#toll waifu rights

[purplecraze]

Yeah, I like that one ship where the girl is like half a meter taller than the boy, She’s all badass and has flawless hair that turns white sometimes when she uses her powers. but she also has a cute feminine side and is head over heals with the boy in a super cutesy waifu way. Meanwhile, the boy is a literal ray of sunshine and he appears to be kinda whimpy and insecure at first, but he’s actually the most down with committing felony in all the series. also literally everyone else is fawning over him, so tall girl gets p jealous sometimes all the time.

[cosplayinamerica]

ARTIST ALLEY : BurntGreenTea

Here at Cosplay in America, I am expanding who I interview to those in the convention scene. Today we will talk to BurntGreenTea who I met in artist alley at Ikkicon, an anime convention in Austin, TX. BurntGreenTea is from Northern California and as stated on his Deviant Art “Hey, my name is Nelson! I like to draw waifus”

EJEN : My first question is why BurntGreenTea? 

BURNTGREENTEA: That’s actually my second handle I came up with, I had an embarrassing name before so I wanted to change into something more ironic and more “me” in a name. so I’ve been going as BurntGreenTea ever since. I do drink matcha alot!

EJEN: Tell us how you got started in artist alley, what was your first one and what was that experience like?

BURNTGREENTEA: I started getting interested in doing artist alley at my first Fanime Con back in 2007 as a one day attendee when I was still in high school.

I went with my best friend at the time and it blew my expectations of what a convention was, especially the artist alley since it completely opened my mind that there’s artists actually selling fan art. But I didn’t commit to it until 2012, just when I was in my 2nd year of college.

By that time, I had enough digital art and felt confident that I could do it. Fanime still had the application process of first come first serve (meaning those who apply the earliest will get a spot), so I was fortunate enough to apply fast enough to get a table!

For a first time experience it was nerve-wracking before, during and after the con. But there was something to it that really sparked my interest; and I think there were people that legitimately liked my work and bought them.

EJEN: Was there a point that you went “yeah, this could work” and you made the jump to traveling out of state for artist alley?

BURNTGREENTEA: It was about one and half years after I graduated from college, between that time I worked in a job that was soul sucking but I had many of my colleagues working at, and then after I was applying to animation studios, gaming companies, etc while I was doing commissions and artist alleys at the same time.

It went on like this for almost a year. By this point I felt like I really hit my lowest and felt a great shame that I couldn’t find “stable” work. My parents didn’t really support me doing artist alley during this time since it’s not legit work and it’s more like a fun hobby I can do on the side, all the while I have colleagues and friends who have jobs in the animation or gaming industries. I felt extremely lost, and wasn’t sure the direction I wanted to go in life, so my parents encouraged me to go back to school to get a “safe” degree or trade.

But there was something I knew in the back of my mind that I couldn’t see until I had a meet up with an old friend. She was confident, happy, found her dream job that paid well and she enjoyed the work, and she was completely honest and blunt. When the topic came up of me being lost in life, she asked me, “what did you want to do then?” and I told her honestly, “I really just want to do artist alley and make that work.” “Then just do it.” So I did.

EJEN: After all the time you spent in artist alley, what’s the most important factor that an artist must understand to do decently in sales

BURNTGREENTEA: Research research research. It’s basically “knowledge is power” but breaking down as knowing your audience, yourself (what you enjoy, your strengths and capabilities) and learning new trades while breaking old habits.

EJEN: Can you go more in detail about research, research, research?

BURNTGREENTEA: So this reflects back on my previous answer, so know the convention you’re going into, what you can offer, what’s your budget, everything that would make your experience at the convention you’re getting into a great experience.

I have heard many stories of artists not breaking even and even I had bad experiences due to inaccurate/outdated information or inexperience. For example, there was a first year event that had a $1000 table price tag and promised to bring in 5000 attendees.

This was going to be my second event/convention to table at, so I had no idea what it was going to be like and decided to go for it. It ended up having less than 100 attendees, and I lost a significant amount of money. So now I have to get as much info as I can get to make the convention viable to go to.

EJEN: How do you describe your style and how has it changed if any over the 14 years you’ve done art? What were some of your earlier influences.

BURNTGREENTEA: Right now I can say it’s pretty much anime style, but I can say there were several phases I went through. Looking through my Deviantart gives a great timeline all the way back to middle school until recently.

When I initially started I was getting into anime thanks to friends, so I was very much influenced by Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist, and Gurren Lagann. Then in high school I started to do more digital art, eventually creating artwork bigger and grander just like the artists from Fanime I admired.

When I finally started my education in my art program in college, I started getting the proper training in lighting, form, and composition. This time period my pieces were more western-influenced, like more realistic faces and body proportions, but there was something missing in it that I wouldn’t understand until after I graduated. It’s around the same time when I wanted to do artist alleys full time that I was more true to myself in the style and got more flashy, more colorful and composition.

EJEN : How do you decide what Alley to apply for. What’s your personal criteria for conventions to do artist alley at? 

BURNTGREENTEA: Local cons are usually easy for me to decide to apply for due to the cost being low(transportation, housing, etc). If there’s anything that involves flying out of state, I have to factor in much more information about the con, personal experiences from other artists, and if it is viable for an anime fan artist to break even and also turn a profit. Usually big conventions like Anime Expo and Otakon are the must go to conventions for their huge attendance numbers.

EJEN: Describe to me a typical day in the Alley!

BURNTGREENTEA: Due to the times right now, it seems like almost a dream to be in an artist alley, haha. Here’s a usual day of being in the Alley: Waking up early to get ready, getting breakfast and caffeine before heading inside a convention.

Usually getting there early, either me or some art friends would walk around the Alley and check out other artists before it’s open to the public. There would be some art friends I made along the way that I can catch up with briefly, chatting about the next shows or projects. I would have probably stayed up kinda late working on physical commissions and would need to go back to my table to continue finishing them up.

When the Alley opens up, it’s mostly engaging and talking with familiar customers or friends, while also working on commissions during the down times. Friends would go on food or snack runs, and I would get an hour to go shopping during the day somewhere as a break.

By the time it ends, it would have felt like it had gone in a flash. But with heavy eyes but our hearts full with a day accomplished. If we had the strength, we would check out an event or explore the convention hall abit more to absorb the atmosphere. Getting dinner with friends after a job well done, while we have another day to look forward to spending time with fans alike.

It’s really nostalgic to reflect on a typical day to be in the Alley, and having to have that all stop for almost a year now.

EJEN: Since the pandemic, how are you coping with this change both personally and business-wise?

BURNTGREENTEA: I was honestly hoping conventions would come back around at the end of May, but that never happened so I had to approach things differently. Luckily I had a freelance gig that I was working part time, so I had a semi-regular income on the side while I applied for virtual conventions and commissions.

It was tough since I wanted 2020 to be the year I would do the most conventions ever but that plan derailed. I also focused on my online shop and my social media presence, which so far is paying off!

Like everyone this year took a mental and physical toll, but I also ended up working on more projects and digital work to help keep me distracted.

EJEN: What are your plans for the future, what are you working on?

BURNTGREENTEA: My goal is still to go back to doing conventions, but at the moment I’m going to give that a pause. Currently I have a contract job that’s ending soon, and I have something that’s NDA that might come up, crossing my fingers! That’s the near future, but for the time being I want to refocus on learning new things and refining my art since I’ve gotten rusty.

EJEN: Finally who is your waifu?

BURNTGREENTEA: My waifu is Lucina from Fire Emblem!

Visit BurntGreenTea’s Etsy!

[violexides]

20.“Please, open the door.” with tenmiu???? tysm waifu

Miu has no idea what time it is.

Like, okay, she checked. But the fucking florescent lights on her watch burned her retinas in this room (which is dark as shit, mind you), so she hardly even processed what kind of bullshit numbers came up. And, like, even if she did, she doesn’t give that much of a shit, y’know? She’s busy, and sure it might be bordering on 50-ish hours without sleep, but that’s nobody’s business but her own.

(And her girlfriend. Who would lose her shit if she realized how little Miu is sleeping. She probably already has lost her shit, and Miu just forgot, because she can’t exactly remember anything when she’s so fucking tired.)

But, again! Who gives a shit? Literally, who cares? Miu is doing incredible things (gorgeous girl genius, remember it), and maybe it’s taking a toll on her mental health, but fuck that, that’s just bullshit Bakamatsu tells her when she’s ‘concerned’ or whatever. Because, Miu is fine, she’s just creating shit and hard work takes time (and talent), for fuck’s sake!

