#so EITHER i will have to hope everyone uses spoiler tags i can blacklist

[reikunrei]

every now and then throughout my day i’ll just have this intense moment of “STRANGER THINGS SEASON FIVE!!!!” and like. that’s it. it’s just this like. intense wave of general EXCITEMENT like IT’S GONNA BE A THING AND WE’RE GONNA GET TO WATCH IT like that’s SO EXCITING!!! we’re gonna get to see the end of this series and it’s gonna be a big grand finale and it’s gonna fucking rule!!!

like not even thinking about theories or predictions or anything i do or don’t wanna see on screen like while that’s all good and fun i ultimately am not tied super close to anything because i just wanna see the story as they wanna tell it and WE’RE GONNA GET THAT AND IT’S SO EXCITING!!! like i’m just soooo so so excited to see how it all ends.... i don’t care what happens i’m just Excited

[spinarakiweek]

Event Week Upkeep (Art Credit, Busted Mobile Links, and Spoiler Tags)

Two weeks to go until Spinaraki Week: Round 3, and we the mods hope everyone is as excited as we are!

A few quick points to address before we get to the meat of this post:

Per a few questions about it, Mod Nal (@codenamesazanka) is the one who does all our graphics; look forward to more details from her about her fantastic screenshot mockup for this year's prompts at a later date!

I (Mod Stillness) noticed that the links to the rules and the text-based prompt list don't work on my mobile app, so for any who share that issue, if you want to review The Rules or get The Prompts in a nice easy format for copy-pasting, you'll find them beneath the Read More cut at the bottom of this post!

That said, I'd like to take a few minutes to address how we'll be tagging for spoilers for this event week. If you either don't care about spoilers or actively follow the weekly leaks, all you need to know is that we are NOT asking participants to tag their spoilers unless they wish to do so as a courtesy to their own followers; we'll be doing tagging on our end.

If you are concerned about spoilers, read on.

Regarding the currently airing season of the anime: the mods' assumption is that we don't have many people around here who are anime-only, as the anime has—to say the least!—not done a stellar job of translating the appeal of the ship. If you're following us and you are an anime-only, please do speak up either in the notes of this post or via ask to let us know if you'd like us to spoiler tag anything the anime hasn't gotten to yet!

Also, we're thrilled you exist and managed to find this pairing despite the anime's best attempts to hide it from you. Congratulations on your keen insight! You'll probably want to stop reading this post right about now, though.

For everyone else, given the events of the chapter that released just today—Chapter 369—it's looking like we are, for the first time, all but guaranteed to see some Spinner action during the course of the event week! How nerve-wracking thrilling! Chapter 370 is due to officially release on the 23rd, the day before the event starts; likewise, if these things follow the usual timing, leaks for Chapter 371 should start coming out in the Tuesday night to Thursday morning range, with the scanlation coming out on Friday and the official release closing out our week on Sunday.

Accordingly, we'll be tagging any work that deals with content from those chapters as bnha 370 and bnha 371, so do blacklist those if you want to be thorough about avoiding exposure to spoilers!

If anybody has any other requests about spoiler tags (ex. you're all caught up on Villain Hunt but running behind on the current arc) or tagging in general, feel free to weigh in as well with any requests!

That all said, thanks for reading, and here's the promised cut for text prompts and the ruleset:

THE PROMPTS

Monday, 10/24:  Reunion  ~  Delight  ~  News

Tuesday, 10/25:  Flesh  ~  Resentment  ~  Help

Wednesday, 10/26:  Bear  ~  Grief  ~  Transformation

Thursday, 10/27:  Spin  ~  Yearning  ~  Family

Friday, 10/28:  Countryside  ~  Boredom  ~  Mess

Saturday, 10/29:  Leader  ~  Sadism  ~  Prison

Sunday, 10/30:  Hero  ~  Tale  ~  Serenity  /  ~  FREE DAY  ~ 

RULES AND POLICIES

1)  We will accept and reblog any fan-made work—fanfiction, fanart, meta, playlists, etc.—so long as it focuses primarily on Shigaraki and Spinner’s relationship and fits an appropriate daily prompt.  The work must be newly published for the week, though if you wish to also use it as a fill for some other concurrent event, you’re welcome to do so.           You can work with any of the daily prompts you like, singly or in combination.  We try to keep them fairly broad, so feel free to get as creative as you like!  We welcome any fill that satisfies some aspect of the chosen prompt(s). 

2)  We’re celebrating the relationship between Shigaraki and Spinner as it’s been, as it may be, and even as it could have been.  Shippy-fic or gen-fic, canon-compliant or AU, romantic or platonic or any complicated place in between; we’re good with all of it.  Polyshipping/OT3s are allowed, but the focus must remain on Shigaraki and Spinner.

3)  Regarding content, we’re not placing hard limits on what we’re accepting.  Shigaraki and Spinner are villains in a canon that goes to some shockingly dark places, so we consider exploration of that darkness fair game for fanwork.  Likewise, given that this is a week focused on a relationship, we welcome NSFW content.  We do, however, ask that all content be responsibly and appropriately tagged for any content you have reason to expect could be upsetting to others. 

4)  We’ll be checking the tags for spinarakiweek2022, spinarakiweekround3, spinarakiweek, and spinarakiweeknsfw.  As stated above, please tag also for any work that requires content warnings.  We’re only operating on tumblr, so if your work is hosted elsewhere, feel free to post a link to it and use one of our tags, though if you do so, you may also wish to message us about it, given tumblr’s notorious grouchiness about off-platform links.           Feel free to message us if it seems like we’ve missed a fill of yours!  Late entries are allowed and enthusiastically welcome.  

5)  No hating on other ships or characters—we’re here to celebrate and enjoy Spinaraki, so if there’s a character you can’t include without bashing them disproportionately to the canon, just don’t include them.  Likewise, please be respectful of other participants and their work, whether or not it’s to your particular taste.

6)  We reserve the right to exercise moderator discretion in the case of borderline rule violations or unforeseen issues.  

[imagine-loki]

Admin Note

I hope everyone is well today,

A few people got back to me on the Loki Series thing, not many, but they mostly had the same suggestion. A one week period before any spoiler material is discussed/available. Due to my Stepmother getting Disney+ and putting me on their account, I will be fortunate enough to be able to see what qualifies as a spoiler on release. Anything that was used in trailers does not qualify as a spoiler.

The hashtags of

LokiSeriesD

LokiSeriesSpoiler

LokiSpoilers

will be used for ALL Loki content pertaining to the Series.

Unfortunately, if you do not have a way to watch the series, you will 99% most likely see some spoilers on the internet as not everyone actually tags. If you wish to not see spoilers, please consider not using social media until you have seen it or blacklisting all forms of Loki tags and perhaps Tom Hiddleston ones too but be aware, not everyone remembers to or cares about tagging content and not to be nasty but they don't have to be considerate of others on their blogs.

With regards to Loki Series discussions, this page 100% encourages discussions on Loki, good, bad or indifferent. If you want to discuss things here, please do but this page will NOT tolerate people berating other people's opinions just because they are different and it will not tolerate hating on the series simply because it didn't do that one minute niche thing that someone had obsessed about in their own mind. Disliking something they did is one thing, getting irate on a fan page is another. Be nice or be gone, really, that's it. Don't cite "Free Speech" or anything like that, you are entitled to an opinion, you can even voice it, but you cannot be immune to the repercussions of it. Disagree with others all you want but POLITELY. I think in the modern world, people seem to forget that people with opposing views are not evil but other people and no one's opinion is any more or less valid than anyone else's.

There is no way this series can live to everyone's expectations. What I have seen thus far has been very much exciting for me, my 7yo is literally loving this and is dying for Thursday after school to watch the first episode, she has spent her pocket money on Total Film and Esquire just to have Tom's interviews. I will watch the episode while she is in school to ensure it is child friendly to an extent I am okay with as a parent so I hope that everyone has a wonderful time with this all.

If you do get ideas for imagines/stories for the show, you do NOT have to wait a week to submit them, tag them with "Spoilers" and submit them. I will keep them safe for publishing.

If anyone has any questions/queries, you can contact me here on IL, be it by anon or private message or on my personal page, Wolfpawn where I do have messaging chat if you don't want it on the page either.

Wolfie.

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

This is a small canon divergence AU drabble for 15x18 in which we got the Sastiel goodbye instead of the Destiel good-bye. I hope all of my Sastiel peeps enjoy and remember, what the writers have given us is something they can never take away from us regardless of what happens in the final two episodes.

Also, spoiler warning, if you haven’t seen the episode yet and don’t want to be spoiled (although how you’ve managed to avoid spoilers at this point, well, I commend you if you have managed it, I applaud your blacklisting abilities). But if you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t read on.

This is a more edited version of what I posted earlier this week. Plus, my old post is no longer showing up on the tags, so I figured I’d just repost this. You can also find this on my Ao3 account (I go by BluePhoenix323 there)

It was strange to Sam. The hallway had never felt this long before and he hoped that maybe, just maybe, this was all a terrible dream. That today hadn’t happened yet. That they hadn’t failed in killing Chuck yet. That the hunters were still around, perhaps getting up now and beginning to make breakfast, and that Eileen was still here, that she hadn’t disappeared, that when he woke up, he would have a good morning text from her. But his heart told him there was no possible way this was a dream.

He could feel his heart was about to burst from his chest by the way. And by that, not his emotional heart, no, this was his actual physical heart practically being pulled from his body. Before today, Sam thought he had known what dying felt like. After all, he had been killed countless times in countless different ways, from being shot to being stabbed, to being eviscerated, hell, he’s even had his heart pulled directly out of his chest before. Truly, he thought he had experienced it all at this point. But it was nothing compared to having Death and her personal vendetta against him and his brother squeezing all the life out of his heart. He suddenly understand the phrase, “the cold embrace of death”. It felt like every molecule of his body was frozen to the ground and the only thing that was pushing him on, making him continue running down this endless, eternal hallway was the warmth and gentleness of Cas’s arm holding him upright and walking them both down the never-ending hallway that was both a curse and a blessing.

Sam couldn’t believe how stupid he was in sending Dean and Jack to the pre-warded safehouse with the hunters. He had long suspected everyone would need a place to hide so he had warded the safehouse for this very reason and even though it would seem as if the warding wouldn’t have worked anyway as Billie was already dying and would have nothing to gain from killing everyone, at least he and Cas could have been with their family. But, he reminded himself, he wouldn’t have been with everyone. Eileen would still have been gone. And that was why he was here, in a last ditch effort to somehow, someway, get Eileen back so his family would be complete and they really could all have faced the final apocalypse together. What a stupid fantasy that was. Eileen was gone, she was gone for good and it was because of him. Yet, one more person to add to the never-ending list of people he had failed.

Cas knew they had run out of options. He wasn’t entirely certain why he was still pushing, pulling Sam down the hallway. He had been a soldier for several millennia after all, he knew when a battle was lost, he knew when to accept defeat. So why couldn’t he accept this defeat? Was it because this was the final battle and there would be no second chances? Was he really being that stubborn? When had he become that stubborn? What was so special now? What had changed to make him this stubborn? As they ran into another room and grabbed a knife out of Sam’s pocket and drew the sigil, he suddenly knew why. This was Home, this was Faith, this was Love. He couldn’t give up on Home, he couldn’t give up on Dean, he couldn’t give up on Jack...and he couldn’t give up on Sam.

