#he is my favourite character from fates as a result

[cvetok1105]

My personal Weatherman – Taikan Yohou

The main characters – Segasaki and Yoh.

I'll disclaim in advance that there will be no plot in this dorama, but that is the beauty of it.

Segasaki is a weather presenter and Yoh draws eromanga. They met at university and fate has brought them together ever since.

Yoh has no money to pay the rent, so Sagasaki offers him a place to live together, but in return Yoh has to agree to everything they ask him to do.

For me personally, it's a little bit of a red flag (Segasaki can easily forbid Yoh to meet his friend in a cafe, and Yoh just has to accept it). I'll be honest, this relationship is weird, and in real life Segasaki is the kind of guy who should be fucked off, not even his godlike beauty could save him.

As I mentioned before, the eight episodes revolve around the relationship between the two main characters, we are included in all of Yoh's thoughts the whole time, the narration is almost all from his point of view.

Nevertheless, their chemistry is visible even to the naked eye, which is not surprising: the first thing they did when they moved in together was hook up. There is a peculiar problem built around this too, as Segasaki decided that they would only have sex before sunny days. Why?

It's a question that everyone was curious about, and the answer is pretty prosaic. Everything revolves around the weather (it's not for nothing that one of the main characters is a meteorologist).

– Hey. Why can’t we do it when it rains?

– Huh? Because you said so. When you first moved here and we did it. 

– Huh?

– So you won’t have trouble with laundry. 

I think I've rewatched it about eight times. It's hard for me to explain, but I was touched by literally every action, every look, every touch and misunderstanding.

Of course, Yoh had no idea that he was not just a servant to Segasaki, but the most precious person to him. And Segasaki is not good at using words, which is why we were stuck in the same place for a very long time.

But every interaction they had, the painfully ridiculous date, the dialogues - it all made my heart ache. It clearly states in black and white: Yoh fell first, but Segasaki fell harder.

Fanfact: when rewatching, I decided to start not from the beginning, but from the middle (first from the fifth series to the eighth, and then from the first to the fifth). And I was right! Exactly in the middle we start to be shown flashbacks of the characters' meeting, to which very nice and interesting references were made in the first episodes. Of course, when watching them for the first time, it is easy to just not notice them. So my idea was not as stupid as I thought at first.

– Put this in some Tupperware. I’ll eat it all. You’d better not eat any. This is mine.

I’m the only one who has to know that this carry tastes bad. He did the best to make it. That made me happy. That fact is all I need. 

I'm very sensitive to this work, it deservedly became one of my favourites, because despite the simplicity of the plot, the characters are incredibly natural and beautiful in their "ordinaryness".

Yoh is a master of making things up (just like me), Segasaki is a expert at hiding his feelings and thoughts, he is sure that everything is clear to everyone (I can see your thoughts in the subtitles, you idiot. But Yoh can't read minds). As a result, Yoh didn't know they were dating for quite a while, when for Segasaki their relationship was obvious.

There aren't many characters in this dorama, but there's no need for them. We do fine with two goofballs who can't figure out the nature of their feelings until the last minute, while being stubbornly jealous of each other.

[gamequoteshowdown]

Quote 1: "That's it. I'm not paying one cent of my taxes!" - Ema Skye, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Quote 2: ""Trust your partner"... And I do. I can't forgive you, but I trust you." - Neku Sakuraba, The World Ends With You/Subarashiki Kono Sekai

Propaganda

Quote 1: Underrated line said by my favourite character. She was so real for that - Submitter

Quote 2: This isn't the LAST line of the game, but it's close, and it's a key line of the closing monologue. Neku has gone from one of the most insufferable misanthropic edgelord 15-year-olds in human history to a caring person looking at his home and the people in it in a new light. He has done so as a direct result of a three-week series of brutal death games played in the afterlife for the chance to come back to life. He's been forced to team up with three different people, partners who challenged his view point and forced him to grow. The second one, Joshua, was an EVEN MORE INSUFFERABLE misanthrope who nonetheless seemed to get Neku better than anyone else... and was also incredibly suspicious to the point where Neku accused him of being his killer... and sacrificed himself for Neku at the end of their week, along with Neku discovering Joshua apparently DIDN'T kill him after all. Emphasis on "apparently". At the end of the third week, Joshua comes back, completely unharmed, and drops a series of reveals where "I never said I DIDN'T kill you, tee hee" is arguably not the worst part of the murder alone. (He's also planning on destroying the city. Oh, and he's directly responsible for the brutal death games.) Then he challenges Neku to a shootout for the fate of the city, where Neku finds he can't shoot the guy. Joshua doesn't have the same problem... But then Neku wakes up on the street, alive for the first time in weeks, and the city hasn't been destroyed. We cut to a week later, where Neku addresses Joshua, pointing out how incredibly traumatizing the whole experience was, but also admitting that even so, he's grateful to have met his partners. He can't forgive Joshua for putting him through this shit, but he still trusts him. He closes the monologue by telling Joshua that he's meeting up with his new friends for the first time in a week, and asking to see him there. And then those friends call over to him, and the credits roll, and the player SOBS. - Submitter (Shout out to this person. Not only did they write these GIANT paragraphs for both of their submissions but they told me how to tag them. Thank you so much <3)

[overtheimaginationwall]

Favorite boss(es) in No Straight Roads?

Least favorite?

(Sincere apologies. I've been holding this one for more than a year in my box, so I hope you don't mind a really late reply ^^")

(Also Happy 3rd Anniversary, NSR!! 🎉)

I will tell ya honestly - they all are my favourites!

Tho if to be more specific I decided to set them up by TOP.

1. Sayu

Oh Sayu, my beloved <3

The Best Virtual Idol and The Reason I bought this game in the first place!

Her music and style of battle was the most fun and dancy! I still vibe to it to this day-

Sooo many references to Internet Culture and Digital Art fills my heart with warmth and gives me determination just like her song itself as well!

Funny Useless Fact: She is the only boss I've beaten on Rank B on my first blind playthrough!

2. DK West

He's OUR MAN, He's THE BEST!

My second favorite and at the same time the hardest for me to beat.

I personally didn't adore RAP genre at first and never seen anyone preform it as an actual entertaining battle until he showed up...

HOLLY MOLLY DESPITE ME BREAKING MY THUMBS WHILE GOING THROUGH THE PAINFUL DODGE GAME - HIM AND ZUKE RAPPING FELT LIKE I'M WATCHING DISNEY-

LIKE-

I STILL HAVE IDEA IN MY HEAD TO MAKE A SORT OF ANIMATIC WITH "FIRST ENCOUNTER" ALONE!!

Anyway, despite damaged fingers - 10/10, would fight again!

Funny Useless Fact: When I was drawing him for the first time I listened to his theme on loop for 4 days straight in order not to get myself distracted or lose motivation, so I finish the piece.

3. Yinu

Oh, sweet child...

I love Yinu and her theme lots even if I'm not that big of a fan of Classical Music. And her backstory...Gosh! It made me cry a lot.

And I'm still feel ashamed of breaking the piano ;;-;;

Love the pace of how music goes with the fight and it feels even better when you get into actual rhythm. There were issues that gladly wore off thanks to practice and fighting this boss over and over.

Tho those slamming cords haunt me whenever I listen to the song off-battle-

Funny Useless Fact: I didn't like her Mother at first but when I read more about her and relationship with Yinu my opinion completely changed. And this is why I would nominate No Straight Roads for The Best Storytelling and Character Design.

4. EVE

Two-faced, tall woman.

Used to be one of my favorites but due to some circumstances I can't look at her the same way I used to but I still adore her as a boss!

I honestly love her style of the fight and music that changes depending on who you play.

Tho fighting her is literally like eating a lemon but eventually you kinda just accept your fate and roll with weird artistic antics happening around you.

And EVE herself as a character is so fascinating. Like this is the moment where I started to see that these aren't just bosses, they are actually characters that tie this little but complex story together bit by bit. And this is why I would nominate No Straight Roads for The Best Storytelling and Character Design AGAIN!

