#Still one of my top fave char designs

[yuyuunon]

HKTK 2023

[bcbdrums]

Top 10 Soul Eater episodes?

As in, favorite episodes?? Or best episodes??

I'll do...favorites I guess? If that's even possible my gosh... I'm hard-pressed at this point to find any I don't like, and others are like...yes this one and this one and this one and this one.... Like the whole underground battle series of like seven??? Is just one giant episode to me, lol.

ANYWAY.... FAVORITE Top Ten episodes, listed in airing order not a ranking cuz that's impossible, lol.

Now, to absolutely no one's surprise...

These are all Stein and/or Spirit feature episodes. Except maybe two. Here we gooooo!

Episode 4: "Engage the Witch Hunter! A Remedial Lesson in the Graveyard?"

Why a fave? Okay well first of all...we get to see the four main characters fighting together against an enemy. The episode starts with the feeling of...okay, here we go... Like setting the tone of the anime after the concept and chars have been introduced. Gonna be a monster of the week thing, fighting new enemies and collecting souls. Like Digimon but not you know?

So we see awesome techniques from both Maka and Black Star and Sid as a char is super creative, so it's all that stuff to start with. And then...then we start to get that tiny bit of backstory at the end about Spirit and Stein and it's like, wait say what now?? The red-head is more than a comic drunk deadbeat dad? So then...

Episode 5: "Shape of the Soul – Enter the Ultimate Meister, Stein?"

Yeah okay... I mean. Obviously. We see Stein and it's like whoa that design is creepy this guy is creepy and then we hear Spirit blubbering drunkenly about the past and it's like creepy and oh snap I am now sympathetic to Spirit and there is a far deeper backstory going on here with these adults cuz we had the privilege of seeing Sid alive before you know and suddenly he's dead in the prior ep so mystery and...yeah. And then it's very much presented as wow...Stein is...unbeatable. They're doomed. And that twist ending I was just as much huh??? as Soul was and I just. Got captivated by the backstory.

Episode 7: "Black-blooded Terror – There's a Weapon inside Crona?"

More Spirit and Stein stuff. I swear that hospital scene was my favorite scene in the entire show for the longest time. It's hilarious, I still crack up watching it. The toes thing is just... And that way too long dramatic pause and camera pull before he reveals the divorce, and Stein freaking already knows and just...yeah I'm getting giddy thinking about it. But ALSO it's like, okay...now we've departed from the casual anime silliness. We skipped the 30+ eps of growth like Digimon and went straight to the big major character issue. Which you know, makes sense the further into the anime we go for this anime. But...yeah. It gets. Real. Not kids anymore. Crona with Ragnarok are hilarious I love them, and Crona is highkey relatable; Crona is every teenager to exist ever. But yeah then Soul's sacrifice, for Maka... It's just...wow. Yeah it got real.

Episode 8: "The Witch Medusa – Bearer of the Great Terrible Soul?"

Truthfully, probably my favorite episode as things stand right now. My mind may change later. Why? Because obviously...Spirit and Stein get to fight together. We get to see what the future is... It's like seeing the past in Star Wars, the very beginning of Ep. 1 you know where we see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fight and it's like...yessss this is how things are supposed to be in a world that isn't broken. Seeing Stein and Spirit fight together like that is just... Yeah my heart is pounding thinking about how insanely awesome that is. Also Stein is hot. Plus more of that...not kids anymore. Maka's pure terror at sensing Medusa's soul, seeing her...seeing what a real witch is. Like yeah kid the little kishin egg monsters and magical cats you've been playing with are nothing. Maka realizes the world of meisters and weapons she's in is quite a bit different than her experience so far. And can we talk about how Maka wasn't going to leave Soul's side??? Was just gonna take the hit and die right beside him, because he died for her??? MY HEART! Also Stein is hot yes I know I said it already it bears repeating and man that...seriousness...the way Stein looks at Medusa, the way the witch knows who they are which in itself shows a greater threat... That utter gravity that falls over that moment at the end there, after Stein blocks her attack and it's like....oh snap. Now what? Not to mention all the new tiny details we get about soul resonance and the possibilities and how a weapon can take on features of their meister in the special attacks! (Spirit takes on stitches here on the witch hunter blade, and in the last episodes he takes on Lord Death's skull face on the kishin hunter blade. That's so cool...) Okay I have to stop. I could go on. Like I said...favorite episode as things stand right now.

Episode 13: "The Man with the Magic Eye – Soul and Maka's Diverging Soul Wavelength?"

This one surprised me because initially I didn't care for it. I don't care for Free's design, shark!wolf just doesn't appeal to me. But over time this really grew on me. The writing is excellent and soooooo many major things happen. We get the first bit of touching on the morality issue, like, is DWMA really the correct moral power? Free says something about it and then it becomes a bigger theme going forward. We get the beginning of the black blood effects and the battle against/with it and the start of what all that means... The start of the "acceptance" theme even if it isn't named. We hear Soul's piano for the first time even though it isn't named as such until Brew. We get to see Soul and Maka both so confused but both so dedicated to each other, and the maturing starting to happen, that needs to still happen... It's a huge ep for their relationship. And also...Eruka. I love Eruka. All things Eruka. Any episode with Eruka is a delight. But yeah this episode is just SO deep and excellent, it needs more love. (Also in the candle room fight if you listen close we hear that Spirit has an outy belly button and I'm just alksjdahkjghsd how silly.)

Episode 14: "The Super Written Exam – Heart-Pounding, Reeling, and Restless. You're Kidding!?"

Ehhh heheheh...heheh... Pure absurdity. Pure comedic awesomeness. Everything about this episode. I love things where many characters are featured in more than a cameo and get real attention. We see more of all their homes, more of what they do and who they are when not in battle... Spirit being an absolute fool... That hilarious buildup timer to the end of the exam... Blair ruining what should have been something GOOD agh silly cat I'm still annoyed, lol. I'm not gonna say much here since I said so much about the last episode but man, yeah. Just pure comedy gold, I never ever tire of this episode. "Giraffe, giraffe~" Heheheh.

Episode 23: "Dead or Alive – In the Rift between Revival and Dazzlement?"

Okay like I said before... The entire underground battle, starting with the anniversary party, I consider one giant episode. I name all of those as favorites. I selected this one for here because it's where we get some of Stein's backstory I think? Flashback to he and Spirit as young teens, and we learn where Stein's mental state really is. We get to see more of his and Spirit's dynamic, how they work together both successfully and less successfully... Many headcanons borne of this battle in this episode. My gosh I just...can't put it into words in any brief way. I could write an epic length post breaking down nearly every line, look, gesture... And is this also the episode where the kishin emerges and my gosh if that isn't the creepiest most suspenseful moment I've ever seen. Also, we see more of Eruka! I adore her. And Free. But yeah whole episode... Fantastic.

Episode 25: "The Death Scythes Convene – Stop Dad's Staff Reassignment!?"

And this episode...also silly and ridiculous, but awesome because we get to see a little more of the "adult" side of the DWMA and how things operate. Comedically yes, cuz Soul Eater is a comedy, but still there's quite a bit of seriousness too. Stein's madness as a plot point... But my gosh... Marie, Azusa... Justin... The dynamic between all the adults. I would give ANYTHING for a prequel anime where we get to see all these complete idiots in the academy and how it all went down between them. And my gosh we've had plenty backstory teased already with Stein's experiments against Spirit, Sid and baby Black Star... Seeing the adults as kids would be the perfect "reboot" series for me. Plus that basketball ending, bringing it all full-circle in terms of...okay, here we are again, and here we go again... Onto the next phase of the show/of our lives. It's a fantastic turning-point episode and I never tire of it.

Episode 31: "Drying Happiness! Whose Tears Sparkle in the Moonlight?"

This one...so much happens here. We get delightful glimpses of normal life, we get the reminder that Soul plays piano which becomes important quite soon... We get the comedy of Spirit having to parrot Lord Death to Justin because they just won't make the kid take out his earbuds! We get a moment of Crona and Ragnarok actually getting along and having a normal conversation and ohhh myyyy gosshhhhhh I wish we'd had more of that in the show. I adore Ragnarok. But then...ugh. The saga of pain that begins. You get everyone reaching out, you get to see Crona happy... Marie after wandering around lost, saying if there's ever anything you need... Later inviting Crona to her home... Only to be betrayed. And the absolute skill and execution of the writing as they make us believe for a moment that Marie is okay in returning the pen...and then it's revealed that Crona put a snake in the coffee. Just. Oh man. Ugh the pain. Whyyyy Crona whyyy when you had the entire academy to back you up, everyone on your side, full protection from friends, from a death scythe who trusted you to invite to her home, from Lord Death who gave you a second chance... But you still betrayed them all. And then of course, that little snake then is the catalyst for SO much of what happens in the next episodes... Big deal. This ep is so huge. So many different feels...

Episode 40: "The Cards Are Cut – Medusa Surrenders to the DWMA?"

Spirit feature, Spirit feature! I like getting to see a little more of Spirit's responsibilities other than hovering at Lord Death's shoulder waiting 800 years bound to Death City what the heck his poor death scythes for battles that will never come. I know logically he has other jobs as the death scythe, but it's nice to see him doing some of it and more of his relationship with Lord Death (those two raised their children side by side I mean come on there's so much comedic opportunity here). Also the sheer TENSION in the episode from the fact it's Medusa, and Maka's reaction, and Stein's reaction, and then the deal at the end... It's like...okay this is a serious tone-shift and no clue now what is coming. It's a lot of weight all at once leaving me feel like I'm in a whirlwind and kicks off the final arcs of the show and...yeah. This is a good one.

Also hey guess what!

Turning this ask into a tag game! So...what are your top ten favorite episodes??

@midnightcaptions @memethebum @chickycherrycola @blackbloodteeth @mellancholy-morose @beeejayy (that's right Sunny start interacting with fandom LOL) @takeyourcyanide @cannibal-nightmares

AND...anybody else who wants to take this on! Have fun!

And BONUS... Any and all episodes with Excalibur are awesome and if you don't love him you are wrong. That's okay you're allowed to be, you do you. 😘

[shivasdarknight]

whats ur fave piece of surkie lore? or ur fave piece of her char design? (or both) :3c

im gonna yell at u but u also brought this on

......OKAY SO, i swear to god this is the most self indulgent shit but I gotta give a teensy bit of context first.

Surkie goes into enw as effectively a drk+rpr since rpr for her is more of an augment onto her preexisting classes? She doesn't use a rpr jobstone nor does she have a proper avatar, as she kind of just got dragged to Drusilla after she summoned a voidsent into her. That voidsent was Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, something she'd actively researched and sought out due to his supposed status as one of the very first voidsent who might have sympathy to her plight to restore the void with Cylva.

This is Diarmuid, btw:

His size is very fluid and he just kinda hangs out in Surkie's head. He's got a more humanoid form that looks like a devil trigger out of DMC and remembers what he used to look like as a mortal, but that's not something he ever shows to anyone.

Reaper is a compromise between him and Surkie due to their vastly different fighting styles (her being a drk main, him...well when he was alive he often used a sword and a spear in tandem with each other and had two sets so 4 weapons in total, the tails kinda echo back to that). So while Surkie is still dominantly a drk, stuff involving Diarmuid involves summoned scythes and whatnot since them learning something together was better than trying to find a balance between existing styles.

This is all to say that at the end of enw, in order to keep her alive, Diarmuid ends up partly fusing with Surkie to get her back to the Ragnarok, and they're kinda stuck together now. She's half voidsent now, it's fucked her up fundamentally, he's stuck on the Source, and now Surkie has a Devil Trigger.

Like. Seriously. It's in part designed after Diarmuid and his humanoid form, but also in part inspired by her dark knight glam from post stb-enw, which ends up getting destroyed - which is this set below, main piece being the Behemoth King top. Reason being is the Sin DT forms are based on suits of armor, with Dante's being more european armor while Vergil's is clearly samurai armor.

She lost this armor set at the end of ENW after it kind of became her identity. It got worn down from how she channels aether - which she wasn't even aware of doing, but it was what in part destroyed her first and favorite spear, nearly destroyed her Captain's naginata, and then decimated her armor. Granted, what dealt the final blow was the fight against Zenos, but her aether warped the plate so heavily that it was unsalvageable. It's what ends up leading to her post enw look with the Troian gear, which was tailored specifically to her insane and uncontrollable aether.

But this also means it's easy for her to suddenly swap into that voidsent form/DT.

