#ultimate cuteness series

[adhdclownfromhell]

Prompt from @draw-the-squad-like-this

Rei does not approve, but his daughter don't care 😎

[dragondemoness]

A Hopeful Future - DV3 Cast x Ultimate Cuteness Reader Finale

Ten years since you graduated Hope’s Peak Academy.

You stand on the balcony of the house you shared with your significant other, who was standing right beside you.

At your beloved plush bunny’s request, you passed him down to your child, if you had one.

He was just as attached to the rabbit as you were when you first received him from your grandmother. It was an endearing sight.

But that didn’t mean the bond you shared with Mr. Bunny ever went away. He continued to give you any kind of support you needed, and sometimes, you had time to spend alone with him. He still loved to hold you like a baby, even though you were fully grown.

If you had any children, you’d best believe the rabbit does the same thing to them too.

When they were born, you handed them to Mr. Bunny to hold them, and he held them so gently, as though they were made of glass. And instead of cowering away from him, they curled into his soft chest, and you saw his black, beady eyes shine with tears.

He basically became their third parent, and sometimes, you had to pry the child away from him because he refused to leave their side. Then you would laugh as he got grumpy and pouted at you.

He was like the family’s bodyguard, and he did his job well. Not only was he very difficult to damage, but his keen senses did a great job at sensing danger, then getting rid of it before you or your family could find out.

Anyway, you watched the sunset with a peaceful expression, on the warm cottage property you always dreamed of living in.

Seeing you lost in thought, your significant other gets your attention by placing their hand on yours.

“Are you alright?”

You snapped to attention and gave them a warm smile and nodded.

“Just thinking about the past, and how we ended up here. It’s kind of weird to think about, but I couldn’t be happier.”

Your significant other nods and mirrors you, watching the sunset as well.

Shuichi Saihara

He smiles and chuckles at you.

“Yeah, kind of. But I’m glad we’re here now.”

After graduation, he received a letter from one of the best detective departments in the city

He spent many nights working, and often struggled to come to bed with you

But he still assured that you meant everything to him

Together, you had one child

They took after your appearance, but was shy, like Shuichi

You find them absolutely adorable

Shuichi smiles and takes your hand in his, as he turns back to the sunset

Rantaro Amami 

He chuckles at you and nods.

“It kind of is, huh? But hey, I’m not complaining.”

He still loved to travel, so he found a job where he could take business trips often

So sometimes he would leave for a while, but he sent postcards and gifts he knew you would like

Anything to let you know he was still thinking of you

You have at least two children with him

He loves taking care of people, but if two is enough for you, it’s enough for him

Sometimes he and Mr. Bunny argue over the children’s affections

It’s pretty funny sometimes

Rantaro smiles at you once more before slinging his arm over your shoulder and pulling you close to him

Kokichi Oma 

He tilts his head and gives you a look of mock confusion.

“Hmmmm? What do ya mean ‘weird’? Are you calling me weird??”

His face changes to a look of playful sadness before smiling at you.

“Yeah, I guess it is kinda weird. But at least we’re here now, right?”

Thanks to him and his organization, he earned a lot of money

He worked too hard to let it go, even after all these years

But he did promise not to do anything too evil

He’s not a fan of kids, so he doesn’t enjoy the idea of having one of his own

But if you really want a child, he might consider it

He hopes they’ll at least have a fun attitude and won’t be super boring

In the present, he wraps his arm around your waist and leans into you

He may not have gotten that last growth spurt, but at least his attitude matured

Somewhat

Kaito Momota 

He looks at you and grins widely.

“Maybe a little, but I’m happy to be where we are!”

He achieved his dream and got a job as an astronaut

Similar to Rantaro, he often leaves home to go on space expeditions

But he’ll bring you back souvenirs from the places he visits

He loves the idea of having kids, so you’ll probably have at least one

He’ll teach them about his passions, hoping they’ll take interest in it

As you sit together, he wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you close to him with a smile

Gonta Gokuhara 

He turns and gives you a warm smile.

