#i wonder if they originally planned much more for this arc but had to cut it for some reason

[mandorinart]

sonic IDW 61 spoilers in the tags

#gotta agree with the general opinion ive been seeing that this past arc was quite disappointing #there were too many ideas being tossed around that couldnt fit into the pacing #the premise could have easily been as dire as say the stakes in frontiers for example #but the dire problems that arose were solved with 1-2 panels and made it seem like “oh jk we're good now” #ie. sonic got trapped in that warp trap but was freed like literally a page later i think #ive seen others point out the discontinuity of shadow using chaos control after getting overworked by the fake gems #he really pulled the I AM THE ULTIMATE PROTAGONIST buff to make it work huh #i think this arc should have been as long as the metal virus arc to really capture everything they wanted to do with it #instead we got unfinished/half-baked character “growth” from everyone #i wonder if they originally planned much more for this arc but had to cut it for some reason #it feels choppy in the way that the ending of frontiers was choppy like things were obviously removed last-minute #ranting in tags bc my thoughts are not organized enough to write a proper post lol #im glad this arc is over tho cus tbh i think IDW comics should focus on plotlines that dont “feel” like they belong in the mainline games #this arc was ambitious and suffered bc of lack of audience interaction which could be filled in by gameplay #the comics get their audience interaction from exploring character strengths and weaknesses #anyway yeah. glad this arc is over. looking forward to the new arcs #mandokusai

[sabh0]

What's your opinion on the anime? I find it pretty funny, but I can't say that I am not disappointed to see so many scenes missing.

For exemple, I wanted to see Dazai cry laugh at Chuuya's young mistress act, show that it was a joke shared by both of them, rather than one made to us at the expense of Chuuya. They took a genuinely funny moment and made me cringe SO hard for no reason T^T

God i could go on for hours about how Bones ruined this series. I'm obviously thankful we have an anime adaptation but. Well just compare bsd anime to jjk one or smth and yeah.

I will be complaining more under the cut,,

First the overall writing choices:

-Deleting or changing skk scenes to the point im not even shocked when ppl think these two actually somehow hate each other.

-The way they portrayed Sigma. They deleted half of his personality and backstory. And just speedrunned the Sky Casino arc like if seeing that place was giving them nightmares. No wonder he gets mischaracterized now.

-Tachihara's internal conflict about belonging to either Port Mafia or The Hunting Dogs? Bones never heard about it. It's not like IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PLOT POINT.

-Akutagawa's whole character in the anime is just 'edgy and angry and bad grr'. In the manga he had some 'kind' or even seelf-reflection moments that were ommited in the anime. Like where he realizes defeating Atsushi didn't satisfy him (ship fight, season 1). Or when he gives files about the orphanage Director to Atsushi and says he won't fight him today because he lost someone impirtant to him. Sskk vs Fukuchi fight?? No scene where Sskk r helping each other walk. Instead we get Akutagwa just pushing Atsushi away. Won't even start on that last smile that looked more like another angry expression.

-THE WAY THEY CHANGED "DAZAI'S ENTRANCE EXAM" INTO SOME CURRENT TIMELINE EPISODES. IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY LIKE. THIS NOVEL WAS SO GOOD. Showing both Dazai and Kunikida's characters and partnership so well. But no. Let's just??? Put Atsushi there. Let's delete the fact this thing happened 2 years ago. And let's delete everything that was actually important about it, too.

-also some changes in the Dark Era arc. Like. Lord. Dazai is so much more emotional in the novel. His expressions r described so well. But the anime either shows him from the back at those moments (him finding out Oda was almost killed by a sniper in Ango's room) or just deletes/changes the thing (Oda dying. This scene is so emotional in the novel. From the description u can tell Dazai was crying/on the verge of it as Odasaku died. But in the anime he looks calm and then we get a far aeay frame and he just. Gets up and that's it yeah.) They also deleted the scene of him visiting Oda's grave.

-The way they rushed seasons 4 and 5. Just to give us an episode that goes further than the manga and has the shittiest writing ever when it comes to skk's plan revelation (im so angry about this u guys have no idea. I sincerely believe that if this episode never came out, the manga would go differently bc there's no way that Asagiri who wrote things like Stormbringer suddenly thought that some dollar store vampire make up will fool a guy who's centuries old and literally lived next to vampires. But well!! Seems like these two speeches Dazai gave weren't important at all and now we can just forget about them yippiee)

I could definitely mention WAYY more examples of that but this is already long af. Like guys. I know u cant fit everything in an animated show. It takes time to make it and all but. Bro. The character's in the anime r so shallow compared to their original versions.

.

Now onto the artstyle of the anime.

Lord. U know? It was actually pretty in the first 2 seasons. The official arts at the time were also really nice to look at.

No idea what happened later. Why did Bones suddenly decide that those ugly turtle smiles r gonna become the main thing in the character design. Why so many fisheyes. Atp sometimes i look at the official art and i go oh lord even i could fix it. It really feels like they draw some characters ugly on purpose now (Chuuya being the main victim for unknown reasons).

Tho i must say they have their moments even now. Some last episodes of season 5 weren't really bad, especially the Meursault part (love them for animating Dazai and Sigma dancing so well. And for that 101 animation. And maybe for the heartattack they gave me with 109 and Chuuya shooting Dazai so many times.)

.

On some other things, i really like the music! Bsd openings and endings never miss,,,

#sab q&a #tumblr crashed when i was half into writing that and i had to start from the beginning again but it's no longer as detailed bc >:( #my relationship with bones looks like that: i would like to see stormbringer animated but im actually scared of seeing it animated #not because its sad but because there r very high chances that Bones will completely ruin it too #if u want me to talk solely about the manga vs anime skk then yeah just tell me i can do that too muah #sab yapping

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

I noticed that your older fics tend to lean towards dom eddie/ sub buck while the more recent ones are switch buddie (which I love) so I was wondering if something in the show made you see/interpretate the characters differently or if your own writing preferences changed or if I'm reading way too much into everything

You're not reading too much into it and I'm honestly pleased and flattered that you paid enough attention to my writing to notice!

Yes, as the show has gone on, and we've learned more about the characters, I've come to the conclusion that Buddie would be more switches. I think it's natural that as you learn more about the characters that you shift how you write them - in my earliest fics for example I had the headcanon that Eddie would have had some (young inexperienced and fumbling) experiences with men, and that he'd be more into casual sex. Now I headcanon based on his behavior that he's more demisexual and wouldn't have really any sexual experience besides Shannon because of that need for emotional connection. I originally thought Buck would realize his feelings first, but given how season five went and then Eddie's reactions to Buck in season six I'm now of the opinion that Eddie realized his feelings a while ago and has been ignoring them while Buck, bless him, is fucking oblivious.

