#these are probably some of the strongest characters in lore

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 87 Charisma Posting

If you weren't hyped before this chapter then you probably will be after reading it, dear void. Editor's notes have spoilers again so the post is under the cut.

Editor's Notes: First Page: 謎につつまれた... [nazo ni tsutsuma reta...] "Shrouded in mystery..." Last Page: 妖刀を失い取り戻した妖術は...!? [kumeyuri o ushinai torimodoshita chikara wa...?!] "What sorcery did he regain after losing Kumeyuri...?!" Eagle-eyed readers will notice that 妖刀 is actually youtou, or "Enchanted Blade(s)" in the official En TL. And 妖術 is pronounced youjutsu, for "sorcery". The Ruby over each of these were "Kumeyuri" and "chikara ("power/strength")", respectively so I freewheeled this for maximum clarity instead of literalism.

Hishaku Lore

Hey there!

They're mysterious. Enigmatic. And so gosh dang charming! It's really endearing to see them acting like a chill family around each other. Derek's the responsible one, Jane's the teasing one, Toto's the crazy one, Kuguri's the serious one, Hiruhiko's the brat, and so on. They all have a core personality trait that bounces off other members in a way that's fun to read.

We got all our Hishaku members now too, assuming that Samuraishaku was the real deal and not just someone borrowing his appearance for some reason! Well, even if he was a core member, we still know them all:

Crazy that we've gotten all the core members but only have four names.

But oh yeah. We finally got a look at "Jane Hishaku", the last member of the squad that took out Kunishige! How will Chihiro react if he sees her? And with Yura's arrival, there are now six key Hishaku members. Seems like he showed up after the others so he wasn't accounted for in the initial assessment given to Azami.

Also, I gotta say it: the Hishaku guy with the gauze on his cheek is super cute.

Two cuties, a bald guy, Derek, and their dad.

No names, but they'll come in time. Surely. What's important right now is the cute new guy:

[insert that two nickels meme about bathroom conversations mid-piss occurring in Kagurabachi here]

He's going to be the one to watch as the character who got some focus here, and as the apparent strongest. Is he going to be Chihiro's new rival/opponent while Hiruhiko pulls himself back together? And what the hell is his sorcery that makes him stronger than Hatshaku? Yura doesn't strike me as the type to compliment his younger members just for the hell of it, even if he is very kind towards them. So we'll -say it with me now- wait and see.

He seems like he's got the same less emotive than average face thing going on that Chihiro does. Denies he's nervous, doesn't really look it, but actually is. No more to say about him until we see him in action except I'm sure he's done nothing wrong ever. And even if he did, it was justified. Cuteness is justice, after all.

Next, there's this:

That's a lot of work and paint.

Between this panel and the one of him regrowing Hiruhiko's arms in chapter 59, I think it's safe to confirm that "Derek" uses the same non-innate type of sorcery that the Masumi specialise in. This firmly puts in him in the support role and possible OP tier if he's given enough time to prepare. If the Masumi can conjure friggin' motorcycles from an ink scroll, I'm sure Derek's got some crazy tricks up his sleeves too. His technique is a bit different from the Masumi's though, since their teleportation mandala was limited to four people and his transported five. Plus the circle itself is obviously not the same design. A hidden technique that was passed down, perhaps? Something he learned or created himself?

Lastly...

Well that's spooky.

Just in case the EN TL doesn't bring it across (they didn't): Yura literally says he's "possessed by 'God'" here.

やはり...今日俺には『神』が憑いている。 yahari...kyou oreniha "kami" ga tsuite iru "I really am... possessed by 'God' today."

This sentence is so specific and revealing IMO. God [神, kami] is in quotes for a damn reason, for one. This gives some big insights into the Hishaku's core motives. Do they see the Sword Master as some kind of deity? I'd buy it! Second off, the "possession" bit. There's not much mistaking it: 憑く (tsuku) means to posses or to haunt. With Yura's eye turning black like the Sword Master's when he says that, we can easily theorise that he has some kind of connection to the man. Remember when Kyora was trying to fight off the Sword Master back in the Rakuzaichi arc?

Chapter 41

I don't think Yura's a meat puppet controlled by the Sword Master, but he could well be acting as a kind of host or vessel somehow (similar to how Kyora was almost taken over). Otherwise the Sword Master would be talking about himself in the third person there and it would be kind of weird.

The main credence for the Sword Master controlling Yura's host body comes from three things, two fairly tenuous. The strongest one is that Yura wants to wield the Shinuchi himself, which is theoretically something only the Sword Master can do to full effect. Kyora wreaked havoc in the auction hall with just a fraction of the power, but that's not enough to bring Tokyo and the Kamunabi to their knees probably. They'd need access to all of it. Second is Yura's name. The kanji representing his name is 幽, meaning seclude, (to) confine to a room, deep, profound, dark, tranquil, and/or calm. All things that apply to the Sword Master himself. This one I won't deny outright, but it's just not selling me. I think it's more of a general hint that there's a connection to the Sword Master rather than Yura being the Sword Master himself. The third one is the fact that the Sword Master sat completely still for 18 years- he could have been controlling the Yura persona. Also not super buying it since he said "Magatsumi" to connect to Kyora in the imprisoned body, but happy to be wrong on both counts there.

This is my crazy theory: Yura could already connected to the Sword Master as a worshiper.

Yura established a connection with the Sword Master similar to what almost happened to Kyora -one that lets the Sword Master get in his head and use him- willingly because he came to worship the man as a god. The Hishaku were founded to spread the truth of what happened and enact their God's will. Or something like that. It seems like he thinks fate is on his side at least.

The theory's kind of out there, yeah. It's just a lot of fun to think about what all these new implications are. Looking forward to seeing how other people try to piece it all together!

Oh, you charmer~

Otherwise, great showing of Yura's playful and enigmatic nature this chapter. His exchange with the Old Man gave us a lot of insight, surprisingly. His strong fixation and determination never falters. Nor does his politeness. And he goes all-in on everything but not in a way you'd expect sometimes. Like, a less good villain would have killed the Old Man just to show how evil he was and how little regard for the guy's life he had. But Yura keeps it classy despite the man's rudeness towards him. He makes a simple wager, wins it, leaves to take a leak. He's also probably slightly insane but we allow that in Kagurabachi.

Yura's so genuinely kind and supportive to the little group of misfits that he's gathered that I can't help but like him. For once there's a Big Bad in a shounen manga that's representing "evil" with positive tropes like being the Group Dad and encouraging his subordinates. He's actually fucking likeable and seems like a decent guy aside from all the scheming, manipulation, and murder stuff. ...Kinda like another dad that's important in this series. Something something good parent, bad social influence perhaps?

What About the Other Guys?

Mai waifu!

Azami and Shiba are now the kings of offscreening their opponents I guess. Only a little salty that we didn't get to see that fight. No, actually, I'm kinda pissed. LET ME SEE MY WIFE DOING COOL SHIT. Plus it would have been a great opportunity to get more insight from him on what he thinks about the Hishaku. Maybe some more crumbs about the Hishaku themselves too. And shouldn't one of the ten core Hishaku members put up more of a fight than that? Unless there's some fuckery going on with that guy not being the real Samuraishaku, I guess... I don't quite believe he's dead yet either way.

I get that skipping it was intended to not slow the pace after the extended Chihiro vs. Samura fight and keep the mystery of who the traitor is going, but is anyone seriously betting on it being Azami at this point? Ichiki (short gremlin guy that mentored Azami and Shiba) is the most obvious candidate by now. Even Earlobes is out because of what we saw from him last chapter. I still think he's bad at his job and doesn't take it seriously enough, but the glimpse into his thoughts essentially cleared him of suspicion on my end.

