#me? Continuing to utilize a character from 2 chapters of the manga?

[writer-and-artist27]

11 Questions Writer Ask Game

Got tagged by @windwardstar.

(ｏ＿　＿)ｏ Thankie, Osie. Beloved friend. I'll do my best.

Rules: Answer the 11 questions of the person who tagged you, make up 11 questions, then tag 11 people to answer them.

1. How is your writing going right now?

Right now, I feel like I'm in a funk. I'm able to write things if it's to help others, but when it comes to my own writing for myself, it's mostly... well, dead at the moment. I think it's from the recent family death that my writing's slowed down. I want to hope the unconscious grief can pass.

2. Give me a song that gives you vibes for your wip? (If too hard, just a song you've been listening to a lot lately. This is literally just me trying to get new music to listen to and your excuse to ramble about writing stuff.)

The Things You Mustn't Avert Your Gaze From and Hitorime no Tomodachi Ni, or in English, "My First Friend" for all my WIPs. Because they capture the soft feelings I try to write for in the first place, to illuminate the dark.

3. Do you have any headcanons for your wips that you can't/won't include for some reason? (If do, why?)

I... think I have a couple. And those are because of (1) lack of energy to write them, (2) they cover territory I have yet to experience in life, and (3) I'm honestly concerned I'd start crying if I write them because of how emotionally invested I get into writing in the first place for specific characters.

4. What's a scene/character/plot/thing you're excited to get to write in your wip?

When I do go back to S&S and CP and Naruto stuff? A lot of things post-Kannabi. Including Team Minato being kids. They deserve more time to have fun as kids.

For Fate/Passing Days stuff? Including some of the older memories I've had from playing the game, such as bonding with older Servants through Tumblr bond level stories again, or even when I Grailed specific Servants (looking at Shiki, Musashi, Skadi, Melt, and Astarte, especially). Even more character-driven, Bond 10 specific chapters when I have the energy for them.

5. Is there anything you have to make a specific pass in editing for?

By "pass", do you mean "excuse"/"look the other way"? Because if so, it's definitely repeating/filler words for me. I know I use a lot of "only," "sometimes," and the like in my first drafts, and when writing the first draft of a scene out from my head, I've been trying to forgive myself more in not having more detail-oriented words to get the thoughts out.

6. How many rounds of editing do you usually do?

1-2. Basically first one being while I write it or right after I finish the chapter. Second being if I allow myself to sleep on the doc and come back to it the next day. Or that second round is me actually reading the published version on AO3 to check for typos and the like.

7. Biggest challenge(s) with writing (in story or out of it)?

My main thing's really all out of writing for me: Just trying to find the right words to articulate what I see in my head. Because imagining any kind of scenes playing out like anime isn't always easy to write out. Fight scenes are the worst offender. Same thing with emotional stuff, at least to a smaller extent.

8. How do you utilize your non-writing writing time?

Reading manga/light novels, as well as rereading previous source material to keep the ideas fresh. I even make it a personal policy to take three books with me in my purse on my work days so I can read/refresh on my breaks.

9. How do you personally define a good or bad day of writing for yourself? / what does it take to feel like you've made decent progress?

A good day of writing for me is writing more than just a few words/sentences. A bad day would be if I'm unable to come up with anything and just sit there, staring at the same words and wondering how to continue.

10. Do you write in discrete units of time/schedule or is it just whenever you have time?

It's just when I have the time. Since I take the trolley to and back from work (which is about one hour and 20 min one way already), I've been trying to write more during those moments when I can.

11. What are your current wips? (+ short description if u want)

Civilian Pianist (CP) - Currently on idea hiatus, but wishing to go back.

The Sea and Stars (S&S) - Also on idea hiatus, because fight scenes.

Passing Days (Fate) - Ongoing, just slow updates (about once a month) due to energy and some things in FGO hitting worse than others. Some part of the fanbase is definitely a big factor. Had to let go of some friends and be civilly distant with others with how big and picky the fandom is. Can count on one-two hands the number of people I can share my ideas with without worrying about backlash or anything.

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My questions:

What is one habit you picked up in your daily life because of writing?

What's your ideal writing space? (Desk? Out in nature? Just curious.)

What's the topic you've had to do the most research in to write?

What's a concept you liked at first when seeing it in consumed media, but found yourself not liking when trying to write it later on?

Have dreams inspired you before?

What's one piece of a positive review that someone gave you that actually stood out to you?

Any concepts you'd like to try your hand at in writing?

What's the easiest genre to write for?

How do you handle writer's block?

What's the word count on your longest story? How did that happen?

Who was your first writing inspiration? What about them (or it if said inspiration isn't a person) inspired you?

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Tagging: @partialdignity, @abalisk, @teddog, and anyone else who'd like to try this? Only for fun, though.

o(_ _o)ノ☆ Now to bed with me because it's 10:02 pm when I post this.

[animeisokaysometimes]

As of today 10/17/2022 I am officially caught up on One Piece. Been slowly working my way through - a couple chapters a day - for the past few months, and I have finally read all up through chapter 1063.

Gotta say, one of the biggest and most appreciated parts of reading through the whole thing was how fucking anarchist the manga gets in the second half. The frank discussions of how the government utilizes systemic power to enforce (often racialized) hierarchies of power that hold down the lowest of people in the world and prop up a small minority of rich asshats was definitely appreciated. Anarchist Oda-sensei was not expected but was definitely appreciated.

Anyway I’m here to give my ranking of all the straw hat pirates based on my own 100% objective opinions

1. Luffy. Going into this I was expecting him to just be the stereotype of dumb shonen protagonist, and he kind of is, but he’s also so much more. Both in his literal being, with his belief in fighting for freedom, and in him as a story element, with him being a symbol of hope and rebellion and being able to accomplish near anything if you have the strength of will to fight for it. Luffy grew on me real hard through the whole thing.

2. Robin. I love Robin. I admit, part of it is probably how tied she is into the search for the poneglyphs, a plot thread I’m really interested in, but as a character she’s so interesting. I just love seeing her happy with the other members of the crew. And I love me a good enemies-to-friends arc. And the moment she finally asks the rest of the crew for help, so she can continue to have the will to live on, is absolutely beautiful.

3. Usopp. Love this silly little guy. His pre-timeskip to post-timeskip arc of being a coward to learning to stand up for himself and being this ripped strongman, to revealing that, yeah, he’s still a coward in his heart of hearts, has been a super fun ride to go along with. And his post-timeskip design is pretty hot, gotta say

4. Nami. Honestly, Nami’s character is kind of just fine to me. I like it, but really I gotta say that so much of my love for Nami is tied into the arlong park arc. I feel like her moment of finally asking for help from the rest of the crew feels even more iconic than Robin’s. That said, I definitely think it’s worth discussing how Oda treats his female characters, with the sexualization of the way they’re drawn and their treatment in the crew. It’s disappointing, for sure. And there is a decent number of different body types among women - more than I was expecting - but of course, a lot of the not-idealized/sexualized body types are mostly just found in villains, so... that’s pretty disappointing.

5. Zoro. He’s super strong, his lack of sense of directions is hilarious, and he is absolutely way too serious to belong in this goofy-ass cartoon. But that’s just part of what makes him so great <3

6. Jinbe. I really like Jinbe! Obviously, we haven’t known him as long as the rest of the crew, and he’s only recently officially joined the crew, but man do I love his design and his sense of levity. He’s a good guy.

7. Franky. Honestly, for a little while after his introduction Franky was #1 on my favorites list. His bombastic personality was so good, and I loved that. Then the timeskip happened, and I just really do not like his post-timeskip design. Also, he’s taken a more backseat roll a lot post-timeskip it feels like, so his bombastic personality hasn’t had as much time to shine.

8. Sanji. I gotta say, I do NOT like the trope of “character who is just a horny pervert” that Sanji kind of falls into. Obviously there’s a lot more to him, and his struggle with his nature as a part of Germa has been really fun to read through. But I gotta knock him points for his perviness. Overall still love the character though

9. Chopper. Chopper is just not that interesting to me, I guess? He ends up taking a backseat a lot of the time, it feels like, so he doesn’t get as much time to shine lately, and the stuff with him making an antidote to Queen’s virus was cool, but that wasn’t really portrayed all that interestingly I guess. Love Chopper, for sure, but he’s just not as interesting to me

10. Brook. Love the skeleton puns, love the cool soul-control powers, love the ice-based swordsmanship that sets him apart from Zoro. Brook’s great. But he is also the worst example of the main cast of the horny pervert and I cannot say I appreciate that.

...

Special shoutouts go to:

- Yamato. I’m really disappointed Yamato isn’t joining the crew after the Wano arc, cause I really fell in love with his strong personality and recklessness, and his trans swag. I am definitely hoping he’s gonna come back and join the crew at some point in the future, but if we really are approaching the final arc(s) of One Piece, there may just not be time.

- Boa Hancock. Love the whole relationship between Luffy and Hancock. Hancock being so desperately in love with the one man who doesn’t immediately swoon at the sight of her, and Luffy just being the ace king he is, not caring at all about romance or sex. Love it.

- Sabo. Definitely feels... weird that he was introduced right after Ace’s death. Like, “oh no, Ace is dead, but WAIT - Luffy has ANOTHER brother!”, like Oda still needed Luffy to have family he cared about, but hadn’t thought that one through before Ace’s death. I do like Sabo a lot, just wish he’d been introduced earlier in pre-timeskip I guess.

[asklittlehomu]

I ... I miss him, too.

[liddolwhynot2000]

Decisions Of a Capricorn

____________________________________

Summary: Levi Ackerman woke up one fine morning. In the past. Shit.

Genre: Angst, lets-change-shit, drama, liddol romance (Levixhappiness)

Pairings: Levi/Original Female Character, Levi/Petra

Warning: Manga spoilers

________________________________

Chapter 1. Chapter 2

____________________________________

Chapter 3: Brace

____________________________________

Summary:  Capricorns can be naturally pessimistic. They already expect unfortunate things to happen in life, so they take them in a stride.

Alternatively, Levi braces himself for the worst and is pleasantly suprised.

____________________________________

Telling his squad had gone better then he thought it would. His special ops members took the news it in a stride, immediately launching into a discussion of what they needed to do now and how to utilize this information best. Eren, as expected of his 15 year old version, was befuddled.

Levi wondered how someone so innocent looking transformed into a complete monster in such short time.

His squad had lived up to his expectations, easily concluding that they need to keep this information to themselves for now. Eld, ever the natural born leader, took the lead and suggested that they need to learn to work with Eren. So that they aren't caught off guard on the bare minimum skill level they can expect from the traitor.

