her failsafe takes.

Timeline Creation: can create timelines from scratch.

Can fuse alternate timeline versions of the same individual to allow them to coexist. (Ryan's confirmed in the discord that Dantoinette experienced both failures in 20, because Chartreuse fused the two instances of her to save the post-raid instance from fading. Could... theoretically do this to Folk and save herself the pain, but while Folk and Therapuppy are the same person, there's seven years and untold amounts of difference deriving from the time and circumstance between them and the inherent cognitive dissonances that would result from attempting that would be wicked fucked up to inflict, and that's assuming there isn't some reason that it wouldn't be possible anyway. while the two Danis had like. A day or so's difference between them, so she could be safely fused with the only dissonant thing being that she remembers both being too slow to prevent order's time escape and beginning to dissipate post-raid, AND losing that fight to her pre-raid. RIP Dani, that perfectionism must be kicking her ass)

Weaknesses:

Unwilling to use her powers destructively in her pursuit of domain repair and thereby much easier to damage to the point of paralyzing her, making her particularly vulnerable to Power Theft

Morally Optimistic. At one point in 19, she briefly justifies Crimson's shitty evil actions to herself after experiencing for herself how Wack the kerfuffleverse is firsthand, ("and all he did was kill a couple people!" Chartreuse. Honey.) and when she fights Crimsonaut she seems to actually believe for a second that he's actually worried about her when Crimson asks if she's okay after he beats her. Additionally, as D+, she concerns herself with trying to understand doctor order's motive, and after Larry defeats Order, he makes a point of confirming she feels no remorse before making his request for what Chartreuse does with her, and appeals to the idea of letting Order fulfill her desire to be a god in a way which isn't a problem for anyone and Chartreuse is more than happy to oblige under these conditions after what Larry's done for everybody. Then immediately threatens to evaporate him for playfully teasing her about having a crush on folk. Fucked up a little bit

Crimson's:

Universe Shifting: Travel between universes.

Universe Correction: appears to replace an aberrant individual with the 'correct' version of themselves for that universe, presumably sending them back to their own. (Mario from super mario was universe corrected, but still seemingly exists in wario form as evidenced by smashup kerfuffle, and was simply temporarily replaced with his corrected universe counterpart. But like. The dimensional bus system is still active crimbo doing the Put That Thing Back Where It Came From Or So Help Me routine aint gonna work if they can come back with a shrug and bus fare. you're fighting the symptoms without treating the problem)

Universal Constants:

Three individuals per universe that serve as the pillars which stabilize said universe, created by absorbing red orbs Crimson creates. Becoming a constant grants power, but also makes the constant fragile, and death wipes them from the face of the multiverse, only crimson, those he's possessed and the other constants seemingly able to recall they ever existed, although some physical evidence is still left behind (Larry's record of Nagito's death, which is just as redacted as everything else relating to him but still is very much something Larry has. Kind of a Voidfish adventurezone type beat ironically enough? Taako really has seen all this shit before no wonder he peaced tf out)

To counterbalance the weaknesses the constants have, they have a sort of spidey-sense to alert them to danger, and an intrinsic bonded connection to their fellow constants, and additionally, Crimson apparently doesn't suffer any pain from the death of constants or the structural instability of a universe.

Possession: what it says on the tin! Seemingly can only be done with permission to living things- none of crimson's direct hosts seem to have entered that agreement unwillingly, Valentine lost a bet, Hamburger and Crimsonaut have been by all evidence intentional allies to Crimson- but electronics are fair game, as seen with The Guy's suit. Kinda curious how that rule applies to bitches that are half and half, like J0hn or the clonebot gang, as its unclear whether The Guy's suit was yoinkable without permission because it was mechanical or because its not sentient. could go either way but if it's the former that's potentially very frightening

Fusion: Two individuals from alternate universes can be fused into one shared body which can take on aspects of either depending on which is currently in control. (possibly allows someone who traveled into a given universe to become a fixed resident there without it being an issue for Crimson, whose job is to prevent interdimensional travel?) Monday Mark and possibly T.O.M. are our main examples.

Corruption:

Unpleasant As Hell and can even kill you instead of changing you if you cant handle it.

turns the corrupted individual into a twisted exaggeration of themself, allows them supernatural control over their shape, and makes them very difficult- if not impossible by traditional means- to kill, based on Garfield.

Subjects them to control by Crimson, but can be exorcised of this influence just like crimson's direct hosts can, although the supernatural changes to their physiology are seemingly permanent, judging from Shantae.

