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haeresys-realm · 1 year ago

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I find this and have a plenty to say, and my bad English won't stop me. Because there are interesting pre-thoughts, pre-theories but in conclusion they came they have nothing to do with the reality in my opinion. You can say or think anything and find my opinion wrong because of thinking that stupid fairytale of Nahida (I'm really shocked so many people ...maybe all people just swallowed it as the truth when it was totally fact-screwed just to put everything very brief and making us see the situation from the Scaramouche perspective, as he want it it to be, and Nahida that felt a great sympathy and compassion to him; it is really stupid even to mention so evident things that almost all legends and fairytales in genshin are represented to us as smth taht other people overthink about some things they don't know or want to show us from their own view,very biased, nothing of logical and objective view), Dottore NEVER hated himself and he NEVER thought he is worse than others. NEVER. The stupid fact that they used to give him a reason to delete his other segments.... We can esteem it from 2 sides. The 1st is the perspective of that who see it as a fiction: we know that it is a stupid pattern of the devellopers to make an antagonist weaker or to prevent themselves to do a big amount.of job to show all his segments and make them participate in game. So, it is NOT what SUCH character would ACTUALLY DO, it was just to make the plot EASIER for devellopers that make content for children. They must make Nahida look NOT SO MUCH weaker than him to sell her banner to the children, and conducted matures. She looked illogical and hysterical hypocrite thet being a Rukkhadevata segment that was born a goddess criticised the Doctor for being a great scholar with that self-believe, ambitions and so devoted conceptions that he MADE HIMSELF A FOD and even tried a way to confront erosion and preserve the wideness of his perception of the world. It's magnificent. But it was represented to us from her perspective as....having no sense of devotion?! As some perversion to the nature and all the life laws?! As something that is worse than some regular little scholar could do?!!!! Go fuck yourself maybe???? I can't say if there's more hypocritically stupid I ever faced in genshin than the so-called Goddess of "Wisdom" that said that every person is unique and interesting and that she criticised Dottore for being more clever and self-honest than she, because he, who was born human, became more powerful and wise god than she. So pathetic.

Well ok. I really admire him, because I don't see in his personality that idiot sadistic monster, that stupid cartoonish villain as you all want and as part of genshin developpers try to show. The fact is that his image in this is too contradictive.

So, you can say that he's the same old Il Dottore from manga, and these images should be linked to each other inseparable. I disagree. Because I will invite.yiu to see from the reader of the story perspective again: the web manga image was an EARLIEST and CHILDISH concept of the fucking villainy maid scientist, really mad and really cartoonish Dottoschmerz, lol. He acts so fucking....i don't know like it's all some grotesque farce. And now look at his new mysterious image of the genius that wasn't understood, that was neglected and outcast by the whole world surrounded him. So he had to become sly, he had to become smarter that anyone and learn to think the most quickly than anyone to make his plans cone true, to get what he wanted, to make it possible to reach all the knowledge he want in spite that these stupid and limited persons around him found them FORBIDDEN. He trusted no one but himself. He was the one who made himself. The greatest example of the person than no one undertood but he was never broken but became an archon-like creature just because he could prove that he was right in his concepts. (Just go read the Dar al-Shifa notes and achievement again. The original sounded as "Before "I" was born". I don't want to comment this again, it's too evident he speaks about his true godlike self that can reach any knowledge he want and during his experiments try to become not even an equal to Archons but aiming to become even stronger, – hello Nahida, etc).

But now lets try to take a look from the perspective as if there are no developpers, etc, and he's a real person. Ok than... If so he would NEVER erase his segments, that he did for decades with so much rare resources and energy wasted. The only explanation – it was a trap And if Nahida can read minds, and even Scaramuccia cant, so there's NO FUCKIN WAY THE DOCTOR COULDN'T. Say whatever you want, but the fact that the person who creates archons, modified Scaramouche to become the 6th Harbinger (read his story, really, 4th or smth), made the self-segment puppets that are stronger than some GODS (the one who talked to Nahida was JUST A SEGMENT, and webmanga's Il.Dottore killed Ursa the dragon by ONLY A MOVE OF HIS PALM!! Yes, here we can say yet again that he's an obvious and absolute catalyst user as Nahida, he experimented with Eleazar and elemental energises, found correlations and made a conclusion that further 'with enough income he could reach a level of the so-called gods' – so, making him a clamore user is just continuing the tradition to making this game just a stupid fanfiction, I'd never trust illogical shit in it and neglect it instead of trying to justify as the most of immature fandom representatives, sorry not sorry), can't do such thing is a TOTAL ABSURDITY. So, when we saw him new the Irminsul we must be absolutely sure, he took everything he wanted from it.

So, we can say the following. – Even if he said that it's hard enough not to disputing with oneself especially with yourselves in previous or even elder times, that doesn't.mean he hate himself lol. Everyone of us could disagree with his concepts in previous times because we had another information, another surrounding and another self-motivation, another picture of yourself and the world. But even such conditions could be helpful, because it's unique, you can think in it the way you can't do it now. So, this is what we call the wideness of the perspective/world perception. And Dottore appreciate it, even if it's a bit hard to bear.

This Omega (maybe the last and the most close to the Basis Dottore) segment couldn't make such a decision without some backup opportunity. The Basis Dottore could just... Get rid of him too if finding him so disappointing. He could take the god hearts as Signora, he had the powers to just take them from Kusanali in one monet. It was so absurd to hear him, so much more rapid predator that standing a two steps from a weak lol, hear him saying okaaay you can threaten me by broking the gnosis, yeees, yes, it seems so legit I won't be in time to extend my hand and just it from you, yeeees, it sound so scary that you will broke your own heart and put in such a danger all your beloved people of the country you return back to you because of me and my little experiments and the fact I didn't prevent you to do what you want and didn't help Scaramuccia because I'm a scientists, not an enemy to you....ah yes you're welcome byvthe way. Huh, you said I'm really crazy instead of it and ask what would Tsaritsa say?.... How disappointing the God of Wisdom is so limited in her convictions...

Ah, well sorry not sorry again. Now we can finally sneak in on the idea I wanted to ecpress.

The author of the article try to say that the Doctor has no vision and he's envy to those who have. Totally disagree.

3 facts.

1. Eheh, the webmanga Il Dottore said that they (visions) are nothing but a bunch of the self-inflated TOOLS, not FOOLS (the wielders you talked about). So he JUST said the visions are TOO MUCH OVERESTIMATED. We will return to this idea forther.

2. The whole lore (and one of the ingame note from the loading screen huh) is about "if someone's so devoted to his ideas and never give up, he will have vision". The Doctor was the person who struggles whole.world just because he believed himself and his extraordinary ideas, and was right in then as it was proved in future! So, judging.by the lore principles of this word there's NO WAY such person won't have a vision, when some fucking Lisa just thoughts – mmm it would be fun to have it...and it appeared, lol. If you don't find it stupid, please, let's never speak to each other.

3. Il Dottore said it IN CONTEXT of the delusions.

Ah, ok sorry, I hate this translating. The vision is Eye of God and delusion Evil Eye. The eye of god means that it is a tool for god to look through the wielder on the world. Maybe it's some kind of the tool that could be used to take control on him (we remember what became with ones who lost there visions till vision.hunt decree). And the Evil eye... I disliked this name until I understand that it isn't something villainous, it is what we can use as the contermeasure. So, if someone's try to look through you and use you, just look at him by the evil eye, it's something like a shield using in attack, the averter of the hex. The most interesting paradox. And it would be the most stupid twist in whole story to say the Doctor wasn't the one who invented Evil Eyes (he is 500 y.o. archon of science that worked with the elemental energies and dead gods' remains... who made himself a hod and made an ordinary Fatui soldiers use the elemental magic...did you see the back of the cicin mages, lol? fuck there's EVIDENTLY no way the Evil eyes weren't his job, just lol. But I won't be surprised, in this stupid fanfiction that coming from the patch with the pari zone just before the Fontaine where they just started to kill the lore by stealing the previous concepts from previous.plots and characters, making the Doctor just a stupid copy of some stupid npc Alain and Rene we would even never see in spite of the fact the Doctor was made earlier and his concepts and manners was unique, making Pierrot an unexisting coward that pretend to be the one of the Fatui with Fatui name when he even have no rank, and some yet another stupid abyss knight the mist strongest Harbinger when he just a big warrior maybe modified by the Doctor too, when such entities as the one who made himself a god and who can CREATE GODS, who can make mages from the ordinary people, modify them and give the opportunity to use the elemental powers, and the godlike girl even Tartaglia and Scaramuccia with all their whole hardihood are scared of...the girl is called Father when they had Matushka Cocolia already, and this status is changeable because of the wielders gender...the fact that some Arlecchino's servants via the hidden Inazuma quest tried to promote her higher because of Signora's, the fucking 8th Harbinger!! death and it was obvious that Pedrolino was the 1st, Cap 4th and Arlecchino the 10th but they just ruined EVERYTHING, fuck the logic, alalalal. ah ok nevermind I talked about it before, but I really hate the fact this STUPID and ILLOGICAL fanfiction that CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING that was said in lore before is considered canon. Just fuck it, I shut. But the fact they represented Childe and Skirk, the way they represented Fontaine plot and it's final, the stupidest illogical twists with forgiveness and the most idiotic shit they used the Nahida story to make Furina look so tearjerker, makes me feel hate to all of that is happening in the game and community now. Really disgusting everyone just forget everything that was before and swallowed it being manipulated to sell the new poor unfortunate girl banner.)

So my idea is: the Doctor despites the God Eyes because he just the person that NEVER relied upon someone or something. He was the one who could say when having the aeon power all over the worlds – and now I want to thank my friend who supported me all these years... Thank you, my spinal cord!

He always trust no one and relied on himself only. This is why he just CAN'T himself. And this is why he is so proud of himself looking on others ironically, as if they are, like Tighnary said, speaking stones or smth, lol. They just can't wield all the wideness of his knowledge and always unorthodox perspective (the fact his name was Zandìk, a free thinker, is too speakable), so his attitude is a bit indulgent and tolerate, we could see it even via the negotiations with Nahida. And Tighnary for sure. This is why they were so angry, they believed they are the most respected and clever persons in Sumeru, and now they faced the polite scholar that looked on them as if they are unsophisticated dense children that are only in the beginning on their way to true wisdom... No wonder their reaction was so fun and self-contradictory.

So, the Doctor despise those who rely on gods and overestimate the visions. He as the one who made himself by his own hands and the one who gave people an opportunity to use the elemental powers, making every person who could prove his wish and devotion the kind of Choosen hero. That's the answer. Now we all can agree that God's eyes are really just some self-inflated tools and the wielders are such to celestial gods from that perspective. The conclusion? Dottore has NO problem with visions or their wielders. It is them who.may have problems with Dottore, if they would stay on his way to knowledge.

Thanks for reading if you really did it, I respect you for this. But please don't argue with me. I know that there are almost no people in this world that share my position, so let me just write blog with comfort.

And sorry for mistakes and teared thoughts. I don't know when I will have time to reread and correct this a bit, so, let it be my shame. I will be pleased more than shamed if you point on my mistakes, but I warned you! I was writing it for 3 hours, so please be ease on me, keke.

dottore has…problems with visions. i’ll let the evidence speak for itself first.

#Dottore #genshin impact #fontaine #Fatui #Fatui Harbingers #Eyes of God #Evil Eyes #Visions and Delusions #genshin community #Sumeru plot #Sumeru #Nahida #Kusanali

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marshmallowgoop · 2 years ago

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ryuketsu for the ship meme,,

OTPs of all time... 🥺

They are EVERYTHING to me: This one is probably pretty self-explanatory. I made a whole blog about them, have a page listing my meta about them that's... not small, and they're the reason I watched the series at all. Just in terms of the pure impact it had on me, I'm not sure if any piece of fiction can ever top that scene of Ryuko hugging Senketsu in the bathroom (Episode 5). It's what kickstarted my realization that monsters—and monster romance—is my favorite niche.

Concept is more appealing than execution: Buuuut I feel like there's a lot of missed potential here. An earlier version of the story, where Life Fibers were more individualized, where Senketsu struggles with the two sides of his identity, feels stronger. As I put it before:

I think a more fleshed-out examination of Life Fibers, where they’re not just mindless, vicious beasts, would have provided a much more compelling plot—especially with writer Kazuki Nakashima consistently stressing that Kill la Kill is ultimately a story about “a lonely young woman meeting and losing an irreplaceable partner” and his attempt to “make a form of intimacy that transcends love and species”! I adore Ryuko and Senketsu, don’t get me wrong, but I feel that their love and friendship would have been even more powerful had it actually represented a real coming together of humans and Life Fibers. As it turns out, an older draft of the series does go further with the concept, and while I can understand it getting scrapped for being “too much,” I’m still attached to the possibilities and wish the final product had gone more in that direction.

They drive me crazy/insane /pos: Yeah... that's probably clear....

Relationship goals <3: On the one hand, I'd be the first person to point out their flaws, but on the other... I just think they're so sweet. One of my favorite things about them is their good communication, which I've written... a bit about. But seriously, that moment in Episode 2 where lonely, closed-off Ryuko tries to open up to Senketsu? One of my favorite gosh-darn scenes in this show.

Also... get you someone who looks at you the way Ryuko looks at her uniform.

(I don't think she ever has these sparkly eyes for anyone else in this show.)

People that ship them need therapy I think: I mean... it is a ship composed of a girl and her alien clothes.... But if it can work for Venom, it can work for Kill la Kill, too!

I blorboed so hard that they're basically my OCs now: Yeah, probably, lol. (I say, thinking wistfully of the 150,000-ish words of my Kill la Kill fairytale AU that I've only ever posted snippets of and that probably has so little to do with the actual series that it could pass as original fiction.)

I need a 30k hurt/comfort fic on my desk by Monday: It's been a long time since I looked at Kill la Kill fic, but I remember that Senketsu wasn't even tagged in 10% of the stories on AO3 back in the day. I'm desperate for more about these two, and there's so much hurt/comfort fodder. Death, what it means to be human, feeling like you're unworthy of the one you love...

Who even thought of this?? This is a crackship: It feels like it should be, but... they were totally teasing it, I swear!

They're going to be the death of me: Yeah, probably...

They,,, kimss,, holde handss,,,,: Plz... I think a lot about that one scrapped design of Sync'd Sen where Senketsu's hand was over Ryuko's “so that they would always be holding hands as they fought.”

Plus that time Ryuko deliberately put Senketsu's glove on before going to sleep in the manga.

And how they hold hands on a happy beach date...

Yeah. I will never be over them ever.

#criticaaaaaaaal #replies #ramblings #long post #gifs i made #i know it looks silly but it's real i swear!#thank you for the ask! 🥺#ryuketsu #kill la kill

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bukojuiice · 4 years ago

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— when they read self-insert fanfictions of themselves

ೃ pairings: (izuku midoriya, katsuki bakugo, and shoto todoroki, x gn! reader)

ೃ tags: headcanons, tooth rotting fluff and a lot of fanfic cliches

ೃ warnings: none

ೃ my nav → my mha masterlist → my katsuki bakugo x reader smau

ೃ if you want to be a part of my taglist, answer this form! ♡

ೃ inspired by the wonderful @leafydraws self-aware bakugo and todoroki art that gave me the serotonin boost to make this! 🥺

KATSUKI BAKUGO:

- katsuki knows. he's read it all. mutual pining, enemies to lovers, amnesia fics, fairytale aus, soulmate aus... name it and he's read them at least once. behind your back of course. simply because he’d be too embarrassed to even admit it anyway.

- he’s secretly a hopeless romantic. it's a cute quirk of his that he doesn't want anyone else to know and has become one of the qualities that you absolutely adore about him. his mother's fascination for rom-coms and romance novels (which, according to him, he had to "suffer" through when he was a kid) fueled his hidden interest in shoujo mangas.

- he reads them because of the beautiful art and the "cool and bad-ass" male love interests that he wants to portray in real life to impress you. but alas, your man just outright exposes himself when you catch him reading Ouran High School Host Club and My Little Monster, two manga series that feature adorkable and care-free male protagonists whom are the exact opposite of everything your boyfriend stands for.

- and so, romance fics are not a foreign concept to him. he's especially interested in mafia aus because he is absolutely enthralled over the fact that people headcanon him as a sexy mafia boss or in royal aus, where he’s this hot and bad-ass king of a prosperous kingdom. you bet he reads them at 3 in the morning on AO3 with his phone's brightness on the low. sometimes, he tries to sniff away his tears because how are these writers able to write him damn good? it’s the ✨characterization and hurt/comfort for bakugo ✨

SHOTO TODOROKI:

- your icy-hot cutie has absolutely no idea what fanfictions are. in fact, he doesn’t even know how (y/n)/reader-insert fics even work or how you’re supposed to read them.

- fanfiction is a very foreign concept to him. well, it isn’t necessarily your traditional book or novel that you can find on your shelf or in the bookstore like harry potter or percy jackson, so you understood his naivete on this particular subject very well. when you introduced shoto to the concept of fanfiction and it’s online community however, it was as if he had opened the doors to a new world.

- “what does (y/n) mean?” he innocently asks one time. (oh god he’s truly a pure and sweet cinnamon roll who could do nothing wrong in this world.) “it means your name.” you reply promptly, quietly giggling at your boyfriend’s curiosity.

