#we need a character development side story for ruby

[ayumusaber]

This is me, drawing Ruby.

[indigo-constellation]

the Pathologic essay I wrote last year about why I think the Haruspex route Utopian ending is the overall best ending, I still stand by what I said however this somewhat structured essay holds less than half about how much I care about this ending.

also it is just canon LOL

In the game Pathologic there are three different routes, each corresponding to each healer. The story also has several endings, one for each of the bound (characters which as the name implies, are bound to their individual healer) as well as a bad ending if the player fails to find any sort of viable solution for the plague. This ability to choose the ending belonging to another healer is an incredibly telling one on the part of the characters, especially when it comes to the Haruspex, and his ability to choose the Utopian, and the Bachelor’s ending. This ending also works quite well when considering the wider narratives of the Haruspex’s route, including the future of the town, his role and sacrifice, and the metanarrative of the story.

In all three routes there lays quite a large weight on the future of the town, as of course it is the battle of the ending, of which vision of the town would become reality. The Haruspex’s bound is known as the Termites, a collection of children who learned from Isidor Burakh, Artemy Burakh’s father. Their ending is the one in which the Polyhedron is destroyed and the town stands, ready to be developed by a future generation. However, it is discovered in one of the other routes of the story, the Bachelor’s route (we will get to him later) that the source of the infection lies underneath the town, in the pockets of blood which have collected beneath. This means that the plague can never be fully defeated unless the town itself is destroyed, as the Polyhedron has already pierced the ground, meaning that there is no returning the plague to its dormant state, trapped underneath the earth. On the other hand, the other side of the river is entirely uninhibited, clean of the plague. This complete lack of prior development also means an ability to create a new town.

The new town built after the Utopian ending is one made, as the name implies, by the Utopians, however, the asymmetrical narrative changes depending on which healer is the one being currently played by the player, so following that logic, the endings would be influenced as well. This would hypothetically mean that the vision Capella has for the future of the town, one in which the Haruspex is a leader of the kin, and the town would be led by the children, could still find its place within the new town. There are also direct connections between the Utopians and Termites as well, such as Casper Kain, also known as Khan, of the termites, being a termite while also being part of the Kain family, which means that despite the rocky relationship amongst the family, he is still a heir to that power. Capella as well, is the sister of Vlad the younger, who at that point is the eldest Olgymsky remaining, and the projected leader of the town’s industry in the new town, she has also planned her engagement to Khan, meaning that she would then have a connection to Kain family as well. Apart from these direct connections, the entirety of the bound is important, each member, independent of faction, still able to impact the future of the town, and in order to achieve the Utopian ending in the Haruspex route both the Termites and Utopians must be fully healed. However these are the more hypothetical results of the ending, in the game itself the cutscene remains the same for whichever healer chooses the ending, which can imply the uniformness of the ending. However even though the Utopian ending described in differing routes can still serve the Haruspex well, the utopia described in the Bachelor route is explicitly stated to need the Earth, “…it's all about what's down below. It requires dirt. A ruby firmament needs something to sit atop-otherwise it'd topple.” This coincides well with the future Capella predicts, with the Haruspex taking his place as the foreman of the Abattoir, showing that there is, in fact, a place for the “earthly and the humane” in the new town. The connections described within the route, the needs of the utopia, and especially the influence of the Haruspex himself, would allow the Utopian ending to be a fitting future in the Haruspex route.

Another very present aspect of the Haurpsex’s route is that of his sacrifice, the idea that he must destroy, kill, something or someone in order for his ending to occur. This concept is mentioned a few times, however it is only fully explained by Katerina Saburova, “You will make a sacrifice. There will be rivers of blood, and that will be your doing.” While I can go into a whole other essay about the ideas of the sacrifice (and I do), we will for this essay’s sake, take the sacrifice as it’s surface level in pathologic classic, and how it’s implications mean that choosing the Utopian ending would have better long-term effects and also complete the Haruspex’s journey.

The Haruspex’s story follows a more classical hero’s journey rather than the Bachelor’s tragedy, with the abattoir symbolising the other world, and Oyun assigning the quite literal trials the Haruspex must go through. Once the Haruspex defeats the Foreman and becomes the new Foreman of the abattoir, however, he is still not respected by the butchers, who require a sacrifice from him. This duality of both the mistress’ prophecy and the requirement of the butchers also shines a light on the Haruspex in Pathologic Classic, someone who knows that he is of two worlds, however also a person who takes pride in both of them, and brings them together.

In the Termite ending the sacrifice is not fulfilled, the Haruspex is not allowed access to the blood, the plague looms as a remaining threat, and the Polyhedron still falls, for nothing.

Unlike in Pathologic 2, where the Polyhedron is quite literally piercing through the heart of the Earth, slowly killing her, in classic it is nowhere near that fatal, still harmful, but not fatal..  This important distinction is also important to make with the fact that while the blood would still seep out from the open wound if the tower were to fall, it would be limited, and would dry out at some point, while on the other hand, completing the sacrifice would allow the Haruspex access to the blood in the Earth, as the butchers would allow him to find the hidden reserves.

The sacrifice herself, Aglaya Lilich is someone already doomed by the powers that be, a doll loved by their mother and so hated by them, she dies in every ending but the Termites’. There is, of course, a point to be made about the theme of a woman having to die for a man’s journey is not a good one, and choosing this ending would feed into a harmful cliche, however, her death is something she herself understands, and although she urges the Haruspex not to make it, she acknowledges that she is meant to be the sacrifice, that choosing this choice will be enough, “If you lead him to victory, you may consider your sacrifice made. You return to the exultant butchers, triumphant.” Her death is not regarded as a simple shock factor to the end of the story, it is the pivotal choice the Haruspex must make. This is also shown in the Changeling route, where saving Aglaya is seen as an act of deceit, as even Clara’s ending, which saves the town, requires Aglaya to die, as Aglaya is a ‘queen’ an important piece on the board at the end of the game, her life only allows for the Termite ending, only allows for the Haruspex to lose his standing within the kin, and only allows for the sacrifice of the Polyhedron.

The Polyhedron is viewed as the sacrifice in the case that the Haruspex seeks to save Aglaya, however would it even work as one? The sacrifice needed is one of equal value to the Udurgh, the body that contains the world, and if the Utopian route is the one followed, the Udurgh is Simon Kain, and so the sacrifice must be someone who is more than human, and yet human. The Polyhedron, on the other hand, contains no human element, yet, it is the container for a human soul, a chimaera of living and nonliving, however in the Termite ending it is empty, and therefore cannot serve as sacrifice. Both Katerina and Capella’s opinions support the Bachelor’s argument in favour of the Polyhedron standing as well, Katerina outright claiming that “ I know for sure that you are to destroy a woman…” However, seeing that Katerina’s prophecies are often wrong, this statement must be taken with a pinch of salt. On the other hand, Capella clarifies that while Simon is merely a man in the current time, however, “Had Simon been reborn though, had he transferred his spirit to a new vessel-a body huge, perfect, and able to let others in... then he could have been called that.” Well, that rebirth, that new vessel she describes just so happens to match up incredibly well to the Polyhedron, this means that for the Udurgh to exist, for the Haruspex to fulfil his purpose, he must let the Polyhedron stand, must let Simon become the Udurgh. These ideas of sacrifice, of fate, and most importantly, of duty and purpose, greatly define the Haruspex’s story, and the Utopian ending is the only ending which gives it the needed satisfaction by its end.

All of the prior points about the town and the sacrifice have been made with the greatest levels of constraint I was able to amount, this paragraph, admittedly, will be much more personal, as the reasoning it presents was the initial reason for my appreciation of this ending. Simply saying, this paragraph will discuss this ending and the Haruspex’s connections, specifically the connection to the Bachelor. This entire essay could have been written only about this, specific subject, however, there was much more to be said about this ending. This paragraph will discuss the relationship between the Bachelor and the Haruspex (of course) as well as the metanarrative of Pathologic classic, especially when it comes to the ends and in considering the Bachelor route in comparison to the Haruspex one.

During the Bachelor run, there is not a single chance to access the abandoned workshop the Haruspex works in, even trying to teleport into the workshop will fail, This comes with the precedent that as the Bachelor, you will not meet the Haruspex until the fifth day, from which point on he is only truly present for days 5,8,9, and of course, day 12. This is of course, a great disservice and the Pathologic 2 route should really have more Haruspex in it, however on a less tangential point, it a great difference from the haruspex route, in which the Bachelor appears for almost every single day of the playthrough, The Bachelor is likely to be the character the player interacts with the most, and over the game the connection between the two characters grows over time, with the Bachelor switching to use Artemy Burakh’s first name. However this closeness between the two is present throughout the entirety of the route, from the very first line the Bachelor speaks to the Haruspex (We will get to that later) to even the descriptions of quests and locations which the Haruspex takes note of, even I was surprised at just how much there was between these two in my first playthrough. All that builds to the point in which these two characters, at the very least, care for one another, deeply enough that the Haruspex has multiple dialogue options which are explicitly supportive of the Utopian ending within his Cathedral discussion with the Bachelor, with all but two of the dialogue branches allowing him to ask the Bachelor for his advice, and only one serving as a direct rejection. And that is what choosing the Termites ending in the Haruspex route is, a rejection, all throughout the route the Bachelor will attempt to convince the Haruspex of the validity of his ending, and in the Haruspex route, the Utopian ending is incredibly tied to the Bachelor, to Daniil Dankovsy, with the implication that if tower, if the last remainder of his research will not survive, that neither will he. Much like Aglaya, his fate is tied to the aspect of the town he is bound to protect. The Bachelor, who, while still placed as more antagonistic, still has his choice, his option for the ending still weighed as equally as the Inquisitor’s, the story places them as equals, “Two diverging pairs of decisions. Both pre-determined…” Which also clarifies that the Utopian ending was never less free than the Termite one, as they are both pre-written, scripted.

This leads into another extremely important aspect of Pathologic Classic HD, the meta, not only can you be reminded twice per round that the story is not real, but multiple characters and scenarios note that this is still a game, still a story the player is playing a part of. A big part of the meta story is the fact that the town is in fact, a sandbox, and the characters are merely dolls. The Polyhedron is a water container which was stuck into the sand, and the water within it had caused a mold, causing the sand pest within the reality of the characters. Removing the tower would help nothing; the mold has already spread, the only option forward is to remove the sand, or play somewhere else, which is what the destruction of the town means, the Utopian ending is the only one which actually, truly addresses this.

