#they clearly got to do whatever they wanted like omg ahaha

[itsanidiom]

them: how many times have you watched the new ATEEZ comeback?

me: ..........yes...

[snknmda]

ahhhh omg that jouno lowkey confession suegiku angst killed me i have no idea if your asks are open or not but could u do a tecchou pov realizing like what he meant after jouno’s “death” (i refuse to believe he’s actually dead ahaha)

have tecchou having an existential crisis when he realises jouno got his ass sliced and diced and burnt and bit.

also made tecchou consider being an evil little wrong-doer as a treat.

here is the jouno related post of this piece

im sorry this is short but i couldn't expand any more than this so pls make do.

Tecchou didn’t think anything of Jouno’s odd question until recently.

The idea of Jouno wanting to redeem himself naturally never occurred to him, mostly because after the night he had asked Tecchou about his black-and-white perspective on good and evil, he proceeded to threaten to burn and hang a little girl’s carcass to lure the detective agency out of their little hole. In a sense, it was a fool-proof plan, if only it didn’t threaten the life and innocence of a ten year old.

Telling him off and Jouno attempting to explain himself and fight was routine, even if it did piss Tecchou off every time— it was just Jouno being himself, and besides, Tecchou can’t really recall a time when Jouno ever won a battle on the basis of sheer physical prowess.

So it never struck him as odd when the commander pulled Jouno aside for whatever reason. Tecchou just assumed that in the heat of the situation they were in, there was probably something important and urgent.

But regardless of how busy and distracted Tecchou was, the events of last night kept nagging him in the back of his mind like a prelude of a very, very, very unfortunate tragedy that was soon to happen.

Tecchou only felt something was amiss when Fukuchi returned without Jouno on his tail like when he had left. Even then, Tecchou didn’t get the chance to ask about the odd disappearance for he was already given a new order that drove his mind away from Jouno… again.

In hindsight, Tecchou really wishes he paid more attention to the blood smears on the tips of Fukuchi’s boots. He wishes he paid a little more heed to what Jouno was saying last night, because if he had, he would have realised that him trusting anyone other than himself to determine what justice is is the reason he’s the government tool that he is: something to be picked apart, remodelled, and put back together at the convenience of his puppeteers, and at his own will, too.

How foolish.

He lost the very day he agreed to work for this God-forsaken government, and he finally understands why Jouno never liked them in the first place and how he was right about them being just as wicked as any other self-serving criminal organisation. In fact, Tecchou thinks that criminals might as well be less twisted than the government he’s serving, because at least they’re true to their essence— don’t hide their villainy under the false pretense of laws and justice and commit to what they believe, they’re pure.

Jouno’s pure, in the sickest sense of the word.

Fukuchi, the man who promised Tecchou a life of fulfillment under the condition that he just do as he’s told, the man who might as well be the most unfortunate victim of the corrupt government, is the one who’s subjecting Tecchou to the same fate he had to endure: treating his soldiers like pieces in his game and tossing the ones that don’t serve purpose anymore.

He can see it all very clearly. Tecchou understands why Jouno was the way that he was and did what he did— even envies him for it, because he wonders how liberating it must feel to believe in no one but yourself, even if Tecchou’s beliefs and morals didn’t line up with Jouno’s— he admires the process.

He wishes Jouno would spring back to life and call him disgusting for his superficiality once again, would shake his head with a scoff at Tecchou narrating the rules of law like he couldn’t believe the man could get any dumber. He supposes he is a little embarrassed now that he realises he played right into their grimey little hands.

He wishes he could admit it to Jouno, wishes he could implement his moral realignment without being a coward fearing change…

…but instead with shaky hands pointed the tip of his sword at him under the order of his commander, wondering if he ever had anything to stand for.

[jamlocked]

C, J, U, V and X :))

C -  A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

Ohhhh, boy. I could go three ways on this really...or maybe two, idk. I feel like my answer will be taken as problematic - - and I’m going for it anyway, because it’s just my opinion. 

The ship I dislike the most is Sherlolly. It’s not because I don’t like Molly - I do, a lot. It’s not because that would make Sherlock straight or bi - the whole argument that used to fly about that Sherlolly = homophobic is fucking gross. It’s just not a ship that does anything for me. I used to think that I just found it boring (and this is NOT me saying that Molly is boring, or het romance is boring, or any of that), but I’ve come to realise it’s mostly because it vibes with the part of Sherlock’s narrative I like the least. The whole, ‘Sherlock was weird and abnormal with no friends, but now we’re going to turn him into a complete human being’, thing. Which, VOMIT. 

Again, I’m not saying that het romance is too ‘normal’ to fit here. Sherlock could have a massive thing with Irene, and that would have a vibe I like far more. The issue I have with Sherlolly is that Sherlock has always been an extreme type of character in whatever canon. Molly, in BBC canon, is this wonderful character Sherlock came to find a great friend in. The notion that he could ‘learn to be normal/complete’ seems to be the arc of the four seasons, complete with the whole ‘I love you’ scene in TFP, where they full dangled the possibility of future!canon!Sherlolly by at least making Sherlock think about it seriously. It seems to equate with ‘the more we teach Sherlock to fit into ‘normal’ society, the more chance he has of having a ‘normal’ relationship, with someone...’ - okay, I’m not going to hold Molly up as a bastion of normality, given she falls for sociopaths and does autopsies, but even if you take that into consideration, it’s still the most ‘normal’ relationship the writers could put him into. A casual viewer would go, ‘he’s got a girlfriend now, he behaves better, he gets on with his family, he’s straight/white/upper middle-class = totally a character I’m easy with’. 

And that’s just not what interests me when it comes to relationships I want to watch. Now, if we’re talking about dark!Molly who’s into Glee and cats, but also runs a black market organ business and wants Sherlock to help sort out the competition - I’m totally here for that. If Molly likes her knitted cardigans and secretly wants to kill Sherlock, while he likes his suits and is madly in love her but also wants to use her to get to her criminal mother who harvests dead bodies and practices necromancy? I’m all ears. 

But ‘Sherlock gets a girlfriend, solves crimes, learns manners and is never obnoxious again, and OH LOOK WE FIXED HIM’ - fuck, no.  ...that was a lot of words, and I didn’t explain it very clearly, but I’ma stop now. 

J -    Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr. (You don’t have to care about it or follow it; it just has to be something that Tumblr made you aware of.)

Tumblr has made me aware of BTS, The Witcher (although I had seen adverts for that on Amazon, but idk anything about it), Hamilton, Moomin, MASH, The Mentalist, Kyo Dir en Grey, Elementary ...oh man, there must be more, but I forget. I’ve been here a few years now. I’d heard of most of these shows/people before Tumblr, of course, but didn’t know much about them. And still don’t on some of them, but am definitely aware of them now. 

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

Jim Moriarty, obviously. HE IS SO FUN. And there is such pain under the smirk, and THOSE SUITS, BABY. I am the biggest sucker in the world for obsession, and ...well, see my answer to X in a minute. There’s nothing about him I don’t ove. So much scope to play with in fic as well. 

An old fandom of mine - Les Mis. My fave character is Javert, because of course I love the most awful dick of them all. Again, with him, see X below. And also again, so much to write about. I literally nearly based a PhD proposal around him, and his representation, his place in 19th century France, his attitudes and where they came from. Did you know the character of Sam Gerard in The Fugitive is based on him? He’s relentless, he’s unforgiving, and he collapses at the end in the most spectacular way possible. Total prick, and I fucking love him. :D

I’m really trying to think of character I love who isn’t a total douche, just for the sake of variety. But I can’t, so lets go with Gene Hunt from Life on Mars. 

I expect most people won’t have heard of/seen this show (but omg they might be making a new series, sa;ldfkjsalfksj I CANNOT :D), but if you can watch it, you should. Gene Hunt is awful - a 70s cop with all the faults of the time. Corrupt, mostly alcoholic, sexist, violent, homophobic, racist...but also hilarious, and there’s a really big heart under there. You learn that he might do nothing but call people the worst names in the world, but he always ends up doing his job in. If you watch this four minute video, you’ll get the gist. If you’re a fan of the Discworld series and you like Sam Vimes, you’ll recognise Gene. He’s the arshetype of Copper, and he goes on this great arc from being the stereotypical bad copper of the 70s, to being something quite different. And he really is hilarious, with insane charisma. He and Sam Tyler are the perfect double act. :D

V - Which character do you relate to most?

Jim Moriarty. I may not be a criminal mastermind, but only because I’m not that smart. And don’t have his level of swag, because c’mon. Who does?

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

AHAHA. My bulletproof trope is ‘two sides of the same coin’. Sherlock/Moriarty. Javert/Jean Valjean - who, incidentally, were two characters based off one man; Vidocq. (A man who more films should be made about, incidentally.) These two are literally two sides of one man. Even Gene Hunt represents part of Sam’s psyche in Life on Mars, as well as the more obvious old vs new, forensic vs gut instinct. 

But yeah, in literally any fandom, you show me a protagonist and an antagonist that are more or less the same person, and I’m there. Cannot get enough of it. 

