#seven sword 00

[wanderersrest]

An Abbreviated History of Mecha Part 5: It's (Dahlia of) Wednesday, My Dudes (2000-2010)

I apologize for nothing.

Welcome back to An Abbreviated History of Mecha! Last time we left off, the 90's had come and gone, bringing with it a whole cavalcade of mecha shows as well as Pokemon in its wake. Now the Torchics have come home to roost, as Pokemon explodes in popularity in the 2000's. This means that mecha shows can no longer rely on child audiences in order to make their money. Add onto this the slow shift into the modern seasonal format throughout the decade, and we begin to see the start of the decline of mecha.

Though not all is bad news, as a fair bit of mecha stories would come out and become some of the most iconic stories of the decade. Heck, this era of mecha stories is rife with at least three examples of "Not Like the Other Girl" mecha shows, two of which are pretty bizarre as "Not Like the Other Girl" shows.

So with that out of the way...

Wake up, Dann!

FLCL (2000)

So, uh... what a way to start, huh?

FLCL (pronounced fooly-cooly) is a Studio Gainax/Production I.G. OVA series made in 2000 supposedly as a way to relieve the studio's stress from working on a little series called Neon Genesis Evangelion. FLCL is, to put it lightly, very bizarre while also being surprisingly heartfelt.

FLCL was another major [adult swim]/Toonami series in the US, and like The Big O before it, the folks at Toonami would eventually reach out to Production I.G. to produce sequels that, in my opinion, generally fail to capture the energy of the original.

Bionicle (2001)

LEGO would release its BIONICLE line of Technic toys in 2001 as a last-ditch effort to save the company from financial ruin, and boy would it succeed. Building off of the success of Throwbots, BIONICLE would have a serialized adventure centered around the six Toa as they fought against the forces of the evil Makuta.

Bionicle would last throughout the decade as well as a little bit into the next, until LEGO, who was at a much better place financially at this point, decided that it was time to pull the plug on the series. Bionicle would receive a reboot in 2017 only to be shut down a few years later.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002), Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2005), & Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom (2024)

Coming in with a bang, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED would air in 2002. The first series of the Cosmic Era timeline is, without a doubt, one of the most important entries in the entire Gundam franchise due to how it renewed interest in the franchise. Gundam SEED would also be the first series in the franchise to use digital animation over the more traditional cel animation.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED would be followed up with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny in 2005. There were plans for a movie releasing shortly after Destiny wrapped up its run, bit it wouldn't be until 2024 that the film, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, would finally release.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is also a, shall we say, very contentious series to talk about. While it is almost always one of the most popular entries in Japan, the series is a lot more hotly debated about here in the west. A lot of people tend to downplay this series' importance (*cough*Professor Otaku*cough*). But that is not for me to say, as I have never really watched Gundam SEED or anything related to it.

Xenosaga (2002)

Returning to the director's chair in 2002, Tetsuya Takahashi and the newly formed Monolith Soft would release Xenosaga for the PlayStation 2. Acting as a spiritual successor to Xenogears, Xenosaga brings all of that complex Gnosticism goodness to a new console generation. Originally planned for six games in total, Xenosaga was ultimately cut down in size into three games.

Eventually, Monolith Soft would be bought out by Nintendo (if I had a nickel etc.), and Takahashi would be given another chance to explore the Xeno series once again. But that's a story for another time.

Diebuster/Gunbuster 2 (2004)

Releasing in 2004 as a sequel to 1989's Gunbuster, Diebuster would be the third of Gainax's Big Four series. If you're wondering why Diebuster is the fourth, that's because this OVA series would be the starting point for a lot of the members of the team that would give us Gurren Lagann in about four years.

With the slow death of Studio Gainax, both Diebuster and its older sister series Gunbuster would transfer ownership to Gaina (formerly Fukushima Gainax) at some point in the 2010's. Gaina has plans to make a Gunbuster 3, though that will have to wait until they at least wrap up production of Grendizer U later this year.

Megas XLR (2004)

Meanwhile, Cartoon Network would also see the release of the mecha parody series Megas XLR. Originally an alien robot whose head has been replaced with a car, this series would lovingly riff on a lot of the tropes present in old mecha shows like Mazinger Z and Getter Robo. Unlike most other shows at the time though, Megas XLR has become hard to find since it wrapped up its run. A lot of that has to do with, if I remember correctly, legal issues.

Gun X Sword (2005)

2005 would see AIC Productions release Gun X Sword, a mecha sci-fi/western mash-up directed by Goro Taniguchi. Set on the wasteland planet Endless Illusion, Gun X Sword pulls a lot of its aesthetic sensibilities from shows like Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, though another show that may have helped influence Gun X Sword is...

Mobile Fighter G Gundam?! I really hope that's a stretch from me...

As a series, Gun X Sword is often left out of the conversation when it comes to 2000's mecha shows. A large part of that stems from people incorrectly assuming its just a ripoff of Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, which is only remotely true due to some more superficial elements like the planet of Endless Illusion being similar to Trigun's Gunsmoke, and Van's name being a riff on Vash the Stampede (a joke early on is that Van is constantly changing his title).

Psalms of Planets Eureka Seven (2005)

In 1999, a group of former animators for Sunrise would leave to form Studio Bones. While they had worked on a fair bit of shows prior to 2005, including one RahXephon, Bones would come to be known for, among other shows, Psalms of Planets Eureka Seven (or just Eureka Seven for short). With a unique style and a focus on romance (specifically the romantic relationships present amongst the main cast), Eureka Seven would leave an indelible mark on a whole generation of mecha fans.

I would also argue, due in part to personal experience, that Eurkea Seven is one of the "Not Like the Other Girl" shows, though I think I can see why some might disagree: You need to have watched Eureka Seven first in order to make a claim like that, and boy is the original TV series hard to find online.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (2007)

The year 2007 would see the publication of the first novel in the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn series. Gundam Unicorn would be an important series in the history of Gundam due to both its popularity and the fact that it represents a changing of the guard, as Universal Century Gundam stories would now be handled primarily by Harutoshi Fukui instead of series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino.

I think I'd also be remiss to point out that Fukui is a rather divisive figure when it comes to Gundam, as the original Gundam Unicorn light novels lean much more into fascist apologia than any other UC series. This would, thankfully, be almost entirely cut out in the animated adaptation of Unicorn that would air in the 2010's.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (2008)

2008 would see a trio of mecha shows that would more or less serve as a capstone to the 2000's as a decade. The first I will cover is Goro Taniguchi's Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Mixing in smaller mechs similar to that of Armored Trooper VOTOMs along with actual magic, Code Geass would cement its legacy amongst mecha shows by being one of the "Not Like the Other Girl" shows.

Which is weird, because the plot of Code Geass is that the show's equivalent of the British Empire is able to conquer most of the world through its use of the show's mecha, known in-universe as Knightmare Frames.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2008)

Also releasing in 2008 is Sunrise's Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Leaning into real life elements like the rising awareness of terrorism while taking inspiration from Full Metal Panic, Gundam 00 would be the second of the three mecha stars of 2008. Whereas Gundam SEED would be Gundam's first foray into digital animation, Gundam 00 would up the ante in what is possible. If anything, part of Gundam SEED's legacy in the west is marred due to it's release being sandwiched between Turn A Gundam and Gundam 00, both of which are considered to be some of the best Gundam shows in terms of animation quality.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2008)

Capping off this post is Studio Gainax's final series of their Big Four, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Created as a celebration of mecha stories, with Getter Robo in particular being a primary inspiration, Gurren Lagann is oftentimes considered to be the single most HOT-BLOODED entry in the mecha canon. What helps is this series would build off of the general tone of shows like its big sister show Diebuster as well as the aforementioned Getter Robo. I would even argue that other shows such as Mobile Fighter G Gundam and The King of Braves GaoGaiGar also had a hand in shaping this series.

