#shin critical

[antianakin]

So I'm not a proponent of queerbaiting but JUST THIS ONCE I think they should have an entire season-long arc of Sabine bringing Shin back to the light that is just chock a block FULL of clear UST and narrative parallels and things like that, and at the end of the season Shin and Sabine kiss for the first time and then one or both of them immediately dies somehow.

[kyouka-supremacy]

Tbh I think the “Akutagawa is asking Atsushi who he is to snap him out of the breakdown because the Atsushi he knows wouldn't be pathetically sobbing on the ground” interpretation is faulty because... The Atsushi Akutagawa knows would exactly be pathetically sobbing on the ground lmao. Like, Akutagawa has already seen Atsushi cry in front of him, he perfectly knows how miserable and self-deprecating Atsushi can get; because he knows him. Which honestly, is kinda sweet in a way? Dostoyevsky had such a strong reaction to Atsushi crumbling down because he didn't know Atsushi, and it's evident from his words that he expected him to be different; but Akutagawa knows Atsushi, and he wouldn't anticipate any other behavior from him. That is to say, If Akutagawa wanted to snap Atsushi out of spiraling, he'd definitely go on and insult him like he always does, but he'd never insinuate he doesn't know him, because, well– Atsushi and Akutagawa know each other. It's just that it's not Akutagawa anymore.

[maid-of-the-golden-deer]

shin godzilla and minus one are rlly interesting comparisons bc one is harkoning to back to the original in the sense that its reacting to a recent tragedy and how it affected it people, vs minus one which is a retrospective look on the horrific event that inspired the first one instead. yet both at their heart criticize the government that wont help its people after the fact, and remind us that is up to Us to help each other

[lemmon-grove]

This is what I like to call my kill switch. Most demons can’t withstand the sheer power my four course heavenly ikuyumi wombo combo💪😎

[thinkingfandoms]

Why are masked characters so hot?

only it becomes more and more weird

[cmbdragon98]

Oh nooo... wlw are kinda eyerolling and sighing that a show got wrongfully marketed as "queerest Star Wars ever" and is now just, essentially, R/ylo 2.0... After a Lot of really potentially interesting women have been ganked over and over again, within the show.

And now a number of us wlw are a lil tongue and cheek about how we saw the objectification and hyper-sexualization going on with Yord within fandom, only for it to now morph over to Qimir... Oh, bro, what are we gonna Do?

[phuiscribbles]

Drawpile with @brolyng! Broly's been wanting to do another one with me after my Finland move and I'm happy we're able to do so! Had lot of fun chatting about various different medias and life, as well as our original characters.

[Previous Collab]

[short-wooloo]

"Shin is simply a better character than Reva"

HOW!?

She has barely any characterization!

8 episodes and we know nothing about her!

And don't give me that "well 2nd season" crap! She's apparently a major character, we shouldn't have to wait 2-3 years for a second season to learn anything about her!

[doodlesdreaming]

Shin Megami Log 4(After Game Thoughts)

Finished SMT V during Christmas, and I have THOUGHTS.

I'm gonna put all that under the 'Read More' bit, so if any of you are interested in this game, then scroll past and no peeking.

Right then, final thoughts:

Brief history lesson first, I knew very little about the SMT series or the spin-offs like Persona. Of course, with how incredibly successful Persona 5 is, it's hard to miss any sort of info. But even then, my knowledge of the entire franchise was very limited. All I know is that it's basically the "Dark Souls" of RPGs with character driven stories that have of ingredients than a Final Fantasy title. At least, that was the vibe I was getting.

But even then, I never have been interested enough to want to give any of the games a try. I did get Persona Q2 back when I first heard of the 3DS dying out, but it mostly because I didn't want a Persona game with Joker's face on it to be forever lost. Weird I know, but that was my train of thought, at the time. But after clearing the first boss(and realizing that prior knowledge of Persona 5's story is an absolute must) I got bored and haven't touched the game since.

Fast forward a few years later, when Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne was announced with a HD port to current gen consoles. I was genuinely excited by the announcement. This meant that if I ever decided to give Nocturne a try, it'll be alot easier for me to do so now. Then after that came the biggest surprise of all; Shin Megami Tensei V.

Now this....this caught my attention. Though I can't really explain why. Was it the character designs? The gorgeous looking world? "D" all of the above? All I can say is that something 'clicked' and I was very interested. Even though it would take two years later until I actually got it.

And I'm so glad I did.

I was invested right from the start. From the silent "show don't tell" protagonist, all the way to Lufcier himself, the story, even with its swiss cheese holes in plot at some points, had me hooked from start to finish. The combat never got boring. I was constantly thinking of strategies and building up my demons that suited my needs and my playstyle. The world was incredibly fun to explore, even though the lighting choices, in some areas, made my eyes strain a bit. It would take me up til the big boss of the area for me to finally adjust.

