#only going up to the very beginning of chapter 12. and it doesn't even include my full essay on my dissatisfaction with corel prison

[mariyekos]

FFVII Rebirth and Gameplay at the Cost of Atmosphere

This is probably going to be part 1 of a series of posts/mini-essays so I'll write more on it later, but while doing one of the Chapter 12 Sidequests in Rebirth, I finally figured out how to phrase one of my biggest issues with this game:

There are several places in Rebirth where they include special gameplay at the cost of good atmosphere. This often, but not always, accompanies either a change or new addition to the plot.

I've put some elaboration on what I mean below. For now, it's only looking at that one sidequest in Chapter 12, though it happens all over the game. But the tl;dr is that sometimes game shoots itself in the foot/misses completely when trying to create a certain atmosphere because it prioritizes a certain type of gameplay that is antithetical to that atmosphere.

The Monsters Aren't Real, and How That Hurts the Atmosphere

The sidequest in question is Lament of the Damned, the sidequest in Shinra Manor where you go with Vincent to explore reports of a crying woman. The thing that got me about this one was the combat trials.

What's in the Game

When you go explore under the manor, both Vincent and Hojo mention deadly combat trials, which is a great setup for some horror and an overall creepy atmosphere. Because wow! If Hojo has no qualms about putting his own experiments to death if they don't prove worthy, that means he's really messed up! (And that Vincent in particular has had an even more disturbing past than we thought). The manor was definitely creepy in the original with all of the monsters roaming the halls and the pop up Ying Yang in particular. There are no more battles in the Shinra Manor (besides Cait Sith's section), so maybe this is their way of making up for that.

Except... in the Remake, the combat trials are just simulations. You don't have to face any real monsters. It's all fake. There are no monsters roaming the halls unchecked anymore, nor are there caged monsters, created for the sole purpose of testing your strength. And this lack of real monsters totally kills the deranged/creepy haunted house atmosphere the original Shinra Manor had.

(Which, to be fair, is already changed by the under-manor laboratory being a huge complex rather than a couple of rooms, which is part of the larger shift in atmosphere done for the entirety of Nibelheim. I won't go into to detail in this post, but while I thought the Cait Sith gameplay segment was actually a lot of fun, I was disappointed by how it killed the vibe too).

Room for Improvement

I personally believe the combat trial aspect would be much creepier and much more effective if you were trapped in a room and real monsters were suddenly let loose on you. Then it would feel like a real fight for your life, and make Vincent's comments about how subjects were disposed of via combat trial all the more impactful. Because simulations can't kill you (or at least, don't seem like they should be able to), so in the simulation verse, there should be no direct consequences to losing. It seems a lot dumber to be killed by a simulation than ripped apart by real monsters. Less scary, though I suppose there's a certain appeal to being killed by the unreal. Still, I don't think they leaned into that hard enough. Maybe they meant to imply that creatures which lost to the simulation would be disposed of either by real monsters or just euthanasia afterwards, but meh. I still think that's less disturbing than throwing test subjects into a room where they either defeat the monsters that have been loosed on them, or die a grisly death. And even if they do somehow die to the simulations, something about it just doesn't hit the same.

Having the monsters only be simulations also loses the disturbing aspect of the basement being inhabited by monsters of Hojo's creation that exist for the sole purpose of testing other experiments of his. Because isn't that messed up? For Hojo to create beings whose sole purpose is to, ideally, be killed by his more successful test subjects? To have to face creatures which may have once been normal animals or innocent civilians who have been twisted to fight but can never be saved, so you must either kill them or die yourself? When the monsters you fight are just simulations, you lose that thought/fear of "oh no, look what he's done to these real living creatures, not only mutating them but sending them to their deaths for his amusement."

When the monsters are fake/just simulations, it means Hojo isn't hurting as many real people, and you don't have to face the disturbing idea of having to put down real beings who probably once had real thoughts and feelings. (Which would've been SO GOOD with the line Vincent has after the combat trials, where he DOES talk about Monsters having feelings. But the monsters you fight aren't real. Not until the very last one. So it doesn't hit the same).

So tl;dr of this section: the fact that the simulations are just that- only simulations, i.e. not real- both reduces the threat level in terms of danger to the character, and eliminates the disturbing realization that Hojo has created creatures who are (if his experiments are successful) are meant to die. Both the atmosphere of the manor and Hojo's character lose out there, imo.

Why the Monsters Aren't Real, or the Gameplay Reason

After beating the combat trials, I came to realize (the likely reason) why they made the combat trials simulations rather than real battles: so they could include combat objectives and so you can take the trials at your own pace (i.e. leave and come back).

Repeating the Trials/Combat Objectives

First, the combat objectives.

There are two types: timers and stagger. If you were fighting against real enemies, having a stagger requirement wouldn't make as much sense, since a real battle should really just be about surviving. Why would you need to stagger them? What would happen if you didn't? Would a monster be more likely to kill you if you didn't stagger it? That's not how it works in gameplay. As for the timer, I could see there still being a timer requirement in the form of these enemies doing some sort of enrage move after a set amount of time, but the stagger one doesn't make as much sense. (For people who don't know what enrage is, it's the idea that an enemy will use an unlivable attack against you. An unavoidable OHKO.)

By making the fights simulations rather than real battles, it then makes sense for Hojo (cough cough the devs) to implement certain specific requirements to progress. It also gives them a better excuse for why you might need to repeat the trials- you didn't meet the combat objectives, so now you have to do it again. Because the trials don't auto-fail if you don't meet the combat objectives, you just don't get to go forward.

But I think it loses sight of the creepy scientist and horror basement thing if what you're fighting isn't real. There is no penalty for not doing the trial "right." If there was an actual enrage at the end of the timer (i.e. if you just straight up lost/died), then that would be terrifying! Because wow, Hojo is willing to kill his subject if they're not fast enough! But no, he just doesn't pass them and has them try again. Which makes him less creepy/insane seeming, because now he's kinder because he's willing to give things a second chance. It's less impactful.

In my opinion, being able to implement combat objectives isn't worth that loss of impact. Because combat objectives don't have to be in this part of the game. Chadley has combat objectives in his simulator. If they want us to do combat simulator stuff, have us do it with Chadley. Don't hurt the atmosphere in the manor to include this dumb requirement, which not only means there's less threat in the form of the monsters not being real, but also kills any sense of urgency because you can repeat the trials as many times as you want, or even come back later if you don't have the time. It's a loss of atmosphere for the sake of gameplay in a bad way. They didn't have to write it like this, but they did. And it happens several times through this game.

Backing Out/Limited Creature Game Logic

Speaking of which...I think it's okay to have the occasional unskippable battle, or occasional battle arena where you have to beat them all to progress/do them all over if you run, but the devs sure don't. If the battles weren't simulations, it would make a lot of sense for them to be one after the other. Battles where you've got to do them all to make it through.

Since they're not real battles and are simulations you have to execute, it makes sense that you can come and go. But I don't think that's the order that concept was conceived in; instead I think the devs went "in order to allow the player to come and go at any time, we should make it so you only have to do the battles one by one, and a simulation would be great for that!" And the game really hand holds you with that. Most of Chadley's simulations have multiple battles in a row where you have to beat them all to proceed, but the ones in this sidequests are all individual battles with individual goals.

Now, I am all for accessibility and quality of life in gaming, and I really like that, for example, you can save basically everywhere now instead of needing a save point. But it's fine to remove a little bit of Quality of Life/Accessibility for a single sidequest where you face a battle gauntlet! I mean, the game already has points where it limits your access to Fast Travel so you have to progress the plot. And like I mentioned before, most of the Chadley battle simulations have multiple rounds too! Why not do that here, where you have to do the battles (at least the 4 simulation ones, I would be fine with stopping before the boss) before moving on? You can save right then and there! You're healed between battles too! It's okay to make things slightly less convenient sometimes for the sake of atmosphere! How cool/exciting would it be if Hojo set 4 rounds of monsters on you in a row, where you had to beat them all or game over? I'd love it. That would raise the stakes. And, it would make for a more unique atmosphere. But this isn't something that seems to be a high priority for Rebirth, which I find unfortunate.

(Sidenote, this happens with both gameplay and visuals. At least in the Cave of the Gi they had runestones instead of Jukeboxes... but they didn't bother to change the Jukebox in Vincent's room for some reason. Or to put it somewhere else if they didn't want to change the model. The jukebox and potion bench are so weird man. They kill the vibe made by the rest of the creepy basement full of coffins and candles. It's supposed to feel old and out of time, but the jukebox and bench ruin it.)

I could also see the argument that the devs made this a simulation rather than a real battle based on the logic that having an infinite number of monsters (for infinite tries to complete the objectives) makes less sense when they're real monsters rather than simulations, but I don't think that matters. This is a video game. There are already infinite monsters in the overworld. There can be infinite monsters here.

Finally, going back to the idea of stagger and time objectives from above...you could technically do those with real enemies too. Have it so Hojo will just send more monsters at you if you fail. Make it real Hojo instead of hologram AI Hojo. Or have the AI be able to detect that the enemies weren't staggered/killed in time! Now that I think about it, there are combat objectives against real enemies in the overworld, so they technically didn't need to make these battles part of a simulation for combat objectives. But I still feel strongly that these battles were made to be simulations instead of real battles for the sake of combat objectives.

Last Thoughts (for now!)

FFVII Rebirth has leaned very strongly into AI, simulation, and advanced technology that had not been conceived/wasn't in the public consciousness when the original was released. At times, the game wants to lean very hard into this new technology at the cost of the atmosphere that made the original so great. It's a different type of horror. A different type of creepy.

Being trapped in a virtual world can be terrifying, but it's a different type of terror to being trapped in the real world. Being killed by simulations sounds disturbing, but it's a different type of disturbing than being killed by real creatures. The writers may have done this because they felt it was an equivalent exchange (hehe), but for me at least, I find what the original did so much more striking.

Full disclaimer, I am not, and have never been, big into sci-fi. Remake and Rebirth lean into high tech sci-fi more than the OG did (which 100% had its own sci-fi aspects! I mean, the villain is an alien for starters, and the evil scientists' actions are central to the plot!), at the cost of some of the more down-to earth horror/other aspects of the original. I find this disappointing. It's a different choice that is sometimes really cool (ex. with so much technology it becomes much more obvious that Shinra has constant global surveillance, which is very distopian), but sometimes worse (ex. President Shinra only being a hologram rather than the real guy in Reactor No. 5 makes him seem a lot less cocky since he doesn't show up in person).

I think Shinra Manor as a whole has absolutely lost the atmosphere that made me love it so much in the original. It went from a grimy mansion to a sterile lab. Both are good settings for horror, but they just don't hit the same. This sidequest suffered from wanting to be part of that sterile high tech lab, instead of the low-tech horror of the original where people/Hojo seem(ed) to be playing god in much more material ways. Which is...a different point better left for another essay.

We'll see if I ever get to writing it, lol. For now I uh. Haven't actually finished the game. I have 91 hours and am only about an hour slash two sidequests into Chapter 12, but I haven't had much free time to continue. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to push through some more!

[pricelessemotion]

Starstruck and Metal | E.M.

Summary: [4.3k] you meet eddie for the first time. it doesn't go quite like you expected.

Pairing: rockstar!eddie munson x fem!music journalist!reader

Warnings: none!

Notes: huge thank u to my bestie chuck for beta reading 🫶 also if you solve the crossword hint i love u

previous chapter | series masterlist | next chapter

InStereo magazine was not The Rolling Stones, but it was a start. The modest music magazine had a humble following, enough to earn some hums of recognition whenever someone made the mistake of asking what you did for a living. Most days, it’s great. You relish in the joy of working in a field some people only dream of entering. The leap from column writer to main article was a large one, but you insisted that you were ready. Your first assignment as a music journalist and of course you got stuck with Eddie fucking Munson. 

Any self-respecting music journalist, anyone with some skin in the game would have laughed in the face of their editor. But instead, you smiled. You nodded enthusiastically, mimicking the bobblehead that has since been removed from your desk. When you decided to become a music journalist, you wanted to write about people who were changing the field. Instead, you were being tasked with writing some puff piece being used to save a wannabe rock star’s reputation. God forbid you gain the reputation of being a difficult woman–in a male-dominated industry no less–by turning down such a great opportunity.  

Even if that opportunity included spending a day with Eddie fucking Munson. 

You paid out of pocket for the cassette of Corroded Coffin’s debut album that was currently underscoring your drive to West Hollywood. You refused to meet the frontman without having listened to their music beforehand. They were good. A little rough around the edges, but it was to be expected. Outside of the occasional headlines, you hadn’t heard much about Eddie or his band. Corroded Coffin was making ripples, not waves. Of course, no one really cared about the music when they could be reading about who and what their lead vocalist was doing. 

Still, you find yourself parking outside of a humble ranch-style home in a neighborhood full of similar housing that likely cost a fortune to live in. The modest proceeds from Corroded Coffin’s tour have obviously paid off, considering that nice area and affordable don’t usually exist in the same sentence when talking about LA housing. The June sun is beating down on the empty street, and you’re thankful that you decided to wear a T-shirt and jeans. You tell yourself that the sweat collecting on your brow is from the heat and not nerves. 

Double-checking that you have the right address, you slam the door shut on your sedan and take a deep breath. The air feels cleaner here, less smoggy. You’re not sure if it’s because of the altitude or the tax bracket of the people who live here. Probably both. You reach into your purse and feel around for what you already know is inside. Pen. Notepad. Tape recorder. The holy trinity for a music journalist. 

There were very few topics that Eddie wasn’t willing to talk about. You guess that when you’ve had your insides strewn across the pavement for everyone to see, you don’t bother trying to uphold any semblance of mystique. Beginning the daunting trek toward your assignment, you remind yourself of two things:

1) Don’t ask about his father 

2) Don’t ask about what happened in Hawkins, Indiana in 1986

The first rule seemed simple enough. As far as the public was concerned, Eddie Munson came to Hawkins at the age of 12 to live with his Uncle Wayne like how a fully formed Venus sprang up from sea foam. He wasn’t and then he was. End of story. The fact that Eddie’s management went out of the way to make sure his father wasn’t brought up only made you more curious. 

The second rule was a little harder to accept. Anyone who knew anything about Eddie Munson wanted to know about 1986. Despite the fact that his highly publicized murder charges and subsequent exoneration are part of what caused Corroded Coffin to skyrocket to fame, he’s remained very tight-lipped about the whole situation. He plays off every question about it in interviews with a smirk and a sly comment. Just charming enough to get away without answering. Just vague enough to keep people guessing. Maybe his publicist wasn’t such a waste after all. 

Eddie Munson opens the door a few moments after you ring the bell. Using a ringed hand to shield his eyes from the midday sun, he squints at you. A pair of sweatpants hang low on his hips. He has a severe case of bedhead despite the fact that the time on your watch indicates that it’s nearly two in the afternoon. The confusion that draws his brows together also indicates that he has absolutely no idea who you are. Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you state your name and purpose before realization graces his features. 

“It’s you! Shit, yeah! You’re here for the– the thing!” He tosses a careless look over both of his shoulders before widening the opening. “Come on in.”

