#thanks to anyone taking the time to read !!

[hootyhoowoo]

A little 15 min doodle but first post of the year has to be Bingqiu!

[ambrosiagourmet]

Rin Masterpost

Rin! Rinsha Fana! Beloved side character I think about far too much (or maybe not enough?)

I decided that it might be nice to put together an informational post about Rin, since she has some of my favorite background details of any character in Dungeon Meshi. This is partly as reference for myself, and partly for anyone else who might be interested in her but not know where to chase down the tidbits we we get of her, both in canon & extra materials. There’s also a little bit of theorizing and analysis sprinkled in for fun.

If anyone spots something I missed, please let me know and I will add it in!

Alright. Time for ultimate #rinposting

History and Timeline:

We don't have an official timeline for Rin (even in the expanded Adventurer's Bible, sadly), but we can put a lot of pieces together based on Kabru's timeline & their respective ages.

Rin is 2 years older than Kabru, and they met when he was 9. Assuming that he met her soon after she was taken to the elven capital, that means that the elves took her when she was 11.

Before that, she lived on the Northern Continent. Interestingly, when Mickbell asks about Shuro, Rin says she was born "here."

Since "here" doesn't mean the actual Island itself, it must mean simply "not the east." She is described in the Adventurer's Bible as having "no real knowledge of or attachment to the East," so maybe that's why she draws a "there" verses "here" line.

I'd also like to add a note here that the elves don't seem uh... they don't seem great about respecting the value of other cultures, especially those of short-life species. Milsiril seems to have discouraged Kabru from eating or remembering food from his hometown, at least, and that's even as an adoptive parent who cares (at least in some way) for her child. As I will touch on later, the "care" that Rin was under probably had even less respect for her history or ties to either Eastern or Northern culture.

That is all to say, considering that Rin spent many years with the elves, I'd take her having "[no] attachment to the East" as more of a comment on how she feels now, and less as a definite choice she made. She may genuinely have chosen that approach and opinion for herself, she may have been pushed towards it by the elves, and she may have had little choice at all in the matter - all are valid interpretations, though I personally lean towards the thought that it's unlikely the elves didn't have at least some hand in it.

Anyway, Rin does seem to know at least a bit about her heritage - she can presumably name and identify the specific island her parents are from, and she recognizes that "Shuro" isn't a name used there. She also knows that different places from the Eastern archipelago speak different languages, so she knows at least a little about the other islands as well.

Some additional extrapolations I'll make based on these facts: she never mentions, and probably isn't in contact with, any family from her island. This may be because her extended family died, because her parents didn't (or weren't able to) maintain contact, or because she lost contact when she was taken by the elves. Somewhat relatedly, she also prooobably doesn't speak the language, at least not fluently, though her being able to comment on the state of language in the archipelago makes me think that she at least learned a little as a kid.

Anyway, Rin's parents were refugees from the archipelago, though we don't know what specifically caused them to leave. There is this little tidbit of info we get (from the cover of chapter 48, of all places), though:

So yeah, that seems like it would be the backdrop of Rin's parents fleeing. As I said earlier, it's unclear if Rin might have any living family left back on her island. The listing she has for “family” in the Adventurer's Bible is just a dash, but so is Izutsumi's, for instance, and we know that she was taken from her family with no knowledge of who might still be out there. It's possible everyone else was killed, it's possible they were separated... it's possible that Rin's parents didn't even know.

As an additional note, and this is speculation on my part, but I think there is an argument to be made, with this tidbit from the cover as well as the Nakamoto clan's specialty in espionage and use of ninjas, that the politics of the archipelago are partially based on Sengoku era Japan. Not necessarily super relevant here, but I think it's interesting context for all... of the archipelago characters, honestly.

(Especially considering it seems like the Nakamoto clan is in a relatively comfortable position, and yet clearly are involved, or at least prepared to be involved in larger conflict. How stable is their position, really? How is Shuro's father viewed by the wider region and archipelago as a whole? What about his lord? NOT THE POINT THIS IS A POST ABOUT RIN. BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT.)

Okay, back to Rin's parents.

Whatever caused them to leave, they made their way to the north, where they made their living with their magic for a time. There are no specifics about what kind of magic they used, but we know at least some examples of jobs that magic can get you, based on the flashback to Laios and Falin's childhood in chapter 26. Laios proposes that Fain could use her magic to be a priest, gravekeeper, or wandering exorcist. Though these are specific to Falin's affinity with spirits, they give some idea of the shape of the work that might be available. It's important, but it is also on the outskirts of society - not necessarily admired or appreciated by the average person.

And Rin’s parents were killed by vigilantes for that magic. It's not entirely news that superstitious villages in the area would sometimes kill magic users - we see a small drawing of people being burned at the stake in a panel towards the end of the manga:

Nonetheless, Rin is the only person in the main cast who has experienced this brutality firsthand. And she did experience it firsthand, having been found by the elves as the sole survivor within the burnt ruins of her home.

It is unknown exactly how she survived, or what happened to her parents before and during the fire. Rin lived, and they did not.

The elves came some time after the fire, intending to investigate reports of ancient magic. They (and we) don't know if Rin's parents actually did use ancient magic, or if the reports and murders were simply spurred by general fear and superstition. Rin was the only piece of "evidence" that remained, and so she was taken back to the west with the elves when they left.

We don't know much about her time on the Northern Central Continent (where the elves/Canaries are based), but it doesn't seem like she was adopted or taken in by anyone the way that Kabru was. According to the Adventurer's Bible, after being taken into custody, "under their care she was treated as a captive animal would be." I would guess that means very basic food and shelter, little to no education. Probably the most social contact she got was from Kabru, as well as maybe, occasionally, from elves treating her as a curiosity, such as in this bit in the Adventurer’s Bible:

Assuming she left with Kabru (which seems like it is the case, there's no info about them having separated during that time), she spent 9 years with the elves, and has been with Kabru on the Island in the 4 years since then.

She also stays in the Golden Country after the end of the story, apparently working as an apothecary.

Additional Details (& Speculation):

What does she remember of her family and home?

I'd like to take a moment here to explore a little of what Rin might remember of her parents and home.

For reference, we can look at Kabru. The canaries came to Utaya when Kabru was 6, and he arrived in the capital when he was 7. He remembers the events of the tragedy in his home, and has some memories of his mother and life in Utaya, including memories of local dishes.

Rin lost her parents and home at 11, so she presumably has much clearer memories of the events that lead to her being taken by the elves... or she might, assuming that they haven't been completely blocked by her trauma from the event.

Yeah, I am fairly damn sure that she's got some memory issues from trauma and PTSD. For one, this is the state she was found in:

As already mentioned, she was also treated like something of an animal by the elves. She probably didn't have a lot of contact with other people, which would further perpetuate that sense of isolation and dehumanization. What I'm getting at here is that Rin probably didn't have much to help pull her out of this place, or heal these wounds. She had Kabru, who was also a kid and even younger than her, and she had herself.

Obviously trauma leaves different scars on everyone, and everyone responds and copes in different ways. But I do think it is interesting that we never hear anything about Rin's parents or life before the elves, and there are no real details about it given in the Adventurer's Bible the way we have for Kabru. What's presented is more surface level facts: they were refugees, they made a living with magic, they were killed.

I'm inclined to believe that things are laid out this way because that's how Rin holds on to these things. She knows things about them, but possibly remembers them more as things she was told/knows to be true, rather than actual memories she can picture herself experiencing.