She gets a hang of slipping in and out of it and she winds up fighting MOST OF THE 6.X BOSSES ON HER OWN. Initially it was just because I'm Fucking Gay and I wanted her and Barbariccia to go one on one (*COUGHS*), but then it led into her being the only one to take on Rubicante, and then ofc it just fit to have her go after Golbez on her own. As that DT. Rest of the team joins her for Zeromus, but regardless she still just went stupid crazy DT form against these guys and walked out of it alive.

..............................................................................and this form is also responsible for an uh. Incident. that results in their fifth child, Tseren, whose bio parents are surkie and ysayle.

because Someone's a bit of a monsterfucker.

and they don't learn about this until the Rubicante fight where Ysayle was going to get involved in the fight, but he refused to fight her on the grounds of her. yknow.

gg surkie

BASICALLY I GAVE MY WOL A DEVIL TRIGGER AND IM NOT CHANGING IT

[just-ornstein]

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike)

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike):

Hmmmm, tough one. I no longer really actively dislike characters? I'm mostly neutral if anything haha. Toriel: If I had to go with a few that I feel meh about one would be Toriel, for one. One nice thing I can say about her is that I find her very interesting on a pscychological level. She very clearly loves her kids a ton, but at the end of the day sometimes love isn't enough and this becomes apparent with how her parenting techniques pack out in both games. I know the fandom and so far even Toby tends to represent her as this very loving mother to the point they often kinda brush over her parenting techniques and I would really love for Deltarune to delve into this for a bit and make her realise the error of her way. Because man is she a complicated character when it comes down to this and it has so much potential to be even more interesting than it already is, not many tend to explore the kind of stuff going on in her life and I think that at the end of the day her heart is definitely in the right place.

Mettaton: I know he's an absolute fan favourite and nowadays I can definitely get why! He's one of the few trans characters we've got in media, that's also well written and generally just a pleasure to see on screen, he's extremely entertaining, his design is fun and solid, his dialogue great, etc. Despite everything I always really enjoyed his gameshows, they were just so utterly ridiculous and his theme songs really slap. I remember really enjoying his battle back in the day.

Garnet Til Alexandros (Final Fantasy 9): Gosh, I know many people absolutely love her but she's actually one of the few characters who, to this day, I still cannot enjoy. Which is quite odd, cause her story is one that would usually resonate with me! To say something nice about her, I love her determination and how she manages to remain positive even when everything is working against her (her entire life practically having be a lie, her adoptive mother dying, seeing Zidane go through what he goes through, etc). I also find it nice how the game represents her "rebirth", the cutting of the hair, the use of a new name that fits her more. And honestly... Now that I think about it her entire story could be taken as a trans allegory as well, which is always something I love.

Those are some of the few that come to the top of my mind! But like I said before, I do not really dislike characters anymore nowadays. Moreso that I feel a bit meh towards some. xD

[kisari]

ramblings on my personal feelings about my GG fave

i have such mixed feelings about testament's redesign. before i get too much into it. this is the internet so in case any rando sees this and doesnt know me: there is no wrong or right way to be nonbinary. there is no wrong or right way to present or feel yourself. i am against binary completely. i do not believe in transa/ndrophobia garbage.

i also wanna state i am a long time testament fangirlie. i love testament. i am happy testament was added. im happy they came out and said testament is x-gender/nb. testament in the old GG games partially helped me realize i was transmasc/nb. i think maybe thats why the redesign makes me feel a bit strange. first, a comparison.

Testament's general goth vibe and outfit basically never changed until Strive. I do think it's very interesting that from GG-->GGIsuka, Testament gained a six pack and yet also somehow became much skinnier and looks almost emaciated. Original GG Testament was very much a softer type build with no abs. I'd even say in Strive, their body shape became closer to how it was in the original GG.

Along with that, a lot of the design elements are still there, which I think is really impressive. The boots, the skirt, the gloves, and their new corset has the same arm flairs/wraps as their old tube top did. Really, they did a great job keeping the same vibe but showing that Testament has changed. So what's my problem? I've been trying to figure it out for a while. And seeing this concept art for Strive I think kinda cemented my feelings.

It was clear from the beginning they wanted Testament to have a more "fancy" look(lol the hat). In fact the one on the right is almost the exact same outfit but their body is drastically different... And I think this might be why I feel so mixed. GG creator has said Testament was always X-gender, and I think this comes through from their design from the very start. Back in ye olden days, before the Strive redesign, Testament 100% received transphobic comments that I shant repeat. But I'm sure you can imagine the sort of hatred and slurs a transfem would receive. having testament's redesign be clearly, much much more feminine isn't necessarily a bad thing- in fact i dont think its bad. again... being nb doesnt mean someone has to look any certain way. but testament isnt a real person. testament is a character designed by people. how would people have reacted if Testament was more masculine, but they still came out and said they were nb? The poses, the voice... it was all the same but Testament wasn't clearly much more fem? the way nb feels like something only allowed to more fem presenting people i guess makes me a bit concerned. go to any post about testament and look at the comments. its all "SEXY MOMMY THIGHS THEY SLAYIN" type shit. testament p much never received this attention beforehand. testament was also just... not as popular as other chars such as brisket who received the majority of attention in this way.

where am i going with this... idk. in a way, i have a lot of not clear thoughts and no where to put them. again maybe its just because i saw testament as gender goals before strive. and as someone that is nb but wants to be more masc it makes me a bit upset. there is absolutely a pattern of what is acceptable for a nb person to look like(especially when you are transfem), and i guess it just sucks that it happened to testament who i thought was perfect in the beginning. ngl i do also miss their edgier parts also. they def moved away from edgy to a fancy/posh vibe. testament's scythe used to be made of their own blood, and they'd cut off their body parts and remove skin for attacks. i can, obviously accept that this can be a reflection of them growing as a person and no longer self harming now that they are happy... or maybe it was too hard to animate in 3D... teehee....

this walk cycle literally cannot be beat it is the best.

i wanna be them so bad again tho i wanna reiterate. testament is my #1 fave guilty gear char forever i love them. this will not change. i just have many thots and feelings

[thebrownssociety]

Hi Roxy! I, L, T and Z

I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why

Not really. When I first joined Tumblr it was to look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stuff but I didn’t realise there was discussion around which incarnations were the best ext. I’ve not stopped liking the show, but I don’t really look at TMNT stuff anymore.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike)

So...I’ll go with Tweety. It might sound a weird thing to say seeing as I think there’s zero evidence for this, but I believe he has a very good sense of style and fashion and is also very self-confident which I like. I also personally like how he always seem to be one step ahead of the game in regards to everything. 

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything)

So if you’ve been following/looking at my blog you’ll know that I headcanon Elmer as gay. Don’t see that changing anytime soon. 

Switching fandoms completely I see Donatello [TMNT] as on the Autistic  spectrum. Michelangelo I also see as having ADHD. 

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go (prompts optional but encouraged)

So after getting clarification about what this actually means [I.E. talk about anything related to a fandom] I’m going with this:

In order to help with Elmer’s sleepwalking [developed after WW2] and in order to make it so Bugs and the other Looneys don’t have to constantly look after him and watch him every night, Scratchy has asked ’flat-out-told Warner Bros they needed to intervene. So they designed Elmer a dog, like an assistant dog, in order to specifically help him with sleepwalking. By that I mean the dog is with him constantly when he sleepwalks and does things like opening doors for him so he doesn’t smack into them [Bugs’s job before] and just generally making sure he doesn't get into to many scrapes. 

The dog is designed to look like a ‘Golden Retriever’ and she is called ‘Honey’ [Elmer chose the name]

Elmyra adores the dog and hugs her whenever she sees her. [Honey has been designed to tolerate hugging because what with Elmer having 3 kids and working in a school it was necessary]

During the day Honey either sleeps [she still needs 4 hours of sleep like any other toon] or helps Elmer some more depending on how bad he’s feeling during the day and circumstances but her role is greatly reduced during the working day. 

Anyway...I feel I’ve rambled enough about this vague idea I’m still working on, but if anyone has any questions feel free to ask!

[bramblemantle]

12, 17, 24!

12 - Fandom you’ve drawn the most for?

god it’s gotta be rain world huh? i mean it’s still mostly oc stuff that i draw and i’ve only doodled the canon characters like once (i do love them very very much tho 💖 it’s just hard to generate ideas about characters i don’t know). Runner up is probably hollow knight? again, also mostly ocs, and like half of it was your ocs sggsgdhhdhhd <3

17 - Favourite oc/sona drawing?

this is probably also that group pic with rw ocs or Lun’s duel (both cool lineless scenes that i think turned out rlly well with some fave ocs) but to pick something different, i really really like Raster’s ghost design :]

I used one flat colour and used opacity to create the illusion of tones, and then did some funky layer mode stuff on top and im so pleased with the result !!!

24 - What do you like most about your art style?

Ohhh this is a hard question? I mean i like my art style i have a lot of fun with it but i’m trying to find a thing that, when i look back on art i drew, makes me go “that. that thing i do really good. proud of that one thing”

y’know what actually, it’s probably my character designs! I have been told time and time again that i make really fuckin complex designs and it’s true sgbshbdbdhd but i love them <3 ! Especially happy with the human chars i’ve been designing recently, i think i’ve done pretty good at avoiding sameface issues! People were a struggle for a long time because i was an animal artist first but i’m now at the point where i can really have fun drawing them!

most of the human characters i’ve designed this year (+ adam, the dude with porcelain skin, who i didn’t design but really enjoy the art i did; & cori who had a mostly complete design already when i was asked to draw them. and also i designed cress prior to 2021 i think but didnt like the art enough and redid it), from approximately newest to oldest:

Also my most recent lineart style im very happy with, which you can see in two or three of these pictures with the chalky lines? Same brush i use for lineless and usually for colouring. I have newer examples but can’t post them yet, they are secret santa gifts that are still secret

[ginrose19]

L T and Y :)

@vidramon Thank you for the ask~

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike)

I do enjoy Miu Irumas design from Danganronpa, and her voice actor did great work.

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything)

Piers is Grimsleys nephew in pokemon, Lusamine is a horrible mother even though they retconned her in Ultra Sun and Moon. Goro Akechi was friends with Ryuji as kids because their mothers were friends. I can go on and on with headcanons I will die for.

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)

I know about One Piece through one of my friends, I still know next to nothing but I enjoy trying to figure it out solely from the reblogs.

[little-murmaider]

Yeah, gimmie a A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, N, O, P - with a side order of R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y & Z

Oh my GOD dude.

A - Your current OTP(s)/OT3(s)/OTX(s)

Skwistok, Nategaar, Nathan/Skwisgaar/Toki, Pickleface, Polyklok, Abigail/Literally any woman

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will (be nice)

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Murdertooth. Sorry. 

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t (again: be nice)

I kind of wish I liked Nickles? There’s a lot of great content for it! But I genuinely prefer them as friends. When people say they can’t ship Skwistok because they seem too much like brothers? That’s how I feel about Nickles.  

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom, if so, what

Answered!F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom

Answered!

G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so who was in it

It was either Arnold and Helga from Hey Arnold!, or Link and Zelda (in all LoZ media, but this was specifically Ocarina of Time). They’re both still up there! 

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., tv shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)

Every fandom I’ve been active in was for a TV show. Pokémon (I played the games but I wrote “stories” about the anime), Jimmy Neutron, Hey Arnold!, Teen Titans, Metalocalypse, How I Met Your Mother, South Park (BOTH OF WHICH I REGRET. FUCK THOSE SHOWS.) I dip a toe into other things cause I’m curious, but I’m unlikely to write fanfic for anything else. I did come VERY close to writing Adventure Zone fic recently but the impulse faded.

I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why

I’m pretty good at Curating my Tumblr experience and blocking tags for things I dislike or just am uninterested in. Also MTL is the only fandom I’m active in and that one rules. If I see something annoying in another fandom tag I just bounce!

J - Name a fandom you didn’t care/think about until you saw it all over tumblr

Tumblr is the reason I got into TAZ! And I’m so glad I did, it’s my favorite podcast, I’ve gotten my fiance and some of my very close friends into it as well. Also the actual real name of my wedding dress design is The Aubrey, which is just FATE.

K -Say something nice about someone in any of your fandoms

Answered but also @fasthandfingerwizard​ is such a sweetheart and so kind, and @cthene​ has a fic that’s so good it makes me want to tear my skin off. 

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike)

Answered, but Knubbler makes me laugh.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

Answered, but more Skwisgaar Content in general!!!!! Just!!!!! Let me see my boy!!!!!!!!