Gurren Lagann is also, bizarrely enough, one of the "Not Like the Other Girls" shows. If you thought Code Geass was a weird example, then Gurren Lagann is far and away the most perplexing example of these types of shows. At least the other three have a "plausible" explanation as to why they're considered to be different. Gurren Lagann is pretty similar in terms of character dynamics and themes, not that similar to pretty much every mecha show I just compared it to.

Conclusion

That more or less wraps up the 2000's in terms of major works in the mecha canon. It's not until the next decade that we really see mecha works go into a true dark age, though the nature of the dark age is largely overstated. The 2010's is marked by a lot of duds, though I will not touch on the two biggest duds of the decade in the next post. It should be noted that the 2010's also has some major hits scattered throughout the decade, though a lot of them tend to be legacy titles from existing works. We'll also see two major entries in the canon appear from western creators that will also homage the works of old.

I...

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“̵͇͗͂͠͝Ï̴͇̮̝̽̾ ̴̡̜̯̽̽͜f̵̠̘̈́̔̽ể̸͇̗͐͜l̸̻̟͓͉̀͆t̶̢̫̱̜̔́̾͠ ̸͈̙̜̟̊̅̈́t̵̗̟̤͓̿̂̂͑h̶̖͌͌e̶͕̣̅̒ ̵̡̞̀b̶̪̾̾̓̀ù̵̳͊͑͑ľ̸̢͕̺̭́ļ̸̛̰̈́̍̀é̵͈̯̳͐t̵̪̱̾͜ ̸͖͖̃t̵̥̓͆̄̕ȅ̷́̅͜͜a̵̬̘̙̻̋͆͠͠r̷͚̲̟̠̆̔̄̈ ̴̩̂̌̋t̵̨̳̆͜͠ḥ̸̥̿̈́̂̐r̵̩͇̀͛̿͗o̵̟̮̙͋ͅȕ̵̧̳̙̆g̷̜̜̏̐h̶̡̤͔̃̚͝ ̴̨͈́m̴̳̦̅̎̑̕e̷̼̼̣̭͑͝͠.̵͚̌ ̵̟̺͕̈̎̎́Į̵͕̿ͅ ̶̖͙̑͆̔͝f̶̠̉̂̃ḙ̸͝l̵̻̈́̌̈́̃t̷͇̣̱͐͋̀͆ ̸̙̲̎t̸͔̝̀͠h̶̛̜͔͋̿͌͜é̵̦̼̆̋̓ ̶̞̂̕b̴̰̲͈̽́̔u̶̯͛̇̓ḽ̸̭̮̘̔̇͋͘l̵̰̒̇̇ẹ̵͑͠t̵̡̼̫̙͌̈͆̃ ̸͉͙̀̓͒͝t̸͓̣̮͚̽̈́̽ē̷̬̲ą̷͇͙͐̈͑r̵͇̮̬̾ ̷͚̞͕̎͑ͅt̴̤̥̽̏͒ḩ̷̬̌͆́r̴̯̓̍̿̕õ̸̝͓ṳ̶͈̫͒̎͠g̴͍̯͒͌́h̸̰̯͖͕͊͗̕ ̶̳̫͛m̸͉̏̉̋͜e̸͖͉̭̱͗.̵͓̗̞͓́̏ ̷̺͕̖̀I̵̫̟͌̓̄̈́ ̶̢̞̯͗̾͂̽ͅf̸̲̝̖̈́͜ë̴̱͓́́l̸̫͓̪̆̾͝ţ̸̱̟̼͒ ̷̱̇̚t̵̲͔̻̋̏h̷̠͋ẽ̴̢̦̤̦̔ ̵̻̠̊p̴̞͗r̴̗͉͐̒͑e̷̘͙̼̩͊̾s̵͇̰͐s̶̪͔͚͛͌̍ű̴̱̪͖̌̊̎r̶̪̬̿̈́ḛ̷͐̐̑ ̸̝͙̉͗̎̑a̴͍̜̾̒͝n̸̡̹̓d̸̨̲͎͎̏̃̄ ̸̛̱̙̦̤͌͝͠ȉ̵̡̟̱͖͘t̷̢̛̥̉̀ ̷̛̺͖w̶̨͋ȃ̶̢͕̃s̷̢̤̦̀̊̈́͘ ̵̛̥̲̰̂͂͗͜m̵̦̋̔̀y̵̮͈̼͐̋ ̸̿��̥̹͕̦̄b̴͉͔̑͂̓ṛ̵̇̿̇o̵͖͎̗̰̊̾ẗ̶͙́̈́͑̀͜ͅh̶̢̺͉̖͌̔̓͝e̶̬͍̝̞͛r̵̗̩͛̐̂,̶̤͎͎̉̊̎ ̸̨̖͉̬̇͑̈̅h̸͇̏į̴͉̄̚s̷̨̝͈̽̓̅ ̴̟̩̃f̵̦͖̩͂̏ȉ̸̡̯̳̈́̈̾ś̶͙̺ṭ̵̜̯̭̓,̸̮̭̇̓ ̸͚̜̃̑ḿ̷̻͈̓y̸̡͌̊̓ ̵̞̈́̇c̷͍̘͌̃͜͠h̵͖̉͘e̸̮͙̊̎ş̵͚̚t̸̡̗́̈́͋̑͜,̸̜͋͠͝ ̷̧̣͎̙̓͌͝͝a̴̖̥̅n̶̡̯͆d̶̢̠͛̿ ̵̭̈́I̴͎͚̺̥͆̋̕ ̸̧̥͙̦̔w̷̭̐̈́å̵̢̙͔s̷̖̋̿ ̶̫̘̾͊l̴̨̧̙̐́a̸͎̹͕͕̔̓̾y̷̧͈͖͚̌̀̂̊i̴̠̝͗͌̕͘n̵͙̻͌̄g̸̛̥̯̹̫͝ ̷̣̔̋̀͠ọ̸̀̾̃̃n̵̰͐ ̷̼̄͂͗m̴̟͘y̵̩̻̺̪̎̽̐ ̴͔̹̀b̸̛͆ͅa̵̡̧̬̓c̴͇͝k̸̢̐̍̏́ ̸̼̠̳͕̑̃̏͝ä̷̫̣̂̓͝n̴̫̬̐ḓ̵̎̈͝ ̶̦͈̈́̆̓͜t̵̨͗̎̈h̶̭̗͔̣̋̑̆̕ę̷͈̗̰͑ ̷̛̪͎̞͒͌͝s̵̼̝̽͝͠ͅk̶̰̠̥̔͘y̸̝͐̆̓̈́ ̷͉͖̳̀̈w̸̛͇̝̭̺ȁ̶̳̥̰̐̉̄s̴͙̊̈ͅ ̶̟̐̿b̴̭̞͗̔̓l̴͉̰̓ų̴̒̓͘e̴͍̟̐̋,̷̡̀̎ ̷͈̈́̈́̉a̴͈̠̓n̴̽̾̊͜ͅd̴͙͍͇̲̾ ̴͇̭̩́̂͐m̸̛̭͉̈̒͂ỳ̴͙͔͉̾͂̽ ̴̻̙̊͝m̴̨̽̚o̵͍̠͆̓t̸̡̻͖̫̉̈́h̴̛̗̺̖̾ë̶̖r̷̥͗ ̵̟̱̞͖̎̿̒͝ḥ̷̂o̷̧̓̓ļ̵̻̜̊̇l̵̖̬̹͑ḛ̴͚̈̕r̵̪͈͈̭̄̈́̃́ȩ̴͇̥̽d̴̨̼͓̿̽͂ ̴̻͎̬̩̔͐́a̴̫͔͐̃̽t̶̩̏̏ ̷̦̭͋ȟ̴̺͚̤͖ḭ̸̝̺̐̆͗m̶̞̄̋͘͠ ̶͌ͅá̶͉̜̜̪̈́̆͂ń̵̘̪̮̉̃d̸͔̥̟͌͂͗͝ ̶̛̺̪̲̩́̑t̸͓̱͐̀͗͊h̴̠̮̄̐̽͝ę̶͔̏̈́̄͝ ̷̗̖̌̉͝ͅb̷̭̄̚u̷̮̎̇̃̀l̸͉̣̓l̵̦̺̟̔͗̾͜͝è̴̡͔̝̲̑͌ț̵̮̽ ̵͎̗̏̀ȟ̷̹̝͕̀́ȃ̷̪͒̋͜d̸̞̤͕̦̈́̑͠͝ ̸̻̤͆̈́̊͝n̶̼̆͌̑̈́ē̷̳͔̝͙͌́́v̷͍͙̻̘̈́ẽ̷̗̞̳̓͝͝ͅr̴̾̽͜͠ ̵̣̜̂̌͠ͅh̷̦̜̦͚̓i̴͓̠͖͐ţ̸̂̋̿̾ ̶͕̑̕̚ͅm̴̛̥̈́ế̸̟̠͔̳,̵̱͖̳̲̊ ̷̨͍͛a̶̗̞͝n̵̯͇̿̏̚d̸̙͎̭͆͊͠ ̶̬͍͐̇t̴̢̛̲̖̟h̴̙̿͗̎͜è̷͖̱̞́̇̀ ̵͉̆͘l̷̡̬̀̌̌̒e̷̢͋̈̃̓͜g̷̢̢͉͜͝ï̵̟͈͉̞̇̆̐o̴̺̜̒́̔͜n̸͉̏͌ṇ̷̀͝a̶̡̖̓̽͛̍i̸̬̮͂͋̕r̵̲̗̈ë̶̮́ ̵̨̣̓ẅ̷̲̹͓̗͗h̵̻͉̠̱͑̓o̶̹̱̺͉̕ ̶͖̝͚̎͆̂̓s̸̛̛̰͓͜h̵̤̐o̵̭̝̹̅̇͑͜͝t̴̠͊̋̾͐ ̴̠̰̞̟̇͒̾͠ḿ̸̟̤̗͈̊͗ȩ̸̟̏ ̸̻̀h̴͕͈̹̾͛͌̓a̵̻̬̝̰̅͛d̵̨̘̀ ̷̢̹͉͑̿͜n̷̯͔̏͊̌o̷͙̟͔̍t̸̢̮͖̋ ̶͈̞̀̒ͅy̸̠͈͋̿e̷̮̬͍͂͛̑t̵̝̓͐͜ͅ ̶̨̛͓̌̐͐p̵̳̏̎̌̕͜u̴̗̎́̉l̵̢̩̩͇̆̍l̴͚͗̀̔̅e̵̞̼̐̎́d̶̜̲̃͊̈́̚ ̴̨̡͍̀̀̚̚t̶̘͙̤͙̍͋̚͝h̷̢̯͋è̵̹̳͑͒ ̴̳͋t̷̰́r̸̛̭̭̪ĩ̵̯̭̄̄g̶̻̹̥̅͛̀͠g̴͍͓̻̑̿̈́ͅẽ̴̦̞͚̾̀r̴̥̖͈̭̂͆,̷͖͕̊͜͜ ̵̧̤̪̻́̕â̵̯͂n̶͖̊͝d̶͉̠̭̠͆͂ ̵̗̫̪̬͘͠s̸̫̫̱̫̚o̴̡̤̘͊͒̈́ ̸̙̯͋̋ͅÍ̸͕̃ ̶̬͂́͆͝k̵̬̻̊̀̋͝ï̵̪̫̖̜ḻ̶̡͐̈́̂̄l̴͍͎̘̙̊̐̅͠e̵͛ͅd̸͎̰̋̊̾ ̴͇͖̗̃̽͠ḩ̴̟̓̀͆̕ĩ̸͚͐̆ṃ̵̧͍͙̊.̴̮̰͗̓ ̵͈̿̄͐Ḯ̴͖͎̊ ̸͓͍̮̲̀͝͠ḏ̶̘̲̐͋̕r̷͍̔͜a̴̧̛n̵̘̾͗͝k̷̰̋͑͝ ̵̪͙͎̆ḑ̴̱͙̔̈ë̸̙̝́̿͝ë̴̻̓͝p̷͖͔̔̎̎ ̵̢̪̣́͆͠ȁ̴̭n̵̡̧̗͒̌d̸͉̠̔͘ ̴̺͔̠̟́ḵ̵̫̈́̀͛̕ḯ̸̪l̵̠͋̂͋ͅl̸̼̯̬̲͛e̸̯̯̿͜ͅd̶͚͚͕̺́ ̵͎̩̃h̶̪͚̏̚î̵̩͍͍̲̒͗m̵͈͘ͅ.̷͚̼̪̺͐̈́”̶͙̌̊͝