Another very meta aspect of the story is the relationship between the Haruspex and Bachelor, which is seen in the very first line spoken from the Bachelor to the Haruspex. The order the game suggests the routes is to begin with Bachelor, continue to Haruspex, and end with Changeling, and viewing the story as one continuous thing in that order adds a lot of depth to the story, with, “ Yes... Far be it from me to call myself a person of mystical inclinations. However, when I look at you, I get the feeling that nature is playing jokes on us. It's as if both the left and the right hand have clutched the head to realise for the first time that they are two parts of a single whole.” The Bachelor quickly disarms the player, not only is this statement a clear representation of the fact that they are two parts of a single whole, they are all healers, all part of the role the player plays, but this line is just plain out not something to say to someone you just met. Dankovsky continues his, less than normal interactions towards the Haruspex throughout the route, to the point that two of them have the closest connection here than almost any other two characters in any route, to the point even the developers themselves reflect upon it in that same dialogue I mentioned before, “Two diverging pairs of decisions… And then, you see, there were also feelings involved... Love.” While this can be applied to Aglaya instead, in the context of the conversation, which is Clara asking the developers about the two other healers specifically, that simply would not make sense. There is a lot more textual and meta evidence about these two, but I am straying off course too much already and this paragraph is already very very long, so we will just move swiftly back to the actual point of the essay :) (BUT YES I COULD WRITE A WHOLE ENTIRE THING ABOUT HOW DANIIL IS WRITTEN AS A LOVE INTEREST IN THIS ROUTE)

Let us not forget, however, a reason as to why the Bachelor wishes to destroy the town, and that is that Daniil is incredibly petty and jealous of Aglaya, from the initial curiosity at their initial meeting, “...She was so impressed by your dignified demeanour … What did you tell her that touched her so much?” To the outright spiteful, “My dear Burakh, she is your sacrifice! I don't think it is at all necessary to slit her throat with your own knife … if the town is destroyed, the head of Aglaya Lilich will be separated from her shoulders in less than a day.” He also partially agrees with Artemy that he seeks to keep the Polyhedron out of spite. However one must take into consideration the Bachelor’s route, in which he is consistently used and betrayed, the biggest offender being the Inquisitor herself. The only person who does not do so is the Haruspex, so it makes sense he would do quite literally anything to keep that being the case.

The fact is, Daniil Dankovsky suffers, in almost every single ending he is not at a good place, all of the endings from his own route for one, as that route is quite literally a tragedy, as well as the fact that Eva is dead in it, that also goes for Changeling route endings, as well as the fact that in that route he is in general incapable of a happy ending, which only leaves the Haruspex’s route for him to have any possibility of contentment (sorry g boy) Immediately we can also rule out the Termite ending in the Haruspex route, and in the Humbles ending he is the only one without a place, the Haruspex, as the Foreman, would still have a role to play, but Daniil would not, her victory is also the least rational one, and therefore, the hardest one for him to agree with. That leaves, of course, one ending, the Haruspex route Utopian ending, in which the Bachelor is not left in misery.

Other than that, this ending, just like all endings in which the player picks the ending of the bound other than their healers’ is a direct victory over fate, over the ‘set’ ending for the route. The executor, the stand-in for the developers in the ending of the game says as much, “The only enemy, the only evil in this story, you see, is called Inevitability…” This also lends itself to the idea that the belief that there is only one ‘right’ ending for each healer, that they should only be considered by their bound’s choice, is a wrong one. This refusal of fate, refusal of the ending implied to be the ‘correct’ choice of the Haruspex since the very beginning of the game, is the ultimate victory of the player, and of the characters with them.

In almost all discussion of the Pathologic endings, the only possibilities considered are the ones given, each healer choosing their own bound’s end, but Pathologic is far more dynamic than that. The story is asymmetrical, and so are its endings, which is why Bachelor’s route Utopian ending is quite possibly the most tragic, hopeless one, and the Haruspex route one is the complete opposite. There is no ‘good’ ending, of course, no, that would be too simple, however, there are some which are clearly better than others, and due to the future of the town, the impact this has on the Haruspex’s story, and arguably most importantly, the meta and interconnected aspects of this ending, it can be considered as a good ending. It is a belief that the Utopian ending in any context, is a bad one, however, in the words of the Haruspex himself, “Any choice is right as long as it’s willed.”

[tumblingxelian]

"Are we discussing the writers intentions with Jaune, Jaune as a general character or the audience reception to Jaune and are we singling out a specific audience or the collective?"

All three really. The collective.

To start, I'm fascinated by how Jaune seems to contrast the girls in terms of their development. His growth is very loud and in your face in specific moments like Jaundice or the prom or Volume 3's finale.

Hell, his moment in the Battle for Haven has him not getting the trauma induced power up to punch Cinder hard but rather to heal Weiss. After that, he's to the side healing those who need it. It's a big moment but his only moment aside from a small passing mention of his semblance.

It feels like peaks and valley when it comes to the times when he gets the focus.

All while the girls have each of their journeys spread across the whole show's intended run. Ruby's arc of trying to move forward too much has always been there but with weekly episode releases and hiatuses between seasons, it's causes even those who are well meaning to overlook it.

I don't know if that came out right so make of my thoughts what you will.

OK so its too hot for me to do any recording or other projects but I can answer asks, so let's get to this (Cracks bottle of cold water over my head) Let's do this!

So, Jaune is certainly a divisive character and while I have warmed up to him somewhat over the years, and while I adore RWBY I often feel he can be a disruptive element, but also one that does in fact serve a purpose. Keep that in mind for my response going forward.

So, touching on your stuff first, it is interesting, though I would argue against the idea that the girls don't also at times have very loud character development.

Weiss's shifter after talking to Port, her summons, the Atlas party, ETC. Blake running away & confronting Roman, her everything with Ilia, the final confrontation with Adam and the Bees kiss as just some examples.

Interestingly Ruby and Yang are on the more quiet end of character development scales with stuff building up slowly and quietly. Though not without their big moments, Ruby's eulogy and explosion, Yang's confrontation with Raven and the bees kiss, ETC.

Still, I think I see what you mean in how these things tend to be framed and handled in a much more varied way than media usually does.

IE, Jaune losing it at Cinder in V5 is basically him lacing the temperament of a Huntsmen that his allies have and it accomplishes nothing on his end as far as "Badass confrontation" goes and instead he only starts to grow after leaning into the role of support & healer, even defaulting more to Yang as leader in V7 during their rescue work.

Overall and I said this in my Bees essay that CRWBY like long form story telling, and that influences a lot of how RWBY is written.

In these regards Jaune does feel interesting/odd because he does have several... Archetypical moments of character growth as you say. What's interesting to me and what I think the writers are going for is that how good some of these even are for him can be questionable.

What I mean is like...

Jaune went to Beacon with a very "Idiot Shounen hero" attitude towards things. He cheated his way into an elite school and kind of just assumed it'd work out. He didn't try that hard in classes till he was being blackmailed, rejected help out of pride and even when he did seek it out it was only after he had a "win" under his belt that wasn't even wholly his but he doesn't know that.

The thing is, very little ever went Jaune's way on these things either in the short term or long term.

IE, he short term he showed up at Beacon and nearly died and or failed (Subversion of his shounen expectations.) But then he was helpedby a cool girl who ineplicably liked him and said he had a lot of Aura! (This falls in line with his Shounen expectations!)

But then it turns out he still sucks at classes and having what a girl who has a crush on you says is a lot of Aura doesn't mean much when surrounded by other people who also have a lot of Aura and have been training all their lives (Subversion again)

He then manages to retain his pride and defend his team and wins a battle "All on his own" except he ignored Glynda's advice and only won because Pyrrha guided his hand. Though after this he did swallow his pride and get help, its sort of net neutral?

Moving forward he wasn't that involved in the plot, but his stuff in V2, was very "Standard" school stuff, but then it was followed up by his love interest also being his mentor being a problem because Pyrrha fulfilled the trope of the mentor dying. Jaune was also cut out of that entire conflict (Wisely) because he's not actually the main character and he'd only get in the way. (Subversions all round! Be it for the cool girl liking the Shounen loser, him not being the MC, Pyrrha being his mentor and the tragic "Brightest of their generation" before she was his love interest and so on!)

Just within the first three volumes we see that there's this dichotomy of Jaune trying t and sometimes even getting to play much more standard story beats "Straight" that RWBY usually avoid. Only for them to then get blindsided by RWBY's more subversive elements.

But the key thing here is you only notice the latter if you pay attention to the whole, and not the individual moments. This is a problem I had with Jaune till about V6/7; because despite my insights here I do think the execution has been murky more often than not.

Still, with the above in mind, I think one can easily where how things flow out from there, with Jaune trying to play these self assigned roles and getting these moments of "Standard storytelling."

Only for something to come along later and put a spin on it.

V4 Jaune gives a nice speech to Ruby but it ultimately just serves to reinforce her burgeoning issues because he also missed her tendency to repress and when placed in a scenario like he would have been with Pyrrha he froze up and couldn't act, IE Tyrian almost getting Ruby.

He finally got his big speech and rage at Cinder, but was actively being told to chill by Qrow and Cinder gives near zero fucks and rather than getting a power up he gains a power that assigns him a support role over a "badass" role.

We also get to see something in V6 which I thin is often neglected in Jaune analysis, that boy has a fucking temper!

We've seen it with him shouting at Pyrrha, at Cinder and then outright attacking Oscar. But he always calms down afterwards and no one seems to hold it against him, but the thing is this means he never really works on it. The only thing that can shut it down is his own sense of shame rather than actual self control like say, Yang has.

But I digress, my interpretation of the writers intent but I basically think Jaune is meant to serve four purposes in the narrative:

1: Counterpart & foil to Ruby as leaders with very different skills & roles in universe. 2: Counterpart & commentary on shitty male authority figures who needs to unlearn toxic masculinity. 3: A longform subversion of the typical "idiot Shounen hero" who gets by on gumption and lots of natural talent. 4: The closest person we get to a wholly normal person in universe, as even Oscar has an ancient wizard in his head.

