#fitting because this art is also gorgeous OP!

[nardaviel]

I've been wanting to do this for ages but I was too lazy to turn on my computer. I got the template here! Only like three of these characters are any degree of well-known, and I think I might actually be one of the only people on Tumblr who knows of two of them... Under the cut I talk a little about how each of them has inspired Sora.

Ibushi Arima: The Original inspiration. The reason Sora exists. The mold that Sora was shaped to fit. Essentially, I needed an OC to fill some holes in my backstory for Ibushi, so I made Sora. He has many things in common with Ibushi for that reason (rich background, unhappy childhood, deeply devoted to a small number of people). He has some key differences, as well, because he needed to have them (less conflict-averse, more ambitious).

Light Yagami: Sora is incredibly, blindingly smart (though not to the degree we're meant to believe Light is, because I'm pretty sure no actual human is as smart as Light is meant to be), and gorgeous, and charismatic, and well-off, but feels a profound disconnect between himself and most others. It takes him in a different direction than Light, however, with more loneliness and self-loathing. Essentially, Sora, like Light, is a guy who seems to have it all, but his internal life is dark and dysfunctional and broken. One of my fav tropes!

Diora di'Marano: She is one of the characters who I might be alone in knowing, which is such a shame, because she's one of my favorite characters in all of media. She's smart as fuck, subtle and patient, good at manipulating people, and overall incredibly skilled at maneuvering through her society to become powerful despite some not inconsiderable barriers. Most importantly for this post, she's motivated by love for a few people, and she doesn't care about much else, including herself. All that cunning and subtlety, and she uses it to protect people, then avenge them, then to protect new people, all the while using herself as a tool like any other. She and Sora would get along, I think.

Haruka and Michiru: Specifically I'm talking about the 90s anime version of these characters. I never watched the anime all the way through, but I remember being drawn to their pragmatism, which influenced the way Sora thinks. The inner senshi don't want anyone to die, and neither do Haruka and Michiru, really, but they recognize that in order to save the most people, they have to commit to causing a few deaths. Sora would do the same calculations.

Amarais Handernesse ATerafin: She is another beautifully pragmatic character. She has more principles than Sora, but she's clear-eyed about what she wants, and she's willing to do literally anything to achieve it; it's simply that some of the things she wants are to never resort to assassination, to leave a positive legacy, to uplift the most vulnerable instead of crushing them under her heel, etc., which rule out some methods of taking and holding power. (Sora does not share these admirable principles; where they are similar is that he, like Amarais, knows what he won't do because he's considered and analyzed it already and decided that it won't produce an acceptable result.) Amarais is also an unapproachable character, aware of her position and expecting others to be aware of it as well, but isolated and made incredibly lonely by that distance. Sora can be very much like that. Lastly, like Sora, she wants power. She wants to get to the top, and she's not sorry about it or ashamed of it, and she's not portrayed as evil for that.

Daemon Sadi: (Look, is he from a Problematic series? Yes. Do I recommend it? Absolutely not. But I read it when I was young, it changed me forever, and now I'm stuck like this.) (Also, he doesn't even have book cover art I could use for this meme; I used @/veliseraptor's fancast of Sendhil Ramamurthy.) Daemon is The Most Powerful Guy To Ever Exist in his canon, which I think freed me early on from the fear of making characters OP. If there's magic or innate superpowers in an AU, and if Sora has them, he's going to be very innately strong, simply because it fits his has-everything-except-happiness-and-love concept and because I want him to be. Daemon is also a rich, beautiful, clever character, subtle and deadly, who lives through a youth full of abuse that follows him for the rest of his life and informs all the close relationships he ever has. Like Sora, he is deeply scarred by his early life and not nearly as stable as his smooth, charismatic facade suggests. His Diora-esque self-sacrificial depth of devotion to his closest loved ones is something else that's really stuck with me, and you can find it in Sora.

Josephine Montilyet: Josie is a diplomat. In a game where you, the PC, are a fighter, and your closest companions are people who fight with you, and two of your three advisors are a soldier and a spy-assassin type, Josephine stands out as the advisor whose skills lie in negotiation, manipulation of social circumstances, pulling strings, and destroying people without ever lifting a weapon. Sora, likewise, is very much a paperwork and private conferences kind of guy. Like Amarais, Josie is more of an idealist than Sora, but also like Amarais, she pursues her goals with Soralike ruthlessness.

[violetvelourr]

Tough life of a Kakashi goodies collector under sanctions. Part 1

My sad (but I’m still hoping for a happy end) Kakashi goodies parcel story 🥲

You don’t need to bother reading it, I am writing more for my own memory, because even as I wrote this I realised that I got the beginning of the story wrong because I’d managed to forget some of the details (which I did remember after I laid everything down here).

So, some of you might be aware, I come from an evil country that Must Not Be Named is currently at odds with a large chunk of the world… I am not going to debate who is right and who is wrong, though I definitely don’t support the war and in a way I humbly accept the corresponding punishment, though it’s still a bit sad since I never personally held any hate for anyone: I’m just trying to live my simple life, enjoy this world, be a decent person and mind my own business... but we have what we have, I guess...  

So anyways, last year, at the end of February, when it all collapsed, I remember I just made my final purchase on eBay – the next day the bank cards were cut off from the rest of the world and eBay cut us off as well (“this item does not ship to your country”). And that final item was Ninja Storm Kakashi action figure, insanely expensive and insanely gorgeous and desired by me...

I nearly had a fit while reading the news updates. Not to mention the general devastation at the absurdity of the situation… it all seemed surreal… 

I was almost certain I would not be getting my parcel and would end up losing my money: payment systems shut (no way to refund), deliveries halted, eBay no longer available. 

But, to my surprise, the parcel did arrive (probably because the seller was in China). And that was basically the beginning and the end of my Kakashi collection back then. I held on long enough convincing myself that I did not care enough for Kakashi to buy merch (bought perhaps 3 small items or so and was totally content with that), but I gave up around January-February 2022, so it was supposed to be the start of my crazy ‘serious’ collector career, haha.

To be honest, I was even relieved when we were banned everywhere – if I still had the same level of access to international purchases, I think I would have gone broke pretty fast, because if I get into something... I become almost uncontrollable. And since I’d basically just got into collecting Kakashi items... So yeah, those sanctions and limitations came in handy, I admit.

I did order minor things from AliExpress, still works with us, but they either sell mostly counterfeit trash, or really overpriced original stuff – so it was nothing really serious (*she said glancing back at her Kakashi collection which is still 60% from AliExpress*).

Anyways, I was sitting happily with my hands tied, my money almost safe, but then I was stupid enough to finally accept a commission request from a foreign customer for the first time since the war began.

I need to mention that alongside with our bank cards being cut off from the rest of the world, our PayPal accounts were also suspended. Well, mine is technically still alive, but I’m pretty sure that I cannot link any new card to it, or, if I can (I have a Kazakhstani card now), the account will be suspended immediately, so I’m not even going to test that. 

Plus, I heard that it is also illegal in my country to have transactions via PayPal now (similar way as it is illegal to even mention Instagram...). 

So this made it a bit tricky accepting payments from foreign clients. And in the last year I had to refuse quite a number of times because of that, I got overwhelmed every time I thought of having to deal with it... I don’t do art for a living, so I didn’t really bother too much about that and considered my mental health more important (it’s a bit challenging constantly struggling because you are basically an outcast). 

But this time for some reason (perhaps I finally got over it – it has almost been a year) I didn’t refuse and decided to test a couple of options. First one was getting paid via a platform similar to Patreon which worked in my country. It did work, but the % the platform charged for the transaction was insane. 

And then I had the second option… A gift card on eBay. 

And this was where I made the mistake…

I was thinking that I had it all covered because I met a girl who was about to move back from the USA. I had selected 3 items on eBay that were so tiny that this girl had no problems at all bringing them back with her.

What I did not expect was that in order to use a USA gift card, I had to be localized in the USA. When I tried creating a US eBay account, I was instantly banned and after trying to object the decision I was specifically told that the decision was final and any attempts to create more accounts would result in them getting suspended as well. I tried checking out as a guest using VPN with a US IP, but eBay still figured it out somehow, and I was not allowed to finalize the payment and check out...

So yeah, I ended up having a $75 eBay gift card (and I still have it, haha) and a strong desire to get the items I laid my eyes upon. I was fixated on getting them... And actually as time went by (while I tried to find ways to hack the system), my appetite grew and soon what was initially 3 small items became 9 items.

And so, at that point I felt already too shy to ask my friend for help with buying them for me, because not only I needed her help with the purchase, but also she’d have to receive 9 parcels, unpack them, etc... and… uh... um... see how crazy I am with my Kakashi fever 🙈 Not to mention that she was moving back after 3 years abroad and probably every cm / gram mattered…

So I started looking into other delivery possibilities...

Part 2 is here…

[stepswowdsen]

【KagePro】 Fate AU: KuroEne 🖤💙

Fate AU: Master/Servant AU KuroEne 🖤💙

Technically, in KagePro lore context, Kuroha refers to Azami and Marry both as his "Master" so this AU works well with Kuroha and Marry (regardless of whether you enjoy their dynamic as platonic and/or ship).

With that being said, I'm KuroEne brained and gay for my wife, so I chose Ene for this.

THIS AU IS SO COOL WAHHHH

I'm such a huge fan of KuroEne's dynamic cuz Ene is super bold and confrontational.

Ene constantly butts heads with him and gets flustered by his teasing

Idk why I never thought of that before but that could actually be soooo interesting...

Especially if Kuroha/Saeru embeds Divine Spirits as part of his components upon his summoning and becomes a High Servant.

Kuroha/Saeru (Snake of Clearing Eyes)

Divine Spirits:

Yamata no Orochi

"Yamata no Orochi (八岐大蛇 (ヤマタノオロチ), lit. 'Giant Eight Branched Snake') is an eight-headed serpent from Japanese mythology."

So, with Yamata no Orochi as one of his components, he can summon a giant serpent.

I’d choose Snake Gods, Gods of Knowledge, or Underworld Gods/Lords.

Fate: Master/Servant AU where Ene is a Master and magus that summons Kuroha/Saeru as her Servant because she wants to fight and win the Holy Grail War (HGW)

The winner of a HGW has any wish of theirs granted (though often, the Holy Grail comes with corruption/is not exactly what it appears to be...)

If I had to put him in one of the traditional Servant Classes, it'd be Archer. Cuz Archer Servants are just anyone that uses long ranged weapons in Fate LMFAOOO. Which includes guns.

But my bias says to make him an Alter Ego-class Servant. Alter Ego is one of the Extra Classes (outside of the conventional ones). It's my fave Servant class.

Because so many of my top faves are Alter Egos (See: Douman, Kiara, Meltryllis, Koyanskaya. Kama also technically qualifies)

Alter Ego fits him really well imo. Especially considering the "Joker" motifs of the Alter Ego (Servant Class) card in FGO, and how Sidu drew the Kuroha Joker Playing Card illust before. Joker themed~

It just fits so well with him, considering canon-verse Kuroha's nature as a "being who exists to grant wishes"

Just think of how badass would it be if he could summon giant snakes. Man. MAN... This AU is so cool actually. I need to come up with 2 more Divine Spirits for him. I'd say it has to be a Divinity that has power over knowledge, or more serpent beings.

Like I'd imagine that his power as a High Servant would be to be able to summon giant snakes and make them shoot across at enemies like Kiara's demon pillars

I HAVE SUCH A HUGE BRAIN WAHOOO!!!

Like when he first meets Ene (upon getting summoned), he introduces himself to her as Black Konoha (黒コノハ, Kuro Konoha), but his True Name is Snake of Clearing Eyes (目が冴える蛇, Me ga Saeru Hebi)

He eventually reveals his True Name when he gets closer to her.

Yamata no Orochi's Appearance in FGO

(Fate/Grand Order -Epic of Remnant- Pseudo-Singularity III: The Stage of Carnage, Shimousa - Seven Duels of Swordmasters)

(FGO: EOR3 - Shimousa Manga - Ch. 24 (Part 2))

OK I'M GONNA GO ON A TANGENT FOR A BIT

(SEN -> LIMGUDA LOVER EXTRAORDINAIRE)

BUT I LOOOVE THE SHIMOUSA MANGA SOOOO MUCH FOR MY LIMGUDA (DOUMAN/RITSUKA) CRUMBS WAHHH

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!

THE ART STYLE IS SO GORGEOUS

AND THE FIGHT SCENES ARE INCREDIBLE.

THE BATTLE COMPOSITIONS ARE SO DYNAMIC

THE INKING AND PERSPECTIVES... THE ART STYLE...

OOOOHHH MY GODDD THE SHIMOUSA MANGA GOT A GOD SEND ARTIST

Master/Servant AU: KuroEne

Ene gets surprised that she summoned a Servant in a class outside of the conventional ones. Someone is fucking with the system (He's responsible for it lmao)

Ene constantly butts heads with Kuroha due to his teasing WHDHHSDHS

Also just imagine how OP (overpowered) this fucker would be LMAOOO. It'd fit him, honestly. Canon-verse Kuroha is ridiculously OP when possessing Konoha's body.

I was inspired by my beloved LimGuda with this since many of LimGuda’s fan-artists draw arts of Douman carrying Ritsuka (jumping off a ledge while carrying them, or catching them after they fall from the air)

So I just imagined a scene where Kuroha gets out his revolver and fires gun shot blasts (or picks up and throws a set of throwing knives) at an enemy Servant, and then jumps off a building’s ledge while carrying Ene in his arms.

At the end of the HGW, Kuroha and Ene end up as the victors of the Holy Grail War, but Kuroha betrays Ene by taking the Holy Grail for himself and making a wish for immortality.

He also wishes to the Holy Grail to make the world loop endlessly so that these days can continue forever and ever, creating a form of eternity to allow him to be with his S/O forever.

Kuroha’s entirely self-serving love (because he believes it benefits the other party too)

Quoting this from my previous rambles:

"Kuroha is literally so fucked up dude cuz even his twisted form of affection that he holds for his S/O (the Mekakushi Dan member who he's paired with), is still in a twisted, selfish, self-serving way. Even when he caters to his partner's pleasures, it still ultimately caters to his pleasures the most. That makes him interesting, though. Someone so inherently dark and twisted and sinister, with selfish desires like that…" 🥰💞

Context

Some of my faves in FGO 💞

Fate's origins started with the visual novel, Fate/stay night (F/sn) which set up the foundations of the franchise with its focus on the Holy Grail War (HGW), basically a battle royale where Master/Servant duos fight each other for the Holy Grail, a wish granting device.

And every other Fate sub-franchise, such as Fate/Grand Order (FGO), has its own form/version of the HGW.

From the Type-Moon (TM) Wiki:

"The Holy Grail War (聖杯戦争, Seihai Sensou) is a competition that decides the ownership of the Holy Grail through intense battle royale."

...

Basically, some Fate Servants have Divine Spirits (Gods, Goddesses, or other Spirits) embedded in their Saint Graph as Servants. Since they are merged with Divinities or other Spirits, they can use aspects of their powers.

For example, Ashiya Douman (Limbo) embedded Divinities into his Saint Graph and turned himself into a High Servant, a Servant with 3 Divinities. That's so like them. Very gender of you, Douman! 💗💞

I put my fave FGO charas here Douman and Kiara 🥰💗💞 My no. 1 FGO meow meow mfs~ My cat cot and wifey~ Melt is in my top fave FGO femme charas.

Note: Saint Graph = The "base" or foundational essence of a Servant. Basically, the "records" that hold their identities, powers, past memories, etc.

Fate AU: KuroEne (Dialogue Scripts)

I just wrote these quickly for now so these aren't refined and not in order. I used line breaks to separate different ideas or scenes

Context:

“The Command Spells (令呪, Reiju, also translated as "Command Seals") are three claims of absolute obedience, the crystallization of a great magic, that a Master has over a Servant in the Holy Grail War system.”

So basically, the Command Seals are 3 red spells on the hand, filled with great magic. Masters can use a Command Seal to order their Servant to do whatever they wish for, and the Servant must obey. It’s like a binding spell. Each time they’re used, you lose a stroke (use up a Command Seal). Though it is possible to replenish them.

A Master that uses all 3 Command Seals in a traditional HGW loses authority over their Servant, and thus cannot order them around anymore. So the Servant no longer has to obey any orders.

In FGO, Ritsuka uses them in important moments to turn the tides in fights (ie. Giving their Servant more magical energy, honing their strategy, etc.)

...

I came up with the idea that, throughout the HGW, Kuroha/Saeru would urge Ene to use her Command Seals in important fights (without drawing suspicion ofc), so she uses them up one by one as the HGW goes on.

