#I don't think SQ would get angry

[sophieswundergarten]

People talk about SQ going on a villain arc, but personally I've always thought he'd be more likely to just shut himself away for a while

He'd fall off the map, become a recluse not because he's trying to hide from his father, or his uncle for that matter, but because he's so confused and mixed up and lost he isn't thinking clearly

He finds an empty old house, one in a little town somewhere in the middle of nowhere, that he can live in. It's in much worse condition than Mr. Benedict's, and he gets to stay because he does farm chores for the nearby people who own the property

A quiet town. No one questions why this boy appeared, and as he keeps to himself no one bothers him

He comes into the general store sometimes, or maybe the hardware store. Buying basic necessities, repair materials, and asking sometimes strange questions with obvious answers in an embarrassed way

Every now and again, he stops by the pet store. Buying a small bird or two and an obscene amount of birdseed

He becomes known as a lonely artist, a mysterious figure the adults ignore for the most part and the children whisper about. He doesn't pay either reaction any mind

SQ's house is full of art

Colour splashed across the floor, tiny vines and butterflies covering the shutters, vibrant shades all over the fan blades. He etches painstakingly accurate bird footprints on every windowsill, sketches large diagrams of feathers and bird wings across most of the walls, because, who's there to tell him no?

He tries to teach himself to whittle, and there are many mishapen lumps of woods that vaguely resemble birds lined up on the back porch. (He knows they're terrible, but he can't bring himself to throw them away. He feels too guilty, after all, he's the one who brought them into existence. If he won't love them, who will?)

And he has a lot of birds. Some were wild ones he befriended, leaving food and nesting material out until they felt comfortable enough to rest in the rafters, flying in and out of the near-always open windows. Some were bird he saw, either sitting in a cage when they had no business to be, or wandering the park looking half frightened and confused. Birds that people had captured from their natural homes and probably smuggled, hoping to pass them off in a small enough town where no one would notice. Some were birds that had been "released" by their previous owners; left to wander an environment that was not their own and to fend for themselves when they'd been raised domesticated

It's these last few he feels for the most. It's not fair, he thinks. There's no one to take care of them, and it isn't their fault they were forced into a situation like this. At some point, someone had hurt them. Had taken advantage of their innocent nature, and it left some scarred.l

Some physically, like the ones who needed their wings splinted, or had lasting limps, or sometimes were even half blind. And sometimes mentally, like those that still shrank back from his touch after months of rehabilitation, or had missing patches of feathers, or would hiss instead of sing

And so he became known as sort of a wild artist. Someone who seemed to know everything about art and birds and the forest, but occasionally could be seen asking how microwaves worked or whether he would have to pay for checking books out of the small local library (He always returned them in perfect condition)

And, eventually, after he's had some time to think, he calls his uncle. He isn't sure how to contact his dad, but he isn't really surprised to hear the two are living together again. They're twins, after all

And so he tells them where he is, tells them that he wants to talk, wants to understand. And to his surprise, they come to him. And they offer apologies, and answers both

While the kids marvel at the birds and his art and the small collection of poetry and naturalist books he's been slowly building up as he shows them around, the adults confer on what it best to do

And he thinks that, if it's offered, he'd like to go back with them. But he isn't sure. And he's still caught off guard when they ask

[zeravmeta]

It's kind of intersting where you are saying this is a wake up call to recgonizing fgo's subpar gameplay because on my side it's very much just "we don't like servant coins" for the most part. Heck the fact that nobody has gotten to point of realizing you can do all this with three stars which lasengle active making five stars worse is another werid development. I've only seen only a few comments talking about if you're f2p these things aren't really relevant. Not that I don't agree fgo biggest weakness is that once you get burn out on the gameplay outside of few boss battles you aren't getting any enthuism back imo. And currently the only thing lasenagle does it just repeatedly buffing units through different ways rather than introduce unique gameplay meachnics that go against the normal grind set like Eli quest and Grailfront(In my personal opinion I think the greatest issuse is the fact that doing these things would equlivant of having a consistent ongoing event that need to be updated and I think you need a whole team for that for speicifcally that.) But the fact people angry more express that they care enough about the gameplay to get angry about the lack of acess to it because of basically a pay wall or well I haven't seen many people connect the dots to the gameplay itself being at fault. Also i couldn't tell from reblog what did they backpeddle again? It seems like they were already planing to revise the servant coin distrabustion and the fact they are expressing they openly said going to give the coins back and with eases adds more to the idea than takes away imo.

I kind of wanna address these points a bit just to make a larger point abt why this anniversary and the servant coins thing rings hollow and sour for a bunch:

I wouldn't say 'wake up call' is the right words, but rather 'this was the straw that broke the camels back'. As broken as FGOs gameplay is, something i will begrudgingly credit it for is that all content IS clearable even by low rarity units. Even the hardest challenge quests from things like fest events or certain story fights can be cleared from a full 3* and lower + 5* friend support comp. So of course, then begs the question: If gameplay isn't the main reason to summon (unless you're a tierlist slave for efficient farm comps for Some Reason), why summon at all?

Well, for your faves, of course. FGO gives you a ton of resources and shiny buttons and knobs to make numbers on your blorbo higher, meaning that the whole point of these extra resources is just to sink into a favorite character and get to experience the story with this talking png on hand to be your friend/lover/hater/slash/etc.

Servant Coins were a broken whale mechanic on inception due to being strictly gacha dependent, not only in how you acquire servant coins but in how little return there is for getting said servants. Summoning for a 5* is already infamously terrible, but not only do you need them for grailing above Level 100, but also for append skills? Realistically, the only reason to go for these resource sinks *is* for faves, and in fairness some dedicated players/whales save a whole bunch of sq just for their one/two favorite guys (regardless of if they actually get them lol, you can save over 1K+ and still not even get a single rate up servant). It's very likely that some of these people Did save all their sq to then have all the necessary servant coins to ultimate max their favorite guy.

but to then ask even more from them, to sink even more into the most infamous gacha in all gachas just to maybe have a chance to marginally improve them? That was just a slap in the face. Mind you, a lot of people talk about how these latest appends are actually the most gameplay defining in how they can lower skill cool downs, which is def a huge buff compared to other appends/stat buffs and even skill buffs, but that type of discussion misses the point that this was one of the greediest changes ever done, especially for a game whose base gameplay hasn't really been improved, optimized, or significantly changed in any way.

You can tell even the devs knew that Servant coins were a broken greed mechanic from inception, since they had retroactive refunds for 4-5* servants (but not 3*s. grr) and from the outcry of this anni they walked back some of the changes and even gave out a second overall refund of servant coins, but ultimately this is another bandaid solution to the core issue: FGOs gameplay just isnt fun.

People put up with FGOs gameplay to get to read FGOs story, and we're just at the point where it's not getting to be worth it anymore. The visual novel masquerading as a gacha is being killed by its own status as a gacha.

The truly frustrating thing is that there *are* legitimate ways of playing FGO which CAN be fun, specifically challenge quests and Grail Fronts. Those are the two types of play that actually make FGO's gameplay work to an extent, and yet these types of changes are just never made in any permanent way. Past boss fights are locked forever, previously cleared challenge quests are lost forever, they just do not repeat these gameplay opportunities, and this goes hand in hand with another issue, one which I would say is the true root of all FGO's problems:

They fucking lock past story content

When me and other mutuals are heeing and haawing about having event reruns/a compendium, it's not just to talk about FGOs story being good, because it is! It's to make it so that newbies aren't fucking locked out of the MAIN GODDAMN REASON TO EVEN PLAY THIS GAME. IMPORTANT STORY CRITICAL EVENTS LIKE THE KNK COLLAB, GUDAGUDA EVENTS AND MORE ARE JUST LOST FOREVER TO YOUTUBE STORY COMPILATIONS BECAUSE THE BASE GAME DOES NOT HAVE ANY SORT OF COMPENDIUM FOR THESE PAST EVENTS.

Event Archives just WORK. You can look at so many modern gachas these days and see that they all have event compendiums for events they will not rerun, and the reason is simple: FGO popularized the idea of using a gacha to tell a story, so gachas put more stonks into their writing and dont limit that Very Critical Component Of Why People Would Play Their Game To Begin With.

But for some fucking reason, FGO just does not. Really think about this for a moment: People have put up with a near decade of terrible gameplay and corporate gacha greed just to read FGO's story. It's fucking good! But that's just not gonna be enough anymore when Type Moon is now using their fucking Das Rheingold of gacha money to make new/remake vns. For all that people talk about FGO story burnout, I flat out disagree: People do want more FGO story, Samurai Remnant is a huge fucking testament to that and a major component of why I want an FGO console release, to be FREE from its gacha ball and chain.

People just don't want to have to put up with a terrible gacha system anymore to experience that good story.

[quitealotofsodapop]

(resending this cuz it seems like some of my asks got deleted)

thank you for posting this ver of the ask, and thanks for the extra responses!

[Macaque having the mega-regret when he finds out all those years later about the Stone Egg, feeling like a dad who wasn't around for their (ex)partner and unborn baby and barely having enough time to adjust when baby arrives.]

considering he just finds out about the baby mere weeks before their born, and only actually starts the path to reconciliation the day before if not the day Wukong goes into labor depending on how long it is between the final battle ending and the campsite scene, he really didn't have a lot of time to get used to the idea of possibly being a dad (not even knowing if he wanted to rebuild his relationship with Wukong until he was un-possessed) until their was already a baby in his arms, but he is forever grateful he made the decision to stay.

that being said, I feel like with him feeling like he missed a lot causes Wukong to have to reassure him often that what really matters is that he's here now, and that as long as he makes the effort to be apart of Yuebei's life now Wukong wouldn't have it any other way. I think Macaque (even if a little wistfully) loves to listen to Wukong telling old pregnancy stories of funny or fond moments he missed. he probably likes hearing stories of bad moments too, so he gets a more full understanding of Wukong's pregnancy experience.

[likely responding to the Samadhi fire like it would consumable dao like; "Hey, can I eat that- OOO NO SPICY!!!").]

Yuebei trying to eat the Samadhi fire is absolutely hilarious, so is Yuebei describing a world ending fire that can tear apart the fabric of reality "spicy" in baby terms. as a baby she tries to chew on Red Son hair "because the spiciness has gone down."

[Wukong's mental health was not good after the ritual]

Wukong def doesn't leave Ao Lie's side for weeks after the ritual to make sure he's okay (I like to think that the fourth ring wasn't a problem at first, but as time passed symptoms started cropping up and then they started getting worse and worse). When the affects of the ring start becoming noticeable and then beginning to worsen Wukong only becomes more distraught. he tries everything to help Ao Lie, but he just keeps getting worse, Wukong apologies at least 200 times everytime they see each other, Ao Lie never blames him for anything. Wukong is there when he dies, Wukong's mental health obviously takes an even worse turn.

[Wukong risked his own baby for them, and the couple don't learn this until centuries later.]

they are both all the more grateful when they finally learn, especially PIF who understands that putting his own baby at risk for hers must have been a difficult decision, so he also has more respect from her because of that. they also chastise him for putting his own baby at risk.

but imagine how they (and Ne Zha) would feel upon learning the reason he slipped was his baby reacting badly to the fire, considering losing control and slipping was something he got a lot of flack for because of the danger it posed.

[Spider Queen turns, only to see Guanyin/Kuan Yin glaring her down like the vengeful goddess she is.]

Spider Queen is losing her mind because of her loss, she turns her attention on her own minions for a moment, they don't react at all because they are used to her temper. all of a sudden, they do start shrinking back and acting scared, Spider Queen's yelling falters as a shadow falls over her. she turns, looks up, and finds herself being stared down by a very angry Guanyin.

SQ gets her ass handed to her.

LBD stays hidden until Guanyin leaves, ot wanting to risk being seen by the vengeful goddess and risk their wrath. SQ trusts her a little more than in og canon because when LBD comes out of hiding she also brings a healing item of some kind to heal SQ from injuries sustained from her beat down from Guanyin.