Anyway those are just two examples of how as a show goes on and you learn more about a character you shift your headcanons and perceptions about them. So yes! I've shifted in my views of how the boys would be in bed.

I do think that Buck would overall be more submissive and when he's domming, do so more as a service dom - Buck likes to know he's doing a good job and being there for the people he loves, and so domming for him would be about knowing he's giving Eddie what he needs, rather than enjoying being in control.

For Eddie, someone who has constantly in his life scrambled for control and had it yanked from him, I think he'd still overall prefer to be in charge, at least at first, and I think that'd only be submissive to someone he really deeply trusts. However given everything in season five I think he'd also find being submissive to be incredibly freeing if it's with someone he can trust to love him and hold him (metaphorically), and Buck is that person. Eddie is very much a caretaker and likes to feel he's trusted (lack of trust in his abilities is a huge issue in his relationship with his parents for example) so I think he'd really like domming Buck and seeing how much Buck trusts him to take care of him. It was really season five for me that gave me the shift in feeling Eddie would be submissive at times, given his whole arc with his trauma. I think given how important it was in his arc for Eddie to admit he loses control sometimes and needs help, submitting would be important for him as well. He'd just be pickier about it.

In other words - I think Buck's instinct in bed is submit, but he ultimately shifts to reflect what his partner wants/needs (and headcanon it's probably led to him being sexually unfulfilled before - how many times has someone wanted him to just pick them up and rail them and play that Big Strong Guy when that's not who Buck is?) and would also find fulfillment in giving Eddie what he needs because he likes doing that for his loved ones. And I think Eddie's instinct is to dom, for multiple reasons, but that submitting to someone he loves and trusts would also by very fulfilling and enjoyable.

Ergo, they switch! LOL

I think also in most sexual relationships when you're not explicitly sceneing (i.e. planning a scenario out with set roles) there's a certain fluidity to the roles of who's submitting and who's dominating. So there's that as well, it's not always gonna be clear cut who's in what role and it's going to move back and forth. Y'know?

Anyway that was an extremely long-winded answer ha ha but I'm delighted you noticed that shift! One's art is continuously evolving and when one is writing for the same characters over the years (four and counting for Buddie in my case) while continuously getting more information about them and seeing them in new situations and so on as we get with each new season/episode, there's definite shifts in one's portrayal of those characters. I'm flattered that anyone would pay attention enough to pick up on the ways in which mine's evolved.

#mads answers things #mads writes stuff

[kurisus]

Chapter 104 thoughts

I'm back from posting purgatory and have rewritten, more or less, what Tumblr deleted, so now it's time for my favorite game: Ina Tries To Figure Out What The Fuck Happened In The Latest Noragami Chapter. Spoilers under the cut.

So at the beginning we see trash dad cut himself free from Fujisaki and revert to his original form, while Fujisaki wakes up in Yukine's old house, far from home. I'm really interested to see how much he knows, which I said last time--whether he was aware he was being used or if he's basically been unconscious for the past year. I think he has to be aware on some level, because he knows Father's true name and has to invoke it to summon him from Yomi, but it would also be funny if he flies into a panic, follows the newly created lake, and ends up with the main cast. How far are they from the house, anyway?

Come to think of it, I've been reading Alive since last month (Adachitoka's first manga, which was written by their mentor while they drew the art) and while I'm not done yet, the north of Japan features prominently as a setting for that story and as the final showdown for this one. I'm not sure why, maybe they're from there, but it's interesting.

I'm so glad Yato slammed into trash dad after he insulted Mizuchi. It shows he does recognize her as a victim, and is willing to let things mend between them, since she's had her own character arc since Yato released her name. Don't get me wrong, that was still the right choice for him at the time--but they've both changed since then. And I always love the character development in this manga so this had me bouncing in my seat.

YATO ALSO SAYING HE'S NOTHING BUT A DEAD PERSON LIKE YESSSSSS GET HIM GET HIM KILL HIS MISERABLE ASS

Ahem. I wish Yato had been able to land at least one punch on this horrible man, but it's time for a shounen powerup.

Using the koto no ha on himself grants trash dad access to Izanami/Izanagi level powers, which I think is a temporary powerup that will end with Izanami taking him back to Yomi, because of how he can "feel her breath" on his neck. He plans to then escape again, and possess another body.

This new power is an ass pull as fast-moon put it, but it's also not the first of its kind in Noragami. Think back to Yukine getting cut in half and becoming a hafuri, Amaterasu appearing out of nowhere to give Hiyori the hint that saved Yato's life in Yomi, and how the main characters were saved from the covenant which provided the entire basis for the current arc (due to unresolved tensions between them and the rest of heaven). Basically, in Noragami these things happen with good reason and/or hugely impact the rest of the story, so I think it's best to wait and see how this trash dad development plays out before making judgments on how it affects the writing quality.

There's an old Noragami theory that Father is Izanagi, or stole his power, and it's been mostly dismissed in recent years (but there's an echodrops post about it here if you're interested in the points it made) and even more so since we got snippets of his backstory, but I think it's worth bringing back up now. Izanagi has been suspiciously absent from the manga, and I'm not sure he's even been mentioned, so I wonder if the koto no ha ties into that somehow. Honestly if Izanami killed him in this version of the story and used his power to make the koto no ha, good for her.

Anyway, trash dad reveals he's not just some human who came back from the dead. He can use these powers of creation; it's unclear whether he's used them before, but Yato has never seen him do so--Mizuchi seems to know what he's doing, but it's also unclear whether she's seen it either. I said years ago I don't think it was easy as him just returning from the dead and being granted godlike powers, but I haven't been insistent on it so much because I did a reread of the official translation two years ago and that version heavily implies the only thing trash dad did to get his powers was come back from the dead. I wonder how they'll reconcile that when this volume gets translated (please hold for another 2 years, lmfao).

Is this Izanagi's power, or Izanami's? Did he steal Izanagi's powers next after he paid Izanami a visit? Did he know what using the koto no ha on himself would do? Was it an educated guess based on Izanami's power? Is it still possible he could be a reincarnated Izanagi that believed himself to be human? I don't know if I'd like that last one, but these are the questions I hope to have answered.

Taking a brief detour to discuss that Kiun and Mayu have joined forces to look for their gods, and Ookuninushi is alive but has with him three freshly reincarnated gods--Yatagarasu, Kagutsuchi, and Shinatsuhiko. I'm shocked he lived and they died, but it may lead to an interesting change in heaven where he has to reconcile how they threw away their shinki lives even after they were explicitly told not to use them. The way heaven (and most gods) treat their shinki as not people but disposable tools has been a long-running theme of this manga, and it's been clear larger-scale changes need to be made.