Rin's Magic

In an interesting counterpoint to her potentially spotty memory, I do actually think Rin may have learned magic from her parents (or started learning, and was self-taught from there). She never attended a magic academy, and actually has a bit of grudge against people who did - owing to the social protection afforded to "upper-class mages," which her parents did not have. She also almost certainly wouldn't have been taught by the elves, who not only treated her as an animal but also knew her parents may have been involved with ancient magic.

Falin began to show signs of magical talent at 8, and was sent to the Magic Academy at 10, and that was as someone who had absolutely no guidance about or exposure to magic in her home town. Raised by two mage parents, I think Rin absolutely could have been learning some things by the time she was 11.

In terms of continued learning, I'll add that Rin is able to identify Marcille's magic as being A) from an Academy student, and B) cast by an elf:

This makes me think that she continued to study magic on her own while held by the elves, and probably even more so after leaving with Kabru. They didn't form the party until two years after they left the elves, which would give Rin plenty of time to try and learn from other adventurers on the Island, or to study up on her own. She'd probably be able to pick up some dungeon-crawling basics (like the water walk spell), as well as become familiar with the skill level and expression of skill common in different people with different backgrounds (hence why she is able to comment on the "textbook" academy wards).

Much like Marcille, Rin also seems to rely on a 'one size fits all' Big Boom method of dealing with monsters: lightning. We see the best example of its power in the fight with Chimera Falin:

But we also see her cast it pretty recklessly in a few other places, including the end credits of the new anime ED, which I think provides a good example of the downsides to such an approach...

Yeah, it is very much a 'get out of the way or get zapped' spell.

Especially since Marcille's offensive magic is self-taught and works very similarly, this definitely reinforces the idea that Rin figured most of this stuff out herself.

Outfit and Character Design

Dear sweet Rin of the Red And Black... how I love her design.

First of all, her clothes are damaged. Despite the fact that Rin looks relatively well put together overall, her outfit is worn out. I have some theories on why this is that I'll get to in a bit, but for now I'll just touch on what this design communicates in general about it.

I think, just like with Kabru's horribly messy room, it creates a sense that there is something more complicated underneath the surface. Something that isn't being addressed or seen to, just as the dress hasn't been mended or replaced.

It also reflects her not caring a ton about her appearance. She's neat, but she's not concerned about being pretty, so she doesn't bother with fixing up her outfit after her dungeon crawls. This also fits with her perpetual scowl (which I will talk more about in a bit), and slightly disheveled hair.

Next: the gloves. At first I thought they might be a sort of uncomfortable-with-touch thing, but after skimming through the manga and some bonus content, I have another theory. Rin takes the gloves off to eat, as well as a few other instances, such as when working on a spell with Holm and Marcille in chapter 36

This one is especially interesting because she has them on in the next chapter, during the fight with Falin. Since she also isn't wearing gloves during some of the Daydream Hour art of her outside of the dungeon, that leads me to believe that they are specifically for combat.

What does she need them for, though? Most other casters we see don't wear gloves. Well... just look at the other half of the page where she attacks Falin with lightning:

She is enveloped by this spell. I said it before was pretty reckless magic, but maybe its not just a problem for her teammates, but for her as well.

So here's my theory: maybe the gloves are rubber, or some other electricity-resistant material? They might help protect her from her own magic. I don't know why a caster would need gloves for combat otherwise.

I also think this might be why her dress is tattered at the bottom, by the way. Especially since the Daydream Hour genderswap design doesn't have a similar problem with his outfit, since the tunic isn't as long.

I will admit this is a bit of stretch/guess, but I think it's a fun one, and I wanted to share. I do think I'm right about the gloves being for dungeons/fighting specifically, at least. That seems pretty consistent throughout all of her appearances.

I also mentioned her scowl, so I'll touch on that briefly as well. The (fairly confirmed) explanation for Rin's expression is that she intentionally wears a frown to prevent her other expressions from showing through. I think it's important to emphasize that it's not just smiling that she is trying to suppress here - it's any strong emotion:

Anyway, because I can, here is the art of Rin smiling.

Rin and Kabru

I have talked a bit about Rin and Kabru's history, but I think it deserves its own section.

I think it's very interesting that Rin is pretty much the ONLY character in all of Dungeon Meshi that has explicit canonical romantic interesting in someone. It's literally part of the main summary sentence in her character profile.

This could be sort of reductive as a way to describe a female character (and in some ways it still is), but I think in part the simplicity and directness of it actually is part of what makes it so interesting. Especially when on the very next page we see the comic about her backstory. "This mage is in love with Kabru" -> one page of a horribly traumatic event and a child frozen in shock with no one to comfort her. What does that do?

Well, in my opinion, it shows how much Rin focuses on Kabru as something to keep her in the present. In contrast with the immense loss she has experienced, her love for Kabru is current and alive. He has presumably been her anchor for years, and I think that her love is part of that anchor.

Adding to this, in contrast with how explicit her feelings are, she never seems to actively pursue Kabru. She complains about his potential interest in other women, but she doesn't really flirt. She doesn't let herself smile around him any more than anyone else, and she doesn't hide her bitterness or anger from him to present a more appealing persona.

As much as she craves Kabru's attention, and has stayed by his side for years, I don't know that she really wants to possess him. He seems to know about her feelings, more or less, and she seems to know that he knows. Maybe she believes he doesn't reciprocate and is respecting that, maybe she's afraid of what she could lose if she tried to change things, or maybe the change itself frightens her. In any case, though she's not exactly happy with the way things are between them, she doesn't seem to be trying to change that status quo.

A specific thing I'd also like to talk about with their relationship, beyond Rin's love for him, is her fear for him. As the Adventurer's Bible puts it, "she worries that his knack for dealing with whatever life throws at him might lead him to get too full of himself and end up in serious trouble."

Rin is an interesting mix of restrained and explosive, herself. Her magic is destructive, her temper seems to run hot (she gets annoyed easily, at least), and her feelings for Kabru are apparent. At the same time, she doesn't let her emotions show on her face, she is the one who bluntly states that the group has hit the limit of their abilities, and she doesn't act on those obvious feelings for Kabru. It's interesting, then, that what she fears for Kabru is that he won't restrain himself.

And a small personal idea about that as well: I wonder if she somewhat blames her parents for getting killed. Again, this is very speculative, but I think it's interesting that her fear for Kabru is that he will get too full of himself. Take up too much space. It's never really stated what Rin thinks of her parents, but it can be easy in grief to search for control, and control often means blame. If they hadn't been so confident, so flashy, would they still be alive...?

I don't know if she's ever thought like that, and it could well be that her fears for Kabru come from a totally different place. But it's an interesting connective thread between her past and present - the idea of "getting in trouble" for taking up too much space and being too confident in one's own abilities.

Miscellaneous Tidbits:

On that note, I'd like to wrap up the main part of this post, and move on to a few extra things that I couldn't find another place for.

Rin plays with her hair when she's stressed

Using stressed as a pretty big umbrella here, because I think it's hard to perfectly pin down all the emotions at play, but it is a habit of hers. Best displayed in chapter 32, but it shows up in other places, too.

Her design contrasts with Marcille

This is a small thing, but I just love how much they are visual opposites.