He does this so he doesn’t have to obey orders when he plans to betray her, so that she can’t order him to stop his plan (ie. betraying her by stealing the Holy Grail for himself)

I’d imagine that Master Ene is naive and not fully aware about the specifics of a HGW as a Master and magus and fully trusts her Servant, Kuroha/Saeru, due to his amassed knowledge and listens to him about the things he tells her about the HGW. So… Yeah.

FGO AU: KuroEne

I also thought about a FGO AU with KuroEne.

There are a few ways this could go:

1) Kuroha gets summoned as Ene’s Servant and fights with her to stop the source of the “Singularity” (distortion in space-time, being caused by a Holy Grail in a certain time period). He acts as if he’s on her side, with Ene not catching onto his true intentions at all, only to reveal himself as the true perpetrator of the Singularity.

Kuroha is the cause of a Singularity that causes the Summer to loop endlessly, over and over again.

In truth, Kuroha used the Holy Grail to create a Singularity that’d loop endlessly.

(I got inspired by FGO’s more lighthearted Summer events that went exactly like this)

2) Same thing as above, but Ene is working to stop the source of the Singularity (and endless looping summers), Kuroha/Saeru, who is her enemy.

You can have the betrayal be more serious or a more lighthearted betrayal (causing a time looping Summer and general mischief)

3) If you want a nightmare~ish scenario, maybe, his wish of immortality requires a large source of magical energy in order to make come true, so Kuroha/Saeru wishes to the Holy Grail to make a calamity with black tendrils eat up most of the towns people in order to give him an immortal body. He’ll spare his Master tho <3

In this scenario, Ene expresses her disbelief and anger with his actions and calls him a true monster, and he nods and says he agrees with her (^-^)

Kuroha/Saeru's Love

"Kuroha/Saeru claims to love humans, specifically their foolishness, and looks down on them as well."

Azami's genuine pure form of love for her family, willingly sacrificing herself for her family and mankind.

Vs.

(In the context of a Kuroha ship AU)

Kuroha/Saeru holding a twisted form of affection and obsession for his S/O and wanting to continue the time loop Tragedy in order to be with his S/O forever in a twisted, selfish, self-serving way.

He looks up to his Masters and serves them, but won't put anyone else above himself and his wants and needs. In the end, he's doing this all for Azami, because he believes that this is what she truly wanted and needed, but ends up being the one causing her the most suffering.

Ai (愛) vs. Koi (恋)

"Selfless" vs. "Selfish" love

Azami -> Loving someone for the sake of someone else

Kuroha -> Loving someone for his own sake

Kuroha's selfish love and how he ultimately loves someone for his own sake, "to experience the 'high' of being in love"

Reminded of that one chapter title from Tunguska Sanctuary Event Story (Koyanskaya's main story chapter)

Section 13: Love is Karma, and Karma is──

This fits so well with Kuroha/Saeru's character and KuroEne. Good god.

Ai (愛) vs. Koi (恋)

You can read more about the difference between the two loves Ai (愛) vs. Koi (恋) here ^^

[nevermindirah]

can you recommend me some of your favorite book of nile fics?

CAN I. Anon, I have read every single fic in the AO3 Booker/Nile tag with the exception of a handful that will trigger me. I read my faves over and over again. We're currently at 303 works in the tag, and a handful of them are Joe/Nicky fics with "if you squint" BoN (I still read them, I can't help myself) but the vast majority of them are AMAZING. Fandom is full of kind and talented people, holy shit.

if you want a slow burn — you're in luck because this ship SPECIALIZES in slow burn!

First, the triumvirate of Book of Nile Classics. These were the first long fics for this ship and they're all so unique given they share basically the exact same premise, that Nile and Booker get to know each other slowly through run-ins spread out over years of his exile.

Five Times Booker Broke His Exile and the One Time He Did Not by @sphinx81: The one where they keep running into each other on ops, with the angsty middle chapter where Booker gets deep in his self-hate and calls Nile a clueless child and Nile reasonably tells him to go fuck himself and doesn't speak to him for years.

everywhere on earth you go (you're gonna have me) by nondz (pinkjook): The one with the buddy system. This is the only BoN fic that has a podfic as far as I'm aware! You can listen to it over and over and over again! The reader's voice is so soothing! [Podfic] everywhere on earth you go (you're gonna have me) by sallysparrow017

The Last Man on Earth by Survivah: The one where Booker doesn't show up in London when his exile's up, so Nile tracks him down, they get stuck in a broken elevator, and she gives him a medium sell.

Any Port in Storm by CypressSunn: Nile gives up her evac spot so a dad with kids can escape a blizzard that's on its way in rural Canada, and Booker stays behind with her, because Nile may know her shit about surviving in the desert but she doesn't know anywhere near what Booker knows about freezing to death. If you really want to up the angst on this one, first read a mausoleum fit for me by @spectralarchers for (a really interesting take on Booker's mortal life and) a visceral, detailed exploration of exactly how shitty Booker's experience was of starving and freezing on the Russian campaign.

If everything I do has got a hole in it (then everything you do has got a hold on me) by AnnieTheMouse: Nile will take over for Andy, but not just yet. First she's gonna be a little irresponsible, enjoy herself a little bit, sow her wild oats. If one of her hookups happens to also be fucking Booker, what about it?

Part of the Union by GlassRose: This is a newer take on the Book of Nile Classics genre where Nile and Booker run into each other over the years. Best friends to lovers, facilitated by a Team Baby union contract. Featuring stunning art by albymangroves, my absolute favorite fanartist from Captain America fandom.

Bring the World Back Into Tune by @mprosperossprite: Technically an AU, but 2 Old 2 Guard will make AUs of all of these, right? Hades and Persephone magical realism elements on top of a gorgeous, nuanced analysis of what it means, in practice, in such a complicated and fucked-up world, to "do what we think is right". Star-crossed, spanning years and continents, lives not permanently ruined but much blood shed. (Hi I originally joined Tumblr because of the Veronica Mars movie anybody else see the Logan/Veronica parallels??)

Announcing Your Place in the World of Things by @mprosperossprite: The soulmate goose AU. Yeah you read that right! I'm putting this here and not in the AU category because it's my list and I make the rules. Some people have soulmates, and those people get a daemon-type friend who's a goose so your goose can lead you to your soulmate. This closely follows movie canon and answers questions like, what if our elderly friends had soulmate geese with them in Goussainville? (Mouse over the author's username and peep her icon! Look how sweet chibi-Nile is with her soulmate goose Tigris! Look, anon, look!!)

Wish You Were Here by @aimmyarrowshigh: The latest entry in the Book of Nile Classics genre, this time starting with a postcard. Part I is up now and Part II is coming soon. Bookmark for later if you want a satisfying ending, or go read it right now if you want a deliciously WHAT emotional cliffhanger. (It's so good! I recommend it! Also waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah c'mon you're gonna leave us hanging on THAT??)

I'm also gonna include my own here, because I'm really proud of it and whatever it's my list: I See Your Eyes Seek a Distant Shore. Nile becomes the guard's leader, moves to London on her own to adjust to immortal life, develops a long-term plan for how exactly they're going to do what they think is right, and gets a shit ton of emotional support from the guard and Copley and several OCs and a certain exiled Frenchman who's dealing with his shit by getting a PhD in trauma studies. Check it out if you like politics and long footnotes and porn with feelings!

if you want an AU

The Beautiful Game by @victimhood: Elite footballers AU! This fic lives in my head rent-free to the extent that I have headcanons about the in-universe RPF fandom for these characters. Nile is a USWNT and Barça champion who had to retire early due to a worsening chronic illness, and she moves to Milan for a sportscasting job just as a new player gets traded from Copley's Liverpool to Andy's Inter Milan. How will Booker mesh with his new teammates, especially the team captain with the murder eyes? How will Nile rebuild her life after having to stop playing the game she loves? And why does Yooker keep trending on social media??

if you do take a thief by @morallygreywaren: Clue(do) AU! Six strangers (or are they?) are blackmailed into a dinner party. This fic masterfully gives equal airtime to all 3 ships in the middle of a damn murder mystery, and NILE'S DAD IS ALIVE IN THIS ONE, I REPEAT, NILE'S DAD IS ALIVE. And the author has a follow-up planned!

A General Librarian by @sweetlyenchains: Booker and his sons live in a magical manor house with a sentient library. Nile is a retired general who agrees to marry a widower sight unseen for *handwave* reasons, and she's not thrilled to be some old man's wife but it'll be fine. And then she meets the library. And then she meets its caretaker.

Les Petits Monstres by @winterequinoxx: The original gym AU. Nile gets to know the single dad of her adorable tiny martial arts students. The cutest of kid fics and the source of widely-used fanon for Jean Pierre's brothers' names.

Rhymes with Shook Her by @lady-writes: Booker the Happy Hooker! Nile's a stressed grad student who books a sex worker to get her out of her head, and you'll never guess what happens next 😏😏

The Kids Are All Right by @takethisnight-wrapitaroundme: The teachers AU where the students gossip incessantly about the English teacher's painfully obvious years-long crush on Ms. Freeman, and a fateful school dance where a last-minute chaperone switch-out and a teenager's smartphone change everything.

Geborgen by liadan14: Nile is sent by the CIA to take in a priority target. She makes a different call. This is a BoN-focused continuation of a primarily Joe/Nicky series that gives lovely attention to all 3 main pairings over the course of the series. Most of the commenters are there seemingly exclusively for the Joe/Nicky, and the author seems to really appreciate love for the BoN sections, so consider giving some BoN-specific love! Political and angsty and mysterious and hopeful and SO FUCKING HOT.

Cross Promotion by @rileywrites: The YouTubers AU! Slowest of slow burns. Work in progress with slow updates recently, but if the author never returns to this I think the latest chapter still makes for a very satisfying ending-ish thing.

For I Am Bound and You Are Free by EnglishAsSheIsSpoke: Selkie AU. In an alternate timeline with different countries and wars, Nile moves to a remote Scottish island in the early 1900s and joins the found family who maintains the lighthouse.

Eye Candy vs Soul Food by @lady-writes: The Princess and the Frog-inspired reincarnation AU. Short and sweet and angsty and romantic and mysterious and UGH it's so good!

Songs Written in Blood: A Nightingale's Flight by @winterequinoxx: The roaring nineteen-twenties speakeasy AU. A serial murderer is targeting talented Black people and the extraordinarily talented singer at Andy's bar is next on the list. Will the one cop who isn't a piece of shit be able to protect her? And what kinds of intimate situations might they find themselves in as the plot unfolds??

if you want porn

honey doesn't just catch flies by @queermermaids: The original honeypot fic. Nile gets back from a mission and Booker reminds her that she's home 😏😏

Take the Risk by @kyra-bane: I'm proud to say this is a result of my Kinktober request! (Almost) caught in the act. (Abortive) porn with feelings. Found family feels. This fic is a lap dance and secondhand embarrassment and a warm hug all in one sexy and hilarious lil package!

Show me somethin' natural by @highlightcity159: Nile has stretch marks and Booker would like to lick them. Leisurely we're-on-vacation established-relationship sex.

Almost Familiar by @takethisnight-wrapitaroundme: Nile's trying to pick someone up in a bar but nobody's sparking her interest, she's like a hundred years old and all these people are so young. Then the bartender hands her a drink from an admirer across the room. You'll never guess who it is or what happens next 😏😏

and still my heart has wings by allandmore99: "Booker is a good house husband and comes to visit publishing executive Nile on her lunch break."

ain't even done with the night by ourdarkspirits: MISSION FIC. Evening wear, posing as a couple, high stakes, close quarters, a heart-pounding mission followed by heart-pounding feelings followed by, well, you can guess 😏😏

With the One I Love by @takethisnight-wrapitaroundme: THIRTY ONE completely different smutty, smutty fics, one for every day of March. Tone and context and kinks and warnings vary wildly, there's something for everyone in this smorgasbord of porn!

Don't//Speak by @lady-writes: This fic is not for everyone — read the tags/warnings (which I contributed to as beta!) before you read. Nile and Booker explore kink. Andy, Quynh, Joe, and Nicky come home a lot earlier than they said they would.

Dido Burns by @mprosperossprite: If Nile wants an orgasm, she has to keep reading. Inspired by a certain WHAT THE FUCK DUDE Matthias Schoenaerts insta post that I can't find the link to right now.

And another two of my own: problem solved it's dissolved, a gym AU where they hook up and later find out Nile is Booker's new coworker. Graphic depiction of pegging if you're into that. 😏 And you have the right to lose control, my mission fic meets friends to Domme/sub lovers Big Bang contribution, complete with a sexy BoN playlist and 10 (yeah you read that right, TEN) different kink scenes. (Quarantine is hard of a slut, I'm coping, ok?!)

if you want angst

The Comforting Arms of Home by @highlightcity159: Nile leads her first mission, it gets a little rough for her but they make it out just fine, and people who are not Nile have just a whole fucking lot of feelings about the mission getting rough for her. Apologies are owed. Apologies are made.

Honeypot Missions Aren't So Sweet by redlionspride: In which Booker makes out with the mark and Nile has a lot of feelings about it. What, will they have to use their words?

Save Yourself and Confess, also by redlionspride: In which a building collapses with Nile, Booker, and a half-dozen kidnapped children still inside. Whump and its aftercare.

if you want fluff

The House Husband Interludes by @highlightcity159: Delicious little established-relationship slices of life seen through Nile and Joe's friendship.

Love and Tresses by @sphinx81: The fluffiest fluffy bathrobe of fics that I would literally wrap myself up in like a blanket if I could. Booker helps Nile with her hair.

You're my river running wild by @energievie: Nile and Booker road trip from Tijuana to Vancouver. The most established of established relationships is even more adorable when you see them interacting with strangers on the road.

While we're at it, the entire Gooey series by @energievie is Grade A Fluff!

2117, Revisited by @lady-writes: An absolutely stunning take on Booker and Nile's wedding. I had the absolute pleasure of helping out as Jewish wedding traditions resource for this and I cried at the finished product. A modern English interpretation of the traditional Sheva Brachot (seven wedding blessings) interspersed with the thoughts and feelings and mortal-family heirlooms the wedding couple and their immortal family bring to their chuppah.

[sinemoras09]

comic rec: the touch of sunlight

“Every wish has its price. And once each full moon, a fae emerges from a timeworn well to accept them. But what should befall, when a guest makes a bewildering wish they fail to grant? What role should they play, when they aren't expected to give?” - From  The Touch of Sunlight

Oh my god. Everybody needs to read  The Touch of Sunlight by @sandflakedraws​. It’s seriously one of the most beautiful webcomics I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The comic is posted in its entirety at WEBTOON but the OP is also posting it at tumblr. Since this isn’t AO3 and I can’t leave a long gushing review on OP’s post, I’m just gonna have to do it here :)

Spoilery review under the cut.

The Touch of Sunlight  is a webcomic about a wish-granting being, Nulo (they/them), who resides in a mysterious well that appears whenever there’s a full moon. Wish-seekers are drawn to it; they ask Nulo to grant their wish in exchange for a small token. Nulo grants their wishes, but often in ways they don’t expect.

(The chick in the picture wished for her crops to be better than her neighbor’s. Her crops were better but her neighbor struck oil XDD)

One day, Nulo meets Eyya, a woman who visits them at the well and has no wish for herself. Their first meeting is hilarious:

THEY ARE SO CUTE I CAN’T EVEN sajfd;aslkdfjsd XD XD XD XD

First of all, the art is amazing. Everything is done under moonlight, and the way OP draws the lighting and the shadows is just gorgeous.

Look at the detail in this cap! The dappled moonlight, the strands of grass by the rocks and the leaves of the bushes. Gorgeous!

I also love the way OP draws their facial expressions. It’s just so well-done, you can see what they’re feeling even if they don’t say it out loud.

SPOILERS TO FOLLOW:

(Nulo realizing their wish).

And then this part here, where Nulo tells her:

The romance is so heartfelt and tender. At the end (SPOILERS) when Nulo and Eyya are finally together, Nulo starts to cry. It’s such a tender moment, because you really feel how lonely they’ve been sitting in the darkness waiting to grant wishes with no one to call their own.

I love this panel so much. Their one wish was just to wipe the dirt off her face! Aww Nulo XDDD

The OP does a fantastic job sketching out the characters in just a few panels. Nulo is such a lonely character, I just wanted them to get all the hugs and snuggles and sunlight. And the ending is so beautifully written, you can almost picture how the rest of their life unfolds, with someone who loves them for themselves and finally able to feel the warmth of the sun.

