#Even though I like Midori as a character I honestly think he's one of the most well written character

[frenchgremlim1808]

Hello. In the Homestuck YTTD art collection you have posted you added "(EW)" after Gashu's name. Could you please explain why you dislike him? I like Gashu a lot, and I genuinely don't get why people dislike him, as I find him really cool and a very interesting character.

Hello !

Thanks for the ask. I will try to explain why I put EW after gashu name and also the gashu hate in a few point. First off, I think you are completely right gashu is a very interesting character that deserve more analysis made of him. I think he's oddly realistic and very well written for a character that we do not see that much of. So yeah I like gashu character..... And that's the problem, I like the character but hate the person. But I think the fandom misterpret the character a lot so I will go on a gashu analysis on why first he's great character but an imunforgivable man.

Also for any gashu liker who wants to understand the perspective of the fandom her it is.

FIRST READONS FOR THE GASHU HATE:

His actions are unforgivable and caused major trauma and pain to multiple people

Gashu is a terrible dad, no need to fight over this. But even before milfdori went to tell him to sacrifice his son he still sucked ass. He created to both Kai and sei major inferiority complex and fear of being forgetten. Kai was always fearful that his dad would be disappointed of him and Sei oh god sei suffered my guy, after his dad died he was brought into a family just to be a rival to Kai , to make Kai better and then disposed like trash . He acted big and wanted to win so that he be loved but in the end he knew that he was just a pawn to asunaro. Even though gashu took a liking to Sei and strated being "nicer" to Kai that does not escuse the rest. I mean Kai was raised as a weapon his entire life, he never got to have a normal life. Also like the fact that he was so happy for cake means clearly that he doesn't get any compassion or love from his dad. Gashu is emotionally distant to Kai from his very young childhood. That put irreparable damage on Kai Psyche. Someone might have the argument that he tried to do "the best" for his children, but no, he tried to do "the best" for him. If he truly loved Kai and Sei more than asunaro he would have tried anything to save his son's, but he didn't, he accepted it and continued on. Even if it failed a true loving father would've done anything to save his kids, even if it mean fighting against asunaro his whole life. Also that's not talking about the death game like what he did to ranger is even more cruel because of Sei and also he fucking caused nao death so like I'm pretty sure that's the reason the fandom hate his guts hard ☠️But I have a theory that I'm almost certain of, on why gashu is hated too

SECOND REASON FOR THE GASHU HATE

he's realistic which hits closer to home.

Gashu is realistic and that's the thing, forgetting about the dolls and asunaro, who hasn't met a emotionally negligent father who puts immense pressure on his children which cause extreme difficulty for the child to create fulfilling relationship with anyone in the future. Like if you twist it around this story works for alot of us. A emotionally closed off dad who prefer to be cold and not show his emotions, who focus more on work than you, who work seems to prioritise you. And that's the point that's why I think gashu gets such hate, the relatability !Because let's compare him to like sue and Midori. They have way more fans why, because first sue Miley is hot af and Midori is..... I don't know how people find him attractive but people do. But also because sue and Midori are over the top, especially sue Miley. She's just an evil crazy lady who mean, and Midori is literal incarnation of the devil so like what do you want. But even a character like Midori is like in way relatable sadly to lot of people experience with narcissist like him, one day if I have the time i'll go over Midori and shin relationship metaphor in real life. But back to gashu, sue and Midori have less chance to be relatable to the general audience than gashu, in the world their must be like 10 Midori ( yeah I'm sure people like him exist) but a million gashu . The point of the mini episode for me was to nuance gashu character, because even with all the bad action he did we see that he's destroyed after Sei death. It... Feal real. He an horrible man but still a man after all. While Midori is Satan you know. Also there is a also a clear difference. Gashu does the things he does due to his loyalty to asunaro, and by the way it's presented it's very much some kind of cult enterprise. The only time he betrayed the rules was for sending the sacrifice to nao to make sure she doesn't survive, which in his head he did for the organisation. He killed himself for the organisation. He sacrificed his son for the organisation. Everything he did because of his immense loyalty to the organisation even when he didn't want to do it. His loyalty came first and his feelings second. While let's say Midori really isn't that loyal and just wishes to have what he wants whatever the cost. So gashu feels more Real more human for his actions. He really seems like a man who could die at any point in time and was truly trapped. But after all it's his fault right? He was the one that became apart of the organisation after all. His suffering was in the end caused by his loyalty.But like why did he join the organisation, or better why did any of them join I have so many questions about asunaro it's insane.

THIRD REASON FOR THE GASHU HATE

It also became kinda of a meme in-between me and my friend

"Like oh it's GASHU fuck that guy" you know. I should have maybe started with that.

Anyway closing point fuck milfdori she's such a dick.

[surreal-duck]

hi!! i just wanted to say that ive liked midoyuzu since i was like 14 and its been a few years since then (obviously) but seeing your midoyuzu art now is so!!! its so fulfilling to my past self who had like NO art to go off of, i guess? anyway! your art is super good and i love it so much <3

im glad omg? extremely late to the party but by god i am bringing snacks in here or die trying o7 was pretty baffled the first time finding out more abt their dynamic and looking them up on here to find maybe like two more recent posts and the rest from no sooner than 2017 or so askjdghsjkgdhjks but really THANK YOU!!!!!!!! happy to be of service to your inner 14yo somewhat ;v;

yknow what though the really funny thing is that i wasnt even that into them initially. just remembered that cute interaction at the end of xmas live and thought "huh these two r kinda sweet actually" and that curiosity is always a slippery slope into genuine investment and by god is tripping into it a favorite pastime of mine

[rorywritesjunk]

For these foamy green hills are but saltwater desert

Richie, Mohji's lion, isn't doing so well. The crew end up at a small island with a dwindling population to seek help and Buggy meets Midori, the mayor who is far more stubborn and trusting with his crew than he can really comprehend. Rating: PG-13, gonna have smut at some point later though. Warnings: Buggy being obnoxious, of course. I'd call this a fast paced slow burn. It takes the place over the course of the week and days are split into two chapters. There's also some drama and other pirates. A/N: Full confession. I honestly wrote this because I have been watching the anime and Richie is one of the best characters. Do I know a lot about the anime? No. Is some of this chaotic and characters OOC? Of course! It's a fanfic. Is it self indulgent? Hell yes. I had fun writing this and wanted to share it. Also, I wrote this more with anime!Buggy in mind since we don't get to see Richie in the live action. Title comes from the song "Dryad's Promise" by Tricky Pixie.

Chapter 1

Day 1 pt 1

It was Mohji who requested they dock at the first island they came to on behalf of Richie. He said the lion wasn’t doing well, seemed depressed and was refusing to eat. It had gone on for days and the first mate was worried, and well, Richie was part of the crew so Buggy relented. It was another few days before they spotted an island they could dock at and Mohji hoped he could find someone to help his lion companion. Buggy thought anyone willing to go near a lion had to be pretty stupid.

He knew what Richie was capable of. He’d seen the lion wreak havoc and destruction on unsuspecting people and animals. Those paws of his could level a city block with one swipe. 

So when Mohji left the ship and came back an hour later with a woman, Buggy realized there was someone stupid out there, even if she was pretty.

She was wearing boots, a dress with a thick wool apron over it, and a bulky sweater. Her boots and hem of the skirt were caked in mud and the apron had what looked like crumbs stuck to it. Was she a vet or a baker, or something else? Buggy wasn’t sure but he followed Mohji as he led the woman to where Richie was resting.

“How long since he last ate?” The woman asked as she approached the lion. Buggy instinctively wanted to tell her to be careful, that that was a damn lion, but she held her hand out for Richie to sniff it, and when the lion nudged her hand she moved closer. “When did he start acting like this?”

“He last ate a few days ago.” Mohji told her as he chewed on his nails worryingly. “And he’s been acting weird for about a week. I don’t know what it is.”

Nodding, she knelt down in front of him and lifted up one of his paws, checking over his toes and feeling between his pads, checking for any splinters that could be bothering him. Buggy crossed his arms as he leaned over to his first mate.

“Shouldn’t we be concerned he may eat her?” He asked as Richie opened his mouth all of a sudden, but only to yawn. Mohji shook his head.

“He wouldn’t unless I told him to.” He replied as he watched nervously. He was a wreck over Richie. He hated it when the large feline wasn’t feeling well, and especially since they had been out to sea for so long, it worried him how long it took for them to get help. “I think she knows what she’s doing.”

“Wait, you think?” Buggy asked. “Is she even a vet?”

“Oh, uh…” Mohji shrugged. “I found her at a farm near the shore. She was feeding her animals and she said hi to me. I asked for help and she came with me.”

Buggy stared incredulously at his first mate. He really brought the first person he saw to the ship? He would wait to berate him after the woman left.

