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monstermaster13 · 1 year

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An American Werewolf In London. Ah yes, THE iconic werewolf transformation scene, no movie or tv show has ever come close to replicating this particular type of transformation and this one is iconic for numerous reasons…for one thing the excellent practical fx by Rick Baker and also you really do feel the pain that David is going through when he transforms, and it's no wonder this was Michael Jackson's favorite horror movie.

DocChester/Justparodiezman.

Darkbulflrog.

The Fly (1986). I've always said 'lovey-dovey is fine and all but…' which is true since when it comes to my transformation things I don't like to spend too much time on the lovey dovey stuff, I don't like to rush my transformations, I like to be as detailed as possible and go through the physical process in a way that goes through all the important details needed and sometimes I like to be a little bit gross, I admit that I can be a pretty sick and twisted bastard when it comes to my transformation interests, and this movie is to blame for it..he starts out looking sexy at first but when he loses parts of his body, good lord…poor Brundlefly. I will never think of flies the same way again, but I will definitely think of this movie and Jeff Goldblum whenever I see a fly. Cronenberg makes body-horror thought-provoking and makes it a journey of discovery about the human condition. Oh Goldblum, never stop being you.

Numerous music videos. Let's see, there's the infamous Fatboy Slim music video Right Here Right Now, there's also the Black Or White video which pretty much made morphing effects mainstream, so mainly videos to choose for that feature people being transformed or morphing effects, i've always had a fascination for becoming other people especially in dreams where I become a number of fictional characters and celebrities I admire. And i've always wanted to try my own hand at it, which I have…but not as well as the people who made these videos have.

Doctor Jekyll and Ms Hyde (1995). I used to be against tg because to me all male to female tgs sounded the same, you know..guy loses private parts, grows breasts, gets addicted to the dirty s-word and becomes a bimbo and all that stuff? But that was until I discoverered this movie and TG fiction on here, I discovered that not all TG stories are the same and a lot of them are interesting/fascinating to read and see. This movie definitely helped influence that, and definitely gave me a sort of simp-like fascination with Ms Sean Young.

Animorphs..especially the way the transformations were written and also the morphs on the cover. I envy whoever got to design the covers for these books, I have tried to do similar morphs myself but mine aren't as good, I remember the one of Ax morphing into a cow as the first cow transformation I ever saw in media and the first animal transformation that is a tg as well, to put it in context Ax morphs into a female cow since he acquired the DNA of a female bovine instead of a bull/steer. You gotta be real careful with your morphs ya know. Also Rachel turning into a monster version of herself was badass.

Big Wolf On Campus. Ah yes, this show. This show along with Buffy is my main influence in general. First of all the werewolf is a hero and not a villain, second…the dialogue in this show is amazing and humorous as well…and it helped shape me into the horror fanatic I am now. I love half-creature transformations where the person remains humanoid but has features like pointed ears, fur/scales on their hands or face and fangs or claw-like fingernails, I seem to have a fascination with claws or claw-like fingernails since I remember at one point trying to grow claws of my own…sadly, my fingernails can't grow long enough for that, shame.

Dungeons and Dragons. I still use the D&D monster manual as reference material when monster-making…and when I depict how werecreatures turn in my work I sometimes go by the same rules as D&D's take on them but add a bit of my own flair to it (my werecreatures aren't fully good or evil, but evil ones can be turned good/corrupted ones can be turned to the side of good again with certain types of spells). I still have a Wererat OC which I created for a campaign.

The mirror scene from Casper.

Blackbluedawg.

Numerous sites about werecreatures and shapeshifters. I'm not going to say the name of this artist out of respect, but he made me the man I am today thanks to his website and I think of him as a personal hero and influence, let's just say there are numerous sites that serve as my inspiration and his was one of them, cartoons (both multiple-episodes AND one shot episodes/specials), live action tv show tfs, comics, games, you name it. Also learning about werecreature lore in general inspired me to get interested in it. And I can't believe I didn't discover sites like this from the get go. Also that one History Channel documentary about werecreatures/shapeshifters and the were-deer…oh yes.

Wallace and Gromit: Curse Of The Wererabbit. If you haven't seen this movie, you should…it's a loving tribute to classic horror with the signature Aardman charm and it's hilarious.

Goosebumps. A mask that turns you into a monster if you wear it more than once? Sign me up. A werewolf story based on the legend of Native American skinwalkers? Sign me up. What's that? A choose your own adventure scenario except in Goosebumps form and you could possibly end up as a bat-creature or a werewolf or a monster in general? Boy, this series has it all including monsters and transformations galore. Of course if I ended up turning into a Werecreature i'd be a Were-Aykroyd, hey…turning into Dan Aykroyd honestly would be awesome, it's meant to be after all.

Teen Wolf (1985). Definitely this and the cartoon.

Lance/Weremoose. I love his morphs into Disney and other animated characters and in particular his Star Wars morphs. They inspired me and got me into photomanipulations.

Swatcher. As a fellow Grinch fan, I approve of his use of the Jim Carrey Grinch.

Jmmates. A whole channel dedicated to transformations/morphs…sign me up. Heck a few of my ideas for morphs have even been adapted, including a Pennywise and insect morph.

Thriller. We all know this video by heart, MJ is with his girlfriend and their car runs out of gas and so they decided to take a walk through the woods, MJ asks her to be his girlfriend and she says yes, he then warns her that he isn't 'like other boys', she doesn't know what he is talking about and he doubles over in pain, she asks him if he is okay…he jumps up and growls 'GO AWAY!' in a deep monster-like voice as he turns into a werecat. This transformation is no doubt as iconic as AWIL's transformation considering John Landis and Rick Baker BOTH worked on this one.

The Honey Monster. I used to be scared of this guy (same with Carrey's Grinch) but I can now see that this guy has a fanbase that definitely remembers the old commercials of people turning into this creatures's species fondly and some have done their own fanfiction for it, which I am so proud of.

Nibblahfrog. I have a fondness for turning heroes or actors who play heroes into things and that comes from Nibblah's Power Ranger monster transformation concepts and that helped me get into the idea of creating monsters of my own.

Numerous interactive stories.

#Monstermaster13 #tf influences

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 3 years

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The Voyage So Far: Dressrosa (Part Two)

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

wild how this is upwards of 750 chapters in and yet i still get a big dumb smile whenever luffy declares he’s going to be king of the pirates. one piece is a series very much driven by its main characters and their goals and dreams- i don’t think it would be nearly as good if the main character was anyone but monkey d. luffy.

personally, i always just feel kind of proud whenever he says this, because- yeah!! he is!! that’s luffy, he’s going to be king of the pirates, and we’ve known that since day fucking one.

i really think there’s something to be said about usopp never taking credit for saving luffy and law from sugar. it’s arguably his greatest feat in the entire series thus far- an impossible, perfect shot across an entire country, with an angry mob inches from his back- and he never even tells anybody he did it. he’s come a long way from someone who tells tall tales about heroic acts he never did to someone who doesn’t even feel the need to take credit for ones he really did, so long as his friends are safe.

i really like how corazon’s introduction and characterization throughout the flashback is handled. at the start of law’s flashback, we know a few things about him already: that he’s someone law loved very much, and that he was killed by doflamingo. we know how this ends.

but then cora is introduced as a clumsy mute weirdo who nearly kills law as one of the very first things he does, and we as the audience aren’t really sure how to reconcile that- and then the rest of the flashback is us, along with law, slowly discovering what a complicated and contradictory but ultimately good person he is. something very similar happens with the asl flashback- we know the endpoint of luffy and ace’s relationship, but the flashback is all about how they got there, from attempted murder to willing self-sacrifice.

i think it’s really cool the way law and doflamingo’s backstories are layered together. they’re characters who exist with a lot of parallels and similarities between them already, which is something they’re both clearly aware of- i’ve mentioned before i think the only real difference between them is that law got corazon where doflamingo got the executives- and presenting their backstories simultaneously only makes that more obvious.

i’ve always found it so interesting that we get what’s pretty much our only substantial exposition about the will of d direct from a former celestial dragon. it makes sense- cora’s basically the only character we’ve met who both has this information and is willing to share it- but i don’t know, there’s something that feels very poetic to me about him having this information that’s clearly been suppressed and hidden by the dragons and willingly choosing to share it in order to help protect law, a D, who should technically be the very enemy he was once taught to hate and fear.

i really like corazon.

it fucks me up that we can tell the exact moment cora dies from the moment law starts making noise again.

this might be a controversial take? i’m not sure. but i like baby five. i think her and sai’s relationship is really sweet, and people might complain about her getting off easy or whatever but i’m honestly glad she gets a happy ending after being thoroughly emotionally abused and broken her entire life. and on a lighter note, she’s also just a fun character to watch through the whole arc- the running gag with her crying whenever law glares at her is still one of my favorites in the whole series.

the shot of robin’s bloody back is a favorite of mine, because it’s a reveal that doesn’t get lingered on at all, and yet at once it gives the entire proceeding scene a lot more weight when we understand just how much pain she must’ve been in the entire time. and yet she never even flinched or faltered while protecting rebecca. nico robin is very, very strong.

there’s something so deliciously fitting about diamante’s final fall ending with him cracking his head on scarlett’s grave, and something so lovely about kyros and rebecca finally getting their proper reunion there, when neither of them ever really got a chance to mourn.

law’s line about the strawhats trailing nothing but miracles in their wake is one of the first ones i always think of when i think about the strawhats in general and luffy in particular, mostly because it’s so true. from the very beginning, the strawhats have been doing the impossible, from sailing to the sky to breaking in and out of the world’s greatest prison, and law saw that and staked all his hopes on it and they did not let him down.

also i think it’s very cool of law to, when held at gunpoint and down an arm, grin, flip doflamingo off, and tell him to eat shit and that luffy is going to kick his ass. love that for him.

i think dressrosa does a very good job of making the victory against doflamingo equally law’s and luffy’s. they cooperate and trade off fighting him throughout the arc to great effect, and i think it’s pretty clear that neither of them could have tackled the massive challenge of dressrosa alone.

while the final fight is luffy’s, it’s made clear that that’s only after law’s done absolutely everything he could and spent the majority of the arc distracting doflamingo, keeping him occupied, and even fucking shredding his insides with pure radiation before finally needing to tap out. i think it’s a good balance, given that luffy is the protagonist but law’s grudge against doflamingo is the driving force behind the entire arc.

conqueror’s haki clashes are always very cool, pretty much regardless of who or where or why, but the one between luffy and doflamingo is a favorite.

one of the things that’s always impressed me about one piece in comparison to other shounen series is how it handles its powerscaling- in that it does it well with a gradual increase and villains who vary widely in strength instead of every arc necessarily needing to be bigger and better than the last- and i think the way it handles powering up the main characters is a big part of that.

through the entirety of one piece thus far, i’d say luffy has had three major power-ups- second and third gear in enies lobby, haki at the timeskip, and gear four here in dressrosa (an argument could also be made for ryuuou in wano, but i think that’s less major than these others). this helps prevent runaway powerscaling and also makes new power-ups feel like a genuine event, which i really like.

i once referred to luffy as ‘hopebringer’ in a conversation with friends, and it’s a descriptor for him i think sums up really well how he manages to save so many people while insistently not being a hero. luffy inspires people, inspires whole countries, starting all the way back with coby in romance dawn. it’s one of the reasons i think it’s fitting how thoroughly he’s associated with the dawn.

doflamingo is very, very scary. which is interesting, because he’s indisputably less powerful someone like kaidou, but at the same time i find him a much scarier villain, and i think it comes down to doflamingo’s gleeful, wanton cruelty. not that kaidou is in any way shape or form a nice person, but our first introduction to doflamingo is him forcing marines to attack each other just because he’s a little bored. he hurts people just because he can, and finds it funny.

relating to my earlier comment about hope, i really like how the whole country comes together at the end to cheer luffy on and count down to his return. it makes it feel all the more triumphant when it does, especially for the citizens of dressrosa who’ve been suffocating under doflamingo’s rule for years and can finally, finally see freedom.

other people have put a lot more thought of the symbolism of doflamingo’s eyes and glasses than i intend to, but i’ll settle for saying that it’s the breaking of the glasses, before anything else, before the birdcage even vanishes from the sky and everyone is safe, that shows us that, at long last, doflamingo is well and truly defeated. his glasses break, and so does his power.

i’ve written a longer post about it before (here) but it’s a recurring motif that one piece’s worst villains are those that steal people’s freedom, including, in the cruelest cases, the freedom to express their emotions openly. we see it with koala and the celestial dragons, with the failed smile fruits in wano, and here, too, with kyros. and, much like koala, triumph for him means finally being able to cry.

i mentioned it back in the first post, but i’m so, so happy rebecca and kyros get the happy ending they deserve. they’ve both been fighting a war that they never should have had to for years and years, and they both deserve to get to just live, now, peaceful and quiet and together and surrounded by flowers.

i really dig the note dressrosa ends on. it’s happy, of course, obviously, with the liberation of the country, kyros and rebecca’s happy ending, the creation of the grand fleet, even law getting some degree of closure through his talk with sengoku, but it also leaves this massive, gaping question- what now?

in a way, doflamingo’s speech here follows up on law’s new era speech from punk hazard. luffy and law have just thrown a major wrench into the delicate power equilibrium of the entire new world, and we have all these characters out there who might be affected, who might want to take advantage, who might try to seize the throne.

#the voyage so far #one piece #opmeta #arc: dressrosa #long post #not japanese

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amindofstone · 3 years

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Jolly sailor

{

a/n: Dream a little dream with me and imagine. Imagine Luffy being able to save Ace and him making it out of the Marineford. Imagine him taking Whitebeards place as the captain and keeping the crew together. Now imagine...

Words: 5164 (I´m sorry my fingers didn´t stop typing.)

Genre: anime imagine?

Warnings: Maybe grammar or spelling mistakes. (I genuinely apologize. English is not my mother tongue and I´m really trying to improve. So please be so kind and have mercy)

Character(s): Portgas D. Ace x reader (Serena)

Info: For better reading keep in mind that the words in italic are Serenas (readers) train of thoughts. And the words put between a note “” are the lyrics of the song “Jolly Sailor Bold” I was inspired by.

!!! Please do not steal my idea or work. Credit me if this is shared or published in any other platform or any other way. This took me a lot of time. So please respect me as the writer and my work. Piczure is not mine. Credits to the rightful owner (Twitter: @tsuyomaru1a). !!!

