#coming from manga hibernation

[freckledgeto]

this weeks chapter was very... :/

i don’t even hate the chapter this week like content wise i don’t think it’s a bad chapter i just think that the lead up (the entirety of the culling game) and the pacing and gojos reaction to everything is making it all very. meh to me :/

the whole culling game wasn’t my favorite for a lot of reasons and i don’t necessarily blame gege for it completely. i think that there isn’t an arc better than hidden inventory and there aren’t any fights better than the ones in shibuya, so following both of those really incredible arcs with another that is supposed to be equally as good or better does not seem like an easy thing. (spoilers for CG and new ch. under the cut)

one of the reasons the fights in shibuya are sooo good to me is because they are fights that are deeply rooted in character and character development. maki killing the zenin clan, megumi fighting toji, etc. the itadori-mahito fight at the end of the shibuya arc is entirely a character/meant for character development fight for itadori, with his whole "i am you, you are me" realization/acceptance, and it is arguably the best fight in the manga like it is sooo good.

but there arent any fights built around character in the culling game and like. given that gege has made such amazing, character oriented fights in the past. it is a little bit disappointing. esp since i don’t personally want to just watch/read a bunch of fights repeatedly like i WANT there to be some kind of deeper meaning/purpose to them (outside of trying to end the culling game/free gojo obv). makis fight in the CG is probably the most “character” oriented fight and i was just very eh about it :/ but i love maki <3

the treatment of the women in the CG recently has just turned me away from the manga in general too. scorpion hair remi girl was fucked, uro not having more of a role was disappointing, yuki DYING wasn’t great.

tsumiki was the reason i didn’t stop reading the manga earlier in the arc because i was looking forward to her having her moment for LITERALLY THE ENTIIREEEE ARC. just for gege to do that to her and it reallllyy pissed me off.

as much as i hate how tsumikis arc went, i think i could’ve been a liiittle bit more accepting of it if the whole yorozu-sukuna thing was done well. but i didn’t like that either LMAO. i think the whole “yorozu loves sukuna and she sees how lonely he is etc” is like. a cool concept overall and i think if it was done right it could’ve been a good addition to the plot. even if there was just a little bit more of a flashback of yorozu and sukuna from that era with more information and context i think it would’ve made it a lot better. and i could’ve been like. a tiny bit less pissed about tsumiki. but the fact that it wasn’t a very satisfying arc for tsumiki OR yorozu just made it all very underwhelming to me. esp since tsumiki was what i was looking forward to the most in this arc 🙃🙃🙃

so yeah this chapter wasnt the worst thing in the world its just very underwhelming bc everything that led up to this was really underwhelming for me too :( and gojos reacction in this chapter is. upsetting. esp following the whole yorozu-sukuna thing and the "sukuna is lonely" part of it. like sukuna and gojo are meant to be foils of each other. gojos character is built around the fact that he has those connections and relationships with his friends and the students and he fell in gay love with geto and he "wont let anyone else be lonely" like the relationships he has is WHY HES LIKE THAATTTTT. him having no reaction to nanamis death and nobaras condition and maki and megumi and ALL of his students feels like a very surface level "gojo is a funny silly goofy guy" thing to do. but i would like to believe that gege knows and cares about his characters more than a surface level interpretation but. idk well see i guess. i just would have liked to see the sukuna-gojo being foils of e/o actually being played out narratively in these past few chapters more. but hopefully there'll be more of that during the next arc.

anyways so like. the chapter itself is not necessarily bad i just think that the CG itself was really abrupt and lacked a lot emotionally/character wise (for me at least), and then the pacing of this whole thing has been really off for me so its hard to look at the whole thing collectively and actually like it lol.

i feel like gege is really just trying to speedrun the rest of the manga and move onto something else which SUCKS bc it has soo much potential to be sooooo good. whatever anyways goodnight.

[kobb4ni2]

[FEM READER!]

Just imagine. Sea Serpent! Reader who is EXTREMELY HUGE/TALL. Like this is one piece man everyone is tall a$$ fvck bro, but like in Google it says that a sea serpent is 60.96 metres or 200 feet in my research so uh.. IMAGINE Sea Serpent! Reader who just woke up from a hibernation and already started going attention from the World Government, they try their best to recruit you so they sent the admirals but ohhh boy.

Since Akainu, Kizaru and Kuzan were the first person you've met after a very long time, you picked them up on their coats like how a mother cat picks up their kittens and how they tried their best to get out of your grasp but when you put them on your hands near your BIG BWEEBIES (I LOVE BEWBIES :3 I'm a fucking lesbo) . They really tried their best not to look on your chest (Kizaru is trying his best.) Akainu being the more professional one he tried his best to follow his orders while Kizaru and Kuzan were just basically using the devil fruits around you.

Kizaru could just be in your palms and in a second next to your shoulders, while Aokiji was secretly using the highest temperature he could do so he can see your reaction (kinda kinky ngl). Akainu is out here trying his best not to melt those two. You really tried your best to listen to Akainu's proposal yet you can't when you're out here squishing each of the Admirals cheeks:3

Let's say you agreed to be in the marines cuz why not? It's been a long time since you felt the thrill of an adventure! And somehow you were already high ranked because of your brutal strength, plus your fishmen karate you could practically control tides. The world government tried their best to not let your presence be known in public cuz bro. YOU ARE BASICALLY A WALKING HISTORY BOOK FOR HOW OLD YOU ARE.

You were immediately given a high ranks as a Vice Admiral, the world government then gave you a house...or beach?...Body of water? I DUNNO but a big place with water that's your home :3. You only spend most of your days, there only being visited by higher ups and the forced isolation were already yandere tendencies to the Admirals + Platonic Yanderes such as Sengoku and Garp.

Corazon and Coby (Sea Serpant! Reader was found way before) were only exeptions to see you, and they were immediately HEAD OVER HEELS. Corazon could not think straight or THINK whenever you're mention in a conversation, he would just immediately day dream. Size difference? I mean yea the only smallest form you can turn is like 20 feet or something BUT IT CAN WORK IT WILL WORK (take that as you can 😈) Sengoku is Corazon number 1 hype man🔥 While Garp is Koby's hype man lol :3

Now if you were lucky enough to even have some kind of freedom but if some kind of MIRACLE you were placed as a Vice Admiral picking up the Warlords when it comes to a serious meeting it would be an interesting sight, let's just say that they went to the meeting not because they were interested in the shit show of a meeting but they do want to see the 200 feet tall Sea Serpent again...

AND QIQBAIA8 And since you were found long before, let's imagine that you were a Rocks Pirate. (I HAVEN'T READ THE MANGA YET SO SORRY IF MY INFORMATIOM OF THE ROCKS PIRATES SUCKS). You were the eye candy of the Rocks Pirate. Big Mom, Kaido, and Newgate would always be 24/7 ON YOUR SIDE, they will one make you join their family one day !!

After many years they are still doing so, Kaido making you marry one of his calamities. The Tobi Ropo even tried some flirty moves on you, but Yamato. Dear lord. Even with or without his father's consent YAMATO. WILL. MARRY. YOU. END. OF. STORY.

You and King got really close after you tell some brief mentions of the Lunarian race back on your days, and that's what bonded you guys, yet everytime he was near you and you started talking about his race, he can only day dream of you with a traditional Lunarian ring (or any courting object), on your hands with....children around you with brown skin, black wings with fire, some has some long tails that suspectedly looks similar to yours...Wait. IS HE THINKING THAT YOU AND HIM CAN RE POPULATE THE WHOLE LUNARIAN RACE WITH A MIX OF YOURS! END HIM NOW!!

While Yamato is out here telling you that you are his Toki to his Oden, (corny, but its Yamato I forgive him :3) and since he's Oden, he must create a family with you! He would thunder bagua anyone's ass if they tried to even break his dream! No more of that!!

And you know the drill YEAA BIG MOM, RAGGH. Big Mom out here making you marry any of her children especially her Sweet Generals, the best for you ♡

You and Katakuri connect when it comes to your sharp teeths, plus Katakuri never felt so small in someone eyes until he met you, the very first time he layed his head on your cheek or your long tail as you sweetly careless him telling him to let go of his stress, he never felt this way..he felt so well treated, he now just Katakuri, the Katakuri that didn't need to hide his sharp teeth, instead loved from you. He never felt this way of submission...

Cracker and Smoothie too felt the same, their mother is a bad one indeed so when they are on your presence they could just relax and be caresses by you while they lay on your chest ♡ (Cracker isn't looking, he swear he isn't 👀)

Whitebeard is the same as those two but more cunning perhaps (in his own way). Both Kaido and Linlin are evil yes. But Whitebeard might be a pirate but he is far from evil, he is an honorable pirate the clashed with the greatest Pirate of all time, he has that (DAWG IN HIM) sense of respect, his opinion and decisions are always noble ones too, so what ever he says must be true and reasonable...right?