O - Choose a song at random, which ship or character does it remind you of

Answered! I did it again and got Eet by Regina Spektor which reminds me of Toki. I have a lot of Regina songs on my Toki playlist.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

I’ve created so many AUs including one very elaborate one please I’m so tired.

R - A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships

nAtEgAaR. jk jk jk. I tend to latch to pretty popular pairings, and the MTL fandom is pretty diverse in terms of shipping. I guess………..Abigail/Rachel? Only because it’s a pairing I literally made up. 

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

Skwisgaar was raised by wolves.

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything)

Skwisgaar is bi because I’m bi. 

U - 5 favorite characters from 5 different fandoms

Skwisgaar Skwigelf - MTL

Eleanor Shellstrop - The Good Place

Aubrey Little - The Adventure Zone

Violet - Monster Pulse

Joyce Brown - Dumbing of Age

V - 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms

Skwistok - MTL

I’m Eleanor/Tahani - The Good Place

Link/Zelda -LoZ series

W - 5 favorite ships and 5 kinks you like best for said shipsNot comfortable answering this one publically

sorry!

X - top 5-10 characters who are yoUR PRECIOUS BABIES AND YOU WILL DIE DEFENDING THEM

Answered!

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)

Good Omens, Stardew Valley. 

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go (prompts optional but encouraged)

I don’t know man I just love Skwisgaar a lot! And I think he got shafted in the 3rd and 4th seasons and there was a lot of wasted potential for his character, and also Mean is not his only personality trait. He’s goofy! He’s awkward! He’s funny! He likes being included in things! There are a lot of fun directions the show could have gone in for him besides “horny” and “a dick” and “also there” and it was a WASTE.

[comicteaparty]

November 13th-November 19th, 2019 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from November 13th, 2019 to November 19th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question: 

When reading a new webcomic for the first time, what qualities are more likely to turn you into a long-term fan?

carcarchu

Definitely creativeness and how unique the overall concept is. If i think i can pretty much guess how the story is going to play out I'm less inclined to stick around and tune in every week (though i might queue up a bunch of chapters and binge it if i still like it enough). If a story keeps me on my toes and there's cliffhangers every chapter it makes me want to come back every week to find out what's going to happen next and that consistency makes me want to stay until the very end. Also i tend to read mostly romances so if i really like the ship that the comic is pushing i'm much more likely to keep reading it

Cronaj

For me, it's character development. While the art style or plot concept might draw me to read a comic initially, it is the characters that make me stay. If I feel like the characters have realistic enough motives or emotional journeys, I start to see them as real people. I cry with them, laugh with them, and mourn with them.

Batichi

I need to get a good idea of the 'hook' in the first 20 or so pages. I really need to know if the comic itself knows what it wants to do before it's really started. It can be through set up or character intros or world building like Chirault http://chirault.sevensmith.net/, or even a good random encounter like in Ghost Junk http://ghostjunksickness.com/ to get me into the action really fast, or starting In Media Res like O Sarilho http://sarilho.net/en/ . I need to know the creator knows where the story is going in some capacity or I'm worried the comic will quickly stagger into a hiatus. Technical parts can still be a bit wonky as I know from experience most creators need some practice, but I still need an idea they're getting to (without having to read the about page)

Most comics I've read that kept me going always seem to have really well thought out starting points that continue all the way till the end.

keii4ii

I look at how the narrative treats lawful characters. I usually have a hard time relating to chaotics, regardless of how well they're written (I may come to care about a chaotic character, but I'm gonna need something else to keep me reading until that happens). If the narrative portrays lawfuls as interesting and worthy of attention, and gives them compelling arcs that let them shine, yeah, that's probably my jam! Related to above though not the same: I love it when slow, quiet moments are given importance and handled well. (Related since quiet and lawful overlap?) Not just downtime so people can catch their emotional breath before the next set of busy scenes... but important enough to be seen as the focus of their own, if not of the story! This should show quite clearly in my own comic if I'm doing my job right...

keii4ii

Sombulus (http://sombulus.com/) by @Delphina is a notable example of treating lawful characters with respect, even though the comic as a whole has this wacky chaotic fun vibe. When I was first making my way through the archive, I greatly enjoyed the first adventure with townspeople turning into literal walking fruits, bread, etc. But then the trio went to talk to Tenge, and I was relieved that the narrative didn't "side with" the chaotic, irresponsible (though still 100% lovable -- I love you too, Astyr!!) main character. The comic managed to portray Tenge as being uptight without feeling unfair to me, a lawful. That is SO rare to see! (Sombulus as a whole does a great job at treating characters from the entire lawful-chaotic spectrum with both fairness and fondness. It is one of my favorite things about the comic. )

Delphina

(I saw I got pinged so I scrolled up to see what the question was, but I went too far and I thought you were saying Tenge was your favorite magical boy and I was dyiinnnggg @keii4ii )

keii4ii

(Tenge is totally my favorite magical boy too, now that you put it that way )

Delphina

Thank you! And thanks for the compliment on the lawful/chaotic dichotomy. Balancing how those kinds of personalities work together and how they're both strong in their own ways is really fun for me, and I'm glad it's showing in Sombulus!

DanitheCarutor

What can keep me reading depends on the comic. The hook can either be character interaction, the character's themselves, the setting, or the plot. With characters, how the they handle themselves and one another, how they think, how they talk, how they walk, how they DaNCe, how TheY LOVE! Lmao! But nah, I'm really big into character details, which individualizing characters to the extent that I like is rare in comics so I settle for standard stuff. As long as I can distinguish them, and they're interesting, I'm chill. Setting? A super fun thing for me, I love it when creators go batshit with their setting lore and world building. Of course even when the setting just pure aesthetic, when it comes to it being the hook for me as long as it's weird and crazy, something a little fantastical or cosmic I'm digging it! Plot. This is the one I least care about... as weird as that sounds. The story can be an insane mess as long as it's a fun and enjoyable mess, but when story does hook me it is usually an interesting, super intriguing take on a preused concept either with the use of visuals or writing. (Which every concept has been used, originality is technically dead) Some examples are: The Prometheite https://tapas.io/series/Prometheite - A sad Frankenstein story about a woman losing her partner to a fatal illness. Hookteeth https://tapas.io/series/Hookteeth - A lovecraftian/cosmic horror romance with merfolk. (Not much to say about this one, Lovecraftian stories in themselves are weird and awesome imo.) SUPERPOSE https://tapas.io/series/SUPERPOSE - A sci-fi comic heavy on character interaction, and looks to be something other than the usual in space, on a different planet, or a story where the sci-fi is just a setting. (To be honestly, I'm mostly into how the story is presented visually. It feels very theatrical.)

Sometimes I stick with a comic purely for the aesthetics, I'm a sucker for eye candy. LIke Seluda https://tapas.io/series/seluda - A normal-ass high school story, but the visual presentation is SOmething else! Very 60's-70's drug trip, the style of speech used by the MC is very surreal, if not a little long winded at times. I would chalk my interest in this comic up to characters and art, but mostly art.

keii4ii

Related: Astyr supplying the non-sequitur lines to keep that one machine going was also a favorite moment of mine. This is probably just me but I found it genuinely heartwarming to see him able to contribute simply by being his chaotic self, even without his magic. @Delphina

FeatherNotes

Honestly character design and a memorable interaction are easy hooks for me. I do like a good investment in world building however, it really helps for easy immersion and definitely makes it more enjoyable to read! The moment I see a creator indulge in some good backgrounds and lore, I'm pretty much sold! Phantomarine and o sarilho are really good examples of all those things http://www.phantomarine.com/ https://sarilho.net/en/

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I read a really wide variety of comics. I’m not sure I can pinpoint exactly what trait it is that hooks me, besides just ‘good writing’. I like comics that have believable, relatable characters, well thought-out plots, and good character development. I’m immediately turned away by heavy reliance on tropes, stale, cookie-cutter characters, or achingly slow progression. If it’s well written and well-paced, there’s a good chance I’ll stick around and keep reading. Also, a bit opposite of what Keiii was saying above- I love a good rogue. The better the chaotic character, the more likely I am to be drawn in. I love stories that explore the moral grey area, that have villains with good redemption arcs, and have heroes that are deeply flawed but grow and learn. If the hero is always 100% on the good side and the villain is always 100% on the bad side, I’m more likely to lose interest.(edited)

FeatherNotes

Ohh yes agreed on that

keii4ii

@Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios) I believe we may be looking at two sides of the same coin! I wouldn't be interested in reading about the Honorable and Immaculate Lawful Heroes Against The Forever Evil Baddies, either. Greyness -- or to describe it differently, "stories not picking a side" -- is something I like seeing as well, just through a more lawful lens. Back to the Sombulus example, it's one thing to portray a noble lawful hero. But Tenge was portrayed as being uptight, without making it feel like a jab at lawful readers. He has room for growth, but so does everyone else in the story. Reading Sombulus I feel like he can learn to become a happier person without becoming someone else. Lawful doesn't mean perfect nor boring, and that's something I really appreciate seeing.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

That’s very true! I like when lawful characters aren’t perfect, though I gravitate more towards chaos, lol.

keii4ii

(Tienar may not be my tippy top favorite Ashes character (not yet sure who my fave is!) but I am definitely partial to him and his lawfulness. )

Pakky

i love chaotic lawful characters. one of my favorite characters was from a long dead webcomic called destress where the main character was lawful but also psycho. it was pretty fun to watch

sssfrs

I dont read a lot of comics but I love loveable rogue characters

FeatherNotes

Love me those chaotic stupid types too My comic's main char is one of them and it definitely makes for interesting interactions!

sssfrs

I like the dynamic my characters have. The leader of the group is smart and responsible, the second in command is smart and kind of lazy, and everyone else is completely chaotic, evil, or stupid

So the leader is herding cats

Glowbat (Aloe)

I think what really grabs my attention and chains it to the radiator usually is when there's a noticeable overarching thesis or themes to the comic that the creator is mulling over via the story. Usually as a result it really tightens up the whole story and seeing characters of all kinds representing different stances on the thesis and acting in ways directly reflecting that is neat.

keii4ii

^ Cohesiveness!!!!

Glowbat (Aloe)

Yeah!

Cronaj

I think it's interesting how most of us are drawn in with character development, even if the specific types of characters we enjoy are different.

keii4ii

^ Yeah, I fully admit that just because a character is well written/believable, doesn't guarantee I'll be invested in that character. I definitely have my types, as well as a horribly narrow and specific taste range

Glowbat (Aloe)

also the other thing that really draws me in is if you put a hot character with pointy shark teeth in I will read the entire comic always

Cronaj

I think my taste range is pretty broad with the characters I like, narrow af in regards to art styles

It's a horrible affliction really

@Glowbat (Aloe) lol, do you read Castle Swimmer?

Glowbat (Aloe)

...maybe

Phin (Heirs of the Veil)

I think what hooks me, when I start reading new webcomics, is how diverse and interesting the cast is and I think I'm more likely to stay on a superficial level if not everyone is conventionally attrative. Other than that, strong character writing and strong motivations for the characters that are already there in the beginning.

Cronaj

Character development!

Deo101

Things that keep me around are like... If I can read it, honestly. Like if i can follow whats happening consistently then i can get into it. Also! Depending on how it treats women, lgbt people and disabled people really makes or breaks my overall enjoyment. I like character driven stories most but I can enjoy other things and get into them, its nit very consistent for me

All about clarity and respect

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Oh, yeah, the author respecting their characters and / or groups of people is a big must for me.

So I agree with Deo 100% on that

Deo101

Oh, and also how much they respect their readers and trust that i can follow things without holding my hand through it!

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

^^^that too! I am not a fan of over-explaining(edited)

Cronaj

I will say, the way female characters are portrayed does affect my overall enjoyment as well. For example, if a woman is so boring and placeholder (i.e. just there to help a man or be a romantic interest), as I like to call, suffering from "girl" syndrome, I really hate it. This is why I can't watch a lot of anime, because often the female characters don't matter.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Also, @keii4ii I think you may be the first person ever to say you like Tienar!

keii4ii

omg noooo Tienar I WILL ROOT FOR YOU, MY EAGLE

It's not that I agree with him a lot. I just really appreciate that he's there

Cronaj

But yeah, if a comic can't pass the simple Bechdel Test....

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Hahaha, well, he’s definitely There

keii4ii

Re: the balance of clarity vs not over-explaining, that can be tricky!!