My favorite panel from the whole series XDD

I’m so excited that the OP is posting this on tumblr. On WEBTOON it’s only five chapters, but each chapter is very image heavy and I can imagine with tumblr’s constraints how hard it is trying to format each image to fit in each post. Right now they’ve posted two parts to their blog and I’m super excited to see the whole thing. Seriously everybody needs to read this. It is amazing. Read the first part on @sandflakedraws​ on tumblr or read the full comic here.

[huigusu]

#showyourprocess

From planning to posting, share your process for making creative content!

To continue supporting content makers, this tag game is meant to show the entire process of making creative content: this can be for any creation.

RULES: When your work is tagged, show the process of its creation from planning to posting, then tag 5 people with a specific link to one of their creative works you’d like to see the process of. Use the tag #showyourprocess so we can find yours!

Thank you so much to @cloudylotus​ and @wendashanren​ for tagging me for this set ❤ (please check out their respective posts here and here as well 🥰) and to the members of mdzsnet who started this!

1. Planning

I try to alternate between gifsets based on quotes and gifsets based on a single scene for the cql edits I create! This is because the ones based on quotes require significantly more thinking for me to come up with scenes to fit, alongside getting all of them to adhere to one colour scheme and then inserting the typography, rather than just me focusing on a single scene 😅 This time it was time for me to pick a quote, which I usually do from my #words tag on my tumblr where I like to collect poetry I resonate with.

“Oh, let my chest split open, let my blood spill over, body be still! I’ve bled for you, and you won’t even show me your face.” - Yi Kwangsu (via skogenflicka)

For the quote used in this set, I had thought that it fit wangxian so I had already tagged it to find later 😄 I also searched it up to read a little more on the background of the story and author and was surprised to find that it was from a short story on gay, unrequited love, which made it somehow more appropriate as I wanted to fit lwj’s perspective during his mourning years.

To select the scenes, I split the quote up into four lines and wrote the summary of the the scenes that demonstrated them quite literally, as in the things lwj did for wwx out of love even when wwx was pushing him away, + ep number and timestamps for easier gif creation. I knew that I wanted to focus on text effects too so the 3rd gif was specially picked for the horizontal movement of lwj across the frame.

2. Creating

- oh, let my chest split open (wen brand at the cold springs)

- let my blood spill over (blood running down his hand as he holds onto wwx)

- body be still! (lwj holding the rods as punishment for visiting burial mounds)

- i’ve bled for you, and you won’t even show me your face. (wwx pushing lwj’s hand off his and turning away)

I use Handbrake to isolate the scenes I want and then Photoshop to import and pare down the number of frames. I favour larger gifs, especially so that there’s room for the typography, so these were the usual 540px ratio across for cropping. For the first gif in this set, I didn’t have the special episodes downloaded so I used a screen recorder to get the needed frames of lwj’s chest brand! I remember not being happy enough with the length/framing of the brand from the regular episodes. I didn’t cut out his nipple and so many tags I see talk about it 😂

Colouring

Okay so! I knew I wanted to try out a darker colouring as the ones I do are more bright, so I went to look for tutorials and I found this psd that had a good effect for what I wanted after I modified/removed many of the layers. I wanted to work with existing colours already within the chosen scenes rather than modifying or emphasising them to go with the muted, anguished mood of the quote. The colour scheme thus became dark, maroon red (wwx) from the blood and wwx’s tassel, as well as turquoise (lwj) from the water and lwj’s robe. I then added a channel mixer layer and selective colouring layers to make the turquoise of the waters that the psd had removed stand out more, and then another vibrance layer and an additional selective colour so that I could match the blues/reds across gifs. Thankfully, I could copy this colouring over to the other gifs with a few alterations of hue/saturation, curves and levels 😊 After colouring, I resize, denoise, and sharpen the gifs.

Typography

I really wanted to work with some text effects and get out of my comfort zone in this one. In line with the three parts of the first line of exclamation in the quote (and the parallel structure for the first two parts which I found hit so hard 😭), I wanted to highlight the alliteration I found in them - the words ‘split’, ‘spill’, and ‘still’. For the first two gifs, I decided on linear gradient overlays at 45 degrees + taupe drop shadows with the colour from the colour scheme other than the colour already in the gif. In the second gif, I used the pen tool to draw a line (in blue below!) that followed the curvature of their hands, then pasted the text in. I realised that I had to draw a separate line for the word ‘spill’, which after a lot of trial and error turned out to be much simpler after turning off the first pen layer visibility (the new line kept connecting to the first 😓)

As for the third gif, I initially thought of masking each frame to make the words appear as lwj moved from left to right, then I remembered that using the ‘overlay’ blend mode on the text hides it when it is on top of the colour black! 😄 In this case, lwj’s hair is black so I just had to position the words properly so that the words ‘body be’ would reveal themselves while giving time for the word ‘still’ to also have a nice effect after. (If you look closely you can see them a little in lwj’s hair 😅) The word ‘still’ took a lot longer to figure out, but in the end using ‘difference’ for the overall text layer and ‘pin light’ for the dark maroon colour overlay gave the clearest dark red effect as the camera panned.

Finally, in the last gif, I wanted to have the effect of the word ‘face’ change from a dark maroon gradient to turquoise with wwx’s hand moving lwj’s away to have it be a bit symbolic I guess 😅 of wwx’s leaving lwj? The ‘linear burn’ setting for the overall text layer (solid turquoise) and ‘difference’ for the gradient overlay (maroon) ended up working best to make the red disappear the moment wwx’s hand ran over the word, unlike other settings where the colour looked mixed/too messy.

3. Posting

I usually save the gifs and look at them on tumblr to see if I need to adjust any colours to match better or make them more vibrant (and ask yan what she thinks HAHA). These were fine, so I wrote the caption to summarise the source of the quote, added links to research and the op of the quote on tumblr, and wrote my tags. If it’s a post with translations of what the characters are saying/from the novel I typically take more time to edit the translations/do my own translation. I check if it is loading fine on mobile and edit the saved draft if necessary, then I post! 💕

Tagging but no pressure please!! 💗

@lanwuxiann for this amazing wangxian wedding night edit 🤧🤧🤧 that had me yelling into my pillow

@inessencedevided​ for this heartbreaking nie brothers set (which included manhua scenes!!)

@lan-xichens​ for this really lovely wwx + lotus pier edit, the colouring of which i think about from time to time

@mylastbraincql​ for this gorgeous jyl set with soup set with such pretty blending

@still-snowing for this beautiful piece of wangxian art about lwj holding wwx’s hands through the years that i teared up over multiple times

[jellyluchi]

Hi Sid! I was lurking around Pixiv the other day and found some more fanart for Pros >:3 Anyways, hope you're having a good day/night! 💫

P.S. I wasn't expecting someone would make Pikachu!Pros possible, but bless op for making him cute lol

[Pros 1] [Pros 2] [Pros 3]

Pen my beloved how are you?!? I hope you're having a wonderful day/night as well. While we are on the topic of pixiv/art I'm so glad now that I've finally seen your art, I can say you've got a gorgeous art style!!!

Also oh my gosh the Pros art!! BAHAHA he's such a smug Pikachu! Just the other day I saw some more pikachu!Pros, why does this tiny animal fit him so well? Just because he's yellow? :'D

But gosh, the other two, the one where he's covering his face, what a cool pose!!! And the one with TGD eyes all around has gorgeous colors! Thank you so much for sharing as always it's a delight! ☺💜

[cheekbites-moved]

ok i still havent gotten the secret ending but farming for it might take me a bit so im gonna make a thoughts post for age of calamity now:

Major spoilers obvs so ill put it under a read more

things i enjoyed:

revali beatdown simulator

the controls for the divine beasts are a bit clunky, but i think the angles they used for them did an excellent job at really making the player feel like we were actually controlling a divine beast. so i think it was done well.

link’s personality really gets to shine full force in this game with the amount of cut scenes and it was wonderful to see

every character clearly had a lot of love put into how they operate. they truly all feel unique, & all of their play styles fit them really well in my opinion

the game does a really good job of making you understand what a real threat the monsters are. like in botw they’re intimidating at first, but once you’re far enough into the game they become just an inconvenience to work around if anything. this game managed to actually make certain monsters intimidating for me again, and i think that’s a real accomplishment

the blight battles are actually somewhat challenging in this game and that is truly a commendable achievement lol i think all the bosses are good tbh. i didnt rly dislike or not enjoy any of them.

the way daruk and link’s friendship & urbosa’s motherly relationship towards zelda got to shine was. so good. it’s all i could’ve ever wanted

seeing the descendants again was really nice & it was awesome to see the champions interacting with them!! especially sidon and mipha omggggg. that was. really fucking good shit

kohga. just. kohga in general. getting to see more of him was really rad, he’s such a fun guy! and his english va was Excellent. you could really tell he was having a lot of fun playing him, and it was lovely to see! :)

zelda getting to really shine in this game was also lovely to see. and her being so assertive and badass by the end? omg. it was so wonderful especially after botw. man. 

the combat is done very well imo. im rly glad that they took so many elements from botw, but also added their own flares to make it feel fresh. it was rad.

sidon’s tagline is “winning smile” and his power is “boundless optimism” and i think that’s beautiful

the music in this game is SOOOOO good oh my god. multiple times during playing i had to pause to just appreciate it. it’s pretty much all remixes of botw with a few originals for the new characters, but they all slap. there was not a single song in this game i didn’t like. it is definitely one of my favorite video game soundtracks officially. maybe one of my favorite overall soundtracks in general tbh.

the visuals obviously look just like botw, but it still looked fucking gorgeous at some points. like. man. they really went off to make it look not only faithful to botw as far as appearance goes, but also as far as capturing botw’s beauty and it was. excellent to see!

if anything is true to botw’s backstory, it’s definitely how op link is. cause he was established to be op in botw, & when u finish botw he is also op as hell. he is so fun to play as the higher leveled he gets. he absolutely kicks ass. especially with a two-handed weapon??? daaaaammmmnnn. thats my badass baby boy!!!!

link eating rocks not once, but TWICE. just showing PEAK gremlin energy. 10/10 for those scenes they were great

the ending was really beautiful actually and i did cry like a little baby for it what about it

things i didn’t like:

obviously first and foremost.. this is not the game we were advertised. and no matter how much i overall enjoyed the game, it will always have some layer of being tainted attached to it due to the false advertising. this is not the prequel we thought we’d be getting. & not using “prequel” specifically doesn’t matter when all the advertising, including the box art talks about this being the story of what happened 100 years ago. with no indication it wasn’t the story of what happened 100 years ago in the botw timeline, but a separate universe/timeline entirely. i do hope we get dlc for the game at some point giving us what we were advertised, but at the same time... rly wish that the story that’s in the final game was dlc, & the story we were promised was the original :/ or just having the game have two separate storylines originally would’ve been cool. i just wish it wasn’t falsely advertised. 

fort hateno can fucking eat my whole entire shit WHY is that part so needlessly obnoxious compared to everything else oh my god

being forced to fulfill revali’s power fantasy TWICE hurt my soul

fuck any mission where you have to protect the useless hylian guards. i hate them. they suck.

the ai for player characters when you aren’t playing as them can also be pretty useless. it was really frustrating failing missions because my fellow party members weren’t helping me, and i was basically expected to be in two places at once to get shit done myself. :/ ik you can just switch between characters to make it easier, but like. i like playing as link the most. he’s my favorite character, & ofc since he’s mandatorily played for most of the story, he’s gonna be the most leveled up character regardless so he’s just the best to play as in general especially for harder missions. it was annoying to be forced to play as other people Solely cause the ai was so useless.

king rhoam’s attempt at a redemption arc. i’m not sorry that i just fucking hate this man. i don’t mind him entirely in botw bc you can see clear, genuine remorse during the cut scene at the end of the great plateau. but the redemption arc he gets in this game? after all the fucking shit he does in this game? especially when after his ~redemption arc~ i had to sit through a cut scene of him being an absolute fucking asshole to baby zelda after her mother just died????? absolutely fuck that shit. i don’t appreciate that crap at fucking all. he’s a verbally abusive piece of shit and i hate his guts.

obviously there was gonna be some retconning of how certain things worked in botw in order to make this kinda game work but the way sheikah technology works in this game is so goddamn confusing i do not get it. the works of botw are never outright said or explained completely, but it’s straightforward enough that it doesn’t really matter. this game does try to explain certain things and it just becomes. really clunky and confusing very quickly. 

the story is alright, i guess, but..... really confusing/convoluted as hell at times to a point that it’s. really fucking distracting. especially in comparison to how straightforward botw’s story is. like..... cannot help but be annoyed that such a problem wouldn’t have been a thing if they stuck to botw’s story.

i was sad when the egg thing died but i dont like the egg thing.... it is the MAIN reason shit was retconned so much & i just. dont get its purpose. but i did really like the reveal that zelda made it herself. that was good shit!

also the egg glitched out like. a LOT. idk what the fuck was going on with the poor thing but there was multiple times during a cut scene or when i was just sitting there that it was freaking out in the background and it was rly weird

elemental overworld boss monsters................. obnoxious. especially elemental guardians like goddamn bro what the fuck

i know warriors’ games aren’t about exploring anyway but the limitations for exploring was really sad/frustrating. this is still somewhat the world of hyrule before the calamity, which is something we’ve always wanted to see. not being able to explore even the immediate area at certain points because of shit like timed missions was really upsetting, man. :( i just wanted to see hyrule castle Before the calamity why was did they have to rob us like that.....

creepy corrupted egg’s transformation. why. what was that. what the fuck

even though i did enjoy the boss fights, it did get. incredibly taxing eventually to have to fight the SAME bastards so many times. like yeah botw is also guilty of this with the blights, but goddamn.... at least i have a choice to avoid certain encounters with them? this game has you fighting the same bitches like upwards of 3-4 times. it was. really annoying tbh. like the fights themselves are enjoyable, but damn we added new characters and it still inevitably lacked variety in boss fights.

no playable kass >:( if he’s available later in dlc then fine but i wish he was playable in the original game. so many random choices you’d never expect are. why couldn’t he also be there >:(

overall:

it will forever have that sour taste for the false advertising attached to it unfortunately, but that aside, i overall did enjoy the game! i think it has a lot to love in spite of the issues i encountered. as someone who has this as their first warriors game as well, it did lend itself to letting me see the appeal of them. idk if i’ll get more, but i do get why they’re so beloved/popular now. it was an alright time, with some amazing highlights that i’m gonna think back on very fondly for a very, very long time. if i had to rate it..... 7/10 

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

My laptop is currently updating, so while I have that working in the background, I wanted to share a series of six short, mostly-opera-inspired autobiographical narratives/prose poems I wrote last April and May:

I would kill to have some wine right now.

There is a bottle of red wine sitting on the kitchen counter. My father bought it when he went to the store the other day─ don’t ask me what day it was, I don’t remember, the days already blend together as is─ and I have considered pouring even just a little bit into a glass and downing it.

And then proceeding to throw the glass against the wall and shatter it.

I’ve been contemplating doing that a lot lately.

True, I would kill to have some wine, but if I did go ahead and pour even just a little bit into a glass, and down it, and possibly then proceed to throw the glass against the wall and shatter it, I would most likely be killed before I had the chance to kill.

Kill or be killed. We are all trying our very best to do neither these days, but it happens anyway.

I am sixteen years old. As I start writing this, I am nine days away from turning seventeen. For me, alcohol consumption is thus not only not approved by the Parents, but also illegal. But then again, so is voting blue in the 2020 US Presidential election. That is also something neither approved by the Parents nor legal for me. But I digress.

Thirty-one, twenty-nine, thirty-one again, sixteen now, that makes sixty, ninety-one, one hundred and seven days since I watched one of my classmates get drunk at a New Year’s Eve party. She downed a whole bottle of peach wine (I didn’t even know that was a thing) and looked at me with her red eyes and silver-sequined halter top and curly dark brown hair in a high ponytail. You’re more beautiful than Jesus she told me and you’ll go to the moon on a rocketship. I laughed.

I laugh when something’s so unexpected I can’t do anything else. I laughed when I first heard Notre Dame Cathedral had caught fire because it seemed so ludicrous that I couldn’t do anything else. Notre Dame on fire? You can’t be serious, it can’t be serious.

It was serious.

I’m not sure if she was.

A little part of me wishes she were.

When I was in sixth grade, I told the same girl I thought her hair was luscious. Sixth-grade me didn’t know the word had a sexual connotation; the girl did and was offended.

Maybe a little part of me did know, somehow.

***

As I write this next part, I am working on a paper about state-sponsored censorship. I have picked this topic because it is a fascinating topic, it fits the requirements for the paper─ write about a major global problem─, and because I feel censored myself.