“oh... so should i read it like this? shoto gazed into shoto’s heterochromatic eyes..?”

“shoto babe, t-that’s... not how you read it love.”

- shoto is a fluff connoisseur through and through. baby fics, friends to lovers, sharing a bed, and coffee shop aus are some of his all-time faves. he likes to read fics that are easier to understand and read ones that can bring a quick smile to his face. but, there are times when he gets too invested. one of those times was when he became a little too immersed into a 50k word angst fic (a genre he barely reads by the way) and his pretty eyes are so glued to the screen that when he finished it, he spent half of the entire day being consoled by you because of how emotionally hurt and affected he was. that fic truly made an impact on him and it was going to take a long time before he could gain the courage to read another one soon.

IZUKU MIDORIYA:

- you’ve always known how bookish izuku is from the very beginning. how observant he is, how he tends to ramble and talk about things passionately and in detail are truly some of the traits of someone who reads a lot. it’s no surprise though. izuku is quite a nerd and a fanboy, so him reading stories online about All Might or of superheroes he sees on movies and comic books were not far off.

- in fact, he reads the fics with you. it’s like having a little ol’ book club but only you and your seaweed-haired boyfriend were the only members. magic aus, cross-overs, canon divergence, historical aus, or just anything story-heavy and detailed are his most read. slow burn fics is also where it's ar for him! what’s even better is that you read some of these long ones with him sometimes and its cute to see him so immersed and you just want to pinch his cheeks.

- izu’s really into reading multi-chapter fics. one that can rival actual existing books and novellas. 50k words? that wasn’t a challenge for him. he’d read through everything and he’d ponder over them right after. discussing them with you and just a lot of cute little rambles coming from him that make you fall for him even more.

- when izuku finally gathered the courage to read self-insert fics of him, his flustered expression and shy composure had no end. he was blushing all through out when he read his first drabble (which was only composed of 300 words by the way) because he’s so in awe and so grateful over the fact that people write stories about him and now, it feels like he's part of those same famous people and characters he used to read stories of.

ೃ taglist: @chibishae34 @lovelytarou @ramunegoddess , @serossimpy @laudthingcat @f0leysgurl

#mha x reader #bnha x reader #mha headcanons #bnha headcanons #bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #todoroki x reader #shoto x reader #deku x reader #izuku x reader #izuku midoriya x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #shouto todoroki x reader #mha #bnha #my hero academia x reader #boku no hero academia x reader

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recentanimenews · 4 years ago

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INTERVIEW: The Creators of The Ancient Magus' Bride and The Girl From the Other Side

In coordination with the recent anime announcements of The Girl from the Other Side and The Ancient Magus' Bride, Comic Natalie recently held an interview with the manga authors of both series: Nagabe and Kore Yamazaki. Crunchyroll News was given the opportunity to officially translate the interview in English between the two, posted below. You can read the original Japanese interview here.

Tetsuko Kumase held and composed the interview.

The Girl from the Other Side by Nagabe and The Ancient Magus’ Bride by Kore Yamazaki are the two stories that develop around the theme of "Beast x Girl," and probably have many fans in common. To celebrate the release of The Girl from the Other Side as a full-length anime OAD (news article embedded) and the development of a new OAD series for The Ancient Magus’ Bride (news article embedded), Comic Natalie has set up an interview with Nagabe and Yamazaki. In addition to discussing their commitment to their work and the concept of "Beast x Girl", they also shared their thoughts about the new anime productions. At the end of the interview, they asked questions to each other to learn more about one’s perspectives towards creating stories.

Respect for each other and the appeal of "Beast x Girl"

── There have been several projects you collaborated on, such as a joint event for the two works (see: The Ancient Magus’ Bride and The Girl from the Other Side fair where visitors could get the “Beast x Girl” playing cards) and the book of The Ancient Magus’ Bride including a trivia manga booklet, The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Quiet Talk, written by Nagabe-san (see: The Ancient Magus’ Bride volume 10 includes an acrylic stand and a booklet written by Nagabe). I know that many readers are fans of both of your works, but could you tell us about your impressions of each other's creations and what you like about them?

Nagabe: The Ancient Magus’ Bride initially grabbed my attention because of the obi (belt) on the book that said "Beast x Girl." But when I started reading it, I found it to be a fantasy manga that’s really well thought out. Dragons, mythical creatures, folklore, and mythology are well integrated into the modern world, and each magical being is given its own meaning. The non-human characters also have their own meanings, backgrounds, and cultures, and interact with the protagonists. It's not just a fantasy, but the way the characters are connected to the world and make it feel so real is exquisite! Of course, the non-humans in the story are also wonderful. I love Elias.

Kore Yamazaki: Thank you very much. I'm often amazed at the range of stories and pictures you create. I sometimes even question if there are any non-human characters you can’t draw. I don't know if it's appropriate to say, but there's a hint of darkness or something in your work. I think it's a little sexy or maybe there’s secret eros? I love that I can feel a little bit of naughtiness in your work.

Nagabe: Thank you!

Yamazaki: The other thing is that I feel like I can almost smell the lines and shadows you draw if I trace them. Also, your story can be either very sweet or disturbing. I know you've been working very hard to achieve this, but honestly, I envy you. I wish I could create pictures and stories like you.

── I can really tell that you respect each other deeply. Now, please tell us what you like about particular scenes, episodes, or expressions in each of your works.

Nagabe: Personally, I think that The Ancient Magus’ Bride is a human drama in which you see Chise’s growth and changes as she confronts the environment around her. So, of course, there are impressive episodes that correspond to that. However, if I get to choose one based on my own preferences, I like the story of magic in Episode 2 and the Christmas story of Elias and Chise. The former shows magical instruments in a fantasy world, and the latter shows the integration of the real world customs in manga. I love portraits that showcase slice-of-life stories, so I thought those were great!

Yamazaki: I really like the gradual development of the relationship between Shiva and Sensei in The Girl from the Other Side. I love the scenes where they are about to touch but hesitate and also the scene that portraits the cute fight that heats up through the door. There’s also a scene where they touch each other by accident, but that triggers them to touch each other intentionally after, and that made me go "Wow!” The distance between them is so... delicate and exquisite. The softness of the flesh and the temperature of Shiva and the lack of physical temperature of Sensei next to her, all give me the feeling of winter, which is amazing. I think it just fits my sense of winter perfectly. The coldness that mercilessly takes away life, the feel of the felt, floor, and walls chilled by snow and water, and the warmth of having someone by your side in front of the stove… they all exist together in the story.

Nagabe: I'm very happy to hear that.

Yamazaki: My favorite episode is episode 29 in volume 6. I really want them both to be happy! It made me feel the warm temperature of Shiva’s tears. The scene where they go see Mother gave me chills. The design of the children of darkness is also epic!

── Now, can you talk about what you both find to be attractive about the “Beast x Girl," which is a common concept in both of your works?

Nagabe: It’s not just about girls but more so about humans, but I think I’m into cross-culturalism. Different races have different cultures, languages, and maybe even different body structures. The two characters have great differences and that brings out interesting gaps and interactions which creates a good drama. It’s also nice when they see each other’s similarities and go “oh, that’s the part we have in common”. I especially like it when there are differences that are incompatible. For example, whether cannibalism is acceptable or not. The fact that taboos in the human world are practiced without hesitation in the non-human world creates clear divisions. Seeing how they deal with these negative differences is the best part and what makes this theme attractive to me.

Yamazaki: The concept of non-human exists because there are humans. I am personally attracted to things that are distant from humans in appearance and sensibility. I love non-humans who don’t speak human languages, but I also have to balance my work for consumer products. In The Ancient Magus’ Bride, I used fairytales from Britain and Ireland as references, so they all speak human languages fluently. Their sensibilities and appearance are quite human-like except for their rules. It’s probably because humans wouldn’t be able to understand them otherwise, and they can be very different from your ideas of non-humans. However, they are very rigid about certain rules they have, so I have to be careful drawing those concepts clearly. It’s quite difficult to decide how much of the original folktales and fairytales I include in my creation. If I put too much just because it’s interesting, the originality in my work will disappear. This is something I have to be careful not to overlook.

── You've taken special care to balance these concepts.

Yamazaki: The other topic to consider is the reason why a girl is matched with a beast. Personally, I think it’s because girls have the most flexibility and softness. For better or worse, children are soft, malleable, and flexible to their environment. But they also have their own answers to questions, toughness, weakness, rigidness, and acceptance to their worlds, questions, hesitation, tolerance, anger, joy… all sorts of ideas and emotions, which makes them very attractive and easy to draw. I understand that adult characters are interesting as well. Also, it’s just exciting to see humans and non-humans together like with animals, monsters, and so on. In reality, people often don’t understand each other, but in creation, we can hope differently. I guess I like seeing everyone getting along as a bystander. But from a business point of view, I can’t just leave it like that, so I give them lots of challenges!

Nagabe: In The Ancient Magus’ Bride, I think that emotions are portrayed as something specific to humans. The contrast between Chise, who is always changing based on her experiences, and Elias, who is certainly changing but lacking in some crucial way, is brilliant. It seems that this kind of dissonance is there because we see Elias’ emotions in the same way we see that of Chise’s or humans. In the story, Chise said to Elias “I can’t understand you”, and I think it’s great that you are taking this difference between the characters seriously and depicting it in your work.

Yamazaki: Thank you. I think The Girl from the Other Side provides the perfect sense in terms of closeness among characters. Other works of yours also showcase this as well. Sometimes characters are all over each other, and other times they are trying to figure out the right distance. There’s rejection, and there’s also adorable connection. I love it. I think the struggle between a being and another being is wonderful. Also, it’s simply cool to have two different concepts exist together like big and small.

── What kind of works have influenced the two of you in terms of drawing fantasy and the theme of "Beast x Girl"?

Yamazaki: It’s not that I’m only looking for the “Beast x Girl” theme, but it just triggers my sensors! Some of the books that caught my attention are the Darren Shan series, Rachel series, Koteki no Kanata, Dendera Ryu ga Detekitayo, Sukkuto Kitsune, and Hellsing. In terms of animation, I’d say the Monster Farm, PoPoLoCrois series, Brigadoon: Marin & Melan, and Blood: The Last Vampire series. Rather than finding the exact theme of “Beast x Girl," I find the subtle essence of that in these works. Also, I often use myths and folktales as references. I’d say the ones that influenced me the most are Ashiarai Yashiki no Juunintachi, J&J series, and Blood+.

Nagabe: I think Beauty and the Beast was influential for me! These are not about a beast and a girl, but Alice in Wonderland and Moomin also had a strong influence on my current manga creation. They are certainly fantasy, but not shiny and glamorous, and gives you a sense of antiquity,

── Are there any works that you would like to recommend to each other?

Nagabe: In my case, I am more interested in art books and picture books than novels, so my tastes are a little different. But I would like to recommend Arthur Rackham and Saint-Exupery! Arthur Rackham is famous for Alice in Wonderland, and Saint-Exupery for The Little Prince. I also recommend Jon Klassen's picture book series. I like the airy atmosphere and you can see his energetic watercolor touch. I hope you will read them if you have a chance.

Yamazaki: I'd like to check them out. It's hard to make recommendations to Nagabe-san, but I'd like you to read Ashiarai Yashiki no Juunintachi. The characters are more human-like in appearance, but there is also great diversity. There are lots of characters so I'm sure you'll be able to find one, three, or even ten that you like.

Nagabe: I see. I’ll check it out.

What they want to portray through their work

── Could you tell us about your own work? In a previous interview with Comic Natalie, Yamazaki-san, you said you wanted to create a story in The Ancient Magus’ Bride where "everyone is bad and everyone is good."

Yamazaki: Now that I think about it, “everyone is bad and everyone is good” is not exactly correct. If I could answer it again, I would say it’s about differences. It's like a sample of where various emotions and thoughts are. I hope that reading my manga will give the audience a chance to think about the differences in their lives. But they are free to dismiss it if they think it’s boring. I have my ideas of what I want to convey as a message in my work, but I try not to give clear answers so that people can think and feel what they want.

── Now, Nagabe-san, in a previous interview, you said that the most important theme for you was "gentleness."

Nagabe: After finishing The Girl from the Other Side, I felt once again that ‘gentleness’ is a difficult thing to express. I wondered to whom that ‘gentleness’ was meant for, what it meant, and what would happen if that feeling resulted in a bad situation. Is ‘gentleness’ shown in words, actions, or something else in the first place? Any of these can express ‘gentleness’ depending on the perspectives of each protagonist, so I was reminded of the ambiguity of emotions, the frustration that comes with interaction, and how difficult it is to depict those things. I’m glad I got to learn the difficulty of this theme, and I felt that I need to look at it from different aspects.

── I see. It's been a few years since any of the interviews I mentioned before, but has there been anything new you would like to emphasize in your works?

Nagabe: Since I’ve been thinking about the theme of emotions through "gentleness," I want to focus more on personality. In other words, I want to focus more on human dramas. In addition to that, I would like to depict a strange everyday life in a mysterious world. Of course, I want to include non-humans.

Yamazaki: I haven't really changed my main ideas. But if I had to say, I’d like to go back to the basics and draw non-humans again as I’ve been drawing only humans in stories lately.

The world of The Girl from the Other Side and

The Ancient Magus’ Bride in animation

── Both The Girl from the Other Side and The Ancient Magus’ Bride have been developed into anime projects in the past. How do you feel about your works being made into animation again?

Nagabe: My honest impression (after watching the animation) was "It's moving!” The artwork, visuals, and atmosphere of the manga are very important to me, so I was very impressed that the production team was able to recreate those of my manga with such care. In the previous short animation, the audience was able to enjoy the blank space created by the lack of words. It left room for interpretation. I was simply thrilled that they created such mature animation.

Yamazaki: In my case, I was looking at a hypothetical future where the project was in progress, but in the middle of the project, people would say, "It's not going to sell," and it would discontinue. I was thinking that I should at least be able to do enough work to feed myself, but it actually came true. Can you believe it? Now I can't quit so easily. Oops...

── Oh, no (laughs).

Yamazaki: I was just kidding and was actually very happy, and even though it was a lot of hard work, I had great fun working with many creators!

── What kind of messages and reactions did you receive from the readers of your manga who watched the anime?

Nagabe: The readers were also excited that The Girl from the Other Side was moving! That's how much they have enjoyed the world of The Girl from the Other Side in manga, and we’ve succeeded to meet their expectation in the anime.

Yamazaki: I've received a lot of feedback as well, but it's generally been positive and I’m relieved. I want to thank everyone for that!

── I believe that there are qualities that people are drawn to and ways of expression that are each unique to manga and anime, but when you saw your own work turned into animation, was there anything that you felt was unique to animation?

Nagabe: I think that the subtle movements of people and objects are best expressed through animation. For example, in the scene at the dinner table with Sensei and Shiva, you can see both a movement of Shiva where she tries to climb up on a chair and a smooth movement of Sensei at the same time. This contrast allowed the audience to feel a sense of life in our daily routines, and I thought that was great. One more thing is that the scenes like Shiva’s dreams and the star scene, in the end, achieved a better sense of realism because of the colors, and I think the black-and-white representation of manga won’t be able to quite do the same.

Yamazaki: I may have the same opinion. The manga is quite plain as I prefer low saturation, but I also knew that could be a hindrance for a consumer product. So I was impressed with the bright colors in the anime. Also, the animation complimented the lack of explanation in the manga and it made it more theatrical. I hope people will see both works!

Nagabe: That's right! I want people to see both, too.

── Both manga and anime have their own strong points, and I hope people will enjoy them both. And now, the development of a full-length anime of The Girl from the Other Side and a new OAD series for The Ancient Magus’ Bride has been announced. Please tell us your honest opinions about these developments.

Nagabe: YEEEESSS! I'm so happy. I personally gave the last short-length anime a perfect score, so I have…really...high expectations!

── I can feel your joy. (laugh)

Nagabe: This is all happening thanks to the hard work put in by WIT STUDIO, Yutaro Kubo (director), and Satomi Yoneya (director), and my expectations are very high and I have no worries at all! How about you, Yamazaki-san?

Yamazaki: I'm glad to be working with various creators again! I'm also going to be doing more work that I don't normally do, so in a way I'll be able to change up my routine. It's a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.

── What are you looking forward to and what are your expectations for the new animation?

Nagabe: I’m wondering how they will tell the story now that it’s longer. Of course, I’m interested in the visual expressions and the production of animation as I was for the previous short-length anime, but more than that, I’m looking forward to seeing how they will incorporate the world of The Girl from the Other Side into animation and how they will depict it. Also, Sensei and Shiva are going to talk… with voices. I’m pretty pumped about it and can't contain my excitement!

── As a fan, I'm really looking forward to it. What about you, Yamazaki-san?

Yamazaki: It's fun to have more opportunities to see the work of the animation staff. To tell the truth, I don't really have much expectation for my work. “New anime! Work is coming! I'll do my best!”, I don’t normally feel that way. It almost feels like a collaboration between the supervising team and the animation team, so I have to do my best for our audience to enjoy it.

── How do you feel about the fact that both of your works are loved overseas as well?

Nagabe: Is that so? I'm glad to hear that! Since The Girl from the Other Side is more like a poem or a picture book than a manga, I’ve been wondering how it would be perceived even in Japan. But I'm frankly happy that it's been accepted so favorably. I'm also happy that TThe Girl from the Other Side has “flown” to a foreign country (the Other Side). That gave me a smile. Thank you very much.

