#if y'all want a more specific tag so you can block my rambling please say so

[katara0524]

Impromptu Ramblings about the NEO:TWEWY Demo

In case y'all weren't aware, I've been a pretty big fan of TWEWY for a couple years now, and with the sequel coming out next month, the excitement I feel for this game is greater than ever :) I played the Demo for the first time yesterday, and following a couple views of some livestreams of others playing it, I felt like sharing my (very ramble-y) thoughts prior to the release of the full game. This post WILL contain spoilers for both TWEWY and NEO:TWEWY, so if you want to avoid those from now on, please block the tags: #twewy spoilers, #ntwewy spoilers, #neo twewy spoilers, #ntwewy, and #neo twewy ^_^ Oh, and if you wanna keep up with any other posts I make about my experience with this game, please refer to the tag "kat plays neo twewy" :)

-First things first: I have not watched the Final Trailer and I don't plan on doing so to avoid spoilers, especially after the pre-release era of KH3 where a lot of the later trailers spoiled a lot of the endgame content. That being said, I've seen some minor screenshots from the final trailer including what many believe to be characters from the original TWEWY, namely Shiki and Joshua. That is all I know about the Final Trailer and I would very much like to remain as blind as possible going into NEO :)

-The very first cutscene was quite ominous in the sense that this game is likely going to be about "changing fate" (a recently common theme in Squeenix games, which I do appreciate), perhaps leading off from the end of A New Day in the OG and trying to stop an Inversion of Shibuya. Also worth noting that A New Day had similar aspects in which the main character experienced "future visions" of tragic events, although in A New Day these events were not able to be changed, while in NEO it seems like one of the main "powers" our protagonist has is specifically to rewrite these events and avoid a "bad ending." Very interesting indeed!

-I really like the revamped comic book style dialogue scenes, it's much more fluid and modern, which is an excellent direction for the series to take!

-I would love to have an actual PokemonGO knockoff of Final Fantasy creatures, please Squeenix that would be incredibleeeeee

-Also the LINE stickers??? Are so cute???

-I would just like to point out that Fret is an absolute treasure throughout this entire demo, he's hilarious and I will protect him with my life

-UHHHH don't like that Fret picked up some Reaper Pins just out of nowhere.....or the fact that they're apparently popular all over Shibuya.............did y'all not learn anything from the OG game or what lmao

-Okay so when I first got the "curry or ramen" scene and heard NPCs talking about the new curry place replacing the old ramen place I became IMMENSELY distressed that Ramen Don was totally cut from the game because....well, Ramen Don is a King okay?? But I'm glad to learn that no, he didn't fall off the face of the earth, he's still in business and he's the one opening the curry restaurant lolol. PHEW, crisis averted!

-.....I don't like the sudden appearance of a Wall Reaper and being able to read NPC thoughts. Wtf happened when they left the ramen place??? Are they playing the Game alive somehow?

-Okay so I have my own theories about this "Swallow" character and what they're up to but considering this is only the Demo and I still Have No Idea What's Happening, I'm just gonna say that I think Swallow intentionally led Rindo and Fret to the Crossing so they could join the Game. I mean, add in the fact that Swallow still communicates with Rindo during the Game and you've got yourself a suspicious character right there lol

-"Hey they're shooting off fireworks!" Fret honey that's not fireworks oof (see also: "*laughs* I'm in danger")

-WOOOOOO way to traumatize Rindo right off the bat like that LMAOO

-The visuals for the intro are VERY GOOD, the song is pretty decent until it gets all "screamo" (which I absolutely cannot stand sorry lol)

-Shoka is every Customer Service employee ever and I respect that

-Susukichi went from being "meh" to "WOW THIS GUY IS FUN" in the span of 10 seconds and I also respect that (he is also built like an Absolute Unit which is hilarious)

-The Wall Reapers (and just Reapers in general) seem.....way nicer and more helpful this time around?? Like in the OG the Wall Reapers were SO RUDE gfhjgjdfkhn and yeah I'm sure we'll get some like that but the juxtaposition of the first Wall Reaper in the OG compared to the first one in NEO is insane.

-The puzzles are quite a bit more entertaining this time around even if it's generally the same "fetch quest" formula lol

-"Rindo's Group" way to go Fret HFKJDGHSDFKJ mans really left the default name in there lmao

-OKAYOKAYOKAY so to those who aren't aware I am a MASSIVE SIMP for Sho Minamimoto, he's my absolute favorite and I think about him daily. HIS INTRODUCTION IS. INCREDIBLE. I LOVE IT SM.

