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mochiwrites · 3 months

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I don't think I quite have all the words I want to say- But my goodness if this is gonna be long.

Your writing is gorgeous. And you can take all the time you need on it if it means you can be proud of it and enjoy it as much as I do. When I read Songbird, the characterization was genuinely on point and made complete sense for all of them. I love their unique ways of going about things and how anything they do can be led back to the concept of cause and effect. Idk, I like how despite all the traumas they experience, all the fear, all the blackmail, and wondering if tomorrow will even exist, the one constant they can look forward to is each other. They're hurt, lonely, confused. But they can hold each other's hands and tell the other it'll be okay. (ALBEIT THE RECENT CHAPTER HAS GOT ME IN SHAMBLES THANKS A LOT???) I genuinely love the way you write them all. Grian has got his iconic sass and is always on the go, moving around. He's curious. So curious that it leads him to find people he wants to protect. He wants to do something. He wants validation and to know he's doing things right. He's only human, but since when did that stop him from playing a game way beyond his understanding? Mumbo is lonely and filled with his past mistakes. He pushes away until he realizes he can't anymore. And he lets the light in. The only light he can look at. He grows attached. He's easily flustered, gets snarky, and gets surprised, he's painfully human despite how much he says he's a monster. And I think that's what has gotta hurt about the most recent update. The only humanity he could look forward to, not his own, but another- Possibly gone.

Scar's development is so interesting. He's perfect in every way. He knows what he's doing and doesn't hesitate to do it. Until he does. And just like Mumbo he's grasping for that light to hold onto, but in turn, he crushes it in his palm, only feeling the warm memory of what it was like to be looked at as himself and not a monster. I find your play on words so incredibly fascinating. Fae have such a connection to identity. Scar identifies with a word Grian refuses to call him. Something he was consistently called by so many people until he got a gentle look of determination and care that shattered down his walls. That made him feel with his non-existent "soft human heart". Being taught that identity is what you make of it, and it's up to you and nobody else to decide what you are. But he can't go through with it. Because it's not his choice.

RAAA!!!! I'm so sorry for the long message but I'm such a sucker for your writing and I will probably write more in your dms soon if you're okay with it. But seriously, your writing has got my brain ticking around the clock. Every second of waiting is worth it if you can hold your story in your hands and tell yourself, "I'm proud of this." Because you should be. (Plus, it gives me more time to plan art pieces BNFJBN)

WAILS AND SOBS AT YOU???? REALLY LOUD????

uwahhhhh thank you sm 🥺💕💕 everyone's characterization is something I keep in mind all the time, with every action or thought they may have and ueueueue I'm glad they feel true to their characters. there's just something about like... experiencing so much bad and evil together, but knowing with certainty that the people around you will be there at the end of the day.

AND ALL THREE OF THEM,,, WAILS. grian and his stubborn curiosity but determination to protect and help. yet he's still so pesky and sassy and the impact he has on mumbo and scar is so important. so so so incredibly important. I genuinely don't think the songbird story would hit the same way if he wasn't human.

and mumbo ;-; he has such a kind heart but he's filled with guilt and regret that he pushes people away. and the thing that gets me with him is like,,, he tries so hard to squash that innate kindness, yet he can't help but give that kindness out anyways. and that's so painfully human??? I love sb!mumbo a lot, sad little vampire man.

theN THERE'S SCAR. SCAR WHO I WANT TO SHAKE AROUND SOOOOO AFFECTIONATELY I PROMMY. he's a character that is SO incredibly interesting to me both to study and write and I love how he's developing in the story. we're finally approaching the point in the story where we really see the goodtimeswithscar that we all know and love, and I'm so jittery about revealing his backstory. scar's connection to his identity is so... AUGH. AUGH. I love him ( even while he's making terrible mistakes rn <3 )

but,,, sobbing so incredibly loud at you 🥹💕💕 songbird is very precious to me and I am so proud of it. so incredibly proud of it. long message is 100% welcome, and please!!! feel free to wiggle on into dms :D (and sobs??? plan art??? soBS????)

#mochi speaks #songbird asks #friend moment

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cursedvibes · 5 months

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omg I finally found someone who cares about Kenjaku and interested in them as much as I do. I always felt like most of the annoying fans (cough Geto/stsg fans cough) see them as an extension of Geto and not their own character with a unique personality, also they’re not really popular with Japanese fandom so there’s that…

Sooo idk if someone has already asked you that question but I just wanted to know what do you think of the existing paradox within Kenjaku’s behaviour? I’m talking about the fact that they seem to behave differently depending if they’re being observed or not, in such cases as: Kenny generally treating Yuji like a tool for their plan but saying “thank you for getting along with my son”, while they were walking with Yuji’s friend inside the “cursed space”, in complete darkness, not observed by a single soul — I’m still not sure whether it was just a way for Gege to emphasize that Kenjaku is, in fact, Yuji’s parent (if some readers didn’t catch it in ch.143) OR it should be interpreted as Kenny saying “oh yeah thanks for helping me to fulfill my plan by befriending Yuji —> resulting in him finding a finger”… but I also wonder could it be their real, genuine feelings? The fact that they actually care about Yuji in a sense would probably feel weird a lil bit but on the other hand there are also cases where they act contradictory, for example looking down on Tengen in general when fighting Yuki & Choso, mocking Tengen in that scene where they sit in front of TV, but the moment they’re not observed directly - the moment Tengen dies - they say their goodbyes to her and call her their “friend”. You see what I’m trying to imply? I might be completely wrong on this but it kinda feels like Kenjaku has an issue with the whole true feelings/emotions shtick. It probably makes sense since they should stick to their plan and any kind of attachment might ruin everything, it’s high risk on their part — Kenjaku shutting down their excitement immediately after they start feeling something real for the first time in hundreds of years, pressing Takaba to the ground — once again, understandable, but I do wonder if it results in something more in the end. There is also a theme of loneliness/intellectual loneliness specifically that is associated with Kenny so I’m honestly sooo fascinated by their character and I’m looking forward to see how it all unfolds.

Also do you have any analyses/meta posts about Kenny maybe? I’d love a link or something and I would definitely read it!!

Hi! Always lovely to meet a fellow Kenjaku fan! It's a real shame that Kenjaku so often gets overshadowed by other characters, particularly Geto, even when the story is focusing on them (as we can currently see) and when they are talked about, then often purely in the context of stsg, when they have so many more meaningful connections and ones that are also more important to their character.

The stuff you bring up about Kenjaku's contradicting behaviour is exactly what's been ghosting around my brain the past months or year even. I talked a little bit about it recently here and here. As far as other analysis posts go, what I could remember (and find again on my blog...) there's something about Kenjaku's motivations and how I think "for the lulz" is a bad way to describe it, a post about their perspective on death and a post reflecting on the power Kenjaku & Tengen have over Sukuna and Gojo, despite those being technically "The Strongest". I hope that's helpful and what you were looking for?

Regarding what you said about Kenjaku's contradicting behaviour, I think it all ties back to Tengen and their dispute because here you can see very well that Kenjaku both cares about Tengen, but also puts her as the centrepiece of their plan and is thereby ready to sacrifice her when push comes to shove. Despite going through with capturing her, Kenjaku doesn't seem very happy with how things ended with Tengen. They like her, respect her, see her as an equal, but are also very frustrated by her stubbornness and inability to change or even engage with the world. They had to force her in the end to do it and they didn't even get a good conversation with her after waiting centuries to see her again. She just kinda went along with what they did, again showing no resistance or strong will for survival. So Kenjaku doesn't really hate her, they are just frustrated with her non-actions.

You can also see that in the words they scream at her in ch 205 about having actually lived and gained new experiences, contrary to Tengen, who stuck to her old ways. It seems like they wanted to bait her into a response, a discussion, something, but they didn't get anything. At this point it was probably not surprising to them. I assume Tengen used to argue with them a lot more back in the Heian era and that is what Kenjaku is currently missing. Even if people disagree with them, Kenjaku wants to be presented with interesting perspectives by people who understand the world like they do. Tengen clearly used to have that, she build jujutsu society on it, but then she decided to distance herself from Kenjaku out of self-preservation and...maybe weariness? Hard to say at this point, but she was clearly not about allowing her body to evolve to discover new things about cursed energy and humanity.

Kenjaku tried to find something similar in Yuki, but she doesn't engage enough with them to bring any meaningful discourse (unfortunately, I wish the two had discussed their world views more during their fight). So now that Tengen is gone or controlled and can thereby not give any meaningful intellectual input, Kenjaku is looking for new people to fill that hole, new friends who are equal to them, challenge them and also give them some sort of stimulus they have been missing for centuries apparently. That's part of why they do the merger in the first place. They want something that can truly surprise them and present them with something completely new.