Eddie closes the door behind you and rushes down the hallway in order to put some real clothes on, leaving you standing in the empty living room. The inside is surprisingly clean for someone who’s gained the reputation of being a hot mess. It smells like cigarettes, weed, and lemon pledge. The lemon scent is strongest as if someone was trying–and failing–to use it to cover up the previous two. A record player is tucked into a corner, the vinyl still spinning. A line of electric guitars is propped up against the back wall, each of them no doubt costing more than your monthly rent. One of the stands is noticeably empty and you glance to your left to see a beat-up acoustic resting on the couch. On the coffee table, there are piles and piles of scrap sheets of paper. For most of them, the handwriting is too illegible to read or it’s been crossed out. Eddie seems to write lyrics like he lives his life: fast and all over the place.

Stepping closer, something along the upper corner catches your eye. Slyly lifting up a pile of paper, being sure not to disturb the configuration, you find that your suspicions are correct. Eddie received the same copy of Sub Rosa as you did. Obviously, it didn’t go over well. He’s used a pen to black out his eyes. Much to your amusement, you see he’s also drawn horns and a tail. The hand that’s flipping off the camera is illustrated to be holding a pitchfork. 

That’s not the full extent of Eddie’s doodling, though. On the bottom right-hand corner of the magazine, there’s a smaller picture of him standing next to a certain brown-eyed beauty. You’re quick to note that he’s drawn a crude halo and angel wings on his long-legged companion. They’ve been scribbled out as an afterthought, making the halo look more like a crown of thorns. 

So, you think to yourself, he’s a little immature. You can work with immaturity. Immaturity means that he won’t be as guarded as some of the other celebrities your coworkers have had the misery of meeting. In fact, from what little you know about Eddie, you wonder if he even has any guard at all. He did leave you alone here with stacks of potential songs for his band’s next album. If you were a better journalist and a worse person, you would probably take the time to decipher his chicken scratch and see if you could glean any insights into his creative process. But you don’t. Instead, you release the stack of papers and wait. 

For a moment, you don’t know what to do with yourself. You’ve never been inside of a famous person’s house before. You’re not sure if you should sit down and make yourself comfortable or if Eddie has something else planned for the two of you to do. The specifics of your assignment were intentionally vague, most likely to accommodate Eddie’s spontaneity. 

Venturing further into the living room, you come to stand in front of a shelf. Brushing your fingers across the collection of vinyl, you tilt your head to read the names along the spines. There are the usual suspects–Dio, Metallica, and Judas Priest–but what surprises you is that, in the midst of all the metal and hard rock, there’s an array of old-school country music. At the end of the lineup is the most surprising one of them all; Sentimentally Yours by Patsy Cline. It’s exceedingly worn, cracks and creases litter the empty sleeve. If you were a betting woman, you would say that the record is currently on the player across the room.

A muffled crash followed by a string of curse words breaks you out of your reverie. Eddie opens the bedroom door with the finesse of someone who is obviously used to being the center of attention. He’s traded his sweatpants and tank top for a pair of ripped black jeans and a v-neck. It felt reassuring to know that you hadn’t underdressed for the occasion. 

It also gives you a moment to drink in the blinding light that was Eddie Munson. He’s leaner in person. Though he always looked lithe in every photograph you saw of him, his frame seemed more imposing and large. Maybe all the stars just look that way when they’re so high above you. 

He was taller, too. The boots on his feet surely aided in that, given that the soles were at least an inch thick. Still, you didn’t anticipate how much you would have to tilt your head up just to look him in the eyes. 

There, standing in Eddie Munson’s rented living room, you realize something; You’re absolutely starstruck. 

Although you had turned up your nose at the prospect of interviewing him and regarded his reputation with the same disdain you reserved for bad drivers and shitty landlords, you were still a person after all. 

With all of the stars around, it’s easy to think of Los Angeles as the center of the universe. But you are not a star or anything even close to it. You’re some space debris, hopelessly floating and waiting for something bigger to come around and influence you with its gravitational pull. 

Eddie is a heavenly body. You can’t help being pulled into his orbit. 

“So, I see you’ve found my collection.” His voice is still rough with sleep. The sound makes you weak in the knees. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop.” You mumble, tucking Patsy Cline back into the shelf. “You’ve got some really good stuff here.”

“Don’t worry about it. Actually, that reminds me, I have something for you.” He swiftly turns and stalks back towards what seems to be his bedroom, motioning for you to follow him. 

The blood rushes out of your cheeks. The terms of your interview suggested that you would have a lot of access, but this was different. This was up close and personal. Your feet seem to have a mind of their own because while you’re still wrapped up in the fact that you’re gonna see Eddie Munson’s bedroom, you’re already following him down the hallway and through the open door. 

It’s about as messy as you would expect. The furniture is all pale wood and earth tones, fitting the mid-century modern stylings of the rest of the house. You suspect that Eddie took the time to clean up a little while you were rifling through the stacks of paper. The bed is haphazardly made. There’s an ashtray on his bedside table, filled with the remains of a few cigarettes. 

“I’m not supposed to smoke inside. Shh.” He brings his index finger to his mouth, pink lips barely brushing the skull ring he’s wearing. “Don’t tell anyone.”

You let out an airy laugh. Being reprimanded for smoking inside is the least of Eddie’s worries and you both know it. 

Eddie’s nimble fingers skim the top of the dresser, brushing aside even more sheets of scrap paper. A couple of guitar picks plummet to the floor, but he pays no mind. 

“I heard that metal isn’t usually your thing.” He remarks, still sifting through the clutter. 

That much is true. While you dabbled in a little bit of everything, not only as part of your job but also as part of your interest in music, metal wasn’t usually the genre you gravitated towards. In fact, the most metal album that you had listened to recently was written and produced by the man standing in front of you. 

“It’s not, but I’m open to everything.”

“Aha! Here it is.” Eddie holds up the cassette like it’s the key to the universe. Handing it to you, you can see that the writing on the sides is reminiscent of what you saw in the living room, though slightly neater. You’re familiar with some of the bands listed, but the songs don’t ring a bell. “I thought I would broaden your musical horizons.”

You gawk at him. For someone whose job is about words, you can’t find any. He took the time to make you a mixtape? 

“Track five is a personal favorite.” Eddie says, leaning towards you and tapping the tracklist, obviously unshaken by your inability to form a coherent thought. 

“Thanks. I’ll give it a listen.” You manage to choke out, tucking the cassette into the front pocket of your purse. 

Looking around the room, you see that there’s a battered copy of The Lord of the Rings on his bedside table. The corners are frayed, and you’re certain that you could accidentally tear the cover off of the paperback if you’re not careful. Cautiously, you trace the spine with your finger, waiting for Eddie to say something. To tell you that it’s the one thing that’s off limits. But he doesn’t. He just stands there, watching you. Opening it, you can see Property of Eddie A. Munson written underneath the title in a childish scrawl. 

“You like books? I mean–you’re a writer, so of course you like books–I mean, have you read that one?” Eddie is visibly flustered, the words coming out of his mouth at an alarming rate. It almost makes up for the way he rendered you speechless moments ago. 

“I’m more of a Dune girl myself. But, I love The Lord of the Rings. My dad used to read it to me before bed every night.”

“Yeah?” A small smile tugs at his lips before he practically whispers his next words. “Mine too.” 

A flash of something you can’t quite decipher crosses Eddie’s face. 

“Right! Where are my manners? Would you like something to drink?” He shuffles out of the room like his life depends on it. You’re still reeling at the fact that he brought up his dad unprompted. Keeping a brisk pace, you put the book down and follow him into the kitchen.

“We have…” He trails off, opening the door to the refrigerator. “Nothing.”

He shuts the refrigerator and dashes to the table by the front door. He mumbles to himself before grabbing a few things, shrugging on a jacket, and finally turning to face you again. A pair of sunglasses covers the half of his face that isn’t plastered with a mischievous grin. From the tips of his fingers hangs a set of car keys.

“You hungry?”

–

You should’ve known that Eddie Munson would try to kill you within 20 minutes of meeting him. Lifting up the garage door, he reveals that the car keys were in fact, not car keys but keys to a motorcycle. The vehicle in question is an absolutely stunning deathtrap. It shines so beautifully that you can see your terrified face in the warped reflection. 

Putting his helmet on, Eddie straddles the bike and looks at you. 

“C’mon.” Eddie smiles wolfishly, tilting the spare helmet towards you. “I’m a safe driver. Promise.”

You’re still standing frozen. His wolfish grin melts into something more patient.

“Hey, if you don’t want to take the motorcycle, just say the word. I’m not gonna make you do anything you don’t wanna do.” 

Despite the sincerity in his voice, you can’t help but take the words as a challenge. 

“No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” You profess, though the shake in your voice is evident. Grabbing the helmet out of his hands, you ignore the way your face heats up when your fingers brush.

Eddie takes gross advantage of California’s lane-splitting laws, leaving you clinging to his leather-draped torso for dear life. Outside from the occasional shout of assurance that you can’t understand, the ride is quiet but for the roar of the bike and the wind in your ears. You’re vacillating between being absolutely terrified of crashing and secretly relieved at the fact that you didn’t have to make small talk on the drive from his place to wherever he was taking you. 

You were very close to liking Eddie Munson. Now, you were sure that he was sent as some kind of karmic punishment.

“Parking in L.A. is always a pain. That’s why I love this baby,” He gingerly pats the handles as he kicks the parking brake down. “She can fit basically anywhere.”

You hum in agreement, mostly just happy to have made it to your destination in one piece. While Eddie hops off the bike with ease, you have a little more trouble. Swinging your leg over, your toe catches on the fuel tank, causing you to stumble and nearly fall to the ground. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see that Eddie is biting back a smile. He offers a calloused hand out to you. You brush it away out of embarrassment, planting both feet firmly on the ground and taking in your surroundings. 

You had expected Eddie to take you to one of L.A.’s finer dining venues. Somewhere with fancy mood lighting and clientele with pockets so deep that they don’t even bother to put the prices on the menu. His management was footing the bill, after all. 

The building that sits before you is none of those things. The diner is old and slightly dilapidated. Graffiti mars the stucco that hasn’t already crumbled away. The neon sign that says Zazie’s! blinks drowsily, more of an eyesore than eye-catching. 

Eddie opens the door for you. As the bell above it jingles, you’re hit with a rush of conditioned air and canned nostalgia. The walls are covered in artifacts from a bygone era of poodle skirts and letterman jackets. A lonely jukebox sits in the corner, playing a soft hum to a Billie Holiday song you have long forgotten the name of. 

A plump woman sits behind the counter doing the crossword in the newspaper. Likely, the same one you were doing that morning. A thoughtful look is etched into her soft features, and you wonder if she’s also stuck on 57-down: Idle during the heist. The ten-letter space confounded you so much that you were almost late. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like Eddie is the type of person to care too much about punctuality.  At the sound of the bell, she looks up, squints, and smiles. 

“Is that you, Toto?” The glasses that sit on the tip of her nose are attached to a chain around her neck. She lets them fall to her chest, her voice bright and amiable. 

“You know it is, Dorothy!” Eddie gushed, an award-winning smile back on his face. 

They fall into easy conversation, making it obvious that he’s a regular here. You keep glancing at him trying to find hints of ingenuity but there are none. Eddie regards the woman with the warmth and respect that you would expect from a boy scout, not a rockstar. 

Sliding into a booth, Dorothy hands you both a menu and leaves to make a fresh pot of coffee. 

“You have to try the french toast, it’s divine.” Eddie barely steals a look at the laminated folder before folding it back up and putting it down on the table. 

“I’ve never really been a french toast person. I don’t know if I wanna risk it.”

Eddie gives you a pointed look, sunglasses slipping down the slope of his nose. “You rode a motorcycle. How much more risky is a plate of french toast?”

“Maybe that was all the risk-taking I had in me for one day.” You force yourself to shrug noncommittally. You don’t know why breakfast food is the hill you’ve chosen to die on, but you’re going down swinging.

“Well, you already trusted me with your life.” Eddie takes the sunglasses off and tucks his fist under his chin, forcing you to look into his deep brown eyes. “Think you can trust me with this?”

Suddenly, all of the fight in you disappears. There’s that sincerity in his voice again. You realize then that the best and worst thing about Eddie Munson is how genuine he always sounds.  

“Yeah, I do.”

The smile on his face is so bright that you feel compelled to look away. Eddie orders for both of you. It’s enough food to feed a small army, but it seems that Dorothy is used to it because she leaves the table with a wink and says if y’all need anything just holler! 

“Do you mind?” You say, pulling out the notepad and pen from your purse. 

Eddie freezes for a fraction of a second. It’s almost imperceptible. Almost. In the small amount of time you’ve known him, it has become abundantly clear that Eddie wears his heart on his sleeve. Recovering quickly, he gives you the go-ahead and smiles. For the first time today, his grin doesn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“So,” You begin, clicking the button on your ballpoint. “I have to ask. Toto?”

Eddie barks out a laugh. He goes on a whole spiel about how he was having a terrible day and walked into the diner feeling homesick and hungry. When he first came to L.A. he felt like Dorothy stepping into the technicolor world of Oz. Once the novelty wore off, he found himself missing when the world used to be so black and white. Upon telling the wise waitress, aptly named Dorothy, she lovingly told him, Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. The nickname stuck ever since.

The story almost sounds rehearsed. A perfect sound bite that shows how you can take the boy out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the boy. And yet, you feel inclined to believe him. Eddie just seems to have that effect on people. 

The food finally arrives and you’re amazed to find that Eddie’s eyes are not bigger than his stomach. He talks about music and his band in between bites of pancakes and hashbrowns, both of them drowned in an inch of syrup. He speaks of his friends back in Indiana with a certain fondness, but you can’t help but notice how avoids naming his hometown. He also never refers to Hawkins as back home, instead saying where I’m from.

Conversation between the two of you flows as easily as the never-ending coffee from Dorothy’s pot. It’s almost too easy to forget that this is an interview. Remembering yourself, you take a moment to ask Eddie one of the harder-hitting questions you have in your back pocket.

“What about Evelyn Chau?”

Eddie winces. The open book that was sitting before you shuts tight with a resilient slam. The mouthful of pancakes and syrup seems to turn to sludge as his chewing slows. Despite having no regard for table manners earlier, he points at his lips and holds up a finger to indicate that he needs a minute to swallow. 

After taking a sip of coffee and wiping his mouth with a paper napkin, he slouches in his seat and crosses his arms defensively. 

“What about Evelyn Chau?” He repeats your question back to you but with an unmistakable air of forced nonchalance. 

You want to crumble under his pointed gaze, but you don’t. You steel yourself with the reminder that asking uncomfortable questions is part of your job description. Besides, it would raise many more alarms if you didn’t ask about the raven-haired model spotted painting the town with him than if you did. 

“Everyone wants to know if you’re together.”

“Everyone.” He exaggerates the word, using his index finger to trace the lip of his coffee cup. “Does that include you?”

The smirk on his face indicates that he’s either messing with you or flirting with you. Maybe both. 

“Well,” you demure. “are you?”

“Evie is just a friend.” Eddie’s still perfectly composed, but the familiarity with which he says her nickname betrays him. His face twitches when he catches his slip-up. “A really close friend.”

It’s already too late. He couldn’t convince you that she was just a friend if he tried. A flash of a crossed-out halo and crooked angel wings comes to mind. 

You’re about to ask him another question, but Dorothy and her impeccable timing interrupts the moment by placing the check on the table. Eddie throws down a few bills from an old leather wallet, while you’re trying to figure out how you can spin a two-hour diner date into an entire article. 