Funny Useless Fact: EVE was supposed to be a next character to have a complete and detailed art of but due to my forgetfulness, difficulties with her design (and many other things) - it was never finished but I hope to get that dusty sketch out of WIP folder someday.

5. Tatiana

The Bitch. The Boss.

I don't really like her music and rhythm but I can forgive that since it is kind of fitting for conflict between her and the BBJ.

She tries to hide her true image throughout the story and the fight but ultimately crumbles cause escaping from the past isn't the best option to improve.

I love her design and personality and I wish there were more villains like her. Strict, simple, stoic and yet well-written.

Funny Useless Fact: I've never drawn Tatiana until NSR announced their release on Steam with addition of Fanat Graffiti Contest that I certainly didn't want to miss out on. It was difficult but I did it and ngl, I am still proud of the results.

6. DJ Subatomic Supernova & 1010/Neon J

I can't really say anything much about both of them. Sorry, guys...

Their designs and personalities are fun and well-made but due to one of them being the first you fight as "tutorial" and the other appears only at the end of a fight. (1010 band doesn't count as an actual boss to me more like a part of it) They didn't struck me much as the others did...

I will say this thou: their backstories are interesting. One is an academy astrology teacher with a goal of achieving the stars and other is a war veteran who just wanted everyone to live in peace and he himself despite everything never stopped his passion for doll-making and making people happy.

Just simply, beautiful...

Cool Science Fact: Their VAs are GOLD!

[morgacht]

Hello I bring you THE BOYS for Oc-Tober as I do a little dance to catch up.

A little ramble about both of them under the cut-

01 - Favourite OC - Mórgacht Gorméan.

Looks at the blog title, looks you dead in the eyes.

Mórg is my canon commander, the character who accidentally became my main. He started out as ‘just my D&D bard Majesty but a sylvari’ but little by little he warped into his own guy. Genuine stupidity became ‘a silly front to hide a sharp mind’, all the red in his palette shifted to pink, etc etc.

I play him pretty close to canon events without much diversion- he’s sort of baby (11 by SotO), he’s fluffed his way through being a naive fool in his youth and through his time with the order of whispers and has been largely shaped by experiencing the world through the lens of crisis after loss after crisis. His main diversion from canon/in-game stuff is the presence of his Co-commander and partner, Varro. They share the blame, I guess.

Mórgacht is, though you wouldn’t find it out easily, sort of a fanatic about his own Wyld hunt. He has a little bit of a crisis every time More Dragon-Related things happen, because he doesn’t know if he wants it to be over or to keep going forever.

This sort of meant he turned his back on the grove kind of immediately - fate of the world in his hands and all- and left some sour relationships Dangling as a result. He’s working on them. He Uh. He. He sends wintersday cards. That counts, right?

02 - New OC - Corcrán

My beloved bullfinch, so new I haven’t even managed to draw his hair right yet.

About 2 years older than Mórg, Corcrán was pretty content to laze around and read, hunt, spar, etc. he had basically no grand plans in life past being a very pretty fop, but got dragged into questing and adventuring by Mórg shortly after they met. They had a tumultuous relationship, both trying to convince the other into wanting things at odds with their natures basically constantly.

When Mórg joined up with the order of whispers, Corcrán felt betrayed first, and then really fucking pissy that he’d ‘lost’ this last argument. He started working to scout in and around Nightmare court lands, and eventually undercover within the court itself.

He wasn’t very good at it, got found out but took the opportunity to turn coat because he was hurting, and angry, and heard on the grapevine (ha) that Mórg, the fucker, was making a name for himself away from the grove.

They reconnect in the jungle of Maguuma where it takes a LONG and tense confrontation for Mórgacht to actually believe Corc is trustworthy. A dog is involved in drawing it maybe. Corc aligns himself with the Pact (and far later the crystal bloom), Mórg loudly denounces any trust in him but also Mórg doesn’t really have many other sylvari ‘friends’ and sometimes they make peace, at least for a little while.

It always ends up in some sort of an argument, though- worsened when Mórg realised that Corc respects Varro far more as Commander than he ever will Mórgacht.

Also some FUN TRIVIA I kind of want to give him a tail. He deff has more claw-y hands than morg.

[otaku-tyriq]

Do you have top 10 or top 7 favorite (fictional) characters (if you feel like listing multiple) of all time from any media?

That is actually a very tricky question, dear Anon. For you see the list if my favourite characters is CONSTANTLY changing. Similar to my list of my favourite songs haha. So I cannot give you a set "All time Favourite” list but I can offer you a "List of Characters Tyriq enjoys at this very moment on the 18th of March 2024”

1) Nero Claudius from Fate/Extra, Fate/Last Encore, Fate/Extella and Fate/Grand Order

The second I had first heard this woman say "umu” that was it for me. I knew I’d be obsessed with her for the rest of my days. She is adorable, she is loyal, she is THAT GIRL, a queen, an emperess, a goddess, and just seeing her instantly makes my brain pump out serotonin. Who even needs anti depressants when you can have Nero.

2) Vash the Stampede from Trigun Stampede

Babygirl. Princess. Loserboy. Golden Retriever Puppy. Beloved Wife. He’s adorable, pathetic, a wonderfully tragic yet optimistic character. He’s my beautiful little princess and I lay my life down before him.

3)Yoimiya from Genshin Impact

Her absolute happy go lucky attitude and sweet personality is like liquid gold shot straight into my arteries. I had fallen in love with this woman the very second I had laid eyes on her. Also she has been my main for two years at this point she’s genuinly just that fun to play.

4) Kaveh from Genshin Impact

The suffering artist trope CRANKED UP TO ELEVEN! Again like Vash this man is equally tragic as he is kindhearted and despite having been scammed out of his money multiple times he still cannot help but sacrifice his own well being if it would result in someone else’s happiness. Also before you ask: Yes, I do ship him and Alhaitham

5) Ichiban Kasuga from Yakuza

What else can I say about Ichiban other than he’s almost stupidly optimistic and no matter how hard of a curveball life throws at him, he ALWAYS keeps the attitude of "once you hit rock bottom the only way is up.”, always trying to both see and bring out the best in people. Also he’s a massive Dragon Quest fan so obviously I’d end up obsessing over this beautiful specimen of a man who at the age of 42 still is not 100% sure where women pee from.

6) Erik from Dragon Quest XI

Honestly I could have EASILY put the entire main cast of Dragon Quest XI on this list because the characters of that game are simply that likeable and well written, but if I had to choose one, it would have to be your very first party member and the hero’s best friend and totally platonic roommate Erik. This man’s sassy attitude yet undying loyalty and devotion towards the hero is so strong not even the apocalypse itself could tear the hero and Erik apart for long.

7) Ryuji Sakamoto from Persona 5

I think at this point y’all are starting to see a pattern in my favourite characters: Ryuji is loyal like a golden retriever puppy, absolutely adorable and sweet with a severe lack of Braincells.

8) Silver the Hedgehog from the Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise

Silver has literally been my favourite Sonic character since Childhood. His whole stick is that he’s unbeatable optimistic. Despite becoming from an apocalyptic future where everything is covered in flames, he never stops believing that things can become better if you try. His naivety however leads to characters like Mephilis abusing his optimism for their own agenda. But none of that stops Silver from

being one of my greatest comfort characters.

9) William James Moriarty from Moriarty the Patriot

✨Be Gay. Do Crime✨

✨Communism✨

✨Clinical Depression✨

All these things and more describe William James Moriarty and he’s so valid for it.

10) The Professor from Puppet History

He’s just a little guy. He’s a little guy and it’s his birthday

[choclemon]

Wow, who's that handsome goofball??!

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 

Let’s kick off to a blazing start on this KNY writing blog with an in- depth character analysis of everyone’s favourite fire- type human...

Rengoku Kyojuro!

A.K.A. That one annoying weirdo who shows up for a single arc, makes the entire audience fall hopelessly in love with him forever, then dies! ~

Power move tbh.

[Insert gigantic disclaimer here that all the posts on this blog will be my personal headcanons. Interpretations always vary from reader to reader- so let me know anything you agreed with, or felt completely differently about; I love that kind of thing! This whole blog is basically just a self- indulgent space for me to analyse the crap out of this series for fun, so come join me in my spiralling demon slayer brainrot!! The more the merrier :D]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

No, but seriously, who is that guy?

