#The spin offs you could make from altering one aspect of this story are always so fun to think about

[pureconancommentary]

So, the first day after being shrunk would have been directly after the kidnapping case. And Ran had to go to school after being up most of the night, only to find Shinichi didn't come. And probably checked his house and check with Agasa then as well. And this flashback is for the second day, where she's worked into a panic because now it's been two days of Shinichi going missing. And Conan is hearing this on the third day.

Honestly? With no other cases to show off Conan's deduction skills, he's just. Hanging out. Maybe he's been helping to organize Kogoro's file's, since he's not going to school at this point, and then hanging out with Agasa because he can talk to the professor as himself. I can imagine that if Ran's been so concerned so quickly, and if Conan had more chances to immediately show that he acts like a detective, she would have put it together immediately.

Also, if the concern is that the body was never reported, and Ran genuinely thinks Shinichi is missing, I don't think having her report him missing would be a bad thing. It'd be bad if it led to an investigation that could possibly lead them to Conan being Shinichi somehow, but otherwise? If the police also note that he hasn't shown up and hasn't been seen anywhere? And then start looking at his last known location? Wouldn't that? Look more what people who want someone dead want? The body's already missing, they already know something could be up, it's not like the police investigating a missing person instead of a murder would be a red flag.

I want this plot to treat Shinichi like he's a missing person, not like he's on a case. (Even though the latter is more accurate.) He can still call Ran, probably, to explain that he has to lie low, if he feels bad about how worried she'd be. Or he could be sneaky and just. Leave an unsigned note or gift, to leave it as a less direct 'I'm fine' without giving any direct confirmation to him not actually being missing.

[ariesprincesss]

Super Random Astro Observations Pt. IV

as always, i am not an astrologer just a silly girl that knows a ton about astrology🤓

View more observations in this series here:

Super Random Astro Observations

Super Random Astro Observations Pt. II

Super Random Astro Observations Pt. III

‧₊˚🌈 sun conjuct pluto synastry first meeting was so insane!!

‧₊˚🌈 upon reading into these aspects everything makes sense with my last situation… i also had mercury conjuct pluto with him and as pluto there was a huge obsession over him and intrigue the instant i met him & he def had secrets and a hard time opening up i could tell that he kept cards close to his chest.

‧₊˚🌈 as a gemini venus & mars and the only coworkers ive made instant friends with being geminis is so crazy to me😭 i swear, they love to chat with me & i love it with them !!

‧₊˚🌈 back to the gemini energy, i can ALWAYS feel when someone has gemini placements like omg. every gemini sun ive gotten close with makes a point of like talking about everything ever , asking questions they probably shouldn’t ask, & just being overactive in that way😭 i will say that i feel like gemini in sun sign is kind of weak just in the sense that other placements can reallyyyy mellow their sun out.

‧₊˚🌈 2nd house venus in lunar return chart i spent money with absolutely no care lol. it was also in a taurus degree & i spent it solely on beauty products & clothes LOL

‧₊˚🌈 as an 8th houser (mercury especially) i have like a super big thing with being inconspicuous & using indirect language in conversation with ppl im just getting to know whenever they ask me questions, because i just don’t feel like they should know things ab me😭

‧₊˚🌈 so im like 2/3 months away from my solar return and am seeing it show up in real time… 6h stellium in my natal 7th is making me focus on work relationships & i don’t usually make friends w coworkers and ive already made 2 friends , one coworker i just met yesterday and another that i met like two months ago lol

‧₊˚🌈 after experiencing 8h synastry it rlly felt like the year was almost separated from before i met him and then after because of how different life felt for me afterwards

‧₊˚🌈 I noticed SO many 9h northnode celebrities having very similar life structures. Affluent or well off religious parent(s), moving homes often when young or in adulthood, having teachers or being guided by someone, studied their future profession in school/college, and lastly a lesser commonality i noticed was adopting a different religion at some stage in their life. i think above all with this placement leaving your birth town/ your place of residence could be important in your life story. (Ex: Donna Summer moving to Europe to preform in the musical ‘Hair’ which jumpstarted her career!)

‧₊˚🌈 also random but i noticed that a lot of virgo rising celebrities with 9h northnode were the youngest of 3 siblings & i am too so i thought that was super interesting lol or being one of 3 siblings, being the 3rd child birthed could be significant

‧₊˚🌈 leo mars musicians and being effortlessly good at playing instruments/having the ability to create their own special way of doing something /putting their own spin on something in their music… ex: Jeff Beck, Paul McCartney

‧₊˚🌈 so i always reference a life changing event in these that altered everything about my existence but i never reference what my solar return showed for that year. i had a 12th house stellium (sun,jupiter,neptune,chiron) and mercury, northnode, and uranus in my first house. it literally reads like a hidden part of myself is finally let out and expands, and it was almost like “ fate” for me to change mentally and physically that year. i also had pluto 10h and this feels like it manifested in a public change, or a change in public image and i literally had customers at my job going “you look different everytime i see you” ����, my natal sun sign was on the ascendant too and that year i started to come more into myself or i guess i became more like myself if that makes sense!(astrology is scary & almost so overt at times , it’s funny)

‧₊˚🌈 a year when i was overly promiscuous i had 8h moon & vertex in my solar return…

‧₊˚🌈 the month i got covid last year in my lunar return i had neptune & saturn retrograding in 6th house ,neptune square my midheaven & i was out of work for weeks lol

‧₊˚🌈 this one is less of an observation more of a question for the culture😭 has anyone else seen how lunar returns, solar returns, transits ,etc. kind of like hint that something or someone important is coming towards you? i think that is SO interesting because the month i met my ex online ,i had 7h vertex, chiron, & northnode but i remember at the time not considering him until the day before my lunar return chart switched to the next month when he made a big impression on me & asked to take me out and in that lunar return chart i had 7h juno & then 7h vertex again!

‧₊˚🌈 3 months before i met my ex, my ascendant progressed into libra in my progressed chart🫢

‧₊˚🌈 some transits i had for meeting him in person were transit south node trine venus and transit venus sextile northnode! i 1000% consider him as one of my first big karmic partners. you guys can read more about this meetings transits here !

‧₊˚🌈 I’ve recently been introduced to solar arc progressions which is a form of predictive astrology and found out i’m supposed to have a fated meeting with someone february 10th🫢 solar arcs only work to predict something like this if you have confirmation from 3 different chart sources tho!!! For me My Solar Return, Lunar Return, and transits confirm this meeting.

———————————————————————————

Thank you so much for reading! Comment what other Astrology content I should make bc i have no idea lol. I hope you guys enjoyed these observations ♡

[aeoki]

Dance Floor - Slow Step: Chapter 6

Location: Park  (Lawn Area) Characters: Touri, Yuzuru, Eichi & Wataru

Wataru: Alright, children, watch my movements closely!

One spin, two spins, three spins… By spinning through the air at a tremendous speed, you can dig into the ground and move about in the earth!

And the moment you take your eyes off, I shall launch a surprise attack from your back!

Look, a monster has appeared! You’ll get eaten if you’re caught~!

Interesting, isn’t it? I shall spin and block your sight! Then, the cloud of dust I’ve created should allow me to move behind your back!

Humans have blind spots so it makes it look like I’ve teleported!

That concludes the secret to my technique~☆ Please give me a round of applause if you’re impressed! That will make me very happy!

…Oh, do be careful you don’t trip.

I shall extend my arms out gracefully to catch you – and up in the air you go! Look, boys and girls, I shall carry you all into the sky~☆

Touri: *Pant, pant…* Does Long-Hair have infinite stamina? How does he have so much energy?

And the kids have all of their eyes on him.

Yuzuru: Perhaps it’s due to our difference in training. In terms of his muscles, instantaneous abilities and durability, they should all be inversely proportional…

But it seems Hibiki-sama is altering every aspect of his muscles at every stage.

Touri: It’s hard for me to gain muscle so I can’t really enjoy those sorts of topics. But is that something amazing?

Yuzuru: Yes. It’s as if he’s being reborn as a new person every moment – I wonder how he does it.

I’m interested from a medical point of view – I’d love to dissect him…♪

Touri: Don’t say something so scary…

President~ I’m a bit tired.

Eichi: Alright. Well done today, Touri. Come, I’ll give you a hug ♪

There, there. You’re very warm after being in the sun – it’s like I’m holding on to a ball of fire.

Touri: Heheh. Your body temperature is usually on the colder side, so I’ll warm you up~♪

Yuzuru: What an awfully stifling sight…

But President-sama, what is the point of this performance?

I thought I’d gotten used to handling children, but they’re all quite confusing and different…

They all confuse me – it’s quite tiring.

Eichi: Right. As usual, Anzu-chan doesn’t speak much and it’s difficult to understand her intentions, so I’ll explain on her behalf.

No, I’ll give my own personal guess on the matter.

A long time ago… I had a friend who loved drawing manga. I found it interesting and copied him.

There, I learnt how difficult it actually was.

It’s a common beginner’s mistake but it can be far more difficult to understand.

I couldn’t rephrase it in simpler words and ended up spouting specialist terminology that only the artist would understand.

I couldn’t express the message I wanted in a straightforward manner and ended up doing it in a roundabout way.

I didn’t have the skill to express what I’d wanted nor did I know the method.

You can express the important things with a short numerical formula, but add on unnecessary ostentation and it’ll become difficult to understand.

You could say that excess is individuality and charm.

But as a result, if you can’t express the important part, then that story is worthless. No, one’s wish to create a story will not be fulfilled.

Yuzuru: President-sama, that explanation in itself is already something that’s difficult for us to understand.

Eichi: Hehe. Then, I’ll explain it using easier terms.

If a long period of study and deciphering is required, then that’s art. The things that children can understand instantaneously is the ideal entertainment.

It’s obvious for performers who have polished those skills, but it’s impossible for amateurs to create a masterpiece.

If the right tools and systems are developed, then that may be possible, though.

There isn’t time for that. Touri’s dance recital is next week, isn’t it?

If he can succeed as an artist in that short amount of time, then he must be a genius or a monster.

Touri. I understand how you feel about always wanting to stand proudly at the top as a member of “fine”.

But that is a dangerous idealistic thought – you must face reality.

I have to do something difficult, it has to be something others can’t imitate, otherwise that wouldn’t be “fine”...

It wouldn’t be the strongest, not like a king – Those are the sorts of thoughts running through your head, right?

But you must learn where you stand, in a good way.

Kings aren’t gods or monsters beyond human intellect – they’re simply the representative of the masses. They’re the embodiment of the general public’s collective will.

That’s what the new “fine” will be in my eyes.

The old “fine” were angels instructed by god to reform the rotten world…

They acted like entities superior to humans – just like disciples and heroes who appeared in myths.

As a result, we won but we were also hurt because of the fight.

Hiyori-kun… Nagisa-kun… Tsumugi… their wings were torn off and they fell to the ground, covered in blood.

Touri, Yuzuru, Wataru… You three found that mess and took it into your arms.

You gave us encouragement to stand up on our feet again – that’s how we became the new “fine”.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Last 2 Chapters →

[m92-fmp]

Games research

OneShot

One shot is a top own puzzle game with an amazing story and many characters whom you interact with thorough your adventure. The game has a very rare game play aspect where the game acknowledges its a game and even at points addresses the player directly. At many key intervals of the game you have to go into the game files and either discover clues or alter something to proceed the story . An interesting mechanic that breaks the 4th wall which is something the games does repeatedly. The games story has tricks the player again and again which helps me think of how to have the story of my game not be boring and make it a more interesting story.

Undertale

Undertale is a top down RPG and bullet hell where a lost child must find their way out of the world of monsters known as the Underground. The game stood out for the fact that it took into considerations that monsters had their own society too rather than being mindless and violent. It was an unique experience that lead to the game quickly rising to popularity which scared the creator so much he considered asking people to take their videos of the game down. Your actions have rewards and consequences the affect them game. Some have little effect, some give you a slightly different ending while other give you a brand new one. I want to have it so the game can have more different paths to completion that differ based on how the player reacts to certain task and actions.

Deltarune

Deltarune is a top down RPG bullet hell game just like Undertale but with a spin of new additions. The game has a neat art style and art direction compared to the visuals of its predecessor. It also has a an extremely captivating story that get the player emotionally interested in the world and characters of the game. Odd characters you wouldn't think much of at first always end up playing some role in the game so that no character is truly forgettable. The game has areas where the payer is able to take damage despite not being in a battle or cutscene. I want to have segments like this in my game where you have to risk dying to get from some place to another.

Mad father

Mad father is a top down horror adventure game with amazing story and visuals where you uncover the secrets of the mansion the Drevis families resides in. One of my favorite things in mad father is the quick time events that happen in the game where you have to press the right button combinations a number of times to save Aya. The game has a lovely story to it that is show beautifully through the art style we see in the game through the memories of Aya and other characters. The game tends to use flashbacks as a way to connect the story and explain things to the player. I could add flashbacks to my game for storytelling too.