Expressing anything that conflicts with the Parents’ thoughts and opinions is strictly forbidden. If you are different, you are ostracized. I am different, so I am ostracized.

I am too proud, too strong to succumb. But it still hurts.

As I write this, I am listening to Act IV of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, an opera about liberation, appropriate for both me and my paper. At this moment, Hedwige is calling on God, ‘the hope of the hopeless’, to save her husband and break the yoke of oppression that binds Switzerland.

It’s very nice, and the sentiment is good and true, and it works for her and Mathilde and Jemmy and the Swiss women, but it does not work for me. I lost my faith a long time ago. Ironically, it is French grand opéra, the genre to which Guillaume Tell belongs, that is partially responsible for my loss of faith.

It was impossible for me to watch Verdi’s Don Carlos for the first time in eighth grade and Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots in tenth and not be horrified by the things people do in the name of religion, to kill people senselessly just because they believe slightly differently than them─ even their own daughters (as is the finale of Les Huguenots).

How can a good God allow such things?

Do I realize these works are fictional? Yes. But do I know they are based on history, on real events? Yes.

“These things are meant to happen; they are all in God’s plan.” Well, can God just not find another way to make what’s meant to happen happen? I cannot believe in a God that allows these things to happen. To say that an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God who can allow such things exists is a lie.

***

Now that Guillaume Tell is over, I am listening to another grand opéra, Les vepres siciliennes, albeit in its Italian version, I vespri siciliani. Another opera about occupation and liberation, but a liberation that comes at a horrible cost: the entire French ruling class is massacred by the Sicilians at the end of the opera.

If I didn’t care, I would stage my own personal ‘massacre’: I would turn my back, walk out the front door with the possessions I most needed to survive on my own, and never come back.

But I do care. They may not care, but I do.

One of my greatest curses is that I care about what I care about too much. My heart is too deep to not care.

There are some battles that are not worth being fought.

If a massacre is your only recourse to accomplish something, perhaps you should not do that thing. Or, at least try to find another way.

Right now, I am at the beginning of Act III, at Monforte’s aria “In braccio alle dovizie”. In the original French, it’s called “Au sein de la puissance”. At the breast of power.

Monforte is the hated French governor of Sicily, the revolutionaries’ primary target. When he sings this, he has just learned that one of the main revolutionaries, Arrigo, is his long-lost illegitimate son.

By rape.

‘The breast of power’ indeed.

Just like with a massacre, if rape is your only recourse to accomplish something, perhaps you should not do that thing either.

Just a thought.

I’m a woman. What do I know, in the eyes of many out there?

One of my friends said that Verdi gave Monforte his just deserts, but also overly beautiful music. “He couldn’t help it, though, not when his Dad Music Instincts were activated.”

I feel guilty listening to the aria, even though it is truly a beautiful piece and the recording I’m listening to─ a 1989 recording from the Teatro alla Scala, with Giorgio Zancanaro as Monforte─ is absolutely gorgeous.

Can we separate the music from the character, the art from the artist? I do not know. Everyone has something utterly heinous to someone else. Once we stop separating the art from the artist, where do we begin again? And yet, I do not want to support people who do horrible things to others.

Perhaps it is all relative.

Perhaps everything is.

Perhaps nothing is absolute at all.

That frightens me.

***

Today is Rome’s 2,773rd birthday. As a six-year Latin student and future classics and history double-major, this is cause for celebration.

If things were normal and I were at school, my Latin teacher would bring birthday cake for all the Latin students, and we’d eat it and sing “Felix dies natalis, Roma”. Happy Birthday, Rome.

But things are not normal, and I’m at home multitasking between this and a presentation script for that paper, and still listening to I vespri siciliani.

Now I’m at the end of Act IV. Everyone is celebrating the impending marriage of Arrigo to Duchess Elena, one of the Sicilian revolutionary leaders. Sicilian and French, united at last. Everything is set to work out.

But there’s still Giovanni da Procida, the other major revolutionary leader, who is hellbent on revenge. He sees this wedding as the perfect opportunity to strike down the French once and for all.

And thus, the massacre.

Everything can be set to work out, but there is always something that comes up. A massacre, a pandemic, a set of internal troubles that bring a proud empire to its ruin.

Now I’m in Act V, at Elena’s bolero ‘Merce, dilette amiche’. She has no idea about Procida’s plans; she’s just excited to marry Arrigo and bring peace to her beloved Sicily at last. I think I’m going to change operas again after this is over; the act is rather uneven (though I still very much like it) and I would prefer not to listen to everything falling apart today.

I debate listening to Berlioz’s Les Troyens, the closest thing to an opera about the founding of Rome and a masterpiece itself. But there is still too much about collateral damage for my tastes today: one kingdom falls and another loses its benevolent queen, all in the name of a supposedly greater destiny. And that’s just based on the first third of the Aeneid. I wrote an essay about that first third once for English class, using that thesis; my English teacher said it was one of the best essays he’d ever read. But I digress.

After a quick refresher on the synopsis, I decide to change styles and go with a story from the heyday of the Roman Empire: Handel’s Agrippina. Lots of plotting, but everyone gets what they want in the end and it ends happily for all. No collateral damage here. I am weary of that.

Sometimes I feel like collateral damage.

It’s tough to remember that you’re the master of your own story, not just a side character or a scapegoat in so many others’.

Everyone in this opera knows they’re the masters. That’s the problem. But it ultimately works out.

I want nothing more than for it to work out for me. It hasn’t yet.

But I have a feeling it will.

***

I got maybe halfway through the first act of Agrippina yesterday. I love Baroque opera, but I guess only in small doses.

No matter.

Today I’m listening to the beginning of Act II of Verdi’s Don Carlo. This is the fourth time in a row I’ve listened to it.

I read John Green’s Turtles All The Way Down recently. The main character frequently finds herself stuck in ‘thought spirals’, where she keeps thinking more and more about the same thing. I have those too, although I tend to picture my mind more as a bullet train: it always moves hundreds of miles an hour, faster than I can control, from one thought to the next. I constantly find myself retracing the figurative map of my mind to figure out what I was thinking about, what I need to remember but simply cannot. And it’s like my mind keeps returning to the same stations a lot; these are my equivalent to the spirals.

This opera, this moment, is one of my frequent stations.

Make that five times in a row now. This will be the last, I promise myself.

In this scene, a group of monks chant, praying for the rest of the dead Emperor Charles V, whom, I note with a smile, was himself a character in one of Verdi’s earliest operas, Ernani. In that opera, he sings an aria where he confronts his destiny as the next Holy Roman Emperor. My legacy will live throughout the ages, he sings.

Including in two different Verdi operas.

But there I go again on another bullet-train route.

The monks are singing now, their stark minor-major shifts making me feel as if I am there, in the cloister of San Yuste or in any of the great cathedrals of Spain, looking up into the vaults of the ceiling, of heaven itself, seemingly. The only lights come from candles in my mental picture, and I gaze up, my head uncovered, my mind only partially spellbound, more by the visual beauty and the history than by any religious feeling.

I am a heathen.

I have only been inside a Catholic church once, when I was fourteen; it was an impromptu side trip during a school-sponsored tour of colleges in St. Louis. One of the chaperones said the Cathedral Basilica had can’t-miss art, and thus managed to get a large section of the attendees to come with her.

She was right. It was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen. And that was all I thought.

Okay, that’s a lie. I did wonder what it would be like to be able to have faith again, to be able to kneel in one of the pews, and pray, and believe, as my ancestors have done before me; after all, if religion were something you inherited in your blood, then I would be half-Catholic.

But I cannot kneel and pray and believe.

In this scene, one of the monks claims that Charles V fell because he was too proud, because he believed that he was greater than God. If a god exists, I do not claim to be greater than them. I am not perfect, not by a long shot.

He did not die because he did not believe in God. He died because everyone dies, even those who are supposedly the greatest of us.

God alone is great, the monk proclaims. I do not, cannot believe that. We are all great to begin with, but some of us are led to believe we are not.

We are the masters. I must remember that.

And I realize that I have let it play a sixth time.

Sometimes I am not the master of my own mind.

***

The sixth time was the last.

Now I am at the end of the act, listening to the showdown between Filippo II, King of Spain, and Rodrigo, Marquis di Posa. Filippo is the guardian of the way things are; Verdi called Rodrigo an anachronism, and indeed, he was the only principal character who never existed.

Rodrigo, he said, was at least two centuries ahead of his time.

I don’t know what exactly Verdi’s feelings were about this, but personally, I do not think this is a bad thing. Progressivism is often progressivism in any age.

At any rate, Rodrigo, who has recently returned from Spanish-held Flanders, has taken his chance─ a rare private meeting with the King, who is confused as to why Rodrigo has never approached him for favors like all the other courtiers─ to confront him about the horrific conditions of Flanders and its people. Give them liberty, he pleads.

No. I have given them the same peace I have given Spain.

A horrible peace!, Rodrigo fires back. The peace of the tomb!

We should not have to suffer until death.

Let history not say of you, “He was a Nero.” A murderer of innocents, a torturer of the defenseless, an occupier, a denier of liberty─ perhaps the greatest torture of all.

I once watched a video in which a director said, “To live in an occupied country is to live only half a life.” I would say that to live in an occupied country, or even any place where you cannot be free, cannot live fully as yourself, is not even that. It is to barely live at all. It is to merely have a beating heart and breath.

To live in spite of this, to simply be as you wish, is the ultimate act of defiance.

[spitzofseidou]

ace of diamond (season 1) review

Hey there! I have recently finished the first season of Ace of Diamond and I’m going to be reviewing on five categories: plot/pacing, characterization/relationships, voice acting, art and OST. Aaaand because of how much I enjoyed it, I’m going to throw in my favorite character, dynamic and OP/ED. At the end I’ll be adding rewatchability/recc score. 

Genre: Shonen / Sports Subgenres: Comedy / Slice of Life / School  Synopsis: Sawamura Eijun is a unique southpaw pitcher from a small town in Nagano with a lot of potential but unpolished skills. After being scouted to play for Seidou High School (a prestigous baseball school in Tokyo) he is encouraged by his friends and family to go and accept the offer and pursue his passion for baseball at a higher level. Confident to the point of arrogant, he declares that he will be the ace pitcher on this new team and be the best -- but has to grapple with the fact he is surrounded now by extremely powerful, talented players who have been honing their skills for years-- some of whom are better than him, like his rival Furuya Satoru, a pitcher with a wicked fastball. Together, this team aims to be the best in Japan and aim for the Summer Koshien, tackling formidable teams who stand in their way--as well as work on their own goals, dreams, fears and insecurities. 

Plot & pacing: The pacing of this show is very well done. In a 75 episode first season, it is rather long, with many of the baseball games drawn out. But its well worth it, as the writing brings a lot of emotional gratification by “feeling what they feel.” Starting with Sawamura being scouted, going through intense spring training and the selection of the summer starting roster, throughout the highs and lows of the summer season and into the post-summer scrimmages and finally rounding out the season with the third-year retirement game before the fall tournament raffle, every bit is given important narrative attention. 

The reveal of information through the eyes of the protagonist; not knowing about Chris Yuu Takagawa’s injury until Sawamura knows it, not knowing how much the current third years sucked as players until the right moment through flashbacks during the tipping point of the finals game, for example -- is such an important choice that we as an audience feel what he feels. The summer games feel very high stakes, the emotional impact is well-earned; every victory feels like it was earned and not given through plot armor or well ~obviously Seidou is the protagonist team, they have to win.~ Seidou as a team was written as strong but not invincible. SPOILER: This is emphasized at the finals game against Inashiro. Despite losing, while emotionally devastating, it feels like it was a logical writing choice and will be important growth for not just Sawamura but the team as a whole. 

The yips arc that follows the loss wraps up in a very wholesome retirement game, with Sawamura not fully recovering, but beginning to do truly do so, and the hopeful note of beginning the fall tournament, leaving the audience ready and excited for more. 

As a side note, Ace of Diamond very beautifully balances comedy to drama, so it takes itself seriously but is also genuinely comedic. I have two running jokes of “fellas, is it gay to x” and “screenshot of out context being x” as well as actually laughing over some of the planned jokes. But it is truly an emotional carthartic journey.

[Did I cry? yes. so much.]

characterization & relationships: All of the characters feel very well-rounded with diverse ethnic and social backgrounds and personality traits. Some may be static but many of them experience growth to become better people and players. Sawamura is a good “bouncing board” of a character, as someone who goes from arrogant to experiencing several setbacks and a devastating loss that makes him examine his own biases, weaknesses and flaws that also reveals to his opponents their own shortcomings. Several other characters are better players than him, and that’s okay. On the flipside, one of the canon examinations as well as audience reaction is that Coach Kataoka has a team who is a family, a well-oiled machine who works amazingly together because they trust and care for one another, that he encourages growth and inspires them to be the best not just as baseball players, but as individuals as well. The opposing teams are also not just blank slates to fight against, but thoughtful people with their own desires, backgrounds and flaws--Mei Narumiya is cocky and unable to handle criticism once put on a pedestal, Sanada Shunpei has low stamina, etc etc. 

Something that’s extremely important to reemphasize is the relationship the Seidou team has to one another in that everyone affects everyone else. Sawamura chooses to go to Seidou specifically because Miyuki Kazuya, a first year at the time, encouraged him to pitch, so he had one upperclassman who already believed in him by the time he enrolled. Sawamura has both batchmates (first years Furuya Satoru and Haruichi Kominato) that encourage him through rivalry (Furuya) or gentle friendship (Haruichi) and several upperclassmen he admires and multiple times states he adores this team as it is, because he looks up to them for guidance and inspiration-- quiet team captain Tetsuya Yuuki, loud outfielder Isashiki Jun (the namesake of this blog, “the spitz of seidou”), speed demons Ryousuke Kominato and Youichi Kuramochi, and more. 

In particular, he has an exchange of growth with Chris Yuu Takagawa, someone he mistook for being uncaring and hopeless about baseball with a dead-eyed appearance. Chris, after being injured, all but had given up on playing again, but Sawamura’s noisy and blunt personality who kept pushing him encouraged him to return to the field, and have hope again. Chris is a teacher that Sawamura then deeply respects and is there for him when he has the yips, returning the favor to help break him out his funk. The symbolism. *weeps*

Important to note also it that is isn’t just about Sawamura and the effect he has on them, but the relationships they have with each other. The Kominato brothers have their own relationship where Haruichi wants to be like his older brother; Isashiki may act wild and aggressive and cocky, but he is truly humbled by their team captain Tetsu; Miyuki and Chris met years before Seidou and that informs their dynamic and the kind of players they are today. This also extends to other teams; some have similarities like Akikawa Academy revering their pitcher Yang Shunchen and how that parallels with Seidou adoring Tanba even when he was out with an injury, and others juxtaposed with them i.e. how some players at Inashiro seem to resent the spotlight Mei receives or Shirakawa callously telling another player to kill himself. 

I also wanted to note the way Coach Kataoka also sees his team; he is in many ways like a stern but loving father figure who wants the best out of his boys in every way, off and on the field. Other coaches seem to care more about money or fame than their wellbeing (Coach Todoroki or the replacement coach for Seidou), and others have different styles as coaches whether from pro experience or just age. It really emphasizes that it’s not just about the talent a team may or may not have, but how those players are nurtured as people.

(Favorite relationships: Chris & Sawamura, the Kominatos, Miyuki & Chris, .)

[Side note: if you care about shipping, this is a buffet, you’re going to have a great time.]

Voice Acting: The voices of this cast are spot on. Everyone’s voice seems to match their face and personalities and all of the voice actors give 110% to the character. The voices really make it for me, as I’m very particular about the sounds. It feels very realistic and the voices really make them seem like actual people and gives the audience a reason to invest. I’ve got nothing but praise for the voice actors and voice direction of this cast. Art: I could go on and on about the art. The motion is very fluid, the backgrounds are amazing. The character designs are stunning and everyone feels unique and given thought. Style-wise it was very refreshing to see as a lot of modern anime I’ve been watching seems to have the stereotypical “2000s” feel, whereas Ace of Diamond feels like a gorgeous late nineties/early 2000s homage--fitting since, despite airing in 2013-2015, the manga originated in 2006 and it followed the art of the manga nicely. The color palettes are very beautiful and vibrant. I remarked more than once while watching it that it was clear that the artists cared for studying human anatomy, movement and realism (in comparison to how some battle shonen care more for looking cool.) The art is what drew me in to begin with and it never disappointed.  OST: I loved the OST so much. Frying-Pan did such an amazing job delivering gorgeous pieces of music. The beauty of it was just off the charts and went above and beyond to make fitting pieces for character themes, scenario specific pieces etc. Also the OPs by Tom H@ck and Glay were appropriately themed and got me pumped every time. I love the various endings also and their little character revealing bits. I like them all so much I never skipped them while watching.