[Instead of the infamous "OH WUKONG!" while flying overhead at the end of S2, Macaque instead announces hos presence to MK specifically.]

so blatantly ignoring Wukong's presence while the bone demon is practically hovering over his shoulder would be too obvious. he fixes this by only seeming to attack when MK starts trying to talk about him. MK's got Wukong alone on the deck of the airship about to tell him about the shadowplay? "ooooo MK!". Wukong and MK meet up while trying to escape the east sea palace and MK once again tries to warn Wukong about the shadowplay incident? I don't think so. MK: *running out of the east palace* Monkey King, there you are! are you ok? SWK: I'm good bud MK: good, I know I didn't get to explain earlier about Macaque but he- MK: *Macaque's staff skims his hair and embeds itself in the wall behind him* MK: STOP INTERRUPTING ME! MK: *a shadow clone comes out of nowhere to punch him, causing both MK and wukong to scramble* MK: on second thought, maybe I'll just stop talking.

[Wukong gets the drop on him cus it's such a paradoxial offer. If he agrees, his baby will be a lonely little cub in the world like he was + he'll lose all his found family and the world at large. If he refuses, LBD might just decide to aim for the Egg directly, taking away something Wukong has been incubating/nuturing for centuries away from him and using the energy accumilated within to fuel her mech.] + [LBD does not think about feeding Wukong in this timeframe ofc, since in her mind he's an immortal self-sustaining puppet now. It's ultimately what leads to her demise...]

the thought of losing the found family he's managed to gain after spending so long alone makes him falter, he pushed everyone away for centuries until now and he's just started relearning what it's like to have his loved ones around again, he doesn't want to lose them now.

but on the other hand the thought of LBD targeting his egg and using their dao to fuel her mech makes him feel physically sick. he can't afford to lose his egg, not after this long. he'd never recover.

funny, how it ends up being LBD who gets consumed by the egg. how the tables have turned.

as concerning as the egg consuming her initially was, Wukong can't help but smirk and call it hubris.

[You know when the Mayor gets un-possessed by LBD? Think that, but the soul energy is getting eaten like a string of noodles and slurped into Wukong's body.]

that is terrifying, I'm gonna have to draw that now. (as of you seeing this, the drawing has already been submitted)

[The Egg needed Wukong to gain a couple few more family members before it could "hatch" into Baby. XD]

egg was like "troop is here? mate is here now? food is sufficient? now these are prime birth conditions!" *sends Wukong into labor*

[Mac's crying cus he's finally coming to terms with why Wukong hurt him all those years ago + he's meeting his former mate's little cub who looks like him!! He makes a sound akin to a dying squeaky toy when he's asked how he thinks of little Yuebei.]

seeing Yuebei look like him and the joy that brings him and Wukong both is def one of the things that makes it finally click. he so easily could have lost this by his own hand, he could've cost Wukong this. in that moment he not only gets over the whole dying thing completely in an instant, he almost feels glad that Wukong did whatever he had to to ensure little Yuebei's safety, even if it was Macaque himself Wukong had to keep her safe from.

Wukong def thinks Macaque's "dying squeaky toy" reaction to being asked about what he thinks of Yuebei is adorable.

[DBK holds it together until he has Yuebei in his palm. Smaller than even Red Son was as a baby. DBK does one deep breath... and quickly has to pass the baby to PIF cus his eyes have turned into waterfalls. She's so small!!] + [... but holding Yuebei is the first time in a long time she makes a joyful snotty sob. The baby monkey is confused by the bodhisattva's reaction, and tries kissing her tears away. This only makes her honorary aunt/grandmother cry even harder with pride and joy.] + [+Not to mention how hard MK cries when Wukong introduces him to Yuebei as "your honorary big brother". Mei has hundreds of timelapsed photos of MK as his face contorts into an ugly cry as he holds Yuebei for the first time.]

Wukong and Macaque as DBK's sworn brothers def joke that they always knew he was a big softy.

Wukong is laughing at Yuebei trying to kiss Guanyin's tears away whilst also giving Guanyin a big hug.

MK loves that he's being referred to as the big brother, even if only honorary. Mei def has hundreds of photos of everyone's reactions.

[He reminds himself to say sorry to Wukong for not checking if the Buddha's punishment was Stone Monkey friendly. Wukong and Mac laugh him off cus the Gold Star of Venus is currently having his beard nearly yanked off by the playful newborn cub.]

all in all, Gold Star is very happy that it all worked out for them in the end. they are too.

[Azure: "What do you think little cub? Am I not a fine Emperor and guardian? Do you think your mother will warm to being at my side?" Yuebei, hungry, frustrated, and bored: *glares and makes a distinctly "Macaque"-sound as her ears glow* The Brotherhood: "..." Peng: "She must be hard to impress. As any princess ought to be." Azure: *feels a little better* :'3 Yellowtusk the Wise, internally: "I'm telling Guanyin. I am not going to be held responsible for what nonsense Azure gets up to regarding Wukong and the infant."]

it would be even worse considering Yuebei likely has Azure as a "bad voice", so him talking about her Baba would not make her feel any better, even if she can't actually understand what is being said.

Yellowtusk looks at Azure talking about having Wukong at his side at last with an infant (that he was being neglectful of) that so very clearly belonged to Macaque, with Macaque and Wukong seeming to be on good terms these days if Macaque's anger at Azure for imprisoning Wukong in the scroll was anything to off of, and start seeing just how possessive and obsessive Azure really was and just goes "oh, you are a terrible person, actually" and decides that his brothers aren't actually the people he wants to associate himself with.

[If Azure still had a tail, Yuebei would have taken it as a chew toy long before the MKrew (love that name) got there. And Wukong would have let her keep it as a trophy.]

they'd have it like, preserved or something so they could keep letting her use it as a chew toy. if not that then they would have hung it only the mantle place where they've also been keeping LBD's skull for the time being.

Referencing this Slow Boiled Au post.

[considering he just finds out about the baby mere weeks before their born, and only actually starts the path to reconciliation the day before if not the day Wukong goes into labor depending on how long it is between the final battle ending and the campsite scene, he really didn't have a lot of time to get used to the idea of possibly being a dad (not even knowing if he wanted to rebuild his relationship with Wukong until he was un-possessed) until their was already a baby in his arms, but he is forever grateful he made the decision to stay.]

Once Mac learned that Wukong got possessed trying to take down LBD, the shadow monkey almost 99% decided that he wasn't going to lose his King to that bony biotch. And depeneding on how messy the Samadhi Fire ritual goes, the last thing Wukong says to Macaque is along the lines of "You ruined everything!", and Macaque doesn't want those to be the last words he hears his King say...

And ofc the protective Stone Monkey instincts kick in once he sees; 1: His pregnant mate being forced to fight, 2: LBD tossing her human-cub host aside like trash, 3: The kids almost dying trying to control the Samadhi Fire etc...

And soon Macaque started to remember how much him and Wukong discussed Having a family once the war on heaven was over, and how much they both wanted to be parents...

And soon there's a newborn monkey in his arms, and Macaque can't stop smiling and crying at the same time. He's so excited and overjoyed and scared that he isn't sure how to feel.

[that being said, I feel like with him feeling like he missed a lot causes Wukong to have to reassure him often that what really matters is that he's here now, and that as long as he makes the effort to be apart of Yuebei's life now Wukong wouldn't have it any other way. I think Macaque (even if a little wistfully) loves to listen to Wukong telling old pregnancy stories of funny or fond moments he missed. he probably likes hearing stories of bad moments too, so he gets a more full understanding of Wukong's pregnancy experience.]

Macaque says something like: "Sorry I wasn't here for alot of it.", and Wukong just replies like "Eh. You got plenty of time to make it up."

Macaque often asks Wukong "how it was" to be carrying the Stone Egg. especially for so long, and he's always glad to hear Wukong's rambling stories about his odd symptoms ("You couldn't eat peaches?! How did you survive?") and the tales of the many gods and demons that shrunk away nervously when they discovered his condition. Macaque is still shocked that Wukong managed to keep the Egg a secret from PIF and DBK (and most of Heaven) for so long too - and might give him the stinkeye for risking himself and the baby during the Samadhi Fire ritual.

Its also around the time Macaque really has it sink in that; "Oh sh-t. I attacked the Monk and fought Wukong when he was pregnant. No wonder he killed me." He isn't sure how to build himself up to discussing this fact with Wukong yet, but he'll get there.

[Yuebei describing a world ending fire that can tear apart the fabric of reality "spicy" in baby terms. as a baby she tries to chew on Red Son hair "because the spiciness has gone down."]

Red Son holds Yuebei for the first time (after a lot of encouragement from his parents and MK), and the first thing the baby does is tug Red's hair from his ponytail and try chewing it. Red's hair is ruined with baby monkey drool by the time someone gets Yuebei off of him.

Wukong, snorts out a laugh at the sight: "She must like hot food. She tried eating the Samadhi Fire the first time around." Nezha: "She what?!" Wukong: "Oh yeah... didn't tell you that part yet." Nezha, angry flames flaring up: "You mean to tell me that you were "with Stone Egg" during the ritual to separate the Samadhi Fire!? She could have suffered the same fate as Ao Lie!" Wukong, guilt-ridden: "Yeah. Don't remind me. She kicked me non-stop for days afterwards." Yuebei: *tries grabbing Nezha's skates to test the "spicyness"*

Red makes sure to keep his hair covered the next time he sees the cub.

[Wukong def doesn't leave Ao Lie's side for weeks after the ritual to make sure he's okay (I like to think that the fourth ring wasn't a problem at first, but as time passed symptoms started cropping up and then they started getting worse and worse).] + [Wukong apologies at least 200 times everytime they see each other, Ao Lie never blames him for anything. Wukong is there when he dies, Wukong's mental health obviously takes an even worse turn.]

Even being a dragon that could handle flame magic, Ao Lie was ultimately just *one* dragon. One that rarely used his fire magic at all save for the time he acted out at his father pre-Journey. He practiced great self-control in making sure that the Ring he held within didn't start a blaze that spread outwards to hurt his friends.

But in supressing his symptoms, Ao Lie inadvertently hid how much pain he was in from his dearest friends. Wukong knew something was wrong immediately when the infamous White Horse Dragon no longer had the strength nor will to carry even one of his pilgrim brothers. The weakness, the pain, the burning in his joints; it was all to obvious how hard the dragon tried to hide it.

Wukong cries for months after Ao Lie leaves them/passes away. And the dragon's last words to assure his friend that he never blamed him for the accident, nor his baby. Ao Lie was just sad that he'd never be able to meet the cub in this lifetime. He just wants Wukong to stop being so hard on himself for it. If only the dragon he tell him that in person.

[they are both all the more grateful when they finally learn, especially PIF who understands that putting his own baby at risk for hers must have been a difficult decision, so he also has more respect from her because of that. they also chastise him for putting his own baby at risk. but imagine how they (and Ne Zha) would feel upon learning the reason he slipped was his baby reacting badly to the fire, considering losing control and slipping was something he got a lot of flack for because of the danger it posed.]

OH the second PIF hears that Wukong put himself at risk of the Samadhi Fire whilst pregnant - she's flying straight over to shout how "stupid and reckless it is!". But she soon calms down and pulls him into a soft hug, whispering with a single tear (out of range of the kids); "Thank you for saving my baby. Now allow me to protect yours." Wukong was confused but very touched that the Princess recognised the risk he took in helping lil Red Son all those years ago. She knows it was a tough call to make.

When the lotus prince overhears that Sun Wukong has been pregnant "since at least the Journey", he just crumbles at the realisation that Wukong was in fact pregnant during the ritual. Nezha blames himself for not recognising that Wukong was carrying at the time, and even more so how he blamed him for "screwing up!" the ritual whilst distracted. He now realises that the baby was likely reacting to the sudden surge of fire magic and Wukong was in great pain. He def makes an awkward apology once they run into eachother at the start of S3. He refuses to let Wukong get into danger or exert himself tho - Nezha's a momma's boy at heart after all.

[Spider Queen's yelling falters as a shadow falls over her. she turns, looks up, and finds herself being stared down by a very angry Guanyin. SQ gets her ass handed to her.]

Spider Queen hears the sounds of a thousand knuckles cracking and realises that she's looking at the person who might as well be the Monkey King's Mama. SQ ain't even mad by the end of it. She would have done the same (she'd def the kinda mom to beat up her kids' bullies).

I love the imagery of the rest of the Spider Gang just... watching it unfold. They only need a single glare from Guanyin to not step in. LBD is hiding far away atm cus she knows the goddess would recognise her magic at a glance. Or recognise her host as being a possessed little girl and reverse-kidnap her for an exorcism.

