#the anime is only at the beginning of their friendship arc but it's already so good | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

heyyallitsbeth · 1 month

Text

Could Estrogen Have Saved Her (and Her Series?)

The series Sword Art Online is often seen in a negative light by a large internet community. Due to issues with the anime adaptation as well as internet personalities backing hate bandwagons, the series as well as the characters are often flanderized and seen in a way that to fans of the series would seem more like parody than reality. However, there is also a large and vocal group of fans that adore the series, and within that group, a devoted sect that discusses the possibility that Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya is a transgender female.

While this essay is not an attempt to claim that Kirito is infact textually transgender, various comments made on posts referencing this idea have had a similar sentiment: “If Kirito was transgender, it would have fixed the series for me”. If you look at a variety of comments and reposts on tumblr posts by niche vtuber HeyGuysItsBeth, this is a common opinion. So, would Kirito being transgender make a noticeable and positive impact on the story of Sword Art Online?

Now there are various moments in the series that support the concept of Kirito being transfem, such as their appearance and the role they play within the Phantom Bullet arc, but the pieces are laid out immediately in the first drafts of the web novel, where Kirito is described as seeing no masculinity in their own face. But let us begin with volume 2 of the manga, in which we meet the character Silica. Silica is a young girl in the world of Sword Art Online, a loner trapped with nothing but her animal companion Pina, but upon our first meeting of her, Pina tragically is struck down by enemies saving Silica, before Kirito can help her escape from the attackers. Kirito provides Silica with new armor and promises to help her revive Pina, asking nothing in return, as in their words “[Silica] reminds them of their little sister Suguha.” Already, this adds in a lot of interesting information. Firstly, despite supposedly being a male player, Kirito already has female equipment, armor, and clothing ready to give out to Silica, with the light novel referring to them as Kirito’s “leftovers” implying that Kirito has already used them, and is passing them on. Then when it comes to the likeness of Silica and Suguha, we later discover that according to Kirito, them and Suguha used to be mistaken for twin girls, despite the fact Kirito is older and not a blood sibling to Suguha. From this, we can gather that Kirito when looking at Silica and saying she reminds them of Suguha, they are saying that Silica reminds them of themself. From Kirito’s perspective, they have just seen a loner, someone by themselves in a world foreign to them, lose the thing they hold dearest, and ready to give up on themselves before someone else comes in to save them. This is what happened only a few days prior to Kirito, as they were too a loner in this world, before being taken into a guild called the Moonlit Black Cats, and they had lost each and every one of them, including the one they held dearest, Sachi. And they were inconsolable and wanted nothing more than to fall as well, until Klein came to beg them to stay alive. Kirito had lost Sachi, their Moonlit Black Cat, and Silica had lost Pina, named for her real world cat.

Silica and Kirito are clearly narrative parallels through this story, as they talk to eachother and bond during their journey to revive Pina. Kirito had lost their birth parents, and then felt alone and isolated again upon the discovery that they were adopted. Silica was an only child, whose parents were always busy with work, and they were left alone with just their cat. Both Silica and Kirito had no friends in the outside world, and in-game, people just wanted them for their looks and for their unique skills, not their genuine friendship. Kirito saw themself in Silica, and gave them their old armor, and did everything they could to help her revive her fallen friend, the thing Kirito was unable to do for Sachi. Silica ends up being Kirito’s hope during their trip, where they had previously been pessimistic on their relationship with Suguha, Silica is there to comfort them, and insist that Suguha must truly love and care for Kirito, and that they must care for her a lot too. Kirito insists that even though they helped Silica revive Pina, Silica helped them more, as they gave them hope, both in game and in the real world. To them, Silica is what they would be if the world was simply a bit kinder to them, which reveals the depressing core, that even in their greatest fantasy, Kirito cannot imagine their own life without tragedy.

When examining this story through the lens of a transgender Kirito seeing Silica as a version of themself, quite literally in their armor, the story goes from what many would write off as a fanservice harem-bait to one that reveals more of the inner struggles and pain of the characters, but also the hope that still exists, that they still have a future to look forward to where things do get better.

Kirito and Asuna, a ginger haired front-line fighter, eventually get married and settle in a cottage by a lake during their time stuck in Aincrad. It is there that they find and adopt a small girl named Yui, raising her as a daughter. Despite her being fully AI, they love her with all their hearts and truly become family with her. Within the Gameverse series of games, Kirito and Asuna elaborate on Yui further, noting that despite her not being their offspring, Yui notably takes a lot of the features of both Kirito and Asuna, but Asuna claims that she resembles Kirito more. And this is true, if you look at how Kirito looks with long hair in GunGale Online, as well as in real life, there is a strong resemblance there. Yui in the gameverse games also claims that Kirito is the one who cuts her hair and styles it every morning, which is a cute detail. However, it also comes with some questions. Kirito, according to themself, simply cuts their hair so that it is out of their face and not bothersome for fighting. This implies that Kirito doesn’t care for hair, so why would they know how to properly maintain it in others. Kirito’s adoptive parents were not home very frequently, as both worked heavily, and Kirito was often left with the responsibility of their younger sister, Suguha. We can infer that Kirito knows how to do hair because of taking care of Suguha’s. But Suguha also has her hair cut short, why? For kendo, as she practices it in real life as well. Given that both Kirito and Sugu practiced kendo, it could be inferred that Kirito and Sugu both used to have long hair, but upon starting kendo, they had it cut short. After all, they were near identical when they were younger. Within the light novel for the Phantom Bullet Arc, it is written that Kirito acts as if they have already had long hair, knowing how to take care of it, fight with it, and the proper ways to handle it when it is in your way.

In this scenario, it is shown that Kirito is a loving and caring parent, helping their daughter like they used to help their sister and themself. Without taking this angle into account, many viewers may brush off Yui’s addition in SAO as mere trauma-bait, being as soon as she is introduced, she is killed. However, with the addition of Kirito’s past with long hair, and the implication that Kirito is almost living vicariously through Yui’s appearance, it adds to the story of both of them.

Speaking of Kirito’s long hair and girly features, let’s talk crossdressing. While the appearance of Kirito in GunGale Online is often seen as a trap trope, we need to further examine what exactly happens within GunGale, as well as outside of it. In GunGale Online, Kirito is presented with a rare male avatar that is incredibly feminine in nature, to the point that everyone assumes they are female. And thus, Kirito acts accordingly, pretending to be female to everyone, including flirting with men at the bar during the preshow for the Battle of Bullets. They don’t need to do this, they just do for fun. Infact, they seem to have more fun with their feminine appearance and attire, as they are more emotive, bubbly, and even have a distinct shine in their eyes that isn’t present anywhere else. But that is solely Sword Art Online II, in Sword Art Offline II, things escalate even further. Sword Art Offline II is an official mini-series in the blu ray and dvd releases of SAO II that is written by the original author, taking the form of a news / talk show discussing the events of the show. Within it, Kirito is referred to as “a cute girl named Kiriko” frequently. Very very frequently. Sinon alleges that Kirito may be secretly crossdressing in the real world, and that if they have a sister, they very well may be stealing her clothes to dress up in, a statement that Kirito is notably flustered by. Asuna also states that it seems like Kirito is enjoying themselves more as a girl than as a guy, and that she would love to dress her up in a bunch of cute clothes and “make her a proper woman”.

By including all of this information, the appearance of GGO Kirito goes from a borderline problematic trap trope, to just an egg of a trans woman learning they are comfortable and enjoy having a female appearance, and just having a fun time with it.

Within Sword Art Online Alicization, Kirito meets a boy named Eugeo and is struck with an unnerving revelation. Outside of the realization that Kirito may also like men, Kirito also realizes that they have been playing a role for most of their life. Kirito was forced into roleplaying a character in Sword Art Online, needing to assume the “beater” persona in order to help all other beta-testers escape the wrath of other players. They were forced into a hero role by the game’s creator, being chosen to help lead the fight against him, and be the one to ultimately face him at the game’s finale. Kirito had to play the role of hero again, saving those who were trapped in Alfheim after SAO shut down. Then, they needed to play hero again, saving people from DeathGun, while also needing to pretend to be a girl to everyone around them. But then they met Eugeo, and saw an actual hero. To Kirito, Eugeo was a hero, with a set goal of making the world better, and truly had the ambition and strength to make it reality. Kirito had been forced into strength, Eugeo was made for it. But Eugeo died in Kirito’s arms, leaving them broken. Someone so much stronger, so much better than them. They couldn’t live. How could Kirito, someone who was simply playing a role, manage to live when Eugeo couldn’t? But it was Eugeo who taught them how to be a real hero, not just a roleplay. And not just a copy of Eugeo, but a hero in their own way. Kirito took up Eugeo’s sword and helped save the Underworld, and brought peace between the realms. They had learned to stop playing a role for the world around them, and to fight as themself instead, and that is what gave them their strength.

In the end, is Kirito transgender? Well based upon the fact Sword Art Offline affirms that Kirito has a chosen female name with Kiriko, enjoys dressing as a girl, and enjoys acting like a girl, yes. But does it matter? Also yes. By examining the narratives present within Sword Art Online, the added characterization and motivations do genuinely provide more impact than just adding in representation. They add more heart and reasoning behind each small story. So yes, transition could have saved her.

#sao #sword art online #i have not written a proper essay in years i am sorry #trans kirito #trans headcanon

50 notes · View notes

oodlyenough · 8 months

Text

I haven't bothered with posts about the anime episodes because for the most part they've been like... fine to moderately amusing and there's not really anything to say beyond that. 2x06 Sound the Turnabout Melody (what a title) was uh not like that lmao so

started off strong with that terrible Wright & Co commercial. god bless you Maya.

ever since they introduced the concept of the friendship keychains I've been wondering if Larry still has his or if Larry is a normal person and the keychains are a consequence of Phoenix and Edgeworth specifically being Like That.

I thought s1 really tried to be like "a no homo trio of besties!!!" so I assumed it was likely Larry did. instead not even 3 years later Larry is like "lmao you still have that?" and Phoenix is both embarrassed and defensive which is much better and funnier than I expected from this show lmfao god bless

Larry discovering girls while Phoenix is STILL thinking about Miles and then deciding to dedicate songs on the radio to him fahfkdhlhkhglh .... incredible. showstopping

the dedication just kept going and going, too. i thought it would end with like, 'to signal red from signal blue' but it went on and on. i know she read page one of his ten page letter. didn't even mention the illustrated annexes of red and blue holding hands 😔

edgeworth thanking phoenix aloud and meanwhile phoenix sensing a disturbance in the force and turning around to look ... lmaoooooooo?!?!?... I mean even by the high bar set by their game canon I was pretty stunned

the flipside of all the crazy but believably IC baby narumitsu stuff was I found the Von Karma stuff all kind of weird and not particularly believable/IC

I appreciate the anime making it unambiguous that Edgeworth was raised by MVK, I feel like in the games there's a bit of vagueness for no real reason despite it being the most logical explanation for everything. so that was nice. but:

as hilariously cruel as it is to imagine MVK raising this kid for three years before turfing him to an orphanage, even applying 5d chess psychological torment logic I can't really make sense of that. why would he wait that long lol. why would he have taken miles in to begin with if not part of a long-term scheme.

baby franziska was cute as hell but i think she was too nice. i totally believe she'd be obsessed with her new little brother and want his attention/approval/etc. i ...don't really believe she's emotionally equipped to go about it so sweetly, lol.

miles' prosecutor vs defense ambition arc was convoluted to me, and an example where i feel like the games already gave us reason enough for the switch (the idea that greg's murderer got away + mvk's influence) without the anime now presenting something that makes less sense. (i'm still playing AAI but i sense i'll have similar criticisms of it, as in, "you're offering me a new explanation that makes less sense than the original". a common issue for prequel media.)

the cravat-giving scene felt like it was presented very earnestly despite being objectively kind of creepy given, you know, everything.

dog person miles edgeworth REAL

why'd they name that puppy napalm 😭😭😭😭

oh most importantly THE EPISODE TAG?? LMAO? edgeworth giving them the only like on their commercial why can't i find a clip or gifset of it the people need to know NEVERMIND @camalyng has bravely answered the call with a gifset

#ace attorney #oodly watches AA #i didn't expect i'd need so many variations on those tags but here we are. the sprawling AA media empire #narumitsu

71 notes · View notes

yujo-nishimura · 2 months

Text

Shambles (Working title)

Took a creative break from my master thesis and had an idea about a devil fruit eater who could communicate with the dead. I also loved the Dressrosa Arc, let´s face it - Doffy and Law are hot and actually I have no idea where writing this will get me to - so this is a journey for all of us. ;)

Warnings: none at this point ;)

Note: English is not my native language, mistakes can occur

You had realized that you had become very valuable for a lot of people after eating the Talk-Talk-Fruit. This devil fruit made it possible for you to communicate with the dead, the deceased people who lived on as memories in other people's minds. The revelation of this power occurred during an encounter with your friend in the small village where you grew up. While playing a game of tag, you finally tagged your friend, and in that moment, both of your minds were flooded with memories of his deceased mother. Overwhelmed by emotions, you paused, witnessing your friend's tears as he desperately questioned why you had subjected him to such a sad memory.

