#( & i feel you; shiki is a great show! )

[coquelicoq]

crashes ur board meeting n drags u out by the collar but its fine bc youre the one always saying shit like "im looking for people i can use" ok lol. get used idiot

[ghostlyheart]

Happy Valentines Day!! 💝 I hope you spend the day being haunted by someone you love 👻 (or if you're like me, just eating a lot of heart-shaped candy)

Poll:

[linkspooky]

Ciel-Noel post

Revenge is bad, actually. Simple revenge in stories is boring and uninteresting and Kill Bill is a bad movie.

I dislike the idea of punitive justice in stories to begin with, at least in stories that don't look critically at it. However, I also think people often get punitive justice (a branch of moral philosophy) with the idea of narrative punishment (actions have consequences in stories). I'm not against narrative punishment at all, well-written stories should have direct consequences for all the important characters actions. If a character is a noble gas and no one reacts to their actions, then they are stagnant and unchanging. A character who is constantly reacting to other people, and provoking reactions in return, is a dynamic character.

Now that I've thoroughly buried the lead six feet under, let's get to the main event. Ciel and Noel is a tightly written tragedy in the horror genre. If you've ever watched a slasher movie before, horror operates on like, an extreme kind of narrative punishment. People always joke that if you have sex, or do drugs, or drink alcohol in a horror movie the slasher will kill you and yeah, that's basically it. Horror movies are relenting and unforgiving, you basically take one step out of line and get stabbed in the back for it. So, it's not at all surprising that in the same story where Ciel experiences a change of heart and goes from seeing Shiki not as a victim but another vampire to kill, to being willing to sacrifice everything to save him, Noel does not get saved. Doesn't that make Ciel a huge hypocrite going the extra mile to save her boyfriend, but putting a bullet in the head of the partner she's known for years to put her out of her misery? Why, yes. Yes it is. That's also the point.

Ciel (and Noel's) route in the Tsukihime remake are about two girls who are the victims of the same tragedy. One gets saved, one does not. One finds a person who will do anything to reach and redeem their humanity, the other does not. They both get worse and worse, but one is given a helping hand at their lowest point, and the other gets a bullet between the eyes. This is unfair, and cruel, and again the point. Nasu in the remake turned one of the routes with the happier ending into a bitter tragedy no matter which of the two endings you pick and it's great.

Nasu is a writer who understands the tools of storytelling and with Ciel and Noel, wrote a tightly constructed tragedy where both characters face a narrative punishment. Once again, narrative punishment means for every action the character takes in the story, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Characters don't get away scott free with anything. They reap what they sew. This gives the characters actions meaning, and feels like they are building towards an arc because there is an underlying point that the author is trying to make to us, by framing these characters actions in a certain light.

Nasu employs narrative punishment, sometimes even incredibly harsh narrative punishment (read every wrong choice in FSN where Shirou gets horribly maimed or just Shirou's life in general). However, Nasu does not believe in punitive justice. I mean, I made a joke about Oberon up above but like, Nasu literally wrote an entire FGO Lostbelt chapter showing how chaotic evil the fairies were, and then he still underlined it's wrong to punish people without a chance for redemption or atonement by making Oberon the final boss. Even Castoria who is an ultimate victim of the fairies who was locked in a barn and treated like an animal, and didn't even want to save them was still like "This is wrong, we should have given them some chance to redeem themselves."

That belief that punishment without the chance of redemption is wrong, is written into the core of Ciel and Noel's tragedy.

So anyway, let's get to the part where I start recapping the story with analysis so you guys have some frame of reference for what I'm talking about. Noel is a previous victim of Roa, a vampire that continually reincarnates by hijacking bodies. A victim of ROA slowly becomes possessed until the two personalities effectively merge, at which point Roa goes on a killing spree. This happened to Ciel in her french village, Ciel noticed intrusive thoughts of a voice in her head telling her to kill her family, kill her family, kill her family, and did her best to ignore and suppress them until she couldn't. She then tore out her parent's throats, and then went on a rampage only to be killed by arcueid a short while after. Not before killing basically everyone in the town except for Noel.

Ciel and Noel are the lone survivors of ROA's massacre, and both victims of ROA himself. Ciel and Noel are also the same person, so like, write that down. Are you taking notes? This is gonna be a long post you better be writing down bullet points. Big bullet point number one, Ciel and Noel are the same person this is going to be on the test later.

Is the massacre, and all the deaths that occurred Ciel's fault?

No, you'd think logically being possessed by someone else and only having your agency taking away from you would clear you from responsibility.

However, Ciel was taken in by the catholic church afterwards and they weren't having any of that forgiveness shit. Ciel after miraculously recovering from her death at Arcueid, no longer under Roa's possession, is killed repeatedly by the church, only to find she's immortal now. No matter how many times they try to torture her, or execute her to give her justice for the victims of the massacre it doesn't work. So, instead they eventually just recruit her to be a vampire hunter. Bla bla bla, metaphor for how punitive justice doesn't actually accomplish anything, bla bla bla, metaphor for how Ciel's way of redeeming herself by hunting down and punishing other vampires (which is also just revenge) doesn't work because there's no end to it, there's no forgiveness or absolution, it's just eternal suffering. Would a loving god who created the world and preaches about forgiveness really make a hell where all the really bad people get sent to, and never get any chance of redemption?

“A God who could make good children as easily a bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave is angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice, and invented hell--mouths mercy, and invented hell--mouths Golden Rules and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who mouths morals to other people, and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites his poor abused slave to worship him!” ― Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger

So, already we're touching on both justice, and also the hypocrisies of certain western religions, by Nasu demonstrating that justice without forgiveness accomplishes nothing. Ciel trying to redeem herself in the eyes of the church is truly the sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill of redemption arcs, because there's no forgiveness, only hard labor for her sins. Ciel will just keep killing vampires to atone until she dies, but she can't die, so that boulder will keep rolling up that hill.

This is the underlying point of Ciel's entire arc, Ciel does not save anybody. She kills vampires. By killing vampires she hypothetically stops them from killing future victims, but that's not saving them. One of the most poignant things I've ever read from Nasu was from UBW where Shirou says more or less if there's a bank robber holding up a bank, and a cop comes in and shoots the robber through the chest, that might save all the hostages but the bank robber didn't get saved. You might say, well obviously, you can't save everyone. It makes sense that you'd save the innocent victims first. At which point I would say yes, I know, I have in fact consulted the ancient texts, UBW is my most replayed route.

However, Ciel and Noel's conflict gets that same point across because there are no innocent victims between the two of them. Ciel and Noel are both victimized, robbed of their agency, and go on to do terrible things, but one of them is saved and one is not. Noel isn't the bank robber in that metaphor, she's the hostage who was cooperating with the bank robber because the robber had a gun to her head, who the swat team decided to snipe through the window.

Noel is introduced as an entirely new character in the remake, she is the only other survivor of the massacre. While Ciel has memories of herself committing the crimes and feels guilt for that, Noel watched everyone die and was tortured for days on end by Roa in Ciel's body for their amusement (someone who was so insignificant to them, that Noel refers to herself as just one chip in a bag of chips Roa was snacking on. That's right, Noel is a cheeto in the grand scheme of things). There is one quote I love from John Dies at the End where John talks about how they're not chess pieces, they're not pieces on the board, they're so insigificant that they're just a cheeto sitting on the outside of the board. That's Noel, she's a cheeto.

The thing is Noel seems to be somewhat narratively aware of the fact that in the grand scheme of things she is a cheeto. Noel and Ciel are both victims of the massacre turned vampires, Ciel is a vampire killing machine and Noel sucks at it. Ciel despite being some rando apparently is born with enough magic circuits to make ancient magus families jealous, and on top of that is the only one who ever survived Roa's possession (and got immortality to boot). In every generation there is a chosen one, she alone will stand against the vampires and the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer. So you've got Ciel the Vampire Slayer, and Noel who's just a cheeto. The cosmically ordained protagonist of reality, and just some guy. Noel has to basically beg and scrape to get by, no matter how hard she works she doesn't get stronger, she doesn't get any cool super powers from the night roa burned down her home town she just gets trauma. She also doesn't get a special boyfriend who will do anything to try to give her a normal life. This is illustrated in true tragic irony, by showing that Noel had a crush on a japanese foreign exchange student who's clearly meant to foil Shiki and he was basically the support she leaned on for the entirety of the tragedy, he dragged her away from danger multiple times, only to find out the reason he saved her was to use her as zombie bait so he could make his escape.

Here's where Noel starts to shine because in a typical narrative, Noel would be the more sympathetic character. People like rooting for the underdog. However, Nasu dares to be different by making Noel extremely difficult to empathize with. For one she's extremely predatory in the way she makes constant uncomfortable advances on Shiki the main character. She's also predatory in the sense she enjoys preying on things weaker than her. She says it line for line, weak people have to pick on those weaker than them. Noel goes after small fry vampires for revenge, and to vent her frustrations, however, she doesn't just kill them she rips them to pieces and tortures them in the most inhumane way possible until they're begging for death.

Why would anyone sympathize with the weak, predatory, pathetic noel who only ever makes excuses and blames others to run away from responsibility, over the stoic, strong ciel who is willing to hunt vampires forever to take responsibility for her actions.

Well here's the thing, *gestures for you to come closer, and then whispers in your ear* all the shit that Noel pulls, Ciel does that too. Ciel and Noel are either the same age, or around the same age, so if Noel is a predator for hitting on Shiki than so is Ciel. It's almost like something happened to them in their youths that stopped all their mental development rendering them both like mentally 16. Noel mercilessly slaughters vampires for revenge, and so does Ciel. She just does it offscreen. We don't know if she tortures them or anything, but remember when Ciel hunts Shiki, how she knows that Shiki is a helpless victim in all this and still goes out of her way to twist the knife, hurt him both physically and emotionally in every way possible before making the final blow.

The reason she acted that way during her and Shiki's confrontation isn't because she was stoically forcing herself to kill Shiki because that was the right thing to do, no she was projecting herself and her survivor's guilt for not killing herself before Roa went on his massacre all over Shiki. She was getting her revenge on a helpless victim because projecting on Shiki was a way for her to punish herself. Noel hates herself for being weak, Ciel hates herself for not being strong enough to slit her throat before everything happened (ergo being weak). They both deal with this self hatred by projecting that onto vampires, even vampires who were turned against their will (especially those ones tbh) and slaughtering them. They were both taken in by the church and taught to do that, so the church could get two child soldiers to send to die fighting vampreis. Ciel is Noel, and Noel is Ciel.