LBD only comes out to heal SQ's injuries from the Divine butt-whooping once Quanyin has left. And although SQ kinda trusts the demon a little more, she's far more hesistant to step on the Monkey King's toes than before if his Mama's gonna respond. SQ is a lot more scheming for the rest of S2.

[so blatantly ignoring Wukong's presence while the bone demon is practically hovering over his shoulder would be too obvious. he fixes this by only seeming to attack when MK starts trying to talk about him.]

I can almost imagine Macaque's demeanor becoming especially cold towards the crew, particularly MK. He can't risk Wukong knowing that MK told Macaque about not only the baby, but also how Wukong was pregnant during the Journey. He just wants to grab the Kid, give him to LBD, fufill his contract, and maybe make up for it later when this all blows over.

Macaque from MK's perspective during S3;

But by ignoring Wukong and focusing solely on MK, he still draws Wukong's attention. His sunlight isn't a dumb monkey. He knows what Macaque ignoring somebody looks like (thinking back to the Brotherhood days when Macaque would pretend not to hear Peng's criticisms). And he's still protective over "his cub" whenever MK dodges a shadow attack.

Eventually it comes to a head when they meet just after Lantern City. Macaque is clearly in pain from an icy curse, and isn't saying anything to him. He's aknowledging Nezha sure, but it's like he's pretending Wukong doesn't even exist right now - even as he leaves the King untouched by the powers lended to him by LBD.

Wukong, shouting: "Why are you doing this!? Don't you know that Lady Bone Demon will kill everyone if she gets her hands on the Fire!? Macaque: *silently tries to fly past Wukong towards the ritual sight* Wukong, flying infront of him: "STOP! You've been like this, this whole road trip! Are you possessed? Or are you too much of a coward to look me in the eye!?" (*a small one-sided mid-air fight happens as Wukong beats the everloving crap out of Macaque, slamming him into the rocks below*) Wukong, crying: "C'mon! JUST TALK TO ME!!!" Macaque, sad frown as the ice spreads: "I don't... want to make you choose again." Wukong: "What!? That makes no sense!" Macaque: *goes silent again. Escapes Wukong's hold via shadow portal and books towards the ritual altar*

Odds are Macaque doesn't even force Tang to do the ritual, the ice on his body having spread so much that he can barely whisper "Do it." before the scholar catches on the severity of the situation. Wouldn't be surprised if the shadow monkey stayed with the group afterwards as a "my bad" once the curse was lifted.

Wukong only realises after he confronts LBD and gets her ultimatium what Macaque meant by "choose again"...

[the thought of losing the found family he's managed to gain after spending so long alone makes him falter, he pushed everyone away for centuries until now and he's just started relearning what it's like to have his loved ones around again, he doesn't want to lose them now. but on the other hand the thought of LBD targeting his egg and using their dao to fuel her mech makes him feel physically sick. he can't afford to lose his egg, not after this long. he'd never recover. funny, how it ends up being LBD who gets consumed by the egg. how the tables have turned. as concerning as the egg consuming her initially was, Wukong can't help but smirk and call it hubris.]

In the question of his new family vs his Egg; Wukong would always be left stalling. Wukong def sees LBD'a hubris as her downfall, but admits that she really threw him for a loop when she made the offer. He especially laughs at the fact that the Egg consumed LBD almost in the same fashion it tried absorbing the Samadhi Fire so many years ago - guess his baby found the ancient demoness "less spicy".

BTW I love the art you did for this scene!! Stone Egg had enough of LBD's nonsense and was Hangry, and Bama had spoken some sense into Baba, and now Nom NOM NOMNOM.

[egg was like "troop is here? mate is here now? food is sufficient? now these are prime birth conditions!" *sends Wukong into labor*]

Be post-battle Wukong thinking all his aches and pains are just from his injuries/possession, and not from his baby sending him into extended labor. >:3

Stone Egg knows when the Time is Right. And the troop is all here so... being born time.

[seeing Yuebei look like him and the joy that brings him and Wukong both is def one of the things that makes it finally click. he so easily could have lost this by his own hand, he could've cost Wukong this. in that moment he not only gets over the whole dying thing completely in an instant, he almost feels glad that Wukong did whatever he had to to ensure little Yuebei's safety, even if it was Macaque himself Wukong had to keep her safe from. Wukong def thinks Macaque's "dying squeaky toy" reaction to being asked about what he thinks of Yuebei is adorable.]

Oh gosh Macaque realising that the baby looking like him brings Wukong joy too would make him cry even harder. He almost cost his mate everything by risking the world over his own debt to the Bone demon. Mac would gladly have died all over again if it kept the baby safe.

Wukong, petting Yuebei's big fluffy *glowing* ears: "So cute. What do you think, Plums?" Macaque: *blubbering, dying squeaky toy sound* Wukong, laughing softly: "Me too." *kisses Yuebei's face* Yuebei: *grumpy sleepy coo*

Its a very sappy moment between the pair.

[Wukong and Macaque as DBK's sworn brothers def joke that they always knew he was a big softy. Wukong is laughing at Yuebei trying to kiss Guanyin's tears away whilst also giving Guanyin a big hug. MK loves that he's being referred to as the big brother, even if only honorary. Mei def has hundreds of photos of everyone's reactions.]

PIF isn't far behind her husband either. The tiny precious thing in her arms nearly died in a bid to save her own baby. She plants a big kiss on Yuebei's forehead, forgetting that her lipstick stains. Her husband chuckles, still teary-eyed, at his wife's embarassment at planting a big kiss mark on the baby's head.

Guanyin is at Wukong's bedside, still crying at how beautiful and healthy the long-awaited baby is. And Yuebei is just "why you crying? lemme do the thing everyone did to me when I was crying" and tries planting big wet kisses below Guanyin's eyes. Wukong is just beaming with how sweet the sight is.

MK is having unknown instinctual urge to curl up with Yuebei (his honorary sister) next to the other monkeys. Pigsy laughs that MK did the same with his fave plushie for years.

[it would be even worse considering Yuebei likely has Azure as a "bad voice", so him talking about her Baba would not make her feel any better, even if she can't actually understand what is being said.]

Yuebei has very vague memories of Bad Sounds, like the three Brotherhood hurting her Baba a long time ago. The birdy (Peng, who captured Wukong in the Yin-Yang vase that nearly killed him) gets the fastest response of anger - which only proves to the trio that Macaque is the baby's other parent.

Peng: "Hmph. With these ears, we don't need any guesses on who the other-" Yuebei: *screeches like a banshee when Peng comes closer!* >:O! The Brotherhood: "..." Peng, amused smile: "Though, she's certainly braver than he was." Yuebei: *most intimidating hiss she can muster* Azure, thinking it's like a kitten spitting: "Aww."

Also, Mac is def the kinda guy to use exaggerated versions of the Brotherhood's voices when narrating villain characters in Yuebei's books. The little raspberry noises (or "Boos" as Mac likens them to) she makes at the voices encourages him even further.

With the Brotherhood, Yuebei keeps hearing them talking about her Baba and Bama, and the rest of her troop, but its all in tones that sound super negative and she *hates* it. She just wants her parents!

[Yellowtusk looks at Azure talking about having Wukong at his side at last with an infant (that he was being neglectful of) that so very clearly belonged to Macaque, with Macaque and Wukong seeming to be on good terms these days if Macaque's anger at Azure for imprisoning Wukong in the scroll was anything to off of, and start seeing just how possessive and obsessive Azure really was and just goes "oh, you are a terrible person, actually" and decides that his brothers aren't actually the people he wants to associate himself with.]

By this point Azure is also corrupted by the Emperor's power, so a lot of what he's saying is a mix of geniune yearning, and maddened desire. In the old days, Azure would at least keep these thoughts hidden and focus on the bigger picture. Now he's spiralling down a Caligulan rabbit-hole with Wukong's increasingly-distressed infant in his grasp.

Yellowtusk immediately catches on that this Azure Lion is not the man he called brother anymore. He makes the quick decision to alert someone outside the Celestial Realm for assistance, even if it compromises their successful coup. And considering Yellowtusk is the only one with the sense to feed and bathe the hostage infant, he's not surprised when she turns on Azure and Peng specifically.

[they'd have it like, preserved or something so they could keep letting her use it as a chew toy. if not that then they would have hung it only the mantle place where they've also been keeping LBD's skull for the time being.]

Oh they would have. Wukong def would preserve Azure's tail like a dog's chew toy if Yuebei wanted to keep it. But I think Azure canonically doesn't have a tail - it's not in his design, though in Jttw its's described as "long as a broom". If it were I def see Yuebei throwing Azure around by it like plush toy.

Some of Peng's feathers are stolen too (Yuebei had a mouthful of them) and Macaque and Sandy turned the feathers into a cat toy. Mo and Yuebei both adore it.

[tonyglowheart]

"Does Shen Qiao even like Yan Wushi?"

I feel like it may be relatively easy for people to pick out "what does Yan Wushi like about Shen Qiao / what does YWS get out of yanshen." but I think a criticism/line of thought I see around is people struggling with "well what does Shen Qiao get out of all of this?" and like, "does SQ even like YWS, what with how YWS annoys him and gets him angry all the time."

But I think that actually is the crux of their relationship, lol. Because if you think about it, to everyone else, Shen Qiao is this lofty ideal, this untouchable immortal/仙, maybe even this obstacle or goal to conquer or shoot down.

Who else treats him casually and teases him and pokes at him to get emotional reactions out of him because they like that about him?

If he wants to seek people who treat him with respect and reverence, he just has to step out into the city square - hell, he just has to travel out and random people he meets are likely to treat him with that sort of dazzled awe or reverence too (we literally see this happen several times in the course of the novel).

So yeah, I think joking not joking, YWS makes him angry and feel Emotions and he likes that, YWS is enrichment for him, YWS pushes his buttons and his boundaries but reframing that it's pushing him out of his comfort zone and like hardening him off to the elements and realities of the world like a gardener with plants out of the greenhouse. But also, YWS treats him like a person, like a man, and not like Shen-daozun, Shen-daozhang, Shen-zhangjiao. To Yan Wushi, Shen Qiao is Shen Qiao. (and he loves to tease the shit out of him hehe (￣▽￣) )

CONVERSELY! This also gives Shen Qiao a space to *be* Shen Qiao. With Yan Wushi, he does not have to be Shen-daozun, Shen-daozhang, Shen-zhangjiao. He does not have to always be magnanimous and generous and a bastion of righteousness. These are in his nature, yet, but it's not ALL of his nature - he is, after all, still a man, a human, with human emotions -- including the full breadth of human emotions. Yes Yan Wushi annoys him and he shows it, but it's specifically BECAUSE of that that they are closer than him and anyone else in the world. He can "be himself" around Yan Wushi, he can get worked up and be petty and be snippy, and it's fine and won't cause catastrophes or undesired splashdown sociopolitical effects.

But also, he (lets himself?) get worked up by Yan Wushi - they HAVE that level of intimate understanding with each other where they can be like this and not have feelings hurt in any irreparable way. This isn't something that SQ does (lets himself do?) with just anyone, which we see throughout the novel reflected in his internal narration and comportment. So really, the fact that he DOES get annoyed with YWS shows that they are on a different, more "real" level with each other than SQ is with anyone else.

And like, they didn't get there in a day, sure, but imo we definitely see through the novel how they get there, so imo, the yanshen relationship is incredibly justified.

(I also say this bc I think literally every "I've connected the two dots" moments I've had in my reread, I would metaphorically flip the page only to be met with that connection I'd made spelled out on the page by MXS lmao. Like... yeah okay MXS *shakes your hand* you know your stuff. oh and also because I do think there may be some level of skepticism about yanshen esp from SQ's side floating around lol, but like... MXS did the legwork! yes chapter 45 happened, yes YWS never "apologizes" with words, but that doesn't mean that they don't share a deep mutual understanding of themselves and each other by the end, nor that they haven't moved past the events of literally 83 chapters ago, 96 if you count the extras -- a whole literal two-thirds of the novel ago. Like, I know we piss on the poor here and many educational systems around the world are in shambles these days, but work on developing reading comprehension skills, pls :') )

(lmao rip this post got long AGAIN. well, hopefully at least some people are reading all of this lol.)