Anyway, good on Azami for being a smart wizard gorilla and recognising that something's up with the enemy behaviour. He's not in the highest tier of Kamunabi leadership for his good looks and prowess alone! Here's hoping he joins the fighters on the lower levels since the Hishaku poofed themselves right in front of a key capture target. (And that he somehow loses his shirts. Just because.)

Reminding us of that snack sharing scene in ch. 47 is making me go feral about it all over again.

That's right, after a month or more of deprivation, not only do we see Azami, we get Uruha and Hakuri too! And Uruha's about to open up a can of whoop ass.

Speaking of Best Boy, unfortunately Hakuri's still a plot device/heroine to be protected so he's not doing much. Instead, it's time for Uruha to really shine and show us what his sorcery is! Dude this is going to be great, I can't wait to see it. We have absolutely no idea what it is but it must be something incredible in a fight if he's confident he can take on seven people -trained fighters and fearsome in their own right- all by himself.

He might have limited sorcery too due to still technically recovering from Kumeyuri re-wiring his brain. So I guess he will get to be a total badass and kill the two fodder traitors, then hold his own against the actual threats until help arrives. Whether that's Azami, Chihiro et. al., or someone else will surely create another hype moment.

The hardest part I think will be protecting Hakuri. He can take a hit and doesn't mind doing so, yeah, but he's also kind of important to what the Hishaku are doing. They consider him "bait" for the main forces, remember. So they may just try to have one or two members abscond with him to light a fire under said main forces (re: Chihiro). Y'know, typical heroine stuff.

Keep in mind that this chapter is us catching up on what was happening while Chihiro was trying to Talk no Jutsu Samura- we got a repeat of Izaru's "we can use this chance to wipe them out" line to show where that left off. We might have a chapter or two without Chihiro for Uruha to show off is what I'm saying. Please. Let Uruha look as amazing as possible! He deserves it after being "dead" for so long in real-world time.

Oh yeah, Izaru.

Why does Hokazono draw all these men so attractively?!

Of course the Hishaku would have a blackmailed employee in the friggin' barrier nucleus. Izaru's no fool, though. He's a competent asshole who earned his spot for sure.

I'll be surprised if we go back to the barrier room here unless we need more tension with it breaking somehow. The Hishaku successfully engineered the blip in coverage that they needed to get past Azami's Thunderdome trial. And the employees already within the barrier aren't going to be stopped by it, seemingly. This might be the last we see of Izaru unless it's important to get his reactions to further events for a future arc.

Alright. Hype, hype, and more hype. Say something kind to yourself and see you next week, dear void.

[nooooough]

Dashing

[crows-of-buckets]

It always makes me really sad whenever people call diluc "boring" or say he's just not an interesting character like Bro. After he had to kill his father because Crepus was in so much pain from delusion backfire, he returns home to find his brother is a spy. THEN he goes to sneznyha and spends around three years killing fatui soldiers, who by the way, have probably been raised to be soldiers since they were children. An angry 18 year old with a delusion caused such a stir that A HARBINGER HAD TO STEP IN??? Like. You don't have to like Diluc as a character that's fine, we all have different tastes i get it. But he's not just boring like?? Idk diluc in lore is fucking STRONG. He was a knight by like 11 and was calvary captain at 14. Had he not left the knights he would have been acting grand master instead of jean I don't doubt it. Idk man just give him a bit of credit he's not boring y'all just don't read character stories 💀

[arolesbianism]

Management games my beloved I <3 tormenting lil guys for my benefit

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I'm curious about your thoughts about the OB cards. Personally I was REALLY hoping they weren't actually gonna happen because they overblots are supposed to be like super strong and they can't really do that without breaking the game because most things would be too easy or balancing it out which would make everything too hard for people who don't have the cards. So they’ll probably be weaker and it’s just a personal pet peeve of mine when strong bosses are weaker when they’re playable.

Also I know the characters that do overblot are like coming to terms with that or something (I would assume anyways I play on the English server) but it rubs me the wrong way that they're making cards of what's literally the characters trauma incarnated into really strong versions of themselves. Like maybe I'm overthinking it but even with everything with the Vil in book 7 I still think it's weird to let the form he takes from having a mental breakdown after almost killing someone be playable??? Though most people don’t seem to agree with this so maybe I am overthinking it lol

[Referencing this news!]

While I understand the frustration with watering down what are meant to be powerful people in canon and/or balancing new battle content around the more recent cards, power creep nothing new for these types of mobile gacha games, or even for Twst itself. For example, Malleus is canonically one of the top 5 strongest mages in all of Twisted Wonderland, but it's not as though all of the Malleus cards are OP to reflect this lore. As another example, events will often grant an item drop boost or a status buff to the limited time banner characters as a means of incentivizing you to pull for them. I find this particular egregious for the recently introduced Arcane Combat Drills/Magic Assault Practice events, which feature progressively arduous battle maps and are made easier if you happen to pull the featured staff SSR. The devs cannot just drop an OP character that will break the game (even if they would canonically) to maintain balance and keep the game fun for players. I honestly don't think power creep is a huge issue with Twst. It happens, certainly--but it's not as bad as other games I've seen. Cards now considered "old" are still considered good today (Dorm Uniform Trey is still a great healer, it took several years for someone else to topple Dorm Uniform Riddle in terms of highest attack stat; even then, Riddle is excellent for offense, etc.). Older cards also introduced new buffs and debuffs which enhance battle complexity and potential strategies. For example, there was previously NO way to stop the enemies from healing... until Dorm Uniform Vil was introduced. He was the first card to have Curse, which applies a debuff that prevents the enemies from healing for a set number of turns. Since then, other similar additions have been made to tweak combat.

This is a spoiler for EN only players (though it sounds like you saw the Malleus OB card preview/JP server content, so I'll assume it's safe to spoil you), but the OB forms end up being framed differently (more heroically) later in book 7. It's not a clear-cut case of Twst glamourizing poor mental health and trying to sell it to us. Overblots are, of course, initially presented as the characters' trauma made manifest, at their lowest points and succumbing to their inner darkness--and they still are. However, in the dream world of book 7 (plus some hacks + cheat tool support from Idia), the OB boys are able to assume their OB forms and use these to combat Malleus. The OB forms are referred to as the "strongest versions of themselves", and they even portray the shift from their normal forms to OB sort of like magical girl transformations. In this case, their lowest points ultimately become moments of triumph, as they all manage to confront that "darkness", embrace it, and then tame that power for themselves. (To be clear: they can't OB at will in reality or control their own OBs in reality; it's only possible in the confines of the dreamspace.) The narrative around the OBs is retooled to be empowering and a symbol of how far each of them has come rather than staying static as something to be ashamed of. The idea seems to be promoting acceptance of the past but also learning to grow from it. I don't see an issue with this. Even without this particular context, I don't think I would see an issue? Many of the characters have done very questionable things even outside of OB (Leona tries to sand Ruggie, Riddle attacks Ace with rose trees in an attempt to literally behead him, Vil tries to poison Neige, etc.), but there aren't protests about those character variants (Dorm Uniforms, School Uniforms, etc.) being playable. Twst is a game centering on Disney villains, so there's for sure going to be dubious actions being carried out and dubious morals on display.