Notable Weaknesses:

Exorcism can be performed to free a possessed or corrupted individual of Crimson's influence. Its unclear how exorcism works/is learned in CPUK, but confirmed exorcists: dantoinette and yung papaya's snake dad, confirmed non-exorcists: folk

The universal constant orbs are physical objects so they are Very Stealable and they grant a power boost so theres literally an Incentive to beat his ass for anybody who wants to be strong and either doesnt know or doesn't care about the whole 'getting erased when you die' part

Crimson has lots of tools to create pawns, but all of them have drawbacks. Corruption could kill a potential pawn, possession generally seems to require permission, and he has no control over the constants' choices and actions

Manipulative bitch's highest stat is charisma and it shows. This motherfucker is selling snake oil. If he was mortal rather than a Whole Entire God he'd make an excellent ineffectual saturday morning cartoon supervillain and i think everyone, including him, would be happier for it, ngl

Something interesting ive realized that likely wasnt fully intentional, is that a lot of Dr. Order's creations, considering her motive, can kind of be sorted by a color god it appears to be a crude attempt at mimicking the abilities of. My Grunk is a poorly executed resurrection, the clonebot gang vs chartreuse's timeclones (this one deserves special mention because Chartreuse used this shitty attempted mimicry to her advantage with D+, very smart and ironic play, excellent job Treusy,) spirits are somewhat similar to universal constant orbs (orbs which can be absorbed to grant power, but which have physical repercussions- key differences being that spirits require activation and grow stronger while attuning to a user without being used, and having far less severe drawbacks, taking a heavy toll on the body, but only once they've worn off and without the risk of wiping yourself from the face of existence,) and she also augmented Perfect Spriteman and Larry, which kind of track as crude imitations of Crimson's corruption!

Garfield was an acerbic cat who loved food and hated mondays, now its an actively malicious ever-hungry amorphous entity whose only weakness is monday and whose only consistency in form is 'cat-like.'

Shantae was (to my extremely limited understanding of shantae,) a friendly heroic type who had to introduce herself often, and she became something akin to a biblically accurate angel that can *only* introduce herself.

The Grunks a tough but sweet and supportive single dad with stage presence and a tendency to fly off the handle when he or his family are slighted, and now he gets so hype in the audience when his son does well that he bursts into flames and ascends and we get random grunk events along with the associated murder charges when he gets mad and the target sucks enough that he doesn't hold himself back from killing them.

Perfect Spriteman and Larry fit the trend of exaggeration of already present traits- Spriteman fucking loves sprite and became something that only thinks about sprite, and Larry the Florida Man, characterized from minute one by unpredictability and who spent his first matches in the series pre-shapeshifter transformation staying alive keeping stocks for Shockingly Long even despite getting seventh, became literally physically random as well as developing the ability to regenerate, albeit with the ability to feel pain normally very much intact, unlike Garfield just... Soaking up damage like its nothing in his pursuit of Jon. The fact that Arbuckle legit defeated Garfield, even temporarily, is terrifyingly impressive honestly that dude is fucking built different for being so chronically bland

i dont think they're actually corrupted in any meaningful way we have to worry about, to be fully clear, Spriteman was cured with fucking antacids, i simply think they could be a fucked up attempt at making something that kind of seems like it from a functional standpoint, from the wannabe god doctor that brought us green clones whose only fundamental association with time was accelerated aging and who thought an actively rotting corpse thats just reanimated enough that it can throw hands was as good as curing death

[one-last-puku]

I also saw the post that Beemoov seems to confirm that Love Life is ending soon.

I just get this sinking feeling it's ending for good this time. I saw my mcl life flash before my eyes and that's not a good sign.

Admittedly, what more is there to do with Candy's story now? What are they going to do now? Sure, they could have her get married and have kids, but a lot of people really aren't behind that and for me, what's the point? I'm personally not that maternal either(by myself that is), myself and it's not even with Ken.

I mean, due to the fact Ken has been killed off for nearly 3 years now, I've been able to step back and see the story for what it is as a story. There just isn't much there, in my opinion and with Beemoov, I can't see them making marriage and having kids interesting. I dunno.

I mean, as for me, since losing Ken and my real life love, I've just... lost the energy for otomes in general. These days I much prefer fantasy or even sci-fi, but Eldarya just doesn't cut it for me, especially since none of the available choices catch my eye or seem my type. I dunno, I'm just tired. I used to get so excited to play MCL, I always looked forward to seeing Ken again. It felt like he was real in his own way, y'know? I just liked the everyday, domestic feel of Highschool life. Sure, I love drama and sex, but my gosh, it's just... so unimactful in Love Life (I didn't get far in University Life.), it's just stress and stress and stress and not fun most of the time.

If My Candy Love were to become fresh again, there needs to be a new, innovative, coat of paint to bring energy to the game. Perhaps new mechanics, new ways to play, maybe do more than just a visual novel, but they just don't care about innovation anymore. They seem to only care about how it can generate money, how it can be comparable to other similar games. You can't even freaking play an episode when it comes out without visiting the bank. Holy shit, you can't play a whole episode when it comes out, much less replay like they expect you to do, without paying out the wazoo. Holy moly, I've said it before, but the player base isn't stupid, it won't generate anything but frustrated and unhappy players to be so blatantly not free to play. Not to mention, it's all a trick! The whole episodes, if you calculate it, are not WORTH the amount it costs to play them.

