#fate stay night 2014

[newlydiscoveredspeciesofgirl]

[beardedmrbean]

Ten years ago, Solomon Maina's daughter, Debora, was one of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from their dormitory in the middle of the night by Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants.

Global outrage was swift. A ubiquitous "Bring Back Our Girls" campaign, drawing support from the likes of Michelle Obama and Sylvester Stallone, shined a spotlight on the abductions. Then, in 2016 and 2017, negotiations led to the highly publicised liberation of around 100 of the captives. 

Debora was not one of them.

A decade after that fateful night in April 2014, the world has largely forgotten the plight of the so-called Chibok girls.

But for the victims and their families, the tragedy is ongoing.

"Especially at night, I think about my daughter," Maina, in tears, told Reuters in an interview at his home in Chibok, a Christian enclave in the West African nation's majority Muslim north. "I will never forget her."

Abductees who have returned home have struggled to resume their interrupted lives. Some are raising children fathered by their captors. Others have waited years for funds promised by the government to continue their education.

Those who spent the longest time in captivity have often had the most difficulty reintegrating with civilian life.

Dozens freed only in the past few years are living inside a military-run rehabilitation camp with surrendered Boko Haram fighters they married in the bush, according to the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, a charity that advocates for them. With them are more than 30 children.

"I'm tired of staying in the camp," one Chibok survivor told Reuters, asking not to be identified for fear of reprisals by the military. "I want to go home and stay with my family. There is no place like home."

Three of the surviving women told Reuters that in at least five cases women who arrived at the camp unmarried have been married to surrendered fighters once there. Government officials have officiated over such weddings, in an apparent effort to appease the surrendered fighters, family members say.

Aid groups and relatives say there is no clarity surrounding when - or even if - the women in the camp will be allowed to return home.

"They were brainwashed and their psychological thinking and mindset were changed to favour their abductors," said Dauda Yama whose daughter is inside the camp.

The state official in charge of the rehabilitation project did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Still missing

Roughly 90 Chibok girls are still missing. Based on the accounts of former abductees, the Murtala Muhammed Foundation believes a third of those have died in captivity.

"Some died of childbirth, some of starvation or snakebite others in government air strikes" against Boko Haram, said Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, the foundation's head. A parents association for the Chibok girls also estimates dozens are now dead.

Nigeria's president's office and the interior ministry did not respond to requests for comment on how many of the missing Chibok girls were believed to still be alive.

Early on, as the girls began emerging from captivity in the bush and their fate was still a rallying cause around the world, the government pledged to fund their studies in "any field of their choice."

Some liberated captives are attending universities as far afield as the United States. But some say the assistance never arrived.

Yagana Yamani waited for government funds for six years after escaping her captors. She finally asked her mother, a farmer, to help. Now 25, she is studying public health.

"They didn't fulfil their promise," she said.

The federal government did not respond to requests for comment on the question of whether it failed to provide promised support.

Nigeria's military has been fighting Boko Haram since 2009 in a conflict that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 2 million.

While the group aims to topple Nigeria's government to establish a state based on its own interpretation of Islamic law, to many people around the world it is best known for the Chibok kidnapping.

Soon after the raid, then-President Goodluck Jonathan promised that the girls would be brought home. Solomon Maina feels he is alone grappling with his daughter's fate.

Through a freed abductee, he learned that Debora had been injured but survived a bombing raid on Boko Haram. He believes she's still out there, alive.

"Where is she now? Is she in a comfortable place?" he said.

"I think about this all the time."

[rinshiroufan]

An Analysis of Two Different (Yet Complementary) Endings: UBW in the VN and the Anime; and What They Mean

So I recently finished my re-watch of Ufotable’s unjustly maligned 2014-15 adaptation of Fate/stay night’s Unlimited Blade Works route; I thoroughly enjoyed myself, which wasn’t shocking at all—Rin/Shirou is only my favourite fictional relationship (not just romantic, but any kind of relationship). It did however induce to more thoroughly and exhaustively compare the anime original conclusion to the two’s story with the original ending as presented in the VN, if only because I suspect that a careful reading of the nuances of the characterization of both will yield some very fruitful results. It might seem a bit paradoxical at first, but I’ve come to find these two scenes while seen incredibly fondly by most Shirin shippers are in fact quite underappreciated—because there’s just so brilliant and intricate in the subtle ways in which they manage to weave in so much depth and substance into exceedingly simple and seemingly plain plot developments. They are insanely thematically rich, and people often are left far too dazzled and enchanted by the magic of the superficial writing that they miss the genius hidden beneath the surface.

We’ll start off with the comparatively simpler part of the analysis: the original conclusion to Rin and Shirou’s story.

The Ending in the VN

For the purposes of this analysis, I will be skipping all of the epilogue sans the final classroom scene; the reasoning is quite straightforward and should be readily obvious—most of what is of relevance to this analysis is basically confined solely to Rin and Shirou’s final conversation. This disclaimer might appear to be superfluous to some, but I decided to include solely due to my recognizing an asymmetry in the structure that I chose to employ herein—because the section posterior to this one will have to deal with comprehensively picking apart the entirety of episode 25 of the anime. There was a distinct possibility some readers might find the decision somewhat puzzling, so I think it would be no great harm to tell people what precisely they are getting into, though I consider the content itself will be perfectly sufficient in providing people with an understanding of the thought process behind it. So without further ado, let’s finally begin.

The crux of the conversation between Rin and Shirou that caps off UBW is her invitation to him to tag along with her to London as she goes to continue her training in becoming a proper magus—and Shirou’s reaction to her doing so. I will now post all of Shirou’s key internal monologues relating to the matter during his initial contemplation of the matter, omitting all of Rin’s elaborative comment interspersed throughout Shirou’s thoughts for comedic effect, in order to allow us to better understand what precisely the story is trying to communicate here.

She speaks casually, but I'm sure it's an amazing thing. …But London, huh? …That's certainly too far away. My father wasn't in the Magic Association. I'm just like him, and I don't like formal stuff.

[...]

…But I might be able to move there. I can start working more, study English, save up traveling and living expenses, and find a job over there…

[...]

No, no, let's say I am able to rent an apartment there. I don't know what kind of a place the Clock Tower is, but I'm sure Tohsaka will get even busier. …Then it should be better for me to go there after I become a proper magus by myself. Yeah, that sounds good. First of all, London isn't suited for me. I bet I'll faint if I go there and if it's filled with people like Kotomine———

It is at this point that Rin finally notices Shirou has wandered off in his thoughts and thus not paying attention to her—subsequently presenting what amounts to an ultimatum to him. But before we go into that, let us more carefully and studiously parse what we have been presented with here: a dialectic. A dialectic meant to represent Shirou’s inner conflict—an exceedingly minor and trifling conflict, no doubt!—between his ideological aversion and distaste for formal magecraft and the sorts of individuals drawn to it, and his curious desire to nonetheless follow Rin wherever she goes. For literary effect, the text chooses not to immediately explicitly reveal what might be behind this willingness to nonetheless move to London despite his misgiving, but anyone who has been paying even the tiniest bit of attention can easily deduce what might be the cause. Nevertheless, the story firmly establishes a key piece of information going forward—Shirou is not fond of the Mage’s Association. He would certainly not choose to associate himself with them of his own volition.

But now that we have the set-up, we are almost immediately greeted with the pay-off—the previously posted CG of Rin’s brilliant visage in an adorable hunched over position and adorned with a radiant, loving smile, accompanied by the following text: 

"So, what will you do, Shirou?" She asks me gently, with eyes that see through me. "——————" My face turns red. Her words and expression blow away my humility and my dislike of the Magic Association. …This is what I mean by Tohsaka holding my weakness. I can't help it if I fell in love with her.

“Oh, why go silent now? I haven’t heard your answer yet.“

She keeps smiling mischievously. She knows what my answer is, but she's mercilessly attacking me. "Uh… I, um…" To be honest, London is too far away, but I can't imagine myself being taught by anyone other than Tohsaka. And I never even thought about parting with her. Most of all, I want to be with Tohsaka. "Be clear, this is important. Will you still come with me, even if it's as my assistant?" She looks up into my eyes. She looks so attractive that I feel like my heart will pop out of my mouth. "S-Shut up, you idiot…! You idiot, idiot, idiot! I-I-If it's so important, tell me about it in a more appropriate place! I can't answer you when it's so sudden…!!!"