And it’s totally not like she’s trying to justify that to herself, or anything, by-the-fucking-way. She’s not trying to be all stupid and shit and convince herself of anything, because she’s right and everything’s cool. Even if things only feel cool when she’s creating, because she’s objectively useless when she isn’t working her ass into the ground, surrounded by endless piles of schematics and a bunch of tissue boxes (for her eyes, jesus!) as she tries to get a hold of herself before she drowns in a shit ton of robotic parts.

… Fuck.

Well. Who gives a shit? Nobody gives a fuck! She can keep doing whatever she fucking pleases, in her little office, at ass-o-clock AM-

She jumps when she hears the machine she’s making buzz really fucking loudly. Jesus fucking Christ. It doesn’t do it again, thank God, but it’s probably loud enough for her girlfriend to march on over and piss all over it (metaphorically). Thank fucking God. 

Well, whatever, she deserves it. For being careless and emotional and all that bullshit.

But, like, if anybody asks, Tenko’s voice saying, “Miu-chan…?” totally didn’t make her want to cry, because Miu doesn’t cry. She’s the gorgeous girl genius, the most productive inventor she knows (and the sexiest, too!) and she isn’t, like, sappy and shit over her girlfriend. Not that being sappy is bad, but… ugh. Ugh. Nevermind! Forget it!

“Hey, babe,” is her totally smooth and sexy reply, even though her eyes sting like a bitch and she kind of wants to cry like a loser (because she doesn’t cry! She doesn’t! Okay. She cried once because Ouma pulled some shit, but she didn’t cry any other time! Okay! She didn’t!)

Tenko clears her throat, just a bit, though it’s kind of muffled through the door. “Please open the door.”

Ugh. She sounds so nice and wonderful and sweet and worried and Miu just wants to hold her in her arms (but she would deny that if anybody asked because fuck vulnerability, it’s never helped her out). But, she also doesn’t want to invite her in, because fuck vulnerability, it’s never helped her out, and also… seeing her girlfriend would probably tip her over the edge she did not realize she was teetering on.

Fuck this. 

…

Fuck it. “Sure.”

Tenko opens the door carefully, shutting it behind her, and immediately sits in Miu’s lap. It’s kind of just… a common thing they do, because Tenko is really big on small physical gestures of affection, like playing with Miu’s hair (which she’s doing now), and Miu… has a lap. And a girlfriend. (And maybe she likes physical affection but shut up, no she doesn’t.)

“Um…” Tenko starts, and Miu lets out a small sigh. “Sorry! But… Miu-chan should sleep.”

“Nah.” She considers just dropping it off there, like some shitty blue balls or something, but she elaborates just a bit. “Gotta finish this.”

“... Tenko thinks that Miu-chan is more important than an invention.”

Well. She’s got her there. “Yeah, but. This one can like. Help people.”

“But… Miu-chan helps me?”

“Uh. Well, yeah. But.” She takes a deep breath. “Tenko, I don’t think you get what I’m saying.”

Tenko shakes her head enthusiastically (and almost knocks herself off of Miu’s lap, Jesus Christ). “No, no! Tenko understands what you’re saying! I just think that Miu-chan should rest. She, um, hasn’t been sleeping.”

Miu takes one long look at her machine. Though she tries to ignore it, there’s a thought in the back of her head saying that if she leaves her invention behind now, she’ll be a failure. Which, like. Is totally fair. But also, if she doesn’t go, she’ll just fail Tenko. But. Maybe it wouldn’t be failing Tenko. Maybe Tenko actually gives a shit about her feelings. Wow, Miu, astronomical concept! Who’s the gorgeous girl genius now?

… Yikes. 

“Miu-chan?”

“Yeah, uh.” She hastily turns off the machine. Fuck it. “Let’s get some fucking rest.”

Tenko does a mini cheer to herself, which is really cute. “Thank you! I love you!”

After hesitating for half a second, Miu leans forward to kiss Tenko. She watches a blush flare up on the other’s face, and she kind of snickers to herself before she lightly moves her off her lap and stands up. “Love you too, dumbass.”

Well. She’ll get some sweet time in bed (the sleeping kind), and she can just. Finish it tomorrow. Yeah. That’s good.

(She can’t help but be disappointed in herself, still, in all the quiet moments where Tenko isn’t cuddling up against her.)

[asknarashikari]

I

favorite thing about them

Souji: His swordmanship style. The show referred to it as being “feral” but I honestly did not see it like that. There was so much grace and elegance in each movement! And that backhand grip, ugh! Then when he gets training from Torin and pulls off Torinity Straizer with fuckin’ angel wings on his back... *squeals*

Not to mention, that double-wielding stunt in the finale? The actor did it himself! Akihisa Shiono really did it justice!

Also, random fact- Souji’s parents were played by Dyna Black and Pink.

Shintaro: His character growth in the show was really subtle but well done. Shintaro was first introduced as the guy who seemed ready to take on the weight of the world, to someone who refused to let Eiji do the same thing. And his mentorship under Akira was just what he needed to be brought down a peg or two.

least favorite thing about them

Souji: He’s a bit too serious for his own good. He kinda acts way older than he is, and I think it took its toll on him. I mean, look at the way he exploded at his parents- he’s trying to be the mature one of them, when in reality he’s just a kid who’s hurting badly from how his family fell apart around him.

Also, it was just painful to see how oblivious he seemed on the topic of romance. Even Gentaro wasn’t that bad. 

Shintaro: Is it me, or does Shintaro have a... savior complex, I guess? He wants to save the world, which is pretty admirable, but considering that he started out as a cop, it is a little unrealistic. Then it somehow worsens when he finds out about the Greeed...?

favorite line

Souji: “I remember now. The thing that sent me down this path... It was the desire to protect people from sorrow. That spirit!” *unleashes Torinity Straizer* 

Me: *vibrates in my seat from how cool he just sounded*

Shintaro: On the topic of Akira getting a topknot for five million yen- “Don’t even think about it.” Is it me, or is that such a waifu thing to say? Lololololol

BrOTP

Souji: With Yayoi. If I’m not mistaken they’re both around the same age, plus they were both quiet, introverted and more reflective on a team of mostly extroverted and reckless people. If Yayoi wasn’t so distracted by King and appeared more often and Souji wasn’t so into swordplay, I think they’d get along pretty well.

Shintaro: With Erika. I mean, he timed his battles so Erika would come in time to back him up even with her lengthy preparation time. If that ain’t a bro move, I don’t know what is.

OTP

Souji: Back when I was watching Kyouryuger I had a bit of a crush on him so I didn’t ship him with anyone lol. These days he’s fair game for almost anyone in my books.

Shintaro: With Akira. Akira brought out more of Shintaro’s personality honestly, especially when it’s just the two of them. Plus, that training sequence? You can’t tell me Akira wasn’t a little... hands on with Shintaro when it came to the Birth Buster right?

nOTP

Souji: Nossan, for hopefully obvious reasons...

Shintaro: With Eiji. I can see where it would come from but they have much more UST with other people (namely Ankh and Akira).

random headcanon

Souji: In his adulthood he kinda caved in and agreed to model for his mom on a part-time basis. He liked the clothes anyway, since his mom would never make him wear something overly scandalous to begin with. It’s just that he was too introverted to consider it before. 

It didn’t seem as big of a deal after saving the world, so he just went for it... Too bad, his teammates never let him live it down and tease him when they see him on billboards and magazines. Well, except Ian, because suddenly Souji was much more popular with women than he was.

Shintaro: He ended up returning to the police force full time, and his partner was none other than Izumi Shingo, Hina’s older brother. He is the only one in their department privy to his activities as Birth... 

Well, until someone else in their department became a publicly-known Kamen Rider, anyway. From then on, Shintaro didn’t bother hiding it from anyone either.

unpopular opinion

Souji: I don’t think he was as oblivious to romance as the show made him out to be. He was probably scared of it due to how his parents’ marriage fell apart, so he just pretended not to notice that Rin liked him. And once he became a Kyouryuger, he had the excuse of not having time for it due to having to balance his normal life with fighting.