Eddie stretches as he stands up, the hem of his black v-neck raises to expose a tattoo on his right hip that snakes down further than you’re supposed to look. On the other side, you catch a muddled array of purple and red scar tissue. Averting your eyes, you look up and are met with a stony gaze. He caught you staring.

“What do you say we get outta here?”

Because you’re a very stupid, stupid woman, you agree.

likes are appreciated, comments and reblogs are cherished ♥️

taglist: @twisted-wonderland-of-wren

[creature-wizard]

In which a fake ex-Illuminati programmer makes up some weird shit about cult programming

Hey folks! Have you heard terms like "jewel programming," "metal programming," or "color programming"? Did you hear about an evil cult that intentionally induces dissociative identity disorder in people in order to control them? Did you know that all of this traces back to woman who claimed to be a former member of a global Satanic conspiracy, whose story followed the template laid out by known frauds like Mike Warnke and whose claims about the Illuminati are just repackaged antisemitism?

Over here I discussed the first three chapters in an e-book that supposedly details the activities and methods of this cult. Now I'm moving on to chapter four, where she describes the supposed methods the Illuminati uses to begin the programming process.

Svali's obsession with the idea of early training gets even weirder. Now she's claiming that the Illuminati gives DID to unborn babies in the 7th-9th month of pregnancy:

Techniques used include: placing headphones on the mother's abdomen, and playing loud, discordant music (such as some modern classical pieces, or even Wagner's operas). Loud, heavy rock has also been used. Other methods include having the mother ingest quantities of bitter substances, to make the amniotic fluid bitter, or yelling at the fetus inside the womb. The mother's abdomen may be hit as well. Mild shock to the abdomen may be applied, especially when term is near, and may be used to cause premature labor, or ensure that the infant is born on a ceremonial holiday.

She claims that trainers look for signs of dissociative ability in newborn babies, and will subject the infant to various abuses to induce fragmentation. And like... y'know, maybe the kinds of abuses she describes might induce dissociation and DID, but let's be real - these are not guaranteed results. However, the kinds of abuses she describes would certainly give a lot of kids issues so severe that you have to ask yourself how the hell it could possibly be worth it.

But the thing is, Svali's comprehension of trauma and DID are cartoonishly pseudoscientific. She essentially sees them as a brutal, yet efficient means to an end. Because alters don't always share memories, then this is clearly a perfect means for a global satanic cult to keep itself hidden. There's simply no awareness of other trauma-related disorders or common co-morbidities with DID. The fact that severe trauma tends to damage's a child's ability to learn skills and retain information, and therefore undermines her claim that all these kids are groomed into various forms of hypercompetence, doesn't seem to occur to her.

For Svali, DID appears to be a plot device, nothing more.

In chapter five, Svali begins to describe color, metal, and jewel programming. Supposedly, colors are associated with different alters, while metals and gems are awarded upon certain achievements - for example:

Emerald will often come later (ages 12 to 15). This is considered very precious, and is linked to family loyalty, witchcraft, and spiritual achievement. Emeralds will often have a black cat, or "familiar" linked to them.

In chapter five, Svali claims that the Illuminati also uses brain wave programming, which entails "having a young child go into a deep trance state, where they then learn to dissociate into a certain brain wave pattern." Supposedly, trainers give children hypnotic drugs and monitor their brainwaves. This only makes sense if you, like Svali, think that DID is the perfect cover for a global satanic conspiracy. Otherwise, it looks like a bunch of overcomplicated nonsense in a quest for questionable results.

Different brainwave states (alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, and phi/theta/omega) are associated with different skills/behaviors, which are mostly unrelated to what we actually know about brainwaves. For example, Svali claims that:

Delta: this is one of the more cognitive brain wave states, and will often be highly dissociated. It may also be the "ruling" or controlling state over the other brain wave systems.

In reality, delta waves are associated with deep sleep - the exact opposite of "cognitive."

In chapter seven, she claims that children undergo "military programming" from age three, and are gradually taught to kill actual people. And in this chapter, we can see another problem with Svali's claims emerge - she describes an Illuminati that is fatally self-defeating:

Exercises for older youth will include games where groups compete against each other, and the older teen leads, with the help of an adult advisor. Groups that win are rewarded, groups that lose are punished. The youth are taught to leave behind the weak, or slow members. Unfit members are shot or killed, and the youth leader learns to do these tasks.

Meanwhile, the actual military does not work like this, because this is a really fucking bad way to operate. You know what does work this way, though? Shitty fiction written by edgelords.

In chapter eight, Svali claims that some children are given CIA programming, where they basically learn spy shit, and all that photographic memory stuff. (Reminder that there is no evidence that photographic memory is even real, much less that it can be trained through the kinds of abusive methods Svali describes.)

And here we can see that Svali gets at least some of her ideas of what spies do from pop fiction:

An older youth, or adult, will also be taught not only how to lure a target into bed, but later how to kill them, if they are an assassination target, while they are asleep or relaxing after sexual relations.

And then it gets even weirder with:

Often, before an assignment for an assassination, the cult member will be indoctrinated with reasons why killing the victim is a service to humanity. They will be lied to and told that they are the head of a porno ring, a pedophile, or a brutal villain. This will engage the assassin's natural anger towards the person, and will motivate them, while helping to overcome their natural moral reluctance and guilt at killing a human being.

But... wait, Svali, aren't you contradicting yourself? Didn't you just claim that the Illuminati was pro-all-of-that shit? Didn't you claim that CSEM was "big business" in the Illuminati? Haven't you been claiming that brutality is just normal training methods here? Why would someone programmed to see these things as normal and good have a reaction like this?

And then she claims that there's governmental programming, where people are trained to get into government for the purpose of overthrowing it. She claims that they infiltrate and subvert both local and national government, and support whoever's sympathetic to the Illuminati.

Next she claims that there's scholarship programming, where children are taught ancient history, languages, and all the stuff a scary world dominating satanic cult would want to learn about, I guess.

With that done, I think this is a good time to end the post. In the next chapter, Svali's going to start talking about the alleged satanic purposes of one of Evangelical Christendom's favorite boogeymen: Hollywood movies.

[mtdthoughts]

"Stupid Migi" (Observation)

Just like my other post about how Migi thinks "Dali always gets the good stuff", I wanted to include a compilation of all the examples where Dali found Migi to be less than intelligent, which is another important recurring motif. After all, one of Dali's nicknames for his younger brother is "バカミギ" or "Stupid/idiot Migi"

Of course, spoilers are included!

In Episode 2, the after the twins found out that there was no scalping at the welcome party, Dali felt he had no choice but to burn Migi with a magnifying glass after the latter froze.

Later, when the twins need to scout people's houses, Migi suggests going down people's chimneys, to which Dali responds by calling him an idiot, asking him if he wants to get burned again.

In Chapter 8, which was skipped, Dali calls Migi an idiot during their "special training". Then, after Migi's visit to Maruta's house where Dali lost control of himself after Maruta had bullied Migi, Migi tries to rub it in Dali's face, seemingly unaware of his brother's feelings, which only reinforces Dali's opinion of him.

In Chapters 12 and 14, the twins investigate their Mother's disappearance and the Ichijos, and it's quite obvious how Migi loses his cool when it comes to that topic, which would only add to Dali's worries.

In Episode 4, Migi does very poorly on his tests, though Dali was able to fool him into doing better.

When Migi gets captured in the Ichijo house, Dali gets worried sick over his little brother's state, though Migi insists on continuing the mission anyway. To Dali's surprise, Migi was dressed up as a baby. Also, Migi is not very good at keeping his voice down when he's supposed to.

In Episode 7, Dali continued fooling Migi with the disguise, even laughing at his drawing skills, and after almost falls from Eiji's house, Dali calls him an idiot for caring so much about the pendant.

Then, after he is found out, Migi bites him and runs away. Dali does his best to get Migi back, but Migi won't even listen to him.

In Episode 9, Migi easily falls into Reiko's (quite obvious) trap. As Dali makes peace with his own death, he refers to Migi as an idiot who doesn't listen.

Later at this shrine, Dali once again calls Migi an idiot for wanting to go back to Origon Village despite the presence of the extremely dangerous Reiko, especially for a "sickly sweet pie". However, I'd like to believe that in that last moment, Dali was talking to himself, calling himself the idiot.

In Episode 10, after Migi saves Dali from falling, Dali successfully catches Migi off-guard by flinging at "fat" insult at him. Little does Migi know his older brother's pride in him.

In Episode 12, Migi uses his head as a battering ram, but to no avail.

Later, when he rushes in the house to bring back Dali, he failed to realize that his pants had caught on fire. Dali obviously thought he was an idiot here, though he can't help but smile, knowing that this "idiocy" is what saved him.

All in all, is Migi actually stupid? Like with the post I mentioned at the beginning, the answer isn't quite so simple, as there's a case to be made for both sides.

On the one hand, yes, it's quite obvious that Migi just isn't as smart as Dali, both intellectually and emotionally. Dali is clearly aware of this, and based on what he said as he accepted his death at the hands of Reiko, it seems that Migi's relative idiocy is what caused Dali to worry about him so much in the first place.

Yet, on the other hand, there's also evidence for the contrary. Namely, Migi was able to score a 100 on the Japanese and English midterms, he came up with the baby act to lower Reiko's guard, and he was able to save Dali during the infiltration of the Ichijo house. Most importantly, he was able to convince Dali to come out of the shadows in Episode 13 when no one else could. For an "idiot", Migi seems to have a mysterious habit of finding the right things to say or do when in a pinch. It seems that these miracles happen thanks to "the power of love" or something, such as his love for Sali as well as for his brother. It's definitely a different kind of intelligence, one that is based on instinct. I'm not quite sure what to call it.

[earl-of-221b]

Hi! I love your writing, so i wanted to ask you for writing advice, if its okay with you. I regularly see writers say stuff like "the story just went there" "the character took over" or things in that vein which basically mean that they let the story flow. I have never felt that. My story doesnt flow, it goes specifically where i want it to go. My characters feel what i feel, they say what i would say. Which is to say that i'm having trouble separating me and the character, but in a bad way. How should i go about fixing this issue?

Hi, hope this reply doesn't come too late! I can share my thoughts on this below, but you have your own writing style, and you know what you want best from your work!

'Going with the flow'

I understand both instances when writing. I frequently feel "the story just went there" or that even "the character took over" and write what comes flowing. This happened to me in most of my earlier pieces of writing, but less often now that I - at least compared to before - have a better grasp on the kinds of stories I want to tell, including what themes, subtext, and dialogue I want to show. I think that letting the story flow was easier for me when writing things where I didn't have a clear goal in mind, or a set ending, and that's why things are able to meander. What's really happening is that we're making it up very fast as we go, according to what we think characters will say or do.

'Directing the story'

While letting the story just flow is a great exercise and it's good to write anything to progress a story, I think I see much more value in the other way. My ongoing fics right now (Noblesse and Ruroni Kenshin) are all products of extensive planning. This is because I had a clear narrative in mind I wanted to tell, even a pace to the story where major reveals need to be unveiled before going onto the next part. My more recent chapters have a beginning, middle and end (Strangers), or try to balance multiple povs with equal weight (12 Knight). Some may find this writing style too prescriptive, but it's that prescriptiveness that lets me direct exactly where I want to go and what I want to say. Each chapter must progress either the plot (things are Happening) or character (characters must change or learn something new). Or both! Every scene break must have a point, convey something useful to the reader.

What type of work are you trying to do?

Drabbles and oneshots - shorter works - lend themselves more easily to going with the flow. I find longer chaptered works do need some level of planning and forethought in order to be well-structured. What I mean to say is that both writing styles have their merits, and it's fine to favour one or the other. You may also find you adapt writing styles according to what you are writing - an introspective character piece in someone's head - or something thick with plot.

Examples

Time when going with the flow was helpful.

When I wrote ch 1 of Pair of Strangers (I have a feeling you're on the Noblesse side of things, but let me know!) I did not have clear ending in sight. So most of chapter 1 is actually 'go with the flow,' with only a vague plot (find the missing nobles) and character goals (Franken and Rai are able to understand each other). It was only until ch 3, once I had mapped out the rest of the story, that I could begin really driving the story. So going with the flow certainly helped start things off, towards directing a long story.

Time when directing the story improved on going with the flow

In ch 12, the final scene just came flowing out of me, but the key points are entirely different from the version that was posted. In fact, all the major choices in the final scene were changed. For example, both Franken and Elena are hit by the foreman. I changed this to ensure Franken shoves Elena, thus saving her from the foreman. This is more consequential because it tells us something about Franken - he chooses to save Elena, despite what happened in earlier chapters.

In the go-with-the-flow draft, Rai frees Franken and then commands him to leave Elena and save the child. Upon review, why would Franken even hesitate to save the child over Elena? And why should Rai make this decision? This occurs right after their 'argument,' where Franken's faith in Rai is at his lowest. So I changed the choice. The choice in the final version is between the Alderman -- and the child. Now Franken has a huge stake to go and kill the Alderman -- a choice he previously would have no issue making. Fix the root of the problem, do preventative action, instead of going for the short-term, sentimental choice.

But he reacts differently, he goes to save the victim. Moreover, it's Franken that makes this choice. He isn't commanded by Rai. Rai doesn't successfully command Franken in the final scene of ch 12. This is to show the consequences of their 'argument' the scene before. They're all split second decisions - Franken makes every single one to show how things have changed.

That he, at his heart, loves and cares for fellow humans. But Rai...has lost his trust.

All of this was much weaker when I just went with what first flowed out on the page. Now the chapter reinforces the main themes and demonstrates the characters new headspace.

Happy writing

"Which is to say that i'm having trouble separating me and the character."

I hope to lighten your mind on this one, because we are all writing from our own experiences, unique points of view, likes and dislikes. All the characters you write are ultimately voiced by you, the writer. It's the great illusion that writers do - to give life to these characters, as though they are speaking themselves. But don't worry so much if it sounds like you. Why should that be a flaw? It probably sounds like you because you are behind the Wizard of Oz contraption seeing all the bits and bobs behind the scenes. When we read other people's work, we are quite happy to suspend our own disbelief. You don't have any trouble separating you and the character, the character can only be because of you.

I hope this helps you enjoy your writing and not feel afraid to experiment and write bad stuff to get to the good stuff. Happy writing.

[redux-pain]

chapter 12: Missing scene?

[NOTE: This is a very short scene that shows up only in the game files. Both my English and Japanese text files were in Japanese and I thought I'd made a mistake extracting them, but the text was actually left untranslated in the English game as well. It doesn't play at all in the game, so Nami's dialogue should probably include a bark or two from Melody but I can't tell where that would go.

The file has some of the markers used within the game to make text display in certain ways, so even beyond the fact that this is the only time I've ever seen a full missing scene, it seems like this made it pretty far into development before getting axed. It looks like it was going to lead into a scene with Nami at Sweet Ring or something.]

I'm completely guessing here, but: there's one "talking heads" scene in the game where Melody, Nami and Saijou go to Sweet Ring and are served food by Akira. In the game's final form this couldn't happen because Akira's hospitalized right now, but it's possible that this missing scene was once intended to take us there.

Inside the script files, that scene at Sweet Ring (above) has some weird spacing and an unusual number of the special characters that I strip out before I post anything.