Besides intellectual curiosity, Kenjaku just seems lonely. Unlike Sukuna, who is fine just playing around with others, eating and having one person to rely on, Kenjaku seems to want more people around them. Not many I assume, but they need friends and currently they seem a bit desperate to find new ones, seeing how they even ask Hazenoki to hang out with them. That's also where we see that contradiction. Kenjaku wants friends, but over the last millennia their plan has taken up so much of their headspace that they are ready to kill said friends for that end and that tendency to use others for their gain is also what keeps them from finding new connections because obviously nobody wants anything to do with them when they get treated like that. They ask Hazenoki to be their friend, despite both of them knowing he has to die for the Culling Game to end and their plan to progress. So at best he could've given them company for a few days and then they would've killed him. But at this point Kenjaku is even fine with that. Hell, they are talking to dead people and the thin air (a non-listening Tengen). Not a good sign for the state of your mental health.

Takaba is interesting because he came to Kenjaku out of his own will and offered to give them something interesting/funny, basically fulfil their conditions for friendship. He doesn't even mind that much that Kenjaku is trying to kill him. Perfect candidate for friendship, but by being so open, forthcoming and generally being a weird guy, he unnerves Kenjaku. For one, they aren't used (anymore) to people being so friendly with them without any self-serving motives, listening to them and sharing their interest. Like with Sukuna & Uraume, Kenjaku is always the one who engages conversations and meetings, the two don't care about Kenjaku unless they need to further their personal goals. Similar with the reincarnated sorcerers. Kenjaku approaches them for a binding vow and the entire relationship depends on serving their own benefits. The other thing is that Kenjaku doesn't seem used to having someone they share so many common interests with and who they can indulge with, without ulterior motives playing into it. In this case it's comedy and pop culture instead of cursed energy, but that doesn't seem to matter and solving the riddle that is Takaba's cursed technique gives Kenjaku another reason to get invested in/with him.

It's like you said, Kenjaku wants connection, but when presented to them, they get uncertain and awkward on how to deal with them and don't seem to want to get too attached because they will kill them in the end anyway. With Tengen that was less of a problem because she's immortal and will always exist in some way, but not talking to her still seems to be very aggravating for them. Even with Takaba, despite having the time of their life and feeling better than they have for centuries, Kenjaku will have to kill him in the end. At least with how the Culling Game rules are now (they could change them...). Takaba is also very hard to kill... The ocean scene where Kenjaku goes from happiness to trying to drown Takaba honestly perfectly encapsulates their mental state towards close relationships, including how they treat Yuuji. Someone gets too close, they try to push them away like they're allergic to feelings. It's like a defence mechanism. If they want to follow through on the plan they have been working on for thousand years, they can't afford to dally around with some random clown, even if they like his company.

Same with Yuuji. I think Kenjaku does care about him in some way and sees him as their son, but that just doesn't keep them from hurting him. They sound proud of him in Shibuya and excited to see what he will evolve into. I think they banked on Sukuna switching vessel and Yuuji using his special body to become hopefully something interesting in the future, using Sukuna's cursed energy as a kickstarter for his development so to say. I mean, if Sukuna hadn't switched vessels, he would've been useless and unable to ever come out again after Shibuya and Kenjaku was clearly preparing for him to participate in the Culling Game. So Yuuji being a vessel/cage was only a temporary solution.

So I think Kenjaku's words to Sasaki are genuine, but they are also thanking her for starting the whole finger situation (Yuuji was the one who found it, but Sasaki was the one who wanted to play around with it). I'm also wondering if they intended for her to look into Yuuji's past and confront him with his parentage because they know Sasaki is very curious and Yuuji's parent he never mentioned turning up in her bedroom and telling her about a death game they started seems like something that she wouldn't be able to brush past. I mean, they didn't say this to Iguchi, who was also Yuuji's friend, only Sasaki. Only question is, how do they expect Sasaki to get in contact with Yuuji in the state Japan is in? And then there's of course the question of if Gege will even pick up this plot threat again.

Being interested in seeing what Yuuji will evolve into is Kenjaku's own way of showing they care, you could say. They don't give a shit about Choso's power level or potential after all, he's just a failure. Yuuji's potential is what makes them care and I think having birthed him themselves plays into their feelings as well, since Kenjaku clearly has a very close attachment to the womb, pregnancy and birth. Their interest in him is self-serving, but that doesn't mean they don't care or deny any parental feelings (at least not when in the right company, where they can open up more). Hell, despite looking down on Choso, Kenjaku does call themselves his parent. There's only a bit of blood connecting them, they didn't even birth him, but they don't deny their familial connection. So yeah, despite all that, Kenjaku always treats people bad because their own interests come first.

The current fight is interesting because Takaba could give something different to Kenjaku. He can entertain them, satisfy their curiosity and show them something new. He proofs that they don't need to go through with the merger, that there are other options they could take and might even end up happier for it, but I also think that Kenjaku will not use that opportunity to turn around. They have come too far, suffered set-back after set-back for thousand years just to get to this point, so no matter how good the alternative is, they will not give up on the merger. Tengen is already captured, she can't stay inside them forever and when she's set free, she will likely wreck chaos even if she doesn't merge with other humans. This fight shows us what Kenjaku could be or less destructive ways they could take, but at this point they are too far gone. I'm really curious to see how this will all play out and how this fight will end, what it will mean for Kenjaku, their plan, the protagonist team and how exactly they will deal with Takaba. Highly doubt it will mean anything good though. Either way, I smell some character development incoming.

#asks #kenjaku #jjk spoilers

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altruistic-meme · 1 month

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Okay i was originally going to try to make a nice and neat little post about heartstopper and some of my thoughts, as well as a separate post about what i like about the comics vs. the tv show.

Uh. So. I can’t actually corral my thoughts to be coherent enough for that, so here are some various assorted thoughts about it all instead <3 put under a cut bc it is long and rambley and a mess

[spoiler warning for the comics if you haven't read them]

Idk what it is, but I love comic Charlie a LOT. Like. A LOT a lot. There is just something about his character in the comics, his banter, the way he behaves that I love so much more in the comics than the show. I feel almost like the characters aren’t quite the same person, though I do love them both. I just connected so much more with comic Charlie.

Semi-related but I also feel like we get a much more clear picture of his OCD and the attached anxieties in the comics.

HMMM okay or maybe not. Idk. I think maybe we can see more of Charlie’s OCD in the show through his desire to make everything easy and perfect for Nick, even when it hurts him too.

He’s popular in the comics!!! It’s mentioned multiple times by other characters that Charlie is popular at school!!! And I think that’s actually a really interesting look at his character. He was bullied for most of y9 and yet the rugby lads think he’s a popular kid in y10. Despite this, we don’t actually see Charlie interacting with basically anyone but the other main characters, and I think that kind of reflects how Charlie views himself. On the way back from Paris, he asks Nick “does this mean I’m a cool kid now?” he doesn’t think people see him as cool but like I said, other characters have said he’s popular. They must have gotten that idea from SOMEWHERE right? But Charlie’s own poor self-esteem means he still doesn’t actually believe he’s cool or that people like him. I don’t know if there was a point to this rant but. Charlie is a popular boy.

I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE KIDS WHO STOPPED THE BULLYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, in the comics Charlie really is a nerd in a way he isn’t in the show. He helps Nick with his math and yells at him for distracting him from his homework. I get why this change happened in the show–it gives us a better idea of the strained relationship that Charlie has with his mom while also showing us that his dad tries to support him but often fails–but I really like it in the comics because Nick calls him a nerd but it’s less obvious in the show how nerdy he really is.

That said obviously I also ADORE getting to explore the other characters and their lives and everything in the show. I love getting to see more of them. (But I also love how we DON’T always get all the information in the comics, but that’s just because I love when there are background stories happening that we don’t see through the main storyline. This event/love is not unique to Heartstopper)

I love Imogen!!! I really like that it’s showing her as someone who is sort trying to become friends with the group and that isn’t always a fast or easy process. She goes to the sleepover with them and she hangs out with them in Paris, but she’s doesn’t leave Prom with them or anything. Also, I love the possibility that she is discovering that she’s queer too!! And that her halfway joining of their friend group leads to her discovering herself bc i feel like that’s so true to real life.

I am so curious about the Isaac vs. Aled thing and I wonder if Aled will appear in one of the later seasons, or if he is just not in the show at all. And Isaac! I assume he’s in some extra content I haven’t seen? Don’t get me wrong ofc, I love Isaac and his storyline is SO SO IMPORTANT as someone who is asexual myself. I am so glad that there is the representation of someone discovering that they’re aroace. I do assume that’s part of the reason for him being the 4th friend as opposed to Aled? Idk.

I’M SO SAD ABOUT OLIVER BEING COMPLETELY OMITTED FROM THE SHOW!!! I assume there is an interview or something where Alice Oseman explains why Oliver wasn’t in the show, but I haven’t seen it and rn I will simply cry about it. I love him and I wish he had been included.