Shintaro: I don’t think he was that much of a jerk when Eiji first met him. Sure, his help was grudging at best, but he also had no idea who the hell Eiji was, or what he wanted to do with the power of OOO. And he certainly had no reason to trust Ankh when he possessed Shingo unwillingly and had his own agendas too.

song i associate with them

Souji: His theme song, Slash! Zangeki Musou is pretty dope. I loved it when it played over his solo fight scene in episode 43 (the one with his mom showing up). When I went looking for tokusatsu soundtracks, this was the first I looked for- even before any OPs or EDs.

Shintaro: Similarly, his theme song, Reverse Re:Birth, which is shared with Date Akira (hence my ship name for them). I like the duet version the best, but there’s also a solo version for each of them supposedly. Honestly, I did not expect that voice out of Asaya Kimijima

favorite picture of them

Souji:

Do you see an angel because I do <3

Shintaro:

That time he pulled a Shiba Kaoru on lovesick Eiji

[tantkill]

Misconception: Kirigiri is cold-hearted, manipulative and utterly lacking in emotions or sympathy for others outside of their use to her in solving mysteries

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT KIRIGIRI ||

This is honestly the greatest misconceptions regarding Kirigiri mostly because the ones who believe this only go by how wikipedia writes her, as well as watching only the anime. Yes I say this because of how little information we are delivered in the anime and that’s why watching the anime is the WORST METHOD of getting interested in the Danganronpa cast. Kirigiri is one of the characters where you’ll fail to receive much and just reduced to a tacky summary in the animation while the gameplay offers more about her character, especially the Free Time Events ( believe me, Wikipedia of these characters is not going to give the true depths about them AT ALL ). Even watching a gameplay on Youtube is a step of improvement into understanding these characters since they upload the most important part of these characters: their Free Time Events. Wikipedia is a site where you can edit it as much as you want so are you going to entrust the word of people who possibly have a bias on the characters? Nope so the game is the only means of understanding! Now that I’ve added my little touch to how I feel about the birth of this misconception in full, I’ll be proving that this is a false misconception with actual game screenshots!

Kirigiri is cold-hearted and utterly lacking in emotions or sympathy

It’s a crime apparently to most people of a character being mysterious or the capability to conceal her emotions while misinterpreting it as being ‘cold-hearted’. The whole concept of Kirigiri concealing her emotions and hiding them is by how she stated that people who are far worse are capable of taking advantage of it. Her movements itself don’t ever suggest Kirigiri had ill-intentions from the start nor was she obligated to reveal it before people who were supposedly ‘strangers’ from the beginning. She acted upon an instinct where there’s no gain from letting others you don’t know how you’re feeling, especially if you’re being foolishly open. It sounds harsh coming from her mouth by how she stated it to Naegi but really she’s trying to properly educate him how his trust can be taken advantage ( spoiler alert: Maizono did just that and it basically opens a wound that guess what was mended by? 

Kirigiri herself. Quite frankly, she wasn’t too thrilled to speak ‘noble’ of someone who did implant betrayal as being someone who experienced that kind of sensation…knowing how unpleasant it feels but the relation itself is what made Kirigiri feel she had to ) Being in a killing game doesn’t necessarily entitle every person to be absolutely trusting or kind to everyone. Everyone had their distrust and it expanded with every killing. If Kirigiri was being cold-hearted, you’d think she would make it obvious by fully interacting with everyone but she kept herself distant because of her condition. Kirigiri had practically her entire existence erased from her, subconsciously enacting her detective skills as if it was second nature, all the while keeping a cool head during the trials. She didn’t have a reason to not act as if she wasn’t cold-hearted but also displayed no such thing. Even Kirigiri’s intention of speaking with Naegi to move forward the betrayal he underwent showed the consideration she carried for him. From the beginning of the trial, she asked for him to figure it out and uncover the truth. 

Sure the results of it might have left a scar but Kirigiri acknowledged the potential of his ability and went far to say ‘he was the kind of person they needed in order to press forward from this desperate situation’. I’m pretty certain this is another demonstration of Kirigiri’s attempts at being sympathetic all while pushing Naegi to move past those deaths. No, it wasn’t an enforced means of looking at it that way. This was a foreshadowing of the toll it’d take for Naegi to carry everyone’s deaths: SURVIVOR GUILT WILL BECOME HIS DESPAIR ( this was seen in Naegi’s brainwashing film in DR3 Future Arc where Kirigiri tried to make him move forward these deaths instead of keeping them; keeping these deaths will pile up and believing this was all his fault ). KIRIGIRI IS AWARE OF THE TOLL EMOTIONS HAVE ON ANOTHER PERSON BECAUSE, AS WE SHALL SEE, SHE DOES POSSESS EMOTIONS.

Now let’s move on to the ‘UTTERLY LACKING IN EMOTIONS AND SYMPATHY’ part… 

Ahhhh Kirigiri is comical enough that she humors people who have this misconception with her own intake about the matter. This is why I adore her to bits for practically saying ‘How clever of you to say such things when I have already stated before I don’t need to entertain your type of ideal waifu by being heavily emotional. What part of I prefer to conceal my emotions do you not understand? You realize characters like this exist right? No? Okay then’.

Apparently characters who have a stoic/enigma trait going about them, or the favored kuudere personification, are charged with being uninteresting or something is wrong with them for not being the emotional messes tsundere characters tend to be. Kirigiri’s Free Time Events gives us a more thorough understanding that she constantly emphasizes about being the kind of person who doesn’t wish to expose her emotions. She accepts these circumstances, accepts this motive for hiding them even if she acknowledges the other’s people intake on the matter, all while shooting down their assumptions. Without fully knowing she was a detective who did this for good intentions, Kirigiri was aware of taking this perspective when communicating with other people. 

As stated before, they were PUT IN A KILLING GAME WHERE YOU WERE FOOLED TO BELIEVE THEY’RE ABSOLUTE STRANGERS AND MEMORIES OF BONDING WITH A HANDFUL OF EACH OTHER WERE TAKEN AWAY. Enoshima’s drive for manipulating everyone into accepting the motives and killing their own friends was a sadly successful tactic, dividing them at every chapter though they struggled to try and put some amount of trust. Each time, their trust was sourly mistaken which is what made the despair grow around them until the sixth trial. 

Knowing this, Kirigiri instinctively knew this predicament felt like something similar and why she presents herself with this stoic persona while trying to solve the mysteries surrounding the school. Her motive was to obtain her memories as there wasn’t a reason to fully state it when someone must have been behind their ‘imprisonment’. Every character had a practical excuse for behaving as they did: wary of one another and only communicating with who they felt to have bonded with. Kirigiri, on the other hand, was only seen speaking with Naegi alone because of his foolishly open book persona. That itself gave her the confidence into at least cooperating with him, however she rarely expressed her emotions. This ties with her profession as a detective and we shall see why it connects to how Kirigiri’s personality is shaped. She didn’t become ‘emotionless’ as a way to make enemies. Rather, the following gives us an understanding to why she hides her emotions. She clearly states…

Reading your emotions easily by the enemy is the worst predicament for any good detective. In other words, Kirigiri won’t let someone who is the culprit to know what she’s capable of feeling. Reading her like an open book means inviting a chance at outsmarting her or the worst case scenery ENDING HER LIFE. People keep neglecting the motives behind Kirigiri’s ‘concealment of her emotions’ by forgetting she’s a detective. Even her views of what a good detective is not out of mocking or degrading other fellow detectives; this is simply stating her pride as a Kirigiri detective. She states along Chapter 6 during her aiding Naegi from escaping the trash pit about her pride as one. Her family had always taken pride in their legacy and mentioned it was SACRED. This is everything Kirigiri is, thus making her character of the stoic woman who people don’t appreciate or misunderstand to great lengths.

Kirigiri is manipulative…for others outside of their use to her in solving mysteries

It’s crucial to see Kirigiri’s standing of her neutral alignment as it plays a part to how she sees herself when it comes to a person. Being manipulative isn’t part of a neutral state where she doesn’t benefit from doing it as a means to obtain the absolute truth. People argued she was during the Fifth Trial because Kirigiri went against Naegi. Immediate standing goes to Naegi because he’s the protagonist and it seems like Kirigiri was playing a Maizono ‘backstabbing card’ against him. That is where PEOPLE ARE WRONG TO MAKE THIS ASSUMPTION. 