There are maybe four or five total scenes that look this, usually short ones. They're never the first thing to appear in a script file, but I think these formatting oddities probably show that these particular sections were worked on separately from everything else, possibly very early in development. I can't guarantee anything, though.

=======

[MISSING CHAPTER 12 SCENE:]

メロディ、遊びにいくよー！

郵便局の外からナミが呼ぶと、 メロディが走って出てきた。

[NAMI:] Let's go play, Melody!

/Melody came running out of the post office in answer to Nami's call./

----

それじゃ、デート開始！！

ねえ、アツキお兄ちゃん。 ナミの一生のお願い聞いてください

私とメロディは、いまとっても ケーキが食べたい気分なんです！

[NAMI:] Okay, let the date begin!

Hey, Atsuki-oniichan. Please listen to my heartfelt request.

Melody and I are really in the mood to eat some cake right now!

[misqnon]

hi, i just read all of ur posts tagged as misqnon's one piece liveblogging and it was so much fun T-T. im here to rant about one piece and im sorry.

i really love seeing people react to content i am caught up with and hold close to my heart.

i got into the 800s in the anime and stopped watching, took a break and then read the manga up to around 1060. but last month i decided to read the whole thing from the beginning and it is genuinely SO WORTH IT.

after u have caught up completely its super rewarding to go back and look at previous chapters bc its constant "oh my god look what was foreshadowed here??" and "now i understand the context behind this!!!" and "this interaction is so much more meaningful now that i know their relationship!!". yes it did take me a whole month of nearly nonstop reading to catch back up but i have 0 regrets.

wano and the arc after it are both super fun and interesting and i think ur gonna love it. the lore is crazy. i hope u dont see any spoilers bc going into it completely blind will probably be way more exciting, especially with the most recent arc since its kinda suspenseful and mysterious,,.

anyways thats all i have to say how do you end these things.. take care!!

AAAAA ANON THIS IS SUCH A FUN MESSAGE TO RECIEVE THANK YOU...

I ended up talking a lot so I'll put this under a cut lol

I used to be the person who said I would never watch one piece 😭😭 I've been into anime since I was like 12 and I'm almost 24 now (fuck . That's like half my life) and obviously it's always been on my radar but I always thought it was 1. Too popular 2. Too Long 3. Hated how oda draws women lmao so I was fine ignoring it and only knowing the basics from just Being On The Internet

I think sometime early on I caved and attempted to watch it- I got to alabasta and stopped bc the anime pacing wasn't doing it for me (though I liked it up until then, but didn't LOVE it)

cut to high-school where a couple of my good friends liked it but we never really talked about it, it was a lifelong interest for one of them bc he'd started reading it on like 4th grade

Well I'm still friends with them (shoutout to sam and seb) and they convinced me to watch one piece film red with them in like July or August of last year bc they were showing me the songs and I, ado fan bc I'm a retired weaboo and a vocaloid Stan, was like "haha that sounds like ado" and they went "IT IS!!!!??" so I had to watch it for her.

again, I was like oh this is fun I like this :^) but no IMMEDIATE interest, more of a passive thing... until the live action came out a month or so later and I watched it just because and DAMN I FELL IN LOVE FAST

I went back to the anime and rewatched the beginning, then skipped back to alabasta where I had left off years and years ago and now I'm Here 🧍

I watched up through part of dressrosa before I started reading the manga, and now I'm doing that while watching certain episodes of just the parts I really wanna see animated

It's been. So Fun

I am now that person who's like Hey You Should Watch One Piece. I get it now. I so get it lmao. And you know the weirdest part is that with it being divided up into arcs like it is I find myself thinking it really doesn't feel that long!?!? Am I insane,

anyways. It's been a while since I was in an active fandom or even in a fandom at all - ESPECIALLY such a big one!?! (I was in college for 4 years and Busy).

but it's. Crazy. I'm writing fanfics and joining discord servers and I've never done that before. it's been very fun and rewarding tbh...I don't like a lot of things about oda and aspects he included and ofc one piece isn't perfect or unproblematic but it IS a really awesome epic of a story about friendship and found family and anti authority and its just.

I'm also a person who's always loved reaction videos or just even seeing otherppl react to things I like so I RELATE AND IM SO GLAD I CAN BE THAT FOR U...

I'm ngl as I've been reading I've been wanting to look up some old one piece forums dated the time certain reveals happened bc I want to see how people felt as this shit came out holy Shit....

it's additionally funny bc this blog is about 10 years old and has amassed a decent amount of followers over the years who were just into some of the other random stuff I've been into but I know a fair amount of them were thinking we were on the same page of not being into one piece and now here I am. Ruining that. And with the pervert character as my favorite no less. lmao SORRYYYY YALL <3

I'll leave u with this message I sent into the discord I share with some friends the other day, none of which really watch op, when asked to explain something about the show. In fact, I think the reasoning for this message was BECAUSE I was explaining to a friend just how much oda foreshadows things!! jinbei, kaido, haki, sanjis backstory, ALL being mentioned by name or referenced DECADES/YEARS BEFORE APPEARING ON SCREEN...HUNDREDS OF CHAPTERS APART....I could rant on more but I'll stop for now.

thank u for the message and feel free to dm me to talk about this silly show anytime bc its sunken its claws into me 😭

[bluespiritpaintedlady]

Just posted chapter 12 & 13 over on Ao3! Yay! And since I’m still behind on here, I’ll put up an excerpt from chapter 9. This is a bit of a rough chapter though. It’s about the main female OC’s past (one part of her continuing backstories) and it’s kinda intense. I’m not really sure which part to include, cuz it’s such heavy material…so I guess I’ll go with the lightest part, I guess. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Anywho, thank you to anyone who has read or will read. I love youuuu! 💙💙💙 Hope you enjoy it.

>>Excerpt from: Love Endures by bluespiritpaintedlady on Ao3<<

Chapter 9: Dead Girl Walking

(She is 6yrs old, almost 7, here)

—————————————————

Thursday, September 7th, 1995

—————————————————

She sat thoughtfully in front of her little play chalkboard wondering what she should draw. She saw sadness in her mom’s eyes lately. Her Mother thought it was well-hidden but Anastasia could see the difference. She’d inherited her mother’s amazing drawing skills and was able to draw very nicely at a young age. This also was a product of the fact that pretty much all she did was read and draw to escape reality as much as she could.

It took her natural talent and honed it into a fine skill. She started her love affair with art at a young age. It’s one of the few things in life that provided a balm on the wounds the world left behind. It was also the only area in her life where she felt she truly excelled. Throughout her life she thought, If I have a chance to do anything in this life, it’s gonna be with art of some kind.

A lightbulb went off in her head.

I know! Mommy is sad because Daddy left, so I’ll draw a picture of us all together.

So she went about doing it. She poured her little heart into the picture, for it was also what she wanted most in the world. Her mother had been harsh before he left but afterwards she upgraded to a new level. Plus, she just missed her dad. She loved him so much. She wanted everything to go back to normal again.

Mommy won’t be sad or as mean and I won’t be sad anymore. Plus, Daddy protects me from her.

When she’d finished, she ran into the other room and shouted, “Mommy! Come look what I drew!”

“Ok, honey. I’m coming”.

She walked in the room and looked at the picture. There were three people, two girls and a boy and one girl was smaller than the rest. The boy had a speech bubble that said, I love you. I’m back!

The little girl looked up at her mother expectantly. She was waiting for the big smile she knew would come and maybe even praise for such a job well done. Instead she just saw a blank face staring back at her. She didn’t quite understand. She thought maybe her mom didn’t know what she was looking at so she proceeded to enlighten her.

“It’s Dad! He came back. See? We’re all together again!”

She looks back up at her mother again.

Now she’ll be happy for sure.

But she was met with an angry expression.

“Stop that! Stop it right now! Erase that and don’t draw shit like that anymore.”

“What? But, but-“

“I SAID STOP IT!”, she screams at the little girl.

The girl completely deflates and whispers a ‘sorry’. The mother stalks out of the room, fuming, and the girl grabs her eraser and begins to furiously wipe the board clean as her shoulders start to bob. Her heart is crushed just a little further.

She doesn't understand the hurt in her mother’s heart over what her Father did. She doesn’t even really understand what her Father did. There were so so many things that she never discovered until she was an adult. There was so much she didn’t understand. There was so much kept from her. Just as her mother had instructed her to never show negative emotions, her mother practiced it to the best of her ability. When she failed it was always in the form of anger and it was almost always directed at her. Especially now that it was just them. Who else did she have to take her anger out on, anyway?

It didn’t stop at suppression of emotions, though. If something bad happened, it was also suppressed, hidden. “If we focus on the negative thing, we too, will become negative. So, there’s no point in dwelling on any of that stuff”, her mother would often say.

So, Anastasia was raised knowing very little of anyone’s history. Her mother cut her off from their extended family and her Father’s as well. The only accepted members of the family were those that shared in the same faith. Everyone else was treated as though they never even existed. This is how her mother handled every aspect of life. If it was good, praise God. If it was bad, it simply didn’t exist. So she grew up isolated in body and in mind.

She sat in her room and cried for a long time. She didn’t dare leave until she was fully in control of her emotions again because she knew if she showed any evidence of bad emotions around her mother, she’d be scolded. When she came out to get something to eat. Her mom greeted her sweetly with a smile as if nothing had happened 30 minutes prior.

“You hungry?”

She got the feeling not for the first time that her mother was some kind of robotic-based life-form. It was so bizarre to her, she couldn’t quite understand it. And when she looked from her mother to herself, she was overwhelmed with shame knowing she’d never be able to control herself to the same degree.

“Yes, mom. Thank you. And I’m sorry I upset you earlier.”

“What? When?”

“With the picture.”

“Oh, that.” She laughs lightly. “No big deal. Just don’t do it again. We don’t need that kind of negativity in the house.”

What the heck? Well, as long as nice mommy’s back. That’s all that matters. I just gotta make sure I don’t make her angry again.

She sat down at the table and watched her mom busy herself in the kitchen.

How did she do it? She has this like, impenetrable armor. I wish I had that. Everything hurts me way too much. The only time I see her not perfect is when she gets angry at me. I wonder why? Is it like some kind of glitch in her programming or something? And she’s been angry sooo much more lately. Something’s broken in there, maybe? I wish I could just be a better kid and then she wouldn’t be so angry all the time. I suck…

She didn’t know her mother had turned to look at her.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, um nothing, Mom. Sorry. Just daydreaming and stuff.”

“Ok. Watch where your mind goes. Keep it on the right track, always. Ok?”

“Yes, Mommy. I will.”

She smiles at her mother and her mother smiles back.

She’s happy! Yay!

They ate in relative peace with only two corrections to her behavior being spoken. Things continued on this way, day in, day out. Anastasia tried to show her perfect behavior as much as she could. But, of course, she couldn’t fully attain it. She would always fall back to earth. She would be scolded, or hit or punished in one way or another. And then when it was over, her mother acted as though it never happened. A continuous cycle.

Perhaps it is needless to say then that Anastasia spent as much time away from the house as she possibly could. Playing by herself or with friends. That’s where she could be free. No prying eyes, no scolding voices, no wagging fingers.

A thought started to take form in her mind like an invasive little weed… Well, if my mom won’t love me like I am, maybe someone else out there will? But she soon found out that the world was filled with terrible people as well. She couldn’t understand.

Why? Why is everyone so evil? Why is this world so messed up?

[ghcstvalleychief]

Not gonna lie, I feel like instead of a season 2 of kinnporsche, they should have made a vegaspete season and only focus on kinnporsche this season so we could have full focus on kinn and porsche because as someone who don't care about vegas and pete, FOR ME the show is lacking of KP focus for their 4 last episodes...

They couldn't have made a season that excluded VegasPete, because VegasPete had about 10 chapters (of about 30+ chapters summed), towards the end, in the KinnPorsche books. Therefore altering the course of events and plot once removed, and it's my understanding that the screenwriter(s) wanted to remain as authentic to the books as possible.

Additionally, most BLs are not made with the intention or foresight to create a second season. The BL/Yaoi genre is very, very niche which means it lacks a lot of sponsors and is the reason why many BLs are so low quality, run on minimal budge, and is likely why most BLs feel so complete since the beginning. Therefore, KinnPorsche the Series was likely created with the intention of it being 1 season like the vast majority of BL shows. The international success was unprecedented, thus opening up the doors for a possible season 2 (though nothing is officially confirmed).

You can't just erase side characters/stories simply because you don't like them... especially when they were written intentionally in a way that coexists with the main plot and main pairing the TV series is adapting from the books...

Its not like they took chapters from the VegasPete novel and included them in the KinnPorsche TV Series just to appease VP fans.

"But the show is called KinnPorsche the Series!" yes, I agree, but VegasPete also had a minimal segment in the KinnPorsche storyline (approximately 10 chapters).

That being said, it is still a KinnPorsche series who's main focus is, and will remain, Kinn and Porsche. That that focus will not be entirely or even majorly taken away from them no matter how much VP fans mumble and grumble about wanting more VegasPete, because the entire show is not about VegasPete, they are being awarded a short segment in a KinnPorsche show.

KinnPorsche the Series will not 🎇 magically🎇 turn into VegasPete the Series even if they do have VegasPete centric episodes.

I never said this show shouldn't have side couples because I don't like them. This is what I actually said -

From a controversial standpoint, I’m gonna say something - there shouldn’t have been any side couples included in this show. Period. I’m not just saying that because I’m biased towards the main couple of this show. I’m saying it because it’s true. Side couples take away from the flow of the episodes and the season by default. It literally fucks up the equilibrium of the show and that’s probably why some people feel like this show is too choppy or too all over the place.

Now, what about that gives you the idea I want those couples gone because I dislike them? I don't dislike KimChay; the pairing has made little to no impression on me whatsoever, so that argument doesn't apply here. The point still stands - a lot of naysayers on the internet that have suddenly realized they hate this show after 12 episodes are constantly talking about how much whiplash they get from it. They're constantly talking about how uneven the tone and direction of the show is. You're going from Vegas whipping Pete to Kinn and Porsche on a helicopter ride in the same episode. That made no sense. That is the whiplash people are talking about. Personally, I would have preferred if they would have just dedicated one whole episode to the VP Shenanigans so I could skip it and where it's not giving anyone who's watching whiplash.

Think about this - Vegas drugged Porsche and attempted to sexually assault him. Where in the story does Porsche find out? He could have found that out during the episode 10 debacle but he didn't. That would have been the perfect time in the story for that reveal to have happened. They wasted time on trivial crap instead of spending it on things that would have ultimately moved this plot along. Again, yes or no? And why wasn't it possible for them to do so? Because now, any 'redemption' Vegas has will be unearned because they have yet to tackle that whole issue but the writers are speeding his redemption along because they want to rush his relationship with Pete.

So, the side couples didn't have enough time to be properly developed so they literally make no sense whatsoever. They could have made sense in a second season, but they won't make sense in this one. It's like how most of the fandom were confused when Chay confessed his love to Kim. No one thought that was cute. Everyone thought that was too soon. He's in love but does he even know Kim's last name? We're all theorizing and assuming things, but we don't even know how Kim really feels about Chay. Everything that's been said on here in a meta is nothing more than conjecture. Nothing in canon proves that Kim feels deep romantic feelings for Chay.