Kyojuro is a shining mentor figure, courageous and supportive; a brash, unforgettable character lovingly crafted by Gotouge to make the Mugen Train arc as excruciatingly painful as possible.

The thing is, my kneejerk reaction when he first showed up in canon was: “this guy is dangerous”. Lurking beneath that amicable smile is a professional killer who will not hesitate. We were given a brief glimpse into this side of Kyojuro during his initial encounter with the Kamado siblings at corps headquarters; upon being confronted with the traumatised orphan boy and his demon sister, he was the very first hashira to object, calling for Nezuko to be beheaded and vehemently declaring “no trial is required!!”. Sure, he was far from alone in chomping at the bit for child murder back then, but that reaction was a telling indicator that Kyojuro’s particular brand of passionate loyalty is more than capable of driving him to make brutal snap decisions. Even if deep down he felt uncomfortable about the outcome, he acted rashly because the situation directly contradicted his even deeper- rooted morals. Had things been left to the flame hashira alone, the story of the Kamado siblings would have ended right there and then.

What would have happened if Kyojuro had been the one to discover them in the forest that fateful day instead of Giyuu? I’m not totally convinced, but I’m inclined towards that same bloody outcome he immediately called for before the trial. Perhaps Tanjiro’s tenacious defense of his sister would have persuaded him... but I suspect Kyojuro’s quick- fire judgement would lop that demon's head off “to protect the civilian from being eaten!!” before the poor kid even had a chance to explain who she was.

Love him or hate him, the flame hashira is an intense character who invariably leaves a lasting impression on the reader. In all his canon appearances, Kyojuro is unabashedly vocal about anything he feels strongly about, even to the point of rudeness- but still remains sensitive and attuned to the needs of others. He demonstrates an impressive capacity to change his opinion on the fly, yet stubbornly sticks to his core ideals- even if they sometimes get in the way. In other words, this is a character who gleefully contradicts himself at every turn... which of course makes me want to stick him under a microscope to study like a bug! 🧐

***continued under the cut***

I think Kyojuro is a highly emotionally intelligent individual who knows he’s fucked up to the bone as a result of all the pressure he’s under, but is reluctant to share any of this heavy emotional burden with others. After all, such a show of vulnerability would likely have been met with silence, rejection, or outright mockery by his family growing up. Shinjuro being a depressed alcoholic father with his own grief and self- worth issues is an obvious culprit here, but I’d argue Ruka inadvertently did a lot of harm too. By placing so much emphasis on the importance of using his strength to protect the weak and upholding the family tradition, she planted a brave, wholly self- sacrificing heroic ideal in her young sons mind. She was fully aware of the harsh realities he would face if he followed in his father’s footsteps, so in addition to preparing him to be mentally resilient, she sought to protect him from the temptation of misusing his strength and status as a hashira, instilling a sense of noble purpose in her son. In doing so, however, she failed to teach him an important nuance: when devoting yourself to a life shouldering the burdens of others, it’s vital that you take proper care of yourself too. Which can occasionally mean prioritising your needs over others, sharing your own burdens when they become too heavy.

If she had lived longer, perhaps Ruka would have corrected his path as he matured, serving as a backbone of motherly emotional support that would’ve allowed him to be a little more forgiving towards himself. Given that he was still very young when she died, it almost seems like the naive child Kyojuro internalised that straightforward “be a brave hero and use your strength for others!!!” lesson initially, and because it was the precious advice given to him by his late mother (and at the surface level it is sound advice), in his developing mind it grew into something almost irreproachable, an unbreakable life motto. Follow that up with a decade of grieving alongside an abusive alcoholic father who tells him over and over that he’s “useless” and will “never amount to anything”… it’s only understandable that he clung so hard to the memory of his mother’s shining hopes for his future. The recently- bereaved young Kyojuro would have quickly learned to be adaptable in stressful situations, smoothing over volatile arguments to maintain open lines of communication within his broken family. His mother’s words kept him motivated despite his father’s toxic criticism, simplifying the overwhelming pressure and conflicting expectations weighing on his small shoulders into an easily- digestible heroic ideal he must strive to become.

This brings us to the complication of Kyojuro being the eldest son throughout that early grieving period; he was uniquely positioned to prevent Senjuro from falling too far into the lonely emotional pit he suddenly found himself in. He couldn’t ask for mutual support in return; he would never expect that from anyone in the first place, let alone from the precious brother he was attempting to shield from the very same turmoil hidden within himself. There was a full ~6-7 year age gap between them, which would have only enhanced Kyojuro’s instinct to coddle his junior as much as he was physically able. When Shinjuro fell into his inevitable drunken decline, you bet the young Kyojuro did everything he could to redirect the brunt of the abuse away from his little brother, even taking responsibility for his father’s behaviour in public on his back too.

As Senjuro grew older, he’d naturally have become more capable of understanding his brother’s situation, so their relationship would probably have evolved into something more mutually supportive than the “reassuring mentor- student”, and I hate to say it but “replacement- father” dynamic we were presented with in canon. I’m sure they goofed off together plenty as normal siblings do, but for the most part- at least from the brief glimpses we were shown of them interacting- Kyojuro viewed his brother as a precious source of familial love and happiness (that he must work hard to raise well and protect at all costs!!! :>), while Senjuro deeply admired his older brother in return, leaning heavily on him for all the emotional and practical guidance their father was no longer able to provide.

At the tender age of ~13-14 post Mugen Train, Senjuro had to grow up fucking fast. I don’t doubt that one of the most agonizing things for him would have been the knowledge of how much Kyojuro had privately sacrificed for him growing up, but now that he was finally old enough to fully understand and support him in return… he was gone forever.

With the above mess in mind, what is the ever- suffering big brother supposed to do with all his bottled up trauma and insecurity? Kyojuro’s answer was simple: passionately burn right through it!!! Project a straightforward, irreproachably heroic persona to the world, wholly embodying the selfless ideal his mother encouraged him to be. He follows corps rules to the letter, becomes almost universally liked by his peers; after all, years of practice smoothing over awkward family interactions no doubt made him an expert at keeping everyone happy. Adopting a selfless, hard- working approach to life that must not be deviated from under any circumstances.

This is because Kyojuro is all too aware of the damage it would cause his loved ones if he were to let himself go, having witnessed and been a victim of Shinjuro’s violent depressive outbursts. In his determination to avoid falling into the same trap, he goes to the opposite extreme, throwing himself whole- heartedly into everything. Not just out of loyalty to the corps, his acceptance that a warrior could die tomorrow, or even the memory of his mother’s words; it’s because deep down he’s terribly afraid he’ll end up spiralling like his father if he ever puts in less than his all. His inner world is literally on fire; this guy is so damn passionate about meeting an impossible standard he violently rejects his own self. Kyojuro sets his figurative self- worth ablaze and uses it as fuel to help others even more! High- functioning depression, full power let’s go!!!

One other important thing to take into account is that the Kyojuro we first meet in canon is only 20- barely into adulthood- and over the preceding couple of years would have shouldered more responsibility than ever before by taking on the mantle of a hashira.

Perhaps I’m over- projecting here, but I can remember having a tendency to think in absolutes at that age, angrily shutting away childhood traumas and plugging the gaps with a confident front, all so I could focus on handling what were suddenly very adult- sized responsibilities. Acknowledging and processing my feelings was too dangerous to be worth the risk of burdening others; not to mention the prospect of being seen as anything less than perfectly self- assured at all times felt like a catastrophe.

Kyojuro’s selfless hero character archetype takes that very human response to the absolute extreme, since easing off training and “wasting time” taking care of personal needs in his profession would mean death; either his own, or that of the people he’s trying to protect. The smallest display of weakness is met with dire consequences. Not so different from the punishing environment of his childhood, right? Yikes, I’m starting to see a pattern here…  

The scene where his father rejects the news he has become a hashira is probably the clearest demonstration of Kyojuro’s immense empathy and his willingness to listen to others- and his careful avoidance of ever voicing his own needs. He accepts Shinjuro’s callous lack of support, knowing that trying to defend his position would only upset his father more, which in all likelihood would worsen the fallout later for him and everyone else involved with the household. He immediately proceeds to pour out all the reassurance he really, desperately needed to hear himself… to comfort his beloved little brother.