Rin wears red and black and has dark hair, Marcille wears blue and white and has light hair. Marcille cares a great deal for her hair and puts it up in elaborate hairstyles, and Rin's is mostly loose and a bit messy. Marcille was even educated at the Magic Academy, which Rin dislikes. They both have little capelets. Also they both look very cute in each other's clothes.

Rin knows Flamela (and they meet again in canon)

Nothing much is done with this in canon, but I think it’s super interesting that Flamela's squad are the ones that find Rin as a child and take her away to the west, and then they end up stuck in the dungeon together for a bit.

Two days??? I'm so very curious what things were like between these three.

Aaaand I think that's all I have to say about Rin! For the time being at least. There's a lot more analysis that could be done about her and Kabru especially, but for this post I wanted to keep things at least somewhat anchored to canon facts, with only a layer or two of speculation on top.

If it isn't already obvious, I think Rin is a super interesting character with a ton of potential depth to explore. She mostly interacts with Kabru in canon, but has ties to a bunch of other characters: she and Marcille fill similar roles in their parties but have differing personalities and histories, she and Falin (and Laios) have been tremendously shaped by xenophobia and fear of magic common in the Northern Continent, her parents fled from conflict in the same region Shuro and his retainers are from, and she has history with Flamela and some of the second canary squad.

Her temper, her fear, her love... her repression and passion - they all inform her character, even in small ways, even with as little time as she spends on the page.

[babychosen]

save a horse (ride a cowboy)

8pm, Friday. Red dress. Booth near the end of the bar, by the dart board.

She forgot how demanding the text felt, but it had only encouraged her to want to show up even more.

[zolo-san]

Love your thoughts on Law 🥰👌. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Sanji and women. Is he really a pervert? Why does he claim that women need to be treated with respect but goes crazy for their boobs every time he sees them? 🤔

Okay, Okay so I actually do have a lot of thought/opinions about Sanji and his view/treatment of women~ (gonna put think in a read more because otherwise this post is gonna be so long lol) Also, I just want to say, thank you so much for asking anon, I'm always looking for an excuse to ramble on about my One Piece character thoughts (And I'm glad you liked my thoughts on Law!!!)

Oda and Toei's Writing and it's Effect on Sanji's Character

In order to fully discuss this topic, we have to get a little more meta about it all and acknowledge Oda as a writer as well as common Anime/Manga tropes and gags and Anime filler to pad run-times

Sanji going crazy over women and tending to have over the top and often perverted reactions to them is very much a result of a common trope in Anime/Manga - It's meant to be a gag and not taken too seriously (Tho imo, that gag gets quite tired and escalates over time throughout the OP series) We see the same gag with Brook - it's normally not meant to be a defining character trait or something that's seen as harmful/predatory, it's realistically just a dumb (honestly immature) joke The pervert gag/trope has never been one I care for but alas, I choose to consume a type of media that is primarily written by men who think that type of thing is funny~ (I will give Oda a bit of a break since he started writing One Piece when he was in hi early 20s, so he was still pretty immature himself) I do think, however, that Toei is very responsible for some to the more obnoxious "Sanji pervert" moments Yes, Oda does write a good amount of them, but the writers for the anime will often take the joke and run with it to buy them some time and stretch out an episode (We see this a lot with the whole "Usopp is a coward bit" too) If you're not aware, a lot of anime of current, on-going, manga series will often add a lot of filler and gags to fill up their episode run time They do this for two main reason: The first being to swap off animation teams or give the main team more time (often times filler episodes are animated by a different team than the main story episodes) and the second being a way to give the mangaka time to write more chapters and insure that the anime doesn't catch up to the manga too quickly (both giving animation teams a break/more time to animate and giving time for more chapters to be written is also a huge factor in why shows go on hiatus as well) That being said, dumb gags like "Sanji's a pervert" and "Usopp is a coward" are very easy ways for the animation team to waste time in an episode (I would also like to point out that some of the more egregiously perverted shots and moments in general are really just a choice by the Toei animators and I have some beef with that, but we're not gonna get into that right now)

Now, I truly believe that a lot of Sanji's more perverted behavior when it comes to women is not truly meant to be a defining character trait I think this because when we first meet Sanji and right up until about Thriller Bark, his behavior around women is fairly harmless and more of an admiration and appreciation (I'm also talking about his cannon behavior that is seen in the manga, not the additions from Toei) Thriller Bark is the first time that we truly see Sanji say something that implies him to be a real pervert when he talks about how ever since he was a kid he became obsessed with the Suke Suke no Mi so he could sneak into a women's bath house and spy on them naked This is truly the beginning of, as my sister's fiance likes to call it, "The Sanji Character Assassination" While this addition is very 🙄, to me and feels a bit out of character from everything we've seen and known about how Sanji really thinks and acts around women, I can't help but feel like this and a lot of the following "Sanji Pervert" moments are mostly a result of Oda running the joke too long and finding a dumb joke a bit too funny

I truly fear sometimes, when it comes to Sanji and women, that Oda has lost the plot~

but I still stand by it all being a gag and not really meant to be a defining character trait or Sanji's real feelings While yes, we often see Sanji act a bit perverted at times, when push comes to shove and Sanji has to act, regarding a woman in any way that is actually plot relevant, he tends to drop the "pervert" persona and return back to what I feel is his true feelings towards women

Sanji's Real Feeling about Women

When we're first introduced to Sanji he's shown as a guy who has a great appreciation for women He treats them nice, pampering them, he talks about how beautiful and wonderful and graceful all women are He puts them up on a pedestal, but he also sees women as complex people We see this first with his reaction to Nami leaving and "betraying" the crew when it comes to Arlong park While he does swoon over Nami, he also doesn't hold her actions against her because he believes that she must have her reasons for doing what she did and he's proven right when Nojiko tells them about Nami's past (Something that Sanji is very sympathetic towards - he immediately recognizes her suffering and sees it as a valid reason for her actions) This same behavior is seen again with Robin during Water 7 Even though Robin tries everything she can do to get Sanji to hate her and leave her be, he refuses because he believes Robin to be a good person who must have her reasons for acting this was and correctly assumes that she must be being backed into a corner somehow Sanji forgives a lot of women throughout the series who act in ways that would push most people away or most people would see as unforgivable because he recognizes that most women don't have a choice He recognizes that women, in general, are not treated equally to men and that as a result they don't have as much freedom or self agency as men in the world And I think that's something that Sanji can relate to I think he truly understand how it feels to not have control over what happens to you and what you can and can't do He grew up (partly) in Germa after all...