I too don't like over-explaining, but what I find to be just clear enough may be unclear to some, or too confusing,

Deo101

Yep :// so that one is really not on the author so much as just "if I dont know what's up or if I feel its dragging on i wont like it"

Jts not the kind of thing that you can do right for everyone

keii4ii

Agreed

Deo101

What my indicators for "is this respectful?" "Is this clear?" Etc are gonna be wayyyy different from other people's so its hard to say exactly what keep me reading

keii4ii

This is actually something I've been thinking about a lot. For Korean webcomics, the comment section generates a lot of engagement, and one result is that reading comprehension becomes a group activity. Particularly observant comments become highest voted, so even less observant readers can follow along by reading the comic and the highest voted comments. I feel that makes some stories more accessible than they would've been without that comment section culture.

Deo101

I wish that were commonplace lol

keii4ii

ME TOO

Their comment section is active enough that one time, a reader asked for toilet paper (they were stuck in a public restroom stall at Incheon airport, and only had like 20 minutes before their flight) and they actually got TP in time

But yeah, it's not just the activity level that I'm envious of. It's the group effort reading comprehension

I value it as a reader (I am not the most observant), and want it as a creator

Deo101

Yeah wow that sounds awesome and would also help me SO MUCH because I struggle a lot with following things...

keii4ii

OMFG

Before reading the sentence to the end

Deo101

Remembering, knowing what's going on or who is talking, picking up on subtle hints... Can't do that lol

keii4ii

I thought you were going to say "because I struggle a lot with public restrooms with no TP" sorrryyyyy

Cronaj

Hahahaha

Same

Deo101

Hahahahhaha

I usually just ask whoever is next to me if that happens

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I wish western audiences were that engaged. Usually the top voted comments I see are either puns (fair, because puns are awesome) or thirsty (less nice, but if it’s a thirsty pun I admit to laughing out loud sometimes)(edited)

Deo101

Yeah same lee :/

I've been getting like .1% of my readers commenting and ive been like. Is my writing just not conducive to an interactive environment? This convo should probably move out of reader favorites. Creator babble it is! Lemme go over there w it

keii4ii

There was this thriller webcomic in which the MC was trying to assassinate 4 corrupt politicians for personal grudges. He already got three of them. The last one receives a large, round-shaped flower pot as a gift from his supporters. 3-4 weeks later (IRL I mean), it is revealed that the third target/victim was cut up into pieces, but they couldn't find his head. One reader pointed out "THE FLOWER POT!!!!!!" and I would not have been able to make that connection without that comment. I mean the flower pot thing was revealed the next update anyway, but it was nice to have that comment, and another highest voted comment even specificed "go to [this specific update] for the scene in which he receives the pot"

(The head was in the pot)

Deo101

Thats so fun

Cronaj

Oh my God... It's brilliant

DanitheCarutor

@Pakky221 Distress by Blankd, right? I loved reading that comic back in the day! It's sad that the comic got discontinued, but I have to say I'm enjoying the WIP work for the stuff the creator is working on now. Regarding the conversation about characters, I think I'm the niche person in the crowd. Unless the character themselves or the situation they're in is an obvious mouthpiece thing for someone venting their racism, sexism, homophobia, whatever political views, etc. I don't reeeeally care how characters are treated or used? I've always seen them as tools, even in childhood I was disillusioned about seeing them as real people, so it's hard for me to get emotionally invested in how the author treats them. I don't even care about my own characters outside of portraying their problems, personalities, and situations decently. Probably not a good mindset to have, and it'll probably dox me some points on the "good creator" scale, but it's just my thing I guess. Lol

Bland characters are a pain, though! If you can legit replace your character with a rock, and it would have the same impact or be a livelier option, then... that's kinda sad. (Unless your character has some kind of legit issues relating to appearing bland, or they're sort of the butt of a joke.)

Pakky

@DanitheCarutor o: i don't have any way to follow the creator. the blankd tumblr has been inactive for so long but i agree. Bland characters are my least favorite. There's a lot of comics out there that have some pretty plain main characters that are realllllly hard to relate to.

DanitheCarutor

Aah! Blankd's Twitter is still active, they're working on a game right now, and they've done a few -ahem- adult comics since stopping Distress. https://twitter.com/blankd_ec

Yeah, with bland characters I'd like to think the author is trying to make that type of Sue that anyone can put themselves in? But it ends up turning into the opposite because they're so dead on arrival that no one can relate.(edited)

snuffysam

kind of related to the idea of "i should have an idea of where the story is going at the start", but one other thing that keeps me reading is "the story gets there". like if the comic opens with an old man telling a young knight that she has to travel across the land and slay a dragon, cool! if i continue reading the comic for six months and they're still in the same conversation, i'm probably dropping it! like i get that comics update at different rates, but if you have like one page every two weeks you should probably make sure something interesting happens in the first 20 pages. and the sorts of comics i absolutely love are when, like, the stories actually move forward. like, if i can re-read a comic and feel nostalgia for the earlier scenes, that's how i really turn into a superfan.

Capitania do Azar

The group effort in this chat already pointed some very important points: that not all characters are conventionally attractive (tho I like that, it's not something that would make me stop reading if it were absent), well developed women and LGBT+ characters, and characters with strong motivations that are apparent, make sense in the context of the story and are known to us from the begining. That said, if the comic consistently treats me, as a reader, as if I were not very smart (by constantly overexplaining things, pointing again and again at the obvious, making me go through walls of text because world is more important than character and you need to read a bible to get through chapter 1), I'll probably not engage for too long. I gotta say that the visual style is also a very important factor. I am willing to look through what I consider to be minor issues (like small inconsistencies in drawing/scenario or characters being offmodel) for as long as it doesn't interfere with my immersion in the story. However, some visual styles are a big no-no for me, and I discover that I can't look past those and enjoy a story

Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS

This chat is very good - also for a first-time webcomic creator. As a reader, I'm almost a little ashamed to say that I'm very picky. Not because I don't like comics, because I LOVE COMICS, but becase I'm so goddamn busy all the time. Everything is constantly competing for attention, and for a comic to be able to hold that attention, it needs to be something extra special. For me, that's an engaging and developed visual style, a plot that gets going quickly, and a sense that the story has been planned. I love that so many different comics exist, I just can't read all of them and also be a creator.

RebelVampire

As a reader, I'm almost a little ashamed to say that I'm very picky. Not because I don't like comics, because I LOVE COMICS, but because I'm so goddamn busy all the time.

I think that's an important sentiment all creators should remember. People are busy. And like, not even just comic creators. I'm talking about basically everyone. Which means good and bad things. Bad thing is that it makes creating a highly competitive market because people are going to be super picky just for lack of time to be un-picky. But the good thing is it means the people who do choose to read your comic are picking it out of all the other comics that they could read with their limited time. And that right there is pretty special.

Cronaj

@RebelVampire That really is a beautiful sentiment.

@Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS I am also very picky about comics, which is part of the reason I'm so picky about my own work. This is why if an artist doesn't seem professional enough for me, I don't want to waste my time reading the comic, because maybe the writing is unprofessional too. I know I'm missing out on a lot of good content, but as you said, I don't have the time to read a comic and be disappointed when I'm further into it.

keii4ii

I too am picky about stuff, and it's not even because of quality. My tastes are a far bigger factor. Just because I don't read something doesn't mean I think it's bad!!

Cronaj

That is also true

Tastes also play a huge role into why I read or don't read something, not just the "quality" of the art

kayotics

I don’t think I’ve answered the question yet but I’ve been lurking. The first thing to grab me that might turn me into a long term fan is the art style. I don’t think the art is the most important factor but I need to be able to follow along, and if it’s not a style I’m interested in I probably won’t start it. The second thing is the writing in general. I like characters the most, more than world building. So interesting interactions are where I get the most enjoyment. The story could go almost anywhere but if I don’t like the main character I really won’t like the story. So the thing that will keep me going the most is a likeable main cast. And I don’t mean flawless, because that gets boring, but characters that I enjoy seeing fail, and then pick themselves back up again.

DanitheCarutor

So I slept in it and realized when I was talking about plot for my answer, it was actually themes... because I didn't talk about anything relating to plot. Lol shows how professional I am. With pickiness, is it weird that I'm more picky now that I'm jobless than when I was working fulltime? When I was pulling 10-11 hour work days I was literally a drifter, so they never had anything for me to do. I would find anything I could get my hands on to make the time go by faster, so I read as many webcomics as I could. Now I have all day to catch up drawing pages, trying to find a new job, helping my mom with chores, and doing obligatory family bs. I also want to try making some kind of revenue off my drawings/comic, so I've been trying to get in the groove of doing more things. (Which is difficult because pages take almost all my drawing time.) It's hard to find the time to sit down and read a comic now since staying productive is mandatory. Uuuh Tl;dr: I can empathize with being picky due to lack of time.

Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS

THat's the creator struggle, right? In creating, so much time is spent creating, that it can be hard to find time to consume

Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS

Ooh, yay!

Deo101

I think also as creators, we tend to have a hard time -if not an impossible one- seperating our work from what we read. I Know I tend to look at other things as a learning experience in some way, either thinking "how would i do this different?" Or "what about this can i apply to my work?" Which makes reading a different, more tiring experience

We may tend to* this might just be me i will admit

DanitheCarutor

@Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS It is! Sometimes I get so focused on the creating aspect that I forget to do all the other important things like advertising, socializing, promoting other people. Like playing video games, reading comics is an absolute luxury time waster so I don't do it as often as I could anymore.

Aw man! I do that too, Deo! Although it's something I actually enjoy? Something about analyzing a piece of media, and applying what you would do with it is fun.

Deo101

Oh I absolutely do enjoy it! But it takes more time and is draining for me

Cronaj

Definitely makes it harder to enjoy what we're reading

DanitheCarutor

Aauh yeah, that's true. Analyzing does take a lot of brain power and energy.

Deo101

Yeah :/ so to find a story i can really get immersed in is incredibly rare now...

Cronaj

I do this with books I read too(edited)

It's an awful habit

DanitheCarutor

Over analyzing everything is something I've been doing literally since childhood, so I'm used to it. My brain never shuts off unless I'm drawing.

Cronaj

I find myself wanting to rewrite other people's stories

Don't be like me

Deo101

I do it too and i think its just kind of how you think about things when you're a writer

DanitheCarutor

Pff oh no, I've done that too. Not so much now, but in elementary school whenever I watched a show or movie I hated, I would rewrite it.

Deo101

When you pick apart what you dont like or analyze what you do iy lets you apply those things to yiur own work. Its a valuable skill to have and i think its kind of automatic

Cronaj

Even my favorite authors of all time... I end up going back on a reread and wanting to change things that didn't work out so well

DanitheCarutor

It's a really good skill that not enough people have... at least my coworkers are pretty lacking in the critical thinking department. They say it's healthy to question, analyze, and long to improve.

Deo101

Some people are, and that's okay! Those are the people I hope are reading millennium ;)

Jk lol

DanitheCarutor

Lmao! Yeah, it's okay to be a person of simplicity, as long as they don't tell me the hyper-realistic Lion King remake is better than the original.

Deo101

Ahhahahahaha

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I analyse every format of story I consume automatically . Comics, books, movies, etc. I find that it doesn’t take me away from immersion, but it DOES take away my emotional investment. I’m enjoying the story plenty, but I’m less likely to feel attached to a character or be sad when they die. It’s a very rare story these days that will actually give me feelings over the fate of the characters.

FeatherNotes

I can totally see that too though, esp with the crazy amount of works being produced, you def have to do some curating in a sense to see where you will make that emotional investment too

DanitheCarutor

Aaah I get that with horror movies! Lol But in seriousness, I'm the same way for the most part. My immersion is perfectly intact (unless something stupid happens), but my care investment in characters does waver. Usually it's easier when the characters are really weird, and catch my eye, like the corpse man in Swiss Army Man. I got super invested for some reason when he learned how to walk, then when he died again because his friend wouldn't fart in front of him. But normally, nah I don't feel much, especially for death but my views on that are kinda skewed to begin with.(edited)

So I realize I'm really into surreal comedy, if a character can actually make me laugh I'm more invested in their wellbeing.

keii4ii

Analytical reading is great. Though I rarely find myself wanting to fix other people's stories. I have creative tunnel vision and genuinely have no desire to work on anything other than the OTP (One True Project)

Same goes to my own ideas really? I get ideas but auto-filter them out, as I have 0 desire to work on them.