I hope this helps to ease your worries or at least provides you with a different perspective ^^

[jellitchi]

vat7k designs in my head...

i thought their canon designs were a eensy weensy bit Unpolished so i made these mostly for myself. erm if u rly want it i think varian is 19 here, hugo 19, nuru 18, yong 12.

i also made rhem all playlists and had to draw them a cover so thats what the last img is I linked each of em under my notes for all of em... Under the cut is Like a Huge Infodump of notes i have for each chara,,,,,,

i kept varians design basically the same, i dislike the design w the orange neck thing so i just Nuked it😭... Here's Varians playlist

Hugos design i just wanted to put him in something more Loose. hes a thief, a professional escape artist. i dont think wearing clunky metal is ideal for him. i also gave him a prosthetic arm (blond w no arm design trope!) but u cant see it in the ref so i added another drawing of him in his under layering👍 i vaguely referenced russian(?) clothes for him as well... Yeah not too much changed w him i just tried to make him slippery-er. Here's Hugo's playlist

yong came relatively easy to me, if it wasn't obvious i did rip gaming from g*nshin's hoodie. i thought the lion hood was Adorable and freaking perfect for what i had in mind for hos character. since the og notes said the fire kingdom is loosely Chinese inspired i basically just kept that. i mashed tgt a buncha diff dynasties though sorry for how inconsistent i was... i think he looks Okay. anyways i changed yongs role a bit, ill explain why im adjusting some of their roles later but i kept yong as the Jinx Type character. hes the eldest in his family and has a buncha younger siblings, hes a lion dancer and does performances w his family/siblings. he rly like special effects n keeps tryna incorporate his fireworks into their performances (it flops and he has to sew up the dmg) ill explain more of yongs role in another post maybe shrugs... Here's Yong's Playlist

miss nuru was a bit of a struggle for me i might share my full design process with her coz i did a Bunch of mockups for her😭😭😭... i didnt have a specific country of reference for her but i chose to make her vaguely south asian inspired. i also really wanted to keep the sheer fabric w the star / constellation map. i love that idea its so cute so shes still technically the navigator. but she also wields a sword too, fencing or whatever. (her and varian r Huge Cass fangirls which is probably why she started tryna use a sword (snuck out to watch cass compete) Okay ill talk abt this later) in my head, okay ill Probably make a whole nother post talking abt how im interpreting/writing each chara, but in my head i think nuru is the youngest and her kingdom's archivist. shes mostly in charge of like Her kingdoms history / artifacts / etc. ok im getting too side tracked ill save the lore dump for later but thats Nurus role in the party. Here's Nuru's Playlist

uhm below i made their character stats mostly to help me with planning / role developing. the yellow is their base stats the color behind is their end stats i guess. i was gonna explain my reasoning for their stats but ermm this post is kinda Really long so sorry😭... varian max int for obvious reasons, also max charisma just coz i feel like u kinda learn a thing or two being around a couple manipulators and spending time in jail idk shrugs... (also lets not forget the "ud b surprised what ppl would do for a cookie!") Hugo slippery guy, if a brick is thrown at him as hes running hes gonna try n run faster to shatter it, his mindset is Run Run Run! i think hes relatively agile too but yeah mostly a Speedster. i think he n varian got no Physical strength varian maybe just like A little coz Farm boy but I rly doubt quirin is making him do a Lotta heavy lifting. yong has incredible stamina and agility because hed a performer. nuru is the strongest coz this team would literally Flop without a proper Offense😭... i think varian n hugo r able to outwit plenty of their opponents but i think nuru is pretty good in a fight, same w yong. Yeah Okay Sorry for a Long Long Post thanks hope u guys enjoy

[sopuu]

Imma be real for a second and say I love the way Jesse has scars on your art??? Love it when someone gives a character who's been through a lot of physical (and mental) trauma some kind of scar. It just emphasizes to me that they went through that. And the effects of that stay with them.

Sorry I'm rambling

Tldr mmm scar art prettyyyy

exactly!! jesse’s gone through so much that i’d be surprised if he didn’t have any scars. and i like to think he’s confident enough to show them off not as injuries to his body but as a part of who he is, like a collection of experiences and battles he’s overcome. hence why i have his sleeves rolled up most of the time (and also rolled sleeves…so gender…)

he’s got a bunch of other scars i never get to show off so here’s some scar headcanons as a treat! i wanted to give each major one a backstory so it’s not just there for aesthetics. the others are normal battle scars tho

ramblings about the f-bomb scar and the face scar under the cut bc there’s a lot oops. ty for the ask!

can we talk about the damage the f-bomb did to him in game. or the lack of damage even. because there’s no way this man got out of a close explosion from the strongest bomb with ONLY ringing ears for a few seconds?? not that im complaining i’m glad he’s okay bfjkfh

either the order’s armour is made of impressively strong cloth and metal or minecraft block people are very tolerant to damage. although the logical explanation would probably be the damage can’t be shown realistically within the limitations of a minecraft game (not just on the pg side of things but also they are. made of a few pixels) idk it’s something interesting to think about lore/game development wise

if it weren’t for canon depictions i’d probably have the scar cover half of his body,, but i like keeping designs close to canon depictions so a big shoulder scar it is! i had it cover more of his back since he turns when being fished down to try and shield himself

as for the face scar! i’ve debated for a long time whether to have that as the origin bc i thought it was too cruel but it stayed in the end- it’s probably the hardest one he’s had to overcome despite it being the smallest major scar. every time he looks in the mirror he’s reminded of how he failed reuben. how can it be that he only gets a small scrape while his best friend loses his life? all because of jesse’s mistakes?

some OLD art incoming so shield your eyes but these are a few doodles exploring that! i was also testing the f-bomb scar on the face for funsies

eventually though, as he learns to accept his many scars he comes to see this one as a mark of the turning point of his life, both the good and the bad, and how much reuben and jesse meant to each other that they faced the world’s end together, knowing full well of the consequences. in a sense he carries reuben’s memory through that scar :]

anyways this is so long i’ll shut up now LOL

[ranchstoryblog]

Ranch Story's Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Review

Setting out to be a new take on the series, including new mechanics, setting, theming, and even a new director, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has a lot of questions to answer and, as the first entry for a new console generation, expectations to surpass. After my time with the game, I feel that while there are some rough edges, Guardians of Azuma is a thoroughly enjoyable breath of fresh air for the series.

This review was primarily played on Nintendo Switch, though some comparisons are made to other platforms.

A New World to See

From the outset, Guardians of Azuma sets itself apart from its predecessors in scope and theming. The Japanese-inspired fantasy setting feels fresh, and shortly after the start of the game you'll find that you're not just being confined to a single village and its immediate surroundings again. While not exactly an "open world," there's easily more places to explore than in any previous game in the series, literally and figuratively soaring above its predecessors. By the end of the game, it was easy to feel like Azuma as a setting was an interesting and well-realized setting, with plenty of its own lore and quirks to explore.

Azuma is undeniably a pretty place, with lots of nicely designed environments, set-pieces, and inhabitants in vibrant colors. With the characters being one of the strongest selling points of the game, it's nice that they not only look great, but many of them have their own distinct animations while idling and expressing themselves during cutscenes in a way that the static portraits of previous games in the series never managed to achieve.

Unfortunately, while the strong art style and use of colors helps bridge the gap, it's hard not to find the Nintendo Switch version specifically a little lacking compared to other platforms. There is frequent detail pop-in, with shadows and textures nearly constantly in flux somewhere on-screen while you're running around. This is an issue even during cutscenes at times, where it seems the level of detail can't keep up with the camera's movements; a great disservice to otherwise enjoyable event scenes.