Gunther was the one who brought up the possibility of facing the armoured titan, and even though Levi was sure they wouldn't have to face that particular beast yet, he still agreed with their suggestions of carrying some fire arms. Thunder spears didn't exist yet, which meant that grenades and canons would be their best shot.

Eren had tried to voice out his own suggestion, that he wanted to train his skill set too. He felt that he needex to improve in some areas, and although Levi bitterly recalled how much Eren had improved without help in another life, he had to agree with the brat.

His squad, however, didn't share the same opinion and immediately began to shut Eren down.

'Eren, your job is to trust us. We expect you to leave it all to us and transform as an absolute last resort!'

'Yeah, you brat, don't get cocky. The only way you'll fight is if we somehow di-'

Olou had bitten his tounge and cut himself off before Levi could. Levi had then interrupted before Eld and Gunther could throw in their two cents.

'Eren is the main target, what will all of you do if Eren is somehow dragged away you from you and has to fight for himself? We need to prepare this brat for everything, especially how to fight in his titan form.'

They had all shut up, but he could tell it was only because of Eren's presence. They wouldn't be caught dead speaking speak out against their superior, especially in front of Eren. Levi had taken advantage of that little fact.

'We'll get back to this in a while-- Eren it's time for you to transform. Four eyes is here'

____________________________________

It went just like last time, Eren wasn't able to transform. He sat in front of Levi, looking just as despondent he had the last time. He didn't walk away from Eren like last time, instead having chosen to stick close to the brat. Some things still needed to happen, and Levi was just waiting for that inevitable explosion.

When Eren accidentally transformed this time, he immediately took out his blades and points them at his team, not at all surprised that they had already drawn their blades.

They would always be talented little brats, but they had a long way to go..

'Captain-'

'Put down your blades Petra.'

'Captain get away from Eren-Please-'

It had continued on, with the brats arguing in favour of heatedly questioning Eren and his motives, while he had ferociously stood by the him. It was a part of the plan really-he knew that Eren would be fine no matter what. He just hoped that, at least this time around, the brat would take his taking a stand for him like this into consideration before he decided to launch a mass genocide on his own.

'Shut up and obey.'

His team had faltered, and then slowly lowered their swords as he began to speak.

'Do you have any other titan shifters?'

They all looked confused. Only Olou managed to speak croak out a strangled no. Levi pointed at Eren, who was panicking alot less since Levi had begun to speak in his favour.

'You see this dumbass? He's our only shot. There's no replacement for him. All of you can be replaced, Erwin can be replaced, Hange can be replaced. Despite your silly admiration of me, I could easily drop dead and be replaced too.-'

His squad had looked scandalised at the thought of their beloved captain being anything remotely close to being replaceable. Then again, none of them had experienced Mikasa and her unnatural strength yet.

'We need him. He doesn't need us. Understand that none of you can afford to point your blades at him without my orders. The next time you do so, I will be your opponent.'

Eld and Gunther had looked nervous, Olou had visibly begun to sweat and Petra had looked at him a little strangely. However, they all seemed to understand the point he wanted to make. '

'Am I clear?

They all nodded

'Yes Sir!'

____________________________________

He had made sure to still have that chat with Eren, to make him understand his squads actions. He knew Eren trusted him a little more this time around-his showing support toward him like this had likely changed his opinion of him, if only a little. Levi was banking on that, hopefully he could push the kid in the right direction.

He had gone to his room after Hange had explained Eren's transformation and his squad had shown support towards Eren by biting their hands. A filthy act, but he supposed in this case he would allow it. Not that it stopped him from ordering them to go sanitise their hands and not come near him for a while.

He had even made his tea on his own, unwilling to let them touch them with their germ infected hands. Petra had looked at him oddly when he had told her he would do it on his own, almost like a kicked puppy.

He sat in bed, tea long finished and mind occupied.

He had been somewhat productive so far, managing to manipulate Erwin into changing the plan to capture the female titan. His squad was well in the loop, and likely making several plans to take on a titan shifter. Eren was beginning to look at him with more trust, something he hoped would blossom more.

There was still too much to figure out though. And since Levi had resolved to not let Erwin in on the plan, he was now drowning in things he needed to figure out. How Erwin managed to sort through so much crap was beyond him.

Some things, he had already figured out. Others were still being debated upon.

When it came to Historia, he would injure her tommorow, to the point she wouldn't be able make it to the expedition. She would likely try to jail him for it after taking the crown, but he figured he could call it vacation time from work and enjoy the silence. Those brats were too loud anyways.

He knew that Rod Reiss might come after her sooner after hearing that she had been injured, so he would have an old friend keep an eye out for her. It was an aquantince from the underground, one of the few he could trust, that had managed to crawl their way to the surface too. He was strong and capable-and very good at hiding when he needed to.

Only Levi had ever been able to find him- and since he knew Kenny Ackerman wouldn't be used yet, he felt it was the best way to keep her safe.

He had also decided that he would have to kill Kenny. He had contemplated recruiting the old bastard, but Kenny was too much of a gamble. The type only Erwin would take on trying to recruit. And while it would be feasible to drop hints about his mentor in the underground to the Commander, he wasn't sure the Survey Corps could handle a mission like that. Their attention needed to be on capturing shifters and getting Historia to the crown.

Maybe Erwin could risk something like that, but this time it would be his deicison. Kenny, despite his conflicting feelings towards him, had to be eliminated. He just couldn't chance their opposition having someone like that on their side, and wasn't confident enough that they could get him to jump ship.

The rest he was still a little muddled on. He was reasonably sure he could draw Ymir to their side, especially if he told her about how Historia would be queen soon. But the girl wasn't dumb, she would also be able to tell that Historia would have a part time job as child breeder, and might even try to leave with her then.

It pained him to do so, but he couldn't save Historia from that fate. He could, however try his damned hardest that her children wouldn't be turned into shifters.

The other shifters left him feeling conflicted. They needed the Colossal titan, he would be their mass weapon against other nations. The moment he could, he would get the serum and feed Bertolts titan to one of their soldiers. There would be no compromising on that, no matter how much he wished he could lure the kid to their side instead and spare him from that painful death. He just didn't know the kid enough to ensure he could win him over.

As for Reiner, Levi recalled the young man who had stepped up to stop Eren. He recognised that he was stuck in a tough place, but again, he would have to harden his heart. He had to keep his side as safe as possible, even if it meant taking away the armoured titan.

A part of him still hoped that he could get the kid to join him though, he would definitely try for it.

As for Zeke and Pieck, who had likely already arrived on the island, they would be dealt promptly. Zeke would need to be restrained and hidden away in a deep tunnel, while the cart titan would be given to someone else.

He would, unfortunately, have to allow Zeke to turn Ragako Village into titans. But he figured not everyone needed to be turned for it, he could at least get the children out of there. Connie's mother had been key in figuring out the truth about titans, and so he would have to sacrifice her. But Connie's siblings would at least live this time around.

More of his cormades would survive the attack too, having less titans to deal with. He was hoping that Mike and his squad would get out of it alive and not be dealt the same unfortunate fate they had suffered through before.

When it came to Annie, however, Levi already knew what to do. If all went well, he was more then sure that the Female Titan would be fighting for the Island soon enough.

His plans regarding the shifters were a big gamble on his part, since it was all relying on one thing specifically.

Getting the titan serum from the Royal government.

But Levi was a thief at heart, a man who knew how to get things no one wanted to give, to find them in the shadiest corner, completely undetected. Worst comes, he would easily infiltrate. Their security was crap anyways.

He would know. It wouldn't be the first time he had stolen something from those bastards anyways.

Levi laid down, covering himself with a blanket. He thought of one last thing before he allowed sleep to overcome him.

It was dumb of Marley to send six of their shifters to the Island, and all at the same time too. Because Levi had no intention of letting any of them go back home, not this time around.

____________________________________

In all his years of living, Levi had gotten used to being surprised. He had gone through surprise attacks, friends turning into foes, getting punched by the Queen and even time travelled. Yet had taken it all in a stride.

He had expected that half his plans would fail, that he would end up losing his squad anyways, that Annie would escape this time too. But here they were, sitting in the mess hall, post expedition, and very much alive.

Erwin had informed more squads about the traitor, although thankfully Reiner and his squad hadn't been told. Most of them had understood that they likely wouldn't be able to take on the threat, and their squad leaders had made sure to have them engage very litte. They had tactfully allowed the Female Titan to pass through the formation, thus leading her to Eren. More lives had been saved this time around, much to his pleasure.

They had gone through the same plan, trapping her in the forest. Erwin had stood by and watched as the female titan glared at him. Beside him had stood soldier with black hair, wearing a hoodie. Their face had been hidden, but everyone had called that soldier captain Levi. It had made Annie think she was safe, that when she called titans to her and left to go after squad Levi, Humanity's Strongest wouldn't come after her until she accomplished her mission.

It was only when she reached the squad and made to slice at Gunther that she realise that she had been duped. The sight of Humanity's Strongest blocking her blade with his own had caused her to sweat.

Things had gotten on easily then, she hadn't been much match for him. And his squad had taken double their usual measures, going as far as to throw explosives at her before he could carve her out of the nape. Eren had watched it all in awe, thankfully the brat hadn't needed to transform this time around.

His expression had quickly changed to shock and betrayal once he spotted his comrade sealed in a crystal. Levi wasn't suprised that she had sealed herself like that this time too, he had been counting on it actually.

Levi snapped out of his thoughts and pushed his now empty tray away. He decided it was the perfect time to put his plan into action.

He needed to pay Annie Leonhart a visit.

____________________________________

A/N: Heyooo. Here's chapter 3! Any guesses how Levi is getting Annie on their side?

Sorry I don't post much, but I swear things have been ridiculously busy. Uni life, housework, and my mom is sick too :(

[lady-tortilla-chip]

I was tagged by my lovely friend @thetpot and my other lovely friend @praetorqueenreyna! Thanks for the tag sweeties, this was fun! ❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

74

2. What is your total AO3 word count?

226,393 😌

3. Top five fics by kudos

1. A Little Hostility (701)

2. A Little Love for The Broken Things (383)

3. Glorified Birthmarks (344)

4. The Blue in Your Eyes (314)

5. A Little Love for The Damaged Things (279)

Incidentally almost all of these are in the same (ironstrange) series. The only one that isn’t was either my first or my second venture into the MCU fandom.