I think that Sanji sees women as strong and brave while still being gentle and kind And I think he truly hates how often they suffer oppression and mistreatment And this is a major contributing factor to his over the top nice treatment and pampering of women Sanji sees the unjust treatment of women around him - people he views as so naturally good and kind - and he wants nothing more than to be able to do something to stop that mistreatment and he does so by trying to protect them at all costs, including refusing to ever hit a woman A lot of people give Sanji shit for this character trait, but I think it's much more complicated than him seeing women as "weaker" than men I can't help but feel that it's more motivated by a refusal to add to a woman's suffering

I also think there's an interesting conversation to be had when it comes to Sanji and "feminism" compared to other characters like Zoro or Luffy It feels like a gag when Sanji gets pissed at Zoro for fighting women, but I think there's something there~ A perfect example is the first time Zoro fight Tashigi in Louguetown and Sanji gets SUPER pissed about it He accuses Zoro of being disrespectful of Tashigi as a woman because he's fighting her, but I think Zoro sees his choice to fight her as just the opposite And I think a lot of that has a lot to do with the women in their lives that shaped them For Zoro, one of the most important and influential people in his life growing up was Kuina And I truly think that her not only being a better swordsman than Zoro, but telling him about her dream and the fact that she didn't think that she'd ever be able to achieve it due to being a woman really affected him and the way he sees woman and how they should be treated Kuina was someone Zoro deeply respected and I think he hated that the world made her feel that she was inadequate and unable to achieve her dream just because of her biological sex I think this felt like a great injustice to Zoro and he wanted to prove her wrong So while Sanji sees fighting a woman as disrespectful, I think Zoro would see not fighting a woman as disrespectful and an insult to Kuina's memory (I could go on about Zoro meeting women as his equal is further supported by many fights he has, including his later refusal to "help" Tashigi during Punk Hazard, but that's a different rant for a different day lol)

In a similar way to Zoro, Luffy also treats women as complete equals He doesn't discriminate He just sees them as people, choosing to fight them when necessary, befriend them if he feels it's right, and never putting them above or below himself And just like with Zoro, Sanji had scolded Luffy multiple times for fighting women because Sanji just doesn't see it that way

And I think that all of this: Sanji putting women up on a pedestal, wanting to protect them, refusing to fight them, viewing them as both angelic, but also complex people all goes back to the influential women in Sanji's early life

Sanji, Sora, and Reiju

*I'm going to give a quick disclaimer at the top of this part because I literally just started Whole Cake, so most of my knowledge here comes from bits and pieces that I've learned/picked up about Sanji's backstory and family (I'm not someone who seeks out spoilers, but I exist on the internet and have obviously learned spoilers for Whole Cake and Sanji's backstory/family)

For Sanji, two of the most influential women in his early life were his mother and sister And I think that they had a great impact on how he views women in general

Sora was clearly one of the few people in Sanji's life in The Germa Kingdom who truly loved him She loved him from before he was born to the point that she risked her own life for him She went out of her way to encourage Sanji to be a kind and caring person and follow his dreams even though that was something that she would never get to do herself She was such a good a caring figure in Sanji's life and I truly think that she is the main reason why Sanji believes women to be naturally good and caring people Sanji sees his mother in all women even if it's to his own detriment

Reiju also had a very big and interesting impact on Sanji as a kid She was never anywhere near as kind to him as his mother, but she still reached out a had to him and was the most caring of all of his siblings Despite how she really felt about it, however, just like Sora, Reiju was trapped She was unable to escape her family or her upbringing, she was forced to become what was expected of her and to, at the vert least, assimilate into the family in order to survive And I think that it is because of Reiju that Sanji has the belief that women are complicated people He saw his sister, who was clearly a good person at heart, forced to act a certain way and abide behaviors she clearly did not agree with simply to protect herself She was forced to act and become what their father and brothers made her for her own safety She didn't have the strength or will to defy them, but despite all that she still found kindness for Sanji in her own way Reiju was far from perfect, but she did what she could manage and I think that meant a lot to Sanji and made him very aware of how often women are forced into a corner like his sister and mother were

And I truly think this is why in Dressrosa, Sanji is so willing to first help and then later forgive and continue helping Viola even after everything she does to him I think Sanji sees his sister in Viola and would do anything and endure anything to help a woman in such a terrible situation like that Yes, when Sanji first sees Viola and swoons over her, it feels like the "woman crazy" Sanji gag, but as things develop it's clear that Sanji very genuinely wants to help her He sees a woman who is clearly trapped and asking for help and he can't refuse her Then once she betrays him, he's still unwilling to believe that she isn't still trapped, he saw genuine good in her and a genuine call for help (just like he saw in his sister all those years back) and this time he can actual do something about it

So yes, while there are for sure some real moments where Sanji seems like he's just a little horny pervert when it comes to women, but I think there is a lot of evidence that that is not his real feelings toward women and more of an overplayed, and frankly out of hand, gag

Even if you look at moments like when Sanji is in Nami's body during Punk Hazard While yes, Sanji does initially have the pervert response of "Ohhh!!! Boobs!!" I think that the more notable moments are when he stops and considers how he needs to be careful in Nami's body (he's the only one involved in the body swaps that really does this too - rip Chopper, Franky really fucked him up lol) Despite his obvious anxiety, he refrains from smoking until Nami gives him permission He makes an effort not to get Nami's body injured in combat And even considers and how fighting in his normal way and using techniques that his body is accustom to would probably hurt Nami and tries to avoid it when possible (tho he does push Nami athletically to a degree that makes it clear that she's much more physically capable then I think even she realizes lol) I personally feel that the moments that Sanji is considerate and respectful of Nami's body far out weigh the moments when he's not (He's also far nicer to Nami's body than she is to his lol)

To summarize, I don't think that Sanji is just a pervert, I think Oda just thinks the pervert joke is funny~ There's much more evidence (especially during character defining moments for Sanji) that Sanji has a deep respect for women He appreciates their beauty and believes them to be good and kind All he wants is to be able to protect them, especially now that he is actually capable of doing so He understand the inequality, injustice, and oppression that a lot of women face and understands that in part due to all that, many women must act in ways that seem, on the surface, to be unforgivable He sees women as complex people who often times have to make difficult decisions for the good of themselves and others and Sanji gives them grace for that

[xray-vex]

hey remember when the OFMD s2 teaser video dropped and there were people who were somehow CONVINCED that Stede was referring to Izzy when he said "I don't care what any of you say, he's actually a good guy" and not, y'know, Ed, whom they were literally just talking about in this scene?

like what the hell was that about

[harmonictechnicality]

Eddie's One Rule

prompt: cake | wc: 311 | rating: T (for language) | for @steddiemicrofic's August prompt :)

Eddie had been perfectly clear on the “No Strippers” rule for his bachelor party. Tacky Las Vegas casino? Sure. Concerning amounts of tequila served in glow-in-the-dark shot glasses? Whatever. Karaoke at a space-themed diner?

… Okay. He’ll admit - that last one sounds fucking awesome. He’s been rehearsing a thrashy rendition of Mr. Roboto for weeks now. In all honesty, strippers were his only veto. 

But here they are, standing in a dimly-lit club that’s not even remotely close to the Vegas strip. 

“Low blow, man. Really.” Eddie gestures to the pole in the center of the room, then back towards Gareth. Should’ve revoked his Best Man privileges while he had the chance. 

Gareth ignores him and yells, “Bring it in, fellas!”

“Bring what in-”

The low strums of ‘I Touch Myself’ by the Divinyls flows through the speakers as the backdoor opens. The rest of Eddie’s wedding party begin rolling out a wooden cart with goddamn cake on it.

And it’s not an ordinary cake - not even an edible one. This one is clearly fake and almost six feet tall.

The cardboard lid pops off, revealing Eddie’s fiancé emerging from the top, fucking shirtless (which is the least surprising part of the evening).

His anger dissolves behind the sound of Steve belting the song, head swaying offbeat. Looking so damn happy. Eddie hasn’t made many good decisions in his life, but Steve is by far his best.

“Still wanna marry me after this little stunt?” Steve asks, pointing at the cake structure around him.

Eddie saunters over, rolling his eyes despite that swirling pulse of love in his chest. Steve automatically bends over from the center. Kisses him, still humming the song as their lips meet. 