Not only does Noel project her past self and her weaknesses onto vampires, she projects herself onto Ciel. In that Noel really wants to be Ciel. Which is understandable, would you rather be, a girl who's only super power is... having an axe, or a girl with like seventeen million cool weapons, has more mana circuits than most mages, and is fucking immortal.

That's just the surface though, Noel is on like fifteen levels of projection with Ciel. Noel's identity is incredibly tied up in her complicated feelings towards Ciel, both because Ciel is the face of the person who committed every atrocity to Noel, but also because they are the two lone survivors of the same tragedy. Noel and Ciel both try to make themselves into tools for killing vampires to cope with their survivor's guilt, and their inability to conceive of themselves having a normal life after what they have been through. They also were both denied any chance at healing, because the church swept in and fashioned them into hunting dogs to sick on the vampires, and fight those vampires until they die. They are also both convinced that the church is right for doing this, and that deep down they either cannot have (Noel) or do not deserve (Ciel) normal lives while they both secretly pine for it anyway. Both of them are denied the chance for recovery, (because revenge does not heal), and Noel takes that one step further by deliberately driving a wedge into Ciel's recovery.

To quote you Comun, even though you're the one that sent this ask:

And Noel is a character inserted in Tsukihime to thwart Ciel's steady recovery. A constant reminder of what she lost and how the blood is in her hands. To cope with the sins Roa used her body for, Ciel chose to be the Holy Church's most professional extermination machine. Noel is the only survivor of her village because Elesia also died that night, being replaced with Ciel, who is fueled not by emotions but by a vampire kill count. And while Noel is a petty bitch at heart, she genuinely believes Ciel's post-trauma life choice and respects her capability to pull it off. There's no sabotage to their partnership not because Noel is afraid to defy someone a million times stronger than her, but because Noel wholeheartedly agrees with Ciel's choice to never recover and to pay blood for blood for the rest of her potentially eternal life. As long as Ciel stays Ciel, Noel's vengefulness is directed solely at Roa. But then Shiki enters Ciel's life bringing with him semblances of normal happiness. The murder machine began to regain emotions. And to Noel, that's a problem.

So part of this is you know, buying church propaganda. Ciel and Noel are both victims of the same church that does not heal or save people, and only doles out punishments on the guilty.

Part of this is an interesting twist that adds complexity to Noel's character, because like she could blame Ciel for the massacre like the church does, and like Ciel does herself, but as you point out Noel clearly wrestles with that. Noel feels a mix of envy for a twisted respect, one could even say love for Ciel's strength. Noel shows a much more nuanced reaction to Roa wearing Ciel's face and killing her entire family and torturing her for days on end, when she could take the church's approach, or even Ciel's approach towards Shiki. Noel even talks about at length how her and Ciel used to bond together by talking at night about how they were going to get revenge for everyone who died that day. Noel can't just see Ciel as the villain who took everything away from her, because they are the only two survivors of the massacre.

As you said there's no sabotage to their partnership, because despite Noel being the most petty bitch ever she never does anything to hurt or betray Ciel. The reason their partnership falls apart is entirely Ciel's fault. Sure, Noel was dancing on the edge of a cliff and not the most stable person to begin with, but it's Ciel's actions that push her off that cliff.

Not only does Noel drive thwart Ciel's recovery, she also makes Ciel look like a terrible person. Because, Ciel is a terrible person. In the same route where Shiki constantly lovebombs Ciel and constantly talks about all her good traits and what a hero she is, and Ciel gets several very cool action scenes making her look like a cool vampire slayer, we also witness to Noel's soul and heartcrushing downward spiral that is caused in part by Ciel kind of not really giving a shit about Noel's feelings. Noel's downfall could have been stopped at any point by Ciel simply lifting a finger, or just noticing her partner's obvious distres but instead what Ciel does is Noel completely out of the loop (like not telling Noel that she was waiting for Roa to reveal himself before attacking Shiki) .

Like, the scene where Noel turns into a vampire is directly caused by Ciel's actions. Noel reveals to Shiki that he's currently possessed by Roa. Ciel stands up for Shiki, in what we think is Ciel not wanting to believe that Shiki is possessed by Roa. However, what we learn instead is that Ciel only approached Shiki in the first place because she assumed he would be Roa's first target, and has been keeping by his side constantly waiting for Roa to appear so she can murk him.

So, all Ciel needed to do was TELL NOEL that she was playing the long game and ask Noel to wait a little longer before showing their hand, but apparently basic communication with her partner is too much effort for Ciel.

This leads into a scenario where not only does Noel think Ciel has broken their partnership (i mean she kinda has) but Ciel directly injures Noel pretty badly and leaves her alone. When Arach shows up to prey upon Noel, Noel can't even fight back by that point. Arach is the bus that hit Noel, but Ciel sure did throw Noel under that bus for no real reason.

I mean there is a story reason - it shows that Ciel may be an instrument of justice but she doesn't save people, in fact she does not give two figs about whether or not people are saved by her actions. Ciel obsessively hunting vampires, is not really that far off from Noel torturing vampires for her own sense of petty vengeance. However, Ciel hunts vampires offscreen so we as an audience don't see really the way, she treats the vampires she kills, but from the way she both foils Noel and also the sadistic way she draws out killing Shiki possessed by Roa as long as possible you can infer that she's not all too different from Noel. That's good actually, that Ciel seems like a good heroic person, but if you squint at her she's not much better than Noel, because like that's the entire point of her character the good, altruistic senpai never existed in the first place. All of Ciel's words about atonement and forgiveness are empty platitudes, just her regurgitating the words the church fed to her.

So finally to conclude, we have the culmination of the moebius strip, where Noel the apparent opposite of Ciel, slowly morphs into Ciel. Noel's flaws in a narrative sense led to her downfall, but let's be clear Noel had no fucking agency in her transformation into a vampire. She was hysterically begging for Arach not to do it. She was pinned and helpless to escape when it happened. It is Arach and Ciel's fault what happened to her.

Noel does make choices, but her choice amounts to not immediately killing herself the moment she became a vampire. She does take like 500 shots to become an ubervamp, but like, the story clearly states that once people become vampires their moralities and personalities are radically altered. So if that's a choice it's an influenced choice.

Therefore the only choice in that moment Noel is truly responsible for is not killing herself while she was still lucid. Irony upon ironies because that's exactly what she yells at vampires to do, bow down and let their heads be cut off by the executors. However, if Noel is guilty for not immediately offing herself, so is Ciel, so is Shiki. Both of these characters get saved while Noel gets old yeller'd. This is unfair and also, you guessed it, the point. Ciels revenge against vampires accomplishes nothing. Noel giving up her humanity for the shot at revenge against Ciel accomplishes nothing. It's almost like revenge doesn't heal, it just puts more pain and misery into the world. No one is saved by revenge.

Noel is fridged for Ciel's arc, and neither Ciel nor Shiki ultimately save her even though she's not all that responsible for her own downfall. This is not the narrative playing good victim and bad victim. If anything it makes Ciel look way worse as a person. The narrative even goes out of its way to say that both Ciel and Noel have a right to their revenge and in a situation like this the winner wasn't determined by who was right but who's stronger. Ciel has no moral high ground she just happens to be stronger, that's it. She doesn't take the higher road with Noel even after Shiki went to such great length to try to reach her emotionally and tell her she was still human, no Ciel makes no attempt to talk to Noel or take a third route she just murks her.

Noel is my favorite character for this route probably second favoeite overall behind Kohaku and I one hundred percent agree with fridging her, because it makes Ciel's character a hundred times better by giving her consequences for her flaws. It's one thing for Ciel to break down crying about how much she hates herself for being a cold merciless machine. It's another thing to have this demonstrated by Ciel letting her partner fall to the wayside by just not giving a shit about anyone's feelings or anything except for her personal quest against vampires.

Noel is a victim of the cycle of revenge, a pointless and harmful cycle. In a story that's thoroughly anti revenge as evidenced in the true end of hisuis route where Kohaku having achieved absolute perfect revenge and having her plan gone entirely right, takes a knife and gouges out her own heart with it. If that's not on the nose I don't know what is.

Its poignant comun that you told me that Nasu stated there's no good ending to Ciel's routes just a normal and a true because a good ending would have saved Noel. It might look like Ciel got off scott free but if you look at it, by killing Noel and denying Noel the chance at salvation Ciel damns herself too. Ciel has not escaped the cycle in the true ending, she's still hunting vampires at the behest of the church the only real change is she has a boyfriend now. I'd compare it to the ending of UBW vs Heavens Feel. In one Shirou has Rin's support but it's implied he'll eventually leave Rin anyway and become Archer, he just won't regret saving people as Archer did. He has not escaped the self destructive cycle. Whereas in Heaven's Feel, Shiro dies and is reborn and has to you know live as a person from now on.

Ciel did not end the cycle, she perpetuated it by killing Noel. You don't end the cycle of revenge with more revenge. Since Ciel did not end it she's still trapped in the cycle herself, and she still has support in the form of Shiki but the cycle will probably consume her the way it eventually consumed Shirou. She even broke out what was essentially the UBW with black keys when fighting against Vlov. It's just like that one post on Twitter said every few years or so someone reinvent the unlimited blade works!

[kudouusagi]

Translation of part of the story from the bravern bd novel

I've only translated the part at the end about bravern. I might go back and translate the other parts later but right now I'm in Japan on a study abroad I don't have much time.

Spoilers for most of Bravern!

Translation:

In the beginning he said, "let there be light(Isami)"

I was him and he was me. In the end, we became one and the same.

It's because Isami was there that this was able to happen. It's because Isami was there that the world was able to be saved. This is something I wrote in the instant while my life was flashing before my eyes when the death drive of wrath, Ira, hit me with a surprise attack and I began to lose consciousness.

I'm already not sure whether it was me or him that wrote it. However, our feelings towards Isami were one and the same.

That's why I(Bravern)...... I(Smith)...... wrote this for Isami.

I'll make you explode with bravery

Written by: Bravern, who has gone to the stars

When I first met you, you were crying, weren't you?

But because you're a strong person, even though you were confused, you still responded to my request.

When you shouted the name of the special attack...... it was because of your shout that I was able to fight.

And then when you asked "what's your name?" I answered.

I said, "My name is Bravern".......

The next time we met, you were scared.

Of course you were. I made you suspicious, was pestering you, and on top of that I was telling you to fight.

I don't think you could have ridden me even if you wanted to.

The way you kept me in suspense at that time was really charming.

But even still, you rode me once again.

And it's because of that I became sure.