The Witch's House MV

The Witch's House MV is a top down horror adventure game with a heavier focus on puzzles. Through out the game there are some areas that present the player with a desk where the witches diary rests. them. These diary entries have some very small summaries of parts of the The Diary of Ellen novella as various passages from the Witch's Diary are mentioned within the first few chapters. I think it would be interesting to have diary or just notes with the lore of the game scattered around thud the mansion for the player to find.

Corpse Party

Corpse party is an adventure horror game series with the first game coming out on April 22 1996. The game is know for its great storytelling and immensely disturbing imagery. The games don't shy away from gory and gross imagery and quite often, as the tittle would have you guess, encounter many deformed corpses in the game. The game presents a lot of unpleasant imagery to disgusts and discomfort the player. I could add uncomfortable imagery to throw off the player as well.

Ao Oni

Ao Oni is a survival horror game with RPG and puzzle elements. The game is one of the most influential and well known RPG maker games of all time. The game is know for its great gameplay consisting of chases and puzzles while dealing with the demons that house the abandoned building. I want to have chase sequences in my game which I could do with inspiration from the game.

Misao

Misao is a adventure horror and puzzle game. Its also made by Sen and it also appears to be a sequel to Mad Father another great RPG maker game. Despite having a rather short runtime there are many ways to reach a game over in Misao which are said to be very fun to collect as the deaths in the game are rather unique and creative. The game lets the player chose the gender for the character as either male or female who each have different moments throughout the game based on who you chose. I could make it so theirs more than one character you can choose to play with in the game.

Katana zero

Zero's abilities from chronos are precognition, the ability to slow down time and is also able to essentially rewind time when met with death. This allows the player to replay areas differently based on how enemies react to certain actions. This is one of the cool mechanic is one of the main selling points of the game such as slowing down. The problem with this is that the Chronos drug that gives him these abilities not only curses him with immortality, in the event of a chronos user dying from withdrawal they will spend eternity dying over and over again in their minds. I want to have a similar ability for one, maybe more, character in my game where they will die but come back to life and be able to remember those previous events.

OMORI

Omori is a top down pixel art psychological horror RPG where Sunny, a mute hikikomori teenage boy, and his dream world alter-ego, Omori. "SOMETHING" is considered the main antagonist of the game. Its Sunny's fears and phobia visualized in his head and it takes may forms through the game. The story of the game involving how Sunny comes to deal with his problems and how he does it is the main selling point of the game. Fears and other things we don't like being turned "real" is a concept I would like to my game as it would be interesting to play around with this concept.

[adamwatchesmovies]

I Still See You (2018)

Released in theaters on October 12, 2018, I Still See You came and went without making an impression. With the teenage protagonists in the middle of a post-catastrophe world, you’ll wonder why at first. The Darkest Minds, The 5th Wave and Divergent all fizzled without their stories concluding but some people were clamouring for them. Could this be a YA-novel adaptation so bad it couldn't even find an audience among 13-year-olds?

In 2010, an explosion at Ashburn Laboratories creates a shockwave that kills hundreds. The deceased come back as non-sentient “remnants” (ghosts) who repeat some of their final moments every day. Ten years later, high school student Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Calder (Bella Thorne) is startled by a new (sexy) ghost (played by Thomas Elms) in her bathroom. Impossibly, this remnant writes “Run” in the steamed mirror before vanishing. Her favourite teacher, Mr. Bittner (Dermot Mulroney), doesn’t believe her but quiet loner Kirk Lane (Richard Harmon) does. Together, they follow the remnant's trail and discover it may be trying to attack her from the grave.

What we’ve got here is one of the most convoluted vehicles for a mystery I’ve ever seen. Let's begin with this world. Everyone drives slowly, not knowing if the old lady crossing the street is actually a human being, or the memory of one. Inside Ronnie’s home, there are always three chairs at the dinner table so her deceased father can appear unimpeded in the morning. I’m certain there are many awkward trips to the washroom where someone with a full bladder opens the door to find a phantom sitting on the toilet. Half of a couple in the middle of having sex is floating in a hotel bedroom. Passengers who died on a flight are zipping through the air high above us, etc. I know we're not supposed to think about that but you can't help it. You expect the film to be about Ronnie and Lane discovering a conspiracy behind the remnants or that perhaps since “Brian” wants to harm her, that all remnants are about to turn on humanity unless the explosion's cause is discovered. You’re way, way off. The remnants are not integral to the story except to explain how Ronnie saw that first ghost, and why she begins a quest for answers.

At 98 minutes, this is a short film, and a significant chunk is spent on information that's ultimately useless. In fact, the role remnants ultimately play in the story proves this never should've been a movie. I can't emphasize how superfluous the ghost thing is in the end but you get stuck on that angle. It's all you care about. We know the remnants are not - as previously stated - forced to simply relive their last moments in the same place as they lived them. Obviously, “Brian” and his sumptuous behind didn’t die in his underwear in Ronnie’s bathroom 10 years ago. This means remants can be anywhere, at any time. They can also be animals and from a time period which precedes the explosion. What the rules are, you don't know - but you want to. Makes you wonder what happens when two of them collide.

What this movie is REALLY about is the mystery. Too bad it's nonsense. It’s impossible for you to figure out what really happened to Brian and how Ronnie ties to him. Once you learn the truth, it’ll leave your head spinning. Hopefully, fast enough for you to stop asking questions - or so director Scott Speer hopes. There are so many seemingly random aspects to the enigma that is Brian. February 29th is an important date, and a crucial clue to what’s happening. Why an explosion-created ghost would care about leap years, I don’t know. It gets crazier as bodies pile up and time starts to run out. You wonder how all of these clues and characters we’ve been introduced to will fit together. Got a theory? I can tell you without hearing it; you're wrong.

I Still See You is ridiculous. Its story derails itself. The film feels like it was re-written to contain a supernatural element. When the ghost thing didn’t sell, they altered the recipe again to draw in fans of the post-apocalyptic YA genre. In the end, there are more misshapen ideas than fully realized ones. It’s so utterly bewildering I think you can have a lot of fun with it as long as you know it’s a bad movie ahead of time. (June 28, 2019)

[ronninoir]

Can I Steal You For A Second Chapter 37 - Epilogue

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3

Epilogue

Marinette was floating on clouds. The entire wedding had been absolutely perfect. Alya and her Maman had helped calm her down before the ceremony, Adrien had cried as she started walking down the aisle with her father, and all of the girls from the show had sat in the same section together and had cheered the loudest when they were pronounced husband and wife. Marinette had barely even noticed the cameras swarming around, recording everything for their faithful viewers.

Rumor had it that because of their popular season, The Bachelor had been renewed for a second, with a different fashion company sponsoring it and a new man being chosen. Rumor has it that Lucy’s aunt from America may be taking a note from Gabriel’s book and is trying to get a Bachelorette going for next year too, with Lucie as the star. Marinette liked the idea of Lucie being able to find love and even told her that if they needed help with anything, like a guest appearance for a date or anything, Marinette would be there to help. Lucie gave her a big hug in a way of thanks.

Marinette was the happiest she had ever been, and she could tell that Adrien was too. He never let go of her hand. At one point she told him she had to go to the bathroom and he automatically offered to come with her, before a blush spread on his face and Alya escorted her instead, laughing all along the way. They had danced their first dance, she had danced with her Papa, who had blubbered throughout the whole ceremony and dance alike, and Adrien had danced with his new mother-in-law. By the end of that dance, neither Sabine, Adrien, nor Marinette had walked away with a dry eye.

Then came the fun part. The girls had asked Marinette if it would be okay to play a small prank on Adrien and Marinette had graciously let them run free. It started with Lucie asking Adrien to dance, and offering him a beautiful red rose while she did. Then she was interrupted by Juliette, who also offered him a rose before she was interrupted by Hanna and so on and so on until Adrien had a bouquet of roses and was laughing while dancing with all of his ex-girlfriend’s in attendance.

When Adrien was on the last girl, Marinette interrupted and said, “Can I steal you for a second?” to which Adrien laughed. As they danced, Adrien whipped out the rather large bouquet of roses the other girls had given him and he asked, “Marinette, will you accept these roses?” to which she laughed and said yes, kissing him once more. Everyone cheered for the happy couple.

Towards the end, as guests started dancing more and showing off for the cameras, Marinette and Adrien were slow dancing in the corner.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Adrien whispered into Marinette’s ear.

“What do you mean? It’s our wedding, we can’t just leave it early.”

“Come on! Come for a run with me! No one will even notice!” Marinette gave him a pointed look and he amended, “We’ll only be gone for 15 minutes. One lap around Paris and we’ll sneak back in and no one will notice.”

Marinette was about to say no when Adrien gave her those puppy (kitty?) eyes and she felt a slow smile spread across her face.

“Yes!” Adrien quietly celebrated while spinning and waltzing her closer and closer to the closest exit, which conveniently was right behind the band.

As soon as the coast was clear, they both whispered their transformations and took to the skies for the first time as a married couple. They ended up on the Eiffel Tower, hidden away from onlookers for the first time that night. 

“Do you think this is what our life will be like now?” Ladybug asked, glancing around to make sure no one was close by, even though they were hundreds of feet up into the air.

“What do you mean?” Chat asked, pulling her close.

Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder, “Hiding from cameras and fans and just constantly being watched? Are we ever going to be invisible again?”

“We never were truly invisible. Not really.” Ladybug shot him a look and he chuckled before explaining. “Well, first off, we are the heroes of Paris. We’ve always been under a spotlight.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Chat began gently stroking her hair and she leaned into his touch. “Okay, okay. I’ve never been invisible. And truly, neither have you.”

“Please, before I met you, I was a nobody who led a secret life. No one knew who Marinette Dupain-Cheng was and probably never would have if it hadn’t been for the show.”

“I disagree. I would like to think that even without the show, we would have ended up together. You were meant to become Mrs. Agreste and even without Gabriel/Agreste Fashions, you would have made a name for yourself in the fashion world without me.” He pulled her chin up so he could look deeper into her eyes. “That’s why no one is going to blink twice when you and I become co-CEOs of Agreste Fashion. You have the talent to prove that you are where you are meant to be. I’m the only person using my name to get a position in that company. You deserve it.” Ladybug felt her eyes begin to fill up with tears and Chat leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss.

“So, are Ladybug and Chat Noir dating, married what? Are we going to have to have a whole separate wedding ceremony for our alter egos?” Marinette asked, trying to change the subject to something much lighter.

Chat laughed, “You know, Bugaboo, I would marry you every day of the week if I could. Plus, how fun would it be to say that you’re getting meow-ied every day!” Chat burst into laughter and Ladybug couldn’t help but join in.

“That was a terrible pun.”

“I do what I can,” Chat said with a wink.

“On a more serious note, what about Hawkmoth? We may be happy and Ladybug and Chat Noir have finally found each other and what not, but Hawkmoth is still out there and we still have no idea who he is.”

Chat paused for a moment before answering, “I guess we’ll just have to figure it out as we go. As long as we’re together, there isn’t a fight we won’t lose. He’s sloppy and we’ll be able to find him and return his miraculous to where it belongs.”

“Speaking of where things belong... I’m pretty sure it’s been longer than 15 minutes and we have an entire wedding hall full of people that expected us to be in attendance the entire party.”

Chat rolled his eyes but sat up and stretched like the cat he was before standing and offering Ladybug a hand. Instead of letting go of her hand after she had stood, he used it to pull her close to him and engulf her in a hug.

“Thanks for being my partner in every aspect of my life.”

“I’ll always be there for you, Kitty. No matter what stands in our way.”

The hug lasted a couple more seconds before they broke apart. Ladybug was just about to jump and head back towards their wedding when Chat pulled her back and held out his hand.

“Together?”

She smiled and nodded, “Together.”

And together they jumped.