“Maybe, but Gonta is glad S/O stayed by his side for so long.”

He found a job where he could talk about bugs all day long

Some people found the way he talked to be weird, but he was improving

And he was at least able to talk about something he loved

He would love to be a dad, so you might at least have one child

Most you'll have is three

He'll introduce them to all his bug friends, and hopefully they won't be afraid of them

In the present, Gonta grins at you and pulls you into a soft, but tight embrace

Korekiyo Shinguji 

He looks ahead with a thoughtful hum before turning to you with a smile.

"Hm. I suppose you could say that. But I wouldn't dare rewrite history if it meant that we wouldn't be together.

To continue his passion for humanity, he started studying archaeology

And he no longer covered his face with a mask, since you being with him finally helped him to let go of his sister

He's not big on the idea of having children, but he's open to it if you want to

He'd prefer to have just one partially because he doesn't want a repeat of him and his sister

As you sit together on the balcony, he gives you a soft smile and takes your hand in his

Ryoma Hoshi 

"Yeah, kinda. But hey, at least we're here."

After leaving high school, he continued with becoming a tennis player

He hoped it would help him find himself, discover what he wants to do

It does help, and he remembers what he enjoyed so much before he lost it

He doesn't plan on having any kids, but maybe

He certainly wouldn't mind playing some tennis with them

Plus, his cat and your bunny have developed a loving relationship

If you do have a child, forget a third parent, they'd have a whole other set of parents

He smiles and takes your hand and pats it

K1-B0/Kiibo 

He nods at you while admiring the sunset.

"You could say that. But I wouldn't change a thing!'

I mean

He's a robot

There's a lot he could do

When Miu began her robotics company, he became an employee and worked alongside her for a while

And once he got enough money, he started one of his own

He was determined to show off the power of robots and what they can do when working alongside humans ahaha...

Having children is... Kind of difficult

But he would love to adopt one with you

He wants to experience what it's like to be a father, and to experience parental love

In the present, he takes your hand and squeezes it

Kaede Akamatsu 

She nods with a soft smile.

"Yeah. But I'm glad we're here."

She became a professional pianist

She started piano lessons for those who wanted to learn, and she played at big events

She would love to have a child with you

You'll have one, maybe two

She would love to play them soft, classical songs to help them sleep, and maybe even teach them

She leans against your shoulder with a small smile as you enjoy the moment together

Maki Harukawa

She nods and gives you a small smile.

"Yeah. But I'm glad it turned out this way."

After high school, she ditched her job as an assassin and went back to child caregiving

She wanted to leave that part of her life behind and pursue a more wholesome career

Although it was frustrating at first, the kids always liked her, and she started to warm up to them

She's still hesitant to have a child of her own, because she doubts if she can be a good parent

But she would love to have one, to give them the loving home she never got

And she'd do a damn fine job of it

While you sit together, she scoots closer to you and takes your hand while leaning on your shoulder

Miu Iruma 

She lets out a chuckle and watches the beautiful sight ahead of you.

"Heh, kinda. But hey, I managed to find your fine ass. I gotta say, that's pretty damn good."

She got a job as an engineer

Even started her own robotics company to show off her skill

She's still vulgar, she's still flirtatious, she's still Miu

But she has matured quite a lot

She doesn't really want kids, honestly

But if you do have one, she'd make them a bunch of cute toys for them to play with

As you sit together, she wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you close with a grin

Himiko Yumeno 

She blinks sleepily and gives you a small smile.

"Nyeh... A little. But at least we're together."

She'd still give magic a shot, even after high school

She wants to prove that her "parlor tricks" are real magic

Mr. Bunny has actually been rather helpful in helping her achieve this, so she showed even greater skills to the world

She even started taking aspiring magicians under her wing and training them as apprentices

She doesn't love the idea of having a child; you and Mr. Bunny are all she needs

But she miiiight consider it if you really want one

She wouldn't mind teaching them magic if they were interested

In the present, your sleepy mage leans against your shoulder as you watch the sunset

Angie Yonaga 

She hums and smiles brightly.