[shoushatohaisha]

review: hajimari no kyojin (osaka 6/1)

so. hello. i usually write up my butai thoughts as, um, 100+ tweet threads in the immediate wake of whatever i just saw, but this time around i thought i'd work them out into a proper report, of a sort. if you, too, have seen this show already and want to talk about it... please. any time. always.

about reviewing: this is my very favorite 2.5D franchise, ever. but this is also a review, not a cheerleading exercise, so not every single thing i have to say is unrelentingly positive. having said that, i respect kinoshita, wada, suga-zachou, and the staff at large more than just about any creative team in this corner of japanese theater fandom so like. i'm not here to drag, lol.

about spoilers: i talk about the plot elements covered but try to avoid spoiling any of the fun production surprises. :) happy to do a more spoilery play-by-play later if folks are curious.

about length: i just checked and it's 2400 words im so sorry.

without further ado...

first of all, i admit that based on the preview clips i doubted, and i was swiftly taken to task for doubting. IM SORRY WORRY-SAN i trust u implicitly and i should have known better. after the major changes in shinka no natsu, i was concerned that bringing back the revolving stage and the original opening theme would feel stale/regressive. it did not. while they did bring back the revolving element they also extended the stage backward and added a second level behind a full stage height projection screen – the second level was used to do some neat staging for flashbacks/parallels and the screen was used to, how shall we say this, up their projection game in a major way, which i frankly did not think was possible. i will not spoil the details but it was pretty great, on a purely technical level.

i also realized that a lot of the repetition – opening with the bike scene, bringing back the original opening credits music, the staging, etc – is the "look back" over the last couple years that i'd expected to come this fall. they are very obviously already preparing for the end – you could think of this as part one of their last show, with the fall as part two. the show opens with a restaging of sixth grader hinata seeing the little giant on tv for the first time – then the current karasuno team take the place of the tv and hinata joins them for a team jog. "karasuno, fight!" "oh!" "fight!" "oh!" only then each character calls out their signature line from the show so far. "uchi no renchuu wa chanto tsuyoi" / "mou tobenai karasu nante yobasenai" / "murabito b mo tatakaemasu!"

and haha. let me tell you. BOY, DID I FEEL THINGS. a lot of things. i think yachi got me the worst but they were all real bad. (i have so many feelings about yachi's story and what a beautiful job saitou ami did with her character on stage. god. ;_;)

the theme of this play was the role of captain – what makes a good captain, what a captain does for the team, and how to step into those shoes when the captain is gone. the johzenji match is fun, but here, in a sense, it exists more or less to set up the wakutani match – (re)establishing daichi's importance so that his absence feels like the gut punch it is. and fully settling the weight of that responsibility on ennoshita's shoulders, as both daichi's substitute on the court and the captain-in-waiting.

with that in mind, the rival schools: imo it wasn't strictly necessary to cast full teams for each school – each match got its own dedicated act, and unlike, for example, nekoma/datekou in karasuno fukkatsu (which had a similar story structure), there aren't really any individual characters on these rival schools who have a role as such other than terushima and takeru. (you know, the captains. see above. XD) so in theory one could get this done with, like, one actor for each captain and then an ensemble cast playing the rest of the team across both matches. HOWEVER, having all those bodies allows them to do super cool stuff visually, and why force yourself to create the illusion of a full team if you don't have to? i.e., /i/ sure am not complaining, isn't it nice to have $$$ to achieve the max vision of your choreographer. XD

i also have no doubt that the kids playing these other characters are doing whatever they can to create a character within the ensemble, and i suspect there's plenty for repeat viewers to pick up on, esp during say the johzenji match (see below). however for the first time viewer following the main flow of the story it's more or less a very large ensemble cast.

the johzenji chaos was well expressed, haha, there was so damn much going on all the time that i hardly knew where to look. (i've also seen opinions on j-twitter that that diluted the impact and i can see that too – it worked for me as a "funny" match that didn't cross the line into comic relief, but ymmv.) i thought the final scene with misaki would pack more of a punch, but i fully expect them to cry at daisenshuuraku so that might fill in the last 10% that's missing rn.

wakutani are another Good Dance Team. one did get a sense, stylistically, of fukurodani- and nekoma-lite with johzenji and wakunan, respectively – i assume that was intentional. mirroring the cats vs owls match, as it were. yanagihara rin's takeru was like… scary?? i had to rewatch those episodes this weekend to see if i'd just forgotten something, but no, stage takeru is not so much reliable middle brother as scowly quiet tough guy. he looked like a kyoutani tbh, and looking at the kid actually cast for kyoutani, one wonders if someone in casting mixed up some paperwork or something. having said that, yanagihara was great at being the character he was, i enjoyed what he did on stage. i'm just not sure that character was takeru. XD (edit: ok having just rewatched, i have to revise this somewhat, i think a big part of my impression was due to being too far back to properly see his expressions the first time around -- up close he was much smilier, and bc i was thinking about it i noticed some nice details like him going over for a family hug afterward.) otoh big post-match scene – all of wakutani, actually – was really good. v effective, i heard sniffles around me.

during this match, johzenji reappeared dressed as takeru's family: FUCKING HILARIOUS omg, everyone involved has clearly learned how to do this right wrt blocking, the very fine line between comic relief and intrusion, etc, after the, er, shaky shousha to haisha experiment of kuroken doubling as oikawa's fangirls. seichou shita na, errone.

also, some great wire work for hinata and takeru – you could tell kenta is really comfortable up there these days. the first time the wires came into play one of the women behind me went "UWO!" which, when a japanese theatergoer makes a noise out loud, that's a true sign something's impressive. XD

nekoma vs fukurodani: Yeah, That Happened. it is a testament to how well done karasuno vs wakunan was that i didn't just spend the entire time screeching BRING BACK CATS VS OWLS because fjkdajfkdlsfjd KYAA. another good staging moment – they used mirrors to create the effect of two full teams playing at a crowded gymnasium, it was brill. i won't spoil some of the fun details but vvjakdlfjdf. and tbh i think the best performance of the four was probably shouri's?? not that this is news but istg idk how someone so soft offstage does THAT on stage. is it this "acting" thing you speak of.

new bokuaka: i mean it was clear some of this material was meant for yoshimoto kouki and i did kinda miss him – i appreciate higashi-san's pinch hitting and he did a solid job. but. ah well. HAVING SAID THAT. fucking "michi wo tsukurimasu yo" i mean we should all be grateful it wasn't kouki and yuuki or it would have just been a fucking fanfic on stage. it was still bad and i don't even go here. XD

and last but not least, arita ushiwaka kenji: not exactly the world's most natural line delivery but that's fine because, i mean, he's ushiwaka. and his physical presence was perfect. which was about all he was called on to do in this particular show, ahaha.

now, for karasuno. and specifically, for my son, kawahara kazuma. remember what i said approximately a thousand words ago, about captains and captains in waiting and stepping up to the plate? (or onto the court, as it were.) ennoshita's story was the heart of the wakutani match and kazuma carried the second act. he was. so. good. he had good material to work with, of course, but he made it even better. i was saying to a friend that in retrospect i think this is one of the very very few parts of the series that actually played better and more emotionally affecting on stage than in the source material (as opposed to differently good/differently affecting). in the manga/anime, you can only see what the paneling or the frame shows you, and those initial paneling/framing choices are focused on the drama of CAPTAIN DOWN. but on the stage, daichi goes down… and off to the side you see ennoshita freeze. and from that moment on, for kazuma, it's go time. he doesn't let up until the end of post-match scene in (here) the locker room – which, jesus, that scene. it packs ten times the punch it does in the anime. because of kazuma.

sorry if i sound like a crazy person here ahaha. but like. like, imagine you have been acting since childhood, you've studied dance with famous choreographers and innovators, you had a main role in The Franchise That Changed 2.5D as a teenager, you've done a solo album, you have a serious history in performing arts... and you get cast in what was initially the smallest role of the entire karasuno team. and you take it! and pull your weight! kazuma was a team player for three years and he deserved this chance to let his actual skills shine so much. ;_; because i don't necessarily think he would have been better in any of the other roles than his actual teammates – but i do think he is a much better actor than several of his actual teammates. and he finally got the opportunity to show that.

anyway, when it came time for curtain calls, the applause swelled noticeably for kazuma – a louder ovation than anyone except kagechan and kenta. and one of those people clapping her hands off, say in row 20, just a random row choice, was definitely tearing up at the same time.

IN OTHER KARASANEWS. kt-san. LIVE IN PERSON KT-SAN BACK IN THE ROLE HE WAS MEANT FOR cries into my hands i love him daichi-saaaaaaaaaan. very occasionally his delivery reminded me he's a model not an actor, if you know what i mean, but like, for the vast part it didn't matter because he is naturally such a perfect fit. have i mentioned i love him.

new suga: mmmmm. he looked and moved fine but his line delivery did not convince me. tbf it's not like suga has a huge role to play in these matches so 1) it's not a huge deal 2) he didn't get much chance to get into the character. either he'll get better or he won't, and if he doesn't it's not going to sink the next play or anything. he seems like a nice enough kid, i wish him well!

kageyama tatsuya: still can't yell and enunciate at the same time. loved that they brought back the archer analogy from shinka no natsu though!! it was one of my favorite things about his kageyama, and it's nice that it's something he "owns" instead of imitating/inheriting from tatsunari.

tsukishima & yamaguchi: miura kairi continues to get even better, i'm so pleased. <3 also, i love love love that they still use the musical motif from shousha to haisha for yamaguchi's jump float serve. it was the same in shinka no natsu, it's the same here. THE TSUKKIYAMA WAS REAL CUTE, great detail work before and after the serve as well as after tsukki's block(s). as for tsukishima, much as they brought back kageyama's archer imagery, they brought back tsukki's fancy katana kill block. (they didn't waste kondou shouri, either, i'll leave it at that.)

last but not least, MY ACTUAL SON AND FEELINGS TWIN, SUGA KENTA: ok like. to set the scene here. i have mad respect for this kid and also love him to death as a human. i think he puts more thought into this production than anyone else in the cast – he is practically worry-san's AD. and he clearly has a lot of real deep thoughts and feelings about the source material. so deep in fact that it took a while for me to come around to his hinata because while, for example, tatsunari's kageyama could have walked straight off my television screen, kenta went down to the manga and built hinata up from there. he didn't have a choice – he's nothing like murase ayumu's voice. all too often we, and i include myself here, think of the two dimensions in 2.5D as anime, rather than manga... but just as there's a big gap between the two dimensions of animation and the three dimensions of live theater, there's as big a gap again between static black-and-white drawing, and movement and color and sound. and when i looked at kenta's hinata as something created solely from furudate's art style, it all slotted into place for me. (naturally, ymmv.)

it also took kenta longer than some of the others, i think, to portray all of what he wanted to. shoen hinata was pretty yelly, and pretty single-register yelly. hinata is a yelly character, of course, but the balance between that hinata and Serious Match Hinata was out of whack at first. this got better and better with every show. and then—

his encounter with ushiwaka here. was IT. it was what i was looking for all this time. his delivery of hinata's big line there was like – i think maybe i clapped my hands over my mouth, unclear, bc it was like the final missing piece and i was so happy. kentaaaaa. ;____;

part of me wonders if this is what kenta's always had in his head but maybe couldn't get his face/voice to express the way he wanted it? OR, IT'S KENTA, SO MAYBE IT WAS ON PURPOSE and his previous Serious Hinata was meant to be like, just a feral hunger child whereas this is the kid who experienced the heartbreak of losing to seijou. i would love to ask him tbh. XD

anyway, my son, after five plays continues to grow in his portrayal of this character. kenta is the heart of gekidan haikyuu in so many ways, and i will be at their graduation show if it kills me.

