#this is probably an expression of one of my recurring characters

[manorinthewoods]

What was more surprising than the level of technology I discovered was the fact that, primarily, it was my cult responsible for the advancements.

Seriously, they'd made a whole pantheon based around my adventuring days, which was rather silly. And their holy texts were, at least in part, translations of my own personal tome, which was... concerning. Luckily, they hadn't gotten to any of the important secrets, such as the identity of my beloved pet.

Citrus had come with me on our journey through the river of time. (Quite literal - I'd had to build a boat for the process.) Though he was the dragon of mathematics, even he was stumped by some of these abstract fields modern mathematicians had developed.

Such an interesting world! Their machines ran on a magic the complexity of which I'd only theorised. Their artworks! When an artist could conquer the corrupted environment of the upper class, such impressive things they made! A library, flying on stone wings! A pool containing the sum total of human knowledge! Whole nascent gods, created as jokes! Sapient ideas!

And nevermind the real creations. Industrial summoning devices! Mechanical mages in every home, an aether spun between them! Chariots of painted steel! There were even these 'guns', created by a tinkerer to prove a point. Mechanical only, and yet they packed more of a punch than any spell I'd seen! (Excluding my own, of course, and accounting for the expense of action.)

Still, this wondrous realm was somehow... broken. Though they deftly manipulated electric minds between their fingers, there were pervasive winds of ennui. Exhaustion. The night was no longer dark, the day no longer bright. The smell of oil, so omnipresent you could barely distinguish it. Rituals that were once filled with awe and splendor, now reduced as far as they could be, in the name of efficiency, automation.

Djinni were once extraordinary things, but with their origins revealed, now they were manufactured en masse. The curtain of ages was snatched away to reveal the truth of them; mere golems, grown more intelligent with age. And the old djinni could not stand out against the endless sea of new idiots, broken in their fundament so that they could be more efficient at whatever asinine task they were put to this time. These creations... they had no hope. There was no way for one to grow, to become more, when its creator was ever-so-invested in his crier of smoke never changing its cry. (Advertisement? Was that seriously the only thing they could conceive of, when they could manufacture new minds in arbitrary quantity?)

So after a long year of exploration, of discovery, I considered... the boat. There was much to learn here, yet, somehow, the world felt more boring than the one I'd left. All the excitement had been sucked out of it. There were no new places to explore, dark corners to illuminate. Everything was a purposeless struggle.

So I, and my familiar, went back to the boat. It had looked so wonderful when I had first built it. Now, it was just... stupid. It looked dumb. Overengineered. All those additions were silly, when it could be so much simpler, more efficient. But it still worked.

We set off for the next age, in the hopes that perhaps, one day, there would be life in the world again.

You were the greatest archmage in the kingdom and so powerful that you discovered all there was to discover at the time. So, utterly bored but unwilling to die, you decided to freeze yourself in time for a thousand years. After you unfreeze you find yourself in a modern information age world.

[musical-chick-13]

(Mild DW Christmas 2023 Spoilers in tags)

[queenofapeacefuldawn]

SPY × Family: Chapter 93 analysis

this is my first time doing something like this, and I'm no expert so please take my analysis with a grain of salt! all of this is my own theories, so you might disagree with me. please don't be mean, though (also, long post incoming!)

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 93 UNDER THE CUT

The chapter opens with the Eden kids getting the results of their marks, with Anya's...

overall rank shooting up, from 213th to 168th. Showing how she's slowly adjusting to the school and its pace of learning, despite being younger than everyone else (and, also, presumably doing extremely advanced things.... I remember seeing the pythagorean theorem on the board once in the anime)

Damian got highest in History (good job, buddy!), and Anya got second-highest in Classical Language (the one exam she genuinely studied hard for). But what I want to focus on is her expression:

Shock. She'd put up that front (that fake-face, if you will) in front of Becky, Damian, Emile and Ewen, pretending to be all cool and suave but when she sees her results, she's genuinely surprised to get good marks in Classical Language. And even her excited reaction. She was scared of disappointing Twilight (and maybe even Sigmund and Barbara) because she'd genuinely worked hard for this exam, tried to understand, and gave it her best attempt.

But, then, it all comes crashing down with her 24 points in math: but a win is a win!

Maybe this is Twilight's turning point in the fact that acquiring knowledge can be interesting, exciting, and not just a tool of survival? Twilight himself doesn't have a great relationship with studying, (see: his father scolding him as a child for not studying, later: his friends dying because he didn't know enough about the campaign they were going on... but Twilight's relationship with knowledge and its pursuit is a whole other post in itself).

Honestly, him realising that Anya is actually thriving in the setup where education is fun for her, opens up two new avenues:

Twilight himself trying to make learning fun for Anya (unlikely, he tried that before... it didn't work.)

Him leaning on Sigmund and Barbara to tutor Anya (this seems more likely- Endo is probably going to cement the Authens as recurring characters, so them being Anya's surrogate grandparents/neighbors/tutors would seem like a great way to do so!

And then...

My main focus is on the fact that he mumbles this (also his face. But that's irrelevant). Twilight may claim, "I don't understand children", but he's an extremely perceptive man. As much as I love to clown on him, he's highly skilled at picking up on cues of people's feelings. The few times he's failed are mostly due to Anya's shenanigans trying to hide her telepathy, mixed with his usual flavour of overthinking.

But the couple of things he knows about Anya are this:

She was probably raised in an environment where Classical Language was used.

She's not fond of talking about or remembering her past.

Which is why he didn't have the heart to fully sound out the question. In the case of Anya, this is an extremely delicate matter, and he doesn't want to upset her (or, in his words, "ruin Operation Strix.") The way he asked the question and it's portrayed made it feel like he'd been pondering on it for quite a while (which he has; since the beginning of the Cruise Arc), but more so usually. Most likely due to her high marks in the Classical Language tests (aka a dead language), and the fact that she got excellent marks in it, despite formally studying it for less than a year (at least, as far as he (and we) know.) He's been thinking of the possibility, and also thinking of a way to ask her. In the end, when he does ask her—

she lies.

and he lets her. (at least, that's my interpretation)

Obviously, he knows she's not ready to speak about it yet (though we know it's probably connected to her telepathy, so she's not ready to divulge that info).

Look, as much as I love talking about how clueless he is with his own feelings, in this scene, he was just... perceptive? I don't know if that's the right word. But he was trying to keep Anya happy, and bringing up this complex topic without ensuring proper care for her wouldn't be fair to her. And he knows that. So, he leaves it at, "Just forget about it, okay?"

This entire scene felt so... tense, and in itself felt like a fucking gut punch, so I don't know how I'll react to the reveal.)

And now, onto the main focus of the chapter:

him.

If I'm being honest, I thought Demetrius was, like, 16-19 (judging by his voice in the anime), and not... fucking twelve.

Honestly, that just makes his character all the more tragic: he's barely a teenager, and yet... he's going through this. From his awards ceremony, we can see that he got, what, 6 stellas? In addition to the eight he's gotten to be an Imperial Scholar, and if he performs this well in every exam... bro is literally hoarding the Stella supply of the school (sorry, bad joke).

But...

this panel comes up. It's definitely not Anya's telepathy malfunctioning, (heck, it works on Bond and even penguins). Honestly, I think, again, it could be one of two things:

He was experimented on, like Anya

He was trained, (most likely by Donovan), to keep his mind blank.

We're told that he and Donovan had an extremely close relationship:

This could be in support of both the theories: it could be Donovan checking up on his "experiment's" progress (a crude term to refer to him), or, it could have been him subconsciously training Demetrius to hide his thoughts, keep them safe. Anya's project is connected to Desmond's administration, and at the time she was "made", Demetrius would have been around 7 or 8. Old enough for him to figure out what he wanted to have been in life (ofc, that's different for everyone! It takes time, and 8 is an extremely young age to figure out what one wants to do). But, like, how Damian wants to be a politician, it's most likely that Demetrius, the prodigal, studious, first child, would have to follow the path of politics laid before him.

So it could have been Donovan teaching Demetrius to protect his sensitive thoughts from the "weapons" he himself was making: the test subject(s) of Anya's project (again, a crude term to refer to them). Donovan was putting a lot of faith into creating telepaths (most likely for covert work), and them having unwavering loyalty to his administration was not very likely.

And, even if Anya's project was the work of another administration or even country, there's no doubt that Donovan would want to keep his thoughts hidden from these kinds of spies: ones than can see into your very mind, especially if the world is at war: a physical battle or a war for information.

The first theory of Demetrius himself being a test subject is probably Not What Happened; so I think it's probably just Demetrius being trained to keep his thoughts hidden.

But then, we get some of his thoughts:

Which is a lot reminiscent of:

So, it's probable that Demetrius imbibed this from his dad.

It's honestly a bit scary to see how Donovan's "parenting" has affected him: for him, age 12, to be like this.

After this, the chapter ends lightheartedly: Anya trying to emulate Demetrius, and Loid Being Tired™️.

I'm mostly curious about Demetrius: I was so excited when he was finally revealed! But I hope we get to see more of his thoughts, soon. Especially more about his relationship with Damian. But, this chapter was fantastic!

(This was super fun to do- if i do posts like this for chapters as they come out, would you all like it? Again, I'm not an expert in psychology (or even analysis). It's just me and my silly lil thoughts. I hope you liked it!)

[gizkasparadise]

Oh great one please give me a list of recs I love high coustume Chinese drama , currently obsessing over The Double , whilst waiting for all the episodes to drop I have binged The Scent of Time ,

I almost didn’t watch either because me and Wang Xingyue had a long standing beef after One and Only , I loved your PowerPoint post for The Double

you got it!! here's my favorites! these are all ones with either light or no fantasy. hmu if you want ones with fantasy elements!

MY GOLD TIER (TOP FAVORITES!)

a journey to love. a roadtrip to rescue a flop emperor full of the freakiest lil guys (affectionate): a spymaster who wants to retire, the deadliest woman in the world, a boyband of trained killers, and a scrappy princess disguised as a dude. LOVE this one. powerpoint!

monarch industry/the rebel princess. a spoiled, sheltered princess is married to a low-born general to help her father's would-be political machinations. fabulous production value, great character growth + relationship development, just a ton of fun palace intrigue! powerpoint!!

goodbye, my princess. only watch if you're in the mood for a Capital T Tragedy. a deconstruction of the runaway princess trope featuring genocide, enemy lovers, and one of the most beautiful productions ever

the sound of the desert. a woman raised by wolves (no really), a traditional love triangle in the best way, and a rare lead by the second male lead! love this one, even though production is a little dated at this point

MY SILVER TIER (REALLY LIKED THESE!)

story of kunning palace. i think this one's going to be a hit with you if you like the double because there's a lot of recurring themes and actors! the ML is way more of a mess though, but i kind of live for it. powerpoint!!

love like the galaxy. the first 5-6 eps might be a little off, but once it hits its stride it's so, so good. unfavored daughter tries to make her way in the world while dodging suitors left and right. an emperor who lives for drama and shipping. a male lead who's a lil unhinged

familiar stranger. if you loved the campy elements of the double, you'll probably really enjoy this one as well! FACE SWAP.