Yamazaki: I'm really grateful that there are people overseas who are interested in my work since I basically published it for Japanese people. As the story is set in England, I tried to avoid using gestures and phrases that are unique to Japanese culture, but I guess you could say that worked in my favor. I've been getting a lot of positive feedback and art from fans!

The influence of the pandemic

── I'd like to change the subject. In the past year, as I’ve had interactions with various manga artists, I've witnessed the impact of the pandemic in the writing process and the mental health of manga artists in general. Have there been any changes for you?

Nagabe: Due to the pandemic, of course, I thought about things like my daily life, how to go out, and how to enforce hygiene. But if I speak of The Girl from the Other Side, I feel that its world has gotten closer to our reality. In the story, there’s a curse, and one character would say “it’s safe to stay close to non-humans from the Outside as long as you take proper precautions” while another would say “we should eliminate the cause if nobody can take responsibility”, and they keep arguing. They are both right, and that is why there is friction. I think our feelings and societal reactions toward COVID-19 is very similar to that of The Girl from the Other Side.

Yamazaki: My assistant has been working from far away since before the pandemic, so our work itself hasn’t really been affected at all. But the fact that I can’t go out to gather information and materials for my work has put a damper on my mood. I can feel the significant influence on my work speed, physical condition, and mental health. I’ve always thought I was an indoor person, but in the situation where I am restricted to go out, it’s making me want to do so even more.

── I really understand. There are many people around me saying that they had thought they were indoor people but they got depressed when they couldn’t go outside for a long period of time. Along this topic, I have an impression that manga artists are more used to being at home than people with regular jobs, so you must have some useful tips on how to make it more enjoyable. Do you?

Nagabe: Leave it to me. After all, I am a professional at that.

── I’m counting on you (laughs).

Nagabe: In my case, I have three rooms: one is my workroom, one is my bedroom, and one is my living space, so I feel like I can make my home more comfortable just by not mixing up my personal and professional life. Also, it's exhausting to keep up 100% of my attention, so I think it's okay to cut corners where I can. I also wear pajamas except in my workspace. For me, it's important to keep my workspace clean and crisp and separate from my personal life. Otherwise, I think people should invest in hobbies. Yeah, I think so. Let's paint, everyone. Drawing is good. [To the reader] Why don't you draw pictures, too?

Yamazaki: Haha. I am an indoor person only when I have a lot of materials to read and work, so not being able to go out gives me a fair amount of stress. If I had to pick, I’d say looking at photo books, cooking, trying out musical instruments, or woodworking or something. Woodworking in particular is great because you can develop your concentration and you end up with a finished product in your hands. Just shaving the bark of a tree branch with a knife is fun, so I think it’s good to have a knife. It’s convenient.

Questions to each other from their commitments to creation to the favorite features of non-humans

─ Since we are here to talk altogether, I would like to ask you to interview each other. First, Nagabe-san, could you please ask questions to Yamazaki-san?

Nagabe: I’d like to know your process of thinking out and what you are particular about in creating your stories. When I read The Ancient Magus’ Bride, the first thing that struck me was that Yamazaki-sensei uses motifs from Western mythology, fairies, and folklore, and then creates a human drama about how those characters confront each other and express their feelings. So I am wondering how you incorporate the elements that exist in fantasy into your own stories and characters.

Yamazaki: A human drama…… Can I call it a human drama? I'd be happy if I can!

Nagabe: I'm sure you can!

Yamazaki: To be honest, there are many parts where I’m not really sure how I’ve applied the concept of fantasy to the characters. When I'm thinking about a story, my brain starts going "This is it," "This person is that," or "That can be incorporated into this development,” and it often puts different pieces together like a puzzle. On the other hand, when those things don't come out naturally, it's hard as hell to write a story (laughs). I usually read books on mythology and folklore, and I often have a stock of ideas that I can use in development. Perhaps it's because I don't think of fantasy as something that can't happen in reality, so I create a story where humans meet fantasy in an ordinary way. That's probably why I create the way I do. I feel that these things can happen right next to us, like the change of seasons.

Nagabe: Are there any techniques or theories that you consider in manga? For example, I'd like to know if there are any techniques that you use when drawing manga, such as creating a development every four pages or adjusting the number of frames.

Yamazaki: People have different opinions on this, but I try to include some funny parts here and there. I’ve had some people say they prefer for me to write seriously throughout weighty stories so that they won’t be distracted. But some say they enjoy those funny parts. Either way, I am enjoying drawing those scenes, so that’s the direction I’m going. Other than that, I only pay attention to the basics. Not too many frames, not too few, no more than three lines of dialogues because it’s hard to read, and wide horizontal lines for speech bubbles. When the bubbles are long in length, it's a problem when it’s translated into other languages.

Nagabe: Oh, I see. I'm just curious, but you create manga, illustrations, and novels, and is there any new field you would like to work on?

Yamazaki: I'm mostly satisfied because I was able to get my hands on all three of those (laughs). I originally wanted to be a writer, but I found it overwhelmingly unsuitable, so I got serious about manga. If I don't have to think about what I’m suited for, writing picture books or game and anime scripts sound interesting.

Nagabe: Now, I'm going to assume that you like non-humans, but what are your favorite things about them? I want you to talk about it as much as you can.

Yamazaki: I don’t know if I’m qualified to talk about non-humans just because I like non-human characters, but personally, I think it’s their differences that attract me. Compared to humans, they look different, think differently, speak different languages, live in different ways, and have different cultures. But when you think about it, this all applies to humans, doesn’t it? If you are from different countries or even areas, all of the things I mentioned can be the differences among humans. I think I enjoy non-human characters because those differences are easier to see. The further away they are from humans and the more difficult it is to communicate with them, the more excited I get. But that also doesn’t mean that I like all non-humans just because. They need to have attractive inner qualities as well. I do love non-human characters, but the basic premise is that characters have to be attractive and stories have to be interesting!

Nagabe: Yeah, I agree.

Yamazaki: Going back to the question, if I had to pick the best feature of non-humans, I would say that it's the fact that they seem to be able to understand humans, but can’t. Even when they are next to us and looking at the same things, what we see are different and we never understand each other’s point of view. I love the fact that we continue to be individuals who don’t intersect, don’t mix, and can’t be fixed into something. But even then, the human character and the non-human character stick around together! I love that concept!I love the fact that they seem to be attracted to each other but are not, and that they will forever remain different creatures. After all, the existence of humans is essential for non-humans because the premise of non-humans is that there are humans. Therefore, I don't get too excited when I don't know much about the non-human characters. If possible, I want to know their thoughts, tastes, words, and deeds of the being before liking them. Although, in some cases, I get really excited about characters based on their appearance only…. So, I guess it’s like an accident to find non-human characters I like.

Nagabe: Is that right? By the way, what do you think of cat ears? Do you like them or not? Is it a beast, a demi-human, or a non-human? Please tell me your opinion.

Yamazaki: There are many factors that I would personally consider, such as how the cat ears are attached, the facial structure, whether it has human ears in addition to cat ears, its lifestyle, and whether it seems to think like a beast rather than a human. Whether there are any features other than the cat ears that differ from humans is probably the main question. Personally, I don't think that a human with only cat ears can be considered a non-human, but in some cases, it can be, so it really depends on the character.

Nagabe: I see.

Yamazaki: For example, if the lifestyle is that of a feral cat or feline, it is a beast, if the lifestyle is culturally different from that of humans, it is a demi-human, and if the lifestyle is clearly different from that of humans, it is non-human. I think it’s important to keep in mind that people will judge cat ears, or rather animal ears, differently depending on who they are. I believe in freedom of what people think, each individual is wonderful, and you can step away from things you disagree with.

Nagabe: Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Lastly, I like non-humans so much that I draw them all the time, but I can’t find the appeal of human features. I don’t find it interesting to draw humans, so please help me.

Yamazaki: What? I'm not very good at drawing humans either! (laughs)

Nagabe: (laughs).

Yamazaki: To be honest, I feel that I’m not very good at drawing in general, but appeal… appeal…. I personally get motivated when I feel I’ve drawn something well, so I draw the features I like with my own fetishism in full swing. Eyes, hair, waistline, and facial expressions. That’s about it, I guess. So when I get into a slump, I am stuck there for a long time.

── Now it’s time for Yamazaki-san to ask Nagabe-san questions.

Yamazaki: I've heard that you draw very quickly, but do you have any weaknesses or strengths in terms of creating a storyboard, plotting, drafting, or line drawing?

Nagabe: I don’t like creating a storyboard and plotting. I get bored easily so I don’t like to spend too much time creating one thing. If I think too much, I don’t make any progress, and as a result, my focus shifts to other things. Creating a storyboard requires an awareness of the direction and progression of the story as well as its intentions. I’m not accustomed to these very well and I can’t supplement these with just my drawing ability.

Yamazaki: I also have a hard time with storyboards, so I understand. Are there any particular things that you can’t compromise in your work?

Nagabe: It's the composition of the picture. I like to deliberately draw blank spaces, and I think adding meaning to the empty spaces and adding emotion to the positions of the characters is an expression that is possible only in the framed world of manga, so I'm very particular about that.

Yamazaki: Thank you very much. Now, do you have any activities or something that you do when you just can't bring yourself to work?

Nagabe: At first, I would draw the easy parts. For example, I start with tasks that I think will be easy, such as drawing only one frame, drawing only persons, or drawing only speech bubbles. I don't know if it makes sense, but I think motivation comes after I begin the work, so I try to start with easy tasks to get the engine going.

Yamazaki: I see. This is the same question you asked me earlier, but I would also like to know what Nagabe-san’s favorite features about non-humans are.

Nagabe: Okay, you sure you have enough time to talk about it?

Yamazaki: (laughs).

Nagabe: First of all, I like the way they look. Sometimes they are human skeletons, sometimes they are four-legged, and they are just distorted and diverse. The visuals are beyond imagination, like a living creature or a sculpture, and I like the eeriness of it. Next is regarding common sense. For example, they may eat pet animals as food, and the pets just accept that they will be eaten. Is this similar to the Cambyses Lottery (Fujiko F. Fujio)? What is considered common sense in one country is considered heretical in another. I love the interaction created by these cultural differences.

Yamazaki: Yeah.

Nagabe: The other thing is their life expectancy. It doesn't matter if it's a long life or a short life. At the moment you are born, it’s decided that you will not live the same amount of time as others and I like the impermanence of it. I want to create a new feeling of discomfort that has never existed before through this concept. There's no end to what I want to say, but I think I put a lot of emphasis on appearance and external characteristics. It's like the characteristics of animal features, and I hope those shapes have meanings.

Yamazaki: I've always thought that you are so good at depicting the interaction between humans and non-humans who don't have control over human language.

Nagabe: Thank you!

Yamazaki: Regardless of whether you draw them or not, which do you prefer, the ones who can control human language or the ones who can't?

Nagabe: I think both are good. If they use words, they can at least communicate instantly, and if they don't, I can create drama through their trial and error process of interacting. But for a story, I think I like the ones that don't use words because it gives them a stronger sense of foreignness and makes it easier to depict the difference between humans and non-humans.

Yamazaki: So, do you have a favorite genre for a non-human with animal features?

Nagabe: All... of them?

Yamazaki: (laughs). Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and amphibians, marine mammals, insects, etc. These are not animals, but robots and androids would be fine as well.

Nagabe: Anything is fine as long as it's not a human.

Yamazaki: (laughs).

── I can feel Nagabe-san’s love for non-humans (laughs). Lastly, please share a message to the readers who are supporting your work.

Nagabe: Thank you for reading. In my works, I try to eliminate or omit explanations and dialogues as much as possible, so there may be many places where you may wonder what's going on. I've tried to leave room for your imagination, so I hope you'll enjoy the intentional blanks!

Yamazaki: Thank you so much for your support. It's a story that has lots of twists, but there's always something beyond that. I hope you will enjoy it. Thank you for your continued support!

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goodnessgatsby · 5 years ago

Text

Nightmares Are My Wonderland

((Heavily based on the universe in the movie “Push” with undertones of the anime/manga/game corpse party and my hero academia. TRIGGER WARNING; DOMESTIC ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM IS HEAVILY IMPLIED WITH UNDERTONES OF SEXUAL ASSUALT AND MENTAL ABUSE))

((Looking for a partner to either ally with my villain and prime her to become something either truly evil or virtuous (meaning you can be a hero that saves her from a dark life if you’d like, I encourage this.) Or you can meet with her a decade after she’s become a villain, being more well-known and feared among the community and either ally her as a villain or fight her as a hero (meaning you would have to fight to defeat her as a hero, saving her soul would no longer be an option unless you’re creative) Please be very clear as to what you quirk is and how you use it))

((If you wish to play a Cannon character than this character is strictly made for a hero/villain environment as long as they belong to the comic book, manga, movie range then you are free to use them))

Sun glistens through the dark murky motel room as Valerie grips her long smooth locks, a soft tan to her skin despite living like a vampire most of her life, as her eyes flutter impatiently about the room. Dad didn't come home again, looks like he'll be home later today. Suddenly the neighbor and his weird cosplay girlfriend begin talking way too fucking loud for 6 a.m. before Valerie pinches the bridge of her nose, whining softly as the hangover settles over her small boxy frame "Fuuuuck! Shut Up!" she screams, throwing a pillow at the wall before sitting up at the edge of the bed. The walls are a dark smoke gray, with brown stains scattered about the room like carefully hung photos and a pitch colored trim between the concrete floor and ceiling “God, could we have picked a cheaper motel…” she huffs as if she hadn’t spent all her savings on a few months in this crappy place, it was easier than trying to find an apartment without a reliable source of income. At this point, she’d only been taking odd jobs in different towns with hopes of someday landing a job and settling down in a real home, but that was entirely impossible with her father’s drunken misdeeds in every town she had attempted to build a nest. Speaking of which, was it possible he sent her a text or tried to call her last night when she was drinking? Like Father, like daughter…Valerie stares at the bottle of 1800 Tequila Silver on the nightstand, it never tasted good but the feeling of floating was something worth chasing “I really ought to let him go drink himself to death far away from me…” but the truth is like the high liquor gives, she continues to chase what her father used to be…before…She dives for the bottle before the thought can bubble to the surface taking a massive swig, filling her mouth entirely before swallowing. She runs her fingers through the length of her hair as the liquor silences any chance of tears before she opens the app on her phone to check for any paying jobs. Please, something that pays more than 35 dollars!!! Browsing the list carefully her eyes flutter over something odd, but for 1,000 dollars…how could she pass this up? Imagine all the food, maybe even a motel upgrade…even for a few weeks would be better than breathing in mold for a day longer. The description reads ‘Social experiment; One-time visit required for payment. We are inviting 7 people to a night of fun and fright!(Each person will receive their own time and date to arrive, only one person will be selected to receive a permanent job and living quarters) You and 6 others will be suited up in gear that will analyze your vitals and brain functions while giving a boost in physical abilities so you can defend against ‘monsters’. This will require all 7 participants in different sessions to work alongside me to complete simulated courses, like a Virtual Reality Video Game! No Danger! No Risk! Just 23 hours of free food, socializing and a whole lot of exercise! Better message quickly or you’ll miss your chance!’ below was an email and phone number with the letters X.O.E signed below. Social experiment, huh? The young maiden smiles nervously at the idea of anything social, but quickly decides the money would clearly be worth it, although it could be a scam…on the off chance it is real “Suppose I just message them and see how it goes…”

Several Days Later; Monday

As the night of the experiment arrives, Valerie finds herself standing outside the most beautiful little house she’d ever seen in her 19-year life, it was white and plain colored with vines covered in tiny blossomed flowers scattered about its length and surrounded by a garden that must’ve come right out of a fairytale. Her brain wept at such beauty, unaware of the man hollowing out her soul with his eyes until the final time his eyes rushed over her, Valerie gasps gripping onto her sides with her arms across her abdomen

“Y-you must be Xavier Everts…” she blurts out, trying not to appear terrified to no avail “I...I’m Valerie Bonna-velt…I’m here for the…social…experiment…” she was beginning to wonder if there was such a thing, now that she stood in his unblinking presence. Had anyone messaged this man? “Excuse me…Could you please tell me what’s going on…I’m really confused” the man moves closer, and without a word takes her wrist dragging the trembling teen through the gate and into a poorly lit kitchen.

The man’s frail old voice booms “Master Everts!” Valerie stares numbly at the floor, her brain rushing over every possible scenario in which she’d never see the light of day again. Suddenly a warm voice coos back, in the sweetest most soothing manner an anxiety-stricken woman could hope for “Ah yes, back here Ms. Bonna-velt, I’ve awaited your arrival” she eagerly grips onto the velvet sheets draped over the door frame replacing a door, pulling them apart as she stepped into a large open Victorian style living room. She grips her chest as her brows dip and pull together in rhythm with the melting of her soul, the walls were deep pitch with roses painted all over that were framed two-fourths of the way down with a light brown border. This appeared to have an almost red glaze deepening in opacity as it met the floor unlike the lusterless tan trim. This matched the drapes and couches perfectly; Valerie could not help but stand in awe as her honey colored eyes polished the place over. From the floral-patterned wood below her feet to the glowing candle chandelier above her head it was truly a picture taken right from her dreams. A soft chuckle ripples through the air before her eyes meet with the tall thin man with paper white skin and long raven colored hair

“I see you appreciate the beauty in times far before you and I, but I’m afraid we haven’t the time to give you a tour.” His apologetic smile, spreads energy through her body like a surge of electricity as she nods, rushing to close the distance between herself and the much taller employer

“It is alright, really I’m sure we could do that another time”

In response to this he laughs “Confident one, aren’t we?”