(breathes out) i think that's. everything. a best setter award to anyone who read this far, and feel free to ask if there's anything specific you want to know about? i will be seeing it again this weekend for daisenshuuraku and will be sure to report back on who cried, etc. all hail volleyball stage the end. 🏐

[angelicfangirl]

MORE LOVEHACKS LETS GO

@pixieferry @springagainafter

-gotta break up our friends? Lol this is gonna fail miserably

-I agreed to move in? Sure why not. Cera you lightweight

-Cole I see you carefully avoiding Amy you traitor WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS

-Why do I have to pay brooke for her clothes SHE OFFERED GAME. Whatever, going to the lame park... to be followed around by people offering hash brownies ok....

-Ok the girls are super bad at this lets try the boys.....

-Ok they went a little better....surprising....OH FUCK AMY’S AT THE DOOR

-Oh god a double date....even Mark is like O_O

-Wait was he planning to break up with her here ahahaha LET ME OUT ok I can do it lets go in

-called it omg mark you idiot

-GONNA GET THE GIANT SLICE OF CAKE AND EAT IT WHILE MAINTAINING EYE CONTACT YOU CREEP DONT TELL ME WHAT TO EAT

-as a fat woman, or even just A NORMAL HUMAN BEING I really want to punch this gym junkie fratboy

-Cera totally gonna kick his ass IN MY TRR UNIVERSE SHE’S LITERALLY IN SECURITY SHE COULD DESTROY YOU IN TWO SECONDS FLAT DUDE

-what no I’m not changing I’M GOING TO KICK HIS BUTT IN MY CUTE BLAZER DONT TOUCH ME MARK

-omg mark your GIANT CRUSH IS SHOWING “which is not to say you don’t look good in tight clothes! I’m sure you look amazing” look keep your fantasies to yourself mate

-YES I DESTROYED HIM and got a big hug from my bestie/giant crush EVERYTHINGS GREAT

-Yes amy this ridiculous plan is my actual plan what is wrong with you (but yes secretly i hope this works)

-ahaha it worked what is this game

-OH NO AN OLD FLAME I WROTE A TERRIBLE ARTICLE ABOUT i’m sure this will be fine ahaha save me friends

-Preview: Sereena “what, do i start a riot?” cole “no! flirt or something!” sereena “...how will that start a riot?!” I love her

-YEAH FRIENDS HOW ABOUT SOME SUPPORT I like Horatio SMUGGLE ME OUT

-Chose Cole because he seems like the most dramatic...he’s going to the jukebox....don’t stop believing? oh god BUT IT WORKED

-WAIT MY BOSS CALLED HIM ugh worst boss ever

-....we’re deliberately baiting some idiot with country stuff for viral posts. why. At least I picked that he hit on other girls during the date so he’s clearly an asshole lol

-Cera lying through her teeth about him being irresistible ah to be thin and pretty and landing all these guys without a care in the world xD

-Ahahaha and it went hilariously but then he tried to apologise and Cera was like “yeah but you’re still an ass lol”

-LET’S GO HARRASS MY NOT-CRUSH ooh pattern 7 eh?

-Excellent movie choice boy I’m proud and have a bit more of a crush on you it’s fine

-Mark why are you encouraging Cera to go on more dates....ohhhhh you want the debrief part so you can be reassured she still loves you afterwards I get it

-oh my god “we could spend time together right now? *sly smile* *leaning forward*” “Oh! I do know the best way to spend a night in :D” “....wait are you talking about space jam?” “uh yeah. Wait, what else would I be talking about?” “...i suddenly must go” oh. honey. no.

-Cole ships it I love this GONNA GET THE BOY EVENTUALLY

[chromemuffin]

(Captive Prince Trilogy) Prince’s Gambit Liveblogging (Chapters 1 & 2)

Time to start the second book in my Captive Prince liveblog! This was sort of delayed because I was trying to read the extra chapter at the end of book 1, couldn’t get more than a page or two in, and kept putting it off. Then I got busy. I skipped it for now.

And, looking back, I completely missed the fact that all three books have a different crest on them lol...First book was a lion, second is...actually, I have no clue what it is, something with tassels. The third has something like a crown with two griffons.

Chapter 1

Yay, finally leaving the castle! I’m guessing this is where the story really picks up.

Damen’s analyzing mind, always relating things around him to what he knows (military stuff) is quite pleasant to read through for some reason. And considering we finally get a change of scenery, I can feel some of his relief at finally getting out of that castle (though he is not exactly free, we are, for a good while it seems).

lol wait the dogs like Laurent. Are very happy to see him, in fact. I guess he does get out of the main city every now and again, this keep isn’t too far away.

“...but, not being an owl, saw almost nothing.” lol sometimes I have to sit back and wonder, because this is in third person but clearly expressing all of Damen’s thoughts so like. Yes, he actually thinks this as he’s trying to look at his own back.

The better it heals, the less your back will trouble you with stiffness, both now and later in life, so that you will be better able to swing a sword around, killing a great many people.

lol you can just feel the deadpan tone and unimpressed attitude and sort of contempt for the business of killing.

All this tender care of his back, like soothing with a kiss the reddened cheek you have slapped.

Once again, I appreciate that Damen can clearly see through these actions, unlike a lot of ‘held captive by the enemy’ stories, he knows full well that these acts of kindness really aren’t done out of the goodness of the other party’s heart. He’ll go along with it, because he must, but doesn’t mistaken it for affection or care, he may be attracted to Laurent physically but for the time being that’s all it is.

Of course, that makes the transition to actual romance a little rocky but...I guess I’ll have to be patient.

“Men find themselves in the places they put themselves.”

I like this Paschal guy. The things he says are sort of lowkey really great.

omg the trash talk is starting again. trash talk is great too. 

Damen...

You noticed things like his pretty mouth, even dripping with nosebleed.

Ew. Damen is, like, attracted to pretty people easily and it is hilarious how easily he/the narrative gets distracted when one shows up. Also, I recall he liked to sleep with guys who won brawls so like, this is the perfect combination for him I guess? To each their own...

Ah, here it is. What I’ve been waiting for.

The first real glimpse of what sort of person Laurent appears to people other than Damen. Damen is obviously biased, so we’ve had nothing to go off except Damen’s thoughts and Laurent’s actions, and since Laurent isn’t exactly the most honest straightforward character, it was hard to tell in the last book what he really was like.

I really like this scene, I won’t go quoting the whole thing, but I really like the whole exchange (Aimeric is, like, a character I can maybe get behind and not be like ‘you’re such a little shit I guess you are also endearing but a shit nonetheless’ or Erasmus, who is in a class of his own (that short story on him did not help, ok, I couldn’t finish it, it’s too depressing).

Ha. Damen is still more intimidated by keeping Laurent waiting than he is Govart, that dude I fear we will not be rid of for quite a while.

Ugh, as good as it’s written, the sort of constant trash talk about Laurent and sex is really uncomfortable at times. 

I feel like the ensuing conversation when Laurent returns at night is probably the only way it could have gone after the debacle that happened at the end of the last book.

I also feel as if they are starting to be a little more honest with each other, here. Just a little. They need to, in order to move on and sort of cooperate on this campaign.

Chapter 2

Have I mentioned I like gallows humor and find it hilarious that somehow everyone, even Laurent’s own men, seem to be on the same page about him and the no sex and being made of ice? Yeah, well, the latter is getting quite Not Okay now. Maybe because they are getting more vulgar and gross, but I’m on the same page as Damen now. The narrative seems to have succeeded in that respect.

Oh, the snake comparisons are back! I do like how creative the insults are, truly.

But Laurent actually relaxing a bit, wow, we are finally seeing that. I like the subtle (actually not subtle at all given how Damen devotes a paragraph of thought to the image of him relaxing a bit) reminder that hey, he’s just a man. Human. Not, you know, a demon prince or something.

Although he goes and pulls an all-nighter, and is ready to go in the morning. So, not helping that image, but still.

...whatever cold bitchy remarks he had made - sharpened by a night without sleep - had been enough to eject the Regent’s men out of their beds and into a semblance of lines.

I think I have no choice but to say I relate to this on a spiritual level because I, too, do not get enough sleep and subsequently am horribly grumpy and terrible to deal with in the morning. I’m trying to stop, because I really do act bitchy without enough sleep (which is like every morning) but staying up late has become a really bad habit. urgh

Damen is so prepared for this fight waiting to happen. In the meantime, he’s trying to play peacemaker.