“How long have you been out to sea?” The woman asked as she reached up to run her fingers through Richie’s mane. The lion closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She smiled and scratched behind one of his ears. “Because I think he’s bored. He needs some enrichment on land.”

“He’s used to being out at sea!” Buggy told her harshly. “He’s fine on the ship.”

“Bored?” Mohji repeated. “Oh, Richie! I’m sorry! It’s been a while since we raided any place, no wonder he’s miserable!”

“Raided?” She frowned. “Are you pirates?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact!” Buggy laughed. “You’re looking at the Buggy Pirates!”

“Oh.” A pause. “I’ve never heard of you. We don’t get a lot of visitors to our island.” She pulled back from Richie and looked at Mohji. “If you and your crew are able to stay for a few days, maybe a week, your lion can spend time on the island. There’s not a lot of us to worry about here, and I have some old cows and sheep he could hunt.”

“W-Wait, I’m the Captain!” Buggy snapped. “You should be asking me this!”

“Are you Richie’s owner though?” She asked with a frown. He looked dumbfounded but shook his head. “See, that’s why I’m talking to this guy. He came to me for help, not you.”

Buggy seemed, well, shocked he was being spoken to like that. Mohji looked to his Captain with a pleading expression; Richie looked at him the same way. Buggy grumbled under his breath and caved. He didn’t want his first mate or first lion to be miserable.

“Fine. Only a week!”

~

Her name was Midori. She was the mayor of the only village on the island, population 15. She wasn’t a veterinarian by any means, just a farmer who had been tending to her animals when Mohji came across her. She was kind, as were the villagers, to the crew as they came on shore. Richie was given a bed of hay in one of her smaller barns. Mohji joined him. She even offered her guest room to Buggy, saying it was proper for the mayor to host the Captain. He accepted, but he wasn’t sure what to think of her yet.

Buggy was confused. The villagers didn’t seem scared of him or his crew. Had none of them ever heard of him? Was he not famous in these parts? How could his name not strike fear in the heart of Midori when he had told her who he was?

He sat at her kitchen table as she fixed lunch for the two of them. It was a little odd. It was just him, the rest of the crew were going about the island, checking out the bar for beer and food. He watched her suspiciously, wondering what she had planned for him. Was she going to poison him to collect a bounty? Was this all an act and planned to murder him in his sleep? 

She placed a bowl of soup with some bread on a plate in front of him before grabbing him a beer. He watched her open the beer and took it from her, taking a few sips. That couldn’t have been poisoned, right? He would wait for her to start eating before he made his next move. 

“So, Captain Buggy, I’d love to hear about some of your adventures.” Midori said as she started eating. He watched her have a few spoonfuls before he started helping himself.

“What d’you wanna know?” He asked between mouthfuls. 

“Anything at all.” She smiled. “Please?”

Buggy eyed her suspiciously before he lifted the bowl up to his lips, drinking half of the soup before setting the bowl down and downing the beer. He swore she giggled before getting up to grab him another bottle. The hospitality was borderline uncomfortable for him, but if she wanted to hear stories then he would tell her stories.

By the fourth bottle he was telling of their last raid where they leveled an entire town and took all of their treasure. Midori was listening with rapt attention, hanging onto his every word, and she even let out a gasp at a particularly exciting part. Buggy sat back in his chair as he finished off his drink. She got up to grab him another one and he watched her, suspicion in his eyes.

“What are you getting at?” He suddenly asked. She looked at him in confusion as she opened the bottle for him. He took it from her.

“I don’t understand what you’re asking.” She frowned. “I… just wanted to hear stories of your adventures, Captain Buggy.” She sat back down. “That’s all.”

“You’ve really never heard of me or my crew?” He asked. Midori shook her head. He looked a little put out by that.

“Captain, there’s only 15 of us on this island, including me.” She told him. “When I came here 17 years ago with my family, the town was bustling and full of people, but now everyone wants to leave to find treasure or have their own adventures, leaving many of us behind. We are either leaving on our own or dying, and it won’t be long until I’m the last one here.”

He took a sip of his beer, contemplating her words. “Why would you be the last one?”

“I love it here.” She smiled sadly. “It’s a beautiful island and I can’t imagine leaving it.”

“You may have to leave some day if you’re the last one left.” He said. “It would be stupid to stick around.”

“I guess I’m a bit of a romantic then.” She laughed. “I’m waiting for someone to take me away from here, you know, and we will fall in love and all that.” A wistful look crossed her face as she looked out toward the kitchen window. His ship was in view. She looked back at him with a small smile. “But like I said, not many visitors come through here so that limits my chances that a handsome stranger would come by and take me away. Who knows, maybe someone on your crew would offer me the chance!” 

He nearly choked on his drink, cheeks flushing. Take her away from here? What if… no, no. He couldn’t. He didn’t know her and couldn’t ask her to join the crew, to come along with him and leave the island. He was supposed to be suspicious of her, not feel wooed by her words of longing like that. It was a romantic notion, to be swept away by a handsome stranger like that, taken far from home for new adventures, having tales of her own. Instead he shook his head and sat back in chair. It wouldn’t be him since what woman would find him handsome? Even with a dwindling population she would have better luck finding a husband on this island than with a pirate. 

“Yea, well…” He grumbled as he raised his bottle to his lips once more. “I’m sure something will happen.”

Midori smiled at him as she collected the empty bottles and took them to the sink to rinse out. He kept his eyes on her, a thought coming to his mind. His hand detached from his wrist and flew over to her, tugging on the back of her dress. At least he was being polite enough not to pinch her ass (though there was a bit of temptation there). She turned around, eyes widening at the floating hand. Buggy let out a laugh as his hand flew back to him.

“H-How do you do that?!” She demanded as she stomped over to him, grabbing his hand and pulling it towards her. She gave it a few tugs, trying to see if she could remove it herself. Buggy jerked back from her.

“It’s the Devil Fruit I ate.” He told her, slightly alarmed by her more physical reaction than fear. “The Chop Chop fruit… my body can separate.”

He didn’t like the look in her eyes right then. Now he was regretting even accepting the offer for lunch at that point.

“I need your help with something, Captain.”

[kstaki]

Honestly…I expect to cry a lot today but I didn’t cry too much. Although surprised surprised who able to hold back their tears 😭 well the cast. (I still cry a bit at certain scene)

Anyway I probably ramble first (although I think people might have watch it live so it better you watch it instead I just say stuff that stand out for me)

The last show was just full of surprises I swear.

First show was just asking questions to four of them then they have a little story Kamejin, Desnarak and Gerojim. Song: Kaguragi Himeno & Jeramie.

Anyway Gerojim & Kuroda were the aide for Osaka they appear for 18 & 19 (first & third show)

Second show were the aide AND IT WAS AMAZING I LOVE IT.

Especially when they were handing over the OhgerCalibur to their Kings (I CRIED IT WAS BEAUTIFUL) I want to see again…for the story. Best version for the story.

They were also ask questions & they each have their turns to say thanks to their Kings. Duga short of tease Racules but ultimately turns to Gira. Then Racules & Kaguragi were fighting against who Suzume will choose. Then Suzume tease it to be Kaguragi who thought he won only to add in Racules. (He fell to the ground flat in defeat but accepted both of them) But the moment each Aide & Suzume say their thanks ahhhh it tearful.

The extra was a scene where they were trying to decide the position for the seating for the submit. It was hilarious because all of them but Gerojim & Kuroda were fighting on it. (Both of them save the day by quietly choosing the position)

Song: Rita Yanma Gira

Also for Iko Marina & Boshimar to be in audience in second show ahhhhh. (I was sitting nearby Boshimar so could see him) Racules call out to him at the end while Rita did for Iko Marina. Then when she was leaving I managed to wave at her since she took the exit where I was. Ahhh she had a Moffun with her that she use to wave back to us heh. Even saw Matsumoto up close when he was in the hallway not sure why but he was escorted by the staff.

Third show was the best

ANYWAY GIRA FIRST BROKE WHEN HE HAD TO SAY HIS LAST LINE FOR THE STORY! He cried first or choke up.

While Jeramie was doing his narration to end the story usually the King plus Racules step aside to do like a game almost like Janken it cute…

They were sort of comforting Gira though Rita & Racules stand out. Since Rita sort of roughly grab his shoulder and gave squeeze? I think while Racules just pat his head.

Act 2 start they did their usual dance then add in their suit actors and then went down stage to walk around to greet everyone. Later the rest of them appear out from one entrances to greet everyone. Himeno & Rita did a heart!

They had like some question asked. The cast had to watch themselves they had to refer themselves as character not themselves 😂 then Gira did his Midori screen again 😂

The concert was all their songs so each took turn to perform.

Also the best part I love it.

They had message from their Suit actors ( their partner in the show) then Producer Omori-San! Who I swear use a lot of King-Ohger references even say since he left Toei he couldn’t be there so this was message instead.