Even if he knew he was hurtling towards certain disaster on that train, I’m convinced Kyojuro wouldn’t do anything to save himself. This is a character who would solve the trolley problem by physically stopping the thing with his bare hands and getting run over in the process, simultaneously saving everyone and a random person that happened to jump off the bridge overhead at the exact same time, who goes on to have a change of heart after witnessing such a heroic display. All this without crushing the eggs of a dumb bird that made its nest in the trolley tracks ahead…

You get the idea.

Kyojuro was a man who truly didn’t care about himself. He expected to die young; probably to a demon in a grotesquely violent fashion. That that was the reality of his job, and it suited him. He kept himself functional by throwing 100% of himself into every day, using his warrior’s strength to protect the weak just as his mother taught him. After all, why even bother worrying about personal feelings, when you believe yourself to be utterly disposable- when your entire purpose in life can be boiled down to suffering so that others don't have to?

From Kyojuro’s perspective, examining those rejected emotions too closely only causes him further pain, and he would run the risk of overburdening others if they became so inflamed they were allowed to rise to the surface. That would distract from the mission at hand, and the consequences would surely be dire!! Yes, ignore them, squash that stuff back down right where it belongs- set your heart ablaze slaying everyone else’s demons instead! It’s the only way to live!!!

Of course, the one mentor figure left alive who was best placed to steer Kyojuro off this noble path of self- destruction… was trapped in the pit of despair that lies at the very end of it.

At least his kid died before joining him in that pit, right?..

Nah, I reckon Kyojuro spent his life there, with a beaming smile plastered across his face 😄

[deargravity]

Akashi for 1, 3, 8, 12, 15, 18, 19, 21 for the character ask game please!

why would you give me the hardest one ever. do you hate me. be honest.

from this

why do you like or dislike this character?

okay, more importantly, why wouldn't i like him. i just think what i want to say has already been said so now i have no idea how to answer this. uh, i think liking akashi came as a pretty big surprise for me though in retrospect i shouldn't have been surprised - he's intelligent and tortured, and i love that combination in a character. like oh, you possess precognition and competence to predict / secure future outcomes but even then, no amount of striving will ever free you from your own fate? you've been running your whole life without knowing what from and where to because you've known no other option? you're revered by your peers and you want to care for them but your own needs disgust you so you'll never be able to expect reciprocity for all your love because you feel ashamed by your own wanting? you've lost touch with what it means to be a person because you've been forced to be a prodigy your whole life? you choke on your words because you've never taken a real breath and don't know how to be vulnerable in a way that doesn't defy the ideals you've grown up with? wonderful, i'm keeping you. also i think i just picked him up like a wet cat and decided to never let him go.

i don't know if it was intended but i think it'd be funnier that akashi is the closest i've come to finding an osdd experience that really aligns with my own. (i say closest because we have different types of osdd) i guess he was first a tool for my own self-assessment before i came to genuinely care for him the way i do now. it's so embarrassing to say but he was kind of a talisman i clung to if and when i dissociated. made the experience a little less painful and alienating. anyways that is my beloved cat.

3. least favourite canon thing about this character?

erm, i think i speak for everyone when i say the scissors scene was really unnecessary. but i've never made a point of appreciating the writing in knb so this is unsurprising. like you can't give him the symptoms of already highly stigmatised disorders (osdd, npd) and then write him doing something like that. but it's a can of worms i really don't want to open. either ways, i have mixed feelings about the scene because on one hand, it could have been an excellent opening to discuss how life experiences can be so debilitating and mental illnesses / disorders have the capacity to damage world views and perceptions of morality. (everyone wants to be pro mental health until the disorders in question result in behaviours that defy conventional morality and disrupt the social order.) but this is a sports animanga so i really think the scene shouldn't have been there AT ALL because this is too big a discussion to be covered in a basketball manga. the mangaka bit off more than he could chew with this one, tbh, but trust me if i'd written knb i would have done this better.

he is just a kid, he should have been having sleepovers with his friends and eating ice cream after games to celebrate with his team. i will never hold it against him either because if kuroko "violence isn't the answer" tetsuya and the others didn't report him, they are all culpable. if the social order and morality of a situation is that important to someone and they refuse to stand up for it when it matters, they are equally to blame when things fall apart without consequence. but what do i know lol.

8. what's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

okay, i'll be honest i don't mingle in fandom spaces because i've realised that it genuinely affects me when my faves are mischaracterised or perceived differently from the way i do. i just stay out of fandom spaces and i'm not very active in interacting with other people unless we've been mutuals for a while and i trust their judgement. so i wouldn't know. i just know if anyone did anything with akashi that i despise i would delete my social media and disappear into a cave. and i'm being serious i don't think my ego could survive this.

but well, i don't like people calling him psychotic / psychopathic or writing him to fit their yandere fantasies (i have unfortunately stumbled upon too many of those things in the tags). he is just a kid, he was going through a tough time managing grief and abandonment and impossible standards. leave him alone. LEAVE HIM ALONE. ugh. i usually scroll, mute, or block (or all three), but this has happened with so many of my faves already and the way people perceive these traits also directly affects the way they treat others in real life who exhibit these traits and it's very often that malicious intent is directed to those who are simply a product of their circumstances rather than the system that created these issues / the responsible figures in their life that failed them. but that's too meta. whatever. you get my point.

12. what's a headcanon you have for this character?

i feel like i'm really alone in this and it's not a specific headcanon but i think akashi is clumsy and kind of messy by nature, he's just working full-time to make sure he's achieved the image of perfection everyone assumes of him. sure he's a basketball prodigy and trained equestrian and he's athletic etc. etc. but i think he can be awkward and messy at times. i just desperately don't want him to be perfect outside of those two things. i desperately want him to be a little awkward and messy.

he doesn't know how to eat stick ice cream because it drips everywhere and makes him nervous. his teeth hurt when he drinks / eats anything cold. when he's wearing full-sleeves he somehow always manages to stain his cuffs even when it doesn't seem humanly possible, but he's gotten good at being able to remove them. he has to rehearse an entire conversation in his head before he actually engages someone, but he's taken speech and elocution classes (courtesy of his dad) so it compensates for when he trips up to make it look natural and smooth. he's just always trying, trying, trying. and maybe for once he wants someone to call him out on all this effort and tell him, hey it's okay to screw up something or the other. but of course he never asks.

also he cries when he gets frustrated but never in front of other people. he spends a lot of energy on regulating himself when he has to be present for others so he doesn't process anything until he's on his own and it all hits him at once. and it can be the smallest of things. bus came late on a rainy day? he's in the back seat, holding back tears all the way to his destination. he raised his hand but he answered a question wrong in class? his face is burning and he has to excuse himself to the washroom to breathe or cry or both. he got 99 on a test? he cries because he's sick of feeling relief over accomplishments that should be bringing him joy. just like a few tears. i don't think he's every full-on bawled about anything. maybe one day he'll have the opportunity to do so without feeling ashamed of himself. praying for that

15. what's your favourite ship for this character?

i don't really think about ships that much unless it's in queerplatonic way, which then begs me to answer that i like every akashi ship where he's loved and treated as someone worth caring for rather than a symptom that needs to be managed.

i was a huge akakise fan for a while simply because they both have similar problems. hear me out on this. kise and akashi both struck me as people desperate for connection but kise has been made to doubt the realness of his connections (because of how deceiving and opportunistic people have been in trying to be his friend for status) and akashi has grown up believing he doesn't deserve any kind of connection unless he's fought and earned it (because he's only ever gotten praised by his dad, without ever believing he's loved). i think they'd make a nice pair, romantically or platonically or otherwise. i love akakise, and i will die on this hill and go down with this ship or whatever the kids these days say.

18. how about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

anything with rakuzan. do i have to elaborate. i love them so bad. i can't even talk about it. whatever akashi shares with the rest of rakuzan is so sacred and important to the community.

