#Liveblogging the catch up chronicle

[completeoveranalysis]

Hi Nick. If you don't mind, can you share a summary of what you think Ashura's overall goals were? I'm still sincerely confused. And we now have the "reasoning itself crumbling" thing. He saw and saved this child cursed by FWR... or foresaw. He always planned for Fai to kill him. Was the whole point really to break Fai's curse out of care/love? Or to prove he could? He clearly didn't consider Fai's empathy or emotions. It start out with good intent but then his reasoning crumbled? thank you

Hello Anon! I don't mind at all! I absolutely love talking about these topics more, so thank you for asking!

The Ashura Problem is such a fascinating scenario because I'm pretty sure CLAMP deliberately wrote it to be both misleading and illogical. If it doesn't make sense then CLAMP absolutely achieved their goal, but that doesn't make it any easier to puzzle out.

So! The options!

(With content warning for everything that happens in Seresu oh my goodness)

Option A) That Ashura was a terrible person.

This is the interpretation that most closely matches Fai's lived experience, especially during the Seresu arc.

This explanation focuses on the fact that Ashura manipulated and twisted Fai's entire life and psyche until he was a broken person who would not have survived his own storyline. Ashura used all of Fai's tragic circumstances to mould him into doing exactly what Ashura wanted; he used Fai's dead brother against him, he trapped Fai into making promises he could use against him, he used Fai's emotional wounds to manipulate him, he limited Fai's magic for his own ends and deleted his memories of it, he committed mass murder, he tried to hypnotise Fai directly, he tried to get Fai to kill Kurogane, and then he tried to kill the entire Tsubasa family - all to get Fai to kill Ashura. It's worth noting that all of these actions echo the narrative impact Evil Wolverine has on Fai as well, and we can clearly see how broken Fai is over all of these revelations, even aside from the fact that we are told that Fai would have killed himself if he had succeeded in granting Ashura's wish. It all points to a very solid verdict, and one that pretty much the entire story supports from the very beginning.

The only thing missing is his actual goal. Why is he trying to get Fai to kill him? Is it out of boredom? Is he immortal and can't die without external influence, and so wanted to manipulate events until he got what he wanted? Is he just doing it all for the hell out it, and sees a dramatic death as just another fun thing to aim for? Or...

Option B) Ashura did it all to save Fai

This is the interpretation that mostly comes to the fore when Ashura dies, having failed in his long game to get Fai to kill him by his own hand.

This option revolves around Ashura's otherwise missing motive. The strongest motive potential motive we have for his actions is that he was trying to break both of Fai's curses at once; to become stronger than Fai so that Fai would be forced to kill him, and in the process wouldn't trigger the second secret curse and save Fai's life in the process.

The thing that muddies this interpretation is how badly he treats Fai to make it happen. Over the course of his entire life he breaks Fai. All his actions are hurtful and twisted, and he is willing to murder as many people as needed to make this goal happen, including literally everyone else Fai values in his life. Nothing about the Fai that's left behind is left unmarred by tragedy and self loathing - but he would be alive! And that seems to be what Ashura was aiming for, in this line of reasoning.

This neat thing about this option is that it really plays into the darker characterisation that CLAMP like to work with. Ashura has his own set of morals, inhuman and unknowable, and so he's willing to cross lines that seem to defy all the rules of empathy that you'd think would apply here. DID Ashura think this was still an acceptable result? Did he commit to this goal with the willingness to break and murder literally anything he needed to in order to make it happen? It seems so! But can he really say he loved Fai if he was willing to do this to him? He could see the future, so how could he not see that his actions would kill Fai just as surely as the curse would?

So it's either that, or

Option C: A bit of both!

This is the option that Tomoyo presents in Nihon, after the fact.

Tomoyo posits that both options are true at the same time, and the reason why this doesn't make sense is because of Fei Wang's influence on the universe. Logic itself is breaking down, so Ashura's actions have lost any logical integrity somewhere along the way.

This option allows for the paradoxes to exist as a deliberate example of the wider affect the overall plot is having on the multiverse. Tomoyo says that yes, Ashura did love Fai and was trying to save him, and also yes, his actions don't reflect that and would have killed Fai through his abuse in the misguided attempt to save him.

At this point in the narrative I think it's option C that CLAMP are set on. It does seem like they deliberately wrote the scenario so that Options A and B don't internally make sense on their own on purpose, so that C can rise out of the ruins and cast a shadow on the rest of the narrative right before things really start to kick off in the main plotline.

I hope this helps! This is my ultimate understanding of Ashura's plotline as it stands, but if anything isn't clear feel free to let me know and I can talk even more.

[dreamerlynx]

wait awwwww foolish found some new gunpowder and buckets and stuff in one of his chests and it was from vegetta! 

“[looks at chat] is this- vegetta? [beams] he’s too nice, he’s too nice! now I feel like I have to do something nice, because he’s starting to make me feel like, like I'm a dick, okay, he keeps giving me shit and I have nothing to give to him” (40:30ish from QSMP | b u i l d i n g)

[sophieinwonderland]

Petition to add a fourth option to the "plurality of..." poll: Umineko. It has way more plural characters than the other three options and needs more visibility in the plural community imo.

Sorry!

It's way too much of a time investment! I was doing a thing where I talked about it as I read it, (similar to a liveblog but not quite) but I only did one post and saved another to my drafts.

I may get back to it some day, but it would be as a continuation of what I was doing then, and not as a "plurality of..."

Although I guess I could do one of those after. (Once I find out who is actually plural in it.

Basically, Umineko is something I want to get into in the future, but a plurality of... Umineko wouldn't be for a long time. I would probably do the three from the poll I just made... and catch up on That Time I got Turned Into A Slime to do one about that... and maybe one on the Inside Out movies... all before I get around to Umineko.

It's just... way too distant of a future thing.

There are actually way too many idea I have for Plurality of... articles.

And that includes possible sequels to what I already did.

I want to do both the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics and The Legend of Korra. I've still only listened to book one of The Hybrid Chronicles and will need to listen to the other two at some point. The Batman comics have made Zur into an antagonist and I'll need to find out what happens with that. The Fourth Skyward book is super plural.

Then another new one I'm considering that looks promising is Elle(s).

It's nothing against Umineko. I never made it far enough to have anything against it. It's just not high on my priority list at the moment compare to other media.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Okay finally a proper liveblog of Shadybug and Claw Noire!

Gabriel's VA is having so much fun in that intro

How'd they get video from the other dimension? Is that explained?

FUCKING BETTERFLY I refuse to call him that we're calling him Hesperia. Anyway buddy boy everything is crumbling you don't have time for the speech!! You already know she's doing this shit just say yes!!