In summation, the only thing we do agree on is this - this show is not going to become the VP Show, regardless of how many VP centric scenes we get. You're right about that and I absolutely agree. KP is the only relationship in this show that has decent development as a couple. The other pairings in this show have moved at the speed of lightning with less screentime and less development. Which, again, was caused because the writers had no time to fully flesh them out so this is what you're left with. Coexisting is fine, but is it working out? If one couple's relationship development is almost perfect but the other two aren't, then it's not working. This method does not work. It doesn't matter if I like these ships or not. Objectively speaking, how I feel about them doesn't matter because whatever this is isn't working anyway.

[maplecornia]

chapter 9

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 2.61K

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | bts x female!reader | ot7

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: You watched them from the sidelines ever since you were a young teenage girl. Now you’re grown up, they’ve returned after 2 long years and everything has changed. What happens when you pull back the mask and find the darkness within? What happens when you see that they’re broken?

𝔞/𝔫: this chapter makes me laugh, especially the scene with Jojo and Namjoon.

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: cliffhangers | angst | fluff | slight mentions of self hatred | depression | mental health illness | self harm | occurs in the year 2024 | set in a timeline where BTS went to the military together | slight language

tags:@kookaine |@fangirl125reader |@kookiebbyxx |@taradevonne

You’ve been waiting for an hour.

Tilting your head back, you sigh, extremely bored.

You've tried everything you could think of to bypass the time. Reading, writing, watching YouTube, then switching over to Netflix, even attempting to doze in the slightly uncomfortable waiting room chair.

None of them have worked.

Currently, you're doodling in your sketchbook, but no concrete idea comes to mind for the sketch. Leaving you with tiny flowers, faces, and body parts on the page as though it were a practice sheet.

Peering over the sketchbook, you scan the room for any sign of life, but as the day has dragged on, so has the crowd.

You don't see any sign of Kim Namjoon anywhere, and the receptionist hasn't called you over ever since you turned in the forms she gave you. Uninterested, your eyes glazing over, you pull out your phone, peering at the time.

12:30 pm.

Heaving a sigh, you tilt your head back, the music playing through your GalaxyBuds. Yet it does no good to lift your spirits.

You suppose it's only fair, you made him wait, now it's his turn.

Setting your phone down once more, you purse your lips, as your gaze falls on a flower swaying in the wind outside.

It's the only flower you can see amongst the bush. It stands almost forlornly in the midst of multiple of its fellow brethren withered around it. Still, it stands strong, unwilling to fall victim to the harsh weather outside.

A thought crossing your mind, you turn to your sketchbook, quickly turning the page and beginning a vigorous sketch before you lose your idea.

Unbeknownst to you, as you progress halfway through the sketch, Kim Namjoon bursts into the lobby, looking out of breath and flustered.

He wears a bright white T-shirt, one with a small black Nike emblem across his left pectoral muscle. It hangs sort of loose around his neck, his collarbone visible as cooling sweat causes him to glisten like a bright star.

It's not as noticeable, considering that he wears a thick black sweatshirt zipped down around his shoulders. It's simple, with thin white stripes running down the sleeves and white soft underlining to it.

The black sweats he wears seem to fit with the outfit, the same white stripes running down each pant leg. Each piece of clothing has a Nike emblem on it and pairs well with the white Nike AirForces he wears on his feet.

They’re simple but rich clothes and bring to mind the same clothes Jungkook was wearing before.

The cooling sweat on his skin and the way his hair falls a bit messily underneath his cap could lead to the presumption that they were doing a major dance practice before all of this.

No matter the case, he didn't expect the meeting to take this long, and he feels terrible for making you wait, despite everything. As he looks for any sign of you, he doesn't find any.

Worried that you have already left, he knocks on the front desk, gathering the attention of the receptionist that helped you earlier. Kim Jojo raises her head, and as she catches sight of RM, her eyes widen just the slightest bit, but not enough for him to notice.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Namjoon, what can I--”

“Yes, yes hello.” Namjoon interrupts her, too panicked to care about formalities.

He wants to catch you before you get tired of waiting and leave. First impressions are everything to him, and if he has a bad one…Shaking the worry away, he leans forward over the counter separating the receptionist from him and she flinches away at the sudden closeness.

RM either doesn't notice or doesn't care, but either way, he meets her with an intent stare, every word uttered from his lips urgent and careful.

“Has anyone by the name of Lin Yen come in?” The receptionist opens her mouth to respond but before she can say anything, he holds up a finger.

A thought having crossed his mind, he reaches into his back pocket, bringing out his phone. He tries to bring up the picture of you while Jojo stands there, half in shock, half in annoyance. As soon as he finds it, he lets out a little victory shout, one that startles her.

Grinning, he presents it to her, and she peers at a strange picture of you. After she looks at it, Jojo pulls back, her brows crinkling in confusion.

“She looks like this. If she came in, could you please tell me? I've been waiting since 8:00 this morning to meet her.” Jojo sighs, trying to gain her composure before responding.

“Mr. Namjoon--” she begins, but Namjoon interrupts once more.

“She’s my new assistant, you see, and I need to begin her training today. She needs to know the ropes before our busy season comes back around.” He explains, pulling the phone back and trying to pocket it once more.

Instead, he ends up knocking over a container filled with an assortment of pens and pencils. Surprised, he fumbles to pick it up but ends up spilling it all over the floor. Cursing under his breath, he reaches down to pick up some pencils that have fallen.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jojo picks up the container, righting it on the counter with a loud thud. Startled, RM glances up at her eyes wide, and she smiles sweetly.

“Please, just leave it.” She says between her teeth. He shrugs, almost reluctantly standing. She sighs in relief, carefully putting the pens and pencils back in their place.

“Now...Mr. Namjoon, please listen--” once more, she cannot finish, Namjoon unable to shut up to save his life.

“I’m sorry, but if you need any more information on her I could--”

“Kim Namjoon!” This time it's Jojo's turn to interrupt him, her patience finally wearing thin.

RM instantly falls silent, a bit surprised at the outburst.

Jojo takes a steadying breath before continuing.

“Now, the person you are talking about has already come in. I told her you were in a meeting and had her wait in the waiting room for you to return.” At the information, RM turns to the waiting room where he catches sight of you for the first time in real life.

He notices you vigorously sketching out your idea. Smiling, he can't help but smile at the familiarities he finds in you. You look exactly like the picture Jaejin sent, despite how weird it was.

“I had expected to receive a notice of your return, so I could send her to you, but now that you're here….” Namjoon turns away from you and flashes his contagious smile at Jojo who is once more taken aback.

“Thank you,” Namjoon says with gratitude, reaching across the desk and holding her hand as he bows before turning away.

Jojo, watching him go, turns beet red before collapsing behind the desk in exhaustion. Another fellow receptionist cries out with alarm before tending to her in concern.

You, once more, having no awareness of the events happening around you, continue to sketch. Having finished the rough sketch you begin to define every line, detail, and curve. As you work, you bite the inside of your cheek, sometimes licking your lips in your trance of concentration.

When you're lost in your mind of imagination and creativity, nothing from the outside world can distract you.

And yes, that also includes a very tall, very real version of Kim Namjoon striding towards you.

You don't look up as he comes within a few feet in front of you. You don't even notice as he bends to your eye level, trying to catch your attention. It doesn't break your concentration, even as you reach for an eraser, lightly humming to the music playing in your ears. He smiles, almost laughing at your concentration before he covers his mouth, trying to be quiet so that you don't notice he’s there.

Trying to tease you, he carefully (as much as he’s able) sits down next to you. He was planning on pulling out one of your GalaxyBuds and surprising you, but as he catches a glimpse of your work, he’s stopped cold.

It's breathtaking.

You have created an awestruck image of a woman, on her knees. She wails out in agony as she sits amongst a pile of ash, flecks of it falling around her as though there's a fire burning nearby.

However, that’s not what catches Namjoon’s eye.

Amongst the ash, if anyone looks closely, they'll be able to see that there are small, scattered remains of bones hidden.

She sits amongst them, wailing, the look on her face one of pure anguish and sorrow as the ash from the fading bones stains her skin and her dress.

As though she has lost everyone she’s held, dear.

RM can't seem to look away, entranced by the grotesque beauty of the image and the talent of the artist.

He admires the way you set it up, the way you created the girl imperfectly, but still real. Because after all, who in real life is perfect? As he watches your pencil move expertly across the page, he can't help but think that with each stroke, the creation grows more and more lifelike.

As though she were truly crying out in the pain her heart brings. As though she were alive and breathing.

Almost against his wishes, his hand reaches out to touch the paper, if only to make sure that the actual sketch is truly a mere fabrication of pencil and paper.

As his fingers graze the parchment, that is when you snap out of your concentration.

Eyes widening, you jolt up straight, immediately turning to look at your side.

As soon as your eyes meet Namjoon’s, his hand flinches off the paper. He lets out a soft gasp as he flinches away, surprised by your sudden attention.

Just like with Jungkook, you're frozen in place.

Unable to move.

Unable to function.

Unable to speak.

And just like Jungkook, Namjoon is the same way.

But for a different reason.

He was caught in the act, and he doesn't know what to do.

Your eyes hold him in a sort of bind.

For a moment he forgets what he was doing there, he forgets what his purpose is, for a moment he even forgets why you are there.

For a split second, it's just you and him in a pocket in space.

Your eyes holding his, his eyes holding yours.

Kim Namjoon.

The leader of BTS. The first member of the group you have grown to love. Talented, handsome, a practical genius, he is just as mature and intimidating as you expected him to be.

Despite how close the two of you are sitting, he still seems larger than life, and for a moment, you wonder if he’s even real.

He doesn't seem like it after all.

His skin seems too real, too perfect. His hair is too soft, too smooth. His eyes are too warm and too brown.

Almost exactly like the milky chocolate brown you’ve seen so often in so many photos, except for one thing.

As you stare into them, you can see life so clearly alight in them. How they reveal so many emotions at the same time. There are so many that it's almost impossible to read them at all. Serene and peaceful, they are poets' eyes.

So emotional, yet so mysterious and secretive at the same time.

Dreamboat eyes.

“Kim Namjoon?” you whisper, almost unsure if it's him or not.

As you do, his face makes that mixed expression between confusion and amusement as he chuckles softly, looking away and breaking the connection. Holding his hand up to his mouth, he nods, clearing his throat, but not saying anything for a moment.

“Yes, that's who I am, and you must be...Lin Yen?” your heart jumps at the fact that he knows your name.

Speechless, all you can do is nod mutely as he utters another adorable chuckle, one that always seems to remind you of Goofy.

“Jaejin didn't tell me you were an artist.” As soon as he says that, you notice that your sketchbook is still open, and showcasing your imperfect, unready sketch.

Panicking, you fumble to get it closed. Blushing, you hug it tightly to your chest, as though it could erase the fact that he just got a sneak peek into your very soul.

“What's wrong? It was good!” RM asks, worried.

Biting your bottom lip in trepidation, you shake your head, hiding your face.

“Don't lie….” you mumble.

You know it wasn't close to being done, and it wasn't nearly as perfect as it could have been. You're quite disappointed in it at the moment. You feel as though it was too rushed due to the many ideas pouring out from your brain at the exact moment.

As you take an ashamed peek at Namjoon, you find him staring at you, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“What's wrong, are you okay?” he asks, tilting his head as though you were a shy child. You smirk, playing along and nodding very slowly before he continues.

“I see. You should know, however, that you are very talented.” At the compliment, you snort in disbelief, shoving the sketchbook and pencils back safely in your satchel.

“Please.” You sigh. “I know I'm no Picasso, and certainly not talented.”

Finished with packing your art supplies, you are reminded of the reason you are here. A blush of shame appearing on your cheeks, you turn to Namjoon, a bit guiltily.

“And I’m also not known as the bird to rise before the worm.” RM seems a bit confused before you stand and bow to him in apology.

“I am so sorry for being late today. You see I….”

Remembering the receptionist's words from before, you decide to keep the reason to yourself.

“....I have nothing to say for myself. I'm sincerely sorry.”

“Please, there’s no need for that,” Namjoon responds, standing himself and tapping you on the shoulder.

At the touch, you stand straight, only to find an extremely tall man standing before you, looking more intimidating than before. Heart beating fast you gulp, stepping back a bit.

Luckily, he doesn't notice your act of distance and just smiles at you before continuing.

“After all, I was late as well, so let's call it even, huh?”

You smirk and nod, thankful that he’s not too angry about it, but it doesn't completely erase your guilt.

“But now that you mention it….” Namjoon starts and intrigued, you glance up to see him back up a bit as well.

Confused, you raise an eyebrow before he holds out his hand to you.

“My name is Kim Namjoon, I’ll be your boss during your time here. First and foremost, welcome to BigHit entertainment, I hope you enjoy your time working here with us.” He introduces himself, warmly.

Catching on, you take his hand, shaking it gently, and trying to ignore the fact that yours is much more like a child's compared to his.

“Hello, Mr. Namjoon! It's a pleasure to finally meet you, my name is Lin Yen and I look forward to working with you!” you respond, returning his grin with one of your own.

After you're finished introducing yourself, he releases your hand and steps back, taking your satchel in his hands and handing it to you.

“Well, Ms. Lin, are you ready to begin?” He asks, and you accept the offer, hiking the satchel on your shoulder before looking up at him in expectation.

“Where do we start?”

𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢: first day at work is finally starting, yall excited? eheheehehe get ready for some namjooon and yen moments to come

chapter 10 here

check the Infinite Stars masterlist for more chapters

check my BTS masterlist for other BTS content

check out my masterlist for other kpop fanfics

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S1:E1; Chapter One, The Vanishing of Will Byers - [Pt. 3 - FINAL]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘖𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The guys and I were quick to pack up our belongings before making a beeline for Mr. Clarke's desk, eager to see if the Heathkit came. All the while Mr. Clarke was reminding the already fleeting class of our homework assignment.

"Remember, finish chapter 12 and answer 12.3 on the difference between an experiment and other forms of science investigation. This will be on the test, which will cover chapters 10 through 12. It will be multiple choice with an essay section." His voice faltered towards the end of his sentence as he realized no one had been paying attention.

His head turned to us and he didn't seem too surprised to see us so eager. Mike couldn't take the wait any longer and spoke up on the behalf of all of us.

"So, did it come?"

Mr. Clarke looked solemn. "Sorry, guys," Our heads began to hang in disappointment at his words. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but... It came!"

My face lit up with relief. We followed Mr. Clarke down the halls in anticipation. Mike got to the door first and eagerly threw it open, the rest of us close on his tail.

"Yes!"

Since Mike was the first through the door, naturally he dove for the desk chair as the rest of us scuttled over each other, each of trying to get a close look at it. Lucas and I seemed to have the same idea as we fiddled with the knobs on the Heathkit as Mr. Clarke addressed the new device we were all so eager to see.

"The Heathkit ham shack," The boys and I were in awe.

"Ain't she a beaut?" Mr. Clarke sighed. Dustin then spoke up. "I bet you could talk to New York on this thing."

"Think bigger." Said Mr. Clarke. I rose my eyebrow and looked to my teacher as I questioned, "California?"

"Bigger." 'No way.'

"Australia?" Mike pressed. We all turned out heads hopefully to Mr. Clarke as he responded with a smile and the shake of his head. We all exclaimed.