I don’t know what’ll happen to me if I keep staring at her, so I look away. ...I still feel Tohsaka’s presence.

She’s happily watching my reaction.

"Hey, Shirou. What's your answer?" She murmurs gently. ………She's got me beat. Is it this hard to nod and reply honestly? "………" But I can't turn around unless I say it to her.

"……You idiot. Don't ask me such an obvious question." I meet Tohsaka's gaze and tell her my honest opinion. Her smile broadens at those words.

“And I never even thought about parting with her. Most of all, I want to be with Tohsaka.” That’s the key portion here. The internal tug of war between Shirou’s deep-seated hatred for the common amoral magi and the stifling environment of Clock Tower on the one hand, and his unbridled love for and admiration of Rin is decisively and unquestionably resolved in Rin’s favour. It was barely even a contest. Returning to previously discussed dialectic, it is noteworthy how Shirou considers moving to London at a later time than Rin so that he wouldn’t represent a burden for a Rin less likely to be able to spend precious time with him. Hell—the guy already starts making plans about how he’s going to move there without her even inviting him or expressing that she wants him to go with her! He’s so lovestruck that the mere mention of her moving to London has his immediately making preparations so that he can be with her. It’s odd to think that Shirou could possibly find some way to work more than he already does, but that’s not stopping him. Shirou’s internal back and forth weighing his options, contrasting his reservations towards moving to London with his obvious preparedness to go there for Rin’s sake, is presented as barely even really being a proper conflict; the outcome was determined from the very start. There was simply no other way this could have been resolved—Shirou wants to be with his Tohsaka.

But why is this the conclusion to UBW? Why precisely was it so important to finish the route like this, with this particular scenario, with this particular character dynamic? It might seem like this is just the logical conclusion to how the story should be: it’s hardly in-character for Rin, someone who is portrayed as someone who loves magecraft and finds it fun, to not eventually go to Clock Tower, given that one of the themes of the route is her and Shirou’s learning to walk their chosen path out of their own love for it and on their own terms; it also helps reaffirm Shirou’s love for her. But how exactly does this help cap off Shirou’s character arc? How does this serve as a fitting conclusion to his character arc taken in its entirety, including his conflict with Archer? The essential element here is Shirou’s invocation of Kiritsugu, prefacing the rest of his comments elaborating on his opposition to the Association; Shirou’s refusal to move to London is symbolically associated with his ideal. The core question of UBW of course is “Will or will not Shirou become just like Archer?” He is after all walking on the same path, headed to the same direction. What makes him so different? This scene is meant to answer that: his love for Rin. The entire scenario is a microcosm of Rin and Shirou’s relationship, showing why he won’t become Archer: he loves Rin more than he wants to pursue his ideal. Of course Shirou wants to become a superhero—but he wants to be with Rin even more.  Shirou will always treasure the precious time he spends with Rin far more than he does his adventuring. Whatever corner of the world he may be in, whatever conflict is afoot, no matter how faraway he may be—he will always find his way back home, the place where he truly belongs: with Rin. The girl who loves him, and whom he loves back.

And I really cannot think of a more fitting poem to end that scene than...

The Ending in the Anime

In episode 25 of the 2014 UBW TV anime adaptation by Ufotable, we finally get to see Rin and Shirou’s life together in London.

It makes for incredible fanservice, to say the least.

He’s giving her a headpat—SHE’S SLEEPING ON HIS SHOULDER!!! Thanks for humouring my pic dump; now, onto the analysis.

Within the confines of the anime, the classroom conversation between Rin and Shirou is quite heavily abridged, positioned very deliberately so that it may be carefully instrumentalized for the specific narrative purposes of the broader narrative of the London epilogue it is situated in. It is in short repurposed. We will have to return to the specifics of that later. For now, let’s begin analyzing how the narrative unfolds.

The epilogue has a three act structure, divided over three in-universe days. The first day acts as the set-up; the second day as the elaboration; and the final day provides us with the conclusion. Now, the first day is mostly fanservice, and this is not without reason: while it lays the foundation for Shirou’s inner conflict that we see unfold over the next two days, it is a mostly laidback story that simply invites us to enjoy Rin and Shirou’s nearly idyllic life in London. It’s a way to frontload almost all of the pure, unadulterated fanservice so as to allow for more narratively relevant elements to be positioned at the very end, which is precision-focused to delivering a fitting conclusion to Emiya Shirou’s arc—which isn’t to say that the latter portions of the story lack fanservice, or that the frontloaded fanservice has no purpose whatsoever; rather, the later fanservice simply has more thematic depth to it. The early fanservice meanwhile serves mostly to establish what Rin and Shirou’s life in London is like; it’s purpose is to establish what is at stake. Many have lamented that Ufotable cut a lot of the elements which were included in Nasu’s original script (most likely rejected due to the Ufotable animation staff’s qualms with having to do another exhausting 45 min episode), but ultimately it was for the better in my estimation; it resulted in far more focus. Instead of wasting time on the total mediocrity of a character that is Luvia, the existing story utilizes her wisely for a specific purpose—to establish just how much Rin has changed over the narrative. I mean, the girl went from freaking out at the suggestion she might be fond of a certain redhead to being so openly enamoured with him that’s she willing to throw down with other girls for flirting with him! The idealized portrayal of Shirou’s new idealized life with the girl he loves is interspersed with discussion of his receiving an invitation to join the Association—and the implications of that. The day ends with Shirou’s mentioning that his heart lies elsewhere; in his pursuit of the ideal.

The next day is fairly laidback as well, but also a bit more... contemplative. Rin and Shirou’s ruminations on the Holy Grail War and what they learned from it during their visit to Glastonbury aren’t exactly directly connected to the central conflict of the narrative, but they nevertheless help portray just how much more mature these characters have gotten, how much they have changed since the events of HGW. It’s important to have Rin portrayed in a much more serious light; after all, the beginning of the episode had her used as comedic relief. Yes, it’s a perfectly fine way to establish just how much Rin truly loves Shirou, but the conclusion to the episode ultimately relies on her being both loving and mature; she’s always been the more intelligent, level-headed and wise of the two, so it stands to reason that it would be quite prudent remind the audience of that as it becomes important once again. Once more, we are treated to a dialectic; the hopelessly in love Rin of the first day meets her antithesis in the wise, contemplative Rin of the second day, ultimately resulting in the synthesis we encounter in the final resolution to the narrative. Having Rin portrayed as being both more mature yet also more fun than Shirou also reinforces just how much more at ease she is at Clock Tower than he is.

On the ride back home, Shirou has a flashback. And we suddenly find ourselves back in Fuyuki, two years prior.

Cute.

Anyway, we return to our repurposed classroom scene.

What exactly is the goal of this scene? Shirou’s monologues, so crucial to the scene in the VN, are wholly excised. We can see Shirou’s blushing like crazy (I can’t blame him...), but we are otherwise left clueless as to his considerations whether or not to follow Rin to London. The thematic relevance of the scene in the VN is gone; no-one, going based solely on the anime, could possibly have realized that this particular scene was meant to be a microcosm of their relationship, showing my Shirou will not become Archer. If anything, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that the scene is just there to fill in the gaps about what happened in the immediate aftermath of the events of Fifth HGW and act as more Rin/Shirou fanservice. It’s the final episode, so why not just give your audience diabetes ten times over? Just look at it!

God, I’m really sorry if this many images bothers anyone—but I just can’t help it, it’s too cute and amazing.

But yeah... good fanservice. Doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything thematically relevant or important to the characterization our heroes receive, right?

Well...

This... is what the episode is all about.

Shirou doesn’t want to betray Rin.