Mastering this extraordinary skill took several years, beginning with the discovery of the fruit in the nearby forest, followed by its collection and consumption. The fruit's unpleasant taste compelled you to spit out half of it, marking the day where your arduous journey would start.

Now you were sailing the seas, you had left your home village where half of the population did not understand your talent and called you an evil witch or a sorcerer.

You felt like you never fit in anywhere and you set out on your small boat to explore the Grand Line. In order to find not only people who could make use of your power and accept you as you are, but also the possibility of finding genuine friendship.

You had been sailing for several days as you arrived on an island with a beautiful town filled with citizens living together in harmony with toys who were able to speak and walk around.

You had seen many things in your life - such as speaking animals or the sad and sometimes comforting memories of the dead, however the sight of walking and speaking toys in this town amazed you.

The country you had arrived at was called Dressrosa and their king, Donquixote Doflamingo was known as a war lord and savior of this country.

Though you were too young to personally witness the event, historical accounts and books informed you that the previous king of Dressrosa had descended into madness one fateful day, mercilessly slaughtering his own citizens. It was during this crisis that the pirate Doflamingo and his family appeared, rescuing the town and embodying a sense of righteousness. This event instilled in you the belief that pirates, despite their reputation, could be inherently noble, protecting the vulnerable when necessary.

If you just could make friends, maybe you could also have a crew and call yourself a pirate… You were deep in thoughts as you walked through the city, taking in the new scenery around you while contemplating your next steps. As you were not aware of your surroundings you accidently bumped into a young guy, he was standing in the middle of the street, holding a sword, his face half covered by a white hat.

As you accidently touched him, pictures of a tall blonde man with a black feather coat flashed in front of your eyes. You saw this man lying in the snow, coughing blood. You immediately knew this man was not alive anymore.

The man you unintentionally collided with spun around, his expression a mix of astonishment and anger. Despite his initial shock, he emitted an air of confidence and composure. His intense blue eyes peered out from beneath his hat, framed by his disheveled black hair.

Finally finding his voice, he mustered the question, "Who are you?"

You recognized the emotions playing across his face—the sheer disbelief and wonder of a memory, encountering someone dear to him, someone who had already departed from this world - you knew this reaction so well by now.

"I apologize," you responded, striving to maintain a sense of calm and composure. "My name is Y/n, and I believe my devil fruit powers accidentally stirred up an unpleasant memory within you."

He cast his gaze downward, concealing his eyes from your view. "It's alright," he uttered, his voice tinged with a note of caution. "Be careful in this town. Things are not as they seem to be." With those words, he turned around once more, gradually walking away. His movements betrayed signs of injury, but you hesitated to address it, not daring to provoke those icy eyes that had, for now, granted you forgiveness.

Shaking off the unpleasant vibes that lingered, you resolved to press on with your journey. You had made up your mind to meet the king and see if he had any use for your power. Being hailed as the savior of the country, he seemed like the appropriate individual to approach an outcast such as yourself.

#one piece #long fanfic #yujowriting #long reads #trafalgar law #trafalgardwaterlaw #trafalgar one piece #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar op #dressrosa #donquixote doflamingo #op doflamingo #doffy one piece

37 notes · View notes

gingerslapnotion · 1 year

Text

what if i was an unstoppable force and you were an immovable object and we were both boys 😳

or, why you should vote for AOHINA in the @hqrarepairtournament!

if you want my shortest possible argument, it's right there in the title: the expectation-defying romance of the speediest, jumpiest, sunniest and smiliest Ultimate Decoy versus the stony-faced, silent, seemingly impassive Iron Wall of Date. don't you just love it? i sure do <3

but just because I see it doesn't mean you do. if everyone saw it, it wouldn't be a rarepair, would it?

for my second-shortest argument, see here. aohina is sugawara-approved!

and if that's still not enough to convince you, buckle up for the long, LONG argument

before the first karasuno vs datekou match, aone doesn't pay hinata much mind, and hinata is TERRIFIED of aone, as many are. but once the match begins...

well, aone sure notices hinata now.

if you ask me, this match would be where aone's feelings for hinata first began. here's the handshake page again for good measure:

aone makes the first move, acknowledging hinata as a worthy opponent. also, just look at aone's facial expressions? he looks nervous. it's so cute. i love him

we don't see aone again until the spring high, when he first runs into hinata - where else? - at the bathroom, when hinata is already trapped between iwaoi and ushijima.

aone clearly already sees hinata as an acquaintance worthy of greeting (and also does not care at all about the seijoh-shiratorizawa beef and i love him) and hinata... well, he's still easily startled, but once he's realized who it is, he bows back - and thus begins a beautiful tradition.

during karasuno's match against johzenji, aone becomes defensive of hinata to futakuchi -

and not only do his teammates recall the friendship he formed with hinata at the interhigh, they note that this is one of the few times they've ever heard him speak. and it's because of hinata.

and after karasuno wins against johzenji...

aone asks his teammates to go on ahead so he can wait outside the gym and issue a challenge... not to karasuno, not to asahi, but to hinata. and hinata challenges him back. AND AONE SMILES.

and then once aone has left, hinata starts blushing and shouting nonsense because he has gay ADHD. this would be where hinata's feelings began, i think. he feels singled out and special, and it gets him fired up. he can't wait to face aone again! (also note, hinata doesn't get startled by aone anymore after this point.)

...but alas, things don't go their way, thanks to seijoh.

and after datekou's loss, when kogane claims he'll train harder to be able stop any attackers, no matter how "big and strong" they are, aone tells him this:

like. cmon. you can't deny. this is pretty damn gay!

we don't see aone at all during karasuno's matches against seijoh or shiratorizawa, or during the ball boy arc (though i'm pretty sure koganegawa does mention at least once during the training camp that aone respects hinata :3c). but he makes his return for the karasuno vs datekou practice match!!

hinata is finally totally comfortable around aone off the court, no longer jumpy and nervous. this match is also where the sugawara seal of approval makes its appearance!

i guess you could argue this also counts as evidence for futakuchi/hinata, or koganegawa/hinata, but they're not in this tournament, are they.

and god, just LOOK at all these other panels:

epic gay staring contests, with a corresponding anime screenshot for good measure;

hinata chipping away at aone's shell the Iron Wall;

aone delivering an incredibly powerful serve and hinata reacting with a flush while the lighting in the panel singles him out (gay awakening much?)

AND THE FINAL BOW!! THE DRAMA! THE CINNAMON TOPOGRAPHY!

in a way this bow is aone's curtain call - iirc, this is his final interaction with hinata in canon. but that doesn't mean he's not still around - datekou keeps an eye on karasuno throughout their battles on the nationals stage.

just look at that gay little sparkle. (also please appreciate what a bitch futakuchi is. i love him so much)

at this point i've pretty much caught up to where the anime has left off and i don't wanna spoil anyone who hasn't read the manga, so i'll stop here and make an even longer version later but know this: aone will keep watching hinata til the very end.

the Unstoppable Force: Hinata Shouyou, the protagonist of Haikyuu. on his team the second-shortest, the speediest, the one whose jumps make you think of a bird taking flight. the smiliest, sunshiniest, sometimes the scariest. he's never going to stop reaching for the top of the world of volleyball, no matter how many times he stumbles. a monster in the making, a friend to all. The Ultimate Decoy.

the Immovable Object: Aone Takanobu. the keystone of Date Tech's volleyball team, renowned for their incredible blocking technique. an eyebrow-less, stony-faced, silent, impassive, brick shithouse of a 16-year-old boy. terrifying even to those players older than him, he prides himself on not letting a single spike through, and shattering the will of many of the greatest aces in the prefecture. The Iron Wall of Date.

a study in contrasts. two competitors, skills perfectly matched to counter each other, personalities in stark contrast, are able to build a friendship built upon mutual respect for each others' abilities.

and they were both boys 😳

#aohina #haikyuu #hinata shouyou #aone takanobu #hq #pg.txt #i told you i'd be insane about this.

60 notes · View notes

ur-local-demon1 · 9 months

Text

The Fake Confession Scene

This is a love letter to my favourite scene in the anime + manga, the scene that sold Hananene to 14 year old me, and got me reading the manga after 3 long years of forgetting about it. Let it be known, no words are able to express my love for this scene, but that doesn't mean I won't try.

I am obviously not fully blaming Hanako or saying the misunderstanding was fully on his side, but he still apologised because impact > intent. Hanako hung out with Yashiro long enough to know that love is a big deal to her, and when he sees her cry, the gravity of his actions finally sink in. He realised not only that he made a girl cry (headcanon of old fashioned Hanako is thriving right now), he just ruined Yashiro's first time being confessed to.

Knowing what we know now, it's obvious Hanako doesn't care about his friends as much as he does in the recent chapters. Not only that, he is a very prideful person (despite hating himself), so for him to be so ashamed of himself and his actions in that moment really adds more weight to it. His apology is more heart warming and sincere than his fake confession, and not to sound like a broken record, but seeing how he was so ashamed he couldn't even look Yashiro in the eyes makes it a thousand times better.

This is an eye-opening moment for Yashiro as well, and a defining moment in their relationship, since she begins to see Hanako in a new light. This vulnerable, gentle side of him made her want to learn more about him. Her opinion of him has changed so drastically not only because he took off his hat (which alone is a constant reminder that he comes from a different time), but she saw him feel shame, regret, human emotions. A big part of what makes us human is our sensibility which can also make us recognise our mistakes and learn from them, thus evolving (is it obvious my favourite subject in school is philosophy ?)

Yashiro is reminded that before being "Hanako-San of the toilet", he was a person, just as alive as her. This was shocking enough on its own, but what really shook her to her core is learning from Tsuchigomori later on that dying so young was never his fate. Despite being in a dark place during his childhood, Amane had a bright future waiting for him. Had he not altered his fate, "Yugi Amane" would have just been her science teacher, not the eternally 13 year old boy that she desperately wanted to know more about.

While this is the first time those two share a heart to heart, there is still something between them, literally and figuratively. Figuratively, we're talking about a friendship/romance between a living girl and a ghost, it is bound for heartbreak. Literally, when Hanako pulls Yashiro in to hug her, the gate separates them. Hanako remains inside the school grounds he is confined to, and Yashiro has already crossed the threshold to go outside into the world of the living, and Hanako is holding her back.

This parallels a moment in the picture perfect arc when Hanako comforts Yashiro and promises he would save her. While his words are sweet and he is comforting her again as she is crying, he is hugging her through the bars of the cell he put her in. Hanako is putting a distance between the two of them, both voluntarily and involuntarily.