In that moment it didn’t matter that Hawkmoth was still out there or that Lila had tried to ruin their lives, or even all of the hoops that Gabriel had made them jump through. Together, they had survived it all, and together they would thrive “Till death do us part.”

~~~

And that's the end!!!

Oh my gosh guys, this has been such an amazing journey! Thank you all so SO much for reading and supporting this story in the past year. It has been a wild ride and we have loved every part of it. My sister is thinking about possibly writing a sequel to this that would involve more Hawkmoth moments and bringing that section to a close. If you're interested... let us know! She also has some other random fic ideas floating around her head so be on the lookout if you're interested! Again, thank you all for your awesome support! YOU GUYS ROCK!

@momor3202

@legendaryneckjudgestudent

@discoveringmiraculouswriters

@adrianarfox

@verooquieremimir

@jeminiikrystal

[filmmakerdreamst]

‘Boy Meets World’ Re-watch (as an Adult)

‘Girl Meets World’ doesn’t count as a sequel. Not because of the writing/tonal choices but because in the original show - despite continuity issues - the characters felt like real people e.g. the way they spoke/acted/dressed was the way people behaved in the 90s where as in the spin off, they were Disney characters e.g. hyper versions of themselves especially Cory and Eric. And the transition between both shows didn’t come naturally. It’s not an objectivity badly written show but it was pretty much a re-do of the old show with the same storylines/tropes without continuing the story. (I say the same thing about ‘The Incredibles’. vs ‘Incredibles 2’.) Also there were too many cooks in the kitchen pushing one way or another. You could see Micheal Jacobs style, all the aspects were there, but he was also creating a ‘DISNEY’ show at the same time. I don’t know about you but the one message I took from the original show was ‘finding out that life cannot be packenged into a lovely little present ’ which kind of contradicts everything that the new show is. If anything GMW is an AU universe (and it really felt like that, rewatching it right after BMW e.g. it felt flipped) almost like Disney’s version of ‘what happened next?’ The primal difference between both shows is BMW is portraying what is real and GMW is based on what is real.

Going off my point, I will however be always thankful that it exists because I probably wouldn’t of found out about ‘Boy Meets World’ otherwise. Although saying that, I never thought that the original show needed a continuation of any kind (a lot of things make sense about the spin off if you acknowledge that Disney requested it - I think it would of been much better off on its original platform) ‘Boy Meets World’ was very much a product of its time i.e. when tv shows were still relevetivley new and had no rules - like there is stuff in there that not even adult shows today have. Plus there was something about it that felt very personal (such as the characters and setting) as if the creator based it on his own childhood growing up and I think that was part of its charm and why it had such a big effect on pop culture - I’m not so sure you can repeat that.

BMW is big on meta I’ll tell you that. I love how it’s so aware of itself. The amount of depth that it has never ceases to amaze me. It’s whole universe is so dense and huge. Every quote/storyline is so unique it sticks in your brain forever. (I swear the humour got more and more deranged every season). The show was also incredibly queer and progressive.  It didn’t give a crap about sexuality. Much more than I remember. Proof to never use ‘but it was made in the 90s’ excuse.        

I loved how the show kept reinventing itself every season as Cory grew up so you really felt you were growing up with him and all the characters. The Character Development on this show was so natural/authentic. Every single character got a chance to shine. No one changed their look in one episode and no one had an intervention every time someone had an identity crisis (GMW) My favourite development was Shawn Hunter. He went from a cool kid to a ladies man to a poetic soul. It was so satisfying to watch.

I realised that Cory Matthews is actually my favourite character (before it was Eric or Shawn) I already have a special soft spot for ‘annoying’ characters because they tend to be the most memorable/real. For example, Karma Ashcroft from ‘Faking it’ was my babe while everyone was hating on her. I really related to his anxiety/self hatred about being average and I loved that he constantly made mistakes. It was very refreshing. He’s also incredibly queer-coded. I found that alot of his mannerisms make sense if you see him with extreme compulsory heterosexuality (because identity’s such as bisexual or gay couldn’t exist normally in the 90s) There are moments in the show where he literally mimics his best friend’s behaviour around girls e.g. when the class pretty much gets brainwashed by the sex ed video in ‘Boy Meets Girl’ Shawn gets asked out by a girl, making Cory jealous - which pushes him to ask out Topanga.

It’s funny how a few years of life experience can change perspectives completely because when I was sixteen (aka the same age as Cory and Topanga) watching BMW for the first time, I was mad at Amy for ‘not understanding that they were in love’ (in ‘A Walk to Pittsburg’) but now that I’m older I’m actually agreeing with her. Yeah, what do they know about love? Because all season long they were acting quite superficially.

Cory and Topanga became somewhat of a toxic couple in seasons 5 -7. Reminded me of my parents relationship because my mum gave up her chosen university to be closer to my dad and they aren’t together any more. Topanga’s love for Cory was very conditional and Cory cheated on her multiple times/openly begged for sex  (Again like my parents) And you should never be in a relationship with someone who makes you say “You make me think not so very much of myself” There are arguably much more signs of emotional abuse than love in their relationship especially from Topanga’s side. Plus their story was altered so many times to give it more basis (they retconned Shawn and Cory’s friendship to do this) I could write an essay on how Kevin and Winnie’s love story on ‘The Wonder Years’ is much more believable because it actually addresses how toxic it was and they grow apart in the end. If GMW was a realistic continuation, they would be divorced with a little girl - leave them in the 90s where they belong.

Alan and Amy were couple goals! Cory and Topanga wish that they could have what they have. Literally the definition of ‘a healthy relationship on tv that keeps thriving and over coming obstacles without big drama’. Best TV parents ever.

I loved the Matthews family; how they all had individual arcs and developments of their own. One of my favourite arcs was in season 5, when Eric and Cory were both jealous of what they ‘didn’t have’ with their dad, so Alan made an effort to give them both that they needed. Honestly, I had never seen so much healthy communication on TV before. Alan is the best father around. His whole personal arc of giving up managing a supermarket because he wasn’t passsionate about it anymore and buying a mountain store was so inspired. I found it funny that the family had more of a relationship with Shawn than Topanga.

Shawn Hunter never caught a break. It got a bit tiring. He was never allowed to be happy for five minutes. Every time he laughed or smiled, 5 years were added onto my lifespan. Why didn’t Johnathan Turner adopt him? I loved their dynamic. Why did he let him go back to his abusive father who just dumped him anyway?

Jack and Shawn’s complicated dynamic was possibly the most unique/interesting arc of the entire show and no one talks about it. I don’t care what y’all say - despite them being very different, Jack was the only one who fully took care of Shawn without second thoughts (Turner and the Matthews family had doubts)

I liked Shawn and Angela. I thought they were much better suited than Cory and Topanga. I honestly wouldn’t of minded if they ended up together even though I always had a feeling they wouldn’t. (Like I’m glad she went with her dad in the end) And considering how important they were as a interracial couple in the 90s, GMW handled that very poorly.

Shawn and Cory should of ended up together. And before you come at me with ‘it’s important to have m/m friendships without toxic masculinity’ (which is an important arguement to have) - yeah no shit there’s an entire Industry based around that/pitting women against each other. While it is important to have those friendships between men that are close and even intimate (take Chandler and Joey, Schmidt and Nick, Isak and Jonas and Jake and Charles for example) there was also another layer to their relationship which the narrative played off sometimes as them “going out” or “in love”.  I actually recently found out that a writer - who came into the show in season 3 - confirmed that she wrote gay undertones into their relationship on purpose ‘In my opinion as a writer, they thought they were “straight”, they both didn’t realise or understand their feelings for eachother’ but couldn’t deliever because the producers wanted to keep the show “kid friendly”. Kind of like Xena and Gabby. I know people prefer Jack & Eric (I love them as well) but everything got ruined for me as soon as they introduced the ‘love triangle’ and I always tend to prefer emotional tension over sexual. They were just so unconditional with each other/ their friendship was so good and healthy and now I’m so bitter that it never happened.

I never understood why Shawn and Cory had to stop being best friends after he got married. He’s not Topanga’s property. I always hated how Topanga tried to interrupt/interfere with their dynamic — although now I realise it was because the two of them purposely left her out. Looking back at it, If it really was just a intimate friendship then why would she get so easily jealous if she didn’t sense there was something else deeper going on? You should never marry someone who puts you second.

I didn’t like Topanga when she was with Cory (or vice versa) Especially after they got married. She was a great character on her own. Feminist before her time. Hermione Granger before her time. I always felt she deserved a lot better than him in a way e.g. if someone I considered a friend speard a rumour around high school that we slept together - I would never speak to that person again. SHE SHOULD OF GONE TO YALE GOD DAMN IT. And as someone pointed out the other day, if the roles were reversed some of the stuff she does or says to Cory would be considered domestic violence. ‘She’s always blaming Cory on shit that isn't even his fault or makes him feel bad or shuts down his emotions and turns it around so he's comforting her instead.’ There was even a moment in GMW (not that I consider that show a continuation) where she locks him out the house for a few days after he insulted her chicken, and his son Auggie had to bring him spaghetti. If Cory was a woman, that would not be played off as a joke - that would be considered abuse. They were however a better couple in GMW ironically.

Angela Moore is now one of my favourite characters on BMW. She was beautiful. Her friendship with Rachel (and Topanga) was the best. And I frickin’ loved her and Cory’s friendship development - when they could of easily not played into that. I hate that she got villiaized in GMW.

My favourite seasons are 4, 5 & 1. My least favourites are 3 & 2 & 7. And even then the show was still pretty darn good.

The back and fourth clash between Turner and Mr Feeny in season 2 was very entertaining.

Mr Feeny and Eric are my favourite relationship on ‘Boy Meets World’. I love how Eric was the only person that Feeny directly told that he loved him. Also, why didn’t Eric become the new Mr Feeny? He showed more traits of becoming a teacher in the show than Cory did.

Eric and Tommy was probably the most heartbreaking plot line in season 6. (That season was an emotional train wreck) I cried for a fourth time. The world doesn’t deserve him.

I loved the development of Shawn and Topanga’s friendship. Even though there was a silent competition over Cory, they eventually became good friends. I found out that the song ‘She will be loved’ was inspired by them which is awesome but it’s also proof that people ship for less if it’s an m/f dynamic - just sayin’. I however see a more convincing potiental romance with the two of them than Cory and Topanga sometimes.

On Cory and Topanga again - they weren’t a bad couple overall. I liked them in s1 - 3. They had some great moments. But upon my rewatch (getting out of that 90s idealised headspace) I found them to be too similar at times - chafing as another person put it - to the point where they cancel each other out. A lot of people pointed out that Riley and Maya paralleled them and I was thinking “That’s not nesserily a good thing.”

‘Dream. Try. Do good.’ is on my mantelpiece.

[themattress]

OUAT AND ME: FINAL ANALYSIS

"That is indeed a complicated story. The timelines alone would make one’s head spin. Only a true Author could weave such a tale." - The Sorcerer's Apprentice, 7x21: "Homecoming"

So, the question still stands: how am I supposed to make my peace with Once Upon a Time? How am I supposed to fully love it again and hold on to that love when it made such a tragic downward spiral in quality? It seemed like an impossibility, but in keeping with the spirit of the show back when it was true to its message, I held firmly onto hope that I could do it.

And as frustrating as having to re-experience the show's decline was....I have!

Because you see, I came to remember something important. In the end, OUAT isn't about hope, or morality, or redemption, or what it is to be a hero or a villain, or happy endings, etc. 

OUAT is about stories. And regardless of whether a story is told well or told poorly, it is a story nonetheless. This commitment to being all about stories remained true from start to finish for OUAT, as it went balls to the wall telling stories within stories within stories. While the creative staff behind the show seemed to have differing agendas in many aspects, this was the one aspect they were firmly united behind, and in the end that's what makes OUAT special.

And in the spirit of that storytelling focus, and in the spirit of the show's own tendency to stand on wobbly logic in order to tell its stories, I have decided that the story of OUAT is actually a timestream; one that branches into several different versions (or tellings, if you will) of the story, all of them with differences in their timelines, plotlines, and end points.

The "Snow Falls" Timeline - This is the original telling of the story, spanning from the Dark Curse Saga of Season 1 to the Neverland Saga of Season 3. It begins with Henry Mills seeking out his birth mother Emma Swan and bringing her to Storybrooke so that she can break the Dark Curse, and concludes with Emma and Henry driving across the town line as Storybrooke and all its inhabitants are sent back to where they came from, the Dark Curse fully undone and Henry's "Once Upon a Time" storybook disappearing within the cloud of purple smoke. And in this timeline, the Wonderland Saga happens in the timeframe of the early events of the Price of Magic Saga, as it was originally intended to in the initially filmed pilot episode.  Anything that happens beyond "Going Home" is left up to the imagination.

