#Here waiting for the funa

[aliecaveblau]

I'm proshipper, d'ah

Tengo cómo un millón de shipps, me encantaaaan💖🛐, pero traté de poner los más relevantes. Y bueno, Astérix y Obélix es mi OTP desde mi pubertad (actualmente tengo 19 años) pero han regresado a mí. Los amo tantooooo.

[I have like a million shipps, I love it 💖🛐 But I tried to put the most relevant ones. And well, Asterix and Obelix have been my OTP since my puberty (I'm currently 19 years old) but they've come back to me. I love them sooooo.]

[xoxoxoz]

Premyuda Meeboonrod (Moa) x F!reader

📝: Even though you’ve rejected her confession, Moa has not stopped pampering you and you made it clear that you did not feel the same. But why does it bother you when you see another girl flirt with her?

⚠️: high school au, popular jock Moa, unpopular nerd reader but not your typical nerd because she can bite back when she wants to, swearing, sick love puppy Moa, some nsfw scenes but not full smut, g!p Moa

A/N: I’m actually unsure if her surname is ‘Mibunrot’ or ‘’Meeboonrod’ because Google tells me both are correct

You sighed at seeing another strawberry milk held in front of your face. The person holding it, moved the carton aside to reveal herself and you already knew who it was.

“Moa, you already gave me one this morning”

She shrugged. “And? You deserve to have as many as you want”

“Hey Y/n, can I have those extra notes for calculus please?” A boy from your class appeared but Moa was not having it.

“She’s busy. Keep walking”

The boy’s eyes widened when he realised it was Moa who was talking to him so he sped off within a second.

“He was just asking for notes”

The Thai girl huffed. “He can get them later. I just want to have some time with you. You free after school? I heard there’s a festival happening”

You pushed your glasses up and released a second sigh. “Moa, I’ve made it clear to you a few days ago that I don’t feel the same way so no matter how hard you try, my decision won’t change”

“That’s okay. I just want you to have some fun for once. You can’t keep spending your time behind books” she simply said and leaned against the lockers.

She was looking down at you with so much desperation and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find her attractive. You actually marked her as your number 1 hottie in the school but it’ll make her go insane if you told her.

While you were lost in examine her charming features, she took the moment in tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. You blushed at the contact but the bubble was bursted when a loud Yunah and Chanelle appeared.

“Hey there you are, captain! Been looking all over for you” Yunah exclaimed happily before noticing your presence. “Hey nerdy”

“Hey twig” you spat back, your mood going sour.

“Still doing calculus, nerdy?” She tilted her head in a way to mock you.

“I’ll stop doing calculus once you learn how to score a goal” you smirked, noticing how Yunah’s smile dropped almost instantly.

“Ouch” Chanelle held back a cackle.

“I’m going. Bye” You grumbled and slammed your locker close before turning on your heels.

Moa quickly held your wrist. “Wait Y/n, about the festival tonight, could you at least think about it? Please?”

You pulled your wrist back gently. “Fine. I’ll think about it” You replied and continued your leave.

Moa watched you disappear within the sea of students. “Stop being a dickhead, Yunah. You’re ruining my chances even more”

“She rejected you a few weeks ago, can’t you give up? There’s so many other girls around here that want you”

Moa looked down at the milk carton in her hand, thumb gently going over the permanent marker that said ‘For my Y/n <3’. “But she’s the only girl I want”

“Well what makes her so different then?” Chanelle was the one to ask.

“For one, she’s smart, and hella pretty. But something about her not wanting me just makes me want her”

“Sounds weird. Hey you gonna drink that?” Yunah asked and pointed down at the strawberry milk.

Moa moved it away from her reach. “It’s for Y/n”

“Wow, can’t even help a friend in need. I’m hurt” Yunah jokingly clutched her heart.

“Let’s go”

Once lunch had hit, you got your tray and sat with your friend group at a table. The group consisted of Youngseo, Jeemin, Jeongeun, Jiwoo, and Funa. You all shared the same classes but unlike you, they were in the student council.

Youngseo has tried convincing you in joining but you claimed you wouldn’t have the time for it.

“Did Moa try again today?” Jeemin asked while pointing her chopsticks at you.

“Yeah she did”

“Moa seems really nice, Y/n. Why won’t you give it a shot?” Jiwoo asked next.

“Because she’s not my type”

“Liar. Your eyes say otherwise” Jeongeun teased.

“You’re delusional”

“So you don’t care that a chick is literally confessing to Moa right now?”

You frowned and looked back, seeing that a girl from your English class was holding a container of bibimbap while standing by Moa’s table.

“M-Moa, sorry to be disturbing you at this time but I’d like to say that I admire you alot to the point I want to spend more time together. Are you okay with that?”

You would usually ignore something like this but since it involved the Thai student, you just had to listen.

Moa shook her head and smiled apologetically. “Thank you for the bibimbap but I can’t accept your confession, I’m sorry”

You felt a hint of satisfaction at seeing the girl’s smile falter. “Oh…May I ask why?”

Moa shrugged. “I’m just not interested in dating right now”

“I’ll make sure you’re interested, just a chance please?” The girl stomped her foot like a child, surprising your group and Moa’s.

“Hey lady, she doesn’t want you okay?” Hyewon, who was sitting next to Moa, had spoken up while juggling a soccer ball between her hands.

“It’s gonna be worth it, trust me Moa. Don’t let me be the 10th girl you’ve rejected”

Seeing the girl’s persistence was boiling your blood. Why can’t she take no for an answer? You didn’t even realise you had abandoned your table and approaching the scene.

“Uh Y/n?” Funa called.

“Uh oh this is not gonna go well. Y/n get your ass back here right now!” Jiwoo yelled but you were too focused on the girl who was now grabbing onto the Thai girl’s arm.

“Hey Moa, we’re still on for tonight right?” You said with a sweet smile.

Moa’s eyes widened. “Errrr…”

“Tonight?” The girl questioned.

“Yeah, Moa is taking me on a date at a festival tonight. Just wanted to make sure she didn’t cancel on me like last time” you scrunched your nose.

“Are you two together or something? Is that why you’re rejecting me Moa?!”

The said girl’s shocked expression slowly changed into a smirk, feeling a bit turned on by your jealousy.

“We’re not together but she’s not available either” you answered despite seeing the stupid smirk the Thai had.

The girl stomped her foot once again and ran off with a frustrated scream. You had to cover your ears for a second.

“She’s screaming like that at this grown age?” Hyewon commented.

Still feeling pissed off, you grabbed Moa’s wrist and dragged her out of the cafeteria. She yelped at your sudden strength but who was she to complain? You’re almost holding hands hehe~

She was broken out of her love daze when you led her into the soccer girls’ locker rooms. Luckily, it was empty.

Moa sat on the bench while you stood in front of her, leaning your back against the lockers. You closed your eyes for a bit to calm yourself down from the recent fiasco.

“You’re hot when you’re jealous” You heard Moa say, making you snap your eyes open.

“I wasn’t jealous. I was just annoyed at the girl for not leaving you alone”

Moa leaned back on her palms to man spread. Your eyes darted away from the view of her crotch. “There’s no need to be shy in admitting in, Princess. I’d be jealous if I saw some dude handing you flowers”

“I wasn’t jealous!”

“Yeah and I’m straight” Moa snickered.

“Fuck off. Be grateful I saved you”

“I can handle confessions like that easily. It’s not the first time” She gave you a toothy grin.

Fuck this. Fuck that girl. Fuck Moa for being so fucking hot right now.

“Oh for fuck’s sakes” you sighed and rush to sit in Moa’s lap, pulling her in by the jersey to smash your lips together.

Her hands slid under your skirt to hold you closer by the ass, not forgetting to give a gentle squeeze to both cheeks.

You moaned into her mouth as you hooked your arms around her neck, feeling her lips travel from your jawline to your neck.

“M-Moa”

“Dreamt of this for way too long” she muttered into your skin.

It boosted your ego up a bit.

“Yeah? You think of me while jerking off? Fucking pervert—AH!” You squealed at the feeling of her bite.

“You talk too much. Maybe shoving my dick in your mouth would fix that”

“I know you’d like that wouldn’t you?”

“Shit, have you always been this annoying?” Moa hissed while squeezing your ass harder.

You started to grind your crotch against her’s. “You’re the one who—oh fuck—who wants me”

“Yeah but that doesn’t mean I won’t fix that fucking bratty attitude of yours”

You whined at her words. Having your guts rearranged doesn’t sound so bad.

“Uh hello is anyone in here?” Moa’s coach called, hearing her footsteps get louder.

Moa softly pushed you off her lap to grab your hand and pulling you into the last shower stall. The coach started to walk around, trying to hear any strange noises while Moa had you pressed up against the cold tiles with her hand over your mouth.

“Stay quiet. She’ll leave soon” She whispered and you nodded.

While Moa’s eyes peeked out to see if the coach had left, you decided to be playful by reaching down to squeeze her hard bulge. She hid her face in your neck.

“F-Fuck, don’t do that” she hissed.

You chuckled and moved your hand underneath her pants and started slowly jerking her clothed dick.

Once the coast was clear, Moa grabbed your wrist and pinned it above your head. “You’re so fucking bad”

“And you liked it. Bet you almost came”

“And you wish all that cum was dumped down your throat”

“Im hungry after all” you teased.

“I’d be down for that but let’s not do it at school please. Also still wanna take you out before we do anything else”

You rolled your eyes and smiled. “Alright alright, I’ll go to the festival with you”

“Really?!”

“But if you bore me, I’m walking home”

Moa released your wrist and hugged you tightly. “You won’t regret a thing”

“Uh Moa”

“Hm?”

“Get your boner down before we leave”

“So fix it”

“You literally just said you didn’t wanna do it here!”

“Im messing with you. Just give it a few minutes”

It took longer than expected but once you were both out of the locker room, both friend groups were waiting outside with crossed arms and not so happy faces.

“Maybe have some human decency to not fuck in a public locker room?” Jiwoo arched a brow.

“We didn’t fuck….just talked” You half lied, not wanting to say that you two had some lip locking action and some hand to dick action.

“Yeah. Right.” Yunah smirked before looking at Jeemin.

“Hey cutie”

Jeemin pushed her glasses up and smiled widely with a cute little wave. “Hi”

“Let’s all go to class. I’ll wait for you outside the school” Moa smiled sweetly at you.

“Ok Romeo. But one thing before you go” you said.

“What’s that?”

You quickly kissed her cheek before grabbing Funa’s hand and running the opposite direction. “See you later!!”

Jiwoo groaned and got the other girls to run with her to catch up with you.

Moa felt a bit dizzy. “Woah”

“I guess you won” Chanelle smiled and shook Moa’s hand who was still knocked out of reality.

[doughyinwonderland]

Happy Anniversary 2023 Event Story - Happy Anniversary III

Read Happy Anniversary I, II

[Ramshakle Dorm - Anniversary Party]

Cater: Looks like I get to take a lot of great pictures today ♪

Trey: Today's going to be a merry day.

Leona: Every last one of them is going on their merry way.

Vil: To have fun is the main victory of the day.

Rook: What a day to celebrate this historical event... such beauté!

Idia: This is such a pain but congraz I guess...

Ortho: I can feel the heat from the circuits on my chest!

Malleus: I can't wait to see what kind of party we're having.

Lilia: Let's party till we drop today!

Grim: Funa~ It's became so sparkly around here.

Grim: Happy Anniversary!

[writeyouin]

Omg what's Total Warrior??? Do you compete against other people??? That's such a sick photo! Like, get em'! 💕

Total Warrior is a 12K or 7.5 Mile obstacle course that you pay to compete in (the payment basically just covers the costs of the obstacles and course maintenance.)

It happens once a year, and there are several courses. There's the kids one-mile course with baby obstacles, the 6K (3.7 miles) or the 12K, which I did.

Over the 12K course there are 37 Obstacles. Including several climbing walls, jumping over the fire pit as can be seen in the picture (that's called the Human Barbeque,) and the log carry where you can take a log up and down a hill; I carried 2 cos I made a bet with the blokes on our team who bet me I could only carry one (they weren't being misogynistic, it was all in good fun, I swear.)

There's a crawl under barbed wire, and the only obstacle I hate, running through the electric zappers. The full list of Obstacles can be found on the Total Warrior Website: https://totalwarrior.co.uk/

I'm on a Team called The Cleveland Crusaders (which I think is kind of a shit name, but I'm not the Captain).

Our team isn't about getting the fastest time, but rather about helping each other at the obstacles. When we reach any obstacle, we wait for all our other Team members to get there before carrying on, that way, we can all help each other. So like, I'm super fucking short, so I always need a boost up the climbing walls to reach the first step, and one of our team members can't swim, so me and our better swimmers guided her through the water obstacles. It's all in good funa and I have a really good Team of 29 people.