"Indeed! But I'm glad that Atua put me on that path! It guided me to you, after all!"

She became a professional artist

She did commissions, sold art online, even sent some of her art to a museum

She even did art classes for anyone interested in learning from her

She would love to have a child with you, if you want

She'd teach them all about art, and she'll hang up everything they make on the fridge, even if it sucks

In the present, she giggles and pulls you close to her in a soft embrace

Kirumi Tojo 

She hums thoughtfully and gives you a small smile.

"Indeed. But I couldn't be more glad that we're here."

She still did work as a housemaid

People could call her and hire her whenever they needed

Only this time, she valued herself more

She doesn't take nonsense from anyone, nor does she allow anyone to take advantage of her

And it's all thanks to you

She would love to have a child with you

She would be strict at times, but also give them all the love and care they could ask for

As you sit together, she takes your hand in her gloved one and squeezes it

Tenko Chabashira 

She turns and gives you a smile.

"Yeah, a little bit. But at least I'm with you."

She became a Neo Aikido instructor

She taught people all over how to master it

But although her master did help her become strong, she didn't poison her pupils' opinions of men like she did

She didn't want them to become bitter and hateful

She wouldn't mind having a child with you if you wanted to

She'd love them with all her heart and soul, and might teach them the art of Neo Aikido when they're older

In the present, she grins and wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you close

Tsumugi Shirogane

She hums thoughtfully before facing you with a warm smile.

“Yeah, it is. But I’m glad we’re here now.”

Her talent for cosplay expanded into designing actual costumes

People commissioned her for her talent, and she even had her costumes sold in stores

You'd best believe she'd make a billion different outfits for your child

She would love to have one with you

She would shower them with soooo much love

As you sit together, she smiles and takes your hand before leaning against your shoulder

As you two enjoy your moment, Mr. Bunny comes out with your favorite hot drinks and sets them on the table before sitting right between you two.

Any children you have, if any at all, come rushing out to you, causing you and your significant other to let out a laugh. Now all together, Mr. Bunny wraps his arms around you and pulls you both close to him, as your little family shares this loving moment together.

The End of the DV3 Portion of the Ultimate Cuteness Series

[ultimatecutenesspeaks]

Bunny uh really but I’m so pale and almost invisible honestly how I’m am pretty with such skin of a terminal sick person like I’m am even jataro say his eyes will melt off then he sees me

*Haruki gives Bunny a brief look of sympathy before wrapping one arm around his stomach and using the other to gently rub his arm as he rests his chin on his shoulder.*

Haruki: Well, he was wrong. Trust me, I know what being terminally sick is like, and it doesn't happen to everyone. Your skin is beautiful like pearls, shining like the sun upon the snow. I know what you've been told, but I'm glad you have it, Bun Bun. Because it's a part of you, and every part of you is amazing.

[one-wasp]

Welp, I think I found one of the best things ever

Bought this little guy at the Micanopy Fall Festival! Made by Hook & Paint (sadly they do not have a Tumblr)

[a-dreamworld-fool]

oh no! spidey got turned smol! :3c

[veveisveryuncool]

sky full of stars (fairy dancing in your arms)

[a-sketchy]

“high schoolers seem like they’re glittering. maybe that’s why… i just want to see them get screwed over by life” WOWWW. not gonna lie the nurse explicitly sexually harassing yu because she likes the Power she holds over him is pretty interesting. damn shame this is persona

[kayvision-kp]

Hehehe look at them go

Squishy

[mayordea]

snippet of a miitopia poster i made depicting my team + my evil great sage. in the center is cirno, my protagonist. idk if i will post the poster now, the crossover might be too much. but i do like this portion of the poster the best. maybe i will do it and post it alongside a post of all the job designs i made for them.