So back to the main event, trash dad creates a biblical sort of flood, but one that brings images of the past. Alongside the tree where a young Yato named Sakura, we also see a cottage and a multi-level house. The cottage may be where Yato and Hiiro were raised, or it might be the one from the Father flashbacks: Check them out side by side:

(103-2; page 1 [Father and Kaya village]; 104, page 21; 45, page 33 [Yato, Hiiro, Father cottage] if you want to check for yourself)

Next, there's that multi-story building, which could be the place where Yato made his first kills, or Hiyori's grandmother's house. There isn't much visible, so it's hard to tell, but here's another side by side:

(46, page 9 [where Yato made his first kills]; 104, page 21; 85, page 42 [Hiyori's grandmother's house])

If this enchanted world functions similarly to Hiyori viewing Yato's past while he's asleep, Hiyori will get to experience trash dad's past as it really happened. I've mentioned before it bothers me how the gravekeeper has been narrating the events even though he wasn't present for any of them, so it's entirely likely Father manipulated the facts of his history, or they naturally changed over the course of a thousand years.

I also think Hiyori could find out trash dad's weak point, his true name, if/when she witnesses his past. She could then become his lifeline and decide to let the secret die with her. Or he could possess her, but I'm being optimistic.

The tree she sees is the tree where Yato named Sakura, but it could also have some significance to Father and Kaya; if the cottage where he raised Yato and Hiiro was in the same general location as that village, he could have some memories there.

So if we get Hiyori and Sakura interaction I will cry. If we get Hiyori and Kaya interaction I will also cry.

Next few chapters I'm really excited to see where this enchanted lake dimension thing goes. Yukine could also be caught up in it, depending on how far it has spread, and it'll be interesting to see how Amaterasu reacts to it too.

I don't normally say this, but reblogs are appreciated. This post required a lot of skimming older chapters to tie my thoughts together, and my original draft got half erased when I was just finishing it up so I had to rewrite a lot of it. Plus it seems like everyone was pretty confused by the events of this chapter, so a reblog would help to spread it around and hopefully shed some light on the events. Thanks!

#Noragami #Noragami manga #Noragami spoilers #ngl I am sad it's not a full chapter but did yall see the new springtime lottery art. I cried #I might be back with more thoughts later cause I feel like I couldn't recall everything I had written previously #it is time to create a master doc of my thoughts I suppose. fun project #live update

[mamuzzy]

Okay, my temporary-brainfuckery is over, I'm kind of hyped now about the new year and can look back at 2023 with much more contentment. So I jumped on the train of doing Art Summary too :))) (template HERE)

Yeah, what the fuck did I do in the first half of the year... honestly, I don't remember. No, really, I can't remember...

My sketchbook can be dated back to 2021 with some old Touken Ranbu and merfolk sketches, but I don't remember actually opening it this year until june...

...and guys, I actually have only a few pages left to fill!!!! I kind of proud of myself. Joining into TCW fandom really did wonders with my creativity and productivity.

I'll get sappy with this probably, but the existence of this blog, a filled up sketchbook in my hand is the very proof that I exist. When bdick fucks me in the brain, I can't remember having these wonderful memories of creating but when my mind clears from the fog, I come up here, looking at my little fortress, looking at my silly doodles, I don't feel that I have to build up everything from the start, and I actually managed to create a safe-place for myself that welcomes me back when I return from those dark places. My art maybe not visually pleasing, my anatomy is shit, but they are mine and most importantly THEY EXIST.

❀ My artistic plans for the future in this blog... ❀ ❀ To continue creating: daily doodles. Not sure about uploading it daily but maybe making compilations from my sketchbook from time-to-time. I'm expecting to have a more relaxed job time-wise, also I'm on a medication now due to my migraines, maybe I won't spend half of my year sleeping just escape from the pain. ❀ Creating character bios for my OC's. ❀ Participating in events/doing challenges: The whole concept is scary for me because deadlines are stressing me out, and I'm a slow artist.

❀ One of the self-made challenge: Redraw my sketchbook from 2012-2014. I probably mentioned that I've found it some time ago and actually chickened out from uploading them because most of the sketches in them are quite... hmm... bpd related without me knowing I had bpd back then (also i don't want them to hide under cut because then what's the point of uploading???). But it would be interesting to redesign them and make a comparison post about it.

❀ be more authentic with my art: my original plan with this blog was to use art to heal myself, and while drawing funny stuff is great, I still believe I'm self-censoring myself both in art and both in personal posts just like I'm masking in real life and it's. fucking. exhausting. My mental fuckery is a part of my life, part of me.

❀ Writing short stories: TCW, TBB, RepComm, million ideas in my head.

❀ Getting started on my Deadshot story: A multichaptered longfic starting from Umbara arc (I wrote ARC again), following the canon events but will deviate at some points.

❀ Getting started on my urban fantasy Coruscant Guard Story.

I could go on but I don't want to set unrealistic and unachievable goals either. YEAR JUST STARTED AND IT'S ALMOST OVER!!!

Thank you for hanging out with me in 2023, thank you for giving me a chance with those prompt-games and requests. I love you guys.

#art summary 2023 #the clone wars #the bad batch #republic commando #mamuzzy draws stuff

[quetzalpapalotl]

Windblade was the one who first suggested to Optimus to lean into the Prime image with the Camiens to curb Starscream's influence when Optimus was planning to establish that he's just a dude. This puts Optimus on track for things like the Earth annexation since he already had this following and it was that conversation with The Mistress of Flame about his duty as Prime that gave him the final push.

I am in no way blaming Windblade for Optimus choices, but I think that the comics really missed on exploring this and how Windblade feels about it. Especially because yeah, while she eventually does get tired of him and his Prime stunt, what makes him cut her off was him getting a woman who did absolutely nothing out of prison to help him stop some guys from killing all of Cybertron. (Not to mention that in her own series Starscream letting Chromia, who very much did kill people, go is seen by her as a positive). And while this is portrayed as a last straw rather than just one time Optimus was too out of line for her, it still feels rather dumb, especially because the story keeps making a deal about how morally dubious this is and... is not, especially not compared to all the other stuff Optimus has been doing.

So if instead the focus had been on Windblade thinking that yeah, I thought we could use Optimus' Prime clout for a gold thing and it would be harmless but now this guy is going around thinking he can override what everyone else says or does because he knows better and how she feels betrayed, but also wonder if she had a hand in this would have made for a narrative that actually resonates (with me) and make their reconciliation more satisfactory.

Also something like this could have easily add to Windblade's overall character arc (not that that one is bad, I like her a lot) that was about this naive newcomer that has to learn to play dirty in order to face the likes of Starscream and ultimately decides no, I'm not letting you make me shrewd, I'm done playing by your rules, I'm changing the whole game. I think reflect on Optimus who was originally in cahoots with her taking it too far would help her resolve to backpedal.