His features were strong and well pronounced, it was like talking to a portrait in an art museum only this one was responding. He explained the way that the suits would have small needles placed in various areas to properly study Valerie’s vitals and chemical balances in response to the simulations around her. Truth be told she didn’t understand half of it, but the way his arms wrapped around her front and hands fumbled with the attachments kept her calm, unable to focus on the suspicious liquids behind each needle or the metallic scent coming from his clothing. The only thing on her mind was the way his lips would part for each breath as if breathing through his nose was not good enough, and the squinted glances he’d gift her with a calm cold grin

“My, you really enjoy being in my presence, don’t you?” Valerie felt her shoulders pull back as her spine straightened and she nodded softly, there was something…about this place, this man that felt too close to her heart…as if plucked right from her mind. She bites her lower lip, leaning into him to take in the rough metal odor as he roughly grips her waist with his right hand and slammed down onto a large orange button with his left

“I hope you continue to feel this way after your first trial.” His voice quickly escaping her mind as 5 needles inject strange liquids into various parts of her body simultaneously. Had her gut instinct been correct? Had no one else messaged this man? Did she sign up to be a lab rat? His fingers squeeze her skin roughly before releasing

“Don’t worry, it’s the power boost you were promised in the post, I hope you did not forget the terms of our agreement dear girl” all her muscles tense in response to the liquids.

This triggers the beginning of the first simulation titled “Of All the Things You Love” the words stretched across a beautiful Japanese garden, cherry blossoms swaying over the bold white words that slowly began to fade as Mr. Everts booms through the headphones covering her ears

“Now, you should be able to move normally about the world, you will need to find a clue in this world to escape. If you perform well enough, we will discuss having you over for the next trial. For now, all you need to know is your brain controls and develops this game as you play, I have zero control of what you see or what the clues are. I can only give you directions on where to find these clues, beyond that it will be up to you whether you escape or not.”

Valerie was stumped by this, her mind trying desperately to find a solution “My brain created this place? From a memory? Or a dream?” she thought, wrapping her arms around herself as always. Nothing felt different, her arms and legs were the same appendages she used every day. Truthfully it had appeared the only difference was a scenery and climate change. She takes in the warmth of the sun’s rays before he speaks again, somehow watching her stretch and twirl in the summer’s heat

“I see you prefer warmer climates, are you ready to begin?” his soft words felt as though they were placed there for a reason, as though they were meant to calm her uneasy state. “The clue is at the center of this garden, but beware, although your mind has created a calming environment that your cognizance can handle, there are still threats guarding each clue.” He sounded quite sure of himself, but the idea that her mind could have created something harmful in a place like this, it felt impossible. Nevertheless, Valerie forced herself forward deeper into the garden, trying to focus on the flowers, the sun and the warm floral smells that were fashioned by the two intertwining

“Are you sure there are fiends in this game? I know I watch a lot of horror movies, but it doesn’t seem like there could be anything like that… here…” even she sounded unsure of her conclusion, worried it was her brain trying to cope with the idea of treading unknown terrain. “What do I do if there is something trying to attack me anyway?” these seemed like questions she should have asked before starting the simulation, but it seemed she was purposefully placed in this place without knowledge of what was to come. This would force her to rely on the help of Mr. Everts or her own reflexes, making this far more challenging than she had first envisioned.

“Onee-chan!!!” A familiar tiny voice calls towards her from somewhere far ahead, followed by soft weak sobs “Onee-Chan!” the voice cries once again causing my feet to move towards it.

“This is such a bad idea, what if it isn’t really a little girl!” Valerie would scream at her body, but it continued to sprint towards a small terrified scream, until that scream had a face. Before her stood a little girl, not much older than 4 years old with soft black hair that framed her warm rosy skin “Hello there…little one…Do you need help?” Valerie whimpers, keeping her distance from this small child as the girl began to appear more and more familiar the longer, she stared.

“Onee-chan” Yuka cried, looking over her shoulder with the one side of her face that still had an eye, immediately being recognized by the Valerie as one of the victims in her favorite anime.

“No. No no no, this is impossible. You’re not real!” she cried, taking a step back from the child before it revealed its entire face. Blood dripping from the hollow socket that used to house Yuka’s eye as the ghoulish kid closed the distance between herself and Valerie. It was like lightspeed one second Yuka was staring at her and the next she was crying to be saved with tiny hands wrapped tightly around her throat.

“You have to fight, if you want to survive you must fight” Everts calls, reminding her this was merely a simulation. Valerie groans loudly, slamming her elbow into the child’s skull and with a loud crack the girl’s skull fragments spray about the smooth dirt path leading to the center. The corpse began to shrivel like a salted snail until there was nothing left of the falsified child. Needing to remind herself this was just a game, despite the years that torture scene had terrorized her memory.

“It’s Okay Bonna-velt, you can do this. You can do this! You need to breathe and remember your goal” this seemed to do the trick, as Valerie got to her feet once more and began on the path to the center of the world which appeared to have a large pine tree more massive than a skyscraper, the point nearly pierced the sky. “Looks as though my awareness was kind enough to give me a marker. Better return the favor and move swiftly” with this the young girl closed the distance between herself and the wooded forest housing her first clue. The wind whistled an alluring tune as she cautiously stepped into the shaded lot, each tree huddled closely together to deny the rays of sunlight any access while below was an unkept brush that slicked over towards the center, all signs pointed forward. What lied behind this damp cloaked brush? Valerie ties back her long brown hair in a loose poorly constructed bun before entering with a nervous whine, as she passed the threshold the world around her began to change. Although the foliage remained trees, the leaves had grown much larger and pronounced than pines with long limbs that stretched out to the similar trees surrounding it. The terrain matching that of a rainforest, with the sounds of life flooding the air.

“What did you do!?” Everts chimes suddenly, making her body jolt and tense. “How did you change your surroundings? None of the other subjects were able to change their environment without finding a clue” his tone sounded agitated, but for what reason? Had she done something wrong?

“I’m not sure, I just thought I was done with that world…Did I do something wrong?” her voice sounding so terribly unsure of her accidental decision to change the world, unaware that was even something she was able to do.

“No, my apologies. I was merely annoyed with myself for having my attention elsewhere…. You are a wonderful specimen Valerie. I’ve never found a human who’s suited my fancy so immensely, please continue” He chirped, suddenly she feels him grip her waist with both hands and squeeze roughly forcing a moan from her trembling lips. It was embarrassing, but he achieved his goal as she decided not to ask any more questions before getting closer to the first clue. All along her path we’re dried and torn snake skins that grew larger the closer she managed to get, as though there was a large snake that had been shedding in this area over the span of its life. This Idea alone was not enough to scare her, but thinking back she remembered one snake that made her skin crawl. Kaa from the jungle book, no beast should have the ability to manipulate living beings’ minds. A shiver ran up her spine

“Oh god Bonna-velt…tell me you didn’t do that to us…tell me you were thinking snakes on a plane or something harmless like that” but there was no undoing what had already been done, hissing suddenly filled the air.

HISSSSSSS

HISSSSSSSSS

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

She screamed, running forward frantically, unaware that she was headed towards the snake instead of away from it until her body slams against a large, thick and scaly body before falling onto her behind “No no no no! Close your eyes, close your eyes!” Valerie screams afraid of anything sentient invading her mind as her heels dig into the dirt in front of her, pushing her body away as quickly as her behind will scoot. Woefully she does not scoot fast enough, as soon she can feel that same meaty, scaly body slithering around her and crushing her ribs tighter and snugger by the minute. With her eyes closed the maiden begins shouting at the beast through constricted breaths “I’m not looking into your eyes! You’re not real! And You cannot control me!” it felt like her lungs would pop after this declaration, her eyes threatening to evacuate from her skull as a result of so much pressure. It was not only terrifying to see these characters come to life, but to witness them behaving so different than the characters they represented from shows, movies and books. Memory has a funny way of warping reality, although Yuka was no villain in her stunning debut the memories of her revolve around a nightmare that visited young Valerie from time to time. This made Yuka the perfect first trial according to her brain, and this brainwashing beast was no different.

“There is no need for you to fight me now. You’ve given me all I need” the beastress hisses, as her cold scaly body loosens its grip letting the young girl breathe for a moment. “Open those beautiful eyes, and see for yourself” Her eyes fluttering open to see the snake is no where near her body, and yet it felt as though the thick meaty body began to constrict around her again

“Gah! How are you-…you doing this?” she gasps, unable to breathe the tighter this invisible body squeezes around her small frame. What is going on?! Valerie stares at the serpent as it moves in from the brush

“Why would I waste my time crushing you, when you’ll do it for me?” Kaa smugly hisses towards her, leaving the young girl choking and confused before it eases up allowing her to breathe again “Why waste my time on something as helpless as you? Or Someone so selfish?” the sound of the viper’s harsh words makes each gasped breath that much more painful.

“SHUT UP! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!” Valerie cries out, feeling a sharp pinch in her left lung before erupting into a fit of coughs, blood oozing from her chest and out her mouth along with mucus from smoking habitually. Her eyes closed tightly as it pools all over directly below Valerie’s trembling body, it felt like lava was pouring from her lungs and out her throat

“Poor thing, it’s really eating you up inside isn’t it?” the serpent cackles, closing the distance between the young human and herself, quickly jerking the young girls chin upward with the end of it’s tail “You should have spoken out, before you could no longer speak at all”. Suddenly Valerie feels the large scaly body starting to coil around her again “Oh dear, I’d never imagined you’d make yourself suffer so much” The young girl spits the last bit of blood onto the floor before looking up at the temptress and yelling

“Don’t get so smug, thinking you’ve won!” the roar of her voice makes the snake stumble and the hypnosis break, knocking the terrified girl to the ground as her surroundings are returned to that garden from the beginning of the game. Kaa had control of her since the moment she stepped into the forest, warping her surroundings to toy with the scared girl. “What?! Why are we here? What did you do?!” these questions swirl around the thick cold air for seconds before Valerie launches at the small snake, gripping the back of its head and the third fourth of it’s body. ‘You have to kill it, it will take over your mind again if you don’t kill it’ her mind screams as she pulls the beast apart in once swift motion, spraying its blood all over herself and the surrounding trees as her knuckles clack together behind her.

“Mhhhm, what a good look for you.” He groans, finally releasing her hips from his hands, wait…Was He holding onto her this entire time? No, his hands started at her waist, now they’re on the sides of her hips. Has he been petting her this whole time?! A blush overcomes her face as an item within the world suddenly begins to glow “That is the clue for the next trial Ms. Bonna-velt…Take it and read its contents carefully, for it can only be deciphered by you.”

The small slab was glistening so brightly it’s shape could not be interpreted from this distance, and as the young adventuress closed the distance she had to use her arms to cover her eyes “I always wondered what the highlighted items looked like inside the game, but this is insane” she whimpered in regards to the blinding light emitting off the clay slab, as her hands gripped the bottom end it ceased floating and glowing, resting in her tiny palms as a normal chiseled slab “What you’ve found is what you fear, but what you seek is gone my dear” the words flowing from her lips like unsteady breaths “What you’ve found is what you fear…Do they mean Yuka and Kaa? But what you seek is gone my dear? Gone? Like disappeared or like dead?” she puzzled over this for a moment before the words became clear. The young maiden held the slab tightly to her chest, it was all so clear. Yuka was mother, begging to be saved by a simple phone call to the police department and Kaa was the guilt crushing her insides for leaving her mother in the hands of her father, she had only wanted to get away from the fighting for a few hours, a day at most, but the family she’d left behind that day was no longer there upon her arrival. As tears rolled down her heated cheeks like water off a melting icicle, she hugged herself tightly and cried out “The Clue is Mother” before the device suddenly releases her from the simulation.

“Welcome back Young Bonna-velt…” Everts cooed, catching her body as gravity gave way to her tired limbs. Despite physically never moving, her body felt heavy and exhausted as though she’d been running marathons all night “Do not worry, the serum will heal all your aches by the morning. As well as reform some of your least performing organ systems to a new undamaged state.” Almost certain he meant her liver and lungs, but would not directly say these as to not pry too deep into her personal life. Suppose he’s seen too much already? Her eyes begin to grow heavy against his warm frame until the world around her fades into darkness.

The Morning of Mourning

The following morning, Valerie wakes to the dark dank hotel she’d left her unconscious father resting in, wait…How did she get here?! She rubs her temples, sitting up at the middle of the same lumpy mattress she’s slept on for nearly a month now. A sharp pain jolts up her spine, followed by the need to vomit with her head spinning like a dreidel as she plops back down across the mattress watching the small warped ceiling fan weakly wobble in a circle. “uhhh” she groans, this was like a hangover, morning sickness and fever chills had a baby leaving it in the young girl’s skull “Small price to pay for a healthy body, right?” wanting to believe that the strange man from the internet was telling her the truth. Should she see a doctor? A better question is…Does she have the money to visit a doctor? Oh right, the thousand dollars. Rolling onto her side, Valerie looks around both sides of the bed to see if her wallet was on the nightstand, but instead of the torn, leather wallet her mother had gifted Valerie…there was a wave of deep crimson covering the night stand, wall and right half of her bed. Her eyes widen ‘Mr. Everts no!’ her mind sobbed as she pushed herself onto her belly, kicking herself forward to find Victor Dean Bonna-velt with the upper half of his skull removed, as though whomever did this cut from the middle of the eye sockets around. She gagged, pushing herself upward in a rush to get away, but her palm slips on the blood covered wood slamming her body forward and into the corpse where her skull would bounce off the concrete a couple times with the weight of her body sliding her under the second bed with ease. The entire front half of her body smothered in hot, sticky blood as her breathing grows heavier “Someone, please help me…” she whispers, before fading out of consciousness

Hours later the young girl stirs from beneath her father’s bed, unaware of her surroundings beyond a foul smell and the suffocating, cramped space she finds herself crammed in.

Buzz Buzz,

Buzz Buzz!

Valerie’s phone erupts with life, vibrating on the nightstand closest to the door, she scrambles forward kicking at the guts behind her with loud disgusting squishing sounds as she squirms from under the bed’s grip. She whines softly, trying to rub the filth from her face as her eyes adjust to the darkness

“Dad? Can you get that!” she groans, wiping her hands on her shirt before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The phone once again springs to life and danced about the nightstand, glossing over the bedroom with a bright blue light as Valerie is reminded of the scene that coated her in…blood…This is blood…A soft chuckle leaves her cowering lips as the phone erupts with a call, the letters X.O.E displayed in bold letters on the tiny screen, slowly she inches past the bed as she tries desperately to keep her from seeing her disemboweled parent again “Block it out Valerie, you have to stay focused, try to remember” she whispers softly. This seemed to ease her nerves as she answered the phone with a monotone “Hello.”

“MS. BONNA-VELT! My gracious dove, how are you this fine eve?” He booms, a cheery whimsy to his words as though he was utterly pleased to speak to the young girl once again. She takes a deep breath before trying to speak again, so much had happened, so much that she needed to know about the events leading up to…to…She swallows hard, holding herself loosely with one arm as the other helps her hand hold up the phone

“N-not very good Mr. Everts… I’m having trouble remembering…some things…” to this he responded with a deep sigh that melted into a groan, she could feel his smile fade with her words, but he had needed to know. “Please Mr. Everts, I don’t mean to annoy you, I had only hoped you’d fill in some gaps…” an insecurity to her tone, feeling the tension slowly start to dissolve before he replies again with a soft hearty laugh

“I see young girl; your brain must be suppressing some things in an attempt to protect you. Could I come get you from your motel and take you elsewhere to clear your mind? I’m sure the smell is getting to you” Somehow his words made it sound like he knew her father’s corpse was only feet away from her beginning to pucker and bloat. How long had she been out? How long had the body been there? It had to have been a few days for the smell and appearance to be this bad, right?

“Yes please, please come get me!” she cries, not wanting to think about how old the blood on her body was or how she’d come to be covered in it to begin with. Today was beginning to be much worse than she’d ever planned when suddenly there’s a knocking at the door

“Then come outside my love, daddy’s here” he hums through the phone, making her pause and stare at the door…He…He did this…Is he…Is he going to kill her too? “Don’t be shy my sweet flower, come say hello” he coos once more, trying to lure her from her nest, but Valerie is unable to move despite standing only a few feet from the unlocked door. She watches as the handle turns left all the way “Hello?! Are you alright?!” his tone drowning with worry as the handle twists all the way to the right “Say something” he once again cries, throwing the door open to the vision of his beautiful little girl, the fruit of his labor and the love of his life. Their eyes lock, making him visibly swoon “You look so beautiful all painted up for daddy” He closes the distance between them, taking hold of her sides as his thumbs softly rub her love-handles and he washes her over with his gaze once more “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more beautiful” he whispers before his lips press to her jawline, making her body tremble “Valerie, it’s okay. I stayed by your side for these last 4 days, but I didn’t want to scare you…I couldn’t be here when you woke, I’m so terribly sorry…” what had he meant by that? He’s been here with her? What had she done with him on those days and why could she not remember…?