[gundamsanyoutub]

(PS4) GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXIBOOST ON - 00 SEVEN SWORD G

[esamastation]

Part forty-six of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five

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Observation log, 11th of October, 12:00

07:05 Sephiroth wakes up.

07:34 Sephiroth eats a breakfast of porridge, canned apples and orange juice. Meal detailed in attachment E.

07:57 Sephiroth begins preparing for Energy Alignment with warmups and stretches, detailed in full in attachment D.

08:15 Sephiroth begins sword practice.

08:42 Sephiroth begins Energy Alignment. Energy output matches previous sessions visually. Movements and forms same as ones detailed in attachment C.

20:15 Sephiroth finishes sword forms and moves onto meditation. Visual concentration of light and energy in his cupped palms, no indication as to its nature or purpose, but likely a progression of Energy Alignment.

22:32 Sephiroth finishes Energy Alignment and begins preparations for bed.

Observation notes: Sephiroth only ate one meal today, with nowhere near enough kilojoules to support the level of physical activity he is practising - nor is he drinking enough water. Sephiroth shows no visual sign of exhaustion, starvation, or dehydration. Will continue to observe.

Addendum to observation log for the 11th of October: checking perimeter showed no sign of local activity. Angeal Hewley ventured out at 11:27 to hunt monsters and returned at 15:56. Reno is getting agitated.

End log for the 11th of October.

Observation log, 12th of October, 12:00

07:20 Sephiroth wakes up.

07:51 Sephiroth eats breakfast of rice, eggs, canned apples and tea. Meal detailed in attachment E.

08:20 Sephiroth begins previously mentioned warmups and stretches. He is joined by Hewley. They move on to a session of Buster Sword Lessons, detailed in attachment F.

09:34 Sephiroth begins going through his usual sword forms. Angeal Hewley moves to train by himself in the inner yard.

10:12 Sephiroth enters the Energy Alignment phase of training. No visual change in forms or energy output. In fact, forms are starting to look like they come in an established pattern.

15:23 Sephiroth finishes sword forms (notably early) and moves onto meditation. No visual concentration of energy observed this time.

15:54 Sephiroth finishes meditation and goes looking for Angeal Hewley, who is, at the time, examining the Charcoal Burner's House's old vegetable garden.

16:00, est. Dialogue:

Sephiroth: "Hey, what are you up to?"

Angeal Hewley: "Just checking to see if there's anything edible here - canned food is going to get really tiresome in the long run. What's up, it's everything alright?"

Sephiroth: "No, no. I'm just - getting a bit lost in my own head."

Hewley: "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sephiroth: "No, I want a bit of - I need a distraction, for a bit."

Hewley: "... Okay? Do you want to go hunt monsters, do you want to spar, or…?"

Sephiroth: "I think if I spent another moment thinking about physical cultivation I might lose it. So. No. Something else."

Hewley: "Uh?"

Sephiroth: "You know when you work on something for so long that it starts losing all meaning? Like, a report, maybe? Stare at it long enough, and it turns into nonsense. I need, you know. A break."

Hewley: "Ah, yeah, okay, I get what you mean. Yeah, I can take a break with you. What do you want to do?"

Sephiroth: "I have no idea. Just something else."

Hewley: "I'm sure we can figure something out."

16:00-18:00 est. Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley proceed to explore the Charcoal Burner's House's abandoned stores and discover an old, broken set of something called Weiqi. Sephiroth proceeds to teach Angeal Hewley how it was played.

