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#instead of the jailer using 'domination magic' because like. what
cocolacola · 1 year
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sooo on the topic of my last post😁😁
if i could rewrite it so the events of Shadowlands never happened, i would. but in a world where i'm a blizz writer and some executive said "no we have to do this"? i would have put it way sooner. it would have been the expansion after wrath (and cata, mop, etc. would still happen in the same order afterward honestly).
and if that's not possible, at least keep Edge of Night relatively intact. the reason for all this is that sylvanas' motive for opening the gateway should have been her chasing arthas into the afterlife in her quest for revenge, leaving a path of destruction in her wake. have that instead of uther tossing arthas into superhell in a ~5 minute cutscene. i guess this sorta still requires her to fight bolvar but "destroying/rebuilding the helm of domination" was an AWFUL plot point anyway and im sure blizz could come up with another way to make a shadowlands portal without fucking up that bad.
you still get the satisfying character arc conclusion of "i cant let the person who hurt me control what i do now" that was used in EoN, but on a large plot-point level. we deserved to see a better representation of coming to terms with that life-ruining bitterness and overcoming it. all while denathrius still gets to exist lmao. SL fans win, Sylvanas wins.
cata being the expansion after sl would have been even more impactful, since there would be the conflict of azerothians feeling as if they had neglected their world in their fight in the shadowlands only to return to it being completely reformed. would have raised the stakes a bit, in my opinion.
all of this to say yeah, SL was possible to pull off and they didn't do it justice. fuck blizz fuck everything im done
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bigfan-fanfic · 3 years
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Kost Aban as a Companion
(Face Claim: Brant Daugherty) Kost Aban, Road Dad of the Inner Circle and Magesmith for the Inquisition. He’s charming and sweet, and he’ll handle requisitions so you never have to worry about that Requisition Officer ever again. Also he makes travel snacks as well as serves as a portable weapon and armor crafting station. Did I mention he’s romanceable?
Companion Name: Kost Aban (lit. “Peaceful Ocean” in Qunlat) Race, Class, and Specialization: Qunari Mage (Rift Mage) Varric’s Nickname for Him: Shiny (for his horn ornaments) Default Tarot Card: Page of Wands
How He Is Recruited: His adopted human son, Roland, a young man of about 22, will rush out into the plaza in Val Royeaux on the first visit and request the Inquisitor come meet his father. Kost will immediately offer his services as a magesmith to the Inquisition, as well as his son’s skills as an apprentice. If the Inquisitor is a Qunari, he will also mention that sometimes it helps to have a friendly face around that one doesn’t have to look down to see. Where He Is In Skyhold: With his son, Dagna (and conditionally) Harritt in the Undercroft. He can generally be found talking smithing techniques or occasionally insisting Roland and Dagna go get refreshments and sunlight because they’ve been working too long. If he is recruited, he will also set up a cozy-looking sitting area/lounge in the Undercroft. Things He Generally Approves of: Upgrading Skyhold, completing Dagna’s sidequests, not siding with the Qunari, showing mercy Things He Generally Disapproves of: Siding with the Qunari, executing prisoners, siding with the Templars Mages, Templars, Other? As a mage himself and a former Saarebas, Kost definitely approves of siding with the mages and giving them freedom.
Romanceable? Yes, by any gender or race.  Friends in the Inquisition: Blackwall, Sera, and Cole. He befriends Sera through Dagna, Blackwall because of their shared enjoyment of crafting, and Cole because Kost can’t help but adopt the kid. He becomes friends with Iron Bull if the Chargers are saved. Small Side mission: Collect 10 dawnstone and 10 bloodstone. Kost will Greatly Approve and unlock schematics for Magewrought Weapons
Companion Quest: Kost is happy to have his son working with him but wonders whether Roland might prefer a different career or perhaps to attend the University of Orlais. He once caught Roland studying magic books and worries that he’s pressuring him into apprenticeship. He asks the Inquisitor to speak to Roland instead. When confronted, Roland admits that he’s been studying magic books so that he can tinker and improve his prosthetic arm, but he didn’t want to offend his dad, who spent years working on the magical formulae. He asks the Inquisitor not to tell.