I am also SO CURIOUS how the rest of the show will look!! I know that I read somewhere that s3 should be the contents of book 4, and that s4/s5 if they get them would be books 5/6 respectively. And I’m so intrigued. Because book 4 is the heaviest of them all so far, and I wonder how it will be translated to the screen. Especially the Sept-Dec timeskip! Will we see that time, especially considering the other character’s storylines??? This wasn’t an issue in the comics since they focus solely on Nick/Charlie, but with all of the other characters it would be more difficult to just skip that whole time. Will it just be a summary of events like in the comics, with flashes to what has happened? Or will we get a more explicit idea of everything?? (probably not including Charlie’s sh relapses or the night in October, but maybe the This Winter content???) i am SO excited for October though so all my questions can be answered :’)

OH something that was super interesting to me was a very small change in dialogue during the scene where Charlie first tells Nick about his sh. In the show, when Nick asks if he still does it Charlie just says “No.” but in the comics he says “No! I mean- hardly ever” and it’s such a small change but it speaks volumes too in the difference between the comic and the show. I’m not really sure what it’s saying though. Was show Charlie just more consistently in a better place where he feels like it’s stopped and won’t happen again? Was comic Charlie just more honest in this moment in acknowledging that it has still happened since? I’m not sure!!! But i’ve spent WAYYY too much time thinking about this one tiny change in dialogue!!!

Another thing is like, I really liked how the comics handled Nick’s dad. Them not meeting in Paris and then him missing Nick’s birthday. It really hits hard exactly how negligent he is, and it gives space for Charlie to be there for Nick when he’s upset. I do like how it went in the show as well, because it does still get everything across beautifully, but idk. I think mostly I’m just remembering the shot of Nick opening the door to greet Charlie on his birthday looking heartbroken and upset about his dad canceling and how hard that hit when i first read it. (keep in mind that i watched the show before reading the comics, so i was surprised at first to learn that they didn’t meet up in Paris! Let alone that he missed Nick’s birthday TOO!!)

Okay I think that’s it for right now. I have largely been spinning comic Charlie in the microwave in my mind bc OUGH i relate to him too much. I will probably come back at some point with more thoughts, but until then. Hope you enjoyed my brief insanity.

#heartstopper #heartstopper comic #heartstopper netflix #shh ac

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atranioum · 7 months

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Sex Education Season 4 (an attempt to cope after witnessing the horror they call season 4)

this is a rant with full on spoilers so you've been warned.

back in 2019 when i first found out about sex education, i thought it was just your usual typical cringe-fest teenage drama with who the fuck cares love story. knowing that asa butterfield is the main lead it's kinda a given what kind of character he's gonna play (no hate to asa i love him and i think he showed a lot of range in this series but it's kinda obvious) and then finding out about maeve's character, i remember rolling my eyes and thinking welp if it isn't your usual rebel and nerd pairing and then proceed to not give two fucks about this show. but then there's this one time when i just needed something to watch and after season 2 dropped, videos of maeve and otis kept popping up on my youtube recommendation, so finally i decided to give it a shot, and just in one episode they proved me wrong big time.

sex education is honestly a series none like any other, even until today i don't think i've watched any series that's even remotely close to sex education, in terms of what they bring and the way they presented it (season 1 to be precise aka goat season), it's very vibrant, it's somewhat stereotypical and yet it defies it too at the same time (idk how else to describe this), it's like you expect certain things about a certain character and it turns out they're completely the opposite, and overall the show just has a very unique tone. the scores, soundtracks and cinematic shots paired with powerful and impactful moments, and just the overall composition is the recipe that they served us with, and my god do we love it, and we craved for more, so they did just that, they served us the same recipe for 3 seasons straight (well 2.5 but i'll let it slide).

and then season 4 slithered its way into our lives🤗

can someone please get me a paper bag cause i'm gonna throw up.

man where to begin? to even call this season a dissapoinment is still a huge understatement, i guess i should've known what's coming when i feel zero excitement watching the trailer, but then i convinced myself like come on it's sex ed it's for sure gonna be great, and yep it's so great that i wish i could unwatch whatever travesty i just witnessed.

watching the first episode i can still feel some familiarity in it and it's still kinda sex education-esque but i didn't love it, a great contrast towards my reaction after watching the first episode of season 3 in which to this day still is one of my favorite episodes of the series. it has a little bit of everything, a refreshing ruby and otis dynamic, the good old longing looks between maeve and otis, and the very heart and core of the show which is otis giving advice helping out his peers and motis being a fucking great team and just the episode as a whole really.

but you know you can never judge something after only watching one episode, so i bite my tongue and just carry on watching. and after watching 2 episodes, something very apparent reveals itself, the pacing is fucked. like how am i supposed to feel anything when the show kept on throwing one thing after another, it feels like when you're eating something and you're still very much chewing but someone keep on feeding you stuff before you can digest or even swallow the food first.

and i think that's the overall theme of season 4, a whole lot of everything and nothing all at the same time, like i'm sorry how are you supposed to end a show after 4 seasons but shoves a bunch of new characters in the finale, how are you supposed to connect to said characters? however powerful the topic and message you're trying to bring it's hard to even care about these characters, because all we expect from a finale is a conclusion of a 4-season long story not an opening of a new chapter.

i rewatched some of my favorite episodes a few days before season 4 dropped, and now looking back at it i just feel like i don't appreciate it enough at that time, i mean the soundtracks are amazing especially season 3 and for a tv series their cinematography is kinda top notch. but then season 4 came out and we got the walmart version of it all.

and then a few hours after watching and hating the season i realized something, ben freaking taylor didn't direct any of the episodes in season 4, my god that explains a lot and idk i think that's kinda why the pacing is fucked? like i know he didn't direct every episode in the whole series but i always think of him as an executive director(?) if that's even a thing, i just feel like he kinda dictates the overall flow of the show. it's such a shame really, if he's involved in this season maybe things could've been different, but then again maybe even ben taylor wouldn't be able to salvage whatever shitshow the writers gave him. it's as if you're watching an avatar movie that's not directed by james cameron, it just feels... wrong.

the whole season just feels freaky to me, a lot of things felt too over the top and comical even. not to mention the storylines are super all over the place, take jackson for example, bro went from thinking about his feelings for cal and then having a cancer scare to getting rejected by his biological father, like what???

now i want to dive in to the characters a little, let's start with ruby and yes i do ship her with otis and somewhat wished for them to be endgame but we'll touch on that later. anyway ruby is not ruby this season and it feels exactly like when maeve wasn't herself in season 3 (which is mainly why i jumped ship). the whole "i was bullied when i was 10" shit is such a tryhard, if it's an attempt to make ruby more likeable and make her being a bully acceptable, dear beloved writers you failed, miserably. if i'm someone who hates ruby (which i'm not) this whole thing would make me hate her even more, like okay i get it you got bullied because you're a bed-wetter but then you became a bully yourself and did worse things to others? how is that suppose to be tolerable. like bro deal with it don't backtrack, she's a bully she did what she did, but that doesn't mean she can't change, doesn't mean she can't grow. and that was the whole point of her arc in season 3. the reason why she was one of the main attraction that season was because we get to see a different side of her, yes she's mean, demanding and particular about every single little thing that revolves around her, but hey turns out she can compromise, she turns soft when it comes to her family and at some point even otis, and don't even get me started on her fucking voice on that call the night she said she loves otis. i understand that they're trying to give her a back story explaining what made her the way she is but honestly the whole bed-wetter thing was a big big miss.

and what's with the whole speech thing at the end of episode 8, it's very un-ruby like, if they're trying to show her character's growth and depth then wtf there's so many other ways to do it without making her super out of character. for instance here's a few things i have in mind; and this one is my personal favorite, like she could have a real conversation with maeve about shit like idk letting otis go or maybe the other way around like maeve telling her about how otis is actually happy with ruby and whatnot (idk maybe something less cringey but still along those lines); or they could explore her friendship with adam, and they could lean on one another and talk about how they lost their first loves, and how a certain pair of best friends completely broke their hearts (because come on why would they show the glimpse and the potential of adam and ruby and not explore it at all fuck they fumbled so bad); or the most logical of all, her dad dying (sorry roland)(i still don't get why maeve's mom is the one that died), anyway her dad being sick was always a big part of her arc, so with him dying we could explore how she would handle and cope with the whole thing now that there's literally no escape, with otis being with maeve etc.; or idk have a fucking proper conversation with otis, have some closure, either it being "i can't be friends with you because my feelings haven't changed", or yes maybe we could be friends, the point is just have a proper closure ffs, don't go around helping him whenever he comes begging for your help, like honestly i refuse to believe the real ruby (the properly written ruby) would let otis string her along like that. yes i get it she's in love with him, has a soft spot for him, but she's still ruby fucking matthews, so really the whole season she was way out of character.

moving on to our boy otis (but still ruby related hehe).... Read the rest of the thread on Twitter.