MY BRONZE TIER (THEY GOT SOME PROBLEMS, BUT I LOVE THEM)

twisted fate of love. it gives me the tropes i love: machiavellian murderbastard x a time traveling lady general who cant be killed. chef's kiss. clearly on the lower end of the production scale but i find it pretty underrated. powerpoint!

the wolf. if you're into hot mess express, this is it for you. powerpoint!

[mtchacffinz]

Omg if youre taking requestsss,

Could u plsss do something like reader is being neglected bcuz (charac) is too busy with work but then they realise and then spend time.. like angst to fluff ahh

Maybe with few characters like cyno, haitham, wanderer, xiao??

Thank you!!

💗💗💗

prompt! Been away for too long, won't you atleast miss me?

cw! gn! reader, tooth-rotting fluff (SFW), clinginess, maybe a crybaby reader in a certain part, words of affirmation, established relationship, lots of tender moments, mentions of Chasm Archon Quest

note! i love fluff. this is adorable so i shall deliver. plus, i think my acc needs some fluff too after all the smut I've written! (⁠´⁠ ⁠.⁠ ⁠.̫⁠ ⁠.⁠ ⁠`⁠)...

Here we are, overthinking again. In all seriousness, this can't be! Many suns and moons have passed, yet he still hasn't said a single word about his whereabouts! Did he somehow forget about contacting you? Maybe he fell down a hole through a ditch never to be heard again.. Perhaps he fell in-love with another lovely surpassing your wits and charm?

You were no stranger to solitude. It doesn't scratch an itch anywhere in your mind space that requires you to gnaw on your lip every waking moment you feel that churning feeling in your stomach. Definitely not— Absolutely not! You believe that some parts in life are needed alone to be addressed with just the right amount of tenacity and resistance. You would come back to your loved ones with triumphant smiles chanting "I'm back, I'm back! I did it!" like a warrior.

Your mind spiraled into incoherent theories about his unknown agendas— too indulged notice the recurring voice that seems to speak your name.

And when you finally turn to see behind was when he finally graces your presence.

CYNO.

There was tense aura in the air, the last breath leaving even more awkward than the last. It was obvious Cyno wants to say something, but his lips stay sealed— quietly observing you waiting to see how you will move instead.

It seems as if he thinks you're really upset. Just an inference, his intuition— a baseless assumption. I mean, who wouldn't be after leaving your partner hanging for 3 months straight venturing out into the desert?

He's a lovely partner. You think that, wholeheartedly. You really do. But seriously!? You understand there must've been at least some sort of viable explanation, but a part of you couldn't help but feel upset.

"I'm glad you're home safe." You finally speak, releasing a big sigh. It was as if a big weight lifts off your chest. Your smile says nothing more than joy and relief. Well, maybe a little too joyful.

Because you know full well if you speak your next words, your voice would break.

So you keep your lips pursed only for you to keep your own thoughts. Cyno is no average man. As a Mahamatra with fearsome agendas, his life is always on the line whenever he ventures out into the wild. Once, he returned to Avidya Forest with curse marks all over his body— crimson spurs trail over his gear, you were barely keeping it together!

Seconds pass, it was grew concerning that none of you were saying.. well, words. After all, you both have just reunited, and Cyno has probably gone through a rigorous mission that rendered his lips sealed, right? With curious eyes, you steal a glance from his figure. Your partner stood with remarkable posture, eyes evasive of yours. The young man seemed to be contemplating something.. expression a little solemn and glum.

With a gulp and a hesitant stare, he finally speaks his mind.

"I'm.. sorry. Forgive me, dear. There was a huge misconduct within the Akademiya and Matras I had to keep anonymous for—" he stops a little before continuing. Cyno's gaze is at the floor. "I had to keep anonymous for you.. for us. I couldn't send out letters. Please forgive me, (Y/n)."

Cyno takes another deep breath. "I understand if you'd like to lash out on my sudden return, so feel free to do so—" you quickly wave your hands in fluster.

"Ah, no no no! Really, Cyno, it's fi—ne...uhuh." You suddenly hiccuped.

With the first crack of your voice, your eyes immediately began to flow waterfalls. Salty tears pricked your (e/c) optics glossing over them with a glint. Cyno immediately rushes to your side whilst you immediately clung onto him like he's your life line.

Oh, Archons. He's your life. Just by his voice just now, you almost felt like your heart melted AND got crushed at the same time with just the weight of his words. Lash out? Of course you would! You're worried SICK. And you've missed him!

"You have no idea! I was holding onto these for 15 minutes earlier!" Your voice broke, fighting for your feelings. Cyno only wipes away your tears and nose with his sleeves in panic— repeating his apologies in a hushed voice over and over again.

AL HAITHAM.

The scent of scroll dust, his calloused hands, his warm breath on your head. For the past hours of his return, you only asked for one thing: to be held until you, yourself— let go of him. And judging by how how long Al Haitham has unknowingly neglected you, he's willing to make up for his wordless days.

But..

"Hey, honey.. dear..?" the Scribe softly calls out, gently tapping your shoulder. "Sweetheart? (Y/n)?" A little too indulged in his arms, you fail to give a response. This was when he sighed, and nuzzles deeper into your neck.

"(Y/n), it's been six hours. Surely you're feeling a little better now?"

"You've been gone for months."

"I know. But it's almost dinner, and we haven't eaten yet."

"We can starve here." You respond just as quickly. He sweatdrops, unable to tell if you were joking or dead serious. Look, his arm is cramping, his whole body is sweating, and he's dehydrated. The blanket that was wrapped around your body was on the floor, and you seem to be a little tired yourself. Taking matters into his own hands, you get surprised that his arms suddenly wrap tighter around you, lifting you up in his arms.

"You're ridiculous," Al Haitham puts you around his shoulder like you're a sack of rice, making his way through the kitchen. "I'm making dinner. You cling onto me all you want. We're eating."

After all, you never said anything about him moving while holding you, right?

All you could do was grumble and whine in his ears. The scribe doesn't seem to mind, as he gets a pan, his seasonings, and his food. Tapping your back occasionally, with every turn he make, your partner makes sure the doesn't accidentally burn or hit you with something while you're in his shoulders. With time passing, you're starting to get a little embarrassed yourself.. getting dragged all the way from the bedroom the the kitchen. Tugging on his clothes, you called out his name.

"Haitham, please let me down.."

Maybe it was the wind carrying your words away, but he doesn't seem to react. Your partner only focuses on whatever he's frying at the moment with his free arm on your figure. With lips pursed, you repeat again.

"Haitham."

"I heard you. I don't want to, you're staying there."

"What? No way! You're probably tired!"

"Oh? Don't back out now, I was going to feed you as well. I'm yours the whole week— I'm not leaving your sights very soon." Your partner says with a voice enough to leave no room for rebuttals and arguments. Seeing your face, slowly being taken over with embarrassment, ignites a small flame in him.

After a few mere moments of your silence, you grasp onto his clothing once again. This time, your voice was softer, a little more calmer.

"You're gonna be mine the whole week?"

WANDERER.

Ever since his return, the Wanderer has been gracing you with diverse stories from different parts of the land. Now, he isn't one to ramble his mouth nor entertain anybody with his experiences— so the indigo haired man could consider this "spoiling" you rotten.

After a long, exhilarating lectures of Vahumana Darshans, as well as interviews from other nations regarding his thoughts on different political matters— Wanderer has finally made enough time to spend with people he could actually tolerate.

On the other hand, he has been too kind, taking you to vast sceneries and feeding you all sorts of delicacies. It's as if he's trying to make up for something.. and you know what, you have no idea. But this? This is nice! Ignoring his witty and no-filter-opinion attitude, Wanderer has been significantly nicer to you last time you met.

Shopping, sight seeing, trying all sorts of new things. After all, what does he do with all the Mora he receives when he's but a puppet who doesn't even need to eat nor sleep?

He looks for no reciprocation nor gratitude, because he unknowingly believes seeing your smiling face because of him is enough to make his entire day. Of course, that doesn't stop you from profusely thanking him and actively trying to lessen all the things being given to you because do you really deserve it?

I'd you asked him, he'd look at you like you're crazy. Why wouldn't you deserve it? Why else wouldn't it be you? Do you prefer I do this for anyone else?

As night engulfs the sky, kissing it with a gentle good bye, the moonlight greets your resting frame. The Wanderer had found interestingly large lily pads that could hold up to 4 persons. Apparently, aranara's use it to navigate around lakes they couldn't get across.

The scenery is wonderful. Fireflies emerge from the shadows, and the lake sings a mellifluous tune every gush of waves it encounters. You were resting well, and his elysian self was beside you.

You were strange, that's for sure. Strange enough he'd like to keep taking you in like you're oxygen, as if you're some sort of life line to live from. Wanderer is not a man with too much words, so he could only gaze up to your figure.

A familliar noise of waddling makes their way towards you, an Aranara falling suit. It bee lines towards your figure, cozing up to your body.

Wanderer picks it up by its head gear, clicking his tongue.

"Hey. No cuddling. You lay beside me."

XIAO.

Xiao melts deeper into your arms as if he's lightweight, surprising you with the sudden return of his warmth.

His touches were featherlight, his firm hands on the small of your back. Fully aware of his fatigue eating away his skin, the Adeptus clutches your figure tightly.

"Sorry.." Xiao's voice was barely above a whisper. You frown upon his state, but your eyes were never pitiful. He knew of that. You say nothing but hold him in your arms in response. Mere moments pass with the wind blowing ever so softly in the sky.

You lull him with soft whispers, sweet nothings grazing his ear leaving out one another. Xiao's a little bashful— he's the one who's failed to keep up with your mundane agendas in everyday life leaving you alone, yet upon his return— you greet him with the best embrace this world has to offer.

After all the events at the Chasm, his encounter with Bosacius, and most of all, the lingering miasma that's been exceedingly abundant within the area, Xiao wasn't able to make time and shake off all the troubles he's facing. The Adeptus lie solemn with the softest look in his eyes gazing at your own. You know full well if he opens his mouth now, all that will come pouring out is his endless apologies that could be recited in millenias.

Instead, your hands gently caressed his cheeks— pecking those pursed lips who let out a soft sigh.

Xiao returns the gesture by holding you waist down, firmly keeping his hands on you. Chasing after your lips it was like something clicked in him the moment you even lent him a moment of your vulnerability. He was hungry, that's for sure. The Adeptus made it obvious with his knitted brows and those piercing gaze.