4. Do you respond to comments, and why?

I absolutely do! I enjoy interacting with my readers. However I am behind on answering them right now and have far more unanswered in my inbox than I’d like. >.>

5. What’s the fic you have written with the angstiest ending?

Probably all my unfinished multi-chapter fics

Seriously though? I’m not sure how to gauge that because of how many angst fics I’ve written that don’t end well ranging from just MCD fics to what follows the losses and how characters cope (or fail to) others which build on the fact that a character in BSD was a traitor to their organization, the hanahaki fics that didn’t end well…. I’m an angst writer so I have a multiple fics that didn’t end well.

I suppose a few which specifically come to mind are Why Couldn’t it Have Been You? and The Things T(He)y Did.

In the first one it’s a retelling of a scene in BSD and though I’m not entirely proud of that fic or the way I wrote it, it WAS sad as shit because it ends with the POV character (Dazai) learning the guy he’s still in love with (Chuuya) wants absolutely nothing to do with him and wishes he’d have died instead of the person (Odasaku) they both lost.

The second is a take on what the POV character’s (Tachihara from BSD) birthday was like through the years of playing a double agent and who he’d fallen in love with (Chuuya) along the way. During his latest birthday though he’s alone and it ends with Chuuya showing up sad and drunk because not long prior to that day he’d broken up with Tachihara for being a traitor. It’s implied they spend the night together and I left it up to interpretation whether Chuuya left (and took Tachihara’s cat) without a word the next day or not.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

I think the most rewarding ending was in my fic Not Yet and the reason why is because though the ending itself isn’t particularly happy, it is hopeful. The implications that the two characters wanted to continue growing their relationship beyond being hateful enemies just made ME happy. As well as multiple commenters who mentioned how perfect the ending was. XD I’m sure I have fics with happier endings but this one stuck out specifically because of how it made me feel when I wrote it.

7. Do you write crossovers, if so what’s the craziest one you have done?

I have come up with exactly ONE crossover before which was for BSD and YOI! I honestly came up with it for the sole purpose of bringing Nakahara Chuuya (BSD) and Yuri Plisetsky (YOI) together. Which…I’ve yet to actually do. BUT IT WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY!

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Strangely enough, nope! I even wrote sebaciel fic too so idk how I’ve managed that tbh.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I don’t! Y’all will consistently get fade to black from me because that’s just mah damn style.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

……..not that I’m aware of 😶

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! There is a Russian translation for It Started Out With A Book floating around out there somewhere I think. The first two fics in my IronStrange series got translated into Chinese and the first fic in that series also got translated into Vietnamese!

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

Nope! And I’m not sure how interested I would be in doing so. But no one’s ever asked before so! Who knows! Maybe it would be fun.

13. All time favorite ship!

Fuck this question. I’m a multi-shipping multi-fandom enjoying fiend. You think I can CHOOSE?! 😤

…….Kay so Nezushi or Soukoku come to mind first because they are the ships that drew me back to fanfiction and inspired me to write fic! (Y’all probs thought I’d say an Aang pairing XD)

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

I refuse to believe I won’t eventually finish them all. 😭

15. What are your writing strengths?

I’m pretty talented at making folks cry! I’ve been told my writing can be poetic and evocative! I believe that sometimes.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Everything

Probably dialogue and avoiding redundancy in my writing. I also can’t write action scenes for shit. 😬 Humor either. The one time I managed to have people laughing through my fic was a fluke and I’ll probs never be capable of repeating it.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

So because I started writing fic for animes, I’ve just gotten used to utilizing terms and such that can’t be directly translated into English.

18. First fandom you wrote for?

I started writing for Bungou Stray Dogs in August of 2017! Still going strong with that one too! 😌 Fucking love that show/manga.

19. Fave fic you have written?

Ah noooooo I hate these questions because they’re so mean!!!! Why are you asking me yo choose between my creations? My children?!

So ima just say The Way He Flies again because it’s my most recent fic and I’m still so so proud of all 1k words of it.

Tagging: @stargirl720, @voodoosgirl1, @hootyapologist, @justoceanmyth,@azulaang-chakras, @foxy-knowledgeseeker, @thinkingisadangerouspastime, and @likealittleheartbeat, idk how many of my writer friends already did this so I tagged who I’m pretty sure DIDN’T :D

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Light Novel Review - Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka Vol. 1

*Contains minor spoilers for Bloom Into You*

I have always said that Bloom Into You is a little bit too popular and awarded more praise than the typical and trope-filled story deserves. However, fame and success have their benefits, and thanks to the series’ popularity, we are gifted with the phenomenal light novel spin-off Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka. This wondrous collaboration between the original creator, Nio Nakatani, and famed Yuri author Iruma Hitoma (Adachi and Shimamura) takes the very best elements of Bloom Into You, namely side character Sayaka and her experiences with LGBT identity and life and puts them front and center. The result is a beautiful and important coming of age story about a young woman discovering her sexuality. A story that not only escapes the common traps of the Yuri genre but utilizes and subverts them with flawless execution.

The first volume in the Regarding Saeki Sayaka light novel trilogy revolves around the titular character before the events of the main series. The entire book is narrated from Sayaka’s first-person perspective and told in the past tense, with Sayaka occasionally giving brief retrospective insights to contextualize her experiences. This presentation excellently frames the story, giving valuable analysis to its events, heck, Sayaka can probably do my job better than I could. The ex post facto storytelling also pairs nicely with the dramatic irony present in the story, provided that the reader has read the manga or seen the anime. On that point, while the light novel effectively stands on its own legs, reading it as a companion piece and prologue to Bloom Into You will significantly increase the book’s impact.

The first of the volume’s two parts, Year 5 Group 3, paints a portrait of childhood Sayaka. She is serious and mature for her age, often pushing herself to be the best in every area, both academic and extracurricular. However, she has apparent social deficiencies, remaining distant at best, and hostile at worst to others. She is surprised, annoyed, and challenged when a student in her swim class attempts to bond with her. The girl displays a strong affinity for Sayaka and, although at their age describing their connection as romantic or sexual feels inaccurate, she clearly yearns for a bond beyond friendship.

Frustrated by the girl’s advances and erratic personality, Sayaka angrily tells her to be more serious. Determined to win Sayaka’s affection, the girl attempts to mimic Sayaka’s mature demeanor. This act subconsciously implants the idea in Sayaka’s head that people must change themselves to suit the ones they desire, a lesson which later proves dangerous for her. Soon after, Sayaka begins experiencing strange feelings for the girl, which further her frustration. The confused Sayaka attempts to explain away her emotions, “I mean, the person next to me was a girl, and so was I.” However, after a sexually charged moment in the pool, the fearful Sayaka runs away and quits her swimming class.

This first chapter effectively lays the foundation for Sayaka’s sexual awakening and foreshadows some of the situations in which she will later find herself. Although Iruma’s prose, and Jan Cash and Vincent Castaneda’s translation’ is expressive and beautiful, capturing Sayaka’s inner voice superbly, there are a few flaws. The service described, including details about the locker room and the girls’ swimsuits, is incredibly awkward, especially considering the elementary school-aged characters. The climactic moment between the two, while appropriately dramatic, is undercut by this exploitation and its inherently ridiculous nature. Thankfully the second half of the book, Class 2-C, Tomosumi Girls’ Academy, lacks the off-putting elements of the first and perfectly sets Sayaka up as the character we know and love from the original series.

As Sayaka enters middle school, she becomes slightly less rigid and strict than she was as an elementary schooler. Instead, she is an excellent reflection of the girl seen in the original series, a serious and driven person but reliably kindhearted. She joins the choir club, where she meets Yuzuki Chie, referred to almost exclusively as “Senpai.” Followers of the original will quickly come to recognize this character as Sayaka’s ex-girlfriend, briefly seen in the manga and anime. Yuzuki confesses her love for Sayaka, leaving the latter to ponder the implications of dating her.

The sequence which follows this confession is nothing short of masterful. A once again conflicted Sayaka struggles to comprehend the possibility of dating Yuzuki. She thinks of the potential relationship as both one between two individuals and as a romance between two people who are both women. In the end, she decides that, although she does not yet love her senpai, she wants to try dating. Their relationship is full of adolescent naivetés and fluttering emotions.

Sayaka lacks a reference to healthy love and relationships, so, just as the girl from her swimming class did, she changes to become a figure that Yuzuki can love, telling her what she wants to hear and doing what will make her happy. For example, although Sayaka does not enjoy novels, she visits a bookstore, which turns out to be the Koito family’s, to buy and read one of Yuzuki’s favorite books. Eventually, their relationship escalates, and Sayaka admits that she has fallen in love with her partner. However, after moving up to high school, Yuzuki begins to pull away from Sayaka.

Their ultimate showdown and break up is reminiscent of Class S literary themes, with Yuzuki claiming the relationship was play, acting out, and mimicking fiction’s prevailing narrative of romance. However, now that they are nearly adults, and as they are both women, the “play” is no longer appropriate. Sayaka, however, does not feel the same way, and herein lies Regarding Saeki Sayaka’s pure brilliance. Iruma subtly and expertly hides small lines and hints to this difference throughout the book. Yuzuki speaks mostly in romantic clichés as if imitating romance movies or books, “Senpai often speaks like she’s in a story.” However, Sayaka shows genuine commitment and devotion to her partner, working (foolishly) to change herself for Yuzuki and occasionally thinking of their future together, once wondering if they would be together when they were old ladies.

Their actions contradict each other’s so much because Sayaka, the girl who strived to be mature and act like an adult from an early age, does not see the relationship between two girls as immature or a game. To her, it was a very genuine experience that helped lead her to her ultimate revelation and the light novel’s amazing final lines, “I accepted it. It wasn’t understanding or resignation, just acceptance. Of myself, and of the fact that I could only love girls.” Here both the author and the character have openly rejected the S era ideas that love between women is fleeting and childish, Sayaka comes to see herself as a gay woman (although she sadly does not employ this specific terminology). Here the book elevates itself past the original series and embraces the more modern and queerer era of Yuri.

Iruma Hitoma has done the impossible, taking a good Yuri story and transforming it into a great one, rewarding readers with a thoughtful and nuanced experience detailing a young woman’s confusion and strife as she discovers her identity. It is by no means perfect, as all the side characters are thin and underdeveloped, yet they do not need to be. This story is exclusively Sayaka’s, and the others exist only to serve the amazing development and growth gracefully communicated in this stunning light novel.

However, as I wrap up this review, I cannot help but think of how much easier Sayaka’s experience would have been, how much clarity she may have had, and the pain she could have avoided, had she learned about LGBTQ identities and experiences before her tribulations. It is so essential for the young to see positive representation of all peoples in both fiction and reality as they grow up, and perhaps ironically, Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka Volume 1 has joined the elite ranks of titles which can positively impact the lives of its readers. It contains a wonderful, authentic, and grounded story of coming to terms with one’s sexuality. This light novel is an absolute must-read, even if you are not a fan of the original series, and I cannot wait for its continuation, especially as the upcoming third volume hints at a tale about a happy Sayaka and her girlfriend.