“Getting massaged.” omg I missed you and your remarks Damen, it’s been too long (when did I finish the last book? two weeks ago maybe)

This tent is so fancy what the heck haha.

Ooh fight scene! Not the one Damen is looking out for, but.

It’s only been a month since this whole thing started? Geez, feels like longer...

omg

They are being more honest in this book. I mean, Laurent admitted Damen was better than him at swordplay, and he sort of blushed (and how good is he at shoving his emotions down, like can you even suppress being flustered).

JUST SOME FRIENDLY ADVICE HAHA did you really think he willingly did drugs before a fight or

Bailleux Keep: a broken-down structure with a fancy name = ‘fancy’ how I feel about most French words, honestly. I just. am not good at pronouncing things so French is like a nightmare to me.

Ah, Damen, you are actually quite good at this military leader thing. And, nice exchange just before the end of the chapter.

I really wanted to read more but ahaha need to pace myself.

[manju-girl]

Letters to You (Shigezane x MC x ???????) Pt. 7

Finalllyyyy done omg its already part seven?! Please bear with this longggg fanfic. @kitty-kat-ty thanks for reading amd waiting this far!love youu

—

Letters to You Genre: Angst, fluff, Romance, comedy one | two | three | four | five | six | Seven: Reasons

**

Once Masamune had finished his breakfast, he proceeded to do his work along with Aki. Everything was going well at first, until his page started messing from her first work, then to the next. She messed up the papers so bad Kojuro and Shigezane had to do it again.

It was supposed to be another peaceful and usual day but no, it wasn’t.

The news of Aki getting affianced with the next Lord of the Maeda clan spread all throughout the castle like a wildfire. Her works were composed of running around the castle and delivering papers to the Date’s retainers, oh and let’s not forget that she also cooks Masamune’s food.

At the end of the day, instead of running around to deliver the papers and the letters Lord Masamune had asked her to, she ran to the people in the castle absentmindedly and constantly messes up her work. Good thing is that she did not mess up the food she made for Masamune.

She felt pathetic, and wanted to slap herself for letting her mixed emotions get into her. Her past, Inuchiyo’s proposal, and now her commitment to the Date Clan. If there is one thing that she hates, that is messing up her job.

This is too much for her.

Seeing Inuchiyo had somehow made the healed wounds in her heart reopened once more, not that she did not want to see him, she was just not prepared. He was a part of the memory she wanted to forget. But she did not want to forget him.

Aki was now stuck inside Masamune’s office, with Kojuro, Masamune and Shigezane.

“Aki, you’ve been working as Lord Masamune’s page for years. This is the second time you messed up. You do realize the importance of your job, do you?” Kojuro scolded, she closed her eyes. She was already expecting this. She can’t say anything, she doesn’t have any excuse. Even if there was, those were petty reasons. Still not acceptable to mess up everything.

“Kojuro, cut her some slack.” Shigezane interrupted,

“I’ll do whatever you want me to do, Lord Masamune.” She fiddled with her hands on her lap, anxiously looking down. She can feel their eyes on her. She didn’t want any of this, she just wanted to stay at Oshu with her new family now– the Date and Katakura. Yet, she also can’t find the courage to reject Inuchiyo that easily.

“Aki” She finally heard Lord Masamune’s voice, she looked up finally facing them. “I won’t stop you with your decisions. As long as it won’t affect your work here in the castle.” Aki bit her lip with Masamune’s words, as long as it won’t affect my work he says. She avoided thinking about it too much, she tried her best to focus on her work. She just can’t. “But judging from your performance today, you are clearly not yourself.”

She knows that they can’t help but worry for her.

“Lord Masamune. I deeply apologize for the trouble I’ve caused.” She bowed her head on the floor, “I will pay more attention to my actions and see to it that I won’t bring you anymore trouble.” Damn you for being so pathetic, Aki. This isn’t like you.

Kojuro sighed, he can’t bear Aki’s state anymore. He never thought that she, of all people would be this distracted with work and what was happening. Well of course she will be. She had it though all this time.

“Lord Masamune, if you would be considerate to give Aki a day off or two, maybe she needs it to clear her head.” Kojuro suggested, giving Aki a knowing look. “What? No, my work is important than clearing my head!” what she said was true, her work for the Date clan was more important than herself. She tried to protest but she ended up being scolded, again.

“Matchaki, you won’t get your work done if you are distracted. Take a time off.” Shigezane said, Matchaki? “Huh? No–“ She looked at Shigezane. "It’s not fair. You call me Taiyaki, so I am going to call you Matchaki.” Shigezane grinned. Their exchange made Kojuro sigh, these kids sure know how to make his head hurt.

“who are you calling Matchaki, Shigezane?” she whispered “It doesn’t matter anyway,” Of all the things she can feel right now, she feels as though they are trying to kick her out of her work. Or maybe she’s just overthinking it? She felt weak, and she’s going to cry anytime soon.

“Stop bickering. We have a matter to discuss, you are not kids anymore. Be serious about this.” Hearing Kojuro made the two shut their mouths “Aki, that is not the proper way to talk to a lord.” She kept quiet, tightly grasping her hakama that her knuckles were turning white. “I apologize, Lord Shigezane.” She replied shortly,

Masamune stared at his page. sure Aki’s work will be affected and she is the only page he has. If he were to allow her for days off, she would complain and insist that her work was more important, and if he won’t allow her, she’ll continue to mess up her work as his page.

Not that he does not trust her but, he’s also worried. Then he suddenly remembered something that she could do while working for him at the same time she can take a break. Masamune closed his eyes, before speaking.

“If you don’t want to, then fine. I remembered I have some matters that I needed you to attend to in a place you very well know.” He looked at her, then to Shigezane, both were waiting eagerly for his order.

Her face brightened upon hearing what Masamune said, “I will see to it that it will be done, Milord.” Aki answered, lowering herself once more in a bow.

“I will tell Shigezane the full details. He will be coming with you.”

“Yes Milord… wait what?” Aki questioned, but before she got an answer she heard the shoji door closing, leaving her alone with none other than… Shigezane.

Silence…

“Ahaha, I messed up quite bad today,” she laughed, as much as possible she wanted to stay positive, and to act like she used to. Aki stood up first, but a voice stopped her from walking out of the room.

“Yeah. Messed up so bad.” Shigezane chuckled halfheartedly, “Hey, Aki what’s happening with you?”

Good question, what is happening with her?

Shigezane stared at her back. She is clearly not fine. Even though she tried to laugh it off like it was nothing, lying to him was no use. He knew her since she was young,. Her eyes looked so lonely, she’s pale. He can’t help but worry for her. But he doesn’t have a choice but to wait patiently for her answer.

She turned around to look at him, then smiled again “I… don’t know. I apologize for my lack of concentration today.” Her hand was still on the shoji door, He can see her nibbling on her lower lip, her cheeks and nose are starting to flush a color of red. She’s really going to cry soon. He knew it.

“Aki…”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll get myself together. Trust me on this one!” She smiled reassuringly. “Ah, I should prepare Masamune-chan’s dinner soon. Well then, see you around Lord Shigezane.” She slid the door open, excusing herself.

🌸

The night went by quickly. After serving Masamune’s food and washing the dishes, Aki climbed the tree outside her chambers to stare at the moon shining up above with the stars.

“Marriage… huh.” She mumbled to herself. She should come up with a decision soon. Come to think of it, she never got the chance to speak to Inuchiyo about his so-called proposal. The night was still young, she figured it would be best to talk about it tonight, atleast before Lord Masamune sends her away on some ‘job’.

Inuchiyo was preparing his things for an unexpected summon from Owari. He was to depart for tomorrow, he moved out of the Yonezawa earlier that day to stay at the inn just near the castle. He does not want to continue interfering with Aki’s work, seeing that she’s already busy. Though she might not bother to come, he told her where he’s going to stay for the night.

He thought it would be nice to go into the town to see just what kind of place Aki lived in for the past years since he last saw her. He was curious and wanted to know more about Oshu. Deciding to go out alone, Inuchiyo slid the door of his room open, when he saw Aki outside, walking towards him. He never expected to see her in this place, alone.

“Hey.” She greeted, a smile on her face. “We’re supposed to go out to town today, sorry I was late. Am I bothering you?” She added,

He was surprised to see her, “shouldn’t you be at the castle?”

“I finished my work early, and I promised to see you today didn’t I? Let’s go.” Inuchiyo smiled at her enthusiasm, he followed her out of the door of the inn and into the town.

This was the second time he was left alone with her. Yet he still can’t help but feel worried and awkward at the same time. Glancing at Aki beside him, he saw her to be as usual.

“Oshu is really a beautiful place, Inuchiyo. I’m glad you got the chance to visit here.” She said, looking around the lively town.

“It is…” he smiled, “how did you end up here, Aki?”

He saw her tilt her head to the side, seeming to think deeply for her answer. “Can we talk about that when we found a place to sit and relax? I brought dinner.” She held the furoshiki bag close to his face.

“Fine fine… want to stop by at a kimono store?” He asked.

“Why?” She asked him, staring at Inuchiyo’s kimono, she gasped “COULD IT BE THAT YOU WANTED TO CHANGE THE COLOR OF YOUR KIMONO?!” He flicked her forehead, giving Aki an irritated look.

“The hell is wrong with the color of my kimono, Aki?” He sighed “I’m going to buy you some kimono. You can’t wear a men’s hakama forever, Aki. You’re a woman.” He said, flicking her forehead again lightly. He saw her pouting her lips while rubbing her forehead.

“OW! That’s the second time! Inuchiyo, I wear kimonos too you know.” She pinched his arm.

“Ouch!Oh yeah? Then why didn’t I see you wearing one? And Kojuro told me you’ve been wearing hakama since they took you in.”