Do you like Marco, his first division a healer who would take absolute care about you, or Ace his second division, you would never get bored with him while he is around! Izo? The Samurai who was a follower of the Great Kozuki Oden! He dances so elegant from his homeland! Choose my dear, he just wants you to be apart of his family so badly!!

I can yap about this all day but I got school yall plus I don't really think any of you will like this idea. Also whoever tries to even have sex with Sea Serpent! Reader, their ass would NOT be walking the next day💀👆🔥

Hide yall ladies/manz Sea Serpent! Reader is in town😞‼️

[nnymphie]

Hiiiii obsessively scrolled your blog in one sitting and I’m obsessed w how you write Laios it’s so sweet (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

With that, how do you think he’d handle maybe some of the more animalistic traits his partner would have? Getting used to things like hibernation, “weird” (to tall men) mating rituals, different bodily reactions due to whiskers or different strength in senses. We all know he ♡’s monsters and animals of all kinds so he’s probably not TOO surprised by it, but now he has to deal with it as the partner to someone with these traits?! Woah!

AHH thank you so much🥺🫶 I’m seriously SOOO flattered!!! I’m glad you enjoy my interpretation of Laois! He’s honestly one of my favorite characters from any franchise, and i think one of by far the best written manga/anime protags ever. Like he’s just wonderful and i wanna chew on him and hold him so gently ugHHHHH

As far as you ask:

I think he’d honestly be a damn good partner to someone with animalistic qualities. This man probably has multiple journals dedicated to every little special quirk, habit, mannerism, etc, that you have- and he thinks they’re all wonderful. He is genuinely in awe of everything about you and how uniquely you live life. He would absolutely ask as many questions as you’d allow him, and conduct all the research he possibly could. Hell, I could see him researching the specific husbandry and behavioral aspects of whatever species your beast side comes from- and trying to work some of it into his routine. Dare i say he’d even be a bit jealous that you get the privilege of experiencing some of these instincts and traits???

If you hibernate? You best believe he is helping feed you plenty before its time and making sure you have a safe comfortable nesting place. If you have special mating rituals? He’s learning them all so he can be the best mate possible to you ( he’s honored to even have the title of mate)

He’d love to test your reflexes and sensitivity to different stimuli, but also learn what you don’t like and find ways to mitigate or all together alleviate your discomfort.

I’ve talked about it before, but I firmly believe that your animal traits and beastly nature makes him understand you better. He hasn’t ever really fit in, and regular human social situations are not his strong suit or something he favors really at all. He doesn’t seem to pick up on queues the others do, his interests and passions are often not understood and mocked/judged. Perhaps in a different way than you, but he has also been a misfit outcast most of his life, he empathizes with you on that, finds a sense of camaraderie in not belonging. And even better? The very things that make you different are precisely what he’s so passionate and knowledgeable about. He is fantastic with animals and beasts alike, hell, there’s a solid chance he already knows about some of your specific behaviors and needs before you even have to tell him. And what he doesn’t know? He is eager to learn from you at any and every opportunity. He would never make you feel like a burden for the things you cannot control, rather id imagine he’d encourage you to live as naturally and comfortably as you can.

Laois is so damn amazed by you, he loves every little weird thing, and wants to keep discovering more for as long as he’s possibly able to,,,

[bitter-panacea]

Goultard's "reincarnations"

In the World of Twelve, we know of many different characters who have reincarnations. Whether they have 9 lives and keep their memories with every reincarnation like ecaflip's sons, or whether they are immortal but lose their memories at every rebirth like most eliatropes and dragons of the council.

Goultard is sort of an anomaly. Although he calls this process "reincarnation", there is no rebirth involved.

Goultard : We were friends in one of my reincarnations, and i remember i had a lot of fun with you.

We know Goultard has died before. Probably many times. But (as far as i'm aware) we only know of two specific times. One in the Dofus manga and one in Wakfu.

When goultard dies, his body simply... stays dead, until it has the time to regenerate. Goultard uses a specific word to speak of this regeneration : "recompose" himself. As in the opposite of "decompose", "putting himself back together". And he can apparently also absorb things inside him during this process???

Goultard : I must have accidentally absorbed you when I recomposed myself

In volume 5, we see Goultard die, or more accurately, we see Vald die, since at this time Vald is the one controlling the body that they share.

Vald was at the wrong place at the wrong time, got caught in a scheme that didn't concern him, and paid the price anyway. He was drugged, and his body cut in two at the waist.

Vald : No... Not... like this... I can't die... like... this...

Shortly after, the body has come back together, and Goultard makes his first appearance.

Goultard : Unfortunately for you, the plan wasn't perfect! / Homar's minion : What? Who the hell are you? / Goultard : My name is Goultard, little maggot, behold my darkness...

Goultard : ... For it is the last thing you will ever see.

I have SO MUCH to say about the way Gou's introduced in the manga but that's for another post.

Note : Goultard later "survives" similar or worse injuries. Since Vlad and Vald are said to be less powerful than Gou, i think we can imagine they're also less resistent to injuries than he is. He gets brutally impaled on the Cornu's fist in volume 17, but stays conscious and keeps trying to fight even with a giant hole in his abdomen.

Cornu Mollu : I have to admit you're taking a long time to die, it commands respect.

Just look at him teehee :)

Not dying means his body has a harder time regenerating by itself, and he requires medical attention to recover. (Arty needs it too they both got demolished in that fight)

Eni : Don't act like a child, the eniripsa suppository is the best way for you to get your strength back!

Eni : Didn't need to make a big deal out of it (slaps his ass)

Didn't need to include that, i just wanted to.

In Wakfu s01e22 Rubilax, we learn that Goultard is dead when Tristepin visits his tomb and starts to talk about what his life has been like since they parted ways.

I assume Goultard dying was the very reason they parted ways and Tristepin started adventuring on hiw own.

We have no clue what killed Goultard or for how much time he's been dead. But Tristepin is still young, and i dont think he's been on his own (with Rubi) for very long. I'd say two years at MOST.

But Goultard wakes up and says, although he was dead, he's not anymore, so really, there's no reason to worry or even ask. And they never mention it again after that.

I've seen multiple people say Goultard faked his death. I would tell them to rewatch the episode because this really does not look fake to me.

Goultard coming back from the dead exactly at the moment tristepin needed him is not a coincidence, to me it shows that goultard's "reincarnation" is at least partly a conscious decision. He could have simply stayed dead but decided otherwise.

In the Dofus manga special-issue Les Shushus de Rushu, while he is enchained and imprisoned, we can see that Goultard can sleep for years on end, entering a sort of hibernation/meditation.

Kiki : When are you going to wake up and take care of your wives? / Azra : You've been sleeping for years, it's time to get up! Wake up Goultard!

I think him dying is similar to this. To him, choosing to stay dead instead of regenerating and waking up is like staying in bed and oversleeping.

In volume 27, Goultard himself implies he doesn't know if he can die permanently.

Goultard : First of all, nobody knocked me out.... We don't even know if that's possible.

When he's dead, does his spirit go where all other spirits go when they die? No way to know. But my guess would be to say no. Since he laughed hearing Tristepin's stories, it means even dead he's somewhat conscious of what's going on around him. Maybe like a ghost?

Is he, in a way, like a walking corpse, already dead but kept alive by magic? This feels kind of puella magi madoka magica to me, but I obviously can't explain what i mean without majorly spoiling puella magi madoka magica.

[kitramune]

InuKag were together for a whole year before RT retconned it.

(Reposted from my Twitter. And as a starting disclaimer, yes, I know this was retconned when Kagome had a graduation chapter, but I still enjoy thinking about it.) So I've done a little theory crafting, and I really think InuKag were traveling together a long time before they met their other friends. Possibly even a year before Miroku. Thanks to color versions of pages, we can guess that the manga starts in autumn. Leaf color, falling leaves, the villagers harvesting extra thatch for their homes, and everyone having foggy breath. (This also means Kagome's birthday is probably in autumn!)

The Blank Woman and Sesshoumaru seem to be in winter, because a lot of the trees are finally bare, and Kagome's dressing warmer. Note that Japanese flying squirrels do not hibernate. Though I'll admit this one has less evidence, it seems to match up.

The frog prince arc is spring. Again easy thanks to color pages, and Kagome finally being able to swim.

After meeting Shippou we transition into summer for the poltergeist and spider arcs. Again, Kagome's attire makes this obvious, with her sundresses and short-sleeved summer uniform while eating ice cream. Also the people doing fireworks. Nazuna is also picking Chinese Bellflowers, which are a summer bloom.