Thennnn they had extra guests appearance namely Minato-Sensei & Kamihoriuchi-San who gave flower to Jeramie. Along with the aides and Suzume gave flowers to their respective Kings. Kanzaki-San(Kuroda-San actor (not voice)) was there to give to Kaguragi while Suzume gave to Racules. (Kanzaki-San apparently did bear hug to Kaguragi)

They were all wearing the black FLT shirt.

Perfect.

So while they were giving their final message only Racules, Jeramie (especially), Kaguragi, Himeno & Gira (a bit) were having issue trying to say it. Yanma & Rita were too professional…

So yeah.

Honestly I don’t know what to feel I should be sad it really end but I don’t know what to feel…maybe because I still got some more Kingohger stuff to go to?

Oh some sides notes five carefully selected performances from Shizuoka to Fukuoka will be released exclusively on TTFC (I think Fukuoka one would be Rittan one hopefully)

Then if I remember correctly 20th tmr onward Racules & Suzume’s costume will appear at the exhibition? (I went earlier and it was really just too small the last part was jam packed since there a video that people want to watch might say about it later?)

[ensemblesongs]

!!! user ensemblesobgswhat are your favorite enstars stories !!?

I have to think for this one, hmm... My favourite stories have to beee...

In terms of enjoyability, and attempting not to have too much character bias, not in any order. Boldened are absolute favourites!

-Daydream & Lionheart are my all time favourite pieces of ansta writing, with an emphasis on Daydream. Lionheart has at least three translations online. I'm planning on re-reading two of those again just to compare them. I love an unreliable narrator. Sena really has been Leo's living unreliable narrator the whole time he's known him, hasn't he? Blackbird was good on a writing standpoint, but felt like a desperate attempt to get people to like and be normal about Wataru & Eichi, as well as telling us what we already know. At the same time, it did provide more insight into their mentalities, at least. Clown, Crown or whatever it was called was really nice also. - Both original main stories which I think every average ansta fan should read regardless of their length, although, the ! one is certainly of it's time. EnBasic: Element, Marionette, Crossroad, Meteor Impact, Checkmate, (Sorry for no Rocket Show! we're gonna read it for my friend's birthday!) Showtime, Dragon Fruit (Note to all viewers: don't read Marionette alone & think you know anything about Ex-valkyrie. PLEASE!), Easter Night, EP:Link, Christmas Live, Starry Night Festival, Beasts, Human Comedy (people focus too much on the valkyrie side of this and ignore rabits and it is disheartening, even if I understand why, from producers of them, given that rabits is far more unpopular in comparison, unrightfully yet understandably so. But what of the rest?), Book Fair, Victoria, Liar's Idol, Rainbow, Eccentric, Pleiades Night, Wonder Game, Biblio, Blood Banquet, Butler Cafe, Shinsengumi, Bouquet of Desire, Devils, Horror Night Halloween, School Festival ☆ Tamayori's Haunted Dollhouse, uum... those are the only ones that come to mind. I've read about 2wink and ryuseitai but scatteredly. In another universe, I produce them. EnMusic: Date Plan, Motor Show, Tempest, Night Club, Conquest, Next Door, Hot Limit, Neverland, Feather Touch, Bogie Time, Merry Xmas, Antique Legend, Burning Azaleas, Shinsekai, Obbligato, Astraea's Atelier, Romantic ? Date, Myriad of Colors and Flowers, Shards of Time: Black, Cruise, Grand Slam (I know it sounds crazy. The shotabait foot fetish event. Yes. But it has so many fucking good parts, and the epilogues are some of my favourite things ever.), Portrait, Nighthead, Stormcloud FUMBLE, Poltergeist, Parallel World, Xday (best climax), Absolute (I'm reading it with my dearest friends & I like it a lot so far! But I haven't finished so I won't embolden it. Mixed feelings about Raison d'être but generally it's so good I really love it. ALTERED CHANGED MY LIFE & KILLED MY GRANDMA. Bite-sized mix of both: -Aira: Episode 1 (Idol story), Do The Norm ft. Midori & Chiaki (I love you Midori! I love Noritama), -Tsumugi: This Senior is Prone to Worrying, Switch's introduction: "episode one", (Tsumugi FS1) Blue Hour's Spinning Song, Tsumugi's FS1 4☆ Story which recently came out on Eng, the eating one, "Delicious Happiness" ft. Midori, Episode 1, 2 & 3 of his idol stories, Go Basking in The Sun 3☆ story ft. Rei & Ritsu. -Others: HiMERU stuff. Episode 1 Chiaki Idol Story, Hiiro Idol story 2 ft. Aira, Black Swan ft. Mika & Tsumugi. (Madara FS2) Fates and Feast, Natsume FS2 4☆ Story. The 3☆ where ex-fine play together, Rinne's FS1. MANY Yuuta idol stories & 4/3☆ stories, especially in relation to his growth & Rinne. I like a lot of Anzu's monologues in the novels. I love this Natsuhokke 3☆ story. I like the early idol stories in general honestly. Baah!

Fun fact, I watched the anime before reading anything. My first story after the main story was Easter Night :-) though already interested in them, it cemented my love for switchvalk & their parallels in a square or even a more convoluted shape, each pointing at each other. I really recommend people read 3 stars of their favourites, you can find them with ease if you look them up, especially if they're from popular units. There's a lot of Really Good stories I haven't read but know all the context to and just have to get to, and good stories I have read that I just haven't mentioned whether purposefully because I don't think about them that much or because they slipped out of my mind (or blended together, or I technically didn't read them and just know everything that occurs or read a livetweet thread and I don't want to say a story is my favourite when I haven't read it in full even if stuff I really love comes from it, or I have mixed feelings that are too mixed for it to be a favourite).

I really adore Ansta's writing in spite of all of it's flaws, that's why it's not easy for me to give a simple response. Thank you for the question, sweet thing!

[aeoki]

Blackjack - Gifts Will Not Arrive: Chapter 4

Location: Yumenosaki Main Gate Characters: Shinobu & Tetora Season: Autumn

TL Note:

Ninjutsu is stealth and combat techniques used by ninjas.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< That night. In front of Yumenosaki Academy Main Gate. >

Shinobu: Anzu-dono~! Merry Christmas!

Tetora: It’s a bit early to say that, Shinobu-kun.

Well, I did the same thing and Narukami-senpai had a similar reaction, though. We just can’t wait for Christmas, huh~♪

Shinobu: Woah, Tetora-kun!? Why are you here?

H–Huh? From what I heard, the ones who will be taking part in saving Mayoi-dono– I mean the ones who will be “having a night out” will be Anzu-dono and Mikejima-dono, though?

Tetora: Don’t be so distant, Shinobu-kun. That’s all “RYUUSEITAI” is these days.

One for all and all for one. That’s “RYUUSEITAI”. Our fundamentals won’t ever change no matter what.

If you’re gonna do something, then I’m gonna do it with you, Shinobu-kun. Don’t leave me out of the loop, okay?

Shinobu: Tetora-kun…

Tetora: Besides, you guys came to save me during the school trip, right? Now’s the time for me to repay you guys.

Making sure I pay back my gratitude and debts is my way of doing things. Osu.

Shinobu: I didn’t particularly do anything during the school trip and it was Midori-kun who saved you back then, so you should be directing your gratitude in his direction instead.

Tetora: …If I said to him, “Thanks for saving me. This is my thanks ♪”, then it’ll just make me feel like I’ve lost for some reason. It feels frustrating so I don’t wanna.

Shinobu: You have a complicated heart of a maiden there.

Tetora: I’m not a maiden but a man amongst men. That’s what I’m aiming for. Osu.

…Oh, sorry, Anzu no Anego. This isn’t the time to be talking about other stuff, huh.

Shinobu: Yeah. Tetora-kun, how much have you heard about the mission?

Tetora: Hmm~ Honestly, not a lot.

It looks like you and Anzu no Anego were moving around suspiciously, so I figured Anego would be easier to get a hold of to casually ask what you guys were up to.

I said to her stubbornly, “I’ll keep following you until you tell me what’s going on!”, so I’ve been following her since this morning…

Shinobu: Y–You must have had a hard time dealing with that, Anzu-dono.

Well, I think Tetora-kun was just concerned, though. He was worried that one of his members from “RYUUSEITAI” got hurt again.

Tetora: Osu. You might think of me as a meddling parent, but I don’t want to repeat my mistake ever again.

But Anzu no Anego would just say, “I can’t say anything. It’s dangerous so you should go back.”, and wouldn’t tell me the important part.

Shinobu: It’s true ~de gozaru. Even the instigator behind this mission, Sakasaki-dono, warned us sternly.

He said things like, “Are you suRE? There is no going baCK. You could even die in the worst-case scenarIO.”