I said, "Oh, Isami. You're my true soulmate"

After that, you stayed inside me all the time.

I thought I was so lucky.

But you were just brooding, weren't you.

You were shocked when you heard me say soulmate, weren't you? At that time I didn't try to understand your feelings at all.

But, but, you know, Isami,

I'm sure you will understand someday. How wonderful fighting together with our burning souls is.

Isami, seeing you get angry and showing your emotions so openly is beautiful, but there's no need to be angry.

Lulu will become a friend who fights with us.

Right now she might only be looking at him, but she'll see your appeal before long Isami.

Just as I was drawn to you, she'll be drawn to you as well. Though, it's understandable that you don't know that now.

So rage, rage. Show your emotions. There's no reason to keep your emotions all to yourself.

You've tried so hard, Isami. You've really freed your mind.

He, and everyone, are really pulling out your emotions.

I only played a small part in making that happen.

When you dove into the sea I was really surprised, but that sea breeze after you came to an understanding with everyone really felt good didn't it?

The large ship we were on board was heading toward the land of the rising sun at battle velocity.

Saving you was honestly really difficult.

There is a poem written by Shiki Masaoka as a gift to his friend headed into the navy.

"Even in war, don't shy away from anything. On your voyage, when the wind blows, blow, when the waves rise, rise."

――――Do your best, Isami

Isami, at that time I was really moved.

I was going into battle with you and him to save the land of the rising sun ―― there's nothing better than this.

The calls from your friends―― your fellow countrymen, were able to reach them.

Due to our brave actions, the uprising was a success.

The sunrise we watched with everyone at that time was beautiful.

And isn't it so―― so great, Isami?

Your comrades, who had the same feelings as you, were still alive.

You'll definitely be able to free the world. And just as you have been wishing, we won't let anyone else die.

Hoping for things is easy. Actually making them happen is difficult.

And you made it happen. It probably would have been impossible on your own. It was something you were able to do with him and your comrades at your back. You're amazing, Isami.

Also, thank you for caring about our new friend superbia.

Starting now, we're traveling thousands of miles to free the world.

Before that, you have to say a very painful farewell, but...... I'm sure you'll be able to overcome it.

Finally, the time had come.

At that time, just as you were fighting with your full strength, I was fighting at mine.

I couldn't make plans for it or prevent it.

If I had done that, I could probably have saved a life. But you know, Isami, I just couldn't do that.

If I did, I might not have been able to meet you. And we wouldn't have had the chance to save the world.

I hope you'll be able to understand that.

That he(smith) had to leave your side, while expressing such strong emotions at that time.

Isami——.

Isami——.

No matter how many times I shouted your name, it wouldn't reach you.

Honestly, at this time I was struck by a sense of unease.

The world beyond this point is a world I don't know. We have to go into it together. So please―― Isami. Hear my voice.

And then, you responded with bravery.

An explosion of bravery―― that's right, an explosion of bravery.

Just as he said at that time, his explosion of bravery was the one and only way to create a path forward for you and me.

Let's go, Isami. His bravery, his explosive feelings, will always be with us.

That's what brave explosion bang bravern is.

Isami, at that time, you were already a hero.

But there was something you didn't do quite right. Something that even I didn't realize. And then Lulu corrected you.

Perhaps his dying words resonated with her too.

That's right, you have to come back alive too.

Let's go, Isami. To the final battle.

Alongside sperbia and lulu――

Isami.

Since you're a strong person, I'm sure you'll be able to do well without me.

You're not just strong, you're also brave.

Sperbia and lulu will be with you. I'm sure you'll be able to save the world.

I'm sad I won't be able to go along with you, but please don't get depressed and move forward somehow.

Isami――Isami――...... I love you, Isami.

When I woke up, Isami―― you were glowing gold.

I thought I'd never see you again. But I was able to see you again.

Bravery fusion————

That was what you got on the other side of your explosion of bravery.

You became me. And I became you. And he (smith) also......

And the lulu (I can't believe she was a soldier from the future!), also fused with superbia and became our sword.

This is yours and his——our true form, bang brave big bang.

This is where my job comes to an end, but if you or him, or everyone else needs me, I'm sure I'll be able to come back. Surely. Surely——。

Let your bravery burn. That, that is what—— the explosion of bravery is——......

New York times square, EST 10:40 PM

In the city that had been rebuilt after the death drives had been defeated, screams of people and the sound of guns are once again ringing through the city.

At that moment, a light lit up the night sky.

And then he appeared.

There was a giant robot with emerald eyes and a red and white mechanical body with gold horns on top——

it was Bravern who had saved the world along with the ATF——.

To be continued in part two

Google doc

[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] ★ Main Story | Act 14 - DREAM CATCHER | Episode 1 - To The Next Season

Ibuki: Hmm… Something’s off.

Ibuki: If I angle it like this… Hmm.

Ibuki: (I just can’t decide… I wonder if I can find any good inspo anywhere.)

Ibuki: …

Ibuki: (TikTak’s also been all about theater company promo vids lately.)

Ibuki: Ah, “MANKAI Company Intro Video”?

Ibuki: (MANKAI Company, huh…)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Iv has entered the chat.

momo: Aaaa… I might’ve done something… Iv: whatdja do? momo: I… uhhh… might’ve done something in the heat of the moment

Kar: That’s cryptic

shiki: If something’s bothering you, you can always talk to us, okay?

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya In The Video: “Thank you so much!”

Masumi In The Video: “Thank you so much.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Muku: Haah… I really loved the RomiJuli sequel.

Tenma: It really is moving to think back to the first show, huh?

Kumon: They’re the same roles, but it’s really crazy to see how much they’ve grown!

Yuki: I feel like the growth of the actor is linked to the growth of the role.

Kazunari: For realsies. There’s a real synergistic effect that it gives off, y’know~.

Misumi: I can’t wait for us to perform the “Water me!” sequel~.

Muku: Same here! I wonder what kind of story it’ll be.

Tenma: We’ve gotta show everyone that we’ve grown just as much as Spring Troupe.

Muku: …Huh?

Izumi: What is it?

Muku: This guy in the audience in this video… That’s the one who’s Masumi’s fan, right?

Izumi: Ah, you’re right. That’s Towa-kun.

Tenma: That’s the same fan who came to talk to Tsuzuru-san directly the other day, isn’t it?

Izumi: Yep, that’s the one.

Muku: I see that he was able to get tickets for opening day. I’m glad.

Izumi: He said it was his first time actually seeing a performance in a theater, so he was really moved by it all.

Izumi: (He might’ve been a little TOO moved. I never thought he would’ve ended up saying something like that…)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Towa: …Tsuzuru Minagi-sensei!! Please write a script for my theater troupe!! I’m begging you!!

Tsuzuru: Huh? …WHAT!?

Tsuzuru: A script? Me?

Towa: Yeah!

Sakuya: That’s amazing! Did you start a theater troupe?

Towa: Umm, I’m planning on creating one soon…

Izumi: Do you have any members?

Towa: N-No… I’m planning on gathering some soon.

Masumi: So what you’re saying is it’s just you?

Towa: But… I wanna start a theater troupe that’s like MANKAI Company!

Towa: When I participated in Spring Troupe’s workshop, I was able to get a feel for how theater is done and what it feels like to be on stage…

Towa: I got to know a little bit more and it got me way more interested in theater.

Towa: And then I actually saw Spring Troupe’s performance at the theater, and I was so completely blown away and moved beyond belief.

Towa: The way the play was brought to life up there on stage thanks to so many different people, and the way all the actors were truly sparkling…

Towa: I realized I also want to be on stage. I want to shine like everyone did…

Towa: Maybe I’m being too simple and this is all just wishful thinking, but…

Towa: To come here and discover theater and figure out what I want to do, I feel like it was my destiny!

Tsuzuru: …Gotcha. Destiny, huh?

Towa: Sorry, I probably sound really stupid, huh…

Izumi: Not at all.

Tsuzuru: I know how you feel because I felt the same way.

Sakuya: I felt the same way when I first encountered theater.

Citron: We very much understand your feelings, Towa~!

Izumi: We all have moments like that. I think just the fact that you felt like you were destined for theater means that you’ve already got some kind of knack for it.

Tsuzuru: I get that you’re motivated, and I’d really love to help you, but when you’ve only got one troupe member…

Tsuzuru: It’s quite the challenge to perform a one-man show with no experience, so ideally, you’d probably want at least four total troupe members.

Towa: So I need three more…

Towa: …Got it! I’ll gather them up!

Tsuzuru: Great. I’ll be waiting.

Izumi: Good luck.

Sakuya: You’ve got our support!

Towa: Thank you so much!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: (I am curious about how things are going with Towa-kun’s troupe, but we need to focus more on Summer Troupe’s next performance.)

Izumi: (And although our rank has improved, it’s still a far cry from the Fleur Award…)

Izumi: (The new troupes are all gaining momentum, so we need to stay on our toes while we start working on the second quarter…)

[ Next Part ⇢ ]

[mageknight14]

I think what’s interesting about Neku as a protag is that while I’ve seen some people talk about how he’s one of the deeper/most complex characters in the franchise, I’d argue that he’s actually one of the most straightforward characters in the TWEWY duology-and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. That’s not to suggest that he doesn’t have depth, far from it. His trauma and the way that he goes about in trying to dissociate from others while still genuinely loving them deep down, even if he says otherwise, is genuinely interesting to see in action, especially in how he approaches his relationships. But compared to the others, I don’t find him as fascinating to explore in comparison to, say, Shoka, Joshua, Sho, Kanon, Motoi, Shiba, Mr. H, or even Rindo as a protag, even if his reappearance in NEO as well as how he tries to keep his trauma/emotions under wraps is still interesting to see in action.

That said, he’s still one of my faves for how much he embodies TWEWY’s themes in general, his development just being great to see in action, and the impact he has on the people around him in various ways. In a series where a lot of the characters like to hide parts about themselves and how those affect the relationships around them, Neku in the first game is blunt to a tee, almost to a fault, and confrontational, which makes him the perfect receptacle for the themes/lessons the game imparts on him. We're privy to almost every single one of his thoughts, feelings, and emotions throughout the game, to the point that it almost becomes a first-person narration at times. He hates lying and it shows because when the characters have doubts about themselves, he’s the perfect guy for the job of setting them straight instead of trying to dart around the issue, getting them to look at themselves and try to press forward anyway.