Sam, barely able to hold on was still trying to come up with options. “Cas, we gotta think. There’s gotta be something in this bunker that can stop Death or at least slow her down.”

“Sam, there isn’t. The only thing strong enough to take on Death would be The Empty but The Empty can only come to Earth if it’s summoned.” And, just like that, Cas knew what he had to do.

“Sam, I’m sorry to spring this on you now but I have a confession to make. When Jack was dying, I made a deal. With the Empty. In exchange for Jack’s life, the Empty could take me back, but only when I experience a moment of true happiness.”

“Cas,” Sam started, staring at Cas with wide eyes, “I don’t understand, why would you do that, wha-why are you telling me this now?” Sam could hardly believe what he was hearing. And at the same time, now that he had gained a brief reprieve from Billie clutching his heart, he now felt a different coldness clutching his heart. There’s only one reason Cas would say this and Sam desperately needed him not to say it, he couldn’t lose Cas now too.

“I had often wondered,” Cas continued with a melancholic look on his face, “since I took on this burden, this curse, what would my happiness look like? What could truly cause that moment of true happiness? And I think I know now.”

“Cas, whatever you’re going to say next, don’t. You don’t have to do this. We’ll find another way.” Pleading was the only thing Sam could do. But he knew it was foolish. When Cas decided to do something, there was no changing his mind. No one would be able to get through to him. It was something he both loved and hated about Cas.

“You know, Sam, I’ve put my faith in a lot of things in the course of my life. I’ve put my faith in God’s missions, in Heaven’s missions, in saving the world, believing all those things would make me happy. But they never did. And I was constantly disappointed. But I know why I couldn’t find happiness. I couldn’t be happy in the things I put my faith in because they were all failures, everything I tried I failed at, and I lost so much and I couldn’t forgive myself. I would tell myself I don’t deserve to be happy, not with these failures, not without making them right. But you know, since I came back from the Empty, I’ve realized something. Failing is no excuse not to be happy. I look at you, Sam, and you have failed so much but yet you still cling onto hope and love and I realize now, because I knew you, I can find the strength to finally happy. And I’m going to do it now to save you so you can save the world. I thought because of all my failures, I didn’t deserve to be happy, that I wasn’t allowed to be happy. But I know now, that was just an excuse to hide from the pain of failing. I accept my failures now and now I can see and feel everything now and it’s so beautiful and wonderful and amazing and you gave that to me, Sam. I love you, Sam Winchester, your selflessness, you endless never-ceasing faith, your gentleness, I became better because I knew you. Don’t you ever forget that. So many people loved you for that so never lose that. Thank you.”

“Cas-” Sam reached out to Cas and Cas took his hand and squeezed it once before letting it go and holding Sam’s face in his hands. “Whatever you do, Sam Winchester, just remember I have no regrets and you shouldn’t either. Through happiness, faith, and love, I was able to save you and that’s something the Empty will never be able to take away from me. And if there’s one thing I am certain of, it’s that The Boy With The Demon Blood is going to save the world with the faith and happiness he taught me. And that’s something Chuck will never be able to take away from you.” And as a final gesture, Cas kisses Sam’s forehead, this was his final gift and blessing to Sam and just as Billie burst through the door, Cas turned back to gaze at the wall where the Empty was manifesting and smiled as the blackness of nothingness and emptiness engulfed him.

As Sam watched as both Billie and Cas disappeared into black, all he could do was sit against the wall where Cas had been pulled into. He knew that it was futile, that Cas wasn’t there anymore, but he still hoped that maybe Cas was just on the other side of that wall. That someway, Cas could still be the angel perching on his shoulder and tell him what he has to do next. He doesn’t know what to do next but with Cas’s last words reverberating through his mind, he knows he’ll find a way. He has to if he’s ever going to save Cas. Cas is the one failure, the one loss he will never accept. Sam began thinking to himself as he slowly rose from the floor, still leaning on the wall Cas had disappeared into, Cas's strength and sacrifice reverberating through him, Sam thought to himself, "Chuck had better watch out. This world doesn't belong to him and I'm going to prove it to him and kick him out." And as he turned around and touched the wall, Cas's wall, he whispers, "And when I'm through with Chuck, you're next Empty. You will not take Castiel." And with that, he takes his phone and sends a text message to Dean: We have work to do.

[birdnormal]

hey all! are you looking for a genshin impact server without the weirdness? a safe space for discussion of the game without having to run into gross ships and jokes? come join us in celestia, worthy mortals, and ascend!

celestia is a friendly server focused on fanworks and theorizing, although we welcome everyone! our mods want to try to create a safe and welcoming space for creative ideas. our rules are behind the cut, for your reference, and i hope you join us!

discord dot gg slash 8jeRaAVCJW

(sorry i’d put a better link but tumblr hates links)

RULES

-no creepy shit. incest shipping, adult x child shipping, anything else like that. "anti anti" bullshit has no place here. venti is an immortal with the body of a teenager so it's not appropriate to ship him with anyone who isn't in the same situation. if there's anything you're unsure on because mihoyo loves to be creepy, feel free to bring it up and we can talk about it! 

-no bigotry. we don't tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, misogyny, etc. 

-no nsfw jokes. 

-be nice. elitism about the game isn't cool. be mindful of the blacklist - spoiler tags are your friend. try not to let anyone go unacknowledged either! if you have a problem with another user, feel free to pm a mod and we'll do everything we can to sort it out. we want everyone here to feel safe and have fun in the midst of this shithole fandom. 

 -you gotta be gay.

[marshmallowprotection]

Hi Mod Kait, this is eevee. How’ve you been faring lately? This may just come off as me blowing this well out of proportion but I was really bothered by how I acted towards you yesterday. And... this might not be what you want to read considering yesterday’s events in the fandom and other matters, so I understand disengaging from this particular chain of asks. (1/?)

I want to properly apologize to you in private. It’s about yesterday: how I rashly sent you the spoiler, asked you to ignore it to save face, and tried to apologize in the most… brazen of ways. My actions were disrespectful and insensitive towards you, and I was wrong for not thinking twice before doing it. It was wrong of me not to consider or even remember how one might feel when they happen upon unwanted spoilers. I’m sorry for upsetting you and for the trouble I’ve caused. (eevee, 2/?)

You were right, I was far too excited and had wanted to share the possibility of the AE be brought to light soon. I had rushed to share the leaked image then, to whom I often associate with Saeran the most. It was when I saw oatmeal-cookie’s reply to Cheritz’s first Instability Notice that I realized I messed up badly. So I hastily sent you the second ask, which was also poorly-handled on my part. (eevee, 3/?)

I thought about your reply a bit more, and read more of your stand on the matter. You’ve been very accommodating and patient with the lot of us, and I regret overstepping your boundaries without realizing until I’ve gone and done it. Thank you for helping me see the implications and effect of my actions, and in how we may approach the subject with you. Thank you so much for being very understanding and patient with me in these regards. (eevee, 4/?)

My thoughts then don’t excuse me for acting so rashly and upsetting you in the process. I’m not expecting to be forgiven and this may not mean much, but I’m very sorry. In light of this, I’ll be vigilant not to make the same mistake again, and be more careful about acting in the spur of the moment. I’m sorry again, and I very much look forward to more of your thoughts regarding the AE when it’s officially announced! (eevee, 5/5)

Oh, I hope you don’t think that I’m upset with you! I’m not. I’m really not. I would have seen the spoilers whether you sent it to me or not, as the minute that I got online, I had already seen reblogs of the situation. I’m not upset about seeing what I saw! It put me more at ease because I’ve been so worried that Cheritz wasn’t able to work on the AE at all after all this time and just knowing that in the coming months, this wait might come to an end.

The only thing that would’ve really upset me here is if the AE had come out while I was sleeping and then people sent me spoilers for it before I had the chance to play it myself. So, this is my gentle ask to all of you to not do that to me. I won’t post spoilers for the AE either when it comes out, and if I say anything, it will be tagged with #spoiler and #RayEndingSpoilers and I’ll let everyone know before that so they can blacklist it, and know not to click the Read More sign at that point.

A photo is one thing! You can’t tell anything from that photo in specific, because it fits a theme, it doesn’t say anything apart from well, this is the emotional theme of what is to come, it doesn’t confirm or deny what anyone may or may not go to or go through in the After Ending. After all, V’s After Ending title screen wasn’t at all what the gameplay experience was like. So, to me, it’s not upsetting, but what I was more worried about was that people wouldn’t know to be careful in the tag in case they really didn’t want to see it. 

I know how upsetting spoilers can be to some people. They are to me to some degree, but it depends on how the spoiler is labeled. So, no, I’m not upset with you because I’m very glad that you thought this through and considered how a person might feel if you sent them something that you weren’t sure if they would be okay with. Honestly, I’m flattered that your brain said: OH SHIT. S-S-SAERAN MAYBE???? GOTTA???? TELL KAIT??? NOW??? 

I can’t help but chuckle whenever someone tells me that they can’t think about Saeran without thinking of me. 

I’m proud of you for opening up about this. I think the most wonderful thing that humans have the ability to do is listen, learn, and grow. We have the power to change and reflect on who we are. Never stop listening and never stop trying to learn what you can about the world and the people in it. Never settle for feeling one way, because you always have the room to be a better person. Admitting when we make a mistake is an important thing, and you’ve handled it very nicely and humbly. 

Being mindful of how other people feel is important! I understand. I know a lot of other Saeran stans got loaded with messages about it. We’re all very excited for him because it’s been so long. 

Again, I’m not mad at you! I would’ve seen it no matter if you sent it or not, and my nerves to know what the photo looked like would have smacked me and made me go looking for anyway, even though I’d rather wait because it’s. Look, you called me out, it’s SAERAN. I can’t hesitate for him. Ya’ll know me. I’m got a whole SHRINE. 

[out-in-space]

Hello anyone viewing this page!