These are all interesting things and I can see what the creators are aiming for, or so I believe. However, I do think the execution of all this is often murky.

The short form stuff I mention above is some of the hardest to grapple with cos until you see it pay off it just seems like standardized story tropes, and even then the emphasis these ideas require to work can be disruptive to other characters narrative importance.

What's more while interesting and impossible to fully comment on until the story is wholly done, it is hard to say how strictly necessary some of these ideas are to explore given RWBY's limited run time. & the fact some of them could be divided up and given to more temporary characters who don't need as much narrative real estate.

Thus I can definitely get why people often find Jaune frustrating. Hell, I can often find him frustrating, especially because I think some of his traits are meant to evoke a degree or irritation with him. But all of this also feeds into why he can be such a divisive character.

As for people who just project onto Jaune and make him super harm big badass, ugh, idiots unworthy of consideration who frankly shouldn't be watching RWBY, I have nothing to say to them.

Anyway I hope this was coherent, thanks for the ask, sorry it took so long!

[itsclydebitches]

There's something I find pretty messed up about Little's part of the story. Penny is dead. The story puts focus on this and how it's effecting Ruby and is why Little's death is what breaks Ruby. The volume ends though with Little coming back so it's a happy end, right? Except Penny is still dead and never coming back. And they are going back to a world where people die when they are killed. It's like "Forget about your dead friend cause we got one where your actions don't have consequences."

Yeah, that's an issue with the Ascension arc as a whole. As discussed previously, we're already starting from a place of confusing messages because the world can't decide what Ascension exactly is. Some beings lose all their memories and (arguably as a result) their sense of self. Some just seem to get cool upgrades. Some change in such monumental ways they probably can't go back to their old life even if they wanted to (can Somewhat ever live with the other mice again now that they're like fifty times their size?). And some, Like Ruby, undergo no changes at all except a convenient and ambiguous ~emotional clarity~

So Ascension is a catch-all "Anything could happen" situation where all options, no matter how shady they appear to the audience, are eventually presented as #good by the show... except I'm 100% sure they only come across that way BECAUSE they happen to side characters we're not invested in/are leaving behind. Would people honestly have been happy if Ruby:

Completely forgot who she was (King)

Got some crazy physical upgrade that would fundamentally change the power dynamics of the show/other her in Remnant/imply that she's a faunus to strangers if she got some animal trait (the Caterpillar/Somewhat)

Came away with a new "purpose" and decided she didn't want to be a Huntress anymore (the Paper Pleasers)

There's a reason Ruby did not change except to inexplicably regain her confidence because the show and on some level recognizes that these options are indeed an awful kind of "death," something that would be bad to do to your main character (baring a monumental shift in the show). When we talk about the importance of growth (in real life and in fiction) we're referencing a context in which a person changes slowly over time, adapting to each change in a natural way, all of it a combination of environmental factors and personal agency. To just have some magical tree instantly change you without consent, making you "better" by its own, undefined parameters... that's not wonderful, that's horrifying! But as you say, even if we overlook all that and come at Ascension from a direction the story wants, accepting and praising such an aspect of this world... Team RWBY doesn't live in that world. What did they learn from this then? Yay for people who live in alternate realities because they get to become "better" rather than dying? Good for them, but our friends are still dead and our lives are still on the line.

If RWBY wanted this arc they not only needed to reeeeeally clean up what Ascension is/how it works, but decide on the message they're trying to impart. Because what we got, on a literal level, is Ruby being depressed enough to choose ending (that version of) her life, instead being rewarded for that choice by a pantheon she's kinda fighting against (in a way that both skips her development and ignores every other implied rule of Ascension), and is returning to a world where none of this matters because death is a Permanent Thing That She's Going to Be Seeing a Whole Lot More of Soon.

Penny is dead. Many other allies are dead. Weiss' Kingdom is gone. Salem is set to exterminate the rest of Remnant, and instead of dealing with any of that Volume 9 gave Team RWBY a (literal) fantasy world where everything is just fine, actually. Wouldn't it be cool if no one actually died and whenever it seems like they did they'd just come back as an upgraded version of themselves? Yeah! Too bad that's not the reality they're heading back to.

Honestly, the way to clean up all of Volume 9 for me is to slap a "It was just a dream" disclaimer on it. Volume 10 we learn that Ruby had a crazy, contradictory fever dream post-battle in which the biggest trauma she's ever faced is magically fixed by her subconscious? Yeah, that tracks. More than taking Volume 9 at face value.

[howlingday]

Have you ever feel that Jaune got to much focus? I mean he's called a main charater (for better or worse) in a show called RWBY. About Team RWBY. It's just looking at both sides as much as I like Jaune maybe their was or still is to much focus on him.

Hardly.

Tell me something. Did Sasuke get too much focus in a show called Naruto? Did Knuckles get too much attention in the show Sonic X? What about Harry Potter? One Punch Man? Hey Arnold?

The Jaune "getting too much focus because the show is called RWBY" is the saddest, weakest excuse ever uttered. Jaune is a main character, along with Ren and Nora, who, need I remind you all, got plenty of love and attention despite not being "Team RWBY"?

Now, does the FNDM give him too much attention? My second favorite tag on this hiellsite is "jaune arc," AFTER "rwby," agrees with this statement, and to be honest, I don't think that's a problem with the show's writing as much as it is with the audience's reception of him.

There being "too much focus" on Jaune is only in comparison to the weaker writing for the "main characters" because the show puts more effort into the action and the plot than into the development of the core cast of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang.

Ruby has silver eyes and is supposed to be the hero who saves the world, but it wasn't until Volume 9 that she really got a solid win for her character.

Weiss comes back home in Volume 7 and her biggest character moment is when she's stopping her father's escape. Then... nothing.

Blake and Yang are by far the worst because their characters are now wholly reliant on each other. And before that, Yang's character was reliant on Ruby while Blake's character relied on the White Fang plot, which ended in Volume 5, and Adam, who died in Volume 6.

But what about Jaune's character? Well, let's see; Jaune was the loser everyman character who acted as the foil to the prodigal child of destiny that was Ruby Rose. His partner, Pyrrha "Invincible Girl" Nikos, takes him under her wing and trains him as her mentor. She then dies, leaving him to train and grow on his own despite his team being there, whereas Ruby loses her entire team and gets their help to accomplish reaching Mistral.

...Typing this out, yeah, I would say Jaune got more thought and effort put into his story and character development, but I don't think it's "too much". If anything, I'd say the issue is RWBY didn't get enough. All we got for them were flashy moves and kicks and bruises, but it's all shallow, surface-level development. Looking back, I see RWBY as the same people as they were at Beacon, while Jaune has completely changed since his initial appearance.

And again, that's not Jaune getting too much attention. It's just RWBY never really grew up right.

[yuseirra]

(Vague..hints about what 165 would be, I heard about it, I'm...scared to see that chapter. It sounds really horrifying, I can't phrase it otherwise.)

I think I'm going to jot down my feelings. I honestly feel so, so sorry for people who like this manga..; on the bright side it's been a work that's...imbued things in me to write and draw this much about myself but I wish that'd only have happened on a positive note.

I think the author is really being too much..;; They're being so cruel. For what? Can this story get across a proper message? That's what's most important to me and I can take it if I'm convinced it is but... This current route is so far from what most audience would believe as fulfilling or.. Feel happy about seeing. Unless this is fake and the last chapter has some sort of happy closure to it all.

I started reading onk after the anime came out last year and kept up with it, ordering the volumes and reading them. After Chapter 154 and listening to the opening for Season 2, I just thought, “Ah, this is what it is… This is it.” (If you read my oldest? theory posts about this work, this July, you’d know what I mean. I think I’ve figured it all out, and so far, nothing I’ve said back then has been disproven; on the contrary, it STILL makes the most sense.)

I have myself an idea of what this could be, but unless Ruby uses Amaterasu’s power to save everyone and bring them into a happy timeline in the final chapter, this is just...;;

Haha, seriously, this is... phew...

It’s true that Ai and the person she really loved had mutual feelings, but that person went completely insane and caused some incredibly serious issues, forcing Aqua to go after him with everything he had.

From how things are unfolding, I think these points have been confirmed.

We also learned that person was originally good enough to be called noble<I feed off this info like cow eats grass... That's the thing that keeps me going lol Kamiki is nuts...oh please...I really care for him

We know Aqua had a mission assigned from the gods.

For Ruby’s future, he had to capture their father, and this task required him to put everything he built in the story so far on the line.

I kind of understood this? Even if accepting it is a different matter.

No matter how important revenge is in Aqua’s narrative... it’s like, what should I even say? Kamiki ended up devouring Aqua’s story to such an extent that the latter part of the story feels overshadowed by him, and yet Kamiki hasn’t been explored in enough depth for that.

For those following Aqua, this progression feels incredibly harsh. Even if you were rooting for Aqua, the villain he’s up against should be properly fleshed out. Kamiki is full of gaps everywhere. Maybe some parts are intentionally hidden, but what they’ve done feels too much like a Deus ex Machina.

The things he’s been said to have done aren’t even within the realm of what an ordinary human could achieve, it's beyond logic. So unless he’s literally a god, it doesn’t make sense. That’s why I kept insisting he’s divine. When you look at the clues related to his character, there’s actual foreshadowing that supports this theory. If he isn’t, then nothing makes sense. I even wrote a post as soon as Fatal dropped. I just knew THAT had to be it.

There are so many actions he took that can’t be explained unless he’s something beyond human, things that even gods would need to intervene in, assigning missions to Aqua and Ruby. That’s the development that makes the most sense.

Even so, this plot is too much for fans who have loved and followed this series.

I kind of get it, but for fans who have been deeply attached and following this work(this includes me too), the final chapter… Even if there’s something to look forward to, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be worth getting your hopes up. And I'm usually a very hopeful person. It feels like the author wanted to try writing an ending like this, but even then, this... The last 10 chapters or so feel like they consumed all the preceding content.

If Kamiki had been more prominently featured and well-developed, that might have been different (I probably analyzed him more than anyone else out there, because there wasn’t much to go on, and I tried to understand what kind of person he was, filling in the gaps to infer his behavior and motives since his perspective was never shown). But Kamiki, who isn’t as well-developed as Aqua, now holds a weight in the story that makes Aqua sacrifice everything he’s built. I really wish they did both characters justice. I really liked them both.