I'm guessing Kikyou's resurrection is either late summer or early fall due to the field of pampas grass and the dragonflies.

And we're back around to proper autumn by Miroku's intro chapter. Fallen leaves, hot spring monkeys, and persimmons!

So there you have it! They were "alone" together (sans Shippou lol) for an entire year! I think this makes a lot of things make more sense, like Inuyasha almost kissing her "already" and realizing he likes her by then. There was more one-on-one bonding than we thought! Again, I'm not trying to claim this as absolute canon, since I'm aware Rumiko retconned it later to have Kagome graduate near the end of the series. I hope it hasn't come off as me trying to do anything but point out how the seasons initially played out.

[mathoinyanarts]

Houseki no Kuni Sunday 2

Previous HNK Sunday |

MAJOR spoilers for episode 5-8 of Houseki no Kuni

So this time around I went ahead and made notes for each episode that I watched.

I am loving this season so much tbh, though a mutual keeps telling me that that its gonna get divisive way later. Honestly can't wait then

Episode 5

-Phos be needing a lot of help, like oof These people out here needing to fucking scrape them out of a shell, and now they gotta search a whole continent and ocean for them

-youz really a bitch for all of this Ventricosus And right as I was typing this she got her arm blown off, breh

-What did those Lunarians think they were going to do with their little pointy fire sticks on a giant ass snail monster??? I like the tendency of goons to just be stupid in most media lol

-Come on Cinnabar, they just came to you literally missing half off their body:(

(Story in 3 parts) -At least Kongo cares enough that even though Phos is practically useless, they still send out a team to find them. -Ok, I spoke too soon. He ready to kill a bitch -NOOOOOOO KONGO, DON’T TAKE THEM ENCYCLOPEDIA

-They is Ship of Theseusing this Gem, WTH -Poor Jade:( All of Phos's memories of them used to be stored neatly in their left ankle😔

-Them got zebra legs now lol

-FAST AS FUCC BOOOIIII

Other notes: So I was thinking more about Phos getting Ship of Theseus'd. This could be such a good message for, like, how much of yourself are you willing to get rid of just to fit in? To where you're nothing like who you originally were

Episode 6

-They still Nyoomin

-Yellow Diamond having their “What am I fighting for” crisis

-Lol, can’t believe they did Phos like that lol. Phos: “I like you, Sensei:)” Everyone else: D: Yellow Diamond:

-Oh no, they said Kongo’s trigger word: Humans

-Amethyst be like: Come play with us(:

-OMG, I love the Amethysts so much!

-.... (( <- reaction of somebody who always speaks too soon))

Other notes: Fr, Bort had every right to be mad en mi opinión

Episode 7

-Ok, phew, I’m so glad the Amethysts are ok

-They is hibernate

-They is dressed for the occasion

((Side note that I like this manga panel of the scene better))

((Bort does NOT have the patience for this shit))

-Ok, this is just so cozy of an episode

-Antarcticite getting a hug from sensei. My heart🥺

-OMG, Phos trudging through the snow is just me I relate to them more than I like to admit

-I feel there’s something more ominous about the Ice Screech

-Phos: “Have we tried reasoning with the Ice?”

-”The Ice speaks to me and tells me to do terrible things”

-Phos try to keep your limbs challenge, literally impossible

Other notes: Building off of what I mentioned earlier

Episode 8

-The Ice their greatest opp in this episode.

-I don’t think Kongo’s poor gem heart can take much more of this. Bro, just showed up with two entire arms missing. Imagine every time you let your kid out of your sight, they just show up with their skull bashed in

-Kongo comforting Antarcticite is what I needed today

-Giiirl, you are glittering No, like girl, the gold is taking over your body

-Phos: “Well I’m glad you’re alrigh-” Antarcticite: 🫠

-OH SHIT ANTARCTICITE IS STILL LOCKED IN🤫🧏‍♂️

-😭

((Side note, this would go so hard as a tattoo))

-Goddamn, didn't know this story was written by Gege. Fucking getting me attached to a character just to yank them away from me so soon😡

Ong tho, even though I'm so pissed at the anime for doing me like this, I'm still having such a fun time watching. Can't wait for the next HNK Sunday, and get ready for me to be obnoxious about a few Gem OCs I'm cooking

[dragonkeeper19600]

How I Would Fix Houseki no Kuni

By now, you guys are probably more familiar than you’d like to be with the numerous posts I’ve made about what I see as the many narrative failings of Houseki no Kuni.

I’ve already written extensively about my gripes with this train wreck of a manga, and as much as I’ve said already, I could keep going. However, over the past few days, I’ve found myself wondering what I would change to make the story stronger. After all, it’s easy enough to identify a problem with a story, but it’s a great deal more challenging to come up with a solution. I’ve already suggested some potential changes in other posts, but I thought I’d assemble all of my brilliant ideas in one convenient location.

So, without further ado, here’s how I would fix the garbage fire that is Houseki no Kuni:

First, I’d have Phos keep the encyclopedia job longer. It always seemed weird to me that this story mechanic was dropped so soon after being introduced, and I don’t think that was to the story’s benefit. Phos becoming more devoted to and more competent at the encyclopedia job would showcase his growing maturity, plus it would lead to a growing curiosity. A big part of what sets Phos apart in the original story is how willing he is to question things that the other gems don’t, such as Sensei’s possible connection to the Lunarians or whether there’s another job for Cinnabar. You could have his desire to learn more come from his desire to get the encyclopedia job right because he’s already fucked up everything else he’s ever attempted, so this is his last chance to be good at something.

Similarly, I would not make Phos a fighter, or, at least, I would wait until later in the series to make him a fighter. Manga and anime is already oversaturated with stories about people who learn how to fight. Having a protagonist who’s strong suit is not fighting would make Houseki no Kuni stand out from other seinen series. Instead, Phos’s usefulness to the war against the Lunarians would be as a tactician, using the information he’s collected from other gems (such as Alexandrite’s obsessive knowledge of the Lunarians) and his own observations to help the other gems fight more efficiently. Phos accepting that he isn't cut out to be a fighter would be yet another sign of his maturity. In my version, after he gets his new agate legs, he decides he can ditch the encyclopedia job and become a fighter like he’s always wanted, just like in the original story. However, after he sees the Amethyst twins shattered by the Lunarian weapon made from Sapphire, he realizes battle isn’t cool and badass like he thought but scary and really tough, and he decides the encyclopedia thing is where he’s needed.

Of course, Phos would be forced to take up arms and finally fight later in the series as the war with the Lunarians is ramping up. Phos would have a moment to muse on the irony of finally getting to be a fighter just like he always wanted after already deciding he didn’t want it anymore.

One more thing about combat is that the gems would wear actual armor into battle. Red Beryl’s job wouldn’t be just to make cute moe moe outfits for the gems to strut their stuff in but to forge armor to protect the gems from the Lunarians’ weapons. The Lunarians would find ways to get through the armor, of course, but it would be better and more believable than sending these rocks into a war zone wearing but ties and shorts too tiny to pass a public school dress code. The gems can still wear their uniforms when they’re just hanging out at the school, that’s fine, but when they go on patrol, they suit up in fucking armor. The fact that they don’t wear their armor around the school could actually lead to some tense scenes where the Lunarians attack the school directly and the gems there are caught unprepared and underdressed.

Phos’s motive for not hibernating during the Winter Arc would be, again, to observe Antarcticite and the winter season for the encyclopedia. However, and this is big, by the time winter ends, Phos would come to blame Sensei for Antarcticite’s shattering. This is a change I suggested in a previous post. The exact scene I described back then is that Phos sees Sensei shatter Antarcticite himself, but I don’t think you need to go that far. Phos’s blaming of Sensei doesn’t even need to be justified; he could just be lashing out at Sensei out of misplaced grief. But something needs to happen during the Winter Arc, while everyone else is asleep, to make Phos suspicious of Sensei. Perhaps Phos actually sees the Lunarians surround Sensei and tug pleadingly at his clothes, like they did in the actual manga, and comes to realize that the Lunarians and Sensei are connected. Perhaps Sensei hesitates to strike back against the Lunarians, because he’s guilty about not being able to help them or whatever, and that hesitation leads to Antarcticite being shattered.

At any rate, by the time winter ends, Phos is the only witness to this suspicious side of Sensei, and he finds that nobody will believe him about what he saw because the others are all refusing to accept that Sensei is less than perfect. The only one who’s willing to listen to Phos at all is Cinnabar because Cinnabar is grateful to Phos for listening to him. Plus, since Cinnabar is already isolated from everyone else, he’s less willing to keep so strictly to the party line. While he still loves Sensei, he’s less complacent than the others. I suggest these changes to the Winter Arc and its fallout because I always thought the chain of events that led to Phos being suspicious of Sensei in the latter half of the anime was pretty week, plus Phos being able to turn to Cinnabar for support would make Cinnabar a more prominent part of the story instead of getting shunted aside like he is in the manga.