Former username: @/yeet-my-beeeetsss

Hi there, I’m Kat! As stated in my bio, I use she/they pronouns, so please be respectful of that, and I’d like anyone reading to know my blog is a safe place :) On my blog I mainly just repost anything I happen to like or appreciate, and may go on little rants from time to time :) I have also decided to put what fandoms I mainly post about/reblog so that you may avoid spoilers! And just so everyone knows, I do my best to tag each post with what characters and any possible ships it may contain so you can either look for content just for that character or blacklist/avoid the tag if it is harming to you in any way, so please stay safe!! I hope that you, the person reading this, are having an amazing day and if anyone wants to chat with me about anything (like theories or just, wanting a friend) then please do, since new friends are always appreciated :D

Stuff I’m Into~

YTTD - Your Turn to Die

AA - The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series

AITSF - AI: The Somnium Files

HMC - Howl’s Moving Castle

SV - Stardew Valley

[hawkinslibrary]

i love hearing what you have to say about season 4!! i promise it’s not too long lol, anyway i have a question for you: what do you think the next season holds for mike & el? i’m a little worried tbh

ahhh thank you !! same rules apply: spoilers ahead, so please read no further and blacklist/filter out the ‘s4′, ‘st4′, ‘spoilers’ tags if you don’t want to see anything !! 

i’m going to talk about them both as individuals and as a pair but first, i have to say that i don’t personally feel like you have to worry about them breaking up or anything again this season. i think s4 is really going to establish romantic jopper and once that happens, i don’t see them, mileven, or jancy not being endgame unless someone actually dies. which -- i’m not going to think about the possibility of anyone dying until i’m forced to confront it, so. this is fiction and it’s already unrealistic and i’m gonna take my ‘everyone survives, happiness all around, time to relax’ endings and go. anyway, i would love to add lumax to this list but i honestly think it could go either way depending on what happens in s4. that’s a different essay, though.

i tend to think that the most important dynamic on the show is the one between the whole group and i just don’t really see them spending much more time trying to develop romantic relationships outside of the ones set up since s1/2. maybe steve, robin, and will get love interests, maybe they decide to develop dustin and suzie more, maybe suzie is never even mentioned again, idk. but these will probably all be secondary -- as in less screen time, not less important than the main romances, but probably still less developed. unless it happens to be a new person added to the main cast. which, as of now, the only new mains are brett and priah who has gone from recurring to regular. so.  

i think s3 showed how messy and complicated romantic relationships (or, really just relationships in general) can be. everyone was arguing, there was miscommunication all around, everyone thought they knew what was best, no one was seeing eye to eye. but when it comes down to it, they would do anything for each other. they understand each other better than anyone else ever could. i can’t see them spending another season on breakups and romance drama after the ending of s3.  

mike and el have already been separated once before. this time, mike knows for sure that she’s alive and that’s she’s with the byers. this time, el won’t be kept completely isolated away from everyone else. they’ve made plans to meet for the holidays. they can still call and talk to each other as much as they want. i’m hoping they handle being separated this time better than they did in s2. i don’t want mike to be moping and i don’t want el to spend a lot of the season thinking about how much she misses him. in fact, i think in their case that some distance could be good for them. the same for jancy and jopper, too, honestly. it’ll be nice to see them existing outside of these relationships while still acknowledging how important they are.   

as far as i know, the byers and el stuff has not started filming yet so all there is to speculate on are rumors, the audition tapes, and logical guesses about where the story goes after s3. el obviously moves away with the byers. we still don’t know where. she’ll still be mourning hopper and trying to figure out life without her powers. and, of course, she’ll be in a long distance relationship with mike. i think she’ll be having a hard time and she’ll wish that mike was around, but she’ll realize she’s got a pretty good support system around her now with the byers, too. i’m very, very excited for more joyce and el content particularly, but there’s gotta be some great scenes with her and will and jonathan as well. 

there’s only one audition tape that i can confidently tie into the byers + el plot(s?) and it’s the queen bee/mean girl character ‘angela’. if we’re running with the whole ‘there may be some truth to the audition vids’ thing, then this one teases that el will be going to school and that angela will be bullying her. this is something she would probably want to talk about with mike (b i g troy s1 vibes) but i don’t know if she actually would ? so this is probably more a thing that el and will could bond over or that she could talk about with joyce or maybe jonathan. i do think there will be at least a few calls between the two of them before the action really hits and the whole group is (hopefully...) reunited.

so, el -- at least in the beginning of s4 -- will be going to school where ‘angela’ bullies her, forming a bond with joyce + will + jonathan and becoming part of the family, mourning hopper (+ hopefully having conversations about him + his past with joyce), missing her friends back in hawkins, continuing to learn how to navigate life without her powers, and trying to maintain a long distance relationship with mike. 

mike... i’ve been seeing some wild theories about him today but they aren’t really that far-fetched i think. first, going back to the audition tapes, the ‘eddie’ audition i saw makes it seem like mike is going to be part of the hellfire club with dustin. i’ve recently learned that there’s another version of the scene where ‘eddie’ is only talking to dustin and mike might not be a part of the club after all. if he isn’t part of the club, then the basketball v. hellfire, jocks v. nerds thing turns into lucas v. dustin and mike’s probably there just caught in the middle while max is off distancing herself from everyone.

at this point, i really want mike and max to become good friends. i think the end of s3 gave them the perfect opportunity. s4 max has s2 mike vibes. it’s not the same situation at all, but he knows kinda what she’s feeling and they could connect through that + the fact that they’ll both be missing el. i also just really want... some wheeler siblings content. i’m hopeful that s4 gives us good nancy and mike scenes bc there’s no reason not to give us good nancy and mike scenes (+holly!). however...

while there’s proof that gaten and sadie and natalia and priah have all been filming since production restarted, and while i have reason to believe that caleb has been filming a lot inside/at the studio recently... there’s no evidence that finn has been on set. there’s none for maya and joe, either, but people have said that finn isn’t even in atlanta right now. maybe he is and maybe he just hasn’t been seen and maybe he’ll pop back up tomorrow. or, maybe he already filmed whatever he needed to film for hawkins before production stopped.  

the wild theory that’s popped up today is that everything gets to be too much for him in hawkins and he just... hops on a train to go visit el + the byers. i don’t know if i buy it, but it is interesting to note that he was sitting with them at the table read. and since we can guess that steve and robin will still be working at the video store, robin and nancy will be investigating pennhurst together, lucas and max may have some angst, joyce and murray are probably teaming up for the finding/saving hopper plot, and el is going to bond with will and jonathan, it seems like the order might mean a little something. i’d even bet that dustin and erica have scenes with them bonding over d&d.    

now this theory pretty much only exists because no one’s seen finn on set and one of the paps posted some pics of some trains. there’s also always theories about how there will be issues at home with the wheeler fam and if that’s going to happen, what better time than in s4 when all of his friends are pulling away and el’s gone again. so if he is missing el (and will) that much, and if he has any reason to worry about her and how she’s doing, or if the party becoming distant and issues at home are weighing on him and he feels like he needs to get away, he’s absolutely the type to venture off on a train by himself. i don’t know how it would work since he’s definitely supposed to still be in school and his friends/nancy at least would notice he’s gone, but.. it’s fun to think about and we’ve got zero actual content to go off of right now.  

another way i could see mike’s plot going is that he’s the one trying to keep the party together this season. playing mediator with lucas and dustin, becoming better friends with max, being the connection between the hawkins plot and the byers plot (along with nancy). 

there was also talk of him joining the track team bc the track has been set up with hawkins high colors for filming. but mike ‘this isn’t a stupid sports game’ wheeler? i don’t think so... basically, no one knows at the moment what’s happening with mike wheeler in s4 lol.

s4 mike is just like s4 byers fam -- a complete mystery to me currently. i don’t personally think that he’ll be leaving school and hopping on a train to visit el. i think he’ll be a part of the hellfire club with dustin, or that he won’t and instead will be attempting to keep the party from completely disbanding. i hope that we get wheeler siblings scenes and that max and mike have a breakthrough and become better friends. i also feel like he’ll be having some complicated feelings about hopper, the last interaction they had, etc. and, again, the whole long distance thing with el. 

so... mike and el broke up in s3. it was messy. but then they reconciled. and then hopper “died”. s3 ended with them at this weird place where she’s heard him say that he loves her and she’s told him that she loves him back. things are a little awkward in the scene bc everything has changed at this point, but a kiss, an ‘i love you’, planning to meet up on the holidays, and promising to call frequently all sounds like they’re back together and going to try making the long distance thing work to me. 

i think they’ll be together when s4 starts. i think that we’ll probably only see them talking on the phone or their radios for the first few eps. maybe we’ll see flashbacks or something to them being together on the holidays. the distance might be hard and they’re definitely going to be missing each other. like... el doesn’t have mike or hopper with her now and i’m thinking the party is going to be drifting apart, plus they’re both probably going to have other personal issues that have nothing to do with each other or the party. maybe they’ll be experiencing some emotional distancing of their own while dealing with the aftermath of hopper’s “death”, the move, and whatever’s going on with them at home and at school. i think that once they reunite (probably not until the last half of the season), they’re likely to be stronger than ever. 

now, onto personal theories that have zero basis. for some reason, i can’t get it out of my head that this season might dive into psychological horror a little bit ? like a greatest fears type of thing ?? and i keep thinking about brenner popping back up and using the people el loves to get to her or something and 👀👀 

[adecila]

Heads up for spoiler etiquette

I will do my best to tag posts about episode 1 as either #got spoilers and/or #got spoilers 8x01 - make sure to blacklist those if you are not watching when it goes live.

I will tag only for the first 24h, maybe extend it to 48h. Maybe. Ain't nobody got time for that afterwards.

If you're too afraid of spoilers... well might as well uninstall tumblr because even if I tag accordingly ain't nobody guaranteeing you that everyone will do so.

As you know I am messy and I either have a long ass queue that's quite spaced out or a queue that will bombard you with post after post after post. As of now, I have 0 queued posts. So we're off to a nice start! But I will be queuing some ep 1 posts like gifs and edits.

I am doing my best to stay up (I live in Europe and it's 3am when the show airs- thanks a lot...). Idk about live blogging here because I am planning on watching with friends, but I will definitely be here to enjoy the tumblr posts at one point or another on Monday.

If I'm feeling motivated I will do a recap with my thoughts ^-^

Feel free to interact, send me your thoughts about it and your complaints ha. Always up for some good ole bitchin'. DMs and anon are open.

Lastly, please reblog all the gifs and edits as to show some love to the amazing gif makers we have in this fandom. I'm not saying reblog your NOTP or the characters you hate, I am saying, if you see 1384939 cute jonerys ep 1 moments gif sets you reblog them. Don't just like them. Remember you can always easily queue stuff if you don't feel like spamming your followers ;) thanks for coming to my TED talk.

The Long Night is over, so make sure you enjoy the episode, whatever it happens. And if it hurts us, we'll just come out that much stronger.

I'd make a drinking game but between Jon probably giving Dany some serious heart eyes at every turn and the Northmen grumbling at every moment, we'd all be in a coma by minute 30.

Oh and one more thing-

Let's cross everything we can and hope we get at least one more sex scene in this last season!

[problematic-ships]

Stucky Asks Revival?

Hey, guys!! Question for you.

I posted a survey, and I was hoping to get a little feedback about one of my other blogs. I run a Stucky Asks blog (well, I did, but it, uh... died). Either way, given that EndGame has happened, I was considering revamping it.

The survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CSKQ3H9

A few things to know before:

- The blog is a sister blog to Starker Asks. Even if Starker is not your ship, please do not let that affect your decision. I will be tagging anything that has to do with them as “Starker” on the blog, and if you so choose, you may blacklist that tag.

- It will currently be set Post-EndGame. I will include tags such as “EndGame spoilers”, “Avengers spoilers”, etc. If you wish to avoid spoilers, please blacklist the tags. (If this goes, I make another post with the specific tags for people to blacklist if desired.)

- Steve and Tony were a couple before CA:TWS. They ended things shortly before CA:CW.

- Steve and Bucky have been together since Bucky awoke from the cyro in Wakanda, however, they have always had feelings for each other. Steve was still on the run from the authorities, but he frequented Wakanda to visit Bucky.

Now, the tricky bit. The changes to EndGame.  To find out how the events of this blog may differ from the canon of the movie, click “read more”.

- After the snap, Steve and the others still try everything they can to get everyone back, but when they find Thanos, he has already destroyed the stones.