Tetora: If that’s the sort of dangerous situation you’ve gotten yourselves into, then that’s all the more reason for me to care.

I might not be reliable but if there’s something I can help with, then I’d like to lend a hand.

Shinobu: Hmm, the thought itself makes us happy ~de gozaru.

Tetora: …If you’re going to tell me to go home too, Shinobu-kun, then I’m gonna scream at the top of my lungs and make a fuss. That’s probably not what you guys would want, either, right?

Shinobu: Tetora-kun, you surprisingly have a tendency to use these sorts of sneaky strategies, huh.

Tetora: I don’t care if it’s unmanly – making sure you guys are safe is more important.

Shinobu: Hmm~... Alright, then, we’ve got no choice ~de gozaru. Don’t blame it on us if you want to quit later.

Now that it’s come to this, you’re going to help us save Mayoi-dono even if you don’t want to.

Tetora: Osu. That’s exactly what I want… But what do you mean by save? I heard that Ayase-senpai’s gone missing but has someone captured him or something?

Shinobu: I don’t know the details myself ~de gozaru. We asked the fortune-teller, Sakasaki-dono, for Mayoi-dono’s whereabouts…

But he says that Mayoi-dono is hiding within a secret area underneath Yumenosaki.

Tetora: A secret area…? Is it like Sakasaki-senpai’s stronghold? The one called the “secret room”?

Shinobu: I don’t know but it seems there is a specific procedure in order to enter it.

He said that Mikejima-senpai will tell us what this procedure is.

Tetora: Ohh. Mikejima-senpai is going out on a limb for his “RYUUSEITAI” successors, huh. As expected of him.

Hm? What’s with that facial expression, Anego? You don’t think he’s that nice of a person?

Shinobu: Ahaha. Anzu-dono is kind to everyone but you’re pretty cold towards Mikejima-dono for some reason ~de gozaru.

Well, either way, we have to meet up with him first. I heard he’ll come out if we wait here but…

Tetora: Then, we’ll just be waiting in the meantime, huh. It’ll be bad if we get caught by the teachers at midnight, so let’s hide in the shadows of the flower bed.

Shinobu: Heheh. You should have just proudly said that you practised being Santa for “Star Fest” ~de gozaru.

Ninjutsu[⁎] Santa Art No.1! Sneaking around at the dead of night…!

Tetora: Oh~ I shouldn’t forget about “Star Fest”, huh. Hmm, I should start practising seriously otherwise I’m gonna fall behind.

Just what the heck are we doing at school this late at night?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[blookmallow]

and the end of the death game 

i m laughing 

why are you like this 

is she not. aware that’s just a head. are you not concerned 

rip reko..... i guess ultimately it didn’t Really matter which sibling survived huh

i still don’t understand why the fuck this twist happened but i love Suddenly Evil Ranmaru so much. i hope there’s never an explanation and he just decided to be fucked up now actually. whats wrong with him. where did this come from. i love it 

anyways,

hi this is so fucked up 

absolutely cannot believe this worked 

ah, yes. the only logical explanation. they didn’t bother putting mai’s gloves on because they just sucked so much 

i cannot FUCKING BELIEVE “completely batshit antagonist character does some fucked up bullshit with his hands” is happening AGAIN, 

like i don’t want to accuse yttd of being a dangan ronpa ripoff because it’s generally like. clearly inspired by but not directly copying from dr. but like. really. really 

HOWEVER, i like midori intensely more than komaeda and i dont completely understand why that is myself. i think its bc midori is just fucked up. he’s not trying to be anything other than fucked up. he’s having so much fun. komaeda is an inconsistent mess of a person who sometimes wants you to step on him and make him eat dirt and other times acts like he’s better than everyone else to the point of being completely insufferable. komaeda seems like hes somehow getting off on everything you do to him no matter what. i dont know i cant explain this either but i still hate komaeda so much 

im betting his various organs are just gonna keep showing up places now. he’s gonna end up not being actually dead somehow because of some ai program or some piece left behind somewhere im calling it right now 

hes like a cockroach you can’t really get rid of him, ever 

i feel like im just completely losing track of what the fuck is going on anymore i think there’s been a few too many fakeouts and sudden twists at this point but i am kind of honestly glad q-taro ended up dying for everyone. since he was so willing to sacrifice them all and too fucking coward to take a few poison hits he knew he could survive in order to save a child’s life and. justifying letting a child die because they’re Not Useful Enough or whatever that bullshit was. i forget if that was about gin or kanna 

like im probably supposed to be sad about this but. eh

anyway ive lost track of who’s even alive at this point now i had a lot of mistakes with the drills : ) i think it’s scripted though because i tried going back and choosing a different coffin and the same results happened anyway 

im trying to catch up liveblogging after its been a minute since i finished this so i dont even remember who’s dead now i think all the dummies got shredded. mr. Not Sou got dead but i do not for one moment believe he’s actually permanently gone 

HEY EXCUSE ME I’M SORRY WHAT 

I WAS NOT INFORMED. THAT THIS WAS NOT A COMPLETED STORY. HELLO. EXCUSE ME. HELLO 

:( :( 

[sadsimp7107]

"Highschool AU"

Cast of characters: Eleane(my oc), Elise(my oc), Era(my oc), Minx(my oc), Aurora (also my oc), Midori(my persona), basically everyone (also also my oc)

Main Cast

Midori is here, because she honestly had to, turns out starting a new life in another universe meant that her graduating, or her degree in another universe didn't validate sadly(has two broke copies of her true self here also) 😔

Elise, anything that happened in her original Universe basically doesn't exist, the OG and her are basically different people, still broke, still has her ability to conjure up illusions(she lives with Midori, cause Midori recognizes her the most, and knows she's broke, so obviously she can't leave her, originally had a place to stay, but soon moved out, no more money sadly 😔) her parents aren't dead, they just sent her here because it's the only school that allows anyone even people with magic to apply, only choice in this situation, she doesn't really mind but they could've sent some money like enough money to last the school year...

Era's entire family doesn't have magic except her, luckily when they found out that she had magic specifically ice magic they were very happy for her, imagine their joy(Mido's really happy she's living her best life, even though she knows her friend Era isn't the same as this one) the people from her town believe she was blessed by their goddess, she still ends up meeting Minx(Midori doesn't know how to feel, one hand she wants to punch him, the other hand her consciousness is trying it's best to remind her that they aren't the same person) has no interest in Minx in a romantic way, he's not her type (Mido approves)

Eleane transferred here, she's still Filipino and will always be Filipino, saved up enough money for transferring but not enough for a place to stay(also lives with Midori, met online that's when she was offered a place to stay) happy she gets to see new places

Aurora best wolfy friend forever literally... Ever since Era saved her little brother from almost getting hit by a car she's been sticking like glue to Era(no surprise the car was damaged, Era payed for the damages, also payed extra to make sure the driver didn't call the cops and sue her...) Doesn't like Minx very much, she doesn't like how he's so cold to Era, like how could you, she's the nicest person ever! >:(

Minx doesn't really understand why the girl, what was her name again??? uhhh... Oh right! Midori glares a lot at him, and that wolf girl too, their weird... Mostly spends his free time in the library, he likes to read history books I swear trust me ⊙⁠﹏⁠⊙, sees Era there a lot, very smart, ended up having to tutor Era(Mathematics, English and History aren't easy okay), became Era's personal driver in which he sighs, atleast he gets paid 200G every time he drives her and her friends(what can we say money money money), he's shocked and impressed she hasn't become entitled with that amount of money, likes Era kinda??? He honestly doesn't know yet, doesn't talk much, if he does it's just a few and it's back to silence, Era seemed unbothered and hasn't pushed for a conversation mostly talks about her day, he appreciates that she doesn't ask about it(everyone sees this as a one sided friendship) has simps, doesn't know a lot of girls in their school is down bad for him(they haven't come close to him because of Era, the rumour about her money being one reason, and another rumour of her being this wicked, cold hearted, spoiled, rich kid another reason, surprise none of this is true) 50% skeleton monster, he doesn't know much about his mother

"that's about it folk's to be honest I wanna ship Minx and Era but I feel that it's to soon, tell me what you think"

[cesium-sheep]

the first volume of the untouchable midori-kun was cute, the main character is a porn actress and it's honestly treated super normal? which I'm pretty sure is a rarity. her coworkers aren't gross to her even once all volume, she's not ashamed of it, no one else shames her for it, the love interest even compares it respectfully to his own work as a pop idol. when she asks him to watch her latest work for professional critique he takes her entirely seriously (even though she was actually just trying to get him to want her). when his coworker is shitty about it, he's like "no fuck you".

they were childhood friends that parted ways still pretty young, and he was a fat kid with weird style and while others are shown making fun of him for it, she had no problem with it at all. and she's never like "wow he's so hot now way better than when he was a kid" although she does definitely think he's hot now.