Option 1: Tell Kost - This will net Great Approval from Kost and Cole, and Kost will talk to Roland and say that he couldn’t be offended that Roland is so interested and asks for them to proceed together with the tinkering. Father and son embrace and thank the Inquisitor
Option 2: Cover for Roland - The Inquisitor has the choice of telling Kost that Roland was merely curious about the process of magic or lie and say the magic books were hiding naughty material. Either way Kost will agree to let the matter drop.
Cole’s Reflection on His Thoughts: “The mask is gone and the bonds broken, burnt away and banished. My voice shall never more lie lost and leashed, locked away behind bars of word and deed.” Comments on Mages: “I know what it is like to be born different, and I once knew nothing more than imprisonment and shame for what I was. I have nothing but sadness to know that even here, others share my fate.” Comments on Templars: “If your protector is also your jailer, I think you have somewhat of a conflict of interest.” When looking for something: “Listen... there is something...” When finding a campsite: “Allow me to whip up a little something from these field rations.” When he is low on health: “I will not make my son an orphan again!” When he sees a dragon: “Not that I’m saying we should fight it, but... I could make some seriously good stuff out of dragon bone and hide.” Default saying: “Do you think Roland’s doing alright?”
Travel Banter:
Vivienne: So, Ser Aban. I have heard much of your magesmithing techniques. The Formari believe you are usurping their dominance over the market. Kost: I’m afraid, Madam, the Formari are mistaken. I happen to make useful items, not decoration. Vivienne (amused): Indeed? Then you must prize function over form in your pieces. Kost: Of course. I want to keep people alive, even at the cost of fashion. Vivienne: Some costs are worth dying for, darling.
Kost: I didn’t get the chance to thank you, Blackwall. Blackwall: What for? Kost: The extra firewood. My forge requires more than a normal smithy to stay working, and you provided. Blackwall: Wasn’t for you specially. I... I like chopping wood. Kost: And teaching my son how to swing an axe played no role? Blackwall: Oh. Kost: Too many people treat him as though he’s useless. I saw how happy he was with you. So as I said. Thank you... for the firewood. Blackwall: ...you’re welcome. Kost: There’s a magewrought sword with your name on it when we return to Skyhold.
(If Cole was made more human) Kost: You don’t have to handle everything, you know. You changed, right down to the core. Cole: I am fine. Kost: Sure, sure. Just as long as you know you don’t have to be. We’ve got you, Cole. Starting with rest. I got you a spare blanket - I’ve seen you shivering in your sleep. Cole: But I don’t- Kost: I’ve seen what you do for people. You’re not invisible anymore, you know. So it’s time you let someone else help you. Do you mind it if it’s me? Cole: I... th-thank you.
Iron Bull: You don’t like me much, do you? Kost (sarcastically): I didn’t know you were going for universal popularity. Iron Bull: Ha. You talk like one of these Orlesian bigwigs. Too important to waste time on mercs? (If the Inquisitor is a Qunari) And what about being “a friendly face,” huh? Kost: You won’t get a reaction out of me, Ben-Hassrath. Iron Bull: Even a lack of reaction is a reaction. Kost: Fuck you. How’s that for a reaction?
Friendship: “Ah! Come here for a shield or a cup of tea and some chat? Either way, I’m at your service.”
The Fade
How he reacts: “Oh, I’m not enjoying this at all.” Their Tombstone: Bereavement What the Fears look like: Himself in the mask and chains of a Saarebas What the Nightmare says: “The so-called peaceful ocean. I’ve been watching you for years now. The eyes of the Qun are everywhere and now, there’s nothing you can do to deflect their gaze.” Their reflection about the Fade: “Never again. Never.” Hawke or Warden: Depends on Hawke’s actions. If Hawke sided with the Chantry in DA2, Kost will suggest that they are responsible for the Qunari improving their foothold and force and believe they should atone in the Fade. If not, Kost suggests the Qun’s respect for Hawke is one of the only things keeping the Qunari from invading and believes they should escape the Fade.