Of our Team when crossing the finish line, I wouldn't leave my mum who is great at the obstacles but slower in the cardio, so this year, I came 27th out of 29th. The two last members of our team were jacked as hell - They're professional rugby players, but they're slow over constant cardio. So for us, it's not really about speed, but we did complete the course in under 3 hours this year. Last year, we took longer.

At the end of the course, you get a T-Shirt for competing (Was very disappointed it was yellow this year 'cos it's supposed to be a different colour every year, and last year was also yellow.) You also get some drinks to replace electrolytes, a free beer, which I gave to the gents of our team, 'cos I don't drink, and a couple of other things in a tote bag. I also got pneumonia after competing 'cos I accidentally swallowed too much muddy water in one obstacle.

I really love this competition, it smacks of camaraderie, and it's a whole load of fun. How often, as an adult, do you get to roll in mud?

Here's some pics from the year before (I'm wearing Kerry's shirt because she had to drop out, so that first time, I went in with only one week's training and I nearly died from wheezing so much - it was great) -

The tag on my shoes in picture 2 is a tracker so the course cameras can automatically take pictures of the contestants.

[splashink-games]

Using Poppets to Explore the World(s)

Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is a first-person dungeon crawling JRPG. Using puppets created by her apprentice Luca, the Dusk Witch Dronya explores the Labyrinth under the town of Refrain.

What awaits in the labyrinth is a plethora of worlds, monsters, and levelling up!

Spoiler warning for the story and postgame below the cut!

So I've been wanting to play Labyrinth of Refrain for a long while now. Probably about as long as I've waited for the N1RV Ann-A release, but this one's actually released so- Here we are, I guess.

To clarify, unlike all the bad reviews, I only had one crash and it was cause the game was trying to use my stupid integrated graphics instead of my actual gpu so there's that. Never had an issue with stability.

To start with gameplay, it's what you'd expect from a game of the genre. There's a lot to take in heading into it: puppets, pacts, covens, the dungeon exploration. As someone who's played Mary Skelter and Etrian Odyssey, I thoroughly enjoyed the mechanics.

I think the classes felt a little shallow, with some being obviously better than others. By the end of the game, I was thinking of ditching Marginal Maze (the mage class) altogether while having a team of Gothic Coppelias (crit-focused class) and Aster Knights (the all-arounder) instead because their skills are immensely useful for long fights. Or choosing Aster Knights over Shinobushi (DEX-based class) because the Knights can tank better. As an aside, the resistance skills in the classes felt like filler, simply because I could just have equipment to increase them and I could have much better skills instead.

The most interesting mechanic to me was the Pacts and Covens. I didn't think it'd be so satisfying to have that many units attacking. Plus the different effects of each pact and formation are interesting, though the formations are also a little lacking since there's only so many ways to form your brigade. The pacts having the magic was also nice, since I could mix and match the skills with the puppets.

I had an issue with the magic/Donum not being all too useful until late in the game. And even then, I wouldn't use it unless I had a particularly difficult or a boss fight ahead of me. Two things stood out to me for this, one being that I couldn't restore Donum in the labyrinth and two being my attacks were just stronger than the skills most of the time.

The dungeon exploration was fun too! Albeit the red damaging spots were annoying. The breakable walls added a cool thing to look out for in each floor. Mud exits were extremely useful, despite it being kinda bad for farming mana.

The game itself wasn't so hard, but I don't think that's a huge problem. On normal, the fights and dungeon crawling offered an adequate amount of challenge while still letting me breeze through. I think my fun focused on optimizing my puppets and enjoying the story.

Speaking of story, it was wonderful and I'm glad it didn't flop for me since I poured over 70 hours into it. Well, I guess I wouldn't have poured time into it if the story flopped. And for all its missteps, the story does a fantastic job of developing its characters including all their flaws and relationships.

The Dusk Witch Dronya is a great look at a character who gives no shits to get what she wants, but despite being a ruthless person, she still has a soft side for Luca. We get to gradually understand her goals and uncover her history with various characters. Her relationship with Luca and Isara are especially well-written, I think. With Luca, Dronya's both a guardian and mentor despite her actions towards the child. And with Isara, an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers? An unrequited love, enough to care for her orphaned child.

The narrative twists itself at the end, revealing an array of information that changes how you look at things. Luca is a soul witch. Dronya is a puppet. The Funas are also puppets. Furia, who you hear from some characters earlier in the game, is Baba Yaga and rightfully assumes her role as the main villain again.

The game, while it hides a lot from the players, is still able to tell a cohesive story while developing characters.

As for the art and music- well I kind of drowned out the music in all honesty. It happens when most of the battle music is the same and you're focused on getting through to the next story point.

The (Japanese) voice acting, however, was very nice. At times a little overacted but I thought the voice cast matched their characters.

The art is in the usual anime-style and its quality is top-notch. I liked seeing the motifs between the characters shown in different ages (Luca, Dronya, Marietta).

The 100% wasn't too hard to do and it was all new content! The hidden bosses had some annoying quirks, like needing a specific pact to make the fight easier, but overall offered a level of difficulty that was nice! I didn't even need to fully optimize my puppets for it.

The post-game story was also refreshing. I'm a pushover for good(?) endings. It lets you tie up some loose ends in the alternate timeline and find out a little more about Mezzaluca.

For those looking for a good story and a lot of unit optimizing, this is a game for you!

As always,

Enjoy gaming!

[hp-generation-now-unhappy-boutit]

Harry Potter FRED AU (It could not be named anyhow else and you’ll soon know why)

Please bear with me I swear I’ll make the lenght worth it

I also promise this one AIN’T SAD

Few days ago I was taking a nap and when I woke up my half-conscious brain thought about the name Albus Severus again because it’s a terrible name whether he is named after anyone or not. And I thought ‘did Ginny even get any say in it or what the hell’.

I really think that Harry should name their first child (he did) James Sirius, which is fine, Ginny would name their second son and together they would name their little girl (which I think they did).

But then I thought ‘what would she name him?’ Obviously my first thought was Fred, but I was like ‘nah, that one is for George’s kid... unless’

Here comes my AU, imagine it with me:

It is the first 1st of April after the battle, it isn’t very happy for someone’s birthday, then Percy gets an idea. He cannot forget how the last thing he said to Fred made him smile and he refuses to do anything on his birthday that would not achieve the same goal. So he looks at George and proposes this... what if every one of the siblings named at least one of their child Fred or any equivalent of that, if for nothing else than at least for the chaos it will create at Hogwarts. Everyone is silent for so long Percy just wants to take it back and obliviate everyone, but then Fleur stands up to it and gets really passionate about it and then it slowly dawns on everyone and they love it. It is the first time in all those months that George gives them a non-forced smile. Everyone is super into it. Mrs. Weasley is crying because a) she is happy because her boy is smiling again b) she knows she will be super embarrassed if she ever has to talk to McGonagall after she finds out about this and c) she thought Percy was better than this. Nevertheless if it makes George smile again, she won’t be too harsh about it.

It goes something like this (I’m kind of ignoring the cannon children, but whatever):

- Bill and Fleur name their firstborn daughter Frédérique. She had some mean kids try to laugh at her for it because they thought it’s stupid. She shut their mouths pretty quickly.

- Charlie doesn’t have kids. But he did discover a new breed of dragon, which main trait is that it isn’t violent at all, it’s just really mischievious and will mess up with everyone and everything. Charlie names the breed Island Trickster, for both the experts and amateurs the nickname Fred catches on pretty quickly even though majority of people doesn’t know why.

- Percy’s first child is also a girl but he refuses to let anything stop him from naming his child Fred, because a) it was his idea and b) he’ll be damned if anything keeps him from making this prank, that he created in honour of his brother, work. She gets the name Frederica. She hates it and demands her family calling her by her second name. They do and none of them mind, but before she departs for Hogwarts her parents take her aside and explain why they named her this way. Her prankster blood kicks in and from the moment she steps on the train she introduces herself as Frederica, Fred for short.

- George’s first kids are twins, boy and girl. There is no hesitation - their names are immediately Fred and Freda. When they have the second child, there is a mild discussion, but eventually his name is Fredrick. Proud of their legacy, at school neither will respond to anything but Fred. They become Fred & Fred and Fred.

- Ron, who through Hermione discovered Queen, decides to name their son Freddie. Hermione doesn’t see a reason to protest, she loves it.

- Ginny lets Harry name their first son. First, she likes the name James Sirius. Second, whatever happens that child will have prank as their blood type, so there is really no need to add onto that. Third, she is naming their second child and it will be a version of Fred. Harry does not protest at all, because a) he already has his son named after his father and godfather and b) he refuses to stand in the way of this prank. Also Ginny, being the undercover little shit she is, names their son Fred George... everyone keeps calling him Fred and George. They both also talk about naming their daughter Lily Luna Freda or something and they do, it’s just not that public so she can do with that potential whatever she wants.

It also happens that the whole former gryffindor quidditch team joins in on this (including Lee Jordan, who is considered part of the team) as well as bunch of other friends.

Mrs. Weasley is still a little sceptical but she can’t deny that her boy would be proud. Her job also gets a little easier, because now she just automatically makes her grandchildren sweaters with F. Sometimes she makes more of those that she should but the kids love it (cue later).

Meanwhile in heaven James, Sirius and Remus are both really excited and really jealous. Fred is waiting for the chaos to take reign.

As for Hogwarts, most of the professors are losing it sometimes with entertainment (they mostly enjoy it when someone else is in pain because of this and they love to watch it), sometimes with annoyance, sometimes with both and sometimes actually losing it about to break down and cry (especially when some of their colleagues would just watch and smile). Alltogether in all the houses there is about twenty Fred Weasleys (boys, girls, first names, second names) and the Potters (James Sirius, Fred George and Lily Luna) plus the other Freds - all of them there for two or three years, which basically translates into destruction of the highest level.

There are family gatherings frequently at the Burrow, where they all just sit around the table writing letters to their kids and all of them writing one howler.

The howler arrives to a random person, usually a friend of one of the Weasley/Potter kids and the whole Great hall hears, “FRED! WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?!”

All the Fred’s look at each other, because they all did something they shouldn’t (which their parents don’t know, but the kids don’t know they don’t know). No one also knows which Fred it is meant for. No one knows if they are being scolded or messed with.

Very rarely the howler would yell, “FRED WEASLEY”, and in the fat pause after that, every single person in the room can hear, Fred George Potter say “oh, thank Merlin’s nightgown.”

Sometimes the howler would shout, “FRED. I AM SO DISSAPPOINTED IN YOU. YOU WERE NOT GIVEN THIS NAME TO KEEP PEACE AND TRANQUILITY AT THE SCHOOL!” Molly Weasley may or may not scold her children and children-in-law for this one. (Obviously if the kids weren’t into pranking their parents would never force them or out them like this, but since they are all openly on board this happens way too often for the professors’ liking.

Then there is christmas time. Most of the kids leave for home... most of them except for the Weasley/Potters and some of the other Freds, whose parents are friends with the Weasleys. The sweaters come and... every signle one has a F on it. None of the kids protest. They wear it proudly. There are attempts at making fun of them. It doesn’t work.

James walks around announcing to everyone repeatedly and very loudly that his name is Fames Firius Fotter. In the meantime, as long as Lily is wearing her sweater, she refuses to react to anything but Fily or Funa and that includes the teachers.

Everyone tries to resist, everyone breaks down eventually.

McGonagall wants to look stern, but she is loving it.

There is a relatively new professor trying to complain to the colleague sitting next to him. Neville Longbottom, who names his children Frank Fred, Alice Fredricka and Augusta Freda, nods sympathetically while sipping his tea. “I know,” he says. “Imagine if one of them named their kid something like Prank. We would call them a normal name now.”

That is the moment Minerva McGonagall loses it and actually chuckles. Every single one of the kids writes a letter to their parents about that one.

All hell loses all the breaks on April Fools. McGonagall wanted to go easy on punishing the pranks for several reasons and one of them is that it is the twins birthday. It takes one April Fools when the kids take it relatively easy for them to figure out the punichments are quite mild. The next year they go Wild and  McGonagall understands that her nostalgia is a dangerous thing. She stops it then and there, because she knows it won’t stop them, it might just stop some people from getting hurt.

Sometimes Peeves won’t have the mood to come up with something himself so he just goes with calling everyone Fred. Some teachers take from it, figuring that if they don’t remember someone’s name it must be because they decided they will deduce it later, which translates to “the name is Fred”.

Years later when the children leave Hogwarts there is formed a new quidditch team. The name is “Flying Freds”. They are all married and stuff, so their last names are all different, but all of them share the name Fred, which only increases the children named Fred, because who wouldn’t name their child after their favourite quidditch team, amiright?