They both intrigue each other, and this is the moment that starts it all. Yashiro's curiosity and Hanako's inexplicable concern/affection for Yashiro would only grow into something else from this point onwards, and there was no need for it to be put into words (ignore that this is exactly what I just did)

;

#tbhk #toilet bound hanako kun #hananene

27 notes · View notes

locuas642 · 2 years

Text

I have watched more than half of Critical Role Vox Machina

"I Heard Campaign 1 starts mid-campaign, is it hard to follow?"

It's only hard depending of how familiar you are with D&D in general and how resilient you are to the awkwardness of "We are still trying to see how this streaming thing goes." In terms of the story and plot it's easy to follow, if you can get over the way it is being told.

Despite the claims that it starts mid-campaign, it in fact starts right after a major Time-Skip, so the first episodes does establish plenty of things. You just have to accept this is a story that starts in the middle rather than the beginning. If you ever had to deal with having to find a starting point for Doctor Who or COmicbooks, you can deal with Vox Machina. Just accept that there were off-screen adventures.

if that is still an issue, the show eventually does offer a video narrating the pre-stream adventures that is shown during episode 36. If that is too long for you to wait, I think someone has uploaded it to youtube as it's own thing.

"I heard of Tiberius/Orion Acaba and how he eventually left because he was toxic. can I jump straight to the epsidoe when he leaves?"

You can easily skip most of the pre-Briarwood stuff and just pretend that also happened off-screen. tho there are some major plot points present that you will not get to see. The Briarwood arc is a bit more complicated, because he is present for the first four episodes and you will start with the arc already started, but if you watched the animated series and then jump to episode 28 (which while not the episode when officially announced, it is the first episode after his departure. SPoilers: The quality of the show increases immediatly) as long as you understand the show did some tweaks and should, you will not be lost.

If you think you can tolerate Toxic People, you can watch episodes 24, 25 and 26, skip 27 (seriously, even if you can tolerate Orion, it is at best a dull, boring episode. There is a reason why whenever anyone talks about this episode, the only thing they can mention is Orion and his goddamn mirrors) and go ahead with episode 28.

"I heard Tiberius was a Good Character with an Awful Player, is it true?"

In my perosnal opinion, Tiberius was a good baseline for an interesting arc. But he was also the kind of character who can become annoying. I personally think people are more enamored with the idea of what Tiberius could have been than him being a pretty fleshed out character (bear in mind, for the first 20 or so episodes, most of Vox Machina doesnt feel very fleshed out, again part of the initialy awkward first phase). Likewise, this might be a possible unpopular opinion but... I dont feel Tiberius had as close a friendship as Vox Machina as some might think? this comes back to the player and stuff, but by the end I felt Tiberius saw Vox Machina more like a professional partnership than the family the rest of the characters became.

In terms of Orion, yes he becomes increasingly annoying as the show goes. Initially you dont notice it, but as the show goes, he becomes harder and harder to ignore. He eventually tries to take part in every. single. scene the rest of the cast is doing and tries to steal the spotlight. He tries to force his storyline even when other things are going down. etc. etc. (and this is not counting the stuff regarding him as a person). Tiberius is tolerable in small doses, but Orion cant shut the ef up.

"I heard because of her job, Ashley Johnson's Pike had to leave the show and the animated show expanded her role."

This is a half-truth. Because of Ashley's commitments, she could not consistently be in the show and, in the pre-Briarwood stuff Pike is given a send-off.

BUT Pike continues to show up after that and shows up a solid number of times, it's just she cant be there consistently. In fact, Pike showing up in the middle of the Briarwood arc to save everyone's ass and take part in the final battle? Pike was present in the show and played by Ashley via skype. the thing they changed was that they gave Pike an arc that wasnt present in the show.

Pike is the Gandalf of Vox Machina. She constantly has to leave to do something else, tho in this case it's because of the unpoken rule of trying to not use a player's character if the player is not present.

ETA: Another way you can REALLY tell Orion was no longer welcome is that, whenever Ashley had an open slot in her schedule, the rest of the cast would immediatly jump at the chance to have her join them for the session.

Here be (minor) Spoilers

Now here is an interesting thing I noticed. Which is that because of the Chroma Conclave events, Whitestone sorta becomes Vox Machina's base of operations, replacing the keep they had been given by the king of Emon. In the main show, this is a simple change in Status quo. but for the animated show it would mean they got that old keep and are about to abandon it merely like a few weeks after obtaining it, and that's kinda funny.

Other than that, it is interesting to see how the actors do become more comfortable portraiyng their characters and get past that initial awkwardness where it still feels like Players first.

it's also interesting how often a huge narrative moment will have a Natural 20, either saving the characters or fitting the narrative so well.

it is a difficult medium for one to adapt. and there are moments in which the characters will scre-up easy tasks because of the rolls, which can be funny or frustrating. But the high points are really good. and there were some moments and battles that felt as engaging as in any other medium. The Dragon attack in Emon was more tense than The hobbit's use of Smaug. I was genuinely cheering when Grog delivered justice on the tribe that abandoned him.

And the story feels as High Fantasy Epic as you can get from more "normal" storytelling mediums. and Critical Role is a great example of how D&D can be a game, but it's also a form of collective storytelling.

#critical role #cr #vox machina #vm #tlovm #the legend of vox machina #tabletop #dungeons and dragons #d&d #Dungeons & Dragons

103 notes · View notes

bonefall · 1 year

Note

so im curious, is ashfur in the dark forest (pre-the broken code)? does he still have the weird little control-possession powers over df cats? is he still possessing bramble, doing wacky shit in thunderclan?

also mildly unrelated. but what does mapleshade think of ashfur

Ashfur is no longer in the Dark Forest! But... I had to get rid of something that I love a lot to justify it; he no longer plots with Hawkfrost to kill Firestar. As a Hawkash lover it pained me but, it was for the best.

Ashfur is still a jealous, possessive ball of spite like in canon, but significantly more honorable. Enough to legitimately trick StarClan. Gooood-BYE "He Only Loved Too Much," you are NOT missed.

Bonefall Po3 (Specifically Cruel Season)

At the end of Bonefall Po3, he attacks the Three half out of jealousy, and half out of fear. He catches wind of the two prophecies; Fire and Tiger from TNP, and Kin of your Kin revealed near the end of Po3. He attacks Squirrelflight, telling her that if they had been his, they wouldn't have to die now.

She reveals the secret to throw him off guard; That her kittens with Brambleclaw are already dead (miscarriage) and the three are not his.

Also then she kicks him into the tree and knocks it over so the Three can escape the fire because it's my rewrite and I get to decide the anime battle choreography bullshit

Hollyleaf then kills him later, having already lost her mentor Brackenfur to the Eclipse battle and abandoning peace as an option. If she had not killed him, he would have been exiled for his attempted murder. Or, he may even still end up being exiled, and Hollyleaf does not think it's punishment enough. Still undecided.

Either way, this marks the beginning of the end of Bonefall Po3, which was relaxed and slice-of-life before this point. In my head I'm calling this "Plot Thickening" period 'Cruel Season', the name for the last book of canon Po3 that was cut by the publisher.

Bonefall TBC

Yep, he is still the Impostor... and he is brutal. Worse than canon. He actually cares about both possessing Squirrelflight AND legitimately enforcing the code.

Bristlefrost dies twice in this redux. Once during a horrific public execution to kick the arc off in earnest, and again to kill him for good. I initially planned for her to drown in a similar way to canon, but then I had a really cool idea that instead of drowning, this time she body checks him out of heaven.

So she burns up with him like a shooting star. Idk wouldn't it be fucking awesome if like once a year you could see Bristlefrost's Comet, or there was actually an impact crater somewhere on the map from this point on?

But anyway. Ashfur will have some control over ghosts, but I'm hoping to make it less than canon. I don't like how he was able to conjure up nameless rogues so you don't feel bad about the Warriors murdering random people :/

He won't be able to manipulate feelings that aren't already there. Hidden resentment, anger, despair, so on. Love being the antidote in ALITM was excellent you will pry Love and Friendship from my cold dead hands

Though I am also unironically considering giving Ashfur a Boss Form. I know it is silly. But multi-eyed, winged angel Ashfur would be cool man idk i like it when i get to smash my action figures against big monster

#Ashfur #Bonefall Rewrite #Bonefall Po3 #Bonefall Cruel Season #Bonefall OotS #i just think it's cool #I simply think it would be more fun if Ashfur like broke the bridge between the Dark Forest and StarClan #Like there was once a Place Where Stars Die or some sort of purgatory area but it's now a big floating shattered plain #With only Ashfur's Tunnel connecting the Dark Forest and StarClan #Like a suspension bridge of sorts. A woven bramble tunnel.#I am TORN and TORMENTED by things I think would be neat #Also instead of the rising black water in the Dark Forest it would be neat if like Ashfur was absorbing unfortunate victims #Like slurping their essence into him or something

58 notes · View notes

spiderdreamer-blog · 1 year

Text

The Legend of Vox Machina: The Nature of Change

The Legend of Vox Machina is two-thirds of the way into its second season, with three episodes left in terms of the adaptation of this portion of the campaign’s Chroma Conclave arc. I think on balance, it’s been pretty great! The first season tackling the Briarwoods arc was excellent, but as with most first seasons, it took a bit to find its creative identity and how to approach the material. The Conclave arc is bigger, bolder, and wider in scope, and they’ve done a hell of a job upping the stakes as well as their production values, already very good to start with. Additionally, there have been even more changes made to the story and character choices than there were in the first season. This has caused a lot of debate, inevitably, and I don’t begrudge people for DISLIKING some or even most of them; for my part, I think they took a bit to figure out how to translate Scanlan’s crass humor when at the table, much of the edge is taken off by his cast members’ genuine laughter and assurance that it’s all in good fun. And I think there have been some odd friendships seemingly lost in translation like Vax and Grog’s prank war, or Percy bonding with Keyleth initially because he thinks she’s the only other adult in the group. But outside of my own minor personal gripes, I think there has been a broad failure here of a proper analytical framework for an animated series as opposed to a tabletop campaign, and I wanted to dig into that in my own long-winded way. Strap in.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Where does one start a story? Good question. There are as many ways to begin weaving your tale as there are to end them. Once upon a time, long ago in a galaxy far far away, it was a dark and stormy night, and so on. The beginning is in many ways the most important part of your story because it’s setting the tone, the place, the time, and your characters. And much is dependent on genre too: if you’re, say, a romantic comedy, you might choose to begin with your protagonist at a low point in their personal relationships so that the conflict is immediately established.

Critical Role’s first campaign began in medias res, two years into the players and characters already knowing each other as respected adventurers and heroes of the realm. Thus, the audience was left at an initial disadvantage, and the cast created backstory videos to explain what the plot had been up to this point as well as the journeys of the characters. Thankfully, Matthew Mercer’s world of Exandria was fairly simple and standard in terms of its high fantasy leanings at first, and the initial streamed arc was a basic dungeon crawl as a quest given to them by NPC Allura Vysoren. By the time the adventures through the Underdark and Vasselheim were over, the story was ready to move into the far more personal and harrowing Briarwoods arc because we as an audience were now attached to those characters. Even so, much of this was dependent on the cast playing out those relationships in the theater of the mind, especially since Mercer’s minis and battle maps were far less elaborate at this point. We learned information as we went, and Mercer built the world to be far more robust as time went on, narrating descriptions of towns and cities to bolster that picture.

By contrast, animated series, like any other kind of film or TV, have many more tools at their disposal in order to help with these tasks even if there is a far shorter amount of time available because of how much time production takes and how expensive it is. Think about how Avatar: The Last Airbender begins with the refrain of “Water...earth...fire...air“. It then segues into Katara, one of our main and most important characters, explaining how those elements correspond to the four nations of her world, how “everything changed” when the Fire Nation decided to make war upon the others, the function and disappearance of the Avatar, and her belief that he will return some day. This is a lot of information and could have easily been dry exposition, but it gains our interest through the visuals of moving through the world map, the excellent music by Jeremy Zuckerman, and striking still images like the fearful closeup of Katara and Sokka in their village, as well as Mae Whitman’s heartfelt vocal performance. The effect is far more immediate. We know the danger of the current situation, we gain insight into Katara as a character (she has grown up in a terrible situation but not yet lost hope), and where our journey will go (the Avatar’s almost certainly going to show up again soon).