#i mean this stuff in somewhat in tehre but i wish it have had more focus #quetzal rambles tf

[theninjamouse]

Hey! Not sure if you can answer this without spoilers, no worries if you can't. I started reading OoF recently, and I'm loving it so far! But you've mentioned gaster a lot, and I know you like the Grillby/Shore/Gaster trio. I personally am not as huge a fan of Gaster, so I was just wondering, is that trio where OoF is ultimately headed? If possible a heads up would be nice, cause like I said Gaster is not rly my fav character. (That being said its YOUR story of course!! If that is the case I wouldn't want you to change it or anything, I just want to know if I should be mentally preparing for it lol)

So I can't really answer without spoilers but I do want to answer your question so I've put it beneath the cut! This will have sequence of events kind of spoilers

So, in short, trio is where the fic is heading KIND OF. Story wise, Gaster isn't going to have massive massive role. OoF is in it's final arc now and I don't want to drag on a big rescue mission as an after thought to the story. Being frank, the original plan was to NOT have an ending where he is rescued. A line I was going to give him runs along like this:

"For every timeline in which I escape this place, there are just as many in which I do not. This, I am afraid, is one of the latter."

I wound up changing my mind on this, so yes he is going to be rescued so he'll be there in the end but it's more going to focus on the readjustment to the real world while Shore and Grillby deal with their own Trauma from ~End Game Things~. Might have done things differently if the trio had been endgame from the start but oh well, it is what it is.

It has been 10 years since the fall, so while yes Grillby still loves Gaster, it won't ever be quite the same. And he's not going to just leap back into what they had before because that's not fair to anyone, but especially Shore.

Gaster has changed as well, so it won't be the same for him either. It hasn't been talked about too much in the actual story but my version of Gaster is more on the demi-ace/aro side of things so he's not super big on romantic stuff anyway.

In terms of the overall vibe of the trio, I see it being more like this:

Like, they're all together but Grillby is the center piece and Shore and Gaster are the chaos gremlins that would turn the poor elemental's hair gray if he had any. Shore and Gaster have more of the queer platonic sort of vibe that may or may not end up more romantic down the road but that won't be really explored in OoF.

If I wind up doing a sequel to OoF, which is in my plans, that story would be the one to dive deeper into Shore and Gaster's relationship and where they end up in terms of what their standing is with each other. So honestly if Gaster isn't your thing, you could technically reach a point in the story where the main story will be done and just kind of skim or outright skip the last few chapters that will actually deal with the Gaster rescue and the consequences thereafter. If you do read it, romance is not going to be the big focus between the three of them

#OoF extra #OoF spoilers #believe me the trio was not even a thought in my head at the start #then people starting joking and I started joking #then it wasn't a joke #but i get where you're coming from

[jazzythursday]

Tagged by @aphroditestummyrolls for belated end of the year questions. Thanks for thinking of me! 🥹💖

Tagging @stormkpr @waterloou @sparrowmoth @its-tortle if you feel so inclined

What is your favourite thing you created?

I’m going with Cutting Loses for this one, because it’s the first wesper thing I posted on ao3 and the fic I go back to reread the most. It’s also a really solid example of my favourite way to write Wylan’s inner monologue and characterisation.

Which work are you proudest of?

Everyday, Just a Little or a Little Bit—My baby, my child, my 40k love letter to wesper. And I am so so close to finishing it!

Is there anything you are proud of that you achieved this year?

For writing, I’m really proud that I completed all the wesper week prompts earlier in the year. I loved participating and I feel like it helped a lot in developing my writing.

And something I’m proud of outside of writing—I’ve always had a really hard time meeting people through fandom, but finding mutuals on here through wesper and talking to so many wonderful people on discord is something I’m so proud of getting to experience. (And Mutuals reading this, just know that you make my little corner of the internet so much brighter, and even though I’m not the best at reaching out I’m always happy to chat abt anything 💖)

Did you explore anything new this year? (A new way to be creative, a trope you didn’t write before, or an idea you hadn’t thought of earlier, etc.)

Writing Wylan and Jesper as neurodivergent—and exploring my own nurodivergence through writing—is completely new to me, but it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed and want to continue this year!

Which work gave you the most difficulty?

The 4th chapter of Everyday has been a big challenge, I think just because I had a clearer direction for the first three and I always knew where I was going. Because 4th is after the original arc I planned, it’s been harder to nail down what I want out of it. I kept fighting on myself about which sections were too long and what needed more, and feeling too tired/busy/stressed to make decisions about it before winter break.

What was your biggest creative challenge this year?

Probably not letting perfectionism and low self esteem stop me from writing? Getting myself to actually write, and then edit, and actually post things—feeling like my writing is actually worth beta-ing and caring about as much as I do, etc. I go through periods sometimes of not being able to even look at my drafts without feeling overwhelmed, and so not falling off the wagon completely even through my accidental hiatus the last few months has been a real challenge.

Which work brought you the most joy?

Hmm. As far as fics go I want to say it’s Everyday? Buts it’s also brought me the most stress lol. I think what’s really brought me the most joy is just talking to people about my fics. Getting feedback on ao3 and on all the drabbles I’ve posted on tumblr throughout the year.

Which of your works do you think people should check out?

All of them if they want to! But Everyday, Just a Little or a Little Bit, Cutting Losses, I Need to Leave (Please Stay), and Careless is The Fall are all personal faves of mine.

Do you have creative plans for next year? Is there anything exciting you’re currently working on?

SO MANY (if I can find the time and energy) that I’m really excited to get to! Even once I post the last chapter of Everyday, there’s still so many moments and scenes and ideas from it that I’ve wanted to expand into one shots. To name a few: an expanded scene from the end of ch 2, Jesper’s pov of some of ch 3, and an outsider pov with the bookkeeper from ch 1 (he has a name and his husband has a name and they both have backstories 🤗)

There are also still a lot of wips in my docs that I’ve been neglecting. The wylan whump fic, jealous jesper, multiple post-ck things, jesper character study, and so many more.

Lastly, any words of wisdom or anything else you would like to share?

Write what you want to read, and chances are that it will find other people who will be so happy you wrote it.

#jazzy writes #wesper #six of crows #shadow and bone

[vivilove-jonsa]

Hello,

Since you've published a book I was wondering if I may ask a couple question?

Does it feel different from writing fanfictions?

Do you find your self relating to GRRM's pace of writing like the long years between books?

How did you like your covers for your original works? Did it take long to pick out?

This is just crack question but any chance there's a minor red headed character with her dark haired partner? You know as a little Easter egg jk. But in all seriousness we always knew you could sell your works and I'm glad you took the chance!