People in both the wizarding and muggle world are astonished as to Why is there suddenly such a popularity to the name, while in the afterlife Fred won’t stop saying shit like “The students have surpassed the teachers.” and the Marauders are both upset they didn’t manage something like that, but also impressed and really loving it.

McGonagall once talks about it with George and he says it was Percy’s idea. Percy, always perfect prefect Percy, blushes as McGonagall looks at him and says: “All those years I was worried you aren’t an actually Weasley and you’ve just been hiding all that potential, hm.”

It is that moment they understand she might have always been strict, but she loved those little and big pranks simply because they were creative and smart and she was always so proud of the Marauders and the twins for it.

[sakkac]

re: fumetsu no anata e as of chapter 139.2

this started as a response to @bestbonnist​‘s post on chapter 139.2 but now i’m just dissecting differences and similarities between tonari, mizuha, and kahak like im writing an essay for a uni class. i interchangeably use he/they pronouns for fushi and my writing may be clumsy (bc im not actually writing for uni ❤️).

mizuha is a broken mirror to tonari (and kahak a foil to the two aforementioned) in this modern-day arc, especially in their expressions of love for fushi. tonari’s love for fushi is aged over hundreds of years and mizuha’s, at first glance, is an infatuation just based on how long they’ve known each other. im the biggest kahak stan ever, but even i understand kahak’s love started as an infatuation for parona’s form. though, i’d consider the word infatuation compromised when it comes to defining mizuha’s love, bc u cant be sure if her love for fushi is entirely her own, seeing as it had been passed from generation to generation of guardians.

(chapter 134, read right to left)

tonari and mizuha aren’t that different once you look deeply into the both of them. mizuha’s personality and actions are factors in tonari’s dislike of her, but what ultimately repels tonari from mizuha is that she knows they’re similar, and that manifests most clearly in how she reacts to fushi being with mizuha. i.e. resenting fushi for using her friends’ vessels to help their “love life” in chapter 135.5. she can’t stand mizuha bc mizuha is able to express her love for fushi and fushi does not reject (or accept) it; tonari still hasn’t fully admitted to herself that she likes fushi romantically (perhaps because she can’t separate it from the devotion that led her to harden her body to poisons and to promise her corpse to rest at fushi’s feet), so seeing mizuha appear to progress further than she has irritates her. as for kahak, tonari only has the biases of the other pseudo-immortals and her own of past hayase reincarnations to rely on. (this is not as plot-related, but these two also both like books. kahak read tonari’s fushi book, so i wish they actually met, but in a world where tonari didnt hate hayase beyond death.)

tonari as a child seemed like she thought herself superior to others, perhaps a natural result of her upbringing. she was raised on a prison island, but she herself never committed any crime; banding together w other kids like her, writing about her life in her book (which keeps her separate from or above others in a way). but this thinking ceases at her relationship w fushi. however, i believe this started before they even met. tonari’s childhood dream at seven years old was to write a book her father would be impressed by. she also used to believe in god, while her family was still whole. she even prayed to god when he decided to participate in the tournament in chapter 35. however, she stops referring to god by the time her father had shown tarnish. coincidentally, she meets fushi, who would “upend everything... jeannanda and [her] fate.” she ends up, instead of writing for her father, writing a book to allow a peaceful existence for fushi for whenever they decided to come back. this act shows that the adult tonari has written fushi to a level above her, out of her reach. 

(chapter 35)

here i’ll quote ray’s words about kahak and tonari: “she also has a surprising amount in common with Kahaku, too, with the ‘I want to protect you even if you disagree.’” the way tonari had waited and honed her body for fushi resembles kahak’s attachment; she had finished living for herself, so now she was only allowing herself to live to further create an ideal vessel for fushi (which also brings up one of hayase’s goals). the difference is that kahak lived for fushi because, as raikkousaki said, fushi was the only thing he was “ALLOWED to live for.” however, while tonari is unquestionably devoted to fushi now, what pulled her to him was black hood’s coercion. as a result of black hood’s words to her, she manipulated fushi into helping her solve her problems, to save her from the island. this first “meeting” also revealed that she was attracted to their white hair; she later admits that she admires their fair skin, contributing to the idea that she could view fushi as the equivalent of a god or at the least, a vision of purity (which is :/ imo, bc of her dark skin). we should also keep in mind that, this, technically her first impression of fushi, and his later display of violent immortality in the arena would further his image as a “legend.” 

mizuha was exposed to fushi’s immortality and reveres him like tonari and kahak respectively do and did. instead of the specific word “legend,” it’s “immortal monster.” her first formal exposure to fushi’s fabled power was not unlike tonari’s, since mizuha had went into her grandfather’s library and read on fushi in chapter 124.1. after this, she manipulates fushi to save her, again paralleling the beginning of tonari’s relationship with fushi, but it’s from her overbearing mother and herself. both tonari and mizuha forced their problems onto fushi, but mizuha doesn’t have black hood stepping in front of her saying “you must lead him.” instead, she may have been influenced by the left hand, but i believe mizuha’s thoughts are majorly her own (left hand lies in wait within mizuha’s consciousness like a predator), and what they appear to say is that she’s leading fushi until he decides to follow her willingly. as for kahak, we only have a few pages on his childhood and what we can make of it and of his actions as an adult is that he was willing to follow fushi wherever they went, until left hand betrayed them both.

mizuha’s superiority complex comes from a different place than young tonari’s; she was a prestigious child from young, in addition to her fear of her uniqueness fading as she aged. this caused her to feel separate from other children. when she meets fushi, she sees how different he is from everyone else and uses subtle ways to keep him with her, while never directly admitting she wants him to stay with her, except for ch 125′s “i’m scared. stay with me tonight,” after her mother’s sudden murder. she usually uses excuses instead, like cutely demanding fushi to walk with her after school and go on dates with her.

(chapter 36 vs. chapter 128.2)

as fushi was introduced to the people around tonari and mizuha, they received similar reactions, i.e. “your hair is so pretty!” and “woah, his hair is white!” in the pages following these, the similarities continue into tonari and mizuha gaining ownership over fushi: in ch 36 oopa declares “tonari found him. so he belongs to tonari,” while the islanders try to get on fushi’s good side, and in ch 128 fushi goes out of their way to ask which club mizuha belongs to when asked to join a club (vocalizing her claim on them so she doesn’t have to directly do so).

(chapters 38, 106, and 139)

when the opening comes for mizuha to actually admit her feelings in chapter 139, she tries, but demands instead, “so... love me.” this recalls kahak’s confession to kai in 105.3, that he wants to “protect fushi’s humanity.” kahak and mizuha were both covered in blood when they spoke, but the atmospheres and characters are different; mizuha is clever w her words, but still too immature to let go of her pride, whereas kahak was the exact opposite. he rid of himself of his pride for fushi when he was a child, but said a lot of the wrong things to fushi when it came down to it. additionally, mizuha, when she wants something, she’ll phrase her words so that it seems like there’s only one choice: to follow her. this has been the case for others including fushi (chapters 120.2′s testing of hanna with “if i died, would you cry for me?” and 132.1′s “i’ll teach you about love” and the following guilt-trip). tonari is more direct with her words and meaning than either mizuha or kahak, bc of her personality. she directly confronts fushi when she realizes he had felt betrayed by her in chapter 38, because she still needed him for his plans. but mizuha is more direct with her actions; in chapter 129.1, she latches herself onto fushi, while trying to get information out of him. after the failed marriage proposal, rather than physically attaching himself to fushi like mizuha, kahak used acts of domesticity and protection to subtly appeal to and maintain his space next to them.

(chapter 38 vs chapter 139)

tonari’s “there are people in this world who are better off dead” above isn’t far from the knockers’ reasoning behind “wishing for death is paramount to being dead” and the reason for mizuha’s mother’s death: left hand decided to “eliminate the cause of [mizuha’s breaking point’s] stress.” what this shows is that tonari can also justify murder, though granted, this is from a hundred chapters ago. however, this black and white thinking comes back in the modern era where tonari holds prejudice against mizuha because of her relation to hayase. tonari knows her dislike of mizuha is unfair, she can’t get around it. tonari is still as prideful as she was when she lived on jeannanda; it’s just that she is able to use fushi to justify her opinions now. i also want to bring up mizuha’s reaction to her mother’s death and funa’s knocker’s “purging and guidance.” mizuha seems comfortable with the sight of death, despite having a more normal childhood than tonari, because her actual main concern overwhelms it; she is always thinking on how she can appeal to fushi (almost like kahak), or in other words, how to salvage her pride. so instead of being concerned over being the actual murderer, she is concerned with appearing as a murderer to fushi.

so to actually answer ray’s question, objectively, tonari’s love is as excessive as kahak and mizuha’s. but personally, i think tonari’s love for fushi right now is also unhealthy, though it comes out of good will. kahak’s love also ended in fushi’s benefit, but it was undoubtedly unhealthy. and ofc, mizuha’s love is also unhealthy; she reaches for fushi for perfection, tonari reaches for fushi for humility.

[eko-thoughts]

FnAe chapter 145.2

I think I’m just going to keep putting cutoff points ridiculously early in my posts. it may look ugly as hell but at least it won’t spoil anybody.

This panel really fucked with me because it shows just how bad Fushi’s “All Successors are the same person” problem has gotten. They sound resigned to another round of failure, but not terribly broken up about it. Like in Fushi’s mind they can just wait another couple generations and try again at saving Kahak.

Sorry that’s it, that’s everything I have to say about this chapter besides “Huh???” Because, like, I thought Funa was in Paradise? And that Bon would have brought up another ghost in the diner? (Although I guess Bon lies a lot, but still.) And when did Fushi revive Funa? Was it right after they transformed to the Nameless Boy in this chapter? I’m so confused.

Am I just missing something here?

[the-starless-sky]

[twst] Prologue 5: Same-Room Various!

Prologue ~Welcome to the Villains’ World~ Prologue 5: Same-Room Various!

At the Ramshackle Dorm

→ This place is... → It's too tasteful.

Crowley: It is, is it not? Well then, come inside.

At the Ramshackle Dorm’s Lounge

Crowley: If it's here, you can at least shield yourself from the rain and wind. I'm going to continue investigating some things, so pass time as you like. Don't loiter around the academy! Well then!

→ The white dust look like snow~ → In order to sit down, too, let's clean this place up first.

→ It's raining...

Grim: Gahーー! Why'd it suddenly rain so heavily!?

→  !!!!

Grim: Gyahahaha! You look so stupid, like a bat getting hit by water gun! For the great me, to steal back into the academy is easy as pie. They're super wrong if they think I'll give up getting into the academy just by throwing me out for a bit!

→ Why do you want to get into the academy so badly? → Securityーー!!

Grim: It's a simple story! It's because I am a genius born to become a great magician! I have always been waiting for the time the black carriage would pick me up. Even so... even so... Hm, hmph! That Mirror of Darkness also have no eyes! That's why, I came here myself. Those humans don't understand that not letting me in is a loss for them. Nyah! Cold! The roof's leaking! Fugya! The water's coming down again! My charming point, the flaming ears, are going to disappear~!

→  I wonder in how many places it leaks. →  We have to look for a bucket.

Grim: We can just repair this kinda leak with magic, you know? ...Wait, you can't use magic. Pfft! Useless guy!

→ Then, help me → Annoying...

Grim: Huh? Help, you say? No way! I'm just another monster [1] taking shelter from the rain for a bit. There's not even canned tuna, there's no way I'd work for free.

→  Uwah, the leaks are getting worse... →  Let's go find some buckets.

At the Ramshackle Dorm’s hallway

→  Uuh... it feels like something will come out... →  I think I heard something just then.

→  !!!!

???: Hihihihi.... Ihihihihi... It's been a while since we've gotten a guest!

???: I'm itching to work out!

???: Ihihihihi!

→ Gya－－－－－!! → There it is～～～～～!!

Grim: What are you being so loud for... Gya－－－－－!!! G-g-g-g-go... ghoooooooooooooost!!!

Ghost B: Everyone who lives here all got scared of us and leave.

Ghost C: We're always looking for new ghost comrades. What about you joining us?

→  Help! →  I-I'm gonna get killed!

Grim: Uuu, uuuuhーー! The great magician Grim-sama isn't scared of ghosts! Funna～～!!

Ghost A: Where are you looking at?

Ghost C: We're here, here! Hihihihihi!

Grim: Shit! Stop appearing and disappearing like that!

→ If this continues, the building’s going to catch on fire. → Do you always close your eyes when you make the fire appear?

Grim: Shut up, don't order me around!

→  If you could drive them away, you might be able to triumph over the headmaster. →  When one has achieved victory, there'd be a tuna can as a prize.