Kirigiri didn’t manipulate as the trial itself was a manipulation itself to turn the outcome under Enoshima’s favor where she was looking for a viable reason to execute her. People didn’t play the game if they can’t understand the reasons behind Kirigiri’s attempts at pointing the finger at Naegi was due to this being a trial that ends the mystery all together. She acknowledges in putting the mystery above saving Naegi’s life but truthfully THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY. If you chose to pursuit the lie, there’s the bad ending for you if Kirigiri dies. In reality, this trial’s evidence was manipulated by Enoshima though Kirigiri manages to at least witness how screwed up it was which is why she’s desperately trying to survive. If we’re going for the anime, before the trial begins, she states to Naegi how this would become a trial that determines her survival and how she must come out of it alive. She realized the absolute truth behind it and it honestly pained her having to choose her own life against Naegi. In the end, Kirigiri jumped god knows how long that fall was without hesitation and saved Naegi from starving to death. 

tltr; kirigiri is not cold-hearted, nor manipulative and utterly lacking in emotions or sympathy for others outside of their use to her in solving mysteries. she is a complex character who carries a stoic persona though when you truly earn her trust, kirigiri shall bless you with her emotions and not betray you.

[scopophobia-polaris]

I finally made a little ref sheet for my Au boy? maybe a Linksona at this point? But I finally made it so ooooooh booooy

I was really shy about making this, I just wanted to get some thoughts down about him and well I didnt say everything about him because I kinda wanna make a comic about him, a real long one and so there is some misc info in that text block and some thats not..? sorry I hope someone enjoys this giant mess of an info dump （*´▽｀*）

Because of his insomnia he can usually be found sleeping outside a little ways away from his house, just walk around in the tall grass until the random encounter pops up.

He’s actually very shy about how tall he is, it makes snuggling a problem because he always wants to be the little spoon and he is a very big boy

His cloak is all purpose, keeps him warm, keeps him cool, uses it as a blanket and an umbrella, its got a little hood to it too and it makes him (supposedly) look cool when paired with his Keaton mask

he uh....he really likes animals, he thinks cuccos are pretty cute and sometimes naps in the coop with them, he wakes up surounded by eggs and covered in feathers  

Actually his favorite is Horses, while living in the forest Mido and the rest of the Kokiri would scavenge for stuff outsiders dropped and once they found a book on horse care, even though he couldent read it Timie got really excited about the idea of horses, you don’t understand how hard he screamed when he came across Lon Lon Ranch

He also has a softspot for Dragons

When I said in denial carnivore I ment OMNIVORE, he gets spooked by meat and gets sick when he has anything beef related, its probably because he’s just not used to it, cucco is usually a no because he claims he “can’t eat cute things” which is a flat out lie, he thinks pigs are cute but would eat a ham samwitch anytime

.....also he eats monster parts so....octorock tentacle soup is a thing, turns out he can eat them because of the triforce of courage (for anyone that has followed my main and seen Naga, he ccan do the same thing, the triforce of courage needs more ablities other than makes the posessor brave, even if its just dumb stuff scdvfbg) 

He sits around on his roof and plays that Ocarina whenever he feels, if he was better at reading sheet music he would of become a musician instead of a jack of all trades master of absolutly nothing he does

So not being good at things lemme just say real fast he can’t use magic outside his crystals, if he tries to use magic naturally he will get a bad headache and worse, the only thing he has been able to do so far is light a candle and collapse

Did I mention he’s a fast learner? from what happened in oot and mm he usually never makes the same mistake twice

The boy is a solar panel! Timie falls asleep outside so much not because he just randomly falls asleep, but because he likes the feel of the sun’s warmth, also possibly it’s just that he believed he was a plant once and just wanted to be a normal Kokiri who did the photosynthesis so it’s just become a force of habit to sleep in a sunny area

His first pet was Volvagia, not the REAL Ancient Dragon Volvagia but it’s baby, turns out dragon eggs can delay hatching and stay viable for long periods of time until put in fire, like brine shrimp eggs until put into water. (And yes I’m still salty they never did much with Volvagia in the offical manga excapt for the saddest mOMENT but they didn’t do ANYTHING about expanding the backstory and never even showed it in the first few chapters??? https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RememberTheNewGuy G O S H)

Timie still calls Saria mom and goes to her for advise on almost everything

So he has two kids wow what a dad two kids wow, he absolutly adores his babies and would die for them, Aya is his daughter she’s 6 and his son Leif is 3, when Aya was born he couldent be seperated from her seriously he just wanted to hold her all day he was crying actually wait more like sobbing he couldent believe it.

He did the same thing with Leif, but there was more spooked sobbing.

Also Leif’s name was Weif at first, it was because of the stupid sneezes he was making and since the waifu for laifu wasn’t awake. . .

You see that Sheikah I like to draw? the one with the high cheekbones and the dumb hair named Arn? That who Timie’s boyfriend was, i’m not gonna say much else because I wanna write something and I will spoil a LOT of shit of I say anything super specific

BUT, I can say that Timie did get his Keaton mask and the uge to braid his hair from Arn so do what you want with that information?

For some reason Timie never uses shields anymore? He never seems to take it out anymore and it might have to do with that he realized he was using it less and less during the events of Majora’s Mask

Speaking of Majora’s Mask, Tatl started to give him a bunch of nicknames like greenie, time guy, sourpuss, stone face, music dude, man of the hours, lord of all wibbily wobbily time shenanigans, or just straight up calling him a bitch....Timie was one of the more nicer ones and he took a liking to it, it’s unknown WHY he started to call himself that

Did I mention his figure is a pun kinda???? maybe not a pun but a really bad joke can you guess what it is????

One last thing: Timie clings to others for guidance and emotional support because he lacks stability while he’s alone. Navi leaving was one of the worst moments in his life, right behind losing the Deku Tree. Timie's last boyfriend leaving took a serious emotional toll on him, as Timie genuinely saw as an anchor. He has some difficulty functioning normally when he can't be around the person he loves. It's not like he'll get weird and uncomfortable when he’s going to get groceries, but when there's no way he can be around them for months.

 When traveling alone he wears his keaton mask; not because of symbolism or something, but because it makes him look cool. Realize though, when I say he doesn't function normally, his personality ends up changing. He has a fake confidence to him and becomes like...? A trickster type, or something. He might also snatch up your rupees because he needs food. Don’t say you’ll kick his ass, because he’ll threaten to eat your fingers. It’s real easy to get him to stop doing this kind of BS, though. Call his bluff and he’ll shrivel up back into the big baby he is and will probably go home (even if he’ll be lonely there).

thanks to @fairy-spring  for helping me word some of this stuff, I feel like she’s going to see the bulletpoints and lecture me about how unprofessional some of it sounds wedcfvrgb4th

[afropendragon]

Chapter 3: A Bonfire to Call Home

(Touch the darkness within, has actual touch. WAIFU alert.)

“So I put the sword I found into the mound of ash at the room’s center?” The firekeeper nods at you.

“Yes, this will alight a flame for you to go and return.” With that, you step toward what is truly the center of the shrine. You hold the strange coiled blade aloft and slowly stick it through the mound of ash. At a an unprompted depth, the flame alights with an overwhelming density. The feeling from before washes over you like a crashing wave. Before you feel overcome by the power, it turns to a soft foaming ebb upon a shore. It is warm, tinging the hairs on your neck and arms. The flame is as welcoming as ever and yet different somehow. Like an incense not just of smell but touch was burning within. Something besides the sword kindled the bonfire, familiar but foreign.

“When you are ready, use its flame to take you to where you must venture. And when you are weary, or you seek power from souls, return to me.”

“The souls?”

“Yes, souls without a vessel any longer grant the ethereal presence of another. Either granted or taken, they become one with the recipient. They are without purpose, but if you ask I will grant them your purpose. And they will make you stronger. This is the power I serve you for.” You realize that the wisps you feel within you, are the souls of those you defeated.

“Can I utilize this power now?” You ask. She nods in response. With gentle steps, she approaches you.

“Touch the darkness within me.”

“Pardon?”

“Kneel down, my lord.” You do as she says, kneeling on one leg before her. She offers her hands to you. You respond by giving her one of yours. Curiously, she caresses your hand within her own and slowly places it upon her stomach. The blood and heat in your body rushes and blazes. Underneath the cold grey helmet, your cheeks are so red and warm. The soft feeling of her through the light thin dress gives you an ember that no bonfire was responsible for.

“Take nourishment from these sovereignless souls.” A light from your hand flows over its touch upon the Fire Keeper. A few moments later, something rushes back inside you and shrouds around you. The light from your hand ceases. You look up at the Fire Keeper’s face, she smiles and nods.