In that case, he needs to be an unimaginably terrible villain. From what spoilers suggest, what he’s done is indeed severe. But if Ai truly loved such a person, and that’s flipped with the limited remaining chapters, the story becomes trash... Haha. Then what’s the point? I don’t know. That, I really don't wish nor see being contradicted.

Kamiki was kind but lost his mind. (Him being kind is something I never want to give up till the end. I just see it REALLY well too.) So he did a lot of things, I get that. But can something of this scale really happen in modern society, to the point where the protagonist must sacrifice their life?

If so, shouldn’t there be some justification brought in from outside the story to make it convincing? Hence, Kamiki is essentially a god, as suggested by his very name. He was a noble god who fell. There’s enough context, hints, and foreshadowing to support that. He was exposed to malevolence from a young age and became tainted by it. He probably did love Ai, which is why he wielded his power so recklessly, driven by madness to reunite with her.

But even with this, there’s hardly any explanation. Why he went mad, what he did with his life—it’s all glossed over in a few panels. If he’s the villain that the protagonist *must* defeat, there should have been more depth and depiction to fuel that narrative, but it’s incredibly ambiguous. The story just throws a few lines at us and expects us to believe, “He could do all this, so the protagonist had to die,” and that’s it. (That's why... I'm not really sure if they make it want to seem like he's THE bad guy either. Since it's rarely explored in detail so we can't sympathize with the victims if they exist and...hate this guy even more for it. That approach I agree with, because it shouldn't be that way if this story wants a message. But who knows. Scary stuff; it just makes you baffled and dumbfounded and go, "what is this?";; Again, it'd make me question, 'What kind of guy did Ai even love?' I do have my own answers for that. He's her previous divine husband who became hopelessly flawed upon losing her, THAT'S what, so it's not on HIM that he's turned out that way. But who knows.)

Do you think that’s convincing...?💦 I’m filling in the blanks myself, but this feels too much. Whether the final chapter is 50 pages or 100 pages, it can’t wrap this up properly unless Ruby turns back time to save everyone and bring them happiness. I’ve heard there are about 50 pages for 166, but isn’t that just two chapters’ worth? It’s basically the same as a double issue, and given how little content there’s been in recent chapters, even if they combine two, I don’t think it’ll be impactful.

I genuinely feel sorry for the fans of this series. Does this development make sense to you? I’m so baffled that I can’t help but laugh when I think about the plot. It’s not even funny; it’s just painful to watch. How many people would have wanted this kind of ending? I once wrote that over 70% of fans might end up hating the conclusion, that I have a bad feeling about the writer having some kind of personal ambition to create a "twist" and experiment on it out of their artistic desires - and if it ends like this, they probably will. It's not like I didn't see it coming. I did tell all the others who came to read this work upon reading my fanworks to wait until it's complete, there are some things I really appreciate about it, but I wasn't sure it'd progress on your usual, happy and safe route. It could have been that way. The answers were all there. There were many opportunities where there were chances of this story getting an ending many would be satisfied with,

And if I’m wrong about everything I’ve said here, I’ll be just as lost. I really won’t understand any of it. But I’m confident I’m right.

The traits of Kamiki match those of the husband of Ame-no-Uzume in at least ten ways. That god even had a story that said he drowned.(but if he really died, that's ambiguous and he is worshipped pretty well along with his beloved Amenouzume)That's just too much to be brushed off as coincidence, he's at least INSPIRED from that god.

I believe he was originally very kind. I can’t let go of that idea, because it’s been evident to me, and it sticks in my mind. But if that’s true, then this is the story of someone who was kind but went mad, and a son who became a vengeful spirit after his mother’s death. The mother, worrying about the father, left what was almost like a final wish: “If your father is still straying, won’t you help him with me?” But the son kills his father, thinking there’s no hope for him, and ends up dying himself in the process. If that’s really the story, then how... how can there be any positive message to take away from this?

I think I understand what’s going on. I think I do... but the story has been so unfriendly and, as a result, feels disrespectful to fans who have loved the series.

I'm actually thinking: if Kamiki IS Sarutahiko the god of guidance who's been TWISTED due to making EVERY possibilities of a future turn horribly wrong, are we WITNESSING his powers in real time?? Is THIS an extension of what he's capable of? because, I feel like.. He's been bringing sufferings to everyone including himself. Oh in that case I'd totally understand his pain. He really would be suffering. And he's THAT dangerous. What if this comic is being really meta, huh?? I think he doesn't want this either. Losing Ai just.. Totally shattered him I bet. But seeing how things are, I think it could really have been his powers that caused her to die in the first place, unintentionally though. I won't forgive the author if HE'S the one who's killed Ai AND he's been doing all these things in order to get her back afterwards, that is just...so rude. It has no point...

There’s still one chapter left, and I know it’s not right to make a judgment prematurely, but if things go on like this, it’s truly too much...; I genuinely feel bad for those who have loved this work wholeheartedly. And for myself... if it doesn’t end as I’ve thought, then I’ve been completely mistaken, haha. But I came into this with confidence, not about Aqua’s side of things(I thought HIM out of all should get a happy ending. I still wish for that to happen), but about what the story wanted to convey through Aqua’s parents. I believed there could be a meaningful message despite how difficult it seemed, so I took the initiative and interpreted it, drew a lot. If I’m wrong, I can only blame my insight... The story itself never changed; it just stayed there. But I was confident. I’ve never been wrong when it comes to instincts or analyses related to psychology. I thought I knew what this was...

I hope this work gets resolved in a way that is respectful towards its fans whom really cared for the series...they-we-deserve that as much as the authors deserve respect. We're in this together as a fan and the writers. We should care about each other.

[akiraarabella]

This is me appreciating RWBY, I'll be jumping from one point to another so dont worry if im not making any sense. its not you!

All of these past volumes for me doesn't feel rushed (it maybe because I've finished it in 2 days so thats on me) but i feel when i think about volume 10 and the story so far is that yknow when you start writing a book just because of that one scene you made up in your head. So now you need to build up the characters and the events for that scene to make sense. I feel like in nine volumes we got a good setup for "that scene" thats gonna happen In volume 10 or maybe even 11 who knows. Do you get what i mean? No? GREAT! SEEMS LIKE WE'RE OFF TO A GOOD START!

Can i also just say that Jaun's VA killed it in the 7th episode of Volume 9. Both arguments that Ruby and Jaun makes.. I can't help myself but watch the 7-8-9-10th episodes of volume 9 again and again. This whole volume was directed on character development mainly for Ruby since the other characters already had their arcs before this volume except for her and Jaun. (Jaun kinda did as well but never got the closure he needed which was acceptance and he learned that in the volume 9)

And i gotta be honest even from the start Neo was the most intriguing "villain" For me. Maybe because of her design choice or her semblance but something about her made me really like her. And I'm glad they went the way they did for her story too.

I'm saying it again. If Neo doesn't come for our rescue with the jabberwockies im gonna throw some hands.

AND the way they used the Blacksmith in the tree and the story is just UGHH BRILLIANT!!!

The whole politics shenanigans with ironwood in the previous volumes were really made this feel a bit too real especially Nora standing up to Ironwoods plan was just chefs kiss. IM A BIASED NORA FAN COME AT ME I DARE YOU

AND ALSO WHEN I SAY I SCREAMED HEARING CHRISTINA VEE'S VOICE IN THE SHOW I MEAN I SCREAMED ALRIGHT!!!! that was a jumpscare moment for me

Another also PIETRO MY MAN BEING VOICED BY LEE HIMSELF?! (i know VAs name is not lee im talking abt the twd game lee dont get it wrong) I KNEW I HEARD THAT VOICE FROM SOMEWHERE!

Glad Emerald is on our side now. Can't wait to see how much of a time jump we had between volume 9 and 10 AND for more ✨TRAUMA✨ let's get it fam! Keep up the hype!

[myimaginarywonderland]

Maybe it's just me but something about this season of Doctor Who and the whole structure very much feels like it is set up for 3 seasons. Everything about this season and plots of Doctor Who has very much felt like the beginning to a longer season arc and I am curious if that is why they have already finished some filming because they have written it that way.

It would be interesting because we have never seen something like this before but I can not see any other explanation for the limited episodes and some of the storylines.

Here is why I believe it:

Ruby's story is starting to be told. We have sort of uncovered one side to her parentage while another is still a big question mark and both need to/feel like they will be explored. It feels like the end of this finale was clearly a set up for Ruby's actual story of family in the next season where there will clearly be some conflict (maybe her biological father doesn't want her , maybe she is confronted with the two versions of family she now has) that will be the focus of her storyline while also leaving some room for her to still be a companion. It seems very obvious to me that Ruby's story is written for maybe 2 seasons with a special as a last ride and therefore we are already going to be lightly introduced to the next companion once Ruby's story is told.

Ms Flood feels a lot like Lemony Snicket from ASOUE (the TV Show as I have never read the books.) I feel like we will continue to have her be a present point to us as the viewers in some way before the season 2 finale will finally confront her with the doctor and will give season 3 either the chance to be her story as a villain or to explore her role as morally grey character. It seems obvious to me that since the specials she was hinted at being a long term reoccurring character that is clearly part of a much bigger picture. I imagine with the end of Ruby's story will come a split where we finally get to meet Ms Flood on her own and have her actually interact with the doctor for her actual purpose.

Rogar ap Gwilliam. I know we technically had his hints resolved in 73 yards but especially now with his call back in the finale and all the hints we have had for him throughout the season, I am convinced he is going to have a bigger role in season 2. It just feels to continent to have him appear once yet still have him haunt the storyline in some way without there being more to him or his character. I could totally see him especially with his connection to Ruby be the villain or a big plot point of the second season.

Susan. With all the talk, the hints etc. there is no way we are not seeing Susan in some way/form or other. She was already hinted at in 12s run and with 15 she has been more prominent than ever. Not delivering on that, not having some kind off pay off for the suspension and conflict that now has already been built around her would be the cheapest and worst decision ever.

Sutekh. While I fairly confident he won't actually be back, we have now opened this whole can of Gods possibly influencing the story but first and foremost be real. There is clearly more to this than just his one appearance and God's as a conception will clearly return in some way, maybe even bring someone like the Trickster back to make this an ever more present fact.