“Why wait?” Eddie smiles. He brushes a few strands of Steve’s hair behind his ear and whispers, “We’re in Vegas right now, baby.”

[theecholegend]

My one and only loz OC - Marine

Here she is! The fit is inspired by the Hylian tunic which is simple but a look I always loved. I wasn't sure if I wanted the leather chest piece so I made one without it. Though, when comparing the two, I like the first (the ring gets tucked in her tunic btw)

Some doodles I compiled ^

Some more info on her below the cut, such as...

Who is Marine?

Her design choice and name

her character and personality

some facts and tidbits about her

Marine, is, well, my character! The main reason she was created was to be a sort of representative of me in things like video games or in the stories I write. I mean, I can't be the only one who wishes they lived in Hyrule, right? But her character has evolved from a "persona" to an actual OC. So her design, name, and interests were all chosen and based off of my personal preferences (Which is usually how creating an OC works anyways)

Ok, so, her name. Marine was chosen for multiple reasons. A couple of examples: my birth stone is Aquamarine (which is actually the stone on her ring) and the first time I used that name was for my Animal crossing new horizons character and it stuck with me ever since

And now onto her design!

It's rather... simple. Normal even. And that's exactly how I want it to be. I could have been more creative and given her a unique eye colour or hair colour or some extravagant style and I tried some things but none of them looked right

She's also supposed to represent me in some ways and I've always preferred darker colours and simpler apparel. And She lives in the forest and tries to blend in

It also fits into her personality, choosing practicality over looks. Marine couldn't care less about the way she dresses or how her hair looks (although that doesn't mean she has bad hygiene. We support health and cleanliness here!)

Also, if you take a close enough look, she has hazel eyes which is what I also have but I LOVE hazel eyes so she gets them too

And for her personality we have...

Sly, mischievous and sarcastic. She lives to have people pulling their hair out in absolute annoyance. In the forest where she usually resides Marine plays pranks on passing travellers

But being a pain in the butt aside, she's actually incredibly shy and awkward if she's out of her comfort zone. Which is really just the forest. Take her into a town and she quiets down immediately. Too many people. And she might've bitten someone before- but what else would you expect from someone who spends most of their time with animals?

She can be serious too. Rarely but it does happen. Usually only when something she considers "worth it" is happening. Like a deadly monster attack or some serious threat to herself or her home

Other information

There is one village she frequently visits that she's comfortable hanging around

most of the people there are annoyed with her but she's actually rather friendly when she likes someone so she does have a few friends

most people assume and strongly believe she lives under a bridge

she actually has a nice wooden cabin out in the woods

her best friend is a dog

more like a wolfdog actually

it frequently visits her but doesn't "belong" to anyone

her only truly prized possession is that ring she wears around her neck

it was given to her by someone special

She has hairs on the top of her head that refuse to smooth down no matter what

she has a lot of scars and she's proud of every one of them

The one on the bridge of her nose is her favourite since she's "always wanted a face scar to intimidate people"

her size is rather underwhelming though

but she could easily break someone's nose so maybe don't antagonize her

She likes to be artistic by either scribbling things in the dirt or carving something in a tree or constructing things with sticks, stones and anything else she can find

due to leaving random drawings or carvings, a rumour quickly spread that some sort of forest spirit resided in that particular forest

she's completely unaware she's the cause of this rumour

Marine is very skilled in combat and survival techniques

all of which she taught herself by either reading, experimenting or watching others

Has met the hero multiple times and serves as an annoying obstacle

If she had a part in a game she would probably have to be bribed or given something in return for access into a new area of the map

As for backstory, she... doesn't really have a definitive one. I created her character to be sort of... flexible, you could say. In my stories she's played multiple roles but I found that I enjoyed giving her a "chaotic forest gremlin" vibe the most

And in terms of Loz and where she takes place, I'm putting her in one of the canon Hyrule's instead of making my own. I feel like botw would fit but when I think of Hyrule as a kingdom I think of Alttp. Maybe a bit more of a realistic size but generally I imagine that particular place in the timeline and that Hyrule layout (now that I think about it it probably has to do with Legend being my favourite Link but who cares about the details)

If anyone wants to ask questions about her or something feel free to do so :) This probably won't be the only time I post something about her

Tagging @chibitacolord and @ahanarhorse since you both were interested

[thedevillionaire]

Chosen

Much shorter than it has any right to be, given how long it's taken me to actually finish. Plot? Uh, no, not really. But anyhow... She's been away. He's been unwell.

---

He looks at her like she’s the most welcome hallucination he’s ever had.

Kia closes the door slowly behind her as she takes in this chaos of a makeshift apothecary, the loungeroom in an utter state of disarray and her beloved not faring much better, red-nosed and unshaven and dressed in a black silken pyjama and robe ensemble which, while inarguably stylish, was very definitely not his usual late afternoon wear.

And not at all what she had been expecting to come home to.

A miscellany of potions and concoctions and gods-know-what-elses lie scattered across the coffee table. A teacup, mostly empty. Two tissue boxes, one apparently even emptier than the teacup. Some sort of book...no, manual. Looks instructional. A wilderness of failed curatives.

Oh my god.

She walks further into the room. The air smells of menthol and embers.

“Babe, what are… Are you… What have you even been doing h…?”

You absolute beautiful total disaster.

“Trying not to… hh-HH …let thi…this-damn-cold…” Cerberus turns from her as his sentence dissolves, the syllables collapsing against one another in a desperate rush to give way to greater need and deep breath of purpose, and he raises a finger in urgent, undeniable pause. "Huh-TSSCH-uu!" Hurriedly claiming a series of tissues in a brief, expectant hiatus, he surrenders completely and sneezes again. "Hh-AATSCHH-uu! *snff-FF!*" A quiet groan in the aftermath. He excuses himself, adds another tissue to the set, blows his nose and immolates the lot. "Pardon me." He sighs. "Trying not to let this godsdamned cold win,” he manages, with an accompanying sharp sniffle. Neither heavy congestion nor the way his voice cracks slightly lessens any of the seething distaste in his tone.

“Oh, honey.” Kia brushes some errant hair back from his face. :Bless you.: She touches a tender kiss to his temple. “You’re getting your ass kicked.”

She offers him a soft smile to hopefully lessen a little bit of truth's sting. "C'mon, shift over," she says gently as she joins her beloved on the couch, nestling up beside him, resolutely ignoring every caution he tries to give her advising against doing so. Notably half-hearted as those cautions are.

Because while it’s true that he very much doesn’t want her to catch this, he’s also well aware it’s more than likely already too late for such concerns. The entire house is probably some sort of incubation epicentre. And, sincerity of expressed warnings aside, the entire sorry vista surely constitutes warning enough. He's fairly certain he couldn't look more biohazardous if he tried.

Cerberus sighs again, sniffling again immediately afterwards, and gives his bonded a look of resignation.

Further elaboration hardly seems necessary.

But also he doesn’t press the issue because in truth the last thing he wants is to send her away. He’s not even sure he has the energy to insist on it, anyway; he’d be infuriated about this entire ridiculous circumstance if he wasn’t so damn exhausted. So, small obligatory protests done, with another damp sniffle Cerberus shifts some disarrayed blanketry out of the way and wraps an arm around Kia’s waist, drawing her close.