Speaking of the Lunarians, I would change basically everything about the Moon. The Moon is not a high tech, utopian society full of karaoke bars, ramen joints, labor unions, advanced laboratories, and all that other stuff, but a surreal, Lovecraftian landscape that looks as beautiful as an ink painting of the Pure Land but is actually nightmarish and hostile. The Lunarians are supposed to be the tormented souls of human sinners unable to pass on to the afterlife, and their world should reflect that. In my version, the Lunarians have been driven insane by their long perdition, and while they look like divine figures from a Buddhist scroll, their behavior is so weird and alien to the gems that they find it hard to believe that these creatures were ever human. They can’t even communicate with the gems because their minds have deteriorated to the point that they can’t even understand language. The only Lunarian who’s coherent and rational is Aechmea, and even he’s starting to lose his sanity after running the asylum by himself for so long. 

Aechmea himself would also need to be radically changed. Somewhere along the way, the manga kind of forgot that Aechmea was supposed to be the villain. They try for this reveal that Aechmea was actually benevolent all along, and it 100% doesn’t work because A. a lot of his wicked acts are just gratuitously cruel and don’t further his supposedly well-meaning goals at all and B. the Lunarians aren’t really suffering anyway. To fix Aechmea, his sympathetic qualities and his villainous qualities both need to be enhanced.

So, my version of Aechmea is a well-intentioned extremist who chose the path of the bodhisattva but doesn’t have the supernatural patience and wisdom necessary to handle it. His backstory would be the same, but because my version of the Moon is a hellscape where he’s the only sane person around, his desperation to get Sensei to pray to free both the other Lunarians and himself is way more understandable. At the same time, the story would condemn the cruel things he’s doing by pointing out that he’s got no right to make the other races suffer just to save his own people. Aechmea would be portrayed as a lost soul, pitiful, yet misguided. And, above all, the Lunarians’ salvation cannot come about because of Aechmea’s manipulations. The story needs to show that the path Aechmea is choosing to try and save them is the wrong one.

On a similar note, Aechmea can’t make Phos into a human. I’ve already made a separate post about this note, and the reception to it was pretty positive. If Phos becomes a human/enlightened/bodhisattva/whatever, it needs to be in spite of Aechmea, not because of him. Phos needs to become human through his growing experience and his own choices, not Aechmea’s. 

Instead, in my version of the story, Aechmea chooses Cairngorm as Sensei’s replacement. Aechmea chooses Cairngorm because Cairngorm has been sealed inside of Ghost Quartz for most of his life, and thus, has never had any real agency. Hell, maybe Ghost Quartz is shattered specifically so Aechmea can then swoop in and claim Cairngorm, all so he can groom him into becoming a new prayer machine. It’s a sad fact that abuse victims are often abused multiple times in their lives by different people, and oftentimes, their current abuser is someone who “rescued” them from a previous abuser. When Aechmea “frees” Cairngorm from Ghost Quartz’s influence, he portrays himself as a savior who will show Cairngorm what he’s “really meant to be.” Aechmea and Cairngorm’s relationship in the manga already comes across as super predatory and sus, so I think the story would be better if it actually acknowledged that Aechmea grooming Cairngorm is bad instead of portraying their wildly unequal marriage as the “happily ever after” that it does.

Phos, on the other hand, would become a foil to Cairngorm because their growth and change happens because of their own choices and not because of Aechmea’s (you know, like the opposite of how it is in the manga). Phos would also choose to replace his body parts, instead of his body parts being lost through circumstance or being swapped out for him by other people. Him losing his legs can still be an accident, but it has the effect of showing Phos that his inclusions are special because they can assimilate basically any other material while still leaving Phos’s consciousness in control. However, after he gets his agate legs, every other new body part has to be a deliberate acquisition. For example, when he finally decides that he has to fight, he intentionally seeks out the gold alloy to replace his arms, whereas in the manga and anime, his arms were taken away by the ice floes, and replacing them with gold alloy was Antarticite’s idea.

Finally, the ending. In the manga, Phos is essentially tricked into enduring 10,000 years of mind rape to become the new prayer machine. In my version, Phos chooses to undergo the 10,000 year transformation, knowing that it’ll be tortuous and awful, because he’s willing to make that sacrifice to bring the Lunarians peace and finally end the conflict. The gems don’t become Lunarians in this version. My version of Lunarian society isn’t idyllic the way it is in the manga, so the gems wouldn’t want to join them, plus my Lunarians don’t have that kind of technology anyway. The sacrifice in this case is that Phos praying will also cause the gems that have been shattered to pass on as well, meaning Phos will never see Antarcticite again, and all the other shattered gems will be dead for good. But Phos is okay with that because 1. They realize from their interactions with the Lunarians and Yellow Diamond’s declining mental state that immortality is a curse and 2. They’ll still be around, and they’ll still remember Antarcticite, which is specially poignant because Phos has lost so many of their memories by now. 

There’s also some tension because when Phos makes this choice, no one is sure that he’ll be able to handle the nightmarish transformation without going insane the way the Lunarians did, and there’s a chance he’ll emerge after the 10,000 years as some kind of monstrous eldritch abomination. And because he looks so weird and alien after the transformation is complete, the surviving gems aren’t sure if he’ll actually be able to pray the Lunarians away or if he’ll become a new threat.

But, ultimately, he shows that the transformation was a success, and he prays all of the Lunarians away. Yes, even Aechmea, because for all the evil he’s done, he also lived every day in pure agony, so there’s no point in punishing him any further.

The surviving gems would still be alive, as would the Admirabilis. (Yeah, the plot point about the living races descended from humanity also being wiped out in the prayer is really contrived and makes no sense, so I’m chucking it entirely.) Phos, however, would no longer live among the other gems because he’s become so enlightened that the other gems can’t relate to them anymore. So, Phos remains aloof. But the other gems know where he is. When a gem is finally ready to die, they seek out Phos, who will ensure that they pass on. Phos vows not to pass on himself until the last gem has been shattered. Phos, the little gem everyone called worthless, has become the benevolent bodhisattva that both Aechmea and Sensei failed to be. End.

[painedpen]

An unexpected win for the HnK fandom!

For those of you who don’t know, Houseki no Kuni is a manga/anime about sentient gemstones that fight against moon people who want to break them apart and use them as jewelry. Think Steven Universe if it was 73x more fucked up.

Im going to show y’all a list of all of the characters, their gemstones, and where they rank on the mohs hardness scale:

Makoto: Verdelite, Hardness of 7

Kyoko: Purple Spinel, Hardness of 8

Byakuya: Blue Alexandrite, Harness of 8.5

Aoi: Aquamarine, Hardness of 8

Yuta: Blue Zircon, Hardness of 7.5

Yasuhiro: Citrine, Hardness of 7

Hiroko: Heliodor, Hardness of 7.5

Toko: Grey Garnet, Hardness of 6.5

Sayaka: Larimar, Hardness of 5

Ayaka: Pink Kunzite, Hardness of 6.5

Junko: Sapphire, Hardness of 9

Mukuro: Sapphire, Hardness of 9

Leon: Blue Topaz, Hardness of 8

Chihiro: Variscite, Hardness of 4

Taichi: Prehnite, Hardness of 6

Mondo: Purple Diamond, Hardness of 10

Daiya: Purple Padparadscha, Hardness of 9.5

Takemichi: Golden Beryl, Hardness of 8

Kiyotaka: Ruby, Hardness of 9

Takaaki: Almondine, Hardness of 8.5

Celestia: Cinnabar, Hardness of 2

Sakura: White Diamond, Hardness of 10

Kenshiro: Antarcticite, Hardness of 3

The story begins with Makoto forming, and being found by Mondo. Mondo takes him back home, and allows Hiroko and Kyoko to fix him up. Once Makoto is all dressed and ready, Mondo becomes responsible for teaching him about everything, including how to fight.

Makoto goes on his first patrol with Mondo, and his partner Takemichi. A sunspot appears, and Mondo makes quick work of it. However, they begin to shoot arrows tipped with purple gemstones.

Mondo and Takemichi immediately recognize these gems as Purple Padparadscha, also known as Daiya. Mondo falls into a rage, and eventually gets back all of Daiya’s pieces. However, he gets broken in several places as a result.

Kyoko and Hiroko, the doctors, appear, and begin piecing the two of them back together. Makoto stays in the infirmary out of worry. Kiyotaka enters almost immediately, and he begins talking with Makoto, sharing stories about Mondo.