Ratings: Story – 10 Characters – 9 LGBTQ – 9 Sexual Content – 4 Final – 9

Order Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka here: https://amzn.to/31QgIaR

Review copy provided by Seven Seas Entertainment @sevenseasentertainment​

[primrosetta]

In your last post you tagged it with "this is why Suwon's illness is a great plot twist" (and I absolutely agree). But I really want you to expand on this! Were there hints you noticed early on in the manga, in your opinion why does it work, etc.? (sorry if you've already made a text post about this subject and I didn't notice;;;)

I believe I did make a post or talk about it, but that was back when it’s was revealed, so it’s been a bit. But to review, I think it works as a plot twist because it has been hinted at for a really long time.

1. He has been pointedly and deliberately avoided talk of marriage and having an heir, and this is something that was established pretty early in the manga. His only stated reason for this? “It will take too long.”

2. Waaaay back as far as Awa, he’s expressed a fatalistic worldview that his reign will be cut short/his own death is incoming. “Do you want to kill me? It’s only natural that you do. But I cannot die right now.” “It is not my desire to sit upon the throne.” etc. A lot of the little things Suwon has said over the years indicates that he doesn’t see himself living long for whatever reason.

3. The only thing we knew about Yong-hi before this arc was a) her name b) that she was ill. The weird thing about it is that this detail, up until now, served no narrative utility, as Suwon’s mother’s illness has little to no bearing on Suwon’s character. He has no arc about dealing with that grief, it doesn’t seem to motivate him in any way... it was for the longest time just this highly specific unused plot point. Obviously, it had some utility that hadn’t been revealed yet, because Kusa continually reminded us of this detail over the years the series has been going on.

4. That mother who we knew nothing about aside from her illness? Suwon clearly takes after her, given that he looks absolutely nothing like his father.

5. Suwon is largely unfazed by every dragon’s power... except Zeno’s, which he longingly laments that it sounds nice. None of the flashy powers interested him but immortality and invulnerability did. Gee, I wonder why?

All these details, the earliest of which was established way back in chapter 4, paint a pretty specific picture. People have been theorizing the possibility that Suwon is ill for years now for a reason, so I highly disagree with the assertion that it “came out of nowhere”. The hints have always been there. And hey, I get that some people love Suwon and don’t want the possibility of him dying. That’s fine, it sucks when your favourite character gets what is practically a meta death-sentence. But it’s not a bad/sudden twist, it was built-up and hinted at for years and I’m inclined to believe it was Kusa’s intention all along.

[haqita-kimoji]

Darts of Pleasure - Chapter 2 - Reel Her In

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Original Character (Sophie Poulain)

Genre: Romance, light fluff

Warnings: Manga spoilers, s4 spoilers, don’t read when you’re not updated with the latest anime episode

Word count: 1.8k words

a/n: I feel my writing is amateur-ish at best hence any feedback is very much welcomed. Posted on wattpad and AO3 as well.

Chapter 2: Reel Her In

Dinner in the mess hall was meatloaf, a gravy-soaked concoction that did not taste like meat or resemble a loaf, a bowl of mushroom soup, and garlic bread. Levi had speared a slice of meat with his fork and raised them to just below his chin, but then seemed to forget about them as his gaze fell to Sophie. He'd forgotten he was eating, he had yet taken a single bite of his dinner until the meatloaf nearly slides off the fork. Listening to Hange talk on and on while stealing glances to Sophie, he'd watched full of curiously at her interacting with the other Marleyan soldiers.

When Hange would pause in her monologue, she would raise her eyebrows at his fork and lifted her chin suggesting him to take a bite. Levi would merely sigh, rolled his eyes, shoveled them in his mouth and chewed with an expression asking: Why do humans go through the dreary process of digesting food? Hange knew her friend well, she noticed his poor attempt of concealing his glances at the Marleyan table. She crossed her arms beneath her chest and kicked at his shin playfully to get his attention.

"What?" Levi asked.

"You got to reel her in you know, be subtle about it." Hange suddenly said to encourage him, her lips curved into a smile. "It's that bit of nuance you know." Hange began to share her input on the matters of love with a monotonous Levi who stayed silent throughout. Hange insisted that he should strike a conversation with her but talk only about the most mundane things, the weather, the local Marleyan cuisine and culture, anything that would give him an opportunity to communicate while utilizing the silent but deadly language of eye contact.

Levi's face stayed stoic. The truth was, other boys were not as powerful as Levi when it comes down to fighting titans with the ODM gears and hand-on-hand combat, but they were more skillful at asking girls out because what they lacked had taught them persistence. Whereas Levi had never even entertained the infatuation from any pursuer. Levi's skills with the ODM gears had left him dry on tricks, and in misery, he merely sighed at Hange and her advice.

"Levi!" Hange shrieked, awakening him to his senses.

"Yes," Levi replied, swirling the mushroom soup with the garlic bread.

"Wow, you must really like her huh? She got you all tongue-tied," Hange moved her eyebrows playfully, then made a quick glance to Sophie. Oh fuck, Levi thought to himself, even Hange has started to notice how wary he is around the mess halls.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Levi announced, hissing almost.

"Levi, if you want to befriend her, you've got to start by actually talking to her. I think you know what you've got to do," Hange ventured, teasingly taking a slice of his garlic bread she'd hope he won't notice.

"Yeah," Levi looked down to his bowl of mushroom soup, his lips pursed. Hange merely looked to his friend, speechless, indeed Levi was a man of few words. Most people would not know but Levi was a shy person. To even talk to someone he was mildly attracted to would require a lot of courage and planning on his part.

Somehow the stars aligned for Levi that night and the opportunity arose, both Eren and Jean started to shout and wrestle each other in the middle of the mess hall. Jean aimed for a body slam in the midsection whereas Eren went for the crazed punch to the head. At the last moment, Jean reached one hand out and hit Eren by the jaw. Eren spit out the blood and with his leg, swept Jean's feet out from under him. As expected of the other soldiers, both Paradis and Marleyan started to form a circle between the two and cheered them on.

Any other day, Levi would intervene and stop the fight. But that night, he noticed Sophie was away from her squad trying to catch a glimpse of the fight and he figured it was the best opportunity to approach her. Levi stood up and lingered nearby, planning meticulously in his head how to execute his plan. Taking a deep breath, he left his seat and walked to the cheering crowd. Three times his heart jumped at the decoys of other petite girls he walked past.

A few more stride and he saw Sophie on her tip-toes, her eyebrows furrowed curiously to view the fight. Levi found himself staring at her with a concentration so focused everyone else ceased to exist. A fuzzy aura surrounded her, probably due to so much blood draining out of Levi's head. He looked back to his table at Hange knowing she was observing his move, indeed Hange grinned at him while raising her cup of beer to wish him luck.

Levi took a deep breath and walked towards her, his pace slowing as he halted to a stop beside her. Sophie was unaware of Levi and was more enamored of the ongoing action, to her it was Eren, the founding and attack titan performing hand-on-hand combat hence it was a big deal even if everything was in good fun. Even though Levi avoided looking at her, it was no use, he felt Sophie beside him, registered her body temperature, heartbeat and respiration rate. He also noticed hay sticking by the bottom hem of her grey slack, she must have been to the stable that day.

Right then it happened, Jean tried to finish off with a body punch that entered cartoonishly far into Eren's gut. The room rippled louder with laughter and cheering. It was then that Sophie noticed the figure beside him, Levi Ackerman, with a stoic monotonous face, he looked clearly unamused with the ongoing commotion. She swallowed a lump on her throat, nervous at how she ended up bumping shoulders with the infamous Captain Levi.

He suddenly leaned into her and said, "They're both morons."

In response, she merely nodded her mouth agape. He is an Ackerman, the clan Zeke had warned about, and she was in awe. But Levi, who was very much curious leaned in and pointed to her slack, "You got hay on you."

"Hay? Oh, this?" Sophie nervously replied, looking down to her gray slack. "Oh yeah, I visited the stable earlier." The light from the lamps of the mess hall gathered in the dark waves of her loose hair, her cheeks were bright pink and Levi was transfixed.

Levi waited for the cheering to peak before he spoke again, "You like to visit the stables?" Realizing how stupid his attempt was at forming a basic sentence he quickly added, "I mean horses--- You like horses?"

"Yes," Sophie replied, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. "The horses here in Paradis are super friendly, bitey though."

"Yeah our horses tend to bite," Levi smacked his lips nervously. "In the Marleyan military do you horse ride?" He noticed Sophie's cheeks were reddening, he could smell her next to him, her hair like lavender and the smell of her skin like grapefruit.

The crowd was getting louder and it was harder for them to listen to one another. Leaning in, closer than Levi would ever imagine, Sophie whispered to him her breath hitting his earlobes, "Unfortunately there's no horse riding in the Marleyan navy, but I use to back in my hometown. I live in the countryside back home."

"Oh wow, ok!" Levi blurted out, a little too eagerly. They both smiled nervously in that small amount of time, but nerves got the best of him and suddenly Levi turned around from Sophie and simply muttered, "Yeah well, see you around."

Confused at his sudden reaction, Sophie merely waved him goodbye and stood where she was, overthinking if she had caused Levi to leave. She had heard of Levi's infamous cleaning habits and hygiene standards, she figured maybe the hay on her slack was a turn-off to him.

As Levi walked away, Hange jumped from the side and grabbed him by his arm pulling him to the wall. "Levi, what are you doing?" Hange glided over and inquired to him in a hushed deep voice.

"I--- I got nervous...?" Levi answered, his heart was pounding. His eyes showed signs of regret and anxiety, then he continued, "She loves horses AND she smells great. She's the perfect woman!" Hange pinched the bridge of her nose, suppressing the incoming laughter from seeing a side of Levi she never witnessed before.

"My dear Levi. You must really like this girl for you to act like this," Hange replied calmly. "Listen, approach her again and invite her for tea, somewhere less noisy. In your office perhaps?"

Both of them looked back to Sophie who was pouting and muttering to herself, looking confused. Hange assumed she was probably in distress figuring out what had happened, maybe they'd be perfect for each other in their own way, she thought. Placing her hand on Levi's shoulder Hange leaned down and whispered to his ear, "This is for you Levi."

Impulsively, Hange took a bowl of peanuts from the nearby table and started to throw it to a clueless Sophie, aiming for her back. A naïve Sophie slowly turned around to find Hange, the commander of Survey Corps, throwing peanuts to her back.