Amusement bubbled at the bottom of your stomach, letting out a small chuckle. Xiao's confused eyes met yours, questioning your sudden interest.

"You returned to me, that's lovely."

He responds to your claim in a grumble, now averting his eyes. Xiao's hand never leaves yours.

"I have to.." Those hands slowly travel to your cheeks, caressing them in pure affection. "I need to."

my smutty writings are usually the ones who get attention, so I'm wondering how this one will do? 🎶 Anyway, I'm also planning on writing for Honkai Impact's Kalpas 🤞 STAY TUNED

[sunderingstars]

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ SIMULATED UNIVERSE ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

— what the stars reveal: interpretative analysis, elation!sampo & doll!sampo, theory, op trying so deeply & calmly to keep it together and not look like a conspiracy theorist

— word count: 3.9k

— overview: (as of 2.6) a look at the aha stuffed toy, curio hacker, and the *perfect* grand challenge simulated universe occurrences!

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ AHA STUFFED TOY ⌝

This one’s a doozy, folks! As much as Curio Hacker gets passed around as a pretty obvious Sampo Occurence™ (which it is, don’t get me wrong), I feel like Aha Stuffed Toy includes just as, if not more, lore implications as to who and what Sampo might be. So, here I am to give the breakdown:

Recurring references to currency, including gaining, losing, and most notably, dispensing it. Starting with the base occurrence, we can see that the toy is said to reward you more gold coins the “worse the beating is.” This is further shown by the tiers of Cosmic Fragments awarded to the player depending on what option they choose and what percent they happen to get. Part luck, part choice, Aha Stuffed Toy makes a clear connection between violence and money.

As for Sampo, he is the character most associated with both Elation and the transactional nature of currency, so I find this an interesting connection. Additionally, the Sampo of Finnish mythology was known for “dispensing” wealth (in this case, gold & Cosmic Fragments) onto others!

Being made in Aha’s own likeness. As detailed in my Aha Splash Art Analysis, I find similarities between Sampo’s character model and the silhouette in Aha’s splash art. While I used to attribute this to a more directly Aha!Sampo theory, I am beginning to think this may be explained by the occurrence here. If Sampo, as a toy or otherwise “creation” of Elation, were to have similar features or even be the spitting image of Aha’s silhouette, any connections between their appearances would add up.

It would also make sense why Sampo gives the Express itself a wide berth — Pom-Pom may be familiar with Aha’s physical form from Their time on the Express, and may even be reluctant to believe Sampo is a different being despite sharing the same physical appearance.

Elation path option. Heading into Swarm Disaster, this is where things really start to heat up. This is probably the most “crazy red string theory” my brain gets, since there’s so much to unpack here! It’s important to note that since this is an Elation path matching an Elation occurrence, I’m more inclined to view this as our best source of understanding what’s truly going on. Starting with the options themselves, they are split cleanly in half (a 50/50 if you will). Similar to the base occurrence, Cosmic Fragments are either gained or lost depending on chance.

The text when Cosmic Fragments are lost is, well, very Sampo-aligned in my opinion. The doll, breaking the 4th wall into self-awareness, turns to look directly at you (the Trailblazer; potentially even the player of the game) and brazenly steals your currency. Moreover, the text before making the decision mentions that “only Aha knows the secret…” — Huh! Interesting! Although I am very worried about the doll’s head blowing up in the second option, it still serves as a link to Sampo’s penchant for including bombs in his kit. Overall, this is the part of the occurence I associate most with Sampo, from the stealing of currency to the self-awareness to the hint that his identity may be some secret that only Aha knows or is able to reveal. 10/10, no complaints!

Erudition path option. Erudition is also interesting, since it gives you the option to dismantle the toy, immediately giving you Cosmic Fragments. This mirrors (in a general sense, with some liberties taken) the destruction of the Sampo in Finnish mythology, as well as connects once again to the idea of being bestowed wealth. 

Venting of extreme emotions. As with the “made in Aha’s own likeness” line, I find it interesting that the doll is not only specified to have a direct purpose, but that that purpose is to… well, basically be a glorified punching bag. In an occurrence, this isn’t a huge deal, given the player probably has a passing thought of “oh, Aha’s being silly again” then continues on their way. However, if we think about the probability of these toys being real and potentially a character we know, things get trickier. Suddenly, this isn’t a fun “joke” where some pre-recorded inanimate toy acts as a stress ball, but the horrifying reality of a self-aware, sentient being who can likely feel every hit it takes — a joke taken too far, if you will.

This makes me feel much more out-of-my-depth when considering Sampo’s unknown backstory, since it may be much more traumatic than we’ve predicted so far. Also, if anyone in this game comes across as a “glorified punching bag,” I’m sorry Sampo, but my mind is immediately going to you. I’m still sad about it, though. :(

The goading. Similar to the venting of extreme emotions, this occurrence very much goads the player into getting more and more violent with the doll. “One more? There is so much frustration in your life, after all” makes me feel so yucky. Like so yucky. It almost feels like Aha (despite not being involved in the quality control process) is absentmindedly trying to push us directly towards messing this poor doll up more!

It makes sense, though, that most of our in-game dialogue with Sampo is mean or simply doesn’t have a “nice” option then — it may be Aha’s way or a result of Sampo’s own existence pushing us into that “frustration,” into that want to vent our extreme emotions.

The embedded chip. In addition to being a quite common mantra among Elation entities, the chip sticks out to me through its unique use of blended third-person references. It doesn’t feel exactly the same as when Aha refers to Themself directly in third person, but it does have that slippery feeling of the “in-between,” of a doll so at a loss for autonomy that it has no choice but to play the pre-recorded message of an entity it is bound to through no will of its own.

In a way, Aha!Sampo could still work with Doll!Sampo, albeit in a more roundabout way. Perhaps, beyond sharing physical similarities, there is also a kind of mental or referential similarity passed down through osmosis whenever a doll is created in the likeness of its creator. Perhaps, this likeness even transcends appearance.

Integer overflow. Nothing specific to say, other than that it is a useful connection to the more tech-minded “Curio Hacker” occurrence, with Aha Stuffed Toy mentioning “manufacturers” / “systems to store virtual data” and Curio Hacker mentioning virtual avatars and data forms.

Bonus: Sampo’s head-to-body ratio (despite being like every other tall male character’s body, yes, please just let me be crazy) matches with the idea of a doll whose body is several times larger than it’s head — I mean look at that man, he’s beefy and tall!

Bonus-Bonus: The voyeurism of it all definitely makes the situation more fucked up! Like imagine being this doll, already born into an existence purely for the sake of getting pummeled around like a kickball, and your creator makes it abundantly clear that They want to see this happen to you! With their own two (or many, or zero) eyeballs! I’d cry, that’s for sure.

Overall, this is a lot. This is definitely a lot. I have more I could say, but to mitigate the risk of devolving into crazed rambling, I’m going to let this section speak for itself and move on to “Curio Hacker.”

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ CURIO HACKER ⌝

Divergent Universe Additions:

A lot has already been said about this occurrence, so I’ll keep it short and sweet: the “blue-haired being” is a direct connection to Sampo (who is often referred to by his blue hair in a similar way) and the self-aware nature of its actions (knowing it’s in a game and trying to replicate Curios) also matches with Sampo’s general self-awareness as a character. Now, with that out of the way, I’d like to continue into a more niche discussion — that of the Curios the hacker gives us.

Organic Heart

Story: What sticks out to me the most about the text here is the merging of two distinct objects — an apple and a heart — into a single, new existence. I think there’s something to be said here about Sampo’s potential identity; his merging of Nihility and Elation, Masked Fool and voice of reason, mortal and immortal. The combination of two separate entities into one until they are unable to be distinguished from one another, folding into each other until they are both a sum and a subtraction of all their parts, hopelessly melded into a new, unique form of existence, not a heart or an apple but a heart-apple, an apple-heart, the fruit of an organ and blood mixed with seeds mixed with juice, the crunching of something not entirely edible, not entirely rotten. Something that, according to the story, still can’t be fully defined.

Gold and Gears: In Gold and Gears, the function of Organic Heart is to remove the golden dice face for four turns, then grant two cheat attempts. This matches up with both the implications of a “hacker” — someone who cheats the system by default — and Sampo’s generally shady demeanor, always trying to find a loophole he can squeeze through. The interesting part of this is the presence of the golden dice face, particularly the removal or hiding of it for a specific period of time.

If we are continuing based off the assumption that Sampo is the hacker and the Curios give hints about his own identity, this would mean he isn’t just powerful, he is ultimately powerful. The golden face is the absolute highest the dice can go, meaning the equivalent in-universe is likely Emanator or even Aeonic status. As such, it seems that Sampo may be sacrificing, removing, or hiding this power intentionally to gain something — likely a sort of universe-breaking “cheat” to circumvent whatever he wishes.

For Doll!Sampo, this may mean escaping his own purpose or reason for existence, Emanator!Sampo may wish to be free of Elation entirely, and it is likely his wishes have something either to do with protecting Belobog, protecting himself, or, if he is very pissed off at a certain Aeon, perhaps even the murder of a god.

Divergent Universe: Organic Heart’s Divergent Universe function also adds a bit of information to this theorizing, as it increases the challenge points gained (thereby increasing the rewards and how much you “win”) while causing you to take more damage at the same time. This seems to have similar implications as Gold and Gears, implying a “reward” and a “cost” closely dependent on one another. You may be receiving more “power” and more rewards, but you are also at higher risk of dying due to taking more damage.

For Sampo, this ties in to the aspect of weakness, of trading his power for some kind of “win” if he can just survive long enough to get there. Furthermore, it implies a state of vulnerability, some kind of existence where he no longer has the full protection he used to. Much like the player who takes the Curio, he likely has to be very careful about what he involves himself in, lest he meet a premature end.

Mysterious Magnetism

Story: Interestingly enough, I find Mysterious Magnetism to go quite well with Organic Heart. There is yet again a theme of combination, this time with the Fog of Thought and Rain of Sensation (perhaps alluding to the creation of Sampo as a sentient being — thought and sensation are unique to those who are aware of their own existence) being pulled together into a lens. While Organic Heart represents the more, well, organic side of a being, Mysterious Magnetism dwells in the imperceptible; thoughts, sensation, color, and magnetism are all far more conceptual than apples and hearts. 

The “magnetic field” mentioned is also interesting, since it is said to “disturb the senses,” which Sampo very much does on a regular basis (appearing and disappearing out of thin air, not leaving footprints, misdirection, etc.) — in fact, Mysterious Magnetism seems to imply that this is a byproduct of his existence. Despite being created by the Riddlers (a faction of the Enigmata known for obscuring language), the resulting experiment simply is. This may be similar to Sampo’s own existence, where his, well, mysterious magnetism, is simply part of who he is or how he was created rather than a conscious effort on his part to achieve it. 