18:15 Dialogue

Hewley: "Now, I don't want to sound impatient, but, this energy alignment stuff. How long is it going to take?"

Sephiroth: "Normally decades."

Hewley: "Decades?!"

Sephiroth: "Most of it is just energy gathering, that usually takes most of the time. I don't exactly have that issue. If anything, I have too much."

Hewley: "Oh. Right. Um, then, how long do you think it will take for you to sort it out?"

Sephiroth: "I've gotten things moving. If my veins can take it… maybe another week?"

Hewley: "That's not too bad, though… what do you mean if your veins can take it?"

Sephiroth: "... Have you figured out whether MP resides in your body yet?"

Hewley: "Um, no? I mean, I know it's there and I can sort of feel it there, but it's not really in any specific location."

Sephiroth: "Hm. Keep trying."

Hewley: "Sure, I'll try. I'm not sure what you're after, though."

Sephiroth: "You'll know it when you feel it."

19:12 Sephiroth fills the tub in the back room and has a full bath. 

20:07 Sephiroth eats a dinner of pasta, canned pickles, canned peas, crackers and apple juice. Meal detailed in attachment E.

20:24 Sephiroth turns in early.

Observation notes: Sephiroth ate two full meals and seems to have taken in enough nutrients for his daily requirements. It should be noted, however, that his level of physical activity was greatly diminished today. It should also be noted that between the training session and the later board games he seemed rather distracted. He might be procrastinating on his progress, perhaps having some sort of block? If faster results are desired, it might be advisable to remove Hewley from the situation.

Addendum to observation log for the 12th of October: Reno reports signs of activity in the forest - a smoke trail approximately 15 kilometres away. It is possible that our occupation has been noticed by Wutai troops. We are increasing our level of alert and redoing our traps. Though with two SOLDIER First Class present we have little to fear from any kind of Wutai assault, a surprise attack at an inopportune moment might be disastrous. Reno will be heading out to investigate at first light tomorrow.

End log for the 12th of October.

Observation log, 13th of October, 12:00

07:11 Sephiroth wakes up.

07:36 Sephiroth eats breakfast.

08:02 Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley proceed to meditate together in the main room of the house. Sephiroth is talking through the entire process, guiding Hewley every step of the way. No visual energy fluctuations to observe.

09:12 Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley proceed with sword practice, with Sephiroth instructing. 

10:35 Sephiroth and Hewley separate and Sephiroth proceeds with his sword forms in the usual manner.

10:54 Sephiroth enters the Energy Alignment phase. The forms seem to have settled into an established pattern. No other changes to the overall practice to be observed.

11:30 Reno returns and confirms there's Wutai troops making their way towards our location. With Sephiroth in the Energy Alignment phase, it's deemed unsafe to disturb him with the news. Hewley offers to take care of the enemy troops.

11:43 Hewley sets out to meet the Wutai troops. I will check the perimeter while Reno keeps watch on Sephiroth.

12:11 Perimeter secure, traps primed. Should the worst come to pass and Sephiroth goes into misalignment, we will proceed according to plan.

12:15 Sending the WIP log to Tseng, just in case.

-

Rude's logs are very factual I feel while Reno adds the nuance.

[gn001-re]

PG 00 Seven Sword\G finished 💙

Straight build (with panel line/water decals/top coat)

[mikittalabs]

yea sex is cool, but did you know that between may 24th and july 31st of 2017, japanese players that have reached act 3 of fire emblem echoes could go to a 7-eleven and connect to a hotspot on their 3ds, which would spawn an npc you could talk to in 1 of 2 different game locations (zofia castle on alm's route, zofia port on celica's). this npc would give you one of several items once per day until the event's end. the first 2 items you get guaranteed are the seven sword and eleven shield, which have boosted effects between turns 7 and 11. the sword at max forges has 7 might and 110 hit, and the shield gives 4 defense and 3 resistance. the sword's blade is also shaped like a 7, and the shield has a clock pattern with the hands pointing to 11:00. after receiving the sword and shield, you could continue to talk to the npc, who would give you a random food item based on 7-eleven's menu.

[fortitude-nine-point-eight]

Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Episode 6, Seven Swords

[gremoria411]

A question I've been half-pondering since you posted some of your thoughts of G-Witch -- are there any series that you think do particularly neat things with design lineages (either aesthetically or otherwise)?

Obviously in G-Witch, you've got this lovely variety in mobile suit design, with each corporation having a different, easily-identifiable style. But there's also things like how both styles of 'suit in Gundam Wing (Gundams and Leos et al) trace back to Tallgeese, so you have a 'progenitor' mecha running around.

Oooh, that is a fun one. Off the top of my head I can think of around two series that do really interesting things with Mobile Suit Design Lineages, Mobile Suit Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans and Mobile Suit Gundam 00, but Gundam Wing, Witch From Mercury, SEED and the Universal Century in General all have examples worth discussing.

Note: I hit the character limit here, so this post’ll just be part one, and contains my thoughts on 3/4 of the main units in 00. I’ll talk about the fourth and other series in a subsequent post.

Admittedly, most of these are the titular Gundam’s design lineage, but there’s enough grunts that are worth discussing too.

First of all, Gundam 00

I’ll fully admit the above graphic is overkill for what I’m going to actually be discussing, but I think the design lineages of the four main Gundam’s is very very good, because each unit is clearly delineated into a speciality. (I’m gonna define them by their Third Generation Entry, since that’s the ones in the first season of the show).

Exia - Blue, with a focus on close quarters combat (I.E. Swords, to the point its original developmental code was “Seven Swords”).

Dynames - Green, with a focus on long range and sniping.

Kyrios - Orange, a transforming mobile suit that has high mobility.

Virtue - Black and White (sometimes with purple), Initially seems to be the Heavy Weapon Gundam, then later you realise it’s just full of absolute bullshit. It’s great I love it.

The second season, movie and side manga all add to this development line, so you can see how each concept develops over time. It also provides alternate equipment options for the main units, variants on a theme if you will. (I’m going to ramble a lot here, so I’ll identify which unit I’m talking about in bold).

Exia, for example, is the melee Gundam, one of two Gundam’s designed to primarily deal with any traitors to Celestial Being (I should do an analysis post on 00 sometime……, anyway). It accomplishes this by incorporating weaponry specifically designed to get around GN defences which, at the time of its inception, is unique to celestial being (this is why it’s got solid swords in addition to beam weapons). Its immediate predecessor, the Astraea, is probably the most stable of the original second-generation gundams - it’s designed for melee combat and doesn’t incorporate much experimental systems into the mobile suit itself. Because of this stability, it’s typically used for testing weaponry slated for other Gundam’s, such as the proto GN Launcher. This is further evidenced when it’s modified into the Astraea F by the Celestial Being support organisation Fereshte, since it’s the mobile suit of choice for that organisation when circumstances don’t demand a different unit, again because of that versatility. The Exia’s successor is the 00 Gundam (which I habitually just roll into the 00 Raiser, since it’s only around for about three episodes). The 00 Gundam is fitted with two GN Drives instead of the standard one, which should give in a far greater output. In practice, it needs to be fitted with the 0 Raiser, a little stabilisation plane thing, in order to run stably. This becomes the standard loadout for the Gundam, and it becomes the 00 Raiser. The 00 Raiser has slightly less swords than its predecessor the Exia, but makes up for this by incorporating the Raiser Sword, which essentially turns the entire Gundam into a sword hilt. The 00 Gundam’s Variants, the 00 Seven Swords and XN Raiser are essentially the 00 Gundam with even more swords and bladed weapons bolted to the frame (I’d like to specifically call out the Seven Swords for having GN Katars, which is just neat, honestly). As Setsuna’s penultimate suit, we have the 00 Quanta, which dares to ask the question “laser-shooting psychic swords?”, and can also freely teleport, just in case you thought distance was going to make this easier. The 00 Quanta Full Saber is probably what you’d expect by this point - the 00 Quanta with a bunch of extra swords strapped to it. (The ELS Quanta’s not, strictly speaking, a combat Gundam, so I tend to look at it as its own thing). The Exia line starts off basic, but eventually takes the concept of “sword” to greater and more ridiculous levels.