Well someone went whole hog on the intro sequence

NATHALIE SENDING GABE RIGHT TO VOICEMAIL

Also I forgot this is right after Destruction no one is getting any fuckin sleep

Mari and Alya are real gay here

TIKKI STEALING MACAROONS

Hesperia asking Mari not to panic after all that has big "B̷̬͇̬̏́̿̚Ȩ̸̬͇̠̓̏͐ ̵̛̝̠̖̤̱͎̻̱͗̉͊́̾̂̔̓̐̃̆̾̽͘N̸̝̠͓͍̺͔͉̮̰̈́̈́̍̒̒̊͐̒̈́̃͜Ǫ̶̧̡͓̥̤̪̤͛T̵͈̳̝̾̀͒ͅ ̴̺̾̈́̾͂̋̇̒̆À̴̢͔͖̯̺̜͇͎͎̬̻̖̲̏̒́͘͜͠F̴̧̧̘͇̈́̏̔̀͜Ŕ̶̨̟͎͕͓̤̟̤̺͓͚̺̰͒̊̌̅̂̈́͝Ḁ̶͙̈́͝Ĩ̵̢̘̩͉̳̯̼D̴̡͉͇̳̮͎̜͐̐́̍̎̉͝" energy.

rest in fucking pieces Markov!

Claw explodes a wall and Sabine just calmly goes to check like?? I'd be sprinting up there???

I was really hoping Shady would say 'Lucky Harm'. I would've also screamed and lit something on fire, but it would've been funny

so. not only can SB make binoculers that track butterfly pheramones. But Hesperia /gives off butterfly pheromones???/ I guess the fandom making everyone more animalistic was right? We won but at what cost?

Also SB and Claw's banter kills me I love the rivalmance

Okay this is a personal thing but I hate this because if it were a more appropriate couple, Hesperia being so soft and carrying Marinette away would be adorable shipping fodder but it's Hesperia and Marinette so I'm like sir step like three feet away

Once again, rip the Eiffel Tower.

I know it's said that Gabriel stole the Miraculous, but does he say it later or are we taking SB's word for it? Because that could be a lie from that 'the supreme' guy.

Tikki. Everything you just said about parallel universes went over my head and this is coming from someone who loves Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

Also fuck this existing with Bunnyx's One True Timeline thing

Okay so I 100% called why the Timers are in place. But why does 'being used for evil' override the security system???

... I'm yoinking Claw's nunchucks.

Okay that's the context for Claw doing that. So uh. Buddy boy needs a fuckin therapist NOW

Ladybug: "I'll explain everything to you later." Me: "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?!"

Why.... why did time freeze when making Celestial Cat? It's not a thing that happened any time befre??

THE ONE LINERS. CLAW NOT CATCHING SHADY. I LOVE THEM

Also LB should be having Chat Blanc flashbacks right now

DID SHADY JUST CALL CLAW A DOUCHEBAG??? I SWEAR TO FUCK THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID????

First mention of 'The Supreme'. Saying he'll spare whichever gets the Butterfly. But also like. Ya don't have to be so happy about it.

So like. /is/ the other world some evil hellscape where only a few are good? Or is it just that SB was bullied and Claw lost his mom and The Supreme is manipulating them? Because Hesperia is going on about shit being awful, but if there's more changes then just the slightly altered path, that kinda ruins the idea that they're all just a touch different. But if that world's so fucked how'd they turn out good?

I love how Mari's beartrap diary comes back just to get easily broken into because no one would care about minor property damage if they're breaking into her house to read her diary.

Hesperia: "Claw Noir knows nothing about friendship" Me: "GEE I WONDER WHY"

ofc Alya leaves before seeing who Claw Noir is.

.... Hearing that Andre is on the 'never too late to do good' show or whatever is hurting me knowing the abuse abandonment and kidnapping he takes part in during season 5.

GOD EMODRIEN AND EMONETTE JUST FUCKIN but also their lovesquare is great.

We see a glimpse into the other world in a flashback and things seem? Fine?? ???

So SB and Claw didn't know about the Wish that could give them what they want, but joined The Supreme because......?

"MOM GET OFF MY BACK!!!" Peak middle school emo phase.

Okay but question of how bad things /actually/ are aside, the acting in this? It hurts hearing her cry and all and just want to have the life with friends.

Monarch has finally shown up and he's also having fun but also SB, Claw? This would be the time for regular knives!

Okay but why are they trusting Monarch so easily? You'd think they'd have some trust issues with people offering to make their dreams come true

Giant Shady and Claw. If they're not Akumas, I'm assuming Illusions. Why doesn't Mari think of that?

Alya is the MVP tho!

Mari honey your plans are ALWAYS convoluted it's your thing.

Stilll a little bullshit on why they didn't do the identity reveal but... I mean they gotta ya know?

GOD Monarch's stained glass butterfly lapel is the only thing about his design that absolutely FUCKS

THE BAD ACTING OMG

Oh hey Multiplication makes Gabe a normal height instead of fucking 220cm/7'2"!!!!!!!

Here's how Maribug and Adrichat(the ships) can still win!

Chat without an ear looks cursed

So the Guardian Angel thing saves them, but why didn't Monarch try to Venom them a second time?

Still hate how Shady pins all the bad things in her life on Chloé even though either 1.) all the pain is from The Supreme making everything a hellscape and filled with assholes, or 2.) everything was the same up until Origins where she had friends and loving parents and all.

Okay other than the :/ on the Chloé bashing and the question of what's going on in their world/why things are Like This, the scene is fucking fantastic. No commentary. For as much as I dunk on ML, when it's good it's REALLY GOOD

Okay only one note: Mari has way to much faith her speech will work. Like girl at least dodge.

I do think it's a little weird that Claw stopped though. Like, he and Shady already signed up for murder. He's probably killed someone's mother before. Why would he care about the Wish doing it for him?

Also like. Monarch wasn't watching this shit? Really?

They still have the dunking on each other dynamic.

So. The Rooster can do interdimensional travel. Because sure that doesn't break it's bullshit rules I guess. Why doesn't Monarch do this later when no one's paying attention?

HATSUNE MIKU????

Scarabella and Kitty Noire universe! I'm just gonna assume they're the lovesquare in that one.

anime universe lmao

The comic one is a copout

Wait. The implication with the Mr. Bug and Lady Noire one is that it's still the original LB and CN just swapped. How did. How did they swap in 10 seconds without revealing their identities???

Mari's final speech once again implies that everything was the same until Origins.