The Wardens
Their feelings: Believes the Wardens make hard choices to save the world from the Blight. Exile or Allies?: Allies
The Ball
How they feel: “It isn’t my first ball, but I’m surprised at how many people I know, here. Babette de Launcet just tried to poach me from the Inquisition!” Where they linger: The garden balcony, near the bard singing in Orlesian Are they good at the Game?: He’s not great at being fake, but he is good at schmoozing, especially since his smithing skills are an avid topic of discussion. What people say about them: “Did you see the Magesmith walking by? So tall and dashing...””You do realize he is a Qunari, don’t you?” “My dear, that’s all part of the appeal. Imagine those burly muscles sweating at a forge...” Gaspard, Briala, or Celene?: Briala, or Celene with Briala - he fears Gaspard in power most of all, and he’d hate if war broke out between Orlais and Ferelden with the Qunari lurking at the borders.
Temple of Mythal
Rituals or Hole?: Rituals Agree with the Elves’ bargain?: Agree. Morrigan or Inquisitor for the Well?: The Inquisitor
Comments on Canon Romance
Cassandra: “The Seeker? A worthy choice. Though... I can’t help but wonder whether she’d choose love over duty should the time come.” Dorian: “Dorian? That must be fun - I hope he doesn’t criticize the patterns of your britches!” Sera: “Roland likes Sera - I think you two will get up to all sorts of mischief together.” Iron Bull: “Bull? Well... you do remember he was a Qunari spy, right? Never mind, I’m sure you know what you’re doing.” Josephine: “Don’t you hurt her, Inquisitor. She’s a wonderful person and a light in this world.” Cullen: “You know, I can craft certain soft lamps for the night. I’ve seen the look of a man who doesn’t sleep much on his face. Perhaps it will help.” Blackwall: “Tell me, I’m curious. Is the beard scratchy?” Solas: “D’you know, he hates tea? Suspicious, if you ask me.”
Sexual/Racial preference:  Any race or gender. Nickname for PC: Little One Romance only mission: (Can only be completed after Kost’s love confession) A cutscene featuring Kost and the Inquisitor in bed plays, involving a pillow talk discussion where Kost says “I love you.” The Inquisitor can choose to say it back or not, and ask about his past. The conversation finishes with Kost suggesting marriage would be more than acceptable to him, although he wouldn’t pressure the Inquisitor into it. The quest involves speaking to Kost’s son Roland to get his blessing to propose to Kost. The Inquisitor must perform a War Table mission to get Roland some parts to aid in the proposal, which will affect the next cutscene. If Cullen is chosen, Roland will be given some explosives and dyes and he will shoot fireworks during the proposal. If Leliana is selected, smoke pellets will be given and Roland will make a clockwork smoke machine to give a mystical air to the proposal. If Josephine is chosen, Roland will meet with some bards and make a music box to play while the Inquisitor proposes. The Inquisitor will then meet with Kost in the Skyhold garden at night and propose, choosing dialogue options that are sweet, nervous, or humorous, all resulting in Kost accepting the proposal and promising to marry the Inquisitor and love them forever - once Corypheus has been dealt with.
Dialog to being asked for a kiss: “Did you come down here just for this? How romantic... I must make it worth your while, little one.”
Halamshiral dialog: “Of all the magnificence in this palace... I can say without exaggeration that nothing compares to you.”
Being asked to dance during mission: “Josephine would kill me if I kept you from some diplomat or duke. But I shall gladly sacrifice myself once you have made your rounds.”
Asking to dance post-mission: “I- I warn you, little one, I’m not very good. But I’d do anything for you.”
What Cole says about companion to PC: “There was always darkness behind the mask, both of the masks he’s worn. But now it is safe and soft. Now there is you.”
Who is concerned about the relationship?: Vivienne. Josephine (for political reasons)
Who supports the relationship?: Blackwall, Dorian, Cullen
Who had a bet running on it?: Cassandra, Sera
Banter(between NPCs):
Vivienne: (after the romance only mission) I understand I am to offer you and the Inquisitor congratulations? Kost: We are engaged, yes. Vivienne: I do hope you understand what you are doing. Kost: I understand that I am in love. I understand that I am loved in return. And I understand that political considerations do not matter to me when I am with the Inquisitor. Does that satisfy you, Madam? Vivienne: Satisfy? No. Please me? Quite. I wish you every happiness.