Cronaj

You are blessed lol

Every five minutes, I'm sitting there trying to convince myself to work on ONLY ONE PROJECT AT A TIME.

"Oooh! That's a cool idea! I should E x P l O r E that!

kayotics

I try to not analyze shows or comics unless I REALLY love them or I find them boring and want to be interested in them. For example: I’ll analyze the hell out of Full Metal Alchemist because I ADORE it, but the analysis stage came much later after finishing the comic. If I’m not engaged with a series then I’ll analyze what would make me more interested. I hardly ever try to rewrite other people’s stories

Deo101

Yeah i dony try to rewrite its more of a "what about this didn't i like and how can i avoid doing that in my own work?"

FeatherNotes

ohhh yes agreed Deo

kayotics

Oh yeah definitely. I will sometimes think about that, but usually it’s if something is really bugging me

Deo101

Yeah I partly do it because people sometimes just don't take "idk i didnt really like it" for an answer and I gotta explain. Also its kinda like a puzzle and I like puzzles

kayotics

Oh, on the topic of the question: one other thing that will hook me is whether or not the writing is exciting. For example, I mentioned being bored by some comics, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking for action all the time. What I’m looking for is for there to be something to latch on to. The most mundane story about laundry could be interesting to me if it’s written in a way that engages me.

A really good example of engaging writing in a mundane story is probably Sakana? https://www.sakana-comic.com/ The characters just. Work in a fish stall. But the story holds my interest even in the quiet moments because it’s crafted in a way that keeps developing the characters.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I can’t turn off my analysis mode. It just happens as I’m watching / reading in the background of my brain and there’s no control switch. Sometimes I wish there was so I don’t correctly predict the ending 1/4 of the way through and spoil it for myself. (I’m no longer allowed to make predictions along with my friends when we watch movies together).

Deo101

^^^^ SAME. BIG SAME.

My mom and sister are like that too so we all guess the ending and my dad gets lile >:( I Kno youre right and it's ruined now >:((

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

But agreeing with the above, I don’t want to fix another person’s story. I’m just always asking ‘What made this scene so effective?’ and ‘what made this part not so effective?’. I also map writing patterns, formulas, and file away ‘tells’ in my head as I go.

Me and my friends all like to talk during movies: making snarky comments or predictions. I’m just no longer allowed to do the latter because I will ruin the ending. XD

Deo101

Ahahahahahaha

Yeah I can't go to theaters I've been shushed so much. But its so hard not to talk for me

FeatherNotes

that's a very important skill to have with analysing things to the point of deconstructing them in your own work and making more effective narratives too! it's good to be aware of the content that you consume and really understand what made the work speak/effect you the way it did. Honestly these conversations are much more enjoyable to have than just 'my fave character is that bc they are funny' and it ends there (no shade on simply enjoying things here tho! I def do the same) but yea! being aware to that degree is a good skill for writing

sssfrs

@Glowbat (Aloe) You should read my comc

I’m sorry I’m like this I’m just so focused on what I’m working on its the only thing in my whole brain right now.

You said you like stories with themes and my mind was like themes? my story has themes

keii4ii

Calm down man! XD Though I can relate to brain being 100% focused on your OTP (One True Project)

sssfrs

I love analyzing media. I get bored of reading or watching things really quickly if I feel like I’m starting to understand the central message. Or maybe bored isnt the right word- more like satiated? If the work is really cohesive and Ive gotten the overall message I feel like ive fully enjoyed the media and had a good time

Like analyzing it is enough and then reading is just bomus

bonus

I’m so sorry

FeatherNotes

it's okay to be really into your own work haha! love that passion to keep you going--!

also the OTP acronym is rly cute omg

sssfrs

One True Project I just realized you saidb that that is really cute

Like I said I stop reading if I feel like I have the gist of something(edited)

I think its cool that a lot of us are saying we analyze things all the way and were also making our own stuff like does working on making your own thing cause you to view the details of the construction of the story in a different way?

DanitheCarutor

Like, does being analytical make us construct our stories differently than others? If so I wouldn't say it does for myself, but my visuals tend to get way overly detailed. To the point where important stuff tends to get drowned out, which is something I've been trying to work on. <_<'

keii4ii

It would definitely help with self-editing/ revisions, for one thing.

I don't think you need to be analytical every time you consume a story, but it helps to be able to turn analytical mode on?

Deo101

yeah for me its kind of always on unfortunately. if not when im watching then definitely after having finished

DanitheCarutor

Yeah, turning it off is near impossible. Ah thinking about it, I guess being overly-analytical kiiinda affects my story? (If that's what sssfrs meant) I remember some readers who've said they go back and forth to connect plot details, and the guy who does Webcomic Relief did a super small review where he went nuts analyzing everything. Even down to the reason behind my use of medium. Since I like analyzing I guess I subconsciously made a comic that can be analyzed, or something. Or maybe it's not actually that deep.

keii4ii

That makes sense, though. That we make comics that can be enjoyed the way we enjoy other stories.

I'm not much of a theorizer, so my comic isn't really optimized for theorizing. Though some people have still managed to come up with really cool theories!

DanitheCarutor

Pff I think every piece of media has those theorizers, it's just fun to do for some no matter if they're analyzing some deep piece or Blues Clues. I imagine those types of fans are fun to watch as a creator whether your work is geared for analysis or not.

Oh uh, I forgot to mention. Let me know if I'm getting a little out there, or getting off topic too much. Socializing properly is still something I'm trying to work on, along with the etiquette.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Yeah, I can’t turn off analysis mode either. It’s always running in the background.

sssfrs

I was saying more the other way around, like having experienced the process of creating a story, you think more about the work that goes into it and how the various pieces all come together in a different way than someone who's only ever consumed media linearly would be used to seeing it.

It could go the other way around too though that's interesting, then it's like "what drives people to make stories"?

RebelVampire

For me, there are three qualities that usually hook me in with a new comic. 1) An interesting premise. Not to say I think premises need to be unique, but it's more of a question is do I think it'll explore the premise in an interesting way. For an example, Maiden of the Machine https://maidenmachine.com/ It's not like steampunk is new or anything, but I really wound up liking the premise of it both being a romance and about high society politics with the steampunk setting. So, that drew me in a lot to keep reading. 2) A good balance of themes and story. I'm not a huge fan of comics that are more interested in exploring their themes over their story. I prefer stories where the narrative is the focus, and the theme feels like a natural consequence of the narrative. My example for this is actually the recent Week Long Bookclub comic Missing Pieces https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/missing-pieces/list?title_no=192867 I actually wasn't sure I was going to like it first, but I was super hooked once I started. There were lots of interesting themes to explore around death and revenge, but at the end, the story let me decide how to feel and focused on the narrative. 3) Theory-fodder stories. If there is lots of stuff to theorize about and that is easy to overanalyze based on the most miniscule of evidence, I'm pretty sold. This is the fact that really got me with Galebound http://www.galebound.com/ There were so many small hints and tidbits, both in the story and supplemental material, that I overread and overthought the heck out of this comic. I do wanna note, the things I look for and what hook me are arbitrary and based only on my personal preferences. There are a crap ton of objectively great webcomics out there that I have no interest in reading as a long term fan. Not cause they're bad, they just don't have things I'd personally enjoy reading in terms of being part of the comic's fandom.

[drbtinglecannon]

DGS for the fandom ask. KH as well if you feel like it.

DGS my beloved series ;__;

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

Barok, but he's also the plmm, so I would have to give this to Herlock otherwise.

Herlock is just the best Sherlock adaptation ever. He's so gender goals, his outfit fucks, his theme fucks, he himself does not fuck tho he's so low-key lame, he's a single dad, he's an idiot, he's an genius, he's an ADHD icon. I love him.

I have so many thoughts about how his life with Iris must've been pre-canon and even more gripes with how their early relationship in canon was portrayed. How much did this sensitive man cry over the years when Iris didn't take his last name? What I wouldn't have given to see Herlock cry on screen when Iris finally called him 'daddy'. Also what I wouldn't have given to defend this dingus in court.

scrunkly (my "baby", character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

Gina my baby, I was immediately drawn to her the second she popped up on screen. Not too into the "petty criminal reforms by becoming a cop" trope but it really warmed my heart seeing Gina in better fitting, nicer clothes with a dog and able to finally smile easily, but still steals Ryuu's money lol. She deserved a softer situation than what she had before. Also her theme fucks. (Yes I'm aware Inspector Lestrade is a Holmes reference I just still don't like that trope)

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

Gregson! I love him, even despite his crimes, he was such a fun detective char and really funny. It was also an interesting change where he wasn't like clearly on your side vs the prosecutor (like Ema) or felt equally loyal to both sides (like Gumshoe), but he does noticeably start to warm up to Ryuu and Susato as the story progressed. Also be became a begrudging dad, we love character growth. I still miss him.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won't shut up about it for a week)

Maria my girl. Her design is Peak Goth Victorian Goals, literally a plague doctor. I'd argue Maria's one of the most morally sound chars in the entire duology too. Never once does she compromise her integrity in favor of someone she loves (Kazuma, Barok, Susato) or out of fear (Gina) or for an authority figure (Mikotoba, Dr. Sithe), which combined with her seemingly genuine apathy towards the law is so fascinating. Like she was perfectly made to copy Barok or Kazuma's mistakes but she didn't, and not because she didn't love her mother as much as they loved Klint & Genshin, but because she cared too much about her work, and then even further she held no bitterness towards Ryuu, Susato, or Barok for indicting her mother and still adores her mother as much as before even after learning what she did.

I would love another DGS game or anime or something, and Maria getting more screentime is one of the top 3 reasons for it.

poor little meow meow ("problematic"/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

Is there even a greater Poor Little Meow Meow than Barok van Zieks? Like, he was molded in the plmm form, his mascot is literally a cat, he's a depressed pathetic (affectionate) adult man, his one hobby is wine, he's a snarky bitch but secretly very compassionate like a total tsundere, his office Looks Like That, he's dripping sex appeal but is so repressed and ace. He starts out very problematic but shows genuine attempts to change by the end, and as I mentioned above I live for character growth. Barok is my fav prosecutor in the entire franchise; he legitimately helps the defense in every case even when he's still more of an antagonist, he's a tough opponent without using scummy tactics, his design fucks, his theme FUCKS, his speech bubble is personalized, he doesn't attack the defense... (which honestly was only funny with Franziska and Godot, and even with Godot it wasn't as funny), his big objection gif is showing off his flexibility by slamming his leg on the fucking table while holding a chalice of wine, he's the only char that they finally said "yeah this mofo's drinking alcohol not juice" --- I could go on.

One of the things I hate most about the fandom (aside from how often people tag their hate posts with the actual char/ship tags) is how many fans just straight up pretend he didn't spend the last 2 cases changing. Like yeah anyone can hate him for whatever reason and no one is obligated to forgive him for his many grievances up until then, but pretending he didn't change at all? Come on.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

Skulkin Brothers, they'd be great in a plinko machine. I wonder which one would fall faster?

In a more sympathetic/happy torment? sense then Kazuma hands down. And it wouldn't even be difficult, it'd just be like Susato enlisting Gina & Iris' help to kidnap him from the prosecutor's office, drag him to the celebration party at 221B Baker Street, and forcing him to hug it out with his husband Ryuu. (Which should've happened they should've hugged after 2-3 and again before leaving and also Kazuma should've been at the party. ;___; ) also the mental image of 3 cute little girls kidnapping an adult man much stronger than them is beyond hilarious, esp if Barok saw and did nothing to stop it.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

Klint van Zieks my beloved. He's already in superhell for eating the rich crimes. I love you, you ruined everything, my bi poly slut (affectionate)

As for KH I actually barely know shit about it outside of memes, I only ever watched my bff play 1&2 and that was back in middle school haha. All of the Org. XIII are interchangeable for plmm & the horse plinko tho

[coe-lilium]

Would you be willing to rank the major Apocrypha characters (Masters and Servants) from best to worst? I'm curious as to how you would rank them

Gladly :D

Be warned that this will be 90% tastes and maybe 10% narrative/objective analysis. And sorry for taking so long to answer. Also, it got long ^^’

A concise, condensed ver before the cut

- 10+/10, tie between Mordred, Jeanne e Shirou

-  9.5/10: Semirams and Shishigou Kairi

- 8-7.5/10: Vlad, Achilles, Shakespeare, Caules 

- 7: Chiron, Fran, Atalanta, Karna, Fiore, Darnic

- 6, I start not caring: Gordes

- “wasted” and “still bitter after 5 years”, no numbers: Avicebron and Siegfried

- 5-4, it’s complicated: Astolfo

- 4: Sieg (and it might go down to 0, I’m serious)

- 3 to 0: Jack, Reika, Celenike 

Btw, I kept them vague, but spoilers/hints up to vol4 and 5

Rank “will fight the world for them, forever in Higashide’s debt, I wish one day for Nasu to write them himself because I trust the mushroom man to make me love them even more than I already do, 10+/10″: 

Mordred: SHE. Higashide’s best accomplishment in winning me over no matter other flaws. Tie with Gilgamesh as my favorite Nasuverse character ever.