Grim: What...!? Gununu, I-I'm a genius, you know. I can finish these guys by myself...

Ghosts: Ihihihihi!

Grim: There's so many of you, cowards～!

→ I’ve prepared a good bargain of a helping hand. →  Now, I'll even add another tuna can to the prize.

Grim: Gununu～～～ Oi, you! Tell me where the ghosts are!

→  Leave it to me! →  It appeared on your left!

Ghost A: Hot, hot, hot!!

Grim: Ah, it hit! Alright, we're gonna drive them away just like this!

[ Let's finish off the ghosts! ]

Grim: Funaa!! Funa, funaaaaa!!

Ghost: It's not hitting us at all, hihihi!

Grim: Uu... oi, you! Speak in a louder voice! I can't hear you at all!

Grim: Yeah!! As I thought, I'm a great magician! This Grimm-sama doesn't need any directions from a mere human! Nyahahaha!

Ghost: Booooooo!!

Grim: Funaaa!??? Oooooooooi, you! If the ghost is going to appear, tell me!

Grim: Funaa!

Ghost: Hot, hot, hot!

Ghost: Hot, hot, hot!

Grim: A-amazing! It's working! Oi, you! What do I do next? Finish them all in on go? Okay! Fununununu.... eat this!!!

Notes

[1] Written as ‘stranger’, read as ‘another monster’.

[isaaccecilbryant]

A Murderer’s Son

Tales of Crestoria Drabble Words: 3,975 Genre: Angst Written to provide the backdrop for Isaac’s Cresty AU. I hope you all enjoy! If Regal ends up being in the Cresty plot anywhere that will throw a wrench into this, but I’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

In Isaac’s earliest memories he never had a mother, just a father. There was no memory of a mother because she had died when giving birth to Isaac, but he didn’t know that until he was a bit older. The memories that Isaac did have where of a father who showed Isaac so much love and kindness but also hid his own sadness. The few nights that he crept out of bed as a boy for a glass of water and found his father crying alone in the living room were burned into his memory. Why was his father so sad when they had each other? As a young child Isaac couldn’t understand, but as he grew older Isaac understood it was because his mother was gone. When Regal did speak of his late wife to his son it was with a bittersweet tone. He’d loved her dearly and had so many fond memories of her, but her absence still stung.

It was around the age of ten that the boy’s life shifted. A new woman appeared in his life and she started staying at Regal’s side. She had reddish-brown hair tied into a bun and a kind smile that made her freckles dance. The woman was younger than his father but was compassionate and motherly. Her hands were so gentle when she would hug Isaac or stroke his head. As time passed Isaac noticed the nights where his father cried alone occurred less often. Was it because the woman was at their home more frequently? One day Isaac noticed all traces of sadness had left his father. Regal no longer was forcing a smile for his boy or masking his pain—it all had been eased and taken away.

“Father, will Miss Chevre be my new mom?”

Regal was surprised by the question from across the breakfast table. “Perhaps.” He answered shyly, no match for the bold 11 year old. “Only if you’d be happy to have her as your mother.”

Isaac rested his chin on his fists like he’d seen adult do. “She’s as kind as a mother.” Isaac reasoned. “But my mom was still the one who gave birth to me. I wouldn’t be here without my mom.” There may be no memories, but Regal shared all the stories he could of Isaac’s mother. To Isaac she felt like one of the mothers from fairy tales. Perfectly kind and loving, someone so tangible to others that you wanted to reach out to her too. Yet, just like the mothers in fairy tales she wasn’t quite real to Isaac either. His mother had fulfilled her role in the story and made her exit now, but the effects of her time there were still felt. “Hmmm…can both of them be my mom?” Isaac’s small face was scrunched up as he puzzled over it.

Regal reached out and tussled his boy’s hair and smiled. “Of course. Your mother is still your mother, even though she’s not with us anymore. And Chevre would love you as a child of her own.”

Isaac nodded at that and put a hand over his father’s before it could be withdrawn. He loved feeling his father’s large hand on his head. “Then, if my mother is ‘my mom’, then Miss Chevre can be just ‘Mom’. Because ‘my mom’ gave birth to me so she’s mom only to me, but Miss Chevre can be a mom to others.”

Regal chuckled at how Isaac reasoned it all out and rubbed his thumb over the boy’s head. “Then that’s how it will be. However, I haven’t asked her to marry me yet, so please wait until after to call Chevre ‘mom’.”

“I won’t! I don’t want to ruin the surprise!” Isaac promised with a big smile, but his dad just laughed more and Isaac wasn’t sure why.

                                                       ~ * * * ~

At age 16 was leading his father into the woods as he burst with excitement. “I wonder what Mom has planned for us?” Isaac called back to Regal.

“We’ll find out when we get there.”

Chevre said she’d planned a surprise for them out in the forest. Isaac was hoping for a picnic. The weather was perfect for one and the nearby forest was filled with beautiful flora and funa. The odd monster that roamed it was relatively small and harmless, save one species, so no one feared the woods.

“Dad! This is it! The clearing with the wild flowers! But Mom’s not here.”

“It could be she’s running late.” It wasn’t uncommon for Chevre to lose track of time, but she thankfully was never more than a few minutes behind. “Since we have a moment, why not some sparring?”

“You mean hand-to-hand, don’t you?” Isaac sighed playfully. “Come one Dad, the sword is the only weapon for me. It’s the weapon of the gentleman.”

“It doesn’t hurt for you to know to fight with your hands. It means you’ll never be without a weapon.”

“Oh fine.” Isaac untied his sword and set it aside gingerly. “What about you? It’s not really fighting ‘bare handed’ if you use your knuckle duster.”

“There are times when your strength alone isn’t enough for a foe. There’re monsters in the world stronger than you or I can imagine.”

“I’m glad there’s none here.” Isaac said as he started trading light blows with Regal.

“Indeed. But, don’t you want to go out and see the world?”

“Not terribly. Everything I want is here.” Isaac slipped in an uppercut, but it was deflected with Regal hitting him with a soft body blow. “Keep your wrists straight, you don’t need to curve them.” Regal corrected. “That’s a bad habit, even in swordplay.”

“Got it.” They reset and went a few more rounds with their conversation drifting from Isaac’s late mom to current events with sprinklings of advice. They stopped when giggles broke their conversation.

“Chevre.” Regal looked past Isaac and saw she was already set up with a picnic for them.

“Mom! You’re as quiet as a mouse. How long were you there?”

“Long enough to watch you too.” Chevre smiled from the blanket, surrounded by the different foods she’d packed for Regal and Isaac. “Sorry I’m so late, I had too much on the go in the kitchen.”

“No, mom,” Isaac plopped down and took a plate “this is amazing! Thank you for making so much!” There were different favourites of all of theirs scattered around, fried tofu, several types of sandwiches and shepherds’ pie, plus more!

“It looks wonderful,” Regal gave his thanks and a kiss once he sat down. Chevre was beaming and offering food and tea the two. Her cooking wasn’t quite on par with Regal’s, but hers had a distinct homey-ness to it that Isaac loved. Regal’s was amazing but it could be too grand at times. Sometimes boiled veggies with dill was better than sautéed vegetables.

Isaac took a large bite of cake and ‘mmmmmhed’ as the icing melted in his mouth. As he reached for his cup he saw it was out of tea. “Mom, could you pour me some more tea please?”

“Certainly.” Chevre turned behind her for the thermos. She gasped.

“What is it?” Regal and Isaac peered around her.

A monster had coiled around the thermos and was staring down Chevre with its little yellow slits for eyes. Everyone froze as they took in the dark red markings on its scaly body and the large black, hooked claw on each of its forefeet. A keres had come to their picnic. “Don’t move.” Regal whispered as they all kept their eyes on the monster. While it was not difficult to kill due to its small size it did pack a nightmarish venom that slowly killed a person. Isaac thought back a few months ago when one man tried to catch one to make an antidote but got bitten. It took a full month for him to pass away, and each day he could be heard screaming in agony from his home. Isaac’s eyes darted to Chevre. Her body was shaking as the Keres coiled tighter around the thermos. Could Isaac run for his sword that was still with the flowers and cut the keres down before it struck? He glanced towards the field---

“Ahh!” Chevre reeled back. Her arm was flailed wildly. The keres had taken hold of her hand.

“Chevre!” Regal jumped to her side and grabbed the keres by the neck.

Isaac ran for his sword.

Where was it? Where had he set it down?

Flowers were brushed aside as Isaac frantically searched. He needed his sword! Chevre’s cries and sobs echoed through the clearing and tore at his heart. Isaac’s hand finally brushed against metal and pulled his sword from the flower. “Hold it still!” Isaac shouted as he ran back. Regal knew what to do and moved Chevre’s arm and the keres so Isaac had a clear shot. In a swing the monster was cut open and its jaw let go of Chevre’s hand. It writhed and screeched on in pain, body half cut off, as blood pooled on the blanket. Seeing the size of the fangs it had dug into Chevre made Isaac’s stomach churn.

“Mom, are you okay?” He asked, leaving the monster to die.

She just whimpered and held her hand. Regal was cradling her in his arms but wore a grim expression. Isaac saw her pallid hand was already turning purple, and it was spreading up her wrist. The poison would spread fast, and they’d lost so much time with Isaac looking for his sword…

Chevre grimaced, fighting back tears and screams. How could this happen to her?

“Mom…”

“It hurts! Regal, please don’t—don’t leave me like this!”

Regal tightened his grip on Chevre, wrestling with himself on what to do.

“Dad! What’s going to happen to mom?”

Regal met his son’s terrified gaze and then looked to his beloved. He couldn’t leave her to stuffer such a painful death, but what other options were there?

“Please…just kill me now.” Chevre bit her lip and drawing blood. “I—I can’t…” She sobbed, “I can’t hold on.”

Isaac’s vision blurred from tears at her request. They were supposed to kill her? “We could never! Mom I--”

“Isaac,” Regal cut him off, “look away.” His head hung low, eyes hidden from Isaac.

“But Dad!”

“Now! I don’t want you to see this.”

Isaac sucked in a breath. He looked to Chevre. Her breathing was erratic and despite the grip Regal had on her, she was shaking violently. “Mom…”

“Please! Regal!” The sudden loudness of her voice stabbed both of them deep in their hearts.

“Isaac! Look away!” Regal ordered again. “Now!”

Isaac took a few unsteady steps away but dropped to his knees and covered his ears. His mother was dying, and his father had to kill her. This was so messed up! Couldn’t they got back ten minutes to when everything was bright and sunny again? Try as he might, the sound of Chevre’s labored breath reached his ears, as she pleaded with Regal, saying she loved him until it all became a mindless ramble.

“Isaac!” Chevre called out. “I love you! As my own son, I love you!”

He doubled over, hands still over his ears, wishing for one last hug from her. She was the only mother he physically knew. After today she’d be gone from his life, just like his biological mother. His father would fall back into depression, and this time Isaac would tumble in right behind. “Mom, I—” He started to say but ‘I love you too, as my own mother I love you too!’ wouldn’t come forward. His throat ached and it felt like the air had been punched out of him.

Isaac could make out the faint rumble of his father’s voice. He was saying a last goodbye but Isaac couldn’t make out the words. The flowers at his feet wavered and bent as more tears washed over Isaac’s vision.

Then he heard it.

A sickening snapping sound.

Quick and painless.

In one second she was gone.

She was gone and Isaac would never hear her voice again as she read to him, or sang songs with him, or even greeted him when he came in the house.

“Hnggg…Haaaaa!! Moooom!!” Isaac brought his arms around himself, digging his fingers as he tried to hug himself. Why did this have to happen to her of all people?! Why?!

Regal was moving around behind him, Isaac could sense it even while curled into a ball. Isaac didn’t want to think about what his father was doing. He didn’t want to think about anything. If the earth opened its jowls and swallowed him whole he wouldn’t fight back. If he suddenly died too—

“Isaac.”

His father’s hand was on his shoulder. Turning his head Isaac not only was the picnic packed up, but Chevre’s body was lying in the flowers. Aside from her purple arm, it would look like a woman napping in the field.

Regal’s face was pale and his expression tired. “We need to go back to town and get the embalmer.”

“…Right.” Isaac’s head drooped as he followed Regal back to town, each step dragging along. It had to be a nightmare. Tomorrow he’d wake up and everything would be back to normal, and none of this would be real.

“Isaac.” Regal’s voice cut through Isaac’s thoughts. “Do you hate me for doing what I did?” There was uncertainty in his voice, and so much shame.

Isaac opened his mouth but was voiceless for a moment. “No.” He whispered eventually. There was more to say, more he needed to tell his dad that he understood, that he didn’t want Mom to suffer. However the words just weren’t there yet. No way could Isaac sort his mind out after what just happened.