The "Snow Drifts" Timeline - This telling of the story spans from the Dark Curse Saga of Season 1 to the Operation Mongoose Saga of Season 4, with the Wonderland Saga transpiring directly afterward. It begins with Henry Mills seeking out his birth mother Emma Swan and bringing her to Storybrooke so that she can break the Dark Curse, and concludes with Henry becoming the new Author, freeing everyone from Isaac Heller's illusionary reality, followed by the rest of the heroes looking to find a way to contain the Darkness after it is removed from Rumple. Afterward, this hypothetical Season 5 of mine is able to transpire.

The "Heroes and Villains" Timeline - This telling of the story spans from the Dark Curse Saga of Season 1 to the Underworld Saga of Season 5, with the Wonderland Saga transpiring after Season 4's Operation Mongoose Saga. It begins with Henry Mills seeking out his birth mother Emma Swan and bringing her to Storybrooke so that she can break the Dark Curse, and concludes with a finale like this one, except that Robin sadly is dead.

The "Final Battle" Timeline - This telling of the story spans from the Dark Curse Saga of Season 1 to the Savior's Fate Saga of Season 6, with the Wonderland Saga transpiring after Season 4's Operation Mongoose Saga. It begins with Henry Mills seeking out his birth mother Emma Swan and bringing her to Storybrooke so that she can break the Dark Curse, and concludes with Emma triumphing in the Final Battle, saving all the realms and light magic from destruction. There are two versions of this telling, one where Rumple dies sacrificing his heart for Gideon, and another where he lives and is given a second chance at a family.

The "Coven of Eight" Timeline - This telling of the story spans from the Dark Curse Saga of Season 1 to the Hyperion Heights Saga of Season 7, with the Wonderland Saga transpiring after Season 4's Operation Mongoose Saga. It begins with Henry Mills seeking out his birth mother Emma Swan and bringing her to Storybrooke so that she can break the Dark Curse, and concludes with Regina being crowned Good Queen of all the realms.

So now you must be wondering, how did these branches of the timestream come to be? Well, each but one holds two possible options for their creation, both equally valid: they are either the result of a new Dark Curse being cast or of the fabric of time being messed with.

The "Snow Falls" Timeline was created by either Snow and Charming casting a new Dark Curse or by Emma and Hook traveling through time and altering the past. The result caused the events of "Snow Drifts" to supplant those of "Snow Falls", which meant that the now-alternate timeline in which "Snow Falls" was canon had to be branched off at the exact point before the events leading to "Snow Drifts" (in other words, the Wicked Saga) happened.

The "Snow Drifts" Timeline was created by either Nimue casting a new Dark Curse through Dark Hook or by Isaac Heller temporarily rewriting reality. This means that the timeline that was currently in effect was rendered alternate at the exact point before the events leading to Nimue's Dark Curse (in other words, the Dark Swan Saga) happened, or at the point when Isaac messed with reality (in other words, the Operation Mongoose Saga).

The "Heroes and Villains" Timeline was created by either Fiona casting a new Dark Curse or by the Evil Queen creating the Wish Realm to trap Emma in. This means that the timeline that was currently in effect was rendered alternate at the exact point before the events leading to either of these causes (in other words, the Savior's Fate Saga) happened.

The "Final Battle" Timeline was the only one created by a single possibility: Drizella leading the Coven of Eight in casting a new Dark Curse, since it was both the casting of a Dark Curse and screwing with the fabric of time by sending everyone back several years into the past. This means that the timeline that was currently in effect was rendered alternate at the exact point before the events leading to this (in other words, the Hyperion Heights Saga) happened and that the "Coven of Eight" Timeline is now the "official" timeline, aka the show.

While I technically can conceive of ways in which the story could stop at either the Wicked Saga and even the Frozen Saga, they can't realistically be made into branches of a timestream because they rely too much on cutting out things that are present in the show, which is a leap too far and I'd feel like a real Isaac Heller if I did that. And it goes without saying that (even though it's satisfying in of itself) the story can't really end at the Dark Curse Saga since there's way too much still up in the air, least of all the big "magic is coming" cliffhanger; the Price of Magic Saga since its ending is a direct lead-in to the Neverland Saga; or the Dark Swan Saga because its ending is a direct lead-in to the Underworld Saga (it can end with the Underworld Saga as it does in the Heroes and Villains Timeline because the "Only You" / "An Untold Story" Season 5 finale is it's own thing apart from that arc, so its removal and replacement isn't affecting anything.) So I’m left with just these five options.

And with the variety presented here, I find myself kind of loving Once Upon a Time again! The quality of the story may fluctuate wildly depending on which timeline / telling it is, but regardless of which one it is, it’s something that - for better or worse - you’re going to find quite unlike anything else out there. And so at least I have made peace with it, realized that it is bigger than its awful creators, and have accepted that regardless of my personal feelings towards all of the less than desirable parts of it....I’m a ONCEr. And I always will be.

“And you may think this is just a story. But that's the thing about stories. They're more than words. They live inside of us. They make us who we are. And as long as someone believes that......there will always be magic.” - (Teenage) Henry Mills, 7x20: “Is This Henry Mills?”

[xb-squaredx]

Please Don’t Sleep on Hades

2020’s…been a real year, huh? At a time when in-person gatherings aren’t much of a thing and people have to stay in, video games are suddenly a pretty attractive option. That said, few games have really grabbed me this year; in a roundabout way, 2020’s been a year of reruns, as I go through a lot of games I’ve already played or games that are just yesterday’s news (but new to me!). However, in the nick of time, the folks at Supergiant Games delivered unto us their latest title, Hades. While they’ve been working on this game for years, with it hitting Early Access on Steam back in 2018, the full version of Hades finally hit Steam, the Epic Game Store and made the leap to consoles with the Switch, which is where I picked it up. It has been a WHILE since I’ve had a game grab me so strongly so early on, and I’ve been hearing this game’s praises for years now already, so allow me to happily state why I think Hades is worthy of the hype and is a fantastic game I’d easily recommend!

DADDY ISSUES

OK, so first things first…you don’t actually play as Hades in this game, but rather his son Zagreus. Ol’ Zag has had it with his father, and tries to literally fight his way out of hell to reach the surface, and no matter what his old man puts in his way, Zagreus (and the player) will meet the challenge. And probably die, but hey, that’s OK! In the underworld, death is more of an inconvenience than anything else, so after taking a moment to dust himself off, Zagreus will head out for another attempt. For as long as it takes.

Hades is a rogue-like, meaning it’s a game based around randomization and adaptation. On any given “run” of the game, the level layouts, enemies present and the variety of power-ups Zagreus can find will be left to chance, with the player challenged to amass the best build they can to eventually break out of hell and reach the human world and if you die…start from scratch. That said, Hades is among the ever-growing sub-genre of rogue-lites, in that there IS some permanent progression, which takes a bit of a sting out of dying, but more on that later. Now, most games of this type aren’t really big on story. They have a premise that’s little more than an excuse to play. Splunkey wants you to explore a cave, The Binding of Isaac sees you escaping a basement and in Enter the Gungeon you uh…e-enter the gun—you get the point! But what separates Hades from most rogue-likes/lites is that there actually IS a very interesting story that unfolds as you play.

There’s more to Zag’s desire to get to the surface than just getting away from his father, though their strained relationship certainly doesn’t help matters, and over the course of your many, MANY escape attempts, players learn of the rather screwed-up nature of Zagreus’ family of deities, though any mythology nut could tell you to expect that. Hades has an incredibly charismatic cast, superb voice acting across the board, and some real sharp writing that really got me wanting to meet anyone and everyone and learn more about this world. You’re likely to run into Hypnos first, who always has a “tip” ready for you when you meet your end to a given enemy or hazard, or the fabled hero Achilles, who acts as a mentor to Zagreus. There’s Dusa, the adorably frazzled flying gorgon head who acts as the House of Hades’ maid, and of course…Megaera, of the Furies.

She serves as the first proper boss in the game, and will be a pretty sizable challenge for most players, but as you eventually overcome her again and again, she and Zagreus end up attempting to reconnect with each other, and her recurring fights become an excuse to flirt and test each other. I may as well say too that it’s easy to fall in love with the characters in this game because…I-I mean, just look at them! This game is a bisexual’s paradise, that’s all I’ll say.

A bit of a fun fact, but Zagreus’ voice actor, Darren Korb, is also a composer at Supergiant, so he’s a man of many talents, since Hades has a killer score. From the laid-back tunes at the House of Hades where you can unwind and recharge after a botched run, to the pulse-pounding boss theme, there’s some GREAT music on display here. And that’s before you meet Orpheus and Eurydice, two characters with amazing singing voices that, if you play your cards right, might start singing together. The game’s visuals, meanwhile, aren’t a slouch either. While the level layouts are randomized, everything manages to look well-crafted, each region of the underworld having their own distinct look and feel. The fiery pits of Asphodel end up juxtaposing well with the paradise that is Elysium. Now, character models are generally less-detailed since the camera stays zoomed out to give players a good view of the action, but the portraits for the various characters more than make up for it with their distinct, detailed designs. A-And I’m not just saying that because everyone’s hot! Now, admittedly you might take a look at Zag and think he’s nothing but an edgelord and the game itself might be taking itself too seriously, but in reality, Hades strikes a pretty good balance, and definitely carries a sense of humor. Characters love to snark at each other, the various Shades chilling in the House of Hades’ lounge have some funny conversations you can listen in on and all told, the game only gets serious when appropriate. Really, I have no real complaints with the game on a presentation level; it’s all aces so far, and thankfully the game-y part follows suit!

LIVE.DIE. REPEAT.

Hades is best described as a dungeon-crawler. You have an isometric view as you move about, avoiding hazards and fighting off enemies as you climb each chamber on your way to the surface. Defeat every enemy in a chamber and get a reward. Sounds simple enough until you factor in all of the various permutations of events; Hades aims to make sure no two runs are alike, with different enemies, power-ups and challenges awaiting you. All of this is doled out slowly, as with each subsequent playthrough you begin to have more of the game unraveled. First and foremost, Zagreus can gain various Boons from the other Olympian Gods, who are sympathetic to his plight and lend him some power if he makes contact with them. Each God has their own twist on the abilities they grant Zagreus. They can all increase his stats in some way, or affect either his dash ability or his Cast, a projectile attack. For Zeus, naturally, all of Zagreus’ moves will gain an electric effect, whereas Artemis focuses more on upping Zag’s critical hit chance. Dionysus, the God of Wine, grants you the “hangover” status effect, allowing your attacks to uh…make enemies drunk? Sure! You’ll be given a random selection of three Boons to pick from, of varying rarities. Over the course of a run, you might try to nab as many Boons from the same God as possible, or vary it up and see which abilities synchronize together. At times, you might even be granted a Duo Boon, where two Gods decide to combine their power for a special ability that plays to both of their strengths. Still, at other times, you might be forced into a Trial of the Gods, where you must choose one God’s Boon over the other, with the snubbed God lashing out afterwards. Hey, just because they’re Gods, doesn’t mean they’re nice. Of course, you’ve also got a variety of health and weapon upgrades too. In fact, let’s gush about the weapons for a second, shall we?

At the time of writing, Hades has six weapons to play with. You start with a sword, which is the all-rounder of the set, but as you gain keys to unlock more weapons, you can start to really experiment. The bow and rail cannon serve as ranged options with different approaches, while the spear is the melee weapon with the best range at the cost of pure power. The shield grants you absolute defense at the cost of range, while the gauntlets let you unleash your fisticuffs on underworld scum, though leave you with limited ranged attacks. Each weapon has specific Boons and weapon upgrades you can find as well, some of which can radically alter how a weapon works. The rail cannon, for example, fires a lot faster than the bow, but this is balanced by needing to manually reload…unless you get a weapon upgrade that gives you unlimited ammo with the only catch being that you can only do burst fire. Adding to this, players eventually unlock hidden Aspects of weapons, morphing them into different forms which can also influence their moveset. Change the shield to the Aspect of Zeus, and when you throw your shield Captain America style, it stays out and continually spins, dealing tons of damage over time and effectively forcing enemies to get sliced to bits if they want to get near you. I didn’t expect this game to have half this many weapons or to have them balanced so well. Really, just like anything else, weapons are another tool you can poke and prod and experiment with until you get a truly killer collection of Boons and upgrades that let you just demolish anything in your way. It’s very satisfying when you finally clear a run with a great build…though depending on the RNG, you WILL get some crummy builds, but that’s the nature of the rogue-like!