“Thanks for bringing me with you.“ Shirou is profoundly grateful to Rin for giving him this wonderful opportunity to be with her and spend time with her. He is so very happy to be able to cherish his time with the girl that he loves... but he can’t stay at Clock Tower. Rin is the only reason that he is happy there. He feels uncomfortable with the subject of his future there, too afraid to openly and honestly express his feelings to Rin, because he doesn’t want to break her heart. For all that Shirou has matured, he is still just a young man trying to find his place in the world, confused and scared; scared that he might have to abandon the girl he loves so dearly—scared of what she might say. He doesn’t want to spit all over her effort and hard work, all that she has ever done for him; fundamentally, Shirou’s conflict in this episode is about Rin. It’s about his struggling with the difficulties of maintaining the relationship that he has built with her, and his fears that it might not last. His fears that Rin wouldn’t understand what he’s going through, and reject him for it. And that in doing so... his fate will as Archer will be sealed.

But that’s not what happens. When he is finally forced to explain himself to her, he is surprised to hear that she isn’t mad at all. No, she’s wholly supportive of him! Encouraging, even! In fact... she’s the one reassuring him. Earlier in the narrative, Rin was Shirou’s foil as the down to the earth realist to his wide-eyed, idealism. Rin was the one with the self-esteem issues; Shirou was the one who kept charging at the impossible without a doubt in his mind about his chances of success. The confession was all about Shirou’s providing Rin with the necessary support to get back up due to his holding her in a higher regard than she did herself; to Shirou, she was always the amazing, incredible girl who never quits despite all the things weighing on her back. And now, in a beautiful symmetry... it’s her, the girl who didn’t think she had it in her to strive for the impossible, giving encouragement to him, the boy who never did quit, who now has doubts about his future... to never quit. Because she believes in him, just like he believed in her.

People tend to grievously misunderstand what Rin says in this episode—it’s responsible for like 90% of the stupid takes on this episode and the future of the Rin/Shirou pair. She never claims that she will always follow Shirou around; she quite openly states that she eventually wishes to settle down at Clock Tower, because pursuing magecraft is fun, it’s her dream, and it makes her happy. She just doesn’t think that is necessarily incompatible with her being with Shirou. Just like Shirou had made a temporary sacrifice coming to London to spend time with her, so too will Rin now make a slight detour from her path to accomplishing her dream to support the most precious person in her life. It’s why I find it somewhat regrettable that Shirou’s monologues were removed from the classroom scene; it would have been nice to have it be readily apparent within the show itself without recourse to the VN that there’s a symmetry between Shirou’s going to London with Rin and Rin’s going on adventures with Shirou. I understand the omission, given the excellent execution, but it was nonetheless an imperfection solution; perhaps the only one there was. But I can still lament, can’t I?

Rin and Shirou’s relationship is going to face a lot of issues. It’s not going to be easy. A clash of wants is inevitable. But Rin is willing to make it work. She is going to make it work. For both of their sakes. The beauty of Rin and Shirou’s relationship is in its striving towards an ideal; it can never be perfect, but it still comes close to being so. Its imperfections make it more than perfect. Theirs is a relationship just like any other—filled with ups and downs. The proof of their love is not in the absence of problems, but in their having the patience, understanding and mutual respect to overcome them, together. Many people when praising the Shirin pair like to adduce its being the most “realistic” of the three VN relationships in its favour. I think such people are doing it a massive disservice by doing so. Shirin is wonderful because it’s a highly idealized version of a normal relationship. Just look at the episode! Their love story is a like a fairy tale! The entire story is about Rin and Shirou, partners in crime; just the two of them against the whole world. Falling love in the midst of a conflict filled with strange mystic mages and legendary heroes from the past. And yet... it feels so down to earth. It feels like something that could occur in your own neighbourhood. What makes me love it so much is this careful but amazing balance between reality and fantasy; it’s just the story of a boy and a girl falling in love... but it feels like a grand epic. Both of them are strange and downright weird people... yet they are also just two regular teenagers, doing regular teenage things. Two regular people, stuck in extraordinary circumstances where they don’t belong... and making the best of it. Together. And nothing exemplifies that more for me that this one final scene at the end of episode 25, perfectly encapsulating why they are so great.

Many people lament the absence of more physical affection between Rin and Shirou, in both the VN and the anime. I sympathize with such people; I myself wish we had gotten many more hugs, kisses and cuddling than we did. And yet... I feel as though in decrying what is not there, they fail to appreciate what was there. Because frankly, few things have made me as emotional as this one handshake.

[takumaswife]

My Prayer ~ Hokuto Yoshino

Word Count: 1497 words

Genre: Angst

A/N: this is my first time writing since 2014.. ive never had so much anxiety writing this..

Here is a link to the song if you wanna get the feel as you read:

This overflowing feeling

My unstoppable heart beating

You’re in front of me right now

Because I’m sure this coincidence is fate

There he was, staring at you as you stood across from him. It felt like the world had stopped, and time had froze. The way you looked so beautiful. Eyes sparkling, the brightest smile he had ever seen. He knew from that moment he was in love with you.

The warmth of our hands linked together

I don’t want to let go

I don’t want to leave you

The way your hand held his, how excited you were to tell him the great news. "What has gotten you so excited today?" Hokuto asked, his smile wide as seeing yours only brought him joy. "I finally got a date! Me and Itsuki are going on a date!" You shouted, jumping slightly as you couldn't contain your excitement. His smile slowly faded. This time, the world had stopped but not in a good way. He felt his world crashing down. The skies were turning gray and cloudy. You were so excited that you didn't even notice he wasn't smiling anymore.

When the flow of time passes by

It will pass me and you heartlessly

I just want to be by your side

That is my only wish

My prayer

It had been a year of friendship with Hokuto. A year of him being in love with you, but you were too blind to see. Everyone knew, everyone could see except for you and Itsuki. Every night, he would pray that he would get the chance to take your heart and protect it. To keep it safe and never let it get hurt again. He would do anything to have you as his.

Although seeing your gaze when you look at someone else

Hurts me

Kazuma and Makoto had talked all the members into going to a small club for the night in hopes of helping Hokuto get his mind off of you and Itsuki. However, when Hokuto had seen you two on the dance floor, bodies pressed together as a slow song played, he felt his heart break. The way you looked at his best friend with the biggest smile, eyes once again sparkling like the day you told him about the date. Oh, how he wished that was him. He wished you were looking at him like that. Your arms wrapped around his neck, his on your hips as your bodies swayed to the music in the background.

But our love for each other is more when we can’t meet

So that the bond between us

Don’t break apart

During the time you and Itsuki were dating, Hokuto would try to stay away from you to lose those feelings. But he couldn't. He couldn't lose feelings for you. You were his everything. Every time he tried to stay away, the others, along with you, would beg him to join any outings or movie nights. He couldn't say no to you, especially with those big eyes you would give him.

When the flow of time passes by

It will pass me and you heartlessly

I just want to be by your side

That is my only wish

My prayer

Two years. Two years Hokuto had watched you and his best friend spend every moment together. He would just watch when you were all together sitting around and chatting; the way you would smother the male with kisses, feed him whenever they were out eating. Everyone would cringe at the puppy love between you and Itsuki, but he didn't. He wished it was him. He wanted that.

But today was different. The letter that came in the mail. "Save The Date." The words that haunted him. The words he never wanted to see unless it was with you and him. Sitting on the edge of his bed, hands gripping his hair as he could feel a tear slipping down his cheek. The one person he was truly in love with would never be with him.

I’d give anything

And I would do everything

I’d climb the highest mountain just for one wish

Here he was, standing beside Itsuki at the altar. The best man at a wedding he wished was his. How could this happen? How could he not be man enough to tell you the truth before it was too late.

As the music started playing and the doors opened, he saw you. His heart burst at how beautiful you looked. As you made your way down the aisle, he found himself tearing up. Itsuki glanced back at Hokuto, patting his shoulder as he thought Hokuto was crying because of how close you two were. Behind Hokuto was Ryu, who frowned when he saw the tears in his eyes. Ryu was someone Hokuto found himself going to when he needed to rant or cry over you. He knew how bad Hokuto was hurting during that moment. He would do anything to be in Itsuki's place.