"Oh man," Lucas chuckled in excitement. "When Will sees this, he's totally gonna blow his shit." My smile faltered at the mention of Will, as Mr. Clarke scolds Lucas for his foul language. Lucas apologized turning back to the Heathkit, and I shake my head slightly trying to get my mind off of Will.

Lucas seems to have found the right settings on the dials based on the high pitch frequencies coming out of the Heathkit. Mike has the headphones on and begins to speak into the mic in an Australian accent.

"'Ello, this is Mike Wheela', president of Hawkins Middle AV Club."

Dustin then practically ripped the headphones off of Mike's head, a big goofy grin on his face as he placed them on his head. Mike was in a fit of giggles as he spoke. "What are you doing?" Dustin proceeded to do the exact same thing as Mike just moments ago.

"'Ello, this is Dustin, and this is the secretary and treasurer of Hawkins Middle AV Club. Do you eat kangaroos for breakfast?" I giggle, shaking my head thinking about the poor confused soul who is stuck listening to the boys ramble on. As Lucas grabs for the headphones, I turn around so I'm facing Mr. Clarke, and I give a polite, yet warm smile. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome Mr. Henderson," He returned the smile, seeming appreciative of the fact that at least one of us said 'Thank you'. He has always been a great teacher, and I don't think anybody ever really appreciates or even thanks him very much. I can't imagine how frustrating it can be as a teacher. I laugh to myself at the sight of my friends playfully fighting over who gets to use it next, when our fun gets cut short at the sound of a knock on the door. We all turn our heads to see the Principle walk in, a couple of men behind him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but, uh, may I borrow Y/N, Michael, Lucas, and Dustin?" To say my stomach dropped would be an understatement as I got a better look at the men out in the hallway and realized it was the Chief and one of his officers.

My mouth ran dry.

'Will.'

The four of were seated on the couch in the Principal's office, Chief Hopper, and officer Callahan - I believe his name was - seated in chairs opposite us. I was seated between Mike and Dustin, I kept my mouth shut unless told otherwise, and my hands have woven together in my lap, much too afraid to do otherwise. The boys, on the other hand, were freaking out and all trying to speak at once. I tried nudging them warningly with my elbows but they just ignored me. It seemed I had made the right choice in being quiet, as Hopper seemed to have gotten impatient almost immediately.

"Okay, okay, okay. One at a time all right? You." He points Mike. Mike shakes his head. "You said he takes what?"

"Mirkwood."

"Mirkwood." His face scrunched up in confusion.

"Yes," I croaked involuntarily, wanting to explain to him that it is just our name for road.

"Have you ever heard of Mirkwood?" He turned to the officer.

"I have not. That sounds made up to me." The officer replied. This timid, awkward man gave me the impression he was more of a 'Yes-man' and knew nothing about what he was doing.

"No, it's from Lord of the Rings."

'Oh, here we go.' I think to myself, sighing.

"Well, The Hobbit."

Mike and I look at each other, knowing what's happening.

"It doesn't matter." Lucas retorted.

"Knock it off!" I warn, trying my best to throw my whisper across the couch without drawing attention to myself.

"He asked!" Dustin nearly shouted.

"Guys!" I hissed.

"'He asked'" Lucas mimicking Dustin, not even listening to me.

I looked over at Mike for help but he is already checked out.

They continue talking over each other in a childish manner and the chief leans forward trying to silence them.

"Hey, hey, hey!" They quieted down finally. "What'd I just say? One at a damn time. You." He nodded to me. He seemed to tolerate just Mike and me.

"Mirkwood, as Mike was saying. It is a real road. It's just the name that's made up, it's what we call it. It's where Cornwallis and Kerley meet." I finish.

He seems satisfied, finally having a straightforward answer. He leans back in his chair, talking now to Callahan.

"Yeah, all right, I think I know that—"

"We can show you, if you want." Mike offered hopefully, cutting the chief off mid-sentence.

"I said that I know it!"

"We can help look."

"Yeah" Dustin added hopefully.

"No."

And just like that, the boys begin to talk over each other once again. Knowing better than to waste my breath trying to shut them up, I sit back once again, hands in my lap waiting for the Chief to continue.

"No," He says loud enough to quiet the boys. "After school, you are to all go home. Immediately. That means no biking around looking for your friend, no investigating, no nonsense. This isn't some Lord of the Rings book."

"The Hobbit."

"Shut up!" Lucas gave Dustin a swat on the arm.

Dustin reached over and hit Lucas back, knocking me and Mike back in the process. I roll my eyes in annoyance, and fight every urge I have not to shout at them.

"Hey!"

Mike finally snaps. "Stop it!"

They continue hitting each other and Hopper finally leans over and says quietly, in an irritated tone. "Do I make myself clear?"

I was the only one paying attention so based on his tired, lowered voice and his eyes on me, I could tell he was just talking to me at this point.

I shook my head. "Yes," I mutter.

He nodded his head at me in thanks. All the while, the boys were still bickering. Hopper's gaze landed on the boys, and he stood up and walked forward towards us. The way his tall frame towered over us was overwhelming, and enough to shut the boys up. In a deep, intimidating voice, he repeated his words, slowly.

"Do I make myself... clear?" The boys nod their heads in fear, their necks craning up to meet his eyes.

"Yes, sir."

"Yeah."

"Yes."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

I've been laying in my bed, staring at the ceiling for about thirty minutes, give or take a few. I had managed to do all of my school work, including my project that wasn't due for another week and a half, read three books — granted, they were fairly short — and I was still left with nothing to do but worry about Will. The fact that I'm not allowed to help is driving me crazy, even though I keep trying to tell myself the adults are better equipped to deal with this stuff. My thoughts are interrupted by the crackling of the walkie-talkie that was sitting on my dresser. Since our mom couldn't afford two walkie-talkies, Dustin and I share one. I usually have it though so I can talk to Will.

The voice coming through sounded like Mike. Rather than getting my hopes up I just decided to stay put, staring at my ceiling, listening in.

"Lucas, do you copy? It's Mike. Lucas? Over."

"Hey, it's Lucas."

"I know it's you. And say 'over' when you're done talking so I know when you're done. Over." I roll my eyes and smile.

"I'm done. Over." I chuckle at this.

"I'm worried about Will. Over." My smile quickly falls.

I can hear Lucas sigh. "Yeah. This is crazy. Over."

"I was thinking..." Now I was really paying attention. "Will could've cast Protection last night, but he didn't. He cast fireball. Over." I sat up slowly, my eyebrows furrowed at the walkie.

"What's your point? Over."

"My point is... he could've played it safe, but he didn't. He put himself in danger to help the party. Over." A bittersweet smile flutters across my face briefly at this.

"Meet me in ten. Over and out."

'To hell with adults.' I tell myself. I leap off my bed and grab the walkie, knowing they'll still be able to hear me.

"Forgetting someone? Over."

"Y/n? Over." It was Mike.

"Don't worry, I'll let Dustin know. Over and out."

I retract the walkie before shoving it into my bag and heading for Dustin's room.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Once I had caught Dustin up on everything, the four of us had met up and we are now currently riding down Mirkwood. The thought of my best friend disappearing right here, exactly 24 hours ago was enough to give me chills.

"Ah, man. This is it." Lucas broke the silence as we approached the barrier closing off the path where his bike was supposedly found. We all came to a stop.

For a brief moment, the woods were lit up by lighting in the distance as thunder bellowed across the sky. Dustin looked up at the blanket of clouds above the trees, his voice shaking.

"Hey, guys. You feel that?" He was obviously referring to the rain that fell on his face. I roll my eyes. "I think maybe we should go back."

"No!" Mike and I said simultaneously.

"We're not going back. Just stay close." Mike and Lucas continued on into woods. I was eager to follow them but not without trying to reassure my brother.

"Dustin, he's right. Look, I know you're scared right now, okay? I'm scared too, but can you even imagine how scared Will must be? We have to do this. For Will." I didn't wait for a reply and ran to catch up with Mike and Lucas.

Knowing my brother, he would rather stay in a group than split up. Sure enough, he gave in.

"Hey, guys, wait up!" He said, dropping his bike. "Wait up!"

We started walking again, and as we did it I could feel the rain start to soak my neck and shoulders. I pulled my hood up over my head, turning on my flashlight and set off into the night, eager to find my friend.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The thunder rumbled, and as we ventured deeper into the forest I could feel the light drizzle of rain evolving into a steady downpour.

"WILL!"

"WILL!" I cried.

"Byers!" Lucas yelled.

Dustin tried a different approach. "I've got your X-Men 134!"

Our flashlights were hardly making a difference at this point. Dustin spoke up again. "Guys, I really think we should turn back."

"Seriously, Dustin?" Lucas exclaimed. "You wanna be a baby, then go home already!"

"I'm just being realistic Lucas!"

"No, you're just being a big sissy."

"Did you ever think Will went missing because he ran into something bad? And we're going to the exact same spot where he was last seen? And we have no weapons or anything?"

I start to slow down once I heard something in the bushes.

"Dustin, shut up." Mike spoke up.

'Okay, thankfully, Mike must have heard it too.'

"I'm just saying, does that seem smart to you?"

"Dustin!" I snap. "Zip it!"

Now the rustling was loud and clear.

"Did you guys hear that?" Mike asks.

I just shake my head, looking around for the source of the noise. The rustling is louder than ever and we all turn in the direction it came from. All our flashlights pointed in that direction. Then we heard it again. It was right behind us. We whipped around to find a girl, with a buzz cut, wearing nothing but 'Benny's Burgers' tee t-shirt. We all stood there, mouths agape at this girl, shivering and cowering in fear.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

❥ Let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist! ❥

[j-minte08]

Why do I award BalanWonderworld as a masterpiece?

Introduction

⚠️I'm using a translator, so I apologize if any parts are difficult to read.

In this article, I will write about why I award Balan Wonderworld as a masterpiece, with answers to criticisms.

When I played the demo version, I thought this game was SO BAD. But I believed Yuji Naka and bought the full version. (Before I knew it, I had bought four of them...) I'm not raving blindly about it.

At first, I was hopelessly disappointed because nothing had changed from the demo version. However, in chapters 2 and 3, I was impressed by the three-dimensionality and beauty of the stages, and in chapter 4, I realized the comfort of gaining freedom through the acquisition of costumes.

By the time I was completely finished, I was convinced that this game was a great piece of work.

This is an article that I wrote after spending nearly 100 hours on this game.

I hope you will read it.

Main part

First of all, this game is not a game with flashy action as its primary objective. (Flashy battle action is possible in some scenes.)

【Puzzle】　【RPG】　【Exploration】

It is structured around these three main components.

The game also features a "Balance AI" that senses the player's movements and makes changes to the difficulty and world. There is also a presentation of my own work, so please take a look!

Please read with the above in mind.

■ One button action is stressful.

▶︎ As mentioned earlier, this game is not intended for flashy action. At its root, it is an RPG and does not require multiple buttons. The reason it's a simple operation is because it doesn't need to be.

There is only one button, but instead the player is given the freedom to select up to three actions of their choice. The way to play Balan is to find your own strategy within these constraints.

Some people point out that you can't jump, but only a few outfits limit jumping. Most of them are attack-oriented outfits. It's up to you to decide whether you want more attack power or more movement power.

If you're still not convinced, this game just isn't to your liking.(If that's you, I recommend the Wii version of Rodea.)

NiGHTS and Sonic are also action games with simple controls, but the concept is different from Baran, as explained below.

From the very beginning, NiGHTS and Sonic are one-button games that allow for exhilarating action. The action feels good and allows for improvement through trial and error.

However, Balan begins in a state of helplessness. One of his goals is to use his wits and eventually gain the power to run freely around the three-dimensional stage.

Freedom from discomfort. This catharsis is the best part of Balan.

It is also linked to the story's theme of opening closed minds.

■ The structure of the puzzle is sketchy.

▶︎ There is an intention behind this. By making the puzzle structure more flexible, the player is given more choices.

Therefore, each player will have a completely different solution to obtaining a single statue.

Also, each time you play the game, you will find new strategies, making it a game that can be played repeatedly.

This is the reason why Yuji Naka was so confident about this game.

Personally, I think that this action with a puzzle concept has a similar point of view to card games and rock-paper-scissors.

The Mega Man series is a typical example of a game that requires you to observe the situation and your opponent's movements to find the right technique and move. In fact, there is a famous episode where it was derived from rock-paper-scissors. This is also a game where you can enjoy improving through trial and error, but I think the structure of the rules is similar to that of Balan.

■ It's a pain to stock up on costumes.

▶︎ There is no need to overstock costumes. The minimum number of costumes needed to clear the course will naturally be available. Dependence on certain costumes can make the game monotonous. Also, the BalanceAI can sense your movements and take countermeasures.

As the difficulty level increases, you will have a hard time because the costumes will not come back.

The game is made more interesting by the style of play that allows you to use all the costumes to their fullest extent and bring out the true value of each one.

If you run out, explore the stage while collecting costumes. It may lead to new discoveries.

Even if you don't have a specific costume, there are many situations you can get through by applying other costumes.

This degree of freedom is what makes Balan so interesting. The strategy is left to your imagination.

■ The stage is curved. Isn't this a useless design?

▶︎ The curvature of the map allows you to see every corner of the stage. You may be confused because there is no other game that tries to do something like this. However, this is an ideal map for exploration games.

The basics of this gimmick are used as of chapter 1. Chapter 7, which has particularly large differences in elevation, makes good use of this gimmick.

■ The difficulty level is too low.

▶︎ Basics → Application → Review (Boss battle)

This game is designed to follow the above flow thoroughly. As a result, the difficulty level in the early stages is kept low, but the endgame is quite difficult. I almost lost my mind in chapter 12.

The bosses are easy to defeat. However, it is difficult to conquer all three strategy patterns.

Also, if you keep defeating enemies quickly without taking damage, the difficulty level will increase.Stronger and faster enemies will appear in large numbers.I found the difficulty level increased at chapter 3.

In other words, the difficulty of the game depends on how good you are.

■ I want to have a HP separate from my costume.

▶︎ This system prompts the player to use a different costume in case of failure.

Depending on the situation, you can either sacrifice valuable costumes, or use inconvenient but well-stocked costumes... The game throws a variety of choices at the player. This gameplay becomes more apparent as the difficulty level increases.

If you separate the HP from the costume, this tense gameplay will be lost.

The system of choosing outfits based on what will happen next fosters the ability to think and survive on one's own. It will also help the child's ego independence.

■ I need more explanations and hints. It's designed in an unfriendly way.

▶︎ It's not a game that requires you to do anything difficult, so if you think about it, you should be able to understand it to some extent. All you have to do is immerse yourself in collecting statues by any route you can think of.

Some people criticize Balan for being old-fashioned, but they are missing the point.

Games are essentially content that teaches you to think and act for yourself. This is a posting of what games should be, and a refreshing return to the basics.

However, I don't mean to criticize modern games. The immersive feeling of being in a movie, and the friendly design of the UI that shows you where you are going so you don't get lost. I think it's a beautiful evolution for today's hectic world where it's hard to find time to be alone.

However, to be honest, it is abnormal to say that only works that follow the latest trends are evaluated, and it is difficult to say that there is creativity in such works. Evolving technology and the presence or absence of originality have completely different meanings.