#sex education #ruby x otis #maeve x otis #otis milburn #maeve wiley #ruby matthews

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dragimal · 4 months

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Fixing Fontaine

as a continuation of my Fontaine review, I'd like to suggest my personal fixes for the biggest fuck-ups in Fontaine

1) Catacombs and Wrio

at worst, the Fortress should have been treated the same way prison is treated in the other nations-- that is, it exists, but we're not gonna dig into it.

but I get why Hoyo was so interested in prison for the nation of "Justice" so Fontaine's narrative could still involve the prison system. but obviously it should be a critique of the prison system, and the idea of "justice" used as a punitive measure rather than a way to seek fairness and equality in society. and in that case, not much time should be spent in the prison bc it's, y'know, fucking awful, and players would hate it there, once the forcefully-positive veneer is pulled off of it.

so here's my suggestion for an alternate setting for the 4.1 archon quest: Catacombs!

it feels so obvious to me, the catacombs are a rly unique, well-know bit of French culture, why not throw them into Fontaine? it could even be an extension of the steampunk theme going on in other underground areas, like Poisson, but it gets even darker and more morbid the further down you go. hell, this could be the setting related to the Primordial Sea-- instead of exiles creating their own "prison", they create their own networks of tunnels to survive in, and eventually discover a connection to the Primordial Sea. maybe religions and cults have grown around this discovery, idk

and here we could meet a sort of underground/criminal culture, with gangs and factions of various sorts. I could very easily picture meeting Wriothesley as one of the gang leaders-- intimidating and clearly deadly. but then as we learn more abt him, it turns out he really doesn't consider himself the head honcho, and kinda just does his own thing. many ppl in the catacombs have just gathered behind him cus' he's so tough and capable. he kind of hates the attention, but he can't rly do anything abt it, so he might as well use them as he needs.

in either case, Wrio and the ppl who follow him run an underground network of safe havens and services, protecting accused persons from Gardes, smuggling goods/services into/out of the prison, and hoarding prisoner assets until their release. they rarely try to break inmates out of prison due to the high stakes, but have attempted it a few times-- in particular, Wrio and co. try to help Traveler break in to find Childe, only to find he's missing (they don't know he's missing beforehand, in this version).

Wrio also runs an underground fight club for funsies <3

perhaps Wrio and co. even have dealings with the Spina di Rosula? I can picture Spina as one of the more "respectable" gangs, according to above-ground Fontaine-- they work through the courts, after all! Spina straddles the line between the above and underground just enough that they don't find themselves at odds with the Gardes. but if they help with Wrio's services of prison smuggling and inmate protection, then no one needs to know that~ Wrio doesn't mind serving as the scapegoat for the more criminal activities the Spina may find themselves helping with-- above-ground has already painted him as the bad guy, so he'll just play the part

thus, Wrio is no longer a pawn of the state, but a much more respectable leader imo. he sees himself providing the protection and services he was denied in his hour of need as a youth-- if the state won't protect you, Wrio will. I wouldn't even mind him being a smug bastard in this situation, I'd LOVE to see this Wrio giving Gardes lip

2) Furina

instead of bulldozing over her trauma and forcing her to act again, Furina's story quest SHOULD have focused on self-acceptance and self-confidence.

namely, I think Furina should have been re-introduced to the world. all that Furina really knows of the world is acting-- acting for social niceties, acting as an art, and acting for survival. it's a very narrow world view, and it's tragic to think that she knows so little else of the big wide world.

Traveler picks up on this, and being rather worldly, thinks they know exactly what to do. in this version, Traveler is written to be far more understanding of Furina's situation-- no more mocking her house or depression meals. but that doesn't mean Traveler may not approach this situation a bit too... eagerly

I'm picturing Traveler pulling Furina out of the house, insisting that she needs to see more of the world (or at least, more of Fontiane) than she's been able to see from the limited scope of the stage. bundling Furina in disguises so she's not recognized, Traveler takes her to experience more remote areas-- fishing at the beach, painting up in the mountains, etc.

and throughout this journey, as they pass by the city or Palais Mermonia, they keep running into Neuvillette. he and Furina keep acting awkward around one another, though it's unclear to Traveler why.

and Traveler's trying so hard to show Furina the world, that they don't notice that Furina's getting a bit overwhelmed with everything, and she's trying to tell them to slow down. Furina gets fed up, and runs off back home, and Traveler thinks they failed.

Traveler walks the streets of the city for a bit, trying to think of how to approach Furina, when they bump into Neuvillette again. after discussing the situation, Neuvillette makes a suggestion-- one that Traveler readily agrees to, pulling Neuvillette along. he and Traveler grab the supplies they need-- with perhaps a few pointers from Navia, at Traveler's suggestion-- and return to Furina's house.

Furina opens her door to Traveler and Neuvillette holding a precarious stack of cooking/backing items, and Traveler begging for them to be let in. Furina begrudgingly allows it, her "haughty" mask back in place as she demands to know why they're bothering her at her home.

Traveler says they have just one more activity planned, if Furina is willing. having learned their lesson, Traveler merely waves their hand at the baking supplies, waiting for Furina's response. Furina, a little dazed, picks through the supplies and asks, "Just... baking?"

"Just baking," Traveler replies, Neuvillette nodding along.

"Ok... if it's just baking," and Furina's quiet voice shifts to one of confident bravado, "Then I'd be happy to teach you two a thing or two about the fine art of pastries! Hand me a mixing bowl!"

it turns out, eating pastries for 500 years is not quite the same as baking pastries for 500 years. Furina and Neuvillette both end up fumbling several steps, covering themselves in flour and sugar, and Traveler has to come to the rescue with their advanced cooking skills.

it's only once they're all finally enjoying their pastries-- some a little more wonky than others-- that they all begin to really talk.

Traveler apologizes for overwhelming Furina-- they just wanted Furina to know that the world is so much bigger than she's been allowed to see. but as a traveler, they're used to seeing many people and places in a day, and forgot that not everyone is made for that.

Furina playfully turns her nose up at Traveler, "I suppose I can find it in my divine heart to forgive you. After all, I am a kind and just Arc-- or. Person, now. I am a kind and just person."

"That you are," Neuvillette agrees.

Neuvillette apologizes for not checking in on Furina more, and explains his own fears of not understanding her. he's not human, after all, and still doesn't believe he fully understands human emotions. and after all this time, does he even really know Furina? does he deserve to even call her a friend, when he couldn't see the pain she was in, and judged her seemingly "childish" character so harshly?

Furina reaches for Neuvillette's hands as the sky darkens with rain outside the window, gripping them with a strength she hasn't shown in many days, "Neuvillete, you couldn't have known-- I didn't want you to know. That was the whole point, it all would have failed if I had slipped up even once."

"But perhaps, if I had thought to ask--"

"I would have lied. And nothing would have changed."

Neuvillette shakes his head-- he has no response to that.

Furina giggles a little hysterically, "And all this time, I thought you hated me!"

"Hated you?" Neuvillette looks stunned

"All I've ever done is annoy you-- don't deny it, it's true. And now I have the face of the Archon who... who forced you to watch her demise. What have I even done for Fontaine, really? All I did was sit there and cry. Surely, I'm only a reminder of terrible moments--"

Neuvillette stands abruptly, gripping Furina by the shoulders and looking straight into her eyes, "Lady Furina, you are nothing short of a hero. You sacrificed every moment of your time and happiness for a people you barely knew at the start, and have only grown to love them, even in your most painful moments. Your will and courage is beyond comparison, and I only hope to serve as half the Sovereign that you served as Archon to this nation."

Furina's eyes fill with tears as she throws her arms around Neuvillette's shoulders, laughing with relief, "S-stop calling me 'Lady'! I'm just Furina now. Only Furina."

Neuvillette stands stunned for a moment (has he ever hugged anyone before?), before returning the embrace, "As you wish, Furina. Just know that in my heart, you will always be this nation's Lady."

Traveler thinks to themself that perhaps the Furina and Neuvillette understand each other better than they realize.

and it is in this moment, where Furina's wants and needs come first, where her closest friends have provided her a safe place to release her worries, where she has finally made something for herself with her own hands--

that her Vision flashes into existence, twinkling with inner light. Furina reaches for it with wonder, wondering what she's even done to deserve it.

but Neuvillette and Traveler know, and now they have all the time in the world to convince Furina why.

3) Nicer Traveler

I think the above section covers Furina's treatment, but just, make Traveler (+ Paimon) be nicer to Lyney and Lynette? it's not even that hard of a fix, just stop giving Traveler weird double-standards towards different Fatui. Traveler is literally friends with Childe "war crimes" Tartaglia, c'mon

4) Melusines

the Melusines in my head are Actual Slugs and are treated like a genuinely different species who are also people instead of infantilized toddlers. that's it

#sorry parts of this accidentally turned into fix-it fic #shut up ashley #genshin impact #fontaine genshin

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noddytheornithopod · 8 months

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So I have seen through to the end of Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, so time to post random spoilery thoughts

First of all... I quickly figured out the Homunculi twist. Especially when I saw the meat buns being made. I did jokingly suggest weeks ago maybe they’re made of Homunculi or something... I just got who is eating who wrong. Now if you’ll excuse me, if I see anywhere offering meat buns, it’s gonna be a while before I feel okay trying them.

I also had a feeling Makoto was running this totalitarian city to protect the Homunculi. Interesting that even while many of the cases don’t have more sympathetic culprits, we actually have our central antagonist be someone with sympathetic motives.