There isn’t a single thing I don’t love about her (bar that atrocious “dress” under the armor, delete that). The armored and casual character design. The backstory as abused and exploited child who tries to break free of her mother influence and plots but ends up following them anyway because of her other parent rejection and, ultimately, how Morgan life lasting damage could not be undone without support. Her snarky, bratty, selfish and ferocious personality she show to the outside world and the hidden insecurities, the good heart and the ability to reflect on her flaws. Her loyalty and her desperate need for parental love and recognition as her own person. Her fighting style that is a delight to read or watch, truly a beast. Her chemistry and relationship with Shishigou, all of it. How it start in that cemetery, how develops over the course of the story, how she manage to open, connect and trust him and ultimately find a real father in him.

If I have to find a “wish this was expanded on” is her written in but not recognised by canon issues with gender/presentation which wasn’t a real issue for me until I read metas here and I’m now quite confused especially on how to write her (him?) in the future, when I’ll hopefully get at it.

The only reason I don’t completely wish for her and her Master to have been made MCs is the love I have for the following two guys and this couple steal too much of a spotlight from other characters.

Still, while theirs is a story more focused on personal growth and healing then deciding the fate of a great number of people or the world, in the end Mordred and Kairi saved each other so it could’ve still meshed neatly with the overall salvation theme. Sadly it was not meant to be but I’m more than content for what we got.

Jeanne: She. Who gets only second place and no caps lock because, a surprisingly good portrayal none withstanding, she could’ve been even better had Higashide done a bit more research (in his favour, I don’t know what kind of books on her are translated in Japanese and if the processes transcripts are among them).

For example I’ll forever maintain that, while the whole “romance” thing has a historical base (funny that, uh?), it required a way better realisation and as it’s written in Apocrypha does her character a disservice. Laeticia too, who was a potentially interesting “device” and could’ve been our outsider perspective, got derailed into more nonsense romance and aww poor Sieg and oh man, who-gives-a-damn: not me.

Also, not enough of a sarcastic spitfire or military prowess (“just waved the flag”, now that’s a funny way to write “half of Charles’ court was impressed by how good she was with every damn weapon”) for my tastes but I guess historical Jeanne is just that irreplaceable or TM chose to emphasise her piety and “sainthood” over other traits in order to avoid an Arturia 2.0.

Not a single mention to her mentors either, in 5 volumes (which is bad, extremely bad, Higashide why) and too much of Gilles de Rais nonsense but unfortunately Type Moon is committed to roll with it. Dunois, La Hire and d’Alencon never, poor me. 

That said, Fate!Jeanne is really a good interpretation, firmly rooted in history and I love, love her. 

Her faith and lack of hate are spot-on and are treated with respect instead of mocked. 

She’s allowed to have a no-nonsense and even ruthless soldier like attitude, a protective streak (which always remind me of that promise she made to a young noblewoman to keep her husband safe and bring him back to her, or how she took care of her young squire. Both survived her) and loth of empathy at the same time. 

She’s down to earth but can also be immature and have flaws and be tempted. 

This post is already long as it is, so here’s some more reasons I love Apo Jeanne: 

Novel Jeanne musing 1       

Jeanne meta from the manga 1

Jeanne meta from the manga 2

My eternal greatest disappointment will forever be the lack of a satisfying confrontation with Shirou. You write someone able to shake Jeanne d’Arc convictions, make her doubt her conduct and moral standing when the threat of torture and the Rouen process weren’t able do so... and you don’t follow on it? Unforgivable.   

Shirou: This guy. This absolute mess of a human being. I need more and no, GO, “evil alternative self” isn’t what I mean (but yeah, gimme him too). After discovering him in Apocrypha I started digging my university library to hunt down his IRL self story and there is no higher accomplishment for a Fateverse character for me.                                                                                    Fascinating person and fascinating take by TM, double so since I discovered dude’s still being vilified in contemporary Jp stories/entertainment and man do that enrage me.

It’s like someone mixed up a character I love (Kirei), one I loathe (Kiritsugu), shaked it and the result it’s the best possible one I could ask for. 

I like the character design (both), the historical and post 3HGW backstory and how it shaped him into a Jeanne opposite (for excellent reasons), the most “Kotomine” traits like the snark and trollish attitude and how they cover all the suffering, despair and hate boiling under the constant smirk. How Higashide avoided the “turned evil” interpretation that’s prevalent in jp entertainment and made him a good person and a hero, if a misguided one and also the trapping of a “void/hollow inside” personality and instead gave him those fragments where you see he’s still a 17yo kid. 

He’s not just interesting, he’s funny to read, even with all the angst going on.  

The interactions with Shakespeare are great and... his relationship with Semiramis. Man, that’s excellent, excellent stuff. Can’t gush enough about how much I love them together

My only great complaint -for now, until I see a certain late discovery with my own eyes- is that all the narrative build up and comparisons between him and Jeanne (done in-universe and acknowledged within the text mind you, I’m not headcanoning here) went wasted. 

How can you write two characters who mirror each other so perfectly, put them as “head” of their factions, in the same role both... and not deliver with a confrontation? The only thing that tried to do so was -ironically- the anime in ep #13, as their confrontation in the novels wasn’t as personal and as good as the anime.      

Rank “good, excellent civilisation, never get tired of them”, 9.5/10

Shishigou: best father ever, 100% should legally adopt Mordred. He was/is extremely enjoyable to read about, snarky, smart, his fucked-up magus backstory had long lasting effects but managed not to destroy him, on the outside your tough, broody mercenary making hard decision but actually a good, moral person with a caring nature and, again, a great father. 

As already said, his and Mordred narrative is less tied to the different views of salvation theme and more to the “people making their wishes come true” and they’re bit of outliers for the whole duration of the story but I wouldn’t change a thing (except one T_T). 

His relationship with Mordred is one of the absolute highlights of Apocrypha for me, in every medium.

Semiramis: shallow reason first: charming, scheming, hot asshole-ish royalty in league with a Kotomine troll, what more could’ve I asked for?                        That she was an interesting char in her own right, which is what I got.          

More in-depth, she’s another character I never have enough of. Begrudging sole responsible adult of red team, I couldn’t help but grin every time she had to deal with AKA team or single members, not to speak of her scenes with Shakespeare, which are both amusing and very good for characterisation. 

She may not have that much of screen time compared to other faves but earned her place by making what she had memorable. 

Her backstory is simple: abandoned child learns to exploit her society view on women to rise to the top and get everything she wants and fuck everything else. Which not only neatly establish how and why she became what she is but also why this broken kid, which is a sort of her exact opposite, fascinate her so much. 

Speaking about our broken resident Kotomine, her chemistry with Shirou is simply great, all of their scenes are a joy to read. They have fun plotting together, they (she, dude’s either too young to notice or just let it go) casually flirts, have a functioning, mostly open relationship from the get-go that works no matter how messed up they really are and get each other’s back until the very end. Most of the more lighthearted stuff is in vol 1-2, then things gets more interesting. 

See, as much as she seems to be (and like to present herself as such to enemies) the perfectly devoted Servant and is aiding Shirou… she’s also truly villainous, cold and ruthless as hell and is also very conflicted and switch back and forth on what she wants, not much as out of the War as instead from her Master in particular (don’t think bad… okay, do) for the whole series. Vol3 and 4 are a godsend for her character and you dunno how I wish we had more than a bare bone summary for vol 5 because god damn some things in that summary. 

With the many, many stay night or Zero parallels and homages in Apocrypha, she come off as a sort of reverse Zero Gilgamesh and Gilles in being, respectively, the devilish member of the  Kotomine - Servant pair and the “personal involvement/interest in the saint figure, sometimes verging on the creep-ish, predatory behaviour" one (Gilles was 100% full on creepy mode, Semiramis keeps her thoughts for herself and is just tempted. I strongly appreciate), “reverse” for being conflicted, but in the end being a better person than both dudes above and respecting and knowing her partner enough to let go of her worst desires/frustrations. There’s some really good stuff in these two’s relationship, let me tell you. 

If Mordred-Shishigou take the cake for best platonic relationship in Apo, Semiramis and Shirou single handy destroy every competition for the romantic one. 

Rank “You. I like you”, 8-7.5/10

Vlad: here’s someone I’m pretty content with how he’s written (I wouldn’t change a thing), but really wish had had more space just because I enjoyed him a lot. Higashide nailed him and I wanted more of a historical Vlad III who is a hero, a good ruler caring for his country and a ruthless warrior and executioner and none of this aspects negate the others. Plus, it was refreshing to see a Vlad III being so clearly separated from the “vampire” twist that his wish for the Grail was to erase book and legacy from existence.

Achilles: a simil Alexander, I dislike the IRL/myth dude but can’t stay mad with their Fate incarnations. I like his personality, his quirks, his relationships with Chiron and Atalanta. Loved the mocking duel (and the anime committee will hear me scream from the other side of the world if I get robbed of it  yeah, I wrote this part before ep17. Fuck you A1). 

I don’t even think he needed more screen time, he’s really fine with what’s shown. Not every character need to be a main one and Achilles manage to be a good secondary one, with enough development and characterisation.

Shakespeare: here’s an enjoyable dude I like to hate. Amusing character, his interactions with Semiramis and Shirou are a joy to read or watch, but, fuck this guy. May Moriarty and Saber Gilles have their way with you in Chaldea.

Caules: one of those rare beasts known as “perfectly functioning siblings” of the Nasuverese. Respect his Servant and tries to do her right till the end. A good dude.

Rank “could’ve shined more in a longer and more focused series, but okay” aka those who served their purpose, 7/10 

Chiron                                                                                                            Atalanta                                                                                                          Karna                                                                                                                Fran                                                                                                                  Fiore                                                                                                                Darnic

Not really anything to say about each one here. They’re fine as they are.            

Could’ve used more Darnic, the 3HGW is a fascinating subject no matter who the Einzbern decide to summon and his actions shaped the whole world of Apo. Personally I’d have cut the Jack business and expanded him as a character/treat, maybe to shed light into CT politics and magus society fuckery (because if there’s something the Yggdmillennia as a whole and each one of them in particular show is how the magi society is an aberration that twist and corrupt everything it touch). But in the end I know it was either Ygg vs CT as promised or Rulers against each other and I’ll gladly take the latter.  A longer series could’ve had space for both, who knows.

Rank “nice arc. There are more interesting people but I’ve come to appreciate you” 

Gordes: Probably the human character who experience more growth in the series.

Rank “wasted” and “decent what little is there, perhaps, but still bitter after five years”

Avicebron: also know as the poor thing similar to the antagonist in background and wish that could’ve worked with the themes while also being a personal foil to the protagonist in being a golem/artificial life creator and user but the writer couldn’t/wouldn’t bother with him for some reason and he only got to be the “Gilles de Rais summon Chtlulu and heroes have to team up to bring him down” of Apocrypha, with no other purpose than being a Zero “homage”. 

To add insult to injury, the Adam threat does literally jack shit on a narrative point because “Servant goes stray and threaten the world, Servants form both factions have to team up to defeat him” already happened, 2 episodes before for the anime, end of vol2 vs beginning of vol3 for the novel version. And Mordred and Shishigou making an alliance with the surviving Black members was already going to be a thing after the Gardens mess. Shame, shame and shame.

Siegfried:  tainbocuailnge here has written some good meta about him lately and, yeah, perhaps all of that was intended, and I can kinda appreciate it. The point is that I couldn’t give a single crap over the OC when for him to come into being means sacrificing freaking Siegfried. I may not have read as much or being already attached to the literature/epic character like other cases but… no, just no. Siegfried deserved way better than what he got in Type Moon. 

Add more personal bitterness because with such numbers I thought it was finally time for the Heroes to shine and for the Masters to be sidelined and instead we got super special super powered MC. To hell with it.  