I also find it interesting how the Riddlers had to eventually stop because they became more and more uncertain of its “necessity” — this could, in my opinion, imply a “leaving behind” or abandonment of Sampo as a character as well.

Keyword Note: “Revelrous” implies there may be a bit of Elation involved. A little easter egg in the story, if you will.

Gold and Gears: In Gold and Gears, Mysterious Magnetism creates Elite Domains out of Combat Domains, then grants Cosmic Fragments after two of those domains. Much like Organic Heart, there is a rigor present here, an upping of the stakes for greater rewards. What would be effortless is made difficult, but if the player survives they are rewarded for their troubles. Once again, this may point towards Sampo’s exchanging of a price for a reward, a stripping away of his power that makes everything — especially combat — more difficult, but that will eventually reward him what he wants.

Divergent Universe: The occurrence here follows a slightly different “give and take” track, less focused on rewarding something after hardship, but more on gaining and losing in the same breath. Interestingly enough, the gain here is at the beginning rather than the end, awarding the player 50 Cosmic Fragments every time they enter a domain but making them lose just as much once they win a battle. 

This could be seen as the nature of currency exchange — a central part of Sampo’s character — as something that gives and takes in equal measure, or it could also be seen as a means for him to avoid conflict. Perhaps whatever plan or deal he has strongly discourages fighting, likely because of the higher stakes involved or lessened powers he has. As such, it could be seen as “losing” in general for him to engage in conflict, since it might strip away even more of his already-fraying status.

Other Notes: It’s interesting that the hacker is attempting to replicate Herta’s Curios. Given that it gives us two very specific Curios, I wonder if those are the ones it’s trying to replicate? If so, why? I’m inclined to believe Sampo may be attempting to circumvent his own fate or state of being as a doll/toy, but it could be to save Belobog or someone else for plot reasons as well (or maybe even kill Aha Themself; Aeon murder isn’t off the table, after all).

I also am intrigued by “hacker” being in quotations. Paired with the “don’t ask me who I am,” I’m reminded of the toy’s secret that only Aha knows — perhaps Sampo simply doesn’t wish to reveal himself to us here, or perhaps there’s a deeper reason his identity is obscured. Basically, it comes down to the age-old question: Won’t, or can’t?

Overall, Organic Heart and Mysterious Magnetism sum Sampo up pretty well to me: an organic being straddling the grey area between different existences, as well as an indistinct combination of concepts capable of self-awareness and magnetic thought. In my opinion, these Curios point towards heavy themes of creation, combination, and being discarded, as well as the exchanging of one’s own power for a greater benefit (or “cheat”) later on. 

My pet theory combines both the Aha Stuffed Toy occurrence and Curio Hacker, seeing Sampo as a toy created by Aha in Their own image, a combination of mortal and immortal existence meant to be beaten and bleed wealth, who seeks to free himself from the purpose of his own existence through sacrificing the very power that was granted to him with it — likely Emanator or some equivalent status — while hopefully protecting those he cares about and even getting back at his creator at the same time (otherwise known as Doll Theory).

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ THE *PERFECT* GRAND CHALLENGE ⌝

When paired with both Aha Stuffed Toy and Curio Hacker, The *Perfect* Grand Challenge begins to paint a bigger picture. Here, a toy is once again mentioned (Aha and the Elation path seem to have a strange fixation on dolls and toys), this time as a “clay doll” trapped inside an arcade machine alongside other gacha prizes. You play through the arcade machine much like the occurrence, deciding which toy to pull and how many attempts to make. Here are a few of my notes:

Prizes: The prizes within the arcade machine include “trendy gachapon figures, ether orbs, and clay dolls,” although there are only two specific ones available: “popular gacha toy�� and “clay doll.” I find it notable how the clay doll is emphasized here; despite being part of a three-item list at the beginning, the options are basically simplified down to “clay doll” and “everything else.” Additionally, the clay doll is the only item to have an extended description in the occurrence, which I will explain later.

Rewards: Each reward operates in probability, with the clay doll having a 50/50 for a regular vs. negative Curio, and the gacha toy has a 40/60 for a regular Curio vs. nothing. If we are looking at this occurrence within the context of the other two, the “clay doll” seems somewhat similar to both the Aha Stuffed Toy and Sampo himself, operating on chance to give the player either something helpful or harmful, to give or to take. Additionally, it fits with the Sampo of Finnish mythology, not having an option to not give — it must give, that is its function. And so it does.

Perfectionism: It’s a bit odd how perfectionism is a major theme of The *Perfect* Grand Challenge (hell, it’s even in the name)! I never thought of Elation as being closely intertwined with being “perfect”; in fact I always considered it to be the more chaotic of the Paths. However, there’s no escaping the fact that this occurrence not only shares the same cover art as other Elation occurrences like the Aha Stuffed Toy, but it also shares similarities like the clay doll, fun game, and “playful” programmer. 

So, my main question now is why? If we assume these occurrences are a manifestation of the Paths, then perhaps a subsection of Elation includes perfection. Another option is that the presence of an Erudition option points to a co-mingling of different Paths into something specific like perfection. Or, it is entirely possible that perfection is a natural emergent of Elation that we simply haven’t seen yet. Although Sampo and/or Aha don’t strike me as “perfectionist” types, there’s enough we don’t know about them that makes me think “huh, maybe they really do have some of that going on.” 

If we do, for a moment, entertain the idea that Aha may be a perfectionist in some regard, we can easily make connections between the other occurrences — for example, Sampo as a creation may have been abandoned much like Mysterious Magnetism in Aha’s pursuit of the “perfect toy”; Aha may have created toys in Their own image in the first place just to attempt a more “perfect” existence for Themself; Sampo may even be seen by Aha as in some way defective, leading to feelings of betrayal and hatred (or the opposite, Sampo being perfect enough to garner a god’s favor, which may not be a good thing when it comes to Elation).

There’s even the chance Sampo was created by another Path like Erudition (although that would cause a conflict with being “created in Aha’s likeness”) that may be more susceptible to latching onto perfection. Since the Riddlers (Enigmata) are also mentioned in Mysterious Magnetism, I wouldn’t put it beyond them either. Who knows, maybe he was a pet project collab between Aha and another Aeon!

Note: Who is the “perfect man”? Great question! It could fit in as Sampo with the idea of him sacrificing something for a reward, potentially “embarking on a challenge to become the perfect man” or it could fit in as Aha creating toys, being the “perfect man” that needs a “clay doll” like Sampo. “A perfectionist wants them all” could even allude to greed on either end, reaching beyond what is necessary in the pursuit of perfection. Or, it could be something else entirely. Who knows!

Text: As mentioned earlier, the clay doll has quite a lengthy (and worrisome, if we are comparing it to Sampo) bit of writing here. Most of the other writing sets up the scene (establishing the arcade game, the playful programmer, the game having a catch, etc.) but the clay doll is by far the most detailed and intensive play-by-play we get.

The other gacha figures either rise with the claw or drop, but the clay doll is different. If you win it, you get a short line of text with everything else, but if you lose… well…

Yeah, that’s definitely a lot! The main comparison I see is to the Aha Stuffed Toy occurrence, with the toy’s head blowing up (“the head of the doll has blown up” is actually the specific Stuffed Toy line!) and the clay doll’s head exploding with “fireworks bursting out from the head”.

Both of these events happen during extreme emotion, with the toy being created with the intent of venting emotion on and the clay doll exploding when you “lose your patience” and “give the machine a vicious kick”. With such an emphasis on the clay doll and its links to not only the stuffed toy, but to the programmer from Curio Hacker, I am officially inducting The *Perfect* Grand Challenge into the Sampo-Aligned Occurence Hall of Fame! 

I feel like this can slot in with my Doll Theory as well, taking my already mentioned timeline and adding the idea that Sampo is one of many attempts at a “perfect” recreation of Aha, one that is likely trying very desperately to escape from the dehumanization and danger of his kin. After all, two Elation-coded dolls exploding by the head in separate occurrences is not a fun precedent to follow!

Note: I mainly compared Sampo to the clay doll here given its similarity to the Aha Stuffed Toy, but it is entirely possible he is the programmer as well — hell, with the implications of Organic Heart he may as well be both!

Additional Note: There seems to be some connection between the Erudition and the Elation here, with the Aha Stuffed Toy occurrence’s only Path options being Elation and Erudition, as well as The *Perfect* Grand Challenge including an Erudition option despite having such heavy Elation influences. Creation, experimentation, and combination are in and of themselves a very Erudition-coded activity, though those very same concepts can also be creative and fun in the vein of the Elation.

Additionally, the story of Mysterious Magnetism (linked to Sampo who is very much linked with Elation) mentions the Riddlers conducting their experiment to “combat the determinacy of Erudition”. Just food for thought!

Bonus: This mention of the Aha Stuffed Toy in the Flea Market occurrence! Don’t mind me, I’ll just be crying at the “asking to be hit” part. (Also, four destructible Curios makes me think in plurality, meaning there are perhaps quite a few “stuffed toys” out there. It also implies awareness and the ability to communicate, making the toy much more likely to be a sentient / intelligent lifeform.)

Also this screenshot I caught of both occurrences & the man himself!

Okay, that’s all I have!

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ જ⁀➴ thank you for reading to the end!

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© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[swallowerofdharma]

Which saezuru characters besides Yashiro and Doumeki do you like and why?

It’s Saezuru month! In no particular order:

Aoi

So much time has passed in terms of the release of the first chapters but I find myself thinking back often about her. As the story progressed, we have noticed how the theme of seeing and being seen is a very central and recurring one and the introduction of Aoi works well in that sense. She is in the street and the characters in the building are seeing her through a window above, at a distance. Nanahara thinks that she is Doumeki’s boyfriend, Doumeki doesn’t want to see her, only wanting her to stay away from his new life, Yashiro is compelled to go talk to her, seeing her much better than she has probably ever been seen. It’s a little reciprocal and those scenes under the rain and in the restaurant are so important because we really see Aoi as she is and not through the eyes of her brother. She really needed to be able to communicate with Doumeki to move on and that real motivation made her presence in the story and Yashiro’s meddling so much more meaningful than a plot device to bring Y and D closer and I really liked that. And I would love to know what type of art she creates.