}

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“Mommy?”, said the boy sitting at the dining table, while trying to focus on his drawing. Serena, the mother of the boy with the raven black hair hummed in response without looking up from her painting. “Where you ever at the Grand Line or the New World?”, Serena who was painting the person that appeared in her dreams last night, stopped in her tracks and looked at the direction the little boy was sitting at. The question of her son caught her by surprise what made her look at him quite dumbfounded. “Ehm… Dear, where did that question come from now?”, she asked while she put her brush aside. The little boy who still wasn´t looking up shrugged his shoulders and gave an answer what could also have been that from his father. “Probably somewhere from the corner of my brain.”, he answered and looked his mother in the eyes. He knew that his way of talking resembled that of his father a lot what always surprised his mother when he talked because he rarely was home, but still he managed to sound like him. So every time he said something his father also could have said, his mother would stop doing whatever she was busy with at the moment and just stare at him with the same loving eyes she looked at his father. And every time she did so, he always tried to never miss the sight of that, because it made him proud to see that he could make his mother happy with such a simple thing.

“Well yes, I grew up on an island on the Grand Line until my teenage years. After I turned 20 I guess I ended up somewhere in the New World where I also met your father. But you already know that so why ask me that?”, Serena slowly approached her son and sat down next to him. Her son Faun, who seemed to be thinking about something deeply, put his pen down and intended to ask another question when he stopped himself by putting his small hand over his mouth. The little gesture made the brunet haired woman next to him laugh. Faun was now slowly looking back to his mothers face and tried to form a proper sentence. “May I.. ehm.. ask you some questions about… well about… you and… dad?”, although the young boy knew that his mother did not like talking about her past he always wanted to know so much about her. He always tried to ask her some questions but she somehow always managed to get out of those situations by changing the topic or making him forget what he wanted from her. Even now he had no hope of hearing her tell him her and his dad’s story. He was about to apologize and get back to his drawing when she took him in her arms and left her atelier behind. “Mom? Where are we going?”, asked the confused little boy. But Serena just smiled at him lovingly and kept walking. When she did not reply to him he decided to keep quiet and see what´s going to happen. Little did he know that she was going to tell him the story he always wanted to hear. Serena walked into her bedroom and placed her usually talkative son on the bed she slept on alone for the last eight months. Sitting on his mother’s bed, Faun was following her steps with his eyes. While she was busy taking a box out of her closet. After taking the box out of its place she closed the doors to her closed and walked back to her son and sat down next to him on the bed that seemed to be bigger than usually since she slept alone on it.

“Tell me Faun. I do know that you saw pictures of me when I was younger but did you ever saw a picture of your father when he was younger or a child?”, the Question caught the ten years old boy by surprise what made him blink a few times. But he quickly pulled himself together and shook his head a bit to fast. She gave him a loving smile and went through his raven black hair. “In that case I´ll start telling you something about your father with some pictures of him and that of some others. Alright?”, the look the incredibly beautiful boy gave her was worth to be photographed but she did not dare to leave him just to go and get a camera so she just took him in her arms and kissed his cheek while laughing. “You have pictures of Dad, when he was younger?! Wow! Was he good looking? Was he as muscular as he is now?”, curiosity rolled over Serena’s son what made him ask one question after another. It took him a while until she could calm him down and make him focus on what she is going to tell him so she took her time and let him talk for a while. While he did so she couldn´t stop thinking about his father, her husband. The man who stole her heart, her mind and her soul.

A man every person feared and respected at the same time. A man whose story was spread around the world like that of a tale. Whose story was seen as that of a hero who also played the villain at the same time. The name of that man is well known. A tale with a title that can create any kind of emotions when read. A title made of just a name. A name that was and forever will be the cause of her racing her heart and trembling hands. A name that was engraved in her heart and carried by her soul with so much love and passion that it caused her pain. A name that was always on her mind. Portgas D. Ace.

I wonder how he is doing right now. Is he alright? Is he hurt? Is he getting enough sleep?

“Mom? Is everything ok?”, Serena got lost in her thoughts thinking about the man who promised her to come see her every four months and forgot that she had her son sitting in front of her. “Mom is everything alright? You look sad. Did I upset you?”, the huge smile that was lingering on the plum red lips of her son was now gone. Serena knew that Faun was not the child he used to be. A little boy she could trick with a smile or by changing the topic. He no longer was the naïve boy he used to be. He was a mature 10 years old boy. For her taste even to mature but Luffy said that he is just like Ace himself. He told her stories about him as a 10 years old boy who was also really mature for his age and who did things she could never think of.

🎼 Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray. Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay. 🎼

Faun was about to call his mother again when she took a deep breath and started to speak in a soft calm voice. A voice that was so beautiful that could make any person weak in their knees. Her voice what was one of the many things Ace fell in love with.

“It was a calm and warm morning on the island I was living in at that time.”, Faun was taken aback for a second but quickly understood that she was telling him what he always wanted to hear. So he sat back and listened. “It was a huge island but not many people lived there. There was a small village of probably just 100 people. They were really nice people. Each of them was friendly and respectful, with caring and funny personalities. I loved them from the bottom of my heart. As you know my beloved Faun, I am half mermaid but they never judged me because of that. I fact they never made me feel out of place. They helped me and my father every day. They brought me my favorite sweets, my fathers favorite dishes and clothes for the both of us. When my mother came visiting us they would treat her like any other person on the island. They loved me and my small family so much that they even where ready to fight for us when one of the most strongest pirates stopped at the island and asked for my father. It was really funny because my father knew the pirates but they still were suspicious and didn´t trust them a bit. When my father invited some of them to our house the women of the village would come and literally drag me out of my house and keep me in theirs until they left.”, the memories of the village and the time she spend there made her emotional. She missed all of them. They turned in just a short period into her family. A family that loved her more than she ever deserved.

“Now guess who those pirated were my father knew?”, Faun did exactly was his mother asked him to do. He thought and came up with a bunch of famous pirate names but each time she said no. When he looked at his mother with a mad and frustrated sigh, a chuckle left her and she sat her son in between her legs and placed a kiss on his head. “It were the Whitebeard pirates, who are now called …”, before she could finish the sentence her son finished it with big eyes filled by amazement. “… the White Fire pirates. Grandpa knew Whitebeard?! But how?”, Serena smiled at her son and opened the box she previously took out of her closet. The box was filled with different pictures. Some by people he instantly recognized and some by people he didn´t knew. “My father was part of the Whitebeard crew and was in the fifth division. And what made this division so special was that it was called the swordsmen division. And yes. Before you start to freak out again, Grandpa is a swordfighter.”, it only took a second for the boy to lose control over himself again and to start jumping around out of excitement. “Oh Mother! You have to tell me more! Why did you never said that Grandpa was so awesome?!”, a small giggle left Serena before she took her sons hand in hers and sat him down in front of her again. “Father was an amazingly strong pirate and on top of that a good man. That´s why he was so loved by the village.”, Serena took out a picture of her father when he was in his forties and Serena just 19. Faun looked at the picture with an open mouth and talked without thinking. A habit he had from Ace. “No offense but he looks older than he is now on the picture. How can one look so old? And no wonder dad fell in love with you. You were beautiful! But now you are even more beautiful. Don´t tell dad but you even look better than him. Just a bit though!!”, the words that left the young boys mouth made Serena laugh. How come he is so much like his father when he´s barely home and with us?

“You really need to stop telling him that he looks so old. Otherwise he won´t come see us anymore.”, Serena let Faun still look at the pictures of her and her father when she took out a picture of Ace as a young man in the age of just 20.

🎼 Conversing with a young lass, who seem'd to be in pain. Saying, William, when you go I fear you'll ne'er return again. 🎼

“The day they came to our island was not one to be happy. It was a sad reunion between my father and the pirates. A lot of their crew mates where hurt and some of them were even close to death. They needed help and a new captain. One of those who were about to die was your father my dear Faun. Uncle Marco who is the commander of the first division was worried to death because he couldn´t help him. He was just able to keep him alive while he was in coma. And this is when I meet him for them first time. Badly injured and with a weakly beating heart that threatened to stop keeping him alive. My father called me and convinced me to heal him since I ate from a devil fruit that gave me the ability to heal people. Marco and the other commanders talked to me and promised me to give me anything I wanted when I would promise them to heal Ace. Their friend, their commander and the man they would die for.”. the memories of Ace when he was close to death made her realize how worried she was about him now. Ace, who was now her husband. He should have been here four months ago. He should have came and see her and their son but he didn´t came. He did not reply to any of her letters in the last two months. Her heart clenched with the thought of him getting hurt and she started to cry. “Mom? Why are you crying?”, She didn´t wanted her son to see her cry and make him worried. She didn´t wanted him to lose hope in his father and the promise that he´ll come see them again. So she wiped her tears away and smiled. “It´s just that I miss my old hometown. It’s nothing serious.”, Faun hugged his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “No need to be sad. When dad comes home we can ask him how Grandpa is doing because he always visits him whenever he comes back home. Now please stop crying and show me your smile. I want to see your dimples and kiss them just like dad does whenever you’re sad!” Ace. Just know that although you might not be here with me and although I am left alone with my longing for you and the painful emptiness in my heart caused by your absence, the presence of our son takes all of that away from me.

Serena gave her son the smile he asked her to show him and instantly got showered with kisses. “Are you feeling better Mom? If not I give you more kisses and hug you for hours just like a koala does a tree. No wait. I hold onto you like a sloth holds onto a tree! Yes that´ll do for sure. Wait no! Sloths aren´t cute though….”, the adorable nonsense her son talked managed to make her laugh again. Marco was right; although father and son are not always together they are alike. Even to the point Faun sometimes looks like Ace´s clone. “Now what happened next? Please tell me more.”, Serena nodded and showed him more pictures.

🎼 My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold. 🎼

“It took us a long time until all of the men were healthy again. But it took us the most making sure Ace was back to his normal state. Although he had the power of the fire fruit it took a long time until he was fully healthy. That caused a lot of them to be worried since they planned to make him to their new captain at that time.”, Serena showed Faun pictures of some of the Commanders and Ace when he suddenly said something that made her blush. But as quickly as the pink shade crept up her cheeks as quickly did it also leave and that only because of the words of her little boy. “That’s a great story but how did you and dad fall in love? Can you tell me that? Uncle Marco told me that Dad is the main cause of any problem they have and a risky captain. He never backs off from any fight, what I also do and forever will but compared to him you are his total opposite. You are calm and he is loud. He is ready to take risks you try to avoid anything that is close to being a bit difficult. It´s like a normal civilian and a princess that ended up as a couple. How did you to end up marring?”, Serena looked at his son with an unreadable gaze lingering upon her. She was shocked by his words but also in the verge of laughing out loud. At the end she wasn´t able to keep her laughter in and started to laugh. While she was holding her stomach from the pain her son was looking at her with an emotionless face. “What did I say?”, with a slightly tilted head the green eyed boy was looking up at his mother with confusion written all over his face. “Oh dear!”, Serena wiped the tears away that fell on her cheeks before she started to talk again. “I do understand what you mean but don´t you know the saying opposites attracts? But going honest I have to admit that it did take us both a while before we actually understood that we had feelings for each other. In those weeks where I took care of him and his crew while they decided on how to start all over again as pirates, I started to get happy whenever he was around me. I turned into the happiest living being whenever he called me or asked me for a favor. Whenever he needed anything I was the first one to go get that. No matter what it was. I loved him but I couldn´t believe it at the beginning until he and his crew left the island. Days and nights passed and I got sadder whenever I saw something that reminded me of him. I couldn´t sleep. I couldn´t eat. I was lost and felt empty. I was restless and somehow just existing. One day I got a letter. The envelop had just my name on it and nothing else. But somehow I still knew that is was from your father. The letter itself had no actual beginning nor and ending. The content of the letter wasn´t anything special but still made me more than just happy. If any other person would have read it they would have been disappointed and wouldn´t think about it. They even would have called it unnecessary and nonsense. But to me it was more than that. It was special because it made me feel like he thought about me and the time he was on the island. You know what made it so special was that fact that he started his writing where our talking ended before he left. This was the beginning of us getting closer. The love I had for him, the sentence anyone who was in love would have probably said hundreds of times never left my mouth nor had a place in my letters for him. He on his side did also never mention those three magical words. I don´t know about him but I was way to scared to say it out loud or write it down. I was scared that he might not feel the same and just see me as a good friend. But my heart was telling me otherwise. I was always praying to read those three words in one of his letters but never was disappointed when he did not write it down. Getting those letters and writing mine for him was a feeling I could never explain. I was filled by pure joy and love whenever I read his letters or wrote for him.”, Serena talked and talked. She told him anything she could think of while her heart was racing and her eyes were fixed on her hand with the ring he proposed to her. She remembers all those little moments with him. All those months and years of her crying over him. She remembers all those restless nights filled by the pained sobs that left her, accompanied by her aching and longing heart. She didn´t realized but while the memories of the man she would die for slowly made their way back to her mind a single tear fell down her cheek what made her realize how much she missed him and his touch. His voice calling her name and his laugh that would always light up her days.

🎼 His hair it hangs in ringlets, his eyes as black as coal. My happiness attend him wherever he may go. 🎼

Serena knew that she shouldn´t be crying in front of Faun so she kept the pain and the tears that threaded to fall back for later. But still she missed his presence more than ever. Eight months passed and he did not come back home. He should have been back four months ago. She should be getting letters from him every one or two weeks but nothing came. She was worried to death and couldn´t bear the pain anymore. She was scared of losing him. She was sacred to open the newspaper and read an article about his death. She wanted him to quit being a pirate and do whatever Garp would tell him. She wanted him to be save. Save, happy and at home. But she knew that his happiness is not only made of her and their son but also by sailing and being the free man he always wished to be. He wanted to be just like the man who saved him and gave him a reason to live. The man he called father from the bottom of his heart. The man he owns his life. She knew her wish of him being with her was selfish. She knew that she was selfish for wanting him to quit being a pirate but what else could she do? She was scared to death. She wanted him to be next to her. Somewhere she could take care of him and hold him. Kiss him and tell him how much she loved him. How much he meant to her. He was her life. The reason why she kept living. The reason she woke up every morning. He was the reason of her happiness.

But she put everything aside and let him be. She let him do whatever he wanted to do. She let him do whatever his heart desired and made him happy. Just so she could see him smile. He deserved it. He deserves to be happy and loved. He suffered enough in his life and deserves to be carefree now.

🎼 From Tower Hill to Blackwall. I'll wander, weep and moan. All for my jolly sailor until he sails home. 🎼

Faun was looking at a picture that showed his mother and his father at their wedding that was held on the main flagship of the White Fire Pirates, when he realized that his mother stopped talking. He looked at her and followed her gaze that was lingering upon her hand with her wedding ring. He saw her eyes that were filled with tears and was irritated since her lips were showing a beautiful smile. He wanted to say something and console her but he knew that he should not do anything since it might make it even worse. He knew that if he started consoling her by telling her that father was alright she might lose it all and break down. He knew his mother well. She was a soft hearted woman with a heart of gold. Although she was a strong woman with admirable fighting abilities she still was a woman in love after all. He remembers his Grandfather telling him that no matter how strong a person is. When they’re in love their strength can´t save them from the pain love brings. Faun was lost.