"Sorry! I was aiming for the---" Hange paused looking for an excuse but gave up halfway. "The--- Floor! Yes, I was aiming for the floor. But yeah, now that I have your full attention--- Levi." Hange nudged forward a nervous Levi to approach her, Sophie merely stared back at him concerned, her eyes widen. Sophie wondered if she was in trouble.

"Yeah Hange was--- She was trying to aim for the---" Levi tried to explain, English suddenly a second language for him. With one big breath he blurted out the words, "Would you like to go somewhere quiet and have tea?" Sophie looked to him, her face bright red, her wide round eyes flitted back and forth.

"Yes, I'd like that." she glanced to the floor then back to his gaze. Levi could smell the light-fruity sweetness of her breath. "But only if you let me make you Marleyan tea."

Levi nodded and stepped a few steps back, but before doing so leaned back to Sophie. "Sure, meet me at my office quarters. Second floor, turn left, first door to the right," he said and took off.

[linkspooky]

Who do you think Emma will end up with? Ray or Norman? And why?

I know you’re talking romantically, but I’m going to use this to put forward a theory of mine. The manga may end with the trio split up, with Emma and Norman staying behind in the world of dmeons, and Ray leaving to the human world with his family, but permanently separated from Emma and Norman his two most important people. 

Thematically it makes sense to me to settle on a more bittersweet ending, because like the story of Peter Pan, the Promised Neverland has always thematically been about children growing up. Children grow up into adults by leaving behind the safety and certainty of their childhood.

There are three pieces of evidence I have in support of this theory that the trio is going to be separated into Ray leaving for the human world and Norman and Emma left behind in the demon world. 

Norman is a Ratri

Emma’s deal with Zalgo Text God

Ray’s final character growth

We know that Norman’s life was spared for a reason, but I don’t think the reason is just that the queen wanted to eat him. For a long time I’ve had a theory based both on Norman’s accelerated aging (which has not been explained well yet) and his positioning of himself as the heir to William Minerva’s legacy to the point of stealing his name and posing as him is that Norman is a genuine heir to the Ratri clan. He’s the son of one of the Ratri clan members the same way that Ray is the son of Isabella. 

One, Ray and Norman have always been positioned as mirror images, and foils to one another. Norman having a father among the Ratri clan would be just another parallel with Ray whose mother was the sister who raised them. They would also be opposites in that regards to, Ray knew from the beginning he was the Son of Isabella, whereas Norman being a member of the Ratri clan would be something revealed to him at the absolute end of the story. 

I would say that while the trio are on the same side right now Norman’s character growth is not finished yet. He was offered a hand to pull him back from his self destructive spiral, but the fact that he immediately has to confront a foil antagonist for his former self. That is a human who wields power over demons, and ruthlessly manipulates them for his own survival, and treats these manipulations like a game. The fact that he’s being challenged by a negative foil of his worst self, means that Norman hasn’t fully reintegrated his worst flaws and what he’s done already, with the person he is now. Norman is both the soft and sensitive boy, and also the ruthless manipulator who plays games. They are both Norman at the same time, and Norman will be a whole and complete person when he can live with both sides of himself. Peter Ratri is a confrontation of his worst tendencies. 

Norman and Peter are both light haired, tall individuals with long arms and thin limbs. They are both drawn with game boards to illustrate their plans. They both win primarily by manipulating others. They both have te tendency to need to have control of everything and hold the world in their hands before they can feel comfortable or secure. 

Norman and Peter Ratri stand similiarly. 

The chapter where the attention switches to Peter as the main antagonist we get panel after panel of parlalels like this while they both desperately try to figure each other out. 

These parallels are intentionally being drawn. In stories these parallels are meaningful and usually utilized to hint at a secret relation. It’s especially likely in this case because once again, the twist has already been done once with Ray. 

The Promised Neverland is also a story about growing up, and in fiction children often grow up through a confrontation with their parents. Ray had to confront Isabella (and will most likely confront her again) and Norman’s final enemy will be Ratri who reflects himself in such a negative light. 

Norman is also constantly flitting between his desire to play the villain and the hero at the same time. His self esteem is so genuinely low, made worse by the fact that he’s done disgusting, inhumane things that he can never come back from that he thinks he’s only capable of playing the villain. 

Norman has done inhumane things he cannot take back, but he also genuinely wants to become better than how the world treated him. Both of these things are true at the same time, but Norman has a hard time accepting that complexity within himself. He has a tendency to see himself as a bad person, and that’s why he dirtied his hands in a way that Emma would never be capable of. 

So, Norman learning that unlike his friends he’s a part of the clan that was responsible for the creation of the cattle Children would probably be a shock to his system. Norman would have to see how he’s different from the Ratri clan, and come to accept that he’s not a bad person, he’s just a person. 

There’s also a pattern of the main trio confronting their adult human foils. For Emma it was Isabella, and for Ray it was Yuugo. The only character who hasn’t had an adult human foil to confront yet was Norman, and it’s pretty clear that confrontation is finally coming in the form of Peter Ratri. 

2. Deal with the Zalgo Text God

Emma’s deal with Zalgo Text God has two primary conditions, that the cattle children are sent to the human world, and the movement between worlds closes completely. 

This is clearly a setup for a deal with the devil type situation where there is going to be a huge loophole involved. Emma has already been snagged in that loophole, and the implication is that god demanded something serious in return, either her life or her freedom. 

Which is why I put this theory forward in the first place, the cost of everyone else escaping into safety is that Emma has to stay behind in a world that’s entirely hostile to her. We also see Emma giving hints that she doesn’t like the idea of escaping off to the human world and leaving Musica behind with all the responsibility of letting the demon world collapse. In a way it’s a consequence for both Norman and Emma together. Emma has to follow through with her ideals of saving the demon world by staying behind to make it a better place, and Norman has to stay behind to atone for completely destroying the political system and all the damage he’s done so far. 

Emma clearly specificed Cattle Children so the Ratri would not be able to follow them into the next world and hunt them down. If Norman was a Ratri, and Emma did not know, this would be an unexpected complication that would force Norman to stay behind as well, with the bittersweet solace that at least he and Emma will have each other as they try to rebuild the world together.

3. Ray’s Arc

It amkes perfect sense as the ending point to Ray’s arc. Remember where Ray started is that he wanted to sacrifice the rest of their family, and himself so that Norman and Emma could keep on living because they were the two who made his life worth living even though he was all alone in the hell of knowing that their siblings were being killed one by one.

Ray’s turning point is when he decides instead of sacrificing himself to save those two people, to instead try to continue living and opening himself up to the family around him. He’s finally able to accept the love of his extended family, and doesn’t let his guilt at letting other members of their family get sold off to be eaten in the past force him to cut off those around him. 

Ray’s resolution is that he has to live to lead his family, because he owes it to them because even after he was ready to sacrifice all of them, they still accepted him in the end. 

Because Ray’s family saw his life as worth saving, Ray decides to take responsibility for both his own life and his family. Ray’s arc has had a long middle in which he still continually places Emma and Norman’s importance abve him, even while he’s struggling with trying to learn how to love himself.

The natural ending point of Ray’s arc is for him to keep the promise he made at his turning point. For him to be the one to lead the family and escape into the new world, even if it means leaving Emma and Norman behind. Ray’s the only one who can make that choice because he’s learned to accept the feelings of other people. He may love Norman and Emma, and also want to stay with them, but I believe Ray’s mature enough at this point to be able to accept their sacrifice of staying behind because everyone else in his family, all the cattle children need his leadership even if it means leading them alone from now on. 

Norman and Emma will finally be able to be each other’s support, whereas Ray will learn to live on his own. While it’s a bittersweet ending, it also hits the right notes for their final moments of character growth. They all give something up in order to grow up, but they also gain the ability to become fully realized people.

[grizzlegreertrash]

Let me shill about Norman real quick... (manga spoilers)

And when I mean “real quick,” I mean thousands of words worth of analysis. 

Disclaimer: I started writing this out last weekend, before the release of 125, so some of my original stances have since changed. I reference a thread written months ago that has been proven to be false, so don’t mind that too much. 

Some of these introductory feelings are bitter, kind of directed towards a post that has since been deleted poking fun at Norman stans like me who are “defending” his current actions in the manga. Regardless, addressing those claims are not what this post is about. 

I will add on to this eventually, talking about Norman’s “bad boy” tendencies, but who know’s when that’ll be? 

So, I’ve been observing and analyzing Norman throughout the escape arc to give myself a good interpretation of his character. Why?

I’m getting tired of people making him out to be a black and white character.

What do I mean by that? Well, let’s talk about how ever since his reintroduction, there have been quite a few fans out there calling him evil, a villain, or worse a sociopath. I get that people are untrustworthy, and they have a right to be. I understand the position, especially since this isn’t everyone’s first rodeo with character arcs like this. I’m afraid to say we don’t have the answers to the questions we all have just yet. Like if he was modified or what exactly happened at Lambda. But what we do know is that what he experienced was definitely traumatic, and it is something he is still dealing with. 

Now Emma, Ray, and the rest of the escapees have had to go through their fair share of traumatic experiences, but what doesn’t change is the kids’ sense of family and close companionship. 

Norman doesn’t have that. He is forced to deal with his situation alone. 

Have ya’ll noticed that Norman constantly refers to the current group of escapees as “Emma’s family?” He doesn’t even associate them as his family anymore. He has isolated himself from the concept of family because at this point, he is above it.

I’ve already discussed Norman’s position as a symbol with some others in a thread last month, but the stance has since changed slightly with new information from chapters 124 and 125. Along with inheriting the title, the network, and the base, he also took on the persona to keep his identity as a cattle child from those he would soon choose to ally/play with in attempts to topple the demon society and change the world. He’s just playing a character, and with that comes isolating and hiding himself from the people who look up to him. 

Having subordinates and followers cannot compare to the family of Gracefield kids, where everyone is on equal footing and everyone is supporting each other. Norman is supporting a large group of kids by himself. Looking strong, confident, and cool headed, like he always has...

Let’s turn back to the escape arc, shall we?

One of Norman’s defining traits is his high-level intelligence. Like duh, this is kind of the frame work for his character. His mind, though is a double edged sword. On one hand, he effectively outsmarts everyone by the end of the arc, making the escape successful. Despite the outcome, it wasn’t easily gained. 

Through his inner mind’s eye, you can accurately see the mental strain Norman is putting himself through in attempts to outwit the adults, and to a lesser extent, Ray. Like any child prodigy, comes with a certain level of arrogance. And to while Norman doesn’t parade his intelligence to belittle his family, a certain frustration comes from a lack of control over the situation. In this game of survival, he is out to win, but not just for himself. 