Her soft perfume of violet, strawberry and vanilla is lost on him anywhere outside of memory right now, but her presence is more than enough and he closes his eyes for a moment, just appreciating the simple fact of her being here beside him at last; he's missed her immensely, constantly.

“You know, you could’ve just asked me to come back, if you wanted me here,” Kia muses as she nestles further into his heat, adding, “It wouldn't have been a big deal,” without accusation. She leans her head against his shoulder and looks up at him with gentle azure gaze, her unspoken thoughts of I’d always choose you. How do you still not know that? readable despite her not voicing them.

And he does, of course, know that – in fact, it’s the very reason he wouldn’t ask. Cerberus sniffles thickly, wiping his nose. “Ah, love. I'd hardly ask you to put yourself anywhere near this—" He gestures around the room in a general presentation of contempt for the whole situation. "—vortex of infectious absurdity,” he concludes, thick congestion lacing his words. He clears his throat but it doesn’t make any notable impact against the wreckery his voice has become. "And it's about your... *SNFF!* ...your autodoby."

Kia peers at him. “My…what?”

“Your au…” Cerberus, all too aware that several critical consonants are unequivocally not working for him, rolls his eyes at himself. Honestly. Taking another fresh succession of tissues from a very rapidly depleting supply, he blows his nose forcefully but completely ineffectively.

He excuses himself once more and tries again; it goes equally badly.

Kia, baffled, raises her hands in a friendly but very clear nope sorry babe no idea expression, accompanied by a gentle little laugh that she just can’t help.

A long-suffering and immensely frustrated look comes her way, followed by a resigned, defeated sigh as her beloved entirely gives up. “Free will.”

For a moment, this makes even less sense to Kia. “Why would…” she begins, but cuts herself off in triumphant realisation. “Oh, autonomy!” She laughs. "Oh, sweetheart."

“That’s what I s… hh-hh! I...” And even this is hijacked, and the Demon king capitulates entirely, doubling over desperate into crooked elbow, “Huh-TSCHH-uu! Ah-HEHTSCHuu!” 

He takes some moments of bleary recovery, Kia's heartrate spiking alongside the :Gods, forgive me: Cerberus Mindsends her.

"Oh, bless you, babe." Kia doesn't try to fight the thrill that flashes through her and she wraps herself around her bonded to kiss him again; a kiss deeper, more needful, than is probably wise. But wisdom isn't what she's craving right now.

“You know what? You’re going to stop talking and let me make my own choices.” She brushes a stray lock of hair from his eyes, touches the softest of lingering kisses to his forehead and meets his gaze. :Talking really isn't working out for you anyway.: "And besides—" Another kiss, deeper again, and she presses her arousal against his, salacious, wanton.

:—you know we both want the same thing.:

---

[cloudabserk]

hey guys i wanted to thank you so much for supporting my art over the years!! i just hit 6k followers and i’m so excited :D

i’ve really been struggling and having a very difficult time for the past 6 or 7 months, so to be able to create every day and share it with people and have it mean something to them is so special to me. thank you so much to everyone who’s commented and shared, but also even to anyone who’s smiled because of something i did, thank you for letting me be part of your life and happiness 💙

if you guys wanna support my work you can here on ko-fi, or you can offer to commission me if there’s something specific you want. don’t feel pressure to, i’m not in dire need or anything as i have a support system in my family, but if i can earn money from my art, i can continue to spend a lot of time on it instead of trying to get a full time job right away

thank u guys 💙💙💙

[wishchip106]

EUGHH 😭😭😭

THATS HIS DAUGHTER 😭😭😭😭

guhh he’s a better father to his non-biological kids 😿☹️

hrmm him and his subconscious projection of Erik totally kissed they just cut it out no one can tell me otherwise 😔

[johnslittlespoon]

askbox question because i've never thrown like, a 'request/idea' offering sorta post out there:

what do you want to see in tough and sweet? like, specific dates you'd like to see the boys go on, certain tropes covered, different kinks/nsfw scenes, scenarios and convos tackled, idk literally anything!

i'm curious because i used to brainrot about it lots here before i started actually writing it but then i stopped so i wouldn't spoil things, and while i'm ofc writing what i love and want to write, it's fun to know what readers wanna read, and to try to incorporate those things where i can. :-) but also my list of scenes to include is So Long i feel like so many ideas will already be in my drafting doc LOL <3

i have the whole fic plotted out, but lots of room for little things in between the bigger plot points, so! no promises obvi, but i'd love to hear your thoughts. the main one i get asked for in comments/asks is about writing a gale pov oneshot, which i'm most definitely doing– sooner than you think. >:) lmkkk, anon is fine!! if i don't reply, i promise i read it, i just have 100+ asks rn and too much to do irl but i appreciate each one soso much :'))

[cozymochi]

Cozy, plz. You are killing me here. Absolutely floored by the Nyoka voice reveal vid.

I love Tia, I love Nyoka, I love Cecil, I love Emilio. The list is gonna grow as you share more.

Big dopamine rush when I see your work on my dash. It brightens up my day. Always proud of you.

(In reference to this) 💖DsdsfGdgdh

Thanks it was the most accurate depiction of my little vision 😭😭 I’d do more like it, but it’s veering a little too niche to be enjoyed outside of myself. So any future stuff like that is probably better off staying in the drafts, so to speak.

Why do so much when it’s easier to slap a still image over un-transcribed audio and call it a day? Sure would accomplish the same thing. I should be a corporate board member with an inflated salary so I can finally eat something outside of popcorn.

AS FOR OTHER CHARACTERS, aside from the one guy that’s still being revised (despite existing before Nyoka), the list will probably remain small 😩 I only really make characters if there’s a story I really wanna see (I mean no one else except @/oddberryshortcake the lorekeeper will see them, but still.)

still thank u for being proud of me let’s hope i don’t mess it up 💃

[lululawrence]

x

[corviiids]

THANKS @kimdokjafan you are so kind and generous. ok im cashing in the first of three blank checks to talk about faith trust and pixie dust (most recent chatfic) because the last two directors commentaries were too serious so let's do a silly one.

some p5r spoilers, and this is mostly about sumire, and it's long again. do i need to keep disclaiming that these are long? you should know me by now.

i had this written for a while before i started formatting it because i wasn't really sure if i should post it? i feel like silly chatfic is something people go to for predominantly lighthearted nonsense so i was like, maybe there's too much plot and dramatic misunderstanding and i should just keep this one for myself. but then i was like well nothing matters and maybe someone will have fun with it. it's kind of terrible how much fully or mostly completed fic there is my docs that just doesn't see the light of day lol. write for yourself etc but i like sharing! too bad it comes with the mortifying ordeal etc. anyway that was a tangent

potato counter is a neopets game. there's no deep lore i just like neopets. i guess in this universe ryuji doesn't play neopets? or maybe he's just never played potato counter specifically. i also have a different fic where ryuji DOES play neopets. it's about neopets and ryuji and goro talking on neopets.

i think this might literally be the first time ive written sumi in a fic because i haven't actually written that much fic for royal, like, now that im looking, literally almost none? and none that had a group dynamic. so it was kind of fun to find her voice for the first time in a silly groupchat like this. i was worried people would find her exclamation marks annoying but i personally thought it was endearing so i added it in there.