“What are you talking about!” she screams, shoving him to the ground before plopping down onto the bed with an ugly sob “What would you have been doing here for the last four days if I wasn’t awake! Why are you doing this to me!” she wails, slamming her fists into her own stomach a few times “Or am I right to believe I was involved somehow?”

“Involved?” he repeats, as though the word is foreign to him before he erupts with laughter “Such a shame, we’ll have to fix that broken memory of yours right away” with this he pushed himself upward and onto his feet in one swift motion, who the hell is this dude? “But first, I will need you to listen little girl. Come here” he snips, curling his finger in towards himself to direct her.

‘Do I have a choice? What will happen if I don’t? And why didn’t he answer my question’ these were the thoughts that plagued her mind as she obediently hoisted herself upward to her feet and under the arm of the man that obviously murdered her father.

“Atta Girl” He chirps, walking her out the deep green door towards a short maroon 2004 Mercury Marauder with smoky gray leather seats and interior, upon closer inspection she finds the windshield cracked and the radio removed. He let go of her long enough to toss the door open and shove her into the vehicle, but rather than go around the car he scoots along the front of the seats to the driver’s side, pulling the passenger door closed behind him. He starts the car as his eyes lock with hers intently “Please smile little one, you’re going to remember everything soon” somehow, she knew this was meant to calm her, but those words had an effect neither of them could have predicted. As the car backs up, jolting her body forward she grips the car door and the dash as a flash of the days that lead to these events fills her head.

An image of Valerie covered with blood, wearing a crazed grin as a camera films “My, my, such a beautiful girl painted up for daddy…Do you enjoy this? Does it feel good when you remember how it feels to be happy? Such a gorgeous smile you have little one” the man behind it booms, that strange familiar voice. Who is that? It felt as though she was looking through a smudged lens at the world surrounding her “I will be the protector of your memories my love, never again will you feel isolated or trapped. Never again will I allow anything to harm you, my sweet dove. That sick bastard didn’t deserve a daughter as perfect as you, therefore I will take you myself. And through experimentation you will be reborn as my daughter” the camera moves as he draws closer to my face, Everts!!!! He cups her cheek softly, why does his voice sound so melodic right now compared to real life and what does this memory mean? Valerie snaps back to reality as suddenly as she had left it, staring down at the rubber mat place below her feet

“Where are we going?” she mumbles, feeling her palms and hairline begin to sweat “And how much longer? I’m…I’m tired…” a soft tremble to her words, showing that same insecurity that drew him towards her to begin with. He quickly takes her hand in his, resting the two on her thigh as he spoke

“Back to our nest my little dove, it will be quite a while I’m afraid. If you wish to sleep, you can lean on daddy. I promise you’ll be safe” he softly coos, something that once was so comforting felt like a death sentence

“That’s okay…I’ll be alright…daddy” the word felt like vomit leaving her mouth, nothing could be more revolting, but a smile rested comfortably on his face after she had knighted him with his self-proclaimed title “Could you tell me more about our nest?” she hums softly, looking out her window onto the horizon as she buckles herself in the seat more securely not wanting to look towards him.

“It’s out of state I’m afraid, so that beautiful home you wished to tour will be left to collect dust. I have many homes I’ve strategically purchased around the united states and a few in Italy, but we won’t be leaving the country anytime soon. It is in a small town just outside of Bozeman, Montana. It is a very beautiful place, you can see the mountains so that’s a plus, but there’s also a lot of eyes, it is a heavily populated town and for good reason. The home itself is rather cheery and wooden, far from the town for good reason and it overlooks a lake.” The way he spoke made him almost seem normal to her, like he felt panicked for being ‘put on the spot’ and was trying to push past the feeling. Why did he feel so eerie before? She leans closer to the window, feeling the vibration of the car rock her into a deep sleep with an uncertainty towards the days to come.

Sunlight pours in through the windows like an estuary the rays penetrated the glass with ease as it lacked any form of tinting, the light was blinding to sleep covered eyes making life just a little harder for the teen girl “Mhhh!” she groaned, stretching as she sat up off the lap of her captor, it felt so good to sleep after processing so much, but immediately she is reminded of her situation

“Did you sleep well my little dove?” He coos, eyes focused on the road as he awaits her response. It had taken a moment for her to realize, but Valerie remembered falling asleep on the door against the window…Although she had avoided it before her eyes locked on the face that she once found so charming

“Did you…move me?” Irritation tainted each syllable of this question as her eyes burned holes into his soul as she waited for him to confirm what she already knew; it was a way of telling herself she wasn’t crazy.

“Yes, you looked so uncomfortable away from daddy…” he pouted, pushing his lower lip out as though it would influence her response at all. Why did he need to move her onto his lap?! So close to his…Her face turns bright red as she looks away from him, no telling what he could have done to her whilst she slept. Valerie was known to be able to sleep through a hurricane, her mother used to have to carry her sleeping body to the shower and drench her just to get her to school on time because standing her up stopped working after she’d gotten used to it. “I’ve seen that look before; you needn’t worry… I would never taint your purity without permission. I may have my warts, but things of that nature don’t suit my fancy…” meaning he did want her, but is it possible he expects her to want him in time? Rubbing her eyes, the girl yawns softly

“Well good…I don’t think I’d handle something like that very well…” there was truth to her words, but the way she phrased it was incorrect. She was relieved to find out he was not a self-proclaimed rapist, but this brought another question to her attention. He has his warts, but not of that nature…What nature does suit his fancy? She’d hoped it was her paranoia telling her what he fancied was far worse, and turned to her captor sleepily “Just…don’t touch me when I’m sleeping” she huffs, why was this something that needed to be said? It felt like common sense to Valerie, but not all monsters are cut from the same tattered cloth. “How close are we?” her soft quaking voice whispered as the young girl pulled her knees towards her chest and wrapped her slightly muscular arms around them before resting her chin on her knees.

“Only a few miles now. Did you want to stop and get something to eat? Stretch? Use the Bathroom? You know…Normal Human Road-trip activities…”It was clear he felt a little less comfortable with her after being reprimanded “Suppose I can hardly remember what other humans do anymore” he nervously chuckles, slowing the car a bit as his eyes wash Valerie over “I know…I can be a bit much, but I only have your best intentions in mind. I hate to admit I’ve been insensitive…I had time to think on this whilst you slept. I was not sure, but it felt like you were scared of me yesterday…and well, you’ve confirmed that today… with your response to something I’d hoped to be a kind gesture, I will admit I have not had much interaction with other people since college.” He pauses and looks away from her, back to the road, returning to normal speed in one smooth motion. Taking a deep breath Xavier continues in an unsteady tone “What I am hoping to convey is that, I am no threat to you Valerie Amerai Bonna-velt. I may be terrible with social skills and it’s possible my attempts at affection are more…creepy…than…romantic.”

“But?” She hums, leaning back in her chair so her spine is straight as her eyes look expectantly at him. She’d only had him in her life for a few days and already she expected so much of him. Was she starting to care? “But you killed my father?” suddenly the car screeches to a halt skidding towards the side of the road before he turns to face Valerie; the nineteen-year-old Mongolian American whose forehead is resting on the dash thanks to such an abrupt stop.

“I am not the one who killed that man Valerie, you are” the words clap against her ear drums like a gunshot, echoing all the way down her spine as he gripped her wrists “I was hoping to show you the video…but you went and made me spoil the cinematic reveal” he giggles, sounding pleased with himself as Xavier jerks the young girl closer, he was in his late sixties despite not looking a day over twenty-two and much stronger than Valerie despite his nerdy weakling façade “I know this is a lot, and although I love to watch a mind deteriorate…” He pauses, dragging his tongue over his upper lip as though thinking about changing his mind “…I want you to ease into these memories…You had to know the truth, but sometimes these things can be easier if you don’t try to rush it and force my hand. You could have remembered on your own in a few weeks, days or hours, but I wanted to at least wait until you were able to isolate yourself in a room away from me.” What was that? Did his personality start to act up, but he brought it back down to a normal level? What is this guy’s deal? “Suppose now that you know it’s inside the car, I’ll have to ask you to be patience an-”

“That’s okay… I’d rather put off…knowing all the details for now…If what you say is true, then this is probably my last happy day…funny because yesterday was probably one of the worst days of my life…” Valerie forces a laugh, wanting to conceal the shattering pieces leftover from her crumbling sanity. “Food does sound nice…” she whimpers softly, wanting to sway the conversation elsewhere as quickly as possible, to this Xavier swoons letting out a deep hum towards her

“This is why I love you, you really get me” he lets go of her, turning to start the car back up with little trouble “We should learn to focus on the good and a full tummy sounds brilliant!” he coos, pulling away from the shoulder and back onto the highway “What sorts of foods suit your fancy?” he hums, using that phrase again

But things of that nature don’t suit my fancy

What sorts of foods suit your fancy?

“I prefer something salty or savory, sweet things don’t suit my fancy” She hums, being nonspecific as always “I will admit I am being vague because I don’t want to displease you, it’s such a pain to deal with going back and forth over and over….” Her father had a funny way of convincing her to pick whilst rejecting every option she chose until she suggested what he originally wanted to begin with. The entire mess was frustrating for Valerie, she could hardly imagine a person who could stand a situation like that, but she was never a girl of patience.

“Aw how cute, you used my favorite phrasing! Hmmm…Salty or Savory? What a shame you don’t like sweets, there are lots of bakeries on the map. Well what about pizza?” he chimes, trying to cover everything she’s said to him, to prove his willingness to listen “It’s only sweet depending on your toppings and cheese is normally pretty sodium heavy”

“Fantastic idea!” She booms, leaning against the door as she watches him juggle driver and navigating. Something about this struggle was amusing to her, it was in no where near the suffering she’d endured as well as apparently creating it. Her smug grin fades, what an odd thing to find amusing…

The Arrival; Life’s gift

The cabin was a warm sandy tan, the outside looking as though full logs were stacked on top of each other to form the walls despite having such large full windows and crystal doors that slide open like a window laying on it’s side. What a beautiful home! Valerie forces a sweet smile as she rushes to the entrance running her fingers over the smooth glass of the door as her eyes wash over the pitch steel borders that kept the crystal in place. On either side of the door are golden dragons carved into the light wood, she can hardly stop herself from running her fingers over the glistening design “How much does a place like go for anyway?” she slurs, her eyes bouncing from her new shelter to Xavier

“To be perfectly candid, I do not remember. It may have been a gift from one of my admirers or one of the homes purchased by my parents…The décor will most certainly remind me where this cabin came from.” He closes the distance between himself and the young girl before nudging her with his hip “Open the door for me, my sweet dove” the sounds of pleasure rippling in throughout his voice as he watched a shiver jolt up the young girl’s spine.

“What did I tell you? That makes me so uncomfortable…” Valerie groans, sliding the door open for the lengthy man as he stumbled inside holding several boxes and bags, he had clearly prepared for this trip. Had he known they’d need to flee Premont, Texas? She felt deep inside herself that those videos contained a truth beyond that of her father’s demise. Valerie rubs her arms softly before entering the home, inside was dozens of family photos, anchors, and sea shells as if the entire home had been decorated with an ocean side theme “So? Parents? Or lovers?” she calls into the house. Quickly she follows behind her voice deeper into the cabin, where her feet meet the animal skin rugs stacked on top of one another about the room, nearly covering all the cherry-wood that made up the floor. The room was small compared to the rest of the house, with a large “L” shaped couch in the center of the room with many colorful pillows with words like “Live, Laugh, Love” written in cursive “God it’s so cozy I can literally feel the sea of big fluffy blankets and fuzzy socks beginning to smother me” she calls, fake dying as her body plops onto the plush coffee sofa

“Oh, don’t complain, we won’t be staying here long.” He huffs, sitting down near the young maiden’s feet as he leans deep into the couch as a sigh of relief blooms from his pouty lips “You could have assisted me in moving our luggage”

“Assist my kidnapper in moving his luggage and my stolen stuff? Do you ever listen to yourself when you speak?” she snips back quickly, hearing the smile on his face as he sits up, hunching over as his elbows rest on his knees and his finger intertwine

“I hardly kidnapped you, you walked with me to the car with no resistance and you didn’t try to run at Luigi’s Haunted Pizza, so I could very easily disagree with you. The same as any jury would, evidence makes a case young Bonna-velt and I’m afraid the proof is not on your side” Valerie could not stand his smugness, although this was only the case because Xavier was exposing the truth, although her terror served as a mental block she’d shown no sign of trying to escape this man’s clutches. Why was that? Was it the information he had about the four nights escaping her memory? Or the fear of starting over fresh with an unfamiliar face? She’d spent so many years living with her father, with no friends or family members to lean on her father was truly all she had left in this world and the moment he was gone, she latched onto this parasite as though it was a host. “Are you ready for tonight’s examination?” he hums, looking her over with an intense gaze “There’s been no resurface of your abilities during our trip, this leads me to believe you have a specific trigger that allows you to use those gifts” did he mean the body enhancers he injected into me the first night we met?

“Not now…I want to nap first, it’s been a long day of really bad news…I really just want to sleep…” suddenly the couch depresses, like something is crawling over her body, she feels warm thighs pushing her knees into her stomach by raising her thighs. She looks up to see him pressing his manhood to her crotch as he leans over her small frame, beginning to kiss her neck and collar bone as his arm slides under the back of her left shoulder. He cups the nape of her neck, looking deep into her eyes with a burning desire

“Tell me you’ll let me hold you whilst you sleep?” He whimpers, resting his chin on the tops of her breasts “It would be an honor to protect you throughout the night” she felt there was more to this than what he gave away, but whether she wanted to or not he quickly flipped the two so his body was below her on the opposite side of the couch “Cuddle into me and christen me yours forever” these words were so intense, what had he wanted her to say? Gripping onto his shirt, she stares down at him like a deer in the headlights very obviously afraid of such a sudden advance towards her.

“I don’t think so…You really ought to go…” She whispers, climbing of his body with great struggle as he tries to hold her close to him, Valerie disliked this pressure and although she wanted so badly to be held until all her problems could melt into the sound of two hearts beating. “Goodnight Everts…” She hums, wandering off into the home to find a bed to sleep in, when the sound of a vhs tape playing floods the air as a light flickered through a cracked door at the end of the hall. Valerie held her breath as she heard her own voice whine “I don’t wanna do this, I wanna sleep!” it was very clearly her, but it sounded much more intoxicated than she was.

“Val? What are you doing?! Who is this guy?! Val?! VALERIE!”

Daddy! Her eyes swarm with tears as she runs to the room, knocking the door open with such great force that the metal door makes a depression where it met the wall as her eyes meet with a flickering light. When her eyes finally adjust to the monitor’s blinding blue light, Valerie recognizes herself standing next to a liquified blur of reds, pinks, browns and grays, what on earth is that? She leans into the screen trying to take a better look at blob when suddenly it solidifies reforming the man she called father gasping for air, suppose lungs don’t work in liquid form.

“Valerie…Valerie please”

Tears swell in the young girl’s eyes as she watches her father plead with a dead-eyed version of herself, the mindless woman one screen crouches down looking him deep into his eyes “Solid, Gaseous, Liquid…Let us see if we can do all at once” the girl whispers forcing his mouth open as her fingers glow a bright white, making the saliva in his mouth and throat a solid. As her father chokes, trying to pull the brittle saliva from his throat as the beastress cackles

“Such a beautiful girl, are you enjoying your new powers? Show me more, show daddy what you can do” a voice off camera cheers, as Valerie’s father looks at the man behind the voice with terror as the dead eyed Valerie grips his body at a couple different areas and with a flash of light she changes his body into a mess of liquids, colored gases and hardened flesh.

“Just like ice” the girl cries slamming her fist into the upper half of his skull, watching the ice-like matter shatter and scatter about the room like red shards of glass. Valerie looks away from the screen, unable to watch herself rage like a brat being denied of something it wants as she vomits into the hall “h-how could I do this?” she trembles through rough gags, the world around her beginning to twirl like a ballerina. You did it Valerie, you did it without hesitation and you put this on mom. “YOU MONSTER! HOW COULD YOU?” Valerie cries at herself, feeling the ground quake below her, as her brain swells with memories of abuse, years of mental and physical abuse. NO, IT’S NOT HIS FAULT! HE WAS TOO DRUNK TO UNDERSTAND! IT WAS NOT FAIR! NO! He did this! He did this to me… She slams her fists into the sides of her skull as tears stream down her face, why did he do this to her? What has she become? These feelings bring upon an unknown feeling that boils up inside her bringing forward the quirk named Matter Manipulation; the name is suddenly all she can think about, but where had it come from?

“Valerie! Valerie!” Xavier cries, rounding the corner as the world around him suddenly begins to mold and change “Valerie no!” He cries as his body freezes in place, standing frozen like stone as he stared into her eyes. His legs beginning to change color and collapse below him as the blood in his legs solidifies “Please! STOP IT VALERIE! PLEASE I LOVE YOU!” he sobs in terror, but his wails fall upon deaf ears as Valerie closes the distance between the two of them and grip his neck tightly turning it into a floating blur of flesh colored liquids. The sounds of the tape rewinding replacing a theme song, the vhs tape beginning once again as her hands grip his shoulders

“Wait Gorgeous! I have something to tell you, darling. That dress is so snug, it really suits my fancy” Xavier calls through the screen, putting more emphasis on his favorite phrase when it suddenly becomes clear to Valerie. She’d noticed every time he used that phrasing her brain became fuzzy and she felt more inclined to listen to him, it was clear he’d kept her under this state when the effects of his serum were most potent.