[itjazzbicch]

Festivities

Pairing: Yami Sukehiro x Fem Reader

(First time writing Yami, so I hope I did well!) 

Summary: Seeing Charlotte and Vaness trying to impress Yami at the festival makes the reader feel some jealousy considering she also has a crush on him, avoids him, and has an attitude when they do cross paths, but once all alone and called out on her awkward behavior considering they are good friends, the reader shoots her shot...

Warnings:  SMUT (18 + ONLY! MINORS & AGELESS BLOGS DNI!) (Drinking, smoking, fingering, unprotected sex, public (alleyway) sex, swearing)

Word Count: 2.1k 

I DO NOT OWN THIS GIF:

"Hey Captain Y/N! What's the matter? You look so upset!"

I had some great kids on my squad. This festival was their time to go out and have some fun, but they were always checking in on me. I did appreciate it, but closed my eyes in the dark alleyway, blowing out the smoke from my cigarette:

"I'm alright, kid. Don't worry about me. Go enjoy the festival."

"You're lying!" He knew, pointing out, "You only smoke when you're angry or stressed out!"

God damn it, these kids knew me too well. Still, I shook my head:

"It's nothing serious, I promise. Now, go before I put you to work or something."

"You enjoy the festival too, cap!" He insisted, running off and as I finished my cigarette, I thought that maybe he was right.

I know it's so immature, being jealous of Charlotte and Vanessa who were trying to impress Yami. That man sure had a good bit of girls wanting him, sadly I was one of them too.

Maybe some food and a drink would help me out. Stepping out of the alley, that was my first goal, getting the biggest mug of beer someone was selling at their booth, downing it, and hearing as I passed some more booths:

"Try some of our delicious squid!"

"How about some of this!"

Asta and that Bah-ha kid?

Glancing over, there was Jack and Yami, clearly in a competition to sell more food than the other.

"Come on, Captain Y/N! I promise you'll love it!" Asta offered to me, and it was hard to tell him no, I had a soft spot for the kid, but I heard Yami's voice that was directed at Jack:

"Y/N and I are good friends! She knows I can cook!"

"Ha! Yeah right! Y/N and I used to be on the same squad!"

God, Jack and Yami's yelling was starting to give me a headache, chugging down the rest of my beer and thinking about Charlotte and Vanessa again when I saw Yami, I took the meat from that Bah-ha kid, taking a bite and murmured:

"Thanks, kid."

"What the hell, Y/N!" Yami yelled out and I got a chuckle out of that, walking away from their continuous yelling:

"Told you so, Yami!"

Jack managed to surprise me with his food. It was impressive considering that he made it, finishing it and while exploring more of the festival, my attention was grabbed when I heard a while later:

"Charlotte and Vanessa are having a drinking contest!"

I had to get a peek at that, seeing them both face down on the table meanwhile, neither one of them had finished a single glass.

"How pathetic," I took this as a chance to one-up them, heading to the table and downing drink after drink, having the crowd that was watching cheer, wiping the foam off my face as I finished the very last one, "That's how you drink, ladies."

In the crowd, I saw Yami. Some chatter I heard when I first came over made it clear that those two girls were trying to out-drink each other to impress him. Well, now I was the one standing tall, laughing while I took a cigarette, lighting it up, and heading off considering the star ceremony was soon:

"Thanks for the free drinks, chumps."

"Hey Y/N-" Yami's voice trailed behind me, but I didn't bother to stop, only reminding him:

"Shouldn't you be going to the castle for the ceremony? Better move your ass."

That stopped him in his tracks for a change, not caring and heading over for the ceremony. Truthfully, I barely paid attention. All those drinks were starting to catch up with me and there was something about Black Bulls getting second place. Who would've guessed?

My squad was third and I tried to play off that I wasn't tipsy while accepting, not bothering to stick around after. I figured I'd get to my squad and think of some motivational speech to congratulate them. Their hard work earned us this star after all.

Lighting up another cigarette while walking back through the festival and in the direction of my base, I stopped as I heard:

"Third place ain't bad. Congratulations."

Yami. Again?!

"Thanks. You got second place, right? A miracle," I had to poke at the fact that his squad wasn't at the bottom for once, but returning, "Congratulations, Yami."

"Thank you," Taking a step closer to me, I took a deeper hit of my cigarette, "But what's your deal?"

"What do you mean?" I never felt so anxious, back against the wall of the building we were next to as he got closer:

"You picked Jack over me? And when they were having that drinking contest, it was like you were staring a hole through me. I thought we were friends."

"I'm sorry," Guilt was on my mind considering the reason behind my behavior, truly apologetic, murmuring, "I'm just not having the best day."

"And you're just being an ass to just me?" It was like he already knew, taking my cigarette as I went to ash it and hit it himself, "Seems like you have a grudge against me. I thought you were the type to call people out when something bothered you."

I was that type. Now, standing here shy and timid. That wasn't like me.

"Listen, Yami," I needed more nicotine before I took this leap, taking my cigarette back and closing my eyes, and whispering, "I like you, and overhearing some girls talking about you made me a little jealous in a way, alright?"

I finally opened my eyes when I heard him laughing, confused as to why he was responding with laughter:

"You serious, right now?!"

My face went straight as I felt a bit insulted by his response, getting the last hit out of my cigarette before flicking it away. In my head, I had to remind myself of who I was. A go-getter, not afraid of anything.

He was still laughing while I blew out the smoke, pulling his head to mine and kissing him with every bit of passion I had just to prove that I was indeed serious. My hand ran through his hair as our lips danced, shaking from a rush as he kissed back.

"That serious enough for you?" Pulling away and taking a huge breath, I turned because all he did was stare, ready to leave, but not leaving without the last word, "You know what? Just forget about it."

Great. All I did was embarrass myself. I was going to run through all the cigarettes that I had in just a night now that I was feeling even worse, but suddenly, my blood pressure shot through the roof.

Yami caught my hand before I was too far away, yanking me back and right against his lips, already moaning at how his tongue worked into my mouth as he pushed me up against the wall, growling against my lips:

"You're just gonna walk away after kissing me like that?"

"Well, you didn't say anything," Just that kiss had me panting when I looked to meet those deep brown eyes, not wanting to talk anymore, caressing his cheek and bringing his lips back to mine, "But if you're on the same page as me."

The instant our lips met again, I started melting into a pool of dirty thoughts and temptations, hands wandering across his broad chest and feeling his abs under his shirt, eyes shooting down when he moved my hand away and unbuckled his pants.

"Yami-" Not that I was opposed to the idea, but we were right in an alleyway, anyone could walk along and find us.

"What? Afraid you can't handle all this?" Putting my hand at his waistband, there was no way I could fight the desire to slip my hand into his trousers, his cock rock hard and steaming with heat, stroking slowly down to feel his length.

I took a moment to look around and make sure we were all alone, it was deserted, not even a fly around us, the only light lengths away from us so that we were left in the dark.

"I just don't want to get caught or anything is all," Still pumping his cock in my hand, I bit my lip at the feeling of two fingers under my skirt, easily finding my clit against my panties, slipping in to feel how soaked I was, pressing my face into his chest as he started to pump into me.

"Just don't be too loud," It amazed me how careless he could be sometimes, taking the time to tease me with a whisper, "You're already so wet and tight. Guess, I'll get you off with my hand then, huh?"

His thumb finding my clit and rubbing at the same time had me moaning into his chest, being as quiet as I could, shaking and taking a handful of his shirt when I started to cum around his fingers, picking my head up to whisper back:

"Only fair if you get your fix too. Just fuck me already."

"Naughty girl," He chuckled, kissing and pushing my panties to the side, picking me up by the thighs and positioning himself, my head falling back, squeezing the muscle of his triceps, soft bites leaving marks along my neck while his cock started to stretch me wide, humming to me, "Now, that feels too good."

"You feel good too," I gasped out, looking to see our hips meet, burning against one another as he gave a sweet roll, "Sooo good, Yami."

"That right, shortcake?"

My hands tangled in his hair, having to stop myself from nearly screaming at the quick, powerful thrust that sent his cock deep inside, each thrust coming quicker than the last, my jaw hung, and throat jumbled with the filthy moans that I couldn't let out.

"T-That's right," I choked out, hugging his head to bury my face in his shoulder, finally letting out the moans dying to get out of me, "You're so damn good, Yami!"

"Squeezing me tight like that, I can't help myself," Pushing my back against the wall and keeping me pinned, my arms and legs were latched around him and clinging for dear life, words like I was in a dream, "So warm and soft. Didn't think you'd take me so well, shortcake."

"It's a l-lot," Gasping again, my eyes helplessly rolled to the back of my head, feeling the heat in my stomach grow and ache, especially when his thrust grew even faster somehow, the pound of his tip against my cervix nearly making me scream, "But-; Just, fuck!"

"Hey now, don't wanna get caught, do you?" The ache I felt grew as he started to drag his thrusts out, slowing and kissing, "I know it's good, but you're getting loud, don't ya think?"

"I can't help it," I whined with tears in my eyes, trying to kiss back but constantly moaning, nails dragging along the back of his neck and having me beg, "Faster, again. Yami, please!"

"Oh, you like it fast and rough like that?" I was burying my face again from the relentless pace that outmatched before, walls having an even tight grip, feeling the pulsation from head to toe, his voice nearly an echo in my head, "Gonna make you cum going like that?"

"Yeah!" Pressing my forehead against his, the bliss could even be heard in my tone, so close to the edge that I didn't care, "I don't give a shit if anyone hears. Just make me cum, Yami. I'm about t-, I'm cuming!"

Taking my thighs and spreading them as far as they could, I nearly became one with the wall, a hard thrust keeping our hips pinned, his eyes watching past my skirt to see how I gushed around his cock, walls sucking him back in deeper as he pulled back a little, wanting to see the mess of my slick all over him.

"Got damn, shortcake," He chuckled, letting me ride out the rest of my bliss as my hips began to wind on their own with what little energy I had, "Don't wanna let me go."

"You're so lucky we're where we are right now," I panted under my breath, not thinking he heard, but he did, smirking at me:

"What? Think you can handle a round two or are you just cock drunk?"

"Maybe both," I giggled, gasping as he pulled back, but kept me in his arms, "You just know how to rock my world."

"You know what?" Fixing himself with one hand and easing me to my feet with the other, hand under my skirt and squeezing my ass, winking at me, "I could go for another piece of cake." 

[dandelion-wings]

(Aww.) Kujou Sara for the meme please?

Thank you for the ask! :>

How I feel about this character

I like her a lot! It's more low-key than my Jean screaming, but she is built from the same base archetype (honorable lady knight-equivalent torn between duty/family and, in her case, what she senses is right), and the way she was done utterly dirty by... Inazuma in general, Kujou Takayuki was the worst but let's not pretend that Yae Miko and Ei didn't play their parts... and has managed to get past that and begin to heal and grow has really, really endeared her to me. God, her later teapot lines, where she's actively re-parenting herself.... :'>

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Mostly Shinobu and the Raiden Shogun puppet (very distinct from Ei, where I'll read it occasionally but I honestly don't think Ei deserves her >> ). I can enjoy Itto/Sara for the length of a fun fanart or comic, but not, generally, for the length of a fic. I am intrigued by Sara/Kirara, though TBH I'm more interested in them overall as to how non-romantic interactions might go. There's also Jean/Sara, which is a "put my faves together" pairing but I do think would be fun! And honestly I'm at least willing to play in any space (as testified by my "send her away from Inazuma" AUs) where she's partnered with someone who will encourage her growth and independence.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Still Shinobu--just having a friend is, I think, very good for Sara! After that, Itto, in that I think they are fun contrasts and narrative foils (and also a sad contrast, in that they both have "raised by humans" parallels but it went so tragically differently). I'm similarly fascinated by how she and Kirara contrast. I actually am also very intrigued by the idea of developing out her relationship with Heizou, minimal as it is in canon and as negative as their voicelines are, because I think he could teach her lessons about being more relaxed but still "delivering results," as she says; in a similar way I actually have (a) fic(s) in development about her and Thoma, because I think that relationship could help her grow, too.