Hello!

Wow, I'm flattered that you want to know this stuff so thank you for asking! I'll happily answer each one below the cut :)

Does it feel different from writing fanfictions?

Yes. The joy of writing is still very much with me but there's some major differences and things I've had to adapt to when looking to sell books as an unknown author versus writing fanfic for a pairing that people are seeking out. The biggest is the wait for validation. Can't post a chapter of an idea, see how people respond and start crafting a story from there. You write the whole damn novel with little to no input from anyone else and then put it out there for critique before publishing.

It may sound weird but I've found more freedom writing original works in some ways and more restrictions in others.

The restrictions involve more planning, outlining and plotting. I have to stay on track instead of indulging in Side-Character B's backstory or a secondary romance, etc. Also, I would hop from genre to genre with my AUs and, while there are authors doing that I'm sure, it's not a safe bet for a newbie looking to make money. So, I found a niche in contemporary romance that I enjoy reading and writing and I dove in. I'll probably tackle another niche with a new pen once I've got ten or so books under my belt with the current pen name to try it out.

The freedoms involve making my characters whoever they tell me they are. No one will scream 'that's OCC!' because these are my characters. There's no trappings of canon or expectations in that sense either although romance readers tend to have favored tropes, etc and they expect you to stick to the 'formula of romance.' Also, I miss talking fic with other writers and fans of my Jonsa works as there's more distance between me as an author and people who read my books. Don't get me wrong, I love interacting with some of them who have reached out but the gap is there and it can feel lonelier.

Do you find yourself relating to GRRM's pace of writing like the long years between books?

No, lol. This is a side hustle for me but a romance writer would starve going at his pace unless you had that miracle hit right off the bat (which is soooooo rare) and even then you need to keep producing product to keep from becoming obsolete. I started my first novel February 1st last year. I will have FIVE completed by February 1st of this year. I'm shooting to average a book every 3 months this year at least. It takes me roughly six to eight weeks to write it and the remaining time goes into editing, formatting and submitting for ARC reviews. Quality AND quantity are the name of the game to earn money. In GRRM's defense though, my books average 75k words and one of those five was a novella at 40k words. And my books are romance centering on two individuals which are far less complicated to tell than his enormous fantasy opus with a cast of hundreds.

How did you like your covers for your original works? Did it take long to pick out?

Yes, I love them! The cover of your book is the single most important part of your passive marketing and you want your book to be as to-market as possible to attract readers in your genre and niche. My niche involves hot guys in suits on the covers and my dear friend made them for me except one which I paid a graphic artist $75 to do an illustrated cover for. Anyway, we would tinker and talk about the color or font, the placement of the title, etc. but, for me at least, this was a simple process. Some self-published folks spend far more time working on theirs or might pay hundreds of dollars on them but mine seem to draw eyes just fine. Maybe once I'm making bank more steadily I'll consider farming this out to a pro.

Any chance there's a minor red headed character with her dark haired partner?

Absolutely!! In fact, my first book includes a pairing that looks suspiciously like Jonsa (I changed the eye color for her and gave him Kit's brown eyes though). Partly, that's because the original idea for the book was going to be a Jonsa story until I decided to switch gears. My third book has a guy that fits Jon's description and my novella includes elements of Sansa's love of songs and such in the female lead. It's fun to have bits of the characters I love in my books even when they're my own creations.

Thanks so much for this delicious ask! Lots of fun to answer <3

#jonsa #fanfic writing #versus #romance novels #7thkarma #asks #writing stuff

[cheshire387]

So I slept and with clear head will write down my thoughts on the chapter..

Long post and spoilers under the cut!

Not exactly concerned about Garp, never was a big fan of him, just that he's one of the better marines. Would be ironic if he gets killed by Aokiji(which I doubt but maybe), who he trained before.

But pls unfreeze the bby gurl??

Got terrified when I scrolled down a bit and saw Teach, hoped it's just a flashback and relaxed when I saw it is(so yeah, I wasn't ready for the last part of the chapter but about that later).

Absolutely love how Kuzan and Blackbeards trash talk Akainu.

This scene with Kuzan looks like Oda teasing readers who thought Aokiji is the man marked by flames.

I'm still confused how anyone plans on reading Poneglyphs at this point...

So... Literally was shaking when I saw the hat :')

Somehow seeing Polar Tang this way hurts more than Merry, mostly cause of the origins. There is a difference with Kaya giving Straw Hats Going Merry and Wolf giving Polar Tang he built himself to his four grandkids. Not to mention that was like, the only invention of his that actually worked... I hope Wolf is doing fine and Hearts will return to him one day... If Kureha can live that long so can Wolf. That old man gave enough of his blood to the two teens bleeding out, he can live some more years, right?

Also where is Poneglyph rubbings, did Teach took them? Are they sinking with Tang? Where??

This makes me wonder if government ever done anything to the hearts if those pirates are still alive and free?

At least he accepts that unlike someone 👀

I love Bepo so much QAQ I don't know if it can be considered a true Sulong since it's triggered with rumble ball instead of full moon, but Bepo has control over.

And even in his state Law is still concerned for his crew instead of himself :')

I wonder why narration for Hearts is different from Straw Hats and Kid Pirates, who had pretty much same wording for their defeat at Sabaodi and Elbaf respectively.

Overall, this chapter has wrecked me and I don't think I will recover. God forbid I have faves. Anyway, it could have been much worse, Hearts are alive as far as we know, which can't be said for sure about Kidd's crew and Hearts actually put up a fight before their defeat.

Makes me slightly worried for the ending of Egghead and Straw Hats, seeing what happened to Kidd and Law, but at same time Straw Hats are protagonists and Luffy has insane luck, considering he lost to Kidd when they were picking routes, his destination might be the luckiest one.

Interesting that we see Tashigi two chapters in a row but not Smoker, so I wonder where he's at, thinking that maybe Bepo runs into him and asks for help which could be a throw back to Punk Hazard, but that's just my SmoLaw brainrot. The situation itself is unlikely.

Saw someone saying that "Law and Bepo will run into the man marked by flames", which would be rather ironic seeing as Teach is looking for him yet is the one to set up Law to meet him.

Everything happening in the arc seems to be a set up for Elbaf as it's the closest island to both Egghead and Winner. Though if that's the case I believe Shanks will be gone by then.