This is of course a spiritual successor to Danganronpa, but it especially follows up on V3′s themes, so it’s even more a spiritual successor to that game specifically. V3 ended on a more ambiguous and existential note, but probably because the stuff they were dealing with in that climax was more abstract and well less applicable to real life. I do kind of prefer that still, but I do like what Rain Code ended up doing even if comes to a somewhat different conclusion to V3 (truth being more subjective/the idea of emotional truth vs there’s one truth even if it sucks and we just have to choose how to face it, again I think the difference comes down to V3 exploring the idea of fiction itself and why we tell and care about stories, so different scenarios). Still, wonder if this is Kodaka just exploring different ideas, or if there’s an evolution in his thinking going on here.

Oh yeah, speaking of Danganronpa, the pink blood aesthetic choice becomes an actual plot point cuz that’s now Homunculi blood. I have a feeling there’s already lots of wild crack theories about how the Danganronpa universe is now populated with Homunculi or something, lol. That being said, it could be a fancy way for Team Danganronpa to keep making a cast for more seasons... okay okay stop Noddy

When the other Master Detectives died, I thought it was pretty anticlimactic. It was a relief to see they were alive not just because I wanted them to be (even resident fuckboy Desuhiko), but because if they just unceremoniously died offscreen like that, it would’ve been extremely underwhelming (seriously, at least Halara would’ve made it out, there weren’t THAT many Homunculi in one place, Makoto :v).

I’m really happy we ended with a nonviolent solution - reaping the souls of murderers was no fun and clearly took a toll on Yuma. I’m sure some people are gonna be rolling their eyes because IDK Steven Universe made them allergic to villain redemption stories (also Steven Universe is one of the best cartoons in recent memory and its unique take on justice is a positive, shut up don’t @ me). I’ll still need to think about how this progressed overall and if Yuma could’ve been challenged even more, but I like that it ends with Yuma deciding “no I’m going to spare you because you helping everyone will benefit more”, and IDK he probably also empathises with Makoto cuz y’know he’s basically a clone of him so he understands how he thinks.

Not surprised Makoto was a Homunculus, nor was I at the Yuma connection, but I didn’t quite expect Yuma being Number One. Like, it’s not THAT surprising when you think about it, but it’s not something I was actively thinking about, especially since well... look at him! He’s a fucking baby! How is HE in charge of the world’s most important detective organisation??? Look I know he’s actually like 19 or some shit and character design means fuck all for ages in these Spike Chunsoft/Too Kyo games but you certainly could’ve fooled me.

I felt more with Shinigami than I expected, especially when they said goodbye. Like, it actually makes me see their previous interactions differently. Was Shinigami this rough and rude all the time just so that she wouldn’t let Yuma be attached to her, and thus making vice versa unlikely? Was she TRYING to be unlikeable just so that when the time came for their pact to end (and well it has to, he was using her to solve the big mystery), saying goodbye would be easier? Also to actually see some growth from her too surprised me, always insisting he should learn to be self reliant and stuff (obviously not noticing the hypocrisy lol) but then realising Yuma’s strength was that he could trust others and work with them (and like, that’s the whole point of the coalescence Forte, it’s that trait manifested into an actual ability). I had a feeling the game was going here along with its truth vs lies thing, but it’s nice to be vindicated.

I think there’s certainly stuff to analyse from a socio-political aspect too. I will say that it is kinda bullshit to say there’s objectively a smartest human, and all the weird eugenics-y stuff that came from that (though let’s be real, the Unified Government and Amaterasu might as well be doing eugenics, trying to find “ideal” specimens to grow Homunculi from). Okay, that aside, so the idea for creating immortal humanoids was... for military purposes. Yeah, seeing how much governments would rather invest in the military industrial complex than helping people, that tracks. I do wonder if there’s any influence from Japanese issues too, because I am aware that the Japanese government has been militarising more over the past years despite appearing “pacifist”. I also am sure one could find allegories with Homunculi, like they definitely feel like they would’ve just been eliminated in whatever way they could if Makoto didn’t intervene and blackmail the government. But the idea of a bunch of what might as well be sick/diseased people waking up after a massive disaster... part of me wonders if there’s any Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombing parallels that could be drawn. I don’t know enough about what happened to make any solid comments, but I do wonder if there’s something here, or allegories one could draw to anything else. Also yes yes of course we still technically have Amaterasu Corp in charge and yes okay Makoto did change but the anarchist in me is still kind of shaking my fist that they’re still run by a corporation lol. At least there’s referendums now so maybe they’re slowly trying to break it down and decentralise it? That’s just wishful thinking though, I have no clue what the politics of the people at Too Kyo and Spike Chunsoft are, lol.

So there’s probably gonna be more in this series, I wonder if we’ll follow a different detective in each entry? I think it would be tiring for Yuma to keep making pacts with Shinigami and then forgetting her after each game, lol.

This might be recency bias but I got serious Star Wars Rebels vibes from the end. Yuma fucking disappearing on everyone, and the girl close to him going “I’m gonna find him someday” and going on a big journey to do that? Yeah. All we need is IDK a Danganronpa character popping up to fill in the Ahsoka role (though honestly I’d prefer the universes be separate for now, I’m just joking around). :P

Okay so we’ve figured out stuff like how Homunculi can eat without needing to consume human flesh (yay for not just excessively executing criminals), but what about all the “dead” ones? Are we going to figure out a solution for them so they don’t stay in that zombie state forever? They’re basically immortal because even after “dying” the artificial cells regenerate into something technically alive. Look, if they’ve made skin cream to protect them from that deadly UV radiation, they might eventually find something too.

Also are they functionally immortal? Like, I think they said they don’t age because they look as when the DNA was taken, but what about all the kids and stuff? Do they ever grow up? Do those girls in that cutthroat all girls high school (which is now hopefully less cutthroat now they’re not isolated and don’t need to carry the entertainment industry in Kanai Ward lol) have to go there forever? I guess they can graduate, but what if you’re eternally a teenager? Do they just stop growing once they reach maturity like humans? I have too many questions.

Can Homunculi reproduce? What happens when they get busy? What if say Kurumi and Yuma decide to settle down one day assuming all goes well, what happens if a human and a homunculi want kids? Can half-homunculi exist? I’m asking too many questions, lol.

Anyway, had a blast checking this out. I don’t think it will ever be what Danganronpa was for me, those games got into a really unique part of me, but overall I did like most of what we got here. Now if only they’d release it on more than the goddamn Switch...

More thoughts post OP:

So the humanoid race who fears the Sun and risks going berserk reminds me of what I’ve heard about I am Legend/The Omega Man, especially the idea of treating the supposed monsters as sympathetic and having humanity too? Would track for Kodaka and all his pop culture references.

I also like the implicit commentary on the prison systems. Like taking criminals and turning them into food? Yeah, I bet the prison industrial complex would try that if they could get away with it. :V Resident fascist Yomi is of course the embodiment of the Law and Order criminal punishment ideas. But yeah, stuff like Yuma deciding not to just reap Makoto’s soul, the guilt of reaping the murderer’s souls in general, etc does track because I think even Danganronpa has themes like this when you think about it, with Monokuma’s eye for an eye mentality. But yeah, even with endings where people seem to be more cooperative with society, and are trying to rehabilitate or redeem people seems to be a thing here, not just with Makoto but Martina too. Granted, it seems the Peacekeepers still exist from what I can tell, but whatever, you can’t win them all. :v

Once again gotta love how in the end despite all the crude humour and edginess, Kodaka at his heart is a sentimental softie in his work, lol.

There’s a lot of angst you could do with Homunculi killing their human counterparts, eg Kurumi killing her grandfather. On a similar note, sequel idea if they go there: survivors of The Blank Week Incident who escaped Kanai Ward who are convinced Homunculi are dangerous and want to eliminate them, even thinking they “stole” their lives? Maybe even reveal Kurumi’s grandfather survived, he wouldn’t have to face his duplicate so that dilemma would be gone, but the dilemma of facing his granddaughter who thinks and feels exactly as she did her human progenitor but also isn’t and possibly killed her?

So Makoto taking over Amaterasu... good intentions to try and save everyone, but even if it focuses more on the whole creating mysteries aspect at least in the dialogue, there’s something to be said in what a monster he became in the name of these good things. Almost like you can’t just elect the right people to fix what is already a system designed to screw us over, hmm... yeah, see this is why I wish something more radical happened to Amaterasu at the end, lol. The seeds for it are there! Also him saying he’d be fine with Yomi’s totalitarianism as long as he didn’t try to expose Homunculi to other researchers and thus the outside world? I didn’t think about it much initially because I was more focused on how despite everything he did it all started from a good place, but damn, he really did get fucked up. Being afraid and alone is one massive bitch.

#master detective archives spoilers #rain code spoilers #master detective archives #rain code

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cipheramnesia · 11 months

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I've always wanted to like horror. I always try to get into it? I've had friends all through life that love horror, especially movies. But i end up loving the time i spend watching it with friends more than I've ever enjoyed the content itself. And like i feel like I'm somehow failing to see it the way large parts of the population like yourself do? But i don't know how to enjoy the medium?