Sure, you can trick people into paying for bland, tasteless, uninspired episodes, but at what fucking cost!? No one truly enjoys playing like they used to. Even people who love the new LIs, ask yourself, are you really happy playing the game when it's not the rare romantic occasion with said LI? Maybe some of the drama is a bit interesting, but aren't we just grasping for something to hold onto?

We have given suggestions on how to better help them make the earnings, but they insist their master marketing plan is fool proof. I don't know about anyone else, but this is miserable. I'm trying so hard to enjoy little plot scraps that seem mildly entertaining like the police side stories, because I've loved this game for so long, but I'm miserable.

I'm miserable because I used to have so much fun in the community, mods used to be heard, the team even seemed to have more fun and enjoyed creating for the game. Everything is so rushed, it seems that perhaps they have fun with yearly events, and even I enjoy those, but now it all feels so grey and corporate. We used to have a connection with the game team, but over the years they've insisted on distancing themselves from the players. I get where it's come from, but something must be done, or it's just over from then on. It'll never blossom again.

I'm just tired, I ended up getting a bit spirited in the end and now my thoughts are all jumbled, so I aught to end it here, but I just wanted to share my feelings.

Everything just feels so wrong now. Everything feels so dead and stale.

Edit: Admittedly, yes, there are some things that I've enjoyed, but just... let me have this rant this time without having to OCD police and quintuple check what I wrote to clarify every possible avenue to cover my tracks of missing something and the psychological warfare.

[rsmrymnt-tea]

Okay I know this is a lot of asks tonight I'm sorry but I'm just thinking like

I just thought about the name Cat(3) and like.. I think (ignoring reducing his character to this one trait) they get Satan's cat thing wrong. Like he should be Weird about it!! Super weird!!

Like you find out he likes cats and it first it seems normal but then you find out that he goes to the vet to watch cat surgeries or something.

Solomon encourages the weirdness as well so sometimes they have the most obscure cat debates in your chat (like the kind of thing where other than them there's like 3 other people across the realms who care about it) and they're like MC what do you think and you just sit there with tears in your eyes because what??

I think Satan's cat thing should mirror Sol's cooking!! It looks normal on the outside but once you sink your teeth into it you get nauseous and pass out.

I just think that if he were going to have that level of obsession(?) regarding a topic he'd be super weird about it. He deserves to get to be a little weirdo!!

Can you tell it's 5am and I haven't gone to bed yet skdnskd

- 🐝

Answering this first because dw!! I don't mind the many asks lmao my only dilemma really is the order to answer them in haha~

Y'know, I think enjoy this brand of weirdness about cats more? Much more than however it's been pushed in recent events, anyway. A fondness that's actually a little fucked up in like... the 'holy shit is he actually kind of unhinged about this?' kind of way? And the light implication of Solomon being the same since he encourages it lmao

But now that I think about it, it's like... Something that seems odd and a little disturbing at first, but then I feel like it can be likened to doing intense anatomy studies for art that go deep into detail about the various tendons, joints, and muscle groups of the human body and how they move as you move etc etc

(Idk if you saw that one little tidbit about one of Dola's most vivid childhood memories being her brought to the morgue to study human anatomy but that shit's based off of what my actual drawing fundamentals professor went through... except he was in college already >.> this seems like it's along those lines except Satan's actually signed up for it in pursuit of cat knowledge)

Yeah I'm super into this??? Like? My goodness do I prefer this brand of obsession more than what we're getting sdhjksd I want him to be a little creepy and nonchalant about it too like he sees a cat with an injury and can somehow accurately tell what's wrong with them and maybe even give a shocking estimate of how long they'll live if they don't get treatment?

Would also be super useful too because I headcanon that he regularly rescues cats when he has the time and stuff. He knows what to look for and when it's time to bring the little fella to the vet

(Also, since he's an animal lover in general, I also love the idea that he's almost a vet with how much knowledge he has on animal anatomy and health? Like there's no way he doesn't have all those facts already stored inside that wonderful brain of his aaaaaaa)

[a-crimson-lion]

That new analysis is great, and I haven't even read that chapter! Personally, while I still dislike Bakugo, the things I'm hearing about 284 actually sound good to me--I feel like not only are his stans being annoying about it though, but those who dislike him *might* be being a little hard on him? Not YOU, of course Crimson, you did a great job keeping your analysis balanced, but I've been seeing people still hoping he dies and that doesn't feel right to me (1/2)

(2/2) Like it's not perfect, but he's getting there, y'know? If it's true, and he really is starting to see that he was an ass, I'm willing to finally give him a chance. I agree though that he also has to finally acknowledge the impact this had on Deku.

The State of the Fandom: Katsuki Bakugo

‘Kay, gotta keep this short so I don’t write another 4K essay out of nowhere. (Foreshadowing)

So first off, if you have no idea what @cjcroen1393 is talking about, check out the analysis here.