It’s likely that a bad build (or really, just getting hit with a new boss or enemy you aren’t prepared for) will lead to a death, but as already established, death isn’t really that much of an inconvenience in the underworld. Zagreus just spawns back at home and is free to immediately try to escape again, but this brief reprieve lets you chat up whoever happens to be around, give them gifts, advance some side-quests, pet your dog Cerberus and practice with weapons and such before you’re ready to go at it again. It’s after a run that you also get to spend a lot of the spoils of your escape attempts. While you lose Boons and weapon upgrades and the like upon death, there’s a LOT of various items you keep with you that have plenty of uses. Darkness shards are used for permanent skills that can be applied to Zagreus, like Death’s Defiance, which grants Zagreus another life upon dying, which can eventually be upgraded to give him THREE extra lives, just as an example. Precious gems can be used to fund a variety of cosmetic changes to the House of Hades. Just because Zagreus doesn’t want to live there anymore, doesn’t mean he can’t at least make it look good! Nectar can be gifted to other characters to improve your relationships with them, with bottles of Ambrosia being required later on, while special keys can be used to unlock weapons, more upgrades for your Darkness shards, or just used as a secondary currency for trade. There’s really a LOT of different items to mess around with, though admittedly if you’re the type to want to max out EVERYTHING you’ll be in it for the long haul, as there is not only a LOT of stuff to upgrade and purchase, but the random nature of things means rewards are never a guarantee. Though it’s worth noting the game’s totally beatable without going nuts with completion. Which I guess leads me to the biggest compliment I can give this game: even after “beating” it, I still can’t stop playing, and there’s plenty of reason to keep going.

REPLAYS AND REWARDS

So, full disclosure, I’ve gotten Zagreus to the surface. Several times, actually. But I haven’t quite “beaten” the game yet. In fact, at the risk of sounding pretentious, it is as if the true game begins after you’ve beaten it once. Without getting into specifics, let’s just say the game gives you a very good in-story reason to keep playing, and you won’t reach credits without several completed runs under your belt. And even then, there’s still stuff to do. I’m almost 30 hours into Hades and I’ve barely scratched the surface honestly. Every major character has their own sidequest you can undergo, but it can be slow goings when it comes to advancing them. Trying out all the weapons and boons and different combinations will easily take dozens of hours to fully experience, though the game has a handy in-game list of what you’ve done and haven’t done, as well as in-game achievements with tangible rewards that will spur you on. I was admittedly surprised at how dense of a game Hades can be. A successful run will likely take you somewhere between a half-hour to an hour, which is pretty devious. Just long enough to stay engaging throughout, and short enough that I can keep convincing myself that I have time for “one more run” and then suddenly several hours have gone by. Strangest thing.

Something that’s become a bit of a staple of Supergiant’s work is customizable difficulty, various modifiers you can flip on to make the game harder if you so desire, which in Hades takes the form of the Pact of Punishment. After a successful run, you can turn on a given pact to spice things up for subsequent runs. Maybe enemies do a bit more damage, or you give yourself a super strict time limit to clear a run. You can give enemies armor that makes them sturdier, or jack up the in-game shop’s prices. You can even be forced to give up Boons in order to advance past certain doors! Probably the most impressive Pact is Extreme Measures, which ends up greatly affecting the boss fights in the game…trust me when I say you won’t be ready for them the first time you flip that on. Activating a given pact increases a “heat gauge” that, should it reach a given level, will end up granting you various special items to help with fully upgrading and unlocking stuff. Of course, with each successful run completed with a given Pact activated, you’ll have to raise the heat more and more in order to keep getting these upgrade materials so be prepared. You can also still gain these materials (albeit at a much slower rate) playing through the game normally though, and there’s really no penalty for choosing NOT to activate a given pact. On the flip side of things, there’s also a God Mode you can toggle on that makes Zagreus a little stronger with each death, which can help those that want to see more of the story but are struggling with the game. Have your God Cake and eat it too!

All and all, this game just delivers on every level and I’ve been devouring it since release whenever I have a spare minute. You can see that Supergiant is taking all the lessons they learned from each previous game and combined it to make what is easily their best game yet. I don’t throw around words like “masterpiece” lightly, but Hades is just such a slam dunk that I’m sorely tempted to call it just that. I mean, if you hate rogue-likes, I’m not sure if Hades will really push you over the edge admittedly? You get way more rewards retained after death than just about any other rogue-like I’ve played, but if you’re the type that hates having to constantly adapt and not being able to memorize what’s coming, I can see this not working for you. But for me at least, I’ve had an absolute blast with the game and the only issue I really have with it is a small nitpick at best. When it comes to getting to know various characters, you can talk to them and give them Nectar or Ambrosia as a gift right? But what happens if they don’t show up on a given run? Or what if they DO show up, but they’re locked into a conversation with someone else? That means you can’t really advance anything with them until a given dice roll pities you. MEGAERA I THINK YOU’RE COOL, PLEASE JUST TALK TO M—oh sorry, don’t know where that came from… So yeah, that’s the nittiest of picks.

I adore this game’s cast, the voice work and music is excellent to the ear, the combat is engaging, the gameplay loop is addicting…need I say more? I mean, I’ve said almost 3000 words, but to really sum it up…I highly recommend Hades and I hope you don’t pass it up if you’re even remotely interested. You can find it on Steam, the Epic store and Switch as of right now, and I don’t think you could go wrong with any version.

Blood and darkness await you.

-B

[janisarkisian]

Home

yea so i wrote this last night, and I was going to do a voice reveal singing the song that this is a songfic for but i got insecure and nope! so here we are, night of aoaw where Luz walks home by herself all through the night. (this is a songfic for Home from Beetlejuice) 

Word Count: 937

Luz looked around the dark forest with her tear-stained eyes. She didn’t know how long she had been walking for, but it must have been a long time. Back at the palace, it had been sunset. Now, the night was pitch-black. 

Even the slightest noise was scaring her. That’s because her confidence was gone. Eda had been one of the only people to believe in her abilities as a witch. Now Eda was gone. 

Because her sister had cursed her! Eda’s own sister had cursed her! Now her favorite person on the Boiling Isles was gone. She hadn’t been able to stop it. Eda the Owl Lady was forever an owl. 

The tears started to come again. Why had it needed to be Eda? Why couldn’t it have been Lilith? That’s how the stories always ended. With the bad guys defeated and the good guys home safe and sound. 

Maybe this isn’t the end of your story, a voice whispered in the back of mind. But she quickly shut it down. This was the ending. Her terrible, tragic ending. Could she even go back to the Owl House? 

King and Hooty were there, waiting for her to come home. Waiting for Eda to come home. And she wouldn’t be there. 

Eda would have known what to do in a situation like this. She would have told her to look for the positive aspects. But Luz could see none. 

Finally, Luz knew what she had to do. Eda was the only one who would have been able to help her normally. Sighing, Luz muttered her message to Eda, knowing that maybe, just maybe, she would be able to hear her. 

“Eda,” Her voice cracked through her exhausted throat, “I could use some help here. I’m tired of talking to myself here. Back at home, you don’t exist so here I am in the abyss. Are you really in this place? It’s like the emptiness of space. I could search for all eternity and never see your face. Help me out.” 

This was stupid. Eda wasn’t listening to her. There was no possible way. 

Keep going, muttered that voice in the back of her head. What did she have to lose? 

“I’m lost without you standing. Stuck on this impossible road, no idea which way to go. Whichever path I chose, I lose, you know. And I don’t which way’s home.” 

The wind seemed to like her monologue. It made a sound that seemed almost like it was ooohing along to her speech. 

What was wrong with continuing? It’s not like anyone was listening to her. Not even Eda. 

“You always saw life as a game, but now you’re gone, and it sucks to play. I’m beaten up and bruised, confused by rules that alter every second.” 

Taking in a deep breath to calm the tears, Luz practically yelled, “Where to next? You lost but I’m still standing, spinning on this infinite road. Terrified of letting you go. No light above, and no hope down below. And I don’t which way’s home.” 

Feeling her knees buckle, Luz dropped to the ground. Again, she felt the wind calling her to continue. Even though she knew she was just imagining it, it did help to talk to Eda. 

“Mom, I’ve got my heart in my hand,” Had she just called Eda mom? It wasn’t normal, yet it felt more right than anything that had happened that night. 

“Speak to me and I’ll understand. One little word to know I’m not alone. And show me the way back home!”

Getting a sudden rush of adrenaline, Luz took off running. She didn’t know what had induced it. Some things simply felt right. 

Almost as quickly as she had started, she stopped. “Is there a way back home?” she asked, through a new round of tears. 

“The nothingness ahead of me, is this the end you meant for me? Every living minute there’s no home without you in it. I’m falling quit stalling, your student is calling your name!” falling over, Luz realized that wasn’t right. The term “student” had always fit just fine before, but now it just didn’t work.” 

Standing up, Luz muttered, “Okay Eda, let’s try that again. I’m falling, quit stalling, your daughter is calling your name!” That felt better. “I’ve burnt all my bridges and games!” 

Now her tears were falling hard. “Eda?” She whispered, looking up, hoping to see an owl soar overhead. Of course, there was none. “I don’t want to forget you. I promise I’m never going to forget you.”

This time, when Luz looked back up, she was not filled with sadness but a new spark. Something new had been created in her. Something that told her she was going to go home. In all of her missing Eda, she had forgotten about all the other people who truly cared about her. Like King and Amity. Willow and Gus. Maybe even Hooty. 

“I’m gonna go back home!” She shouted at the sky, “King, Hooty, Willow, and Gus. It’s messy but they’re all that I have, I’ll make the best of being flesh and bone. I’m gonna go back home!” 

“I’m going home!” Luz’s voice cracked. She had probably held that yell out longer than she should have. 

“Eda I’m going home!” Suddenly, Luz snapped out of her trance. She didn’t even know where home was. 

She was lost. 

“That was a very sad talk, hoot hoot!” She looked up to see Hooty, Hooty? Staring up at her. “I will show you the way back to the Owl House hoot hoot!” 

Sighing, Luz responded, “Thanks, Hooty.” 

[risottostitties]

Hi! First time here to ask haha! Any HCs for La squadra with an Otaku s/o? Like she watches anime and even buys merch in secret cuz she's scared they might find her hobby lame and immature? (Also,what will be their fave anime? And genre?)

Oh boy let me tell you I have some THOUGHTS about these boys and their taste in anime

La Squadra with an Otaku s/o

Risotto 

at first he’s gonna be kinda confused, not gonna lie. Growing up the only ‘anime’ he knew was like, Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z but at that point he was too old to really get into Pokemon, and he never considered DBZ anime because it aired next to cartoons and stuff.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t appreciate s/o and their good taste. He’s the kind of guy who wants to learn about what interests the people he loves, and he loves you. So he’d honestly enjoy late nights spent binge watching your favorites.

Comes to realize that DBZ was low key his gym goals for the early years of him working out. If you bought him a ‘Swole like Goku’ tank he’d probably wear it to lift in, ngl.

Knowing your favorites he’d probably look to merch for his go to birthday or Christmas gifts. Considering the hobbies and interests of some of his co-workers, a scantily clad waifu figure is honestly a welcome change of pace.

Depending on the style or aesthetic of the anime (ie, is it goth) he would be down to couples cosplay, although he wouldn’t be comfortable with you posting pictures of his face or any identifiable features of him online

His fave is probably the original Dragon Ball Run, followed very closely by DBZ for the nostalgia bit. Something deep like Full Metal Alchemist (Brotherhood and the original) would also appeal to him

Is also a big fan of Beserk, disappointed by the anime. And Vinland Saga, not disappointed by the anime.

Partial to Princess Mononoke as well. He likes some Ghibli films, isn’t afraid to admit it. Thinks the score for Spirited Away is bomb af.

Prosciutto

Prosciutto doesn’t really get it at first either. Honestly? He probably didn’t know the difference between cartoon and anime until you explained it to him.

Unlike Risotto he might be a bit more judgey if you try to get him to watch some with you. So you gotta hit him with the real classics. 

But similarly to Risotto, he at least makes an effort to try and indulge in the things you like. He might not be as patient, but he tries.

Probably wouldn’t do cosplay himself, but would hunt down exclusive seasonal merch to gift you. He’d take careful stock of your collections and do some research to pick out only the finest figurines and posters for you.

Would buy that hella expensive premium bandai apparel for you too, might even pick something subtle up for himself if he really liked the show it came from.

Also back on the cosplay note, if you agreed he’d find the highest quality cosplay possible and have you model some of his favorites for him.

(In particular if you were comfortable in fem clothing, Faye Valentine gets him going)

He loves Cowboy Beebop. 100%, wants to watch it again as soon as it ends. Everything from the characters to the story to the music and the fliud animation that has aged like fine wine appeals to him. Prosciutto is a man who likes the finer things in life. He oozes class. Cowboy Beebop oozes class and prestige.

Also likes Maasaki Yuasa. It was his idea to go see The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl in theaters.

In general his tastes tend to lean towards arthouse type anime or bona fide classics.

Pesci

Pesci knows anime and has been doing his absolute best to keep it a secret from the rest of the gang because they already tease him enough.

He’s one of those secret weebs, you gotta know where to look. Your best bet is to look at his accessories. Is there a watch with a certain symbol from an anime you recognize? A lanyard with a familiar print? Something subtle that isn’t immediately noticed by people not looking for it.

He has a secret box in his room full of blue rays from his faves. He watches them sometimes when he’s home alone. There’s nothing X rated in there obviously, he just doesn’t want people to know.