-GOD hearing him actually SPEAK FULL SENTENCES is just SO SURREAL I love this sm

-Also the remix of his theme???? NEO TRANSFORMATION????? IT'S SO GOOD????????? It's like gone from a Boss Theme to a more triumphant sounding theme and I am HERE for it (every version of Transformation is just INCREDIBLE and getting a new one is even better)

-I Love Him, Your Honor

-Also idk how exactly but it's kinda weird seeing Sho in the OG vs NEO, cuz while he's mostly the same Insane Math-Obsessed Catboy, he's.....calmed down quite a bit?? Like OG made a whole point of how poorly he cooperates with others (not to mention just being completely unhinged and trying to kill everyone), whereas here in NEO he's......actually kinda working with others??? HELLO???? Sir what happened to you and Neku during those 3 years I would love to know all about it

-I guarantee you Sho is still probably scheming shite and will likely pull some total insane BS later down the road, and I am very much looking forward to that. Also, is he looking for a certain Pin or something??? Cuz he keeps talking about different Pins and even mentions "this is just another Psych Pin" like he's actively looking for a Pin to do something with. Maybe it also has to do with the "latent powers of Players" thing he mentioned as well??? What is this dude UP TO oml (also is he in contact with Neku at all?? they're both technically fugitives at this point right?? WHAT HAPPENED AFTER A NEW DAY I AM BEGGING YOU)

-I seems like Sho ALSO has an idea of what's going on in this specific game (even if he won't admit it straightforward). Per his quote "The game's 142,857. Factor it out," he's essentially saying, "This game is a neverending cyle, figure out how to get out of it" (or at least that's what I got from his "cyclic number" nonsense lolol)

-I do like how Sho mostly stays out of sight until he's needed for a battle or assisting with a mission, that's kind of on par with his whole "uncooperative" quirk from the OG, plus he might literally have to stay out of sight of other Reapers and Players considering he's likely breaking the rules of the Game (not surprising considering him and Neku broke practically every rule in the book during OG)

-The nicknames for Sho- I can't- They're so FUNNYYYY GFHJSDFKJ

-He goes from being called "Pi-Face" and "Tabooty" in OG to "Mr. Minami" and "M-Teezy" in NEO LMAOO

-(Wowee I just realized I've been mostly talking about Sho oopsies sorry y'all, this is what I meant by thinking about him almost daily he is THAT much of a fav of mine ghfkjsd)

-Okay RIP Fret and Rindo for not getting literally ANY explanation as to how the Game works OOF, that is kinda cringe that whoever gets the Pin earns points, not whoever erases the Noise (which like I understand but also URRRGGHHH I WANNA SEE THE SQUAD SUCCEED)

-"I should be going home now it's getting late" Oh you sweet summer child-

-Also love the mention of parents in this game???? KH you could learn a thing or two from TWEWY (poor Rindo's mom fhgjkdh)

-KUBO IS HILARIOUS I SUPPORT HIM AND HIS GROSS FACE (also thank you Final Trailer thumbnail for spoiling my suspicions about him very cool smh)

-Kaie is a LAD I also support him, go King type those funky texts I believe in you

-FRET PLS STOP SCANNING FHGJKSDHKJFGHFKJ he's like me when I scan in OG during Weeks 2 and 3 and see Taboo Noise coming after me ghfjdshfj

-Also Rindo can you stay off your phone for TWO SECONDS ik you're trying to figure things out but Fret is a jelly boi and I don't want him to be upset with you my guy

-Sho being an actual sorta mentor to the kiddos?? Who are you sir this is so unlike you ghfgskj what happened to the guy who tried shooting children in the face 8 times over LMAO (granted he's probably just using them but it's still nice to see him actually cooperating and sharing knowledge with the kiddos aaaaa)

-EYO EIJI OJI THE TIKTOK INFLUENCER IS BACK LMAO

-hgjkfshgkjf "we aren't glorifying capitalism on my watch" THATS SO FUNNY TO ME GFHJFSDGHJKS (also an all-orange ensemble is disgusting you deserve jail for one thousand years fkn Cheddar Goldfish Cheezit ass woman)

-WICKED TWISTERS NAME DROP EYOOO we love to see it

-gfhsgjf Poor Rindo embarassing himself for the sake of the Game that's incredible

-R e t u r n t o M O N K E. That is all.