Second off, if you still haven’t read Chapter 284, check out the official VIZ translation here. New chapters are only free for the first three weeks after their debut, so make like an Ochako and get them savings!

Alright, now back to the subject at hand...

First off, while I appreciate the flattery, if I’m being completely honest, I’m still sort of skeptical because we just got Chapter 284, y’know? I wanna hold my breath, but I’ve already been through Bakugo’s Start Line, the Final Exams, and the Remedial Course Arc, three concrete moments that should have showcased Katsuki’s development and either came with conflicting results or were later debunked (Katsuki sticking to his original bull-headed strategy, Katsuki only working with Izuku as a last resort after stating he’d rather lose earlier, Katsuki saying not to look down on others and then looking down on the rest of UA due to a problem he inadvertently contributed to). But yeah, I’ll stick around and see what happens.

Honestly, I feel like 284 has a lot of opinions focused around Katsuki when you’re looking at him specifically. And no, I’m not talking about a direct AntiBaku vs BakuStan thing, that’s not what this is about. I can’t speak for all AntiBakus, obviously, but from the discourse I’ve seen, we’re all currently split into one of three categories:

Cautiously optimistic, willing to see how things play out.

Perpetually exhausted, nothing Katsuki says or does will make him worthy of atonement or redemption.

Kill him with fire, burn him at the steak, he’s worn out his usefulness.

I’m stuck between the first two categories, and the only reason I’m not in the third category (aside from Katsuki’s basic human right to live) is this:

A dead person can’t change. A dead person can’t suffer. Take that as you will.

And that’s not even discussing how the entire fandom is looking at things. Again, from what I’ve seen, the opinions split into three or four categories:

Look how far he’s come! (←The majority of fandom.)

Look how far he has to go… (←I am here. And maybe some AntiBakus.)

He AlWaYs CaReD!1! (←Cease your existence.)

I want to believe, but the narrative has taught me otherwise. (←The majority of AntiBakus.)

[‘Kay, this is where I’m cutting it off. Click “Read More” if you’re still awake.]

I’ve already said my piece on why the “HAC” take fills me with righteous fury, but let me see if I can explain it better with an analogy:

Let’s pretend for the moment that you’re a gold miner. Obviously, you’re looking for gold.

Your boss has you sent down into the mines to head into one of the more… frustrating caverns. Figuring you have nothing better to do, you get to work.

As you get into picking away at the rock in the search for gold, it takes you hours. And eventually, you stop striking bits and pieces and find a solid chunk of gold ore.

Now, your response can vary based on which of the categories you’re in.

If you’re in the “He’s come so far” camp, you are very excited to find this piece of gold.

If you’re with me in the “He’s still got a ways to go” camp, you remember that this chunk of gold ore doesn’t meet the quota. You still gotta dig.

And if you’re in the “HAC” camp, it’s essentially the same as walking back to the cavern entrance, digging down, and finding the quota of all the gold you need.

Sure, it seems like a good deal for most people, but you just wasted a long time getting to one good chunk when you could have dug down from the start. So what was the point of digging your own tunnel to begin with? That’s several hours, or even days of your life, you’re never getting back, because the cavern decided to be cheeky.

(Also, if you were in the "I don't wanna get my hopes up" camp, you've been digging through a pyrite vein and are skeptical.)

I hope that makes sense.

If it doesn’t, essentially the “HAC” line of thought feels cheap because it makes it seem like Katsuki was being needlessly extra from the start. If he always cared, why does he have to suicide bait? (Yeah I know y’all hear that too much but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened.) If he always cared, why does he have to even risk almost killing Izuku in the Battle Trial? If he always cared, why does he almost consider losing in the Final Exams? It just opens up a lot of holes.

I’m not gonna tell you to not be a fan of Katsuki or to not like him, because that isn’t realistic. Hell, if I shouldn’t have to justify why I don’t like him, you guys certainly don’t have to justify the opposite. But there has to be a sort of awareness that comes with either territory.

Because whether you like it or not, Katsuki HATED Izuku from Ch. 1 to getting kidnapped.

He saw Izuku as an OBSTACLE from Deku vs Kacchan 2 all the way to the OFA meeting in Ch. 257.

...and right now, Katsuki is finally, FINALLY recognizing Izuku as a person. A person who is in real f***ing danger and can’t bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. The extent remains to be seen, but what Hori has set up so far is really promising.

But that’s the thing: we’re still in the setup phase. I talked about this before in my last post, but right now we’re only in the third phase of Katsuki’s attitude. The “What The F*** Is Your Existence” phase lasted 116 chapters. The “I Can’t Let You Get Ahead Of Me” phase lasted 141 chapters. And the current phase, the “Why Don’t You Care About Yourself” phase, has only been going on for 27 or so chapters. And Katsuki only recently acknowledged that he bullied Izuku in a flashback somewhere in that time frame.