I would like to say that games like Balan, which have their own rules and think for themselves, are what we need today.

■ I don't understand the story. I want subtitles.

▶︎ With both video and dubbing, the amount of information is extremely high. By not using real words, all the people in the world have the exact same experience. Very romantic, don't you think?

It's not to dismiss the unspoken parts as non-existent, but to let your imagination run wild and have fun with it.

Since ancient times, there has been an aesthetic in Asia that finds meaning in blank spaces.

If you want a more substantial story, I recommend the novel version, which probably has what you want. It is available for Kindle.

At the end

Balan Wonderworld is a game designed to grow with the player the more time they spend playing.

Despite its gorgeous visuals, the reality of the story is deep and Yuji Naka's philosophy shines through, making it a masterpiece that can be called a compilation of his work.

At first, you may find some scenes difficult or the system annoying. However, they all have a meaning and will make sense as you continue to play.

Balan is built on a very complete system.

EVERY MOMENT IS AN ADVENTURE... This tagline is true.

But the fact is that Balan is a very peaky game. But that's also true for Sonic and NiGHTS.

If you have enjoyed Yuji Naka's past works, you will surely understand the quality of Balan. I recommend that you take the time to face this game first without any preconceived notions.

Now that I've spoken highly of Balan, I'd like to offer some criticism of the official advertising.

I think the main reason for this failure was the poor choice of stages included in the demo version, which made it difficult to convey the fun of expanding the degree of freedom by acquiring costumes, the sense of freedom, and the fun of being able to create a number of unique strategies.

As for the official SNS, rather than introducing the costumes and the storyline by themselves, the official should have done a better job of showing how they are all connected to make this game interesting.

That's how it looked from my personal point of view, but I believe that the current situation is the result of continuous failures in the area of advertising.

I'm so disappointed that this masterpiece is being buried, and I hope that the officials will have the guts to turn its reputation upside down even now.

Hopefully, this game will get the recognition it deserves. I love Balan Wonderworld.

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: The Anime (pt. 1)

I could go on and on about these two and I think I will, just because I don’t often see people talk about the analysis behind them. The meta I have seen about them has included a perspective that equaled the anime and the manga and I don’t think that’s an accurate way of viewing their relationship.

The anime is a different species than the manga, something that frequently happens during the adaptation from page to screen. Since they’re so different, I’ll analyze them separately.

There's going to be many parts to this so I'll keep a table of contents right here so people can more easily navigate (though you can also read through the "let's talk about natsumikan: the anime" tag on my blog):

Anime Analysis

Part 1: Exposition & Episode 7

Part 2: Episodes 8, 9, 10, & 11

Part 3: Episodes 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17

Part 4: Episodes 18 & 19

Part 5: Episodes 20, 21, & 22

Part 6: Episodes 23, 24, 25, & 26 & Conclusion

The anime makes changes, as anime adaptations often do. The most outstanding changes are appearance related, as Natsume now has brown eyes instead of red, in addition to other characters who have hue-shifted eyes and hair. But there are also story changes, and I’ll be focusing on the changes that occur, specifically in regards to Natsume and Mikan and their relationship.

For one, their relationship starts evolving much earlier in the anime. I think it’s pretty undeniable that in the anime, Natsume started liking Mikan at the end of the dodgeball game. That scene never happened in the manga, but in the anime, it’s a crucial step in making sure nothing seems too sudden or forced.

The anime is 26 episodes long. If Natsume only starts liking Mikan after she saves him during the Reo Arc, then we’re already halfway through the show when positive feelings between the two appear. On the other hand, the feelings develop more slowly in the manga because there’s more time to properly develop the relationship in a more drawn out way.

My analysis will start with the anime, because it’s shorter and easier to discuss.

Exposition

It’s impossible to say that the anime was completely loyal to the manga. It very frequently couldn’t be, because it needed to fill in time in episodes or give closure early before the manga even addressed it (Natsume’s backstory in the anime, for instance, is vaguely referred to and implies deviation from the manga).

The most obvious difference between the manga and the anime from the get-go is visual. Not only do they have differing art styles (I don’t dislike the anime style but Higuchi Tachibana’s art style is so distinct and unmistakable while the anime’s isn’t so unique), but the setting is also different.

While the manga started in the depth of winter, the anime starts off in summer/fall. It always struck me as odd that while the first page of the manga has Mikan running after Hotaru in full winter-wear, the anime starts off warm and idyllic. You could almost think of that as a general warning for the difference between the anime and the manga. After all, while the anime has a reputation for being a cutesy and upbeat story about friendship and magical powers, the manga is much darker and discusses many morbid and depressing themes that can and WILL fuck you up. Warm vs. cold seems like an accurate difference, though I don’t think that was intentional.

We see way more of the village life in the anime, including Mikan’s efforts to keep the school from closing. This is a welcome change because Mikan’s passion to keep the school open is nothing compared to her friendship with Hotaru, and even after the school is saved, she runs away to see her friend, even if it means she goes to another school. The manga doesn’t imply that Mikan knew already about the school’s fate, and since she is always so preoccupied with Hotaru anyway, we don’t really get the impression that she cares very much. To Anime!Mikan, Hotaru is more important than saving the school, something she was so passionate about she rallied to get signatures. It’s an extra scene to prove just how much Hotaru matters to Mikan, and to show even more how selfless Hotaru was to go to Alice Academy, since she knew how much the school mattered to Mikan.

“Sign my petition to get a Gakuen Alice anime reboot!!!”

My boy Natsume is only introduced properly in the second episode, when we actually see his face and he speaks. His appearance is different from the manga’s too. I’m not sure if this was to appeal to a younger audience or what, but Natsume’s eyes are changed to brown instead of their iconic red, something that was always my biggest peeve about the anime adaptation. His hair is also somewhat purplish instead of entirely grey/black and, although this does bother me a lot less than the eyes, I wonder why they made this change when other characters have black hair. It might have been to differentiate him from Hotaru, another main character with black hair, though I’ve never had issue in the manga telling them apart.

His first interaction with Mikan is a lot more pleasant in the anime than in the manga, although that’s not really saying anything. Mikan’s skirt simply falls off and Natsume draws attention to it, rather than the unpleasant events that took place in the manga. This different event makes it a lot easier to support a relationship between the two of them right off the bat. They are still antagonistic but it’s not as terrible as it is in the manga. This makes it easier to establish romantic feelings earlier on, and might have been changed in order to achieve just that, or possibly also to appeal to a younger audience. Maybe both? Who knows.

“You can’t sit with us!”

With Natsume presented the way he is in the anime, it’s easier to make the claim that he’s simply a good guy who acts the way he does to protect people. And it’s true! He is! But he is also so much more. In the manga, he’s a more complicated character. Although he is a good person, he still requires character development, which is something he does go through, and something I’ll talk about more in his meta analysis later.

Most of the events at the beginning of the anime parallel the events of the manga. Mikan goes to Alice Academy at the same time of year, Natsume shows up with an explosion, Mikan has to go through the Northern Woods, she discovers her powers in her fight with Natsume, etc. Some of the continuation from episode to episode is different than the transitions between chapter to chapter, there’s extra scenes inserted to fill up time, and some of the exposition seems strangely presented (in the anime, Mikan finds out more about the school when she finds Narumi and Iinchou waiting for her at a tea party, which is…. Super weird…), but all in all the information and events are mainly the same. The big differences start with the dodgeball episode.

“Look how happy she is. Makes me wanna barf.”

Episode 7 vs. Chapter 9

I love the dodgeball episode. I feel like for the most part, the anime does deviation from the manga pretty well. With the last arc as an exception, I generally enjoy their changes and additions to the plot. The anime has to be different, has to progress at a different pace, has to introduce topics at different times. They have an episode to fill, and less time to build relationships. Natsume and Mikan are both different characters in the anime but it’s very subtle and has to happen due to the fact that the anime is shorter and seems more designed for younger audiences, in addition to wrapping up before the manga could explore more of the story.

Anyway, let’s talk about the dodgeball episode. AGAIN THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN THE MANGA THE SAME WAY so when discussing NatsuMikan as a concept, the anime events cannot be treated the same as the manga events. A lot of people maybe forget that the manga is very different than the anime when it comes to this episode. I see the two media conflated in plenty of fanfics, where seventeen year old NatsuMikan reflect on the dodgeball game from their youth that changed everything, and I get it because the anime version of the dodgeball game is cute! It's shippy! It's fun! But it doesn't happen in the manga the same way.

There's a similar trope with the sakura tree, which I can only remember from the anime, and yet it's such a fundamental aspect of NM fanfic it might as well have played a vital role in both anime and manga. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course. I'm just making it clear that my analysis will cover the two media as separate for the sake of a cohesive essay. Separating them in fanfic is far less important.

This look could probably kill someone. I’m surprised Mikan is still alive, TBH.

The chapter’s focus is Mikan starting to feel more at home in Class B, making friends with her once-hostile classmates, but the episode is more preoccupied with Natsume and Mikan’s perspectives on each other. While in the manga, the game ends with a tie and Mikan accidentally hits Hotaru in the face with the ball, the anime draws out the game to fill an episode and to introduce an evolution in the way Natsume sees Mikan. The first part of the anime episode is Mikan introducing her friends to her new senpai, Tsubasa. After she invites her friends, we see Natsume glowering at her and promptly ditching the next class, saying to Ruka that he can’t stand being in the same class as her. This addition to the plot already foreshadows that their relationship will change in some way by the end of the episode.

Tsubasa tells a frustrated Mikan that if she wants Natsume to be less unpleasant, he’d need to release some of his toxic energy. Thus, the sporty Mikan introduces the concept of dodgeball to the unwelcoming class. When they finally agree, Natsume gives one condition: that they play with the notorious Alice Ball, which is powered by the thrower’s alice (a detail absent from the manga). This Alice Ball is particularly terrifying with the threat of Natsume’s dangerous fire alice. Mikan also needs to get more people on her team, another aspect absent from the manga. While in the manga, Mikan only had her few friends on her team (including a wandering Ruka) and this ended up playing to her advantage, the anime has a humorous plot of Mikan tracking players down for her team, including a fake mustache she makes with her pigtails (she’s so cute, I love her), paying Hotaru to be on her team, and blackmailing Ruka to participate. This was mainly to fill time, but it makes the dodgeball game more important as well.

In the manga, we don’t see how the game ends, just that the teams tied and that everyone in class is having fun and bonding. In the anime, more emphasis is put on the “Mikan vs. Natsume” aspect, so a tie like the manga’s would be anticlimactic. Thus, the anime concludes the dodgeball game with Mikan and Natsume being the only kids left on the court, and Natsume not using his alice when he throws the Alice Ball. Even Hotaru leaving the game is something she does out of boredom instead of injury, further separating the other characters from the plot. It’s about Natsume and Mikan, and everyone else is mostly a side character. (Though Ruka also plays a vital role to this episode AND chapter, and it’s at this point that I think he started developing real feelings for Mikan as well. So when it comes to the anime, he and Natsume fall for Mikan around the same time, but in the manga, Ruka likes her first and the “he liked her first” argument for Natsume vanishes, though he never had that “advantage” to begin with.)

“Thank you!”

Natsume wins (something that shocked me at twelve years old) and is ready to walk away with his handy “tch” and all but Mikan thanks him for not using his alice and he goes off on her, demanding to know why she’s still smiling despite her loss. She says she’s happy that he had fun and was involved with the rest of class for once, and that in a way that means she wins. For Anime!Natsumikan, this is it. This is the turning point. “I just wanted you to be happy and have fun,” is what Mikan might as well be saying. “Really, this was all for you!” It’s sweet and it’s thoughtful and I don’t think Natsume ever imagined he’d be on the receiving end of her kindness, especially after all their beef. Manga!Mikan would probably not say these things to him, even if she meant them, for the sole reason that Mikan is stubborn and holds onto her pride, especially when it comes to her early relationship with Natsume, but Anime!Mikan is much more forgiving and much more willing to extend an olive branch, like in the dance episode. In any case, Natsume starts falling right then, and it’s obvious too, because he is pissed, and even more angry because he’s not even mad at her. He’s angry with himself for his change of opinion. This is the girl he was fully content to hate forever and yet here he was, starting to like her. Not ideal.

This scene, something so crucial to the development of Anime!Natsumikan, is completely absent from the manga. In the manga, Natsume still dislikes her by the end of the game although he does have fun.

He's not angry, just disappointed. In himself.

I’m not going to say one is better when it comes to starting up NatsuMikan because they’re very different creatures and I actually thoroughly enjoy both.

Anyway, the NatsuMikan after episode 7 is almost the same as in the manga, but the events carry a different weight since we know Natsume likes Mikan now (even if he would never admit it).

Summary

I hope this first part was interesting, and that it introduced the idea of Anime!NatsuMikan as being a little different from the manga's version. Yes, it is more or less the same story, but with so many thematic and plot changes, they take a different form as well, in a perhaps more subtle way, kind of like a slightly canon divergent fanfic. Fanfic where Natsume starts liking Mikan a bit earlier on in the story.

Next Part ->

[rains-inky-mind]

This or That

Writers' Edition

Tagged by @did-i-do-this-write. Thank you for including me!!

1. Historical or Futuristic?

Dystopian future is my go to, but historical vampire horror/romances are also good. If I had to pick, probably futuristic.

2. The Opening or the Closing of a chapter?

I always struggle with beginnings. Closings are more my strong suit. I'm way better at closings and ending with a something strong to foreshadow for something later on in the story or have a hook for the next chapter.

3. Light & Fluffy or Dark & Gritty?

I love Light & Fluffy, but I'm better at writing Dark & Gritty sadly.

4. Animal Companion or Found Family?

I've been writing Found Family since before I had the words to describe it. I'm team Found Family all the way!

5. Horror or Romance?

Why not a bit of both? I guess if I had to choose, I'd say Romance.

6. Hard or Soft Magic System?

Well, in my current WIP, ALW, the way that the magic works is that it flows through the planet—it's in all things. Of course there are certain people who weild magic but most just kind of live with the magic in them not using it but letting it influence them when it needs to (healing, slowing their aging, causing things to be luminescent). So, idk you tell me if this is a Hard or a Soft Magic System?

7. Standalone or Series?

I'm definitely more of a series writer (if I could get that far). As I'm writing chapter one for a book, I'm already thinking about a small detail that plays out later in the series lol. Plus, I'm a sucker for a good cliffhanger.

8. One Project at a Time or Always Juggling 2+?

Most of the time I'm switching between WIPs, but that just makes me lose focus on all of them and I end up abandoning them. Right now, I'm hyperfocused on ALW, refusing to even think about starting a new WIP, and this has caused me to write a lot more a lot faster. One Project at a Time is definitely working out better for me personally.

9. Fantasy or Sci-fi?

I'm a big fan of Sci-fi shows, but I love writing Fantasy. Fantasy is more boundless and fun for me.

10. Character or Setting Description?

Setting 100%. When I do Character Descriptions I feel like I'm infodumping, it doesn't feel fluid. When I do Setting Description I can go about it a lot slower and cut it up more which makes it feel smoother to me.

11. First or Final Draft?

For me, First Draft! By the Final there's not much actual writing left to be done. I enjoy the newness of the First and the endless possibilities! I like writing the First Draft and seeing what my character throw at me.