Also the Alyanette is STRONG today

Get these girlss a fuckin NAP

Okay overall thoughts:

While I do think it has it's flaws, some of which piss me off a lot. This was mostly a very fucking good special holy fuck.

[itsbebebe]

can i just say i missed a lot of qsmp streams for playing various videogames (and subsequently going insane over the great ace attorney chronicles, which i still am) and was trying (failing) to keep up with liveblogs so my qsmp posting was kinda dragging but when i did catch that cellbit was solving the station pressure plate puzzle i was so curious i returned. now ive started following the entire process of going through this chain of puzzles. I don't know why its happened - I rarely watched cellbit as a main qsmp pov before unless he was doing major lore i didnt think id understand without watching. But, like, randomly hes become the only pov i watch rn and its nice to be expanding who i watch frequently, even if its actually only for a little bit and i probably will return to my old main povs soon.

[gaycey-sketchit]

What are some of your favorite Tracey episodes?

Oh that's a fun question! Off the top of my head and with a quick look at Bulbapedia's "episodes focusing on Tracey" list, I'll say:

EP084 The Lost Lapras: his debut! He makes a really funny first impression, with his Establishing Character Moment being showing up in the middle of a confrontation, pointing out three people's mediocre Pokemon husbandry to their (and their Pokemon's!) faces, walking over to Ash and picking up Pikachu off Ash's head, and asking Pikachu to electrocute him. All of this happens in the span of like a minute. And then there's his introduction to the TRio when they're stealing Lapras and he's like HOLY SHIT A TALKING MEOWTH (paraphrasing) and goes right up to these criminals who are in the middle of doing a crime and tries to give Meowth an interview.

EP097 Tracey Gets Bugged: the one where he catches Scyther, and also has his first onscreen battle! Has some really cute and funny moments all around. This is also the one where he calls Misty a chicken.

EP110 The Stun Spore Detour: this is a Misty focus episode honestly, but I'm not leaving out what's one of my favorite episodes in general. If you know my Brand (whump/sickfic enjoyer) you can probably guess why.

EP115 A Tent Situation: he finally gets to meet Professor Oak and has one of the most Relatable Artist Moments of all time (getting so nervous about Professor Oak looking at and silently evaluating his work right in front of him that he starts shaking hard enough to shake the couch he, Ash, and Misty are sitting on). Good stuff.

HS15 Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl: this is one of the handful of Chronicles episodes I've seen in full and it is so special to me (mostly for Gary reasons, but Tracey really gets to shine in Chronicles and this one's no exception). As for Tracey's participation in this episode, the standout moments are when Gary is down on himself and Professor Oak and Tracey both give him some much needed encouragement (very sweet) and when Tracey for unknown reasons grabs onto a moving Aerodactyl (funny for how unhinged this is). I'm a dub watcher but I know from reading Bulbapedia articles that Tracey also provides the end narration in the Japanese version, which is cute.

HS16 Luvdisc is a Many Splendored Thing: after my enthusiastic liveblogging the first time I watched this episode last week and the two more times I've watched it since, who's shocked? This episode is cute! I love Tracey's interactions with the Cerulean sisters, and the dialogue in the dub "Tell me, by any chance would I have to wear tights in this show?" "Absolutely!" "Then I can't" has somehow sent me into a genuine laughing fit every time. Also Prince Tracey is very cute and I understand Daisy's vision there (unlike Daisy, I'm not an OrangeShipper, but I Get It).

[sailor-cresselia]

Zi-O episodes 31 & 32 - AGITO TIME

Okay, I want to know how long this actually takes me this time around, so… I’m starting playback at about a quarter past midnight. (I got distracted earlier, when I told myself I was going to start. I’m not good at timekeeping.)

((also, as I mentioned in the previous liveblog, if you comment on any of the sections in here, I’d really appreciate it if you specify which statements you’re talking about. These recaps get really long, so… y’know, it’ll make it a little easier for a conversation.))

~cut goes here~

Bullet casings? In MY Kamen Rider? It’s more likely than you think!

(I haven’t seen Agito, but as with Ryuki and Blade, I’ve seen the History Of’s that Marcosatsu did. So, I… should be okay? Ish.)

But why do they want G3 units nationwide? Are they finally sick of all the yearly monster attacks, and doing something about it? … Okay, yeah, I don’t believe it either, but hey, we can speculate!

Ouch, rest in piece G3 user number 2. He got thrown so hard he’s stuck in the viewing window.

Another!Another Agito’s got some muscle on him.

aaaand this is the tribute arc where the Another Rider name scheme is going to be incredibly problematic, like people worried.

I get that there are six watches left to acquire – notably including Drive, since the one they currently have was brought back by Geiz. But would it have killed Toei to let the W and Kuuga watches be in-show? Would it? They had to make them appear in the movie? Specifically, the movie that the producer has said is only psuedo-canon?! 

Six left, and Sougo doesn’t want them to become Oma Zi-O. He wants them so he can stop Oma Zi-O, so that he can match his power. But, you know, the team kind of lucked into finding them, what with the Another Riders being created… or… hm. They get the Ride Watches because of the Another Riders. The Time Jackers are the ones creating the Another Riders, and they’re from the future, and know full well how Zi-O acquires his watches. The thing is, they initially said it was to ‘find a new candidate for king.’ We know that that’s not nearly so true as Heure and Hora were led to believe, since Swartz already had his candidate chosen. And we were led to believe that said candidate was Hiryuu, Another Zi-O. Except! “I’ll see you on the Day of Oma” wasn’t… exactly said to Hiryuu, was it? And then, we saw that an earlier version of Swartz was responsible for the bus crash, as he was looking for A Boy Who Would Be King. He found Sougo.

Sougo has been his choice all along. 

(un-Pause to hear Woz talk!)

“No, no, we just need to continue as we’ve been doing. The watches will show up.” … Well, you’re not wrong.

Junichiro rushes in, asking if they were watching. And, I mean, I don’t know Japanese, but I am pretty sure that under normal circumstances, people don’t usually use the English verb ‘to watch’ when referring to a news broadcast.

Come on, man, you just won me over in the last few arcs, don’t blow this.

Wait, the public knows about the G3 units?! Were they common knowledge in Agito? Or, at least, publicly available knowledge?

HAHAHA I didn’t even NOTICE that Woz hadn’t done his Recap yet! Oh man, I’m slipping! But no, now he does it, by Pausing the show, and incidentally casting everyone else in the room in shadow. … Wait, has he been actually doing that the entire time? Just? Pausing time for a moment to talk at us? I mean, I wouldn’t put it past him, the drama hog that he is. Also, where did you get the confetti, sir? And is that going to be in the actual room when time resumes?

Meanwhile, in… France, I think. “I must go. My planet city needs me.”