He didn´t wanted his mother to cry. When he asked her to tell him something about his father he didn´t wanted her to cry. He felt bad and started to tear up. Guilt took over him and he started to shed tears. “I´m sorry mother! I made you cry. I made you think about your past. I´m sorry.”, the son of the emperor was now hugging his mother while apologizing over and over again. “No my dear. It is not your guilt. And who says that I´m crying? See I´m all good. There is nothing to feel bad about. Hear me out. It it getting late. How about we get ready for bed? I tell you more about your father some other day. Alright?”, Faun who was still hugging his mother just nodded while soft sobs left him. The pained mother took her sons face in her hands and put a kiss on his forehead with a smile on her lips. She took his hand in hers and led him into the bathroom and prepared him for the night. And just like any other night she started to sing his favorite song. Usually Faun would never dare to make her stop since it calmed him down and made him feel loved and special. But tiday was different. There was a question lingering on his mind he needed an answer to. So he called for the woman he loved the most and made her stop singing to him not even half way through the song. “Mom I have a question. Is dad alright? Will he ever come back?”, when Serena thought that nothing’s going to worsen the pain in her chest her own flesh and blood proved her wrong. It took her a lot of courage and strength to put on a bright smile and answer him with a stabile and confident voice. “Of course he is doing fine. He is Fire fist Ace after all, isn´t he? And why shouldn’t he come back home? There is no reason to think that. Your father loves you more than anything on this planet. Believe it or not but he loves you even more than he loves Uncle Luffy or Uncle Sabo.”, the words of the half mermaid made the young boys sad face turn into a bright happy one with a huge smile upon his lips. “Thank you mother. Could you maybe continue with the song? I really love hearing it before falling asleep.”, Serena who was laying down next to her son nodded and continued singing the song not only he loved but also his father.

“My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold. My father is a merchant, the truth I now will tell and in great London City in opulence doth dwell. His fortune doth exceed 300,000 gold and he frowns upon his daughter, who loves a sailor bold. A fig for his riches, his merchandise and gold. True love has grafted my heart, give me my sailor bold. My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold. Should he return in pov'rty from o'er the ocean far to my tender bosom, I'll press my jolly tar. My sailor is as smiling as the pleasant month of May. And often we have wandered through Ratcliffe Highway. Many a pretty blooming young girl we did behold. Reclining on the bosom of her jolly sailor bold. My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold”

Soft snores could be heard what signalized her that the little man she was singing to was now fast asleep. With a last kiss put on his head and a softly whispered “Goodnight my little treasure.”, she left his room and closed the door as soundless as possible. Her atelier she was working on before was still not cleaned up so she made her way back to her beloved work place and started to clean everything up. The song she sang her son before was not finished yet so she began singing where she stopped.

“My name it is Serena a merchant's daughter fair. And I have left my parents and three thousand pounds a year. Come all you pretty fair maids. Who ever you may be. Who love a jolly sailor that plows the raging sea. While up aloft in storm from me his absence mourn. And firmly pray arrive the day he's never more to roam. My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold”, usually she would now repeat the song since it ended but the sight that life offered her did not only made her stop in her tracks but also made her drop anything she had in her hands. “I´m not sure if the original owner of this song would be really fond of hearing you change the name Maria with your own. I mean, it does sound beautiful but still, I´m just saying.”, Serena did not know what to do. She was overwhelmed with the situation and could not believe what she was seeing. A few minutes ago she was talking about him and lost hope of ever being able to see him again. She told her mind a few days ago that it shall stop hurting her more and forget him. But now she felt like she did not only betray herself but also him, who was now standing in front of her in all his glory. “Ace?”, tears she kept in all these day couldn´t be hold back anymore and made their way out. One after another wetted her cheeks and made her vision get blurry. She couldn´t believe what she was seeing. She told herself that he is not real but rather a trick played by her heart, mind and soul. She told herself to stop crying since he was not here with her. She told herself that her husband was somewhere in the New World and that she should stop crying, when the person who was the cause of all of her pain came closer and gave her a reassuring hug. As if he knew that she couldn´t believe her eyes and wanted her to believe. He wanted her to believe in him and his person that was truly standing in front of her. “Ace?”, she looked up in his eyes with tears still falling down his cheeks. “Love, I´m home.”, not knowing what to do himself the emperor placed his lips on those of his wives with the hope to get rid of the pain in his chest that accompanied him all those lonely night.

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ayuuria · 4 years

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Yashahime Translation: Animage November 2020 Issue

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! @officialinuyasha will be making a video version of this so stay tuned!

The Three Girls’ Incident Fill Journey

While carrying the expectations of “Inuyasha” fans, the story of the 3 girls begins to move. What sort of fate awaits the 3 girls with different personalities and grew up in different eras?

The original anime that succeeds the world of “Inuyasha”, “Hanyou no Yashahime”, has finally begun broadcast! (We are) sure there were a lot of people who were surprised after watching episode 1. Afterall, not only were the trio of protagonists on screen, but also the characters of “Inuyasha”, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Sesshomaru, were freely moving around!

In episode 1, the story started with Towa being told the story of Inuyasha and Kagome (A priestess who came from ‘Tokyo’ 10 years ago and the half demon that exterminated demons with her) while she was captured at the Kanto region’s governor-general’s mansion of Ougigayatsu-Hiiragi. As Inuyasha and others live while exterminating demons, after ending the battle with the half demon, Naraku, it is said they fought a demon called Root Head… Familiar scenes are jammed together showing everyone’s traits such as the black Tessaiga unleashing Meidozangetsuha and Kagome’s “sit”. It truly was a festive curtain opening.

However, this was just the prologue of the Yashahime’s adventure since as Setsuna’s voice actress, Komatsu Mikako, put it “Episode 2 is the first episode “Hanyou no Yashahime”. A “new age of feudal fairytale” with the 3 girls has finally begun!

Moroha Inuyasha and Kagome’s quarter-demon daughter. She makes a living as a bounty hunter. She doesn’t have any memories of her parents, but she inherited “demonic powers” and “spiritual powers of a priestess”.

It really is the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome! Moroha’s voice actress: Tadokoro Azusa

“Moroha is Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter so from the time I auditioned for her, I wanted to incorporate elements from the two of them. I focused on things like how Inuyasha sits like a dog and his beast like manner when he speaks as well as Kagome’s strength as a woman and her suppleness. However, when I really thought about it, I thought the two of them had similar dispositions. It’s like they became similar as they journeyed together. Things like the kindness of when they end up saving people and how quickly the blood rushes to their heads when angered; (these) are traits they both have. That is why I thought Moroha might be like that too. I truly thought she was a child born from Inuyasha and Kagome from how emotional she is and how lightly she carries her body.”

Setsuna Towa’s younger twin sister. She is a member of the demon slayers and has a calm, collected personality. She was separated from Towa when she was young and does not remember anything from that time.

Staying calm while thinking of Sesshomaru Setsuna’s voice actress: Komatsu Mikako

“I was directed to “remember the way Narita Ken played Sesshomaru” when it came time to play Setsuna. During the audition, I did a version that had a cool aura at the forefront and a version that focused a little on being a realistic girl. At first I wasn’t sure which one to go with so I acted lightly but was told “More deeper, it’s okay to have a threatening quality in your voice.” Now I diligently act with complete collectedness while thinking of Sesshomaru. While I haven’t done any recording work with Narita-san yet, I worked with him a little over a year ago on a different work where we had a parent/child role so I can’t wait to show how happy I am to be his daughter again (laughs).”

Higurashi Towa Sesshomaru’s daughter and Setsuna’s older twin sister. She time traveled to the modern era when she was little. She excels at martial arts to the point that she can beat up gangs by herself.

She is good at fighting but she is still a regular girl Towa’s voice actress: Matsumoto Sara

“Since Towa spent 10 years under Papa Souta and does not remember her real parents, I think she’s more of a Modern girl than a Feudal girl. The first audition tape I submitted, I really focused on her being the daughter of Sesshomaru and had her sounding completely boyish. However afterwards I was told “Sounds too much like a boy.” Based on that, I think I got it just right with sounding like a 14-year-old middle school girl who’s good at fighting. Also just like Mikako-san, I have played a role as Narita-san’s daughter in a different work. As of now, I’m curious to see if there will be any parent/child interactions from here on.”

Cycling in Feudal Lands!?

The figures of Towa and Setsuna riding a bicycle while Moroha follows after them reminds one of the scene that unfolded in “Inuyasha”. In episode 1, Towa was presented with Kagome’s bicycle seat at Ougigayatsu-Hiiragi mansion. Does that mean a bicycle will be a key item in “Yashahime”?

Round Table Discussion with the Cast of the 3 Girls

The 3 of them who grew up influenced by “Inuyasha”

Everyone, (speaking) purely as “Inuyasha” fans. First, please tell us your favorite character or episode from “Inuyasha”

Matsumoto: Once we start talking about “Inuyasha”, forget the interview time, we’re going be talking past midnight! (laughs) For me, my favorites were Miroku and Naraku.

Tadokoro: Miroku! He’s precocious!

Komatsu: You liked Naraku?!

Matsumoto: First, I was overwhelmed by Miroku’s adult sexiness. I loved that fraudulent part of him. You know how whenever the air got tense within the Inuyasha group, Miroku would chime in with “Now then” and the air would soften. I felt that that was really cool. Back then, I ended up drawing Miroku’s wind tunnel on my hand and copying him (laughs).

Komatsu and Tadokoro: I did that too~! (in unison)

Matsumoto: On the other end, I felt charmed by how Naraku was too evil. I thought “There’s someone this evil!”. I was shocked that even though he was originally human, as a result of getting all sorts of humans and demons involved, he became like that. I became completely enamored by the “true villain”.

Komatsu: If I were to speak in terms of Naraku’s faction, I loved Kagura.

Matsumoto and Tadokoro: Aah~ Kagura~! (in unison)

Komatsu: Naraku is an existence that became a demon from the negative aspects of humans such as tenacity and envy. Yet from that, Kagura in a sense was born with a human like heart and I felt that that was attractive. Her life was always in Naraku’s hands. In reality, she wanted to join Inuyasha’s side but she couldn’t. Even so she wanted to be free like the wind and ironically at the end, she became the wind by Naraku’s hand. Then, in her last moments when she met Sesshomaru she said “I got to see you”….!

Matsumoto and Tadokoro: Yeah~!!

Komatsu: Kagura was the only character on the enemy’s side that I liked. On Inuyasha’s side, I’d have to say I liked the Inuyasha and Kagome pair. “Inuyasha” had a romance element to it; for me it was both a shounen and shoujo manga and it was a work that was truly like a textbook on life. I did things like ask my parents to make the Japanese style room in our house “my room” and bought folding fans because I said “I want to become a wind user too!”

Tadokoro: Mine is mainstream but I liked Sesshomaru.

Matsumoto and Komatsu: Aah~ Lord Sesshomaru~!!

Komatsu: Well our Papa is too cool.

Tadokoro: I can’t go against that charm. He doesn’t say much but despite it all, he does look out for the others. At first, he kept going after Inuyasha in order to take his sword but in the end, he ended up helping Inuyasha grow right? Something like that (laughs).

Matsumoto: He’s too tsundere!

Tadokoro: Exactly! Rin obviously but despite everything, he does consider Jaken important. My favorite episode was the one where Rin gets taken into the underworld.

Matsumoto and Komatsu: I feel you!

Tadokoro: To think that that Sesshomaru would say “There’s nothing that could ever be worth trading Rin’s life for”… I think that was the moment everyone fell for Sesshomaru (laughs). Also Kohaku. He went through something extremely painful and continued to suffer for a long time so that makes him do unnecessary things. He tends to value his life poorly and because of that, there are a lot of scenes where he’s saved by others. At first I thought “Please stop”, however in the anime because of Yajima Akiko’s voice, I really felt “It’s not that he’s getting in everyone’s way, he just takes action because he’s tormented”. Yajima-san’s acting of Kohaku is what made me want to be become a voice actor so I have a lot of feelings this character. When I saw him become an adult in “Hanyou no Yashahime”, I had this feeling of “Thank you for choosing to live”.

There is no end to the “Inuyasha“ talk. Then please tell us your impression of “Hanyou no Yashahime”. Did all of you audition for all 3 girls?

Tadokoro: I only did Moroha for the tape audition but afterwards I did all 3 girls in the studio audition. It’s just that there’s the fact that I just did Moroha for the tape so I was interested in her the most. My very first impression was that I was moved when I saw that the child born from Inuyasha and Kagome was this girl, and I was so happy to see their child. She really looks like them and she’s so lively that I thought she would actually come to life. I arbitrarily thought “I wonder if she’s living a happy life?”.

Matsumoto: I only auditioned for Towa. From her appearance, I thought she was cool but before anything else I was so shocked at the idea of “Sesshomaru’s daughter” that I was at a complete loss. I was like “S-Sesshomaru had a d-daughter…?!” (laughs)

All: (Laughs)

Matsumoto: I ended up thinking “How did he give birth when he’s a guy?”

Komatsu: With Sesshomaru, I can certainly see him doing something like cutting off his hair and breathing life into by blowing on it (laughs).

Matsumoto: I can see that smoking up and turning into a baby (laughs). While Towa has a twin sister named Setsuna, there was that setting of Towa spent time in the modern era. I felt there was a lot of ground for thought like “What happened between her and Setsuna?” or “Do they have different personalities?”.

Komatsu: In my case, when I received the notice for the audition, I only saw the title “Hanyou no Yashahime” and thought “This is going to be a title like “Inuyasha”” (laughs). When I read the explanation it really had “a work that succeeds the world of “Inuyasha”” written on it so I was really surprised. Not only that but it had the catch phrase “Sesshomaru has a daughter” so I was like “That Sesshomaru!?”. In any case, I was completely surprised. For the audition, I only did Setsuna but upon seeing the documents, her facial features and the white fluff (moko moko) around her neck, I thought she really is the daughter of Sesshomaru. In the audition manuscript, there were a few lines that showed that she didn’t seem to really remember her father but her closed off aura gave me the sense of ‘like father, like daughter’.

As you got into acting your roles, have there been any changes from your first impression?

Komatsu: Each of their backbones are slowly being dug up but among them, there a lot of scenes where you can tell that Towa has been heavily influenced by the modern era from having lived there so long.

Matsumoto: Yes. There’s a contrast like when they’re confronted by a demon; Towa will pull back where as Setsuna and Moroha will go on the offensive. Also when Towa hesitates to make the final blow, the two of them scold her.