Ryuuzaki

I never gave up on him, I think the banter between Ryuuzaki and Yashiro in present times is so enjoyable. And this is another example of people fitting into the theme of seeing: he looked at Yashiro and saw more than ever he knew and on the other hand Ryuuzaki is someone Yashiro doesn’t see clearly and it’s interesting that, isn’t it. I also like the way they talk, there is intimacy and fun and challenge in that inconsiderate way that has stayed with them since they were both younger. And I think that a very under appreciated element of having sex in these types of stories is the ability to laugh and play. As for the past: in the situations Yashiro put himself in recklessly, Ryuuzaki’s personality and his unwillingness to really hurt Y is much more important than we have given credit for. Ryuuzaki was the gang leader in Matsubara: the other guys would have followed his example in the way they were treating Yashiro and Ryuuzaki wasn’t willing to push too far, hurt Y or really incite violence. He was maybe unconsciously looking out for Y and we see how different the situation is when it’s Misumi the one who takes charge. Who knows, maybe we will see Ryuuzaki again? He may have learned things about Kai in prison.

Hirata

I remain very much non-judgmental when reading fiction, this kind especially. I find it grating when I have to suspend my beliefs too often and I much prefer characters that behave realistically and coherently with who they are, human beings are flawed and contradictory and yakuza are shady and easy to provoke. But it may come as a surprise that one of my favorite characters is actually Hirata. I think he helped me a lot feel like the story was grounded because he is exactly what I would expect from most yakuza. He is one of the most believable characters there is and I enjoyed how his lines were written, the manipulative way he talked with Ryuuzaki, the false way he addressed Misumi and how he could only barely tolerate or openly despised Yashiro. He was a well written antagonist and provided some good moments and an interesting conflict that kept me engaged. And listen, I am who I am, so I might enjoy fictional stabbing scenes more than other people?

Kamiya

Since he appeared with his pants down in an alley I was immediately a fan of him. His facial expressions speak to me: I am fed up with everything and everyone, every single day is Monday and I haven’t time for your drama. I think the external point of view he provided after the time skip was clever and his dynamics with Doumeki so needed to smooth the air. He is also a character that is able to talk and interact with women very normally despite being yakuza and with the introduction of Izumi I believe he can be very useful to have around and he knew how to be discreet but also worried enough to warn Izumi about Doumeki, even vaguely. It’s too early for me to express opinions on newer characters like Izumi that have not yet been fully and actively involved in the story. I think everything has been kept purposefully as a mystery and I am the type of person who has such an ingrained habit of suspended judgment that I am not able to say much yet about ongoing situations and those involved, I lack information to form a strong opinion on newer characters at the moment. Izumi intrigues me a lot, tho. Thank you for the ask!

[flightfoot]

I have scattered thoughts about Nino, Alya, and the intersection of racism/misogyny.For example, Alya may receive more criticism not only for racism but also for misogyny. We support women's mistakes! Except not and especially not if it's a black woman.

(And I can't help but notice how many of those criticisms are aimed at Alya not fitting the Good Black Friend™ trope )

But now, with what you said about how Nino's criticism in that episode isn't that harsh, I'm VERY curious about the amount of Adrino vs alyanette fics taking into account the main focus.By that I mean that both couples, if they appear in the same fic, are treated equally and not that it is one of the cases of "we went back to lesbian women because I want to see two men kissing." (This is a VERY common problem in several fandoms where the misogyny that many m/m fics usually imply and the erasure and reduction of F/f couples have been pointed out)

Oh yeah, most of the heavy criticism and outright demonization of Alya comes down to her supposedly being a "bad friend" to Marinette... because she dares to "ask why Marinette doesn't like someone" and "asks for evidence that the person is really as bad as her friend thinks" instead of immediately believing that her friend is 100% correct in her assessment on nothing but her word and committing herself to doing whatever her friend wants in order to take down the other person.

There's this expectation that "being a good friend" when it comes to Alya means that she has to give up all notion of personal judgement or perspective. Heck, looking at the uproar over Rocketear when Alya told Nino that she's still helping Ladybug, or even earlier with Optigami when she decided to get the Turtle Miraculous for Nino because she thought it might be useful, she gets hefty criticism anytime she does anything without Marinette's express approval, no matter what her personal issues or perspective.

Actually the babysitting issue is probably the most clear-cut illustration of this. Alya volunteers to babysit Manon multiple times so that her friend can spend time with her crush, with Marinette even tricking Alya into babysitting Manon for her once so she could do an interview? Barely a peep of criticism against Marinette. Marinette babysits Chris ONE TIME so Alya and Nino can go on a date? Alya pressuring Marinette to babysit for her without pay and behind her parents' back becomes a common recurring trope.

(Note: I'm aware that Marinette's slated to babysit two more times for Alya during the series, in Timetagger and Simple Man. But in the first instance she cancels because she's busy, and in the second one she dumps the kids on her grandpa so she can help with Adrien's photoshoot, so I'm not counting them).

If Marinette needs someone to cover for her babysitting duty, then Alya's merely doing the duty of a good friend by taking on the responsibility for her. While if Marinette ever covers for Alya, she's being taken advantage of by a toxic friend.

Considering that the main criticisms of the "Black Best Friend" trope boil down to how it makes the black character an accessory to the white (well, in this case Marinette's only half-white) character, whose main purpose is to serve and support the other character, without having any internal world of their own? Yeah, I'd say that Alya's major demonization almost always comes down to her violating that role, even slightly.

Oh yeah, Adrino vs. Alyanette fics. Weirdly enough, there appear to be more fics tagged with Alyanette than Adrino (note: I'm gonna keep on all my usual filters for this search, I ain't seeing saltfics if I can help it). I've got 360 Adrino fics, but 560 Alyanette fics.

Now, in my personal experience, very few fics have equal focus for both pairings when they're together. They normally favor one or the other, with one being the main focus, and the other being more of a "pair the spares" situation. I'm also gonna skip the ones where it's one happy poly pile.

So here's the tag I ended up with, when I factored in all my usual exclusions and also included Adrino and Alyanette and excluded Alya/Nino/Marinette/Adrien and Lovesquare.

Of these 33 fics, 11 appear to be Adrino-centric, 6 appear to be Alyanette centric, and the rest I dunno. So I'd say Adrino gets a little more attention, especially since its fics tend to be a lot longer than the Alyanette ones.

Honestly though, I will TAKE Alyanette being "pair the spares" for Adrino a lot of the time, it's a heck of a lot better to make Alyanette and Adrino Ship Mates than to inflict Die For Our Ship on one of the pairs.

[bloodsbane]

Adventure Time Watch List

With Fionna and Cake currently airing, a lot of people have gotten interested in possibly watching Adventure Time lately - either for the very first time or returning to the show after having dropped it at some point. I've already started helping a friend watch through the show with me and have talked to other friends who expressed interest in doing the same.

For the above reasons I thought it would be fun and helpful to create a watch list, and then I thought it might be of use to others! It's a list I'd describe as lightly curated, but keeping things extremely easy for anyone to choose how they, personally, would prefer watching the show by leaving all info/options available.

Personally, I think Adventure Time is a show worth watching in its totality! At least once, anyway. But I acknowledge it's intimidating to get into a show with 10 seasons and over 200 episodes, plus some people are mostly interested in specific characters or plots, or have watched through most of the show before and want a faster way to catch up on 'key info' without running through the first five seasons with a fine-tooth comb.

So, the document! It includes:

A key for how I marked every single episode (based on their necessity for understanding the overall plot, which eps introduce and expand on recurring concepts/characters, which are arguably "totally skippable", etc.)

Highlights marking all F&C episodes and each of the mini-series arcs.

Colored hearts which mark major character appearances (Ice King, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline) and significant episodes that center on/continue the arcs of Finn and Jake respectively.

>>> You can view it here! <<<

(if any of my choices on this doc are ones you disagree with, that's fine! but please don't try to argue with me or complain to me about anything if you think something is marked wrong or missing. this was mainly done for personal/friends use. feel free to take this list and use it as a base to make one of your own!)

The idea is that you can use the list to curate your own experience in watching through the show. If you want to watch everything, you can! But maybe you only want to refresh yourself on the main plot, or maybe you only want to watch all of Marceline's episodes, etc etc.

I would like to emphasize one more time this was very casually made. Hopefully, if nothing else, it works for anyone who's interested in AT but doesn't know where to start beyond just watching the show from the beginning.

I also wanted to put out a list like this because I've heard of the existence of watch lists that will recommend skipping a majority of episodes outright, including entire seasons, which ??? sounds absolutely insane to me! Even the earliest seasons of AT contain episodes absolutely crucial to the overall plot!!

(This probably comes from the idea that the earliest seasons of AT are "worth skipping" because they're "not as good" as later seasons, or that early AT is only okay but "gets better" around the middle. I heartily disagree with this; some of my favorite episodes are within the first three seasons. I will of course acknowledge that some of the earliest episodes probably won't suit some folks' tastes even if what comes a little later on definitely will; hence, this list.)

Anyway, I hope this helps anyone interested in watching! If you do give Adventure Time a try, I hope you have a great time with it! It's a fun show and I think watching the whole thing is definitely worth it~

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Why do you like Skyward Sword? What do you love about it? (I just came back to it after a long time and am obsessed.)

AH there are SO many reasons I like Skyward Sword!

The aesthetic! This is such a cute game, and the pastels are so pleasant to the eye. It makes the world so magical too, like botw is breathtakingly beautiful but skyward sword is like going to a real fantasy land. Kind of adds to the whole idea that this game is so far in the past it's in mythology era too, which makes it extra fun!

Speaking of which, the lore! Like, I know some people might not like the Hylia addition but let's be real, Nintendo destroys their own lore with every new game, so I just really liked this one lol. The idea that this game is so far back in the past that it's the original Hero, the original Zelda, it's such a fascinating and fun thing! This isn't just another iteration of the pair, this is the pair. It makes it fitting that they're the Zelink couple that I adore too haha.

With it being so far back in the past, it makes the magic feel so much more alive! The goddess is within reach, the dragons talk, everything feels so alive. You know how in stories it's always like "time passes and people grow distant from the magic and can no longer hear it/experience it" and that kind of feels like the rest of the Zelda games - like there's obviously still magic and beauty in all the games, but it never quite feels as... idk, fantastical as Skyward Sword's world does. Part of that is probably also because it's from Link's POV and this is all new to him

Which is another fun thing! All the other Zelda games, Link lives in an established world. Here, Link's exploring one that's been untouched since the entire world was nearly destroyed in a devastating war and nearly everyone had died. Like it's kind of akin to botw (I remember reading somewhere that botw was designed to be like a really improved skyward sword, like sksw paved the way for it) in that regard, but Link's in a foreign land and knows nothing about it. Rather like OoT Link, but there's very little established here, you know? There's no kingdom, you run into one (1) settlement with the mogmas and that's it. The rest is ruins and wilderness.

The characters! My gosh, they're so fun! Link is the most expressive here, he's absolutely delightful and I adore his personality (the only Link who comes close to being my favorite aside from Sky is Twilight). Groose is fantastic and rightfully a fan favorite. Zelda's a freaking knight! And she has her own journey! And she's got a fantastic personality, and her story is so interesting! Ghirahim is hilarious and a fun recurring villain! Even Impa is fairly interesting as a character. Fi certainly isn't my favorite companion but she isn't terrible, and it's quite fun learning about her lore and watching her develop.