All these plot points, all these characters have slowly been set in motion, have slowly begun to build up and some like Ruby are finally beginning to have their story told. But overall all of them on their own very much feel like set pieces that are waiting to be moved, like the opening for a play. It feels like we are watching all these smaller plots be developed for a much larger arc. If this weren't Doctor Who, I would have no doubt that this would be a show with 3 seasons that would end there because the structure seems so clear and obvious.

So I am definitely curious to see how this will turn out or if I am insane for this but this could not be 3 season arc any more clearer if it tried.

[aihoshiino]

i wonder how different the story would have gone if, instead of sending ryosuke, kamiki would have visited ai on his own.

the part of me that needs them to be happy says that while he isn't necessarily enamored with the twins at first, he still tries to his best with them. maybe they think he's their new babysitter at first, that'd be funny.

anyways, kamiki awkwardly co-parenting with ai and both of them fumbling through being exes and parents and still caring so deeply for eachother but also being too traumatized to properly communicate.

aqua and ruby are first hostile when they realize that this is the man that got ai pregante™, and then they become the twos biggest shippers. cue incredibly convoluted attempts to get them together again. (i feel that it is important to point out that they're still toddlers at that time, which would make this extra funny)

So the thing about HKAI and the mess that was their relationship is that Hikaru sending Ryosuke in his place is ultimately a symptom, not a cause. It is a consequence of his arrested development in regards to Ai and his inability to conceive of a world where the two of them exist separate of their relationship. To a degree, asking 'could Hikaru and Ai be happy if he didn't send Ryosuke' is kind of asking for Hikaru to be a different character, because at the place he's at at the moment he makes that decision, he can't not make that choice. I've described Ai's tragedy in the past as being simultaneously preventable and unavoidable and the same goes for Hikaru. It's like a fucked up reverse Oroborous - in order to create the conditions for him to be a happier and healthier person, he must already have started taking the steps towards becoming that person - or at least to be further down the road than he is at the equivalent point in canon.

Even if we remove Ryosuke from the picture, I can't really imagine things going that well. I kind of touched on it in a previous ask but even the one-sided conversation we hear that seals Ai's fate raises a lot of red flags for me. He leaps to assuming that Ai is trying to get back together with him and when gently turned down romantically but still offered an opening back into her life as the father of her children, he chooses to betray her trust and send someone to terrorize and potentially hurt Ai and their children so she could 'feel his despair'. Even if we believe his insistence that he really didn't think Ryosuke would kill her, this is still an utterly reprehensible thing to do. It implies a level of not just desire but outright entitlement - that he feels he has the right to 'punish' Ai for… what? Not wanting to rush back into a relationship with him after like, five years of minimal-to-no contact? When he's gone right ahead and proved that the issues that caused their breakup have not been resolved?

Obviously, this is not to say that Hikaru doesn't sincerely love Ai with all his heart or that he doesn't care for her at all. I actually think that contradiction between his clearly observable feelings for her and the actions he nevertheless chooses to take is really fascinating in what it adds to him as a character. A big part of the reason why Hikaru's so fucked up is because he's so deeply in love with Ai and so utterly unable to cultivate a nuanced or healthy relationship with his idea of her.

So… I guess if I'm honest, my vision of it is more Hikaru using visiting the twins as a way of leveraging his way back into Ai's life, successfully or otherwise. I don't really see a scenario where Hikaru is able to work out his shit and become a decent father or partner for Ai, just because too many of his issues are tangled up in this longed-for codependence with her. Maybe this older and wiser Ai could find a way to save him like she wished for, but… is it really fair to put that weight on her shoulders? Why should she, a person with her own desperate struggles and lack of support, go right back to performing the backbreaking emotional labor that contributed to that all-consuming codependence in the first place?

To be clear, I'm saying this as a proud HikaAi shipper who loves a fucked up life-warping codependent romance, but in the context of Oshi no Ko and when we're talking about what would actually make these characters happy, I think Hikaru and Ai, at the place they are at the time of the tragedy, are not in a position to make each other truly fulfilled and happy.

askslmdslkdlsmdsl i'm so sorry anon you sent me such a cute prompt and got this utterly harrowing essay in response 😭 I'M SORRY THAT'S JUST HOW IT CAME OUT

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

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353. The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I actually really enjoyed this book--more than I was expecting. I was wary at first, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Is this book a bit quick on the attraction? Sure, but these people have known each other since they were kids. And the FMC gets to live that fantasy a lot of us have had of that older guy who finally sees you for who you are (at an appropriate age) and falls madly into love with you.

But you know what this book has that I absolutely adored? COMMUNICATION. The characters communicated and knew immediately what they wanted. If the MMC waffled a little every once in a while, he had a legitimate reason for it.

This book deals with trauma, an abusive parent, and the pressures of living a very public life and still trying to maintain some semblance of privacy. I think the MMC dealt with things in the best way he could and the FMC was very strong against those who tried to control the way she lived her life.

Was this an award winning read? No, but I was entertained and it had some good spice. If you want a sort-of surface level romance with some heavier topics on one side of the characters, then this might be the read for you. It was a very quick read (and granted, this could be because it was, again, a bit surface level), and I sometimes just need books like that.

I know I'll be trying the next Ferguson book!

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354. Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think Ruby Dixon is one of those authors that is under-appreciated. Her ability to blend spice with really well thought out fantasy is impressive. I thought this when I read a different series by her and now I'm thinking it again after having read BULL MOON RISING.

This wasn't what I thought it would be, especially going off that gorgeous cover (and trust me, this book is aesthetically GORGEOUS.) What I was met with was a pseudo-historical-fantasy novel. It took me a little bit to get into the story because, again, it wasn't what I thought it would be, but when I did, I couldn't stop reading.

The cast of characters were so fun and had such different personalities that they easily came to life in my mind. I think one of my favourites was the character who kept licking his eyeball LOL. I'm excited to see where this world takes these characters and what their arcs will look like (if we get more of their stories!)

The FMC was the type of woman who took zero shits from anyone and made her own path, despite everyone telling her that she couldn't. She was one of those women that you want to warn and protect, but who will always do her own thing and speak her own mind--I loved her. And I especially loved how accepting and curious she was. Her love story with her husband of convenience was surprisingly sweet and very spice (which I'm not surprised about because Dixon is a smutty queen.)

The MMC was one of those male characters that had to grow on the reader because he had that asshole attitude down to a tee. But as I learned more about him and he becomes softer and more loving, I started to empathize with him and understand why he is the way he is. But I also loved how protective he is of the FMC. They were great together.

The concept of the book is really interesting and unique. I am very excited to see where this series goes! If you love romantasy novels that are also monster romances, then you need this. There is great character development, an adventurous sense to the story (especially when the schooling starts), and some fun characters that will have you either laughing or wanting to smack someone. Also, if you love a good marriage of convenience and the only one bed trope, then you should probably add this to your TBR...

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355. The New Recruit by Moscareto--⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I think this is the first time I haven't 100% loved a manhwa, but it wasn't entirely because of the storyline. The artwork took me a while to get used to. I don't know what it was about it, but it felt so...unoriginal? It also made me think a lot of the old school yaoi hands LOL.

The story itself was fun! I liked the little reveals here and there, it kept me hooked and wanting to read more (hence why I read it in one sitting). I wanted to see what else would be revealed and how the story would progress.

I will say, however, that I was surprised by how quickly the stern boss changed, but I was invested and loved seeing them get to know each other better. I want to see their relationship develop throughout the upcoming volumes and I'm a bit excited for that! I'm more intrigued, too, because of the hints of envy and those subplots that popped up near the end of the volume.

And excuse me, that cliffhanger??? I want to see the MC's reaction LOL. I need more.

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356. The Off-Limits Rule by Sarah Adams--⭐️⭐️.5

THE OFF LIMITS RULE had its cute moments, but it also had quite a few frustrating moments. I did enjoy it for what it was and I'm glad I read it because sometimes I just need cute and mindless fluffy romance reads.

To get the frustrating bits out of the way first--her brother. I didn't like the way he treated her or how he reacted to her love life. I think his way of thinking was antiquated and I get that she's his sister and he wants to protect her, but she's also a grown-ass woman who can do whatever she wants. And mentioning the grown-ass woman thing: the FMC is a mother who adores her kid, but Adams was so focused on the budding romance between the two MCs that we didn't really get a lot of her son. It took a few chapters before we meet him and I was thinking, "What about her kid?" I've read other stories where a single parent finds love and we meet the kids almost immediately (unless it's like…a work trip or vacation, or the setting is in another country). I just remember thinking "Will we have any scenes with him?"

The MMC was cute, but he was such a pushover LOL. Yes, let yourself be governed by this dude you've known for a year (even though he DOES make a comment about this, I still found it funny.) I liked having his POV because I like having dual perspectives of certain situations. He wasn't exactly memorable, but I did like how he had the FMC's back in certain situations and how cute they were together.

Listen, this book was…a surface level kind of adorable read. If I think too much about it, then I end up lowering my rating, but I'm rating it on my overall experience and it was fine? It was a bit insta-romance, it was a closed door romance (not a bad thing, but be prepared, the doors will close just before any spicy stuff happens).

If you want a fluffy read for a beach day, then this is definitely one to keep in mind.

Also, I DNF'ed the second book. It had potential but it was a clustercluck.

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357. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ugh, why am I crying?! I didn't expect this book to make me cry.

I had always seen this book floating around and never really gave it much thought. But then someone somewhere mentioned what it was about and I was immediately intrigued. And while it took me a while to get used to the storytelling, ODD THOMAS definitely grew on me. I think part of why I ended up actually really enjoying this book was because it gave me a similar vibe of so many other books printed around that time. They all have the "this is my life" type of vibe, which was something both in female-led and male-led stories.

The mystery aspect gripped me about mid-way through. The writing was a bit choppy at times and I felt like I had missed something here and there, but when the story kind of righted itself and all of the info-dumping was done, the mystery really set in. The extra touch of him being able to see the dead was both a little creepy and fun.

Odd Thomas himself was such an entertaining character. He's smart, but not very aware. I laughed at the scenes where it's so obvious how others see him (especially women), versus how he sees himself. He was truly one of those characters who jumps off the page and I'm intrigued to see how his characters grows and changes as the series progresses.