Thank god he has you.

The two of you probably bonded pretty fast over your mutual love of anime. Hell, you being such an open and proud Otaku probably gave him a bit of confidence in expressing his interests too.

Yall are the weeb couple. Yall definitely go to conventions together. Couples Cosplays, the whole thing.

He’s a sucker for Shonen just as much as he is for the really good heart wrenching painful ones. 

He watches Boruto because he loves Naruto so much.

He would also tear up at Clannad.

Dango Daikazoku triggers almost a pavlovian response of heart ache.

So does Secret Base.

Ano Hana is probably his favorite, although even you’d need to pry it out of him. Its one thing that Prosciutto gives him shit for liking anime, its a whole different ball game if he found out Pesci liked girly anime

Fromaggio

He knows what hentai is. That’s about as far as his knowledge went before yall got together.

He thinks its pretty interesting though, so he’d be down to watch some with you.

Turns out he really likes action shonen. He got really, really into One Piece. Like, instantly. He likes the fact there’s so much to watch/read before he’s caught up too.

Another boy that would couples cosplay and be really into it. Especially if it continued into the bedroom.

He’s pretty go with the flow, so he isn’t picky about what y’all watch. Even if it isn’t his cup of tea he’ll sit through a few episodes on a night with you.

Fromaggio can’t tell the difference between a high quality figure and a shitty one. Its a crap shoot what he buys for you. Its more a process of ‘oh, so likes this character’ rather than checking the seams and paint quality and how dynamic the pose is/interchangeable parts. 

Definitely buys way too much in the dealers room because of this.

He tries his best.

His fave is probably One Piece, liked bleach a lot but never read the manga, Yu Yu Hakusho is another one he really enjoyed. The Dark Tournament arc had him at the edge of his seat and hype as shit.

Illuso

Had a passing knowledge of anime before dating you. Knew what it was, saw a few of the mainstream ones, thought they were enjoyable, moved on with his life.

Your dedicated interest in anime would surprise him at first, because he always figured it was kind of a niche thing.

Would snoop around your collection of manga/figures/plushes in the mirror world while you sleep.

Winds up reading a lot of your manga like that (he’s good at reading in reverse because of his stand)

He finds he appreciates the art style of 80s-90s manga a lot more than he does the modern stuff. He really got into Ranma 1/2 and thinks Rumiko Takahashi’s artstyle is excellent.

If you asked him to watch Inuyasha with you he wouldn’t say no.

Probably wouldn’t want to do couples cosplay, but he definitely has an appreciation for you in cosplay.

You could talk him into going to a con if you caught him in the right mood. It’d be a hard sell though.

Has a surprising enjoyment for J-Rock. 

Inuyasha is high on his favorites list, as is Ranma 1/2. Also a fan of Ghibli movies although its pulling teeth to get him to admit it.

Melone

This man has watched so much hentai in his life.

He probably actually knows them by title honestly.

He enjoys anime too, and is not ashamed unlike Pesci. Everyone already knows he has unconventional tastes there is nothing to hide here.

Melone enjoys traditionally feminine anime, especially Sailor Moon. That one has a special place in his heart as he has memories of his sister watching it with him when he was much younger.

Its more of a decompress thing than anything else, so he doesn't tend to favor heavy anime with dense plot and more mature subject matter.

He likes Maid Costumes. On you, on him, it doesn’t matter.

Doesn’t know a whole lot about merch and what makes something higher quality but he learns fast. Between you and him the Dealers Room at cons won’t know what hit them.

Is the type to preorder a figure he knows you’d like. And maybe one for him.

Buy him this and he’s putty in your hands for a month straight (SFW don’t worry) https://www.amazon.com/Bandai-Sailor-Moonlight-Memory-Locket/dp/B00UA9XB48

Sailor Moon is his favorite as I’ve said before, his favorite sailor scout is Rei. Is also a fan of Ano Hana, Violet Evergarden, and Toradora although he needs to be in the right mood to watch them.

Ghiaccio

He went down the Fate rabbit hole and we haven’t seen him since.

The gender bending grates as his soul but he is addicted regardless. There’s just so much dense lore that he can’t seem to stop going.

But also seeing how much care and attention is paid to the historical background of a lot of the servants is intriguing to him. Its the perfect blend of accurate and harem trash that infuriates him but also leaves him needing to know more.

He hasn’t played every game but he has Grand Order on his phone and has sunk an ungodly amount of money into the gacha trying to get his favorite (Its Jeanne Alter, in case anyone was wondering) and has seen all the anime (His favorite is the cooking spin off because its surprisingly calming to watch)

Fate Zero is probably his favorite ‘serious’ Fate adaptation. He enjoys the gravitas of the Holy Grail Wars (and hates how it was tossed out the fucking window in UBW/Stay Night/Heavens Feel) and the ritual aspect to the summoning and foreshadowing of future events as well as hints at a deeper magical lore in the universe hit all the right spots in his lizard brain.

The fact every fate anime has a different version of Saber (or a Saber Clone) pisses him off too.

He really loves Fate. And will scream about it for hours at you.

Getting him to watch or talk about anything else is like pulling teeth but he eventually relents because he loves you.

Its difficult to get through a single episode without him grumbling about something or another, but he tries once he sees its important to you. He does his best not to outright insult your favorite anime.

Can appreciate high quality merch as well, probably collects Jalter Figures himself.

If you’re comfortable in fem clothing, Cosplay Jalter for him and he will literally ascend then and there. Keeps pics on his phone. Would probably make it his background. He’s weak

Outside of Fate he finds he enjoys high fantasy shows. Historical fantasy pisses him off too much, and straight up historical drama would also have him grasping for inaccuracies.

Full Metal Alchemist is a non-fate series that he really loves because of the world building. The movie Maquia was one he enjoyed as well. Likes every Miyazaki film, don’t tell anyone. Cried (and raged) when Ushio died in Clannad.

In general he just likes really good world building. It has to be good otherwise he’s going to spend the whole time picking it apart.

[annelixa]

Falling Apart at the Seams Chapter 26

Can also be read on AO3

Prequel I Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Summary: After many months of attempted healing, Deceit is back and determined to fulfill his goal with his new idea. This time he’s sure it will work which could spell the end of all involved if they can’t prevent his interference in their lives but he may have help from an unfamiliar source.

Fandom: Sanders Sides

‘Virgil, we need to talk.’

Anxiety’s voice was low, almost sad, and it instantly gained Virgil’s attention. Laying back against the wall, he asked, “What about?”

‘You need to know the truth. It isn’t fair that you are the only one in the dark.’

“In the dark about what?”

‘Yourself.’

The single word answer made Virgil’s head spin. He knew who he was. He was Thomas’ current Anxiety who controlled the previous Anxiety inside himself. He lived with Patton, Roman, and Logan after running away from Deceit and the rest. Thomas accepted him as did the main aspects which allowed him to successfully complete his job. His favorite color was purple, he loved his pet spider, and couldn’t wait to return to his own room that his family had designed for him so that he could take a long nap and put all this behind him. What else was there to know?

But as he thought about it, questions started popping up in his head. Why did he run away from his old home? Why can’t he remember past a certain point in his life? How did he wind up as the current Anxiety with the previous tucked inside him? Why were there two to begin with? Thomas only needed one of them. And why could Anxiety affect the others so fiercely but his abilities were far more basic?

The more he thought, the more he realized how little he actually knew.

‘Virgil, please listen and let me explain.’

“Okay.”

‘Alright. I told you before that I was created by Thomas to control his anxiety, yes?’ Virgil nodded. ‘And that is true. However, I did not tell you how you were created.’ Steeling himself, the current Anxiety waited. He did not know what the other was going to say but he could tell it was going to be important. ‘The truth is, I created you.’

Virgil’s eyes widened.

“Wh-What?”

‘I already told you how Deceit and I worked together for Thomas’ well-being and how we convinced him to stay closeted. As time passed and Thomas struggled, I felt guilty. Overwhelmingly guilty. I was hurting Thomas, the very thing I had promised not to do! But I couldn’t go back on the action. No matter how much Deceit and I tried, pleaded, with the others to let us Morality and Logic would not budge. They believed the action was the best for Thomas and stood firm.’ There was a pause as Virgil collected his thoughts. ‘I could not stand hurting Thomas like that so I made a cowardly decision. I created a new being that would make better, wiser, choices for our creator. I would let the new being take charge for a little while then reclaim my position. I placed myself inside it and waited.’

“And that was me?”

‘Not quite. The being I created had no true personality or identity. It was more like a puppet that I controlled. The Others were confused at first but soon accepted the new Anxiety, believing that I had either faded or Thomas had altered me. Deceit became the primary caretaker of the being without hesitation. He already looked after the newly separated Creativity so what was a new charge?’

Unable to sit still as the story progressed, Virgil let their legs hang off the side of the mattress and slowly swung their feet.

‘Over time, the being changed. It somehow started to grow thoughts, ideas, and memories. It started becoming its own person. I didn’t know what to do. That wasn’t meant to happen. Confused, I sat back and watched it become the true Anxiety since I had vacated that position. A snarky personality developed and relationships were formed. I didn’t know how to stop it so I simply continued to watch. I decided that if the new Side was uncontrollable or too upsetting to Thomas, I would destroy it and regain my place.’ The anxious Side took a sharp breath at hearing how ready Anxiety had been to remove him if he hadn’t formed correctly. ‘But it didn’t. Instead, the new Side seemed more frightened of things around him than those living with him were afraid of him. Satisfied, I allowed myself to fade to the deepest part of your mind so that you could do my job. I wasn’t fully removed. Instead, it was more like I was sleeping until events slowly woke me.’

“Deceit…”

‘Exactly. My old friend was making strange choices, committing actions that the old Deceit would never have dreamed of. I was worried. I needed to know what had happened to him, what his intentions were. I started trying to gain control but you would not allow me to. Every time I tried, you would force me back down. I didn’t understand what you were doing. Well, I didn’t until I heard your thoughts. To you I was a ‘monster’, ‘uncontrollable’, ‘destroys everything’, ‘only wants to hurt Thomas’. I could not believe it. What had they said to you about me that made you think such things? You had never thought of me that way before. You had known about my existence, living inside you, but never thought of me as something malicious.’ A sigh came out of their mouth. ‘I acted…terribly…I am sorry for my actions. If you saw me as a monster, then I needed to act like one to regain control. I realize now that that was the wrong way to handle it. I should have explained but I was afraid that you would not listen to me. Your view of me had become so warped that I did not know what else to do!’

Their legs had stopped swinging.

Virgil was deep in thought, trying to process everything he had heard. At the forefront of his mind was an almost mind-numbing shock. He had always believed that he was a Side created directly by Thomas. A Side that had been created improperly due to the fact that he housed Anxiety but one created by their host all the same. He had heard that there had been a previous Anxiety but had not properly connected the dots to realize that the one the others were talking about was the one inside himself.

Not only that, but the only reason he existed was to relieve the burden of someone else’s guilt? He was never even meant to exist?

Tears slipped out of their eyes. There was no controlling them. They simply slid down their face as the impact of everything Anxiety had said hit him.

‘Virgil, no,’ Anxiety soothed. ‘Virgil, please. I’m so sorry that I had to tell you this but you deserved to know.’ The words didn’t stop the rush of tears. ‘To be honest, I am glad you exist,’ Anxiety whispered. ‘You are everything I ever wanted to be. Smart, confident, ready to stand up and defend his decision.’ A smile crossed their face. ‘I am proud of you.’

[neni-has-ascended]

You Can(Not) UnGay Kaworu Nagisa - An Essay

This is a text-version of my video-essay on the recent Netflix/Evangelion translation controversy. To see the video version, please click here!

I make no secret of the fact that the linguistics involved in Anime and Game translation are one of my primary fields of interest as a Japanologist. Compared to translation between Germanic and Romanic Languages, as the west is used to it, translating from Japanese to English is filled with a plethora of pitfalls, the likes of which can be very difficult to imagine unless you’re fluent in both languages.  

It’s because of this that my interest in any given AniManga controversy immediately skyrockets as soon as the matter of translation issues is brought up. Which brings us to June 21st’s release of Netflix’ Redub of Studio Gainax’ internationally infamous existential creator meltdown disguised as a Mecha Anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

1.)    Neon Genesis ADVangelion

For those among you who haven’t yet heard of this inherently controversial work – what rock do you live under and does it still have vacancies? In all seriousness though, enough videos attempting to summarize the plot of NGE exist on the internet to make giving the rundown here an exercise in redundancy. All you need to know is that the protagonist’ name is Shinji and that he’s a mental-wreck with Daddy Issues who pilots a giant cyborg infused with the soul of his dead Mom to fight surrealist alien abominations and gains an increasingly screwed up social life doing so, all while his already fragile psyche gradually declines to world-ending consequences. For far less fatalistic takes on some of these concepts, please see RahXephon and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Good? Good. Let’s move on.