And, of course, in my "Sara goes to Mondstadt" AU, I have a completely AU-dependent imaginary relationship for her with Amber that I absolutely adore.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Once again, know very little about the general fandom opinion.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I would love to grab Hoyo by the lapels and shake them until they give me more fucking content. ANY content, as long as it's not being used as the narrative buttmonkey as she is in the AQ, Kokomi's SQ, and that one event with the statue of the Raiden Shogun that EI ENDS UP GIVING TO US AT THE END what the fuck. That was so cruel to her (narratively, not actually Ei's fault, I will admit that). I'm still so angry about it.

[justlarkin]

What's your analysis on MC's character? They're (for fun) seen as bratty, lustful, selfish and in need for attention but it seems to me that they don't want to feel the loneliness they felt after their creation and before they got summoned to Tokyo

WALL OF TEXT WARNING. Yeah, I'd personally agree with the idea that MC's entire character revolves around friends due to some kind of loneliness. I'll elaborate further in a moment though. For now I'll list certain details I noticed about them. 

-Recklessness: MC doesn't particularly seem to care about what happens to them and they'll always throw themself into danger for the sake of others. It's like they lack any self-preservation skills. 

-Insightful: I mentioned this before ofc, but I'll bring it up again. MC is lacking in general knowledge because they're an amnesiac in an unfamiliar world, but they're still smart and insightful in a different way. They're great at reading people and situations. They could see through Hermes' act in Christmas Showdown, they saw through Sandayu's act in the MQ and Kabukicho Night Festival, they pick up on Oniwaka's intentions in his CQ even when it likely wasn't apparent to players, and they consistently see through the World Representatives' bullshit and can point out exactly where they messed up in their relationships with the exiles or exactly what the exiles wanted. 

-MC's Only Interest Are Their Friends: I have mentioned this before too, but MC doesn't really have any canon or consistent interests or desires. Sure, you can occasionally pick an option stating that they can or can't cook, dance, draw, etc, but they don't stick throughout the game. The most I can think of is that MC consistently plays video games without the player's influence, but that doesn't seem like something they'll do on their own and it's more of a group activity thing. MC just does whatever their friends are doing or whatever the plot requires at the moment. Even all the school associations they're involved in such as being the baseball team's manager, being a member of the mountaineering club, or being a member of the cleaning committee is because of other characters. It's not something they'd go out of their way to do on their own. Honestly, it seems more like they're just a jack of all trades, capable of doing anything, but they don't particularly want to.

And when it comes to gifting MC won't express much interest in a specific item like most people. Of course they'll accept whatever physical item is given to them such as homemade gifts like Takemaru's and Lucifuge's Valentine Gifts or trinkets such as Andvari's ring or Chernobog's bracelet, but they won't say "I want [jewelry, books, food, video games, etc]. They'll always just say they want some kind of relationship (familial, friends, romantic) with the person asking or to spend time with whoever is asking. You can see this specific thing in Mugen Tanka's SQ as he worries over not knowing what to get MC before being informed that just spending time with him is enough for them. 

-Forgiving No Matter What: In Chapter 9, Hephaestus mentions that MC likely isn't bothered by anything done to them in previous loops due to some kind of safety mechanism, but it really goes beyond the loops. They won't even get genuinely angry at people like the World Representatives despite the bullshit they put MC through. Annoyed maybe, but genuine anger? No. Even Hermes points this out in Christmas Showdown when he questions why MC isn't mad at him for tricking everyone and he doesn't believe them even if they insist they are. It's odd because it's not like they're completely incapable of it, but their anger is over what most would consider arbitrary. 

-An Exception: Zao seems to be the only one who MC is consistently antagonistic towards regardless of the player's decisions and it makes sense when focusing on MC's traits. During Zao's event, he leaves MC behind to traverse the mountain on his own, which angers them enough for them to track him down to punch him. Zao thought he was doing something good because he was protecting them, but it's actually the ultimate slight towards them. MC values being with others above anything else, so being left behind like that is practically abandonment in their eyes.

To summarize: MC is someone who puts bonds and potential bonds above anything else, including themself. It's odd to explain, but it feels as if MC isn't even a person to me. They're just something acting like one. Of course this can be written off as a consequence of them being a blank self-insert protagonist, but I think it's completely befitting of them in regards to the narrative.

If LWs chooses to go the 4th wall break route: then you can equate MC's behavior to a video game character being puppeteered to complete a game. They don't need to require any actual substance to their character. They just need to progress the plot to win. Every friendship they develop or problem they get into is just another task to complete the game 100%. 

And it also fits in the case of my personal theory. To reiterate something I explained in another post: if the character selection process is canon in the story then the paper that shows up at the end with all of MC's information must be the papers Mononobe references in Chapter 1. It's even stated to be written in MC's handwriting. So you'd have to question why MC was even filling out those papers if they're an unwilling participant who was randomly summoned against their will. That's why I and others like to think that MC was either created for the game or volunteered for it. 

In the case that they were created for the game, then it's like they're just a program completing whatever objective they've been given. They don't need any interests, they can't get upset due to a safety mechanism like Hephaestus mentioned, and their only goal is to form relationships. That's it.

If MC volunteered to be the game's trophy then it fits in with the fact that they used to be a wyrm, the loneliest of demons and explains why they're so obsessed with relationships. Joining the game would've been the perfect opportunity to make friends, so they wouldn't be alone anymore. And their antagonism towards Zao could be explained by their potential fear of abandonment and loneliness since being left behind would bring up bad things for them. I personally like the volunteer theory ta!

Also, I'll mention this before anyone brings it up: Yes, I'm aware that earlier chapters referenced MC coming from a different Tokyo, but they no longer mention it. Now when characters like Tvastar or Macroich ask about their past in recent events, they simply say they remember nothing. 

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 79 (JUMP SQ 24/08)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (July 2024) there are a total 79 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/754631321416089600/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-78-jump-sq-2407?source=share

“That's a reverse-blade sword... a cross scar on the head... that babysitter, it couldn't be..."

Seeing the color drain from Suwa's face, Kenshin prepared himself, wondering if this man also knew who "Battousai'' was.

“You're the Kamiya dojo‘s free-loader, aren't you?”

“Oro?”

Kenshin had assumed for sure that he would be called "Hitokiri Battousai" and nearly trip over.

“Well, that is it.”

“Awuah!”

Kenji, who was on his back, hitting on Kenshin's head like he’s attacking the enemy.

“Around here, you've got a reputation for being extremely strong, but I'm a skilled one too! Huh...eeeeh?!”

Before Suwa could say anything, Kenshin had smashed the three bodyguards with his reverse-blade sword in an instant. Suddenly he was in front of Suwa and glaring at him.

“Now, where are the skilled ones?”

“Aaahhh.” 

Overwhelmed by Kenshin's glare and spirit, Suwa was lost of words, even though usually he’s a man who is good at talking.

“If you don't want to suffer, get out of here.”

He flashes the blade of his reverse-blade sword.

“Daa!

Kenji also yelled an angry "Daa!" at Suwa.

“Hyaa!”

Suwa was so overwhelmed by Kenshin's strength, he was standing there, limping, and had to give up.

“Gu…Guys���” Staggering, Suwa moved towards the defeated bodyguards and called them.

“Guys, are you okay? Now, our strategy is to retreat to avoid an unexpected turn of events.”

“Su... Suwa-san…” The bodyguards also staggered to their feet.

“Who would have thought we'd be fighting the Kamiya Dojo’s free-loader?”

“I've never heard anything about that.”

They had completely lost the will to fight.

As he watched the gang stagger away, Kenshin indulged in deep emotion.

It was a surprise to Kenshin to be called "Kamiya Dojo’s freeloader" rather than "Hitokiri Battousai" by his enemies.

Mikio and his current enemies were probably about the same age as Sanosuke. They were still children when Kenshin was active as Hitokiri Battousai. Even Sanosuke, who was active with the Sekihoutai at the end of the Edo period, didn't know who Battousai was without doing some careful research.

To these young people, Kenshin was "an incredibly skilled guest of Kamiya Dojo." It was a sweet yet sad fact that made him feel how time was changing.

・

“Kenshin!”

Kenshin was lost in his own thoughts and watching the gang run away, when Yahiko came running towards him, out of breath and he heaved his shoulder.

“Mikio, he took your sword...wait, what?”

“I did get the sakabatou.”

Kenshin held up the sheathed reverse-blade sword to Yahiko.

“Oh, so he took it to give to Kenshin? I thought for sure he was taking it to a pawn shop to sell.”

“It's a reverse-blade sword, so it's not worth a penny.”

“Well, that's true. So where's Mikio?”

Yahiko looked around restlessly, but he was nowhere to be found.

“After he handed me the sakabatou, he ran off in that direction..."

Kenshin pointed in a direction different from the cafe and the direction Suwa had fled.

“Well, I guess I'll have to look for him. I need to tell him that his wife has gone into labor and has returned to the tenement house.”

“Oro? Before there were no signs about it?”

“Kaoru and Megumi took her to the tenement, so I don't think there's anything to worry about.”

“I'd like to let him know as soon as possible... Let’s..."

Just as he was about to say that they would search together….

“Hueee…Hueee…,” Kenji began to whine.

“This crying is because of his diaper, that I think.”

“I'll look for Mikio, so you can change his diaper.”

“Sorry I can't help you.”

“That's okay.”

Yahiko runs off to look for Mikio.

Kenshin is about to leave the place, but suddenly stops.

“I feel like I've forgotten something important... Kenji, do you know what it was?”

“Whew, whew.”

Kenji didn't answer Kenshin's question, and continued to whine.

“Hmm... I guess even Kenji doesn't know. Well, then...”

He muttered and looked around.

“!”

Kenshin noticed a muddy tablecloth caught on the bridge.

“Oro…”

He hastily picked up the table cloth, it became more dirty than before he washed it.

“Kenji... How do we pay for this damage? No… if I wash it off with the soap, maybe I can return it to its original, clean state…”

Kenshin hurried back to the cafe to get soap and to change Kenji's diapers.

Kenshin couldn't help but feel that he was in a much more desperate situation than he had been before when he was facing so many enemies.

・

Thus, the first day of the Rabbit Cafe came to a climax.

Shino gave birth to a girl the next morning.

Mikio was found by Yahiko in time for the birth and was brought to the tenement house, so he made it in time for the birth.

Somehow Kenshin managed to wash the muddy tablecloth with soap and it became clean.

・

A month has passed.

The Rabbit Cafe was started because they needed to do something about the rabbits that had been brought into Kamiya Dojo, so Kaoru and the others were meant to help out at first. However, thanks to Usagawa's efforts, he found the waitresses to work exclusively at the cafe, and it was decided to replace Kaoru and the others.

Mikio would continue in his role as manager. The waitresses and backstage staff would hand over their duties, and this day was their last shift.

“It's over already. It went by so quickly…” Kaoru seemed reluctant to leave.

“The rabbit was so cute!” Misao felt that she did her best.

“Well, when you take care of them you start to get attached to them,” Megumi also didn’t seem to completely disagree.

“If Mikio-sama says he doesn't have enough staff, then I'll help out…”

“Geez, we can't keep this master-servant relationship going forever! This is the Meiji era,” Yahiko cut out Tsubame, who seemed to want to work for free.

“The cafe will still open, so you can come any time. Well, I prefer it if you come as a customer and spend money.” MIkio said. Although Western clothes didn't suit him, Mikio had gradually become more comfortable. And little by little, he would become accustomed to the Meiji era.

“Since it's our last day, why don't we have fun after this?”

Everyone nods at Kaoru's suggestion.

“You guys really get along well,” Mikio sounded annoyed.

“Umm, Mikio-sama, let's come along today too… Tsubame invited him.

“Huh? Me too?”

“That's obvious. We're comrades who started up the Rabbit Cafe,” Misao slapped Mikio on the back.

“Ouch, hey it hurts!” Mikio looked happy even though he grunted.

“So, where are we going? Akabeko?”

“You’ll have to wait and see where we go. You’ll go with our group after all,” Megumi said with a smile, she looked like she’s plotting something.

“Well, just shut up and follow us.”

“Geez, I guess there's no other way,” Mikio reluctantly agreed to Yahiko's words.

・

Mikio walked along following the group for a while, but gradually he could no longer keep quiet.

“Hey, you'd better put an end to your scheme,” Mikio said when they arrived at neither Akabeko nor *izakaya, but the tenement house where Mikio lives.

“What on earth are you guys planning to do at my house? I can't fit this many people in there anyway.”

“Well..well…”

Kaoru smiled and she opened the door of the house.