Dynames, is a sniper, but it develops very differently to the other Gundams. The original Dynames and its successor Cherudim were developed for Neil Dylandy, an excellent sniper. However, the Cherudim and its successors were piloted by Neil’s brother Lyle instead. Lyle was not as good a sniper as his brother, and so his Gundam’s were subsequently reconfigured in order to be more effective in large-scale combat - rapid fire rifles and submachine guns as opposed to “true sniping”. So, though the line shares several visual elements and retains a focus on ranged combat, it changes with its pilot.The Dynames was armed rather simply - a sniper rifle and two pistols, with supplemental armour being added. This is likely a direct response to its predecessor, the Sadalsuud. The Sadalsuud is notable for two reasons - it was configured more as an information-gathering unit than a combat machine, and it was notably lacking in armour. The Sadalsuud F incorporated a pinpoint GN Field in order to get around this issue, but the Dynames simply incorporated more armour as a result (likely due to practicality). The Gundam Cherudim, Dynames successor, incorporated missile pods and GN shield bits in addition to its pistols and sniper rifle, with its GWHW/R pack adding GN Rifle bits to the mix, giving the Cherudim far more guns to use. Another equipment pack, the Cherudim SAGA, even went so far as to be a “Seven Guns” counterpart to the Exia’s “Seven Swords” philosophy. Lastly, there is the Gundam Zabanya, which incorporated GN Rifle Bits and GN Holster bits, casting off its original sniping specialisation for a mass battle focus. “You don’t need to be a better shot, you need to shoot more bullets”, indeed. The Dynames line shows the progression from scout, to sniper, to more sniper, to Gundam with a billion guns. This is directly due to the influence of its pilot and the difference between the brothers - Neil’s a Sniper, Lyle’s a Gunslinger and so the line is adjusted accordingly.

The Kyrios is probably the simplest to talk about, since it was piloted by Allelujah/Hallelujah Haptism and was designed to maximise its aerial profile. The Kyrios itself was armed with beam sabers, a beam submachine gun and claw shield, with various optional missile packs, typically used in quick strikes. Its immediate predecessor, the Aubulhool, was barely a mobile suit at all, being essentially a proof-of-concept for the transformation mechanism. Nonetheless, it would also be used as a quick strike craft by celestial being when required. The Arios is essentially the Kyrios but more so - it has a new rifle, and the original beam submachine guns and claw shield have now been integrated into the mobile suit itself. The GWHW/M pack gives it a missile pod and swaps the rifle out for a GN Cannon. The Arios is also unique in that it incorporates a support mech - the GN Archer, which is essentially a smaller, simpler Arios for all intents and purposes (it’s not on the chart, but it was adapted from the Gundam Artemie, the bee-looking Gundam at the top-right). The Arios Ascalon is essentially the Arios fitted with various pieces of equipment originally slated for other units - a GN sword from the Exia, missiles from the Dynames and a GN Launcher from the Virtue. This makes it far more versatile, while still retaining its excellent mobility. It’s another one I’m quite fond of, simply because I find the versatility appealing. That and I think the Arios looks good in red. The last unit in the line is the Gundam Harute - designed from the ground-up as a two-man space superiority fighter. It’s also designed to leverage the abilities of its two/three super-soldier pilots, incorporating the Marute Mode which allows its pilots to fight in-sync (it’s…. Not quite clear how it does this, but 00 runs with the “quantum innovators understanding” stuff quite a bit, so I’m not too concerned). The Harute also incorporates GN Sword Rifles, which are scissor gun-swords (fun), as well as GN Scissor bits and a nice lovely missile container on the rear. Kyrios and its derivatives are largely concerned with doing the same thing - a fast attack plane that’s also a Gundam. It’s a very good, very achievable concept, so it’s neat seeing how the line develops over time. I’d like to note that the Harute is basically a culmination of everything that came before it, but considering I’m quite fond of it, perhaps I’m a little biased there.

I’ll talk about Virtue and other series in a follow up to this post, since I managed to hit the character limit for the first time.

But in essence, I think 00 does interesting things with its Gundam Design Lineages because each unit has a specific role, so it’s interesting seeing how they develop within that role, and seeing how their pilots influence them. The vast amount of other units added in supplemental material further sheds light on the in-universe development patterns and general “goals” of each unit. Exia retains the sword focus, but takes it in more esoteric directions as Setsuna himself moves toward his awakening as an innovator, Dynames undergoes a shift from sniping to gunslinging when its original pilot dies and celestial being replaced him with his brother (which is a very weird process, now that I think about it). Kyrios basically hits the nail on the head first time with its mobility and fast attack focus, with Arios basically just adding armaments, however his eventual understanding with Marie enables the addition of the GN Archer and eventual development of the Zabanya, which raises its mobility to even greater heights. On the other side of the coin, the units seen during 00P and 00F provide context for their successors - what worked and what didn’t, and how they developed.

[anarcho-karlachism]

Worrystone - Three Ravens Waiting (Dungeon Synth / Fantasy Synth)

0:00 - One Kobold Caused This? 2:30 - Two Pipers Fighting 6:16 - Three Ravens Waiting 9:42 - Night at the Mausoleum 13:01 - Octogolem 15:10 - Battleaxe Etiquette 20:56 - Seven Eyes In My Head 22:55 - Map's Edge Inn 26:03 - Winds of Failinis 28:32 - View From the Summit 32:29 - Swords Against Mist 38:11 - Warlockscraper

[draceempressa]

with the coming of this chapter 7 part 1 it reminds me to a lot of songs from my heyday

first, The Beast. As you can guess, it has Beauty and the Beast theme. The mirror Ortho brought while saying tale that is obvious Beauty and the Beast reference. This song tells the story of a person who traded their humanity to become an immortal, beautiful, powerful beast, they bonded with a human, but their pride blocked them to admit their feelings , only admitting their feelings after the mortal is long gone from old age. Malleus was not that prideful, but certainly it hits him like a truck with how fleeting mortal life is.

Second, Gift from the Princess who Brought Sleep. The song set in a place inspired by Germany, and mentioned that Gift is German for poison. The story shows a depressed, lethargic womans who is tired of simply living and wants her "happily ever after" and take rest from everything, poisoning the entire town and later attempted suicide by drinking the poison. When she commits suicide, the singer says "Now, The sleep bringer princess shall become sleeping beauty" Malleus is twisted from Maleficent, and from what he said in the trailer, he intends to make everyone asleep, with of course taking himself into that dream lane so he "can be happy forever".

Various languages have thorns when referring to sleeping beauty, and both German and Japanese also does that, the German and Japanese for "sleeping beauty" is "little thorny rose" and "thorn princess" respectively, when Malleus' title in game is "king of thorns", as well we did see the thorn later will make crown and cage surrounding him. Also, this is the "sloth" song of a series of seven deadly sin series and other materials like novels reveals the woman isn't a human, but a magical, illusionist doll, the one sinner who isn't human from the get go, much lime Malleus is the immortal among the g7 incarnate cast in twst.

Third, 74. This song is about a dragon who pretends to be princess in castle because she desperately wanted to be loved, coddled and be special. Listen to the part where she says "watashi no, watashi no tame dake ni " (for me, only for me) , how she gets off the idea of men sacrificing themselves for her, to be motivated by her, the opposite of dulcinea effect, but at the end, she eventually kills every "hero" because if she is taken out of the castle, then the process of heroes bravely venture her castle will end, the fact she's a threatening dragon and not lovable princess will come out. She likes the idea of courted by men, not men pointing swords at her. the line "of "once he reaches her, he will realize the enticing princess is merely an illusion" , as well , at 3:00, the english text says "trap and monsters" but the japanese says "shinuchi" that means "officer/headliner", they are very much sapient and loyal to her, all playing along with her game because she is THEIR princess. Malleus do like attentuon focused on him, but not when he's treated as a monster. He also goes around with his royal knights. And we all, out universe, aware, despite how princely Malleus is presented, he IS a prince of his fey kingdom, we know ultimately he will become the jrpg final boss dragon we have to beat and Silver is the ""real" prince. How much Malleus himself is aware, it's unclear, but certainly, he is inetionally maintaing the illusion /dream/sleep if it means everyone witll stay by his side, loving him.