- Once the government is no longer after them, Steve returns to New York and has an apartment of his own. He spends most of his time with the team or at the group therapy sessions, however.

- After Tony has figured out the trick to the quantum time travel, he does give Steve his shield back, and the pair, while not on the best terms, are in a much better place.

- After Tony’s snap, Steve rushes to him as well as the others. He is the one that offers to give him a blood transfusion to see if the serum can help him survive. The serum is successful, and Tony lives but is not a supersoldier.

- Steve returns the stones to their proper locations. He stops to have a dance with Peggy as he promised, but he still returns to the present to be with Bucky.

- Steve still passes the shield off to Sam as he wants to retire and enjoy life with Bucky.

I am also including what my friend has changed for the Starker Asks blog as well.

Tony returns to Earth as he does in the movie and has it out with Steve. He remains at the facility as he recovers physically and exhausts every resource trying to undo the snap.

After a year of work and increasing troubles with his sobriety, Tony moves into Pepper and Rhodey’s country home for support, no hope left. The two are a couple and have, by this time, welcomed a little girl named Morgan into their family. Rhodey is frequently gone due to missions, but Tony proves to be an excellent uncle.

When approached about Scott Lang’s idea, Tony isn’t reluctant because he’s afraid of losing what he’s found. Tony is reluctant because he doesn’t want to dare hope, just to lose it all over again.

While Bruce is now able to work cohesively with the Hulk, he is not permanently in that form, and the two retain their separate personalities.

Thor rules justly over New Asgard, despite being depressed and bordering alcoholic. He’s not the misaimed comic relief he became during the movie.

Upon meeting Howard, Tony offers more of a warning regarding how to treat your children. When Howard says, “Let me tell you. That kid’s not even here yet and, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him,” Tony responds with. “You remember that feeling. Intentions are great, but they’re nothing if you don’t follow through.”

The Starker reunion goes precisely as it does in the movies, if not with a little more tears from Tony and a fierce kiss to follow the hug.

Tony still swipes the gauntlet and performs the final snap. While it would be otherwise fatal, he receives a small blood transfusion from Steve. The dose isn’t enough to turn Tony into a super soldier, but it does heal his wounds faster, albeit painfully. He has scarring along the arm he used, tapering off towards the bottom part of his neck and down along his side.

Peter has his heartbreaking goodbye with Tony before the savior passes out, and Steve runs forward to assist.

After Steve returned the stones to the moment they were taken from, Natasha was returned from the soul stone. It’s unknown whether this was due to her heroic sacrifice, or if the stone was rewarding their use of the stone for good and nothing else.

Steve chooses to return, rather than remain with Peggy.

[solarheiress]

Why I’m starting to not want to watch the new Miraculous episode

So this turned out way longer than i hoped despite all the stuff I skipped so to save lives and to save people who use different tags then me, there are so major ml spoilers down below so I’m gonna do this!

I’ll start this off by saying I’m not really a fan of either Luka or Kagami, like, in general. I don’t really like love triangles (especially ones that seem unecessary/ones that only really serve one character), and Miraculous was bad enough with the love square which thanks to those two has now evolved into a weird 3 dimensional shape that I don’t want to think about. (Also I get kinda annoyed when characters- male or female- are introduced with their only purpose as being the love interest, which is how it’s felt thus far) I also in general am not a fan of their actual characters. No deep analysis, putting aside any involvement in the relationships and all that and just looking at them, I don’t really like them. To be fair, we don’t know much about them so that could change. I like certain things about them, and I think I like Luka a bit more, but to explain why would take a really long post and I’m trying to make a point.

In terms of how they relate to everyone else, I really am not a fan of Kagami. I do actually have a reason, it’s a long one so I’ll try to sum it up briefly. Basically, it’s mostly because, well, I mean, she’s like Marinette. Way too much like Marinette. Luka is kinda laid back and he’s pretty kind, and looks kind of like chat actually, in terms of their hairstyle and as far as I can tell, that’s it (so far).

Honestly it’s more of a disservice to Kagami’s character than anything. She looks like Marinette, colour scheme and all, and (in my interpretation of her at least) she’s pretty straightforward, in a way ladybug tries to be without compromising her identity. Now this is where things get a little.... tense, so bear with me.

I’ve seen a lot of different interpretations of the episode and they seem to fall into distinct categories. Aka, “Kagami is a bitch” or “Kagami is right about everything stfu” and this is where I don’t want watch. I really don’t want to know. I don’t want to interpret. Don’t get me wrong I know everything that happened thanks to tumblr users inability to tag, but it’s all very biased descriptions of the same events. Truthfully, I think everyone focused on the wrong character, but I can address that later, let’s talk about Kagami.

Keep in mind this is based on the multiple interpretations I’ve seen, not on the actual episode (usually not the way I do things but I got annoyed so here we are).

Basically, Kagami delivered two very good pieces of advice. Very bluntly. And I don’t think that was a good idea. I don’t think they should have both come from her (especially considering one of those lines was to Marinette, but that’s who kagami is). It’s totally in line with her character, and her direct attitude. So to all people claiming she was acting ooc, that term applies only to fan fiction, where an author has misinterpreted another authors work. This does not apply to content produced by the original creator. She is acting just as she should be, the issue is that you’ve built a persona off very limited character information and this episode does not line up with your head canon.

So, this episode definitely presents the idea that Kagami is direct, even in situations when it is inappropriate for her to do so (such as addressing someone she doesn’t know very well). She is also very assured in her own deductive abilities and her own assumptions. It’s good and bad, she’s confident, but your strengths can also be your weaknesses at times. This is what we call character development.

The main issue I have with this whole scenario is that every interpretation I’ve seen mentioned something similar. Something that is neither surprising or disappointing. Someone else acted completely in character in this episode, and that would be Adrien. The fan’s favourite son. Honestly, the entire conflict with Kagami, and whether or not people like her should really be directed at that boy. I don’t give a damn about whether or not Kagami is good, or bad, what bothers me is that Kagami has a lot of traits similar to Marinette. If we compare Adrien to Luka, they’re both nice and friendly. Marinette is drawn to both of them, by that similar kindness. On the other hand, Kagami looks like Marinette, and thus, looks like Ladybug. She acts similarly to ladybug in someways, and similar to Marinette in others. My main concern is the playing out of a trope I’ve seen too many times. A main character (usually male) falls head over heels to someone who is startlingly familiar to the endgame love interest(ELI). But in reality, the whole time, they’re projecting their feelings for the ELI onto this convenient eerily similar side character, and leaves them broken hearted for the ELI. The side character is left under developed, under appreciated, and despised by the fans for “nearly breaking up a perfect couple” and Yada yada.

So, basically, is Adrien projecting his feelings for Ladybug onto Kagami or does he actually like her. Is he unintentionally using her as someone to bear an emotional burden with him? Even when he was technically there with her in the first place, was she really his focus? He switched from being rejected by ladybug to giving Kagami a flower so quickly, is he trying to get back at ladybug? Is he even aware of what he’s doing? Is any of this healthy?

No one is asking any of these questions. Everyone’s just yelling about Kagami.

I know if I watch the episode myself, I’ll land in one of four categories. Either, A, Omg Kagami was a bitch, B, lord Kagami was amazing and right, or C, yikes I was right yikes yikes yikes or D WTF this episode is so much more than the drama surrounding Kagami what is wrong with everyone

And honestly, I don’t want my brain to be there, so much so that on top of not watching I’m literally considering blacklisting Kagami tags for a few days so I won’t see any more arguing or complaining. (Also, just Kagami, not anyone else, because no ones talking about literally anything else).

(Also side note, I’ve gotten close to, like, ZERO info on Luka aside from a few parts where you couldn’t miss him, like when he was trying to help Marinette up. Idk if he’s actually mostly in the background or just being majorly under appreciated, but it took me FOREVER to figure out how he even ended up with them all in the first place, which is a yikes)

[levidusanimae]

Rules/Guidelines

General.

1. This blog will be semi-selective and semi-private. Although I am not mutuals only, I will switch to that if deemed necessary. This blog is semi-selective and semi-private because I will be taking a closer look at blogs. This is so I will be able to find blogs that my muse can interact with. 2. This blog will be anon hate and drama free. Neither of these actions will be tolerated. Said actions will result in an unfollow or a block. 3. This blog is multi-ship, multi-verse, crossover, multi-muse, same muse and OC friendly. All that I ask is that multi-muses, crossovers and OCs give me information about their muse(s) prior to roleplaying with me. 4. Roleplaying is for fun and is also a hobby of mine. Please do not harass me to reply to threads. I live a very busy life outside of the roleplaying community. 5. This blog will be NSFW and it may contain other things that are not appropriate for others. Because of this, I will tag triggers and nsfw under their own respective tags. (For example: nsfw = ;;nsfw and triggers = ;;tw). I know that everyone has their own triggers and they are more than free to blacklist said triggers from my blog so that you do not have to see it. 6. I will not roleplay with minors. You must be at least 18 or older in order to roleplay with this blog. 7. This blog is also not spoiler free and there may be content on this blog that you may or may not have seen yet. .Please be mindful of my rules/guidelines. I put these here so that we are all on the same page. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to message me! Anyway, I hope that you all will enjoy your stay and will enjoy my son!

About.

This blog is about Mutou Yuugi from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters or just Yu-Gi-Oh!. Muse and Mun are over the age of 18. Be warned once more that this blog will contain themes that may or may not be okay with everyone. Yuugi is the character of Kazuki Takahashi and I do not own him. This blog is simply my portrayal of him and nothing more..

About this Blog.

Please note once again that this blog contains NSFW as well as TRIGGERS that may bother some of you. Sexual content, physical abuse, violence, rape, non-con, blood, gore and other things related may appear on this blog. I know I have said this multiple times, but I must stress this. The last thing I want to do is make someone uncomfortable, but please do not complain to me about the content I have on this blog. You have been warned plenty. Also note that my opinions of Yuugi's actions are not always things that the mun favors either. Such as non-con, abuse and other things related. If a thread were to go to such lengths, I will be sure to tag it with the proper tags and/or place it under a readmore upon request. My portrayal of Yuugi is as canon as possible, as well as my own take on him. I am still learning about Ancient Egypt and Japanese culture. If anyone has more knowledge or notices that I am doing something wrong, please IM me so that I may correct my mistakes. This will not only help me as a writer, but also cause my muse to grow. Please do not force a ship onto my muse and he, in turn, will be respectful toward your own muse. I am a shipping whore, but chemistry is important between both muses and the muns before a ship could even happen. My muse is Panromantic, Demi-sexual. Which means that multiple partners of different genders is possible. I would like to add that my Yuugi is also a Switch. A switch means that my muse likes to be both a bottom as well as a top. It makes things more interesting within his relationships and adds more passion. Romance does not have to happen on this blog either. Platonic threads are more than welcome. I will not follow roleplay blogs unless if they have an about page and a rules page. I do not roleplay with personals. I do have a discord, but I will only hand that out to those that I trust. Please message me on IM for communicating purposes. Even if I am not on at the time, I will get back to you as soon as I can. .

Writing & Content.