19. how about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

errrrrrrrrr... i don't know. i don't spend a lot of time thinking about things that i don't like.

maybe anything during teiko era with akashi and the rest of the team but it's not that i dislike it. i just think it is unfortunate that whether or not akashi had known they had faith in him, it wouldn't have exempted him from feeling abandoned. it was a very sad time for all of them, so i dislike everything about it.

21. if you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favourite thing to do when you're writing for this character? what's something you don't like?

i haven't written much for akashi tbh, or i haven't written as much as i'd like to but i have written exactly (1) character study fic for him and my favourite part was trying to bare his inner world to the readers through excessive use of metaphors. i love introspection a lot and i think it works well to reveal that akashi is just scared and vulnerable but overcompensating for that by affecting an air of neatness and certainty. i love that stuff. i would also love to explore his shame a lot more - i think shame is a constant companion for him, because he's ashamed of his own failings, he's ashamed of his own needs and he's ashamed of his own personhood, and i think he's also ashamed of the way he's turned out to be because of his dad, he may even be ashamed of his dad and his family name, and then he might be ashamed of feeling ashamed. i think if i ever write him again the cycle of shame will take the front lines. so we will see

if you've made it this far, thank you for reading. i hope you liked watching me be crazy.

[simmyfrobby]

Brad and Bergy as Judas and Jesus 👀👀

Oh, so we're doing this?

Okay. Buckle up. I have Thoughts. I have Feelings. I Don’t Have a Brain to Mouth Filter.

So first of all, Brad Marchand did all the heavy lifting for me on this one. Him talking about Patrice Bergeron being ABOVE??? JESUS??? HELLO??? Their relationship. Their personalities. The “Saint Patrice” nickname. The dedication. The potential for ANGST

The way Marchand looks at him.

ALL THE TIME.

I didn’t make this up he did this to himself.

(note: I’ve seen other people talk about this as well. Linking this post by @hard4softthings because I like the way they phrased their response, but there’s other people who’ve been talking about this recently I just don’t remember any specific posts.)

Now. Here comes the Narrative:

We’re all on Tumblr so we’ve probably all come across this line from Stephen Adly Guirgis´ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (2005) that reads like a punch to the fucking gut:

Which is an INCREDIBLE line, but the play itself is actually .. um.. a very different vibe:

Tell me Judas doesn’t read a whole lot like Brad Marchand. I dare you.

The line that precedes this is also pretty Brad/Bergy.

Is it ever anybody else? No. It’s Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand and it’s BEEN the two of them together at the centre of all this for years. It’s Jesus and Judas, Bergeron and Marchand, their names go together.

One of my personal favourite Judases is played by Carl Anderson in Jesus Christ Superstar (1973). He really embodies the Tragic Villain I believe Judas to be. In several of his lines/lyrics he talks about the myth/person dichotomy. He loves Jesus of Nazareth, but does not know how to feel about Jesus Christ the Son of God. 

Link

Link (SERIOUS TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE)

Which becomes especially relevant if you think about Bergeron being Saint Patrice, and Marchand being The Rat.

Borrowing from Frank Bidart’s “Guilty of Dust”:

Except we’re taking the Mythology approach to this: your name is your fate. 

Now the real tragedy of Judas Iscariot is that his name is Judas Iscariot. We are all familiar with the bible story and as a result, the actor playing the part of Judas simply HAS TO betray Jesus. It’s what his entire identity is centred around. If he didn’t, the audience wouldn’t be able to recognise the character as Judas.

(Obligatory Richard Siken:

Snow and Dirty Rain)

That’s just tragic inevitability for you bay-bey.

In Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas’ name is repeated twice right after he betrays Jesus:

“Well done, Judas. Good old Judas” = Good job person who claims to be Judas, you have betrayed Jesus and proved yourself to be Judas. You are now “Good old Judas”, which is to say, the Judas we recognise from the Bible.

A lot of theatre productions play with this idea of inevitability & living up to ones name in interesting ways.

(See: Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra & their repeated failure to live up to their own myths / Troilus & Cressida “This is and is not Cressid” (5.2.175) when Cressida lives up to her name by being unfaithful, which Troilus thinks is unlike the Cressida he knows personally / Iago’s “I am not what I am,” (Othello, 1.1.65) - I am Othello’s loyal friend except that I’m not, I am Iago & will betray Othello, except that I am not yet because I haven’t betrayed him yet & earned the name Iago)

In Terrence McNally´s play Corpus Christ there is a moment where Judas becomes Judas:

The actor stops shuddering, has now been Named Judas and will go on to fulfil the ROLE of Judas. 

In the case of Marchand and Bergeron I am most interested in the ways in which their nicknames become their fate:

Brad the rat - This one’s relatively straight forward. Marchand accepts this role and really works hard to seep living up to it. He has received the Rat label and My God he will act like the rat you think he is.

Saint Patrice - a nickname Bergeron has said he does not particularly like or agree with, but which DOES affect his behaviour and our perception of him. If Bergeron was to take on the role of the rat, that would be weird and uncomfortable to us. We expect Patrice Bergeron to act “like himself”.

Which ties it back to Jesus Christ Superstar: “If you strip away the myth from the man / You will see where we all soon will be”. Carl Anderson’s (brilliant) Judas struggles with the fact that he loves Jesus the man, but not Jesus the myth. In the case of NHL stardom you can look at this in terms of the difference between their on-ice personalities vs. their off ice friendship. Brad loves Patrice The Man, Patrice His Friend, he is less concerned with Patrice The Myth.

I also cast Brad as Dionysus in my little hockey mythologies. There are a few obvious (and slightly silly) reasons for this: Dionysus being the god of the grape harvest (read: wine, drunken revelry), festivity, insanity, (religious ecstasy .. interpret that however you will.. ), but it is partly because Dionysus is the god of theatre. 

(I will circle back around to Brad/Judas I promise)

Dionysus = Theatre = The Rat Persona As Performance

(Note: person/persona/personality, from πρόσωπον or perhaps persōna = mask)

Now this idea of the Persona (rat personality) as that which helps the audience recognise your role in the play (the name of the character you play and the expectations that come with said name) and mask as something used to obscure your actual face is really interesting!! 

It comes back to this question of free will vs. predestination. How much of what Judas does is the Human Person, how much of it is his Name-Fate. How much of The Rat is Brad. How much is just him living up to his reputation/nickname.

Oscar Wilde has a fun little quote about this that’ll complicate it further:

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” 

(The internet informs me this is from The Happy Prince & Other Tales but I will admit I only know it from the end of a Criminal Minds episode)

Michael Kinnucan in my favourite essay ever written about anything ever The Gods Show Up writes:

Brad is the rat, the rat is brad. It’s a person. It’s an act. It’s a mask. We know it’s a mask, but how much of it is a mask. No idea. COMPELLING THOUGH.

This same essay then brings us back to the tragedy of Judas:

Now this is where it gets niche.

(I´ll continue in a second post.)

[rosemarycrowley]

I have read the autobiography of the man who was no longer human. The walking corpse of a soon to be suicide. 

I have read the story of Oba Yozo. And also the story of Osamu Dazai.

I have noticed the similarities. Dazai's tendency to leave not just fragments but whole morsels of himself in his work. Is it a way to explore his own psyche ? To try to understand himself? To make the readers feel what he felt? To validate his own emotions? 

Oba Yozo wasn't a good man. He drank and drank and wasted his precious life away. He mistreated women and only used them to satisfy his own needs. That part we all agree on. That's somewhat the part that most of booktok grasped from the whole three notebooks that recounted his life. They saw him as he saw himself. Nothing but trash. Nothing but an empty carcass. Something that is not human and that has never been human. Now here's what I think: I think that when read literature, it is not to judge someone's character and choose whoever's right and whoever's wrong. It is not to point fingers and "cancel" characters. The point of literature is to push us to analyse those characters, it makes us want to delve into their mind and dismantle their every thought and try to make sense of it all. And that is the beauty of it. 

Now let's go back to our man.