The original ADV Films dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion and its sequels and spin-offs is… not really flawless, to say the least, but it did a good job in introducing the series to a western audience while staying entirely true to the themes and intentions of the original version. This is definitely at least partially thanks to the fact that director and auteur of the series, Hideaki Anno, personally oversaw the translation and dubbing process, and while the guy in all honesty doesn’t really know the first thing about voice acting – his performance as Jiro in The Wind Rises is one of the reasons it’s my least favorite Ghibli movie – what he does understand is his own work, and what it should convey to the audience in order to be authentic to his vision. So while I do have my issues with the ADV dub, such as poor audio-quality and hopeless cases of overacting caused by poor voice direction in certain parts, the translated script of the series was as stellar as could be expected from something created with the original author’s input, and to the very end of the original 26 episodes run, one can definitely feel the deep, emotional investment every single member of the English cast had in these characters and their journey. (I mean. Just listen to Spike Spencer’s secret rant in the end of the last episode. The dude clearly cares about what happens to Shinji.) In any case, this is probably one of the most influential, iconic dubs to all of the English-speaking Anime Fandom.

Then Netflix decided to license NGE. Not the ADV Dub. Just the show.

People were not happy.

2.)    The Rebuild of Netflixgelion

Please do not mistake what I’m saying for pedantic. The iconic nature of the original ADV dub of NGE cannot be understated, and plays a huge role in the current lack of acceptance for the Redub, even though previous similar redubbing efforts, such as in the case of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, where welcomed by the community wholeheartedly. The new dub cast is absolutely stellar, including voice acting veterans such as Carrie Keranen and Erica Lindbeck, and Casey Mongillo’s amazing vocal range goes a long way to replicate and convey the emotional depth of Shinji Ikari in a way previously only seen in Megumi Ogata’s original Japanese performance.However, while the Netflix dub has a wonderful cast and voice direction, what it does not have is the original dub’s Hideaki Anno-approved script.

…Aaaaand, this is where the real troubles start.

To be totally clear, the redub always meant trouble. The original voice cast were reportedly never given a real chance to reprise their roles- despite efforts made by the main trio, Spike Spencer, Amanda Winn Lee and Tifanny Grant to at least be given a chance to audition – which is a surefire recipe for upsetting a lot of fans. However, this is a problem that could have at least been partially smoothed over after allowing the performances of the new cast to shine in their own right. I mean, even if it is incredibly scummy to not even inform the old cast of the auditions for the redub, if the new version proves to contain superior performances and direction in comparison to the, honestly badly-aged ADV dub, then Netflix’s decision to make an entirely new dub is entirely understandable, right?

No such arguments can be applied to the retranslation of the show’s script.

3.)    The End of Authorial Intent

I haven’t rewatched the entire show in the new dub, just two key episodes. That said, I wouldn’t dream of calling the new script ‘bad’. It’s, for the most part, natural and faithful to the original Japanese source text in much the same way the ADV dub was, to the point that some stray lines received identical translation in both versions. What gives the new script away as entirely unrelated to that of the ADV dub, however, are some rather…  baffling localization choices. 

All of those decisions are rooted in the original Japanese script. They’re not incorrect translations. If the Japanese were to be your only point of reference, there would be no reason to complain about these choices.

But we do have a point of reference. The ADV script. Which was overseen and approved by Hideaki Anno. The original director.

In the making of this video, I have since learned that Anno’s animation company, Khara, was most likely involved in the translation of the script for the Redub. However, as I can’t find any evidence that he himself was involved, the point I am about to make still stands:

Back in the 90s, very shortly after the show concluded its original run, Anno personally signed off on every single choice the ADV dub made. The respective pronunciations of Nerv, Seele and Gehirn, calling the EVA pilots by the correct singular “Child”, rather than the awkward Engrish singular “Children” the original Japanese featured, and referring to the enemies consistently as Angels, even in parts where the original Japanese mixed up the terminology for the sake of a pun with Kaworu’s name. 

So, all of the ADV localization changes are within the intent of the original author. They are part of how the show is meant to be consumed by a western audience. Not carrying over this terminology, despite it being faithful to the Japanese script, thus ironically makes the Netflix script LESS faithful to Anno’s authorial intent than the ADV dub. But those are only terminology changes, right? They’re not a big deal. They don’t alter the context of the narrative itself.

…

Kaworu Nagisa.

4.)    Kaworu Nagisa

Remember how I mentioned that I only really watched two episodes of the Netflix dub all the way through so far? Well, one of those two episodes happens to be one of the series’ most infamous, right after the two-part finale: Episode 24. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, or “The Final Messenger” – Let’s not get hung up on which it is, Evangelion has ALWAYS been weird with titles.

This Episode introduces Kaworu Nagisa, the fifth of the EVA pilots and long-time fangirl-favorite for not-so-subtle reasons. Kaworu appears as Shinji is at his lowest point, our main protagonist’s already pretty much non-existent self-esteem in shambles. The two boys bond immediately over… the fact that Kaworu can sing ‘Ode to Joy’? Yeah, let’s go with that – And the majority of the episode consists of showcasing the growing relationship between Kaworu and Shinji, beginning with simple conversations, but quickly progressing into some more… serious territory.

I won’t sugarcoat things, in terms of narrative structure, the episode is a mess, rushing from scene to scene with reckless abandon, attempting to successfully tell a story in under 25 minutes, that some Disney Movies don’t tell right in 90+ minutes. This is doubtlessly due to the overall mess that NGE’s production process had become at this point in its original run for reasons too complicated to talk about in this video, but let me assure you that there’s pretty solid evidence that Kaworu was definitely originally meant to appear for much more than a single episode. As it stands, however, he dies in the same episode he is introduced, begging Shinji to assist him in his suicide after revealing himself to him as the final Angel. His effect on Shinji, however, is profound and comparable to the effect Nia Teppelin of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann has on that show’s protagonist, Simon Giha. In that way, just as with Nia later, it is plain as day that Kaworu is intended to be one of Shinji’s love interests. And the episode is NOT subtle at all in portraying him as such.

A lot can be said about the exact nature of Kaworu’s affection for Shinji, from Kaworu clearly seeing Shinji as some sort of avatar for humanity as a whole on which he projects his admiration for the species, to Shinji seemingly falling victim to an idealized Oedipus Complex in regards to his perception of Kaworu, the fact remains that their interactions with one another in Episode 24 are in places obviously romantic to even sexual in not only the dialogue, but also the visuals. Even with Hideaki Anno’s profession that Shinji’s romantic feelings for Kaworu aren’t “carnal”, they’re still obviously there. Projected and skewed by their unusual psyches as aspects of it may be, the relationship between them is clearly portrayed in a way that transcends the platonic and becomes intimate more quickly than your seafood friends can start singing ‘kiss the guy’ on a romantic boat ride – It’s not subtext, you guys. Towards Shinji Ikari, Kaworu Nagisa acts and speaks quite openly like one would speak to a lover. And even if Kaworu and his ambiguous humanity are somehow not gay enough for you, well, resident violently blushing and stuttering smitten wreck Shinji Ikari will put your doubts to rest. The visual homosexual (homoromantic?) tension in these scenes is so tangible, you can cut it with a knife. The dialogue, at certain points, doesn’t even really matter. Kaworu could quite literally be reading off the grocery list, and these scenes would STILL be gay.

That doesn’t mean the dialogue is not important, and that one shouldn’t really, really pay attention to what’s on screen when translating.

5.)    The Final Angel is in the Detail

The translation of Kaworu’s words to Shinji in the Netflix dub is not wrong. But it ignores the context of the scene, as well as authorial intent. And that’s why I understand why people are angry at it.

The lines in question are these : 

(Scene 1)

Kaworu: そう、好意に値することよ。

Shinji: 好意？

Kaworu:「好き」ってこと、さ

(Scene 2)

Shinji: カヲル君が「好きだ」って言ってくれたんだ。僕のこと。初めて…初めて人から「好きだ」って言われたんだ。

In the ADV dub, these lines were translated like this: 

(Scene 1)

Kaworu: This is worth earning my empathy.

Shinji: Empathy?

Kaworu: I’m saying “I love you.”  

(Scene 2)

Shinji: Kaworu said that he loved me. I’ve never... felt such kindness before.

In the Netflix dub, however, they were translated like this: 

(Scene 1)

Kaworu: Yes, you’re worthy of my grace.

Shinji: Your grace?

Kaworu: I’m saying “I like you.”  

(Scene 2)

Shinji: Kaworu said I was worthy of his grace. That was the first time... someone told me they liked me.

Which one of these is right? The fact is… both are.

The Japanese term “ 好き ” doesn’t really have a direct equivalent in English. It holds a connotation that is meant to convey very personal, but broadly defined affection. It doesn’t simply mean ��to like something”. It means to feel a strong, positive, emotional connection to that person of thing. For that reason, this term can be used to profess affection to your friends, your family, your favorite item… Or as a love-confession. 

In Japan, love-confessions using “ 好き ” are a lot, lot more common than the much, much stronger term “愛する”, let alone the implicitly sexual term “恋する”. In most romance Manga, “ 好き ” will be the term of choice the heroine uses to confess her love to her object of affection. And though, via character analysis, a strong argument can be made that when Kaworu uses “ 好き ” to express his affection for Shinji, he means general affection towards Shinji’s humanity more than personal, romantic affection, this is clearly not how Shinji takes Kaworu’s words. To Shinji, what Kaworu said in that moment, definitely sounded like a confession of romantic devotion, which becomes very, very clear when Shinji later tells Misato: 

Shinji: 初めて人から「好きだ」って言われたんだ。

With the line being translates as “I like you”, this statement of Shinji sounds like pure delusion, which wouldn’t be out of character for him, of course, but isn’t at all what the episode is trying to get across. Of course people have told Shinji before they ‘like’ something about him! That’s a big part of the reason he started defining himself through his status as pilot of EVA Unit 01; his efforts earned him praise from those around him. He had friends for most of the series, at least implicitly, these people have definitely expressed a ‘liking’ for him. So by translating “好き” as “like” in this context, a whole layer of the statement is lost, and Shinji professing that this was the first time anybody has ever said that they “like” him sounds less like a serious revelation about his character, and more like his typical, delusional whining about how the world hates him.

And I think that’s why Anno signed off on the ADV dub translating the line as “I love you” rather than “I like you”. Because the point of this line is not Shinji thinking that Kaworu is the only person who’s ever tolerated his presence. It’s that Shinji feels like Kaworu was the first person to ever have a genuine, emotional connection to him. Something he’s never allowed himself to have, due to the series’ often cited theme of Hedgehog’s Dilemma.

And, as correct as translating “ 好き ” as “like” is,  a whole dimension of Episode 24 of NGE is entirely lost if you choose to translate Kaworu’s lines that way. As much sense as it technically makes.

The Netflix dub of NGE, by all measures known to me, is a very well-acted, well-directed, well-translated version of a classic piece of Animation History. I am not telling anyone that it is in any way bad or even inferior to the original, and I am not telling anyone to avoid it.

All I am saying is, that if you, as a translator, have access to references regarding authorial intent you should probably use them.

[temptation-narnia-chronicles]

Since it's starting to become pretty controversial for fans of the series, I was wondering what your thoughts are on the Netflix Narnia reboot

Thanks so much for asking! 

My heart kind of hurts for the history of adapting this series to the screen, honestly. The Walden Media trilogy has a very special place in my heart as that was a big contributing factor for my love of the series, and Andrew Adamson’s vision for LWW in particular is just so breathtaking and perfect to me. I wish we as fans had been given a complete adaptation of the series with this rendition, but I know it’s too late now for that to ever really happen. I feel, in a way, that the fandom got kind of screwed over in this regard, though. While the entire Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series got their own complete film adaptations, Narnia hasn’t been so lucky and the mainstream adaptation from page to screen has been so messy. 

I feel like I can’t speak for my opinion of the Netflix adaptation, however, without also addressing The Silver Chair since I’m honestly very uncertain of how both are going to coexist and pan out, and what this means for Narnia as a whole. When it was revealed we would finally be getting a theatrical adaption of The Silver Chair, I was overjoyed, but then with every news update about it I became a little more disenchanted. I trust Joe Johnston and his vision. I trust that he can make this film the best it can be. I trust David Magee with the script, especially considering Douglas Gresham’s very positive opinion on it. I feel like this rendition will bring back something that, admittedly, the Walden films sorely began lacking and that is the sense of faith that so deeply permeates this entire series. However, the way the word “reboot” has been tossed around has always made me wary. I find it extremely difficult to “reboot” the series from the middle, and make it it’s own separate thing without building upon what the previous stories had already established. To me, it’s like a domino effect. The Silver Chair follows Jill and Eustace, who was introduced in VotDT through the Pevensies and had a massive character development arc. Regardless of whether or not The Silver Chair is going to allude to the previous stories or not is a moot point. Without taking the time to actually go through everything that comes before it, I find it extremely hard to successfully reboot The Chronicles of Narnia from The Silver Chair. I’m unsure of the status of all of this as of August 2019, but with news of Netflix adapting the series itself, I’m completely at a loss for how all of this might coincide and coexist with one another. 