“Woah, you and brother got that close? Ah, I meant I used to wear kimono,” she giggled, in Inuchiyo’s eyes she still looked at him the same way as before “When we were kids!”

Inuchiyo can’t help but smile at her.

- He really wasn’t kidding when he said he’s going to buy her kimono.

They stopped by a nearby kimono shop. There he chose the colors and designs fitting for her. Some are everyday wear and he also bought her some formal ones, complete with a number of Kanzashi. Aki can’t help but close her eyes, she wanted to eat, she wanted to talk with him.

Once they finished strolling around the city, buying some supplies and eating dinner, the two went to a nearby river to catch up with things that happened to them during t ten years they didn’t see each other.

Aki stared at his amethyst-colored eyes, she’s seeing something that was never been there before. He wasn’t the same as he is back then. He is stronger, he’s really a grown up now.

“… so, that’s how I ended up in Lord Kojuro’s care.” Aki noticed that Inuchiyo had been staring at the river the whole time when she started talking about how she ended up being in Oshu. Inuchiyo seemed to be lost in thought. She looked up at the moon above, taking a deep breath, she called his name, hoping to get his attention again.

“Enough about me… the reason why I wanted to talk to you was… to ask you something.” Inuchiyo looked at her.

“What is it?”

“Inuchiyo, why…?” She finally asked, “why do you suddenly show up after ten years and then ask me to marry you?” She waited for his answer, the crickets, the sound flowing waters of the river can be heard. Inuchiyo finally stared straight into her eyes,

“When you went missing… I did my best to find you. You were… only 13 then,” he said, cupping her cheeks with his hand. “I’ve already found you five years ago. But I watched you from afar.” Here it is again, she thought. He looked vulnerable and hurt… “I’m sorry, Aki. I am doing this because…” she gulped, she continued to listen despite the pain and the throbbing of her heart.

With the look in his eyes, she already knew why he was doing this.

“… I love you.” He said, “I love you, Aki.”

[themanicgalaxy]

SPN 5X9 the Real Ghostbusters

...oh mORE META?

oh HELL YEAH Actually this might not be good, but let's do this

oh yeah never mind this is going to be a mess

the bb flashbacks tho, they were so small

Chuck...said come...uh oh

B E CK Y

nope nope I'm muting this oh my goD KILL ME

he's..is Chuck dating Becky

nothing makes sense anymore

the leather jacket again? oh?

...hey wasn't last episode also emotionally raw?

also cuz the jacket is recognizable I think

the FUCKING SCARECROW FROM SEASON 1??

thEIR REACTIONS TO THE MERCHANDISE LMAOOO

theY'RE SO TALL COMPARED TO HER

I cannot believe that they just said "frightened little boy(Dean)" and "the homoerotic subtext of supernatural" what the FUCK WAS GOING ON HERE

listen I wasn't in the fandom then I don't know what's happening what is happening what the fuck

great so God's a terrible public speaker

nothin makes sense anymore

"Where'd you come up with the characters" *stares directly at Sam and Dean*

their technique is getting critiqued lmaO

Sam's like "fair enough," Dean's taking it personally

Becky what the fuck

"Dean goes to hell what happens"

Dean in the back of the auditorium: wow I SURE WONDER

dang now I want a yellow eyed cooler

God is actively trying to date a Samgirl

I...just...typed that what the fuck

"I'm not a good writer" THEY FUCKING WARNED US

ah they're roleplaying I see ok

"who gave you the right to our life story" and "our lives aren't for public consumption" are raw ass fucking lines tho

aw Dean doesn't know what LARPing is yet

they got the badges too with the stupidfucking FBI agent names

oh god they actually show up

oh my god it's a Tulsa isn't it

B L A I R WALDORF?

oh it wasn't her

it doesn't work cuz they think it's them

I think they should lose a look alike contest I think that would be funny

oh it's...actually authentic oops

lmao he said the actual thing oh my gOD

oh god they think it's part of the game but GUYS IT'S NOT

the role-play hurts me

no NO THOSE ARE ACTUAL CLUES OH MY GOD

hey I have a shirt the same color and pattern as Sam's

god this kid is actually terrifying, as is this episode

Becky what the fuck

ah Dean has the parental issues ok

ah and they found the other guys

thEY MAKE SAM AND DEAN BE RUFUS AND BOBBY AHAHHAAHAH

yeah fuckers have fun getting therapized by NERDS

"why choose to be us" oh gOD THAT'S HIS DAMAGE WAIT

"Their pain is not for your enjoyment" :(

Sam saying he takes it seriously oh my GOD AHAHA

hey wait in the meta plot line does that mean the fans like the character versions and not the writers? Is that how that works?

wow I just cannot tell what is happening anymore

ah he takes the Dean Shot that's neat

"we read the books" LMAO

"and screw you very much" LMAOOO

ah it's the lady

ah jeez not the kid

wait who did it? the kids??

oh good it is the other kids

the mom was trying to protect him

"invasive questions" seriously

the angels lmAO

'lapping" dean

oh they were only scared of Letiticia and the...larpers

oh that's so neat

"we got to do something, even if we're terrified"

the story gives them strength aw

I'm so sad they stopped making him say sweetheart that was sweet

oh shit the ringtone

it almost worked

enough to buy them time ig

these kids are so fucked up omg

Chuck has gone to the Worst Stories oh my god

this is gonna be fun

HEY CHUCK GOT TO BE A HERO!

yes it's a bit self congratulatory it was still cool

Rob Benedict is fun

lmAO WE SHOULD PUT THEM ON A BUNGEE

they don't believe him

it was a GOOD LINE Though

they get to be the escapism for people! they get to have a family that would die for them!

that's so good though

are they..

no they seem just friends

if they snuck in w//nc//st I was gonna be very confused

ah good here's the Becky plotline I have fun

he'S SO TALL COMPARED TO THEM

sAM YOU CHEEKY BASTARD

yes go and date Becky God

"no not really we have guns and we'll find you" AHAHAHA

oh my god

oH MY GOD THE WRITER CLAIRVOYANCE

HOLY FUCK WAIT OH MY GOD THAT'S SO GOOD

cROWLEY! C R O W L EY !? C R O W LE Y!!

aW DEAN

THEY JUST FORCED HIM TO SAY SHIT LMAO

THEIR REACTIONS TO CHUCK’S EMBARASSING STORIES LMAOOOO

1 the good fan portrayals! look..yeah ok there was some stuff that was weird, we weren’t supposed to see them as like..the Ideal. but the whole thing of like…family that cares about you and that you care about and saving the world? they did understand that part of the appeal at least, they were just wrong about their target audience. The majority was sad teens, but…I think…I think they had the right vague Idea. It wasn’t AS unsympathetic as I thought.

2. the bad whatever the FUCK they were doing with Becky. Like…oh wow. Some of the convention stuff was clearly made to be mocking. Actually a lot of it. I’m honestly surprised at ANY good. Jesus that was cringe for like 80%. Like I’m glad in the end it…tried, but OUCH it was…Listen I get it wasn’t your target demo but you still have fans guys for FUCK’S SAKE

3. the reactions listen…Sam’s lil “ah yeah this is kinda funny in places, we can make this work, I can hide it” vs Dean’s “WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE”…like idk Sam at least feels like someone who has let himself be weird and nerdy, Dean hasn’t, so he knows the vibe. Also I feel like Dean hates himself and his life a lot more than Sam does, regardless of how much they pretend it’s the other way. Like it reads as everything Dean wanted not to be, or was told not to be, and like…yeah ok there’s a metaphor in there. Whereas Sam the Protagonist is just kinda more chill. Also that one scene at the end was unironically funny(no chuck abort was very good)

4. the meta/self congratulatory ok as far as meta: they did take advantage of the fact that we the audience know shit the characters don’t to like…actually find the colt! like that was a very good use of meta! using the lady as the matron was also good use of meta! and yeah it’s self congratulatory(nerdy underdog niceguy writer gets the girl that’s a fan of his work)(hey if chuck’s a stand in that’s really fucked up guys) but that scene with Chuck was actually cool, and yknow…he’s not that bad right now. I know he will be, but he’s just kinda fun and funny

5. actually really good set up and payoff this episode like the shot glasses, the lady, the “they all think it’s a joke” hell even the fucking colt and bela and crowley. I just thought it was neat

6 hbo supernatural. Ok so…every single thing that was a bit Lighthearted ended up dark and vice versa. I think that they’re straddling this line a lil bit here, because they clearly wanna tell darker stories, but the CW is forcing them to stay peppy and they’re…not fantastic at integrating it. Like changing channels has two COMPLETELY separate vibes. I think that actually the curious case did it better, but both are good. Once again, the straining against circumstances that makes this fucking show so compelling, even if it’s not good

7 BELAAAA FINALLY A NAMEDROPPPP!! YES THAT'S ALL IT WAS BUT I MISS HERRRR

and that was our meta section of the season peeps!

[comicteaparty]

April 12th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on April 12th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on The Robonoid Fan by Mharz.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY START!

Good day everyone~! This week’s Comic Tea Party is now officially beginning~! Today we are discussing The Robonoid Fan by Mharz~! (http://robonoid.mharz.com/) For those new or in need of a reminder, discussions about the comic are freeform, so please feel free to bring up whatever you wish. However, every 30 minutes I will be dropping in a discussion question to help those who would like a prompt. These questions are totally OPTIONAL to answer, and you can pay them no mind if you wish. If you miss out on any though, they’ll be pinned for the duration of the chat once they’re posted~! Remember, constructive criticism is allowed, but the primary focus here is to have fun and appreciate the amazing comics that the community makes~! As a bonus, each chat a top comment will be picked and featured in the archives and on an ad for CTP! All that being said, let’s get started and have a great discussion!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

snuffysam

The end is probably my favorite part. It's a sad ending, but it really shows how Meirin was able to change, and Shin wasn't.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i....i didnt even get to pin it before you replied

✨Respheal✨

snuffy was READY

🌟Draco Plato🌟

I liked seeing Meirin at work in the beginning, it reminded me of how fun interacting with customers was

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i liked the illustration for the end. there was something really melancholy about the composition

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

YO IS IT TIME FOR A MHARZ COMIC TO BE IN A CTP?