It takes four minutes into the episode to reach the Opening. It took me almost 20 to reach that.

Also, the shot of Zi-O II has been replaced by Trinity. I like how the pose they chose is basically a combination of all three of their styles. As a small note, it flashes over the faces in the order of Zi-O, Geiz, and Woz, before moving into a full-body shot. Also, I can’t remember if this change had been made last episode or not, but there’s no sign of the Future Note in the Kamen Rider Woz segment anymore. (I think it would have been a nice touch to have the Twilight Chronicle replace it in the background, but oh well.)

… and I just remembered that with Agito’s lore, that ‘my planet needs me’ quote isn’t nearly as out of left field as I intended when I made it a few minutes ago.

Okay, I know that we have the incredibly ominous “We really don’t know what Swartz is up to” discussion with Heure and Hora, and him interrupting as he is prone to do, and him being all “No, I’ve already got a plan going, as I am prone to do.” But what I’m stuck on is just how many sugar cubes he’s adding to his… well, I don’t know if it’s tea or coffee, but it’s far too many.

(Swartz has just joined Haruto and Kiriya in the ‘that can no longer be called coffee’ club.)

Damnit, Geiz, I wanted to make a crack about how ‘it’s less that the police are tracking the target, and more that the target is tracking the police’! It does make sense that this particular division would be fighting Another Riders, though, especially since they look even more like MOTWs than Kino did. Zi-O!Another Agito kind of has a toothy grin, too. I remember being weirded out by Kino!Another Agito’s design when I watched Gorider, but this is just. Eesh. Creepy.

Ohhh dear. If Tsukuyomi’s an amnesiac, that would explain her lack of last name. And since this is a time travel show, we’re all screwed! She could have been anyone! ...That sequence in the opening, with Tsukuyomi and the Time Jackers on the stairs, before they disappear and she’s alone is feeling really ominous right about now.

And this is a good arc for this reveal – since Agito’s Shoichi was an amnesiac protagonist. … hang on, wasn’t there a sibling confusion then, too, like in W? With… Philip… oh dear.

I have avoided shipping in this season at all costs, for precisely this type of reason. And because it’s time travel, to avoid whatever it was that happened in Den-O. (I haven’t seen past the first two episodes of Den-O. I’m working on it!)

OKAY! That aside! I’ve noticed that even though Tsukuyomi has the tablet, and pulls up all sorts of information on it, Geiz is usually the one to bring up who the past Riders were. He knew about Wizard, I’m dead certain there were other instances that I can’t recall off the top of my head, and he knows who the G3 unit is.

Okay, I love that we finally have officials trying to keep untransformed riders out of the battle field. It’s about time, and not just for Zi-O, it’s been lacking in the genre as a whole. I also like that the people in G3 armor don’t seem to trust the three Riders.

HEY! HOLD UP! SOUGO HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE OMEGA SYMBOL IS?! I thought you were terrible at math and science! Those are pretty much the only place you’d see that, these days – wait. Sougo’s a history buff; or, at least, that’s his only good subject. Or, was his only good subject, because he’s graduated. (Good for him!!!) Omega is Greek, maybe he actually could have picked it up in a history class!

Also, is this confirmation that Agito is supposed to be written using omega, like it its logo?

Mind you, it’s not as though anyone is going to be actually doing that, but still.

JESUS FUCK WHAT THE HELL DID FAKE!ANOTHER AGITO JUST DO? He tore off the chest armor, and ugghgh that sounded like he was trying to eat the poor man, but now said man is getting up, what the hell-

AAAAAGHAAAAGH! OH SHIT! OH SHIT!

Agito powers as zombie plague.

Kino was Another Agito because Agito is more of a powerset than a name.

It is now 1:10. I am ten minutes into ep 31.

This explains the excessively toothy mouth, at least.

Tsukuyomi used a Time Stop. With the same effects and sounds as the Time Jackers. And it was super targeted, too – it only hit the Another Agito that was attacking her and the officer. She didn’t know she could do that. Woz didn’t know she could do that.

It looks like Swartz didn’t know she could do that.

It looks like the time stop is an innate power.

Okay, okay, back to 9-to-5.

So, yeah, everyone thinks the Another Agitos are really weird. Sougo wants to try and find Kamen Rider Agito. Absolutely nobody is surprised that he has no idea how to follow through on that idea. “What if we try the internet?” Sougo, he was active in 2001, internet archives are terrible for going back to 2011, to say nothing of – Sougo.

Sougo. Kid. Why do you know how to get auto-correct to make the omega symbol? Did you actually learn that for a history class? I mean, good catch on the spelling of the name, and it worked, so. Points? I guess?

Okay, why is Woz’s voice echoing so much today?! I thought the first time I noticed it was because they were outside, but it’s happening inside, too. What gives?

Heure, no. No ‘proving you’re still useful’ to Swartz. Get OUT of there! Just go! It’s not safe for you! You just keep raising death flags!

But what Swartz is most interested in right now… is testing Tsukuyomi’s new power.

Sougo immediately asks if Kamen Rider Agito is in. Like the blunt little fool he is. His second try isn’t much better. Being Geiz is suffering.

But when the woman – Mana, right? When Mana recognizes the name Agito as a person, Geiz takes notice. Remember, boys, everyone else still remembers now, too.

Haha, see, Shoichi has the right reaction to the ‘he wants to be a king’ speech! Dumbfounded shock.

GEIZ! Why are you suggesting heading ‘overseas’ with the Time Mazine to find Shoichi? That’s! That’s Sougo logic! Noooo don’t let that be what rubs off on you!

Case in point, Sougo thinks it’s a good idea!

UGH Both Swartz AND Woz have had that stupid echo all episode, it’s driving me up a wall. It makes it feel like the audio’s balance is off or something.

So, creeper mc-purple-coat wants to… ‘test out’ Tsukuyomi’s power. Fair. She says that it’s none of his business, and that she doesn’t have any power, which is also fair. But I’d say that siccing one of the Another Agitos on her is overkill. And terrifying.

...wait, could Shoichi tell when enemies were appearing in his season? I legitimately don’t know.

(16 minutes in and 1 hour fifteen minutes later)

Okay, so, your choices here, boys.

Zi-O II. Good call, powerful, can read movements ahead of time.

Quiz. VERY good call. His powerset ‘asks’ the opponent to answer questions, or get electrocuted. Normally, I’m decidedly not okay with that, but from a tactical point, right now it makes sense. The rampaging Another Agitos are like, well, they’re Fast Zombies. They can’t answer questions.