If anything, Siegfried may be the only character the anime did more good than damage. He’s still there and sometimes get to act as a mentor instead of being a useful power up and then fucking off for the remaining 4 volumes.

Rank “I tried to like you, I wish I could like you, but I cannot stand you no matter what”, 5-4

Astolfo: I’ve tried to like him but to no avail (rest assured, though, that I’ll deck anyone who’ll try use that t*ap or “girl” bullshit). 

It has to be that unholy combination of extremely airhead personality and mannerism, all the screen time he gets that could’ve gone to my favourites, that idiotic attempt at a “love triangle” (for the love of God, Higashide) and a voice acting that, I swear, even if I already didn’t like him from the novel the anime would’ve been the nail in the coffin. All these combined make him grates on my nerves like few other Fate characters. Perhaps part of my distaste comes from being unable to shake the feeling that the author himself don’t respect him.

I realise it’s quite… unfair, because on the page he has everything I usually like: he’s brave, he’s kind, he has morals and will maintain them in front of everything, he stand up to assholes, he save and inspire people, you can overpower him as much as you like and he still won’t care and will still fight you. 

Astolfo is a good, decently written character and I really wish the franchise would just stop using him as a joke and stop being so gross to him in order to cater to even more gross “fans”. 

If I were to put tastes/guts feelings aside, I could praise him for pages. I simply can’t bring myself closing the gaps from appreciating the undeniable qualities to actually like the character. 

Rank: fluctuating between “your concept should’ve been handled by a more experienced narrator” and “goddamn, does your very existence piss me off”, pending more on the second as we go on, less than 4

Sieg: on the page kid’s got a good arc. An homunculus, a magus’s tool, trash to be used and disposed off, gains consciousness and, shaped by what he witness and the actions and sacrifices of heroic figures, rise to free his kin from their slavers and then find himself fighting to “save the world”. How he attained freedom and have come to interpret it and his experiences put him in the path of the antagonist and the two and their “ideologies” makes for an interesting double face of the coin, forced salvation vs free offer and answer to actual prayers. Sounds pretty great. 

Unfortunately, Higashide aimed too high for his skills or didn’t learn well from Nasu and Shirou Emiya, or both. 

Otakus mad because he “got the waifu” aside, Sieg do come across as too damn lucky and overpowered and there is a limit on how much the in-universe reason “damn, the Counter Force had to work hard to give him a chance to stop a Heroic Spirit with hundreds time his experience” can go before the readers start getting annoyed at Heroes dropping dead or getting sidelined just to push him forward. 

I’m not a fan of these buzzwords, but the impression he’s a fan fiction OC that force the original and more interesting cast to revolve around/sacrifice for him or hijack their plots is damn strong. Scrap it, it’s not an impression, it’s exactly what happen. In at least 4 or 5 cases. 

There were also too many times he bore me to death so not really what you want from your protagonist. 

Another thing, more grave than personal preferences: his wish/fight firstly go nowhere, then get resolved too quickly without a fuss and then, once his goal has been effortlessly achieved, he proceeds to tag along and stole duels and confrontations from other characters, on which he had no stakes nor reason to be. What kind of writing is this?! He get the contract with Astolfo, walks in the castle and the Yggd agree on releasing the homunculi. And that’s it. Wow?

Also here’s my 100% personal reason for not having an ounce of interest in Sieg, godly writing skills or not: for once, just once, we could’ve got our first Fate solo female protagonist. An all-around badass but, at the same time, not an Arturia nor Shiki nor Arc nor Aoko clone. Who just happened to be my favourite historical figure ever.

Could’ve kept the same theme of opposing concepts of salvation, brought the Ruler vs Ruler/Saint vs Saint thing in the spotlight, with all their nice baggage of similar lives resulting in  opposite views by different regrets and traumas, faith or lack (that instead got all swept under the rug, and man if the self awareness of vol4 isn’t something to behold) and after five years I still feel personally robbed of all of this, especially when it became clear Apocrypha was yet another “male protagonist with the world revolving around him while the female heroine gets to be his support/sidekick. Oh, and as already said, he get the confrontation with whom the narrative builds as her rival”. Because of course he does. 

You don’t sideline Jeanne frigging d’Arc and expect me to forgive you for it.

Rank “why are you even here, why are we wasting anything on you”

Jack and Reika: ye god, why. The concept behind this Jack the Ripper? I find Fake ver superior but I’m on board. Then, first, that fucking character design. Sorry BL, reddit, MAL and whatever: putting a child in a thong is a revolting choice of character design and no, there’s no “well, she learned from prostitutes” that count.    I appreciate at least the connection made with Atalanta. But the execution. Their “plot” drag and drag on and goes nowhere (hilariously so in the anime. What was the point of Jack killing some random homunculi and disappearing for the whole arc, again?). Their only narrative purpose is doing ???? for roughly three volumes, *do that* to Atalanta and shaking Sieg’s worldview. At least they grant Jeanne some badass solo scenes and to us more insight on her character. Still the equivalent of a anime-only filler, and a bad one. 

Pity, really, because a child Jack who 1. is a child and act as one and 2. get heavily influenced by her/their Master and thus could either become a better person or be exploited wasn’t that bad of a twist for a famous figure but the pair was never allowed to be more than “Apo pair of rogue murderers”. 

Celenike: just… begone. I cheered when she died in the novel, cheered loudly when she died in the anime and will cheer even more loudly when she will die in the manga. 

[reciperesolutions]

THE FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES!! This is an Italian/Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition that I’ve been wanting to host since I learned about it. Originally, I was going to make the feast a potluck - everyone brings a different fish dish - but as I started the serious planning, I realized, shy of being too prescriptive to my guests, that was likely to be a REALLY fishy and imbalanced meal. So instead, I decided to develop a menu for the feast myself, leaving appetizers, desserts, and wines (white) up the the guests :) It worked out magnificently and I got to really stretch my menu crafting skills: I’ve never done anything close to a seven course meal before and - at the risk of being overwhelmed with fishy flavors - I tried to embrace the seafood profiles in some dishes while providing balance with tangy, citrusy, and fresh flavor profiles in others. Welcome to my menu!

COURSE 1: Seafood Chowder. Delish. Going on The Brick House Menu. Based on recipe comments, I modified the recipe by replacing the evaporated milk with 1 can of creamed corn and 1 cup of heavy cream (it was supposed to be half and half, which I bought for this very purpose, and then completely forgot about as I was finishing the recipe). The recipe didn’t specify what kind of potatoes to use but butter potatoes turned out really well.

I also seasoned heartily with S&P, and put in about 3 tablespoons of Old Bay. Earlier in the morning, I made a batch of thick-cut bacon and crumbled the best pieces to sprinkle on top of each bowl - it was a perfect and necessary topper. Next time, I’ll also add a dash of Old Bay to top off each bowl (with the bacon) and truly dice the veggies (especially the potatoes - I got a little chunky with them).

This one was very true to the serving size (8 meal-sized bowls), so we had plenty left over. It was also great the next day!

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12732/fish-chowder/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=Search&clickId=cardslot%203

COURSE 2: Kale Caesar salad with homemade garlic croutons. I’ve never made traditional Caesar dressing before (there are sneaky anchovies in there!) but I’ve had really good luck with other homemade dressings (ranch was so good). The Caesar dressing came out BANGING - it was SO rich and good. I’ve never even had Caesar dressing like this. Only difference from the recipe is I wanted the salad to definitely have a refreshing zing of citrus to cut some of the rich fish dishes so I used the juice from a full lemon instead of just 1 tbsp.

I used an incredibly soft and delicious half-bread loaf that was (unfortunately?) just as soft and delicious the day after I bought it. I didn’t use enough oil for the croutons but with some low heat (once all the oil was absorbed) they still turned out pretty well. The garlic quarters really flavored the oil nicely.

Many years ago in Nashville, I had a really great kale Caesar salad where they julienned the kale and massaged it with the dressing to soften it. So I took a page from their book and thought - like lettuce - if I let it sit for a little it would soften all the more. Nope lol! Turns out, kale (unlike lettuce) actually absorbed the dressing, but not in a good way...after like 2ish hours of sitting, it was just a liiiiiiiittle on the dry side. And this was after I actually thought I may have added too much dressing. It was fine - the croutons were great, and the flavor was still good just not quite as show-stopping as it was when I first tossed it all together. So definitely makes the Brick House Menu but with the lesson learned of not assembling too early to maximize impact!

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14172/caesar-salad-supreme/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=Search&clickId=cardslot%2010

COURSE 3: Mediterranean stuffed, roasted red peppers with homemade ricotta. Winner winner! Though (due to totally unrelated shenanigans of the night) I didn’t get a chance to serve these warm. They’re definitely better that way but still a crowd fave.

https://reciperesolutions.tumblr.com/post/186616160460/roasted-red-peppers-and-cherry-tomatoes-with

COURSE 4: Girelle and shrimp with sundried tomato cream sauce. This was a showstopper! My favorite compliment of the night: ‘This is like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant. Like it’d be really expensive but worth splurging on.’ I used large shrimp which were the PERFECT size to go with the girelle pasta I found at Wegman’s. Was initially looking for fusilli (spirals) but this looked even more fun and just as good at capturing the sauce. Which, by the way, was AMAZING. I’ve never cooked with vermouth before (and went with sweet vermouth, not the extra dry) but it was a game changer for me...so, so good.

Biggest lesson was I don’t have a large enough bowl to make a double batch lol. Also, that for this feast, a single batch definitely would have been enough. So good though! Sent two people home with leftovers they liked it so much, and had 3 portions leftover for ourselves (so...maybe a double batch was just the right amount)! Oh, and that was also after I totally forgot to save fresh basil to mix in...that’ll make it all the better next time around. Brick House Menu!

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pasta-with-shrimp-in-tomato-cream

COURSE 5: Grilled salmon fillets with homemade yogurt dill sauce. Classic! :) Seasoned with S&P then grilled the 6ish oz fillets 4ish minutes skin-side up and 2ish minutes flipped (though didn’t use enough oil on the grill so none of the skin actually made it onto the plates lol). The dill sauce is my own!

https://reciperesolutions.tumblr.com/post/172874494098/tomato-dill-salad-broiled-salmon-and-dill-sauce

COURSE 6: Charred asparagus with citrus bagna cauda sauce. I checked on the asparagus after 5 minutes, then 8, then figured I’d give it another 3 or 4 but forgot about them and probably went close to 10 - but they turned out perfectly charred. (Which was pretty lucky.) I got distracted and missed the finishing steps of sauce (forgot to put in the S&P and citrus juices) so I threw those remaining ingredients in right after I poured the sauce over the asparagus. It was good but not mind-blowing so a retrial may be in order. Made a double batch.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/char-broiled-asparagus-with-citrus-bagna-cauda

Technically the course numbers are a little skewed, as course #1 was actually tuna fish bites brought by our friends - the perfect appetizer and the final (/first) dish needed to reach the coveted 7 courses!

- - - -

Lessons learned from my first Feast:

1) We had 6 people and most dishes were 4 servings (except when I doubled them). Doubling was definitely not necessary, except maybe for the asparagus. (Just two of us usually go through one whole bunch of asparagus...though now that I’m thinking about it, we had nearly half of the asparagus leftover, so maybe a single batch of that would have been okay?) We ended up giving two tupperware’s of the pasta away, then had 4 meals (2 dinners and 2 lunches for 2 people) leftover. It actually worked out really well: I did a LOT of cooking for the feast and then got to take the next two days completely off!

2) Though the traditional Italian full-on meal consists of cold appetizers, hot appetizers, salad, pasta, protein, etc., I wasn’t actually convinced we needed a protein course by the time I got to eating it. I was thinking that 3 oz instead of 6 oz for the protein would have been better, but as I’m typing this, I’m realizing (having made one fillet per person) we only had half of a fillet leftover (which was actually mine). So, actually, maybe 6 oz was perfect as planned for everyone else’s appetite!. And skin-on is great, but I haven’t quite mastered that technique on the grill yet lol.

3) Keep everything warm once it’s finished. Nothing was bad at room temperature but some of the dishes would have just been so much better if I’d thrown them in a 170 degree oven while they were waiting to be served, having finished them up early.