Which brings us to the matter of Netflix’s adaptation in and of itself. From what I’ve read, I think Netflix taking over could potentially be a very good thing. Potentially. It all comes down to execution. My prediction is that Netflix will do it’s entirely own thing, and start fresh from the very beginning. The Walden media films will completely fall to the wayside and make room for a brand new rendition that will hopefully finally see all seven films adapted. The way this was spoken of, with the repetitive use of the word “universe” in regards to the world of Narnia, has me wondering if we will see original content, as well, such as spin-offs and adaptations based on Narnia. I quite honestly wouldn’t be surprised--after all, CS Lewis himself said that he’s left lots of gaps in Narnia’s timeline in a letter which he addressed to a young girl encouraging her to write her own Narnia stories (which I would link but at the moment I’m feeling kind of lazy). The thought of more Narnia content, something original and inspired, admittedly excites me but maybe that’s just because my own fanfiction endeavors fit that scheme (with From Upon the Golden Thrones detailing the fifteen year reign of the Pevensies that was never touched upon much in the books other than in The Horse and His Boy, but even then the Pevensies are not the main focus). But all of this depends entirely on execution. I really hope that Netflix’s adaptation does not push the prevalence of faith and religious undertones out of the Narnia series. The Walden Media films, I think, failed in that regard or at least in terms of the sequels. Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader certainly don’t retain the same sense of magic and belief that The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe did (and this is coming from someone who isn’t particularly religious myself). I appreciate them for what they are and they will always hold a very special place in my heart, but in terms of their faith to the source material, they definitely could’ve done better (though I will admit that I do think the way Adamson interpreted and altered the Telmarines was brilliant and that he brought a lot of interesting aspects of Telmarine culture to the fore that was otherwise not very much touched upon). 

All in all, I expect the Netflix adaptation to be different, but I really hope they tread lightly and do these books justice. I, like so many others, do not want them to try and make this the next Game of Thrones and add unnecessary sex and violence. I hope it will be a sweeping, stunning narrative that takes viewers breath away, but also retain a sense of comfort and attainability and faith and homeyness that I think the books capture extremely well. I feel at home in the Narnia books. I feel welcome and cozy and like there is an entire universe at my feet but that I am also allowed to take things slow and enjoy the little things and appreciate nature and life and love and faith. It’s a sense of trust and safety, like you put your faith in the great Lion and therefore no matter where you go or what happens and whatever fear you may feel, you keep going and don’t fret because he’s there and you always know he would never let anything happen to you that was not destined for you to face without good purpose. I feel like all of that can be an extremely difficult sentiment to capture, especially in film, but I hope that the Netflix adaptation can find a way regardless and bring that same mood to their Narnia rendition that the books have maintained and given their readers all these years. 

So basically, the bottom line is that I have hope but I’m also keeping some restraint because I don’t know how they’re planning to go about this and as much as I wish these adaptations will do the stories justice, I just like everyone else will never really know until we get there so until then, I’m going to wait with bated breath, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. 

[fernandaps2]

miss x rambling

OK so this isnt gonna be a real theory or an au or anything serious cause frankly i dont believe that what im about to write is true, but i like the idea so might as well do this

a while ago i found out about Miss X who is an alter ego of Iori Yagami from King of Fighters made for a silly spin off title called SNK Gal’s fighters for the neo geo pocket. The most predictable followup to this information is that i think Iori is trans and yeah this is going to be about “what if Iori trans tho”

As i said i don’t actually think SNK did the wokest move of the 90s of making the most popular character in KOF trans so this isn’t me giving credit for them for something they didnt do, and its also not me trying to reach that even as a mistake they undeniably made Iori trans (cause they didnt). 

Ive just been getting invested in KOF/SNK lore and happened to notice aspects of Iori and Miss X’s portrayal that just makes some sense when i think about it in the context of Iori being trans (kinda like somehow the Danny Phantom writers accidentally made Danny have a lot of transmasc traits)

im referring to Iori with he/him and to Miss X with she/her. every piece of evidence is gonna be in bold letters

Iori is not that deep of a character, he’s the rival of the series’ first protagonist Kyo Kusanagi and has a beef with him cause the Yagami and the Kusanagi had always had beef in the past, this story is more like an excuse for Kyo to have a rival so they literally put Iori in the “Rival Team” of King of Fighters 95 (thats how you know hes the rival)   

That alone is a passable backstory for a rival but for some reason instead of Iori being this prideful family member who’s carrying the torch for them, he doesn’t like them at all. Iori’s ancestors, the Yasakani clan, made a pact with the divine being Orochi, causing all of them to gain the power of controlling purple flames but leaving them with the curse of always dying young and having every mother die when giving birth. He doesn’t really give a shit about whatever family agenda he was born with cause its all really stupid.

But then what’s his deal with Kyo?? It’s unexplained, he just seems to hate him to a point where he gets into the KoF tournaments just to fight him. His lists of likes and dislikes include liking nothing special and disliking violence. He’s not the guy who will turn into a pro fighter just for one person but Kyo just does it for him.

That leads me to believe he really likes being with Kyo. Not as a lover, well maybe, but i think what he calls “hatred” for Kyo might be his unhealthy way of dealing with the immense repression of feelings he lives with.

Another side effect of getting the flames powers from Orochi was that the Yagami have a mental state called Riot of the Blood, which makes them go bersek with power and making them unnable to tell friend and foe apart. Iori lives with “Orichi Iori” inside his mind and that makes him have an identity crisis

I’m not saying that “Orochi Iori”, the bloodthirsty demon is Iori’s repressed trans identity please don’t get this idea

I believe the Orochi in him makes him lose interest in being sociable, why go as far as switching your identity and looks if you don’t want anyone to be around you?

As main KoF lore goes thats about all the hints there are, but what about the silly spin offs?

They aren’t canon of course! But i like to see their content as a representation of a dorky “seriousness-free” side of the characters instead of just nonsense bs

Miss X, who again is Iori in disguise, is the hostess and final boss of the girls only Gals Fighters tournament

Even she’s recognized she keeps it going, she wants to fight as Miss X! in her own tournament!

This scene is a favorite of mine cause i always caption it with “me coming out with my supportive friends” and honestly thats the only vibe i can get from Miss X doing sentai poses with all her teammates

These are from a dream sequence that we get after beating Snk Heroines Tag Team Frenzy! A fairly recent game and the second playable appearance of Miss X. In my pov, they were based on Iori’s repressed feelings for Kyo as a friend that i talked about earlier. I thought this could be a stretch, but Leona’s dream sequence in the same game has the same idea and shows her a nightmare that came from her fear of going berserk and harming her friends

Also this frame makes it even clearer imo:

Well that’s about it. I wouldn’t expect any of this to be canon and I’m not even sure i want it to cause y’know, mainstream media and specifically japanese video games aren’t the best at representing trans folk

But it’s a fun little idea and “clone characters but with a twist and a different moveset” are some of my favorite fighting game characters so i hope Miss X appears in more SNK games

[x0401x]

What do you think of the last episode?

Bro, just… lmfao. I don’t even know where to start.

I think we all knew what was gonna go down. Masaki was pushed over to the far back of the darkest corner. We saw it coming.

It was still really shitty, lol.

I’m just laughing so hard, though. This was the peak of KyoAni’s disdain for the gay of the novel and their fruitless appeal to generic fanservice that only lasts for maybe one minute at most.

Just like any standard sports shounen format, they made the final episode mostly about the protagonist’s relationship with his rival and his best friend, and it’s really funny that it’s all original content clearly meant to fill up for the spare time they got by erasing Masaki from the picture. They gave non-canon flashbacks to Shuu and a moment of resolution for Seiya, as anyone would expect from a one-dimensional narrative where the Adversary that had been until this point so damn far to reach is portrayed as a misconception-ridden and somewhat delusional douche, while the Comrade has found his light at the end of the tunnel. Except he didn’t go through the tunnel at all and got to the other side thanks to Deus Ex Machina, because truth remains that his entire world still spins around Minato yet we were never shown him being rid of his guilt and he never once said his literal most important line in the book. I think the clearest proof that SeiMina was there just for show is how it almost felt like they were gonna have a moment when Seiya congratulated Minato, but then it turned into a fistbump to remind us of the real nature of their relationship, and then evolved into a collective fistbump because Patterns Must Be Followed Here.

Also just like any other sports shounen, the last round was clearly won by the proverbial Asspull of Friendship. As if Minato saying in the previous episode that they should forget Masaki’s teachings weren’t enough, the boys suddenly became better than the actual local powerhouse out of sheer sense of camaraderie, because this is all they need, by the looks of it. They simply had to “find their own ideal shots and believe in each other”, and teachings are actually not that necessary because this is anime.

Fuck this age-old fallacy. It takes away the little credibility that had been kept there by a hair’s breadth until this godawful end.

Manji’s sparking of target panic was thrown into the spotlight when convenient and then taken out as if it didn’t matter that much, since the effect it had on him wasn’t depicted nearly as vivid and intensely as in the novel. Minato didn’t get the injury in his hand. Seiya and Kaito’s relationship was murdered in cold blood with no chance of even five seconds of resurrection. Nanao and the girls’ encouragement and comments on the beauty of Minato’s shots were jumbled together and given to Seiya, as if to tell us that the only thing Minato has over Shuu is a good form and to make us forget that this isn’t the sole requirement for winning a freaking competition.

Speaking of the competition itself, there was very little suspense to it and there’s hardly anything to feel from it, despite the enthusiasm of the characters watching. The result of the tournament was extremely predictable and underwhelming. It was too painfully obvious that Shuu would miss his last shot. The boys’ celebration was different and, ironically, the fact that Seiya was probably the one feeling most pressure the whole time was covered up in the momentum.

But as always, worst of all was Masaki disappearing into the background.

He did escape from the hospital, but at what cost? His meeting with Minato right before the big match was erased, so the solace aspect of their interactions in the books where Minato is put at ease just by seeing Masaki’s smiling face has been buried away in the animation for good. But that’s completely fine with KyoAni, especially since Minato’s worries were calmed by Seiya’s non-canon pep talk in the previous episode.

Of course, Minato didn’t have his monologue about Masaki and how he got back into archery and into the club because of him, just like Masaki didn’t have his monologue about how he would probably have quit being an archer after his ten thousand shots if he hadn’t met Minato. The fact that they literally lit a fire in each other when no one else could and all the metaphors in-between weren’t showcased. Plus, Minato thinking that he “finally knew why Masaki had told him to go home” that one night also only works to enhance the Nakama Power levels of nonsense and destroyed the fact that Minato had immediately come back to where Masaki was either way.

Anime!Minato only glanced at Masaki right after the last shot, which had next to no impact whatsoever because he was paying full attention and saw that Shuu had missed, and then retreated without a second thought, as if he was not at all surprised to see Masaki standing there instead of resting in the hospital. And yet another trope was killed off: the fact that Masaki always greets Minato with a grin also got deleted until the last minute.

Now here’s what made me roar with laughter because it was just too ridiculous. Masaki disappears when it counts, but KyoAni seems aware of the basic concept that they can’t simply pretend the main relationship didn’t have a purpose for existing, or else neither does the rest of the story, hence that final scene. Masaki is still being painted off as obsessed with his grandfather, so his internal conflicts, too, have not been solved. He was the one who heard his grandfather’s (altered) words from Osone instead of Minato, announced them to Minato instead of Minato announcing it to him, and wasn’t nearly as moved by them as in the book. His grandfather seems to have been framed as being Right All Along about him, and for that reason, he has “taken back his shot” from Minato.

For fuck’s sake.

The cherry on top was the last flashback, though, hands down. I had lost hope of KyoAni showing that Minato and Masaki had met before (maybe even before Minato had met Seiya and Ryouhei, since he was only five back then). But Minato didn’t even look at Masaki in that scene, and it was far too quick for the viewers to process that it was meant to display the karma behind their bond.

KyoAni literally went, “by the way, it was fate all along” and then it was over. They did that. They fucking did that, and I lost it completely. I actually haven’t stopped laughing yet. Probably won’t stop anytime soon.

From the finale of this horrid excuse for an adaptation, I don’t think we’ll get a second season. Honestly, I can’t even pretend that I’m mad, because I’d hate to deal with this level of bullshit a second time. I just feel really bad for the author. She deserved better than this.

Wake me up when KyoAni ends. Or when they decide to go back to their golden age. Whatever comes first.