NO godmodding allowed, unless discussed otherwise. No text talk either please. One-liners are okay when it comes to crack or for short threads. I will write paragraphs and I hope that you will do the same for me in return. It is not polite to send someone a one-liner when they have given you multi-paragraphs to work with. I do not ask that you match me in length, just send me a little more than a sentence please. I know that English is not everyone's first language but it is the main language on this blog. I only know a little Japanese and very little Spanish. Please use English when interacting with this blog. Proper grammar and punctuation are very much appreciated. .

To Personal Blogs.

Please do not reblog my rp threads. It is hard for us roleplayers to track our replies when you do that. You may simply like the thread and that is all. Do not like my starter calls either. You are more than welcome to send in asks or even some memes, but do not attempt to roleplay with this blog. I do notroleplay with personals. You are more than welcome to like & reblog pictures (besides munday ones), aesthetics, music and other things of that nature. Just do not do that for my threads or starter calls. You are more than welcome to communicate with me directly through IM personally. Or you may send in asks and memes if you wish to communicate with my muse. .

Afterword.

Please be mindful of my rules/guidelines. I put these here so that we are all on the same page. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to message me! Anyway, I hope that you all will enjoy your stay and will enjoy my son!

[gatecoeur]

canon verses ( post - snap )

the blip verse

tagged as: v;a world forever broken

Half of the world is gone, and The Avengers failed to find a way to bring them all back. Arrie has lost friends, family... Another brother. But in losing one brother, her long-lost one had returned, giving Arrie enough hope to do her best and pass that hope onto everyone else.  

This verse can be set anywhere between June 2018, following the Snap, all the way up to the Battle of Earth (October 2023). Arrie maintains her canon birthdate of 1993, and is can therefore be aged anywhere from 25 to 30 years old.

post-blip verse

tagged as: v;a world forever changed

So half of the world came back. The time of celebration however felt brief, as Earth came to realize that it hadn’t been prepared for this. So now the world’s back in chaos... And in need of new heroes.

Arrie feels the pressure of it. Could she afford to come back into that kind of light, after everything she’s done? After avoiding the trial that would surely ensue if Esprit was to return, for so long? She’s not so sure... But for now, she continues to do what she’s been doing, ever since she moved to New York City. Hopefully the world could afford having her stay in the dark...

WARNING: INTERACTING WITH THIS VERSE MEANS ACCEPTING SPOILERS FOR SPIDERMAN : FAR FROM HOME, WANDAVISION AND THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER. You can either blacklist this verse entirely, or request that I tag any of the specific movies/shows for you to blacklist. As of right now, I’m only tagging spoilers for the latter show, using the tags tfatws spoilers and fatws spoilers.

This verse is set at anytime after October 2023, but as of right now, will be defaulting to Spring 2024, meaning that Arrie is 31 years old.

[murasaki-murasame]

Danganronpa V3 Liveblog: Part 1 [Prologue]

So now that my several week-long adventure in trying to secure the necessary equipment to legally play this game has come to an end, I’ve finally gotten a hold of it and have begun playing it, so I’m going to start my liveblog!

For the sake of keeping my followers as spoiler-free as possible, I’m going to try and heavily tag these posts, and put about 99% of each post under a readmore. I’m also going to keep the labeling pretty vague for each post. My basic plan is to play each section of the game in one sitting [if we imagine each chapter being split into three sections of daily life, investigation, and trial] and then make one post for each of them. For now I’m going to label them with what part I played, for convenience, but I can’t help but be a little afraid about the possibility of there being some shift in structure later that might be spoiled via my labeling. We’ll see how it goes. If people want to completely avoid spoilers I guess they can just blacklist the tags and stuff, but I’m still going to try my best to avoid major spoilers, so the majority of these posts will be under read-mores.

This is going to be a pretty interesting experience for me, since even though I’m a huge fan of this series and have been following it for a few years now, I’ve only ever watched LPs of the game, so this is my first time actually playing one for myself.

Anyway I’m just gonna put my thoughts on the prologue under the cut since this is already getting long. [Fake edit: this got super long but mostly because half of it was me posting my initial reactions to characters and stuff, so with that out the way, maybe the rest of these posts will be shorter. We’ll see]

I don’t really wanna waste time talking too much about my history with this franchise and whatnot, so I’ll just get right into things and say that I have no goddamn clue what to expect from this game. I’ve almost completely managed to avoid spoilers on it, beyond what was shown in pre-release material. Well, mostly. There’s a few vague, context-less things I’m aware of, but I won’t say what those things are in case anyone is reading these posts without having played the entire game. [Though as a warning, I’m not gonna hold back on openly talking about every other part of the franchise that came before this]

I’ve heard that this game’s ending is ‘divisive and controversial’, but I have no idea how, and honestly that’s kinda been the trend with this series for better or worse, so it’s not really a surprise.

Thankfully I’ve also heard that this is maybe possibly the best game in the series so that’s cool! It’s not like I’m expecting greatness from it.

I’m really glad that I haven’t seen any LPs or anything besides the demo, because wow did things start off in a way that I wasn’t quite expecting. The whole beginning part was . . . bizarre. I got so thrown off by how everyone was wearing normal school uniforms. In general the whole way that things play out but then, like . . . loop back on themselves??? was really weird and unexpected. I feel like the game is already throwing out major hints about late-game twists, to the point where it all feels so ‘obvious’ that it’s probably some kind of misdirection. The whole shot we got of Kaede wearing some kind of science experiment helmet thing in particular felt like a ‘peeking behind the simulation’ moment, but DR2 already had a simulation twist, so the fact that they seem to be hinting at a similar thing feels like misdirection.

On the one hand I feel like I shouldn’t think too hard about it in case I guess the twist in advance, but on the other hand all of this signalling is so blatant and in your face that I feel like I may as well talk about it.

Even beyond the weird time-looping thing, there’s also a pretty heavy focus on the idea of amnesia and deja-vu [amnesia is pretty common for the series but the deja-vu element is interesting], and there’s some really interesting hints given out about the outside world, with references to stuff like the Ultimate Hunt, I think they called it, and how that apparently ties in with how everyone had forgotten their talents in the ‘first loop’, if I should call it that.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that this game is set in the Hope’s Peak Saga universe, since the first opening movie literally spells out that this game is a continuation of it, so it’s hard not to work with what the previous games set up story-wise to try and guess where the hell we’re at in this game.

I’ve always wondered how the whole concept of Ultimates would have been handled post-DR3, and how Hope’s Peak would function. It definitely seems like we’re hinting at the idea that something went pretty wrong down the line. It almost sounds like maybe the concept of being an Ultimate is, like, treated as a crime now, but it also feels like it might be another DR2-esque thing with how that game’s cast were all the Remnants of Despair who were in the simulation for rehab purposes. I don’t think it’ll be exactly the same sort of thing, though at the same time it’s also hard to believe that the whole Despair thing completely died out after DR3 so who knows.

It’s interesting to compare this with DR2, in how that game really started out as a legit rehab program of sorts that tried to hide the truth from everyone, while this game is upfront about the idea that this game’s cast are criminals who are being punished for something. So it’s kinda easy to guess that maybe they really are all criminals who’ve just been made to forget their crimes.

[Fake edit: I was just about to finish this post but I just realized that I forgot to point out how incredibly suspicious it is that the prologue is literally called ‘Ultimate Revival’, when we already had the weird time loop thing happen]

I’ll try not to think too much about the overarching plot until it becomes more relevant, but yeah to put it simply I’m already getting huge DR2 vibes from this set-up.

Anyway, enough talking about serious Speculation [tm] and Theorycrafting [tm], let’s talk about the stuff we’re all here for! AKA the characters and the flashy visuals and whatnot.

Just to get it out the way, I’m stuck with shitty dialogue audio quality because I had to import the US Vita version of the game because 1: I don’t own a Windows computer [and for some reason the Steam version is only on Windows even though the first two games are also on Mac], 2: I don’t own a PS4, and 3: I have an NZ PSN account but I literally cannot obtain an NZ Vita copy of the game because no online or retail distributors have it available, and because for some godawful reason the NZ PSN store only has the voice patches for it, and not, y’know, the game itself. So I’m stuck with the US version of the game since it was the only one available, and because the voice patch is treated as DLC, and DLC is region-locked, I can’t get the high-quality dialogue audio even if I wanted it. Which I do. It’s not THAT terrible, but it’s noticeably bad. Especially for certain characters, like Shuichi and Kaito. But I literally cannot do anything about it, so I’m stuck with it.

On the topic of voices, I still do like most of the voices, even if the audio quality isn’t great. A lot of the voices sound a lot more . . . plain, I guess, than I was expecting. I dunno how to explain it. I kinda like it. It makes them sound more like real people, though some of them sound like, well, middle-aged people trying to voice-act teenagers while barely bothering to try and sound like teenagers.

The music is still high-quality and sounds great. I still love this franchise’s music style. Most of the tracks in the prologue sound either similar to or the same as stuff from previous games, which is fine, but the Monokids track is . . . certainly something. Definitely in a similar vein as how weird Monomi’s track was in DR2, but this one’s less cute. Still good, though.

The game’s visuals are still on-point, though the image quality isn’t great at times. The colours are really vibrant, but things often seem really pixel-y when they’re even slightly far away. I think that’s just how the series looks in general though, and it’s just easier to forget since I’ve only ever watched LPs of them. I do really like the more dark and earthy sort of atmosphere and colour palete this game has compared to the other ones, though. The other games look great, but I like that they did something a bit different. I get what they meant by calling this game ‘psycho-cool’.

Getting to the characters, I like them already, though I obviously haven’t seen them in action much yet. Visually, I honestly think they’re one of my favourite casts in the entire series. It definitely feels like they had a bit more restraint in designing a lot of these characters, compared to earlier games, while still keeping the same DR character design charm. I don’t know how the hell this series’ character designer is still managing to churn out unique and interesting designs after so many franchise entries, but here we are.

Since there’s so many characters I think I’ll just address them one by one.

Kaede: First of all, it still makes me happy that we got a female protagonist for this game. It’s a nice detail. Secondly, I’m just gonna lay it out and say that I’m expecting some major plot twist relating to her identity. It’s not a difficult thing to assume after how DR2 [and DR0 I guess] had big plot twists relating to their protagonist’s identities, in different ways, but still, the writing’s kinda on the wall for this one. I don’t know if Kaede will end up having anything uniquely shocking about her compared to the rest of the cast, but still. The way the beginning scene played out, with the focus on her not knowing who she was, immediately made me suspect that she might not actually be ‘Kaede’, somehow. We’ll see. I honestly would not be surprised if she’s a ‘decoy protagonist’ and someone else is the real protagonist. Especially considering the fact that the first characters shown off were Maki, Kaito, and K1-B0, nearly a year before we saw Kaede, which makes me suspicious on many levels. Anyway, I really like her design. It’s been a favourite of mine since we first saw her. The yellow/white/pink-purple colour palette is really nice. And on a related note, the goddamn magical girl transformation she had when she got put into her main uniform was amazing and glorious and exactly the sort of bizarre thing I wanted to see out of this game. There’s not much to say about her personality thus far, but I like her. And I also like that she’s a pianist. It’s refreshing to get a DR protagonist who’s talent is something other than ‘hope’ or ‘literally nothing’. I guess you could count Ryouko and Chisa as DR protagonists with actual talents, though. But you get what I mean.