Komatsu: For Setsuna and Moroha, exterminating demons is a job but for Towa, she exterminates demons with the idea of saving others. Hence, due to the difference in their way of thinking, they butt heads but as the 3 of them spend more time together, their sense of comradery will gradually deepen… I feel my impression is slowly changing as the story progresses like how Setsuna surprisingly participates in the joke scenes and how they move as a 3 person team.

Tadokoro: With Moroha’s change, I was first directed with “It’s okay to make it sillier”. Actually, while she does act on her emotions like a child and she can be a little stupid, in battle she’ll give out directions like “Do this” and I think she’s good at assisting. Based on appearances, Towa and Setsuna seem like they would be better at combat but the fact that Moroha has a sharp mind is something that surprised me.

Matsumoto: My impression of Towa hasn’t really changed but I’m curious to see how Towa will adapt to the Feudal Era and how the 3 of them will work as one. Even when Towa returns to the Feudal Era, it’s not like she forgets the modern era and she will show things to Setsuna, Moroha, and Takechiyo like “In the modern era, we have something like this”. Towa doesn’t seem to find it hard to go from the modern era to the Feudal Era and when recording began, I once again thought “It’s like this afterall”.

Komatsu: … I think the way Towa closes the gap between herself and others is similar to “that person”.

Matsumoto: You just made a big statement like it was nothing!

Komatsu: I thought the way Towa concerns herself with Setsuna and Setsuna responding with “Shut up! Leave me alone!” was a relationship similar to that of their parents… If you look at Towa, I think you can figure out who the mother is.

Tadokoro: Definitely get an idea. Then how about the possibility of Jaken? (laughs)

Matsumoto: The ‘Jaken is the mother’ theory huh! (laughs) What makes me get emotional is when even though Setsuna pushes Towa away and goes on ahead, she’ll stop, look back, and watch Towa complain behind her. She’s just like her father when she does that!

Komatsu: I feel! She’s totally concerned about her.

Tadokoro: To Moroha, despite what Towa and Setsuna say to eachother, they’re pretty lovey-dovey so she feels a little “left out”.

All: (laughs)

Matsumoto: The other day when we were recording a preview, Azusa-san said to me “Towa really doesn’t call for Moroha does she.” When I thought about it, it’s true that there’s a lot of “Setsuna and I did this” sort of talk (laughs).

Tadokoro: Moroha’s there too~! (laughs)

Matsumoto: To Towa, Setsuna is very precious. Even though Setsuna and Moroha are veterans when it comes to surviving in the Feudal Era, Towa still wants to be an older sister to Setsuna. That aspect is pretty amusing.

That is definitely something to keep an eye on in future broadcasts. Now then, please tell us your thoughts on episode 1 that was broadcasted.

Komatsu: The story of “Inuyasha” since then was drawn so I don’t suppose fans felt as if they had “come home”? I think it was a first episode that was like “First of all, welcome back and welcome to a new world of Inuyasha!”

Tadokoro: It really is moving isn’t it… I was also really excited for the broadcast.

Matsumoto: All the more since during the recording, the different casts recorded their scenes separately, so we never got to watch the “Inuyasha” cast acting directly.

Komatsu: Also there were nostalgic scenes that were just as they were in the original anime which is something that got me excited.

Matsumoto: There were. From episode 2 onwards, there will be lingering remnants of demons that appeared in “Inuyasha”. When past scenes come in, I myself become moved like “There was a scene like that!”

Komatsu: Episode 2 in a sense is the first episode of “Hanyou no Yashahime”. The first enemy demon that appears is a little similar to the first demon that appeared in “Inuyasha” so I think that’s a point that will make fans happy.

Tadokoro: Also in the TV anime, demons that appeared in scenes in the original work will also appear as “Hanyou no Yashahime” versions. That also makes me emotional.

Episode 2 onwards will be exciting for production key points that strike “Inuyasha” fans. Even in this edition’s illustration (P. 36-37), connecting with the bicycle Kagome was always rode in “Inuyasha”, we have a bicycle and the 3 girls.

Matsumoto: My heart is skipping seeing Setsuna wrap her hands around Towa’s waist.

Komatsu: She’s really looking (at her)! (laughs) Within the work, Setsuna hasn’t opened up to Towa yet but I wonder how much time has passed for the gap between them to close like this?

Tadokoro: Setsuna’s completely riding like a “girlfriend”! Moroha’s been taken off the bicycle (laughs)

Komatsu: We need to attach a side car to the bicycle for her (laughs)

Do you have any situations that you want to see illustrations of from here on?

Komatsu: I want to see everyone in a school uniform!

Matsumoto: Yes! Please put Moroha in Kagome’s sailor uniform.

Tadokoro: Yeah, I definitely want to see her wear that! Going along that line, I want to see Towa and Setsuna dressed like Lord Sesshomaru.

Matsumoto: Each one dressed like their parents, I like that. Not just a sailor uniform for Moroha but also in a priestess’s attire too.

Tadokoro: She has black hair so I’m sure it will look good on her.

Matsumoto: Moroha and Setsuna normally have their hair tied back so I want to see them with their hair down.

Komatsu: A situation where the 3 of them are in a hot spring. There were scenes like that in “Inuyasha” where there were monkeys in the hot spring. (laugh)

Matsumoto: Me personally, I want to see Setsuna and Moroha fully dressed in modern clothes. Something like all 3 of them going to an amusement park.

Komatsu: I want to see them taking tests for school!

Q. What do you think will happen when Towa and Setsuna reunite with Sesshomaru?

Komatsu: First, what will they call Sesshomaru? Will they call him “Father”? To begin with, I’ve been curious as to if Sesshomaru was the one who named them.

Tadokoro: That’s true. Who did name them?

Komatsu: “Towa = Eternity” and “Setsuna = Moment” … What sort of meaning do these complete opposite names have?

Matsumoto: I feel Setsuna’s is more fleeting. The wild ideas (translators note: head cannons to put it in western terms) won’t stop.

Tadokoro: Kagome’s was too but the names tend to have an uneasy nuance implied about them. For Moroha, the words “Double edged sword” and “Fragile” can have a close resemblance. There was a meaning to Kagome’s name so I tend to think there’s also a meaning in Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha. Also, Moroha’s red clothes is the robe of the fire rat Inuyasha wore that apparently, she remodeled herself so I’m really curious about that. Is it by chance… a memento? I don’t want that~!!

Q. Among the 3 of you, who resembles their character the most?

Komatsu: Probably Towa (Matsumoto)? Her aura is similar to Towa in a gutsy, cheerful sense. It doesn’t feel like an “act” when she’s acting.

Tadokoro: Me too, my first thought was Towa. I thought they looked similar in appearances.

Matsumoto: That makes me so happy….! There are times where I feel I’m similar to Towa but I think everyone has something similar (to their characters). I feel like Azusa-san is mischievous and sparkling like Moroha and Komatsu-san has Setsuna’s cool beauty.

Komatsu: No, I have zero coolness within me (laughs). I think the rock essence that Koroazu (referring to Tadokoro) has during a concert performance is close to Moroha!

Tadokoro: That’s true, I try to bring out a wild flavor (laughs).

Episode 1 Play Back: Inuyasha Since Then

Inuyasha and Kagome exterminated Root Head with there superb combination (?)… or so it was thought, but in actuality, it entangled itself with the roots of the Sacred Tree/Tree of Ages deep within the earth. The still living Root Head extends its roots to the fates of Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha. And the true identity of Munehisa, who told the tale, comes to light as the demon Yotsume (the 4 eyed owl). Just what is he is something to keep an eye on from here on.

Inuyasha Moroha’s half-demon father. After winning the battle against Naraku, he chose to live together with Kagome in the Feudal Era. He also drove back Root Head combining his power with Kagome’s but…

Sesshomaru A greater demon who is Towa and Setsuna’s father. While Inuyasha was fighting Root Head, he did not lend a hand but rather he quietly watched over Sango’s house where Rin was taking refuge.

#hanyo no yashahime #yashahime: princess half-demon #Yashahime #translation

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tricewithaz · 3 years

Text

THOTS ON SHADOW AND BONE

Hello everyone! it is I, Trice, and i come with my thoughts on the Shadow and Bone show cause ive got many

I'm gonna divide this in what i liked, what i disliked, and what i think could have been better but didn't really bother me. Feel free to send your opinions too!

As a whole, I really liked the show and I think it's a great adaptation that both fans and newcomers will enjoy. It's super well done! and every episode had me glued to the tv even though I knew what was going to happen.

Beware this is long

To start,

What i liked

Mal and Alina

I never really liked Mal in the books, mainly cause he had like, nothing going on for him, and not having his pov made him no favors whatsoever. Alina's perception of him was everychanging, two factors that didn't make him unlikeable necessarily, but that made me not want to read about him. In the show he's way more likeable and even though he still doesn't have a lot going on for him, you can see that he's always trying to protect alina, and you also see a bit of his demeanor through Archie's acting. I think he made a great job at portraying him. And Alina! Alina who in the books was essentially a y/n sort of character (although she did get better over time), her character, likes, dislikes, her DRIVE was incredibly portrayed in the show. Also Jessie (loml, marry me) and Archie have incredible chemistry together and they sold their yearning SO WELL (and so did the kid actors portraying them as children oh my GOD)...yall...i cried when they held hands. My favourite scene was definitely when Alina took care of Mal's wounds (a favorite trope of mine). And the HURT in their eyes whenever they thought the other was in danger....i saw the show dubbed but I'm sure their voices made it beyond incredible as well, their face acting was just on. point. Overall the show rEALLY makes me root for them both individually and together which is something the books didn't manage to do.

The Darkling

AAAAA i really enjoyed the Darkling omg, incredible charisma, Ben does such a great job (and so did his voice actor in Spanish oh my GOD). His acting was just as I imagined it in the books and i loved how he could be as sweet and mysterious as he could be menacing. In fact! i liked him more than i did in the book, and i think it was a great choice to make him more human. I'm not sure if this was Ben or the writing, but i could really see his yearning for an equal, for Alina, his loneliness and his thirst for power and control too. Great love interest, even greater villain. And his wardrobe was phenomenal. I also really liked how they implied that The Darkling was a name given by other people, it was very believable that people would call someone who literally controls shade something akin to "son of the dark" or something of the sort, instead of it being a name he gives himself or his job title (both if which are incredibly pathetic and cringy to think about).

Jesper

No comments. He was just great. I love Kit.

Nina

Omg Danielle did SUCH a great job at portraying Nina, it's exactly how i imagined her in Six of Crows.

Helnik

THE. YEARNING. THE. CHEMISTRY. I didn't love their scenes at the boat but once that was over I was practically screaming at the screen to jUST KISS ALREADY. Calahan and Daniell have such good chemistry together and the few changes they made only served the story better. I did wish they had development over more time cause Matthias' change of mind felt too quick, but i get why they had to rush. Because of how good their chemistry was, their fallout also was incredibly painful.

Inej's fear of the Menagerie and her morals

Amita's portrayal of Inej's hurt, devotion and her refusal to kill (and later hurt cause she has killed) is incredibly subtle but so SO effective. She's so talented really and truly sold Inej's feelings throughout the show.

VFX

Man.....the fold, the volcra, the grisha powers.....kudos to the animators and overall artistic team cause they were incredible. Also seeing the different title animations in each episode was such a tiny detail that made me so excited and they all looked so good.

Ketterdam

Again, kudos to the artistic team, everything about Ketterdam felt so alive (and weirdly moist), truly sold a kind of aesthetic and life that is so characteristic if the Barrel, even when i didn't imagine it that way in the books.

David

He appeared like, twice, and both times were so cute and charming I can't wait to see more of him both on his own and with Genya.

The Wardrobe

So, at first i hated the keftas. I thought the looked tacky and costume, but when you see them on screen they're just perfect (although i have to say the patterns on some of the keftas were kind of...cheap looking? and the training keftas were just kinda boring. My favourite was the Darkling's. Aside from that, i really liked Kaz's and inej's clothes too. Very distinctive and recognizable (although it was kind of weird seeing Inej in teal instead of purple lmao).

And the queen's dresses. Chefs kiss.

It's...so cheesy (affectionate)

The whole show felt like the kind of movies I would watch as a kid like Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. The writing was stylized enough to make it incredibly dramatic and overall there was just so much heart behind all of it. Definetely a show to watch again and again and feel all of it, cause that's what it being so cheesy managed, to make me actually feel for it. It feels like something to watch on a rainy afternoon after a bad day....it's great okay i really enjoyed it, even (specially) the most unbelievable parts of it. And here's the thing, it's something that i think a lot of newer tv and film have lost, so this is good.

What i didn't like

Zoya

Mostly cause of the writing. Originally, in the first book, i didn't like her, neither as a character (stereotypical mean girl with no other motivation than to bang the love interests....all three of them....what's new i still think it's an incredibly sexist trope) or a person (hey at least this was intentional), but over time i grew to LOVE her (mean girl turns out to have a good heart and actually respects the mc and decides to fight alongside her cause it's what's right, without necessarily liking her or giving up her character??? AND she has strong motivations??? now THAT'S new). In the show, i hoped they would keep her mean girl nature while foreshadowing her depth, but all they did was turn her into a petty seductress with barely any screentime, and that only makes her not even a bad antagonist but just a boring character to watch. Not only that but they took away a big part of her character that needed to be developed in the next books. I wanted to watch her rivalry with Alina, her unjustified venomous tongue too, I wanted to be entertained by her and I wasn't. This was also a problem cause when she finally changed teams, and when she hugged Alina, it was incredibly unsatisfying, it would have had a way stronger effect if we had seen her being Ruthless Zoya with a big ambition. I also didn't like how we were told that she didn't like alina, or that she had a family, instead of it being shown on screen. Just from the show, all i can tell you about her is that she likes to bang people and she has a good moral code i guess. Yall, I'm so petty about this.

Kaz

So, I didn't hate him, in fact i think I would have enjoyed him if I hadn't read the books first, cause the two things that bother me about him were two essential characteristics of him in the books. FIrstly, he seems so strained, instead of the seemingly laid back, almost chill looking (even though we know he's not chill at all) Kaz we see in the books, the Kaz that always knows something that you don't. Show Kaz doesn't seem to always be in control, to always have the last word, the last laugh. Instead he seems strained, all the damn time. And I think this is mainly a writing and directing issue. And he also seems weak, something Book Kaz would never do. This is also an issue cause because he doesn't have the same presence he has in the books, the times where he is weak, don't seem as effective. Sure, Pekka Rollins has essentially reduced him and humiliated him, but I haven't seen enough of Kaz being actually dangerous for this to be shocking and for Pekka to seem even more hateable (and, i really liked Pekka, loved him as an antagonist more than i did in the books). Idk, Kaz was so charismatic and just fun and engaging to read in the books that his portrayal in the show felt lacking.

Alina's power's VFX

The little suns were cute and all but the light coming from within her was just ugly I'm sorry.