And the thing is, this doesn’t absolve Katsuki of anything. I still firmly believe Katsuki was being legitimate when he was talking about hunting down Tomura and using Izuku as bait, because that competitive side of him is DYING, not DEAD. And Katsuki still has yet to address the issue in his relationship with Izuku beyond internal and external monologues to people who are decidedly not Izuku, though there’s a high chance of that changing in Chapter 285. And the thing is, all Katsuki recognized is that Izuku’s inherent selflessness made him uneasy, and that was the main reason he bullied him. He still has yet to realize that he is a direct contributor to Izuku’s selflessness being warped into hardcore martyrdom. In his acts of beating Izuku, he lessened his self-worth and thus, made him believe his life was worth giving up. We still got stepping stones to cross, and while Katsuki’s making progress, he’s not across the creek yet.

...and while I’ve personally given up all hope of viewing Katsuki’s redemption in a satisfying light, I am hoping that Hori gets it right for the rest of you.

Thanks for reading.

-Crimson Lion (22 September 2020)

[mysticdragon3md3]

Stayed up all night and practically wrote several essays, trying to convince myself to not/buy KH3 Nendo Kairi. Sorry, Kairi. Maybe if you weren't $62. Maybe if you were KH2 version. But as it is, spending that much, after also preordering other things, including a more expensive Nendo Aqua,...I just can't spend that much on a KH3 Nendo Kairi without feeling guilty. Sorry, completionism. But $62 is too high.

12:23 AM 6/22/2021

Yknow what?

If I had the choice between only having money for a 2nd Nendo Joker or a 2nd Nendo England, I'd choose Joker in a heartbeat. So what am I trying so hard to decide here? Do not preorder Hetalia World Stars version Nendo UK! Even though he's blond, you haven't had need of that. And if you really needed him blond in a photo, you could Photoshop him! but let's be serious, people want to see authentic Nendos in photoshoots, and his non-blond hair will mark him as authentic. So you don't get called a bootleg buyer! But what do you care what others think? You care that Nendo England looks like the England from your nostalgia...and for that, you need blond. And I can do that through Photoshop. Because seriously, you've barely used or looked at your current Nendo UK, you haven't been compelled/obsessed with more USUK photoshoots, you haven't even been playing with Nendos US UK much. YOU WOULD NOT EVEN _NOTICE_ IF YOU HAD 2 NENDO UK. You only need one. Your Nendo US doesn't even have sandy blond hair like your anime nostalgia! So what does it matter if UK is off-color!?! ...It matters because you have a chance to get proper-color UK hair. But I don't want to spend all this money. When I first saw this figure announcement for Hetalia World Stars version Nendo UK, my immediate thought was that I don't feel the need to have 2 Nendo UK. I already barely play with the one I have. It wasn't until I realized this 2nd edition Nendo UK has blond hair, that I started thinking I had to have it. But if that's the only reason, then I don't really need to. I don't actually have such an intense need to have it. I've barely had an intense need (anymore) to have my current Nendo UK. So I definitely don't need a 2nd one. And if saving my money on this, will allow me to get possibly a better Nendoroid later, well then, this is an opportunity to revisit that "lost battle" where I wasted money on Bayonetta, 2B, etc---*This* time, I could win that "battle". And then maybe in the future, there'll be a 2nd Joker Nendo or Nendos for Claude and Dimitri! *o* In any case, so many figures end up in the Available Now section, that blond Nendo UK will probably end up there. Or, if you're worried to not have a blond UK ready if GSC later releases a properly sandy-blond Nendo US, then I'm sure if they ever announced a 2nd Nendo Amerrica, then they'd re-release the Nendo UKs. This is not even your last chance, you might have extra money to afford a 2nd Nendo UK in the future, but for sure you know, you don't have the money to waste on a 2nd Nendo UK _right now_. So don't. Save your money for that hypothetical 2nd Nendo Joker in his school uniform, or Nendo Dimitri and Claude, or whatever gets announced from the Nendoroid Select '21 survey results. Remember, that still needs to get announced. So, no on preordering Hetalia World Stars version Nendoroid UK.