I still wonder where is Drake 👀

#one piece #one piece spoilers #one piece chapter 1081 #long post #thoughts

[thedawningofthehour]

Hi!! Yes, hello, I cried again, thank you for that. Even though you said we „shouldn’t expect too much“, my heart is still very much cracked haha

ANYWAY, since the guessing game is still on, I was thinking a lot during this chapter. My guess is, either Raph has a really stupid idea that he‘s thinking through right now and that‘s why he‘s been so quiet OR smth happens to the Hueso place and he like sacrifices himself to get his family to escape like idk maybe EPF or smth knocks at the door and he holds them off

And so I was wondering if you could tell us when this stupid thing is gonna happen, I have a feeling it might be like the book 2 finale or somewhere close to that??

ALSO, I was wondering how you organise your chapters and the plot you write about. Do you have like a pinboard and put the NYC map on it and connect the dots with red yarn? (Detective style) or do you use some program or are just…weird and memorise it all?

Maybe he hasn't actually had the stupid idea yet, but he's definitely ruminating on everything that eventually compels him to make that decision.

The stupid thing will be a direct consequence of the final climax, so it'll be coming up here soon. I'm going to put up a poll probably after the next chapter.

I'm giddy that we're getting there, honestly. There's a foreshadow I put in literally in the single-digit chapters of Book 1 and when I wrote that I couldn't imagine actually getting to that point. I always feel like I'm going to die or something before I finish stuff, like, I was shocked when I finished doth.

Oh my goooood I am so terrible about plotting and outlines and stuff. I always, always feel like I'm in elementary school filling out a worksheet. I am basically this guy

except there is no paper because I haven't written anything down I'm just sleep deprived and rambling and smoking copious amounts of weed. (I have never smoked weed)

I know generally how the plots go, and as chapters draw closer I start thinking more specifically about where parts should go and where they would fit best. The whole war kick-off thing, that originally was going to happen after the third reverse-kidnapping, (the mall with the mercenaries one) but Gale and Mikey were still having their library trips, and that just seemed like an...awkward thing to have hanging over them. And it just didn't have to be. I could have cut that arc short, delayed the third reverse-kidnapping until after after the library meetings were discovered, or I could push off the war. And the war didn't need to happen then-if anything, it complicated the other plot points that needed to happen. And I think it worked out for the better this way.

I'm not totally satisfied with this method though. When I was writing Book 1, I had probably about half the fic written before I started posting-it was all in one document, Donnie's scenes were all together and Leo's scenes were in some incomprehensible order and often unfinished because I wasn't expecting to post anything and would just stop when I felt like it, when I finally committed to putting it to order I think I had like eight documents open at one point and three different highlighter colors to denote what I'd done in the master document, it was an ORDEAL-but it meant that I could group scenes together based on what was most effective, move things around very easily. The fact that Leo and Donnie's chapters were pointedly not happening at the same time helped a lot too. In Book 2, I end up writing with two, maybe three chapters planned ahead in my brain, and I feel like that forces me to sometimes rely on short-term climaxes that add to the word count but don't really do much for the story overall, or put off certain things that I don't particularly feel like writing at the time or don't know would work there. Book 2 would probably be significantly shorter if I'd plotted it out the way I did Book 1.

...What were we talking about? Oh! I do actually have a map of NYC open pretty much constantly in my fic window, it probably shows when they were driving around last chapter that I was literally going along the border with my pointer finger. But I'm terrible and I don't write any of this shit down. I usually remember, but there have been occasions where I've completely forgotten what I was going to do, and I think it was chapter 32 where I had pretty much finished the rest of the chapter and then realized I'd forgotten the final Leo scene-which was a pretty major scene. So I guess...yeah, weird and memorize sounds correct, but I don't actually do it that well.

#if you can parse anything here bless you #i wasn't planning on typing this much so it's very much stream of consciousness #doth asks

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

The chess motif isn't as important in where James is places as what happens on it. The white pieces falling away into dust are supposed to be James so desperate to beat Salem that he sacrifices anything and everything to do it.

Except that's not the James Miles and Kerry wrote, it's the excuse they used to beat him with the bastard stick. The whole "fallen hero" angle is a veneer. Miles admitted that they'd been planning to kill him off since they first penned him, and they very clearly did not care that the interim material made a villainous Ironwood inexplicable.

I suppose you could argue that's the imagery CRWBY was trying to present but for me at least, if you put chess imagery where the characters are being placed on the board is just as, if not more, important as what happens to the board. Each piece has a very critical and well established role to play in the game. When people talk about a character who is easily manipulated and disposable they are referred to as pawns for example. So when two prominent characters in the show are thrown onto a chess board into the Queen slot, I am going to wonder why that decision was made. And for me at least the other pieces crumbling conveyed the imagery more of "Everyone else is crumbling under Salem with James being the last one standing against her" you know? I started to dive into this on the original post but I realized I was getting waaaayyyyy off topic so I cut that out. But your reading makes sense for what CRWbY wanted to convey but and having James not be in the king position would help sell the idea of him throwing away even the most important player to win the game imagery but they just narratively do not sell that very well.

As you said, the arc of James turning into a fallen Hero was not played out very well at all, nor the idea that he carelessly throws people away and at the war with no care for their lives. This is the man after all who created the Atlesian Knights with the goal of removing people off of the battlefield to keep deaths as low as possible. This is the man who yes made sacrifices but the narrative once again did a very poor job of selling the idea that James was wrong for making the sacrifices he did. Yes he focused on Amity tower over fixing the wall, but he thought it was critical that they restore global communication so that they could rally the people for a war against Salem who was suddenly upping the stakes and making her moves. He might have done things differently had he known Salem was immortal but that information was intentionally kept from him so he was operating under what information he had. Same with trying to flee by raising Atlas up. He really had no plan to deal with a war against Salem with an exhausted army and not even a semblance of a clue on how they where supposed to defeat Salem, especially given that we know very little about how much Oscar even told him about Salem's immortality.

We're supposed to see James as an evil and immoral monster for wanting to flee, conveniently ignoring the very real fact that Salem getting her hands on two of the relics in Atlas means she has access to three of the four items needed to end the world. Saving Mantel is meaningless if Salem destroys the whole world and the narrative doesn't do much to prove him wrong. Atlas falls and Mantel and Atlas are both destroyed. A laughably small number of people are seen escaping Atlas and Mantel implying a ton of people died, and Salem walks away with the two relics that Atlas had which only shows....James and his plan was right. The mains screwed up but the show will never admit that.

#RWDE #james ironwood #Pro Ironwood #Pro James Ironwood #ironwood protection squad #Answered ask

[psychewritesbs]

Chapter 209: Offering to the Unknown--Chapter’s title + Haikyu!! + This is a chick, right? + Sukuna is a distraction + Takaba + Megumi’s confidence

Holy shit guys! Happy JJK-Sunday! Except the chapter dropped on King’s Day (my last name “is” De los Reyes), January 6th, so I’m late but wtv. Hope you ate some Rosca de Reyes por que la rellenan con cajeta chingada madre, yo quiero mi rosca original y sin cajeta!!! and that you had a great holiday season with the fam if you celebrate. 