Thus, The Legend of Vox Machina opts for a different approach compared to the campaign or even other adaptations of pre-stream material like the Vox Machina Origins comics or novels like Kith & Kin: we’re still in medias res, but Vox Machina are not yet a cohesive unit of heroes that kings and arcanists call upon in their time of need, and they’ve been traveling together for a much shorter amount of time outside of pre-existing relationships like the twins or Pike and Grog. This is the largest and crucial change made in the adaptation, and key to understanding every other choice that comes out of it. Starting them off in a far more difficult position makes us more likely to root for them as the underdogs, such as when they’re laughed at in their introductory bar fight scene and then lick their wounds afterwards, wondering if they can change their luck. We see how their failure to save a village and children within it galvanizes them into vengeance and heroism in the Brimscythe encounter. This provides explicit proof that they can kick ass through the power of friendship and teamwork. Basic, but it gives everyone somewhere to grow from.

MECHANICS AND MEDIUM

Now, it is true that the Briarwoods arc did not have as many changes on a basic plot level. We still go from A to B to C in much the same manner; it helps a great deal that the Briarwoods arc itself was on the shorter side, and there was less to outright cut. But even here, there are myriad changes large and small, and much of them have to do with the filmmaking end of things. As an example: because the script cuts down much of the timescale, things happen more quickly and with juicier character interactions: Percy no longer has time to prepare for dinner with the Briarwoods to calmly disguise himself as Vax and avoid recognition, but instead has to sit and listen to them lie with his own face, finally able to stand it no longer. We are also able to gain more insight into the Briarwoods and some of their associates because we are no longer restricted to the party’s POV in all scenes. Delilah’s flashback to the deal she made with The Whispered One to save her beloved Sylas illuminates what was only hinted at in the campaign. Or take how Professor Anders, a fairly forgettable boss fight, becomes a genuine highlight through Stephen Root’s demented, sneering intellectual tones and showing us that he felt underappreciated by the De Rolos because they held his research back. Ripley too is boosted by actually helping the party with the acid trap, even if it’s only for her own survival, and escaping at a moment where it’s far more inconvenient for her to do so.

Yet despite these and other changes (I like in particular how Percy is in far more denial about Orthax’s hold over him and this adds considerably higher stakes to the fight with the demon), it’s still fairly compact as a story. The Conclave arc, meanwhile, has had far more drastic additions and subtractions to the plot. Because the original is so sprawling and epic, the party could afford to take their time and do the usual goofing off shenanigans in between fights. Not so here; time is of the essence, time the party increasingly seems to be running out of. And that seems to be the chief complaint rising up, that we’re rushing through things and not slowing down enough.

I do find a couple things funny with this statement. It’s always been a complaint of both fans and haters that the cast goofs off even when things are serious and does side trips. And of course there’s the infamous planning sessions where they can often argue in circles before finally deciding on a course of action. But this is a function of the tabletop stream medium; unless Matt decides to literally drop a dragon on them, he can let them take as much time as he wants.

The series, however, gains as much as it loses by cutting most of this down and switching things around. For one, the danger IS more immediate; losing allies like Kamaljiori as soon as they gain him ups the tension dramatically and keeps the threat ever-present, which is useful if you don’t want people to get bored in an action-adventure series. Or Grog, Pike, and Scanlan getting sent to Westruun in a botched plane shift spell adds intrigue to that; can Grog get his strength back in time? Additionally, the visuals, music, and performances can substitute for everyone narrating out every action. Sam Riegel dials down considerably as Scanlan and offers more sincerity to where we know his arc is headed. Vax’s connection with the Raven Queen is an outright horror movie at the moment with his flashes of images he doesn’t wholly understand, as well as hinting at his eventual fate. Or we can now truly see the guilt and shame on a young Grog’s face as he regards Wilhand, begging for life in Henry Winkler’s quavering, sympathetic voice. Parts that could feel a little weaker dramatically because Matt is not ultimately out to “win” the game and most heroic-aligned NPCs need to be at least a little accommodating no longer have that restriction; Troy Baker can bring the full force of Syldor’s personality to bear and make him a tougher challenge, such as dismissing Percy’s attempt to bolster Vex with his title and fueling her defense of herself and her friends.

(Sidenote: I’m very curious to see how the Mighty Nein series translates Yeza, who I felt and still feel is Matt’s most jarring example of this tendency)

Hell, what about the Conclave themselves? Even outside the casting of heavyweights like Lance Reddick and Cree Summer as Thordak and Raishan, we can now gain more insight into their motives and just how scary they are. An exchange between Umbrasyl and Kevdak has the danger of two politicians jockeying for position, and almost makes us feel sympathetic for the latter...almost. Ripley teaming up with Umbrasyl is another boost for a character who was great but appeared infrequently; by keeping her and Kelly Hu’s hot-but-evil purr around, we’re keeping her fresh and active.

THE FEMALE CHARACTER PROBLEM

This is where things get a little bit...trickier. Both Dungeons and Dragons and tabletop gaming at large have long-time problems of sexism, homophobia, racism, you name it; many a horror story has been told of gatekeeping assholes. And the reception to Critical Role was sadly no exception despite their evolving efforts to be an inclusive company and brand. Marisha Ray got the worst of it for sure in terms of her portrayal of Keyleth, being both a novice to D&D and streaming as well as Matt’s girlfriend, later fiancee and wife. But Laura Bailey and Ashley Johnson have had their fair share of mistreatment too: Vex was called a greedy bitch on the regular, Jester confounded everyone by rarely suffering serious consequences for her prankish actions (whatever the hell that means), and to this day Johnson is seen as the worst player at the table mechanically by rules lawyers because she commits cardinal sins like not remembering all her class abilities (in case you can’t tell, add a heavy sarcasm font to that). In response to this harassment, both Critical Role and the community made it increasingly clear these assholes weren’t welcome and they thankfully, slowly bled out of influence.

However, I must confess that it feels like we haven’t really left that sort of...defensive paternalism, for lack of a better phrase. Instead of treating the female cast members like adults, which they are, and fellow participants in the company and story, there is this odd parasocial insistence that anything they do that the audience doesn’t like is somehow forced upon them by the male cast members. To be blunt: we don’t have evidence this is the case. And while it would be folly to say that the CR team can do no wrong or have no biases because they are a majority cishet white group, their apparent sincere commitment to inclusive practices leaves me doubting that anything especially pernicious is going on.

What’s basically come to a head recently with The Legend of Vox Machina are complaints that they’ve either made the women characters too mean OR too nice. This hasn’t really come up with Pike (who I think is a much stronger character because Ashley has a much clearer thesis upfront and isn’t absent for huge chunks of the narrative), but I’ve seen both applied to Keyleth and Vex. Keyleth, I think, is a case of Marisha wanting to not exactly sand off her edges, but correcting what she saw as missteps because she the player didn’t know what she was doing. She’s less self-righteous about things like religion or that they shouldn’t make deals with groups like the Clasp because those conflicts have been substituted for putting more emphasis on her reckoning with the “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” principle. I do miss that a little, but also, I think people are often reading more into those instances than what was actually there in terms of substance.

Vex is admittedly a difficult character to translate because in the campaign, so much of her arc is internal and subtle; she changes very slowly compared to Keyleth going from “nervous wreck” to “confident leader”. You can’t really do this in an animated series. Long-term character arcs are certainly POSSIBLE, but they genuinely require being communicated through clear shifts in visuals, writing, and performance. Thus Vex’s problems in particular have to be more blatantly shown: her stinginess causes problems with Zahra before they reconcile, she connects with Percy quicker because of shared experience, and she folds in on herself far more when talking with Syldor compared to Vax because she still wants a relationship and her brother has long given up on this.

And here’s where we get to the complaint I still find the most inexplicable because it seems to describe a totally different character than the one that exists onscreen: that making changes like this or Vax being present for Vex’s rescue of Trinket when he originally had no idea how she found him somehow makes her arc “all about men” and “not about herself”. I feel like this is an overcorrection from earlier feminist schools of criticism that women characters are all too often accessories to men and not their own full characters. Which I do still agree is v. bad, but also, saying that women can or should never have meaningful relationships with men because of our patriarchal systems of society...well, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. More to the point, it ignores that Laura had and has meaningful input into these relationships in the game as well as other campaigns: in addition to focusing much of her C1 roleplay on Percy, Syldor, Vax, and even Scanlan, Jester directly pursued Fjord because Laura wanted to try and romance her husband Travis Willingham in game and blatantly said this was her intent. It feels like people aren’t giving themselves permission to just...not like her choices because they don’t want to be lumped in with Those Assholes. And that’s a terrible way to treat yourself as a fan.

CONCLUSION

To sum it up: feel free to be a hater! You don’t have to suddenly like the show and the changes it makes because some random rambling asshole like me says so. But I think it is far more useful to look at what actually exists on the screen than making up an idealized version in your head of “this is how it’s supposed to go!” You’ll be happier, I’ll be happier, and we can enjoy things. Or don’t. It’s your choice.

#tlovm #tlovm spoilers #critical role #cr spoilers #media analysis #reviews

32 notes · View notes

fairystarstorm · 10 days

Text

Current impressions + ranking of the new teen titans

I recently started reading the New Teen Titans and I am on issue #27. So I decided to do a short analysis of the current main 7 + talking about my impressions of then before I started reading the comics. Most of my knowledge of them is from young justice S1, the dcau, the first episode of teen titans (2003) and the summary videos I watched when I had comics fixation when I was like 16. (And the Kami garcia books but lets not talk about it)

7. Wally West/Kid Flash

So like most of my opinion of Wally came from young justice, the arrowverse and the justice league cartoon. I basically saw him as a jokster. Didn't have too much of a strong opinion of him in the cartoons but I liked him in the flash series.

He's a lot more introspective than I expected him to be. Especially regarding his feelings about being a superhero and his feelings regarding Raven are interesting to grapple with. As well as the volume where we saw his insecurity when it comes to Dick.

The reason why he is low is that the others don't have a issue where I genuinely dislike them as I did during the Maladie saga. Basically it felt like he escalated the situation a lot with his anti-russian sentiment + the general hypocrisy of hating Russia for shit the US was also doing. I kinda hope to see him grow more from that.

I don't currently feel like I have a favourite friendship between him and the other titans. It is mostly because of how little I feel we see him interact much with the rest. Even with Donna and Dick I feel like we don't see much of them with him (especially compared to how much time we see those two spend time together). Which feels odd especially since they are all apart of the original teen titans (which at some point I might read). And because we see little of their friendship, I don't really have a good read of their friendship. We see his relationship with Raven a lot more, but I don't really care for it right now.

Rating 5.5/10 could be way worse but definitely could be better

6. Garfield/Beastboy

Again I saw him as a joker. Like the most I have seen him was in the DC animated movies. He is also usually one of my least favourite characters so that tracks. All though I do feel like the original comics give more insight in his joker personality these few volumes than from the few things I saw him in. I really hope that they will dive more into that in the next volumes.

I still don't have that strong of an opinion of him. His jokes regarding women leave a bad taste in my mouth, even though I get where they come from. I just hope we see him develop a more healthy relationship with himself and his past so they can stop.

The doom patrol arc is my fave story line for him. Wish we got to see more of him dealing with the fact that he killed someone but granted he is not the type right now to handle his issues right on.

I really like his banter with Vic. Especially considering how they are both people that have to grapple with the fact that their difference makes them non-human to other people.