SFX

A lot of the sound design was just too stylized for the tone of the show i think. I particularly remember the sound of Mal's punches....what's that about.

What i think could have been better, but didn't particularly dislike

The Crows' storyline

And i think part of this is a consequence of Kaz not being as witty as he was in the books. Where's the incredibly complicated heist moves? the even more unbelievable C and D plans when something goes wrong? I didn't like that them getting Alina was essentially just luck, cause i didn't see enough of them being smart and quick on their feet. I also think it was unnecessary to have their storyline mixed with Alina's, i would have enjoyed watching a different heist, maybe in Ravka as well, and them incidentally crossing paths with Alina, more than i liked this storyline. ironically enough, the heist was the part i was least interested in

Genya and Alina

I just feel like her relationship with Alina wasn't strong enough, and i think it's because the show tried to make us believe they were much closer than they were without spending the necessary time in them.

Overall, I really really enjoyed the show, i will be watching it again (particularly cause i want to watch it in English) and i cannot wait for the second season omg (although i have to say, I'm scared for Nikolai)

I think that's all! I would also love to read yall's opinions and have a conversation.

#Shadow and Bone #Shadow and Bone spoilers #sab #sab spoilers #grishaverse #the grisha trilogy #six of crows #malina #helnik #shadow and bone series #sab review

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yayninjabob · 3 years

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Hi, I loved your story “Villain.” The characterization of everyone was really great, especially for Buttercup’s transformation into Joey. You feel bad for them, but you also feel for their family.

As for episodes in the classic series that show the girls darker sides, I didn’t have a problem with “A Very Special Blossom.” She had sympathetic motivations, and everyone understood where she was coming for in the end. However, she still got a fair punishment.

“Bubblevicious” was a good episode, but Bubbles got off way too easily for her crimes, in my opinion.

I wish Buttercup’s motivations in “Moral Decay” had been a bit more sympathetic than “I want to earn money by knocking out teeth just because,” but I do understand that the writers were trying to go for the greed addiction metaphor. While a lot of us in the fandom complain about her descent into villainy feeling contrived and OOC in “Moral Decay,” I think most of us could have accepted her getting punished for her crimes by having her teeth knocked out by every villain in the city, if the writers hadn’t chosen to involve Blossom and Bubbles in the set up, had them enjoy it, then made even Professor Utonium come across as being very uncharacteristically indifferent in regards to one of his daughters being hurt as comeuppance for her crimes, and then framed that as “okay.” Are we supposed to believe he knows what Blossom and Bubbles did to Buttercup, and he’s okay with that? It’s just entirely OOC for him, even if Buttercup is the low-key black sheep of the family, and Buttercup’s a character with superpowers, living in a cartoon with over-the top physical violence that they generally endure and fully recover from very quickly 99.9% of the time.

It’s not entirely clear if Blossom and Bubbles revealed to Professor that THEY were involved in the set up of Buttercup’s downfall at the end of “Moral Decay,” but they apparently told him about what she did shortly before that beat down they lured her into from the villains because he found her stash of coins. The fact that he doesn’t seem more concerned about Buttercup’s downfall, though, and Blossom and Bubbles aren’t punished implies unfortunate things, though, none of which are within his character.

I also just find it baffling that Professor Utonium wouldn’t feel at least partially guilty for Buttercup’s crimes and ultimate downfall since she had to have been doing this for at least 7-10 days behind their backs in “Moral Decay,” and he failed to notice what was happening before it was too late and she got hurt.

If the writers of “Moral Decay” had gone for the same resolution of Buttercup getting her teeth knocked out as comeuppance for her crimes by all the villains in the city in a cruel twist of fate without involving either of her sisters in the set up, then had the two of them and Professor Utonium still being understandably angry and disappointed in her for her crimes, but also sorry that she got hurt, I think fans would have felt a lot less pissed off. I know Buttercup’s always sort of been the low-key black sheep of the family, but it had never felt like her family hated her either. At the end of “Moral Decay,” it felt like she was hated, and that’s what made most fans feel pissed off. Yeah, Buttercup’s relationships with her sisters and her dad weren’t perfect, but it had never felt like she was this horribly abused, mistreated, neglected, or unloved child by her family either. I think “Moral Decay” gave off some unfortunate implications to fans that she kind of was in that episode at least, and I can’t totally disagree with them.

Yeah, Buttercup deserved punishment for her crimes, but I don’t think it was necessary to drag the entire Utonium family’s good reputation through the mud in “Moral Decay” to do it either.

Yo, I'm gonna be honest and admit that I quite like the episode "Moral Decay" haha.

You're not wrong though and I have seen this episode criticized by lots of fans that point out what you mention, so you're definitely not alone in that opinion. I guess I am just old school and I grew up with cartoons that were often just randomly OOC, over the top and the world would magically reset after some insane episodes- but personally it isn't a negative for me. I enjoy when shows- cartoons especially- don't take themself too seriously. I appreciate the "how far can we take this" approach- and if not in cartoons then where else is it appropriate to push the boundaries? Probably a little better done in the episode Down n Dirty but I still enjoy the episode for what it is.

Lazy or bad writing is different and I just don't think MD is an episode with lazy or bad writing. It's not my most favorite episode but I definitely get my lols from it haha and there are definitely worse episodes in the series. As a kid I would yank my own teeth out the moment I felt them going lose eager to get that tooth fairy cash once I realized it was a thing and so I personally enjoy that that sorta childhood phase was shown in this episode. Personally I always like episodes that show the puffs going through kid stuff but with the fun twist of having superpowers. Is it over the top? Yeah. Totally. But that montage with Buttercup knocking Bubbles at every turn gets a laugh from me every time haha- just the visual of Buttercup's slow reach while Bubbles is coloring before slamming her head onto the table- hilarious to me. I'm sorry haha but it gets me every time. 😅

Buttercup's treatment as "the black sheep" comes up elsewhere in the series and not just this episode. All of which lend to the inspiration for my fic "Villain" for sure. I am glad to hear you enjoy the story and that you feel the sympathy equally for Buttercup/Joey and their family. It definitely is an aim of mine to avoid portraying just one side as totally good or totally bad- Well... Except of course HIM haha. He's straight up evil.

Thanks for reading! And thanks so much for the ask and for sharing your thoughts! It is definitely fun to delve a little deeper into these episodes sometimes. :D

#ppg #villainr #asks #moral decay #buttercup #thank you!

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monstermaster13 · 1 year

Text

Name: My name is perfectly clear to grasp, it's Dan..and I am one of Nathan's alter-ego.

Species: Were-Aykroyd. It's a well known fact there's lots of me.

Age: N/A. I am practically ageless, so I don't have to worry about people asking me about m age, age is but a number to me.

Theme Song: Soul Man, Sweetest Perfection.

Personality: I am a complex creature, sometimes I can be your best friend if you treat me right but if you don't I can be your worst nightmare, I am socially awkward and adorkable but extremely savy when it comes to horror, I was a character actor at the Mystic Museum Camp Horror attraction and as such played the character of a video store clerk, that in turn helped make me skilled at being a killer when I play a villain. I also act as a 'spirit guide' for Nathan so to speak ,we share a body and he turns into me.

Likes: I take after Dan Aykroyd so I am a paranormal fanatic, but also I love Aykroyd himself..papa Aykroyd is sacred and anyone who doesn't like him will be getting a word from me and my brothers, I also have a fascination for horror movies due to my profession, expect to see me at Spirit Halloween sometime this year once it opens back up.

Dislikes: If anyone hurts my friends or my fellow Aykroyd characters who are also my brothers (you can hurt Frohmyer if you like, nobody likes him, pure evil incarnate), they'll be meeting my wrath, also if you dislike a celebrity out of adjacent hatred or the like I am going to make sure you will have nightmares on me, and also if you dislike Dan Aykroyd or disapprove of him or anything about him (you won't last long, but hey..if I like you I might spare you and make you part of the group).

Love interest: I cannot say.

Friends: Mel, Eucalyptus, Nathan, Matthias/Werebelushi In The Shades.

Biggest pet peeve: Never question the almighty papa Aykroyd in front of me, I am just going

to make sure you won't be here any more...or at least not as yourself, trust me, and anyone who harms Nathan shall face my wrath too. Also never call me a 'freak', yes i'm weird..everyone is, I am me, we're all weird, and I am the king. I am also heavily against brainwashing and/forced mind control, what I do with my brothers is different and is actually more of a bonding thing.

Powers: Enhanced intelligence, possession, inhuman strength, Aykroyd transformation..I can take over people's bodies by possessing them like in Casper or Michael Jackson's Ghosts and they become like me, of course not all Were-Aykroyds are the same, I am also gifted at mimicking other people's voices too and forms too.

Best friend: Nathan...I consider him my other half. I can communicate with him telepathically and through dreams and visions. Also anyone who is a fan of Dan Aykroyd is a friend of mine, and anyone who loves the adventures my brothers and I do is welcome as well.

Pet: Don't have any yet.

Favorite movie: Name a Dan Aykroyd movie, any Aykroyd movie. But also I developed a mutual love of 80's horror movies and I found my muse in the form of David Lynch and David Cronenberg, let's just say the latter has given me quite a few 'ideas' of my own (it helps I always look up the Body Horror section of tvtropes, they give me some wonderfully wicked ideas),

Favorite Anime: Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh, Star Wars: Visions, Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Jojo's Bizarre Advneture, Devilman Crybaby, Digimon, Castlevania. I got into Jojo thanks to Nathan explaining how the vampires in that universe worked and how the Stands work so I made myself a counterpart.

Family: Elwood Blues, Ellis Fielding, Tom Everett, Passenger (Twilight Zone the movie), Julius Jenson, Dr Keats, Captain Milligan, Ray Stantz, Ray Zalinski, Darren 'Mother' Roscow, Harry Sultenfuss, Austin Milbarge, J.P Valkenheiser, Vic Zeck, Yortuk Festrunk, Roman Craig, Sgt Tree, Grocer, Steven Mils, Louis Winthorpe III (Carl Featherbottom was very honored by Louis dressing as him that one time). Vic has the most beautiful eyes, he's the one with the hypnosis powers and the one who taught me.

Enemy: Vic Frohmyer. Not only is that Christmas obsessed jerk a control freak when it comes to Christmas but also he really wants to get his hands on that cursed screen-play that Eucalyptus has, mainly because he knows it's the secret to the 'Aykroyd-verse' so to speak but also because whoever reads it is turned into a Were-Aykroyd (of course he'd want that to make a Dark Were-Aykroyd army nonetheless), hence why it's my job to make sure it's safe in the hands of the right forces.

Tidbit: Despite being akin to werecreature lore, my kind borrows aspects from vampire movies and vampire lore too and also ghosts and demons. And the transformations aren't full moon trigger based either which is a common stereotype of werecreature transformation, true Nathan turns into me sometimes at night but he also transforms into me when it's dark in general, or sometimes when I feel like helping him. I aim to help him, I aim to be a hero and look up to crimefighters.

Favorite Hobby: I love to perform and sing, i've been told i've got quite the voice.

Favorite video game: Mortal Kombat X, Resident Evil: Village (If the cadou mold could be contained somehow and I could use it in combination with some of my Aykroydian DNA it would make me more effective), Dead by Daylight (I have a variant of myself who is a killer in that universe as does Nathan). While it would make sense for me to be a survivor due to my knowledge of horror tropes, I feel killer suits me more in that universe.

Favorite food: Hard to say...too many favorites.

Favorite Attractions: Weta Workshop Unleashed, London Dungeons, Mystic Museum.

Favorite color: A mixture...it could be hard to pick just one.

Favorite book: Let's just say reading HP Lovecraft's work inspired me and I got inspired by R.L Stine and Stephen King too, in fact a lot.

Favorite TV show: Grimm, Cloverfield Lane, X Files, Twin Peaks, Teen Wolf, Big Wolf On Campus, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, SNL, Tales From The Crypt, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Haunting Hour, Creeped Out, Soul Man (no, not the blackface movie or the sitcom with Cedric, the shortlived Aykroyd sitcom), Goosebumps.

#OC Bio #Monstermaster13 #Dan Aykroyd #Were-Aykroyd bio

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askaceattorney · 3 years

Text

Dear 91teivos,

Mod Vera: Thanks! Everyone in the world is going through some kind of existential crisis, so it made sense for the AA characters to join the party! (And since it was another follower who gave us the idea, we might just keep that idea in the think that after all...)

Dear dawsongfg,

Mod Vera: No need to apologize! We like to space out letters from specific people a little, but we’ll answer as many as we can!

(Referenced Letter)

Dear Bluedragoncody,

Co-Mod: Don’t worry. I doubt they’ll have much luck against the Ace Attorney crew, even without the Proto Badger. They have the ultimate weapon against despair in their arsenal, after all.

...They’re doomed, aren’t they?

I can’t make any promises, but if I ever gain enough skill in the art of animation (which has been a dream of mine for a long time, it turns out), I’ll keep that idea in mind.

Dear skibot99,

Mod Vera: Probably Tumblr bein’ weird. (What else is new?)

Dear sheeeesh,

Mod Vera: Mods get brought on as needed, as you can see with the arrival of Mod Edgeworth! Also, DGS2 is one of the few AA titles I’ve never played, but rest assured. Where there’s a letter, there’s a Mod who can answer it!

Mod Edgeworth: To add to Mod Vera, even if you weren’t accepted during any mod applications, that doesn’t mean you have lost all chances. I applied early January and lost to Mod Vera. Regardless, Co-Mod informed me that, even though I was rejected, he saw my potential and kept me in mind for if I was ever needed. Now, here I am.

Just because you get rejected, that doesn’t mean it’s game over. Show that you have potential and make yourself known by sending letters to us. That is what I did, after being rejected. I made myself known to the mods by sending letters. We do read them and they tell us how much you know the characters and games of AA more than any application. Of course, you must also follow the guidelines. That just goes without saying.

Co-Mod: I think my actual words were something like “Don’t tell anyone, but you were my second choice.” But yeah, what they said is true -- becoming a Mod here, like many things, may or may not happen to you, but you can definitely increase your chances by waiting patiently and demonstrating your potential.

As for DGS2 letters, I’m afraid those are still off-limits unless you know of a way to play or watch the game in its entirety, translated into English. I guess I could check to see if the Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 channel finished translating...

(Translation: Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! ...D-Don’t tell me?!)

...Okay, looks like I have some watching to do. Don’t know how I missed that.

So, uh... That part in bold was what I was going to say. Now that both games are finally getting an official English version, all I can say is, hang tight!

(Previous Post)

Dear Inferno again,

Co-Mod: Yeah, I agree. I was just joking around. For anyone who didn’t catch it, that was a reference to Sbemail #108.

The event’s technically over, but we’ll answer the rest of the April Fools’ Day letters when they reach the bottom of the queue. I’m as eager to see Trucy’s reaction to the news (after the stunned silence) as anyone else, after all.