Blackwall: You’ve... been around a while, haven’t you? Kost: Er... yeah? Blackwall: And the Inquisitor doesn’t mind? Not that it’s a problem, not that I think it’s a problem or anything, just- Kost: Ser Blackwall, do you have your eye on someone younger than you? Blackwall: What? I- where would you think tha- no. Kost (teasing): Fascinating. You blush right through your beard! Blackwall (groaning playfully): Oh, piss off!
Sera: You and the big man, eh? Hehe, because- Kost: Sera. You’re not subtle. Vivienne (if present): My dear, your lack of tact is simply appalling. Sera: Rolly likes you too, yeah? You better not hurt his dad or you know what? Kost: It’s arrows, isn’t it? Sera: Arrows!
Flirt options: Upon reaching Skyhold and unlocking the Undercroft, Kost will be ecstatic at the sight of the new smithing area and the Inquisitor can say he looks adorable when excited. This opens up a dialogue option later to begin romancing him.
If PC breaks it off: “Ah. I- uh. Of course. I hope I haven’t done anything to offend you. I shall continue to help the Inquisition as best I can.”
Love confession: Kost will ask to take a walk with the Inquisitor and they will end up on the battlements. Kost will talk about his life as a smith and as a father and say that he never seemed to end up with anyone to love and romance... until the Inquisitor. He says he hopes he didn’t read the situation wrong, but that he has fallen hopelessly for them.
Romanced tarot card: King of Pentacles
End game dialog: “Isn’t that something? No matter how hard I tried, I could never forge something as beautiful as a sunrise. I could never capture that kind of beauty. And yet... it is nothing compared to your face. The sun rises and sets each day without fail, but I promise to be even more constant for you - I am with you.”
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swampgallows · 4 years
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my uncle works at blizzard and i know the end of shadowlands
here is my prediction, it’s sloppy as fuck but i wanna just draft my general idea before the shit actually comes out so i can be like “CALLED IT” if i’m right lol
okay so let’s talk DREADLORDS babey. they are not demons per se but a separate race of sentient beings called the nathrezim. apparently they were discovered by sargeras when he was traversing the cosmos. they were sitting around chilling with the old gods, which is how sargeras found out about the old gods and void lords in the first place. so the history of dreadlords and the old gods/void goes way back.
there are three things that dreadlords are very good at:
1. summoning chaotic shit 2. crafting chaotic shit 3. being chaotic neutral emissaries, mostly for the burning legion. mostly.
1. dreadlords are really powerful interdimensional beings from the twisting nether. however, with the afterlives: maldraxxus cinematic it possibly implies that both the denizens of the shadowlands and the nathrezim themselves have the power to move between life and death as well as laterally across realms like the elemental plane, twisting nether, etc.
2: the dreadlords have forged the sword apocalypse and are possibly the original smiths of the helm of domination and frostmourne. we know that these artifacts are not of azeroth. the nathrezim could have smithed both the helm and frostmourne with help from the jailor and his magic. side note is the WoW canon spelling his name Jailor or Jailer? ive seen both. guess it’s one of those imposter/impostor situations.
anyway, point number 3: we have witnessed dreadlords allying themselves with several different factions, including but not limited to the scourge (sub-faction of the legion), the burning legion, the light (lothraxion), and waaaay back when... the forsaken. by sprinkling themselves throughout the cosmos they can tip the scales on several fronts toward chaos/old gods/void (yes, even lothraxion, since the Light seems to have its own agenda per Xe’ra).
newer players may not know that sylvanas once had a dreadlord ally named Varimathras. one of his click-quotes he’d say “I’m always on the winning side.” he claimed to hold no more ties to the burning legion and that he also wanted to get revenge on arthas/the lich king, and since that was sylvanas’ ultimate goal, they teamed up. he used to chill right next to her in the royal quarter, until the battle for the undercity. this was a wotlk-era event not unlike the pre-bfa “war of thorns” that followed The Wrathgate. the horde, including thrall and varok saurfang, led horde troops into the undercity to oust the mutineers from the horde. the alliance was also present, with newly-returned king varian wrynn and lady jaina proudmoore also invading to take their revenge on putress and his loyalists. 