As for Kairi...Let's be honest (again). I haven't been obsessed with Kingdom Hearts in years. And even when I was, Kairi was barely in them. I don't have that much of an attachment to Kairi. Even though Oathkeeper is my favorite Keyblade because it came from Kairi, sometimes I fear that emotional impact was more the effectiveness of that plot point in that moment of the first game, more than a reflection of my attachment to Kairi. I have attachments to Riku and Sora. When their Nendoroids were announced, I preordered ALL of them right away. Even though I didn't really like KH2 Sora's outfit. Even though it pained my wallet to buy 3 pairs of the same characters, back to back. Even after all these years, those 2 were the characters I was sure of feeling attachment towards. I can't keep judging whether to buy Kairi's KH3 Nendo, based on possible attachments I might feel towards Kairi in KH3. Because I've had that game for months and I still haven't even opened the case yet! O~o! That should be my strongest indicator of my attachments towards Kairi and willingness to buy Nendos for her, especially KH3 Nendos of her. Admit it: Your KH nostalgia is all wrapped up with KH2, Birth by Sleep, and earlier. I shouldn't be making $62 purchase decisions for Kairi, based on KH3---a game that I'm apparently no longer interested in enough to play immediately. Not getting KH3 Kairi's Nendo feels bad as a completionist and as someone who has real life personal attachments to sibling-like groups of 3 friends. But I knew when she was announced that I still preferred her KH2 look, because I've just always liked long(er) hair. And I love her dress in KH2. Yes, I have to gamble on GSC eventually announcing a KH2 Nendo Kairi, and then when I get her, all my "groups of 3 friends" figure photoshoots will be limited to Sora, Riku, and Kairi's KH2 depictions...even though I don't really like KH2 Sora's look...But am I even that compelled to take photos of Sora/Riku/Kairi in the first place? I barely take pics of my current, KH1 Sora/Riku Nendos right now. But if KH3 is my last Kingdom Hearts game (even if my status is still to "eventually" play it), wouldn't I want Sora/Riku/Kairi's last depiction in my memories to be what I own as Nendoroids? I mean, it would be the perfect end-cap image to the series for me. And Square said that KH3 is the end of the Xehanort Saga or something. It's the end cap. ---There I go, basing a Nendoroid purchase on a game I haven't even played yet, while I ALSO already know I prefer Kairi's KH2 look. Y'know what? What if they do eventually release a KH2 Kairi, a KH1 Kairi, even Terra and Ven as Nendoroids? They'll definitely choose some previous Nendos to re-release alongside them! And if they release another version of Kairi, then guess what? The re-release will be KH3 Kairi. And maybe by then, I'll have the money for this. Or at least, the results for the Nendoroids Select '21 survey would have been released by then, and then I can know whether my money can go towards a character I want more, or towards a KH3 Kairi re-release. I mean, it'd be different if Kairi played a bigger role in KH3, and though I've been staying away from most spoilers, I did hear that she got sidelined AGAIN. And sure, it seems she might be the protagonist of the upcoming rhythm game, but I may not get that. I'm stopping at KH3, remember? So if she's getting sidelined in KH3 again and in the rhythm game, she's like asleep or something, reminiscing, just being used as the overall story's framing device,...then that doesn't sound like a lot of screentime for me to get attached to her. I mean, when I was younger, I thought Kairi did a lot in KH2, but I didn't cry when she reunited with Sora, I cried when Sora and Riku reunited. (I don't even ship those babies! LOL) ---I feel really bad writing all this to convince myself that I don't like Kairi enough to spend $62 on her. It's not like I hate her. I don't even *dislike* her! I LIKE her!!!! It's just...I've been retroactively organizing my Nendoroid

inventory lately, and I've been seeing all the money I've wasted on figures that I only bought out of completionism, that made me cringe inside at the pain this would cause my wallet, because I didn't love the character enough to jump and thrash in my chair with excitement, when I saw their figure announcements and "DAMN THE COST!"... If KH3 Kairi Nendo can't make me feel that way, then I shouldn't be buying her.

There's a perfect counter example in this month's preorder interests!!! I wasn't expecting Pop Up Parade Kikyo! I don't even like static scale figures! I like articulated figures! And chibi too! Pop Up Parade isn't either of those things! And I haven't been a fan of Inuyasha in years! I haven't been obsessing over anything Rumiko Takahashi in years! But when I saw Kikyo's Pop Up Parade announced, I knew I had to buy her. I jumped up and thrashed in my chair. I gasped. I uttered "ohmygawd" over and over like I was losing my mind. Even now, I occasionally browse her announcement pics, just to admire my waifu some more. That's how ALL my figure preorders should make me feel.

And I don't feel that way about KH3 Nendo Kairi.

And I don't feel that way about Hetalia World Stars version Nendo UK/England.

I kind of want to be suspicious if Nendo Aqua makes me feel that way, but what's there to be suspicious about? I'm too attached to her. The majority of my favorite cosplay memories are attached through her. On top of that, her character design is so pretty! She qualifies as what I call in my figure collecting, a "beauty piece", a figure whose design or sculpt is so pretty, that whether I even know the character/series is negligible for me to enjoy owning that figure. Aqua's got that AND she's endeared herself to me. Plus, she's a nice character. I got invested in her BBS story, her 0.2 story, and curiosity about her in KH3 is a big part of why I never concede that I'll someday play that game. I like Aqua. And her character design is pretty. I shouldn't feel guilty about preordering her Nendoroid this month. Even if a future hypothetical Ky Kiske Nendoroid gets announced in the possible future, I would gladly spend money on both Aqua and Ky. I'd make my budget work.

So, sounds like I'm preordering:

Pop Up Parade Kikyo

Nendoroid Aqua

and that's it.