“It is done my lord, you may now rise.” Reluctantly leaving the softness of the Fire Keeper’s symmetry, you draw back your hand and lift yourself to your feet. You roll your shoulders, clasp and release your hands to determine the difference in yourself. Something about you felt sturdier, your armor’s weight had less burden, and your arms seemed to give more than ever. You also had felt more focus then before, your mind was sharper. The differences didn’t make you overall vast in power, but the changes were not too subtle.

“Whenever you have gathered enough, return and I will strengthen your body and mind. Should you wish, there are others here that may help as well. The handmaiden and the blacksmith will give you more material help that I cannot provide.”

“Thank you Lady Fire Keeper.” You bow.

“Return when you are ready, Ashen One.” She bows back.

“You know you may call me (Y/N). m’lady” You respond.

“I apologize, it is difficult to be casual with others.”

“I understand, if it makes you comfortable you may call me what you wish.”

“Thank you, m’lord.” You nod and turn to explore the rest of the shrine. Two steps out, you stop your next. You turn back toward the Fire Keeper.

“May I have the privilege of your name, Lady Fire Keeper?” For the first time since interaction with her, the Fire Keeper had no warm smile to greet your words. She opened her lips to speak, up hesitated, finally giving up altogether.

“I apologize. I am only your Fire Keeper.” A feeling of confusion swept over you. Did you injure or attack her in that question? Or was it something simply not privy to you? Or maybe, she felt her name wasn’t necessary? Or perhaps…worthy of knowing.

“It’s quite alright. I’ll take my leave.”

“So wait, you can temper this steel but you require souls and titanite? Where do I find titanite?” You were talking to the blacksmith known as Andre. His age produced long white hair and beard, but his occupation produced the tempered muscle of his arms and chest.

“It can be found out in the world. In treasures, even dropped by the foul enemies you face. Keep an eye out for them. There is a creature back where you came. It drops a very rare form of titanite, being that it is its very scales.”

“Oh, I suppose I’ll invest time into finding it.”

ONE HOUR LATER….

           “Heh, back already?” The smith chuckled as he looked at the very veins of your forehead about to burst. Your grim frown was only pale of anger as your defeated trophies of dirt, mud, bruises, and a broken sword. The beast that held the titanite shards had crushed and impaled you to death many times.

           “I need a new sword. Now.”

           “HAHAHAHA! Alright lad, alright. Here’s one on me.” Andre turned around and took a blade from a pile. It was identical to your old broadsword but did not have ruin or age burden it as yours did. The weight balance was superior, and it’s edge honed to its peak effectiveness.

           “Remember, your Estus Flask is just as important as your weapon.”

           “Estus Flask?” As you echo his words, you realize your glass of golden liquid must have been what he spoke of?

           “Yes, that flask you carry is precious to Unkindled. It can heal your wounds, as you already know. The blue one is meant to restore a power that allows you do accomplish certain feats that would otherwise be difficult. Magic and the use of masterful techniques require that power.”

           “That’s difficult to grasp.”

           “Ok, how ‘bout this: You can use certain amount of things with some kind of “magic points” you have. You use those to do stuff. You run low, drink that or go to a bonfire. That better?”

           “Well enough, yes.”

           “Then keep a close eye out for shards for them. I can use them to make the flask hold more. There are also special ashes that can kindle the potency of their power if burned here.”

           “Special Ashes?”

“Yes. Ashes of great value contain power all their own. Many are meant for other purposes. Speak to the Hand Maid behind you about such things.”

           “Thank you, Sir Andre.” You place your right hand over your heart and bow your head slightly.

           “Brithee be careful. I wouldn’t want to see ma work squandered. Hahaha.” His words struck a nerve about earlier, but you nod and move on. You walk back to the wide short tunnel arch leading to the shrine center. On the left side was an old woman covered in tattered rags, sitting in an old wooden chair. You had passed her to not bother, thinking she was perhaps asleep. As you approached her she raised her head. She was awake this whole time.

           “Ahhh, Ashen One.” She spoke.

           “My name is (Y/n), honored elder.” She chuckled at your statement. Perhaps, you thought, people simply don’t like to use names.

           “Oh yes, I heard you tell the dear Fire keeper. However the name doesn’t sit with me. So in return just refer to me as the Old Hand Maid.” Annoyed, this seemed to confirm your previous thought.

           “Very well, I wish to speak to you of ‘ashes.’ Andre told me you had knowledge of these curiosities.”

           “Bring me ashes you find. And I will be able to bestow their belongings to you. I have many baubles and curiosities myself. Hmhmhm.” You wondered why this woman seemed to chuckle to herself all the time. However she seemed to be able to help you.

           “Are you aware of your task, Ashen One? The Fire Keeper may haps forgot to inform of the nature of the journey you take.”

           “I’m…going somewhere?” The Hand Maid chuckled at your answer. In all honesty, you weren’t sure what you were doing either.

           “Yes, Indeed. It is called Lothric, where the transitory lands of the Lords of Cinder, converge.” As soon as she said ‘Lothric,’ a feeling of despair washed over you that you couldn’t identify. But the Hand Maid had a story to tell, and you needed to hear it all.

           “In venturing north, the pilgrims discovered the truth of the old words.” You pondered what she meant by ‘pilgrims.’ Did she refer to you? Most likely not, another second party was implied. And the old words were?

           “’The Fire Fades. And the Lords go without thrones’” She gestured her hand to the center of the shrine where the large seats were placed. The thrones of the Lords, were in this shrine.

           “When the Link of Fire is threatened, the bell tolls. Unearthing the Old Lords of Cinder from their graves.” She points to one of the thrones on the left side.

           “Aldrich, Saint of the Deep.” She moves her finger to the lower right chair.

           “Farron’s Undead Legion, The Abyss Watchers. Moving her finger again, up one from the previous throne.

           “And the reclusive Lord of the Profaned Capital, Yhorm the Giant.” All these names sent a chill down your spine. And you felt you already knew why you are here now.

           “Only in truth, the Lords will abandon their thrones.” She moves her hand to point at you.

“And, the Unkinlded will rise. Nameless accursed undead, unfit even to be cinder. And so it is, that ash seeketh embers.” This confirmed it, you would need to confront these frightening names. You couldn’t even imagine accomplishing this quest. You tried to picture visions of a victory, yet your wildest dreams couldn’t conjure a world where you succeed. You were going to die. You would die many, many times.

           “I’m going to need a bigger sword.” Your words make the Handmaid cackle, more appropriate for an old creepy woman like her.

           “Remember to hold onto your souls, they are a precious commodity. And perhaps you can succeed, Ashen One.” The words weren’t encouraging, in fact it gave you more to worry about.

           “Oh gracious,” She stated. “You possess a ring that I have as well.” You look to your finger, to see the red jeweled ring that was with you in your burial.

           “This was with me when I awoke. A gift or lost item I suppose. It’s helpful.”

           “I would say it is, Ashen One. It is also strange you found it. Curious indeed…” She trailed off for a moment. The silence extended, and she seemed to not even be back in your conversation.

           “Well, does it belong to someone you know?”

           “Someone I know, you ask? Perhaps, although if it does they would not know me. Or perhaps they do.” She chuckled again. That was it, you thought, she’s insane.

           “Well thank you for the story, but I have to go now.”

           “Come back anytime.” And with a final cackle from her, you leave her presence for the sake of your sanity. Your determination unsure and shaken, you reluctantly approach the shrine’s center once more. You look to the right, and you notice a man sitting with head hung. He was in tattered clothes and armor, a wooden shield on his back. He was an adventure, although the vibes from him said otherwise. You decided it would be best not to approach him. Your willingness to go on this quest was already wavering. And the man seemed so crestfallen, you thought you wouldn’t want to leave hearing his story.

           “Ashen One.” In surprise, you turned quickly to the left to be face to face with the Fire Keeper. Close enough to feel the warmth of her smile, the warmth of your cheeks was rising.

           “Ah, Lady Fire Keeper, my apologies! I didn’t see you there my lady.”

           “Are you prepared, Ashen One? You must go and return the Lords to their thrones.”

           “More or less. Probably the latter, to be honest.”

           “Whenever you have need of rest, return here. It will be a harrowing task, please come back to me so that I may assist you in gaining strength.”

           “Thank you, Lady Fire Keeper.” You bow to her.