Rating 6/10 same as Wally but there is no issue where I absolutely hate him or am annoyed by him.

5. Victor Stone/Cyborg

The only thing i have seen him are the justice league animated movies and I know he also a founding member in the Zack Snyder movies. So I am genuinely very curious why that got retconned.

So because I only really saw him in that (and the one episode of teen titans I have seen) I didn't really have any strong feelings about him or any thoughts really. In the beginning I was a little afraid they was gonna make him like an Angry Black Man, but I have been pleasantly surprised. I wanna see more of him with the kids (also not them already showing in the 80s how important representation can be for people)

I have so many thought about him and his dad. Like I know how difficult it can be to have a parent that loves you but can't show it. My dad and I's relationship is similar without all the anger on my part. So the issue where he and his dad spend his dad's last days together hit me in the heart. Like crying, pain in my chest and all. It feels so bittersweet to finally connect with your parent when it is almost too late. (I wish we got to know more about his relationship with his mom)

Him grappling with his humanity and his new body is also a highlight of his character. So I hope they keep touching on it for now and that we can also transition to seeing him more comfortable with himself.

As stated with Beast boy section, my favorite friendship for him is with beast boy. We don't get to see much of his relationship with the others as much but I like his friendship with Raven.

Rating: 6.5

4. Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing

Been my fave since young justice. Also I feel like this is the moment to say I rewatch teen titans: the judas contract because him and Koriand'r. Sometimes only their scenes too.

So safe to say that if I made a ranking before I started reading the comics, those two would be top 2. Basically the reason I wanted to read dc comics for the longest time (them and birds of prey).

But moving on to his character in the comics. I really like how they have implemented his character in the theme where he is basically the only one without powers. Like I feel that in a lot of stories, the one without powers is somehow made to still feel overpowered. By being so much smarter than the rest or still having beyond human constitution even though they don't have powers. So I really appreciated during the tamaran arc that we actually saw him physically struggle during the battle.

I feel like we haven't gotten much of a story arc/volume that was really focused on him except for in the beginning and kinda his relationship with kory. I am curious to see what they are going to do with him moving forward. Also I do appreciate the emotional intelligence we got to see from him when he and Kory talked after getting together.

Speaking about Dickkory, I feel like they sre definitely the type of ship I am gonna start liking after they get together. Because si far their relationship in comics is still a little so-so. We don't really get to see that much of them interacting even as friends. It feels like a lot of will they, won't they? mixed with him being like don't kill anyone you're on earth. However every single moment of them together that I have seen over the years is amazing. So I hope they can fully pull me on board soon.

However I am extremely happy that they didn't use kori's relationship with the white man (I can't be bothered to look up his name) as a jumping of point for Dick and kori to get back together. So far he has also been respectful of that relationship. I like a healthy amount of jealousy in romances but I really do loathe it when it is used to spurn one character into action. Like they are finally trying to move on from you, and now your bitch ass comes crawling back. It gives "I don't want this toy, but no one else can play with it either".

Now speaking about my fave Dick relationship is his friendship with Donna. I don't have much to say about them, but I just like all of their interactions.

7/10

2. Donna Troy

I knew nothing about Donna Troy before this. Like the only thing I have seen her in was the last scene of judas contract. I know she is in the titans show, but honestly I didn't watch it because I thought it was connected to the arrowverse.

So I went in completely blind when it came to her. However she got my heart so quickly. She feels so genuine to me. The struggles she is facing with not knowing her background. The way she feels not completely at home with the amazons as a result (this was especially hitting me as a kid from first gen immigrant parents). There is just so much potential in her and I think it is a shame with how little she is adapted.

Side eyeing her 29 year old boyfriend for now tho. It just doesn't sit right with me that this young woman that doesn't know who she is, is in a relationship with a man that has so much more experience on her. Like this man has already been divorced, what is he doing with a 18-19 year old. From what I have heard the unhealthy factor never really gets addressed fully, so praying from good fanfics.

I also love her friendship with koriand'r. She opened her house to someone who was practically a stranger to her. She tries to teach her about earth and be a guide in this unfamiliar world. In a way she paid forward the kindness Diana and the other amazons gave her. I think their relationship is the one I believe the most.

8.5/10

Top 2 will be posted soon but I just wanted to post part of it. Like I have been writing this for over a week and I still have so much to say about Kori and Raven 😭😭😭😭😭

#dick grayson #nightwing #robin dick grayson #beast boy #garfield logan #changeling #Cyborg dc #dc cyborg #victor stone #wally west #kid flash #wally west kid flash #new teen titans #mena reads new teen titans #wonder girl #troia #Donna Troy #wonder girl donna troy

4 notes · View notes

best-underrated-anime · 4 months

Text

Best Underrated Anime Group D Round 3: #D4 vs #D7

#D4: Two kids join in hunting monsters and uncovering secrets

#D7: Girl who can play the biwa and see the future. 1180 CE Japan

Details and poll under the cut!

#D4: Karneval

youtube

Summary:

While in search of his precious friend, a young boy named Nai falls captive to a beautiful woman, whose looks are matched only by her taste for human flesh. Meanwhile Gareki, a clever thief, is in the midst of robbing her luxurious home. After causing a distraction, Gareki agrees to help Nai escape, but they are discovered upon the woman's return. As she transforms into a ghoulish monster, the boys flee.

On the run, Nai and Gareki are found by “Circus,” a government defense agency that deals with criminal activity too difficult for the police to handle and protects civilians from “varuga”—terrible monsters that devour humans for sustenance. In the hope that it will lead Nai to his missing friend, he and Gareki decide to join Circus. On their perilous journey, they face dangerous varuga and begin to uncover the secrets behind a shadowy organization known as Kafka.

Propaganda:

Karneval has two of the best protagonists I’ve ever seen. Gareki is superior to every other teenage boy protagonist in anime. His character arc, even in this one season that covers just a fraction of the manga, is so well-developed. I like that his arc is an emotionally driven coming-of-age and not a power fantasy.

Along with the main characters, Karneval has fantastic characters across the board. There is not a single supporting character I don't love (even the ones who annoy me). None of the female characters are reduced to love interests and are all unique and interesting, which can be hard to find sometimes in anime.

It is made by a female writer, which is always great to see, and for people who aren't really interested in romance, the anime is extremely friendship and found family driven. The found family aspect is really at the forefront of the series as Circus is not a glorified group and they don't get to have families which makes the bond between members so important.

The tone balance is amazing. In one episode, you can go on an emotional journey from laughing to crying in seconds. The plot is engaging with wild reveals and compelling mysteries to follow. The fantastical world is unique with the contrast of the dark monsters in a bright and colorful world. If you watch it in Japanese, the voice cast is so good and the soundtrack is also really good.

TL;DR it’s an interesting story with amazing characters to whom you will get attached.

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Misrepresentation of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

#D7: The Heike Story (Heike Monogatari)

youtube

Summary:

The Taira clan, also known as the Heike, holds immense authority over Japan. When a young girl, gifted with an odd eye that allows her to see the future, foolishly disrespects the clan, her father pays the price of her crime with his life. Soon after, as fate would have it, Taira no Shigemori—the eldest son of the clan leader—stumbles upon the same unfortunate girl, who now calls herself "Biwa." Biwa informs him that the downfall of the Heike is imminent. After learning of the great injustice Biwa suffered at the Heike's hands, Shigemori vows to take her in and care for her rather than let her be killed.

In an era of rising military tension, the Heike are in the midst of a cunning struggle for power, and bloodstained war is on the horizon. Shigemori, whose eyes allow him to see spirits of the dead, is both anxious and hopeful to prevent his clan's demise. Biwa, however, is reluctant to reveal the future to him and must adapt to her new life filled with both happiness and sorrow in this pivotal chapter in Japanese history.

Propaganda:

It’s based on historical events, so one can already know the ending before watching it, sort of like the main character Biwa. But seeing those events, getting attached to the characters as they have both fun, simple moments and difficult, painful moments and seeing the humanity in the characters and watching them grow up with the underlying promise that things won’t go well for them, and accepting that… themes of impermanence and grief… but also the art style is unique and bright and the music is great and fits the scenes, and I highly recommend watching this if you haven’t already !! It’s only 11 episodes!

Trigger Warnings: Suicide

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

#anime #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #group stage #group stage round 3 #tournament polls #group d #karneval #karneval anime #the heike story #heike monogatari

3 notes · View notes

waffliesinyoface · 5 months

Text

Games I Done Played in 2023

Putting this under a readmore because it is Long.

-Scarlet/Violet - on the cusp of 2022/2023 but it sort of counts? Especially with the DLC only just coming out this year. Anyways. its good. Professor Sada my beloved evil milf. RIP to violet players who got Turo instead.

-Atelier Ryza 1 - went in knowing nothing about it! And then i went feral because its a really fucking good game with themes and good characters and a lively town full of people that you care about. One of my favorite moments is when Agatha, head of the town guard, looks at Ryza and goes "geez, where did that knucklehead kid who was always messing around go? you've really grown up, huh Ryza?" ITS SO GOOD. Also Ryza is the ADHD fucking icon we deserve. Cannot focus on things she doesn't care about. Perpetually messy room. Kind of an airhead. Finds one (1) thing that she actually likes (alchemy) and then hyperfocuses on it exclusively.

-Atelier Ryza 2 - this game has the mass effect 2 problem where it's coming off the heels of a really great first story but then very early on you realize the main plot is actually a bit shit. Ryza 1 is a story about the inherent destructive nature of colonialism and how that will come back to bite you in the ass. Ryza 2 is about having a sick cat. They try to do something interesting with the optional backstory for each of the areas but then they don't tie it to the main quest at all? THAT SAID: while the main plot is shit, it does the other thing that ME2 does, in that all of the character sidequests are incredible. Klaudia in Ryza 1 is just like. The kind of casual fanservice gay that pops up in slice-of-life anime, so I brushed it off. Klaudia in Ryza 2 is having sad tearful confessions in the rain. I got fucking yuri brainworms from this game. Her arc culminates in Ryza making her a ""friendship"" necklace made from extremely precious metals. It's basically solid gold and has a heart design. Its beautiful. #JustHeterosexualThingsToDoWithYourBestie

-Atelier Ryza 3 - okay i will be honest i still have not finished this. You know how it is. I like that its more open world but also I dont know that it needed to be open world. The writing seems to be better than 2 but not quite as good as 1. I DO like that the beginning lets you see Ryza in her home town, and she's gone from the local troublemaker to Someone In Authority. She's an important and respected member of the community and a schoolteacher now, and now she can argue with the council that they're being a bunch of dickheads with their heads in the ground and people actually listen to her instead of telling her to shut up. Thats such good character development, I'm so proud of her.

-Fire Emblem Engage: went in expecting it to be awakening, to the point that I explicitly bought a physical copy for the purposes of being able to return it if it was shit. Then after playing for a bit i was like "wait a minute, is this just awakening again but actually good?" and THEN i was like "oh no this game fucking rips ass actually, hell yeah". One of, if not THE best fire emblem game. It would be an excellent choice for new players but it's also an anniversary game and so most of the cool callbacks and stuff kinda fall flat if you're not ALREADY a fan.

-Mahoyo: technically a VN, not a game. Also technically I did not finish. Need to get back to it. Aoko Aozaki is my blorbo and I love her. If you like Nasuverse stuff you owe it to yourself to get it.

-SAO Hollow Realization - its an SAO game so it is bad but it is far less bad than i thought it would be. Relationship mechanic is skeevy and I dislike that you need to do it to upgrade party equipment. I killed a hard boss early on and got a sword that immediately broke the difficulty curve which honestly fits how SAO rolls lmao. The fact that you can customize your character but they're still actually kirito is. weird. Buuut it meant I could make Kirito into a girl, which she deserves, the fucking egg. Also Argo's outfit is a travesty, and I will hunt the character designer for sport.