(Video in Letter -- Strong Language Warning)

Dear Ella,

Mod Edgeworth:

I can’t see the first link and....

How did you find this masterpiece and where can I play this game?

Co-Mod: We don’t check for direct messages on Tumblr, if that’s what you’re referring to, so it wouldn’t have made any difference anyway. You can always send links in your letters, of course.

(Previous Post)

Dear Inferno,

Mod Edgeworth: That mad lad would be me and thank you.

I like to put my heart and effort when answering these letters. With this one, I figured you wanted to see Trucy in costume, so I just searched up an image on Google for the Ancient One’s costume, a sprite of Trucy and a bald head to put on her. The rest I photoshopped on GIMP.

We’re still going through letters from January. Hopefully we will get the rest of yours soon enough.

Mod Edgeworth: Thank you very much. Your support and the others’ support that have liked, commented and reblogged it mean a lot. As you have stated, a majority of the fandom seem to consider him the worst. I’d like to think it’s because how AA had created this villain of a character to be universally hated was pure genius. Not even the Phantom gets this much hate… and that’s saying something.

Unfortunately, I’d like to keep my real identity outside this blog a secret. I write a lot of letters here and I don’t want to break the spell for anyone. Think of it like a Disney theme park. The cast that play the characters will never admit their true identities, outside of family and close friends, to prevent the experience from being ruined. I want to do the same as a Mod. I don’t want to break the spell of writing to your favorite AA characters. This blog had helped me through my tough times and I want to help everyone else as a mod.

However, I will answer your letters and, if you post anything on your account, a mysterious friend I know may linger and give you a like ;)

(Previous Letter)

Dear Ali S. Fakenamington,

Co-Mod: Beautifully so.

(Previous Letter)

Dear Sinyove,

Mod Edgeworth: That letter was made in 2012 before AA5 and AA6, which was WAY before I became a part of the AA fandom. I’m certain a lot of us were not here when this letter was made, except maybe Co-Mod, but you’ll have to speak with him about this. I will say that the mod that answered this is no longer working here... I think. At the very least, I haven’t heard from him.

That being said, AA4 or Apollo Justice was the first AA game I’ve ever played. Despite all of the hate I saw towards that game, I still loved it regardless. Though, having not played the trilogy, playing the tutorial of AJ was a pain in the ass. I remember going to YouTube to find out how to beat it, because it was so hard. I also played it on PC.

I do see where The Mod was coming from. Had the two sequel games never existed, Apollo Justice would have more holes than my brothers’ socks. My only critique is that Phoenix wasn’t any better either with having Mia babysitting him during almost every trial AND investigations. Hell, Phoenix needed Mia to know how to talk to a kid, talk to a perverted old man, almost gave up in most of his trials in the first game and never conducted a trial without Mia until Turnabout Goodbyes when Maya literally couldn’t summon her. For the most part, Apollo was doing fine on his own without Phoenix, with only Trucy assisting him for the two middle trials, only almost giving up once and Phoenix having assisted him during times when Apollo was not in a normal situation (like when the criminal turned out to be his own co-council/mentor or when he had to lead a trial that included the Jury System). That’s more than Phoenix ever did on his own in the first two games and I think Apollo deserves more credit than he got in that letter in my opinion.

For me, Apollo Justice is one of those games you either like or you hate. I love it for what it is. My least favorite AA game would have to be Ace Attorney Investigations, the first game. The second one is my absolute favorite.

Co-Mod: Sadly, I haven’t seen or heard from the Mod in a while, so it may be time for us to declare him MIA again.

Erm... Sorry, poor choice of words.

I’m fairly certain I wasn’t around 5 years long ago, but I have to say, Capcom did a great job of making Apollo and his story more interesting over time. He may not be Phoenix, but he certainly carried his legacy forward pretty well, both as an attorney and as an Ace Attorney protagonist.

Now, WHAT ABOUT ATHENA ALREADY!?

Dear BDC,

Co-Mod: It fits like a glove, if you ask me...although it also kind of reminds me of 101 Dalmatians. And thanks for that bit of info! I never get tired of watching people enjoying the fun dialogue and plot twists of Ace Attorney, so I might have to look him up.

I’m not sure I feel the same about watching Dahlia’s voice actress, though. I’m sure she’s a nice person and all, but the thought of hearing that voice for so long... *shudder*

(Previous Letter)

Dear dawsongfg again,

Co-Mod: I wasn’t trying to say that natural deaths can’t happen in the Ace Attorney universe, just that most deaths aren’t what they seem. I knew right away that Archie Buff’s death was no accident, for one thing. Waaaaay too much of a coincidence, know what I mean?

-The Mods

#91teivos #dawsongfg #bluedragoncody #ajanisapprentice #skibot99 #sheeeesh #Ella #moonlitgraffiti #Ali S. Fakenamington #sinyove #Mod Post #Mod Vera #Co Mod #Mod Edgeworth

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recentanimenews · 3 years

Text

FEATURE: Meet the Stars of Princess Connect Re:Dive

Going into Princess Connect! Re:Dive, I knew little about it other than the fact that it was an adaptation of a mobile game. That didn’t bode well; my experiences with video game adaptations have been less than positive.

Imagine my surprise, then, when it turned out to be hilarious. When a pair of ridiculous-looking wolves started dragging off our protagonist, I completely lost it. I found myself constantly laughing at the KONOSUBA-esque humor — it was only much later that I’d learn that Princess Connect and KONOSUBA shared the same director. It was also well-animated and delivered some impressive-looking action scenes and spell effects.

At the end of the day, however, this is a comedy anime through and through. And comedy anime live and die on the basis of their voice acting. Unsurprising, then, that Princess Connect features an all-star voice cast, with the actors from the mobile game reprising their roles in the anime. Let’s take a look at some of the talented voice actors that bring the characters of Princess Connect, both the game and the anime, to life.

Pecorine (M·A·O)

Mao Ichimichi, also known as M·A·O, is probably better known for her non-anime roles — she started off her career in tokusatsu (live-action often with heavy special effects), most notably playing Luka Millfy in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. She later ventured into anime voice acting. She voices the cheerful and energetic (and perpetually hungry) Pecorine in Princess Connect. She has also voiced Iris in Fire Force, Luluco in Space Patrol Luluco, Hondomachi in ID:Invaded, Vorona in Durarara, Bela in Bem, and Remi Ayasaki in the currently-airing Horimiya.

Kokkoro (Miku Ito)

This isn’t the first time Miku Ito has played a character named Kokoro, having played the character of the same name in the BanG Dream! franchise. Her most well-known role is probably that of her own namesake: Miku from The Quintessential Quintuplets. Her other roles include Shimamura from Adachi and Shimamura, Ann Akagi from Action Heroine Cheer Fruits (in which she starred alongside fellow Princess Connect actor M·A·O), and Nana Mifune in Gleipnir.

Karyl (Rika Tachibana)

Rika Tachibana has an extensive voice acting career in video games, featuring in such titles as Granblue Fantasy, Magia Record, The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, Street Fighter V, and of course Princess Connect, where she plays Karyl. Tachibana’s anime voice acting roles include Sae Kobayakawa from The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, Reiko from Shomin Sample, Naruse from The Island of Giant Insects — in which she starred alongside ... you guessed it ... M·A·O — and African Wild Dog from Kemono Friends.

Yuuki (Atsushi Abe)

Our main protagonist Yuuki may not say much, but Atsushi Abe manages to make whatever little he says absolutely hilarious. Abe garnered widespread recognition for his role as Touma Kamijou in A Certain Magical Index and its spinoffs. His other roles include Moritaka Mashiro in Bakuman, Koichi Sakakibara in Another, Takashi in B Gata H Kei, Akiyuki in Xam’d: Lost Memories, Soya in Planet With, Inojin Yamanaka in Boruto, and Sougo in IDOLISH7.

Kaiser Insight (Shouta Aoi)

It is not uncommon for female voice actors to voice male roles, especially younger characters. But male voice actors voicing female roles? Extremely rare. Shouta Aoi’s unique, “angelic” voice allows him to do so, with him voicing main Princess Connect villain Kaiser Insight. Aoi is better known as a singer, but he made his voice acting breakthrough as Ai Mikaze in Uta no Prince-sama. Since then, he has voiced Hideaki Tojo in Ace of the Diamond, Licht in The Royal Tutor, and will voice Subaru in the upcoming adaptation of Tokyo Babylon.

Maho (Maaya Uchida)

Maho is considered by the other Princess Connect characters to be slightly delusional, so of course she is voiced by Maaya Uchida, best-known as the voice of out-of-touch characters like Rikka from Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions and Ranko Kanzaki from The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. Her non-delusional roles include Yoshioka from Blue Spring Ride, Norman from The Promised Neverland, Yuki Yoshino from Food Wars, and Catarina Claes from My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom.

Miyako (Sora Amamiya)

I mentioned earlier how Princess Connect feels incredibly KONOSUBA-esque, both in its setting and its sense of humor. Makes perfect sense, then, for it to feature the voice of Sora Amamiya, known for voicing “useless” goddess Aqua from KONOSUBA. Amamiya’s other notable roles include Elizabeth from The Seven Deadly Sins, Touka from Tokyo Ghoul, Akame from Akame ga Kill, Kaori from One Week Friends, Isla from Plastic Memories, and Asseylum from Aldnoah.Zero.

Hiyori (Nao Toyama)

Nao Toyama played her first major role as Kanon Nakagawa in The World God Only Knows, which kickstarted her music career. Many people also know her as Yui Yuigahama in My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, or Chitoge Kirisaki in Nisekoi. However, the role for which I personally recognise her the most is as the quiet Rin Shima in Laid-Back Camp. Other major roles include Karen in KINMOZA!, Ruka in Rent-a-Girlfriend, and Nozomi in Sound! Euphonium.

Suzume (Aoi Yuki)

Aoi Yuki has been earning plaudits this season for her energetic portrayal of the titular spider in So I’m a Spider, So What? Yuki has had many significant voice roles over the years, including Madoka from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Tanya in Saga of Tanya the Evil, Froppy in My Hero Academia, Tamaki in Fire Force, Diane in The Seven Deadly Sins, and Mami in Rent-a-Girlfriend.

Rei (Saori Hayami)

Saori Hayami is one of the most in-demand voice actors of recent times. She is known for portraying Yukino Yukinoshita in My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, and received considerable praise for her performance as Shoko Nishimiya in A Silent Voice. Her other notable roles include Shirayuki in Snow White with the Red Hair, Shinobu in Demon Slayer, Tsuruko in AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Yumeko Jabami in Kakegurui, and Himawari in Boruto.

Jun (Ayako Kawasumi)

Jun is a classic knight in metal armor. And who better to voice a knight than Ayako Kawasumi, best known as the voice of Saber in various installments of the Fate franchise. Kawasumi is also a talented pianist, which explains her role as Nodame in Nodame Cantabile. Some of her other major roles include Fuu in Samurai Champloo, Erina Pendleton in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Alice in Pandora Hearts, Melfina in Outlaw Star, Natsuki in Initial D, and Lafiel in Crest of the Stars.

Io (Shizuka Ito)

Shizuka Ito won a “Best Actress in Supporting Roles” award at the 10th Seiyuu Awards for her performances as Meiko Shiraki in Prison School and Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon Crystal. Some of her other major performances are as Himawari in xxxHolic, Ran in Texhnolyze, Kaori Kanzaki in A Certain Magical Index, Boota and Darry in Gurren Lagann, Yayoi in Psycho-Pass, Rei Hasekura in Maria Watches Over Us, and Hinagiku in Hayate the Combat Butler.

Yui (Risa Taneda)

Risa Taneda is undoubtedly best known for her roles as Erina Nakiri in Food Wars and Kaori Miyazono in Your Lie in April. But to me, she will always be Saki from Shin Sekai Yori, where she delivered an excellent performance spanning many ages, and performed the first ending song too. Taneda’s other significant roles include Rize in Is the Order a Rabbit?, Mirai in Beyond the Boundary, Yukina in Strike the Blood, Ai Mizuno in Zombie Land Saga, Xenovia in High School DxD, and Yukari in YUYUSHIKI.

Labyrista (Miyuki Sawashiro)

Miyuki Sawashiro is one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. She first came to prominence as the voice of Puchiko in Di Gi Charat; she famously reprised the role in the English dub of Leave it to Piyoko, becoming the first anime voice actor to voice the same character in both sub and dub. A few of Sawashiro’s other major roles include Kurapika in Hunter x Hunter, Celty Sturluson in Durarara, Bishamon in Noragami, Fujiko Mine in recent installments of Lupin the Third, and Kanbaru in the Monogatari series.

Aoi (Kana Hanazawa)

Kana Hanazawa needs no introduction, being one of the most popular voice actors of our times. She rose to popularity as Nadeko in Bakemonogatari and its sequels, performing the iconic opening song “Renai Circulation.” Some of her other anime roles include Akane from Psycho-Pass, Mayuri from Steins;Gate, Angel from Angel Beats, Kosaki Onodera from Nisekoi, Hinata Kawamoto from March Comes in Like a Lion, Kuroneko from Oreimo, and Ichika from The Quintessential Quintuplets.

Who is your favorite Princess Connect voice actor? Let us know in the comments!

By: Manas B. Sharma

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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insertsexualitypun · 4 years

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Some things I want from Legacies S3

This is going to be all over the place and pretty long. This’ll start with the general storyline things, then get down into smaller character arcs and whatnot. I’ll try to keep it somewhat organized and grouped by character but I make no promises. Also if you wanna talk about any of these feel free to dm! I’m incredibly bored in quarantine and would love to chat

- An introduction of a greater storyline past Malivore and moving away from the monster of the week thing. I know Legacies is supposed to be something different from TVD and TO, and the monster of the week concept is an interesting way to explore the universe past what we already knew, but with the premise as it exists and has been carried out now, it’s hard to develop the characters and relationships. If the characters are fighting new things every week, that makes it hard to give characters like MG and Kaleb their own stories. With a villain to anchor the season as the Big Bad, we can get characters that haven’t been given much of their own storyline a way to get more screentime as they go try and find someone or something with answers.

- GIVE HOPE HER OWN STORYLINE PAST BEING THE HERO/MARTYR AND BEING IN LOVE WITH LANDON. Hope is supposed to be the main character but this doesn’t feel like her story. As awesome as it is seeing Hope be a badass and fight monsters, I want more development from her as a person.

- Kind of ties back into the last one, but let Hope have more Dark moments like the Death Spell incident. Moments that show that while she isn’t just another Klaus, she still shares some of his tendencies towards violence and lashing out. This could work really well if they decide to keep Landon out of the picture for a few episodes.