I'm interested in seeing their relationship develop, I think the whole thing seems cute. pretty solid, good shelf.

[beanieman]

Shin in chap 3 really dissapoint me tbh, i was expecting him to atleast try to get Sara killed atleast once after that "Im gonna kill you all for killing a 14 year old lol" thingy.

I understand where you're coming from, but I actually don't mind Shin in both 3A and 3B! He tells Sara at one point that he's willing to get along with her and the group until Midori is dealt with. Which feels like a glaringly obvious piece of foreshadowing.

Even if it's not, I feel like Shin is a very versatile character that could either be redeemed or go full fledged antagonist by the end of the story. I agree that if Shin's redeemed without at least trying to hurt Sara or Keiji it throws his speech after Kanna's death out the window, but it doesn't bother me yet since the stories not wrapped up.

Plus unfortunately because of Sara's status as protagonist, she can't be taken out until the final chapter, which lowers the stakes of what Shin can do in the story at the moment. Keiji kind of had plot armor as well this chapter since he was needed to show up during the banquet.

I do think Shin still has plans to go through with something though!! When Shin everyone thinks Keiji will be executed Shin says:

He doesn't say Keiji can't die at all. He says Keiji can't die under these circumstances. What I think Shin was going to say before the cut off is "I need to get rid of him myself!" or "I need to get my revenge!" either way I still think Shin wants Keiji dead by his own hand. So I expect Shin's more unhinged actions to take place in the final chapters. And honestly Chapter 3B was so crazy already I'm almost glad Shin didn't try anything, because I honestly think it would have felt rushed.

[yesiamkai]

So I’ve been thinking about Midori (shocker) and decided to dump my thoughts and a bit of an analysis.

Fair warning: I am expressing some criticism of the game in this post, and there is some discussion of the Shin + Hiyori dynamic, so please avoid if you don’t want to see that.

My train of thought started with me thinking that GOD, what I wouldn’t give to see Midori absolutely lose it! Like, aside from his weird “BEWITCHING AND SUPREME” speech, he maintains his cool so well throughout 3a, and only loses it a little at the end of 3b with the whole “fear of dying” thing. (I have my gripes with this plot point — it’s a very unsatisfying weakness for his character to have, but I digress). And yet, even at that critical moment where we’d have the opportunity to see something deeper from him, he’s trapped in a box and he doesn’t have time to do much more than sweat and beg for his life before he dies.

This led to me thinking that honestly, the way his arc plays out is disappointing for me. He’s an incredibly compelling villain, partially because of the fact that he’s absolutely irredeemable, but we don’t get to see much of that depth that would make him feel like a character rooted in reality, or the horribly messed up individual that the game reflects.

Gameplay Midori is a cheerfully irreverent man who treats killing people like casual fun. He’s entertaining, charismatic, and makes a great addition to our wacky cast of characters. But when compared to almost everyone else, he unfortunately ends up feeling one-dimensional and cartoonish in his presentation. The plot fails to humanize him in any meaningful way, and his character suffers. This isn’t because humanizing him would “justify” his actions or make them redeemable, but simply because he would be more believable as a villain.

(Btw, this isn’t a Midori hate post. I love love love Midori. He’s actually my favorite character in the game — that’s why I feel so passionately about this hehe.)

The game attempts to humanize almost all of the other Floor Masters. We are told outright that Rio is evil because he was made that way — he is a doll who was created to lack humanity. Safalin’s depth stems from her presentation as the antagonist with the most sympathy for the participants. We don’t know exactly what her backstory is, or why she is with Asunaro, but she displays a pretty consistent internal conflict between her role as a Floor Master and any desire she might have to help the participants. (It’s not entirely that straightforward with Safalin, but this is turning into a novel and this isn’t meant to be about her lol.)

Even Gashu is a very “human” antagonist. His obsession with his work has overwhelmed him to the point where he no longer sees right and wrong, or the value of the lives being lost. He has been so absorbed in the making of the Death Game and feels so justified in his actions that he is unable to feel guilt, even for the death of his own son. He sees people as nothing more than pawns. Weirdly, it’s the loss of his humanity that makes Gashu so uniquely human.

Aside from Meister, whose true role in the plot is pretty clearly just getting started as of 3b, I think Sue Miley is the only character who falls victim to the “cartoon villain” issue that Midori has. We do have a hint of a backstory for her that somewhat explains her behavior — her fiancé being driven to insanity by Asunaro — but as of this point in the game, her motives go mostly unexplored. However, Miley is still alive, her arc is incomplete, and I have no doubts that she will reappear in the final parts (and hopefully clear up some questions when she does).

Midori, though, is supposedly dead. The game sets up the possibility for him to return using the forgotten doll head, but the plot also seems to be eager to wash its hands of him. For a game that sets Midori up to be so threatening and traumatic that his mere photograph causes almost everyone to freak out (before they even remember him!), his actual role in the story ends up being very short-lived. He undergoes no character arc, we learn almost nothing about him, and then he gets killed off.

But all of this could have been avoided if the game a) introduced him earlier than the final chapter and b) took better advantage of the single meaningful link Midori has to humanity. This link?

Shin!

The game criminally underutilizes Midori’s connection to Shin. We do get some insight from Shin directly via his memory, and their limited in-game interactions are some of the most fascinating in the entire game.

It’s pretty obvious that Midori, back when he was Hiyori, was the most important person in Shin’s entire life. Shin admired him, leaned heavily on him, and considered him his best friend (at least). It’s also heavily implied that whatever feelings Shin had were reciprocated, although Hiyori took his side of the relationship way too far and ended up damaging Shin emotionally.

The Hiyori we see from Shin’s perspective is still disturbing, but startlingly more human. Instead of a one-dimensional villain, we see a version of Hiyori who complains when it’s hot, likes robot action figures, writes poetry, and takes countless pictures of his smiling friend to hang up in his room.

We see with the Shin AI that Midori is still quite possessive over his former friend, but the game gives us very few interactions between the two of them. In fact, Midori all but ignores Shin throughout many of his run-ins with the group.

Is this a fault of the way the branching paths of the game treat Shin/Kanna as merely a stand-in for the other in their respective routes? Probably. We don’t get a lot of insightful commentary from whichever one of them lives in Chapter 3, or Reko/Alice. It’s also rough because Chapter 3 introduces so many new characters, and it’s hard to develop them all in such a short time when none of them even make it past 3b. The Dummies deserved a lot more backstory and characterization, too.

I really just wish the game would have used Midori’s ties to Shin to develop him more. Even if he would have simply appealed to Shin directly to save him while he was in the coffin, that would have been really interesting to see.

The fandom does a really great job of bringing characterization to Midori that the game lacks, and despite all of my complaining, he’s still my favorite character, lol. I just know the game is capable of creating really complex characters (Keiji and Shin himself are great examples), so it’s saddening to see it fall so flat with Midori.

Anyway, sorry for my rambling! I just had a lot on my mind that I wanted to put down somewhere.

[masterhandss]

I definitely think Mona and Aizou have a strong relationship. In the beginning The Umbrella, well in all the stories we see Umbrella and it's a bit like the story of Mona's parents and also for Sena, she lent an umbrella to Medori. There is a similarity between Mona's father, Aizou and Medori, they are all singers and are good at playing guitar.

I think it's a story that repeats with both the mother and her daughters, and that's a very beautiful thing. Of course, if Mona heard her parents' story, she'd remember what happened between her and Aizou. Sorry for bad English 🙏

That's okay, your english is fine! Mine can be pretty bad too sometimes haha.

// spoilers to the Watashi, Idol Sengen Manga Chapter 10

I won't deny the importance of umbrellas in the Narumi family, and how interesting it is to know that Aizou lends his umbrella to Mona. It was definitely one of the scenes that made me interested in the Watashi, Idol Sengen manga.

There is honestly was more similarities on how the umbrellas are used by Mrs. Narumi and Mona than there are with Sena (which gives the Mona version more points), but knowing how Sena and Midori end up, I guess just having an umbrella is enough XDD I also didn't realize that Mr. Narumi, Aizou and Midori all play the guitar (gotta rewatch some LIPXLIP MVs later lmao) so thank you for pointing that out!

Given that using an umbrella to find love is apparently a tradition in the Narumi family (lmao haha it's so cute), it's no surprise that most of us are making a connection and assuming that Mona and Aizou might have something soon.

But, at the same time I feel like Aizou and Mona's umbrella scene just a red herring (or at least isn’t important in the grand scheme of things). I don't remember where I read that post, it was either here on tumblr or twitter (I'll link it if I find it, if anyone knows please tell me!), but there's a post that explains that Mona might not have a love interest (or at least it's not something her songs will dwell on since she wants to focus on being an idol) because of how she uses an umbrella.