This is also part of what makes Rindo such an effective foil to him as a protagonist. Like I said in another post, while Rindo SEEMS more socially well-adjusted compared to Neku on a surface-level, once you look into his actions and mindset, you can see that he's also quite the dysfunctional mess. Whereas Neku is blunt, brutally honest, and incredibly confrontational, Rindo is much more passive, self-contradictory, and incredibly insecure about himself and the people around him, which feeds into how he puts people at arm's length, including his supposed best friend. The kid can't even tackle a simple-ass puzzle without needing to consult his online friend first or ask them about their identity because he's afraid of rocking the boat. Whereas Neku is alone AWAY from the crowd, Rindo is alone IN the crowd.

This also extends to their inner thoughts, where Neku will let us, the player, view into his mind and have him lay out exactly what he's feeling, the conclusions he comes to, and be confident enough in what he's feeling to then express himself in exactly that manner (with some exceptions such as some of his interactions with Joshua, which is justified because he doesn't want to risk anything happening to Shiki if their partnership goes south so he tries to keep what he says in check, even if it internally kills him inside, and even then he still spills out how PISSED he is with Joshua towards the end.)

Meanwhile, in NEO, while we do play as Rindo and get the majority of the story through his perspective, we don’t get to see his inner thoughts/turmoil as much as Neku’s…because he DOESN’T want to recognize his issues, instead trying to rely on everyone else to solve his problems for him so that they can take the fallout in case something goes wrong and a lot of it shows through his actions/outspoken dialogue instead. Nagi’s Dive and Haz’s conversation with him are some of the only times someone directly calls him out on his flaws within the main story but when you pay attention to how he acts, his flaws pop up quite a bit. For example, how he claims that An0ther's quote of "never miss your chance to make a friend" is one of his favorite quotes yet he balks at the idea of recruiting other potential team members as well as grimace at the concept of the first game's Reaper's Game.

So we have a guy who’s constantly internally struggling with himself while putting on a cold/blunt persona because he doesn’t want to get hurt and recognizing that maybe he’s wrong on a point and letting us in on how he's feeling a vast majority of the time in his head versus a guy who constantly bitches and moans internally while passively going along with everything in spite of himself, constantly self-contradicting/being hypocritical without recognizing himself as such until he gets a much needed wake-up call later and I think that’s really interesting.

[welcometothedopeworld]

Hello! Could I request Cozmez headcanons where their s/o is on holiday for a few weeks, but they really miss her?? Thank you in advance! 💖💕

Btw I loved your Shiki fic! It was really cute 🥹

Summary: How they would react if they missed you.

Pairing: cozmez X G/N!Reader

Genre: Angstyish Headcanon

Word Count: 923

Warning: depression

Masterlist

A/N: Thank you so much for requesting this! I hope I did it justice! Also I'm glad you liked my Shiki fic! Thank you!

Kanata Yatonokami:

He totally acts like he's not bothered

You're gone? That's fine! Have a great trip!

He's totally fine being left alone!

In fact, he's been alone most of his life!

He can survive a few weeks without you!

Easy, no problem!

The signs of him missing you are slow to present themselves, but if you're like Nayuta, they're glaringly obvious.

It starts with accidentally making an extra plate of food and then shrugging it off, like he didn't forget you weren't joining them for dinner.

And when it comes to chores around the apartment, he mentions it's your turn to do them and Nayuta has to remind him you're not here.

So he obviously takes over because you wouldn't want him to be so lazy, or something like that.

And Nayuta can hear how he talks about you way more as you're gone for longer and longer

Everything reminds Kanata about you and his brother has to listen to his brother rant about you all day.

Anytime he tries to bring it up that he may miss you and he should just call you, he shuts that shit down so fast.

Assures you he is fine and he can handle himself.

He doesn't need to call you like some clingy child!

In fact, he's more than happy to have a bit of time on his own!

It's his way of proving he's still independent!

But Nayuta knows that this kind of behavior isn't sustainable and cannot go on forever.

As he watches his brother continue his downward spiral into missing you, he takes it upon himself to call you.

You're obviously relieved because you've been trying to get a hold of Kanata, but he's been trying to prove he's independent and doesn't need you as much as he lets on.

Nayuta assures you he's fine physically, but he's not sure how much longer that will last. 

You tell him to call later tonight and then give the two of you some private time so you can talk.

He agrees and sets the plan in motion, telling Kanata he's going to go visit Shiki.

Kanata answers the phone and when he hears your voice, he finally breaks.

And I mean full on mental breakdown.

He misses you so much and he's disappointed in himself that he's not strong enough to be away from you for so long.

You assure him he's plenty strong and he doesn't need to be so hard on himself.

You tell him just how much you miss him as well and how much you want to be there with him right now to hug him and tell him everything is alright.

You promise you'll be home as soon as possible and the two of you will be able to talk in person regarding his insecurities and your time apart.

Kanata, to his credit, tells you how much he loves you and how he's desperately waiting for you to come home. 

With promises made, you both hang up, feeling closer than before.

Nayuta Yatonokami:

He tries to be strong like his brother.

But it's easier for Nayuta to break than Kanata.

However, he's not quite as "aggressive" with how he shows he misses you, if that makes sense.

While Kanata lives in a state of denial, Nayuta is clingy.

You can't go an hour without getting at least two texts from him.

He just wants to talk to you and make sure you are okay.

He's never been apart from you for this long and it's a little scary for him.

At night, before you both go to bed, you spend at least an hour on FaceTime.

You both talk about your day and anything new, cool, or exciting to share. 

Despite how much he hates being apart from you, Nayuta really does love listening about how you're enjoying your time.

You have so many cool stories to share and you're so good at telling them, he feels like he's right there with you.

Really you tell the best bedtime stories in his opinion.

However, in the morning, when he realizes he's alone...

It makes his heart hurt.

He misses you and wants you by his side again!

Kanata is quick to pick up on his brother's feelings.

At first, he tries to distract him and remind him that he can lean on him in times of distress.

But eventually, longer than he cares to admit, he knows his brother's need for you is too strong.

He needs to do something about it.

And so Kanata swallows his pride and calls you, asking you to come home.

While you unfortunately can't hop a plane and fly in tonight, you promise to talk to Nayuta about his feelings as soon as you can.

That night, during your FaceTime call, before you can even say anything, Nayuta speaks first.

He apologizes for monopolizing your time while you're away and how clingy he's been.

He tells you he'll try to back off for both of your sakes.

And that's when you have to shut him down.

You tell him you miss him just as much as he misses you, maybe even more.

While you can't leave right away, you plan on getting home as soon as possible, because you need him and he needs you.

You both cry together for like an hour, but it's a good cry.

Because you both know that you both love each other more than anything in the world.

And that is definitely something to cry about.

[spatio-rift]

9/10 and 24/25 :3

Yesss thank you Smiles so sweetly. 💙

9. worst part of canon: we all know about this... taka(+orochimaru)s characterization thrown away in the war for jokes or to act as plot devices... i fear i may never forgive kishimoto. the atmosphere wasnt so tense that we needed karin to be crazy about sasuke again + that overt about wanting sasuke to bite her (?!). why is suigetsu acting like he wasnt captured and experimented on by orochimaru but worked for him like karin. why is juugo acting like sasuke is kimimaro when he clearly made the difference before. orochimarus weirdass change of heart because we needed the hokages to show up. or even suigetsu randomly stumbling upon a convenient scroll detailing how to undo shiki fuujin and his first thought (before he meets sasuke again) is to pocket it because it would be useful for sasuke?? like why was it in suigetsus hideout of all places. why does suigetsu even know what it means. im sorry i just dont think orochimaru discussed the matter of his arms & the first 4 hokages souls over the vivisection table and i dont believe sasuke ever brought it up during hebitaka because WHY WOULD HEEE. etc etc etc like am i making sense? they really are just there to move the plot along and play out a joke once in a while. nothing about what happened when taka separated matters at all in the war theyre barely even characters

10. worst part of fanon: 100% the tendency to make everyone friends i think its so boring!!! like in what world are taka invited to karuis wedding? in what world is karin a guest star on the real housewives of konoha (=joining them for brunch). what exactly do temari and karin have in common other than both having the Kishimoto Woman Personality Type #1.

its so much more fun to have characters who just cant stand each other. naruto dislikes taka for literally no reason and its hilarious we should keep it that way. no way im ever believing karui genuinely befriends sakura i think they should HATE having to see each other all the time because their girls are besties. it will always feel more natural &balanced to me + im more inclined to believe 2 characters whove never talked to each other could be great friends if youve also considered who they DONT mesh with at all.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse: im trying to remember the sort of discourse ive seen on twitter… but i think i will be boring and say like anything about sakura honestly and especially her relationship with sasuke. the only thing i can think about rn is her fake confession to naruto i dont know what about it gets people going THAT much but they are naastyyy about it.

discourse about Saradas REAL Mom i also steer clear of as much as i can. disgusting. nasty. rancid. i hate that its still a thing people argue about in 2024

you could literally say anything about a naruto woman and it will bring up disgusting discourse honestly

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing: i cant remember anything specific and i know i will feel silly right after posting because like 5 different things will immediately come back to me. here are a few

-> that sasukes ending sucks but everything could be fixed if he got to travel the world with taka. because he #DeservesIt. no the fuck he doesnttttt he should go on his own since he wants them to leave him alone so much.

-> i guess more generally all the complaints about narutos ending SPECIFICALLY about everyone getting married and having kids. i really dont careeee the kids are cute the pairings were set in stone from the beginning everyone is happy. im happy. who give a shit.

also its not exactly a complaint but every other comment on any kind of naruto side content (like sasuke retsuden manga etc) being like "this is awesome not like that trash boruto" SHUT UP!!!! i understand not liking the story of boruto and i understand feeling disappointed by it as a sequel to naruto but you dont have to bring it up all the time!! just move on!!! ignore it!!! you will be much happier!!!

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

do you know any anime that is as well-written as revolutionary girl utena or princess tutu? They’re both so good and so well-written that everything seems to pale in comparison and I was wondering if you knew any other anime that were similar in terms of being well-written. It’s ok if there aren’t as many similar themes

love your and vinelle’s works by the way!! Especially loving seventh seal, how I learned to stop worrying and love the bacchanals, and for the love of Alice. I feel like for the love of Alice is going to escalate quickly lol with edward being as edward as he is

Thanks for the praise! Look, @therealvinelle, praise.

Well, my friend, you've come to the right place. Caveat that the shows I'll list vary wildly in genre and expected audience. All are extremely well written but ah... some have more violence than others.

But if you could handle the rape, incest, assault, and so much more of Utena I think you can handle it.

Though I will note, a good number of these are bleak/have rape, violence, etc.