“I see.”

And there…the window had shut on Isaac’s opportunity to say more. Had his father been hoping Isaac would say something specific? Isaac couldn’t ponder it. Those thoughts were ejected from his mind, slipping through the slick and squishy crevasses of his brain like a worm through mud. Only one thing persisted in his mind.

I want Mom.

As they neared the town a questioned bubbled up, reaching the surface and breaking with Isaac’s voice all too quickly. “Why did we leave her behind?”

Regal stopped in his tracks. The hand holding the picnic basket now was in a white knuckled grip. “People tend to jump to conclusions, and vision orbs only lend to the problem.”

As Regal turned to Isaac slightly, he caught a trace of his father’s expression. His eyes were dark and filled with sorrow. It was out of place against the scene of him holding a basket on a bright and sunny day.

“However…no matter how it is judged, what I did doesn’t change. I…I…killed…”

“Dad.” Isaac ran up and grabbed his shoulder. “It’s okay. If you hadn’t she’d have suffered worse.” A whole month that man had suffered. He lived alone, so he had no family to make the hard choice that Regal had to for Chevre.

The tears pushed back into Isaac’s eyes. Had her suffering been quick enough? Was she able to have some peace before she died?

A flash of light drew both of their attention to the town center.

“That was vison central.” Isaac started for the epicenter with Regal close behind. A crowd was already gathered around the large orb.

[“Please, Regal!! I’m begging you!”]

Isaac’s chest tightened and constricted his heart. It was a recording of his father and Chevre.

[Regal—You can’t! You can’t. Just please!”]

It was from when Chevre was rambling. Out of context it sounded like Regal was threatening to kill her. Vision Central finally showed an image, the moment Regal snapped Chevre’s neck.

Bile jumped up from Isaac’s stomach and he struggled to hold it back. All the delicious food and cake he’d eaten earlier was gone. The acidic, putrid taste of bile erased it all as it spilled from his mouth and over his fingers.

Something then landed on his foot. The basket.

Regal looked shell-shocked as he still stared at vision central. Hadn’t it been enough that he had to commit a deed so unthinkable? Why did he have to watch it again?

As the crowd murmured with contempt Regal hissed and clutched his hand. A black mark in the shape of a vision orb seared on to the back of his hand.

“How could someone kill her like that?”

“Brutal. He has no mercy.”

“Didn’t his first wife die too? I bet he killed her too.”

“Murderer! Murderer!”

Isaac watched as his father shrank under the gaze of the townspeople, no one caring the pain and sorrow he was showing.

“It didn’t happen like that!” Isaac shouted out. “Mom got bitten by a keres! Dad was just—”

“We cleared out tons of keres weeks ago! How could she have got bitten?!”

“Covering for a criminal, how despicable!”

“That murderer deserves the same!”

“Just die!”

“Die!”

“Die!”

Isaac lost his footing as he staggered back. They weren’t listening. They didn’t care if they knew what happened or not. He looked up from the ground to his father, hoping Regal found the strength to stand his ground.

…Yet Regal’s head hung low as the beaten husk of a man stood in his place.

“Dad! Don’t—Don’t listen to them!”

A set of flashes and the inhuman sound of enforcers arriving drained the blood from Isaac’s face. No. No, no no no NO!

Regal stepped towards them.

“DON’T!” Isaac grabbed his arm. “Don’t go with them! I can’t lose you and Mom!”

Wordlessly Regal pried his son’s hand off. “I killed her. The circumstances do nothing to change that.” His voice sounded dead.

How could his dad say that? He of all people knew why they had to perform a mercy kill for Chevre. Did Regal regret it that badly? Was the guilt of that sin too much for him to bear? An image of him trying to kill Chevre flashed through Isaac’s mind. The horror and self-loathing from simply imagining it shook Isaac, and knocked him out of the phantasm. Yet, he continued to jump back in to see what it was his father felt. And it was hellish.

Isaac grabbed for Regal’s arm again. His father’s arm felt weak in his grip and Regal noticeably struggled to remove Isaac’s hand.

“Isaac. What I did in unforgivable. I’ve accepted the judgement cast on me.” Regal pushed past his son, though Isaac was right after him, grabbing and clinging to him like a young child trying to stop their parent from leaving.

“Dad! No! Please no!”

Each time Regal brushed him off until he stood before the two enforcers.

The crowd surged around them, all wanting to see the murderer brought to justice. People shoved closer to get a good look, all shouting condemnation and profanity at Regal. When Isaac went to grab his father again several hands held him back.

“Don’t interfere with the enforcers!”

“He’s a murderer, just let him die!”

“Why would you want to save a monster like him?”

Isaac struggled against him but felt his stamina fading. “But—he didn’t! He’s my dad.” Tears leaked out, burning Isaac’s cheeks as they fell. “Dad! Dad!”

The robe of the enforcer lifted as it reached towards Regal.

“DAAAAAAD!”

In instant they were gone. Isaac blinked and missed the moment his father vanished from the world. One enforcer still remained, but any trace of Regal and the other had disappeared entirely. The only thing that remained of Regal Bryant was his son.

“No. No…” The ground came up hard under Isaac as he dropped to his knees and everything began shifting under him. “How could you?” People were cheering and boasting, so smug with their ‘justice’. “He didn’t…he didn’t have a choice. Why?” Looking at the face of the people he knew, people he’d grown up around, celebrating the death of his beloved father something in him snapped. “You’ll pay. I swear it, I’LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY!”

Fire burning in his eyes, Isaac was up and swinging fists at everyone in range. Men tried to hold him down but Isaac was a wild beast, thrashing out of their hands and knocking them back. “My father wasn’t a murderer!!”

Yet the words didn’t stop.

“How shameful…”

“If his father could kill in cold blood just what is the son capable of?”

“The apple never falls far from the tree.”

“The son of a murderer may as well be a murderer.”

Him too? He hadn’t done anything though…Why? “You’re all monsters!”

“You’re the monster!” Someone shouted back and held up their vision orb.

Isaac going into a frenzy appeared on vision central, screaming how he’d make everyone pay before beating on the people around him.

Voice started bombarding Isaac from inside his head.

“What is wrong with that boy?”

“What kind of parents would raise someone like him?”

“Wait…that hair colour. He’s the child of that murderer!”

“Murderer!”

“Killer!”

“Monster!”

Isaac covered his ears but it kept pouring in.

“Die!”

“Disappear!”

“Go to hell!”

A searing pain shot from his left hand. On the back a mark resembling a vision orb appeared—a Stain of Guilt--and the voices in his head grew louder.

“DIE!!” Was what they all demanded.

The enforcer that stayed behind now hovered towards Isaac.

“Get him!”

“Take him away!”

“Send him to hell!”

There was no mercy for Isaac. Every face in the crowd was an enemy out for blood. Was this all just a sport to them? A pastime to get riled up over to dull the boredom of daily life? Was the execution of Isaac and his father just for their enjoyment? Vision orbs…why did they exist? Who made them? This world was better off without them!

When the enforce was before Isaac he played submissively until the last second, grabbing a child and shoving them towards the enforcer. It dodged, not here to take away an innocent. People jumped back to avoid touching the flowing white and blue robes of the arbiter, shrieking about not touching it.

Isaac turned on his foot and ran, pushing through the crowd with a renewed energy and force. He wasn’t going to die here. He was going to rid this world of vision orbs and avenge his father, no matter what it cost!

He had little time, but Isaac needed to prepare if he was going to be on the run. His home was deserted now, all staff from the small manor in town with the others. Those traitors. Isaac could care less about them being out of the job with their master of the house dead. A bag was grabbed and packed with whatever he could grab from the kitchen. From his room Isaac took a few shirts and underwear. Lastly his father’s pocket watch and a book Chevre read to him were packed.

Isaac paused. His mom. What would he take to remember her by? They may never have met, but it wasn’t right to leave her out of it.

         “Dad, if I got my blue hair from you, what did I get from my mom?”

         “You inherited her best feature; her smile.”

It was a conversation Isaac had nearly forgotten, but there it was, right there with him just below the surface. “My mom, you’ve been there this whole time, haven’t you? Is this right?” Isaac blinked away the new tears that threatened to gather. “Is this what I should be doing?” If his mom loved Regal like Isaac did, then surely she would agree with his decision. He’d change this world by getting rid of the vision orbs and he’d do it with a smile on his face.

[moonraccoon-exe]

Hopefully tumblr doesnt eat this p.1 again! Its been so long since Ive dropped by and said hello to one of my favorite people so hello Coon! I feel like Ive been so busy I dont have time to drop bye and say hello these days How are you? Are you doing well? I hope you are bc you deserve so much happiness. I also wanted to do a status update on the fact that Im now writing again! I took a longer break than I thought I would but hey Im now more motivated than ever so I guess it all worked out ^^

I AM 

A HORRIBLE, ULTIMATELY TERRIBLE RACCOON.

JAZ.

IT’S BEEN SO LONG SINCE YOU LAST DROPPED THIS IN MY INBOX AND I’M JUST REPLYING NOW.

AND YOU WANNA KNOW WHY? IT’S NOT EVEN THAT I DIDN’T HAVE TIME.

I JUST. I PUT THIS IN MY DRAFTS SO THAT THE SECOND ASK, THE BIT IN THE IMAGE, WOULD BE SAFE EVEN IF DELETED FROM THE COMPUTER (LIKE IT HAPPENED TO MY OTHER ASKS)

AND SINCE THEN I DIDN’T BOTHER GOING TO MY DRAFTS.

AND I FORGOT THIS WAS HERE.

JAZ.

JAZ OMG

JAZ PLEASE HIT ME WITH A NEWSPAPER I’M A HORRIBLE CREATURE HOW IN THE W O R L D COULD I FORGET TO REPLY TO YOU!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

*PUNCHES THROUGH THE WALL*

*SHRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK*

*EXPLODES*

ALKSJDALKFJGADLKGJAGLKAGJAD

Okay you let me add a keep reading right here aaah ;A;

Oh my god, Jaz….Jaz I’m so sorry, I don’t even know where to start apologizing, I’m so sorry. I honestly forgot and that’s the worst part. If I had been busy for real I would have had an excuse at least, but the truth was just that; I put this in my drafts and then forgot it was there. I rarely check my drafts because that’s where I put stuff that I want to reblog at some point but don’t know when because it’s not FFXV related so I just wait until I’m done with the XV reblogs but I never am, and I just assumed everything in drafts was stuff to reblog, I totally forgot there was an ask here that I hadn’t replied to and that it was yours, I’m so sorry, so, so, so sorry, Jaz… :(

I don’t offer an excuse and if you’re upset you have all the rights to be, I understand. Jesus, it’s been a while since Ir eplied this and I mean, there are asks in my inbox that are like a year old but those are prompts or requests and it’s fine, but yours was a personal and it’s been so long for me to answer to it aklsdjalkgjadklgja omg Jaz I’m so sorry….

I’m sorry, Jaz, very sincerely. Zomg…I’m sorry OTL

Well. Still answering ahah ;w;

HEWWO JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Akjdlsafdgalkfjaklhj hhhnnnngnggg. HEWWO JAZ!!! ;w; I’m sorry OTL

Don’t worry about being busy. Real life is already super busy as it is and then we get here and it can get sort of ‘busy’ in its own non-serious way too! I hope that whatever’s been keeping you /kept you busy has given you a break from time to time and that it’s something you enjoy.

I’m doing well! A little ‘busy’ in the non-serious way trying to nail down all my PMs and asks (I’ve lately had a quite excited anon flooding me ahahahah! It’s lovely but keeps me super busy because each I answer gets drowned by another incoming 5 ;w;) and the reblogs and the fics. I’m having funa nd take my breaks to make it enjoyable and not turn it into something I dislike, but hence it goes slower. And out of Tumblr I’m doing okay too! 

How have you been, dear Jaz? Besides WAITING FOR MY ASK OTLHave  yuo been alright? And happy? I wonder what else you’ve been up to since you last wrote to me!! Hoping sincerely that it’s been okay with you too because you too deserve SO MUCH HAPPINES LIKE LOADS OF IT!!!!!!! You’re such a nice and good person that does no harm to others, you deserve all em happy things and events. U HAVE ALL IT GOOD KARMA, MY FRIEND!!!