           “Farewell, Ashen One. May the flames guide thee.” She returns your bow with her own. With renewed vigor in the Fire Keeper’s words, you push yourself toward the shrine’s bonfire. One last breath in, and a strong one out. You reach out your hands, and see a vision of a place within the fumes of the flame. You push your hand further, and soon you are wrapped in a warm fog. And then, nothing.

Slowly your body feels, your muscles become yours to move, and you open your eyes. The air where you are is colder, finding yourself in a small cinder stone room. Behind you is a broken sword from the bonfires, and in front of you a door. You push yourself forward, opening the door. Outside, your surroundings have indeed changed. You stand upon an open area of a small stone tower that is part of a wall of many more. There’s a set of spiraling stairs to both sides. And to your surprise, another bonfire rest in the center.

You reach your hand to the blade of the bonfire and light it’s welcoming flame. A small smirk stretches your face. As you descend the short spiraled stairs, an optimistic feeling clouds you. As long as you have the bonfires, you thought, I can deal with small husks. On que, reality rears its dark unforgiving head in the form of armored undead. Two of them attack you with ferocious flurry of swings. You manage to dodge and block them, slicing one down from the shoulder. The other undead you sweep with your blade, finishing it with a downward stab.

You don’t have time to recover, because a new problem was rushing toward you. Closing in fast, were feral pale creatures resembling dogs. Behind him, was another armored undead, but twice as big carrying an axe about the size of your torso. The dogs are curving around to your left, you had to focus them and dispatch them quicker than the other enemies. You raise your sword to swipe, but a sharp pain sears through your shoulder. Gritting your teeth, you hold your pained shoulder and see an arrow stick in between the armor plates of shoulder and arm.

You turn back, on a platform you passed over, was another undead carrying a bow and arrow. You turn forward, and you are too weak to stop the next assault. The dogs jump you, one gnaws your leg, causing you to fall over. The other one digs into the exposed joint of your wounded shoulder. The pain is too much, as you shout while struggling. You didn’t know what to do other than to try and pull each dog off one by one with jarring force. It didn’t matter though, because exposed and laid out on the ground as you were, you couldn’t do a thing about the axe wielding undead. Charging in, the undead jumped up and brought the axe down upon you. You close your eyes, and the last thing you feel is iron digging through the armor and into your organs. It crushed your heart almost instantly.

You Died.

             You awaken at the bonfire not too far from your previous death. You can still feel the pain, the sharp stabs, the biting. Even the crushed heart remembers, and you grab your chest to stop the traumatic pain in vain. A few minutes later, and the phantom pain subsides. You’re breathing so heavily from the struggle of just waking, you were almost exhausted again. Sitting up from the bonfire, you regain your vigor. However something feels lost, a warmth of life that is snuffed out. You didn’t lose the souls, you had used them all with the Fire Keeper. Then it hits you: The ember. You lost your ember from defeating the Statue back near your burial. Now you were truly just Ash.

           This is how your adventure begins, by losing something already. Abandon all hope, you’re going to die.

[jonathanraychapman]

My Thoughts on Current FGO

I’ve been playing Fate Grand Order (a mobile game) since a few months after it came out.  While I don’t want to throw out a monetary number, I’ve spent nearly as much money as Touhou or Shotgun Shogun on this game.  I’ve played every event except the first Nerofest - leveling up characters and skills along the way.  I’ve been following the anime series since it first came out and that’s first and foremost what got me into this game.  I play the game quite a bit.  It’s how I start my morning.  Sometimes it’s how I spend my lunch (jamming to music in my car and playing the game to get away from the office).  I often play the game while watching movies or videos or while hiking.  It’s something I can do with my mobile phone to pass the time.

Anyways, here’s some of my thoughts on the game.  This is partially to explain my position playing it to people that follow me and partially to give Shotgun Shogun some ideas for talking to the creators at anime conventions.

Things I like about the game:  

The Flexible Difficulty:  It’s as hard or as easy as you make it out to be.  If you’re in the farming mood you can either brute-force the game with your powerful servants or take your time and use the less-used characters in your roster (with more-casual characters that have fun interactions).  This customization of gameplay is extended - based on the class system and ability to use command seals.   If those archers are too easy, then fight them with a neutral class.  Really want a challenge?  Bring your sabers to fight the uphill battle.  This carries over to events with the different tiers and challenge quests.  I do wish the tiers had some niche or reason to play them for flavor or secondary advantage.

The Humor:  The translations are pretty good overall and some of the dialogs or in-jokes in the game are fun.  Sometimes I wish that - story-wise - FGO would dial things back to scary or dramatic or intense more.  You get a little taste of this sometimes (like Liz’s scenes during the Kara no Kyoukai event - where she realizes what she’s done in her lore).  While I enjoy my Tamamo/Kiyo memes or Blackbeard lolli humor, I want more balance.  The Camelot storyline was a pretty good example of how things should be while the London story was not great.  If you were just playing the game you might not get the dramatic story behind characters (it’s like FGO is just the meme version of the series).

The Art:  I think the game does a fantastic job on the details in the backgrounds.  And I like the different art on the characters and their noble phantasms.  The music is great too (especially some of the event music), but I mostly leave the sound turned off (since non-skippable NP animations get really repetitive).

The Lore:  The lore of the series is a huge part of the appeal of this game.  And it’s not necessarily even done by the game as much as the anime and visual novel games that precede it.  It’s fine for the game to ride on the coat-tails of the story as long hints to character lore are preserved out (and they are for the most part).  I do get the feeling that the mobile game is sort of a meme of Fate moreso than I would have expected.  That might be because half of the events are around holidays and those really are where the game breaks the fourth wall (it’s also mostly what I remember because of all the grinding).

Things I dislike about the game:

Lack of Player Interactions:  The only way we have to interact with other players in the game is through the friends list and guest system.  Unless you know people in real life, this make the game overall a pretty cold experience.  I know the can of worms that having chat would open up, but man it would be nice to let people know what you like and maybe don’t like about their servant lineup.  I’d also love to add different kinds of supports.  I want to share Tamamo for arts teams to use while having Waver for other teams.  I’d like to share my Nero Bride for her skills while letting people use my Okita for stars or for her NP damage (or my Saber Artoria for farming).  A friend can only bring one of your servants (and it’s mandatory) so why not give them more options?

Lack of Company/Community Communication:  So I have watched the convention events when I could to see what’s coming up, but those are far and few between (and there’s been a lot of problems with news being held back because of a convention).  That’s just not how to run things - especially online.  The communication just really isn’t there with the player base and it hasn’t gotten better.  Often the twitter account will post about events that started days ago so if I had relied on that for news, I would be in a bad spot (I’d be a couple of days behind on farming an event).  And the events are kind of odd (like last year’s Thanksgiving banner).  When seeing announcements through streams, It’s like watching the event in another country (maybe because there’s a lot of Japanese and a lot of translating and it’s not done very well).  I get the voice actors being Japanese and I get that the game is natively Japanese in origin, but this is the US market and a US port/translation of the game.  Please get a more-native PR spokesperson that’s also enthusiastic about the game and add more polish to these announcements.

Can’t Skip Noble Phantasm Animations:  I’ve read about this being a purposeful decision and I get that the company wants players to take time to watch the art for the experience (and likely psychological reasons), but after seeing the Arash explosion for the literal 1000th time, it’s not adding to my experience.  And that’s a quick animation.  There’s also the animations that seem to take forever (like the Lancer Artoria one).  I wish that tapping the screen would somehow shorten the NP.  Also, often when the animation finishes, I can barely see the numbers on the damage before the whole screen wipes.  Sometimes I’m trying to figure out if an enemy was demonic by testing it with a NP or skill and it’s just hard to with the NP animation obfuscating things.  It would also be great to be able to see the traits of enemies.  I’d like to know if a skeleton is a humanoid because my Florence gets a buff against that type.  Or I’d like to know if the Skeleton King is considered demonic to use my Rama against.  I know later in Japan we get to see the crit star distribution, but I’m not sure if we ever get to see attributes.