Zoomed-in examples of detail shifting in the background of a cutscene.

Fortunately for those who don't have access to a PC or Nintendo Switch 2, the game still runs well overall. Loading times are relatively speedy, and the framerate doesn't have too many issues keeping up even when there are plenty of enemies, effects, or items on-screen. A very welcome and noticeable improvement when compared to Rune Factory 5.

Life in Azuma

One of the most drastic changes for players that are used to the typical farming sim fare will probably be that traditional farming isn't really a focus at all in Guardians of Azuma. Instead, as Village Chief, you'll largely be benefiting from your villagers managing farmland for you while you place buildings, decorations, and other resources. Designing your town is simple and intuitive, and each distinct addition, whether it's a new business or a cute little Lucky Cat statue, will provide an immediate benefit by increasing your stats and working towards the town's overall growth, unlocking new development zones along the way. It's a very different feeling system, but still a fun and rewarding one as you balance the needs of your villagers, maximizing your stat boosts, and just making something that you like looking at.

Villagers aren't always perfect though. Often, some negative traits get in the way, so you'll still need to go over their homework to keep the fields running if you're too soft-hearted to evict them. If everything's going smoothly, you'll be making more money than it costs to feed everyone while hardly ever lifting a finger. So long as everyone's happy, I'm sure they won't mind when you use the money they generate on crafting a shiny new bow instead of building more housing.

Speaking of a bow, it's one of the tools you'll always have on hand while exploring the more dangerous parts of Azuma, along with whatever you use as your main weapon and the Sacred Treasures you earn while progressing through the story. There's not as much weapon variety as in previous games, but none feel exceptionally stronger than the others, so it's nice to just use whatever feels best at the moment. Sacred Treasures also help provide some variety, allowing the use of other non-standard fighting styles such as punches and elemental magic attacks that can generally cut through any standard enemy so long as you have the RP to use them.

If you need any help, you can also recruit up to six monsters or characters you've bonded with to journey with you. Each one has their own specialty and some bring along skills the player doesn't have access to, like Hina's lasso-like Spell Seal for binding enemies in place. While exploring, characters will also sometimes talk among themselves, with some amusing interactions that might even hint at things you haven't really learned about them yet.

Forging those bonds can also be much more engaging than the standard farmsim fare of just giving everyone their favorite item every day, though that option is still available as well. While speaking with both potential love interests and the supporting cast, you can choose to hang out, which uses time as a resource to do various activities. Just like with giving gifts, each character has different things they like to do, with more options unlocking as you get closer and learn more about them. It's a much more natural way of getting to know someone, and several interactions don't just include cute little animations, but also some short dialog scenes, such as having a discussion over dinner or cuddling up while sharing an umbrella that's maybe a little too small for two people. It’s left me wanting this socialization dynamic for future Rune Factory games and wishing for it in past games - we’ll have to wait and see if it makes a reappearance.

One of the best qualities for how the characters are handled is probably just that almost everyone gets to participate in the overarching story to some degree. This review is aiming to generally be spoiler-free, but suffice to say that it's probably the most memorable and well executed story in the series and hovers around a minimum of 40 hours to complete if you still do a bit of farming and socializing between objectives.

Closing Thoughts

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a wonderful, unique entry in the series, and very possibly the best so far. While it does do a lot of things differently, the new ways to play are fun and show a lot of promise if they continue to take the series in this direction. Whether this is your first Rune Factory or you're a long-time fan, this is a must-play for fans of the genre.

Additional coverage and a second review that includes more focus on PC and Steamdeck performance will be shared soon.

Review codes provided to Ranch Story staff by Marvelous USA and Marvelous Europe.

[aspenn3d]

I feel like nobody is talking about this specific scene guys look at her. Look at LUCIA. She’s literally a baby. We barely have anything about her pleaseeee please please can we talk about herrrr. 😓🙏🏼

She’s in this state because during the first light, the concentrated(?) radianite around her and Reyna was too much for her body to handle… the way radiants are made is being exposed to large quantities of radianite, the more radianite the stronger the radiant. Valorant already recruits the strongest there are, Reyna being one of the strongest there both with her abilities and without(?). I can only imagine the amount they were both exposed to, and how weak Lucia’s body already was. She’s obviously a child so that’s probably a large factor- but Mary and Phoenix were together for the first light and (as far as we know) Mary wasn’t effected the same as Lucia- they looked around the same age, if not Mary was younger. Lucia’s body had to have already been weak, she fainted just from exposure

My guess is something like childhood cancer or some other illness / disease / syndrome that heavily impacted her immune system and overall strength. Or maybe she’s just naturally weak to radianite? It wouldn’t be surprising if there’s many other people like her, if it were a know phenomenon that effected many. It’s explored in other franchises, a sickness caused by nonresidence to a newly introduced power source. But maybe that’s just a given and I’m late to the Lucia lore party..

Is it obvious she’s my favorite character, overall and lore wise, yet? Guys I love Lucia. Maybe that’s cause I see what little we know about her in myself.. 😓

[luna-azzurra]

Hi Luna🙂

Today I came across your account by chance and literally devoured many of your posts. Your tips are worth their weight in gold and are making me rethink my character (my OC).

One thing I've noticed... I think his lore is well developed, but I'm not sure how he's supposed to achieve his goal anymore.

Er ist der Sohn eines der berüchtigtsten Schurken dieser Welt und möchte nicht im Schatten seines Vaters stehen. Er möchte seinen eigenen Weg gehen, aber kein „Held“ werden, denn das würde eine Verpflichtung bedeuten, die er nicht eingehen möchte.

His problem, however, is that he looks very similar to his father and has almost the same quirk (ability).

This leads to everyone seeing him only as their father and not as the person he really is.

My question now is: Would it be better for such a character to give up and simply become evil over time, or would some kind of “anti-hero” be better?

Hey (◍•ᴗ•◍)

First of all, thank you for the kind words, seriously, that means a lot. And second? Holy hell, I love this character setup. You’ve built a character with some incredible tension at his core. He’s not just trying to break out of a legacy, he’s trying to break out of his own reflection. He looks like his father. Has the same quirk. People see him and immediately slap the “villain” label on him before he even gets a word in.

That does something to a person.

When you’re constantly treated like you already are something, especially something dark, something dangerous...it’s not just annoying. It’s exhausting. It's isolating. Eventually, even the strongest-willed people start to ask, “Is there any point in fighting this?” And that’s what makes your question so powerful:

Should he give up and just become evil? Or should he try to become an anti-hero?

Let’s unpack both...

╰ Going Full Villain – “If I’m gonna be hated anyway…”

On the surface, this path makes sense. People already expect the worst. They project his father onto him every time he walks into a room. They don’t see him, but just the shadow he casts. So at some point, yeah, it might feel easier to stop trying to prove he’s not his dad and just… lean into it.

But that wouldn’t be surrender, that would be self-erasure. It’s not a choice rooted in desire or ideology, it’s rooted in burnout. Bitterness. A kind of emotional collapse.

You can absolutely write this path if you want to explore what it means to become the mask others forced onto you. There’s beauty in tragedy. There’s pain in watching someone slip into the very shape they swore they’d never take, just because no one gave them the chance to be more.

But… is that really what he wants? Or is it what he thinks is left?

╰ Becoming an Anti-Hero – “I’ll make my own damn category”

This, to me, is where his heart probably lives.