- Let Hope and Landon break up amicably (assuming Landon isn’t really dead which let’s be real he probably isn’t) so that, again, they can grow as people. Then, if you want, they can get back together. Or just stay broken up and be friends

- A resolution to the Necromancer - he’s a fun character and while I think he’d be fun to have around for a bit, I don’t think he’s an anchoring villain for a season. Plus to me I kinda figured that they were gonna wrap up his storyline in the last 3 episodes that they didn’t get to film before the production shutdown so chances are we’re getting this anyway.

- Either bring back Ethan, Maya and Mac more prominently, or don’t bring them back at all. Don’t get me wrong, I like the town normies storyline when it comes up, but it doesn’t come up much. Apparently, they were supposed to be in the last 3 episodes more but who knows. With the show already feeling kinda crowded (because again, the format of the show now doesn’t really allow for a ton of characters since they aren’t significantly developing, especially when these characters are in a setting completely removed from the main action of the show’s narrative), either have the normies for more than just getting caught in a magical crossfire, or put them to the side and focus on who you have at the school.

- The TVDU has progressed past the need for Alaric. That’s all I’ll say.

- The show being a little more self aware at the ridiculousness of it all. Like yeah, it’s not completely without that, but the last thing we need is the show devolving into a Riverdale, where the first season was aware of the ridiculous nature of itself, and then it started to take itself way too seriously.

- MORE LGBTQ+ REP. The show has done fairly well thus far compared to other CW shows but there’s still so much than can be done. The show doesn’t need to have show-stopping coming out storylines or anything - it’s actually the opposite. We get the casual drop of Josie having dated Penelope in the first episode of the show which was great. So let’s have more simple stuff like that. More mentions at crushes and other past romances - for all characters - that just allow for other sexualities to be normalized and not some earth shattering thing.

- This ties into the last one but I felt like it deserved its own bullet, but also what is V NEEDED is rep of trans, genderfluid and non-binary characters. Again, it doesn’t have to be a huge storyline, but it’d be nice to have some recurring characters who are not cis. The show is meant to be set in a near future, so I think it’d be nice to show a normalized view on differing gender expression and sexuality as sort of a hope that such a future will exist.

- Hope loving beignets, eating/wanting to eat them all the time, and getting powdered sugar all over her dark clothes from them. Chances are, if you’re from/have been to NOLA, you’ve tried beignets and loved them because they’re amazing. SO LET HOPE HAVE HER BEIGNETS DAMN IT.

- More Wolf Hope moments. Let her turn more and just run because it let’s her feel more connected to Hayley :’( also the Crescent birth mark if that was ever a thing for Hope... I can’t remember, I’ve seen different things about it, lmk (politely) if that was ever a thing that Hope had

- Hope painting and sketching. It’s one of the few connections she still has with Klaus, SO LET HER EXPRESS HERSELF DAMN IT. (Yes, any time I say SO in all caps I need to end the sentence with DAMN IT, it’s a Thing now)

- MIKAELSON FAMILY MENTIONS AND APPEARANCES. Granted this one is different because there are real life schedules and whatnot that need to align, but even just more mentions of Mikaelson family members and others like Vincent would be nice. Yeah we’ve had some in the past, but it would still be nice to get some more. Also at least a mention of Rebekah and Kol checking in on Hope (assuming the writers aren’t going to pull something dumb like ‘oh the memory spell doesn’t work long distance like that so they still don’t remember her’)

- Hope also talking more about Hayley, Elijah, and Klaus. Again, feeling connected to her mom every time she’s a wolf. Always and forever, like Elijah always said. Telling stories about her father that put him in a better light than just being “The Great Evil” of storybooks.

- Hope being open with her friends about her past and how TERRIBLE it was a lot of the time like, y’know, people trying to kill her before she was even BORN.

- I’ve said this before in a separate post (which I’ll link at some point so expect an edit to this post) but I’d love for something to happen and for Hope to leave the school and go to NOLA and stay with Freya, Keelin and Nik because she’s tired of having to be the savior and still not saving everyone. (Also in that post it says Alaric comes and gets her and brings her back to the Salvatore School but we’ve progressed past the need for him in the TVDU so instead it’ll be the twins)

- Hizzie moments because whether you like them as romantically or just as friends, they are a DUO and we deserve more iconic sarcasm as well as genuine moments of friendship and caring

- Lizzie being the absolute Queen of Comedy

- But more importantly, Lizzie being more open about her issues and taking steps to have better mental health.

- Lizzie and MG having more open conversations and letting a relationship develop naturally - yes there has been a lot of development since season 1 but I feel like they both have a bit of growth to go before they should enter a relationship, if that’s something that happens

- Lizzie being happily single for a bit and not going for a guy that’s going to try and turn her into a vamp and keep her in a prison world

- MG and Kaleb getting proper storylines or at least more play than just being the Local Vampires who help depending on the situation. They deserve WAY more than that

- ALSO MG and Kaleb backstories. How did they die and how did they get vampire blood in their system to keep them from dying permanently?

- Josie dealing with what happened pre and post Dark Josie and facing that she has always had some darkness in her. Yeah the dark magic definitely didn’t help, but she was willing to perform a spell that she didn’t know on a human over a football game and ended up breaking his arm. Not to mention, she was setting Penelope on fire as early as the first episode. It seems like we’re getting this since Josie locked away her magic in the last episode, but still, I don’t want this to just be a one episode reflection and then move on like she didn’t cause a lot of harm.

- More Hosie crumbs

- More Jade. OK admittedly this is probably really due to the fact that Giorgia Whigham is a Big Crush for me, but also the show really did start integrating her in a bit more with the black and white episode, which makes me think they’re keeping her around at least for a little bit. And I think she and Josie dating at least for a little while would be good for both of them. Jade was a ripper for 10 years in the prison world, and Josie was just consumed by dark magic and is now coming back from that. I think they’re a good (probably short-term) pairing that will help each other grow, but eventually break up because they just aren’t it for each other. And I saw this elsewhere on here, but someone pointed out that Jade could do what Penelope tried to do, but in a healthier way. Yes, Penelope was trying to put Josie first and show her her power and importance, but there’s a way to do that without gaslighting her sister and being manipulative. Sorry, I did not mean for this one to be so long.

- More Specialty episodes. The black and white episode was really fun in my opinion, and the show doesn’t have to be like that all the time, but stuff like that keeps the show interesting, as long as it makes sense within the context of the episode and storyline.

- Josie wearing the necklace Hope gave her

- I haven’t mentioned Rafael much and that’s because, despite being a main character, he hasn’t really done much besides run away with Landon, and feel guilty about having a crush on Hope. He’s personally not a favorite character of mine, but I think if he got more of a storyline - likely revolving around the fact that he was dead and being used as a pawn, as well as the fact that he possibly (but probably didn’t) kill Landon - it’d help give more to like about him.

- Caroline having a better reason for being away from the school than just researching the Merge. Like, her daughters have been fighting monsters, Josie almost died at the end of season 1, they were trapped in a prison world, Josie succumbed to Dark Magic, THEY LITERALLY HAD A MERGE EVENT and she’s still gone??? That’s not the Caroline we know. If she’s going to be gone (because like I said before, it all depends on Candice’s availability and willingness to come back), at least come up with something different than researching something her daughters have already done by this point.

- Since Landon’s not dead, let him unlock his full Phoenix powers. It’d be cool.

- Let’s have one season where Landon doesn’t run away like we don’t all know that he’s gonna be back within like 2 episodes if that

- More Dorian. I actually really like his character, he’s kind of a breath of fresh air sometimes so I’d like more scenes with him when possible

- A conclusion to Malivore and intro of a new villain. I kinda covered this earlier, but at this point, unless Malivore is going to become a tangible entity to fight instead of some black goo, it’s not a very interesting story thread to keep around for the next however many seasons Legacies goes on for.

Whew.

Ok, that’s all I can think of, but feel free to reblog and add more if there’s other stuff you’d like to see!

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uwua3 · 4 years

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hi hello yes i love your blog sm !! your writing makes me feel so soft 😔💞💞💞💞 sometimes i even reread my favorites~ (like your tenma and tsumu hcs, so cute i love💘) may i please request friends to lovers hcs of sakuya with someone that loves acting as much as him? thank you so much for giving us top tier content and don’t stop being adorable!!!!💕💕

thank you so much TT you’re sooo cute 💗💘💖💞💕💓💝 i’m so happy you have favorites of mine :O + i love saku so much 🥺🥺🥺 this request makes me super duper happy!!! thank you :D you’re so adorable, anon~ ♡

summary: acting was rebirth for you, and sakuya remained the same despite living hundreds of lives

warnings: abandonment issues, giving up on your dreams

author’s note: the trope for this is moreso past friends > lovers! i adjusted the prompt so that the reader was someone who struggled with their dream of acting and was being held back, similar to izumi/tsumugi! please enjoy this, and know it is okay to give up—it takes strength to do so.

growing up, i feared failure to the point where i gave up on every single one of my passions. now, i don’t have any strong passions, so this type of reader truly healed a part of childhood me. for those who also quit and now have nothing, you’re not late. you’re perfectly on time, this is your life and it’s your decision to find what you love. you don’t need a dream now, you aren’t less than because you don’t have passion. as long as you’re happy, why should a dream matter?

word count: 4,741

music: fallin’ flower – seventeen (the instrumental of this song is what it’d feel like for sakuya in the last scene!), together – seventeen

bloom together (rebirth).

🌸🌷 sakuma sakuya

every actor’s first rebirth is on stage

it’s when the spotlight belongs to you, where all eyes are on you but you’re someone else tonight. you can be anyone you want, the same face but a new name that gives you life

you are reborn again and again as multiple versions extended as an actor, until the clapping takes you back to the stage and you’re taking a bow as yourself

it’s reincarnation, it’s becoming a new person just for a hour for the audience but training months behind the scenes. you’re reborn

yet, you’ve always been you. ever the same, unchanging, just... you

it was closing night of romeo & julius that you wanted to become someone else, just for a moment

a buzzer sounded but the start of the highly anticipated play was a creak. the main lead stepped onto stage and the wooden floorboard creaked, and it was the start of what you thought was the best performance of his life

romeo was living his dream, you could see that even towards the back row. you hung onto every carefully practiced line that he managed to convey naturally, every subtle and grand gesture that aligned with his period–accurate costume, every shift in the actor—no, romeo’s expression upon facing other protagonists and villains alike

it was the blooming of one of the most passionate actors ever to grace the mankai stage

you become one with the standing ovation, tears running down your face as a part of you regrets your own fear. that could’ve been you on stage, performing for hundreds as you take in the applause with a smile. but, you gave up—you never tried to begin with

when romeo bowed, you wished you were beside him. if only you didn’t give up, if only you were as determined as he was

you walked home slowly, as if your own steps wanted to trace back their path to the theatre. you wanted it—the sleepless nights memorizing a well–written script and scribbling notes in the margins, the adrenaline rushing in your veins right before the curtain parted, costume fittings and seeing them come alive in the mirror because it was made for you and you alone

but, did you deserve it after all these years?

your face was stained by the remanence of crying towards the climax of romeo & julius. you were on the edge of your seat the entire time, flinching during the sword fight and mourning alongside the heavy emotions weighing down the atmostphere of the theatre

yet, you felt like that wasn’t the only reason you tried muffling your cries as you roughly wiped the onslaught of tears away, letting out a tired, pitiful mock laugh at your own state. how pathetic, you were crying just like back then

before you left him—oh, you were back at mankai theatre

you blinked at the sign above the double doors, knowing the show was long done now. the poster advertisements were still tacked and framed onto the brick wall. he was the center of it all, swinging his weapon with the precision of a trained knight. the letters of the actor’s name blurred in your vision when you read it

of course, it was him. you knew romeo very well

you don’t know why, but you pushed open the doors and discovered it wasn’t locked. the low quiet excitement that made the air feel like electricity was gone, and all that was left was nothing but the stage. the staff must’ve been gone, most likely celebrating their first closing night for many years to come

you stood at the edge of the entrance, and the stage at the end of the aisle. for some reason, it was as if you knew this theatre like the back of your hand, you reached out to flip a switch on without looking. the circular side floor lights illuminated the pathway, as if you were meant to follow it

who were you to argue with fate? you walked down the aisle, split center between once filled rows. there wasn’t a single opening in sight before, but now, it was empty. you took your time running your hand over the top edges of the seats, feeling the red lush velvet beneath your fingertips

you stopped by the stairs at the bottom of the stage, leading up to place you longed to be ever since you met him. tilting your head back, you released a shaky breath; hesitant, nervous, undeserving

could you let yourself do this, even if it was just once?

when you carefully made your way up, the stage creaked underneath your foot as you stepped on. center stage and all that stood was you, pretending the heat of the spotlight shined upon your frame and an audience was witness to your rebirth

you remembered it, your monologue you had wrote many years ago. you straightened your back, about to deliver the only performance of your life before you heard a voice that spoke just mere hours before

your eyes snapped open, turning your head down towards the direction of the voice and stopped. it was romeo—no, sakuya, at the base of the stage out of costume with his lips forming the shape of your name. he remembered? of course he did, it was so like him to do that

silence passed, as if he was speechless by your presence. sakuya stumbled back when you attempted to say his name, his immediate reaction was to run away. but then, he shook his head, standing his ground as he looked up at you with confusion and disbelief, like you weren’t really there

“why are you here?” sakuya trailed off, unable to form coherent thoughts as you sighed, moving to sit at the edge of the stage. sakuya took a few steps back, staring at you wide–eyed before rubbing his eyes and looking again

“i saw your play, romeo.” you simply said, swinging your legs back and forth with a nonchalant look at nothing in particular despite how nervous you were. it was strange, you never felt this way before around him

it had been years since you last saw sakuya, and he looked grown up now. much older, and more confident in who he was. any other time, he probably would’ve been gone by now. now, it looked like he wasn’t leaving without answers with determination in his eyes

“you’re still the best actor i know.” you admitted honestly, knowing you could never lie around sakuya no matter how hard you tried. there was something about sakuya that made you want to reveal your heart to him

“thank you, that really means a lot to me!” sakuya smiled, lighting up the whole room before he paused, as if he realized you weren’t supposed to be here

“but, when did you come back?” he asked, subconsciously inching closer as you shrugged, refusing to look him in the eye. you knew if you did, you’d come back to the stage all over again

“a while ago.” a moment of hesitation was apparent in sakuya’s halted steps, before he pushed himself up to sit next to you. he was taller now, too (you were always the taller of the two back then)

“you... you should’ve contacted me! i would’ve helped you,” sakuya cleared his throat, adjusting his hoodie collar with a blush as he looked away. “you know, with moving and settling in.”