4) Prep it alllllllll ahead of time (except combining the salad+dressing lol). I started prepping food around noon but had (likely a couple hours’) interruptions through the day. It all worked out perfectly in the end and I got to enjoy the meal with everyone for what felt like most of the courses, but that was mostly luck. My original plan was to serve everything in waves, which ultimately fluctuated a little to be: apps as people trickled in, then soup, then salad+stuffed peppers+veggies, then pasta+protein shortly following. Having a ‘first serving’ allowed me to whip up the mains (neither of which took much time at all - which was both intentional and, admittedly, very smart of me) then sit down and enjoy them with everyone and all the other food already on the table. But it could have gone a little smoother if I’d finished all the prep for everything (except the quick mains) before people starting arriving.

5) Compostable bowls are not a great idea for soup.

6) Asking for apps, desserts, and white wine from guests for this ‘potluck’ was definitely a good strategy!

I’ve hosted a LOT of potlucks in my time but really liked the sit-down-dining style of this dinner party with the waves of courses. Definitely a lot of work to do regularly but worth it once a year! Also one of the most interesting observations for me was being very full by the end of the night but not totally overstuffed and feeling grossly overeaten. I like to think that’s a testament to the well designed menu and dishes that - save one or two with some cream - were really pretty healthy. All in all, a WILD success and I can’t wait until Christmas next year!

[thegrassisaalwaysgreener]

NYC, September 2017

I love NYC! I was very excited to hear that my boyfriend had never been to NYC and had planned to go in the fall. I decided to join him on this trip. We had been experiencing one of the hottest Septembers I could remember so I was excited to have nice weather but also a bit sad that there wouldn’t be tons of beautiful fall colours. Thursday September 21st, 2017           I decided to try the GO bus from Hamilton to the airport for the first time. It is pretty cost effective (~$12 each way) and is fairly efficient (1 hour and 15 minutes door to door). It is great when you are travelling light with just carry on. Alex and I were flying with Air Canada (he just loves them) so we met in the international side after customs before heading over to the maple leaf lounge. Since he often flies with AC, he had some extra lounge passes. I had only been in a lounge one other time and was very excited to return. Lounges make the flying experience that much better and way less stressful. They are typically way less busy than the rest of the terminal and much quieter. They have comfy seats, decent food and snacks and of course, all the booze! We each enjoyed some wine and pizza in the lounge before heading over to the gate for our short flight into NYC. We sat in the premium seats at the front of the plane, which I really enjoyed and took (so lame) our first selfie after I had had a glass or two of wine on the plane.            When we landed, we made our way to the special area of the parking/transportation zone where Ubers could pick passengers up.  I think it is smart for airport to do that to help with congestion however it is a bit annoying as a passenger to have to navigate the busy and somewhat confusing airport terminal to find the ride share area. In any case, we hopped in our Uber that took us to our humble abode on Knickerbocker Ave. in Brooklyn.  The AirBnB that were staying in was awesome! IT was a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a decent size living space to share. Barry, our host, was not there at the time that arrived but would be there later on. We were both super excited to have arrived and ready for dinner. We wandered around our area for a bit, taking in the sights of the city before deciding to have dinner and drinks at Sea Wolf. It claims to be “The best of land and sea” and we were looking forward to seeing if this was true. The atmosphere was super cool- the windows were all open and there was a large garage door open as well that lead out to more seating overlooking the skyline. We enjoyed several beers along with buck a shuck oysters during happy hour. We had some wings (which were also featured in the happy hour menu and were delicious) along with a fish dip that I didn’t love and some charred octopus. After being contently satiated, we made our way back to Barry’s where we enjoyed some wine with him and getting to know him a bit better. While this was not my first Air BnB experience, it was the first one that the owners were there during our stay. I have to say, it was a bit weird but didn’t bother us all that much. We weren’t planning on spending much time in the apartment anyways. Friday September 22nd, 2017           After a slight sleep in (we were out of the apartment by 9) we grabbed coffees and pastries (Alex is a bad influence on my breakfast choices and waistline) for breakfast. We had the most decadent Nutella croissant and cannoli donut. The L train was super close and we took that over to Chelsea. Chelsea is probably one of my fave areas of NYC and since it was a beautiful day, I thought it was the perfect time to wander around and enjoy the weather. We stopped in at the Chelsea market for some souvenirs and to pick up lunch from the Davidovichbakery. Obviously, we grabbed a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon for our lunch. We enjoyed our coffees while walking the Highline. We took lots of photos and walked to the end of the Highline around 34th street. 34th street is a great one to wander around since it has so much to see and do. We admired Madison Square garden before heading down towards the flat iron building and Eataly. I was super excited to check out Bierria which is on top of Eataly but was disappointed by the lack of view. We split some pasta and enjoyed an exceptionally over priced Peroni while enjoying the weather and good vibe of the place. We took lots of photos of the  Flat iron building (so iconic) before heading down Broadway. One of Alex’s fave youtuber/vloggers (Casey Neistat) has an office just down broadway before Madison Square Park so we checked that out before enjoying the fountain and arch in the park.            We saw Canal street and all the madness that can ensue there. I was not in the shopping or haggling mood but did grab some sunglasses since I was missing mine. We came across a carnival at Grand and mulberry called “The feast of San German” which was pretty neat and seemed very busy. We wandered around both Little Italy and China town before crossing the Manhattan bridge. I didn’t realize how long the bridge was! Its almost 2 km in length and offers some great views of the city. We hopped on a bus into Williamsburg (Bedford and 11th) to visit the Wythe hotel. This hotel boasts one of the best views of the city for cocktail hour. It was $20 to get in and then about 16-30$ per drink which is pretty pricey. The view is definitely worth it though. There was a good mix of after work and Friday night crowds. We enjoyed our drinks before wandering around the rest of the area which had some really neat hotels and restaurants. We stopped at Pokeh restaurant for dinner. We both love Pokeh and were excited try a new place (Pokeh Hamilton is still my fave ;)). We hopped on the train and made it back to our airbnb in about 20 mins. We stopped in a the dollar store next door to the airbnb building to grab some necessities and found that it was super sketchy and looked ransacked. We were glad to put our feet up and enjoy some wine while watching a movie before bed.

Saturday September 23rd, 2017              Today was a nice sleep sleep in day! Alex and I both lead very busy lives normally so lazy mornings are the best! We grabbed coffee and snacks at Circos again before jumping on the J train to Fulton Street. The plan was to explore the bottom half of the island including One World Trade and surrounding area.             We wandered around the World Trade area enjoying the Occulus which I had never seen before. I am not sure how I missed it during my last trip to NYC but really enjoyed it. We grabbed Joe and the Juice coffees (Alex is the biggest fan that I’ve met) and wandered around the memorials and pools. Since I loved the observatory at One World Trade and had raved about it, we made our way up. The video they play right before you get to see the view still gives me chills because it is so magical. After taking all of the touristy photos at the top, we headed back down to grab more coffees and make our way towards the New York Stock Exchange. This was another new place for me as I hadn’t checked it out on my last visit. Alex checks the stock market at least 10 times a day so this was a pretty neat stop for him. Since we were right in the Financial District, we joined the crowds taking photos at the Charging bull and wandering down Wall Street. We enjoyed our prosciutto and mozzarella sandwiches from Eataly outside of the Museum of Indian Culture (Look up actual name) before walking around Battery Park. The last time I was in Battery Park, it was a) a lot  warmer out and b) had a lot more artsy things to look at. There had been many large globes of the world decorated by various artists in different neat colours and designs which I had been super excited to show to Alex but was disasppointed that they were no longer there. We saw all the kids on the Carosel before getting in the large lines for the Staten Island Ferry. The last time I was in NYC, I paid for a boat cruise that takes you on a tour of the harbour and gets you close to the Statue of Liberty. Word to the wise, just take the State Island ferry! While it is much busier, it is free and there are super cheap beers in the station. We grabbed a few 6$ tall boys for the voyage across the Hudson? And sat out side to enjoy the views.             The Staten Island Ferry took about 1-1.5 hours round trip. The weather was perfect and it was a nice place to relax after a long morning of walking. After getting off the ferry, we made our way towards the Brooklyn Bridge (my fave spot in the city) but came across a super cool market. On Fulton street, there was a festival with lots of food trucks along with a self pour! IT was called the Clinton self pour and was a super neat concept. You bought a card with whatever denomination of money you wanted and you would go up to this stand in the middle of the street and put your card into the reader. You would then pour your beer and watch the amount on the card decrease the more full you made your cup. We had a few different beers (Heinkens and local Brooklyn Brewery IPA which was not my fave) at a decent price (about $40 the cards and a couple pints each). We made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge where we enjoyed an AMAZING sunset with hundreds of other tourists. I also made Alex take a ton of photos which he was super thrilled about. He did see the allure of the bridge, especially at sunset.               We finally made it across the bridge (took us well over an hour) and headed to the Almar Italian restaurant in Brooklyn. We had an amazing dinner of cured meats, cheeses, burrata, meat balls and of course wine. We grabbed a few pints of Halo top (my fave ice cream because it is low cal and high protein) before grabbing an Uber back to our AirBnB and settling in for the night. Sunday September 24th,2017             Today we had a pretty decent tourist day planned. I wanted to make sure he got to see all of the best parts of NYC. We jumped on the L Train (If I recall correctly) to Union square where we wandered up to another fave part of the city- Grand Central Station. I am a huge Gossip Girl Fan and Grand Central was always featured in the show which I loved. It lived up to every expectation that I had when I first saw it. The large cavernous roof with the big windows and old school train schedule are just so fun. We hadn’t had breaky so we enjoyed chicken burgers, fries and split a decadent milk shake at the Shake Shack. Since Alex had also never had Magnolia bakery, we grabbed a treat for later on. We made our way across 42nd towards the UN which sadly didn’t have any tours on (as it was Sunday) . It was still pretty cool to see the building and all of the information outside along with the security measures outside. We chatted about definitely doing a guided tour on our next visit.             After the UN, we wandered across 48th to Rockefeller to check out the area and take all the usual tourist photos (the flags, Prometheus etc.)We enjoyed a coffee and some people watching in Bryant Park which was lovely. The last time I was in Bryant Park, there was a huge Christmas market along with a massive tree and skating rink. This time, there was a cute Library along with snack stands and tons of people just out enjoying the nice weather. After stopping at Whole Foods (another one of my fancy boyfriends faves), we headed to check out Times Square and all the madness that is the area. After a bit of shopping and souvenir buying, we saw Radio City Music Hall as well as the NBC building and such around that area. We wanted to check out his fave vloggers’ wife’s store (Billy) on 5th but it wasn’t open sadly (next time for sure!). 5th Ave is such a fun place in the city filled with ritzy hotels and shops. When I last visited the city, Trump had just become president and was still residing at Trump Tower so there was police and barricades everywhere. This time, we were able to go into Trump Tower ( to see how gaudy it is) along with THE Tiffany’s. After Tiffany’s, we headed to check out all the stores in the Plaza along with the lobby of the Met before wandering around Central park for a while. We soaked up some rays in Sheeps Meadow and watched a group of people roller skate which was pretty neat. We had dinner on Madison at a great restaurant called Serafina. We enjoyed some beers and thin crusted pizza before heading to St Patrick’s to light a candle (tradition for my Catholic grandparents). We had already explored Times Square during the day but as I explained to Alex, it is something else at night. It is really special and so we hung out in Times Square for a little bit and did some people watching (and selfie taking of course). Since we had a busy travel day the next day, we headed back to the AirBnB to get packed and a good nights sleep. Monday September 25th, 2017          We were sadly leaving today☹. We had a mini sleep in before tidying up Barry’s place and heading down the street to Barcy’s for breakfast. Alex and I both love brunch so we were excited to try this place out. We wandered over and had a yummy breakfast of coffee (obviously) and chicken and waffles for myself and a breakfast sandwich for him. This restaurant had a bit of an Asian vibe to some of their menu options and the chicken I had was different than regular fried chicken. It tasted more like the chicken skewers you get at AYCE sushi restaurants and was DELICIOUS. We leisurely enjoyed our breakfast before making our way back to the AirBnB to grab our stuff and get an Uber to Laguardia. We made our way quickly through security and enjoyed another coffee and some coffee flavoured chocolate while waiting for our flight back to Toronto. We had our comfy  premium seats at the front of the plane and enjoyed our last few hours together for a month or so. I think I speak for both Alex and myself when I say that we had an awesome time in NYC. We were both very surprised at the weather (it was a heat wave the ENTIRE trip with temps in the high 20s and low 30s) It felt like summer which was very nice when we weren’t in super crowded, tourist-y areas. Any trip with a new friend or partner can be challenging and a learning opportunity (which is definitely was) but, I think we had a great time regardless and I can’t wait for our next trip together ☺