The hurtles I've identified so far are that when there's ableism involved i tend to check out fully. That's been a dead end. And when there's painfully illogical choices by the main characters (the ones that the audience are encouraged to connect with). I get it's a useful tool for plot and moving the story along, but any emotional connection that was built there is like nullified? Idk. Not sure how to see what other people see cuz it looks like fun for y'all

Got any advice?

First I'd say - maybe horror just isn't your thing? I love it, I don't expect everyone to love. I barely expect anyone that likes horror to like anything at all similar to what I like. It's a damn slog for me to find new horror I enjoy, even among the horror fandom, because so many of them want it all to be Insidious or Saw or whatever - which is fine but not interesting to me.

Ableism is a deep dive I need to spend time on, but short answer is - I haven't got a good answer here other than maybe steer clear of the "slasher" sub-genre where it seems most rampant.

I think the main item I want to dig into is whether or not horror in general is uniquely poor with ableism, or is it consistent with other media and singled out for other reasons. I have a suspicion that it's the latter, purely on the basis that it's common in generalizations like "horror has an ableism problem" where the reality is "society at large has an ableism problem" that the problem of the former is a reflection of the latter, rather than innate to the former.

But I don't know, Jason is a horror icon and earliest versions ain't too pretty from that perspective. Hard to equate the latter versions with ableism on accounta he is essentially a supernatural entity after a certain point and whatever, you get the idea. It's all complicated and takes time to unravel. However, all that to the side, it may help to consider if those movies in some way reflect something uniquely bad, or if it's instead more upsetting due to horror characters generally existing in upsetting or disturbing situations. Both can be true on a case by case basis - like the infamous "black guy dies first" problem, which STILL HAPPENS somehow even though it's a problem so widely known that it's cliche even as satire. I have some thoughts about that I'll write up sometime as well.

I'm thinking a way to approach it may be via Franklin, the wheelchair using character of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, who I believe is meant to illustrate the poor way disability is treated, confronting the audience with their own biases. That's a whole other long essay that needs a good deal more work. But I notice it, oh boy do I, especially in the beloved "80s movies," yikes. I enjoy much about them, but there was some... stuff.

Now, characters making stupid decisions I mean... that's just movies. That is literally all movies, characters make stupid decisions. I can't say that makes it better, but I can promise you the average bad character decision per horror, science fiction, Disney(tm), drama, romance, etc etc movie is going to average the same. On the other hand, if this happens in almost all the movies your friends watch, they might just have bad taste in horror.

The takeaway here is getting into horror is something you're probably gonna have to work at if you really want to make it happen. Check out reviews, trusted sources, see if you can find some novels or shows or movies that handle those specific issues well. You may find some trusted artists you can go to more consistently but it's probably going to require some screening. And then also - again - if you don't like horror, that's not a failing or bad or anything to stress over. Some people just don't like certain stuff. No big, live and learn, other fish in the sea, different strokes, all that jazz.

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parasocialitevn · 8 months

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Completely obsessed with Eden. So much so that I started watching Overlord (wonderful decision, thank you for bringing it to my attention)

ITS AN ISEKAI THAT I LIKE SO YOU KNOW ITS GOOD.

There's a lot of things about Overlord I really enjoy, but remember it comes down to personal taste.

Like, I love stories that have a lot of lore and world-building to sink your teeth into.

I love when a story can take a step away from its main character and have others take the spotlight,

I really like subversion (the unique angle of an isekai premise that this anime takes is really interesting to me) and I like when a story focuses on characters, mindgames and strategy with a lot of moving parts but also doesn't make the plot feel like it's moving at a snail's pace. I prefer when a story does this rather than the power fantasy InfinityPlusOne power scaling that a lot of isekai fall into. And yet they also still show off good action sequences and the power disparity between characters! They manage to balance overpowered characters without having no threat, risk, or challenge to them exist and also maintaining intrigue!

It borrows a lot of its magic/race mechanics from D&D, other classic RPGs and MMOs but D&D is the most heavy influence you can see.

I personally believe it has an extra layer of enjoyment for anyone who's had online friends / had ocs with those online friends. (Any friends I have who've watched it have said to me "modsu i love and respect you but if this happened to me i'm sorry but i AM smashing [OC].") Just the way Momonga treasures the creations of his dear friends as an extension of them and their memory IMO it makes him much easier to connect with.

also the contrast between how he acts with others VS his inner thoughts is like. totally my kind of humor LMAO. hearing a grown man in the body of a skeleton go "uwaaah!" never gets old to me idk.

I love a lot of the characters but Shalltear and Albedo hold a special place for me. Thus a lot of inspiration for Eden coming from the latter.

(it probably helps that i also have just as much of a love for gap moe as maruyama does 💀)

Also, Studio Madhouse does a great job with the animation and art direction, and as someone who's usually very picky with dubs I have to admit the dub for this series is very very good! The themes for each season are always bangers too!

The original LN is a lot more detailed but also a lot darker, so viewer/reader discretion.

Sorry as you can see if you give me an inch to ramble I'll take a mile lmfao

#parasocialite vn #asks #modsu #modsu out here giving unsolicited anime recommendations #GO GO GADGET: HYPERFIXATION!

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halliescomut · 2 years

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KinnPorsche Week 2022- Day 3: Favorite Couple

I did you a bit of a favor today and chose not to write a full thesis and I MADE YOU SOMETHING! (I don't know that it should be called fanart; I'm an internet old and I would just categorize it as a photo manip, but idk.)

So clearly, my chosen couple for this is Kim x Chay. I 'm not going to say they're the best couple, and technically, by the end of season one, they're not really a couple anymore, but their story just really hits me. It hits me because for both of them it's their first love. Like, there is an age difference there (of about 4 years I'm guessing) and initially I think we assume that because Kim is older, more worldly, he would have experienced love before, but I don't think that's true. I think Kim has had romantic/sexual relationships, but those don't have to involve love. I think due to his upbringing he would reflexively keep people at a distance, and I especially think he would avoid even the possibility of a true connection after Kinn's experience with Tawan. (I have my own headcanons about Kim's feelings being used against him by his father, and how his past has affected him, but I won't get into those here.) I think the lyrics for Why Don't You Stay pretty clearly express this as well:

All this time I sink, drowning like a stone - Tryna close my eyes, shut my ears on this throne - Losing my way home, then you came along - Everywhere we are, felt like where I belong - Lost in your eyes there was no place I could hide - Take me inside and let me live in your mind - No pain tonight, this place is reserved for only you and I - 'Cause I wanna stay on your side - Even if the world come crashing down tonight, we'll be fine - Hold me close and we'll just leave it all behind - Why don't you stay

My point is that, we are watching two people truly fall in love for the first time with Kim and Chay, and it's unique from the other couples of the series because Chay is so unguarded. And you're rooting for them, and Chay is this adorable piece of sentient sunshine and Kim has always felt like he's drowning in darkness and he's desperate for that light. And you know Chay is lonely, and you know Kim is lonely and you just want them to feel seen, and heard, and important, just for being who they are. So as noted in the quote in the picture, with first love you open yourself more than any other time. Because at that point you've never been hurt by a romantic partner, you've never experienced that loss, so you don't hold back the way you do every future time. And this type of love is so wonderfully portrayed in the series. Like it's heartbreaking to watch, not because you know they won't work, but just because we're all watching this knowing that first loves so rarely turn into only loves. Like, we kind of know the likely ending, but we're still hoping so hard.

I also really love the connection with music for them. There's a quote "where words fail, music speaks" (Hans Christian Anderson, apparently, who would have thought) and that's definitely a central theme in their love story. Chay's first connection to Kim is through his music, and, yes there's the fanboy aspect, but as Kim can't help but open up, Chay's feelings clearly become more than just idol worship. Like, yes without a full understanding of who Kim is, there's no possibility of a workable relationship, but my point is that by episode 12 Chay's feelings were definitely about more than just 'loving his music idol.' (gif credit to : julielilac )

And then we have Kim, who's probably dealing with someone for the first time who has a genuine interest in him as a person. He's literally spent his entire life being used as a pawn, being seen only as his name, a representative of his family, and then as WiK he's in this new position where he's more a product than a person. And remember that music connection; Chay loves the emotions in Kim's music, and he wants to know the person who made it. It's not just about WiK being famous. Of course Kim would find it incredibly hard to turn away from someone who SEES him, who WANTS to see him.

Watching Kim go through those moments over and over again where he's telling himself 'the best thing for Chay is for me to go', and warring with his heart because he doesn't want that. And like his siblings, he's never had the opportunity or ability to just allow himself to have something that's just for him.

I also do really like the creative decision of the show to present the depth of the relationship after it's already over. Like, you're watching these sweet moments for 7 episodes and then those last two where you fully get a glimpse of just how deep their connection had become, and your heart's broken all over again. It's just so well done.

I'm gonna stop here, because I should, and continuing on is just going to turn into character profiles, and that's not what this post is about. Special thanks to Jeff and Barcode for acting absolutely beautifully in this show. Absolutely amazing work.