-Tears of the Kingdom - better than BotW plot wise, but didn't fix enough of the core issues. Please can we have a Ganondorf who even approaches the heights attained by Wind Waker. The character designers put so much work into him and making him imposing yet kingly, and then the writers went "uh, he's evil because he's evil? stop overthinking it, dummies." The bossfights are all peak though. Yes even the stupid octopus who is weak to roombas. Lightning Temple was my favorite because I love ancient egyptian iconography and light puzzles. Also the boss is actually challenging if you go there early.

-Armored Core VI - i literally decided to pre-order it like 5 minutes before it came out. And then I came to the realization that actually giant robots fuck hardcore. This is responsible for me getting really into Gundam. I have like 16 gunpla built with 4 more still in boxes and 3 more preordered for 2024. Yes, it infected me that bad. Also Cinder Carla IS my mom and I love her. Burning the planet and solar system is the good ending because she says so.

-Disgaea 7 - disgaea is BACK babey. ...okay I haven't finished this one either but after the travesty that was 6 im giving this a gold star. I love that the protagonist is an idiot weeb catgirl, and i love that the antagonist is literally just Demon Commodore Perry. Nippon Ichi please bring back the kitsune class from 5 please and thankyou.

-Mice Tea - i literally just got this so i've only done one ending but its fun, and good. Drink tea, become a mouse. Get horny about it. Happens to the best of us.

-Touhou 19 - i THINK the full english translation is done now, so thats good. Ran Yakumo is playable and im so happy. It's a shame the netplay is uh. Um. Non-existent. Because coding netplay is hard.

-Lunar Silver Star Story - once again, i still need to finish this. It's a really really good JRPG!! "What if we used the PS1 disc size to have anime cutscenes for important moments and character introductions" fucking genius and i love you. Listen to Wind's Nocturne right now.

-PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo - do you like VNs? Do you like mystery novels with horror elements? Do you like creepy things like curses and ghosts? Do you like really fucking good music? If you answered yes to any of those questions, please get this game. There's like one or two puzzles that were really obtuse on release but i think the game's been updated to provide better hints, so that's nice.

-Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life - my favorite harvest moon game as a child with a fresh coat of paint, some really nice QoL updates, and its gay now. You can be gay. I can finally get lesbian married to Nami and we can have an adorable precious daughter who turns me into Maes Hughes whenever Im in the same room as her. I named her Ruby because A: red hair, B: Nami loves cool shit you find in the digsite like precious minerals, and C: Lou (the innkeeper) was named Ruby in the original version of A Wonderful Life, and she's BASICALLY Nami's mom. Wait this review turned into me gushing about my adorable daughter again...

#video games #there are a few i missed but i forgot to write them down as I played!! whoops!!!!!!

2 notes · View notes

acacia-may · 1 year

Note

For the shipping bingo, Yami x Charlotte (a classic, at this point) and Finral x Finesse (not very much about them, but really sweet)

Aw hi, anon! Thanks so much for the ask and for playing bingo! 🥰

Yami and Charlotte:

(Not quite a bingo—the randomly generated cards haven’t been too kind to me 😅 But it’s a good ship all the same)

Finral and Finesse:

(Close but, alas, not quite a bingo… I love them—they deserved one 😔💚)

Discussion and headcanons under the cut (Warnings: mentions Finral’s chilhood trauma in a vague, non-descriptive way)

Yami and Charlotte:

I absolutely agree that this is a classic! To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting it at all. I remember when my sister and I were binging the anime, we actually had to pause because we were laughing so hard at Charlotte's internal monologue in the cave during the Eye of the Midnight Sun first encounter arc, when we first learn about her secret, not-so-secret affection for Yami. It was definitely one of those, "not what I was expecting but I'm totally here for it" kind of moments! They are certainly a frustrating ship in that Charlotte is so stubborn about admitting how she feels, Yami is so dense about it, and they both struggle so much to express their feelings. I'll admit that Charlotte is making progress and I'm proud of her for that, but Yami is...well...he could use a good (affectionate) smack on the back of the head and someone telling him to "get on with it already."

There is something very sweet in Charlotte who is so independent and so strong opening herself up to love and realising that it doesn't make her any less strong or independent--if anything she and Yami are stronger together. Charlotte and Yami are equally matched--they're both captains and powerful in their own right, but they both have their flaws too. Even so, they choose to care about each other. It's clear that their care is built on a strong foundation of friendship and mutual respect, not just some fleeting whirlwind of emotions which I really appreciate. The fact that they can also bicker like an old married couple just adds to the fun! 💖

I will say that I wish it wasn't played for laughs so much because I do think their relationship could be great and has lots of potential, if they'd only learn how to communicate with each other a bit better. (I'd love to see them actually have a real, honest conversation that doesn't end with Charlotte descending into flustered, tsundere mutterings and/or Yami emotionally shutting down and saying something stupid, inappropriate for the situation, and/or totally oblivious. Here's hoping!) I really think they're at their best when they're being honest about the genuine care and respect they have for each other. Those moments in the elf arc where Yami is telling "Charla" about the admiration and high esteem he has for Charlotte or when Charlotte is thinking back to the day that Yami helped break her curse because she decided to care about him are some of my favourites.

I've only written about them once (so far) because I find their perspectives difficult and struggle with writing romance in general (it's just not my wheelhouse 😅), but I am rooting for them and have been from the beginning!

Some headcanons about them:

When Yami and Charlotte finally get together, they know (and everybody knows) "this is it" and they're going to stay together. Though they expected some of their friends to be surprised that they're dating, barely anyone is with the exception of Sol who didn't really want to see it and Asta and Magna who (bless their hearts) were too oblivious to see it. The overwhelming response from everyone who knows them even remotely well is: "it's about time..."

Yami makes the mistake of hinting to his squad that he plans to propose to Charlotte, and they all jump on the topic, demanding to know how he plans to do it. Yami just shrugs and explains he wasn't planning anything special, he was just going to ask her, but his squad (resident romantic, Finral, especially) insists he can't 'just ask her'--he has to make it special. He ends up with an elaborate proposal plan including a suit, flowers, a romantic hike, a picnic with wine (courtesy of Charmy and Vanessa), and notes for a speech on some cue cards, but after trying his best to fumble his way through this 'proper proposal,' he eventually says 'to hell with it' and just asks her, like he was intending to do in the first place. Of course, she accepts.

Yami is the first of the Black Bulls to get married, and he often jokes that his squad is more excited about the wedding than he is. To be fair, Yami is looking forward to actually getting married and starting their lives together not to the rigmarole of the actual wedding itself (which is a whole lot of work, planning and details). He probably would've been happy just skipping the big spectacle and eloping, but he knows it's important to Charlotte to do things properly. The Blue Roses get more into the wedding planning than Charlotte who hadn't given much thought to what she wanted her wedding to be like, but the day turns out beautifully and goes incredibly smoothly in the end.

Shortly after getting married, Yami and Charlotte decide that they're ready for a quieter, slower paced life and retire from being magic knight captains passing their squads down to Nacht and Sol respectively. They still do some consulting work for the magic knights but, for the most part, settle down with their pensions near the Black Bulls hideout in a quaint, little house with a lovely garden.

They're the first of their friends to have children and go on to have three in total: a son, Katsu, then two daughters, Hana and Marceline, who are all positively doted upon by their Blue Roses and Black Bulls uncles and aunts.

Yami always had a strong paternal streak and is a wonderful father. Even if he can be a bit stern and surly at times, his children always manage to bring out that softer, gentler side of him. Charlotte is a great mother a well, a bit firm at times (when she needs to be) but very loving and always looking out for her children's best interests.

Yami's kids think he tells the best stories and tell all the Black Bulls cousins about it so he is constantly begged for tales from his days in the magic knights. He is fairly good at saying no to his "nieces and nephews," but if his kids ask, he'll usually concede and tell them all a story or two. Charlotte thinks this is very sweet. 💕