According to that post, compared to Mrs. Narumi and Sena who we see receive and lend an umbrella within the MVs in honeyworks, the instances we see Mona with an umbrella in a song she's holds it on her own which represents her independence.

We have yet to see the umbrella scene with Aizou be represented in an MV, which means it might not be an important event in her life at all, compared to her mother and sister.

If you read the Watashi, Idol Sengen manga, you know that Mona went from someone who wants to be just like her mom and sister to someone who wishes to be identified separately from them and define herself in this world without being a "Narumi". The fact that she's been carrying an umbrella by herself without lending or giving it to anyone might be a representation of wanting to focus on herself.

That's the details in the post I've read, but that's not all actually. I haven't gotten to translating it yet so non-piccoma readers might not be aware but there's more to just that scene than Aizou handing her an umbrella. While Aizou does give her an umbrella and Mona does take it, she doesn't actually use it. She closes the umbrella that Aizou gave her, and continues to walk in the rain.

Even when Aizou was handing it to her, she firmly rejects it since he's Yuujirou's partner. She had no choice but to take it because Aizou walked away before she could return it. After hearing some girls on the streets praise LIPxLIP, Mona's hatred for them grew even more, so she just closed the umbrella and walked back home.

Mrs. Narumi and Sena's umbrella scenes are pretty sweet and romantic. Mrs. Narumi's moment feels like fate, she was in the dumps (emotionally and kinda literally) and someone kindly shields her with an umbrella and shows concern for her despite being a stranger. Sena lending an umbrella to Midori is the beginning of their interactions and a very crucial and heart-throbbing moment for them both. Meanwhile, the umbrella scene between Aizou and Mona is kind of intense, and Mona's constant rejection of the umbrella reflects that.

The fact that Mona doesn’t use the umbrella essentially breaks/denounces the scene as an “umbrella scene”. 

This is why I stand in the line between thinking that the Mona-Aizou umbrella scenes is foreshadowing and thinking that it's a red herring. Aizou's intentions were good when he reached out to her, which makes the scene nice and sweet, but Mona's anger and rejection makes it unlike the umbrella-related experiences of her family.

Who knows, maybe the umbrella scene between Mona and Aizou does mean something, I'm not too sure. Remembering that Aizou likes to play the guitar surely helped to make me lean towards that side, but given the kind of character Mona is, I think getting a love interest is something that won't be portrayed in her stories and MVs. I'm cool with either outcome though :))

Thank you for the ask!!

[i-was-a-teenage-eldritch-horror]

okay so how do u feel about how the main female characters were handled in 4.0

This is going to be loooooong.

Firstly, I want to say that the fanservice was just godawful. Pedophilic, hamfisted, gross, and just plain annoying. The only adult characters who were subjected to anything resembling the female pilot's treatment were Midori and Sakura (who are in their early 20s if my math checks out). None of the adult women were subjected to the same type of fanservice as the pilots. It raises the question of...well, who's the intended audience here? It's especially jarring since there was like, almost none in 3.33. So I won't be discussing the fanservice in each of the character sections. Just know that I hate it universally. Also, people who fervently deny that asuken and marishin were romantic in this movie are on nuclear levels of copium. Obviously you don't have to (and shouldn't, to be frank,) ship it, but it's clear that hetero endgames were intended.

1. Ritsuko

I don't have any complaints here. I guess I wish she had more screentime. I liked her scenes with Misato, but their conversations felt a bit more stilted that how you would think friends of 25 years would speak to each other. I liked that she got to shoot Gendo.

Her new VA wasn't much to write home about. It was still a good performance, but Mary Faber's rendition of Ritsuko wasn't as deep or womanly a voice as Sue Ulu or Colleen Clinkenbeard's were. It took some adjusting, but she's definitely growing on me.

2. Misato

Kaji junior, as a concept, was actually genius and makes perfect sense. Tons of parallels were drawn between her and Gendo even in the original series so it's apt that she would become a deadbeat parent like he was. It's tragic yet fitting. Her being devoted to Shinji over her own son sadly makes a lot of sense. Additionally, it fucking sends me to think that she was pregnant at the end of 2.22!

I don't like how she swapped back to her old hairstyle during the climax, though. It doesn't make a lick of sense.

Also, her turning into the Spear of Gaius was dumb and misogynistic as hell. It's the "boy gets rewarded with woman's body" trope taken to its logical extreme. Like Soul Eater if it was unimaginably, violently misogynistic.

3. Mari

For the most part, I liked Mari in Thrice Upon a Time. She was the closest to an actual 3D character as she's ever been, and I found myself really liking her and getting excited when she was on screen. Her fight in Paris at the beginning of the movie was exciting and fun, probably the best part of the movie.

VERY weird, however, that she knew Shinji when he was a baby and then became his love interest. Like genuinely what the hell was that. The reveal that her given name is Mary Iscariot was also weird, but honestly I liked it. It was cheesy and bad in a fun way, unlike the rest of the movie. Obviously her surname being "Iscariot" is a reference to Judas and how she betrayed Gendo and Fuyutsuki, but I looked it up and apparently Iscariot is an actual surname. However, according to one website I looked at, it's so rare that only four people in the entire world are documented as bearing it.

It's also funny that Mari being British is like, never explicitly confirmed or referenced in these movies. Outside of cursory references to British folklore (her first eva being a quadruped, wielding a jousting lance, and slaying a reptile-like creature), it literally doesn't matter and is never brought up. In 2.22 there's this scene where she's like "wow it's such a shame that I have to use these adults for my agenda," and it's like...girl, what's your agenda?!?! Explain!

4. Asuka

The asuken thing was offensive on every level. I would be able to buy that they were just buddies IF Asuka wasn't walking around naked in front of him and if he wasn't in the doll at the end. As it stands, though? The vibe is definitely shippy, and it's disgusting. I mean, swap out Kensuke for Mari in the doll scene and everyone would recognize it for what it is. Speaking of asumari...

The asumari bait in this movie is also gross. Not because it's asumari, but because it's bait. We have all these scenes of Asuka and a flirtatious Mari, and for what? For Marishin to be endgame? For Kensuke to be a pedophile? For Asuka to be alone at the train station at the end? Fuck, I don't even like asumari. It makes me feel like I'm losing my marbles. But still. They got done dirty in this movie.

Moving on, Asuka's death in this movie actually shook me a lot more than I thought it would. It's way spookier and eerie than her death in eoe. To be honest, I've always been a "Bardiel is in Asuka's eye, and that's why she has the eye patch" theory denier because, to be frank, I didn't have faith in these movies to actually make sense, so that was a pleasant surprise.

I liked the revelation that Asuka was actually also a clone series like Rei. It was unexpected yet made a lot of sense. Asuka clamoring to be loved, for the affection that's been denied to her because she's just another fly in the swarm; a military weapon, ultimately. However, I gotta say that like...Mari was out here giving Asuka the affection and love she explicitly admits to wanting in the movie. The scenes of her training in Germany were cool to watch. That's something I wish we'd seen in the original anime.

The reveal that Asuka's older than Shinji and was in her early 20s during 2.22 (she looks about 10 to be in the flashback with Gendo, Yui, and baby Shinji) was weird but after the Mari thing I didn't mind.

5. Rei

Firstly, I was super happy to see Amanda Winn Lee back!

This movie came so close yet still ended up missing the mark when it came to Rei. The concept isn't the issue at all. "Rei gets accepted into the village and learns to truly live" is amazing, actually! The problem is the cutesification of Rei. Here's a really good quote about why this is a problem. In 3.33 she was depicted pretty neutrally, all things considered, and a few scenes with her drifted into the familiar eerie, tragic territory of the original show. So this change is both deliberate and jarring.

Another issue is that Q!Rei's characterization, especially in this movie, has always seemed to me like that of a semi-verbal, high-support autistic person. That in and of itself isn't the problem at all. With very few exceptions, such as the Angelic Days manga, Rei has always been heavily autistic coded. Y'all know how I feel about this. The way the "camera," for lack of a better word, perceives Rei, how she's drawn, and how other characters react to her (cooing and giggling about how cute and naive she is), all rub me the wrong way when you take that into consideration. Autistic people are infantilized and cutesified in real life. This heavily contributes to the ableist abuse and neglect that we deal with as a population. In 2.22, Rei's seen reading Oscar Wilde, and in this movie she's reading a picture book for kids, even though she can read the esoteric technobabble in an eva's UI. She also gets Hikari's old school uniform as a hand-me-down, immediately codifying and signaling that she's eternally a cute little kid. Obviously the curse of eva still applies to the other pilots, but it's on a whole new level here. Her feelings for Shinji are fantastically mishandled as well.