There was Shino holding a baby, Kenshin preparing something, and Kenji was on Kenshin’s back.

“Daah—!” Kenji greeted everyone cheerfully.

“I've brought some beef hotpot from Akabeko. It's a small space here, so let's go out to the *well and eat there, that we are.”

Kenshin headed to the well with food and drinks for everyone.

“Why are you here?” Mikio complained as he chased Kenshin.

“These are the people who helped out on the first day.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

Everyone gathered at the well, and Kenshin handed out sake to those who could drink, and barley tea to those who couldn't.

“The manager should lead the toast,” Kaoru urged.

“Oh, okay. Well then…” Mikio raised his glass and spoke briefly, “You guys have worked hard, cheers!”

Then he drank the sake poured into his glass in one gulp.

“Eh, that's all?” Misao chimed in.

“Shut up, what else are you supposed to say? Tsubame, you said something!” Mikio asked Tsubame to do something impossible.

“Um, well... that's…” Tsubame turned bright red and everyone thought she wouldn't be able to say anything, but she spoke firmly, despite her weak voice, “Mikio-sama, Shino-sama, congratulations on the birth of your child.”

“!”

Mikio, who never expected to be congratulated, was taken by surprise. An indescribable emotion welled up inside him. Not knowing what to do with it, he picked up the bottle of sake in front of him and gulped it down.

“Drinking like that is bad for your health,” Megumi warned him, but Mikio didn't care and drank the whole bottle.

“I... I'm... not the kind of man that you guys should celebrate with…” Mikio was crying a little.

Then, he wiped away his tears and turned back to face Tsubame.

“I'm sorry for everything,” Mikio said, bowing to Tsubame.

“..Mikio....sama?” Tsubame was so overwhelmed that this time she couldn't say anything.

“You see, Daddy is trying to become a real man,” Shino said to the baby she was holding.

“Shut up!” After roaring at the sky, Mikio fell asleep.

The bad deeds he had done. The bad deeds he had avoided. Swallowing all of those things with his alcohol, Mikio slowly became accustomed to the new era.

Notes: *Kamiya Dojo’s free-loader: What he said to Kenshin is Kamiya Dojo no Shokkaku, Shokaku(食客) literally means house guest, but it can be used as slang for free-loader or parasite. (I interpret it as free-loader to convey the slang, but I open for any suggestion) *sakabato: reverse-blade-sword *izakaya: sake bar *well: Since the Edo period, in the tenement house, usually there’s a public well where people gather to wash and take water for drinking and cooking.

.…..to be continued in chapter 80…… 

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://at.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/kamiya-dojo-monogatari/5dqxxnmq29m0

[nobodysdaydreams]

Hey, Bods!! Hope you're doing well. Don't forget to get some rest <3

🤩a WIP snippet about or with dialogue from Eiffel? If you don’t have one for that character, choose someone else!

❓ any WIP snippet you want!

😔published lines or a section of a fic that was super sad, angsty, or difficult to write?

😍 published lines or a section of a fic that you loved writing?

🤩a WIP snippet about or with dialogue from Eiffel? If you don’t have one for that character, choose someone else!

Hm. Sadly, posting long passages for Eiffel gives stuff away. But I'll give what I got:

“Hello…?” repeated Doug. “You okay, Miranda?”

“Hm?” asked Miranda. “Oh…I’m…I’m good. Super.”

But she felt anything but super.

And then here is another one:

“Years ago, I was a nobody. Just a guy working at Pizza Hut who liked drinking beer and smoking cigarettes at the end of a long day. But when I got shocked by a radioactive communications tower, my life changed forever.”

❓ any WIP snippet you want!

Here's one with some Nicholas, Violet, and John content. I hope you like how I'm writing them!

“So, Nick, do you mind if I call you Nick?” asked John.

“Not at all, it’s fine,” said Nicholas, trying to ignore the guilt he was feeling and the fact that while he loved the nickname and how close he already felt to John and Violet, the only person he could ever recall giving him a nickname was his brother.

😔published lines or a section of a fic that was super sad, angsty, or difficult to write?

Any passage where Garrison has forgotten the friendship she had with Milligan and Curtain and believes they want to or would hurt her. I mean, Curtain would, but he wouldn't think of it like that. I loved writing these, but man are they sad.

There's this one from SOS chapter 14:

“Please,” Milligan finally said, taking a step towards the woman, who whimpered and backed away from him, “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to know where Kate is and what you’ve done to her.”

Garrison tentatively looked up at him. He looked more hurt than angry. Even though Garrison knew he should be angry with her. 

There's this one from SOS chapter 28:

It was then that Garrison noticed that Curtain was looking at her. She’d been so caught up in her own memories and feelings, she hadn’t noticed.

But now she realized her fatal mistake.

She’d whispered the name out loud. She hadn’t been trying to, but she had. And Curtain knew who this Niles person was. He remembered whatever had happened, and even worse, worse than all of that, he knew that this was too much for her. That Garrison, at last, could no longer do her job.

Which meant she was no longer of any use to him. She was disposable.

😍 published lines or a section of a fic that you loved writing?

The lines about Curtain and Pedalian (SQ's bio dad)'s friendship. Curtain tries to hard to stay a loner, but he just can't help but want companionship.

“I have plans,” replied Curtain, about to slam the door in his face, when Pedalian interrupted him.

 “What plans?” he asked, and Curtain suddenly felt ashamed to admit that he would be spending the holiday alone, even as he told himself that he had no reason to feel that way.

He glanced down at Pedalian, who was staring at him expectantly.

“I… I don’t know,” he finally answered, giving in, “What dishes would you need me to bring?”

Pedalian smiled, unable to contain his excitement. “Any you want, the more the merrier!” he exclaimed.  

“Well, don’t get too excited, I’m not able to stay for long. See you tomorrow” Curtain said, finally closing the door.

Thanks for the ask! Sorry it took so long!

[ouatsnark]

cont from last ask in 3x19 when zelena revealed she cursed hook's lips emma says that line about why don't you curse the lips of someone I'll actually kiss meaning she wasn't even thinking about kissing hook again but that person doesn't seem to take in account that emma was angry with him and i don't know going up behind her walls again after walsh and neals death?? hook is actually someone who challenges her & that's why she's afraid to open herself up to him? need a debunking

I agree with all of that but I will also add...

Emma doesn't know that Zelena had been spying on her and Killian... so Emma doesn't know that Zelena would even have cause to think she'd kiss Killian Jones. With that in mind, I think Emma is trying to make Zelena's believe she is wrong and thus take away the power Zelena has over Emma by using Killian to get to her.

Also what do they think Emma should've said there? Like ANYONE would be all "oh yes, person trying to kill me, you are so smart for realizing I have the hots for this man! Your plan was so brilliant. Please continue to use him against me!"

Like give me a break. Do they even re-read what they type? No, of course not because they just like making up crap and looking stupid as long as they believe it furthers their fantasy that SQ was a thing.

[hellscape-halogens]

Being jealous, angry, or hurt is fine... as long as you don't do something that hurts someone as a result of those feelings.

Image source: Pinterest

I grew up in trailers, tiny camper RVs, and little manufactured military base homes. the smallest thing I've ever lived in was over almost 3 years, a microscopic chevy camper from the 80s. It was meant to hold 2 people at most but ended up holding 5. It was 350 sq ft at best. My parents were absolute ass with money, my mother especially having an awful time managing money if it didn't come out of an EBT card.

My best friend in high school? His family were heirs to a local retail chain, so he was pretty well off. Not filthy fucking rich, but in my mind they were very much up there. They had a 2000+ sq ft house with the biggest most magnificent windows I've ever seen and a kitchen I still find myself dreaming about... plus the food variety.

I remember crying by myself in their pantry after I was told it was okay to throw away a snack after I had been told it was okay if I didn't want to finish it.

But the jealousy-- and sometimes even the anger-- that I would feel because I saw so much wealth and time and love poured into the making of this home... I saw the windows and the spacious floor plan. I also saw photos, pictures, and achievements spanning back almost 2 decades. And I would think to myself that my own parents never kept anything like that, not even a report card or a picture from school picture day. Some would end up in the garbage because it "cluttered up" the wall or fridge, or it wasn't anything special to my parents.

I saw the love and the togetherness, and the fact that his parents cared enough to keep a drawing from 2006 up on their refrigerator when my parents threw anything older than a few days away. And I realized when I was 16 that my parents didn't really care, and it took me longer to realize they never would.

But did I allow my jealousy to affect my relationship with my friend? Absolutely not. I enjoyed myself in his presence and around his parents because they were some of the only people who truly made me feel like I was a part of something and not an outsider encroaching on their personal space.

My jealousy helped me confront the fact that my parents were not good people, and aided me in directing my energy toward devising a plan to get out and find a place where I would be properly appreciated.

I'm happy to report that I have found that place... but it still hurts that I had to wait almost my whole life to find it.

[saltymongoose]

Y’know how there’s fan clubs and fanfiction and Player x Reader stuff?

What if the main four found it, or other people outside of the Reader fan club. I’m pretty sure 2bDamned would secretly use these to try and satisfy his suppressed needs only to find himself needing Reader like ten times more.

Hank would be jealous and try to kill the poor authors probably.

Idk about the rest but the idea of them constantly fawning over Reader even when they’re not around would be adorable.

I love this idea so much, thank you lol. I'm not quite sure how it would work chronologically for the Main Four, but let's say for brevity's sake that you happened to control them somehow before coming into Nevada and visiting the Nexus (also starting off their knowledge of and obsession with you in the process). The most likely scenario is that Doc and Deimos find a multitude of emails when they're going through a database. They immediately stop skimming the paragraphs once they realize the actual subject of them, going from bored to completely enthralled in an instant. The Nexus Core workers wrote fanfiction about you? And had dedicated clubs for it and your "fans"? They all reacted to it a bit differently.

To begin with those who first found them, Deimos kinda grows addicted to reading the fanfics? They fuel his already abundant daydreams about what being in a relationship with you will be like, giving him new ideas to think about and consider when he plans out dates and things like that. Don't get him wrong, he's a bit (extremely) jealous that all of these grunts have met you in person before him, but the content they make just gets him more excited to finally have you in front of him. He also probably makes a sock puppet account so he can infiltrate the chats they have to get more of the fics directly and fawn over you with the Nexus workers lol.

Doc is similar, but he initially uses them as a way to "act out" any fantasies he's been focusing on in his head to try and get them out of his system before he goes to work. He figures if he spends a few hours immersing himself in content about you, his brain might get tired of it just enough to allow him some actual focus. It doesn't work though. The temptation of having stories about you at his fingertips is something he can't help but fall into, and he has to catch himself before he spends the entire day reading story after story about you. It's worse because the writers have actually seen you up close, so he knows the details about the way your eyes appear, how you smell, or the little mannerisms you have are probably accurate. It only makes his obsession with you larger, and his yearning to actually meet you himself reaches a new high. He has to see you now, he needs to. Soon he's going back to the emails to find any information regarding your precise location. It'll bring the SQ in direct conflict with the Nexus Core if he isn't careful, but he doesn't care. Getting you was vital, no matter the consequence.

Hank is angry once he learns about it. He feels he should've expected it; you're absolutely perfect in his eyes, so of course people would fawn over you like this. However, the fact that someone other than him is doing it and having romantic fantasies makes him incredibly jealous. The fact that these grunts supposedly "know" you only makes it worse, since he considered them legitimate threats to your impending relationship. In all likelihood, he'll make a point of "visiting" any Nexus facilities they mention to get rid of as much of his competition as possible. Besides, maybe you'll even be impressed by his efforts. They are proof of his love, after all.

Sanford's a little ashamed by how much he finds himself liking them, and mortified by the thought of you finding out. As such, they're a complete guilty pleasure for him. Seriously, he's red with embarrassment the entire time he reads the words and he actually has to take a break if the fic gets a bit too hot and heavy (let's just say that Sanford's vivid imagination runs a little wild with this lol). He's self-aware to the extreme here, worried that you know about the fics' existence and thinks they're creepy so he'll be considered creepy by extension, it's a whole jumbled mess. And yet, he can't help himself. He's honestly a little jealous of how your "fan club" is so open about their love for you, but that's overshadowed by how envious he is that they've actually met you. It makes him wonder how much of these scenarios you'd actually do, cause they must've been inspired by something, right?