StickFreeks

I liked the ending too! It was a neat twist, I really wasn't expecting it.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yeah the ending was pretty good

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Oooh, boy. I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT MY FAVORITE SCENE IN THIS I agree, it's the end scene. AAAAAAAAAAA Shin. Shin. Booooooooooooooooi. I was SO glad Meirin didn't respond in the affirmative for Shin. He was kind of a butt. I mean, he had potential for growth, but clearly didn't. AND I'm really honestly curious who the person he <Spoilered> was to him, and what relation they had. I wanna know!! But Shin, that doesn't... excuse anything.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

@draco meirin at work reminded me more of the parts of work where professionally jealousy is concerned even though your rivals are also your friends cause work politeness or something

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Also I read the epilogue in the book and let me tell you I felt so much better after reading it but also Shin never changes let me tell you

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Can i just say Shin has really nice hair

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

(OK, yes he does, but only when forced by circumstance)

StickFreeks

I had the idea that he got fired / replaced by somebody and that's what the drama was that led to his actions.

🌟Draco Plato🌟

@Rebel yeah there was that aspect of it too~

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

THAT SAID -- I also kind of wanted to see the two of them get together up until that last scene.

🌟Draco Plato🌟

i thought shin needed therapy XD

son plz calm down

✨Respheal✨

@StickFreeks I agree: http://robonoid.mharz.com/comic/56

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Ahaha. Oh, I Thought that was the case, but was the replacement the same person that caused him to get arrested?

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Damn adults.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i think it is implied its the same person maybe

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

And poor Shin, all the hell he goes through

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i mean its the logical conclusion to make

StickFreeks

I think he deserved his end, I didn't really feel bad for him.

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

my favorite was merin watching robonoid, i'm sucker for that henshin stuff(edited)

🌟Draco Plato🌟

i liked that too delta

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i have to agree that was my fave scene. i liked watching meirin get legit excited about it and i liked she changed her opinion on the show just being for kids

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yeah, it's pretty cute

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Meirin is adorable, though

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

@Kabo (I know right?)

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

henshin shows can get fuckin dark, like garo and the OG kamren rider, they aint just for kids

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yus she is adorable~

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

^^^^^

Delta's right

StickFreeks

I couldn't tell if Shin was emulating Robonoid's hair or if they just had the same hair, but I was convinced that he was the "real" Robonoid for a good while.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

hahaha i thought that too. that shin was like the va or something and thats what he did for work XD

🌟Draco Plato🌟

same

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

he was probably emulating it, i know if i could wear a kamen rider helmet everyday i would

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

kek

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

gotta represent your favorite stuff

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yus

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

^^^

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I dunno, Shin was pretty rich. I think he WAS the actor. :3

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

maybe he was, we could ask mharz later

StickFreeks

I thought he was blowing all his money after getting fired. XD

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i partly assumed his emulation was a representation of his fragile mental state. cause i feel shin desperately wanted to be the hero and not the bad guy. so gotta emulate a hero to reflect that

🌟Draco Plato🌟

same rebel

✨Respheal✨

Yeah

🌟Draco Plato🌟

he may have been rich in that he knew he was probably going to go to jail soon too

so just spent it up

✨Respheal✨

I was just thinking that he was trying to "take justice into his own hands, like a hero" and didn't have the adult recognition of where to draw the line(edited)

StickFreeks

I'm still unsure why he had the intent to kill somebody- like I know his "motive", but it seems unreasonable that he'd do something like that after trying to protect the kid.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

That seems fair

🌟Draco Plato🌟

super heroes don't generally kill people either

so it is a bit out of character perhaps

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

well monster die in the end of henshin shows, maybe he saw them as the monster

🌟Draco Plato🌟

altho he also was obsessive and crazy

oh that could be delta

StickFreeks

It makes for a good story, I just wish that there was some more build up or representation of him getting to that line

outside of "adults are terrible"

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

like every episode the monster explodes once they've been beaten

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Pretty much

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yeah i agree stick(edited)

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

yeah it did come outta now where for me

🌟Draco Plato🌟

i think as a reader I felt a biiit too detached from Shin to grasp his whole character picture

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

If memory serves, Mharz did note that this story was started in 2011 -- so it's an older work!

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

since were seeing things though merin, we didn't really get everything about shin

StickFreeks

I think I was most confused by why he asked Meirin to "wait for him", since it seemed like they had just been friends for at most a couple of weeks

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i didnt find him killing unreasonable. partly 1 because we have the phrase crime of passion for a reason. even the most reasonable ppl can do dumb crap if theyre angry enough. and i think part of shin's character is that hes a hypocrite. so of course as a hypocrite hes going to do contraditory things.

yeah i have to say i was confused on the time scale here

StickFreeks

That's very true, he did have that "unexpected crazy", I just wish it was shown more. XD

Or in more drastic ways, anyway

✨Respheal✨

Hmm, I wonder why he was going by an alias the whole time

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

especially for when shin committed the crime. thats the only wrench i see in the victim being the guy who replaced shin. cause from shin's words it sounded like itd happen after he met meirin. but then why was shin there in the first place when he could probably afford a much better place to live?

✨Respheal✨

Might he have done things before?

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Hnngh, IDK if the guy that Shin got arrested about was his replacement

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

merch can cost a lot rebel

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

it can but at that point, priorities man XD priorities

🌟Draco Plato🌟

also girl not going to wait for your ass shin, she knew you a month tops, you weren't even dating, and you going to jail for life

StickFreeks

Yeah seriously XD

🌟Draco Plato🌟

also still wondering if he drugged her

when he brought her back from the restaurant

ruffies are a thing

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Can... I talk about the epilogue?

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

god that be fucked if so

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

or is that TOO spoilery?

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

i don't see why not kabo

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

AHAHAHHAA I wish Mharz was here XD

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

i do too

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

but lemme tell you -- Meirin continues to keep her common sense.

🌟Draco Plato🌟

wait where's the epilogue

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I think, short of spoiling it. That's the best I can say.

It's in print only atm

🌟Draco Plato🌟

awwwww

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

OH WAIT

https://gumroad.com/l/robonoid-epilogue

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

OMGG

StickFreeks

Oh yay! Thanks!

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

OH SHIT

🌟Draco Plato🌟

omg did he date rape her

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

It's 10 years later. I would say it's worth it. It's $2, but y'all should throw some money at Mharz

and JUST READ IT JUST... READ IT NOW

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

AAAHHHH

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

It's very cute and lemme tell you, again, Meirin continues to keep her common sense and I love her so much.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I need to get this

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

im glad meirin doesnt go on some i hate adults spree and realizes responsibilites are indeed a thing

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I think having to actually worry about paying rent is kind of important XD

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yus

StickFreeks

I gotta drop out a bit early but this was fun! :D See ya!

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

see ya

🌟Draco Plato🌟

bye stick~!

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Bye!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

thanks for coming stick~!

maybe the dating scene sucks where meirin lives. so she waits cause otherwise eww has to date oldman bankerman or something XD

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Ahahahahaha oh dear.

🌟Draco Plato🌟

well did he not go to jail for murder then?

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Oh no he definitely did

🌟Draco Plato🌟

but he gets out 10 years later?

that'd be a super short murder sentence

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

good behavior maybe?

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Well, I guess that'd depend on your lawyer

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Hmmm

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

and also the story's set in the Phillipines, so it might be slightly different depending on circumstance

🌟Draco Plato🌟

maybe, but geezus

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

oh gosh, what if Shin's crime was an accident

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

also I GOT THE EPILOUGE

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 2. At the end of the comic, Shin, whose real identity is revealed to be Manuel Robles, is arrested under the suspicion of murdering an Intelligence Communications employee named Sid Simon. Do you think Shin actually committed the crime? If yes, what do you think his motive was? If no, why do you think Shin is the primary suspect (and will his innocence be proven)? Given Shin’s leanings on hating adults who lie, why do you think Shin himself was so willing to commit such a huge lie? What do you foresee in general for Shin’s future and will he reflect upon his time with Meirin?

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

It's SO HEARTWARMING

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

RIGHT, JUSTIN?! I told you, Meirin keeps her goddamn sense!

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

YESSSS

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

honestly, that murder thing was a huge left turn for me, i had no idea that was going to be a thing and i'm still a little confused on it

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Also -- OMG, I think Shin DID commit the murder, although maybe it might have been manslaughter. He was hiding and scared before he got arrested. Even if he was an asshole with violent tendencies, I have a hard time thinking the act was actually premeditated.

also tbh I was kind of hoping it was the neighbor kid's mom but well. No, that wasn't the case.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

im leaning towards he did the murder. though i am 100% in the it was a crime of passion category. cause shin seems pretty explosive in general. so i could see him seeing some shady stuff going on him being like "that asshole murders oh whoops."

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

"Oops, I punched this guy and he hit his head on the floor the wrong way"

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

that being said, despite thinking that the victim was who replaced him, i actually think the motive was different. that shin confronted him over something else entirely

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

"it was the stairs, i swear officer"

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Well considering how triggered Shin got...

✨Respheal✨

I'm just hung up on the question of why he was using a fake name in the first place

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Only with Meirin, though

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

maybe to be cool

✨Respheal✨

Maybe

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Wait

How old even is Shin?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

28

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

oh wow

🌟Draco Plato🌟

i didn't understand why he didn't resist arrest

and was just sitting there basically waiting

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Guilty conscience!