For the uninitiated, shojou are shows traditionally aimed at female audiences and shonen are shows traditionally aimed at male audiences. They tend to have distinct styles.

If I list a year in parentheses, it's because there's more than one version and that's the version you should watch.

The Rose of Versailles: shojou historical drama, following a fictional female royal guard raised as a man to Marie Antoinette, follows Marie Antoinette's reign and the leading up to the revolution.

Berserk (1997): shonen tragedy, in a medieval quasi Europe, Guts joins a band of mercenaries.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1981): space opera, a war between two equally powered states has been raging for 150 years. Now, with the rising of two prominent generals, the balance is starting to shift. About politics, the futility of war, and pacifism.

The Glass Mask (1984): shojou drama, a thirteen-year-old girl runs away from home to pursue acting, showing great talent, but at great risk to her own physical and mental wellbeing as she obsessively pursues her career.

Shiki: horror/thriller, a mysterious family moves into a rural village in Japan and the townspeople begin dying of a mysterious illness.

Cardcaptor Sakura (1998): mahou shojou (magical girl), ten-year-old Sakura happens upon mysterious items called the Clow Cards and must find a way to recapture them all and harness their powers.

Land of the Lustrous: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in the distant future, humanity has morphed into something else, and a jewel person named Phosphyllite makes a journey of personal discovery.

The Slayers (1995): adventure/action/comedy, Lina Inverse is a powerful mage with an eye out for gold, due to a fight she was never supposed to win, she finds herself pursued by gods and demons with the fate of the world at stake.

Kino's Journey (2003): absurdism, Kino visits a series of surreal towns for only three nights each.

Casshern Sins: sci-fi/post-apoctolyptic, after the end of the world, robots are all that remain and are slowly falling apart. An android named Casshern is said to be the cause.

Mononoke: thriller/character study, the mysterious medicine seller in the Edo era of Japan seeks out Mononoke in order to destroy them. To do so, he must learn both their form and their truth.

Steins;Gate: thriller/sci-fi, a group of social rejects build a time machine in their apartment, this triggers a series of catestrophic futures that must be undone.

Wolf's Rain: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in a dying world a group of wolves race to find the gates to paradise

Gunslinger Girl (2003): thriller/crime, an organization in Italy treats dying young girls with no connections to become cyborg soldiers. The show looks at the impacts of this on the girls and their handlers.

Now and Then, Here and There: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, a boy named Shu finds himself transported to a futuristic world in which a madman reigns as king. There, he finds his pacifism tested as well as his faith in humanity.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor: sci-fi/comedy, in the future Captain Justy Ueki Tylor finds himself captain of a broken down ship, it's unclear whether he's a genius, an idiot savant, or simply the world's luckiest madman.

Chaika the Coffin Princess: fantasy, in a fantasy world where a great war has just ended, two former mercenaries find themselves employed by the late emperor's daughter, who is seeking to find the pieces of her father's body in order to give him a burial.

Psycho-Pass: thriller/sci-fi, this is minority report but an anime. A young woman joins an organization in which criminals are sent to hunt down criminals, as it is a world in which crime is automatically detected before it can occur.

Fate/Zero: fantasy/action/tragedy, in the city of Fuyuki a great battle royale happens where mages summon figures of legend and history to battle on their behalf for the ultimate prize of the holy grail.

From the New World: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in the distant future psychic abilities developed. A group of children grow up in a rigidly controlled society and slowly learn the truth behind the world they live in.

Spice and Wolf: fantasy, a traveling merchant in quasi medieval Europe meets a pagan god looking to travel North given the spread of Christianity.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: mahou shojou satire, a satire of classical magical girl shows, follows a young girl Madoka who has the chance to become a magical girl in return for a miraculous wish.

Black Lagoon: crime, a young Japanese businessman finds himself kidnapped by pirates, his life turned upside down, and becomes a pirate himself.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, a young boy named Shinji is summoned by his father, head of a government organization, to fight apocalyptic monsters.

Fractale: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in a future where all humans interface with technology, a young boy meets a runaway priestess and the strange hologram traveling with her.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan (either version): the versions have differences but both are good, follows a quasi-Persian story about a prince who finds himself in a power struggle.

Magic Knight: Rayearth: mahou shojou (magical girl), a group of three girls find themselves transported to a magical girl where they must save the Pillar. However, not all is as it seems.

Samurai 7: sci-fi/historical, The Seven Samurai retold in a futuristic setting. The priestess of a village sets out in order to hire samurai to protect her village from bandits.

Goblin Slayer: fantasy, a priestess joins an adventure guild but finds her expectations and sense of safety dashed on her first misson: what was supposed to be a simple task of slaying goblins. She ends up joining forces with a man known only as the Goblin Slayer.

Megalobox (season 1): sci-fi/sports, a young man living in the poor part of the city enters into a boxing tournament in which he is almost certainly guaranteed to lose. There is a second season, and while it had good parts, I consider it much weaker than the first.

Vinland Saga: historical/action, it's the 11th century and Denmark is at war with England, a young man from Iceland finds himself in a Danish mercenary group all so that he might kill the man who killed his father. (I have admittedly not seen season 2 yet, so I can't speak to that.)

Captain Harlock (1978): sci-fi/adventure, the pacing's very different from modern animes but is a great anime about love, sacrifice, the brutality of war, the degradation of society, and more. Captain Harlock, a dissident and outlaw turned pirate, finds himself the only one standing in the way of an alien invasion.

Akagi: tension, a young man starts in on gambling through mahjong and slowly seeks higher and higher stakes

Kaiji: tension, a young man sinks down into the pit known as gambling and begins bartering his life away for higher and higher stakes just for that one chance to claw his way out of poverty

Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues: Focuses on the character Tonegawa and Ootsuki from Kaiji, but it's worth watching Akagi first as well. Deals with the hilarious ridiculousness of being a mobster who must please a psychopath

Lupin the Third: Part 1 (1971): A very 1960's feeling spy/action show revolving around the exploits of a phantom thief and his colleagues and enemies. Great art, music, characters and interactions, and the episodes are all extremely engaging.

Lupin the Third: Part 2 (1975): A great follow-up to Lupin the Third: Part 1 on an international scene.

[naradivision]

Hypmic OC Halloween Party 2023 🎃 ~Part I

Once the night of 31rd October has already come to the town, who knows? Something extra supernatural is bound to happen!

Disclaimer: Please note that these are not the actual titles to the songs, I just made them up of course. All these songs obviously belong to their respective artists,

And the OCs mentioned belong to their respective creators as well!

To be honest, at first I attempted to make the cast match with their headcanon VCs but considered giving it up at some point because if I did that, some names would be brought up too often *side-glancing at Yuuya, Saigo, and Yorii* 

Surprisingly, almost every song happens to have their own English subtitles available, so open them up if you’d like to know something. I’ll leave more details in your imagination then (¬‿¬)

If you feel tempted to do the fanarts, please feel free to do it XD

So, now. Isn’t it time to let the Feast begins?

3, 

[All lights in the stadium suddenly flickered on and off uncontrollably]

2, 

[One by one, every light in the stadium has eventually been turned off]

1, 

[Now, everything around was soon engulfed in the complete darkness]

.

.

.

#1 Answer The Call (Offer Your Soul)

Kureha “Eclipse” Koizumi

Sumire “Diabla” Shinomiya

Asuka “TREA$URE” Koizumi

Lyall “Corvus” Shiba

Kaoru “Arachne” Shinozaki

Kotono “Shiki” Ohara

Tasuku “Katame” Kawanoe

Eden “Ember” Yamamura

Kaori “Black Orchid” Narizuka

Real title: Dakini Covered by O.B.N.N (AeGJoongG, YangDoki, RaA, EASYDOG, Gogyeol, DALNODO, Seelight, EDEN, ZENRUA) | Original by twinkle, UtaP ft. Kagamine Rin

In the midst of the night, two pairs of red lights roam in darkness…

#2 Werehumans

Kanra “D. Vil” Akemi

Yorii “Sireen” Sakuma

Real title:  Kaibutsu (Monster) Covered by Amatsuki x 96neko | Original by YOASOBI

Dear pioneers, raise up your flags!

The land that no one has yet to know before…

Declare we’re now the ones in charge!

#3 Neverland Kakumei

Kosuke “Lumière” Furuhata

Lana “Facade” Alarie

Aranai “Ride or Die” Norikoru

Tomi “High Class” Chōten

Azusa “Onna-musha” Furukawa

Yuki “Ice King” Kuraokami

Ryūnosuke “Fist N Fury” Sekiguchi

Ace “MC Patriot” Douglas

Yudai “KILLA W” Toya

Asato “AR Master” Rikiya

Anika “Rush Hour” Kiyozaki

Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata

Kotan “Kamuy” Anchikar

Aoba “Guinevere” Yamamura

Real title:  World Domination Original by Hikifes team 2019 (mafumafu, soraru, luz, un:c, araki, nqrse, syounen T, amatsuki, urata, tonari no sakata, shima, senra, eve, sou) a.k.a. My favs all stars XD

——[ Interval: Fan Meeting Session ]——

Howdy~

And sorry for the wait, my dear mortals♡

Hasn’t anybody told you not to follow voices in the night?

#5 See me? See me? (Succubus ’s Lullaby)

Aika “VeeXn” Yumi

[For goodness’s sake, the extent of her show this time was only limited to singing and dancing… Thus, the minors can enjoy it too]

Real title:  Wiggle Wiggle Original by Raon

…Promise me one thing?

Don’t ever let yourself be drawn into this dreamy sweet trap, ‘Kay?

#4 Zombiz Fantasy ♥︎

Shuu “Men-H” Edogawa

Kaiji “Jinx” Sano

Touya “MC Darling” Kisaragi

Real title: Kokotsu ni Yamu (Ecstatic Breakdown) Original by alfakyun ft. takayan Welp, sorry for the unmatched number of voice casts

Exhausted yet?

…No? That’s great!

Why don’t we spice things up a bit before meeting the shuffle teams in the second half! 

#6 Lull X Roar

Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata

Yorii “Sireen” Sakuma

Real title:  Hell is mine Original by araki x luz Yorii did say in his interview that maybe they could work together so why not? I even pray for their voice claims (Amatsuki & Araki) to actually collab one day

🎃 Behind the scenes Pt.1

Even though there are other divisions and some participants which may not be mentioned above, they’re all invited and have their own parts in this event as well. For examples;

Himari Asami, Hiroshi Sakura, and Suzuran Minazuki (who was on the request of her non-blood-related cousin) were in charge of designing and making costumes with the assistance of three fashion interns; Aimi Miyazaki, Alice Shiroka, and Umi Kobayashi.