GASPS

YOU’VE BEEN WRITING AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JAZ, THAT’S PHENOMENAL! THAT’S ABOSLUTELY WONDERFUL, AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, JAZ, I’M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY FOR YOU AND ABOUT IT, I’M SO HAPPY AND SO PROUD TO KNOW THAT YOU’VE TAKEN UP ON SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL LIKE WRITING, AND MORE THAN TAKING UP, RETAKING BECAUSE IT MEANS YOU USED TO ENJOY IT, LEFT IT FOR SOME REASON, AND YOU RETOOK IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM*

*EXPLODES*

Jaz, that’s WONDERFUL NEWS!!!! Omg buddy that’s fantastic, you have no idea how happy it makes me when someone says they’ve taken up/retaking a form of art. It’s so beautiful and so exciting, and you’re a friend so that adds a lot to the hype!! Jaz, that’s AMAZING! CONGRATS, BUDDY, I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!! ( ˙꒳​˙ )

It’s okay that you took a longer break than you had first expected. Be it because you were busy or just lacking the motivation, it’s okay! What matters is that you went back to it and you must have felt so refreshed and welcomed back. The warmest welcoming is the one given after a long wait (but thankfully it wasn’t THAT long either!!). Plus, you took all the time that you needed to get back to it so it means you’re not forcing a single bit of it and that’s PHENOMENAL!!

I’m so happy to know that you’re motivated now, Jaz, all of this is honestly SO GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY :’3 AKLSJDLAKDGJADLKGJAGLKAJGA AAAAAAAHHHHHH, I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!

I guess the first time you sent the first part you were telling me what you were writing, so I don’t know for sure what you meant with hoping that one day I can read ‘it’, but I’d love to! I’m very slow at reading things because of the massive updates I do to my fics, but I think that I’d love to. Is it XV related? Original content? I’d get lost if it’s from something that I don’t know, but I can still try if you want me to

Aaah, thank you for asking about the laptop! Lamentably I’m nowhere close to getting a new one. They’re pretty expensive. I’m fine with one of the cheapest because all I want is basic internet access and MS Word lmao, but they’re still quite a price number and I have no job >

I thought about using the money that I’ve saved up from my kofis, but…to be honest, I’m being consciously selfish there, because I don’t want to waste my kofi money in ¼ of the price of the laptop… ;n; I want the kofi money to be mine for games or books, it’s money I’ve earned from doing what I love and I wanted it to go to selfish things, but I’m still debating with myself as to maybe having to put it for the laptop ahaha ;w;

Again, don’t feel bad for being busy!! Real life stuff is more important, and Tumblr isn’t going anywhere (not without a long time warning that we’ve never had, thankfully!), so don’t you stress. I for sure am going nowhere, so you take the time that you need and want :3

And don’t say you’re ‘not keeping me for longer’, because it’s not like you’re taking my time by force, dear Jaz!! You texting to me is a kind gift to me so you’re not taking any time off me, you’re taking YOUR time!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, JAZ, I’VE MISSED YOU TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

*sQUEEZES U*

Sweet precious wonderful dear Jaz, thank you soooooooooooooooo LIKE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR DROPPING BY TO SAY HELLO AND SHARE ALL OF THIS WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, I don’t even know where to start, I’m sorry for taking so long, and thank you immensely for dropping by, my friend!! ;A;

Thank you for the time you dedicated to writing to me and the one to read me. It sounds like you’ve been very busy and I really appreciate that you’ve taken some time to write to me, you have no idea :’(

Thank you for updating me on what you’ve been up to, and thank you for sharing with me that you’ve retaken your writing!! Those news made me so happy, and re reading still makes me feel shivers out of the joy askldjfdaklgjaklgjadglkj

Thank you for being as kind and as gentle as you always are with me. You’re so precious and I hope you know that. You’re always so nice and patient and so good with me, I don’t know how to express it enough or how to let you know or how to thank you properly :’3 Thank you so much for being the sweet and warm creature that you are, Jaz. You’re truly phenomenal and I’m very happy that you exist. The world can very easily wear me out, and it’s creatures like you that relieve it off my shoulders. Thank you

I’ve missed you SO MUCH TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every time I re fave both your artworks I think about you and I was wondering what you were doing and if you were okay. And there I was, forgetting that it was me who never replied... :’D Really, seriously, I’m so sorry, Jaz, I didn’t mean to take this long... OTL 

I hope that you’ve been okay, Jaz! Have you been okay and doing better? How’s the writing going? I’m eager to hear about you again, buddy!! :3

I WUV U TOO, JAAAAAAAAAAZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALKSDJAKLGDJDAKLGJDAGLKDAJ AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH, LOTS OF HUGS FOR MAH BUDDY JAZ!! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ

Dear Jaz, I hope you’re having a FANTASTIC weekend, and do receive lots of raccoonie hugs and sparkles!! HUGZ

[loudlydeliciouschill]

Those bluest skies above me (part 2)

Long before the internecine war broke out and the world of dino-folks and fiery creatures were not separated by walls and strife, these two worlds coexisted in a balance that the elders helped to support, descending to these creatures from the hidden Star Valley where never was the foot of darkness and evil. They were ancient as the dragons themselves creatures of the universe - the phoenixes.

This race was not famous for sociability or friendliness, but they never refused to help those who needed and deserv it. They believed that peace of spirit and purity of thoughts is the main aspect of harmonious existence.

With rare exception, every major city was inhabited by at least one phoenix, serving as a voice of justice and mercy, helping in times of need and protecting civils from dark magic. But over the years, the creatures they volunteered to protect and help became embittered. Cruelty and immorality began to cover the minds and hearts of the inhabitants of these worlds, they were increasingly moving away from the magical world, losing magic itself. Because of this they gradually ceased to hear the voice of the phoenix, began afraid or avoid them, sometimes hurt and kill them. Therefore, these magical creatures began to return home, fearing for their lives and magical powers, which rapidly began to leave them after the last wizards disappeared among the dino-people.

However, there were those who believed that these unfortunates should not be left to the mercy of fate and remained, losing the support of their fellows and slowly fading away in a cruell world. One of these was Funn Hua - a wise and kind woman who was famous among her relatives for her gift. She was "contemplating time" - it means she could see the fate of anyone and help them change the fate in the right moment. But many years after the magic left the world ang souls of dino-folks, her gift lost its clarity, becoming more like vague visions of the future, interspersed with speculation and dreams. But Funn Hua didn't retreat and tried as hard as she could to keep faith in the light and good in a small village that was in the farthest province of the world of dino's. With varying success, she make it, but local residents still avoided Hua and because of that she was forced to live away from the village only occasionally visiting the local market and old-timers, who still treated her with respect.

But in this world came another misfortune. In the midst of autumn, the cold and frost unprecedented for these world fell on the lands of fire creatures and dinos. Snow fell almost around the clock, covering the houses untill you could see only the roof. The wind mercilessly made his way under the clothes and closed windows. The sun disappeared under a dark curtain of cumulus clouds. Wells, rivers, roads, cultivated fields, some animals - all of this froze. Winter was killing not only livestock and crops, but also the population. The worlds fell into despair. Lacked everything: food, firewood, clothing, shelter. Discontent and rebellion flared up everywhere for any heat and its source. Funna, using the remnants of her magic, made small heaters for the inhabitants - a tiny light sharpened in a glass bottle and eating everything that was placed in it. Temporarily this was enough, but things were even worse with food. People were starving, there was nowhere to wait for help.

And the terrible happened - in almost every town or village, it was possible to find abandoned eggs frozen in snow and ice. Children who were not even given a chance to appear from the desire not to starve them and others. The cruel mercy that Funn Hua didn't support. If she could she would punish everyone who trowed their future child on the cold.

Thus in the evenings she went around the village with concealed fear, looking for "abandoned" in the snow. For all the time of the beginning of a long winter, she found about five of these, but it was impossible to save them, no matter how hard she tried.

And when one evening five months after the onset of a sudden winter and daily urgent conversations with the young villagers about responsibility and mercy, she was returning home after a detour and she found still warm egg in the snow. Funa hurried to get it at home. She wouldn't have noticed it in the gathering twilight and raging blizzard if she hadn't stumbled over it, almost crushing them. The egg was delivered to a warm house at the time the blizzard started to grow stronger, washed and arranged near an enchanted fireplace, wrapped in several blankets. That was a regular monochrome burgundy egg like raptors with wavy gold splashes, like the Tyrexes. Having lived among dino-people for a long time, Hua perfectly distinguished their types and physiology, from which the egg surprised her even more. Nearby didn't live a single predatory species of dinosaurs, the village was entirely of uranos (uranosaurus) and bront's (brontosaurus). And because of the frosts, no one traveled to these regions, on the contrary, every dino-folk strove to the capital of the world, where, according to rumors, they coped with misfortune better than in the provinces. Small carts with provisions, clothing and firewood were brought from there. Could they, along with food supplies, also deliver an egg? No, it would have frozen even long before coming here, and it was warm when Hua found it. So there is someone has lost it because of the blizzard and probably they doesn't find a place for theemself because of the fright. Phoenix only could suggest there was a pregnant woman who had probably given birth on the road and could have arrived with supplies carts. This guessing confirmed the size and bright color of the egg.

The next day, Funa tried to find that awkward mother, but not a single woman was suitable in appearance and age, just as no one had come to the village for a long time and no one was passing through. On the request to accept the egg, everyone refused. Their children have nothing to eat, and they must feed someone else child? No way! In confusion, the phoenix returned home, with a chuckle calling the egg "the star that fell on my head."

Thus, the foundling remained with Funn Hua, who was filled with sympathy for the future orphan. What to do with the baby when he or she hatched she did not know, a little afraid to think about it. But Hua couldn’t throw him/her out into the cold. Something prompted her that it was a fateful meeting. The egg didn't cause troubles, basking peacefully in an improvised nest of pillows and blankets next to the fireplace. So that he/she does not feel lonely and abandoned, Funn Hua talked with them, gently touched the rough shell with the tips of her fluffy fingers and took the egg to bed on particularly scary nights. Without noticing it, she became attached to her/him every day more and more. For too long, Hua was by herself, at a distance from everyone, from her kind, forgotten and alone. And for her this “gift” became a temporary salvation. At least she thought it was temporary. Until the spring is coming. Until help is coming.

So when after three more months a crackling sound came from a pile of blankets and pillows, Hua panicked. The egg jumped on the spot from which it rolled closer to the fireplace, where the little fighter continued the unequal battle with a hard shell. Funna was fascinated and silently watched the process of birth. She knelt next to the egg that was spinning in place, not daring to intervene in the process. And when the crackling suddenly stopped and the egg became silent too, she was frightened.

- Come on, baby, just a little bit left. Try again, - she whispered, with shaken wings putting the egg on a blanket so that it would not roll away again.

After a few minutes of weary silence, scuffling resumed. Hua sighed with relief. Finally, the shell cracked and a tiny foot appeared in the light, which immediately disappeared inside to punch shell again in another place.

Once, second and third time.

Then a large piece flies to the side and a tiny creature rolls out onto a blanket. The first thing Hua noticed is that the child was not naturally small for such a big egg. However, they clearly did not feel any discomfort or embarrassment, sprawling on their back, joyfully waving their tiny paws and mumbling on their own language, obviously happy to see her.

Taking child in her arms, she began to examine them carefully. That was a boy. With tiny legs and arms with small claws; with light orange skin; he hasn't have yet a protective plates on the body; no shell and scales; with a short but joyfully wagging tail; he has sly yellow eyes with vertical pupils, like any other reptile or dino-folk have, which was curiously looking all around; and with still soft, but completely obvious horn on the head.

The kid looked like a cross between fire raptors and how strange it is for the dragons Peace Keepers. Perhaps he was a half-breed, which more fully explained his slightly different appearance from ordinary dino-creatures. But his size ... The baby was half the size of any dragon and three times smaller than any raptor child. Funna suggested that because of the mixing of blood, the baby didn't go through a full cycle of formation. The raptors were born within three-four months after the egg was taken down. With dragons was different; babies could sit in an egg for more than a few years before hatching.

From her thoughts she was pulled out by a quiet adorable sneeze from a slightly frozen child, who by surprise coughed and clumsily waved his paws near his nose. Hua looked at him sadly. Not a dragon, not a raptor, not a lizard. Different. Alien.

- You are someone completely new and unknown to this world, - she said softly, bringing baby to her face.

He grunted happily, clinging his fingers to her clothes and looking into her eyes. For her he look adorable, but for others...

Poor child. The world of dino-creatures will not accept him. No one in this decaying world will accept him like ... equal. Normal.

Unknown parents doomed him to die by the mere fact of his birth. From this thoughts, Funna's heart sank and tears flowed from her eyes. Hands themselves pressed the child to her chest, next to a pounding heart. With her own hands, she wanted to hide him from the cold claws of "reality." From pain that other creatures would cause him.

That was not fair. It was dishonest and cruel to a innosent creature that was just born. He didn't deserve such a fate.

Abandoned. Helpless. Infinitely lonely kid.

- And what should I do with you, sweet pea? - asked Hua to the empty house and the child, who was silently looking at her chewing her closes.