but before all that, sylvanas could have possibly been clued in by varimathras about the jailor’s intentions all the way back in wrath. especially if she was looking for a way to defeat the “death god” lich king, varimathras would have been more than happy to tell her about death’s boss—the jailor—and the suffering arthas would undergo in the maw. (remember, shadowlands itself is not new lore. it has existed since the dawn of warcraft itself; whenever you die in game you are in the shadowlands. the spirit healers in the graveyards are in the shadowlands.)
again, this is just my speculation, but varimathras easily could have told sylvanas about the origins of the helm and frostmourne, the source of arthas/the lich king’s powers. varimathras/putress betray her (though even this has conflicts with new lore, e.g. Chronicle [my bane] saying that Sylvanas had planned the Wrathgate all along). battle for undercity happens, and varimathras is banished. 
sylvanas maybe figures ‘dont worry imma bust that shit open when i go kill arthas’. maybe she even planned to hold dominion over the scourge and wear the helm herself, taking the place bolvar has currently. but the halls of reflection & ICC happen and... she doesnt get to kill arthas, her one reason for continuing her existence.
so we get Edge of Night, which potentially planted a lot of seeds (if blizz is that clever).
VALKYR possibly trick her (i have said this before), as they are agents of the scourge/the jailor, hopefully to get sylvanas on their side to incur more death and be a secondary wave of would-be scourge (since bolvar aint doin that job and he’s not dead so they cant really get to him BUT they can travel throughout the shadowlands). either that or maybe they were planning on her becoming the new lich king and when bolvar got the hat instead they got a lil pist about it.
sylvanas is foisted into the very non-consensual position of “choose death and suffer for eternity or come back to life and Lead Your People™”. there is some OLD ASS LORE that i cannot find and maybe it’s something i misread somewhere or whatever but i was always under the impression that the Light could not save the Scourge, so anyone turned Scourge could possibly end up in the Maw on principle of being inherently irredeemable (hence the name “Forsaken”, they cannot be saved by the Light). the lore might have changed or, like i said, i might have just picked this up from somewhere and it’s wrong entirely. but if that’s the case, more Scourge = more anima dumped into the Maw disposal, which strengthens the jailor. either that or breaking sylvanas’ spirit to redirect her vengeance on Capital D Death rather than arthas himself.
basically everything sylvanas does while “alive” in azeroth pales in comparison to the eternal suffering and torment that awaits her if she is to die. so she has literally nothing to lose and can only gain by at least keeping herself alive as long as possible, no matter what wild shit she gets up to, it cant be as bad as the maw. 
ultimately i think sylvanas becomes the new jailor to satisfy both her loyalists/fans and those who want her to pay for her crimes, she is redeemed by technically stopping the maw expansion by taking over a la bolvar keeping the scourge dormant, all the symbolism of her destroying the helm of domination becomes all the more poetic and poignant along with her ‘this world is a prison and i will set us all free’ bullshit, avoids her potential fate in the maw as a prisoner by becoming the jailor itself (”better to reign in hell than serve in heaven”). PLUS then she gets placed in a limbo much like illidan fighting sargeras for potentially eternity by being dead-but-not-really as the jailor so blizzard can cameo to her or make merch of her all they want or bring her back as deus ex machina if they feel like it.
i had way more details about this shit when me n the best friends talkd about it a while back but it’s  been seemingly an eternity since then but yeah the tldr
sylvanas becomes jailor (predictabo) because varimathras spilled the beans about the funny sword and hat his buddies made purely for the bants w the old gods/void (less predictabo).
boy are they gonna make that covid vaccine soon or what i need a fuckin job
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jocelynsobsessions · 6 years
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Will be Cosplay an Absurd Fantasy Or Creative Self-Expression?
Will be cosplay a cool hobby to hone creative self-expression or even a nerdy and expensive solution to escape pressures regarding the world? Is to do an individual care either way?
CosPlay 101 for the unaware and misinformed
What the heck is CosPlay? Noises like a new on-line video game or the new Facebook software just like Farmville to you personally? Well, zero. CosPlay is really a blend regarding two words: "Costume" in addition to "Roleplay. " Therefore, a new Cosplayer is a geeky, not necessarily good-looking somebody who assumes the role regarding a character from a good anime show, a video clip game, comics, manga, comic series, movies or TV SET series. These cosplayers step into the shoes regarding the characters who have inspired them or they believe is very cool and copy their costumes, prosthetics, make-up, hair and uber-cool add-ons. Here's what really astonished me, cosplayers not simply must look like characters, they have to act like, sound like and fundamentally become the characters they show into the last chuckle.