And the bread and butter of it all, The Law and Chaos mechanics. A stable, I've come to understand, in the SMT series. Yet an important take away from all this is that nothing is as black and white as it seems on the surface. SMT is a franchise that makes you think. It makes you question yourselves and you inner most thoughts. And SMT V had me rolling in so many thoughts, that when I reached the 'alignment lock' of the game, I had to take a break because I was starting to get overwhelmed.

Of course, this could very well be a really weird quirk of mine. But when I get into a really good story, I REALLY get into it. And the choices I make would impact the ending I would get.

By all accounts, the Law ending would naturally mean the good ending, right? Well sure...if you can live with a Law that discriminates all other forms of thinking(a.e. free will), will not hesitate to punish they see as 'unfit' and the willingness to become corrupt yourself, just to prove a point. Sure. Law is the way to go.

The Chaos ending usually entails victory for the bad guys. And yet, there really isn't a clear "villain" in this case, other then the absolute obvious ones(f you Lamau). In Chaos, there is diversity, the freedom to choice your fate, to be yourself. And yet with so many possibilities, there will be disagreements, arguments of what is right and wrong, and power competing against power. No one really wins, and there is constant strife. But hope is just as abundant, with the capability that anything is possible.

The Neutral ending is well...the Neutral ending. You don't pick a side. You're that little kid that asks, "Why not both?" A balance of law and chaos. So understandably this would the best choice. Yes...except the neutral path follows a man who has been brought down low by both law and chaos. He lost everything precious to him, to the point where he belittles his fellow man if they show any sort of weakness. So the solution? Make humanity the leading power of the universe, but take away every viture and sin that exists in the heart and soul. And by extension, all the angels and demons in existence. Never to be even a story told by campfire light because it would never be allowed to cross through the mind. Humans would be free of woe and fear, and grow abundant in their everyday lives. But will it truly last?

You could probably guess which ending I ended up getting. And quite honestly, I'm satisfied with it. Plus it lines up perfectly with my ever growing headcanons of the Nahobino. So I'm taking it as a win.

I honestly can not recommend SMT V, especially if you're like me who enjoys a good rpg that I can sink my teeth into. It has it flaws, yes. But they feel so small that it doesn't really bother me. Some of them I can just 'fix' with good old imagination. And it's definitely inspired me to play Nocturne next, for sure. But first, I want to see if I can beat the Demi Fiend himself in combat....

There's so much more I'd like to talk about, but I think I rambled long enough.

The main takeaway? I LOVE THIS GAME. Definitely gonna be alot of fanart for sure. And I'm gonna get my hands on some merch when I can. It probably won't exceed my growing Darksiders collection, but it might come close in time, lol.

The other main takeaway from all this is that I get it now. I get the appeal and why this series is standing as strong as it is. HEE-HO!!!

[vendettasfanfictioning]

The only light at the end of the tunnel I can definitely see right now is the fact that when Akutagawa snaps out of the vampirism, he'll be fully healed i.e. that thing about his lungs that he confessed to Atsushi about, before his neck went split splat? Yeah, that shit better be gone, he better be able to take full breaths of air by the time this arc ends.

[sad-emo-dip-dye]

Happy birthday to the prettiest boy of them all!

[vixy-exists]

Oh hey, finally a new cake! Too bad it will go dry by next year-

Don't worry, the old cake got eaten as well :)

If you don't know what I'm refering to with these. (As well as the first part.)

[kyouka-supremacy]

At the very end, I really don't care whether Fukuchi's plan makes sense or not. He directly caused Akutagawa giving his life for Atsushi / one of the most homoromantic scenes in manga history, makes sense or not I'll never stop being grateful to Fukuchi for it.

[matthew-mercer-showdown]

Matthew Mercer Showdown

Round 1

Kiri VS Walter

Propaganda under the cut

Kiri (Critical Role)

No propaganda submitted

Walter (Shin Megami Tensei IV)

No propaganda submitted

[dax-enfinity]

Hot take but:

I don’t really like Canon! Akutagawa (BSD Anime & Manga) yet I like him but only if it’s BEAST! Akutagawa.

I can’t really explain it, but I prefer BEAST! Akutagawa over Canon! Akutagawa.

I know he’s supposed to be an obvious parallel to Atsushi, two sides of the same coin, how Atsushi ended up with the Armed Detective Agency meanwhile Akutagawa ended up with the Port Mafia.

Whatever, yadda, yadda, I don’t care.

[autisticbsdfan]

atsushi and akutagawa are cheerful and loud autism x grumpy and quiet autism.