Daiya and Mondo are put back together, and emotional scenes ensue. However, it’s now time for winter, and Makoto’s first hibernation.

Makoto doesn’t seem to be all that tired, though, and asks Kongo if he can stay up. By doing this, he meets Kenshiro, a kind gem who’s in charge of the Winter Watch.

The two of them bond over the course of winter, and Kenshiro teaches Makoto things about fighting that Makoto couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. He realizes quickly that Kenshiro was Sakura’s mentor, as Sakura formed during winter as well.

They have fun together, but Makoto slips, and ends up losing his arms to the ice floes. Desperate to help, Kenshiro brings him to a puddle of golden alloy. As the alloy fights with Makoto’s inclusions, a rare winter sunspot appears.

Kenshiro fends them off despite his fragile nature. During this, the gold alloy forms into a solid metal box around Makoto, trapping him inside. Kenshiro comes out on top in his battle, although he sustains many serious breaks. He begins trying to free Makoto from the gold box.

Suddenly, something strikes Kenshiro from behind, breaking him completely. Makoto is helpless as he watches the Lunarians take him away. At the very last moment, the alloy begins to agree with Makoto, and take form as his arms, releasing him from the box.

Makoto chases after the retreating Lunarians in hopes of rescuing Kenshiro, but they’re too far up in the sky. Despite his greatest efforts, Kenshiro is taken. Makoto has to take care of the rest of the Winter Watch by himself, and meets the others when they wake up consumed with shame and guilt.

The others want to know about Makoto’s new golden arms, but Makoto can’t bring himself to recount the events of winter to them. They continue to bother Makoto about it, until Mondo and Kiyotaka intercept and take him somewhere private.

There’s going to be more, but that’s all I have worked out for now.

Tadaa!

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Buddie Moodboard - Eureka Seven AU

So yeah, this manga and anime series has had me in its clutches for a looooong time. And I couldn't resist the temptation anymore lol.

Some background on the main concepts of Eureka Seven: The story largely revolves around the relationship between the alien species of the Scub Corals (Coralians) and humans in the faraway future, exemplified by the main characters Renton (human) and Eureka (humanoid Coralian). Scubs take on different shapes and powerful creatures capable of changing the law of physics at will. Their origins are unknown. At some point, they crashed down on Earth and merged with the lifeforms in the sea. They used fusion as a means of communication, but thereby almost overtook humanity, which made humans leave Earth and forced the Scubs into adaption. People use LFOs (Light Finding Operation) to fly and fight in the air, bio-mechanical hybrids that can ride (lift) on so-called trapars (transparence light particles, a form of energy the Scubs produce that function like water or wind). The first Summer of Love was a catastrophe that kicked off the events of the main plot line. A destructive shockwave that brought the world to ruin and led to civil wars. Scub Corals went into hibernation to prevent the so-called Limit of Questions, the point in time when too many sentient lifeforms in a given space will lead to the collapse of reality, thereby causing a black hole to tear through space and absorb the entire planet.

So, this story would take 10,000 years after the events of Eureka Seven, giving “ample” time for things to be forgotten or changed or made worse. So yeah... that was a lot of intro. Anyway. Hope you enjoy despite it all. Cheers!

It’s the year 22,022.

Aboard the Aion, the infamous crew of the 118 is readying itself for their next strike against the military. Under the lead of Captain Bobby Nash, the crew is determined to stop the evil machinations within the government from unfolding.

Most of the members used to be part of the military, including LFO pilots Hen and Chimney as well as Buck and Eddie. But they left the military alongside their captain, once the full gravitas of the government’s wrongdoings came to light on their last mission. They would not have any part in taking innocent lives, they decided. Which marked the end of the 118th Squad and the rise of the Aion 118.

And so, they left, they flew, they got away. At least for a while. Because they knew they couldn’t find peace until they stopped the government’s plans. Because they chose to protect, and they won’t abandon that mission until it is done.

Already back at the Academy, Buck and Eddie were inseparable. It only seemed natural for them to become co-pilots for the LFO they named Jabberwocky, Jab for short. In fact, their personalities and battle strategies balance out perfectly. While Buck is more hot-headed, quick to think and even quicker to act, Eddie’s calm and focused demeanor match it perfectly.

Nothing much has changed about that since, even though their time in the military and everything that led up to them leaving it certainly changed them personally. Eddie lost his wife in the Seven Swell that marked the end of the 118’s service. And he almost would have lost both his son and Buck in the tsunami that followed the blast of the Seven Swell. Though thankfully, Buck was able to save Christopher and bring him home.

After that, everything was changed. Everyone was.

If Buck and Eddie didn’t have a high stakes mission on their hands, they might have the time to find out just what they are to one another now. What started out as a mere source of comfort, the answer to a need, has shifted over time. Buck and Eddie don’t just share quarters, not just bed, but their lives. Though there are many things left unsaid between them despite that fact. Because losing what they have seems to be one of the few things that can actually scare the two. And so, they just hold on to each other, come what may.

Though perhaps it’s a welcome distraction for them both, focusing on that mission instead of whatever someone may call their relationship. Saving the world is good enough as an excuse, right? And so, they spend every minute they have to spare to live: They are there for Christopher, lift together, sometimes all three of them thanks to the special board they built for Eddie's son. They have each other's back in battle, only to fight over the music playing in their quarters. And occasionally, they dance the night away, to forget. If only for a while.

Things take a sudden turn when the 118 is led into a trap, involving a teenager from Bobby’s past who is out for vengeance. To get back at Bobby for his supposed involvement in his father’s death during a military operation, Freddy is set on making the captain “pay for his sins”.

Despite Bobby’s efforts to dissuade Freddy, he attacks Jabberwocky while Buck is still inside the LFO, causing it to partially explode. Buck crashes into the ocean, and everyone is bound to watch it happen. While Eddie manages just in time to save Buck from drowning, things are far from fine once they return to the Aion to have Buck treated. Not only Jab has seen heavy damage, but Buck sustained great injury that won't easily heal.

Hen cautions them all that it’s possible that Buck won’t ever be able to lift again, just like it’s possible the injuries may prevent him from operating an LFO ever again. For Buck, that’s a blow almost impossible to take. He always defined himself for being able to do that, for being an outstanding lifter and an LFO pilot. And now he’s supposed to have neither of these things, be neither of those things. Then what’s left of him?

Nothing, right?

Eddie’s efforts to try to get through to Buck to make him see what’s beyond his life as a lifter and LFO pilot remain fruitless at first. Buck turns in on himself, away from him, from everyone. And for the first time in their lives together, Eddie doesn’t know how to have his back, how to make Buck stay with him.

But the shocks don’t end just there. Buck feels certain changes in himself ever since he crashed into the ocean. He hears voices where there are none. His eyes hurt all the time. The world looks different. Everything is changed, even though it’s not. And Hen keeps telling him that everything is fine with him. Just that it isn’t.

When his eyes start to turn purple and red, Buck knows that it can’t just be the injuries. Fearing that he might wind up hurting Eddie, Chris, or anyone else of the crew, he only confides in Hen as the ship’s doctor. Upon learning of this, Hen is able to figure out what’s going on with Buck. Though that doesn’t change things for the better at all: Ever since the crash, his DNA became more and more Coralian, which is unheard of.

You’re either born with Coralian DNA or you are not. You either have Coralian descent from the time when humanoid Coralians roamed the earth thousands of years ago, or you don’t. There is no such thing as developing this DNA. Just that there suddenly seems to be.

The Scub Corals have been part of Earth for over 30,000 years, a life form set on communication through fusion with other species. Ever since the Second Summer of Love, humanity pledged not to fight the Scub Corals ever again. To prevent The Limit of Questions from ever happening another time and thus destroying the universe as we know it, it became also a prime directive to ensure the Scub Corals on Earth remained in eternal slumber, to which the Scub Corals had agreed. Their deepest wish was and is to be part of the world where they might one day co-exist with humans, just as it used to be. Therefore, a strict separation of humans and Scub Corals was implemented, especially the Command Cluster in the middle of the Pacific was declared off-bounds for humans.

Humans bearing Coralian DNA are not allowed into military, to ensure that knowledge of intel cannot be passed on to the Command Cluster, should the Scub Corals reawaken, now by accident or not.

Therefore, it’s not possible for Buck to have Coralian DNA, even though that explains the symptoms as well as the test results Hen has. Hen cautions Buck that this may make his situation impossibly worse. They have historical records of what happened to human-Coralian hybrids. They all died as the result of trapars in the air. Which means that the thing that used to make Buck free, lifting, may actually mark his death sentence. Hen vows to find a cure to reverse the effects, but Buck knows he has to reckon with the fact that he may not be able to remain on Earth.