every time i do a gag where a character corrects their own typo i have to code more stupid little bubbles to make it happen but i think it's worth it. all the effort that goes into making tgis look as much like a real chat as possible

this obviously doesnt take place in the canon p5/r universe, but im imagining sort of a postcanon sumi personality where she's more comfortable being herself and isn't borrowing kasumi's brand of confidence, but she's visibly a really anxious person without that kasumi veneer. i also think in this universe sumire is a fairly recent addition to the friend group, and while everyone likes her a lot and she really likes them, i kind of wanted to emphasise that feeling of being in a friend group where everyone's established and you're sort of a plus-one? you don't really fit yet. part of that is her being new, part of it is her anxiety, part of it is just the kind of person sumi is where she's so polite and self-conscious she ends up taking herself out of things with her own good intentions. stuff like her interrupting the flow of an existing conversation by greeting everyone instead of jumping straight in because she doesn't feel comfortable inserting herself, which means everyone else stops to greet her even though that doesn't normally happen in a friend group, or making a point of thanking everyone for being invited to events while the others take it as a given.

idk i love that she feels a bit out of place with the phantom thieves in p5r. and part of that is a natural consequence of being a new addition in royal who can't be naturally integrated with an existing dynamic but i honestly feel like the writing team realised that and acknowledged it, and really leaned into it, and that made it work incredibly well for me. like, it's part of her character that she's sort of an outsider. it's not like p4g's incredibly clumsy integration of marie and subsequent attempt to shove her down everyone's throat as the canon love interest in p4ga (knife). sumi has that outsider vibe on purpose and it makes me really like her dynamic with the thieves as an individual

goro also feels slightly out of place in these chats, but his conversational style blends more naturally with the other thieves at this point and he even uses their codenames sometimes. i keep saying my chatfic series isn't a real Series because the lore keeps changing, but if we accept that they're all kind of following a General Continuity, assume this takes place some time after the last fic in which ren added goro to the groupchat and they made an effort to integrate him into their friend group. he's kind of there now and has settled into being the weird boyfriend. that's his role.

every time goro says something like "ren and i" assume it's the text equivalent of him talking to the group with his arm around ren's waist.

ok i got really fond of this silly running joke where sumi brings up the weather when she's feeling uncomfortable. she's so polite. i like this thread because setting it up meant i got to tie it off like this:

this just made me happy lol i liked writing this. i tried to use it to demonstrate that despite goro's abrasiveness he obviously knows sumire pretty well, he's attuned to her quirks and knows how to tell when she's having a bad time with her anxiety, so he uses her little weather habit to ground her.

i honestly dont think goro and sumire could be considered close in p5r and as much as i like the "royal trio" in canon they're not really... like... friends? with each other? they're both attached to ren, so it' more a V shape than anything else. but that said, i really LIKE goro and sumi's canon dynamic. he takes a really grouchy but politely attentive supervisory role to her during their few forays into the palace as a trio where he doesn't really know her well but clearly identifies her as a harmless little tryhard who needs some guidance and steps into that role grudgingly, and she immediately looks up to him despite being very wrong footed by his ruthlessness, which i find incredibly charming. i think given time they could be good friends, they just didn't get much chance to know each other very well in canon. so i tried to kinda do that here.

once goro stops being evil and joins the group they all kind of tiredly accept that his role is to occasionally push a cup off a bench while smirking and refuse to clean it up. emotionally, i mean.

wait i need to backtrack chronologically to talk about akeshu.

in this scene they're in the same room lol talking and snickering while typing. im trying to get at that vibe of the annoying couple who is flirting with each other, via you. you know? like ostensibly they're talking to you (sumire) but everything they say to you is part of their stupid game. sumi is incidental to goro and ren teasing each other about flirting with someone else, goro is reporting everything ren says because his boyfriend is so eye-rollingly foolish in a cute way. they're very tickled by how amusing and charming they are. gross. disgusting. sumire im so sorry for putting you through this

anyway here are too many of my favourite jokes from the fic

[finlands-beret]

Sylvando Lore & Theory Masterpost

Sylvando is an international man of mystery, with him only giving us, the audience, so much of his backstory. Like every great magician, he never reveals his secrets. Soon after I got the game five years ago however, I started combing and filing through the game for all of those secrets, to bring them out into the open. Today, the fifth anniversary of me buying the game, I'd like to share my findings.

Please bear in mind the following is based mainly on my own research, as well as theories crafted from as much information as I could gather from the game itself and supplementary material.

So I'd like to begin strong out of the gate, with possibly the biggest piece of lore I have pieced together: Sylv's age. His father's from Puerto Valor, and his mother was from Zwaardsrust. This, coupled with the fact Sylv himself states he was born and raised in Puerto Valor, assures that he was born after Zwaardsrust's fall. That happened thirty years prior to the game - which brings Hendrik in to the equation. He states in a party talk during act two that "three decades have passed", putting him at six years old when the kingdom fell. This would put Sylv at being six years younger than Hendrik, but then factor-in the nine months his mother most likely carried him for, which puts Sylv at nearly seven years younger than Hendrik. Hendrik is stated to be thirty-six in-game; thus, Sylvando is twenty-nine during act one, and thirty in act two; a year is said to have passed between Yggdrasil's fall and the party reaching Gallopolis.

Next is something that seems simple at first, but has quite some backstory behind it: The casino in Puerto Valor was originally meant as a mansion for Norberto. Don Rodrigo had it changed it to a casino as a means to try and entice Sylv back home. This one stems from the fact Sylv self-admittedly was obsessed with collecting mini medals back in his training days. He had his first argument with the Don over him throwing them all away, and perhaps to make it up to Norberto, Rodrigo made him his own getaway in the form of his own house. It would have been completed before Sylv ran away from home however, leaving an empty, shiny new building behind (Sylv even mentions in a party talk that there wasn't anything like a casino when he was living in the city). Not wanting to let it go to waste, and presumably approaching L'Académie because he knew of their connection to the humble mini medal, the mansion was transformed into the combined casino and hotel. Once it was completed, it might have been Don Rodrigo's idea to make the casino tokens look like mini medals, and he might have sent people off to scatter them around Erdrea in hopes Sylv would have found at least one and gotten curious enough to find-out where they came from. He apparently never took the bait, especially not after hearing the rumours of the casino being built. Sylv was simply too smart to fall for it.

The next theory I dug around for was hidden in plain sight: Sylvando was almost blinded in his youth. In the ensuing healing, his eyes were OVER-healed somehow, and now he's got excellent eyesight. During act one, to find the Silver Orb the party are encouraged to look around L'Académie, where eventually it's suggested they look at a certain book in the library. Said book details the story of how a group of vicious bird monsters tore through the roof of a local manor house and stole away with the noble family's greatest treasure - the Silver Orb. On the party's excursion through the Eerie Eyrie, Sylv will mention how he's never been a fan of things with wings. In fact, during one party talk, he says "I don’t know why, but the naughty things always try to peck my eyes out. Perhaps they think they’re precious, glittering jewels…" This makes for quite a harrowing piece of Sylv's backstory; Sylv was present when the birds attacked the villa to get at the Silver Orb years ago, and in the ensuing chaos he was almost clawed-at. To further the next point, he was healed at the scene (assuming a family like the Don's would have at least one healer on-site), but then his eyesight became TOO good - as we see later in the game, when Sylv looks from the Stallion's deck all the way towards another boat to attempt to lip-read, just outside of Lonalulu, before the tentacular fight. Additionally, this attack is why the villa's roof has a lot of spiked points on it; to deter bird monsters from ever trying again.