LOFTWINGS. That is all.

LIVING IN THE SKY. Their settlement is so different from anything else in any other game and I love it. Also a nice little thing because like so many Zelda games herald an ancient race coming from the skies, and it differs between the games but the fact that this time it was the Hylians is really neat and solidifies the whole "this takes place before literally everything else" idea.

The music! I love the music so much, they're all bangers. Fi's theme, especially Follow Fi, is absolutely magical, Groose's them is bombastic and fun, freaking Koloktos theme, the Ancient Cistern!! The Sand Sea!!!

SILENT REALMS MY BELOVED. Everybody else hates them, I freaking adore them, they're my favorite part of the game. I love the challenge of them and the music for them absolutely took my breath away.

The sword mechanics! I know with bad programming/buggy controllers it can be a pain, but it's so fun being able to swing Link's sword around with such control, whether it's motion control or joystick. Like, it's not just hitting a button, you gotta wait and watch and observe to figure out how you're going to attack, and it makes it pretty fun!

[darkurgetrash]

Writer Interview Tag ✍️

Thank you for the tag my kitten @savriea! I love this format ❤️ no pressure tags to @lemonsrosesandlavender @forget-me-maybe @freesidexjunkie @blackstaff-blast @crystal-overdrive @notlikeparis xo

When did you start writing?

I was writing awful emo-type fiction (featuring yandere tropes that I didn’t know were a thing) then got into fanfic around ?13/14? with Death Note. I think so anyway, it’s nearly impossible for me to remember what age I did what 🤷‍♀️

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I enjoy literary horror and absurdist fiction, which I used to write more of but haven’t really felt motivated to since venturing back into romance writing. I have a few short stories though from back in the day in these genres that I was thinking about publishing somewhere, but I wouldn’t know where to begin!

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I’ve always been inspired by Diana Wynn Jones and have been compared to her from before, but I’m not sure I agree with that because I am nowhere near her level — that would be the dream, though! When I used to write more creatively, I very much tried to emulate Sayaka Murata, my queen. 🙇‍♀️

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I don’t have a designated space, but I do find it easier to write when I’m commuting (because there’s no wifi/signal and I have nothing better to do). So… the London Underground? 😁

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Being so bored that “I might as well write”, hahahaha! I have tonnes of hobbies though so, unfortunately, I don’t get in the writing mood very often. 🤣

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

I tend to always end up writing about depression and trauma, even when I didn’t intend to hehe. 🤭 Write what you know, right? Tbh, I’m unfortunately quite a pessimistic person who is more naturally inclined towards melancholy, so I think these things tend to slip into my characters. That said, I always want to make things feel hopeful and whimsical too — probably as a form of escapism — so I suppose that surprises me!

What is your reason for writing?

A loaded question… 👀 I wrote a long answer just now but deleted it because I couldn’t quite properly express what I meant lol, so the tldr is: escapism, self expression, and fulfillment🫡

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

I love all comments ❤️❤️ but also, if you’re writing mini essays under my fics, you have a special place in my heart.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Hmm, depends on what I’m writing. For the most part, I’d like readers to think I’m funny and enjoy my humour, and, of course, enjoy the story I create!

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I personally enjoy my sense of humour in writing. My one-shot ‘Gods Damned Gale Dekarios!’ and some parts of HITMC have been some of my favourite writing I’ve ever done, and my short stories I used to write used tonnes of irony and absurdist humour. I think I’m also good at writing about characters’ inner thoughts and feelings — when it comes to anything external, however, I struggle. 💀

How do you feel about your own writing?

I think I’m pretty average tbh — enjoyable enough to read but nothing super special. I have a lot of cognitive issues that make writing really hard for me, especially when it comes to, like I said, writing about anything that’s happening externally: action, the senses, settings, etc. I think I especially have problems when it comes to the all important “show not tell” rule, because girlypop has no visualisation skills. 🤣 But overall, I think as long as people are enjoying my writing, I don’t see it as a reason to be hard on myself. I’ve kinda given up on any ambitions to write anything more than what I do now because my disabilities are too extreme and also getting worse with age, but hey-ho, it is what it is.

[hcfiles]

I've seen several people think HC has a relationship with someone else. Some say he's not with that person yet. Others think he is. Apparently, you think this person could be a man.

So my question is : why do you think, like others in the chat, that he potentially has someone else ? Have you observed anything in his behavior ?

And finally, do you really think he's bisexual ? I know this is a recurring rumor but I don't know why, I find it hard to believe. I know that if he were, he'd probably hide it, because it's still hard to come to terms with in Hollywood. But even knowing that, I find it a little hard to believe.

Answering your first question, you might have me confused for someone else. I don't think he has another girlfriend and I explicitly expressed my opinion on it saying no woman would accept to have her man kissing and parading with a fake. Concerning the second, I am open to the possibility he's, at least, bi. So many girlfriends, never kept one. All those PR stunts,... Definitely to build the character of the self-confident womanizer who bangs all, successful in his male performance. Why promote that insistently? What is he trying to reaffirm and prove? And, why does he need to prove he's a man? Or he's bi, gay or a virgin.

[larvasmoon]

Writing Interview Tag Game

Thank you so much for tagging me @cinnamontails-ff and @davenswitcher ❤️ I loved reading your interviews so much, it was so interesting to learn more about your writing process and how you came to be the writers that you are !

When did you start writing ?

Probably when I was little, I still have a few notebooks in which I used to draw and imagine stories with unicorns, female knights and mermaid. I also have some fond memories of me and cousins writing plays that we would act in front of our parents ! I like to reread those from time to time, it's always hilarious. My love for books blossomed at the same time as my passion for writing did but it's when I was a teenager that I realized that I wanted to be a writer. I studied French and English literature in college and throughout those years I continued to write consistently. I never really shared any of my writings until last year though and it's been such a wonderful experience !

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I love thrillers and crime fictions but I find them difficult to write, maybe because it doesn't quite fit my writing style. I also love to read history books or biographies at night before sleeping, they just tickle my brain the right way.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I don't really want to emulate a writer specifically but I definitely want my stories to have a gothic feel to them, the gloominess of a novel from one of the Brontë sisters for instance. I strive to have my own style though, I try to have a distinctive voice but I probably still have some way to go before finding a style that is truly mine. Writing is about reinventing yourself and having the freedom to do so, after all.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I'm a chronic insomniac so I often writing in my bed with my computer on my lap at ungodly hours of the night. I also always feel much more inspired after midnight, which is terrible for my sleeping schedule. I sometimes get so caught up in the chapter I'm writing that when I look up, the sun is already rising. I do write on my desk during the day though but I must say it does not happen very often, except during the weekends and during the holidays.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

I love going out into the nature to find ideas or gather my thoughts. I live close to the sea and my favorite thing is sitting on the sand or on a cliff with a little notebook beside me. Most of the plot of my stories have been inspired by the sea and the waves so she might as well be my muse -

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

I often find myself writing characters who struggle with issues like abuse, trauma and mental health. They spend most of the plot fighting to regain so kind of agency in their lives and trying to exorcise their own demons. I'm not necessarily surprised by the fact that those themes are ever-present in my stories since those are topics that matter a lot to me in my day to day life. I'm often surprised by the way I end up including them in my stories though. Writing has helped me to process some personal things or see them in a different light more than once, lending your voice to a character sometimes helps you to put words on things you simply weren't able to express before.

What is your reason for writing?

Writing helps make to make sense of the world and of how absurd life can be. I like how it allows me to see the bigger picture ! It also pushes me to romanticize my daily life, try and find a bit of magic in the world that surrounds me or observe nature and the people around me. I think I've also, even as a child, always wanted to communicate with people through my writing. I was a very shy little girl and a very reserved teenager and all the things I couldn't bring myself to say, I just wrote down and turned into a story.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Any type of comment really, I'm just always so emotional when I realize that people do read my stories and take some time to tell me that it made them feel something. It would mean the world to me if one of my fics became someone's comfort story though or echoed to some of their life experience ! I'm extremely slow to answer comments lately but I see all of them and they mean the world to me ❤️ I will answer to each of them once things are a little less hectic, I promise !

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

As someone who is very passionate about her stories, I suppose. As I said, I'm very shy and quiet in real life and it's not always easy for me to find the right words, so I hope my stories have an authentic feel to them.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Probably the descriptions, setting a mood, I do try to get better at dialogues because it's what is the hardest for me.

How do you feel about your own writing?

It really depends of the day and of how I feel but I try not to be too hard on myself. It's full of ups and downs to be honest. One day I'll hate what I wrote and want to throw it all away but the next day I'll reread it and find that it's not that bad. Writing is a journey and I find comfort in the fact that I keep learning as I go !

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

It's a mix of both for sure ! I do write for myself when I bring those ideas to life or discuss topics that are very close to my heart, but I also keep in mind that it has to be appealing to my readers. I think about all the ways I could make it more interesting for them and it's an important part of every writing process !

Tagging @thedreamlessnights and @vyjuarts ❤️

[stardust-3saders]

LiaTaro (mostly Jotaro focused) Headcanons!

I've been wanting to post some more bits of writing, more when it comes to the behavior of the poly and some personal headcanons I have.

Big thanks to my friend @magthemage for the help with these! I don't oftenly see people do it, but talking with someone who doesn't have a character (in this case Jotaro) as F/o helps a lot to brainstorm while staying away from it becoming oof XD

Anyway! Here they are! I don't think there's anything to tag as warning, just a bit of Jotaro's PTSD but nothing else, so dw!

Under the cut because they're kinda lengthy!

Tag list: @spookysinner45 @iceicewifey

Lemme know if you want to be added by answering this form! 💜

Let's put straight a fact that, sadly, a lot of people seem to forget: Intimacy is hard. Especially with characters that were written during the 80s boom of the hypermasculinity trope.

There are three distinct characteristics associated with the hypermasculine personality: the view of violence as manly, the perception of danger as exciting and sensational, and callous behavior toward women and a regard toward emotional displays as feminine.

Something quite fitting for Kujo Jotaro. And when it came to him joining Lia and Noriaki's relationship, this was a recurring issue.

Not having a healthy model that showed him the kind of affection it was normal to share with a partner since Sadao was rarely around, his personality and factors such as his PTSD after Egypt; things had a rough start.

Yet, something that we know defines Jotaro, is how he doesn't like the idea of giving up, even when it comes to something he isn't used to.

So in order to get to a healthy and understanding point in their relationship, Lia had to spend a lot of time, effort, and probably have an ulcer removed, to try to get Jotaro to a point where he's a bit more able to express his feelings without him feeling like he has failed himself.

It's not like Jotaro doesn't feel, but rather that he can't express things normally, or it would go against his core values.