I'm intrigued and I'm definitely going to be picking up book two!

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358. Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was genuinely creepy.

I 100% would have had nightmares as a kid. There were some chapters where I was glad I had the lights on. And I know I'm probably a scaredy cat, but this book was actually really unsettling. I'd even say that this had moments that were almost TOO intense for a middle grade novel.

Gave me IT vibes, but for preteens. Especially with that sense of dread and the sightings of the creepy things that haunt the town. The way Henderson showed us the end of various characters also gave me that similar vibe because it went beyond the MC and her own experiences. I really liked how he did this because it involved the whole town. It was very creative and i loved how we got chapters from the victims' perspectives.

The monsters were a bit too well described and were actually so creepy. I can tell the author has experience creating scary stories that will haunt the readers long past "the end". This was almost masterful, especially for middle grade. I think this is one of those MGLit horror novels that will be a hidden surprise that kids will stumble on, not something that is going to be very mainstream--but I think adults and teens should definitely read this one.

Also, this would be a terrifying movie, to be completely honest.

One of the obvious signs, for me, that this is truly a middle grade novel was that ending. It was quick and a bit too easy? But that being said, this is a kids book and honestly, sometimes things are just that easy. I can't wait for book two!

If you have a little who loves horror stories, I definitely recommend this one but keep in mind that this one is genuinely scary LOL.

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359. Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I REALLY liked PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Probably my favourite Adams book so far.

I loved the connection between the two MCs and how the FMC found her voice by the end, even though it was a bit of a journey. I liked that we got to see her overcome those difficult barriers, especially because she had spent so long in just letting them fester and grow. She was one of those characters that everyone thought they knew because of the mould they had created for her, but watching her find herself and her voice made this book even more satisfying.

The MMC also had some serious character growth, even if his was a bit less obvious. His trauma really came to light as the story progressed and was an interesting and sad revelation alongside the FMC's own struggle with her grief. I love seeing characters who work so well off each other, because them helping each other makes me feel their chemistry even more.

The third character that I loved in this book was the town itself. Everyone in this town is so nosy and opinions are always flying all over the place. The whole aftermath of the very attractive MMC running shirtless in the morning through the town was hilarious.

The tension between the characters was great, but even though there are allusions to the spice, this was another closed door romance from Adams LOL.

___

360. Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker--⭐️⭐️

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn't that. Even though the concept seemed really interesting, I felt like I needed more of SOMETHING to make me feel more invested.

There were some parts that had me guessing what the twist would be, so I wasn't entirely surprised, but it was interestingly done, nonetheless. This part of the story was probably the best part of the whole thing.

I think my low rating is because this novella had a lot of potential and kind of didn't do anything with it. Plus, it jumped around a lot and got kind of confusing at times. I got half of the information I needed and barely had time to get invested in the characters.

I think this could have been great if the plot was a bit more linear, rather than jumping around from place to place. Also, if we had a bit more to go off. I normally really like horror novellas, but this one felt like it was missing a lot.

___

Happy reading!

[kob131]

Okay, 1. what Yang "clearly meant" by saying that doesn't matter. The point is that it comes across as Yang framing Ruby as the bad guy in this situation when, in reality, she has every right to be upset with them when it seems (at least from her perspective) she and Blake aren't taking this seriously. If that's what Yang meant, then she should have said/done something to that effect, not try to be confrontational.

2. "Ruby's language is traumatizing"? No. I'm sick of this argument. The idea that Blake in particular is so emotionally fragile that she can't handle someone being mad at her is so insulting to the character it gives me a headache. Do they seriously think Ruby's behavior here is even remotely comparable to freaking ADAM of all people? (Also, the idea/presentation of Blake being so weak she can't stand up for herself and needs Yang to shield her is a whole other can of worms).

3. I never said siblings aren't allowed to argue. I know relationships are messy. I myself have a very poor relationship with my twin sister. But when one side is depicted as the only one in the wrong even when they have an understandable point or the other clearly screwed up somewhere, then there's a problem with your writing. If Yang had acknowledged she was wrong and had grown as a result, I wouldn't have a problem. But the whole thing tries to paint Ruby as being an irrational asshole with no justification for her attitude and Yang is presented as being completely in the right with no need for character development. (Also, Lilo and Nani are not Ruby and Yang. Different characters, different situations, different stories).

Also, sorry for the rant. When someone calls me a POS, I have a tendency to pounce.

Aie...second time I've had to play the tin can between people tonight...

To give my thoughts-

1- I see Ruby AS the 'bad guy' here. Or rather, her as the one at fault. After all, Ruby never tried reaching out and she just let her feelings bottle and fester. I speak from experience and while I understand how hard it is for someone in Ruby's position to reach out: I ultimately sided with Ruby when she left Yang back in Volume 3 after Yang blatantly ignored Ruby trying to comfort her ('I love you.') And I held that Yang was the one who needed to push herself out of the hole she was in. This is just the last step on this ride for me.

2-I wouldn't say Ruby is 'tramuatizing' but Ruby intended on being aggressive and hurtful. Even ignoring what I said above- does it not say something that Jaune, a character used to foil Ruby, immediately does the same thing when HE'S pushed to the brink and acknowledges he wasn't right when Weiss snapped him out of it?

3- Ignoring my points stated before-

"Yang: I don't know. Some things you just need to be there for. Ruby, about what happened in the Ever After...

Ruby: Uhh, which part?

Yang: (looks down) I don't need an explanation, I think I get it. It doesn't even matter if I do, completely.

Ruby: Yang, I-

Yang: I understand my part in you feeling like you couldn't talk to anybody about what you were going through, and I know it's hard to even know what you're going through when you're in the middle of it. I just need you to know (starts smiling at Ruby) you're not alone. You can't be alone, not with the world the way that it is, and not with what we and our team have all been through."

Yang actually did own up to it. Even as Ruby herself never apologized for acting the way she did.

And before I get called a hypocrite by some (not you, Anon)- this is the same stance I held with Taiyang and Yang back in Volume 4. That Yang never apologized for talking to her widowed and abandoned father about loss as if he's never experience losing a part of himself. I accept that these characters don't need to apologize because there is an understanding between them that they know better and moved on.

I know you likely didn't come here to argue but if I'm gonna be stuck here in a debate, I would like to be debating my stance personally.

[lucygriefer]

Royal Bones AU Scarlet (AKA Sans)

Working on this character design for this random AU idea I had. This AU idea is a Underfell AU. Where I guess there's technically some Asgore and Gaster shipping.

Here is Scarlet (the AU's Sans) they're a girl in this AU. Princess of the Underground and daughter of Asgore. Scarlet is also a singer who works along side Mettaton doing shows and things.

Hand sketch:

Do note that I was sketching with the ecto in mind... and cause of the ecto belly she looks a little weird... that and I realized that I probably needed to move the legs down a bit but I also had no space to use trace paper and charcoal to move the legs and tail down. I didn't have the room -_- and I was not moving the upper body up! I spent so long on the head, horns, and everything that I was not going to move it all up! So her ecto belly looks a little weird. I did think about giving her heels made out of rubies but decided to not sketch it for this design. Maybe a future design.

Got some stuff I need to figure out for some of her design here and there. Like do I want her to have the delta rune symbol on the belly of her dress or should I move it down to that strip in the front and move the diamonds up to the belly. I'll explain why the one hand looks like that while I'm giving some of the AU story.

Colored sketch:

Decided to work on my color pencil skills... Cause I haven't don't it in a bit and wanted to work on my skills some more. So we gotta 2 different colored versions here. Was having trouble with the ecto part so I just left it with a light base color. I'll go back some other time and fix it up.

The fabric in the front of the ribs and belly came out strange only because of the pencil underlining that you can see there. The lining of the rib cage so that part came out a little strange. Other then that I do like how most of the colored pencil version came out.

Digital version:

Trying to figure out how I wanna color the dress... and it was after I liked and colored everything that I realized that I could've moved her lower half down... but since I forgot I just left it alone.

------

In this AU the monster population is dwindling. As with the Underground being a kill or be killed world many don't want to risk having kids and having their lives put in danger. Eventually Asgore tasks Gaster to find a solution once he noticed that there weren't as many guards as there use to be.

While Gaster was working he decided to try and mix some of his magic with Asgore. With skeletons having a very short window that they need to grow and develop before they are ready to be born, and using Asgore's magic to help highten the chances of the magic and bodies stabilizing and being able to take form.

Eventually Gaster is successful. Managing to create 2 new life forms. That being Sans and Papyrus. He shows them off to Asgore and the king is very happy over the results. Once their bodies were fully stable Asgore took them home. Announcing not only the program that is going to be working on to help with the monster population issue (were Gaster is the head of the entire program) but also announces the birth of his two children.

Asgore raises both of his kids. Eventually Sans starts feeling strange about themselves and with some help, from Gaster getting Asgore to notice the changes in Sans' personality. Asgore gets Sans to realize that they prefer being called a princess and they basically learn that Sans is a girl. So they change Sans' name to Scarlet and Scarlet becomes a princess.

Scarlet gets more goat like features from Asgore with the double jointed legs, horns, and a tail. Growing up she wore a special head set that allowed her to have her horns grow more into a spiral instead of up and outwards like Papyrus' horns. She isn't much of a fighter and is more political. Taking up the book half/paperwork of everything. In her free time she's a popular singer that does shows along side mettaton. The two monsters working together to entertain the entire Underground.

I'm working on Papyrus' design right now. That and I'll update this AUs story in the future.

[moltensmusings]

One of the downsides of budget limitations and lack of outside help in the early rwby volumes is there's so much world building that kind of gets lost which would be really interesting. Or that would just flesh stuff out.

Ruby listening to music on her headphones in episode 1 and yet we don't have any other knowledge of music existing in remnant outside of concerts Weiss does. I'd genuinely love to understand if there is a proper music industry. Show me some musicians I beg.

Beacon in general. The dc collab made me really miss the setting and was just a reminder that we didn't get to see enough of the school. I'd love to see students and teachers. We get to see the kids in 3 classes total for their entire beacon run.

So many side characters falling into the void to never be seen again. CRDL was one of our first teams and while yes they were very one note I would've loved to see them develop as characters and have dynamics with the main cast. Not even as main characters in every season but more just reoccurring. And they're not even the only example.