[swordofazrael1992]

Jpv 2, 7, 14, 27!! Shatterstar 1, 20, 23, 28 >:) go autism on me!!!!!

AUTISM TIME FORREAL!1

okay okay so

jpv 2) probably after reading sword of azrael '92. i had a mutual who was posting a lot of jpv stuff and i had previously read tynion's writing of her in tec 2016, and then my lcs had a trade collecting soa 92 + the first seven issues of azrael '95 so i went "fuck it" and bought it. i can't remember if i read what was available of watters' stuff at the time before or after soa 92 but that was definitely where i started to really love jp/az and it's stuck with me (as you can tell by the url)

jpv 7) FOREVER AND EVER the "perhaps this azrael does both" quote from sword of azrael (1992) #3. technically it is alfred talking ABOUT jp/az in response to nomoz saying that azrael punishes, and doesn't/shouldn't think. and then there's also the soa '92 #4 of azrael straight up telling nomoz "no" when nomoz says they need to leave, because azrael only avenges, not rescue. either way i think those are really interesting and have Stuck With Me

jpv 14) i know i'm an soa 92 type boy but....this one is definitely a hard one and i don't think soa is in my top two choices. i'd have to say his no man's land arc, i'm a huge fan of it and his dynamics with other bat charas (esp babs and cass!). my second choice pick would probably be soa '22--i just love it so much and it's so beautiful. so while soa '92 might be my favorite, i don't think it's his absolute best. but it's top 3 for sure

jpv 27) the most fun, for me particularly? i think castiel from supernatural. i have no idea what the fuck would go down, but it would be entertaining. other than that, probably vash or knives (or livio/razlo) from trimax specifically, or sister lilith from warrior nun. lets just get all those religious imagery bitches in a room together and see what goes down

star 1) so i THINK my first impression of star was in young avengers: children's crusade, WAY back when i first started reading comics. like young avengers '05 was my first comic, and ya:cc my second. i think i just looked at him and rictor on panel together and, knowing nothing about them, was like okay yeah they are DEFINITELy gay. i probably thought he was a little weirdo (affectionate) but i didn't become a fan of him and rictor for another year or two i think

star 20) star is the only person in the world who actually MEANS it when he says "i listen to a little of everything" about his music taste. he really genuinely listens to everything, and everyone who knows him HATES when he's on aux because listening to his playlists gives them whiplash. seriously, he goes from mid 1800s orchestral music to hyperpop to 90s hip hop to 00s top 40 to 1960s bluegrass to music you're not even sure is from this dimension and that you're pretty sure is from some future timeline. star sees no problem with it, though. also i think he takes really long showers and uses up ALL of the hot water + has a really extensive hair/skin routine. so you go into the bathroom of his and ric's apartment and you see the shower and sink counter practically overflowing with all these extravagant and fancy products and then in the corner there are like 4 or 5 things that belong to rictor and it's just shampoo/conditioner/body wash/other essentials

star 23) i want him to live happily ever after with ric in a cozy house with weekly therapy appointments and dinner with his parents every month + an actually good/existent relationship with them where they aren't just kinda coworkers and maybe a dog or a couple cats and a garden in the backyard and a giant tv in the living room and a good relationship with life and maybe a couple college degrees or maybe he just learns so much about the things that interest him and everything else without feeling the need to have a degree to show for it and andand. but i don't think that will ever happen because marvel hates me personally

star 28) stabbing himself in the stomach that one time. and the other time. and the next time.

and being his own grandfather. that was really unnecessary of him

(+ i know you didn't ask but songs i've been associating with them recently:

jp/az -

https://open.spotify.com/track/4zlRCThoy7Wops9GF11kQX?si=0494cd4331cc411b

star -

https://open.spotify.com/track/6EqCxnulMcawu0qN8B8Y5W?si=2f23a62fe7bf4d8c

w/ jp/az's being about how they are pretty impulsive and need to get from point a to point b as fast as possible and star's being about the entire "raised as an arena slave to fight to the death for other's entertainment" thing. also on second thought i might put nothing lasts forever on my shatterstar playlist)

[henrike-does-writing-sometimes]

i got a LOOOOONG list for ya 👀

the fool, the magician, the lovers, strength, justice, death, 7 of cups, ace of swords, 3 of wands, 5 of wands, knight of wands! :’)

REN :D !!!

Thank you for asking, this took ages <3

00. THE FOOL: BEGINNINGS (What is the opening line to your current work?)

Very few of my wips have their opening lines written, and those that do have already been shared. So instead, here’s a bit of an exchange from Garden of Corpses that is currently the “opening lines”.

"Oh, we must be roommates!" the boy gasped. "Hi, I'm Nils!" he smiled widely, and held out his hand for Isak to take. "Um, Isak." he said and carefully took the other boy's hand. Which immediately sent a small shock through both of their arms. "Woah," Nils said as Isak quickly retracted his hand. "Wait, you have an Aether affinity?" "Uh, yeah?" "That's so cool! I've never seen Aether magic in real life before! My affinity is Fire, by the way." "That's… nice."

01. THE MAGICIAN: SPARK OF MAGIC (What inspired you to write your novel?) 

Going with Wayward Carnival and uhh…

You know the circus scene in Madagascar 3 where they play ‘Firework’ by Katy Perry ?? That. That is what sparked this whole mess. Because yes, originally it was supposed to be a circus and not a whole carnival.

I honestly have no idea where the rest came from.

06. THE LOVERS: RELATIONSHIPS (What are your favorite relationships to write about, whether romantic, familial, or platonic?) 

Honestly relationships that are unclear whether they’re romantic or platonic and bonds that go deeper than labels can describe are my shit. I like the ambiguity of it, I like when love runs so deep that it almost becomes unclear what it is. That “I would both kill and die for you, I love you, we’re partners in crime, you’re my brother, we’re best friends, home is in your arms, I’d marry you for tax benefits, I’ve never felt safer than when I’m with you, you make me insane, you’re the only thing keeping me sane.”. 

I’m not fully sure why these are my favorites to write, but they are <3

08. STRENGTH: COURAGE (What has been the hardest part of being a writer?) 

I think believing that there is an audience for my stories, and keeping to it. That is basically every writer's concern but like, it’s scary when you don’t really see said audience, if that makes sense lmao

11. JUSTICE: TRUTH (What is the 'truth' of your novel i.e the prevalent themes or overarching motifs?) 

Going with The Divine for this one, because I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before. Light and Darkness are equals, you can’t have one without the other.

While I was figuring out some character arcs details I came up with this “mantra” of sorts;

Find the Light within the Darkness. Accept the Darkness within the Light.

Trying to translate that would take forever but trust me it makes sense.

13. DEATH: ENDINGS (What is your favorite ending to write i.e happy, sad, bittersweet?) 

I like my endings happy. My characters go through a lot of bullshit and I can’t just be mean to them, there has to be proper closure and a light at the end of the darkness. That being said the ending always depends on the story and what is both satisfying and in line with the rest. 

Gamellunden has a happy ending because it’s a love story that focuses on falling in love with yourself through someone else.

To The End has a seemingly happy ending, until you start to think about it. Because that story is all about questioning reality.

Realm of Mirrors has a sad/bittersweet ending because it’s a tragedy that tells the tale of losing ones innocence and being forced to leave things one otherwise wouldn’t want to leave.

28. SEVEN OF CUPS: OVERWHELMED BY CHOICE (How do you decide which story idea to pursue? How many do you have?)

I fight for my life. There are times when a wip enters ‘main’ territory and I’m able to focus on it for long periods of time, as was the case with To The End. But now she’s gone with the Alpha reader and I don’t know what to work on. So I’m just hunting down motivation and inspiration and writing a little here and there. Which, tbf is how it usually goes if the wips arent in rotation lol.