12. Literary or "Commercial" Genre?

(Tbh, I felt like I bad writer for having to look this up.) The description that I found and loved for this is that Literary is art and Commercial is more for enjoyment of the ride. And honestly, my writing is just a dumpster fire meant for my own enjoyment, so commercial. 😂

13. Love Triangle in Everything or No Romantic Arcs?

Do you mean Love Triangle (all three persons wanting each other but having to choose) or do you actually mean Love Corner (Charaters B and C both wanting to win over Character A)? Either way, if these are my only choices, I choose No Romantic Arc. I hate Love Corners/Triangles. I prefer A&B falling for each other in a very slow burn, angsty way or getting together quickly and being spoon-fed fluff.

14. Constant Sandstorm or Rainstorm?

Rainstorm all the way. I love the rain! That may or may not having to do with my being allergic to the sun. Also, I'm afraid of thunder and lightening, so??? Still, love the rain though.

Tagging: @dragon-swords-prophecies and @lysiswriting and anyone else who wants to join.

[hvitserkmarcosource]

The Arrangement

Chapter Eleven: Thin Ice

Warnings: None. (Warnings will be updated with each chapter so make sure you read them!)

Chapter Eleven Summary: An unexpected tale of fate.

Word count: 2,396

It's been a while!!! I've missed you guys ❤ I hope you all like this chapter!

Read Chapter 10 Here ⬇️

Chapter 12 coming soon!!

....................

A noise. A noise so faint you almost ignored it. Almost. It pricked into your ear and worried into your brain, until you got out of bed. Hvitserk had finally fallen asleep, and you debated on whether or not to wake him. He looked so peaceful… you decided against it. 

The windows of your chamber were frosted over, except for one pane, and when you went to look out you were met with nothing but heavy snowfall. It was coming down so hard you could barely make out the other buildings. All of the torches were extinguished. All of the people were safe in their homes…

No one could have made a noise outside.

No one would be crazy enough to subject themselves to weather like this. 

Another knock makes you flinch. This time it is louder, almost as if someone is tapping on the window from the outside. You know that is not possible. 

And so, you open the window. Cold air and snow blow in making you gasp and cover yourself “Oh that was foolish, what is wrong with me?” You struggle to get the window closed again. Fighting with the wind like it’s some great battle. 

Out of breath and freezing, you lock the window and turn to go back to bed. Satisfied that no one is at the window and the noise must have come from somewhere else inside of the castle. Maybe Ivar is walking around, pacing the halls, waiting for someone else to try and usurp him so he can hang them. 

You step in a puddle of melted snow on your way back to bed and you have to stop yourself from screaming when the cold water touches your bare feet. 

Shaking your foot off, you sigh, you can’t just leave a puddle in the middle of the floor. What if Hvitserk wakes before you and slips. You’d never forgive yourself. Grabbing a fur from the foot of the bed you begin using it to soak up the water. 

Agin the noise startles you, seeming much louder than a second ago. You turn, but again no one is at the window.

 How is he sleeping through all of this?

You gasp and fall backwards when you pick up the fur. Out of the water formed a bird. A beautiful white raven… just like in your dream. 

She caws, except it doesn’t sound like a bird, it sounds like the knocking. She caws over and over, walking closer to you. Leaving watery claw prints behind. The knocking gets louder and louder, her cawing turns into a scream

You realize it’s you screaming…

And Hvitserk is holding you tight, rocking you back and forth, chanting that you are ok and that you need to wake up.

Out of it and confused, you pull away from him. You’re shaking and drenched in sweat, your throat is hoarse from screaming but you scream again when the door to your chambers slams open. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” 

It’s Ivar and that is a shock in and of itself. Since when does Ivar care if you are ok?

“Did you have it too? The dream.” He asks

Hvitserk groans “Ivar leave us be, I can handle this-“ 

“No!” He yells “I had a dream and I need to know if she had the same one. I need to know if it was a dream or a vision” 

“Ivar you are not a god!”

“Stop it!” You yell, and move away from both of them. You look at Ivar and question “A vision?” 

“I dreamt that you were running in a storm and fell through ice, I was trying to save you.” 

The snow storm, the knocking, stepping in the water… it all makes sense. “My dream was not exactly like yours, but I understand it now.” 

Hvitserk moves closer to you and takes your hand “Tell me what happened” 

“It all felt so real, you were sleeping. I heard a knocking sound coming from the window. It was storming and water came inside when I opened the window, the water turned into a white raven and her cawing sounded like the knocking too. Until it turned into my own screams.” 

“I was trying to break the ice with my crutch, that was the knocking. And when you opened the window that is when you fell through… Guards! Bring me The Seer, now.”

Hvitserk stands and places a hand on Ivar’s shoulder “Ivar he doesn’t leave his hut, he will not come to you” 

Ivar smiles “He will or I will kill him” he looks at you then and you notice his eyes are even more blue than you remembered “She is forbidden from going outside, I will not take any chances-” 

“You can’t do that!” You scream, cutting off his sentence  “I will not be locked up in here” 

“You will stay if I say so, Gods help me I will bar these very doors and windows shut if I see you outside even once.” 

................................................

For fear of falling through the ice twice in one night, you conceded. Even if it means being locked up in this hell castle until spring. Your only hope would be for Ivar to leave on a raid or something, but then that meant Hvitserk could possibly go with him and you would be alone. All alone in a big castle… Truth be told you feared that more than every Viking in Kattegat. 

“You are over thinking my love” Hvitserk whispers as he kisses your cheek “This is going to be alright, winter will be gone in a couple months, then we will be married in your meadow.” 

Closing your eyes you take a deep breath and try to be positive. Only a couple months, you could do that. After the dream you had you should want to stay inside anyway. And if this was all a vision of things to come- well you don’t know, you don’t know what you’re going to do. But staying inside is a good start. 

“The seer will not come!” Ivar yells, slamming his horn of ale on the table and startling everyone. “How can he refuse me? I am king!”

Hvitserk smirks “I told you brother, I told you he would not leave his hut.” 

“Why can’t we just go to him?” You ask. “We don’t have to cross a lake to get to his hut, Do we?” 

“I have forbidden you from going outside" 

You sigh,  not wanting to argue. You're so tired of arguing with men and not solving anything. So for the rest of the night you stay as silent as a mouse. Ignoring everyone, including Hvitserk. You know he just wants to protect you, keep you safe, but it's infuriating that he is agreeing with Ivar. Since when does he agree with Ivar? Never. They are always at each other's throats.  

Your silence however doesn't go entirely unnoticed, Freydis sees it, can tell what is going on. She steps down from her throne and takes a seat next to you. At first you are weary, she's Ivar’s wife after all, she could just be following orders, trying to trick you.  Spy for him.

"I like having another woman here," she says with a smile "it makes me feel not so alone."

You nod "We hardly see each other though, you are always busy with Ivar."

She laughs "He's a handful, but not as dangerous as everyone thinks…but don't tell him I told you that."

You smile "I won't, promise."

She looks towards Ivar and you do the same, noticing Hvitserk has joined him and they are talking civilly. It almost looks like they care about each other, like they could get along and be great friends if ivar wasn't so- so Ivar. 

Freydis hums and looks back at you "You do not know much about being a viking, do you?"

"Is it that obvious?" You say with a laugh 

"The seer is a very important man, he can tell us our future. If he chooses. He can tell us what we are destined to do and if we will stray from that path. He is all-knowing. That is why Ivar wants you to see him."

You nod "I understand, but if he will not come then how am I supposed to see him? Ivar will not let me leave."

The queen leans in and whispers, so soft that you can tell she's said things in secret before. Perhaps you are not the only one Freydis has tried to help. 

"There is a back gate just outside of the courtyard, it is not guarded. Ivar leaves it hidden incase he needs to make a quick escape. I will get the key and unlock it for you after Ivar falls asleep tonight-"

You stop her "How am I to know when he falls asleep?"

She smiles "look at them, it won't be long before both men are out like a flame." She continues "The Seer's hut is small and dark in color, animal bones hang from the door.  You can not miss it."

Taking a deep breath you say "Ivar will kill me if he finds out."

Freydis stands "Then be quick and quiet, princess. If he awakes I will keep him occupied for as long as I can."

................................................

It was easy enough to escape, what with Ivar and Hvitserk being drunk out of their minds. One minute they were laughing and saying how much they loved each other and the next they were rolling around on the floor fighting. In that moment you decided that you'll never understand men. Especially viking men.

After Freydis unlocked the gate, The trek through the snow wasn't as bad as you would have thought, and the Seer's hut was relatively close. If you weren't so paranoid you might have actually enjoyed the walk. 

As you entered the hut a wave of nausea washed over you, a sort of sinking feeling set deep in your heart. And suddenly you knew you were not going to receive good news. 

"I've been waiting for you" A raspy voice says out of the darkness "come closer child, come and sit down."

As you step further into the hut you find him, a tall dark figure dressed in a torn black cloak. His features are hidden from you but from the sound of his voice, you are glad. 

He reaches out for you and reluctantly you give him your hand and allow him to pull you closer. "Say what you've come here to say. Waste not my time."

"I want to know my future… not- not all of it just, Ivar."

He chuckles, a sound so sinister it rattled the bones in your body. "Ivar the boneless,"  he speaks his name with pause "Not a God, as he would like to think." 

You nod "I know he is not, I want to know if he will be the cause of my death-"

The Seer stops you. Holding up his hand "I can not tell you of such things. Nor would you want to know."

You scoff and begin to leave "I knew I should not have come here, you're just a fraud. Just another man who wants to make people believe that he is more than ordinary… you're no better than Ivar-"

"I am nothing like Ivar Lothbrook," he growls "I have seen a great many things. War. Death. Murder. Darkness. I have seen it all. I have seen your future child and I shudder at the sight." 

He stands and blocks your way to the door, stopping you from leaving. "Please let me go," You plead "I no longer require your sight." 

He grabs your hand roughly and brings it to his mouth, licking your palm. He growls once more and begins to ramble  "Your lives are intertwined and mangled. Hate. Love. Everything hangs in the balance. I see a fate worse than death. You speak of being ordinary but you are no such thing. You are greater than you think and Ivar will fall because of this greatness… He is just a man. He will fall. You will make sure of that."

Violently he let's you go, he's panting and disoriented, so you take the chance and run past him. Out of his hut and back towards the castle. 

Once the gate is closed behind you, you fall to your knees. Out of breath and shaking. 

You would be Ivars downfall? And what did he mean when he said you are not ordinary? You have no powers, no control over your own life. You can't do magic or spells, you are no seer. 

So what did he mean?

Footsteps bring you back to reality and only then do you realize you are completely out in the open. Luckily it is still snowing… maybe no one has seen you. 

Slowly, you begin your walk back inside. The castle isn't too far away from the gate so you're praying no one will stop you. Or recognize you. 

Your heart is racing you can hear it in your ears, like the menacing beat of a drum. You know you're walking back into a situation that could possibly be dangerous. Ivar could be waiting for you, this could have all been a trap. 

You should have never trusted Freydis…

As you open the castle door your arm is grabbed and you are drug into a small corridor, a hand is clasped around your mouth preventing you from screaming, but you still try. If this is how you die you want to see Hvitserk one more time. You want to apologize. 

"Next time you leave I suggest being less obvious princess." A man whispers, his voice familiar.

You look up at him and realize it is Ubbe, the brother who helped you before. He let's you go and smiles "Hvitserk has been looking for you, he's afraid you've left him."

"He hasn't told Ivar-"

He stops you, "my brother may be young but he is not dumb. He's only trusted me with this, we've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?"

You take a deep breath "I went to the Seer, he's told me many things… not all good."

Ubbe groans "Come, we'll find my brother and then you can tell us what, exactly, the wise one has said."

Tag List: *Open*

@alexhogh7137

@blueyed-one

@ivarthebloodyking

@curlyhairedhoseok

@lol-haha-joke

@joebob15274

@kaitieskidmore1

@lucktwistedlady

@solinarimoon

[fridge-reviews]

Developer: Four Quarters Publisher: Devolver Digital Rrp: £12.49 (Gog.com, Humblebundle and Steam) Released: 4th March 2021 Available on: Gog.com, Humblebundle and Steam Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard Approximate game length: 30 Hours

Darkness has come. No worse, nothingness has come. It is the end of all things, not even darkness remains, just an infinite void where reality used to be. Except this one stretch of road, this road exists, and you, you also exist. There's only one thing you can do, walk the road to where ever it leads.

Loop Hero is a strange cross between an autorunner, a deck builder and a roguelite. You play as an unnamed warrior who awakens to find the world, nay the universe is just... gone. All except for one looped path upon which your hero will automatically walk along.

As he walks along this path monsters will appear and your hero will automatically fight them with no involvement from you... well almost none, you do get to swap out the items etc they have on and can swap out mid-combat but other than that you have no control. As your hero defeats enemies he will gain a cards, items and experience (although not every time for the items and cards as sometimes monsters don't drop either and some classes don't collect items upon killing an enemy). Any cards that you gain can be placed on the world to change the terrain. But they not only add to the world but also have a tangible effect, such as Grove cards which create a grove which will provide sticks to bring back to camp (which I will cover later) but it also spawns an enemy called a ratwolf every two days.

Ah yes, the days. So, even though the universe and the Sun itself have ceased to exist time still passes on or at least it seems to. On the top left side of the screen are two meters, the upper one is the day meter, every time the meter if full (or empties, I forget which) a new day begins. For you, this means certain monsters will respawn, you'll gain a bit of health and certain terrain that you've placed may come into effect. The one below is the map completion meter, each time you place a card down in the world this meter goes up. Once it's completely full the boss of the chapter you're on will appear. You can continue to put down cards upon the world after they've appeared and after you've defeated them, should you choose to remain.

As I mentioned walking around the loop and defeating enemies accrues resources which you ideally want to take back to your camp, such as sticks from groves or memory fragments from cemeteries. How much you take back to your camp is based upon how confident you feel in your heroes skills and equipment. You see if you fall in battle your body will be brought back to the camp but you'll only keep 30% of the resources you found. If you retreat at any point that isn't at the camp you keep 60%, however the ideal is to choose to retreat when you pass through the camp because doing set nets 100%.

Every time you start back on the loop the world resets including your equipment. Of course it doesn't take long to accrue new equipment. Like everything in this new uhh, lack of world, nearly everything is ephemeral which includes your weapons. The moment you swap out a piece of equipment for another the old one is destroyed. You also can't stock pile equipment for too long as you only have 12 spaces in your inventory, if your inventory is full and you collect another item the item at the bottom of the pile will be destroyed. This isn't entirely a bad thing though because the act of destroying the item gives your hero scrap metal to take back to camp.

hat I find interesting is that its very tempting to go around the loop as many times as you can to collect more and more resources, however there is a problem with doing that. Each loop increases the enemies you face's level making them that little bit more challenging. To combat this your hero gains experience with each kill and gets to pick one of three perks with each level. Of course, since the monsters level up each time you go around the loop and the loop is usually not all that big the monsters will eventually out class you no matter how much you level up.

My thoughts... I really liked this game, I played it through to completion and then started all over again. It's definitely an odd one though, its not an idle game even though at first glance it seems like one but its also not super intensive. After playing this for a few days I found myself playing it as I was listening to youtube videos and podcasts. Odd to think of that as a selling point.

If this appeals to you perhaps try; Honestly I can't think of another game even vaguely similar.