[Favorite OP: Perfect Hero. Favorite ED: Cloud Nine. I listen to Cloud Nine literally every day.] Can I rewatch? Absolutely! Even knowing what’s going to happen, the emotional journey is worth it.  Would I recommend? 10/10. Even if you don’t like sports, this is a great one. It was my first sports anime and it has set the bar so very high. 

[randomoranges]

celi was named after my friend who had made the art for this thing. we used to spend all our lunch breaks together. we were super close back then. man, i miss her. hope she’s doing well. 

taro continues to be a ding-dong. 

So Totally OP!

Part 16

 “I sure hope I can, I do live here with you after all.”

 -

Taro’s POV

 The next morning, when I opened my gorgeous eyes to the world, I remembered that today was the director’s birthday and that I had to get her the best present ever. I had already ordered it and I only needed to pick it up. My present was not only original, but it was also perfect. It fitted with the director’s personality and needs quite well. I was positively sure that she would really adore the gift.

 Satisfied with the way I looked and with the neatly wrapped gift, I made my exit and walked graciously to the studio that was luckily only a few blocks away. It was a sunny day and I didn’t want to risk getting an awful sunburn that would ruin my creamy colored face.

 The moment I got there, I saw many familiar faces from the office and some that I suspected were friends of the director from her childhood. There was one who seemed to be close to her that had long ink black hair and dark brown eyes to match. She was petite and she seemed to be Asian. I latter found out that her name was Celi, or at least that’s what everyone called her. To my content, Mr. Luke the assistant and Daniel the accountant seemed to be absent.

 When the time came to open the gifts and the cake, the director did not lack any of the two. The guests showered her with many presents and there seemed to be enough cake for an entire county. Somehow or other, Jake and I seemed to be competing for one main goal; the one of the best birthday gift. She started with some other packages and soon there were only a few left, mine and Jake’s. The battle was on.

 She ended up opening his first and she was very touched by his gesture. He had gotten her various things, but the centerpiece of the present was an old looking photo album that seemed to be overstuffed with various things. It was more of a scrapbook than anything else. She was so pleased with his gift that it brought her to tears. After she had hugged him a few times, she set aside his gift and took my box. There was a small one and a bigger one.

 She cautiously slid the lid off and out floated a balloon which I had decorated by hand. Every pair of eyes followed the balloon’s movement from in the box to when it hovered above all of us. The hair on the balloon was sticking to its rubber face because of the static and the magnificent effect of the hair was lost. There was a hand drawn face to it that wasn’t really smiling at anyone as well.

 “Taro, what is that supposed to be?” The director asked. Wasn’t it obvious? It was the most fabulous gift she could have ever gotten.

 “It’s a balloon.” I said proudly.

 “I can see that Taro, can you tell me what this balloon is supposed to represent?” She had asked me in such a calm way that I didn’t seem to notice the threat that hung in mid-air.

 “You.” I said with the brightest smile possible. The director said nothing and she left the balloon to hover above our heads. She opened the other box and I could have almost seen her face drop. I had bestowed a one-year monthly subscription upon her to Halls lozenges. Every month she would get one box filled with one hundred and fifty little rows of Halls.

 “Taro, can you please explain me the utility of this gift?” Her smile could have almost been fake. Maybe it was and I was blinded by her beauty.

 “You like to yell a lot so I thought it could be good for your throat.”

 “Taro, why do you have to be so stupid sometimes?” She yelled at me. Halls for your thoughts anyone?

 The incident with the balloon and the Halls was forgotten with time, and soon, everyone was heading back to their own lives. I stayed behind to help clean up and after a while, I noticed that Jake and the director were missing. Being the curious cat that I was, I went looking for them. It was quite a search. Almost as if, they didn’t want anyone to find them. I heard them talking in her office and I couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

 “You’re sure no one followed us?” I heard him say.

 “Yes Jak, I’m sure of it.” She answered him. This seemed like a scene out of a bad movie, where the protagonist spied on the antagonist and discovered something horrendous.

 “All right, happy birthday Ms. Director.” I heard her laugh and then I heard no more. My curiosity getting the best of me, I took one peep inside the room and I saw the supposedly gay make-up director kissing the director on the lips. Had I missed something?! This really was like in the movies! Tout à fait au carré, parfaitement, très bien.

PREVIOUS: XV CURRENT: XVI NEXT: XVII

[baphomet-media]

Top 10 Games I Played in 2019

Another year has gone by just like that, and here we are with another year’s worth of games played! There were some good releases this year, and I’m excited to talk about them all. Before that, though, let’s touch briefly on the criteria for these lists:

Any game that I played for the first time in 2019 is eligible, regardless of initial release year. Games that I started late in the previous year but spent most of the time playing in the year in question also count.

Ports, remasters, remakes, etc. of games that I have played before do not count.

I have to spend a certain amount of time with a game or the game has to make some kind of significant impact on me to be considered.

Lastly, these are just my opinion out of a very limited pool of games that I was personally able to get to this year, so if a game you played this year doesn’t show up, chances are either I didn’t have a chance to play it, or it just wasn’t personally as impactful to me as some of the others on the list. Now, on to the list!

10. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)

Developer: Intelligent Systems / Koei Tecmo

Publisher: Nintendo

Genre: Strategy RPG

Release Date: July 26th 2019

Before Three Houses, the only Fire Emblem game I played was Awakening on the 3DS. I mostly enjoyed it, but I couldn’t get into the marriage aspect of the game, and I felt that many of the battles a bit too lacking in any sort of story context other than “There are bad guys here, let’s take them out!”

However, Three Houses really succeeded for me where Awakening failed. The academy was a really great home base and actually gave some meaningful context to most of the battles in the game. I really enjoyed micromanaging the different lessons in the game and tweaking each of my students into exactly the build I wanted for them, however I felt the drawback of this was that there weren’t really a whole lot of different classes to really explore. Most of the game’s character classes are just stronger variations of lower-level classes, and it definitely felt like some skill categories became woefully underutilized as the game went on, so there was no point in training people for them. I also liked recruiting other students to my house, but I felt like the other houses students didn’t really offer anything that my current house already had, so some students ended up feeling mechanically similar to others.

The battles were exactly what you’d expect from Fire Emblem, and gave me a bit of a tabletop RPG vibe, which I enjoyed, particularly when there were large monsters to fight that took up more grid space than standard units.

That being said, the story was really interesting, and I really liked watching everything unfold. I picked the Black Eagles house (because Edelgard is great), but I felt like that story didn’t really do a great job of explaining everything, and expected you to just side with Edelgard on some of her more bold decisions with no explanation as to why what she was doing was right, which felt kind of unfair. The game really wanted you to go through and play each one of the houses stories, but with around 80 hours poured into a single house, I didn’t really feel like there was much point at the end.

Overall, I think Three Houses is a great fit for the Switch and I’m excited to see what the future of Fire Emblem on Switch will look like.

9. Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch)

Developer: Next Level Games

Publisher: Nintendo

Genre: Adventure

Release Date: October 31st 2019

When it comes to Luigi’s Mansion, I enjoyed Dark Moon on 3DS back in 2013 while waiting for Animal Crossing: New Leaf to drop, but I never really had much of a reason to come back to it. Still, I really enjoyed the exploration aspect of the game and the attention to detail really impressed me with how nearly everything could be interacted with.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 on Switch is more of what you’d expect from the Luigi’s Mansion series. The game centers around Luigi exploring a haunted hotel to stop King Boo and rescue Mario and his friends. While Dark Moon focused more on a few isolated mansions with different themes, LM3 brings things back to a single gigantic building. This time, each floor of the mansion has a different spooky theme, from ancient Egypt, to classical music, to a floor overgrown with plants. Luigi has to defeat the boss of each floor to reclaim the elevator button for the next floor as he gradually works his way to the top.

Like with previous games in the series, you can expect loads of environmental interaction, such as all the items you can suck up and mess with using the Poltergust, but LM3 brings some new mechanics to the series, including a launchable plunger than you can then pull on to yank certain objects around, as well as the remote-control Gooigi, who is as fun to use as his name is cursed. Gooigi is basically a slime doppelganger for Luigi who can be deployed at any point to assist Luigi with different tasks, or split up for local co-op play. He also has the ability to squeeze through grates and pipes, allowing all sorts of hidden areas that only Gooigi can explore.

LM3 is a game that oozes with charm (no pun intended), though the combat does get a tad repetitive. Also, I was a bit disappointed that there was not more interplay between different floors of the hotel. They’re almost exclusively completely isolated levels, which definitely takes away from the feeling of having a huge building to explore.

8. Blasphemous (PC)

Developer: The Game Kitchen

Publisher: Team17

Genre: Adventure Platformer

Release Date: September 10th 2019

Blasphemous is a game I remember seeing teasers for earlier in 2019, but saw little to no hype for otherwise. However, the concept and the stunning hi-bit pixel art immediately drew me in. The game is a 2D adventure platformer set in a gothic fantasy world reminiscent of Dark Souls. In fact, quite a lot of this game is reminiscent of Dark Souls, with a lore thicker than gravy that’s brimming with little tidbits of information in every NPC dialogue, every item flavor text, and in the bosses you encounter. The world takes inspiration from Christianity, though not actually being about Christianity itself, instead a fictional religion with many similar aspects (an approach I wish more developers would take).

In Blasphemous, you play as The Penitent One as you explore a rotting gothic world and learn more about a strange quasi-religious curse called The Miracle and other fascinating bits of the world. You explore such locations as rotting cathedrals, a frozen mountain, the interior of a colossal bell set upside down into the ground, and more. Along the way, your eyes will feast on some of the most gorgeous pixel art in games this year.

The Penitent One is able to battle with their sword and certain special abilities picked up along the way. While the combat is fairly simple at first, it gets much more deep and nuanced as you go along, dodging enemy attacks, parrying and countering, using spells to buff yourself or shoot projectiles, and much more. Personally, the game feels a lot like Dark Souls meets Castlevania, particularly Symphony of the Night. It’s definitely a lot of fun, though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea due to tone and difficulty.

7. Mario Maker 2 (Switch)

Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development

Publisher: Nintendo

Genre: Action Platformer and Level Editor

Release Date: June 28th 2019

I was a big fan of the idea of the original Mario Maker on WiiU, so I was really excited when Mario Maker 2 was announced for Switch with a plethora of new parts, themes, mechanics, and features. I have a pretty big soft spot for classic Mario games, and level editors really get my gamedev side going, so this game pretty much checked all the boxes for me.

I was glad this time around to see an extensive singleplayer mode, where Mario has to play through Nintendo’s own pre-made levels to gain coins to rebuild Peach’s castle after the Undodog resets it all to nothing. It was a great introduction to the game, particularly showcasing what all you can do with the new parts. It was the perfect thing to get any creator’s brain tingling with ideas for their first level.

The editor itself is largely improved from the WiiU, though you’ll almost certainly need a capacitive stylus in order to really take advantage of the Switch’s touch screen, though it’s nice to finally have a Switch game with proper touch screen support, since it seemed like Nintendo had all but forgotten about this part of the device. There are tons of new improvements here, too, such as all modifiers for objects can be accessed by long-pressing on an object. One thing I wasn’t fond of though was the way the Select and Copy modes are accessed, needing to toggle through them and normal edit mode instead of just having a single button for each.

Unfortunately, the Amiibo costumes have not returned, which would have been a great use for Amiibo on Switch (anyone remember that the Switch is Amiibo compatible?), though with the recent release of the Link costume, it seems that Nintendo has plans in mind for these alternate forms.

Fortunately, if you’re not much of a creator, there’s still plenty to do in MM2, as there are tons of ways to play levels online, including an endless challenge mode with different difficulties, browsing top level lists, and a new speedrun mode where levels are available for a limited time and you can grind them to get your best time, playing against the ghosts of other players’ best times.

All in all, I’ve had fun with MM2, and I’m excited to see what Nintendo will bring to the game in future updates (please implement level playlists).

6. Baba Is You (PC)

Developer: Hempuli

Publisher: Hempuli

Genre: Puzzle

Release Date: March 13th 2019

Out of nowhere back in March came a little indie game known as Baba Is You. In this programming puzzle game, each level contains the rules of the level as physical objects that you can push around and recombine to manipulate how the game plays. Each rule statement can (usually) be broken down into three components: an object (such as Water), a verb (such as Is) and a property (such as Stop). Each one of these components can be pushed around at will, and if you line all three of them up you get the statement “Water Is Stop”, meaning that all water tiles in the level do not allow other objects to move over them. If you break this statement, the water loses this blocking property and you can walk over it. It doesn’t stop there, though, and there are tons of combinations and complicated scenarios that will leave your brain hurting after too long. While some of the puzzles are unfortunately rather obtuse in their intended solutions, and the game doesn’t always do a great job of teaching you the skills you’ll need to face harder puzzles, you at least have the option of completing multiple different levels, so it’s rare that you’ll be stuck on just one.

It also helps that the art for the game is a cute but simplistic hand-drawn style that makes it easy to distinguish all the various elements of each level. The only reason this game didn’t rank higher on my list is that I got stuck and I found most of the levels to be a bit too hard for me (shocking, I know).

5. Gato Roboto (PC)

Developer: doinksoft

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Genre: Adventure Platformer

Release Date: May 30th 2019

Gato Roboto is a cute Metroid-like adventure platformer that sees you taking the role of Kiki, a cat who has to explore an alien planet to rescue her master’s crashed ship. Fortunately, while Kiki is defenseless on her own, she is able to pilot a robotic mech suit to run, gun, and jump across different zones of the planet. While a Metroid-esque platformer is nothing new, it’s the charming 1bit graphics and the interesting interplay between power suit mechanics and suitless cat mechanics. Sometimes there are gaps that the suit can’t fit into or walls that you need cat claws to climb, so you’ll have to abandon your robot suit and proceed on foot for a bit. In true Metroid fashion, you’ll acquire many upgrades for your suit as you go along, including movement abilities and health upgrades.

The game is short, but very sweet, and the mechanics are super satisfying. You could maybe finish the game in a few hours, but the controls and speedrun potential will likely keep you coming back for more.

The only downside I have to the game is that there is at least one section where you have to explore extensively on foot, and since you die in a single hit while on foot, it makes for some frustrating moments when you just barely mistime a jump and graze an enemy. Also, at one point I managed to softlock the game by accidentally bypassing a barrier that the player isn’t meant to and getting stuck in a boss area when a required button doesn’t work after you defeat the boss. Fortunately, the developers managed to patch this, so I was able to continue playing after a while.

4. Hollow Knight (PC/Switch)

Developer: Team Cherry

Publisher: Team Cherry

Genre: Adventure Platformer

Release Date: February 24th 2017

I’ll admit, I was a bit late to the party on this one. Hollow Knight released back in 2017 on PC, and while I played it for a bit on there, I didn’t get far and just never had time to come back to it. However, when it was released on Switch in mid 2018, I ended up picking it up again some time later and gradually worked my way through it into 2019. Hollow Knight is a Metroid-esque adventure platformer with light Dark Souls elements set in a dark and dismal world of a fallen insect kingdom. You play as a lone knight who seeks to explore the Hallownest and learn its secrets. Armed only with your Nail, a rusted sword, you explore the caverns and abandoned civilization beneath the town of Dirtmouth.

The game has tons of exploration, and allows the player to explore Hallownest at their own pace with minimal signposting towards destinations. Additionally, the game has an interesting map mechanic where you start off completely without a map and have to rely on memory to navigate the tunnels, however very quickly you’ll be able to purchase a blank map where you can record rooms you’ve been to at each save point. However this map only works for the current area, so for each area you discover, you’ll have to start this process all over, finding a map so you can chart out the area. While this sounds like a pain at first (and definitely can take some adjusting), it’s actually really interesting as you feel like you’re really discovering a forgotten realm and charting out your own personal course through the world. There are also plenty of points for nonlinear progression, as many areas are often open to the player at once, so it’s up to them to choose where to go (or just stumble across new areas at random like me). Each area offers vastly different visuals, from a mushroom-filled series of tunnels, to an elegant garden, to dank sewers, to a city drenched with perpetual underground rain. In each area you’ll explore every nook and cranny to find upgrades and new abilities.

Along the way, you’ll find many badges that you can equip, a la Paper Mario, that give you various passive bonuses and abilities, however you are limited in the number you can have equipped at a time, so strategic planning of which badges to use is crucial.