I would like to thank and credit @captainbobbin for this next piece, which came-about more recently than all of the others: Sylv's charm-based magic is based on the emotional aspects of charm i.e. romance. Knowing that Sylv's eyes turn to hearts when he uses Pink Pirouette, I enquired to Bobbin about if the same were true about Jade and Pink Typhoon/Tornado, and using excellent camera trickery, he confirmed that her eyes do not change. Captainbobbin then put forth the suggestion that due to this, and given the naming of one move the two share being different -"That's Amore" vs "Sexy Beam"- as well as Jade's differing way of using her own charms, the Princess of Heliodor embodies the more physical side of charm, whilst Sylv embodies the more emotional side.

Speaking of romance… Sylv spent years living in Gondolia with the master mechanic, Gismo Mecánico, in order to design and build the Salty Stallion. However, where the loading screen tip for the Salty Stallion calls Gismo "an old associate of Sylvando's", and the red book " The Astonishing Inventions of Gismo Mecánico' " describes Sylv as "a close personal friend of the ship's designer", I believe that Sylv was indeed in love with Gismo, but it ended tragically. During the Briscoletti quest in Tickington, when choosing a partner you can talk to Sylv and he will say: "Before I get too carried away, though, I'd better check—because heaven knows I've been burnt before—you do actually mean it, don't you, honey?" It's such a small line, but given the aforementioned references… I would wager Sylv made a proposal to Gismo, who turned him down - and some time after, they passed away - potentially in a horrific accident, given the rocky terrain-look of the far side of the Gondolian dock entrance. There is a whole estate of houses on the far side of the docks, which I assume belonged to Gismo.

For my next piece of lore, I'd like to turn to my favourite of the bunch: Given DQXI's heavy theme of reincarnation, and given the following evidence pointing towards it, Sylv may well be the reincarnation of the very first Don of Puerto Valor. In Jasper's quarters in Heliodor Castle, there's a red book Eleven can read about the story of the Shield of Heliodor (aptly titled "National Treasures, No. 106 – The Shield of Heliodor"). In it, it tells the tale of a legendary Heliodorian knight who saved the life of the first King of Zwaardsrust, which was Drustan - whom Hendrik is a probable reincarnation of. Said knight was the same knight who was sent to Puerto Valor to oversee the sea gates, as he is the direct ancestor of Don Rodrigo - thus, Sylvando as well. There's also the fact as well that Sylv receives the Coraza de Caballero from Servantes after the Kingsbarrow Trial; its description says it once belonged to a knight known for his godlike skill with a sword. This suit may very well have been that Heliodorian knight's own suit, handed down through the generations until it ends-up (back) with Sylv. Additionally, it's often stated that Don Rodrigo is a knight unparalleled with his own skill with the sword; most likely inherited from the first Don and passed down to Sylv. This could explain why Sylv still retains a strong sense of justice and sticks to everything the knighthood stands for, even long-after becoming an entertainer; it's ingrained very deeply within him. As for why the Shield of Heliodor stayed in Heliodor… It's most likely the original knight simply didn't want to carry it all the way to Puerto Valor, given it's a heavy greatshield. Considering the above, this also brings about the possibility that Sylv and Jade are very, very, distantly related - cousins many times removed, most likely. Additionally, there is a book in Heliodor titled "A Brief History of Heliodor" that chronicles the two brothers who founded Heliodor; I have reason to believe that the legendary knight was one of those two brothers (who went on to found the lineage of the Don), and the other brother went on to continue the royal line that led to King Carnelian, then to Jade.

Next I'd like to turn to Sylv's longest-held companion, Margarita; she was born in Cobblestone. When Eleven has his vision-flashback after returning to Cobblestone, there's a horse there who had just given birth. Speaking to her owner, he says "This is the fastest filly in the village! But she won't be doing much running for a while—she's about to become a mother! I'll bet her foal will be even quicker on its feet than she is!" Given that the flashback is set ten years prior, that would mean the foal would be ten years old in the present day - which is in-line with Margarita, being an adult horse. As for her bring the fastest filly's foal, Margarita's performance in the Sand National should be the first piece of proof; if the Luminary wins the race, Sylv is always a close second. Likewise, in the Black Cup horse races, particularly the Difficult race, Margarita will always race-off ahead. If Eleven fails to catch her or he hits too many obstacles, she will always win those races.

As an entertainer, Sylv is also a skilled musician - so much so that much of his moveset incorporates references to numerous real-world songs. Here is a list of everything I found, after extensively looking into every ability and pep power Sylv has:

That's Amore - Dean Martin song Have a Ball - album by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Ultra Violet - Bananarama song Hit Parade - BRADIO song Kiss Me Deadly, Gold Rush - several songs of the same name The Fight Fantastic - multiple albums, also an idiom meaning to dance nimbly Kiss of Death - several songs/albums of the same name Love Hurts - Everly Brothers song Shooting Stars - numerous songs/albums; also the name of a 1990s British comedy panel show which heavily featured music Rough 'n' Tumble - jazz album by Stanley Turrentine "Dressed to Kill" accolade - 10cc and The Jetzons songs of the same name

Sylv will also say "Hit me with your best shot!" when defending in battle, which is a reference to the Pat Benatar song of the same name. As a bonus, Golden Boy's dialogue while giving the recipe book for the Dapper Doublet, makes references to Robbie Williams' song "Angels" and Take That's song "Shine".

For the penultimate piece of lore, I'd like to turn to something that had my attention a while ago, and that has come back to me recently; there is a curse within the line of the Don, that prevents those in rule from holding happy or long marriages. This one is based on the potential that Puerto Valor is partly-based on Monte Carlo, the ward within Monaco famed for its casinos - and of the legendary curse surrounding Monaco's royal family, the House of Grimaldi. The legend states that a woman -be she a witch or a hag- cursed the first Grimaldi ruler of Monaco and his line to never have happy marriages. Where we only ever hear of Don Rodrigo's marriage, while he and Gerbera were happy their time together was a short one as she passed away shortly after Sylv was born. It could be assumed that previous Dons all suffered similar fates with their spouses, and assuming Sylv knows about this curse, could be why he has yet to marry.

To end with, I'd like to present something perhaps more out-there than some of the others put forth here: Sylvando was a prototype Luminary for Yggdrasil. For a start, there is the fact he has a character-exclusive, Sword of Light-analogous sword in the Shamshir of Light, which deals light-elemental damage when attacking. There is also the fact he seems to know how to use light magic (in contrast to the actual Luminary's lightNING magic), with his abilities Sobering Slap and Sudden Death. Much like the Shamshir, Sudden Death deals light-elemental damage - the only ability to do so. There may be some irony in that he's the only person who joins the party who DOESN'T join because Eleven is the Luminary (he joins to stop the Lord of Shadows, so he can travel and bring smiles to everyone). Sylv could be considered the guid(ing light, given his magic) to the Luminary proper, assuming of course he was a prototype to begin with.

With all of the above, I'd like to thank anyone and everyone who took the time to read through, and I hope you enjoyed this rather deep dive into the onion of a character that is Sylvando. This has been an undertaking of the past half-decade, and I'm glad to finally be able to put all of my research together like this.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

BIRTHDAY HAUL courtesy of a very lovely friend of mine 🥺

bonus goofy pics of a bday snack i had earlier with my favorite menace …..