I’d give anything

And I would do everything

I’d swim the deepest ocean just for one wish

I wish for only one thing, To you…

Sitting there in the crowd as you and Itsuki had your first dance. It reminded him of that night in the club. The way you still had that same smile, the same sparkle in your eyes. The same looks he wished you were giving him.

When the flow of time passes by

It will pass me and you heartlessly

I just want to tell you

That I love you and you only

After taking the time to greet everyone at your wedding, you finally found yourself in front of Hokuto. Your arms wrapping around your best friend immediately. He reciprocated by hugging you tighter than he ever had before. "Are you okay?" You asked as you stepped back, noticing the hug felt different from any other time. "Y/N.. I need to tell you something.." Hokuto spoke quietly, avoiding eye contact as he grabbed your hand in his. He rubbed your knuckles as he tried to find his words.

"I-" He started but immediately stopped when he looked into your eyes. Was expressing his feelings worth destroying your friendship? Was it worth ruining your big night? Was he being too selfish? He swallowed the lump in his throat and put on a fake smile. "I'm so happy for you.." He spoke, trying his best to sound sincere. However, the crack in his voice told you differently, but you decided not to push the matter.

To you…

Before it gets too late

I just want to tell you

That I love you and you only

My prayer

The cheers roared as you and Itsuki made your way down the aisle of people towards the car that was decorated with 'Just Married' on the back. Rice being thrown in the air as the crowd celebrated the newlyweds. As they got to the car, Hokuto, along with the other members of the group, were there to give the last hugs before the couple drove off on their honeymoon.

You turned to Hokuto and gave a large smile as your arms wrapped around his neck for the last time that night. Hokuto hugged you just as tight as he did earlier, another tear slipping down his cheek and onto your shoulder. You could feel something was wrong but didn't know if you should ask at this time in front of everyone.

"Ready to go?" Itsuki turned to ask you. "Yes, darling. One second." You replied as you kept hugging your best friend. "I love you, Kuto.." you whispered softly to make your friend feel better. Hokuto's body stiffened when he heard those words. He gulped, taking a deep breath before speaking. "And I will always love you.." Hokuto replied. But you knew this wasn't an 'I love you' that you normally heard from him. This one was different. From his tone, from the hug, from the tear you felt against your skin. You knew what he meant when he said those three words.

"Let's go, baby. We have to get to the airport in an hour or we will miss our flight." Itsuki spoke softly as he rubbed your lower back. You pulled away from the hug, giving Hokuto a small smile. Leaning up, you kissed his cheek before following your love to the car. The two of you leaned out the window, waving to the cheering guest as you drove off. As the car drove further from the venue, you watched Hokuto in the sideview mirror. The sad expression he had been holding in all night. You sat back against the seat, staring out the window as Itsuki's hand rested on your thigh. All you could think about was Hokuto's words and what they meant. You knew the meaning because deep down, you always had reciprocated those exact feelings for the blonde hair boy.

[swearingcactus]

DETAILS IN FAR CRY 6 THAT I FOUND ON MY SECOND RUN THAT I CURSE UBISOFT FOR NOT EXPLORING FURTHER

this is a long ass post so im putting it under the read more tag haha woops

Dani was 18 when the orphanage let them go for being of-age (in May 2014), About a month later in June 2014, they were drafted into the military. They stayed in the military for 3+ years, as evident from a letter of warning issued to them in 2017 because they were doing black market smuggling. (I wish they explored more on this instead of just putting it in as letters we can find because it would've answered Dani's perhaps overtly casualness in doing smuggling activities for Bembe.)

Speaking of Bembe, remember the boat that Alejo and Dani were supposed to ride on to get away from Yara? It turns out Bembe was the one who got them that spot in the boat, with a letter sent to Alejo to leave with his friend that night. Since Bembe and Dani didn't know each other before the events in-game, Alejo must have contacted Bembe alone. This makes his death (and his ghost blaming Dani for it) hit a lot harder, considering Alejo had done the heavy lifting to get them both out of Yara, and Dani still didn't manage to do so.

If you leave to find Libertad, but go back to the beach where Lita's body is still there, Dani will question Lita's opinion that what had happened was fate. (Before sadly and bitterly telling her to rest in peace.)

Despite this, a treasure hunt in El Este has Dani look for boats named after the Legends of '67. One of the boats is named Roja Victoria, to which Dani laughs at the name and says it's fate.

The 6 in Dani's default outfit/baseball jersey might be a reference to them being the protag for far cry 6 (hurhur)

Dani's big dream after moving to Miami is to open a bodyshop called Huérfanos (orphans), (which is a weird ass branding for a business and I'm thankful that the evil ghost of Alejo talked shit about it 😭)

With two different voice actors (and surprisingly slightly different animations for cutscenes), there's a lot of differences on body language and how male and female dani talk with the other cast. Some notable differences are:

female dani tend to be calmer when talking to people, which makes her being the representative of Libertad trying to bridge communications a great choice. In comparison, male dani is more brash, but it fits with them being a nobody orphan from Esperanza with a Libertad armband that people are initially constantly hostile with.

when meeting espada, female dani caught espada's blade without flinching (badass). male dani pulled his head back as he caught it and was jittery after, which in reality would be more realistic.

male dani's character model is significantly more roughed up and bloodied during the torture scene in comparison to female dani's (booooo!!)

female dani sounded way nicer to diego, gently asking "and you won't be? 😔🥺" at diego's insistence that his father was only evil because he was brought up that way. male dani was straight up yelling the line "AND YOU WON'T BE ‼😤🤬" which makes the ensuing scene where diego almost shoot them hilarious with male dani's threat to shoot diego be much realer. that man was ready to throw hands with a 13 year old roblox player.

Also if you pay attention, Diego's screen during the hotel raid is a paused FPS game that kid is a #gamerrrr, and it's hilarious that the implication he's in the hotel suite is just because he wants to peacefully game. (also also Diego might just be the second canonical gamer in Far Cry, considering Jason's the first. Nick Rye from FC5 is also a gamer but he seems to only play arcade games. Vaas being a gamer with his knowledge of Silent Hill is debatable as the DLC may or may not be canon.)

back to male and female dani's differences, during the dinner scene where Antón was threatening to kill Clara and Juan was going to shoot Diego, f!Dani kept staring at Diego and quite obviously says "Juan." warningly, while m!Dani glances at Diego before closing his eyes and whispers Juan under his breath. (Personally m!Dani's approach to try and warn Juan without letting Antón know is more nuanced imo)

m!Dani panicked more when Clara was shot than f!Dani, but f!Dani panicked and yelled out "DIEGO, NO!" when Diego was shot in comparison to m!Dani's quiet horror

m!Dani has a more snappy/accusatory tone when talking to Clara when he was going to meet Máximas Matanzas, re:how a lot of people got hurt due to the riots that they caused in Esperanza. this makes his interaction with them a lot more interesting, since it's obvious Dani disagrees with plenty of their actions (Talia killing Marquessa, his initial annoyance at Bicho, Paolo killing that doctor after getting the intel, etc.)

Valle de Oro is the ONLY time in-game that Dani complains that they have done plenty of things for the faction and demanded them to do something (the rap show) in exchange.

this also makes Dani's relationship with Bembe interesting especially with how Dani doesn't deny Bembe's line about not lying to their friends. Dani was just saying what they needed to say and did what they needed to do to get Máximas Matanzas with Libertad, not because they actually actively like them. Dani possibly didn't kill Bembe because deep down they agree with him to a certain level.

This is a bit of a stretch, but I'd like to say that at the end of Máximas Matanzas's arc, Dani agrees with Juan that their music was no Pedro Torrero, and might hint that Dani (like Juan) dislikes their voice and takes on the revolution, as well as being another way to cement the whole 'Dani will wind up like Juan, an adrenaline junkie addicted to the revolution' narrative.

Another case in point, Dani's much friendlier with Espada and with La Moral's crew, having heartfelt calls with Espada and partying along with La Moral.

Máximas Matanzas suffers a lot as being the most disliked part of the game, if Dani did dislike them and it was made as part of the story, it would actually make the whole thing way more interesting.