Gatcha System Too Greedy (And the Statistics Inaccurate):  FGO is a gambling game and I totally get that.  The company might not want to admit that too freely out of fear or regulation, but the players know it’s about getting players to spend money to roll for characters.  I absolutely enjoy spending money and gambling for characters and I’m fine with it being this way.  But the rates are just really bad and the side-rewards (i.e. CE/Character cards you burn) don’t justify the expenditure.  I don’t want to dwell on this too much because I’m sure others have called it out, but the game gives too little back while gambling.  When you do a 10-spin and get a minimum roll (meaning a 4-star junk CE), it really feels like you got cheated.  I also frequently have one five-star character on rate-up - meaning I have a 0.07% chance of rolling them, only to go through two or three other five-star servants before getting the one on rate-up (and the chance of that is extremely low).  I know it’s not just my bad luck.  There’s definitely something wrong with the rate-up statistics posted (I’ve just seen it happen too many times over thousands and thousands of quartz).   Also, the banners could be tweaked to let people have a good chance one one servant or the other.  When you put up a banner with two five-stars on rate-up (one of which I don’t exactly like or I already have a NP5 of), it’s not a banner I’m going to roll on.

Farming Materials Too Tedious:  I get that you need long-term goals to feel like you’re progressing as a player, but some of the materials requirements are just kind of ridiculous in regards to the amount of time needed.  When you grind a free node with a supposed 19% chance to drop crystals for 8 hours to maybe get 10 crystals (when you need 20 per skill), that’s just not fun.  It’s also ridiculous when an event drops and gives you easy access to crystals or the rate is now 60% or you can buy 10 from the shop for basically nothing.  It just doesn’t feel rewarding and it makes you have to grind the game when you don’t really want to (especially around holidays).  That’s just too much of a grind for most players and it takes a toll on me as well.  Take hearts for example.  Right now, you can spend a whole day and maybe get one heart from a caster daily node.  So you basically have to get these during events or from their shops.  And there’s a lot of servants requiring a lot of hearts.

I’ll be honest.  I’ve either burned or not rolled for characters after looking at their materials requirements (Tristran I’m looking at you).  I don’t want that character sitting in my roster with low skills and I don’t want to grind it out to increase their skills if they’re just not good.  So I just avoid the whole thing (especially if they’re not someone I exactly care for).  The same is true for characters that just have really weak kits but high-end requirements (like Stheno).

Can’t Really Customize Characters:  I know we get a few some skins/costumes later-on, but more of this would be a really welcome addition to the game.  Maybe just being able to change colors on the outfits or buy skins would do so much to make the game feel more personable.  If part of the appeal of this game is the waifu thing, then why not lean into this area more and make some money.  And if it was implemented, let it be a DLC type of purchase instead of a gatcha thing.  Or maybe it could be a secondary reward for excess servants or gold mana prisms - like something to do with the 11th copy of Fion you’ve picked up.  Every character in the game should have alternate costume/skin options.

[keinart]

Time Management system

ENGLISH:

This week update is dedicated to something everyone asks me from time to time and that I thought I would try to clarify since it is really important: gameplay.

Yes, I know, this is a Visual Novel, and since my previous work was a Kinetic Novel it seems everyone expects Lotus Reverie to be the same but that’s not exactly right. There are decisions in Lotus Reverie, and some freedom in the form of Time Management. I won’t try to sell you that of “YOU CAN BE ANYTHING AND EVERY DECISION MATTER!” because it is usually not true and in my experience by making “every decision matter” what you get is a set of really bad or mediocre stories where you need to find the correct decisions to bring the actual good story out.

That’s why Lotus Reverie is a little different and tries to make it so every decision have consequences, but you will never find yourself in a situation where a decision will make your game worse.

I know, this sounds even worse than that famous “see that mountain? YOU CAN CLIMB IT!” but allow me to explain myself.

A couple days after Cinque’s arrival to the castle she will be able to decide what to do day by day. This is already explained in the website but basically it doesn’t follow the format of normal visual novels where you have particular decisions during the story where it branches, but a format where each day is divided in three segment (morning, noon, afternoon) and before each you decide what actions to take. As an example you may think of other games such as Long Live the Queen, Persona, or Devil Survivor.

This means there’s a time limit around the amount of actions you can take in the game, a limited amount of days you can spend in the castle represented through the tension bar. Your actions and decisions will change the amount of tension of the people in the castle, and you must make sure you make your actions worthwhile and avoid reaching a point where the tension goes out of control.

This also means that there are no useless actions in this game everything you do will help you in one way or another. The only issue is that the amount of actions are limited.

This may seem a bother for a lot of you, but one thing I wanted to avoid was the possibility that there were wrong decisions without a hint.

I found myself in a lot of games using guides or wikis for the simple fact that I knew they were unfair. There’s always a “correct” route and the way to obtain it is always by chance, or some obscure reference, or the creator own bias. We see all the time this in games like the recent Detroit or L.A. Noire where you press one button for a dialogue and the character does the complete opposite to what you expected them to do. Obviously different people will have different interpretations of different decisions and actions, and what you should focus is in giving guarantees that the outcomes won’t be unfair.

Because of this reason I think that when a game forces you to open the internet to avoid boredom and just get the correct route that they have done something wrong with their design. This is what I wanted to avoid with Lotus Reverie.

Until the tension bar reaches 100% you are safe to take any actions. Despite it being a time management game you won’t be affected until the tension bar goes all the way up. This also means that you won’t lose some scenes because of some decisions you make, so you are free to pick the actions in any order you want without having to worry about “taking the wrong decision”. This doesn’t mean that there are not important decisions that will change the game paradigm but you will be able to notice them by their context when the times comes, meaning they are not unfair.

The different set of actions you can take in your everyday life are:

Main Events

Secondary Events

Explore

Train

Study

Others

Today I will focus on the first three since they are the main part of the game. Main Events are pretty explanatory, the scenes that form the central point of the story and that you will need to progress in most instances. Generally you can unlock Main Events by exploring or by doing other Main Events, and also generally they focus in different characters and their relationship with Cinque and the world.

Secondary Events are as their name indicates are optional scenes. They will give you a better context for the game world and the characters, but you can do without them. However checking them will give you some advantages that will most securely help you out a lot. The main strategy point of this game is be able to do enough Secondary Events to unlock content and get as many secrets as you can while making sure your tension bar doesn’t reach 100%.

Explore is basically what it sounds like. Check around the castle and the city to try to investigate and learn more about it. Exploration constitutes a mix of obligatory and optional short scenes that will allow you to unlock all kind of new content. Once again your time is limited so it’s up to decide how much you can explore, but exploring will always bring something to you. As I mentioned earlier there’s no optional content that is useless, you just need to make sure you don’t surpass the 100% tension.

Now the difficult point to get from this gameplay for me was “alright, all actions are useful, but are they balanced?”.

In my experience when playing these games some actions turn out so much better than others. For Visual Novels you generally have some routes that are incredibly bad and are just there to give you a game over screen after a session of losing your time. For other kind of games like strategy or dating sims you get a good variety of options, and while all of them have a function you know how good some are compared to others. I have a particular trauma with Sengoku’s Rance and how the first playthrough for anyone is always a mess because you are given a good bunch of actions you can do but most of them are terrible while a few are incredibly useful.

My main point to bring balance to Lotus Reverie was focusing the actions and rewards into characters, meaning that anything you unlock and learn is related with some characters and their own stories. Most people won’t be able to unlock everything in one single playthrough (although I want to make it so it’s possible), but they will be able to get what they what from the characters they focus on. At the end of the day all I want is that you can enjoy your waifus and husbandos basically  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

And finally to bring a closure to this time management kind of gameplay I put Thistle into the role of the information dealer. That’s why I waited until I had him to do this update!

He’s the leader of the castle, and as such he wants to make sure they can keep the peace and harmony that allows to have fun while living in this end of the world scenario. He represents a figure that will move threads in the shadows to make sure tension in the castle is reduced, allowing you to have more time to do more actions.

Dealing information with Thistle will allow you to gain time, but in exchange your relationship with some people make take a toll. With who will you align and focus to unlock more of their stories and backgrounds? The balance of this game decisions is focused into choosing characters to go along with. Choosing peoples lives over others. Hard decisions, but fair decisions after all.

There’s a lot more into this but I think this is enough for this week update. I’ll give more details in the future. All you need to know is that you don’t have to worry too much either about choosing one character over another. You will still be able to watch their main stories and won’t lose their main events to progress with the game. All this “gameplay rewards” are optional content to enhance your experience, and at the end of the day you will still enjoy the game as if it was a normal visual novel no matter what decisions you take. This story is lineal and there’s one single ending (with variations in the story structure depending of your decisions), so in that sense it is not that different for a kinetic novel.

In summary: there are not several bad and mediocre routes with one golden route, there’s one golden route with some branches that will allow you to bring out more of the game.

Until next update!