Because from what you described, he doesn’t want to be a villain. But he also doesn’t want to be a hero, like not in the clean, performative, cape-wearing sense. Heroism, to him, feels like a cage made of expectations. He doesn’t want to be anyone’s symbol. Doesn’t want to be a PR-friendly redemption arc. He just wants to be free—to exist outside the script written for him.

That’s anti-hero territory.

And the beautiful thing about anti-heroes is, that they fight for things they care about, not things they’re told to care about. They help people, but they break rules doing it. They’re messy, unpredictable, and wildly human.

Let your character become someone who carves out his own moral compass. Someone who helps the helpless but refuses to smile for the cameras. Someone who uses his father’s powers but twists them into something new. Something meaningful. Something his own.

And let him struggle with it. Let him wonder if he’s becoming what everyone feared, and then have a moment, one small, honest moment, where he chooses not to.

╰  One more thought, What if the real story isn’t about what side he chooses…but about who he becomes when no one’s looking?

Not villain. Not hero. Not symbol. Just… him.

A kid born in someone else’s shadow, learning, slowly, painfully, that he can make his own light, even if it flickers. Even if people don’t see it. Even if it scares them. And maybe that light doesn’t look heroic. Maybe it’s sharp-edged. Maybe it hurts people sometimes. But it’s his. And that is more powerful than anything he could be labeled.

You’re already thinking so deeply about this character, which tells me you care. And that’s how stories get written with soul. Don’t rush the answer. Let him show you who he is over time...

[starshadyy]

what your favorite splatoon character says about YOU!

obligatory “this is a joke” disclaimer, please don’t take offense i’m only being silly👉👈

☆ ★ ☆

callie: you are a diehard squid sisters fan. you have an intrinsic sense for design and are probably super creative. you hate it when people misinterpret her. others wouldn’t assume it, but you actually need therapy more than most others on this list…😔

marie: you’re really intimidating but probably super nice. you’re actually good at the game and are well-versed in the meta. you may not be the best at communication, but you have a strong intuition and are good at reading people

pearl: an absolute feral crackhead who needs to be kept on a leash. definitely queer. nasty majesty is your national anthem. you breathe life and energy into every situation you enter, and others appreciate you for it. you are pearlina’s strongest soldier! 🩷🩵

marina: you are a massive nerd /affectionate. you either wanna be her friend or you have a fat crush on her. you listen to splatoon ost all the time. your room is packed with stuff from the media you like, including mountains of plushies

shiver: you join her team during splatfests even when you don’t necessarily agree with the platform. you’re likely very sarcastic and always speak your mind. oh yeah, and you’re a weeb

frye: you loved her from the start and defended her honor back when everyone was clowning on her design. you’re very talented but humble about your accomplishments. you would bite someone if allowed

big man: you act laid back but are probably filled with anxiety. i get the vibe that you would own an unconventional pet of some kind [turtle, frog, ferret, etc.]. you’re for sure the mom friend. you know nothing about splatoon lore

captain 3: you are the BACKBONE of this fandom and i have nothing but respect for you. you’re probably ranked pretty high in competitive and are likely a completionist

agent 4: you grew up on splatoon 2 and were sure that they would show up in side order only to be… uh, half right? i’m so sorry sweet prince /gn. don’t you worry, your day [splatoon 4] is fast approaching…

eight: you’re very analytical and derive great joy from the story aspects of splatoon. you either write or read fanfiction and maybe cosplay too. you LIVE for the found family trope, and also probably ship them with captain 3. you have amazing taste :]

neo agent 3: you think lil buddy is the most adorable creature to walk the planet. you wish their initial outfit was actually accessible in the game. you’ve probably only played splatoon 3

cap’n cuttlefish: you’re an og who’s been around since splatoon 1 but still know next to nothing about the lore. you don’t main a weapon, and instead prefer to bounce around. you are… an inscrutable crackhead who i want to study

dj octavio: you’re willing to die on the hill that he is not a villain and only did what he did to support his people [you’re right btw]. you’re actually really chill and fun and i have a lot of respect for you. also, i’m liable to believe that you ship him with cuttlefish, don’t you? DON’T YOU?!?

commander tartar: you’re… ME??? villainous characters are always your favorites. you think octo expansion is a masterpiece [and you’re entirely right]. you’re a splatoon scholar and scour every obscure twitter post and artbook note to satiate your hunger for that sweet sweet lore. there’s something deeply wrong in your head.

mr. grizz: you play a lot of salmon run but are actually kinda bad at it [shhh i won’t tell]. you suffered through after alterna just for his backstory log and the bear ears. i’m going to go out on a limb here and say… you have daddy issues

smollusk: you LOVE the idea that marina and pearl are its adoptive moms. you’ve beaten side order with every palette. you overuse the “🥺” emoji. you miiight be a little annoying, but your heart is in the right place… probably

acht: either the chillest person you’ll ever meet or the most insane. probably both. you’re 100% queer and probably neurodivergent too. i bet you listen to will wood and / or tally hall. i wanna be your friend

harmony: you know every chirpy chips song by heart. you’re probably really sweet and i know you make banger fanart. you have an affinity for cute things and i bet your favorite pokémon type is fairy. DEFINITELY neurodivergent.

cq cumber: ???you both confuse and frighten me!!! what can i even say? you’re a cryptid! but honestly, you’re kinda iconic. i salute you, you freak of nature🫡

iso padre: I LOVE YOU. you’re accepting of all people and are just an absolute saint in general. daddy issues, but you’re coping way better than the grizz fans. also, i’m betting that you’re neurodivergent

sheldon: i didn’t think you existed, but turns out that you do? you actually listen to his rambles. splatoon 2 is your favorite game in the series. you’re able to see the value in things that others tear down and y'know what? i respect that [not saying i approve of your character choice though]

judd: wait, why him? ohh wait, i know! you probably just don’t care about splatoon’s story at all and / or love cats. there, that’s totally it, right?

lil judd: you either DON’T know his lore and just like the cute little kitten, or you DO know his lore and you’re unhinged. i’m scared of you

spyke: you’d bark for him without hesitation and DON’T pretend you wouldn’t. you clown. you absolute freak. i know what you are. /j

murch: if i had to bet, you’re probably the shy type who prefers to let others do the talking for them. you might secretly be a little freaky though, and i think you should embrace that side of yourself. you’re safe here. be free.

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 76 Rebirth Posting

More exciting stuff, dear void! I am seated with popcorn! Rough TL of Editor's Notes First Page: (none this week) Last Page: 雀!! 飛宗三能力がもたらすのは...?! [Suzaku!! Tobimune san nouryouku ga tarasu o ha...?!] Suzaku!! What has the third of Tobimune's abilities set in motion...?!

Some meta stuff first!

Next week's issue will be a double because April 27th/28th is the start of Golden Week, a series of national holidays in Japan. In other words, prepare for lobotomybachi.

Volume 7 will be releasing on May 2nd in Japan, so look forward to info on the cover illustration, page count, and the possibility of extras soon!

The next issue of WSJ has Kagurabachi getting the Lead Colour Page alongside some kind of "happy announcement". One wonders what it will be! It could be a character popularity poll, it could even be... that.

Hiruhiko's Gambit and Samura

So much for seeing what's happening at Kamunabi HQ! We got a whole chapter of Hiruhiko's shenanigans for the most part, but the payoff was so fucking worth it.

"Run along now, Ms. Toto. I need you to be able to save my ass with a timely teleport before I get murked."

Killing Samura, the pinnacle of the Gotta Go Fast sword style while he's deeply wounded and gasping for breath? He'd need some fancy moves to pull that off. Great time to see what else Kumeyuri can do!