One of the game’s main features is challenging boss battles. The further you get in the game, the more the balance shifts from exploration to combat, with the late game mostly revolving around hunting down multiple different bosses. Many bosses are optional, however, and some are even hidden, so many players might miss them entirely. Personally, while I found many bosses to be fun challenges, it got kind of tedious to constantly be fighting bosses at every turn, which led to me not completely finishing the game.

3. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (Switch)

Developer: Square Enix

Publisher: Square Enix

Genre: RPG

Release Date: September 27th 2019

I’ll admit I slept on Dragon Quest XI when it released for PC and PS4 back in 2017. It was constantly on my “maybe someday” list, but it wasn’t until the Definitive Edition released on Switch back in September that I decided to give it a go, and boy am I glad I did.

DQXI tells the story of a young man who finds out one day that he is the reincarnation of a legendary hero called The Luminary, who is said to defeat an evil known as The Dark One and bring peace to the world. However, he soon finds himself hunted by a corrupt kingdom that has branded him as The Darkspawn, claiming he is responsible for bringing The Dark One to the world and causing disaster. Thus, our hero travels the world, meeting friends along the way, and finding out what it means to be The Luminary.

The game’s plot may seem a bit generic, but that’s the thing. The whole conceit of DQXI is that it’s a classic JRPG at heart, but with a lot of modern touches to make it feel accessible today. So while there are plenty of turn-based battles, MP gauges, and a story that’s simplistic at the surface, there are loads of surprises throughout and lots of mechanical tweaks that drastically improve the quality of life of the game. For instance, as characters level up, they gain skill points that they can spend on a grid of skills to improve their abilities in different disciplines. Usually, each character has a sector of the grid for each weapon type they can use, as well as one section full of character-specific buffs and special abilities. By the end of the game, you’ll be able to unlock nearly every ability, so it becomes more of a matter of deciding which abilities to prioritize based on how you want to customize each character.

Speaking of characters, there’s a pretty full cast of characters to enjoy, and I found myself loving all of them, such as the spunky Veronica, the flamboyant Sylvando, or the warrior princess Jade. Each character has their own battle style, too, including casting spells, using strong weapons, buffing the party, and more.

The game will easily get you over 100 hours of playtime, with myself clocking in at around 120 hours so far. I’m not quite done yet, but I’m almost there. See, there’s a ton to do in DQXI aside from the main story, including crafting and improving items in a quick minigame at your Fun-Size Forge, gambling in the casino, horse racing, side questing, and exploring various parts of the world.

As for quality of life features, there are such things as the Horse Hailer, which allows you to immediately summon a horse on the overworld for quick travel, early access to the Zoom spell, which lets you teleport back to any town, important location, or campsite you’ve visited throughout the world for free, campsites being free healing, a speed-up option in combat, multiple auto-battle options, the ability to quick-heal in the menu, and more. It’s hard to really list everything, but there are tons of instances where you’ll think “Oh, that’s really handy”.

The visuals of the game are fantastic, with lots of that Akira Toriyama style that’s become synonymous with the Dragon Quest series. The characters are all really well designed and memorable, though some of the NPCs have a bit of a case of same-face, which is especially jarring considering that the game’s world is inspired by many diverse real-world cultures, making it odd that people from a Japanese-inspired area look exactly the same as people from an area based on northeast Europe. Still, I think the game otherwise does an excellent job at respecting world cultures, and even incorporates real-world languages into different regions. For example, the in-game city of Gondolia is based heavily on Venice, Italy, and the people of that city sprinkle bits of Italian into their dialogue. It’s a charming touch.

The music for the game sounds really great if you enable the orchestral version. Unfortunately, the game originally released with only a synthesized version of the soundtrack, which sounds terrible by comparison. Unfortunately, I felt that although each of the compositions were very memorable and pleasing, there sometimes didn’t feel like enough of them. The overworld, city, battle, boss battle, and dungeon themes are exactly the same wherever you go in the world, and I felt like that was a missed opportunity to really spice up the soundtrack with more unique themes to each area.

Overall, If you like JRPG’s, you’ll definitely like DQXI. My only complaints are that it can be a tad on the easy side, and that there are a few points of no return in the story that cause certain quests to be locked out without warning.

2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)

Developer: Bandai Namco Studios / Sora Ltd.

Publisher: Nintendo

Genre: Fighting

Release Date: December 7th 2018

Was this really a surprise? A new Smash Bros. game releases the day before my birthday? Of course I’m gonna love it! I had been hyped up for Smash Ultimate for months preceding its release, going as far as watching any gameplay videos on YouTube I could find from various demo events and tournaments around the world. Even after the game’s release, there have been tons of content updates, new fighter DLC, and just so many reasons to come back to the game. It doesn’t hurt that one of the most accessible fighting games of all time is available on a handheld system (literally the only reason I played Smash 3DS). Smash Ultimate stands out in more than just its portability factor, though. While it largely recycles content from previous games, it can be seen as the “Ultimate” Smash Bros game, bringing back every single fighter from the series history, nearly every playable stage, and tons of familiar modes. Not only that, but new content is also present in terms of fighters, stages, and more. Long awaited characters include the Inklings from Splatoon, Ridley from the Metroid series, King K. Rool from Donkey Kong, and surprise guests, including Simon and Richter Belmont from Castlevania. On top of that, a plethora of DLC fighters and stages have been added, with the 5th DLC fighter still upcoming and shrouded in mystery.

Most prominent of the new additions is the game’s approach to a story mode. Unfortunately not as robust as the Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, The World of Light is still a welcome addition. In this mode, a strange angelic being called Galeem has turned all of the Smash fighters into evil controlled puppets, except, of course, for Kirby, who sets out to free each of the game’s 70+ fighters from Galeem’s control across a large board of levels, each connected by pathways. Each level features a battle against a copy of one of the game’s fighters possessed by a Spirit, essentially the essence of a video game character, and you have to free the Spirit and claim it by defeating the possessed fighter in a themed battle. This was a really nice way of including references to characters across not only Nintendo’s history, but the whole history of gaming as well, including some characters who do not otherwise appear in Smash, such as Shantae and Rayman. These Spirits, once collected, can be equipped to your character to not only improve your power level, but also offer different buffs, such as resistance to certain attacks, powering up your Smash attacks, starting you off each battle with an item, etc. I definitely enjoyed the World of Light mode, though I felt like it was a tad on the shallow side, and battles could get fairly repetitive after a while.

Fortunately, Smash really shines on its core mechanics, and the most fun I’ve had from the game is exploring all the different characters and finding which ones I like best. My current main is Ganondorf, though I still love playing as Ness and Lucas. Really, this is Smash at its best, and a number of much-needed mechanical tweaks, such as dodge fatigue, directional midair dodging, holding smash move charges, and an overall faster pace make this my favorite Smash game yet.

1. Persona 5 (PS4)

Developer: P-Studio

Publisher: Atlus

Genre: RPG

Release Date: April 4th 2017

Okay, wow. What a game. I’ve never played a Persona or Shin Megami Tensei game before, but buzz for Persona 5 was everywhere, and with the inclusion of P5’s Joker in Smash, I had to check it out. Even though I got to the game nearly two years late, I’m so glad I did.

Persona 5 is an RPG where you take on the role of a high school boy (he doesn’t really have a default name, but the most common name for him is Ren, so that’s what we’ll use) who has gotten tangled up in some legal trouble after intervening in a drunken assault on a woman he witnessed on the street. Turns out, this guy was something of a bigshot, and Ren soon finds himself placed under a form of rehabilitation where he is forced to transfer to the illustrious Shujin Academy in Tokyo. While at Shujin, Ren must live under the guardianship of a man named Shojiro who runs a coffee shop. Ren must stay out of trouble at school and live honestly.

However, trouble almost immediately finds Ren again as he discovers a lecherous teacher is mistreating many of the school’s students, and while investigating, accidentally slips into a strange dimension called the Metaverse, where the twisted perceptions of corrupted people are manifested into reality, and a sprawling Palace exists for the evil teacher. There, Ren meets a strange talking cat named Morgana who offers to help Ren if he will help Morgana find the Treasure at the heart of the Palace. Turns out, the Treasure is the manifestation of what caused the person’s desires to become corrupted, and stealing it causes them to lose their distorted emotions and confess.

Thus, Ren becomes a Phantom Thief, infiltrating Palaces and stealing Treasures by night and masquerading as a humble high school student by day. The Palaces are effectively the game’s dungeons, and this is where combat and exploration take place. Along the way, he’ll discover the power of his Persona, effectively an avatar of the user’s personality that enable them to unleash their true power inside the Metaverse, as well as use special abilities. And of course, you’ll recruit many friends to the Phantom Thieves, all of whom have their own motives and Personae. However, Ren has a special power. Instead of just being limited to one Persona, he has the ability to capture many Persona from the Metaverse by recruiting the game’s enemies or fusing Personae he already has to make more powerful ones. Thus the game has a light monster-collecting aspect to it, as each Persona can be leveled up to unlock new abilities, fused with others, and much more. What’s cool is that each Persona must be persuaded to join you by knocking it down in battle and then speaking to it in whatever way you think it wants to hear.

Outside of Palaces, you’ll investigate your targets, infiltrate a mega-palace called Mementos, as well as managing your free time. You see, Persona 5 allows you a limited amount of time to do everything you want to do, and it’s crucial that you manage your student life as well. This means spending time studying for exams, reading books to improve stats, working part-time jobs for money, playing minigames, and most importantly, hanging out with different NPCs, your teammates and supporters, to boost their friendship levels. As you get higher in friendship with each NPC, you’ll unlock new abilities, some of which are truly game-changing. I really enjoyed this aspect, as it felt like a puzzle trying to figure out how best to use my time. Almost nothing felt wasted, but I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to do everything, so I was always thinking about how best to optimize my time. Unfortunately, you can’t do everything in a single playthrough, but fortunately you can carry a lot of your progress over into New Game+. Some features are actually restricted to NG+, so it makes it feel like that second playthrough is really necessary if you want to see everything.

While the dungeons and the battles are mechanically fairly straightforward JRPG faire, the battles are interesting in that each enemy species has its own strengths and weaknesses, and exploiting weaknesses can knock down the enemy and allow you to take an extra turn, which can lead into strong combos. Furthermore, once all enemies are knocked down, you can perform a powerful All-Out Attack for massive damage. It honestly doesn’t get too much more complicated than that, but there is enough depth to the system to keep you engaged until the end of the game.

Each of the game’s characters are extremely well-designed, and I loved pretty much all of my party members, though Yusuke didn’t click with me as well as some of the others, despite being voiced by the amazing Matt Mercer. My favorite, of course, was the imperious Makoto, who appears little more than a bossy student council president in reality, but explodes into flurries of righteous blows in the Metaverse, alongside her robot motorcycle Persona.

Of course it’s impossible to talk about Persona 5 without mentioning the absolute masterpiece that is this game’s presentation. If you know anything about the game, you’ve likely seen the striking art style used in all of this game’s art and UI. It’s honestly every bit as eye-catching and jaw-dropping as it seems. The music is an utter masterpiece as well, with all manner of swingy jazz tunes, somber piano pieces, heart-pounding rock tracks, all of which come together with the visual style to give you something unlike anything you’ve ever played before and to truly make you feel like a suave Phantom Thief.

I managed to not only get through the main game, but get all the way through a NG+ playthrough back-to-back to get that platinum trophy and not once did I feel bored doing so. I clocked in at around 200 hours in total and it was one of the best gaming experiences of my life. If you like RPGs, time management games, good anime-style stories, or just good games, do NOT pass this one up, especially the upcoming Royal version that’s releasing in March.

[never-sated]

We've played seven of the sixteen games on this shelf.  It's co-op heavy and we've played four of the eight co-op games represented here.  This shelf is a real mix of genres, even being co-op heavy.  Also, yes, we do need that many Pandemic games.

We haven't played any of the traditional Euros on this shelf.  Broom Service is a cute, light-weight pick up and deliver game.  Troyes is never leaving the collection because it is still one of the original dice Euros and the mechanism is still great. (I've played it but we haven't played it together.)  Bora Bora is another Stefan Feld game.  Orleans has a unique worker mechanism I want to see in action.

Deju Vu is a tableau building game with beautiful art and a lovely table presence that I hope to get to our table soonish.  

The rest of the games we haven't played are co-ops.  This War of Mine is a video game near and dear to my heart and, when it was offered as a cooperative Kickstarter, I was always going to back it.  Of course, we haven't gotten it to the table, largely because it's a very heavy theme.  Victoriana is a relatively recent Kickstarter acquisition borrowing from some of my wife's favorite Victorian horror/mystery authors.  It also has gorgeous Ian O'Toole art.  I think I just forgot what this was until I looked at it because we need to play this right away.  Fog of Love isn't necessarily a game my wife would normally be into but they released the all ladies box art so we snatched it up.  We're also trying to dip our toes into GMless RPGs so this, along with Legacy of Dragonholt which we also haven't played fits nicely in that category.

Of the non cooperative games we've played, Roll for the Galaxy is a dice version of Race for the Galaxy that we love quite a bit and would almost always choose it before Race.  Above and Below is one of several Ryan Laukat games we have.  We enjoyed this a lot, though Near and Far is still our favorite of his.  Paradox is a game that's in the collection because of all the comic artists that worked on it.  I don't really remember how it plays so it could probably do with a replay.

The co-op games we've played consist of Pandemic and Dark Souls: The Card Game.  The original Pandemic was one of the first games we bought.  We played it a lot early in our board gaming lives and had a lot of fun with it.  Then Pandemic: The Cure came out and offered a smaller footprint and gave us the dice tossing we enjoy.  Pandemic: Fall of Rome hits one of my favorite themes and, when we played it, really did feel thematic in function.  Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu came into the house with a few other Lovecraftian themed games and, it too, feels very thematic in how it plays.  Each of these Pandemic games feels different enough that they all belong in the collection and we'd play each of them depending on mood.  Dark Souls: The Card Game feels like a cooperative venture in Dark Souls.  The card play does a good job of reflecting the video game mechanics and we really liked it.  We have a few expansions for it that we'll get to when the base game stops murdering us.

This is a really strong shelf, with several games we really enjoy and others I'm very excited to play.  This War of Mine, Victoriana, and Legacy of Dragonholt are all co-ops that we really want to get to the table.  I'm really curious about how Deja Vu works on the table, aside from how pretty it looks.  Paradox does need a replay but that's really the only game with any sort of question mark.

[curestardust]

if you want: beatiful visuals and visual story-telling / realistic characters / non-fetishized wlw relationships / slice-of-life

As usual, I was quite careful when I started watching this show. Too many times have I had my hopes crushed by clichéd yuri anime, so I went into “Bloom Into You” with zero expectations. While I’m not a 100% happy with the ending of the show, I can say with complete certainty that if you’re in the same boat as me, this anime will be more than a pleasant surprise with how it treats its story and cast.

Our main characters are Yuu and Touko, 2 high schoolers just a year apart. Yuu is someone who grew up idolizing romance and dreaming of what it’ll be like to finally fall in love. However, when she is confessed to for the first time she is crushed as she realizes that she does not understand what falling in love is like. Crushes and boys become a daily topic among her 2 friends and she feels more and more distant emotionally, not being able to relate to anything that they say.

Touko is a seemingly perfect and outstanding student who’s heading to be the president of the student council. This is where her and Yuu meet and a strange relationship forms between them. Touko has a deep secret that has led to her basically having no self-esteem and putting on a mask in front of everyone. When she hears Yuu say that she cannot fall in love, she ironically falls in love with her. Touko hates her “real self” and couldn’t deal with someone falling in love with something she hates.

While their relationship is the forefront of the anime, it’s not the main point but how their personalities develop because of each other. Yuu doesn’t understand Touko’s  feelings but she lets her be in love with her. Their intimate relationship isn’t played up for eyecandy. Even though their first kiss is a spur of the moment decision on Touko’s  part, she apologizes for it and always asks for consent from Yuu from then on. Yuu herself doesn’t initiate contact however she actually likes it when they kiss. There are no shots from weird angles, nor sexual sounds. Their relationship is shown very naturally. 

There is another character who is very much worth mentioning, Sayaka, Touko’s best friend. While for our other characters, I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting labels on them, Sayaka is very much confirmed as a lesbian and she goes through her own journey in getting comfortable with who she is. Related to her, we also get to see 2 adult women in a lesbian relationship. This had a really big impact on me. A lot of yuri take place in high school settings, not only because weebs have a disgusting obsession with teenage girls but also because being attracted to girls is often thought of as a phase which you’ll grow out of. “Bloom Into You” shows us and Sayaka that that isn’t true and it felt...really good. Really, really good.