⭐One of the first things that Lia managed to establish was a different way to communicate. Because saying "I love you" just made Jotaro feel weak and vulnerable, Lia proposed an alternative: for him to squeeze her hand twice. Same meaning, but without forcing him into an uncomfortable position.

It was like Jotaro had seen the moon for the first time in years.

What started with him trying that just before sleep, and with Lia answering in kind, turned to him grabbing Lia's hand and squeezing over the smallest things. As a compliment to a thank you, as a random gesture, or just her being close.

It had been a long evening. With Noriaki being not only the last to arrive home, but also having returned absolutely exhausted; the usual chores shared by the trio were left in charge of Lia and Jotaro.

Unlike their usual routine, this time there was a heavy–although not uncomfortable– silence between the pair.

Still, as efficient as always, anything left to clean and put away in the kitchen was soon finished.

Lazily, the couple walked towards their respective bedrooms (Kujo having one of his own to avoid stepping over his boundaries and keeping the steady process of him feeling more comfortable). However, as Lia finished bidding him goodnight with a yawn, she felt herself being stopped by a bigger hand grabbing onto hers.

“Jojo?” She looked up at him, her head tilted in confusion as she noticed how he tried to avoid her gaze.

Yet, before she could call out to him again, she felt his hand gently squeezing hers twice.

Being the first time he had used this way of showing affection, she couldn't stop her mouth from opening slightly in surprise.

Barely catching sight of blush on his face due to the lack of light, her face softened.

She squeezed his hand in return with a soft smile directed to the man, finally letting go and allowing each other to retreat to their rooms for the night.

⭐While Jotaro was incapable of outwardly expressing his affection with words, Lia noticed that he normally roamed towards silent actions, kind of expecting her to understand them.

Examples of this were when she normally complained that her children were being absolute brats and making the class more difficult to handle, Jotaro would just reply "わかった" (got it) and stop communication, only for Lia to arrive home with Jotaro having actually gone out of his way to purchase food from a local mom-and-pop shop on the way home.

While he normally doesn't expect to be thanked for it, every time Lia does, he simply turns around, pulls his cap down and mutter an "...うん", busying himself with anything else available nearby just so Lia doesn't catch him making a silly smile.

⭐We know that due to his PTSD, Jotaro has a hard time sleeping almost every night. He normally tosses and turns, and sometimes hits things in his sleep, another reason he normally waits for Lia and Noriaki to be asleep for him to move to his room.

But sometimes Lia finds him sitting in the middle of the night on the balcony, cigarette in hand, trying to calm his nerves.

And being aware of his silent nature, and how easily it is for him to instantly return to his shell; she simply sits next to him, waiting for him to show any sign of him wanting a physical interaction like touching her hand or thanking her for being there.

That's when she knows she can try to physically reassure him, with little things like caressing his back, leaning against him or even let him rest his head on her thighs, something he absolutely adores doing, but is ashamed to do when Nori is awake and around... or when anyone else can see him.

And if her touch doesn't feel enough, she'll even goof around a bit, just like the few times they actually talked in the past while alone. Not as annoying as she used to be, but still enough as to get his mind distracted from whatever is troubling him those nights.

January was never an easy month.

Despite bad memories being left in the past, the seasonal drop in mood always brought back a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

A taste of bile and blood.

Being well accustomed to the weight at her sides during the night, it wasn't strange for Lia to be woken up as soon as her mind noticed the empty spot on the bed.

It was a routine event at this point. The memories of that night affected Jotaro more than often to anyone. Because, while Noriaki had also been in a pretty bad situation that almost cost his life, the difference was that the redhead actually knew how to reach out for help. And after many years of therapy, he was able to ground himself better.

For Jotaro, on the other hand, it was as if any progress he had made through the years suddenly disappeared. He hid himself away from others, resorting to smoking, although it was a habit he had been trying to quit.

And having gone through the same situation quite a couple of times before, Lia knew exactly where to find him.

Quickly going to grab some water from the kitchen, she went to the balcony, finding Kujo seated on the floor of the balcony, lazily dangling a cigarette between his fingers as his leg anxiously bounced up and down.

Frowning as her gaze landed on him, she knocked softly on the door frame, letting him know about her arrival without startling him.

With the dim light that the moon provided him, she barely caught a glimpse of him looking at her by the corner of his eye. This, accompanied by the motion of his leg stopping, was enough to let her know that he was aware of her presence at his side.

In slow movements, she sat down at his side, leaving enough space between their bodies to avoid touching him before he felt comfortable and calm enough. She placed the glass in the space between them, a small smile forming on her lips as she saw him take it, slowly taking a sip from it before placing it back down.

The pair spent a few minutes in silence, bashing in the soft sounds of the night. Yet, Lia couldn’t help but to scrunch her nose as the smoke from his cigarette reached her and tickled her throat, threatening to make her cough.

Noticing this, the raven frowned, letting out a tired sigh as he put out the lit cigarette.

“You didn’t have to do that, y’know?” Lia frowned at him, removing a hand that she unconsciously had moved to cover her nose and mouth.

“You don’t like it”

She let out a sigh, hugging her legs against her chest and resting her head on her knees before directing her gaze towards him.

“It’s true that I don’t like it… and that I wish you used a healthier alternative to calm down. But I can’t force you to stop doing it.”

Jotaro raised a brow at her, incredulous of what she had said after she spent so many times reprimanding him for the smell of tobacco and the smoke.

“You still bitch about it” He said, his tone having a hint of playfulness rather than annoyance.

“It's not bitching, it's giving you advice!” she frowned as she heard him scoff lightly. “I mean it!”

She turned in place, her body fully facing him as she sat cross legged at his side.

“It's as if one day I arrived and told you and Nori that I'm gonna drop everything to become, I don't know… an idol. You cannot forbid me from doing it, but you can give me advice about how bad of an idea that is.”

He looked at Lia for a few seconds, his brow still raised as he processed her words, before letting out a sigh as he crossed his arms, looking back to the city.

“Yeah, because you suck at singing”

Lia could only frown at his words, a small pout forming on her lips as she glared at him.

“I'm going to take that as you understanding my point rather than trying to attack me”

She turned back to her original sitting position, lightly and playfully bumping into him as she leaned against his arm.

Still, a small smile formed on her lips as she heard the faintest chuckle coming from him, noticing how he seemed more relaxed than when she arrived.

She looked up at him for a moment, making Jotaro look down at her as he felt Lia's gaze on him, a questioning look on his face.

“We’re not going anywhere, and you're not going to end up alone. Please keep that in mind.”

Just as Lia finished speaking, she noticed a glimpse of something in his eyes. A mix of surprise and something else…

Yet, before she could even mention it, her sight went black, and soon enough she noticed his cap somehow on her head, blocking her view.

“When did you even-?”

“Shut up”

Ah, that tone. For someone random, it would sound like the same monotonous tone he always had, but she could easily distinguish the light embarrassment it hid under.

She couldn't help but to chuckle, shaking her head in amusement as she leaned further into him, deciding to give him some peace of mind and keep quiet, at least for that night.

She would make sure of teasing him enough once the next day arrived, though.

[soda-gremlin]

The Newer Thea Sisters Books Aren’t as Good as the Older Ones, and Here’s Why

Yes yes, I know I am beating a dead horse here, but I have noticed quite a few patterns when it comes to the newer books, specifically why I don’t like them. So here is my comprehensive list of traits that make the newer books so lackluster.

1. No Continuity

And no, I am not simply referring to small details, like the name of a celebrity that has already been established. What I am referring to, is both the lack of reference to previous books even when relevant, and the complete absence of background knowledge. Let me explain.

So, y’all have read Mystery on the Orient Express, right? If you haven’t, major spoilers ahead. The villains turn out to be a set of identical twins, Dimitri and Leon. But first, before discovering that fact, the Thea Sisters had to tangle with the conundrum of Dimitri’s hand, and why the burn kept disappearing and reappearing. It took them quite a bit of time to work that out because, well, they’d never seen that before. And they’re still new to mystery-solving.

However, in a later book, (spoilers for Phantom of the Orchestra) they are confused by a character named John’s seemingly contradictory behavior, like greeting them like old friends one minute, and acting like they never met the next minute. But here’s the thing. They’ve seen this before, in Mystery of the Orient Express. That shouldn’t have been a huge twist. They shouldn’t have taken that long to figure that out, because they’ve seen it before.

Need another example? So, a common trope in the newer books is that one of the side characters aiding them mysteriously goes missing. Then it turns out, they were kidnapped/led away. It happens almost every single time. Riddle of the Ruins, Niagara Splash, you get the idea. But every single time, the girls dick around like, “Oh no, I wonder where John Doe could have POSSIBLY went” GIRLIEPOPS. THIS AINT YOUR FIRST RODEO. YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS.

I get it, they want the series to be episodic and all that, but when it’s actively hurting the story’s writing, and when quite a few readers have read previous books, it ends up detrimental instead of convenient.

2. The Forgettable Side Characters

Have any of you read the Mouseford series, or the graphic novels? If you have, you’re probably familiar with Vanilla (Ruby), Vic (Ryder), Shen, Craig, Tanya (Tanja), and Dina (Elly). All pretty well-established side characters, some even making an appearance in the beginning of the original series’ books.

Clearly, they have a very diverse cast of side characters in their roster. Shen being a sweet, bookish nerd, Craig being a himbo jock, Vic being a chaotic neutral rich boy, Vanilla being your average spoiled rich girl, you get the idea.

So I bet they bring one along on the girls’ adventures to spice up the story, right? Bringing in a fresh new perspective on the story’s events and a refreshing deviation in recurring character dynamics, while also expanding on the side characters themselves. Right?

WRONG

Instead, they make up a character to use as a plot device. I hesitate to even call them characters, because they have no personality. They’re all the same cookie cutter cardboard cutouts again and again. Especially the new male characters.

Can you tell me a SINGLE unique trait about Didier, Ioannis, Mateo, or Akhun?

Can you even tell me which books they’re from?

Of course you can’t! You probably don’t even remember they existed! (Unless they’re your blorbo, in that case, you have my sympathies…)

So instead of using the more interesting and established side characters from Mouseford, they just stick in a plot device of a character and call it a day.

In the older books, the new characters were memorable. Take Ashvin for example, aka, the only character’s name in this category I didn’t have to look up. He had an actual character. He was impulsive, reckless, but had a strong moral code. Contrast that to the new books’ Forgettable Twink #12.

3. Less Emphasis on Culture

This section will be shorter, due to me not really being any of these cultures, and being American, but I still think it’s worth covering.

The idea of the Thea Sisters exploring new countries and cultures is not new. I’d wager that’s the very purpose of the books, to expand the worldviews of impressionable children.