Also, if you'd like maybe some insight into how I see Kim and this particular love story, I do have a songfic up (link). I'm working on a second chapter from Chay's perspective, but spending several hours a day writing these KP week posts is slowing me down a little.

#kpweek2022 #kinnporsche #kimchay #kimxchay #kim x chay #kim theerapanyakul #porchay pichaya kittisawat #porchay kittisawasd #KPweek day 3 #love hurts #I mentioned that I was an internet old and then realized I'd been on the internet for over 20 year #KimChay MixTape

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gurorori · 8 months

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O, P, Q, for thé ask game if you dont mind me asking..

SUM OF Y'ALL PUTTIN' DA SAME LETTERS WAHHH I FEEL BAD!! alrdy answered Q so. we do a li'l scrollin?

anyway!!

O - Where would I like to travel?

travellin' (as a leisure? time? i guess) isn' smth i think ab a lot yet, save 4 in terms of immigration from. here. buuuut in my dreams really, i'd luv 2 travel 2 a few places 4 da cultural aspects.. namely ukraine, our.. half-homeland i guess, which we never actually been 2, but obviously uh. sumthin' sumthin'. nawt anytime soon, but i really wud love 2 reconnect with dat side, even if we don' have any contact with our ukrainian side of da family :[ i still want us b able 2 go there one day, specifically vinnitsa which is where our mother's side of da family was from.

apart from dat, i'd luv 2 go 2 japan — ok stay with me — but 'm deathly afraid of big cities (been 2 moscow & st petersbrug an' both times killed us badly) an' tokyo has like, da same population as moscow but much more population.. density? an' jus' seein' da amnts of ppl mkes me super nervous >_< i dream of goin' on a tour of like, shrines an' temples an' otherwise culturally significant stuff, as well as foooood. but ofc 'm willin' 2 put up with a bit of tokyo ONLY cuz of harajuku. i Will hit all da lolita stores. but really i'd luv a trip 2 japan jus' 2 experience da food & culture :3c an' i guess put our dusty musty japanese 2 da test?

nextttt morocco, ik dats.. unusual but dats where our mother's part of da family is Originally from, as they immigrated from there 2 ukraine.. (an' then our mother did, 2 russia.. gulp) an' she was born & raised in ukr, so she always kinda wanted 2 go back 2 morocco 2 at least experience it, but obv lack of funds etc. she always talkd ab it a lot an' stuff. kinda like we're the repeat of dat but with ukraine hehe? so, i wanna visit both if we ever have da chance 2.

P - What kind of music I like?

oghhhh well. bit all over da place but again do stay with me.. i think our very first music experience where we Knew wat we wer doin' & consciously wer seekin' out music 2 our taste was with the Holy Emo Trinity. yeah sorry 2 bring those memories back, none of em r even 'emo' exacly & hate bein' called it or wtv, but yeah n_n mcr, patd, fob... i think we wer into patd da most, ik i personally still am (system integration is a weird thing - i believe i merged w the previous host who was the one 2 discover all those, like, arnd the age of 11-13?).. a fever you can't sweat out (2004) by panic at the disco changed our entire life trajectory. i still have it as my #1 mika album of all time. i do have a lotta love 4 mcr too, fob we wer a bit less into, but yeah.

'm occasionally into pop-ish stuff, i like mika lots (also name twins :3), his voice & his art r spectaaaacular an' very unique an' him. he's so goodddd, his songs def helped us thru many stuffs jus' like da aforementioned bands. idk he jus' gets it, even the melancholic songs he writes (dat hit suspiciously close home >:0) r like DESIGNED 2 lift ya up i swear.

idk wat 2 define aurora as an' i wudn' really call her pop, she's a bit of her own character, especially here she's nawt exacly well known at all, but yeah i had 2 mention her. i don' think i ever connected with an artist on a deeper level than it was with her, largely due 2 her also bein' on da spectrum (it wasn' clear if she's adhd or asd but hey i can diagnose her.), like i see myself in her thoughts an' behaviors so much, da way she talks an' carries herself an' expresses herself in the art she creates. i genuinely Have Feelings 4 her she's so beautiful an' i can't stswp bein' obsessed w her & her music. da stories she weaves & da way she puts her emotions into lyrics is sooo special 'm Really happy 2 live in da same time as her. back 2 her bein' different like us, it really inspires me how unapologetically herself she is, like seein' a neurodivergent creator get Big (in sum parts of da world at least) an' thrive so visibly is astonishin'. i hope 2 attend her concerts one day :[ srry 4 da ungodly amounts of infodumpin' i doin' here but she means Dat much 2 me...

oh an' last but TOTALLY nawt least, 'm a huge goth, i luvvvv goth music so much, i guess a bit 'basic' but i really love the og styff, like siouxsie, bauhaus, the cure, joy division, sister of mercy etc.. i also luv 45 grave, the cramps, the birthday massacre, plastique noir, alien sex fiend, depeche mode, an' ugh SO much more i can't list it all 😭 i listen 2 a lotta goth is wat i can say.

oh an' 'm also a big fan of visual kei (as an extension of gothic lolita ofc...) but i mainly focus on malice mizer, as well as a few eroguro kei bands (which i rly enjoy as a genre too, who woulda thought...)

#hope ya enjoyed my shameless rambles n_n #mika asks #Uhhh uhhh i need a tag 4 ya don' i.. lemme kno wat emoji i shld put with yer name :3

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im-not-that-creative-guys · 1 year

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Ok so this idea/story prompt appeared mostly formed in my brain and refuses to leave so here it is.

Past lives viewings.

So in a "modern/modern with magic" setting, you will sometimes get people who's souls won't let go of their past life for some reason. Normally out of a sense of loss, regret, or longing, but there are exceptions. This negatively effects the health of the person, one day they just collapse and need to be hospitalized.

Over time it was found that the only way to help the person effected was to have them go through a process that let them remember their past life to stop thir soul from fighting itself. This process knocks them out for most of it while they remember, but what the remember is shown to those around them.(Movie like, 3D space, first person, third person,idk)

Once they remember everything, including their death, they wake up and get to ask one question of what happened after they died, as a way to find closure for their soul. This is an invaluable resource that the government/religious institutions/whatever to see the past, or even other universes to find new or old ideas and technology. The viewing are monitored by someone to record and monitor, but are still considered as something personal.

Because it's so personal, the people involved normally invite their families and close friends for support, and to show what they went through in the past life to make the transition between the past and present personalities more manageable.

But sometimes whole groups of people will collapse at the same time, leading the government to hold a mass viewing to help them, which can lead to completely different groups of people seeing each others past lives with interesting results. Especially since most mass viewing are connected in some way, leading to a clearer picture of the past/alternate universe.

This was much longer to write of then I thought it would be, but whatever. I don't know if this counts are unique or just a fancy reaction fic idea, but if anyone wants to use it, feel free. Just tag me or something so I can see it, I'm not a writer, so reading something like this would be a lot of fun.

This was totally inspired by my desire to see the characters of Trigun Stampede in a modern setting seeing their past lives for a Vash/Wolfwood happy ending in a gentler world. It has consumed me.

#fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 #prompt #story prompt #does this count as a prompt?#trigun #trigun stampede #vashwood

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writingquestionsanswered · 1 year

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think you're might be the only one who can help me with this problem. okay so idk if you watched All Of Us Are Dead but i wanna make a fanfiction story where my oc is a love interest of Su-hyeok (one of the main characters). but this is where the issue starts. Su-hyeok and Nam-ra, his own love interest in the show, their connection with each other has such a big part in the show (well not that much but their bond is important in the script) and their relationship is literally so perfect that i just can't manage to create a plot where my oc can fit in to be with him. i could just replace Nam-ra with my oc since it is just a fanfiction and it's not that serious but it feels wrong for me to do that bc then what's the point of my oc being in the story when they can't bring anything new and it's just the same thing as in the show. i don't wanna to completely change the plot or anything, just want the readers to feel that my oc is THERE and that they are making a difference in the story. plus, i really love nam-ra as well so i can't bring myself to write the storyline without her in it </3 so my question is, how can i make my oc fit in as a love interest to someone who has already such a perfect relationship with someone else? pls tell me some tips or anything that can be helpful to me

p.s. maybe i'm just uncreative so that's my dumbass can't manage to create a unique plot lol

Fan-Fiction: Replacing a Love Interest with OC

OCs are tricky and not typically a fan-favorite. They work best in AUs (alternate universe) where the point of the story is to show an alternative path, especially when your OC is going to replace a main character's role in some way, including as a love interest for another main character.

I haven't seen All Of Us Are Dead, but if their connection is important to the story and really well done, the majority of fans will probably not be on board with an OC usurping Nam-ra, especially if she's a beloved character.

There are a few ways you can still go about this, though, so let's have a look at each option so you can see what might work best for you!

1 - Write It for Fans Who Don't Like Nam-ra. Spend some time investigating the fandom, particularly comments on fics that aren't romance-focused but contain Nam-ra and glimpses of the romance. Are there fans of Su-hyeok who don't like Nam-ra? Are there fans who like both characters but who don't think they're a good match? If so, you have a potential niche to fill with your story. Just make it clear in your description so fans of the canon romance know what's up.