Akira Arai, Natsume Kurome, Kururi Yamamura and Queen Card’s team were noted to took part in making props. By the way, Kureha Koizumi was anticipated to participate in this as well but she unexpectedly showed up in the opening show —much to everyone’s surprise.

Reiaki Suzubayashi and Emiko Akaibara showed to work together on helping the cast prepare themselves before entering the stage.

Chiyuri Seiguni was tasked to be the main operator of most special effects on stage via the brief from the real technician, Raiden Otoha since this one had to take his part in the 7th show.

Aiko Mayeda was the D.J. and he got the party started! The 86 band and other musical units associated with other division members were also joined in to provide music for some songs.

Most choreography throughout the shows were designed and coached by Yeong Hajoon, Haruto Morikawa, and Kaede Iwasawa.

The representative of Snowflake Sentinel News, Yoichi Shujo; and the head of a certain publishing-house, Nellie Yukimura were assigned to deliver the details of this event. Please expect more live reports and some tidbits behind the scenes from them.

The foods and drinks in this event were all supplied by the alliance between Luis Kōkyū, Rashaad Young, Harumatsuya shop, and Rikiya farm.

The main sponsors of the previous event are Sigma Inc., Toi Pharmaceutical, and E.L. Medical Co. Therefore, this time it’s the turn of Wonder⇓anD Sound Systems, Arakawa Tech Industries, and the concert venue was organized by the entertainment agency “Kairiku Production” with the cooperation of Queen Card’s league. 

For some reason, a certain division was banned from participating —to be specific, it’s Ginza Division. However, Eiji Noguchi and his family were secretly invited because his children wanted to come.

At first Fusao Ise and Queen card were honored to be the MCs (or the hosts) of this event but because the latter had to ‘prepare’ for her own part in the 11th show, Reika Aichi was surprisingly nominated to take over this role once again alongside Fusao.

At the beginning, all the cast were seen wearing some kind of masquerade mask before their first show started.

Though not every division was present in the 3rd show, there were flags with symbols of each team ever participated in the D.R.B. showing on stage.

For whatever reason, Aranai Norikoru was the one who delivered the line “Toki wo (Shout)!” before the chorus “Kakumei wa matte (The revolution has succeeded)!” was sung by all divisions. Well, someone in the cast seemed visibly displeased with how this turned out.

Despite the 6th show being performed by Yuuya Kanata and Yorii Sakuma, the one who advised them on the lyrics was their senior musician, Ren Nakashima, and the music provider for this show was none other than the 86 Band

Before two boys of the 6th show left the stage, the camera caught both Yuuya and Yorii high-fiving Ren who was up for the next show…

▶︎ TO BE CONTINUE IN PT. 2…

Amazing OCs mentioned above are from:

@saitama-division @shinagawa-division @enoshima-division @niigata-division @edogawa-division @sendaidivision @fukuokadivision1 @hamamatsu-divison @toshima-division @setagaya-division @kawasaki-division @kyoto-division @uenodivision @aoyama-division @taito-division @sapporo-division @naha-division @okinawa-division @toyama-division @akihabara-division03 @naradivision @hakodate-division @kumamoto-division @minato-division01 @suginami-division @kobedivision @katsushika-division @miyazaki-division @harajukudivision @urayasu-division @nakanodivision @odaibadivision @chiyoda-divison @minato-division03 @chiyoda-division2 @takatsuki-division @megurodivision @koto-division @ginza-division @shizuokadivision

P.S. Apologizing if I missed out some divisions or have made anyone sound OOC —I'm trying lmao.

Oh, and there were part 2 of course! Maybe other OCs might join in the cast there~~

...Happy Halloween & hoping y’all enjoy it :)

[hebimoonlightwrites]

HI HI!

If you don't mind could you write some headcanons about how will be having a marriage life with Yuto, Yohei and Ichiro? ( What can i say i'm a sucker for this clingey things and a simp for them =^=)

I hope you have a great day <3

Writer's corner: Hey, sweetheart! Of course I can do it! I'm so sorry for let you wait for so long, actually, since you requested me some weeks ago! Hope you don't mind I took some more time to answer your request!♥ Have a great day, you too, dear, and don't forget to let me know if there's something you want me to fix or change!♥ Enjoy~

mc's pronouns: THEY/THEM

Warnings: Fluff/ sfw

⭐𝐘𝐮𝐭𝐨, 𝐘𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐢, 𝐈𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨⭐ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

⭐We all know about Yuto's secret so well!

⭐As a married man he would kinda struggle with keeping his other self under control, in my opinion

⭐As his actual self, Yuto would be the best husband ever!

⭐He would care about his s/o a lot, always checking if they're doing fine and taking care of them

⭐I can even see him cooking with them or helping them whenever they seem to need help!

⭐Plus I can picture him hanging out with them and buying them their favourite snacks!

⭐Just like we've seen him buying ice-cream, he wouldn't mind buying something to his s/o as well

⭐I'm 100% sure he would be that kind of husband holding his s/o's hand while walking around the streets

⭐Or that kind of man clumsily moving the chair in a restaurant to make mc sit down

⭐As his normal self, Yuto would be so adorable and clumsy, especially during the first days as a married man!

⭐He has always seemed a man in need of affection.. oh well.. to me, at least

⭐So I can see him also lying on the couch, hugging his s/o while maybe watching a movie together

⭐They could also watch some travel TV shows, since they're Yuto's favourite!

⭐Maybe while planning their next vacation, why not?

⭐"Wow.. uhm.. it looks really.. hot there, love.. Y-you sure you want to visit it next summer..?"

⭐Yuto would be so adorable while falling asleep between mc's arms

⭐They would be there cuddling and caressing his hair while he's sleeping peacefully, his cheeks blushed.

⭐In short I truly believe they would be a cute couple

⭐Even when his other self would take control, I'm sure Yuto wouldn't hurt mc

⭐He wouldn't make them feel pain, but... would be more possessive and jealous, especially around other people

⭐While being his usual self Yuto would act cute and adorable, caring and protective towards mc..

⭐While being his other self, on the other hand, Yuto would act possessive and jealous..

⭐He would stare at all the people who look at mc with a serious and piercing glance, as to say: "Whatcha' looking at?! They are mine!!"

⭐Other than that, by the way, I don't think he would hurt mc, but hurt whoever tries to harm mc!

⭐But, if I can tell, I think Yuto would make mc dream in bed-- (sorry, not sorry)

⭐"Huh..? Why are you crying?... L-Love.. Who made you cry..? Just tell me.. They will get what they deserve for causing troubles to you too...!! I promise..!"

⭐Yohei is always caring and such a father to Ryu and Shiki

⭐It's said by his routine that he takes care of our sweet Shiki and Ryu, cooking for them or preparing Shiki's lunch for school!

⭐So I can tell for sure that he'd be a great husband

⭐and even a good father in the future!

⭐Maybe the worst part of being his partner would be the fact that he's always busy with his job at Bar 4/7

⭐(like coming back home very late in the morning after a sleepless night)

⭐And when he's free, he sleeps because of tireness

⭐So I don't know how much of an intimacy there would be between him and his sweet s/o

⭐Maybe they wouldn't spend much time together in the first place because of that!

⭐Perhaps his s/o would also spend their time in Bar 4/7 with him!

⭐I don't know if they would work with him, but if so, I bet Yohei would team up with them

⭐They both would be the best couple, always doing their best at work together

⭐Mc would be also considered as a parent-figure by Shiki and Ryu

⭐While Yohei would be such a father figure, cooking for Ryu and Shiki

⭐Mc would be a parent for them too, maybe listening to them or spending time playing pretending to be a cat with Ryu and his cat!

⭐I can totally see mc listening to Shiki's vents or playing around with Ryu!

⭐And Yohei would look at them and smile blushing, while smoking

⭐I can even picture mc caring for him, especially since he's easy to lose his temper while drinking

⭐So I cannot hide the fact that I headcanon mc telling him: "Yohei, please.. be careful and do not exagerate with drinking.."

⭐And Yohei would sigh but in deep he would be touched by mc's cuteness

⭐Yohei is also a man of faith.. he changed after his time with Yakuza

⭐And somehow I cannot hide the fact that I headcanon him being clingy as well

⭐He wouldn't mind show his affection to mc, even in public, kissing their lips

⭐Or more romantically, kissing their forehead as to prove that he really cares about their well-being

⭐He would play piano for them..

⭐Like.. literally- Imagine them both sitting in front of a piano..

⭐- maybe mc doesn't even know how to play a piano-

⭐so Yohei's hands would rest on theirs, while guiding them through the piano keys.

⭐"You say you don't know how to play a piano.. but look at your hands, love!.. hehe... you're adorable.."

⭐As I said many times already in this blog, Ichiro would be the best husband ever!

⭐Like.. I really challenge you all to find another character from Hypmic who would be better than Ichiro!

⭐We're talking about a young man who literally stopped his own life in order to completely support and help his younger brothers!

⭐He's able to maintain economically not only his own needs, but also his brothers' and even their apartment!

⭐I mean... he's A CHAD---

⭐And he would keep caring for his brothers even after getting married!

⭐I mean.. Especially after getting married!

⭐So s/o has to accept the fact that their house would constantly host Jiro and Saburo!

⭐And as Yohei and his s/o would be "parents" to Ryu and Shiki..

⭐...the same would happen to Ichiro and his s/o with his brothers!

⭐S/o would have not only a caring and sweet husband who would also be there each time they need to be listened or to be comforted

⭐But also a selfishless man who would totally respect mc's time and needs of affection!

⭐Like, if mc doesn't like PDA, then he won't force them to PDA!

⭐Otherwise, he would be clingy and constantly hugging them, showing how much he supports and loves them

⭐I also can picture them both laying on the couch and watching some animes

⭐Maybe they would read some mangas or light novels together as well!

⭐Or they can adorably listening to music, sharing earphones!

⭐In short, they would look like those cute couples in horror movies (the ones who got killed first- oof xD sorry-)

⭐Also I headcanon Ichiro being the one cooking most of the times

⭐He'd cook with his s/o, it's true, but...

⭐ I cannot hide the fact that in my opinion he would keep an eye on them only to be sure that they won't get hurt!

⭐And if s/o didn't know how to cook and got hurt, then Ichiro would rush and grab some ice to put it on their hand:

⭐"Haha.. I told you to be careful with the pot, honey... You're clumsy, aren't you?... hehe- Are you okay now..? Keep this bag of ice on your hand.. I'll take care of the rest, okay?"