Yozo was very much human. His humanity resided in the fact that he was scared. He was deeply scared of how people would perceive him. It started when he was young and wondered about life and traditions and why his father was a sacred figure to him, how he was too afraid to disappoint him. It was the lack of communication and reassurance from his parents that helped nourish this social anxiety and pushed him to perfect his "people mask" only to be trapped by it to the point of believing that he is nothing, a mere monster without that mask. So he continued on with his people pleasing and took up drinking to escape the mental disorders that came with it. And that was his downfall.

There was a point where I looked for who I should blame for the way that he is. I was even inclined to diagnose him with sociopathy but I felt that it was unfair to do so. He was the result of his own thoughts and his environment. 

Although short, it took me a while to finish the book. I had to read it bit by bit to feel it all the way he did. It broke my heart many many times. It broke me when he prayed to God for one more moment of happiness, no matter how gut- wrenching the misery that will come after it. He believed that the bare minimum for someone to feel human is to be happy. Even for one moment. And the fact that he never felt happiness nor unhappiness deprived him from that title.

Did he really never feel happy? Or did he do whatever is in his power to be as far away from it out of fear? Out of fear of loss ? That the pain of losing said happiness would destroy him ? Then why did he pray to God in that way ? Was it because it was his last shred of fate that he was willing to offer up ? Was it his last chance at life ? 

And you know what destroyed my heart the most? It was how he ended up getting a taste of that happiness, and he lost it. And he felt that despair. And he lived on in misery.

Now what did I think of this book.

I thought it was brilliant. I loved how straight forward it was, how Yozo shared his deepest thoughts in the notebook and how it was given to us raw and untouched.

I also found traced of Dazai all over it. And not just because he was the author. But because it was very much like his life. It was all too similar to miss.

This book felt like a confession. It felt like despair and deep deep sadness. It felt like a memoir with a suicide note aftertaste. To think that it was Dazai's last book before he went to other side only confirms my feelings. 

All in all, it's one of my favourite books to date, it's been annotated and loved and cared for and I appreciate the person who gifted it to me.

[ultimate-fucked-up-ship-tourney]

Beefleaf: SQX is targeted by a demon who prays on fear and suffering as a child, which is intending to drive him to suicide and suffering. Having no other choice, SQX's brother SWD uses a ancient technique to switch SQX's fate with another person with the same name and birthdate. <-That's He Xuan. Using HX's fate, SQX(unknowing)'s life gets better and better, and eventually ascends to godhood with SWD. On the other hand, HX, with SQX's fate, is now the target of the demon and his life gets worse and worse. His family dies one by one gruesomely, and HX finally snaps, killing everybody who wronged him before dying from exhaustion. As he lays dying, he sees SWD standing over his body. Filled with resentment, he returns to life as a ghost, intent on finding out the reason for his suffering. He devours the demon who tormented him, and rises to become one of the four most powerful ghosts, earning the moniker "Black Water Sinking Ships".After realising what SWD did, he swears vengeance. He kidnaps and takes the place of another newly ascended god, Ming Yi. HX, now MY, befriends SQX in the heavens to get close to him and his brother, awaiting the day he could take his revenge. During this centuries-long time, SQX and MY become best friends, nigh on inseparable. Finally, the day of reckoning arrived. HX takes on the form of the demon to reveal the truth to SQX, before kidnapping SQX. When SWD arrives to rescue him, HX gives him and ultimatum: either SQX must kill SWD, or SWD must swap SQX's fate with that of a madman's, leaving him to suffer. SWD creates a third path, angering HX until HX rips SWD's head off in front of SQX. SWD dies with the knowledge that he won, that no matter what happened now, he and his brother had gotten all those years together, while HX could never get his family back again. His last words are " My fate is up to me and not the heavens!" In the aftermath, HX strips SQX of his godly power, leaving him to live as a crippled beggar for the rest of his days.

Bingqui: theyre soooooo <3 - shen qingqiu gets so mad over a shitty book that he dies and transmigrates into it as the antagonist. he decides to be nice to the protagonist (luo binghe) so that he doesnt get his arms and legs chopped off and his body stuffed into a jar. as a result luo binghe falls in love with him. - shen qingqiu literally Does Not See any of the characters as people, he sees them as characters in the book. Including binghe. Hes always like "aghhhhh my favourite little white lotus <3 the protagonist <3 my blorbo <3" like binghe is straight up Not a person to him - an evil computer controlling shen qingqiu's actions forces him to push luo binghe off a cliff into the abyss to experience Horrible Trauma. at no point does binghe learn that shen qingqiu was forced to do this, he simply chooses to Get Over It. - shen qingqiu is luo binghe's teacher, so you would think that that's the core of the unequal power dynamic, right ? WRONG. - luo binghe is a super OP demon lord with unimaginble power. He has the protagonist halo and literally cannot lose. also he gives shen qingqiu a blood parasite std so he can literally control him and shit. you would think that THAT's the core of the unequal power dynamic then, right ? ALSO WRONG - luo binghe is so so obsessed with shen qingqui if sqq told him to leave and never come back or smth he would straight up kill himself - literally no one is winning. its an unequal power dynamic no matter how you look at it but NO ONE IS WINNING - shen qingqui dies and luo binghe literally sleeps with his dead body for like five years. - theyre sooooo codependent like their whole relationship is binghe being horribly soppy over shen qingqiu and just generally stalker level obsessed while shen qingqiu pretends to hate it but secretly loves it and absolutely is obsessed with binghe being obsessed with him. - they deserve each other sososo much they make each other worse and they love that <3

[wetcatspellcaster]

astarion 5th because of act 2? did you not like his act 3 stuff?

(also whats the deal with spike because ive seen other people really like him)

Ahhh, no, my top 5 wasn't in a chronological order! I meant it in an affectionate, not derogatory sense - as in, Act 2 content was what made him enter the Top 5. This is probably an overshare, but tbh the way I walked into my therapist's office two days after the hug scene being like "not only is my favourite character I thought was masking confirmed To Be Masking, he's developed feelings and he's also having asexual spectrum anxiety and asked for a relationship without sex" and my therapist made a very serious face and said "written specifically for you, then?" (I know this is not the case, but it's a fun anecdote for why Act 2 Astarion was my very own brand of heroine.)

I love Astarion's Act 3 stuff as well, which you'd hope would be the case as Larian clearly put a lot of effort into it! I don't enjoy playing Act 3 bc of the overwhelm, but I thought they handled the Themes and Motifs in that personal quest very well.

Also. Dying. What's the deal with Spike? A question many people have asked, in their time.

Spike is a vampire on Buffy the Vampire Slayer who, through popularity with the audience/viewership, went from a Season 2 antagonist (kind of like, the nicest of three evil vampires, who ended up switching sides in the final episode for selfish reasons - he wanted his hot toxic girlfriend back) to a season regular and love interest because He Was Just That Popular. He murdered vampire slayers as a hobby, and then fell in love with a vampire slayer over the course of like 4 seasons.

As a result, he has (what I think to be) an incredibly compelling redemption arc that basically hits every possible trope imaginable: fated mortal enemies (and it's kinda hot, don't you think?), token evil teammate, uneasy ally, forced-to-be-good-but-doesn't-want-to-be, enemies-to-lovers, belligerent sexual tension, oh no I've caught feelings, "I'll do anything for you", "I want to be good for you but I don't know how", "every night I save you", "I'm the only one who understands your darkness", hate sex - like honestly, just the hottest sex of the entire show, "you can't fix me but I can make you worse", "oh no making you worse didn't work I now want to fix myself", redemption arc for real this time - all through his own agency, enemies-to-friends, friends-to-lovers, platonic bedsharing, love confession, heroic sacrifice-

(I am literally not making this up these are all hit, they even have a Sex Pollen episode only it's "we think we're married bc of a spell and so we're making out on the couch" like I feel like Spike got every single fanfiction trope under the sun)

Generally, Spike is also just a sarcastic platinum blonde haired vampire man with a British accent who gets most of the funniest lines in the show and also has a pathetic meow meow backstory underneath his bad boy exterior, so I think there's a lot of ingredients that contribute to his overall deal tbh.

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Hey I'd like to request 3, 13 and 24 for Nozel 💙

YESSSS! The other sight for sore eyes among royalty 🤭

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

His ... less than savoury attitude at times. I mean, we all KNOW that he's soft as a marshmallow on the inside, it's only the exterior that is crunchy (kinda like a s'more).