BUT STOP USING REVIVE. I get why Typhoon is a good choice tactically. Like I said, FAST Zombies. Being even faster is a good survival strategy. But using REVIVE is a very BAD survival strategy.

Kudos for the touch of Sougo telling the cops to help their wounded – which they notably weren’t doing before he said that.

HI SPEAKING OF BAD CALLS! IN THIS CASE TRINITY IS A BAD IDEA!

Like Geiz says, you need NUMBERS.

Running Decade and Ex-aid would be a better choice right about now! That would give you two Zi-Os! ...and if Geiz gets Ghost, he can summon some of the parka ghosts to help, because they let THAT be a thing for the Ghost watch!

WOZ NO. You don’t need to IWAE this! This is now a no REJOICE zone! Go directly to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

Although, now the cops are evacuating the heck out of there while Woz distracts the Agitos with his absurdity.

Unfortunately, he’s also distracting Sougo and Geiz with said absurdity.

Quick! Back to sanity! Tsukuyomi! We need you to be the impulse control for all three of the boys now! I’m so sorry, we kept Woz contained as long as possible, but this much proximity to Sougo at one clip has spread the cloud cuckoo lander traits.

“Oh, you don’t remember anything? Well, you’re probably better off not knowing, I suppose.” (F you too, Swartz.)

“Do… you know something?”

~The sound of a Legend Rider’s belt approaches from the shadows~

Kamen Rider Agito is on the scene.

And Swartz is smiling at that.

THAT! Is NOT how Bike Fu works!

OH LORDY the Power Knuckle buzzsaw and the spear’s… well, spear projections can combine into a massive, even pointier circular saw blade! Trinity really IS a fusion form, isn’t it?

“...wait, where’d the others go?”

It was! A distraction! And a very good one!

It is now 1:50. I’ve been at this for… one hour, 35 minutes. I’ve watched one episode.

Oh boy.

…

Time for ep 32!

Yooooo! Okay! So! Heure and Hora are stepping in because Swartz was ‘dragging his feet’, they weren’t invited, because he’s an ass. But Heure! Just! Pulled the Another Watch out of one of the transformed Agitos – not the main one, mind you, he’s ticked off now – and! He! Pushed it to Rider Agito, drained his power, and turned! The Another Watch! Into a real Ride Watch!

!!!!

Tsukuyomi stopped time to save Shoichi from Another!Another Agito… which is great! Good work! Except that it’s SUPER POWERFUL. She can move, but everyone else is completely frozen. COMPLETELY. ...Everyone but Swartz, who’s eyes are moving.

(click) AS IT IS WRITTEN HERE!

(GDI Woz)

(and with a SPOTLIGHT, too!)

(Theatre kid Woz confirmed)

Woz, you’re incredibly proud of Sougo for graduating, aren’t you? You mentioned that last Recap, too!

(insert 20 minute gap to take care of the dishes here, resuming at 2:20)

Huh! The title card came in from the opposite side of the screen this time! Interesting!

Heure, you can’t just put a regular Ride Watch into an Another Rider, That can’t be good for the poor host. And, oh, no, look at that, he’s just turned into a duplicate of Kamen Rider Agito. An exact duplicate. Appearance-wise, anyway.

WELP.

Okay, I rag on him, but Junichiro’s reaction to Professional Chef Shoichi complementing his cooking is great.

And then right back to serious, as soon as he leaves the room.

“I’m sorry… they took my Rider powers from me.”

“Which is really weird, since those are literally part of me. Trust me, things were weird in the early ‘00’s, kid. A whole bunch of us wound up being not entirely human.”

Hora? Hang on, can you clarify that? “Does that mean she’s a Time Jacker too?”

Are. Are you saying that being a ‘Time Jacker’ isn’t a group affiliation? That it’s the name of a powerset?!

… Just like how ‘Agito’ is?

Okay, so the current active party layout is:

Team One: Sougo and Geiz, dealing with a swarm of Another Agitos, while Heure and Another Agito Prime watch.

‘Team’ Two: Woz confronting Swartz about Tsukuyomi’s powers. Apparently Swartz is ‘the only one’ who can grant powers over time, which implies that he gave them to Heure and Hora. But he didn’t give them to Tsukuyomi, and he implies himself that the two of them are ‘cut from the same cloth’. Woz knows what that means.

Team Three: Shoichi goes to talk to Tsukuyomi. He’s the resident voice of experience on finding out you’re not who you thought you were, after all.

Well, him, Philip, and Sento, but the other two aren’t exactly here at the moment.

So, yes, as I thought he’d do, after bringing Tsukuyomi to the restaurant, he tells her about his past. About how Shoichi Tsugami isn’t technically his name. About how he tried to live his life the best he could, after losing who he was, and finding out he had powers. It worked out for him. And after all, hasn’t she already been doing that? The power is just a little more than she knew about.

And right after he says “Haven’t you already been doing that”, guess what starts playing?

The instrumental version of ‘King of Time.’

...Huh. It’s more noticeable with Geiz, who’s usually either frowning or exasperated. But… we never see Tsukuyomi smile, either, do we?

And then, with Sougo…

“I’m fighting to make the world better, and that’s what you’re doing too, right? So, does it really matter who you used to be?”

She responds with a smile. It’s a good look for her.

And of course, Woz shows up with bad news.

“So, fighting Agito’s a BAD idea, because once there’s one Agito, there can be countless Another Agitos. We are going to be overwhelmed. This is literally straight from Swartz. We’re screwed.”

“You better not be playing double agent agai-”

“Well, I mean, I already saw that was going to happen, so…. Besides, we don’t really have a choice in the matter, since we need to get that watch.”

““...fine...””

((It’s about 2:50 now, so I’m at… a little over two hours.))

Stop! Using! Revive! Unless you guys worked out how to keep it’s time compression from literally killing you a little more with each use, you! Need! To! Not! Use! That!

Unfortunately, Fury and Kikai make perfect sense here – the brute strength should help keep you two from getting too injured.

AAAND then they go for Typhoon and Shinobi for a speed-off. BOYS! Stop it! Although, I will admit, the flight and teleport spamming is pretty cool when you’re not using it on each other.

AHAHAH! Shoichi’s playing distraction in a G3 suit! That makes a LOT of sense! He can’t fight in his usual manner right now – on account of his powers being otherwise occupied. But the G3 suits were meant for humans to fight monsters on a more level playing field. AND the Another Agitos had been going after police facilities… which they haven’t mentioned again, but it sure seems to be drawing attention to him.

Tsukuyomi’s already got really good control, hasn’t she? The first time, she froze only the one Another Agito, and nothing else in the area. The second, she panicked, and was able to stop literally everything. Well, again, Swartz was slightly moving. Slightly. This time, it’s four Another Agitos, but Shoichi, who was right in the middle of them, is unaffected.