ESPAÑOL:

La actualización de esta semana está dedicada a algo que mucha gente me pregunta de cuando en cuando y que he pensado que debería clarificar ya que es muy importante: jugabilidad.

Sí, lo sé, esto es una novela visual, y ya que mi anterior trabajo fue una novela cinética parece que la mayoría espera que Lotus Reverie también lo sea pero no es el caso. Hay decisiones en Lotus Reverie, y libertad en la forma del Manejo del tiempo. No intentaré venderte la moto del “PUEDES SER LO QUE QUIERAS Y CADA DECISIÓN IMPORTA” porque no suele ser verdad y en mi experiencia hacer que “cada decisión importe” significa que obtiene un montón de historias malas o mediocres donde necesitas encontrar las decisiones correctas para sacar a la luz la historia buena de ese amasijo.

Esto es por lo que Lotus Reverie es un tanto diferente ya que intenta hacer que todas las decisiones tienen consecuencias, pero nunca te encontrarás en un punto que las decisiones hagan tu juego peor.

Sí, sé que esto suena peor que ese “¿ves esa montaña? ¡PUEDES ESCALARLA!” pero permitid que me explique.

Un par de días después de la llegada de Cinque al castillo podrás decidir qué hacer con tu día a día. Esto ya lo explica la página web pero el resumen es que no sigue el formato habitual de novelas visuales donde diferentes decisiones hace que el juego se abra en diferentes ramas, sino un formato en el que cada día está dividido en tres segmentos (mañana, mediodía, tarde) y antes de cada uno puedes decidir qué acciones tomar. Un ejemplo son juegos como Long Live the Queen, Persona, o Devil Survivor.

Esto por supuesto significa que hay una cantidad de limitada de tiempo y por lo tanto de acciones que puedes tomar en el juego. Esta cantidad limitada de días está representada con la barra de tensión. Tus decisiones y acciones determinarán la cantidad de tensión de la gente en el castillo, y tienes que asegurarte que tus acciones merecen la pena antes de llegar al punto en el que la tensión se va fuera de control.

Esto también significa que no hay acciones inútiles en este juego y que todo lo que hagas te ayudará de alguna forma u otra. El único problema es que tu cantidad de acciones es limitada.

Sé que esto puede parecer un problema para muchos, pero una cosa que quería evitar era la posibilidad de que hubiera decisiones incorrectas sin algún tipo de pista.

En muchas ocasiones me veo recurriendo a guías o a wikis para muchos juegos por el simple hecho de que son injutos. Siempre hay una “ruta correcta” y la forma de obtenerla es por suerte, por algún tipo de referencia imposible, o el propio sesgo del autor. Esto lo vemos todo el rato en juegos como el reciente Detroit o L.A. Noire donde pulsas un botón de diálogo y el personaje hace completamente lo contrario a lo que esperabas que ocurriese. Por supuesto gente distinta interpretará de forma distinta algunas decisiones o acciones, y por eso creo que es mejor centrarse en dar garantías de que los resultados no serán injustos.

Por esta razón pienso que cuando un juego te obliga a abrir internet para evitar el aburrimiento y simplemente llegar a esa ruta “correcta” de una vez es que algo malo tiene su diseño. Esto es lo que quería evitar con Lotus Reverie.

Hasta que la barra de tensión no llegue al 100% eres libre de tomar las acciones que quieras. Aunque sea un juego de control de tiempo no te verás afectado hasta que la barra de tensión llegue al máximo. Esto también significa que no vas a perder escenas por una decisión equivocada que hayas tomado, por lo que eres libre de elegir sin tener que preocuparte de “tomar la decisión incorrecta”. Esto no significa que no haya decisiones importantes que cambien el paradigma del juego pero siempre podrás verlas venir gracias a su contexto, lo que significa que no son injustas.

Las diferentes acciones que puedes tomar en tu día a día son:

Eventos Principales

Eventos Secundarios

Explorar

Entrenar

Estudiar

Otros

Hoy me voy a centrar en los tres primeros ya que son la base del juego. Los Eventos Principales se explican por sí mismos, conforman las escenas que son el punto central de la historia y que necesitas para avanzar en su mayoría. Por lo general se centran en diferentes personajes y en su relación con Cinque y el mundo.

Los Eventos Secundarios como su nombre indica son escenas opcionales. Te darán un mejor contexto del juego, el mundo, y sus personajes, pero puedes jugar sin hacerlos. Sin embargo verlos te ayudará y te dará algunas ventajas muy beneficiosas. Por lo que la estrategia principal del juego es conseguir hacer las suficientes Escenas Secundarias como para desbloquear contenido y conseguir tantos secretos como te sea posible siempre y cuando la barra de tensión no llegue al 100%.

Explorar hace justo lo que suena. Investiga alrededor del castillo y la ciudad para intentar averiguar más sobre el mundo. La exploración tiene una mezcla de escenas cortas tanto opcionales como obligatorias que te permitirán desbloquear toda clase de contenido nuevo. Como tu tiempo está limitado está en tu mano cuánto quieres explorar, pero explorar siempre te traerá algo beneficioso. Como he mencionado antes no hay contenido opcional que sea inútil, solo tienes que asegurarte que no sobrepasas el 100% de tensión.

Ahora por supuesto uno de los mayores retos a la hora de diseñar este estilo de juego era “de acuerdo, todas las decisiones son útiles, ¿pero están balanceadas?”.

En mi experiencia cuando juegas a este tipo de juegos algunas acciones se vuelven mucho mejor que otras. Para las Novelas Visuales generalmente tienes algunas rutas que son increíblemente malas y solo te llevan a una pantalla de Game Over después de un largo tute de tiempo perdido. Para otros juegos como juegos de estrategia o dating sims puedes llegar a tener una buena variedad de opciones, pero aunque todas tengan una función al final siempre ves cuáles son mucho mejores que otras. Tengo un trauma particular con Sengoku’s Rance y como en su primera partida siempre la vas a liar ya que te dan un buen montón de acciones pero la mayoría son terrible y solo unas pocas son increíblemente útiles.

Mi forma de traer balance a Lotus Reverie ha sido centrando las acciones y las recompensas en los personajes, lo que significa que lo que desbloquees sirva para aprender y conseguir más contenido respecto a ciertos personajes y sus historias. La mayoría de la gente será incapaz de desbloquearlo todo en una partida (aunque quiero hacerlo de manera que sea posible), pero podrán conseguir lo que quieran de los personajes en los que se centren. Al final lo que quiero es que puedas disfrutar de tus waifus y tus husbandos vamos   ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Y finalmente para ir cerrando voy a hablar del papel de Thistle como traficante de información (huh, en este caso en inglés suena mejor). Por eso esperaba hasta que lo tuvieramos finalizado para hacer esta actualización.

Él es el líder del castillo, y como tal quiere asegurarse que puede mantener la paz y el orden en el mismo que os permite pasarlo bien a pesar de este escenario del fin del mundo. Representa una figura que mueve los hilos de las sombras para garantizar que la tensión en el castillo es reducida, y te permite ganar tiempo para realizar más acciones.

Intercambiar información con Thistle te permitirá ganar tiempo, pero a cambio tu relación con otros miembros sufrirá las consecuencias. ¿Con quién te aliarás y te centrarás para conseguir desbloquear más de sus historias y trasfondos? El balance está en estas decisiones a la hora de escoger unos personajes sobre otros, escoger unas vidas sobre otras. Decisiones difíciles sin duda, pero decisiones justas después de todo.

Hay mucho más respecto a este juego pero creo que ya me vale con la actualización de esta semana. Daré más detalles en el futuro. Todo lo que necesitas saber por ahora es que no te tienes que preocupar demasiado sobre escoger unos personajes sobre otros ya que siempre serás capaz de ver sus historias principales y no perderás los eventos que te ayudarán avanzar en el juego. Todas estas “recompensas de la jugabilidad” son contenido opcional que te ayudarán a incrementar tu experiencia, pero al final está en tu mano si prefieres disfrutar esto como una novela visual normal y corriente sin tampoco prestarle mucha atención a dichas decisiones. Lotus Reverie no deja de ser una historia lineal en la que hay un único final (con variaciones en la estructura dependiendo de tus decisiones), por lo que en ese sentido no es tan distinto de una novela cinética.

En resumen: este no es un juego lleno de rutas malas o mediocres con una ruta genial, sino una ruta genial con ramas y bifurcaciones que te permitirán sacar mucho más del juego.

¡Hasta la próxima!