So, I suppose you could say that my least favourite thing about him is the facade, the front that he puts on. Yes, it was a result of the tragedy that is the Silva Sibling Fate, so I get it, but I don't like it. Even if it makes him a complex, well layered character that is fun to explore. (You can keep your sister safe without being an ass Nozel!! When they said "build that ass" they meant your glutes, not your attitude! /lh Instead... he built both.)

Also, when it comes to his fashion sense.... choices were made.

13. What’s an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

The emoticons that remind me of him: 😕🦅🦆😐

The emoticons that he'd use: 👍👎

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Uhh... I'm not really in another fandom, but I suppose there's a flare of Giyu in him? The cold and distant aspect of him (but also communication skills). That's the first one that comes to mind ^^'

[kaeyyraa]

Asagiri is a much better writer than a lot of people give him credit for. One of my favourite things to do is find tragic characters and see if they follow the tragic (often known as shakespearean) formula. Here’s Oda :D

Oda Sasunoske –

Noble birth: Morality and his unwillingness to kill. He also has the orphans' he fathers.

Fatal flaw: His trust and his unwillingness to fight; his morality and his unwillingness to receive help – his lack of ambition which leads to overambition – Acting too late

Internal Conflict: Morality

Peripeteia: Mori sending him on the mission to find Ango.

Notes: Oda brings on his own downfall by being too trusting to Ango and refusing to believe the bland evidence that he was a traitor. He also continues to stay unwilling to fight and unwilling to take any action out of fear, trust and lack of resources – and the ability to ask for more resources and help. He realises, after it is too late, that he has to stop trusting and dawdling to cling to his morals, and that when the need for action arises, he must take it, if he stays stationary, the consequences could be fatal. Oda discovers fate by his own actions, going down a rabbit hole of bystanding and inaction, overaction and overambition and continuously refusing help until he finally meets his end. By the time he has reached his downfall and has lost the orphans and everything else he stands for, Oda is already dead, he has already decided to die. Oda’s death also results in a greater knowledge and awareness to fight for what is good and to take action and protect your moral’s before it is too late. Do not be stationary, and do not be a bystander. This is what he teaches Dazai, he passes on the knowledge to be good when you can. Dazai is the one to carry on the message, much like Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet.

Following Formula:

Exposition - Learn who Oda is, what his status is in the mafia, what his morals and values are, who his friends are and how he acts.

Exciting force - The disappearance of Ango, the appearance of MIMIC

Hamartia - 1. His inaction to leave the port mafia or act on his morals 2. His inaction and refusal to believe what he is seeing when the evidence points to Ango being a traitor. 3. His inability to ask Dazai for help when he needs it.

Crisis - Ango appears to be a traitor and MIMIC has picked Oda as their target.

Tragic force - Orphans die

Moment of final suspense - Battle between MIMIC and Oda

Catastrophe - Oda dies

Glimpse of restored order - Dazai leaves the mafia and joins the ADA, learning from Oda.

[acrylicscore]

So like, I felt like doing a little “My MCSM Choices and Headcanons” post, just as a like basis for my personal canon on MCSM while also additional letting people who read my blog know what to expect from me in terms of this silly block game.

I will place my choices in “read more” so those that don’t wanna don’t gotta.

Jesse Type:

Red-Suspender Jesse.

He’s just my favourite little guy. He just seems different. Like honestly, compared to Green-Suspender Jesse (who I’ve found people view as a gruff and bulky short-stack that has the most adorable puppy eyes, and I love it), I like to view Red-Suspender Jesse as this short skinny dainty looking thing that is somehow the scar-covered hero that saved the world. Anyone who is directly looking for him is like “Oh you’re the famous Jesse? I thought you’d be tougher looking”, and then they immediately meet their fate on the floor in the Family Guy dead pose. But of course, Green-Suspender Jesse is my second choice.

Jesse Personality:

Chaotic Neutral or True Neutral

Some days he’s a sweetheart, other days he’s a little shit. There is no telling what this man’s personality could be at any given moment. There is no pattern. But he’s naturally cheeky so who knows.

Also he’s one of those people that doesn’t process his emotions too well. So for my Jesse, he’s naturally sad at heart, which results in him finding it difficult to cope with extra sadness too well, but also having a constant longing feeling for happiness or moments of pure bliss. He finds that the best way to fill that void is helping people or being in the act of helping people. If left doing nothing for too long, he gets very unstable.

He also feeds off of other people’s happiness and joy, especially his friends. He’s his happiest around people he loves. If left totally alone, he can’t cope.

Prefered Armours:

Shield of Infinity

I adore Shield of Infinity! There’s just something about it that just makes my brain happy. It have this really regal/majestic vibe to it (which is also mentioned in game), and it looks to incorporate emeralds into its patterns. Not only that but spikes on the shoulders! Also its Lapis Blue in colour.

Tooth Chipper

I just really like how simple this one is. While the Underneath’s armours don’t get much love, I would just like to say I love this one. It doesn’t feel too cluttered compared to the other armours on offer.

Favourite New Order Member:

Olivia

I just can’t describe it, but I LOVE Olivia. She’s just that vibey bestie that’s not afriad to tell you you’re an idiot in the most serious or sarcastic tone ever. She’s also like that friend that is more like a sister and will annoy the hell out of you if given the chance.

I will say though, Jesse is normally my favourite NOOTS member, but he can be shoved to the side for favouritism punishment.

Favourite Old Order Member:

Ellegaard

Omg the redstoners are my favourites, what a surprise! But seriously though, for me Ellie is just really neat. She has that “I don’t like people” charm to her. Like, she’s very awkward in conversation and seems like she doesn’t realise what she’s saying until long after she’s spoken. She’s quirky, like me-

Ivor was also shunted to the side because of favouritism punishment. He can be a family in the corner with Jesse.

Favourite Side Character:

Gill

Why do I like Gill? Fuck you, that’s why. He’s just so goofy and huggable and “I don’t know wtf i’m doing” coded. He lives in my head rent free. He just wants to vibe but Aiden wouldn’t let him.

Also I project a lot of personality and ideas onto Gill, and I specialise in pairing him with Jesse in the most dumbass situations where Jesse progressively loses more braincells the more time he spends with Gill. I just love them <3

Favourite Villain:

Cassie Rose

I prefer Cassie overall. She’s mysterious, and she’s lashing out because of cruelty done to her in her shrouded past. You don’t know why she’s angry or why she resorted to murder, but you know enough to understand why she wouldn’t simply reach out for help. Also she’s a cat person, and I simply cat pass up a cat-person coded character.

Favourite S2 Character:

Jack

Personally I don’t like the Season 2 characters, with the majority of them just completely escaping from my memory until someone mentions their name. However, I do have my preferences in Jack, Nurm and Radar; the Beacon Town bois.

Jack was the one I got attached to the most, with Nurm followed very close behind. He radiates “cool uncle” energy that makes me smile every time, especially when he’s showing off or bragging. Even if people find his bragging habit annoying, I personally love it because it’s just a simple touch of world building and fun interaction. He’s just fun.

Leave or Stay:

Stayed in Beacon Town

This choice is basically “Be Gay or Do Crime” and I chose to be gay, just not gay for Lukas.

On a reasonable note, I honestly think the reason Jesse would have stayed in Beacon Town would be from a guilty conscience. He feels he’s to blame for the destruction and disruption of both Beacon Town and Champion City, and that everything that happened is all his fault because he was the one that first lured the Admin in, even if accidentally. He wants to fix his mistakes, not abandon them.

We are now entering more-so Headcanon territory

Ships:

Jesse x Gill

It’s a stupid ship, but its my stupid ship. I will love them till the end of time.

Lukas x Olivia

They have such nice chemistry, and also they’re both nerds that just click for me.

Ivor x Harper

We all know why.

Jack x Nurm

They are husbands, your honour.

Jesse x Cassie

This isn’t a very prominent ship of mine, and often takes a more friendship-like approach anyway. This is honestly just here because of AU reasons, as for some reason if I have an AU where Jesse and Gill don’t interact (either at all or really late) then Cassie is automatically Jesse’s best friend. This is the case for Lapis Swap and Ender Child.