A few random thoughts beneath the cut...

The chapter’s title

The implications are so juicy. What is this unknown?

The Culling Game is a ritual itself, so there’s this sense that everything is leading up to awakening or invoking some powerful force. 

I’ve been wondering if and when “God” is going to come into the picture.

Haikyu!!’s Kōrai Hoshiumi

Makes you wonder if Gege likes Haikyu!! 

This is a chick, right?

She’s hot. 

I get the feeling we’re going to see more of her.

Sukuna is a distraction

Not Ura Ume looking totally creepy about feeling pleased to have found a bath that will satisfy daddy Lord Sukuna.

But like... this whole Ura Ume + Kenny alliance, not only is it obvs that Kenny is keeping Ura Ume in the dark about his plans... 

Let’s not forget what Sukuna is to Kenny: a distraction to set off at just the right time.

Unless setting it off was back during Shibuya? Or even just the fact that he awakened is the distraction? Idk... to whomever reads this... thoughts?

Takaba

Quick flashback for context...

Dude... like... I'd love to see a poetic-justice type of ending for JJK from Gege because he’s so damn good at “poetic justice”. But... if by the end of JJK Takaba is the one who ends up saving the day because of his Cursed Technique, I will seriously simp Gege more than I do now.

Takaba is just... ridiculous in the best way possible.

And the whole irony of his character is fantastic because his jokes are SO BAD within the JJK world, but I get the sense that his bad jokes are meant to be funny to the audience BECAUSE they are so damn bad. So there’s this interesting breaking of the 4th wall with Takaba.

What’s more, if Takaba can own that he makes bad jokes and that’s what’s funny about him... he could become one of the most powerful sorcerers if only because he has a solid sense of self identity.

in a story like JJK where the strongest sorcerers have a solid sense of identity... Takaba owning that he is 70% unfunny and only 30% funny could be the most powerful weapon ever in the most ironical way possible.

I fucking love him.

Even Megumi is like...

Which brings me to...

Megumi’s confidence

This panel screams “I am confident that I can kick their asses”.

But Megumi’s confidence and sense of self has always been hit or miss. And as of the arc following Shibuya, it feels like he’s grown into his skills to the point where he can feel overly confident that he can accomplish what he sets out to do.

But this makes me wonder what Gege is going to throw at Megumi because he appears to have reached a plateau where things come easy to him because of his current mastery of his Cursed Technique... this could be a problem because the sense of self is dynamic, not static.

I think that for a lot of the Megumi stans like myself who identify with him, one of the reasons we identify with him is his journey of growth.

There’s this awesome post I reblogged (but like good luck finding it even if I tagged it) where op writes about Megumi and “gifted child syndrome” that I felt hit spot on on why those of us who love Megumi because of his arc relate to him so much. 

When you’re a “gifted child” everything comes easy. School, work, everything. The problem is that when everything comes easy, you never learn the value of struggle. So when you’re presented with a struggle it’s easy to give up or feel overwhelmed. 

With Megumi, something about the way he’s written feels very personal. I could be wrong but I wonder if he represents Gege’s own reluctance to own his power. So in a sense, Gege “powers up” when Megumi “powers up” because in JJK powering up is about becoming secure in one’s sense of self.

Seriously, Megumi feels like an exercise in Active Imagination, a Psychological tool used in Jungian analysis to encourage thinking beyond one’s sense of self.

I swear Megumi has felt like a Masterclass in Jungian Psychology from the moment I started watching JJK, and the more I see him grow and develop and HOW he grows and develops, the more I am convinced that this is the case.

This brings me to the idea of #Dark Megumi because fandom is super split on this idea. Some love it (like me), and some absolutely hate the idea.

To each their own.

To me. The idea of Megumi loosing his sense of self to his darker instincts and selfishness is a catalyst for his growth and character development. We still don’t know if this is where Gege is taking his character arc, but when I see his behavior, it sure feels like it. Especially when the definition of power in JJK is “overwhelming sense of self” and Megumi has been working on defining his sense of self this whole time.

It’s not like I think he’s going to become a maniacal villain like Mexico’s most iconic villainess.

Except Megumi would scoff at you in Nihongo.

I don’t have words for it just yet and I’ve been trying to write about it for about a month or two. All I can say right now is that there’s something interesting that happens to sorcerers as they reach the pinnacle of their sense of self: They either become like Sukuna or they become like Gojo.

It’s not even about how crazy they are. 

It’s about how they see the world and the actions they take as a result. 

As ma 🍒 likes to remind me, “let’s wait and see what happens to make a judgement...” 

Happy JJK-Sunday if you’ve made it this far ♥️!

#jjk ch 209 #god I love jujutsu kaisen

[waybeforeyourtime]

I love your yr fanfic, can't take it out of my head! How did you plan it? It's so long and full of details. I love all of the music you pick and how you insert in the story in the right moments.

But mostly I wonder how far we are in Simon's arc, because we know from the history books (another detail I love!) That he becomes like super famous, but when Simon and Wille meet in chapter 8 he's unknown enough that Wille doesn't know he's there. Will the Simon arc end where they meet or will it go on after that?

(but maybe that's too much spoiler) so tell me what is your favourite side oc character or your favourite to write?? I love Chuck the most I think

One song (which will be in the next chapter) is what kicked off this whole thing! I heard it and just imagined Simon singing it about Wille and it all took off from there.

TBH, I'm not much of a planner. I started this story and then was in a serious car accident. What I had planned originally took a turn after that. For the better, I think! I just have these rough ideas or situations drafted out and then I fill in the blanks. I do have their history quotes mostly all written!

Simon's part will end in the same place Wille's did - when they meet again. Then both of their arcs will be combined and they'll continue to grow as individuals and as a couple.

I adore Chuck! I adore Ashley. All of them! I really have enjoyed writing the OCs. I don't think I've ever had this many in a fic before! And I want to write so much more about them. Like Mario's nephew Nick. I cut a lot of his scenes out. But he was going to be the opposite of Simon. He's a naturally gifted musician but he doesn't have the passion for it. And it's not really what he wants to do.

I do think Mario's mom and his sister might make an entrance! If not, it might be a cut scene that I'll post.

And thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying the fic.

#young royals #wilmon fanfic #and that's how you make history baby

[decepti-thots]

Hello! Thank you for sharing so much stuff from the notebooks! I will most definitely buy them when they will be available (though I hope that it will deliver to the country I live in xDD). Though, I have a question... is there anything interesting about Ratchet? Like from what I got from Drift’s profile, apparently Ratchet and the others were the ones who opposed Drift and it led to Lost Light crew’s split into two crews???