[wicker-dragoon]

The hedgehogs

Hehe three of them (I haven't drawn sonic characters in so long)

[glitter-gummy-bears]

Anyone else remember that one time Ben 10 was a teen mom?

[adhdclownfromhell]

Prompt from @draw-the-squad-like-this

A badass and she fuckin' knows it 😎

[dragondemoness]

Ultimate Cuteness Reader - Persona 5/Royal Edition - The Mansion of Grief (Part One) (The Boys)

Description: The Phantom Thieves (boys) discover that their sweet, adorable, innocent S/O has a Palace.

Went back and remade this part, because I wanted to make a couple of changes and add a little more depth to this, I guess.

You had been acting strange lately.

You seemed down, you didn’t smile as much, and the light from your beautiful eyes was completely gone.

Your partner tried to check on you, but you insisted that you were fine, and with a smile that was clearly forced.

They figured you were going through something, so they gave you their space while letting you know that they were there for you.

Then you started pushing them away and shutting out, and they could tell that there was something more going on.

After school, they made a mental note to go to your house and check on you.

But then they noticed that you left your beloved bunny plush, Mr. Bunny, in the classroom.

You always had it with you wherever you went, which only increased their worry even more.

Ren Amamiya/Joker

When he noticed the plush on the table, he was confused

He had never seen you without it before

He went to your house after school with the plush in his hands

The plush started glowing red and vibrating

Next thing he knew, he was in his Phantom Thief attire, in a dark mansion

Was this... a palace?

The Meta-Nav never detected it

It was unlike anything he had ever seen

And he noticed that the bunny plush was gone

It was your palace?

He didn't want to believe it

It was so unlike you

But he wouldn't know unless he explored, so he did, despite his anxiety

Compared to the other palaces he's infiltrated, this one was absolutely horrifying

The cognition, the designs, even the shadows

Joker was afraid to even go near the shadows

He noticed the shadows were all wearing bunny masks as well

The dark walls of the palaces were lined with paintings

Paintings of you, your bunny plush, and an elderly woman

Except for a large, empty frame

He got up close to one of the paintings, and he accidentally fell into it

He saw the events of the painting unfold before him

It was the day your grandmother gave the bunny plush to you when you were a child

So it really was your palace

But your palace didn't seem malicious at all

Just filled with grief and sorrow

He explored the rest of your memories, up until he made it to the empty frame

He touched it, and suddenly, he found himself in a large room

Joker fell through the frame and hard onto the ground. After taking a moment to collect himself, he stood up and looked around.

He found himself outside, in a large backyard with flowers everywhere.

He looked ahead of him, and his heart stopped.

He saw you, as a child. You were holding your plush in your arms, you wore small, cute clothes, and your once bright, beautiful eyes were now a glowing yellow. You stared at him with no expression.

Was this... your shadow?

"(N-Name)?" He found himself at a loss for words. "Why do you have a palace?"

"I'm looking for her."

He opened his mouth to ask who you were talking about, but he noticed you staring.

He followed your gaze, and saw you staring at the other side of the empty frame.

There was a picture of you and your grandma, dancing together in her flower garden while the bunny plush sat on a rocking chair in the background.

The flower garden looked exactly like where he was right now.

Then he figured it out. Your palace didn't spawn from a place of maliciousness or arrogance, but from a place of grief and sadness. You had been at your worst recently, missing your grandmother more than ever, developing an obsession with seeing her again.

Before he could say anything, the palace began to rumble. And out of nowhere, a hole opened up in the ground. And what appeared was an incredibly tall elderly woman, but much more twisted. She had large, clawed hands and feet, long bunny ears sitting on her head, bright red eyes and a sharp-toothed grin.

So this was your palace's cognition of your grandma. Given how fondly you viewed her, Joker was confused.

So this is why you’ve been down. Your grandma died, and you didn’t tell him. 