1:37 AM 6/22/2021

Y'know the funny thing is that I feel like if GSC did announce a KH2 Kairi, I'd want KH3 Kairi too. ...She is pretty cute... Damn it. This wouldn't be such a problem if she wasn't $62!!!!!

Looking back through my Nendoroid Inventory, most of my 2017 Nendoroids were under $40! That's because the currency exchange rate was to our advantage. Because the US$ was stronger vs the yen back then, we got everything pretty much at least $5 off! But now we buy from GSC Shop US, and their prices don't account for currency exchange rate changes. (But can I justify switching back to preordering from GSC's international shop, when they have $20 shipping vs GSC US's $3/figure shipping, and we're still in a pandemic so I should limit my purchases to as local as possible? I feel like especially in the pandemic, I have to stick to the GSC US shop.) A 4000yen Nendo isn't $35.30 like it was for me in 2017. Now a 4000yen Nendo is probably like $40 at GSC Shop US. Hold on...Browsing through the GSC international online shop...Even the simple Nendos, like this Nendoroid Steven A Starphase, just a guy in a suit, is already 6930yen! These Bofuri Nendo preorders right now? BOTH ARE 6600YEN EACH!!! In 2017, I got the freaking special edition harvest moon Kagamine Len and Rin Nendoroids for $35.30 each!. I thought that maybe Square was charging GSC extra licensing fees since they would prefer to make money off their own figure lines (Play Arts Kai, Bring Arts, Play Arts Mini, etc.). But it seems like Nendoroids are just more expensive in 2021. O______________O!!!!!!!!!!!! In 2017/2018, even the freaking Madoka Magica maiko version Nendoroids were only $42.36, $43.99, $39.71! And those had so many tiny printed floral details! And accessories! O~o! Same for my detailed Touken Ranbu and KanColle Nendoroids back then! O_O!?!?!???????!!!??????????? Nendoroids are just going to be more expense now. Wow.

I guess the important thing is that if I buy Nendo Kairi, that when it comes time to unbox her, I don't get that sickly unboxing feeling in my stomach, where I can't believe I spent money on this. Like, Kiso is cool, but I don't know her and I'm certainly not obsessed with her. I shouldn't have bought her, especially for over $50. Same with the Akizuki sisters. Probably same with Shoukaku, though she seemed nice in the anime. And certainly the lack of attachment applies to my Nendoroid Iowa. More than half my Touken Ranbu Nendoroids, I bought without really knowing their characters. Half of them, I bought just to prove to Good Smile Company, the demand for male figures. Soon after those first few TouRabu toudans, GSC announced their Orange Rouge line: "Good Smile Company and Max Factory's brand dedicated to male character figures and goods." And yeah, I'm super sentimental enough that even though I didn't really know these characters, now that they're in my collection, they're MINE, they're my precious little tsukumogami babies, whom I wouldn't trade away, no matter how much my finances complain. Plus, I have so much anxiety, that selling/trading is too much stress for me. If my reluctant and failed attempts to sell the lesser parts of my manga collection at swap meets have proven, is that even if I wasn't obsessed with the thing I collected, and even if I have an easy opportunity to get rid of them, WHILE making money in doing so,...I still just can't do it. That's why I threw away all my Nendoroids' packaging plastics when I ran out of storage room for them. I knew I was too chicken and too sentimental to ever sell any of my Nendoroids. Even the ones that gave me that sickly unboxing feeling in my stomach, thinking about the $50+ money I wasted.

---Even when I could have instead been spending it on Nendoroids of characters I actually love! What if a school uniform Nendo Joker gets announced? Or a Nendoroid Claude and Dimitri? What about Nendoroids for Ky, Sol, Lady, Lelouch, Rukia, etc.??? Sure, I can squeeze things into my budget right now. But if that time comes later, when I'll want a Nendo schoolboy Joker or a Nendo Rukia, and I don't have the money for them, will a Nendoroid KH3 Kairi have been worth it? I mean, I already prefer her KH2 look over her KH3 look. Why do I have to care if I don't have a matching Kairi to my Sora/Riku Nendos in my figure photos? Why do I have to be so completionist about this? People will understand that not everyone can afford matching Nendoroids. Hell, my Nendo America and Nendo England don't match! One is from Hetalia World Stars! The other is from Hetlaia The World Twinkle! No one cares! What's important is that I have the 2 characters from my ship in the same pic or the same shelf! No one cares if they match! If I prefer KH2 Kairi, then I should hold-out for her and then take goddamn pictures of her with KH3 Sora/Riku if I want! Hell, I prefer KH2 Riku's look too! I'll just swap out Sora and take pics of KH2 Riku with KH2 Kairi, and KH3 Sora! ...That is, if GSC eventually makes a KH2 Nendo Kairi.

omg I'm going in circles again. I need a snack break.