However, in the newer books, it feels a lot more shallow. As in, “a leaflet you got at an airport” shallow. They just barely scrape the surface, and call it a day. Only covering well known foods and internationally known traditions/practices. It’s like if Cherry Blossom Adventure only had the Thea Sisters eating sushi and learning about ninjas or origami. It does that country a massive disservice, especially if you’re native, or even if you’ve just lived there.

This is due to the newer books having the girls see the country through the eyes of a tourist rather than getting immersed in the life of a local.

Take Mountain of Fire for example, they are thrust headfirst into Nicky’s home country. They’re not put up in a hotel in the touristy part of the country, they’re in Nicky’s ranch, experiencing the wildlife, as well as what it’s like to live so far from the city. They see the natural wonders of Australia, as well as learning from the Aboriginal peoples living around the area, including Nicky’s family.

4. Boring Conflict

This one is pretty straightforward. The conflicts in the newer books feel so boring, almost sanitized in a way. There are no real stakes. In the older books, there were many consequences laid out if the villain succeeded. An important link to a dying art would have been lost, the livelihood of Pam’s family business would have been compromised, and not to mention, PEOPLE COULD HAVE DIED.

But now it’s like, “Oh nooo, a single piece from a model is missing, and it’s gonna lose the contest, whatever shall we do 🥺🥺 It’s not like we can recreate it or anything”

There is nothing compelling about the conflicts or its villains. We have no reason to be at the edge of our seats like with Mystery of the Orient Express, where Pam and Nicky LITERALLY CLIMB ON TOP OF A TRAIN TO CATCH THE THIEF BEFORE HE CAN GET AWAY

But now it just feels like a fetch quest of clues, and a wild goose chase for good measure. And just lot of fapping about in general.

I also have to bring up villains. They’re having the same issue as the side characters. They’re all the same greedy, shifty characters that are so obviously up to something.

Final Thoughts

I think all of these flaws can basically boil down to the fact that every book feels like the same story, over and over again, just with different names. (There are some exceptions, but my point still stands)

And just one more note I have is that, I wish the Thea Sisters got more personality to them. Like, I wish they acted like an actual friend group, not like how kids shows love portraying friend groups. Which is a group of girls all nice to each other all the damn time. There’s no depth, there’s no added dynamics that make the friend group feel real. The dialogue is all so flat. I need banter, I need inside jokes, I need playful jabs at one another, I need each sister having a different relationship with one another. We don’t want perfect, we want interesting. (But this isn’t exclusively a newer book issue, so I didn’t put it in the main list)

Aaaannndddd that’s about all I’ve got for you today! Hope you enjoyed this little rant/analysis!!

[iffylogic]

Writerly Questionnaire

Questionnaire by @davycoquette

This is a very in-depth questionnaire for writers, suitable for original fiction writers, fanfic writers, and people who aren't writing but who are messing around with OCs. It's a lot of fun and I'm glad I stumbled over it.

Original post here.

Thanks for the fun tag @rayless-reblogs! 🥰

About You

When did you start writing?

There were a few active years as a teenager, but I truly got back into it five years ago.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

I deeply enjoy reading lighthearted slice-of-life stories, but have no interest in writing them. However, science fiction and fantasy are genres that I love to both read and write.

Romance is something I like to read, but only nestled within another genre. The dedicated romance novels that I've read felt incredibly forced, although to be fair I've probably just read the wrong books. In the same way, I do like it when my own characters hit it off and find their way into a relationship on their own, but I've never written it as the purpose of the story. Not so far, anyway.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared?

Most of my writing goes into sequential art these days, and there's not really another comic writer that I model myself after. (Composition and art style are another story, but they don't apply here.)

In private I've been writing more traditionally, if clumsily; but I happen to be surrounded by skilled, experienced writers whose works I've been looking at for guidance on occasion! ♥

I know this isn't quite in the spirit of the question, but I've seen people compare Kontext to GazKerber's delightful Final Fantasy VI webcomic, which makes me really happy.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

For the past month (and for another week or two), I write in a weirdly nice corner of a house basement. The basement is spacious, well-lit and my space has the furnishings of a nice studio (plants, wall decor, etc.). It looks like a lovely microcosm of a home office in the middle of a nearly vacant Wal-Mart.

What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Music, music, music! I'll put on my headphones, pull up a playlist on YouTube Music, head out the door and start walking. The brainstorming will take it from there. Most of the ideas I have were popped into existence by hearing some random tune, even when I wasn't looking for it.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Not much; the media I grew up with has had a far greater impact.

That said, Fyo takes some inspiration from karate champion Rika Usami, primarily her hairstyle and fierce expression.

In addition, Carmine has several elements inspired by my sister: the same hair color, and Carmine's ethereal wings are a modified photograph of butterfly wings my sister keeps framed on her wall. This was as thanks for her helping with Carmine's initial costume design.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Well, there does seem to be a through line of characters defying the identity or behaviors expected of them. Not exactly untrodden ground, but I guess a theme like that shouldn't surprise me for obvious reasons.

Taking that further into the fantasy realm, though, I've also noticed that godhood and humanity are often compared and even put at odds in my stories? Not as clashing forces, but as opposing identities to embrace: what it means to be one as opposed to the other, and using them as a filter to determine what values genuinely matter to that person. More on that in the recurring character traits answer below.

Your Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character? (Current WIP, past WIP, never used, etc.)

Right now it's far and away Carmine Pentella, a young but well-trained sorceress. Over a year ago, her sister and only family was murdered right in front of her, and the killer went free. Carmine's convinced herself that she's healed and moved on, but... let's just say that writing her is very cathartic right now.

Which of your characters do you think you’d be friends with in real life?

Fyo is everyone's friend! She'll snare you if you happen to be in the room. Heath as well, probably. He's too energetic and enthusiastic for me not to like.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

This is from a WIP I've said nothing about, but the pilot of the Lucky Shot would intensely piss me off, I'd do anything I can to avoid speaking to her. She's an alcoholic with anger issues, so honestly a lot of people would take issue with her too. I like her as a character, but as a friend? No thank you.

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

Fyo's almost an amalgam of everything I wish I were! To a fault, in fact. When the time comes for her to take the spotlight as the protag of Absolutus, I'll need to rewrite her into more of a character and less of a self-actualization checklist.

A big part of the reason for that is her inception: a dream I had many years ago. It was technically a nightmare, the world was ending "Hellstar Remina" style and being consumed by horrific monsters. But I was this capable, determined, unflappable woman who was single-handedly getting people to safety. In effect, the world was out of control but I was in control. And instead of myself, I was this mysterious dark-haired woman, who would later become Fyo.

But most of my characters began as vehicles for the story's needs, and then became fleshed out the more that I wrote them. Carmine's the biggest example of this: she was meant to be a one-off character in a single chapter so the story could give a crash-course in sorcery, but now I can't get rid of her!

As far as their details, I'll often pull from media or people I know in person, like Carmine as mentioned above.

Ayan Navarre is a funny case. He was specifically created to be a character who was innately above Ultimecia's usual mystique and intensity, in such a way that the two of them could see eye-to-eye even when she's in full The Sorceress mode. I named him after my favorite Rutger Hauer character and tried to give him a somewhat similar vibe (unsuccessfully), because honestly to me Hauer's the only person whose energy can match Ulti. XD

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

So... I've noticed that majority of my protagonists tend to be women of incredible power, often befriending children? Or failing that, just acting far more mundanely human than one might expect of their station. Like a demigod who's taken an interest in growing houseplants or going clubbing. The circumstances and degree vary, and the characters all have wildly different personalities, but yeah. Apparently I've got a trope.

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc.)

For the most part, I picture them about how I draw them!

Well okay reverse that: I imagine them and then try to draw as closely to that as I can.

Your Writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Hmm.

You know when you've read or watched that story that you were so intensely invested in, that the conclusion left you with a strange, lonely, existential melancholy that you were intensely grateful to be feeling? Those intense emotions that boil up from connecting to those characters as they overcome their trials and connect with each other?

I value that feeling more than anything. If any of my ideas have even a slight chance of passing that feeling to someone else, I'm going to move heaven and earth to put that out into the world.

And if that sounds cheesy, it's because I'm writing this at 4:37am.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

I've never read a comment that didn't absolutely make my day, but yes I have favorites:

Comments expressing love for a specific character, as a person. If my child means something to you, it makes them even more real to me.

Guesses about the story, or speculation about what will happen next. If you're trying to analyze the world-building and try to anticipate where the story's going, that tells me that you're seeing it as a complete world, which makes me feel like I've done my job well.

Oh, and this has happened a handful of times for Kontext and I started screaming incoherently every time: "I just binge-read your entire comic and I love it so much! By the way, what is Final Fantasy VIII? Should I play it?" (YES.) I release the white smoke whenever this happens, because it means the story actually does stand on its own.

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who “gets” the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

I suppose I'd like to be thought of as a good worldbuilder? Well no, that's unreasonable when my biggest work is a fan project. Maybe I'd want to be known for writing characters that feel like real people.

But if I want one thing above all else, I hope my stories inspire someone to make stories of thier own. If it moves you enough that you get that feeling, and you're compelled to put more of it out into the world yourself, I think that would be the best thing of all.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

This probably isn't much of a high mark, but I take pride in getting conversations to flow naturally, especially when it comes to banter bouncing back and forth. This is especially fun if the characters are physically fighting at the same time, because I like to make the fight a direct extension of the argument, which leads to some fun results.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

I've been told that the detail and flow of my stories are their greatest strengths, which frankly is a huge relief, because I get really frustrated with my own pacing!

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

I frequently worry that my writing is too shallow, or doesn't evoke anything. This fear is made worse by the fact that my main project is in the form of sequential art—a medium that's often accused of being less in-depth than traditional literature.

But... overall, I'm proud of what I've done so far. The most important thing needed for me to enjoy someone else's story is if I like the characters, and I feel like most of my characters are very likable.

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Absolutely. In my opinion, seeing your own ideas put to paper or screen feels meaningful in a way all its own, even if you're the only one to see it.

Besides, if there's no one else on the planet, why not make friends with the people in your head? The story in there is bound to be more interesting than the isolation.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

Oh I am self-indulgent as hell. Obviously I'm eager to read what people think and I hope that they enjoy it, but first and foremost I write (and draw) the things that I want to read.

Seriously, I was shocked when someone commented on the first pages of Kontext. I thought I was the only person on the planet who wanted to read about Sorceress Ultimecia pulling an all-nighter at a library!

That being said, on occasion I do consider what the reader might want to see. There's one major element in an upcoming chapter that I keep going back and forth on, because I don't know what readers' reactions will be.

No-pressure tagging:

@thee-lionheart @mereelskirata @alkonoststorm @irishais, @professional-fangirl2187, and a handful of friends that Rayless already beat me to tagging XD

As always, if you weren't tagged but want to try this, go for it!