Even after getting married, Charlotte and Yami are fairly private about their relationship, believing it's really not anybody else's business. Neither one of them are particularly good at expressing how they feel with their words, but their actions speak louder and they are constantly doing nice things for each other as a way to show their affection.

~~~

Finral and Finesse:

Oh I'm so happy you asked me about them! I love them so much, and this ship is criminally underrated! 💕 But, gosh, I have thoughts... I apologize in advance for all of the ramblings.

I'll admit that it threw me for a loop in the beginning. No one even hinted at the fact that Finesse existed until well into the story (one of my favourite episodes (80) and chapters (126) though). Given the fact that up until that point we had kind of seen Finral throw himself at pretty much every woman he ever met, it was definitely quite the surprise to learn that he had someone in his past that he really and truly loved (even if she was now engaged to marry his brother). [And the fact that I started with the anime rather than the manga also didn't do me any favours either, since the anime almost seemed to be entertaining the possibility of Finral and Vanessa around that time. (Heck even in the same episode! The emotional whiplash was intense! What a rollercoaster...😅). The manga was much more cut and dry in this regard, in my opinion. Obviously, Finral and Vanessa are still friends but without those added things, they don't feel like much of an option there so when Finesse is introduced, it's a little more clear that if Finral's heart was with anyone all this time, then it would probably be Finesse].😊

Finral and Finesse fall into a trope that I like to call "The Boat and The Lighthouse" inspired by one of my favourite songs by Death Cab for Cutie "Little Wanderer" [You Tube link here, if you're interested. It's also on my Finral x Finesse playlist (yes, I have one of those...😅😂 It’s actually my favourite of all the ones I’ve made for Black Clover ships)]. If this trope has an actual name, please let me know, but in my terms, this is how it works: The "Boat" in the ship (the pun is just a happy accident 😂), in this case Finral, is restless and wandering, often going through a period of personal growth and finding themselves which leads them far away from home and their beloved who becomes their "Lighthouse"--a gentle, steady safe-place that the "Boat" can eventually find its way home to [one of my favourite classic Disney songs "Candle on the Water" comes to mind (also on my Finral x Finesse playlist 💕)]. The "Lighthouse", in this case Finesse, has an unwavering loyalty and deep devotion to the "Boat" and wants them to find themselves, even if it means they will be separated, possibly forever; however, they never stop lighting the way so the "Boat" can find their way home and never give up hope that the "Boat's" journey will eventually bring them together again. It's a particular favourite of mine (when it's done well) as it really is so incredibly sweet! 💖

In the case of this ship specifically, I think that Finral and Finesse met in what I imagine was a very dark time in Finral's life. Before he finally left House Vaude, the years of abuse weighed very heavily on him, and he was so beaten down and broken emotionally that it was hard for him to have any confidence at all. It's heartbreaking that he felt so unwanted at his home and felt he had no choice but to leave, but ultimately, it was really the best thing for him to break free of that toxic situation and forge his own path for a while. Though it must've been really hard for him to leave at the time--he was young and leaving his home and his family (even though they're awful, they're still his family)--in the end, as even he realized in the canon in that great moment in the sea temple (which I keep mentioning... 😅 It's one of my favourite arcs) joining the Black Bulls and having a safe place where his squad mates loved and accepted as he was, really helped him to build courage and confidence and inspired him to become the best version of himself (and a man well on his way to being worthy of Lady Finesse)!

I'd really like to think this kind of growth is what Finesse wanted for him when he left House Vaude as well. She's so kind and believes he's too hard on himself. I don't know the extent to which she understands the reality of how awful things are at House Vaude at this point, but I think she knows Finral is very insecure and suffering emotionally and hopes that leaving home will help him find himself and build the strength and confidence to come back home (and back to her) someday. I'm not sure how openly supportive she could be given the circumstances, but I think at least on the inside she would be wishing him well and believing that it's for the best that he goes out on his own for awhile. Finesse is so compassionate and knows both of her boys so well, after all. (I sometimes think she knows them even better than they know themselves--especially when they're young and pre-character development). It gives me all the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it! 🥰

As much as I love Finral and Finesse as a ship, I adore their friendship too, and I feel like it isn't discussed enough when really it is beautiful in its own right. He wants to be his best self for her and is an incredibly kind and attentive friend, and she builds him up, shows him kindness, and believes in him even when no one else does, including himself. The fact that he fell in love with her for it, does not change the fact that they have a deep affection and strong foundation of mutual respect and friendship that I believe would persist in any universe (even one where they did not end up together). After all, if the betrothal isn't dissolved, she is going to marry either him or his brother meaning that, if she doesn't marry him, she will be his sister (or, I suppose more accurately, his sister-in-law), and I like to think that, in that case, they would still be very good friends, take care of each other like family, and have a deep familial affection for each other.

In a romantic sense though, if it was just their dynamic alone, I really wouldn't have many (if any) reservations about it. I mean they really are just lovely together--what's not to love? But... all that House Vaude drama and the whole arranged marriage business really gets in the way of their potential, and I do have some issues with and reservations about how the relationship has developed, the surrounding circumstances, and the way it's been handled in the story that, I am sorry to say, leave a bit of a frustratingly sour taste in my mouth, if I'm being perfectly honest. I think most of my issues fall under the umbrella of the fact that, in my mind, there is really no believable way that Finral marrying Lady Finesse and becoming the Head of House Vaude could be mutually exclusive (they would really have to deus ex machina or 'power of love' their way out of it and I don't particularly care for those plot devices), and the idea of Finral returning to his abusive home makes me feel sick, like I've been punched in the gut. I want to believe that the love he and Finesse have for each other will weather whatever kind of hell is waiting for Finral if he takes over as the heir to the House of Vaude. Believe me, I desperately want to believe this...but the way the relationship is being handled in the canon is not making it easy (i.e. the fact that Finral is hitting his head against the wall whenever he even sees another woman and is going on these long almost desperate tirades about how Finesse is "the only one for him" (almost like he's trying to convince himself more so than anyone else...) I know it's played for laughs, but it is excessive in the anime and more than a little concerning in every medium...). Based on that, I would be lying if I said it wasn't difficult at times to quiet those fears and those questions of 'what if, what they (Finral especially) think will make them happy, isn't necessarily what will ultimately make them happy?'--and when the story wants to sell me on the fact that Finral's love for Lady Finesse somehow justifies him returning to the toxic House Vaude, those kinds of questions should not be there at all (in my opinion). So in that way, I am incredibly frustrated with the relationship--mostly because I love it so much, and it could be so, so good! I mean, I have absolutely no doubt that Finral and Finesse care for each other very deeply, but it's the nature of that love and whether or not things would work out between in them in the long term that I'm not so sure about given the complicated surrounding circumstances... I think if we had more time and more content with them in the canon, I would feel much more assured in it. It's really that lack of content you mentioned in your ask, anon, that is giving me some pause.

All of that said, I really am rooting for them and want nothing but good things for the two of them. I do genuinely and wholeheartedly believe that they can/would be very happy together since they really are just so incredibly sweet--I couldn't agree with you more, anon! I can't imagine them ever fighting or arguing, and they're both just the kindest people who generally look on the bright side and want to believe the best about others even when/if they're mistreated (though I wouldn't suggest even trying to mistreat Lady Finesse unless you want to be on the receiving end of some very powerful spatial magic that will blast holes into you and/or send you to the middle of nowhere, depending on which of the spatial mage brothers happens to be around at the time or hear of your unforgivable transgression). They are also both so incredibly generous and such natural givers--very selfless and always looking out for other people before themselves. They never really ask for much for themselves so I just love the idea of them being loved and cherished by someone who is as equally selfless and generous as they are. They absolutely deserve that level of devotion and deserve the world really! Finral and Finesse is definitely the "Fluffy Fluffy! Cute Cute!" ship of Black Clover, hands down! Gah, I really do just love them so much!! 💖🥰

Some headcanons about them:

Finesse was Finral’s first love (not sure if this is a headcanon or actually canon 😂), and despite him being incredibly obvious about his affection and devotion to her, she wasn't aware of it at the time (being humble and chalking up Finral's awkwardness to their situation of being betrothed to each other when they were practically strangers and he was still so young). The moment when he "declared war" on Langris after the elf arc, was really the first time Finesse had ever even considered the possibility that he might actually be romantically interested in her (beyond just friendship or even the arranged marriage), and one day, when he mentioned to her offhand that she was his "first love," she was caught by genuine surprise. Finral was shocked, since he was sure it had always been so obvious.

On Finesse's side of things, she had always considered him a dear friend and had made her peace with the idea that they would eventually wed one day--truthfully, she was just grateful at the prospect of being married off to a decent man who would be good to her (since she knew many noble and especially royal girls did not have this luxury). However, there was not much more to it than that, until they were much older, and he started actively pursuing her. His kindness, attentiveness, and thoughtfulness really endeared him to her, and she slowly began to fall in love with him. By the time they married, Finesse could confidently say she returned his romantic love for her just as ardently.

Langris was the savior of this relationship. He realized that Finral could make Lady Finesse happy when he couldn't, and once his brother proved he was worthy of her, Langris stepped aside and relinquished House Vaude to Finral so he could be the one to marry her. In accordance with an old Clover Kingdom law for situations where there was a question of rightful succession, Langris challenged Finral to a duel for control of their House, but he threw the match on purpose (similar to how he relinquished the Golden Dawn to Yuno in the anime), leaving Finral the victor and the heir to House Vaude.

The first time Finral kissed her was not until after their official engagement following Langris's abdication and Finral's reinstatement as the rightful heir to House Vaude. They were in her garden, supposedly chaperoned by some of the gardeners and servants but they weren't really watching. It was a short, chaste kiss (before someone noticed them and got them into trouble for breaking the very strict rules of courtship), but they were both practically beaming for the rest of the day.

Finesse loves the Black Bulls very much for taking such good care of Finral and being the family he always wanted, and they love her just as much--almost immediately adopting her right in as an honorary member. (Heck, with the way Yami gives out capes willy-nilly, the squad would probably give her one (or an honorary one) just for marrying Finral 😂).

Vanessa and Finesse become very good friends with each other right away--though Finral is a little embarrassed when Vanessa starts telling her fun and silly stories about him and their time in the magic knights. Vanessa embroiders white lilies (Finesse's favourite flower) on Finesse's wedding dress--insisting that she deserves something personal and special to her on her wedding day, and when Finral and Finesse have their daughter, they ask Vanessa to be her godmother. 💕

Since Finesse is royalty and Finral is nobility, they have to follow all the customs and traditions for their wedding which makes it a bit stuffy and stressful for Finral (who is worried he's going to mess everything up by using the incorrect fork at dinner or forgetting the proper address for a duke or something) and for Finesse (who doesn't like to be the center of attention and finds it exhausting to be in the spotlight). Even so, it is still the happiest day of their lives, and Finral is this big, blubbering mess when Finesse walks down the aisle. Luckily, she pulls out a handkerchief for him from the pocket Vanessa has sewn into her dress. 💚

Due to Finesse's often poor health, they live a slower paced life together, but it is a very happy and content one. They rarely ever disagree, and if they do, the disagreement is solved quickly. They spend a lot of time taking walks together through the gardens at House Vaude.

They have three children together: two adopted sons named Blaise and Felix and a biological daughter named Vivienne. They probably would have wanted more children, but Finesse's frail health prevented them from having a big family. For a long time, they were not sure they would be able to have any biological children at all given Finesse's illness, so Vivienne was a bit of a surprise but a very much welcomed and wished for one. 💖

Even though he was ecstatic that Finesse was expecting, Finral was a mess of stress and anxiety throughout her entire pregnancy which she spent mostly on bedrest. He and Langris would stay up late into the night in House Vaude's library researching everything that could possibly go wrong and how to prevent it. Finesse was so worried about them that she called in Vanessa to intervene, and she separated them saying they were a terrible influence on each other. Then they just stayed up late into the night researching worse case scenarios separately. 😅

Finral cried when Vivienne was born--both out of the pride and joy of a new father but also out of overwhelming relief that mother and baby were both perfectly fine. Uncle Langris may have also gotten a bit misty-eyed when he held his niece for the first time (though he would probably never admit to it).

Finral and Finesse met and adopted their son, Blaise, when they were fundraising to build a proper orphanage in Tota. He is particularly close to his Uncle Magna because they both have flame magic. His younger, adopted brother, Felix was living on the streets in the Royal Capital and using his spatial magic portals to pick-pocket and steal food to survive when he met Finral. He noticed Finral's fancy clothes and had tried to steal some money from him, but Finral, having defensive spatial magic himself, recognized/could sense(?) the type of magic and stopped him. He insisted to the local magic knights/royal guard that he didn't want to press any charges and instead brought Felix home so he could have a nice meal and a place to stay for the night. They were initially planning to send him to the orphanage, but Finral and Finesse grew to care about Felix so much that they asked him if he would like to stay with them permanently as their son. He said yes, and they formally adopted him. 💚

Finral, Finesse, and their children are all very close to each other, and love sharing meals together, going on outings, and playing games as a family (it's even better when they can get "Uncle Langris" to join in). Both Felix and Blaise are incredibly protective of their little sister, Vivienne, but all the children get along very well with each other and love when their dad plays with them and tells them stories.

Finral likes to show his love for Finesse by surprising her with little gifts and treasures--sometimes just things that he finds (like a pretty flower or a rock that is roughly the shape of a heart) and other times things he has bought (like a bracelet, book, or scarf). She'll sometimes ask, "What's the occasion?" only for Finral to reply, "There's no occasion. I just love you." Then, he always smiles at her and often gives her a kiss which sometimes elicits murmured "ew..."s from their boys. Their daughter, however, always thinks it is sweet! 💖