In response, she could only hear the measured crackling of burning logs and ticking of the clock on the wall. Hua sudenlly raised her head.

The storm outside... subsided? That couldn't be! Looking out the window, she can't believe her eyes. The snow stopped pouring, the clouds gradually dissipated and the sun ... It reappeared in the sky, which quickly acquired blue tones.

Funna mysteriously smiled at the lightening sky, gently running her fingers over the top of child's head, who cozily curled into a ball in her hands, clinging to chest next to her heart.

- It seems the sky has really sent you to brighten up our loneliness, - she began quietly. - I am so sorry that the beginning of your life turned out to be so sad, but I promise you that I will try to light your way in this gloomy and cruel world. I will be there until the last remnants of my magic die out in me. I will love you as my own baby, whom I have never had. I will guard you against all misfortunes and sorrows, - Hua tenderly and gently pressed his little head to her lips, whispering these more important words in her life. - As long as I live, you are my son, and I am your mother. My sweet baby. My Ripto.

~~~

- Look, dear, what a sky above us.

- Blue! Big! Bright!

- That's right, sweet pea. And one day everyone will know that's you who made this miracle happend. Those bluest skies above you.

[doughyinwonderland]

Deuce Spade SR Ceremonial Robes Personal Story: These are fine.

▼ Translations under the cut

Chapter 1

Heartslabyul Dorm - Ace's Room

Deuce: Ace, wake up. We'll be late for the school assembly this morning.

Ace: Hmmnnn, good morn'... Wait a minute, Deuce. Why are you wearing the ceremonial robes now?

Deuce: There will be an awarding ceremony for the track and field competition from a while ago after the school assembly. Did you not listen to what Mr. Crewel announced yesterday?

Ace: Huh~ That's new to me. But if you're all dressed up now, that means that...

Deuce: Yeah, I'm going to be commended together with Jack. Apparently It's rare to have newcomers getting commended, much more with 2 at once.

Ace: Oh really~ Just don't freak out and embarrass yourself ok?

Deuce: S-Shut up! M-Mind you own business!

Exterior Hallway

Deuce: Are you ready, Jack? It's almost time for you to be called on stage.

Jack: Sorry for the wait. Putting my ears through the robes was a pain so it took a while. I know I have to wear it  properly as the school's representative but... I still feel like the uniform suits me better.

Deuce: Could it be that ceremonial robes are unpopular...? I quite like them since it's traditional.

Jack: I didn't take you as someone who would like refined clothing that flaps around like this.

Deuce: I mean, doesn't it take you back you to the time when we are filled with excitement during the school entrance ceremony

Jack: Now that you mentioned it, didn't you say that it was your dream to enter this school?

Deuce: Yeah. I was super happy when the black carriage came to pick me up and get put on the robes for the first time.

Jack: Well... It's not like I don't feel the same...

Deuce: Right?

Jack: But isn't it less troublesome for us if the commendation isn't so grandiose this time?

Deuce: Huh, what do you mean by that?

Crowley: The two of you, it's time to move to the backstage.

Crowley: Once I call out your names, please come forward one by one to accept the certificates, alright?

Jack/Deuce: Yes!

Mirror Chamber

Crowley: Well then-- Congratulations to Jack Howl.

Jack: Thank you very much.

Crowley: Next is, Deuce Spade.

Deuce: Yes!

Crowley: We commend you for your achievements in the National High School Track and Field Competition. Please continue to strive in your club activities from here onwards.

Deuce: Yes, thank you very much! MC (choice dialogue):  It's amazing that they got commended. / They look very happy.

Grim: Heck... How dare someone like Deuce dares to outshine me!

Ace: *yawns*

*chatter*

Grim: Huh?

Savanaclaw Student A: They're just a bunch of first years... How impudent...

Savanaclaw Student B: Especially that kid, Deuce... Just because he's a little fast on his feet....

Grim: Huh? Are they talking about Deuce?

MC (choice dialogue): Look like things are going to go downhill from here. /  Should we report it to the teachers?

Ace: Leave them be. Anyways, wake me up after the headmaster finishes his speech. *yawns* I had a phone call with my brother until way too late... So sleepy... ...

Grim: He really fell asleep! Well then, I too shall...

Crowley: Now then, the awarding ceremony has ended. Please give another round of applause for these two!

*clap clap*

Grim: Funa-?!

MC (choice dialogue): Guys, wake up now. / The speech has ended.

Ace: Tsk. I thought this will go on for longer...

Chapter 2

Mirror Chamber

Jack: Hah... It finally ended.

Deuce: Mr Deuce Spade, huh...

Jack: You're really satisfied with the certificate of merit huh?

Deuce: Yeah! It's really my first to be commended in front of a large audience.

Jack: Hmmm, that's unexpected.

Deuce: I-is that so?!

Jack: I mean, you can excel in any sports department since you have really good reflexes, isn't it?

Deuce: That's because I was never serious in participating any club activities. Anyways, it's my first time today!

Jack: What's wrong with you since just now... What an odd guy. I'm going now. I want to change out asap.

Deuce: Ok. I'll stop by the purchasing department before going back to my dorm.

Jack: In your ceremonial robes?

Deuce: Is it that weird...?

Jack: Nah... But there are nasty people everywhere. Be careful not to get involved/entangled in anything.

Deuce: ?? Alright.

Interior Hallway

Deuce: The purchasing department should have large envelops right...? Mum would be delighted if I send my certificate back to her.

Savanaclaw Student A: Oi, Deuce. Where are ya going?

Deuce: Hello seniors. I'm going to the purchasing department and then to my class...

Savanaclaw Student B: Hmmm~ I don't think there's much time left before classes start.

Savanaclaw Student A: I guess you don't feel much about it since you have some fast legs huh?

Deuce: It's not really like that... It won't be long.

Savanaclaw Student A: I don't think we can make it with our speed~ Our outstanding first year kid here can even make it if he went to change out~

Savanaclaw Student B: Don't you think this kid is going to wear his ceremonial robes the whole day to brag about his commendation?

Deuce: I'll properly change out, you know... Can you please move aside now? I'm really going to be late for my class.

Savanaclaw Student A: Don't be a bummer, let's hang out a bit more.... Right, how about you show us your certificate!

Deuce: Hey! Can you please not handle it so roughly?! It'll tear!

Savanaclaw Student B: Haha, don't get all pissy. It's just a piece of paper.

Deuce: ... Stop it.

Savanaclaw Student A: Eek...?!

Deuce: I have no choice but to do this.

Savanaclaw Student A: I can't move my arm... What's with this monstrous strength...!

Deuce: My cert... Give it back.

Savanaclaw Student B: *clench* H-Here!

*patter*patter

Deuce: Hah.... Thank goodness the certificate isn't torn...

Grim: Ah! So you're here, Deuce!

Deuce: Grim and prefect! And also... Why are you all here?

Ace: What do you mean "why"... Class is about to start and we didn't see you anywhere, so the prefect started to look all over for you!

Deuce: Yuu did...?

MC (choice dialogue):  Did anything happen? / Class is about to start.

Deuce: Ah, I'm sorry I caused all of you to worry.

Ace: See~ He's fine even if we leave him be. Come on, let's go back to class now.

Grim: Deuce, are you going to class in this outfit?

Deuce: No way... I'm going to change it out somehow.

Grim: Funa~~~! The ceremonial robes are so cool and stands out too! It's not fair~~!

Deuce: Eh?

MC (choice dialogue): You look great in it. / It gives off a vibe of an excellent magic user.

Grim: The great me would also like to have a stylish ribbon!

Ace: Sure, sure. Hey Deuce, can you go change asap? Although I bet you're gonna be late after it.

Deuce: You know what? I think I'll just go with this on... These are fine.

[recentanimenews]

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, Vol. 13

By FUNA and Itsuki Akata. Released in Japan as “Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Diana Taylor. Adapted by Maggie Cooper.

At last, after missing each other for a few volumes, the Wonder Trio and the Crimson Vow finally meet each other in the latter half of this volume, which leads to the fated battle of who gets to have Mile as their bestie. The outcome of this is very much up in the air… theoretically. In-universe, certainly. In the meta sense, the outcome is very much set in stone, as we’ve been traveling with the Crimson Vow for 12 books now, and the Wonder Trio are merely beloved supporting characters and backstory for our heroine. But it’s a good thing, really, as it reminds us of the Crimson Vow’s biggest flaw, which is that the other three have gotten so used to having Mile around that they’ve forgotten to think about basic things… like food or shelter. Reina gets this, being more used to the hunter life than the others, but when it comes to the fated battle… well, it appears to be a bit one-sided.

But wait, we also have the first half of the book. There are a few cute short stories, but mostly it has three main plotlines: the resolution of the battle with the Elder Dragons that formed last volume’s cliffhanger (turns out that controlling the nanos that control reality is super useful, who knew?); Kelvin, the guy who challenged Adele at school and got creamed growing up and leading a huge battle force (that would have lost without Mile, but hey, baby steps); and the Crimson Vow coming upon a small village, whereupon they save a young girl from being kidnapped by bandits. Said girl reminds Mile a lot of her little sister from her previous life… and it doesn’t help that she had an older sister in this world who died EXACTLY the way Misato did. I was actually waiting for this to go somewhere, but it really does seem to have been a coincidence… but it allows Mile to gush a lot, and the rest of the group to beat the crap out of bandits, their favorite thing.

The battle honestly feels like a bit of an apology to the wonder Trio. I’ve always felt it sort of baffling that the first volume in this series gave Adele a supporting cast of friends… and then dumped them and had Mile gain a NEW supporting cast of friends. As such, here we see that the trio are more intelligent and adept at magic, to the point where Mile is teaching them things that she would never teach the other members of the Crimson Vow. She also, like the Little Sister from earlier in the book, assigns some nanos to watch over them… not realizing that these nanos love to do anything in order to break their cycle of boredom. Combine that with the Wonder Trio figuring out uses for Mile’s storage magic that even she hasn’t dreamed of, and they start to look truly terrifying. That said, sorry to spoil but Mile remains with the Crimson Vow.

Aside from the usual flat/large breast remarks, there wasn’t even a lot of annoying fanservice in this book. The best part was the back half, but it was solid overall, and fans should be very pleased.

By: Sean Gaffney

[beneaththetangles]

What Am I Reading & Should You Try It?

Over the past year, I’ve become something of a light novel addict. #BlameBtT. Inspired by what Frank has written about light novels, I thought it might be worthwhile to survey the light novel series I’m reading. With a couple exceptions, these are overall impressions of each series, not reviews of individual volumes. Since I can never pick a favorite, instead of doing a top ten list, I have graded the titles in rough groups based on how highly I view them. Hopefully you’ll find some possibilities for your future reading. Also, feel free to compare my views to Frank’s top 10 for some interesting similarities and differences!

S-Rank

I consider the following series the best of the best, the ones I can recommend with no qualifications:

My first light novel series ever was Infinite Dendrogram, and it remains one of my favorites. It’s kind of isekai-ish, insofar as most of the story takes place in a virtual world, but the protagonist still very much lives in our world. The characters are likeable and interesting, the world-building is rich, and the battles are the best of any light novel I’ve read. The story follows protagonist Ray as he begins playing an oddly named VRMMO (seriously, Dendrogram? Tree-writing?!). The narrative is enriched by a lively collection of supporting cast members and some intriguing world-building. For a story nominally taking place within a game, Dendro does an impressive job of making me feel like there are high stakes for the conflicts that occur. Almost from the outset, Dendro starts hinting at mysteries and plot twists, and keeps gradually introducing deeper questions to its narrative. I’ve devoured all nine volumes that are available and can’t wait for the next one.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!? is easily the longest series I’ve read, and probably has the most well-developed characters. A high school boy living on his own has his apartment invaded by a ghost, a magical girl, a space alien princess, and a mole person. The landlady forces them to handle the conflict in a non-destructive manner, and the story just gets more awesome and hilarious from there. Thanks to the extended length of the series, every character in the huge cast gets opportunities to shine; likewise, relationships between the characters grow in a really satisfying way. The story has some great foreshadowing, and has done a surprisingly fine job weaving together many initially separate plot threads in a logical way. Amazingly, all twenty-one translated volumes are available for free, so please do yourself a favor and check it out.

Probably the funniest series I’ve read so far is Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average In The Next Life?!, a reincarnation isekai story with the gimmick that protagonist Adele is ridiculously OP and DIDN’T WANT TO BE. She begins the story by heroically giving her life to save a child, making her immediately sympathetic. Because of how stressful and isolating her life was as a perfect student in Japan, she asks the godlike being who reincarnates her to make her totally “average.” However, you probably remember that in math, “average,” can mean several different things. Well, the god creatively misinterprets her request in ways that technically qualify as “average” yet totally miss the spirit of the request. Adele’s magic power, for example, is the average between a human and the strongest living creatures in the world, an elder dragon; thus, while technically “average” from a certain point of view, her magic is thousands of times stronger than any human’s. The story chronicles Adele’s efforts to make friends, while struggling valiantly to convince anyone she’s just a normal girl. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all six volumes that have come out so far. Also, volume one of this series is the reading for this month’s edition of the Light Novel Club and we all enjoyed it.