A few words of the technical side. The sound (OST, OP/ED, VAs) is very good and perfectly fits the atmosphere of the anime however what’s really worth talking about it the art and animation. “Bloom Into You” hands down has one of the most gorgeous openings I’ve ever seen. While the anime goes a little wonky here and there midway through, the key shots and scenes are beautifully animated. My only gripe is with the “same face syndrome” that made it difficult to recognize characters at times.

So. There’s one reason I cannot give this a full score. This would’ve been a 9 (because I’m not THAT into romantic SOL) but I had to bump it down because of the ending. I guess it can be considered open-ended but rather, it felt unfinished. At first I thought that it could be considered a “glimpse into someone’s life” kind of story but the anime started out with a typical beginning (start of high school) and not in-medias-res. The plot, the relationships and the characters’ personalities all felt...well, unfinished. The final episode felt more like a mid-season episode, with us gearing up towards the final arc but then it was just. Over.

The manga is still being published so if this does well there may be a possibility of a sequel. So. Please, anime gods? Pretty Please??? [8/10] (x)

Recommend: HELL Yeah! | Yes | Eh??? | Nope | This anime killed my parents

[whenjoshisjoseph]

TODODEKU/KIRIBAKU VIGILANTE AU: THE ART OF HAPPY ENDINGS

I am so, so pissed. The WiFi threw a tantrum and I couldn’t upload this on Halloween, and it’s still not letting me upload on AO3. So here, have this one shot that’s 5k words about my fav children and let me feel at peace.

The Art Of Happy Endings (whenjoshisjoseph)

Rated T. 

Summary: Bakugou, Midoriya, Todoroki, and Kirishima attend UA, a prestigious music school. Bakugou has a crush on Kirishima and vice versa, and the same is true about Todoroki and Midoriya crushing on each other.

Simple enough, right?

Wrong, because all of them are also a vigilante team that work together without knowing who the others are, and it stops them from pursuing relationships

.Until Shigaraki hatches his evil plot, that is.

full fic below the cut!! expect the italics doesn’t work :/

Midoriya recognises the song before Todoroki even starts to play, simply by looking at the way his slender fingers are poised. However, he still feels a rush of pride when Todoroki does indeed, begin with the opening note of Chopin’s Waltz in A Minor.

And of course Midoriya would know it; how could he not? It’s the first song he’d ever heard the other play, as well as the first song they’d played together. Part of him wishes that he could be on stage with him, accompanying Todoroki’s piano with his own violin. Then again, he’s content to watch from his special spot backstage, flowers hidden behind him.

Because this is the moment, the perfect opportunity: tonight, after the recital is over, and Todoroki is still on a high from his stunning performance (there’s no chance that his performance will be anything less than stunning), Midoriya will present Todoroki with the bouquet of red roses that he’s oh-so-carefully picked out, and with the roses, present his feelings too.

If he’s honest, it’s slightly daunting to think about, but it’s time. His best friend must know.

The gorgeous sound of Todoroki’s playing resonates within the concert hall, and the audience hold their collective breaths at the sheer beauty of his performance. Every trill and swift note vibrates throughout the space, and Midoriya, much like the rest of the audience, is transfixed.

But the sound is only half of Todoroki’s allure, and Midoriya unabashedly stares at the man as he plays. A single strand comes loose from the tight ponytail Todoroki’s hair is in, the colour matching the shade of roses that Midoriya holds. His chin is held high in the perfect pose to catch the light, and his heterochromatic eyes closely follow the notes he plays, building to a mesmerising crescendo.

Todoroki himself is, without a doubt, easily as entrancing as the song he plays.

Just before the piece finishes, though, a rough hand grabs at Midoriya’s shoulder, and he swivels in shock. Bakugou stands in front of him, gesturing for him to follow.

“K-kacchan?” he whispers, dreading what the blonde may be about to tell him.

“We gotta go; it happened,” Bakugou replies gruffly, sparing a glance at Todoroki, then at the flowers in Midoriya’s hands. His gaze softens a little.

“P-please,” Midoriya says quietly, voice beginning to tremble, eyes starting to water. God, but he’s so weak, he thinks to himself. “Not now, not now, anytime but now.”

This isn’t only the perfect chance to confess to Todoroki; it’s also his last, because Todoroki’s father has demanded he train internationally, and Todoroki has acquiesced to his father’s request. After this recital, Todoroki will be packing his bags and heading to the airport.

(The thought of it just further threatens the tears in Midoriya’s eyes to spill over.)

Bakugou steps forwards and ruffles Midoriya’s hair in sympathy.

“I know what it means to you, Deku, but there’s no waiting. It’s a shitty situation, but we gotta work with what we got. We have to be there. Now.”

And as much as it breaks his heart, Bakugou’s right; this is dire, and he has to put others above himself.

He allows himself one last glance at what could’ve been before he turns and rushes away with Bakugou, just as Todoroki skims the wings with his eyes for Midoriya, looking for support. When he realises that the person he perhaps cares about most in the world has stood him up, he steels his expression and begins Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2, the opening notes played with a dissonant detachment that does not fit the mood of the song at all.

The roses lay on the floor, forgotten, and a single petal falls from what was the freshest flower of them all.

*

The term vigilante is a little harsh, and the term villain is in a league of its own in terms of guess again, shitty ignorant civilian.

Bakugou prefers to be called a hero, please and fucking thank you, but it’s at times like this where he could maybe understand why some people disapprove of his team.

“Dude, calm down!” Red Riot pleads, holding Bakugou back lest he explode yet another rusty satellite. The friendly words juxtapose the strangely modulated voice that Red Riot’s chosen (they all wear voice modulators for the sake of protecting their real-life identities, although they all know that ‘Ground Zero’ and ‘Small Might’ know each other in real life. And no, Deku doesn’t sound any less annoying with his voice modulated).

“But Shouto’s fucking late as usual, and I’m pissed,” he growls in return, but allows himself to go limp in the hero’s grasp. There’s only one other person who can get him to calm down like this, and it’s not shitty Deku.

He glances over to Deku, or ‘Small Might’, as is his hero name, and notices the pain that flashes in his eyes at the mention of that name. It’s a bitchy coincidence, really, that Deku’s crush and his sidekick should have the same name. After tonight, it’s going to be a lot more difficult for him to face his emotions, and Bakugou once again curses the villains and their dumb-as-shit timing for hurting his nerdy ass friend like that.

No matter, though. Tonight, they’re going to take them down once and for all. Well, that is if the lame hero who calls himself ‘Shouto’ would fucking appear already.

As if spurred on by Bakugou’s grumbling, the tall man lands on the roof in an elegant crouch, straightening up and striding over to the other three in his team. His face is covered in an ornate mask that seems to be composed of half ice and half fire, like his ‘ability’, but Shouto had once explained that he’d had it made from Kevlar material to mimic the textures. Ever since, Bakugou can’t help but tease him about being a rich kid. And damn right, too. The hood that covers Shouto’s hair and the costume that cover his body are both made from freaking expensive material, and Bakugou can’t help but wonder what the fuck the guy must do in his free time to be able to afford such high quality. Not that he cares. Bakugou’s outfit is still the best.

“Fucking finally!” Bakugou exclaims, and Red Riot laughs. He turns to glare at him. “What’s so funny, Shitty Hair?”

(It’s true; the dumbass has his hair styled in some weird spiky style that really doesn’t flatter him. Not that he thinks that he’s attractive anyway. Because he doesn’t.)

“Nothing, nothing, just happy that the whole team has assembled,” Red Riot replies, grinning profusely. Deku, however, doesn’t seem to share his energy.

“Small Might, is something bothering you?” Shouto asks immediately, and Bakugou is tempted to tell Shouto that his gay is showing. But the last time he did that, the hero had burst into flames, and he’s not to keen to see that shit again.

“Personal life,” Deku mumbles, but perks up (honestly, can’t he make up his mind? Bakugou doesn’t know which one the shitty nerd is more head over heels for: his posh ass piano friend, or his posh ass hero friend). Shouto smiles sadly.

“Tell me about it,” he mutters. Red Riot, like that massive puppy dog he is, senses the morale lowering, and inserts his bright personality smack in the middle of the gay shit going on between the other two heroes. Bakugou breathes a sigh of relief.

“Don’t worry, guys; tonight’s the night we finally nail the bad guys!” he says enthusiastically. Bakugou snorts, and Red Riot flushes. “You know what I mean, bro, don’t make this weird.” Bakugou is about to reply when Shouto cuts in:

“Everyone know what they’re doing?” He looks pointedly at Bakugou as he speaks.

“Hah?” Bakugou sneers. “What you looking at me for, half n’ half? Wanna fight?” Todoroki raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I do ‘wanna fight’. To elaborate, I would very much like to fight the villains, Ground Zero, but of course, we can also wait until after I’ve knocked you down a notch or two.”

“Okay, okay, let’s all just…concentrate, right? This is our chance to take down the league once and for all, you know!” Deku tries to persuade, and Shouto simply nods, all glimmer of snarkiness gone from his eyes.

Liking someone can do that to you, it appears, and Shouto is all too obvious about how much he has fallen for Deku (although the stupid shitty nerd doesn’t realise it).

Bakugou shares a look with Red Riot, who has as much insight as he does, and rolls his eyes.

“Let’s go, already,” Bakugou announces, cracking his knuckles as he steps up to the edge of the roof. “We’ve got some villains to take down.”

And with that, he steps off the edge, all geared up to kick ass.

*

The mission yesterday had been a success. Well, duh, Bakugou had freaking smashed those weird ass freaks.

(The others were admittedly cool too, though he’d never let them know that he thinks that).

Bakugou tries not to dwell on the fact that the leader was the only member they weren’t able to apprehend (the man had yelled something to Deku about revenge as he’d ran, and god if that wasn’t so fucking cliché). But what’s a single guy gonna do by himself anyway? It’d been his underlings who’d been the real threat. Then again, Shigaraki had gotten pretty far alone before he’d recruited new members, so Bakugou thinks that he should maybe get together with the other three to see if they can track him down or some shit.

He goes from the fifth bar again, playing double time just because he can. The regular tempo’s too chill for him anyway, and drumming is meant to relieve his stress, so he can do what he fucking likes. The ride symbol harmonises perfectly with the hi-hat that he hits with his right hand (crossed underneath his left, because it’s easier like that).

Now this is real music, not whatever nerdy music Deku’s always playing with his half n’ half crush. As if some dusty uptight piece would ever beat simple, free sound. But the music school they go to offers both, so Deku can do as he likes; it’s none of Bakugou’s concern.

“Bakubro?” A voice pulls him out of his thoughts, and Bakugou comes to an abrupt halt to look up across the dimly lit practice room at his best friend. The streetlamps outside inform him that it’s after sunset, but as far as he’s aware, he’s got some time off from hero-ing tonight.

“Yeah?” he grunts, lifting himself off the seat and strolling over to where Kirishima is sat, acoustic guitar in hand. “Hold up; what’ve you got an acoustic for?”

Because Kirishima Eijirou, his best friend (and okay yes, goddamn crush too, who cares anymore?), plays the electric guitar. Although that’s sort of an understatement, he supposes. Kirishima doesn’t just play the guitar, he absolutely shreds it; his talent is unrivalled by the rest of the school.

When Bakugou had first met the cheery boy with straight, limp hair and a whole load of insecurity, he’d never expected him to be quite so…awesome.

But in the two years that he’s known him, Bakugou has never, ever seen Kirishima pick up an acoustic guitar. That’s always been something Kirishima keeps to himself; he has to practice with it, but he doesn’t do so when Bakugou is present.

“I,” Kirishima begins, taking in a deep breath. “I sorta feel like the acoustic guitar is my private self so I’ve never shown you what I can do with it, and I know it’s stupid-”

“For fuck’s sake, dumbass, it’s not stupid. Okay? You don’t have to feel pressured to-”

“No, no, no!” Kirishima hurriedly refutes, before slowing down. “It’s nothing like that. It’s just- I’ve been working on something for you, a cover, and I thought maybe you might wanna see it?”

Kirishima smiles at him so dazzlingly that Bakugou can hardly hold his gaze.

“Well, if it’s for me, you gotta fucking show it to me, dumbass. So yeah, let’s hear it.”

Bakugou sits down beside Kirishima and looks at him expectantly, so the other boy starts to strum.

It’s…it’s really good. It’s as if Bakugou is experiencing another side of Kirishima, something softer, something more personal, and the way his rough fingers gently pluck the opening of ‘Wake Me Up’ by Avicci hits Bakugou straight in the chest. But he’s not even remotely prepared for what Kirishima does next.

*

“What’re you all sad about?” Uraraka greets Midoriya, setting her tray down opposite him. It’s past ten in the night, but the school is still open and the cafeteria is all Midoriya’s. Well, his and Uraraka’s now. Uraraka is in the same class as Todoroki and himself, and plays the flute so brilliantly that the music practically floats about in the space. She’s also his best friend, and knows him almost inside out.

Note the almost.

Midoriya looks at her pointedly, but she doesn’t relent.

“What? Did the night end too soon?” she giggles, offering him a wink. He blinks at her in confusion.

“What?”

“What?”

They stare at each other for a moment, before Uraraka continues, slowly:

“Okay, so let me get this straight: when Todoroki rushed out of the recital early last night without even finishing the last song, and spread an announcement through the media covering the concert that his father could go to hell and that he was staying right where he was, that wasn’t all…for you?”

Midoriya spits out his noodles.

“Wait, what?!”

“He was especially off after he finished Waltz in A Minor. That Nocturne was just…wrong,” Uraraka muses, oblivious, until she catches Midoriya’s expression. “What, you didn’t know?”

It seems that the term ‘what’ is commonly used in their conversations. Or at least in this one. But before Midoriya can even process the fact that Todoroki isn’t gone, and he has another chance, let alone launch into the whole ‘I got him roses but I had to leave early so the whole thing flopped’ story, Todoroki walks into the dining hall.

And as soon as he glimpses Midoriya, he turns on his heels and walks straight back out again.

“Wait, Todoroki!” Midoriya yells, scrambling to his feet. He glances apologetically at Uraraka who waves him off, and then runs after the taller boy. It’s like Todoroki’s some sort of mirage or something, the way that he’s only seen around the corner and never close enough, but Midoriya finally catches up to him on the steps outside the large entrance to their school.

“Todoroki!”

Said person stiffens, but stops.

“Midoriya.” The words are cold and detached, and they send an unpleasant shiver down Midoriya’s spine. Nevertheless, he runs down the steps so that he’s facing Todoroki.

“Listen, about last night-”

“Don’t. I get it; I’m not worth your time. You’ve had enough of pretending to be my friend, so you didn’t bother to show up.”

“No, I was there! I…I left after the Waltz,” Midoriya tries to explain, but Todoroki isn’t even meeting his eyes.

“Isn’t that convenient? I looked for you after that very song,” Todoroki says, chuckling humourlessly. “Stop lying to me, okay? You can’t redeem yourself, and you don’t need to. We’re clearly not meant to be friends.”

Tears fill Midoriya’s eyes, and Todoroki has the decency to look guilty for a second or two. This can’t be happening, not after everything he’s already done. Midoriya lets go of his inhibitions.

“I was there for you! I was there, listening to your music and watching the way the shortest strand of your hair come loose like it always does!” Midoriya shouts, the tears spilling over at last. “More than that, I was there with red roses behind my back that I could give to you after the concert was over because surprise, surprise, I’ve fallen for you! I really, really like you, and I would never stand you up.”

Todoroki steps closer, a dangerous fire in his eyes.

“Who told you? Who told you that I…used to like you? Was it my father?”

“I…no! A-and…used to?” Midoriya manages to say. Todoroki nods, glare so livid that Midoriya thinks he may be paralysed.

“Yes, used to. Up until yesterday. Because I can’t bring myself to like someone who stands me up and then lies about it. Leave early? Really? Why? Was it a matter of life and death that you couldn’t have stayed just a little longer for me? I think not. You liar-”

“I’m not-”

“Shut up!” Todoroki roars, the loudest Midoriya’s ever heard him, and he flinches. Even Todoroki realises he’s gone too far, and almost reaches out for him, as if to console him like he usually would. But he controls himself this time. “Just…shut up,” he says quietly, walking down the stairs and away from Midoriya, who stands there for a few minutes, frozen, before breaking down. He doesn’t know how long he weeps for, out in public, before something buzzes in his pocket; his phone.

Unknown number

I’ve found you, finally

Who is this? you may ask

I’ll give you a hint

S H G R K I

But sshh

Don’t tell anyone

Come alone to the address attached

Cos I’ve got Shouto and you reallllly don’t want me to hurt him

Be there ASAP

Midoriya reads the texts three, four times. He’s just lost Todoroki, and now, Shouto’s gone too. Kidnapped. Unless he walks into a trap for him. How the hell is a person meant to withstand this? But he’s not just Izuku, he’s Small Might, too. And he knows who to go to.