There is this issue between cosplay elders regarding exactly how and when this sociable phenomenon really started. Nevertheless , they appear to acknowledge one thing - the particular origin in the word Cosplay. Most of the elders agree that the journalist Noboyuki Takahashi, first coined the word in the content "My Anime, " following attending the 1984 Globe Science Fiction Convention in addition to seeing lots of Trekkies (Star Trek fans) strutting their own stuff. After that, cosplay offers evolved into a subculture among enthusiasts of cartoons, manga, comics, movies in addition to basically everything fun plus fictional under the sunshine and elevated into a great art form and subculture in various countries. Inside the Philippines, the reputation of cosplay has also spiked in the last number of years.
Cosplay and Typically the Modern Escapist
"I have claimed that Escape is usually one of the primary features of fairy-stories, and since I really do not disapprove regarding them, it truly is plain of which I do not acknowledge the tone of scorn or pity with which often 'Escape' is now thus often used. Why exactly should the man be scorned in case, finding himself in penitentiary, he tries to acquire out and go residence? Or if he cannot do so, he considers and talks about additional subjects than jailers in addition to prison-walls? " -- L. R. R. Tolkien--
I'm no card-carrying psychologist or sociologist, but I can tell you roughly on the observations I made of which cosplay is now part of the modern fantasy. Mr. Webster defines fantasy as the habitual curve of the mind in order to purely imaginative activity or even entertainment as an get away from reality or schedule.
I'm sure you may agree that the world through which we live is filled with stress, threats, frequent noises, irritating soap operas, unhealthy fast-food junks, dizzying advertisements, and overnight facebooking. Consequently, we all need to be able to escape - to refocus our attention on points enjoyable or enjoyable, as opposed to the tough realities of the daily world. While we are stressed we want nothing more than escapism, and cosplay undoubtedly offers that for other people.
It is nice to add a lttle bit of illusion to an otherwise dull or stressful world. However, translating someone's fantasy directly into reality can be difficult. I don't know if parents should really be concerned concerning their teens' expressing sturdy desire to stay in illusion regarding anime, perhaps they should consider that since healthy and part regarding today's social reality. In addition to that the desire to be able to 'escape' is part regarding the complicated process regarding discovering ourselves. I consider we are all rhapsodist in various ways. Click here: uniquerings
This is usually where I obtained myself into the most trouble-of-judgement. I failed both to comprehend exactly how important the notion of escape is to numerous cosplayers and to clarify the particular actual kind of escape I actually was addressing. I acknowledge that many Filipinos currently participate in cosplay not mainly to avoid their own personal wars these kinds of as their jobs, associations, school pressure and some other life hassles, but instead to have fun, compete, and even make a new living.
The Magical Globe of the Rhapsodist
"Harry goes off into this magical world, and is usually it any better as compared to the world he's left? Only because he satisfies nicer people. Magic would not make his world far better significantly. The relationships create his world better. Wonder in many ways complicates his life. " --J. K. Rowling--
Is there a difference between healthy and balanced and unhealthy escapism? In the present reality, we cannot carry out our ancestor's way of escapism - which is usually telling stories around typically the fire or do writing on the caves. We have now escape the woes worldwide by reading books, viewing soap operas and films, browsing the internet, writing a blog and so on etc.
As I said before, cosplay is actually a new in addition to modern sort of escapism. As opposed to other forms of escapism, cosplay is much more included. Other "characters" are immediately playing in their wonderful world, interacting using their own assumed personality. Events, these kinds of as regular conventions in addition to gatherings, also occur in this particular new kind of escapism that may be directly dependent on the particular authors of the cartoons characters.
Fantasy Self in addition to the Anime Planet
Therein causes the problems in the cosplayers. This is definitely our theory OK. The assumed character, which I may call the Fantasy Personal starts to rival the real world. Due to the sheer complexity and magic of the anime world, the particular Fantasy Self may always count on the cosplay since his or her sort of escapism. You will find a possibility that will the Fantasy Self will certainly treat the anime planet as a sizable part of the individual's real life and may possibly dominate the real world.
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