Another way Máximas Matanzas arc could've been better executed is if they just explored Talia's POV & the True Yaran Academy storyline further. A big part of why people hate the arc is because of Talia's constant bitching and ordering of Dani around and absolutely no plan other than being loud. The important thing about Talia is: her anger is just covering for her fear. We see this when she's visibly nervous (and hiding it with anger that they WON'T stop the show even as the FND is raiding their location), and when she shrinks when Maria started berating her and Paolo's ideals, something that must have been drilled onto her in the academy. Talia eventually snaps and kills Maria, a very, VERY, bad decision that paints Libertad in a bad light-- but if we had an insight to how the brainwashing worked like what happened in FC5 with Faith's region? Or see shells of people like the Marshall in 5, who were successfully brainwashed and what Talia feared to become? I think the storyline would've went very differently. regardless of Dani's opinion of her and how it would still be a dumb decision, we'd still understand where she was coming from-- something most players don't in the current storyline.

When you kill El Doctor, when Dani was still hallucinating, if you wait long enough and let El Doctor mock Dani, saying that orphans make the best test subjects, Dani would frustratedly yell at him to shut up.

Other than being likened to Juan, Dani is also called similar to El Tigre (being the fist of the revolution/the hero) and also to Lobo. The latter is interesting, because there is a lot of similarity between Lobo-Santos and Dani-Clara. Santos/Clara is the educated politician with a squeaky clean public image who orders the previously nobody Lobo/Dani around to do the dirty work. the only difference between them is that Lobo eventually snapped and aimed to rule Yara tyrannically and was put down. its a good thing Dani seems to have zero ambition! haha :)

After El Tigre hugs Dani when they first meet, Dani angrily tells him to "never do that again." we see that he actually honors this request. the next time El Tigre congratulates Dani for successfully taking back the hotel for La Moral, he just settled for a very enthusiastic handshake and shoulder squeeze

Yelena is catholic, she makes a cross before talking to her boyfriend's grave. Most yarans seem to be catholic but it seems like from the main cast, she's the only one other than the Castillos who's explicitly religious

Dani is also religious but to the native religion of Yara: Triada.

The religion is banned and deemed as a savage practice, and Dani mentions that they haven't seen the Triada symbols around since they were a kid.

The only other person who seems to worship the Oluwas that is named is the father of Zenia Zayas, Elisio, a propaganda artist who became depressed after his divorce and then turned to work with the FND. He became obsessed with the Oluwas and seemed to become insane with his worship to Ida, the Oluwa for passion, fire and war.

Dani is special in their devotion to the Oluwas because it seems that they did gain special favor from the gods, being able to get into the deepest magical caves and was deemed worthy by Oluso, the guardian. This makes Dani similar to Ajay in how they are somewhat chosen ones that doesn't go insane even with their proximity to supernatural powers like normal humans do (Ajay's being his multiple travels to Shangri La and visions as Kalinag that he brushes off like a whole chad.)

This is not a new detail but I'm gonna put it here since it's not mentioned anywhere in the wiki. The Triada features 3 Oluwas: Ida (a male Oluwa for passion, fire and war), Oku (a female Oluwa of water, life, and justice) and Mimo Abosi (Oluwa of wind, trickery, and luck).

There seems to be a lot of concept art re: dark magic rituals that didnt make the final cut except as easter eggs:

last but not least: dani is canonically short :)

[northoftheroad]

Dick Grayson in the New 52

(Prime Earth, from after Flashpoint (2011) up until the Convergence (2015).

As everyone might know, I'm not a great fan of the New 52. I'm sure some characters had great stories, and there are indeed some compelling stories for Dick, but generally, I feel it did him few favours. Before Flashpoint (Dick became Doctor Fate in Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons, by the way), Dick Grayson had a long and rich history together with scores of characters and was one of the most experienced and skilled "superheroes" out there. Instead, we got a guy in his early 20s who had met Bruce Wayne when he was as old as 15, didn't have his best friends from the Teen Titans, hardly knew that version of Superman, etcetera. (Dick had been in a relationship with Kory, seen in some flashbacks, but I don't think there ever was a New Teen Titans team.) 

Dick's Nightwing suit was also red instead of blue; I believe to have all four "Robins" in the same colour, which I didn't mind. But I really, really don't like the New 52 version of his Robin suit. 

I honestly don't think there are a lot of stories from this time that are important to know about reading forward, i.e. things that will be referenced in later comics (and fanfiction...) There is the Court of Owls extended storyline, naturally, when it turns out Dick's great-grandfather is a Talon and wants Dick to follow in his footstep, something the Court and Parliament of Owls seem very much into (The Gray Son of Gotham). This has forever changed Dick's past at Haly's circus, from where he would have been safe to where he would have been handed over to a future as a Talon. 

There is Forever Evil when Dick was killed and revived, after which Batman took the chance to "persuade" Dick to pretend to stay dead so he could infiltrate Spyral, leading to the title Grayson (2014–2016). There's Damian dying and coming back too, but Dick had a minor role there. 

Towards the end of the New 52, DC was working to give their characters all their memories back from pre-Flashpoint, and the (Silver age) Titans were reunited in Titans Hunt (2015–2016). 

Anyway, here are some notable comics with Dick Grayson from the New 52, trying to keep it in in-story chronological order. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 25. A story from Dick's time at the circus. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 0 (2012) and The Long Year (in New 52 Secret Origins vol 3 # 1 (2014)) tell somewhat different versions of how Dick came to Bruce and became Robin.

Batman and Robin vol 2 Annual # 2. Partly a flashback story to when Dick was Robin. Bruce fires him and forgives him a night or two later; none of them are characters I can particularly care about...  

Grayson Annual # 2. A couple of flashback pages to Dick/Robin meeting the (young) New 52 Superman.

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015–2016) and Batman Endgame # 1. Parts of Batman & Robin Eternal occur in the past when Dick is Robin, and for instance, faces Scarecrow for the first time. 

Justice League vol 2 # 51. DickRobin’s first meeting with the Justice League. Batman tells him he will be leading it in the future.

Nightwing vol 3 # 1. Dick has just left being Batman and gone back to Nightwing.

Nightwing vol 3 # 2–10. Connected to the Court of Owls storyline. # 7 tells how Dick's childhood friend Raymond was taken to become a Talon, after Dick had left with Bruce. # 8–9 includes the story of Dick's great-grandfather William Cobb, his love affair with Amelia Crowne, and how he became a Talon, took his son from Amelia, and left him at the circus. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 11–17. Dick invests all his money in rebuilding the Amusement Mile in Gotham and invites Haly's circus to work there. He gets help from the businesswoman Sonia Branch, the daughter of Tony Zucco, his parent's murderer. However, Joker targets the Amusement Mile and the circus, and in the end, Dick is left without any money and the circus people leave him. 

Connected to the Death of the Family crossover, where the Joker imprisons the bat-family in the cave. The story arc ends with Bruce's allies leaving him, angry that he never told them that the Joker might have known who they are all along. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 18. The aftermath of Damian's death. Dick is told that Tony Zucco, the man who killed his parents and was presumed dead, is alive. 

Batman and Robin vol 2 # 23 Nightwing. Dick tries to help Bruce cope with Damian's death. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 18. Dick moves to Chicago to search for Zucco. In # 28, Zucco ends up in jail. 

Forever Evil (2013-2014) In # 1, Nightwing is captured by the Crime Syndicate of Earth 3, and they demask him on television. Justice League vol 2 # 23.4 and # 25. Thomas Wayne Jr, Owlman on the Crime Syndicate, tries to convince Dick to become his partner against the rest of the Syndicate. In his own dimension, he had killed that Dick Grayson's parents to make Dick bond with him. In Forever Evil # 6, Batman and Catwoman find Dick trapped in a murder machine; a bomb that will explode unless his heart stops. Lex Luthor knocks Batman out and ostensibly suffocates Dick while giving him a cardioplegia pill. Dick flatlines, and the countdown of the bomb stops. # 7 Luthor revives Dick with a shot of adrenalin. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 30. Bruce is an abusive ass and fights with Dick to force him to pretend to stay dead and infiltrate Spyral; Bruce describes it as an espionage group hunting masked heroes. In the last pages, Dick is with Spyral. 