I love the scene she shares with Asuka, because it's basically Asuka telling Rei that she's experiencing comphet -- these feelings are not organic, nor are they her own. They were planted by Gendo. In a better movie, this would've been a pivotal moment of questioning for Rei. Instead, she just says "whatever" and leaves. She even delegates the job of picking a new name to Shinji, not because she herself is incapable of it, but because she doesn't think she's fit to. Shinji is also just downright rude to her, not just in this movie, but in 3.33 too. That scene where she returned the walkman to him only for him to push it away would've been a great moment for her to be done with him. Also, Q!Rei even having a crush on Shinji at all in this movie came out of nowhere since in 3.33 there was nothing to suggest that.

Her past abuse and life at NERV are never brought up beyond vague mentions of "orders." Again, Rei's trauma isn't cute or sweet. It's tragic, harrowing, and uncomfortable. She asks what a cat is, why they shrunk a baby, and doesn't know what a bath is. Yes, logically, she might be confused about these things, given her past. But again, the decision to include those things specifically were deliberate. They're cute, easy to digest examples. It reminds me of questions a toddler would ask, excitedly going "mommy, what's that!" upon seeing a new animal at a park, tying yet again into the theme of brutal and gross infantilization. I don't know, I just think that learning that you were abused, neglected, and cloistered for your entire life should be disturbing, horrifying, existential, and a traumatic revelation in and of itself.

Her death didn't bother me that much, since it was foreshadowed in 2.22. In a weird way, I was happy that she died early on so she couldn't get butchered even further. Long-haired Rei was fine. She felt like 2.22 Rei and didn't do much except listen to Shinji. I thought her saying "neon genesis" was cool. Just like the Mary Iscariot thing, it was bad in a fun, goofy way. I like Rei's outfit at the train station at the end. I always knew she'd be a maxi skirt woman. Oh, and those boomer farmer women were great.

6. Hikari

Hikari was fine in this movie. I will say that it felt jarring to see her go from a high-powered, conscientious class representative to a SAHM. That's not a dig at SAHMs, either. Just saying it was weird. Fits with the natalist hell that is this movie, though. Seriously, even the quiverfull nutjobs would think this is too on the nose.

7. Midori & Sakura

Covering these two in the same section since they share most of their screentime. These two behave irrationally, and, forgive me for using a historically loaded term, hysterically. They monologue about their pain and loss while pointing their guns at Shinji, hesitate to shoot, and miss when they finally do. Then Misato tells them that Shinji's going to save them and they change their tune entirely to "zomg Shinji is our savior!" and this all happens within like, a minute and a half, at most?

[atlas-of-galaxies]

If you're still up for explaining your choices, why did Sara get the desolation? For my own entity assignments I went with eye!sara just because the 'extract' function reminds me of statementing so much, but I'd love to hear your reasoning!! Entity assignments are so fun to think abt

And feel free to not answer if you don't wanna spoil it [assuming you're assigning him too] but were you able to narrow down a reasonable number of entities for midori?? I've tried and keep getting stuck at eye, hunt, stranger, web, spiral, even lonely has a shot if you count isolating Shin...and buried with the coffins... He's so cartoonishly evil I'm just opting towards all 14-15, that fucker would collect entities like a game no hesitation

[ignoring how many weaknesses the conflicting fears risk, but hey maybe that can be part of defeating him ┐(︶▽︶')┌]

first off, here's my explanations for my entity choices! I go in-depth there with Sara and the rest of the characters I've done so far.

I do enjoy Eye!Sara though, it really hammers home her protagonist syndrome. but I feel like, in terms of the game, she's more concerned about the loss of life than really unraveling the mystery behind their situation. it doesn't mean she won't dig deeper given the chance though; the lantern game is proof of that.

a lot of entities work for a lot of different characters! I really just assigned them according to the parts of the characters I find the most interesting; Spiral also works very well for Sara for obvious reasons, but I find a Desolation lens a more interesting read of her character via the fear of her own potential for being as ruthless as Midori wants her to be.

speaking of Midori! yeah he's kind of a mess isn't he!! honestly I agree, I think it'd be easier to find aspects of him that fit all 15 instead of trying to narrow it down to just one (Flesh for his weirdass body mods, Corruption for his possession over Shin, End for his own fear of death ... yeah we could be here all day).

but if I absolutely had to pick? probably Stranger? it's a pretty broad fear and it encapsulates his otherness that I adore so well. also his role in everyone's pasts as some random guy manipulating them into signing the contracts... tho I guess you could easily spin that as Spiral, too.

in summary: yeah who fuckin knows. I'm not 100% sure if I'm gonna do assignments for the Floormasters yet but if I do I guess I'll cross Midori's bridge when I come to it

[jjuzoir]

request: “hi! i saw reqs are open and you write for yttd so hi! this is my first time requesting but yttd deserves more hype 🥺 can you write about sou/shin who wants cuddles but his s/o (female or gn is fine) is as much as a workaholic as him, so they don’t give in to him and keep coding away on their computer? no pressure at all, thank you ☺️❤️” by

a/n: this was my first yttd request^^ i really like sou/shin as a character ;; (though i did end up saving kanna) his whole 0% chance and the midori/shin/sou twist was so good!! i really want to replay saving him instead of kanna^^

warning: spoilers for chapters 2 and 3 of YTTD;; also; jm sleep deprived and my mental state ?? nonexistent

word count: 1780

- You and Sou had met during the Death Game and had grown closer during the second floor, having spent most of your time trying to help Kanna and, in return, spending more time with Hiyori.

- At first, your relationship had been rocky— you had all woken up in a strange place and tasked with trying to survive, he was rather stubborn and kept you often times at an arm’s length but, with enough work on your part fueled by stubbornness and a desire to get to know the teal-haired man, you soon were able to get to know him better.

- Out of everyone in the game Hiyori and you were the closest, and Kanna of course too, and as much as Sou might’ve wished it didn’t happen, your relationship soon took a romantic turn. He still had moments of doubt, and a selfish part of him wishes he never cared about you, growing to care about anyone in a situation like this wasn’t smart, but he did.

- You were determined to find a way out, much like him, and were willing to pour your all into finding a way to escape the facility and Sou admired that about you, and so he decided he’d work hard to find a way for you two to escape no matter what.

- With both of your missions set out, it wasn’t surprising to say you both weren’t taking care of yourselves much; work, work, and more work needed to be done to find a way to escape and figure this whole thing out.

- Sou was good with computers and, much to his surprise, so were you; so both of you ended up dividing the work between each other. You’d normally work with the monitors near the price exchange stand while your boyfriend would spend most of his time in his room with Kai’s laptop.

- Your work felt endless, lines of code and numbers and letters; all becoming more jumbled as your eyes grew tired but you couldn’t give up; not only was your survival on the line but also of the ones you’d grown to care for, especially Kanna and Sou.

- You had spent hours typing away on the monitors trying to trace back a starting point or figuring out how to access them without having to spend any chips (much to the receptionist doll’s amusement). You knew you probably weren’t making much progress if he hadn’t gotten mad at you yet and that only grew to frustrate you more.

- Your fingers hurt from typing and clicking away in the small, cramped keyboard you’d found in the ruble— the fact Kai didn’t have an AI either only frustrated you more, if he’d had one maybe you could’ve learned more from him. You could only hope his AI was somewhere within the code, if he even had one.

- Determined to crack the code, you simply take the worn down laptop you’d been using and leave; no one had made a move to stop you, the floor master clearly didn’t care enough if you took it with you to bed. And so you do.

- It was getting late, Sou noted as he looked at the clock that hung from the gray walls in his room. You should’ve come by hours ago telling him about what you’d found— that’s what you’d always done at least.

- At the realization you weren’t coming, the teal-eyed man grew slightly concerned, maybe you had found out something Gashu or Ranger didn’t want you to and- no way, if he had come this far then you surely could too… right?

- He doesn’t realize he’s standing up and making his way to your room until he’s knocking on the door.

- He hears a grunt from the other side and takes it as a yes. He knew you well enough to know what you were doing but it still took him by surprise to see your hunched over figure typing away in the small, old laptop you’d found in the monitor room.

- He furrowed his eyebrows but didn’t move from his spot in the doorframe. He stared at your concentrated face and wondered if you’d always had this work ethic or if you were just worried about leaving the facility, were you a good worker before? He thinks of the past for a moment and feels his chest squeeze, if there was one good thing about this hellhole it was having met you, he thinks to himself.

- But still, the thought of a past where suffering wasn’t even imaginable has him wondering how your lives would’ve been, would you two have met? Could you two have been coworkers? Would everything align to make you lovers like it had now?

- At the thought, Sou found himself growing uncharacteristically soft. In the short time you two had been together you never really did anything, well, couple-y at all, due to the circumstances it wasn’t a shocker but he wanted to try changing that… he wanted to try being more affectionate with you.