Thank you so much for bearing with all the ramblings and for the ask! 🥰

#answered asks #ship bingo #thanks for the ask anon!#yamichar #yami x charlotte #charlotte x yami #yami sukehiro x charlotte roselei #finral roulacase x finesse calmreich #fin fin #finral x finesse #finesse x finral #they are so cute!!

16 notes · View notes

natsspammityspamspamham · 1 year

Text

Dino Watches Anime (Dec 21)

Happy Holidays! I've been spending my winter break watching anime like a loser. Some things never change...

I will be updating some stuff from my previous entry on this list (which was at the beginning of the season I think).

Series (mostly seasonal)

Wandering Son

This anime felt like a manga preview, and I'm not complaining. I just think they left it unfinished. Unfortunately, I don't think we would ever be able to get a continuation with this considering that it was allegedly "not well received" (although winning some awards). Alas, I enjoyed my time watching it and being called out during a few (a lot) of parts regarding puberty and gender identity. Its incredibly slow pace and pastel-like art style were very fitting. I would recommend it, but you do need to be in a certain mood to watch it (as it has very little comedy).

Spy x Family Season 2

Yeah, it's very good. I don't think I liked the tennis arc nearly as much as everyone else, but I still like this season a lot. I feel like everyone is either planning on watching or is watching it, so I won't spend too much time on this one.

Chainsaw Man

I do get the hype. This is a great show, but I honestly think this show is an 8/10. I think a lot of the supposed relatability of the main character is lost on me (aroace). It's a cool world with very interesting characters. The morally gray atmosphere and characters are refreshing to see from a Shonen Jump manga (where friendship is always the answer), and the art is absolutely amazing (yes, even the CG is pretty good). But I think something is missing for me (can't figure out what it is).

Akuyaku Reijou nano de Last Boss wo Kattemimashita

Yeah man, this show is sh*t. I already talked about it at length, but I also gave it a 5.5/10, so I think my friend's comment about me being a clown is incredibly realistic unlike having a structured magic system in this anime. Oh well, I guess if you like Yuichiro Umehara doing ASMR cringy lines, this show will definitely be on your list, but I was shaking my screen and cringing 70% of the time while watching this show.

Cool Doji Danshi

This show made an appearance on my "take" on the portrayal of social anxiety and pretty privilege in anime, but I feel like I'd need to watch it and finish it in a really specific mood where I wouldn't think even puddle-deep.

Pop Team Epic Season 2

That last episode was literally a 19-minute buildup for one punchline that was... alright. Yuuichi Nakamura dubs live-action actor Yuuichi Nakamura. Besides that, the episode doesn't hold any value to people who haven't watched the type of show it's parodying (me). The rest of the show is incredibly niche in terms of humour, but at least this show is aware that it's sh*t. There were a few moments that made me smile and maybe let out a chuckle, but watching Pop Team Epic is pretty much like buying a huge bag of trail mix just for the M&Ms.

Mob Psycho III

This is an absolute masterpiece. I didn't think the show could top the previous season, but here we are. I rated it a 10/10 even if Bones didn't animate a few things (it still felt incredibly cohesive). The only thing that brought it down was the Sakurai scandal, but that isn't any fault of the anime.

Bocchi the Rock!

You know, I really should've watched this before writing that post on social anxiety in anime because "she's just like me fr fr". Despite being over-the-top (this is anime), I find this interpretation, while drawn for comedic value, still incredibly realistic for its subject matter. Not only that, but it's got some good tunes and is like the antithesis to K-On (guys, these shows aren't remotely similar when you look beyond the superficial traits). Anyways, there's an incredibly good video about why it's good on YouTube already. I relate to Bocchi a lot (almost too much), so I'd highly recommend it for that alone, but I wouldn't blame you if you ducked out because she was too relatable. Also, I'd like to give a shoutout to the seiyuu who make this anime so much fun, especially Yoshino Aoyama who made that glitch scream.

Movies

Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare

This movie looked incredibly promising because of its creator, Io Sakisaka, who also wrote Ao Haru Ride. Despite not actually liking the Ao Haru Ride anime, I figured it was definitely worth a shot. What I got was a manga recap that was incredibly rushed and poorly paced (one summer festival lasts maybe 3 minutes before it abruptly changes setting). The character motivations make little sense, and they seem very shallow in terms of development, which makes their relationships feel incredibly half-assed. These things are crucial for shoujo romance anime, which are built on empathy and connections between characters. Although the genre can feel melodramatic at times, when given the proper time and care, the melodrama is far more palatable. However, even if the proper time and care were given, part of the plot is just a common p*rn plot. No joke. They even have the step-sibling trope, which is yikes. Overall, it was a very mediocre movie that did not meet my expectations at all.

Umibe no Etranger

When describing this movie, my friend said it sounded like "a cry for help." That's not inaccurate, and I would be lying if I said that this movie didn't annoy me at times. This movie is incredibly short and fast-paced, and at first, I thought this was caused by a similar issue to the previous entry, but surprisingly, the manga follows a very similar structure and pace. However, there were a few lines that were cut that didn't make sense to exclude (but it doesn't heavily impact the main storyline). The rating system also lied to me calling this PG-13 when there is an explicit scene in there (between two adults). I don't like how they make some BL characters incredibly whiny (especially when we're supposed to believe they're consenting adults). I feel like this movie really lacked proper development and time. The side characters were only given names and maybe one trait each, and I feel like they really could've done more with this story. Alas, the soundtrack was great, which helped elevate it, and the setting (Okinawa) looks great and full of life. There is a sequel manga, but I feel like making this film entailed that we would be more attached to these characters by the end so we would be encouraged to go read the manga.

Summer Ghost

This is another very short movie, and it really ain't that deep. Everything in this movie is predictable. Every single plot twist is like Dora the Explorer and didn't shock me, and ironically, I think they should've closed one of the plots better because it arguably looks like MC did not report something he was supposed to and may have just incriminated himself by putting his hands on evidence that should've been at least shown to eventually be in police possession. Anyways, the soundtrack carries this movie to no end, and the voice acting was also good. This is revealed early on, but MC is not explicitly mentioned to be close to death unlike the other two characters, so his ability to connect with the titular Summer Ghost makes less sense than it needs to.

Eve no Jikan

Technically, this has an ONA and a movie version with both being nearly the same minus a few scenes that should've just been included in the movie version (it would've added less than 10 minutes overall, I think). Because of this, you are kind of required to watch both to get the full story. Some comedic moments in this anime feel out of place since the story tells a tale similar to Hal (another movie about an android). It tells little tidbit tales of androids and how they get along with the humans they have been purchased by. There are a few episodes that stand out to me (4 and 6 of the ONA). It's the best watch out of this category (although that isn't saying a whole lot). It was thought-provoking and had some great voice acting, but I would've really liked a continuation. It felt like a passion project through and through (it's an original with no source material), so if you're interested in human-android relation like the previously mentioned Hal or Plastic Memories, give this package a shot.

#long post #dino watches anime #eve no jikan #summer ghost #umibe no etranger #omoi omoware furi furare #bocchi the rock!#mob psycho 100 #mp100 #pop team epic #wandering son #hourou musuko #akuyaku reijou nanode last boss wo kattemimashita #chainsaw man #spy x family

9 notes · View notes

tanenigiri · 2 years

Text

Review #8: Sasaki and Miyano (Volumes 1, 2, and 3)

Japanese title: 佐々木と宮野 (Sasaki to Miyano)

Story and art: Shou Harusono

English publisher: Yen Press

Number of volumes: 6 in English, 9 in Japanese (ongoing)

Hilariously, my second exposure to BL is the one that’s the most meta about the genre.

(This review contains story spoilers.)

Just like Given, my first exposure to Sasaki and Miyano was the anime. Right after watching the former, I looked online for recommendations of similar shows, and the latter was the title that came up the most. After watching it, though, I found it an odd recommendation outside of the context of “I want another good BL show” - in which case it’s the perfect recommendation - since the fulfillment I got after watching Given was so different from the fulfillment I got after watching Sasaki and Miyano.

Probably the main difference is how this series focuses a lot more on the relationship between the titular characters. As the story goes, Miyano is a BL fanboy who suddenly finds himself in an unexpected friendship with his senpai, Sasaki. The latter takes an interest in the former’s BL manga, which is a huge deal for Miyano as he has never had someone to openly talk to about it. Unbeknownst to Miyano, his enthusiasm about it is what starts Sasaki’s realization that his feelings for his kouhai might be deeper than what he initially thought.

I decided to group these first three volumes into one review not only because Volume 3 serves as a great halfway point of this whole arc - it features Sasaki’s confession - but it represents a pretty prominent shift in the narrative style. Volumes 1 and 2 feel a lot more episodic in nature, really leaning into the “Boys Life” label that the mangaka has given the series, while Volume 3 begins to steer the story into something a lot more linear. It still has the “snapshot of their lives” feel that gives the series its charm, but all of the scenes seem to be tied together by a major thread - how Miyano is processing his feelings while thinking about his response to Sasaki’s confession.

That’s not to say that the first two volumes were simply random - they feature an interesting exploration in how both Sasaki and Miyano are reacting to their slightly confusing relationship, made even more complex by Miyano’s BL addiction and, eventually, Sasaki’s confession. And those first two volumes did have a thread tying everything together, though I felt it was one that the story just brought up frequently rather than revolved around - Sasaki's internal conflict and eventual realization that what he's feeling for his kouhai is a lot more intense than usual. I felt that this was more of a major plot point rather than a central plot arc, though, as unlike what happens to Miyano in future volumes, most of the resolutions for this plot are driven by Sasaki himself. The way he reacts to Miyano's gestures - or, in some cases, Miyano's simple existence - already makes his attraction for him very concrete, and this all largely happens in his own thoughts. It not only makes for a great contrast between the two leads, but it also gives the story the room to explore different facets of the universe it's building.

But Volume 3 beginning with the confession steers the plot to something concrete that it’s working towards - Miyano’s answer. I think it was a great decision to introduce a central plot arc after several episodic chapters, as those earlier scenes being styled that way do a much better job in immersing the reader into the world and familiarizing themselves with all of the dynamics in play. While Sasaki and Miyano’s dynamic is what the manga revolves around, I think what elevates the series and saves it from becoming a simple “will-they-won’t-they(-oh-they-definitely-will)” story is its very solid supporting cast. The “Boys Life” label is already a big indicator that readers should pay attention to the characters beyond the main couple, and these first three volumes introduce us to a lot of great ones that add to the story’s humor and overall laid back vibes.

There are several examples I could talk about in this regard, but the one I wanted to highlight here was Ogasawara, one of Sasaki’s close friends who’s introduced to the story by questioning Sasaki’s sudden affinity for BL manga. This puts Miyano on the spot as he has constantly given Sasaki the impression that fudanshis like him should “live in the shadows” and not let their taste for the genre be known. I thought this was gonna go down the route of the slightly homophobic character that eventually improves as he watches the main couple’s relationship develop, but where the story takes his arc is a lot more interesting (and a lot funnier).

It’s revealed the next time he appears that the reason Ogasawara has a distaste for BL is because of his girlfriend, who he recently found out is a hardcore fujoshi. This leads to a lot of hilarious dialogue where he tries to make sense of his girlfriend’s love for BL in the context of their relationship, but more importantly, it gives a very solid foundation to establish his dynamic with Miyano. This brings us to my favorite chapter of these three volumes, where Ogasawara asks Miyano for advice on how to deal with his (admittedly ridiculous) problem. To Miyano’s own surprise, he ends up giving the unknown senpai pretty solid advice - that her being a BL fangirl has nothing to do with her being Ogasawara’s girlfriend - and it leads to the start of a genuine friendship that, as readers, is easily kept in the back of our minds as something that’s going to be revisited down the line.

And there are a lot of examples of these kinds of friendships being formed around the main couple, with many of them coming to fruition in future volumes. But it’s impressive that with a particularly large cast of characters, Sasaki and Miyano does a fantastic job in making every character someone you want to befriend and actively root for. All of these help in fleshing out these characters and giving the main couple a lot more to work with than just “the boy that pines for the other” and “the boy who’s being hit on,” and to have a fun cast on top of a genuinely cute and wholesome love story is such a treat.

Random thoughts that I couldn’t put elsewhere:

I wanted to mention the major arc in Volume 1 that didn’t make its way into the anime - Miyano’s first cultural festival that almost all of that volume’s extra chapters revolve around. Aside from being a really funny subplot, this is the earliest peek we get of Miyano’s main internal conflicts, though it’s brought up in a light-hearted manner and actually depicts him as being able to deal with it well. It’s an interesting take on his issues, and I think it just adds to how multi-faceted these characters are - instead of being something that Miyano constantly suffers from, it shows that he has found his own ways of making sense of his insecurities, even if he isn’t entirely over them. This arc also features best wingman Kuresawa in the end, and I genuinely believe that the main couple’s situation would be a lot more hopeless without him.

Two extras in these first three volumes revolve around the other main relationship that this universe explores - Hirano and his roommate, Kagiura. Yes, I’m following the spin-off manga, and I have a metric ton of things to say about this dynamic, and I’m honestly thinking of writing a review on it even if I’ve only read the scanlations. But for now, all I’ll say is that it is hilarious that one of the first gags we’re introduced to in the main story is Miyano projecting his BL fantasies onto Hirano and his roommate, only for those fantasies to pale in comparison to what is actually going on between the two.

I also very much have to mention the fujoshi and her friend who find themselves around Sasaki and Miyano quite a number of times, with the former freaking out whenever the main pair do something cute. She is the absolute best character in the series.

Thanks for reading! I have two more reviews lined up for Sasaki and Miyano down the line, one that covers Volumes 4 and 5, and another that covers Volume 6. And like I said above, I do want to write a review on Hirano and Kagiura as well, but it might be something separate from this mini-project as it technically isn’t part of my physical collection (yet). Let’s see!

#Sasaki and Miyano #Sasaki to Miyano #Sasaki Shuumei #Miyano Yoshikazu #Ogasawara Jirou #Shou Harusono #BL manga #manga review #manga

11 notes · View notes