There was also a # 30 that never was published about Dick's funeral and the reactions of his friend and family. 

Grayson (2014–2016). Dick is working as Agent 37 at Spyral. He has been equipped with a Hypnos Implant in the eyes, used to show hallucinations to enemies (and more); it can also be used to render the agent wearing them unconscious. I've said it before; I can enjoy the Grayson book if I read it as Dick is playing the part of sexy (and sometimes obnoxious) super spy out of necessity. He is clearly homesick when he talks to Bruce to report his findings. 

Batman Eternal takes place when Dick is presumed dead; he's mentioned twice, I believe (# 5 and 18)

Batman vol 2 # 40 (April 2015). Dick stands in as Batman, fighting the Joker. 

Grayson # 5. The best issue of the run, in my opinion. Dick keeps a newborn baby alive after a plane crash in a desert, telling her a story that builds on the classic Robin Dies at Dawn. 

Grayson # 12. Dick returns to Gotham, where Bruce is an amnesiac and has forgotten about Batman and all his kids. Dick reveals himself to Alfred, Jason, Tim, Damian and Barbara (Jason, especially, is pissed; Damian is overjoyed) to get their help to take down Spyral. Quotes from older comics surround his meetings with the other bat-characters, so it's a fun issue to read for that. 

Starfire vol 2 # 6–8. Guest starring Dick as Agent 37. 

Grayson Annual # 2. Dick meets and teams up with the New 51 Superman, who has lost most of his powers. It has its moments, and Dick talks about how he remembered Clark's story about the Kryptonian gods Nightwing and Flamebird when he decided to leave being Robin. 

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015–2016) and Batman Endgame # 1. A part of Batman & Robin Eternal takes place in the past when Dick is Robin; in the story "now", Dick is Agent 37. It revolves around a character called "Mother", who "creates" characters on order. It is implied Bruce worries that he was doing the same thing with Dick, when he trained him to become Robin. The book includes many characters, for instance, Cassandra Cain, who is reintroduced here. Personally, I don't think you miss out a lot if you skip this book, but to each their own. 

Robin War (a book and crossover including Grayson # 15, 2015–2016). Dick and the other official Robins train and work together with the Robin movement in Gotham. It ends with Dick accepting a position as a Talon for the international Parliament of Owls – they had tricked Damian into taking the role earlier in the book, but their goal was set on Dick. (Dick will, of course, work to dismantle the Parliament, in the Rebirth Nightwing title.)

Titans Hunt (2015–2016). The return of Wally West led to Rebirth and everyone remembering a past they've forgotten (DC's way of explaining the shortcomings of New 52, if I understood correctly). Just before that happens, Titans Hunt reunites part of the old Teen Titans, and Dick returns to his Nightwing suit. 

The New 52 brand ended in 2015, when DC published a bunch of miniseries under the brand Convergence. The storylines continued into 2016 until Rebirth happened (Dick's appearances there is something I will try to get into in a later post).

And there were a lot of different versions of Dick Grayson during Convergence...

The future of Dick and Kory from the New Teen Titans timeline, in Convergence: The New Teen Titans # 1-2

The future of Dick and Barbara from pre-Flashpoint timeline, in Convergence: Nightwing and Oracle # 1-2

The future of Dick from the old Earth-Two (who actually died together with his "almost adopted sister" Helena/Huntress in Crisis on Infinite Earths) in Convergence: Detective Comics # 1-2

Dick from Earth 2, who was a journalist, never met Bruce but Thomas and became Batman, in Convergence # 2–8, Earth 2: World's End and Earth 2: Society (he's not in every issue). 

Note. This is a much more complete list from a Tumblr account that I believe is no longer active:

[owarinaki]

Fate Stay Night : Unlimited Blade Works - Caster captures Saberfate

ver.The movie DEEN [2010] Vs UFO [2014]

UFO makes Saber look so erotic ,lol

[blckrcse]

——— is that KAIUS LANCASTER on bourbon street ? the 28 / 130  year old AUGUSTINE VAMPIRE who stays in the FRENCH QUARTER ?  they are notoriously known for being ERUDITE & VALIANT but also BELLIGERENT & RETICENT. which is probably why they are considered THE LUMINARY around town.  i wonder if they had their tarot cards reading, yet? either way, the cards on the table will reveal their fate soon enough

stats !

name: kaius joel tyberius lancaster. nickname: will only go by kaius, does not respond to anything else. was affectionately called kj by his family. age: 28/130. birthdate: february 28, 1910. zodiac: pisces. height: 6'5". gender: cis man. pronouns: he/him. sexuality: heterosexual. current residence: french quarter in new orleans. occupation: history professor at mikaelson college. alignment: chaotic good. species: augustine vampire. family: to be determined family members. faceclaim: matthew daddario.

bio !

torture, violence, orphanage, abuse triggers

Kaius was born in New York in 1910, raised in an orphanage from the time he was a newborn to the day he fled to make a living of his own at thirteen. He and a group of other orphans like himself, two of which were his actual biological siblings, lived on the streets of New York and made ends meet by rummaging waste bins, stealing from trade stands, and doing odd jobs no matter the legality.

During the Great Depression, he helped his small homeless community by finding them scraps, whether that be food, clothing or medicinal items. Although it was never enough, it was at least something to keep them going day-to-day, often times offering them his helping. Kaius was within an inch of losing his life when an older man pled with someone unknown to Kaius to this day, faceless as he hovered over his fading body. From that day on, in the year 1938, he would live his life as a vampire and far away from his family; hidden in the dark and avoiding daylight for the decades to come.

In 1963, Kaius was captured by the Augustines and brought to Whitmore College, where he became one of their experiments for the next twelve years, subjected to extreme torture and isolation. By 1965, he found a way to escape by charming a new lab assistant over time, and then compelling her into unlocking his cage. From this experience, Kaius has a high pain tolerance and tolerance to vervain, though they still do affect him greatly in higher quantities.

By 2014, Kaius came back into contact with the Augustine Society and was nearly re-captured, the traumatic memories alone forcing him to shut his humanity off. For the next twenty years, he lived without his humanity, preying on the weak and moving through life doing whatever he wanted.

In 2039, Kaius returned to New Orleans after hearing about his siblings still being alive. It was unknown to him that the night he was turned, was the night they were all turned. This news alone was enough for him to flip the humanity switch back on, guided by a need for that past support system and to ensure they were okay after over a century apart.

Kaius currently works as a freshman history professor at Mikaelson College, having lived through a century of it himself. He's pretty grumpy but he cares about people deeply, and takes on a leadership role whenever the opportunity presents itself.

[haveyoureadthistypemoon]

[bittertomato]

A lil late but happy new year!

Characters under the cut, plus some fun facts

Tomato's faves for each month of 2023

January: Diana Cavendish (Little With Academia)

February: Diana Cavendish (Little Witch Academia)

March: True Rider — Hippolyta (Fate/Strange Fake)

April: Psyche Callista (Your Throne)

May: Misaka Mikoto (A Certain Scientific Railgun)

June: Misaka Mikoto (A Certain Scientific Railgun)

July: Morgan (Fate/Grand Order)

August: Morgan (Fate/Grand Order)

September: Morgan (Fate/Grand Order)

October: Morgan (Fate/Grand Order)

November: Morgan (Fate/Grand Order)

December: Morgan (Fate/Grand Order)

Brainrot of the Year 2023: Morgan (Fate/Grand Order)

Hall of Fame (aka brainrots of years past)

2023: Morgan (Fate/Grand Order)

2022: Tsuruhime Yachiyo (Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight: ReLive)

2021: Tsuruhime Yachiyo and Yumeoji Shiori (Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight: ReLive)

2020: Yumeoji Shiori (Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight: ReLive)

2019: Tendou Maya (Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight: ReLive)

2017 & 2018: Diana Cavendish (Little Witch Academia)

2016: Carmilla Karnstein (Carmilla the Webseries), Elsa (Frozen), Tohsaka Rin (Fate/stay night), and Misaka Mikoto (A Certain Scientific Railgun)

2015: Carmilla Karnstein + Laura Hollis aka Hollstein (Carmilla the Webseries) aka my gay awakening

2014: Elsa (Frozen)

2012 & 2013: Higurashi Kagome (Inuyasha), Kuchiki Rukia (Bleach), Mouri Ran (Detective Conan), and Chiba Mamoru (Sailor Moon)

2011: Chiba Mamoru (Sailor Moon)

2009 & 2010: Kuchiki Rukia (Bleach)

Pre-2009: Who knows? My memory sure doesn't!