36. ACE OF SWORDS: NEW PROJECTS (What project/WIP do you want to work on next?) 

I don’t have one answer for this lmao.

I’d like to workout the plot more for The Garden of Corpses, and get back into my Swedish wips. I also have some wip art to get to, including just drawing the Divine boys more.

66. THREE OF WANDS: FORESIGHT (Do you know what your book cover is going to look like? Do you have a color in mind?)

Kinda ? I have idea but they’re both hard to explain and get down on paper. Though the general list for To The End is gold, eyes, and loose threads. Those are the important ones that need to be on the cover.

68. FIVE OF WANDS: DISAGREEMENT (Do your characters ever act of their own accord? Or do you find that adage false or silly?)

All the time ! It’s actually quite handy when it comes to figuring out arcs and dynamics. Some examples;

Doto was originally supposed to be more in line with Mike’s personality (passionate, creative, reliable), but when I began writing them they turned into this dramatic, rebellious, snobby diva type. Which honestly works much better considering the Lumens are supposed to complement their Wielder. This also made their dynamic infinitely more interesting than if Doto hadn’t gotten a life of their own. 

Asher’s abusive parents was never intended. I knew most of the Martyrs gang would have strained parental relationships, but then Asher showed up in Thea’s apartment crying because his parents were being manipulative assholes and, yeah it added a lot to his character and helped solidify his backstory. 

And on the topic of To The End, Thea’s Borderline Personality Disorder. It’s honestly funny because I kinda had to do a whole evaluation of her, because some things just came a bit too naturally for her. This is usually how it goes when it comes to mental disorders with my characters; they show signs and I’ll be like “Hold up-” (See Robin’s schizophrenia and Janan’s autism). And sometimes you have cases like Ruben, where him being autistic worked better with the story than if he was neurotypical so no evaluation was needed. 

75. KNIGHT OF WANDS: PASSION (What are you passionate about other than writing?)

Filmmaking ! Drawing ! Photography ! and a bit of design too ! I just love to create, don’t know what else to say <3

[satoshi-mochida]

Fate/Samurai Remnant third trailer, screenshots

Gematsu Source

Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Omega Force have released the third official trailer and new screenshots for Fate/Samurai Remnant.

Get the latest details below.

Throughout the Fate franchise, pairs of Masters and heroic spirits—also known as Servants—have been fighting across history in a series of Holy Grail Wars, with the winning duo receiving an ancient artifact that grants wishes. Fate/Samurai Remnant continues the series’ epic Holy Grail War in Edo Period Japan as players control young samurai Miyamoto Iori alongside his Servant Saber. Here, a battle between seven pairs of Masters and Servants is about to begin as the “Waxing Moon Ritual” unfolds in the shadows. Playing as Iori, players will explore the town of Edo and experience a variety of activities, such as wandering the streets in the company of various Servants, shopping at the mysterious store “Babyloni-ya,” or visiting famous places scattered throughout Edo. Accompanied by Saber, who is particularly keen to discover life in Edo, Iori will be able to complete a variety of side quests to earn money and much-needed materials. He will even be called upon to arbitrate fights! As Edo is divided into several districts, players can move from one to another using the world map, which will show them where to go to progress through the story of the Waxing Moon Ritual. Saber will also mark places of interest on the map. Some Rogue Servants may suggest sub-quests called “Digressions.” As they progress through the different Digressions, players will bond with Rogue Servants who will accompany Iori. By taking part in the Ritual, Iori will have to prepare himself to face powerful opponents in fearsome battles with the help of Saber and other Rogue Servants. To maximize their chances, players can upgrade not only Iori’s skill tree, but also those of Saber and other Rogue Servants, unlocking various skills and abilities that they can equip. In addition to his skill tree, Iori can use materials with his sword mountings to strengthen its abilities and replace the skills attached to it. Players will also be able to fill in Saber’s “Memento Ring” as they strengthen the bond between Servant and Master by exploring the town of Edo and progressing through the story. Once they reach a certain level on the “Memento Ring,” players can increase their chances of using Link Strikes in battle or unlock new skills in Saber’s tree. In Fate/Samurai Remnant‘s combat, players have three different gauges to watch out for if they want to triumph over even the most formidable opponents: the “Affinity Gauge,” the “Substitution Gauge,” and the “Hidden Sword Gauge.” The first gauge is required to use the powerful “Affinity Technique” action and order their Servant to perform a specific attack. This gauge fills up during combat in response to Iori’s attacks, but can also fill up during exploration when players carry out various activities such as interacting with Saber’s points of interest. By consuming the second gauge, the “Substitution Gauge,” players can temporarily and directly control the Servant accompanying Iori. Finally, the last gauge tells players when they can unleash Iori’s special technique, which changes according to the number of swords used in combat.

The company also announced that it will host a special live stream for Fate/Samurai Remnant at Tokyo Game Show 2023 on September 21 at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET / 22:00 JST. It will feature more information about the game, as well as gameplay using characters that have never been shown off before. Special guests include voice actors Kengo Kawanishi (Iori Miyamoto), Hibiku Yamamura (Saber), and Tomoaki Maeno (Zheng Chenggong). You will be able to watch it on YouTube.

Fate/Samurai Remnant is due out for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on September 28 in Japan and September 29 worldwide. Read more about the game here and here.

Watch the trailer below. View the screenshots at the gallery.

Trailer #3

English

Japanese

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#Onthisday: Nov 21st, 2010

Title: Exia MuruKir

Yeah, I remember this moment when I was pumped up to see the premier of "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" on Cartoon Network Southeast Asia (Philippines). ⬛⬜📺🇵🇭 Thus, I decided to draw MuruKir suited up with his former armor before he gave it to a suitable character, years later. Namely, Comet from "Astroblast". But, you'll see him, someday. As well as its entire information. 😊

Nonetheless, this former armor of his was based on the GN-001 Gundam Exia from Mobile Suit Gundam 00 [CLICK ME!]. 🤖😁

Armament(s):

• GN Shield (attached to left forearm) • GN Vulcan x 2 (mounted on wrists) • Seven Swords System • GN Beam Dagger x 2 (stored on rear waist) • GN Beam Saber x 2 (stored on rear shoulders) • GN Long Blade (stored on hip) • GN Short Blade (stored on hip) • GN Sword (attached to right forearm)

Special Equipment and Feature(s):

• Optical Camouflage • Trans-Am System

MuruKir (Kirby OC) - created by ME! Armor (Mobile Suit Gundam 00) - Gundam series © Bandai Namco Filmworks, Inc. (SUNRISE), Sotsu

[fikarot]

hii can u pls do a reading abt txt’s contract renewal in 2026? will all the members renew the contracts?

will txt renew their contracts in 2026? current energy

disclaimer: my readings might not be accurate because of changing energies and misinterpretation. i don’t know much about tomorrow x together.

27.03.2023, 00:30 eest;;

yeonjun: seven of wands, ten of wands rx, six of wands, five of pentacles rx • wheel of fortune •

uncertain, leading towards no.

soobin: knight of pentacles rx • five of wands •

no.

beomgyu: king of cups, page of swords, five of cups rx • ace of wands rx •

uncertain, leading towards yes?

taehyun: king of wands • eight of swords •

uncertain.

huening kai: temperance rx • the chariot •

uncertain.

[outsidereveries]

hello! im curious about how gunwook view gyuvin and vice-versa

12.05.2023, 2:00 eest (yes, both of them)

gunwook’s thoughts on gyuvin: lovers, the hierophant rx, ten of swords rx • seven of swords rx

honestly? he loves his character. he likes that he talks on important things that are transforming, that will be the turning point.

gyuvin’s thoughts on gunwook: i’m afraid to say that gyuvin restricted me to know what he thinks of gunwook. my indicator of this was eight of swords.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Work, Not Youtube (8) Masterlist

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven

A Perfect Pair (ao3) - husbants

Summary: Dan, a struggling actor who works retail by day, and Phil, an ex-YouTuber-turned-porn-star, end up matched together on the new reality show, Perfect Pair.

all that kindred eyes can see (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Teachers Dan and Phil figure that they could quite easily keep their relationship secret while working at the same school. It's only for half a year after all. But the keen eyes of a trio of friends soon start to pick up on little hints and clues. It's a good thing the students mostly just want to admire their love and figure themselves out along the way.