Shuichi: It really surprised me that he was immediately presented as being the secondary protagonist. Or, at least, the ‘helper’ character. I like how, in contrast to people like Kirigiri and Komaeda, he isn’t really doing this out of his own volition, and was literally just stuck in the same room as Kaede. Which is still kinda suspicious in and of itself, really. He’s really great, though. I was so worried that he’d be a complete copy of Kirigiri, but he’s really not, thus far. He’s honestly really adorable, with how humble and easily-flustered he is. I also really like his design, and how simple it is. I wonder how his role in the game will be, going forward. He’s definitely the helper/assistant/etc right now, but who knows if that’ll change. I hope he has a different role overall compared to Kirigiri, at least, to shake things up a bit. Oh, and before I forget, I’m already guessing in advance that he might actually be a girl, although that’s almost entirely based on him being voiced by Megumi Hayashibara in Japanese [and on that note, boy am I annoyed that on top of not being able to get the high-quality dialogue audio, I also can’t get the JP voice pack for the same reason :/]. He definitely sounds much more like a boy in English, so I’m inclined to think that maybe they weren’t trying to hint at anything by giving him a really feminine voice in Japanese.

Rantarou: I already adore this dude and I plan to immediately do all of his free-time events. OK fine I’ll do other people’s ones as well, but he’s the one I’m most interested in talking to. Partly because I’m really inclined to think that he might die relatively early on so I want to get to know him immediately. He at least comes across like the sort of character who might get killed off early as a big plot twist, to contrast with how mysterious and plot-important he seems right now. I don’t really know what to expect from his role in the story, but it’s hard not to get Komaeda vibes off of him, especially in the parts where he gets vaguely sinister. Thankfully his personality is already pretty notably different. He definitely seems like the character who’s probably most ‘plot-important’ other than Kaede and maybe K1-B0. It makes me wonder what his deal is, especially since he doesn’t remember his talent. I hope the inevitable reveal isn’t lame or anything. I also can’t help but wonder if maybe he’ll become some sort of love interest for Kaede, but I guess Shuichi would probably fit the mark better at this point. Who knows. I imagine that Kaede will have a love interest of some kind, since the other DR protagonists did. Anyway, I like his design as well. His outfit honestly seems like the sort of thing I could imagine a normal person wearing without it being weird at all. It’s neat. His hair looks mostly cool, like 90% of it does, but I can’t get over how weird those two upward-poking wavy bits at the top look. They’re so weird. Also, I’m still slightly thrown off by how deep and mellow his voice is, but it more or less fits his personality. I guess that in general his personality is a bit different than what I expected. I expected something a bit more fun and light-hearted.

K1-B0: OK first of all I might eventually just start calling him Keebo because it feels more natural than typing a name that has numbers and stuff in it. I still love his name, though. It never stops being the silliest thing ever to me, that his name is literally just a robot-y version of the Japanese word for hope. It’s great. I’m still kinda surprised that he didn’t end up being the game’s protagonist, given that he was front and center on the game’s first poster. He’s even the only character shown on the limited edition box design for the game. So who knows what’s up with him. Either way it’s hard not to see him as being potentially plot-important, with how immediately different he is to everyone else. We’ll see. His design is still kinda amazing and I love it. There’s a lot of places where V3′s character designs show restraint and realism, but hahaha not with this dude. In terms of his personality, I’m still really surprised that he’s mostly kinda nervous and defensive and high-strung, while also being pretty desperate to appear normal while being really unaware of normal things. Which is a fine way to write a robot character, and I prefer his ‘over-emotional’ portrayal over the more typical ‘emotionless robot’ characters we usually get. My main concern is that the game seems to be framing him as some sort of joke about “““SJWs”““, and it’s just bizarre and out of place. I also don’t know how the heck we’re even meant to view it thus far, since his whole ‘I’ll take you to court for your robophobic comments!’ attitude seems like it’s meant to be a joke, but at the same time his whole intro scene involves Kokichi literally questioning and denying his identity because he’s a robot, and being really inappropriate and invasive in general, so it’s kinda hard to view his defensiveness towards ‘robophobia’ as some sort of a joke we’re meant to laugh at. I guess we’ll see how it gets handled in the long run. Also let me just say that I’m REALLY happy they didn’t attempt to put some sort of obnoxious voice filter on him to make him seem more like a robot.

Maki: As I said above, I’m still suspicious about her prominent placing on that first poster we got. It’s even the reversible cover of the game, which is why I got reminded of it. I’m really curious to see what her deal is. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about her yet, since she’s mostly quiet and cold to people, which isn’t really a personality type I like seeing. I could see her potentially being a prominent part of trials, though, since she seems like she’d probably be calm and logical and whatnot. Also just to be blunt I kinda want her to be Kaede’s love interest, or at least one of them. I’ve kinda low-key shipped them since I first saw them. But do I really trust Kodaka to give me a healthy and mutually-alive same-sex ship after how DR3 ended? Not really, lol. I really like her design, though, even if her personality is a bit meh thus far. The red and black looks really nice, and it contrasts well with the brighter colours of Kaede’s design. Although there’s something weird about how her mouth is drawn. It looks a little wonky.

Kaito: I’m even more confused about what the hell this dude was doing on that promo poster, especially after seeing him in person. He basically seems like the Soda of this game, but thankfully way less weird and creepy. He seems like a really great dude all around, even if he’d be a bit too, uh, intense for me to enjoy being around in real life. I’m also still kinda amazed that he’s an astronaut, of all damn things. I remember that one coming out of nowhere. His whole conversation about how he illegally cheated to become an astronaut and when he got caught they just decided to keep him on board anyway was amazing. It’s a pretty hilarious way to address and basically gloss over the question of how a high-schooler could possibly be an astronaut. Also, his design is kinda hilarious. The simple white/purple theme works really well, but jesus christ his goddamn hair is amazing. I love it. It’s so silly. It’s like someone took a normal hairstyle and then messed with it in Photoshop. I wonder what it’d look like if they ever try and make figures of him. But I unironically love that the inner part of his jacket has a space design on it. That’s a nice detail, even if it’s hard to see normally. I can also tell that some of his expressions are going to be hilarious.

Kokichi: I can already tell that this dude’s gonna be a major player in this game, especially in trials. To the point where I’d be amazed if he doesn’t survive for at least four chapters or so. I feel like he’s going to be such a central part of the trial experience that cutting him out would leave a bit of a void. He’s obviously going to be sorta Komaeda-y in how he messes with people but he never actually kills anyone or anything. I’m just guessing, though. I’m also basing this on the demo I watched someone play, where that’s exactly how it went. [Though on the topic of trials, it’s still interesting to me that Rantarou and K1-B0 were specifically excluded from the demo trial]. I don’t know if I’m a huge fan of his overall personality, though. He just seems a bit annoying for the most part, even if he’ll probably be pretty compelling overall, partly in a ‘love to hate them’ sort of way. And obviously I disliked how incredibly shitty he was toward K1-B0. That was unpleasant. His design’s cool, though. I like how he seems to be wearing some sort of a loose straitjacket. His huge checker-print scarf is also pretty neat. Not sure how I feel about his hair-style. It’s a bit odd. I’m also curious to learn more about his talent, since it’s hard to imagine him genuinely being what he says he is. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he’s actually lying about his talent.

Gonta: I love him so much but he’s so obviously going to die because the baras always die. That’s not a spoiler though. I don’t actually know if he’ll die or not. I’m just assuming that he will because every character of his vague ‘type’ have died previously. He’s great, though. I love how much of a gentle giant he is. He just wants to be a gentleman and everyone’s just immediately intimidated by him instead. But then again he does get genuinely scary whenever someone insinuates that they dislike bugs. So that’s a thing. The fact that his whole talent is about how much he likes bugs is strangely endearing to me. It feels like such a gentle, delicate, and studious sort of field that it clashes with his design in a fun way. Also he has Harry Potter-y glasses and that’s adorable.

Miu: She’s kinda already turning into a problematic fave of mine. I totally get why she’d be too much for most people, and I’d hate her in real life, but as a character she’s really fun to watch, and adds a lot to the group dynamic. I’m not really expecting much from her in the long run though, since she’s obviously meant to be this game’s fanservice-y and kinda dumb character. I can’t help but wonder if she has some sort of connection to K1-B0 though, or if they might develop one, since her talent as an inventor who knows her way with machines seems sorta fishy in a game with a literal robot character in it. Her design’s also pretty nice, though the weird BDSM-y equipment she has is kinda hilarious and bizarre to look at. I love her aviator goggles, though.

Kirumi: I already like her a lot, though it’s sorta hard to pin down why. I think it’s mostly to do with me really liking her whole aesthetic. The spiderweb/broken glass pattern on her dress in particular is really cool. The only weird part is that it’s kinda weird how her eyelashes are drawn visibly through her hair. It just looks strange. There’s not much to say about her personality, though her whole ‘I’ll do what people tell me to do’ attitude is very worrying given, you know, the situation they’re all in. I don’t exactly expect her to survive. Also I’m still a bit confused what the difference in talent is between her being a maid and Chisa from DR3 being a housekeeper.

Tsumugi: She’s unexpectedly funny but I feel like she won’t last long, so that kinda sucks. Her overall design is still by far the plainest in the game, but I like how it’s an intentional choice that’s contrasted by her personality. I appreciate that she’s not, like, super wacky or anything, but she’s still pretty hilarious. Especially her realistically surprised reactions to stuff other characters say. It’s also a really neat detail how when she gets excited about something and clearly starts forgetting things like social boundaries, her sprite gets bigger and bigger like she’s entering your personal space. It’s also an interesting concept to have a cosplayer character who’s just wearing a really plain and boring school uniform, and cares mostly about the actual production of the costumes. I can’t help but wonder if her talent will end up leading to her being able to disguise herself as someone else. That’d be a really interesting thing to use in a murder case. Also I seriously hope there’s a scene in the game where she’s just cosplaying as Junko for no real reason, and you’re tricked into thinking for a moment that Junko’s genuinely back in this game. That’d be amazing.

Korekiyo: I have no idea what to make of this dude thus far. He didn’t really get many lines outside of his intro scene. He definitely seems like the most ‘creepy’ character. I kinda like him, though. The way that he talks about the beauty of humanity makes me really curious to see how he reacts to the killings as they happen. It’d be a bit amusing if he lives for the entire game and just keeps being really fucking weird about the whole thing while everyone just averts their eyes. His entire design is incredibly weird to me, and it’s kinda hard to tell what they’re going for beyond ‘this dude’s incredibly super chuuni’. It doesn’t seem to fit his actual personality much. You’d think he’d be way more, well, chuuni, I guess. It also kinda surprised me when I looked at his profile and saw that, at least relative to average Japanese heights, he’s actually really tall. It’s kinda difficult to tell people’s relative heights in VN-esque games like this. Also, I actually think it’s really cool that he’s an anthropologist. It’s cool to see an actual academic field like this in the franchise. There’s not too many characters with talents like that. I hope he gives out lots of random trivia about anthropology-related things.

Himiko: She’s not exactly my sort of character, but I like her. I mostly like the little ways in which she’s handled differently than how you’d expect her to be. Like how the only fanciful part of her design is her witch hat, which isn’t very fancy itself, and how she’s really chill and mellow but also a little childish. Even when she’s trying to be bombastic, it’s pretty chill. Also her whole ‘magic is real’ thing reminds me so much of Beatrice from Umineko, and that just makes me immediately like her, even if they’re [presumably] very different characters.