“Your ability…what is it?” she snips, reforming his throat to its solid form. He stumbles forward gripping onto her, his head spinning as she watches him gasp and choke on the very air he has been deprived of. How cute! Look at him struggle! A smile plays on her lips as she steps back watching him fall onto his hands and knees

“My sweet dove, please, I’ve done nothing to deserve this treatment and being tortured doesn’t suit my fancy” He whines, trying once again to strain her consciousness to no avail, she pushes her power hard against him once more watching him squirm in agony before gasping for air once again “Fine…It’s called Deception; it’s the ability to change what a person feels or sees, I can only maintain this ability for 6 days and my strength over a person’s mind varies on the amount of trust I have between myself and that person….the less a person trusts me the harder it is to maintain the false reality… and your power is a chemical mixture of my own ability and several others….those samples were extracted through forcible autopsy…”Forcible autopsy? Does that mean he’s made a name for himself? He’d never been direct with her before, but she knew immediately this was the standard, a form of expectation for future acquaintances. A smile spreads across her face as she grips his throat from behind pushing him deep into the wood as she twirls planting her behind onto the arch of his back before her palms glow sliding from his neck down his spine liquifying his essence

The Heroes’ Arrival; Save Me

Had either of them thought this through?! Had she even considered repercussions for her actions? Although she’d hardly had time to adapt to these new memories, there was no time to watch the puppeteer draw his last breath. She releases him from her hold, exposing herself for the monster she is as the thick black smoke that makes us her body is wavered by someone busting in the front door, the glass shattering and bouncing off various areas around the entrance.

“Doctor Everts” a strong woman’s voice calls, as the sound of footsteps advancing towards the pair fills the silence. Damn it! Unable to hold him and continuously restructure the liquid formation of his throat as her time limit was 30 seconds without contact, but luckily his throat would likely reform with some sort of mutation as she didn’t maintain it’s shape up until it’s reforming. She leaps up from his body, rushing for a window in the back room behind the stack of screens and vhs players, Valerie tosses the rack holding the monitors down onto the door jamming it shut. She pushes off the toppled metal rack she grips onto the windowsill pulling herself through the window and onto slick dew-covered grass that leads into a forest of some kind, pushing off the ground with her hands she takes off into full sprint, no sense in trying to save energy if she has no idea how to control this stupid ability! She tries snapping her fingers and focusing as she builds the distance between herself and the heroes who would never understand the ever-growing hollowness inside her, she’d become a murder, there was no other path for her.

((This is where the road forks, for those of you who wish to save this pitiful hate-birthed beast then this is where your character will enter as either a hero or villain, either way you must play an ally))

((For those of you who wish to have a more matured/seasoned villain you will continue from here and reply to the end of this post))

A Decade to Fester; They Do Not Dare Defy Me

Many years have past since the day Matter Manipulation was gifted to young Valerie, a decade to be quite precise and as the temptress neared her thirties a broiling need to be acknowledged by the world grew in its wake. She’d wasted enough time training, scheming, and waiting for a day when the world would be forced to face pain beyond their feeble little dreams.

“Aqua Regia!” Darius booms, entering her chambers with a concerned expression rest on his glowing ocean eyes as they lock onto the voluptuous Valerie, he was her second in command and most trusted ally, the one who saved her from the cruelty of those who held the title of Heroes. Those who would brand her very soul with a bible of law; a law book sewn together by the suffering and consumption of it’s own people, written in the blood of every less than fair pigment or disobedient civilian by sadists and hypocrites. “Val, please we must speak of the mission to come. If either you or I were to misstep we would lose the very foundation of all that we have built, quickly dear girl we mustn’t waste time” with this he waved me towards the door as his soft poetic mannerisms lull her senses into a calm

“Yes, Of course, but please Avalon do not fret, you are the key to my throne and with you I will forge a Camelot that would put Tartarus to shame” Aqua Regia coos, slipping from her solid form into a smoke like cloud to enhance her speed as she moves towards the villain Elusion with the quirk Escape Artist or the ability to find an escape plan for any situation, the back lash is sometimes there really is no escape although he has yet to stumble upon this problem. Valerie is able to return to solid form by keeping hands, heart and lungs solid inside the smoke form otherwise her body would remain gaseous until reaching the limited amount of time. This time gap started at thirty seconds, but after nearly a decade of training she can hold most things in any of the three forms for a whole hour, sadly no human can hold their breath for an hour so the gift has become rather tricky to maneuver without sparing a few insignificant lives. As her body slowly reforms Darius takes this time to go over some of our earlier successes

“Indeed, Queen Arthur” He would start, wanting to begin on her good side “The first two steps of our plan have come to fruition with very minor mishaps, the pot has been stirred as you say. Drug Families are at each other’s throats trying to find the rat amongst them, unaware it was the clients who sold them to the pros. Secondly, all of the bombs went off without a hitch, except the last hospital apparently a hero arrived in time to stop both with seconds to spare.” His face remained calm and hard like a statue, he knew this would make her erupt furious that anyone was able to catch onto her scheme “But we’ve reached the results you hoped for Ms. Regia, the pros have all eyes on you for the show tonight.” Despite the second step having a few misfires everything was going according to plan.

“Well…At least things are still moving forward, are the boys reaching out to the head of each family as we speak?” She groans, clearly annoyed with the lack of security in her strategy, nothing is guaranteed and yet she’d hoped this would as close to guaranteed as physically possible. The two descend the stairs her warm honey eyes scan the crumbling lot for any sign of you, surely you knew she would be here awaiting your arrival, her lower lip presses out in a pout as she looks to her partner “Suppose they didn’t understand the clues that we left with each body?”

“Nonsense Mistress, you were very careful to be as obvious as possible” He assures her as she pauses, lingering at the window from the second floor. She was much taller now due to the various hormones and chemical injected into her body all those years ago, her hair was a long chocolate stream of shiny wavy locks and her once ashen tan skin soon became a warm mocha. Her once boxy frame had smoothed over into a more feminine look, being replaced with an hourglass figure. “Forgive my sentiment, but you’ve come too far Valerie to ever be made a fool of again.” Her heart sang at his sweet words, a smile resting comfortably on her lips.

“Thank you” she whispers, reaching for the illusion of her dear friend when the door flies off it’s hinges into the stairs. It would appear that they’ve arrived and so abruptly. Valerie growls under her breath, trying to maintain her composure as the hero/villain enters “I’m relieved you decided to show your face, this will feel all the sweeter” her palms glowing a golden color as she stands in an offensive position

((Comment Alpha1 if you want to save her as a child and change her fate as a hero or comment Alpha2 if you want to be a villain that assists her as a child. If you wanted to fight older Valerie as a hero comment Beta1 or if you want to be a villain that recruits older Valerie comment Beta2))

Name: Valerie Amerai Bonna-Velt

Villain name; Aqua Regia

Age: 19 or 29

Ability: Matter Manipulation; the ability to change and mold the shape/state of matter for limited amounts of time (Overuse of this ability results in a loss of free will; becoming an obedient zombie)

Appearance; Valerie is a 5’2 tall girl who weighs one-hundred-twenty-five pounds, she has a large behind and C cup breasts with warm thick thighs that meet at a waist that appears to be smaller due to wide hips and broad shoulders. When she was 19 her hair was a raven black, but now it resembles a dark chocolate brown with a healthy shine that she’s most definitely proud of! Her eyes are slanted, narrow and a light honey colored with short lashes that thick around the outer corner of her eyes on the top and bottom. Her eyebrows are thick and well groomed, but sparse with a very high arch. (Very bottom-heavy frame!)

Blood type: O negative

Height; 5’2

Weight; 125 lbs.

Weaknesses; Valerie’s powers cannot break the law of conservation (matter cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, there must be the same number of atoms of each element on each side of a chemical equation.) She is also unable to hold an object in a state foreign to its nature for longer than her time limit (Starts at 30 seconds and ends with 1 hour) The heart, lungs and hands are exposed in gaseous form. Her circulatory system slowly shuts down in solid form and she runs the risk of losing limbs if she over uses it, not to mention solid form is as fragile as ice. Finally, in liquid form she cannot reform herself and must wait for the time limit to pass (She doesn’t really use it)

#@sweeetwilliams

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therhythminwriting-blog · 5 years ago

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Nightmares Are My Wonderland

Several Days Later; Monday

“It is alright, really I’m sure we could do that another time”

In response to this he laughs “Confident one, aren’t we?”

“Don’t worry, it’s the power boost you were promised in the post, I hope you did not forget the terms of our agreement dear girl” all her muscles tense in response to the liquids.

“Onee-chan!!!” A familiar tiny voice calls towards her from somewhere far ahead, followed by soft weak sobs “Onee-Chan!” the voice cries once again causing my feet to move towards it.

“Onee-chan” Yuka cried, looking over her shoulder with the one side of her face that still had an eye, immediately being recognized by the Valerie as one of the victims in her favorite anime.

HISSSSSSS

HISSSSSSSSS

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The Morning of Mourning

Hours later the young girl stirs from beneath her father’s bed, unaware of her surroundings beyond a foul smell and the suffocating, cramped space she finds herself crammed in.

Buzz Buzz,

Buzz Buzz!

But things of that nature don’t suit my fancy

What sorts of foods suit your fancy?

The Arrival; Life’s gift

“Val? What are you doing?! Who is this guy?! Val?! VALERIE!”

“Valerie…Valerie please”

The Heroes’ Arrival; Save Me

((For those of you who wish to have a more matured/seasoned villain you will continue from here and reply to the end of this post))

A Decade to Fester; They Do Not Dare Defy Me

Name: Valerie Amerai Bonna-Velt

Villain name; Aqua Regia

Age: 19 or 29

Blood type: O negative

Height; 5’2

Weight; 125 lbs.

#roleplay #open rp #oc rp #rp #Helpmedevelopemystory #writers #my writing #writers on tumblr #writer's block #writer's blog #villian

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wouldntyoulichentoknow · 7 years ago

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Do you or your followers accept requests for ramblings? I wanna know how people think things might go if a different Senshi were the first to awaken (with or without a mascot's help). Or if Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter joined Moon in a different order (any order) - what would the dynamics be like before the team was complete?

Oh absolutely! I love talking headcanon stuff! :D (And I bet there’s a lot of other people who do too - followers, if you’re okay with it maybe reply to this post?)

I have a feeling this miiight get a little long, so I’ll go ahead and stick a cut here to save space.

So! I’m reading “first to awaken” as the position that was originally Minako as Sailor V rather than Usagi’s time alone as Sailor Moon - either way things would probably be pretty similar.

Ami, I think, would take a really, really long time to accept it, if she ever could; before Usagi she didn’t have any friends, and her mom is almost never home, so she’s by herself most of the time. Then here comes this weird talking cat telling her she’s supposed to be some sort of superhero? I can’t really see that going well at all. It would definitely depend on the cat: Luna, as much as we know she loves Ami (real subtle with your favorites, Lupy), is pretty aggressive and pushes hard to try to get what she wants, which I absolutely don’t see Ami doing well with at all - while she does have a strong sense of altruism/morality, physical violence isn’t really her first choice of problem-solving method and having your only friend, a talking cat, tell you that you suddenly have to go fight monsters every night and also look for a princess and sure you might die but probably not, don’t worry about it, is... not super encouraging. Ami awakening first + Luna does not equal much success. Artemis, on the other hand, is catdad, the dadliest cat around, and I’ve always seen his methods as significantly less aggressive than Luna’s, so while it might take a long time for him to help her feel like yes, this is something she can do, ultimately I think Artemis would have a lot more success with Ami by herself. Without a cat, suddenly there’s just another thing isolating her and not even a talking animal as a support system - totally alone Ami would not do well as a senshi. Having her show up when it’s Moon and Mars would be a bit intimidating, but I think she could do it. Moon and Jupiter works really well for her as she’s not being added to a sometimes-antagonistic relationship and they’ll both be so excited to have another friend that she also won’t feel like she’s interrupting a friendship. Joining last of the three would be overwhelming for her at first (going from zero friends to Usagi, Rei, and Mako all at once? oh dear) but I think, again, she’d adapt pretty well with the added support system of having new friends (SO MANY NEW FRIENDS OMG).

Rei would either work really well with Luna or would throw her out, there is no in between. Her aggressive, continual push could either set a good pace for Rei to work at or irritate her to no end and honestly, it could so easily go either way I can’t decide which I like better. I can see her doing really well on her own before the others awakened. She’s already got that ~sixth sense~, adding superpowers and a pseudodivine calling? “Sounds about right,” she shrugs and burns another youma to the ground. Artemis might be able to work with her alright, but Rei isn’t super fond of her own father so a father figure trying to guide her on this probably wouldn’t go over very well. Totally by herself, she could very likely do just fine - the only issue is that I can��t see her taking very well to anyone else showing up with the same purpose, especially if they’re less competent than she deems they should be. So if it’s just Moon and Mars at the beginning? Rei is more than likely going to break off and do her own senshi thing, because while Rei and Usagi’s friendship does turn into this beautiful strong loving relationship, at the beginning it’s a little rocky and Ami’s kind of the glue until they get more used to each other. Moon, Jupiter, and Mars, though, she might stick around; Mako’s a really supportive and grounding presence that would make things easier. Having her join last of the first three might be difficult for her to integrate with at first since the Moon/Mercury/Jupiter dynamic is pretty solid without a lot of drama, but ultimately she’d be just fine - most likely getting to befriend them each individually would be the best way for her to feel more comfortable with the group as a whole.

Mako would absolutely be awesome. Talking cat appears on her doorstep one day and says she gets to beat up monsters and look for a princess? After her initial “what the #*@%” I think she’d take really well to it. It’s so fairytale! A lost princess! AND she gets to punch things! With lightning! How cool is that?? I can see it being really, really good for pre-Usagi/Ami/Rei Mako. Again, Artemis is probably better suited to this than Luna because he’s a little more sensitive to what people need from him. Luna and Mako could still work really well together, because Mako’s more ready to be like YEAH ALRIGHT LET’S GO DESTROY SOME MONSTERS than Usagi or Ami, but I feel like Artemis and Mako would have a higher level of rapport that would be beneficial. On her own, not so much, because without one of the cats I don’t know that she’d be able to flourish quite so well since, again, she doesn’t really have too many friends pre-senshi, and without a support system of any kind she might still be doing the whole senshi thing, just... maybe a little more recklessly than she should. I think she’d also do pretty well no matter what order she showed up in. Whether it’s Moon and Jupiter or Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter, she’ll be okay because same benefits as on her own PLUS now she has tiny friends to protect and fight with. If she shows up and it’s just Moon and Mars, she’ll probably still be just fine as well as now assuming the role of Mom Friend (“c’mon guys you’ve been arguing over whose manga this is for an hour can we talk it out over these cookies I made”). Whatever happens, she’s going to take really well to senshi life because it means she can have friends and punch things BOTH, AT THE SAME TIME, which is like honestly ideal scenario right there.

WOW I WAS RIGHT THIS DID GET LONG WHOOPS

#usual disclaimer of these are only the opinions of me who is Mouse and everyone is of course entitled to disagree #ree-fireparrot #Mouse talks!

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saotome-michi · 8 years ago

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Top 10 Manhwa of 2016-17

I used to rarely read manhwa, maybe just one or two a year, but then I discovered Lezhin and Spottoon - online platforms that host Korean webcomics with English translations available. The first few chapters are usually free but after that you have to pay to read, which actually appeals to me because I like being able to support writers and artists. And even if you find the prices unaffordable, reading the free chapters still helps because you’re increasing the view count and their popularity. The only complaint I have is that the quality of the translations can differ greatly between series, especially on Spottoon. Sometimes it’s pretty good and sometimes it’s really bad.

Anyway, I’ve read so many manhwa this past year that I thought it’d be nice to make a manhwa rec list! Except for a few exceptions, I tried to only recommend series that have a good number of chapters out or that are already completed. These are my personal top 10. Enjoy!

10. Reversi (양극의 소년) by Eun Song

In the year 2016, a never before seen virus decimates 20% of the world population. Moreover, survivors of this virus either transform into man-eating creatures called “worms” or into super-humans with tremendous physical abilities called “heteros”. Over the years, heteros start the ISO, an agency that protects people from worms. Haru, our protagonist, is a young hetero who wants to join the ISO, but it may not be that easy or straightforward…

Once in a while I find a scifi-action comic that manages to capture my interest, despite me being rather tired of the genre as a whole. This manhwa is on this list more for its potential than anything else- there are only 37 chapters out and the story’s still in its beginning stages, but I think there’s a lot of good material that, in the right hands, can make for a really interesting and entertaining story.

Despite the impression the synopsis may give you, the story starts out in a peaceful privileged high school setting and you don’t get to the nerve-wracking parts until around chapter 25. But the beginning achieves its purpose. It sets the scene with its conflicts: the segregation of those infected with the virus and those uninfected, the mixed treatment of heteros, and the still-existing class privilege. It also sets up the main characters; impulsive but sincere Haru and his best friend, level-headed and determined Leo; the other heteros in their school year; and members of the ISO. We don’t know much about them, but again they’re intriguing and the rest can come later. It’ll probably take another 30 chapters or so before we can see whether this manhwa fulfills its potential or not, but take this as a heads up - this one just might be a winner. At the very least, the beginning’s pretty engaging. And with clean art that’s easy on the eyes, it’s definitely no chore to scroll through.