One direct hit from Zi-O II was able to knock the Ride Watch out of Another Agito Prime, and it rolled right to it’s proper owner. And for the first time, we get to see a Rider regaining their powers – the Ride Watch fades from existence, and Shoichi’s belt reappears on his waist.

“Transform!”

And then a (largely reluctant) transformation into Trinity. Geiz has had it up to here with Woz’s Announcements. You don’t have to do them every time, you know. You used to only make those when a new power was achieved. You guys have done this twice already.

(Tsukuyomi is in hell. That’s the only explanation she can think of.)

I like that ripple effect they used for Agito’s own Trinity transformation. I don’t know what sort of effects they used in 2001/2002, but it’s nice to see a nod to older FX in this incredibly flashy show.

(Tsukuyomi is definitely in hell. That’s the only explanation she can think of.)

Woz just has to do a proclamation. I don’t think it’s even part of his contract, I think he’s just THAT into this sort of thing. He was BORN to be a herald. Problem for HIM is, even Sougo’s had enough.

But!

He thinks this might work.

~Old catchphrases reappearing is actually my jam!~

~Who knew?~

...okay, everyone who’s been following me through this liveblog for the past… six months that I’ve been doing liveblogs for. Oh. Huh. I. Genuinely hadn’t realized it had been that long. I started doing these full reactions with the Gaim arc in November. Hm.

!

!!

!!!!

!!!!!!!!

Over-Time included LYRIC SUBTITLES!

Zi-O! Why! Why can’t you put the song credits in the credits!

I mean, that would have been an INCREDIBLE spoiler in this case! But! Holy shit!

It would be a huge spoiler because this isn’t one of Zi-O’s songs.

This is from Agito. It’s titled BELIEVE YOURSELF.

This is appropriate.

The Zi-O team hasn’t had a real chance to fight alongside their predecessors. Not really. Zi-O and Geiz fought ‘with’ Build and Cross-Z, but they had to bow out shortly through the fight. Same with Ex-Aid. Ghost and Specter only fought together, not with the boys. Quiz and Kikai don’t count – they debuted in Zi-O. They fought AGAINST Decade and DiEnd. The next people to transform… were Blade and Chalice, and they weren’t working together. Their powers were taken before they could have fought as a team.

This? A fight with the Kamen Rider having his powers intact? Not just intact, actually, but returned? And not rapidly disappearing?

This is what we WANTED. I mean, hell, this is what the SHT movies SHOULD have been.

And the choice of song is incredibly fitting, too. I mean, here. Here’s the page on the KR Wiki. Go check it out, and you just try to tell me that’s not appropriate for Zi-O as a whole, but especially for the events lately, and of this arc.

Okay, okay, back to the battle. Which is glorious.

For one, Zi-O using one of the Agito Drones to hold part of his sword while he removes the mask element from it, so he can attach said mask to the other sword, and combining the two while the drone is still slightly impaled? That’s CLEVER. And I’m pretty sure that’s Sougo at work, too – he’s done similar before, getting others to turn his belt and complete his transformation. And the Kings Slash grows and impales several more drones before he swings.

And, interestingly, when Trinity and Agito prepare their finishers? Another Agito Prime forces his way through the drones to be the one to take the hit – to the point of standing directly in front of the two Rider Kicks, and putting his chest out there. Asking to be hit.

And that Dual Kick is SOMETHING ELSE! Driving him all the way across the plaza, knocking over any drones they encounter in the line of ‘fire’, and digging a trench into the ground! THIS is a fight scene!

Yet another entrusting of the watch.

Tsukuyomi has found her resolve.

Woz has found a secret.

And next episode –

Wait a minute.

(checks the calendar)

VERY nice.

Sougo’s birthday episode? Airs on his birthday. Nice planning, Toei! And you checked a calendar correctly this time!

(But you couldn’t be bothered to check the year when you set Kazumin’s phone, could you?)

Also, it looks like they might be aiming a little closer to the first part of Hibiki for the tribute arc, with the kanji appearing on screen in the preview.

((so, it’s now… 3:45, so I wound up taking… let’s see. Started at 12:15, so a complete time would be three and a half hours, but there was that twenty minute gap when I went from 31 to 32, so… about three hours and ten minutes to watch 40 minutes of a children’s Sunday morning superhero show.))

((WORTH IT.))

[jaelijn]

BF B7 - The Turing Test

This is the first in a series of liveblog / review / reaction / rating posts on the Big Finish Blake’s 7 audios. I’ll be doing these mostly for my own enjoyment, so expect these posts to be subjective, rambly and unsorted and going off on tangents of interest. There will also be a special scale for Avon/Vila-ness. ;P

I have listened to all the audios before, so it won’t be my first reaction, nor will it be spoiler-free (and probably also not in order of episodes). I also won’t summarise the episodes as I go, so this is probably best enjoyed after (during?) listening to the episode yourself.

These are, in a way, a sort of low-effort meta, which I’ve been missing doing but haven’t had the time to really write, but this allows me to share at least something B7-y. There will eventually be a masterpost for these liveblogs, but the tag, for now, is #bf b7 liveblogs.

I should also say that I don’t really consider the audios canon, at least not in any way other than when I adopt things that I like which come from others’ fanfics for my own headcanons, but I’ve found myself discussing these as if they were episodes for the most part.

The Liberator Chronicles 1.1: The Turing Test

Rating (of 5):

Overall: ❤❤❤❤

Avon/Vila: ✫✫✫✫

Episode Cast and Summary from the BF website:

Paul Darrow, Michael Keating; narrated by Paul Darrow

After evading an attack by Cassini Pirates, the Liberator heads to the rogue moon of Quentil, where Avon and Vila infiltrate a top secret Federation science facility.

Vila assumes the guise of Doctor Yarding Gill, an expert in digital memory. And Avon is his “creation” – a super-advanced android that could pass for human. In fact, he does...

Can they maintain the ruse for long enough to complete their mission? And will the Cassini Pirates catch up with them?

Commentary:

Nobody paraphrases Blake like Kerr Avon.

“Vila’s charm makes me want to break things.”

“All prepared to think that Vila was a genius. What could possibly go wrong?(!)” I mean… I could quote Avon all day.

“I’m still working on his posture. And his smile. Otherwise he could pass for a human being.” Nobody can convince me that Vila isn’t enjoying this.