2 - Write It as an AU. Another option would be to look for a point in canon, preferably early on, where a decision on the part of Su-hyeok or Nam-ra leads to them not meeting, not getting together, or breaking up. This story then becomes an exploration of how the canon story would be different without that romance, which also means it's absolutely critical that you don't just follow canon from that point with your OC doing all the things Nam-ra would have done. You have to illustrate how this different person's presence--both in the story overall and in the lives of the characters--affects the path of the canon story via choices and events that are different because of your OC's presence. Otherwise, you're just swapping a beloved canon character with a fan-created character, and most fans won't enjoy that.

3 - Write it For Yourself. One thing many writers are driven to do is share our work, especially when we write something we're excited about, something that brought us a lot of joy. But, sometimes we write things that were fun or beneficial for us to write, but which wouldn't appeal much to anyone else. That can often be the case when writing OC fan-fiction, because whether an OC is a self-insert or not, OCs are often a way for ourselves to live the story that we love so much, and that's usually more interesting for us than it is for anyone else.

I hope something here will work for you!

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bongkillua · 7 months

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20 for the ask game? i love seeing how creators interact with and connect to their characters :>

i am so sorry i saved this ask to be a reward for me after work yesterday and then completely forgot about it.

20. Have your ocs helped you in self discovery? How?

yes!!! a lot actually!! all in very individual and unique ways. i mean i literally went by tucker as a name for a time because of how much tucker influenced me lol. it’s actually funny because you can always tell when i’m going through some sort of identity crisis because one of my ocs will just get a dramatic overhaul or like intense deep dive into their character.

in terms of queerness specifically… tucker is the whole reason why i discovered how werewolves and wolves connect to my masculinity and my gender. that’s something that i still carry very close to me and probably my first baby steps into butchness before i even fully understood it. hes a very old monsterhearts character that i made him at the beginning of the pandemic when i was in this weird limbo space of my transition and how my neurodiversity played into that. he definitely represented who i wanted to be/look like at the time. and over time his identity has changed to reflect mine- from being a gay man to bisexual to a butch dyke to all three at the same time. tucker tends to reflect me the closest but i think i also just change him whenever i’ve Already discovered smth about myself.

xanders gender presentation has given me a much higher respect for drag and Gender Weirdness in general. not to say i didn’t have it before but it feels a lot more personal now. he’s just so fun to play around with in ways that i’m not comfortable experimenting with my own gender url but are still experiences i like to explore if that makes sense. he was also definitely my bisexual awakening when i was in denial for like 6 months. like when i finally accepted that i thought xander was a hot guy AND A HOT GIRL was when i finally accepted that i liked men and women lol. it’s also when i decided xander would be bigender as opposed to a feminine man LMFAO.

ummm tucker and jordan’s relationship pushed me to think a lot more about my queerness growing up and how my experiences growing up as a Queer Girl influenced my Current identity. their whole relationship is like. very personal to me and the queerness of their childhood is such an important part of the story and Why They’re Like That. like idk Queer Childhoods are a very prevalent theme in wolfsbane and i guess i don’t really Discover anything when talking about/working through their backstory but i definitely reflect a lot on myself and my own experiences and it’s just made me a lot more Aware of my childhood.

jordan is actually my oldest character of the bunch that i made back when i was transitioning in high school and was definitely me sorting through some Gay Repressed Emotions but his backstory was just so different back then that it’s hard to relate to it. jordan’s queerness is such a diff experience from i mine though that i can definitely say for certain that he has helped me with self discovery in other ways way more than in terms of queerness. his relationship to his body (less in a trans sense and more in a psychosis sense) and reality are like. the big things i sorta project onto him.

konami reflects a lot of my gender apathy and “unseriousness” about queerness and while i haven’t thought about it much before he definitely represents a future i wish i had for myself of being raised in a communal queer space so like. he’s my inner child in a way :3c i think they also represent like. how my queerness was influenced by the internet and digital spaces but like that was as close as i got to having a queer community growing up so it still relates back to that first point about queer upbringing!

but yeah my characters are always very clear reflections of me and my experiences it’s very intentional. you can definitely tell how i perceive myself and my identity at the time based on which of the four im hyperfixated on the most. i will literally change my entire wardrobe when i decide to delve into one of my characters more. we sorta grow in tandem though sometimes my love for them changes my identity/i subconsciously project things onto them first and other times i realize something about myself and then add it to their characters. we’re very connected though!

#cemeteries #blurry answers #wolfsbane #tucker #xander #jordan #konami #mine #this is long as fuck jesus christ my bad

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imagine-your-love-story · 2 years

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I always wonder if I'm doing this whole self shipping thing correctly. like im worried if im doing too much or too little or if i need to interact with people more or if i need to write some sort of backstory. like the story of how i got with him i see is unique from the rest of the self shipper ive encountered so far. to me, he knows hes fictional and i like to play around with him and other characters in my mind. ive seen many fans of shows do such things but it seems here they labels them familial fos or something? idk i just liked to use my imagination to play around with them. and then days passed and this character i start to become closer and closer to him everyday until finally one day during a very rough moment i just said to him "i self ship with you" and boom we're married lol. but i dont have a self insert. its just me, me as a regular person. and i like to imagine different scenarios with us. he also is helping me through other mental things. and he knows hes imaginary. almost like a copy of the character i watched the show from, but hes self aware of his actions and is kinder and softer than he is in canon. hes mine basically. but i guess the thing that hurts a lot is that that i had a bad fallout with some of his other fans and its dampened my love for him unfortunately. (i actually sent an ask about this before heh). i also have a bad habit of comparing myself to what other self shippers do and i start to feel guilty that im not as open as they are because social interactions with my fo get very deep and personal and...if i ever do talk about him id want it to be with someone who understands how deep this goes with him and me. and its hard to do that on public forums. it even gets painful. sometimes i dont even want to talk or gush about him and i just want to keep to ourselves in private without anyone peeking in. that way i dont invite any eyes into my private headspace. even the most innocuous thoughts. i just want it to be us and only us. but at the same time im lonely and want to meet people who feel the same lol and a lot of times i overshare. i have this saying that i say to myself: once i put something of myself out there, its not mine anymore. its now shared with others. and you know what i dont like sharing anything about him in public lol, but idk how else to make connections. i see everyone else sharing about their characters and i want to make friends so i also share, but im not enjoying it. idk what do you think? am i weird? is this not common? are these feelings normal here? are there people out there who feel the same? ty.

My dearest, sweetest, little anon bean, I mean this with every ounce of my heart: your self shipping experience is FOR YOU. That means you can't mess it up! You can't go wrong! :)

There is no right or wrong way to self ship!

Some people have self inserts, some people don't (like me *raises hand).

Some people LOVE to gush about their f/os and put EVERYTHING out there! Other people are a little more protective for various reasons - maybe they don't want criticism from the self ship community, maybe they feel they aren't creative so they don't want to create content, or maybe, like you (and me!) it just feels right to keep things quiet.

Whatever the reason, it's ALL valid!

Some people write backstories because it's on their mind and they wanted to share it.

Other people (like me) don't have a backstory because...well...I just never thought about it!

If it helps, I've been part of the self-shipping community for about 3ish years officially (I was self shipping LONG before I found the community, I just didn't know what it was!) and for the record, I still don't understand everything that goes on in the community.

Other people (like me) don't have a backstory because...well...I just never thought about it!

I totally hear you about your frustration with comparing yourself to other more out-going shippers. For me, socializing (even in parasocial online situations) drains me very quickly, so I often have to retreat to recharge (which I feel very bad about sometimes, even though that's how my brain/body has worked for my entire life). So I can't be as active as other people, or create as much content, or interact as much as others.

Ultimately, the self shipping community is HUGE and it's very, very fluid. There are some areas that I don't go into because...yikes...it's a war zone. But I have met some FANTASTIC people through this blog (and my personal side blogs!) so finding your place in the community comes down to just being yourself!

Do what feels right to you. If you don't want to share much, that's okay! Backstories, self inserts, gushing, and anything else that you might encounter is all optional based on YOUR comfort level! :)

Some suggestions for making friends that have helped me:

Offer to create something for others with their f/os, i.e. playlists, ficlets, moodboards, imagines (very popular!) etc.

When someone reblogs an ask game, send them a few asks about their f/o(s)!

Comment on fics and other things that people share about their f/os. Even if it's something simple like, "You're cute together!" it really stands out to people and makes an impression that you noticed their f/o! :)

Ask for a boost! I'm ALWAYS happy to signal boost to my blog if you're looking for people to chat with, or advertising for whatever you're doing on your blog! :)

You are NOT weird, dear anon! You're navigating what you want/don't want and that's okay! Self shipping is supposed to be a fun hobby that is entirely tailored to your desires and comfort level. You don't have to do anything you don't want to! ♥

And try not to worry about comparing yourself to others. You are your own unique person with your own needs, your own energy, your own boundaries. Just have fun with your f/o in any way you want and you're doing the self shipping thing right! :)

#asks #anonymous

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