Oiran != prostitutes, alright? Can we put that stupid "discourse" to rest already?

The word used in Japanese was 遊 [yuu], which will probably get translated as "Play". 遊 means a variety of things from play to pleasure/recreation/diversion to flexibility/freedom.

Also, the JP line between the last two boxes is:

"遊"は周囲のモノを自在に操ることができる "yuu" wa shuui no MONO wo jizai ni ayatsuru koto ga dekiru "Play" lets the user freely manipulate nearby objects.

モノ [mono] is 物, meaning "thing/object". The extra emphasis from writing it out with katakana means that Hokazono-sensei's telling us that it's for non-living things only is my guess. It can work on things and objects but not living, breathing animals or people. Plants are probably also excluded from use but that's up for debate I suppose, have at it if you want to.

Anyway! How 'bout all them corpses Chihiro and the Masumi created, huh? Yeah... Add on a super-duper strong Banquet and not even Samura is safe. Because we got confirmation at last that John did target and manipulate Samura to be the anxious, defeatist wreck of a man we love to debate (apparently).

The schemer schemed successfully.

A broken man with so much anxiety and guilt is easily manipulated. Called it!

And indeed, Hiruhiko does a great job of getting the strongest swordsman to kill himself to save his daughter. The corpses probably don't have any killing intent that Samura can hone in on, so he'd be going off the sounds they were making and not much else when it comes to fighting them. Too bad his senses are scrambled thanks to Banquet.

So he performs one final act befitting his role as her father before he becomes the latest series casualty... oh. Oh.

What's that? Tobimune's third ability is... Suzaku?!

No malding, W for the official EN translation.

The kanji used for the ability was 雀 [suzume], which means "sparrow". But it can also be a reference to the Vermillion Bird of the South (朱雀, zhū què) from the Chinese myth of the Four Symbols. With the Ruby next to the kanji being すざく [suzaku], there's absolutely no doubt that the last ability is divine intervention incarnate. Was the True Realm bit in the beginning hinting at how Samura came to have this ability, since he hates killing...? Being able to revive the people you murder would definitely ease his conscience over those sincerely held Buddhist beliefs clashing with his duty.

*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Suzaku the mythical bird is similar to a phoenix but not quite- they're both associated with rebirth through fire, but there's some really deep lore with Suzaku that makes it a distinct entity. Some short details on what exactly Suzaku is are here and here.

*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*

The move seems cool and OP as fuck, yeah. It's also the most probable answer to the question Shiba sorta kinda answered back in chapter 60:

Hey Shiba where've you been since we last saw you here?

So now I wonder if this was Samura's plan all along- kill the other bearers to sever their contracts with the blades then bring them back with Suzaku. At the very least, the chances of Uruha being alive after all just shot up dramatically. Revival sword + not seeing his body + deliberately being teased about his status + Chihiro saying this about the man's death:

YOU SHOULD HAVE RESTED LONGER DAMNIT. Chapter 60, I don't like you very much.

Let "Uruha Lives!" be the next thing we hastily scribble in public areas as our sign of rebellion against The Man.

Anyway...

Iori's probably still gonna have trauma from seeing her dad get eviscerated right in front of her.

The Crow feathers burning up raise some interesting questions- is it just a neat visual effect or is it part of some limitation for using Suzaku? As in there's a long GCD like he's playing FFXIV with only three abilities at level 2. We see him flood the hallway with feathers shortly after though so maybe it's just for the cool factor.

There has to be some kind of limitation on Suzaku though. Probably. Maybe it requires a ton of energy and/or has a long cooldown before it can be used again and/or it cancels Crow/Owl if they're in effect and/or can only be used once per revival target? Hope we find out. What a fucking amazing move though. Samura is terrifying with Tobimune- he seems downright immortal and inescapable. Look what you've done, Hakuri! (Please don't, you did nothing wrong. Ask the author when you can come back to us though.)

Oh shit his eyes are open!

Samura looming in the dark with his scars on fire, preparing to teach a "stupid brat" a lesson... I nearly forgive Hiruhiko's presence in the hotel this arc. THIS PAGE IS SO FUCKING AMAZING! But yeah, Samura called Hiruhiko a 糞餓鬼 [kusogaki], "shitty brat", "stupid brat", "son of a bitch", however you wanna phrase it ("friggin' brat" in the official EN) the page prior. He's got Mr. "I'm the only one who's free" cornered and it's a coinflip if the pink menace goes down or not, I think. Toto's presumably in a safe location but will she know to teleport Hiruhiko out of danger? She and Hiruhiko could plausibly have the twin/soulmate sense thing that Chihiro and Hakuri have going on. Kumeyuri's third ability could come in clutch too, whatever it is. We'll see.

What I want to see most, though, is the additional follow-up to this from Chapter 51:

It's going to happen in a different way than I expected but it'll still be emotional as hell.

I think Samura's sight was also restored for a bit of thematic harmony after he "woke up" from the hallucinations by dying. Blinding himself out of guilt trapped him in his own head and negative thinking, also blinding him from interpreting things in a better way. His sight being restored would symbolise that he's now on a more even keel with a better perspective on things.

Sorry for all the panel captures this entry but I wanna make a note of something here that couldn't necessarily be brought over into English:

Something something literal AND metaphorical "waking up".

The line in JP in Samura's panel was:

彼をようやく幻覚から醒ましたのは致命傷による痛み kare wo youyaku genkaku kara kimashita no wa chimeishou ni yoru itami

醒ます [kimasu] means not only "to wake up" but also "to be disillusioned" and "to sober up". Got the triple play of meanings here! It's not normally written with the 醒 kanji -覚める[kimeru] is more common- so Hokazono-sensei was very deliberate about keeping all three meanings here, I think. Or he's just very fond of associating kanji using the sake radical (酉) to the blade that's named after a shaky pour of sake (酌揺) and induces drunken hallucinations (酔った幻覚). Like Samura sobered up and got his head back on straight after becoming human shishkebab.

At any rate.

Will Samura be surprised by how Chihiro looks, especially with that massive scar? Will he also think Chihiro looks like Kunishige? I want to find out!

Wouldn't it be so evil if we cut over to the Kamunabi HQ attack next chapter instead? Ha ha... ha... not really though, because I'm eagerly awaiting seeing who gets to show up to do cool stuff over there. Whatever perspective we get, I'm here for it.

Meanwhile, On the Roof...

Thanks for reminding us of the series of events just in case we forgot since a lot has happened the past few chapters.

Kuguri had the good sense to run away so he can live and fight another day, though it's hilarious that Hiruhiko apparently forgot or didn't bother to include him in what he planned to do. I think we'll see more of him in a later arc; maybe not a lot, but he's got a better head on his shoulders than Hiruhiko (not that that's a challenge) so he could become another recurring skills check for Chihiro. He's most likely tied to whatever will happen with the Sushi Bearer.

I kinda wanna see his commentary on how Chihiro uses the Iai White Purity style but we'll have to wait on that. Glad to see you Kuguri, now get the hell out of Dodge while you can. Samura's on the warpath against your buddies and you're certainly included if he sees you. You also probably don't have much of a chance to kidnap Iori with the Masumi around her so seriously just GTFO and live.

Speaking of:

Ikura definitely got more than he bargained for getting himself involved in this.

Seems as though the Masumi are gonna be just fine. Good. Protect Ikura and Iori from the re-corpsified corpses just in case and don't make any funny moves that raise death flags. I'm fucking warning you guys and I won't do it again.