A-Rank

These are LNs I fully recommend—they just don’t quite attain to the greatness of the previous section:

Probably the darkest series I follow is Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles. That’s not to say it’s a brutal grimdark horrorfest or anything, but the setting definitely showcases more evil and suffering than is typical of the light novels I’ve read. This is another reincarnated-into-a-fantasy-world isekai story, with a plot exciting enough to keep me coming back for all five volumes available in English. The protagonist dies in our world and reawakens as a traumatized orphan. He gets a new lease of life when he’s plucked out of the slums and sent to the royal academy, but his troubles persist and transcontinental adventure follows. Rio eventually becomes pretty OP, but it takes a couple volumes for him to get there. In other series, the OP protagonist would kill any sense of danger in the story, but because the world is so fraught with real wickedness, the sympathetic characters feel more imperiled than is usual for a light novel. Similarly, the good people in the story shine all the more brightly for being in a setting dominated by the proud and cruel.

Like Abilities Average, I Shall Survive Using Potions! is also written by FUNA, is also hilarious, and also stars a comically OP female protagonist reincarnated in a fantasy world. In contrast to Adele and her desire to be normal, Potions‘ protagonist, Kaoru, takes the opposite approach. She ASKS to be given OP cheat powers and has few qualms with letting others find out about them. Unlike Adele’s dogged striving to avoid attention, Kaoru quickly lets herself becomes an international sensation. There’s a lot of fun in watching her revel in over-the-top power and alter the course of world history with her knowledge and abilities. Two volumes have been released, and they’re both delightful.

Reincarnated as a Sword is yet another reincarnation isekai story—with the entertaining twist the protagonist has become a sapient sword. As swords go, he’s quite OP, but he’s still a sword, which imposes serious limitations. Eventually he finds a wielder: Fran, an adorable beastgirl escaped slave. The parent-and-child-like interactions of the grown-up minded sword and his child wielder are cute and fun. The humor comes from more than just the two leads—for example, vol. 2 introduces a comical yet charming necromancer! There are also hints of a big-picture plot and mysteries that are slowly unfolding, but so far it’s been a pretty lighthearted adventure. I would note that the series makes heavy use of RPG-style, level-up mechanics, and while that didn’t detract from my enjoyment, I can see it getting annoying for some readers.

And now for something completely (?) different: Obsessions of an Otome Gamer. The two volumes that have been translated so far comprise yet another reincarnation isekai story… except that the isekai world is based on a fictional otome game and thus is almost exactly like the real world (aside from people having anime hair). However, as the story develops, circumstances turn out to be more complicated than the initial setup leads readers to believe. The mysteries of the plot are solid, but the real draw here is the warm relationships the protagonist has with her family — you’ll get warm fuzzy feelings, trust me. The other unusual feature of this series is its focus on classical music; the protagonist is a budding pianist, and the books are loaded with references to famous composers and pieces.

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf is isekai, but it turns the standard isekai formula around by having the protagonist accidentally transport an elf from her native fantasy world into our world. It turns out they can go back forth between worlds by falling asleep while touching—or by getting killed! The eponymous Ms. Elf first awakes in Japan when she and the protagonist (who thought he was just dreaming) get incinerated by a dragon. The story alternates between fantasy-adventure sections and medieval-elf-encounters-modern-Japan segments. This is a cute, fun, lighthearted romance story with some adventure elements mixed in. The second volume adds a dragon to the mix (who also ends up visiting Japan!).

Another fairly new series, Ascendance of a Bookworm is, once again, a reincarnation isekai story. The protagonist dies when an earthquake causes her book collection to crush her, and reawakens as a small, sickly child in a prosaic medieval world. It’s a laid back tale free of OP protagonist shenanigans. Instead, her struggles and misadventures are those of a feeble six-year-old trying to figure out how to craft a medium for writing, as well as use her modern knowledge to improve the quality of life for herself and those around her. What really made the book enjoyable for me was the heartwarming interactions between the protagonist and her loving family and friends. In an unusual twist for isekai tales, the first book is devoid of magic (aside from some odd, not-explicitly-magical flora and fauna that we hear about). However, vol. 1 wraps up with a hint that magical things may be happening in the future, and vol. 2 shares the protagonist’s shock at realizing she’s in a fantasy world.

Cooking with Wild Game is once again isekai. A few factors distinguish it from most entries in that genre, however. Aside from the unknown cause of protagonist Asuta getting isekai’d, there’s been no sign of supernatural forces. Asuta is a normal human being and is in no way OP. And the story so far has been every bit as low-stakes as one might expect for an ordinary protagonist — the fate of the world is not on the line. As a chef trainee, his only real skills are cooking related, so his biggest struggles have involved trying to produce a meal that would impress the local chieftain, and catering a wedding. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how interesting a story about frontier cooking could actually be. Asuta is a strong protagonist — a bit immature, but impressively conscientious (I’ve never seen an isekai protagonist thoughtfully worry over whether it was right to introduce Japanese ideas and practices to his new culture). One warning though: the second volume contains…well, it just barely stops short of becoming attempted rape (committed against Asuta!); it’s pretty intense and troubling, and doesn’t feel like it’s really been resolved yet.

B-Rank

I enjoy these series enough to keep reading, but not enough to recommend them unequivocally:

How A Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom is another isekai story. The protagonist is summoned to a fantasy world to be a hero, handed the throne, and proceeds to save the country by implementing economic reforms. The first volume was okay, but I found the protagonist an insufferable know-it-all who spent way too much time monologuing. Sorry, I don’t read light novels so I can be lectured. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Because Frank has spoken so highly of the series, I decided to give it one more chance and tried the second volume. I’m glad I did, because I enjoyed it a lot more than the first. There were more interesting character interactions, a more exciting plot, the protagonist was more human and relatable, and there were noticeably fewer intellectual monologues. So, considered yourself warned that the first book might be a bit of a slog, but the series really does get better from there! The administrative and diplomatic focus continues throughout the series, and is pretty unique among light novels I’ve seen. There’s also some harem romance elements that are kind of a mixed bag; Souma eventually amasses five fiancees, and some of the relationships are cute while others leave me wondering why the author even bothered with them.

An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride is a fluffy fantasy romance full of quirky characters and comical developments. The central romantic relationship develops in a charmingly slow, awkward manner. Besides the leading the couple, the cast includes the couple’s adopted dragon-girl daughter, a knight templar turned butler, a clone of the elf girl, and more. Another supporting character is unusually crass as LN characters go, and it grates on me a bit. Along with that issue, the other factor knocking this down to B-ranking is that the quality of the writing is sometimes a little weak. Still, I’ve read all the volumes that have been released so far and plan to keep up with the series. Also, this one of the rare not-isekai series I’m reading, so if isekai is not your cup of tea, you may appreciate Archdemon’s Dilemma even more.

No Ranking

I picked up these series in the middle, trying to follow where their respective anime left off, so although I liked them, I don’t feel qualified to give an opinion on the LN series as a whole:

When I decided I wanted to try a physical light novel (rather than reading another ebook on my Kindle like I usually do), I settled on Sword Art Online Alicization. I started with volumes 15 and 16, which pick up right where the anime left off. The latter portion of the anime proved deeply thought-provoking, and these books are a satisfying continuation that explore some really profound issues while telling a fantasy-adventure story. A sociopathic IRL villain appears, while a major war breaks out in the Underworld, and Kirito is effectively missing in action. I look forward to the future of the anime, but I also plan to stick with the light novels (and may at some point even go back and read the earlier volumes). I understand SAO is somewhat polarizing, so whether you’d like these books probably depends on how you feel about the series more generally.

After greatly enjoying the anime, I decided to check out That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. Like with SAO, I attempted to pick up where the anime left off. As best I can tell, the show adapted the first three books plus a section of the fourth, so I read vol. 4 and vol. 5. Rimuru and friends’ continued adventures are very much what you’d expect if you’ve seen the anime — fantasy-adventure with an insanely OP protagonist, loads and loads of characters, and abundant humor. Similar to SAO, it’s worth reading if you enjoyed the anime, but if you didn’t care for the show, the books aren’t likely to change your mind.

Failing Grades

That takes care of all the light novel series I’m currently following. I also figured I’d offer capsule reviews of some books I’ve tried and found wanting. Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement is an inferior version of of Survive Using Potions and Abilities Average, from the same author. The humor is still there, but the characters are flatter and there’s less of a plot; still, you may find it an amusing isekai tale. This time the protagonist’s quirk is the ability to easily teleport back and forth to our world, which she hopes to use to get rich. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! is another otome-game-world isekai saga, but the protagonist is painfully dense and the harem elements ridiculously forced. Volume 1 was mildly amusing, but not enough that I have any desire to continue. In Amagi Brilliant Park, a high school student gets roped into running a magical amusement park. I didn’t actually bother finishing the first novel—parts were hilarious, but there was also way too also too much crude humor for my tastes. I gave up on Mixed Bathing in Another Dimension in a similar way. The isekai protagonist is summoned to a fantasy world as a hero—and his special power is instant access to a fancy bath wherever he is, leaving him floundering to find creative applications for this “useless” power. The concept is interesting, but the implementation was way too fanservicey for me to enjoy. Perhaps I’m a prude, but I just couldn’t enjoy these two books. Lastly, there’s Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody. While the title is amazing, the womanizing isekai protagonist is not — I grew weary of his incessant comments about the attractiveness of every single female character he met. And overall I just found the book to be a boring slog that couldn’t hold my interest.

There you have it: my favorite light novels, and some I rejected. What about you, O reader mine? Have I piqued your interest regarding any of these? I certainly hope so. If you do try anything I recommended, be sure to report what you thought! And of course, this question can go the other way: are there any light novels you’d recommend to me? I’m sure there are tons of series out there that I haven’t even heard of, let alone read. Do you have any favorites to share?

[the-starless-sky]

[twst] Prologue 6: Special Case Trial!

Prologue ~Welcome to the Villains’ World~ Prologue 6: Special Case Trial!

At the Ramshackle Dorm’s hallway

Grim: Funa～～～～～!!

Ghosts: Hi, hii～～～!! We're gonna get erased! Run～～!!

Grim: Hu, huh? I... won?

→ That was amazing! → Thank you.

Grim: Huff... hii... tha-that was scar... No, it wasn't scary at all! For Grim-sama, it's easy as pie! How's that, damn ghosts! You gave up!?

Crowley: Good evening. The kind me brought you dinner. ...Wait, thats the monster who acted violently during the opening ceremony! I thought we've drove him out already, why is he here!?

Grim: Hmph! I exterminated the ghosts here! Be grateful!

Crowley: Hm? What's going on here? Come to think of it, in this dorm, mischievous ghosts settled down and students stopped approaching the place, making it an abandoned dorm. However, hmm... For the two of you to work together and drive out the ghosts...

Grim: I can't let that 'work together' pass. That guy practically only watched, see? And I did it only because I want tuna cans? ...wait, hey! I haven't gotten my tuna can yet!

Crowley: The two of you. Would you please show me your extermination of ghosts once again?

Grim: But we've drove away all of the ghosts! Anyways, my tu-na-can-!!

Crowley: I'll take the role of the ghost. If you win against me, I shall give you tuna can. I am kind, after all. Well then, transformation medicine, gulp!

Grim: Eeh~ I don't want to. It's too bothersome, to work with this guy again...

→ It might be a chance to enter the academy → It's a chance to get tuna cans, boss.

Grim: Ngh... This is the last time, okay? This time, absolutely, absolutely give me my tuna cans, okay!?

[ Let's accept the headmaster's challenge! ]

Crowley: Now, exterminate me, who turned into a ghost! Come, attack me without hesitation. I won't get angry. I am kind, after all.

Grim: No helping it. I'll join you, so give me my tuna can this time!

Crowley: Well then, let's start!

Grim: Okay, you! Tell me where he is to me properly, okay!

Grim: Left, right? Gotcha! Eat this!

Crowley: Hot, hot, hot, hot! You're good. Well then, I shall raise the difficulty.

Grim: Funa!? He became so fast!!

Crowley: Well, can you follow my movements?

Grim: Hmph, you're good! However, it's easy for Grim-sama!

Crowley: Can you defeat these numbers!?

Grim: Funananana!!

Crowley: Ooh, this is surprising.

Grim: Haa, haa... defeated all of them... Hey, you! You're using me too roughly! Be gentler!