Despite this, this ship is either “They’re best friends” or “They are specifically romantically insterested”, which is why I’m listing it as a ship. There is only one of my AUs that’s somewhere in the middle, but other than that it’s between those two options. Although I will say, there are only a total of four AUs of mine that have Jesse and Cassie interact like this.

Other than that, I still think its funny if regular canon Jesse had an “Oh she’s cute” moment when first meeting Cassie. Basically Cassie was Jesse’s “Omg I’m not just gay” awakening but he won’t dare to admit it.

Jesse x Lukas

I don’t generally ship this one, but it’s the ship that I love reading about and viewing art for. I just love the fanfictions and art pieces I find, with pretty much everything being some of the best works I’ve encountered for any fandom. Its the ship that I just follow the fandom for, but I still have a great appreciation for.

Canon Event:

I’ve never watched Spiderverse so I’m just guessing if I’m using the term right.

In my canon of MCSM, the canon event is Jesse’s childhood home being destroyed when he was a child. Yes yes, I’m going for the “Jesse is an orphan” trope, but its fine. This event is what pushes forward a lot of my canon and also AU stories, and is altered accordingly when needed.

So info about this day; Jesse’s home is attacked by griefers when he was age 6, resulting in him fleeing from home (and dad’s death). However on this particular day there were multiple presences in the area; Sammy, Jack & Vos, who were coming to visit the family as Sammy was Jesse’s biological aunt; Ellegaard, who was heading back to Redstonia with a crew of miners who had come back from a mining expedition; and Ivor, who was travelling to collect materials to take back to his lab. Out of everyone to encounter, Jesse encounters Ivor, who then fended off any pursuing griefers to protect the child. He then takes him to the nearest town to ensure Jesse was a bit safer.

This event can be altered in many ways to suit my AU differences, like encountering Sammy’s group, or encountering Ellegaard, or simply Ivor taking care of Jesse himself. I have even changed the time that the event takes place, or removed it all together. Honestly, if I make an AU revolving around Jesse, this is the spot that I look at beforehand.

AUs (listed):

Lapis Swap AU

Ender Child AU (Son of Soren AU)

Engineer Jesse AU (Son of Ellegaard AU)

Alchemist Jesse AU (Son of Ivor AU)

Jack’s Nephew AU

Secret Elytrians AU

Origins AU

Early Daughter AU

“It Never Happened” AU

Permanent Champion AU

Admin Order AU

If there are any AUs that may intrigue you, feel free to ask. I’m always happy to chat about them and answer questions.

Little Side Idea I Wanna Share:

I’m giving Jesse a parrot.

Yes, I know Lluna exists, but she’s still technically Stella’s pet. And also yes, Jesse may not be able to fully get over Reuben, but sometimes getting another pet is the best way to move on.

Also the main reason I’m giving Jesse a parrot is due to my post-canon events. Long story short, the Order is severely injured but Jesse has it worse and is permanently out of commission. The rest of the Order healed to a reasonable health before Jesse could, so they could head back to their respective towns. Although, a couple of days before they do, Jack and Jesse find a young parrot fresh out of the nest without any feathers except one single lapis-blue tail feather. Jack recommends (forces) Jesse to take care of the bird while he was recovering, as Jack could definitely see that Jesse’s mental state wasn’t too good, but also the parrot’s lack of feathers was due to parrot depression too. While reluctant at first, after the first night he started connecting with the parrot almost immediately as the two found their similarities really quick, and helped each other into healing (physically & mentally).

Basically my whole purpose for the parrot is for the analogy and comparision for healing. Jesse is devasted that he can’t do what he loves anymore because of his injuries, so there would be every chance that he would spiral downwards, so give him the one thing he needs to prevent that from happening; company. The others, despite their efforts, are always going to have to leave, so Jesse needs someone who won’t leave. Not only that, but Jesse is someone who just feels the need to help people, to help others. So in my theory, you give him someone who won’t need his side but also someone who needs his help too. So I gave him a parrot friend.

Also the parrot’s name is Lazuli, because she has lapis blue feathers. She was named that because of the singular tail feather she had initially though before she healed.

She also acts as a messager around Beacon Town, because why the hell not.

Hope this opens up a but about my personal canon of Minecraft Story Mode. I’m quite happy with what information I’ve given about my brain, but if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask.

Have a good day!

[nonuggetshere]

tpk's my favourite character yet i inflict suffering upon him for breakfast. how ironic ANYWAY. when you mentioned their mask falling off and tpk realising that wasn't the radiance, that was his *child*, he doesnt even struggle when hollow gets the last hit in. he's in too much shock, and while he'd never admit it to anybody because he's too proud for his own good, there's a tiny part of his head that's telling him that maybe, just maybe he deserved this - 👹

YES, ABSOLUTELY

Although Hollow is a god in their own right, the Pale King is thousands of years their senior. He's more experienced, more skilled, he taught them everything they know. He could easily push them off and end them right then and there.

But he doesn't. Be it from the shock, the fact he can't bring himself to hurt his child or the fact he believes he deserves this, it doesn't matter as the end result is the same. He just resigns to his fate, whatever it may be.

[kiichu]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

not tagged by anyone, i just found it and wanted to do it :3

How many works do you have on ao3?

60

What's your total ao3 word count?

523,261

What fandoms do you write for?

According to Ao3: Zero Escape, Legend of Korra, Gotham, Dangan Ronpa, Daredevil, Skyrim, FNaF, Frozen, Hazbin Hotel, Life is Strange, Logan, MCU, Nope, Saw, Spider-Man, Squid Game, The 100, FATWS, The Jungle Book, The Walking Dead Game, The Wolf Among Us, Uncharted, Animal Crossing, Zom 100, Ace Attorney

Top five fics by kudos:

Out on a Limb

Smoke and Mirrors

GNAWING

Anodynes

Electric Sheep

Do you respond to comments?

For the most part! Sometimes I don't really know what to say in response, but I appreciate every single comment I get. Like, I adore them all.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

(spoilers lmao) It's a tie I think, between Out on a Limb (in which Troy does die, but he saves Clementine and repays his debt, being remembered for the good choice he made in the end) and Electric Sheep (Dio and Luna's fates are left ambiguous, it's unclear if they're alive but at least they're together wherever they are)

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

Any of the fluffier fics tbh, but a special mention for Taken by Storm. It's the last fic of the Nope series, and it shows that the gang is recovering from their ordeal and have hope for the future.

Do you get hate on fics?

I mean, I've seen offhand comments on Twitter, but honestly I haven't gotten any hate on Ao3 at least. :)

Do you write smut?

A tiny tiny bit. It's very rare. But we have Stay Classy for a direct smut thing, with like two other fics having references to sex. It's not really something I like to read or write, and have to be in a ver specific mood to write.

Craziest crossover:

I don't write crossovers haha.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Oh god I hope not. Or maybe I do, maybe I want my old deleted (see also: gone forever) fanfiction.net fics to resurface somewhere.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!!! Electric Sheep is being translated into Polish. Here's the link: Elektryczne Owce :]

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Nah. Not my thing.

All time favourite ship?

Dio/Luna. Always always always <33

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I... dunno. I have a few that probably won't ever see the light of day, but I'd rather make that decision and leave it at "everything might one day get posted, but I don't know".

What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good at descriptions, and putting out my best work possible. The latter is a result of my OCD not letting me post something without passing a very strict self-imposed "quality filter," but still. It does show in the final product, stressful as it is to get there.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Sticking with something. Sitting down and writing. Also making more happen in scenes, with more dialogue.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I've tried to pepper in some Russian in both Out on a Limb and it's just blood under the bridge for the Russian characters, and also some Spanish in Vencido, but it's all Google translated haha.

First fandom you wrote in?

Yu Yu Hakusho :]

Favourite fic you've written?

It'll probably always be Out on a Limb. I worked so hard on it and I reedited it all and made it into a book through a website (I own the only copy so it's not illegal or anything).

I'm tagging anyone who wants to do this!! :]