And I promised fun facts, so...

The early days...

The reason I can date my first fave to Rukia in 2009 is because that was when I made a Fanfiction.net account and posted my first fanfic. Don't read it I was young and foolish.

Bleach, Inuyasha, and Sailor Moon were my first animes. The first two I definitely watched on Adult Swim back when I still watched cable.

I used to be pretty skilled at self defense and even have a first degree black belt. One of the reasons why Ran from Detective Conan really left an impression on me.

There's a few unnamed faves that I also had from more obscure anime that were from so long ago that I can't pinpoint the exact years. A special shoutout to Asuka from Ask Dr. Rin! This show is in no way affiliated with Tohsaka Rin lol.

And yes, I do have male faves besides Mamoru! I love Hak and his constipated repressed feelings for Yona (Akatsuki no Yona) and my in-game name in FGO is inspired by Kurogane (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles). And for whatever reason, Fred is my favorite from Scooby Doo.

Honestly, I have to give Elsa some credit. I think she started the trend of my faves being "blonde/light haired "regal" rich/well off BAMF ladies who seem cold and distant on the surface but are actually dorks over-burdened and forced to grow up too fast, with a dash (or a ton) of family angst dumped on them." I mean, do you see any of my past faves being blonde? xD

The college days...

I was in denial about being queer and swore I was straight until I somehow found Carmilla the Webseries (I don't even know how) during the summer of 2015 and had a multi-step process of acceptance that went something like "Oh the actress for Laura Hollis is hot. Oh the actress for Carmilla is cute, pretty, and a huge dork. Oh everyone is pretty attractive. Wait mostly just the girls. Wait is that why I don't give a shit about men?"

Little Witch Academia is not only the first series where I published fanfic on AO3, but it's also the series that got me to write AND finish longer stories. So congrats, Diana! I really wanted to angst you :D It's also the fandom where I found my closer Discord friends. Love y'all, mwah.

I think Revue Starlight might be the series that squeezed the most faves out of me. It holds a special place in my heart for numerous reasons, but the main one might be the collab fic I worked on with Quill, who is now my partner 😊So thanks, ReLive even if your gacha game is somehow even worse than FGO.

That said, the series I seem to always go back to seem to be the To aru and Fate franchises. Maybe it's because they're still ongoing.

Those two are also the reason I started messaging Quill back in the day, so they hold an extra special place in my heart. Even with all their flaws.

And then Lostbelt 6 hit FGO and blew everything out of the water. I rave about Morgan a lot but that chapter of the game truly had a stellar cast. Nasu wanted us to remember that he can cook lol.

Where is my Lostbelt 6 anime, Aniplex?

[thewarmestplacetohide]

hi! i love your blog :D. this might be a weird one but do you have any recommendations for possession or demon movies that DON'T deal with Christianity or where Christianity isn't the solution? thanks!

thank you ❤️!!

Suspiria (1977; Italy): occult/giallo; the students of a dance academy begin to die horribly; no specific religion

The Evil Dead (1981; USA): occult/horror comedy; a group of college kids discover an occult tome while vacationing in a cabin; no specific religion

Hellraiser (1987; UK): occult/supernatural horror; a puzzle box that summons interdimensional sadistmasochists falls into nefarious hands; no specific religion

Evil Dead II (1987; USA): occult/horror comedy; a young man is beset by demons while staying in the cabin of an occult researcher; no specific religion

Army of Darkness (1992; USA): occult/horror comedy; after Evil Dead II, Ash finds himself fighting deadites in the Middle Ages; Christianity is there but not the solution

Noroi: The Curse (2005; Japan): occult/found footage; a paranormal investigator tries to tie together a series of bizarre events; Shinto

Evil Dead (2013; USA): occult/slasher/reboot; a group of friends run afoul of demons while trying to help their friend get sober; no specific religion

Jug Face (2013; USA): occult/cosmic horror; a young woman tries to evade fate in a village that worships a bloody thirsty entity; fictional cult

The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014; USA): occult/found footage; a documentary crew follows a woman dealing with dementia (warning: there is a racially insensitive aspect regarding Native American beliefs)

Baskin (2015; Turkey): occult/surrealist; a police squad stumble upon a horrifying ritual; Islam

Satan's Slaves (2017; Indonesia): occult; after dying of a strange illness, a woman returns for her children; Islam

The Ritual (2017; UK): occult; a group of friends get lost in an eerie Norwegian forest; fictional Nordic cult

May the Devil Take You (2018; Indonesia): occult; an estranged daughter seeks an explanation for her father's strange illness; religion not specified

8: A South African Horror Story (2019; South Africa): occult; a financially struggling family contends with sins of the past; South African folk religion

The Vigil (2019; USA): occult; a young man struggling with his faith sits vigil for a recently deceased man; Judaism

The Night House (2020; USA): occult/supernatural horror; a woman fears her home is haunted after her husband's suicide; fictional occult beliefs

Nevanji (2021; Zimbabwe): occult; a family turns to traditional magic to save their son; unspecified Zimbabwean religion

The Old Ways (2020; USA): occult; a reporter returns to her home in Mexico and is accused of being possessed; traditional Nahua faith

The Offering (2023; USA): occult; a man returns to his father's funeral home to try to repair their relationship; Judaism

Evil Dead Rise (2023; USA); occult; a boy accidentally awakens an ancient evil that plagued his family; Christianity is explicitly stated to NOT be the solution

When Evil Lurks (2023; Argentina): occult/supernatural horror; two brothers try to outrun evil after encountering a "rotten," someone spiritually gestating a demon; God is declared dead

[best-anime-tournament]

Here you can find the polls from round 73 to 108:

Round 73 - Guilty Crown vs Kyoukai no Kanata

Round 74 - Re:ZERO - Starting Life in Another World 2 vs Princess Mononoke

Round 75 - Goblin Slayer vs Dororo

Round 76 - The Seven Deadly Sins - Revival of Commandments vs Black Butler

Round 77 - Yuri!!! on Ice vs Nichijou

Round 78 - Baccano! vs The Tatami Galaxy

Round 79 - Higurashi no Naku Kori ni vs Gintama Season 4

Round 80 - Fruits Basket: The Final vs My Dress-up Darling

Round 81 - Perfect Blue vs Given

Round 82 - Yuu Yuu Hakusho vs InuYasha

Round 83 - Hajime no Ippo vs Monogatari Series 2

Round 84 - 86 vs Spice and Wolf

Round 85 - Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Part 2 vs Hellsing Ultimate

Round 86 - Black Lagoon vs Shinsekai Yori

Round 87 - Bocchi the Rock! vs Grand Blue

Round 88 - Cyberpunk: Edgerunners vs I Want To Eat Your Pancreas

Round 89 - Darker than Black vs Bleach: Sennen Kessen Hen

Round 90 - Golden Time vs Black Bullet (Playoff)

Round 91 - Prison School vs Date a Live

Round 92 - Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic vs 5 Centimeters per Second

Round 93 - The Quintessential Quintuplets vs Chivalry of a Failed Knight

Round 94 - Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma 3 vs Weathering with You

Round 95 - Sword Art Online: Alicization vs Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Round 96 - Fairy Tail (2014) vs The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Round 97 - Wotakoi: Love is Hard for an Otaku vs Danganronpa: The Animation

Round 98 - ReLIFE vs Overlord II

Round 99 - Plastic Memories vs Dragon Ball

Round 100 - Kimi ni Todoke vs Dr. Stone: Stone Wars

Round 101 - Fate/stay night vs Rent a Girlfriend

Round 102 - My Neighbor Totoro vs My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!