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

he wanted to be a hero, justice came to his door, what kinda hero would run from justice

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I think Shin probably was like "yeah well, I'm boned"

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

yea

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah that is one that bugs me. why the fake name? and also why was he so....different when meirin showed up? like for a moment i thought he was undercover

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yeeeah

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Ahahahaha

🌟Draco Plato🌟

how was he different?

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Maybe Shin gave acquaintences a fake name so he wouldn't get bugged

🌟Draco Plato🌟

she said he was different but i kept flipping back and forth like is it the shirt

he looks the same

or did she just mean his personality

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

she meant his personality

cause he wasnt all angry

with his furrowed brows

🌟Draco Plato🌟

but everyone's got different mood days

so it didn't strike me as that weird

(edited)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

it struck me as weird cause that was the first time seeing it. so if i was meirin i wouldve been like this is weird the first time. if it happened again okay whatever, different mood

🌟Draco Plato🌟

i wonder why going to jail mellowed him out

did he smoke a bowl before she showed up

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

shin mightve just chilled some cause he was going to confess to meirin. ya know, without telling her hes a dirty, dirty murderer

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Or his real name

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

This

Also I finally decided to jump to the middle of the story

🌟Draco Plato🌟

hey Meirin, I know I just met you, but call me maybe

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Definitely seems like Shin is a fishy person in general

with how he acts

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yeah he does

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

in the 50's pages(edited)

🌟Draco Plato🌟

i knew the ending before i started reading so i think it made it easier to see he was shifty

early on

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

lol

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I dunno that Shin's really shifty? Just... .... In need of an attitude adjustment

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

^

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

yeah

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

A few thwaps upside the head might get ya killed tho

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i didnt find him shifty. what i found shifty was meirin's landlord was nowhere around to complain to. which i know she explained it, but what a terrible landlord.

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

hes an idealist in a world where that thinking doesn't work

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

wait if the landlord is gone how did shin even get a room? this is why i wish i knew when the murder was. cause if shin was hiding there from teh start it makes sense how he showed up so suddenly. he was a squatter

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Pretty much

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

the landlord is probably a company

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

wish i reread it before this

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

XD "Hi here's my check"

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

tfw I'm jsut reading the whole thing now

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

didnt sound like it cause meirin siad the landlord was out of town or something. i remember this distinctly cause right before i read that i was like "meirin just complain to the landlord this is why they exist wtf." and then meirin explained why she wasnt doing that and i felt the fool

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Sorry I'm late. Today's been a day. ^.^ I'll respond to remarks from half an hour ago for a bit.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

hi math~!

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

MATH

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Favourite bit's a tossup. I liked when she brought food and then was going to leave but relented when she realized he was actually really hungry, that was kind of touching. But I also liked when she thought it was a ghost near the start, that was funny.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i liked how she flipped her gears so quick and was like "jk thats silly its a new tenant"

common sense meirin

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, the ending was really interesting. Didn't anticipate that. Kind of casts everything in a slightly different light?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yes. although if were being critical i do wish the ending had been foreshadowed a bit more. it kind of came out of left field for me

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Hmmm. If Shin WAS a squatter... does that mean he never had a key

also, how long was that body gone for

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

so you didn't see that coming either

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

StickFreeks: Oh, damn, good catch! (With the firing leading to the drama.)

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Okay I pretty much read the whole story now

including the epilouge

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

its wierd to thinks he a squatter cause didn't we see inside his room with all the robonoid stuff

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I love it and how realistic it approaches things

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Rebel: Yeah, good point about the emulating on purpose with hair. I agrees.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

no one said squatters cant have stuff. shin didnt seem like he had a whole bunch of stuff tho to me

but i might be biased cause i have like 5 times that amount of stuff in my room not even counting all the shit stored in my closet

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Also yeah the police invasion (sorry for spoilers) came out of nowhare

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

maybe i'm just mis-remembering then(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince���

Respheal: Yeah, the alias thing made me wonder!

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

also I feel ya

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Shin moves from safe house to safe house with his favorite things

he only really had a computer and some posters, assuming the bed was part of the apartment

IS IT THEORY TIME

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah given the style of the bed to me it seemed more like it must of been a prefurnished apartment

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

DID SOMEONE SAY THEROIES

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, with the dead guy being in Intelligence, I thought maybe Shin was some sort of spy who got too caught up in his cover or something.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Meirin: An adorable cinnamon roll of a character, perfect, do not question her. We know the story's from her point of view. Probably did not wait for Shin because she has common sense. Shin: A homeless, murderous squatter who might have been robonoid at one point or another -- and then got fired. Killed a guy, but didn't put a gun against his head or pull a trigger, but the guy's dead. Hates giving his real name because people are jerks and Shin sounds much cooler ANYWAY. "SHINJITE KUREYO"(edited)

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

>Shin was Robonoid

at some point

I love that theroy

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Buboy's probably yelling at his mom, "Mama... Life has just begun... But that guy had gone and thrown it all awaaaaaaaaaaaaay"

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I liked how she said "its a new tenant... but what IF IT'S NOT... no it is". Just something about that.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

kabo that shin description geez XD homeless, murderous squatter

tbf

if he is a squatter

it is a not O_O

hes not a new tenant in that case

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Oh, also, he probably stole someone's credit card.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe Shin's parents created Robonoid. Modelled him after their son. He could never live up to their expectations.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

shin grew up, learned there werent monsters and giant robots in real life. was eternally devastated

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Okay, I'm caught up to the present now. ^.^

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

:3

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

if he stole a credit card that would explain the fancy restaurant

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

im glad shin had a job at some point cause tbh at first i thought he might just not do anything all day but watch robonoid

QUESTION 3. As Meirin spends time with Shin throughout the comic, she seems to change bit by bit. Do you think Meirin will remain changed, or will the comic’s ending cause her to revert back to her old ways of thinking? Do you think she will remain a Robonoid fan herself, or will it just bring back bad memories? How do you think watching Shin be arrested will affect Meirin in general? Most importantly, do you think she’ll wait for Shin like Shin asked her to? Why or why not?

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

IF MEIRIN WAITS FOR SHIN, SHE IS A FOOL

MEIRIN IS NOT A FOOL

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Rebel: Oooh, good point, I forgot about the restauruant.

snuffysam

I sure hope she doesn't wait for Shin. Keep watching Robonoid if you want, but move on with your life.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

so by that do you mean meirin just marries shin while hes in jail? XD

✨Respheal✨

For real 8V (I gotta start winding down for bed so I'm ducking out o/)(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I tend to agree with Kabocha there. Interesting thought, the idea that Robonoid would bring up bad memories though. Hmmm.... maybe not? If she's able to talk with people like the little kid?

snuffysam

I think she might take up Shin's mantle of helping kids? Like, if she sees a kid in need, she'll help them?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Meirin marries Robonoid.

✨Respheal✨

pff

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

:'3

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Shin is the priest.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

FROM JAIL

It's a video wedding.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I would say maybe somewhare inbetween

to answer the question

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

i'd like to think meirin would keeping being a robonoid fan, yeah sure the guy that introduced it to you may be a murder but a good show is a good show, when she scracted the surface of it why let the dumb thing wiegh down your enjoyment of it

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

meirin kidnaps that abused kid and runs away from him. cant wait for shin because shes on the run

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I really want to know what happened to the abused kid

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

tbf with shin arrested meirin can take all his stuff. so no reason not to be a fan. someone has to have all that merch

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

exactly

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

it's probably evidence

Shin stole it from Sid Simon.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

the true motive

shin wanted that sweet limited edition poster

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yes

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, I wondered about the abused kid too. They both kind of had valid points, need to not ignore it but getting involved can just cause problems for everyone.

Shin took down all his stuff though before he was arrested.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

that scene really made me wonder if the country has a cps. cause the thing you should actually do in that situation is call cps

but different country, different protocols

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

What's CPS? thinks Oh, child protection services, right. Would probably need some kind of evidence.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea

I'm curious too

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i dont think you need evidence persay? well to report abuse you dont and i think they usually send someone out. to take the child is when they need the evidence

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i know in america they avoid that tho because foster care is terrible and often damages the child even more

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

At least Meirin will finally get some sleep? (Though she had trouble that time it was too quiet, so hard to say.)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

but still idk. i dont think either of their answers were right. cause shin's jump to violence and all that certainly is bad and if hes trying to not go to jail thats not how you do it. although in retrospect maybe thats why shin was ready to go for that. he might assume hes going to jail at some point so what does he have to lose? on the otherhand that, i dont agree with meirin's lets ignore it either, because that is exactly how abuse endures

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

meirin can just put on robonoid fan in the bg

problem solved

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I'd say they should have done something about it

without going to violence

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Agreed, both of them were kind of right. That felt like a bit of a loose thread.

(Or kind of wrong, depending on your POV.)

At least Shin didn't bite her hand when she silenced him.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

they were both right and wrong at the end of the day, imo.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

:'3 The story has some shades of gray to it.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Even Robonoid's not perfect. Dude seems to show up late to fights.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah i think at the end that was kind of the point. that adults and kids arent some black and white thing and that theres a fine line between good and bad. as meirin put it, "you should think like a child but not be a spoiled brat."

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Lol, Math

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

i chalk that up to how henshin shows go, monster has to cause some havoc first mat

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Robonoid's probably responsible for tons of property damage.

Imagine the insurance bills!

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

oh of course he is

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

his oh so much

*this

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

'Tis a good quote, Rebel.

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

theres tons of explosions and builds collapsing everytime a monster shows up

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Lots of dea--- oh no shin really was robonoid

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I could imagine that if the series was longer, it would start to show some of the faults of the Robonoid character

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Is Robonoid really a robot?