In comes the most important factor in his character, Emma.

We all know that Norman’s love care for Emma drives his motives and actions throughout the arc. His first defining character moment is when he assures Emma that escape is possible for everyone, with that signature smile on his face. Even though very shaken by the recent revelation, he quickly buries his feelings to comfort Emma, as they would soon have to return to the facade of ignorance about the secret to save themselves from suspicion. He is shocked upon hearing her rather ambitious goal for their family, but immediately associates it as an admirable quality. One that he aspires to posses. I’ll touch on that aspect in another post. 

When explaining this event to Ray, he vows to utilize himself to the best of his ability to protect her. We know that Norman’s feeble body cannot protect Emma as well as she can protect herself, so how does he live up to this? 

By protecting her emotionally.

We all know that while Emma is reckless to a fault, her conviction is one of her strongest qualities. Norman is aware of this, and constantly hides his overwhelming stress over planning to keep her eyes focused on her main goal to escape with every orphan and change the world. 

Though he wants to scream, pull his hair out, and or bang his head against the wall in frustration, he cannot falter or show vulnerability, or else Emma will lose hope and all is lost. 

This of course comes to an impasse when faced with his incoming shipment. Entering the iconic “I want to live” scene, his first thoughts are of how disgusted he was with himself over “making Emma look so devastated.” 

He then takes it upon himself to make the rest of his life as useful as possible to aid the escape. With that comes deceiving his friends and working around new information like the pen from Krone and what was found over the wall, all while still hiding his true feelings about his dilemma. 

Then comes his departure from the house, when Emma’s reckless nature nearly comes to ruin her and the plan. This is when Norman’s calm facade is shattered as he tries to get through to Emma to save her from destroying everything they had worked for. But he made one fatal mistake. 

He forgot to factor in Emma’s emotional intelligence. 

While trying to protect her feelings, he underestimated her, neglecting the fact that she had seen right through him the entire time. This revelation along with her actions and outburst reignite his admiration of how true she is to herself, and that her care for him is as genuine as they come, resulting in him fully accepting his fate. He’s grateful for the life he had been blessed with, and is fully prepared to face his death with a smile.

Now we know that these sentiments are not completed, because instead of getting killed, he gets a one-way ticket to Lambda, but that’s besides the point.

But that’s what I’ve gathered about the escape arc specifically and there is more that I will add onto later. I may or may not touch more upon Norman’s character since his reintroduction, only because a lot of people are beating me to the punch and not all of the pieces have been put together just yet. (This is kind of why I’m working with things I already know)

I’ll be bedridden for 2 weeks post op on Tuesday, so I’ll continue this thread sometime in the coming weeks

Thanks a bunch :)

[echodrops]

BNHA, some thoughts on Toga after reading both your recent metas, the representation and female characters ones. Toga getting reduced to fetish fuel by fandom is pretty irritating. It really shortchanges her character, she's interesting. Despite all the murder, she's not written as a true psychopath/sociopath - her emotions are written as genuine, her empathy is written as being real. Her most depraved and her most empathetic moments both occur in the same arc, too (Overhaul's Hideout).

I actually think we can make a pretty good case for Toga being the best written female character in all of Boku no Hero Academia.

There are two other contenders–Inko and Nana–who could probably easily take the spot if not for their extenuating circumstances: Inko simply isn’t in the story enough to be a consistent source of emotional engagement, and we haven’t seen enough of Nana yet to get a real sense of the depth of her character. If Nana gets to be part of an extended series of flashbacks or becomes a vestige that Izuku can talk to, we might get enough of her to bump her to the top.

But right now, I can make a pretty convincing case for Toga.

1) She is the only female character whose actions are absolutely central to the main plot/conflict as it is unfolding right now. In the last 100 chapters, the only female to single-handedly accomplish anything for her side of the conflict has been Toga. You could not remove Toga from the plot and replace her with any of the male characters around her because her quirk and involvement in the story line are actively integrated in a way that none of the other female characters’ are (again, barring Nana). Mina? Jirou? Kendou? Uraraka? Tsuyu? Even Momo? In the last half of the manga’s plot, none of the class 1-A or 1-B girls have played any major part in the series’ overall conflict, had any stand-out moments of emotional depth that wasn’t narrated for them by a male character, or even been allowed to meaningfully contribute to the battles except during training against classmates, the outcomes of which have no lasting impact on the main heroes vs. villains conflict.

That’s because Toga doesn’t suffer from the one thing holding back all the heroines and heroines-in-training: good girls aren’t violent. Good girls are lovable, attractive, and supportive. They’re not ambitious or obsessive about strength and overcoming their rivals like boys are. Good girls behave well. And unfortunately, Horikoshi is pretty progressive in some ways and really, really unprogressive in others. His definition of “good girls” and the ways good girls act seems to be pretty rooted in conservative Japanese standards, which traditionally have undervalued women. (This is not to say that everyone in Japan discriminates against women, far from it; in general, however, societal standards for women in Japan have lagged behind other major developed nations.)

Uraraka and the other girls in 1-A and 1-B can and will become heroes, surely. They can even prove themselves to be very strong and skilled individuals. But they will only rarely–if ever–be allowed to outshine their male compatriots in terms of strength, aggression, impact on the main plot, and even emotional depth. The tension and depth of this story has, so far, been given almost entirely to male characters–Deku, Iida, Bakugou, Todoroki, Shigaraki, Kirishima, even Shinsou… Readers get more glimpses into the mindsets, emotional struggles, and backstories of these characters than any of the girls. Bakugou can literally cry and scream on screen from how angry he is that he doesn’t measure up to his classmates; but Momo, who feels similarly, will demurely have her confidence issues discussed by Todoroki and Aizawa for her.

Toga, however, doesn’t get hit by this stuff quite as bad because she isn’t a “good girl.” Toga can be violent. Toga can be out on the frontlines throwing down directly with the male heroes and can come out on top because she’s a villain and sometimes the villains have to win for the story to be exciting. Toga got away with threatening Shigaraki.Whether Tomura is just telling lies to keep her on his side or not, Toga is canonically referred to as one of the League’s “linchpins.” She’s tangled with the heroes two more times than Dabi, Mr. Compress, Magne, or Spinner, and once more than Twice, making her literally the League’s most active member. Because of her role as a villain, Toga is free from the limitations that prevent the heroines from making any lasting impacts on the plot.

2) Toga’s personal motivations/mindset have direct impacts on the plot. Sure, being a “love obsessed” girl who develops crushes at the drop of the hat isn’t exactly the most fantastic basis for a female character ever–it’s cripplingly stereotypical and a gross excuse to draw faces bordering on ahegao, actually–but at least Toga’s crushes are plot relevant. Her “love” for Izuku and collecting his blood led to her utilizing that blood in combat to directly change the course of what is probably the series’ most important and dramatic battle to date. Unlike Uraraka, whose crush is essentially mandatory due to her role as the love interest and really has no bearing on the major plot, Toga’s “love” for Izuku shapes not only her actions but also the actions of others because she is a mover-and-shaker in the main conflict, unlike other female characters.

Toga’s crush on Stain was what drove her to join the League, despite the fact that Stain is no longer part of it in any way–and she’s remained loyal to the League. Her crush motivated her to take direct action and change the course of her life. Unlike other crush plot lines given to female characters, which are often used only in two contexts: 1) Oh no, I can’t let these feelings affect my friendship with [shounen protagonist]! 2) Ha ha, look how adorable I am trying to hide my crush from everyone!, Toga’s crushes are driving factors in her story and the plot overall.

3) Toga has demonstrated more meaningful emotional depth than half the female students. You’re right–reducing Toga to fanservice badly degrades a character who’s actually been painted with more depth than virtually any other female character (except Inko) in the series so far. In her response to Magne’s death, her comments that she wants to continue enjoying life with the League, her willingness to threaten Shigaraki for making choices for her, and her delicate treatment of Twice, Toga’s feelings–even those beyond her love and friendship obsession–are portrayed seriously and with a degree of attention and agency that few other females in this series get. Toga is loyal, intelligent, dedicated to pursuing her personal goals, empathetic, brave, and strong-willed, and most importantly–these aren’t informed traits. We don’t hear about how smart she is or how nice or how brave she is from other people–we see it in direct action throughout the course of the story. You don’t hold a knife to Shigaraki Tomura’s neck without being both staggeringly courageous and dead-set in your beliefs–Toga has a backbone of steel and a good head on her shoulders. She’s in far more control of herself than anyone is giving her credit for; she knows exactly what she wants and she’s going for that without hesitating. Her response to Twice after Magne’s death not only demonstrates a clear understanding of other people’s feelings, but also signals to the readers how far the League has come in supporting and valuing each other, an important turning point for readers, making her feelings and dialogue more meaningful than many of the other female characters’.

4) Toga’s obsession with identity–and its ties to her quirk–implies a significantly more interesting backstory than most other girls in the series. In a way that doesn’t happen for many other characters outside the villains, Toga’s quirk is directly tied her to mindset and behavior. She is obsessed with seizing the identities of the people she “loves” to actively become those people. It should be obvious that this obsession is a direct off-shoot of her powers. Imagine what life would be like for a child who could literally change identities any time she became dissatisfied with herself. Forming a personal identity is a complex process for human beings (google Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages for a more in-depth look), and it is also a process fraught with peril. Children and young adults who fail to develop healthy, complete self-identities struggle in a variety of ways, not the least of which is mental illness. How would a tiny young girl who was capable of completely altering her physical appearance and attitude, enough so to be easily mistaken for others, define her own personal identity? This is literally a nightmare scenario, ripe for the development of psychological issues. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out the start of Toga’s descent into madness was realizing that, by hurting others, she could become someone better, more popular, with more friends–someone happy. It makes perfect sense that Toga is the way she is now, with the quirk she has. Toga’s desperate love–her desperate desire to be someone else–is almost inevitably going to be tied to a shattered sense of self. This is why the issue of “villain quirks” is so interesting–did Toga ever have a chance to be “normal,” with a quirk that would have devastated the psyche of a growing child?

I don’t know when or if we’ll ever see Toga’s backstory, but just the hints we’ve been given are already enough to make it richer and more interesting to think about that almost any of the other female characters in the series.