Round 103 - The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya vs Trigun

Round 104 - Kamisama Kiss vs Ergo Proxy

Round 105 - Barakamon vs Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Round 106 - My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax! vs March Comes in like a Lion 2

Round 107 - March Comes in like a Lion vs Fruits Basket (2019)

Round 108 - Houseki no Kuni vs Natsume Yuujinchou

Round 109-144

(anime in bold have passed the 1st round)

[nonplatonicsubtext]

I don't see how anyone can get into Fate when there are like 10 different shows out there (and even more manga series if you want people to really get into it). And it seems like people cannot agree on the correct watch order. Some say to watch Fate/Zero first, others say to watch Fate/Stay Night first. Some say to watch the 2006 Fate Stay Night first, others say don't watch it because it sucks and just watch the 2014 Stay Night. What's your reccomendation?

read the fate stay night visual novel from the link I provided like two asks ago. If you don't want to install the VN, watch a YouTube playthrough. If you don't want to do that, read the browser version or the let's play. But if you only consume one piece of fate media there's literally no contest that it's fsn

[notstilinski]

The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All Starters !

Taken from the 2014 novel by Laird Barron, The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All! Some of these have already been edited. You can change them however you see fit!

“I have nightmares. Give the people my apologies.”

“I wonder though, why you have come and why you stay.”

“No, they’re okay. Me, I’m going to rest here a bit.”

“I doubt any of us are capable of understanding you, (Name). I’m beginning to think you may be one of those rare mysteries of the world.”

“Yeah, and you can toss sacrificial wretches into the volcano, too.”

“The look in your eyes. You’re afraid. A person like you is afraid, I take stock.”

“A few of those people forgot that Mother Nature is more of a killer than we humans will ever be and wound up getting chomped. She wants our blood, our bones, our goddamn guts. Fear is healthy.”

“I’m not sure of that at all. You think you know what evil I’d until you look it in the eye.”

“Fresh blood is best.”

“Take me instead and be damned.”

“We tempt fate by spending another minute here. And to stay after sunset… that’s impossible, I’m afraid.”

“(Name)’s gone. They’re gone.”

“My hell is to testify. Don’t you understand? They don’t want me. They took me years ago.”

“(Name) was (Name). They died an awful death. Cue the violins.”

“Think of the memories. When’s the last time we’ve done anything wild?”

“So, you’ve returned to face your childhood demons. Good for you!”

“I’ve stuffed my face with entirely too much lobster to take that suggestion seriously.”

“Don’t look at me. I mean it, (Name). Stop looking at me.”

“That is the coldest water I’ve ever jumped into. I dreamt about this before.”

“Your psychic powers convince you to fly over here?”

“No. Just listen. I’ve tried to tell you this before, but I couldn’t. I was afraid of what you might do. I was afraid , (Name).”

“Oh, I see. (Name) didn’t become a hermit by choice, your people shunned him like the good folks in Utah do it.”

“Way ahead of you, baby. I sprayed it with bleach. Cooties were crawling all over. Isn’t it neat?”

“Actually, coyotes are much scarier than wolves. Sneaky, sneaky little fuckers. Eat you up. Lick the blood all up.”

“I know. It’s the way of the world. People like (Name) always win.”

“I won’t leave you. But it’s possible you might decide not to come with me.”

“I want to save you, baby. You’re weak.”

“We have known each other for an age and I am still uncertain where the truth ends and the bullshit begins with you.”

“Life is full of little conspiracies.” 

“I have a theory. It’s the land that makes people crazy, not their superstitions.”

“You killed small animals as a child, didn’t you?”

“That’s how it begins. Don’t be afraid. It’s not your turn. Not tonight. Really, you’ve been dead for years, haven’t you?”

“The motive? There’s no motive. The ineffably simply is.”

“Well, (Name), whatever it was, I hope you don’t see it again. Especially on of these nights when you’re alone.”

“The other night I dreamt about this lowlife I used to screw.”

“Well, Jesus. Aren’t you a voyeuristic sonofabitch?”

“You’re not a complete barbarian. You comprehend simple words and phrases.”

“Sarcasm isn’t pretty.”

“Aha, that’s what happened to your hair! Here I thought you were just old.”

“Did you see what’s waiting for you in the trees?”

“What? None of that blood you’re covered in is yours? Not even a scratch, you lucky bastard!”

“It’s big fun to inflict one’s contrarian views upon the hapless.”

“That sexy little twerp over there did not so hard time in Huntsville.”

“You seem sad. It’s because you’re alone.”

“They saw the beautiful thing that awaits us all. Waiting at the bottom of the hole beneath everything.”

“My choices is non-being via having my mind dissolved or be a screaming head for eternity? What the fuck happened to door number three?”

[the-monkey-ruler]

Joking about Taiwan's caves to Zhu Bajie (2014) 戏说台湾之喢到豬八戒

Starring: Wang Xinxiang / Cai Peilin / Chung Da Dian / Sifang / Stacey / Yau Yaoguang / Chen Sifan / He Yuanyun / Black Face / Lin Xiufang / Chen Lingxuan / Chen Tiyuan Genre: Drama / Comedy / Romance Country/Region of Production: Taiwan, China Language: Hokkien Date: 2014-06-23 Type: Reimanging

Summary:

The eight-note gongs and drums were beating, and people from all over the neighborhood came to watch. Tianjun, accompanied by his "father" Zhu Gang, stood at the door to welcome the arrival of the eight-person sedan. Matchmaker Wang congratulated Tianjun and said that he could get the "Tianfang Tower" courtesan Qiongfang agreed to marry, but Tianjun was so excited and happy that he gave her a large bounty for the beauty he had cultivated over several generations. During the bridal night, Zhu Gang eavesdropped outside. The newlyweds began to talk with each other, which made people blush and their hearts beat. Unexpectedly, the bride Qionghua just kissed the groom Tianjun, and then she heard a shrill scream, "You...monster!" Qiongfang rolled and crawled, pushed away Tianjun who was eager to explain, and ran outside. Tianjun chased after her, but was stopped by Zhu Gang, who pointed at his pig head, "You are not suitable for running outside like this..." Zhu Gang immediately turned around and ran after the bride. Tianjun could only look at the bride's fleeing back, looked up at the starry sky and sighed, "Oh my God, you are so cruel to me!" Hearing the sound of thunder in the originally cloudless night sky, Tianjun was so frightened that he hurriedly hid in the house...

Caifeng asked Aunt Mudan to find a way to let Yue Chang stay in Tianfang Tower. It would be best to let her take on customers and work as a prostitute but she would never be able to go back. Aunt Mudan was under pressure...

At this time, Zhu Toujun arrived, and when he saw what was happening, he couldn't catch up. Shi Sizheng came to find him and asked Zhu Toujun whether he had rescued anyone. Zhu Toujun said that he had rescued but was captured and wanted to chase him. SiZheng stopped him and asked him, "You are Zhu Toujun now and you have no power, how can you save him?" Zhu Toujun scolded her, "I don't have the power but you do, you are more pig-headed than me!" Sizheng said yes, but when she looked back, there was no one there. Zhu Toujun was worried, thinking that the two people looked familiar, as if they were subordinates of Tianfang Tower...

Aunt Mudan came and scolded Yue Chang for ruining her good deeds. She first gave Yue Chang a lesson, and then asked Yue Chang to sell herself. Yue Chang said that she and Aunt Mudan had agreed to be a performer but not to sell her body. Why didn't Aunt Mudan keep her words? Aunt Mudan said she was also entrusted by others, but she had no choice but to do so... Yue Chang was confused, who was entrusted by her? Aunt Mudan refused to say anything, only saying that there are people who don't want you to leave here anyway. It is only natural to pay back the money you owe, and Yue Chang must accept her fate and accept the guests...

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/25926804/

Link: N/A

[ushirominya]

one good thing about this day is that my friend agreed to let me show her fate stay night ubw anime (2014) and she’s really interested after watching two 50 min episodes