As for Iori...

There won't be enough therapy in the world to help her after this.

I think even if she and her dad don't get a chance to talk, she got an answer of sorts when he protected her at the cost of his life.

Naturally I think they have a ton of shit they need to say to each other, and Samura still deserves a verbal lashing, but at least Iori won't be thinking he abandoned her because he didn't love her or something like that. The problem is he cares too damn much if anything, really. And can't/won't get help for that fragile mental state of his.

Samura being glad that he was the only one who was hurt is the biggest answer to her question of "why" though- he doesn't want her to suffer. He'll shoulder all the pain and misery, do whatever it takes to let her live a free and happy life. He's a true father at heart even if he's not really functional in some critical aspects. Kinda like Kunishige, in a much sadder way.

At least Kuinishige's main failing -that we know of, at least- was being immature and leaving all the housekeeping to Chihiro. Bit of a crappy thing for a parent to do to their kid, but it worked for them and didn't bother Chihiro much. He actually cherished those times when he was taking care of himself and his dad. In all other respects Kunishige seemed to be a proper parent- he was teaching Chihiro some really valuable life lessons and being a good role model outside of housework. Most importantly, he was willing to walk through life with his kid and support him every step of the way.

By contrast, Samura's too mentally tortured to support Iori properly. He fears her hanging herself and doesn't talk to her but sends her away. He knows she's a target for kidnapping and worse and instead of working through it with her, he makes her forget everything so others forget her too- even himself. But he'll be her shield and protect her no matter what it costs him.

It's such a damn shame that he thinks his little girl needs to be separated from him to be safe and happy, really- she cherished those memories of their mundane days together just as much as Chihiro did with Kunishige. No doubt she has the same feelings of not wanting to trade those moments for anything, not even the safety and peace of mind her dad wants her to have so desperately.

I really, really hope they get to talk things out. There's so much unsaid between them and they deserve a quiet moment to rip the band-aid off and start the conversation.

One More Thing

A little detail that might get lost in the hype of this chapter:

Reusing screen shots like Hokazono-sensei reuses panels.

The Shinuchi is the exception to the three basic abilities rule for Enchanted Blades. We saw Kyora use Spider, Dragonfly, and Centipede during the Rakuzaichi arc, and we can surmise that the flower field was Malediction, the True Realm ability that the Sword Master unlocked. So there may be more critter abilities to witness if we see the sword in action!

Okey dokey. Give yourself a little compliment this week kind void. We'll meet again for the "exciting announcement" and whatever happens next in this wild fight!

[cultofasparagus]

PJO x Miraculous

Super self-indulgent crossover au literally no one asked for time! I hope you see the vision. I had to free this from my brain at all costs.

Long-winded somehow-even-more-self-indulgent lore dump ft. all the holders below the cut. Certain characters got way more thought than others, and there's a lot of senti-shenanigans:

The Olympians - They have a role similar to the guardians in the show, having control over distributing the miraculous. The Big Three would have the strongest influence, and would all use the peacock to make their own children. All big three kids are made by their parents, with the exception of Hazel being made by one of Hades’ predecessors/ancestors.

Annabeth - Ladybug holder, hero name: Kokkitsa [bastard mix of the greek words for red (kókkinos) and the suffix (itsa) taken from ladybug (paschalítsa)]. Dreams of being an architect like in canon. Crush on civilian percy she's in hard core denial about. Earrings camouflage into her owl ones. Took a lot of inspo from her greek background when choosing her hero costume. Family dynamics similar to the Agrestes, her dad is a world famous historian.

Percy - Cat holder, hero name: Grimcat [from grimalkin and cat], sentimonster like all the other big three kids but unaware of this, amok stored in his 50¢ pen while the others all get expensive rings. Crush on Kokkista (hero Annabeth), love square dynamics are a requirement of an mlb au. Best friends with Grover. Sally runs a Dupain-Cheng Bakery style candy shop.

Grover  - Goat holder, hero name: Herdwind [Herd of goats + grover's affinity for woodwind instruments] , it would be illegal to give him anything else. Uses crutches in civilian form, hero form gives him satyr features including legs that work like braces. Best friends with Percy. 

Luke - Former butterfly holder, villain name: Nychtofly [based off the greek word for moth/night butterfly (nychtopetaloúda)], current holder of butterfly unknown, grew up as a surrogate brother to Annabeth like in canon. Not in love with her in this au for my own sanity. Started abusing the power of the Butterfly after discovering the irresponsible way the “guardians” used them.

Silena - Former peacock holder, became sick from overusing it while broken, died after betraying Luke and using the peacock one last time for the heroes to escape. This role could go to Ethan too, really it's up to you.

Nico - New peacock holder, stole it from Luke after Silena died. Knows all big three kids are sentis and their hero identities, basically the same role/dynamic as Felix where he tries to protect the other sentis with dubious morals. Amok is in his skull ring. Bianca's amok was destroyed so she went poof.

Hazel - Rabbit holder, senti and knows it, found the rabbit miraculous in the 30s only to get trapped in the burrows for 80+ years. Reemerged in current time unsure of where to go. Knows everyone's identities. Deep fear of going back into the burrow again, may have to overcome it during dire straits.

Chiron - Former guardian and snake holder, renounced his roles during the same fight where Silena died, morally questionable of him to only pick children to wield the miraculous and then fuck off to amnesia land. Now that I think about it, he and Fu do have a lot in common.

Rachel - Snake holder, new guardian, both roles she succeeds from Chiron, is told to join fights more as a security measure than a fighter but she still throws down, knows everyone's identities, lowkey in love with both Annie and Percy, my girl is stressed. 

Clarisse - Ox holder, not much to say about her besides the fact that she’d go crazy with the ox.

Tyson - Horse holder, non-human senti brother of percy, hides his eye behind the miraculous.

Thalia - Dragon holder, senti and knows it, probably in love with Reyna, grew up with Annabeth and Luke like in canon. Her amok got destroyed some time before the story, and was later “rebuilt” again by her dad. Is she still the same person? Who knows, she’s a sentimonster ship of thesus. Queue the existential crisis.

Jason - Dog holder, senti and doesn't know it. Still Thalia’s long lost brother, he was abandoned after Zeus decided he wasn’t a perfect enough senti-son. Don’t worry, he’s not raised by wolves this time. Honestly has no idea what’s going on with all the senti-drama, he’s just trying to keep his friends happy. 

Piper - Fox Holder, basically Annabeth’s Alya in the absence of Thalia. Uses her Illusions to convince people to do what she wants. 

Leo - Monkey holder, makes it his life’s mission to exercise his extreme ADHD and annoy everyone with his powers.

Frank - Mouse holder, insecure about his fighting skills but learns to value himself with time. 

Reyna - Tiger holder, grew up alongside Jason and is really protective of him. Overtime adopts even more siblings (Nico and Hazel) to be overprotective with. Becomes more confident in her leadership skills after gaining her miraculous and being able to lead the team during certain fights.

Meg - Bee holder, who gave the weirdly aggressive 12-year-old a miraculous?

Will - pig holder, and he's not happy about it lol. The pig feels more like a support ability, so he doesn’t do a lot of full fighting.

Octavian - Rooster holder. I lowkey just couldn’t think of anyone for the rooster, but imagining him dressed as a bird failing to figure out the arbitrary “it can’t be a wish or overlap with other miraculous” rules everytime he tries to use his powers is funny to me.