Warning: Blood, death, murder, violence, body horror

Available on: Lezhin (first 24 chapters are free). Not on scanlation sites yet.

9. The House Cat (상상고양이) by Kim Kyoung

(Also known as: The Imaginary Cat, Cat’s Imagination)

Cat lovers rejoice! Here’s another comic for you to read for your daily dose of cat shenanigans. “The House Cat” looks at Webcomic Artist Jong Hyun and his cat Bok-Gil (Jill in the english translation) - or as Jill would tell you, Cat Jil and her human who she allows to live with her. Like so, the comic presents their different viewpoints of their life together, with Hyun’s viewpoint on the left in red and Jill’s viewpoint on the right in green. The intersection between their viewpoints is cleverly done and will often leave you smiling one way or another. Cat owners will probably find many of their interactions familiar. On the other hand if you’re like me, you’ll start realizing that you are basically Jill and should’ve been born as a house cat instead of as a human. All in all, “The House Cat” is a pleasure to read and certainly not a bad way to pass the time.

Warning: Alcohol mention, brief depiction of pet abuse and neglect

Available on : Spottoon (first 4 chapters free). Was adapted into a kdrama called “The Imaginary Cat”

8. Peak (피크) by Hong Sung-Soo and Lim Gang-Hyuk

If “mountain rescue manhwa” stirs any interest in you, this may be the manhwa for you. “Peak” centers around Ryu Yeon-Seong, who’s been stationed on Mt. Bukhan to be a Rescue Ranger for his military service, along with four other men. The story follows his experiences as he learns what being a rescue ranger entails.

I initially didn’t have high expectations for this manhwa, but the realistic and suspenseful storytelling ended up impressing me. I always like it when manhwa go into the specifics of the particular subject they’re covering and “Peak” does that extensively - from what’s covered in training exercises to the challenges of navigating throughout the mountain in subpar weather to how to conduct oneself when administering first aid to fatal injuries. And except for a few brief respites, the pace is remarkably fast from start to finish, emulating the break-neck speed the rangers have to move to save lives. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I’m constantly sitting at the edge of my seat when reading this manhwa. The rescue missions themselves are no joke; from an accident in the middle of the pouring rain to a helicopter crash, this manhwa is constantly upping the stakes.

Personally, the art isn’t my favorite but it excels in two areas: conveying the physical exertion of being a ranger and the harshness of the mountain landscape. And when the story is all about survival, that’s really all that matters.

Warnings: Blood, fatal injuries, death, murder

Available on: Spottoon (First 30 chapters are free). 92 Chapters can be found on mangago.

7. The Sock Monster (양말도깨비) by Manmulsang

(Also known as: Socks Goblin)

Is it too much if I said “The Sock Monster” would rock your socks off? Ehehe :P

But actually, this is possibly the cutest manhwa I’ve ever read. From the art, which resembles something you’d find in a children’s storybook with its crayon lines and oil pastel backgrounds, to the story itself, a young girl making her way in a wintery town, “The Sock Monster” radiates a quirky fairytale sort of charm. It’s slow to start but when it finds its rhythm, it strolls off, as our plucky protagonist, Park Sujin, learns the ropes at BigFoot Bank, finds the Sock Monster living in her room, and befriends Mr. Lara, her cat-man neighbor whose dream is to explore the deep ocean. Despite its lighthearted tone, the manhwa ends up covering some surprisingly heavy topics from the tension between Big Foots and Humans to animal experimentation (in a world where animals are more like humans). But it does so in a tender sort of way, never losing heart or the hint of wisdom that comes with classical storytelling.

What the manhwa excels at especially is taking advantage of its fantasy world to sculpt all sorts of interesting plotlines for the characters. There is no limit to the creativity displayed. If children’s books and fairytales appeal to you, then you’ll probably appreciate the charm of “The Sock Monster”. Who knows, it might just become your favorite bedtime read. And you’ll probably end up cooing over how cute the sock monsters are.

Warning: Child neglect and abuse, animal cruelty, death

Available on: Spottoon (first 19 chapters are free)

6. Myojin Tales (묘진전) by Jelly Bean

A smallpox goddess steals an eye from a celestial god to help her sightless baby. A young boy wonders why his father doesn’t love him. A girl who’s lived a miserable life curses her capturer with her last breath. The celestial god, the father, the capturer - all of these titles refer to the same being: Myojin, a god who has been sentenced to forever live among humans as punishment for his crimes, forbidden to ever return to his former post as a zodiac deity. This is a compilation of the stories surrounding him and the people whose lives he’s touched.

This manhwa caught my attention with its art alone. Each panel is meticulously rendered in a style resembling traditional ink paintings, fitting for a story drawn from Korean mythology. Although the style is usually semi-realistic, like the panel above, when it comes to frightening and visceral scenes it leans towards abstraction. There is one particular chapter near the beginning that I could not read with the lights turned off. However, the story itself is also fascinating and from beginning to end, it reads like a folktale told from centuries ago.

Let’s get this out of the way - Myojin is not a likable person in any aspect really. But he, like everyone else, is both victim and perpetrator of unfair systems, and has the capability for both good and evil. Therein itself lies the core of this manhwa and “Myojin Tales” is ultimately a story of recognition and redemption, where there is no moral absolutes, but only the choices one makes in certain circumstances. If you’re a fan of mangas like Mushishi, this could be your next favorite.

Warning: child neglect, abuse, body horror, blood, murder, death

Available on: Spottoon. Normally only the first 10 chapters are free, but this week (March 18, 2017) the first 17 are all free!

5. Hwaja (화자) by Hong Jac-Ga

At 9 years old, Ryu explores “the Haunted House” in his neighborhood and meets Hwaja, a girl who looks a few years older than him. Hwaja never leaves the haunted house, except to sit on the rooftop, and spends most of her time drawing. Visitors, she says, have to bring her something, like food. Eventually, Ryu introduces his best friend Jay to Hwaja. She doesn’t seem like a ghost, but there is something is strange about her and the house…

At 19 years old, Ryu, who moved away and hasn’t been in the neighborhood for years, is struck with the news of Jay’s death. His last text message from him reads, “Don’t ever come back.” But Ryu does come back and sees Hwaja again…

As you can infer from the synopsis, there’s a 10 year time skip in the manhwa. Personally I didn’t find myself that interested in “Hwaja” until after the time skip (in Ch. 8), where the art style changes and things get a lot more intriguing. The art goes from crisp line-art colored in bright blues and greens to blocks of color in murky purples, browns, and blues, conveying the suspicion and suspense as Jay learns more and more about the truth behind Hwaja’s existence. The story ended up going places that I didn’t expect it to go and the ending was surprisingly heartfelt and touching. If you like ghost stories or just stories about the interaction between the supernatural and humans, give “Hwaja” a go.

Warning: Violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, murder, kidnapping, death

Available on: Tapastic (Only the prologue is free). It can be found complete on scanlation sites on mangago. But if you end up liking it, support the author!

4. Hongdo (홍도) by snowy owl

In a world of shamans, gods, ghosts and other mystical creatures, the illegitimate son of a prominent general, Hong-do Lee grows up to be a powerful exorcist. When he decides to abandon his job, he becomes the target of bounty hunters and stumbles upon a plot that threatens his life and the fate of the world.

So begins Hongdo, a swashbuckling fantasy adventure that has gorgeous art and gives me Fullmetal Alchemist vibes if only because Hong-do is incredibly similar to Edward Elric, minus the insecurities about his height. That’s not to say that Hong-do is an Edward copy; he’s clearly his own unique character, but the style of humor is similar and the situations he gets into resembles the beginning of FMA, where Ed and Alphonse traveled around Amestris looking for strange happenings possibly caused by a Philosopher’s Stone- only in Hong-do’s case, he’s looking for a mysterious man named Crow. What for? Well, you have to read it to find out.

But although elements of the story are reminiscent of FMA, the exorcist practices and the setting that make up the backbone of the story is clearly based on Ancient Korean and Chinese mythology and history. Architecture, clothing, the gods and spirits, all are richly and beautifully illustrated. I have at least a dozen screenshots saved in my phone and my current iphone lock screen is a panel from Hongdo. The worldbuilding is fascinating to say the least and the story just gets more and more interesting as you go along. In short, don’t miss this gem of a manhwa.

Warning: Violence, murder, some body horror-ish stuff

Available on: Spottoon (first 9 chapters are free). Chapter 1-34 are on mangapark.

3. Dark Heaven (다크 헤븐) by JUNS

In the US, same-sex marriage has been legalized but racist and homophobic hate crimes still regularly occur. Connor is Korean-American, and together with his friend and lover Simon, they have a band called “Dark Heaven”. But things can’t stay this good forever. Fast-forward to the future and the band has split up. Simon is pursuing a solo career and Connor’s working as a writer in a news agency. What went wrong and can they be together again?

This manhwa pushes all of my buttons, so it’s no surprise that it’s on this list even though I’m only 15 chapters in. I mean, come on, a Korean-American protagonist? Check. Angsty Band Premise? Check. True love between two boys who care about each other so much, they find life lonely without having the other by their side? Check. And to top all of that, really good art? Check. Check. Check.

I think what’s so refreshing about this manhwa is that it looks at racism and homophobia and actually does a good job going about it. When Connor finds himself in love with Simon, he not only faces opposition from the outside, but also from the inside. Internalized racism and homophobia can be a bitch and the author does a good job depicting that with Connor’s struggles. And the love that Connor and Simon have for each other is just so touching, you can only fervently hope that they find their way back to each other again.

Warning: Homophobia, racism, racist and homophobic slurs, hate crimes, prostitution, child abuse, violence

Available on: Lezhin (first chapter is free). Scanlation sites only have up to chapter 5-6 I think.

2. Annarasumanara (안나라수마나라) by Ha Il-Kwon

Yoon Ah-ee struggles to keep her and her little sister fed, clothed, and sheltered, but that’s easier said than done, especially with her father’s debts weighing down on her shoulders. Her only hope is to keep her grades up so that she can go to a good college and then get a good job and become a good adult. But when she meets a mysterious magician in the abandoned amusement park, she’s reminded of her childhood dream to learn magic…

This has been on my “to read” list for years, but I’ve finally read it and I can only hit myself on the head for not reading it sooner. Annarasumanara is a story for those who have had that moment when, verging at the brink of adulthood, you’ve wondered “what is happiness”? Will going on this road that everyone has predetermined for me, “study hard, go to a good college, get a good job,” make me happy?

What happens if that’s not what I want?

The art here is unique to say the least. The author goes for a mixed media approach of combining drawings with photographs, which is not uncommon in Korean webcomics. What is uncommon is for it to be done well, creating stark, unforgettable imagery that, at times, blurs the lines between reality and construed reality. Which is exactly what this manhwa needs; after all it’s a story about finding real magic in what seems like a miserable reality.

Warning: Suicide Attempt, Violence, Sexual Harassment, Blood

Available on: Line Webtoon (All chapters are free!)

1. Vengeance (벤전스) by Aji

Have you ever really wanted a noir mystery about a female police detective trying to solve the case of her girlfriend’s murder? I did, I just didn’t know that I did until I started reading this and then I thanked the gods above for delivering my unconscious wishes.

Hyun Seol-ah is an experienced police officer who’s known for her cool head and rational approach in dangerous situations - but all that cool headedness goes flying out the window when she arrives at a murder scene and realizes that the victim is her girlfriend, Hwan Hara. From then on, she is focused on only one thing: finding the monster who killed her and then exacting revenge.

I know what you’re thinking… another sad lesbian story? Yes, it’s sad, but the relationship between Seol-ah and Hara is depicted so profoundly, you can feel how much Seol-ah loved Hara and how much Hara loved her in return. As Seol-ah chases down the murderer, we see flashback after flashback of their relationships, from the fights to the cuddles to the declarations of love. What makes this even more heartbreaking is that their relationship was a secret, and so Seol-ah must solve Hara’s murder while hiding that they were lovers.

But also, the art is fantastic. I could go on and on about it, but I think the panel above speaks for itself. Solid blocks of color used to great dramatic effect that mimics the atmosphere of noir films. Seriously, do not let this pass you by.

Warning: Murder, blood, body horror, homophobia

Available at: Lezhin (first chapter is free). You can also read the whole thing on mangago and then buy some chapters later on Lezhin to support the author.

#manhwa #comics #manga recs #manga #this has been sitting in my drafts for a loooong time #spottoon #lezhin

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todokori-kun · 7 years ago

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(OH NO I’m gonna miss you Queen ;-; hope you’ll have a good week, though! And looking forward to talking again when you get your laptop back <3)

I’m totally over my Hamilton obsession. It’s a fandom of the past for me now. I’m not going to finish those lyrics. You can’t tempt me with something as simple as that. I’ve actually forgotten the next lines-

I WROTE SOME NOTES AT THE BEGINNING OF A SONG SOMEONE WILL SING FOR ME

AMERICA, YOU GREAT, UNFINISHED SYMPHONY, YOU SENT FOR ME!

YOU LET ME MAKE A DIFFERENCE, A PLACE WHERE EVEN ORPHAN IMMIGRANTS CAN LEAVE THEIR FINGERPRINTS AND RISE UP

(so in case you couldn’t tell, me having left the Hamilton fandom was a blatant lie and my tongue is now turning black)

The Queen couldn’t possibly have been a brat. I bet you were the sweetest kid ever :D

See, the thing is, when my sister gets whiny she can be really irritating.

Like, insisting that she’s only played a ‘tiny bit’ when she’s been at the playground for at least three hours now and it’s time to go home and have a late dinner, then continuing to complain about it the whole car ride home (“Evans is mean. Mom is mean. Daddy is mean…”) then refuses to get out of the car when there are other cars behind us (then she whines about how everybody was ‘dragging’ her out of the car when she was trying to put her shoes on), drags her feet as we go into the apartment, says she’s not going to eat dinner…like, not anything too big (most of the time, at least) but really annoying stuff.

And then sometimes it’s like the whole 'I’m not touching you *finger hovers centimeters away from other person’s skin*’ thing. When she’s really mad at me she’ll make motions like she’s going to punch/slap/pinch me and then when I ask her to stop (“hitting people isn’t nice!”) she’s like “I didn’t hit you though! Evans is being mean” and sometimes she starts to cry…OTL )

Evans + smol children:

Kid 1: “PLAY WITH US EVANS” *clings to my hand*

Evans: “-um-”

Kid 2: “Please?” *grabs my leg*

Evans: “I really need to-”

Kid 3: “Pretty please? You’re the best at tag and Monster games!” *hugs and refuses to let go* *puppy dog face*

Evans: “…how can I say no to this…”

*five minutes later*

Evans: “I know I shouldn’t back out of this but please hear me out I’m DESPERATE*

oh dear XD people don’t really bother to close their mouths over here, I think, since if you don’t think it’s rude then it IS more comfortable. It is considered more polite to cover your mouth with your hand when there’s too much food in there, though.

My parents really want to know why I love manga so much, but they don’t usually have time to watch/read anything with me (and besides, my dad doen't like violent stories so…).

Well, she doesn’t like the Rising Sun Flag at all (like I said, over here it’s a really bad symbol. Many people who were hurt by Japan during WW2 are still alive today, like the old ladies who were once sex slaves for Japanese soldiers, and for everyone involved that pain is never going to fade) but she’s still going to try it out just for the story :) she’d probably really have a problem with it if the flag was used in more serious situations, but since it usually appears in comedic moments in the manga I think she’s accepting it as ignorance(?) from the creator.

Yeah, I don’t really like Kissanime ^^;; I’ll try to find Re:Zero on the Korean site where I usually watch things. Or maybe a manga/light novel version, if there’s anything like that? Since the Manhwa Cafe might have a light novel or a manga.

LOL Fairytail is too intimidating. And you know me, I’m too angsty for that series XD True though, HxH is super long…

Killua isn’t QUITE a cinnamon roll (he was still raised by the Zoldycks and trained by Illumi) but he comes close. I mean, even after going through a hellish Zoldyck childhood he STILL doesn’t want to be an assassin and is capable of kindness and emotion towards people who aren’t members of his family. The MC Gon is probably the ultimate cinnamon roll though.

Illumi has issues. The fact that he willingly hangs out with Hisoka should prove that.

The Zoldycks are a BRUTAL family, ok, I feel sorry for all their children. Like, come on. The emotional abuse is just as bad, if not worse, than the physical abuse.

Idk if this was ever addressed in canon, though, but I wonder if Illumi also resents Killua in a way? Since Illumi is the oldest child and was trained since birth to become a perfect Zoldyck assassin, but when Killua was born it quickly became obvious that he was a prodigy and then he was chosen as the heir. Kilua doesn’t even WANT to be the heir, he stabbed his mother and one of his other brothers just to run away from home, and yet he’s still being chosen over Illumi, who was trained for a similar role since birth and just had to silently, obediently step side the moment this tiny baby brother was born.