Toga is great, and seeing what she gets reduces to by the fans (hell, and her own creator sometimes) seriously bums me out.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 10/15/18

Bleach, Vol. 74 | By Tite Kubo | Viz Media – I have never actually reviewed Bleach as a brief… or indeed at all. I followed its periphery, keeping track of what was going on and trying not to be too invested. The final volume shows off many of its strengths and weaknesses… I enjoyed seeing Ichigo and Orihime fighting together, and the finale was sweet, but far too often the volume was Yhwach screaming “can’t you see your powers are USELESS against me!” like an MST3K villain. Still, say what you will about Bleach, it was always itself. It may feel like it was cancelled for not getting on with it (it probably was), but changing anything seems churlish. It’s that middle son who’s always a hot mess, who always gets forgiven. – Sean Gaffney

Dragon Half, Omnibus 2 | By Ryusuke Mita | Seven Seas – This continues to be a giant nostalgia trip, feeling very much like the sort of anime and manga that North America was getting in the early 1990s. Which it essentially is. Even the translation and adaptation feels like it’s a “dub,” and a good one like Shinesman. It’s not easy to analyze—aside from one or two heartwarming moments that last about one panel, it’s balls to the wall comedy every single page. But the comedy is ridiculous fun, with Mink shedding her skin and becoming stronger (and bustier), the villains still being 100% useless, and Lufa being 100% DTF. I think there’s one more omnibus to go, and theoretically this is coming to an ending, but the plot is irrelevant compared to the laughs. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 26 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – Eventually, theoretically, this arc will end. But it’s not this volume, or indeed the one after that. That said, it is nice to see Soma punted to the side here so that we can focus on some of the other cast. Kuga has a grudge, and wants to make his name remembered—I suspect the name will be remembered but he’ll lose. As for Mimasaka, it’s quite interesting to see his stereotypical evil cheat powers used in the name of good. And then there’s Megishima, and though we find out why he’s helping Soma and company in this book, I have to admit I simply like Rindo more, and I hope that she pulls it off. So yes, a good volume, but pretty sure the bad guys are gonna win, which means… more tournament arc. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 28 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – We are nearly caught up with Haikyu!!, which goes to “once every three months” starting with the new year. It’s been fun reading this volleyball title every week, and it helped me keep track of what’s going on better. The bout against Inarizaki takes up much of the second half, and is up to the usual high standards. I was also amused to see a hint of boy/girl romance in this book, as Ryunosuke’s childhood friend—there with her women’s volleyball team—clearly has a thing for him, but in the end, like a lot of shonen titles, she decides to emulate his SPORTS PASSION rather than confess. Besides, he’s still crushing on the manager (has she retired or not?). Haikyu!! is great fun. – Sean Gaffney

Himouto! Umaru-chan, Vol. 3 | By Sankakuhead | Seven Seas – We are reminded several times in this volume why the two siblings are the way they are—they’re very much on their own in the apartment. Here we learn their mother has passed away, and it seems there’s no father either. This explains a lot of Umaru’s immaturity, as well as Taihei’s tendency to let her do what she wants. I think I like the series best when it shows off the occasional sweet moment. Still, it’s because it’s occasional that it works so well—most of the time this series is content to rely on funny “Umaru is lazy” humor, such as accidentally screwing up the modem and having… NO INTERNET!… or forgetting about her New Year’s Resolution to be less slothful. Cute. – Sean Gaffney

How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Vol. 2 | By Kaziya | Seven Seas – There’s not much here beyond “heartwarming stories of a magical vet,” but sometimes that’s all you need, and if this is going to be manga’s equivalent of All Creatures Great and Small I’m content to be along for the ride. The chapters are named after either the magical beast or their ailment, and despite involving supernatural creatures manage to be rather educational—the discussion of rye bread was particularly fascinating. Ziska is cute, Niko is patient and caring, and you root for both of them, even as some of the situations prove to be a lot more difficult to solve than others. This is the sort of title that will run as long as the audience is there to enjoy its peaceful, relaxed mood, and I’m one of that audience. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 22 | By Yuki Midorikawa | VIZ Media – Twenty-two volumes in, and Natsume’s Book of Friends is just getting better and better. The first two stories involve Natsume’s classmates—first, the story of an inn beloved by good yokai where the staff forget to display the curtain to ward off bad yokai one night, and second, the story of a mysterious nightly visitor who uses Natsume’s face to befriend Nishimura—and seeing events from their perspective ramps up the creepy atmosphere tenfold. As if those weren’t enough, the final story involves Natsume meeting the first yokai whose name appears in the book and learning more about Reiko in the process. It’s a tale both melancholy and lovely and I loved it very much. The twenty-third volume only came out in Japan last month, so sadly we’ve probably got a long wait for our next installment. – Michelle Smith

New Game!, Vol. 3 | By Shotaro Tokuno | Seven Seas – There’s some workplace development here—with Kou’s promotion, Hifumi is also encouraged to take a step forward, which she does shyly and reluctantly. Kou and Aoba also manage to collaborate on a character design, after some brief but well done drama, and the game looks ridiculously cute. For the most part, though, this continues to be about a group of girls and their everyday life, the same as many of these 4-koma titles. I had honestly thought there would be more yuri, but it’s mostly invisible—Rin clearly as a thing for Kou, but there’s no forward movement there. If you enjoyed the anime, or just like this style of manga, it’s a good volume. Needs to have the cast holding hands and jumping in the air. – Sean Gaffney

To Your Eternity, Vol. 6 | By Yoshitoki Oima | Kodansha Comics – Every single volume of this series has managed to shatter my heart and the sixth is no exception. To Your Eternity remains a manga that is both astonishingly beautiful and incredibly devastating. Oima utilizes a fantastical narrative to explore deeply philosophical and existential themes. Even as an immortal, Fushi struggles to survive in a world full of death. Fushi continues to learn, grow, and evolve, but the process is an exceptionally painful one requiring difficult decisions to be made over and over. The sixth volume dramatically concludes the Jananda arc–on an island populated by exiled criminals, Fushi is forced yet again to confront the complexities of human morality and mortality. Yes, there are crushing losses, but along with the sadness comes some amount of hope. The strength of the relationships that Fushi develops with others is a shining, guiding light in a life frequently punctuated with darkness and tragedy. – Ash Brown

By: Ash Brown

[themangaguide]

That is very emotional

A Badass manga:

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[s2he-gamewalkthrough]

Part 12: In the Clouds

The part of the game where Tensho has to complete some finicky and very specific game requirements to progress the story.

If you don’t know what this is about, please refer to this previous post.

[Any new comments by me will be designated by brackets.]

[Oof, this chapter’s one of the messier ones... I’ve cleaned it up a lot from the original LiveJournal post, but it still jumps around a lot in places. Apologies for that.]

Before I get on with the plot of the game, I found some upgrades!

Tensho:

Lv 2 --> 3:

Tenka:

Second listed item, Lv 1 --> 2

Youzen's:

First listed item, Lv 1 --> 2

First listed item, Lv 2 --> 3

Second item listed, Lv 1 --> 2

Second item listed, Lv 2 --> 3

[I uh. Really hope these combinations are still correct as I am unable to test them out in the old saved game I have. I highly recommend upgrading paopei/weapons whenever you can because it helps to make all future battles significantly easier.]

Oh, I forgot to mention before, but you should have gotten a few equipable items by now. Those are marked with stars (in the item description) in the inventory menu:

You can equip them to characters by selecting the third “word” in the menu screen:

Some equipment items affect certain stats, while some I guess negate status ailments. If you don't know Japanese, then finding out the effects pretty much comes down to trial and error. (I won't be listing the specific effects of all the equipable items--Sorry!)

Cavechan was nice enough to translate the character stat screen for us in part 1, so that should be a big help when you're messing around with equipment. (Thank you again to Cavechan!)

In the end, I had to equip Tenka with an item to boost his attack because it was pathetically weak.

Also, I've recently found out that you can't use HP-restoring potions on doushi/senin. I have no idea why this happens. This means that if you want to heal these characters while in a dungeon, you have to use a character that has a healing move. Man, that's going to be annoying in a pinch.

Anyway, time for more level grinding in the Houshindai!

I will only be unlocking two senins in the Houshindai today because the monsters on the lower floor are getting harder and harder to beat.

Another of the Juunisen, and In Hon's master. His name's Seki Seishi. (Also, he apparently talks A LOT.)

I also unlocked In Cho's master! (Kou Seishi)

Their bonus is:

They both sell things for something other than cash. One seems to sell potions while the other just sells combo upgrades. I suppose it’s decently useful?

While training in the Houshindai, I messed around with some of Youzen’s new moves.

After having beaten Chou Koumei (yet again), Youzen can now transform into him (4th move, second option.)

Sadly, you only have one attack Chou Koumei (a whip-like attack) and it frankly sucks because it does such a small amount of damage. I think this form is balanced out with all the supporting moves you have at your disposal, though I admittedly never utilized Chou Koumei’s form much.

And oooh, the 60 EP move (unlocked from the cutscene between Youzen and Gyokutei) allows Youzen to go into yokai form!

His ultimate attack (costing 40 EP) does A TON of damage.

(For reference, I was only doing about 1000 points of damage with Tensho and Tenka at this stage in the game.)

Anyway, time to head to the new location, finally. It looks to be someplace up in the clouds?

Hmm, that kid looks familiar...

Hey, it's kid-Tensho!

...Wait, what?

Yeah, this is actually all just an illusion. Those treasure chests scattered about are actually real, but you’ll have to find a way to get to them yourself because... Well, you’ll see why soon enough. 

After the short convo, kid-Tensho beckons you to follow him, and he’ll move a few steps along some kind of invisible path. You have to follow kid-Tensho’s steps EXACTLY. Otherwise you'll fall off the clouds (Hitou saves you from falling to your death) and have to re-do the path all over again. This “invisible path” is ridiculously long, which is why they included a guide in the form of kid-Tensho. You have to follow him about six times. You can save at any time in this area; so if you're the type that has trouble following an exact path, then you might want to save in the middle so you don’t have to keep restarting all the way at the beginning if you make a mistake.

Also, don't follow too closely behind kid-Tensho, otherwise you might accidentally walk ahead too far when he turns. This happened to me many, many times. [I’m not going to give a guide on how to grab any of the treasure chests in this area, because honestly; I haven’t been able to figure out how to grab most of the chests myself.]

After all of that trouble, Tensho finds himself in a quant little village in the clouds. (It's actually a small village on top of a very high mountain, if you've read the manga.)

I'm going to just say this now for lack of a better place to bring it up: when you exit, you'll immediately leave the place. (You won't have to go through the invisble path in reverse or anything.) But you'll have to do the walkway “puzzle” again every time you try to visit the village. Really quite annoying. The next time you arrive, you'll be given three options on how to do the puzzle--slow, medium, or fast. This refers to how quickly kid-Tensho walks along the path. If you have amazing memory and want to save time, then you can choose the medium or fast option. I always go with slow, because it's the turns that get me...