As Long As I’m With You - mogars-sword

Summary: Dan, a hotel employee, is asked to come home with Phil, his coworker that he’s only known for a month, for Christmas. The only catch is Dan has to pretend to be Phil’s fiance, and things happen.

Buying Chocolate At 3:00 AM (ao3) - shallowlives

Summary: It's just another late night working at Walgreens, until Phil walks in asking for chocolate recommendations.

Coffee Spills and Ink Smudges (ao3) - TheKidFromYesterday

Summary: Dan spends more time than needed at the coffee shop where Phil works, but it's only because the prices are cheap and definitely not because Phil is cute.

Disney World Mishaps (ao3) - pasteldanhowells

Summary: Dan works at Disney World, and Phil is a single parent who loses his son while on a trip to Florida. Phil loses his son, and goes to Dan for help.

every second with you, I want another (ao3) - t_hens

Summary: Dan is a night cashier at a grocery store who is bored with his life and Phil is new to town and doesn’t believe in making a grocery list

fish me up (ao3) - megiaolf

Summary: Dan has a crush on the pet store clerk

For the lads (ao3) - Allthephils

Summary: Dan helps Phil get rid of some rabble rousers at the bar where he works.

Forever Frozen Still (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: Phil is a wedding photographer, capturing the beauty of people's weddings day after day even if it's beginning to wear a little thin. Then he meets Dan, a cynical and irritating wedding planner who doesn't believe in love and finally, he finds something that inspires him.

Ghost boy (ao3) - Fictropes

Summary: He clues into what’s actually happening the eleventh time it happens.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (ao3) - citizen101erased

Summary: Dan has just started as a new teacher at a secondary school in Manchester, and immediately gets put in charge of the annual Christmas celebration. But between constant budget cuts, the two main roles coming down with laryngitis, and the original teacher possibly coming back earlier than expected, it will take all of Dan’s creativity - and that of the cute English teacher, Mr. Lester - to keep the show going, whatever it takes.

Midnight Garden (ao3) - silentdescant

Summary: In which Phil is a gardener at the palace and Dan is a reclusive prince.

Milkshakes And Window Art (ao3) - luckysam78

Summary: Dan works at a diner and there's one boy who always is at the diner who he can't get his mind off.

My Juliet (ao3) - RyRyCaptain

Summary: Phil is a world-famous playwright, and he's directing his newest play, Romeo and Juliet. Dan is an actor who luckily receives the part of Juliet.

One punch is all it takes (ao3) - thesassykels66

Summary: Phil works at a haunted house, Dan is a passer by who is all alone. Everything take a shift when Dan accidentally punches Phil in the face.

pastry chef attempts to steal phil's heart (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: If anyone asks, Prince Philip's sneaky morning journeys down to the royal pastry kitchen are for nothing more than the perfect cup of coffee.

playing charades (ao3) - watergator

Summary: dan and phil work in the same office. bryony thinks they'd make a cute couple. they both seem to be equally as oblivious to each other as well as their feelings. at least, that's what everyone thinks...

possibly, maybe i'm falling (ao3) - lestered (clonetrobed)

Summary: It’s just another boring day at Dan’s summer internship. Luckily, there’s an accidental coffee date waiting for him at the customer service desk.

Potroast (ao3) - dickiegreenleaf

Summary: In which Dan is very serious about his pottery studio, pinch pots are vaguely made, and Phil just wants to ogle his boyfriend.

quite fetching (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Phil likes to take his dog on walks around the neighborhood. Dan works at the local elementary school.

Rebirth to Rebloom (ao3) - Yiffandquiff (paradisobound)

Summary: Dan Howell met Phil Lester while they were still in high school when Phil was helping him out. But as time went on, they lost touch when Phil graduated, and they never speak. Dan thought of him often and hung onto his crush all these years until Phil shows up at the flower shop he works and asks for Dan’s help arranging flowers for his daughters birthday.

Record Store Day (ao3) - americanphancakes

Summary: Dan’s claimed a copy of one of the RSD exclusives available at the small indie record shop that he owns, but someone else wants the same record.

Sail Away With Me (ao3) - Yiffandquiff (paradisobound)

Summary: It was a fluke. Dan shouldn’t have ever gone with Sam to a party on a yacht. He shouldn’t have trusted her to go. But in a chance encounter, he ends up in bed with Phil Lester, a billionaire CEO of a luxury clothing company. When he thinks he’s screwed up enough, he realizes he’s in way too deep. Because Phil Lester has fallen in love with him. The catch: Dan gave Phil a fake name and all Phil has to remember Dan by is the tattoo on his hip and the necklace he left behind.

scratch bark bite (oh, love me, i lied) (ao3) - Tarredion

Summary: Music & Drama teacher Dan Howell has a well-known rivalry with his coworker, English teacher Phil Lester.

An unforeseen event flips everything Dan thought he knew about Phil and himself on its head. Slowly but surely, the grudge withers, and the two of them cross the line between enemy and friend. But what will happen when their true intents and feelings get revealed? And was what they had ever really a rivalry? Was it even mutual?

step into the light (ao3) - dayevsphil

Summary: Dan works the night shift at a corner store and Phil needs a sugar fix.

Sugar (ao3) - lovergalore

Summary: Phil works at a bakery and Dan is a single Dad.

The Best One Yet (ao3) - pasteldanhowells

Summary: Dan works at a library, and Phil is a teacher. Phil has been so stressed out lately that he completely forgot about Valentine’s Day (which never happens because Phil loves Valentine’s Day), so he takes it upon himself to surprise Dan.

The Canary (ao3) - galaxy_ash

Summary: Dan is a famous singer called The Capricious Canary, but known as The Canary by his fans and the public. Phil is a paparazzo who hates his job and is assigned to stalk Dan to get insider pictures.

Three Tattoos (ao3) - greensweater

Summary: When a talkative, blue-eyed boy named Phil Lester walks into Dan Howell's tattoo parlor one dusky autumn afternoon, Dan isn't sure what to make of him. But when Phil keeps coming back, their one-time connection grows into friendship, and eventually, something more.

to coffee or not to coffee (ao3) - danhoweiis

Summary: dan doesn't like coffee, phil works in a coffee shop. cue some awful attempts at flirting and some first dates

what lies beneath the waters (ao3) - watergator

Summary: prompt: cryptids

phil works at the loch ness monster museum where he meets a boy named dan

When the Tattoo Meets the Flower (ao3) - BigRedEnergy

Summary: Florist!Dan wears pastel clothing. One day he decides he wants to get a tattoo. He goes to the tattoo parlor across the street and meets Punk!Phil. Phil awkwardly flirts with Dan and Dan thinks he might like the odd tattoo artist.

World's Greatest First Love: The Case of Daniel Howell (ao3) - Yiffandquiff (paradisobound)

Summary: Dan Howell wanted a clean break from his father’s publishing company. It was why he applied for a different company in London: to stop the ridicule of his coworkers for riding on his ‘daddy’s coat tails’. But he wasn’t expecting to suddenly be going from a literature editor, to a graphic novel editor. And he certainly wasn't expecting to come face first with his first love who broke his heart from when he was a teenager: who just happens to be his new editor-in-chief.

you say go fast, i say hold on tight (ao3) - parentaladvisorybullshitcontent

Summary: He's Phil Lester, small independent bookshop owner, who wears graphic t-shirts and drinks too much coffee. That's it.

Except when it isn't.

In which Phil is sometimes a bookshop owner and sometimes a superhero, and Dan is a villain, of sorts.