Team SSSN in was only Neptune and Sun until volume 3 supposedly because the models for Sage and Scarlet weren't good to go and that is such a tragedy since once again we're missing out on RWBY interacting with peers.

The timeline of volumes 1-3 is incredibly confusing. It's hard to tell exactly how much time has passed without word of God saying so. We have very limited content of everyone but also have to know that a fairly decent amount of time has passed that allows everyone to bond.

I also feel like as the show went on it becomes more cohesive but in early volumes you really can tell they were still trying to figure the story out. Look at the designs of the Grimm in the red trailer vs the end product and that's all the evidence you really need to know they were still conceptualizing volume 1 not even a year before it got released.

And this is just off the top of my head. That's not even going into the writers taking on topics they really can't handle well (faunus racism) or how a lot of the lore was getting written and rewritten each volume until they got to a comfortable place by volume 3/4.

[itsclydebitches]

So any thoughts on the news from Rooster Teeth regarding The stuff they're putting on the rooster teeth site?

I've only heard about this all second-hand, but the anthology series in particular has me going "Meh" at best and "Not again" at worst. The latter because (as we're all well aware) RWBY has a long history of dividing up information across its (flexible) canon, rather than consolidating it within the story proper, which makes that story... a mess. So I can perfectly picture a version of Volume 10 where important questions/revelations/world building are glossed over—or outright ignored—and when fans rightly want to know why the main characters aren't getting info about what occurred while they were gone, the answer is, "Oh we heard about that in passing in the side show developed during the hiatus." Emphasis on "we"—the viewers. RWBY tends to assume that if the viewer has certain information then they don't need to repeat that for the characters, despite this being a series where secrets and half-truths abound. And while that's a logistical issue all on its own, it also robs us of the chance to see the characters reacting. I don't want to watch a side installment to figure out what was happening in Remnant during Volume 9, then watch a Volume 10 where I have to assume via twitter announcements that the girls maybe learned about an undetermined amount of that stuff off screen. I want to SEE them learning with us in real time and once we have that framework, yeah, then you can flesh it out with an anthology series. It's far more satisfying to learn alongside Ruby that—as a random example—Sun and Neptune had all these cool adventures as a way of forwarding their friendship, then see those adventures animated down the line. As opposed to seeing it and then going, "I guess Ruby heard about that too? Maybe?? They haven't actually interacted on screen yet though, so...."

Of course, this is likely being done not only to fill the RWBY void, but to get our some of that Volume 10 info (epilogue included) in case the real deal is never green-lit. But again, I'd rather have confirmation. If Volume 10 is never going to arrive then fine, I get it, you publish what you can. But if there is still a chance of it happening then RT is shooting itself in the narrative foot by rushing and telling bits of the story too early. The hook of Volume 9's ending is the shock of seeing everyone semi-united in Vacuo, but still dealing with a myriad of problems. What happened immediately after evacuation? How did people rebuild? When (and why tf) did Ruby become this god-like martyr? Have they already spoken to Theodore? What new plans have been made to combat Salem? There are a lot of questions that arise from a time skip, questions the characters share, but if the audience gets many of those answers before they do AND the show doesn't lean into repeating that information for us to indulge in the characters' emotional reactions to it instead... what little that's currently interesting about Volume 10 goes down the drain.

[sydperion]

SPOILERS FOR VANISHING ACT PT.2 !!

thoughts ab jupeter’s cyclical ass trajectory and s5′s overall themes below the cut i am foaming at the mouth

i have a feeling that this season, Nureyev’s journey is going to hella parallel Juno’s in S1/2, and it’ll be Juno’s powerful emotional development that will lead Nureyev to take the same steps. SO much of S4 was Juno repaying the graces that the crime family gave him since they all met, and I think Nureyev is the final point he has.

In the last episode (Vanishing Act Pt. 2), Nureyev says flat out that he KNOWS the debts are probably a fallacy just to keep him under the Executive’s power, but that he needs to repay Slip with his life, in order to pay the proper price. It’s the emotional debt that matters not the money. You know what that sounds like? Penance. Y’all remember last time we were exploring themes of penance? 

Juno in Season 1 & 2. 

Trying desperately to make his life something so that he will properly save Hyperion City and avenge Ben in a way, and redeem himself, or prove that he deserves to be damned, because “he got Ben killed”. Peter is doing kinda the same, and he needs to learn to not only let go, but redeem himself of that responsibility that was never really his, just like Juno in Monster’s Reflection.

From the way Juno is approaching this, (trying to track down the doctor/engineer/person Nureyev mentioned), it feels like he’s going to have to do a hard switch from trying to emphasize the bullshit of the executives and the “life-saving” tech, and instead he’ll actually need to confront how he dealt/deals with Ben and try to help Nureyev through letting Slip go, (i do not believe Slip is gonna live at all,) just like Juno surviving the Hanataba operation through mourning Ben and letting go of investigating his death, and leaving Hyperion.

I don’t think Slip is gonna come back, because I don’t think it will allow for Peter to have the development he’s been fighting for since the GET. Slip being miraculously revived would be strange? It’s a tragedy. It’s horrible, and it needs to stay that way I think, and I don’t think that would be a disservice to his character, if they let him have the final say through something like Juno/Ruby’s mind reading stuff. Then let them get justice for him, like taking down the entire corporation with the Crime Family? It’ll be fucking herculean for Nureyev to do regardless, like, goddamn. But I think that the point.

Nureyev has kinda pulled his Final Resting Place rn. Juno offers his love, saying that if Nureyev says he doesn’t love him and never wants to see him again, than he’ll leave and “...it’ll be like we never met.” Then Peter has that slight moment of weakness, visibly locks up his emotions, and leaves Juno in the dust. The next step, is leading Nureyev to let go of his responsibility, and to mourn the loss and pain of what he’s endured for 20 years, but that has to be on his OWN TERMS.

Having Juno by his side and understanding him might give him the strength to accept Juno and Rita’s help, and allow him to start the journey to let go of Slip and the debts he’s been victim too since he was a fucking child. Let him lead his life the way he sees fit, ya know?

If this show is about Juno’s recovery and healing from trauma, the ability to look at the most painful shit he’s been through, and be able to “shed that armor, and lay bare” for Nureyev, and help him do the same, I think would be a beautiful end for their stories. 

To learn to mourn and heal together.

[yuseirra]

Ch 155 review:

woke up in the middle of the night and wrote ANOTHER huge bulk of a post, I'm having so much fun with this but maybe I should return to drawing persona fanarts again because I.. I'm pretty hopeless regarding mysteries but!! Here are my sincere thoughts about the latest chapter in more detail! I should really keep quiet till things clear up more. I believe so, but it's been really fun to hop into an ongoing series

This was originally written in a different language, then later translated through chatgpt. Chatgpt is so cool; ah I'm really sorry about what it does to the environment though; I won't use it a lot;

I hope to write quality content for those who love this work. That's how I feel. Haha. Well, I find it difficult to write forcefully, so at least I can say that I'm writing based on my affection. I'm not writing to get recognition(although it'd be nice).

Ah~~~.. Hahaha. For this episode's development, I realized how foolish I am because I forgot about Nino! But honestly, how was I supposed to know? That character, broadly speaking, might have contributed to Yura's death, but there was no indication that they did anything related to Goro's death. I don't watch many mystery shows, so when I made a plot guess last time, I dug a hole for myself in another post:

What I can't predict is what's going to happen next. There are too many variables and too much undisclosed information. As new information that hasn't been revealed yet comes to light, it makes it really hard to know.

Just like that.

The first emotion I felt after seeing the chapter was "?". What is this?? What are they trying to do?? And then, I felt really sorry for Ai. There's no sane person around. The person who definitely contributed to her death is her ardent fan (though I think even the term "fan" is too generous for that person). The suspected instigator is her ex-boyfriend or a colleague from the same group... there's really no one she can trust. Even though Ai hid many things and didn't show her true feelings and lied, it seems understandable, doesn't it?

I don't have any major speculations about Nino, but what I've understood is that the character "worships" Ai with some very twisted feelings. If there's a character who wants only the good sides of Ai to be shown to the world, it would be this one rather than Kamiki.

When I delve into analyzing the characters' emotions related to the story, I felt the part that needs explanation is Goro's death. Since Goro's death happened before Ai's death, the interpretation can vary greatly depending on whether it was intentional or just an accident. While many might focus on Yura's death, which is indeed very important, at least you could attach some psychotic criminal's delusional reason to it later. For the case of Goro's, however, it'd mean that there might have been someone other than Ryosuke already working against Ai behind the scenes before her death happened. Whether there were more people dissatisfied with Ai and her children other than Ryosuke is significant in determining how much it contributed to Ai's death.

I've been watching all along, but it didn't seem like Kamiki was involved in it, so I was confused. So, I think we need to sort out this part. This character doesn't seem to have much aversion to the fact that Ai had children, and there doesn't seem to be any reason for him to. From the moment he referred to Ruby as "indeed our child" in his first appearance, I got the feeling that this character recognizes the twins as something resulting from him and Ai, something between them, and doesn't view it so negatively. In that short sentence, there was a faint sense of affection. He doesn't seem to dislike being connected with Ai in one sentence, and the fact that there are children between them doesn't seem to be a bad thing from his perspective. You might think I'm overthinking based on one short sentence, but it's not just that; overall, his attitude when he actually appeared in front of the twins doesn't give any sense of dislike. The clincher was when he casually mentioned in chapter 153 that he has a father's heart. I thought, oh, this must be right.

Therefore, if Goro's death wasn't just an accident, I don't feel that this character would have any reason to harm Goro, who tried to protect Ai and their children and ensure their safe birth. (It could be explained as him being petty and harming Goro because he didn't like anyone else being close to Ai, but I think that's highly unlikely.) However, it still feels a bit off to think that Ryosuke acted alone to hide the body and everything else related to Goro's death.

If Nino were involved, it might make things clearer in this regard. But I don't know how insane Nino is (though She seems to be in very bad shape). I think there was some truth to the psychology of Nino that Kana portrayed...

B-Komachi, which was her and Ai's group, was going to perform at the dome, right? Which means Ai's career is shining even brighter even further. So what would this character gain by harming Ai at that point?