8:15 AM 6/22/2021

I'm too tired now to remember all the thoughts I wrote about and thought through. x~x;

8:43 AM 6/22/2021

If I skipped KH3 Nendoroid Kairi, would I even miss her? I mean, before, I was so hung up on my Nendo UK not being blond, but now I realize that I barely even think about that, nor even often think of that Nendoroid itself, very often. Hardly ever, actually. Will it be similar with Kairi? I mean,I don't look at my KH1 Sora/Riku Nendo and lament about how I don't have a KH1 Kairi Nendo to go with them. I actually don't really like Kairi's KH1 look. I guess I only really like her KH2 look. So why not hold out for KH2 Kairi Nendoroid possibly being announced in the future? But what if they never make a Nendo Kairi besides this KH3 Kairi, and I miss out on this one and only Kairi, while holding out for a Nendo of KH2Kairi? I hate gambling. But if I skipped KH3 Nendo Kairi now, would I even miss her?.......... She's $62 and I should save my money.

10:12 AM 6/22/2021

I think you should buy figures that you feel good about spending $62 on. Figures that you don't feel guilty about buying. If Nendoroid KH3 Kairi makes you feel guilty, like $62 is not worth it or too much, then don't buy her. Wait for a KH2 Nendo Kairi that will make you feel good to spend on.

But I feel so bad to pass her up! Ugh! This is so hard! ;o;

10:30 AM 6/22/2021

Funny the clarity you can have while brushing and flossing your teeth. If I feel bad spending $62 on Nendo KH3 Kairi, then she must not mean that much to me. She's not worth $62 to me.

I remember when I first saw her announced at WonHobby and I felt safe from needing to buy her. I even commented on GSC's Twitter, that my suddenly finding her cute, threatened my original security and certainty in knowing I didn't feel compelled to buy her.

Remember:

1) Don't buy based on predicted attachments to a character in a game you haven't played yet. I haven't played KH3 yet.

2) If Kairi changes my mind after I play KH3, then she'll probably get a re-release later anyway.

3) When you first saw KH3 Nendo Kairi, your first thought wasn't that I needed her. It was that I felt secure that I didn't need her.

4) You don't have money to spare for a Nendo you're unsure about liking to the worth of $62. Because you didn't expect a Pop Up Parade Kikyo nor her unexpected costs, even if it is relatively cheap. And you still need enough money for a $65 Nendo Aqua. You don't have enough money for any half-certain, hesitating likes towards KH3 Kairi Nendoroid.

5) Other people are skipping KH3 Nendo Kairi even though they also want to buy her.

(https://twitter.com/guttural/status/1406709434592735237) "I want her, but I'm so broke and already ordered the Axel and Roxas Nendos ;_;"

10:38 AM 6/22/2021

I'm going to tell Kuya, I don't need Nendo KH3 Kairi. And then I'm going to forget I was even considering buying her. KH2 and KH3 Sora/Riku Nendoroids are going to come in, and I won't even miss her. Just like I do now, with my KH1 Sora/Riku Nendoroids. And I will wait for a KH2 Nendo Kairi. And when she does get announced, I'll preorder her without regret, because I prefer that character design.

2:33 AM 6/28/2021

I really wanted to get Swacchao Nendoroid Hinata. I was originally just going to get the Swacchao parts since I already have the full Nendoroid Hinata Shoyo. I didn't need a seated Hinata, but as a completionist and Hinata fan, I thought I SHOULD get Swacchao Hinata, or at least the seated Swacchao parts.

But then I had this idea that when I return to an office job, it'd be so nice to have Nendoroid Swacchao Hinata at my desk with me. I had had ideas before about bringing a Nendoroid or 2 to my next office job. I even bought Nendoroid Aoba Suzukaze for that reason. (She's an "office lady" and her accessories include dialogue bubbles of her shouting about doing her best. I thought it'd be really encouraging to have at work.) But I was worried about leaving an actual Nendoroid at my desk, overnight. Would I pack up my desk's Nendoroid(s) each night before I clocked out? Impractical. Should I only use Nendoroids of characters I don't care too much about, to decorate my office desk? But if it's not a character I love, then how is their presence encouraging? And being encouragaing is the entire point of desk decor at a soul-killing job. But then here are these Nendoroid Swacchao Hinata Shoyo announcements! Less than $30! I could have a character I love, from an explicitly encouraging series, and being essentially a dupliate of a Nendoroid I already have, I shouldn't worry too much about him getting stolen from any desk of mine.

But I just can't justify buying a duplicate of a character I already have. I was already cutting out Kageyama and Yuuji from my preorder candidates. I'm in the middle of cataloging my Nendoroid inventory and fully realizing how much money I've wasted on Nendoroids of characters I didn't know, barely knew, liked but didn't love, duplicates of characters I already had, etc. It had to stop. So no Swacchao Kageyama for me. And if we're being honest about my terrible spending, then I really shouldn't be getting either type of Swacchao Hinata either. No more duplicates of characters. ;_; No matter how much I want them. ;_____;