©hebimoonlightwrites_tumblr Please, do not copy my contents nor repost it without my permission.

[goodlucktai]

soft ground, claiming moon

fear the fall and where we’ll land

@natsumeweek 2023 day 3; kindness/cruelty read on ao3

(previous) (next) 

x

For a moment, no one moves or speaks or even breathes. Takashi himself is frozen, mind completely blank. This is so far from anything he could have expected that his body doesn’t know how to react. 

Then Taki blurts, “Is that Natori Shuuichi?”

“Wait, the guy from that dumb show Satchan and Sasada argue about every week?” Kitamoto says dubiously. 

Their resident witch twitches, offended, and Nishimura says, “It’s not dumb, it’s really good! There’s nuance! You just have to give it a chance.”

Unmoved, Kitamoto says, “Okay but isn’t he, like, famous? What’s he doing here?”

Their voices are a static wash of sound. Takashi doesn’t hear a word. He’s hyper-focused on the man in front of them. Natori’s expression is still smiling, but that’s his T.V. smile. There’s no warmth to it at all. Takashi can tell the difference. 

Maybe Tanuma can, too, or maybe he just knows how to read Takashi better than most people, because Tanuma shifts to the side until he has a shoulder in front of Nishimura. He dips a hand into the pocket he keeps his prayer beads in. There’s not much he can do against another human person, but if it came down to it, he would be able to guard against the shiki at least.

Here. In his home. While his father is away and his friend is in pain. 

Takashi realizes that his heart is racing, but not with fear. It feels more like anger. 

How dare Natori show up here? How dare he look at Nishimura like he’s some sort of monster? He doesn’t even know the whole story. He didn’t see Nishimura in that hospital room. 

“Um,” Nishimura says, overly loud, not passing for normal at all, “um, not to sound lame or anything, but can I get your autograph?”

He’s excited. Just for a second, the moon is the last thing on his mind. 

But the shiki react to his question like Nishimura just threw a knife at them, in Sasago and Urihime’s case, baring their teeth and reaching for their weapons. Hiiragi tilts her head an inch to the left and otherwise doesn’t move at all. 

They’re visible here, where Taki has laid dozens of circles in the earth. Nishimura flinches back and the shining expression on his face goes shuttered, a window closing against the cold. 

At the same time Tanuma pulls the rosary out of his pocket, and Taki lifts chalk dust-covered fingers, and Kitamoto yanks Nishimura a whole two steps back behind everyone else, Nyanko-sensei disappears in a thick screen of smoke. 

When it clears, he towers above them all in his true form. The fluffy cloud tail of his lashes a few times, knocking a few small boughs from a nearby tree, before he settles down in a half-moon curl around his kids. 

Natori’s shiki stiffen. They would fight sensei unflinchingly if they were ordered to, but they’re outclassed and they know it. Natori’s smile has tapered off but he still has that silver stake in his hand.

“Good grief,” Nyanko-sensei rumbles. “I hate fleas.”

“Sensei?” Nishimura says. He’s squished between Kitamoto and Taki and half-buried in downy white fur, looking torn between bewildered and offended. There’s a faint shadow of the wolf looming in his eyes. “Natsume, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Takashi says shortly. “Natori just likes to show up without warning. Or an invitation.”

“And his familiars are poorly trained,” Taki, who was once famously trapped on a tricky mountain ledge for two hours because her kitsune threw a tantrum when she forgot to bring them aburaage as a treat, snaps meanly. 

“Don’t worry about the fleas,” sensei orders. “Go plate that cake already.”

“Sensei,” Nishimura argues, but he’s buffeted forward with a bump from Nyanko-sensei’s great head. 

Kitamoto looks like he’s one more big surprise away from a meltdown, but he uses that momentum to begin dragging Nishimura the rest of the way to the temple, giving Natori a wide berth and a suspicious look. Taki goes with them, glaring over her shoulder with every step. 

Tanuma looks very worried about the standoff occuring in his yard, rubbing one of the beads between his fingers anxiously.

“Should I call Misuzu?” he asks Takashi in a quiet tone. “He always has frogs nearby. There’s usually at least three in the temple somewhere.”

“No need,” Takashi replies. “Sensei and I will handle this.”

Tanuma lingers for another moment, but a glance up at Nyanko-sensei seems to convince him. He passes by Natori with a skittish sidelong look. Natori’s expression turns pained at the way Tanuma hurries out of his proximity. 

When the doors of the temple have shut, Natori says very gently, “Natsume. You know I had to come.”

Takashi says, “But you didn’t.”

“You are in over your head. There is absolutely no way you could be prepared to deal with—what must be dealt with. There’s hardly any text about it anywhere.”

“And if humans don’t have the knowledge recorded, it doesn’t exist?” sensei asks sardonically. “Spare me your self-importance, exorcist. It was your kind that caused this mess in the first place.” 

Normally, Takashi would play mediator between the two, try to check their frankly ridiculous egos, but he can feel his own temper fraying apart and doesn’t have the mental fortitude to spare.  

He can’t remember ever being angrier than this. He can feel the spirits in Yatsuhara becoming agitated, all stirred up because of him. 

“Playing the blame game is a waste of everyone’s time,” Natori says harshly. He’s disquieted by sensei’s remark; it’s obvious in the way he hustles past it. “I’m here to help, whether you believe me or not.”

“Then help,” Takashi says. He doesn’t recognize his own voice. “Don’t hunt. Throw that weapon away.” The way the silver shines in the low light is making him sick. 

“I can’t do that,” Natori says. “You know I can’t do that. He’s going to turn.”

“It doesn’t mean he has to die.”

“He’s a monster. He’ll hurt you, he won’t have a choice.”

“And you think I would just stand there and let it happen?” 

“I think you have a history of doing exactly that.”

It hurts because Natori says it softly.

With a deep breath, Takashi says, “If he’s a monster, so am I. You came here to kill me, too, a year ago. What stopped you then?”

He’ll regret it later because of the way Natori’s whole body seems to crumple at his words. He knows the older man regrets the nature of their first meeting, for all that he was acting on the best information he had at the time. 

For now, he presses on, “You met me. You made an exception. I didn’t hurt anyone. I wouldn’t.” 

Takashi presses his hands together, half in pleading, half to keep a solid grip on his cognizance, because the wilderness inside him is beckoning him ever deeper. It wants him to let go and tear asunder, the way of earthquakes and tsunamis. 

But he won’t. That’s the whole point. 

“Nishimura wouldn’t either,” he goes on. “He would never. If you would just meet him I know you’d understand.”

Natori doesn’t say anything right away. Dusk is upon them, the sky vivid with sunset colors. They are inching ever closer to nightfall. Soon they’ll be out of time to talk. Takashi needs him to be convinced sooner than later. 

Nyanko-sensei’s tail flicks idly. He would never admit to caring about any of the humans who fill his days, but Takashi knows he has a particular fondness for the colorful, chaotic Nishimura. If it came down to protecting him, he would tear his way through Natori’s shiki with his teeth. 

Takashi would prefer it not to come to that. 

Suddenly, Hiiragi steps between their two parties, and puts Takashi and sensei behind her. Facing her master, she tells him, “I know that you’re kind.”

She draws back her sleeve, revealing the neat bandage wrapped carefully around her arm.

“I know that you want to be kind,” Hiiragi says.

For a handful of seconds that feel more like an hour, Natori stares at her without speaking. Then he grinds the heels of his hands into his eyes and sighs with feeling.

Hope floods Takashi’s heart, but he doesn’t relax until Natori tosses that silver stake down. 

“Alright,” the exorcist says wearily. “We’ll try it your way.”

[nian-7]

haiii!! can I req a platonic and romantic matchup for pjsk and paralive if it's okay? my name's vani, and I'm bigender and bisexual! I'm also an aquarius and an INTP-T 9w1!

my hobbies include anything creative! (like drawing, making jewellery, etc) and collecting cute plushies and dolls!

I like cats, hamsters, hedgehogs, astrology, video games (mainly rpg and rhythm/music based games) and writing!

i dislike insects, having to follow through a specific routine, anything scary or horror related, and vegetables (im picky…)

personality wise, I can be considered quiet, reserved and a bit cold at first…but when it comes to friends, I try my best to match with their energy! not everyone understands my humor so i have VERY few friends. I'm also a bit indecisive sometimes and I feel uncomfortable whenever someone is mad at me. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I tend to be blunt. i also have a hard time communicating and understanding people's emotions sometimes.

(I'm not sure what else to put now....but hope this is enough!) thanks in advance and have a great day!! :3c

hi, vani!! please enjoy :]

I match you with... (platonically)

Kanade Yoisaki!

-So, Kanade isn't someone who'd get mad at you or blame you when you have a hard time understanding emotions. She understands that people struggle with different things and wants to help you with it!

-Your quietness and more reserved nature would probably be a nice match as her friend because she's similar. She'd like to have some quiet but quality time with a friend.

-You both just seem similar and complimentary to each other and that's why you both would get along. The both of you can understand and help each other through things because of the similar personalities!

I match you with... (romantically)

An Shiraishi!

-An is like sunshine and I matched you with her because I feel like she could help you come out of your shell and maybe introduce you to the rest of VBS!

-She might be a little pushy but it's just because she loves you and wants to help you! She's not the type of person to be mad with you or want you to feel uncomfortable around her, she strives for you to be comfy and happy with her as your girlfriend!

-Emotions and communication can be hard and so she tries to understand that. She'll always try to help with communication but also wants you to remember that communication is key! She won't know things if you don't tell her!

-She'd honestly love to see your cute collections and would always be so happy when you show her a new one you got. She feels special just being able to see it!

I match you with... (platonically)

Shiki Ando!

-You might remind Shiki of Nayuta a little bit and that's probably a reason he wanted to become friends with you. Beside the point, he'd be a nice friend who also has a hard time communicating and with his emotions (maybe in a slightly different way but still).

-Being friends with Ryu probably helped with him trying to understand your humor more since Ryu's a bit on the weird side. He doesn't mind it at all though, no judgement from him!

-Seeing as he also has few friends, he cherishes you a lot and even if you two might not be the best communicators, he still loves to be around you! He's happy he's made another friend that he can bring over.

I match you with... (romantically)

Zen Gaho!

-SImilar to An, I think Zen could bring you out of your shell a little bit by introducing you to Akan Yatsura. They're his family so they should know when he's got a partner, right? Obviously, he'll save that for when you feel ready though!