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

maybe, could be an ultraman thing where he just gets really big

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

and maybe Meirin would get some idea of why Shin gets bad influences from an anime aimed at kids.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

SJB: Ooh, maybe. I wonder if there's more than the two videos.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

True

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

there has to be, it seemed like serialized show

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

It would have bene cool to see more of the Robonoid franchise and it's influence in Shin

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Robonoid III: Now He's Really A Noid.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Don't let him get the pizza

Maybe an extended cut of the comic could show more of Shin's character and his fondness for children(edited)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah it seemed like a serialized show to me. there were multiple dvds. and since theres merch its more likely a show cause the points of those shows is to make shit tons of money selling merch

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

True

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

plot twist: shin is only nice to kids cause its his devious plan to steal their merch

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

audible gasp

🌟Draco Plato🌟

i did wonder that

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Shin is secretly being financed by Big Robo.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

LMAO

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

thats a whole different mech thing mat

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yis, and they're trying to devalue the other shows by having fans who steal merch from kids.

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

my god, to think big robo would do such a thing

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

so was the murder all about the fact sid simon actually was an undercover employee for big robo's rival. and shin discovered it but someone had to take the fall for their corporate espionage

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

yes

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

That could be canon!

Interesting that Meilin had heard of Sid somewhere. Was that in the comic?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i didnt see it anywhere besides the news. i think she was commenting more shed heard of intelligence communications

on a different note, i hope meirin keeps watching robonoid fan if only because i think meirin could use something light hearted in her day. working as a bank teller sounds horribly dull and irritating cause many angry customers.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

True

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

we could all use some henshin in our lives

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Gotcha. And yeah, hopefully she still sees it as a fun pasttime.

puts a hen on Shin's head

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

mat plz

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

lmao

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I'd sketch it but I'm not good with fast sketches.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 4. The comic deals with a lot of themes in regards to what it means to be a child, what it means to be an adult, and the good and bad that goes with each. Whose line of thinking in the comic did you find more compelling: Meirin’s or Shin’s? Why did that line of thinking appeal to you? Was there any scene in particular that you think was well done in showcasing the themes? Do you feel Shin’s lies ultimately hurt his arguments, or do you think they still stand up regardless? How does the Robonoid show fit in with the themes? Overall, what is your take away from the comic in regard to what it says about life?

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I honestly felt like I connected a lot to Shin

since me and him share a few weaknesses

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

The weird thing is, Shin's deception felt rather un-childlike. What was he gaining by lying? Most kids would have a reason for that.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

though I agree a lot with Meirin.

also yes that

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

shin's philosophy intrigued me more as its similar to my own

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

You can see from both sides with the characters. Which is nice.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

me and Delta are one and the same

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Shin loses some credibility for calling Meirin old though.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

lol

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I mean, I get it was in character, but speaking as an old person, booooo

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i saw points on both sides but i sided with meirin way more. while she could stand to be more light-hearted, i was more attune to her being a responsible adult and accepting there are just things that you have to do as an adult

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Shin was definitely stubborn. I think the idea of him being "in his own world" was nicely set up from the start with him playing loud audio late at night.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Like I always do

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

But your neighbours. O.o

(They'll think it's a ghost!)

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Thnakfuly i don't do it every night

Sounds like a fun story to do on Halloween

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

actually not going to lie, that opening scene is also what made me side with meirin's thinking more. XD cause she made a reasonable request that his stuff is too loud. and he responded by being a brat. so no matter how much i see validity in his points, ill always see it as coming from a place of a spoiled adult who thinks if he clings to childhood he suddenly wont be an adult XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Rebel: There's truth to that, yeah.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Indeed, Rebel

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

An interesting thing was how we did get some scenes at Meirin's work, fleshing out her world a bit, so she wasn't tied to the apartment. So it might have been easier to side with her too, she was more multifaceted.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

^^^

Maybe we needed to see more of Shin's life without Mei's influence/presence(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

More adult, even.

Shin, apparently living the high life with not worrying much for money, but tending to forget to eat.

(I admit, sometimes I get so caught up in work I forget to eat.)

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

same

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I wonder what Robonoid would be like from Shin's point of view.

"Huh, she's cu--- WHY IS SHE YELLING AT ME GO AWAY Y'OLD HAG"

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i kind of wish wed seen a bit more of meirin's life outside. like even more than we see. like id have actually liked to see her tell her coworker about shin vs. it being relayed as an afterfact already happened

a version from shin's perspective might have been interesting

but also sounds angsty filled

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I was waiting for the ultimate Robonoid attack - "Robonoid Fan"! Big japanese fan that he waves at the enemy.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

did meirin ever say how old she was?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, I don't know if we needed to see from Shin's perspective. But maybe Meirin talking to her coworker and getting advice on someone similar?

I think she just said she was roughly the same age?

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Meirin said she was 25, I believe.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

nah i think the story works better completely from meirin's perspecive. id rather see shin's as like some offshoot extra

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yeah cause she said she wasn't that old then said her age

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

okay i thought she said she was 25

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

When Shin first called her an old hag :'3

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Oops, missed that.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

the fact shin was 28 at the end made me rethink that scene with much wtf

like shin

youre older

who are you calling a hag

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yeeeeeeah XD

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

he's a child at ~heart~

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

at the time he couldn't have known that

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Shin, you make worse decisions than a 14-year-old child who's never been told no and has no supervision

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Lmao

I agree with that

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

http://robonoid.mharz.com/comic/9

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Mature behavior

SirDelta God King of Mecha, Time

welp i was wrong

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

rereading that scene, his intimidation of Meirin shoulda been a dead giveaway...

🌟Draco Plato🌟

mmm yeah

that seems like foreshadowing now

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea.

Foreshadowing 70 or so pages ahread

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I like the art style by the way. Pretty simple, but made dynamic with expressions and backgrounds.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I agree

It reminds me of one of the video games I used to play since it had kinda a similar artstyle(edited)

I'll just say that(edited)

Simple, yet well crafted with lots of effort

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Which probably makes sense given the idea that Robonoid could be a video game too.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

True

and it is one in-story

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yes, crafted. And yes.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

if shin was a squatter him not locking the door makes sense

im totally banking on him being a squatter in hiding

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

True

Also every time I hear "squatter"

I imagine Shin listening to Russian gangsta music

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Shin, you gotta build your thighs. Do some squats.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i always wondered why no other neighbor complained about shin. like certainly someone shouldve been busybody enough to go around knocking on doors being like "do you believe this shit"

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yes

#Squatnation

also this

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, if he could hear the kid in the apartment below, couldn't they hear him listening to Robonoid?

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Doesn't he have like, two or four other neghibors?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

He is on the second floor. Bit of a weird place to squat. Got to carry all your stuffs upstairs.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yes

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Yeah, the kid mentioned he was hearing the robonoid theme

and he loved it

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Kabocha: Oh, that's right. Good catch.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Kudos to Kabo for catching that

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe meirin just picked a really shitty apartment

since nobody cares

just loud neighbors being loud

normal tuesday

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It's cheap. ^^

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

#LoudTuesday

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Here's a final puzzler. Do you think 'The Robonoid Fan' could also refer to Meirin, rather than Shin? Because she wasn't a fan, then became one, whereas Shin's whole persona seemed to be based on lies.

Well, that or denials.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i think it could be argued to refer to both of them.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I think it's for both.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

That's what I thought at first

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

since the themes were largely about how neither was completely right or wrong

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

But yeah applying it to both sounds accurate(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It's not plural though.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

but both their ideas combined was the true answer

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Or well, it probably centers around Shin, like the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi is... about haruhi, but the main chara is really Kyon

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

lol

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Shin is our troublesome character, who just happens to not be actually.... good at being a hero. SORRY SHIN.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Hmmm, interesting. (Oh, I hope Shin doesn't have amazing powers.)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

its a title, doesnt have to be plural to apply to both. cause metaphor.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

You don't get cookies for that scene in the epilogue, even though we all know Meirin made the right decisioooon

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Very meta. 4.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I know, it's probably both, but I'm just being silly at this point in the evening :3

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Oh Kabo~ :3(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

All good. Me too. Haven't even brought up any ships.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Meirin x Connie forever.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Well the epilogue conforms a ship and denies another

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Meirin x Big Sis?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

meirin x robonoid

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

just a small teaser

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Wait, wait: Crack theory before we run out of time

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

DO IT

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Meirin IS Big Sis

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

CRACK IT OPEN

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Robonoid takes place before The Angel with Black Wings

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

OMGGGG

I CAN SEE IT(edited)

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Meirin dies and becomes Big Sis. She wants to be called "Lola" as a rememberance to Shin. AND RAY IS SECRETLY HER LOVE CHILD WITH SHIN -- lookit the spiky hair

(lola being similar to "granny")

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

shin is ray's dad #confirmed

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe they're just twin sisters.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

this is the narrative i will push from now on

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

This explains SO MUCH

Kabocha: going off the rails at the last minute.

Superjusting of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

YES

🌟Draco Plato🌟

looooool

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

ANYWAY THIS COMIC IS GREAT READ IT PLS

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

tbf i didnt connect their hair till now XD

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

https://gumroad.com/mharz Buy Mharz's comics!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY END! Unfortunately, the scheduled Comic Tea Party time is now up~! Thank you everyone so much for reading and joining this week’s chat~! We want to give a special thank you to Mharz, as well, for making The Robonoid Fan and volunteering it for our reading queue. If you liked the comic, please be sure to support Mharz’s efforts however you’re able to. All that being said, if you would like to continue discussing this week’s comic, we highly encourage you to do so~!

For next week, Comic Tea Party will focus on Evil Witch Allie by Kristin Tipping. As always, please use the next several days to read as much of the comic as you would like. We hope to see you next Thursday on April 19th from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat~! Until then, happy reading~! Comic: http://www.evilwitchallie.com/