-Dialogue during boss battles is HELLA cool i love that

-HHHHH THE KANON SCENE MADE ME A N G E R Y FRET STOP SIMPING MY GUY says the girl with a Literal Simp Encyclopedia and simps for pixels on a screen daily

-Can't wait to see the other Reapers :eyes emoji:

-CAN'T WAIT TO SEE NAGI MY BELOVED YEAHHHH WOOOOOO AAAAND that's about it for the demo lolol, I absolutely CANNOT wait for next month, this game is gonna be INCREDIBLE holy hell Prepare for more simping, more screaming, and more vibing from Yours Truly :) I fully intend on sharing more general thoughts like this on both Tumblr and Twitter so it's not just reblog-retweet-reblog-retweet with the occasional comment fhgskjd

If you wanna witness my insanity up close and personal I have a Square Enix Discord server called Sea Side Dreamers! You can look it up on Disboard, or you can add me on Discord @Katara0524#9244 for a direct link :) We have topics about Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, NieR, and ofc TWEWY (as well as other topics!), so if you want some good ol' chaos and chitchat, you're more than welcome to join!

[gusu-emilu]

thanks @curiosity-killed for the tag for this fic writer meme!

tagging @lady-of-the-lotus @eldritch-elrics @qi-ling if y'all are interested

How many works do you have on AO3?

18!

What’s your total AO3 word count?

162,313 - This is basically all from 2021. I'm very proud of myself! I don't think even my entire original fic wordcount could add up to this. Look what MDZS did to me...

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

3: basically just MDZS/CQL, but I have one Sleuth of Ming Dynasty fic and one MDZS/TGCF crossover

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

sometimes I forget (200) - This fic is very special to me (first completed multichap, Chengning) so I'm happy to see it as the first. I think my writing abilities have grown since then, but I'm still very satisfied with the story.

seven nights to turn (195) - My other Chengning multichap, close behind! This is my personal favorite so I'm thrilled by the reception it got. I loved digging deep into JC and WN's emotions in this fic.

thermal scheming (192) - Fluffy Sangcheng oneshot, one of my older fics. I'm honestly shocked it did this well!

follow your arrow (115)

To Sit Outside Your Door (99)

I did not realize that 4/5 of these would be Chengning but I guess I should've expected it lol

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Every single one! I love getting author replies when I comment on fics, so I do the same for comments I receive. I'm really grateful for readers and want to tell them that.

A lot of times I don't know what to say besides "thank you" and a keysmash and some emojis...but if I see an opportunity to slip in a short ramble about my fic I'll take it :D

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hm...I do write some angst but never really end with angst. Maybe Writing Out Days (sad Burial Mounds Wen siblings) but that fic is less than 1k so it's not like much happened to be wrapped up with an "ending", per se. The ending of sometimes I forget is kinda angsty, but then the little bonus chapter after it is pure fluff...idk man...

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I would say no, because I'm not interested in writing or reading crossovers, and yet I impulse-wrote a MDZS/TGCF fic where Sandu's sword spirit meets Hua Cheng 🤷

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I got visited by the Xiyao troll once! It was a magical experience. The best part is that LXC and JGY had said hello, once, and the comment wasn't even on that chapter. I hadn't even gotten to the background Xiyao yet (and never will bc that fic is 100% abandoned)

Do you write smut? if so what kind?

Kind of! I'll occasionally include non-explicit sex. Little ace me can only handle so much 😅 I only have one fic with actual smut (seven nights to turn) and even then it's...idk. Not that detailed? My beta had to tell me several times to describe JC's body. If I do write smut, I inevitably focus on the emotions much more.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so! Somebody please tell me if it happens lol

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I did attempt to translate one of my short oneshots into Mandarin for fun. I think I made it halfway through?

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope!

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Chengning! Specifically post-canon. They have so much history to work with! I like the ship for the parallels, the way they have to confront both each other and themselves, the hurt/comfort, the fact that it's my two favorite characters...

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

1) Wen Ning's POV during WWX's second life - what the Ghost General does when no one's looking. Basically a character study with some side adventures and introspection.

2) A post-canon case fic thing involving Nightless City mostly focusing on JC's relationships with WWX and JL. Maybe WN too. But it would be so much work and despite the idea sitting in my head for a few months and a few pages written, I still don't have the plot straightened out.

What are your writing strengths?

Well. Um?? Going based on comments I've gotten, I can sometimes effectively evoke emotion! And some people enjoy my sense of humor.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I sometimes struggle to make my vision clear, especially when explaining what characters are thinking/feeling or if I have some unnecessary meta that I'm determined to put into the fic. I'm also not the best at planning lengthy plots (or committing to them).

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I basically only read fic for Chinese novels/dramas, and I enjoy seeing original-language terms used (titles, genre-specific words, foods, etc.). Not sure how I'd feel about other fandoms because I haven't encountered that in a fic yet.

AO3 has a cool feature that lets you hover over a block of text on desktop (tap on mobile) and it reveals the translation. I've used it before. I feel like this is a good option unless the fandom would be familiar with the dialogue in another language.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

MDZS/CQL!

We are not counting the "original story" I wrote in middle school that was basically The Outsiders with different names

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

seven nights to turn!