The cameos in this village include:

The Village Chief guy with a strong aura.

And surprisingly, an un-possessed Chuu Ou. I have no idea how he got here or even what he’s doing here, but I get the feeling Shinkyohyo had a hand in this somehow.

And of course, there’s Taijou Roukun (a.k.a. Roushi) sleeping amongst the sheep.

[Alright, this part... You’re supposed to talk to Taijou Roukun but he’s not an easy guy to get in contact with, as he’s almost always asleep. Even now I still don’t know the EXACT requirements on how you activate the next part of the game’s plot, but I have figured out a rough guideline... sorta.

Talk to EVERYONE in this location ONCE.

Yes, even the sheep. But ONLY once. If you talk to the same sheep twice by accident, the next cutscene won’t activate. This is an extremely specific set of requirements, I know.]

After having talked to everyone and every sheep ONCE, go up to Taikou Roukun and try talking to him. After the usual sleeping noises Roushi makes, Tensho will say something.

I "think" after doing EVERYTHING you possibly can do, Tensho figures it out and does the same thing Taikoubou did to talk to Roushi... Sleep.

No BGM plays in this mini-cutscene. That means important stuff. Too bad I can't read Japanese. You're given two different dialogue choices in a row. I don't think it really has much effect on the storyline, but I don’t have any real way of confirming that (due to my lack of Japanese language knowledge). 

[I have no idea what this says but it’s probably important.]

In case you're wondering, I just went with the first choices for both “choose your dialogue” moment in the convo with Roushi. In this game, the first choice tends to be the better one, it seems.

After that mini-cutscene...

Hey, you're--!

Nentou Doujin! (By the way, his BGM is AWESOME.) Talk to him, and you’ll get treated to a loooong conversation. After that, leave Taijou Roukun’s place. The dot over Mount Kongrong’s location should be flashing, and all your party members will be gone. Don’t worry--this is only a temporary thing.

To continue the plot of the game, you'll have to bring Soushou along to the village in the clouds. (His room is the back right one, on the first floor.) Then head back to talk to Nentou. I can’t remember if it was ever officially confirmed (or if I’ve already mentioned it in this guide), but Nentou is Soushou’s master.

After another long convo, Soushou stays behind, I guess to train under Nentou. You get the rest of your party members back here.

Like master, like disciple.

BONUS MATERIAL TIME (a.k.a. some extra stuff that I didn’t know where to put so it’s going in this post whoop whoop)

At this point in the game, some locations on the overworld have changed a bit. If you go back to the water cave area (the one with all the arrows), you'll find Sengyoku and Dokouson there now.

I have NO idea why they're even standing here. Maybe to guard the place? Maybe because Sengyoku thinks that it's a romantic spot?

Anyway, if you want to initiate a rather humorous scene; first have youzen transform into this:

Second, talk to Dokouson.

In case you're wondering who Youzen just transformed into, it's Hekiun, one of Ryuukitsu's disciples.

Dokouson starts drooling over her and his wifey gets mad.

There’s some pounding noises and the screen shakes.

You can also now find Mokutaku and Kintaku at the old battlefield area.

It took me a long time to figure this out, but Tenka’s “action button” allows him to bust through certain walls:

Apparently the one-off “Tenka as a construction worker” joke from the manga was so funny to the game creators that they included a special face portrait of Tenka in a hardhat.

Anyway, if you head back to Tensho’s hometown after finishing the Taijou Roukun cutscene, you’ll be given a lot of dialogue choices if you talk to the villagers. This doesn’t seem to do anything too important. 

But if you choose the second dialogue option on one of the old men, he begins frantically running around the whole town. It's... somewhat amusing in a morbid kind of way.

The old dude freaking runs at the speed of light. I had to block him like this to get a screenshot of him.

Going back to Genshitenson's place briefly...

A grave has been built for him. I think Hakutsuru built it?

Inside Geishitenson's hut, if you look at the right pot at the back of the room, Hitou will say something. THIS IS IMPORTANT. He doesn't do it when you look at the other pot (on the left) so you know something's up. We will return here later.

[That’s all for this post. I hope you guys enjoyed it, despite it being a bit of a mess.]

To be continued.

[yourhealthmattersblog]

There still seems great

Testimonial Part 31.1:

ichizu de bitch na kouhai was actually an unusual get for me. Why? The nearly cringe worthwhile paper slim piece of the Dorky Man who has all-women within the local area while he enters a lot of shenanigans that just so occur to eliminate girls of the clothing, lusting for him. Nevertheless I believed Monster Musume attempts.

Let's get factors from the method promptly. ichizu de bitch na kouhai is a few of those Harem series that you've been informed about. A Humanoid Creature series isn't from training course's routine, we curently have Rosario Vampire 12 pet as well as Murder Class (Remember when Korosensei was concerned the husbando? I do ...) are popular however this manga did something which in fact saw with me.

It handled bias. Within the tale, Japan Government has actually handed a policy which permits Creatures to run into as well as stay with people consisted of in an 'Interspecies Trade Accord', nevertheless, there still seems great deals of doubt, like a specific addition of 'No Monster might damage a human' and also viceversa. (A sub-regulation is roofed to stop sexual intercourse between interspecies likewise).

Rules is exceptionally inflexible to the phase that Creatures demand to be assisted with a human as well as being alone might sustain ATEAM of Men, the rage of the Social Exchange Security Team In Dark that show up when needed. Regulations continues to be confirmed to be easy to work-around on countless events like a proceeding mix of figures is proven to leave their approach to deteriorate, shame in addition to strike a few of the females, making use of the role that they'll be great whilst the federal government thinks the creatures have actually remained in the inaccurate.

Really world teacher isekaishiki kyouiku agent manga some ladies' treatment is thought to not become safe nearly instantly utilizing the very first lady: Miia being introduced being an after assumed from the federal government as she's practically quickly failed to remember by them towards the very first male they discover and 'supplied' in the direction of the wrong house. You can not sustain but sorry for Miia although this computes ultimately. The series likewise involves problems with a few of ladies defeating their specific home-uncertainties in an international where they're usually considered as 'strange' plus some in the direction of the extreme. A Arachnida woman 'Rachnee' includes a long storyarc whereby she can't self-confidence people because of her one-of-a-kind sponsor family members leaving her and her 2nd host family members damaging her, it declares the reality that individuals may be among the cruellest species, much more than any kind of actual animal varieties. You can review the Monster Musume most recent chapter to discover.

Although this can be a harem series the women all are fantastic within their very own technique, using their quirks they protrude in the typical harem collection where each character can be swapped with another from one more series. The sequence determines to go with the Girl's existence within the specific globe's item rather than something excellent for instance flying mech or maintaining the earth. Because of a lively cast together with an enjoyable, if standard piece the series does have the capacity to stick out in between ball games of hareem sequence offered, in some cases showing the most really efficient as well as likewise the extremely worst of the specific species as well as just exactly how they're recognized to those people that are unique. This truly aids the hareem component a good deal as normally there's minimal reason behind ladies to go down with the hero in deep love. See you in part 2. While waiting you can check out manga online free of cost below. Great source of such ideas found at: https://allaboutmanga2016.wordpress.com/2021/01/18/tc93t0qp50l0wuhv24tcw1610960436/

[dixxymouri]

Dixxy Watches One Piece in a Year: Log 1

So I’m behind on my plans to watch/read One Piece in a year, but it’s early enough in the year that catching up isn’t some kind of crazy endeavor.

For one, if I’m “watching” One Piece, its most likely something in the background playing while I’m eating/playing Minecraft/sculpting/etc, especially for early episodes I’ve already seen a lot before.

Here are some general thoughts so far while I’m still in the early episodes:

1. Dear GOD did Toei lean hard into the whole “well Nami is the resident girl so she MUST be the main character’s love interest”. None of the stuff with Nami in the first few episodes is canon to the manga, right? I’ll need to check that tonight if I pick up the manga to start the read through.

(Spoiler alert: either the read through or the watch-through probably isn’t going to last the whole year).

2. There’s a lot of villains in the One Piece world who have traits of the Angry Yam, and Morgan is definitely one of them. Wapol’s definitely another one but I’m a ways away from him, and for a while someone had a Big Mom parody account on Twitter that was basically just taking some of the AY’s tweets and transplanting them into the WCI arc. 

3. Before I got REALLY attached to Sanji, Zoro was my favorite. I didn’t quite take Luffy’s strength all that seriously when I first watched the series...oh God, like, twelve years ago, and I didn’t feel like everything would be “okay” until he showed up. Now I know better, but there is something about the way Luffy and Zoro were presented at this stage of the game that just didn’t make our favorite rubber captain seem all that threatening - he was too fanciful and silly for me to see him as the force of nature he really is.

4. Oh hey it’s the gun 4Kids messed up in their version of the dub. They really did ruin that scene forever. I mean it was always kind of silly but...yeah everyone thinks of the stupid hammer gun. 

5. Man the show is really treating Buggy as a huge threat right now. 

6. ...aw dang it we’re coming up on the stupid dog guarding the pet store aren’t we? I get that it’s “sad”, but it’s definitely from a time before Oda really learned how to tug at heartstrings with his backstories. It’s the same reason Usopp and Zoro’s backstories don’t tend to rank well when people rank backstories - he didn’t really master them until Nami (or, arguably, Sanji’s backstory, if he already had the Germa stuff in mind when he wrote that and it was really a “to be continued” he didn’t get back to for like, two decades). 

7. Zoro (to Coby about his time on Alvida’s ship): Marine’s information gathering is top notch. Big Mom: Hold my beer.

8. Interesting. Marine dropped a line about Marines being pirate spies. Probably a nod to Nezumi (X Drake hadn’t been thought of yet as Oda invented the Supernovas not named Luffy and Zoro on a whim) but if that’s canon to the manga too, then it shows that Oda was at least THINKING about how deep Marine corruption might run as early as Shell Town.

9. Zoro: Awkward line transitioning into Luffy’s backstory with Shanks? Awkward line transition into Luffy’s backstory with Shanks.

10. I should probably switch to my DVDs at some point so I can utilize marathon mode, but... I also really like some of the opening and ending music, even the dub versions (which is what I’m watching - fuck you, fight me).  Sidenote: When I was working on the performance scene in Mass x Acceleration (...holy crap I fell behind on that one again...) I originally wanted to use the lyrics to “Memories”, the first ending.

I know the Shanks episode is next but I’m done for the night. Might try to bust through the Orange Town arc tomorrow night. I’m going to watch NicoB freak out in the Chapter 6 trial of DRV3 again.