Angie: I keep mentally grouping her and Himiko into the ‘short, cute girl’ category for some reason, even though they’re very different. She’s definitely very . . . unique, that’s for sure. I’m still thrown off by her accent. I get what they’re going for, but for some reason it just sounds sorta French to me, so it feels like they told her VA ‘put on a foreign accent’ without telling her WHICH accent to put on. I don’t know if her accent is necessarily inaccurate for the part of the world she’s from, but ‘French’ is my first thought upon hearing it, so it feels odd. I like it, though. It’s a unique voice. Her design as a whole is definitely really cool. I love how bright and cheerful it is, colour-wise. I like her bright and bubbly personality a lot, though she can be a little creepy at times, like in the whole ‘blood sacrifice for Atua’ scene.

Ryoma: Thus far he’s immediately my favourite ‘cartoon-y and unrealistic-looking’ character, compared to ones like Hifumi and Teruteru. For one thing, he’s not a perverted creep, so that immediately puts him about fifty levels above those two. I also genuinely adore the way that he acts and talks like he came out of some kinda detective noir film, and has a Dark Backstory [tm] involving him murdering mafia members with a goddamn steel tennis ball. It’s so melodramatic and angsty but so incredibly hilarious because he’s like a three-foot tall teenage tennis player dramatically talking about how he used his tennis-playing talent to kill, and that he’s now just an empty shell of who he once was. I love him already. If he gets killed off, that’d be a real shame. But his character type also never survives, sadly. I don’t have much else to say about his design itself, but I think he has a chain around his ankle like a stereotypical ball and chain put on prisoners and that’s just the icing on the cake of how amazingly emo his design is.

Tenko: Not gonna lie, I almost forgot she existed and had to look at the cover of the game to figure out who I was missing. She’s probably my least favourite character thus far simply due to me liking everyone else more, and also due to me just not being a huge fan of her design. It’s mostly just the way that her uniform looks like it’s five sizes too small, but her giant green hair ribbons are also a bit weird, and so is the weird DNA helix-y way her hair is braided. It’s a bit of a bizarre design all around. But I absolutely adore her facial expressions so much. They’re fantastic. I love how unrepentantly weird and gross some of them are. That fucking smile-smirk-grimace-thing she does when she first talks about ‘degenerate males’ is one of the funniest things in this game thus far. Although on that note, her whole man-hating thing is already a little grating. It’s not terrible, but still. Although it looks like the game might do some funny things with it, like how in the demo she couldn’t say which guy walked into the cafeteria because she just hates men so goddamn much that she basically blocked him out of her vision and then couldn’t remember who it was later. That sorta thing is amusing.

Monokids: I almost forgot to comment on these guys, but I may as well, since they’re a noteworthy new aspect of the game. They’re definitely very fitting for the franchise, but it’s almost overwhelming having so many variations of Monokuma running around. It was also really weird how it felt like half of the script in the prologue was just them talking, and the actual main characters just responding to them sometimes. I hope they don’t hog the screen-time that much for the rest of the game. I’m pretty interested to see what the hell their deal is, though, since presumably someone is controlling them, but they seem to be operating independently from Monokuma. I guess they might just be actual autonomous robots though. But still.

I don’t think there’s really any point to me saying anything about Monokuma, since he’s not exactly a new character. But I can’t help but wonder who’s controlling him this time, if he’s not also an autonomous robot. Presumably it’d be an all-new character this time around, unless they somehow bring back an old character. But if it’s a new mastermind, will it be one of the main characters of this game? If so, how? If it’s not, then who would it be? I doubt that the mastermind would end up being a completely, entirely new character. I guess we’ll see.

Anyway that got really really long but oh well. I have a lot to say about this game already, lol. I’m really excited to finally be sitting down to play one of these games on my own terms, rather than just seeing someone else play it on Youtube. Even if it’s been a bit of a nightmare trying to get the necessary equipment to legally play it.

I’m very curious to see where my opinion falls in the long run, since this seems to be a very ‘love it or hate it’ kinda game. I don’t really have super high expectations though, at least after I disliked DR2′s ending, and I thought UDG was kinda weird, and I thought DR3 was a bit of a trainwreck. I love this franchise a lot, but it can also be kinda terrible at times, so I’m keeping my hopes in check for this one.

[getoffthesoapbox]

[VKM Spec] Slogging Through VKM 11

Whelp, VKM 11 has arrived and it was...underwhelming, to say the least. There are a few tidbits of interest which I’ll be covering below. If you’re looking for indepth analyses on the parallels and intricacies of Haruka and Juri and Kaien please check out @soulisthirsty​‘s post which covers the specifics of that trio in more depth. 

I despise all levels of the Kuran incest family shenanigans and prefer to spend as little time analyzing them as possible to keep my blood pressure down. ;) Ancient obasans have to watch out for these things, you know!

In the meantime, for anyone who hasn’t read the translations or seen the spoilers, please check them out on @alldempretties​‘s blog before proceeding to read below. =)

This post has been tagged anti cross kaien and anti ky for anyone who would like to blacklist it from the tags. Fair warning: I won’t be using any visuals because this chapter isn’t up to snuff panel-wise. Hino got a bit lazy with this one. 

On Present Kaien - Melodrama Ridiculous

Why Hino decided to dedicate a full 40 pages to Kaien is...quite beyond my ken. Regardless, here we are. 

As many perhaps are aware, Kaien is one of my most detested characters, and this chapter does little to fix this. He’s no better than the noble vampires, running around worshipping his purebloods at the expense of common sense. But we’ll get to that in a minute. For now I’d like to focus on the present and how ridiculous this whole set up is.

Hino makes a big hairy deal about Kaien’s reaction to the doctor’s news (the doctor is absolutely preposterous and unprofessional), and then she drags out Kaien’s long memory sequence about his loved ones. A larger deal is made out of Kaien’s “illness” than Yori’s funeral! Sometimes Hino’s lack of common sense is stunning.

Kaien plays up his illness in order to manipulate Yuuki into giving him a whole host of things she wouldn’t ordinarily give him. Dates to the park with Ai (I noticed Kaien didn’t invite Zero to these), old massage coupons, photo album sorting, great screenings with everyone important assembled. For a guy who’s dying, he sure has a lot of unfinished business. 

It’s hard to know if Hino actually intends to kill him off or if this whole scenario was created in order to give Yuuki a reason to be sorting photos and creating this screening for Kaien. Zero seems to be under the impression that it’s much ado about nothing, which I’m inclined to agree with, much as it pains me. 

I find it interesting that Kaien still calls Zero “Kiryuu-kun” while he calls Yuuki “Yuuki” and Kaname “Kaname-kun.” It’s clear he’s still on the pro-Kaname boat and the anti-Zero boat as far as Yuuki is concerned, as is fitting for his Kuran-obsessed character. He’s always placed Kaname and Yuuki above Zero, even though Zero was entrusted to his care. 

Sadly, I doubt he’ll be dying anytime soon. I was really hoping to get rid of one of the detestable characters, but no, Hino only commits to killing off the decent ones. Thanks for spoiling my fun, Zero. ;)

On Past Kaien - A Long Life with Little to Show for It

My current theory on why Hino insisted on rehashing old exposition of Kaien’s past (Kaien takes photos, Juri wields anti-vampire weapons, Kaien was friends with Haruka and Juri, Kaien started the school for Juri, Kaien was in love with Juri) is to remind the readers of all these things that occurred over the course of the original series. If I don’t think of it this way, I’ll want to tear my hair out over having to reread the same old information again.

Regardless, we do clarify a few things. Kaien gets inspired by Isaya to take photos. Isaya’s words about capturing happy times of your loved ones are probably meant to echo into the future to Zero and Yuuki during their happy times (and to reflect upon the present as an unhappy time despite appearances). 

We also find out that Kaien’s become exhausted with his illustrious career as the Ten Thousand Slayer. He’s more like a pureblood than a human, and his comrades begin to pull away from him thanks to that. Kaien also begins to sympathize more with the purebloods than he does with the hunters. 

The academy is an idea he cooked up to help create a better world for Juri. Unfortunately it isn’t something she can take advantage of--she’s an adult woman who finished her school days long ago. But the focus is on the idea of a bright future and her encouragement of his plan.

It’s interesting that he admits the results weren’t all that great, even though he did manage to plant a bit of a seed toward that future. His academy was an abysmal failure and his methods brought no peace at all, but he did provide the environment for the next generation to begin building on the ruins of what he’d attempted. It will not be his generation who saves the future, but Zero’s, Aidou’s, and Yuuki’s. Out with the old, in with the new. 

Though his accomplishments are meager, he seems content with them, and that’s probably as good as he deserves. 

On Kaien vs. Kaname Anti-Mirrors - Interference vs. Acceptance

A few interesting similarities between Kaien and Kaname cropped up this chapter. The similarities weren’t too intense, but they were there.

Kaien, like Kaname, began to see life as dull and gray and ashen. He, like Kaname, wanted to do away with himself. Like Kaname, he was saved by the bright personality of a Kuran woman. 

However, the two men differ in a very significant way which the chapter highlights. Kaien watched Haruka and Juri, and although he wished for Juri’s love, instead of choosing to interfere between them, he chose to search for a way he could help both of them be happy and free them of their burdens.

Kaname, on the other hand, watched Zero and Yuuki together and tried to take what Yuuki gave freely to Zero for himself. He interfered with Zero and Yuuki’s natural trajectory and did everything in his power to derail it from its inevitable course. He chose to add to their suffering, and even in his final moments he wasn’t able to truly free either of them. Kaname is in this sense much closer to Rido than to Kaien, despite him and Kaien having similar beginnings.

On Kaien vs. Zero Anti-Mirrors - The Failed Savior vs. The Vampire Knight

Now this was an incredibly pleasant surprise! For a chapter with so little substance, to find this nugget was a real pleasure.

Throughout the chapter, Hino places small hints that Kaien’s and Zero’s trajectories are meant to be compared. They’re not parallel trajectories because Zero corrects Kaien’s mistakes and is meant to succeed where Kaien failed.

In the chapter, it’s made clear that Kaien falls under the spell of the pureblood lifestyle and forgets himself. He loses touch with what’s important to the hunters, and loses their confidence. They grow distant from him and no longer connect with him. 

Then we switch to the present and we see the exact opposite going on with Zero. Zero has not forgotten who he is and what he stands for--although he tolerates and accepts vampires, he is still first and foremost focused on the good of humanity. His hunters respect him and joke with him--a sign of a good superior is when subordinates feel they can tease them. Although Zero himself is a vampire and is dating a pureblood, his subordinates are not suspicious of where his loyalties lie, unlike Kaien. Zero is a healthier person than Kaien, in spite of all his losses in life, and this more grounded nature of his enables him to succeed within both the hunter and vampire circles.