- You still hadn’t noticed him standing in your door, so he decides to approach you. Quietly making his way near your desk, he places a hand in your shoulder and gives it a squeeze earning a shocked gasp and jump from you.

- “You should go to bed.” Sou mumbles to you from beneath his scarf.

- “Ah, Sou… you scared me!” You laugh off his comment, “I’m working right now but once I’m done I’ll go to sleep, don’t worry.”

- “It’s late, you shouldn’t even be thinking about coding right now.” He insists, if he was correct you’d been working on the laptop for 9 hours straight- as much as he admired your determination you needed to rest.

- You don’t even answer him back this time, busy typing away and scrolling through the seemingly endless rows of numbers and your boyfriend sighs and sits on the edge of your bed. If you continued like this you’d end up knocking yourself out- at least like this you’ll have someone to catch you.

- You don’t give his actions much thought; if he wanted to sit down and you type away on the computer then so be it; as long as he didn’t bother you. But bother he did, if there was one thing Sou could pride himself in other than his computer skills it was how annoying he could be if he really wanted to.

- “[Name]”, he groaned, “come to bed, just seeing you so busy gets me tired. Let’s cuddle, eh?”

- He wasn’t the most affectionate of all guys, you both knew that, it’s not that he didn’t want to be physically close with you but rather… he just didn’t feel like it. Maybe if he tempted you with hugs you’d be shocked and say yes?

- “Mhm, just a sec.” You don’t even look behind you when you speak, much to his dismay.

- “Come on! Don’t you want to be close with your boyfriend? It’ll be our first time sharing a bed! We’ll be close- you could be the small spoon or the big spoon I don’t care!”

- “Sou, please- I love you, but can you please just shut up for a second?”

- “Don’t be so cold!” He groaned, “Don’t you just want to, ya’ know~, spend some time with your boyfriend!”

- “I am spending time with you… now please just be quiet.”

- Sou was starting to get on your nerves with his endless chatter, so in return- you continued typing (quite aggressively).

- He went on for almost an hour, offering you hugs and kisses- basically anything as long as you stopped working and just went to bed. The more he tried convincing you with offers the more needy he grew, damn; he really, really wanted to cuddle you to sleep right now.

- You looked tired, your posture only worsening. Enough is enough, Hiyori thought, so he stood up and walked behind you and tapped your shoulder to get your attention.

- “Sou, I told you-!”

- Your words are cut short by him closing the laptop and grabbing your hand, leading you to bed with him.

- “Stop complaining, you’re going to work yourself to the bone.” He mutters, “and honestly? I don’t feel like dating a skeleton.”

- “Tch! Just let me finish this-!”

- “You said that like half an hour ago.” He says, he looks at you with worried eyes and you halt, “Don’t you know how late it is?” You look at the clock in your room; 2AM. You’d been working nonstop since midday…

- “Take your shoes off, we’re going to sleep- now.” He instructed you and you obliged, slowly blinking trying to adjust to the less intense light from the room as you slip off your shoes and get ready for bed.

- It was late… and your bed was looking more and more appealing. You finished taking your socks off and glance at your laptop. Once you’re done, you look down to meet teal-eyes looking at you expectantly. He pats the mattress, motioning you to lay beside him and, once again, you do. You’d scold him about shutting the laptop tomorrow… geez, had you been this tired a few minutes ago.

- A yawn escapes your mouth and Sou laughs; “I told you- you were tired.”

- He throws an arm around you, pulling you closer to him. Your face is pulled near his chest and he holds you like that for a while.

- You both say nothing as you rest, your head above his heart allowed you to be lulled into an even deeper rest. His hands rest on your back, his finger drumming as if he was typing away and you smile at the nonsensical rhythm.

- “You know, I didn’t really think cuddling with you would be this nice.” He comments, breaking the silence and earning a shove from you.

- “Screw you, Hiyori.” You laugh, “You're not so bad yourself.”

- The room is dark, the lights off, only your breaths can be heard. You take off his beanie, he only grumbles in response, so you could run your fingers through his hair.

- He giggles slightly, earning a tired smile from you. You wonder how different your relationship would be outside of the death game. There were times you forget you’re in constant danger, in moments like these- where you’re alone and calm, with Sou, it’s so easy to let your guard down, to forget about the severity of it all. You yawn once more, damn; you were tired.

- “You can sleep,” Sou mumbles, his voice rough with fatigue, “‘m gonna… sleep too”

- “Good night, Sou,” you peck his cheeks and, even in the dark light, you can see a slight blush glowing from his cheeks.

[aeoki]

SS Finals - Crown: Chapter 15

Location: SS Finals Live Stage Characters: Tetora, Midori, Shinobu, Subaru, Hokuto, Chiaki, Kanata & Madara

Subaru: “RYUUSEITAI”!

Hokuto: Wait, before you go up on stage!

Chiaki: Hm? What’s up, Hidaka? Akehoshi?

I thought you guys were rather well-behaved compared to last year, but are you planning on pulling some sort of stunt coming up here?

Tetora: If you’re gonna meddle in our business for no good reason, then I hope you don’t – honestly.

Subaru: We won't do that! Rude, much! Hmph, hmph!

Hokuto: It’s exactly as Akehoshi says. Morisawa-senpai – no, “RYUUSEITAI” helped us out during the first “DDD”.

We won’t ever forget that. We won’t bite back the hand that helped us. Ever.

Midori: You guys were the ones who put a lot of pressure on us during Tanabata last year… I was even more depressed after that, you know…

Shinobu: Ahaha. I think our newbie unit was able to break out of our shell thanks to that. All’s well that ends well ~de gozaru.

You had it nice since you got to flirt with Isara-senpai, though… It was pretty traumatic for me…

Subaru: Huh? How come? What did we do to you, Takamin?

Midori: See…? You senpais need to learn just how big and important you guys are….

Hokuto: I get that a lot. Especially recently.

Kanata: Umm. Did you have “business” with us, “Trickstar”?

Chiaki: Fuhaha! Did you come to cheer us on as a fellow member of the “Red Team”? I’m right, aren’t I?

Thank you! We’ll turn your cheers into a driving force that will help us move forward!

Subaru: Chii-chan-senpai…

(I knew it, I can’t say it. I bet he won’t listen to me even if I did. I can’t help but to give in to Chii-chan-senpai when it comes to things like this.)

No, it was nothing. Yeah, we just came to cheer you guys on. Good luck.

Midori: Thanks but you didn’t have to come all the way to say that, Akehoshi-senpai. Do you think we’re just a bunch of cowards who can’t do anything?

Shinobu: Oh, Midori-kun came back to life all of a sudden ~de gozaru.

Tetora: I think we have a pretty good chance of winning ♪

Hokuto: …Right. If you win the fourth round, then the “Red Team” will basically be the winners.

Ending the Finals with an official winner announced during the middle of the rounds will certainly put a damper on things.

But since we’ll be those announced winners, we should be at ease and not worry about defeat. That’s what I meant to say.

Subaru: Yeah. We’d prefer that too, so we hope you win, “RYUUSEITAI” ♪ Frankly, I’m tired of fighting and trying to destroy one another!

Tetora: Ahaha. That doesn’t sound like something you guys would say.

Hokuto: What do you mean?

Midori: Wait, why do you look surprised…? You didn’t act like it much this year, but last year, you guys were like a bunch of delinquents who would fight anyone who came your way…

Hokuto: A bunch of delinquents, huh. That might be the perfect phrase to describe us.

Subaru: You’re always so accurate, Takamin! Who’s a smart boy!? Pat pat ♪

Midori: Stop being so annoying – Could you guys go if you’re done talking already…!?

Subaru: But Takamin, you like headpats, right? ♪

Midori: It doesn’t particularly make me happy when you’re the one doing it!

Kanata: Hehe. That’s right~ I won’t say “it’s none of your business”.

But there’s “no need” to worry. We won’t lose anymore.

We’ll win this “battle”, set “Red Team’s” victory “in stone” and will provide “reassurance” to the units who have yet to “make an appearance”.

That sounds like something “RYUUSEITAI” would do, right?

Chiaki: It’s exactly as Kanata says! Believe in us and watch over us, “Trickstar”! We won’t lose to anyone else anymore!

Hokuto: Alright. We’ll believe you.

You’re happy with this, right, Akehoshi?

Subaru: Yeah. Actually, I’m sorry we distracted you when you guys should be concentrating on your match.

Midori: Yeah. It was a real nuisance.

Tetora: There, there… These two aren’t bad natured at heart, so just smile and forgive them, okay?

Kanata: Smile and forgive them! That’s also very “RYUUSEITAI”~♪ 

Subaru: Ahaha~ Yeah, I love that part about you guys.

You’re always full of energy and give us courage… Good luck – I mean it.

♪~♪~♪

Hokuto: We’ll excuse ourselves, then. Sorry for disturbing you all.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

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