[tictac-cara]

I think it would do the AFTG fandom (whom I deeply love and cherish with all my heart) some good to view the extra content as the Wikipedia of AFTG content: useful and occasionally fact-checked information, but not always 100% trustworthy and it’s probably better to get your information from another, more reliable source.

There are definitely some real problems and inconsistencies with the EC, and you don’t have to like it or even read it for that matter if you want to. I do think dismissing it completely undermines the fact that it was written by Nora herself, but I also think that saying it’s gospel isn’t the right way to go about it either because it’s not published material at the end of the day.

Personally, I just try to view it as what it is: Nora got a bunch of questions from curious fans and she answered them as truthfully as she could with the info she had at the time, and also wrote some really interesting short stories that exist in the world of AFTG. It’s just another source of information and entertainment for people who want to learn more.

And I called it the “Wikipedia” source of AFTG content because it’s probably best to not use it alone in the midst of character analysis/discourse, much like you probably wouldn’t use Wikipedia as your only source in a paper. The strongest data in this fandom is from the published novels. It’s not the ONLY data because the EC does exist, does hold weight, and has a lot of canon material (just as Wikipedia does irl), but the published work is the strongest data.

This reminds me a lot of the FNAF novel trilogy discourse and how canon they are to the games/main lore, and I think in both fandoms and both cases, it’s just really not that deep or as black and white as “canon” or “not canon”: in discussions, my instinct is to use the stronger source first- the games, in FNAF’s case-, and use the other sources to support what exists or might be hinted at already in that stronger source.

Totally fine if you have a different opinion and I’d be very happy to have a discussion about this in the comments/reposts! Just thought I’d give my two cents haha.

[midnighthybrid1]

Do u think there'll be any TGD Virtues that turn out to be alright and maybe end up befriending the Smiling Dead?

That’s a good question 🤔 tbh I’m not sure! I’m unsure how the other virtues will be used in the series at all, since we’re seeing some pretty unique takes on the representations of them. At least, for Temperance we are. Diligence is pretty expected as a military official, but Temperance being a scientist/doctor is very interesting. The fact that he was defeated by the Vice that is the opposite of him (ie. Gluttony by way of consuming his brain) is very interesting. I don’t know for sure if him and Diligence are dead or not (I think it’d be somewhat disappointing if they’re dead after only their very first appearances), but I think that’s something that could be analyzed.

Based on the almost dystopian depiction of the heaven in TGD (I say heaven instead of Heaven because this is definitely it’s own thing separate from Christian lore, just inspired by it) I want to imagine each virtue will have a hefty role in the running of it. I really like how the Gaslight District wiki describes each of the virtues, and will try to make my guesses on how they’ll be, based on mostly those:

My guesses might be…

- Patience: I could see Patience working alongside Diligence as a member of the armies, but working more behind-the-scenes as a strategist! Mapping out attacks and getting intel on the goings-on of the Gaslight District, working out ways to keep them in-line while the prophecy brews. I think they’d but heads with Diligence a lot, since Diligence seems a bit more on the impulsive side, whereas Patience is more about taking one’s time. I think they’d make Patience a guy more likely but I’d love it to be a gal instead 🤔. Would NOT get along with the Smiling Dead.

- Humility: A diplomat between the Virtues and the Rotlings. I could see them having less of an obvious bias against the citizens of the Gaslight District, but still being visibly uncomfortable when they get close enough to touch them. Not the strongest, would have to be protected by Diligence or another Virtue whenever they visited the district. I could see this either being a man or a woman, I think either would make for an interesting character here. This one I don’t think would befriend the Smiling Dead but an interaction would be inevitable, and I think it’d be a pretty okay one! Bread Head would probably terrify them haha

- Charity: Perhaps would properly the delivery of resources to and from heaven to the Gaslight District- like, after the truck(s) is/are dropped off they’d be the one keeping inventory alongside all of the other Rotlings they have hired (I assume that all of those soldiers were all rotlings? They looked to be). I think they’d be pretty neutral about the Rotlings and the Smiling Dead, mostly pitying them all for how much they force themselves to suffer by wasting the shipments they receive on their indulgences. No idea if this one would be male or female.

- Chastity: Oversees the breeding and care of all angelic babies, tending to and taking care of the Angel Mother. Maybe help her preen her feathers and keep the nests clean. I’d probably guess this one would be a female, just because I could imagine them having a midwife sort of motif to her. Would probably exchange idle chatter with the Angel Motehr about the goings-on, and provide emotional support to the poor bird. Though her, ah, borderline obsession with the prophecy may rub her the wrong way. I think she’d be much more chill with the Smiling Dead, especially Mel.

- Kindness: Youngest and most naive of the Virtues- not a child, just younger and not taken anywhere near as seriously. I could see them working alongside Chastity on raising the young, newly-born angels. Those little tree areas that they’re all hanging out in when Breadhead shows up? They’d be the ones tending to those plants and making sure they’re all healthy, as terrifying as they look. To balance it out, I could see this character being a guy. He wouldn’t care much about the Smiling Dead, but in general would not be a fan of Rotlings.

Probably totally out-there with these guesses, but who knows! We’ll have to wait and see I suppose 🤔

[chasing-faith-and-fate]

I don't have any specific questions, but I'm very interested in your comic! Do you have any (non-spoilery) character or worldbuilding lore that you're excited about but haven't had the chance to talk about yet? I'd love to hear it :)

Uuurggghh god do I ever-

This is gonna be so long I'm so sorry

Gonna go with Sootsnow this time— because there's so much to this man that I cannot fucking write or convey as I want to. (But I'll try here, probably won't succeed.)

Like I complain about him having so many kits but it genuinely makes a lot of sense for them, specially in relation to their personality- it also very much ties into why he refuses to share information about the Takers.

Look at this fool, he (in game) went from Responsible -> Lonesome -> Righteous- and it makes a lot of sense for him to have kits, because Sootsnow has 1) always been social, and 2) became a leader as a newly made adult, learned that beasts run around the lands he owns, and at the time it was only them, Silk, and a little later, Dew— so of course he'd be stressed out of his mind, refusing to go to gatherings and tell the other clans about Takers, because if they turn to blame Chasingclan they could very easily eradicate Chasingclan.

That's scary.

So, the triplets were a direct choice by Sootsnow to expand the clan and grow in power. That's also why Soot raised them as his mother did to him and Silk, because in his mind that creates strong, resilient cats.

They value strength beyond anything, which is why Moth went from being the favourite (some internalised bullshit from Riftjay that the youngest is the strongest and the elder are canon fodder) and when Moth couldn't fight, and chose to become a healer, Valleyfrost was the next best, especially with her abnormal strength.

This is also why Soot disliked Crane from the get go, she was the weaker link, the canon fodder for her siblings. Which is absolutely wild considering that Cranedance is the ONLY cat that has been in a fight with another cat, scarred another cat, and has killed another cat. She is consistently the only cat that never backs down from a dangerous situation. But because Sootsnow has already written her off he doesn't know anything about her or his kits.

Now— the four new kits, where born during Lonesome personality, the ones he had with Quiver, was an actual attempt on a family. If he couldn't have convinced Quiver to join the clan Soot would have left to be a loner with her. She just went missing before that could happen.

They're now Righteous and I choose to believe it's they fully think they're doing only the right thing. Sootsnow has to believe he's only done the right thing ever, otherwise he's strained so many relationships for nothing.

So basically: Sootsnow is a very complicated guy, and shouldn't be in a leadership position, and is very much crumbling under the pressure. And, in turn, is ruining his own relationships trying to feel in control.