Oh, and now I wonder whether other “background” characters had much larger roles planned for them (like Sunstreaker, Mirage, Hoist, Siren, etc.).

My pleasure!

I'm pretty sure JRo is gonna ship wherever if you can pay. From what he said he was willing to make the effort to get them to folks!

Onto your questions, anyway.

Ratchet is a character who didn't have that much stuff in these that stuck out to me on first read. It's interesting: some very, very prominent characters really don't get that much "new" stuff here, which I think is because… well… they really were almost "there" from the very start, conceptually. Fun fact: I haven't said much about Rodimus yet in part because it's obvious JRo just HAD his ideas for him nailed down out the gate. (Similar with Magnus. It's astonishing how much Magnus as we come to see him in the final product is just THERE from day one. Only thing that took a little while to nail down was the armour stuff, but even then, he hits on the basic concept pretty early.) The characters with the most interesting stuff in these notebooks are the ones where he's trying to work them out and they changed over time- characters like Brainstorm or Rung.

But he's obviously in there! He absolutely comes up, haha. So let me check for a few things.

The character profile for Ratchet (these are from 2011, so when he was into writing the first few issues iirc) emphasizes that he gets along with everyone except Drift. It actually seems like his more TFA/TFP style mildly-to-moderately cankterous characterisation that JRo famously half-retconned MTMTE Ratchet into (from IDW's earlier, more generic characterisation) wasn't much here even at this fairly late stage. You can see it coming out in some of his ideas, but it's not really nailed down when he describes the character directly. He's remarked on as 'friendly' and getting on with everyone but Drift. So. It also remarks on him as someone trying to advise Rodimus (but Rodimus unwisely chooses to go with Drift's advice instead, with them at odds), which went to Magnus in the end more than Ratchet. But you can see where this concept came from- it fits with the Drift-Ratchet antagonism nicely. And that's for sure here from the start, with the atheism and Drift's (in this version, seemingly somewhat inauthentic) new age-y religious perpsective butting heads.

Also, his motivation for joining here is twofold, and doesn't really reflect what happened in the final comic, though it does mention his wanting to 'regain his faith in what he does' and wanting to find a new CMO after (in this version of Death of Optimus Prime, called at the time Schism) misdiagnosing OP with something and it nearly killing him. But he also wants to find, and fix, Autobots that are stranded/lost around the galaxy after the war.

In the concept brought up when I talked about Drift's character profile on my last post, where Rodimus and Drift would split and go in different directions, Ratchet was going to stay with Rodimus' side of the crew, yeah. Not go with Drift.

OH. One thing though. Ratchet originally kills Pharma directly, which I think miiiight have been inspiration for the next arc with him having First Aid get goaded? Possibly? As follows:

Now, onto the next part of your question. Not a huge amount, actually. Most of the characters with material in there which didn't wind up with a major role after all are characters who were cut or replaced, not ones who wound up as background fodder. There was a concept for an issue with, of all characters, Dipstick, where he becomes like a data ghost after his death and is communicating through the ship, and Ratchet tries to get him into like… a kind of permanent holoform. Very odd little idea, that, comes up twice. Both times, JRo adds a 2022 note like 'I have no idea WHAT this was, no memory of this at all', lmao. Bluestreak is mentioned once or twice in a way that suggests maaaaybe he would have been a little more around? But by and large, the main cast are the main cast from the get go, with the exceptions being situations like e.g. Powerglide would have had the role that got transplanted directly onto Tailgate.

[azulawriting]

The Fullbring arc, oh boy

Recently, I watched a video essay detailing how the fullbring arc was, in fact, the best arc in Bleach. The reasons given were somewhat compelling before I read the arc. I mean, I don’t think I could’ve enjoyed the Soul Society arc as much as I did if it wasn’t for the Substitute Shinigami arc, which still is, to me, the main reason why I got hooked on this show/manga. I daresay that the first arc of Bleach is even more enjoyable in manga format. There’s a bunch of cut content that makes it all the more addicting to me, even now.

When it comes to my impressions of the Fullbring arc in the anime, I was surprised to know it wasn’t yet another filler arc. I think that, like many others back then, ending Bleach after Aizen’s defeat was a good decision. It was the culmination of the story, and I really wasn’t sure where the story would even go after it. The Fullbring Arc was interesting as a time skip and how Ichigo would deal with being a completely normal human being while all his friends were not, but I would not have “dragged it” for an entire arc, however brief it could be.

My feelings towards this arc have somewhat changed with the manga, but not that much. I think that, in hindsight, it is a necessary arc for TYBW and it introduces a “power-up” for characters like Orihime and Chad, which will become useful for the upcoming arc. I think Ichigo’s introspection about where he would go with no powers is rather powerful, and it gets to shine a little bit more in the manga, but it is not part of my favourite arcs in this manga. Again, I don’t think the magic of the Substitute Shinigami arc will ever be reached again, though I will admit the Fullbring Arc gets very close.

I will give the manga credit where it’s due in that it made the stakes about Ichigo’s character and how poorly he could handle ever coming back to being a nobody, basically. I think it’s something not a lot of shonen manga have tackled something as heavy as “what would happen if MC lost his powers but the threats didn’t stop?”. His dependence on Ginjo and Execution built a good betrayal plotline but, and I do feel bad to say this, I don’t find any of the new characters all that enjoyable. And that’s my main issue with it. The first arc introduced a varied and interesting cast of side characters, but there’s not much of that in this arc. Tsukishima is somewhat interesting as a villain due to his power, but not much else. The same goes for the rest of Execution, who, at least to me, don’t stray too far from being tropes.

It’s a shame, really. I appreciated the flashbacks for Ginjo and Tsukishima in particular, but man do I wish we had more. Then again, that would have perhaps played against the mystery/betrayal plotline that was decently built over the span of the arc.

I don’t think I’ll continue reading the manga from this point on. I hated the Quincy arc for how rushed and outright bad it was. The anime is airing right now and I’m honestly more interested in revisiting the arc by watching the adaptation. From what I’ve heard, Kubo has the reins and will add some anime-original content to improve the arc. So far, I like the anime and I hope a certain captain does not miraculously come back to the battlefield. If he does, for any reason at all, I’ll have to wonder if the rest of the arc will be improved or just rehash the mistakes from the manga. I don’t want it to come to that.

Before I finish this post, I wanted to add one last thing. Since I mentioned Kazui in my first post ever about bleach in this blog, I do plan on making an even longer rant on the Hell chapter and my problems with it, as well as speculate as to where it could go, assuming it ever gets another chapter. I might do this old blog justice again and write something short for the Hell arc, but I doubt I will even get the time for it. We’ll see.

#bleach #manga review #fullbring #hell chapter review coming soon???