“And if other people don’t understand you, or find you odd, you don’t need to feign that you care. I almost found it a relief.” While the show never addresses subjects of neurodiversity (which show does, really?), most fictional portrayals of geniuses (of which Avon is one) are coded as not neurotypical – or perhaps a marker of a genius character in fiction is neurodivergent behaviour. At any rate, the bottom line is that a lot of these character have a reputation for being “difficult to read” or “difficult to get right”, not just because they are complex characters, which all good characters are, but because they are written to behave in a way that breaks with the way that has been normalised by society, for better or for worse. What sometimes happens in expanded universe fiction around these characters is that you discover that they’re “really normal” under a protective shell, which from a neurodiversity perspective is at least partly nonsense, because the concept of “normality” itself is nonsense – by which I mean it is a social construct, not something that’s just there. Forcing yourself to be “normal” to please other people is a thing that happens, however, and frankly I prefer to read Avon that way. I have to give this audio a lot of credit for bringing social expectation into the discussion.

Oh, Avon, what a mess of justifications when he first meets Fourteen. Frankly, something about the description of her always freaks me out, but I suppose that is the point – it is somewhat uncanny valley material. There is also a lot – a lot! – of fridge horror in this episode when it comes to the question of what it means to be sentient (and, too, what it means to be neurodivergent, aka “different”), which after writing “The First and the Last” I can hardly pretend to not be interested in.

“He was a natural clown – sometimes on purpose.” This is set very early in the show’s timeline (I think Avon measures his time on the Liberator in weeks at some point!), but I am hardly surprised that Avon could see behind Vila’s acting from the start. I mean, I’ve talked about the “You’re a fool” thing, and that is literally the first thing Avon says to him.

And vice-versa: “You’re not worried about an army, you’re worried by her. What? What’s she got on you?”

“You’re saying she’s alive?” – “What does that even mean? The brain is just a kind of computer.” Ditto.

Hehehe, and there goes Vila pointing out how creepy he finds her and then: “The only other person I know who does that… *awkward pause*”.  I mean I’ve always said that the “Avon is a machine” thing is one of the worst insults – Avon seems to take it in stride most of the time (Hell, “[Cally] is more human than I am.”), which at least partly is a protective mechanism I’m sure, but at any rate it hits very close to RL nasty attitudes towards “different” people of a lot of different kinds.

Pfffft, “He’s not built with the affinity for reproduction.” Look, whatever your headcanon about Avon’s sexuality is, Vila’s lines in this are just golden considering that Avon is standing right there.

The fact that the data transfer is still indicated by the same symbols as today – “pages moving between folders” – amuses me greatly.

Avon talks about people living all their lives in the domes and never seeing outside of it like… other people. Which always makes me wonder about Avon pre-Way Back, and whether or not he ever travelled through space / went outside the domes. Personally, I’d say yes to both, but at the same time I think that the extended stay in space and traipsing around wild alien planets is newer to him that it is to Blake (who, as we know, visited colony worlds when he was young).

Avon’s frustration with Blake on Fourteen’s behalf here is very interesting for what isn’t said. The fact that Avon most resents Blake when he orders him around, when he has to do things he doesn’t want to do – or would rather have a choice in, even if he chooses to, in fact, do it. The fact that he doesn’t even think about letting Fourteen go on her own…

I love the idea that the Liberator, too, has an observation dome window. ;) On a more serious note, I think Avon empathises with the “better to die than to live a prisoner” sentiment, all in all – not just in the universe set by this audio play –  but it is fascinating in terms of PGP scenarios. As the show fades out, Avon clearly intends to die as far as I’m concerned – the question is, if he does survive, would he settle for possible life-long imprisonment/enslavement in order to stay alive? I don’t think so.

“We did return to the facility – well, not me, I’m not sure I could have… *moving swiftly on*” The way PD delivers this line, it’s such a blink-and-you-miss-it gem.

I love that Vila is the one carrying out the revenge – on Avon’s behalf. I don’t think it’s just because the audioplay features him as second speaking role; I think Vila also empathises – not just with Fourteen, but with Avon. Vila is more outspoken about his general moral objection, of course – we get Avon’s mostly as subtext.

The best thing about this – this gives us a reason for the fight I think they had which leads to the “Avon is a machine” insult in “Duel”, slotting this nicely into the canon.  

The final sentences are of course a punch in the gut – note the sudden switch to present tense!

The Verdict: Altogether, I am fond of this episode. Obviously, it is one of the Avon & Vila ones, and while I do think other episodes are better in terms of plot and script (and possibly acting, too), this one has a lot of depth.

  Tangent of the Episode:

The Turing Test, of course. Wikipedia is a good place to start:

“The Turing test, developed by Alan Turing in 1950, is a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. Turing proposed that a human evaluator would judge natural language conversations between a human and a machine designed to generate human-like responses. The evaluator would be aware that one of the two partners in conversation is a machine, and all participants would be separated from one another. The conversation would be limited to a text-only channel such as a computer keyboard and screen so the result would not depend on the machine's ability to render words as speech.[2] If the evaluator cannot reliably tell the machine from the human, the machine is said to have passed the test. The test does not check the ability to give correct answers to questions, only how closely answers resemble those a human would give.” ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test

This one also makes for an interesting, more up to date read (and is written for laypersons, which in the case of anything AI is often a good idea): http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150724-the-problem-with-the-turing-test

You can also read the original paper by Turing right here. https://www.csee.umbc.edu/courses/471/papers/turing.pdf

I haven’t actually seen “The Imitation Game” film – so no thoughts on that. It’s been on my list of things that I should probably see, but I’ve never gotten around to it.

[kaceyrambles]

SURPRISE! (#2)

I’ll be starting to liveblog Shingeki no Kyojin Final Season as well! Since it only recently started and I’ve only watched the first couple episodes, I thought it would be perfect to start liveblogging it as well! So I’ll be rewatching the first episodes like with Yu-Gi-Oh and then catch up with the other episodes.

But cause it’s been so freaking long since the previous season, I’ve completely forgotten what happened previously so I will be watching Shingeki no Kyojin Chronicle to refresh my memory cause I was just so freaking lost when I watched the first episode lol (That might also be the reason why they made it cause nobody remembers anything lol) And I’ll be referencing to it as Episode 0 just for the sake of convenience.

But I won’t be liveblogging that much about that since I have watched all the previous seasons so it wouldn’t really make that much sense

[completeoveranalysis]

[1]

Chapitre 190 - Those Who Know The World

Ohohoho I see how it is Clamp.

It’s Gay Vampire Photoshoot Part 2: this time with The Problematic fave of all time.

Aka IN HIS CLUTCHES. 

A lot of the imagery is very similar to last time we did this (187?), so I won’t go back over that, but what I WILL say is having these two pose together here in the final arc with their entire storyline completely unresolved is SUCH a power move! Go Clamp give us nothing!