Your grief became an obsession to see her again, and this distorted desire bred your Palace.

He felt terrible. You had lost the only family member you had left, and he had no idea.

But he took a breath in and put a hand on his knife. He was gonna have to fight your grandmother, and it wasn't gonna be easy.

Ryuji Sakamato

All he wanted to do was return Mr. Bunny to you

And he ended up getting caught up in this mess

The second he reached your house, he ended up in a palace

Was it... yours?

He tries to deny it at first

There's no way you could have a palace!

But the memory paintings proved otherwise

The paintings of you, your grandmother, your bunny

As he roamed around, he felt more and more unsettled

The palace was so dark and scary

It wasn't like you at all

Even the shadows were creepy

They weren't patrolling the palace or anything

They were just standing around in groups, with rabbit masks on their faces

Ryuji cautiously walked up to one of them and struck them with his weapon

It didn't fight back or attack him

Just stared at him and groaned

Ryuji quickly walked away from it

He roamed around anxiously, trying to find your shadow

He just wanted to know why you had a palace in the first place

You were way too nice to have strong enough feelings of malice to spawn one

But as he was thinking, he fell through an empty picture frame and ended up in a flower garden

"(Name)? Why do you have a Palace?"

Ryuji stared in shock at what looked like your shadow. You stared back at him with wide, expressionless, yellow eyes.

"I'm not sure what you mean. This is her home."

Before he could ask what you meant, you pointed to something behind him. He followed your gaze and saw the painting behind him.

It was you, as a child, and your grandmother dancing together in a flower garden.

The flower garden he was in.

Ryuji stared at the painting, with no words to say. He finally realized the truth. Your Palace didn't spawn from feelings of malice or greed. It spawned from your feelings of grief.

You had been missing your grandmother more and more, and Ryuji felt stupid for not noticing.

But he quickly looked away when he heard a rumbling from behind him. He turned, and a creepy, demented shadow suddenly sprang up from the ground. It looked like a strange hybrid of a rabbit and an elderly woman.

Wait... Was that your grandma?

So that was your cognition of her. But why? From the way you talked about her, she sounded like such a sweet person. So why would this be her cognition?

And more than that, what did she even have to do with it?

But now was no time to ask questions. Ryuji breathed in, and brought out his mace. He turned to you, looking to see what he would do. He felt a twinge of sadness in him.

He knew what he needed to do, and that it would hurt you.

Yusuke Kitagawa

He came to Shujin after school to visit you

He painted a new masterpiece for you, hoping to lift your spirits

But you weren't there

Instead, he found your bunny plush on a desk

He picked it up with a smile

"Well, well, what are you doing here by yourself? Where's (Name) run off to?"

He then left and walked to your house

Next thing he knew, he was in his Phantom Thief attire, and the rabbit had disappeared

To say he was shocked would be an understatement

Why did the rabbit bring him here? Where did the rabbit go?

Where the heck was he?

Given his costume and the cognition, Yusuke could only assume that this was a Palace

But it was different

It felt very dark and disturbing

He didn't even consider the idea that it was your Palace until he started to look around

He was distracted by the paintings on the walls

The paintings of you, an elderly woman, and your bunny

Suddenly, his blood turned to ice

This was your palace?!

Fear and anxiety took over as Yusuke took off in a run, desperately searching for your shadow

He needed to know why you had a palace

As he was running, he ran into the empty frame and fell into the flower garden

Yusuke stood up and took a look around. The garden was dark, the only light coming from the garden lights on the ground.

He jumped when he saw your shadow, staring at him with wide, expressionless eyes. You held your bunny plush in your hands, with glowing eyes of its own.

"(Name)... What is this place?"

"This is her home."

As you said that, you turned your head and pointed to something behind him. Yusuke turned around and saw the painting he had fallen through.