True, I guess it’s like me shipping Queen Luna with so many characters LOL. Evans/Kimblee is still one of the weirder ships though, like what do we even have in common (answer: ruining lives. And we both….appreciate….art?). At least Scar/Evans had the potential to be awkwardly cute XD

(TYSM though Queen, you’re too kind to me <3)

What have we done now I’m imagining that fight between Kimblee and Ed, where Ed thought he won but Kimblee revealed he had another Philosopher’s Stone- but instead of the stone, it’s

Kimblee: *pulls ball out of pocket* PRIDE! I CHOOSE YOU!

(Imagine Pride making the Pokemon noises though)

I relate to that too. Probably going to relate to it even more when college starts in September(?)…;-;

BUT WHAT IF WE END UP TRIPLE-JINXING IT (idk what I’m even saying now)

I guess it’s just me and my fondness for mix-and-matching colors XD I get bored looking at something with too much of just one color so I like throwing in other colors too…I might get carried away with it sometimes though lol.

TYSM AGAIN. QUEEN LUNA IS TOO NICE FOR ME TOO HANDLE GAH

I’m really glad you liked the Olivier one though ^^

…wow. That was an amazing dream XD Weirdly enough I’ve never had a dream about a celebrity even with all of my fandoms (I did once have a dream involving a few K-pop idols but I can’t clearly remember if they were actually real idols or just characters created in my mind lol).

Don’t worry, Loki will distract you from the lack of long blonde hair with his fabulousness (once again, idek what I’m saying)

Hope you had a good time watching it :D (I’m personally not into Sherlock anymore, though ^^;; the sexist/homophobic stuff was just too much so I dropped it)

Also:

TG’S NEW CHAPTER WE FINALLY KNOW WHO CREATED THE CLOWNS OMG

CLOWN BOSS, CREATOR OF TRAGEDY

HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING

ALSO SHIKORAE=RIO 100% CONFIRMED NOW

SMOL BANDAGED ETO AND TATARA IN A FLASHBACK

ROMA I HATE YOU (SHE’S AMAZING)

MENTION OF THE ORIGINAL ONE-EYED KING

KUROIWA’S GONNA DIE

IF YOMO DIES- I CAN’T EVEN. He’ll be dying at the hands of the chacter I just don’t care about anymore (Mutsuki) for one of my not-so-favorite characters (Touka). NO.

And I watched S1 of One Punch Man on a react channel. I’m obsessed and now I’ve got to read the manga HELP ME

And I finally found real watercolor paper, I can’t wait to paint on it :D

Also, sorry for not sending any asks ;-; i got discouraged because asks get eaten so easily (plus I had so much to say lol)

FINALLY PLAYING CP! I didn’t get Steam though (after reading about it and thinking it through I just don’t think it’s for me ^^;;) so I ended up downloading it. I’ve played all the routes except for Waltz’s, but I’ve only gotten the Good Endings so far. (There’s actually a reason for this: Firstly, I was actively trying to get a good ending because I get weirdly obsessed when playing dating games…since it’s a romance, it feels like a major fail if I don’t get a good ending XD (I know, I’m really weird). And as for the second reason…you usually have to act like a jerk to other characters to get the bad endings and I didn’t want to do that ;-; (seriously, I know they’re just fictional characters and that it’s silly, but I HATE it every time I choose to do something mean and they look at me like they’re so disappointed ugh OTL)).

My thoughts so far:

-Art is amazing! It does look a little off at some points during the game but it’s not very noticeable and other than that, it’s great. The intro looks the best, I think, and the sketchy, simple style used during flashbacks really adds to the ‘fairy tale’ feel. It actually reminds me a bit of Kuro’s art.

-Idk about music, my family’s always around and having my earbuds in for so long hurts my ears so I just turned off the sound while playing ^^;; I did hear a bit of the intro though and it sounded nice.

-I like the history with the Great War and the crystals :)

-The whole concept of Fairytale Curses is really interesting! It was fun to try and guess how the curses worked for certain characters and how they could be broken.

-Rod’s route was probably the most boring because it was too predictable. I guessed that Alcaster(? is that his name? I’m talking about Fritz’s father) wasn’t the real villain, that Mythros was the witch, that MC’s mom was probably a witch, that Rod was in love with Viorica and that Viorica had something to do with his curse, that falling in love with MC would break his curse…yeah. The only thing I didn’t see coming was that MC’s mom was not just a normal witch but the Tenebrarum bearer. However, it was still interesting enough to make me want to play the rest of the game, the romance was cute, and I liked how they handled the whole ‘step-siblings’ thing.

-Rod himself was a bit boring. I don’t think he was badly written, but his personality was a mix of the typical 'stoic’ and 'tsundere’ types so yeah. I do have to give the writers kudos for not turning him into an annoying tsundere, though. I mean, Rod can be a jerk but he didn’t irritate me and I didn’t dislike him.

-Karma/Klaude’s route threw me off because of the whole rose motif. I thought that by 'Beauty’ he meant 'Sleeping Beauty Curse’ XD it didn’t help that he kept talking about being tired and not having had enough sleep.

-I liked his habit of calling people 'darling’; idk why but it’s cute. I also like that he’s the only character so far to actually address MC’s relationship with her mother and what it must have done to her (even if it was just a brief moment). Karma’s personality in general was charming ^^

-I also really, really liked his character design! Even though my favorite color is blue I think characters with a 'Red’ theme (like Grell from Kuro) always look good. It makes them pop and stand out from the rest of the cast.

-But I’m sad we didn’t get to meet his father. The glorious man who calls his children 'Karma’ and 'Llama’.

-I was also a little bit disappointed with Karma at first. From the art I saw before the game I thought he was this cool, powerful swordsman who liked to wear dresses and didn’t care what people had to say about that…turns out he just had to do it because of the curse ;-;

-(Karma’s curse was also a bit confusing to me. Idk, I just think they could have explained a little better why dressing as a woman helps…)

-Rumpel (or rather, Chevalier…but I’m never going to get used to that name. It reminds me of 'Chivalry’ or 'Chandelier’). People don’t seem to like him a lot but I was looking forward to playing his route…he just seemed like a fun guy.

-He turned out to be a very interesting character that I wanted to see fleshed out more. I mean, he started as a 'Shallow, Childish Flirt’ type character, then we found out he’s actually a nice guy, then we found out he’s a DOCTOR (I got spoiled for that before I played his route but still), then there’s the thing with him being too selfless for his own good…I like that they didn’t just turn him into a 'Playboy’ character.

-Tbh I thought he was sweet? *prepares for the hate*

-Also think the whole thing with Bria was handled well. I’m glad that neither she nor Rumpel was made out to be the only victim.

-I wish we got to see more of how Mythros’ death affected Rumpel, though.

-Fritz is a cinnamon roll :) a total sweetheart.

-His route might have been a bit boring, though, because MC spent so much time locked up in the castle..but it got a lot better towards the end, after MC got back to the Marchen.

-I also found Varg really interesting and felt a bit sorry for him. Wish we got to see more of him- especially since it was mentioned that he was created from some part of Fritz’s personality. We never really got to see the 'Varg’ side of Fritz :(

-(wonder if there’s more Varg in the Bad Ending?)

-Also I’m sorry but Fritz’s curse reminds me more of Jekyll and Hyde than Little Red Riding Hood XD

-DELORA YOU ABSOLUTE QUEEN. HOW DARE YOU GO AND DIE ON ME DURING FRITZ’S ROUTE. I THOUGHT I WAS AIMING FOR THE HAPPY ENDING asdlfk;lkc

-(didn’t really care for the mother-daughter relationship with Delora and MC, though, because their interactions didn’t feel that way?)

-MC. I haaaated her at first and I hated her even more because I sensed she was going to get an angsty backstory that would justify her behavior. But she was actually really well written and I ended up liking her a lot!

-Emelaigne and Parfait are sweethearts. (also I like that detail with the shadows around Parfait’s eyes)

-wish there was some more diversity in the cast

-Also female love interests! With a little tweaking we could have Delora! Parfait! Jurien! And if we can date Rod, THEN THERE’S NO HECKING REASON WHY WE CAN’T DATE EMELAIGNE TOO

-It would have been nice if the love interests called MC out on her behavior at some point. I mean, we know why she acts that way but they don’t.

-And if they’d talked about her childhood with her…Hildyr was a terrible mother.

-Speaking of Hildyr, wow. Just, wow. I like that she’s not a flat, 100% evil character and that she does genuinely love her daughter (in her own twisted way), but…yeah.

-Mythros is a slimy rat who was probably aiming for Magnificent Bastard status and failed. (I do feel sorry for him, though. And his design looks good. It sorta reminds me of Vincent Phantomhive)

-Also, random: I renamed MC ever time I played the game. I love naming characters so in any game, if you can rename the MC, I always have to change the original name ^^;; I ended up naming her Theodosia once (sorry Burr, I’m sure your daughter’s nicer than the MC), and then Eliza just for how funny it was (because now I associate the name Eliza with Cinnamon Roll Queens and the MC is anything but).

-Delora, MC and Emelaigne are probably my favs. However…

-The Ultimate Fav is the one and only Mr. Broom. Such development. Much complexity. 10/10. Best character ever.

-And now, the characters I ship Queen Luna with (yes, I absolutely HAVE to do this with every one of our shared fandoms): Fritz and Karma :D it would be so cuuute

-I’ll add my opinions on Waltz once I get the time to play his route :)

-TYSM for introducing me to this game, Queen Luna! I had a lot of fun playing it <3

I AM BACK!! And I’m emotionally drained again XD Too much human interaction for 1 week. I had some friends over, so I was supposed to be the polite host (even though it was actually my mom’s idea to invite them, so I can ‘be more outgoing’.)

Right, right, and I totally didn’t force my friends to listen to the whole Hamilton soundtrack and then totally didn’t get this close to singing along to everything. Both of us are over it

I’M RUNNING OUT OF TIME. I’M RUNNING, AND MY TIME’S UP WISE UP. EYES UP I CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE OTHER SIDE.

Same, same. I just have to think a thought that is also a lyric in the musical and I’m back in hell.

Nope, trust me, I was a little shit. Whenever someone tells me stories of baby Luna, I wanna curl up into a ball and die from embarrassment. I’m not even joking when my parents wanted to take me to get tested for ADHD. And then, suddenly, I found the magic of books and you will not get me to move my ass unless my life’s on the line (and even then I’ll reconsider XD)

Ouch… well, most little kids are like that? I mean, I don’t interact with them a lot (we have a mutual dislike for each other :P), but there’s a reason why I don’t like them. They can be adorable and all, but I just don’t have the patience ^^;;;

I think I’d cry of cuteness if I ever saw Evans with little kids, because that sounds absolutely adorable!!!

Tbh, the thing I have most problems with is the sound of it, because it gets on my nerves so much ;-;

Still, it’s really nice they make an effort to understand you ^^ I finally told my mom about my idol obsession today, and I was so happy when she wasn’t weirded out T^T The thing is, I’m so used to people giving me weird look when i so much as mention anime, and idols are a whole new level of that, that I just don’t wanna tell anyone about it. Hell, it took me 2 months to offhandedly mention it to my parents.

I think Re:Zero has a light novel? I’m not sure, honestly ^^;;;

Dude, you would not like fairy tail AT ALL. It is 98% tasteless fan service, and I was able to tolerate it for the sake of plot, but in the recent chapters, the plot itself has also become really stupid. Like, if a character dies, no one is worried any more, cause we know they’ll be revived 3 pages later. It became really stupid near the end. But, hey, it’s over now.

In summary: HxH is messed up XD I’m still debating watching it… maybe a bit later, or maybe I’ll pick the manga up ^^

Art is a very wide term, so I guess you could say both you and Kimblee do have it in common? It’s just up for discussion which form of art XD I must say, I do like you and Scar better though, because I don’t really think Scar would potentially blow you up if you did anything wrong…

Pride, pride! Pika pride!

All enemies would be terrified of him.

IDK LETS JINX IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN SO HOPEFULLY WE END UP IN A JINX THAT KEEPS HIM ALIVE! And omg I honestly don’t remember anymore if it was a fan comic or an actual manga panel, but it makes me wanna cry every time I think of it (I think it was a comic…) But then again, I don’t wanna spoil anything for you (again ;-;). So, have you read what happened to Bertl last?

Seriously, it was so weird ;-; I usually remember all my dreams, so but I usually dream of anime and other fictional characters (help) and things I thought about a lot during the day. Most of my dreams are crazily bizarre.

Well, I mean, Loki finally had the decency to wash his hair (I’ve waited 3 movies for that), so I’m more than happy about his part XD

Tbh, I’m not into it too much either, but I do enjoy detective/mystery shows, so why not.

WOW. WOW. W O W. I READ THE NEW CHAPTER. JUST ROMA??? SHE’S 51??? WHAT??? ALSO URIE WHAT THE FUCK?? I THOUGHT YOU WERENT GONNA DIE AND YOURE DAMN NEAR THAT. NOT TO MENTION, Y O M O WHYYY IM NOT LETTING MUTSUKI KILL YOMO, HE SHOULD HAVE MORE SKILL THAN THEM AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE THEM DOWN EASILY. Also, was that a death flag for Touka that I saw?

I have one thing to say.

ONE PUUUUUUUUUNCH

Seriously, I brought the series with me on an USB to rewatch it during the summer XD

Oh, I hope you have fun with it! And don’t worry about not sending asks ^^

GUESS WHO ALMOST CRIED WHEN SHE HEARD YOU WERE PLAYING CP??? ((If you need more than one guess, I’ll be disappointed XD))

I can’t wait for you to play Watlz’s route. That guy is still my favorite, and I still wanna cry when I think of him XD Trust me, there are FEEELS. HE’s also one of my favorite tropes T^T

Don’t worry, I also always get good endings first and then the bad ones (tbh I do the bad ones for the CGs and achievements. I wouldn’t do them otherwise XD)

The art is honestly one of my favorite parts, especially the character designs! Some of the CG is a bit inconsistent, but it’s still admirable, especially for a free game!

Trust me, the music is absolutely amazing! If you ever want to hear it, there’s a small sound room or something in the settings and you can always listen to it there ^^

I know the history of the whole world s so creative! I honestly never expected MC’s mom to be the witch crystal (forgot the name lol) bearer, but it was a nice twist!

Yep, Rod is a bit predictable, but it’s still a fun route ^^ He’s my 4th favorite, tho… Or 5th, I honestly can’t decide…

Karma, my darling ;-; Tbh, I’ve always doubted that he was Beauty and the Beast (because it’s my favorite fairytale If i’m gonna be honest :P), but the whole ‘not now’ and ‘running out of time’ (haaaaamilton) thing gave it away. The ‘Character calls MC a pet name (darling, love, LITTLE STAR (T^T)) is definitely one of my favorite things ever ^^ But I knew Karma was, well, Karma (aka Beautiful Lady) the second he appeared in the alleyway in the prologue. the hair gave it away tbh I think we should meet Llama in the fan disk coming out soon? I really wanna buy that disk XD

Rump is so much more than he seems. I mean, from what I saw in the prologue, he was my lest favourite, but I think he might be 4th? Still not sure if it’s him or Rod… ((also, don’t get me wrong, just because they’re last doesn’t mean I dislike them! It’s just that I like them the least (sounds equally horrible)))

I love Fritz, but I love Varg more, which is why Fritz’s bad end is the worst for me, personally (vaaaaaaaarg). And I was so sad when he erased himself ;-; Why you do that my dear wolf.

I KNOW I ALMOST SCREAMED WHEN DELORA DIED WHYYYYYYYYY. Idk, in some routes it does feel like mom-daughter somewhat, but then again, i some routes, Delora is more of that sassy friend.

Yep, i mentioned it before, i really like MC’s growth ^^ It’s nice to see her go from total bitch to just slightly bitch XD

A whole bunch of extra routes were considered, from what I heard, but they simply didn’t have the time or funds to include them…

Mythros is that guy i wanted to feel sorry for, but simply couldn’t. Especially not after waLTZ’S ROUTE. Fuck you, Mythros.

Oh, wow! Poor Eliza and Theodosia hahah Tbh, I always use Luna in otogames because it’s not my real name (so no embarrassment from the characters calling me by my actual name), but since i always, always use Luna on the net, I’ve kinda adopted it as a second name XD

Mr. Broom best boy 1000/10. I want a route for him.

Awe, thanks a lot! My faves list looks like this: 1. Waltz (still crying) 2. Karma/Varg 3. Fritz (that’s right, Varg is above Fritz, despite being Fritz) 4. Rumpel, actually 5. Rod.

So I am very very happy to be shipped with (technically) both 2nd best hahah

Honestly, I see you with Fritz, bc cinnamon roll and cinnamon roll! He’d always be the one to makee sure you’re not uncomfortable with something and would melt when he saw you with little kids (despite the fact that you were pleading for someone to help you at the moment XD). Also, you can bet this guy will dedicate so much of his free time to watching you pain. HE’d also try to learn how to paint himself, so he could feel closer to you! Also, time to drown Evans in pastries, it doesn’t matter if she likes them or not, Fritz will buy more or less the whole shop so you can try it. He messes up so badly if you come watch his practice. He is dead. He can’t handle the pressure of you watching (even tho I doubt you’d give a flying fuck if he messed up a step or something) and will just turn red, turn around and call for a break. Also, you can bet this guy is all about head pats. You learn to have a comb with you at all times XD

Enjoy Waltz’s route and the feels!

Oh, and I also made Aesthetics for some characters, I’ll post them separately, cause they’re on my phone ^^))

#evans #submission

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