Buck is forced to reveal his status to the crew soon thereafter. And while he shouldn’t be surprised that everyone is determined to help him, Buck is still caught off-guard when Bobby refuses to dismiss him from the crew due to the dangers he may pose to them. Buck dares to put his faith in his team to support him on this journey, so he may stay home.

Though Buck’s health issues soon turn out to be part of the mission they have had all along. Apparently, there were military and government operations in place that were not in accordance with the pledge made to the people and the Coralians. Seeking out Coralians in slumber for their own benefit may actually lead to a third Summer of Love. And if so, it is very well possible that the Scub Corals will awaken from the impact and thus reach the Limit of Questions.

While the Aion 118 rushes to prevent a third Summer of Love near the Command Cluster, Buck has to make up his mind about his future on this planet, even though it means having to do what he has been so scared of for all of his life.

But for his team, he’d do anything. For his family, he would. For love, he will.

Find more moodboards here.

[artemistorm]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged by a couple of people and I can't remember who, but thank you guys!!!

1. How many works do you have on A03?

18

2. What's your total A03 word count?

165,660 and 140k of that is from just this year!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Legend of Zelda and Linked Universe, although I do have one Ao No Exorcist/Blue Exorcist manga fic that isn't finished yet and I plan to finish at some point. I have a Sonic the Hedgehog AU too but that isn't published and is only for me.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Recharge

For the Want of a Breath (surprised this one is so high on the list)

Hyrule and Wild Have a Hard Time (My personal Fave)

LU Whump Dump

Secret of the Sea Cave (Beats out Yukio Turn on the Light by 1 kudos)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Most of them yes. I tend to save up comments and answer like 20 of them in a day to save time/energy.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

That's gotta be Yukio Turn on the Light for sure (it's a story about a suicidal boy being talked back from the brink by his dead dad in order to prevent Satan from taking over the world), although Ghost Story will have a very angsty ending too (story about nine ghosts that need help making peace with their regrets so they can pass into the afterlife).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Mmmm... that would be my FMA:B fic Actually I'm Not Sorry which is an epilogue to the manga/anime

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really hate but I've gotten a couple critical comments here or there. On Recharge I've gotten quite a few "Where's the rest of this fic? Hurry up and write it B(&%^" or variations of that. That's why I abandoned it.

9. Do you write smut?

🤢🤮oh heck no

10. Do you write crossovers?

Never. I don't like the foods on my plate to touch so to speak.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. I probably wouldn't know if it was.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I've podficed one.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. When I was a kid I used to co-write original stories with my sister though.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Merthur (Arthur and Merlin from the Merlin TV show). Also Sam & Jack from Stargate SG1

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The Sign of the Wolf is an unpublished hibernating WIP that is a long and meandering story about a depressed post LU Wild making peace with the loss of his 8 brothers after their adventure together ended. The main premise is that each of the other Links hid care packages around his Hyrule and Wild has to go on a scavenger hunt to find them.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue comes easily to me and characterizations as long as I can figure out what makes each character think.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue tags are annoying. So are boring scenes and transition scenes. And I'm terrible about knowing what things to shorten/cut out of the story.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Uhhh I have no thoughts? This hasn't really come up much except for sign language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Well if you count my very first story ever I wrote at age 9 which was a Lord of the Rings superhero AU, then LotR. Otherwise, it was Sonic the Hedgehog.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I gotta say: Skulltula and Thunder.

Tagging @uniquevoidflowers @nancyheart11 @ladye-zelda @spookypanda04 @hotcheetohatredwastaken

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Ledyba Line

I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, but you need to put your stats in things that do things.

DESIGN:

Ledyba has the “just a ladybug” problem, generally speaking, but the round hands, big smile, and overall friendly shape go a long way. It’s not an overly interesting Pokemon on its own, but it has enough of its own shape that I like it a lot better than something like Noctowl or Furret. Yes, it’s just a ladybug, but it’s a ladybug redesign as a bug-type Pokemon and shaped in a way that doesn’t look generic about it. 

Ledian then adjusts this design, makes it more upright, and turns it into a superhero. I’m not sure if that was intentional or just the result of some superheroes trying to be bugs, but its head reminds me a lot of Kamen Rider, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, and various other bug-themed hero characters. It’s still obviously a ladybug, but now it’s a ladybug that’s ready to go and will kick your ass. I’m pretty confident just by looking at it that Ledian is a cool dude who’ll fight for what’s right. He also looks like he packs a punch... or at least makes a good faith effort at it.

ECOLOGY:

Ledyba are omnipresent in Johto’s and Kanto’s trees during the warmer months, only occasionally found on the ground in the tall grasses. Though safe from land-based predators, they’re easy pickings for even smaller birds of prey like Pidgey and Spearow. Their large numbers and bright red coloring ensure an easy time reproducing, resulting in a healthy population despite their abundance of predators. Ledyba have been spotted in other regions, but never in relevant numbers.

Ledyba are, perhaps, the most important species in the region, acting as the largest pollinator of plants by a significant margin. During the colder half of the year, Ledyba retreat underground to hibernate in massive clusters. Either intentionally or coincidentally, Spinarak mating season begins at precisely this time, and while their territory overlaps entirely the two bug-types rarely interact for more than a few days a year on either end.

As Ledyba are timid and avoid battle, wild Ledian are almost unheard of, and most of those that do evolve naturally leave Johto for warmer climates.  Because of this, Alola has a sizable Ledian population despite Ledyba being completely unable to thrive around the Pikipek and Yungoos.

Ledian’s Pokedex entries are notoriously unreliable for unknown reasons. While the Pokedex describes it as a nocturnal Pokemon with a star-shaped pattern that gains its power from starlight and scatters glowing powder, wild Ledian are only active during the day, have simple black spots, have no ability to gain power from any star other than our own Sun, and have no powder-based moves. While the Pokedex often has questionable information, this is an unusual extreme. Further, Ledyba is listed as 1 meter tall and Ledian as 1.4 meters, and while height can vary widely within a single species, most sightings [read: anime, manga, and card appearances] put them at about half that.

Art by AutobotTesla

TYPING:

Bug/Flying is a curious combination that gives Ledian an immunity and two double-resists, plus one regular resist, but results in five weaknesses to many common types including a double weakness to Rock. The two types together still only hit five types super effectively and neither of them can hit Steel. 

STATS:

Ledian has some of the worst stats of any Pokemon. I don’t just mean that 390 is viciously low for a final-form Pokemon, below that of second-form starters, but that its stat distribution is useless. While it comes with a solid 85 speed and a whopping 110 special defense, an HP of only 55 means it’s still prone to getting one-shot by special attacks, and its stronger attack stat, Special, is ALSO only 55, meaning even when it does go first it’s dealing negligible damage. Ledian’s stats don’t allow it to deliver or take hits, and its speed isn’t high enough for it to use status moves despite that.

Art by Pinkophilic

ABILITIES:

Ledian’s abilities aren’t even bad. Swarm is, of course, as are all the “you deal more damage at 1/3rd health” abilities, but Early Bird has its uses. Though not as good when defending against Sleep as Insomnia, Early Bird cuts a round of sleep off of Rest to turn it into an incredible healing move for Pokemon that don’t get one-shot by everything.

Its hidden ability, Iron Fist, increases the power of Punch-based techs by 20%, which is also a great ability, except that Ledian’s attack stat is THIRTY FIVE, so even the best Punch attack is still garbage on it.

Art by Oddsocket

MOVES:

Ledian learns Bug Buzz to attack with, which everything resists, and can also grab Air Slash, which is entirely solid. Its sole relevant coverage option is Giga Drain if you’re using its special attack. Its physical options are far better, with Drain Punch, U-Turn, Ice Punch, and Thunder Punch, but then you’re contending with an even worse base stat.

Ledian otherwise has a very mediocre set of abilities. It can theoretically leverage Rest with Early Bird, but only against weak foes. It has Light Screen and Reflect, but there are plenty of faster Pokemon that can learn those. Agility and Swords Dance are options, but not Nasty Plot, so if you want to build up you’re still relying on a base 35 attack stat.

I made fun of Furret for being bad here, but with Ledian it just kind of becomes sad.

Art by All0412

OVERALL:

Something went very, very wrong with Ledian’s gameplay mechanics, and I’m not sure any of it was intentional. Yes, Ledian has low stats. That’s just going to happen with the early route evolutions, but its Gen 2 moveset tells an interesting story. While its 55 special attack is bad, in Gen 2 it could learn Ice Punch and Thunder Punch, both of which were Special attacks until Gen 4. Sure, it needed TMs for the moves, but this cemented those as the moves it was supposed to use. Unfortunately, when the Physical/Special Split happened, those punches became Physical attacks while Ledian’s stats remained the same.  As more and more moves came out, Ledian was granted moves and a Hidden Ability based on the idea that it was a punch buggy, but its Attack stat was never increased.