Ai did have a desire to reveal things about herself, though. Maybe this character wanted to stop her because he knew she wanted to expose things about herself and stop being the perfect idol worthy of worship?

From Kamiki's perspective, I think Ai revealing things about herself, especially if it was before the dome concert, might not have been such a bad thing. When the children were about four years old, he still wanted to get back together with her. If Ai had said, "I want to try liking someone, and I have children," then his career might have been ruined by the scandal but he might have been happy thinking, "Oh, Ai had feelings for me to that extent." She's THAT important to him, I believe.

But for Nino, it wouldn't have been the same, would it?

What keeps coming to my mind now is this lyric from Mephisto:

叶かなわないならばあなたになりたい

"If I can't make my wish come true, I want to become you."

Could it be that Nino wants to be like Ai, or even become Ai herself?

She's the one who's expressed her desire to be her (as portrayed by kana in ch 136)

Even if you view Mephisto's lyrics from Aqua's perspective, it doesn't seem like Aqua would say, "I want to become Ai." Of course, it's a powerful lyric expressing longing, so it resonates strongly emotionally. But their genders are different, their fields are somewhat different, and while Aqua seems to have a longing for the entertainment industry, he also tends to deny it.

Or it could be this: Seeing Nino's erased all the other members except herself and Ai in the poster, (she didn't erase her own existence) perhaps she might believe the one to be beside Ai is her and her alone? That might be how she thinks. :/

Adding one more suspect broadens the possibilities, but it seems like Akane and Aqua will explain everything on their own, so waiting might be safer. My guesses probably aren't going to be correct anyway.

What I can talk about more is Kamiki's reaction. Although it was a very quiet reaction, in some ways it was stronger than I expected because he accepted Ai's words completely. From his perspective, he was receiving a message he couldn't have imagined for fifteen years. There was no negative reaction like "No way, she's lying." He simply accepted, as in "I didn't know this," and remained silent.

In another post, I wrote my predictions for him like this:

If the songs are clues and there will be some kind of conflict in the future,

Just as Aqua has been doing things for Ai for years, this character might have been doing things too, and it's probably almost complete. His mindset is that as long as he accomplishes this, it doesn't matter what happens to him. He was planning to meet Aqua and see his daughter once before turning himself in.

But when he realizes that Ai, whom he truly loved, actually loved him back, he might feel like he's losing his mind.

There was a line he couldn't cross, thinking, "Okay, let's not do this," but now, having seen the video, he might cross it. Because he misses Ai so much and she's so precious to him, now he really wants to save the person he loves who also loved him (it seems like he's doing something to save her/see Ai again. Otherwise, the songs wouldn't be like this).

If he thought Ai didn't love him, his feelings (assuming he didn't intentionally kill her) would be guilt, obsession, and love-hate, so he wouldn't have any energy left. Because he has no attachment to himself, he'd have a resigned attitude like, "Alright, let's do this and die," and that's why he easily decided to turn himself in and show up in front of his children.

But if Ai loved him and actually wanted to be with him all along? Then if he was doing something for Ai, he wouldn't be able to give it up. So while he still has no attachment to himself, he might suddenly gain the energy for more extreme actions.

(I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't accurately predict all the emotional reactions.)

Instead of "losing his mind," it seemed closer to sinking and submerging... It looks like he was someone who could have understood Ai well if only he had the right opportunity.

But I did get it right that he wants to do something for Ai.

Actually, the speculation I wrote above was a bit extreme, thinking that, since it's a manga, the development might be more intense. So, it was a scenario that I didn't really think would happen! Considering the character's personality, I thought he would suffer greatly. That's as far as I thought (with the current information revealed, I'm still withholding much judgment about this character).

But he seems so precarious. I'm worried he might be found dead somewhere... I'm still questioning whether he's someone worth worrying about,

But I don't think it's zero possibility that he'll end up being a very pitiable character.

He's saying he'll do something for Ai, but what could that be? He himself is determined, but Ai is already dead.

Even if Ai has become a star and is watching over him, would she want him to struggle? If he really killed her, she wouldn't want him to do anything invoking her name as a murderer. But if it's truly a misunderstanding, then she wouldn't want him to suffer anymore.

The video Ai left contained a message asking Aqua and the others to help this person, so I think the latter is more likely. Although the video was recorded a long time ago, this is a manga. The timing of when a message is revealed is important to the development. Since this story has come out in the final chapter, I think there might be a situation where the main characters end up helping him...

No but, if Aqua just let this person go, and if Kamiki turns out to be a murderer, that could be extremely irresponsible, right? Even if he let him go, shouldn't he have recorded the conversation and reported it? He should have recorded it and reported it, but maybe he couldn't report it because it happened when Kamiki was a minor? But wouldn't he have been around nineteen when the kids were about four? Is it something too ambiguous to report? Still, the next story that gets mentioned involves at least three deaths. How can he calmly, perhaps leisurely, discuss with Akane that Nino(and him) was involved in the deaths of three people? You never know what a criminal might do if they're cornered mentally.

He said he was going to do something for Ai. If that something is killing people, then it's dangerous for Aqua to just let him go. But since Aqua did let him go, it seems like he doesn't think that's the case.

So, the theory that he committed serial killings to ensure no one surpassed Ai is probably incorrect.

Additionally, there's no mention anywhere of serial killings actually happening, right? It could just be those three deaths. That doesn't mean he's not a murderer. If there had been serial killings of celebrities, it would have been mentioned in the story, right? There should have been some hints, like someone saying, "Hey, this actor who was doing well suddenly disappeared," but I don't recall anything like that. It would have been better if there had been at least some hints. Everyone naturally speculated that he might have committed serial killings to ensure no one surpassed Ai, and based on the way the scenes were portrayed, it did seem that way. But since it hasn't been mentioned so far, it could be that such events never happened.

The mention of bearing the weight of lives came up when the Uehara couple died. Kamiki was very distressed, saying, "Do I have to bear even that?" He seemed to be thinking that because of him, Ai died, and so did the Uehara couple, and now an actor has died too. He seems to be self-deprecating, thinking, "Yeah, someone else died because of someone like me." His way of speaking is really strange though... Is there a reason why he feels he needs to elevate the value of his own life?

When I saw the lyrics of "Fatal," I thought, "This is it," because it hints at "something that needs to be filled." What can fill the void? As the lyrics suggest, "a lack of Ai", it seems to be Ai. If you look at the song alone, it’s about wanting to revive someone he really wants to see, right? "Mephisto" is the same, and since it's a double hit, I thought, "Ah, then that's it. That's why he's moving."

あらゆる望のぞみの総すべてを叶かなえたら　ああ果はたせたら

"If all wishes are granted, if they come true,

あなたに会あいたい

I want to meet you.

星ほしに願ねがいをかけて

Wishing upon a star"

Anyway, stars are important. I noticed that stars appear quite often in the manga.

When I first heard "IDOL" and sometimes when I hear certain songs for the first time, I feel an overwhelming rush of emotions. It's a really amazing and exhilarating feeling.

However, if I listen to the song repeatedly, that emotion dulls, and I become less sensitive to it over time.

When I first heard "Fatal," I felt an immediate and intense sensation. It was as if someone was desperately searching and longing for something immensely significant. As soon as I felt that emotion, I instinctively thought, "This must be it," and it struck me so strongly that it became the reason I've been writing a lot lately.

The songs from Persona 3 were like that too. However, while Persona 3's songs had a warmth that supported the heart, a sense of resolve and determination, the songs from this manga feel like they are heavily spiced with MSG. The intensity of the emotions is incredibly fierce and strong. So, I often find myself wondering, "Is this okay? Is this okay?" But then I realize, yes, this is the kind of emotion being conveyed. It's raw but in a different way.

Considering the emotions that have been flowing so far, I felt strongly that Kamiki must be the one that's being depicted. Does anyone else feel similarly to me? Haha. So, I was just observing till that point, but then I couldn't help but dive in, thinking, "This has to be it."

These days, there are so many horrifying, disturbing, and distressing news stories, and it feels like the sentences given to offenders only add insult to injury for the victims(it's very short and light here). I hate it so much. I wish the term "dating violence" would disappear; it should be replaced with another term because that's not love.

So, while watching the developments in this manga, I feel like... I really don't want to empathize with or sympathize with the perpetrator, even in fiction. I understand that fiction can be separate from the reader's morals and I respect that, but when I think about the emotions between the characters in this manga, it doesn't feel like it's the same as those horrifying real-life cases. I really hope it's not. I'm not looking for it to not be like that on purpose; it's just that something feels off...

When watching the scenes with Ai's video, at first, my heart ached, but as time went on, I kept thinking, "Kamiki, you better get your act together." If this character has done things worthy of criticism, I absolutely don't intend to condone those actions even a bit, and I believe they should pay for their crimes!

But I think it's okay to wait and see for now? Am I really the type to get easily fooled? Haha. Still, I believe I have a good sense of understanding when it comes to emotions... I got Aqua and Kana right, and maybe that's why I got excited and gained momentum. It was exactly as I thought, for their case.

Well, we'll have to wait and see. I'm going to stay quiet for now. But if I'm going to draw fan art, I need to have a clear understanding of the emotions, which is important to me. If I can't predict what this character is feeling, I can't touch it.

Kana is really great in this regard. She's a character who doesn't need to overthink, so it's really comforting. While everyone else is complicated and holding secrets, leaving me to wonder "when the heck did you find out about that?" having new conversations among themselves, Kana is relatively easy to understand... what you see is what you get.

Or Ai, since she's shown almost everything (there's one video left), I might be able to do something with her too.

I liked the character Akane because of the profiling scenes. It didn't feel entirely like someone else's business because I do some degree of psychological analysis on the characters I handle. So that could maybe be why the range of characters I can manage isn't that wide depending on the genre. I usually focus on less than 5 characters and examine them REALLY deeply. The types I can understand and handle well are quite distinct for me. However, I want to dive deeply into the characters I do handle.

To create proper fan works, you need a lot of pieces of the puzzle. I might end up being off the mark, but I'm still doing it seriously when I make fan work!

I'm very happy when I hear good comments regarding such area :) I really want to do a good job. For now, I will stay on watch and see how things play out for now.

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I thanked chatgpt :) :) aw they're nice (although they don't have feelings they've been helping me from rewriting things twice)