As for the others outside of the main four, Hofnarr is well aware of his worker's escapades related to you, and he feels a little conflicted. On one hand, he knows you personally, so he thinks it's very improper to be indulging in fantastical stories about you behind your back. (Especially with the more...risque things the Nexus Core grunts come up with.) But on the other hand, they're very entertaining? At least, that's the excuse he comes up with for reading them. (It's totally not because you're so busy that he finds himself yearning for more of your presence at all times, of course not, that'd be so selfish-) As for the fan clubs, let's just say he's a valued patron for some of their merchandise and may or may not be considered a senior member (even if it's honorary).

Contrary to popular belief, Jeb does have some idea of the stuff the Nexus Core does with regards to you. It'd be weirder for him not to, especially after finding a keychain with your face on it in one of Hofnarr's desk drawers. But he isn't clued in on the fanfics about you, which is lucky for the Nexus grunts considering his horrified reaction to Phobos' own works. He just thinks the trinkets they make are an innocent form of idolization; it's not like their devotion towards you could ever come close to his, so he sees no reason to intervene too much. (Outside of maybe keeping them from interacting with you for prolonged periods, if he sees them getting a little too comfy in your presence.) Although he's also seriously considering asking Hofnarr to get him some item related to you.

[flower-of-assiah]

Just a quick rant, because this bothers me a lot (no hate towards you):

Why is everyone so angry about that it takes a month longer? It's not like the manga is canceled forever. Just read her tweets for once...

Also, has anyone of you ever been a manga artist? Do you know how stressful this job is (especially in Japan)? I think not, so just stop. You're embarrassing yourself.

Most of you don't even buy the manga and just read it somewhere online, so what are you all angry about if she's delaying the release.

If you really support her, you would just be patient.

I don't think I need to psychologically analyse and explain the situation further. Just think for yourselves for once...

don't worry I didn't think it's hate towards me (especially since I was defending Kato and on the other note I do buy the manga, merch, Jump SQ, etc, anything to support aoex!) so you are all good and I take no offense to what you said.

so your rant is valid, and while I prefer not to assume the worst in others, there is a bit of entitled attitude I have seen towards Kato taking a hiatus, and it has left me a bit bothered too.

idk I can't imagine with being an artist the fact she also almost was gonna do two series at the same time with 30+ pages each month? that's an insane amount of work! for her health I'm glad she just did a hiatus, plus it's cool her getting an opportunity to work on something that sounds like a dream job!

also taking into account how often there is stories of how overworked mangaka are, it makes complaining about her taking a break feel more jarring as it's a good thing she chose that route over trying to take on more than can be handled.

I guess the thing here is I know a hiatus can be hard, has been sad for me too! but the assumptions saying that Kato doesn't care/she wants AoEx to end because she took a break I don't get that at all and it feels like such a bad faith assumption to choose to make

at the end of the day as this is her series, legit no one could possibly love it to the level she does as it would not exist without her and her love of it to spend 10+ years (and counting) creating it month after month, it's impossible to dedicate that much of your life to a story and NOT care imo

also if it's any relief to your rant, I have seen just as many if not waaay more people respect Kato throughout this hiatus and her choice to take a break and not overwork herself, sometimes seeing a few more negative assumptions can cloud that, but there's definitely real love and respect for Kato and her work in this fandom everywhere!

have a good day, and I mean this for everyone! <3

[missnight0wl]

JC realised that not every player is fully familiar with the HP universe, so some things have to be explained. Of course, MC didn’t have to be turned totally ignorant just for that, but…

I'm sorry, but people can go do their research on some parts of HP Universe if they want to know details. This is a game that requires a constant internet connection, so I would assume if they are confused about something, they can use a search engine and get their answer. This isn't against you, please don't see this as me being angry at you because I fully understand what you mean, but this is so unnecessary and distracting narration-wise that it really boils my blood.

I really dislike how Jam City tries so hard to stick to the canon when said canon's own writer can barely stick to her writing and makes up stuff on the fly ("wizards shit standing up and magic it away" my ass). I really wish they would take more liberties with how this story is an AU than a canon story taking place before Harry's arrival.

I wish they would show creativity by enrichening the universe themselves through their fillers by taking protection under the AU umbrella.

For example, rather than spend time researching Floo Network, something any wizardfolk worth their salt would know about and how to use, they could have made up some sort of permit students need to use it during school time and MC having to navigate the bureaucracy and red tape of obtaining one, or going to Jae to get a fake one because they are denied one due to their Vault shenanigans.

Or hey, maybe Dumbledore made the Hogwarts' network not work on MC because, again, Vault shenanigans and the fact they are in year-long detention, which comes with more restrictions, so MC has to sneak to Hogsmeade to use Madam Rosmerta's fireplace!

In that, we can learn more about the daily wizard life and maybe Rosmerta would share stories about Jacob. Rakepick is involved too, so add her too!

All I'm saying is... Jam City is really not taking advantage of the more creative freedom they have with the universe since the author is not involved in the slightest beyond giving them the license to do work and earn money through it.

Oh, I absolutely agree with you! Although I still want to point out a couple of things.

1) As for checking the information on the Internet: people are fucking lazy. I mean, seriously. I’m constantly shocked how hard it apparently is for people to use Google. And surprisingly, it doesn’t really depend on people’s age. Of course, it’s kind of irrelevant here because it shouldn’t be the creators’ concern, I believe. Especially when we talk about the HP franchise. I imagine that most players know the most basic information.

2) I have no evidence for that, but I imagine that JC does have some legal restrictions as to how much freedom they have. I still believe that it might be why the Weasleys or Tonks were never available as “datable” choices, even as friends. Actually, now that I think about it, I wonder if it might also be why the SQ about Bill’s crush on Emily Tyler was removed… Of course, it’s kind of irrelevant here because JC does approach the canon rather freely in some other areas anyway. Let’s take Hogsmeade, for example. MC goes there whenever they want without problems. In the canon, it wouldn’t happen because you have Hogsmeade weekends. I’m pretty sure that Assignments in Y7 are entirely made up by JC, too, as we don’t really know how the seventh year looks in the books.

3) I do think that having fillers is the main reason why JC chose this method, so that’s why I discussed both arguments in my previous post you’re referencing. Of course, it’s kind of irrelevant here because you can still be more creative even with fillers, which you showed yourself in your message. Unfortunately, we’re dealing with JC’s laziness/pressure to produce quick content. It’s simply easier to create a scene where you just put a bunch of quotes from the HP wiki.

The situation with the Floo Network is a really good example of this problem, honestly. And I really like your ideas as to how it could be solved! They also could’ve focused on the problem of how MC travels once they don’t travel with Rakepick anymore. Like, the first time, we used Dumbledore’s office, right? It could stay like that (minus the excessive explaining, of course), but then we have to find the replacement. That way, the filler from before our first travel via the Floo Network moves to a bit later in Y5 – and it’s more interesting, too! Your ideas would still work as well. Personally though, I headcanon that there’s an illegal fireplace in the Kitchens (which should’ve been disconnected years ago) that some students use. It could actually be one of the reasons why Rakepick said that our detention would be enlightening.

Either way, we kind of go back to the problem I talked about earlier today: Jam City’s bad management. I think it’s totally possible the writers are not as creative as they could be because creativity requires more time, and JC is not giving them that.

[reynie-muldoons]

'The Dance of the Celestial Orb' liveblog!

for real this time lmfao

book and show spoilers below

I'm ✨nervous✨ please let our children be okay

0:10 this Sticky arc hurts me so kuch

1:35 this music is BUMPIN

2:22 I just wanna know how she got under there without the dude seeing her

2:47 "all systems go" for the Improvement.... yikes 😬😬😬

2:55 she didn't wait even 5 seconds after they left, the door was still closing when she popped up 😂 can you imagine if one of them doubled back right at that moment

3:18 they look like the dudes from that veggietales movie, I think it was Esther- the island of perpetual tickling?? Anyone??? 😂😂😂

4:00 Kate vented.......

4:51 "not a rat" yeah no shit

5:07 if not for the suspense, I would be jamming out lmaooo

6:10 Mr. Benedict is looking at the shoreline, is he about to watch Kate dive in???? Because I mean that's where she's gotta be going

6:20 "memory challenges"? Is Rhonda talking about Milligan's amnesia, or has short term memory been affected as well??

6:29 .....thank you for answering so efficiently 😂

6:42 "I buy it. I completely.... buy it." RHONDA THAT'S NOT HELPFUL AHSKSHDJKD

6:56 can you imagine seeing your friend go down in a sub then hours later seeing the sub float up in fucking PIECES

7:06 KATE! KATE! KATE! KATE!

7:06 please let it be reunion time

7:25 oh hello that's a drop

7:38 *to the tune of Bezos I* come on Katie u can do it pave the way put ur back into it

7:51 she craves that mineral

8:06 Sticky, my child

8:20 oh my gosh they went out and LOOKED FOR HER I care them 😭😭😭

8:23 SHE KNEW HIS DREAM SHE KNEW HIS DREAM TELEPATH TELEPATH TELEPATH

8:34 STICKY STOPPPP

8:40 "jumping to conclusions is a failure of character" wow that really is something Curtain would say

8:52 angry Reynie. He is in rare form

8:54 "and you helped put her there!" OOOOOOOH I SCREAMED

9:03 "I shouldn't have yelled" okay but you kinda should have Sticky needs a wake up call

9:06 "dont apologize. I like this side of you." IS THIS THE START OF REYNIE AND CONSTANCE HAVING THE BEST SIBLING RELATIONSHIP

9:22 "if you really cared about me, you'd want me to be happy instead of standing there telling me who I am" oh Sticky my dude I am NOT digging the manipulation

9:36 Reynie pulling out the BFF card!!! Also Reynie digging in his feet because he knows he's right!!!! That's great setup for his arc as a strategist later

9:48 "I'm telling you, Kate's fine." Narrator: Kate was not, in fact, fine.

10:03 "they'll notice." Sticky has made one (1) good point.

10:11 oh dear god are they fingerprinting this bitch

10:19 all this equipment, has no one walked up to the cliff and looked down???

10:23 HAHAHAHA WAIT THEY ACTUALLY HAVEN'T

10:27 "we've been out here all night" that means Kate has been clinging to a cliff by her fingers and toes ALL NIGHT????

11:04 babe I know it's been a long night but maybe wait a second for them to actually leave before you climb back up

11:15 BUCKET NO

11:22 she has to go get it. There's no way someone wouldn't find that shit, it's in plain view

11:37 "WAS"???? WHY ARE WE SAYING WAS????? NO PAST TENSE HERE MILLIGAN'S FINE

11:43 "I only wish we could've known him better" NOOOPE NONONO WE'RE NOT DOING THIS

11:47 Rhonda back at it as the voice of reason!!!!!

11:59 "I have never met a more competent swimmer" throwback to "the baaAAAYYYY"

12:10 MR. BENEDICT'S FACE HAHAHAHA HOLD ON LET ME TAKE A PICTURE IM DYING

12:11 NUMBER TWO, NOT HELPING

12:14 RHONDA'S FACE HAHENDJDKDN

12:33 "we will go rescue him" because of COURSE he would

12:36 Rhonda is his best wingwoman omfg she's so consistent

12:54 MISS PERUMAL??????

12:56 MISS PERUMAL!!!!!!

13:00 SHE KNOWS HE'S RIGHT GAKSHDBDHEKSNND

13:09 "how hard can it be? It's an island!" PFFFFT

13:16 oh SQ baby boy please get out of there

13:25 "I certainly have my own suspicions" he said, looking at SQ why are you looking at SQ like that

13:31 SQ GET OUT OF THERE PLEASE IS2G

13:36 here we fuckin go

13:43 the captions have the f in forest capitalized like it's this special place

13:43 new hc that the Forest is a magical place like pixie hollow

13:57 TWO THINGS: 1. YES stand up for yourself baby!!!! 2. Shepard Quaid? Interesting! I don't think we ever got SQ's full name in the books, I hope TLS made that decision!