Moreover, in the past Kaien has a significant scene where he watches Haruka and Juri and compares them to birds drenched in the rain who have lost something important. His heart goes out to them, and he recognizes in them the same loneliness he has in himself. He decides he wants to save them from their burdens. Unfortunately, Kaien fails because Haruka and Juri die long before his academy can bear any fruit. His purpose and meaning and the people he wanted to save vanish at the same time, leaving him unable to save anyone. Hino highlights this with the color spread--Kaien is outside the deep dark forest, trying to reach in to his friends. They both look at him, but ultimately cannot join him. 

This was such a great find for me, because it implies that Zero will succeed where Kaname failed. I’ve reiterated several times that I believe Zero failed as the Vampire Knight in the original series. He was meant to save his birds who forgot the song of happiness--Kaname and Yuuki. But he failed thanks to not recognizing his duty soon enough and to Yuuki’s memory wipe. As such, his burden to save the two of them has been shifted to VKM. Unlike Kaien, though, Zero wants to make a better world for Ai, not just Yuuki. Zero is working for the future deliberately, not for the present. This is a completely different perspective than Kaien’s, and it will allow Zero to flourish and to achieve his goals where Kaien couldn’t. 

I firmly believe by the end of the story Zero will succeed where Kaien failed and save not only Yuuki and the world at large but also Kaname. Zero is the seed Kaien planted without knowing it, and the one who--through assisting with the cure, encouraging cooperation between the vampires and hunters, never forgetting himself or his duty, making the world a better place for Ai, and leaving his fragment to help Yuuki with Kaname--will bring forth the “bright future” Juri wished for her daughter and shine a light on the deep dark forest at last. Only Zero can do this, and I have faith in him to take on the responsibility at last!

On Haruka & Juri - The Birds Whose Happiness Went Extinct

I won’t dwell on the parallels between Haruka/Juri and the pairings. I’m honestly in the camp that believes the real Haruka and Juri were more akin to Kaname and Yuuki, and that the idealized Haruka and Juri that Yuuki wished for are what’s akin to Zero and Yuuki. But I really have no stake in the game, so whatever floats people’s boats.

However, there are some callbacks and interesting points I’d like to explore with these two.

For one, there’s a lot of emphasis placed on how purebloods lose their ability to find happiness as they age and as the duties placed on them increase. Honestly, I’m of the opinion that this is thanks to purebloods refusing to accept their duties and constantly running away from their responsibilities, but Hino wants us to pity them, so pity them we shall by god. I’ve never in my life felt bad for her purebloods--they’re all rich, wealthy, and beautiful. They all create their own destruction because they’re selfish beings who don’t know how to do good in the world. Honestly, a great majority of their suffering is of their own making. 

Regardless, Hino uses Haruka and Juri to remind us of a couple of callbacks to Kaname and Yuuki. On the cover page of the chapter, she’s placed Haruka and Juri deep within the gnarled trees of the deep dark forest. Haruka and Juri, like Kaname and Yuuki after them, fell into the deep dark forest. Further, Haruka and Juri are compared to drenched birds clinging to each other in the rain, an image very similar to the “birds who have forgotten the song of happiness” Hino used for Kaname and Yuuki back in Night 91′s title. She goes further with Haruka and Juri to indicate that something has gone extinct within them--likely the love of life and the appreciation of its possibilities.

This all hints that Haruka and Juri’s “happiness” is the facade of two lonely people whose love isn’t enough to overcome their long lives and their responsibilities. My personal opinion has always been that this is because Juri doesn’t actually love Haruka--he was just the best of two bad options. After centuries together, she grew fond enough of him that he helps ease her loneliness, but I doubt he was her true love. (I don’t think any of her options were her true love, but that’s beside the point.)

I also found it interesting that Haruka and Juri do not seem to be placing Kaname’s happiness as a priority. Instead all their focus is on Yuuki. This places an extra meta burden on Yuuki as a character--she now has to find happiness not only for herself, but for her parents as well. She is their hope, and they died for that hope. It’s now even more imperative that she find her happiness with the man she chose--Zero. Baby steps!

What I find interesting is that Haruka and Juri’s wish for Yuuki led her directly to Zero, not Kaname. Their method for helping her find happiness delivered her right to just the right man for her. That cannot be a coincidence.

Interestingly, Kaien seems to have tried to subvert the true wish of Haruka and Juri--for Yuuki to find her own happiness--by trying to substitute Kaname and Yuuki for Haruka and Juri in his life. This may explain why he pushed Yuuki to Kaname and supported their reunions at the expense of Yuuki’s mental health and wellbeing and even preferences. It also explains why he wasn’t too keen on Zero and Yuuki as a couple. Kaien was invested in seeing Yuuki and Kaname find the happiness Haruka and Juri weren’t able to, but that wasn’t what Haruka and Juri wished for Yuuki. They wanted her to find a happiness and a bright future that could only be had within Kaien’s academy. A future with Kaname was not that future--a future with Kaname would have ended up the same way Haruka’s and Juri’s did. They didn’t wish a pureblood life of misery upon their daughter--they wished a life of light and joy. 

On Ichiou - Evil or Misunderstood?

Poor Ichiou. Hino wants us to hate him so badly she makes Haruka act all hostile to him, but the guy really doesn’t do anything bad this chapter. All he does is remind Haruka of the duties he’s shirking in order to play with Juri at things he shouldn’t be doing. I honestly feel for Ichiou; can you imagine how many unruly purebloods he has to deal with all the darn time? It’s no wonder he gets power hungry later--his job’s thankless!

I’m not the type to hate characters just because other characters hate them. I usually get suspicious when characters are painted as too over-the-top evil. No one is entirely evil. Ichiou probably got just tired of the purebloods and their childish ways and wanted at least a little something for his trouble. Bless the poor man. 

On the Screening - What the Future Holds

I suspect Kaien’s going to die before they can host the screening in his lifetime. I think that’s going to be something Yuuki picks up throughout the 900 years of her life, and she’ll add photos of everyone--including her happy life with Zero, Ai, and Ren. Likely Kaname will be the one who gets to watch this compilation of all his loved ones’ lives, maybe toward the end of the story after he’s come to terms with all he lost and never had and is ready to heal and move forward. 

Since Isaya mentioned that it’s good to have photos of your loved ones from happy times, this is an indicator that we’ll be getting a significant portion of our photos from the Zero/Ren/Ai days. It also implies that we’re not in the happy times yet, because no one’s been taking photos. (This also ties back to the very first cover from VKM 1, which was a huge stack of photos from the past.)

It would also be nice if we did get to have that amusement park date with Kaien, only Zero goes along and Kaien finally admits to himself that he was wrong to push Yuuki with Kaname--that she’d already found the perfect person for her. =P It’d be nice to see him recognize that Zero is the one who brings the joy out in Yuuki the way Haruka brought it out in Juri, since Kaien can’t seem to attach to anyone unless they remind him of Haruka and Juri. *sigh*

On Zero & Yuuki - The Return of the Public Masks

The time lapse between VKM 10 and 11 appears to be about a week or two. We have no idea what went down during that time, but clearly Zero and Yuuki haven’t broken up and are still together.

This chapter has some striking similarities to Night 50 from the original series. In that chapter, after the small 6-month time skip, we skipped ahead another 6 months to see Yuuki, Aidou, Kaname, and Aidou’s father have a small meeting. Yuuki and Kaname are pleasant to each other, showing none of the difficulties they have behind closed doors. Zero and Yuuki in VKM 11 remind me of that, though in a healthier way (Zero’s not encouraging Yuuki to kiss him or put on a show of affection for the guests). 

Still, I think it’s fairly clear that Zero and Yuuki in this chapter are in “public mode.” They’ve just gone around announcing to the world that they’re dating, so they need to keep up appearances, regardless of how things may or may not be proceeding behind closed doors. 

The preview for August’s chapter indicates there’s trouble in paradise as expected. Zero and Yuuki are good at hiding their true feelings in public, but this also may be a case where their genuine concern for Kaien makes them both “forget” their problems temporarily and allows their relationship to return to its natural flow when they’re not putting their issues in the foreground. 

Either way, it was truly a treasure to see them bickering cutely and acting like an old married couple. Zero chewing out his hunter boys was adorable too. It was a nice break from the storm that’s sure to come this way soon.

On Aidou - The Rising Winds

Hino makes sure to remind us at the tail end of the chapter that trouble is on the horizon. 

We now know Aidou hasn’t had a chance to test his Kaien theory yet. Whether he’ll get to or not remains a mystery, but next chapter’s preview implies Zero’s going to get involved in the research soon. All is proceeding according to plan for the Zero/Ren cure theories. ;D

Hino ending the chapter on a sad note is to prep us, I think, for what’s to come. Aidou’s going to be throwing himself into work, and likely Zero will be joining him as Yuuki finds more and more excuses to escape the demands of the relationship through the photo sorting for Kaien. 

It would be incredibly nice for Aidou to unload on Zero all the complaints us Zeki critics have with Zero and Yuuki’s progress. ;) If Aidou did that, I think I at least would feel much better about where Zero and Yuuki are currently as a couple. When the narrative faces the problems squarely, it’s easier to sit back and just enjoy the ride. 

It would be nice if next chapter could take us back into the future with Kaname. I’m still waiting to find out if my Zero fragment theory is even remotely possible, lol. Guess I have no choice but to keep waiting. In the meantime, full speed ahead with the Zero/Ren cures! Until next time!

[wumingsflower]

Once Upon a Sunday is here! Tonight’s episode is:

6.17 - Awake

Press Release:

Still trapped in Neverland, Hook aligns himself with Tiger Lily, hoping to find a way back to Emma. Back in Storybook, Regina works to break the sleeping curse that David and Snow are under, and Gold denies The Black Fairy, which brings the two of them to a fearsome impasse. In flashbacks, we learn what Snow and Charming sacrificed in order for Emma to fulfill her destiny as the Savior.

>> Watch the sneak peeks! <<

If you can’t watch LIVE and don’t want to be spoiled ahead of time, please blacklist the tag “ouat spoilers”.  

How to block tags:

Use either tumblr savior or XKits black list to block the tags you want.  Each link has instructions on how to do it, but if you have any questions feel free to message me! (*For XKit, you will need the “New XKit Extension”)

How to watch online if you live outside the USA or can’t watch on tv:

Live Stream 1

Live Stream 2

Live Stream 3

Live Stream 4

Live Stream 5

Live Stream 6

Live Stream 7

(Note: If you have trouble with any of these steams, please message me so I can remove it from the list and find a replacement! Thanks!)

How to help improve the ratings:

If you have the ability to watch the show live on TV, please do so!  Also, if you are a Nielsen panelist and happen to have a DVR, re-watch the episode within 24 hours WITH the commercials to help improve the ratings even further. Watching the next day via Hulu is also a great way to help out!

Another great method to help improve ratings no matter WHERE you are is by tweeting LIVE during the EST and PST airings of the show! Use #OnceUponATime, tweet to @OnceABC on twitter stating that you are watching the show and how you liked it!

For more info on how to help with the ratings, read this!

Also! Don’t forget to compliment the actors and writers on twitter after the show, as well as leaving nice comments on the Once Facebook!

The ratings are very important right now, so if you can do any of these methods to help, be sure to do them!

As always, the Captain Swan Chatroom will be open all day to talk about the episode, meet up with old friends and make new ones, and fangirl with other fans! So stop in anytime! It’s always a great time!

> Captain Swan Chatroom <

Enjoy the show everyone!