His conviction doesn’t stop the tears, though.

(He wonders if anything will ever stop the tears).

*

“Feel my way through the darkness,” Kirishima sings, almost whispering, so shy and unsure in his own ability, that Bakugou wants to yell at him that he sounds like an angel. Since when has Kirishima been able to sing? And where did he learn to sing like that? Bakugou recalls that Kirishima is doing this for him, and something begins to click into place. “guided by a beating heart. I can’t tell when the journey will end, but I know where to start.”

And Bakugou can’t help it; he joins in. He misses a line, before singing, falteringly:

“’Say I’m caught up in a dream...”

Their voices are low, hesitant, and so fragile together that even the slightest wrong movement could shatter them. But this is something they could build on. Bakugou understands now, and the moment is perfect; he wants nothing more but than to make this, the way he feels, the way Kirishima looks at him, to last for an eternity.

Which is exactly why the universe has to cut it short. The shitty nerd slams the door open, face tear-soaked. Kirishima instantly stops playing and nearly drops the guitar in surprise. But Deku is fixed on Bakugou.

“Kacchan,” he chokes out, voice cracking, “I need your help.”

And Bakugou wants to say no, wants to close the door in the nerd’s face and pretend that he and Kirishima are alone, completely alone with no-one else but themselves.

He can’t do that, though, because if there’s anything he’s learned from his shared history with Deku is that Deku is not a foe; he’s a friend. A fucking good one at that, and damn but Bakugou’s gone soft because he can’t just say no to his oldest friend anymore. And judging by the tears, it’s probably got something to with someone he cares about.

Bakugou knows how that feels.

“I’ve gotta go with him,” Bakugou mutters to Kirishima, and it breaks him to hear how much it sounds like a rejection.

“Yeah, cool; I’ll be packing up and heading home now, I guess. See you tomorrow?” Kirishima replies with forced cheeriness.

Bakugou simply nods before grabbing Deku and stomping out of the room. He turns to confront his short friend.

“Now fucking what?”

“H-he, he’s got S-Shouto, and, um, he left me, uh,” Deku stutters between tears, “a t-threat. He I have to c-come alone or he’ll, he’ll…” But he doesn’t get anymore out before he openly starts sobbing.

Bakugou sighs and pulls the nerd into a hug.

“You go after him,” Bakugou commands quietly, “but attach the comms unit and take the signal locator so Red Riot and I can follow you there. We’ll be there in half an hour to give you some time to assess the situation.” He pulls Deku back slightly so he can look him properly. “Don’t do anything stupid, don’t fall into any dumbass traps, and don’t you fucking worry; we’re going to get him back for you. Got it?”

Deku sniffles, but nods, eyes taking on a determined glimmer.

“Got it.”

And then he’s off sprinting down the hallway, and Bakugou pulls out his device, sending an emergency signal to Red Riot. But there’s one thing he’s gotta do before he join the redheaded hero:

He’s gotta stop at Kirishima’s house and sort their mess of a relationship out, because he never wants to see the guy he’s half in love with fake anything towards him again.

He wants Kirishima to be genuinely happy, for as long as humanely possible.

*

Todoroki sits uncomfortably, blindfolded, and hates himself.

He hates himself for overreacting. He hates himself for making the one he loves cry. He hates himself because he can’t stop loving him. But most of all, he hates himself because the whole situation distracted him so much that Shigaraki was able to kidnap him. And even if a future with Midoriya is gone, he could’ve maybe had something with Small Might. But Small Might is inevitably going to end up hurt if he comes after Todoroki alone like he’s meant to. Todoroki only hopes that he at least consulta Ground Zero first. As rash as the hero is, Small Might and Ground Zero know each other in person, so there has to be some sort of backup Ground Zero can offer.

“Oh, Shouto; I can scare you, you know,” the deluded villain taunts. Todoroki grits his teeth.

“As if.” Physical pain is nothing to him.

“Hmm, but I know who you are, who you really are, and I’m sure if I revealed your true self to, say, Small Might, for instance, he’d somewhat recognise your face from the media. Your cover is blown.”

Todoroki’s blood runs cold. Of course, being him, the son of the musician Endeavour, most people in the city know his face, his voice, and even his hair, which is why he so completely covers himself up with his costume. Small Might would instantly recognise him. All the…the stereotypes and the rumours about Todoroki would cloud Small Might’s judgement.

He’d lose the special connection they had.

“You’re bluffing,” Todoroki growls. Shigaraki laughs.

“Are you sure about that? Only, that was an awfully long pause…Todoroki.”

Shit.

“Now,” the villain continues. “Do you think I can scare you?”

No reply. The villain snarls and repeats his line.

“Do you think I can scare you, Shouto?”

“What does it matter? There’s nothing wrong with being scared if you can be incredible anyway!” The voice belongs to neither himself or Shigaraki. Todoroki would recognise that modulated sound anywhere: it’s Small Might.

“Small Might, don’t! Don’t come any closer!” Todoroki pleads, but it seems that Small Might isn’t going to listen, because the sounds of heavy steel boots get louder. And it’s selfish, he knows; he’s primarily trying to stop the other hero from finding out that he is a Todoroki. But his concern isn’t just for himself – he has to keep Small Might safe, too.

The echoing sound of multiple guns resonates throughout the space, and Shigaraki pulls Todoroki’s blindfold off. The hero is faced with a grotesque, peeling face, before Shigaraki steps away and says, gleefully:

“Behold, my two henchmen!” Either side of Small Might appear two men holding guns at point blank range to the hero. Shigaraki reveals his own gun and aims it at Small Might, so that the only way he can go is backwards. “Oh, it was a struggle to get anyone so short notice, but these two kind men took my limited money and accepted the job! So now, Small Might, you have a choice: flee, and live, or try to protect your dear hero friend, and die.”

“I’m not leaving.”

Shigaraki laughs, louder this time.

“But of course not; you’re a hero!” He turns to Todoroki. “So really, the choice is yours, Shouto; reveal your identity to Small Might, and allow him to live, or refuse to, and be the cause of his death.”

The air is silent for a short while, before Todoroki manages, shakily:

“My hood and mask. Take it off.”

There really isn’t a choice, and Todoroki only prays that Small Might will accept him for who he really is, and not confine him to the Todoroki Shouto that the public knows.

“Why, certainly, Your Highness,” Shigaraki quips childishly, stepping up to Todoroki again. “Brace yourself.”

And with that, he whips the mask off and shoves the hood back. Before the villain can even announce his real name, Small Might blurts:

“Todoroki?!”

Shigaraki grins, and Todoroki feels like he may possibly throw up.

“Oh, who was I kidding, of course Small Might would recognise you! You see, I also know who Small Might truly is, and you two…well, I’ll let your eyes speak for themselves.” He pushes the gun into Todoroki’s temple harshly, and turns to Small Might. “Mask, off, or I shoot him.”

And it’s the same situation, except Small Might doesn’t even hesitate for a second. The green material flops onto the floor, and the sight he sees knocks the air out of his lungs. It can’t be.

Izuku Midoriya is stood before him.

And this is the worst time to think back to yesterday, and to think back to how Midoriya said he had to leave early. Was it a matter of life and death? Todoroki had asked. And now it all makes sense.

The tears spill before he even realises he’s going to cry.

*

Bakugou hadn’t accounted for traffic. He’s now only got ten minutes left before he’s got to be with Deku, which is why he barges into Kirishima’s room without knocking. Kirishima’s parents had let him in, and Bakugou doesn’t have a second to waste.

But none of that prepares him for finding Red Riot in Kirishima’s room.

*

Kirishima steps out of the bathroom in his full Red Riot outfit. He’d gotten an alert from Ground Zero about twenty minutes ago, and it takes him at least five minutes to get his hair set, so he’d responded immediately.

(And he wants to see Ground Zero as soon as possible, too; is that really such a bad thing?)

But now he has to explain why he’s dressed like this to Bakugou, his year-long crush, and he really doesn’t know what to say.

“…Red Riot?”

Okay, so Bakugou’s heard of him. Maybe he can spin this to his favour.

“Yup, that’s me!” he starts fully intending to pretend that ‘Kirishima is out and we’re friends, haha’, but then realises he’s yet to put his voice modulator on.

Oh no.

“…Tell me you’re not the Red Riot. The one that works with Ground Zero and stuff. Please,” Bakugou utters. Okay, so now he’s a bit offended.

“Uh, yeah. Yes, I am. Like, the Red Riot, I mean. That’s me,” Kirishima tries (and fails) to assert. Bakugou sits down on the bed and groans.

“Tell me this is not happening.”

“It’s not happening.”

“…Fuck off.”

“No, no seriously,” Kirishima says, “we can pretend this never happened. I know it’s super really weird to find out that your best friend is a vigilante when you yourself are just a normal music student, and I know my motives probably don’t make sense-”

“Tch, think again, Shitty Hair,” Bakugou mutters, and Kirishima stops mid-sentence. There’s only one person who calls him by that nickname.

“Y-you’re Ground Zero?!” Kirishima screeches, and Bakugou rolls his eyes.

“Congratu-fucking-lations, you guessed it,” Bakugou deadpans.

“N-no, it’s just that- it’s good! Really good!” Kirishima backtracks. Bakugou looks at him suspiciously.

“Why’s it good?”

“C-cos….oh god, this is going to sound weird, I’m so sorry, I have to say it,” Kirishima mumbles, before clearing his throat. “Because I have a crush on you and on Ground Zero and I was really torn between the two but now it’s all sort of a lot more clear and also who wouldn’t want to be superhero partners with their best buddy?”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“You…you basically voiced my thoughts.”

Kirishima looks at him for confirmation, wondering if Bakugou could possibly mean what he thinks he means. The red tinge to his best bro’s cheeks says it all, and suddenly, Kirishima can’t stop grinning.

Without giving Bakugou a second to react, he tackles him in a bear hug, and they both topple back on the bed.

“Hey, Kirishima?” Bakugou says from underneath him, and Kirishima pulls himself up a little to look at Bakugou.

“Yeah?” he responds a little breathlessly. Bakugou smirks, surging forward and pressing a chaste kiss to Kirishima’s lips.

“We’ve got people to save.”

*

“I’m sorry,” Todoroki whispers in his broken voice, and Midoriya catches his meaning straight away, giving him a small smile that’s both sad and hopeful, and it breaks Todoroki’s heart even more to see it.

“Well, as…sickeningly sweet as this all is, I’m afraid it’s all going to come to end,” Shigaraki mocks. “But don’t worry; I’ll position your dead bodies like Romeo and Juliet, if you’d like.”

But then two figures spring down from the walls and knock out the two henchmen; Ground Zero and Red Riot have arrived.

(Really, Shigaraki should’ve hired at least a few more men).

“Maybe I’ll position your dead body like fucking Macbeth or some shit, you twerp!” Ground Zero yells…except he isn’t wearing a voice modulator, or a mask, and neither is Red Riot.

Which is why he’s seeing Bakugou and Kirishima, two people in his year at school.

To call it a coincidence would be the understatement of the century.

“Okay, yeah, yeah,” Bakugou says when he catches Kirishima, Midoriya, and Todoroki looking at each other in bewilderment. “Kirishima and I came clean to each other accidentally, and that fucktard made you reveal yourselves, I’m guessing. Can we kick ass now and ask questions later?”

Kirishima chuckles.

“That we most definitely can do, bro.”

Shigaraki doesn’t stand a chance when Midoriya knocks the gun out of his hand; the four as a team are pretty much invincible, and being able to see each other’s faces does a lot for communication.

Todoroki could get used to this.

*

“Oh my god, stop sucking face,” Bakugou groans, and Midoriya pulls away from Todoroki guiltily.

“You’re one to talk,” Todoroki says, raising an eyebrow at Kirishima and Bakugou’s joined hands.

“That’s different!” Kirishima exclaims. Midoriya simply laughs, and tucks into his food.

It’s been a month since their identities were revealed to each other, and whilst they’ve gone back to the masks to keep any other villains from finding out about them (they’ve ensured Shigaraki and his two henchmen won’t be talking), they’ve adapted the designs so that they can communicate more easily.

They’ve also discovered in school that highly controlled drums and acoustic guitar really uplift a classical song, and that electric piano and violin add a touch of unique expression that sounds pretty awesome.

But by far the best discovery they’ve made are double dates. After that night, there was no more beating around the bush. Todoroki and Midoriya had a long, meaningful talk which ended in a soft embrace and the beginning of a relationship, and Bakugou and Kirishima…well, they just sat with an acoustic guitar and sang songs together, which was good enough for them. The mutual agreement of a loving relationship came from the sound of their voices melding together (in more ways than one).

“So are we going to patrol tonight?” Midoriya asks, and Kirishima stares at him, aghast.

“Dude! We’re going to the cinema tonight!” he cries. Midoriya laughs sheepishly.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’m just nervous about that new group…”

Todoroki slings an arm around Midoriya’s shoulder comfortingly and pulls him close.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll take them down if they’re a threat.”

“Damn right we will,” Bakugou agrees. “After all, we’re famous now.”

“Not us,” Midoriya insists. “Just our hero counterparts. No-one knows it’s us!”

“Yeah,” Todoroki hums. “And let’s keep it that way, this time.”

They’re so engrossed in making conversation and plans that they don’t notice their friends listening from the other table.

“Oh?” Kaminari calls.

“Famous?” Mina repeats.

“Hero counterparts?” Sero adds.

“Keep it what way this time?” Uraraka asks.

The four heroes look at each other, and collectively groan.

[theliterarywolf]

I know this isn't an unpopular opinion on this site but I really do prefer the aesthetic of 80s anime compared to stuff nowadays. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a lot of absolutely gorgeous anime out nowadays and I ain't denying that animation in the 80s and 90s was very limited and, well often shit quality but I just wish there were more anime that had a cute, bubbly/rounded style without being "moe" or whatever. You know?

…

This kind of goes into why I think that tumblr is the worst platform to discuss anime on.

Because, yeah, this isn’t an unpopular opinion but, my God, does it bring a storm whenever anyone says anything like it.  

Everytime I see that ‘What happened to anime girls, man?’ post I cringe, not because of OP, but because of the discourse going on in the notes of people shitting on OP or people using their specific waifu-of-the-day to try and dissuade them. 

Each era of anime has a different aesthetic and, yes, you are fully correct and allowed to say that you prefer them more. I personally miss the more hand-drawn aspect of 80s/90s anime but I fully acknowledge that there were some crap titles back then as well as recent software simply being a more viable source of work. 

It’s just… Anime discussions on tumblr, man..! It’s like stepping on a land-mine. As for your points, I can agree with that because, yes, the anime market is saturated with the ‘moe’ style right now. 

‘Myeh, not everything has to be an art-piece–’ Yes, I get that. But you can’t deny people the voice of saying they’re sick of it when it is, in fact, the marketable aesthetic of choice. I’m also not saying ‘oh, this whole storied industry should cater to me, an individual person’ (those are both counter ‘arguments’ I’ve gotten on this hellsite), but, again, you can’t gripe people for their thoughts on a genre. 

Hell, I’ll throw my hat into the fray of ‘anime opinions that I keep on the DL on this hellsite’. Ahem: 

Despite it only getting an OVA thanks to the animation bubble bursting, the Petshop of Horrors anime from the 90s has a way better aesthetic and execution than 98% of recent ‘horror’ anime. 

Trinity Blood and Witch Hunter Robin are probably the only anime who use vampire and witchcraft motifs to a serviceable degree that has yet to be touched upon in recent years.

Yu Yu Hakusho, out of all the mainstream shonen entries aside from freaking JoJo, is the only one that really withstands repetitive viewings due to how its story melds with the style of animation and how the aesthetic of the setting fits in. Though, considering how the creator of YYH is married to the creator of Sailor Moon, it’s not a surprise. 

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the only anime to do LGBT characters right. 

But, even me saying that, I do like certain entries of the current era’s anime canon. Violet Evergarden, though I haven’t finished it yet, is a stellar entry. Land of the Lustrous has me yearning for S2, Overlord and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime are probably the only two things stopping the Isekai genre from being a complete cesspool, Madoka Magica is a good show, Elfen Lied is a good premise, Made in Abyss is such a good setting/aesthetic/art combo – EVEN with THE MAIN CHARACTERS BEING MOE-BLOBS, and The Ancieng Magus Bride finally gives me a romance in anime/manga that doesn’t make me want to puke…

But even with ALL. THAT. PRAISE. You can still get labeled as some kind of snob on this hellsite if you so much as say something like your original opinion, anon.

So, yes: I feel you.