-Knowing you tend to be on the reserved side, he wouldn't try to force you out of your shell or try to force you to do anything. Take your time and he'll hold your hand the whole way. Just as long as you promise to try little by little!

-Tries his best to have you eat some vegetables as well... He'll sneak them in just a little so you eat at least a few. He wants you to branch out but also stay in your comfort zone.

-Tried one of your rhythm games once and immediately died. He really tried but his eyes just couldn't catch on to when he needed to tap.

[pikespendragon67]

Well, the ParaLive anime certainly…ended

Not sure if I feel like getting screencaps so I’ll post my thoughts below

Pros:

-I liked seeing Haruomi being more proactive in investigating why Paradox Live came back & him reclaiming Chisei’s medal from Scientist-kun

-The idea of Phantometals being sentient metal that could only thrive on trauma makes for some great sci-fi horror

-Episode 3’s my favorite. I’m biased towards TCW as a group as a whole, but the full episode really showed their dynamics well

-1st episode’s set up & animation was great

-I actually like the hot springs episode since that gives the characters room to breathe outside of the stage battles

-Shiki getting his own gospel part of the rap to save Kanata was nice

-On that note, Fadeaway was a great original song that worked in place of Rooftop

Cons:

-Holy shit AKYR got screwed over hard in terms of story. I think the member with the most development was Satsuki. Iori could’ve also investigated behind the scenes with Zen and that would be how they found out about Shura. They even had a repeat of their main dance sequence. Poor guys. I appreciate more Hokusai screen time but him just telling important moments could’ve been better presented

-Yeaaaaaaaah the 3D animation definitely downgraded after episode 1. I was willing to look past TCW’s for, again, bias, but every group aside from BAE felt stiff. I know the focus is their Phantometal illusions & raps, but I feel like they could’ve used the music video visuals as reference. Episode 12’s was just wonky

-Scientist-kun as I call him I felt had promise as a villain but he went nowhere. If he was going for the benevolent savior route a la Maruki I could understand why he’d want to “become one” and forget all traumas. Or if he was batshit insane and thought that trauma powered Phantometal could act as an energy source. That could’ve worked in the Yeon Conglomerate’s favor, and they could get trauma easily through a group like the Suiseki. Hell if he turned out to be Chisei trying to bring back the old days that would’ve been great for the endinf!

-so. nayuta was in a coma but then just. popped up at the end. He did that in the audio dramas, sure, but I was kinda hoping Shura would bust in and save him

-aside from shiki we never got TCW’s traumas did we. Or Zen’s.

-I feel like this adaptation should’ve either stayed completely faithful to the audio dramas (probably have an OC that’s like an interviewer to act as the surrogate audience) or did their own thing entirely. They tried to mix both and it felt jumbled/rushed as a result. Granted, can’t expect 24 episodes in 1 season these days, unless we’re REALLY lucky, but I would’ve had like 3 episodes dedicated to each group with some sprinklings of lore in the background myself. 1 episode to introduce the group, and 2 episodes for their stage battles (with possibly in between times to show the inner workings of AT)

-And now for the elephant in the room: boy howdy was this BAE focused way too much! Specifically Allen. Again I know we need a lead, but lessons were recycled because of this focus and it felt silly at the end to rap at blob Kanata. like sir as a distinguished fan of hip-hop how do you not know what trap music is

Overall I know for a fact if a season 2 is made that the new groups are going to be screwed over big time in spite of 1NM8 being relevant for AT, Amprule for BAE, and GokuLuck being in the finals for Road to Legend!!!!!!!!

[ecargmura]

Paradox Live The Animation Episode 12 Review + Final Thoughts - Rap Is The Solution

I respect anyone who likes this episode and how it went out. There are things that I liked about it too, but I mainly found it cringe. I’m sorry! This was the silliest thing I’ve seen to the point that it got me covering my face in second hand embarrassment!

Like the premise for rescuing Kanata from the corrosion was so ridiculous. I thought it would be like what happened with Hajun, but it was so much different. What did they do? RAP IN FRONT OF HIM! Kanata is sad and depressed? Yeah, rapping in front of him to get him out of his funk is a GREAT IDEA, Allen. Gosh, from someone who was witnessing this from an omniscient perspective, they all looked so silly doing this. I know that it works for the sake of story and a feel-good moment, but the way that whole scene was executed was just so funny. Yeah, we have these teens, young adults and adults rapping in front of a distressed 19-year-old pretty boy in hopes that he feels better and moves on from Nayuta’s death. Heck, it’s only when Shiki starts talking to him that Kanata gets a reaction; despite that, why does Allen get all the credit? I mean, I like the Allen and Kanata ship, but it did seem unwarranted. Okay, I do admit that the rap was good despite how cheesy it was.

Mr. Scientist man just seemed like the typical hammy villain seeking world domination and other such bilge. He has been manipulating everything so that he can get a big reaction from phantometals. To be honest, he was such a generic villain that it felt like a waste for him to be voiced by Akira Ishida—he doesn’t even have a name! My favorite part is when Mr. Ramen man punches the daylights out of him. For the dude that’s been built up to be the true villain, he went out like that. Disappointing.

Speaking of Mr. Ramen man, he turns out to be the real Shura from BURAIKAN. Ha, I got it right. He is the true hero of this ordeal, not Allen. Shura confronts Mr. Scientist Guy and takes back Yasha’s phantometal. It was nice having confirmation and him helping out from behind the scenes, but how Yasha died was never fully seen or explained. He just died; how am I supposed to form an emotional connection with this fictional character if all I know about him is that he’s dead? Though, it was a bit silly that Iori reveals to his little brothers that Raimentei’s owner being Shura was so…out of place? But hey, at least someone knows.

I’m glad that everyone gets a happy ending. Akan Yatsura go about their lives as family. TCW keeps their bar and their family together. BAE continues making music. Best of all, Kanata is finally reunited with Nayuta, who is revealed to be alive. So, the Nayuta with long hair at the ending scene in Episode 7 was the real Nayuta. I’m so happy for you, Kanata! You get your brother back and he definitely needs a haircut.

I guess my only true gripe with this episode, excluding the cringe execution of the rap segment, was that BAE took most of the spotlight in terms of heroics? Like, I get that Allen and Kanata have a special connection, but that was mainly shown in the early episodes and in Episode 10, but like the adults, specifically Iori had more knowledge of phantometals, yet he was just a sitting duck. On top of that, the other members of BAE didn’t really contribute much; it was all Allen. Yes, I know he’s the central MC, thanks for reminding me.

Overall, I do think this was a good way to conclude the show. Though, I do wonder if the audiences’ memories about the whole fiasco got wiped. Club Paradox magically disappearing is going to be news for a while too. While this wasn’t the best anime I’ve watched, it did get me curious in wanting to listen to the audio dramas. A frequent commenter on my blog always mentions about things that are and aren’t in the tracks. I can’t thank them enough. It’s because of them that I am going to try and listen to the tracks sometime soon. What are your thoughts on the finale?

Final Thoughts

My knowledge of Paradox Live was very limited in that my only true exposure to it was listening to Jumping Into My World by Lollipop Universe; since I love that song, I gave Pararai a try and I did enjoy the characters! I just think that the anime probably wasn’t the best idea to start, but at least it helped me understand the characters. I really like the characters!

My favorite character is Kanata, but I do love the others a lot too! I feel like I cannot hate any of them because they’re all so unique and well-designed (okay, the only character I dislike is Mr. Scientist guy, but he’s an anime original so he doesn’t count). It sucks that the anime ended because I wanted to see more cute people doing cute things (I said people because Anne is non-binary). I think the best part about the characters is that they really did try a lot of new things when it came to the types and not make them caricatures. For example, Anne is non-binary, but their identity is never used as a joke. Hajun is Korean, but he is never looked down upon for his ethnicity. Ryu has amnesia, but they don’t go the generic trope of him recovering his memories and have him change his entire identity. Hokusai is 24 years old, but he goes to high school part time at his age and it’s never really frowned upon because the man is still getting an education at the end of the day. I really like how the writers are progressive with these characters and that’s what makes this type of show so unique.

The voice actors were great. They chose a good bunch that’s a mix of big names, rising stars and actual utaites (Internet singers). I think each voice actor did a splendid job in bringing out the characters and the raps. I am definitely anticipating all of their next projects as I am confident they will bring out their A-games.

The songs were so good! Ever since I’ve been exposed to this anime, Paradox Live songs have been my workout songs! They’re all so fun to listen to and they’re all so distinct. I’ve been having a kick listening to AKYR’s Bad Boyz. I feel like there is no bad song; sure, there could be weak songs, but nothing too bad that it’s drivel.

Would I recommend this anime? I’m not too sure. I’ve seen mixed reactions from actual Paradox Live fans regarding it. I guess it could be a recommendation for music lovers, mainly hip-hop. Would I watch it again? If I have to suffer through that cringefest again, then no. Like I said before, I will be giving the tracks a listen. What are your thoughts on the anime as a whole?

[ayahachitwister]

Writing question: I’ve been wondering this for a while since I’ve been wanting to write this type of fiction (mostly Fanfiction) for a while. But I wasn’t sure how to ask this of you. But I like to ask what’s your experience of writing slice of life stories. Whenever I try to write these stories, my mind goes blank. I have a hard time writing a story that is within the realm of normal life without adding other genres that take away that slice of life feeling. I’m used to writing stories with big spectacles & big events. So I thought I ask your advice & experience to see it will help. I also got examples of great slice of life stories that could help me to but I also like to hear from another writer their experience to help too. Also to gush about writing. Since it’s fun! XD

Honestly? I also struggle with anything that's pure slice of life. I'm an epic fantasy writer at heart, and all of my original stories are more like the Witch AU--with some sort of big adventure or huge conflict to deal with and questions to solve.

But I guess when I do have to approach them, I start with what I want to tell and what sort of conflict there is--be it internal or external. Like in my story "The Me You See", it was just Shiki and Neku walking through the city, but it was fueled by Neku's internal conflict of wondering how much he's changed. Or in "Those Cliched Days", it was a snapshot of a school day, but really focused on Neku dealing with his feelings for Shiki. Even if he didn't have some big resolution or confession in the end, just dealing with his feelings for her helped move the story forward and show how much he enjoyed life with her.

It's definitely hard, though ^^' Truth be told, I wanted to do a "future" story for last year's Neshiki Week, showing off the fan kids my friends and I made for them, but I couldn't think of a solid plot point or conflict to really hold it together. So that's definitely something I struggle with, too.

Still, I wish you luck with it~ :D I don't know if I was able to help that much, but hopefully I did some, at least~