you knew what he meant, though. you knew that he desperately wanted to ask why you stopped being friends and contacting with him in the first place. you couldn’t bring yourself to answer him, even if he deserved to know why

because you’re living my dream, and i’m too sorry to step into the spotlight with you

you nodded, about to make up another excuse before his hand fell upon yours. his hands were even bigger, with callouses around the base of his fingers and small marks upon his palm. sword practice, he’d laugh about later

“you should’ve talked to me.” sakuya repeated, his head turned towards you as you stare back at him with nervousness. when did he get so close? your legs were practically touching at this point, the warmth from his hand was burning you like he was the sun. sakuya was too bright, you might go blind

“i’m...” pride caught your tongue, making you swallow the long overdue apology you knew sakuya deserved. sorry for never trying to pursue theatre, sorry for making baseless promises of being there for him, sorry for giving up on every passion you’ve ever had because you were too afraid of the possibility of failure. you had too much to be sorry for

you just shook your head and landed on your feet with a thud, about to take your leave and never intending to return again. it was a mistake to pretend like the stage was yours, even for a moment. you promised yourself you’d never talk to sakuya again, but you had a habit of breaking your promises

“wait!” sakuya followed your lead and caught you by the wrist. he was quicker now, too, with a firm, but not unkind, edge to his voice. it was clear; he wasn’t letting you go, but he still respected you as a person after all these years apart. in a way, you were proud of how far he had come even if meant you had to deal with the confrontation

silence, again. you could only hear the slightly audible pant of his breath from how nervous he was. could he feel the beat of your heart from where he was? his hold loosened, but his fingers still kept you close as you looked over your shoulder at him. you couldn’t believe it, you had to look up to fully see his smiling face

sakuya opened his mouth, about to say something before he just pulled you in close for a hug. you nearly tripped into his arms as he rested his chin on your head, giving you a hug just like before. but this time, for some reason, it felt intimate

his arms were wrapped around your waist, moving to rest his cheek on the top of your head as sakuya sighed, like he always wanted to be here again

“i missed you.” sakuya whispered, afraid to break the moment when you tensed up. slowly. you reached up to hug him back as you let your head fall onto his chest. his heartbeat matched the pace of yours, he was just as scared to be here

you gripped onto his hoodie and nodded, not willing yourself to disturb the comfortable silence. any other day, you would’ve told him you did, too, but it felt too personal now to say

sakuya pulled away first before dropping into a low bow with his hand over his heart. his eyes were closed and his voice was loud and clear in the empty auditorium

“so please! don’t leave again, i’ll work hard to give you a reason to stay!” sakuya proclaimed, his truth being presented in front of you as you watched him with wide eyes before settling on a small smile, forcing him to stand back up with a hand on his shoulder

(it wasn’t his fault you had given up on theatre, you didn’t quit because of him, but you didn’t say anything)

“you’ve always done your best, i’m proud of you.” you honestly said and sakuya’s smile lit up the whole room. you knew he was born for the stage the moment he smiled at you

before you two left, you turned to glance at the stage one more time before leaving. maybe, one day, you’d gain the strength sakuya has to be there again

(sakuya returned to the party with an awkward lie no one bothered questioning, claiming he just had to go see a friend after checking to see if the theatre was locked. “it definitely was!”)

(were you guys friends? could he call you a friend after you left? sakuya tossed and turned in bed, before huffing and staring up at the ceiling with his arms crossed over his chest)

(sakuya always saw you as a friend no matter what, but it felt different this time)

you were sakuya’s classmate throughout his childhood. yet, you were always out of reach, in the better upperclassmen classes and had grown up, cool friends. it wasn’t until you two saw the pirate play together and the fire alarm was pulled that he became friends with you

your paths crossed that day and would continue overlapping until you disappeared like the spring sakura, like all the years together were just two weeks before never coming back. sakuya didn’t know what happened, all he saw was an empty school desk before his start at hanasaki academy

(“do you promise to be friends forever?” sakuya asked and you immediately looped your pinky around his, both young and under the falling cherry blossoms with no worries for the future. “i promise to be your friend and your co–star!”)

for the first time in a while, sakuya dreamt of that fateful spring afternoon at recess and woke up wanting to see you again

you found yourself back at the mankai theatre, but this time, with an invitation. it looked different during the daytime. the sun illuminated the old, chipped edges of the building’s sign and age had worn down the place. yet, you still loved it, standing in front of the doors with a fragment of your past dream

you could see it now. standing upon the stage with your name in lights outside for veludo way to see. the costume perfectly fitting your measurements and becoming one with your intent, the rapt attention of the audience upon you as you become another person and deliver your lines with raw emotion, the instant shock to plot twists and the genuine reactions to crucial turning points. you wanted it—

you heard your name again. you turned to see sakuya was sprinting down the sidewalk, slowing down to a reasonable pace as he tried to maintain his breathing in front of you. he skidded to a stop, in his usual pink flannel and spring hoodie, with his bright grin directed at you

but this time, with two drinks in hand?

“i’m so sorry i’m late! i got caught up choosing between some vending machine options, but here you go!” sakuya cheerfully passed you a carton as he let out a hesitant laugh, carefully observing your blank reaction to the sudden gift

“um... do you not like it? i just thought, it was still your favorite...” sakuya coughed, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing at the sheen of sweat already. you didn’t respond for a moment, before glancing at his drink of choice

“you still like that? you really haven’t changed.” you offhandedly commented, ruffling his hair in the process and smiling back. sakuya took in the way you praised him and smiled even bigger. he pressed the bottle to his forehead as a way to cool down absentmindedly as you stuck your straw in the carton

“i’m surprised you didn’t forget, it’s been a while since i had one of these.” you mentioned as sakuya spluttered in disbelief, like that was the biggest joke you ever told

“of course i didn’t! you were my—” sakuya started but abruptly cut himself off, instead uncapping his vending machine drink and taking a swig. you didn’t press the matter further, just tilted your head for a moment before nodding slowly

“you know, i would’ve waited, sakuya. you didn’t have to run.” you reprimanded, your natural older sibling instinct to take care of him coming through. you waited for him to continue but he said nothing

you looked towards him and sakuya was staring at the ground beneath his shoes. he fidgeted with his bottle, a habit he had when he was unsure, before he very quietly said something. you would’ve missed it if you weren’t listening, his words were carried by the spring wind

“i... i was afraid if i was late, you’d leave me again.”

silence. you suddenly understood why sakuya put all his time and effort just to get your favorite childhood drink at the rundown vending machine across town. why he forced himself to run past his limits just to barely make it on time with the same smile as always

sakuya was scared you’d abandon him once again, just like everyone else he loved

you took a moment to take a deep breath in, before stepping towards him and stopping a foot away. when sakuya looked for you nervously, he met your kind eyes and gentle smile as you held your pinky out

“i promised i’d see you again today, right?”

(you promised you wouldn’t leave either, sakuya bitterly thought before shaking his head. there was no reason to think like that anymore)

sakuya nodded as if to convince himself before shaking your pinky again, just like the good old days

you both knew there were conversations that still needed to be discussed but for now, as sakuya unlocked the door and led you towards the stage, they were better left unsaid

from then on, you and sakuya’s friendship bloomed again on the mankai stage

you became a part of sakuya’s life again, like before you left your hometown and moved to a neighborhood far away

you didn’t dream of the stage lights and sold out shows you fantasized about with sakuya in veludo way, you stopped reciting lines to your mirror with a creased script clutched tightly in your hand, you refused to even let yourself think about costume design sketches and unfinished docs left open on your computer

but now, here you were, doing all the things you promised yourself you wouldn’t do again. you became somewhat apart of stage crew, learning how to handle the lights and how to adjust them to the moving actors after pretending not to be interested. you helped sakuya with his lines during every practice by being his counterpart and working together to form the foundation of his best performance every time. you picked fabrics that fit the costumes the best and helped the fashion gang set up. you even helped mankai’s local playwright brainstorm at ungodly hours

you had grown up with a love for theatre ever since the pirate play fire alarm fiasco with sakuya and ever since then, you desperately wished to be on stage. yet, fear held you back. you couldn’t be in front of everyone without shaking and running off. you flubbed your rehearsals no matter how hard you tried and you couldn’t deal with the competition

it was like every inherent part of your own self was holding you back from your true dream to be on stage

so back in middle school, when you realized sakuya truly was serious about devoting the rest of his life to his one true passion with no consideration of the high probability of failure, you knew you had to leave before you told him you couldn’t do it anymore

you left him and sakuya lost his best friend

but, he wasn’t angry with you. sakuya didn’t react in hasty frustration and blame you, it encouraged him to work even harder to be the best actor he could be. he wanted to take over every stage, be every role, just so he could perform for you one day and win you back

he wanted to prove to you that the dream you both shared was still worth living

you became involved with the backstage behind the scenes operations of the theatre industry alongside the director, your passion for acting coming back after endless encouragement and support from sakuya

(when you first met spring troupe, they had heard about you and were wary of how you left sakuya. he had never said anything bad about you, but they all knew enough to piece together what happened)

(it wasn’t until sakuya was doing a short improv scene. he stuttered and smiled fondly when he made eye contact with you, not caring about his obvious mistake, just wanting to see if you were happy. that’s when they realized how much he liked you and accepted you back into his life)

years of suppressed dreams came back as you attended hanasaki with sakuya, spending every waking moment discussing theatre and helping each other with homework. you balanced acting with school alongside your best friend again, but there was still a part of you that was unsatisfied

would you truly never let yourself be on stage with your best friend ever again?

although everything was better than back to normal, it was still different. sakuya was older, taller than you now, and wasn’t the little brother you protected. now, it was like he was your knight in shining armor, doing everything to make sure you were safe like a true hero

you ignored the butterflies in your stomach and the heat of the blush on your face, blaming it on the spring season and the flower pollen. it couldn’t be—of course, optimistic and cheerful sakuya grew up to be the same, just physically more mature than his kid self

maybe that’s what was distracting you backstage, when you became lost in his performance and missed your cues for props. he wasn’t a kid in your eyes anymore, and you knew that

returning to sakuya’s life meant becoming apart of theatre, your love for acting even stronger. but also, your love for sakuya growing day by day

it was a normal day, where you two were walking home from a long day of school. sakuya was rambling about something like a leader’s meeting at 9, but you couldn’t focus. you were very aware of how your fingers kept brushing his

(you wanted to reach out yourself and hold his hand, but what if you were always his older sibling in his head?)

suddenly, you nearly bumped into sakuya when he stood in front of you, leaning down so he was eye–level with you. his concerned eyes were observing your red face, resting his hand against your forehead with a frown

“are you sick? you’ve been overworking yourself at mankai, lately. i hope you’re okay! let’s go—” sakuya comforted, about to pull away before you gripped the collar of his uniform, not letting him go any further

“i like you.”

murmurs spread across veludo way. a small crowd gathered as they caught sight of the pair, whispering about how it must’ve been a street act

you suddenly knew what you had to. you were you, you were in love with your best friend, this was it

“i like you so much, that i want to see you acting on stage everytime. i don’t care if i’m backstage every show, i want to watch you bloom.” you confessed, holding on tighter to his dress shirt as he revealed a hint of surprise in his face. like a professional actor, sakuya shifted to an effortlessly impressive smile as he lowered his palm to yours, running his thumb over your hand

“i like you, too.” sakuya replied cooly, leaning down to give you a kiss on the forehead as you froze. was he serious? did he truly like you back as well? this couldn’t be real—

the crowd applauded at the short but heartfelt performance as sakuya moved to stand up straight, bowing slightly with a thanks towards the audience. you were motionless, fingers ghosting over your forehead with a blank stare

it was all, an act?

sakuya turned towards you, his usual grin back as he ruffled your hair this time. he looked shocked, but not thrown off when he laughed at your surprised expression

“i knew you were such a good actor after all this time! i almost believed it!” sakuya said, walking ahead of you as he continued openly praising you

when he looked over his shoulder, he smiled and you noticed the way the cherry blossoms fluttered around him. he was so radiant that the sun beamed at his presence

sakuya thought your confession was a street act, of course he wouldn’t see you as anything else except his best friend

when sakuya came back to the dorms with a brief description of why he was late for practice, the whole company wasn’t shocked, but disappointed

(“they actually like you! why would they do a street act if they’re not an actor?!”)

(sakuya stopped and widened his eyes. he slapped his hands over his mouth before running to his bedroom in embarrassment. did you actually like him?!)

(sakuya came out half a hour later with new determination in his eyes as he declared he had a plan and needed everyone’s help)

next day, you came into the theatre to set up for dress rehearsal before you realized it was oddly quiet backstage. the hoards of people in the back were gone and it was like the whole place was abandoned. you checked the time, you were early, maybe that’s why

when you peeked behind the curtain, no one was on stage either. you walked out without a second thought, looking to see if there was a notice of some kind

then, you felt it. the heat of the spotlight upon your frame. it belonged to you, you felt a set of eyes upon you as a creak of a floorboard alerted you to the other wing of the stage

sakuya—no, romeo, was standing there with his sword put in his hilt with a swift movement. it had been nearly a year or so since his closing night as romeo, the costume was tighter the more he grew. but, he was just as youthful and valiant as ever as he stepped towards you

before you could ask him what was going on, romeo dropped into a bow with his arm across his chest. in his other hand, was a rose

“i, romeo montague, have fallen in love with you!” romeo declared boldly, even if his hand was slightly shaking around the flower. you stood silent, watching him before romeo stood back up, placing his hand over his heart with the most sincerity you’ve ever seen from him

“when you left, you left as a friend but you return as the love of my life.” sakuya recited, clearly rewriting the lines the night before as he became flustered over his own sentiment. you could hear a set of strings being played in the background as the lighting focused on you two, everything else unimportant to the scene

“i want to be on stage with you! i want to bloom with you, i want to be with you forever as long as you’ll have me.” romeo confessed, the truth spilling from his heart as he got down on one knee. his hand was over his rapidly beating heart, and one hand outstretched still with the rose

“i like you, i love you. please, accept this rose if you feel the same.” sakuya let his guard down, becoming less of romeo but more of him as he looked at you with a bright smile. that was your best friend of many years, just older now

had you always liked him? was this love?

then, you realized: you loved sakuya the way you loved theatre. your love for him may have been pushed aside when you left, but eventually, it came back because it was meant to be. your dream wasn’t just to act with him, it was to love him until your last breath. you love sakuya the way he loves acting

you took the rose, the tears brimming at your eyes from the confession, and smiled. you were your favorite character: yourself, because sakuya liked you

“i like you, too.”

like the first night you met him again on the same stage, sakuya pulled you into a hug as he embraced you. his cheek upon your head and arms around your waist, he leaned back and almost came in for the closing kiss...

before a bunch of overexcited, teasing troupe members busted in from backstage and surrounded the new, happy couple with congratulations and more hugs!

on that stage, you found a new dream: to love sakuya behind the stage, where you were happy

you were reborn, happier and chasing your dreams with the love of your life

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