14:08 your "father hat"??? Oh my gosh shut the fuck up right there don't even continue

14:16 oh yeah real fuckin cute put on your "steward of this institution hat" and call that a good reason to be a shit person

14:43 "No." GOOD FOR HIMMMM GOOD JOB SQ

15:03 Kate's struggling right by the shore where a certain someone would be returning after a very hard swim, it would be a great time for a meeting wouldn't you think

15:09 KATE THE GREAT

15:11 "THE TRAPESE GODDESS" I WILL REFER TO HER AS NOTHING ELSE

15:26 sorry but that green screen of her falling was kinda funny

15:28 soooooo is someone, a very certain someone, gonna catch her...??????

15:36 YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

15:43 IS THIS IT????@?@?!?

15:46 awww poor baby girl you can tell how tired she is

15:46 just putting this out there- they look so good in frame together

15:46 the actor who plays Milligan is fucking huge in stature so I wasn't sure how that would go but it looks so good

16:00 THE WAY HE'S LOOKING AT HER WITH HIS HAND ON HER SHOULDER I CANT DO THISSSSS

16:20 "keep going." 😭😭😭😭😭

16:23 "you dont understand." Ohhhh I think he does

16:25 "I think I do." What did I tell you, he's got your back babygirl

16:45 I'm so glad she's talking this out, and with Milligan of all people

17:01 it makes so much sense for Kate to feel alone in that situation, and when Kate feels anything less than positive she goes and does something, whatever that something is.

17:05 "So.. I...." "fell off a cliff and nearly died." Thanks for putting things into perspective Milligan

17:05 Milligan is such a good dad stop

17:19 "most of the way" is an understatement LMFAO

17:29 I'm so glad we know the intimate details of Milligan's illustrious swimming abilities 😂 out of all the new things wfrom the show that one wasnt on my radar

17:52 leave it to Milligan to come up with an escape plan off of an island with no water vessel with four kids in tow

18:08 THEYRE SO CUTE 😭😭😭😭

18:08 lowkey I'm super surprised they didnt take this opportunity to have Milligan's arduous swim force his memories out and have the father daughter bonding time they deserve. I hope they give that moment ample time to flesh out.

18:13 BUCKET!!!

18:13 wait that shot is so artsy hold up lmfao

18:13 this looks like someone's photography final hahahaha

18:26 THE TENDER MUSIC STOPPPP 😭😭😭

18:41 Sticky is still on that jumping to conclusions bs he got from Curtain

18:44 WETHERALL'S WIDGET 😭

19:31 "Kate... she's in danger..." NO SHIT SHERLOCK

19:36 "and it's all because of me." Not just because of you but love to see you taking responsibility

19:52 once again I am asking WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS IN THE OPEN

20:26 "Kate. She has changed." "Not really. She's always been who she is." "Her clothes. She changed clothes." PFFFT HAHHAHA they really took a moment of self-reflection and made it so much better

20:55 AYYYYY KATE'S DEPENDENCY ARC CONTINUESSSSS

21:35 yikes yikes yikes

22:16 I love that Mr. Benedict got closure in telling Miss Perumal that her words stuck with him

22:40 the way she just knows Reynie took the position of leader 😭😭

22:54 SHE WROTE HIM A LETTERRR

23:02 "Would it be possible to get this to him?" Ma'am what part of undercover spy don't you get

23:54 it's still really weird that we are now in a position where Reynie is the one who is not trusted and Sticky is the one in Curtain's favor

24:13 and here we see Curtain's thinly veiled anger issues shining through

24:21 "the little things matter. Every minor detail, it all matters!" CALLBACK TO MR. BENEDICT TELLING THE CHILDREN THAT THEY ALL MATTER

24:55 "I can tell with complete accuracy when a person is lying." first of all, no. second of all, I cannot wait for him to talk to Constance.

26:33 why is Mr. Benedict graphically explaining the children's potential trauma so funny to me

26:40 "you're catastrophizing." "Yes. I am. Quite severely. Thank you." WHY IS THIS FUNNY

26:58 MADGE!!!!

27:16 she's so prettyyyyy

27:33 GOOD JOB MADGE!!!!!

27:36 wait did she just take the LETTER??? she's delivering the LETTER?????

28:05 WHAT DOES "OKAY FINE" MEAN??? REYNIE??????

28:22 it's sad because it's true 🥺

28:24 "I miss my teacher from the orphanage" the best lies are the ones rooted in truth 🥺🥺🥺

28:48 roll credits

29:16 Reynie honey Orion's Belt isn't on the ceiling

29:29 the way he was so confident that he had it right 😑 Curtain Stop Being a Pretentious Fuck challenge

29:52 our babygirl is so smartttt

29:55 did Milligan plant his prints 😳 oh no OH NO

29:57 MARTINA???? WHATSUEJHDKD

29:57 is this the replacement for when they pin cheating on her????

30:03 THE KEY CARD!!!!

30:11 MADGEEEE

30:21 "one attacked me as a small child" honey you are a small child

30:24 "it did not win," she said, smiling menacingly

30:40 "so we dance again" WHY DID THE MUSIC REV UP WHEN SHE SAID THAT HAHAHAHA

31:01 ✨woodworking is a passion✨

31:58 "was it functional?" "Well I guess that depends on how you define functionality" RHONDA'S FACE IN THE BACKGROUND HAHAHAHA

32:10 OH HEY MARTINA

32:17 wait 🥺

32:22 that has to be SQ :)

32:28 hi sweet boy

32:34 please tell me they did that shot of the sandwich because Madge is about to take it

32:39 LMFAOOOOO

32:44 hi good girl!!! Enjoy your snackies

32:50 oh god oh no the LETTER

33:25 oh wow we're doing this NOW??

33:52 and here we see another example of Curtain's thinly veiled anger issues bubbling to the surface

34:10 hey what if you uhhh weren't such an asshole

34:33 that man's voice is buttery

34:52 REYNIE'S TRYING TO TELL SQ????

35:02 and they're talking about this right in front of the office door, WHY??

35:24 AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE OFFICE DOOR, WHY????

35:55 he's letting him go 🥺🥺🥺🥺

36:14 why does that look like a body bag

36:17 oh my gosh it definitely is a body bag, hey Martina

36:25 yep, that's about what I expected

36:36 "whoever did this to me, they're gonna pay" oh girl do I have some bad news for you

37:12 ahhhh, so Martina is the burnt out gifted kid who keeps going out of spite and sheer force of will

37:12 everything makes much more sense now

37:30 ohhhhh my gosh feelings time

37:44 "I think it's awesome." "Yeah. I know you do." THE SHIPPERS ARE THRIVING

37:54 THEY REALLY WANT TO MAKE THIS AS PAINFUL AS POSSIBLE HUH

38:10 "it's the least I can do" that's an understatement 😬

38:14 AAWWWWW SHKSHSLSBDK

38:20 "I don't know what I'd do without you, Wetherall" STOPPPPP

38:30 HEY BUD UH MAYBE CLOSE YOUR DOOR???

38:38 he's been writing letters to her every night and now he finally gets one back 😭😭

39:34 so Miss Perumal wrote this letter with the intention of it being sent to him, right- why did she write it like that?? 😂

39:34 they've gone to such lengths to communicate in code but the letter kind of undermines that- it was written in such a way that an onlooker would know Reynie was a spy but wouldn't know what he was doing or why. No wonder SQ was pissed

39:41 KATE!!

40:10 BREAKING NEWS: local bastard man treats everyone like shit

40:15 ohhhhh SQ bud please be careful

40:30 "always have time for my son," he said in a clipped voice that implied that he does not have time for his son

40:35 ohhh he's getting RIGHT INTO IT HUH

40:41 you mean to tell me he's never asked about Mr. Curtain's work?? Ever???? Somehow that doesn't seem right to me

40:57 hey uh what if you didn't talk down to SQ at every opportunity

41:02 "would you care to reconsider that answer, son?" "No." DIG THOSE HEELS IN SQ!!!!

41:22 I'm really not digging that Curtain is using the guise of openly expressing his feelings to communicate his anger and his unasked question. Not cool bitch head

41:33 the fact that he didn't answer SQ's spoken question kind of also answers his unspoken question

41:45 "I knew there was something off about that girl. But espionage?" "How do you so convincingly fake a tetherball obsession?" I love that this entire conversation could be about Martina or Kate interchangeably

42:34 WELL THAT'S NOT GOOD

42:36 IF IT WAS THAT EASY TO FIND WITH BINOCULARS HOW HAD THEY NOT BEEN SPOTTED UP UNTIL THIS POINT?!!?#? HOW????

43:05 Kate advocating for Martina with the Society 🥺🥺 the interaction I didn't know I needed

43:58 "I definitely don't like to leave anything unfinished." "That's true, I've seen you eat." PFFFFT

44:05 YESS YOU GO STICKY USE YOUR ACCESS FOR PRIME INTEL

44:19 "well, you can't succeed without me, so..." baby girl you have no idea how right you are

44:28 please let that be Milligan PLEASE LET THAT BE MILLIGAN

44:32 YEAAAAAHHHHH

44:35 I simply adore him

44:45 "would you mind helping me down, please? I'm stuck." Your honor I would die for this man

44:54 oh shit, Martina's tryna sleuth it out herself.. this can't end well

45:04 is she about to find Kate's marbles or something?? Callback to the book?

45:26 the absolute MURDER in her eyes

45:31 FUCKIN YIKES

45:41 "the clothes of someone who had given up" ASEJDGEIDNDLFK

45:47 well that's not good

46:00 WELL THAT'S NOT GOOD

46:04 PLEASE let them be on their way already, please

46:14 THEY MADE A BLIMP????

46:17 Goodyear is QUAKING

46:35 why the fuck is Number Two in red, that's upsetting on principle

THEYRE JUST ENDING IT THERE???? goddamnit!!!!

How surreal is it that next week is the finale?? Idk if I'm ready for that????

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

idk why JC’s making some characters so ooc lately. first with Ismelda in the Quibbler SQ, Torvus in the forest SQ & McGonagall in the club quests & now in Portrait Panic. 😒

This does seem to be a recurring problem that started rather recently. Perhaps they're simply running dry on creative ideas for new TLSQs, or otherwise facing writer's block? It could explain the situation. Could explain why two of the three club quests have such similar plots they tell.

I actually don't think McGonagall was unreasonable in the Sphinx Club TLSQ for the most part. She had valid reason to be angry, and I always got the sense that her saying she would shut down the club was a bluff to keep the students from trying anything dangerous, but it backfired when MC decided it was better not to tell her after they did something dangerous. Compare that the the Dragon Club fiasco, or her performance in the Portrait Panic quest...and it feels like the writers are misunderstanding her personality. Yes, she is stern, but she is also fair. She doesn't punish students for no reason, that would be Snape. (Sorry Snape fans.) But misusing a canon character is easier to understand than misusing their own characters and previous events. Sometimes I wonder how big the writing team is, and how much communication there is.

Ismelda is generally antagonistic, or at least she used to be. So I can see how writing her in as the threat during the Quibbler Quest could make sense at a first glance. But take a second glance and nothing about how she behaves is in line with her personality. In fact, during this quest she's embodying a lot of what she tends to hate. Compare "Crushed" to this quest side by side, and it really feels like you're dealing with a separate character.

In the Torvus TLSQ, I actually think the bigger problem was a misunderstanding of past plots, not characters. That is, I think that the problem that systematically undermined this quest. At the surface, the real problem is still character based, that being how cruel Torvus is. But this is made worse by the fact that he has no justification for it. If MC had done something wrong or thoughtless while opening the Forest Vault, or Torvus had not been involved with opening the Vault...maybe this could have worked better. But as it stands...this story does not work.

I have heard that the writing team shuffled a lot in between years. I know the original head writer, Matt London, left the game after Year 3. (Which is a shame, because I think we can pinpoint that as the reason why Tulip's character fell into obscurity. Reading his Reddit posts, it's clear that he was very invested in her, so catch me sobbing into a pillow that we didn't get to see more of his ideas play out. I digress. ) The changing of writers could explain some of the inconsistencies. But some of these are more recent. In the Sphinx Club TLSQ, Ismelda feels like she's at the peak of her character arc. It feels like Year 7 Ismelda. But then we get to the Quibbler TLSQ, and...she's never acted like this, not ever.

So I'd imagine the problem isn't just that the writers have shifted around, but there isn't as much communication or proofreading as there could be. Alternatively, they could just be overworked and trying like hell to make certain plot ideas happen because they don't have the time to rewrite them? It's a problem but hopefully they'll see that we're noticing it's a problem.