Ledian’s never going to be ‘great,’ and as an early route bug I’m sure it’s not supposed to be great, but I would love to see a simple buff of it getting a serious increase to its Attack stat.  Turning that 35 into a 65 or even a 75 isn’t going to break anything or ruin the experience, but it’s going to make Ledian significantly less miserable.

Another option with Pokémon of stat values this low, of course, is to just give it a new evolution. I think Ledian evolving into something sleeker with chitinous armor that really went for a Superhero vibe would be ‘Super’ cool.

Art by Zero

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Manga Ch.30-32

Last time, Goku lost a match when his opponent, Toppo, kicked him in the dick.  Then he talks to Toppo, who informs him that he knows a guy who kicks people in the dick even harder.  Goku takes that news a lot better than I would...

With the Zeno Expo concluded, the Grand Minister lays out the rules and stipulations for the Tournament of Power.  He declares the Super Dragon Balls will be the prize, and asks Champa to surrender the three SDB’s he has on hand.  This was mentioned briefly in the anime, but I didn’t quite understand the timing of it.  I don’t know why Beerus is pissed at Champa for collecting them... oh, wait, he was mad at Champa before because he was trespassing in Universe 7 to get them all.

I thought Goku called Beerus a “slut” in this panel, so I just wanted to put this here for posterity. 

Toppo returns to his duties as the leader of the Pride Troopers, and he helps his team battle some big crab-looking alien.  He needs the whole team assembled for the Tournament of Power, but Jiren is handling a different case on another planet... or he was, but now...

Yeah, so Jiren not only wrapped up his own mission, but then he flew here to one-shot this monster.  Oh, and he flew here without a spaceship. 

He also has some weapon that compacts the bad guy into a tiny little capsule.  I guess that beats getting kicked in the dick, but not by much. 

Belmod is confident that U11 can win the Tournament of Power as long as they have Jiren on the team, but the problem is that Jiren is too fixated on justice.  He won’t want to leave Universe 11 unprotected, and he wouldn’t want to destroy the other universes, even to preserve his own.  But Belmod knows he can persuade Jiren by telling him about the Super Dragon Balls.

Hey, look!  It’s Cell, and Mr. Satan’s beating the fuck out of him!  This comic rules!

This is part of a TV interview with Mr. Satan, and one of the questions concerns evidence of a man who appeared at the spot where Cell was finally destroyed.  I guess that makes sense?  I never really thought about where 17 would be when he got resurrected.  I guess technically he died on King Kai’s planet, but it wouldn’t do for Shenron to put him there.

Of course, this is just a way to reintroduce 17 to the story while Goku seeks him out for the Tournament of Power.  Dende moves the Lookout to 17′s island, and we see him tell Goku about Uub, just like in the anime, except this version shows us Uub as a little kid.  D’awww.

In this version, Goku runs into the poachers first, and since he has no idea what 17 looks like, he mistakes the lead poacher for 17, and he takes off the guy’s mask because he thinks it gives 17 special powers.  Okay...?

So when 17 shows up, he doesn’t recognize Goku because of the mask, and by the time Goku removes it, he has to turn Super Saiyan 3 to keep up with 17′s attacks, so 17 still can’t tell who this is.  Things don’t settle down until Goku talks to him and 17 recognizes his voice.

In this version, there’s more than one minotaur, which is nice.

In the anime, I didn’t understand what convinced 17 to join the U7 team, but in this version, it’s Krillin, whom 17 feels indebted to for arranging to have the bombs removed from himself and 18. 

Mr. Satan returns from his TV interview to inform Buu about the Tournament of Power, but he’s already sacked out before he can even explain it to him.  I kind of like this way better. The anime version almost made it seem like Buu hibernated on purpose just to dick the others around.  At least this way it’s purely innocent.

Gohan doesn’t appear in this preliminary stuff until near the end, so there’s a greater emphasis on whether or not he’ll be able to deliver when the time comes. 

Meanwhile, in Universe 6, Cabba recruits Caulifla, and this version sheds a little more light on her gang.  She hijacks vehicles from the Sadala Army, and shares the spoils with the less fortunate.

She steals a necklace along with the rest of it, and Cabba swipes it back while demonstrating the Super Saiyan form to her.  Then Kale swips it back from him without him even noticing it, suggesting that Kale might be more than meets the eye.  They never try to teach her to become a Super Saiyan in this scene.  Cabba simply brings her along just because the U6 team needs all the fighters they can get.

Although, maybe he was impressed with the way she did that trick.  I don’t know.

Finally, we have this part where Vegeta greets the rest of the team while they wait for Goku to return with Frieza.  I’m kind of uneasy with how gregarious Vegeta is being here.  I half expected him to walk up to Frieza and give him a big kiss on the mouth. 

All right, that’s everything.  The waiting is finally over, and the Tournament of Power can finally begin.... Tomorrow, because I’m all liveblogged out tonight.  Later...

[ljaesch]

799 Boys' Love and Romance Titles From WWWave Coming Soon to Manga Planet

Manga Planet has announced the upcoming addition of 799 Boys’ Love and romance manga titles* from WWWave to its library. Readers can look forward to Boys’ Love titles such as the following: Caressing the Nipples of My Hibernating Bear by Haruchika Even a Dad Still Wants It… by Serina Seo Fucked by My Best Friend by Yupopo Orishima The Titan’s Bride by ITKZ Yuri on Livestream, Yaoi Behind the…

[davidmariottecomics]

Too Many Conventions!

Hello! 

Turns out, I'm a liar. If you read last week's blog, I ended it with a whole little plan for the next couple of weeks, completely having forgotten that I'm about to enter the most convention heavy stretch I have all year! This is my last "free" weekend until April pretty much! 

A week from today, 2/25, I'll be at the Arizona Comic Book Arts Festival! If you're anywhere near the Phoenix area and want to see me to buy comics or bring your own to get them signed, this is the place to do it! I'll be bringing a pretty chunk of my stock, including stuff from Sonic, Godzilla, and pretty much what's left of my Transformers/Hasbro stock! Maybe this one, maybe in a couple more events like this, I'm going to be running out of Transformers vs. Terminator and Wreckers, so get 'em now while you can! Becca will be there too and you can get us both to sign our little mini-comic, Jimmy Squarefoot! We'll also be bringing copies of a zine we made explaining the issues with AI! And Becca will have a bunch of other stuff at their own table! 

There are a bunch of other really great people attending including Elizabeth Brei, Danny Djeljosevic, Mitch Gerads, Steve Rude, John Layman, Henry Barajas, Jay Fotos, Jeff Mariotte, Marcy Rockwell, John Yurcaba, Andrew MacLean, Alexis Zirrit, Meredith McClaren, James Owen, Ryan Cody, Tone Rodriguez, Cecil Castellucci, and so many more! So come on out and see us! 

Then, Becca got into WaifuExpo the following weekend, 3/3-3/5! It's going to be a cool little adult (18+) focused con in the Dallas-Fort Worth area! Becca's going to be in the artist's alley and I'm going to be there as their booth babe. I will NOT be bringing any of my stuff, only Becca is tabling (*tho if you are planning to attend and get ahold of me ahead of time, I might be able to pack a few things to give in person). Becca's working very hard on preparation and will have some exclusive stuff for adults debuting there! 

Similarly, lots of cool guests including some very notable cosplayers and voice actors and other artists! It also seems like it's going to be a very activity heavy con if that's your jam! 

It's also our first time in the DFW area, so if you have recommendations, those would be appreciated! 

Then, if everything goes right with the first two cons and I'm still feeling groovy, I am tentatively planning on going up to TFCon LA on 3/10. Again, this is health and finances permitting after two other back-to-back shows, and I am not coming as anything other than an attendee, but if you catch me at Jack Lawrence's table and want me to sign your Wreckers or Alex Milne's table and want me to sign your TF/Terminator or whatever, I'm happy to do so! 

And finally, I expect to be attending WonderCon 2023, March 24-26! Again, same deal as TFCon--my availability will depend a little bit on not having gotten sick/burned out from the other shows with only one weekend of "downtime" and I'm going mostly as an attendee, rather than tabling individually or with IDW, but this is the one con where I'll be most open for meetings. 

After that, I have to assume that I'll hibernate until the summer! And somewhere around there I'll get back to what I mistakenly proposed last week and do another "Ask Me (Almost) Anything". In the meantime, new posts are going to be coming to the blog, but they'll be a little irregular because they'll be coming in-between shows! 