It was a picture of you and your grandmother dancing in her flower garden, smiling and laughing. Yusuke could feel the pure joy from this picture, and it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

But this moment was cut short when he felt the ground shake. He turned back around to see a large, demented shadow spring up from the ground.

Yusuke watched in shock as the shadow beast towered over him.

Was this the Palace's cognition of your grandmother? But why?

Yusuke froze. This was somehow even more disturbing than the Palace as a whole. And the reason it even existed was because he had no idea she was dead. Your grief affected your mental state, and he was completely blind to it.

He shook his head. Now was no time to succumb to the guilt. You needed him.

Yusuke readied his katana for battle. He needed to help you accept your grandmother's death, even if it hurt you.

Goro Akechi

He had just finished another murder commission for one of Shido's confidants

After exiting the Metaverse, your bunny plush was right there in front of him

He was startled, having no idea how it ended up there

He picked it up, eying it curiously

Then he walked to your house to return it to you and ended up right back in the Metaverse

And the rabbit had disappeared

This Palace was unlike any other Palace he had entered

The overall cognition was dark and horrifying

And there was an underlying feeling of grief behind it

For once, he felt anxious

He took a close look at the pictures on the wall

He saw you as a child, your bunny plush, and an elderly woman

Wait, was this your Palace?!

Suddenly in a panic, Akechi broke into a run and started looking for you

Soon after, he fell through a large, empty frame on the wall

Akechi landed in a flower garden, in the dark mansion's backyard. The only light were the garden lights in the ground. The sky had no moon, and no stars.

Was there even a sky?

He jumped when he heard footsteps in the grass. His heart stopped when he saw your shadow, the shadow of your child self.

"(Name)?" He forced out. You stared at him, your yellow eyes wide and unblinking.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"I finally found her. She's alive."

"What?"

You pointed to something behind him, and he turned to see a large picture, in place of the empty frame he fell through.

It was a picture of you and your grandmother dancing in the flower garden, laughing and smiling while the plush rabbit sat on a rocking chair in the background.

Then, Akechi understood. Your grandmother had died, and the increasing grief for your grandmother turned into denial, and it became a distorted obsession to see her again, thus spawning a Palace.

He looked at you with sadness. He should have been with you more. He should have been there to help you. He should have known.

But his thoughts were cut off by the ground suddenly shaking, and out of nowhere, a shadow appeared.

It looked like a strange hybrid of a rabbit and an elderly woman.

This was your Palace's cognition of her?

Then he realized: it wasn't how you viewed your grandmother. This shadow represented your grief, and your denial.

Akechi breathed in and reluctantly took out his gun. He felt horrible for what he was about to do. He had done enough damage already.

But the grief was hurting you, and he needed you to accept the truth, even if it was painful for you.

[ultimatecutenesspeaks]

[echothealien]

I WATCHED IT!!!! Now time for post shit n’ giggles headcannons cuz I’m mental🤧

When everything is back to “Normal” Sonic kinda strayed away from his friends, of course he didn’t flat out ignore them but he was hesitant, he saw something from his friends he didn’t want to see, Tails’ anger, Knuckles’ greed, Amy’s obsession, Big talking FANCY???? 💀 and Rouge being a better leader than he ever will be. He’s more distant and nicer to them to not anger them, he fears making Tails angry incase that happens again.

But Shadow, he was there, he was the only one that stayed the same and wasn’t confusing his ADHD brain, so, he stayed closer to Shadow, more friendly races and the occasional comfort breakdown when Sonic just cries over the guilt he feels, they end up cuddling a lot and don’t realize how much they even mean to eachother.

After a bit of therapy with the ultimate life form Sonic gets his “usual” life back, but one more addition, he’s a lot more vulnerable and just shy, he’ll agree to anything his team says in fear his world might shatter once more.