Then again, the splash text reads something along the lines of:

They knew that the time

when they would see each other once more

was not too far away

So maybe it will happen! Either way you can SEE who's excited about this and who isn't.

It's GOOD. The visible contrast!! Seishirou is cradling Subaru’s arm and leaning into his touch, clearly happy to be there, but Subaru is not mirroring his smile - and their faces aren't aligned either, they're at different angles despite both looking right at the camera. Subaru’s not even trying to touch him - Seishirou is drawing him in, forcing the distance between them to close.

Their visual styles don’t align either - they both wear black with white accents, but Seishirou’s are straight lines while Subaru’s are all curves and angles. They’re mismatched, and it’s easy to see that only one of them actually wants this scenario to occur. And it’s WILD that Seishirou can make even THIS pose look predatory. He’s INSIDE the circle of Subaru’s vampire claws. He’s INCHES away from an accidental finger twitch slicing him right open. Subaru doesn’t even want to BE there, even as he hovers over him like the archetypal vampire predator that his twin was so good at emulating. And EVEN THEN, despite the powerlessness that the position should bring, Seishirou is still completely in control here. HE’S pulling Subaru closer and taking the affection he wants, even though it would traditionally be the other way around.

Poor Subaru!

[completeoveranalysis]

I don’t remember who it was that came up with this theory or where I first saw it since it was bit back in the day; but it was discussed how we see Fai’s childhood through his own eyes, and how his own limited version of events didn’t show the whole truth. If we are going with the idea that Fai and Yuui’s parents are at least some version of Chii and Hideki, characters we know, it seems odd how things with their family played out. You yourself pointed out that someone cared enough to make the twins matching cloaks. And apparently Fai has enough residual fondness for his mother to make his magical feather person look like her. Notably the twins weren’t given their sentencing until AFTER both of their parents had passed. When anyone who could have stood up for them was conveniently out of the way. Everything about the situation screams “uncle murdered his brother and sister-in-law and framed it as illness and suicide and used an old superstition to his advantage to throw his nephews in prison so that he alone could have the throne”. Which means that the king didn’t have some slow descent into madness but was power hungry from the jump. The twins looked like they were just a few years out of toddlerhood when they were locked away, and would not notice or understand anything about politicking and potential behind the scenes intrigue, they’d only understand what the adults around them were saying: that their father died of illness, their mother killed themselves, their uncle-king is just, and they’re bad. It seems like there was some kind of Game of Thrones bullshit happening in Valyria that we never got to see.

Oh I love this! I don't think I've seen this take before but it lines up perfectly with how things are presented. We don't see anything that happens in their country before the Uncle-King exiles them, and the facts aren't even presented from Fai's point of view as such, but from a third person narrator with no discernable identity:

So we're essentially told this part of the backstory entirely through the hearsay that's going around the courts - it's all rumours and stories based on what people have heard, rather than any evidence to say what happened either way.

So, yes! I completely buy into the idea that their parents were manipulated out of the picture by the Uncle-King who was power hungry the entire time, but was so insecure about it that even when he HAD the political power he wanted he STILL drove the entire kingdom into ruin out of fear that he might somehow lose it all.

[completeoveranalysis]

[6]

Oh man the beauty of this it all being visually set out this way. The mother on the right, framed in stark contrast to the rumours of the crowd around her - it’s all she cares about. 

In the middle, she doubts her daughter. The last thing holding her together is the possibility that Kohane is wrong, like she thinks she always is. 

Kohane on the left, surrounded by the blank space of people not helping her as a FULL ADULT pins her to the ground, the halo of her fallen hair the only identifiable part of her.

OOP HERE WE GO. 

TELL THEM KOHANE TEAR THE WHOLE THING DOWN

AND HERE WE GO!

WE HAVE IT! THE FINAL BLOW!

AND Kohane’s face takes up most of the page, looking straight at the camera, as she reveals the truth, for once not visually held back by the trappings of everything around her.

[completeoveranalysis]

And with that we’ve done it!

Not just Seresu, but the whole thing! The Catch Up Chronicle is complete.

WHAT A RIDE. 

I’ve had an absolute blast re-reading all these arcs and getting them this time around. The later arcs in particular are quite disorientating the first time through, and even more so with each revelation that changes everything that came before it. Going through it with the answers was a heavenly stroll through all the horrid moments going, “Oh of course!”, letting you connect all the dots and break your heart more and more the further you go. 

And Seresu. 

SERESU. 

Oh my goodness. What an ARC. Unravelleing Fai layer by layer until he has nothing left and Kurogane never once doubting him a single time. 

And how MANY people worked together to win this new version of the future; Kurogane, of course, and Sakura, and Mokona, and Lava Lamp, and Tomoyo, and Yuuko - all of them knowing that Fai is worth saving, even though Fai himself doesn’t, and going through significant effort to make sure it happened. 

I think I just have to lie down and think about The Saving of Fai for about a decade. 

BUT. IN THE MEANTIME, The Catch Up Chronicle is Complete, which means something new will follow. The wonderful blessed souls on Patreon will decide what the next step will be, and I’m excited for every single possibility. There’s just so much content. 

But speaking of the wonderful Patrons, here they are!

First Tier of Patrons!

Rien Alleis [Riri]

Sapphireswimming

Luke Wilson

Stupid Kitsune

Jordan Fredriksz

Kris

Shynerdycactus

CloudMenaceBird

And Higher Tier Patrons!

Thank you all dearly for your support through all these months. It’s made a world of difference, and I can’t thank you enough. Stay tuned for the poll appearing on Patreon shortly. 

And until next time, I hope you all stay safe and happy and loved. See you again soon!  

[completeoveranalysis]

And there we have it! RIGHT up to where we left off, all ready to continue if the voting goes the way it seems it will. 

Thank you for joining me in this indulgence of a small look back at Nihon, and stay tuned for whichever activity my Patrons pick for us to look at next. 

Speaking of which, endless eternal thanks to said Patrons for helping me along the way:

First Tier of Patrons

Rien [Ri]

Sapphireswimming

Luke Wilson

Stupid Kitsune

Jordan Fredriksz

Kris

Shynerdycactus

CloudMenaceBird

Corinne Burr

See you all again shortly! And take care!

[completeoveranalysis]

IT’S TIME

SERESU TIME

I’m so sorry Fai but LET’S GET INTO THAT TRAUMAAAAAA

[completeoveranalysis]

Infinity Time

WELL

August and September kind of happened. It was a whole thing. But since I actually got through it all I think I deserve some Infinity today. Right? Right!

 Let’s go suffer!