Thanks for rolling with that change and hope to see you soon! 

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Honkai Impact (Video game--I managed to get the new Kiana and Mei back-to-back, so I'm pretty happy!), House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (Book), Poker Face (TV show), Romantic Killer (Anime), Warioware Inc (Video Game), The Fablemans (Movie--I cried 3 times!), Kaguya-Sama: Love is War-The First Kiss That Never Ends (Movie), Valentine's Day, Snack vs. Chef (TV show), Chainsaw Man (Manga), rearranging my desk (I had to dust the... 150 [estimate] little hunks of plastic on my desk and decided to rearrange them), Becca's first Twitch stream (more on that below)! 

New Releases this week (2/15/2023): Off week for my books

New releases next week (2/22/2023): Also an off week for my books!

Announcements: Wait, this is still a section? With all that other stuff I've already been promoting? Well... Yeah! 

Social Media - I am still primarily on Twitter because that's still where I know the most people and the format I like the best, unfortunately, but you can find me on all my socials here as I continue to try to move away from that site that is less and less functional each day! And, hey, sometimes it still works to reach people like this update on Sonic (it is good and fine and in many languages and countries). 

Aradia Beat - The past few weeks, I've been plugging this cool Magical Girl Anthology Magazine that Becca's part of! This morning, the campaign closed and they had just exceeded their second stretch goal! Thanks anyone here who contributed and if you missed out, well... you missed out! No, but give Aradia Collective a follow and they'll be able to tell ya if there'll be any other ways of getting it in the future! 

More Magical Girls - Our pals Elizabeth Brei & Danny Djeljosevic and a bunch of their friends are getting close to their goal on their Kickstarter for Sweet Little Resistance, which you should check out! And you can tell them you're psyched for it at AZCAF! 

Becca is a busy beean - Somewhere in all this con prep and the many shows we're attending, Becca's also managing regular Patreon updates (and this month, any new sign-ups will have their first pledge go to The Brown Building here in San Diego). They're also open for commissions. And they're now streaming Wednesdays & Saturdays (including tonight, but not when we'll be at shows) on Twitch! I'll usually be there too, moderating the chat and making jokes, playing the soundboard or whatever. You can check out their first stream playing Heartbreak High on their page now! I think the plan is Wednesdays will be games and Saturdays will be art, so come check it out and hang! 

Legislative Tracking - Legislators are doubling down on attempting to pass anti-trans bills. Fortunately, some of them are not managing to move forward. Unfortunately, the bad guys keep trying. Here is a legislative tracker for you to keep an eye on and hopefully if anything is happening locally to you (and on the federal level), you're able to reach out to your reps and can tell them to knock that shit off. 

Pic of the Week: A very dumb little promo I made for all of our upcoming stuff (or... well, a lot of it) to the theme of Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania, in theaters now! (NOTE: Made when Aradia Beat was still funding, it's over now, sorry!)

[brokensenseofhumor]

Well, due to… unforeseen events:

Ladies, gents and whatever else genders there are! We here at BSOH’s Brain Inc. are more than glad to bring back..

THE PIMON THEORY!!

Yes, that’s right, folks! After a long hibernation, this series is finally back with its 5th episode!

The tf2 hyperfixating may be strong, but the love for Pimon is stronger.

Anyways, TO THE THEORIES!!

Spoilers for Chapter 35 btw!!

For reasons, I’ll be using the Indonesian translation for this episode. Massive thank you to Alex Scanlations and the YouTuber Taochan!

Theory 1: Yakuza?

Ok so, amidst my hibernation of this series, I finally ended up with the conclusion that Pimon definitely isn’t the Paimon from the Ars Goetia and he’s really just some guy. I know, lame ass ending to such an amazing theory…

HOWEVER.

Chapter 35 really changes everything, man. I did not headcannon Pimon as a French butcher for months just for this to slap me in the face.

So, how am I coming to the conclusion that Pimon has associations with the Yakuza?

Plain and simple:

There’s many references to Japanese culture in the first portion of the chapter.

To start:

He’s wearing a freaking Kimono. I am definitely not internally screaming in Simp Mode right now, nonononooo!! (<- me when I lie)

Secondly:

Ohhhh, hey Ambrose! What’s that behind you?-

Why, it’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, of course!

I’ll take this time to list some facts about this piece of art:

It was painted in 1831

This technically isn’t a painting, it is a Ukiyo-e Woodblock print (a genre of Japanese art that is made with, well… woodblocks.)

It is the most recognizable Japanese painting ever

AND FINALLY:

Another painting, this time depicting (presumably) Mount Fuji, and below are 2 katanas.

Also, not to mention, there was a surge in Japanese immigrants in the UK during the Victorian era. There were exactly 264 Japanese immigrants in 1884 (see: Wikipedia, Japanese in the United Kingdom, History and Settlement section).

…so yea, it’s basically safe to say that Pimon is very much Japanese. Yippee for diversity and fanfic ideas ig!

So, now that all these references to Japanese culture are out of the way-

How is Pimon related to the Yakuza?

Well, for a starter point, Pimon literally owns a black market that sells narcotics and weapons.

There is also the fact that the Yakuza is dated back to the 17th Century, while the manga takes place in the 19th.

So, it’s very much possible that Pimon is operating his own business with the help of Arthur, while his “family” is operating back in Japan or elsewhere around the world.

Theory 2: Death foreshadowed?

If this one is true I’m going into a mental spiral, I’m genuinely serious. I’ve had full on mental breakdowns over this goddamn fictional man not appearing in chapters. If Fukui Takumi kills him off, I’m killbinding.

In these 2 panels, Ambrose (the white chess piece) is beating Pimon (the black chess piece) in a game of chess.

And it’s the way that the second is dramatized that has me rolling. The dramatic shadows, the way it looks like the black chess piece is melting into the board… dear god.

I’m just… ugh. Fukui Takumi, if you kill Pimon, you will not hear the end of it, courtesy of me.

And folks, that is it for today! We hope you enjoyed the grand return of The Pimon Theory, and we’ll see you again on episode 6! Sayonara!

[paulisweeabootrash]

The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-chan

The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-chan/The Super-Cool Life of Strawberry-chan (1999/2004)

Format: Manga

Volumes read: 2 (whole series)

I bought this from the clearance section in the final days of Right Stuf to get up to the free shipping threshold. And let me tell you, sometimes things are on clearance for a reason. You ever read a newspaper comic strip and wonder "wow, how is this in print"? Like, something so aggressively unfunny that you can't imagine a target audience for it? Well, Strawberry-chan is the closest I've come to that in a manga.

Strawberry-chan was published very gradually in Zero (now Kurofune), a fantasy and sci-fi magazine from a publisher that specializes in BL, and was compiled in two volumes, titled "The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-chan" and "The Super-Cool Life of Strawberry-chan" in English (rather than being numbered volumes of the "same" series). I think the original run was 1995-2004, based on the artist afterword at the end of volume 2. According to the afterword, she tried to end the series but it was brought back by audience demand. Demand for what? Unclear.

The title character, Strawberry-chan, is a pet frog, and the manga follows the terrible things that happen to him at the boys' boarding school where his owner, Akiyoshi Taro, is a student. The two main running jokes(?) are that Taro mistreats Strawberry-chan, usually by sticking a straw up his cloaca, and that his roommate Fujikake Masayuki is in love with Strawberry-chan and wants to take him away. And that's basically it.

On the one hand, I don't want to trash something purely because I don't understand it. I wonder if this made sense at the time if you were really immersed in the 90s BL world, or at least you read other things from the same magazine. Even if it was genuinely bad at the time, I am willing to give slack to fans of strange niche media. I have definitely enjoyed, and still enjoy now, things that make other people cringe. On the other hand, ugh.

I am not the target audience for this, and I know there are jokes I'm not getting. A handful of things read as parodies, most obviously the early gag where Masayuki rejects a human-form Strawberry because he's not into humans -- I'm sure this is a play on a confidently-gay character not being interested in a woman version of his love interest -- but most of it is just confusing and unfunny to me. So I asked my wife, who has read quite a lot more yaoi than I have, for a second opinion, and she reports that if the premise is overall supposed to be some kind of joke about the dynamics of yaoi relationships, then it's a pretty badly-executed joke.

A few specific gags do stand out as pretty funny, like when Taro seems to be unable to distinguish Strawberry-chan from other frogs, or when Strawberry-chan buries himself in a flower pot to hibernate. And maybe you'll enjoy Strawberry being a butt monkey if you're a bit of an asshole or if you're a really big tsundere fan (Taro doesn't actually hate Strawberry, despite all his mistreatment), but to me it's all just tedious and grating.

W/A/S: ?/?/?

I don't know how to rate this.