Then ofc Shadow and Sonic end up dating :3

[genericpuff]

welp, i finished the Dawntrial MSQ last night

it was

uh.

i actually enjoyed a lot of the things people were complaining about in the beginning, because while i could understand their criticisms, to me its flaws felt like something it would grow past as it was establishing a new foundation for a new story, which was what was promised to us, and obviously that's gonna require slowing down the pacing and lowering the stakes, which is fine!

but then the second half of the MSQ hit and i just-

on paper it should have been amazing

on paper i should have fucking loved it

but in execution, i stg trying to finish the lvl 98-100 MSQ took years off my life, even tho the majority of them took me a single night to beat, it still felt like it both overstayed its welcome and also did way too little with what it was trying to present us with

i know this is vagueposting because i don't wanna spoil, but man. "divisive" is definitely a word to describe the Dawntrail MSQ with, especially considering how many people were telling me "it gets better in the second half!" and again, I thought the first half of it wasn't as bad as people were saying, so I was HYPED for the second half, and instead I was brutally disappointed by what I got instead u.u

that said, the dungeon and trial gameplay mechanics are great, when the expansion remembers that it is in fact a video game it does it really well, it's just unfortunately not often enough for it to make up for the sloggy pacing of the story

the music is a bop, there are a couple tracks that i was a little eeeh on because they just felt really saccharine in a way that just clashed entirely with the tone of XIV and made me want to throw my headphones in the garbage, but the majority of the soundtrack was otherwise really well done, soken was really channelling his inner david wise here with the donkey kong vibes LOL but there are some somber tracks that are great too, there's a lot of range here in the soundtrack that should be appreciated despite the odd cringe track

environment design was solid, there were some zones that were questionable in their design because some of them felt pitifully empty despite promising bustling populations (looking at you, Tuliyollal and Solution Nine >:x)

but man , the last zone was brutal and that sucks because again, on paper, the concept SHOULD have been awesome, but ultimately it's still relying on the exact same plot devices in the past (insert lost civilization whose previous inhabitants/rulers are hellbent on keeping it alive even at the expense of current civilizations here) and the gameplay itself deadass forgot it's a game because there isn't a SINGLE instance of necessary combat or gameplay during all of it and so when the final quest (as per tradition, named "Dawntrail") finally pops up, it's like wait what ? that's it?? thankfully the last quest has both a dungeon and trial in it but it feels less like thought out design and more like the game devs remembering they had to actually include some gaming in their video game at the last minute LOL

i think the extra burden of directing FF XVI definitely caught up to Yoshi-P on this one, as well as the budgeting problems that still exist from COVID, and the fact that much of that budget clearly went to overall QOL changes like the graphics engine getting an almost complete rehaul (even in the previous expansions which is. a lot of work. like they want to re-texture ALL of the gear in this game and THAT'S A LOT, literally thousands of items!). where this expansion wins, it wins big, but those wins aren't enough to carry an overall lackluster experience that drags itself out way too fucking long for its own good. the story could have absolutely used a few more rounds in the writing room, if they couldn't afford more voice acted scenes then they should have simply just cut down on the amount of cutscenes, and i think the devs need to seriously ask themselves if the Trust system is worth dragging the Scions back into every adventure even when they have nothing to do (and it shows). like idk, just spitballing here, but the Trust system might be a good chance to re-introduce the GC squadrons, no? maybe go back to the roots a little bit and buff up the stuff that could still have a lot more life if given a chance?

anyways my experience with DT has been about a 6/10 and that score in the end will depend on how the patch quests go over the next couple years, I still prefer it over Stormblood (fr fuck SB lol) but it definitely feels like it's trying too hard to be like EW and ShB while missing what made EW and ShB so good in the first place (or acknowledging why its flaws were forgivable within the context of their respective designs, like yeah EW's pacing was iffy too but it at least had a lot more going on in it to justify it, DT is just grasping at straws by comparison). and in that sense it winds up being a lot more like ARR, where it's just kind of lost in what it's trying to do and creates a worse experience by the end. hopefully like with ARR back in the day the devs will figure out it's time to shake things up and try something new without using the old as a crutch.